#Sean is just as annoying as he claims Daniel is

[jhasegawa25]

What do you think Sean did to Daniel before this pic was taken? Because based on how Daniel looks and Sean’s smile, I think he definitely did something to annoy Daniel

[ziltoidcoffee]

We've done Terry being jealous of Kumiko. Now: Daniel being jealous of Kreese.

Terry admitted to Daniel at some point that before they met, he was unrequitedly in love with John for years. Daniel doesn't mind Terry and Kreese still being friends, of course he doesn't, that would be silly. And yet whenever Kreese comes to the house for a visit, Daniel spends the whole time hanging on Terry's neck. Sitting in his lap. Generally turning the PDA up to 11.

(All right, anon. I’m not a huge Cobra Husbands romantic shipper, but since it's in their past, fuck it. 🐍 Here’s what I thought of. Definitely an canon div. AU if they got together during KK3.)

For the last hour, Daniel’s been watching a movie with Terry on the couch in his mansion, both wearing matching, red satin pajamas with hand-stitched monograms. He has his head in the older man’s lap with long fingers combing through his hair, each drag sending a warm tingle down Daniel’s spine. The movie is an old black and white noir that Terry likes, but he doesn’t care what film they watch, only that they’re together.

He’s content to spend the entire night here, possibly even fall asleep and be taken to bed. But a door slamming from the other room has Daniel sitting up with a frown, staring at the entrance to the living room. “What’s wrong?” he hears Terry ask, and Daniel says nothing, lying back down. But he can feel his face pulling into a grimace, annoyed by who he already knows will be joining them shortly. Only one person would dare to treat Terry’s house without care and live to see another day.

But just in case there’s any doubt in Daniel’s head, the march of footsteps toward the living room confirms his suspicions, along with Terry’s gleeful, “John! You’re back early!” Daniel can already feel the pang of jealousy turning into bile in his throat. He doesn’t even bother looking away from the movie, knowing the sight of John Kreese will ruin his composure.

“Turns out, my date was a bitch,” John scoffs, and he walks across the room in front of the television. Daniel still refuses to meet his eyes. He never liked Kreese and still doesn’t, especially after what he did to Johnny, or tried to do. But he puts up with the man, acting cordial at the very least since he’s Terry’s closest friend.

“Sorry to hear that,” Terry chuckles, and his hand slides down from Daniel’s hair to caress the side of his face. “Guess we all can’t be so lucky.”

Despite Kreese’s annoying presence, his boyfriend’s words bring a smile to Daniel’s lips. He even turns his head and glances up to meet Terry’s eyes.

Kreese snorts. “Whatever, I don’t care. Plenty of fish in the sea,” he mutters. Then there’s the sound of someone taking a seat not too far away, followed by a happier, “What’re you watching?”

Daniel tilts his head to glance over and finds Kreese sitting in the plush chair beside the couch facing the tv. Great, he plans to stay and ruin their date night for what is not the first time since Kreese moved in with them after his apartment complex burnt down. Terry claimed this was “only temporary” to help out his friend, but after three months, Daniel is starting to wonder if his boyfriend knows what the word “temporary” means.

He tries to hide his discomfort and turns away, sitting up beside Kreese with crossed arms. Not only does Daniel detest Kreese because of his past actions, but he found out a few weeks ago that his boyfriend used to have a crush on the former military captain. He considered moving out himself after that bomb was dropped, giving Terry the silent treatment for almost 24 hours. The only reason he didn’t is because Terry whisked him away for a much-needed vacation in Palm Springs and opened up to Daniel about all his past relationships, baring his heart in a rare moment.

Terry doesn’t seem to notice his aversion, smiling as he slings an arm around Daniel’s waist. “The Frightened City,” he answers. “Pre-Bond Sean Connery.”

“Now that’s a real man,” Kreese comments, and there’s a shuffle of clothes then a click that sounds like he’s lit a cigar.

A second later, the smoke drifting toward Daniel proves him right, and he rolls his eyes while Terry laughs at his friend. “True, true,” he says, like Kreese actually said something funny.

They start discussing the plot and the actors, loud enough to drown out the movie, and Daniel can feel the beginning of anger pricking up his spine. When this goes on too long, he throws his leg over Terry’s thigh, trying to earn his attention. But all he gets instead is his boyfriend’s hand, coming down to rest over Daniel’s leg. His fingers even play with the silk fabric, but Terry’s still joking with Kreese.

It shouldn’t annoy Daniel so much. Terry explained he got over Kreese when they came back from war. He realized Kreese was straight and never going to change. But that doesn’t settle the little green monster in Daniel’s mind. He grinds his teeth and turns his body to throw his other leg over Terry before moving to straddle him. Terry’s eyes widen in surprise, and Daniel grins while settling his hands on the man’s chest.

“What’s this?” Terry whispers, eyes cutting to Kreese.

Daniel doesn’t bother peering over. “I thought you said we’d be alone tonight,” he purrs, keeping his voice low enough for only his boyfriend to hear. Then he tilts his hips to grind down against Terry’s crotch covered in satin.

Terry sucks in a breath. “I assumed wrong,” he admits, closing his eyes as if trying to compose himself. But his hands drop to settle over Daniel’s hips, squeezing but not stopping his motion

“Can’t you just ask him to leave?” Daniel asks, and his voice is whiny, almost embarrassingly so. But he can feel Terry hardening beneath him. He must be doing something right.

The fingers at his hips tighten. “He had a bad night. I’m trying to be nice to my old friend,” Terry tells him.

He doesn’t like the sound of that. His boyfriend is too caring about the old war vet. Oh well, Daniel will make him leave then. “But what about me?” he breathes, and his fingers start to unbutton Terry’s shirt while his hips grind downward. Terry glares at him, saying nothing. Though under Daniel’s fingers, he can feel the older man’s heart beating rapidly. “I want you all to myself, Terry.”

Before Terry can reply, Daniel ducks down to kiss at his neck as a hand slides into his shirt. It’s then he hears a groan of irritation from a few feet away, and Daniel smirks against his boyfriend’s skin.

”All right, I’m out. No movie is worth watching you two for,” Kreese grumbles, and a moment later, there’s the slog of footsteps and a door shutting close.

When Daniel brings his head back up, Terry isn’t frowning but smirking. “You little brat,” he growls though his voice is full of affection, and his hands glide down to grab Daniel’s ass, bringing him closer. “You did that on purpose.”

“Maybe,” Daniel admits, pushing back against Terry’s touch. “I told you. I want you all to myself.” His expression darkens at the thought of Kreese and his boyfriend together in their positions.

He earns a chuckle. “Is this about my old infatuation with John?” Terry asks, and Daniel shrugs. “You should know by now that you're the most important person to me.”

It’s not quite “I love you,” but Daniel accepts this for now. “Then please kick him out, Terry. He’s always up in our business. I can’t stand it,” he pleads, still unbuttoning his shirt.

Terry sighs. “Soon, Danny. I swear.” He leans in to offer a soft and brief kiss that calms Daniel along with his next words. “But maybe I should keep John around if this is how you act.”

Daniel’s face grows warm in self-consciousness, but his head is caught by strong fingers at his jaw before he can turn away. “You look so pretty in green,” Terry whispers, and his smug grin makes Daniel see red instead.

He lifts a hand to grab the back of Terry’s head and pull him into a bruising kiss. John Kreese will never know what this feels like, to taste Terry Silver, not as long as Daniel’s around.

[wrestlingisfake]

The story so far on Daniel Bryan and CM Punk:

Sean Ross Sapp (Fightful) reported Punk is in talks for an in-ring return, and AEW is the current favorite. No indication of a contract being signed so far.

Cassidy Haynes (Bodyslam) reported that Bryan has already signed an AEW deal.

Dave Meltzer (Wrestling Observer) says he's heard Bryan and Punk are both negotiating with AEW, but doesn't know if either has signed anything.

Sapp says Bryan's talking to AEW, but can't confirm that he's signed.

Sapp and Meltzer are reliable. The key difference between this and every other time Punk rumors started is that these two guys are actually on board, instead of just some rando claiming 'the dirtsheets' reported something.

I never heard of Haynes or Bodyslam until last night, but Sapp says Haynes has good AEW sources. It's possible Haynes jumped the gun, but I guess we'll see.

I've seen a lot of talk about Punk debuting in Chicago and Bryan debuting at the New York stadium show, but that seems less like reporting and more like common sense speculation. I'd be wary of anyone passing off fantasy booking ideas as confirmation that things are definitely happening.

I think these reports are credible enough to believe serious talks are happening with both guys, but it's still possible neither will actually sign. The Haynes story could be premature. Punk could get annoyed by the internet reaction, or literally anything. WWE could swoop in with gigantic money offers at the last minute. The story is worth following, but not solid enough to bring Punk and Danielson signs to the next AEW show. Not yet, anyway.

[updatesherwood]

DOMINIC AT #DREAMITATHOME2 [PT. 1]

Q: Were you able to hang out with any of the cast from Penny Dreadful, who have you gotten to know, are any of them like Alberto or Matt? D: Yes, I’m pretty close to all of them, obviously I spend of my time with Thomas and Michael so I’m closest to them but I’m also relatively close to Daniel and Jonathan, we see each other at evensts and stuff. 

Q: How was it moving out in the middle of quarantine and a global pandemic? D: It was annoying, moving out was a nightmare and I needed to move out because as you see Dan is 20 stone or something ridiculous now, he needed a yard and I didn’t have one, it was awful. The movers were terrible, they charged me too much money and didn’t do a very good job, they left a piece of my couch at my other place and they claimed it wasn’t so, it was a nightmare.

Q: If there was one thing you would change about yourself what would it be? / Are you still learning Spanish?  D: Nothing, I’m perfect. Maybe humility. I would like to be better at languages. / Yeah, mostly because of the show I’m on now that is a lot about Latin culture and a lot of actors I’m working on are native speakers so it’s important to me to learn as much as I could to communicate with them in their first language. 

Q: What are your next goals? D: Season 2 of Penny Dreadful - that would be amazing - but we don’t know yet and I can’t  tell you because I don’t have any information. Then, career-wise,  I’d love to do maybe some films but it’s not something I’m on now since the industry is closed down so there’s anything to look for to. Personally, my happiness and health and of whose around me. 

Q: Are there any projects you would like to try now? D: There are a few yeah, the problem with projects not officially released in the production stages I’m not allowed to talk about but there are a few yes, there is a film a I know there’s a tv show that is similar to Penny Dreadful which is a continue of a very successful pre-existing series and that’s definitely something I wanna be part of but unfortunately there’s nothing I can really say about it because there’s no information released to the public yet and I’m not a part of them yet.

Q: How have you been doing with CoVid-19? D: Well, I don’t have it so that’s a positive thing, the issue I have with it is that the person we all refer to for anything in relations to crisis, medicines and whatever, and his recommendations was not to open until it drops but that’s not what happened and as a result we have massive spikes now and LA is the worst it has been since it started. So to keep everyone safe I’ve just been staying at home and it’s a nice thing for me because I get to interact with people. 

Q: Which type of character would you like to play? D: Probably either a James Bond obviously or I want a cowboy. Playing in 1938 was pretty cool because you get to play with different cars, costumes, accents and how people talk, interact with each other.

Q: About Penny Dreadful, you were supposed to play a German one, you had to talk in German too? D: That’s funny, someone said “could you not do a German accent” and they never asked me to do that, it was always American. I’ve always knew it would have been an American who joined the gestapo and that was sent back to America. In a possible season 2, I know he speaks German but he haven’t seem him yet. 

