#Roberta Williamson

[abwwia]

Roberta Williamson, You're Perfect, 1998, hand fabricated, pierced, formed, soldered, bezel set sterling silver, crystal, lithograph, paper, ink, polychrome, steel, plastic, carnelian, brass, and wood, 4 5⁄8 x 2 1⁄4 x 5⁄8 in. (11.6 x 5.7 x 1.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Richard T. Evans Fund, 2000.4

[innervoiceartblog]

For My Love (brooch/pendant), Sterling silver, crystal quartz, found objects, baroque pearl. Created by Roberta and David Williamson

[cazzyf1]

I love music, and I love classic Formula One. And I always wonder about what music drivers liked listening to.

I don't know an awful lot but below is all the information I do know, and if you know what music your favourite drivers liked then I would love to know!

Niki Lauda:

His favourite song was 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman, but he also liked lots of her other songs like 'Talking about a Revolution'. He listened to Bob Marley a lot in the 70s and was a fan (and friend) of George Harrison. He liked the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon. He was also a fan of Bill Withers, Randy Newman, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin, and he was also quite the fan of George Ezra and would hit the dance floor if the song 'Budapest' came on.

Roger Williamson:

He loved rock and roll music and would listen to it while working on his car. His favourite band was T-Rex, their song 'Get It On', being one he listened to most. His partner at the time said she now always associates the song 'Killing Me Softly with his song' by Roberta Flack with Roger because they sang it on a road trip not long before he passed away.

Wolfgang von Trips:

He liked classical music because of his mum and upbringing, but he was also introduced to Jazz music when he came in contact with the Americans who took over his house for a bit, which he loved.

Mike Hawthorn:

In one of his Sunday Times car reviews, he mentions listening and singing along to the song 'Hey There' by Rosemary Clooney on the radio.

James Hunt:

I don't know what song or artists he liked, but James Hunt loved listening to music and would carry radios and other transportable music devices to listen to music. I believe he liked classical music but also the current popular music. He and Niki went to a disco with Fat Domino playing, so potentially, they were both fans of his.

François Cevert:

I believe I read somewhere that Jackie Stewart said François Cevert's favourite music was 'Beethoven's Piano Sonata no 8 in c minor' and that he could play it well.

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 77)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (63) / Alexia Putellas x Character (33) & Jordan Nobbs x Leah Williamson (17)

Masterlist (other parts here)

((**2.9k**))

YFN POV

“Morning, little one,” came a warm, husky voice in her ear. She pretended to not hear it in hope of some more sleep. Lucy nuzzled her ear. “Ignoring me, are we?”

She groaned and pouted, refusing to open her eyes. She felt Lucy’s lips on her ear, and then her jaw, cheek, nose, eyelid. “Time to get up, little one. You’ll be back asleep soon in the hospital.”

Her stomach growled and Lucy chuckled. “And no food before the surgery.”

“That isn’t helping you convince me to wake,” she mumbled. “Yummy food in my dreams.”

“Dreaming about me, then?”

She opened her eyes just to roll them as they settled on her favourite person. Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze. Those kind, loving green eyes behind her metal framed glasses today. She reached up to stroke her cheek, one of her fingers gliding along her sharp jaw. “I like that you’ve been wearing your glasses more recently.”

“You made me realise it was okay.”

“Mmn. Much more than okay.” She smiled. “It’s you.”

She then noticed the arm she was holding herself up with, her head in her hand, and saw her bicep bulging against her shirt. The urge to drool was high. She reached out and stroked that muscle, earning a shiver from her.

Lucy repaid the gesture by leaning forwards and kissing her forehead tenderly, her lips then travelling down over her eyebrow, eyelid, cheek, to find her mouth.

She kissed back a little until, “Luce,” she groaned. “I need to brush my teeth.”

“You taste like your toothpaste still, love.”

“You’re just saying that because you love me.”

“And because it’s true…”

“And I don’t know where your mouth has been.”

“Mmn,” she smiled as she reached down to nip her bottom lip between her teeth. “I know where it can be.”

“O…oh…” she replied, stuttering. To her, Lucy was the sexiest person alive so it was very difficult to avoid being so affected by her.

Lucy leant down again, teasingly, and just as YFN was following her mouth with her own, trying to touch lips, she pulled back. “It’s a shame we don’t have time.”

Lucy jumped up out of the bed, much to her shock.

“Don’t have time?!”

“I wanted to let you sleep,” she shrugged. “We have time for a shower, and to go.”

“I really wanted to go to Manchester today.”

“Me too, love. But you come first.”

“We come first. And… oh shit. We said we’d drive Jords back to Birmingham today?”

“I’ve already spoken to them. Leah is taking her.”

She couldn’t help the smile on her face. “And she’s okay with that?”

“Apparently so. She seemed… eager. They came by while you were sleeping to drop off your clothes and peace lily.”

“God, I wish I was awake to say thank you…”

“They know you’re grateful, love.”

“I hope so. Have you spoken to Alexia?”

Lucy nodded. “Barely. She’s leaving today.”

“Today?! So soon.”

“Yes, but we’ll stop by on the way to the hospital, okay?”

“Do we have time?”

“I’ve allowed for it.”

“And that’s why I’ll always love you.”

“Not because I’m gorgeous?” She asked, taking her shirt off to reveal her unnecessarily toned physique. Her eyes immediately dropped down to her abs and v line and suddenly, she was horny. God, she was such a tease. But she didn’t let herself fall for it.

“Come get me,” she said with her arms outstretched.

Lucy grinned and squatted down in front of the bed at a position that YFN could hug onto her like a koala from behind and be carried. “To the shower, peasant woman.”

LEAH POV

Waking with Jordan in her arms was the happiest Leah had been in a long time. She hadn’t realised how terrible she’d slept over the past year until she had her back. Jordan made no sound as she slept, though she was soft and warm, small and very cuddly. Her head remained tucked in by her neck most of the night, and even when they’d been too hot, they’d shifted together. Stayed together.

And it wasn’t anything less than perfect as they woke. No awkwardness or overthinking. Just stretches and yawns, followed immediately by a conversation about how they’d spend their day. That to Leah, was perfect in itself, because not acknowledging the fact that they’d just fallen asleep like they used to, made it that much more natural.

She wanted it back.

Jordan made them some breakfast while Leah was showering. Again, something she loved. No asking questions. No strangeness. Just working together and using each other’s things as if they both shared them. Because that’s how they’d always been.

She’d taken a risk by wrapping her arms around Jordan as she was cooking, and she responded by leaning back into her. They were getting back to themselves again.

Eating breakfast, they realised that they’d forgotten to give YFN her things, and so after breakfast, they dropped around their house. Lucy was awake, though YFN was still very much passed out according to her. “Come in, just be quiet.”

“Oh no, that’s okay,” Jordan said. “We don’t want to risk waking her.”

“Fair enough. What are you two up to today?”

“We were going to take Blu to the park and have lunch and then I need to go home…” Jordan trailed off as she realised she may not have a lift.

“Oh shit! We’re going to the hospital today. I can take you afterwards…”

“I can take you…” Leah offered, her heart beating faster at the idea of more time with Jordan.

A week ago she would have questioned it, but today, she didn’t. “Really? It’s not too much trouble?”

“Not at all. We’ll make a day of it. I’d like more time with Blu anyways…”

Jordan looked up at her and almost blushed. Jordan Nobbs, a little…shy? It made Leah wild. “Then yes. I’d like that.”

They smiled, completely lost in each other until Lucy spoke. “Do you even need to go back to Birmingham?”

“Huh?”

“Well it’s the 28th today. There are internationals, and the WSL isn’t back until the 9th so… you should at least have the next week or so off. Are you coming to the games?”

Jordan shifted as she thought. “You know what, you’re right actually…”

“So no Birmingham trip?” Leah asked. “You can stay with me. I’ll get us tickets.”

Jordan’s eyes glazed over a bit as she thought. “I’d like to go with you. I… my stuff is home. I need to get things. But… if it’s okay with you, then I’ll stay for a little bit. Until you get sick of me, at least.”

“Never. You know that. You can stay as long as you want. I’ve still got your key…”

They became lost in each other again, their little smiles showing as they thought about how relieved they were at more time together.

Soon enough, Lucy cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt whatever this is, but I need to wake my girl up for her surgery.”

“Of course!” They both said at once.

They said their goodbyes and gave their well wishes to pass to YFN. Jordan demanded updates from Lucy on how the surgery went.

From there, their day was at an easy pace. They stayed in town to have lunch and play around with Blu, and then decided on an overnight at Jordan’s place in Birmingham to split the drive. Lucy kept them updated with YFN and sent photos which had them both reeling with empathy. At least she had Lucy to look after her. She’d do anything to take care of her, that one.

Leah drove them to Birmingham and refused when Jordan offered to drive. She didn’t care about her driving her car as she had multiple times, she just wanted to take care of her, like Lucy with YFN.

