#Man I wanna draw CB again... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

meltwonu · 4 years ago

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| 🍒 CH-CH-CHERRY BOMB! 🍒 | [CHAPTER 17]

pairing; dom!seungcheol x camgirl!reader

this chapter’s notes; camshow, intercrural sex, lots ‘o teasing, dirty talk/the absolute tiniest bit of degradation, some cum play/cum eating, seungcheol having a kink for thighs/thigh highs 😳😗 welcome to the weekend my bbys!! I hope yall are having a good day/night!! Also again, another inbox roundup tomorrow(also an updates post)!! 💕 Might be a regular thing for the next 4-ish weeks ‘cause I have been so busy this month 😭 and I can’t believe there’s only 3 more chapters of CB left!! 😭😭 some bangers on the way tho LMAO 🤣 As always, thank you so much for the love and support!!💕💕 Have a great rest of your weekend and enjoy ch 17![cheol voice] seventeen right here 😌💕🍒

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - x - x - x

Seungcheol doubles over in laughter, tears blurring his vision as his laughs turn into quiet wheezes.

“God, this is so embarrassing.” Seokmin mutters; cheeks burning crimson when he glances over to Jeongguk who shrugs back. “Maybe I really should quit…”

Jeongguk scoffs jokingly, “Maybe you shouldn’t have lied. No offense, but all the staff here probably have at least seen her before and you just so happened to lie to her actual boyfriend. That’s honestly really lucky if you ask me! You should buy a lotto ticket!” Seokmin whines back, shifting on his heels as he watches Seungcheol start to wipe the tears away.

“Hyung, can you please take this Edible Arrangements I got you so I can go ask Namjoon-hyung to fire me?” This only causes Seungcheol to laugh harder and this time, Jeongguk can’t help the giggle that bubbles past his tightly pursed lips.

“Please!” Seokmin begs, shaking the basket of skewered fruit at the older male. “I heard the diner across down is still hiring, I can still save the rest of my dignity if I leave now!”

Seungcheol shakes his head, eyelashes wet with tears when he takes the gift from Seokmin’s hands to place it on the countertop of the concession stand. “Hate to break it to you but she works there and one of the staff is also one of her regulars so I think your best bet is workin’ here. Embarrassment and all.”

“So, okay… But you’re not mad?”

Jeongguk peels the cellophane off of the basketed fruit, looking to Seungcheol for permission before he takes a skewer. “Go ahead. And no, I’m not mad. If anything I should apologize too, I shouldn’t have let you keep lying when I already knew. But also, to be fair, we weren’t really… official ‘til recently.” Seungcheol shoots the younger male a sheepish smile; cheeks a pretty pink of their own. “And it’s kinda been nice meeting you guys too. It’s great to know you’re not all weirdos.”

Seokmin laughs lightly, breathing a sigh of relief. “Okay, cool, ‘cause this place pays really well and I’d hate to stop working here and you guys are a lot cooler than the coworkers I had before.” He rolls his eyes jokingly, leaning up against the countertop as he picks off a strawberry from the basket.

“Don’t even get me started on this coworker I had at the last place. His name was Mingyu, I think? Suuuuuch a kissass. I had to move to manning the register at all times just so I could avoid him pickin’ his nose in the backroom and then pretending like he was doin’ shit.”

“Hey, Seungcheol-hyung?”

Seokmin’s inquisitive voice has Seungcheol turning; setting the rollerskates in his hand down onto the bench. “Yeah?”

“Do you think it’s weird that we’re, like, watching your girlfriend?” He tilts his head in thought, eyes blinking up to the ceiling. “I don’t want to overstep or something if it’s weird, y’know? I’ve been thinking about what Jeongguk said earlier...”

Seungcheol grins back at him, eyes twinking. He’d also thought about that before too, when he first found out that Jeongguk had also watched your streams.

“I don’t really mind ‘cause at the end of the day, it’s you watching me fucking my girlfriend.”

“Well, I’m glad he took it… well?” You giggle, tugging the white thigh high up your leg.

Seungcheol pulls off his shirt as he sits on the edge of the bed; tossing the wrinkled material onto the floor as he laughs under his breath.

“He did give me an Edible Arrangements while I laughed so hard I cried. I think he’s learned his lesson.”

xcaliburDK: good news, i didnt quit!!

chwenon: i was gonna say

chwenon: u literally started like last week

universe_WZ has donated $75

angelhan has donated $75

therealchan99 has donated $50

therealchan99: u look rly pretty in ur white set!!!

“Aww, thank you! It’s one of my favorites~ And ‘xcaliburDK’, I’m glad you didn’t quit!” You wink at the camera, giggling softly in Seungcheol’s lap as he peppers kisses along your shoulder.

A shiver runs up your spine at his gentle touches and you easily melt under his soft kisses and roaming fingertips. He ghosts them across your breasts, teasing you through the thin lace as you mewl and squirm against his cock that’s pressed firm against your ass. “A-ah, S--Seungcheol…”

tangerine_kwan: she looks so happy now that she can call ur name out lol

alphagyu97: now i cant pretend its me tho

gentleman_josh95: i mean i guess but are u even built like him

alphagyu97: well

Your body slowly starts to fill with warmth; soft stuttered breaths falling from your lips when he drags his fingers down your torso until they play with the hem of your panties. “M-more… tease me m-more…” He grins against your shoulder; hooking a finger around the waistband of your panties and tugging it away from you before letting it snap against your skin.

“‘Cheol!” Whining, your legs snap shut on impulse as you feel a gush of wetness soaking into your panties.

“Ah, ah, ah, part those legs, princess. Don’t make me have to punish you.”

kitty_junjun: no thats what the shibari stream is for right? Right? 😩

artist8hao: is that really happening bc i want to see it

alphagyu97: u guys should do it and think of it as like a rebrand of the channel ykwim

hoshi_tiger_xx: jdfkjhf like a grand re-opening under new management

therealchan99: what is this, a restaurant?

chwenon: u guys should come up with a new channel name too or sth

Seungcheol manages to read off a few of their comments; committing some to memory knowing that your eyes were still sealed shut as you focused on his soft touches.

He drags his fingers down further, humming when he can already feel how wet you were getting. “Hmm~ Already soaked through your pretty panties, baby~” Your head rolls back against his shoulder, nodding gently as you start to grind against the fingers that he uses to press into your clothed, wet folds.

“F-feels good w-when you, ah, t-tease me…”

Unbeknownst to you, Seungcheol smirks, eyes twinkling at the camera. “You really like it, huh? When I just touch you gently like this. Not enough to get you off but just enough to get you soaking wet until you’re begging for my cock.” He pauses; pressing a soft kiss to your skin. “I wanna try something with you, pretty baby~”

You gulp as you raise your head from his shoulder and he retracts his hands from your body as you shift your body and slightly turn to the side to face him.

Seungcheol’s eyes are blown wide with lust and you can already feel his cock throbbing against your lower back as he smiles dreamily at you.

“I think you’ll like it too.”

A stuttered moan falls from your lips as Seungcheol’s cock slides past your tightly clasped, yet shaky, thighs.

“O-oh, ‘Cheol, this--this is…” The words die on your tongue as your head falls forward and Seungcheol is quick to reprimand you, just as he draws his hips back.

“Baby, I want you to watch yourself on the screen. I want you to see your cute face while I tease your pretty body.” He moans; thrusting between your wet thighs as your hazy eyes peer at the laptop’s screen. Your lips are swollen and your pupils are blown wide when you catch yourself and you can see the head of Seungcheol’s cock only just breaching past your clamped thighs when he thrusts forward.

You let out a guttural moan, eyes rolling to the back of your head when he alternates between thrusting between your thighs and letting his cock slide against your soaked, panty-clad mound.

He hadn’t bothered to undress you at all, but you didn’t mind. The material of your panties only added onto the pleasure with every drag of his cock against you.

Seungcheol teases you even more; dragging his hands down to your thigh highs and letting his fingertips play right underneath the hems before pulling the material away from your thighs and letting them snap against your skin, much like he’d done with your panties.

“Ah, fuck, m-more! P-please…” He repeats the action a few more times, playing with the sheer fabric of your thigh highs before he draws his hips back. Except this time, when you expect him to thrust back between your legs, he wraps a hand around his cock instead, guiding himself until the head of his cock is rubbing up against the sheer fabric.

“Fuck, you’d look so pretty with cum all over your pretty thighs. I should cum all over your panties and your white ‘lil thigh highs and get them all soaked. Don’t you think they’d be cute? Sticking to you like a second skin? Translucent ‘n soaked through with my cum?” He laughs under his breath, watching through the laptop screen at the way you bite your lip and furrow your brows at the thought.

“I--I want t-that… I want S--Seungcheol t-to make, ngh, a m-mess…”

angelhan: i kno we say this all the time but can u upload some pics of that later

angelhan has donated $75

universe_WZ: seconded cuz thatd look so fuckin hot

universe_WZ has donated $50

alphagyu97 has donated $75

alphagyu97: fuck, like a lil angel covered in cum

Seungcheol teases you and himself at the same time; rubbing his cock against your fabric-clad thighs. He spreads precum onto the material, licking his lips when it already becomes translucent and sticks to your skin.

He positions his cock back between your thighs once he’s had his fill and quickly finds himself doubling his pace when he sees how wet you’re getting his cock without even having taken your panties off. “God, look at you. I don’t even need to fuck you to get you this wet. You just need to rub your ‘lil cunt against my cock and it’s enough for you, huh? I should make you sit on my lap, rub your pretty ‘lil pussy on my cock ‘til you’re cumming over and over again.”

“Ngh, yes! Fuck, Seungcheol! I--I can feel your c-cock throbbing between my l-legs… Please, please c-cum, mmh, all over my s-skin…”

“That’s right, baby. So fuckin’ desperate to be covered in it too. And always so fuckin’ pretty when you are.”

You let out a whimper as you try to focus on watching yourself just like Seungcheol had asked you to. Your lips are parted in soft breaths and you can’t seem to unfurrow your brows as Seungcheol chases his pleasure behind you.

angelhan: what if

angelhan: seungcheol in thigh highs lmao

universe_WZ: sub.cheol

sleepy_wonu: sub.cheol

universe_WZ: jinx

sleepy_wonu: fuck u

You lick your lips at the thought; although you knew Seungcheol would have a hard time relinquishing his dominating nature.

But your mind wanders as you continue to think about it; various images of Seungcheol tied up underneath you while you fucked yourself on his cock running through your mind. You let out a shaky moan, to which Seungcheol hums.

“What are you thinkin’ about, princess?”

“Um… ah, n-nothing…” He thrusts between your legs hard, making you jolt forward as you yelp.

“Princess...”

“I--ah! J-just thinking a-about… y-you tied up, ngh, to--to the bed and m-me fuh--fucking myself on your c-cock… ‘n me u-using, mmh, my toys o-on you...” Seungcheol smirks, pulling his cock from between your shaky thighs as he slightly pushes you over until you're on your back.

He spreads your legs as you look up at him and he’s quick to wrap a hand around his cock as he jerks himself off above you. “Oh, I bet you’d love that, wouldn’t you? I bet you’d be so cute trying to be the domme for a night.” Seungcheol teases.

You find yourself clenching around emptiness as you think of the possibilities. You definitely wanted to try it if Seungcheol was willing.

“Fuck, but first, gonna cover your pretty body with my cum.” He groans; thrusting up into his palm as he chases his high.

“C-cum all over me, Seungcheol…”

The donations and comments sound off in the back as you maintain eye contact with Seungcheol who’s brows furrow when he starts to feel himself about to cum. He scoots back a little; growling when his cock throbs in his grasp and he cums all over your, already, soaked panties.

You let out a moan when rivulets of cum hit your lower abdomen and you’re quick to reach down and scoop some up to bring to your mouth, smearing the warm substance against your puckered lips before licking it off. Whimpering, you dip your fingers into your mouth; this time pretending they were Seungcheol’s instead of your own.

He guides his cock until the head is aimed at your thighs; streaks of cum settling into the sheer material of your thigh highs. “God, you’re so damn pretty...” Groaning, he milks his cock for every drop of cum before he’s stopping to catch his breath.

“You came so much but I didn’t cum yet, ‘Cheol~” Pouting, you turn your head to the side to face the camera. “Tell him he has to make me cum now~”

kitty_junjun: well u heard the lady!!

hoshi_tiger_xx: make her cum and let her cream her cute lil panties even more

therealchan99: oh fuck yeah, get her off without fucking her cute cunt

Seungcheol leans over your body until the two of you are almost face to face, eyes twinkling with playfulness when you feel his sticky hand playing with your thigh highs again.

“D’you hear that? Let’s give them what they want, baby.”

The sounds of donations and comments once again get lost as Seungcheol finds himself on his knees between your legs.

“Ready?”

When you slide into bed after your camshow’s ended and Seungcheol has properly taken care of you, he’s quick to tug you into his chest.

The two of you let out soft sighs at the warmth that envelopes you both as you finally start to settle in for the night.

After a few minutes, Seungcheol clears his throat, catching you just before you drift off to sleep.

“This is so random but have you considered, I dunno, rebranding your channel… with me? I was thinking about it and kinda wanted your opinion...”

You blink up curiously at him, urging him to continue. “I mean, yeah, of course! I don’t really know where to start though since it’s always just been me. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to either so I never brought it up.” You snuggle into his warmth, yawning as the sleep threatens to take over.

“But let’s talk about it later, ‘cause ‘m tired now, ‘Cheol. You really didn’t have to make me cum twice…” You mumble, “I can still feel my legs shaking...”

His soft laugh reverberates in your chest and he’s quick to press a kiss against your hair as he tugs you in closer.

“It’s ‘cause I like to spoil you. And okay. I’ll remind you when you’re more conscious.”

“G’night, ‘Cheol...”

“Goodnight, baby.”

#cherrybomb!cheol #seungcheol smut #scoups smut #seventeen smut #svt smut #seungcheol scenarios #seungcheol imagines #scoups imagines #scoups scenarios #scoups fic #seungcheol fic #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #svt scenarios #svt fic #scoups #seungcheol

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sharperthewriter · 3 years ago

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Chapter 12 of Possible-y Utah

Chapter 12 - The Agreement II

(2:18 pm)

A pink convertible pulled up into the driveway of Richard's house and two girls, both seniors, got out of the car.

The girl who was driving the car was Genna Majenta. She, whom had recently graduated from MHS, had long shoulder-length black hair, brown eyes and was slightly taller than Kim. She was dressed in a blue croptop shirt, a silver star necklace, Club Banana dark baggy denim overalls with the bib folded down and straps hooked and a belt to hold them up and white sneakers. She was co-captain of the Middleton Golden Dancers dance team in her senior and the girlfriend of Richard.

The other girl whom was the passenger of the car was Jeanna Montana, the girlfriend of Jack. Like Genna, she was approaching her senior year at Middleton High and was also on the Golden Dancers. They were also of the same height. But whereas Genna had brown eyes and black hair, Jeanna had blonde hair and blue eyes and had a tattoo of two starts on her midriff. She was wearing a pink tubetop, silver hoop earrings, black carpenter jeans, and pink sneakers.

