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vicky82gargoylesfan · 12 days

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My Thoughts on X-Men 97 Episode 5 Remember It

Wow this was a fucking awesome episode, It was so Intense, shocking and emotional and I still haven't gotten over it, even watching it a few times hasn't helped but I do love it. I'm certainly going to remember this episode for a very, very long time.

I was actually planning to watch it on my break at work, but I forgot my iPad and as I didn't want to look at spoilers, I just watch tv and didn't even look on my phone. It was good thing I did watch it when I got home, otherwise I wouldn't been able to concentrate.

Spoilers

I didn't realise how dark this show was going to become, it took me by surprise. I thought the matureness would be a bit less than Young Justice season 3 and 4, I was totally wrong.

I knew that there were multiple massacre and genocide events in the comics. Watching it on TV, especially an animated show, hits you differently than reading it in comics and it mirrors real life tragic events, it was very shocking.

It was such a brilliant well written episode, it delivered some powerful dialogue. The shift in tone worked brilliantly.

Loved the animation, some of it was breath-taking.

The voice acting was brilliant, A.J. LoCascio, Lenor Zann and Matthew Waterson were amazing. Lenor Zann deserves an award.

The score was breath-taking. I loved the Ace of Base song, Happy Nation, it's now stuck in my head. I never even heard this song before, the only 2 songs I know from Ace of Base is, I Saw the Sign and All That She Wants. I've now downloaded this song.

When I rewatch this episode, it makes me sad seeing all these mutants being so happy and free, not knowing about to turn tragic later.

It was great seeing Nightcrawler again, I also liked seeing cameo's of other mutants. Dazzler, Bomb Bomb, Arc Angel, Marrow, Multiple Man ect, (sorry I'm not clear on other mutant names).

So on the council, is Emma Frost, Shaw, Moria, Banshee, Calisto and Madelyne. I just love Emma's bitchy remarks throughout the episode.

Jean kissing Wolverine didn't feel awkward to me, as it does happen in the comics, so I'm not going to make a big deal about it.

I do hope that Jean and Cyclops do sort there issues out, they are my favourite couple. Scott and Maddy's psychic rapport moment was definitely a reference to Scott and Emma's psychic affair in the comics.

I love Beast's reaction, when Scott and Jean were arguing.

I do love that Scott was concerned for Jean when she had that psychic attack.

I like the flashback, how Rogue met Magneto. Luckily it was confirmed, she met him when she was in her 20s.

I do feel for Rogue and can understand what's she's going through, she wants skin to skin contact but can't do that with Gambit.

I do feel sorry for Gambit but he was mature and respected Rogue's decision to be with Magneto.

I didn't notice The Watcher, on the first watch.

I know a lot of people think that Val Cooper is Mystique but unless Wolverine lost his sense of smell in the 1st two episodes, it can't be her.

Very powerful lines:-

Valerie Cooper "Most other nations don't allow a terrorist become their leader" Magneto "Yet so many allow their leaders to be terrorists"

I thought Rogue was really pretty in that dress.

Magneto and Rogue steamy dance and kiss did feel awkward at first but I got used to it when I watched the episode multiple times.

Rogue realises she loves Gambit and rejects Magneto and she understands what Gambit said to her that 'Some things are deeper than skin'

Ok this is the moment that I knew something bad was going to happen (I didn't notice the Watcher). Madelyne had her psychic attack causing her nose to bleed (and we see Jean's nose was bleeding too). Maddy's vision in the 1st episode was actually foreshadowing this horrific event.

I thought the music being slowed down was a nice touch and felt very haunting.

Great to see Cable again and voiced by Chris Potter, Gambit's voice actor from the original show.

When he said 'not again' does this mean this wasn't the 1st time he's tried to warn everyone about the upcoming attack.

When Madelyne realised Cable is her son and Cable disappears back to the future, saying he was sorry, that was pretty heart-breaking.

Wow that 1st attack, that blast, poor Maddy, she didn't stand a chance.

That blast caused Rogue and Magneto to be thrown quite far out

I just love the animation and sounds when Rogue was regaining consciousness.

I was bit surprised by the amount of blood and cuts on Rogue. Magneto didn't have any injuries at all, until later.

Rogue's and Magneto's reactions was perfect, they were shocked and confused at what was going on, they just stood there watching, you can even here the fear in Rogue's voice when she sees Banshee being vapourised. Kurt had to risk his life to save them.

OMG!! I actually thought Kurt had died, I was relieved that when Gambit checked his pulse, he was still alive.

Rogue, Gambit and Magneto, were absolutely brilliant, Gambit and Magnet were both badass.

When Rogue and Gambit went to save the Morlocks, the score gave me goosebumps. Seeing them side by side was great.

Magneto starts having these flashbacks of death and destruction, including a flashback of the concentration camp, he then goes on a rampage and attacks the Wild Sentinel using a train as a whip.

Gambit saving the Morlocks, was obviously a reference to the Morlock Massacre when he betrayed them but this time he saved them. The music made me think, everything was going to be ok but it was all false hope.

When the wild sentinel detected a omega threat mutant, was that at Leech?

I just love that Magneto protected Gambit and Rogue, used metal debris to cover them.

I just love the way Rogue and Magneto were looking at each other.

Magneto telling Leech 'don't be afraid' in German, was gut wrenching.

I was in shock when Magneto and the Morlocks were vapourised. But I do have a sliver of hope that they might have survived.

Then I see Rogue that I've never seen before, there is no score, just hear a heartbeat.

She's in tears, full of rage and fury and she wants revenge but she not thinking straight and goes she to attack the Wild Sentinel.

Gambit knows she won't make it and has to save her, he throws his charged up bike into her, to get her out of the way of the Wild Sentinel blast.

The Wild sentinel then targets mutants at the Gardens and Gambit has to save them, so he goes after the wild sentinel but then he's impaled and I almost scream, I was in shock.

What I love about Gambit that he still has his sence of humour and he uses his power to blow up the Wild Sentinel, saving the suvivivors.

Then we cut back to the Mansion with the others watching the events on the news, all in shock.

Then back in Genosha, Rogue is crying and cradling Gambit in her arms, then it fades to black and we hear Rogue say 'I, I can't feel you'. I was in tears.

Even the end credit score was very sombre

What was even more sadder, is that Rogue never got to tell Gambit, she chose him over Magneto.

I love Rogue, she's one of my favourite female characters (next to Jean) so seeing her like this was heart braking. I hope she will be ok, I'm going to be really worried about her.

I know that a lot Marvel characters don't stay dead, so I do have some hope that Gambit and Magneto ect will be alive by the end of the season, keeping my fingers crossed.

So the death list is Maddy, Banshee, Marrow, Shaw, Moira, Dazzler, Callisto, Gambit and possible Magneto and the other Morlocks. I assume Emma survives using her diamond form.

I do have a feeling that Bastion is responsible for the genocide on Genosha.

This was only the 5th episode!!! and apparently just warm up, something even worse is going to happen in the last 3 episodes. What could be worse than a genocide on Genosh and major character deaths??????

The next episode, Lifedeath part 2 won't be much of breather episode either, apparently it's going to be scary and creepy.

I have to say this episode has dethroned The Red Wedding.

#x men #x men 97

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cevansbrat0007 · 1 year

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For in the growing pains dabbles in kiss and make up I’d love to hear about the shopping fiasco hahahaha Andy with twins makes me laugh

It was a mess! Dancing in the aisles, serious debates over cereal, A.J. ending up wearing frosting as a mustache, the three of them singing show tunes...

I'll see if I can whip something up about their little shopping fiasco. Probably Reader's list of reasons as to why they can't be trusted together. Let me think on it! Lol And please don't be afraid to remind me either...

#cevansbrat0007 asks #chris evans #andy barber #chris evans imagines #andy barber imagines #cevansbrat0007growing pains series #andy barber fluff #chris evans fluff

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terry-perry · 1 year

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Christmas with the fam

Loki*relaxing with a book

Thor and steve * prep for christmas dinner

Reader and bucky* the tree hanging

Valkyrie:We got te drinks

Hela*sits next to loki chilling

The kids*outside and in jackets snowball fighting

A.j:is it true uncle thor dressed as frya to get his hammer back?

Thor: please no

Steve*holds smile*did it happen

Y/n and loki:Yes and we can tell the story

Thor:NOOOOOO >~<

hela: we saved his dress too

Steve and a.j*wheeze*oof XD

Thor:loki.

*summary the frost giants stole mew mew because want frey to marry a royal to their realm they didnt agree Himdall has an idea Dress thor in a wedding robe or dress with a thick veil covering his face and loki as a pretend handmaiden . Thor drank alot and when the giant asked for freya if he wants to see thors hammer it be like this

Giant:hey freya~ wanna see thors hammer

Thor:HEl- I mean Yes darling~

Giant*presets it

Thor *goes ham attack while in a dress*

Thats how he regained his hammer

Its just a light laugh and yn gave thor a light compliment "you do look beautiful in it big brother^~^ "

How about for this AU, they were after Y/N? The family refused to marry her off and as an act of vengeance, they invaded Asgard and took what they could, including Mjolnir. How they got it back remains the same lol

#odinsdottir #asgardian!reader #thor x sister!reader #sister!reader #rogers kids #mcu au #mcu imagine #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvelcinematicuniverse #marvel #uncle!thor #mom!reader

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the-paper-furler · 2 years

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Quotes I really like Part 4

"Truth is put together by destiny; It's nothing more than a whim of fate. A lie, on the other hand, is more human; It's created by mankind, and tailor-made to purpose." -Antonio Iturbe, The Librarian of Auschwitz.

"On the page beside it, flowers and leaves twining around a picture hardly the size of a playing card. Mo followed the tendrills with his eyes, discovered seed-heads, fire-eleves, strange fruit, tiny creatures he couldn't name. The picture so skillfully framed showed two men surrounded by fairies. They were standing outside a village, with a crowd of ragged men behind them. One of the two was black and had a bear by his side. The other wore a bird mask, and the knife in his hand was a bookbinder's knife.

