#and then alvarez happens and they both are traumatized :)

[lisannastraussisanangel]

Hopefully this isn't too much..May I have angsty headcanons of when Juvia had nightmares about Gray-Sama dying in front of her. (And how would Gray help her deal with those nightmares).

https://youtube.com/shorts/hgl3Ll3tCaM?feature=share3 (I'm kinda referring to that)

I love me some good angst! Also Juvia is my all time favorite character so this will be fun!

Juvia cannot get the image of Gray dying out of her head

It's in her dreams almost every night after it happens. Juvia doesn't remember it actually happening but it's a vivid memory in her dreams

It gets to the point where she can't even look at him without getting flashbacks to the hole in his head

Juvia suffers in silence. She never tells anyone about her nightmares

But when her and Gray move in together after Fairy Tail disbands. She can't hide it anymore

Juvia screams Gray's name in her sleep as she watches him die over and over again

The first night it happens, Gray comes bursting in her room ready to attack whoever was there

All he finds is Juvia tossing and turning in bed whimpering his name now. In her mind, she's holding his corpse

Gray shakes her awake and Juvia nearly screams again. All she can see when she looks at him is the bloodied dead version

Not knowing what to do. Gray crawls into the bed with her and pulls her against his chest

Juvia doesn't speak, she just cries into his chest. The sound of his heart beat reassuring her

It becomes a routine for them. Gray will join her in the bed and Juvia will lay on his chest. Only able to properly sleep when she can hear his heart beating

They never talk about it. Gray too embarrassed by his softness and Juvia too worried that speaking about it will cause him to leave

Eventually, Gray gives up on sleeping in his bed and simply starts his night in hers

Juvia never jokes about it. Knowing if she makes a big deal, he will stop holding her

When Gray disappears, Juvia's nightmares get worse than ever

Her dreams are filled with horrible things that could've happen to him

Sometimes she worries that she made up Gray surviving and that he had been a hallucination the entire time

It gets so bad that she stops sleeping all together. That's when the others find her. It had been three days since she last slept

[idontplaytrack]

✧ Goodbye to Spring

Janis ‘Imi’ike x fem! reader

Warnings: coarse language, child loss + miscarriage mentions, blood & bodily fluids mentions, Janis’ Dad makes an appearance

Part 3 of 3. Read part 1 & part 2.

“

I should not have to be doing all of the work. The bigger person shouldn’t have to be the kid.

”

— Elena Alvarez, One Day at a Time. Season 3 E13

(Pictures used above are from Pinterest)

Winter has gone, and so did spring. Day after day, week after week and month after month. The loss of Malia and your first baby boy, Nālani continually weighted down your hearts. But life still went on without a pause. Some nights, memories haunted you and Janis. Other nights, you were on cloud nine, feeling like nothing could stop either of you. Today was June 21st: the first day of summer, also the day you lost Nālani a year ago. It’s been 165 days since Malia has been gone. From the moment your eyes peeled open, you’ve had a heavy feeling in your heart.

“Hi, darling.” Janis walks in. You blinked at her, blankly, trying not to burst into tears. Janis seemed to just know it. “I’m so sorry.” You sniffled looking away from her as you frantically tried to swipe the tears away with your fingers. “I can’t help it, I’m sorry.”

You were woken up by the familiar nightmare of events from the day you lost him. You weren’t even thinking about anything related to that recently but it crept up on you anyway. “It’s alright.” She held you in her arms, “It’s alright, baby.” “I didn’t want to cry today. I just- I got a dream about that day and it just—”

Janis shushed you, rubbing your back. You let go of the teddy bear, struggling to get out of her embrace to go wash your face. “No, no. Hang on, baby. Hang on.” She held you back, “You don’t have to hurry yourself. Cry if you need to cry.” The miscarriage was the single most painful thing that’s happened to you until you went through Janis’ whole situation with Malia and the recovery— which had been traumatic for you and her both. The physical pain and shedding of leftover fluids and tissue took weeks to settle down. And all she had left was a big scar on her abdomen and memories that have scarred her for life.

The teddy bear nearly falls, but Janis catches it and put it back onto the bed safely. You had one, Janis had one too. They slept in bed together with the two of you, for comfort. The silence was then suddenly broken by a string of doorbell rings and the intercom buzzing, “Open up, you two. We’re here for you.”

“Shit.” You pulled away, “I need to go wash my face.”

“Okay, be careful.” Janis slowly broke away, “I’ll go let them in.”

As you slowly kicked off the blanket, you crawled out off bed and walked into the bathroom. As you did your morning routine, you hear Janis greeting Regina, Gretchen, Cady, Karen, Aaron and Damian— in that order. “I made breakfast. Help yourselves.”

“And I brought drinks.” Regina quipped.

“For breakfast? Regina George, my, my.” Damian��s voice was heard.

“We need a treat, okay?” Regina answered while you dried your face.

“Is she awake yet?” You heard Gretchen asking.

While you changed into a different set of pyjamas— because you all were staying in, you heard the bunch of them chatting. Then, you walked outside to join them. They all greeted you with hugs, like always. As you dug into your breakfast, Janis’ hand rested on your knee as she ate as well. The conversation was kept lighthearted, for obvious reasons but very appreciated that this came naturally to them.

“y/n~” Regina called for you in a singsongy voice to make you laugh and you did, “You want a mimosa, baby?”

“Sure.” You shrugged.

“You know— a butterfly kept flying after me after I parked down the block and we were walking here. Like- why just me?” Damian mentioned. The group laughs, “Dude, I think Malia just wanted to have a little fun with one of her uncles.” Aaron snorted, taking a swig of coffee.

“Ew, why are you drinking coffee when we have alcohol?”

“Some people prefer a non-alcoholic beverage at nine in the morning, Regina.” He retorted, tossing a tater tot in her direction.

“What the hell is that for?” Regina tutted, catching the bite-sized food and popping it into her mouth. “But yes, Aaron, I agree. Malia just wanted to have some fun with you, Damian. Be glad it was you.”

“I told her to do that.” Janis chimed in gleefully.

Damian gasps dramatically, “How dare you freak me out? They said I scream like a girl, you silly goose.”

“Talk to her. Not me.” Janis playfully raised the teddy bear in his face.

“I was, my friend. I see the bear.” Damian had a hand clutching his chest.

“Aw, cute.” Regina chuckles, “She still flies by, then?”

“So often.” You nodded, putting down your fork.

The buzzing of the intercom interrupts the lively conversation, confusing all of you. Until…

“Janis, honey we gotta talk.”

“Fuck’s sake.” Janis curses.

“Just ignore them. They’ll leave.” Regina nudged.

“They will not leave.” Janis scoffs, getting up. Next thing you heard was Janis going off on them in Hawaiian, which you barely understood. “Too little, way too late. I’m not forgiving Mom. No, you can’t just show up and expect us to welcome you with open arms—”

Janis’ Dad barged in, alone. “Your Mother hurt you and y/n, and I am very sorry for what she’s caused but please know I’m sorry. I couldn’t change her mind, Janis. You need to know that, but you don’t have to forgive me.”

“Your mother and I got a divorce.” He continued, “I’ve had enough of pretending with her that I’m not happy that you two have each other. I’ve failed to let you see that by staying on with your Mother and that was the biggest mistake because you and y/n had to go through so much alone.”

“We weren’t alone.” Janis spoke up, inevitably sniffling, “We had our friends, but it fucking hurt to see my own parents hate the sweetest person I’ve ever met. The most important, most perfect person I have in my life. That woman is so fucking tough. She almost lost her own life a year ago today but she fought. She also saved me when she could’ve done something selfish and saved Malia. She chose me. You chose my mother who made my life hell. I don’t get it…of all days, why did you show up today? When we’re grieving. When we’re trying to celebrate the memories we did have with our son. Your timing is so impeccable I could hate you for that too. How dare you and Mom make y/n cry harder than she already had that night. How dare you fill her mind with that guilt? How dare you? You didn’t help me, you didn’t help her when we were expecting. You hated our children. That alone enough for me to cut you off. Coming here and ask for forgiveness after it’s too late?”

You didn’t know what to do. You weren’t feeling like yourself today and the gang was just there waiting for an appropriate time to even try and interrupt. But Janis- there was no stopping her. She needed to get it out. “I am done being nice and pushing away my own feelings and feeling all of yours. You hurt me- over and over and over. We’ve been together for eight years. You have had ample time to fix things, but you didn’t. I don’t want this burden anymore. I should not have to be doing all of the work. The bigger person shouldn’t have to be the kid. Please, go.”

That gave Janis the closure she needed. A weight lifts off her shoulders, but she was still hurting over a lot of things that have made her who she is. But the side of her that’s been deeply hurt? You and the gang were the only ones who’ve seen it until today.

————

“Okay, good for you, baby. Now cry it out and drink up.” Regina pours her a glass, “Go on. Trust me. You need this. You deserve it.”

You excused yourself and sat outside, in the backyard. Damian followed you out. “Honey, what’s the matter?”

“They hated our children.” You told him, “Maybe, maybe that’s why we lost them. We didn’t have the blessings.”

“Oh, honey. Please don’t go thinking about all of that, please. That’s not—”

“They hated me, so it makes sense that they would’ve sent negative thoughts my way.”

“Honey, please don’t go down that path right now. We love you, we’re all here for you. They can go fuck themselves.” He hugs you, you sobbed. “Thanks, I just needed to get that shit out of my head.” You sighed.

“Don’t worry about it.” He assured, “Oh, look! It’s your baby girl again. Back to make me scream like a girl.”

You chuckle, watching the butterfly. “I’m okay, baby. I’m okay. You know I am- just need to cry some days and I’m good. Don’t scare your uncle Damian again okay?”

“I’ll get back inside. I’m gonna let you have a moment.” Damian patted your shoulder and went back into the house.

“Thank you for always sticking around, baby.” You talked to the air— well, the butterfly. It’s always been the same one, or the same kind at least. “But you gotta remember to do what you wanna do, too. Just make sure your brother knows that and is okay- he doesn’t give us a whole lot of signs like you do, Malia.”

It lands on your knee, fluttering it wings as if to say hi. “Go have fun with your brother.” You said, “I’m gonna go spend some time with your Mom and our friends. If you wanna stick around, stick around. But, go play, too. Okay?” With that being said, you walked back inside, watching the butterfly over your shoulder. It stays on the orange tree for a minute or two before it flew away.

“You okay?” Janis asks.

“Better, yeah.” You answered honestly, “Are you okay?”

“I finally did what I should’ve done years ago. So yes, very okay. Very proud of myself for cutting him off.”

You snaked an arm around her waist, she leans her head on your shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.” You told her softly.

“It’s always gonna be you and me against the world. We have our own family right here. I know we’ll be perfect.”

“Amen, sister.” Damian raised his glass, “Cheers, y’all.”

“Cheers.” The gang chorused, glasses and mugs clinking.

They hung around all day. Playing board games after breakfast then all going out for lunch in the afternoon. And dinner, a picnic under the stars. It was the perfect close to the day.

“The sky’s gorgeous tonight.” Janis remarked.

You agreed with a nod, “It really is.”

“You guys are family. You heard me, right?” Janis continues, “Every single one of you. Every single one of you have been with me through the all the highs and lows. That’s more than my own parents have done for me. I really, really cherish all of you. And I am so grateful for you all sticking by me and y/n.”

“You can never get rid of us.” Damian says. The rest of them agree.

“Never.” Damian leans closer repeat himself. The butterfly appears out of know where and got all up in his face and he squealed, falling out of his seat.

“That’s our girl.” Janis guffaws, pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Oh, a thousand percent.” Regina says, “Alright, a toast to the most badass people in our family, and our darling niece and nephew, everyone. Cheers- we love you.”

“Oh, my God.” You mumble, sharing a look with Janis because of those three words.

The gang declared, taking a sip, “We love you.”

(Okay the ending wasn’t as strong as I hoped it would be, and I kinda hate it- but I did it. It’s the end to this little story)

[theunstablejester]

what's echo

Echo it's a horror visual novel about a group of friends in their early twenties that try to reconnect during spring break.

The whole thing happens in a town named Echo, which is like an actual place in Utah. The story revolves around Chase Hunter a college student that wants to do a report on the town and the mysteries that have happened in it which one of those include the death of a member of the friend group as kids.

The visual novel plays like a dating sim, in which the routes are defined by choosing a character "to pursue" which these have Leo Alvarez who's Chase's ex boyfriend which Chase ghosted instead of breaking up with, Carl Hendricks Chase's childhood friend which dropped out of college and the alienation of it has him troubled, Jenna Begay who ran away from her family, Flynn Moore who is still obsessed to know the truth of the death of their friend and TJ Hess who was deeply traumatized by that death after being the only witness of it.

The novel talks a lot about alienation, isolation and the attachments we have to the past, both imposed from others to us and imposed by ourselves. It touches on the arrested development a lot of people suffer during their early twenties and the hardships of growing up out of a life that just isn't what the outside world is about... the game constantly had the characters face how much the past has defined them if they live trapped by such past or even if they live running away from it. Just like the town which repeats it's tragic history the characters repeat their own misery.

I adore this visual novel and I get why it's considered an instant modern cult classic and a masterpiece. I highly recommend it, the prose is good like... not good for a visual novel but actually good and the characters are insanely real. The usage of magical realism but with a horror angle makes the somber elements fuse easily with the grounded tone of the interpersonal drama... I will say not all routes are written with the same quality and effort in them.

It's free and available for PC and even Android so... y'know. Just download it and let it sit on your device, maybe someday it'll call to you. "You're always moving in circles" y'know.

[chasing-classics]

Welcome to the Slaughterhouse (3/3) Miguel x Reader x Angel

Pairing: Angel Reyes x Reader x Miguel Galindo

 Warning(s): mentions of domestic violence and sexual assault, angst, language, SMUT. If any of these trigger you, please don’t read.

 Summary: In the final installment you deal with the aftermath of the dinner and the truth is finally revealed.

PART 1 , PART 2

 ‘’Mrs. Galindo. . .do you need a moment?’’

 You looked up at Agent Potter, your lips pulled in a thin line as he gazed back you with an obviously fake smile. His smile reminded you of Miguel’s, it was the same smile Miguel wore constantly to appear polite. In reality it was the smile of a snake in the grass or a wolf among the flock.

 ‘’I’m fine,’’ your eyes narrowed as you offered a faux smile of your own.

 ‘’Great,’’ Potter clasped his hands together as he took his seat across the table from you. You instantly sat up straight, hands folded together on the table. You noticed Potter eyeing your wedding ring for a brief second before his attention returned to you.

