#Deacons of Defense

[blackbrownfamily]

[planetill]

Stokely Carmichael and the Origins of "Black Power"

By TJ Love Black Power. For Black folks, the meaning of the term is self evident. Black Power was here before any other rallying cry and it will always be the most relevant, impactful, unimpeachable, and sturdy ideal for us to strive for when all the catch phrases and hashtags in fade away. Continue reading Untitled

[oldworldwidgets]

see the plus in the center? that means there's an ally nearby.

...

certified oldworldwidgets posting <3

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today, on November 30th, 1992

EMI RECORDS released Freddie's single 'In My Defence'/ 'Love Kills (Wolf Euro Version)'

'In My Defence'

Producer: Dave Clark, Freddie Mercury

Remix, Producer: Ron Nevison

Written by: Dave Clark, David Soames, Jeff Daniels

'Love Kills (Wolf Euro Version)' - Metropolis (1984)

Producer: Freddie Mercury, Giorgio Moroder, Mack

Producer Remix: Richard Wolf

Written by: Freddie Mercury, Giorgio Moroder

[historyhermann]

A paper I wrote in fall 2015 about Black women's role in armed self-defense from 1955 to 1975. This paper actually got me a job at the Maryland State Archives!

[deaconsleatherpants]

welcome to the brughiverse 👀✨

[reasoningdaily]

How These Civil Rights Era Black Men Terrorized The KKK - DEACONS FOR DEFENSE

[xxanaduwrites]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ a residue series installment ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

sweet talkin’

main hive 🐝 | next part here: honey, are you comin’?

✎ elementary-teacher!reader (miss.honey) x biker!benny 🏍️

summary: in which “uncle benny” picks up johnny’s girls from school and finds some honey along the way ;)

warnings: not much of anything besides talks of danger & some side eyes from on-lookers. an absolute fluff cake of a piece really. enjoy! x

author’s note: ngl there is some inaccuracies. i fully made up locations & such. never been to chicago or illinois even, but maybe someday :)

word count: 2.8k

💌 requests are open, send ‘em honey 💋

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

You remember it like it was yesterday, the very first time you met Benny Cross. Ironically, it was one of those sticky sweet days in June, just before the start of summer ‘65. The Chicago heat was hard to beat in the cramped little classroom you worked in on Phipps Avenue. Your third graders were all flushed faces with curly cues frizzing about, and their red little cheeks burned in exhaustion. It was no surprise that you lost their ears to the tsk tsk tsk of sprinklers swirling about on the school grounds. Even though the principal was against it, you were rather relieved to see your students running about the wet grass come dismissal.

It was a lovely reprieve, truly to be out of the shoe box you worked in at the end of the day. Sure, the heat hadn’t let up. It was awfully sweltering passing clammy hand to clammy hand to their designated pick up person. But you loved being a teacher. Moreseo you loved those sweet turned up smiles that graced those baby faces of your students as they chatted about their after school plans. Heading down to the local pool or picking up a firecracker pop at the corner store was such a sweet treat. It made you miss being that young again, finding hidden treasures through the little bits of life.

You moved like clockwork during dismissal, attentive as you made small talk with parents and hugged your students goodbye. The pick of the cycle was usually smooth on your part. You knew who tended to be retrieved right away and who was left hanging, so it took you by a hint of surprise when you found yourself still hand in hand with Mr. and Mrs. Davis’s little girls.

You knew the Davis’s well — as well as anyone could holding residence in the quaint village of McCook, Illinois. Mr. Davis and his wife Betty were perishoners at the local church you frequented with your Ma and Pa. St. Caron’s on the corner of Rose and Dawn. You’d see them all together in their Sunday best, the kids in puff pastry kind-of dresses packed together in a pew with their Ma, while their Pa was mulling about in his pressed suit and tie. There was no trace of the Vandals you’d come to know, the Johnny that would be amplified under that some-what imposterous clean cut demeanor. You’d see him solemn as ever ushering pew to pew with the collections basket for the poor and at communion during the mass.

Yet, if you had to name one thing that complimented Johnny to Mr. Davis, it had to be his consistency with being on time. Never once was he ever late to church. 12pm sharp he’d be looking at his watch, waitin’ for the priest and deacon to do their thang. The same applied for his children and their respected school schedule.

It took you a moment to remember the note from the office that was sent up in the afternoon. In your defense, mastering concentration in this heat proved almost impossible. Until it wasn’t. You could see the lovely writing of the secretary with that neat cursive of hers in the back of your mind, reminding you that the Davis girls would be picked up by their Uncle Benny come dismissal.

That would explain it, you thought. But would it really? Fathoming a member of Mr. Davis’s family not being as meticulous as him? You momentarily wondered how the man would react to such a thing as being late. You were sure it wasn’t in his vocabulary by any means.

Your fingers, engulfing the petite ones of the Davis girls, squeezed their hands reassuringly. “M’sure your Uncle Benny will be here any moment.” Neither of them said anything as you glanced between the two flanked at your sides, little eyelashes blinking up at you without a care in the world. And here you thought they would be just as anal-retentive as their father.

They weren’t.

Since the school yard was becoming less compact with people, and the principal put an end to the fun with the sprinklers, you figured some chit-chat wouldn't hurt to keep them occupied. “You girls have any fun afternoon plans?”

The Davis girl on the right, taller, darker hair, lookin’ far too much like her father — a carbon copy if you will — spoke up then. “Yes! Uncle Benny is takin’ us to a picnic. Gonna see Daddy race his bike, Miss. Honey.”