Q: Who is your favourite James Bond actor? D: I think it’s a generation thing, I’m a big fan of Sean Connery but if you go back to some old  films they were quite misogynistic and now it’s not the case, and then I was raised with Pierce Brosnan and he was the first one I got to see and I’m a huge fan of Daniel Craig as well, so one of those three.

Q: How was learning to surf for Penny Dreadful? D: That was hard, I thought it was going to be really easy but it wasn’t and it’s really hard work. I did a few lessons on my own. It’s very important to me to understand those skills to understand my character. There were two issues. One: in the 30s sweatsuits didn’t exist yet so I was wearing the boxer shorts than they had in 30s, the second thing is that we filmed that in December so it was really cold. They had to move the day to a sunny one so that the water would be warm and it saved my life.

Q: Why did you become an actor? D: Honestly that’s all I wanted to do since I was a kid, like 5yo, performing and being in front of an audience in any shape or form and when I turned 18 and I left school I spent some time travelling the world and when I came back I joined this small agency and I got some commercial roles and bigger parts on my way up which lead me to tv films then I got a bigger agent which is still my agent now and it has been for 10 years now, I was one of the lucky people who knew from the young age what I wanted to do.

Q: How do you handle the constant rejection that comes from your job? D: You never know what they’re looking for and if you’re right for the role and then when you see it on screen you understand. It took me a really long time to get used to it but the only way is to think that there will be another job as good and as exciting because people are always gonna make film and tv. If you go into an audition and you know nothing about it, it’s fine. But if you get to the final two or five and you’re in the last round, that’s hard to take.

Q: Are there any movies from the past you would like to play in, with which actors? D: James Dean would be on the list for sure, I’d love to work with him. Elvis, Buster Keaton.

Q: What about a Dan and Dom show? D: No, cause he just takes all the attentions and nobody would watch me and that’s understandable.

[brightpinkpeppercorn]

Happier (Part 2 of 3)

Prompt, A/N: Thank you to the sweet Nonny who requested a Jake x MC fic based on the song “Happier” by Ed Sheeran. This ended up being longer than I thought so I’ll be posted Part 2 today and Part 3 tomorrow.

Links are being annoying so you can find Happier Part 1 in my Masterlist!

Kicking off Endless Summer Appreciation Week!  

Characters/Pairings: Jake x F!MC (Taylor) , Jake x OC Summary: Jake and Taylor deal with the impact of a decision he made years ago and they still need to have a discussion  Song: “Happier” by Ed Sheeran A/N (part two): As always, thank you to @mind-reader1 and @bbaba-yagaa for being my sound board and beta reading.

Rating: PG-13 to M (suggestive language) Word Count: 4982 + song lyrics   Disclaimer: I do not own the majority characters, they belong to Pixelberry. There is one original character and I can claim them. The song “Happier” was written by Ed Sheeran, Ryan Tedder, and Benny Blanco

Tag List: @mind-reader1​ @choicesyouplayandmore​ @indigo39​ @roonarific​ @indescribablechoices​ @riseandshinelittleblossom​ @choiceslife​ @daniela2510​ @thedaryllee​ @endlessly-searching-for-you​ @mysteli​ @zaffrenotes​ @likethetailofacomet​ @ooo-barff-ooo​ @agent-bossypants​ @sleepwalkingelite​ @cocomaxley​ @akrenich​ @nitta-jaeguet​ @truekender​ @dancetothestoriesinyoursoul​ @emomoustache​ @endlessflame​ @littlecrookedheart​ @indiacater​ @feartheendlesssummer​ @endlesstaylormckenzie​ @darley1101​ @lostlightningbug​

Others that may be interested:@blackcoffee85 (ES week) @debramcg1106

'Cause baby you look happier, you do My friends told me one day I'll feel it too And until then I'll smile to hide the truth But I know I was happier with you

“What do you think? Want to share a ribeye?” Annie called over her shoulder from her spot on the bed, lying down on her stomach, as she thumbed through the Hyatt’s room service menu. No response. “Has Jack Daniel’s A-1 sauce, I bet you’ll like that.” Again, Jake didn’t acknowledge her. “I’ll let you eat it off me.”

Rolling onto her side, she noticed him sprawled on the room’s couch, chuckling at something on his phone. He was completely engrossed with the device in his hand, typing away as quickly as he could. “Mac, are you phubbing me?”

“Huh?” He glanced briefly at her before turning back to his phone. “Yeah, give me another half an hour to recover, alright, Miss Annie?”

“I meant food, McKenzie, I’m hungry. Worked up an appetite.” She let out a sharp exhale as he continued to ignore her, laughing at something on his phone. Getting up, Annie tossed the booklet onto the bed and kneeled in front of the couch. Leaning over, she peered over to look at his phone screen. “Are you getting a play by play of the bachelor party?”

To kick off the three-day ‘wedding extravaganza’, as Sean called it, both he and Taylor had their bachelor and bachelorette parties on night one. Night two was the rehearsal dinner followed by the wedding on day three. Jake, finishing his second glass of whiskey at a burlesque club, wasn’t in the mood to celebrate anything and sent Annie a text to see if she’d be willing to ditch the party and meet him back at their hotel. Within a few minutes, they had both gotten an Uber.

After the two had met at the graduation party, Jake would make an extra stop to see her whenever he completed a disaster relief missions. Working for Hyatt, Annie was able to get them a comped room for a night, maybe two, depending on their availability. Their communication was otherwise infrequent. Jake liked Annie just fine, enough to look forward to the end of his missions - mainly because she filled a need for him, something he’d missed for the four years since his separation from Taylor. Annie was well aware of his intentions and looked forward to his visits for the same reason.

“Nah. Getting a play by play of the bachelorette party.” Still amused, he flipped his phone so she could see the screen with a picture of Quinn doing a body shot off of Grace. A new image flashed across the screen, a blurry selfie of Taylor and Estela.

For reasons to do with Sean’s schedule, the engagement period was only six months. It wasn’t much time to prepare for a large wedding involving an athlete with a rising profile. Originally out of nerves, Taylor had started sending Jake occasional text messages and before long, they found themselves talking almost every night. Including the nights he was with Annie.

“Got a new one from Taylor.” Annie rolled her eyes, pushing the phone away from her face. “Looks pretty far gone which I’m sure is hilarious.” Placing her hands on his chest, she learned over and kissed him briefly. “But I definitely made the right decision to back here. They’re about one more drink until the crying phase of the night and I wouldn’t have been in the mood to babysit.”

Looking at the picture, Jake smiled before putting the phone down next to him. Turning towards Annie, he smirked at her and patted her shoulder. “Said you were hungry, huh? Let’s blow the food here and go across the corner, best late night shrimp po’boys outside of Louisiana. They’ll knock your socks off.”

Sticking her tongue out, Annie made a face. “Oh, God, no. I hate shrimp.” She was met with a shrug. “Besides, if we go together, it’s a date and we don’t do that.”

“Wasn’t askin’ you on a date, Lilac.” Chuckling, he got up and walked to the dresser, pulling out some clothes. “Was telling you about some of the best food you’ll ever eat. You can come with me and pick up food or you can stay here and eat the same thing you always eat. Your choice.”

She sat down on the previously occupied couch, crossing her legs, making no point to move. “Let’s meet halfway: get me a roast beef sandwich and a root beer if they have it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” With that, Jake left the room in pursuit of food.

By the time Jake arrived back to the hotel, the noise level of the lobby had increased ten-fold. He’d forgotten that Annie had secured Taylor’s bachelorette party a suite in the same hotel and they had all just gotten back. Jake hadn’t physically seen Taylor, save a few Facetime calls, since her graduation party and while he wanted to see her, he wasn’t sure about dealing with a drunk Taylor.

“Top gun!” Bouncing up next to him, Taylor threw her weight on Jake, almost knocking him off his feet. Steadying himself, he tried to keep a straight face as he took her in. A tiara somehow balanced on her head and her blond hair was disheveled. Eye makeup was smudged across her bleary eyes. Reaching over, he tore off the sash reading ‘Bride!’ which was held together by two thin threads upon her shoulder.

“Well hello, Ms. Taylor.” Jake shifted the bag of food under his arm as he handed the sash back to her. “Had a good night?”

Pointing to her tiara, she straightened up and flashed him a smile. “Princess. Call me that, I miss you calling me that.” Knowing better than to protest, he nodded. Hearing the sharp sounds of heels hitting the floor, he noticed Michelle walking over to them. “Meech! My maid of honor!” Taylor’s lips pushed into a pout as Michelle gave Jake a quick ‘hello’ before turning her attention to Taylor. “Why do I have so many bridesmaids, anyway? I only wanted the island girls.”

Trying to keep a straight face, Jake watched Michelle try to convince a stubborn Taylor to head back to the suite so they could get some rest. After some back and forth between the two women, he cleared his throat. “Leave her with me, Maybelline, I won’t keep her up late.” Putting her hands on her hips, Michelle raised an eyebrow at him. “Promise.”

“Alright.” Michelle took Taylor’s sash and looked pointedly at Jake. “Have her back by one am, she has to be up by eight.” In response, he held up the boy scout salute. “Okay. Thanks.” Relaxing her shoulders, Michelle started to leave before turning around and giving Jake a grateful smile.

“Come on, Princess.” Leading Taylor towards the lounge of the hotel’s coffee shop, he felt a wave of familiarity, reminiscing over the times he’d taken care of his drunk wife. Taylor laid back on a couch, propping her feet up on Jake’s thigh after he sat down next to her. “Let’s get some food in ya.” Reaching into his back, he pulled out the sandwich and bottle of water he had purchased for himself. “Have you had some water?”

Taylor propped herself up on her elbows and took the bottle of water from his hands, unscrewing the cap and taking a large drink. “Yes. Dr. Meech made sure I had water in between every drink. I’ve had to pee, like, a hundred times.” She pointed her chin towards him. “What’s that?”

Unwrapping his sandwich, he silently said goodbye to the food he’d been craving all day and handed it to her. “It’s a po’boy.”

“From that place across the street!” Taylor’s eyes lit up and she sat up quickly, a bit too fast. Holding her head and wincing, she took another drink of her water. Immediately after taking the sandwich, Taylor bit into the bread and fell back into the couch. “Oh, God. It’s so good.” Though her mouth was full, she took another bite and continued, “Remember that time you made us these back in Costa Rica? You were on the phone with your Mom for an hour!” Giggling, she swallowed then took another bite before realizing she had gone through half of the sandwich.

“Yeah. They turned out pretty okay.” Stretching his arms around on the couch cushion behind him and putting his feet on the coffee table, he got comfortable and watched Taylor inhale his sandwich. Usually, Taylor tried to be a polite eater but when she drank, she ate with reckless abandon.

Wiping some sauce and tomato juice off the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, she looked over at Jake who was smirking at her, amused. “That was your sandwich, wasn’t it?” Slowly, he nodded. Laughing, she crumpled up the wrapping and tossed it on the floor. After taking a sip of water to wash down the food, she sat up straight and fluffed her long hair.

He watched her flip her hair over her shoulder and bat her eyelashes at him, a pair of faux eyelashes starting to come loose on her right eye. Getting on her hands and knees, Taylor slowly crawled over to him, getting close enough to hover her mouth around his neck. Shivers crept down his spine as he felt her warm breath on the skin behind his ear and caught the smell of her perfume. The blend of warm spices, flowers, and wood reminded him of a very memorable birthday of his years ago. Thickly swallowing, he tilted his head towards her, rolling his eye to meet the half closed ones staring back at him. “What’s goin’ on in there, Princess?”