 ‘’Shall we begin?’’

 ‘’We shall.’’

 ‘’Can you tell me who killed your husband, Miguel Galindo?’’

 ~~~~~~~Three hours earlier~~~~~~~

 You felt your body tremble as you stared at the body of your husband. It was a sight you had often thought about, but at the same time you never truly wanted to happen. As much as you hated him for the vile things he did to you and the cruel things he would hiss at you while he was beating the shit out of you or using your body for his own selfish desires, you never wanted it to come to this. There had been a time where you would’ve moved Heaven and Earth for Miguel, and he would’ve done the same for you. The beginning was completely different.

 ‘’Miguel,’’ you laughed, your boyfriend wrapping his strong arms around you and pulling you back into your shared bed.

 ‘’Five more minutes, mi amor,’’ his voice was groggy from barely waking up, but you could tell he was grinning as he peppered kisses across your shoulder.

 You shifted to face him, gazing down at his handsome face. He smiled right back at you.

 ‘’Marry me,’’ he whispered. Your jaw fell slack. ‘’That’s not funny, Mikey,’’ you chastised, the heat rising to your cheeks as you stared at this absolutely perfect man. He sat up and you couldn’t help but stare at his bare chest. The sweetest smile was on his face as he turned to his nightstand and pulled out a small velvet box.

 ‘’Miguel?’’ you gasped as he opened the box.

 ‘’I love you, y/n. And I don’t want to spend another day without you sharing my last name and seeing this on your finger. I want to grow old with you, watch our children and grandchildren run around and grow up. I want you to be completely, fully, unconditionally mine. Will you marry me?’’

 ‘’Y/n?’’ Nestor’s voice brought you out of your memories, looking away from Miguel’s body as Nestor handed you a handkerchief to wipe the blood off the side of your face. You took it and nodded your thanks before turning to Adelita.

 ‘’You should go, they’ll be here any second,’’ you warned.

 She nodded, and you held out your hand to her. She clasped it and offered a small, sympathetic smile. She looked at Angel, who was still clearly in shock. Like a phantom, she took her men and retreated from the house into the wine cellar.

Your eyes then fell on Angel, who shakily took a step towards you before encompassing you in a warm embrace.

 ‘’What did you do, querida?’’

 ‘’What I had to.’’

 ~~~~~~~~~~Six Months Ago~~~~~~~~~~

 You whimpered as you limped through the tunnels, the soreness between your legs a familiar feeling that you’ve grown accustomed to in your marriage with Miguel. The blanket that war thrown over you protected you from the night wind as well as anyone whose allegiance was to your husband. Nestor was currently with Miguel, keeping him occupied. You knew your mission and you were well aware of what was at stake. With every step you took your prayers grew, begging any guardian angel or divine deity that your plan would work. By the time you reached your destination Adelita and Bishop were already standing.

 ‘’What the hell is she doing here?’’ Bishop visibly tensed up, Tranq and Taza in the background lowered their arms; hands near their holsters.

 You immediately lifted your arms, showing that you meant no harm.

 ‘’She’s with me,’’ Adelita answered, her eyes reminding you of a rattlesnake; ready to strike if provoked.

 ‘’I came because I need your help,’’ you mustered as much courage as you possibly could.

 The men visibly relaxed albeit not much. You couldn’t blame them, here was the wife of their employer and enemy. Miguel was a very powerful man who was not above using violence to get his way. They had every reason to distrust you.

 ‘’Obispo,’’ a gruff voice called out among the shadows.

 When Alvarez made his presence known Bishop’s mouth opened in both shock and confusion. The former patriarch of the Mayans stood by your side, offering a comforting hand on your shoulder. You nodded your thanks to him before you both looked at Bishop.

 ‘’Now can we talk?’’

 The four of you sat at the Mayans’ Templo, each of you tense with uneasiness. The silence was thick and heavy and you knew they were waiting for an explanation.

 ‘’As you know, Miguel is a powerful man. He is a violent man. I know he takes advantage of his influence over your club,’’ you began.

‘’For as long as I’ve known Miguel he has craved power. Power over the cartel. Power over the club, the rebels. Power over me. Everyday for the last two years he has beaten me, raped me, threatened my very life, and has tried breaking me in every sense of the word,’’ you couldn’t help the quiver in your voice as countless nights of abuse replayed themselves in your head.

Bishop shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but the sympathetic look in his eyes was beginning to show.

‘’You’re a very smart man, Bishop. You know about Angel,’’ the way Adelita averted her eyes at the mention of his name filled you with jealousy for a split second before it evaporated.

 ‘’You’re going to get us all killed,’’ Bishop sighed.

 ‘’Primo, hear her out,’’ Alvarez’s strong voice filled you with the encouragement to continue you so desperately needed.

 ‘’We all have a common enemy,’’ you pointed out.

 ‘’We made a deal with your husband, Mrs. Galindo,’’ Bishop all-but spat out your marital name.

 ‘’An unfair deal,’’ Adelita cut him off, voice sharp. His gaze was redirected as the Rebel Queen.

 ‘’Y/n came to me shortly before the deal with Galindo was made. I’ve seen her scars, her bruises. I’ve seen the mark of the devil on her skin. He is vile, and he deserves to pay. Not just for her, but for every orphan whose parents were taken away by the cartel. For every widow, every mother whose child is buried in a grave due to the cartel. For the father and son who were burnt to a crisp due to his rage. I want vengeance. Galindo gave me Devante’s head, now I want his life,’’ Adelita’s stone cold voice sent shivers down your spine.

 After a moment or two of silence, Bishop sighed, ‘’Galindo has too many allies that will seek retribution against the club. I’m not endangering my men just so you two can settle the score with him.’’

 You shook your head. ‘’You’re wrong. Miguel has more enemies than allies, believe me. And you won’t be doing the killing. All I’m asking for is compliance. All I want is not to live in fear anymore. Nothing touches the club, nothing will touch Adelita.’’

 ‘’This is our chance to right his wrongs, primo. I’ve seen what he’s done. We’ve seen it. I took this position believing I could prevent him from becoming his father, but I was wrong; he’s much worse. He won’t stop until he’s dead,’’ Alvarez stared somberly at Bishop.

 Bishop sighed, rubbing his temple as he mulled over his options. His eyes met yours’.

 ‘’What about the cops? You think they’ll just turn the other cheek when they find his body and no murderer?’’

 ‘’Los Olvidados,’’ Adeltia began, ‘’will be taking the fall, but thanks to y/n and the Galindo’s resources, the FBI will not be able to track us. It’ll be all smoke and mirrors.’’

 ‘’What about Oceteva?’’ Bishop pointed out.

 ‘’Nestor is aware of my plan. He’s willing to be complicit. Nestor’s brother’s death wasn’t an accident. Miguel had him shot after he got wind that Nestor’s brother was planning to rat on the cartel. His body is currently in an unmarked grave.’’

 Bishop and Adelita’s eyes widened but they resumed their stoic statures. They shared a quick look with each other, to which Adelita nodded. Bishop glanced at Alvarez and you were able to breathe easier when you saw the resignation on the president’s face. He looked straight at you.

 ‘’Angel cannot know about this. Until this shit settles, you two act like normal. The less people involved in this; the better.’’

 ‘’They came out of nowhere. I believe they’re called Los Olvidados. My husband kept his business extremely private. But I remember him mentioning them. One minute we were having dinner with the Mayans, to discuss a potential partnership to take down the rebels, but before Miguel could mention anything. . .he was shot,’’ you tried your best to play the role of the grieving widow, and you were convinced you had done a decent job by the way Potter wasn’t immediately calling you out on your bullshit.

 ‘’Why did they not kill the rest of you?’’ Potter questioned, forehead crinkled in thought.

 ‘’I told you, it was only two or three of them, by the time the first shot was fired my husband’s security and the Mayans were ready to fight back. They came, shot my husband, and fled. I don’t know anything else other than my husband is dead and you’re sitting here like this is a game of cat and mouse,’’ you hissed.

 ‘’Oh Mrs. Galindo, or rather Ms. y/l/n now, I understand you have had a terrible loss. Losing a spouse is traumatic, but to have it happen right in front of you. . .’’ Potter abruptly stood, circling the room like a vulture with a bad hairdo.

 ‘’You are welcome to search my house if you’d like,’’ you steadied your voice.

 ‘’We already have my dear. Nothing. All we found was the tunnel that they used to enter your humble abode and that led us to the middle of nowhere. Strange isn’t it?’’ his voice sent chills down the back of your neck but you kept your face stoic. You couldn’t afford to screw this up when you had come this far.

 ‘’You’re free to go,’’ Potter stated after what felt like an eternity of silence. You suppressed the sigh of relief you so desperately wanted to take and stood up, walking calmly to the door.

 ‘’Oh wait. I do believe congratulations are in order,’’ Potter’s eerily cheerful voice made you stop dead in your tracks, the doorknob barely skimming your fingertips. You slowly turned to face him once more to find him holding a manila folder and sliding it across the table. You didn’t dare reach for it. You held eye contact and steadied yourself for whatever he was about to say.

 ‘’It appears you are nearly three-and-a-half months pregnant,’’ he smiled that sly fox smile of his as he crossed his arms over his chest.

You gulped and quickly turned the door handle and rushed out of the building. It wasn’t until you met Nestor, dutifully waiting by the limo that you burst into tears as he held you.

‘’It’s over, y/n,’’ he comforted you. You shook your head violently.

 ‘’I’m pregnant, Nestor,’’ you sobbed, suddenly feeling very nauseous. There had been a few days where you had forgotten to take your birth control, and the timeline was so twisted and uncertain that there was no definite answer to who was the father of your child. Nestor just held you.

 It had to have been early morning by the time you made it back to the house. Thankfully, Miguel’s body had been taken and although the house was in disarray from the FBI’s probing, you were grateful that you couldn’t make out where the blood stains were unless you truly stared long enough. You felt exhausted in every sense of the word as you slowly made your way to the staircase.

‘’He’s waiting for you,’’ Nestor’s voice rang out, making you pause. You sighed, feeling the tears already beginning to form once again. How could you tell him that you were pregnant? That there was a possibility the baby you were carrying wasn’t his, but that of your abusive husband’s? His half-brother. A child that was possibly conceived through rape. You felt like you were floating up the stairs, and before you knew it there was Angel waiting for you in the master bedroom. His eyes searched yours, looking to see if you were hurt. You let out a little breath and that was all it took before he dashed to you and held you against his chest while you sobbed.

 ‘’Shhh, mi amor. It’s ok I’m right here, I’m here,’’ he whispered while stroking your head.

 ‘’I think we should start trying,’’ Miguel stated as you both laid in bed, you curled up against him after making love.

 ‘’Really?’’ you whispered as you listened to the sound of his heartbeat thrumming within his chest.

 ‘’Why not?’’ Miguel grinned, looking down at you. ‘’You’re the love of my life, the woman I plan on marrying. A baby wouldn’t be the worst thing would it?’’

 You stayed quiet for a few seconds. You couldn’t help but think that Miguel was always the one to make the big decisions. Marriage, kids, what would be next? He had already snapped a few times at you, but you chalked it up to whatever family business he often referred to. Coupled with his mother’s untimely death a month ago, you could understand why your fiancé would be under pressure. Although his temper scared you, you loved him and believed things would only get better in time. You always wanted a family and to become the mother you never had growing up. While you often thought about a tall, dark-haired Casanova on a motorcycle, you loved Miguel. A baby wouldn’t be the end of the world, it would be a new start.

 ‘’I’ve always hated this room,’’ you sniffled, slowly walking around the much too large bedroom. Every inch of the room held a memory you desperately wished you could forget. Countless nights of screaming, crying, anger, and despair circulated within the room. Angel sat at the foot of the bed, carefully watching you and allowing you the space you needed to come to terms with the night’s events. Even he was exhausted, he knew your head had to be spinning right now. You picked up the picture of you and Miguel on your wedding day. You didn’t even recognize the girl in the white dress anymore. So naïve, so full of hope and love. You wished you could tell her to run as fast as she could before it all went to shit. Your knuckles turned white as you cleaned the picture frame.

 SMASH!

 You let out a howl of anguish as you chucked the picture against the opposite wall. Angel jumped up, startled. You tore at the velvet curtains until they were ripped off the rod. You picked up the bottles of perfume and cologne that were on the vanity and smashed them to the tiled floor. The smell of expensive, foreign perfume filled your senses as you totaled the room. The vase of flowers that Miguel had just bought you days ago was smashed to smithereens. Every shatter of glass, every shard of porcelain was lost as memories of him violating you and abusing you orbited your mind.

 ‘’Y/n,’’ Angel’s deep voice pulled you out of your rampage. The room was destroyed and finally matched the true image of what your marriage was really like. The veil was lifted, and here was what lied beneath it. You glanced at the wedding ring that was still on your finger. Before you could yank it off, Angel’s hand gently took hold of yours. You looked up at him, allowing him to slowly slide the ring off your finger and you winced at the clink it made as it was tossed to the ground. Angel held both of your cheeks in his hands, his forehead pressed against yours as your breathing evened out.

 ‘’I-I’m pregnant, Angel,’’ you whimpered, preparing yourself for his outburst. He stilled and you swallowed the sob that threatened to escape your lips.

 Angel’s lips crashed against yours, causing your eyes to snap back open. You weren’t sure if he heard you right, or maybe it hadn’t sunken in yet. When he pulled away your heart clenched as you struggled to piece together your words.

 ‘’Angel it might-,’’ you were hushed when he pressed another kiss to your lips. He pulled away once more and looked at you, tears threatening to spill from those beautiful chocolate brown eyes at any moment.

 ‘’Listen to me, alright? I love you so fucking much. I’d die for you, and I’d die for this baby. Because even if he isn’t mine, he’s yours’ and that’s all that fucking matters to me. You’re the best part of me, nena. You always have been. I’ll be damned if I lose you again. I can’t promise it’s going to be all sunshine and rainbows and shit, but I promise I’m going to love you until they put me in the ground and even beyond that. I’m going to be there for you and this baby.’’

 Tears cascaded down your face, falling onto the floor as you crashed your lips onto Angel’s. The two of you backed up until you fell into the king-sized mattress. You tensed when you were able to still smell traces of Miguel, but you pulled your focus onto the man you had loved ever since you were a child. You hurriedly yanked off the elegant dress that you were still wearing, your body on full display for Angel to see. His eyes traced every curve of your body and his hand laid itself on your abdomen. The two of you undressed yourselves, too lost in each other to really give a shit about anything else. Miguel had taken away so much from you, but he was not going to take away this moment. This was your future. Angel was your future.

