#Bryan today with the ‘this is good Charles’ every two seconds

[nico-di-genova]

Both Lance and Charles’ new race engineers realizing they thrive on praise and proceeding to utilize that to their maximum effect…you love to see it.

[l-norris]

Austrian GP 2024 Recap

ITS MY HOME RACE!

This includes the sprint race, so you've got a longer one coming.

Also, I passed my exams with honours even though I prioritised the Spanish GP over studying. Priorities.

DISCLAIMER: Remember that this is just for shits and giggles, I'm not trying to actually hate on any of the drivers cuz all (most) of them are very dear to me

As always, Numbers in brackets = Laps

SPRINT RACE

- Formation lap complete

- Alex starts from the Pitlane once again

- Had to look at J*s Verstappen

- It's lights out and away we go!

- Nevermind, start was aborted for some reason.

- Extra formation lap

- What the hell happened?!

- Confusion

- Apparently it was because of Alex' car overheating?

- Nope, it was photographers.

- Alright, now for real.

- It's lights out and away we go!

- Meh start for Lando

- McLarens side by side

- Max pulls away

- Lando catches up by the end of lap 1

- DRS enabled

- Alpines both bottled their starts lol

- Lando fastest lap (3)

- Top 3 fight!

- Max goes wide literally almost every corner

- Lando was first for 5 seconds

- Oscar now second! (5)

- Get him Osc!

- Max complains (7)

- God damnit why are Lando and Osc fighting

- Carlos up in fourth (8)

- George overtakes him immediately

- Carlos in a Mercedes sandwich

- And Max pulled away a little again

- Checo made a trip into no-mans-land

- DRS train from 4th down

- Max broke the DRS window😮‍💨

- Alpines fighting each other

- The graphics are broken so the laptimes may not be accurate lol

- Lando catches up to Osc (12)

- The boys are fighting

- Danny overtakes Logan

- Osc has his elbows out

- Lando has two track limit warnings (19)

- Yaaaawn

- Just remembered that Qualifying for the actual race is today also

- Nico locks up and overtakes Fernando

- He may have accidentally pushed Fernando wide

- might as well just end the race (22)

- not like it's only one more lap lmao

- remind me to never watch sprints again

- finally it's over

- this was so painful and boring

- "Solid effort" mans didn't do anything except complain and drive

- 🙄🙄🙄

- I'm so glad this is over.

- See you for tomorrow's race!

RACE

- Guanyu starts from pitlane

- Literally everyone on Mediums except for Guanyu

- Formation lap starts

- Nothing notable as always

- Praying for good start from Lando

- Formation lap complete

- It's lights out and away we go!

- A lot of people going wide into turn 1

- Max is up and gone

- Checo pushed Oscar off the track

- I don't like this race already

- Charles damage

- Charles has to pit at the end of lap 1

- Sigh

- Lando fastest lap (3)

- Horrible day for Tifosi 3.0

- When will Charles get lapped this time?

- Oscar passes Checo :) (7)

- There go my hopes and dreams of a McLaren 1-2

- But hey we still got 62 laps to go

- Yaaaaawn

- Kev and Danny pit (11)

- Both on hards

- Nico and Fernando pit (12)

- Haas boys pulling each other along with DRS constantly

- "Kevin save tires" "No fuck that" LMAO KMAG THE MAN THAT YOU ARE

- Max complains about wheelspin (14)

- A WILLIAMS OVERTOOK A FERRARI.

- This must be a feverdream

- Charles really gave away all his luck for Monaco

- Charles pits again

- Oh brother.

- OH BROTHER.

- Pitlane window open

- GP HAD TO EXPLAIN TO MAX THE FERRARI IN FRONT OF HIM LMFAO

- Fernando dive-bombs Guanyu

- Lewis and Checo pit (22)

- Max and Lando pit (23)

- Fernando 10 second penalty

- Oscar first for now

- Literally everyone complains (It's the Austrian air)

- Lewis 5-second-penalty

- Max unsafe release mayhaps?

- Under investigation

- 6,9 second gap between Max and Lando (nice)

- Max gear problems? Stay in seventh something something idk

- "Predicted to finish in the points even without safety car"

- are you sure about that Bryan

- Checo 5-second-penalty for speeding in the pitlane

- Alpine French civil war 2.0?

- Lando fastest lap (34)

- Charles pits again... and we got a problem.

- Oh dear.

- Ferrari when I catch you Ferrari

- Just had to go and get Charlie lapped.

- Max "struggling with the tires all of a sudden" Verstappen

- Alpine French civil war still going (41)

- The boys are fighting

- Pierre won the war (for now)

- Charles is suddenly in 12th

- Maybe points are still possible after all??

- OSCAR P3

- Alex 5-second-penalty

- Max "I can't hold this much longer behind" Verstappen

- Max "Tires are fucked man" Verstappen

- Sorry this is the only interesting thing happening rn

- Lando and Max pit (52)

- Max slow stop

- We're so back

- Checo 5-second-penalty for speeding in the pitlane

- My man you're supposed to be fast on the track not in the pitlane

- This is getting exciting!!

- Both Haas terrorising Red Bulls

- Lando almost in DRS window

- Lando in DRS window!!! (54)

- FIGHT!

- AAAAAAAAH!

- Max "something is wrong with the car" Verstappen

- Max doesn't like his options

- Lando closing in

- Lando track limits

- Oh no

- Lando went wide

- My poor heart

- It's getting spicy

- OH FUCK

- CONTACT BETWEEN MAX AND LANDO (66)

- Both have a puncture🥲

- Lando retires😭

- it's so over

- BUT OSCAR WIN MAYBE?

- Virtual Safety Car (66)

- Oscar is my last hope

- Max 10-second-penalty

- Not like it changes anything

- George win confirmed

- "Yabadabadoo" George is a Seb kinnie confirmed

- Holy shit this was chaos

- I don't know how to feel about this

- At least Oscar got P2

- Honorable mention: Checo still finished behind Max after all that

- Siiiiigh

- I'm sweating as if I was sitting in a racecar myself

- feel free to add on... :)

Hoo boy... this was a day. Yep. Mhm. A day.

Lots of penalties, lots of chaos, divebombs everywhere, the holy quartet of drivers being done with their teams (Kmag, Estie bestie, Charles, Fernando), Checo still finishing behind Max after the man literally murdered Lando and had a puncture... I could keep talking, but this is already half a book, lmao. If you read until here, you're cool :)

[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [35]

vi. bitter harvest

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: violence, fighting, character death, language. 

Summary: Pike sets his sights on a Grounder village, much to your dismay, and plans to take it over. Octavia, however, has other plans. Someone makes you an offer you weren’t expecting, and you watch one of the 100 die.

a/n: hi no new episode today which is sad :( so please enjoy this sub rosa update instead! also, I think we will be moving to three posts a week NEXT WEEK so stay tuned!!! the taglist for this series is open! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!!!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

You roll over in bed, reaching out for Bellamy, surprised to find nothing. 

You open your eyes and look around, gaze falling onto a note on the pillow beside you.

Went to talk to Pike about Clarke and Octavia.  Meet us at the Chancellor’s office when you wake up. -Bell

You sigh and dress quickly, mentally preparing yourself for another day of spying. You head straight to the Chancellor’s office, thinking about the breakfast that will have to wait, sure that the two men are already waiting for you. Sure enough, as soon as you appear in the doorway, Pike smiles. “Miss Griffin! Nice of you to finally join us.”

“The first sleep after getting hit with the shock baton is always the hardest.”

He ignores the quip, the allusion to your criminal background, and ushers you inside instead, closing the door behind you. He turns to face you and Bellamy, expression stern. “We need to talk about your sisters.”

“Griffin.” He watches you carefully. “Is Clarke a threat to us?”

You consider this, thinking hard about how much to say and how much to hide. You settle on the truth. “If you’re asking if she’ll sneak back into camp, I suspect not. She knows you’ll be looking for her and she won’t risk it.”

“Not even for you? Your mother?”

“I made it pretty clear to Clarke before she shocked me whose side I was on. Besides, she left us pretty easily after Mount Weather, so this isn’t new. She’ll stay away.”

“Good.” He turns to Bellamy, expression turning hard. “Mr. Blake, your sister, however, is a different story, isn’t she?”

You see the muscle in Bellamy’s jaw twitch, the subject of Octavia always a touchy one. He grinds out, “Yes, sir.”

“Her Grounder boyfriend is locked up, and I’m told the woman we spared, Indra, trained Octavia in the Grounder ways.”

“Yes, sir.”

“She has something to fight for. A reason worth coming back.”

“Yes, sir.”

“She’s your sister, family, and we protect our own. I promise you that if she comes back to this camp, she will understand her place in it, but she’ll be safe with us. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He moves to the door, opening it, motioning for you both to leave. “Dismissed.”

-

Four days after Clarke and Octavia’s escape

Kane checks the halls near his room twice before leading you to his door and ushering you inside. As soon as you’re safe from prying eyes, he turns to you with a smile. “Octavia just radioed. Lexa decided that blood must not have blood. They’ll send riders today to deliver the message to Pike.”

You let out an audible sigh of relief, whispering, “Clarke did it.”

As soon as the words come out, a realization hits you like a ton of bricks. Clarke did it. Clarke convinced Lexa, “blood must have blood” Lexa, to let the massacre of her army slide. And you don’t need to go over the reasons on how she managed it, because you think about the soft way she says Lexa’s name, even when she’s angry, the rapport she must have built with her while in Polis, and you have your answer. Because you know Clarke and you know when she’s acting differently, even if you’ve only seen her once in the last 3 months. Clarke Griffin is in love, and, apparently, Heda Lexa feels the same.

Kane pulls you out of your thoughts, distracting you from the revelation. “We can’t let our guard down yet, because Pike is still in power, and he still hates the Grounders. We’re safe, for now, but the second Pike violates this peace offering, we’ll be in danger again.”

“Then we better make sure he keeps the peace.”

“Easier said than done.”

You let out a scoff, “You’re telling me.”

