#this silly lineup saved the day

[zombiekilllers]

Roach x Medic! reader

Medic reader is hopeless about furthering her small relations with Roach, until one un mistakeable opportunity arises to grow closer with the quiet soldier.

Word count: 1200

gn!reader x roach !!

Persistent beeping of machinery in the infirmary encapsulated my ears entirely, as I focused on packing up the last of my medical supplies after a long grueling day on the job. 

Being a medic here was never easy work, horrible wounds and people in agony is a sight I had to see and treat on the daily. Sometimes, the turmoil all catches up to me.

 On rare quiet moments where I was the one of the only people left in the infirmary, and nothing but the sounds of beeping filled my ears was when reflection of the day made my psyche weak. 

As I put away the last tool at my station I found myself unable to get up from my small wheeled chair. My vision zoned out on the doorway and that damned beeping was almost deafening as I recalled all of the horrors I had seen just this day. The gruesome wounds, the cries of pain, the feeling of defeat when you know there is nothing left you can do to save a life, even when saving people is your primary job. 

A person entered the doorway, and the figure that was at first unrecognizable in my half unconscious state, became starkly clear as I came to my senses and looked up at the approaching soldier. 

Him. 

Roach. This alias was the only name I knew him by, but that was enough for me. His awfully quiet demeanor was of stark contrast to the rest of his task force he belonged to, the rest of the force following closely behind him while in conversation. 

They always pass through the medical bay on their way back to the barracks at the end of the day, a path in which I welcome with open arms. Even the passing sight of Roach was enough to lift my spirits slightly, though no words are being exchanged between us in this passage, hardly a fleeting moment of eye contact. 

My infatuation with him was a slow growing one, with his small silent acts of kindness towards me everytime I served him in my medical bay making my heart grow fond of him. Consistent muted demeanor was not only something I have never seen in the soldiers I treat, but also something that adds a level of mystery to my mystery man. 

I glanced up to meet eyes with Soap, who was now in front of the task force members and steadily making his way towards the barracks. 

“y/n”

He acknowledged me with a small smile and greeting nod as he passed, a greeting I met with my own affirming nod. 

Roach was now the last in the lineup of passers by, I knew that even the short lasting presence of his would make me forget about my current feeling of deprecation towards my job, and boost my emotions. 

His eyes, which could barely be seen from behind his goggles, met mine for a second, had a small crinkle to them and a certain gleam that would indicate that he was casting a smile in my direction, a gesture that I could feel make my cheeks heat up. 

Such a silly thing for me to feel, I thought to myself as I was once again in the medical bay all alone. Such feelings for a man I rarely see, a man who has not verbally returned the words I exchanged to him, a man whose presence was swallowed in secrecy. 

I pondered as I was returning to my own quarters what I could possibly do to increase my interaction levels with Roach. It would be a bit strange for one of the medics to begin trailing a sergeant without any established reason like a lost dog, and no other form of resolve came to mind. 

An empty bed was what I crawled into with the prospect of Roach still on my mind. I have always taken full acknowledgement to myself that he most likely barely registers me in his mind, but still; tiny glimmers of hope always serge through me everytime he gives me that familiar gleaming stare. 

I thought any attempts I would make towards getting closer to him could be futile. 

Last fleeting thought sin my half awake state consistent of incoherent hopes for some sort of opportunity to get closer to this silent masked man, 

One can only hope. 

                                                                   。      。    。

Four knocks in rapid succession upon my door was what woke me up the next groggy morning. 

Confusion filled my head immediately. People almost never need me or my skill set so desperately they feel they need to come to my quarters, especially so early in the morning. Cracking open the door, the familiar friendly face of Laswell meets me. 

“Oh! Morning Laswell,”

I say rubbing my eyes driving away the last feelings of sleep. Her face appears lenient, but with an underlying appearance of some form of worry, something I have never seen in Laswell before. 

 “Is there something wrong in the medbay?” 

I inquired, not knowing what else she could possibly need from me so desperately. 

“Y/n, your file states that you have had an extensive history as a sniper, and by the sounds of it you were a damn good one at that.” 

My eyes widen in curiosity at such an opening statement. What could have possibly provoked her to dig up my file, let alone read it? It was true my service used to include me being exclusively a recon sniper, but I did not see how such a skill would impact my work as a medic. 

I nod my head at her slowly, Not yet knowing her intentions behind this visit had me approaching with severe caution. 

“Well, call it late notice but we have a task force going on a mission where the skills of a sniper are needed. I asked around and discovered you used to have quite skill set for the job.” 

“What?”

I look at her with unmasked bafflement. Why would I of all people be the first selected for such a high rank sounding mission, as a medic? 

“Your extensive skills as a medic also play a contributing role, they could use one out on the field, you know.” 

I glanced down at the floor, trying to make sense of the situation. Should I even accept? The proposition sounded too daunting for me, especially considering I have not used a gun let alone picked up one for several months now. 

“Why me of all people?” 

I decided to ask. Be it blunt or not, the curiosity of these circumstances were eating away at me. 

Laswell paused in a moment of thought, before smiling in remembrance. 

“One of the members of this force recommended you in particular to be the member joining this mission. Would have never even known you used to be a sniper without them.”

I squint my eyes for her looking for an answer to who could have possibly recommended me into such a specific mission. The more compounding thought that came first was which task force was even being discussed. I tilt my head at her. 

‘Which task force?”

“141.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction ever! Was not pleased with the lack of Roach love.

Should I continue this??

#roach cod #call of duty #fanfic #roach x reader #gary roach sanderson #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #cod modern warfare #modern warfare 2 #x reader #gender nuetral reader #kate laswell #laswell cod

[hymemena]

Waterparks Intellectual Property Lyrics Starters

Feel free to change pronouns as necessary, and remember to specify muse for multimuse blogs.

CW: Death, Self Harm

—

ST*RFUCKER

"Yo, imagine an album starting with this."

"Take a breath, close your eyes, and shit."

"I'm gonna move out of my loft."

"I can drive you fucking crazy."

"I'll always be around."

"I'm climbing up to your window now."

"It's been a pleasure, nice to meet you."

"Maybe I'm a soul-sucker but you're just a star fucker."

"I signed somebody's NDA."

"I bet you wouldn't ask me to do that by this time next year."

"You can't hide my face and save me for a rainy day."

"It don't go two ways."

"Nope."

"I don't wanna be toxic, I just wanna be honest."

"This shit hits like a comment."

"It just hurts 'cause I want it."

"I'm saying picture that, but like, right before things go dark."

REAL SUPER DARK

"Oh, you mean -name-?"

"Leave some tears after."

"If you're feeling silly."

"I'll call you, beep you later."

"I'm sorry, stop."

"I'm out of my cage."

"I'm on stage."

"I'm dyin' to give you a show."

"I'm alienated."

"Here are a few of the notes."

"My fans are the best."

"They'd love me more dead."

"Man, I can't die 'til I finish the album."

"'Course if I could time it right, shit could go platinum."

"Baby, it's gettin' too loud."

"Everyone's freaking me out."

"Shut the fuck out of your mouth."

"Everybody's proud of me."

"Therapy's not working."

"I don't understand."

"I kill time by playin' tennis with your favorite band."

FUNERAL GREY

"11PM they walked in with their friends."

"I'm trippin' off the deep end."

"Call me a Lyft or a black hearse."

"I know you'll make my head spin."

"What's your favorite color?"

"That's not a color, it's a shade."

"Don't disagree with me."

"I didn't get their name."

"I can't explain the look on their face."

"They wore a sweater in summer weather."

"It's killing me."

"I just want you to be my next mistake that I'm gonna make."

"3AM they walked in, took a hit."

"That shit is gonna kill you."

"They kinda smiled and blew it in my face."

"Well, now you're gonna die, too."

"They rolled their eyes."

"I know your dying wish is to be baptized in my spit."

"Float my way."

"I'm melting for you."

BRAINWASHED

"What's up?"

"Hello, I'm trying to meet ya."

"Don't take it away."

"I wanna play."

"Where did the time fly?"

"What if I pray?"

"Hoping you'll stay into the daylight."

"Wait, what am I saying?"

"I feel insane."

"It's only been a couple of days."

"I'm having the same thoughts."

"Thinking you got me brainwashed."

"I'm see-through."

"Need you."

"Why do I think you're so cool?"

"Everything's clean except for my thoughts."

"Thinking about getting you off."

"It's been a week, I'm still at your house."

"I don't wanna leave, it's freaking me out."

"Why am I acting like that?"

"My day's fucked 'til you finally wanna text back."

"I put some extra on my laugh when you say things."

"Are you really that funny or am I hallucinating?"

"I'm slipping away."

"Give me space."

"Give me your face at the same time."

"It's like my brain isn't mine."

"You moved into my mind, dropped your bags, drew the blinds."

"The syndrome feels Stockholm."

"Do you wanna keep me on lock though?"

2 BEST FRIENDS

"I'm trying to turn my brain off."

"I don't know where to go."

"With the blinds drawn and the lights off?"

"I could pick your body in a lineup."

"Now I'm sick of waiting on you."

"Now I'm sick of waiting on you to call when you're out every night."

"I'm sick of playing it cool."

"Baby, really, I wanna die."

"I went out with my two best friends."

"Tried anything not to think of you."

"It didn't work and I feel like shit."

"Wake up tomorrow and try again."