They pre-ordered and picked up dinner as they arrived in town, taking it back to the house. When they arrived, Jordan grabbed one of her bags and the food, while Leah had their other bags, and Blu. She stood behind Jordan as she was unlocking her front door and noticed her hand shaking as she tried to put the key in the lock. Leah knew Jordan. It wasn’t a cold shaking, but a nervous one. She reached out and took her hand in her own, guiding the key into the lock. Her head was over her shoulder and as she held her hand with the key, she turned to kiss her temple.

“I’ve got you, Jord.”

There was moment of silence before she responded so quietly Leah almost couldn’t hear it. “You’ve always had me, Lea.”

Leah shivered.

There was a lot more tension that night, but the good kind. The sexual kind. Leah was so worried to make the same mistake as last time, and knew she’d never be the one to initiate it this time. Their night didn’t go that way, though. It naturally was more domestic than that. Dinner and packing for Jordan’s trip, bantering and getting ready for bed.

Leah showered first and was just finishing up putting Blu to bed when Jordan appeared still steaming from her shower. She walked straight up to Leah and took her fingertips softly in her own, guiding her to her room. Leah had wondered a few times where she’d be sleeping, and was overwhelmingly happy when she realised that it would be with Jordan. She followed her into the bedroom, Jordan flicking the lights off as they went, and Leah took care to notice all of the things in Jordan’s room that used to be in theirs. Her slippers in the corner. A spare jumper near the bed because she was always cold and needed it sometimes. Her hair ties on the bedside table. The smell of Jordan everywhere. Is this what it was like for Jordan at Leah’s apartment the night before?

They climbed into bed, Jordan on her usual side and Leah on hers, and they met in the middle. She already knew there would be no sex, as they weren’t there yet, however Jordan did kiss her goodnight. It was a simple, sweet kiss though Leah felt more than that. As it lingered, she felt the emotions of Jordan. The yearning, the passion, the love.

“Good night Lea,” she whispered so close that her lips brushed over hers as she said them.

Jordan ducked her head down under Leah’s chin and she felt her warm breath on her neck as she pulled her closer.

“Good night Jord,” she breathed, knowing she was the happiest she’d been in a long, long time.

ALEXIA POV

Alexia stared at the blank, dark wall opposite the bed and sighed as she realised where she was. Her hand reached out to touch the pillow that shouldn’t have been empty, and she stayed there staring at it until Chiquito’s little body wriggled against her as he stretched awake. He’d always been an energetic cat and so she wondered if his sleeping so much as of late was because he was missing her. She reached down and rubbed under his chin. He loved that.

They stayed only a little while longer before getting up. Alexia fixed the bed and left the room led by Chiquito, closing the doors behind her as if it were actual closure. On the other side of the doors, she took a deep breath and told herself that now she was ready to move on.

She wasn’t sure if she believed it though.

Alexia found Ona in the kitchen with Benjami and Richard, her eyes locking onto her as she approached.

“I thought you’d left.” She said, worried. “I couldn’t find you anywhere until Benjami realised where you were.”

Alexia ignored that and greeted the men who were setting the table up for breakfast. They’d made an array of English foods, it seemed, and Alexia was grateful for it.

“I say to Benjami we make England food for you breakfast,” Richard said in his broken Catalan. “Before both you go to home.”

Alexia smiled. “Thank you. Both of you. This is really thoughtful.”

She insisted they join and the four enjoyed their meal together.

“I’ve booked our tickets home. We’re leaving soon.”

“Okay.”

“But we don’t have first class because it was too last minute. Apparently there’s an event in Spain.”

“That’s okay,” Alexia shrugged. “It’s a short flight.”

They finished their breakfast and while Richard started to clear the table, Ona went to pack her things. When they were far enough away, Benjami turned to Alexia. “You’re leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Ah. Will you be back?”

“I don’t think so…”

By the look in his eyes, he already knew everything. “You are always welcome here… she’d have it no other way. She insisted actually.”

“It’s not my place,” she said lowly as Richard passed by.

“I do believe it is now…” he said. “I know Ridley. She wants you to be happy wherever you are. She’s very much okay with you staying as long as you want. In her mind, she’s finally putting this place to use seeing as her brother…” he stopped himself.

Ridley had made this place for her brother. It was her attempt to make a home, as she’d done so often before and failed every time.

“A house is not a home.”

“No.” He shook his head, though in agreement. “It is not. But she hasn’t let anyone in to learn that home is love, just yet.”

Alexia was shocked by his frank truthfulness. He truly did know her.

“Do you know when you’ll see her again?”

“Perhaps never,” he sighed and took Alexia’s hand. She didn’t usually like physical contact, though she didn’t mind this. “I just want to say this to you. She’s a good person, through and through. The best I’ve ever met. She does take responsibility and blame herself for everything, though. She doesn’t believe she deserves to be loved, and beyond that, she doesn’t want to inflict her pain onto somebody that she loves. And she does love you. I know that. I’ve seen that. I’m only telling you this because I need you to know that she’s a good person and I may not know everything she did, but I do know it would have all been for you, la Reina.”

Alexia swallowed the lump of emotions building in her throat and felt her eyes prick with tears.

“That is all I will say on that. It was lovely to meet you, and I hope we see you again in the future.”

Alexia and Benjami ended up sharing their numbers. She very much wanted to keep in contact with him and visit them when she was in London or they in Spain.

Lucy and Blau stopped by to say their goodbyes before the hospital, and Alexia almost didn’t let go of Blau. There was something about her that was so comforting, and she wondered if it was because she knew Ridley or just because it was her.

She requested updates on her surgery, and then the two watched as Ona and Lucy shared as awkward hug. Ona looked like she didn’t want to let go, her wide eyes staring up at Lucy who was being polite in return. After they left, Alexia packed and got dressed for the plane ride home. Ona and Benjami loaded their things into the car, and Richard attempted to coerce Chiquito into a crate, which gave Alexia the space she needed to walk through the penthouse one last time. She didn’t need to, though, as she already had last night. Instead, she went up to the library where her painting was. Taking out her supplies, she put the last finishing touches on and stepped back to admire it.

It was her best work.

Benjami found her there. “We’re ready to go Alex- my, my. That’s incredible.”

“He’s very fun to paint.” She said, staring at Chiquito’s painting. “Benjami, could you do me a favour?”

“Anything.”

“Could you hang this up on the wall opposite her bed, please? It’s too dull.”

He was silent for a few seconds and when she looked at him, he was smiling. “Of course, la Reina.”

The couple drove them to the airport and said their goodbyes there. To be honest, from there on was a blur. They arrived at the check-in to be told that they’d been upgraded to first class. It didn’t matter to her either way, she just hated to say goodbye to Chiquito and put him in his crate. He was unproblematic but she knew he didn’t prefer it.

“See you soon, my boy.” She whispered to him as he was taken away.

They boarded the plane and found their seats, just keen to get home to her apartment and her bed. She put on her noise cancelling headphones and wondered if Chiquito would like it there, in her place. He had a lot of room to play, a lot of sunshine and beaches which she knew he loved. He was strangely a water baby which suited her perfectly. She thought about what toys to buy him and where she could take him that would allow cats. Her mind was very much focussed on that when Ridley knelt in front of her.

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Okay, folks, the mini-tourney is inching closer to the finals, so I'm going to give a list of the competitors in the Miss Billboard Tourney in order to give everyone a chance to submit more propaganda. The nominees are:

Lale Andersen

Marian Anderson

Signe Toly Anderson

Julie Andrews

LaVerne Andrews

Maxene Andrews

Patty Andrews

Ann-Margret

Joan Armatrading

Dorothy Ashby

Joan Baez

Pearl Bailey

Belle Baker

Josephine Baker

LaVern Baker

Florence Ballard

Brigitte Bardot

Eileen Barton

Fontella Bass

Shirley Bassey

Maggie Bell

Lola Beltran

Ivy Benson

Gladys Bentley

Jane Birkin

Cilla Black

Ronee Blakley

Teresa Brewer

Anne Briggs

Ruth Brown

Joyce Bryant

Vashti Bunyan

Kate Bush

Montserrat Caballe

Maria Callas

Blanche Calloway

Wendy Carlos

Cathy Carr

Raffaella Carra

Diahann Carroll

Karen Carpenter

June Carter Cash

Charo

Cher

Meg Christian

Gigliola Cinquetti

Petula Clark

Merry Clayton

Patsy Cline

Rosemary Clooney

Natalie Cole

Judy Collins

Alice Coltrane

Betty Comden

Barbara Cook

Rita Coolidge

Gal Costa

Ida Cox

Karen Dalton

Marie-Louise Damien

Betty Davis

Jinx Dawson

Doris Day

Blossom Dearie

Kiki Dee

Lucienne Delyle

Sandy Denny

Jackie DeShannon

Gwen Dickey

Marlene Dietrich

Marie-France Dufour

Julie Driscoll

Yvonne Elliman

Cass Elliot

Maureen Evans

Agnetha Faeltskog

Marianne Faithfull

Mimi Farina

Max Feldman

Gracie Fields

Ella Fitzgerald

Roberta Flack

Lita Ford

Connie Francis

Aretha Franklin

France Gall

Judy Garland

Crystal Gayle

Gloria Gaynor

Bobbie Gentry

Astrud Gilberto

Donna Jean Godchaux

Lesley Gore

Eydie Gorme

Margo Guryan

Sheila Guyse

Nina Hagen

Francoise Hardy

Emmylou Harris

Debbie Harry

Annie Haslam

Billie Holiday

Mary Hopkin

Lena Horne

Helen Humes

Betty Hutton

Janis Ian

Mahalia Jackson

Wanda Jackson

Etta James

Joan Jett

Bessie Jones

Etta Jones

Gloria Jones

Grace Jones

Shirley Jones

Tamiko Jones

Janis Joplin

Barbara Keith

Carole King

Eartha Kitt

Chaka Khan

Hildegard Knef

Gladys Knight

Sonja Kristina

Patti Labelle

Cleo Laine

Nicolette Larson

Daliah Lavi

Vicky Leandros

Peggy Lee

Rita Lee

Alis Lesley

Barbara Lewis

Abbey Lincoln

Melba Liston

Julie London

Darlene Love

Lulu

Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Barbara Lynn

Loretta Lynn

Vera Lynn

Siw Malmkvist

Lata Mangeshkar

Linda McCartney

Kate McGarrigle

Christie McVie

Bette Midler

Jean Millington

June Millington

Liza Minnelli

Carmen Miranda

Joni Mitchell

Liz Mitchell

Marion Montgomery

Lee Morse

Nana Mouskouri

Anne Murray

Wenche Myhre

Holly Near

Olivia Newton-John

Stevie Nicks

Nico

Laura Nyro

Virginia O’Brien

Odetta

Yoko Ono

Shirley Owens

Patti Page

Dolly Parton

Freda Payne

Michelle Phillips

Edith Piaf

Ruth Pointer

Leontyne Price

Suzi Quatro

Gertrude Rainey

Bonnie Raitt

Carline Ray

Helen Reddy

Della Reese

Martha Reeves

June Richmond

Jeannie C. Riley

Minnie Riperton

Jean Ritchie

Chita Rivera

Clara Rockmore

Linda Ronstadt

Marianne Rosenberg

Diana Ross

Anna Russell

Melanie Safka

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Samantha Sang

Pattie Santos

Hazel Scott

Doreen Shaffer

Jackie Shane

Marlena Shaw

Sandie Shaw

Dinah Shore

Judee Sill

Carly Simon

Nina Simone

Nancy Sinatra

Siouxsie Sioux

Grace Slick

Bessie Smith

Mamie Smith

Patti Smith

Ethel Smyth

Mercedes Sosa

Ronnie Spector

Dusty Springfield

Mavis Staples

Candi Staton

Barbra Streisand

Poly Styrene

Maxine Sullivan

Donna Summer

Pat Suzuki

Norma Tanega

Tammi Terrell

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Big Mama Thornton

Mary Travers

Moe Tucker

Tina Turner

Twiggy

Bonnie Tyler

Sylvia Tyson

Sarah Vaughan

Sylvie Vartan

Mariska Veres

Akiko Wada

Claire Waldoff

Jennifer Warnes

Dee Dee Warwick

Dionne Warwick

Dinah Washington

Ethel Waters

Elisabeth Welch

Kitty Wells

Mary Wells

Juliane Werding

Tina Weymouth

Cris Williamson

Ann Wilson

Mary Wilson

Nancy Wilson

Anna Mae Winburn

Syreeta Wright

Tammy Wynette

Nan Wynn

Those in italics have five or more pieces of usable visual, written, or audio propaganda already. If you have any visuals like photos or videos, or if you have something to say in words, submit it to this blog before round one begins on June 25th!

If you don't see a name you submitted here, it's because most or all of their career was as a child/they were too young for the cutoff, their career was almost entirely after 1979, or music was something they only dabbled in and are hardly known for. There are quite a few ladies on the list whose primary career wasn't "recording artist" or "live musician," but released several albums or were in musical theater, so they've been accepted.

[outsideratheart]

Deja Vu (Leah Williamson x reader)

A/N: I cannot believe the response I got for Eyes Open. Thank you! I never planned on writing a sequel but i got sent an idea and I knew i had to write it.

Based off this request.

Part 2 to Eyes Open

You were told it would take a minimum of 6 weeks to recover from your head injury but the doctors said it could take longer. 2 weeks after the incident you got your stitches taken out and was cleared from your concussion. 1 week after that you starting training with Arsenal but Jonas refused to play you despite your constant begging. 

Soon enough a month had passed and you starting struggling with been on the sidelines. You loved being able to be an Arsenal fan but you wasn’t even on the bench. You were watching from the stands and with every game that passed you became more and more frustrated. 

6 weeks to the day you received a call from Sarina. She wanted to speak to you but asked that you don’t tell anyone. You were the starting number 10 for England and with the friendly against Germany coming up she needed you and wanted you in her starting 11. 

You told her you had passed every test and this was true but then she asked why you hadn’t played an Arsenal game. 

“I passed my tests and my scans are clear. They are scared” you were in a meeting room at SGP. Sarina on side and you on the other.  

“If you passed your tests, why are they scared?” Sarina asks. 

Truth is she had already asked the question to the staff at Arsenal. She knew the answer but she knew the only way you make the team is if she can trust you. 

“Because my head isn’t as strong as before. You saw the hit it took it was bad but the only way for me to get stronger is to put it to work. I’m ready Sarina. Watch me at training, you’ll see”

And watch you see did, like a hawk but Sarina failed in comparison to Leah, Lucy and Keira. Every time the ball hit your head they would pester you, asking if you were ok or if you needed a break.

You let them fuss and hover knowing that it made them feel better even though it made you feel worse. 

The morning of the game you started to get a headache. Did you think it was related to the injury? Of course you did but then you reminded yourself that everyone gets headaches and you overthinking won’t make it any better.

After the warms up you get ready for the game. You wait until every player is out of the locker room before putting some cooling gel on your forehead and hairline then take some paracetamol.

“You have a headache don’t you?” Lucy asks. 

You grab your chest in fright. Of all people to catch you it had to one of the three people you absolutely did not want to see you. 

“I’m fine Lucy. It’s only been a few days and I can already feel it going away” you try your best to reassure her but the look in her eyes tells you that it was a waste of time. 

“Are you being serious? Days! Im telling Leah. Hell i’m telling Sarina. You’re not playing” Lucy tries to leave but you grab her wrist, preventing her from doing so. 

“Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze. You will do no such thing. We need to win this game and you know the best way to do so is to have you and Leah on the back line, Keira in the middle and me up front.” You change your tone. You weren’t appealing to her human side, you were appealing to her player side and she couldn’t ignore it given that the game was due to kick off in 5 minutes. 

“You feel even a little bit off you call for a sub and go for a scan afterwards” this was her compromise. 

You don’t get the chance to respond as a member of the coaching staff comes to get the both of you. 

 It was a rematch of the euros final and England wanted go prove that the win wasn’t a fluke and Germany wanted to prove that they are better than the champions. 

It’s safe to say this lead to the match being very physical and intense from the first whistle. You had taken a few knocks courtesy of Giulia Gwinn so when the team was back in the locker room at half Leah is by your side asking you question after question. 

She strokes her finger over your scar. It was something she had been doing ever since you got your stitches out. When you asked why, she told you it was because it reminds that you are ok. 

“Leah” your word fell on deaf ears “baby, look at me. It was a few knocks but nothing I haven’t had before. I’m ok” 

You quickly steal a kiss before running back out to the field. 

“Something is wrong with her” Keira whispers to Lucy. 

Although she doesn’t respond, the look on her face speaks volumes. 

“What is it?” Keira asks. 

“I saw her earlier, before the game started. She was taking paracetamol”

“Her headaches are back?”

Lucy nods even though you never told her. 

“What do we do?” 

“We let Y/N manage this. She knows her body and mind better than anyone. Just keep an eye on her” 

“I can do that” Keira’s eyes scan the locker room before stopping on her best friend “do we tell Leah?” 

“No” the certainty in Lucy’s tone tells Keira how serious she is. 

Throughout the second half, the couple watches you as much as they can whilst playing the game. 

During a Germany free kick you are told to get in the wall. You see the ball come at you but you don’t have the chance to move and it hits you square in the face. 

“Y/N!” Leah comes running towards you as play is stopped.

“Ooo, that stings” 

The medics are soon by your side. They do a quick check and are happy for you to continue playing. You see Sarina eying you up from the sidelines. She makes the sub signal and you shake your head. 

From then on the team sees the affect the hit has on you. Your moves are sloppy, you aren’t running as fast. You are the most vocal on the pitch but after the freekick you are silent and they notice you are avoiding heading the ball. 