 The two of you rolled over as Angel kneeled before you. You instinctively spread your legs for him. It should’ve been illegal for him to look this good, hair slightly messed up as he kissed up your naked body in your marital bed. ‘’Angel please,’’ you gasped when he took one of your nipples into his mouth and hungrily suckled. His right hand toyed with the other as his other hand pinned your hips to the bed. You could feel the tip of his cock rubbing against your folds as you tried grinding against him.

 Your hands ran through his hair and scratched up his back while you threw your head back and moaned and whimpered Angel’s name.

 ‘’You’re so fucking beautiful,’’ his husky voice gave your butterflies that fluttered throughout your entire being.

 His kisses trailed up your neck, gently nipping and sucking on it while one of his hands crept towards your needy pussy. His thick fingers lazily rubbed at your clit and gathered some of your slickness before he shoved two of them into your tight opening. Your fingernails gently clawed at his shoulder blades, his knees preventing your legs from closing as he began fingering you.

 ‘’I’m going to make you cum on my hand before I make you milk my dick,’’ he groaned in your neck before nipping at your ear.

 You closed your eyes, your lips open as you panted from the way his fingers thrusted into you. The sounds emitting from the two of you were sinful and heavenly all at the same time. You clenched around him when he went knuckle-deep and hit that sweet spot inside of you. You began rocking your hips and tilting them upwards to meet his digits. Angel took the hint and bit down on your shoulder before adding a third finger and hammering away at you.

 ‘’A-Angel,’’ you whined, unable to do anything but moan and chant his name like prayer while he took control.

 ‘’Fuck nena, all wet and needy for me and I’ve barely started,’’ he smirked down at you before kissing your soft lips, swallowing your cries when he repeatedly hit your sweet spot. You tried telling him you were about to cum, but you were unable to do anything but cry out his name as your orgasm overcame you.

 He bit your sensitive nipple as he settled between your legs. He looked right at you, your blissful tears only fueling his desire for you as he took hold of his thick manhood and slowly traced your opening with the tip of his cock.

 ‘’Tell me you love me,’’ he whispered. And unlike the way it was with Miguel, there was no malice in his voice. Just primal, beautiful, sinful love.

‘’I love you,’’ you whispered and gasped when he shoved his entire length into you in one thrust, bottoming out and grunting your name. You wrapped your legs around his waist and held onto his shoulders as he began bucking into you, his balls slapping your pussy with every brutal thrust. The friction between the two of you made it difficult to suppress another orgasm. You whimpered when you felt him fill you up every time his cock speared you, your body nearly dragging along with his cock as he exited you. His nose brushed against yours as he pressed his forehead against you.

‘’Cum for me again,’’ he ordered and sped up his thrusts, your body bouncing underneath him in tune with his movements. ‘’Angel, papi,’’ you moaned out, your pussy clenching around his heavy cock. ‘’You’re fucking soaking querida,’’ he grunted as he grabbed your legs, pressing them against your chest so he could go deeper and harder.

‘’Angel!’’ you whined, cumming around his cock as you shook underneath him. It was all too much, the weight of him on top of you, the feeling of complete fullness as his dick repeated slammed into you. You were in a hot, thick wave of euphoria and you never wanted it to end as your fluids coated him, only allowing him to enter you faster. You barely felt Angel give you a kiss before he positioned you onto your side, lifting your leg up and resuming fucking into your sore but blissed out body.

‘’How does that feel amor?’’ Angel grunted, his hand brushing away your hair so he could see your face. His eyes watched as your breasts bounced, giving a few extra forceful ones just to watch your tits move with his thrusts. His gaze then traveled downward to the way his cock split you open, the way his dick disappeared in those tight folds of yours and the way your cum coated him. He was a lucky man.

‘’I-It’s too much Angel. I feel so f-full,’’ you whimpered, panting as he hid his face into your shoulder.

‘’I’m almost there nena, give me one more,’’ he growled out almost animalistically as his hips sped up, causing you to grip the sheets. While one hand toyed with your bouncing breasts the other began furiously rubbing at your clit. You clawed at the sheets, eyes closed in pure pleasure as you felt that familiar coil in your stomach.

‘’You look so fucking pretty taking my cock baby,’’ Angel moaned, kissing your cheek as his hand gently but firmly pressed against your stomach.

His filthy words is what did it for you, his name the only thing you could scream as you climaxed a third time, laying limp on the bed as he pounded into you like a madman. The grunt he released when he filled your tight sore pussy up, along with the way he gently pulled your hips closer to his so that every drop of his warm cum filled your womb was all you could focus on. Your eyes felt heavy as Angel remained inside of you, his cock twitching every now and then as his muscular arms encompassed you.

 ‘’I love you y/n,’’ he whispered behind you. The most genuine smile graced your lips as sleep slowly began taking you.

 ‘’I love you too, my Angel.’’

 You weren’t sure how long you had been able to sleep. Angel’s arms were still wrapped around you but he was no longer inside of you. You carefully maneuvered out of his embrace and managed to walk out onto the balcony, the silk robe that Miguel detested was loosely hanging off your body. He had said it made you look cheap, but you had always loved the robe. Miguel hated a lot of the things you loved. You were positive that Miguel would never completely leave your mind. You’d probably need therapy, and you weren’t naïve enough to believe that the trauma he had put you through would evaporate. You’d always remember him and the things he had done. The pain would wax and wane, and you would have to find a way to pick up the shattered pieces and create something beautiful out of it.

 You glanced down at your stomach, you hadn’t grown much but just knowing the life that was slowly blooming in you offered the tiniest bit of comfort. You wanted this. This was yours’, your choice. You finally had a choice. And you wanted this baby more than anything. You glanced back at Angel who was peacefully sleeping and smiled as the dawn steadily approached. It was not going to be easy. None of it would be. You’d have to deal with the aftermath. You’d have great days and horrible days. But Angel and the baby made up for it tenfold.

 ‘’A part of me will always be with you,’’ Miguel’s gruff voice caused you to shiver.

 ‘’You’re wrong. The memories will haunt me. But I already have the best part of you,’’ you replied. You could almost see the smirk on Miguel’s face.

 ‘’You sound strong, amor.’’ You nodded your head.

 ‘’I survived the slaughterhouse. I can survive anything that comes after.’’

 Miguel grinned, nodding his head as you stared out the balcony, noting the way the sun slowly spread along the mountain. Replacing the various shadows and fog with the warmth of the sun and illuminating the greenery. You nodded to yourself once more, hand pressed to your stomach as you slowly turned away to rejoin Angel where you knew his arms would be waiting to hold you once more before you braved the beginning of a new day.

 If I could let these thoughts drown And someday he might lose his crown In time these chains that hold me down would set me free Would set me free

[hearthandhomemagick]

Cottage Witch Journal Entry - Post Yule & Christmas

Okay, so far this forum of mine has discussed some very off the wall topics that invade my head throughout the day. Some very self destructive thoughts, and some self awareness thoughts. Thoughts on religion, video games, spirituality. Hell, I may even choose to discuss sexual exploration in the future. Who knows? All I know is that after looking back at some of my posts, I’m starting to realize how chaotic one individuals thoughts can be. How genuinely complex a humans life and mind can truly be. 

Think about it, if you’ve read my posts in the past, regarding witchcraft, self care, self love, eating awareness, hyperawareness, overthinking, and so on and so forth, then you would think you’d be able to point me out in a crowd. 

The truth is, you wouldn’t. A great deal of my writing is simply the regurgitation of my persistent, sometimes unrelenting, thoughts. I’m noticing the complexities of humanity, and it’s beautiful and tragic all at once.

Last time we spoke, I discussed in a mini post that Judy Alvarez was mine for the taking a staple of independence and power to me and that getting my power back was of high priority to me. It’s been a few days, but this still remains a significant thought in my head. I find myself becoming more and more enthralled by her character and persona, drawn into why I relate to her as much as I do. Then, I noticed the underwater life she loves so much, and am reminded of the blue jellyfish behind my left ear. I see her whale tattoo and think of the same one I have under my left boob. I think of how I wanted to shave the right side of my head similar to Judy’s hair back in High School and my mom telling me it wouldn’t look good. And finally, I think of her selflessness, and her need to help a traumatized soul, and how I used to be a Sexual Violence Outreach Advocate, just trying to help a traumatized soul. I relate to her in more ways than one, as silly and stupid as it sounds, and these may be extremely minute to notice, but important for me. 

My boyfriend and I had a few conversations this weekend, all separate times, that really pinned me to myself. One conversation, he asked me what exactly I believed, in that moment, when it came to religion and spirituality. From there we got into a lengthy discussion (mostly my fault) where I explained my thoughts in detail. One quote I said stood out (I was also stoned so when I said it, it came out as a surprise to me as well), for I digress from the want to overexplain myself. 

As I told my boyfriend, Hyperawareness will destroy a man before it enlightens him. And this year, Hyperawareness seemed to be the proprietor of my mind, for it most definitely would have destroyed me had I continued.

Another conversation we had, which we both agreed to, was the power of our physical bodies directly correlating to past experiences we’ve had with other humans. Also, our relationship with unsustainable lifestyles.

Example, my body issues are founded on the idea that I wasn’t allowed to be a tomboy and play sports or take karate or MMA Fighting classes, but I also wasn’t perceived as delicate and pretty because of my weight/I was bigger than other girls. I was discouraged from doing the physical things I was interested in, and gave up as a result.

Those experiences have perpetuated in many areas of my life as well. In High School, I chose Shop as my number one elective and Weight Training as my second. They chose to put me in Theatre and Intensive Reading instead (Intensive Reading is a class kids take when they make below average on state wide tests). Now, my first choices were classes I felt would develop my character and reflect the life I wanted to live, and I was told it was a bit manly for me to choose those classes. Now, as an adult, I don’t go out of my way to work on mechanics, even though it’s an interest of mine and I haven’t done weight lifting because I thought I’d look like a man. False ideas.

When you are denied your own personality as a child, and don’t realize that is what is happening because it is still happening, it becomes a spiral of what options do you actually have? You become an open book for others influences to freely write in, because you want to be your own independent self but you don’t even know who or how that person is. So, for a while when I got out of High School I was clinging to others personalities in an attempt to find myself. That’s not a good way of doing it, either. 

I lived to please, so when people called me Sunshine, I figured the Sun didn’t wear a lot of black and didn’t act like a man. 

Reality check, I was overthinking it.

I should dress and live how I see fit, regardless of the typical aesthetic. Fuck the idea that I have to subscribe to one aesthetic anyways. If I want to own a Bee Hive, a Cottage in the Mountains by the river with a tiny self sustaining garden, all while wearing black alternative outfits that somewhat line the aesthetic of post apocalyptical,  then fuck yes I’m going to be a gentle, bright, motorcycle loving, knife wielding, MMA Fighting, Yoga and Meditation doing, soft spoken bad bitch. 

Here’s the thing, I haven’t even bought myself clothes this year, because people were literally buying clothes for me. WHICH I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR!!!! But, over the weekend I got rid of a lot of those clothes because they restrict my personality, I never wear them or they don’t fit anymore.

After the lengthy conversations, we both agreed that our youthful selves are not finished being fully alive. We didn’t stop being young once we got out of High School, we stopped being young when we started saying we were too old. So, we are starting to set goals together. Getting rid of old clothes was the first step, and we took into consideration that we are still individuals just helping each other accomplish a common goal, so the next step is our physical selves. 

The plan is to clean out our storage room and transform it into a self-care/training area. Together, we will start the P90X after work on some days, while I try to keep up with yoga on my off days. This month, being aware of what I eat without the focus of losing weight has helped me actually lose weight. Now, focusing on my workout regime is the goal. Not to lose weight, but to be able to start MMA Fighting Classes. 

MMA Fighting is something I started in High School right before going to college, but never finished. It’s something I want to commit to so as to release anger while Yoga will help me process my anger. So, healthy eating to support energy, and healthy workouts! I have also been having more endometriosis pain than usual, so avoiding my health won’t help me!

Spiritual wise, I want to focus on my better self. I want to put more effort into me rather than letting myself go in a world of people who don’t care if my personality exists or not. I want to be open, strong and powerful in what I believe. I want to own my shit, and fuck anyone who wants to stop that type of Sunshine. In the words of Meghan Thee Stallion, “Fuck being good, I’m a bad bitch. I’m sick of motherfuckers tryna tell me how to live.”

I’m inconvenient, and I’m happy with that. I’m not perfect, but I’m a process. I’m not weak and quiet, I’m strong and silent. 

This specific post is a reclamation of my power. Somewhere along the road of this shitty adult life, I forgot the beauty in my own power. I’m equal, not less than.

Thank you for reading, if you did. This is, again, one of those things where I am journaling my thoughts, and trying to go over everything in my head without going crazy. If you thought this was annoying, just remember I deleted 5 paragraphs before posting, because I was overthinking and didn’t want to overexplain. (I do everything in copious quantities). If it bothered you, look past my post. If you related, let’s talk about it. All in all, thank you for being alive, darling. I’ll see you later!

[tlbodine]

The History & Evolution of Home Invasion Horror

Here’s my prediction: In the next couple of years, we’re going to be seeing a sudden surge of home invasion movies hit the market. For many of us, 2020 has been a year of extreme stress compounded by social isolation; venturing outside means being exposed to a deadly plague, after all. 

And while many people have already predicted that we’ll see an influx of pandemic and virus horrors (see my post on those: https://ko-fi.com/post/Pandemic-and-Pandemonium-Sickness-in-Horror-T6T21I201), I actually think a lot of us are going to be processing a different type of fear -- anxiety about what happens when your home, which is supposed to be a literal safe space, gets invaded. Because if you’re not safe in your own house...you’re not safe anywhere. 

Home invasion movies have been around a long time -- arguably as long as film, with 1909′s The Lonely Villa setting down the formula -- and they share many of the same roots as slasher films in the 1970s. But somewhere along the way, they separated off and became their own distinct subgenre with specific tropes, and it’s that separation and the stories that followed it that I want to focus on. 

The Origins of the Home Invasion Movie 

In order to really qualify as a home invasion movie, a film has to meet a few requirements:

The action must be contained entirely (or almost entirely) to a single location, usually a private residence (ie, the home) 

The perpetrator(s) must be humans, not supernatural entities (no ghosts, zombies, or vampires -- that’s a different set of tropes!) 

In most cases, the horror builds during a long siege between the invader and the home-dweller, including scenes of torture, capture, escape, traps, and so forth. 