"You hit the back with the syntax."

"You treated my heart like a handbag."

"Now I'm solo when the night's cold."

"I kissed a couple people but they taste wrong."

END OF THE WATER (FEEL)

"If you feel it, then I feel it, too."

"If you believe me, I could be your truth."

"If you need me, all I need is you."

"Wait."

"Why we ghost each other for a week at a time?"

"Both waiting for each other to reply."

"Make plans and let 'em fall through."

"I can't even call you."

"I can't even call you, let alone call you mine."

"I can be nonchalant if that's what you really want."

"I'm just glad you and I are alive at the same time."

"We can't take back what we never gave."

"That distance keeps us safe."

"Nobody told me that safe is so lonely."

"Now I'm checking your DMs again."

"I'm thinking 'bout your face instead."

Can't we act like you and I are alive at the same time?"

SELF-SABOTAGE

"When we talk, I'm never wrong."

"I'm never wrong."

"If we don't fight it won't last long."

"Might unplug my phone for the night."

"When you need me the most I'll miss that flight."

"It's avoidable."

"I'll destroy chances to be better than I was before you and me."

"Now we're at the part where you'll hate what you see."

"What the fuck is wrong with me?"

"I'm on my way to you but I self-sabotage."

"I might drive my car and crash into your garage."

"To get away from you."

"If you like when we talk, I'll dislocate my jaw."

"It's sad, so sad."

"We both know it."

"Every time I find a good thing I throw it."

"All the way over the edge."

"I stay stoic."

"I get the chance to change your mind, still I blow it."

"You don't see."

"I don't really battle."

"You leave me in the rain."

"Singing through the pain."

"Eddie Vedder sang it better."

"They said they hated me."

RITUAL

"My inner child needs a bulletproof vest."

"A phone that can text?"

"Twenty years rest."

"Build a bomb shelter."

"Bite a belt for the stress."

"Never know what's next."

"Sleeping with my clothes on in case shit goes wrong."

"Gotta clear my front lawn."

"Eyes feel heavy tonight."

"I could sleep for weeks."

"Don't look for me."

"They're killing me when I'm fast asleep."

"Are you hearing me when I say you're bleeding me out?"

"All the things you don't say."

"I'm living fucking betrayed."

"Living like I'm dead and on my own."

"Like a ritual."

FUCK ABOUT IT

"I like you but I need some space."

"I like you kinda far away."

"It's not hard to kill a day lookin' at your face."

"I like you but I need some room."

"Been givin' me your attitude."

"It doesn't always stay that way."

"I hate the aftertaste."

"I don't wanna leave you hangin' on."

"When we fight it's like a marathon."

"Give me three days alone."

"We can fuck about it later if you want."

"It's all we ever really do when something's wrong."

"You don't seem to like it when we talk."

"We never fix the problems that we've got."

"I guess I'll see you later."

"You've been at my crib for like the seventh day up in a row."

"You've been doing silly things like checking who I follow."

"I know you're waiting by the phone."

"It's alright, I won't lie to you."

"Sometimes when we fight it's like scars on my wrist."

"When I think about the shit that we did to one another, baby…"

A NIGHT OUT ON EARTH

"Am I missing out?"

"Am I having fun?"

"Is it just me, or is it everyone?"

"Desensitized."

"The love I get is virtual."

"Now Jesus hates my guts."

"It's getting personal."

"It's a night out."

"The last one for a while."

"Can't get worse."

"Now, if I ever feel jealous I just turn it into lyrics."

"I fuckin' sell it."

"When I get depressed and make songs I turn pain into rain and sing along."

"Still, I get hit."

"Do you remember me?"

"Some version, I guess."

"Dude, oh my God."

"Tell me what you want about your brand."

"Will I make a post shouting out your lemonade stand?"

"Aw, come on man, we're bros."

"Like I've known you forever."

"I watched your little band grow."

"Now it's fuck you and everyone you know."

"I'm gonna make sure you get it through your head before you go."

"I wear my red flags like a cape."

"Got superhuman strength when I'm fucking up your day."

"I'm coming in first so pour the Gatorade."

"Life gave me lemons, now I bleed lemonade."

"It gets so fucking hot under all this shade."

"Everywhere I walk's a toxic parade."

"The glove don't fit but I wear it anyway."

"I could drive my Lexus overnight back home to Texas."

"I could fall asleep in my old bed."

"Life got kinda hectic."

"On the day I got my necklace."

"I just wanna fall asleep on my own."

"It's a hell of a time."

"Was I loved or was I right?"

"I kissed a couple people in a week."

"Am I gonna go to Hell in my sleep?"

"Will God forgive me?"

"I gotta hide everybody that I like."

"Did therapy four times this week from my bike."

"I'm overthinking everything."

"A Capricorn with double horns."

"Triple six, Baby."

"I'm fucking dying for you."

"If it was up to me."

"Everyone I know knows another me."

"It's getting hard to keep track of everything I keep locked behind my back."

"I'm jumping out the window."

"I'm leaving when the night goes."

"I ain't gonna let go."

"Stay jumping at the tempo."

"This is how this shit goes."

"I ain't jumping out the window."

"Stay living at the tempo."

"I'm a natural blue."

"I'm very stoked out to have them on the phone right now."

"Everyone get stoked."

SNEAKING OUT OF HEAVEN

"And I said like a million vocal things in my head for it."

"But like…"

"Whatever, fuck it, here."

"Highkey when we fuck I feel like I'm struck."

"They say I'm brainwashed."

"Yeah, I might be."

"I build a secret room for you."

"Just one more chance to adore you."

"Love you."

"If you're toxic, I'll wear a hazmat."

"Do you think God knows?"

"You've been sneaking out of Heaven."

"Like were their eyes closed?"

"There's no way they're just letting you fall from the stars and get in my car."

"Go to my place."

"You put away your halo."

"I swear to God my heart's gonna pop."

"It's beating light speed."

"If I'm not brainwashed, man, I'm trying to be."

"Swallow my shoes and car keys."

"I don't need those 'cause I won't leave."

"I'll have to jump the gates when I die 'cause they won't let me inside."

#roleplay memes #rp memes #rp starters #writing prompts #roleplay starters #sentence starters #dialogue starters #dialogue prompts #dialogue rp memes #dialogue roleplay memes #dialogue rp starters #dialogue roleplay starters #lyric starters #lyric meme #rp lyric starters #roleplay lyric starters

[unmanageably]

im off the thought that most of these warriors losses are due to coaching decisions (wrong lineups) and bad luck (injuries, dray out so no defense, random nba players turning into steph curry on the 3 line— grizzlies 3rd unit hitting TWENTY 3s on them today????) but today’s loss was just so indefensible and bad that its actually hilarious. the silly and stupid and pathetic 18 turnovers, icing out klay completely— just no one at all on the warriors trying to find him i mean 5 attempts until the 4th quarter are you serious— and then sitting steph and trying to run a “save us klay” lineup with 6 minutes left in the 4th when he’s ice cold due to your own offense choices its just very very hilarious. TJD butter fingers and Podz too many attempts not enough shots and a shit ton of fouling lol not their best game but i also think theyre just rookies and honestly have put a lot on their shoulders due to just. everything thats happened this year lol.

there’s things out of our control that we could be mad about (our lack of calls as usual and the 5v8 i mean the amount of FTA the grizzlies got esp considering we got to the paint more than they did so thats just ridiculous lol) but at the end of the day they didnt play hard enough and severely underestimated the grizzlies due to their injuries which was just. so so pathetic like whatever this loss the warriors truly did this to themselves

#when your own team gives u the ick 🕊️ #i think its funny how most people didnt even care to be mad anymore cuz theyre just so over this shit like omg #this team is so ass guys im crying #honestly not a big fan of podz at all and the way he’s playing has irritated me but i can still acknowledge that he’s just a rookie and #they ask way too much of him sometimes with these lineups i understand we’re plagued with injuries but draymond is back please stop giving #him ballhandling and playmaking duties when he cant find anyone for shit its ridic #klay thing really pissed me off but whatever we move #defense was… better but still sucked lol #at this point while i love and care for many of these players deeply this is just so unfixable get rid of everyone rebuild around the core #while theres still time and they still have a chance #i do think its funny how quick people are to point figures at the core being the problem when it is just so so far from the truth #rly just want them to rebuild around them and prove everyone wrong one more time #then i promise ill shut up forever lol. goddd i wont ask for anything else!!!!

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (May 14-20, 2023)

I linked it once before, but it bears repeating. After vaguely teasing a Shin Japan Heroes Universe project on April Fools Day, Bandai unleashed this stunner of an ad for a Shin Universe Robo toy formed from Godzilla, Ultraman, Evangelion Unit-01, and Kamen Rider. Longtime Super Sentai special effects director Hiroshi Butsuda was at the helm, and it shows. The toy is nowhere to be seen in the ad; instead, we get some decent CG renditions of the heroes and the shadowy force they're facing and a wonderfully silly suit for the Shin Universe Robo. It's just as well, really; the thing is priced for hardcore collectors only, especially outside of Japan.

For a while it seemed like IDW's Godzilla comics were trailing off, but they've got a staggering lineup for the summer. Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons starts next month, the Summer Smash one-shot concluding the Monsters & Protectors story is in July, and Matt Frank's SpaceGodzilla-centric Godzilla Rivals issue closes out August.