"Ugh...do you wonder why Richard called us here, Gen?" Jeanna asked while popping her strawberry bubblegum.

"Dunno. Maybe both he and Jack could get lucky with us tonight!" Genna replied, texting away on her phone.

"You wanna take Jack upstairs or in the basement?" Jenna asked, popping a medium-sized bubble.

"Since I went upstairs with Jack last time, I'll take the basement for a little 'extra-session' with him!" Genna replied with a very vapid grin, licking her lips. "I am wearing my 'special' panties for him!"

She opened the door to the house and saw that, to her surprise, that Bonnie and Rebecca were sitting on the couch.

Jeanna reacted with disgust at the sight of a cheerleader in her boyfriend's house.

"What is this...?" she asked with a slight growl.

Richard gasped in horror at his girlfriend appearing. "It's not what it looks like, Jeanna! They were the ones who called us up to come here.

Jeanna stomped to the living room with her left hand clenched in a fist.

"I am going to give Miss Rockwaller a piece of my mind!" she exclaimed.

Bonnie saw the approaching, and very POed, Jeanna but she stood her ground. She jumped out of the couch right in front of her.

Rebecca exclaimed, "B! Please!"

"If you even dare come closer to me..." Bonnie insisted, her shoes digging deep in the carpet, "...I will make sure that my mom will give you a good paddling with her Swatter!"

Genna also intervened, "Jenna...I'd hate to say this, but Bonnie's right! You do NOT want to cross paths with her!"

Jeanna stopped herself in her tracks. She knew all about the reputation of Veronica Rockwaller and her infamous wooden paddle.

"You're lucky that your mom is the head disciplinarian of the entire school district, Rockwaller! I would've given you a black eye if I had the chance!" Jeanna sneered.

Richard tried to intervene.

"Ladies! Ladies! Let's chillax!" he nervously chuckled, "Let's not fight here! Let's be reasonable before someone calls the police on any of us!"

Jenna unclenched her fists but turned her anger to her football-playing boyfriend.

"Richard, I am going to have a very long talk with you after this..."

"You know, this may be just be a mistake...just like what you two losers did with 'The Incident'!"

Rebecca, however, was still confused.

"Okay, I'm totes mixed up."

"What is it now, R?" Bonnie asked.

"Why do you have beef with the Golden Dancers?" Rebecca questioned.

"It all started about six months ago. We were about to hit the showers after cheer practice one day." Bonnie began to explain "The Incident."

Jenna then smirked, "Oh yeah, now I remember! One of our Dancers turned off the hot waters to the showers!"

"I have never taken a shower that cold in my life...about as bad as the time Possible pulled that same trick on me last year at Wannaweep." Bonnie muttered. "Good thing we had our towels on."

"That was only Part 1 of our little 'fun' against you cheerleaders!" Genna giggled.

"Oh yes, the other part of their prank against us!" Bonnie continued, "Another one of your little Dancers poured Stoppable's Mad Dog banana cream foam down our cheer skirts!"

"We had a very good laugh after that!" Jenna grinned. "Celebrated at Mr. Swirley's that night."

"I, along with the rest of the squad, had to wash my uniform thoroughly to get rid of Stoppable's gunk!" Bonnie bitterly complained.

"He should have stored the foam in a more...secure...place!" Genna cackled.

Bonnie huffed before saying, "I wish if I had punched you in the face right then and there...but Possible, being the Miss Goody-Two-Shoes she is, banned the squad from ever engaging in violence or any criminal acts against you Dancers. And your little Dancer who poured the foam in our skirts got kicked off!"

Genna sighed, "Yet, a couple weeks after that, someone on your squad disobeyed Kim's orders! Stole our hairsprays for an upcoming dance competish! To my recollection, didn't Kim kick her off the team?"

"Truth be told, yes!" Bonnie replied, while darting her eyes around.

Jenna then turned to Rebecca. "So you see, due to 'The Incident' , a brawl was inevitable between the Dancers and the Cheer Squad."

She then continued on the aftermath.

"A few days after that, me and Kim agreed for the Cheer Squad and the Dancers to set up a truce that we won't carry our rivalry on the school grounds during school hours. It's now pretty much limited to mean glares and taunting. No practical jokes or physical contact that would draw the ire of the school board."

"It's a controlled rivalry, then?" Rebecca asked.

Jeanna, Genna, and Bonnie all nodded their heads.

Genna then intervened on Rebecca and Bonnie's intent of visiting.

"So now that we've got the deets of 'The Incident' out of the way, I am going to ask again, Rockwaller. Why are you and..."

Jeanna then whispered in Genna's ear on who the other girl was with Bonnie.

Genna gasped, "That so can't be! That's Rebecca Starlet, the billionaire heiress to the Starlet family oil fortune!"

"OMG! I totally loved your reality show about what's it's like being rich and all..." Jeanna exclaimed breathlessly before having a forgetful moment. "Oh man...what's that show called again?"

"Being Rich with a Starlett?" Rebecca guessed with a smirk.

"That's the one!" Genna said in between breaths. "Oh man...I'm so amazed that we have a celeb here that I forgot what we were talking about!"

"You were about to say, 'Why are you here', Genna!" Richard corrected his girlfriend.

"Oh right!" Genna replied before taking a deep breath. "Forgive my fangirling, but why exactly are you and Miss Starlet here for, Rockwaller?"

"We're here because we need your BF's help to not only humiliate Possible, but also break the loser couple up for good!" Bonnie replied on their real intent of their visit. "Since he has already graduated from Middleton High, he won't have the threat of Barkin dangling over his head."

"Yeah, before I met this lovely lady here..." Richard said, turning his head towards Genna, "...I did have a blind date with Kim last year...only to be rejected by her dad, all because I was 18 months older than she was!"

"And I also only had one date with that redhead around that same time..." Jack snarled, "Just because I made a pass at Jeanna does not mean that she has the right to splash water in my face!"

"So we have at least something in common...hatred against the wannabe for at least something" Bonnie grinned, "Well...except for Rebecca because she's not on Possible's radar...yet."

"Yes, but what is in it for me and Jeanna if we go along with your little plot of breaking up the couple?" Genna asked.

Bonnie shifted her teal eyes to Rebecca.

"R, would you like to demonstrate?"

"I sure can, B!" Rebecca grinned as she took out two credit cards with a $100,000 limit on each to Country Club Banana.

Jeanna gasped, "That is genuine Country CB?"

Rebecca nodded her head.

"You would have to pass a credit card check just to even get in the place!" Genna exclaimed, her jaw dropping.

Rebecca continued, "My daddy gave it to me last Christmas, but I still haven't figured out to do with them. So may as well put them to good use!"

"Rebecca will give you the Country CB credit cards IF the plan to break up Possible and Stupidable is successful." Bonnie explained. "If you fail, you get nothing!"

"In exchange, me and my Dancers will not play any practical jokes on you or any of your cheerleaders for the rest of summer except for the intended target of Miss Possible!" Jeanna replied.

"Do we have a deal?" Bonnie asked grinning, extending out her hand.

Jeanna also extended her hand and shook hers with Bonnie's, sealing the agreement.

"Now..." she began, "...here's the plan."

And the six teens began to discuss at length Bonnie's vile plan to break up Team Possible.

#kim possible #fanfiction #bonnie rockwaller #ocs

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theletterwsartflap · 4 years ago

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Making the Screenshot/TV look

I ended up compiling this for a Discord server but I’ll share it here too.

Imgur version: https://imgur.com/a/LREsOA9

alright so you got your drawing all nice and finished up but you wanna give it that tv look for an extra pop, eh? This tutorial will be for Krita but the majority of the techniques can be applied to other programs. I'll try to include the workarounds for the odd Krita specific thing.

As you could see, I had things segmented into quite a few layers. To make things easier on yourself, group things up based on how close they'll be to the viewer/camera. In this instance, closest was the ground (labelled Ground Merge), then Elec Man (char merged), and then lastly the backdrop (bg merged). While layer naming isn't necessary, it'll save you a lot of headaches further down the road. What I've done is duplicated the components and merged the duplicates, and put the originals all in a folder labeled Master. Some of my filtering requires merged components, and some requires individuals, and this'll make it easier to grab them as they're needed.

First, you'll duplicate your character merges 3 times. In Krita, apply each of the Copy layer types to them, normally found in the Misc category. I've moved them to favourites because I use them so much.

You also move each layer in a different direction, I generally move the CR and CG layers 1-2 px to the right and left, and then the CB layer 1 px down. You want it to just be visible to give that sort of screen burn look. While I haven't made new layers for this tutorial, you will end up with a particularly sharp looking image.

To remedy the sharpness, on each one you'll be applying a 1-2 px Gaussian blur, depending on your canvas size/dpi. You want it just to start looking out of focus. ( Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur)

ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Some time after I started doing it this way, Krita added in a filter that does more or less the same thing in the G'MIC-QT filters. I'm not sure what other programs also feature this, but I know there are a few. (Filters > Start G’MIC-qt)

Navigate to the Degradations drop down and select Chromatic Aberrations. You'll prolly want around 2px for each of the values so it just shows like the long method I mentioned above. Again, you'll want to do this on a single duplication of your merged character. You will also apply the small Gaussian Blur to this layer as well. For other programs which are unable to do either method, I -believe- what you can do is a triple duplicate of the merged layer, set each one to Exclusion, shift them so the colour distortion becomes visible, then remerge. It's been awhile, but I -think- that's what I used to do in Photoshop.

To solve the out of focus issue, re open your Master files and duplicate JUST your ink layer. Move said duplicate to be above the burn layers, and drop it to around 75% opacity. Sometimes setting it to Overlay makes for a more optimal look, usually with overall darker lines. You can experiment with a 1ish px blur if you find it's too sharp, but I don't usually find that necessary.

These methods are then also applied on the background elements. To push for a feeling of distance, simply apply a heavier blur on the Copy/Chromatic layer(s).

These were also duplicate layers, each with a different blur applied to them. I don't mess with my base duplicates as it makes it easier to continue duplicating off them instead of remerging the master copies each time.

The bg DOF (Depth of Field) layer had exactly that applied to it, then dropped down to 60% range opacity. I wanted it to gradually fade off and not overpower the background as a whole. This can also be achieved by using layer masks and a Gaussian Blur... whatever suits your fancy. I also applied this to a duplicate of the foreground concrete he's sitting on.

If your character has any cool glowy bits, you can put these in here. I place it above the filtered layers and use an Airbrush to get the effect. Usually a more intense version of the colour I want glowing with a lighter core. I tend not to use whites/near whites unless I really want it to come off as piping hot or frigid cold.

Next, you'll either take a circle gradient or your airbrush in a dark colour (I tend to use blues as I find black to be a bit flattening) and darken the edges. You can set this to either Multiply or Overlay, depending on what kind of vignette you want. This helps sell a camera look, or perhaps an old tv. I rarely leave them on 100% opacity and it's completely fine if you find yourself fiddling with the value to get it just right. I shouldn't have to say it, but I hope you've saved at least a couple times at this point.

Create a new layer folder and set it to Pass Through, or whatever allows it to apply effects to things below it. Folders simply allow you to turn on and off clumps at your will, which is exactly what I've done to make this image into a tutorial instead of redoing the whole process ;). Create a new layer and fill it with white, and use your HSV (Hue Saturation Value) Adjustment window to drop it to exactly 50% gray. Common Shortcut is Crtl+U. Set the layer to Overlay and it'll basically disappear... you want this for your Noise/grain layer. (Filters > Other > Random Noise)

I tend to leave it at the default settings and use the Opacity to dictate how intensive it actually is. I want it visible in this case, but not so much it feels like an eye migraine. However, there are some cases you may want stronger ones.

Next, plop a big ol rainbow circular gradient over your image. The width of the loops doesn't matter too much.

Set this layer to Soft Light (in this case I used Photoshop's Soft Light specifically, though it doesn't matter too much. It's just whatever one I happen to click on.) and drop it to a very, very low opacity, usually under 20, if not 10%. This adds a slight colour distortion over the image, something subtle you don't even usually notice on older TVs.

For subtitles, type them out in white Arial, centered formatting.

Then simply add a black outline, either through a Stroke layer style - which I don't believe was actually working at the time I made this image. I instead duplicated the white text layer and flattened it, lowered the value to pitch black and expanded the fill by a pixel or few to get the outline. Whatever suits your workflow.

And sign your work, you’re done!

sidenote: While I didn't use scanlines on this image (or film streaks), they're really quite simple to do. You can make a pattern with one 50% gray pixel and one white, vertical and apply that, then resize as needed. Setting it to Overlay will make the gray pixel invisible. If you feel the need, you can blur it a bit so they're not quite so harsh... it all depends on how exactly you want it to look. Experiment! For vertical running film streaks like you'd see in really old cartoons, I just use the Krita Filter.

These methods aren’t concrete, this is just my workflow to achieve the effect.

#tutorial #reference #screenshot #krita #guide

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captainjimothycarter · 4 years ago

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Accidental Polycule image! Where Steve and Natasha are exes who share maximoff twins adoptees, and now Nat's with Clint who's with Bucky, Steve's with Sam and Peggy, and the twins are like 4 and trying to parent trap them from two semi-closed triads into just a "weird monogamous pentagram"

Okay so we have: Steve & Natasha are exs and have adopted the Maximoff Twins Nat is with Clint whose with Bucky Steve is with Sam and Peggy And the twins love the two Christmas sort of deal but they want a huge family together. Also, I don’t remember parent trap so here’s what I got and I am so sorry it sucks

Waking up to a four-year-old pouncing on your chest was just something Sam had to deal with it when it came to dating and staying over at Steve and Peggy’s. Waking up to two four-year-olds on your chest and bouncing up and down was just not how he wanted to wake up in his lover’s bed.

The man groaned, eyes snapping open to take in the sight of the brunette and blonde-haired kids. If he hadn’t known that Peggy and Steve had adopted them – okay technically Natasha and Steve, then he could’ve sworn these were their kids.

Or Clint and Natasha’s.

God, parenting was weird.

“Did I oversleep again?” he asked, sitting up and pulling them into his lap.

“Uh-huh! Mummy is making pancakes!” Wanda declared, wiggling out of Sam’s hold.

“Pancakes with blueberries and choccy!” Pietro added. “C’mon! Breakfast! It’s important, daddy said so!”

Sam was dragged out of the bed before he could even protest about needing to uses the bathroom or shower by the kids. He was a sucker for them, he couldn’t say no. He was dragged to the kitchen where Peggy was adding pancakes onto a huge stack and Steve was just getting lunches ready. He could see five bags with their names written on the outside.

“You didn’t need to make me lunch, Stevie. I could’ve stopped by the diner,” he greeted Steve, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek. “But thank you.”

“That food is unhealthy for you and you know it,” Peggy replied, brandishing her spatula into Sam’s face.

“And pancakes with chocolate chips aren’t?” Sam countered, greeting her with a kiss to her temple.

