#Linda holder

[nakeddeparture]

Barbados Transport Board employee wants Linda Holder to look deeper at favoritism claims - Barbados.

https://youtu.be/LamxgrhJcJI

There’s a complaints department, start there. Naked!!

Like/share/comment/subscribe on YouTube (it costs you nothing). Press the notification bell 🔔. NEW WhatsApp #2527225512

[divinekangaroo]

Today’s debate: Arthur Shelby is a delicate precious flower who must be kept wrapped in Japanese silk in a bower lest his virginity be cruelly taken from him

Who will stand for the position of the affirmative? *John cautiously raises his hand*

Who will table the position for the negative? *a resounding silence interrupted only by Arthur making desperate muffled noises through the underwear gagging his mouth*

[fyesnatashalyonne]

natasha’s 44th birthday 🥳

[howsdeanshole]

i knew i forgot some people. kevin’s driving sins are that he doesn’t drive anymore if he can help it. linda keeps a gun in the cup holder post-crowley. also she doesn’t check her blind spot before merging. simply not her problem. she has places to be. ❤️ garth’s driving sins are too many to list. benny is an egregious backseat driver.

[minivulpix14]

So I did something…..

The one and only Queen Linda, the previous holder of the red crown in @aychama royal au

What started as a spelling mistake has led to the crowning of a queen. We took it and ran with it.

Happy Birthday @bu1d0z3r 😋

[usafphantom2]

I was recently asked what was the plan if you run out of the 16 shots of TEB? The chemical TEB was required every time you started the engine or the afterburners. Kick the tires and light up the engines. 🔥The SR 71 is still the fastest airplane in the world that we know of. What did you need to start the engines? A whole lot of power from the start cart and some TEB.

Usually, 16 shots of TEB were available for each sortie. Triethylborane – TEB for short.– it explodes with contact with the atmosphere. To ignite the JP-7 for engine start and to light the afterburner section, a liquid chemical ignition system was used. The liquid chemical, triethylborane (TEB) had the physical property of exploding when exposed to air,” Richard H. Graham SR-71 Blackbird pilot.

In the 24 years the SR 71 flew, it never ran out of TEB, but there was a plan just in case.

John Olp was a Mechanic on the SR-71 for over ten years; he writes:

The J-58 engine had a unique way of lighting the afterburners if TEB wasn't available for whatever reason.

Inserted into three rings of the flame holders were six catalytic ignitors. If TEB wasn't available, the engines could be manually over-trimmed to increase the exhaust temperature and superheat the ignitors. When the throttles were advanced into afterburner, the glowing catalytic ignitors would light off the fuel, albeit somewhat harshly!

John added these comments:

The catalytic ignitors were in place as a backup if TEB wasn't available. There was a manual up-trim switch in the cockpit to control engine EGT. It was a hard light off if used, but was an option! Overtemping the engine would only be momentary to allow the afterburner light, probably not enough to cause any damage to the engines. That's why the manual up-trim switches were available. I was in the program from 1975-1985 at Beale AFB.

I love it when I find out new information about the SR 71 or any of the Blackbirds. Thank you, John. ~ Linda Sheffield Miller

@Habubrats71 via X

[georgeharrisonsmiling]

im interested to know some differences in george and yoko’s relationship vs. paul and yoko’s relationship. it seems to me that maybe george had a better relationship to her? but i really dont know

After John, it seems like George and Yoko developed a better relationship than Yoko and Paul. Especially after the McCartney special deal came to light in the 80s that made them sue Paul. Yoko was also included (along with Linda and Barbara) in Olivia's charity organization so that also probably kept them in each other's orbit.

My theory is that Yoko and George sort of had to team up to prevent Paul from taking control of the Beatles narrative and that improved their relationship. It was not all roses as George would reject appearing at Yoko's tributes for John or Yoko would make him mad with the whole Revolution commercial but still, they worked together to protect John's memory.

Meanwhile Paul's legacy is very attached to John's so that would obviously make his relationship with Yoko (the owner of John's legacy) more complicated. Paul said that George asked him to make peace with Yoko but the year after George's death Paul tried to change the credit order to McCartney-Lennon and the fights started again.

Beyond business matters, I think that George's acceptance of John's death and his place in John's life made it easier for him to have a better relationship with Yoko as the widow and holder of his friend's memory. Meanwhile Paul insecurities and regrets about his relationship with John made him project some issues he had with John onto her for quite a long time.

[askfischoeder]

Story: Winter Coffee Date

Content Warning: Mentions of Smoking

Characters: @imagination-phantom (Self-insert OC, Ana) and Calvin Fischoeder (Mentions Linda Belcher)

Artist Credit: @spider-finder (Me!)

Seymour’s Bay, New Jersey

December

Calvin’s breath hitched in his throat as the cold air blasted against his cheek when he exited the shop beside Bob’s. A quaint little coffee shop, he held in his hands a small cardboard drink carrier, hoping the two coffees inside were of good quality. He’d forgotten to test them before leaving.

No matter. There was no time to waste. After all, he had somebody waiting on him. He hadn’t been able to start his electric cart before leaving the mansion this morning. Regretfully, he’d had Felix to drop him off at the Wharf. It made today feel even more pleasant on his old joints. But he would persist, as he always did.

He turned his head slightly toward the tiny burger joint as he passed by. The kids were missing, but Linda was hard at work doing… something decor-related. At least, that’s what he imagined, seeing her standing on top of the counter as he shifted his gaze forward. Calvin had to make haste—but the cold air continued to invade his windpipe, threatening to freeze him from the inside out.

He pulled out his pocket watch with numbing fingers, checking the time. After taking a mental note, he continued on his way until he was stopped outside a small store. He glanced down at his phone, re-reading her previous message:

[Meet me outside of Reflections! I’ll be out in just a minute, I promise.]

“Reflections… reflections…” Calvin muttered, clicking his tongue as he looked around aimlessly.

Then he saw it across the street. He stuffed down a groan of dismay and crossed the lightly snow-covered ground, each step crunching underfoot. Just as he reached for the door handle, it slowly pushed open. Bright eyes met his instantly.

“Well, it’s about time!” Ana teased softly, as he brought the coffee into view, carefully inspecting the “A” messily drawn on the side of the cup with a Sharpie. He pulled the cup from its holder and pressed it into her hand, gesturing for her to start walking with him. He was amused by her playful nature. It was one of the reasons he’d fallen in love with her to begin with.

“You’re parked where you normally are, I presume?” he asked, glancing at her reddening cheeks as she gave a polite nod. Calvin discarded the carrier into a hungry-looking trash can as they passed, his pace much slower than she was used to. But over time, she had slowed down for him.

“You’ve got… erm, it says on the side of your cup… I have a… white chocolate mocha,” he purred, bringing his own cup up to his lips for a taste.

Darn, they wouldn’t last long at that location. The coffee was expensive but delicious. Calvin made a mental note to text his little brother, Felix, about it before turning his attention back to her.

“Ana, love. What do we have planned for today? Something warm, I’d hope?” Calvin asked, his need for some sense of structure—or a promise to get him out of the cold—biting at his words. He had replaced his white tuxedo cover with a thick, heavy plush coat that was as light a pink as his usual undershirt. Faint traces of his tie and vest were still visible beneath the layers. Calvin followed behind her, sipping at his drink, thankful when they reached her car and she started it up. He carefully placed his coffee in the cup holder before shutting the door and bracing himself against it.

“I’m going to smoke while it warms up,” he mentioned softly, pulling out his lighter and ornate sterling silver cigarette case, adapted for his needs. The smoke had a faint scent of cherry pie as he lit it, warming his frozen lungs. He took a long drag, looking over at her with a smile cracking across his face as she moved closer. His arms draped around her, pulling her into his chest.

“Keep me warm…” he teased with a soft whine.

Calvin’s height difference meant he could take a hit above her head, keeping his hand away from her so that the smoke didn’t reach her as she nestled into his chest. Beneath the many soft layers, he was warm. His other hand found its way to her back, rubbing soothing patterns as if mending felt. It didn’t take long before he was dropping the cigarette into the snow, hissing as it burned and melted. He made sure to flick it once before bending down to pick it back up and place it into a different section of the cigarette case, reluctantly letting her frame go.

