#Riley Frank Cap

[rileyfrankcap]

Drake Surprise Drops Three New Songs...

www.rileyfrankcap.com

[qwimblenorrisstan]

Surprise Pt. 5 | Soap x Reader

Summary: The boys learn that they don’t know you as well as they thought they did, while you find some newfound ‘friends’ in an American and his unofficial boss in Urzikstan.

Word Count: ~ 4.6k

Warnings: Descriptions of death, knives, blood, guns, explosions, debris, gas, torture, kidnapping, shooting, choking, heavy topics, biting, it’s a lot yall

A/N: umm sorry ive been gone for a week here’s some food!! *runs away* this is a big switchup though from mainly 141 to Alex, Farah, and a few more pieces of reader’s backstory so lmk any thoughts or theories (yk I love them) hope you enjoy<3 (side quest: find how many characters you can recognize from cod!)

Requests are open!

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The first thing Captain John Price registered when he walked into the room, the rest of his Task Force following closely behind, was that they were in some deep shit. They’d just gotten back from a mission. The one they’d been called into during the volleyball game. It had been low stakes, but instead of going back to the apartment, they’d been told to get back to base as soon as possible.

Laswell was pacing back and forth, fidgeting, two things she never did unless everything was falling apart at the seams. The last time he’d seen her so worked up had been years ago. When she caught sight of him, there was no sigh of relief or relaxation, she breathed out four words.

”They got her, John.”

He tried not to let the tension in his body show, tried not to look just how internally panicked he was right now. Simon stiffened, hands balling into fists. Price knew it was a conscious effort to not lash out immediately.

”What.”

Ghosh ground out, eyes narrowed. Soap tried putting a hand on his shoulder, a hand that Simon only shoved off immediately. Laswell just shook her head, looking to be in shock as she only sat down at one of the chairs in the dimly lit room, pulling documents out from a drawer under the long table.

Price was the first to sit, followed by Gaz, then Soap, and finally, Simon who refused to relax, his leg bouncing impatiently under the table, hands on his knees.

Laswell opened one of the files, sliding it around to where they could see it. Lo and behold, it was a picture of you from a few years back, maybe when you’d been 14 or 15. You shouldn’t have been able to get in that early, it shouldn’t have even been possible. You wore a uniform, the file listing you by your first and last name, your callsign in the center. There was no official position or branch like there should’ve been.

“Wasp.”

Price stared at it for a few moments, reading whatever he could glean over in the file before glancing up at Laswell, who in turn pulled another file out. This one looked newer, the corners were not bent or warped yet. When she opened it, there was no picture on file. This time, it stated “Marines” as your branch. Your last name was listed as “Woods” instead of Riley.

To keep Simon from finding you on the database, most likely. Or someone else.

And the thing that caught his attention the most?

The “Captain” title right next to your first name.

”That’s nae possible.”

Soap said, jaw clenched as he glanced at Simon, the man refusing to meet his eye, glaring down at the files.

”It is,”

Laswell said, breathing out a shaky breath. Trying to calm herself, Price knew.

”They found her in a camp at 12, Frank Woods took her in, pulled some strings, and enrolled her early off record. He kept her mostly off base in a safe house until she turned 18.”

Gaz’s gaze was on Laswell now, narrowed, pinned on her. Interrogation was his specialty, after all.

”A camp?”

A nod.

”Essentially a POW camp, her relations to Ghost meant she was a valuable asset to bargain.”

Price didn’t need to glance over at Ghost to see the way he’d nearly stopped breathing, the shock being a common aspect among the group. Gaz let out a deep breath, hand going to hold the brim of his cap, his gloved finger running along the seam.

”Then how the bloody hell is she in high school?”

Simon asked, trying to reason with how this could’ve happened, how you could’ve lied to them, to him, for so long about everything and he’d never even caught on. It hadn’t been a volleyball camp keeping you from attending his mum’s funeral, it had been a POW camp, one you had been in because of him in the first place.

Simon asked, trying to reason with how this could’ve happened, how you could’ve lied to them, to him, for so long about everything and he’d never even caught on. It hadn’t been a volleyball camp keeping you from attending his mum’s funeral, it had been a POW camp, one you had been in because of him in the first place. And the new, somewhat stable foster home you’d been in? A safe house provided by your new foster parent, Frank Woods, an American Sergeant that Simon had heard whispers of.

He’d allegedly been a force to reckon with during the Korean and Vietnam wars, retired now and pushing 60 probably, but no less legendary by military standards.

”She’s 23, Lieutenant. It was a cover mission.”

Another surprise.

Another lie.

“Steamin’ Jesus…”

Soap muttered, the gleam in his eye dimming from what was most likely concern.

”It was an undercover mission, but with her gone, I don’t know how we’ll handle Nova…”

Laswell muttered to herself, catching herself just in time to shut her mouth then and there, probably realizing she’d already said too much, when Price stood up, staring her down.

”Nova? The hell is that?”

He asked sternly, and Laswell gathered the files in her hands, putting them neatly back into stacks, falling back into the controlled woman he usually saw her as.

”That’s classified, John.”

“Considering we’re closely involved with her, I don’t think it is, Kate.”

He saw the slight whiplash it gave her to call her by her first name, which made sense considering it was always Laswell. Her face grew stern, despite the worried frown lines already carving into her face.

”Don’t. We’ll get her back.”

The rest of the boys watched as she walked out of the room, Gaz muttering something sarcastic under his breath, Price pacing, Soap cursing not so quietly under his breath in his full unbridled accent, and Ghost sitting deathly still.

”I’ll talk to Briggs.”

Price said firmly, words stiff as he walked out of the room.

A moment of silence between the remaining three in the room.

Soap was the first to speak.

“Fuck!”

~

The sweet and irony smell of blood filled your nose as you shakily tried to move, limbs trembling for some reason.

Blinking to try and clear the blurriness in them, you opened your eyes, only to begin rapidly blinking as something small and grainy lifted from a sudden draft and blew into your eyes.

Sand.

You hated sand. The way it shifted under your feet, how it got under all your clothing and in your mouth, under your nails, and in your shoes. The grainy, grinding texture of it against your skin when you had a high-stakes mission and had to lie in it, waiting for the perfect shot.

But sand of this texture was in a handful of places, so at least you could narrow your location down a bit. Getting up and looking around would also help.

You were in a small room, from the looks of it, leaning against a wooden beam that dug at the clothing on your back with jagged edges. Textured, colorfully patterned quilts and blankets hung around, and shifting your head to turn right despite how it throbbed, you saw a corkboard filled with pins and images of people, locations, and notes. A few of the faces were recognizable, not in a good way though. Recognizable in the sense that you had seen those faces before you thought you’d killed them.

The sandy floor beneath you had wood underneath, by the feel of it. Your palms pushed against the floor, trying to get the leverage to stand up, only for you to slump against the wood again.

You needed to get up.

This time using your good leg to push against the floor, as well as your palms, you got almost halfway up the beam, nearly standing, when the sand made your foot slide back out and you fell onto the floor again.

A small, breathy chuckle from the other side of the room had you immediately turning your head, the quick movement making it spin slightly, even as you heard the sound of metal moving against the floor as well as only one footstep every few seconds.

“I don’t like the sand either. Hard on my leg, or what’s left of it, anyways.”

The American from earlier came in, maybe Alex? You’d been so disoriented when he’d told you that you could hardly remember. Fragments of foggy bits came to light, but nothing more than that.

His hair was a sandy color, dirty blonde almost, with a mustache and hair that was sticking almost straight up but short enough to not look ridiculous. His one leg was perfectly normal, but on the other, there was a curved piece of metal to replace the lower half of it where a nub was all that was left.

He offered you a hand, one you hesitated before taking. An American soldier wasn’t a threat, or at least shouldn’t be. He pulled you up as you stumbled to your feet.

“Where are we?”

Your raspy voice asked, throat dry. You tried to clear it to no avail. He grabbed a canteen from a table a few feet away, near the corkboard, and handed it to you with the lid already popped off.

“Zaravan City, Urzikstan. We’re not close to much anything, though, this is one of our safe houses.”

He spoke while you chugged the water, it flowing down your throat mercifully and filling your empty stomach, only serving to remind you that you were also starving. Food could wait, though. When you handed the nearly empty canteen back to him with a small sigh, you raised a brow.

“Our?”

A woman’s voice, thick with a familiar accent, spoke then.

“Yes, our.”

She was standing by the corkboard, glancing over the information with a sharp eye, before walking over to Alex. Her hair was dark and thick, tied tightly back into what seemed to be a ponytail beneath her dark garb. A gun hung from her hip, something semi-automatic. You weren’t sure if that was legal or not here, but couldn’t find it within you to care.

“Farah, in case you don’t remember, Riley.”

You were glad she’d told you because you most definitely did not remember her name. Her gaze met yours, and you held it for a long minute, recognizable facial features coming to your mind, like a dream, you could reach but not quite hold. And then—you remembered.

“Karim,”

You breathed, eyes narrowing. General Karim had proven to be more than capable more times than once during the scandals throughout Urzikstan, especially to the boys.

The boys.

You’d nearly forgotten until now, but you wondered just how much they knew. Whether someone had spilled, or Laswell had told them everything. They would probably be biting at the leash, but there was nothing that could be done now, not with the mission having failed.

They were on their own now.

Farah nodded.

“It is not every day we find an American in a Mexican facility,”

A pointed glance at Alex, whose lips curled slightly up at that.

You grumbled, legs still shaky, probably from the gas that had managed to slip in before you’d put the gas mask on doing rounds through your body, the last of it yet to leave. Managing to stumble over to a chair near a small round table in the corner of the room, you sat down, it groaning under your weight.

“Not every day I see a group from America and Urzikstan in a Mexican facility.”

You shot back and watched as Farah and Alex exchanged a glance, a silent conversation happening right in front of you. Rude, but you couldn’t say you hadn’t done the same thing before.

Alex sighed, grabbing the chair with one hand and easing himself down onto it with his leg, propping the prosthetic up on a nearby crate.

His blue eyes met yours as he set one elbow down on the table.

“We were going after Santiago Garza, a key member of their cartel, which we have reason to believe has…”

He exchanged a glance with Farah, who gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head.

“…access to things he shouldn’t.”

Alex finished. Farah spoke next, already sensing your oncoming interrogation despite not being in control of the situation.

“We answered yours, now answer our question. Why did he want you?”

Her tone was demanding, leaving no wiggle room for you to try and keep anything from her. If this whole arrangement was going to work out, you were going to have to be transparent with them, anyway. Or as transparent as you could be.

“I have a… personal history with the Garza family. Not a pretty one.”

Farah pressed her lips together but didn’t question further.

The American wasn’t as smart.

“What kind of history?”

He asked, brows raised in an almost innocent expression if it weren’t for the gleam of suspicion in his eyes. You shook your head. Not willing to talk about it. Not now. Woods was the only one you’d ever talked to about it, other than David when the bastard was even there.

Which hadn’t been often.

“What’s the date?”

You then asked. If you’d been captured in America, and then taken to a supposed Mexican facility, then to Urzikstan, it must’ve taken quite a while. Not to mention the travel from there to the safe house…

“The 24th.”

