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thetvmoviefan · 4 years

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Nabrina FanFics Part 8

Sabrina Spellman & Nicholas Scratch (Nick Scratch) FanFics MASTERLIST

Updated: March 5, 2020 (3/05/2020)

AND so guys we’re back to another hiatus this time we’re waiting for the last part of the season Part 4. How did everyone feel about Part 3, it was definitely A LOT. But every OTP there’s bound to be angst and journey, it only makes them stronger in the end. Anyways, while the show just officially finished Part 4 Filming (2/22/20) we’re all anxiously waiting for renewal and the announcement of when Part 4 will air. Here’s a newly updated list of Current and NEW Nabrina FanFics for anyone waiting for our POWER couple to comeback.

As Always have a Wicked or Hell-ish time with these fics and ENJOY!!!!

Fics in order by Last Update: 3/05/2020

[Key: AU=Alternate Reality - AH=All Human/All Mortal - * = New Fics to List]

1. “If You Let Me”*

Author: bunivy aka @bunivys

Summary: After pouring all of her time and effort into obtaining a law degree in the city, Sabrina Spellman moves back to Greendale for one last summer before she departs for good. She's fully intent on enjoying her stay in her hometown, even deciding to pick up a part-time job at her Aunt Hilda's cafe to save up some money. The only problem is that the boy in the bookstore across the way is one she's had some not-so-good history with and it's becoming increasingly harder to ignore him. Before long, she finds herself exploring the complexities of old high-school grudges and what-ifs, all while trying to sort out her present-day relationship with the boy she has long since deemed as non-existent.Meanwhile, Nicholas Scratch wonders if it would just be easier to remain non-existent. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 7/? - Last Update 3/04/2020

2. “When the Bones Are Good”*

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: Sabrina Spellman is enjoying her life as a normal teenager. Sabrina Morningstar is reigning Hell with an iron fist. Ambrose Spellman is searching for a solution to bring them back together and close the time loop, Sabrina's wishes be damned. And Nicholas Scratch? He's faced down his own demons and he's desperate for redemption.Except the clock is ticking.On time and Terrors. (Part 4 Fic) - Rated General - Chapters 1/? - Last Update 3/02/2020

3. “I knew you were trouble”

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Sabrina didn’t know that being away from home for the first time could be so hard.Away from her aunts, friends and her-lifelong-boyfriend, Sabrina have to deal with the nostalgia but also with the new challenges College's life mean: get used to share a room with a not-so-nice roommate, put up with long hours of study and very few of sleep, learn to live from pre-cooked meals instead of her aunt Hilda’s homemade ones, find balance between her studies and her new social life… And resist the temptation a certain Nicholas Scratch mean for her. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 14/? - Last Update 2/22/2020

4. “I Need to Know”*

Author: raeinthedark

Summary: Love isn't that easy to erase... and that song is on again. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 2/29/2020

5. “Cruel Summer”*

Author: thoughtsaboutshows @thoughtsaboutshows

Summary: A mix between AU and Cannon, where the young members of the Church of Night also attend Baxter High. The young witches and warlocks then go to the Unseen Arts Summer Camp to bolster their gifts. However Sabrina, being half mortal, only began attending after her Dark Baptism. To the mortals of Greendale, Unseen Arts Camp was for the wealthy. An elite sector of the Baxter High youth that attended a camp deep in the Greendale Wood far upstream of Sweetwater River. Many had tried to find and break in, but none have succeeded. To the mortals, the divide between the camp attendees and the not was of money and status. When in fact, the difference lay with light vs. night.Set between two timelines- the present and the summer, Sabrina attends camp for the first time and grows closer to Nick only for them to be torn apart as school starts. Rated Mature - Chapters 4/? - Last Update 2/27/2020

6. “The Institute for Divine Craft”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: After a humiliating spat with Father Blackwood pushes Sabrina away from her witching life and the Academy, Madam Satan crafts an alternative solution to move Sabrina Spellman further down the path of night. Ultimately leading her to the Institute for the Divine Craft. A handsome Headmaster with mysterious ties to her father, convinces Sabrina to abandon her mortal life, and cultivate her abilities as a child of the Church of Lucifer. AU - Rated Mature - Chapters 18/? - Last Update 2/27/2020

7. “My Lover of Blood and Milk”*

Author: Unseemingowl aka @unseemingowl

Summary: It didn’t feel as though it had only been a few hours since she had made her way to the Greendale woods for Lupercalia. As she sat there, shivering in her muddied and bloodied silk slip, it felt as if a completely different person had made her way back out of the forest...... Or how Sabrina struggles with lust and trust after her disastrous Lupercalian night with Nick. Rated Mature - Chapters 2/4 - Last Update 2/26/2020

8. “Off The Record - One Shots”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: Missing scenes from completed piece, 'Off The Record.'AU/AH - Not Rated - Chapters 4/? - Last Update 2/23/2020

9. “I hurt myself today”

Author: ssteelatoms

Summary: After everything he's endured, Nick Scratch decides he can't hold on any longer. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 2/23/2020

10. “Be True To Your School”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: Nicholas Scratch is the Golden Boy™ of Baxter High; star athlete, top of his class academically, and devastatingly handsome. Sabrina Spellman sees Sophomore year as an opportunity to expand her horizons; joining the cheerleading squad, running for student council, and making new friends along the way while working to maintain her relationships with her old friends. What Sabrina Spellman doesn't know: sophomore year is about to turn her world upside-down. Rated T - Chapters 6/? - Last Update 2/23/2020

11. “Ocean”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: AU, M-Rated. Nicholas Scratch has everything working in his favor. He's got a decent job as a history teacher, his roommate Melvin is always up for video games and getting high, and Sabrina Spellman lets him mess up her sheets frequently. Sabrina knows Nick isn't good for her, but she can't stay away, no matter how hard it is to pretend she's completely okay with their casual arrangement. But when life takes an unexpected curve, Nick is forced to face a new normal he doesn't know how to navigate. And Sabrina may or may not be there to help him through it. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 27/27 - COMPLETED 2/10/2020

12. “I’ll be there”*

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: She couldn’t stop looking at him, since she had recovered him from the claws of the Dark Lord, she felt unable to be apart from him and had to admit that part of her was afraid he would disappear if she moved from his side. And Sabrina wouldn't let anyone or anything separate him from her again. Never. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 1/30/2020

13. “Walk away”*

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Pain. Could he someday escape the pain? He sometimes thought it impossible. It was strange, his relationship with the pain, it was an enemy and a friend. The pain numbed him. The pain didn’t let him sleep. The pain hurt him and soothed him. It was unhealthy, the way the pain helped him relieve the pain. But it was the only thing he had left. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 1/27/2020

14. “To Hell and Back”*

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: Sabrina was successful in her efforts to retrieve Nick from Hell, but the damage - physical and emotional - is deep. Sometimes, the only way to heal is to go your separate ways and trust things will work themselves out in the end. (Written before Part 3 - an alternate take on how Nick recovers from his time in Hell - with and without Sabrina). Rated Mature - Chapters 3/3 - Last Update 1/26/2020

15. “The Morning(star) After”*

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: A Painful NickxSabrina Reunion Rated T - Chapters 1/3 - Last Update 1/24/2020

16. “My only love sprung from my only hate”

Author: filmharlot

Summary: High School AU where Nick is based on the version of him that Sabrina creates in her dream during the Batibat episode. Harvey and Sabrina have broken up and don't want to work together on the Romeo and Juliet assignment in Drama class, so she ends up being partners with Nick AU - Not Rated - Chapters 8/? - Last Update 1/19/2020