“Well! Are you ready? Let’s head out!” he teased again, as if he hadn’t been the cause of their delay.

[seenoversundown]

Amongst The Stars: Chapter Five

Josh x Quinn (Nonbinary OC)

Warnings: Misgendering, Shitty partner, Josh being disgustingly sweet. 

Word Count: 2.6k

Summary: Josh has always loved love,  and he's finally found it. Buuuut, he can't exactly tell anyone. Join him as he navigates the ins and outs of his sweet, secret romance.

Author's Note: I am so sorry this chapter took a while to get out, I fought with myself a lot about it because it’s filler, hence the small word count, but it’s filler of Josh being a little lovestruck sweetie pie. So, I hope you enjoy it. Next week’s chapter is much meatier. Thank you all for being patient with me. 

Then I look at you And the world's alright with me Just one look at you And I know it's gonna be A lovely day - Lovely Day, Bill Withers

I get up from the table Quinn and I shared mere moments ago and make my way to the parking lot. I should have gotten their number before they left. I don’t know how I’ll be able to focus on anything else when I know they may be fighting with their partner, and I can’t check on them. I sigh and hop into my truck. I attempt to push those thoughts out of my head, because I know it’s out of my hands. Even if Quinn did have my number, who’s to say I would be the one they would come to with their troubles? They love Willa so much that they’d obviously go to her first. Regardless, I don’t have time to dissect any of this. I have to head to the farmer’s market. Jake hasn’t directly asked me to pick anything up for the bar, but I made a list of a few items before I left this morning. I want to take some of the stress off him. He cares so much for everyone around him but will hardly accept it when anyone else sits and fusses over him. 

I slowly turn onto the gravel drive leading up to the parking lot of the farmer’s market, slamming my truck in park and running through my mental list of items I’ll need to hunt for. Lemons, Eggs, Fresh Bread, maybe something crafty. My eyes pan over to the flower booth, and I see none other than Miss Willa in the flesh, off paper. I take in her slightly windswept brown bob and perfectly cool outfit that she had undoubtedly spent a while agonizing over this morning. Good God, Quinn really did capture her perfectly in their sketchbook. Without a second thought, I beeline directly for her. Maybe I can make an excellent first impression with her. Why do I care what Willa thinks? It’s not like Quinn will like me more if I’m nice to their friend who doesn’t know me. “Hello, Dear,” I clear my throat and step up to speak to her. She gives me a once over before quirking one eyebrow in an annoyed gesture for me to continue. “I just wanted to stop and tell you that you’re absolutely breathtaking.” She rolls her eyes, but a small smile overtakes her lips. “Thank you. I’m glad to see there’s at least one decent person that comes to the farmer’s market.”

What could she possibly mean by that? Everyone here is lovely. “Anyway, I gotta scoot. Photos aren’t gonna take themselves,” she points to the camera she has on a strap around her neck. Oh, Sam would love her.  “Goodbye, miss. Perhaps we’ll meet again at a different time.” 

I turn on my heel and head immediately for Linda’s booth. When I get there, Linda’s back is turned to me as she rifles through the totes sitting on the table behind her. I pause to admire the little trinkets she has sitting for sale. 

“Linda, Darling,” I start, chuckling a little bit as she jumps before turning around, “You are underselling yourself. You could charge at least $2 more for these!”  “Joshua,” She places a hand to her heart, feigning shock, “you nearly gave an old woman a heart attack. Are you proud of yourself?” “Very!” I place the hand-sewn pot holder back on the table in front of me.  “Haven’t seen you at the tavern lately. Is there something I should know?” “Oh, yes, dear. I’ve begun seeing a man, and he is taking up all my time.” I stare blankly at her, knowing she’s lying. We would have been the first to know if she were seeing a new man. She would have brought him in to see if we could scare him off. “Lin,” I start, “Please be serious. I know you better than that.” She lets out a small chuckle before shrugging her shoulders. “Look, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve had a stroke of inspiration and been busy making new things for the booth.” I look down at the table and spot a few new items I’ve never seen before. “Well, they’re stunning, dear. But Sam misses you. I miss you. You gotta come back to the bar soon.” She nodded and shooed me away, clearly over my antics.  “What if I wanted to buy something?” I pout at her. “You know your money’s no good here,” she rolls her eyes at me. I huff, picking up a set of pot holders. “Can I at least buy you a drink the next time you're in Caravel?”  “Fine. Now scoot, you're scaring away potential customers.” I chuckle and begin to walk away when I hear her call back out, “Oh, and Josh… You seem happier. Don’t let me forget to grill you about that later.” “Yes, ma’am.”

I begin to weave through the farmer’s market, stopping at a few different stalls to pick up the items from my list. I get distracted by one stall specifically that sells art supplies. I’ve always known this stall was here but never thought to check it out—it seems a bit silly since I work at Hobby Lobby. I stopped today because my eyes were drawn to a small display of leather roll-up pencil cases. They were hand-stamped in varying designs. I picked up the first one that caught my eye, a deep brown sheepskin with a gold foil geometric pattern embossed on the front. 

Quinn. 

“Excuse me,” I interrupt the employee, noting the embossing station set up in the back corner of the booth, “do you do personalizations?” “Yes, we do, sir.” She responds with a smile.  “Perfect! Can I get a name added to the bottom corner here?” I point out the free space along the right edge.  “Of course! Do you want it gilded as well?”  I nod, write down the details, and hand my debit card to the employee without even checking the price.  “This shouldn't take very long at all, and I'm sure,” she holds the piece of paper out in front of her, reading the name, “Quinn will love this.” 

I smile and let my fingers flit over the rest of their items, biding time while Quinn’s gift is prepared. Oh, I hope they love it. I hope they don't think I'm insane for this. After a few moments, the employee hands the pencil case back to me. 

“You don't have to pick any up today, but this will eventually require a leather conditioner to keep the leather soft and bendable.”  “I’ll make sure to pick some up. Thank you!”  I throw the case into my canvas tote, along with the other goodies I picked up, and head back to my truck, unable to keep the smile off my face the entire way home. 

I pull into the parking lot of the bar and grab the tote bag from my front seat, slinging it over my arm as I hop out of the driver’s side. I let out a small giggle to myself, thinking about how shocked Jake is going to be when I come in with items for the bar. I slowly begin making my way to the front door, praying that no one is inside so I can halfway dish with Jake. I didn’t see any cars in the parking lot, but as we all know, that doesn’t mean a whole hell of a lot if it’s a bar you’re walking into. 

I kick the door to the tavern open, shoving my way inside and immediately locking eyes on Jake. “Honey, I’m home!” I see Jake just shake his head and continue on with wiping down the bar top. I roll my eyes at him. He always seems to be moving, always cleaning, always taking care of something. He never leaves time for small enjoyments, or breaks, or even (my favorite activity) people watching. I worry about how he may get burnt out, he loves this bar and I don’t want anything to stand in the way of that. “Well, look what the cat dragged in,” He breaks my chain of thought with a light chuckle. “Sorry, kiddo,” he scoffs at my nickname for him, “I had shit to do today.” I shake my bag from the farmer’s market for emphasis, before sitting on one of the stools in front of him and sliding it over to him. I busy myself on my phone while he looks through the items I bought for him. I wonder if I could find Quinn on Instagram. No, that’s insane. They didn’t give you their socials, don’t go hunting for them. I scrub one hand down my face, letting out a sigh. The thoughts are loud today. “Hey, Bub?” Jake asks, holding in a laugh. “Mm?” “I don’t think this is for me,” he fully laughs at that. I look up from my phone, eyes widening as I see that he’s holding my gift for Quinn in his hand. “Quite right, Kiddo. Hand it over, please.” “Who’s this for?” He turns it over in his hand, clocking the name I had embossed on the front of it. “A friend,” I offer no further information. “Cute, I wasn’t aware you had those. Especially one named Quinn,” He winks, “Or is this the person you told me about the other day?” I look around the bar, seeing one person sitting off in the corner wearing a Boston Red Sox hat, and I lower my voice. “Yeah. I, uh, actually had coffee with them this morning before I hit the farmer’s market.” “Why are you whispering?” “You never know who’s listening,” I shrug. Jake rolls his eyes in response, but gestures for me to continue. “I went down to Higher Grounds, you know, to work on my writing, and they were just…There. It felt like some kind of divine intervention or something.” “You are far too romantic for your own good,” he lets out a laugh. “I’m not romantic, it’s just– what are the odds?” “The odds of two queer people running into each other at a weed cafe? Pretty high, I’d guess.”