After a Germany corner Mary quickly clears it and sends the ball up the field where you are normally making a run. The whole team push forward to make the most of the play given that there isn’t long left in the game. 

You hear the crowd erupt as Meado slots the ball into the back of the net. It is the last thing you hear as the ringing in your ears gets louder and louder. You take a knee as you try to focus but it doesn’t work. You are unable to balance and you fall back on the floor. 

“Y/N!!!” Mary sprints over to you “ MEDIC!!!“ she rapidly waves her hand. 

The celebrations come to an abrupt end as each England player on the pitch runs towards you. 

You lay there unconscious. Your body limb and the only solace comes with the fact that they can see your chest rise and fall. 

“No, no, no. Not again” Leah kneels down behind you and lifts your head onto her lap. She moves the stray hairs out of your face. 

“Y/N please wake up. I can’t do this again” Leah begs you as tears fall freely down her face. 

The medics arrive and once again Leah, Lucy and Keira stay by your side whilst the others players give you space. 

“I don’t understand. She has been fine for weeks. She passed every test why would this happen?” Leah asks to no one in particular. 

Keira looks at Lucy and defender knows what she is thinking. 

“Did she take any knocks we didn’t see?” The medic asks. 

“No. She was perfectly fine”

Again Keira looks at Lucy. The older player takes a deep breathe. 

“She had a headache before the game” 

Leah’s head snaps up in the direction of the woman who is talking. The look of betrayal covers her face. 

“She said she has had it for a few days” Lucy can feel Leah’s eyes burning into her but she refuses to meet her gaze. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Leah voice is low and stern. 

Lucy shrinks in her place. Just as she is about to speak Keira cuts her off. 

“She didn’t want you to worry. Y/N told her not to tell you” 

“You — Ke — you knew and you didn’t tell me” the anger that Leah was feeling gets replaced by hurt at the thought of her best friend keeping something this important from her. 

As the three of them go back and forth you slow regain consciousness. Leah is arguing that they should have told her whilst the couple argues that they were doing what you wanted. 

You begin to regain consciousness. 

Deja vu. That is what they call it. That is what you are feeling. You know the the voices before you see their owners. 

You feel drops of water on your cheeks. When you look up you realise that they are tears and they belonged to Leah. Once again she was trying and it was your fault. 

“Hey” you reach up and awkwardly grab her shoulder. 

“Great you’re awake. Get her off the pitch. Don’t let her lie to you!” You can hear the hurt in her voice. 

You are about to respond but she walks to the sidelines for a drink.

You try to get to your feet but the blood comes rushing to your head and you stumble back again. 

Lucy grabs your arm to steady you but you brush her off. 

“You told her” you snap. 

“You passed out on the pitch again. You were unconscious again. I didn’t have a choice” 

“Yes you did. You —“ once again you feel light headed. 

The medics put a stop to the conversation or more appropriately the arguement that you and Lucy were having. They usher you to the tunnel. You try to grab Leah’s hand as you pass her only  for her to recoil from your touch. Your head was pounding, you felt sick but knowing that Leah didn’t want you to touch her, that hurt the most. 

“I’m sorry” you whisper. 

“You need to get checked over. Go” 

You get examined by the medics then they leave you on the physio bench. They turn the light out as they leave. You hear the final whistle blow and cheering. England must have won. 

The sounds of boots on the hard floor get closer and closer. You can hear the team in locker room and you’re not sure who you want to see first. Well you do but you’re not sure she will want to see you. 

“I’m mad at you” 

You could only see her silhouette but it was more than enough. 

“Would it make it worse if I say I plead the fifth” you say playfully. 

“Yes it would” Leah turns the light on without warning. The brightness makes your headache worse. 

“Hey!“ you quickly cover your eyes. 

As Leah walks closer to you she takes her boots off as to reduce the noise. The notion lets you know that she wasn’t really mad with you. She was using her angry to cover her fear. 

“You were getting headaches again” 

“Normal people get headaches Leah”

“You’re not normal”

“Thanks” 

“That’s not what I mean and you know it” 

You did but you really didn’t want to talk to her about this. You knew that you would only scare her if you did. It was the reason why you kept it  secret in the first place. 

“I want you to know I’m telling the truth when I say I didn’t think it was serious. It was only a headache then on the pitch, i don’t know, it happened so fast” 

When you sit up you are meet with red eyes and tear stained cheeks. 

“You are ok. I can see it in your eyes” you see Leah visibly relax upon her realisation. 

“I am but they still want me to go for scans. I told them I needed to speak to you first” 

Standing to your feet, Leah grabs your waist. She looks into your eyes and moves her fingers whilst telling you go follow it. This simple test is one she saw the doctor do time and time again. She starting doing it whenever she needed reassurance that you were ok. 

“I’m not the only one you need to speak to. You owe both of them an apology” 

“I know” 

You leave the physio room and enter the locker room. You scan the room until you come across the two people you are trying to find. 

You see Keira standing in front of Lucy as the old player wraps her arms around the midfielders waist. 

“I’m sorry I snapped at you” you say as you reach her locker. 

“Apology accepted. How’s the head?” 

“I feel like I have the world’s worse brain freeze” 

All of a sudden Lucy stands from her locker and pulls you into her arms. 

“Don’t do that again” it was a warning but you knew she was coming from a good place. 

“Im sorry to you too Ke. I shouldn’t have put you in a position where you had to lie to Leah”

“You didn’t. She did” Keira point to Lucy. 

You look at your best friend and laugh. Your girlfriend was mad at you and hers was mad at her. 

“Looks like we’re both in the dog house. Fancy swapping room mates?” You joke. 

“Absolutely not!” Leah cuts in “you are not leaving my sight until you have a full bill of health” 

When Sarina comes into the locker room she tells you that you won’t be playing the next game and that she will be going to the hospital with you so that she can know for sure what condition you are in. 

“You’re in trouble” Leah whispers in your ear. 

“Trouble’s my middle name” you kiss her cheek before you begin getting change “care to help me take my shirt off” you raise your eyebrows playfully. 

“If I must” 

Leah happily strips you off your shirt. She carefully lifts the material over your head and placed a gentle kiss on your scar. 

[upontherisers]

oc introduction: straighten up and fly right

masters of the air has unfortunately woven itself into the very fiber of my being and the girls are writing themselves at this point. i’m not going to call it a fic yet, but i will be writing for my mota OCs under the title of Straighten Up and Fly Right. i’d like y’all to meet the women of thorpe abbotts (and beyond) circa 1943. more are on their way.

The Air

1st Lt. May Vera West, 23, of Upper Marlborough, MD - Bombardier, Gin’s Joint

Please, call her Vera. Klutzy in a way that makes the fact that she’s still alive a miracle. It’s a wonder she got through training. Gets caught in a lot of awkward moments. Nervous but not anxious. Mousy, energetic. A quick thinker and a rule follower—not an insubordinate bone in her body.

Cpt. Virginia “Ginny” Franklin, 25, of Seattle, WA - Command pilot, Gin’s Joint

Sly talking, suave blonde bombshell with a face for the pictures. Chews gum in a way that’ll make your heart pound. Hell of a pilot. College girl. Loves her “sisters” (her crew) and every woman under her command. Quite friendly but not to the British. Can and will charm every CO out of worrying about the competency of her crew. Very laid back, a little (a lot) messy.

1st Lt. Mahalia Summerton, 24, of Ypsilanti, MI - Pilot, Blue Baby

Only daughter of a Ford factory worker and church secretary. Worked her way through college and into a pilot’s license. Chooses fighter planes over the big birds once she joins up and leads her own squadron of Red Tails in Italy. No-nonsense and aloof to strangers, protective once she opens up. Bold.

The Ground

Hazel Keene, 23, of Akron, OH - Secretary to the Air Executive

Affable and effective, and good at getting a lot out of people while keeping her own cards tight to her chest. Came over to England with Bucky, making her one of the more senior staffers on base. Is one of those people who can find whatever you're looking for within a few seconds while you looked for over an hour.

Lola Rosales-Mooreland, 19, of Presidio, TX - Clubmobile hostess

Small town banker’s daughter making her way into the wide world, wielding her miraculous medal against temptation and tragedy with less and less efficiency. Tries not to be a goody two shoes but can’t quite break the habit of trusting blindly in authority. Loves to dance. Sweet tooth.

Roberta “Bobbie” Chambers, 24, of Arlington, VA - Clubmobile hostess

An Army brat who runs her Clubmobile like a world-class regiment. Doesn’t accept any less than the best and doesn’t accept excuses. Tries to instill a sense of purpose into her girls beyond quaint patriotism; donuts can win the war and by God it’ll be hers that will. Will never admit how much she likes dancing. A morning person. And it's Bobbie, not Roberta.

Sgt. Dellarose Williamson, 21, Detroit, MI - Mechanic 

Knows machinery better than most people know themselves. There’s no such thing as a lost cause, just a thing that needs a little love. Brushes off every slight about her height with a bright smile and dimples that make you feel bad about razzing her. Has a busy mind that can run away from itself sometimes. Runs on three hours of sleep and a strong black coffee.