'The Black and the white hand of Justice. The Prince and the Bluejay." - Cornelia Funke, Inkdeath

"Wonderful, Annabeth thought. Her own mother, the most level-headed Olympian, was deduced to a raving scatterbrain in a subway station. And of all the gods who might help them, the only ones not affected by the Greek-roman schism seemed to be Aphrodite, Nemesis, and Dionysis. Love, revenge, wine. Very helpful." - Rick Riordan, Mark of Athena

"She followed him anyway. If you ever cared about me at all. Inej actually snorted as she vaulted over a chimney. It was offensive. She'd had numerous chances to be free of Kaz, and she'd never taken them. So he wasn't fit for a normal life. Was she meant to find a kind-hearted husband, have his children then sharpen her knives after they'd gone to sleep? How would she explain the nightmares, she still had from the Menagerie? Or the blood on her hands?" - Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

"his philosophy about children was simple and profitable: a man enjoyed himself begetting them, put in as little money and effort into their upbringing as was possible, and then put them to work earning money for their father as soon they got into their teens." - Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

"Everyone who came out before you has taken the rocks and bottles and turned them into shields and wind chimes."-Sigrid Ellis

"You are an imbecile. You are a knacker-eared fecund-brained bastard of ill-cast winds. You are a fool, admence among the blighted. I hate the day I ever learned your name." -A.J Hackwith, Archive of the Forgotten

"'Immortal' is just a word for something we don't understand the shape of yet. The boundaries, the end." A.J Hackwith, Archive of the Forgotten

"A reader doesn't mark his life by days, but by memories. A book doesn't mark its life by pages, but by readers. We are made up of those whom we touch." -A.J Hackwith, Archive of the Forgotten

"Hell and other realms are filled with a compelling cast of personalties. Demons, muses, jinni spirits, and ancestral forces. Creatures that can feel, covet, love, hate. The truth is this: they are not human. Humanity isn't defined by feeling, facsimile there in. Humanity is defined by fragility. We are a cherry blossom and they are the frost.

Frost melts, but it is the blossom that dies. " - A.J Hackwith, Archive of the Forgotten

"To the modern eye, ink looked like water. Colored water perhaps, like poorly brewed tea or the garishly colored sugar drinks of her youth. (...) to the plastic milled barrels of ballpoint. When the ink dried up, a pen was tossed, not refilled. What a wasteful idea that was. Ink become something that was a minor component to the pen, not the fuel for it." - A.J Hackwith, Archive of the Forgotten

"Let's take a moment to talk about the age old question...were emos an oppressed minority?" - Verilybitchy, '00s Bisexual Chic.

#quotes I really like #qIrl #part 4 #quotes #the paper scribblings

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musemuseum · 3 months

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Muses | J

#muses; j

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scoobybuddie · 1 year

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March 2023 Book Ratings

Love's Legacy by Adam J. Ridley (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Lucien by Silvia Violet (Kindle Version) - 4 out of 5 star rating

23 by Brittany Cournoyer (Kindle Version) - 4 out of 5 star rating

Hot Head by Mika Nix (Kindle Unlimited Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Origin by AJ Sherwood & Jocelynn Drake (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Eager For You by H.L. Day (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Gaycation in Paradise by Ariella Zoelle (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Under A Full Moon by Sammi Cee & Michelle Frost (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Bet on Love by Ariella Zoelle (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Claiming Marcus by Jocelynn Drake (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Morning My Angel by Sue Brown (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Hot Mess by Misha Horne (Kindle Version) - 4 out of 5 star rating

Little Slice of Hell by Clio Evans (Kindle Version) - 4 out of 5 star rating

Remember When by BL Maxwell (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Surreal Estate by Jesi Lea Ryan (Kindle Version) - 4 out of 5 star rating

Sinister: Unhallowed by John P. Logsdon & Christopher P. Young (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Borrowing Blue by Lucy Lennox (Kindle Version) - 4 out of 5 star rating

Soul Bottles by Lawrence M. Schoen & Brian Thorne (Kindle Version) - 2 out of 5 star rating

Angelo by Silvia Violet (Kindle Unlimited Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Felix and the Prince by Lucy Lennox (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

The Shape of Terror by A.J. Burnes (Kindle Unlimited Version) - 5 out of 5 star rating

Devil by Silvia Violet (Kindle Unlimited Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

A Devilish Christmas by Silvia Violet (Kindle Unlimited Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Mob Boss by Silvia Violet (Prolific Works Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Glasswing by Kimbra Swain (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Space Army Recruits: Day One by Kinley Grey (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Shades of Lust by E.M. Lindsey (Kindle Version) - 5 out of 5 star rating

Old Magic by Chris Lowry (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Legends by Kit Bladegrave (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

Chaos by Kit Bladegrave (Kindle Version) - 3 out of 5 star rating

#Book Ratings 2023 #Bookblr #Booklr

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wideouts4life · 2 years

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youtube

NFL Week 1

Football is back ladies and gentlemen. Well, the NFL is back should I stand corrected. College football has been underway for two-weeks and already there have been shocking upsets with a power 5 coach Scott Frost of Nebraska being fired after a big time defeat by Georgia Southern. Georgia the defending National Champion appears to picked up with where they left off last season. Their defense looks phenomenal and their offense doing what they can with what they have considering a few of their wideouts transferred this past off-season.

While all that is fine and dandy this blog is about WIDEOUTS. Yes, WIDEOUTS! All things pertaining to the wideouts. It’s been a few years since I’ve actually watched a full football game. And as someone who’s known as the wideoutguru, you would think how is this so?! That the wideoutguru has not watched a full football game in over 5-years. After coaching my final year at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California and winning a National Championship; my life took a turn down the spiritual path. That 2017 season wore me thin. I was homeless living out of a Motel 6 and Extended Stay America for three-quarters of the season. A year prior I lost my best friend and never had a chance to fully grieve because I was obtaining my master’s degree and was thrust into football camp three weeks after the incident.

But five years removed from coaching and fully healing…I’m back. I have healed and I am at peace in my life. I had to remove friends and family out my life who I deemed as losers and get back to the person I always wanted to become. Wideouts as a brand is my life. Next year will mark ten years since I trademarked Wideouts4LIfe® and WIDEOUTS®. W4L is the management/performance aspect of the business and WIDEOUTS is the clothing/merchandise behind the brand.

Now let’s talk wideouts. According to Jason Mccourty of NFL.com his top 10 wideouts coming into 2022 are: 10.)Keenan Allen 9.)A.J. Brown 8.)Mike Evans 7.)Deebo Samuel 6.)Tyreek Hill 5.)Stefon Diggs 4.)Ja’Marr Chase 3.)Justin Jefferson 2.)Cooper Kupp 1.) Davante Adams who complete the list. All ten of these wideouts have that wow factor in different aspects of their game. And now that week 1 is officially over with the Seahawks escaping victory over the Denver Broncos I’d like to analyze their play on the field.

I’ll start with who I think had the best performance. Stefon Diggs gets my wideout of the week award. What the young man was able to do on Thursday night against what most would consider the #1 corner in Jalen Ramsey was nothing short of incredible. I love how he took the fight to Ramsey and didn’t let Ramsey’s aggressive nature or act of intimidation affect his play. The streak on the right side that Diggs scored on was beautiful despite him falling down in the process. Earlier in the game he ran a nice slant which he almost scored on ending his night with 8 catches on 9 targets for 122 yards and 1 touchdown. From a statistical standpoint Justin Jefferson had the best day of all the wideouts catching 9 of 11 targets for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns on a terrible Packer defense. This kid brings many aspects to the game and with his versatility I can see why he feels he’s the best in the game. Jefferson high points the ball, gets up the field with a sense of urgency, makes defenders miss on run after catch and he has a knack for getting into the end zone. I look forward to him winning a few wideout of the week award’s this season.

Davante Adams picking up where he left off last season on a 10 catch 141yard night and touchdown showing why he’s been the games top wideout the past few seasons. His savvy veteran play had an eager rookie Asante Samuel Jr looking foolish at times. Adams had him lost and confused on a few different occasions. The rookie did manage to intercept Derek Carr on an under thrown ball meant for Adams to give him a bright spot for the day. Cooper Kupp the NFL’s current triple crown holder which is to lead all three statistical categories (catches, yards, touchdowns), hauled in 145 catches, 1,947 yards, and 16 touchdowns. Doing what he does best-getting open and catching the ball…Cooper led his team and the league this past Thursday with 13 catches on 15 targets for 128 yards and a sweet toe-taping corner route for his first score of the season. I like what he’s doing and how Rams head coach Sean McVay utilizes the uber talented wideout.

Ja’Marr Chase is going to be a problem for years to come. Many of us got to see how special he is last year when he caught that diving go route on Jalen Ramsey during the Super Bowl. While I didn’t see any streaks caught against the Steelers. I like that the Bengals have him lining up in the slot. He caught a few outs from the slot and looked pretty natural in and out of his break. Two things worth noting was his explosion up the field once he caught the ball and his physicality in breaking tackles. Can’t wait to see how he plays this week against 2021 First-Team All-Pro Defensive Back Trevon Diggs. Maybe I spoke to soon or gave out the award based on the first game I watched but this next wideout really excited me after watching the back angle of his game against the Detroit Lions. That boy A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles had a monster game. His energy jumps off the screen. Now I don’t know if the Lions corners are supposed to be good or if any of the guys are top at their positions. But #24, #25, #1, and I think #20 looked the part and early on played the part. Two of Browns early targets were batted away by some pretty good defense by those men. But after a tunnel screen and catching one of his many slants in which A.J. broke a few tackles, Brown got in his zone. He used different releases to fake the corner out and caught a beautiful streak after using a speed release up the right side on one of the LIon’s defense. He ended his night with 10 catches on 13 targets and 155 yards. No tub’s but I’m sure next week against the Minnesota Vikings he’ll strike gold in the end zone .