I reach over the bar, attempting to wrap my arm around his neck to get him in a headlock, but he dodges it. “Gotta try harder than that, bub,” he adds, putting further distance between us.  I roll my eyes, but settle back into my seat before continuing. “We just sat together, and they told me about their job and we shared our art. Quinn is such a beautiful artist, “ I sigh, recognizing how pathetic I probably sound, “and so, I saw the pencil case and I picked it up.” “And asked them to customize it,” Jake raised an eyebrow. “Sue me, their partner sucks. I wanted to do something nice.”“Mhmmmm” 

Before I can add anything else, the person in the corner of the bar slams their hands down on the table, drawing mine and Jake’s attention. I watch as he slowly removes his ball cap, revealing his face. “Josh,” he smirks, “If you’re worried about people overhearing you, maybe you should learn how to actually whisper.” Fucking Craig. Really? Is he stalking me? “Oh, how nice to see you again, Greg,” I let out a mirthless chuckle, “How are you enjoying your time in Caravel Tavern?” “The company leaves much to be desired, curious if the owner knows what kind of people his workers let run around in here.” Jake clears his throat next to us and my face breaks out into a wicked smile. God, I can’t wait to hear how this goes. He cuts a mischievous glance in my direction before sticking his hand out to introduce himself to Craig. “Jake Kiszka,” he grabs Craig’s hand, shaking it with a bit more force than necessary, “owner.” Craig’s eyes go wide as he pulls his hand from Jake’s grasp, flexing his fingers. “Woah,” he says, stunned, “You guys look alike.” Jake and I make eye contact, a silent conversation passing between us. Is this dude for real? Shockingly yes, he is an absolute buffoon.  Jake rolls his eyes and we both burst out in laughter. This has to be the first time in our entire lives that someone did not immediately clock us as twins. “You think we look alike? Really?” I say, fake excitement riddling my voice, “Can you believe it, Jake?” “I know, I don’t really see it, myself.” Craig’s eyes dart between us, a look of confusion muddling his features. I almost see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure it out. “Don’t hurt yourself there, big guy,” Jake snorts, “we’re twins.” “Oh, so there’s two of you.” “Indeed,” I flash him a grin. “Do I have to worry about you coming after my girlfriend too, buying her presents?”

I watch as Jake finally puts two and two together, after I neglected to fully introduce him to Craig moments ago. He sends me a look that I interpret to mean is this the guy? I nod at him, and a hint of anger flashes across his face. 

“Oh, I know who you are,” he starts, then cuts himself off. I see Jake calculate his next steps. His mind warring between tearing into Craig on my, and Quinn’s, behalf and maintaining the air of a dutiful bar owner. Bar owner won. “I’m going to cut you off, bud. Pay your tab and get out.” Craig huffs, but slams a $20 bill on the counter. “Keep the change, Jake. Surely you need it.” “Planned on it regardless, call it the Asshole Tax,” he turns away from Craig, moving to the cash register. He turns back to Craig and hands him the, unnecessary, receipt. “Oh, and tell Quinn that Josh says ‘Hello.’” Anger overtakes Craig’s features and I watch with mild interest as he curls and uncurls his fist a few times, before ultimately deciding better of trying anything with Jake. He turns without a word and rushes out the front door of the bar. Finally, when the bell above the door stops tinkling, I look toward Jake. My younger brother, always ready to protect me from the world. It seems silly, but I feel a tear well in my eye, thinking about how many times he has gone to bat for me. Thinking about how many times he has put his neck out just to ensure that I don’t have to. As if understanding where my thoughts had drifted to, he walks out from behind the bar, claps a hand on my shoulder and pulls me in for a quick hug. 

“Thank you,” I whisper. “It’s nothing.” “I tried to do something nice for you today, and you still ended up saving my ass.” Jake chuckles and pulls away, looking toward the discarded bag on the bar. “Well, you saved me from having to run out and get eggs before our evening rush. So, thank you.”

He pats my shoulder again, before turning and walking back to his office and I take it as my cue to leave. I pick up Quinn’s present, absentmindedly rubbing the leather between my fingers as I head up to the apartment above the bar. 

We’ll see where this goes…

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ATS Masterpost | The Caravel Tavern Series | Masterlist

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[sewers-headmates]

How To Request & Mod Intros

CW account will have spooky themes around horror and specifically slenderman

This account is a horror themed alter pack/build a headmate style blog that will only do fictives or factives. Your requests can be from almost any source even if we don’t know it. This account has no dni but we block. This is a no discourse zone and a radqueer, transID, and endo friendly zone! We support everyone here <3 we use this account as our main nowadays. we are always open to friends and mainly souecemates! please ask if curious!

our official rules:

Rule Updates: we will not do anything from the following sources

paraphiles for factives

john doe

wilbur soot, melanie martinez related alters

labels that make us uncomfortable

pico’s school & fnf

alfred’s playhouse

magnus archives (can request but we won’t look up pictures/the media/wikis)

sexual trauma holder littles - sore spot for our system

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@the-wonderland-subsystem - mod wonderland’s subsystem creation process + general posting for the subsystem

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Request Form-

feel free to change or just give a blurb on what you want ie “a cute and sweet protector with a kidcore aesthetic and transharmed” or “a marble hornets fictive who is transage and transharmful” anything you wish! you can also do full creators choice!

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we will make a picrew or include pictures they can use as a faceclaim! for sources we can do anything! we will look into any source you want to get as close to accurate as possible!

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Mod Intros

we have recently changed how we do this! we will be positing our mod intros and linking them here as we have more alters want to do this

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If you have anymore questions or concerns please feel free to dm us or leave an ask! thank you <3

[jazy3]

ST5 Casting News

So in addition to Linda Hamilton joining the cast for Season 5 it looks like we've got some other new faces! In the Behind the Scenes teaser trailer and the Season 5 Tudum article that was recently published we got some new information about who will be joining the cast this season!

First up, we've got Nell Fisher who has been cast to play an older Holly Wheeler! And based on the trailer it looks like Vecna might be targeting her this season. In it we've got footage of Holly in her bedroom with the lights flickering on and off. You can see that the wallpaper matches the previous BTS pic we got in March of an Alf poster and a copy of Peter Pan and Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock and some other books in a holder. We now know that this is from Holly’s desk in her bedroom.

This feels so validating because I called it back in March that the photo was of Holly's bedroom! A lot of people thought it was Erica's but to me the vibe didn't match. I love Holly's taste in books too! I'm a big Nancy Drew fan and Secret of the Old Clock is one of my favourites! Seeing it is a nice callback to Season 3 when the newspaper guys kept mocking Nancy by calling her Nancy Drew and suggests that the sisters might be more alike than we thought.

In this new clip, we can see Holly’s Lite-Brite, a music stand, and shelves full of board games and stuffed animals. Which means Holly likely plays an instrument of some kind and I'm curious to find out what that is! Next we have a scene of her standing in the kitchen panicking and looking at something off camera while the lights flicker. This could be Vecna or a demogorgon coming through the wall or something could be happening to Karen. Either way this is going to be a rough season for Holly!

I had theorized after Season 4 came out that Holly might play a bigger role this season and I'm glad to see they're doing more with her character. I think this plot could be really interesting because she seems to notice things her parents and siblings don't. We know Holly saw the lights flicker in Season 1 and moved towards them when Will tried to communicate with her. And in Season 3 she noticed the trees moving in a weird way when she was on the farris wheel with her parents. Then in Season 4 we saw Holly was playing with her Lite-Brite in the living room while the Erica, Dustin, and Lucas discussed the mindflayer and watergate in the kitchen.

So we know she's observant and may have knowledge about what's really going on that she's not sharing. I feel like Mike, Nancy, and Karen are going to be so surprised to find out that she's known the whole time that weird stuff has been going, but I feel like Will and the others won't be surprised at all! Next up we've got Jake Connelly whose been cast as an unnamed friend of Erica’s. In the trailer we get footage of Priah Ferguson and Jake Connelly in costume at a barn.