“Shush you.”

Sam laughed as he helped the kids set the table and get their cups out, filled with milk for Pietro and apple juice for Wanda. Breakfast was served and he watched as the kids bickered over the syrup and how Steve loved butter over syrup over his pancakes.

It’s a weird family but it works.

“Kids!” Peggy called, checking her watch. “We gotta go! Did you get your bags packed? Mommy will pick you up after school!”

The kids came tumbling down the stairs, backpacks were thrown on, and holding onto duffle bags for their weekly stay at Natasha’s residence.

Sometimes, Peggy disliked this weekly back and forth. Sometimes she liked it. She worried over the kid’s development but they’ve been used to this since they were a year old. They were even more used to the various partners and faces and the various terms for them.

Peggy insisted on being called mummy, Steve was daddy, Natasha was mama, Sam was uncle Sam, and Bucky was Uncle Buck, and Clint was dada.

It was their life and really, she wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Okay, guys, c’mon.” He scooped them up and had them both kiss their mummy goodbye before taking them out, after a long kiss to Peggy’s lips that the kids squealed over.

Peggy sighed when they were out, finding Sam dressed in a button-up shirt and jeans smiling at him.

“You miss them already?” He teased, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her frame into his. “Gotta ask – is this situation…difficult? The many people, the partners, explaining this to others?”

“It’s difficult to see them leave for a week despite they’re a block away.” They’d moved closer together on purpose, for the kids, so they were closer together. They didn’t want to separate the twins, not that they would be separated. It was a situation that worked between them ever since Steve and Natasha divorced. “I do miss them. Have you talked to Steve about moving in?”

“Talk to Steve? He’s the one that keeps bringing it up. If…you two will have me, I will. I just didn’t wanna stress the twins out, are all with us moving in. You sure your bed can handle me too?”

Peggy gently swatted at his chest. “We can handle you moving in, Sam. There’s the extra bedroom if you ever need space too. Sometimes Steve doesn’t even sleep in the same bed as me, but that’s normally when he’s sick. We’d love to have you. Steve will be so excited.”

“There’s my munchkins!” Clint cried, sliding painfully on his knees to scoop the twins up and crush them against his broad chest. He felt Bucky’s arms around him to pull him up before hugging him, squishing the squealing twins between them.

“Ten o’clock,” Bucky breathed in his ear, taking the twins to let Clint turn his head.

The blonde rolled his eyes at the kid’s teacher marching up towards them. “What is it now?” he grumbled. “You can’t kick me off property, lady. Legally I’m allowed to be here. On paper, I’m their guardian too, so is Bucky.”

“You’re disgusting,” she snapped, causing Clint to open and close his mouth. “Exposing kids to this sex parade you-you have going on! One person drops them off and then a whole another set of parents picks them up?! It’s disgusting! You are exposing these precious angels to vile, disgusting-”

“Lady shut the fuck up.” Clint tried not to curse around the kids, but sometimes his buttons were pushed. “Just shut up! Yes, Steve drops the kids off or Peggy or Sam and then one of us picks them up if someones working late. Yes, I live with their mother and her boyfriend and happen to be dating them. The same situation goes for Peggy and Steve and Sam. This isn’t some…sex parade that you’re talking about. We’re a goddamn family who just happens to love more than one person and are together. I don’t get what the fuck your problem is here. The kids are healthy and loved.”

Before she could open his mouth, he flipped her off and stalked away, taking Wanda from Bucky’s arms, the kids immune to the disgusting behavior their teacher was having. Throwing a damn fit and for what? Because the kids are loved?

So what if he loved Bucky and Natasha and lived with them? And if Steve loved Peggy and Sam? It just went around in a full circle and the twins were happy. Wasn’t that the main thing here?

He sent a furious text to the group chat about his conversation with the teacher, Natasha immediate reply she’ll call the school and Peggy saying she’ll call the board of education.

Regardless of what people thought, if Peggy and Natasha hated each other because Natasha was Steve’s ex was truly wrong. They were amazing friends and if there were differences, it was put aside for the kids.

Just some people.

“Who wants ice cream?” Bucky mused, drawing Clint from his thoughts. “C’mon, I promised your Uncle Clint that we’ll go get ice cream for dessert tonight, but you gotta help me choose the flavor.”

Clint smiled as he listened to the twins' bickering over which ice cream flavor was better.

It started off as any twins argument would, just little bickering over a toy or the tablet or something, Natasha noted. Now it dissolved into a full-fledged tantrum with Pietro screaming how he liked it more at Peggy and Steve’s because he was in time out for throwing his Lego’s and now Wanda was crying because her brother was yelling and terrified they’d be split up.

We’ve got to talk. – NR

It was the only thing she sent to the group chat, seeing the names all pop up asking about what.

The twins. – NR I think this split relationship of one week each isn’t as healthy and solid idea as we planned. And I don’t know about you but going to two weeks isn’t what I’d like to do either. I’d miss them too much. – NR

Agreed. We tried the two weeks when we first split, remember? It felt so empty and wrong. – SR And I am defiantly not splitting them up. Wanda already has separation issues from her brother for understandable reasons. – SR

Two weeks is far too long without my munchkins. – CB

So what are we proposing here? – JB

I think I have some ideas. – PC We’ll come over tonight, bring some beers, and talk once the kids are asleep. I don’t want to purpose anything and not follow through. Their hopes have been crushed before. – PC

You’re not bringing the beer, Carter. Yours is water-downed piss. – JB

It is not. You just don’t have taste. – CB

Being attacked in my own home. And it does. You don’t have taste either, Barton. – JB

Says the man who drinks coffee black. – SW I think I have some ideas too if we’re on the same page. We can’t just…shock the kids here. They won’t react well and given today’s earlier outbursts with their teacher, we need to explain everything to them. – SW

They already know everything for the most part. – PC They know that they’re loved by all of us and that’s that. That woman is a cruel beast and the Director has already come down on her or so I’m told. – PC

You’re just worried too much, Wilson. – CB The kids are happy and healthy and get two Christmases a year. – CB

I think they’d be happier with just one. – SR

So, it’s agreed? We’ll come over tonight? If my beer is so bad, then you can get some. – PC

Gladly. – JB

Wilson, you coming over too? – JB Or are you stuck playing pirate? – JB

Haha. – SW I make a fine pirate, thank you very much. – SW I might be a lil late. Steve and I are just finishing up the set now. – SW

Don’t blame your slow painting skills on me. – SR We’ll be there on time. Nat, just pick up some whiskey for Pegs and Sam, please. No more beer bickering, I swear… - SR

It’s cute how you think I don’t always have it in my cabinet. – NR I am running low and given how Carter and I can bring ya’ll boys under the table, that’s not a bad idea. – NR

Pizza? – CB I’ll pick some up. – CB

Good idea. – PC No anchovies. – PC

Or pineapples. – JB

Anchovies I agree with, pineapples is a personal attack. – CB I’m getting pineapples. – CB

If you get pineapples, I will open up a can and dump them on your whole pie, Clint. – JB

That just sounds delicious. – CB

You’re disgusting. – JB

And yet you love me anyway. – CB

“The kids are asleep,” Steve confirmed, plopping onto the only empty seat left in the house, between Peggy and Natasha. “Pietro has his stuffed bunny and Wanda is sleeping with her lil butt in the air.”

Natasha laughed softly at that, leaning back to look into the hall. Steve had kept the door ajar like she liked to do so for the kids. “She always used to do that, remember?”

“First night we brought her home,” Steve laughed. “She refused to sleep in her own bed, crawled right into her brother’s, and slept with her lil tush in the air, face-planted in her pillow.”

“You panicked when you saw her like that, thought she was going to suffocate.” The redhead's shoulder nudged her ex-husband, giving him a fond smile. “Thought they’d never warm up to us.”

“Well, now look at them. Still sleeping in the same bed sometimes and a whole family.” His arm threw over Natasha and squeezed her to him.

They didn’t work as a couple, they realized. They were much better off as friends, close friends who loved one another but not in a romantic sense. They were lucky enough to make this work, they’ve both seen relationships go down the drain and kids suffering because of their parent's pettiness. Thankfully the twins seemed to be too young to understand the divorce between them.

“So, what’s this stack of papers you brought, Pegs?” Bucky nudged her with his foot, holding the beer bottle by the neck. He was sitting in Clint’s lap, the blonde’s arm around his waist.

“Probably half of Brooklyn Library,” Clint snorted into Bucky’s shoulder, the brunette in his lap getting a face-first of a pillow Peggy threw at them.

“Boys,” Sam sighed, rolling his eyes. “Play nice. I gotta go home with this one and if she’s angry, I’m taking it out on you.” At Peggy’s sharp look, he shrugged. “Wrong words?”

“Very, and no, Barton, it’s not. It’s a dedicated list I’ve been making of a few houses in the area, organized by the area, the school system, and crime rate. And down to how large it is.” Peggy picked up the stack and passed out the few flyers around. “I tried to find ones that had large back yards, plenty of land. Some are…outside of the city, which I know we’re all fond of, but the kids…they deserve…”

“A real backyard and not this asphalt?” Sam mused. “No, I get it. The kids do. The bigger houses will be further out too. Fewer people around.”

He looked down at the flyer and clicked his tongue. Six bedrooms, four bathrooms? A basement, an attic, and two acres of yard? Jesus, the price made him want to faint.

“Just exactly how are we affording this? No offense, but unless one of us is suddenly rich, please speak up now,” Clint grumbled, setting one down to look around. He saw how the look Peggy and Steve gave one another. “No.”

“What?” Steve breathed, dropping his arm.

“No. No way. There’s no way you’re this rich.”

“And why not?”

“Because you’re-you’re you! If you were rich, we’d know!” Clint countered, throwing his hands up.

“Well, clearly you don’t. And you’re right, I’m not rich. She is.” Steve’s chin jerked down towards Peggy, whose ears were turning a pretty shade of pink.

Everyone turned to look at her and she shrugged. “I made a few investments is all.”

“Go on,” Natasha breathed, raising an eyebrow. “There’s more to that, with a mind sharp as yours.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Peggy mused, “But thank you.”

“I wasn’t trying to flatter, I was pointing out the obvious. Now how…did you come by this?”

“My family. I don’t like to talk about it a lot but my family is…well, we were well off. Really, well off. To the point, my mother tried to control me by using funds so she could rule my life. Once my brother left for the military and I followed, I got out of her hold, cut off contact, and paved my own life, hence here.” She waved her hand around them as if to state the obvious. “Well, as you know, she passed away a few years ago and Michael told me he’d handle the estates and all so I didn’t have to keep flying back and forth. Things finally settled once and for all a month ago. And… I might’ve made a few more investments….”

“You didn’t sell that cute lil cottage did you?” Steve pouted. “The one in the countryside with the berries?”

“Of course not. Michael and I agreed to keep a few houses between us, keep a few staff on hand while he’s living over there. Turn a few into vacation homes for others to rent, and such. He’s working on programs to help the homeless with the homes, veterans, and making public gardens, so it’s a necessity and if anything, a good cover story.” The pride for her brother was clear in her voice and Steve squeezed Peggy tightly to her.

“Have I ever told you how scary-smart you are?” Sam laughed.

“You could do with mentioning it a few times. So, we agree?”

“Yeah,” Natasha breathed, sharing a look with Steve. “You sure you can handle living with me again?”

“Oh, like you weren’t bad the last time,” he teased, rolling his eyes. “Of course I can. I need someone to yell at me too about leaving my boots out.”

“You think you’d learn by now to listen to Peggy,” she laughed. “Good. I kinda missed you. These two idiots hog the bed.”

“Where are we goinnnnnng?” Pietro complained for the sixth time that day from the backseat of his mama’s truck. “Mooooom.”

“Pietro,” Natasha said softly, turning in the seat to look at her darling, little boy. Steve had decided to pick them up, leaving Peggy, Sam, Bucky, and Clint to do the final touches. He was useless with decoration beyond painting anyhow and that was done weeks ago. “I told you, it’s a surprise. Now, we’re almost there, okay? Steve, there’s the marker.”

Steve almost had to slam on breaks to avoid missing it. They’d left a bright silver flag on an unmarked road to let the movers know where they’re turning. The road was getting a name soon, Space Way Road, and a mailbox for their house eventually too. Things were coming together.

He smiled in the rearview window as he stopped in front of a large house, pulling into the automatic garage. The kids were all excited as they got out of the truck and Steve grabbed the last few boxes from the back.

“Wooooow.” Wanda breathed, running straight through the large kitchen with a breakfast nook and dining table, straight to the living room where a large TV already hung.

“Kids?” Bucky called, poking his head out from around the corner, up the large stairs. “Come up here. Be careful! Pietro, no pushing your sister.”

Steve smiled as Natasha hugged him around his waist, pulling her close. “Think they’ll love it?”

“I think they will. You worry too much,” she sighed, kissing his cheek. “Are the beds installed?”

“California Kings for our rooms,” he mused. “Bunk beds for the kids. A single bed for the guest rooms.”

They’d done it. They’d gotten a house with ten rooms and six bathrooms. Two were the adult bedrooms with a walk-in closet, the balcony that opened up to a beautiful front yard, or a spacious backyard where a pool was being built in-ground. One room had turned into an office for Peggy and Natasha to use. Another was a paint room for Steve and Sam, one was a game room for the kids and a play area, and another had been turned into a small gym for them all to share. The rest had been turned into guest rooms, figuring eventually they would all want their own space, and eventually the twins would want their own room.

It wasn’t going to be easy, them all living under one roof but there was plenty of space between them all if they’d needed to step away. A kitchen large enough to hold them all and to hold many memories to come. A living room full of spacious furniture that just swallowed you in. A large backyard that Peggy and Clint had worked hard on sectioning off at least an acre to start to build a garden for. Bucky was already begging for goats and Clint was whining about chickens.

This is what was for the best, wasn’t it? All of them living together, for each other, for the kids. The twins deserved this peace more than anyone. No worrying, no back and forth, no separation. And the adults, at least Steve had to admit this was peace at mind now, being together.

#Steggy Prompt #Nonny Prompt #This is poly relationships #Poly relationships #So not what you wanted OP and I'm sorry #NatashaSteve #Exs #But work better as friends #SteveSam #StevePeggy #SteveSamPeggy #PeggySam #ClintBucky #ClintNatasha #ClintBuckyNatasha #BuckyNatasha #Maximoff Twins

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elynehil · 5 years ago

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Winterhawk Fic Rec List

For my best friend who agreed to let me introduce her to my favourite pair of disasters. Maybe it can interest others :)

The winterhawk fandom is blessed by many incredible writers. I tried to limit myself to one fic per author - go check their works if you like something!

I tried to mostly rec sweet and funny fics, which is what my friend asked for, even if a lot of some different stuff made it onto the list.

Laconic Lassitude (20K, explicit) by Cristinuke

“Clint Barton and Bucky Barnes just wanted everyone to leave them alone.”