Mike Evans had a Mike Evans type of game. You can count on Mike to catch everything thrown in his vicinity reminiscent of Larry Fitzgerald-one of my all-time favorites. Evans caught 5 balls for 71 yards on a few slant and stop patterns. But he was able to score and did so in highlight fashion with a one-hand catch as he was falling backwards out of bounce. He may have gotten away with a slap to the head on his initial release of Trevon Diggs but if the ref don’t call it just keep playing. Watching part of the San Diego Chargers game live I was ecstatic to watch Keenan Allen. Not known for his speed he was playing fast as hell coming off the ball. He caught 4 ball for 66 yards with a chunk of that from a 42 yard over route from a ridiculous throw by Justin Herbert. Unfortunately his day was cut short with a hamstring injury late in the 2nd quarter. I know Davante Adams receives tons of credit about his releases and it is well deserved. But Keenan is not shabby in this category either. His routes are more crisp than Adams and I’m juiced to see how he continues to tear db’s nuts all year when he releases.

This couldn’t be a post about the wideouts without mentioning Tyreek Hill. I personally think he’s crazy ass fuck to suggest that Tua whom I don’t even know his last name is better than Patrick Mahomes. I understand he said throws a better ball than his former QB. But anyone who watches football knows that’s just smoke. This will be his fifth season as a starter and he has already won a Super Bowl, League MVP, threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,000 yards in his first season as a starter which is more yards than Tua has for his whole career (4,737 including week 1 of this season). A feat that has only been achieved by two Hall of Famers (Manning and Brees) and eventual gold jacket wearer Tom Brady. Not counting this past weeks game where Mahomes threw 5 Td’s…he has 151 Td’s to 37 interceptions. Tua on the other hand has 28 Td’s to 15 interceptions and with all the short gimmicky passes I saw Miami doing, it appears Hill will have a hard time scoring as he once did in Kansas City. Most sport writers have either Adams or Kupp as the best wideouts in the NFL. And while they are good, I think neither is as good as Hill. I’ll save that argument for a later post. But ask yourselves this if you had put Kupp or Adams in Hills shoes at any point in Kansas City could they do what he does and the answer is fuck no with an heavy emphasis on the fuck. Put Tyreek in LA running those slot patterns off play actions and at least half of Kupps tackles are broken by Hill. And as great as Mahomes will end up being. Nobody can deny Rodgers throwing ability. You put Hill in Adams shoes and once again more is happening out of those plays. Tyreek Hill is a playmaker. I just wish he stayed with Mahomes opposed to chasing a few extra million a year that he would’ve got in endorsements. Hill finished with 8 catches for 94 yards. And he had to work for everything he got including a sweet one-hand catch over a kid I use to train in high school Jack Jones of the New England Patriots.

Deebo what a great name Samuel is last on Mccourty’s list of top-10 wideouts coming into this 2022 season. With the field conditions as worst as worst could get, Deebo deebo’d his way into the end zone on a beastie run. But at wideout he caught 2 balls on 8 attempt for 14 yards. I have witnessed San Francisco using the eclectic wideout in a gamut of ways. Samuel does change the way coordinators must call their defense. But to stay on this list through out the season he’s gotta get it done on the perimeter for me.

After the first quarter of the season I will give a thorough analysis of my top-10 wideouts. I also will talk about the top performers of the week and not be subject to another person’s list when I’m the guru. But we gotta start somewhere. One other thing is I will try my best to have this weekly blog published on WIDEOUTS Wednesday. I will get that done because nobody has time for excuses and I sure as hell don’t.

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goodchuckiesullivan · 4 years

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Alright, now listen! Man to man! I’m serious. I love her.

Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost in Armageddon (1998) dir. Michael Bay

#ben affleck #armageddon #filmedit #userstream #a.j. frost #mygifs

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wander-lane · 7 years

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Liv Tyler ✨ Ben Affleck

#Armageddon #ben affleck #liv tyler #film Armageddon #armageddon #love #A.J. Frost #Grace Stamper #actress #actors #hollywood #bruce willis #1998 #90's #scenes from films #famous films #crazy couple #couple

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toomanyfandoms02 · 4 years

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The Photographer // Matthew Gray Gubler x Reader

So I made a one-shot based off of the picture down here!

Word count ~ 3.1k

Summary - y/n is a celebrity photographer, and Matthew's birthday is coming up. This calls for a birthday shoot.

Ever since I was in sixth grade, I dreamed of being a photographer. But back then, I was just taking candid pictures of my cat (Peanut Butter), and random flowers that my mom had graciously planted for me. I really never planned on taking nice, professional pictures of people.

But here I was.

I went to 'California College of Arts' in San Francisco for 4 years. After that, I had a bit of trouble getting myself out there. I had a decent following on my instagram. People liked the pictures of my dog, and the pictures of nature that I took on my many travels. But likes and follows don't get you money, at least not enough. So I switched my focus onto more interesting things.

Advertising yourself as a photographer wasn't an easy task. You had to be ruthless, and be willing to get rejected and not back down. So I did what any semi-sane person would do.

I messaged over 50 celebrities asking of they wanted to do a shoot with me. I sent them my prices, and what kinds of shoots I was willing to do. I didn't have much hope for it, but it was worth a try.

And that's where it began.

Out of all of the messages, Andrew Lincoln, AKA Rick from The Walking Dead messaged me back.

*Hello Miss y/l/n! I've actually seen quite a few of your nature shots and I have always wondered how your photos would turn out with people. I would love to be your Guinea Pig.*

He sent me days he was available and I did his shoot. After posting his pictures, my popularity shot from there.

That was a few years ago, I was now taking photos for multiple celebrities. I was ultimately known for my black and white shoots. I had, in fact, just gotten done with a shoot of A.J. Cook. She had requested *me* to take her pictures for an up and coming article that was being written about her. I, of course, gratefully said yes, being a huge fan of hers, along with the whole Criminal Minds cast.

I emailed her all of the pictures I had taken, edited and all, while simultaneously posting them on my instagram.

It was mere hours later before a notification popped up on my phone of an email that I could not believe. Theres no way that he was emailing me, right?

*You have an Email from Matthew Gray Gubler*

*Hi there! I saw your shoot on AJ's instagram and my birthday is coming up. My manager wants me to do a birthday shoot, and we both like your black and white style. I know it's not usually the kind of thing you, birthdays, do but I figured it was worth a shot, and I think you have some real talent. Let me know when you are free next. I am on a break so my schedule is relatively flexible.*

I could safely say that it was a good thing that I lived alone because I don't think I have ever screamed louder into a pillow. Matthew has been one of my favorite celebrities for the longest time. If we were going to be completely honest, once I started watching Criminal Minds, I immediately had a crush on him. This wasn't exactly the profession to be in if you were going to have a celebrity crush. I was often invited to red carpets and movie premiers, so I met quite a few stars. I never thought I would have to worry about slipping up on my professionalism.

Because I never thought I would even meet him.

My obvious answer to his request was yes. I would never *ever* miss an opportunity to have a photoshoot with someone so inspiring and meaningful to me. So I started writing an email back.

*Hi Matthew!*

Should I address him like that? Is that unprofessional?

*Hi Mr. Gubler*

Abso-fucking-lutely not.

*Hi Matthew!* We are gonna stick with that. *I don't know if this is too short of a notice, but I actually have a free spot tomorrow. (Of course if that doesn't work for you, I can figure something out for later, and try to fit it in before your birthday). I have a few ideas for props that I can send you? Let me know how I can help.*

I sent it and ran my hands through my hair, tossing my phone back onto my comforter. I had taken pictures of so many awesome celebrities:

• Selena Gomez

• Robert Downey Jr.

• Dylan O'Brien

• Grant Gustin

• Holland Roden

• Danai Gurira

But this was by far the coolest one, in my mind at least.

While waiting a little to anxiously for a reply, I decided I was going to make myself some lunch, Ramen. I set my phone on the counter as I boiled my noodles, peering over at the blank screen every few seconds (but really they felt like **minutes**).

Just as I was adding the flavour packet to the bowl my phone buzzed. I jumped slightly, spilling part of the packet out of the bowl.

"Damnit." I quickly wiped the salt into the trash can and snatched my phone, seeing another email.

*Tomorrow is actually perfect, and I would love to hear your recommendations on props, clothes, anything really. I'm going to leave my number on this email so we can have easier contact of that's okay with you.*

Wow, alright. I will now have Matthew Gray Gublers number in my phone. I made a contact for him.

**It's y/n, soooo for props. I figured I could bake you a cake! I took a few baking electives in college so I could make a really nice one and we can do something with it. I recommend you bring clothes you like to wear that are black and white. (Other colors work too, but it just looks and flows better if it's black and white). I will set the rest of the stuff up. I will be ready for you by 1 pm if that's okay.**

*You would bake me a cake?! That would be super cool thank you! I would love that. I will bring a few black and white outfits. Would it be weird if I brought a black and white Kimono?*

A chance to see Matthew in a kimono? Please yes.

**Oh my gosh please do. I would love to take pictures of you in an infamous kimono of yours.**

*Awesome! I will see you tomorrow at 1. Heres my managers info for you to sell the billing to.*

He attatched his managers email. I just sat at my kitchens island, smiling like a true dork at my phone.

**And here is my address, I run the studio at my house. What is your favorite cake and icing by the way? :)**

Was a smiley face unprofessional?

I need to chill out.

*Vanilla cake and chocolate frosting possibly? I will eat anything though probably. :)*

Now I was really smiling at my phone like a psycho idiot.

**Alrighty, see you tomorrow**

Since I didn't want to wake up too early tomorrow, I decided I was going to start the cake tonight. I had quite a few recipes held in my cabinets. I located my vanilla cake recipe and put my pre-made chocolate frosting on the counter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After about an hour of preparing, making a cake from scratch, and putting it in the oven. The cake was finally done and cooled. I added black cocoa to the frosting to make it completely black and got out my white gel.

*You made it 3 decades :)*

Was scrawled in calligraphy on the top of the cylindrical cake. I added white drips down the sides and white multi shaped sprinkles to the bottom part.

I set it in my fridge and got ready for bed. I know it's going to be hard to sleep just thinking about tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My alarm woke me up at 10 am, never before this had I woke up with a smile on my face before 12.

I took a quick shower and dressed in a white and blue floral romper with my hair in a high ponytail. Now it was time to set up backgrounds for the shoot.