Which makes me wonder if the G.I. Joe lunchbox and Transformers blanket we got photos of back in May belong to him? And if the 80’s Bedroom we got photos of with the computer, board games, stuffed animals, and ET game are from his room? That would make more sense than some of the other theories I've seen so far as the items seem too young to belong to any of the Party members, but too old to belong to Holly.

To be honest, I'm not sure why a new friend of Erica’s that we’ve never heard of is getting screen time when they could be giving Will a love interest or focusing on the characters they already have. I'm not sure why they expect us to care about a character we've never heard of when there are so many other characters who deserve screen time and love interests and to make new friends.

Speaking of love interestes where is Vickie in this trailer? We know she was filming at the hospital with Robin in either episode 1 or 2 and we know she's a part of the main cast so I feel like she should be here. The only thing I can think of is that whatever she's filmed so far is really spoilery so they can't show it to us yet.

Lastly we've got Alex Breaux whose been cast as an unnamed military character. In the trailer he’s seen in a black jacket holding a rifle with a scope on it and he's bathed in red light that's coming from somewhere else in the room. We previously got a BTS pic in February of a crew member in a room with similar lighting next to a lab coat so it's possible he’s at the lab here. To be honest, I'm not sure why they expect us to care about this character when all the military personnel we’ve seen in seasons 3 and 4 have been utterly stupid and ridiculous.

Like getting me to care about Erica's new friend and this guy is going to be a tough sell! Introducing Argyle as a character took a lot of screen time and dialogue away from Jonathan, Mike, and Will in Season 4 in what should have been their storyline and their time to shine. So I'm a bit concerned that these two new characters are going to do the same thing and take away more screen time from the existing cast of characters we already have.

Since we know there's going to be a large military presence in Hawkins this season I'm wondering if maybe this guy is going to be our heroes' inside man the way that Owens was in past seasons? I'm also not sure how old this actor is so it's also possible he could be a love interest for Karen or another character on the show. I'm still holding out hope that they're going to introduce a new love interest for Will this season and that he's going to get his happy ending! Cause the boy has been through it!

Tudum Article: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-title-of-stranger-things-season-5-episode-1-revealed

BTS Teaser Trailer: https://youtu.be/vEhYTJpC2No?si=la95B7BwxWgav4Dq

ST5 BTS Teaser Trailer Thoughts Parts 1 - 4: https://www.tumblr.com/jazy3/758215736865013760/st5-bts-teaser-trailer-thoughts-part-4?source=share

[echowithpain]

Oh, while I think Josh and Buck would have had more chemistry and Buck is probably Josh’s type. We all know Buck’s type; tall, dark hair, charming smile, adrenaline junkie, sound familiar. I think they just needed the place holder for Eddie.

But. If Buck and Josh HAD gotten into a relationship, Josh would have totally been the golden retriever to Buck’s black cat. T and Eddie are the black cats to Buck’s golden retriever.

Ohhh, headcanon time. Buck loves being held. Once he gets with Eddie, he doesn’t mind holding him, but he thrives under the feeling being held by Eddie gives him. But when he was with Josh, holding the other man was what Buck wanted to do all the time. Reclined against the arm of his couch, Josh cuddled up against his chest while they watch The Bachelor/Bachelorette. Oh oh, Buck likes seeing Josh in one of his old worn LAFD hoodies, because it literally hangs off him and Josh looks so soft and cuddly.

THIS!!!!! YOU GET IT!!!!!!! YOU FUCKING GET IT!!!!

I just got up to get some water and saw this so now I'm not going back to sleep lmfaooo. Buck would ABSOLUTELY love holding Josh! And Josh would love being held by Buck's big strong arms (honestly tho who wouldn't lmao). And Josh wearing the LAFD hoodie would just lead to more hugs and cuddles and soft kisses- Oh my fucking god I need to find some Buck x Josh fanfics to help keep this feral energy rising inside of me under control 😂

CAN YOU IMAGINE?!?!?!?!?!?

Them being soft with each other, Josh giving himself days off that match up with Buck's days off cause he's his own boss and they want to spend time together, Josh getting excited with Buck whenever they reach a new milestone in their relationship (like Buck holding his hand in public and not caring who sees 🥺, or Buck being the one to initiate a kiss. YOU ALREADY KNOW JOSH WOULD TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE EVERY BABY STEP BUCK TAKES😭😭😭), both of them asking Maddie for help about how to impress or surprise the other, Maddie gossiping with Linda about the two being idiots in love, Buck talking to both Linda and Bobby about new recipes to try out, Josh talking to Sue and Maddie trying to make sure something he has planned won't be too much or scare Buck off, Josh showing up at the firehouse after Buck's shift ends wearing one of the hoodies and taking him on a small date to help him relax from the day and hear stories Buck wants to share-

I need to stop. I feel like I'm either gonna spontaneously combust or chew through my fucking wall 😂😂😂

You get a sundae for reminding me of these feelings and encouraging these thoughts lmao. Enjoy! 🍨✨

[kmomof4]

To Sir Graham, With Love Ch. 4

And we are back!!! Thank you all for coming along on this journey with me!! I hope you enjoy the new chapter and let me know what you think!

All the love and thanks again to @jrob64 and @whimsicallyenchantedrose for their outstanding beta services and to @motherkatereloyshipper for the GORGEOUS artwork above!!!

And once again, happy birthday to @snowbellewells for whom this fic was written!!

Summary: After a year long secret correspondence, twenty-eight year old spinster Ruby Jones decides to accept Sir Graham Humbert's offer of a visit to see if they might suit for marriage. Unfortunately, he failed to mention that he was the father of twins, and they are not thrilled with Ruby's appearance.

Rating: M (for smut in later chs and mentions of physical abuse)

Words: Approx 5700 of approx 68k

Tags: Red Hunter Fic, Birthday Fic, Inspired by Eloise Bridgerton's Story, Smut

On ao3 From Beginning / Current Ch

On Tumblr Prologue Ch1 Ch2 Ch3

Tagging the usuals. Please let me know if you'd like to be added or removed.

@jrob64 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @the-darkdragonfly @jennjenn615

@donteattheappleshook @undercaffinatednightmare @pirateherokillian @cocohook38 @qualitycoffeethings

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @superchocovian @motherkatereloyshipper @snowbellewells @pirateprincessofpizza

@djlbg @lfh1226-linda @xarandomdreamx @tiganasummertree @bluewildcatfanatic

@anmylica @laianely @resident-of-storybrooke @exhaustedpirate @gingerchangeling

@caught-in-the-filter @ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite

@captainswan-kellie @soniccat @beckettj @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose

@thisonesatellite @jonesfandomfanatic @elfiola @zaharadessert @ilovemesomekillianjones

@mie779 @kymbersmith-90 @suwya @veryverynotgoodwrites @myfearless-love 

Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

… should not have let him kiss you. Who knows what liberties he will attempt to take the next time you meet? But what’s done is done, I suppose. So all there is left is to ask: Was it lovely?

– From Ruby Jones to her sister Tink, slid under the door of her bedroom the night Tink met the Earl of Kilmartin, whom she would marry two months later

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ruby was awake quite early the next morning, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise given that she’d retired to her bed at half eight the evening before. She’d regretted her self-imposed exile almost the moment she’d sent Sir Graham the note. There was nothing she hated more than dining alone, with no one to talk to. And even as grouchy and uncommunicative as Sir Graham could sometimes be, he’d have been better than nothing.

She still wasn’t entirely convinced they wouldn’t suit. He might be gruff and arrogant at times, but when he smiled… 

Well, when he smiled, he was transformed. She’d never understood why the ladies had always giggled and swooned when her brother David smiled, but now she did. Sir Graham went from surly and cantankerous to full of humor and mischief, as if he was the holder of all kinds of secrets and delighted in that knowledge. Besides being devastatingly handsome, of course. But it wasn’t the smile itself that had her swooning internally. After all, with all her brothers, she considered herself quite immune to devilish smirks and twinkling eyes. When Graham smiled, there was a shyness about it, as if he wasn’t accustomed to smiling at a lady, and it was that, more than anything, that told her they just might be made for each other.