Farah answered, hands moving to idly wipe sand off of the barrel of her gun, back leaning against the wooden post. Her finger remained near the trigger. Untrusting.

It had been nearly four days.

By then, someone had to have noticed the body of Nalani in your room, and your obvious absence. A homicide and a missing person’s case as well, most likely. The boys had definitely heard of it then, despite what you assumed was a mission they were on, considering how early they left that volleyball game.

Had Woods been informed? Had anyone on your team been informed, or were they still too deep in their work in your absence?

Alex’s eyes snapped to the window as he heard something rustling outside, and within moments he was down on his haunches, you and Farah were quick to follow as he lifted one of the thin sheets lying over the windows from the bottom, glancing out for a second.

The pain in your limbs was barely even noticeable compared to the mini-adrenaline rush you were flooded with, mind and body sharp and alert. You’d performed while in much worse conditions, you could manage this one just fine, you were sure.

But without a weapon, you were defenseless.

Reaching for a gun that was laid out on the table, Alex’s hand grabbing your wrist stopped you and refused to let you grab it.

“We’ll handle this, stay inside.”

He said in a hushed tone, voice firm, even though Farah was the one with the most authority here over the both of you.

Farah slowly opened the door, peeking out, dark eyes scanning the dusty roads and markets, when several shots rang out, feminine screams following quickly as the sound of people running became all too obvious.

“Al-Qatala.”

Farah murmured, jerking her chin to Alex, before slipping her gun from her side and walking out of the door, the American man giving you one last glance that clearly said “Stay here.” before following.

Racking your brain, you tried to remember anything that might help you. Urzikstan. A small country in Western Asia. Violence wasn’t uncommon, by the sound of it. And Al-Qatala…try as you might, you couldn’t remember anything about whoever they were. Maybe some sort of gang? Probably, judging by the gunfire and angry Arabic being barked out in the streets.

But you weren’t going to be helpless, stuck in this tiny “safe house” that had two entrances and one large window a man could easily fit through. You stood up, careful to stay clear of the window to avoid catching any strays, only to find the gun that had been on the table gone.

Alex must’ve taken it.

They surely had more weapons somewhere, except for the fact that no matter where you searched, there was nothing to be found. Nothing except documents of blacked-out information, pictures on the board, and a small stash of food and water lying around. A lot of dates, too.

It wasn’t an ideal situation, but you could work with it.

A few strands of rope that you quickly picked up were lying around. Every lesson you’d overheard Woods giving to his team, drilling it into their heads, began repeating in your mind. Like a dream, almost.

“Can any of you boys tell me the five rules of guerrilla warfare?”

His voice, sharp and brusque but not hostile, asked the men in front of him.

You were crouched down, hiding in one of the small areas where the metal of the walls dented outwards slightly, giving you an area to lay down and peek through at him.

One of the men raised his hand in a salute, chapped lips opening to speak.

“Hit and run, sir!”

Woods nodded, hand shooting out to point at another man down the line of soldiers. Mostly young boys who stupidly enlisted, living for their country and dying for it. You didn’t see the point, even if Woods did. You’d never seen the point, not even when Simon had enlisted.

He could’ve been one of the dead.

He still might be. You hadn’t seen him in a while.

“Ambush, sir!”

You snapped back into focus at that, eyes watching keenly as the man nodded again. He had a habit of it; nodding very often. Even if you just inclined to take a bite of soup, he’d nod. The praise was sort of nice, you supposed. Even if you barely knew him, just having arrived here a few weeks ago.

They’d found you on one of the starving horses from the camps, near the front of the marching people, leading their way to freedom despite how sickly and beaten most were. You weren’t much better.

And when the bastard controlling that camp must’ve ordered his remaining men to circle like vultures and take out as many of the surviving prisoners as he could?

Everyone alive after the vicious attack had huddled together in a small cave, the people at the entrance usually being shot from overhead planes by the men too cowardly to approach.

They’d found you huddled up, a warm body on top of you, on one of the sides. Thrown you over their shoulder. Taken you away despite your hitting and biting, and brought you here to domesticate you again. They weren’t bad. They were just soldiers. And soldiers were all about duty and honor, two things you couldn’t find within yourself to care about much anymore. You wondered if Simon still cared about them, or if he’d been numb to it for much longer. After the death of his mother, and how pissed he’d been that you’d missed the funeral, you seriously doubted it.

Snapping out of your thoughts, you watched Woods nod again. You must’ve missed the others, but you knew them by heart by now. After watching and listening for so long.

Harassment.

Mobility.

And finally…

“Surprise.”

A hand grabbed you by the arm, yanking you forward and through the wall, through the hole you’d been watching from. Woods held you by the arm infuriatingly easily, which made sense considering how much of a runt you were. Or had been at the time.

The metal had scraped against your shoulder, cutting open a shallow scratch from collarbone to right arm. You glared at him, kicking at him even as his soldiers chuckled.

Laughing at you.

You despised how patronizing it felt, leaning forward and sinking your deceivingly sharp teeth into the wrist of his hand that held you. Blood drew, and he didn’t drop you, simply moving to hold you in his other arm, smiling warmly at you as his shoulders shook from silent laughter.

“Feisty, huh?”

He said in an amused tone, ruffling your hair while someone went to grab a medic.

The memory felt warm and fuzzy, a reminder of a long time ago, though it only felt like yesterday.

But you had more important things to do than have an existential crisis.

Spying a fan in the corner, you pried the metal caging off, wrapping both hands around one of the metal pieces on it, and yanking until a piece came off. Jagged and sharp. Just how you needed it.

Wrapping your little pieces of rope around the base to protect your hand, you crept towards the back exit, listening for the sounds of any footsteps nearby. It would be hard to overhear, especially with the sounds of yelling, screaming, and gunfire in the streets. You wondered if your little makeshift friends had joined the dead or not.

A near-silent step, a branch accidentally cracking under his step, and you were on him.

Hit and run.

The metal slid smoothly into his throat, a quiet wheeze being all he could get out before you leaned his body back, watching his eyes glaze over as the blood ebbed and flowed. You pulled the gun from his hands, searching and taking what was left of his weapons as well.

One flash bang.

One knife, the case of which you strapped onto your hip, the flash bang being tucked into it soon after.

Mobility.

You crouched down, glancing left and right on the street, and breaking into a low sprint to a building down the dusty road. A restaurant by the looks of it. You couldn’t read the Arabic on the front, it having been one of the languages you hadn’t learned, even in your training for Special Forces.

More if the men flooded the streets just as you ducked behind the counter. Letting them all know you were here with gunfire wasn’t beneficial yet, not when you were so badly outnumbered. You needed to find the central point they were getting in from.

You needed to move.

Waiting for the men to pass by, you eventually went out of the back exit of the restaurant, passing the cool chill of its freezer near the kitchen before jumping onto a ladder in the alleyway outside, climbing up, and falling prone onto the ground as soon as you were there.

Looking up over the ledge, you could see now how there were so many.

Trucks were spread about the city, men exiting them and taking cover for a few seconds until they got to where they wanted to be, and started opening fire. They communicated through their radios, but why they would be here didn’t make sense.

Why try to raid a city when you couldn’t gain much, if anything from it?

Unless they weren’t trying to gain but to take someone out.

Someone who had always been against what you assumed was their little group. And that someone was none other than Farah, judging by how quickly she recognized them, and the gleam of hatred in her eyes when she looked at them. She’d been a bit too eager to slaughter them.

And with how quickly the men were flooding the roads and streets, and their communication, it wouldn’t be long until they found her.

Unless…

Glancing at the rooftop a few buildings over, you saw none other than a large tower. Not just any tower, but an antenna tower.

You observed the crowd for a moment, scanning, watching everyone, until you saw it. Heard it, rather, the loud boom it made, the man yelling “RPG!”. It was the second story of the building across the street. You couldn’t get there in time, even if you got over there without being killed or without too many civilians dying.

You needed to buy time.

Gathering the fractures courage left in your body, you got onto the balls of your feet, and against everything you’d been told, to stay quiet and unnoticeable, you began a mad dash across the building, jumping, and not stopping to marvel when your feet hit the solid ground of the other rooftop, only running further.

You still hadn’t gotten his attention.

You were almost to the antenna tower. Now or never.

Harassment.

Slipping the flash bang out of your belt-ish thing, you pulled the pin out, throwing it up in the air. You heard it when it went off, your vision blurring white as you dove and hit the floor. He must’ve heard it too, considering that when you glanced over, the large weapon was aimed at you, and when he fired, you saw it sail through the air not only at you but at the tower as well.

Diving over the edge of the building, you heard the blast, and chunks of debris and wire began raining from the sky in your area. Your ankles burned when you stood, legs screaming against any movement. Ash floated into your nose and throat, as well as the smell of fire, and you took off into another run, diving into a building, only to run face-first into another man.

Ambush.

Your fist met his jaw before his bullet met your body, but barely. You both rolled to the floor, kicking and flailing around, landing hits on each other. He jabbed at you with his gun, his knife out of reach. You rolled him onto his back, your knife coming out, only to be knocked away by his calloused hands.

Your arm went around his neck, hand locking into place with your other elbow as your knee pressed on his neck. Your breathing was pants, more gasps than anything as he gave a final few kicks, before going limp.

You picked your knife back up, head jolting up when you heard a familiar female yell just a few streets down.

The members of the Al-Qatala seemed lost, some shouting to others in Arabic, others going on rampages against civilians just for the hell of it, seemingly. You didn’t doubt that Farah had a small army of her own, but they hadn’t been prepared.

Neither had you.

Sinking lower to not attract attention, you crept through the streets, watching carefully, or as carefully as you could through your blurry vision. Sand and dust blew into it, but you couldn’t find the strength to blink it away.

Your head was throbbing again.

You weren’t sure how you managed the journey there, brain taking a temporary lapse in recording memory maybe, but the next thing you knew, you were near an old warehouse.

Talking came from inside.

A raspy voice. Old, but not kind or warm, not like the voices of the old men you were used to. Harsh and sharp. Like a whip wailing as it flew through the air. Cut paths through it.

“Where is it?”

Silence. As you crept up to the entrance of the warehouse, where the door was just slightly ajar, you could see the outline of Farah tied into a chair. Multiple other men inside. Maybe three or four. Pulling your gun slowly out, you set the handle against your knee, putting your eye right on the scope.

“We know you have the gas, Farah, or should I call you Karim?”

Cruel.

Unnecessary.

But it gave you a kernel of information.

Information you would think about later if you had the time. If you didn’t die here.

A harsh hit to the face. Audible.

You could tell it stung, but she didn’t budge.

You lined the scope up with his head, finger closing in on the trigger, holding down, just not enough until.

Surprise.

The blast of the shot alone rang out through the warehouse. Except it wasn’t who you’d been expecting to fall to the ground who did.

It wasn’t who you’d thought it had been. Not Al-Qatala, not Cartel.

No, instead, Philip Graves, director of the Shadow Company, fell sideways in the dirt.

And the men surrounding Farah?

None other than your own team that had been handed off to Graves during your departure.