To an extent, home invasion movies are truth in television. Although home invasions are relatively rare, and most break-ins occur when a family is away (the usual goal being to steal things, not torture and kill people), criminals do sometimes break into people’s homes, and homeowners are sometimes killed by them. 

In the 1960s and 70s, this certainly would have been at the forefront of people’s minds. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood detailed one such crime in lavish detail, and the account was soon turned into a film. Serial killers like the Boston Strangler, BTK Killer and the “Vampire of Sacramento” Richard Chase also made headlines for their murders, which often occurred inside the victim’s home. (Chase, famously, considered unlocked doors to be an invitation, which is one great reason to lock your doors). 

By the 1960s and 70s, too, people were more and more often beginning to live in cities and larger neighborhoods where they did not know their neighbors. Anxieties about being surrounded by strangers (and, let’s face it, racial anxieties rooted in newly-mixed, de-segregated neighborhoods) undoubtedly fueled fears about home invasion. 

Early Roots of the Home Invasion Genre

Home invasion plays a part in several crime thrillers and horror films in the 1950s and 60s, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder in 1954, but it’s more of a plot point than a genre. In these films, home invasion is a means to an end rather than a goal unto itself. 

We see some early hints of the home invasion formula show up in Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left in 1972. The film depicts a group of murderous thugs who, after torturing and killing two girls, seek refuge in the victim’s home and plot the deaths of the rest of the family. In 1974, the formula is refined with Bob Clark’s Black Christmas, which shows the one-by-one murder of members of a sorority house and chilling phone calls that come from inside the home. 

Even closer still is I Spit on Your Grave, directed by Meir Zarchi in 1978. Although it’s generally (and rightly) classified as a rape-revenge film, the first half of the movie -- where an author goes to a remote cabin and is targeted and brutally assaulted by a group of men -- hits all the same story beats as the modern home invasion story: isolation, mundane evil, acts of random violence, and protracted torture. 

Slumber Party Massacre, directed by Amy Holden Jones in 1982, also hits on both home invasion and slasher tropes. Although it is primarily a straightforward slasher featuring an escaped killer systematically killing teenagers (with a decidedly phallic weapon), the film also shows its victims teaming up and fighting back -- weaponizing their home against the killer. This becomes an important part of the genre in later years! 

In 1997, Funny Games, directed by Michael Haneke, provides a brutal but self-aware look at the genre. Created primarily as a condemnation of violent media, the film nevertheless succeeds as an unironic addition to the home invasion canon -- from its vulnerable, suffering family to the excruciating tension of its plot to the nihilistic, motive-free criminality of its villains, it may actually be the purest example of the home invasion movie. 

Home Invasions Gone Wrong 

Where things start to get interesting for the home invasion genre is 1991′s The People Under the Stairs, another Wes Craven film. Here the script is flipped: The hero is the would-be robber, breaking and entering into the home of some greedy rich landlords. But this plan swiftly goes sideways when the homeowners turn out to be even worse people than they’d first let on. 

This is, as far as I can tell, the origin of the home-invasion-gone-wrong subgenre, which has gained immense popularity recently -- due, perhaps, to a growing awareness of systemic issues, a differing view of poverty, and a viewership sympathetic to the plight of down-on-their-luck criminals discovering that rich homeowners are, indeed, very bad people. 

Home Invasion Film Explosion of the 2000s 

The home invasion genre really hit the ground running in the 2000s, due perhaps to post-911 anxieties about being attacked on our home turf (and increasing economic uneasiness in a recession-afflicted economy and a growing awareness of the Occupy movement and wealth inequality). We see a whole slew of these films crop up, each bringing a slightly different twist to the formula.

*  It’s also worth noting that the 2000s saw remakes of many well-known films in the genre, including Funny Games and Last House on the Left.  

In 2008, Bryan Bertino directed The Strangers, a straightforward home invasion involving one traumatized couple and three masked villains. By this point, we’re wholly removed from the early crime movie roots; these are not people breaking in for financial gain. Like the killers in Funny Games, the masked strangers lack motive and even identity; they are simply a force of evil, chaotic and senseless. 

The themes of “violence as a senseless, awful thing” are driven further home by Martyrs, another 2008 release, this one from French director Pascal Laugier. A revenge story turned into a home-invasion-gone-wrong, the film is noteworthy for its brutality and blunt nihilism. 

2009′s The Collector, directed by Marcus Dunstan, is another home-invasion-gone-wrong movie. Like Martyrs, it dovetails with the torture porn genre (another popular staple of the 2000s), but it has a lot more fun with it. The film follows a down-on-his-luck thief who breaks into a house only to encounter another home invader set on murdering the family that lives there. The cat-and-mouse games between the two -- which involve numerous traps and convoluted schemes -- are fun to watch (if you like blood and guts). 

In a similar vein, we see You’re Next in 2013, which starts off as a standard home invasion movie but takes a sharp twist when it’s revealed that one of the victims isn’t nearly as helpless as she appears. Director Adam Wingard helps to redefine the concept of “final girl” in this move in a way that has carried forward right into the next decade with no sign of stopping. 

2013 of course also introduced us to The Purge, a horror franchise created by James DeMonaco. If there was ever any doubt as to the economic anxieties at the root of the genre, they should be alleviated now -- The Purge is such a well-known franchise at this point that the term has entered our pop culture lexicon as a shorthand for revolution. 

Don’t Breathe, directed be Fede Alvarez in 2016, is one of the creepiest modern entries into the “failed home invasion” category, and one that (ha ha) breathed some new life into the genre. Much like The People Under the Stairs, it tells the story of some down-on-their-luck criminals getting in over their heads when they target the wrong man. However, there is not the same overt criticism of wealth inequality in this film; it’s a movie more interested in examining and inverting genre tropes than treading new thematic ground. The same is true of Hush that same year. Directed by Mike Flanagan, the film is most noteworthy for its deaf protagonist. 

But lest you start to think the home invasion genre had lost its thematic relevance, 2019 arrived with two hard-hitting, thoughtful films that dip their toes in these tropes: Jordan Peele’s Us and Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which both tackle themes of privilege in light of home invasion (albeit a nontraditional structure in Parasite -- its inclusion here is admittedly a bit of a stretch, but I think it falls so closely in the tradition of The People Under the Stairs that it deserves a spot on this list). 

What Does the Future Hold? 

I’m no oracle, so I can’t say for certain where the future of the home invasion genre might lead. But I do think we’re going to start seeing more of them in the next few years as a bunch of creative folks start working through our collective trauma. 

Income inequality, racial inequality, political unrest and systemic issues are all at the forefront of our minds (not to mention a deadly virus), and those themes are ripe for the picking in horror. 

I know that Paul Tremblay’s novel The Cabin at the End of the World has been optioned for film, so we might be seeing that soon -- and if so, it might just usher in a fresh wave of apocalypse-flavored home invasion stories. 

Like my content? You can support more of it by dropping me some money in my tip jar: https://www.ko-fi.com/post/Home-Invasion-Stories-A-History-R6R72RV7Y

[parabellumrpg]

                                               ALEX ALVAREZ

            THIRTY-FIVE – HEAD OF DRUGS TRAFFICKING & DISTRIBUTION – ALEMAN

Tragedy presented itself to Alex at a very early age. He was only five years old when his mother and father were gunned down by a gang in their neighborhood. Alex saw it all happen from the window. To say it traumatized him would be a severe understatement, but Alex coped with it differently than most. That year, he went to live with Hector Alvarez -- his dad’s brother. How in the hell Hector was able to gain custody of Alex, no one really knows, but no one asked any questions, either. Hector was the polar opposite of Alex’s father. Hector took a different path in life -- a more gritty, dangerous one. He was involved in criminal activity, and Alex later found out that Hector was part of gang -- a rival to the one that had murdered his parents. Hector was extremely wealthy, but he lived a simple life. No flashy car, no expensive vacations. It took Alex a while to warm up to Hector, but over time, his uncle became the closest thing to a father figure for Alex.

Alex went through a lot of inner conflict growing up. His parents were good, honest people, and Alex knew they wouldn’t want him involving himself in the same lifestyle as his uncle. Alex wanted nothing more than to make them proud, but Hector was always there, guiding his nephew towards a life opposite of what his brother would have wanted. Hector Alvarez was a respected, high ranking member of a local gang, and when Alex was old enough, he followed in his uncle’s footsteps. Alex was a natural, of course -- and no one was really surprised. He’d been an athletic individual, strong, naturally coordinated. He started off as an enforcer, going after employees and businesses who didn’t pay their dues. Maybe it was the trauma that Alex had endured, but he’d never had any difficulty distancing himself from a situation. If he had to break some legs, fine. Beat someone to a pulp, no problem. He took after his uncle Hector in that way. 

By the time that Alex was in his late twenties, the gang that he’d worked for had primarily dissolved. It’d fallen apart from the inside, and several higher ups were arrested and sent to prison -- his uncle being one of them. There was no amount of money in the world that could’ve bought his uncle’s freedom. Both Alex and Hector knew that. A life of crime was all that Alex had ever known -- it made no sense for him to try for anything else. Conveniently enough, the Aleman brothers had a growing presence in Los Angeles, and they’d had their eyes on Alex long before he even knew.

Joaquín knew of Hector from some prior business. That’s how Joaquín got in touch with Alex to offer him a job. The cartel was growing rapidly, and they needed someone reliable. Joaquín made Alex the head of their trafficking and distribution operation. It was different than his job as an enforcer, but it didn’t matter. Alex knew the business like the back of his hand, and he was more than confident in his ability to make the right decisions. Even from prison, Hector was guiding his nephew, making sure that he didn’t fuck anything up. Over the years, Alex became an extremely reliable asset to the cartel. He worked his way up, became a close friend of both brothers, and made something of himself. Alex embraced the relocation to Chicago, invested in a nice penthouse, and understood that the move there was permanent. Either they’d take Chicago by force or die trying. 

                                             CONNECTIONS

-- Relationship Status: Single

FC: Manny Montana

The role of ALEX ALVAREZ is currently OPEN.

[hefners-au]

Before I knew it Tara’s teen birthday was upon us. Brace yourselves my dears, she rolled the evil trait. 

The party was a blast. Just wait for it. Lisa Froots got invited too this time and even got a slice of the coconut cake Hattie made. Lucky you, Froot, because the cake was gone in a blink

Tara befriended Cassidy Mitchell. I wonder if this friendship will last. Tara’s an evil sim after all. Those make enemies not friends.

And then I caught this special moment between Froot and Tony. They bonded over cleaning the Stiles’ bathtub. I’m telling you this was the highlight of the whole party for me.

Just look at them. I can’t even tell you how this sight made my heart melt. (And yes, I still giggled at the thought of this when I was in bed.)

Yes, yes, Tony, your Watcher saw it all and is proud of the both of you.

That smug face on Froots. She’s totally checking Tony out. Or did she put a spell on him?

And speaking of checking out...

Yes, that did happen. Knowing Froot, she’d probably explain it as Arthur thinking about the times when Hattie was breast-feeding their children. Totally legit.

Meanwhile in the kitchen Mayua was pouting over her plate of cheese bread. She was probably bummed that Froot ate the last piece of the coconut cake and she didn’t get any.

...

Diana: “There will be enough cakes when our twins have their birthdays. I’ll make sure you’ll get a piece, May, I promise.”

Mariella: Can’t Tony buy his wife a cake? I’m sure he’s loaded even though he tries to fool us with his poor taste in fashion. Who wears only black all the time anyway?

Not sure what was happening here between Justin and Mayua. He doesn’t seem to like her. I wonder why? Maybe he’s still traumatized by the memory of her wedding dress?

Somebody had to keep an eye on the kids once in a while. And who’s better for the job than Terry. Here he’s probably instructing Honor not to dress like the hoe next to them detective Alvarez when she grows up.

And here he’s of course sharing an important piece of advice regarding proper paperwork filing with Mariella.

All in all, the party was a success.

[lady-charinette]

Thoughts on FT 100 Years Quest Chap. 23

It’s been a while since I ever wrote anything about Fairy Tail, considering I watch it weekly whenever the new episodes air and all. I won’t dig too deep into this chapter, but just a few things which really irritated/confused me.

Ha ha, pee jokes, ha ha Trollshima... Ahem

Yeah, it’s Fairy Tail but...this story is about friendship, right? Bonds? The strength and security bonds can give? I’m just so confused how there are decentish examples of blossoming romance (Gajevy) and then we have Nalu... full Nalu supporter here and I love Natsu and Lucy, but sometimes the regression in their relationship just disappoints me.

We had Natsu leaving Lucy for a year to become stronger after Igneel’s death...etc.

We had the traumatizing full on war with the Alvarez Empire, defeating Zeref...etc.

We had Natsu transforming into E.N.D bc he thought Lucy was dead.

They were such powerful emotions, he was dead serious, he was mentally so far gone into a dark abyss where he thought Lucy died.

So, WHY couldn’t he react a bit more strongly to the fact that his flames, Natsu, hurt Lucy? (even if it was unintentional)

I was expecting more, especially how the previous chapter had ended, with Lucy saying how this had been the first time Natsu’s flames had terrified her with an expression of utter fear on her face.

Tbh, I expected this:

- Natsu reflecting (for more than just half a panel) over what happened after he ate Ignia’s flames

- thinking how, even after everything they’d been through, he needed to get stronger to be able to control the rising power in him, to get stronger so he could protect his loved ones

- Wendy healing Lucy but not completely (as in Lucy wearing bandages for a time and Wendy healing her in sessions, not just right off the bat)

- the fact that both their injuries healed in the blink of an eye takes away from the weight of Natsu’s loss of control, Gildarts lost limbs and organs and learned how to live with it and get even more powerful (despite the sacrifices and his handicap)

- Team Natsu shown to help the people repair the city, Wendy watching after the Water God Dragon...etc.

the thing I’m somewhat glad about is Mercuphobia losing his powers, at the same time “defeating” him without killing him but also showing what such a intense battle can mean in terms of sacrifices, that he can finally “rest in peace” in his life as a human now

All in all, liked the chapter and the direction the story is going about the rest of the God Dragons, but got disappointed in Nalu a bit.

[everlastingdreams]

Dex X Reader : Sugar Crush Chapter 12

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Notes: I hope you have been paying attention in the other chapters lol

Summary: Reader moves into the same building as one Agent Poindexter. A bond starts to grow between them. Can the reader move on after a traumatic past ‘relationship’ ?

Chapter: 12/?

Trigger Warning:  Mentions of physical and emotional abuse ! YES this one will come with trigger warnings. I tried not to post too much into detail stuff but this entire thing comes with a trigger warning !

