#bruce and vance AFTER the mission

[eclipsewxtch]

what if they met their respective SO in childhood, go on with their lives and THEN met them again at twenty something? the story was adorable, robin and finn <3

in the kotn universe? hell yeah.

1. robin/finney

they met at 14, downtown in denver, colorado; finney had ditched some bullies successfully, and was making his way around. he was about to buy something for gwen, he was saving the money for her birthday in two months and figured now was as good a time as any, right?; robin was ditching his family—bored of meetings and mergers and shaking hands with some business partners’ daughter. he was running down the street. they make eye contact at a street light. they don’t know what caused them to look up, but they did. and—woah. robin blinks, finney smiles and looks back at the side of the street he’s on—the path he hasn’t walked down yet and jerks his head for robin to follow. entire day is spent joking and laughing with death-defying stunts and running from cops. they tried to keep in touch but when finney got home, gift in hand for gwen—his dad took his phone and broke it in two. robin lost the paper with finney’s number on it and couldn’t remember it. on the mission—finney says he thinks he wants to go on a walk before their shift starts. robin’s on his way back to the penthouse to get vance and billy.

they meet, again, at 23. it’s across the street. finney jerks his head for robin to follow and, of course, he does.

2. bruce/vance

bruce is pretty sure vance is going to kill him. they’re on the playground and everyone knows not to mess with vance on the playground because he’s eight and everyone else is slightly younger or older and vance doesn’t like anyone messing with him and always plays alone. bruce is closer to his age than anyone else, so they shoved him to vance in an effort to make him be nicer. bruce got shoved a little too hard and knocked vance over—hence the cowering beneath the slide. vance comes over and asks why bruce is hiding and bruce squeaks out that he didn’t mean to push vance he just wanted to play and talk. he didn’t mean it. vance, a child, goes: “nobody means to do anything. you still did it though.” so bruce says he’s sorry and vance holds out a hand and tells him they can play together as long as bruce stops crying. they are playground friends for about three years from 7 & 8 to 10 & 11, they drift apart to different schools in different cities. they meet again at 25 and 26, vance has blood on his cheek, finishing with the body in the alley; bruce is getting back from a shift at the Peninsula, stumped; he paralyzed a guy in his hotel room thinking he had intel on Red in his briefcase but it wasn’t anything worthwhile. bruce almost trips on the asphalt and vance catches him— they recognize each other immediately from the making out in an elevator thing, but not as childhood friends until bruce does that thing he does when he’s happy—that little twitch of his finger again. then it clicks. vance is ecstatic and bruce is too—but noticing the blood he asks what happened, vance says it wasn’t his. vance asks who’s briefcase that is—it has the wrong initials. bruce says it’s not his either. then, of course: “how do you feel about coffee?” vance rubs the drying flecks of blood off and says he would love to. they hold hands on their way.

3. billy/griffin

billy wanted his attention, is how it started. really! he just wanted to annoy griffin, but he couldn’t just annoy him after a while—scowling was good enough, he needed a smile, a giggle, a wrinkle of his nose, a frown, a pout—anything and everything; even at 11 and 12. griffin wasn’t in the habit of giving in to billy showalter and he didn’t plan on starting to then. it was a game, always a game with them; one that only really ends with billy gets foster parents in new york. they’re both heartbroken but—griffin moves on with evan and billy moves on with his new family. they meet again, really meet, first day on the assignment. griffin’s delivering the drinks—comms off on his end, because too many people are whispering and laughing and the mic catches it. he holds out his tray for the drink order; paperboy turns around, scar visible on his cheek.

oh. billy? griffin’s billy? his billy?

griffin? billy’s griffin? the griffin he’s missed since he was 12 years old griffin? the same one?

there’s no hesitation at all in the hug that happens—solidifying what griffin knows. they missed each other, paperboy is billy, and they missed each other. griffin keeps his comm off the whole time and texts on his watch to the others that charlie and mr. b are gonna have to deal. billy’s coming home with them.

[theblackphonelovvyhopper]

TBP ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE AU

(+Lo and Louis, me and my friend’s ocs) (will not be putting headcanons for Louis, bc I don’t know his character enough to make headcanons)

Finney Blake - lead/guide

the lead, and the guide of the team.

he’s the most logical, decisive survivor.

he has a gun and a knife as his weapons.

he’s extremely protective of gwen, who wants to protect him too, but he can’t risk losing her.

he tries to feed himself, but makes sure his little sister eats just as much or more than he does.

he can barely sleep, he can somewhat pass out due to exhaustion.

best in survival skills, worst in stamina

Gwen Blake - craftswoman

craftswoman on the team

very efficient

she makes sure all her crafts are efficient.

she’s still religious, she prays that the apocalypse could end, or at least that they have a chance of surviving.

she usually has a knife, but at some point, she can use a pistol.

she would protect finney with her life.

she gets dreams about the possible future, or places to go, or warnings, etc

she sleeps a lot, but only briefly.

best in stamina

Robin Arellano - brawler

brawler of the team

when it comes to fighting, he’s more on using fist-to-fist, but Lo and Bruce insisted he used a weapon for minimum damage. He’s the more careful one.

he likes to show off his fighting skills in more brutal ways to survivors he doesn’t trust, to show that he, and his team, shouldn’t be messed with.

weapon of choice is his fists, but secondarily, a spear or pole.

he’s extremely protective of not just Lo, but all of his friends.

speaking of, during missions, he’s always paired up with Lo. he will NOT leave him alone.

he’s the second most altruistic out of the survivors.

when others are feeling down, he does his best to make sure everyone stays and feels strong and positive, he knows that’s what’s best for the future.

gets hot easily

best in strength.

Lo Hopper - Strategist/Patrol

he’s the strategist/patrol of the group.

always plans ahead for anything that could happen, or anything that can benefit them. executes his plans efficiently and as well as he can

borrowing billy’s spare jacket (despite being bitter with him)

weapon of choice are knives and spears

he hates loud weapons, like molotov cocktails, or guns

extremely controlling under stress

he doesn’t like to sleep, and he becomes an insomniac due to being afraid and paranoid. that’s why he chooses to be night patrol. but when he does sleep, he can’t do it without robin in his sight, or with him.

the most altruistic out of everyone

best in strategy.

Vance Hopper - Brawler

he’s the brawler of the group.

he’s very attentive to his surroundings, and tries to take the most logical decision to himself.

he can get a little reckless

weapon of choice are brass knuckles and maybe guns.

despite being an aggressive fighter, he knows how to do it as quietly as he can, if hes in bigger spaces.

the strongest out of everyone.

he’s extremely protective of the younger ones (Griffin and Gwen), and his little cousin (Lo)

he also doesn’t like to sleep, but eventually he does. he’s not a night owl.

he cares about Lo the most.

gets hot easily

good with kids

best in strength

Bruce Yamada - Medic/Weaponry Expert

he’s the medic/weaponry expert

his dad liked to teach him about survival skills, his mom liked to teach him about medicine.

his weapon of choice is his spiked bat, since he’s strongest with that.

every after fight, he checks on everyone’s physical states

this becomes a force of habit, and if he sees even just a scratch, he immediately does his best to patch it up.

likes to encourage the people in his group, with Robin. but his mental state is pretty down.

he’s a careful, calculated fighter

really good swings

makes sure everyone’s out of danger

best in intellect

Billy Showalter - Newsboy/Tracker

he’s the newsboy/tracker of the group

he keeps track of the state of their base, knows how to work and fix a radio, and keeps track of the zombies.

weapon of choice is a pistol

he needs a routine to himself, because when things are a little too chaotic, he ends up getting mentally overwhelmed.

he makes sure everything is being done efficiently.

follows Lo’s strategies to a fault, despite being bitter with him. he just likes the organization.

he lost most of his appetite watching the zombies eat people

he sleeps easily, but again, briefly.

runs really fast

best in stamina

Griffin Stagg - Craftsman

he’s the craftsman of the group

he likes to make things, especially anything with mechanics

he’s really quiet

doesn’t like to use weapons, but when he does, its usually a makeshift crossbow or a pistol

he helps gwen and billy when they need it

he likes to keep his blanket around, one that his grandmother gave him

the one who needs to eat the most

ends up sleeping a lot, but he’s aware of his surroundings anyway.

when everything is a little more peaceful, he likes to craft gifts for everyone to cheer them up.

surprisingly pretty smart, just has pretty bad memory

easily scared and startled

best in intellect

[mariedreamlove]

Listen:

- Modern AU

- the kidnappings and murders were never solved (meaning Finney dead but wait)

- Gwen is a grown woman and takes now care of the neighborhood kids. She is sometimes described as a little weird, but she's loving and just the way we love Gwen.

- there are six kids in the neighborhood, being conineidentally names Vance, Bruce, Billy, Finney, Robin and Griffin, though Gwen never referres to them in their names, more or less in nicknames.

- its reincarnation, we all know it (but with a twist)

- the kids slowly begin, weirdly at the age their name sakes or just same named counter parts, to take after them, and to develope weird things. Like being scared of balloons, looking weird at the really old man in the neighborhood (i ain't ever giving Albert a natural death) and having temper problems and trauma

- Gwen starts getting Dreams, involving the place the boys once we're held in.

- Albert realizes, though definetly still haunted, that the boys in his neighborhood are more similar to the ones he once killed.

- the kids also begin to realize something is wrong

- they begin to research the Grabber case, and Bruce is the first to realize how eerily similar they look to the missing boys.

- through something the boys and Gwen reveal their knowledge to each other, and suddenly the phone rings.

- the grabber begins lurking near the boys (it's like twenty years in the future, so the Grabber is about 58 and Gwen is like 29, maybe 32)

- through messages delivered in certain ways, (hobbies and somethings the current boys are connected to their past lives) they realize who the old magician is and how dangerous

- in an epic mission they try to recover at least the bodies and even get the Grabber caught.

- the world turns black around them, and the ghosts of the past appear to come get the Grabber

- grabber wines and get pathetic but no mercy for stinky old pedo

- happy ending with rinney, maybe Brance and Gwen finally opens up to a friend about her past

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Treat Your S(h)elf: Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield (1998)

At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army.

Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces. Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and unmatched battle skill, the Spartans would be remembered for the greatest military stand in history–one that would not end until the rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured Spartan squire to tell the tale….

- Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire (1998)

This is one of my favourite books on war I’ve ever read. I took my dog-eared copy with me last year when I went with ex-military veterans friends to climb Olympus and hike around Greece. One of the places we stopped was Thermopylae - where you can still bathe in the hot springs as the ancient Spartans and Athenians did before their monumental battle with the Persians. The very recent death of the last king of Greece, King Constantine II of the Hellenes, made me think of my trip to Greece last year and of one of the books I read on that trip. I thought I might share some of my rambling thoughts I had written down at the time, and also since then, about the retelling of one historical turning point in our western civilisation that has now entered into myth.