-

One week after Clarke and Octavia’s escape

You pour over the maps in front of you, checking over the borders that Pike has drawn to represent the New Arkadia. You shake your head, scrubbing a hand over your face, wondering how you’re going to talk him out of this when you hear a knock at the door. Not expecting anyone, you glance towards it in confusion, standing and crossing the room to pull open the door, revealing Nate. “Miller. What are you doing here?”

“I just have a question about the guard schedule.”

“Uh, okay.”

You step aside, making room for him to enter your room. He turns and checks the hallways both ways, before waving someone towards you. Kane comes quickly, sliding into the room behind Nate, both of them turning to face you. “Any news?”

You shake your head. “I’ve got a meeting with Pike and the others today about the village, but I still don’t think we’ll be able to talk him out of it. He seems dead set on kicking them out.”

Kane nods. “Octavia radioed. Gillmer, Hannah, and a few guards are out getting soil and water samples nearby, and they almost killed a kid when he stumbled upon them. Luckily, she was able to save him.”

“Weird. Wonder if it’s connected?”

“That’s what we want to find out.” He pulls out a small black object, holding it out to you. You take it, flipping it over in your hand, and you realize it’s a listening device. You look up at Kane in surprise, “Where did you get this?”

“Not important. Can you get it in Pike’s office? Somewhere out of sight.”

You give him a skeptical look. “I don’t know. His security is tight.”

“I can get you in.” You glance over at Miller, and you shake your head with a smirk. Of course he can. “You said it yourself, he’s expecting you in his office today. It won’t be weird if he catches you.”

You look between the two of them, and then back down to the listening device. “Okay, fine.”

They both nod, and Miller looks at you. “If we’re doing this, we need to do it now. Pike’s on the other side of the camp, checking the armory with Bellamy. We have a small window.”

You grab your guard jacket, heading towards the door. “Then let’s go.”

They both follow you out of your room and towards the Chancellor’s office. Kane is careful to keep his distance from the two of you, but you and Miller walk side by side, keeping up a light conversation, nothing suspicious about two guards together. When you reach the hallway and find it empty, Kane jogs up to you and Miller, walking beside you. “You step aside in case someone answers.”

You turn to Kane, “You should both step aside since I’m the only one that was asked to be here.”

Miller rolls his eyes, “I told you, no one’s home.”

Kane and Miller each step on either side of the door, and you knock, waiting to hear a response. You hear nothing, other than Miller’s quiet laugh, and Kane turns to him in confusion. “What?”

“Bet you didn’t think we’d be breaking the law together when you arrested me on the Ark, huh?”

Kane pushes past you to grab him by the vest. “This isn’t a game, Nate. If we don’t find out what Pike’s up to, more people will die.”

“Then let’s not get caught.”

Miller types in the keycode and opens the door, and as you push it wider, someone down the hall says, “Chancellor Pike, good to see you.”

You all exchange a worried look, and Kane presses the bug into your hand. “You put this somewhere smart, out of sight. I’ll buy you guys some time.”

He turns and leaves quickly, and you slip inside the room and crack the door, while Miller stands guard just outside. You look around the office, considering the best place to put the bug. You quickly decide against the meeting table, because although it’s the closest to the heart of conversations, it's the most likely place it will be discovered. Your eyes scan over the file cabinets, the couch, the bookshelf, rejecting them all. They finally land on Pike’s desk, and you walk over to it, looking it over, deciding that the bottom of the desk is hidden enough to do the trick. 

You get down on your hands and knees, and stick it to the bottom, making sure to flip it on before you stand. You walk around the desk, checking it from every angle, making sure it can’t be seen, before you slip out the door again. Miller glances at you and you nod, which he returns before walking off down the hall. You can hear Kane’s voice down the hall. “Public opinion is a funny thing, Charles.”

“My job is to keep us safe, not to be liked.” Pike’s voice grows closer, so you step to the side of the door, standing and acting casual, waiting. 

As Pike and Bellamy come around the corner, Pike greets you. “Glad you could join us.”

You nod as he steps up to the door, typing in his code and motioning for you and Bellamy to come inside. Bellamy squeezes your hand in greeting as he passes, his face blank and unreadable. Pike leaves the door open behind him, waiting for the others to show up, keeping up a light conversation with Bellamy. You only half participate, worried he’ll find the bug before it even gets used, but he never sees it. Instead, he calls the others inside as they all show up. 

They all file inside the office, coming to stand around the table, and you’re surprised to see Monty and Monroe among them. Bellamy stands to your left, and Bryan on your right. Monroe is on Bryan’s other side, while Hannah, Pike, and Monty stand across from you. Pike’s gaze bounces over each of you. “Okay, let’s get this meeting started. Welcome Farm Station’s own Monty Green, and factory girl, Zoe Monroe, as we begin our next crucial phase: expansion and salvation. And this will lead the way.”

He holds up a vial of dirt, and you remember your conversation with Kane and Miller earlier about Octavia’s discovery. Monroe eyes it with confusion. “Dirt?”

“Soil. Fertile, arable soil. Vastly more rich than anything we’ve found since landing. We’ll clear the trees and plant within the month.”

Hannah smiles at everyone around the table. You know she’s Monty’s mom, but you can’t help but dislike her. “We start with soybeans and corn. They grow the fastest.”

Monty, who has been taking this all in quietly, wanders over to the map behind the table. You turn and watch as he eyes it with suspicion, pointing out the Grounder village. “Is this where we’re going?”

“That’s right.”

“There’s a village here.” He turns, eyes finding yours and Bellamy’s. “What about the people who live here?”

Bellamy turns away from Monty and gazes at Pike. “That’s sector four. We talked about this, the people there are not a threat.”

Pike sighs, “We need that land. With the loss of Mount Weather’s resources, Arkadia will be starving in less than a year.”

Bellamy’s gaze drops as he digests this new information, before he mutters, “With all due respect sir, you still haven’t answered Monty’s question.”

“You know the answer. Every field must be cleared of stones before it’s tilled.”

You glance at Bellamy from the corner of your eye, that haunted look now back in his eye. Monty, who’s now standing behind you, shifts uncomfortably at Pike’s plan. Hannah watches her son and says, “We were spotted by a child, so they’ll be expecting us. But they lost their fighters when we took out the army, so we don’t expect resistance.”

“They’re Grounders. They’ll resist.”

Bellamy shakes his head, “Even if they don’t, the Commander’s message was clear. Blood must not have blood. That doesn’t mean we can start taking-”

You hide your surprise at Bellamy’s resistance to the plan, and his willingness to voice that with Pike. You start to wonder if maybe he isn’t so lost after all. Pike cuts him off mid sentence. “What would you prefer: die fighting for your home or starve to death? Will you do what needs to be done for your people to survive or not?”

Bellamy glances over at you, his eyes landing on the locations of your hidden wounds, before he turns back to Pike, jaw set. “We’ll do what needs to be done.”

-

Pike explains the teams, who is expected to do what, and then he dismisses you.

Bellamy is silent as he leads the group to the rover, meeting up with Gillmer and a few of the guards along the way. You sneak a few glances at him as you walk by his side, watching the muscle in his jaw clench and unclench as he thinks. You can tell he’s lost in his head, in his thoughts, as the conversation ebbs and flows around him, and you wish he would just talk to you, the way he used to. 

Joining Pike made him silent, and you hate it. Hate the wedge Pike drove between you two, whether Bellamy noticed or not.

Once you reach the rover, Bellamy pulls himself back to the present, leading the others and directing them on what to load up and what stays behind. He leaves you at a table with Hannah, loading bullets into magazines, and you hope she can’t feel the annoyance that her presence brings you. 

Bellamy comes over to collect the weapons you’ve finished, grabbing the magazine and the gun off the table and loading it, as Kane wanders over. You only glance at him for a second, avoiding his eye as he focuses on Bellamy. “That’s a lot of firepower.”

Bellamy barely glances his way. “Let’s hope we don’t need it.”

“What’s the mission?”

He pauses, giving Kane a serious look. “Planning for our future.”

“You know, that looks a lot like our past.”

“We are building a life here.” He turns and looks at you, and you can’t tell if he’s trying to convince Kane, or himself. He turns back to Kane. “Not trying to make peace with people who only understand war.”

Hannah nods. “Damn right.”

Your annoyance threatens to break free, but you close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remind yourself to stay calm. No one seems to notice, because Bellamy calls out, “Let’s move out.”

Everyone makes a beeline for the truck, but Kane grabs your arm on the way. “Can you stop it?”

“What? Me vs the rest of the group? Not a chance.” You watch his face fall. “Did Octavia not get them out in time?”

“She’s gone radio silent.”

“Shit.”

Bellamy calls your name, followed by, “Everything okay?”

You turn and look at him, concern written on his features as he takes in Kane’s grip on your arm. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

You look back to Kane. “I’ll do what I can, save who I can.”

“Don’t expose yourself. We still need you.”

“Will do.” And then you raise your voice slightly in case anyone is trying to listen, before you yank your arm free. “Go float yourself, Kane!”

He plays his part well, looking stunned, and you jog over to the truck, taking the hand that Bellamy extends to you, helping to pull you inside. You plop down beside him with a frustrated huff, and his voice drops to a whisper as the truck starts up and pulls away, “What was that about?”

“Nothing. Just another Kane lecture about choosing the right side.”

He hums in acknowledgement, having received his fair share of those lectures. “He’ll understand soon. We don’t want to do this, kick out these Grounders, but we’re building a life for ourselves, a future.”

“I know.” You place a quick peck on his cheek, before leaning back and sitting in silence for the rest of the ride.

The rover comes to a stop in the village sometime after dark, the moon your only light as you all jump from the vehicle in formation, splitting off into two groups. You follow right behind Bellamy, all of you scanning the edge of the village for signs of movement, surprised to find none. The silence is deafening as you scan the empty village, and Monroe’s shaky voice reaches you from somewhere nearby, “I don’t hear anything. Maybe no one’s home.”

