#Carl Marten

[brokehorrorfan]

Reptilicus will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on August 27. Considered the Scandinavian answer to Godzilla, the 1961 monster movie was filmed in both English and Danish.

The American version is directed by Sidney W. Pink (Journey to the Seventh Planet), while Poul Bang helms the Danish. Pink co-wrote the script with Ib Melchior (Planet of the Vampires). Carl Ottosen, Ann Smyrner, Mimi Heinrich, and Dirch Passer star.

The American version of Reptilicus has been newly restored in 4K from the original negative. A high-definition transfer of Danish version is also included. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

82-minute American version

95-minute Danish version with newly translated English subtitles

Audio commentary by film historians Nicolas Barbano and Kim Newman (new)

Fifty Million Years Out of Time: Revisiting Reptilicus - 32-minute featurette with film historians Robert Parigi and C. Courtney Joyner (new)

Pink Goes West: Life After Reptilicus - Film historian Jay Jennings on Sidney W. Pink

Invincible… Indestructible - Film historian Stephen R. Bissette on Reptilicus

Promotional image gallery

A group of mining engineers prospecting for copper in the mountains of Lapland make an incredible discovery when their drilling unearths the remains of a giant, prehistoric amphibious reptile. A section of the creature’s tail is exhumed from beneath the frozen tundra and transported to the National Aquarium in Copenhagen, where it’s placed in a cold room to be studied by Professor Otto Martens and his research team. But when the door to the room is accidentally left ajar, the tail segment begins to thaw, quickly regenerating itself into a gigantic beast! Now loose and embarking on a cross-country rampage, the military are forced to employ all means necessary to rout the creature - now dubbed “Reptilicus” - before it launches a full-scale attack on the capital.

Pre-order Reptilicus.

[wahwealth]

🎬John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish | Waterfront (1944) | Full Movie English

The movie, Waterfront is a 1944 US film from PRC Pictures directed by Steve Sekely. In San Francisco during World War II, Dr. Carl Decker (J. Carrol Naish) is a local Nazi spy leader undercover as an optometrist. While he is walking on the San Francisco waterfront at night, his decoder book and list of West Coast spies are stolen by the waterfront thug, Adolph Mertz. Victor Marlow comes to town and contacts Decker for his next assignment but the message is indecipherable without the book. It is a race to recover the book by two opposing teams: Decker and Marlow, and Zimmerman and Kramer; and a race to find a serial murderer. Cast John Carradine as Victor Marlow J. Carrol Naish as Dr. Carl Decker Maris Wrixon as Freda Hauser, daughter Edwin Maxwell as Max Kramer Terry Frost as Jerry Donovan, Freda's boyfriend) John Bleifer as Oscar Zimmerman, owner—Anchor Cafe Marten Lamont as Mike Gorman Olga Fabian as Mrs. Emma Hauser as a rooming house operator Claire Rochelle as Maisie Billy Nelson as Butch Adolph Mertz, waterfront thug Never miss a video. Join the channel so that Mr. P can notify you when new videos are uploaded: https://www.youtube.com/@nrpsmovieclassics

[brookston]

Holidays 11.11

Holidays

Air Day

Baccharis Day (French Republic)

Battery Day (Japan)

Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia)

Children’s Day (Croatia)

Chopsticks Day (Japan)

Concordia Day (St. Marten Island)

Cuppy Day (Nigeria)

Death/Duty Day

Eleven Eleven Eleven Day (Netherlands)

11-11 Make a Wish Day

Four Ones Day

Freedom Fighters’ Remembrance Day (Latvia)

Garaetteok Day (South Korea)

Graphics Information Systems Day

Guang Gun Jie (Bare Sticks Day, or Singles Day; China)

Heir to the Throne Day (Tuvalu)

Hollantide (a.k.a. Hallow-tide; Isle of Mann)

Homunculus Awareness Day

International Energy Saving Day

International Singles’ Day

James Bond’s Birthday

Kaga-Boucha Day (Japan)

King Jigme Single Wangchuck Day (Bhutan)

Lāčplēsis Day (a.k.a. Lacplesa Day; Latvia)

Lunantishees Day (Ireland)

Metal Day

Mortens Day (Denmark)

National Athleisure Day

National Black Travel Day

National Chase Day

National Day of Bookstores (Spain)

National Education Day (India)

National Forestation Day (Turkey)

National Indiana Day

National Isabelle Day

National Lei Day

National Metal Day

National Timothy Day

Nigel Tufnel Day

Old November Eve

Ones Day

Origami Day (Japan)

Pepero Day (South Korea)

Puerto Princesa Underground River Day (Philippines)

Red Lipstick Day

Republic Day (Maldives)

Route 66 Day

Singles’ Day (a.k.a. Guanggun Jie; China)

Soccer Day (Japan)

St. Martin's Day [patron saint of tavern-keepers] (a.k.a. ... 

Beggar's Day (Netherlands)

Funeral of Saint Martin

Jum San Martin (Malta)

Mardipäev (Estonia)

Märtekuu (southern Estonia)

Mārtiņi (Latvia)

Martinigians (Sursee, Switzerland)

Martinje (a.k.a. Martinovanje; Croatia)

Martinloben (Austria)

Martinmas (Old England)

Martin Přijíždí na Bílém Koni (Czech Republic)

Martinstag (Germany)

Old Halloween

Old Hallowmas Eve

Saint Martin (Austria)

St. Maarten Day (Sint Maarten)

Tear-Stomach Day

Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #1; Japan)

Veteran Champion International Awareness Day

Women's Day (Belgium)

World Day of Shopping

World Hair Transplant Repair Day

World Origami Day

World War I Victory Celebrations (a.k.a. ... 

Armistice Day (Belgium, France, New Zealand, Serbia)

Death/Duty Day

Independence Day (Poland; from Austro-Hungary, Prussia & Russia, 1918)

Poppy Day [also Last Monday in May]

Remembrance Day (UK, Commonwealth of Nations)

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Day

Veterans Day (f.k.a. Armistice Day; US)

Veterans of Foreign Wars Day (Micronesia)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bean Sprouts Day (Japan)

Bonza Bottler Day

Cheese Day (Japan)

Kölsch Day

National Sundae Day

Noodle Day (Japan)

Pocky & Pretz Day (Japan)

2nd Saturday in November

All American Day [2nd Saturday]

Carl Sagan Day [2nd Saturday]

International CCHS Day [2nd Saturday]

International Dorothy Dunnett Day [2nd Saturday]

Lord Mayor’s Day (London, UK) [2nd Saturday]

National Family Volunteer Day [2nd Saturday]

National Saddle Hunting Day [2nd Saturday]

Neighborhood Toy Store Day [2nd Saturday]

Poppy Day (South Africa) [Saturday nearest 11.11]

Sadie Hawkins Day [Saturday after 11.9; also 11.13, 11.15]

Tasman Beerfest [2nd Saturday]

Wine Tourism Day [2nd Saturday]

Independence Days

Abrus (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Anastasia (Declared; 2015)

Angola (from Portugal, 1975)

Cristo (Declared; 2010) [unrecognized]

Kaz (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Pannonia (Declared; 2011) [unrecognized]

Poland (Restoration of independence after 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, 1918)

Washington Statehood Day (#42; 1889)

Feast Days

Bartholomew of Grottaferrata (Christian; Saint)

Carnival Session begins (a.k.a. Fasching or Karneval; Austria, Germany, Netherlands)

Charlie Manson Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Day of Remembrance of the Volhvs (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Edouard Vuillard (Artology)

Einherjar (Feast of the Fallen; Norse)

Fasching begins (a.k.a. Karneval; Austria, Germany, Netherlands)

Feast of Dionysus

Feast of the Fallen (Norse)

Feast of the Fallen Warriors (Pagan)

Frans Snyder (Artology)