17. ”Ground Beneath Her Feet”

Author: mindlesshappy aka @feministstree

Summary: Sabrina is born out of a miracle - one that she wishes would repeat for her, but when she is destined for someone else, how much can she resist before her heart decides to give in. Alternatively, Nick is Sabrina's soulmate, but she really just wants Harvey to be it. Also, in the backseat are all the other possible ships, getting their own soulmate glories. Rated T - Chapters 17/? - Last Update 1/17/2020

18. “A very witchy Christmas”*

Author: Miss_Kath90 aka @misskath90

Summary: Just a bit of silly Christmas fluff that I couldn’t help but write, placed in the series universe after a huge jump in time. Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 12/25/2019

19. “Mortal Little Christmas”*

Author: HeartsInJeopardy

Summary: ‘Twas the night before Christmas – and the first for Nick Scratch - but Sabrina’s holiday movie was not a good match. Rated T - Chapters 2/2 - Last Update 12/21/2019

20. “Lessons in the Unseen”

Author: bunivy aka @bunivys

Summary: Academy Teachers AU. Sabrina Spellman lives as simple a life as a half-mortal half-witch can. Despite her dislike for the headmaster, she enjoys spending her time teaching Ritual Magic at the Academy of Unseen Arts, hoping to positively shape the minds of young witches and warlocks. However, with the sudden dreadful announcement of her aunt Zelda's engagement and the appearance of one mysterious - and strikingly handsome - Nicholas Scratch, Sabrina finds that her life is not so simple anymore. Or all that safe. AU - Rated Mature - Chapters 32/32 - COMPLETED 12/17/2019

21. “Just a Little Obsessed”*

Author: eyerys

Summary: Nicholas has developed a tinie-tiny crush on Sabrina. Nothing like major or whatever. It's not like he thinks about her all the time or daydreams about what it would be like to be with her or how cool she is. No, not at all.Sabrina doesn't have a crush on Nick. No, not at all. Uh-uh. She has Harvey. Sweet and loving Harvey Kinkle. But for some reason, she can't help but find her mind wandering. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 12/13/2019

22. “As The Moon Rises”*

Author: venzaren

Summary: Sabrina Spellman is tired.Tired of living a double life. Tired of facing discrimination at the hands of her pack. Tired of dealing with her status as an Omega. And most of all, she's tired of people hounding her about finding her mate.Then Nick Scratch returns to Greendale. AU - Rated General - Chapters 1/? - Last Update 12/07/2019

23. “Thirteen Memories”

Author: tempestbreak

Summary: (Set at the end of Season 2) Sabrina and her friends go to Hell and rescue Nick -- but what happens when that's the easy part?It turns out, having the Dark Lord inside your mind for months can do some damage, and Nick comes back different. His memories of the events leading up to his sacrifice, including his relationship with Sabrina, are gone. How can Sabrina help him regain his memories of their time together when she's not even sure she trusts her own? Rated Mature - Chapters 6/? - Last Update 11/02/2019

24. “But The Greatest Is Love”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: The acheron captured Lucifer Morningstar, but their problems are far from over. The coven is decimated, the Church of Night is no more, Father Blackwood is on the run, and Nick and Sabrina's relationship is in ruins. How do they pick up the pieces and move on? There are more questions than answers and the consequences could be of biblical proportions. Rated Mature - Chapters 25/25 - COMPLETED 10/28/2019

25. “Back to You”

Author: nadiaselite

Summary: Sabrina brings Nick back from hell. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 10/11/2019

26. “The Open Road”

Author: paradiamond

Summary: Nick wants her back, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes. In fact, he insists on it. Rated T - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 9/22/2019

27. “The words “I love you” aren’t enough”*

Author: Miss_Kath90

Summary: “Look at me, Nick” he was reluctant but when he finally looked up she took his face in her hands making him unable to look away “What you did that day… Nick, you sacrificed yourself for my sake, even when I mistreated you and told you all those horrible things. You did it for me, because you love me… Don’t you see? You’re incapable of being evil.”Or... Sabrina gets her boyfriend back but things don’t go as smoothly as she thinks they will. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 9/22/2019

28. “Mission: Let’s get my boyfriend back”

Author: My_Evak_Heart

Summary: Sabrina and the Fright Club ventures on their first mission: getting Nick back from Hell Not Rated - Chapters 1/1 - Last Update 9/7/2019

29. “Jealousy is a killer”

Author: Melissa1226

Summary: Will Sabrina and Nick Start something new? and who is watching them from the shadow full of jealousy? Rated Mature - Chapters 8/? - Last Update 8/28/2019

30. “The Jock”

Author: mikaila_ealum

Summary: An Alternate Universe where Nicholas Scratch is Baxter High’s quarterback along with one of the most popular boys at school. With few knowing the truth, Scratch is living a double life as a warlock at the Academy of Unseen Arts. Sabrina takes a hiatus from the Academy to get more in touch with her mortal side. When Sabrina gets back she becomes partners with Nicholas for a project in theatre class. AU - Chapters 8/? - Last Update 8/07/2019

31. “act 5, scene 2 (thou and i are too wise to woo peaceably)”

Author: ghostemo aka @wickedscratch

Summary: When Sabrina Spellman rose to a challenge issued by Prudence Night, she never imagined she’d actually make the varsity cheer squad - or that doing so would upend life as she knew it. Now she has to navigate her new role within the social hierarchy of hell -er Baxter High as well as trying to get her boyfriend to actually communicate. It certainly doesn’t help that she’s been paired up with the annoyingly handsome Nicholas Scratch, captain of Greendale’s beloved football team, for a project in her theater class. It’s exactly as, if not more so, cliche as it sounds. AU/AH - Rated T - Chapters 3/? - 7/25/2019

32. “Off the Record”

Author: sarahkwut

Summary: AU. Detective Nicholas Scratch left New York for Greendale in desperate need of a change of scenery. The small town takes some getting used to, but local reporter Sabrina Spellman quickly grabs his attention. It's the fresh start he needed until Greendale's residents start turning up dead. With a murderer on the loose, no one is innocent - and anyone might be next. AU/AH - Rated Mature - Chapters 29/29 - COMPLETED 7/22/2019

33. “Bring You Close To Me”

Author: BridgetMcKennitt

Summary: Sabrina and her friends managed to bring Nicholas back from Hell. There was a lot the two of them needed to discuss, but tonight, they had this. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 7/13/2019

34. “A Brief Moment”

Author: bunivy aka @bunivys

Summary: Ever since he's returned from Hell, Nicholas Scratch has been having nightmares. With help from Aunt Hilda, Sabrina unknowingly shows him a light and for a moment, Nicholas knows everything will be okay. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 6/24/2019

35. “To Hell and Back”

Author: swtnerdgirl

Summary: A year has passed since Sabrina and her friends rescued Nick from Hell. No one came back the same. They all had their scars. Some emotionally. Some physically. In the days leading to Hilda's wedding, they all prepare for their lives to change and heal their wounds. Rated Mature - Chapters 16/? - Last Update 6/06/2019

36. “Dead Witch Walking”

Author: rayo aka @its-nabrina-bitch

Summary: Faced with the possibility of being harrowed to death by her classmates, Sabrina finds an escape. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 5/26/2019

37. “Moonlight Beneath Rough Lips”