I had two stations downstairs where I took all my photos. I set the first one up very normal with a white background and a rustic black stool. The second one was set up with another white background but littered with black streamers and big *30* black and white speckled balloons strung at the top.

Once I was done with all that. It was nearing 1. I slipped the cake out of the fridge and slid it onto my island. I glanced up at the clock above my stove.

*12:49*

Since I just had a little bit of time, I went a put some simple makeup on. I usually don't wear makeup when taking pictures of people, but for obvious reasons, I was making an exception.

Just as I was leaving my bathroom I heard a knock at my door. I walked swiftly to my door and opened it shakily.

"Hi!" He held up the clothes that were hung lazily over his arm. He smiled that million dollar smile and I could have sworn he looked me up and down.

Wishful thinking I guess.

"Welcome!" I stepped out of the doorway, silently inviting him in. "If you wanna set your stuff down, those stairs to the right lead you down the the studio."

"Thanks." He scurried down the stairs as I grabbed the cake and followed him down. I set it on a table that I had down there, he peered over at it and immediately burst into fits of laughter.

"I knew you had a sense of humor, so why put something normal and boring on the cake." I laughed with him as he tried to catch his breath.

"This is so perfect." He laughed a little more. "Thank you, so much." I shrugged with a smile. I posed him in front of the streamers with the cake.

He made some silly faces and smiled like there was no tomorrow. Next I brought him to the more plain station, sitting him on the stool. I looked through the lenses of the camera and glared a bit.

"Hey can you put your left leg up on the second peg of the stool?" I asked, pointing to his leg.

"This one?" He put it on the third. I shook my head. "This one?" He moved it down the the fourth. He was smiling a sly smile, seemingly challenging me.

"Let me do it for you." I had to pose people often, but posing him was going to be a little harder for me, considering I found him painfully attractive.

I moved his leg up to the second one and patted it.

"Now leave it there, so I don't have to help you again." I giggled, walking back to my camera. Taking a picture of him leaning forward on the stool and smiling. I then made him laugh and got a good genuine one of him leaning back and laughing. After all that, I proposed that we eat some cake and took a break.

I cut him a slice and handed it to him with a smile.

"So, tell me about yourself." He said, eating a bite of his cake.

"Well, I have always enjoyed photography. I love all types of art, so I also draw and paint often. And I have a black cat upstairs. His name is-" and I stopped, blood rushing to my cheeks. He is most certainly going to ask me the name, and I do not want to tell him.

He stared at me expectantly. "What is his name?" He motioned me to go on.

"Uh," I laughed a little awkwardly, setting my hands in my lap and staring at them. "His name is Spencer. As in Spencer Reid..." I glanced up at him and saw a huge grin break out on his face.

"So you like Criminal Minds? I never would have guessed. You just don't seem the type."

"Well all my memorabilia is in my room, just so people don't think I'm weird for having quite a few framed and signed posters." I smiled up at him, pushing around the remaining cake crumbs on my plate.

"One, That's not weird, that's awesome. Two, can I please meet Spencer and take pictures with him in my kimono."

I don't think I have ever heard a better sentence in my entire life.

"Yes, absolutely! I'll go get him." I clunked up the stairs on my search to find Spencer. I went to his usual spot first, my bed. Luckily he was sitting there, licking his outstretched foot. "Hi baby! You are about to take pictures with the guy you are named after. He almost as cute as you!" I grabbed him from the bed an headed back downstairs. I walked in with the accidental impeccable timing to see Matthew in his barely tied kimono, showing off his chest. My eyes widened a bit and he tied it off fully.

"Is this the famous Spencer?! He is so cute!" He reached his arms out at Spencer. My little fluff ball curled up into him instantly, cuddling into his silky kimono.

We took many many pictures of Spencer and Matthew together. I think maybe my cat likes him more than he likes me now.

"Okay, last idea. How about we just take some more up close pictures of me feeding you some cake?" It came put as a question because I didn't know how comfortable he would be with it.

"Perfect!" I cut another slice of the cake and brought it over to him. We were both sitting on the floor.

"This might be a little awkward, okay?" I giggled as I leaned back to get his whole face in the shot. This proved to be very difficult as I was using my left hand to take the picture. I fed him the cake with the right as he looked at the camera with a more seductive look. I could have melted into the floor.

I decided to switch hands so I could take the photos better, but now my very uncoordinated hand was the one picking up the cake. As I went down to get another section of the cake for another angle of feeding this sculpture of a man, I instead dipped my thumb right into the deep black frosting.

"Shit, I'm so sorry hold on." As I went to stand up and grab a napkin to wipe my thumb off, Matthew grabbed my wrist lightly.

"Hold on, uh, I have an idea, before you do anything." I sat down with a confused look. "I saw someone do this in another shoot. But we totally don't have to do it. I just thought it would be a different idea." His words were more rushed than usual.

"I'm sure I've done weirder things for other shoots, don't worry. It's *your* shoot." I reassured him, though my head was swimming wondering what he was going to do.

"Ok. So. What I'm going to do is put your thumb in my mouth, and I'm basically gonna, uh, suck on it while kinda smiling?" He could barely get through the whole thing without laughing.

"Alright, weird request but I like it!" I giggled for what seemed like the 30th time today. "And to make you feel better, yes, I have done weirder."

"Thank God."

"So I am guessing you want me to do something like this with the rest of my hand, ya know, the part that's not in your mouth." I stated as I placed my hand on his cheek. He let a slow breath out, staring into my eyes.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Okay." I said with a shrug, grabbing my camera from the ground. He opened his mouth with an all too familiar wide grin as I placed my thumb in. His mouth closed around it and he smiled, just a little. I brought my camera to my face, capturing the moment that I would have forever in my mind and in a small frame on my bedroom wall, for sure.

I slipped my thumb from his mouth and watched as his face turned extremely red. To save him embarrassment, I immediately stood up and grabbed a napkin to wipe the rest of the frosting off.

"Can I see it?" He motioned to the camera. I nodded, sitting down right beside him, showing him the picture. It showed off a closer look at the rose tattoos I had near my wrists and the shiny watch that was gifted to me by my mom. "It turned out good! I really hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"Oh no! Of course not. Total opposite." As soon as I said that I regretted it.

"So that made you extremely comfortable?" A sly smile was making it's way onto his face.

"That's, that's not- You know what? Sure, yes." I chuckled. "You don't really make me uncomfortable at all to be honest. So no, you didn't make me uncomfortable."

"Well I'm glad." He smiled and we sat in silence for a moment.

"Well I guess that's it yeah?" He nodded. "Well this was fun. Thanks for being an excellent subject to take pictures of."

He gathered his stuff as we went back upstairs. Once at the door, Spencer came up to him, rubbing on his leg. He bent over to pet him.

"So, I'm not sure if you are single or not." I could feel the blood draining from my face. Was this really happening right now? "But I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a date?"

Yes, this was happening right now.

"Really?" I could tell I sounded extremely excited, but at this point, I didn't even care.

"Yeah, you are super laid back, funny, talented, and you aren't scared away by how weird I am." He laughed, "So yes?"

"I would absolutely love to."

"Great. I'll text you." He winked and waved as he closed the door, leaving.

My back went against the door. I couldn't keep in the squeal so I just embraced it and squealed my heart out, doing a little dance.

Which was quickly ended when I heard a knock at the door.

"I'm sorry, I want to get to know you better immediately." He let out a nervous chuckle. "Are you free for the rest of the day?" I was sure that my face was red as a tomato.

"Yes I am." He grabbed my hand, dragging me outside.

"Then let's go."

#mgg #criminal minds #spencer reid #criminal minds fic #matthew gray gubler #matthewgraygubler #matthew gray gubler x reader #MGG #mgg x reader #mgg fic #mgg fanfiction

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kingsbridgelibraryteens · 2 years

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Middle School Monday: Cathedral of Bones by A.J. Steiger

Simon Frost’s twin sister is dead. His mother left and never came back. And his father is too wrapped up in his research to care about his son.

Simon wants to become an Animist, and use magic like the rest of his family to improve the world. But whenever he tries to use magic, he usually fails. When Simon gets the chance to go to a distant village and get rid of a horrible monster, he thinks that this will finally help him prove that he can use magic after all. When Simon meets the monster, he quickly realizes that he is not prepared to fight it … but maybe he can befriend it instead.

Give this book to older kids and younger teens who are ready for an immersive fantasy story that will keep them turning the pages and will keep them guessing.

#Middle School Monday #Cathedral of Bones #A.J. Steiger #Kid Lit #fantasy #Kingsbridge Library #NYPL

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soulmusicsongs · 4 years

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History of Rap in 10 tracks

When Sugar Hill Gang recorded the very first commercial Rap hit in 1979, this form of music to most people, was completely new. But Rap was nothing new! Before There Was Rap, There were Fred Wesley and The J.B.’s , Alvin Cash, Harrison, Bill ‘Butter Ball’ Crane and many more.