[canirove]

The Princess & the Football Player | Chapter 19

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

"Look who has remembered where her best friend lives!"

"Ha, ha, ha. You are so funny, Eleanor" Roberta says. "But you could also come visit me, you know?"

"I know" I sigh. "But it looks like when I'm not busy you are, and when you aren't busy I am."

"And we had told ourselves that we would never become that type of friends that forget about the other when they get boyfriends."

"I don't have a boyfriend" I chuckle.

"Then what is Declan? Your secret lover?"

"Honestly... It does look like it, yes."

"But you want him to be more than that, right? For him to be your boyfriend."

"I do. But it is... complicated."

"No, it isn't. You just ask him" she shrugs.

"Roberta, Dec and I aren't like you and Mason. I am not like you. Like any of you" I whisper.

"Eleanor..."

"Look who has decided to grace us with her presence!" Sophie says, walking into the room. "Wait, did I interrupt something?"

"Nothing, don't worry" I quickly say.

"Mason finally set you free?" 

"You also are so funny, Sophie" Roberta says, rolling her eyes. "Must run in the family."

"We got it from our dad. Anyway, why are you here?"

"Can't I just come visit my best friend and her sister?"

"You can. But are you here just for that?" 

"I actually am not, no" Roberta says with a big smile.

"Oh... She's planning something" Sophie laughs.

"I am, yes. Are you girls free next week?"

"I... think so" I say. "Why?"

"Because we are going... to Paris!"

"What?"

"It’s been ages since our last girls trip, I miss it! Besides, I heard they've opened a new vintage store that is like super exclusive, and we must visit it."

"And the fact that next Saturday England is playing against France in Paris is just a coincidence, right?”

"Maybe" Roberta smirks. "C'mon, Eleanor. It'll be fun! We'll properly catch up, enjoy our time together, and then end our trip watching our men be sexy on the pitch. Maybe find Sophie a nice French lover too."

"I like how the last part of your plan sounds" Sophie smiles.

"What about that girl you were texting? Maggie was she called?" I ask.

"Wait, the last thing I heard was about a guy called... Finn?" 

"They both are in the past" Sophie says. "But having a French lover until Leah finally answers my dms sounds fun."

"Leah? Who is that?" Roberta asks.

"Leah Williamson, the football player. Sophie is in love with her."

"I'm not in love with her, but I do like her. A lot. Though she seems to be more interested in you."

"What?" I laugh.

"Oh, c'mon Ellie. Haven't you noticed the way she looks at you every time you've met?"

"No" I shrug.

"I sometimes hate you."

"The feeling is mutual" I smile.

"Imagine both of you dating football players. Your mum would go crazy" Roberta laughs. "But let's go back to what is important right now. Who is coming to Paris?" 

"I'm in" Sophie says, lifting her arm. "And maybe that new vintage shop has your birthday dress, Ellie."

"Your birthday dress?"

"The birthday dress. The one Declan likes thinking about when he..."

"Sophie!"

"What? He basically confessed it" she shrugs.

"He did" Roberta adds. "But let's make that our Paris mission: find the dress so Declan can take it off you."

"And find me a French lover."

"And find Sophie a French lover. Do we have a deal?" Roberta asks.

"Deal" Sophie answers.

"Eleanor?"

"Deal" I sigh.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"If they don't have it here, I'm giving up."

"No one is giving up" Roberta says. We've been in Paris for a few days already, and we've visited most vintage shops in the city looking for my birthday dress. They've called some of their contacts, taught us how to search for it online and even asked the brand who made it. But nothing. It's like the dress never existed.

"If mum hadn't done that cleaning a couple of years ago..."

"It still would not fit me" I shrug.

"But maybe you could have had it fixed or something."

"Good news" the shop assistant interrupts us. "We know about someone who has that dress."

"Really?" Roberta, Sophie and I say at the same time.

"Yes. It's part of a private collection, but when we told the owner that it was for the Princess of Wales, they couldn't say no."

"That's amazing!" Roberta says, clapping her hands in excitement.

"When could we get it? We are leaving in a couple of days, and it may need alterations" I say.

"We'll send someone in a bit to pick it up and take it to the dry cleaners. You can come tomorrow for a fitting."

"Thank you so much."

"Just doing my job" the shop assistant says with a big smile.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━          

"I still can't believe we found the dress. And you look so good on it!" Roberta says while we get ready for the game. "Declan won't know what it him when he sees you. If 18-year-old Eleanor drove him crazy, the present one will... I don't know what you will do to him."

"But we can imagine what he will do to her."

"Sophie!" I say, trying to hit her but missing.

"Look at how red her cheeks have turned" Roberta laughs.

"I hate you. Both of you" I say while I try to focus on finishing my make up.

"Declan and Eleanor sitting in a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage!" Sophie sings.

"Roberta, can I borrow your mascara? I don't know where I put mine" I ask, ignoring my sister.

"You lost it because you were thinking about Declan's thingy" she laughs.

"You can call it by its name, Sophie. She was thinking about Declan's di..."

"Roberta, your mascara" I insist, rolling my eyes.

"It's on my make up bag over there" she says, both her and Sophie giggling like idiots.

"Holy shit!" I scream, her bag falling from my hands.

"Please tell me there wasn't a spider among my things."

"Worse. Why do you have a photo of a dick on your make up bag?"

"What?" Sophie says, her eyes wide.

"Oh" Roberta chuckles. "I was wondering where that one had gone."

"That one? There are more?"

"Yup. Mason and I have been taking them since we first went to Italy. It's a way to stay connected when we are away from each other. We see the photos, and..."

"Wait, wait, wait. That is Mason's..." Sophie says, her eyes getting wider.

"Oh dear Lord."

"It's quite nice, isn't it?" Roberta says, looking at the photo.

"I mean..." Sophie says next to her. 

"Oh… Dear Lord" I repeat.

"C'mon Eleanor" Roberta laughs. "Are you telling me that you've never taken spicy photos?"

"Of course not! Have you forgotten who I am? Imagine the scandal if somehow someone found them."

"It would get nasty, yeah" she sighs. "Things already were like that with that paparazzi photo where it looked like Damiano was eating you out, so if they were to find one where that is actually happening..."

"Exactly. So you must be careful. If someone finds them and they recognize Mason..."

"I know, I know. We are being careful."

"Clearly" Sophie chuckles. 

"We are. This won't happen again."

"It better not. Because people will probably drag you and make you look horrible while defending him because he is a man. It's always the same" I warn her.

"I promise we will be careful, Eleanor. I will be careful."

"Great. Now, should we get a drink before we leave? I seriously need to forget about what I just saw. Especially when I'm about to spend two hours watching him run after a ball."

"Rude" Roberta laughs.

"It wasn't that bad" Sophie shrugs. "Can I see it again?"

"Sophie!" Roberta and I say at the same time.

"What? We haven't found me a French lover, but this can help... Somehow."

"Hell no. Mason is my boyfriend. That is my dick and no one else's. I'm not sharing."

"All yours then" Sophie says, sticking out her tongue. 

"Don't laugh, Eleanor" Roberta says. "She may try to go after your man next."

"Let her try" I smirk, making Sophie roll her eyes.

[chicagobotanicgarden]

Baubles, bangles, and bees: How nature inspires artists

At ACE this weekend, nature enhances the work of jewelers Roberta and David Williamson.

Inspired by the plants and insects in their garden, jewelers Roberta and David Williamson will be among 145 artists from across the country showing their handcrafted work this week at the American Craft Exposition (ACE). The juried exposition at the Chicago Botanic Garden is also a fundraiser for the Auxiliary of NorthShore University HealthSystem. Roberta recalls the early days of her work,…

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 3 June 2019

Quick Bits:

Batman #72 essentially gives a bit of recontextualization for what has been going on during the series, giving a summation of events, in this third part of “The Fall and the Fallen” from Tom King, Mikel Janín, Jorge Fornés, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles. It’s all right, with some glorious artwork as always, but it kind of feels like we’re treading water here.

| Published by DC Comics

Bettie Page: Unbound #1 builds on what’s come before and the magic of her unicursal hexagram pendant, but you needn’t have read anything previously as this first issue does a good job of weaving in the relevant information to inform this adventure. I quite like what David Avallone, Julius Ohta, Ellie Wright, Sheelagh D, and Taylor Esposito have been doing long term with Bettie Page and this is another fun start to the next chapter, blending Lovecraftian horror with a jaunt through pastiches of Dynamite’s current properties.