A bike race, huh? You couldn’t remember seeing anything in the McCook weekly papers ‘bout an upcoming cycling event. But, hey maybe you happened to miss it on your skim of the thing, when your Pa just so happened to put it down for a second durin’ dinner.

“Well, ain’t that sweet!” You chirped, smiling brightly at the girls with genuine excitement in your eyes. “Sure it’ll be tons of fun.”

“S’not when Daddy gets all muddy.” The smaller girl, the one that looked more like her mother. Lighter hair and lighter eyes said. Her tiny face contorted into a grimace.

Muddy? Weren’t cycling races on the roads?

Surely the town would block off the streets like they did for those celebratory parades. The little one was probably exaggerating.

“Aw,” you hummed, a frown dousing your features. “M’sure your Pa is just real dedicated, y’know?” You tried to bring out the bright side for your student. “S’like when you buy a fresh book and worry about those pages dentin’. Y’won’t know if you like it if you don’t read it, right?” The girls nodded. “Dentin’ the pages just goes to show all that love you had for that book while readin’ it.”

“I guess…” The Davis girl shrugged, tiny fingers wrapping about the strap of her pretty pink backpack. Seemingly, she wasn’t as impressed as her sister to the right.

You were gonna change the subject. Gonna start chatting ‘bout something else, when a twist of tiers against the pavement sent a squeak across the air. Your mother-hen instincts kicked in instantly, protective hands pulling the girls behind you without a second thought. All heads turned simultaneously to the intrusion on the road, expecting the worst. Expecting a crash of sorts. But no, there was no crash, just a slick car pulling abruptly up against the sidewalk and jerking to a startling stop. One that could only be equated to the driver going far above the speed limit in a school zone.

It went quiet. Far too quiet as the lot of remaining faculty, students, and parents alike kept their eyes peeled back sharply at the reckless driver. Funnily enough the attentive stares of onlookers could have very well been just as bad as those witnessing an actual crash.

You weren’t any better than the rest, collecting snap shot after snap shot like a roll of consecutive film. You could still hear the engine cutting out, the door swinging open and closing with a solid flick of his wrist. A wrist that would do far worse to you in the bedroom. Far worse in the eyes of your religious upbringing, but would feel too holy to you to be considered a sin.

You only caught a glance of him for a second until his back was facing towards you, thick white letters staking his claim with a skull and crossbones for the Chicago Vandals on his cut down vest.

You’d heard a thing or two about those motorcycle men. Your father ranting and raving about the disturbances near route 95 and police chases. But never, had you ever seen one of them in the flesh up close and personal. A shrill of unprecedented delight shot up your spine at the colorful sight, no longer reserved to those blurry black and white paper cuttings.

Stopping in his tracks, you figured his car must have broken down or somethin’ – but no. He was putting out his cigarette with his worn down boot before making his way over to you, and oh he had his eye on you alright.

A relative unease wahed across the school yard, harder than the obvious heat wave as he sauntered across without a care in the world. As if dozens of heads weren’t makin’ disgusted faces and whispering about. Yet a clear intimidation set over them, people stepping out of the way without a word as if he was a Bible figure. Like Moses parting the red sea.

“Uncle Benny!” One of them chirped. Who you didn’t know, couldn’t know with the sudden flush creeping against your cheeks. Your heart dropped to your stomach once you realized who it was and that the man himself with dirty blonde scruff, calloused fingers, and a black inked layer over a honey toned canvas was makin’ a beeline to you. A beeline to you and the girls.

It was the taller Davis girl that must have called out his name, cause suddenly she was pulling you and her sister forward to meet Benny half way. You almost tripped down the stairs within the broken bubble of her excitement. Barely having a moment’s notice to collect yourself, you found your pristine baby pink ballet flats toe to toe with some scruffed up biker boots that had seen better days. You managed a breath before you looked up and boy were you glad you did.

The wind was practically knocked clean out of you when you were caught face to face with the Benny Cross. It wasn’t because you were scared of him — no. You were more taken aback with how pretty he was. How his deeply set ocean eyes managed to speak volumes without saying a word.

And suddenly, on the front steps of Phipps Avenue School you felt seen. More seen than you had ever felt in your life. He wasn’t the only one sticking out like the sorest of thumbs. So were you with your baby pink tank to match your shoes with your signature embroidered denim overall dress. Hair up and out of your face, loose honey curls frizzing about. Your kitsch tastes and unpolished attire were rather baffling for the picturesque depiction gracing the magazines your Ma read at the salon.

Some would say you were lost somewhere in Neverland. Lots of your fellow teachers would crack jokes here and there ‘bout it too. Sure, on a bad day a jab or two could get to you — but hey you liked what you liked and you weren’t gonna change that. Not for anybody. Not even for your Ma or Pa who grimaced at your bedazzled pins wedged into your messy curls during Sunday mass.

So Benny, well who were you to judge him?

“Hi, you must be Uncle Benny,” you greeted the brood of a man in front of you, flexing a sweet-like-honey smile that was just oh-so-you. You let go of the Johnny look-a-likes hand then, allowing her to wrap her small self around Benny’s leg in pure delight to see him as you outstretched your hand in a shake. To your dismay, he didn’t take it. Instead, his free hand that wasn’t mushing up Johnny’s girls dark locks as he patted her head fished for his pack of Marlboro reds in his vest pocket. That didn’t stop you from introducing yourself though. “I’m Miss. Honey.”