August will also launch Godzilla: War for Humanity, which going off the art and description might fill Monsters & Protectors' all-ages niche:

"Godzilla saved us that day." When Dr. Yuko Honda was young, she was chased by Hedorah, the smog monster, and thought it was all over... until Godzilla saved her! Now a respected professor and writer, she's dedicated her life to showing that while Godzilla may be a monster, that doesn't mean it and the other kaiju are enemies. Unfortunately, when a strange new monster emerges, her belief in the good of Godzilla will be put to the test. If Godzilla doesn't defend them, what can humanity do against the might of Zoospora?

Words by Fraser MacLean; art by Jake Smith. After IDW trotting out Ghidorah over and over, nice to see a completely fresh face (there's also going to be a new beastie in Vs. SpaceGodzilla). Even nicer to see Minilla making his long-overdue IDW debut!

#kaiju week in review #godzilla #idw #comics #art #shin japan heroes universe #shin universe robo #toys #Youtube

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

//The winner of the poll with 41.2% is Fluttershy from My Little Pony, who will be Mikan's opponent.

//I notice that a lot of the one's that end up winning are the one's I probably wouldn't vote for myself, lol. Still, it's perfectly fine. Should still be a pretty fair fight.

//And I won't have to worry about it with this one, because I like basically all of this lineup.

//IMPORTANT NOTICE: This fight is KOMARU ONLY! Toko will NOT be featured.

//Reasons for matchups below:

Lucio - Both characters use a megaphone-shaped gun as their primary weapon, of which contains a variety of different abilities and powers that help them win their fights. Both are also fairly recent members of the main group of heroes (Komaru joined Future Foundation shortly after everybody else, while Lucio is one of the newest members of Overwatch), both stopped an uprising that threatened their home city (Komaru with the Warriors of Hope and Lucio with Vishkar) and both make a living by fighting robot armies (Monokuma's and Null Sector Robots)

Akane - Both girls wield guns that are only effective against specific things (Akane's Dominator only works on people with a high Psycho-Pass and Komaru's Megaphone Gun only works on machines like Monokuma's). They both have pretty similar personalities, being kind and caring to a fault, yet subjected to tragedy and misery constantly. They also both form a friendship with someone with a shady past who works for an organization that doesn't treat them the best because of said past (Shinya Kogami for Akane and Toko Fukawa for Komaru)

Katie - Both of them start out as fairly normal teenage girls with a clear geeky and dorky side to them. However, one day they both get subjected to a robot uprising, and for some reason, they're the only hope left for the city/the world. Both (AGAIN) wield special guns that they use against their robotic oppressors and the stories of both characters put a special focus on the importance of family bonds. (Katie connects with her family through the events of her movie despite having grown distant from them as she grows older, and Komaru similarly becomes the wife of Toko and the adoptive mother of Akeru, with the new family working together to figure things out.)

Uzi - Guess what Uzi has!? A SPECIAL GUN! At least in the first episode. But aside from that, the two start out as average teenagers subjected to a robot uprising (moreso in Komaru's case) which they initially take upon themselves to quell. However, both of them eventually befriend a dangerous person with a silly side, and become their best friend/eventual love interest (Toko for Komaru and N for Uzi) as well as befriending the oppressor that they once thought of as their arch-enemy (Komaru eventually saved and helps the Warriors of Hope adapt to a more comfortable life, and though she's angsty about it, Uzi learns to work with V, J, and Tessa, despite her hatred for the Murder Drones and humans) The two also discover more and more conspiracies as their journey progresses, and come to realize that there's so much about the world they live in that they don't know.

Jesse- SHE HAS A FUCKING SPECIAL GUN THAT GIVES HER SPECIAL POWERS, GOD DAMMIT! Aside from that, both girls journey's start off with them entering a world full of dangerous creatures and things that are completely alien to them, aided by a companion who serves as the voice of reason for emotional nature (Komaru has Toko, who brings her back down to earth whenever she lets her mind get the better of her, and Jessie has Polaris, an unseen entity that communicates with her telepathically). Both of them adventure through this nightmarish world with the intent on finding their family (Komaru is looking for her parents and her brother Makoto, and Jesse is looking for her brother Dylan). Eventually, through some odd circumstances, both of them end up in a peculiar position of power and, in one way or another, become heroes to the people around them, (Komaru saves Towa City and eventually becomes the Head of Future Foundation Branch 7, and Jesse becomes the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, succeeding Zachariah Trench.)

#danganronpa #danganronpa survivor #mikan tsumiki #komaru naegi #mod #death battle

[eggmeralda]

please infodump about the golden ratio especially because of me realizing there are dogs involved

okay so *inhales* *cracks knuckles* *does stretches or whatever*

they're a group of golden retrievers (except for one time when they also had a labradoodle) who live on a beach in the florida keys and they're all perfect. the current uh lineup is venk, hops, guac, chief brody and remi, but they've had others in the past (but they all sadly died :( rip legends)

i'll just talk about the current ones for now bc otherwise I will talk for 3587923857328 billion years

but yeah so the first dog they got was hopper aka hops

she's really smart and is the only one who can do tricks and be trusted off the lead and she's just really good and is the epitome of a best friend. she had cancer in her leg a few years ago and it had to be amputated but now she's visibly so much happier, bc in the old videos when she has 4 legs she looks so miserable, but now she looks like this ^ at all times. also she's unbelievably fluffy. but even fluffier than her is......

her half-sister venkman aka venk

she literally isn't a real dog she's really fuzzy and has the stubbiest paws in the universe and she's so chaotic. she jumps for her breakfast and dinner and has done so every single day for probably her whole life. she loves food and she used to be really fat so they had to put her on a diet, she also used to eat the other dogs' food so they had to put her behind one of those baby gate things. she's the actual definition of happiness and also her birthday is the day summer begins which is really fitting?

okay then there's guacamole aka guac aka the guacoman

He's Perfect. he used to be Too playful when they first got him, like he was 3 and wasn't trained and would cause problems, but now 3 years later he's such a good boy. everyday he takes his avocado (pictured above with three) or possibly a blåhaj out into the garden and just sits with it, like he's so gentle with any toy it actually makes me wanna cry, he treats it like his puppy. sometimes the other dogs try to take it bc they wanna play or rip it up or something and it's the saddest thing ever bc like? that's his puppy? but luckily the owners save it and give it back to him.

this is chief brody aka CB aka CBGB (inspired by the venue but stands for Chief Brody Good Boy)

he's literally a guy. he's just a grumpy lazy old man but he's also really sweet and kind of pathetic (affectionate), he just wants to live a simple life where he sits around (or lies still on his back with a toy in his mouth) and have his dinner early in the day. he always looks at them sadly when he's hungry but it'll be like an hour before dinnertime and if they give him his food then they'll have to give all the other dogs their food and then. but yeah, he's just an old man who is very cute and lazy <3

the last one is remoulade aka remi

he's literally just a silly little guy <3. he's also blind (I can't remember if his eyesight is getting better or if I'm imagining that? but whatever). he caused drama instantly when they first got him bc he kept humping chief brody, but luckily he doesn't hump any of the dogs anymore. he seems to look up to guac like a cool older brother (even though guac is younger than him) which is so cute? they always go out into the garden and sit together while tearing at coconut shells. his appearance can sometimes be compared to a bear cub.

I might have to make a separate post at some point ngl bc I also wanna talk about all the other dogs they've had (but there is A Lot). anyway i would literally sell my soul for all these guys <3

#also thanks for the distraction :') #ramble #the golden ratio #asks #atlasllm

[mercurygray]

Can you do Andy/Eddie/Marie (or some combination) for "Please don't give up"?

A win like this called for steaks.

First time state titleholders deserved all the laurels they could get, and coaches of winning teams even moreso. There looked to be no end in sight where celebrations were concerned - first the parade, and then a victory rally, and now the proud, pleased pockets of the school board were treating the coaching staff to dinner downtown at the Hotel's subdued, glittering restaurant.

It was the sort of place Eddie would have liked to take Andy on a date, if they'd had the money, but teaching didn't pay well enough for dinners like this, and machining neither, and it wasn't as though this was the sort of place where two men could get a table for dinner and not raise eyebrows. So date night was a couple of burgers and beers at the corner pub, and they were content to get it, and save the white linen service for a really special occasion like this when someone else was paying.

Eddie felt a little out of place, in his suit, which was somehow the wrong shade of black for this room. Not that anyone minded him, a little old nobody assistant coach - the rest of the board and the staff had brought their wives and the comments all seemed to be about who had bought what dress where. And there, at the end of the table in pride of place, was Andy, king of all he surveyed and thoroughly enjoying his steak.

Someone tapped his shoulder, and Eddie turned around, a little surprised to see one of the bellboys from the lobby. Dennis was a freshman on the C team, a beanpole who looked only marginally better in his hotel uniform than he did in his football pads. He was saving, Eddie remembered, to buy a car - that was why he put up with the silly uniform.

"What's the word, Dennis?" Eddie asked the teenager.

"There's a woman here to see Coach Haldane, Mr. Jones." Dennis jerked a thumb back towards the lobby, suddenly mindful there was a stain on his white glove.