| Published by Dynamite

Birthright #36 returns from the trade break with the start of the next stage in dealing with the weakening walls between realms and what terrible things may happen as magic keeps building up on the threshold of our world. The artwork from Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas remains absolutely stellar as they, Joshua Williamson, and Pat Brosseau continue one of the best fantasy adventure series that strangely keeps flying under the radar.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Black Cat #1 is a highly entertaining debut, leaning hard into history and heists, with three tales spotlighting the Black Cat and the Black Fox. Jed MacKay pens two of the tales, one in the present illustrated by Travel Foreman, one in the past by Mike Dowling, both coloured and lettered respectively by Brian Reber and Ferran Delgado, that play stylistically off one another as they build up the respective crews and show them in action. There’s also a very cute two-page heist with cats by Nao Fuji.

| Published by Marvel

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5 begins a long dark night for Xander’s soul as he’s struggling with overcoming the demon trying to take control as a vampire. Great bits building what he means to Buffy and Willow. David López takes over line art duties here, and it’s definitely a change, darker and scratchier than what’s come before, but it suits the raw emotion of the story.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Captain Marvel #6 begins a tie-in to War of the Realms with Carol and Natasha trying to find Doctor Strange in South America. It’s a fun start to this story from Kelly Thompson, Annapaola Martello, Tamra Bonvillain, and Clayton Cowles with a Freaky Friday twist as they try to stop Enchantress.

| Published by Marvel

Criminal #5 begins “Cruel Summer”, which Ed Brubaker promises to possibly be the longest arc yet, kicking off an investigation into a woman running from an abusive affair. Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips give us an intriguing start to this arc through a sad sack private investigator in Dan Farraday 

| Published by Image

DCeased #2 continues the destruction of the DC Universe through a “not zombie” zombie plague. Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Stefano Gaudiano, Rain Beredo, and Saida Temofonte are telling a great horror story here, with some big casualties wiped off the board pretty quickly.

| Published by DC Comics

Deadpool #13 is another War of the Realms tie-in, dropping Deadpool into Australia to tackle Ulik and his trolls. It’s a decent start from Skottie Young, Nic Klein, and Jeff Eckleberry with some funny Wade/Blind Al moments and Wade trying to convince the Australian heroes of his worth as an Avenger.

| Published by Marvel

Deathstroke #44 is part one of “RIP”, with Priest, Fernando Pasarin, Ryan Winn, Jeromy Cox, and Willie Schubert kicking it off with Slade’s funeral. Some interesting bits of possibility as to who might pick up the Deathstroke mantle.

| Published by DC Comics

Descendent #2 continues this conspiracy-laden thriller from Stephanie Phillips, Evgeniy Bornyakov, Lauren Affe, and Troy Peteri. This one’s a bit heavy on the shadowy organization being shadowy and light on explanation, but there are still some entertaining character moments.

| Published by AfterShock

Eclipse #16 brings this series from Zack Kaplan, Giovanni Timpano, Flavio Dispenza, and Troy Peteri to a close. I find it kind of funny that the reason for the solar activity and underlying state of the world aren’t answered, but that’s been part of the through line of this final arc, focusing more on the characters and the heart that keeps people going.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Fallen World #2 continues this wonderful exploration of the new state of 4002 AD by Dan Abnett, Adam Pollina, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. The threat of Father-possessed Bloodshot in horrifying and the future is looking pretty bleak. Also, I think this is some of the best artwork I have ever seen from Adam Pollina. He’s really giving it his all for this series and it shines through on the page.

| Published by Valiant

Giant Days #51 deals with the fallout of McGraw’s loss as we head towards the end of the series. The shift in behaviour for Esther to more responsibility and adult attitudes also seems to be a sign that John Allison is giving us that the end is near.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

The Green Lantern #8 is one of the weirdest Green Lantern/Green Arrow team-ups you’re going to come across. With awesome demons from Liam Sharp.

| Published by DC Comics

Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 gives us a trio of tales and a framing story, focusing on the other heroes who were sucked into oblivion in the first issue, and where some of them have ended up now. Great work from all of the creators involved and hope to see them usher more stories of the characters.

| Published by Marvel

Incredible Hulk: Last Call #1 is another of the 80th Anniversary specials, this time reuniting the classic Hulk team of Peter David and Dale Keown for this one-shot. It’s an interesting tale of Bruce wanting to kill himself and an old co-worker of Betty’s trying to talk him out of it.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League #25 concludes “The Sixth Dimension” from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano. Gorgeous art as always, and an interesting bit of the League being more than the sum of their parts to choose a different way. There’s also a prelude for the “Year of the Villain” even from James Tynion IV, Javier Fernandez, Hi-Fi, and Napolitano and it’s a little grim. While they were gone, the world has been doomed.

| Published by DC Comics

Meet the Skrulls #5 brings this excellent series to a close, with hints of something even bigger than a Skrull invasion lurking within the Marvel Universe. Robbie Thompson, Niko Henrichon, Laurent Grossat, and Travis Lanham have provided a taut thriller through this series, but also shown that the tightest bonds in the field are really with your family.

| Published by Marvel

Savage Avengers #2 continues slowly bringing together the team in the Savage Land, along with revealing the long time Conan villain pulling the strings. It’s bloody, violent, and great. Mike Deodato Jr. and Frank Martin are making this look gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Stronghold #4 goes in some very interesting directions as Michael and Claire escape from the Stronghold’s clutches and go searching for the Apostate. Some absolutely marvellous artwork from Ryan Kelly and Dee Cunniffe, with some great repeated variations on layouts as Michael cycles through different lifetimes.

| Published by AfterShock

Uncanny X-Men #19 catches us up with what’s been going on with Emma Frost since her X-Men: Black story across Astonishing X-Men and the beginning of this series, and, well, it’s also bleak. And there’s more death. Also a reminder that the Vanisher’s name is Telford Porter. TELFORD PORTER.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms #5 is kind of a mess of pieces, I don’t recommend anyone trying to reconcile appearances and locations in this book with any of the tie-ins, but on its own, it’s one hell of a gathering storm for the finale. Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson are unparalleled here with the artwork. It’s drop dead gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #14 slips back to the present to deal with what happens after Alex and co. get ported off to the future. I love how Caitlin Kittredge, Roberta Ingranata, Bryan Valenza, and Troy Peteri are presenting this, rather than just leaving us confused in the future.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Young Justice #6 concludes “Seven Crises” with some answers, kind of, but not any particularly satisfying ones, more just a bunch of hand waving. Which is not to say this isn’t good, Brian Michael Bendis, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, and Wes Abbott deliver a very entertaining excursion into Gemworld, with some funny moments and great action. It’s just that the questions about how and why any of this is happening or who these versions of the characters are and out of which continuity remain.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Age of X-Man: Prisoner X #4, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #2, Beasts of Burden: Presence of Others #2, Black Hammer ‘45 #4, Dead Man Logan #8, Domino: Hotshots #4, The Dreaming #10, Elvira: The Shape of Elvira #3, Female Furies #5, Hashtag Danger #2, Hotel Dare, Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #10, Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica #2, Marvel Action: Avengers #5, Marvel Team-Up #3, Noble #18, Old Man Quill #6, Paper Girls #29, Red Sonja #5, Ronin Island #4, Section Zero #3, Shadow Roads #8, Sharkey: The Bounty Hunter #4, Six Million Dollar Man #4, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #9, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Luke Skywalker #1, Star Wars Adventures #22, Thumbs #1, Tony Stark: Iron Man #12, Vampirella: Roses for the Dead #4, Volition #6, War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #4, War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #3

Recommended Collections: Avengers - Volume 3: War of the Vampires, Captain Ginger - Volume 1, Cemetery Beach, Cloak & Dagger: Agony & Ecstasy, Die - Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker, The Dreaming - Volume 1: Pathways & Emanations, Hack/Slash Omnibus - Volume 6, Impossible Incorporated, Maxwell’s Demons - Volume 1, Mind MGMT Omnibus - Volume 2, Mirror: The Nest, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down, The Thrilling Adventure Hour - Volume 2: Residence Evil

d. emerson eddy is all thumbs.

[fillielitsa]

David and Roberta Williamson, Assemblage Jewelry and Vignettes.

[innervoiceartblog]

Jewelers Dave & Roberta Williamson, PROCESS episode

[cazzyf1]

Some information about Roger Williamson from the book 'The Lost Generation'

Roger was inspired to race by his father who raced speedway bikes

Him and his father raced together

A local, Tom Wheatcroft, who wanted to help a local boy offered to buy a new engine for Roger Williamson. Later Tom's wife opened their front door to find Roger covered in dirt and oil holding a ticket to Silverstone for Tom.

When Tom arrived, Roger had crashed and thought it was the end of his career. Tom sponsored him and got the car fixed for the race.

Roger would be cost conscious and refused to get things he didn't need even if Tom implored him to.

Roger never took his support for granted

"He always had time for you, and had absolutely no side. If he said "hello" to you once, he'd always acknowledge your presence there after however tense the race environment was."

"He never came in and said it was the car, never blamed the far. If anything weren't right, he thought it were him that were off."

Roger would take his girlfriend around the track before he raced so they knew what was going on.

