#but hey it could be a lil of column A a lil of column B

[homefryboy]

when the whippoorwill whippers in the wind, the wind can whipper back, Oh nice & chubby baby

(commissions open)

[professionalmccviewer]

BINGO BUT FAST REMIX

Hey... Do you like Bingo But Fast? I do and I made a monstrosity of a post about a remix idea. Here it is lol

Wrote and post this like 5 minutes ago on the subreddit btw, don't worry I didn't copy paste someone's else work.

What if bingo got a remix (even if the game still doesn't exist in S2)...? Well, here's a random idea I had. Also please don't take this so seriously, just a lil idea I had, nothing serious.

The New Bingo System

Instead of having a 5x5 item table available from the start, players would receive the items in batches, Kinda like Buildmart where you only can have 3 builds and you have to complete the builds to receive the next ones, but tweaked to fit bingo more.

One idea is to have a 5x5 table ready, but only having lines/columns/diagonals being released slowly either based on time or completion.

Here's and example of an initial bingo table.

Let's assume that the item unlocks is based on time (e.g. Having 10 minutes for a game and having 5 item batches, a batch could be released every 2 minutes). The 1st batch would be the initial batch, and players will have 2 minutes to complete it.

When 2 minutes passes, the 1st batch will be locked, and will be considered as completed for future batches - For example, if we add a column that overlaps the diamond hoe, the diamond hoe will be considered as completed even if the team didn't get the item in the 1st wave, meaning the team only haves to collect 4 out of the 5 items of the column.

Here are some exemple images to illustrate it. The items are purely random.

For the third batch is the same: The second batch is ignored.

The 4th batch should look like this...

And finally, the 5th and final batch will be different. Instead of unlocking a line/column/diagonal, it will unlock all the remaining items. 4th batch will be locked as usual.

The Scoring System and More explaining

OLD: Bingo's score in season 1 was as follows (taken from the wiki)

" For each item on the bingo card:

45 coins for first team to complete

30 coins for second team to complete

20 coins for third team to complete

10 coins for fourth team to complete

5 coins for fifth team to complete

No coins are awarded for an item if five teams have already completed that item."

In this system, 1st team gets a total of 180 coins per item.

NEW: As the system is quite different from the old one, I suggest the following:

Each batch counts as a separate challenge, kinda like Grid Runners. The placements for each batch is time based, just like GR, and each batch has its own timer. The final batch will be different, so we will have 4 regular batches.

Collecting all items in a batch might be hard, so you will have a placement even if you don't collect all items. If a batch has 5 items and two teams only collected 4, whichever team collected the 4th item the fastest gets the higher placement. So for example, if Team A collected the 4th item in 1:45 and Team B collected the 4th item in 1:46, Team A won over Team B, even if both didn't complete the batch.

Coins rewards for each regular batch is as it follows:

300 coins for 1st

following placements decrease it by 30 coins

30 coins for 10th

Because more items are unlocked in the final wave, some different approach for coins could be made here. For now, I will suggest the same system as the regular batches, but with different coin rewards. Feel free to give suggestions if you want!

Coins rewards for the final batch is as it follows:

600 coins for 1st

following placements decrease it by 60 coins

60 coins for 10th

Total coins should be 9900 if not mistaken... so close to the 10000 per game average...

Guess we could have a bonus for the 1st team to get each item! Totally didn't make this on the spot!

Additional coin bonus:

10 coins for the team that gets an item first.

Anyways... That's the post! Keep in mind this is just a little idea I had, nothing serious!

Thanks for reading and feel free to give your opinions!

[internalsealpanic]

Dancing In and Above the Starlight

summary:  There is nothing to do but dance the night away.

a/n: Since I am depresso expresso today here is some fluff! 

warnings: Depression, heights, suicidal ideation

You curl your body into the sheets, limbs escaping the gnawing cold. Your eyes are wide open.  You watch as glittering snow falls away. There’s a press of static in your mind. Maybe your brain is finally short-circuiting. You really should have been asleep an hour or two or five ago. Even if you check the clock now, it won’t make any sense. On some level, you are lucid. You recognize the characters on your taped together alarm clock. The red characters on its screen… you recognize them as numbers and letters. Your head feels like it’s full of cotton. 