Guru Nank Jayanti (India, Nepal)

Louis XI (Positivist; Saint)

Lunantishees Day (Celtic Faery Day)

Martin of Tours (Roman Catholic Church) [tavern-keepers] *

Menas (Christian; Saint)

Mercurius (Coptic)

Paul Signac (Artology)

Samson (Muppetism)

Small Furry Creatures Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Søren Kierkegaard (Lutheran Church)

Theodore the Studite (Christian; Saint)

Turn It Up To Eleven Day (Pastafarian)

Victory Over Pinks VP Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Binary Day [1111] (9 of 9)

Lucky Day (Philippines) [62 of 71]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

An American in Paris (Film; 1951)

Arrival (Film; 2016)

Bad Moms (Film; 2016)

Beep Prepared (WB MM Cartoon; 1961)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Film; 2022)

Buddy’s Beer Garden (WB LT Cartoon; 1933)

Desire Under the Elms, by Eugene O’Neill (Play; 1924)

An Early Frost (TV Film; 1985)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson (Magazine Article; 1971)

Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)

Coming to America (Film; 1988)

Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (Film; 2010) [#7]

I’m Eighteen, by Alice Cooper (Song; 1971)

Interview with the Vampire (Film; 1994)

It’s Not Unusual, recorded by Tom Jones (Song; 1964)

Lego House, by Ed Sheeran (Song; 2011)

Magic Mike (Film; 2012)

Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1993) [Discworld #15]

Mull of Kintyre, by Paul McCartney & Wings (Song; 1977)

My Best Friend’s Girl, by The Cars (1st Picture-Disc Single; 1978)

The Open Road, by Jean Giono (Novel; 1951)

Pride & Prejudice (Film; 2005)

Ratatouille (Animated Pixar Film; 2007)

Semi-Tough (Film; 1977)

Smith of Wootton Major, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Short Story; 1967)

Spirited (Film; 2022)

Tarantula, by Bob Dylan (Novel; 1970)

Ted (Film; 2012)

That’s the Way It Is (Elvis Presley Concert Film; 1970)

The Twist, recorded by Hank Ballard (Song; 1958)

The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Novel; 1954) [Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings trilogy]

The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen (Fairy Tale; 1843)

Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, by John Lennon & Yoko Ono (Album; 1968)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Film; 1988)

Working for Peanuts (Disney Cartoon; 1953)

Today’s Name Days

Martin, Menas, Senta (Austria)

Minka, Minko, Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)

Davorin, Martin, Viktorin (Croatia)

Martin (Czech Republic)

Morten (Denmark)

Alev, Elev, Elvo (Estonia)

Panu (Finland)

Martin, Vérane (France)

Leonie, Martin, Mennas, Senta (Germany)

Drakon, Minas, Minos, Victor, Viktoras, Vincent (Greece)

Márton (Hungary)

Martino (Italy)

Nellija, Ojars (Latvia)

Anastazija, Martynas, Milvydė, Nastė, Vygintas (Lithuania)

Martin, Martine, Morten (Norway)

Anastazja, Bartłomiej, Maciej, Marcin, Prot, Spycisław, Teodor (Poland)

Mina (Romania)

Anastasia (Russia)

Maroš, Martin (Slovakia)

Martín (Spain)

Mårten (Sweden)

Mina, Stephania, Victor, Vincent (Ukraine)

Chandler, Dallas, Jalen, Johnathan, Johnathon, Jon, Jonatan, Jonathan, Jonathon, Jonte, Jorel, Jorrell, Lincoln (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 315 of 2024; 50 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 45 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 12 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Ten-Xu), Day 28 (Gui-You)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 27 Heshvan 5784

Islamic: 27 Rabi II 1445

J Cal: 15 Mir; Oneday [15 of 30]

Julian: 29 October 2023

Moon: 3%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 7 Frederic (12th Month) [Louis XI]

Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 49 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 19 of 29)

Calendar Changes

Nyd (Necessity) [Half-Month 22 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 11.25)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 11.11

Holidays

Air Day

Baccharis Day (French Republic)

Battery Day (Japan)

Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia)

Children’s Day (Croatia)

Chopsticks Day (Japan)

Concordia Day (St. Marten Island)

Cuppy Day (Nigeria)

Death/Duty Day

Eleven Eleven Eleven Day (Netherlands)

11-11 Make a Wish Day

Four Ones Day

Freedom Fighters’ Remembrance Day (Latvia)

Garaetteok Day (South Korea)

Graphics Information Systems Day

Guang Gun Jie (Bare Sticks Day, or Singles Day; China)

Heir to the Throne Day (Tuvalu)

Hollantide (a.k.a. Hallow-tide; Isle of Mann)

Homunculus Awareness Day

International Energy Saving Day

International Singles’ Day

James Bond’s Birthday

Kaga-Boucha Day (Japan)

King Jigme Single Wangchuck Day (Bhutan)

Lāčplēsis Day (a.k.a. Lacplesa Day; Latvia)

Lunantishees Day (Ireland)

Metal Day

Mortens Day (Denmark)

National Athleisure Day

National Black Travel Day

National Chase Day

National Day of Bookstores (Spain)

National Education Day (India)

National Forestation Day (Turkey)

National Indiana Day

National Isabelle Day

National Lei Day

National Metal Day

National Timothy Day

Nigel Tufnel Day

Old November Eve

Ones Day

Origami Day (Japan)

Pepero Day (South Korea)

Puerto Princesa Underground River Day (Philippines)

Red Lipstick Day

Republic Day (Maldives)

Route 66 Day

Singles’ Day (a.k.a. Guanggun Jie; China)

Soccer Day (Japan)

St. Martin's Day [patron saint of tavern-keepers] (a.k.a. ... 

Beggar's Day (Netherlands)

Funeral of Saint Martin

Jum San Martin (Malta)

Mardipäev (Estonia)

Märtekuu (southern Estonia)

Mārtiņi (Latvia)

Martinigians (Sursee, Switzerland)

Martinje (a.k.a. Martinovanje; Croatia)

Martinloben (Austria)

Martinmas (Old England)

Martin Přijíždí na Bílém Koni (Czech Republic)

Martinstag (Germany)

Old Halloween

Old Hallowmas Eve

Saint Martin (Austria)

St. Maarten Day (Sint Maarten)

Tear-Stomach Day

Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #1; Japan)

Veteran Champion International Awareness Day

Women's Day (Belgium)

World Day of Shopping

World Hair Transplant Repair Day

World Origami Day

World War I Victory Celebrations (a.k.a. ... 

Armistice Day (Belgium, France, New Zealand, Serbia)

Death/Duty Day

Independence Day (Poland; from Austro-Hungary, Prussia & Russia, 1918)

Poppy Day [also Last Monday in May]

Remembrance Day (UK, Commonwealth of Nations)

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Day

Veterans Day (f.k.a. Armistice Day; US)

Veterans of Foreign Wars Day (Micronesia)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bean Sprouts Day (Japan)

Bonza Bottler Day

Cheese Day (Japan)

Kölsch Day

National Sundae Day

Noodle Day (Japan)

Pocky & Pretz Day (Japan)

2nd Saturday in November

All American Day [2nd Saturday]

Carl Sagan Day [2nd Saturday]

International CCHS Day [2nd Saturday]

International Dorothy Dunnett Day [2nd Saturday]

Lord Mayor’s Day (London, UK) [2nd Saturday]

National Family Volunteer Day [2nd Saturday]

National Saddle Hunting Day [2nd Saturday]

Neighborhood Toy Store Day [2nd Saturday]

Poppy Day (South Africa) [Saturday nearest 11.11]

Sadie Hawkins Day [Saturday after 11.9; also 11.13, 11.15]

Tasman Beerfest [2nd Saturday]

Wine Tourism Day [2nd Saturday]