Tags:

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[mlmxreader]

Visitations | Simon Ghost Riley x m!reader

anonymous asked: “You’re all I need, make you only mine” with Ghost.

summary: Ghost is doing his best, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it's enough.

tws: harassment, swearing

support your fanfic writers by reblogging what you read & enjoy

"I'm sorry, but I'm not into women. Please, just leave me alone."

Ghost looked up from his crossword puzzle, letting the paper rest on his lap as he reclined in his seat a little to get a good look at what was going on; an American uniform caught his attention, all ugly brownish greens and oversized caps, a blonde ponytail sticking out, and he grimaced.

"But baby," the American accent was almost sickly. "Just gimme one chance."

"I said no, I'm not attracted to women," a familiar voice, one he spent many sleepless nights listening to, "why can't you just leave me alone?"

Ghost grumbled, setting his paper on the desk and daring to get up, pushing the American back as he got between her and the man he loved; he folded his arms across his chest, used his height to his advantage as he loomed over her. She tried to protest and tell him that he was being rude, but he took a step forward.

"I think he told you t'leave," he growled. "So you best go."

She scoffed, turned on her heel and stormed out just as Ghost let himself go; his arms wrapped around your waist, and he pulled you ever so close as he let out a soft huff from the back of his throat. Slowly, he started to rub his hand up and down your back, doing his best not to grasp onto the soft fabric of your hoodie to ground himself and you for just a moment.

It was a while before he pulled away, resting his hands on your shoulders as he met your gaze; your eyes were always his favourite physical feature, he could get lost in them as much as he could stare at them for hours. He adored your eyes, more than anything, and it wasn't until you brought his hands from your shoulders to hold them tightly, that he eventually broke his stare.

"Baby," you murmured, grabbing his attention. "Thank you."

Ghost nodded, a soft hum coming from the back of his throat; he was glad to have stepped in, you had done it for more times than he could count - including when you had to tell someone that not only was he taken but that, no, he did not want to try and be with a woman for one night to "see if he likes it" - and really, it was only repaying you in a way.

But it was also more than that. Ghost was all too aware of what pigs soldiers could be, and how they would quite happily make someone uncomfortable if it meant a chance of even being able to laugh at them; there had been more than a few instances of American soldiers turning uncomfortable situations into an excuse to behave like barbarians. Ghost didn't want their next to be you.

He pulled away, going back to his chair and crashing down in it again, pulling the crossword puzzle back over as he grabbed his pen and kicked his feet up on the desk; he smiled behind his mask when you came to sit next to him, pulling your earphones out and popping them in before you leaned into his right arm and sighed.

He could have stayed like that forever, carrying on with his little puzzles while you leaned into his side; he could hear little pieces of it every now and then, and couldn't stop himself from tapping his foot when he realised which song was playing. Usually, if you had your earphones in, he knew it would either be some kind of heavy metal or something along the lines of Frank Sinatra; he loved that.

He could remember it all so clearly, too. Back when you had your nikkah, when everyone was dancing and singing and playing, you insisted that just a few Mötley Crüe songs played, and who was he to say no?

Ghost adored your eyes most of all, but the way that you had sang along to old heavy metal songs that day, when you raised your voice loud and proud, he couldn't help but to always think so fondly; he couldn't help but to be reminded of the many reasons that he loved you to pieces. His own husband, the man who had captured his heart and had every intention of keeping it so close to his own.

You weren't a soldier by any means, although sometimes after work it did look like you had been through the wars, but Ghost learned to cope with that; he adored you, he loved you, he longed for you whenever he wasn't at base. Sure, he fucked up a lot, he wasn't used to having someone actually unconditionally love him, and he wasn't used to showing it in return, but he always tried to make it right.

When Ghost got jealous, he always tried to show that he wasn't angry at you, always so gentle and soft when he kissed you and held you so close; when he got angry, Ghost never once raised his voice at you, he would sit down a few feet away, sitting on his hands and doing his best to verbalise how he felt. Sometimes it didn't work, but usually it did if he was given time - and when it came to you, you always gave him as much as he wanted.

No matter how angry you were with him, if Ghost was trying to tell you how he was feeling but needed time to think, you didn't mind giving him space; you didn't mind coming back every now and then to give him a cup of coffee or a biscuit to go with it. You didn't mind, you liked that even if you were more than pissed off with him, he at least always tried. That was the thing about being with Ghost, he did always make an effort and try his best, even if he didn't feel like it was good enough most of the time.

You stretched, and Ghost grumbled as he lifted his arm, letting you bury yourself against his side before he dropped it around you; he didn't mind so much, glad that he was left handed so it meant he didn't need to rearrange himself or his crossword. But he still felt bad, if he was honest.

Of course Ghost knew you loved to visit him at base, but he should have been keeping a better eye on you instead of letting you get harassed like that; he should have been a better man, he should have stuck to your side instead of sitting down to his crossword. He should have protected you, even if you didn't seem to care anymore; you weren't scared or sad, you were... if anything came to his mind about it, Ghost would have said that you were pissed off. He couldn't say he blamed you, but that did nothing to stop his guilt.

Trying to make himself feel a little better, Ghost started to quietly hum along to the song he was sure you were listening to; it meant a lot to you both, it has played when he officially made you his husband and when you made him yours, and it was one that you always sang along to in the car when he had the chance to take you on road trips and get lost for a few hours.

"You're all I need, make you only mine, I loved you so I set you free, I had to take your life, you're all I need, you're all I need and I loved you but you didn't love me laid out cold."

Ghost watched you take out one earphone, giving to him as he smiled, but then you cleared your throat as you looked up at him with a daft smile that never failed to make him putty in your hands.

"What time do you finish?"

"Nineteen hundred hours," he replied softly. "Why?"

"On the way home," you hummed. "Fancy getting a takeaway?"

Now, how could Ghost say no to such a thing when such a handsome man was asking him?

[livingincolorsagain]

a’s sambucky master-list 2022:

(or mostly sambucky for the exception of exactly two ficlets which are gonna be added at the very end of this list)

ao3:

but baby i'm a fool for you

After several attempts at getting back in the dating game, Bucky bites the bullet and asks Sam for dating advice. Chaos ensues.

(Or, Bucky and Sam are dating, and they're the last to find out about it.)

(and to feel in the night) the nearness of you

Bucky stopped and let Sam’s feet touch the ground. “I’d never let you get hurt, sweetheart,” he said, too earnestly, and Sam looked at him, his wet hair sticking to face, his eyes that were as dark now as the midnight sky above them, big and sincere, full of love he never shied away from putting into words.

“I know,” Sam said, because he did. Some things would always remain certain; and like the sun rising and setting everyday, Bucky’s love would always remain real and undeniable.

You're my Calling (Cure my Longing)

Sam turns mid-sentence, gesturing ferociously at Bucky. The couple he’s talking to has big smiles that get bigger as he goes on, turning his back away from Bucky, talking with his whole body.

Bucky frowns and downs the last of his beer, debating if he should go over and join the conversation that’s obviously about him or if he should stay where he is, by the sidelines, watching from far away and–

Then Carlos is passing him and saying, “Congratulations, Bucky. Took y’all long enough,” and Bucky pauses, bewildered into stillness, but Carlos is gone before Bucky has the chance to ask what in the world he’s talking about.

the physical intimacy series:

i replay every embrace (just for a trace of you)

Every touch means something. Means everything.

and you touch me (and i'm like)

They both have their scars.

Some of them are marring their skin, touchable; a physical reminder of things they can never forget.

Others have left no trace.

But every scar has a story, Sam knows, even the ones you can’t touch.

When Riley fell, Sam wasn’t injured.

Like Heaven to Touch

The song ends and another starts. Sam half-turns toward the dancefloor at the first tone, the wine glass forgotten in his hand. He gets a look in his eyes as Frank Sinatra’s voice starts to fill the spacious room.

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off of you

Bucky watches him for a moment; the look in his eyes is one of aching longing and wistfulness, as if the music has taken him to a different time and place. The look grows unbearably sad, so without thinking, Bucky asks, “Wanna dance?”

all that we do (we do for love) series:

(favorite choices)

(Bucky, Sam and the long, rocky road to parenthood.)

Baby Talks

Sam was just about done drying himself when he heard the giggles. Just like every other time, his heart bloomed, a love so tremendous and uncontainable filling his chest.

and i play it on repeat (until i fall asleep) co-written with @saryasy

“And for my last question, what’s next for you? Cap, you want to go first?”

Sam’s answer to this question has stayed the same throughout the day. He’s going to keep doing what he does best, fighting the good fight, protecting the people, and giving help to those who need it.

The thing is, all day, no one has asked Bucky what’s next for him. So, even though the way she worded it implied she’s asking Bucky next, Bucky’s completely blindsided when she turns to him and says, “What about you, Sergeant?”

There’s a long pause, Bucky’s mind blanking. He must have stared too long at the interviewer because Sam subtly nudges him.

So, without giving it much thought, Bucky says, “I’m gonna keep doing what I do best, watching Cap’s six and being an unpredictable, unstable human being.”

“That’s quite hot.”

must’ve been a deadly kiss (only love can hurt like this)

Sam imagined wedding planning was already stressful enough without fighting bad guys on a regular basis.

As it was, Sam was Captain America, and he had a job to do.

He also had a very disgruntled fiancé who followed him wherever he went.

romantic stylez (with a z)

“Oh, no.” Sam says, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s and leaning closer to him. “Tonight is very special for us. Y’see, James and I just got engaged and this is where we had our very first date.”

“Yeah,” Bucky picks up. “I’d’ve booked a table but I wasn’t sure he was going to say yes.”

“Aww, baby,” Sam says, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “I was always going to say yes, you only ever had to ask.”

Bucky’s heart stutters in his chest as he meets Sam’s eyes, and he loses himself in the deep brown and the long, curled lashes just a little, only looking away when he hears the lady sighs sappily next to them.

(or, an undercover mission changes everything.)

Rough Surfaces

There was an inherent loneliness to being Captain America.

And it wasn’t like Sam had never been lonely before. He'd been lonely, he’d been alone, and he’d been lonely and alone, but there was something about this, a feeling so old he was surprised he could still feel it; that it still affected him.

That hollow silence that was once filled with the sound of life.

Figaro meowed and Alpine didn’t answer, and for a split second, Sam forgot. He panicked.

Then he remembered, and it weighed him down, an ache so deep it felt engraved into his very being.

And really, it was fine. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do this alone, he could, but.

He didn’t want to.