In front of you, Bellamy stops, eyes trained on the village as he yells, “Hello? Anyone here?”

When no one answers, he turns to look at you, his eyes asking a silent question, and you understand before he even opens his mouth to voice it. “Maybe they only know Trigedasleng?”

You understand what he’s asking, and turn to the village, projecting your voice. “Osir gada imfou kom Chansla Paik kom Skaikru. Osir gaf chich yu wocha op.”

We have a message from Chancellor Pike of the Sky People. We need to talk to your chieftain. You hear Gillmer scoff as soon as you finish speaking, and you resist the urge to roll your eyes. You all wait and listen again, hoping for an answer, but hearing nothing. 

“Maybe they saw our lights and left,” Hannah muses. 

Bellamy waves you all forward, and your two formations continue towards the village, one on each side. As you move deeper and deeper into the village, you come across no one, the living space seemingly abandoned. Rain starts to fall from above, running down your face and clothes, chilling you to the bone, but you ignore it as you stop at one of the fire pits in the middle of the camp, eyeing it. Logs are held together at the top with a rope, which is dripping with a bright yellow goo. Curious, you reach out to touch it, stopping when you hear a horse whinny in the distance. Bellamy yells, “Contact. Two o’clock.”

You take off running behind him, watching his back as you run towards the sound. As you come to a stop near the edge of the village, Hannah and Monty right behind you, you hear Octavia’s voice yelling down to you, “Bellamy, get them out of there! It’s a trap!”

Before he can say a word, you hear someone in the distance yell, “Fire!”

Seconds later, flaming arrows rain down from the ridge towards you, and you yell out, “Incoming! Take cover!”

Bellamy wraps his arms around you and you both duck, watching as all of the arrows miss your group and land on the fire pits lined up in the middle of the camp. They light quickly, a small fireball bursting from each one, and Octavia’s voice yells down to you once again, “The smoke is poison!”

You and Bellamy exchange a worried glance before he yells to the others, “Fall back, fall back! Stay away from the smoke! Get back to the rover!”

As you all start to run back towards the rover, avoiding the smoke, you hear Monroe let out a pained cry, screaming your name, then Monty’s, then Bellamy’s. Monty turns immediately, heading back towards her, and you turn and follow him. Bellamy yells your name, voice panicked, and you feel him reach out for you, but you slip from his grasp. You follow Monty into the smoke, both of you yelling Monroe’s name, coughing as the smoke enters your lungs. 

You can still hear Bellamy yelling your name from the other side of the smoke, held back by the others as you move deeper and deeper into the toxic cloud. You hold your breath, trying to avoid breathing as much as you can, the smoke irritating your lungs each time it enters your body. Finally, you and Monty find Monroe, laid out near one of the fires. You both reach down and grab her, throwing her arms around your shoulders and dragging her out of the smoke and into fresh air. 

As soon as you’re out of the toxic haze, you take in a long breath, your lungs still burning with irritation, but feeling better with fresher air. Bellamy runs forward and grabs Monroe’s legs as she starts to collapse, helping you and Monty carry her far away from the smoke and onto a patch of grass near the rover. You put her down gently, before dropping to your knees at her side, looking her over. 

Her breaths come out as tight wheezes, the air struggling through her lungs the best it can. You can do nothing but watch her hopelessly, unsure how to treat lung issues without a tank of oxygen to help. Her wheezes turn to gasps as she struggles to breathe, and you glance over at Bellamy, his expression distraught. Behind you, Bryan mutters, “How the hell did they know?”

Monroe’s gasps grow louder and quicker until they stop completely, and she grows still. Bellamy’s voice is panicked as he gazes down at her, “Monroe? Monroe!”

You reach up and check for a pulse, head dropping to your chest when you find none. You look up at Bellamy, tears in your eyes as you shake your head. His head drops, tears filling his eyes, and Hannah turns to Bellamy, tone accusatory. “Your sister did this!”

Unable to contain it any longer, your annoyance from earlier boils over and you snap, “Shut up, Hannah! Just shut the hell up for once!”

No one says anything, now frozen in place as they look down at Monroe’s dead body, and you can see the haunted look in Bellamy’s eyes, the weight of the world dropping onto his shoulders again, and you know that someone has to be strong, take charge.

You turn to Bryan, wiping your tears away as you do. “Find me something for Monroe. A tarp, a blanket, anything. And some rope.”

He nods, before turning away. You look over at Monty, Hannah, and Gillmer. “Get up to that ridge, and tell me what you see.”

They stand frozen, looking at you, and you yell, “Now!”

They jump in surprise but do what you say, running off to search the ridge. You look up at the two guards left. “They have a well at the edge of camp. Put out those fires.”

As they turn to leave, you look back at Bellamy, still frozen in place, staring down at Monroe. You reach out for him, grabbing his hand, and he looks up in surprise, like he forgot you were even there. “She’s only here because of me.”

You think of Roma, speared to a tree, and of Bellamy turning to you, telling you the same thing then. You shake your head. “Monroe was here because she wanted to do better, be better. She believed in building a better life.”

You reach up, put a hand on his cheek, and he leans into it. “We can’t let Monroe’s death, or those that died before her, be in vain. It has to stop, Bellamy. The killing has to stop.”

You know you’re toeing a dangerous line, letting your true feelings get this close. Feelings that are in direct opposition to Pike and what he seems to stand for. But Bellamy’s conflict is palpable, his disagreement with Pike and his methods growing everyday. So you say enough to get into his head, but not expose yourself. “Do you understand what I’m saying? Peace. We need to work for peace.”

He nods his head, mulling over your words, and you pull away from him when you hear someone approaching. You turn and see Bryan, holding up a blanket and some rope. “This is all I could find.”

“This is perfect, thank you.” You look around, surveying the two groups. “Can you go check the ridge with the others?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

He leaves you and Bellamy alone again, and you lay out the blanket. Bellamy stands and helps you move Monroe’s body on top of it, both of you pulling the blanket over her body and tucking it underneath her. As you pull it over her face, you whisper, “May we meet again.”

You hear Bellamy echo the words before he helps you secure the sheet with the rope, the way the Grounder’s taught you after Finn massacred the village, and once you're done, you both silently carry her body back to the rover and set it inside. As you finish, the radio at Bellamy’s side crackles to life with Hannah’s voice. “The Grounders are gone now, there’s no one up here. We’re coming back down.”

“Copy that.”

You and Bellamy lean against the truck, waiting for the others to return. The two guards that you put on firefighting duty return first, letting you know the fires are out, before the second group arrives a few minutes later. Everyone is silent, defeated, and Bellamy takes one look at them before muttering, “Let’s go home.”

-

Hannah runs to Pike as soon as you’re back and tells him everything, and he calls you and Bellamy in for a meeting before you’ve even finished unpacking the rover.

You both walk to the office together, silent, neither of you looking forward to the impending lecture. You knock once you arrive, and Pike opens the door and ushers you both inside. He leans against the table, watching you both, and Bellamy shifts on his feet, uncomfortable. You glance over at him from the corner of your eye, and you can see him working his jaw, trying to keep his emotions at bay. Pike’s gaze bounces between you. “How are you two holding up?”

“Fine.”

“I’ve been better.”

He turns to Bellamy, focusing on his response. “Yeah, we all have.” 

He takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “We need to talk about your sister. One of our people died today because of her. Not to mention, the ash poisoned the soil, making the land useless.”

“The Grounders did that. Octavia tried to warn us.”

“Yes, after she warned them. Someone in this camp is giving her information. I need to know who.”

Bellamy gives him a knowing look. “We all know who.”

You feel your stomach drop, worried they’re onto you, and Pike states, “Kane.”

Despite not being your name, the answer doesn’t leave you feeling better. Pike looks between you and Bellamy again. “We have no proof. You two need to find me some.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Bellamy, you’re dismissed.”

Bellamy looks at Pike in surprise, and you feel anxiety prickle across your skin. This is it. He knows the truth and he’s going to take you down. Alone. 

Pike looks over at Bellamy, who is still beside you, hesitant, and he nods at your boyfriend, letting him know he heard right. Bellamy gives you a worried look and you give him a small smile, letting him know you’ll be okay. You hope.

He turns and leaves, closing the door behind him, and you glance at Pike, watching him watch you. You’re sure that he’s going to give you an earful for snapping at Hannah, or he’s going to expose you for being a two faced spy, but he surprises you by saying, “Hannah says you showed true leadership out there.”

Caught off guard, you shrug and offer, “Not really. Just offered my assistance to Bellamy when he needed it.”

“That’s not what she told me.” You shrug again, not sure what to say, and he pushes on, “Are you interested in leadership, Miss Griffin?”

“Not really. Being the leader was always Clarke’s thing. I’m more than happy to follow, and offer my support when needed.”

He hums. “I’m looking to form a team. One that will go out and search for more villages like this one, with rich soil and a good water source. You’re strong, you know how to fight, and you speak the language. You’d be a good fit. A good leader.”

The offer surprises you, which you forget to hide. “Sir, I’m not sure-”

He cuts you off, “Just think about it. You wouldn’t need to decide right now.”

“Thank you, Chancellor.”

He nods. “We’ll meet in the morning, discuss next steps. Let Bellamy know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re dismissed.”

With that, you turn and walk out the door, eager to search for Kane.

-

next chapter

[whatmakesmehappyy]

Sunshine

This is something that I’ve had sitting, completely finished, in my Drive so I wanted to share it. I hope you like it and let me know if you want more :) The black and white world was one that you had come to know since you were able to understand things. The tattoo on your collarbone was something that had appeared recently, however. You cringed at the irony when you had first noticed it. The fact that you lived in a black and white world and the tattoos were in color was laughable. It was a sun, that much you knew. Even though you only saw it as black and white you could tell that it was vibrant, radiant, it made you happy just looking at it. You had been told that the ink was yellow, but that meant nothing to you, you couldn’t see colors. But you did know that the ink was vibrant, even in dull black and white.