In 1998 was the year Frank Miller’s iconic comic graphic novel 300 about the the Battle of Thermopylae – where a tiny Greek force led by 300 Spartans held out for three days against an immense Persian invasion in 480BC - was published to great critical acclaim. Zack Snyder highly stylised slick film version of Miller’s 300 defied audience and studio expectations when it stormed the box office with Spartan-like ferocity back in 2007. Its mix of ancient history, comic-book iconography and sound-bite dialogue immediately found its way into the verbal and visual lexicon of contemporary pop culture; but things could have been very different. In 1998 Miller’s publication overshadowed the publication of Steven Pressfield’s more conventional historical novel, Gates of Fire, took its name from the eponymous battlefield, Thermopylae (referred to in 300 as ‘the hot gates’).

Pressfield, an ex-Marine soldier, had worked as a screenwriter creating disposable action-movie scripts for the likes of Steven Seagal and Dolph Lundgren in the late 1980s and early 1990s before writing his first novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, which was adapted into the Will Smith film of the same name. It too won critical acclaim and was a huge best seller. George Clooney’s film production company bought the rights and David Self (screenwriter of 13 Days and Road to Perdition) was brought in to adapt it. Bruce Willis was dying to be in it and iconic director Michael Mann signed on the direct it. Instead the film went into development hell before Snyder’s film stole a march on Mann’s version to come out first in 2007.

As a Classicist and ex-veteran I found Both Miller’s comic graphic novel and Snyder’s film a severe guilty pleasure. But I have to say I found reading Steven Pressfield’s brilliant novel deeply satisfying on many more levels.

The book I remember well as an American special forces chap I knew out in Afghanistan gave it to me to read because I was complaining I was fast running out of things to read between missions. I loved it.

Like a good officer I passed the book along to others in my corps - rank and file - and within a month or two it had been passed around a fair bit. It led to endless arguments about the Greeks and the Western way of war in and out of the cockpit with my brother/sister aviators and crew as well other officers and the men.

For the soldiers on the ground the book felt more visceral. As a fellow brother British infantry officer said the depictions of phalanx warfare raised his blood pressure at how well he and his men could relate. I never felt more Spartan than I did I sitting on my arse baking in the sun of Afghan red dust mornings. We all related to this story one way or another - the sand, sweat, blood, feelings of combat, and thoughts of mortality.

Most book reviewers loved the book. “Does for (Thermopylae) what Charles Frazier did for the Civil War in Cold Mountain’, enthused author Pat Conroy. The New York Times praised the book’s ‘feel of authenticity from beginning to end.’ Author Nelson DeMille  admired the ‘mastery, authority and psychological insight.’ Sarah Broadhurst, in The Bookseller, particularly wanted to recommend the book to women: “ Although it has a male feel to it, it will appeal to both sexes, as my two readers and I can testify. In fact, it is a great example of the rebirth of the historical novel, which I am sure is on its way.” Where people quibbled, it was usually about the violence of some of the descriptions, or on small errors of fact. The Times called it ‘a story of blood, biffing and bonking, thigh deep in blood, terror-piss and entrails’ but acknowledged that ‘their heroism still makes the hairs at the back of the neck bristle’. The Times Literary Supplement sniped at Pressfield for confusing two different Greek cities called Argos, and for what it called ‘phallocentric discourse’, but also called the book ‘a monument to the important twentieth-century art of pace.’

The novel stands out in the way it makes everything come alive from the soldiers' training, the scenes of actual battle, and most particularly the scenes after or between battles. The discussions of fear, and of how officers and soldiers should behave are particularly poignant and also felt very real to those of us who have experienced war first hand. What I found pleasantly surprising was how well written it was with its very strong portrayals of women as secondary characters. With nearly all military books women are often relegated to the background but here I found some of the strongest depictions of women in this genre. The women don't fight in the battles, yet are courageous and compassionate, intelligent and influential.

Many readers will be familiar with the broad strokes of the story of the battle. But it’s worth recapping here for those that don’t. In 480 BC, King Xerxes lead a Persian army of between one and two million into Greece. The Spartan King Leonidas lead 300 Knights and some 700 Thespaian allies to the narrow pass at Thermopylae, in order to hold the Persians back as long as possible. They proceeded to hold the pass for 7 days. These 300 Spartans died to a man defending the pass against a force of over a million and the epitaph provided to them by the poet Simonides, "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie", is perhaps the most famous in history. Their example rallied and inspired all of Greece and eventually the Persians were defeated in the naval battle at Salamis and on land at Plataea.

The story is told from the point of view of its narrator Xeones of Astakos, a helot, a slave of the Spartans, and has his own conflicted feelings about Spartan society. He is taken, wounded, before Xerxes, and asked to explain “who were these foemen, who had taken with them to the house of the dead ten or, as some reports said, as many as twenty for every one of their own fallen?” In Xeones’ own words, therefore, we get the story of his life; from when his own city is destroyed, to when he comes to Sparta as a slave, to the time when he finally comes to stand beside the Spartiate in the fateful battle. As the sole survivor among the Spartans, Xerxes wishes Xeones to tell his story to the Persian court historian Gobartes. Xeones starts with the tale of how he came to Sparta. As a youth, his village of Astakos is destroyed and his family slaughtered, but he and the cousin he loves, Diomache, escape. As they wander the countryside, Diomache is raped by soldiers and Xeones is crucified after stealing a chicken, although Diomache saves him from death. Thrown into despair, because his hands are so damaged that he can never wield a sword, Xeones heads off by himself to die. But he experiences a visitation from the Archer god Apollo Far Striker and realizes he can still wield a bow. When Diomache, who is also distraught after being violated by the soldiers, takes off, Xeones heads to Sparta where he hopes to join the army.

The middle section of the book, which is at a much slower pace, deals with his life in Sparta and the training techniques used by the Spartans to create what was one of the most formidable fighting forces the world has ever seen. Eventually he becomes the squire of one of the 300 knights who are chosen for Thermopylae.

The final section, on the battle itself, depicts wholesale slaughter accompanied by acts of ineffable courage. It also relates two of the great lines of all time. When Xerxes offers to spare the Spartans lives if they will surrender their arms, Leonidas is reputed to have snarled, "come and get them." And upon being told that the Persians have so many bowmen that the cloud of arrows would blot out the sun, one of the Spartans says, "good, then we'll have our battle in the shade."

Pressfield being an ex-Marine grunt himself gives a very convincing grunt’s-eye-view of the battle and of Spartan society to create a fantastically blood pumping engaging tale. Pressfield sets himself the task of explaining Spartan culture to us in all its glory, humour, brutality and philosophy. To do so, he draws on his personal experience as a US infantryman, as well being strongly versed in Classics. The result is a fascinating tale, on one level a war story written with great pace and excitement, on another a ruminative tale of man’s capacity for honour, heroism, and self-sacrifice.

As a Classicist (since confirmed by Pressfield in many interviews) he makes excellent use of the ancient historical sources (such as they are). The most useful sources seem to be Herodotus first, his pages about the battle.  Plutarch’s Lives of various Spartans — Lycurgus, Agesilaus, Lysander, etc - can be discerned strongly as the section of his Moralia called Sayings of the Spartans and Sayings of the Spartan Women.  Xenophon of course was the best contemporaneous eyewitness to real Spartan society. Constitution of the Lacedaemonians, the Cyropaedia and even the Anabasis greatly help Pressfield pepper history with authentic detail.  Diodorus’ version of the battle added the thought of the night raid (which The 300 Spartans also had) and Pressfield takes that from him.  Pressfield has said that he didn’t consult recent archaeology, other than going to Sparta myself and checking out the ruins of Artemis, Orthia and so forth.

But still huge gaps remained. This is where Pressfield the ex-Marine and the well educated novelist come together. There was much detail that he needed to consciously to make up and make it sound plausible and even true. For instance, the concept of phobologia, the Science of Fear. That’s completely invented, yet Pressfield, as a Marine veteran, absolutely felt certain the Spartans, like every other warrior race, must have had something like that, a religious-philosophical doctrine of warfare understanding the principles of their culture, probably a sort of cult-like initiatory situation.  

Pressfield in one interview admitted that the speech that Alexandros recites holding his shield —  “This is my shield, I bear it before me into battle, etc.” — was a fictional invention based upon his own experience in the US Marine Corps, where Marines recite, “This is my rifle. There are many other like it, but this one is mine, etc.” Another huge fictional detail that he made central to the story was the prominence of the squire in hoplite battle.  Again he based this on pure instinct and common sense.  He thought the relationship must be much like that of a professional golfer to his caddie.  Pressfield firms believes that the bonds formed between man and batman in the course of bloody warfare must have been intimate on a level second only to husband and wife, and maybe more intimate.  The ancient sources make nothing of this, because they just passed it over as obvious, but I fully agree with Pressman. It’s an inspired insight. The fact that squires and armour bearers voluntarily stayed to die at Thermopylae says volumes.  (Also a squire was the perfect fly-on-the-wall narrator, like Midshipman Byam in Mutiny on the Bounty.)  Further I could not imagine that squires would stand idly by, watching their men fight.  They must have served as auxiliaries, not only dashing in and out of the field evacuating the wounded, but getting in their blows as light infantrymen whenever they could.  I suspect that, as prominent as Pressfield made their roles in Gates, if we could beam ourselves back and witness actual ancient battle, the part of the squire/auxiliary was even bigger than one might imagine.

The book then is not merely about the immortal stand at Thermopylae but delves into the Spartan lifestyle, how they achieved such military cohesion, how they viewed themselves and the world, what made them willing to march off to a suicide mission — it’s one thing to find oneself in such a situation, it’s quite another to jockey to be chosen for it, to know days ahead of time that this is it, you’re heading to your death and to do it unflinchingly. It’s about what binds men together in a group — what makes them willing to die for others. I think Dienekes’ thoughtful analysis of fear and how the opposite of fear isn’t bravery but love, tells it all. Love of a messmate, a family, a city.

Indeed as Pressfield shows the spartans would carry their shields on the left side of their body which allowed them to cover the blind spot of the warrior fighting next to them. Commanders would arrange it so that family members and friends were placed next to each other within the formation. The belief was that warriors would be less likely to abandon their comrades if they were fighting next to someone they deeply cared about. Love conquers fear.

Now the story isn’t perfect, there are some pacing issues when the plot seems to go extra slow, and there are time jumps that can feel a bit awkward. Some periods of our main protagonist’s life, that would be interesting, are just skipped.

In my opinion, the book balances fiction and facts quite nicely, not making the Spartans some over the top super heroes, like the movie “300” did.

The thing that I liked the most is the whole theme of the book: honour, the duty to your city and people, and the strength of the mind. The Spartans didn’t see war as a fun way of killing people, it was an inevitable fact of life. They didn’t kill fear, they learned to embrace it, keep it locked until the very last moment.