History of Rap

African Rhythms - Oneness Of Juju (African Rhythms, 1975)

Brothers and White Girls (Live) - Dap Sugar Willie (From North Philly (Live), 1976)

Brown Rice - Don Cherry ‎(Brown Rice, 1975)

Itch and Scratch (Part I) - Rufus Thomas (Itch and Scratch (Part I) / Itch And Scratch (Part II), 1972)

Mister Luckee - Monk Higgins and The Satalites (Mister Luckee / Ain’t That Hateful, 1966)

My Back Scratcher - Frank Frost ‎(My Back Scratcher / Harp And Soul, 1966)

Quit Jive’ In - Pearly Queen (Quit Jive’ In / Jungle Walk, 1974)

Smoke My Pipe - Part 1 (The Sign Ain’t Right) - A.J. Rowe (Smoke My Pipe - Part 1 (The Sign Ain’t Right) / Smoke My Pipe - Part 2 (The Sign Ain’t Right), 1971)

Sonnet To My Idol - Lady Reed (Rudy Ray Moore Presents The Lady Reed Album "Queen Bee Talks", 1971)

Soul Travelin’ Pt. I&II (The G.B.E.) - Gary Byrd (Soul Travelin’ Pt. I (The G.B.E.) / Soul Travelin’ Pt. II (The G.B.E.), 1973)

Spin It Jig - Smokey Brooks (Eternal / Spin-It Jig, 1971)

Vibe-Ing Theme - Del Jones' Positive Vibes (Del Jones' Positive Vibes, 1973)

Read more about Proto Rap and the History of Rap music and discover more proto rap on the blog the Roots of Rap

#History of Rap #Soul #Soul Music #Soul Music Songs #Music #Music Songs #Rap Before There Was Rap #Proto Rap #Roots of Rap #Soul Music List

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lovemesomesurveys · 4 years

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● Name something you lost or gave away that can never be replaced. A lot of time wasted. “I wasted my time...” ● What 5 websites do you visit often, and why? Tumblr, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. ● Name a totally useless possession and how you came to acquire it. Some would consider knickknacks and collectibles and stuff useless, and I mean yeah they just sit on a shelf, but I like stuff like that. ● What music album would be used for a movie about your life? I don’t know. ● List your bad habits and/or addictions and what you have tried to rid yourself of them. I got a lot of bad habits. As for addictions, caffeine and my pain medicine. I don’t abuse it, I take it as prescribed, but after so long your body develops a dependency. I remember several years ago I tried to cut out caffeine. It lasted a couple days, I think. haha. The headaches are no joke.

● If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be, and what would you do if later on you changed your mind? There’s a long list of things I’d want to change, but I mean if I could have good health (mentally and physically) that would make a big difference. I think some other changes would follow. I can’t imagine I’d ever change my mind about that. ● What are your religious beliefs? Have they changed, or have they always stayed the same? I’m a Christian now. Up until 4 years ago I was atheist and then agnostic. ● When was your last food craving, and what did you crave? I’ve been wanting Doritos tacos from Taco Bell lately. ● Who was your first crush and what made them special? This kid named Philip when I was in 3rd grade. He was a grade or two above me. He and I were turning the jump rope for people during this event my elementary school had every year called, Jump Rope for Heart. It was to get people active and raise awareness. Anyway, he was across from me holding the other end of the rope and I just thought he was cute haha. ● Name your most cherished childhood memory. I have a lot of those. I loved my childhood. It wasn’t without struggle or obstacles, but for some reason those things aren’t what stand out the most. I was a strong, resilient kid. Kid me would be so ashamed of how weak I am now. ● Turn to an entry in your journal or diary from a year or more ago. What has changed and what has stayed the same since then? I don’t feel like looking back on old surveys right now. ● What is one thing nobody knows about you because nobody ever cared to ask? Hmm. ● Robert Frost write a poem titled The Road Not Taken. Name a road you’ve always wanted to travel. Where do you hope it takes you, and what might you see on the way? Wait, literally or metaphorically? I mean, metaphorically I’d like to take the road that takes me to working on myself and leading to some happiness and success. That’d be nice. ● Name one thing you always wanted to do, but haven’t. What has prevented you from doing it? Uhh there’s a lot of things. I feel like I’ve wasted so much time in my life each passing year. I’m just wasting away. I want to just...live. Travel more. Do something with my life. My physical health has been a contributing factor, but ultimately it’s me. It’s my mental health. That affects me more than anything else. ● Write about your first kiss. Was it everything you wished or hoped it would be? It happened behind the drama department at my high school. It unexpected and awkward, but it was my first kiss so it was all I knew. I was so giddy about having had my first kiss it didn’t matter haha. ● What was the worst mistake or decision you have ever made in life? What could you have done differently? Oh jeez. I have a lot of regrets. One that weighs heavily on me in recent years relates to my health. I’m very stubborn. I should have taken better care of myself. I should have neglected certain things. Some things don’t just go away, they get worse. And here I am, still not taking care of myself like I should be. Each passing year... ● What song was stuck in your head recently, and what were you doing at the time that made you think of it? I Love Me by Demi Lovato. I just really like the song.

● Write about something you now know that you wish you knew earlier in life. How could this knowledge have helped you? Just going back to the big thing that’s been weighing heavily on my mind these past few years that I talked about up there. ● Write about your greatest fear. Death, losing loved ones, never getting better/getting worse, and never doing anything with my life. ● Name one thing you feel brings out the good in people. Hmm. ● Describe a time in your life when everything turned out fine, despite the odds. I mean, there have been some times where things turned out to be not as bad as I thought they would be. ● If you invented a device that could fix one problem you are facing right now, would you use it? What problem would you like to solve? I’ve talked about it enough. ● Write about the last time you spoke to your best friend. What did you talk about? Last night when my mom got home from work. She was just telling me about stuff that happened at work and the latest Coronavirus news. It’s a wild time right now. All the cancellations of events, school campuses closing, and empty shelfs because people are stockpiling on hand sanitizer, face masks, and toilet paper. Italy is quarantined. I’ve never witnessed anything like this. ● Describe a time you felt alone. I feel that way a lot. I don’t spend a lot of time physically alone, but I still feel alone a lot. ● Name something you found; what was it and where did you find it? Uhh earlier I found a new ASMR channel on YouTube to watch haha. ● What’s on your calendar for tomorrow? I have a doctor appointment. ● What is the most annoying sound you have ever heard? Eating sounds make my skin crawl. ● Describe your first job. I’ve never had one. ● What is the one thing you cannot live without? Besides oxygen, food, and water; my family. And coffee. That doesn’t get lumped into food or water, coffee gets its own honorable mention. ● Quote the nicest thing anyone has ever said about you. Lane said I was strong, beautiful, brave, and rocked red hair like nobody’s business. :D ● Are you afraid of the dark? Why or why not? I can’t sleep if it’s completely dark or quiet, which is why I sleep with the TV on. I’d be scared if the electricity went out and it was dark if I was home alone. I wouldn’t go anywhere alone at night. Even with with someone I’m heightened alert. ● Describe the longest amount of time you have ever been away from home. A week. ● Write about a recent adventure or travels. I went to Disneyland for a few days last month. It was awesome. ● Who did you idolize growing up? My mom and grandma. And some celebrities at the time that were around my age like Hilary Duff. ● Name a celebrity or famous person you wish would take you out on a date. Alexander Skarsgard. ● Describe your daily routine when you get out of bed in the morning. Take my medicine, use the restroom, have coffee. ● Name one thing you have always been good at doing. Jumping to the worst case scenarios. ● What is your favorite season, and why? Fall and winter. I love the weather, the clothes, the scents, the holidays, and just the coziness of it all. ● What was the title of the last book you read? I’m currently reading, “The Girl That Vanished” by A.J. Rivers. It’s the sequel to, “The Girl in Cabin 13.” ● List your biggest regrets. I talked about one of them already. That’s enough for today. ● Have you ever seen a ghost? No. ● Describe your note-taking style and habits. Bullet points, underlining, asterisks, and highlighting. ● Do you believe that we are all here for a reason? What might the reason be? Yes. You have to figure that out for yourself, we all have a different purpose. I’m still trying to figure mine out. ● What comes to mind when someone uses the phrase prolonging the magic? I’ve never heard that phrase. ● Have you ever done something just to feel the danger, or to feel alive? Drinking, smoking weed, and taking a ride in a truck at night on a backroad at night near a levee. That was scary, but definitely an adrenaline rush. ● What is your favorite cliché? Actions speak louder than words. ● What are all your thoughts on god? I believe in God. ● How do rainy days make you feel? I love rainy days. I do the same things I do any other day, but it’s just cozy. The sound is relaxing. ● What is the most amount of money you have had at one time? A couple grand. ● Write a celebrity crush list. Alexander Skarsgard. ● What is the most amazing thing you have ever seen, heard, or experienced? I couldn’t pick just one thing. ● What effect does music have on you? It can perk me up, it can give me a little energy if I need to clean, it can make me sad, it can make me zone out, it can make me relax. ● What did you learn today? What did you learn yesterday? Uhhh. ● What 5 traits do people first notice when they meet you for the first time? I’m sure the very first thing they notice is I’m in a wheelchair. Then probably how thin I am. Then perhaps my hair and my black rimmed glasses. Maybe my freckles. ● Have you ever carved your name or initials into a tree or stone? No. ● Does Never Never Land really exist? No, sadly. “Cause Neverland is home, to lost boys like me...” ● Where is a great place to get breakfast? This local place that’s known more for their burgers, fries, and shakes, but actually have bomb breakfast, too. I love their country gravy. ● List 3 things that went right (or wrong) today. It’s only 2 in the morning, but so far I had ramen, I’m finishing up my Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink, and I’m watching/listening to an ASMR video. Not a bad start, but we’ll see how the rest of the day goes... I have a doctor appointment later that I’m not looking forward to. Afterwards my mom and I are going grocery shopping and I’ll probably pick up Wingstop on the way home. It’s been hot lately and I’ve had a nagging headache the past couple days, so I hope that isn’t the case today. ● What is the best method of travel, and in what ways have you traveled? Car and plane. ● If you could give the world just one thing, what would it be? Peace. ● What were your best and worst subjects in school or college? English throughout school, with the addition of psychology in college. My worst was always math. I struggled with science, too. Philosophy was really fucking hard. ● Describe the most outrageous thing anyone has dared you to do. I haven't really been dared to do anything too outrageous. ● Ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry? Strawberry, but vanilla is good as well. ● What historical events happened the year you were born? Ted Bundy was electrocuted. ● Pick up a random object that has special meaning to you and describe it in as much detail as possible. I’m on my bed and there’s 2 giraffe stuffed animals, one is a big squishy one. I love all my giraffe stuffed animals, which there are a LOT of. ● Write about a recent visit to a museum or art gallery. I visited a Walt Disney museum a couple years ago. It was really cool. ● What food items do you consider staples in a well-balanced diet? I’m the wrong person to ask about well balanced diets. Well balanced for me is Wingstop, ramen, this pizza from my favorite local pizza place, scrambled eggs, and coffee. haha. ● Describe your feelings in regards to an issue in todays society, and what would be done to fix it. I talked about the coronavirus, which is a big issue and hot topic currently, and my feelings to it already. ● If you had only one wish, what would you wish for? Cures for all diseases. ● If you could tell the world just one thing, what would you say? Wash your hands! ● Share a dirty little secret about yourself (or someone else). Nah. ● Have you ever gone skinny dipping? Noooo. ● Name something you would like to devote more time to seeing or doing. I need to devote time to taking care of myself and taking some necessary steps. ● What is the name of your favorite book, magazine, or publication? I have too many favorite books. ● Describe your first car. I’ve never had my own car. I don’t drive. ● Thunderstorms… Inspiring or scary? I love them.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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icosmohunters · 4 years

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chapter three : crimson red

chapter three of cosmo hunters!

word count : 6.6k words

synopsis : an agreement has been met and now hope has agreed to take these pirates under her wing. literally. now, she continues to be on the hunt for the criminal on top of her bounty list. and she intends to make it work. but something in her bones tells her that perhaps it won’t work as smoothly as she’d planned.