Mostly, he had started to believe he wouldn’t have to.

tumblr:

nightfall

one chance, tender, savior (and check out the steering wheel flower arrangement by @elektraking)

pet

bruised/kissed

you’re distracting

delicious/mystery

shimmer

transparent

mornings and nights (samstevebucky)

in dreams (samriley)

[tuppencetrinkets]

Sorted caps from The Last of Us Season 1. Episodes 1-8

Joel Miller - Pedro Pascal #34,000

Ellie Williams - Bella Ramsey #44,000

Tess Servopoulos - Anna Torv #7,000

Henry Burrell - Lamar Johnson #3,000

Kathleen Coghlan - Melanie Lynskey #3,000

Sarah Miller - Nico Parker #4,500

Marlene - Merle Dandridge #2,000

Sam Burrell - Keivonn Woodard #1,000

Perry - Jeffrey Pierce #1,000

Tommy Miller - Gabriel Luna #300

Maria Miller - Rutina Wesley #1,200

Riley Abel - Storm Reid #8,000

David - Scott Shepherd #6.000

Dr. Neuman - John Hannah #1,000

Bill - Nick Offerman #7,000

Cpt. Kwong - Terry Chen #600

Ratna Pertiwi - Christine Hakim #2,000

Frank - Murray Bartlett #8,000

Marlon - Graham Greene #450

Florence - Elaine Miles #450

James - Troy Baker #3,500

This content is free for anyone to use or edit however you like; if you care to throw a dollar or two my way for time, effort, storage fees etc you are more than welcome to do so via my PAYPAL.  Please like or reblog this post if you have found it useful or are downloading the content within.  If you have any questions or you have any problems with the links or find any inconsistencies in the content, etc. please feel free to drop me a politely worded message via my ASKBOX (second icon from the top on my theme!)    

[lambtotheslaughterr]

500 FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION

✨REQUESTS NOW CLOSED✨

updated: 05-13-24

rules & requirements below:

i know, or at least i think, most people celebrate at 1000 followers but considering i've had this blog for nearly two years 500 followers is a big deal to me. SO to celebrate i am opening my requests. now, before you go shooting me a request please read & acknowledge the following.

RULES:

must be following me. that’s a no brainer.

first come first served basis.

i will make an announcement after i have received 10 requests that requests are closed. please DO NOT make any requests after i have closed them. they will be dismissed/deleted. so just save your request for the next celebration. AGAIN those who request off anon will be priority.

because i don't want those whose requests don't get picked or didn't make it into the 10 qualifying spots to miss out on their request i will be saving requests to roll-over into the next celebration post (which will be at 1000 followers) so don't fret! however, a REMINDER that if you make a request AFTER i closed the requests those ones will be deleted.

you may only request oneshots. i will not be accepting any series or mini series requests. however, your oneshot requests can include requesting a sequel to any standing series or oneshots i have already written. for example, 'may i request a 'where are they now' oneshot for reader & rafe in 'always you''. or 'may i request a sequel oneshot to your ransom drysdale 'leatherbound' oneshot'. but of course, feel free to request something totally new!

no naming the reader. these requests are 'reader x whoever character you request'.

also! this is a dark!fic noncon!fic account. keep in mind that when making your request that you know exactly what you're requesting & from who. no fluff, no cutesy romantic stuff (unless it goes dark), etc.

i will include a list of characters below that i will write for that you can choose from, so please pick from there. if there is someone else you have in mind that isn't on the list DM ME first to ask.

along with a list of characters, i will also list the kinks/themes i WILL NOT write about. so be extra sure to go over those because any requests that include anything from my 'will not write about' list, will be dismissed.

lastly, after i recieve 10 requests, my other series i'm currenty writing on here (Rise & I Burn) will be on a momentary pause until i complete all requests. so to my dedicated readers for those two series, i do apologize in advance, but please be patient. they will be returned to.

that's all, folks! make sure you make your request via dropping an ask (i will not accept requests via dm (dm is only if you're asking clarifying questions about characters or boundaries)). be sure to REREAD my rules, too. it doesn't hurt to double check.

happy requesting! muah😘

oona<3

CHARACTERS by fandom: those in CAPS are who i really want to write for

MARVEL: Steve Rogers | BUCKY BARNES | Loki | Thor | Erik Killmonger | Aged Up Peter Parker | Talos (a.k.a spacedaddy from Captain Marvel) | Billy Russo (The Punisher) | Deacon Frost (Blade) |

CHRIS EVANS CHARACTERS: Ransom Drysdale | Andy Barber | CURTIS EVERETT | Lloyd Hansen |

OUTER BANKS: Rafe Cameron | Daddy Cameron (a.k.a Ward Cameron) |

DC: Clark Kent | Joker (Heath Ledger's joker) | KGBEAST

PEAKY BLINDERS: Thomas fucking Shelby (or any of the Shelby's) | Michael Gray |

THE BOYS: Billy Butcher | HOMELANDER | Black Noir

CALL OF DUTY: Konig | SIMON 'GHOST' RILEY

DEAD BY DAYLIGHT: Frank Morrison ('The Legion' ) | The Trapper | GhostFace | Michael Myers

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: Stefan Salvatore | Kai Parker | Klaus Mikaelson |

DIVERGENT: ERIC | Four |

STAR WARS: Darth Maul | Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker | Kylo Ren/Ben Solo |

VIKINGS: Rollo | RAGNAR | Hvitserk | Ubbe | Ivar | Bjorn |

HARRY POTTER: Aged Up Draco Malfoy | Aged Up Tom Riddle (don't you dare request that noseless snake version of him) | Young Sirius Black

AMERICAN ASSASSIN: Mitch Rapp | Ghost

THE WALKING DEAD: Negan | Nick Clark

MISC: Aged Up Billy Hargrove | Adrian Griffen (The Invisible Man) | Coriolanus Snow (young, not the old one, blegh) | CHASE ANDREWS | JACKSON RIPPNER | Aged Up JOSEPH DESCAMPS (Mixte) | Elwood Dalton (RoadHouse) | Aged Up Henry Bowers (IT) | Rio (Good Girls) | Roman Godfrey (Hemlock Grove) | Boys from 'The Covenant' (aged up, ofc) | Jax Teller (Sons of Anarchy) | Ajax (The Warriors, bless you if you know who this is. he is my ride or die.) | Walter Deville | Ash (No Exit) | Brahms (The Boy) | Masked Man (Hush) | The Gentleman (The Purge) | AURELIANO (Subburia) | Aged Up Nate Jacobs | The Predator | Reggie Kray (Legend) | Chayton Dockery (Sneaky Pete) |

WILL NOT WRITE ABOUT: these either weird me out or bore me & for me to produce my best work for you i ask that you not request any of the below

a/b/o themes | lactation kinks | dd/lg kinks | real life celebrities | monster fucking (does not include aliens or vampies) | ghost/demon fucking | race play | dp kinks | anal play (generic anal is fine, but anything more is a no from me) | cum eating | basement wife themes | sexual slavery themes | convenience noncon (this is specific to me so you deffo won't know what that is so if you're curious, please ask) | breeding kinks | pregnancy non con | bimbo reader | underage reader/characters | sex pollen themes | blood-related incestual themes | cuckholding kinks | age gaps where reader is 22 or younger |

SPOTS:

1. alt!reader x rafe cameron one shot COMPLETED

2. untouched!reader x rafe cameron one shot (best friends) COMPLETED

3. reader x rafe cameron one shot (best friends boyfriend/roommate) COMPLETED

4. 'the night shift' reader x stefan salvatore sequel one shot COMPLETED

5. romani!reader x soft!roman godfrey one shot COMPLETED

6. ‘always you’ reader x rafe cameron sequel one shot COMPLETED

7. ex!reader x rafe cameron one shot (on the run w kid) COMPLETED

8. untouched!reader x stalker!rafe cameron one shot COMPLETED

9. amnesiac!reader x rafe cameron one shot COMPLETED

10. pogue!reader x rafe cameron one shot (kidnapped) COMPLETED

[myfriendthedictionary]

W-WELL....,,, I DONT KNOW EITHER???? askjdkjladsskja ....,,,, it’s too late for me to go back out tonight lol but i’ll do it tomorrow and see what happens,, 

@thewhizzyhead @alltheworldsapaige

Ok but like seriously Paige!Annleigh would be so fascinating because I don’t know what my brain would do. Would it say “Paige!Annleigh Rights” or would it say “Wow Riley singing Forever but to WHOMST?”

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Saturday 10 June 1837

8

2 ½

fine but dull morning F60 ½° at 9 and breakfast in about ¾ hour – out – about – Charles and James Howarth and lad Smith at the wash-house roof – the York joiners at my uncles’ room preparation for ceiling – sometime with Blythe – mentioned my idea of carrying the stoothing from the hall in one line all round stairs and all and framing the top above the stairs the sloping part like the hall, and the flat part in 8 square panels with roses or some ornament at the intersections as in the drawing room and stoothing the red room, and framing the top up to the ridge trees like the hall – B- seemed to like this plan very much – went down to the meer at 11 – Robert + 6 (2 still left or just gone back to the garden) had got over the last of the great stone for the by-wash, and began to help Mawson with Booth’s 2 great balks from the wheel-race to form his (Mawson’s) run for stuff to strengthen the weak part of the embankment – rain sent all to dinner a little before 12 – I took shelter in the hut and slept the hour the men were away – then with them again helping Mawson till 3 or rather after – all having taken a little shelter during the heavy shower about 2 – from 3 to 6 or after all hands Robert + 6 at the meer-clow-house – raising the walls so as to admit 3 more large covers over the ten steps down to the door, so that I shall now be able to hide the place completely from the walk – this too got the stone lying in Charles Howarth’s acre field gathered up, as also the great part of the scraplings which we gathered and barrowed down to fill up with towards the walk – all to be covered over and sodding on Monday with the sods to be taken off where M- is going to get the stuff – several showers and a little thunder during the afternoon –came in at 6 1/2 – Frank had carted six scores of slates from the old barn at Staups and 8 yards of flags from Hipperholme quarry to A-‘s Brooks’ cottage for the new kitchen Zebedee had brought stuff from Hipperholme quarr to level up the coach house court with – the tower chimney cap put on and finished before 11 this morning – Riley the joiner came between 10 and 11 this morning for the oak posts for the Hilltop cow house – Had the 2 Mann at 6 ½ to 7 – dressed dinner at 7 20 coffee – A- read me a little of the paper – came upstairs at 10 20 at which hour F54 ½° - fine morning till about 12 – ten rain for about an hour and several showers of thunder in the afternoon and rain in the evening and now at near 11 pm – had A- a few minutes in my study – then sat up till 2 reading the cutting open Tredgold on carpentry and Nicholson on ditto and his joiners’ guide received on Wednesday from Whitley’s – the 1st of 1827, the 2 others of 1826 – can these be the last editions?

[aestheticvoyage2022]

Day 171b: Monday June 20, 2022 - “Tigers at Fenway”

Miggy and El Mago brought their team to Boston for game 2 of our back-to-back Fenway visit - the night cap to our trip.  It was a hit parade on a beautiful evening. The last time I was here, Miggy hit a big game winner - one of his now 503 homers and it was a big memorable one for me, as I also put the baseball park tour onto the Bucket List Boneyard that day.  And now I am back here sharing this place with my Dad and my Son (my wife and mom are here too!) and this is one of those very few parks where its about the place as much as it is about the game and thats one of the more romantic things about this sport.  That romance for me started young when I collected baseball cards of old Tigers and old Red Sox like Frank Tanana and Dwight Evans, Doyle Alexander and Jim Rice, Lou Whittaker and Roger Clemens.  Both these teams were pretty good back in 1986 when my collection started, and now 36 years later looking back on the nostalgic foresight of my Dad to put me to sleep with the Tigers on the sleep timer of my clock radio, listening to Ernie Harwell and now it was a great pleasure to help bring him here with the hope that someday he can tell William with pride about we brought him here for his first two games to make sure it was historic and memorable.  And it was.  Someday, I’ll do what my Dad did - laying him down to sleep with baseball on the radio and help support his fascination with baseball cards and pass down this game to him.