He gave you once over, eyes tracing you from head to toe before the edge of his lip tweaked up in a sly smile. “Honey, huh?” He mused, that deep set voice of his, thick and smokey sweetin’ up something deep inside you.

Dropping your hand back down against your dress, the material felt rather rough on your clammy skin. “Yuh-huh.” You nodded, that tight smile of yours making your eyes twitch just a bit.

A fresh cigarette materialized between his teeth then, unlit. A strange courtesy you found rather charming on the midst of educational grounds. “Hm,” he hummed, the narrow cylinder vibrating against his lips as his eyes devoured you a second time. Yet, you figured he was more unimpressed. Most were anyways.

“Benny! Benny! Can we go see Daddy now?” The girl wrapped around his leg yanked his belt loop with a small finger. The little one was still at your side, hand in hand with you. It was kind of amusin’ how different the two were. It was simple figuring out who was the bigger Daddy’s girl of the two.

“In a ‘inute, sweet-art,” he mumbled, that cigarette of his disrupting any fully coherent sentence from spillin’ out. “C’mere ‘ittle one,” he motioned to the shorter girl who was rather uninterested in leaving. In the midst of your conversation, she managed to keep her hand raised, keeping herself conjoined to you as she sat down on the bottom step in complete and utter protest.

“Don’t wanna.” She pouted down at her bunny tied saddle shoes that matched her pretty little pick-tails.

In a sense, you couldn’t blame her. Now it was all adding up. What was really going on. This wasn’t just some run of the mill village cycling marathon. This was a Vandals bike race.

Any other teacher would have probably made a stink, called the parents in for a sit down with the principal over infiltrating their kids in a biker environment infused with criminal records. But, you weren’t like that — no. Especially when you’d see a child’s eyes light up with so much delight. It was clear that Mr. Davis’s look-a-like was really proud of her father. Who could blame her? Respected throughout the community, a family man who put his all into a trucking' job.

A picnic with some bike racin’ wouldn’t be so bad, right?

Not with Mr. Davis involved.

So, you gave the benefit of the doubt. Sure, it could have been for all those reasons that were swarming about your head, but in actuality your heart was working double time over your mind. The image of the Davis girl clinging to Benny’s leg had teddy bear written all over it, giving you all the sweet talkin’ you’d need. Ironically enough, in due time that soft side of him would turn into plushy lovin’ reserved just for you.

“Lemme,” you mouthed to Benny before getting down to the little one’s level. Flattening out your skirt you took a seat next to her and rested both hands over her own in her lap. “Remember when we were talkin’ about a good book? Dentin’ the pages?” The girl nodded, but didn’t meet your eye. Instead, Benny doing the opposite, his eyes practically grilled onto your peripheral vision. “Well, sometimes if we are too protective of it. Too keen on keeping it all in tack, we’ll never learn not to and we’ll just be more and more disappointed when we come across a little crack we never created in the first place. We may not like it, but it’s there, and there is so much love there.” You squeeze the little girl’s hand. “Just like your old man racin’. You may not like it, but he does, and that’s quite alright. You know why?”

“Why?” She looked up at you then, little doe eyes attentive as ever, clinging onto your every word. It was times like this that reminded you why you were a teacher.

“‘Cause you love him, no matter what” You replied, tilting your head ever-so subtly to observe her reaction.

And oh did Benny love you. He didn’t know it then. Couldn’t fully compartmentalize it until later. Yet, unbeknownst to you, it was one of the first of what would become many of Benny's thoughts on how damn good of a teacher you were, how fine of a wife you’d make, and how sweet of a mother you’d be.

Thankfully, your words must have resonated with the little girl. It only took a moment for those delightful dimples of hers to grace those little features before her lips turned up in a sweet smile. “We gotta go Uncle Benny!” The girl declared suddenly, standing up straight with a whole new attitude. You were glad to supply the optimism. That’s what you were all about. That was the lesson you hoped to instill to your students the most.

You couldn’t help but smile yourself, feeling like a warm blanket was being draped over your shoulders soundly. Not uncomfortable. Not contributing to the intolerable heat wave. You’d only been in your second year of teaching, but hey — small victories like this made it worth it. Made you proud of yourself, even if you couldn’t find such gratitude from others.

Little did you know, Benny — he was so fuckin’ proud. Proud to see you spreading such honey-coated wisdom to a youngin’. And there on the steep steps of Phipps Avenue school as the little one wrapped her arms around you and thanked you profusely before grabbing Benny’s hand and heading to Johnny’s car, he found his mission.

You were gonna be his wife.

He was sure of it.

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this was so much fun to write! i hope you liked it :) i’m thinking of also including some honey interviews curtesy of danny ! stay tuned for “from the hive” 🎙️🐝

also to note, my requests are open for any miss honey x benny cross works + any convos about these two in general. don’t be shy honey, i’m all for yapping in the asks.

+ don’t forget to comment if you’d like be added to “da bee hive” (my version of da tag list)

smoochies. all da love xanadu 💋

da bee hive 🐝🍯:

@nervousnerdwitch

@sunnbib

@rose-deathman

@austinbsblog

@thegabbyh

@jihyowrrld

@bellesdreamyprofile

@superemobitch

@m00npjm

@imusicaddict

@astrogrande

@alana4610

@cynic-spirit

@mariaenchanted

[stoat-party]

More Obscure Facts About Fallout 4 Companions*

*Now with slightly more unverified psychoanalysis!