Independence Days

Abrus (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Anastasia (Declared; 2015)

Angola (from Portugal, 1975)

Cristo (Declared; 2010) [unrecognized]

Kaz (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Pannonia (Declared; 2011) [unrecognized]

Poland (Restoration of independence after 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, 1918)

Washington Statehood Day (#42; 1889)

Feast Days

Bartholomew of Grottaferrata (Christian; Saint)

Carnival Session begins (a.k.a. Fasching or Karneval; Austria, Germany, Netherlands)

Charlie Manson Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Day of Remembrance of the Volhvs (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)

Edouard Vuillard (Artology)

Einherjar (Feast of the Fallen; Norse)

Fasching begins (a.k.a. Karneval; Austria, Germany, Netherlands)

Feast of Dionysus

Feast of the Fallen (Norse)

Feast of the Fallen Warriors (Pagan)

Frans Snyder (Artology)

Guru Nank Jayanti (India, Nepal)

Louis XI (Positivist; Saint)

Lunantishees Day (Celtic Faery Day)

Martin of Tours (Roman Catholic Church) [tavern-keepers] *

Menas (Christian; Saint)

Mercurius (Coptic)

Paul Signac (Artology)

Samson (Muppetism)

Small Furry Creatures Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Søren Kierkegaard (Lutheran Church)

Theodore the Studite (Christian; Saint)

Turn It Up To Eleven Day (Pastafarian)

Victory Over Pinks VP Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Binary Day [1111] (9 of 9)

Lucky Day (Philippines) [62 of 71]

Shakku (赤口 Japan) [Bad luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

An American in Paris (Film; 1951)

Arrival (Film; 2016)

Bad Moms (Film; 2016)

Beep Prepared (WB MM Cartoon; 1961)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Film; 2022)

Buddy’s Beer Garden (WB LT Cartoon; 1933)

Desire Under the Elms, by Eugene O’Neill (Play; 1924)

An Early Frost (TV Film; 1985)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson (Magazine Article; 1971)

Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)

Coming to America (Film; 1988)

Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (Film; 2010) [#7]

I’m Eighteen, by Alice Cooper (Song; 1971)

Interview with the Vampire (Film; 1994)

It’s Not Unusual, recorded by Tom Jones (Song; 1964)

Lego House, by Ed Sheeran (Song; 2011)

Magic Mike (Film; 2012)

Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1993) [Discworld #15]

Mull of Kintyre, by Paul McCartney & Wings (Song; 1977)

My Best Friend’s Girl, by The Cars (1st Picture-Disc Single; 1978)

The Open Road, by Jean Giono (Novel; 1951)

Pride & Prejudice (Film; 2005)

Ratatouille (Animated Pixar Film; 2007)

Semi-Tough (Film; 1977)

Smith of Wootton Major, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Short Story; 1967)

Spirited (Film; 2022)

Tarantula, by Bob Dylan (Novel; 1970)

Ted (Film; 2012)

That’s the Way It Is (Elvis Presley Concert Film; 1970)

The Twist, recorded by Hank Ballard (Song; 1958)

The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Novel; 1954) [Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings trilogy]

The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen (Fairy Tale; 1843)

Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, by John Lennon & Yoko Ono (Album; 1968)

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Film; 1988)

Working for Peanuts (Disney Cartoon; 1953)

Today’s Name Days

Martin, Menas, Senta (Austria)

Minka, Minko, Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)

Davorin, Martin, Viktorin (Croatia)

Martin (Czech Republic)

Morten (Denmark)

Alev, Elev, Elvo (Estonia)

Panu (Finland)

Martin, Vérane (France)

Leonie, Martin, Mennas, Senta (Germany)

Drakon, Minas, Minos, Victor, Viktoras, Vincent (Greece)

Márton (Hungary)

Martino (Italy)

Nellija, Ojars (Latvia)

Anastazija, Martynas, Milvydė, Nastė, Vygintas (Lithuania)

Martin, Martine, Morten (Norway)

Anastazja, Bartłomiej, Maciej, Marcin, Prot, Spycisław, Teodor (Poland)

Mina (Romania)

Anastasia (Russia)

Maroš, Martin (Slovakia)

Martín (Spain)

Mårten (Sweden)

Mina, Stephania, Victor, Vincent (Ukraine)

Chandler, Dallas, Jalen, Johnathan, Johnathon, Jon, Jonatan, Jonathan, Jonathon, Jonte, Jorel, Jorrell, Lincoln (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 315 of 2024; 50 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 45 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 12 of 28]

Chinese: Month 9 (Ten-Xu), Day 28 (Gui-You)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 27 Heshvan 5784

Islamic: 27 Rabi II 1445

J Cal: 15 Mir; Oneday [15 of 30]

Julian: 29 October 2023

Moon: 3%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 7 Frederic (12th Month) [Louis XI]

Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 1 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 49 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 19 of 29)

Calendar Changes

Nyd (Necessity) [Half-Month 22 of 24; Runic Half-Months] (thru 11.25)

[weasel-posting]

Oh that's extremely interesting!! I've seen the Carl Dick marten before but never noticed the similarities. The noses on most of these are also the same which is funny, I wonder if they're sourced from the same place

I got mine off of eBay, they were listed as an SOS Save Our Space plush based off the texture of the remaining tush tag alone. I was also thinking that they could've been a WWF plush considering that my black footed-ferret's tag has a similar texture as well (also noticing my ferret uses that pattern now! Just slightly sized down)

^ Tush tags, noting that the last is from my otter Cardamom and I think they're a bit newer. She's one of those ones with the sad eyes SOS is known for, Leosco produces them

If they are made by Bon Ton Toys like I'm theorizing, either SOS or WWF make sense as they don't manufacture their own plush and work with other companies for that, though I'm not sure if they're truly made by Bon Ton Toys, that's just my best guess

As for looking for one, I would try looking up fisher + SOS Save Our Space, WWF, or Bon Ton Toys. This is the only one I've seen so far but they cropped up not long after my BFF so who knows

Sequel to my weasels wardrobe post, every single mustelid in my collection thus far!! Some of them were tucked away or stored somewhere else in my initial post so here's a picture with all of them visable!!

No plush ID since there's so many, if you're curious about any ask!

Also for those curious the species I have the most of currently are domestic ferrets

They're all trans also

[antiqueanimals]

Familiar Animals of North America. Written by Will Barker. Illustrated by Carl Burger. 1956.

[palaugranetes]

FC Barcelona 4 - 1 Arsenal

A summary by the Queens' #1 fan: Carles Puyol

[if-tomorrow-never-comes]

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=170113205120394&set=p.170113205120394

[plushieanimals]

✨ pine marten by carl dick ✨

[yeah-all-of-it]

“Hey, sleepyhead! Get up! Busy day!” Ian calls from the bathroom.

He hears a grumpy, incoherent groan come from somewhere underneath the pile of blankets on the bed. After he finishes fixing his hair, he walks over to the bed. He perches himself gently on the edge, slowly sliding his hand underneath the bright white, high thread count duvet, a housewarming gift they had treated themselves to several months ago along with a new mattress and some sheets. After having to bang in walk-in coolers and dugouts and sleep on old mattresses and prison bunks for years, they wanted their bed to be a haven.

He has to feel around but Ian finally finds the waistband of Mickey’s boxers, and slips his hand in. This elicits a more pleasant groan from the pile of blankets.

Ian leans down and whispers softly, “We don’t have time now since someone decided to sleep in so long, but if you get up now, I promise I’ll make it worth your while later.”

“Ugh, fine,” Mickey grumbles, throwing off the covers and rolling out of bed. He stumbles to the bathroom, still half asleep, and shuts the door. Ian continues getting ready as he hears Mickey’s usual morning ritual; taking a piss, washing his face, brushing his teeth. He emerges from the bathroom several minutes later, decidedly more alert, and stops dead in his tracks.