The soulmate system was something that you had a love/ hate relationship with. It was romantic to think that there was one person out there for you that accepted you, faults and all. But you also wanted to rebel against it. Who says that you have to fall in love with this person? Why couldn’t you chose?

The black and white world would shift to color when you locked eyes with your soulmate. The tattoo was something that represented how you felt about them. Which confused you. How did the universe know what you would feel about a person you hadn’t even met?

You had woken up one morning to see the tattoo poking out from your tank top. You yanked the collar of the shirt down to study it more. The tattoo signified that you were going to meet your soulmate soon. When you had noticed the tattoo a giddy feeling crawled its way up into your stomach and you had let out a bubbly giggle at the thought of meeting him.

You wondered what tattoo your soulmate had that represented you. “Y/N! You’re going to be late if you don’t hurry it up!” Your roommate called to you. You looked at the clock and noticed she was right. You cursed and tossed your hair up in a tight ponytail. Picking up the pair of pants that you had picked out you struggled into them, hopping around to get them up your thighs. You let out a huff when they were finally buttoned. You grabbed your bag and ran out of your room, kissing your roommate on the cheek before grabbing your keys and running out of your shared apartment. Jamming the key into the ignition and twisting you threw your car into reverse and backed out of the spot, your radio blasting. You winced and turned it down, you were listening to it just a bit too loud the last time you drove and had forgotten to turn it down. In your defense 5 Seconds of Summer’s new album had just been released and you were determined to learn all the lyrics to every song before your concert in a weeks.

“Vapor” had just come on, half way through the song and you hummed along, letting the world around you fade away. The song was beautiful, and you were calmed listening to the instruments and the boys’ voices flow together. You came to a stop at a red light (you only knew it was red because it was at the top) and looked to your left. A black van with tinted windows was beside you and you narrowed your eyes at it, wondering what or who could be inside. Part of you wanted it to a huge celebrity but another part of you was screaming “stranger danger” and you wanted to look for every kid on the street and tell them to stay away.

As you were looking at the vehicle it pulled away and you turned to the stoplight to see the light had shifted to the bottom light, signaling that it was time to go. You pushed down on the accelerator and made your way through the intersection. The van pulled in front of you and you slowed down. It took a left and you did too. The van pulled into the parking lot where you worked. You eyed it cautiously. It parked and the engine was shut off but nobody got out of it. You pulled into your normal spot and shut the car off, pulling your keys out and opening the door. You shut it behind you and made the short walk to the door of the shop where you worked. You greeted your co-worker, Jennifer, cheerily before going to stand behind the counter, organizing a few things as you went. The store was slow today, according to your Jennifer, so the two of you made small talk. “How’re the kids?” You asked her.

“Good, Charles just said his first word yesterday, it was “mama”. I want to freeze him in this age so he never grows up.” She said, smiling, “Oh! I have a video of his saying it, do you want to see?” You nodded enthusiastically and she pulled out her phone from her back pocket. You really liked Jennifer, she was always happy and the two of you had a great time working together. The day seemed to fly by with her.

You made your way out from behind the counter and onto the floor. You straightened things and rearranged the decorations, searching desperately for something to do. The bell above the door chimed and you looked up, a smile on your face, ready to greet the customer. “Hi! How are you-” You cut yourself off and Jennifer looked up from what she was doing to see why you had stopped talking.

“Hey! You’re the girl in the car! You were next to us! You work here?” One of the boys who had walked in asked. You nodded slowly, but didn’t say anything. The black van that was next to you and that had pulled into the parking lot was theirs. There, in front of you was Luke and Calum from your favorite band. Luke continued to speak, “Awesome! Well we’re just browsing, don’t mind us.” You nodded again and backed away from them, bumping into something on your retreat. ‘Way to keep it cool’ you thought to yourself. You made your way over to Jennifer who looked at you questioningly.

“That’s Luke and Calum, they’re part of the band that I’m seeing in a few weeks.” You explained and Jennifer nodded in understanding. She went back to her task while you tried to calm your racing heart.

“Hey Ash would like this!” You heard Calum’s voice call from behind a shelf and you smiled lightly. The bell chimed again and you greeted the new customer, grateful to have a distraction. You guided the customer to the item they were looking for, answering all their questions with grace and smiling widely the whole time. When the customer was fully satisfied he handed you the item and followed you back to the register, pulling out his wallet to pay. You recited how much he owed to him and he handed you cash.

“Have a great day!” You chirped and he thanked you while pushing the door open.

“Can I buy this?” Calum said, pushing a few items onto the counter and you blushed, looking down, focusing on the items he was handing you. You didn’t understand why you were acting like this, you were usually confident and talkative, working in customer service, you had to create and hold conversation all day. You figured it was because it was Luke and Calum standing in front of you that you couldn’t find your voice. You were almost done ringing everything up when Jennifer decided it would be a great idea to step in.

“Y/N is a huge fan of yours! She’s going to see you guys in concert soon.” You blushed fiercely, glaring over at your co-worker. She smiled even wider at you.

“Really? That’s awesome! Have you been to a concert of ours before?” Luke asked, coming up beside Calum.

“No,” you said, avoiding eye contact, “this will be the first time. I finally saved enough money to get good tickets.” You explained.

Calum nodded enthusiastically, “Well we’ll try our hardest to make sure the concert is the best ever.” You laughed and smiled at him. Luke’s phone rang and he picked it up, Calum looking over at him while he was talking.

“Okay, we’ll be there in a few. Don’t freak. We were just exploring.”  Luke rolled his eyes at Calum playfully and ended the call. “That was Mikey. Him and Ashton are done recording and want to go get food.” Calum nodded before handing his card over to you and taking the various items he purchased in his hands.

“Well, thank you for everything! Hope to see you soon!” Calum said, waving over his shoulder as Luke followed him out the door. “Wait!” Calum said, stopping so abruptly that Luke bumped into him, “Picture!” He said, walking back over to the counter, putting the items down again. Jennifer grabbed your phone from where it was resting on the counter and pushed you out from behind the counter towards the two boys. You walked over cautiously, still not looking at them directly.

“Okay! One, two, three!” Jennifer called after the two boys had wrapped their arms around your shoulders. You smiled widely as the shutter went of a few times. “Okay, all done.” She handed you your phone and smiled at the boys. The said their goodbyes and were out the door. You saw the van pulling out of the parking lot soon after. “Luke has beautiful eyes.” Jennifer commented and you nodded.

“I’ve heard that they’re amazing. And blue. What does blue look like?” You asked.

“Blue is like…” she trailed off, “blue is the color of the sky. And it’s calming, but it’s also shocking. Blue is the color of cold, when you can see you breath in the morning and when your nose gets all runny from staying outside too long. But it can be sad too. It’s the color you feel when somebody you love passes away. But it’s vibrant. So vibrant. It’s that gulp of air that you get when you come up from being underwater too long. It’s also the water, calm and serene.” Jennifer finished.

“I think my favorite color may be blue.” You laughed and Jennifer smiled at you.

“Bryan’s favorite color is blue.” She said, referring to her soulmate and husband. “We painted our room blue because he loves it so much.”

You nodded and began restocking the shelves. You turned around suddenly, “What about Calum’s?” You questioned.

Jennifer took a breath before beginning, “Calum’s eyes are a color called brown. They’re warm. Brown is warm. It’s the feeling of a warm embrace after a long day, it’s the feeling when your shoulders relax and you breath in the familiar scent of your home. It’s the feeling the warmth in your blankets when you first wake up and the smell of coffee in the morning. The feeling of the warm coffee touching your lips and warming you from the inside out.” Jennifer said, writing something down on a pad of paper. You turned back around and continued the task at hand.

[theliberaltony]

via FiveThirtyEight

With no true front-runner in the Democratic primary, it seems almost everyone thinks they can be president. Perhaps as many as two dozen Democrats are considering jumping into the 2020 primary campaign, and many of their résumés are thinner than that of your traditional presidential candidate. Unfortunately for them, history doesn’t bode well for their chances.

We went back to the very first presidential election in 1789 and looked up the highest civilian government office that each major party’s nominee1 had held at any time before the election (excluding the presidency, since we’re not trying to measure re-election rates2). Granted, this is a somewhat subjective exercise — for example, is governor or senator a higher office? (I chose governor because there are fewer governor posts to go around, but you may disagree with that decision.) Most calls, however, are pretty straightforward — vice presidents rank higher than, say, mayors. Below is a table of the various offices in the order we decided to rank them, plus the total number of nominees — and winners — for whom that was the highest office they reached before their run.3

Presidential nominees and winners by highest prior office

For every U.S. presidential election, civilian offices only

Highest Prior Office Nominees* Winners Vice president 9

–

5

–

Supreme Court justice 1

–

0 Cabinet-level appointee 12

–

6

–

Governor 21

–

10

–

U.S. senator 18

–

7

–

U.S. representative 7

–

2

–

Sub-Cabinet appointee 2

–

0 Other statewide office 1

–

0 Mayor 0 0 Other 9

–

5

–

*Counting only the two major-party nominees for each election. For the 1824, 1836 and 1860 elections, which featured multiple candidates from the same party, we used the top two popular-vote getters. The 1788, 1792 and 1820 elections were uncontested, so only one candidate was counted.

Sources: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, Encyclopedia Britannica, WhiteHouse.gov, presidential libraries, University of Virginia, New York State Unified Court System, CNN, USA Today

As you can see, some offices are better stepping stones than others. But these stats obviously don’t include anyone from the highly uncertain 2020 Democratic race, so let’s take a look at the success rates for individual offices to see how 2020 candidates (and potential contenders) might fare.

Vice president

2020 contenders: Potentially Joe Biden

Vice presidents account for only nine presidential nominees in American history. That’s not many, so it might look like bad news for Joe Biden if he runs. But it’s also misleading. First off, there are far fewer vice presidents than there are senators or governors; second, vice presidents have been running much more often in recent history, when the vice presidency has grown in importance. Six of the nine presidential nominees who previously served as vice president have run in the last 60 years, and three of the seven most recent vice presidents later won their party’s nomination for president,4 though only one (George H.W. Bush) made it to the Oval Office. A fourth vice president from this recent group — Dan Quayle — also ran for president, and he was the only one who did not become his party’s nominee.