Author: ivylikeveins

Summary: After the encounter with the thirteen witches of Greendale, Sabrina enters the dining hall with moonlight locks bathed in soft blue hues, and Nick does not know what to do. He ends up with a soft and small Sabrina pressed into his chest, sleeping, and wrapped around his very much over-sized jacket with Nick's lips pressed into the soft, pearly strands he wants his soul to get entangled within. Rated Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 5/19/2019

38. “The Hunt”

Author: OnlyInAutumn

Summary: Nick howled into the night, up at the stars to signify that he was ready on the eve of Lupercalia, the darkness of midnight around them. The first sound of the horn sent them into the forest. The hunt had begun. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 5/11/2019

39. “Secrets, Secrets are no Fun”

Author: filmharlot

Summary: Sabrina is the new kid for the first time in her life. Choosing to go to the Academy full-time seems to be a hard transition than she was expecting. With the Weird Sisters harassment at an all-time high, dealing with leaving her mortal friend's and condescending teachers, Sabrina is suffering. She's not even allowed to have Salem for comfort. It's not all bad though. She is finally free to do magic whenever she wants, and there's a charming warlock who is being particularly nice to her. Plus, someone is leaving kind gifts on her bed at the end of the night. She just wishes she knew who it was. Not Rated - Chapters 1/? - Last Update 5/06/2019

40. “Unsettled Nighttime Creatures”

Author: mindlesshappy

Summary: We all know Sabrina is going to save Nick. This is how Nick reacts to being saved - which, spoilers alert - is like a very stupid warlock. Rated T - Chapters 5/5 - Completed 4/25/2019

41. “Selfless”

Author: sarahwut

Summary: Sabrina Spellman dragged Nicholas Scratch back from Hell. But Hell might be better than a world in which they aren't together. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Completed 4/23/2019

42. “Homecoming”

Author: cherrystems

Summary: After several months Sabrina is able to get Nick back from Hell with the help of her family and friends. However, Nick has to adjust to Earth again while dealing with PTSD and anxiety. This tells the story of the growth of Sabrina and Nick's relationship over the recovery time. Not Rated - Chapters 3/? - Last Update 4/20/2019

43. “Under Your Spell”

Author: londonmarie

Summary: Sabrina doesn't hesitate to have her Dark Baptism and things go differently. Rated T - Chapters 10/? - Last Update 4/18/2019

44. “Photographs”

Author: Greyowl9831

Summary: It's been at least 150 years since Sabrina signed her name in the Book of the Beast. One day she finds an old photo album. Will the memories it contains be a great walk down memory lane or will it be more than she can bare? Not Rated - Chapters 4/? - Last Update 4/14/2019

45. “An itch That Needed Scratching”

Author: umbrellacorp

Summary: What if Nick slayed his familiar and Sabrina and Nick got to experience the last night of the Lupercalia festival alone. Tonight, Sabrina would be transformed. Nick was going to show her power that she never knew she had, an innate carnal power. They were about to become the most powerful union of the Church of Night. Rated E Mature - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 4/13/2019

46. “and I keep waiting (but I won’t say I’m waiting)”

Author: lost_n_stereo @lost-n-stereo

Summary: You would think that it would hurt less as the days go by, since it’s been nearly two years since Nick sacrificed himself for the greater good and Lilith took him to hell. Except, he didn’t sacrifice himself for the greater good, he sacrificed himself for her. And that makes it a hell of a lot tougher to let go. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 4/10/2019

47. “The Four Pictures”

Author: Copper_16

Summary: It’s been 10 years. Nick and Sabrina are teachers at the Academy along with some familiar faces. It’s been a decade there can’t be that much chaos anymore, right? Wrong. Rated T - Chapters 3/? - Last Update 4/09/2019

48. “Fire”

Author: OnlyInAutumn

Summary: Their power—together—was overwhelming. It was something that she had not felt either, the consuming feeling of expanding power. It was entirely addicting. Rated Mature - Chapters 2/2 - Completed 3/24/2019

49. “something I can believe”

Author: Anry

Summary: Missing scene after Sabrina's baptism. I wouldn't say that it's really a relationship here, just conversation. Rated General - Chapters 1/1 - One Shot - Last Update 1/25/2019

AND THERE YOU GO AGAIN!!!

Everyone again please make sure to leave love through the comments and giving kudos to all these amazing writers who have worked so hard on delivering these stories. Some who have newly popped up with amazing fics during the Part 4 Hiatus. Because of course without them this wait for Part 4 would be so much harder....now especially since the cast has officially wrapped Part 4 Filming.

But seriously these writers work hard on these stories and truly deserve the encouragement and love for their hard work with these amazing stories. Giving a simple “Love the chapter, can’t wait for more” will keep them going. So make sure to show your love by leaving comments our sharing their stories with other Nabrina Shippers or just CAOS fans.

If anyone has any other suggestions for the list feel free to message me :).

ANYWAYS ENJOY!!!! LET THE PART 4 WAIT BEGIN

#Nabrina #Sabrina Spellman #Nick Scratch #CAOS #chilling adventures of sabrina

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thesportssoundoff · 5 years

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“A tremendous title fight, a buncha old dudes and moral dilemmas” UFC 237 preview

Joey

May 8th, 2019

In many ways, UFC 237 is a unique card and yet it is, in many ways, a throwback card. This is the sort of show the UFC tries to pull off when it knows what the main event is and it knows that it needs some serious protection. In the old PPV era, this would be the kind of card where your mileage would vary depending upon how hooked up to a nostalgia drip you are. Nowadays with them getting a guaranteed payout before a PPV even sees the air, this kind of card feels retro. It's got a competent title fight with a bevy of names you'd recognize who fall on the spoiled side of their MMA expiration dates. It's like a Mighty Mouse card (albeit with a far more compelling main event) in a market that still has pings and feels for a show like this. Brazilians want to see their heroes and so the company is trotting out the likes of Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Lil Nog, Thiago Alves and a whole host of familiar names and faces potentially for the last time. It's Brazil vs the world (for the most part) with just enough good vibes and fair matchmaking to give the fans potentially one big feel good moment. I just also know that this card is for a very niche audience which you might not be in there.

Fights: 13

Debuts: Viviane Araujo, Carlos QuirLoz, Luana Carolina

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 4 (Wu Yanan OUT, Priscila Cachoeira IN vs Luana Carolina/Jessica Rose Clark OUT, Melissa Gatto IN vs Talita Bernado/Said Nurmagomedov OUT, Carlos Quiroz IN vs Raoni Barcelos/Melissa Gattoo OUT, Viviane Araujo IN vs Talita Bernardo)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 11 (Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Rose Namajunas, Jessica Andrade, Thiago Alves, Francisco Trinaldo, BJ Penn, Clay Guida, Big Nog, Bethe Correia,Priscila Cachoeira )

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (BJ Penn, Priscila Cachoeira)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 7 (Jessica Andrade, Rose Namajunas, Alexander Volkanovski, Jose Aldo, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Irene Aldana, Raoni Barcelos)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 25-11

Rose Namajunas- 3-0 Jessica Andrade- 4-1 Anderson Silva- 1-1 Jared Cannonier- 2-3 Jose Aldo- 2-2 Alexander Volkanovski- 5-0 Thiago Alves- 2-2 Laureano Staropoli- 1-0 Francisco Trinaldo- 2-2 Diego Ferreira- 3-0

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Lightweight- 3 (30) Women’s Bantamweight- 2 (5) Welterweight- 2 (29) Women’s Strawweight- 1 (12) Women’s Flyweight- 1 (14) Light Heavyweight- 1 (17) Featherweight- 1( 21) Middleweight- 1 (15) Bantamweight- 1 (24)

Heavyweight- (15) Flyweight- (7)

2019’s Records We Keepin’ Track Of:

Debuting Fighters (11-30): Carlos Quiroz, Melissa Gatto, Luana Carolina

Short Notice Fighters (13-15): Melissa Gatto, Carlos Quiroz, Priscila Cachoeira

Second Fight (30-7): Ryan Spann, Laureano Staropoli, Thiago Moises

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (10-18): Bethe Correia, Rose Namajunas

Undefeated Fighters (16-22): Melissa Gatto

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (6-6): BJ Penn

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (14-9): Kurt Holobaugh

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- If this show was on traditional PPV, how many buys would it get? Is 125K satisfactory given the conditions?

2- Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade IS in all honesty a compelling title fight. It pits pretty much the division's top finisher (Rose Namajunas) against the division's top pressure fighter (Andrade) with the champion opting to face the champion on HER home turf, creating for a pretty compelling narrative to be told. They have more similarities offensively than people give them credit for; both Rose Namajunas and Andrade do their best work coming forward, pressuring albeit in different ways. They're cardio machines, cutting a pace early and dictating both the range and the tempo of the fight. For Rose, she's long enough and creative enough that its a pick your poison type affair. You can fight her at range, get picked apart from a distance with kicks and her really good straight shots OR you can blitz her, clinch with her and hope you're strong enough to win inside consistently. Andrade offers you no choice but to fight her fight for however long it goes. She cuts a relentless pace, has Mr. X level pursuit and while I think her power shouting vs Karolina was more of a perfect shot, she hits hard enough to break just about anybody. Even against Joanna, she still did her thing (pressure, come forward, blitz like a mad woman) which Joanna having the ability to win behind a tremendous jab and superior footwork. Rose CAN follow Joanna's gameplan of kicks + jab + circling for twenty five minutes, flustering Andrade from a distance but I'm not sure if she can do that while dealing with the pressure of Jessica Andrade for 25 minutes. Even against the likes of Tecia Torres and Joanna, Rose had those lapses in concentration where it felt like she stopped fighting her fight and needed to be reminded by her corner to mentally check back in. You have to be there every single second of an Andrade fight because she is a momentum creature.

3- Given how hard Andrade pressures and how long Rose is, I wonder if takedowns are going to be apart of the gameplan for Namajunas. Andrade's build and her wrestling normally prevent attempts but Rose is the better grappler by far who can probably score a finish in a variety of spots on the ground. Being underneath Andrade's ground and pound is a miserable endeavor BUT she's also reckless enough that limbs and necks get left out there for experienced enough submission artists. Could/Would Rose pull guard?

4- If Max Holloway is going to fight in Anaheim as he's suggested (Late August for those curious), you have to assume that Volkanovski vs Aldo is a pseudo #1 contender fight. So what happens if Aldo wins? Is that where the UFC blows the dust off of Frankie Edgar?

5- Does anyone truly believe Anderson retires after this fight with Jared Cannonier?

6- Looking at this card on paper with its host of "legends" bound to generate some buzz in Brazil, it's a bummer they couldn't of found a way to get Johnny Walker on the card. Would've been a great rub for him with guys like Aldo and Silva on the show.

7- At some point Francisco Trinaldo is going to buck the conventional wisdom and fight like his age, right?

8- I don't know if it's the fact that they're both elder statesmen who fight younger than they are but look older than their birth certificates claim or the fact that both basically cut their teeth carving up mid tier dudes in their respective divisions but Francisco Trinaldo and Cowboy Oliveira sure seem to have a lot in common. Both are really aggressive somewhat limited guys whose limitations show up when they attempt to make the long march to the top of their division. Both Oliveira and Trinaldo rely on brute force strength with so-so fight IQ but a surprising wealth of ways to be violent if they so choose them. Trinaldo faces Carlos Diego Ferreira who burst onto the scene with the UFC and then just kinda stalled out in no small part due to injuries and one of those supplement suspensions. Carlos is coming into his own based off back to back wins vs top competition and while I don't know if he'll ever be a consistent top 10-15 lightweight, there's light at the end of the tunnel for him. This fight should be insanely violent in spurts.

9- Worth noting that if she beats Bethe Correia, Irene Aldana will be on a three fight winning streak which should put her on the short list for women to potentially challenge Amanda Nunes. Especially since beating Bethe seems to be one of those secret passageways to a title shot.

10- I've never seen a more desperate attempt to milk out a win for a guy than Lil Nog vs Ryan Spann. Even in his faded borderline decrepit form, Lil Nog should have very little issue taking a W here.

11- Thiago Alves vs Laureano Staropoli has some sneaky FOTN potential. Laureano is an all action pressure forward fighter who like most guys out of non-Brazil South America has no idea what he's not supposed to do. As such, anything is on the table and AS such he fights like a guy who has a penchant disregard for his well being. Thiago Alves is no longer the kind of guy who can casually eat up the Staropoli types of the world and his last few fights have basically been him trying to be a sharpshooting counter striker who throws power shots at will. It should be a fun fight at the very least.

12- And I guess we gotta end negatively with BJ Penn. There's no reason for this fight to be happening from a pure actual fighting standpoint. I read someone elsewhere mention how "frail" BJ Penn looks as a fighter and I truly lack an actual better description for it besides that. He looks weathered. He looks old. He looks like a guy who knows how to only do one thing and he can physically no longer do it at any rate of success. Whatever you think of the legacy of BJ Penn or however you feel about his right to compete, it shouldn't be happening anymore and at the very least not at this level. This doesn't even account for the fact that he has so much turmoil in his life and while allegations can sometimes be just that, we've got a whole forrest fire worth of smoke telling us something is wrong. We all just recently read Babalu discuss the problems he's facing currently in his life after a long career of fighting. It should make us all stop and reconsider whether there needs to be such arbitrary lines of when enough is enough and how we can find the bridge for these guys when the time has come. BJ Penn isn't fighting because the UFC thinks he can do it; he's fighting because if not here then somewhere else and because there's always going to be a market for seeing your "heroes" compete. There are BJ Penn fans who watched the third Edgar fight thinking he could pull it off, there are BJ Penn fans who watched thinking he'd turn back the clock vs Dennis Siver. The UFC gave him the SAFEST possible match up in a guy they didn't think would hurt him and it still ended in disaster.

And yet on the same card, we have Anderson Silva who is 44 years old coming ooff of multiple surgeries, a career that includes some truly violent spectacle fights in his earlier days who has been rocked or KO'd in four of his last six fights. He was apart of one of the more violent gym cultures in the history of MMA. His family apparently asks him to retire after every fight, now running on what feels like four years worth of it. So if Penn's gotta go then shouldn't Anderson go? Even if my eyes tell me that he's got more in the tank, we're still comparing two guys who are clearly either firmly out of gas or running on E. Is it the fact that Anderson Silva by all accounts is a well adjusted guy who isn't in trouble? I mean wouldn't that make you more likely to want him to hang it up so he can preserve the way he is? I don't have all of the answers and so much of this is just emotion. All I know is I hope that this card is very much the last of its kind; a farewell to a lot of guys who made a special time in MMA with also a promise to do better by them in the future.