Now it’s a bit harder to judge characters in a book like this because some of them are based on real people and some of them are fictional. But what I will say is that these people feel real, grounded to the situation they are in.

I was very taken by the portrayal of Leonidas, the Spartan king who commanded at Thermopylae. One of the most stirring speeches in the book is addressed to Xerxes, the King of Persia, and contrasts Xerxes with Leonidas: "I will tell His Majesty what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men's loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his back and the pains he endures for their sake….”

I also appreciated the inclusion of the women of Sparta — no shirkers themselves. They would be the first ones out shaming the men into doing their duty for their city (and that’s what it was all about for these people — the survival of the city first) if that was what was needed. I have to say I shed a tear when Leonidas confessed his criteria for selection of the 300. So much is said about Spartan men but the women kicked ass in a time and place where women were almost never seen and certainly never heard from. The first female Olympic champion was a Spartan princess called Kynisca, in 392 BC. She was also the first woman to become a champion horse trainer when her horses and chariot competed and won in the Ancient Olympic Games. Twice.

Arete is in some ways the most powerful character in the book. She is very well written.  She just popped forth, full-grown from the brow of Zeus.  I liked her a lot.  Whether or not Sparta was a “good” place for women I can’t say.  Certainly it would be fascinating as hell to beam back there and see, for real, how they lived and what they were like.  It seems likely Pressfield drew inspiration of Arete from Plutarch’s Sayings of the Spartan Women. These, if you’ve ever read them, are unbelievably hard-core.  For example, here’s one: A messenger returns from a battle to inform a Spartan mother (Plutarch gives her name but I’ve forgotten it) that all five of her sons have just perished honourably fighting the enemy.  She asks this only: “Were we victorious?” The courier replies yes.  “Then I am happy,” says the mother and turns for home. Here’s another: A messenger returns from another battle to tell another mother that one of her sons has been killed, facing the enemy.  “He is my son,” she says.  Her other son, the messenger continues, is still alive but ran from the enemy. “He is not my son,” she replies. Pressfield doesn’t see Arete quite that hard-core but certainly someone tough as nails who imbibed the Spartan mythos even more than the men and lived it.  Pressfield admits in one of his interviews that this was all instinct, he could be wrong, but itt just was what felt right to him.

Before I had gone through Sandhurst after university I didn’t really condone crude language or lewd humour but it’s one of the ways that my stint in the army and especially out on a battlefield deployment changed me a little. I confess that I loved the sometimes crude humour - they’re soldiers in a time of war and you do or say whatever will get you through. Battle (especially foxhole) humour has a dark gallows feel and it’s entirely acceptable and authentic - just ask any veteran of any war. The battle descriptions are graphic - very graphic but not much worse than what’s in the Iliad. And we are talking about a battle in which thousands died by sword, spear, arrow and other various messy methods.

I also enjoyed how the book has a pleasing prose aesthetic that imitates the style of Homer. For the non-Classicist it may take a little bit of getting used to and slow down their reading but it sounds melodious to the ear.

Overall Pressman gives us a pulsating story in which the characters are not either super evil villains that cartoonishly want to “take over the world” or superheroes that can’t make mistakes. The author doesn’t take a side in this story, war is war, and people are people. They make mistakes, get angry or jealous, they do bad things in the name of good and vice versa. The book is not about good and evil, it’s about how different people and cultures understand the order, stability, good and even our minds and dreams. The enemies here aren’t some sort of Oriental magic freaks from far away lands, they are just men made in flesh and blood. Sure wanting to control more land or have more people serving them, but that’s everyone I know in the history of rise and fall of civilisations.

Was the Spartan defence of the Hot Gates worth it?  

Clearly, yes. Cultures, if not civilisations, are nearly always rubbing up against each other and even clashing where they can’t bridge differences. I think Pressfield has it right when he said, “What the defence meant to me was this: its significance was metaphorical rather than literal.  We are all in a battle that will end with our deaths and, like the Spartans at Thermopylae, we know it.  The question is how do we deal with it.  They answered by being true to their calling, to their brothers and sisters, and to their ideals.  Early in the book there’s a passage where the Persian historian is narrating; he’s speaking of King Xerxes and his interest in the fallen Spartans.  Xerxes says of them: “He knew they feared death, as all men. ��By what philosophy did their minds embrace it?”

In two of my favourite passages, Pressfield has his protagonist explain why sacrifice is so beautiful to the Greeks (or to anyone who has honour), "In one way only have the gods permitted mortals to surpass them. Man may give that which the gods cannot, all he possesses, his life”. This is a very profoundly moving insight.

Pressfield goes further and tries to answer a much deeper question as to why men fight and perhaps this is where it’s the ex-Marine and not the novelist in Pressfield who is talking, "Forget country. Forget king. Forget wife and children and freedom. Forget every concept, however noble, that you imagine you fight for here today. Act for this alone: for the man who stands at your shoulder."

Amen to that.

At the end of the book, I would have probably stranded there fighting side by side with them against the Persians. Because at that point, they were my friends, comrades, and heroes. It was when I put the book down that I realised that I already had the humble privilege of serving with my fellow brother and sister officers and soldiers of whom all were comrades, many were friends, and a few were unspoken heroes.

Does the battle of Thermopylae provide any lessons to us?

That is harder to discern because it depends on what values we already hold dear. Sparta was a small, compact, basically tribal society where every citizen (forgetting about the helots for the time being) was vitally needed and where warfare was hand-to-hand and absolutely communal, with your own brothers, uncles, father and friends fighting beside you, so if you acted the coward, there was no hiding it.  The modern world of anonymity, mass culture, commercialism, shamelessness, indulgence of sensual desires, worship of money couldn’t be farther.  The Spartan society is like a culture from the moon.

On an individual and interior basis, I think, can we take lessons that might help us.  Self-discipline, loyalty, grit, hard work, perseverance, honour, humility, respect, and compassion.  

On a societal level Spartans were not selfish and didn’t worship the cult of individualism as we do today. It was all about the group. In our age when civil strife, economic hardship, and effects of a unrelenting pandemic erode our trust in our political and civil institutions and set neighbour against neighbour because of the political or religious beliefs they might hold, the only thing we have left to fall back on is just our individual selves. It’s every man for himself. The Spartans would balk at such selfish individualism. The strength (and ultimately the effectiveness) of the Spartan phalanx was encapsulated in the “next man up” approach. If a warrior was injured or killed on the outer edge of the formation, the next man behind them would step up and take their place. The integrity of the group’s formation was protected at all costs, because without the strength of the phalanx to protect them, each man on had little chance of surviving the battle on his own. In a real sense, they had each other’s backs. They had the cohesion of a collective spirit. They were in it for each other together.

It’s not a bad thing in this day and age to be a little bit “spartan,” don’t you think?

[xtruss]

Bruce McCandless floats freely in space with Earth 170 miles beneath him. NASA

The Inside Story of the First Untethered Spacewalk

On February 7, 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless ventured out into space and away from Shuttle Challenger using only a Nitrogen-Propelled, hand-controlled backpack

— May 8, 2024 | Adam Higginbotham

The first space shuttle mission of 1984, the launch of Challenger on the cool, windless morning of Friday, February 3, was apparently perfect—and eagerly trailed by a national press anticipating the first flights of what they called the “Buck Rogers jetpacks.” Formally known as the Manned Maneuvering Unit, the invention was a massive backpack equipped with gas thrusters that would allow astronauts to leave their spacecraft and float free in space for the first time in history. Reporters hoped that the spectacle would approach the theatrics of watching men walk on the moon more than a decade before. But, once in orbit, as the astronauts tackled the initial tasks of their weeklong mission, they experienced a trickle of humiliating failures: First, mission specialist Ronald E. McNair oversaw the launch of the Westar 6 communications satellite, which spun like a top out of the payload bay as planned, but then apparently vanished. Mission Control sheepishly admitted that they had simply lost it somewhere in space. “We can’t find it,” they told the astronauts over the radio link. “It’s not where it’s supposed to be.”

Then an experiment designed to test the shuttle’s facility for orbital rendezvous, using a Mylar balloon inflated with gas, also ended in farce when the balloon launched but promptly exploded; meanwhile, the shuttle toilet—which had always been troublesome—stopped working altogether. After waiting 48 hours to assure themselves that Palapa B-2, the second satellite due for release on the mission, would not suffer a similar fate to Westar 6, Mission Control gave the crew instructions to proceed with launching it. Seconds later, they lost contact with that, too. The total bill for the two mislaid satellites was at least $180 million.

By the time two men—Colonel Robert L. Stewart and Captain Bruce McCandless, one of the veteran astronauts who had signed on to NASA during the Apollo program and waited 18 years for this moment—stepped into the air lock to test the Manned Maneuvering Unit on the fifth day of the mission, NASA was desperate for good publicity.

The crew on Challenger, from top right counter clockwise; Vance D. Brand, Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson, Ronald E. McNair, Bruce McCandless and Robert L. Stewart NASA

They were not disappointed. At 7:25 on Tuesday morning, Houston time, McCandless fired the thrusters of his jetpack, rose slowly from Challenger’s cargo bay and flew clear of the spacecraft. He ran through his flight checklist, touching the joysticks with his fingertips to verify that the pack was working as it should: “Pitch down, pitch up, roll left, roll right,” he began, enunciating each word clearly into his headset microphone. Behind him, the pack trembled and shuddered like a nervous pony as its onboard computers automatically corrected his attitude with tiny whispers of gas from its two dozen nitrogen jets. Despite all his years of training and the bitter cold inside the suit, his palms prickled with sweat; his heart quickened. “It may have been a small step for Neil,” he said, “but it’s a heck of a big leap for me.”

Moving backward at no more than a foot a second, to preserve valuable fuel, McCandless watched as the gulf separating him from Challenger steadily expanded. Inside his suit, it became so cold his teeth began chattering; he switched off the internal cooling unit and continued sailing out into space. He looked for stars but saw only an enveloping darkness. The astronaut held a crude range finder—an aluminum bar etched with marks against which to measure his diminishing view of the shuttle’s cargo bay—to estimate the distance from the orbiter, and make sure he didn’t stray too far. Inside the cabin, McNair stood at the controls of the shuttle’s robot arm, ready to snatch McCandless to safety if necessary, and kept a laser tracker and Challenger’s TV cameras trained on him, transmitting live pictures to Houston and television stations around the planet. Meanwhile, Stewart remained behind in the payload bay, conducting a separate series of tests.

Still gazing back toward the shuttle, McCandless at last reached his destination and brought the jetpack’s progress to a halt: some 320 feet out in space, 170 miles above the Atlantic—a human satellite in orbit, traveling at 23 times the speed of sound. Yet the astronaut felt no sense of movement until he looked down and saw the planet rotating beneath his feet, a pin-sharp relief map unspooling at four miles per second: “Looks like Florida. It is Florida!” he said, his composure ebbing momentarily as he spotted Cape Canaveral below. “It really is beautiful.”