There, standing in front of the full length mirror affixed to the back of the bedroom door, is his husband. He is dressed in a navy blue suit that looks like it was crafted just for his body. A slim fit jacket that enhances his broad shoulders and hugs his muscular arms. Slim leg trousers that show off his perfect ass, still deliciously thick from a few remaining quarantine pounds. Underneath the jacket is a crisp white dress shirt with a burgundy tie, and he has a pair of wing tips the color of caramel on his feet. He has put some gel in his red hair, not losing his curls, but styling them a bit more than normal. In short, he looks fucking incredible.

Once Mickey is able to breathe again, he manages to get out a flirty, “Hey there, Mr. Milkovich,” while very blatantly panning his eyes up and down Ian’s body.

Ian glances up at his husband, standing there in nothing but his ratty boxers, and grins at him.

“See somethin’ you like?” Ian inquires.

Mickey nods his head and smiles that million watt smile of his.

“C’mere.”

Mickey does as instructed and saunters over to Ian, who wraps Mickey tight in his arms and presses a kiss onto his mouth, gently sucking on Mickey’s lower lip. He lets his hands wander aimlessly all over Mickey’s bare back and Mickey melts into him with a soft “hmmmm”.

“Okay okay okay,” Mickey finally interjects, and pulls away. “You’re turnin’ me the fuck on and unless you want that fancy fuckin’ suit ripped off’a you right now, we gotta stop.”

Ian steps back and holds up both hands in mock surrender.

He then walks over to the dresser to grab his wallet and phone. “Mick, you got about forty five minutes to get ready before we have to leave.” He kisses Mickey on the cheek and steps out of the bedroom door, yelling from the hallway, “I’ll brew some coffee and we can take it with us. Lip will kill me if we’re late for his wedding.”

Forty minutes later, Mickey walks out into the living room where Ian is waiting on the sofa, playing some stupid game on his phone. He has poured two travel mugs of coffee that are in front of him on the coffee table. He looks up when he hears Mickey enter the room.

Mickey has on a modern dark gray suit, black dress shirt, black tie, and black wing tips. He’s gelled his jet black hair and it harkens back to years ago, when he was younger and wore his hair gelled every day. His brushed white gold wedding band gleams in the sunlight coming in from the window as he reaches up to adjust his tie. His bright blue eyes pop against the dark color of the suit. Ian sets his phone down and stands up slowly, unable to take his eyes off of his husband.

“Hell-o, Mr. Gallagher,” Ian purrs, while strutting up to Mickey, placing his hands on either side of his freshly shaven face. He slides his hands down Mickey’s arms and buries his nose in the crook of his neck, breathing in deeply. He smells of shampoo and Irish Spring soap, fresh from the shower, not yet tainted by the scent of cigarette smoke. He kisses Mickey’s neck gently, sighs, and reluctantly pulls away.

“We have to leave right now if we plan on being at the church by noon for the first round of pictures,” Ian states, double checking his watch.

“Alright, well let’s get goin’, GQ,” Mickey says with a sly grin and a quick raise of his eyebrows, grabbing his coffee on the way out.

Ian’s close behind and smacks Mickey on the ass before closing the door behind them.

———

“You’re early! I’m so fuckin’ proud!” Lip exclaims as the Gallagher-Milkoviches walk into the church.

He steps up to Ian and gives him a tight hug with a firm pat on the back; actually shakes Mickey’s hand. “Hey, you shitheads clean up pretty nice!”

Ian and Mickey both give him synchronized middle fingers.

“Uncle Mickey! Uncle Ian!” Franny yells and runs up to them, jumping into Mickey’s arms. She’s wearing a burgundy sparkly dress with a poofy tulle skirt and gold Doc Martens.

“Hey, kid!” Mickey says sweetly, swinging the tiny girl into the air, causing her to squeal with delight.

“Franny, you look beautiful!” Ian says to her once Mickey has set her down. “I love your dress!”

“It’s like the one I wore when you married Uncle Mickey!” she chirps cheerfully.

“It sure is!” Ian exclaims, giving her a big hug.

“Hey, Lip, where’s the newest little Gallagher?” Ian inquires. “Gotta get some snuggles in before things get busy.”

“She’s right over here, man. Tami’s got her. She’s gotta go get dressed anyway. Come on.”

Ian walks with Lip over to Tami, who is holding a snuggly baby in her arms, dressed in a soft cotton burgundy colored dress and a white cardigan, with little gold moccasins on her feet. Tami gives Ian a big hug and passes the baby off to him before heading elsewhere to put her gown on.

“Hey, there Sophie Gallagher. Uncle Ian missed you!” he coos. “I can’t believe you are three whole months old! And your mommy and daddy are getting married today!”

He glances up and sees Mickey standing off to the side, looking at Ian holding the baby with nothing but love in his eyes. Ian can’t wait to have kids with Mickey, but there is no pressure. They’ll get there one day. Right now they’re just enjoying being husbands and uncles. Mickey’s still nervous around babies, but Franny and Fred adore him.

“Okay okay, my turn!” Debbie interjects. She carefully takes Sophie from Ian and goes to sit down.

Ian spots Fred and heads over to him. “Freddie, my man, what’s up!” he says and picks up the toddler in the matching tiny blue suit who wraps his arms around Ian’s neck, saying, “Hewwo, Uncle Een!” in his sweet little voice. “Where’s Uncle Mickey?”

“He’s right over there. You wanna go tickle him?” Ian asks playfully.

“Yeah! Wet’s go!” They run over and wrap Mickey in a big bear hug. The tough guy can’t help but melt into a big puddle around his nieces and nephew.

“Hey, buddy!” Mickey exclaims, laughing at Fred’s small fingers tickling his sides.

Typical Gallagher chaos is happening. Liam is trying fruitlessly to convince Franny to go potty before things start. Debbie and Lip are arguing about something, as usual. Carl can’t find his suit jacket.

“Alright, we’ve gotta get this show on the road, people!” the photographer yells over the noise.

The photographer attempts to line up the bridesmaids - a couple of Tami’s childhood friends, Debbie, and Cami as the maid of honor, all dressed in burgundy chiffon floor length gowns. Debbie continues to gripe at Lip from her spot in line.

He then tries to get all the boys to line up - Ian, who is the best man, Brad, Carl, and Liam the groomsmen. The photographer has to shoot Ian a look as he puts Carl in a headlock when they are supposed to be lining up.

“Sorry!” Ian yells, straightening his suit and stepping into place.

Rounding up Franny and Fred and getting them to stand still proves to be easier than getting the adults to cooperate.

Mickey just sits back and watches the Gallagher shitshow with a huge grin on his face.

———

“You ready to do this, big brother?” Ian asks while standing in the hallway behind the sanctuary. The faint sound of people finding their seats and conversing quietly fills the air around them.

“Absolutely. Tami’s a good woman, ya know? She calls me on my bullshit, which is something I really need. She’s fuckin’ beautiful and she’s an amazing mom to Fred and Sophie. I’m really fuckin’ lucky, man,” Lip says, and Ian thinks he sees tears forming in Lip’s eyes. “I love her.”

Ian just smiles. “Soft motherfucker,” he jokes quietly and wraps his big brother in a hug, squeezing the back of his neck.

They hear the wedding march begin and know it’s their cue to step out into the sanctuary.

As they stand at the front of the church, the doors open and reveal Tami on the arm of her father, wearing a white beaded gown. It’s strapless and form fitting til it gets to the bottom where it fans out. She has her long blonde hair pulled up into a soft chignon, wispy hairs around her face, no veil. Simple. Lovely. She has a radiant smile on her face as she looks at her husband to be.

They begin to recite their vows and Ian notices they have chosen traditional vows. The same ones he and Mickey said to each other almost two years before.