Cabinet-level appointee

2020 contenders: Julian Castro; potentially Eric Holder, John Kerry

We’ll skip over Supreme Court justices, since only one presidential nominee in history — Charles Evans Hughes in 1916 — had been one, and that almost certainly isn’t going to change in 2020. But there is at least one Cabinet-level appointee in the Democratic primary field, and he could be joined by two more. Cabinet secretaries — especially secretaries of state — used to be seen as prime presidential material. However, that’s changed in recent decades, arguably because the democratization of the nomination process created a bias toward candidates who have had experience getting elected to things. In 2016, however, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination, becoming the first Cabinet secretary nominated for president by a major party since Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover in 1928. Overall, 12 Cabinet-level appointees have been nominated for president (nine of whom were secretaries of state), and half have won.

Governor

2020 contenders: Potentially Steve Bullock, John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee, Terry McAuliffe

Historically at least, the governorship is the most common stepping stone to the presidency. Twenty-one nominees had previously served as governors, and 10 were elected president. Starting with the modern primary era in 1972, we also have data about a broader group of people who ran for president, not just those who won their party’s nomination.5 Among presidential candidates whose most recent elected office was governor,6 13 percent — six out of 47 — became their party’s nominee. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a higher batting average than any other elected office except vice president in the modern primary era. However, these stats will be put to the test in 2020, since the four current and former governors who look like potential Democratic presidential candidates are all probably underdogs and, at this point, haven’t even declared they’re running.

U.S. senator

2020 contenders: Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren; potentially Sherrod Brown, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders

By contrast, the 2020 field is swarming with senators, including many of the race’s frontrunners. Yet comparatively few senators have been chosen as presidential nominees over the country’s history — 18 in total. Even worse, only seven of them went on to become president. There are several reasons senators may make weaker presidential candidates than governors: They have voting records that can be used against them, for example, and Congress tends to be unpopular. Of the 65 presidential candidates since 1972 whose most recent elected office was U.S. senator, just six went on to win their party’s nomination.

U.S. representative

2020 contenders: John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard; potentially Seth Moulton, Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan, Eric Swalwell

Only seven times in history has a party’s presidential nominee been someone whose highest previous office was U.S. representative (and three of those times were populist hero William Jennings Bryan). Unfortunately for 2020 hopefuls, the most recent was John W. Davis in 1924. Of the seven nominees, only two won the presidency: Abraham Lincoln and James A. Garfield, both over a century ago. (This recent shutout is despite 21 people whose most recent elected office was U.S. representative running for president during the modern primary era.) This year, though, a U.S. representative (Beto O’Rourke) could be one of the stronger candidates in the field.

Other statewide office

2020 contenders: Potentially Jason Kander, Mitch Landrieu

Now we’ve entered long-shot territory. We’ll skip over sub-Cabinet-level appointees, of whom there are currently none in the 2020 field and who have only twice before managed to snag their party’s nomination.7 As for people who have only been elected to a lower-level state office, only one has ever been nominated for president: The Democratic Party chose Alton B. Parker, who had been elected chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals (New York’s equivalent of state supreme court), to be the party’s sacrificial lamb against incumbent President Teddy Roosevelt in 1904. Perhaps it was this knowledge that has made once–buzzy candidates like Jason Kander (the former secretary of state of Missouri) and Mitch Landrieu (the former lieutenant governor of Louisiana) quite unlikely to run in 2020.

Mayor

2020 contenders: Pete Buttigieg; potentially Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio

Historically, mayors have rarely run for president. Since 1972, only a handful of mayors — most prominently Rudy Giuliani in 2008 — have even attempted a presidential campaign, and none has come remotely close to the nomination. In fact, in my research I only ran across three presidents who had once been mayors, and all of them held a higher office in between running a city and running the country: Andrew Johnson (former mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee, and later vice president), Grover Cleveland (a former Buffalo mayor who became governor of New York), and Calvin Coolidge (former mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts, and eventual vice president).8

That may be changing in 2020: The race has one officially declared mayor and two more who might join. But for now (and perhaps because of the small sample size), a mayoral primary win remains unprecedented: The U.S. has never seen a major-party presidential nominee whose highest prior office was mayor.

Other

2020 contenders: No major candidates

For a while, it looked like the 2020 Democratic field might include a prominent non-politician or two, such as Oprah Winfrey or Mark Zuckerberg. But as of now, there doesn’t appear to be anyone famous from outside government who is planning to run. Historically, nine people have been nominated for president despite not having held any of the offices mentioned here, and five of those nine won. However, seven of the nominees, and four of the five winners, had high-level military experience — specifically, they were all generals — which is not captured by our civilian rankings. They include towering figures like George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower. The one commander-in-chief who was elected without any political or military experience? That would be the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump.

From ABC News:

[nixonsmoviereviews]

"X2" ("X-Men 2")- Arguably the best of the series. Thoughfull, exciting and exceedingly well-constructed.

With nine films thus far and at least two more on the horizon, all released over a near-twenty year window, 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" film franchise is something of a wonder in today's world of near- constant reboots and remakes. While it has by no means been a smooth ride, the fact remains that the long-running series has been a widely beloved and infinitely important one, especially when placed into historical perspective. Director Bryan Singer's original entry was one of the first major comic-to-film adaptations that convinced studios and audiences alike that comic-book movies could not only be mature and enthralling, but could be certified hits once again after the genre seemed to die-out in the 90's. And thus, a franchise was born and has stuck around ever since, through thick and thin. It's almost a surprise, however, that one of the best entries in the entire saga came so early- 2003's follow-up "X2." With Singer once again at the helm, the film is in every conceivable way an improvement over his excellent first film- it's more thoughtful, more daring, more exciting... I think one could even reasonably say that not only is it arguably the greatest film in the franchise- it just might be one of the best comic-to-film adaptations of all time. Yes, it's that good. Some time after the original film, a brainwashed mutant called Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) is sent on a mission to try and assassinate the President of the United States under the guise of being a martyr for Mutant Freedom. Despite the mutant being stopped, the troubling event gives Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox) the political edge and backing needed to get approval for an "investigation" on Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters- but his investigation is actually an invasion, as he storms the school, taking many students hostage and forcing the remaining X-Men to flee. At the same time, Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) are sent on a mission to collect Nightcrawler and learn his motivation for the attack, Cyclops (James Marsden) and Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) are captured by Stryker's mysterious bodyguard (Kelly Hu) and the shape-shifting Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) helps her former leader Magneto (Ian McKellan) escape from his high-tech prison. Soon, the remaining mutants (including Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Anna Paquin as Rogue and Shawn Ashmore as Iceman) are forced to team up with their former adversary to try and stop Stryker's scheme to use Charles and his powers to wipe out all of the mutants on Earth. Given the film's nature as an ensemble piece, it's near-impossible to discuss the performances of each actor individually. But to keep it brief, everyone returning from the original is great in their respective roles. Special commendation goes to Hugh Jackman and his continued excellence in the role that helped to define him as a superstar and to Famke Jannsen, who gets a lot more attention this time around. They are by far the stand-outs of the returning cast. I also highly enjoyed Stewart and McKellen, who bring a sense of class and elegance to their roles and are incredible as always. The newest additions are also outstanding. Brian Cox is one of the greatest actors of our time, and his turn as Stryker is quite remarkable. He gives the character both an easily- "despiseable" sense of threat and dread, yet also a nice and subtle sense of pain and pathos. He's a cruel man, yet he has a past that might explain why he is the way he is. Alan Cumming is just magical as the frightened yet also amusing Nightcrawler, and there's a lot of great moments in his performance. And Kelly Hu makes for a fun and furious adversary as Styker's second-in-command "Lady Deathstrike." Singer returns to direct from a script by "X-Men" scribe David Hayter and the writing duo of Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. Singer got his start with hard-hitting thrillers like "The Usual Suspects" and "Apt Pupil", and I think that's part of what gives him an edge with the storytelling. He plays the stories straight and gives them a sense of real and honest threat, while also maintaining an emotional core that feels realistic despite the outlandish nature of the story and heavy Science-Fiction leanings of the material. He's also a very gifted visual artist with a slick and savage sense of composition and flow that lends itself well to the needs of high- concept action. His work on the series has always been nothing less than stunning. The script is very tightly written and juggles the plethora of characters well- everyone has their moment to shine, every major player has a clearly defined role and arc and the pacing is superb. Some wonderful work is done with the writing, and it's an honest shame that neither Hayter nor the writing partners of Dougherty and Harris were involved in the third entry. The rest of the production is just marvelous. (Pardon the bad joke) Composer/co-editor John Ottman shapes some wonderful and memorable musical themes that compliment the tone and style perfectly, and he weaves together shots and sequences with a masterful touch. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel's visual palette is cool and visually arresting, and his work is just stunningly gorgeous. Some wonderful visual flair is given thanks to his talent. And production and costume design courtesy Guy Hendrix Dyas and Louise Mingenbach respectively is just fantastic. The film is made with nothing but top-notch work from top-notch artists. As it stands, "X2" is easily one of the best if not the single best entry in the long-running series. Its phenomenal direction, sharp and thoughtful writing, beautiful production and outstanding cast weave an enthralling and thrilling cinematic experience that still stands tall well over a decade later. It's up there with the best of the best in terms of comic-book movies. There's no other way to look at it- "X2" easily earns a perfect 10 out of 10.