Before the game we found ourselves down that 3rd base line hoping for a signature as the Tigers two big rookies Riley Greene (very recently called up) and Spencer Torkelson warmed up.  Soon several other players joined them to see the pregame festivities that included Manny Ramirez throwing out the first pitch to David Ortiz - it was obvious that Miguel Cabrera came out specifically to see that.  We did not get Wm’s baby shoe signed but we gave it good effort and saw a spectacular Star Spangled Banner before heading to our seats.  Dad and I enjoyed some really great seats in the old wooden section behind home plate but man it was cramped so after 4 innings there and seeing Miggy bat twice (unfortunately like Pujols the day before, Miggy would go 0fer today), we went to explore the stadium and connect with the fam sitting over on the 3rd base side.   Of course, we found that Wm, who loved the popcorn, had been a big hit with everyone else in his section.  He sure is hard not to love!   We even stopped in pre-game and said Hi to the usher that let him on the field the day before and he smiled big for her.   We strolled literally around the whole park together even making our way up to the Green Monster for peek.   We’d settle into some really nice seats up high behind homeplate where Dad and I’s knees could also enjoy the game and we’d stay there all the way through the top of the 9th, and the playing of that Dirty Water song as Wally waived the flag for another Red Sox win.   It was another great evening at the Ballpark.

If William grows up a Red Sox fan, it will be in his subconscious how great a baseball Father’s Day he had for his first two major league games. Trains, games, and Sweet Caroline. Friendly ushers, friendly mascots and Tessie on the radio. Nursing and Naps in the fifth inning and seeing the sweet game under a sunsetty orange and pink sky and over a place called Green Monster. For Love of The Game (and that Dirty Water) with family, loving a great story, talking fantasy baseball stats, cheering for a pitcher or a hitter or a rookie who just got the call up, or the old Hall of Famers counting down their last games, and going to see the statues of the greats that came before - it’s all that in the lyrics of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” and if he ends up a Red Sox fan, that will be fine by me as long as he loves it as much as I love bringing him to it.

Song: Vicente Fernández - El rey

Quote: They'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." ~Terence Mann, Field of Dreams

[rileyfrankcap]

All about "Tusi", The new dangerous drug connected to Diddy's Lawsuit...

www.rileyfrankcap.com

[tkmedia]

NHL Expansion Draft 2021: Full list of players available for Seattle Kraken

The NHL announced the protected lists for the 30 teams involved in the NHL Expansion Draft. (Vegas is exempt.) With the names of those protected come the guys who could be snatched up by the Seattle Kraken. There are a number of big names that have everyone trying to figure out just what general manager Ron Francis will do. Will he take Canadiens netminder, and future Hall of Famer, Carey Price and his hefty cap hit? Is Vladimir Tarasenko the sniper he needs or is his health a big question mark? There's also a number of guys who would fit in nicely but are free agents and the chances of signing them are not high (i.e. Alex Ovechkin).  EXPANSION DRAFT: Date, time, rules & more for Seattle Kraken team selectionRegardless of what Francis, coach Dave Hakstrol and Co. end up doing, there's a good chance the Kraken will be a playoff contender in just their first season. For now, let the intrigue and the guessing WWRFD (that's: what will Ron Francis do?) begin. Here's a look at every player they can pick.