You shift again. You hit replay on the voice mail. 

Kon’s voice comes over the speaker, a light warm sound cutting through the viscous atmosphere of the apartment. “Hey, babe! Could you grab like 20 cheeseburgers on your way home? It’s- Uuuuuuh… It’s for science. Yeah, totally-”

You replay it again. 

“Hey, babe!”

And again. 

“Hey, babe!”

And again. 

Kon’s voice always managed to soothe you, smoothing out your fraying nerves even on the bad days.  But today was one of the bad days you never tell him about. The kind that kept your limbs locked together. 

You really should just call Kon at this point. 

You don’t. 

You don’t want him to see you like this. You don’t want to talk to him about these bad days. The days when you have to shuck off the quick wit and unbridled confidence. You don’t want to tell him about how you want to open your chest, peel it back bone by bone until the thing rolling and shifting in your chest escapes. You can’t bear to tell him about how on these days red is your favorite color or how good it would be to step out of your skin. You will never tell him about your feverish need to feel the wind as you fall from a great height. 

Waking up like this feels like waking up in a coffin with your hands bound. There is a shriek caught in your throat between your lungs and throat. It sits there sharp and unreachable. You feel so small. 

You shift, looking into the soft glow of your screen. You type Kon’s number.  It’s easy. You don’t think too much about it. At least not until the dial tone. 

You sniffle brushing away the tears as if he could see. 

The dial tone keeps ringing. 

He hates you. 

You massage your throat. You test out your voice. It comes out a mockery of itself.  It’s scraggly and unpleasant. 

The dial tone keeps ringing. 

He hates you. 

You brush away the tears again. They won’t stop. They streak down like fat rivulets of syrup down your face. 

The dial tone keeps ringing. 

He hates you. 

You hang up. You’re shaking and sniffling and you can’t stop crying.  Your body is caught between existing and not. There isn’t enough of your mind there for you to feel substantial. 

Once your nerves settle and your body reforms into something tangible, you pull on a sweater. Your feet touch the floor.  It’s cold like you expect but the solidness of the feeling makes you jump back. You look at the clock. It still makes no sense.  

You slink out to the balcony. You wrap your arms around yourself, phone burning in your pocket. 

You lean you over the railing, head in your arms, eyes fluttering closed as you drink up the scenery.  You can hear the honking of car horns and the flutter of wings. The city below you was alive. A living creature with flowing blood and a beating heart. 

Living was what happened to other people. For you, there was no room for it. Not when you are filled with everything else. It was just a skill you never quite got a hold of. You think this as the wind whistles past your face.

You open your eyes a fraction then shut them again mimicking the shuttering of a camera. Behind your eyelids, you can see the glittering lights of the city. 

Your phone rings. You flinch. Maybe it’s your boss. Or a coworker. Or…

You fish it out of your pajama pants. You debate on whether to answer it or just let the phone fall. 

From this height, your phone would be obliterated. Completely. You balance it carefully between your fingers. If it falls, you’ll have an excuse to ignore your boss. But you’ll have to pay for a new one and more importantly, you won’t be able to listen to Kon’s voice mails. You make an exasperated noise and decide to answer. 

“Hey sugar,” comes the smooth cream of Kon’s voice. It kind of reminds you of freshly made custard. You smother the catch of your breath by pressing your mouth into your sleeve.  “Babe, you ok?”

Of course, he heard. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you breathe, voice sounding frighteningly robotic. 

“Liar.”

“Prove it.”

You can hear the playful hum in Kon’s voice. “I can make you sing all kinds of tunes, hun,” Kon teases. You can just picture him winking. “I’ll make you talk, doll.”

“Hilarious, Kent, ” You bite out, fighting down a blush. 

“Seriously, Sugar, what’s up?”

You hate the concern in his voice. No, no. You don’t. You love your boyfriend. You just- You just hate that you made him worry. “I- I’m just a bit down, Kon. I promise I’ll be better tomorrow.” You run your hand through your hair and you bury your face further into your arms. “I promise.”  