She made her way down to the breakfast room to find that Graham had already partaken and departed. Ruby tried not to be discouraged. After all, he may have just assumed she wasn’t an early riser and had gone on about his business, but when she didn’t find him in his greenhouse later, she was quite at a loss of where he might be.

Didn’t the twins owe her an afternoon? Well, there was no reason they couldn’t make it a morning instead.

Several minutes later, Ruby entered the twins' nursery.

“Who wants to go swimming?”

Nicholas stared at her as if she was mad, while Ava’s face lit up in delight.

“I do!” she declared, sticking her tongue out at her brother when he scowled instead. “I love to swim. And so does Nicholas. He just doesn’t want to admit it.”

“I don’t think they should go,” interjected their nursemaid, a thin, surly looking woman of indeterminate years.

“Nonsense,” Ruby said, disliking the woman immediately. She looked to be the type of woman who’d tug on ears or rap knuckles. “It’s unseasonably warm and swimming is good exercise.”

“Nevertheless…” The woman’s tone was quite testy, clear evidence that she didn’t like to have her authority questioned.

“I shall give them lessons while we go about it,” Ruby assured the woman. “They are without a governess at the moment, are they not?”

“Yes,” the woman snapped. “The little monsters glued…”

“Whatever the reason for her departure,” Ruby interrupted smoothly, “I’m sure it’s been a terrible burden on you to have to fulfill both duties for the past few weeks.”

“Months,” the woman muttered.

“Even worse!” Ruby exclaimed, in faux commiseration. “One would think you could use a free morning, wouldn’t one?”

“Well,” she allowed, “I wouldn’t mind a trip into town.”

“It’s settled then,” Ruby announced decisively. She smiled at the children, who stared at her in awe. “Enjoy your morning,” she said, bustling the woman into the hall. Once the door was shut behind her, Ruby turned back to the children.

“You’re wonderful,” Ava breathed.

Even Nicholas couldn’t help but nod his agreement. 

“I hate Nurse Ratched,” Ava said.

“Of course, you don’t,” Ruby began, though her heart wasn’t truly in her words. She hadn’t much liked the woman either.

“No, we do,” Nicholas assured her. “She’s horrid.”

Ava nodded. “I wish we could have Nurse Johanna back, but she had to leave to care for her mother. She’s sick,” she explained.

“Her mother,” said Nicholas, “not Nurse Johanna.”

“How long has Nurse Ratched been here?”

“Five months,” Ava said forlornly.

“Five very long months,” Nicholas agreed. 

Ruby didn’t believe in disparaging another adult in front of children, especially an adult meant to have authority over said children, so she simply sidestepped the issue completely.

“Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? Because today, you have me.”

“I like you,” Ava said shyly, taking her hand.

Ruby smiled gently at her. “I like you, too.” Nicholas said nothing, but Ruby wasn’t concerned. Some children took longer to warm up to someone new. And besides, these children had earned the right to be wary. Their mother had left them, and then their nurse - who’d likely cared for them their entire lives - had left as well. Granted, leaving through death was quite different from leaving to care for an ill family member, but all the children would remember was that someone they loved dearly was gone, and then to lose their beloved nurse so soon after their mother, it could hardly be fathomed.

Ruby well remembered the months after her father had died. She’d been convinced that not letting her mother out of her sight - or better yet, holding her hand or skirts for all she was worth - would mean she couldn’t leave either.

“I’m sorry we blackened your eye,” Ava said quietly.

“It looks much worse than it feels,” Ruby assured her, squeezing her hand gently.

“It looks horrid,” Nicholas observed, matter of factly, his voice holding just a tinge of remorse.

“Yes, it does,” Ruby agreed. “But I’m starting to like it. It looks like I’ve been in a battle. And won!”

“It doesn’t look like you’ve won to me,” Nicholas said, dubiously.

“Nonsense,” Ruby said. “Of course I do! Anyone who comes home from a battle wins.”

“Does that mean that Uncle George lost?” Nicholas asked. “He didn’t come home from battle.”

“He died before we were born,” Ava said.

“Your uncle was a hero,” Ruby said, her voice quiet and respectful.

“But not Father,” Nicholas said.

“Your father didn’t go to war because he had responsibilities here,” Ruby explained. “But these are much too somber thoughts to occupy ourselves with, when we should be outside enjoying the splendid morning. We should be out swimming and having a grand time!”

The twins enthusiastically agreed, and in no time were changed into their bathing costumes and tromping through the field toward the lake.

“We mustn’t forget to practice our arithmetic,” Ruby called out as the twins skipped ahead of her. And to her surprise, they actually did. Who knew that sixes and eights could be so much fun?!

~*~*~

Graham came inside from the rose garden to find the house unnaturally quiet. It was so rare that he found himself just standing and savoring the silence. Nurse Ratched must have taken the children outside for a bit of fresh air, and while it was nearing ten in the morning, he assumed Ruby must still be abed, though she didn’t strike him as the type to lounge away the day under her covers.

He wandered into the breakfast room, expecting to find the sideboard full and waiting for Ruby’s appearance, but instead, it was empty and spotless, telling him that Ruby had already eaten and was now God knew where.

A maid entered the room with a feather duster in her hand. She bobbed a curtsey when she saw him.

“Good morning,” he said in greeting. “Would you please bring me a vase for these?” he asked, motioning toward the roses in his hand. He’d hoped to give them to her himself, but he wasn’t willing to just hold on to them while he hunted her down. He’d spent an hour in the rose garden choosing just the right blooms and then carefully removing all the thorns. Romney Hall boasted three rose gardens, but he’d had to go to the furthest afield to find the early-blooming varieties. 

When the maid arrived back, a glass vase in her hand, he asked, “Do you happen to know where Miss Jones is this morning? I noticed breakfast has been cleared.”

“I believe she took the children swimming, Sir,” she informed him. “They were in their bathing clothes.”

Graham’s skin went cold. He hadn’t been near the lake since the day Jacinda died, always taking the long way around, not able to bear even the sight of it. He’d forbidden the children to go near it as well. 

At least, he thought he had. He’d told Nurse Johanna not to allow them near the water, but had he told Nurse Ratched? He couldn’t remember.

He ran from the room, leaving the roses scattered on the floor.

~*~*~

“Last one in is a hermit crab!” Nicholas hollered, running down the hill toward the small lake. He didn’t stop until the water came to his waist.

“I’m not a hermit crab,” Ava shouted back, “You’re a hermit crab!” She splashed around in the shallows.

“You’re a rotten hermit crab.”

“Well, you’re a dead hermit crab.”

Ruby laughed as they continued to shout back and forth to each other. She waded in the shallows a few feet from Ava. Not having brought with her a bathing costume, she simply tied up her skirt and petticoat just above the knee. It was a scandalously large amount of skin to be showing, but in the presence of children, who really cared?

Besides, they were having much too much fun tormenting each other to even notice.

They’d warmed up to her significantly on the trek to the lake. They’d laughed and chattered the entire way. It made Ruby wonder if perhaps all they needed was a bit of attention. They’d lost their mother, their relationship with their father was distant and strained, at best, and then they’d lost their beloved nurse, as well.

Thank God they had each other.

And maybe, perhaps, her.

She shouldn’t be thinking like that. These children clearly needed a mother, but she couldn’t base her decision on them. She’d be marrying Graham. Not Nicholas and Ava.

“Don’t go any deeper,” she called, when she saw Nicholas start to inch into deeper water. She was quite pleased when he took two large steps back toward the shore of the lake, even if his expression was rather irritable.

“You should come in further, Miss Jones,” Ava said, sitting down on her bottom. “Oh! It’s cold!” she exclaimed.

“At least as far as Ava,” Nicholas chimed in. “You’ve barely gotten your feet wet.”

“I don’t have a bathing costume,” she reminded them again, for at least the tenth time.

“I think you don’t know how to swim,” Nicholas said, smugly.

Ruby raised her eyebrow at him. “I can assure you that I do know how to swim,” she informed him. “I spent a great deal of time in the country when I was growing up,” she continued. “But I am also not going to be giving a demonstration in my third best morning dress.”