Looking out from the cockpit, pilot Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson centered the distant figure in the viewfinder of his Hasselblad—but then pulled the camera away from his eye, briefly startled by the power and clarity of the image he had framed. Gibson saw McCandless suspended alone in the abyssal blackness—angled slightly from the vertical, his white suit seeming to glow beneath the unfiltered sunlight of outer space, the luminous blue band of Earth’s atmosphere curving away beneath him. Gibson checked the settings on the camera, and then checked them again; he pointed the lens through the triple-paned cabin window and tilted it to level the horizon. He squeezed the shutter.

Meanwhile, McCandless continued to test the abilities of his experimental flying machine: He sailed back toward Challenger and then drew away once more; he dipped and rose, and turned somersaults. Like the other astronauts before him who had spoken rapturously of walking in space—back in 1965, Ed White had been so reluctant to return to his Gemini capsule that he described doing so as “the saddest moment of my life”—McCandless had hoped, if only for a few moments, to experience the noiseless solitude of being alone in the heavens; but the relentless chatter of the three audio feeds in his headset made it impossible.

McCandless in space NASA

The experimental plan had called, too, for the astronaut to orient himself to turn away from the shuttle when he reached the limit of his journey, and face out into the void. McCandless, a grizzled and shaven- headed 46-year-old third-generation Navy officer whose father and grandfather had both been awarded the Medal of Honor, was well acquainted with the limits of fear; as a Naval aviator, he had often landed his Phantom on the pitching deck of a carrier at night, and he believed that he would never do anything more dangerous. Yet, despite his intentions, not once in the entire spacewalk did he turn his back on Challenger, his sole means of returning home.

Almost six hours after their experiment had begun, McCandless and Stewart clambered back inside the spacecraft, sealed the door of the air lock behind them and removed their helmets. Down in Mission Control, the two astronauts’ wives fell into each other’s arms and wept.

— Excerpted from Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham. Published by Avid Reader Press / Simon and Schuster.

[angelofthenight]

Cardigans in August Pt.5

(Bruce Yamada x Reader x Vance Hopper)

Summary: During the summer after a fight, (Y/n) cheats on Bruce with Vance. When school starts again Vance thinks he finally has (Y/n) until she tries to win Bruce back.

Warnings: Angst, Love triangle, Swearing, (Y/n) isn’t a very good person, Fights

Word Count: 3.2k

Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7

“Chase two boys, lose the one”

“Slept next to him, but I dreamt of you all summer long”

“'Cause you weren't mine to lose”

You sat in your homeroom Monday morning twiddling with your fingers anxiously as you kept your eyes locked on the door. You watched as every person you weren’t waiting for walked in. You bit your lip ruefully as the bell rang and still no sign of Bruce, your now freshly ex-boyfriend. God, you hated the sound of that and how the sound of it filled you with such penitence.

Your homeroom teacher got up from her desk with her attendance clipboard to the front of the room. She began saying names aloud and receiving ‘here’s. You almost missed your name being called as your focus was so occupied on the door. The teacher went in alphabetical order with last names so Bruce was always called last. She finally reached the end of the list. “Sam Wagner is absent and Bruce Yamada switched homerooms.” She said to herself, crossing his name off the list.

Your shoulders physically sulked and your features drooped. You told yourself not to make assumptions over why Bruce switched homerooms but a sinking feeling in your stomach told you it was because of you. Later that day, sometime during the second passing period, you almost felt like you couldn’t breathe when you saw Bruce in the hallway. Your mind began racing with ideas of what to do or say.

You ran out of time as he was nearing you and just before he was about to pass you, you nervously smiled at him and gave him a little wave.

Bruce internally snarled at you, wondering how you had the audacity to smile at him after what you did. Unfortunately, as you were his greatest weakness, his kryptonite, he couldn't bring himself to give you a nasty response. He couldn't even feel hatred for more than a moment. And he hated that he couldn’t hate you. He hated that under all his pain and resentment, he still loved you and missed you.

Even when it took everything in him just to get up that morning after nights of cursing your name, he still secretly wished he never left that summer or wished that you would come back to him like nothing even happened. Because now he’d never know what you never said to him.

He stared at you. As much as he wanted to flip you off, there was a soft spot still lingering in his heart for you. And where giving you the bird may have been a tempting offer, he couldn't bring himself to snub the one he loved. So he just gave you a blank look as he passed you.

Therefore he resolved to pretending like you never existed, gaslighting himself into thinking he was fine. Although... if he said he felt no spite whatsoever, he would be lying. Of course he wanted to feel vindicated, to have you miss him terribly and beg him for things to return to normal. However, he knew this was a pipe dream, one that would never happen.

It was exactly as you feared, you had created an ultimatum with him, a complete betrayal. Bruce continuously gave you the same attitude for the rest of the week. It was even worse than you had feared. His love was slipping through your fingers like sand and you were helpless to grasp it. You were stricken with a case of only knowing what you had after it's gone. You began to panic, praying that you weren’t too late.

~

Vance entered the cafeteria looking like a man on a mission, his eyes scanning the crowded and loud room in search of you. After moving his head around to look everywhere he could from where he stood he finally caught sight of you at the outdoor lunch tables through the window. He desperately needed to talk to you so he sucked in a breath and began walking in pursuit of the door that led to outside. 

He was so focused on getting to you rather than watching where he was going that he rammed right into the person who walked across his path. Both Vance and the person groaned as they stumbled on their feet from the impact. Bruce rubbed his shoulder he was sure would be bruised by tomorrow before he looked over to see the blind culprit who crashed into him. 

Bruce and Vance made eye contact.

Both of their eyes shifted into glares as they both had an equally negative opinion of the other, despite how similar their pain from you was. Bruce was looking at the guy who stole his girlfriend from him all summer. Vance was looking at the guy who was the only thing keeping him and you apart.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Hopper.” Bruce said lowly as he narrowed his eyes at him, wondering how he had the audacity to bump into him after what he did. Vance sneered at the other boy, almost bitterly humored that Bruce spoke to him like that. “‘The nerve’? Who the fuck do you think you are?” Bruce’s eyes widened in an offended way, not believing he just said that. “Who do you think you are? Throwing yourself at a girl who was already taken?”

That struck a temperamental, emotional chord with Vance. “I did not throw myself at her!” He said louder than his previous volume, taking a step toward him. “I have a hard time believing that.” Bruce scoffed. “I should have known from the start. I should have known when you would stand just a little too close to her. I should have known when you would always wait at her classroom door to walk with her while I wasn’t around.” Bruce said all of this while slowly walking closer. 

In full honesty, he expected the unfaithful affair from Vance and not from you. You were the one in a relationship and Vance was just a juvenile delinquent. Maybe it was a mix from the heartache of missing you and the slight jealousy of Vance, but Bruce just wanted someone other than you to blame. And being face to face with your paramour, the jealousy shifted into anger directed towards him.

“So it’s not hard to believe that you pressured and manipulated her into-” Vance cut him off with a snappy tone. “I didn’t manipulate her to do shit, it was all her own free will.” His lips slightly upturned, sick pleasure running through his veins from getting to prove him wrong and that you liked him more than Bruce. “Does that bother you? That she was into it the entire time?”

Bruce clenched a fist as his side but then loosened it, he knew physically displaying his anger was exactly what Vance wanted. He wanted to see him crack, see him break, see Denver’s perfect golden boy crumble and crash and burn. He simply gripped his jaw and lifted his chin in a superior way. “No. I always knew you were jealous of me. Were you jealous of how happy we were together?” The whole weight of the situation became heavier on Bruce’s shoulders and his mind was hitting his own sensitive spots. “Is that why you took her from me?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Vance lashed out, causing more eyes to land on the pair in each others’ faces with steam practically coming out of their ears. “You weren’t qualified to be her boyfriend! You’re not even half the man I am. Plus you were both miserable anyway! I don’t get what she ever saw in you, I just really don’t get it. You’re stuck up and a prissy asshole. You fucking suck and (Y/n) knows you suck.” 

Bruce pointed an accusing finger at Vance, finally slowly losing his sense of self control after the verbalization of your name coming from his dirty mouth. “Don’t you dare act like you know more about her than me!”

“How do you know I don’t? You don’t know what she’s like when we’re alone! She talks to me like I’m her diary, she trusts me and loves me! And I bet all you did was bitch about her the whole summer!” Vance barked, not even realizing that in the middle of that quick tangent he let his self doubt about your feelings for him slip with the denial of its nonexistence. 

Bruce’s eyes widened, highly offended over what Vance accused him of. “I would never talk about her like that!” He practically screamed which was finally enough for a crowd to start forming around them as the two were too caught up in their heated argument to notice. “I’ve never said anything bad about her to anyone! Even after our breakup!”

Vance’s furious expression dropped from the statement, his eyes eyebrows vaguely raising in wonder and surprise. It didn’t really matter who did the breaking up with since either way a little miss (Y/n) was finally, after three and a half years, back on the market. “You’re broken up?” He asked softly, a small smile teasing the corner of his lips

It wasn’t what Vance said that finally pushed Bruce over the edge, it was how he said it. A tone of victory partnered with a voice of hope. Oh god how it basically spat in his face. He clenched his teeth. 

Bruce felt a loss of his senses and blacked out for a second, the only memory being a fuzz previous to regaining his awareness after Vance stumbled back a few feet while hovering a hand over his pinkening cheek. Bruce was huffing and puffing and rubbed his stinging knuckles as gasps and ‘ooooh's from the crowd were ending. 

He had punched Vance right across the face. 

Vance looked back up at Bruce like he was going to murder him right then and there. “Fuck him up, Bruce!” One of Bruce’s friends cheered from the sidelines as the audience grew in number from the sound of violence. Vance growled like a bulldog before attempting to pounce onto Bruce to rip him to shreds but a few people jumped in to restrain him as teachers rushed over, him still trying to reach for Bruce.

A repeated cheer of “fight!” filled the cafeteria before Bruce snapped, “You took everything from me!”, and tried to reach for Vance too with tight fists. The teachers reached it in time to rip the boys away from each other in opposite directions as they still yelled at each other and tried to break free from their binding restraints. 

~

Desperation clawed at your throat as you tried to plan out your apology to Bruce. During lunches you’d scribble down different apologies in your notebook, writing paragraphs about much you missed him and how stupid you were and how Vance meant nothing to you compared to him. You ripped every page out and crumbled into a ball for the garbage. You sulked against the tree as you realized you wouldn’t know where to apologize to him. He ignores you in the halls, you no longer had homeroom together, the baseball team probably hates you as much as him, and he would never let you in his house. You froze. You got an idea.

Next weekend was a baseball game and usually after the game they have a big party, it was typically always at Bruce’s house since his parents adored having guests for parties. What if you just… showed up to the party? It’d be hard to throw you out without making a scene so he would have to listen to you… right? No. He probably wouldn’t have you or want you. Hell, he’d probably tell you to go fuck youself!