Word Count: 1629 words

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You took the bus to the hotel, walking the last few streets before reaching the hotel. You were almost there when a snowflake fell on you, you looked up to the sky and saw more of them were falling.

Maybe it would have been a good idea to bring your coat, but then again, you were not expecting snow at all. The fabric of the dress swayed on your body as you ran a bit to reach the hotel before the snowfall got worse.

As you walked closer you saw protesters outside the place, you couldn't hear what they were shouting about. There were reporters as well and one of them you recognized. Karen Page.

“Miss (l/n) ?” you hear someone shout behind you and you stopped in your tracks, turning around to face the unfamiliar voice.

“Uhm..yes.” you saw a dark-haired woman approach you.

She held out her hand to you and you shook it “I'm Special Agent Alvarez. Dex asked me to meet you here, he feared you might not want to push your way through the mob over there.” she tilted her head in the direction of the protesters. “Follow me, I'll get you inside the hotel safely.”

“Oh, uh. Thank you Agent Alvarez.” you said a bit suprised as you followed her.

She opened a door for you to walk inside the building, you took note of another agent who seemed to be on guard at the door.

She closed the door as she walked next to you now “So, You're the 'waffle girl' our new hero is talking about, huh?”

You scoffed “What ?” you looked at her curiously.

She chuckled a little “Dex brought in those delicious waffles you made, now everytime he mentions you, people call you the 'waffle girl' .”

You shook your head at her explanation “Really ?”

“Yup.” she says as she shows her badge to another guard before he lets the both of you pass.

“Out of curiousity, why did you just call him a hero ?” you caught her specific choice of words.

“Dex didn't tell you ? Did he tell you about the ambush of our convoy recently ?” she seemed suprised at your lack of knowledge on the matter.

“He did tell me about how the FBI convoy was ambushed and that agents were killed.” you quickly added.

She had a pained expression for a moment before the smile returned to her face “More could have died if Dex hadn't been there, you know ? He took out a bunch of the attackers on his own. Saved a bunch of lives.”

Your mouth fell open, why hadn't Dex told you that ? “ On his own ? ”

She nodded “Yup, last man standing. Guess we're lucky he's a good shot.”

You thought back to the times Dex had displayed his talent for aiming “ I've noticed. So, Dex talks about me at work then ?” you were fishing for more information and by the way she looked at you, you knew she looked straight through it.

“He does.” she smiled at you “ Poor Lim has to hear about you all the time apparently. Honestly, you were not what I expected.”

You were sure you were blushing “What were you expecting ?”

She looked at you again “Well, I was expecting someone less dainty. No offence of course.” she quickly added.

“I understand what you mean. I never thought that Dex would even notice me. I'm so different compared to him.” you brushed your hand over your dress.

She walked into the elevator and you stepped in too as she pressed the button “Perhaps that's the thing.” she raised a brow and smirked “Opposites attract.”

You looked around the elevator awkwardly “We're just friends though.”

The elevator stopped and opened “Sure.” Alvarez said as she walked out.

You stepped out as well and saw a bunch of FBI agents going about their business. Some looked at you, some nudged their colleagues as they seemed to say something to eachother. You furrowed your brow at their odd reactions. It was weird, they must have expected you today, right ?

You saw Alvarez give them a look and it made them look away from you.

“I guess I look out of place..” you muttered.

She looked a bit nervous now “Don't worry about them.” something drew her attention “LIM !”

You followed her gaze and saw a man approaching whom you assumed must have been Agent Lim, the guy who had to hear Dex talk about you.

“Alvarez.” he took a quick look at you. “Who's this ? I thought civilians-”

“(y/n) !” Dex's voice interupted Lim's words “You made it.” he stood next to you now.

“I said I would.” you smiled at him.

“Thanks Alvarez, I appreciate the help.” Dex's nodded gratefully to Alvarez.

“It's the least I could do considering you saved my husband's life in that ambush.” she said as she walked away.

Dex hadn't really talked to you about what happened in that ambush, and now you were very curious what it was that happened exactly. You wanted to ask him but he spoke again before you could.

“I see you've met Lim.” Dex motioned his hand in Lim's direction “Lim, this is (y/n). I've told you about her.”

Lim had an amused expression now “That you did.” he said and you could see Dex get nervous “So this is the pancake girl you keep on talking about, huh ?” Lim said as you shook his hand.

You held back a laugh “Okay, I thought people called me 'waffle girl'.”

Dex straightened his back and you could see how awkward this must be for him.

“Yeah. But Dex over here called you that the day he met you. Told me about the strange girl asking people for eggs.” Lim explained as he watched Dex's reactions.

You looked at him in fake offence.

Dex glared at him “That's not what I said, Lim.”

Lim let out a laugh “Yeah, but it's funnier. Relax, Dex. I mean no harm.” he raised his hands in surrender.

You nudged Dex's arm “He means no harm, and it's okay. It is pretty funny when you think about it.” you put your attention back on Lim “So, Agent Lim. What else did Dex say about me ?”

Lim seemed to enjoy messing with Dex “Well-”

“Alright. I'm sure you still got that thing you were working on. Maybe go do that ?” Dex interupted him and Lim looked at him with a shit-eating grin.

“Ah yes. I almost forgot about that thing.” Lim said and it was clear Dex did not want him to tell you what Dex had been telling Lim “It was nice to meet you, (y/n). You two have fun.” Lim walked to were Alvarez had headed but you could hear him say 'when the cat's away, the mice will play' to Dex as he walked past him and you saw Dex tense for a moment. You ignored the comment, but you were starting to worry.

“Sorry about that.” Dex looked at you sheepishly “Lim was trying to mess with me. Make me look bad.”

You smiled softly “I know, Dex. It was clear to me that that was what he was doing.” you looked at him and noticed how damn good he looked in his suit “Besides, it's really hard to make you look bad. Nice suit, you look great in that.” Your mind wandered off and you almost instinctivly brushed your hand over the fabric on his chest to straighten it out. You snapped out of it and pulled your hand back.

He brushed his hand on his suit as well now, a content smile spread on his face and his eyes locked on yours “You..uh..” he brushed his hand over his chin “You look great by the way.”

You noted how he wasn't just complementing your clothes.

You felt your cheeks turn pink “So, You were going to give me a tour ?”

He nodded and put a hand on your back, it made a shiver go down your spine and you clenched your hand.

He showed you around the place, and it made you laugh when the two of you entered a room where Lim was and Dex smoothly made the two of you turn back around.

You saw how the FBI worked, some were talking about the protesters outside. You wandered off on your own a little until you felt Dex's hand taking hold of your arm, you looked at him in suprise.

“Can't go further then this. I don't want you getting near that penthouse over there.” his tone was serious.

“Dex, why are there protesters outside the hotel ?” you asked him.

“They are out there because of the scumbag in there.” he tilted his head in the direction of two large doors.

You thought for a moment “The prisoner they were transporting when the ambush happened ? He's here ? They are keeping him in a hotel ?” a flood of questions went through your mind.

He kept his hand on your arm, not letting you move an inch closer to those doors “Yes. Apparently he's snitching on other criminals. They attacked him in prison, for obvious reasons and the FBI put him in house arrest. He's under surveillance constantly so you don't have to be scared, alright ?”

“Dex... I heard the protesters mention the prisoner but I missed what his name was.” you were starting to get a bad feeling, something had been there just out of reach and you felt it was important.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw and mouth evading your stare before he looked at you “We're guarding Wilson Fisk.”

Tag list for this series (let me know if you want to be added or removed from the list :) ) :

@givemeabite@aquietfortitudeandstrength@missminx1993@fuchsiagrasshopper@legion-18@love-mia-marisol @star-spangled-man @bilson-bethel@peterbxrnes@burningmusicmachine @xxemoluverxx @queenselana

[acuppellarp]

Welcome (again) to A Cup-pella, Ellie! We’re excited to have you and Penny Owen in the game! Please go through the checklist to make sure you’re ready to go and send in your account within the next 24 hours. 

OOC INFO

Name + pronouns: Ellie + She/Her. Age: 27. Timezone: GMT. Ships: Penny/Chemistry. Anti-Ships: Penny/Forced.

IC INFO

Full Name: Penny Grace Owen. Face Claim: Brittany Snow. Age/Birthday: 27/May 18th. Occupation: Student Nurse and part-time Nanny. Personality:  Clumsy, Ditzy, Gentle, Nurturing, Sweet. Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina. Bio:

From as far back as Penny can remember, she has been surrounded by medical professionals. With a literal brain surgeon for a father and a very caring, committed midwife for a mother, she always felt a certain amount of pressure to go into the medical field, too. However, the pressure came only from herself. Her parents are perhaps the sweetest, most supportive two people Penny has ever met, and they have always pushed her to live life the way she wants to. Penny loves music, something her home was filled with throughout her childhood and teenage years, and something she very much wanted to pursue in a more professional aspect. A career as a music teacher would suit her well, everybody thought. She’s a total sweetheart, her kind, welcoming nature inherited from her mother, and Penny’s almost childlike sense of wonder would make her the perfect person to work with children and young people someday.

Personality-wise, Penny is very much a free spirit. She has a gentle nature and a nurturing soul, the kind to attract both the right and wrong people in their own ways. Growing up, she was always surrounded by friends, always found wearing a smile, though her kindness did leave her susceptible to the hands of bullies, people who wanted to take advantage of the fact that they could give her hell and she wouldn’t retaliate. Penny was always taught to just brush them off, though. By her teens, she had developed at least a little bit of a backbone, enough that she could stand up for herself where need be, but Penny has always remained a total pacifist, and would never resort to physical violence. She just knows that there’s a line now, and understands that it isn’t okay to allow people to cross it the way she once upon a time would. This set her in good stead for the time when college came around, and Penny was ready to move out of her family home.

The youngest of two girls, when her older sister decided to pursue a medical path just like their parents, Penny felt the pressure all over again. She never let it show, though, and was of course incredibly proud of her sister, but felt she had those big shoes to fill herself. Unfortunately, while Penny is definitely not “dumb” by any means, she does lack common sense sometimes, and she finds it difficult to focus on anything too serious for too long, so such a serious profession just would not have suited her. So, with the encouragement of her family, Penny decided to pursue her musical path, attending college to work her way toward a life as a music teacher, the way she was evidently always destined. Nobody in her family ever made her feel less than, though Penny would doubt herself from time to time. However, she loved college, she was passionate about her future career, so she gave it her all, and excelled to the best of her abilities.

Right out of college, Penny found herself a job working in the local elementary school, teaching music to grades one through five, and everything seemed to just kind of click for her. It was almost as if she had the perfect life, though nobody actually gets one of those, and when a raincloud finally found its way over the Owen family, it was almost as if they should’ve expected it. They didn’t, though. As far as they knew, Dr. Owen was healthy, full of life. So, an unsuspected heart attack knocked the rest of the family off their feet, and the world lost an incredible medical professional that day. Penny was often told to look for the silver lining, though she couldn’t see one, not in losing someone so incredibly important to her. Not until she decided that maybe it had been a sign, though. Maybe the world had lost her father, but he had a daughter who could perhaps take his place.

No, Penny was never going to become a brain surgeon. That would be a very out of reach dream, and honestly not one that she even wanted to attempt to chase. She did, however, make the decision to start over, to get out of Charlotte and to try to follow in the greatest footsteps she knew. Penny enrolled in college again at the age of twenty-four, this time in New York City, of all places – being in her hometown was just too hard, filled with too many memories to keep her up at night – this time navigating her way toward nursing school. She had the caring nature down, the drive to really take care of people and to really put her all into it an area so sensitive. The type of person to make friends easily enough, Penny found a whole new life out in the city, but is definitely a North Carolina girl at heart, and will visit home whenever she has the free time to do so.

Coming from a background of wealth, it would’ve been easy for her to allow her mother to pay her through school, but Penny is not the kind of person who can sit around doing nothing. She never has been, and even more so since losing her father. She needs distractions, she needs to constantly be moving, so alongside her schooling, Penny took a job as a part-time nanny, her passion for working with and helping children something she just couldn’t put to waste. At the age of twenty-seven, Penny is very much settled in New York, where she’s still an ongoing nursing student, still a nanny, and still trying to fill the big shoes left behind by her father. However, it’s fair to say that she really is not the best at what she does. She struggles with the more professional side of her future career, and has made a whole list of mistakes too long to actually name, but she’s trying her best, she’s giving it her all. And that’s really all anybody can ask of her.

Pets: So as not to be alone when she moved out to New York, Penny immediately hit up the local shelter and adopted herself a dog. Knowing she wouldn’t have the time to train a puppy, Penny opted for a five year old cross-breed (she doesn’t know exactly what she even is, just that she’s tiny and white) named Stella, a name she chose to keep. Stella is now eight and basically very spoiled. She loves to hop up on anybody’s lap that will let her and snooze, and is a total princess in that she wants to be carried everywhere. She generally keeps her distance from other animals, mostly because she just prefers to be around people, but she gets along with them fine.

Relationships: April’s Growers Committee Member / Roommate for Evie & Lara

Rachel Berry. Pretty recently, after Rachel split from her now ex-girlfriend, a mutual friend of she and Penny decided to set them up on a blind date. Penny had been off the dating scene for a while, and Rachel was of course down about her relationship ending. Although they went on the date and they got along in a platonic sense, there was no real romantic/sexual chemistry. They did each make a good friend out of it, though.

Lola Alvarez. To help along her schooling, Penny sometimes volunteers at a local center for traumatic brain injuries, somewhere Lola’s mother stays. The two would see each other in passing, but didn’t really know one another very well, though they both ended up joining the Growers committee, and could eventually put a name to the face. Lola told Penny what’d happened to her mother, so now Penny will make a point of mentioning her anytime she’s around Mimi to try and jog her memory of her a little bit, and gives Lola frequent updates. Now that they’re actually friends, they’ll hang out together at the center whenever Penny is on shift.

Sam Evans. Around three years ago, when Penny first moved to the city, she decided to try putting up a front so as to not find herself walked all over for her genuine niceness. She met Sam pretty much right away, and was still holding up her “tough” facade, so Sam pretended to be into the same metal music and tattoos/piercings kind of scene that Penny was pretending to like. They went on a date to a screamo music concert, but both wound up admitting halfway through that they hated it, and came clean with one another. They dated for 3-4 months following that, but split amicably when they found themselves too busy to commit to regular date nights. They have remained friends since.

EXTRA INFO

[ This is for the masterlist, but also a fun little way to get to know your character! ]

Penny 🌻/@penowen/description: NC ✈️ NYC. Music lover. Student nurse.