"He was, in many respects, quite shy"

"I've always liked red wine, and when we would go out for a meal he'd say, "I suppose you want some of that red stuff?" He rarely drank wine, but if he had some he'd say, "Hmm it's not bad is it?" He was never a great drinker, and he used to tease me and say, "you'd better choose the wine, I haven't got a bloody clue what I am doing!" - his girlfriend

He wore a flat cap as his personal gimmick

His girlfriend has always associated the song 'Killing me softly with his song' by Roberta Flack with him as they drived around listening and singing to that song one day

"The one thing I actually fear more than anything is being burned alive." - Roger Williamson

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 355

Comic Reviews:

DC

Aquaman: Andromeda 1 by Ram V, Christian Ward

Dark Crisis 1 by Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez

DC Pride 2022 by Devin Grayson, Ivan Cohen, Tini Howard, Greg Lockard, Alyssa Wong, Stephanie Phillips, Danny Lore, Stephanie Williams, Jadzia Axelrod, Dani Fernandez, Kevin Conroy, Travis Moore, Ted Brandt, Ro Stein, Nicole Maines, Lovern Kindzierski, W. Scott Forbes, J. Bone, P. Craig Russell, Lynne Yoshii, J.J. Kirby, Meghan Hetrick, Nick Robles, Brittney Williams, Jess Taylor, Evan Cagle, Zoe Thorogood, Samantha Dodge, Giulio Macaione, Rye Hickman, Tamra Bonvillain, Marissa Louise, Jeremy Lawson, Triona Farrell, Enrica Angiolini

Multiversity: Teen Justice 1 by 

Nubia: Queen of the Amazons 1 by Stephanie Williams, Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, John Livesay, Alex Guimares

Poison Ivy 1 by G. Willow Wilson, Marcio Takara, Arif Prianto

Earth Prime Flash by Emily Palizzi, Jess Carson, David Lafuente, Pablo Collar, John Kalisz, Miquel Muerto

Marvel

Fortnite X Marvel: Zero War 1 by Christos Gage, Donald Mustard, Sergio Fernandez Davila, Sean Parsons, Edgar Delgado

Jane Foster and the Mighty Thor 1 by Torunn Gronbekk, Michael Dowling, J.P. Mayer, Jesus Aburtov, Marte Gracia, Matt Wilson, Nolan Woodard

Love Unlimited: Red Dagger and Ms. Marvel by Nadia Shammas, Natacha Bustos, Ian Herring

Marvel Meow 8 by Nao Fuji

Image

Skybound Presents: Afterschool 1 by Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Greg Hinkle, Giovanna Niro

Dark Horse

Ward 1 by Cavan Scott, Andres Ponce

AfterShock

Astronaut Down 1 by James Patrick, Rubine, Valentina Briski

Where Starships Go To Die 1 by Mark Sable, Alberto Locatelli, Juancho

Ahoy

Justice Warriors 1 by Matt Bors, Ben Clarkson, Felipe Sobreiro

ComiXology

The Very Final Last Girls by Josh Eiserike, Z Crockett, Andres Barrero

Scout

Code 45 1 by Benjamin Hunting, Joe Ng

Archie

Archie and Friends: Summer Loving

Titan

Doctor Who Origins 1 by Jody Houser, Roberta Ingranata, Warnia Sahadewa

Dynamite

Elivira: Wrath of Con by David Avallone, Elvira, Dave Acosta

OGNs

Motherbridge: Seeds of Change by George Mann, Aleta Vidal

Grip of the Kombinat by Damon Gentry, Simon Roy

Girl and the Glim by India Swift, Michael Doig

Secrets of Camp Whatever v2: The Doors to Nowhere by Chris Grine

Slip by Marika McCoola, Aatmaja Pandya

Additional Reviews: Obi-Wan ep4, Ms. Marvel, American Horror Stories s1, Chip n Dale, Jurassic World Dominion, Many Deaths of Laila Starr

News: Joker 2, Ghostbusters animated series, Ezra Miller, Arcane series of prequel shorts on YouTube, more Kevin Smith He-Man, McKeever back at Marvel, Junji Ito anthology series on Netflix, Love Unlimited, Bruce Campbell Evil Dead/Sgt Rock crossover, Thunderbolts movie confirmed, Spot in Spider-Verse 2, Dark Horse gets Ghostbusters comic license, George Stacy cast for Spider-Verse 2

Am It Glenn?

Glenn meets Ram V

Trailers: Spiderhead, Prey, Sea Beast, Black Adam

Comics Countdown:

Oblivion Song 36 by Robert Kirkman Lorenzo De Felici, Annnalisa Leoni

Slip OGN by Marika McCoola, Aatmaja Pandya

Aquaman: Andromeda 1 by Ram V, Christian Ward

DC Pride 2022 by 

Secrets of Camp Whatever Vol 2: The Door to Nowhere by Chris Grine

Time Before Time 13 by Rory McConville, Ron Salas, Chris O'Halloran

Dark Knights of Steel 7 by Tom Taylor, Nathan Gooden, Arif Prianto

Twig 2 by Skottie Young, Kyle Strahm, Jean-Francois Beaulieu

That Texas Blood 14 by Chris Condon, Jacob Phillips, Pip Martin

Batman: Killing Time 4 by Tom King, David Marquez, Alejandro Sanchez

Check out this episode!

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Round One Has Finished!

Well, everyone, we've just concluded the first round of the Miss Billboard Tourney. Thank you all for participating thus far! Congratulations to the following, who are advancing to Round Two:

Lale Andersen

Julie Andrews

Patty Andrews

Joan Armatrading

Dorothy Ashby

Joan Baez

Pearl Bailey

Josephine Baker

LaVern Baker

Florence Ballard

Eileen Barton

Shirley Bassey

Lola Beltran

Teresa Brewer

Anne Briggs

Ruth Brown

Joyce Bryant

Kate Bush

Maria Callas

Blanche Calloway

Wendy Carlos

Diahann Carroll

Karen Carpenter

Charo

Cher

Gigliola Cinquetti

Petula Clark

Merry Clayton

Patsy Cline

Judy Collins

Rita Coolidge

Gal Costa

Betty Davis

Doris Day

Lucienne Delyle

Jackie DeShannon

Marlene Dietrich

Julie Driscoll

Cass Elliot

Agnetha Faeltskog

Marianne Faithfull

Mimi Farina

Ella Fitzgerald

Roberta Flack

Connie Francis

Aretha Franklin

Judy Garland

Crystal Gayle

Gloria Gaynor

Bobbie Gentry

Lesley Gore

Eydie Gorme

Margo Guryan

Sheila Guyse

Annie Haslam

Billie Holiday

Betty Hutton

Wanda Jackson

Joan Jett

Etta Jones

Gloria Jones

Grace Jones

Janis Joplin

Eartha Kitt

Chaka Khan

Gladys Knight

Sonja Kristina

Patti Labelle

Cleo Laine

Barbara Lewis

Abbey Lincoln

Julie London

Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Loretta Lynn

Lata Mangeshkar

Linda McCartney

Christie McVie

Jean Millington

Liza Minnelli

Carmen Miranda

Stevie Nicks

Nico

Laura Nyro

Odetta

Patti Page

Dolly Parton

Freda Payne

Ruth Pointer

Leontyne Price

Suzi Quatro

Bonnie Raitt

Carline Ray

June Richmond

Jean Ritchie

Clara Rockmore

Linda Ronstadt

Diana Ross

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Hazel Scott

Marlena Shaw

Nina Simone

Nancy Sinatra

Grace Slick

Mamie Smith

Patti Smith

Mercedes Sosa

Ronnie Spector

Barbra Streisand

Poly Styrene

Maxine Sullivan

Donna Summer

Pat Suzuki

Tammi Terrell

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Big Mama Thornton

Mary Travers

Tina Turner

Bonnie Tyler

Sarah Vaughan

Akiko Wada

Dionne Warwick

Mary Wells

Tina Weymouth

Cris Williamson

Ann Wilson

Mary Wilson

Nancy Wilson

Syreeta Wright

The aforementioned ladies are accepting propaganda for their next posts. To give folks some time to prepare any sort of written/visual/audio propaganda for submission to my asks, Round Two will begin at midnight PST on July 10th.