X6 gets anxious at the thought of large crowds.

Codsworth likes to imagine being a father to a little robot son. Hang on, buddy, I’m getting my six hundred pounds of scrap metal out of storage.

MacCready seems to have lived in Bigtown for some period of time, or at least visited enough to have memories there. Also, the Lone Wanderer (or one of their companions/Sidney) told him about their encounter with Button Gwinnett.

Despite having little empathy for the people of the Commonwealth, Cait often becomes distressed imagining the victims of the bombs, especially when children are involved.

Danse believes that pre-war healthcare and scientific research should have been publicly owned. He hates corporations in general, especially Vault-Tec.

Nick not only loves poetry, but he’s also able to recite several famous poems such as Ozymandias and The Raven. He’s very sad to see destroyed books at the library.

It’s been confirmed by a non-Deacon source that he spent a month as a ghoul. (Somehow.) NPC dialogue implies that he was telling the truth about disguising himself as a woman for awhile, too.

Apparently Piper was a complete nightmare as a child. She would steal her dad’s pistol, shoot the combat inhibitors off robots, and let them run through town.

There’s some sort of debate in the fandom about whether Curie was originally a Miss Nanny or a Mister Handy, but she confirms in dialogue that she was a Miss Nanny.

Nick can feel pain! :(!

Deacon likes molerats, hates killing them, and wishes he could domesticate them. He should visit Sloan.

A probably incomplete list of things Danse wishes he could do: Fishing, watching a movie, playing/watching baseball, seeing a show at an amphitheater, bowling, shopping

TBH I was wrong on the last post. Preston doesn’t like swimming, his dialogue is tagged as sarcastic there. In my defense, he’s got depression and tends to speak flatly. That means that not one single companion likes to swim, except Strong who doesn’t care.

Despite maintaining there’s a difference between robots and synths, Nick believes in robot rights and often encourages robots not to think of themselves as slaves.

[autisticgingerblonde]

If Fallout 4 companions had TikTok accounts

Cait would have an account dedicated to fighting and thirst traps (aimed at women mostly). Teaches women self-defense techniques. She earns a spot in the algorithm of muscle mommies. She also raises awareness for addicts and former addicts, educating on the effects of drugs and the reasons people seek them out in the first place. Honestly, it's a very good account to follow.

Codsworth is just confused about TikTok. He's like "oh so what are the children saying these days? Aura? I'll have to add a new word to my vocabulary banks! Cheerio, mum!"

Curie makes educational videos for all ages and all subjects. She has a series of learning Japanese, a series of vaccines and the science behind them, a series about the effects of different types of parenting, you name it. She also takes suggestions from her audience on what new things to research.

Danse has unintentional thirst traps. He talks about power armor and the Brotherhood of Steel but also posts workouts. These are what get the most attention out of everything he posts. The BookTok girlies find him and all hell breaks loose in the comment sections. He responds to this with, "Thank you, civilians. I am not sure what you mean, but I am glad you are supporting the Brotherhood of Steel by being on my page. Thank you for your enthusiasm for our righteous cause. Ad victorium." People armchair diagnose him as autistic.

Deacon does "GRWM as i tell you about the time i ______" videos where each day he looks completely different and you can never tell if he's telling the truth or not. He also does head shaving videos that double as story times or opinion pieces. You can't tell if those are true or not either.

Dogmeat has a viral account followed by millions. Get's a lot of "I can't imagine liking this guy" comments with the op replying to their own comment with "anymore than I already do. Huge fan!"

Hancock does subtle cheeky thirst traps and dance challenges. This entire post was inspired by the FACT that Hancock would participate in the brat summer trend and would do the Apple dance with Fahrenheit filming it. He also tells stories, mostly of him being high. He gets a lot of requests to cosplay Deadpool.

MacCready has a lot of things he does. Some videos are sniper trick shots, some are Grognak the Barbarian yapping (he does short lore deep dives when he can), and some are about being a young single dad. He doesn't show Duncan's face because he's extremely protective. Casually drops the most insane lore about his childhood which leads to comments like "are we just ignoring that he said he grew up in a cave?"

Nick Valentine would be a very popular fashion and "a day in the life of a detective". He'd do vintage fashion looks, like loose slacks and suspenders with a trench coat to top it off. Sometimes does a deep dive into detective history. Gets a lot of thirsty comments to which he replies "that's one way to get the coolant pumping."

Old Longfellow has the appeal of the New England, stormy weather, sweater-wearing fisherman aesthetic, and he tells stories of his youth while showing people around the area he grew up. Learns mobile phone cinematography to make it look cooler. Every video has either a lesson or a skill for survival.

Piper's account is solely focused on news and truth, posting every source she uses. She uses the trend of an insane video, like someone falling badly on the ground or getting splashed with water, and stitches it to look like a seamless transition of her rolling from the fall or being splashed to start talking about her news stories. It gets traction so she continues.

Porter Gage has a side gig of running TikTok accounts for different people. Gets the money, doesn't get the backlash when they get canceled for racism or worker exploitation.

Preston has an account dedicated to charity work and social activism. He makes sure to highlight organizations he feels are doing the world a service and regularly has fundraisers. He's well-known for always sharing content from people in dire situations and raising money for them. Has a master document of Go Fund Me pages and vets every one of them.