But you couldn’t help but fantasize of more positive outcomes. Like maybe he’d kiss you right there on the porch in front of all his stupid friends. Your fantasies motivated you into the bathroom to practice what you’d say. Facing the mirror, you breathed in and breathed out.

“Bruce, I am so so sorry. Words cannot describe how guilty I am-” You stopped and sighed, rubbing your hand over your eyes. “Wow, trying to make him feel bad. Way to go, (Y/n).” You said with bitter sarcasm. You looked back up to try again. “If you take me back, I swear I’ll never do it again.” You groaned at your own ignorance. “What kind of an apology was that, you dipshit?” You said to your reflection as if it was another person.

You closed your eyes for another breath before opening them to restart. “I know I made a mistake, and I know I was being an idiot. But I don’t love him, I love you. I was just thinking with my-” You flinched at your terrible words and looked down to see yourself motioning to your southern hemisphere. You threw your hands back up to rub your temples with wide eyes. “God I sound like the bitchiest skeeze!” You groaned to yourself and your horrible attempt at trying to make it sound like you understood your mistake.

You gripped and stared down at the drain as you tried to hold in tears. You were never going to get Bruce back. You couldn’t even figure out a good way to apologize! You were suffering the consequences of your idiotic actions and you had no idea how to claw your way back to the land of the living. Why were you having such a hard time with putting your feelings into words? Was it because now you had to talk about the deeper parts of your emotions rather than an “I love you” being enough? You felt your throat grow harder to breathe in as you choked out a pitiful sob followed by your building tears finally overflowing from your eyes.

You pressed a hand to your mouth as you continued to cough out cries and hot tears. You were so caught up in your own little pity party that you almost didn’t hear one of the bathroom stalls flush and unlock.

When Donna originally heard you come in and start practicing some apology in the mirror then yell at yourself, she lifted her legs off the ground and intended to wait until you left. But once she heard a small sniffle escalate to sobbing, she didn’t have it in her to just sit there hiding and not do anything. So she gathered up all her courage and went to approach the upperclassmen.

You hiccuped when you saw her come out of one of the stalls and you quickly wiped your wet cheeks with your fingers. “Sorry, I didn’t think anyone was in here.” Donna shrugged as she walked over to the sinks. “It’s alright. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She said with a humorous tone which succeeded in making you chuckle. “It’s not going anywhere anyway.”

Donna looked to your downcasted face to your open notebook. “Are you practicing an apology?” She asked softly as she washed her hands. You lazily closed your notebook with a nod. “Yeah, for my boyfriend. I- Well, apparently the whole school’s heard the rumor by now.” “Yeah, I wasn’t gonna say anything…” You both exchanged faint giggles.

She grabbed a few paper towels to wipe her hands as she walked to the sink right next to you. “What is it you’re struggling with?” Seeing her older brother go through so many girlfriends, she felt as if she’s seen a man’s sensitive side enough to get a feel for what they emotionally crave.

“I just…” You gripped onto your notebook that only had a few run down pages left then dropped it in the trash can beside your sink. “I’m having trouble trying to find the perfect way to apologize.” Your spirit physically sulked as you let your hands fall back to the sides of the sink.

“Well,” she intertwined her fingers as she explained with her experience, “you need to make it clear you take responsibility and acknowledge why it hurt him. Emphasize and empathize, you know?” She said with a nodding shrug.

“The thing is, he wants to hear specific things that I’m still clueless about.” You added. “Just speak from your heart.” Donna insisted. “But what if the words don't come out?” You began to bite your lip. “I have to do it at his party and I don't do well with crowds…”

“It's the thought that counts.” Donna smiled as she threw her paper towels away. “He’ll appreciate the effort no matter what you say. I'm sure of it. So even if he doesn’t take you back, at least you’ll leave off on good terms.”

Everything she was saying made you feel more comfortable and confident in yourself. You realized you needed to just say what feels right in that moment; trust what your instincts and heart tell you when you're under Bruce’s gaze.

The bell rang right after you joyfully thanked Donna for the advice. She wished you luck and you left the bathroom in a rush for your class, your mood seemingly much better.

Vance caught sight of you and raced through the hall to meet you halfway. He stopped once close enough to meeting in the middle, thinking you were going to as well. “Hey, (Y/n), I really need to talk to-” You walked right past him in a hurry. “Can’t talk right now, Vance, I got to get to class.”

You couldn’t afford any distractions as you focused on planning how you’d talk to Bruce. In fact, you were so focused that you didn’t even notice the sad and desperate expression on Vance’s face when he approached you. The love and longing mixing with frustration and pain in his blue eyes that watched you go.

~

Between munching on snacks and socializing, Bruce still felt an isolating hole in himself. He still didn’t feel like himself even as he tried to act like nothing was wrong with him at his party. God, would you linger like a ghost haunting over his back forever? He just wanted to feel like himself again. But it was impossible since he was without his other half. He hated that he felt incomplete without you, it was just pathetic.

“Oh my god, we totally demolished those Hornets!” Bruce’s friend exclaimed with a laugh, referring to the baseball game they won earlier that day. Bruce snickered along. “Yeah, but it was cool of them I guess to let their freshman players get more chances to play.” His friend gulped down his drink quickly before wiping his mouth. “But it cost them!”

Bruce just half-heartedly laughed along. Before his friend could add anything, the doorbell rang alerting everyone that another party guest had arrived. “I’ll get it!” Someone who was already near the door said above all the scattered chattering in the populated living room. Bruce watched around his friend as the person opened the door then nervously looked over their shoulder. “Uh… Bruce!” The person called out loudly enough that caught the attention of most people around, pausing their conversations.

Bruce raised a brow and gave his friend his drink to hold as he walked to the side to see who was at the door. And there you were, pale-faced and stiff as a board, standing in his front porch light.

He almost had to hold back a smirk. He knew you'd miss him once the thrill Vance gave you expired.

He knew you'd come back to him.

[starsthatlinethesky]

I’ve been rewatching Bones and my head is full of thoughts and this will be something that I’ll revisit once my Hollywood au is done.

Bones AU:

Roles:

Finney Blake: Forensic Pathologist/Forensic Chemist

Billy Showalter: Crime Scene Photographer/Facial Reconstruction Specialist

Bruce Yamada: Forensic Anthropologist/Forensic Palynologist

Robin Arellano: FBI Supervisory Special Agent/Specialist in field investigation

Griffin Stagg: FBI Supervisory Special Agent/Specialist in stealth missions

Vance Hopper: FBI Supervisory Special Agent/Ex Snipper/ Specialist in rescue operations

General world building/relationships:

The boys have all been working with each other for a while, each FBI agent works with one of the lab specialists.

Robin with Finney, Griffin with Billy and Vance with Bruce

Billy is renowned for his scarily accurate facial reconstructions and his camera work at crime scenes

Griffin originally worked on stealth missions, but he got tired of no one really knowing who he was so he took a job where he could just be himself kind of.

Griffin acts a bit more like a body guard to Griffin at first, but they become fast friends and Billy is the fist person who seems to really get to know Griffin. Griffin stops acting so much like a bodyguard but he’s still protective over Billy. A memorable instance of this being when Billy was in the lab developing photos when all of a sudden everything is going into lockdown, a shooter broke into the lab and Billy’s now locked in the photography room on the top floor. Billy (who is not trained to fight) has to barricade himself into the room and all he can do is wait until this whole thing is over, which he expects will take a few hours but what he would learn was only ten minutes. Griffin had crawled through the vents burst into the photography room, he grabbed Billy by the hand and told him to stay close with his gun drawn and everything, Griffin gets Billy out and Vance starts yelling at him for going off on his own and breaking protocol. Griffin broke protocol just to make sure Billy was safe.

Vance was a feared snipper, but after a tragic incident he was transferred to being a Supervisory agent, at first he’s kind of distant from Bruce and he expects the same because he’s so used to being feared, but Bruce just treats him like a person and not something to be feared and so Bruce grows on him. So maybe Bruce stays back up work on something late at the lab and Vance starts hanging around. Because what if something happens? And it’s pretty much his job to make sure it doesn’t happen. It’s definitely not because Bruce is his (kind of pretty) friend who it would kill Vance if anything happened to him.

Bruce had no idea that Vance was a snipper, all he knows is that this moody agent is going to be spending a lot of time with him, and it’s better they be friends then icy coworkers. Bruce actually had a little trouble trusting Vance at first (not that he let it show) because of Vance’s personality, but Vance earns his trust in the first couple of weeks, when Bruce goes into a crime scene to do his job and this other agent is bugging him, Bruce kept trying to shrug him off but the guy just keeps coming back. Bruce is getting fed up and is getting close to snapping when the guy pulls something out of his hands and before Bruce even blinks Vance is between him and the agent. He starts tearing into the guy about bothering Bruce and it ends up with Vance ripping the equipment out of the agents hands and saying he better not show his face again. This may have also been the day he realised that Vance was nice to look at.

Robin specialises in field investigation, which means he goes out into a lot of active scenes (e.g. Interrogations, hunting down killers, high speed chases) so he’s not to happy about being assigned as what he sees as a babysitter to a lab nerd, but then he meets Finney. And while yes Finney is a lab nerd, he also takes time to explain things to Robin and when Robin doesn’t understand something instead of giving up he finds a different way to explain things to Robin, also he’s very cute which Robin sees as a bonus.

Finney at first figured he and Robin would just be coworkers and would be acquaintances at most. But as the days go in they grow closer and closer as the days go on, Robin starts inviting him for coffee in the morning before work and starts picking him up. Finney finds himself spending more time out of the lab and doing things he would never usually do because he thought he couldn’t do them. Robin makes Finney feel like he can do anything, also Robin is just incredibly handsome which Finney tries not to think about to hard because they are driving to a crime scene god damnit.

A bonus thing of Robin being protective over Finney is when their at a crime scene and Finney is just doing his thing when all of a sudden it goes from a crime scene to and active crime scene. Shots are being fired from everywhere and everyone is running in all different directions, Finney had no idea what to do but then someone grabs his hand and starts shouting in his face and Finney had no idea what’s being said, but then the hands are gone and the shouting stops and gentler hands grab onto him and start leading him to the exit. Finney had no ideas what happened because he’s kind of gone into shock, but when he starts coming to, he sees Robin putting his own jacket over Finney and kneeling in front of him rubbing circles into his hands.”Come on stay with me Finn.” The fighting is still going on, but Robin who loves field work and action instagram chose to sit with Finney and make sure that he was going to be okay.

[shaoversekahn64]

welcome back to hunger games but it’s return of fallen (because last time eddie brock jr wons)

                  ---------------------the blood bath------------------------------

we starts with everyone ruining,flying,swinging around with webs. like anne,marcy running away while homelander flying from the cormucopia

and axol’s breaks tommy’s nose for basket of bread. control you self axol !

while peter 3 swining with his webs and victor ruining,smartest man alive,reed richards founds some explosives

the rest is everyone runing (even president of marvel studios is ruining)

godzilla founds a shield. maybe it’s can be soldier boy’s shiel-

OH NO-

superman founds a shovel.