[portlandmainehomes]

21 Most Unusual Pet Encounters Realtors Are Still Reliving

If you thought cranky and quirky buyers and sellers presented one of the biggest challenges Realtors face, you may have forgotten about something even more unpredictable: their pets. Real estate industry experts shared the strangest encounters they've had with animals. Some are hilarious, while others are downright scary. All will make you think twice the next time you enter an open house. 1. Get off me, goat! via GIPHY "Was showing an acre of property to buyers. The sellers had some farm animals — chickens, goats, etc. One of the goats started following me around. Almost aggressively, harassment style, and this was not a small goat. Eventually, well, it tried to mount me. Horribly embarrassing, I ended up running inside while my buyers toured the rest of the backyard. For some reason, it was fixated on me. My clients could not stop laughing." -- Leah Bubb, Realtor® with HomeSmart 2. Dead or alive? "Came upon a mini schnauzer peacefully sleeping on a bedroom bed. As I got closer, I realized it was not only dead and stuffed but that it had a breathing apparatus in it to make it seem alive!" -- Amy Williamson, Realtor® with RE/MAX Integrity Actual footage above, no lie! 3. Realtor or dog sitter? "During an open house I was asked to hold a dog outside, but I needed to sing to the dog and rock it like a baby. I was like ‘…What?' But I did it." -- Pate Stevens, an agent with luxury real estate firm Nourmand & Associates. 4. A wee accident "I was getting ready to start the open house and the client was cleaning her things so I took the dog in my lap, and when he got back down I noticed it (he was tiny so it wasn't a lot, but still! Pee!)! Not a great way to start off! It showed visibly on my outfit and the tenant freaked out, she was so embarrassed. Luckily I have a pup at home so I knew that with a tide pen and a hair dryer I could get it out. The tenant was mortified but had both of those things so I got it out and moved on." -- Sam Lazar, an agent with Triplemint. 5. Oh, rats! via GIPHY "There was a time recently, where my buyer and I were traveling through the home. I am not a fan of unfinished basements. With flashlight in hand, (because in the unfinished ones, the lighting is always horrible) we walked down the long hallway. And we heard the oddest sound. A mixture of a squeak and scratching. At first I was really nervous because I thought there were mice. Then there it was! A big fat rat in a cage. We both let out a screech and got out of the basement real quick." -- Denise Supplee, Realtor®/Investor/Landlord Expert/co-founder and operations director of SparkRental.com / Educator at Snaplandlord.com. 6. These guys weren't so lucky...

"I had a listing appt and the main showcase of this hoarders home was in the basement. I'm glad I brought an "assistant" as I just knew he might be an odd duck when I got the call. He looked at us with a weird excitement and asked us to come see his most prized possession. (Yes we had a mag flashlight and pepper spray) Turns out it was a mouse museum. Dead mice in jars. He promised to name the next one after me!!!! 😳 I passed on the listing." -- Danielle Mahnken, Agent with Gloria Nilson & Co Real Estate 7. Dog day afternoon via GIPHY "My clients and I got locked inside an apartment because the door knob wasn't secure. After not being able to get out for awhile one of my clients climbed out the fire escape and starting banging on windows. He unknowingly knocked on a doggy daycare directly under the apartment and when the employee opened the door, at least 15 dogs ran out and started running around. Once the employee corralled all the dogs back inside, we were able to walk through their store to escape." -- Maggie Fanney, an agent with Triplemint. 8. Reptile Room "Showing Instructions: Locked door in basement is reptile room. Do not attempt to open, as they are uncaged. If buyer is interested, seller will open room for 2nd showing. Needless to say I didn't show the house." -- Jessica Thomas, Former Professional Development Chair at Kansas City Regional Association of REALTORS® and Realtor® at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Kansas City Homes 9. Horsing Around "Here I am, fresh off the licensing train at the ripe age of 18. Meeting a new potential client, I show up early open up the house. It's a cute little bungalow in a small 'historic' town. I walk around the corner and there is a horse in the living room! (vacant home) It's just chilling there! To be honest, I'm not sure how it even got in there. But you could tell it had been in there a while. I called the listing agent and he had no idea how it happened or who the horse belonged to. So, I called up a family member who runs a rescue and after doing some footwork, we got it home. Almost a decade later and it's still one of my favorite stories." -- Danyl Winderlin, Realtor® with Realtypath 10. Hogging all the attention via GIPHY "While I was showing a vacant home, a massive hog wandered up to the property and started eating grass. He stayed the whole time we were showing. When I told the listing agent about the hog, she stated that it was negotiable." -- Emily Isbell, Realtor® at The RealTeam Homes & Land 11.Table-sized turtle via GIPHY "I was photographing a home and the homeowners had left. I was on the third floor and heard a bunch of noise on the main level like furniture was being moved around. I thought they were back home, but when I came in the living room there was a GIANT turtle in the center of the room. I mean like the size of a big round coffee table. He was banging into the furniture and causing quite a ruckus! -- Angela Romano, Realtor®; at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach 12. Hamster mishap "During a showing, I was in the hallway turning on lights while my clients were checking out the hall bath. I stepped into a child's room to flip on the light at about the same time the pet hamster escaped from his plastic exercise ball,apparently the child had forgotten to take the hamster out of the ball and put the little guy back into his cage. Before I knew it, the hamster had rushed passed me, down the hall and into the hall bath, where my client proceeded to stomp on him! He did not die right away, so we gently placed him back into his cage but I cannot imagine that he lived much longer... That was an awkward phone call to the listing agent but I was sure glad that I wasn't in the listing agents shoes, having to tell the family before they came back home. My clients did not buy that home." -- Brenda Miller, REALTOR® at eXp Realty 13. Monkey business "We have a local lender in this area that has a pet Capuchin Monkey. He brings it to closings sometimes, always a hit!" -- Ed Cordle, Realtor® at Genesis Real Estate 14. Creepy Kitty via GIPHY "My partner and I were showing a precious little townhouse to a client. A beautiful solid white fluffy cat lived there. The cat had a pure evil expression the entire time and followed us around the house. When we got to the master bedroom, the cat jumped up onto the bed, looked us dead in the eyes and peed on the bed never breaking its glare at us. Pure evil!" -- Danyalle Friday, Realtor® at Montgomery Metro Realty 15. Just ducky via GIPHY "A garage full of ducks at the home inspection. Keep in mind, they weren't there before. And boy did it smell horrible!" -- Roberta Tynik Lejeune, Realtor® at Better Home and Gardens Real Estate 16. Just Batty via GIPHY "Walked down into the unfinished basement of an older home a few weeks ago... was only down there for about 10 seconds until a bat flew by my head. Bye Felicia." -- Ryan Ballard, REALTOR® at Key Realty 17. Butting heads via GIPHY "Chased by neighbor's goats all the way into the house, where they then began butting the door. A horse in the garage was a big surprise too." -- Jackie Merritt Realtor® The Danberry Co., Realtors 18. Polite Parrot via GIPHY "I was showing a house once, and I arrived before my buyers. I rang the doorbell just to be sure no one was home. When no one answered, I opened the door and heard, 'Hello?! Who's there?' Startled, I started to apologize and explain that I was a Realtor® who was there for a showing. I got cut off again with another, 'Hello?! Who's there?' About 30 seconds later, I finally realized it was a parrot and not a person." -- Kara Pagliarulo, Attorney at Law at Attorney Support Solutions, Kara Pagliarulo, Esq. 19. Squirrely showing "I came across a caged pet squirrel once. He didn't seem happy. -- Jamie Hering, Realtor® at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate 20. Magic carpet via GIPHY "I was showing a home and the owner was there. There was an empty glass tank. I asked what used to be in the tank and he said it was a snake. When I asked where the snake was he said he wasn't sure but he knew it was around somewhere. When I looked in the corner there was a lump moving under the carpet." -- Heather Bennett, REALTOR® at Hunt Real Estate ERA 21. Pig contingency via GIPHY "The sellers had a pet pig, and for unknown reasons, they had decided to leave the pig roaming around inside the home when they left. Just as the buyers arrived, 'Stella' came swaggering out of a bedroom to greet everyone. She was a medium-sized pig, quite charismatic, and friendly, although noticeably aromatic if you catch my drift. That pig stayed right by my buyers' sides during the entire showing, walking from room to room, occasionally squeaking it's approval while looking up at the young couple. I could tell that these folks were becoming more attached to the pig than to the house itself. They had fallen in love! As we were departing the home, the buyers were non-committal. I thought to myself, 'They really love this pig, and I also knew that the sellers had a dilemma to solve that the buyers didn't know about. They couldn't bring their pig with them to the new apartment they were moving to. So just before entering our vehicles to leave, I said, 'You seem to have taken a real liking to 'Stella.' They nodded in agreement. 'If you decide to place an offer on this home I could write a contingency into the contract that the pig would go with the house. I think the sellers might just go along with that!' They smiled and said, 'You're kidding with us, right?' I said, 'No, I'm serious! I'll write it right into the deal if you want!' The young bride looked squarely at her husband and said, 'Hon, Let's do that!' Back at my office, I placed the contract/offer in front of Gene, my then manager, for him to peruse and approve. He smiled while staring down at the clause, 'The pig (Stella) conveys with the property.' The deal was made, and everyone was happy. Everyone at my office got a big kick out of this unique contingency which I included in the offer. We had lots of fun in those days at the office. All the agents were like family and friends. After the closing, one of my colleagues, Raylene, presented me with a little statue of a pig that really resembled Stella. I still cherish that statue to this day, and look at it when I need a smile." -- Tom Cirignano, author of The Constant Outsider I'll leave you with a viral video that's making its rounds on the internet (trust me, it's pet related — just wait for it). No word on whether the woman is a door-knocking agent or not. Let's just pretend she is. Read the full article