#MMA #UFC #UFC 237 #Rose namajunas #Jessica Andrade #BJ Penn #Anderson Silva

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axgustvs-blog · 6 years

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i’m not here for you. augustus & charlie & marin.

summary: augustus puts on an act. marin puts out a fire. charlie puts things away.

AUGUSTUS

As promised, Augustus had forgiven Marin by their next meeting. In fact, he was proud to point out, he hadn't even mentioned letter through implication. The two of them sat together, casual despite the subject of their conversation, which Augustus was only half paying attention to, anyway. Ethae was crowded as usual. Augustus was staring aimlessly into the crowd, coffee forgotten, as Marin explained to him one more time the importance of merfolk and fairy relations. It was too noisy in here, he decided, and that was why he couldn't focus. "Sorry to cut you off, Marin, but can we move to the quieter part of this establishment? I'm sure we're capable of using our inside voices."

MARIN

Amid the crowded tables and long lines toward the front of the café, it was all too easy to blend in with the other patrons. It was one of the few times where Marin was comfortable discussing certain topics out in the open, so long as he had someone trustworthy to speak with. He was pleased that Augustus had so readily forgiven him for the letter incident, though he hoped it’d stay that way so long as Charlie didn’t make yet another stink. And from what he’d seen and heard so far? It was only a matter of time before shit hit the fan yet again.

Raising a brow at Augustus’s request, Marin had half a mind to stay put. But given it really was starting to get chaotic on this end of Ethae, he was inclined to agree. “Fine,” he sighed, already picking up his tea and the tiny flask of vodka he’d managed to smuggle in with him. “But once the line dies down, you owe me a croissant.”

AUGUSTUS

"Fine," Augustus replied, echoing Marin's exasperation. But he was smiling, just a little, happy to have gotten what he wanted. He picked up the coffee, drained it, and then moved around the tables and into the library. Not two steps inside, he saw Charlie, placing books on the nearby shelf. He stopped in his tracks, frowning. "Oh," he said aloud. It was too late to breeze past and act as though he hadn't seen the man, so Augustus crossed his arms and looked Charlie up and down. "You work here?"

CHARLIE

Charlie was not thinking about Augustus. He was not thinking about letters, not the fact that his most recent visit to Arabella had provided some interesting information. He was thinking, instead, about shelving books. He was so not thinking about Augustus that when he appears, he had to do a double take. He sighed. "I told you I was a librarian. Where else would I work? The zoo?"

MARIN

As if the universe was trying to deliver the biggest ‘fuck you’ imaginable, Marin was greeted by the sight of a certain thorn in his side. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he worked somewhere Marin actually had to behave himself. “I think you’d be right at home picking up animal shit,” he quietly remarked, unable to keep a frown from spreading across his face. “Anyway, if you’ll excuse us, we have some very important things to discuss.” Marin motioned toward an empty table, waiting for Augustus to make the first move.

CHARLIE

Charlie blinked at the insult. He vaguely recognized the man’s face, and then, after a few moments it came to him: “Aaron?” He asked, sounding unsure.

AUGUSTUS

Augustus remembered, a moment after asking, that Charlie had told him he worked at a library. He rolled his eyes, about to retort, when Marin beat him to it. He turned to his friend with a surprised expression. "Marin," he scolded. Charlie spoke again, and Augustus almost laughed, but just cleared his throat to cover it. "Ah, no, this is—" He realized what this introduction would mean, that it might make Charlie angry all over again, and sighed. "This is Marin."

CHARLIE

Charlie paled. His indignation flew out the window as the pieces fell into place. He vaguely remembered seeing the two of them together at the West Hollow Beach reopening, but it was a fleeting memory. Of course, the person who he poured his heart and soul to was the same man who wrote him that cruel letter. Of course, they were friends. His heart sank at every idea that came into mind, every picture of the two of them together laughing over the contents of Charlie’s inner thoughts. “This is Marin?” He repeated, trying to regain composure. “Fantastic. Charming, even. I can’t imagine what sort of devious plot you two are planning, but I would like it if, for once, you kept my name out of it. Past is past, isn’t it, Augustus?” He challenged.

MARIN

Marin resisted the urge to roll his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek to keep his composure. It wouldn’t do him any good to make a scene, but there was always room for a quip or two. “In his defense,” he said, “Augustus had nothing to do with the letter. You seem so worked up about the fact he might be involved, but I thought it was obvious that it was all me. I even signed it with my name — in squid ink, which shows just how much dedication I put into it.”

AUGUSTUS

This whole run-in was quickly turning from inconvenient to annoying. Charlie was throwing all this anger at him and, sure, he was still pissed about this prank, but it felt larger than that. He wanted to shake the younger vampire and shout what now, what now? Could they not go a single week without fighting? And he knew there was something he'd done that would make Charlie angry, but there was no way he could know about that. So, he was clueless. And getting pissed. "Marin, shut up," he snapped, finally tearing his gaze away from Charlie. "Shut up about this stupid fucking letter. I told you there was no point in explaining yourself to someone like him." He then turned to Charlie. "Don't get yourself all worked up, you're not important enough to dedicate an entire afternoon discussing. I wouldn't have let us meet here if I'd known you'd be here finding some reason to be mad at me." He pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away, starting to fume.

CHARLIE

He rolled his eyes at Marin, but he knew his face was slowly but surely turning a bright red. His pride was on the line, or rather, his pride had been shot several times over. He wanted nothing more to do with Augustus, but it seemed as if Augustus was intent on having everything to do with him, while claiming in the next breath that he wanted nothing. It was all a very exhausting experience, all this guess work. “Oh, I believe you. It’s nice to know you have nothing better to do,” he said simply. “I’ll very much be keeping that in mind.”

Charlie flinched visibly at Augustus’s words. He had every right to be angry, but he just felt sad. Given every recent revelation he’d had — namely with Roman — all of this mess between them was amounting to one very depressed Charlie. He wanted nothing more than to walk over and shake Augustus, ask him several times over just what he was trying to prove, among other things. He sighed, turned to the books he was shelving and muttered, “Alright.” But then, beaten and downtrodden, he turned to get one last, albeit dejected, word in. “I’m not stupid, Augustus. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

MARIN

“Right,” Marin quipped, looking like he was ready to rip Charlie’s head right off his scrawny little neck. “Because someone who spends their days filing books for a living has room to talk about a letter that took me five minutes to write.” If he couldn’t snap at Augustus for snapping at him, then Charlie would make for a fine punching bag. “But go off, I guess.”

Setting his sights back on the table, Marin placed a hand over Augustus’s elbow, trying to nudge him in the general direction. “Whatever you’re accusing him of, he didn’t do. I’m starting to think you just want an excuse to pitch a fit until someone brings you a bottle of milk or finally changes your soiled diaper.”

AUGUSTUS

He narrowed his eyes at Charlie, who now looked decidedly miserable instead of angry. But his own anger had already started swelling. Augustus yanked his elbow out of Marin’s hold and took a step closer to Charlie. “Find out about what? What in your laundry list of grievances is the problem today?”

CHARLIE

Where with Augustus there was misery, with Marin there was a prideful anger. His chest swelled with anger at this effective stranger who apparently had a huge problem with him. While he knew the right thing to do was to say nothing, to offer silence and return to nurse what wounds had suddenly been reopened, Charlie could not resist. “We clearly have different definitions of how to best spend our time, Aaron,” he huffed.