Ava looked at her and blinked several times. “I should like to see your first and second best. That one is very pretty, indeed.”

“Thank you, Ava,” Ruby said, wondering who picked out the children’s clothes. Probably the crotchety Nurse Ratched, she thought. There was nothing wrong with what the child was wearing, but Ruby highly doubted she’d yet experienced the pleasure of picking out her own clothes. “If you’d like to go shopping some time, I’d be very pleased to take you.”

Ava’s mouth dropped open in a soft O of surprise. “Would you?” she breathed. “I’d love it ever so much!”

“Girls,” Nicholas mumbled. He looked back to the water, concentrating on angling his hand just right before he smacked the surface, creating a tall splash that reached all the way over to his sister.

“Stop it!” she squealed. “I’ll get you yet!” she promised, diving in after him. 

“Don’t go too far out,” Ruby called, though it didn’t really matter. They were obviously both excellent swimmers. If they were anything like Ruby and her siblings, they’d likely been swimming since about the age of four. They’d spent countless hours frolicking around in the pond near their home in Kent, until their father passed, that is. Once Brennan was gone, the family spent most of their time in London. Ruby could never figure out if it was because her mother preferred the city to the country, or if there were simply too many memories.

While she certainly enjoyed London and all the many amusements it offered, being here now swimming in the lake with two boisterous children, Ruby realized just how much she missed country living.

Ava finally caught up to her brother and launched herself at him, taking them both under the water. Ruby watched them closely until they came up for air, both laughing and spluttering and vowing to beat one another in this most important water battle.

“Be careful!” she called. It was strange being in this position. She was normally the fun and permissive aunt, not the authority-wielding adult. “Nicholas, do not pull your sister's hair.” She was pleased when he stopped, but then he grabbed the neck of her bathing clothes, making Ava sputter and cough. 

“Nicholas,” she yelled, “stop at once!” 

He did, surprising her again, but Ava took the opportunity to jump on top of him, sending him under and then sitting on his back.

“Ava!” Ruby yelled. Blast it all. She was going to have to put a stop to it herself. There went her ideas of keeping herself mostly dry. “Ava, get off of your brother this instant!” she yelled one last time before completely surrendering her dignity.

Ava got off and Nicholas came up sputtering. “Ava Humbert, I’m going to…”

“You most certainly will not,” Ruby said sternly. “You will not kill, maim, attack, or even hug for the next thirty minutes. Do I make myself clear?”

The children looked absolutely appalled that she’d even listed a hug as a punishable offense. They stared at her open-mouthed and then cut their eyes to each other.

“Well?” Ruby asked.

“Well then,” Ava asked, “what will we do?”

That was a good question which Ruby hadn’t really thought about. All of her memories of swimming as a child included the same sort of water war.

“Maybe we’ll get out and dry off for a spell.” They both looked horrified at her suggestion. “I did tell Nurse Ratched that we’d work on your lessons…”

“GET OUT OF THE LAKE!”

Ruby was so surprised at the loud and furious shout from the hill above them that she turned too quickly and fell. She was able to catch herself with her hands, but the front of her dress was still soaked. “Sir Graham!”

“Get out,” he growled, his strides long and powerful as he entered the water, reached his children, and grabbed them both around their waists, hauling them to shore. Ruby watched with horrified fascination as he set them roughly on the ground. “I told you you were never, ever, to go near the lake,” he yelled, shaking them both by a shoulder. “You know to stay away. You know…” Ruby still couldn’t look away as he suddenly came to a stop, trying to catch his breath.

“But that was last year,” said Nicholas quietly.

Graham glared at him and he shrank back. “Did I ever rescind the order?”

“No, but I thought…”

“You thought wrong,” he interrupted. “Now get back to the house. Both of you.” 

The two children recognized the deadly seriousness of their father’s words and ran quickly up the hill toward the house. Graham didn’t move until they were out of sight, then he turned his furious gaze on her.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?”

For a moment, Ruby was too taken aback to make any sort of reply. “Swimming,” she finally said, a note of insolence in her words. Perhaps more than a note. “Having a bit of fun. Perhaps you’re familiar with the concept.”

“I do not want my children near the lake,” he barked. “I have made those wishes clear…”

“Not to me,” she interjected.

“Well, you should have…”

“What?” she interrupted again. “How was I supposed to know you didn’t want them near the water? I told Nurse Ratched where we were going and what we intended to do, and she never gave any indication that it was forbidden.”

The look on his face told her he had no answer to her argument and it was only serving to anger him further. 

“It’s a hot day and I was trying to mend the breach,” she continued, determined to win the argument. “Heaven knows, I don’t want another blackened eye. Plus, I thought it’d be fun for the children.”

“You put them in danger,” he growled.

Ruby couldn’t have been more surprised if literal horns had grown out of his head. “Danger?” she sputtered. “From swimming? The only danger they would have been in is if I couldn’t swim!”

“I don’t care whether you can swim or not,” he retorted. “I only care that my children can’t.”

She stared at him for several seconds, blinking dumbly at him. “Yes, they can. They’re quite proficient, in fact. I assumed you taught them.”

“What are you talking about?”

He was still furious, she could hear it in his voice, but the honest confusion also contained within had her ire retreating quickly.

“Did you…” she began, tilting her head slightly in inquiry, “not know that the children could swim?”

For a moment, Graham felt like he couldn’t breathe. It was like a bolt of lightning from the clear blue sky, freezing him in his place. This moment brought all of his failings as a father to the forefront of his mind, and Graham was completely overwhelmed. His jaw worked, his fingers clenched at his sides, his lungs caught, and he could do nothing but try to remain upright against the onslaught. It was the worst feeling he’d ever experienced in his life.

It wasn’t that his children could swim, it was that he didn’t know they could swim. How could he have not known? A father should know if his children could swim. Or ride a horse. Or read. Or count to one hundred.

And he didn’t. 

“I… I…” he stammered. He drew a deep breath, more of a gasp really, and was only dimly aware of Ruby moving toward him and gently grabbing his arm in her hand.

“Sir Graham,” she whispered. “Are you all right?”

He nodded. Or at least, he thought he did. All he could hear was her voice ringing in his head- yes they can yes they can YES THEY CAN - and it wasn’t even the words themselves, necessarily. It was the tone of surprise and just a hint of contempt.

And he hadn’t known.

His children were growing and changing and he didn’t even know them. He recognized them, certainly, but he didn’t know who they were.

What were their favorite colors? What were their favorite toys? What were their favorite foods? He didn’t know any of it!

He was, in his own way, every bit as awful a father as his own father had been. His father may have beaten his children within an inch of their lives, but he at least knew what they were up to. Graham ignored, avoided, and pretended. Anything to keep his distance and avoid losing his temper. Anything to keep him from turning into his father.

“Graham,” Ruby whispered again. “You don’t look well. I think you should go home.”

“I’m…” he began before trailing off, not able to get the words out. He’d meant to say I’m fine, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Ruby looked up as a cloud passed over the sun. Graham followed her gaze and then noticed Ruby crossing her arms over her chest and shivering. It was finally enough to bring him out of his self-loathing paralysis.

“You need to get inside,” he said, grasping her by the arm and proceeding to pull her up the hill.

“Graham!” she exclaimed, stumbling along behind him. “I’m fine! Just a little chilled.”

He touched her skin and cursed under his breath. “You are bloody well not fine, you’re freezing!” He stopped and took his coat off, placing it around her shoulders before grabbing her arm again.

“Graham, please!” she begged. “There is no need to run!” He didn’t stop their very brisk hike. Ruby jerked her arm out of his and stopped. “Sir Graham,” she said forcefully. “Please let me walk.”

He glared at her for a moment before answering. “I will not be responsible for you developing a lung fever,” he hissed.

“A lung fever?” Ruby asked, incredulous. “It’s May!”

“I don’t care if it’s July!” he roared. “You will not remain in those wet clothes!”

“Well, of course not!” she exclaimed, trying her best to sound reasonable. “But it’s only ten minutes back to the house. I am not going to die!”

She’d heard the expression of blood draining from a person’s face, but she’d never seen it. Until now. There was no other way to describe the sudden paleness of Graham’s face.

“Graham,” she said gently, trying to disguise her alarm. “What is wrong?”