Billy butcher finds backpack of camping equipment.

Zack synder and gamera fight for a bag. ends up gamera gives up and flys. wich probably makes sense because gamera is protector of earth and humans while zack is human and director.

or maybe a new god like darkseid.

meggy finds explosives.... becare full with those explosives. ms spletzer

---------------------------DAY 1-------------------------------

*Slamfield (battlefield) plays*

bruce,zack,soldier boy,jason and anne are hunt for other tributes

victor vance makes a wooden spear.

catra explores the arena and tommy thinks about home.

*guts theme plays*

ANYWAYS. THINGS STARTS BEGIN EXTREMELY DANGERS TO THE PEAK HIMSELF

Because

Marcy wu is chasing him !

and sasha makes a wooden spear

Steven grant (mr knight) spears willaim after a fight.

melony receives a hatchet from an unknown sponsor

(maybe she don’t know who is)

BUT ! here’s comes the moment that’s an gta fan did’nt expect for this !

because claude himself decides to team up forces with

Peggy carter and black bolt

TO AMBUSH AND KILL 

MARIO,OPTIMUS AND EDDIE BROCK !

while black noir stabs amity- HOLY SH*T looks like noir isn’t fuck around

speak about deaths. here comes one of beyond betrays in smg4 universe

godzilla forces axol to kill reed or meggy but he decides to kill MEG- 

MEGGY ! NOOOO-

homelander discovers cave.

“good”

Bee,prep,gamera and ultron raid peter 1′s camp while he is hunting

they having no idea the faint they going to have.

while kevin,sniper and clark hunt the others. peter 3 gets a medical suppiles

like cmon he has his webs to deal with wounds (or those medical suppiles were send by sony)

                                [night 1]

*zelda 64 lost woods plays*

After deaths of amity,prime,mario,venom and meggy. let’s see other survivors are dealing in first night

some has beatiful moments. while catra has unable start a fire but ends up sleep without warmth

some receives explosives and food (like carter and vincent,sasha),other one has a same felt as catra. and others are sleep in shifts.

(probably kevin has a sniper-)

gamera questions his sanity. kadokawa ! please control your kaiju !

peter 1 looks at the night sky 

while the deep is crying.

claude sets up a camp. *gta  3 mission complete theme plays*

bumblebee and melony huddle for warmth

Melony,you have axol ! you’re not going f*ck bumblebe-

and butcher,soldier and black bolt discuss the games.

probably batman to monsterverse godzilla:

he be back don’t worry abou-

-----------day 2-------------

*deathcamps by tyler the creator plays*

we starts with batsy and kevin feige receives things while gamera explores the arena

bee and peter 3 picks flowers. are they going build a flower shop ?

vincent makes a slingshot i mean felix (goth bf) could give him a gun

godzilla collects fruit from a tree. because he’s tallest alpha kaiju

homelander discovers a river. but his not alone

noir and marcy discovers

(and also kevin)

catra steals claude’s stuff while he isn’t looking. 

while ultron defeats melony but spares her life. melony almonst died but ultron spares her.

anyway hypocrisy

zack and steven search for resources around while reed overhears sniper and clark.

jason searches for firewood and black bolt,anne and sasha hunts the others

but not everything is flowers in moring because

soldier boys forces peter 1 to kill butcher (because funny soldier discuss with him last night) or vercetti, but parker refuses and kills him. 

yep he should not mess with tobey himself

and of course axol is first one to kill a gta main character with freaking molotov !

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY AND THE EX-CON

S1;E15 ~ January 13, 1969

Directed by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Robert O'Brien

Synopsis

The Unique Employment Agency sends Rocky (Wally Cox), a reformed safe cracker, on an assignment as a janitor.  When the place is robbed, Rocky is the number one suspect.  Disguised as old ladies, Lucy and Rocky go undercover to catch the real crook.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter)

Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter) and Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter) do not appear in this episode.

Guest Cast

Wally Cox (Rocky Barnett) was probably best known as America's favorite science teacher “Mr. Peepers” (1952-55) on NBC. Cox had played a nervous musician on a 1963 episode of “The Lucy Show.”  This is the first of his four appearances (playing different eccentric characters) on “Here's Lucy.”  He was also a regular panelist on “The Hollywood Squares.”  Cox died in 1973 at age 48.  

Rocky is short for Rockingham.  

Bruce Gordon ('Doc' Morgan) is best known for playing Frank Nitti on the Desilu series “The Untouchables” (1959-63).  He played a version of the character when “The Lucy Show” parodied “The Untouchables” in 1966.  

Doc Morgan is so named because he uses a stethoscope when safe cracking. Bruce Gordon was not related to Gale Gordon.

Irving Benson (Irving) was an ex-vaudevillian Milton Berle hired to appear as a heckler named Sidney Spritzer on his variety shows. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.  He died at the age of 102.

Vince Howard (Policeman, extreme left) was much more at home in hour-long crime dramas (like “Mannix” or “Mission: Impossible”) than in sitcoms.  Many of his 125 TV and film credits were as law enforcement officials.  Howard also played a policeman on “Lucy and Mannix are Held Hostage” (S4;E4).  

Larry J. Blake (Policeman) appeared as a Native American Medicine Man in “Lucy the Rain Goddess” (TLS S4;E15).  He was an ex-vaudevillian making the first of his eight “Here's Lucy” appearances.

Some of the patrons of the Seadrifter Café (uncredited) are played by:

Don Anderson was seen in the last two episodes of “The Lucy Show” as well as making three appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Victor Romito was seen as the Bartender in “Lucy Meets John Wayne” (S5;E10). He also appeared in four episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”  Romito was an extra in the 1960 Lucille Ball / Bob Hope film Critic’s Choice.

Chalky Williams played a police officer (uncredited) in “The Ricardos Go To Japan” in 1959.  He was an uncredited extra in many TV and film westerns, often found sitting on a bar stool.  

The scantily clad blonde waitresses, the taxi driver, and the other Seadrifter patrons are played by uncredited background performers.

For his employment application, Rocky lists his aliases: Riley, Murphy, Shapiro, Agnew, and Smith.

Bruce Gordon introduces this episode on the “Here's Lucy” DVD collection.  He passed away in 2011.  

Lucy sends Mr. Barnett to Parker Import Company for a job as a maintenance man (aka janitor).

Lucy goes undercover as Abigail Throckmorton and Rocky as Lydia Perkins (of the Pasadena Perkins') from the Ladies Civic Betterment Committee.  The mention of Pasadena gets a laugh from the studio audience because of the Beach Boys hit song “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” (1964) sung by Jan and Dean. Ball and Cox are dressed as stereotypical little old ladies.  

Lucy and Rocky decide to fake getting drunk to gain access to Doc's office, which allows Lucy to deliver the clever line: “Might I have a Mai Tai?” The Mai Tai is an alcoholic cocktail based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, and lime juice, and usually adorned with Polynesian-style decorations like paper umbrellas and tropical flowers. Doc says his Mai Tai's have seven different kinds of rum.  

After too many Mai Tais, Lucy drunkenly croons a few bars of “Sweet Leilani,” a song featured in the 1937 film Waikiki Wedding. It won the Academy Award and Bing Crosby's recording of it became one of the biggest hits of 1937. The music then segues into “The Hawaiian War Chant,” a traditional island melody first written in 1860. Lucy dances energetically shaking her maracas – and other body parts.  

When Lucy and Rocky pass out (as planned) Doc says “Irving! Give me a hand with arsenic and old face.” Arsenic and Old Lace was a 1939 Broadway play and 1944 film where two elderly spinsters serve lethal glasses of elderberry wine to unsuspecting older gentlemen and bury them in their basement!

Lucy Carmichael recruited the help of an ex-con safe cracker (Jay Novello, above) to get Mr. Mooney out of a the bank vault in “Lucy and the Safe Cracker” (TLS S2;E5).

Lucille Ball first performed "The Hawaiian War Chant” with Vivian Vance in “Ricky's Hawaiian Vacation” (ILL S3;E22, inset).  She performed it again in “Lucy and Carol in Palm Springs” (TLS S5;E8).  Ball and Vance will sing it again on “Here's Lucy” in “Lucy Goes Hawaiian” (S3;E23, above).  

This is not the first time Lucille Ball has played the archetypal little old lady.  Lucy Ricardo made herself old to ward off the affections of Arthur Morton (Richard Crenna) in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20)... 

...and then again to seal a real estate deal in “The Girls Go Into Business” (ILL S3;E2). 

Lucy Carmichael aged herself in “Lucy Helps the Countess” (TLS S4;E8) and “Lucy and the Soap Opera” (TLS S4;E19) – both times wearing the same costume!  

Mrs. Carmichael also poses as a wealthy octogenarian in “Little Old Lucy” (TLS S6;E7).

Auto Owner? Lucy tells Rocky she doesn't own a car, but in a previous episode Lucy audibly sideswipes the garage when coming home from work – blaming both the wide car and the narrow garage, of course. 

Safe Keeping! A big black safe has been moved into the Unique Employment Agency offices for the sake of the episode's plot. 

Door is Ajar! When Lucy and Rocky enter the Seadrifter Café, they leave the door open. Doors left open or ajar was a frequent occurrence on “The  Lucy Show.”

“Lucy and the Ex-Con” rates 4 Paper Moons out of 5

[eclipsewxtch]

Allow me to give my two cents to why the angels codenames are what they are. And how their nicknames suit each character basing on the myths regarding the name, what your friend said and the characters themselves.

(1/3) Bruce, "Lucifer": One would guess that as God favourite angel and his perfect creation, this relates to Bruce backstory. He is the king of the underworld, Lucifer represents deception, pride, rebellion and many others. As the light-bringer it would make sense for him to be the one figuring out hidden truths, so he probably would be good dealing with hostages/prisoners/enemies, being a interrogator. Negotiation, deals, making people do his binding, quick undercover missions, honey traps. Things that rely on his social skills as a natural charmer and a great liar.

Vance describes him as someone who surrounds himself with lies, and Bruce himself says that he runs away from his problems. He takes a more passive role on the missions, so while I believe he can be a great leader as a mediator between logic and emotion, knowing how to better connect with his "followers" — as Lucifer himself made a third of the angels rebel against God —, it would be interesting to see him manipule people to do his binding, making them do what he wants while he sits back and watch.

The devil is the "Father of lies", and while he is very empathetic most of the time he uses this for his own personal agenda, sometimes even borderline cynical. Pride was Lucifer's downfall, while he is a bit social anxious it would be sick to see him as someone secretly prideful, maybe that's why he finds delight in breaking hearts or something lol

(2/3) Finney, "Hellhound": this one there isn't a lot to elaborate, as it was pretty explained. But it mostly ties down to Finney's ruthless. As loyalty to those close to him is one of the factor traits of him alongside with being a almost killing machine, obeying order after order, it makes sense that they would give him a nickname that suits those traits.