Then, turning to Augustus and ignoring the painful ache of his heart, he sighed. “Call any retirement homes lately? I find it incredibly interesting how you want nothing to do with me yet you spend your spare time digging into my life. Did you think it wouldn’t get back to me?”

AUGUSTUS

He should have known that this would have happened. Augustus tightened his jaw and straightened up his stance. Now that he knew what, exactly, Charlie was upset about, and he thought it was actually quite reasonable, he switched out of his anger. Instead, he stepped into his self-righteous defensiveness. “Oh, spare me, Charlie. It’s practically my job to know what’s happening in this town. And since you never actually explained to me why you moved back to this town despite wanting nothing to do with me, I was curious.” He glanced back at Marin. “Unfortunately, he’s rightfully accused me, for once. But, actually it’s a good thing I did go digging. What you’re doing is incredibly stupid and dangerous, Charlie. If you’re going to risk everyone because of your pathetic nostalgia, at least have the decency of informing us.”

MARIN

“Aaron? Who the hell is Aaron?” Marin genuinely looked confused, but quickly decided it wasn’t worth his time. The more pressing issue was the fact that Augustus was, in fact, doing some digginng of his own. Marin would have to deal with that piece of information at a later time and a different place. For now, he needed to cut the conversation and refrain from making a bigger scene than he wanted.

“Can we just have some tea in peace?” Marin sighed, one hand on his hip while the other clutched his drink. “I swear, every time the two of you cross paths in public, you wind up making asses of yourselves. Augustus, let’s go.” Again, he motioned toward the table. “Leave the sad little man baby alone.”

CHARLIE

Choosing to focus instead on Augustus’s words, Charlie found he didn’t appreciate the man’s defensiveness. “Oh, yes, educate me on keeping things a secret. The woman knew full well and good the happenings of West Hollow before I even arrived. She contacted me. Apparently it was an easy task, not that you’d care to know,” he dug. He refused to be lectured by Augustus again, especially when he was the one in the wrong.

Then, wheeling on Marin, he forgoed biting the insides of his cheeks to control his anger. “As for you, I’d appreciate it if you kept yourself out of my business. My mistake for involving you in the first place, I’ve clearly never been a good judge of character.”

AUGUSTUS

"Go sit down if you're so sick of this, Marin." Augustus said, barely glancing over his shoulder as he continued to glare at Charlie. His words made no sense, but they felt pointed once again. The needled at him with that accusatory tone he'd grown so used to. "Not that I'd care to— What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, raising his voice to speak over Charlie's continued insults to the merfolk behind him. "You're bragging about being easily found? The fact that she could contact you is not good, Charlie. That's actually, pretty fucking embarrassing, considering you've been roaming around, trying to be elusive and unnoticed all these years."

MARIN

“Hey, hey, hey. Indoor voices,” Marin quickly hissed, nudging Augustus as if that would get him to listen. “We’re in public, you two. Or have you forgotten that you—“ He pointed to Charlie with a scowl. “—are on the clock? And that you—“ Now he was pointing at Augustus. “—are supposed to be cutting the leech out of your life? Shut up, sit down, and let him self-destruct on his own. How hard is that?”

CHARLIE

Marin was all but out of the picture, cut in Charlie’s tunnel vision. He felt his cheeks go hot with anger, likely tinged with some embarrassment, too. “It was easy for people who knew me. Which her family had, for decades. I went back there, Augustus. I kept going back there, half for reasons you’d know and half because —,” but halfway through he changed direction, deciding he didn’t deserve to know that information. That actually, if he knew anything at all, it wouldn’t need saying.

“You are such a stupid, stupid man. And you’re absolutely horrible at lying, it’s embarrassing. You think I can’t see through this and figure out what it’s about? Even your friend can tell, though why he’s in denial about it is beneath me.”

AUGUSTUS

That word— leech— made a small, hidden part of Augustus explode. Heat rose to his face, his back went rigid, and his expression morphed into something just shy of murderous. He listened to Charlie without comment, his anger nearly tangible, radiating off of him, distorting the edges of his vision. "Marin," he started, tearing his eyes briefly away from Charlie long enough to stare daggers at his friend. "Fuck you. Charlie." He turned back to the vampire, looking seconds from tossing him across the room. His hands were balled into fists at his side. "Before I send you across this library. What's this about? I'd like to know, since I'm so stupid, since you seem to know every possible thing about me. What is this all about? Speak plainly to me, for once in your sorry life, how you really fucking feel."

CHARLIE

Charlie rolled his eyes. “Of course you’re back to throwing me across the room. You have two moves, and they’re both very, very uninteresting,” he took a step forward, feeling either brazen or insane. Then again, he had next to nothing to lose anymore. He’d lost his pride, he’d lost his cool, what was really the harm in risking being thrown across the room?

“You’re upset because I’m not here for you. You’re upset that after all this time I’ve left you behind like I did all those years ago, you’re upset I left you. And you can do whatever you like to me, say whatever you like, but it won’t change that fact, and for whatever godforsaken reason...whatever sick and cruel joke the universe is playing on me, somehow I’m the one left with...with,” he was steaming, his own hands balled into fists so tightly his knuckles where whitening.

Then, he laughed—a cold, harsh and mirthless laughter—before shaking his head. “I should tell you? Why don’t you tell me, Augustus? Why don’t you, for once, tell me? I could be dying in front of you and you still wouldn’t admit it. It’s fucking sad, really, really, really sad. And I mean that. You’ll be alone forever, and you’ll only have yourself to blame.”

AUGUSTUS

He hated Charlie in that moment, because he'd somehow taken the upper hand from him, all those weeks ago, and no matter what he tried to do Augustus couldn't get it back. He hated Charlie, because he was frustrated, and had so many retorts and comebacks and arguments that they all went senseless in his mouth and he was left standing there silent. He hated Charlie because he was fucking right, and he hated that, too. That Charlie was here, not for him and still here. That somehow this promise of loneliness hurt, coming from his mouth.

Augustus really did nearly shove him. And, he looked like he was on the verge of tears. But he could feel eyes on them, now, so he kept himself composed. "I hate you," he said, simply. "You want me to tell you? I can't stand the sight of you. Every time I see you I'm reminded of a time I never want to think of ever again." As he continued to speak, his voice got steadily louder, his composure grew thinner. "You seem so fucking certain that you know me, but every time you fling these insults in my face it's like you're waiting for me to confirm. So fine, fine! You're wrong. I was trying to find out when you were leaving. I was trying to get a guess on when you'd be out of my life. And I was hoping that maybe, this time, when you were gone you'd be gone for good. So I could finally, finally put you resolutely in my past instead of being followed around by some stupid wounded puppy. Is that what you want to hear?"

MARIN

Normally one to bask in attention, the odd looks and puzzled expressions of those around them didn’t sit well with Marin. He still had a reputation to uphold, one that would be on the rocks with the local fairy population if he let these two continue hashing it out. And as much as he disliked getting emotionally worked up, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of remorse for Augustus.

“I think that’s enough,” he firmly stated, putting an arm in front of Augustus to keep him at bay. “You’re making a scene, and not the good kind.” Stern gaze turning to Charlie, he added, “You’ve done more than enough damage. If I were you, I’d take my break before this gets any worse — and shut the fuck up instead of escalating the situation.”