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON'S CORNER: PACK PREPARE FOR ANOTHER PAIR OF GAMES

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Another pair of weekend home games await the Hartford Wolf Pack. One is a divisional opponent who has owned them the past three years, the Springfield Thunderbirds. The others are non-divisional opponents who they've struggled with, the Rochester Americans, who they will play on Sunday afternoon. For Pack Head Coach, Kris Knoblauch, he's worried more about where his club is at this point in terms of their development than his opponent to some degree to this point in the season. While he was happy last weekend, he wasn’t satisfied with their team game last week. “You like the four points, but we easily could have lost both those games. The Charlotte game we left too many open areas, too many great chances and thankfully Shesty (goalie Igor Shestyorkin) played so well. We have a long way to go. Right now, I’m focused on our team and getting guys into our systems. We're adjusting to our team at this point and working on our identity.” The addition of Nick Ebert, who came to Hartford in the Vladimir Namestnikov deal, was a surprise in that the New York Rangers added yet another defenseman to an already deep organizational chart. Ebert has had only moderate success as a pro and spent some time in Europe. He a known quantity to Knoblauch. “We have tough decisions to make, and we liked how our defense played for the most part over the weekend. We're always looking to improve our team. He brings experience, is a good skater, moves the puck well and has a good shot. I’ll be honest, I’m surprised he hasn’t scored as much at the American (Hockey) League level. I coached against him in juniors. He was a very strong offensive player. It seems last year he has gotten his offensive game back,” said Knoblauch. Ebert played with Orebro HK (Sweden-SHL). His addition to the roster forced the team to move Brandon Crawley to their ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners. “We want Brandon to get playing time, and right now we are filled up on defense, and he’ll be a part of our recalls.” Knoblauch is getting an early tutorial on fluidity of AHL rosters. “I’m really learning it now about how much things can change. We want to win every night, but we are a development league. You have to learn to balance those things appropriately.” Ebert wasn’t the only new defenseman that Knoblauch had out on the ice. Yegor Rykov (pronounced Ree-kov) has been sent down and skated for the first time on Thursday since suffering an ankle injury in the Traverse City tournament. He isn’t likely to see game action for likely two more weeks, which will likely necessitate another reassignment to Maine. “He has started first with drills. He's getting back on the ice, and today was his first full (team) practice. It’s gonna be a few more weeks before he is game ready. I saw him in Traverse City (before the injury), and we were very pleased with what we saw. Now it's about getting that timing back.” The lineup will likely see a new, familiar face in Ryan Gropp. He was scratched last weekend and Knoblauch is eager to have him in the lineup. “We really liked him in the pre-season. He showed a very good shot and I really want to get him in the mix. I haven’t worked out my (lineup) details yet, but we'll be seeing him.” Vitali Kravtsov will be in the lineup, and the coach thinks the student understands things better. ‘We showed him some video. He’s aware he didn’t play well. We had a very hard team practice Tuesday and he was very competitive." Saturday’s game is a part of hockey doubleheader with UCONN and RPI starting at 3:30 pm and a 7:30 pm faceoff time with the Springfield Thunderbirds. NOTES: The Thunderbirds will be minus forward Paul Thompson, who was handed a two-game suspension for a blindside hit on Bridgeport’s Thomas Hickey last Friday in the regular-season opener. Sunday’s opponent, the Rochester Americans, will have a very familiar face in their lineup. Tage Thompson (Orange/UCONN), who scored two goals last weekend including an OT game-winner. Ex-Pack, Matt Register, starts the season with the Iowa Wild. The ECHL season starts this weekend with some players of note with ties to Connecticut. Adirondack: Eamon MacAdam (BST), Charles Curti (Yale), Craig Martin (QU) and Hayden Verbeek (the nephew of ex-Hartford Whaler, Pat Verbeek) Allen: Shawn O’Donnell, and Justin Salvaggio (HWP), Brampton: Miles Gendron (UCONN), Cincinnati: Justin Vaive (HWP/BST), Ft. Wayne: Shawn St. Amant (HWP), Florida: Logan Roe (Kent Prep), Greenville: Chris Nell (HWP), and Callum Booth (Salisbury Prep), plus Mike Pelech (HWP), Indy: Alex Krushelnyski (HWP), Charles Williams (HWP), and Karl El-Mir (UCONN), Kansas City: Derek Pratt (UCONN), Idaho: Spencer Naas (UCONN), and Kyle Schempp (BST). Jacksonville: Mitch Jones (the son of ex-New Haven Nighthawk, Brad Jones), and John Albert (HWP). Kalamazoo: Mitch Eliot (the son of Nighthawk, Daren Eliot), Norfolk: Brandon Halverson (HWP), Ben and Josh Holmstrom (BST), Orlando: Jake Marchment (the son of Whaler, Bryan Marchment), Rapid City: Chris Izmirlian (Yale), Reading: Frankie DiChara (Yale), David Drake (UCONN), Matt Gaudreau (BST), and Trevor Yates (the son of ex-Whaler, Ross Yates). South Carolina: Dan DeSalvo (HWP), Tommy Hughes (HWP), Parker Milner (BST/Avon Old Farms), Scott Davidson (QU), Toledo: Ryan Verbeek (the nephew of ex-Whaler, Pat Verbeek), Brendan Kotyk (HWP), T.J. Hensick (HWP), and Josh Winquist (BST), Tulsa: Josh Wesley (HWP), and Mike McKee (Kent Prep), Utah: Cole Cassels (the son of ex-Whaler, Andrew Cassels), Wichita: Jason Sims (UCONN, and the son of former Whaler/Nighthawk, Al Sims), Worcester: Jordan Samuels-Thomas (West Hartford/QU), Connor Doherty (SHU), Nic Pierog (Canterbury Prep), and Henrik Samuelsson (the son of ex-Whaler, Ulf Samuelsson). Former Wolf Pack, Dean Melanson, was the last cut by the Reading Royals. Ex-Pack, Adam Tambellini, was the last cut from the Bakersfield Condors training camp signs with MODO (Sweden-SHL) for the season. He is the second Tambellini to play there. Ex-Sound Tiger, his brother Jeff, played there and is presently a head coach/GM of the Junior A Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL). Landon Ferraro, the son of former Whaler, Ray Ferraro, who was with Iowa last year signs with Eisbaren Berlin (Germany-DEL). The two are the 71st and 72nd AHL’ers from last season to sign in Europe. Brandon Whistle, the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk, Rob Whistle, goes from Sheffield (England-EIHL) and signs with Telford (England-NIHL). Mark Arcobello (Milford/Fairfield Prep/Salisbury Prep/Yale University) is playing with SC Bern (SwItzerland-LNA) with 10 points in 10 games. He signs a deal to play for HC Lugano (Switzerland-LNA) next season 2020-21. Philippe Hudon (Choate Prep) goes from Allen (ECHL) to Norfolk (ECHL). Congrats to former New Haven Nighthawks player and head coach, Robbie Ftorek, who was among the four new inductees to the AHL Hall of Fame on Thursday. Joining him are Darren Haydar, Denis Hamel, and Fred Thurler. The ceremony will take place in Ontario, CA site of the AHL All Star Classic the first to be held at a Pacific Division city. Ftorek ended his NHL career with the Rangers. He started out as a child prodigy in the Bobby Orr era at Needham High (MA). Played two years for the Red Wings affiliate Tidewater Wings before he left for the WHA and the Phoenix Roadrunners and Cincinnati Stingers (one of the best logos ever). He was the first and only American captain in the history of the Quebec Nordiques WHA or NHL. Ftorek played with New Haven accumulating 16 points in 17 games in New Haven in 1984-85. His last active game as a player was in New Haven the following season. Ftorek, who was a Guilford resident when he was in New Haven and was the head coach there for two-and-a-half seasons before getting the call to Los Angeles, but stayed there just a year-and-a-half. He had other AHL coaching stints in Halifax with the Citadels and the Utica Devils before he had a strong three-year stint with the highly successful Albany River Rats, before having a four-year coaching tenure in New Jersey. Ftorek returned to his roots spending two years with the Boston Bruins before heading back for a second stint in Albany where he had another strong three year period of winning and development. Ftorek also went the junior route spending six years as the head coach with the Erie (Otters (OHL) before a year as an assistant with Abbotsford. He concluded his coaching career with Norfolk (ECHL). UCONN hockey has its first two home games this weekend Friday night at 7 pm against the Army Black Knights (AHA). Saturday, in another non-conference matchup, with the RPI Engineers (ECACHL) at 3:30 pm. The school’s 2000 MAAC championship team will be honored throughout the day. The championship trophy will be on display on the concourse The Huskies earned a 3-3 tie with Sacred Heart University in their opener in Bridgeport, last week who they have yet to beat since going Division I. The Huskies Jachym Kondelik scored. Fellow Nashville Predator draftee, Tomas Vomacka, was sensational in net making 45 saves despite the hat trick by the Pioneers, Matt Tugnutt, icing his game-tying goal with three seconds left in regulation forcing overtime. Earlier in the week, SNY announced the time and dates for the first-ever Connecticut Ice Festival tournament in Bridgeport at the Webster Bank Arena in late January. The Huskies will kick-off the collegiate tournament against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats at 4 pm on Saturday, January 25th followed by Sacred Heart University playing the Yale University Bulldogs. All four games including the consolation and championship final will air live in the SNY. Read the full article

[painterlegendx]