Note: Remember when I said like 3 lines ago that I tried to rec sweet and funny fics? This is not that. This starts out very angsty. But this fic is a classic, and, in my opinion, a good introduction to the pairing. Clint and Bucky are lovable cocky assholes, but if we care about them so much, it’s because they are also tragic messes and utter trash fires. Winterhawk is about badassery and sassiness - but mainly it’s about being broken together, about finding the strength to go forward, and about healing and recovery.

Trainwreck Through A Rear Window (10K, AU) by @flawedamythyst

“The guy in the apartment opposite spends way too much time watching Clint make a fool of himself, which wouldn't matter as much if he weren't also smoking hot.”

Feel Something (How’s It Go Again?) (10K, explicit) by @shatteredhourglass

A post CA:TWS fic in which Bucky is staying at Clint’s farm, featuring Clint’s ineptitude at communication.

Note: If, like me, you are a sucker for mythical creatures AU, do yourself a favour and check out shatteredhourglass’ Vampire!AU and Siren!AU.

Note for Mariam: Remember that drawing I spammed you with? It was based on this wonderful fic.

Mistakes Were Made (3K, AU) bu @villainny

Perfectly summarised by its tags: Miscommunication. Mutual Pining. Roommates.

Note: Check out Nny’s @winterhawkkisses if you are in the mood for snippets!

ever fallen in love with someone (5K, AU, explicit) by @1000-directions

They’re punks. It’s wonderfully soft.

Ptilonorhynchus Violaceus (3K) by @spidergwenstefani

“Clint uses Hawkeye merch to show his affection.” Short and adorable.

i wanna wake up where your love is (5K) by @flowerparrish

Mind the tags: this is winterwidowhawk (Clint/Natasha/Bucky). As awesome as miscommunication and unnecessary angst are, sometimes you need to read something about people actually talking about things. This is this fic. It’s soft and gentle and feels like a warm cup of your favourite tea.

Why Me? (6K, AU) by @claraxbarton

Modern Bucky Barnes, superhero and human disaster Clint Barton, a soulmate story.

Note for Mariam: This fic, as some others, involves Clint’s apartment building. It’s a thing in the comics. (The run by Matt Fraction and David Aja.) Clint purchased his building from the Russian mob, became an involuntary landlord, and also got a wonderful one-eyed dog named Lucky out of the mess. I’ll lend you the book if you want!

a god-awful small affair (3K, AU) by @nightwideopen

Mind the tags: This one is not properly winterhawk. The pairing is Clint Barton/Sebastian Stan. I don’t really know how to summarize this one. A meet-cute? In any case, it’s hella cute.

Lucky in love (60K, AU, explicit) by @drgrlfriend

The softest and sweetest slow-burn. “Clint is only a couple of sips into his cardboard cup of coffee, his brain barely out of neutral, which is probably why it takes him so long to realize that some damn psycho is trying to kidnap his dog.”

Alone in the Bitterness (16K, AU) by @lissadiane

“In which Bucky is a nurse and Clint is his favourite (and most frequent) patient.”

Call It What You Want To (48K, AU, explicit) by @kangofu-cb

“The sincere but inept accidental sugar daddy Clint AU.” In which Bucky is a millennial, there are many feelings, incognito Avengers, canonical self-esteem issues on Clint’s part and hot sex.

Note: From the same writer, I’m also particularly fond of Possible Cardiac Arrest (6K, AU). “Have some Nurse!Clint and some Firefighter!Bucky, taking an advanced life support class together, speculating about whether or not they remember Dat Ass.”

On purpose (3K) by @intermittently-ava

“James Barnes finds solace in the midst of other assassins, a warm home, burnt food, and acceptance. But when he falls for Clint, he can't say anything, 'cos that's illegal, right?”

Silhouette (106K, AU, explicit) by @mariana-oconnor

Bucky and Steve are SHIELD agents, Clint and Natasha are the notorious and elusive assassins they are tasked to hunt down. It’s even more awesome than it sounds.

Outnumbered (18K, AU) by @captn-sara-holmes

A wonderful kid fic AU. “Bucky Barnes returns to Brooklyn ready to get back into the world, make friends and sleep with Steve's super hot neighbor. The fact that the guy turns out to be a single dad to two-year-old triplets who spend most of their time causing mischief, trouble and mayhem doesn't deter Bucky at all. Steve would like it on record that he thinks Bucky is insane.”

Note: Everything by Sara Holmes is absolutely fantastic. Two of my favourites are The Other Man out of Time (97K) and I’ll Keep You Safe Here With Me (110K)

#this is a very long rec list i'm sorry Mariam #ilysm #come join us in the trash #and please come scream at me #these sweet idiots are my downfall #winterhawk #rec list #winterhawk fic rec #winterhawk rec list

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official-mr-saxobeat · 5 years ago

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N e way it has been 728 days since I last saw/had any communication from my older brother (and longer for my little brother, but I don't know the exact date bc I wasn't fucking PAYING ATTENTION.)

And you know what? I remember the day. 7-14-17. He told me he'd text me the next day and see me the next week. You wanna know how many times he's contacted me? Zero. He's also blocked me. All because his fucking CUNT parents (can you say: DIS-GUS-TENG) decided for some fucking UNKNOWN reason that our mom, sister, and I needed to be cut off completely. Literal family, disowned with absolutely no explanation. He and I were closer than ANYONE and ALWAYS told each other we were more important than anyone else to each other. He has had so, so many opportunities to contact me. Literally just sending a fucking letter could've worked. Just, "Hey, it's Tyler. Simon and I are ok. We miss you a ton. Don't send anything back." But would you guess what? Nope. Nothing. One of his friends said that he misses me, and is apparently going to text me once he's 18. But a mutual friend of ours (who's closer to him than the other one) said more recently that he hates me now! Neat. Great. Good. Wonderful. Our sister lived in a much, MUCH more dangerous house than his, and yet wouldn't you know it! She has contacted me every single time she's had the opportunity, and risked a lot for it too. Even if she couldn't carry on a conversation, she'd let me know that she was at least safe or ok. And wow! Now that she has a phone again, she texts me all the time! Almost like...if you put in the effort to contact someone you care about, you absolutely can! She's planning to drive down and visit me! (If you're reading this Pauline I love you SO HECKING MUCH HOE ASS HOE!!!!)

I even believe that our little brother would have contacted me if he knew how. He was fucking six the last time I saw him. He's turning nine this August. Of COURSE he can't contact me, he doesn't have a phone or know my address to send a letter.

Anyway. I don't know if I'll ever hear from him again. Lots of people have told me to just give up.

....

Don't they get it...? I can't ever give up. He was my everything. Absolutely everything to me. He was there, always, no matter what.

He has no idea how many times I've cried, sobbed myself to sleep over losing him. He has no idea how much sleep I've lost over him, whether it be from nightmares where he finds me and tells me he hates me and hopes I kill myself, or from not being able to sleep because I had an unexplainable feeling that he might, just maybe, come see me, and I didn't want to go to sleep for fear of not hearing a knock or the doorbell. I'd already gone through that with our sister. He has no idea how many times I've come so, so close to just texting him, telling him how much I miss him, telling him I've changed, how much I wish he'd come back. How much I wish I could just hear his voice. See his face. Hear his laugh.

I don't know what I did. I have absolutely no clue. Neither does Pauline. Or our mom. Not an inkling. I found a letter the other day from them when I was going through boxes. A birthday card. There were long messages from both of them (the cunts) inside, telling me how much they loved me, how proud they were of me and the young man I was growing into, how much they loved having me as a part of their family, etc, etc. Who knew that in less than a year and a half from then, they'd be telling me I shouldn't ever ask about going on a family trip to the beach. But not for the same reason it used to be. It used to be, "Don't ever ask if you can come with us on a family trip, you're OBVIOUSLY coming! Why wouldn't you? You are family, after all!"

Then it was, "You're so selfish. Don't EVER ask something like that. Why would you think you could just invite yourself on a trip with us? How DARE you be so disrespectful!? You should be ashamed of yourself."

I hadn't even asked to go. I had been on every single beach trip EVER with them. They were family, after all. Tyler told me they were going to Santa Monica and asked if I was coming. I said no. I hadn't even known anything about it. So I texted CUNT BITCH (CB) and she didn't respond. All I said was, "Hey, Tyler told me you're going on a beach trip on Monday and Tuesday, did you forget to invite me or should I just not come?"

She didn't respond for over four hours. Which was really fucking weird. Because she always responded to me. So I texted again. "It's totally fine if I can't come, I'd just appreciate it if you could tell me instead of leaving me on read please."

Wow! Would you guess what. CUNT FUCK (CF) (her husband) texted me ALMOST IMMEDIATELY from her phone. The message read something like (I don't have the original texts anymore),

"How could you be so selfish. Inviting yourself on a trip that's for FAMILY ONLY. (Insert rant about how I'm a terrible person and caused CB to have a "panic attack") (and yes, I know putting panic attack in quotations seems really bad, but she faked panic attacks the entire time I knew her, aka my whole life. And they got SO much worse in those last couple months.) You hurt CB so much. You know how much she cares about you, and yet you accused her of ignoring you. How could you. I'm disappointed in the amount of disrespect you are showing right now." (Side note, I went over to his house back in June, CB opened the door, didn't recognize me at first, then said, "Nope, get out!" And slammed the door in my face.)

Tyler came over the next day, we hung out, he left. When he hugged me goodbye he said he'd talk to his parents about bringing me on the beach trip, he didn't know why they hadn't asked me.

And that was the last I heard from him. Friday, July fourteenth, 2017. Never again. I don't know if he hates me. But it certainly seems like he does.

I don't know, maybe one day he'll contact me again. Maybe he won't. Maybe I'll live the rest of my life wondering what I did and why he and his parents hate me. Maybe he will contact me, just to tell me what a terrible person I am and how glad he is he was separated from me.

I don't know.

I just want to talk to him again. I want to tell him how sorry I am for being a bossy prick. For beating him up when we were little (but I mean we're fucking brothers, and that's just what we fucking did back then). For not being there on his 14th birthday. For getting angry when he won games. For being angsty all the time when I was older. For lecturing him about Homestuck all the time. For being in the hospital so much when I was younger (see: being angsty all the time). For spending more time with s/o's than him sometimes. For waking him up at 0100 in the morning in 7th grade. For being so flamboyant about my sexuality for a few years (god, that was bad). For saying TRIGGERED every two seconds. For hurting myself even after I promised I wouldn't. For not being good enough at the piano to play the Animal Crossing: City Folk museum theme with him. For not waking up early when he was over. For not making enough (or good enough) homemade gifts for him. For not having enough random gift days. For not listening to him when he said things I was doing were edgy. For making him listen to annoying music.

For not being a good enough brother.

I miss him so much. I miss Simon so much. I miss Pauline so much too, obviously, but it's different because I've been able to talk with her all the time. I know she loves and misses me. I also have a feeling that Simon loves and misses me too. He always liked/loved me more than anyone else. He hated his parents. He told me so. I was the only one that respected him. I feel like no matter the amount of brainwashing his parents did to him, he'd know the truth. I just hope he knows I didn't abandon him. That I love him so much. And that it hurts so, so much, every day. And especially on Christmas and his birthday. And Halloween. We loved Halloween.

It's 0606 now. There's 41 hours and 54 minutes until it's been two whole years.

I wonder if he remembers the day...?

I don't know.

I wonder if he'll read this one day. Probably not. But if he does I hope he knows how much I love him and how much I miss him and how much I miss our driveway talks in the middle of the night and Mario kart races and pool games and water pool games and snowmen and sledding and writing stories together and drawing maps together and listening to pop songs while making fun of them and playing the undertale song game and playing minecraft and watching markiplier and fighting and cheating at board games in each other's favor and sorting candy after Halloween and collecting shit money from a camel in that Indiana Jones lego Wii game and making characters in that star wars lego Wii game and screaming badgers at the top of our lungs and spinning in circles to the hamster dance and walking home from elementary school and learning Japanese and OPERATIONTWENTYFOURHUNDRED and Sliced and making house tour videos and other fucking stupid home videos and building legos and rebuilding legos bc of simon and REREBUILDING LEGOS BC OF SIMON and planning midnight snacks that never happened and going to the waterpark and going to the park and finally being allowed to go places on our own and practicing singing to you and seeing you at all my concerts and playing Kirby's Return to Dreamland to 100% together and making really disgusting food creations when we were really little and playing with your hotwheels and cleaning my (DIS-GUS-TENG) room together and having random gift days and all your birthdays and all my birthdays and your AMAZING peanut butter fudge banana smoothie (which I,,, still have yet to perfect) and you being absolutely blunt and truthful towards me (except about my drawing skills/drawings which you absolutely loved even though they were terrible) and going through the undertale files to try and hack the end credits so we could get through the mysterious door and having tea parties together with that FUCKING TINY tea set (I have a big one now though) and giving you fashion shows with fucking stupid clothes that were really bad and playing Wii ski together and Super Mario Galaxy together while you were Mario and I froze enemies and collected stars and playing HMTOT and playing Animal Crossing and you selling everything you caught and all your furniture (besides mario stuff, obviously) so I could buy the Gracie Grace stuff (god, I was a cunt) and EOU (YOU'RE AS BLIND AS A WORM) and essentially having our own language and reading jack and annie books when we were really little and just. There's 20,000 more things plus some but I could never list them all. Everything we've ever done together I miss.

I don't know your views on a lot of things now. I don't know what you think about gay people. I've heard that you've called me they instead of he ever since we stopped talking. That's understandable, though. I dressed like a girl and wore makeup and stuff. I was confused. I thought that's what you were supposed to do, as a gay dude. Obviously not. I'm way less out there about my sexuality now. It's not something I talk about. It's not my whole fucking personality anymore. Which is really good.

I've changed so much since I last talked to you. I'm not edgy anymore. I fucking finally hit puberty (GODDAMN IT WAS FUCKING LATE) and my voice is really deep and I've been growing quite a bit of facial hair, which is nice. I don't look like a fucking girl anymore because I stopped dressing like one and wearing makeup and stuff. I realized that being mistaken for a girl felt like shit and tumblr was shit for encouraging that, just because I'm gay. I haven't hurt myself since September 4th, 2017. So that's also good. I've seen the bad things in mom that I couldn't see before. (Even though there's literally. Nothing that should have made your fucking cunt mother and father disown Pauline and mom and I.) I've made more friends and lost a lot too. I've done more writing, but nothing too edgy. I got my shit together in school and I'm going to CCCC starting in the fall. I almost have my driver's license. One of my best friend's moms is the manager at Starbucks and I talked to her about hiring me, so I'm getting a job soon, too. I started learning the piano again, for the first time in 12 years. Since the last time your mom taught it to me. I started cooking more, and have made some pretty amazing dishes, if I do say so myself. Mom and I sent you and Simon birthday and Christmas presents every year. They always were sent back. Except for your 16th birthday. I bought you a pineapple pizza club pin and an orange dad hat with an orange on it. Those are the only things that ever haven't been sent back. I sent a note with them too. Did you read it? I hope so.