Strong has a lot of those unintentional boomer tiktoks that are 1 second long and he's just looking at the screen in confusion.

X6 cyber bullies the rest of them because he thinks having a TikTok is cringe and stupid (he is currently writing hate comments with his TikTok account)

[peachhcs]

will and Mack at Samy’s playoff game

winning the title

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

samy’s team gains their first national title after a heartbreaking loss last season!

wc: 2.2k

i rewrote this 3 different times bc i hated it and i hate the ending (and still coming out of my slump) but hopefully u guys don’t! i realized i’ve never mentioned marcie after the wonder years so i put her in here so we know i didn’t forget about her lol

au masterlist

in a close match, the michigan wolverines were tied with four minutes left in the final half. the entire crowd in the sportsmed complex were on their feet in anticipation as the wolverines and deacons battled it out for the national cup. they were going sudden death, so whoever scored the next point would win the entire thing. samy was on the field yelling incoherences to the stands, but clear instruction to her teammates who followed the brunette around the field. 

"come on, samy. get us one more point," ethan muttered under his breath. after a long two hours, the stands were reduced to nothing but silence. the rowdiness became too much and after pretty cruel profanities fell from some fan's lips about the ref's calls, everyone was asked to stay silent in the last ten minutes. 

the entire scene felt like an erie horror movie while up to 2,000 people watched the game unfold in front of them but no sounds left anyone's lips besides the players. will clutched macklin and gabe's arms who stood on either side of him waiting in anticipation for someone to score. they've been tied since the first half and after a tough show throughout the second, no one managed to score. 

samy searched for an opening when she got her feet on the ball. the girls surrounded her, but the brunette was faster. she pushed her way out of the crowd and broke free towards the goal. will's grip tightened, his breath catching the closer his girlfriend got to the net. 

the excitement didn't last long. one of wake's defense came running up in full force. the two girls collided in a loud smack that sent both of them to the ground and echoed across the stadium. will cringed, instinctively trying to rush to her when samy coiled into herself, but macklin and gabe held him back. ethan couldn't stop the words slipping from his lips this time, "what the fuck! that was a foul!"  

his eruption caused the rest of the stands to burst out like they were waiting for someone to speak out first. things went crazy as the refs blew their whistles to try and shush everyone and samy's teammates crowded around her. 

"alright, alright, quiet in the stands please. they're taking a look at the girls now," the commentators chirped up, trying to hush the now mad fans murmuring things to one another. 

"that was a hit! she deserves a red card!" ethan didn't stop and now mark and luke were trying to shush him before someone kicked him out for being loud. 

will craned his neck, trying to see over the other players who still hovered over the brunette. the fact that she wasn't up yet worried him. mack and gabe kept holding him back so he wouldn't run onto the field. "just wait. she'll get up," gabe said. 

at the same time he said that, samy's teammates parted and she was on her feet. her coach was there and they were talking. will couldn't really make out what was being said but he could tell samy was trying to say she was fine to keep playing the last 3 minutes. 

"looks like #6 is on her feet and is going to continue playing," the announcers officially said. the michigan crowd couldn't help their cheers of relief for their star player. 

"thank god," will muttered and eased off. 

he found samy's brief glance to the stands, speaking with his eyes to make sure she really was okay. she nodded before getting herself back into position, but the relief didn't last long when the refs came back onto the field with only a yellow card. 

"WHAT THE FUCK! that hit was intentional! throw her out! fucking idiots!" ethan was up in riots now with nothing luke or mark could do to calm him down anymore. 

"hey, you! out!" the security guard was quick to grab ethan's attention. 

"out?! what do you mean out! she intentionally hit her!" the boy tried arguing. 

"that kind of language is not tolerated here. out," the guy wasn't playing around. 

"he won't do it again, i promise. there's only 3 minutes left of the game," jack spoke up in hopes that the guy would ease off. 

"we don't tolerate that language to the players or the refs. he needs to leave," the guy shook his head, standing firm on his word. a frustrated sigh left the older boy's lips as he took his defeat and stood up. 

the security escorted ethan out. mark and luke shook their heads, "i told him to shut his mouth," mark muttered. 

the game restarted with a corner kick from michigan. samy took the lead, waiting for the ref to give her the go ahead. knowing her aim, there was a really good chance she'd make it in or at least assist. everyone held their breaths again when the whistle blew and samy went to take the kick. 

the ball curved through the air. the wake forest girls got themselves ready, the goalie jumping up to try and stop it from going in. she was an inch short though. the ball sailed past her fingertips straight into the back of the net and for a second, everything was still. the players stared at the goal for a good ten seconds before commotion broke from the crowd. 

"she did it! holy shit, she did it!"mark exclaimed, jumping onto luke's back. will did the same to macklin and gabe while ryan joined into the excitement. 

"and that's game, folks! the michigan wolverines have won the game 3-2 making themselves the ncaa champions!" michigan fans screamed out in excitment as the team stormed the field to celebrate the victory. 

samy's entire section were on their feet cheering her name and waving around the posters they made for her. the girl was lifted into the air by her teammates as someone handed her the trophy to hold up. 

will and the guys pushed themselves to the railing. as soon as samy was back on the ground, she ran towards them, her whole face glowing with happiness. will caught her figure as she climbed the rail, engulfing her into a bone crushing hug despite the metal bar separating them. the two shared a passionate kiss, ignoring the hollers of everyone else and the sudden cameras trying to capture the moment. "i'm so fucking proud of you," will said once they pulled a part and the girl smiled wide. 