List of players made available by all 30 NHL teams

Anaheim DucksAndrew Agozzino (F) David Backes (F) Sam Carrick (F) Chase De Leo (F) Ryan Getzlaf (F) Derek Grant (F) Danton Heinen (F) Adam Henrique (F) Vinni Lettieri (F) Sonny Milano (F) Andrew Poturalski (F) Carter Rowney (F) Nick Sorensen (F) Alexander Volkov (F) Trevor Carrick (D) Haydn Fleury (D) Brendan Guhle (D) Jacob Larsson (D) Josh Mahura (D) Kevin Shattenkirk (D) Andy Welinski (D) Ryan Miller (G) Anthony Stolarz (G)Arizona CoyotesDerick Brassard (F) Michael Bunting (F) Brayden Burke (F) Michael Chaput (F) Hudson Fasching (F) Christian Fischer (F) Frederik Gauthier (F) John Hayden (F) Dryden Hunt (F) Andrew Ladd (F) Lane Pederson (F) Tyler Pitlick (F) Blake Speers (F) Tyler Steenbergen (F) Jason Demers (D) Cam Dineen (D) Alex Goligoski (D) Jordan Gross (D) Niklas Hjalmarsson (D) Ilya Lyubushkin (D) Dysin Mayo (D) Aaron Ness (D) Jordan Oesterle (D) Vili Saarijarvi (D) Josef Korenar (G) Marek Langhamer (G) Antti Raanta (G)Boston BruinsAnton Blidh (F) Paul Carey (F) Peter Cehlarik (F) Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (F) Taylor Hall (F) Cameron Hughes (F) Ondrej Kase (F) Alex Khokhlachev (F) Joona Koppanen (F) David Krejci (F) Karson Kuhlman (F) Sean Kuraly (F) Curtis Lazar (F) Greg McKegg (F) Nick Ritchie (F) Zach Senyshyn (F) Chris Wagner (F) Linus Arnesson (D) Connor Clifton (D) Steven Kampfer (D) Jeremy Lauzon (D) Kevan Miller (D) John Moore (D) Mike Reilly (D) Jarred Tinordi (D) Jakub Zboril (D) Callum Booth (G) Jaroslav Halak (G) Tuukka Rask (G)Buffalo SabresDrake Caggiula (F) Jean-Sebastien Dea (F) Cody Eakin (F) Steven Fogarty (F) Zemgus Girgensons (F) Andrew Oglevie (F) Kyle Okposo (F) Tobias Rieder (F) Riley Sheahan (F) Jeff Skinner (F) C.J. Smith (F) Will Borgen (D) Brandon Davidson (D) Matt Irwin (D) Jake McCabe (D) Colin Miller (D) Casey Nelson (D) Michael Houser (G) Carter Hutton (G) Dustin Tokarski (G)Calgary FlamesByron Froese (F) Glenn Gawdin (F) Justin Kirkland (F) Josh Leivo (F) Milan Lucic (F) Joakim Nordstrom (F) Matthew Phillips (F) Zac Rinaldo (F) Brett Ritchie (F) Buddy Robinson (F) Derek Ryan (F) Dominik Simon (F) Mark Giordano (D) Oliver Kylington (D) Nikita Nesterov (D) Alexander Petrovic (D) Michael Stone (D) Louis Domingue (G) Tyler Parsons (G)Carolina HurricanesMorgan Geekie (F) Steven Lorentz (F) Jordan Martinook (F) Max McCormick (F) Brock McGinn (F) Nino Niederreiter (F) Cedric Paquette (F) Sheldon Rempal (F) Drew Shore (F) Spencer Smallman (F) Jake Bean (D) Jake Gardiner (D) Eric Gelinas (D) Jani Hakanpaa (D) Dougie Hamilton (D) Maxime Lajoie (D) Roland McKeown (D) Joakim Ryan (D) David Warsofsky (D) Antoine Bibeau (G) Jeremy Helvig (G) Petr Mrazek (G) James Reimer (G) Dylan Wells (G)Chicago BlackhawksRyan Carpenter (F) Brett Connolly (F) Josh Dickinson (F) Adam Gaudette (F) Vinnie Hinostroza (F) Brandon Pirri (F) John Quenneville (F) Zack Smith (F) Calvin de Haan (D) Anton Lindholm (D) Nikita Zadorov (D) Collin Delia (G) Malcolm Subban (G)Colorado AvalancheTravis Barron (F) Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (F) Matt Calvert (F) J.T. Compher (F) Joonas Donskoi (F) Sheldon Dries (F) Vladislav Kamenev (F) Gabriel Landeskog (F) Ty Lewis (F) Jayson Megna (F) Liam O'Brien (F) Brandon Saad (F) Miikka Salomaki (F) Kiefer Sherwood (F) Carl Soderberg (F) T.J. Tynan (F) Mike Vecchione (F) Kyle Burroughs (D) Dennis Gilbert (D) Erik Johnson (D) Jacob MacDonald (D) Patrik Nemeth (D) Dan Renouf (D) Devan Dubnyk (G) Jonas Johansson (G) Hunter Miska (G)Columbus Blue JacketsZac Dalpe (F) Max Domi (F) Nathan Gerbe (F) Mikhail Grigorenko (F) Ryan MacInnis (F) Stefan Matteau (F) Cliff Pu (F) Kole Sherwood (F) Kevin Stenlund (F) Calvin Thurkauf (F) Daniel Zaar (F) Gavin Bayreuther (D) Gabriel Carlsson (D) Adam Clendening (D) Michael Del Zotto (D) Scott Harrington (D) Dean Kukan (D) Cameron Johnson (G)Dallas StarsNick Caamano (F) Andrew Cogliano (F) Blake Comeau (F) Justin Dowling (F) Tanner Kero (F) Joel L'Esperance (F) Adam Mascherin (F) Matej Stransky (F) Taylor Fedun (D) Ben Gleason (D) Joel Hanley (D) Niklas Hansson (D) Julius Honka (D) Jamie Oleksiak (D) Mark Pysyk (D) Andrej Sekera (D) Sami Vatanen (D) Ben Bishop (G) Landon Bow (G) Colton Point (G)Detroit Red WingsRiley Barber (F) Kyle Criscuolo (F) Turner Elson (F) Valtteri Filppula (F) Sam Gagner (F) Luke Glendening (F) Darren Helm (F) Taro Hirose (F) Vladislav Namestnikov (F) Frans Nielsen (F) Bobby Ryan (F) Evgeny Svechnikov (F) Dominic Turgeon (F) Hayden Verbeek (F) Alex Biega (D) Dennis Cholowski (D) Danny DeKeyser (D) Christian Djoos (D) Joe Hicketts (D) Dylan McIlrath (D) Marc Staal (D) Troy Stecher (D) Jonathan Bernier (G) Kevin Boyle (G) Kaden Fulcher (G) Calvin Pickard (G)EXPANSION DRAFT: Full list of players protected by all 30 teamsEdmonton OilersTyler Benson (F) Alex Chiasson (F) Adam Cracknell (F) Tyler Ennis (F) Joseph Gambardella (F) Seth Griffith (F) Dominik Kahun (F) Jujhar Khaira (F) Cooper Marody (F) James Neal (F) Alan Quine (F) Patrick Russell (F) Devin Shore (F) Anton Slepyshev (F) Kyle Turris (F) Bogdan Yakimov (F) Tyson Barrie (D) Oscar Klefbom (D) Slater Koekkoek (D) Dmitry Kulikov (D) William Lagesson (D) Adam Larsson (D) Kris Russell (D) Mikko Koskinen (G) Mike Smith (G) Alex Stalock (G)DUNCAN KEITH: Oilers add three-time Stanley Cup championFlorida PanthersNoel Acciari (F) Patrick Bajkov (F) Juho Lammikko (F) Ryan Lomberg (F) Brad Morrison (F) Aleksi Saarela (F) Frank Vatrano (F) Lucas Wallmark (F) Alex Wennberg (F) Scott Wilson (F) Lucas Carlsson (D) Kevin Connauton (D) Tommy Cross (D) Radko Gudas (D) Noah Juulsen (D) Brady Keeper (D) Brandon Montour (D) Markus Nutivaara (D) Ethan Prow (D) Anton Stralman (D) Philippe Desrosiers (G) Chris Driedger (G) Sam Montembeault (G)Los Angeles KingsAndreas Athanasiou (F) Michael Eyssimont (F) Martin Frk (F) Carl Grundstrom (F) Bokondji Imama (F) Brendan Lemieux (F) Blake Lizotte (F) Matt Luff (F) Drake Rymsha (F) Austin Wagner (F) Mark Alt (D) Daniel Brickley (D) Kale Clague (D) Olli Maatta (D) Kurtis MacDermid (D) Jacob Moverare (D) Austin Strand (D) Christian Wolanin (D) Troy Grosenick (G) Jonathan Quick (G)Minnesota WildWilliam Bitten (F) Nick Bjugstad (F) Nick Bonino (F) Joseph Cramarossa (F) Gabriel Dumont (F) Marcus Johansson (F) Luke Johnson (F) Victor Rask (F) Kyle Rau (F) Mason Shaw (F) Dmitry Sokolov (F) Matt Bartkowski (D) Louie Belpedio (D) Ian Cole (D) Brad Hunt (D) Ian McCoshen (D) Brennan Menell (D) Dakota Mermis (D) Carson Soucy (D) Andrew Hammond (G) Kaapo Kahkonen (G)Montreal CanadiensBrandon Baddock (F) Joseph Blandisi (F) Paul Byron (F) Phillip Danault (F) Laurent Dauphin (F) Jonathan Drouin (F) Michael Frolik (F) Charles Hudon (F) Corey Perry (F) Michael Pezzetta (F) Eric Staal (F) Tomas Tatar (F) Lukas Vejdemo (F) Jordan Weal (F) Cale Fleury (D) Erik Gustafsson (D) Brett Kulak (D) Jon Merrill (D) Gustav Olofsson (D) Xavier Ouellet (D) Shea Weber (D) Charlie Lindgren (G) Michael McNiven (G) Carey Price (G)Nashville PredatorsMichael Carcone (F) Nick Cousins (F) Matt Duchene (F) Mikael Granlund (F) Rocco Grimaldi (F) Erik Haula (F) Calle Jarnkrok (F) Ryan Johansen (F) Sean Malone (F) Michael McCarron (F) Rem Pitlick (F) Anthony Richard (F) Brad Richardson (F) Colton Sissons (F) Yakov Trenin (F) Frederic Allard (D) Matt Benning (D) Mark Borowiecki (D) Erik Gudbranson (D) Ben Harpur (D) Josh Healey (D) Tyler Lewington (D) Connor Ingram (G) Kasimir Kaskisuo (G) Pekka Rinne (G)New Jersey DevilsNathan Bastian (F) Christoph Bertschy (F) Brandon Gignac (F) A.J. Greer (F) Andreas Johnsson (F) Ivan Khomutov (F) Nicholas Merkley (F) Brett Seney (F) Ben Street (F) Marian Studenic (F) Will Butcher (D) Connor Carrick (D) Josh Jacobs (D) Ryan Murray (D) David Quenneville (D) Colby Sissons (D) P.K. Subban (D) Matt Tennyson (D) Colton White (D) Evan Cormier (G) Aaron Dell (G) Scott Wedgewood (G)New York IslandersJosh Bailey (F) Cole Bardreau (F) Kieffer Bellows (F) Casey Cizikas (F) Austin Czarnik (F) Michael Dal Colle (F) Jordan Eberle (F) Tanner Fritz (F) Joshua Ho-Sang (F) Ross Johnston (F) Otto Koivula (F) Leo Komarov (F) Kyle Palmieri (F) Richard Panik (F) Dmytro Timashov (F) Travis Zajac (F) Sebastian Aho (D) Braydon Coburn (D) Andy Greene (D) Thomas Hickey (D) Mitchell Vande Sompel (D) Parker Wotherspoon (D) Ken Appleby (G) Cory Schneider (G)New York RangersColin Blackwell (F) Jonny Brodzinski (F) Phillip Di Giuseppe (F) Gabriel Fontaine (F) Julien Gauthier (F) Tim Gettinger (F) Barclay Goodrow (F) Anthony Greco (F) Ty Ronning (F) Anthony Bitetto (D) Brandon Crawley (D) Tony DeAngelo (D) Nick DeSimone (D) Mason Geertsen (D) Jack Johnson (D) Darren Raddysh (D) Brendan Smith (D) Keith Kinkaid (G)EXPANSION DRAFT FRENZY: Ryan Ellis, Jared McCann, Barclay Goodrow among players swapped before trade freezeOttawa SenatorsAvailable Vitaly Abramov (F) Michael Amadio (F) Artem Anisimov (F) J.C. Beaudin (F) Clark Bishop (F) Evgenii Dadonov (F) Jonathan Davidsson (F) Ryan Dzingel (F) Micheal Haley (F) Jack Kopacka (F) Zachary Magwood (F) Matthew Peca (F) Logan Shaw (F) Derek Stepan (F) Chris Tierney (F) Josh Brown (D) Cody Goloubef (D) Mikael Wikstrand (D) Joey Daccord (G) Anton Forsberg (G) Marcus Hogberg (G) Matt Murray (G)Philadelphia FlyersAndy Andreoff (F) Connor Bunnaman (F) David Kase (F) Pascal Laberge (F) Samuel Morin (F) German Rubtsov (F) Carsen Twarynski (F) James van Riemsdyk (F) Jakub Voracek (F) Mikhail Vorobyev (F) Chris Bigras (D) Justin Braun (D) Shayne Gostisbehere (D) Robert Hagg (D) Derrick Pouliot (D) Nate Prosser (D) Tyler Wotherspoon (D) Brian Elliott (G) Alex Lyon (G) Felix Sandstrom (G)Pittsburgh PenguinsPontus Aberg (F) Anthony Angello (F) Zach Aston-Reese (F) Josh Currie (F) Frederick Gaudreau (F) Mark Jankowski (F) Sam Lafferty (F) Sam Miletic (F) Evan Rodrigues (F) Colton Sceviour (F) Brandon Tanev (F) Jason Zucker (F) Cody Ceci (D) Kevin Czuczman (D) Mark Friedman (D) Jesper Lindgren (D) Andrey Pedan (D) Marcus Pettersson (D) Juuso Riikola (D) Chad Ruhwedel (D) Yannick Weber (D) Casey DeSmith (G) Maxime Lagace (G)San Jose SharksRyan Donato (F) Kurtis Gabriel (F) Dylan Gambrell (F) Jayden Halbgewachs (F) Maxim Letunov (F) Patrick Marleau (F) Matt Nieto (F) Marcus Sorensen (F) Alexander True (F) Christian Jaros (D) Nicolas Meloche (D) Jacob Middleton (D) Greg Pateryn (D) Radim Simek (D) Martin Jones (G)St. Louis BluesSam Anas (F) Sammy Blais (F) Tyler Bozak (F) Kyle Clifford (F) Jacob de la Rose (F) Mike Hoffman (F) Tanner Kaspick (F) Mackenzie MacEachern (F) Curtis McKenzie (F) Austin Poganski (F) Zach Sanford (F) Jaden Schwartz (F) Nolan Stevens (F) Vladimir Tarasenko (F) Nathan Walker (F) Robert Bortuzzo (D) Vince Dunn (D) Petteri Lindbohm (D) Niko Mikkola (D) Mitch Reinke (D) Steven Santini (D) Marco Scandella (D) Jake Walman (D) Evan Fitzpatrick (G) Jon Gillies (G) Ville Husso (G)Tampa Bay LightningAlex Barre-Boulet (F) Blake Coleman (F) Ross Colton (F) Yanni Gourde (F) Tyler Johnson (F) Mathieu Joseph (F) Boris Katchouk (F) Alex Killorn (F) Pat Maroon (F) Boo Nieves (F) Ondrej Palat (F) Taylor Raddysh (F) Gemel Smith (F) Otto Somppi (F) Mitchell Stephens (F) Daniel Walcott (F) Luke Witkowski (F) Andreas Borgman (D) Fredrik Claesson (D) Sean Day (D) Cal Foote (D) Brian Lashoff (D) Dominik Masin (D) Jan Rutta (D) David Savard (D) Luke Schenn (D) Ben Thomas (D) Christopher Gibson (G) Spencer Martin (G) Curtis McElhinney (G)MORE: Maroon fourth player to win three straight Stanley Cups with two different teamsToronto Maple LeafsAvailable Kenny Agostino (F) Joey Anderson (F) Adam Brooks (F) Pierre Engvall (F) Nick Foligno (F) Alex Galchenyuk (F) Zach Hyman (F) Alexander Kerfoot (F) Kalle Kossila (F) Denis Malgin (F) Jared McCann (F) Riley Nash (F) Stefan Noesen (F) Nic Petan (F) Scott Sabourin (F) Wayne Simmonds (F) Jason Spezza (F) Antti Suomela (F) Joe Thornton (F) Zach Bogosian (D) Travis Dermott (D) Ben Hutton (D) Martin Marincin (D) Calle Rosen (D) Frederik Andersen (G) Michael Hutchinson (G) David Rittich (G)Vancouver CanucksSven Baertschi (F) Justin Bailey (F) Jay Beagle (F) Travis Boyd (F) Loui Eriksson (F) Jonah Gadjovich (F) Tyler Graovac (F) Jayce Hawryluk (F) Matthew Highmore (F) Lukas Jasek (F) Kole Lind (F) Zack MacEwen (F) Petrus Palmu (F) Antoine Roussel (F) Brandon Sutter (F) Jimmy Vesey (F) Jake Virtanen (F) Madison Bowey (D) Guillaume Brisebois (D) Jalen Chatfield (D) Alexander Edler (D) Travis Hamonic (D) Brogan Rafferty (D) Ashton Sautner (D) Josh Teves (D) Braden Holtby (G)Washington CapitalsDaniel Carr (F) Nic Dowd (F) Shane Gersich (F) Carl Hagelin (F) Garnet Hathaway (F) Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (F) Alex Ovechkin (F) Garrett Pilon (F) Brian Pinho (F) Michael Raffl (F) Michael Sgarbossa (F) Conor Sheary (F) Zdeno Chara (D) Brenden Dillon (D) Nick Jensen (D) Lucas Johansen (D) Michal Kempny (D) Paul LaDue (D) Cameron Schilling (D) Justin Schultz (D) Craig Anderson (G) Pheonix Copley (G) Zach Fucale (G) Vitek Vanecek (G)Winnipeg JetsMason Appleton (F) Marko Dano (F) Jansen Harkins (F) Trevor Lewis (F) Skyler McKenzie (F) Mathieu Perreault (F) Paul Stastny (F) CJ Suess (F) Nate Thompson (F) Dominic Toninato (F) Nathan Beaulieu (D) Jordie Benn (D) Dylan DeMelo (D) Derek Forbort (D) Luke Green (D) Sami Niku (D) Nelson Nogier (D) Tucker Poolman (D) Mikhail Berdin (G) Laurent Brossoit (G) Eric Comrie (G) Cole Kehler (G) Read the full article