I brag about you all the time. Mostly about how smart you are. "My brother essentially taught himself pre-calculus in 10th grade, and STILL passed the class," I say. I then go on to explain that you were homeschooled and your math teacher almost never showed up to the online classes.

I've wondered often about what college you're going to go to, or even if you are going. We used to plan to go to one together. I can't even remember what I wanted as a career the last time we talked. I remember that you had no idea, though. I remember you being really good at coding. Maybe you're majoring in computer sciences? I don't know.

I really miss you a ton. Before she kicked me out, mom used to encourage me to send you a letter. I never did. I was scared. Scared of getting a letter back like the one I sent to Simon on his eighth birthday, or the Christmas package we sent in 2017. Both came back to our house with "RETURN TO SENDER!!!!!!!" written in thick black sharpie on the front. Even worse, I imagined a letter back in your handwriting. I would've been so, so ecstatic. Beyond thrilled. Then upon opening it, finding a handwritten letter from you saying that you never wanted to hear from me again and that you hated me.

It was selfish of me. To not send you a letter. I'm sorry. I texted you twice. You blocked me the second time. It was too scary to me. I should've been brave. For you. Just so you knew I was thinking of you. I'm so sorry. I love you so much. I miss you so much.

After I moved back to our hometown, I thought about going to your house. I texted one of your friends. He said that he could text you for me. He said that you said you miss me. And that you'd text me as soon as you turned 18. Tyler, you don't even know my number. I don't know if the guy was lying or not, but I don't think so. He doesn't seem like the type. He said that you wouldn't have him communicate for us. I don't know why.

I don't know why your parents hate me. I don't know what I did. For the longest time, my therapist and mom and Pauline told me that I didn't do anything, it had to have been something between mom and your mom. I didn't believe that at all. If it was just mom, why did they cut Pauline and I off...? But eventually I started to believe them. That was clearly a mistake, seeing how your mom treated me when I saw her. I wonder if she told you about that. She literally slammed the door in my face. In her own son's face. Who she always told would always have a home with her. Who she always told would always have a place in her heart, no matter what happened between mom and her. So clearly I did do something. I have no idea what. Could it really be that I asked about if I had been forgotten for a trip...? Was 15 years of raising a child completely disregarded because I was curious and confused? Again, I have no clue. I doubt I ever will. But if that is the case. If that's why specifically /I/ was cut off (because I know there was something else between mom and your mom that she literally never explained. Literally all mom and Pauline and I know is that apparently mom was "abusive" for years towards your mom, despite nobody ever seeing it, her never mentioning it before I went to Oak Grove, and her saying that she "knew it happened, but didn't know what it was"), then I doubt that your parents ever really loved me. If a simple question erases a lifetime of care and love and bonds and family, then all of those things were never really there.

It's 0737. Yeah, I still use military time. Also, I wanted to do a speech (in my speech class) on why a time system based on 10's would be better for the world. Remember? You wanted that. I couldn't remember the details, though. Anyway. It's 0738. There's 40 hours and 22 minutes until it's been two years since I've seen you.

I often wonder if you think about me. I think about you all the time. Have I faded from your memory? What am I to you now? Am I your brother, your closest confidant, your best friend, and your <>? Am I nothing? Just a faint thought, a distant memory? Or am I your worst enemy? Have your parents convicted you that I'm a horrible person? I desperately hope not. I hope you remember everything. And I hope that you realize that it's been a long time, and we both have matured a ton. Going from an edgy 10th grader who thinks dressing like a girl, screaming "GAY," and looking up undertale AU's are the coolest things ever to a college freshman who finally realized that sexuality shouldn't be a personality trait, being an edgy cunt isn't cool, and responsibilities are actually important is a big difference. I'm sure you've had some huge changes too. You're almost 18. As of today, there's 2 months and 2 days until your birthday. I've been waiting for it for so, so long. An eternity, it feels like. I'm so scared. I don't know if you hate me or not. I'm going to text you. I'm not sure on what, but something. I'll tell you happy birthday. Just so you know how to contact me in case you want to talk. I have no idea if you'll just block me right off the bat. I'm hoping so, so much that Nathanael wasn't saying you hate me.

It's 0756. There's 40 hours and 4 minutes until it's been two years since I've seen you. Error 404 means...something not found, right? I don't know. It doesn't matter.

I miss you. I love you.

Please come back soon.

- E. Nikolas B.

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autumnfanfiction · 6 years ago

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Hey Gran Gran, how you feeling?”

She was there every day like clockwork with her grandmother making sure she was being taken cared of and also providing her with some company. When she found out her Gran Gran Dolly was sick, she used all her finances to find the best doctors money could buy to cure her, to nurse her back to health, but every doctor she came in contact with said it was too late. She didn’t want to listen to that nonsense so her last resort was to bring her to New York and see if she would receive some good news and so she could be closer to her. But like them all, there was no such luck.

“Mi feel good Anna, alive actually. Mi could go for eh good time right bout now.”

“Good time like what Gran?”

“Eh maybe goin’ ta one of dem clubs, no? Mi may be gettin’ up dere in age, but Gran can still do di dutty.”

Robyn laughed. She loved being with her Gran because she didn’t behave like one whose life was sealed, signed, and delivered to death. These moments made her feel like everything was normal if only, it was really like that.

“Gran I don’t think the men would be ready for you.” She said softly

“‘Course not Anna. What makes yuh tink dem boys could last a moment wit mi?”

She giggled. “They wouldn’t Gran.”

Robyn held her Gran Dolly’s hand and felt sadness overtake her once again. How would she be able to brace herself and say goodbye to this woman? Gran Gran Dolly had outlived all her family members and how she was able to do that would only be something God could answer. Robyn was grateful though because her Gran taught all she knew, but once she learned she had fallen to an illness, it seemed her heart hardened, and she was mad at the world.

“Anna.”

Robyn snapped out her daze and looked into the eyes of her Gran and was almost brought to tears. Her eyes were so full of life and seeing that made it much harder for her to ever come to terms that the woman that had raised her all her life once her Mother died giving birth to her would soon leave her. She couldn’t come to terms with it, and she refused to.

“We neva talk bout how mi gon die soon––”

“Gran it’s something I rather not talk about. I just want to spend time with you and laugh and hear all the stories you’ve told me like when I was younger. Thinking about that just makes me sad and I don’t,” she coughed and held her chest feeling the emotions creeping up on her. “I don’t want to think about you dying because it’s hard to imagine.”

“Don’t make it any less true, Anna.”

She shook her head, tears wanting to cascade down her face but she wanted and needed to be strong. “I guess it’s because you don’t seem like you’re dying soon. It makes it hard to digest when it seems you could live another decade and be fine and in good health.”

“Anna dere is a reason mi still livin’ and mi tink it’s ‘bout time mi tell yuh befo mi pass.”

Robyn’s eyebrows furrowed but she said nothing, wanting to listen intently on what it was she was about to be told. “Mi been havin’ dese dreams ‘bout yuh and yuh future––”

“Gran I don’t think I have a future seeming as though I’ve been cooped up in this hospital for months with nothing positive coming out of it.”

Dolly looked at her granddaughter with frustration. “Anna stop it dis instant! Mi will not spend mi remaining months, howeva long dey may be hearing yuh pity yuhself. Mi don’t wanna ear it yuh ear?” Robyn nodded and softly apologized. “Now as mi was sayin’, God showed mi a vision of yuh and soon yuh life will turn fa di betta. A young man Anna, God will bring somebodi into yuh life, and he will love and cherish yuh.”

Robyn sat still for a moment. Love? From somebody other than her Gran? She found that laughable, but she couldn’t deny the curiosity she had of learning more about her Gran’s vision, so she remained silent and kept her protests to herself for now.

“Him was di most handsome ting, Anna. Mi saw him; tall, freckles, and as yellow as corn,” Robyn laughed trying to imagine what Gran was describing, and she couldn’t shake the gut feeling of happiness she had, that maybe this was real and she would have somebody else long after Gran passed away. “Trust, Anna. Jah has a plan, alweys do yuh just need ta ave faith.”

“Gran,” She paused and looked into her eyes. She looked so happy and excited so she decided she wouldn’t deny her Gran the happiness she had of delivering this to her. She didn’t really believe this because God had punished her and what did she do to deserve this? She really didn’t know so she doubted God would grace her with somebody to love and that would love her. Who would want to love somebody that wouldn’t last long anyway? Yeah, she didn’t believe it, but she would go along with it for the sake of her grandmother.

“I promise I’ll try to be open.”

“Dat is all mi ask Anna, dat is all mi ask.”

Chris was out mingling with all the doctors and nurses joking with them trying to keep himself from falling into a sunken place. Truth be told, everyone in the hospital loved him because he was so charismatic and carefree it was tragic that somebody like him with a beautiful spirit was and could possibly be withering away right before their very eyes. Nevertheless, there was no need for pity because he didn’t ask for it nor did he act like he needed it, so they didn’t offer it to him.

As Chris was telling one of his many corny jokes to the staff that would entertain him, he saw a figure out of the corner of his eye leaving a room. The figure was a woman, and it might have been a glimpse, but she was beautiful. Beautiful and he had never seen her before, which piqued his interest because he’s met everyone on his floor, at least he thought until he saw her.

“Nurse Sandy, who is that woman over there?”

“Oh, that’s one of my patients,” The bubbly nurse said then smiled. “It’s really not my place, but she could use somebody like you around, and that’s all I’m going to say.” She acted out zipping her lips and throwing away the key and Chris laughed before she walked off.

His attention went back to the mystery woman. He chose to take a trek down the hallway and see if he could find her room. Each room he passed made it clear it wasn’t hers, and all that was left was the last room at the end. He leaned his head forward and caught full sight of her sitting on her bed.

“She’s more than beautiful.” He mused to himself. Her look was solemn, and for some reason, it made him sad that she was. To him, someone whose features that were as delicate as hers shouldn’t be creased with sorrow. Even though he felt that way, he was shy. He elected not to impose since he was a stranger and didn’t want to scare her off before he even had the opportunity to get to know her.

As he kept looking at her he saw her head about to move, so he ducked before she could catch him. He felt blush rush to his cheeks and chastised himself for being so careless before walking back to his room pondering on ways to strike her attention.

Hours flew by, and he couldn’t decide what gesture would grab her attention. He let out a harsh breath and ran his hand through his hair. “What am I going to do?” He thought for a moment before an idea formed in his head. “I’ll just write her a love letter.” He smiled and rubbed his hands together saying to himself this was the best idea.

Quickly he grabbed paper and a pen and placed it on the mini table the staff gifted him since they knew he loved to draw so he would have something to press on. They also gave him a notepad and art supplies and the main reason being to keep him from drawing on the walls out of boredom or mischief.

“Now how do I start?” He asked himself while lightly hitting his chin with the pen. He’s never written what he’s dubbed a love letter, so this was foreign to him. Especially why he would call it love when he knew nothing about her. He made many attempts at writing what he thought was suitable and what would make him seem approachable, however, all of them were failed attempts. Finally, he decided to be himself was the best approach.

I don’t know how to write love letters. I don’t even know why I’m calling this a love letter or if this even is one, but what I do know is that I want to get to know you. I want to grasp your emotional rigor when you’re faced with having to live when you’re upset. I want the opportunity to turn your frown into a smile. Who knows maybe we can become best friends, that sounds good, right? I could help you wear all that concealer and makeup stuff you might have, and in turn, you’ll help me sneak drawings on the walls in the hospital. They think they can stop me, but if I have a partner in crime we’ll be unstoppable, so what do you say? Did I put a smile on your face yet? I want your rhythm and blues… What should I call you? How about Green Eyes? Maybe Hazel? Hazel sounds cuter right? I think I’ll stick with Green Eyes. So you might be wondering how I know the color of them… Well… What had happened was… I kinda sorta found your room and was peeking through your window. I’m not a peeping tom I promise. Well, hopefully, Green Eyes those very eyes will be peering at me up close soon. Can’t wait for you to write back.

❤️ CB

He smiled and added a drawing of her from memory at the bottom. He put the letter in an envelope and wrote “TO GREEN EYES” and drew her eyes under it and colored it in mixing the colors the best he could to capture the green/hazel color. Once he was finished, he went outside his room and asked Nurse Sandy whether she could give his newfound interest Green Eyes his letter, and she happily obliged. He thanked her kindly, before heading back inside his room to lay in his bed.

Now all there was to do was wait.

#chrianna #chrianna ff #chrianna fanfic #chrianna fanfiction #chris brown #rihanna #chris brown fanfic #rihanna fanfic

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fossadeileonixv · 2 years ago

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Chelsea 3 Milan 0: Plus Weekend Whip Around!

Gonna skip actual player ratings and move on to what bothers me about our performance.

TOMORI WAS CRAP

This has been an ongoing problem all season now. We have now conceded 14 goals over 11 matches and only kept 2 clean sheets. He looks a step slow, far too often getting beat on the turn especially. Also, like happened against Chelsea on the Aubameyang goal, he’s making some relatively simply plays look much too difficult. I’m not sure if he’s feeling pressure to make the WC squad or perhaps he’s trying to take too much on during our title defense. Either way it’s not good. To be fair, the carousel at FB isn’t helpping. Time to simplify things and settle down a bit before this dip in form becomes long lasting.

DOUBLE PIVOT DISASTER

For better or worse, Tonali and Bennacer are not the best fit together. Both wanna sit deeper as that extra CB. Neither has taken over that Box2Box destroyer role that Kessie occupied most of last year. I thought Tonali would be that guy but for whatever reason we haven’t seen that this season. He looks timid, kind of what we saw his first year at Milan. We did see him do it towards the end of last season as he scored a couple big goals down the stretch. So far we have seen little to nothing of Pobega, Adli of Vranckx so far. Perhaps we start seeing more of them soon.

FB MESS

That was a shit show huh? Chelsea murdered us in the corners repeatedly outnumbering us, forcing us to react and then taking advantage of the spaces left behind. Over and over and over again. it reminded me a lot of what happened to us against Liverpool last year. Reminder Salah and TAA murdering us? This was a carbon copy. Guess where Chelsea’s best players are? On the wings! Oof.

Let’s backtrack.

Why is there space? Dest and FBT were WAY TOO HIGH. Simple really. We can get away with this against Empoli and Sampdoria but not away to Chelsea. In games like this the FBs must stay home a lot more. Instead of staying high they need to pick and choose those runs. Very carefully. Simply having Bennacer drop between the CBs to make a 3 man backline isn’t gonna do against EPL teams. we get stretched too thin and killed by crosses. Sound right so far?

So who is that on? Is it on the players for being too aggressive and ignoring their responsibilities? Is Pioli over there screaming for them to get back over and over agian? OR... is this on Pioli simply plugging these guys into the roles that Theo and Calabria play? That would be a big problem. FBT is not Theo by any means and Dest just got here 2 months ago. They should be keeping things simple. Stay home. Mind the wide positions. Limit crosses. Move up field to keep things connected but by no means do we need runs inside the 18.

WHERE OH WHERE IS MY SAELEMAEKERS?