"Did she say what she wanted?" Eddie asked, sitting up a little. There was something about women asking after Andy that stopped him cold, the way they did at PTA meetings when someone's mother started talking real sweetly about the bake sale, and what Coach's favorite sweets were, and how it was a shame her own husband hadn't managed to maintain his weight. He'd said something, once, angrily throwing the comment out while they were making dinner afterwards, and Andy'd let the pan scorch giving him a handjob right there in the kitchen so Eddie knew how he felt about it. But it was still there, wasn't it? That idea that handsome, middle-aged football coaches were there for bored, middle-aged housewives to covet.

"Sorry, Mr. Jones, I didn't ask. She's a reporter, maybe? Didn't give a name. I didn't like to interrupt Coach but - "

"I'll go," Eddie said, throwing down his napkin and pushing back from the table. "Ought to be able to finish one meal in peace."

The woman in the lobby had one of those wide-angled coats all the women were wearing these days - black, a serviceable color, with a hat to match, not quite managing to look smart enough for the hotel lobby, and a little handbag on her wrist, glancing around like she didn't quite know what to do with herself. A Mrs. Somebody, probably come to ask what it would take to get her boy in the starting lineup next year.

But then she turned, and Eddie found himself pulling up short, his mouth suddenly dry. God, how long had it been since he'd seen that face?

"I see he ain't managed to get rid of you yet," Marie said, a glimpse of her old sass surfacing for a moment.

"It would take some doing." He was still staring - Marie, here! Different hair, a more modern style, and pumps instead of her service shoes. She looked …ordinary, respectable, the sort of woman you wouldn't think twice about seeing in a grocery store, or out at the park. A little thicker around the waist, but weren't they all? He found himself thinking he'd like to see what she looked like beneath that coat again, how her body would feel again. "I'd hug you if I didn't think people would stare."

She smiled. "I'd kiss you if I didn't think people would talk."

It was all he could do to keep an arm's distance between them when she said that, too many old feelings gushing up from places he'd forgot he buried them. She hadn't been there, in the hospital, and there was no one to tell her, after they'd said they'd thrown his boondockers away because they were too bloody to be any use. Then it had been Andy hurt, and they'd had enough trouble between the two of them to even try. Her whole life had been the Marines - it wasn't like she had a home she could have gone back to, a place they could have started looking. And it was hard enough, just the two of them, and who was to say she hadn't found something better, pretty woman like her?

"How'd you find us?"

"I took a job, in Woonsocket, on the state line. Girlfriend of mine from the Corps had a room spare and after the war I didn't know what else to do, figured one place was good as another. Paper goods - I help with their timekeeping and filing. Anyway, we get the occasional paper, and they like their football. One of our factory managers was telling anyone who would listen about how Coach Haldane was a mill man himself, before he went to school. When I saw the picture I knew I had to try."

"Glad you didn't stop trying."

"I'm sorry for the interruption, I didn't know -"

"You're never an interruption," Eddie declared, before realizing they were still in the hotel lobby, and Andy was still at the dinner with the school board, and there wasn't really anywhere they could go to be alone, really alone, without someone talking. "Ever. But - "

"I can wait," she offered, seeing his frustration. "There's chairs here. Lord knows I've done enough that an hour more won't kill me."

"You got a place to stay?"

She shook her head. "I borrowed the money for the train ticket and didn't get much farther than that. Was hoping - "

"Wouldn't let you do anything else," Eddie declared, without thinking. "It'll be the best surprise he's gotten all year."

She looked skeptical of that. "Better than winning state?"

Eddie looked at her and grinned, thinking of the look on Andy's face when he told him. "Even better than that."

#i have written a thing #andyeddiemarie #marie atcheson #mercurygraypresents

[ultraphobic]

Hi Lane!!

Omg I forgot about the time zones haha. When I wrote that message, I still had December 8th. I understand why you didn’t watch live performances and it's okay! I can't watch some bands perform, especially if they don't exist anymore for some sad reason. INXS is an amazing band! Have you seen the TV series about them?

This glam festival promises to be really memorable! I really hope Michael will be there.

Omg!! The piercing master is great! Do you have any favorite types of piercings?

I hope I can see a picture of the Bandit! 200 playlists in Spotify is great. if you don't mind, I would love to explore your playlists because I feel tired of my music and I need something new. I understand about the Warrant albums! albums with Jani after Dog Eat Dog are not available in my country and now I want to order a CD, but it will have to wait a couple of months.

Wow, that's so cool!! And what do you like to draw? handmade T-shirts, in my opinion, are a very cute and memorable gift.

I hope you will be able to make all your travel plans come true! Do you have any fav sights that you would like to see?

Oh I'm really sorry that you are experiencing a lot of stress at this time :(by the way, when is your birthday? And how is winter going in Australia?

🎄If you could talk to any musician, who would it be?

🎄Do you play any instruments or would you like to learn?

🎄 How do you like to celebrate Christmas?

Your Santa ⛄️🎄

hey santa!!!

sorry for a later response i’ve been at a family christmas event all day 🥲

i didn’t even know there was an inxs tv series? i’ll have to check that one out!

glamfest lineup just came out about an hour ago as i’m writing this and the lineup is killer! slaughter and lynch mob are headlining which is awesome so i think i may just get vip… no michael monroe but thats ok! if he comes to australia separately that’d still be cool but if not it’s fine

i think my favourite type of piercing to do on other people is a helix piercing at this stage, but on myself my fav is just any type of nose piercing, bc i can do anything with them!

i’ll link my spotify HERE so feel free to check that out :3

& yeah it sucks that ultraphobic - under the influence is just so widely unavailable its like they just kinda want people to see their discography go from dog eat dog to born again which sucks because theres so much good stuff on ultraphobic, belly to belly & even the few new songs on greatest and latest (bad tattoo, keeping up with the jones, southern comfort) like… pls warrant i beg of u to let me listen

i had some fun doing drawings of shiny stuff - cutlery specifically i guess??? i think that was fun! & yea the silly shirts were also fun! i made one for my dad that just said “i am bald” which he hates but i think it’s hilarious

for the meantime travel is going to have to wait because i am saving for a surgery but i am hoping to see a tattoo artist in melbourne victoria to do a portrait tattoo eventually! in europe i’d love to see some ancient stuff & i’d also like to see some of italy’s vineyards :)

it’s actually summer right now for australia so aside from the general christmas present buying stress i’m actually not too bad rn it’s june-august where i get more stressy but again time zones and hemispheres are wacky so i understand the mixup - my birthday is feb 11! so a month and a half away!

summer is sooooo hot rn it was 38° yesterday (100° if you’re a fahrenheit user) i was just laying in the aircon sweating my ass off waiting for the heat to take me out but thankfully it wasn’t AS bad today

where are you from btw?

if i could talk to any musician… i’ll give you two answers because you didn’t specify dead or alive

dead: jani lane bc i love him and i think we’d relate on a lot of things

alive: patrick stump from fall out boy because he seems like such a sweet and intelligent guy and fall out boy got me through a lot of my teen years and i also think he’d get me

i do play a few instruments! bass is my main one that i’m best at but i also play guitar (planning on restarting lessons in the new year now that i have a job that pays me better), piano (sometimes), ukulele (again sometimes), and i have background playing small wind instruments (recorder, harmonica). i would love to learn the drums though! i also (try to) sing a bit but only rly in front of ppl when i’ve been drinking a bit and we do karaoke

christmas is the same every year really, we do a couple of extended family events in the lead up & then on christmas eve we each get to open ONE thing from under the tree. on christmas day we have lunch/dinner with my mums side of my family, which switches between three houses (our house, aunts house, mums cousins house). we do a secret santa for gifts at this but if you’re under 18 you get a present from every family. we used to go to church on christmas eve but since my dad’s not religious and me and my sister kinda stopped believing & my mum isn’t rly a fan of the catholic church as an organisation (shes still christian she just doesnt like the church) we dont do that anymore)

sometimes we drive around on christmas eve and look at the lights that people put up on their houses! a lot of people do that in my area btw just in case that sounds creepy

thanks for the message!!!

p.s. cat tax here is a pic of the boy

#secret santa ask

[optimistredsox]

27 May, BOS @ AZ, 2-1, Win

It’s nice when the Red Sox win on my birthday. I think they actually lost the day I was born (to Earl Weaver’s Orioles of all people) so every time they’ve won subsequently I entertain the delusion that they’re trying to make it up to me. It’s silly but comforting and I’m ok with that. No, the bats weren’t as loud as they could have been, but the production came from two players becoming stalwarts and most importantly, Garrett Whitlock kind of kicked ass on his return from the IL. This isn’t really a team built for pitchers’ duels, so winning one in a good thing. Can a low-scoring game have plenty of bright sides? Hell, yes.

Garrett Whitlock went five strong innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out four. He didn’t walk anyone and retired the last ten batters he faced. On form, a rotation of Sale, Whitlock, Houck and Paxton could be pretty dangerous. Of course we need a fifth but four out of five ain’t bad. Please don’t talk about Kluber. This is about bright sides.

The bullpen locked it down. Kutter Crawford was excellent (though gave everyone a scare after getting hit in the ankle by a grounder (though he still made the play to first)), and Jansen got the save, looking to be back on form after a bit of a hiccup in the wake of his 400th save.

The lineup found a way to win without huge hits. Hell, the winning run came on a bunt by Reese McGuire, scoring Casas. Stalwarts Yoshida and Duran both had a couple of hits as well. Kiké knocked in the tying run, scoring Yoshida. 