"i gotta go, but i'll catch all of you after!" samy called to everyone else before jumping off the railing and running back to her teammates. 

her family watched with pride as got her hat and huddled up with her teammates for the photo with their banner and trophy. the confetti popped a moment later earning more glowing smiles from all the girls and cheers from the families. ellen hurried to grab some photos on her phone before the girls broke a part to jump around some more in the confetti. will's heart swelling seeing samy down there with her teammates with nothing but pure joy on her features. 

after such a long season and getting injured, she made it happen. their redemption finally came after last year. the brunette flopped down onto the ground, the confetti circling around her and she started doing snow angels. 

after awhile, the families were invited onto the field. luke, jack, and quinn took the lead to greet their little sister. jack scooped her up and the four shared a loving hug as they congratulated her. 

"congrats squirt! you played like a beast," jack exclaimed, roughing up her hair and stealing her hat to replace his own. 

"thanks for coming, it means a lot," samy grinned before jumping into her parent's arms. will and the others hung back to let the family have their moment before they tackled the girl in hugs from themselves. 

samy's gaze swept across the group, landing on will again. her smile grew and she was out of her mom's arms and into his a moment later. will spun her around and gave her a proper hug now that there wasn't a metal bar between them. 

"i'm so glad you came," she mumbled into his neck.

"i wouldn't miss this for the world," will kissed her cheek before letting her go knowing the others were waiting for their turn.

as soon as the brunette's gaze landed on her roommate, the two girls shrieked in excitement. they embraced in a similar loving hug as hannah gushed how excited and proud she was. everyone watched as the youngest hughes went around greeting everyone who came. she hugged mark, ryan, and gabe just as tightly. will watched their exchanges with a love-filled gaze. this year has really dawned on him just how many people loved the girl he did and showed up to support her no matter what, especially mark and ethan who dropped everything to be here since friday. 

the last guest was one the group had been hiding all day. she flew in last night wanting to surprise samy, so when ryan and gabe stepped to the side to reveal her, the brunette's expression turned into shock. 

"congratulations, hughes!" marcie exclaimed before samy ran into her arms. everyone watched the sweet exchange with smiles on their lips. 

"what the hell are you doing here?!" the soccer player exclaimed. 

"i wanted to surprise you. i flew in last night," marcie grinned to which samy just hugged her again. "you really think i'd miss watching you win your first national title?" the girls shared a laugh. 

"wow, this is..wow. i'm so glad you guys are all here," samy swept her gaze over everyone again.

"eddy's out waiting in the parking lot. he did get kicked out with three minutes left for swearing at the refs," luke explained making everyone laugh.

"of course he did. typical," the younger girl laughed again. 

"well, let's go get him and go celebrate!" ellen cheered. 

the coaches also booked out one of the hotel's conference rooms they were staying at to invite the players and their families to celebrate with them. it was lively in the large room as players greeted their friends, had food, and their new trophy sat proud in the center of the room to look at and take pictures with. 

will caught his girlfriend when she was grabbing some drinks. she quickly smiled when he came into her peripheral. "hi, sorry, i lost you a bit. it's so busy in here," she giggled, handing him a can. 

"glad i found you again. how are you?" will wondered, his one hand circling around her waist. 

"i'm good. really good. feels unreal still," she smiled at his affection, reaching her hand up to tuck some of his loose curls away. the boy grinned.

"i bet. you were great out there," he hummed. 

samy blushed, "i know i already said it, but i'm glad you made it out. it meant a lot knowing you were here." 

"i could never miss this. i told you i had my tickets bought since the beginning of the season," that made the girl laugh. 

"well, i'm glad at least one of us had hope from the beginning," she cupped his cheek to bring his lips back to hers. they melted into one another, will's grip tightening on the girl's waist. 

the noise of the room faded away as they continued kissing. all either of them could think about was their lips attaching to each other's and how the blonde's grip got tighter like samy would disappear if he loosened it. 

their bliss didn't last for long though and like the best friends they were, ryan and gabe appeared. "hey! save that for the bedroom!" ryan clapped his hands on each of their shoulders which broke the couple apart. 

"nice to see you too, lean," the girl giggled. 

"just wanted to come over and congratulate you for the hundredth time. you've made us proud miss hughes," the taller brunette said with a smile. 

"i was just telling will that i'm really glad you guys could make it and were willing to skip practice for me. it means a lot," samy squeezed both of their cheeks. 

"we've sat in the cold for you how many times? wasn't gonna miss this for the world," gabe chuckled. 

"i guess that means i'll see you guys in canada in a few weeks."

"we'll make sure to save you a seat three rows up behind the glass," ryan said perfectly because after years of being at the games they always knew where she'd be. 

"hey, since you guys are all together, i want a picture!" ellen appeared almost out of no where with her phone like usual. the four chuckled, but quickly obliged as they squeezed themselves together for a photo. it reminded samy of the photo the four of them took back in august knowing how much has changed since then. 

"say cheese!" ellen exclaimed.

"cheese!" 

when the older woman was done the four quickly intermingled themselves back into the party. samy gladly introduced her teammates to the boys she called family and they followed her around happily greeting everyone.