If you still think Saelemaekers is worthless and serves no purpose, watch this game. God less king Krunic but i have no idea what he was doing. He dips centrally and leaves Dest exposed again and again and again.

...

Moving on... to the WEEKEND WHIP AROUND!

SASSUOLO - INTER Sassuolo always plays Inter tough, including a huge win at San Siro last year that contributed greatly to Milan winning the title. Four losses in the league this early had the crows circling Inzaghi until the midweek triumph against Barcelona. Sassuolo has defended well all year and have finally found their scoring boots. Inter’s defense is creaky. That combo could lead to some fireworks.

MILAN - JUVE Consecutive wins in the league and the CL has eased the Allegri chatter. Despite skepticism the Milik-Vlahovic combo is really starting to bear fruit. Even Rabiot had a brace against a bunch of farmers midweek. Milan meanwhile is in disarray due to form and injury. Fully expect a wild 3-3 draw.

BOLOGNA - SAMPDORIA Bologna hit rock bottom a few weeks ago and hired Thiago Motta. Samp finally ended the Giampaolo experiment an now have a new coach of their own. They reached out to Red Star Belgrade and brought in Dejan Stankovic. Now the former inter teammates face each other in relegation battale neither they nor their longtime Serie A clubs expected.

TORINO - EMPOLI Torino started the season on a nice run but have now lost 3 in a row. Granted they have had one of the toughest schedules to start the year. Juric will sort things out. Empoli on the other hand are having a tough time turning draws into wins. expect Bajrami and Lammers to keep at it and for their fortunes to trun. Not in this game though.

MONZA - SPEZIA after dropping the first 5, Monza now have 7 points from 3. Stefano sensi has been the catalyst while Matteo Pessina has partner in crime. perhaps an earlier rebound than some expected. Spezia have struggled of late but thos losses are to Lazio, Juve and Napoli. look for Nzola and company to bunce back in this one.

SALERNITANA - VERONA I told you all in the spring that Verona and Samp were in trouble. Well now Verona are in 18th and Samp in 20th. Listen to Nonno, ok? Look for Salernitana to pick up a win here to avoid a rut. Dia at the double and Verona continues to be a mess. LB Josh Doig a bright spot though. he will not be at Verona for long.

UDINESE - ATALANTA A top 4 showdown! For real! Big question facing Atalanta coming into the year was whether Gasperini could do it again. Well so far he has! This time through solid defending and shrewd countering. No more wild, scoring fests. Big question facing Gerard Deulofeu his whole career is whether he could ever be less selfish and become a team player. If you would have told me 2 years ago this game would feature a high scoring team against the best defense in the league, i would have switched the roles. Must see game of the week here.

CREMONESE - NAPOLI Napoli continue to clean up against the bottom feeders and Cremonese are the bottomest. that’s what you have to do to win a title though.

ROMA - LECCE Roma are still having a heck of a time scoring. That seems impossible with the names on that roster. Lecce have started well, hanging their hat on a great season by Falcone in goal and a stout defense. By far the strangest sunday prime time game we’ve seen in a while.

FIORENTINA - LAZIO Year 2 of Sarri ball and things are starting to look really good. Second highest scoring team in the league (17) while conceding the second fewest (5). Certainly helps that he’s got more and more of the pieces he wanted. Fiorentina have managed to keep their heads above water in the league AND keep things going in Europe. That despite struggling for goals. The Luka Jovic experiment is definitely NOT going as planned.

Forza Milan!

Lisi

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paperish-main · 7 years ago

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Sarah J Maas Transcript (1/3)

Finished this last night and posting it before I go to a fair!

This is a transcript for the parts I recorder of the Manchester Sarah J Maas event. The video just isn’t working with me, so here. The visuals weren’t good anyways xD. I didn’t record from the start, heads-up. Also, I wouldn’t super-analyse every word she says because, again, she was talking on stage and that won’t translate smoothly to a write up. There were a lot of ‘uh’s and ‘like’s that I cut out and a lot more laughing.

UPDATE: Next one has been posted!

SJM: I’ve said before, so I can say it now: the wall scene… is in this book [laughs as audience screams]. I had a lot of fun writing writng that – um, if you don’t know what I’m talking about –

Charlie Bowater: Where have you been?

SJM: (laughs) I hope for the parents that have no idea what I’m talking about… you don’t wanna know. [audience laughter]. A Court of Frost and Starlight – ACOFAS, or ACOfaus as you Brits would say – that’s coming out in May.

Talking about the planning of things – with these novellas, I always wanted them to be something you had to read before the last Throne of Glass book. So I knew some big, big things that would go on in this, but then when I wrote it there were actually some surprises – and again, no spoilers – that I didn’t see coming, and they were actually things that I had planted the seeds for earlier in the books. Then I got to this moment and I had this idea and I literally looked back – combed through the books – and I was like, holy. Effing. Shit.

[audience laughter]

And it sounds kind of insane – like, I’m the writer, I’m in control of this world but then my subconcious does plant things and does it throughout the books… only it will take me five books to realise what my mind has been telling me I’m going on this whole time. And I live for moments like that, when it literally feels like magic. So this book was a combination of very intense planning and then “Surprise!” things that blew my mind.

I know it sounds so weird, because it should all be up here, but when it aligns it’s a bit like a solar eclipse. [She laughs with the audience] I’m so cheesy, I know.

Interviewer: So you briefly mentioned ACOTAR before and, of course, A Court of Wings and Ruin was out this year. What was it like to wrap up – well, not completely wrap up – that arc of Feyre and Rhy’s story?

Sarah J Maas: I mean, I knew… I knew there were going to be these spin-off books coming out and I didn’t have to say goobye, and those spin-off books were actually because before I started writing ACOWAR, I got really bummed out that the series would end after three books –

Interviewer: We were all, too.

Sarah J Maas: (laughs) I was literally like, this isn’t enough time with the Inner Circle – especially the Illyrian warriors and their wingspans. [audience cheers]. Can I tell you guys this random story? On my US tour for Tower of Dawn, this girl came up during the signing and she was about fourteen years old and she was wearing this t-shirt that said “it’s all about the winspan”. [audience laughs] I was like, oh my god, your shirt is amazing.

And she went, let me show you the back … and she turned around and it had a pair of wings with a ruler [gasps mixed with laughter] underneath. I was like, does your mother know what you’re wearing? And she was like, (smug voice) no. I went, you’re my hero. I want to be your friend.

[more laughter]

So, I was bummed that this world and this series were ending and just for fun I began writing what happens after ACOWAR… and I would up writing about two-hundred and fifty pages of about what will be the first full spin-off book, which I cannot tell you yet what it will be about. When you read ACOFAS in spring, you’ll know what it’ll be about for sure.

And then I wrote probably the first half of ACOFAS which mostly just started off as a bunch of smut scenes [laughter] just for fun –

Charlie Bowater: Just for warm up.

Sarah J Maas: Just to warm up, get my heart pumpin’ a bit (laughs). And then I really started to look ahead to what happens to these characters after ACOWAR and I realised that I wanted to really, really write those stories. These characters had more to do and to say and to grow. And it actually helped me write ACOWAR, because I was able to plant seeds in ACOWAR for all the fun stuff that’s coming in these spin-off books.

So in some ways, it was still very emotional for me to write ACOWAR – it’s very emotional for me to write every book, really. I definitely sobbed when I wrote the last scene between Feyre and Rhys, but I also knew like, the gang is coming back!

Like, ask me this question when I write the last book of that series but – will I ever close the door? To any of these worlds? I don’t think so. I don’t know. I have separation anxiety, you guys [laughter]

Interviewer: That’s a good sign! So Charlie, you contributed a lot to the ACOTAR colouring book and the Throne of Glass colouring book, as well as your incredible drawings of the Inner Circle, which hopefully some of you guys have seen. What is like kind of drawing from those characters and – do you visualise what they look like in your head or do you just sort of follow your pencil?

Charlie Bowater: (started to raise her miscrophone before the interviewer was finished) I just have to say, I can’t take credit for the throne of glass colouring book because I didn’t do anything there.

Interviewer: Oh, sorry!

SJM: You were their in spirit.

CB: It was a very interesting process because, obviously, I’ve read the books inside-out, back-to-front, multiple times. And so, clearly I’ve got this strong image in my head of how I picture it and it was just like this really nice, collaborative process where I got to work with Sarah and Bloomsbury. They kind of put forward the scenes that they wanted included in the colouring book, and it was kind of up to me how I sketched it – how I imagined it, how I pictured the scene – and that was really collaborative and not like, this is the scene. Draw it.

I think I was originally supposed to draw eight scenes for the book, and end up drawing… I think it was 19? [audience laughs] I think, by the end. So it just kept going and going and going and going… and I will always remember the day that I found out – or rather, the day that I was asked if I wanted to work on the colouring book.

I was in a club in London – which doesn’t happen very often, by the way, I’m usually at home reading [laughter] – and I read the email and I literally just had to scream in this toilet cubicle just because I was so psyched about working on the book. And just in general, these books and Sarah have… changed my life. It was amazing to work on it.

Interviewer: You guys are the dream team. It must be said.

SJM: You were so – like, easy to work with on the coloruing book? All the other artists were great, but Charlie was… I feel like I never had of send you any real notes. Not to bad-mouth any of the other artists because they’re very, very talented but, like I don’t think some were… (struggles) fans of the… books? Just they way that, like –

CB: I think that’s the biggest difference between me working on this work for different books and series and like all this stuff, but there’s this special kind of magic when you get to do it for a series you love and you already know and you’ve got those feelings to work with, rather than doing it from a blanck slate. It’s like, you’ve got the passion for it already.

SJM: You were like – you were like a dream. Like, one of the artists was actually pretty sick. She fell pretty ill at one point and literally couldn’t get to some of the drawings, and like, we asked Charlie, is it too many drawings at this point? And she just, knocked it out of the park.

And there were some drawing where the other illustrators, again, very talented, but they didn’t like… get it? They didn’t quite get the placement of the characters and the emotion in the scene.

One of them was like, the cauldron scene – Nesta coming out of the cauldron – and like, I can’t tell you how many drafts we went through with one of the artists on that scene and I was like no, no, no – not to sound like a diva. I was pretty involved in the process where, from the very start, I worked with bloomsbury to select all the scenes and we sent the artist who was in each scene and what each scene should include, and they would send us the sketches, and we would give feedback.

I had phone calls with my editor every day about the sketches. The poor UPS man came to my house, like, non-stop delivering new batches of artwork. It was like this really, really intense process but with this one scene this artist just didn’t get it – didn’t get what was going on, the body positioning. Then we sent it over to Charlie and like, one sketch. Done.

[laughter] It was like a mic drop, holy shit. You just… get it.

CB: Thank you.

Sarah J Maas: Like, your artwork is just… so amazing. My phone back screen is one of the earliest pieces of Feyre-Rhys fan art that you ever did with them. She’s in the dress that she… wears on the ACOWAR cover. I don’t know if you guys know this, but the dress on the cover of ACOWAR – Charlie designed that dress.

When we made the cover for ACOWAR, they were like what dress should we put her in? And I was like, there was only one dress. [laughter] There’s only one dress that Charlie designed.

CB: That meant a lot to me.

Sarah J Maas: And we’re still grateful that you allowed us to use your concept. And I’m just, like (laughs) the biggest fangirl. You did this modern Sailor Moon piece – it was like – I loved it.

CB: (points to herself) Love Sailor Moon!

That’s Part One out of Two for the first big video. After this she talks about her Grandmother’s pretty inspirational story about growing up and WW2 as a Jew, which I’ll probably write up. Then, she goes back to talking about the books. Those videos are short enough to post, so I’ll do it now.

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storywars-r · 5 years ago

Text

And We Were Made Of Stardust

Chapter 1 by R

The Earth Orbital Station, 2089

I stood on the observation deck. Most people were on the other side, staring down at the Earth, which suited me fine. I liked the quiet of solitude, and I liked that no one was there to pull me from my thoughts.

I looked out at the emptiness of space, dotted with stars, when I saw movement. I rushed forward to stare at it. Yes, there was definitely something out there.

"This is Captain Minoru," I called in to my wrist communicator, "Can someone scan section 35? I think I see something out there."

Suddenly, something came bursting forward, and outside of the window I could see the figure of something floating. It was a girl, and it looked like her skin was made out of the very fabric of space herself. She tilted her head to stare at me, and then disappeared with a flash.

And then she was standing, inside the station, looking at me with a broad smile. She looked even more otherworldly surrounded by the furniture. She didn't open my mouth, but I heard the words regardless.

"Friend!"

Chapter 2 by Ethan R

I stood there staring at the girl. Her skin seeming to be made of the darkness outside my spacecraft. She sat there smiling.

"Captain Minoru?" My comlink sprang to life, startling me and making me briefly look at it. I looked back to the girl and found the spot where she stood empty.

I looked around the observation deck to see if anyone else saw her. The other people had all been looking at the blue orb that was hanging effortlessly in space.

"Captain?" My communicator lit up again.

"Yeah," I said raising it to my face, "sorry, uh, cancel that last command."

"Noted, sir."

I lowered my wrist still looking around the deck. I peered through the window back into the darkness.

"That girl..." I say quietly to myself, staring at the sea of stars.

"What girl?" A voice from behind me said, startling me.

Chapter 3 by CB Baker

As I turn, I see a familiar face. An old friend.

"Hi Ben," I say, still in awe at what had just happened.

He stood next to me. He furrowed his brows and smirked, causing his large nerdy classes to raise on one side.

"You talkin' to y'rself again, cap?" Ben said in a thick Scotish accent.

I smiled and looked back at the beautiful scenery in front of me.

Space was eerily silent... obviously, as no sound traveled in space and sometimes I found myself longing for the simple sounds of life. Birds tweeting, the wind, even cars zooming by.

Even here, in the great National Spacecraft of Earth, not much happened so I often caught myself in mid-sentence, almost narrating my actions.

But this time, I was sure that I was not alone.

"Did you happen to see a... girl?" I asked, unsure of why I was even asking Ben.

"Ur, well sir, I've seen many lacies about. Care to be more specific?"

I shrug, feeling foolish, "Nevermind."

I guessed I must have imagined her. Being captain was hard, and last night I had gotten barely any sleep. We were on our way to Mars. With the Earth being in the state it was, humanity had packed its bags and fled. It made me angry, as we could have stopped what happened, but I was glad to be on my way to a better tomorrow. Some place where humanity could start anew. Hopefully, this time, we would not sink the planet in its own water- not that Mars had that much, yet.

"I think I just need a--" I stop mid-sentence, startled.

The ship shudders and groans. Lights flash annoyingly, and suddenly everywhere is in chaos. People run about in all directions, unsure of where to go. Some look at me with pale faces.

"Everyone must follow the crew members to the emergency pods in case we need to evacuate." I bark out into my speaker, trying to sound calm. My voice fills the ship with yet more noise and my heart thuds.

"What the hell is happening?" Ben asks into his speaker, alarmed. He frantically looks outside, trying to search for a clue as to what was going on.