“I Phillip, take you, Tami...”

“I Tami, take you, Phillip...”

“In sickness and in health...”

Ian can’t help but find Mickey in the crowd, locking eyes with him.

“For richer or poorer...”

Mickey softly smiles at Ian, and Ian just knows that sensitive asshole’s eyes are tearing up.

“Til death do us part.”

Ian is smiling at his husband like an idiot now, unable to take his gaze off of him. He can’t help but think of the day when they said those same beautiful words to each other, meaning them with their whole hearts. They had already been through most of it; sickness, poverty, better and worse. And they had made it. Making those promises that day just cemented that they would always go through those inevitable things together.

It was the best day of Ian’s life. The beginning of their forever. No more forced separations. No more goodbyes. No more lonely nights, wondering if the other is safe and okay. He has to fight back tears; this is Lip and Tami’s day after all.

Lost in thought, he’s startled back to the present by applause as Lip dips Tami for a kiss that’s a little too hot for church. This elicits a standing ovation and whoops and whistles from the guests. Ian can’t help but cheer and clap for his brother and his new wife.

———

After another hour of pictures, these including the bride and groom, they all head to the reception hall.

It’s decorated with white and burgundy linen tablecloths and elaborate floral centerpieces. There are Edison bulb strings hanging from the ceiling. A DJ is spinning beside the parquet dance floor, disco lights flashing away. There is a large table full of chafing dishes and a three tired cake on a separate round table.

“Man, the Tamiettis really went all out,” Mickey says to Ian, grabbing a carrot stick off one of the veggie platters with his fingers, sticking it into the bowl of dip, and shoving it into his mouth.

“Like you have room to talk, Mr. Gold- chiavaris-with-the-white-cushions,” Ian jokes, to which Mickey responds with a light hearted “fuck off”.

After filling their starving bellies with meatballs, chicken wings, finger sandwiches, and cake, the Gallaghers take to the dance floor. They know how to party and they’re not about to let this amazing night with music, free food, and an open bar go to waste.

The whole family is dancing to YMCA, a wedding reception staple, when the end of it fades into a slow song. Ian and Mickey lock eyes. Ian raises a quizzical eyebrow and Mickey nods, almost imperceptibly. Ian slowly walks over to him, gently grips his hips, and pulls him in close. Mickey snakes his arms around Ian’s waist and grasps his hands together at Ian’s lower back. Ian slides his hands up Mickey’s arms and wraps them around his shoulders. They sway slowly to the music, bodies pressed together so closely they can feel each other’s hearts thrumming in their chests. Mickey nuzzles his face into Ian’s neck as Ian rubs his hand on the back of Mickey’s head. They are intoxicated by each other, the romance of the day, and the few Old Styles they’ve shared from the bar.

“Hey, Ian?” Mickey inquires, a little muffled, not bothering to move his face from its place in Ian’s neck.

“Yeah, Mick?” Ian questions, talking into Mickey’s hair.

He hesitates for a second, like he’s trying to think of the right words. “Maybe... maybe it’s the beer, or… or just this day, or maybe being married to your ass is making me fuckin’ soft...” he drifts off.

“Out with it, Mick,” Ian sighs calmly.

“It’s just... I love you. So fuckin’ much. I feel like I don’t say it enough, man,” Mickey finally confesses.

Ian stops swaying, pulls back, and tenderly holds Mickey’s head in his hands. Looks him directly in the eyes. “Mickey. Listen to me. No, you don’t say it very much. But you don’t need to. Because you show me every fuckin’ day. And that’s so much more important and meaningful to me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean… you got me to stop wallowing on the couch when I lost my job, paid enough attention that you knew where that could lead. Stopped it before it got bad. Checked in with me. Don’t know where I’d be, ya know mentally, if it wasn’t for you. Worrying about me and shit. Fuck, I probably would have fallen through the cracks years ago without you. And… and you created a job for me so we could work together. You planned a surprise anniversary party for me. You moved to the fuckin’ Westside because I wanted to. You agreed to buy a duvet, for fuck’s sake, and helped me pick it out,” Ian laughs.

“Okay, yeah, I guess I am a pretty amazing husband. You really fuckin’ lucked out, Gallagher.”

“Yeah, damn straight I did,” Ian smiles and pulls his husband back into his arms, thinking the matter settled.

There’s a short beat before Mickey says, so quietly Ian almost doesn’t hear it, “I fuckin’ lucked out, too, ya know.”

“Ya did?” Ian asks casually, expecting a snarky answer. Another slow song has begun so they stay where they are, in each other’s arms on the dance floor.

“Yeah, man. Like… like with my fuckin’ dad?” Mickey begins.

Okay, not where Ian was expecting this conversation to go.

“You… you found nurses for him and shit… and kept trying when they… didn’t work out.” Mickey keeps pausing, like the conversation is making him uncomfortable, but he can’t stop. “He was an evil prick that didn’t fuckin’ deserve our help… but you helped anyway… for me, ya know? ‘Cause it was important to me.

“And then… when he…” Mickey sniffs uncomfortably, reaches up and scratches his nose with his thumb. “…you just let me cry for like, 4 days. Didn’t make fun of me. And you held me. But you didn’t let me forget what a monster he was, no matter how hard I tried to only remember the good shit.”

“Mick, it’s okay, we don’t have to talk about all this, not here anyway —,” Ian begins but Mickey interrupts him.

“No, I wanna… I spent so much of my life never saying what I fuckin’ feel and I want to tell you right now how I fuckin’ feel,” Mickey declares, determined but still so tender.

Ian just nods for him to continue.

“Look, all the shit with my dad is in the past. But I’ll never forget the way you were …just, there for me. Through all of it. It just… it meant a lot to me. It meant everything to me, man. I just… sorry, all this wedding shit has me all fuckin’ emotional and I just needed to let it out. Tell you what you mean to me, that’s all.” He clenches his eyes shut, and squeezes the bridge of his nose with his fingers, only briefly. “Just… don’t fuckin’ get used to it, okay?”

Mickey grins after that last statement, relieving some of the tense emotion of the last several minutes.

Ian smiles back and replies sarcastically, “Wasn’t planning on it, softie.”

“You’re a fuckin’ dick,” Mickey laughs and draws Ian in close, starts to sway to the music again.

“Hey, Mick?” Ian whispers into Mickey’s ear as the song finishes. “I love you too,” and he feels Mickey’s smile light up against his skin.

Ian and Mickey dance and drink the rest of the evening away, celebrating not only Lip and Tami, but also the freedom they’ve found in being so emotionally vulnerable with one another. There is a lightness that comes after getting things off their chests, sharing their unfiltered feelings with one another. This might not have been the ideal occasion to share such heavy stuff, but Ian doesn’t want Mickey to ever be scared again to just blurt out how he fuckin’ feels every minute.

———

They aren’t completely wasted, but are definitely drunk enough that they shouldn’t be driving home. They grab an Uber and Carl, who has an early shift the next morning and quit drinking around 9, drives the ambulance to the Gallagher house where they’ll pick it up later.

Feeling no pain, they laugh and joke and sing like when they were just drunk teenagers, arms tangled around each other, up the elevator and down the hall. It’s nearly 1am and they aren’t exactly being quiet. Their neighbor across the hall, an older eccentric lady named Rhonda, pokes her head out to see what the commotion is, catching the two men pressed up against the wall outside her door in the middle of a steamy kiss.

They finally notice her presence, break apart and Ian blurts out, “Heyyyy, Ms. Rhonda! So sorry to bother you!” as their cheeks turn bright red. They’re not embarrassed that she caught them making out in the hallway, they’re embarrassed because this isn’t the first time she’s caught them making out in the hallway.