“I heard of a country in Europe tonight.” Blinking rapidly as the eyelashes started to come off, she sat back momentarily to pull them off. Letting out his breath, he was grateful for the break and shifted, trying to relieve the growing tightness in his pants. His rational side was telling him that he needed to get her back to her room. His irrational side, the side that wanted to take her right there, kept him frozen in his seat. “Anyway. In this country,” she continued, running a finger up his arm. “Sometimes people have a final fling before they get married.” Biting her lip, her eyes scanned down from his face down to his lap and up to his face again. As her hand moved over his pocket, she felt his phone vibrate, interrupting her.

Arching his head back, he let out a sigh of relief. The idea of a ‘final fling’ sounded so damn good to him but was outweighed by the situation at hand. Before he realized what she was doing, Taylor had taken out his phone, her face falling when she read the screen. She got up, wobbling a bit and handed the phone to him. Quickly, he glanced at the message from Annie. “Where are you, Mac? I’m hungry and horny.”

Silently cursing to himself, Jake tried to avoid Taylor’s reaction and busied himself with cleaning up the light mess around them. Taylor, meanwhile, kept her gaze on her feet and rubbed her eyes, leaving wet streaks of mascara on her thumbs. Looking down at her, Jake’s heart sank and he put his hands on her shoulders, bending down to her eye level. “Talk to me, Tay.”

Taylor sniffed as he wiped the dark tears from her eyes. “I’m sleepy. Will you take me to my room?” Nodding, he slung an arm around her shoulders and they headed towards the elevator.

***

“How long have you had this suit?” Annie circled Jake as he absentmindedly fiddled with this gray and black striped tie. Standing in front of him, she ran her hands down the front of his vest. “I mean, it looks brand new and it fits perfectly! You’ve really had it for over five years?”

“It’s my only suit.” Temporarily forgoing his tie, he adjusted his belt. “First, I didn’t have the money for a new one and then I didn’t have the time to get something tailored. This works and if it ain’t broke …” What Jake failed to mention was that it was the suit he’d swiped from the Winter Lodge on La Huerta, the same one he wore when he married Taylor. “I’m surprised you’re surprised, I became an adult in the Navy. I know how to take care of a uniform. Look at how shiny my shoes are, Lilac.”

“My cousin was in the Air Force, those shoes come shiny. Still can’t believe you have them.” Annie sat up on the counter of the bathroom vanity and observed him continue to fiddle with his tie. “Need help there, Mac? Can’t tie a tie?”

“Hm?” Blinking, he looked down at his hands, seemingly forgetting what he was doing. “I’m a self taught expert in knots. Learned to tie a knot in --”

“The Navy. I know.” Annie crossed her legs, watching him finally tie the cursed accessory. “You know, I wouldn’t be opposed to you using your expertise in other ways.” Scooting back against the mirror, she pulled the skirt of her dress up her thigh and ran her tongue across her upper lip. Jake had moved on to her his hair, keeping his focus on the mirror. “We have some time and I’m not wearing anything under this dress.”

After distributing some pomade through his hair, he glanced over at Annie who was making bedroom eyes at him and slowly bending one of her knees. “Are we sharing an Uber to this rehearsal dinner or are you still weird about us going places together?”

Furrowing her brows at him, she decided to try again. Running her hand along her exposed thigh, she spoke in a breathy voice. “There’s no rush, Mac. Why don’t you show me your knot skills?” Not paying her attention, he started rolling up his sleeves. Sliding off the counter, she pressed her chest against his, running her hands down his torso. “I’m sure Taylor isn’t going to care if we’re fashionably late.” Just as she had suspected, Jake perked up at the mention of his ex-wife’s name and smiled at Annie.

After finishing with his sleeves, he stepped back to admire the woman in front of him. Her dark hair, with large curls, grazed her shoulders and brought the deep jade color of her eyes. Her sparkling, gold dress covered one of those shoulders and hugged her hips tight, ending just above her knees, brilliant against her tan skin. “Have I told you how sexy you look tonight?”

Grabbing a hold of her hips, he pulled Annie towards him and twirled a strand of her hair in between his fingers. Closing her eyes, she let out a shuddering breath when she felt his lips on the crook of her neck.

“Hold on.” Gently, she pushed him off and looked him directly in the eyes. He returned her glare with a quizzical look. “No, McKenzie, you haven’t told me that because you’ve been so distracted. Even more so than usual.” Cocking her head to the side, she motioned for them to walk into the living room of the suite.

Annie hopped onto the suite’s desk and motioned for Jake to sit in the chair in front of her. “I’m going to be straight with you.” He sank into the chair and waited for her to continue. “Last night I had the best sex of my entire life.” Instantly, she regretted telling him that as his mouth stretched into a large, cocky grin.

“Didn’t I guarantee that after we took that third shot?”

“You did. My only issue was that your head wasn’t in it.” His eyes narrowed, curious where she was headed with that statement. “I know you were thinking about Taylor the entire time.”

His cheeks started to feel warm. He’d gotten so worked up by Taylor the night before and subconsciously unleashed that energy on Annie, making her grip the bed sheets, scream his name, and even forget where she was. The entire time, however, he could only evision Taylor. He groaned, she was correct.

The silence she was met with confirmed her assumption. Nudging him with her foot, she got his attention again. “I have truly enjoyed fucking you, Mac. Thing is, I don’t want to continue doing so with a man still hung up on his ex-wife. Who’s getting married in less than 24 hours to one of my friends.” He opened his mouth to protest but put a finger up to stop him. “It’s obviously she hasn’t gotten over you, either. I won’t get into details but her face lights up like a damn Christmas tree anytime someone mentions you. At the bachelorette party, she talked about you more than her own fiancée.”

Straightening up, he reached back to rub his neck, trying to figure out what to tell her. Stubbornly, he shook his head. “If you’re telling me to confess anything, I ain’t gonna do it. I’ve known her a long time and I’ve never seen her look this happy before.” Jake could almost hear Annie roll her eyes, not accepting what he was saying. “Just gotta get through tomorrow and I’ll be fine. Close the book on that part of my life and start a new one.”

“Look is the keyword, Jake.” His blue eyes had turned dull and he gave her a pitiful smile after she rubbed her foot against his thigh to indicate no hard feelings. Taking a deep breath, Annie scanned the room, noticing her phone was also on the desk. “Alright, you pathetic puppy. I’ll get an Uber and we can even share it.”

*** Jake’s stomach grumbled as he looked down at his glass, swirling it and making a face at the carbonated water. Between Annie confronting him, not hearing from Taylor since he dropped her off at her hotel room, and Sean’s toast - “The first thing Taylor ever said to me was that she saw me in a dream. I cannot wait to give her the life that she’s always dreamt of. The life that she’s always deserved.” - he couldn’t get himself to eat the chicken picatta on his plate. The glass of bourbon in front of him was, for the first time that he could remember, left untouched.

After dinner, everyone gathered around the groom’s cake and Jake took the opportunity to slip out of the dining hall. Eventually, he found an empty lounge in the fancy restaurant hosting the rehearsal dinner and sat down on a red, plush couch. Laying down on the couch and resting his head on the armrest, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Quickly scanning the wedding schedule, he found his name next to Quinn’s. Closing his eyes, he thought about how he hadn’t seen Quinn in some time.

“Why is it every time I find you alone, you’re taking a nap?” Opening an eye, he saw Taylor’s silhouette against the cream colored wall behind her. Her silver sheath dress cinched at her waist and the collar was decorated with lace flowers. The dress shifted with her as she walked and shimmered when it caught the light.

Slowly sitting up, he watched her approach him and a sense of déjà vu overcame him. He sidled up to the edge of the couch and patted the space next to her. With a smirk on his face, he countered, “Don’tcha  know it’s rude to interrupt someone takin’ a nap, Princess?”

Taylor sat down next to Jake and stuck her tongue out at him as she offered a plate stacked with crackers, cheese, fruit, and a thick slice of cake. “You didn’t eat anything.” Studying the plate, he picked up a raspberry and popped it in his mouth before ruffling her hair as a ‘thank you’, taking care not to mess her loose ponytail.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, picking at the food on the plate, taking a few bites here and there. Licking cake frosting off her finger, Taylor looked at Jake’s tie thoughtfully an reached over to untuck it. “I can’t believe you wore this tonight, Jake.” Tugging on his tie, the deep breath she took came out shaky. Noticing her grip tightening, Jake undid his tie and handed it to her.

“Here you go, Ms. Taylor. Somethin’ old.” Taylor wrapped the tie around her write and he chuckled, causing her to look up at him. Lowering his voice, he tilted his head towards her and winked. “Now don’t go getting any ideas but if you do, you can have my belt, too.”

A hot blush crept up Taylor’s face and her eyes widened. “Jake!” He tried to suppress a laugh by drinking his water but failed, accidentally spitting some of it out onto her dress.

“Ah hell, sorry.” Picking up the napkin Taylor brought with her, he blotted the wet spots on her dress which happened to be on her chest and knees. Keeping his hand pressed on her, he stopped and gave Taylor a long glance. “You know, this dress looks familiar.” Jake raised his eyebrows when he came to a realization. “This looks just like your handfasting dress.”

“I’ve been thinking about all of it tonight, Jake. The New Year’s party, your belt and tie, getting handfasted. Ever since you walked through the door, wearing that suit with that tie and your sleeves rolled up.” Slumping back into the couch, Taylor covered her face with her hands, embarrassed by what she had said.

Tempted to confess that he thought about the same things every single time he thought of her, he opened his mouth but quickly shut it. Taylor was going to be a married woman in less than a day and the realization that it was too late to say anything weighed heavily on him. Cracking another joke would probably make things worse. “Princess…” Expecting her to scowl, he noticed instead Taylor’s shoulders relax. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your fiancée or bridesmaids tonight?”

Putting down her hands, Taylor made a whining sound and darted her eyes towards Jake. “Why isn’t this easy? I’m getting married to a perfectly nice, perfectly good, perfectly perfect man tomorrow and I want to be here with you instead of home with him.” Without thinking, he scooted closer, resting his elbow on the back of the couch, leaning over her. He could feel his heartbeat quickening, wondering what she’d say but not wanting to get his hopes up. Taylor didn’t say anything else and instead started rubbing her arms.

The tension between them made the air feel thick and Jake unbuttoned the top button of his shirt in an attempt to breathe easier. “Tay this just sounds like a classic case of cold feet. Everything will be fine in the morning, I promise.”

“Niala’rei.” Taylor picked up his tie and slowly weaved it through her fingers. Jake thought for a moment and remembered the Vaanti celebration of marriage. “I didn’t hesitate, not for one second, about marrying you.” She quickly glanced at him before turning her attention back to the item in her hands. “It was so easy then. Why is this different?”

They both knew the answer. Jake blurted out the second thing that came into his head. “We were in a different world. Young and dumb. Living on adrenaline.”

Taylor hung her head, seemingly feeling defeated. “So that’s why you married me? An adrenaline rush guiding a rash decision?”

Audibly exhaling, Jake pulled a despondent Taylor into him, wrapping his arms around her. “I didn’t mean it that way and you know that ain’t true. I married you because I loved you, Princess.”

“Loved me.” Pressing her face and rubbing her nose into his chest, she took in the scent of his cologne. Tilting her head up, she cleared her throat and waited for Jake’s eyes to meet hers. “Remember when I had that question?” That question was constantly in the back of Jake’s mind since she posed it six months earlier. Despite talking on most days, they never brought it up. Jake nodded and Taylor straightened up and sat back against the couch. “Would you have done it differently?”