Chapter 4 by Lex

Ben and i race to the control room to get a look at the ships sensors and cameras and it seems as if we're being sucked in by something. Almost like...A BLACK HOLE!!

"Everyone you need to get to the pods and prepare to evacuate on my command! The gravity force of a black hole is drawing us in and if we don't get out now we will not survive!" I shout into my com before taking my seat and buckling myself in i take hold of the steering console and heave it to the right, trying to face the pods away from the black hole.

"What're you doing Cap!? We gotta go!" Ben is trying to wiggle me free of my seat-belt but it won't budge, its stuck.

"If we don't go now with the rest of em' we'll be crushed by the force of that worm hole! Lets go!" I shake my head and look at my old friend with sorrow and determination.

"No. If my ship is going down I'm making sure I go down with it. I will be sure everyone on this ship escapes and if you wanna be one of the ones to leave then be my guest Ben but I ain't going anywhere yet." I face back at the gaping hole in time and space that lingers there peacefully and stares into me, for a moment I almost think I see...a face, her face! Then it's gone again.

"Fine. You stay, I stay." Ben takes a seat in the co-pilot space next to me and buckles himself in.

"If you go down I go down too, I owe it to these people to keep them safe. We owe it to these people."

Chapter 5 by Lex

The closer and closer Ben and I got to the black hole the more terrified we became with every waking moment. It was the most beautiful yet horrifying thing to see before you die, the way it spiraled counter-clockwise and sucked in everything, but just my ship, for a brief moment all was quiet and , I almost wished that this moment would never end, or that I at least had a camera to picture it, but that wouldn't be very useful now would it?

"Looks like this is it. It was a great time working with you Captain"

"Oh no not Captain Ben, call me James" I give Ben a reassuring nod as we both latch onto each-others arms and prepare for certain doom, nearing the black hole even closer still with every breath. Inching our way there until finally the ships sensors go berserk.

"WARNING! WARNING! POWER LEVELS CRITICAL, OXYGEN LEVELS DEPLETING, BLACK HOLE APPROACHING AT SONIC SPEEDS!" The voice made a loud electronic shriek before powering down, the rest of the ship powered down as well as we were completely engulfed in black. For an abrupt moment I was entirely sure we were dead already, but i was terribly wrong. I saw it again, her face, right as the black sky lit up with stars, millions of them, in vibrant blues, orange, purple, pink, green, yellow, it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life and the best part...all of those stars made up her face. I pointed to it and Ben followed my fingers.

"Holy shit James! What is that!?" he clenched my arm tightly and looked at me with an expression of his face that seemed as if he was going to pee his pants.

"That's the girl i asked you about earlier, I saw her on the ship, she called me friend."

We were pulled deeper and deeper into this thing as sparkles of every color swirled around us and the ship and got inside the ship, it wrapped around everything making it so beautiful and bright. Ben looked so scared and I didn't know what to do besides stare because it was so beautiful, i think it was....Stardust.

Chapter 6 by Lolitroy

Never in my dreams had I imagined everything I knew would shatter in seconds.

Black holes, girls made of stars, the laws of physics thrown over the window...

She should have died.

We should not be near a black hole. It was impossible. The solar system would be torn apart in seconds.

And yet.

Yet there she was.

Or where we there?

It is during moments like these that you realize just how frail humanity is, how little we know. We tend to think, roughly, that we've figured it all out. Then someone, something comes along and proves us wrong.

We were in space.

Black. Cold. Sporadically tainted with those silver dots called stars.

Where? I didn't know. I couldn't.

Certainly not in the solar system anymore.

The girl was gone.

And, for all I knew, so were we.

Chapter 7 by CB Baker

"What do you remember?" I hear the words spoken in my mind but cannot make sense of them. They're all unimaginable, inconceivable words. Floating in and out of my mind, and with it fades my consciousness.

When I next wake, I'm afraid. That this is it- that this is death.

I'm not a religious man. My mother was Christian and so was my father. But I sure would love to be at this moment. It'd make the reality of the situation far better to cope with.

Being the only atheist in the family had its negatives. For one, everyone thought I was going to hell. But that probably had something to do with my drug-filled past.

After training to be a captain, I was sure I'd change my ways. I kept myself in shape, ate healthily, and I was good to people. I knew I'd changed since then. So, If this was really it, I surely was not in hell- but in some alternative... some happy medium

Yeah, I'll go with that. A happy medium.

"Can you remember?" I heard once more.

From the back of my mind, a river filled with pictures flows past my consciousness.

It's almost as if I'm in a car, driving past my life, seeing everything and everything.

My first love, my first heartbreak. I see the many parts of my life I'm ashamed of and the few I'm proud of.

Then I see her, and I realise I'm now awake. She's standing in front of me, her eyes a deep, dark black, filled with the very stars themselves. The universe.

Her long, dark hair flows down her graceful shoulders, and I soon realise it's moving. It's twisting, and writing at the ends, constantly changing, evolving- and I realise they're black holes, seemingly caught.

She's like the embodiment of the universe, of what is and what isn't.

"Friend!" She says, pleased with herself.

I open my eyes wide and sit up. My head's pounding.

"Where am I?" I say...

Chapter 8 by [BLDE_79] LeMaironi- merry chrysler

"Friend is dead." she proclaims nonchalantly.

"What about Ben?"

"Friend of Friend also dead. Friend of friend was not preserved."

"What do you mean, 'not preserved?'"

To that, there was no response.

"Friend's worlds are spared." She paused. "Friend is confused."

"What are the rules of anything?"

"Look, Friend!" She pointed. I'd say this wasn't an answer, but she was pointing at an orb. "A child!"

Everywhere I looked, "children" also floated. Amongst them were other people, some of which seemed male, some old, some more blue, like the one that was directing my hands to this child, some more red. This one had no color. I realized this was another universe's equivalent of our big bang.

I held the child, and the child and I shared minds for a single second, which was, to him, four billion years. When I looked back upon what was once the child, I had created a universe in my image.

"Friend should choose its name."

"What's yours?"

"ਡਲਰਵ." In a script you'd recognize, Dalarava.

"I'll name him Radevol." I took the sounds from her name and put it in his.

Radevol turned to me. "God-father."

I realized what I had done. I had created a heaven and an earth, I had put in him light, I had given him the tag he will walk around with forever. I had made someone in my image.

"Dalarava?"

"Friend?"

"Can you lead me to your god-father?"

"It is not time yet. He hasn't built his kingdom for Friend's people to live in."

"Do you know his name? Has he sent someone into you?"

"Yhwh. Yes."

I had, indeed, become a god.

"Can I ever return to my people?"

"No, but Friend may forever interact with the ones Friend created in Radevol."

"Can I send something to my people, and likewise, to the people of Radevol?"

"Yes."

"Can I develop more children?"

"No."

If this is being read, I will never know Dalarava's physics. But I am building Radevol's. I am building a universe, and I hope that you all will, too, someday.

Captain James Minoru of the NSE Term Zero, signing off.

#sw finished #sw scifi

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frankiefellinlove · 7 years ago

Photo

Return of the Native The Aquarian , September 23, 1978 By Mike Greenblatt

We’ve been sitting on a bench facing the ocean near the Casino Arena in Asbury Park. It’s 45 minutes past our appointed meeting time with Bruce Springsteen and we’re trying to light matches in the wind. It’s past 1:30 now and we’re wondering if he’s going to show up. Hell, it’s a beautiful sunny fall day, one of his very few days off from a grueling whirlwind tour of the country. And it’s his birthday to boot. Maybe he just ain’t gonna show.

But we’re determined. We’re prepared to wait for two more hours. Then, if he’s still not here, we’ll split. We’ve already tired of scrutinizing all the faces for something that will tell us it’s him in disguise. We forgot our quest and go back to the matches.

“Hi”, he says as he walks right up at us. “Sorry I’m late, I just got up.” He’s dressed in a blueish work-shirt and jeans. He has ever-present sunglasses on. We decide to break the ice over lunch.

Settling into a booth at the Convention Hall Coffee Shop, I order a BLT, photographer Sorce, a cheeseburger, and Bruce, a hamburger, french fries and coke.

“Yeah, we had a real rep”, Bruce starts to say. “We could draw two, maybe three thousand people on any given night. We played our own concerts here and also down south. It’s weird. Nobody would ever book us because we never did any Top-40. Never. We used to play all old soul stuff. Chuck Berry, just the thing we liked. That’s why we couldn’t get booked. We made enough to eat though.”

The waitresses are starting to mill about the table so Bruce puts his shades back on and hushes up his tone. “The other night was amazing”, he wispers. “I went to see Animal house, and when I came out of the theater there was a whole bunch of people that started following me to the parking lot. I wound up signing autographs for over an hour.”

“Anyway, after a while the kicks started to wear off and a lot of the time we didn’t make enough to eat. That’s why i signed with Mike (Appel). Anything was better than what was happening at the time.”

Little did the local rocker know that this early signing with Mike Appel would result in the latter claiming rights to the early material Springsteen had written. The rest of the courtroom drama is famous. Perhaps generously, Bruce had nothing bad to say about his former manager.

“He did a lot of good for me at that time”, he says, dipping one particularly long french fry into a mound of ketchup. “He introduced me to John Hammond (CBS bigwig responsible for signing Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and others). He helped me on that first album”. He pauses as if he were ruminating on something. “I haven’t seen him since that day.”

“Actually, I was pretty shielded from the whole thing”, he continues. “Mike put the onus on Jon (Landau), claiming he was the culprit.”

I ask: You mean he charged Landau with stealing you away from him?

“Yeah, sort of. I was never good at the business end of things.”

Asked about the famous line Landau wrote for his Real Paper review (“I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen”), Bruce says, “That line is misrepresentative of the whole review. It’s funny. The review was nothing like that one line. It got taken out of context” - another myth shattered.

“I remember playing in a club where an earlier review that Jon wrote was splashed all over the outside wall. I was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, when Jon practically bumped right into me. I had never met him. We hit it off right away.”

“When asked if he ever gave up during the long months of inactivity, Bruce still remains bright, completely devoid of bitterness. ” I knew that it was just a matter of time. We were playing almost throughout that whole episode even though we weren’t supposed to. I mean, what kind of law is it that is written specifically to stop a man from doing what he does to make his money?“

“The only real frustrating thing which did cause me grief was the fact that my songs weren’t my own. I didn’t own my own songs. That hurt.”

But that makes it all the more satisfying now. At Nassau Coliseum, thousands of kids screaming their guts out for him before he even played a song. They didn’t let up until he finished, drained and exhausted. At the Capitol Theatre, two nights before, he was surprised onstage by a giant birthday cake out of which a scantily clad girl bounced. He swears he didn’t know a thing about it (“I even told John Scher no cakes”). At Madison square Garden, 18,000 fans leaned on every note as if it were the last they would ever hear. A gala party was held for him in the plush Penn Plaza Club located deep inside the bowels of the Garden. Security was the tightest I’d ever witnessed.

We paid for the food and split for the beach. The conversation continued amid the sea, the wind and the hovering presence of the Casino Arena.

“I’m into a little photography myself”, Bruce says as Sorce adjusts his light meter. “I took some pictures of Lynnie (Lynn goldsmith, photographer) that were published somewhere.”

When asked about his other interests, Bruce talks of softball. “Yeah, we used to play hard. we had to stop, though, when Clarence and myself used to get too battered up. We’d go on stage all wracked up and it would hurt. After a while, it got too important and too many people were into it. There’s no softball on this tour. What else do I like? Hmmm, I’ll tell ya…not too much besides music. Right now, music is it. I don’t care about anything else.”

We get back to talking of copy bands and the difference between making it with your own material and making good money playing copies. I tell Bruce I had to play “Shake Your Booty” to get booked anywhere.

“Shake Your Booty?” laughs Bruce, falling into the sand. “That’s a great song. KC, man, he’s great! He always comes out with those repetitive things. Over and over and over, that kind of stuff is great! It’s like the ‘Louie, Louie’ of today.” Later on, in talking about what is written about him, he says, “I have Glen (Glen Brunman, CBS publicist) mail me everything that’s written about me. Hundreds of things, man. I read them all at once. That way I can get a pretty good perspective on what my press is like, rather than reading one thing at a time.”

“Near the end of Darkness, I wasn’t doing any interviews”, Bruce continues. “Then I did them until I noticed myself saying the same things to different people. There’s only one answer to each question; you don’t want to lie to these people. I really had myself in a spin. And each interview was a multiple interview situation with two or three people at once. I guess the problem was that I did too many of ‘em.”

Walking off the beach, we talk of the Garden shows and his stretcher routine, whereby he sings himself silly until he has to be taken off the stage in a stretcher, only to break free and grab the microphone again until he’s forcibly restrained from the stage.

That’s a great routine. Where’d you get that from? I ask. I know that professional wrestling has a stretcher routine where the good guy gets beat so bad they have to carry him off in a stretcher and the bad guy always kicks him off of it as it passes by. It’s classic.

“No”, answers Bruce, “I didn’t even know about that. We got it from James Brown. He used to get himself so worked up that the bassist led him offstage wrapped in a cape. He’d throw the cape off his shoulders and come running back to the mike stand some two or three times. It drove 'em wild. So that’s where we got the idea for the stretcher routine.”

Sliding into the front seat of a borrowed '78 burnt yellow Camaro, Bruce at the wheel, we’re on our way to the neighborhood where he grew up in Freehold. Shoving a cassette into the receptacle, he says, “A fan gave this to me outside a concert once. it’s real good tape.”

He turns up the volume, guns the motor and shifts into second. We take off. He turns up the volume a little more and starts looking for “Hello Mary Lou” by Rick Nelson. “This song has one of the greatest guitar parts ever on it.”

He can’t find the tune and settles for oldies like “If You Wanna Be Happy For the Rest of Your Life (Never Make a Pretty Woman your Wife)” and “Blue Suede Shoes”. He shifts into third.

Now for the first time, we do not talk. The music is loud and damn appealing. The windows are down so the wind is whipping furiously into the car. He shifts into fourth and takes off.

We’re rolling now. We settle uncomfortably behind a slow driver. He checks his rear-view mirror and roars past the driver. Seeing another slow-mover right ahead, he stays in the opposite lane and passes two in one fell swoop before settling comfortably back on the right. From the back, Sorce lets out a soft “Whew!”

It’s great moment. Chuck Berry is wailing out with “Maybelline”. Bruce is going faster. It’s such a fuckin’ beautiful day. The wind is rushing in and Bruce is feeling good, snapping his fingers, clapping his hands and letting out with a hoarse vocal or two on the last line of each verse. “Hello Mary Lou” finally comes on and suddenly everything is crystallized in one magic moment - the speed, the music, the sun, the wind, the company. Jeezez Christ! We’re rolling down the highway with fuckin’ Bruce Springsteen at the wheel! And he’s driving the way you would think Bruce Springsteen would drive.

Later, when we reach a light, Bruce impatiently waits on it before saying, “This is what we used to call a 'quarterback sneak’”“, and with that he takes off surreptitiously past the red light.