Tampa Bay and Baltimore both lost last night, which is just delightful. Sadly the Yankees won, but you can’t have everything, not even on your birthday.

If we win tonight we’ll have broke even on this trip. That’s not too bad. 

That was a good game to win, if that makes sense. 

They won on my birthday.

#Boston Red Sox #Red Sox #Boston

[xiaojuun]

hi hi I'm the aspiring teume anon from earlier 🐇 hmm honestly I've just seen them around for so long and they seem so goofy (aka my fave thing abt groups) so I can't help but wanting to know them more.

I do think I have a few songs of them saved that I sometime listen to. lemme check- oh rightt I love darari and jikjin but that's basic of me and I do have boy as well that I listen to occasionally that I also like!

and ofc the thing that help me the most to get into a group is them just catching my eyes 👀👀 but yeah im not sure yet. usually I can guess my bias pretty fast just from looking at them but I'm not sure bc they're all cute 🥺 but maybe (definitely not for sure yes actually it is) hyunsuk and yoshi caught my eye a lil more (I remember esp when watching performance vids a few times).

hhhh who knew I have sm to say abt them, I would love to hear what/who u love most and also like if u have any recommendations like ur fave songs or vids of them (not necessarily what u think I'd like but what u like, I think for me seeing someone love their ults makes me fall hard for them too)

Sorry this turned out so long I was rambling. Hope u have a good day/night!🩷🩷

yaaay this is so exciting 🫶🏻 jikjin and darari are so valid i rly think that comeback got a lot of people's attention bc it was so strong! hyunsuk and yoshi are such a pair, i feel like if you bias one you kind of end up biasing the other 😂 they're both really soft and sweet but yoshi is also lowkey playful / an unexpected menace haha. this will be long so i'll put my ramblings under the cut 🤩

there is sooo much i love about trejo but i think a major thing is that i actually love their entire discography, like i do not think they have a single bad song. i'm mainly a b-side enthusiast (u, volkno, come to me, darari rock remix, be with me ...) but my favorite title has always been 'i love you' which is what initially got me into them; i saw the music video and it felt like it was tailored to my tastes with the bright colors, aesthetic sets and the more refreshing concept, they just looked like they were having so much fun. after that, it was over for me lol i watched everything i could get my hands on, including all of treasure map, which i always recommend to new teumes if you have time to just watch from the beginning because you really get to know them and see how much their relationships grow over time. but if i had to recommend just a couple episodes my favorite of all time is 30-31 it is PEAK treasure silly chaos. sadly, we did lose 2 members this last year but mashiho and yedam are back on instagram and working on their own projects so we're all just waiting to see what they'll do next, and supporting the group as a 10 piece!

i love that the members who are interested in it have opportunities to be part of the writing and production; and ones who aren't ready for that at the official album level still get chances to practice on their own. y/g may give me a headache 99% of the time but it's clear that they foster their idols as artists and i really appreciate that. asahi especially does a lot w this, he's behind 'orange' and 'thank you' ; and rap line also does quite a bit of writing, i rly think volkno is some of their absolute best work and you can hear how much influence they pull from iconic artists. treasure in particular is also first and foremost a performance team - so the focus was to have a balanced lineup that can really put on a show. hands down this group is top of 4th gen performancewise, their stage presence and command is INSANE especially given that they had a pandemic debut. i highly recommend checking out any of their end of year show stages if you haven't - even their early ones - but particularly 2022 mama , & their GDA performance is of all the songs you have saved !

as for my favorite members, i think everyone knows jaehyuk has my heart but actually my first treasure ult is jihoon 💖 i could talk about them for a zillion years so i won't go on that rant in this response lol but i do love all the members and i think what i really like about large groups (and why i keep ending up stanning them lol) is that you get to see a lot of different relationship dynamics, it's i think a lot harder to fake a 'we're all best friends' narrative in a big group and i appreciate that because i don't buy that all (or even most) groups are all best friends lol it's not realistic. i'd rather see a group that works well as a team and treasure is definitely that, they see themselves that way and you can tell by how they treat each other and work together that there's a ton of love and respect and yes, a lot of real friendships there. and they ARE goofy hehe. anyways ... i think that's a good start LOL i hope it is i really just kind of went into rant mode so i hope i didn't bore you and that you might find some helpful stuff in here 🥰

#this is SO long and yet i still could have said more JKBDJHB you have opened the box and i am grateful lol 🙏🏻 i miss them !! #i'll make u a tag too with the bunny emoji hehe #erimail #mail from: anonymous friend! #teubun anon 🐇 #i hope whenever you read this that you have had / are having a good day toooo! <3

[battingforhours]

Basin Reserve, Wellington: Day Two

Even though much of the evening sessions on days one and two have been washed out (well, more of a drizzle) England still find themselves in a staggeringly strong position in this match. Their relentlessness with bat and ball leaves opponents little room to manoeuvre and even less margin for error. New Zealand look particularly frazzled here.

The session of day two, which had begun half an hour early, offered quite the contrast in fortunes. At one end, there was plenty of dubious cricket, where wickets fell with regularity:

- Harry Brook struggled to regain his imperious timing from the previous day, chipping a return catch to Matt Henry in the third over to depart without adding to his overnight score.

- Ben Stokes replaced him and played what is becoming a frustratingly familiar innings — equal parts watchful, sumptuous and silly. One late cut down to third man stood out in particular, but he once again threw his wicket away playing a very low percentage shot to a shorter ball. He’s a much better player than this.

- Ben Foakes managed to trip over when coming down the wicket, comically attempting to save himself by shoving his feet backwards whilst prone on the floor, but he was out stumped.

- Stuart Broad arrived, swung hard, stole a few runs and then swept over the top of a full delivery from Michael Bracewell.

- Ollie Robinson connected with a couple, was given a reprieve by a stunningly unexpected dropped catch behind the stumps, but decided to chip the next ball to mid-off.

At the other end, whilst watching his partners all finding ways to dismiss themselves, Joe Root was helping himself to some handy runs that eventually nudged his Test average back above 50. Having played himself in for three balls, he unfurled his reverse scoop and collected six runs. He timed the ball better than anyone else, making perfect connection with a slog sweep over cow corner that drew a purr from the crowd. Ben Stokes surprised everyone by cutting this sublime effort short, calling his team in at 12:20 with Root 153* — such a well crafted innings, changing in tempo as it moved the match further in England’s favour.

New Zealand did not fare brilliantly in the brief period before lunch. Devon Conway was nicked off by some classical Jimmy Anderson seam bowling, despite the complete absence of an appeal from the keeper. Kane Williamson then played a baffling shot, prodding out at a length ball with a back foot cover drive that was merely edged to Foakes for another catch. The championship-winning captain looks a shadow of his former self at the crease, which is sad to see. 12/2 at lunch — once again, Stokes earns reward for putting opponents in positions they don’t want to be in.

Will Young had been brought into the side to bolster the misfiring batting lineup, but he struggled to escape the same fate as his dismissed colleagues when facing up to Anderson’s examination. It meant New Zealand emulated England in being 21/3, although the expectation from this point was that lightning was not about to strike twice.

Henry Nicholls did show glimpses of his runscoring ability of old, cleanly driving down the ground and sweeping Jack Leach hard once he was introduced into the attack. Tom Latham, the top order’s lone survivor, was also playing assertively against Leach — one shot down the ground in particular made a real statement of intent. Unfortunately for both, it would be their undoing.

First, Latham. He played a reverse sweep to Leach, appeared to glove it up in the air and was caught by slip. Rod Tucker had no hesitation in raising the finger; Latham had no hesitation in raising his arms to review it. Aleem Dar spent a long time comparing angles and judging the lines on Snicko for a decision that appeared to be a fairly obvious not out. And yet at the end of his one-man deliberations he decreed that the umpire was to stay with his original decision. He was evidently unable to conclusively rule that the ball had not flicked the glove strap on its way up to the arm guard, so the original decision was retained. Latham was not happy. A local fan directed some abuse to him for his shot selection. It was a tough scene at 60/4.

Nicholls had escaped unharmed after a couple of attempted sweeps earlier in his innings, but for him too it was the reverse that dismissed him. The ball was too short for the shot, particularly given it had started to really bounce quite sharply at times on the second day, and he merely edged it into his pad and watched the ball plucked from the air by a tumbling Ollie Pope at short leg. Things were looking rather problematic for New Zealand at 77/5.

The wickets had brought together the stars of the 2021 tour to England, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. Both had made runs in the previous game, although not simultaneously. This seemed the chance to stop the bleeding and recover the innings. Mitchell had driven the first ball of his innings back past Leach for an impressive boundary, but then played quite watchfully. As tea approached, Stokes and Leach took time to bring what had been a fairly defensive field up into a more attacking one. They were offering runs if Mitchell was willing to take the risk with a solitary ball to be bowled before the break. He chose a defensive shot, but the ball looped off the face and gave Ollie Pope a whiff of an opportunity — he moved forward with the shot, snatched the ball from the air and celebrated the catch. 96/6 as the teams walked off for tea. England can do no wrong at the moment.

Michael Bracewell has some talent with the bat, but seems to be someone that has never made it hard for anyone to get him out. This latest soft dismissal saw him chip a ball very tamely back to the bowler, giving Broad his first wicket. Tim Southee walked out at eight, struck two big sixes, and helped Blundell through to a premature close of play at 16:45 when the rain started to fall with sufficient strength.