His eyes darted back and forth, his hand trembled, and when she took it, it felt clammy in her own. She didn’t think he was going to answer until his mouth opened and a whisper fell from his lips. “I don’t know.”

She touched his arm and looked up into his face. He looked confused. Dazed even. As if he’d been pushed out onto a stage and didn’t know his lines. His eyes were open and on her, but she was quite sure he didn’t see her. He was somewhere far beyond her reach. Facing some terrible and recent nightmare all alone.

She knew bad memories and how they could just take over the heart and mind sometimes. She remembered her own worst nightmare - at the age of seven, being the sole witness to the death of her father, screaming and crying as he fell to the ground gasping for breath, then beating on his chest when he could no longer speak, begging him to wake up and say something. She knew now that he’d been gone by then, but somehow, that made the memory so much worse. The only way she’d gotten over it was due to her mother. She’d visited her every night and stroked her head as she’d cried into her chest. She told Ruby over and over again that it was alright to miss her father and talk about him. That it was alright to cry and grieve.

Ruby still remembered it all with perfect clarity, but it no longer haunted her. She hadn’t had a nightmare about it in over a decade.

But whatever Graham was seeing right now, was still very much with him.

“Graham,” she whispered again, touching his cheek. He didn’t move, he barely breathed. She stepped closer still, saying his name once again. She wanted to ease the shattered look in his eyes. She wanted to draw out the man she knew he was, down deep inside. She wanted to heal him.

She whispered his name one last time, taking another step forward until only inches separated them. She offered him her understanding, her compassion, her help all in a single word. She could only hope he heard. And listened.

And then he moved. His hand covered hers, pressing her hand into his skin as if he were trying to memorize the feel of her touch. He drew their hands down to his mouth and placed a kiss to the center of her palm. 

Her gaze bounced between his blue, blue eyes, reading him like one of her beloved novels. He was back. He was here with her and she suddenly knew what he intended. His eyes drifted shut and he drew their hands down to his chest, over his beating heart. His other arm wrapped around her and drew her into him. Leaving her hand on his chest, he used his to lift her chin until her lips were only a hair's breadth away from his own, stopping only long enough to whisper her name before capturing her lips in a kiss that was so blinding, so intense, it took her breath away. He was hungry and needy - a starving man being granted a feast. He kissed her as if she were the air he needed to breathe. As if she was a cool and refreshing pool of water to a man dying of thirst. The kind of kiss Ruby knew she’d never forget. The kind of kiss she hadn’t known existed.

He pulled her closer until every part of her body lined up against his and then a gasp escaped her when his hand left the small of her back and cupped her bottom.

“I need you, Ruby, please,” he groaned into her mouth before leaving it and placing light and gentle kisses to the line of her jaw and neck. She dropped her head back allowing him more access and held on to him for dear life. She was melting. He was melting her. All she knew was that she needed more. She needed him.

But not like this.

Not when he was using her as a succor to his wounds.

“Graham, we can’t,” she said, pulling back from him. Though she wasn’t quite sure how she found the strength within herself to do so. “Not like this.”

At first, she didn’t think he was going to let her go, but then suddenly, he did. “I’m sorry,” he said. He still looked dazed, but whether it was from the kiss or the tumultuous events of the morning, she wasn’t sure.

“Don’t apologize,” she urged him, instinctively smoothing down the front of her dress. It was still soaking wet and thus unsmoothable, but if she didn’t do something with her hands, she was liable to jump back into his arms again.

“You should go back to the house,” he said, his voice almost too low to hear.

“Aren’t you coming, as well?” she asked, surprised.

He shook his head. “I need to think. You’ll be fine. It is May after all.”

Ruby’s brow furrowed, but she turned from him and started back up the hill. After a moment, she turned back to him, utterly unable to mind her own business.

“What do you need to think about?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied with a shrug. “Everything, I suppose.”

Ruby nodded and continued on her way to the house. But the look in his eyes stayed with her all day long.

~*~*~

Ruby was purposefully late going down to supper. After the events of the morning, she wasn’t sure whether Sir Graham would be joining her or not, but she figured if he wasn’t waiting for her at ten past the hour, then she would be dining alone.

She was pleasantly surprised however, to find Graham in the drawing room waiting for her. He wore an evening kit that, although not the latest fashion, was perfectly tailored to his long and lean frame. Ruby caught her breath when he turned to her and approached.

“I hope you will accept my apologies for my behavior this morning,” he said, the entreaty in his eyes clear. “I overreacted and behaved abominably.” His voice was low and reserved, but she knew from his tone that her forgiveness was very much desired.

“No apology is necessary,” she assured him. “The incident is forgiven and forgotten.”

“Thank you,” he said, holding his elbow out to escort her to dinner. She took it and they walked slowly from the room. “Jacinda died in that lake.” 

The words were so unexpected that Ruby gasped in horror and halted in the middle of the hallway, her fingers covering her mouth.

“I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “I had no idea.”

Graham nodded. “I pulled her out, but it was too late.”

“Oh, Graham.” She could say nothing else as his gaze bounced between her eyes. He didn’t look as shattered as he had this morning, and Ruby was glad of that fact. He turned away from her and continued walking down the hall to the dining room.

“I know how it feels to watch someone you love die,” she said quietly. “And not being able to do anything to stop it.” 

“Your father?” he asked. She nodded. It wasn’t something she shared with many people. In fact, the only person outside her family who knew she’d been the lone witness to his death was her dearest and oldest friend, Mary Margaret Blanchard. Now Mary Margaret Jones. Even with the bleakness of the conversation, the thought of her closest friend being married to her favorite brother brought a small smile to her lips.

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I,” she replied.

He was silent for a moment as they continued down the hallway. 

“I didn’t know my children could swim.”

His words were so odd and out of the blue, she could only blink and ask, “I beg your pardon?”

“I didn’t know they could swim,” he repeated, his voice dripping with condemnation. “I don’t even know who taught them.”

“Does it matter?” she asked softly.

“It does,” he said bitterly, “because I should have been the one to do it.”

She could barely look at his face. It was so pained, and so tormented, but it also brought her a calm assurance. Sir Graham Humbert was a good man. It was obvious that he loved his children tremendously, and even if he didn’t know how to act around them, his heart towards them was true.

“Well,” she said briskly, “there’s nothing to be done about that now, and just because you didn’t know, you do now, and it’s not too late to find out more about them. They are charming children, you know.”

He looked at her dubiously. 

“They do misbehave on occasion…” His eyebrow shot up in disbelief. “Oh, very well, they misbehave quite often, but truly, all they want is a little attention from you.”

“They told you this?”

Ruby released a small giggle. “Of course not. They’re only eight. But it is quite obvious to me.”

They finally reached the dining room and sat down on opposite sides of the table. Graham was silent until they’d both had a sip of their wine.

“Did they enjoy it? The swimming?” he asked hesitantly.

“Oh, yes,” she assured him. “You should take them.”

He shook his head and looked down briefly. “I don’t think I could.”

Ruby nodded, fully understanding the power of memories. “Perhaps somewhere else then. Surely there are other lakes or ponds on the grounds.”

Graham nodded and waited until she’d had a taste of her soup. “That is a fine idea,” he agreed. “I will think about where we might go.”

There was something so heartbreaking about his expression - the uncertainty, the vulnerability - Ruby felt her heart clench in her chest. The knowledge that he was going to do his best to do the right thing, the right thing by his children.

“I hope you will join us.”

“Of course,” she said, utterly delighted. “I should be desolate if I wasn’t invited.”

“I’m quite certain you overstate,” he said wryly, the corner of his lips lifting in a small grin. “But we would be honored, and to be quite frank, I would be rather relieved to have you there. The outing is sure to be successful if you are present,” he explained.

Ruby felt her cheeks heat at the unexpected compliment. “I’m quite certain you overstate.”

“We will all enjoy ourselves much better with your accompaniment,” he assured her quite emphatically. 

Ruby decided not to argue and just accept the compliment. He was most likely correct, after all. They were so unused to spending any time together, it would almost certainly be more pleasant with her to smooth the way. And she found that she didn’t mind the idea one bit.

“Perhaps tomorrow,” she suggested, “if the pleasant weather holds out.”