[ausetkmt]

These Black Heroes Terrorized the KKK in the Civil Rights Movement

[queendarlings]

whenever i see someone say ANYTHING against john richard deacon i'm like "bitch, you underestimate my willingness to go absolutely feral in his defense and if i have to tear a hole into spacetime to punch you, so be it."

because HOW can you not love this cutest of all cutie pies? he is an amazingly talented musician, songwriter and never gave a single fuck (looking at misfire over there)

i love him. he's the best and i will find anyone who harasses him after '97 cause leave the man alone!!

[imagine-silk]

Hello! May I request fallout 4 companions (Nick especially) with Sole who shares the bare minimum of information about themselves? Not because Sole doesn’t trust them, they really enjoy theirs companions company. Perhaps they busy themselves so they don’t have to think about all the little and big things they miss. (I bet Codsworth would find pristine things that Sole would miss (like a favorite movie, vinyl, or comic?))

Sorry if its not something you’re interested in doing right now. The ask kinda came out as a ramble, I’m lacking sleep haha. Thanks again for considering my request!

》Honestly one of my favorite kinds of characters.

【Cait】 She doesn't appreciate it. Her contract was traded to some random weirdo who barely says anything. It took three days before the topic of your name came up. And two weeks to know what you were looking for, who. But in return you don't ask what she does on her own time or what she's done. It feels like you don't mind rather than you don't care and that makes her feel seen. It stays between you unsaid in her eyes.

♡If romanced she doesn't push for any information. You'll tell her if it's important. People think it's weird the two of you to not share about yourselves like normal people but you're happy, that's all that matters.

【Codsworth】 It's just like it was before. He, unlike the others, already knows you. He knows you very well. Not only did you do an intake for daily preferences but he also served you for a few years. While you're out and about you'll do something or say something that sounds like no information to others or out of context and he'll answer, "Just as I was thinking as well." While you camp with some of the other companions he does chores the way you like without needing to ask, making comment on recent events, which makes them jealous for sure. He digs up things from the house he preserved or found and fixes them up brand new before presenting it to you. Songs you liked or wanted to hear. Movies and shows and comics. Clothes pressed for you and the furniture is redone the way it used to be. He knows you and wants to keep it that way.

【Curie】 Low-key doesn't care. She has one thing on her mind and that's her own goal to better medicine. Finding things to do that is all she needs of you. When she goes to be a synth her feelings overwhelm her and you guide her through that. She's never ever asked about you. She'll tell you about what she's feeling but never thinks to ask what you feel. In her defense, is doesn't understand the nuance of social interactions. And to her credit, it works for the both of you.

♡If she's romanced she realizes she wants to know what you feel and if it's the same as her. She's mostly interested in what you feel now rather than what your opinion is in the past or isn't currently relevant.

【Danse】 Right away he doesn't care for it. A mercenary who talks very little can be dangerous. But you followed orders well and are a damn good shot. The way he asks is more like demanding. It was all for a vetting process but still rude. After the intake he didn't care about your lack of openness. Didn't matter to him personally. After BB he suddenly regrets not knowing you. He was so rude and dismissed you as another faceless soldier and you saved him, from the Brotherhood and himself. Now he wants to know you.

♡If romanced he makes effort to know you, like really know you. For a long time he refused individuality so his own sense of self is not great. But you know yourself and make no attempt to hide it. You are so sure of yourself you don't need to explain. That's one of the things he loves about you.

【Deacon】 He thinks you're like him, that you want to hide in plain sight. As much as he gives that to you he's nosy as fuck and takes every chance to learn about you, mostly from afar. It doesn't take any time at all for him to realize you'll just tell him. Most of them are one word answers. It takes him even less time after that to realize you'll comment on things from before the war especially.

♡If romanced he goes out of his way to show you stuff. Old posters and toys. If you follow my headcanon that he's pre-war, he makes old references and generally adds comments on things to bait your answers.

【Hancock】 He thinks it's pretty cool. "Oh, tall, dark, and handsome/beautiful." He does play twenty questions with you 24/7 and is very happy with your half-answers because an answer is still an answer. Plus he knows at least two other people like you. He is the one who figures out that you just don't have the time or think about talking about yourself rather than purposely keeping secrets the fastest. He knows people so he knows better.

♡If romanced he plays with it. You want a kiss? Tell him what's your favorite color. He'll get on his knees if you tell him what you like about your new home. But honestly he'll do it anyways. All he needs to know is that you want him like he wants you.

【MacCready】 He was more concerned about you putting a bullet in his head while his back was turned. Everyone in the Commonwealth was looking out for number one. So imagine his surprise when you were looking out for your number one and it wasn't you. Not only were you looking for your son but you stopped to help every person who asked for help. Your actions spoke to him in a way your words, he figured, couldn't. You didn't need to help him but you did. You didn't take the caps back. And you killed the gunners the second they turned their guns on him even when they said their beef wasn't with you. It was what you did, not what you told him.

♡If romanced he will ask things. Basic ones are like, "How was your day?" Normal questions that are the peak of domestic life. Then the more personal things. Some sound silly, "What's your favorite color?" But most build off of a quick thing you said in passing, "Wait, you've been to California? What was it like?" He trusts you'll tell him the truth.

【Nick】 As a private detective this simply won't do. He gets it at first, you just need him to find your son, it's business. However, you want him to stay with you after that. It confuses him because you made no indication you like him in the slightest way. He's the second fastest to realize you're not keeping to yourself on purpose. As one of the only ones who are pre-war he's able to get things the others can't. He'll talk about things and give his options and bait you into answering it. That was a common way to get people to talk back then when you were trying to be polite and keep up the conversation, even if the conversation stays a bit thin.