Jake searched her eager eyes, confused by her questions. “Done what differently?”

“When you took that job and broke up with me.” Taylor paused, trying to steady her voice which was starting to tremble. When her hands moved towards his, he grabbed them and laced their fingers together. “Would you have done that again?”

Chewing his bottom lip, he looked down at their hands, unable to meet her eyes. That question had eaten at him for the past few years, especially when he was flying for hours over international waters. Taylor let out a soft gasp when he shook his head ‘no’. What Taylor needed that night was closure and it was about time he told her how he felt about his decision. “I would have taken that job again because it has done a lot for me.”

“So you would have done it again.” Tears started to fill her eyes and she tried not to close them to keep the tears from flowing.

Tipping her chin up, he searched her glistening blue eyes. “I would have done that again, yes.” Tears started escaping her eyes and he wiped them away with this thumbs. “What I would have done different was include you in the decision making process.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have let you go.” Her voice was soft and she turned her face away from him.

“Not that decision, Princess.” Taylor winced again. “Sorry, Taylor. We would have figured out what you were going to do in the meantime. Until I came home to you.”

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she wiped them with the back of her hand. “I would have talked to Diego, Jake, and enrolled in Hartfeld. I would have been half way done by the time you got back.” Her brows creased and her eyes darted up to him again. “Do you regret it?”  

Taking a moment to figure out how to answer her question, he shrugged. “Look at where you are now, Taylor. I don’t regret how successful you’ve been and will be.” Taylor abruptly got up, her wet face a mixture of anger and sadness. Running his hand through his hair, he got up and followed her to the wall  she was standing against.

Her usually soft and sweet voice was steely and cool as she pushed her finger into his chest. “You acted out of ego and this primal need to take care of me, Jake. You may have forgotten two things about me.” Flattening her hand, she pressed her palms on his chest. “One, I know how to take care of myself. I would have figured something out to make not just you but me proud. Two, whether on the island or in college, I would have waited two, four, even ten years for you.”

Putting his arm on the wall next to her, he hung his head. In the silence, he could only hear the sound of Taylor’s breathing as he fought the urge to tell her he still loved her, wanted her to cancel her wedding, and take her home so he could show her just how much he missed her. It was too late. His name escaping her lips brought up back to reality and he looked at her concerned face. “That part I regret. I underestimated you. You’ve done nothing but prove how incredible and capable you are.” His lips pressed together. “I would have hated you worrying about me and waiting for me. I regret that I wasn’t able to countdown the days until I came home to be with you again.”

A smile tugged on her lips and her face brightened. “I regret not having this conversation sooner.” Reaching out, she cupped his face in her hands. “Please, answer this honestly. As the bride, this is the only gift I want from you.” He nodded and chuckled to himself, thinking about Rebecca going through Taylor’s wedding registry for him and finding a gift to send. “Do … Are … Jake ....” She let out a deep breath. “Do you still love me?”

His mouth felt dry, scanning her maybe hopeful but increasingly confused face. Over the past years, he had missed opportunities to tell her the truth. Instead of staying behind and insisting they had this conversation on the day of her engagement, he’d opted to give into a night of passion in hopes of moving on. He’d missed all his chances to tell her how he felt. Slowly, he shook his head to indicate ‘no’.

Her face sunk and she pushed herself off the wall. Throwing up her hands in frustration, she shook her head and started walking backwards towards the door. “Jake, you have always been a bad liar.” Taylor, being met with just a sad smile from her ex-husband, turned on her heel and walked out the door.

Alone in the room, Jake cursed under his breath and picked up what was left on the couch. She had left his tie behind and he stuffed it in his pocket. He leaned in the doorway and put his hands on his face, groaning. He really was an idiot. Not noticing that Taylor was just around the corner, walking back towards the room, he did something he rarely did - speak out loud to himself, not caring who was around. “McKenzie, you fucking moron, what you should have said was that you still love her.’”

He lifted his phone out of his pocket to get an Uber back to the hotel and walked out of the room. Jake still hadn’t seen Taylor standing close by, mouth on her hand as she processed what she had overheard him say.

Thank you for reading! 

[aion-rsa]

Cobra Kai Season 4: Can Daniel and Johnny Make Amends?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Aristotle said, “A common danger unites even the bitterest enemies.” In the upcoming season 4 of Cobra Kai, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) may finally bury the hatchet, or the axe kick, in their battle to save the valley from Cobra Kai’s villainous Sensei Kreese (Martin Kove). During Netflix’s global fan event, TUDUM, the latest sneak peek at Cobra Kai revealed a few clues about where season 4 might go. The next season of the breakout reboot hit premieres on December 31 so fans can nurse their New Year’s Eve hangovers with a Karate Kid binge.  

“Many of us used to be enemies, but rivalries don’t last forever,” claims Daniel-san at the start of the new teaser. We knew at the end of season 3 that the Miyagi-Do Dojo was going to unite with the Eagle Fang Dojo in hopes that their combined forces will be enough to defeat Cobra Kai. Daniel delivered his questionably legal crane kick to Johnny’s face at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament in the original film The Karate Kid. Cobra Kai has been masterfully tucking its Easter eggs in plain sight throughout the series and for season 4 has set this as the arena for the next clash between the Valley’s rival Dojos.

Throughout season 3, Daniel and Johnny tested a truce, first in episode 2 when they fight side-by-side in search of Robby (Tanner Buchanan) and again towards the end when they have dinner together with Ali (Elizabeth Shue) at the Encino Oaks Country Club. From those interactions, Daniel and Johnny established that they can be frenemies, setting up the ultimate ‘buddy film’ chemistry for the upcoming season. Already in the teaser, the inevitable conflict between Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang tactics are playing out on comic proportions. 

The new teaser also reiterates the return of Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), the original owner of the Cobra Kai Dojo and sponsor of the 1985 All Valley Tournament. This was foreshadowed in season 3 with a well-played red herring in the Kreese Vietnam flashback arc with Ponytail (Seth Kemp). Just like Steven Seagal, Silver is known for his ponytail, but in ‘Nam flashback, young Silver (Nick Marini) had yet to adopt the hairstyle affectation. Now we know it is in honor of his fallen comrade. Last May, in the wake of season 3, Netflix released the teaser “Terry Silver Returns”, which also focused on that signature ponytail. 

Silver levels up Cobra Kai even more. He taught Daniel in Karate Kid Part III as a ruse, setting him up to fall at the All Valley Karate Tournament against ‘Karate’s Bad Boy’ Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan). Unlike most of the original Karate Kid cinematic cast, Griffith and Kanan were genuine martial arts masters prior to joining the franchise. The real question here is whether Barnes reappears in season 4. 

The other tantalizing clue in the new teaser is Kreese annoying Amanda (Courtney Henggeler). She has been the voice of reason throughout Cobra Kai, a strangely sober counterpoint to her husband Daniel despite all the wine she drinks. However, Kreese has managed to get under her skin in season 3. As a master manipulator, he has learned how to push Amanda’s buttons, triggering her mama bear instincts when it comes to protecting Sam (Mary Mouser) and making her do something rash and regrettable. 

Whatever may come in season 4, we know it’s not the end. Cobra Kai season 5 is starting production in Atlanta this fall. 

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Cobra Kai season 4 comes to Netflix on December 31, 2021. 

The post Cobra Kai Season 4: Can Daniel and Johnny Make Amends? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3m3VkJl

[impeach-trump2018]

Cole Launius

English 212

Professor Kim Lacey

30 June 2018

Analytical Reflection

            This class was a great surprise for me. I had no idea that the course would be based off of this great book. As I engaged in the reading and further went through the subjects inside with my review of “The Truman Show,” my ability to identify with the surveillance around me grew as I gained more insight and information. The issue at hand is not only a matter of unethical decision making above the governed heads, but also the idea that surveillance and the lack of privacy can create a negative impact on the human condition. Surveillance culture is exemplified in today’s society primarily through films, music, and art, and informative pieces all in which I intend to dive into as I examine and reflect on a world surrounded by the camera lens.

          I think that ethically speaking we can all agree that it is wrong to invade someone else’s personal space. According to information from The University of Tennessee at Martin, surveillance involves paying close attention to someone else, and to me that is another reason it is made unethical because everyone deserves their own space and privacy and by watching closely, that perimeter is destroyed. It is annoying to find yourself being watched by the overhead camera in the local Walmart or VG’s, but when someone gets close to you it rekindles a different kind of emotion. One that makes you question the persons upbringing and their morals to go along with it. “Stop reading my texts,” your friend yells as you lean back into your seat in the car. Why do you feel the need to read what I am saying? Why are you so interested in my conversations? Did your parents teach you any manners? It becomes more of an issue of ethics than it does about us solely being watched and recorded for other purposes. Trust and privacy go hand and hand, and when someone’s privacy is compromised by the public environment, they tend to lose trust and have more opposition. In an example from a clip from “The Dark Knight,” Batman attempts to link all cell phones in the city together to create a virtual map to find his objective.

          Surveillance changes the way people act around each other and in public especially. For a moment I had reacted with such hostility when I first had discovered that I was constantly being watched and others reassured me that I no longer had any privacy. I would stand taller, push out my chest and walk like I had just done a great workout at the gym. I am a very big fan of Hip-Hop and moreover I have noted that most of the artists that I listen to have a gig for fashion. They are always wearing something extravagant in the spotlight. Said perfectly by 2 Chainz in one of his songs, “Feds Watching,” he states that he will be dressed accordingly if they are watching him. This is most definitely interesting because he chooses to boast about changing his view under surveillance because I am sure he wears sweatpants lounging around the house. Another unfortunate way that people change and act differently when being watched is in a show called “Hansen Vs Predator.” In this show Chris Hansen creates a fake meet up with creeps on the internet and then interviews them right on the spot to find out why they choose to do what they do and try to trap young children. When watching the predator as Chris enters the room, his facial expression changes so quickly, you know he knows something went wrong, and that now he is being watched very closely.

          A few pictures I happen to come across on the global web reminded me that those cameras we see in our peripheral are not about just keeping us out of danger and harm’s way, but it is about the politicians, according to Mike Harris from The Telegraph. And I also agree, that anything related to the law never is about the people first, but the ones who put it into effect. The first image scripted, “We need rules that limit our leaders’ power more than we need rules that limit our rights.” I really felt as if I related to this quote or even wrote it because it seems like a thought that would come screaming out of my head in the middle of the night. How doesn’t everyone in the world agree with what this says? It makes more than complete sense, think about it. If we live in a democracy, then we have the ultimate say, yet we don’t, and we are still under claims as a democracy. If the people truly had the power, not power restricted by congressmen, we could change the way things are imposed on us all and put the spotlight on the ones who get to make the big decisions. Another photo that I saw was more of a political cartoon if anything, but it still recreated the idea of militant opposition towards the government. The cartoon was an army ranger pointing a gun to an unarmed victim, with the victim saying not to shoot, but also the ranger looking back at a tv recorder saying, “don’t shoot!”  The irony of this situation is also a great factor and a reason why I chose to include it. You are pointing a gun at someone, yet yelling at a camera not to record? Sounds like something fishy is going on.