You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc

By Mara Mathews, Quail Ridge Books

611 21st Century Steam Power - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc Here are some notable arcane challenge demography abode about the Triangle during the anniversary of 1/10 - 1/16:Saturday, January 11th at 2pm @ James B. Hunt Jr. Library (NC State University campus)Quail Ridge Books Presents: Kate DiCamillo, Beverly Right Here SOLD OUT EVENTQuail Ridge Books and NC State Friends of the Library are appreciative to present backstab Newbery Medalist and #1 New York Times' Bestselling Columnist Kate DiCamillo. Kate will be presenting and signing her agitating new book Beverly, Right Here.Beverly Tapinski has run abroad from home affluence of times, but that was aback she was aloof a kid. By now, she figures, it’s not active away. It’s leaving. Determined to accomplish it on her own, Beverly finds a job and a abode to alive and tries to balloon about her dog, Buddy, now active beneath the orange copse aback home; her acquaintance Raymie, whom she larboard afterwards a word; and her mom, Rhonda, who has never cared about anyone but herself. Beverly doesn���t appetite to depend on anyone, and she absolutely doesn’t appetite anyone to depend on her. But admitting her best efforts, she can’t advice basic access with the bodies about her — and gradually, she learns to see herself through their eyes.Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s best admired storytellers. She is a above Civic Ambassador for Adolescent People’s Abstract and a backstab Newbery Medalist. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis.Tuesday, January 14th at 7pm @ Quail Ridge BooksDiane Chamberlain, Big Lies in a Baby Town: A Atypical Reserved seats and antecedence signing bandage admission accessible with the pre-order of Big Lies in a Baby Town.“Two adolescent women, both accomplished artists, afar in time by decades but affiliated spiritually through the painting and apology of a mural. The attitudes of baby boondocks Arctic Carolina in 1940 are axial to the artifice and Chamberlain nails them, from the bizarre but banal to the best abhorrent and destructive. Diane's done it again!” -- Samantha at Quail Ridge BooksDiane Chamberlain is the bestselling Arctic Carolina columnist of The Dream Daughter and Silent Sister amid able-bodied over twenty added novels.Tuesday, January 14th at 8pm @ So & So BooksCharles C. Ludington and Matthew Morse Booker, Aliment Fights: How History Matters to Abreast Aliment DebatesWhat we eat, area it is from, and how it is produced are basic questions in today’s America. We anticipate actively about aliment because it is freighted with the hopes, fears, and anxieties of avant-garde life. essays booty able positions as they analyze the abounding capacity and tensions that ascertain how we accept our food—from the promises and failures of agronomical technology to the backroom of taste.Matthew Morse Booker is accessory assistant of History at Arctic Carolina State University. Booker’s aboriginal book Down by the Bay: San Francisco’s History Between the Tides (California, 2013) capacity the transformation of that burghal branch from aliment ambassador to absolute estate. His accepted analysis explores the acceleration and abatement of oysters as a basic aliment in American automated cities.

611 21st Century Steam Power - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc Charles C. Ludington is teaching accessory assistant of history at Arctic Carolina State University.Monday, January 13th at 12noon @ Page 158 BooksJ.T. Ellison with Barbara Claypole White, Good Girls LiePage 158 Books welcomes columnist J.T. Ellison to altercate her new book Good Girls Lie with bounded columnist Barbara Claypole White.J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new atypical examines the aerial bonds of friendship, the ability of lies and the atrocious lengths bodies will go to to assure their secrets.New York Times bestselling columnist J.T. Ellison writes aphotic cerebral thrillers and pens the Brit in the FBI alternation with #1 New York Times bestselling columnist Catherine Coulter. With millions of books in print, her assignment has won analytical acclaim, celebrated awards, and has been appear in twenty-seven countries. She is additionally the Emmy Award–winning cohost of the arch arcane television appearance A Word on Words.Wednesday, January 15th at 7pm @ Page 158 BooksDiane Chamberlain, Big Lies in a Baby Town: A NovelFrom bestselling columnist Diane Chamberlain comes an alluring new abstruseness novel, Big Lies in a Baby Town.North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's activity has been derailed. Demography the abatement for a abomination she did not commit, she finds herself confined a three-year assignment in the Arctic Carolina Women's Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold.North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artisan from New Jersey, wins a civic challenge to acrylic a mural for the column appointment in Edenton, Arctic Carolina. She doesn't apprehend is to acquisition herself absorbed in a boondocks area prejudices run deep, area bodies are ambuscade secrets abaft bankrupt doors, and area the amount of actuality altered ability aloof end in murder.Diane Chamberlain is the all-embracing bestselling columnist of twenty-four novels. She lives in Arctic Carolina with her partner, columnist John Pagliuca, and her sheltie.Tuesday, January 14th at 9am @ Durham Academy Lower SchoolFlyleaf Books Presents: Kelly Starling Lyons and Vanessa Brantley-Newton at DA Lower SchoolKelly Starling Lyons presents her new children's adventures of Philip Freelon Dream Builder, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton presents her newest annual book Aloof Like Me.Kelly Starling Lyons is the columnist of assorted award-winning annual books and affiliate books, best afresh Sing a Song: How "Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations, illustrated by Keith Mallett, and the Jada Jones series, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton.Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator, baby maker, and crafter who advised appearance analogy at FIT and children’s book analogy at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is the columnist and illustrator of Grandma’s Purse and has illustrated abundant children’s books, including Sewing Belief by Barbara Herkert. Bobby's Friendly Towing & Recovery - Towing Service .. | painting restoration greensboro nc Thursday, January 16th at 7pm @ The Regulator BookshopBook Launch: Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove, Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common GoodThe Regulator Bookshop welcomes Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove for a annual and signing in anniversary of the barrage of his new book, Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good.Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (MDiv, Duke Divinity School) is a writer, preacher, and moral activist. He and his wife, Leah, founded the Rutba House, a abode of accommodation in Durham, Arctic Carolina. Jonathan directs the School for Conversion, a accepted apprenticeship centermost in Durham committed to "making hasty friendships possible," and is an accessory abbot at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church. Jonathan is the columnist or coauthor of added than a dozen books, including Reconstructing the Gospel, The Third Reconstruction, Strangers at My Door, Common Prayer, The Awakening of Hope, The Wisdom of Stability, The New Monasticism, and Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers.Sunday, January 12th at 3pm @ Flyleaf BooksFlyleaf Second Sundays Balladry Alternation & Accessible Mic feat. Allen Stein and Tsitsi Jaji​​​​​​​Featured poets Allen Stein and Tsitsi Jaji will anniversary apprehend for about 20 minutes. Then, afterwards a abbreviate breach for the readers to assurance books, there will be a balladry accessible mic.Monday, January 13th at 7pm @ Flyleaf BooksNC Arts Council 2019 Abstract Acquaintance ReadingNorth Carolina Arts Council 2019 abstract acquaintance recipients Sarah Bryan, Pam Baggett, Emilia Phillips, Marianne Erhardt, Danielle Spratley, and Jennie Malboeuf will apprehend from their workTuesday, January 14th at 7pm @ Flyleaf BooksDavid Zucchino Exposes Aphotic NC History in Wilmington's Lie​​​​​​​This accident is presented in affiliation with the NAACP of Chapel Hill-Carrboro. From Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino comes a afire annual of the Wilmington anarchism and accomplishment of 1898, an amazing accident alien to best Americans.In Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Accomplishment of 1898 and the Acceleration of White Supremacy, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino uses abreast bi-weekly accounts, diaries, belletrist and official communications to actualize a arresting and acute anecdotal that weaves calm alone belief of abhorrence and abhorrence and brutality. This is a affecting and absolute annual of a arresting but abandoned affiliate of American history.David Zucchino is a accidental biographer for The New York Times. He has covered wars and civilian conflicts in added than three dozen countries. Zucchino was awarded a Pulitzer Award-winning for his dispatches from ageism South Africa and is a four-time Pulitzer Award-winning finalist for his advertisement from Iraq, Lebanon, Africa, and burghal Philadelphia. He is the columnist of Thunder Run and Myth of the Welfare Queen.Wednesday, January 15th at 7pm @ Flyleaf Books

живопись - Самое интересное в блогах - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc JP Gritton Presents Wyoming, a Account of Desperation and HumanityJP Gritton’s account of a hapless abecedarian at allowance with himself and anybody about him is both breakable and ruthless, and Wyoming considers the achievability of accretion in a apple that grants absolution grudgingly, if at all.JP Gritton's awards accommodate a Cynthia Woods Mitchell fellowship, a DisQuiet acquaintance and the Inprint Donald Barthelme award-winning in fiction. His belief accept appeared or are accessible in Atramentous Warrior Review, Greensboro Review, New Ohio Review, Southwest Review, Tin Abode and elsewhere.Thursday, January 16th at 7pm @ Flyleaf BooksErica Witsell Explores Acquaintance with Her New Atypical Give​​​​​​​Erica Witsell explores acquaintance with her new atypical Accord in chat with Kate Rademacher, columnist of Following the Red Bird.Every summer, Jessie and Emma leave their burghal home in the Axial Valley and fly arctic to Baymont. Nestled amid Mendocino's aureate hills, with ponies to adulation and amaranthine acreage to explore, Baymont should be a child's paradise. But Baymont belongs to Laurel, the girls' bearing mother, whose daydreaming parenting and attenuated judgement casting a continued adumbration over the sisters' summers---and their lives.Born in Maine but aloft in Florida, Erica Witsell lived in Connecticut, California, Ecuador, and Italy afore clearing in the mountains of western Arctic Carolina fifteen years ago.Saturday, January 11th at 11am @ McIntyre’s BooksBrian Lampkin, The Tarboro Three: Rape, Race, and Secrecy​​​​​​​In lucid, agreeable prose, Brian Lampkin tells the adventure of three atramentous men abominably bedevilled of raping a white woman in Tarboro, Arctic Carolina, who faced beheading until Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Centermost appealed the case and freed them. Lampkin’s own adventure twines with this one in attenuate and hasty ways, as he meditates on racism, fear, culture, and parenthood.Brian Lampkin lives in Greensboro, NC. He founded Rust Belt Books in Buffalo, NY and is an buyer of Scuppernong Books in Greensboro area he additionally writes and performs with the bandage The Difficulties. He was a columnist with The Daily Southerner in Tarboro, NC.Sunday, January 12th at 11am @ McIntyre’s BooksKids Event: Pet Partners Apprehend With Me -- It’s Drew’s BirthdayCome accord Drew a altogether wish–or bigger yet, apprehend him a Altogether Book on his appropriate day! Drew completed appropriate training through Pet Partners to become a analysis animal. During these appropriate Apprehend With Me sessions, Drew and his abettor Miriam will be on duke so arising readers can convenance their skills. Jason Jefferies Wed, Oct 23, 2019, 3:07 PM to me You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc - painting restoration greensboro nc | Delightful in order to the blog site, on this period I'll provide you with about keyword. And today, this can be the 1st graphic:

611 21st Century Steam Power - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc Why not consider image earlier mentioned? is actually that awesome???. if you believe therefore, I'l d provide you with many picture once more underneath: So, if you desire to have all these fantastic shots about (You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc), just click save link to download these images for your laptop. These are ready for transfer, if you appreciate and want to grab it, click save badge in the page, and it will be immediately saved to your computer.} Finally if you need to find unique and latest graphic related to (You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc), please follow us on google plus or bookmark this site, we try our best to present you daily update with fresh and new graphics. We do hope you like keeping here. For many updates and recent information about (You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc) images, please kindly follow us on tweets, path, Instagram and google plus, or you mark this page on bookmark section, We try to offer you up-date regularly with all new and fresh photos, enjoy your surfing, and find the right for you. Thanks for visiting our site, contentabove (You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc) published .  Today we are pleased to announce that we have found a veryinteresting topicto be pointed out, namely (You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc) Lots of people trying to find info about(You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc | Painting Restoration Greensboro Nc) and of course one of these is you, is not it?