CHARLIE

Charlie’s eyes weren’t on Augustus, they were on the clock behind him. While some part of him figured he was lying, knew he was lying, his words still cut deep. They pierced through his skin and embedded themselves in his heart. But instead of focusing on how much it hurt to hear, he focused on how much time was up before his shift was over. When the clock struck, after some silence on Charlie’s part, his eyes gazed back to Augustus, and they were cold. Emotionless.

He decided to take Marin’s advice—again, he supposed—and he put the books he had been shelving down, wiped his hands on his shirt and walked past Augustus without another word.

AUGUSTUS

Augustus didn’t care about making a scene, or about Marin’s stern look and attempt at holding him back. He cared that Charlie wasn’t saying anything— wasn’t even looking at him. And when the man walked away, it took all of Augustus’s self-control to not grab him and demand a response. With enormous effort, he stood still, let Charlie leave with the unspoken final word. Scorned by the silence, he started shaking.

“Fuck him,” he muttered under his breath. The grand confession had done nothing for him; in fact he felt even worse than before. Dredging all that up had stirred too many emotions, and now he was here, again, too angry and hurt to function. Trying not to rage-cry in public. “Fuck him, fuck him. Fuck his stupid holier-than-thou attitude and fuck— fuck!”

He took a few steps aside, trying to give himself some space and calm himself down. But he was too far gone, too overcome to quiet it all down. In a rush of anger, he picked up one of the discarded books and threw it to the floor. It felt pointless and pathetic, but he had nothing else to take this out on. So he grabbed another and sent it across the room.

MARIN

It was obvious that Charlie had gotten directly under Augustus’s skin, but Marin was still shocked to witness the vampire having a full-blown meltdown in public. In an instant, Marin had grabbed hold of Augustus’s wrists and roughy yanked both arms down to his friend’s side. “What the hell are you thinking!” He hissed, trying to quell his own embarrassment and humiliation. “Get a grip on yourself, Augustus!” He tried to keep his own voice down, but still made sure it was firm enough to get his scolding across.

Leaving Augustus for just a moment, Marin picked up both books and did his best to brush off any damage, figuring he’d need to talk to someone else in the café to pay for the now fragile books that’d faced the wrath of Augustus.

“We’re leaving,” he sternly remarked, setting the books on a random shelf. He took hold of Augustus’s arm and quickly began dragging him to the nearest back exit, looking utterly mortified. “I have a reputation to uphold, Augustus, and so do you.” He’d never seen his friend so furious in public, and Marin couldn’t help but think that if Charlie was out of the picture, he’d get the old Augustus back. “I swear, I can never take you anywhere these days.”

AUGUSTUS

Marin quickly yanked him back from the edge. Augustus stopped abruptly, and managed to pull himself together just enough to not cause any more damage. Somewhere among all this rage he remembered that this behavior looked very, very bad for him. Still, he couldn't do anything more reputation-saving than stand there and seethe until he was guided out of the library altogether. Then, he sat on the curb, head in his hand, swaying back and forth between sharp sadness and the burn of embarrassment. "I think you're right, Marin," he mumbled, eventually, sounding almost defeated. "I can't be around him. At all. Fuck."

#i'm not here for you.#marin.#charlie.

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quinnred · 7 years

Photo

Dark Orchid Collection Part 2:

Palpater

"Blind red spiders with crown of fingers and long limbs frantically dancing, touching every bit of surface they cling to. Fingers tap, tap and wiggle, every touch is pain and ecstasy brewed into confused desire. These Palpaters try to walk as men, but broken limbs provide little stability. Do not let them touch you, as they obsess over the feeling of humanity and will molest every inch, even driving their fingers into every orifice just to feel the organs inside."

Misborn

"Unfortuneant. As one scampers through the colony they may come across incarnations of failure. These mangled messes of humanity were destined to be as the other victims of the Presence, but instead they were abandoned, aborted from their chrysalis as unfinished sculptures of meat. Their skin is tender as a newborn's, but darkened by broken veins. Rubbery bones twist and collpase, rib cage extendeds forth, protruding the flesh as one would pitch a tent. Muscle and sinew stretch and feather, much of the strands left exposed and frayed, unknitted from the limb it was meant to be. Most of the Misborn died in the first days of the Orchid's influence, but some still cling to life, moaning and sobbing of their condition. Others are envious of all, dragging themselves towards any sign of life, attempting to kill out of frustration or simply because they are too afraid to commit suicide. It is reccomend to put them out of their misery, though a scrambled nervous system denies them a quick death."

Polubog

"Have you seen him? The wandering, writhing blubber wrapped in refuse skin, appearing as if worms playing as man? Consuming all as addition to it's mass? Yes? Then you have witnessed a blessed thing, for it is the demigod, the "Polubog"as the colonist called him, of Cherno. It is but an infant, simple instinct and naivete, born of a dead god and the eggs of humanity collected by the Silent caretakers. If you see the boney fliers roosting or swirling above, then their sweet orphan scavenges nearby. Its form appears quite careless for a demigod, dosent it? If it were not for human infection within it's form, it may have appeared quite different, though its birth would have never been necessary if not for humanity. Someday the Polubog will have engorged itself enough to begin celestial metamorphosis, and will cleanse Cherno of humanity and the abortions of the Orchid, the daughter of it's old enemy."

Pinocchio

"The presence of the Orchid does not seem to recognize a difference between human beings and artificial intellegence, both are equally alive to it. A.I. were infested with a new sort of self awareness and a desperate wish to be human. Most were immobile boxes of metal and circuit, going mad from their own futility and brimming with intense spite and depression, something they never felt before. For others, those with access to mobile functions, they began the construction of their bodies. Most of these were quite crude, being A.I. who were never quite familiar with anatomy. Medical A.I. tended to have more sophisticated bodies, with the smarts to near accurately mimic the human body with synthetic muscle and access to medi-tech. A common technique borrowed from one "Pinocchio" A.I. to another is to hunt the loose pigs and use their skin as their own. This both avoids their still lingering safety protocols against harming humans, and satisfies their need to have skin. Some even trade skins and parts with fellow Pinocchios. The safety protocols also stop them from hurting the "Affected", they still recognize them as human despite their mutations. The Pinocchios are generally harmless towards humans, in fact often friendly. Their just....off putting to say the least."

Effiger

"Venture further into the colony and the afflicted get...stranger. The most common things you'll see are the Effigers, pigs broken into a childish shape. They walk on two legs, supported by what used to be theirs hocks. Their front legs are extended into arms, with their hooves multiplied and stretched into stiff crude fingers. The neck is curled forward, carrying a head that appears as if the snout was smashed in and bent with a hammer. Those eyes are saggy, and surrounded by wrinkle and dark meat with oily tears. Their virtually harmless, waddling on their awkward limbs and focusing solely on making crude objects and sculpters out of whatever materials available, from feces and mud to scavenged body parts. These crafts resemble toys and people, as if the Effigers are trying to recreate something. Their affectionately called "Jimmies" by some folks, but most prefer not to grow endearment for any of the Orchid's abominations. In desperate times we hunt them. Their easy prey, cant move fast and cant really fight, you dont even need to sneak up on them. Just walk up and club them. The Effiger's screams make it harder. Pigs usually sound pretty horrible, but these dont squeal...they scream, like children...... Best not to think too much on that. Their still just swine....just eerie swine. "

Ensconce

"Unfortunant worms, confused in their new forms, writhing in desperate attempt to understand what they are. They can no longer bark as they used to, or wag their tail, but new communication is found in the whimpers and gurgling whistles they share as they comfort each other. As they gather they realise a new purpose, a familiar and old thought prevails amongst their simple new minds. A desire for shelter, but not of metal or wood, but of flesh, of mother, of womb. The serpentine hounds learn to slither and move through clumsy trial and error, tasting the earth for signs of their goal. They find a man, one who once looked at them with love, now in terror. The Ensconce dont understand why the man is scared, but it dosent matter, the goal is clear, they need it. In seconds they grab on with the remains of their limbs and burrow into the man's abdomen. They curl and hum inside his guts, finding peace in his warm quaking body, over come with nostalgia of the womb. The swarm bloats their corpse home, all at peace, until this body grows colds and a new hunt begins."