Five latest tweets:

@penowen: I don’t really understand how injecting a sausage helps… An actual patient isn’t going to fall apart, right?! @penowen: New York is so fun, you never know what you’re going to get. One block there’s a whole street fight going on, and the next there’s a lady giving away free flowers 💐 @penowen: I’ve been kind of lost ever since I finished The Hunger Games, no other book series has ever really done it for me. Suggestions? @penowen: Do you ever think maybe you’re a witch and you just don’t know it? … Oh, no, me either… @penowen: Karaoke night? My time to shine 🎤✨

[thedeaditeslayer]

Ray Santiago On the End of Ash and the Future of Evil Dead.

Ash vs. Evil Dead was a beautiful, disgusting, hilarious and horrifying show that deserved a much bigger audience. With Bruce Campbell reprising the role of Ash Williams for what would turn out to be the last time, the show followed an aging has-been stumbling his way through a demonic assault on Earth. Along the way, he and his companions covered in blood, guts and pretty much any other fluid you can think of. If you haven’t been watching this show, you’ve been missing out. And hey, now’s the perfect time to fix that. With the first two seasons on Netflix and the third out on blu-ray and DVD today, you don’t even have to have a Starz subscription to see the whole thing.

Though Bruce Campbell was the biggest star of the show, Ray Santiago’s Pablo is the heart. Over the course of three seasons, you get to watch him grow from a nervous, directionless kid into a full-fledged horror-action hero. Santiago talked to us about his character’s growth and how he looks back at the show now that it’s all over.

“Overall, I’m just so happy that everybody sort of welcomed me into the franchise, and that Pablo made such an impact on the story,” he said. “He started as this naive loyal sidekick, and we got to really see him evolve and become his own hero. And in a weird way, it’s all because of him following Ash and idolizing this bogus guy.”

On the show, Pablo grows into a hero because he follows Ash. Things weren’t that different on set between Campbell and Santiago. The difference is real-life Campbell sounds like a much nicer guy than Ash. If you’ve ever seen Campbell speak in an interview or at a comic con, you know he always brings a show. His bombastic personality fills the stage, and it’s almost enough to make you believe he is Ash. When you work with him, Santiago says, that’s not so much the case.

“Bruce tends to amp up the personality when he’s doing the cons and interviews. He is that way, but he’s also such a warm father figure, and such a great leader. He took such good care of us, and I learned so much from him,” he said. Campbell taught Santiago technical things, like how to hit his mark so the camera could pick up what he was doing, as well as some general acting advice. “Little things like if you’re not having fun, then you’re doing it wrong. I’m so glad I got to work with Bruce on this TV cult classic.”

Santiago clearly loved being part of this show. He described filming with the rest of the cast and crew in New Zealand as feeling like being at camp. He learned not to take horror too seriously and, as we all did after the show’s sudden cancellation, that nothing good lasts forever. Playing a character like Pablo, and growing into a hero, also meant a lot to Santiago.

“As a kid, I grew up watching horror films, and I wanted to be the person being chased by the monster, and I wanted to save the world from evil. On Ash vs. Evil Dead with Pablo, we got a chance to see me become my own superhero. As a latino actor, and Pablo being an illegal immigrant, we got to see… well, I feel like both of them are heroes in their own special way,” Santiago said. “I was really happy to have that, Pablo in general, having him out there so somebody who’s younger could turn to the show, as fun as it is, and see somewhat of a role model. See that it doesn’t matter where you come from, how naive or vulnerable you might be, you might be able to save the world one day. If you believe in yourself.”

And that all comes after the show subjected Santiago to some pretty disgusting stuff. For him, nothing was quite as gross as something that happened all the way back in Season One. “I birthed demons out of my mouth,” he said.

I’ll give you a second to let that image fully form in your head. Got it? Good, because Santiago went on to describe exactly what that scene entailed. “So… never in my life did I think I’d call my mom and say, ‘hey mom I just finished doing my birthing scene.’ But on Ash, we did. And the way that it went down, they were like ‘OK, sooo your mouth’s a portal for the demons, the baby demons, and we need you to put this in your mouth, and we need you to spit it out slowly.’ And I was like, ‘What? That was definitely not in my job description, but uh OK?”

Despite all the gross things that happened to him, Santiago says he had the most fun doing all of it. Including the time he was a Deadite and they took his fingers away. “It takes about an hour to put each hand on, so once they put those hands on, you’re not going to the bathroom,” he said. Santiago didn’t even get the worst of it. Though he feels like everyone got their share of blood and “gross torture” on the show, nothing really topped Bruce’s morgue scene in Season Two.

“Bruce was covered in shit and cum, so you can’t really beat that, can you? I almost didn’t say it, but it’s the truth! You know what? Season two, shit happens and Season Three, we blew our load.”

SPOILERS

If you’ve seen the show, you know it has a very Army of Darkness-like ending. Spoilers from here on out, so be warned. Ash ends the season by waking up in a post-apocalyptic world. Sadly we won’t get to see what Season 4 would have done with it, but Santiago told me what he was envisioning. First of all, yes, Pablo is still alive. Santiago said IO was the second person to ask, and his first reaction is “Why wouldn’t he be?” He explained what he meant.

“I think Pablo and Kelly are definitely still alive. I think what you saw was Bruce (Ash) has been taken to the future, but I still think that we exist in the present day or the past. What you would have seen in Season Four would have been the journey to get back to the same time zone. Whether it’s Bruce coming back to save us or us trying to find him,” he said.

Santiago said we’d see Pablo trying to fill Ash’s role, which would have made for great TV. “I think there would have been two parallel universes going on. You would have seen Pablo leading the Ghost Beaters in his own way, trying to keep what Ash taught him alive and doing his own thing.” He also hinted at where the love story would go, which I’m always a sucker for. “And maybe you might have seen a little Pablo and Kelly baby with, like, Pablo hair and Kelly’s voice.” That would have most likely happened in the future timeline. Man, why did Starz have to deprive us of that?

Their ideas for Season 4 got real weird too. If you wondered what Pablo would have looked like in the post-apocalypse, Santiago has an answer. “We had this idea of me in a glass case. It would just be my head and hair in a glass case. And I was like, ‘uhhhh… OK, that sounds fun.'”

It’s not quite the post-apocalyptic Mad Max version of Pablo I envisioned, but when I mentioned that, Santiago appeared to have given the matter some thought as well. “We could have gone so many different ways. In the future when we see Bruce, he could get in his car, drive somewhere and then we’re there. And we could explain how we got there, so you might have seen a Mad Max version of Pablo.” Santiago even knows exactly what that would have looked like. “In my head, if that were to happen, I would have completely shaved my head and gone full blown warrior mode. Shed the young, innocent version of Pablo and be more, sort of, kick ass.”

SPOILERS END

While the show is ending though, Santiago doesn’t necessarily think it’ll be the end for the Evil Dead franchise. “It’s been really nice to be part of a franchise that will live forever. It’s been 30-something years, and I think that we’ll, you never know, we’ll be wheeling Bruce out in 30 more years. You never know what will happen.”

Though Bruce Campbell is retiring the character of Ash, that doesn’t mean the end of Evil Dead. As the excellent 2013 remake proved, Evil Dead can (and probably will) continue on without him. “[Bruce retiring Ash] doesn’t rule out Dana and I, and the Fede Alvarez version with all the people in the remake,” Santiago said. “You never know. I think what’s going on right now is basically what happens in the Evil Dead franchise all the time. Which is giving it some time to breathe and then something will definitely be coming your way soon enough. No one’s ever truly dead in this franchise, and the franchise itself is never truly dead. I would say keep your eyes open for another version of what you might want out there.”

As far as a spinoff goes, it’s definitely a possibility. The show has been performing well on Netflix, and we know how much they like to bring back shows with dedicated cult followings. Santiago says Campbell, though he wouldn’t be in it, is all for the idea. Bruce has given us his blessing to move forward and do a spinoff if we want. I think right now, I’m working on another show and I’m working on two films. It’s nice to sort of do a different thing, but I do miss Pablo… If the offer came in for me to revive the Ghost Beaters on Netflix, I’d have a really hard time saying no,” he said.

For now, you’ll be able to catch Santiago on a new Hulu show from horror production studio Blumhouse called Into the Dark. Santiago describes it as an anthology series where every episode is basically a horror movie, each one with a different cast. Santiago is one of the leads in the first episode which premiers October 5. Despite it being a very different character from Pablo, Santiago couldn’t help bringing some of his Evil Dead mindset with him.

“I was on set and I was like, ‘We need more blood, this isn’t enough blood,’ and they were like, ‘this isn’t Evil Dead man,’ and I was like ‘yeah, but still we need more blood.’ So I’m still traumatized, and I’ve become very masochistic with blood,” he said.

Ash vs. Evil Dead may be gone, but its spirit isn’t going away anytime soon. Season Three was the wildest season of a show that went all the way from the very beginning. If you missed out, or if you just want to watch it again, it’s available on Blu-Ray and DVD August 21.

[animesshadow]

Why are you smiling?

Irene was standing at the top of a hill. Looking down at the town that could be seen in the distance while holding her staff in her right hand. Looking from the outside it was the image of an ironclad Queen looking down at her people from the top of her mile-high castle with a strict, judging expression.

No sane person would dare to approach her like this. Without even saying a word it was crystal clear that she was in an entirely different league than a regular human being. An aura of power and intimidation was surrounding the godlike figure of a woman but there was still one certain person that approached her from behind.

A man with pink spiky hair, a brown coat and a white scaled scarf around his neck made his way towards the so-called Queen of Dragons with no care whatsoever. He was holding something in his hand. It was clad in a warm blanket and held protectively close to his chest.

“What brings you here, brat?”

Irene’s voice sounded rough and cold but there was no real hostility towards the man. They were well acquainted with each other after all. The man was called Natsu Dragneel, the partner of her daughter. The daughter she just recently came back in contact with. Not like they had a touching reunion though. They were enemies on the field in the war between the Alvarez Empire and Fiore’s strongest guild Fairy Tail. They didn’t think of each other as enemies anymore but there was still distrust amogst the two scarlet haired beauties.

“I thought you would want to see her.”

Natsu said, unfaced with her attitude, came closer and showed her what he brought with him. He delicately pushed the blanket aside and revealed the face of the cute infant in his arms. The little bit of hair the baby had was scarlet in color and a bit spiky. A bit similar to Natsu.

Irene turned around with a curious look on her face that she couldn’t conceal. She took a quick look at the little girl and immediatly knew what was going on. The last time Irene had heard from her daughter was when Erza told her that she got pregnant recently. Erza and Irene didn’t really form a bond at all in all those years but Erza thought that it was too big of an information to hide from her mother.

“’Her’? So it turned out to be a girl.”

Irene’s usual cold eyes, her lips, and her spirit all at once smiled slightly at the sight of the girl. It reminded her of a special feeling she had many years ago. A memory of the girl she too held in her arms. It was the birth of a very special person. The same memory was the turning point in her final atonement that gave her the final push out of her insanity.

“Yeah.. We named her ‘Satsuki’. She got one month old yesterday.”

The fatherly smile of Natsu was radiating pride and joy at the sight of the daughter in his arms.

“Satsuki is indeed a beautiful name. It was probably Erza who chose it, right? Someone as simple as you could never come up with a name like this.”

Irene teasingly mocked Natsu.

“Ehehe you guessed it. Erza chose the name”

Even Irene was a bit surprised at Natsu’s reaction. The old Natsu would probably get angry and reply something like ‘Huh? I can come up with cool names too, ya know’. This just showed how mature Natsu got once he finally started going out with Erza. ‘My daughter actually managed to make a decent husband of you. That sure is a remarkable feat.’ Irene jokingly thought to herself. Even if her first impression of Natsu was that of a mindless brute who happened to be a dragon slayer but the more she got to know him, the more she started to understand the extraordinary qualities of that man. Irene was glad Erza managed to drop the pathetic excuse of a man she had a crush on before and noticed the person that has always been by her side.

“So, what did you bring her here for?”

The scarlet beauty asked trying to conceal the overwhelming joy she felt at the first sight of her granddaughter. After everything that happened with her and Erza, Irene never dared to imagine that she would one day stand here with her son-in-law carrying her granddaughter.

“Oh come on. I came here so you could see your cute little granddaughter for the first time, of course.”

Never, not even once has Natsu’s smile left his face. He was holding his biggest treasure in his arms. So fragile, yet worth more than anything else in this universe to him. His greatest pride and neverending love in his own arms.

“Satsukii~ Look, that’s grandma over there~”

Natsu playfully said to his daughter in his arms and pointed towards Irene. He turned her a bit so she got to see the whole picture of Irene in front of her. Reacting to her father’s word she curiosly looked at her newly met grandparent.

“Is it really alright to bring her to me? Bringing her daughter to me behind her back?”

Irene faced Natsu again with a sad look on her face. She knew that there was still lots of tension between her and her daughter Erza.

“She can beat me up all she wants afterwards, I don’t care. I think it is important for you to see Satsuki once in a while. Erza may be a bit stubborn but just like me she will eventually see that you two can reconcile. It may be a little silly but my biggest wish is that we can become one big family together... I mean look at this cute little thing. This girl is so amazing that she probably has the power to be the catalyst for you and Erza to get along like mother and daughter should.”

Natsu once again showed of his daughter in his arms. He undoubtably belived that this small girl was destined to do many great things. One of those was the form a bond between Irene and Erza.

Irene was truly fascinated by the genuine words of the man in front of him. He may still have a lot to learn but he was truly a remarkable man. A rare great person in this world that was supposedly filled with selfish monsters and warmongers.

“Here, you can hold her if you want. Be careful, though”

“Wha-”

Not even leaving a tiny bit of room for negotiations Natsu gently pushed Satsuki into the arms of Irene. 

Irene was stunned by Natsu’s rash action but protectively held Satsuki in her arms. She could feel the little heartbeat in her arms. As if catching on her grandmother’s feelings Satsuki smiled brightly and playfully raised her tiny arms towards Irene.

“Why are you smiling?..”

...

“Why are you smiling?”

Irene mumbled, no longer having the power to surpess her tears. Streams of tears made their way down her cheeks as she looked at the little girl in her arms. So many positive emotions that built up until now could not be contained any longer and bursted out in a colorful explosion. The relief and joy she felt could not be described by mere words alone. Satsuki didn’t care for any of it though. She just continued to laugh and smile as she was held by the arms of Irene.

That smile on Satsuki face was bright enough to chase away every bit of darkness that built up after all of those traumatic experiences in the past. Just like the moment she held Erza in her arms for the first time Satsuki’s laugh alone was able to send the merciless Queen of Dragons, a former Spriggan, through a roller coaster of emotions. 