“ would you mind warning us when you’re taking off? ”.

“ my ship, my rules. i don’t owe you the comfort of a warning, pirate. ”

was she being mean? it didn’t particularly matter if she was because she had fallen asleep, and like a protagonist out of a shounen anime, she was rushing to get herself away from her current location and to where she had to be. j-colony was waiting for her! and a dozen bounty points waited in reward.

hope hadn’t expected anyone to wake her up, so she mainly at fault for letting the ball drop and taking too long to wake up. but the warmth in the cabin and the full stomach she had after a proper meal sent her into dreamland shortly after she sat on her navigation chair.

and upon waking up, hope had gasped herself out of her daze and launched her right arm forced, sending the engine lever forward and the engine roaring with life. she could hear all of the extra bits of the ship, like the iron legs folding into the bottom of the ship when it began to rise off the ground.

nebula was hovering for a moment until a button lit up on the left side of the control panel, a green light giving her clearance to blast off. wrapping her trembling fingers on the orientation stick, she moved it forward and the nebula followed, moving forward just an inch before hope let out a laugh and threw the stick forward.

and with that, nebula blasted off.

of course, anyone on board the ship could tell that nebula had taken herself out of europa’s atmosphere and freed herself from its pull and its ice. the engine was heating up, and so was the ship, so much so that outer layers of frost had melted within seconds. the ship shifted a couple of times, rocking to the side before it found its balance point and took off into outer space, heading straight for jupiter.

of course, someone had come into her cabin, probably awoken by the small earthquake that had just taken place within the spaceship.

it was enzo. hope kept her gaze fixed in front of her as she saw the dense gas giant who rotated rapidly, the winds there were said to be enough to rip the very skin off your body. good thing that the j-colony was designed to withstand those strong winds.

“ i get that but you could’ve woken us up. we shouldn’t have slept for that long either so, yeah. maybe have your a.i set up an alarm clock? ”.

“ mhm, yup. ”

hope wasn’t listening at all. she was listening but she wasn’t taking any of it in, mostly because she was brain-storming. it had been said that crimson would be in a plaza or some sort, a shopping center set up in the middle of the colony. and to be fair, j-colony was perhaps the largest one in the solar system, around five times the size of the biggest capital city on earth, beijing.

so if this prick took off running when he spotted her, he would travel a lot. it was why she needed to organize maybe a hoverbike to hunt him down in case he took off. because as fit as she was, hope didn’t like running. she hated it.

so, a hoverbike along with some new weapons, perhaps a new collection of tracking devices . . . she was counting it on her fingers now that she had put nebula on auto-pilot.

oh, and enzo was still talking.

“ and might i say, i am quite good at navigating so maybe if you were, uh, feeling sick, you could always let me take over ”, he spoke.

“ if i could choose between you and my pet dog navigating the nebula, i choose my pet dog. and he passed away last year. that’s how much i won’t trust you, or anyone, with my ship ”, hope snapped back quickly, swerving her chair around to face the pirate captain. he had changed into some new clothes, he looked less dead than a couple of hours ago but the bruise on his cheek still remained.

enzo seemed at a loss for words for a moment, until he seemed to gather some. “ i was just offering, jeez. but uhm, quinn told me you were hunting someone down. why do we have to stay on the ship?”, he questioned.

“ because i said so. ”

watching his reactions was rather amusing, he exuded such confidence but would then become flustered when the trail of the conversation didn’t seem like it was going his way. if anything, it was funny. “ how about an actual reason, captain? ”, he asked.

“ i just gave you one. ”

“ no, i mean like a proper answer. we could help you, you know. we’re capable fighters. i mean, minus little dawn but still! we can help, all you can do is give us a plan and we’ll follow it, simple and clean, no worries about it! ”, enzo sounded so optimistic that hope almost didn’t want to reply.

“ pirates don’t do simple and clean, i swear ”, hope commented, tilting her head and seeing the energy draining from enzo’s face, his hands dropping to his side whilst his eyes simply rolled. “ i can’t understand why you came here expecting to mingle with my issues like we’re a team or something. i’m a solo bounty hunter, i don’t need help. let alone help from pirates who all have bounties. but if you want to step outside and get caught, be my guest. but i’m still taking you darlings to pluto and i’d recommend not dying on the way there. ”

enzo grunted, “ okay. but if you end up getting hurt, we won’t have anyone to take us to where we have to be. ”

hope blinked slowly. “ you can take the space bus. teleporter. gate-ways. fuck’s sake, man, it’s not rocket science. but if you’re so fond of my ship, keep out of trouble whilst you’re on it! ”, she argued back quickly. he made an injury to hope sound like the end of the world.

“ yeah, but . . . ”.

“ whatever your concern is, it’s irrelevant to me for the time being. so, before i lose it, i suggest getting out of the cabin. do what you want but just don’t go into my room or the basement ”, she explained firmly, and then waved him off in a dismissive manner. “ go, shoo. ”

he looked like he had more to say, but whatever those words were, they were left unspoken as he turned and walked towards the elevator and soon disappeared from the room. sighing into her hands, hope began to massage her temples.

she wasn’t used to having people around, so she found herself snapping rather frequently. she didn’t realize how much she disliked it until now, but in a single second, she found herself giving less of a fuck. because she didn’t have to be friends with them, and she didn’t have to treat them like there could be any bond between any of them.

so the guilt which she felt vanished within a second.

realizing that she would have to get changed into her gear, hope continued to leave nebula on auto-pilot and programmed a speed boost in around thirty minutes. a speed boost would surpass the speed of light and bring those millions of miles between nebula and jupiter’s surface down to a couple of seconds of traveling. and not to mention the fact that the gas giant’s gravitational pull was tyrant-like, it would be like teleporting to the surface.

after leaving the navigation cabin, hope descended down to her room, the iron doors sliding open upon detecting her presence and she looked at her vacant bed and then towards her closet. snapping her fingers, the closet door swung open and a holographic screen followed.

“ what kind of clothes are you looking for today, hope? ”, a.j’s voice boomed through as the doors slid closed behind her and as she moved towards the wardrobe.

“ usual hunting clothes. depending on the weather, i might bring a jacket just in case. but i doubt it’ll be cold at j-colony ”, hope spoke. from the holographic screen, she went through her clothes and picked everything, from black crop top down to the baggy, military jackets in black and grey. even the boots with jets on the soles. “ my jacket’s been washed, right? ”.

“ yes, all of your clothes were washed and dried during your small nap. your shoes have also been polished and the jet on the boots you’ve chosen has been fixed. ”

“ wonderful ”.

after her clothes were delivered to her, she reached for the bottom of her top and slowly slipped it off, figuring that it was safe to do it but that’s when she heard the door open and her eyes flickered over to the door. dom had walked in without even announcing he was there.

when their eyes met, hope just saw his eyes flicker down and a slight redness that reached his cheeks. she was only in her sports bra but somehow it invoked a reaction of embarrassment from dom’s face.

“ uhm. ”

“ do you practice the art of walking in on people whilst they’re changing? ”, hope asked rhetorically, averting her gaze back to her clothes as she put her vest to the side and then put on the comfortable crop top that had a very nice turtleneck detail to it.

“ n-not exactly, but, uhm, dawn is asking where you keep all of your medical kits and if she can have a look. she has no resources and enzo’s bruise is still purple ”, he actually turned away, so hope continued to change comfortably. she lacked that self-awareness and sense of embarrassment. quite frankly, she didn’t have to hide when he had been the one who waltzed in like he owned the place.

hope rose a brow whilst attaching her straps around her trousers and then her belt and pouches. “ the bunks have storages on the side. i don’t go in there so the medical kits in the cupboards and shelves are still there ”, she explained. then came her jacket, navy blue in color which somewhat matched the navy blue of the voyage badge pinned to it.

“ not to be rude but your ship seemingly hides everything, that room is bare except for the bunks and the huge ass window looking out into space ”, dom continued. hope turned and walked to him whilst adjusting her belt. he seemingly took notice of her and jumped slightly. “ so if you could give better directions, we might be able to find it. ”

“ on the board of every bed, there’s storage space. if you tap against the board, it’ll open up and you’ll see all the medical kits and spare clothes and whatnot. maybe even the blankets that i keep stored just in case ”, the bounty hunter told him, exiting her room along with him and nodding towards where the rooms were. “ shouldn’t be too hard now, right? ”.

“ could have said it the first time ”, dom muttered under his breath. but hope chose to ignore it. seeing that he was walking away, she decided to say something before letting him go.

“ next time you decide you want to walk on me shirtless, knock. and pay me, i’m not a free sculpture at the museum ”, she called over to him and saw him throw a glare over his shoulder. hope chuckled amusingly, watching him disappear down the hall. “ asshole. ”

after that encounter, hope decided that it would be best to have a look around the ship to make sure all was working properly. checking the lounge, she found the t.v turned on and quinn listening to the news broadcast. the vending machines were on, many of the game tables were idle and ready to be used and mostly everything looked in place. deciding not to disturb quinn, hope left the lounge quickly.

then she checked the kitchen. all seemed to be in place, the dishwasher could be heard briefly but all was well. nothing out of place. and then after checking the basement and the storage space, hope decided to return to her navigation cabin. she recalled that the speed boost was happening in a couple of minutes, and the way enzo complained a while back that she should’ve told them when she was going to take off.

it would be best to warn them about the speed boost, just case they got a slight shock from it. and besides, as far as she was aware, they weren’t expecting it. so she tapped the intercom mic present on the side of her chair and pressed the announcement button.