[cornholio4]

MCU The Boys AU

Something that I came up with

In this AU, Howard Stark managed to use Steve’s blood in experiments to create new super powered guardians for the US

Stark Industries became the Vought of this universe; becoming a weapons manufacturer as well as being the creation behind chosen Superheroes thanks to Obadiah Stane helping arrange the death of Howard Stark to take over and has help with government and military contacts including HYDRA officials

Obadiah and Tony under his mentor ship manufactures supervillains for the heroes to fight with Stark handling or and covering up any mishaps or the pr stunts they pull

Tony stark creates the Iron Man Armor to become a hero for pr as well, never having the ephinany of being captured by the Ten Rings and actually takes care of Stane himself to make sure that his control over the company is absolute

the alien child Hyperion was found and raised by the US military and government to become their most powerful Superhero known as Hyperion who is the Homelander of the universe and leads the Squadron Supreme which are the top hero team in this universe, becoming the 2nd most popular hero besides Iron Man, this is based on Ultimate Power

Thor does become a hero and opponent of Stark, SHIELD (which has become pretty much Stark’s military division) and their pr controlled heroes

15 year old Peter Parker has his Uncle Ben died as a result of Iron Man being reckless while drunk with the death covered up causing Peter to lose respect for a former idol of his

he ends up getting bitten by a spider created by SHIELD as one of their pawns to create a future hero, Peter is found by former SHIELD agent Nick Fury who runs the Avengers which are basically the Boys in this universe

Peter becomes Spider-Man encouraged by them so they can have a Superhero mole inside the superhero community they want to destroy from the inside. Peter does want to be a genuine superhero and help reform the system with the Avengers thinking him naive. Among the ranks is:

Adran Toomes whose salvaging company was bought out by Stark but having stolen and salvaged leftover tech from superhero battles has created his own flight suit to help with the Avengers missions

Wanda Maximoff whose family was killed by Stark weapons and who was experimented on with her chosen to become a chosen supervillain

frank castle whose family was killed in a panic during a pr stunt superhero brawl, based on punisher kills the marvel universe which is appropriate as that infamous story was written by the Boys comic co-creator Garth Ennis

Sam wilson whose friend Riley was killed by Iron Man who got lost chasing planes and thought Riley was a target, he runs the support group for those affected by superhero collateral damage

Helmut Zemo who lost his family thanks to Ultron who here was a project Tony did to try and make himself more popular with an advanced security system that would effectively let him control the world but gained self awareness and turned evil, pr making him seem like an alien robot that iron man saved them from

While infiltrating the corrupt superhero community Peter meets Jewel one of the few good natured heroes and is the Starlight in this world. She is actually Jessica Jones a classmate of Peter’s who is much closer to his comic counterpart. She gained powers in an accident engineered by Stark which killed her parents and her foster sister teen actress trish Walker and her foster mother pushed her into the superhero role with Dorothy Walker recruited for pr by Stark Industries. They end up falling in love and she becomes an ally to the Avengers

The Avengers find Cap’s body in ice and thaws him out and once he learns what happens, joins them in taking down and reforming the superhero community. Cap is still idealistic And acts as a mentor to Peter as he ends up supplanting fury as leader and they manage to recruit Thor

[marvelvsmarvel]

MCU Cast War Epic Screenplay

Setting: Late 90’s / Location: Sokovia

Military Personnel:

Frank Castle Jon Bernthal

Sam Wilson Anthony Mackie

Erik Johnson Michael B Jordan

Maria Hill Colbie Smulders

Luis Michael Pena

&

Zemo Daniel Brühl

Synopsis: War ridden Sokovia has turned for the worst with the rise of a new dictator who invites a global threat. The U.S. is prepared to evacuate the nation as a lost cause, however, specialized units have been mobilized under special interest directives.

Intrigue: Cap said it best when he said “people have agendas”. Caslte’s unit which have been on the grounds during the war has to escort special operative Johnson towards the capital for an extraction mission of POWs. The mission crosses with objecting soldiers, intelligence operatives, and Sokovian freedom fighters that puts the war into perspective and the mission in jeopardy. Additional cast includes Ben Barnes and Curtis Hoyle as Castle’s unit, Brian Geraghty as Sam’s wingman Riley, and Werner Herzog as the Sokovian dictator.

I rewatched The Hurt Locker the Academy Award winner for Best Picture starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie and even Evangeline Lily in a minor role. Now whatever take of the film the performances by those two remind me how talented the vast MCU cast is. War films are not what they used to be with the misrepresentation or lack their of of the U.S. armed forces but the character attributes and importance of them still stand that war is a faceless enemy where no one wins and the people fighting them suffer most in the end.

[trick-photography1]

Are there any comics you're reading now that you'd recommend?

Oooh, comic recs. This ask makes me so happy!!! How much time do you have?

Alright, well let me preface this by saying I primarily read Marvel. Right now I’m rereading the Jason Aaron run of Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor which was AMAZING so I highly recommend that one. (Shameless self promotion, but I wrote a fic about that story - I love those comics so much.)

Before COVID, I was reading the following titles:

Star (which is a spin off of Captain Marvel where Riley was pulled into some shenanigans, came back as a hero who was actually a villain)

Hawkeye: Freefall because… Hawkeye being a bit of a fail boat and just generally a good story that pulls in a lot of other Marvel characters

Valkyrie: Jane Foster which is a continuation of her story in the Mighty Thor comics

Captain Marvel

Captain America

Ms. Marvel

Falcon & Winter Soldier (BUCKY WITH A CAT ON A MOTORCYCLE!)

Right now new comics are kind of on a pause and it’s kinda hard to figure out what Marvel is putting out. I know they pushed the last 2 Star and Hawkeyes out on digital.

Looking at my older stuff, the first comic I actually bought was an omnibus of Brubaker’s Captain America where he introduces the Winter Soldier, and then the Death of Captain America where we get BuckyCap. Those will always hold a special place in my heart, and I go back and reference them sometimes when I’m writing fic.

If you’re looking for a more fun dynamic, I really loved Tales of Suspense: Hawkeye and Winter Soldier which is a short run team up where they’re trying to track down someone who is killing Nat’s old enemies (I have not and will not read Secret Empire Nazi Cap  but all you need to know is that Nazi Cap kills Nat during the run, which they cover in the beginning). Her two ex boyfriends think she may actually be alive and go looking for her which leads to some amazing snarky interactions between the two.

Winter Soldier: Second Chances is a more recent short run where Bucky is basically running a witness protection situation for reformed villain minions that are trying to get out of the life. He ends up taking a kid under his wing and trying to figure out how to help a young kid being forced to kill.

Nathan Edmondson’s 2014 Black Widow run with Phil Noto is hands down one of my favorite story and artwork combos. Not only do you get to see Nat being a bad ass, you also get to see her in her daily life and trying to make a difference. This story brought in a ton of additional characters from Bucky and Clint to X-23 and Frank Castle, and even a surprise cameo by Anderson Cooper!

Here’s the obligatory rec for Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run. Amazing, loved it but you can read a million other people’s rave reviews.

One run that I actually really enjoyed but kind of started on a whim was Chelsea Cain’s 2016 Mockingbird. I started reading it because I was interested in Bobbi Morse on Agents of SHIELD and DAMN did I find out how much of a badass she was on her own. The story starts out with her going to a SHIELD clinic because she’s got to get weekly check ups and is kind of starting to get some superpowers. Clint and Lance Hunter, her ex’s, are featured in the story.

Charles Soule’s 2014 She Hulk run is another favorite. I love extremely competent lawyer Jennifer Walters who just happens to also be 7 foot tall emerald green She-Hulk. The story follows her starting at a new practice and trying to balance her drive to help the little guy with needing to charge billable hours. It also intersects with the old man Steve storyline when she represents him in a wrongful death suit facing off against Marvel’s other superhero lawyer Matt Murdock/Daredevil!

If you’re looking for a non-superhero comic, Ed Brubaker’s Fadeout is my favorite. It follows WW2 vet and Hollywood screenwriter Charlie Parish who wakes up from a blackout in the same room as a murdered starlet from the film he’s working on. This has the feel of an old Hollywood film noir who done it and talks about PTSD and the Red Scare. I do want to put a trigger warning on it that it does touch on sexual abuse but it isn’t explicit.

These are just the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. If I was at my apartment I’m sure I could pull a lot more of them.

As an aside, I know that getting into comics can kind of be cost prohibitive. While I 1000% recommend going in and supporting your local shop, I also know sites like GetComics.info are helpful if you just want to browse before diving in. I may have gotten a few off there myself when money was tight or I wasn’t super invested in a character. Just make sure you have a CBR program so you can read them once they’re downloaded.

Hope this helps! And happy reading!

[ibestofthewestblog]

Team Profile:

Sierra Canyon Trailblazers

CIF-Southern Section 

Coach: Andre Chevalier

Last season: 32-3 (CIF Open Division State Champions)

Cassius Stanley after Sierra Canyon dismantled University School (Florida) in the Les Schwab Invitational Final, a team that included Duke’s Vernon Carey and FSU commit Scottie Barnes

The Skinny:

The ESPN High School Showcase released their roster of games they will be spotlighting this season, as ESPN will be the home of games between top ranked teams across the country.  Upon release of the schedule, one can clearly see that the showcase favors one program over others: the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.  The school in Chatsworth, California show up a whopping fifteen times on the showcase, which in itself is clearly a record since the series has been developed.  This is due in part of the Trailblazer’s history to accumulate superteams even in the wake of graduation.  In 2017-2018 it was the trio of Cassius Stanley, KJ Martin, & Scotty Pippen, Jr and this season calls for the ridiculous combination of Ziaire Williams, BJ Boston, Shy Odom, Bronny James Jr., & Zaire Wade.  Ziaire Williams & BJ Boston are atop of the ESPN 100 rankings for top ranked seniors as they are supported by the already stacked cast at Sierra Canyon.  They return TCU bound Terren Frank, super sophomore Amari Bailey, & big man from China, Harold Yu.  On paper, the Blazers look like the a top-ten team in the nation but this season they will be tested as they play a national schedule, competing against top competition with little rest in between tournaments and showcases.