          In life today people and companies, and the government use surveillance in other ways as well. One common way surveillance is utilized in today’s economy is that there is a lot of online traffic so app developers share information gained from watching users and allow them to shape apps and clothing and shopping related goods to a specific audience and you could be targeted depending on what you post. You may post different things to avoid this then becoming someone you’re not. This is called social sorting when companies take advantage of your information that you post to social media sites. There are also other ways that surveillance can cause change within someone. For example, if your co-worker is staring at you everyday after work, you might get a new car, or park in a different spot to get away from the state of being watched in your own space.

          Cell phones, iPads, MacBooks and cameras have taken over the life of the youth. Then there are memes which have taken over the internet. What is ironic is that as the amount of surveillance in the world increases, the more we joke about being watched and create memes about it on our social media sites. But the fact that we are creating jokes and messing around with being watched and surveilled by the government and others is kind of scary. Why are we joking about having zero sense of privacy around us and for others? That is unnatural and strange, and it is upsetting to think that everyone else in society has come to accept being watched all of the time. Surveillance has had its way weaving into everyones lives so easily because it was not a choice but an unfortunate and irreversible consequence.

 Works Cited

 Always, Clean Music, director. 2 Chainz - Feds Watching. YouTube, YouTube, 7 July

          2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pkd2lUxwQE.

Borg, Anna. “EurWORK European Observatory of Working Life.” Finland: Wage

          Formation | Eurofound, 31 July 2014, www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/

          eurwork/articles/working-conditions/impact-of-electronic-surveillance-in-the-

          workplace.

Daily, Crime Watch, director. Hansen Vs Predator. YouTube, YouTube, 15 Sept. 2016,

          www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOBgE10sEQE.

DeGeurin, Mack. “Mass Surveillance Memes Show Our Collective Anxiety Over

          Government Spying.” Motherboard, Motherboard, 2 Apr. 2018,

          motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/zmg3ky/surveillance-memes-nsa-fbi-

          facebook.

Ellis, Daniel, director. Bragging Gone Wrong. YouTube, YouTube, 21 Apr. 2015,

          www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ9kKgZ0-pM.

Gleisner, David. “This Is My Jam: Government Surveillance Memes.” Are There Really

          3,700 Abortions Each Day in the U.S.?, North by Northwestern, 29 Jan. 2018,

          www.northbynorthwestern.com/story/this-is-my-jam-government-surveillance-

          memes/.

Harris, Mike. “The Politics of Surveillance Are about Politics, Not Keeping Us Safe.”

          The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 4 Nov. 2015, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/

          uknews/crime/11975759/The-politics-of-surveillance-are-about-politics-not-

          keeping-us-safe.html.

Legend, Dark, director. The Dark Knight. YouTube, YouTube, 10 Dec. 2015,

          www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRELLH86Edo.

Macnish, Kevin. “Surveillance Ethics.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008,

          www.iep.utm.edu/surv-eth/.

Moran, Sean. “Surveillance Ethics.” Philosophy Now: a Magazine of Ideas, Philosophy

          Now, 2015, philosophynow.org/issues/110/Surveillance_Ethics.

Munn, Nathan. “How Mass Surveillance Harms Societies and Individuals - and What

          You Can Do About It.” CJFE | Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, 8 Nov.

          2016, www.cjfe.org            how_mass_surveillance_harms_societies_and_individuals_and_what_you_can_d

o_about_it.

OB, Andres, director. Robert Downey Jr. Blooper. YouTube, YouTube, 18 July 2015,

          www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCC5SfQHOfo.

Shaw, Jonathan. “The Watchers.” Harvard Magazine, Harvard Magazine, 18 Dec. 2016,

          harvardmagazine.com/2017/01/the-watchers.

Wang, Victoria, et al. “Surveillance and Identity: Conceptual Framework and Formal

          Models | Journal of Cybersecurity | Oxford Academic.” OUP Academic, Oxford

          University Press, 15 Dec. 2017, academic.oup.com/cybersecurity/article/

          3/3/145/4748787.

[thran-duils]

May 2017 Reads

I AM GOING TO DO THIS EVERY MONTH TO SHARE WHAT BOOKS I HAVE READ (OR ABANDONED) IN MY 50 BOOK CHALLENGE FOR THE YEAR. AND I’LL ADD BOOKS I’M STILL READING THAT I’M SURE I’LL FINISH BY THE END OF THE CURRENT MONTH.

MY READ COUNT THIS MONTH: 13 ABANDONED THIS MONTH: 4 IN PROGRESS: 2 2017 COUNT: 41

JANUARY 2017 || FEBRUARY 2017 || MARCH 2017 || APRIL 2017 || MAY 2017 || June 2017

In progress from last month...

The Paper Magician

Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal.Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined.  Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic. An Excisioner — a practitioner of dark, flesh magic — invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure.

Author: Charlie N. Holmberg

Genre: Teen, Sci-Fi

Rating: ★  ★  ★  ☆  ☆

NEW

I Don’t Like Koala

What’s not to love about a cute, cuddly...creepy toy koala? This is the story of a boy and the stuffed animal he just can’t seem to shake. Adam does not like Koala. Koala is a little creepy. Adam tries explaining this to his parents. He tries putting Koala away—far away. He tries taking Koala on a long, long walk. Nothing works. Will Adam ever be rid of Koala? Author: Sean Ferrell Genre: Picture book (more adult humor) Rating: ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

Finding Home

A remarkable story of survival. The creators of A MOTHER'S JOURNEY and LITTLE LOST BAT, Sandra Markle and Alan Marks team up again to chronicle the challenges faced by a mother koala: protecting herself and her joey from a raging bushfire, and finding food and a new home after their home range is destroyed. Based on a true story.

Author: Sandra Markle

Genre: Picture book

Rating: ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

Deadpool: Annihilation

Deadpool has now become fixated on achieving the one thing that's always been beyond his reach-death. Not an easy thing for an unkillable man to achieve, but that's not gonna stop him from trying. But first, he must figure out the all-important question: How? What in the world can kill Deadpool? It has to be big. It has to be powerful beyond description. It has to be...green?

Author: Daniel Way

Genre: Graphic Novel

Rating: ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

One Punch Man

One blow heresy! A hero "Saitama" which is too strong, knocks down any evil monster with one punch. Legend opening of the strongest heroes in the world!

Author: ONE

Genre: Manga, Humorous Manga

Rating:  ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

The Incredible Journey

Instinct told them that the way home lay to the west. And so the doughty young Labrador retriever, the roguish bull terrier and the indomitable Siamese set out through the Canadian wilderness. Separately, they would soon have died. But, together, the three house pets faced starvation, exposure, and wild forest animals to make their way home to the family they love.

Author: Sheila Burnford

Genre: Young Reader, Fiction

Rating:  ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

Batman: Arkham City

Video game tie-in reveals real motivation behind Mayor Sharp's plans for the new criminal walled-in city -- insane psychiatrist Hugo Strange with drugs and hypnotism angers good soldiers into rabid anti-Bat Tyger private force. Emaciated Joker, obese Penguin, scrawny Riddler, bulky Bane, and mostly Two-Face with exposed side of blood sinew and bone.

Author: Paul Dini

Genre: Graphic Novel

Rating: ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

If We Were Villains

Enter the players. There were seven of us then, seven bright young things with wide precious futures ahead of us. Until that year, we saw no further than the books in front of our faces.On the day Oliver Marks is released from jail, the man who put him there is waiting at the door. Detective Colborne wants to know the truth, and after ten years, Oliver is finally ready to tell it. 

Author: M.L. Rio

Genre: Fiction, Suspense

Rating: ★  ★  ★  ★  ★  

Assassination Classroom (#1)

A gunshot meeting the classroom with the command! Yuigaoka Junior High School E group is an assassination school where all the students aim for their non-human teacher's life. Life of target and assassin begin...

Author: Yusei Matsui

Genre: Manga, Humor Manga

Rating: ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

Girl In Pieces

Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At 17, she’s already lost more than most people lose in a lifetime. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you. Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.

Author: Kathryn Glasgow

Genre: Teen, Fiction

Rating: ★  ★  ★  ★  ★  

Smoke

Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that fatal night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated.

Author: Ellen Hopkins 

Genre: Teen, Fiction

Rating: ★  ★  ★  ☆  ☆

Assassination Classroom (#2)

A beautiful foreign language teacher is newly assigned to E group. Her true identity is a fierce killer who approached the target with her good looks and skillful talking! Preparation for  assassination of Koro-Sensei steadily progresses...

Author: Yusei Matsui

Genre: Manga, Humor Manga

Rating: ★  ★  ★   ★  ☆

Everneath

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Author: Brodi Ashton

Genre: Teen, Romance, Fantasy

Rating:  ★  ☆  ☆  ☆  ☆

The Girls of Atomic City

The incredible story of the young women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who unwittingly played a crucial role in one of the most significant moments in U.S. history.

Author: Denise Kiernan

Genre: Non-Fiction, History

Rating: IN PROGRESS

Sweetbitter

"Let's say I was born when I came over the George Washington Bridge..." This is how we meet unforgettable Tess, the 22 year old at the heart of this novel. Shot from a mundane, provincial past, she's come to NYC to look for a life she can't define, except as a burning drive to become someone. After she stumbles into a coveted job at a renowned Union Square restaurant, we spend the year with her as she learns the chaotic, punishing, privileged life of a "backwaiter," on duty and off.

Author: Stephanie Danler

Genre: Fiction

Rating: IN PROGRESS

Prudence

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Custard and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer. Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.

Author: Gail Carriger

Genre: Sci-Fi, Steampunk

Reason abandoned: The writing was just... awful.

Given to the Sea

Khosa was born to be fed to the sea, to prevent the kind of wave that once destroyed the Kingdom of Stille. She can’t be sacrificed until she produces an heir, but human touch repulses her…except for the touch of the Indiri. Dara and Donil are the last of the Indiri, a native race with magic that’s seductive—a force of nature—but dwindling since the Pietra slaughtered their people. Witt leads the Pietra, the fierce warriors who are now marching on the Kingdom of Stille. The stone shores of Witt’s kingdom harbor a secret threat, and to ensure the survival of his people, he’s prepared to conquer every speck of Stille’s soil.

Author: Mindy McGinnis

Genre: Teen, Fantasy

Reason abandoned: This story was going N O W H E R E fast. And the plot was so disorganized, I couldn’t handle it.

A Study in Charlotte

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

Author: Brittany Cavallaro

Genre: Teen, Fiction

Reason abandoned: Again, bad writing.

Geekerella

When geek girl Elle Wittimer sees a cosplay contest sponsored by the producers of Starfield, she has to enter. First prize is an invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. Elle’s been scraping together tips from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck behind her stepmother’s back, and winning this contest could be her ticket out once and for all—not to mention a fangirl’s dream come true.