He would do anything for his boys, they're the one holding the leash and command him. Aside from assassination I can also see him being good at raids, counterintelligence, surveillance and something regarding protecting a target. Espionage too.

Hellhounds are said to hunt down sinners, people who are trying to escape death or people who sold their soul to the devil, in some myths also serve as guardians or keepers of places/passages, like Cerberus or goddess Hela hound Gamr, guarding the doors to the underworld, where Bruce and Griffin would "rule". They are also symbols of death, destruction, and misfortune.

"If you meet the Black Dog once, it shall be for joy; if twice, it shall be for sorrow; and the third time shall bring death."

(3/3) Griffin, "Lilith": As your friend said, Griff is not very feminine and Lilith is very harnassed with femininity or womanhood (even tho in witchcraft and worshipping she has male followers). As Lilith is also heavily associated with the night/darkness and Griffin himself is someone "invisible", it would fit him to be someone less available who works more in the shadows. Giving advice, helping plan operations as a strategist, head of research department or something? Missions that fit him would probably be those that you can't be noticed, or honey traps (Lilith is a sexuality symbol after all)

Either way I think it would be kinda ironic for him to be the one helping train the new agents, of course he's probably too high ranking to do this type of work, but maybe he gives tips or things like that? He resents Mr. B for the training, so it would give extra meaning for him to be the one helping perpetuate the violence he suffered from.

Or maybe he's responsible for some of the inventions that help "improve" the agents, in some maybe very unethical ways, like the surgeries the angels went through or the chemicals they got, because he's also a medic, and Lilith in some myths is know to eat her children, giving that between him and Finney it does make more sense that someone more kind-hearted like Finn is the one doing the "adopting" and taking care of younger agents, but it still badass for his "Mother of monsters" title to have a reason, in some way he IS creating monsters. Lilith being associated with freedom and liberty, chaos, rebellion, independence, seduction, forbidden knowledge, the mysterious and hidden things, all very Griffin as he doesn't like being bored.

Sorry for the long ask, I just thought a lot about the codename, I think they're very cool, I was going to write more about Bruce but I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS (I'm in shambles), I was going to dive more... anyways this is just what I imagine the names imply!! There was so much more I wanted to say :(

…are u in my walls? be honest.

[kansascityhappenings]

UAW President Gary Jones resigns

DETROIT — United Auto Workers President Gary Jones has resigned, effective immediately, his attorney says.

The move comes shortly after the union’s international executive board filed paperwork to oust Jones and Regional Director Vance Pearson.

Both men have been implicated in a wide-ranging federal bribery and embezzlement scandal at the union. Pearson has been charged, but Jones has not.

Attorney Bruce Maffeo in New York says Jones made the decision to step down before learning of the move to oust him. Maffeo says he did so to let the union focus on its core mission of improving the lives of members and their families.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/11/20/uaw-president-gary-jones-resigns/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/11/20/uaw-president-gary-jones-resigns/

[impactcomicscbr]

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BATMAN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES HC

BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT TP VOL 04 CLAY (N52)

BATMAN THE RESURRECTION OF RAS AL GHUL TP

BATMAN THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE TP

BATMAN TP VOL 01 I AM GOTHAM (REBIRTH)

BATMAN TP VOL 01 THE COURT OF OWLS (N52)

BATMAN TP VOL 02 THE CITY OF OWLS (N52)

BATMAN TP VOL 05 ZERO YEAR DARK CITY (N52)

BATMAN TP VOL 10 EPILOGUE

BATMAN TP VOL 10 EPILOGUE

BATMAN WAR GAMES TP VOL 01

BATMAN WAR GAMES TP VOL 02

BITCH PLANET TP VOL 01 EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE (MR)

BLACK LAGOON GN VOL 01 (MR)

BLACK MONDAY MURDERS TP VOL 01 ALL HAIL GOD MAMMON (MR)

BLACK ROAD TP VOL 01 (MR)

BLACK SCIENCE TP VOL 02 WELCOME NOWHERE

BLACKEST NIGHT TP

BOYS TP VOL 01 NAME OF THE GAME (MR)

BRIGHTEST DAY TP VOL 02

CIVIL WAR CAPTAIN AMERICA IRON MAN TP

COLORING DC WONDER WOMAN TP

COURTNEY CRUMRIN SPEC ED HC VOL 01

CROSSED TP VOL 01 (MR)

DAREDEVIL TP BORN AGAIN

DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS TP VOL 02 ALLIES

DC SUPER HERO GIRLS TP VOL 01 FINALS CRISIS

DC SUPER HERO GIRLS TP VOL 02 HITS AND MYTHS

DEADLY CLASS TP VOL 01 REAGAN YOUTH (MR)

DEADPOOL CLASSIC COMPANION TP

DEADPOOL TP VOL 01 DEAD PRESIDENTS NOW

DEADPOOL TP VOL 01 SECRET INVASION

DEADPOOL TP VOL 02 SOUL HUNTER NOW

DEATHSTROKE BOOK AND MASK SET

DEATHSTROKE BOOK AND MASK SET

DISNEY FAIRIES GN VOL 08 TINKER BELL STORIES FOR RAINY DAY

DISNEY GRAVITY FALLS CINESTORY TP VOL 02

DRAGON AGE MAGEKILLER TP

FABLES TP VOL 22 (MR)

FLASH BY GEOFF JOHNS TP BOOK 01

FLASH REBIRTH TP

FLASH TP VOL 01 LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE (REBIRTH)

FLASHPOINT TP

FLASHPOINT WORLD OF FLASHPOINT BATMAN TP

FLINTSTONES TP VOL 01

GOODNIGHT PUNPUN GN VOL 01 (MR)

GRAYSON TP VOL 01 AGENTS OF SPYRAL

GRAYSON TP VOL 02 WE ALL DIE AT DAWN

GRAYSON TP VOL 03 NEMESIS

GRAYSON TP VOL 04 A GHOST IN THE TOMB

GREEN LANTERN TP VOL 02 REVENGE OF BLACK HAND (N52)

GUARDIANS OF GALAXY TP VOL 01 COSMIC AVENGERS

HARLEY QUINN TP VOL 04 A CALL TO ARMS

HARROW COUNTY TP VOL 01 COUNTLESS HAINTS

HELLBLAZER TP VOL 01 THE POISON TRUTH (REBIRTH)

HELLBLAZER TP VOL 02 THE DEVIL YOU KNOW NEW ED (MR)

HELLBLAZER TP VOL 02 THE DEVIL YOU KNOW NEW ED (MR)

HELLBOY INTO THE SILENT SEA HC

HELLBOY LIBRARY HC VOL 03 CONQUEROR WORM

HELLBOY TP VOL 01 SEED OF DESTRUCTION (NEW PTG)

HELLBOY TP VOL 01 SEED OF DESTRUCTION (NEW PTG)

HOW TRAIN YOUR DRAGON TP VOL 01 SERPENTS HEIR

HULK TP PLANET HULK

HULK WWH TP

IMMORTAL IRON FIST COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 01

INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US TP VOL 01

INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR THREE HC VOL 01

JLA TP VOL 09

JOKER DEATH OF THE FAMILY HC (N52)

JOKER DEATH OF THE FAMILY TP (N52)

JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 01 ORIGIN (N52)

JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 02 THE VILLAINS JOURNEY (N52)

LAND CALLED TAROT HC (MR)

LOCKE & KEY MASTER EDITION HC VOL 03

LOW TP VOL 01 THE DELIRIUM OF HOPE (MR)

LOW TP VOL 03 SHORE OF THE DYING LIGHT (MR)

LUMBERJANES TP VOL 01

MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE DIGEST TP VOL 01

MASS EFFECT OMNIBUS TP VOL 01

MASS EFFECT OMNIBUS TP VOL 02

MERMAN IN MY TUB GN VOL 02

MICKEY & DONALD HC SEARCH FOR ZODIAC STONE

MIGHTY AVENGERS BY BENDIS TP COMPLETE COLLECTION

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS TP VOL 02

MILES MORALES ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ULT COLL TP BOOK 03

MIRACULOUS TALES OF LADYBUG AND CAT NOIR TP VOL 01

MISS KOBAYASHIS DRAGON MAID GN VOL 01

MONSTER MUSUME GN VOL 02 (MR)

MONSTER MUSUME GN VOL 03 (MR)

MORTAL KOMBAT X TP VOL 03 BLOOD ISLAND (MR)

MS MARVEL TP VOL 01 NO NORMAL

MS MARVEL TP VOL 04 LAST DAYS

MUSHOKU TENSEI JOBLESS REINCARNATION GN VOL 01

MY LITTLE PONY TP VOL 06 CRYSTAL EMPIRE

NAILBITER TP VOL 05 BOUND BY BLOOD (MR)

NAMELESS CITY GN VOL 02 (OF 3) STONE HEART

NARUTO GN VOL 22 (CURR PTG)

NEW LONE WOLF AND CUB TP VOL 10 (MR)

NEW TEEN TITANS THE JUDAS CONTRACT NEW PTG

NEW TEEN TITANS TP VOL 01

NEW TEEN TITANS TP VOL 06

NIGHTWING TP VOL 01 TRAPS AND TRAPEZES (N52)

OOKU INNER CHAMBERS GN VOL 11 (MR)

PHONOGRAM TP VOL 01 RUE BRITANNA

PLANETARY TP VOL 01 ALL OVER THE WORLD AND OTHER STORIES

PREACHER TP BOOK 01 (MR)

PREACHER TP BOOK 02 (MR)

PRISON SCHOOL GN VOL 06 (MR)

PROPHET TP VOL 04 JOINING

RAI TP VOL 01 WELCOME TO NEW JAPAN

REINVENTING COMICS SC

RISE OF BLACK FLAME TP

ROAD TO RIVERDALE TP VOL 01

RONIN TP

SAGA DLX ED HC VOL 01

SAGA DLX ED HC VOL 01

SAGA DLX ED HC VOL 01

SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING TP BOOK 01 (MR)

SAGA TP VOL 01 (MR)

SAGA TP VOL 02 (MR)

SAGA TP VOL 03 (MR)

SAGA TP VOL 05 (MR)

SAGA TP VOL 06 (MR)

SANDMAN TP VOL 01 PRELUDES & NOCTURNES NEW ED (MR)

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE TP VOL 01

SCOTT PILGRIM COLOR HC VOL 01 (OF 6)

SCOTT PILGRIM COLOR HC VOL 02 (OF 6)

SECRET WARS TP

SEVEN PRINCES OF THOUSAND YEAR LABYRINTH GN VOL 01

SEX CRIMINALS TP VOL 01 (MR)