“Oh, you beautiful boys are no bother!” she laughs. “Wish I had someone to throw me against a wall and kiss me like that. Shew! You two crazy kids have a great night; god love ya!” and retreats back into her apartment with a friendly smile and a wave.

They laugh, bid her good night, and decide they should probably go inside their apartment before they encounter one of their less friendly neighbors. Ian fumbles around with the key for what feels like an eternity before finally getting the door open. They stumble through the door, slamming it shut loudly behind them, Ian reaching up to lock the deadbolt.

He stops as soon as he throws the keys onto the entry table.

“In case I haven’t told you yet, Mick, you look hot as fuck in that suit. But…,” he steps closer to Mickey. “I think it’ll look even better on our bedroom floor,” Ian teases.

“‘Ey, you look pretty fuckin’ hot yourself,” Mickey responds, biting his lip.

They just stare at each other for a moment, appreciating the sight before them. Suits and ties and dressy shit don’t happen around here that often.

“S’you remember your promise from this morning, right? That if I got outta bed, you’d make it worth my while later?” Mickey asks playfully.

“Yeah?”

“Well, it’s fuckin’ later, Gallagher. Time to pay up,” Mickey declares with a flirty grin.

Ian doesn’t even hesitate. Grabs Mickey around the waist and pushes him back toward their bedroom, to their bed with the cloud mattress and the bright white duvet, to their haven.

ETA: Check out Ian, Mickey, and Rhonda’s friendship origin story here!

[oonathefaewitch]

Hey so I'm a self-taught witch who practices independently and I was hoping to learn a little bit from others as well. Do you have any books/resources/people you recommend looking into?

Hi there!

I'm a self-taught witch as well and I'm still at the beginning of my journey, at the moment I'm yet to finish the big blue book Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft of which I'm also sharing the lessons (you can find tose posts in my archive here) so for now I can only really recommend that one, but I'm marking down all the recommendend supplementary redings at the end of every lesson if you wanna check them out!

I'm also reading a very interesting and complete book about tarot called Holistic Tarot which i really recommend, it's a bit expensive maybe but it's totally worth it

Other than that I can write down here the list of recommended reading at the end of the blue book (with extra books other than the ones already listed at the end of every lesson), I can't recommend those personally (even if I did buy some of them but I still have to read them) but I think they're worth a shot if you'd like to know more, I'll add the other two I mentioned above in the list, in any case if you find other books online read carefully all the reviews cause many books are not serious about this topic

Also I'm not sure but I think these books below are all from white people and mainly about white cultures (and most of them are very old), so If you (or anyone else) have some recommendations about other cultures' book about witchcraft or ancient traditions I'd be glad to know more about that too!

As for people and other resources, I follow some witches on Twitter that shares interesting stuff, it would be too long to link all of their profiles so I can give you directly the list of people I follow here

I hope you'll find this helpful~

Color Healng by Mary Anderson

Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece by Edward E. Jr Barthell

Crystal Gazing by Theodore Besterman

I-Ching: The Book of Changes by J. Blofeld

Primitive Song by C. M. Bowra

Gerald Gardner: Witch by J. L. Bracelin

The Lost Gods of England by Brian Branston

Development of Religion and Thought is Ancient Egypt by J. H. Breasted

Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft / Amazing Secrets of the Psychic World / Color Magick / Gypsy Dream Dictionary / A Pocket Guide to the Supernatural / Practical Candleburning Rituals / Scottish Witchcraft & Magick / The Tree: Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft / Wicca For Life / The Witch Book: Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, WIcca and Neopaganism / Witchcraft From the Inside by Raymond Buckland

The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Zsuzsanna Budapest

Amulets and Talismans by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge

Egyptian Language by Oxford University Press

How to Read the Aura, Practice Psychometry, Telepathy and Clairvoyance by W.E. Butler

Ancient Ways by Dan and Pauline Campanelli

Handbook of Unusual and Unorthodox Healing by J. V. Carney

Handbook of Bach Flower Remedies by Philip M. Chancellor

Color Therapy by Linda Clark

Precious Stones: Their Occult Power and Hidden Significance by W. B. Crow

Lid Off the Cauldron / The Witches Speak Athol by Patricia Crowther

Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper

Earth Power / Living Wicca / Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham

Practical Guide to Astral Projection by Melita Dennings and Osborne Phillips

The Silent Path by Michael Eastcott

Patterns of Comparative Religion / Rites and Symbols of Initiation - Birth and Rebirth by Mircea Eliade

The Dream Game by Ann Faraday

What Witches Do / Eight Sabbats For Witches / The Witches' Way by Janet and Stewart Farrar

Magical Rites From the Crystal Well by Ed Fitch

The Golden Bought by Sir James G. Frazer

The Wisdom of Pagan Philosophers by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy

Totem and Taboo by Sigmund Freud

Witchcraft Today / The Meaning of Witchcraft / High Magic's Aid / A Goddess Arrives by Gerald Gardner

Complete Herbal by Gerard

Stalking the Healthful Herbs by Euell Gibbons

Witchcraft, the Sixth Sense, and Us by Justine Glass

Seasonal Occult Rituals by William Gray

The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft by Rosemay Ellen Guiley

Ancient Art and Ritual Kessinger by Jane E. Harrison

Palmistry, the Whole View by Judith Hipskind

Myth and Ritual by S. H. Hooke

Witch: A Magickal Journey by Fiona Horne

The Runes and Other Magical Alphabets by Michael Howard

Witchcraft by Penethorne Hughes

Memories Dreams and Reflections by Carl G. Jung

Aradia, Gospel of the Witches of Italy by Charles Godfrey Laland

Witches: Investigating an Ancient Religion / Gogmagog - the Buried Gods by T. C. Lethbridge

Healing For Everyone by E. Loomis and J. Paulson

Numerology by Vincent Lopez

Commond and Uncommond Uses of Herbs of Healthful Living by Richard Lucas

The Herb Book by John Lust

Pagan Parenting by Kristin Madden

Witta: An Irish Pagan Tradition by Edain McCoy

The Principles and Practice of Radiesthesia by Abbè Mermet

The Hearbalist by J. E. Meyer

The Craft by Dorothy Morrison

Green Witchcraft series by Ann Aoumiel Moura

Sexual Occultism by John Mumford

The Family Wicca Book by Ashleen O'Gaea

Reclaim the Power of the Witch by Monte Plaisance

Potter's New Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations by R. C. Potter

How to Make and Use Talismans / The Art of True Healing by Israel Regardie

The Seventh Sense by Kenneth Roberts

High Magic's Aid by Scire

The Book of Charms and Alisman by Sepharial

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion L. Starkey

Medical Palmistry by Marten Steinbach

Is This Your Day? by George S. Thommen

Magic and Healing by C. J. S. Thompson

Where Witchcraft Lives / An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present / Witchcraft For Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente

The Rites of Passage by Arnold Van Gennep

Herbal Manual by H. Ward

Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen

The I-Ching by R. Wilhelm

The Christians As the Romans Saw Them by Robert L. Wilken

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann and Katherine A. Gleason

[stonecoldjerseyfox]

Jersey on my mind (part 49)

The bright lights from the cars blinds him almost completely and he has to squint to be able to see anything that’s going on around him. His sight is blurry from being kept in the dark for hours and hours and all he can see is silhouettes moving around. Disoriented, he tries to orient himself but is abruptly pushed in the back and falls down onto the ground where he lands hard on his knees and palms. The ground underneath him is a mix of gravel, dry patches of grass, small twigs and brown leaves. He pants and looks up through the tussled, sweaty strands of hair. They’re in the woods, and by the bright car lights directed right at him it must be dark. He blinks and tries to adjust to the surroundings. His gaze soon becomes clearer and the first person he sees is-

“Rick!” 