“ listen up, everyone. in two minutes, nebula will use a speed boost. that inherently means that she’ll zoom in the direction of our friendly gas giant and when she does, you might feel a slight shake. and in case we suffer some wind turbulence, i suggest hanging onto something ”, hope told them. “ i will announce it just ten seconds before the real thing. i suggest preparing yourselves now. ”

perhaps they were aware of what a speed boost was, after all, they were pirates. but nebula’s engine had restored and she was faster than ever, especially with a speed boost. anyone with travel sickness may find themselves in a lot of trouble. it was why hope slipped on her seat-belt when the countdown came to fifty seconds.

and when the ten-second countdown came, she turned the intercom on once more with a smirk grazing her lips. her adrenaline rush always came from moments like these, where she truly felt like she was in control of something. even if it was a spaceship somewhere in the milkyway galaxy, it was still something she could control.

“ strap in, ladies and gentlemen. we’re now descending into jupiter. ”

time skip ﹏

every time hope enters the atmosphere of another planet, she always goes through a series of chills and goosebumps all over her body. it’s a thrilling experience to be stepping into territory they didn’t think they were able to reach a hundred years ago. but mankind had taken more than a step now, it had taken a leap. and now, humans had invaded other planets, setting up a dozen colonies and extracting resources and truly beginning to learn about the universe. the planets we used to see only through telescopes, now before our very eyes.

jupiter, unlike many planets in the solar system, did not have a solid ground like their home on earth. it was a gas giant, composed predominantly of hydrogen and helium in its atmosphere. so you may ask, how did mankind touch base here?

that’s simple; they didn’t touch anything.

through a lot of hard work, they had managed to set up the floating colony, held up by energy that can easily be generated from the very winds of the planet. and considering there was no oxygen, the colony was covered by a dome-like cover providing visitors with the oxygen they required. it was truly something out of a sci-fi movie.

but it was reality, humanity had really taken huge leaps into improving living standards around the galaxy. whole apartments and forms of accommodation were made and built to fit the humans born when the earth couldn’t take anymore. that’s why humans left in the first place. resources began to lack and human populations would not stop growing.

and that’s why huge colonies like j-colony take her breath away every time hope sees it. as nebula breached through the reds and oranges of jupiter, she thought the clouds were never going to clear. it was always storming season on this gas giant, but it never rained water like it did on earth. in actuality, it rained diamonds, so hope held her breath when small bits of crystals began to fall against the window she looked out of. of course, nebula could take practically anything. so it didn’t worry her too much, even though she would die if there were scratches on the window.

after shaking a bit, hope reeled the orientation stick back and forced nebula to lift up slightly instead of driving herself straight down. and soon enough, after about another minute of the diamond rain, her eyes brightened at the way the clouds cleared and there it stood, well, floated, j-colony.

it’s difficult to describe the appearance of j-colony without comparing it to the castle aincrad as it is depicted in that one anime you either love or hate. it was a floating metal structure that seemed completely resistant to the thundering winds trying to push it from its secured position. a floating city with many branches and other floating islands of metal scattered around. it was huge. it’s impossible to measure its size in numbers, it was simply enormous in every sense of the word.

“ nbla-43, do you have clearance to access the docks of j-colony? ”.

hope’s heart jumped in her chest as she respired out a sigh of relief, realizing that it was only the control and flight officers who were able to detect the arrival of every ship, even in ghastly weather conditions like these. they truly didn’t miss a thing, this stupid corporation.

“ yes. sending voyage inc identification details over ”, the bounty hunter exclaimed nervously, and then pressed a button. there were many buttons on the control panel, but she specifically chose a transmission option, sending the same details on the chip on her badge over through encrypted signals. usually, pirates wait around for someone to do something like hope is doing in order to reach out and swiftly snatch the details of a pilot. and upon acquiring these details, god knows what they’re capable of.

identity theft, to put it simply.

hope waited patiently for a reply and soon received one. “ thank you, hope. welcome to j-colony. please proceed to dock e, eastbound of the city ”, the voice seeped through and then disconnected, just like that. they were busy people, after all, accepting a dozen ships hourly.

just like that, hope sped nebula up and weaved in between many ships and other iron structures like communication towers and satellites, doing a fair lot of work to avoid damaging them. soon, she had reached the east docks. getting closer will startle you as you realize the city you were looking at was larger than you’d expected. hope felt like an ant even in the nebula in comparison to the size of this monolith. behemoth as it was, it was impossible not to feel intimidated by it all.

approaching the docks, hope saw many ships, of all editions and brands, parked, restoring their fuel or merely parked with pilots happily stepping out with relief on their expressions. the docks alone were immense and seemed to go on forever, but then she found a vacant space.

quickly, she parked nebula, allowing the folded iron legs to touch the ground and for the engine to relax.

“ hope, would you like to have my battery restored? ”, a.j’s voice swept through smoothly as the bounty hunter took off her belt and then rose from her chair. “ i’ll be idle but you have everything planned out, correct? ”.

“ ‘course. don’t worry, you can be idle for as long as it takes you to be fully recharged. see you later, sultry man ”, hope teased and chuckled when the idle jingle played, meaning that a.j would be inactive for a couple of hours. this usually causes her to panic because she doesn’t have the compass to guide her. but she had it all planned out. she had around an hour to be where she had to be, and she had paged for a hoverbike and from the movement that she heard outside, it was being brought to her.

so upon collecting all the required tools and her preferred weapon, she took the elevator down to the exit. she didn’t really care to tell the pirates that she was leaving, they already knew what they had to do and what the right thing to do was. if they went against it, it wouldn’t really be her fault. but she prayed that perhaps they would. that they would stay out of trouble.

the exit and entrance hatchet opened and nebula’s flight of stairs touched the ground. so hope descended the said staircase, taking a small inhale and exhale as she reminded her that all would be well. she’s been doing this for years. nothing could go wrong.

“ good evening, hope. we have your hoverbike here with us ”, a young fellow said as she approached. he wore the voyage uniform, a navy blue semi-formal jacket, and some decent black trousers. “ you said you’d need it for how long? ”.

“ for however long it takes me to catch a wanted criminal ”, hope replied simply, and then looked at the hoverbike. it was perhaps even sexier than her own spaceship, no offense to nebula. it’s difficult to describe the complex shape of the vehicle, but the lack of wheels and the smooth metal and details that it contained was something worth staring at. “ aww, you even chose the model i requested for. ”

“ we tend to show special treatment for prolific bounty hunters here. j-colony is huge, so hunting criminals here is perhaps the hardest thing we have to deal with. just know that we’re very pleased you decided to take up the bounty for crimson. he’s been running around causing mayhem for ages. we need him to go, immediately ”, the young man explained with a meager shrug.

“ uh-huh. right, well i won’t be gone for long. i’ve been hunting this guy done for ages. now, if you’ll excuse me ”, hope began and then found a helmet being handed to her. the lack of metal on it was concerning but the design was lovely, especially after realizing it contained a gps and map feature that would make things a whole lot better. “ oh, thanks. ”

“ take care, hope. ”

nodding, hope watched the young man walk away to make another delivery. she slipped on her fingerless gloves and pressed a sensor on her wrist, it would connect her with nebula and her status, making sure nothing has been damaged and that most importantly, that no one in there would leave. putting the helmet on, her vision wasn’t at all affected by the holographic map and compass that came up against the glass. it made everything feel proximate and precise, just what she wanted.

hope hummed and rose an eyebrow, impressed. it was clear that she was. in fact, she made a mental note to get her hands on a hoverbike herself. and a helmet exactly like this one.

“ well, let’s go, shall we? ”.

it didn’t take exactly too long for hope to get the hang of the controls on the hoverbike. as soon as her hands touched the handgrips, the engine seemed to roar to life and the rear end of the vehicle rose. hope gulped at the uncomfortable height in which it rose, but knew comfort was the last of her worries. she had fifty minutes to get where she had to be.

of course, being in a tense situation, hope needed to unwind. it was why before she even began to drive, she pulled up a song-player and typed in her needed track. especially in a situation like this. it’s not every day she can explore the j-colony. so might as well do it in style!

blinding lights by the weeknd, if that’s not a more appropriate track, she doesn’t know what is.

soon after starting the song, the hoverbike was moving. hope wrapped her fingers tightly around the handgrips as it moved. first, it moved from the docks, following blaring signs telling her of the directions she needed. the docks were enormous, but that’s when she spotted something which seemed like a high road in the distance, with vehicles passing frequently. approaching the said road, she looked towards both sides. one side led to the residence quarters, and the other towards the inner city.

and the inner city was where she had to be. so she dipped as soon as there was space to fit into the road. and gradually gaining speed, hope took a right and soon found herself flying through a clear, straight road that led directly under a bridge of some sort, it drove into the huge structure and hope wondered just how long it would take for her to exit these docks.

but it didn’t matter too much. she had time. and she was in a particularly good mood now. as worried as she was about those pirates, she needed to sort her priorities. the hoverbike was picking up speed as it now headed into a tunnel, the ceiling and walls decorated with white, neon lines which were probably there more for decoration rather than for avoiding accidents. it was like entering a dream sequence as her eyes followed the lengthy lights, she blinked maybe once or twice upon tearing up.

so she stared ahead instead, choosing not to stare for too long in case it damaged her eyes. her eyes flickered to the map. she had typed in the coordinates for the wanted location and it was a good ten minute ride from her. so she sped up, wanting to get there just in case crimson chose to come early.

the tunnel soon came to an end, and hope audibly gasped when light broke through and she found that the road cleared . . . no roof, no walls, but that’s when she saw the glass and realized the road had been enclosed by a tube of some sort. but it did a good job of making her believe that she was standing freely in jupiter’s atmosphere.