The small matter of a three-hundred run deficit with just three wickets in hand faces New Zealand at the resumption of play on day three. There are few signs that they have anything in reserve that can halt England’s serene progress towards a second victory here. Perhaps they can surprise everyone tomorrow. Perhaps they will have to follow on. Or, most likely, they may have to spend another day chasing leather around the Basin Reserve as England pile on a big score.

[danwebster37]

Basin Reserve, Wellington: Day Two

Even though much of the evening sessions on days one and two have been washed out (well, more of a drizzle) England still find themselves in a staggeringly strong position in this match. Their relentlessness with bat and ball leaves opponents little room to manoeuvre and even less margin for error. New Zealand look particularly frazzled here.

The session of day two, which had begun half an hour early, offered quite the contrast in fortunes. At one end, there was plenty of dubious cricket, where wickets fell with regularity:

- Harry Brook struggled to regain his imperious timing from the previous day, chipping a return catch to Matt Henry in the third over to depart without adding to his overnight score.

- Ben Stokes replaced him and played what is becoming a frustratingly familiar innings — equal parts watchful, sumptuous and silly. One late cut down to third man stood out in particular, but he once again threw his wicket away playing a very low percentage shot to a shorter ball. He’s a much better player than this.

- Ben Foakes managed to trip over when coming down the wicket, comically attempting to save himself by shoving his feet backwards whilst prone on the floor, but he was out stumped.

- Stuart Broad arrived, swung hard, stole a few runs and then swept over the top of a full delivery from Michael Bracewell.

- Ollie Robinson connected with a couple, was given a reprieve by a stunningly unexpected dropped catch behind the stumps, but decided to chip the next ball to mid-off.

At the other end, whilst watching his partners all finding ways to dismiss themselves, Joe Root was helping himself to some handy runs that eventually nudged his Test average back above 50. Having played himself in for three balls, he unfurled his reverse scoop and collected six runs. He timed the ball better than anyone else, making perfect connection with a slog sweep over cow corner that drew a purr from the crowd. Ben Stokes surprised everyone by cutting this sublime effort short, calling his team in at 12:20 with Root 153* — such a well crafted innings, changing in tempo as it moved the match further in England’s favour.

New Zealand did not fare brilliantly in the brief period before lunch. Devon Conway was nicked off by some classical Jimmy Anderson seam bowling, despite the complete absence of an appeal from the keeper. Kane Williamson then played a baffling shot, prodding out at a length ball with a back foot cover drive that was merely edged to Foakes for another catch. The championship-winning captain looks a shadow of his former self at the crease, which is sad to see. 12/2 at lunch — once again, Stokes earns reward for putting opponents in positions they don’t want to be in.

Will Young had been brought into the side to bolster the misfiring batting lineup, but he struggled to escape the same fate as his dismissed colleagues when facing up to Anderson’s examination. It meant New Zealand emulated England in being 21/3, although the expectation from this point was that lightning was not about to strike twice.

Henry Nicholls did show glimpses of his runscoring ability of old, cleanly driving down the ground and sweeping Jack Leach hard once he was introduced into the attack. Tom Latham, the top order’s lone survivor, was also playing assertively against Leach — one shot down the ground in particular made a real statement of intent. Unfortunately for both, it would be their undoing.

First, Latham. He played a reverse sweep to Leach, appeared to glove it up in the air and was caught by slip. Rod Tucker had no hesitation in raising the finger; Latham had no hesitation in raising his arms to review it. Aleem Dar spent a long time comparing angles and judging the lines on Snicko for a decision that appeared to be a fairly obvious not out. And yet at the end of his one-man deliberations he decreed that the umpire was to stay with his original decision. He was evidently unable to conclusively rule that the ball had not flicked the glove strap on its way up to the arm guard, so the original decision was retained. Latham was not happy. A local fan directed some abuse to him for his shot selection. It was a tough scene at 60/4.

Nicholls had escaped unharmed after a couple of attempted sweeps earlier in his innings, but for him too it was the reverse that dismissed him. The ball was too short for the shot, particularly given it had started to really bounce quite sharply at times on the second day, and he merely edged it into his pad and watched the ball plucked from the air by a tumbling Ollie Pope at short leg. Things were looking rather problematic for New Zealand at 77/5.

The wickets had brought together the stars of the 2021 tour to England, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell. Both had made runs in the previous game, although not simultaneously. This seemed the chance to stop the bleeding and recover the innings. Mitchell had driven the first ball of his innings back past Leach for an impressive boundary, but then played quite watchfully. As tea approached, Stokes and Leach took time to bring what had been a fairly defensive field up into a more attacking one. They were offering runs if Mitchell was willing to take the risk with a solitary ball to be bowled before the break. He chose a defensive shot, but the ball looped off the face and gave Ollie Pope a whiff of an opportunity — he moved forward with the shot, snatched the ball from the air and celebrated the catch. 96/6 as the teams walked off for tea. England can do no wrong at the moment.

Michael Bracewell has some talent with the bat, but seems to be someone that has never made it hard for anyone to get him out. This latest soft dismissal saw him chip a ball very tamely back to the bowler, giving Broad his first wicket. Tim Southee walked out at eight, struck two big sixes, and helped Blundell through to a premature close of play at 16:45 when the rain started to fall with sufficient strength.

The small matter of a three-hundred run deficit with just three wickets in hand faces New Zealand at the resumption of play on day three. There are few signs that they have anything in reserve that can halt England’s serene progress towards a second victory here. Perhaps they can surprise everyone tomorrow. Perhaps they will have to follow on. Or, most likely, they may have to spend another day chasing leather around the Basin Reserve as England pile on a big score.

[naturecoaster]

Strawberry Lovers gather March 4-5 in Floral Park for the 36th Annual Floral City Strawberry Festival

Get ready for a VERY BERRY weekend as the Floral City Strawberry Festival returns for its 36th year to beautiful Floral Park. Produced by the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce and presented by Jenkins Automotive! Join us on March 4-5, 2023, for berries and pageants and pies (OH MY)! Ok, maybe more shortcake than pie, but that’s even better! This annual event is a salute to local agriculture with fresh strawberries hand-picked right around the corner from the festival at Ferris Groves. Luscious strawberry shortcakes will be available for your noshing pleasure, along with flats and half-flats of whole fresh berries that you can take home with you as a sweet souvenir of your day to make your own delectable treats. Not sure what to do with them all? Check out our Berry Bakery on our website at www.GoStrawberryFest.com.  Ferris Berries, grown right in Floral City, are featured at the Floral City Strawberry Festival. Image by Diane Bedard. Saturday features Music from the National Anthem to Bluegrass and Rock Saturday morning, the festival opens with the posting of Colors, the Pledge of Allegiance and our National Anthem.  Live music and entertainment will fill the main stage all weekend with a full performance lineup! Saturday will kick off with music from crowd favorite, Southern Express Band bringing their fun vibe and bluegrass sounds from 10 A.M. – 1 P.M., followed by headliner Homegrown: The Zac Brown Band Experience from 3 P.M. – 5 P.M. More entertainment will be added to our event schedule as it is booked so check our website often! Pie Eating Contests and Strawberry Pageants Sticking to its very berry American roots, the annual pie-eating contests and prince and princess pageants will be back as well! Ooh and ahh on Saturday morning as poised young ladies and gents take the stage in their favorite strawberry-themed attire for a chance to earn a crown and become the next Strawberry Princes & Princesses. Or maybe getting messy is more your style?  Then sign up to compete in the strawberry pie-eating contests for your shot at bragging rights until next year! Competitions are free to enter and will be held both Saturday and Sunday with registration that day at the festival. Arts, Crafts, and Marketplace Vendors - Beer Garden and Food Vendors too! Round out your festival adventures by strolling the park and browsing over 200 arts, craft, and marketplace vendors; indulging in a cold beer, glass of wine or hard seltzer at the beer garden near the main stage; enjoying the gastronomic pleasures offered by the many food vendors; or enjoying laughs and smiles with the young ones as they “play themselves silly” in the kids’ area. Be sure to save room for the strawberry shortcake! Image by Genevieve Belcher from Pixabay Floral City Strawberry Festival hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.  Entrance fee is $5.00 for adults, children 12 and under are free.  Park free at the Citrus County Auditorium and take a shuttle to the festival location. Floral Park is located at 9530 S. Parkside Ave., Floral City, FL 34426 For complete information on the Floral City Strawberry Festival, visit www.GoStrawberryFest.com.  On Facebook, search for “Floral City Strawberry Festival.” 36th Annual Floral City Strawberry Festival at a Glance When:  Saturday, March 4, 9 am – 5 pm, and Sunday, March 5, 9 am – 4 pmWhere: Floral Park, 9530 S. Parkside Avenue, Floral City – 3 miles south of downtown Floral City on US Hwy 41Cost: Festival Admission is $5 per adult, children 12 and under are freeParking: The Citrus County Auditorium located at 3610 S. Florida Ave, Inverness.  Free shuttle buses from the auditorium are running all day, both days.Website: www.GoStrawberryFest.comFacebook: Search for Floral City Strawberry FestivalPhone: 352-795-3149 Read the full article

[daimere]

Nanowrimo update

Here I am trying to write this update for the third time. Here we go! I don’t remember what my last update was about because a few days later, I got hit with the flu hard. At that point, I had written 17k words with no plot to be seen. Well, other than boy meets girl. Or monster meets girl. Or really girl meets monster. In the middle of the feverish haze, I was like, “wow, does this story suck? Should I be writing this? Maybe I just suck overall.” I still don’t know where else to take this novel. I have a few good scenes left. In my daydreaming, I haven’t came across a “aha moment” that will fuel the rest of this novel.