SIMPSONS COMICS CHAOS TP

SMURFS GN VOL 05 THE SMURFS AND THE EGG

SMURFS GN VOL 07 THE ASTRO SMURF

SNOTGIRL TP VOL 01 GREEN HAIR DONT CARE

SOUTHERN BASTARDS TP VOL 03 HOMECOMING (MR)

SPIDER-GWEN TP VOL 00 MOST WANTED

SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL TP DONT CALL IT TEAM UP

STAR WARS DARTH VADER TP VOL 01 VADER

STAR WARS DARTH VADER TP VOL 02 SHADOWS AND SECRETS

STAR WARS HAN SOLO TP

STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION RISE OF SITH TP VOL 01

STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION TP VOL 01 OLD REPUBLIC

STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION TP VOL 02 OLD REPUBLIC

STAR WARS OBI-WAN AND ANAKIN TP

STAR WARS POE DAMERON TP VOL 01 BLACK SQUADRON

STAR WARS TP VOL 01 SKYWALKER STRIKES

SUICIDE SQUAD TP VOL 01 THE BLACK VAULT (REBIRTH)

SUICIDE SQUAD TP VOL 01 TRIAL BY FIRE NEW ED

SUNSTONE OGN VOL 01 (MR)

SUPERGIRL TP VOL 01 THE GIRL OF STEEL

SUPERGIRL TP VOL 02 GIRL IN THE WORLD (N52)

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES TP VOL 01

SUPERMAN VS MUHAMMAD ALI DELUXE HC

TECHNOPRIESTS HC (MR)

TEEN TITANS GO HEROES ON PATROL TP NEW ED

TEEN TITANS GO TRUTH JUSTICE AND PIZZA TP

TEEN TITANS TP VOL 01 ITS OUR RIGHT TO FIGHT (N52)

TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE NEW EDITION TP

THINK TANK TP VOL 01

TITANS TP VOL 01 THE RETURN OF WALLY WEST (REBIRTH)

TMNT ONGOING (IDW) COLL HC VOL 03

UNCLE SCROOGE LAST ADVENTURE TP

UNCLE SCROOGE PERIL OF PANDORAS BOX TP

V FOR VENDETTA BOOK AND MASK SET (MR)

V FOR VENDETTA NEW EDITION TP (MR)

VOTE LOKI TP

WALKING DEAD HC VOL 01 (MR)

WALKING DEAD HC VOL 11 (MR)

WALKING DEAD TP VOL 01 DAYS GONE BYE

WALKING DEAD TP VOL 02 MILES BEHIND US (NEW PTG)

WALKING DEAD TP VOL 16 A LARGER WORLD (MR)

WALKING DEAD TP VOL 26 CALL TO ARMS (MR)

WATCHMEN TP INTERNATIONAL EDITION NEW ED

WAYWARD TP VOL 01 STRING THEORY (MR)

WE STAND ON GUARD TP (MR)

WICKED & DIVINE TP VOL 04 RISING ACTION (MR)

X-FORCE BY KYLE AND YOST COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 01

X-MEN DARK PHOENIX SAGA TP

STAR WARS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK RETURN OF JEDI

DC DESIGNER SERIES BOMBSHELLS BATWOMAN AF

DC DESIGNER SERIES BOMBSHELLS POISON IVY AF

HARLEY QUINN RED WHITE & BLACK STATUE BY JIM LEE

[allbestnet]

75 Essential Science Fiction Books

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany (Winner of Nebula Award; Locus Science Fiction Award)

Blindsight by Peter Watts (Winner of Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; John W. Campbell Award)

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (Winner of Arthur C. Clarke Award; Nebula Award; Locus Science Fiction Award)

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds (Winner of British Sience Fiction Association Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award)

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (Winner of Nebula Award; Hugo Award)

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Winner of Nebula Award; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; Nebula Award)

R.U.R. by Karel Capek

Lilith’s Brood by Octavia E. Butler

Blood Music by Greg Bear (Winner of Nebula Award; Hugo Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award; John W. Campbell Award)

Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan; Philip K. Dick Award

Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner (Winner of Hugo Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award; Nebula Award

Queen City Jazz by Kathleen Ann Goonan (Winner of British Sience Fiction Association Award)

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. (Winner of Hugo Award)

The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard

Ringworld by Larry Niven (Winner of Nebula Award; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Gala… by Douglas Adams

Synners by Pat Cadigan; Arthur C. Clarke Award (Winner of Nebula Award)

Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance

Pavane by Keith Roberts

The City & The City by China Mieville (Winner of British Sience Fiction Association Award; Hugo Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award; World Fantasy Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award; Nebula Award; John W. Campbell Award)

1984 by George Orwell

Contact by Carl Sagan

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Winner of Nebula Award; Hugo Award; John W. Campbell Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award)

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

The Rediscovery of Man: The Comple… by Cordwainer Smith

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.

The HelliconiaTrilogy by Brian Aldiss

Cry of the Wind by Sue Harrison

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (Winner of Hugo Award; Nebula Award)

Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated … by David Brin

Inverted World by Christopher Priest

The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the … by Jules Verne

The Fabulous Riverboat by Philip Jose Farmer

The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi; Hugo Award

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson (Winner of Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; John W. Campbell Award)

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber (Winner of Hugo Award)

World War Z: An Oral History of th… by Max Brooks

City by Clifford D. Simak

Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg (Winner of  Nebula Award; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union: A N… by Michael Chabon

Modern Classics the Death of Grass… by John Christopher

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement

Licht — Die Trilogie: Drei Romane by M. John Harrison

Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress (Winner of Hugo Award; Nebula Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; John W. Campbell Award)

Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell

Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling

Last and First Men and Star Maker … by Olaf Stapledon

Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler; Nebula Award

Take Back Plenty by Colin Greenland (Winner of British Sience Fiction Association Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award; Philip K. Dick Award)

Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky (Winner of John W. Campbell Award)

Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A… by Kate Wilhelm

The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy (Winner of Arthur C. Clarke Award)

River of Gods by Ian McDonald (Winner of British Sience Fiction Association Award; Hugo Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award)

Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison, ed

Air: Or, Have Not Have by Geoff Ryman

Life During Wartime by Lucius Shepard (Winner of Philip K. Dick Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award)

Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock

Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys (Winner of  Hugo Award)

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry A… by Claire North

Swastika Night by Katharine Burdekin

Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy… by Jeff VanderMeer

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The Skylark of Space and Other Wor… by E. E. Smith

[eclipsewxtch]

We're doing AU's now? Okay- what if the underground boys and the Angels switch places?

Robin, Billy and Vance are agents trying to apprehend Finney, Griffin and Bruce who are ...? What are the new angels speciality and the new crime boys jobs?

bruce is easily white collar crime, money laundering; he is a front for the others—making money to “legal” way to support their business ventures—his business is a casino, he loves card games and makes it his mission to lure in investors and victims. finney and griffin would likely be a hit man duo OR finney would be bruce’s “bodyguard” and take care of any threats, while being excellent at forgery—sells everything from vases to paintings to clothes, all of them not real and sold for triple the price. great thief. meanwhile griffin uses the money from bruce to fund his drug company. sure cocaine and whatever is fun—but u know what’s more fun? creating medical miracles via synthetic drugs that griffin successfully developed and negotiates with to different foreign leaders around the world in exchange for favors, finances, and an endless amount of glee that he was able to blackmail world leaders. of course he tests these things on unwilling subjects, but that’s neither here nor there.

the new angels: robin, vance, and billy would specialize in different things. robin is good at mimicking, his voice, his mannerisms, he’s good at undercover work but he’s BETTER at negotiation and recruitment; billy is great at disguises, tends to help agents when it comes to their wardrobe for undercover work + he is exceptionally long-term undercover work and reconnaissance; vance is their best assassin ofc but he is great at tracking. you need to track down a guy? call vance. agent got lost on mission and their tracker lost signal? call vance. can’t find robin after he got into a game of chase? unfortunately u call vance, but be warned he may be volatile after.

[allbestnet]

75 Essential Science Fiction Books

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany; Nebula Award; Locus Science Fiction Award

Blindsight by Peter Watts; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; John W. Campbell Award

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood; Arthur C. Clarke Award; Nebula Award; Locus Science Fiction Award

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds; British Sience Fiction Association Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; Nebula Award; Hugo Award

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card; Nebula Award; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; Nebula Award

R.U.R. by Karel Capek

Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler

Blood Music by Greg Bear; Nebula Award; Hugo Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award; John W. Campbell Award

Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan; Philip K. Dick Award

Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner; Hugo Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award; Nebula Award

Queen City Jazz by Kathleen Ann Goonan; British Sience Fiction Association Award

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.; Hugo Award

The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard

Ringworld by Larry Niven; Nebula Award; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gala... by Douglas Adams

Synners by Pat Cadigan; Arthur C. Clarke Award; Nebula Award

Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance

Pavane by Keith Roberts

The City & The City by China Miéville; British Sience Fiction Association Award; Hugo Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award; World Fantasy Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award; Nebula Award; John W. Campbell Award

1984 by George Orwell

Contact by Carl Sagan

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi; Nebula Award; Hugo Award; John W. Campbell Award; British Sience Fiction Association Award

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

The Rediscovery of Man: The Comple... by Cordwainer Smith

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.

The HelliconiaTrilogy by Brian Aldiss

Cry of the Wind by Sue Harrison

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny; Hugo Award; Nebula Award

Contacting Aliens: An Illustrated ... by David Brin

Inverted World by Christopher Priest

The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the ... by Jules Verne

The Fabulous Riverboat by Philip Jose Farmer

The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

Old Man's War by John Scalzi; Hugo Award

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; John W. Campbell Award

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber; Hugo Award

World War Z: An Oral History of th... by Max Brooks

City by Clifford D. Simak

Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg; Nebula Award; Hugo Award; Locus Science Fiction Award

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A N... by Michael Chabon

Modern Classics the Death of Grass... by John Christopher

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement

Licht - Die Trilogie: Drei Romane by M. John Harrison

Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress; Hugo Award; Nebula Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; John W. Campbell Award

Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell

Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling

Last and First Men and Star Maker ... by Olaf Stapledon

Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler; Nebula Award

Take Back Plenty by Colin Greenland; British Sience Fiction Association Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award; Philip K. Dick Award

Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky; John W. Campbell Award

Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A... by Kate Wilhelm

The City, Not Long After by Pat Murphy; Arthur C. Clarke Award

River of Gods by Ian McDonald; British Sience Fiction Association Award; Hugo Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award

Dangerous Visions by Harlan Ellison, ed

Air: Or, Have Not Have by Geoff Ryman

Life During Wartime by Lucius Shepard; Philip K. Dick Award; Locus Science Fiction Award; Arthur C. Clarke Award

Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock

Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys; Hugo Award

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry A... by Claire North

Swastika Night by Katharine Burdekin

Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy... by Jeff VanderMeer

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

The Skylark of Space and Other Wor... by E. E. Smith