Author: Ashley Poston

Genre: Teen, Fiction

Reason abandoned: I CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I DISLIKED ELLE. SHE IS SERIOUSLY THE PERSON OR TYPE OF PERSON I AVOID IN A FANDOM. So pretentious and annoying, oh my god. Insufferable is a good word to describe her.

~~~

Tags: @jamiemelyn 

[jhasegawa25]

Diaz Family Headcanons

*Ending spoilers and pictures under the cut*

These have been sitting in my drafts since I started posting here again. I’m a sucker for tickles & Diaz family fluff and I just want them happy, laughing and having fun, So here’s some silly tickle hcs about my favorite wolf pack.

Sean:

He’s moderately ticklish in all of the normal places: underarms, sides, etc.

He’ll flinch and let out these soft giggles as he tries to fend off any tickles (or turn the tables on you if you’re Daniel Diaz)

However, the one spot that absolutely kills him are his feet

There’s kinda canon evidence that his feet are ticklish at the beginning of ep3, but that may be up to interpretation.

Compared to every other spot, Sean’s SO much more ticklish on his feet,

He laughs so much louder, he’ll try to kick, pull and get away however he can, he may even scream/shriek . (A rare sight for the “emotionless” teenage son)

Lyla’s the only one of his friends who knows ALL of his spots. She’ll mostly tickle him often in easy spots like his sides or under his arms. She’s someone who can get the best reactions out of Sean with his less ticklish spots, and she’s not mean enough to go for his death spot

Esteban of course knows all of Sean’s spots (he is his papito after all) and with how playful Esteban is, Sean’s had multiple run-ins with the “tickle monster” over the years. 

Esteban doesn’t tickle Sean as often now that he’s older, but when the family’s goofing off, or when Esteban thinks Sean’s in one of his “emotionless, teenager” moods, he’ll definitely pull out his old trick.

 Unlike Lyla, Esteban WILL go for the feet for the best reactions whenever possible.

Daniel tries to tickle Sean sometimes, usually as payback for all the times Sean tickles him.) However since he’s so small and Daniel’s probably all over the place with his technique, it doesn’t have much effect (and often ends in Sean turning the tables if he’s not too annoyed with the brat)

However in Blood Brothers ending, Daniel definitely has more success. He even finds out just how ticklish Sean’s feet are and he definitely uses it to his advantage to get Sean to do something or because of his forever desire to get one over on his big bro.

Daniel

Our canonically ticklish baby boy!

Danny-boy is obviously very ticklish (I mean, most kids tend to be) and this remains true for all older Daniels (though have fun trying with some of them)

He’s ticklish just about everywhere. He’s pretty much a walking tickle spot, 

He mostly enjoys it and finds it fun (physical touch is his love language after all) even if he claims to hate it in the moment.. However, he doesn’t like it to go on for too long, it just depends on who’s tickling him.

A secret spot for him would be his hands. He does say in ep5 that it kinda tickles when he uses his power so imagine that they make his hands more sensitive and someone tracing their fingers over his palm could get him giggling.

As the youngest and littlest cub in the Diaz wolf pack, he’s the most susceptible to tickle attacks from both his dad and  mostly his brother

Sean usually tickles him when Daniel’s feeling down to get him smiling again, but also when Daniel’s being a little brat, or when Daniel pranks him, or just because its his “duty” as an older brother.

BB Sean is even more playful but also more ruthless, and Daniel never learns not to mess with him. Daniel will pull a prank or tease him too much, and all Sean has to do is give him his usual smirk and Daniel immediately knows he better run or Sean will absolutely wreck him.

Or if Daniel holds something out of reach with his powers, Sean only has to give him a few pokes and tickles until Daniel’s giggling, loses concentration an drops the item.

Daniel can mostly control his powers to make sure that they don’t accidentally activate if he’s being overwhelmed with tickles, but they can occasionally flare up, He tries his hardest not to let this happen if he’s horsing around with Sean (due to him worrying too much about hurting Sean again.)

That doesn’t mean he won’t still try to cheat and hold Sean down with his powers to get some much needed revenge. He’ll only use them occasionally though, and he’s extremely careful about it, constantly making sure Sean’s ok.

Esteban

The resident tickle monster of the Diaz family. It’s in his nature as the fun, playful patriarch.

He’s gotten both boys plenty of times, mostly when they were younger, but continues to do so no matter how old they get (just not as often)

Daniel is his usual target since he spends more time with him when not working. Daniel’s also still receptive to tickle fights with dad compared to his grumpy older son. 

Sean used to be his main target, but he doesn’t tickle him as much anymore now that he’s much older (and less receptive to his goofy dad antics). He still tries to get a few quick jabs and pokes in to mess with Sean or get him to lighten up.

He’s a huge fan of wake-up tickles, especially on the weekends when the boys are sleeping in but he wants them to spend some time with him on his day off.

Most of the time, Esteban tends to team up with one of the brothers against the other, initiating a full Diaz family tickle fight. This is when the true tickle monster comes out.

He’ll team up with Sean first and the two will tickle Daniel silly. Esteban will focus more on holding Daniel’s arms up and adding gentler tickles while Sean tends to go all out. He doesn’t want to overwhelm Daniel too much

And since he’s a fair dad, he’ll help Daniel get back at Sean. He’ll tackle the teen, digging into his sides or under his arms and wrestling him down so Daniel can return the torment. Or he’ll grab ahold of Sean’s ankles and go to town on Sean’s feet, enjoying the rarely heard loud bursts of laughter while Daniel goes for his other spots.

Don’t let him fool you though, this tickle monster is actually ticklish himself. He’s not the most ticklish person, but he has a fair share of spots that get a chuckle out of him.

His spots are more spread out and are more uncommon/looked over.

He has a really ticklish neck and ears, his knees are pretty ticklish too and will make him jerk his leg if you quickly squeeze them. His feet are also slightly ticklish, though it takes a bit to get a good reaction ot of him there.

After Esteban has helped both boys torment each other, they form the  rare team-up, in an attempt to turn the tables on Esteban

But because Esteban’s not too ticklish and the randomness of his spots. its easy for him to hold out and pretend he’s not ticklish.

He’ll try to hold it in, or he’ll escape before the boys can even start tickling, coming up with some random excuse for why the fun needs to end. Of course this only encourages their desire to one day find their papito’s weak spot.

The one person who knew exactly how to get him giggling besides his family back home is Karen.

Hope you enjoyed these. Feel free to use these for any content/scenarios (and let me know too so I can see). I might add a few other characters one day (namely Lyla, and maybe Karen.

[strategischwelt]

Civilized All Stars

Cast

Daniel "Dan" Roosevelt

Elizabeth "Elisa" Greenhill

Mary Alexandrina "Merlyn" Wilson (Boudicca of Celts)

Alexander "Alex" Jackson (Alexander the Great of Macedon)

Carla Roosevelt

Kleio "Cleo" Cosmatos (Cleopatra of Egypt)

Theodora "Dora" Angelides (Theodora of Byzantine)

Gustav Adolphus "Gus" Erikson, Jr.

Prof. Nicolas Petrof (Pericles of Athens)

Mrs. Kate Williams

Gerry Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt)

Rajendra "Raj" Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi)

Vicky Harrison (Victoria)

Edward Washington (George Washington)

Franklin Joseph "Frank" Roosevelt. (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)

Ellie Roosevelt (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Sean O'Curtin (John Curtin)

Sonia Zhaparova (Tomyris)

Suleiman Kishk ibn ar-Rashyid (Saladin)

Jamal Akbar ibn ar-Rahman (Gilgamesh)

Mary Tudor of England

Nathan Wellington (a fictional mayor of New York City)

Mark Romer (Trajan, mentioned only)

Messenger

Spartans

Townspeople

The Glorious Ones:

Phil Lukeson (Philip II)

Freddy Browns (Frederick Barbarossa)

Pete Cosgrave (Peter the Great)

Peter Alencar (Pedro II)

George Nzinga (Mvemba a Nzinga/Afonso I)

Gladys Cosgrave (Jadwiga)

Jane Lavigne (Catherine de Medici)

Elisa Castillo (Isabella the Catholic)

The Spokesman (real name: unknown)

Narrator

The other leaders of Civilization franchises:

Dido of Carthage (as tour guide)

Pocatello of Shoshone

Enrico Dandolo of Venice

Wu Zetian of China

Pacal of Mayans

Sejong the Great of Korea

Maria I of Portugal

Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal

Suleiman the Magnificent of Ottoman

King Ramkhamhaeng the Great of Siam

Justinian I of Byzantine

Pachacuti of Incans

William of Netherlands

Haile Selassie of Ethiopia

Maria Theresa of Austria

Sitting Bull of Native America

Attila of Huns

Ahmad al-Mansyur of Morocco

Ashurbanipal of Assyria

Montezuma II of Aztecs

Harald Hardrada of Norway (as Vicious Mecha-Hardrada)

[In March 29, 2017; at 10:35 am]

[At the Wondrous Office for a field trip, Dido (as tour guide) shows Mrs. Williams' class around the field of office]

Dido: Every employee is required to work Monday through Friday. Here you can see how every employee shall complete the task.

Merlyn: Look, there are employees who completed the task.

Carla: Wilson, but…

Merlyn: Let me take a picture!

[Merlyn taking a picture]

Merlyn: Gotcha! That's pretty talented!

Carla: Wilson, stop taking a deadly picture!

Merlyn: That's not a deadly one, but that's a talented picture!

Dido: And here is how the employees were distributed groups for the special presentation in office classroom.

Dan: Oh! Pretty interesting.

Gus: Hey, look! That's Jane Smith Browne, daughter of Glorious Member Frederick Browne.

Dan: Yes! [Jane Smith is the third group member who designs the logo of Go Green Service] Let's check it out, she is a service member!

Jenny: What did you call me, screwing mischief one!?

[Gustav is angry when Daniel calls Jenny "service member of the third group"]

Gus: Nope, Daniel. She's Jenny Browne!

Jenny: I am not a "service member of the third group"!

Carla: How dare you call her the least favorable thing!?

Dan: Why not to be a "service member"?

Jenny: No, mischief. Because I am a busy member of the Earth Channel Office for one week!

[Jenny angrily continues to design the logo]

Dan: Oh, man. You're in a wondrous office, right?

Jenny: Well, I will sue you, mischief!

Merlyn: Is Daniel right?

Gus: No, Jenny will sue him because of his mischief!

Merlyn: Oh, freak!

Mrs. Williams: Is that service member Browne?

Jenny: Uh! That mischief sucks!

[hitting a table due to Daniel's mischef]

Dan: But, Jen-

Jenny: No! That's so bad, mischief. If you want to accuse someone of being a service member, you'll get fined or punished!

[Gustav's anger for Dan's mischief and dumb]

Gus: Dan, you darn bastard and fool!

[at 1:19 pm]

[At the EC Lodge, a big crowd of the historical-themed leaders has gathered in the library.]

Jenny: Okay, beloved people, I am so glad to thank you all for coming. Unfortunately, I've just been insulted again in the Glorious City, I hope you all have to do.

[All historical-themed leaders agree and applause]

Pocatello: I have sent a delegations for the knives, clothes, guns, and tickets for horse racing.

Enrico Dandolo: I create the 4th Crusade of Renaissance for-, I mean that city has to be protected from the creepy and evil ones.

Pacal: Somebody had explained why the Evil Nukers destroyed the peace and happiness.

Wu Zetian: The Great Evil Nukers had disdain for the Great Excellent Rescuers' and Peacekeepers' happiness to EC Factions.

Jenny: Right, if there's two things I have disdain in the civilized world: That's "perverts and traitors attack and bully city-states on our continents*" and "people of mischief and stupidity claim to call me "misunderstood one" and "service member" of the group"! [all leaders are shocked]