We’re in the old neighborhood now. Bruce drives slowly down Institute Street until he reaches the right number. It’s been painted now. "I lived here all through grammar school. There’s a Nestle’s factory near here. Man, when it rained we smelled that stuff all day long.”

The elder Springsteen would go to work in the morning, come home, go to sleep and wake up and go back to work at the factory. “I guess there was other things he wanted,” Bruce reflects.

We get back into the car and drive over to the factory. “Both my grandfather and my father worked here. It used to be a rug mill in the old days, but for some reason it ran out of business fairly quick. I was pretty young at the time.”

When I ask about high school, Bruce clams up. “It wasn’t exactly the best time of my life because I didn’t graduate with any of the others. It was a rough period.” I could see he really doesn’t pursue this avenue too long so I drop it. But I wonder what mystery is veiled beneath this wall of secrecy.

We get back into the car and tear out of there. Ironically enough, the tape Bruce shoves into the machine this time is an old Animals cassette. The first song could be a forerunner to much of the music Bruce writes. As the opening line comes out of the speakers, the dusty factory is just fading from view…

“In this dirty old part of the city/Where the sun refuses to shine/People say that there ain’t no use in trying/My little girl you’re so young and pretty/And one thing I know is true/You’ll be dead before your time is due, yes you will/See my daddy in bed ad night/See his hair a’ turnin’ grey/He’s been working and slaving his life away, yes he has.”

The song is, of course, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”, and it was a fitting omen as we drove off.

As we drove, Bruce starts reminiscing. “Yeah, I lived in practically every single town around here, from Atlantic Highlands to Bradley Beach. We used to move quite often.

"That’s where I had my very first gig,” he laughs as we pass a mobile setup. Looking out of the window, the 10 or 20 mobile homes facing us look worn and old. “The gig wasn’t bad…for our first job.”

Hey Bruce, are you gonna show up at the Capitol again like you did last year on New Year’s Eve? I ask him. It was announced earlier in the week that Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes would again party away the year in such grand fashion. Bruce turns around and answers, “I don’t know where I’m gonna be on New Year’s Eve.

"C'mon, I’ll show you where my surfin’ buddies used to live,” he says, changing the subject. We swerve sharply off the highway onto an exit. “This used to be a surfboard factory,” he says. We step out of the car near a small white building.

“Yeah, me and a fella named Tinker lived here for a year and a half, in one room. All the rest of this area used to be nothin’ but sand dunes.” He points to a huge expanse of stores, houses and construction. “None of this was here.”

“They used to make the surfboards downstairs. Tinker and I, we had a ball. Just one room! Two beds, a fridge and a TV - the rest of the room was filled with surfboards.”

“Since I was from Freehold, I was considered inland. All these guys used to surf every day. I was friends with 'em all but never went. Finally, they got to me. One afternoon they were merciless. They just kept taunting me and kidding me about not surfing that it just sorta got me riled. I grabbed a board and we all headed out to the beach.

"I must have been some sight surfing for the first time, but I’ll tell you something - I got the hang of it pretty quick. Hell, it ain’t harder than anything else. It’s like riding a bike. I haven’t surfed in awhile. Now that’s something I’d love to do. As a matter of fact, I think I will.”

He seems resolute.

He continues: “This guy Jesse taught me the finer points of surfing. We used to stay in North End Beach in Long Branch all the time. Some guy owned the beach so we had the use of it for almost two whole years. We’d be there every day. We’d stay on the beach, go in the water. It was great.

"This area is really amazing. There’s really poor neighborhoods and then there’s real nice neighborhoods all in a five-mile radius.

"I used to go to New York a lot back then. I played at the Cafe Wha? a lot in '68. I used to play there with Jerry Walker’s old group, Circus Maximus. Let’s see, I played the Night Owl (all these places were in the West Village). They had a lot of good bands there at the time - the Raves, Robin & the Hoods. Let’s see, the Mothers of Invention were playing all the time in that area and so were the Fugs.

"I didn’t go to too many concerts then. I much preferred playing and jamming with these people. There was a whole 'nother scene taking place over in the East Village that I wasn’t part of at all - the Fillmore, the Electric Circus. I think my first experience seeing a rock star was going to Steve Paul’s Scene and seeing Johnny Winter. That was really something. I remember between sets, he came out and sat at the very next table from me and my friends.”

Let’s go back to Asbury, I suggest.

Asking Bruce if he’d take me back to the old Upstage site where he held court almost every night, he gladly obliges and we get out of the car again in what could be termed downtown Asbury.

“I gotta be cool,” Bruce chuckles. “I ran out of here without paying the rent.”

We walk over to the site, which is upstairs from a shoe store.

“I lived here while Greetings From Asbury Park was being made. I slept in my sleeping bag on my friend’s floor for a good portion of that album.”

Bruce poses for pics while people pass by right and left. Surprisingly enough, nobody recognizes him (or if they do, they keep on walking).

“I’m lucky in that respect. What happened in the movies the other night is a rarity. Usually, I don’t get recognized. I don’t have that instantly recognizable feature that a lot of other people have.”

Yeah, like Frampton’s hair, I reply.

“My folks had already moved to California,” Bruce remembers, “and I was out of high school by the time I got to Asbury.

"Upstage was a great place for us to play. We played here an awful lot.”

In answering questions about his immediate future, Bruce says, “I have one more day off before we finish the tour. Then I have a whole month off before we start up again. In February we go back into the studio for work on the next album. I’m hoping it will be out by next summer.”

Just for the record, the tour ended officially in Atlanta on Oct. 1. It started in Buffalo on May 23. The new tour starts (possibly in New Jersey) on Nov. 1 and finishes by Dec. 20. If the time it took to cut Darkness is any indicator, then number five will be lucky to hit the stands by the summer after next.

The just-finished tour took in 70 cities and 86 shows in four months and eight days. That’s why Bruce has to be listed as a “great guy” to do up an afternoon on one of his rare days off. Another highly impressive thing is that he spent the whole day without the protective cradle of a publicist’s presence. Rarely have I done an interview without the artist’s publicist in tow.

In talking about the current LP, Bruce says, “The guy who took the cover shot for that album is a friend of mine from south Jersey who works full-time in a meat market. The shots were taken at his house. He’s a great photographer.”

Bruce’s only comment about the self-destructive syndrome (dope-money-power) affecting so many rock stars is that “they let all the other things become more important than playing. Playing is the important thing. Once you forget that, you’ve had it.”

Bruce, obviously, hasn’t forgotten that. He’s been having fun with music since the start. Bruce Springsteen is the perfect assimilator of many styles - Chuck Berry/Stones/Elvis/Buddy Holly/ Dylan/Little Richard/Animals. His image on stage is also an amalgamation of many images - Elvis/young Brando/James Dean. Somehow he melds all of these influences into one cohesive framework for his own strikingly original material. The man is all that he has devoured musically from the time he started listening to music, and it all pours out of him every time he steps on stage. “That Elvis, man,” Bruce says, “he is all there is. There ain’t no more. Everything starts and ends with him. He wrote the book. He is everything to do and not to do in the business.”

If Elvis Presley is Bruce’s prototype then Bruce, himself, is the focus for a lot of envy and speculation. We all have fantasies - Bruce included - of making it big and living as stars. Well, Bruce is living the ultimate realization of that fantasy right now. He’s made it through all the bullshit inherent in such a proposition. He’s doing it. And doing it in style.

Yet if you talk to him, he’s quite humble. Ask him what part he played in the writing of “Because the Night” and he’ll tell you that he only wrothe the title line (although he admits he will probably put it on his next album.)

Seeing him so close up and listening to him speak makes one realize that, although not articulate, there is a certain aura about him. A certain intangible. His charisma is the well-worn persona of the working man. His handsome/beautiful face could even make the transition to the silver screen as a prophet of the proletariat. His facial features are tough, yet there’s a certain hardness to him. You’d swear he’s Italian before you’re told of his Dutch descent.

His enthusiasm is real. The moment when Gary U.S. Bonds came over the car speakers with “Quarter to Three” - that’s when Bruce really started to groove. The song is in his encores in most of his performances. He still loves the original and still sings along with it when it comes on.

The essence of rock and roll can be distilled into a performance that a fella by the name of Bobby Lewis did on American Bandstand many years ago. Lewis performed “Tossin’ and Turnin’” on the show, lip-synched it, and drove the small television studio crazy with his slips and slides. Host Dick Clark did a never-before-done-thing - he, in his madness of the moment, screamed for Lewis to perform the same song again. The sound man cued it up and Lewis went back out onto the stage and really tore into it this time, twisting, turning, giving it all he had. By now his lip motions were completely out-of-synch with the record being played, but it didn’t matter. It was a piece of rock and roll heaven. And one, I’m sure, Bruce Springsteen would have enjoyed.

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tumblunni · 8 years ago

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Okay I’ve never actually managed to finish any BoF game aside from BoF2, so I had no clue about the reoccurring villain character that started in the first game and skipped the sequel for some reason. Apparantly 2′s villain is one of the first one’s demonic spawn or something, but that really wasnt all that apparant in the super bad translation BoF2 first got. I really wanna play the retranslated GBA version or one of the fan translations someday... ANYWAY, my friend pkmn-daisuki has recently been liveblogging playing the first game and that makes me wanna try it too! So I’ve been checking out the wikia and stuff and just wanted to go SQUEEE about cool stuff! But @pkmndaisuki please do not read under this readmore, I know you dont want any spoilers for the series! Feel free to read this after you finish the game tho, or like, if you wanna chat with anyone about the series after you finish it, I’d love to chat! It might be funny tho cos ive only played the sequel and youve only played the first one XD ANYWAY:

* Its funny how different a lot of the characters look between their concept art and sprites! Things were a bit more basic in BoF1 so there’s less accuracy, but honestly I think some of the differences in the sprites look better than the drawings.

* This japanese boxart is fuckin amazing yo!

* The american boxart was from that weird era where they had to redesign everything to look more ‘western’, ugh. I mean its not the worst art, but its like a cheesy Conan The Barbarian ripoff with much less interesting cinematic framing compared to the other one.

You can’t even tell the protagonist is meant to be a teenager...

* Oh and if PKMN is reading this after finishing the game: the protagonist’s default name is Ryu. They actually show it onscreen in the name menu in BoF2 if i recall correctlty, so i was baffled that the original game didnt! He’s one of the few characters who has a default name for a reason, he’s like Link and every game starts a new kid named Ryu who apparantly reincarnates to fight evil again. Its never really explained, lol! And similrly to Zelda, Nina also appears in each game. But her character varies a lot more wildly than the protagonist, sometimes she’s a love interest and sometimes she isn’t. And the reason she has wings is different too! So i kinda end up finding myself more interested in her reappearances than that of the main character.

* Oh and if you wanna see the official art version of the first game’s Ryu, then here you go! http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/bof/images/8/85/BoFI_Ryu_Artwork.png/revision/latest?cb=20121106143413 http://bof.wikia.com/wiki/File:02_jpg.jpg Pkmndaisuki, your fanart version got pretty darn close! I guess there’s just no way to tell he has that face tattoo on the sprites. he’s possibly my personal favourite of all the protagonist designs, I just like how chipper he looks while also being the most badass traditional warrior-y version. And the long hair rocks! None of the others ever got to have long hair again!

* Wtf, there’s a cute fishman dad lookin guy in the first game?? Oh man, these guys were only npc shopkeepers in later games, i had no clue one was playable! And his design just looks like such a good adorkable comic relief guy!!

* Crack theory: Charon somehow broke into the BoF universe and became Gobi.

* Its a funny coincidence that somehow the dubbing team changed two characters to have the same name in english! There’s Bo in BoF1 and Bo in BoF2. I was so confused when I read pkmndaisuki’s posts and she said she saw Bo in the first game?? XD I suppose maybe it was a developer in-joke or something cos theyre both dog people who use archery. Though their designs and personalities are total opposites! Oh and according to the wiki their original names were Gilliam and Bosch respectively. Those are really badass names, actually!

* Anyway there’s the bit that inspired me to make this post, lol! I saw the final boss from BoF1 and wow she is so coooooool~ I’m sad the only game I played was one of the ones that didn’t have her :( http://bof.wikia.com/wiki/File:Th_07051634bof1-mob13.jpg Like HOLY SHIT DUDE I mean, her monster form gets a more semi-humanoid sephiroth-esque redesign when she returns in later games, apparantly, but it still looks way more monsterous than most female villains were allowed to be in games around that era. You go, game! http://bof.wikia.com/wiki/File:Boss_stage.jpg

* Hoooo boy i DID NOT KNOW that Karn had a really racist design in the original japanese O_O Like.. WOW. I’m gonna put the link here and you can look at it if you want but I’m warning you it’s literally like one of those fucked up ‘gollywog’ blackface toys. http://bof.wikia.com/wiki/Karn I actually really appreciate that the dub redesigned him to look like a normal dark-skinned person, when even nowadays we have companies like XSEED turning blackface characters caucasian like that’s somehow a justifiable solution. (Like seriously dude I love 90% of XSEED games but that still made me fuckin pissed off when I learned that about Story Of Seasons...) Anyway, check out this sweet fanmade edit of his concept art to use his dubbed redesign!

Also lets give the dubbers props for going out of their way to fix this! Especially when the rest of Bof1 and 2′s original snes translation was really really bad, lol. But doing more research about it makes me empathise with them a bit more, it seems that the game had very strict character limits and they had to try and smoosh stuff in with rather odd grammar and abbreviations. Reminds me of reading interviews on the original pokemon RBY localization! That one was double difficult tho, cos apparantly the translators were forced to change things by their bosses. There’s a lot of stories of accurate translations being vetoed for not being ‘americanized’ enough, it makes me really sad reading those interviews. Tho it also makes me laugh at quotes like “FUCKING RAGECANDYBARS” xD I cant not think about that whenever i get one ingame now...

* Oh cool, I just found there’s some adorable art of all the different protagonists and Ninas from the series, hanging out! Might be mild spoilers, so pkmndaisuki dont click this link if you dont wanna know what you’ll get to look like in later games. http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/bof/images/2/20/BoF_Ryu_Artwork.png/revision/latest?cb=20130903083420 http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/bof/images/4/43/Ninas.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20081009115205

* Anyway thanks for getting me hyped about this series again! I really wanna play Bof1 now!!! Wooooo!!

#bunni original vintage post

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sharperthewriter · 3 years ago

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Chapter 12 of Possible-y Utah

Chapter 12 - The Agreement II

(2:18 pm)

A pink convertible pulled up into the driveway of Richard's house and two girls, both seniors, got out of the car.

The other girl whom was the passenger of the car was Jeanna Montana, the girlfriend of Jack. Like Genna, she was approaching her senior year at Middleton High and was also on the Golden Dancers. They were also of the same height. But whereas Genna had brown eyes and black hair, Jeanna had blonde hair and blue eyes and had a tatoo of two starts on her midriff. She was wearing a pink tubetop, silver hoop earrings, black carpenter jeans, and pink sneakers.