“I believe it will,” he said. “The air didn’t feel changeable.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow at him. “So you predict the weather as well?” Ruby had a cousin who claimed to be able to predict the weather, but every time she listened to him, she’d end up soaked to the skin or nearly freezing her fingers and toes off.

“Not at all,” he replied, “but one can…” He trailed away and looked toward the door. “What was that?”

“What was what?” she replied, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she heard what Graham had obviously heard. Raised voices, and getting louder by the moment. Heavy footfalls. A forceful stream of invective was followed by a yelp of terror that could only have come from the butler…

And then Ruby knew.

“Oh, dear God,” she murmured, her grip on her spoon going slack. 

“What the devil?” Graham asked, standing from his seat, preparing to defend his home from the unknown invaders.

Except that he had no idea what sort of invaders he was about to face. What sort of annoying, meddlesome, and diabolical invaders he was going to have to meet in, oh, about ten seconds.

But Ruby did. And she knew annoying, meddlesome, and diabolical held nothing against furious, unreasonable, and downright large when it came to Graham’s imminent safety.

“Ruby?” Graham asked, his brows shooting up to his hairline when they both heard someone bellow her name.

Ruby felt the blood drain from her body, though there was no evidence of it on the floor around her. There was no way she’d be able to survive a moment such as this, not without killing someone, and preferably someone who was quite closely related to her.

She stood, her fingers gripping the table, the footfalls (which resembled a rabid horde, quite honestly) growing closer.

“Someone you know?” Graham asked mildly. Much too mildly for someone about to face his own demise.

She nodded and somehow managed to push the words through her frozen lips, “My brothers.”

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing! I'd love to hear what you think! Going forward, I'm going to start updating twice a week. So be on the lookout for the next chapter, which just happens to be my favorite, on Wednesday!!

[earthwormjimnocontext]

If this is my final post on Earthworm Jim No Context, I'd be fine. Because I'VE GOT A THEORY WITH SOME EVIDENCE I'M GONNA HIT YOU WITH! BACKED UP BY THE SCRAPPED FILES OF EARTHWORM JIM 3D! AND IF A CONCRETE ANSWER POPS UP FROM CONCEPT ART, AND I'M WRONG, I WILL SPEED RUN IT AS KIM.

Here goes:

Now as we could all piece together, Kim was probably not intended to be the trans icon she is, and was put in that final boss slot final minute. So what was she initially?

Earthworm Kim was originally Jim's mother!

Now I know what you're thinking. WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF IDEA IS THAT?! But, there's some evidence for this.

Evidence #1 Scrapped Dialogue

The following is a dialogue tree found hidden within the files of the PC version Earthworm Jim 3D:

004dd96c Gee thanks..Mr Super-ego

you've been a big help.

"Gee thanks..Mr Super-ego\nyou've been a big help.\n" ds

004de79c I think the swelling is

going down now. "I think the swelling is\ngoing down now." ds

004de79c I think the swelling is

going down now. "I think the swelling is\ngoing down now." ds

004de8e4 Hello EJ. I seem to have

had an allergic reaction

to this water. I hope my

mum isn't angry with me »Hello EJ. I seem to have had an allergic reaction to this water. I hope my mum isn't angry with me« ds

004de9c4 I'm learning to use an

opposable thumb. "I'm learning to use an\nopposable thumb." ds

004deb24 Hello EJ. I seem to have

grown a hand sticking out of

my head. Cool isn't it? I hope

my mum isn't angry with me. »Hello EJ. I seem to have grown a hand sticking out of my head. Cool isn't it? I hope my mum isn't angry with me.« ds

004df034 You've found my wig!

Here's an udder. "You've found my wig!\nHere's an udder." ds

004df1ec Thanks for finding my

family. Have a reward "Thanks for finding my\nfamily. Have a reward" ds

004df2c4 I'm missing just one

more of my kids - find my

child and I'll reward you. "I'm missing just one\nmore of my kids - find my\nchild and I'll reward you." ds

004df430 You've found one of

my aquatic squirts - now

find the other two! "You've found one of\nmy aquatic squirts - now\nfind the other two!" ds

004df4e0

Help me find my 3 children.

"\nHelp me find my 3 children.\n" ds

These text files are not used in the game, and tie into the scrapped hub world Childhood, where Jim would have saved a boardwalk in his youth from radiation poisoning, so the text most likely belongs to scrapped missions in that level. One of them requires the player to find an unnamed mom's kids, and one looking for a wig. Now these are cool, but how do these tie to Kim being the mother?

Evidence #2 Voice Lines

Kim has a total of three recorded lines, as so does every boss:

"Remember Jimmy, it's for your own good!" - Intro quote

"Ouch!" -Hit Quote

"I know where you hid those magazines!" - Defeat quote.

Take note of the first and the last quote, as if Kim was intended to be Jim's feminine side this entire time, then why is it in this cadence? All 3 lines are addressed in a motherly delivery (Quite possibly by Linda Wallem), and the last one especially sounds like a quote from a mom.

Evidence #3 The Paintings in Fear

According to the instruction manual, the manor used to belong to Jim's family before Professor Monkey for a Head took it over. So naturally there are paintings of Jim's family. (despite him being an orphan) Including this painting on the wall that I don't feel like taking a clearer picture of because I do not feel like playing Jim 3D again. She looks the most like Kim. Who is this painting on the wall? It never says.

Evidence #4 Star's Magazine Run.

I used to have an Internet friend named Starlight94, and she was the record holder for this game and Tonic Trouble, often going through the trouble of looking for beta content. One was from a magazine that she couldn't refind again that had a picture of Kim and the childhood level with the writer stating that she was Jim's... Girlfriend. I'm going to take a guess that this is a "Cowboy Bebop at his computer" situation because this Miswriting shockingly happens a lot. Especially my favorite: Bonus Bob! But once this page is found it is confirmed that Kim was originally in the childhood area.

Evidence #5 The boxart?

The PC box features this gag review from Jim's Mom, alluding to masturbation

Can't have Earthworm Jim without sex jokes in the marketing

But with this many references to a mother, AND the scrapped dialogue, AND her supposedly appearing in Childhood, it leads me to this theory.

Teddyroo12, Signing off Earthworm Jim No Context, until new content is made.

[lenetaylor]

Letter from Paul McCartney to Julian Lennon 1997

"A month ahead of the release of his new album, Paul sent just 200 'white label' vinyl advance copies of Flaming Pie to what he dubbed 'extremely groovy' people - and Julian was one of them. It arrived with a note dated April 14m 1997 and the personal handwritten message: 'I hope you'll enjoy this! Best regards from me and the family' [sic]"

Dear Julian, Please find enclosed a white label vinyl advance copy of my new album "Flaming Pie". Only 200 have been pressed and sent to *extremely groovy* people such as yourself. Linda and I hope it brings you a moment or two of joy. We also hope you have a record player - and if not, why not get one! Failing that, I understand that when warmed up it can be made into a rather attractive plant pot holder. Love, Paul [handwritten] I hope you'll enjoy this! Best personal regards from me and the family XXX Love from Linda

Scanned from Beatles Memorabilia: The Julian Lennon Collection, by Brian Southall and Julian Lennon, 2010

[sleepywinchesters]

Several Sentence Sunday

From the 5+1 BuddieTommy Eddie Doesn't Know They're Dating fic. Tagged by @desert--moonchild. (not gonna tag anyone since its ya know. Monday but if you wanna share go ahead).

Eddie was used to the adrenaline crash that came from barely surviving a situation- or at least as used to it as a body could get. Josh, on the other hand, didn’t experience it nearly as often and as a result was shaking despite himself, coffee threatening to splash over onto his hand. Eddie took it from him and placed it in the cup holder. Ten minutes ago Josh had sworn he was good to drive himself home, but Eddie knew the crash was coming sooner rather than later.

Sue and Linda had gone home with their respective partners, and Chim had been with them already when they found Maddie. Everyone else had gradually filtered out with their people. Josh was the only one left, dealing with the last of the stragglers and sending the first responders on their way. Everything else was going to have to wait until morning. Eddie had seen him gathering his things, and despite himself asked where Josh’s ride was. He had immediately deemed himself Josh’s ride once it was revealed he didn’t have one.