[*Note: In Civilization VI, Teddy Roosevelt's agenda is called "Big Stick Policy", that he involves hating anyone starting wars against a city-state or civilization based on his continent.]

[Sejong reading the historical book]

Sejong: Geez, My allies and I failed to invade Japanese faction during the battle of Shin-Kamakura.

[Mary Tudor coughing]

Mary: Not sure!

Suleiman: My adventures have three reasons: reading the Exobook, riding the horse to go to somewhere, and getting the prizes from the treasure.

Prince Henry: Spanish navigators claimed to defeat the Wicked Elizabeth as the Nuke-happy Queen!

[King Ramkhamhaeng gets shocked]

King Rama: Whoa! Nuke-happy 'Liz!? What the freak?!

Jenny: Oh! That's outrageous. We have to stop to that insult to come from that city!

All leaders: Hurrah!

Maria: Ei você, Jen. Meus pacientes want me to give the secret gifts to them.

Prince Henry: O que? The secret gifts?

Jenny: Oh, Henry, that's secret. [Prince Henry opens the secret ones] Please, stop. [he open them more] No, no, no! [Then, he takes two bandages] Two bandages? Argh! Darn it!

[In March 30, 2017; at 9:38 am]

[At the EC Great Library, Mrs. Williams' class]

Principal Washington: [mic] Attention please, we're calling to Daniel Roosevelt. Please come to the principal's office immediately, right now!

Gus: Sorry, Dan. Better luck next time.

Dan: Oh, no…

[walking into principal's office to discover his parents, the mayor, the counselor, EC members, and the police]

[Gerry angrily warns his son for his mischief]

Gerry: How dare you, my son!?

Principal Washington: Did you call her a service member? That's her negative agenda!

Dan: Geez, she a service member in the office!

Sean: Dan, that's Jenny's negative agenda! Jenny still has a civilization based lawsuit against anyone starting wars and calling her bad thing, along with the other historical leaders!

Raj: Please, stop starting to call her bad thing, friend.

Dan: That wasn't just me. The others call her service member, even Mr. Gandhi-

Raj: I have to tell to the peaceful leaders to stop the wars and violence, I mean that bad things.

Principal Washington: Dan, a civilization based lawsuit means the fall of the civilization and its future.

Gerry: Well, stop neglecting the world!

[at 3:15 pm]

[Back at the Wondrous Office, Jane Smith is a busy member of the 3rd group as Gerry and his son Dan behind her.]

Gerry: Jen. My son is so sorry for making you annoyed when you share a bad thing to you. That's so bad agenda.

Jenny: Right! I'm still suing you all! No man calls me service member of the third!

Gerry: That's bad idea, but I mean you still design the logo for the Cooperative.

Jenny: Hmph… Well, I am a member of the EC Office, but I'm not the service member!

Gerry: Right! My son is just confused when he's a mischievous child because of calling you bad thing.

[Jane Smith sighs]

Jane: Oh, well. You may have to make me forget this lawsuit.

Gerry: Yes, Jen. I have a secret idea: A queen of Castile along with king of Aragon was send by Colombus, the navigator who explore the secret treasure named Reconquista.

Jane: That's… Isabella, queen of Castile and Aragon.

Dan: Whooooooa…

Gerry: Outrageous, but strategic!

Jane: Now you just get sued!

[returning to design the logo]

Dan: Anyone else, Jenny?

Jenny: Nope! You just get Isabella to appear on Civilization VI or else is done!

[at 6:57 pm]

[Meeting hall. Audiences hear while Gerry is speaking about Isabella of Spain, along with Washington, Sean, Mayor, and the others.]

Gerry: Okay people. But she will get the other historical leaders to withdraw their lawsuit if we just... get Isabella of Spain to appear in Civilization VI.

Frank: No! If Isabella is revealed in that game, we get nuked by the vicious leader!

[Memetic note: A vicious leader named "Nuclear Gandhi"?]

[shouting]

Ellie: I can believe it how not to show Izzy in that game.

Frank: Is that's safe when she is revealed?

Principal Washington: What? Showing Izzy has to be unfinished, so no one reveals her on that game!

Raj: Understood.

Dan: I saw her once.

[the others turning toward him]

Raj: That's you, Daniel.

Dan: Once ago, I met Romer the Great Barrister, and I had to go to the Glorious Ones to save Elisa's life, and Isabella was a member of the Glorious Ones.

Raj: No one reveals Izzy, if she is seen in that game, we'll be nuked, isn't it?

Vicky: How confusing.

Ellie: What? Is Izzy shown by the creators or else?

Dan: Yes, they and I planned to defeat a Nuclear-Beth.

Gerry: That's fair, Dan. Philip II, can't learn to keep quite, can you? Now look, I believe we can find Isabella. I have done a lot of research and I have completed a fanart of what she might look like today.

[holds up a file and begins to open it]

Ellie: Please, don't…

[Gerry holds it up to…*pause*…reveal a fanart of Charles V's wife]

Vicky: Is it right?

Ar-Rasyid: I guess she's seen.

Ar-Rahman: …okay.

[EC Lodge, library]

[Theodora and Justinian explain, but…]

Dora: What's happening with Izzy?

Justy: You said that we were suing civilization.

Jenny: No, Justy. We were going to use civilized form to make the world great again. I guess we don't get outraged.

Pachacuti: Don't you want Isabella to be mocked?

Jenny: No, Patchy. Isabella has a power of chronicle that makes her not confused. What if we could harness that power? [moves over to Pacal] Pacal, how would you like it if no one could ever defeat your civilization, Mayan?

Pacal: Yes, I would.

Jenny: By taking what Isabella has, we could all be safe from outrage. [walks to the field next to William of Orange] Like William of Orange here. Imagine it Will; no one could rip on you for all the unleashed book you've made lately. There'd never be a servant of documentaries that pointed out that you have never had a secret unit. And, you put Haile Selassie and all the secret units. And if you're counting on Haile Selassie.

Will: Of course.

Jenny: Here's how we have Isabella, we can take that her power.

[Cleopatra walks in]

Cleo: Excuse me, beloved people! [*pause*, the others turn around with Cleo] Is this library of Earth Channel?

Jenny: How dare you make me outraged and insulted, Cleo?

Cleo: No, Jen. The other leaders have the lawsuit against the nuclear injection.

Dora: But I mean you could turn on your laptop to chat to Alex, right?

Cleo: That's right! Then, he's coming to this place.

[Alexander open the library door for greeting]

Alex: Geia, tous xénous! Aléxandros Ioannidis o Makedóni.

[leaders gasp and crowd around Alex]

Justy: Alexander Jackson! Where did you live?

Alex: I lived in Thessaloniki. My last education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. I learned Physical Education, Music, Politic, and more.

All leaders: Wow!

Dora: You're so talented to your teachers!

Alex: Yes, I also had my hobbies: training and playing strategy games.

[This fiction turns into opening theme for Glorious Ones. As historical figures pop onto the screen, the one to the left of the middle (Isabella's face) is covered with mosaic and "censored" bar covers her eyes]

Narrator: In the great hall of the Glorious Ones, there are assembled the historical figures; Superking! [Philip II (as Superking) flies and writes speeches for the Anglo-Spanish Wars] Wonder Queen! [Catherine de Medici (as Wonder Queen) pries apart the screen and drives a car] Batking! [Frederick Barbarossa (as Batking) runs and plays flying fox] Chronoqueen! [Isabella (as Chronoqueen) uses the time power, but her eyes have been covered with a bar reading CENSORED] Jadwiga, Peter, and Afonso [Walking down a corridor and getting haunted by the secret ghost] and... Peddy, the Jungle Emperor! [The word "Pedro, the Jungle Emperor" appears on the screen, but he says "Peddy"]

Pedro: [Pedro is still walking] I'm not Peddy, I'm Pedro!

Narrator: Their mission; better that which is worse, and to serve all humankind.

[Dan and Elisa sitting at the table, surrounding by the game based members of the Glory except for Isabella]

Dan: King Philip, only one thing we need to ask is bring Isabella to Civilization VI as DLC.

Philip: Mi querida hija, as changed since to be last here. Isabella is not revealed at all on that game.

Catherine: I can't believe it when we can't risk any inquisition! Is it right?

Afonso: Sure, we cannot make Izzy outrageous, but she's charismatic queen.

Peter: Indeed, Apho.

Dan: Well, it's not fair… Oh my freaking gosh!

Narrator: Back in the hall of Glorious Ones…

Elisa: Alright, will you let Izzy be revealed on that game or come to the city if we dress her like a sci-fi-themed dress?

Peter: No, people still don't care if you show Izzy.

Elisa: Hmmph… what if we cover her eyes with sunglasses?

Jadwiga: No, that game will cause a big glitch if you still show her.

Dan: Suit of armored dress? We just have her in a suit of armored dress so no one sees her.

Frederick: But that image is wrong during the pre-release based portrait bingo.

Elisa: Gosh! This is outrageous!

[pounding hands on table]

Peter: Tovarischchi, you need to understand that people really don't matter when Isabella is insulted because she is a historical figures.

[moaning noise, Catherine is moaning while reading a Ladies' comic: Rabbit and Wolf]

Philip: Catherine, stop moaning in the front of camaradas!

[for a second]

Elisa: The Mighty-secret Box. What if we bring Isabella to several city in the back of the truck of Mighty-secret Box?

Afonso: But she's talking from that truck?

Dan: That's miracle. She's talking or no one knows she's in there!

Philip: Hearing her voice? She's still deaf. What do you think, Spokesman?

[on screen, Spokesman is is floating over in the previously unrevealed corner]

Spokesman: …

Afonso: I guess you don't take a risk.

Spokesman: Would there be weapons on the Mighty-secret Box?

Elisa: Not a bad idea…

Spokesman: …; Guess what?

[In March 31, 2017, at 7:30 am]

[EC Lodge, at the Machine of Judgement]

Jenny: Here's how we have Isabella, this machine will give us her power or else.

Sitting Bull: Jen, Jen, are ya talking secret friend. Only Isa has her unique ability, how could we ever it from her?

[Maria Theresa is sitting while playing a "dating sim for women"]

Maria Theresa: A clone machine? That's usual.

Ahmad al-Mansyur: A secret machine can release an interesting clone, okay?

[wiping forehead, Alexander speaks Greek language?]

Alex: Misó leptó! [the others turning around to him] What do you mean we're not going to sue civilization?

Jenny: No, we just have a unique gold.

Cleo: Gold? … We just… need to get Isabella's… secret machine! [*pause*] No, we have to go. Dora, follow us.

[Cleopatra, Alexander, and Theodora walk and enter to the strategic room]

Alex: Alright, you two must make your own secret story about the "Rise of the Greek Factions".

[they stop walking]

Dora: Alex, we need the laptop to make our own story.

Alex: Oh, you can only look for encyclopedia.

Cleo: Encyclopedia? Whoa! That's strategic simulator.

Petrof: That's why you need to get Isabella on Civilization VI or else.

Alex: Nicolas Petrof! What do you think about her?

Petrof: Isabella and her husband Ferdinand invaded the Muslims at Granada after the end of the Reconquista, isn't that?

Jenny: Hey, strangers! [the others turn toward her] What the heck's a secret manager?!

Cleo: Secret manager? It's office's story, Jenny.

[at 11:36 am]

Sean: We are so sorry to doubt you. You really brought us Izzy.

Mayor: Thanks for coming, Isabella. [stepping forward to deaf queen Isabella]

Isabella: [in a deaf] You're welcome.

Ellie: Is it okay?

Victoria: Yes, we need to figure how to get Isabella from the behind of the truck into Jane Smith's bus.

Carla: No, lady, we promised the Glorious Ones that Isabella stay in the truck!

Gerry: She's sending a clone for Izzy.

Elisa: But she can't be seen.

Gus: The masquerade looks like a cosplay. Alright, let's cover her!

[shouting]

Gerry: Izzy, are you alright?

Isabella: [in a deaf] Yes.

[at 2:58 pm]

[Back to the clone machine]

Justy: Jen, Ahmad, we've received form the lawyers. Civilization is saying that they have Isabella to us!

[the others gasp]

Jenny: Prepare the machine!

Ahmad al-Mansyur: Be ready! [*pause*]

Alex: Stási!

Ashurbanipal: You've come, Alex!?