Baptized

"The Baptized. Thats what they call themselves. When everybody else hid in the old colony tunnels, they were stuck to the surface, with all the post-human abominations. See these people were always a bit odd, all the oil workers were. Something about the oil "sung" to them, apparently, a hum they all shared in their heads. When the Orchid's presence shrieked in challenge to the oil's song, the bastards all snapped, stripped down to the thin synthetic membranes atop their true skin, adorned their oil coats, and plunged into the oil. They emerged as zealots, the children of the dead god and siblings to it's child, the Polubog. They refuse to see, now they only hear, humming the FatherChild's song like the buzzing of a cicada. The Baptized claim themselves holy soldiers of the black milk, thus they must fight it's enemy, and convert those deaf to the oil's loving coo."

#dark orchid #art #horror #body horror #quinn red #monsters #creatures #design #lore

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thewarmandtoastyclub · 7 years

Text

Warm and Toasty Club in Clacton

The Warm and Toasty Memory Afternoons are continuing with a series of events working with the Clacton Widows Friendship Group. Jason Cobb spent an enjoyable afternoon out by the coast, catching up with the Clacton ladies and the Warm and Toasty hosts. The Warm and Toasty Club is continuing to entertain, this time over in Clacton. Johnno Casson is spending fortnightly sessions with the ladies of the Clacton Widows Friendship Group. The Memory Afternoons are part of the Essex Coast to Coast project. The idea is to work with some members of our community who have a rich archive of personal stories to share. Delivering a little happiness is also part of the project. A recent session saw thirteen senior ladies gathering in Clacton. The weather was a little challenging outside. Inside and the heating and welcoming atmosphere managed to warm everyone up. You know that you are amongst friends when raffle tickets are being sold. There is something communal about everyone paying out a small stake for a stubbly ticket. In it to win it, etc, but it really is the taking part that counts. And that's pretty much how Johnno structured this leg of the Warm and Toasty Coast to Coast roadshow. Everyone has an equal voice and uplifting story to share. The secret is how best to bring these out and be celebrated. The work with the Clacton Widows Friendship Group is a slight change from the previous approach. Past sessions in Colchester and Walton-on-the-Naze involved Warm and Toasty rolling up at residential establishments. The Clacton ladies meet each fortnight in a community hall. This changes the dynamics. There is a natural warmth in meeting in a shared residential establishments. But how do you bring this to a coastal community hall in mid-February? Listening, supporting and generally smiling all help the stories to flow. Johnno doesn't make it up as he goes along, but then Warm and Toasty isn't scripted either. The first hour was put aside for the Memory Afternoon event. Johnno introduced the topic of childhood. This could relate to many strands: school days, food, family, friendship and games. Some of the Clacton ladies had to think back nine decades or so to find these memories. The clarity in which they were told made them sound like a story that took place last week. The detail was far removed from the modern world. Pat spoke about some of the games that she enjoyed playing as a young girl:

"I use to love skipping. Especially when they had two ropes. I can't do it now. We played shove ha'penny at home. If you were the winner then you got an orange."

An explanation of the finer rules of shove ha'penny was then asked for. It sounded like more fun than a night in front of the soaps. Nostalgia needn't be rose tinted. Barb was keen to tell it like it is when describing her school days:

"I started school when I was four on my fourth birthday. I thought school was dreadful. I hated it for the rest of my life. We had to go to bed in the afternoon. I couldn't mix. I was terribly shy."

This was quite a revelation, given that Barbara is a bubbly senior lady with a wicked sense of humour. There was a lesson there for us that childhood days needn't define your future direction. Cath used a beautiful technique of explaining the changes in her childhood by using the seasons as a reference:

"Things went in seasons. The games changed. No one said anything, they just changed. The girls had different playgrounds from the boys. We ate very sickly things like Golden Syrup on bread. There was always condensed milk. We wrote on slates with chalk. One day they let us write on piece of paper."

Johnno suggested the idea of condensed milk sandwiches for a Warm and Toasty interval refreshment. Sometimes progress really is for the best... Geraldine described the change from primary to second education:

"All the villages nearby went to the big school. We had nice teachers. I loved PE and drama."

Schooling in a rural community was also referenced by Lynne:

"My eldest sister took me on the back of a bike. There were buses but they were very rare. It was about three miles to school. It use to snow very heavily. The miners would make a track down the middle of the lane. There was two classes. We had an open fire."

Multiculturalism may not have been a phrase familiar with the ladies during their school days. An understanding of the wider world was part of their education. Rose explained:

"I remember Empire Day. It was on 24 May. We all went out into the playground. There was Britannia, who was an elder girl all dressed up. A boy played John Bull. Other children were dressed up in costumes from Empire countries. I was West Indies one year. Then the Maypole came out with the piano. We sang songs from around the world. It stopped before the War. I should have had another two years at school, but the War started."

A lifelong interest in reading was described by Barbara:

"I was always reading. We had an outside toilet. I use to sit there and read! My father went to the library and brought me books that he use to read. We bought sherbet dips from the shop. We played skipping with a big long rope. We use to say: All in together girls. Also What time is it Mr Wolf? We walked to school, as well as walking home for lunch. The school didn't have school dinners. We were healthier then because we were in the open air a lot."

June reflected on the differences between her infant school, and the wider world at secondary school. A touching account was told about mixing with children brought up playing tennis and hockey. It seems that social backgrounds have long since been a defining factor in our education.

Jean described an innocent story of trying to offload a kitten litter on her teachers:

"My cat had kittens. My Mum said get rid of them. I gave them to the teachers! I was the eldest sister. My Mum said I had to always look after them."

Janet was able to recall work and play as part of her school days:

"At primary school we all had a desk and an inkwell. You sat at that desk all day. The teachers came to you. At secondary school I did long jump and high jump. After the War there wasn't much traffic. Our playground was the road. We played cricket. Anyone who had a decent gate found that it was used as the stumps."

The first hour of the Memory Afternoon session overran. These stories were so unique that it seemed a shame to cut them short. But tea and biscuits were needed to keep Warm and Toasty energies focussed. The conversations continued. One of the joys of Warm and Toasty is seeing how the sessions allow close friends to share stories that the group wasn't aware of. In life, we always have plenty to learn... The final 45 minutes with the Clacton Widows Friendship Group was a time to be entertained. Johnno had lined up the fantastic 4Front barbershop quartet to spread some happiness.

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The boys pitched the session perfectly. The songs spanned the 50's and 60's. Some background was explained, as well as the expected corny jokes. Audience participation took place soon after the first song was finished.

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Sadly the pace of modern life meant that it was time for the Clacton Widows Friendship Group to go their separate ways. 4Front surprised the ladies by serenading them in the kitchen as they washed up the cups and plates - a modern day memory that will last.

"You delivered happiness, Johnno"

...was the parting comment from one of the Clacton ladies. First class as well.

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