No longer caring about the facade she always put up she look up to see Natsu who was still now triumphantly. That was what he had in mind from the beginning. As Satsuki’s father he never doubted her ability to find a way right inside Irene’s locked heart.

Natsu was such an astonishing man. Not just being the protective husband to her daughter Erza but also being able to give Irene a chance for a happy ending as well. 

“Satsuki... she truly is a lovely child”

Was the only thing Irene could say right now. She was still crying but she didn’t really care at this point. It was impossible to hold back these tears of joy now anyway. Together with the birth of Erza, this was one of the dearest moments in her life.

“She sure is. Just you wait and see, she will grow up to be the strongest girl in the entire world~”

Yeah, that’s right. This child had a bright future. A future Irene now desperately wanted to be part of. She may not have been there when Erza grew up but Irene would make sure that Satsuki would only get the best of this world. Never in her life Irene wanted to support and be part of someone else’s life as much as now. 

“Indeed, she is my dranddaughter after all. A marvelous future is already guaranteed at this point. I will accept nothing less.”

Irene now regained a fraction of her usual composure but a rare prideful smile could still be seen on her face.

Natsu gently took Satsuki back from Irene’s care.

“You really should come by and visit us sometime soon. We could show everyone in Fairy Tail how great and powerful Satsuki really is. Nobody will doubt it if you and Erza are there to prove it, hehe”

This was the first step. Natsu was able to build a seemingly impossible path to a happy family that involved everyone. Even Irene herself. The first step towards the happiness of Erza, Irene and Satsuki. Who would have expected that there would be a happy end like this for each and everyone of them?

Once again Natsu did the impossible and showed Irene the way towards a happy future. A future that doesn’t involve any pain or tragedy. Just one big family. 

Natsu and Satsuki took their leave for now. But Natsu and Irene both knew that they would see each other again fairly soon. Satsuki’s high pitched laughter filled the air around them before she left with her father. It was a laugh that symbolized that it wouldn’t take long now, Erza’s and Irene’s tragedies were finally coming to a happy end.

[thesportssoundoff]

The 2018 UFC Calendar That Remains And One Man’s Stupid Attempt To Book It

Joey

July 23rd

Before we begin, I began this project the day before the UFC's debut in Boise. I figured all things considered it would take me about a week give or take to flesh this whole thing out. It took me a week JUST to get through October. I got to the Denver show on Friday and that was when the UFC dropped all sorts of news about Edgar/Korean Zombie and Mike Perry/Donald Cerrone co-headlining said show. I haven't edited it. I'm not going to edit it. IF ANYTHING, I think not touching what I did before Friday is an important piece of the puzzle. Nothing really puts this project into perspective like having to look at what you did and then something immediately changing that renders it moot. Everything AFTER the UFC in Denver was done pretty much on Sunday night.

The UFC released their schedule this week for the rest of the year. There's a lot of fights upcoming, perhaps more than you can shake a stick at. You're talking 14 events, 7 in the US, 1 in Russia, 1 in China, 2 in South America (Brazil and probably Argentina), 2 in Canada and 1 in the always cool Australia. If you give the UFC it's usual average of 12 fights a show then you're looking at probably 168 fights across the course of four months. We've got 3 in September, 2 in October, 5 in November and 4 in December which is about close-ish to what we got last year. Of course two of those cards are on Fight Pass, one is on Big Fox, five are on PPV and unless I'm mistaken the remaining 6 are on FS1. I did this in the beginning of the year (foolishly I might add) but now with the year coming to a close, I might as well take one final swing at it am I right? Here's my belief on what we're going to get from the UFC to close out 2018 from show to show and as Brock Lesnar once lovingly said "From sea to shining sea!"

September 8th

Dallas, Texas

UFC 228

Main Event: Tyron Woodley vs Colby Covington

Co-Main Event: Valentina Shevchenko vs Nicco Montano

There's really nothing immediately on the docket to feel comfortable about as a headliner.  A natural-ish fit would be Ortega vs Holloway in a rebooking but Holloway's return to action is unknown. Jeremy Stephens, if he beats Aldo of course, could fight Edgar or Ortega for an interim title fight here if need be. Frankie is apparently a week away from being able to train again so an early July to early September set up is plenty of time for a dude who is  well known for his ability to be ready regardless of the circumstances. Already announced we have Zhabit/Yair and Jon Dodson vs Jimmie Rivera plus it seems pretty likely that Montano vs Shevchenko is getting announced soon-ish. That's not a main event and shouldn't be confused as such BUT it could be a respectable #2 on the bill.

September 15th

Moscow, Russia

UFC Fight Night

Main Event: Mark Hunt vs Aleksei Olynik

Co-Main Event: Shamil Abdurakhimov vs Andrei Arlovski

Consider this a mild, tepid dipping of the toe into the Russian fight market. The UFC's first event in Russia is a Fight Pass card; not even cracking the likes of FS1 or a PPV setting. While China got Anderson Silva and Kelvin Gastelum, Russia was getting Fabricio Werdum and Alexey Oleynik. That's still a fine main event but clearly not on the same level as the perceived GOAT and the top MW prospect in the division. That fight got USADA'd and in its place, we got Hunt vs Oleynik which is totally fine. A co-main event of Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov fell apart with Blaydes being hurt and Volkov opting to get paid to weigh in as a UFC 226 replacement. The UFC cut prices before the event to, in so many words, allow for poor people to get into the event and seats apparently are going to be at your standard UFC Fight Pass levels where they open up the bowl sections and ground floor only. There's been some rumors of the likes of Islam Makachev, Jorge Masvidal, Jimi Manuwa, Petr Yan, Nikita Krylov and Mairbek Taisumov (!) all getting a chance to fight but I'm betting when all's said and done, we're looking at Arlovski and Abdurakhimov being our co-main event of the evening. Or morning depending on where you are.

September 22nd

Sao Paolo, Brazil

UFC Fight Night

Main Event: John Lineker vs Raphael Assuncao

Co-Main Event: Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira vs Neil Magny

The UFC's brazilian ranks are being casually wiped out be it due to injuries, ineffectiveness, fighters leaving or retiring. The last show of the year from Brazil needs A GUY but finding A GUY who can headline is sort of tough in this market. The one thing I hold steadfast is the possibility that they could actually try giving a female fighter a chance to headline (Gadelha vs Calderwood at 125 lbs was something I thought of). I even figured Demian Maia is always like a phone call away as well but I can't think of a guy I'm excited to see him fight (or just a guy for him to fight at all). Gimme Lineker vs Assuncao in a true #1 contender fight since Marlon Moraes' two amazing highlight reel KOs probably vaults him about Raphael even with the loss. Also keep an eye on Formiga vs Pettis here as well since it's a natural "no shit" #1 contender fight at flyweight.

October 6th

Las Vegas, Nevada

UFC 229

Main Event: Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov

Co-Main Event: Holly Holm vs Ketlein Vieira

We've already got the unofficial official announcements of Sean O'Malley and Frankie Edgar/Korean Zombie for Vegas. One of the rumors going around is that the UFC plans on doing something, likely an interim placeholder title, for Holm vs Vieira. If so, you should absolutely do it on THIS card because the only way you're going to get folks excited about that fight is if it's got a McGregor-esque support attached to it. Conor vs Khabib will probably happen this year, if not in October then I'd bet in MSG. Conor vs Khabib IMO is a serious test of what is or isn't a big buyrate these days. The last BIG fight we had was Gennady-Canelo which did (IMO) a somewhat surprisingly meh 1.2 million----and this should beat that and comfortably. If it doesn't then we've got shit to talk about. Conor/Khabib, Holm/Vieira, Edgar/Zombie, O'Malley plus Darren Till (who apparently is a lock for this card) seems like a damn good top 5 to me.

October 27th

Moncton, Canada

Fight Night on FS1

Main Event: Rafael Dos Anjos vs Kamaru Usman

Co-Main Event: Ilir Latifi vs the winner of Glover Teix/Corey Anderson

I don't know what necessarily is in Moncton but the UFC tries in theory to go to new markets and bring special cards. The problem is they always tend to get picked apart due to injuries. As for this card? Well there were rumors that Usman vs RDA was the next fight to make in the Fall sometime and this seems like a fine enough time for it. Usman could also be a sleeper for the 170 lb title picture if there's an injury or whatever. As for the co-main? By all accounts Ilir is expected to be back in the middle of the Fall and so I'm betting this could be a good enough time. Latifi vs the winner of Glover/Corey Anderson isn't a perfect fight but there are worse fights to be co-main events. If anything it's a relevant fight at a division that's still trying to figure out what relevant is. Throw in PVZ vs Rachael Ostovich (come on now it HAS to happen) and Elias Theodorou for good measure for main card related purposes.

November 3rd

New York, New York

UFC 230

Main Event: Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier

Co-Main Event: Brian Ortega vs the Jeremy Stephens/Jose Aldo winner or Max Holloway Third title fight: Cody Garbrandt/TJ Dillashaw winner vs Marlon Moraes Yoel Romero vs Ovince St. Preux Chris Weidman vs Paolo Costa

I'm betting that we're going to get the Jon Jones news any day now of a one year suspension redacted to July. If so, I'm betting the UFC puts Jones vs DC together with Cormier knowing that win or lose, the Brock fight awaits. DC seems really open to fighting at 205 lbs in the interim while he waits for Brock so I'm guessing/betting that if it's not Jones then it's a Shogun or a Gus here in this spot. The co-main event is a little more....prickly. Until I hear something about Max Holloway, I'm going to continue to believe that the rumors about him suffering something traumatic during his weight cut are true enough for me to not think we see him again this year. That means Ortega's going to have to fight somebody for the belt and if so, the winner of Stephens/Aldo lines up pretty damn well time wise. If Stephens knocks off Aldo then he'll have earned this shot no questions asked. The third title fight (because MSG tradition says three) was a toss up between Mighty Mouse coming back, the rumored Nunes/Cyborg fight or the TJ/Cody winner. Marlon Moraes is coming off of TWO 1st round finishes of the highest order and I think that puts him above Assuncao who has a better overall resume (and the win tie breaker) but no flashy "This is my title shot" moment. Moraes has that. As for the rest of the main card? Yoel Romero vs Gus seems like THE perfect fight to make but Gustafsson is seemingly not up for a Romero clash. That could in turn open the door for Romero vs OSP since they seem to gel up timeline wise (Romero had surgery, OSP has a family matter he's dealing with). Chris Weidman vs Paolo Costa is a rumored fight the UFC wants to put together for MSG and I'd be totally okay with that fight for both guys.  Throw in some "names" on the undercard and this card could/should be the 2nd biggest show of the year. If Jones vs DC III with two title fights doesn't get people excited then I'm not sure what else there is to offer y'all.

November 10th

Denver, Colorado

25th Anniversary Fight Night

Main Event: Tony Ferguson vs Dustin Poirier/Eddie Alvarez loser

Co-Main Event: Donald Cerrone vs Mike Perry (at 170)/Kevin Lee (at 155)

The UFC has built a whole marketing promotion for this one so this show might get a big damn deal. Tony Ferguson vs the loser of Poirier/Alvarez seems like a natural-ish fit for this card given that Ferguson is expected to be back by the end of 2018. Ferguson isn't getting the Khabib/Conor winner and I get the feeling that if Poirier wins, he's getting the title shot. This is a damn important stay busy fight at lightweight for both guys. As for Cerrone vs Perry? Donald Cerrone is a big deal in Colorado and if he stays at WW, this is a damn good fight for him. Otherwise? I like Cerrone vs Kevin Lee as a fight if Cerrone TRULY wants to try 155 lbs again. He shouldn't but if he does? Good fit for me. I like this fight a bunch. Throw in Sage Northcutt (!!!!!!!), Chad Mendes vs Mirsad Bektic, Do Bronz Oliveira vs David Teymur, Cat Zingano vs Rocky Pennington and the Rivera/Dodson winner vs Alejandro Perez and we're off to the races!

November 17th

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fight Night

Main Event: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Leon Edwards

Co-Main EVent: Dominick Reyes vs Jan Blachowicz

Take two! The UFC heads into Argentina (after flirting with a November 2017/Feb 2018 visit) and with Ponz healthy and ready to go, I'd imagine Argentina is about to experience a Ponzi Scheme. Ya like that? I like it. Ponzinnibio vs Edwards feels like a great piece of matchmaking given their respective winning streaks and the fact that Till, Covington and Usman have all leapfrogged them in the division. Good easy work here. The co-main is more about finding out what Dominick Reyes CAN'T do at this point. I've seen him steamroll dudes with enough ease to get a little curious/froggy as to what necessarily else he's got for us. I am, dare I say, intrigued. Jan has proven himself again after an up and down UFC run. The time is now and it'll never be more ready than now for thesetwo. Blachowicz might even be overqualified for the job but who cares? There's plenty of fun developing Latin American talent to find a spot for on this show, like Julio Arce, Moggly Benitez, Vicente Luque (Brazilian with Chilean roots), the eternally underrated Enrique Barzola and some of the other fine Latin American fighters in the UFC and trying to get into the UFC.

November 24th

Shanghai, China

UFC Fight Night (likely on Fight Pass)

Main Event: Francis Ngannou vs Marcin Tybura

Co-Main Event: Walt Harris vs the Arlovski/Shamil Adburahkhimov winner

Would the UFC try to run back Anderson Silva in China? I'm not sure they wouldn't consider it. As more and more decent Chinese fighters start to filter into the UFC, the Chinese market seems to actually be on the verge of finally breaking through.  If there's one thing the UFC is frequently "good" at; it's sending big dudes to foreign markets to try and appeal to casual audiences with size. With the likes of Song Yadong, Li Jingliang, Guan Wang, Kenan Song and some of the Chinese female mixed martial artists at the ready; the undercard should be loaded up with local-ish talent who can be relied upon for undercard support. With that being laid down? Go big at the top. I can't think of a more direct message to send to Francis Ngannou than to put him on a Fight Pass event while still getting max value out of him with a big main event for an international crowd. Ngannou vs Tybura is a fine test for Francis and it trumps a rumored JDS fight which doesn't make a whole bunch of sense given that JDS is coming off his first win in forever while Ngannou has dropped two in a row.  Throw in a Yushin Okami fight as well just to confirm you hate your audience. We all know you do! Also would be totally down for Li Jingliang vs Chad Laprise or someone of that ilk.