Side note: I have written an entire book with no main plot. I had the b and c plot because this was book 2 in a 4-5 book series. I have an idea what I actually wanted for the main plot. It would be Nice Guy (tm) gets rejected and joins up with Bad Woman to cause FMC to have The Struggles(tm) while dealing with plot b and c. I just didn’t know what to do to create all that stuff between the b/c plot.

Back to the Nanowrimo 2022: I really don’t know where to go from here. I really wanted to try to query this to someone that was specifically looking for a high heat monster romance under 75k.

Here’s the current WIP lineup with some ideas: Saved by the Pirate: I did write a bit on this one this week. They still haven’t boned. They are currently fighting over their feelings.

Hitting the Boss: Haven’t touched this one. I roughly edited it and then posted a new episode on Kindle vella for Monday.

Don’t go to Sleep: I need to edit and upload a new episode for tomorrow or Thursday. This one also was roughly edited last week while I had flu. Editing this one is harder because I am having to shift a lot of things. This is #nanowrimo 2010? story.

Hunting his Prey: This one I last wrote on a week ago. I think she may be filing a police report to another wolf as her mate finds her again. So ya know rage ensues.

Monster at the Haunt: I haven’t written more on this but I am not forgetting this story in case I get accepted into the monster anthology that I applied for. Fingers crossed!

Untitled Holiday Short story: Okay, I just thought of this a few days ago. I don’t have any holiday themed stories on vella. Since I was already thinking of doing a set of shorts to complete between bigger stories to make a bigger book in the end, this could go there. Idea is that a woman (supernatural or human, I am not sure) goes to a silly Halloween party in December party. She hooks up with a supernatural or monster of some kind. What monster? I don’t know! But falling in love ensues. Is this an awful idea?? I could probably do something with this in a week to start posting December 1st.

Monster under my bed: he just ate the guy. she told him to pay rent. And now I have to figure out what happens next.

The Alpha’s Demon: They also haven’t boned. I need to update inkitt/wattpad. I have gotten two reviews this week. I haven’t forgotten it. I just haven’t had a moment. And I am kind of lost. Like when will they bone? The sequel will be a why choose with Ruby. That will be a mmmff.

And I got my kindle vella bonus today and I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for a little more than I got. I only made 4 dollars more than my first month. Then again, I didn’t get any crowns this month and I don’t know if I will ever get another crown. I don’t have a fandom yet.

#writingcommunity #nanowrimo #work in progress #kindle vella #kindle vella author #kindlevellaauthor #amwriting #amediting #monster romance #monster fuckers #inkittwriter #inkitt #wattpad

[tvsmovies]

Knives Out, Weird Al, and more: eight great movies from TIFF 2022 The Verge

By Andrew WebsterGoing to an event like the Toronto International Film Festival is an overwhelming experience — even if you’re a veteran festival-goer. There are just so many movies spread out across so many days and theaters that it’s hard to avoid feeling like you’re missing out on something. At the same time, it can be incredibly refreshing. As regular movie theaters continue to be dominated by increasingly small lineups of blockbusters and never-ending franchises, the breadth of films showing at TIFF is a good reminder of why movies are so great.This mix of overwhelmed yet refreshed is exactly how I felt after spending the last week at the 2022 iteration of TIFF. I didn’t get to see everything I hoped. In particular, I couldn’t squeeze Park Chan-wook’s new film Decision to Leave into my schedule, and my ticket for the now-controversial The People’s Joker was canceled — but I still managed to screen a huge range of different types of movies, from extremely goofy biopics and sweet stories about kidnapping to some beautiful stop-motion animation.With the caveat that I couldn’t watch everything there, here are my favorite movies I saw at the festival.If you’ve seen past work from director Hirokazu Kore-eda, like his award-winning Shoplifters, then his latest film, Broker, will feel familiar in a lot of ways. Broker once again sees the director exploring people at the margins of society finding morally

Wild will be enough to get them to watch. After all, it’s a return to stop-motion animation that director Henry Selick co-wrote alongside Nope director Jordan Peele and the first film from Selick since 2009’s Coraline. Peele also stars in the film alongside his longtime comedic companion Keegan-Michael Key. On paper, it’s the perfect Halloween movie. Luckily, it’s also great on-screen. Combining some of the best stop-motion animation I’ve ever seen — seriously, the level of detail is incredible, from rumbling radiators to bubbling pots of curry — with a silly, scary, and heartfelt story about a young girl with literal demons who’s fighting to find her place in the world while also saving an entire town. It’s a typical Selick coming-of-age story but also one with a side critique of the prison industrial complex. Wendell & Wild starts streaming on Netflix on October 28th. / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily.

CNN-News18

Knives Out, Weird Al, and more: eight great movies from TIFF 2022 The Verge

questionable ways to survive. In this case, two men have a side business selling orphan babies to rich couples looking to adopt. It’s extremely messed up: particularly when one of the moms comes back to check on her kid.She ends up joining them on a sales road trip across Korea, and from there, Broker steadily turns into a surprisingly sweet story about found families and the horrors of navigating bureaucratic systems. For every dark moment — like seeing a couple haggle over the price of a baby or an actual murder — there are tender scenes of people just trying to make the best of what they have. Think of it like a crime drama crossed with Little Miss Sunshine. Broker also has a great cast, including Parasite star Song Kang-Ho as one of the brokers and Sense8’s Doona Bae as a police officer trying to catch them in the act.Broker is coming to theaters on December 26th.Netflix spent an eye-watering amount of money for the sequels to Knives Out and, if the first one is any indication, the investment might have been worth it. Glass Onion sees the return of both director Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig as the charming detective Benoit Blanc as they tackle a new mystery. This time, it’s a murder on the private island of a tech billionaire, who just so happens to

turbingly true-to-life scenes of decomposing and butchered animals. And the story touches on a number of big subjects, from our relationship with the land that sustains us to the uncomfortable divide between colonizers and those they’ve colonized. What’s also quite striking about Godland, though, is the way it’s shot. Director Hlynur Pálmason really leans into the photographic inspiration, with square frames and close-up shots of the cast that often look like portraits. At times, it really feels like you’re looking through the lens of the priest’s camera. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s not clear yet when Godland will receive a wider release. Amazon’s Good Night Oppy is a documentary following the unexpectedly long lifespans of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. For the most part, it has exactly what you’d expect from this kind of film. There are lots of great interviews with former engineers and scientists who worked on the project, coupled with archival footage to show what things were like in the moment. What makes it unique, though, is the visual effects. Star Wars visual effects house ILM worked on the movie, creating incredibly detailed and realistic CG scenes that bring these rovers and the Martian landscape to life. There are planet-wide sandstorms that look like something out of Mad Max and lots of close-ups of the robots that make them look and move like Star Wars droids. It adds a new dimension to a familiar story. Good Night Oppy starts streaming on Prime Video on November 23rd. Hunt marks the directorial debut of Lee Jung-jae, a longtime Korean star who came to global prominence through Netflix’s Squid Game. It’s a spy thriller set in the 1980s following a failed attempt at assassinating the South Korean president. In the aftermath, two KCIA chiefs — one of whom is played by Lee himself — are racing to find the suspect amid rising tensions with North Korea. Spy thrillers are always full of deception. That’s kind of the point. But Hunt takes things to an extreme degree, with a dizzying array of twists and turns that makes it nearly impossible to know who is on which side and who you can trust. (Hint: you probably can’t trust anyone.) It’s unrelenting, rarely giving you a second to breathe before it throws yet another new wrench into the proceedings. Things end on a somewhat strange note, but the ride is a lot of fun. Hunt doesn’t yet have a theatrical release date. Pearl is the second entry of Ti West’s burgeoning horror franchise, but it’s also primarily a prequel to X, which released earlier this year. It’s an origin story, with Mia Goth reprising her role as the titular Pearl as she shifts from unassuming farm girl to bloodthirsty monster. If you’ve seen X, there aren’t a lot of surprises here, but Pearl still works because of the incredible performance from Goth, who is genuinely terrifying, as well as the stylistic mix of The Wizard of Oz, Psycho, and a straight-up slasher. For more on Pearl, be sure to check out my full review. Pearl is coming to theaters on September 16th. Most biopics are meant to help viewers understand a person’s life. When it comes to musical biopics, this usually means following a traditional arc from a child to a superstar, with all the ups and downs in between. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story does all of this but with one important difference: almost nothing you see in the movie is actually true. Instead, Weird is a parody of biopics (fitting for the master of musical parodies) that’s more like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story than Rocketman — and it’s absolutely hilarious. It takes Yankovic’s life story in absurd directions, from drug-fueled trips through hell to a battle with a real-life drug lord. Daniel Radcliffe commits to the titular role completely, adding a level of intensity that makes the jokes hit that much harder. For more on Weird, you can check out my full review. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is coming to the Roku Channel on November 4th. For some people, the names involved with Wendell &

be hosting a retreat for his closest friends, which include everyone from an MRA YouTube star to a state governor.Craig is clearly having a lot of fun doubling down on his southern caricature persona here, but Glass Onion is also notable for how great the rest of the cast is: Edward Norton as a douchebag tech bro with more money than sense; Janelle Monáe as his spurned former partner; Kathryn Hahn as a politician with questionable morals; Kate Hudson as an impossibly clueless fashion designer; and — perhaps the best of all — Dave Bautista as a man so insecure he swims with his pistol. If Glass Onion were just 90 minutes of this group having fun on an island, I’d be into it, but it’s also a very intriguing mystery. For more on Glass Onion, make sure to check out my full review.Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery starts streaming on Netflix on December 23rd but will be in select theaters at some point before then.Godland is based on true events but in a unique way. The filmmakers used a series of found photographs from the 1800s as an inspiration for this quiet, contemplative story about a Danish priest traveling across Iceland to set up a church in a remote village before winter. It’s full of sweeping shots of the incredible Icelandic landscape, from freezing waterfalls to rushing lava, along with dis

#movies #streaming #tv-Shows #Knives Out #Weird Al #and more: eight great movies from TIFF 2022 The Verge

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION

This reaction is for season 3, seventh episode “Red vs Blue” which originally aired on February 21, 2022. The episode was written by John Lowe and Jamie Kessler and directed by Chad Lowe. Spoilers ahead!