As if his captors could read his mind, they’re holding him down with force, to prevent him from trying anything. Daryl’s heart pounds, as does his entire body from being beaten. How the hell did it come to this? He drove off in search of the Saviors, then it went straight to hell. He looks around; they’re all there. Rick, Carl, Sasha, Abe, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Rosita, Eugene- all of them are kneeled on the ground, surrounded by at least a hundred Saviors and their vehicles. The glade they’re in is lit by only the headlights of the cars. One of the Savior’s collects their weapons while denying Rick’s panicked pleas for negotiation; his friend’s face is filled with fear, glistening with sweat, maybe even tears. Daryl’s gaze flickers around, meeting his friends’ frightened eyes that stare back at him. They’re all thinking the same thing. Is this it? Is this how it will end? 

The Savior with the heavy mustache, Simon, speaks but Daryl doesn’t hear a word of what he’s saying. His head spins, he’s sick to his stomach and in pain, disoriented and scared. Desperately he tries to focus. 

“My, my-” the blonde Savior, Dwight, chuckles with a grin, while looking around at the kneeling group. “Looks like we’ve got the whole group gathered at last.”

“That ain’t all of ‘em.” Simon says, turns around and walks out of the circle of light.

A car booth is opened and commotion and a muffled voice is heard somewhere. The man with a mustache, Simon, drags, or more like wrestles a person out of the shadows. Its hands are tied up and the head is covered with a jute sack, but the worn doc martens, the skinny jeans, the lean, female frame he’s come to know as well as his own body is hard to mistake and Daryl’s heart drops. Without force she’s pushed down on the ground and lands on all fours in the soil. Simon tears her up from the ground so she kneels a few meters away from the others.

“This one belongs to you as well?” He pants with gleaming eyes and rips the bag from Mila’s head.

A wave of panic washes over Daryl at the sight of her and takes away the pain after every blow he has received. Why the hell is she here? Last time he saw her she was asleep, spooning Juri in their bed in Alexandria. Does that mean Juri’s here too? Or is he back in Alexandria? It’s surreal, just like all his nightmares. The difference is that he will not wake up from this one and realize that he’s still lying next to Mila in bed. The nightmare is reality and he is unable to do anything to change that. She must’ve been held in the booth of a car, away from the van where he, Glenn, Michonne and Rosita were kept. 

Disoriented, Mila blinks to adjust to the bright headlights. Haywirely she looks around at all of them all tied up and she clenches her jaw. She’s bleeding from her nose and mouth and the long braided ponytail barely holds together at her back. She must’ve put up a hell of a fight. The first to break the heavy silence is Carl.  

“Mila!”

The group laughs at Carl’s sudden outburst. Daryl can’t move, can’t utter a word. He’s completely numb with fear, desperately hoping for a sign; maybe it’s just another nightmare and he’s just lying in his bed back in Alexandria, bathing in his own sweat and squirming until he awakes in panic, only to realize that everything is fine. But he doesn’t wake up. This isn’t a nightmare. Mila’s there, just as real as any of them.  

“Thought so.” Simon gives her a hard push and Mila falls face down into the dirt, with her tied up-hands as the only protection from hitting her nose in the ground. Simon grabs her by the jacket and hollers her up again in a kneeling position. “This time ya’ messin’ with the wrong guy, bitch.”

Mila doesn’t flinch at Simon’s words, she doesn’t even look at him. The piercing blue eyes are glued straight forward; despite the distance between them, Daryl sees an angry tear fall down her cheek. If she turns her head and meets his gaze- Daryl wants nothing else than for her to look at him, but despite the threatening situation, Mila manages to sort her thoughts and somehow think smart. She’s understandably furious with him and if they were back in Alexandria she would surely lash out on him like a rabid cat, Daryl’s sure of that, but she constrains herself. The blank facial expression and the gaze that stares out into nothingness says it all; under no circumstances may they show fear, or any other emotion. Everything can be used against them. If this bunch of bitches finds out they’re spouses-

“We’re ready.” 

Simon’s statement pulls Daryl’s mind back to the forest, making him think somewhat clearly again. Ready for what? Simon knocks on the RV’s wall.

“Let’s meet the man.”

Daryl holds his breath, as does everyone else. The door opens and reveals only darkness. Then, without any hurry, a man steps out of the RV, wearing a biker style leather jacket and red scarf around his neck. He’s tall and dark haired, around forty years old, with a thin waist and broad shoulders, like an athlete. In his hand he holds a well kept baseball bat, wrapped in barbed wire. He looks like something out of a fifties blockbuster movie, a baddie with a flashy car or a heavy motorbike that always ends up in fights. However, this isn’t a movie.  

“Pissing our pants yet?” He greets them and grins wide.

No one answers. It’s dead quiet. The man takes one step further away from the RV, then another one, while chuckling.

“Boy-” He says. “Do I have a feeling we’re getting close.”

Slowly, as if he was window shopping, he starts walking around the kneeling half circle, resting the baseball bat on his shoulder. 

“Yup! It’s gonna be pee-pee pants city here soon. Really soon.” 

While pointing at them, still with a striking grin on his lips, he wants to know who’s their leader. Daryl’s heart beats frantically inside his chest and increases to full speed when Simon points at Rick. 

“This one.” 

Still smiling, the man strolls over to Rick, who’s shaking violently while kneeling on the ground. He’s terrified, just as terrified as Daryl is. 

“Rick, right?” The man greets Rick. “I’m Negan.”

If that wasn’t already clear, but it’s as if the air is sucked out of the glade at the revelation. Like if the devil had made himself present. Death and fear in human form. The fear once again washes over Daryl and he can’t really hear what is said; Negan berates Rick for killing his Saviors, then goes on to explain his proposed new world order, all while Daryl tries to repress the anxiety.

“It’s simple.” Negan shrugs his shoulders. “Y’all work for me now. You have shit, you give it to me and I won’t kill all of ya’ guys.” Negan explains it all with ease; he’ll let them live so that they can work for him. If they try something, he’ll kill them. Easy peasy. “But I gotta tell ya’-” He stops, looks around at the group and shakes his head. “I gotta beat the holy hell out of one of ya’ guys. Ya’ know. An eye for an eye. You’ve been killing a few too many of my men to get away with it.” He corrects his grip around the bat, holds it out in the air. “This is Lucille,” he says with a smile. “And she is simply awesome.” 

At first Daryl’s gaze flickers around the glade, in search of this Lucille. But none of the female Saviors makes any sign of being introduced by Negan. It then occurs to Daryl that it’s the bat in his hands he refers to. The bat is named Lucille. The guy’s fuckin’ mad. While Negan, with pompous confidence, reveals that the entire set up, including the roadblocks, Daryl yet again tries to catch Mila’s attention, all in vain. He tears his eyes from her when he hears Negan explaining that it all was an act to decide who gets the honor of dying. Won’t they all, Daryl thinks as Negan starts walking, eying the group. 

“Yup, I’m sooo gonna beat the hell outta one of you. Like a goddamn piñata.”

His words send chills down all of their spines. How could they possibly get out of this? All of a sudden he catches a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye and he shifts his full attention to Mila. Daryl feels like he’s on the verge of rupture as the mad fucker eyes her up and down with a smile, wider than ever, upon his lips. Do not look at her, for fuck sake, take your eyes off her, Daryl thinks and grinds his teeth. At the same time - how could he not look at her? She’s exceptional in every way. Right now, however, she is furious. The moonstruck bell of the ball. 

”Well well, who do we have here?” Negan chuckles with honest amusement. 

“Found her at the train track, looking for her friends.”

Negan looks up at Simon, who looks back at him with flickering eyes. He then points at Mila with the bat and the bright, picture perfect grin widens even more. 

”This is why I’m three men short?” He whistles ominously and lays the bat at rest at his shoulder. ”You fucking with me?” He looks at Simon to get a response. “Is this a joke? Candid camera, or what?” 