November 30th

Las Vegas, Nevada

TUF Finale

Main Event: Derrick Lewis vs Justin Willis

Co-Main Event: One of the TUF Finales (below that though and another TUF finale, Brad Tavares vs Thiago Marreta)

If big dudes throwing punches isn't your thing then November might be a rough month for y'all. I ALMOST went with JDS here but I'll pass on that one to be honest. Lewis vs Justin Willis is a good test for Willis and with a lengthy stretch of time off, the Black Beast can maybe get his back right. Wouldn't be opposed to Mark Hunt vs Lewis II either. This is the last TUF of all time and it features HWs so might as well give them a HW fight too.

December 1st

Adelaide, Australia

Fight Night

Main Event: Israel Adesanya vs Derek Brunson

Co-Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs Josh Emmett

The Australian/Kiwi/NZ fighter's revolution is still off and popping. Right on time too as the UFC is heading to Australia in December with dudes like Tai Tuavasa, Dan Hooker, Alexander Volkanovski, Jessica Rose Clark and Israel Adesanya at the top of the run. RIGHT off the jump we've got a problem as Yoel Romero and Luke Rockhold are out of the division, Weidman and Costa are matched up, Jacare and Brunson are matched up and you've got Gastelum waiting on Whittaker. That in turn leads us to Adesanya vs Derek Brunson win or lose vs Shoeface. At this point I feel like Adesanya has been sped up so fast that it's basically a lock that he'll take on a Brunson type next. That brings us to the co-main where it's time for Volkanovski to get a bigger name. Dude's earned this shot. Volkanovski vs Emmett makes sense or even Volkanovski vs Lamas, Bektic or any of THOSE guys would be damn cool. Throw in Tai Tuavasa vs a fun punching bag and you've got one hell of a top three and Tyson Pedro vs Devin Clark too.

December 8th

Toronto, Canada

UFC 231

Main Event: Rose Namajunas vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz/Jessica Andrade winner

Co-Main Event: Junior Dos Santos vs Mark Hunt 2 Anderson Silva vs Uriah Hall Stephen Thompson vs Gunnar Nelson Jordan Mein vs Michael Chiesa

The UFC is going to try and give Toronto something special. This SEEMED on paper like the perfect spot to roll out the Whittaker vs Gaselum title fight but Rob is out into February. An interim fight here doesn't make much sense I guess. The best option is probably the most likely option and that's going to be a 115 lb title fight at the top of the bill. In the mean time and in between time, I'm a big fan of the idea of giving the strawweight division EVERY chance to succeed. Maybe a 115 lb title fight won't draw a major crowd on its own but JDS vs Mark Hunt 2 and Anderson Silva (!) makes for a damn fine balance of options across the board for a main card. Throw in two good WW fights plus every Canadian under the sun in the prelim spots and I think we're good to go here!

December 15th

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

UFC on Fox

Main Event: Alexander Gustafsson vs Luke Rockhold

Co-Main Event: Anthony Pettis vs Al Iaquinta

Outside of just popping a number for old time's sake, the UFC really has no incentive to do anything "big" here. It's a finale for Fox, one last chance for them and the UFC to put on a good show before Fox goes into bed with pro bowling and the UFC moves on to ESPN. The main event is a fine enough rebooking as Rockhold's debut at 205 vs Alexander Gustafsson still SEEMS like a pretty great idea. It's not a Milwaukee showcase without Anthony Pettis as the dude looks to continue his career rebuild at 155 lbs. I'm not entirely all in on yet on his return BUT I'm loving the idea of it. I ALMOST went with Mighty Mouse here vs Sergio Pettis as the main event but I don't know if that fight happens on Fox since there's really no major incentive for it to be on Fox. Throw in Mackenzie Dern vs Jessica Aguilar in a showcase fight/test for Dern and Edson Barboza vs David Teymur and we should be fine enough to go here.

December 29th

Las Vegas, Nevada

UFC 229

Main Event: Amanda Nunes vs Cris Cyborg

Co-Main Event: TJ/Cody loser vs Dominick Cruz

Carlos Condit vs Robbie Lawler Cynthia Calvillo vs Michelle Waterson Khalil Rountree vs Jimi Manuwa

And so we might as well end the year hot. With the final show in Vegas, it sure seems like some form of Nunes vs Cyborg is happening. In truth it's the biggest fight that WMMA can conjure up currently so I have no issue with that. Beyond that though? I think no fight is going to sell like that one will so you might as well support the undercard for thee last remaining WMMA anti-fans. Don't want to see Nunes vs Cyborg? Well how about a rematch of the best WW fight ever @ your mom about it? Lawler should be back by then and Condit has already said he wants one more go of it at 170 lbs. If ANY fight is going to get people up for one last final run, it's that one. TJ or Cody vs Dom Cruz buys us some time for Assuncao and company to maybe get a title fight in the interim. That and TJ vs Cruz 2 still has some high upside appeal to me. Calvillo vs Waterson may not appeal to everybody but Waterson is usually in a fun fight and I'm still high up on Calvillo's upside. Khalil Rountree probably fights four times between now and this show but I really think Rountree vs Manuwa can be a bonkers striking battle. Throw in Zhabit Magomedsharipov, Claudia Gadelha vs Felice Herrig, some combination of DWTCS guys, a HW fight of a high caliber and plenty of fake rumors about a second title fight and we're off to the races!

[scifigeneration]

Where does the controversial finding that adult human brains don't grow new neurons leave ongoing research?

by Janice R. Naegele

Could it be that a baby has all the brain cells she ever will? Jv Garcia on Unsplash, CC BY

Scientists have known for about two decades that some neurons – the fundamental cells in the brain that transmit signals – are generated throughout life. But now a controversial new study from the University of California, San Francisco, casts doubt on whether many neurons are added to the human brain after birth.

As a translational neuroscientist, this work immediately piqued my interest. It has direct implications for the research my lab does: We transplant young neurons into damaged brain areas in mice in an attempt to treat epileptic seizures and the damage they’ve caused. Like many labs, part of our work is based on a foundational belief that the hippocampus is a brain region where new neurons are born throughout life.

If the new study is right, and human brains for the most part don’t add new neurons after infancy, researchers like me need to reconsider the validity of the animal models we use to understand various brain conditions – in my case temporal lobe epilepsy. And I suspect other labs that focus on conditions including drug addiction, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are thinking about what the UCSF study means for their investigations, too.

In the brain of a baby who died soon after birth, there are many new neurons (green in this image) in the hippocampus. Sorrells et al, CC BY-ND

When and where are new neurons born?

No doubt, the adult human brain is able to learn throughout life and to change and adapt – a capability brain scientists call neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by rewiring connections. Yet, a central dogma in the field of neuroscience for nearly 100 years had been that a child is born with all the neurons she will ever have because the adult brain cannot regenerate neurons.

Just over half a century ago, researchers devised a way to study proliferation of cells in the mature brain, based on techniques to incorporate a radioactive label into new cells as they divide. This approach led to the startling discovery in the 1960s that rodent brains actually could generate new neurons.

Neurogenesis – the production of new neurons – was previously thought to only occur during embryonic life, a time of extremely rapid brain growth and expansion, and the rodent findings were met with considerable skepticism. Then researchers discovered that new neurons are also born throughout life in the songbird brain, a species scientists use as a model for studying vocal learning. It started to look like neurogenesis plays a key role in learning and neuroplasticity – at least in some brain regions in a few animal species.

Even so, neuroscientists were skeptical that many nerve cells could be renewed in the adult brain; evidence was scant that dividing cells in mammalian brains produced new neurons, as opposed to other cell types. It wasn’t until researchers extracted neural stem cells from adult mouse brains and grew them in cell culture that scientists showed these precursor cells could divide and differentiate into new neurons. Now it is generally well accepted that neurogenesis takes place in two areas of the adult rodent brain: the olfactory bulbs, which process smell information, and the hippocampus, a region characterized by neuroplasticity that is required for forming new declarative memories.

Adult neural stem cells cluster together in what scientists call niches – hotbeds for cultivating the birth and growth of new neurons, recognizable by their distinctive architecture. Despite the mounting evidence for regional growth of new neurons, these studies underscored the point that the adult brain harbors only a few stem cell niches and their capacity to produce neurons is limited to just a few types of cells.

With this knowledge, and new tools for labeling proliferating cells and identifying maturing neurons, scientists began to look for postnatal neurogenesis in primate and human brains.

A mouse neural stem cell (blue and green) grows in a lab dish. Can human brain cells do what rodent brain cells do? Mark McClendon, Zaida Alvarez Pinto, Samuel I. Stupp, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, CC BY-NC

What’s happening in adult human brains?

Many neuroscientists believe that by understanding the process of adult neurogenesis we’ll gain insights into the causes of some human neurological disorders. Then the next logical step would be trying to develop new treatments harnessing neurogenesis for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or trauma-induced epilepsy. And stimulating resident stem cells in the brain to generate new neurons is an exciting prospect for treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Because neurogenesis and learning in rodents increases with voluntary exercise and decreases with age and early life stress, some workers in the field became convinced that older people might be able to enhance their memory as they age by maintaining a program of regular aerobic exercise.

However, obtaining rigorous proof for adult neurogenesis in the human and primate brain has been technically challenging – both due to the limited experimental approaches and the larger sizes of the brains, compared to reptiles, songbirds and rodents.

Researchers injected a compound found in DNA, nicknamed BrdU to identify brand new neurons in human adult hippocampus – but the labeled cells were extremely rare. Other groups demonstrated that adult human brain tissue obtained during neurosurgery contained stem cell niches that housed progenitor cells that could generate new neurons in the lab, showing that these cells had an inborn neurogenic capacity, even in adults.

But even when scientists saw evidence for new neurons in the brain, they tended to be scarce. Some neurogenesis experts were skeptical that evidence based on incorporating BrdU into DNA was a reliable method for proving that new cells were actually being born through cell division, rather than just serving as a marker for other normal cell functions.

Further questions about how long human brains retain the capacity for neurogenesis arose in 2011, with a study that compared numbers of newborn neurons migrating in the olfactory bulbs of infants versus older individuals up to 84 years of age. Strikingly, in the first six months of life, the baby brains contained lots of chains of young neurons migrating into the frontal lobes, regions that guide executive function, long-range planning and social interactions. These areas of the human cortex are hugely increased in size and complexity compared to rodents and other species. But between 6 to 18 months of age, the migrating chains dwindled to a thin stream. Then, a very different pattern emerged: Where the migrating chains of neurons had been in the infant brain, a cell-free gap appeared, suggesting that neural stem cells become depleted during the first six months of life.

Questions still lingered about the human hippocampus and adult neurogenesis as a source for its neuroplasticity. One group came up with a clever approach based on radiocarbon dating. They measured how much atmospheric ¹⁴C – a radioactive isotope derived from nuclear bomb tests – was incorporated into people’s DNA. This method suggested that as many as 700 new cells are added to the adult human hippocampus every day. But these findings were contradicted by a 2016 study that found that the neurogenic cells in the adult hippocampus could only produce non-neuronal brain cells called microglia.

Rethinking neurogenesis research

Now the largest and most comprehensive study conducted to date presents even stronger evidence that robust neurogenesis doesn’t continue throughout adulthood in the human hippocampus – or if it does persist, it is extremely rare. This work is controversial and not universally accepted. Critics have been quick to cast doubt on the results, but the finding isn’t totally out of the blue.

So where does this leave the field of neuroscience? If the UCSF scientists are correct, what does that mean for ongoing research in labs around the world?

It’s much easier to work with rodent brains than human ones. This is a stained image of the hippocampus and neurons of a mouse with neurodegenerative disease. NICHD/I. Williams, CC BY

Because lots of studies of neurological diseases are done in mice and rats, many scientists are invested in the possibility that adult neurogenesis persists in the human brain, just as it does in rodents. If it doesn’t, how valid is it to think that the mechanisms of learning and neuroplasticity in our model animals are comparable to those in the human brain? How relevant are our models of neurological disorders for understanding how changes in the hippocampus contribute to disorders such as the type of epilepsy I study?

In my lab, we transplant embryonic mouse or human neurons into the adult hippocampus in mice, after damage caused by epileptic seizures. We aim to repair this damage and suppress seizures by seeding the mouse hippocampus with neural stem cells that will mature and form new connections. In temporal lobe epilepsy, studies in adult rodents suggest that naturally occurring hippocampal neurogenesis is problematic. It seems that the newborn hippocampal neurons become highly excitable and contribute to seizures. We’re trying to inhibit these newborn hyperexcitable neurons with the transplants. But if humans don’t generate new hippocampal neurons, then maybe we’re developing a treatment in mice for a problem that has a different mechanism in people.

Perhaps our species has evolved separate mechanisms for neuroplasticity, distinct from those used by species such as rats and mice. One possibility is that there are other sites in the human brain where neurogenesis occurs - its a big structure and more exploration will be necessary. If it turns out to be true that the human brain has a diminished capacity for neurogenesis after birth, the finding will have important implications for how neuroscientists like me think about tackling brain disorders.

Perhaps most importantly, this work underscores how crucial it is to learn how to increase the longevity of the neurons we do have, born early in life, and how we might replace or repair neurons that become damaged.

Janice R. Naegele is an Alan M Dachs Professor of Science and Professor of Biology, Neuroscience and Behavior at Wesleyan University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

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Cross Bones Yard by Kate Rhodes - Review

Having read Hell Bay & The Winter Foundlings by this author both of which I enjoyed, I wanted to read the beginning of the Alice Quentin series. I wish I had started at the beginning as I now know a little something about the characters which I wouldn’t have known or got an image which now doesn’t fit.

Alice Quentin is a psychologist at Guys hospital and a keep fit fanatic. She becomes involved in a murder investigation when she finds the body of a woman by the gates of Cross Bones Yard. The wounds on the body are the same as those inflicted on the victims (all women) of the Bensons by a couple of serial killers who are currently serving time in a high security prison. Some of the missing women still haven’t been found.

Alice is asked by DI Don Burns to speak to the couple to see if and where the current murderer is linked to the their hideous crimes. Maybe through their time running a hostel. Alice has had a traumatic childhood and finds it hard to keep relationships, her brother is suffering mental breakdowns. Alice and her mother suffered physical abuse from her father, her brother Will pretended not to notice. Staying with Alice is her best friend Lola and her Swedish boyfriend.

Alice starts to form a sexual attraction to inspector Alvarez who works with DI Burns. Alice receives letters, threatening letters and is finally put under police protection but that can’t protect her or her friends & family.

There were times when what was going to happen was obvious and I felt the ending when she escapes & lifts her blindfold a little unbelievable. Near the end I could guess who the perp was but that might have been because I read the 3rd in the series first.

The scene around London is set well and I have grown fond of the main characters so, yes I will read more in this series.

Review by Lindy