♡If he's romanced he makes fun of the fact you forget to say things about yourself. Don't get it wrong, he makes it clear you don't need to share. He's just poking fun.

【Piper】 This simply won't do. She asks as many question as they come up but she gets depressing short answers. You either give one word answers or say you're not really in the mood, on some occasions you admit you don't know, you never thought about it. It takes a long time for her to stop and that's only because the questions start getting old. And you still feel like a mystery even though you've told her everything.

♡If she's romanced she realizes how much you've told her and pushes it. What is your type? How do your lips feel? Why do you look so good? It becomes playful and light, never serious.

【Preston】 In the beginning he didn't realize he didn't know much about you. He took your help selfishly to get him and his people back on stable ground but you told him you were happy to help. So he takes time to learn about you and give you everything he could possibly help you with. In hopes you would share by yourself he gives things to you without any prompt. It doesn't really work most of the time.

♡If romanced he asks things with hearts in his eyes. He is so lovesick he takes all of your half-answers and files it away in his mind. It hardly matters at that point.

【X6】 It wasn't his mission so he didn't care. You owed him no explanation or justification. Doesn't mean he doesn't question you. He asks why you helped someone, why you stopped for a distraction. And of course you give short answers like, "They needed help." or "I wanted to." Later, after the Institute is gone, he sees how you carry yourself and tries to copy it. Obviously he can't so you help him too. You showed him he can figure himself out by himself and he didn't need you. So he held the same opinion; he doesn't need to know you like that.

♡If romanced he's still comfortable with you keeping things to yourself. It's only after months of being together do you realize he's never asked you a personal question, that you've never shared anything that personal. When you bring that to him he tells you that hardly matters. But seeing you make the effort after that gives him a feeling he can't describe. It's a good feeling he thinks.

[farthest-harbor]

Why does Deacon hate the Minutemen so much? I really don’t get it, and I find it really disappointing.

Like, the way I see it, the Minutemen and the Railroad are two sides of the same coin that is leftist organizing. The Railroad are doing liberation work, the Minutemen are doing mutual aid. If they can coexist, they fill in for each other’s weaknesses and do the most good for the people of the Commonwealth.

I haven’t progressed far enough into this playthrough to know if this is just a Deacon thing or if the rest of the Railroad has the same hatred for the Minutemen, but like… the world is better for having both of them. They could kick so much ass if they cooperated with each other.

What if some Minutemen were working on setting up Railroad safehouses at each settlement? What if PAM used her predictive skills to help the Minutemen figure out how their defenses would be best allocated to protect the most people? What if the Railroad shared their ballistic weave technologies and the Minutemen helped supply them with food and supplies to help synths escape the Commonwealth? What if we could infiltrate the Institute and evacuate synths with the Railroad, then bring in the Minutemen to deal with the wealth-hoarding slaveowner Institute pricks? Like, their approaches and philosophies are somewhat different, but at their hearts they have the same ethics and many of the same goals.

This just reminds me so much of leftist infighting in the real world and how sometimes people get so hung up on what makes their organizations different that they miss opportunities to work together for greater impact.

Anyways, currently musing up an OC who kinda fills in some of these gaps between the Railroad and Minutemen… Sketches and bio in progress rn.

Also thinking about Acadia and how frustrated I was in past playthroughs that I couldn’t get them properly teamed up with the Railroad. Maybe it’s just bc I used the Minutemen to beat the Institute in the past, so I wasn’t deep enough into the Railroad to organize it. Gonna try it again this time and see if it works. There’s plenty of factions looking to make a positive change around the Commonwealth, now if only I could get them to work together!!!!

[cjlouwho]

Have we been good enough to get another Rocker/Deacon fic snippet?🩶

Got the first ask yesterday and the second a few minutes ago. Here's what I've been working on today:

Rocker laughed humorlessly. “What are we doing, David? I mean, what even is this?”

“I... I don't. Donovan-”

Rocker held out a hand, stopping him. “Before, when we were just fucking, I got it. A way for you to blow off steam. Happy to provide a service-”

“Hey, that's not what that was!” Deacon exclaimed, becoming defensive.

“But now,” Rocker continued without missing a beat, “now half the time you come over here you're just coming over. We talk, we make dinner together, we watch a movie. You're bringing me your problems, David. Problems you should be talking through with your wife.”

“It's different! She doesn't understand this work stuff. I wanted to talk it through with someone who would!”

“You're telling me for sixteen- almost seventeen- years of being married, you haven't been able to talk to your wife about work problems?”

“That's not what I-”

“You know I was married before? I was married for ten years, actually.”

“Of course I know that,” Deacon replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “What's that got to do with anything?”

“I'm not some twenty year old kid that's just here to mess around with whatever the fuck is going on with you!”

“I didn't-”

“If it's just sex, fine. But this, it's- it's too much for my head, Deac.”

“Don-”

“And you get mad when I have dates, you get jealous, and that's not fair to me.”

Deacon raised his voice. “I really need you-”

“I really need you to go!”

“If you'd let me finish a damn sentence!”

“Go home to your wife, David!” Rocker yelled before turning and heading toward his door. He opened it, moving to the side so Deacon could go.

Deacon stared at him, unmoving. “Donovan,” he breathed out, his voice breaking on the name.

Rocker held up his hand. “Just go home to Annie, Deacon.”