Alex: Yes, I just came out of the strategic room. Whoa!

[Alexander's allies just came out of the strategic room, too.]

[at 6:40 pm]

[Time Square, several people still standing around when the secret clone tends to pull up]

Sean: [facing away from view] Okay, the bus's here. Isabella, thanks again for doing this. [A cloaked deaf queen had been thrown over Isabella]

Mayor: Congratulations. You have done this a big favor Izzy.

[walking toward into bus, distance away]

Dan: Oh, dude…

Gerry: Hold on, please! [running over to the Mayor] Stop! There are some Spartan Extremists! They're threatening if we give her into the other leaders, the evil is going to nuke us!

Townspeople: What?!

Sean: No, no, no! That's just bad message! Come on, Izzy, we don't want to upset Jenny again. [walking to the bus]

[Maria and Prince Henry sit in the bus]

Maria: [On a tablet] Okay, we got her now. Henry, open the door! [Everyone outside walks toward into bus, but bus gets bombed by the secret evil leader, people scream]

Dan: Izzy, are you alright? [runs toward Isabella and help her up]

Gerry: Look! That's secret evil letter.

Ellie: Hmm… the extermists' power! [notices a letter] What does the paper say? [reading the evil letter] We've placed nuclear weapons all over the city. You'll give Isabella to us. The other leaders want Isabella for her ability not to be insulted and outraged. We want her power… Ave Sparta!

Dan: Do they want her power?

Elisa: That's extremists' type.

Victoria: I can't believe it…

[Great Spartan Lodge]

Spartan (leader): The End Time is near! Soon, the Spartans will never give up to the world!

All Spartans: [in salute and unison] Ave Sparta!

[Strategic room]

Alex: Warning! The Rise of Evil Sparta Exposed!

The others: What?

Alex: The Spartan bloc invasion to Gerry's army causes a new glitch in the city.

[Spartans' target to the city]

Dora: Oh my gosh!

[EC Office; city in the chaos]

Messenger: Principal, we don't have the secret resources! The chaotic test is impossible!

Principal Washington: What?

Ellie: We're going to have to give a demand.

Elisa: Too late! We can't give her to the Spartans!

Dan: We have to promise to Philip II!

Gerry: Dan, Philip II doesn't matter when Isabella is involved.

[phone rings, the others turn around with him]

Sean: That will be Jenny.

[stepping forward and slowly picks it up]

Gerry: Jen?

Jenny: Yes, what's going on?

Gerry: We're afraid we can't give Isabella to you.

Jenny: Aren't you giving her to us?!

Gerry: There are these Spartan Separatists saying that if we don't give Isabella to them, we're going to be nuked by them!

Jenny: Spartans?!

Gerry: Please, understand that we have no choice, Jen.

Jenny: You're going to give Isabella to the Spartans instead of us, because they are threatening you with violence, isn't that?

Gerry: Yes.

Jenny: You can play the secret strategy game! Don't you want to see Spartans' unique type? [throws phone and walks away] How dare they are threaten us?! Do you wanna play the strategic?! Right?! Resume the strategic game, uh?! Take one more turn?! Take one more minute?! Take one more hour! Izzy by force! And then we're gonna tell her why th-

[Maria Theresa slowly applause]

Maria Theresa: Why, why, why we couldn't see the violence, Jen.

Justy: Wow! That'll destruct our business.

Jenny: Please, stop letting Izzy given to the Vicious Spartans! Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaase!

Montezuma II: Jen, that's fine, Jen.

Haile Selassie: We'll get the vicious Viking ruler.

Jenny: Viking ruler?

Maria Theresa: I know that's Harald Hardrada.

[at 8:23 pm]

[huge structure]

[zooming around Vicious Mecha-Hardrada, showing him from every angle]

Jenny: Oh my gosh…

Haile Selassie: Jen, we have no time to upset the Vicious Viking ruler.

Maria Theresa: Power him up! Release the Fallen Gloria!

[Attila pushes red button to release the Vicious Mecha-Hardrada]

[Vicious Mecha-Hardrada opens his eyes, insignia lamp lights up, and giant axes and shield are flexed. The gates open and he flies up to the sky to meet the historical leaders. He lets out a screech.]

Hardrada: [evil laughing] Can't you beat me at all? [evil laughing again]

[*pause*]

Maria Theresa: Hallo, Mr. Hadrada, Ich bien Maria Theresia.

[Hardrada targeting to Maria, next target: Jenny Browne]

Maria Theresa: Bitte, we are going to protect our city, aber we need some cultures.

Jenny: Are you upset with the city, Mr. Hadrada?

[Vicious Mecha roars, turns around, and uses his power into the Jenny's giant shield]

[then, power off]

Jenny: Eeewwww…, he's upset with us all.

[at 8:37 pm]

[Cleo, Alex, and Dora entering to Tomyris' office]

Cleo: We have finished the task. So we meet the Scythian queen who rejects Cy's marriage.

Dora: Wow… that's satisfied, not?

[Tomi takes off her helmet, stands up, and turns around with them]

All: Tomyris!?

Tomi: Why are you here?

Alex: I don't know, but our own story about the ancient time through modern time. Suddenly, Vicky's father told us who Vicky's mother is.

Tomi: I don't know who.

[Strategic room, Tomi reacts to their own secret story]

Alex: We tell you about our own story.

Tomi: …

Alex: Once upon a time in ancient time: The Persian Wars were the conflicts between the Persian and Greek city-states that started in 5th-century BC through 4th-century BC.

Tomi: What were the invasions?

Cleo: The Battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium: When the Persians arrived at Thermopylae in mid-August, they initially waited for three days for the Allies to disperse. When Xerxes was eventually persuaded that the Allies intended to contest the pass, he sent his troops to attack.

[Tomi pounds hands on table]

Tomi: That's not possible, Cleo. [holding a gun] Why didn't you invite your rivals to the party?

Cleo: Stop… getting upset… with us!

[at 8:51 pm]

[A field of Time Square with lots of townspeople, Izzy, and Dan]

Sean: [shouting] Alright Spartans, we have the deaf queen Isabella to you, now hand over the Smart-bomb's remote control!

[Spartan bloc holds the Smart-bomb's remote control]

Spartan (leader): Well, first, you have to prove that you still have Isabella! Let her take off her cloak and mask…

Townspeople: Aaaaahhhhh…

Dan: We can't believe this…

Spartan (leader): Show her or the End Time is near!

[Back to the strategic room]

Alex: Alright, Tomi. Are you seriously outraged when we discuss about the ancient Greece?!

[Tomi hitting a table]

Tomi: How dare you invade my bloc during the post-Glorious Wars?!

Alex: Vicky's mother did her civilized test during the Glorious Wars!

Tomi: That was not possible!

Cleo: Guess who? Tomi, who's Vicky's mother?! [Tomi holds hands to warn them]

[Flash: Townspeople and Spartan bloc on the field; Harald Hardrada laughing, Vicious Mecha-Hardrada roaring]

[To be continued]

[samcybercat]

Black Ravens: Playing Amnesia

This was the other one that I've done so far for throwing the Grasping Liquid cast into scenarios unrelated to the story to see if I'd have a good idea of their reactions. I was going to wait until I'd finished watching a full LP of Amnesia myself before doing this one, but I had too any ideas for it already and got too impatient to wait.

If you're not familiar with Amnesia: The Dark Descent then all you really need to know is that it's a horror game. A very, very good horror game that terrifies me to my core...

Anyway! Here we go:

Crow: Goes in full of swagger, claiming that the game is his “aesthetic”. Does quite well early on to be fair, but starts to get jumpy the further into it he gets. Starts to wear the Black Raven outfit while he's playing, because he claims this “adds to the mood”, but it's actually just to hide how scared he is.

Badger: Younger Badger would probably watch Crow play it, because he doesn't want Crow to think he's not cool. And he would get so scared at every little thing so badly that it distracts from how scared Crow is, which Crow is secretly thankful for. Older Badger, on the other hand, would know his limitations enough to say no to horror games in general.

Louis: Doesn't connect with the game or get why it's supposed to be scary. Only watching so he can laugh when everyone else starts screaming at the creature and sees the game as a valuable tool in terrifying his friends. Particularly good at winding Socket up.

Marilyn: Isn't as openly teasing about it as Louis is, but similarly only watching because she finds amusement in how much it terrifies everyone else. She's most likely the one who'll put her foot down and say when she thinks they need to take a break if it seems to be affecting Badger or Socket too badly.

Roddy: Pays close attention to every note they collect and becomes deeply disturbed the more they read. Gets angry whenever someone skips through a note and insists they open it again to read it properly so that they don't miss anything. Isn't actually that scared of the creature and is more concerned about the implications behind Daniel that become apparent the further you get through the story.

Socket: Seems to get more angry than scared, but this is just a defence mechanism to hide how terrified he is. Will yell at the game and doesn't do very well, because his first instinct is to fight back against the creature and doesn't seem to understand that he can't do that. Gets super into the game at first, but then gets too annoyed to come back and finish it later, despite Louis trying to talk him into it because he finds Socket's reactions the funniest.

Wren: Is affected by the game, but not enough to put her off playing it. A determined completionist. Will scour every room for items and doesn't move on until she's found every damn tinderbox in every location.

Scraps: So unaffected by the game that it's kinda scary. Will play it from start to finish without jumping once and doesn't get what the big deal is. At first Louis would try to get Scraps to play because he thought it'd be funny, but seeing how indifferent Scraps is towards it disturbed Louis enough that he stopped asking quite quickly.

Gus: Only watches the others play because he doesn't want to be left out, but quickly decides that the game isn't for him. In years to come, starts using the backgrounds and lighting as a reference for designing his own environments.

Charlie: Just as scared as Crow is and just as determined to prove that he's not scared. Surprisingly the most disturbed by the piles of dead naked men out of all of them.

Arianna: Gets super into it. Likely to prompt everyone to keep playing, but unlike Louis it's because she's genuinely enjoying the thrill of the game and wants to know what happens in the end.

Umid: The comforter. Doesn't watch the game himself, but is there on hand to get the others a pat on the back and a warm drink when they're done. Quickly realises that it's a good idea to ready the next room with all the blankets and leave the lights on after they've been playing.

Becky: Wants to find it funny like Louis does, but actually jumps pretty easily. Gets annoyed if anyone makes fun of her for jumping, especially Crow. Liable to ragequit and then claim she's too old to be playing games like that anyway.

Max: Isn't allowed to play or watch it because everyone silently agrees that would be a bad idea. They wait until after Max has gone to bed before they start playing as a rule.

Maureen: Doesn't get video games anyway. If it had a scandalous romance plot then maybe she'd give it a try, but as it stands she's not interested. Louis once got in trouble from Crow for trying to tell her that the whole story is actually about the relationship troubles between Daniel and Alexander.

Oscar: Is the chump who listens to the advice that you need to play it on your own, in the dark, with headphones on. Is quickly told he's banned from playing it because everyone's sick of being woken up in the middle of the night by his screaming. Promises he won't play it any more, but knows that he needs to see it through to the end, so just tries to be more secretive about it when he does play. This doesn't work and the cycle begins anew.

Guntz: Pretty sure this isn't how Daniel's cookery classes were supposed to go.

Swallow: Politely pretends to be interested but would rather be doing something else. Anything else, really.

Tony & Sean: The screaming gallery for Crow's playthrough.