the orange and red clouds, the falling diamonds, it was a mixture of different elements that made for a lush painting of some sort. her eyes widened as they continued to gawk at the view, she saw lightning in the distance and her adrenaline bolted through her veins in an instant. oh, the idea of taking nebula on a ride near the great red spot . . . it was a suicide mission but it would satisfy her daredevil antics.

now picking up speed, hope weaved in between vehicles; buses, cars, more hoverbikes. her eyes flickered over a plastered ad on the side of a bus, a festival that would be taking place in j-colony. she wondered whether she would be able to come, it might be fun . . . but the world was calling and she couldn’t ignore it.

the road carried on for miles and miles, her eyes were aching from the many tunnels she continued to travel through until the exit of the last tunnel gave birth to perhaps the most beautiful sight hope has ever seen.

j-colony was the definition of metropolis heaven. the skyscrapers were too tall for her to observe with her eyes alone, a crane of the head was required to see every light from every skyscraper scattered among this landscape painting of dreams. enormous billboards were planted on the side of buildings, advertising all sorts of things. from food to the newest model of honda’s jet shoes, it was endless.

hope saw purples and reds and yellows and blues, even some colors which she can’t even name. but she knew one thing, they were beautiful. that’s when she noticed people. they walked on side-walks, on the bridges hung over this insane road, normal people accustomed to a world of dazzling lights.

it was so vibrant and colorful that hope didn’t even realize she had to take a sharp turn to the left until the map’s red dot began to beep. “ oh, shit! ”, she cursed and swiftly indicated before cutting left, hearing various beeps behind her but she didn’t think to apologize. she sighed, that’s what happens when you get caught up in the beauty of cities like these.

cutting left, she took another main road but that’s when she began to see things that were expected. shops, dozens of shops with neon lights inviting guests in with obscure shop names. hope saw shopping malls, cinemas, game centers, arcades, it seemed to go on forever and ever. and to be fair, she never wanted it to stop.

hope looked to the top corner to her helmet and saw that she was getting closer to her red spot, her required location. so she sped up, not wanting to waste any time. humming along to the song that would soon be coming to an end, she cut a right and then another right and soon, she had reached what seemed to be a shopping district, with a towering fountain in the middle of it. of course, she couldn’t take the bike there so she had to find a parking spot. and it didn’t take too long for that to happen.

upon parking, she turned the engine off and craned her head up for a hot second, just to view the nearby skyscraper whose billboard was playing an a.i advertisement, one recommending owners to give a.i’s appearances, but upon seeing the price of the installments, hope chose to go without.

so, now she had arrived at her target location. seeing around, she realized that it wouldn’t be too easy to spot crimson even if he was wearing the most camp outfit imaginable.

except, upon checking her notes, she had spotted that crimson tended to wear obscure hair colors, ranging from bright reds to blues and greens. but looking around, most people tended to do that as well. so she hoped that perhaps she would be able to recognize a suspicious figure with some bizarre hair color and assume it’s the guy she’s looking for.

and without a.j’s company, she was forced to wait patiently. her thoughts drifted to the pirates for a moment, wondering just what they were doing and imagining them doing anything else but going against her orders. they weren’t stupid, so perhaps they would be smart enough to dodge trouble.

but what if they went directly against her orders? what then? something in her bones told that it was too ambitious to trust those pirates. that she was being too optimistic and that she had more reasons to get rid of them than to keep them around. for years, she’s been riding solo and has prevented catastrophic, career-ending events because she never allowed herself to trust anyone or work alongside anyone.

she was throwing her trust on the table, but now she wished to withdraw it.

hope suddenly felt something against her wrist vibrate. her tracker had scanned the area and found someone fitting crimson’s profile, something she had set it to do automatically in case she got distracted by something else. and by the looks of things, that just happened. she got distracted by her worries over the pirates.

looking at her helmet map, she spotted a blue dot. and it was moving, closer to her and the fountain that she was looking directly. her stomach dropped when she spotted a male, she couldn’t exactly tell how old but he was young, his way of walking was with plenty of confidence, something she found odd. but that’s when she spotted the bubblegum blue hair and the mouth-mask he’d chosen to wear. a red mask.

and as they say, everyone criminal is vain enough to have an item of identification. her blood was suddenly boiling as she lifted herself from the hoverbike and looked at this walking figure, he threw a glance over his shoulder and upon reeling his head back, he seemed to have locked eyes with the bounty hunter.

hope didn’t look away.

and neither did he.

except for when he took off running. and hope bolted, jumping to her feet and beginning to chase after the fleeing criminal. her feet were aching to get some exercise, and quite frankly, as much as she hated running, she felt like she was going to like it as soon as she gets her hands on this fool.

he was weaving in between the crowd, but her tracker remained on him, so she didn’t think to remove her helmet anytime soon. and in case she needed to, she could summon the hoverbike quickly to speed up the chase.

at some point during the chase, hope was right on his ass. and she didn’t know why she didn’t grab him or just shoot him, it was probably because she didn’t want to assassinate this guy in the middle of the public eye. she wasn’t the type to disrupt established ways of living. and life in the j-colony had a happy buzz, one which she didn’t wish to spoil.

but she still needed this fool dead.

she didn’t recall how long it took but soon, they were out of the public eye as he dipped into an alleyway and hope continued to give chase after him, mostly because she was so close to getting what she finally wanted and needed it to be a clean kill. otherwise, it wouldn’t be over. of course, the alleyway a dead end.

and crimson turned, his eyes wide and angry. “ you’re fitter than the last one who chased me. which was around . . . a day ago ”, his voice was deep, harnessing power and heart but there was a sense of sarcasm to it that she couldn’t help but like. “ uh, you’re here to arrest me, right? ”.

“ being arrested stopped being an option the last time, in which, i believe, you broke out of police custody and managed to hide in the city and hold out until the storm passed. impressive, but i’m not here to arrest you ”, with that, hope pulled out her pistol and with a click, held it towards the criminal. “ i am here to claim the reward for your bounty. ”

and his face went pale. why he wasn’t fighting back was unbeknownst to her. and so she was careful because it was suspicious. “ o-oh. well, uh, i hadn’t planned my death until a couple of years time but i suppose . . . i should give in ”, he spoke and hope decided that this guy was way too stupid to be a criminal.

but then she heard something behind her. a beeping of some sort. and her eyes widened. going into an alleyway with a dead-end, the fact that he wasn’t fighting back, the beeping of what seemed to be an explosive device.

her heart dropped. it was a trap.

hope gasped and ducked for cover and the spark lit and before she knew it, boom! right behind her. she felt the heat against her back and saw the smoke rise but even through it, she could spot crimson breaching for an escape using jet boots. but he wasn’t getting away, not like that!

she aimed up and fired a ray, one which just barely hit his left shoe and even through ringing ears, she could hear him scream. and it was a loud one. she watched him begin to descend and eventually meet the ground again, but then she heard chatter through the smoke and bit her lip. if it was the authorities, she was in for a good scolding. and she hadn’t even killed her target yet!

hope groaned and slowly picked herself up, her skin was scorching from the heat and she could barely breathe through the smoke. but then it began to clear, slowly. and then she saw figures emerging, the owners of the chatter.

oh, how her blood began to boil when the pirates showed up.

she couldn’t believe it! she didn’t even have to be told what had happened because she could almost just assume. they had set up explosives, explosives when she was still in the alleyway. and it didn’t even kill her target because even he saw the explosive. and he dodged it and tried to flee! ugh!

“ i know, i know, thank me later. you got him, right? ”, enzo spoke first, arms wide with an overbearing amount of confidence. but when he spotted her barely able to pick herself off the ground, his face fell. “ uhm. ”

“ you didn’t ”, the criminal himself voiced, grunting and picking himself up. “ i mean, bounty hunter girl, if these guys are your teammates, i suggest getting better ones, the explosive was so obvious, seriously. it doesn’t take a second pair of eyes to even see it! ”.

“ they’re not my teammates ”, hope growled, head hanging low as she tried to stand up, her muscles were aching for rest but she refrained from caving into the pain.

“ ah, that explains it. well, uh, if they’re not your teammates, you won’t mind if they’re gone, right? ”. she barely had time to furrow her brows in a frown when crimson pulled out a gun and suddenly fired a bullet up, hope yelped and covered her ears when she realized that he hadn’t fired mistakenly. he had fired at something.

another explosive.

hearing the pirates react and take cover, she caught sight of crimson before he started to run. and she threw herself at his feet, latching her arms around his legs and sending him plummeting down to the bare, concrete ground. she held him down as best as she could, searching for her gun but it didn’t come to hand.

oh god, her gun!

she grunted when he started to get up again, his feet fighting and kicking and she craned her head back to avoid receiving a boot to the face. she managed to hold him down long enough to reach for the knife attached to a harness around her leg, letting it out of its sheath.

except before she even dared to deliver a mighty blow, she felt an elbow meet the side of her head and her vision went for a moment, blurred and confused, her sense of orientation haywire. but hope fought to remain conscious, she couldn’t let a criminal escape!

yelling, she grasped her knife, propelled and stabbed downward. all she heard was a fatal roar of anguish from the crook beneath her, and even with a stab wound, he persevered. but then she delivered a stab near the chest and another cry rung out. and upon stabbing a final time, a wavering howl was heard.

and beneath her, crimson went limp.

hope let out a loud breath and dropped the bloodied knife, and then realized the warm substance that covered her hands. blood. crimson red, covering each finger without failure. her stomach churned, her squeamish antics ticking and her vision continuing to blur with each passing second.

she was going to faint, she thought, but something in her kept on fighting, mostly the growing feeling of success after she realized this crook was finally dead and that she could alert the authorities. but she couldn’t do it now.

her eyes, hooded and seething with rage, rose to meet that of the figures who came out from behind the hiding spots. her blood was beginning to boil all over again, adrenaline pumping and her murderous ego willing to take hold again.

but she kept herself from lashing out. for now.

“ you. you, you, you and you. back to the ship. right. fucking. now. ”

#chapter 3 #space pirates au #writing #original writing

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