Gravely, Simon shakes his head in reply. Negan lets out an amused chuckle again and turns back to Mila. 

“Wow.” He whistles. “Ballsy. Damn fucking stupid, but ballsy.” Once again Negan shifts his attention back to Simon. “I think I may have overestimated you.”

“I got it.” Simon’s response is faint, not convincing at all. Mila surely put up a fight.

“Well, nah, did ya?” Negan tilts his head to the side; he’s not convinced either. “Three of my men are fucking dead!” He shouts so loud that everyone jumps. “Pathetic.”

“We-”

“What?” Negan interrupts Simon and holds his hand up to his ear. “Can’t hear ya’ over the bitchin’. Suck it up, old man. Ya’ got your ass kicked by a girl.” 

Negan lets his gaze rest at Mila a few seconds, nods a little, until he continues his walk past them. He stops at Abraham, who meets his eyes with a straight back,  then he pauses at Maggie. He lets out a faint laugh.

“Fucking hell! You look shitty.” 

Next to Daryl, Glenn squirms and looks completely destroyed with fear as Negan stands in front of Maggie. She’s pale and looks sick, can barely sit on her knees, but she looks straight at Negan. 

“I should just put you out of your misery right now.” Negan mutters. 

“Noo!” Glenn screams and lunges at Negan, but is pulled back with force by their captors while screaming and cursing.  

“No, no- stop it!” Maggie screams, while the two Saviors kick and beat him. “Please-”

Daryl is about to lunge as well, but remains on his spot when Dwight pushes Glenn down on the ground and holds the crossbow, Daryl’s crossbow, towards Glenn’s head. 

“Get back in line!” Dwight pulls Glenn back, while Negan drags his hand across his lips. 

It’s all too much. Once again, Daryl loses some of his hearing when the anxiety rises to unbearable levels. It’s his fucking fault Glenn’s there, his fault they’re all there. If he hadn’t been such an idiot Rosita, Glenn and Michonne wouldn’t have gone after him, and maybe none of them would’ve been out here. Mila wouldn’t have been here either. Daryl looks at her through like a panicked, blurry veil, kneeling on the ground, bruised and battered, not giving him as much as a glance. He can’t imagine what she’s thinking; of Juri certainly. What does she think about him, Daryl, though? He’s the reason she’s here and not with Juri right now. 

A whistling makes Daryl snap out again; Negan has started walking again, with Lucille hanging by the side. Slowly he moves past them while whistling an ominous tune. It goes on what feels like forever. Back and forth, whistling, looking at them. 

“I simply cannot decide.” Negan declares and chuckles. “Heh, I got an idea.” Smiling, he points the barbed wired head of the bat at Rick’s forehead. “Eeny…”

A game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe unfolds. The most bizarre version Daryl’s ever been part of. It makes the version of the game Merle did in a local strip club when he wanted to pick one of the dancers, also working as prostitutes, seem like child’s play. Lucille, with her crown of barbed wire, wanders around them all, until-

“It.”

[missoneminute]

Do you really think that's Peter on the left side of the picture? The person is standing on his toes to kiss Carl, I'm guessing. And this person is very petite. Isn't that more like Edie? The person on the right in the picture is definitely Carl and not Peter; Peter has never worn such great and beautifully shined boots in his whole life. And I only know the red cloth from Carl. Just wondering.

Hello! It’s Peter on the left (in the light brown shoes) and Carl on the right (in the Doc Martens with the red bandana). They were tagged by the person who took the photo and can be identified by their shoes also. Carl’s closer to the camera than Peter, which gives the impression of Peter looking more petite than he is. They do appear to be physically interacting but we have no idea what their upper bodies are doing - my guess would be a drunken hug with arms akimbo, though it does look hilariously suggestive. X

[josiebelladonna]

six feet under | chapter ten

The last time I saw Kristina before her suicide was right before Joey joined us, and then after that I didn't see her again. She just disappeared after that.

It was literally one day before Carl flew upstate and scouted him out in that little club, and literally one day before Joey's band Bible Black called it a day. I had just gotten off the phone with my fiancee at the time, and I forget what I had told her but it was that conversation I really began to feel the first tinges of cold feet. I was starting to regret my decision of popping the question to her and asking for her hand, because I knew in my heart of my hearts that it wasn't with her.

So I picked up the phone and I dialed Kristina's number. I was alone: Frankie and Charlie were on the other side of the studio with Jon and Carl was preparing on flying upstate because he had a lead on Joey. Now that I think about it, I always found it odd that I always managed to come together with her whenever no one was looking. Holding that phone up to my ear, it doesn't sound as romantic as when I put it into words, but I actually thought of her as a ghost at that point. A ghost and the goddess Persephone.

One thing that always got to me was how no one else seemed to wonder about me and her, like no one ever asked me about her, and it was when Charlie pointed it out to me when I began to wonder about her and her place in our periphery.

“Kristina always comes to you,” was what he told me that one time. “She always goes back to you.”

“She always goes back to Danny, too,” I replied.

“Well, yeah, but every time I've seen her, she always gravitates to you, though.” And it wasn't until I got off the phone with her that last time when I realized he was right. Even with the amount of time he had spent with her.

I called her to see what she was doing and if she wanted to hang out for a little bit while our producer was flying upstate to scout out our new lead singer. She had nothing going on so she agreed to do so.

And she showed up at the studio within about twenty minutes of me hanging up. She was quick to get there, especially since the drive from Queens to Manhattan is no walk in the park, especially back then in the early eighties.

I met her outside, and I could feel the rain coming: this was in the middle of September give or take, before Rosh Hashanah, so the rains were upon us. The wind blew up between us so a bunch of leaves blew around us. I didn't know if I was going to have another chance given I was going to be a married man soon, and I had no clue as to what her plans were. But all I knew was my sentiment was long overdue, especially given how much time and effort I had leant to her. I let her cry in front of me and I let her be herself with me. I needed to let her have it.

So I stood in front of her, dressed in my Agnostic Front shirt and big black Doc Martens and long thick dark hair, and I held onto her shoulders and looked right into those dark eyes.

“I just want you to know that I love you very much,” I said to her, “and I'll always love you no matter what happens to either of us. One of us could be dead and I'll still find a way to love you, even if it means—you know, one of us being dead.”

And she said, “Scott—I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to hear you say that to me, too.” And without another word, I put my lips to hers.

It was my romance with her, and I didn't want to let it go, and I knew she didn't want to let it go, either. But she told me she had to leave. She was going out to the Hamptons. I vowed to go pick her up if things didn't work out with Joey, like if something happened to Carl or we needed somebody else, or we needed to go in a different direction. I could call off my engagement and run off with her. She could be our guitar player like what Charlie wanted her to be.

But it didn't happen. She got back into her car and drove off to Long Island.

And I didn't hear about her again until Danny called me that one day fourteen years later. And her rose pendant found its way to me.

And with nothing more, I better make my way down to Ellis Island to drop off this pendant. It's been good, Boston.

But now I have to do one more thing for her.

[wausaupilot]

Wausau man gets probation, plea deal in stalking case

He'll stay out of prison if he follows the rules of his probation for 3 years.

By Shereen Siewert

WAUSAU — A 20-year-old Wausau man accused of stalking and intentionally ramming into the back of a teenage girl’s vehicle before crashing into a tree on Wausau’s east side reached a plea deal Wednesday that will allow him to avoid prison time if he stays out of trouble for three years.

Carl Martens initially faced felony charges in Marathon County Circuit Court of stalking,…

[antiqueanimals]

I had a brain fart and read the tag Carl Burger on that pine marten post and thought you had named the fuzzy dude Carl Burger for some reason. I thought I missed some inside joke for a second.

you would be surprised at the amount of ppl that think the artists name is the god given name of the animal pictured