Y’all, Lone Star, after this episode, got me in my feelings. Watching Tim get obliterated by an errant lava bomb last season was rough. Tommy coming home after an eventful shift to find her husband Charles dead was utterly heartbreaking. Finding out Gwen is dead at the end of this episode was like a punch to the gut. I honestly have no words, which is sort of ironic since I’m writing this reaction to this latest episode. Let me just start at the beginning and maybe by the time I get to the end, I can find the words to talk about the bomb that was dropped on us this episode.

We start at the scene of a horrific accident with a fatality. I thought the fatality was going to play a bigger role but the accident only served to introduce this episode’s antagonist - Sgt. Ty O’Brien (played by the oh so handsome Mr. Neal McDonough). Owen and Sgt. O’Brien immediately butt heads when the latter informs the 126 that they need to move their truck which is blocking interstate traffic. Owen, being the manly man that he is, doesn’t take kindly to being bossed around and ends up getting ticketed by Sgt. O’Brien. Owen rips up the ticket in front of Sgt. O’Brien and the whole thing is caught on camera.. This marks the beginning of an epic beef between the two.

Judd, being our sage elder of the 126, informs the rest of the squad that there is rivalry between the boys in blue (law enforcement) and the boys in red (firefighters). Carlos drops by the 126 to let them know that Owen’s antics were caught on tape by the local news station who was on the scene of the accident. A whole debate erupts about who is more important, the police or the firefighters. Judd posits that the police are jealous of the firefighters because they are the ones saving the day. Carlos suggests that to a lot of cops firefighters are lazy. Carlos also tells them that since the video of Owen ripping up the ticket has been released, Sgt. O’Brien and the other boys in blue are going to have it out for the 126. 

It doesn’t take long for Sgt. O’Brien to enact his revenge against the 126. When Judd, Paul, Marjan, and Mateo are out getting lunch one afternoon, their truck gets towed. Naturally this angers everyone, including Tommy who is grateful the truck is returned to the house before there is any kind of emergency. Our fearless leader decides to put an end to the silly rivalry before someone gets hurt and signs his crew up for an interdepartmental softball league, the same league that Sgt. O’Brien plays in. Determined to beat the cops, Owen and Tommy spy on one of their practices and discovers that their current lineup isn’t going to cut it against O’Brien’s squad.

Next we get the return of a character from season two - Pearce Risher (played by Andy Favreau, brother of Jon Favreau - no, not that Jon Favreau, but the host of Pod Save America). In case you don’t remember him, shortly after the death of Tim Rosewater, Pearce joined Tommy and Nancy, briefly, but decided that the 126 was not for him after witnessing Owen and TK’s daring rescue of two teenage boys trapped in the middle of a minefield. Owen and Tommy recruit Pearce who agrees to join their team only after Owen acquiesces to his demands.

On the day of the game, the 126 is getting trampled by the Austin Police Department. Pearce is late to the game because he is conveniently, or rather inconveniently, pulled over by the police and then held in the back of one of their cruisers. Now that Pearce has arrived, the tide turns for the 126 and even underdog Nancy manages to manages to get in a nice hit. On her way in to home plate, one of the players for the APD trips her resulting in her being out. Owen disagrees with the call but O’Brien isn’t having it which leads to a frustrated Owen punching him in the face. The others players for the 126 and for the APD jump into the fight and the entire brawl is caught on film by the local news once again. 

With the beef between the 126 and the ABD being caught on camera, neither side is looking particularly good. Pearce quits, again, and says that he is never coming back to the 126 due to the “cowboy culture” which Owen fosters. A few days later a building containing a bunch of cannabis plants catches on fire and the 126 arrive at the scene to save the day. The Austin Police Department have already arrived and most of the officers seem … high. When Owen inquires about Sgt. O’Brien, one of the officers tells him that he is still in the building. Owen ends up saving the day and O’Brien is grateful for being rescued. The beef between the red and the blue is finally squashed when Owen invites O’Brien to the house for dinner. 

Whether you’re team blue or team red, I think we can all agree that behind every great police officer, firefighter and paramedic is a great dispatcher. Grace drives the other plot in this episode. She is back at work after being on maternity leave. When she arrives at her desk, she sees there is a guy already sitting there. Now Grace does admit that there’s no assigned seating at the dispatch center but she has pretty much sat at the same desk for the last couple of years. When Grace gets the guy’s attention, he introduces himself as Dave and tells her that he usually works the graveyard shift but is working for another dispatcher. Grace decides to play nice and sits at another desk.

In the break room during lunch, Grace goes looking for the potato salad that Judd made and she is horrified when she notices that Dave is eating it. To make matters worst, Dave intervenes on a phone call involving a young boy who is being terrorized by his father who doesn’t recognize him and believes he is an intruder. When Dave finds out that the boy’s father recently was involved in an accident, he tells Grace that the dad has some head trauma which is preventing him from being able to see his son. Dave coaches Grace through the call and things are settled before anyone gets hurt. Later on, Grace tells Judd all about Dave eating her lunch and usurping her call and Judd reminds her that at the end of the day, everyone was safe. He also tells Grace that she is super competitive which makes her really good at what she does.

During their next shift, Grace witnesses Dave take a call from a father of two who has taken a bunch of sleeping pills to kill himself. Dave is visibly shaken by the call and seems to be recalling his own childhood trauma of losing his dad to suicide so Grace being the amazing woman and dispatcher that she is, steps in to help him. Dave ends up having a heart attack and Grace has to finish the call. Thankfully the paramedics show up in the nick of time and Nancy informs Grace that while the dad is okay, his rug which the dad threw up all over is not. 

Grace and some of her coworkers visit Dave at the hospital where they learn that he expected to make a full recovery. Grace tells him that she is sorry about what happened to his dad and Dave admits that he made the story up. He then announces that he will be working the day shift from now on and you know what, I hope we get to see more of Dave. I really liked him. Aside from him eating Grace’s potato salad - by the way, who does that - I really like him. 

Now we’ve come to the bummer part of the episode. So, after Owen and Sgt. O’Brien squash their red vs. blue beef, everyone sits down to have dinner. When TK gets a phone call, Carlos notices something is up. P.S. - I love how in tune they are to each other. When Carlos asks TK if he’s okay, TK tells him that it’s his mom. Carlos tells him to tell Gwen that he says hello. Then TK breaks all of our hearts when he announces that Gwen is dead.

You know what, I had a feeling something like this would happen. The scenes between TK and Gwen during the snowstorm episodes never really sat right with me. I could never really decide if Gwen was just a figment of TK’s comatose imagination or if they were both on some sort of plane between life and death. Then Gwen showed up during the reopening of the 126 house with her new baby in tow and I figured that it must have all been in TK’s head. To make matters worst, there have been smaller pockets of the fandom who have been fantasizing about Gwen and Enzo dying and TK and Owen having to raise TK’s little brother. Personally, I’m weirded out by those segments of the fandom. These are the same kind of people who celebrated when Shannon was killed off the OG series. If you’re championing the death of a female character in order to bolster the narrative of a male character, that’s pretty bizarre to me. 

Well, Gwen is dead and I’m pretty bummed about it. It looks like TK and Owen will be traveling to New York in the next episode to attend her funeral. Y’all - I am not ready to see how Gwen’s death is going to affect TK. The poor kid has been through so much and I’m not even exaggerating. We have witnessed this guy survive an overdose, a bullet, being held at gunpoint, a house fire, his dad’s battle with cancer, a breakup with Carlos, and nearly dying after being submerged in a frozen pond. Just when he was settling into his happy ever after with Carlos, now this happens. I pray TK doesn’t relapse. The last thing we need is to see him spiral out of control. I trust the writers of this show with the characters that we have but I am beyond nervous to see what happens next. Until next time ...

#fox 911 lone star #911 lone star #reactions #blw reactions #owen strand #tk strand #grace ryder #judd ryder #carlos reyes #tommy vega #paul strickland #mateo chavez #nancy gillian #marjan marwani #Pearce risher #neal mcdonough #gwyn morgan #911 ls s3 #911 lone star reaction