ESPN High School Showcase Games:

11/21 vs. Montgomery (California) ESPN3

11/22 vs. St. Augustine (California) ESPN3

11/23 vs. Cathedral Catholic (California) ESPN3

12/7 at Millenium (Arizona) ESPN3

12/14 vs. St. Vincent St. Mary (Ohio) ESPN3

1/03 vs. No. 4 The Patrick School (New Jersey) ESPN2

1/04 at No. 20 Minehaha Academy (Minnesota) ESPN3

1/11 vs. No. 18 Rancho Christian ESPN3

1/18 vs. Dominican (Wisconsin) ESPN3

1/20 vs. No. 12 Paul VI (Virginia) ESPNU

1/28 at Campbell Hall (California) ESPN3

1/31 at Brentwood School (California) ESPN3

2/04 at Paraclete (California) ESPN3

2/07 vs. Gil St. Bernard’s (New Jersey) ESPN3

2/08 No. 9 Long Island Lutheran (New York) ESPN3

Potential Line-up:

Big bodied Harold Yu will make big strides this season

BJ Boston - high-flying all American opted to transfer from Norcross (Georgia) in search of spotlight and hardware.  Played for Nike EYBL AOT (Athletes of Tomorrow) alongside multitalented point guard Sharife Cooper (McEachern HS, Georgia).  Committed to Kentucky.  Working on tool-box as far as outside game goes, will have a Cassius Stanley like impact.

Ziaire Williams - perhaps the most polished of the group as he showcases the true ability to score from all three levels.  Transferred Notre Dame HS (Sherman Oaks, California).  Played for Nike EYBL Oakland Soldiers and stole the show last spring as he showed all high majors on why he should be considered on the list.  Early to tell, but looks to be the alpha dog for Sierra Canyon early in the season and down the stretch.

Amari Bailey - sophomore originally from Chicago plays hard on every possession, very fluid and hard-working athlete that skies from nowhere on possessions to rebound, block shots, and dunk it on unsuspecting defenders.  Crafty ball-handler that has a variety of moves down the lane.  Can knock down the open jumper.  Add this with the fact that he is only a sophomore and you have a truly scary player over the years.  Played for Nike EYBL Mac Irvin 15U (Chicago, Illinois) last spring.

Terren Frank - Terren is a name that not all are familiar with, for he plays more of a six man role, but is capable of anything on the court.  He is a stretch four, as he can knock down shots from anywhere on the floor as well as has handy moves inside the post.  He has faced injuries in the past two years, but when he was on the floor he was effective as ever.  Overall team player that will do anything to win.  Was a part of the Nike EYBL Finalists Team Why Not.

Harold Yu - big and imposing center originally from China, Yu transferred last season in hopes of getting Division 1 exposure.  He got way more than he bargained for, as he picked up an offer from Cal in his first week playing, got an CIF Open Division State ring, amongst other accolades.  The 7’2” big man is a physical specimen, has a nice touch for a big man, and looks to continue to develop and learn the game as a junior.

How Will They Be Tested:

St. Augustine’s Chibuzo Agbo was a mere freshman when they took down Sierra Canyon in the 2017 CIF Open Division Playoffs

The Trailblazers waste no time at all and begin the season on ESPN, as their games during the San Diego Tip-Off Challenge will be shown on television 11/22-11/24.  There, they will meet Montgomery, St. Augustine & Cathedral Catholic, all San Diego teams.  St. Augustine is an interesting match-up, as the two teams matched up last year in a blowout for Sierra Canyon.  However, interestingly enough, the last time Sierra Canyon lost in the CIF Open Division State Playoffs was to St. Augustine, when they had Marvin Bagley and Cody Riley.  St. Augustine is a tough team led by Coach Mike Haupt, who has a reputation for putting together tough teams and getting the most out of his players.  St. Augustine is led by Texas Tech commit Chibuzo Agbo and Luke Haupt, whom played for Team Why Not.  On another side note, Cathedral Catholic defeated Sierra Canyon in the year before that in the 2016 CIF State Open Division Playoffs, that year they were led by Brandon McCoy (Wisconsin Herd).  San Diego teams have proved difficult for the Trailblazer, so they will be tested right off the bat.

On 12/14 on what is a truly engaging match-up, the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers will meet LeBron James’ alma mater, St. Vincent St. Mary’s (OH) in the Hoophall Classic.  In the 2002-2003 season, LeBron James led the Irish to a national title where his own games were nationally televised on ESPN.  In a truly coming of age tale, Bronny James Jr. will play against his father’s school on ESPN.  

On 12/18, they will travel to Las Vegas for the Tarkanian Classic, where they will play more out-of-state talent.

12/26, they will see a homecoming trip where they will in the Damien Classic in a field that includes Rancho Christian, whom they will surely be seeing a few times in the season.

1/03 they will play The Patrick School (New Jersey), alma mater of NBA superstar Kyrie Irving.  St. Patrick is headed by top 2021 player Jonathan Kuminga, who is being recruited by virtually every school in the school.  This game will be on big-time television on ESPN2.

1/04 will pit them against Minehaha (Minnesota) which has the talented tandem of Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren.  Jalen Suggs is ranked as the sixth best prospect in the class of 2020 according to ESPN and is ranked within the ESPN 300 as a dual-threat quarterback as well.  Chet Holmgren is a versatile 7-footer that can dribble like a guard and take it down the middle and jam it on a defender.  Both played on the Underamour Association for Team Sizzle. 

Who Will Stop Them in State?

California has traditionally been amongst the tougher states to claim a state title, as one has to place well in their city championships to claim a good seed in State, not only win their region, but play the Socal/Norcal winner in the State Title game.  More often than not, the Southern California teams claim the title, as there are generally more talented teams in the SoCal area.  Teams that will give Sierra Canyon trouble down the road as State comes include:

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) - every season you hear about the Monarchs, as they are led by veteran coach Mary McKnight, whom is no stranger to winning himself.  His accolades include one national title, eleven State titles, sixteen SoCal regional championships, and 23 CIF-Southern Section titles.  This season, Mater Dei hosts a slew of talented, headlined by Devin Askew (Kentucky commit) & big man Wilhelm Breidenbach.  Askew is a silky smooth guard with deft balling handling skills, a perfect shot, as well a bulldog demeanor on the court.  Breidenback is a blue collar post who has shown range and ability to rebound and matches Askew’s fire on the court.  The two were a tandem on the Nike EYBL Team Why Not team that made it to the finals.

Rancho Christian (Temecula, California) - the Eagles are led by number one prospect in the country, Evan Mobley, who will join his brother at USC next season.  Evan Mobley is truly a video game character, while at 7-feet he can handle the ball, shoot, cut, just like a guard.  Now, his confidence and skills are at a peak and he is dunking on opponents at will.  This season he looks to win Gatorade Player of the Year as well as cap off his senior season with a State title.  Played for the Adidas Gauntlet Compton Magic, arguably the best program currently in AAU hoops.  Alongside Mobley, the Eagles costar Gonzaga commit Dominick Harris who is pound for pound one of the best players in California.  Harris is listed at 6’4” but can sky for dunks in addition to his overall ability to simple score anywhere on the court.  Look for Rancho Christian to duke it out several times with Sierra Canyon this season.  In fact, they have a date with the Trailblazers on 1/11 as a part of the ESPN High School showcase.

Why They Won’t Make It?

Although Sierra Canyon is not only returning CIF Open Division champs, but in fact back to back Open Division Champs (first time since the introduction of Open Division), they will face stiff competition not only in-state but out of state as well.  With everybody in the country knowing who the Trailblazers are, they will be on their tip-toes to try to put a dent to their name.  This team will be tested physically, emotionally, spiritually as they will play the best individual and team talent with little to no rest.  Although they will mature on the road and as the season progresses, the true question is how well can you mesh a team together for the short-term goal.  

Sierra Canyon has a history of melting teams together as for the 2017-2018 season Bagley skitched on for a ride and Cassius joined for the 2018-2019 season on the route to two State titles.  However, as history shows, there is never a dominant team in California that competes and dominates at the highest level for more than a year or two.  It even took Chino Hills several tries and it didn’t come together until Lonzo’s senior season with Lamelo skipping a grade to enroll earlier along with the other Division 1 talent surrounding them.  Also, the Trailblazers may suffer from too much depth, often times a team with too many all-star players can crash and burn due to little chemistry on the court.  In fact, there are rumors surfacing that with the surplus of talent on this team, they will go with a rolling line-up throughout the entirety of the season, experimenting with line-ups and rotations.  However, questions still stand for the Blazers this season.  Can Sierra Canyon deliver upon the pressures they put on themselves?  Is this the new formula for high school basketball, putting together an on the run team filled with five-star transfers?  Only time will tell.

Enjoy The Show:

Before the season began, Sierra Canyon has already put on a show for the country to follow.  With the blockbuster transfers coming in an alarming rate, the arrival of Bronny James, their own midnight madness, and all of the social media hype surrounding them.  But they are shown to be human, as they lost a fall season league game to Dreamcity Christian, a prep team led by five-star MarJon Beauchamp.  But that says something in itself that their fall season consists of opponents from prep schools, as they played Hillcrest Prep (Arizona) as well.  Right as Sierra Canyon puts together rosters nobody has seen before, with the trio of Bagley, Cody Riley, & Remy Martin, they reload to the tune of Stanley, Martin, and Pippen.  Now they have mixed the theme of five-star talents and sons of NBA players once again as the hoist together talents from all across the country in Boston and Odom.  Add in the cameras, light, and action in the form of the ESPN coverage and you have one of the most highly speculated high school basketball seasons in recently memory, perhaps ever.  Now we will have to see, as whether they deliver on their hype and mania in the form of a State championships, and perhaps number one national spot.  Stay tuned. 

[ao3feed-stucky]

by ElisabethMonroe

What if no one in the world knew who you were?

Bucky Barnes is a damn fine soldier, and so is everyone on his SpecOps team. They’re one of the most elite teams assembled, off the books and on the down low. A ghost team like Seal Team 6, without the drama. Their mission? Eradicate insurgent groups of Nazi leftovers recuperating in the Middle East. It’s not exactly what Bucky thought he was signing up for, but it strokes his ego, so he’s fine with it. He’s even mostly fine with leaving his very new boyfriend at home to do whatever it is that Steve does.

While left at home, Steve has his own missions, off the books and on the down low. An experimental team that the rest of the government cannot know about. So when he and his team are given location and extraction orders, he’s a little surprised to be paired with a second team. Hopefully he can knock this out before Bucky gets sent back home. The only question he’s left with is how the hell he’s supposed to find a ghost.

And how the hell is Bucky supposed to remember who he is when he’s spent six months in the desert being nobody?

Words: 25391, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel, Marvel (Comics)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Frank Castle, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Riley (Captain America movies), Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Brock Rumlow, Billy Russo, Wade Wilson, Logan (X-Men), Namor the Sub-Mariner, Namor McKenzie, Jim Hammond, Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Matt Murdock, Invaders (Team), Howling Commandos, Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan, Jim Morita, Jacques Dernier, Gabe Jones

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes & Frank Castle, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Frank Castle & Billy Russo, Peggy Carter & Steve Rogers

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Shrunkyclunks, Special Operations, Spec-Ops, Alternate Universe - Military, SpecOps Soldier Bucky, Cap Steve, Canon-Typical Violence, military typical violence, The Invaders, Basically anyone who was remotely connected to the military in the movies and comics is in this fic, and everyone loves bucky so damn much, Recovery, Injury Recovery, Post-Recovery Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, pre-injury bucky barnes, they have a dog and i love him so much, Explicit Sexual Content, Past Sexual Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, brief but continuous discussion of sexual abuse