Quality Auto Body Repair & Painting in Greensboro, NC - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc

S & S Pressure Washing And Painting Co. | Greensboro, NC .. | painting restoration greensboro nc

Charlotte NC Restoration Fire, Water & Mold Damage .. | painting restoration greensboro nc

2019 Fences Cost Calculator | Greensboro, North Carolina .. | painting restoration greensboro nc

Greensboro NC | Furniture & Antique Restoration | Mumford - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc

Greensboro NC | Furniture & Antique Restoration | Mumford - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc

Ambleside Gallery - Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau - painting restoration greensboro nc | painting restoration greensboro nc

All Star Cleaning and Restoration, Winston Salem North .. | painting restoration greensboro nc Read the full article

[jenmedsbookreviews]

Yes … believe it or not, it is getting to that point in the year that we both welcome and dread. Christmas. You may have missed it, but I’ve started posting a few festive reads on the blog over the past few days, just something Mandie and I thought (back in July/August) was a really good idea. Possibly not as we’re about as enthusiastic about Christmas as the Grinch, but hey ho (ho ho), it’s not all bad. I think. Do stop by for a few festive reading tips won’t you? Hopefully there’s a little something for everyone from the cosy and the kiddie, right through to the dark and the deadly. Always room for a little festive crime right?

Well, I had a busy old week last week achieving not a lot whilst seemingly doing loads. The week started perfectly – I was only at work for half a day before I was heading off down to London for November’s First Monday Crime panel. This month saw Barry Forshaw interview Stuart MacBride, Elodie Harper, Vaseem Khan and Simon Booker. An interesting debate was had by all regarding the idea of crime fiction v ‘literary fiction’, biggest mistakes made by newbie writers and whether there should be limits on how far you take your crime fiction.

A fantastic panel and I can heartily recommend both their books and First Monday Crime and if you want to find out more about next months panel, you can do so at their website here. December’s panel promises to be a doozy with Chris Whitaker, Louise Jensen, Mel McGrath and Susi Holliday alongside chair Claire McGowan. On top of that you’ll get to witness ‘Pitch the Audience’ where MC Howard Linskey will try to corral Rod Reynolds, Abir Mukherjee, Cass Green, Leye Adenle, Susi Holliday, Derek Farrell, Lisa Cutts, Chris Whitaker, Mason Cross, and James Carol as they bid to become ‘Pitch the Audience’ Champions for 2017. And books and pub visits. What more could you want? I’m booked. Maybe see you there?

And speaking of books, couldn’t resist the opportunity of getting a couple of signed books while I was there. Well … I went all that way. 😉

Book post wise, it’s been quite a quiet week for me. Nowt new there then lol. Just the one, a copy of Sai-Ko from author Gabriela Harding. Can’t wait to take a trip to the dark side with these short stories.

Other purchase wise, I’ve been good. At least if you own Amazon lol. I purchased the Killer Women Crime Club Book 2, Give Me The Child by Mel McGrath (also on audio); Little Liar by Clare Boyd and The Death Knock by Elodie Harper. From Netgalley, just the one, Know Me Now by CJ Carver. Also on audible was WhiteOut by Ragnar Jonasson. Well a girl needs to have the whole set.

Reading wise it’s been a bit of a mixed bag as my head is all over the place with work. I have managed 3.4 books though – one of them being a collection of short stories.

Books I have read

A Christmas Wish by Erin Green

Flora Phillips has an excuse for every disaster in her life; she was abandoned as a new-born on a doorstep one cold autumn night, wrapped in nothing but a towel. Her philosophy is simple: if your mother doesn’t want you – who will?

Now a thirty-year-old, without a boyfriend, a career or home she figures she might as well tackle the biggest question of them all – who is she? So, whilst everyone else enjoys their Christmas Eve traditions, Flora escapes the masses and drives to the village of Pooley to seek a specific doorstep. Her doorstep.

But in Pooley she finds more than her life story. She finds friends, laughter, and perhaps even a love to last a lifetime. Because once you know where you come from, it’s so much easier to know where you’re going.

A story of redemption and love, romance and Christmas dreams-come-true, the perfect novel to snuggle up with this festive season.

A wonderfully uplifting and heart warming tale of Flora, a woman who is in search of her birth mother having been left on a doorstep as a baby. Great for Christmas, my review of this book will be on the blog this week. In the meantime you can buy a copy of the book here.

…

The Advent Killer by Alastair Gunn

Christmas is coming. One body at a time. 

Three weeks before Christmas: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is drowned in her bathtub.

One week later: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is beaten savagely to death, every bone in her body broken.

Another week brings another victim.

As panic spreads across London, DCI Antonia Hawkins, leading her first murder investigation, must stop a cold, careful killer whose twisted motives can only be guessed at, before the next body is found. On Sunday.

When the clock strikes one . . .

A terrifying British debut thriller, The Advent Killer introduces DCI Antonia Hawkins, with the second in the series coming from Penguin in 2014. Fans of Chris Carter and Richard Montanari should be paying attention.

Now Christmas and murder … finally something I can identify with. Not literally of course and not in quite so gruesome a fashion as is presented in Alastair Gunn’s debut novel  I’ll be sharing my thoughts on this one very soon as one of my ‘festive reads’. You can buy a copy of the book here.

…

Twelve Slays of Christmas by Jacqueline Frost

When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.

When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn’t watch out, she’ll end up on Santa’s naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.

After a bit of a gruesome murder, it was time to go all cosy. This is a beautiful book, full of all the festive spirit a lover of the season could want. Give or take the odd murder … I’ll be reviewing this very soon but you can buy yourself a copy right here.

…

CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour

Crime spreads across the globe in this new collection of short stories from the Crime Writer’s Association, as a conspiracy of prominent crime authors take you on a world mystery tour. Highlights of the trip include a treacherous cruise to French Polynesia, a horrifying trek in South Africa, a murderous train-ride across Ukraine and a vengeful killing in Mumbai. But back home in the UK, life isn’t so easy either. Dead bodies turn up on the backstreets of Glasgow, crime writers turn words into deeds at literary events, and Lady Luck seems to guide the fate of a Twickenham hood. Showcasing the range, breadth and vitality of the contemporary crime-fiction genre, these twenty-eight chilling and unputdownable stories will take you on a trip you’ll never forget.

Contributions from: Ann Cleeves, C.L. Taylor, Susi Holliday, Martin Edwards, Anna Mazzola, Carol Anne Davis, Cath Staincliffe, Chris Simms, Christine Poulson, Ed James, Gordon Brown, J.M. Hewitt, Judith Cutler, Julia Crouch, Kate Ellis, Kate Rhodes, Martine Bailey, Michael Stanley, Maxim Jakubowski, Paul Charles, Paul Gitsham, Peter Lovesey, Ragnar Jónasson, Sarah Rayne, Shawn Reilly Simmons, Vaseem Khan, William Ryan and William Burton McCormick

A brilliant collection of short stories and perfect for dipping in and out of, which is exactly what I’m doing ahead of my stop on the blog tour next week. Featuring some of the best crime writers around, you’d be mad to miss it. I’ve already powered through 34% of the book without even realising it. You can preorder a copy here.

…

Blogging wise, not quite as traumatic as last week, i.e. you haven’t had to suffer any more videos of me, but still busy none-the-less.

#BlogTour: Whiteout by Ragnar Jonasson

#Review: Zenka by Alison Brodie

Festive Reads: Mr Men & Little Miss at Christmas

Festive Reads: This Way To Christmas by Anita Bijsterbosh and Christmas Stories for Kids by Uncle Amon

Festive Reads: Enid Blyton’s Christmas Tales

Festive Reads: Santa, Please Bring Me A Gnome by An Swerts

#BlogTour: #IntoTheValley by Chris Clement-Green

#BookLove: Tracy Fenton

Review: Mr Men & Little Miss for Grown UpsFestive Reads: A Christmas Flower by Bryan Mooneyffiths163

#BlogTour: Bad Sister by Sam Carrington

Review: Elephant and Sheep and other stories by Patricia Furstenberg

The week ahead is another full one – are there any other kind. Personally, I am off to the UK launch of The Man Who Died by Antti Tuomainen on Wednesday and I can’t wait. It’s in the running to be my book of the year! Then the weekend sees the long awaited arrival of Hull Noir. Looking forward to lots of brilliant panels and getting to catch up with some amazing blogger friends.

In the meantime, I’ve a mixture of the usual reviews and blog tours to keep you all amused, starting today when I’ll be reviewing The Puppet Master by Abigail Osborne. Wednesday is the tour for The Future Can’t Wait by Angelena Boden and Saturday it’s Dying Day by Stephen Edger. And there will be some sharing of the #booklove with blogger Victoria Goldman.

And in other news – with the notable and excusable exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day, today marks a whole year of posting every day, at least once, sometimes more. I set myself the challenge to see how long I could keep it up and I have to admit I am fluffing knackered now, but hey. Quite an achievement for a moderately busy gal like me I think. Go me. May have to celebrate.

Have a brilliant week all. See you on the other side

Jen

Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 12/11/17 Yes ... believe it or not, it is getting to that point in the year that we both welcome and dread.