“Babe, tilt your face up.” You sigh, shaking your head but thankful for the change in subject. You tilt your head, keeping your eyes closed. “Kon, wha-” You feel the press of warm lips against yours. They’re chapped ever so slightly and you can smell the scent of leather and popcorn on the wind. Kon smiles against your lips, mischief tugging at his them. Slowly, you open your eyes and you’re greeted by the column of his throat. It takes the span of a few seconds to realize that Kon is hanging upside down, limbs angled like he’s Spiderman hanging from his we b. Your eyes widen in surprise and Kon laughs, realigning himself to face you properly. 

“Lemme guess, you guys watched the original Spiderman trilogy?”

“You know us so well.”

“I just know that there's only one of you that owns a  flat screen the size of my wall and that bastard is a nerd.”

“Don’t call Tim a nerd. That’s extremely rude.”

“He deserves all the rudeness I have to give after last week’s… what’s the word?”

“Fun?”

“Fun?” you snort. “If you find being thrown by a supervillain fun, then yeah.”

“I just call that kinky.”

“I’m going to hang up.”

Click.

Ring.

Click.

“YOU ACTUALLY HUNG UP.”

“I stick to my word.”

“Lil’ shit.”

“I’m your little shit.”

Kon kisses your nose. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“Did you need anything, Kon?” He hums floating away from you drawing out the silence. You are going to smack him. Probably not but you like to think you can stay mad at him long enough to follow through with the threat. 

“I want to show you something,” he says, extending a gloved hand towards you. “It’ll be good. Promise.”

You stand on the balcony railing, feet feather-light. You hold on, gripping the wall tightly. Your eyes do not wander down even as a rush of wind blows the hair out on your face. Your blood is thumping in your ears.

“Trust me?” The words  weigh too heavy sending you into a dizzying vertigo. He can’t ask that of you. He just can’t.  You almost slip. You don’t know whether you would fall forward or backward. You take a breath, long and deep. 

“Kon, do I seem like the kind of person who would just stand on a balcony railing just for anyone?”

“Dunno, babe, you’re quite the Romantic.”

You blow out a breath, shaking hands steadfast on the wall. The drop is dizzyingly long from this angle. The length of it feels mind-boggling and uncertain. 

“C’mon, gorgeous,” he coaxes, voice honeyed iced tea. The taste floods your mouth mixing with the bitter doubt clambering your throat.

He reaches his hand out, grey eyes alight with sincerity. You swallow even when your mouth is bone dry. You take his hand, feet peeling away from the metal as you let Kon’s powers take hold of you. Your skin tingles, gooseflesh prickling here and there. It tickles and it’s almost enough to distract you from the hundreds of feet of empty air beneath your feet. 

You’re light, insubstantial. Your breath ceases. Your body braces for gravity to take hold. Your eyes screw shut, lips brushing against Kon’s neck as you breathe in his familiar scent. A scream is burning in your throat until you feel Kon’s hands firmly on your waist, his chin resting on your hair. 

“Don’t let me fall,” you breathe, wrapping your arms around his broad shoulders. 

Kon gently cups your face. “Wouldn’t dream of it, gorgeous,”  he winks, “I have better ways to make you scream.”

You laugh, pressing your lips against his, your laughter passing as vibrations between your lips. 

“Are you gonna open your eyes yet, gorgeous?”

“Nope!”

“Not even for lil’ ole me?”

“Why would you pull that on me you manipulative shit?”

“Because I love you?”

“You are the definition of ‘you’re lucky you’re cute’ ”

“No, I think I’m lucky cus you’re cute.” You open your mouth to protest but the syllable die on your tongue. 

Above you is a tapestry of stars extending beyond eternity. Below your bare feet is a sea of lights, incandescent in its vividness. The wind in your chest rises. Wonder and awe and miracles swimming in your veins as you go through vertigo for the second time that day. It was like the first time you saw the racing roll of a jet. A marvel. Pure wonder plucked from the abstract and made solid.

Your breath catches as you take everything in. The world is so wonderful. Your grip on Kon loosens as you maneuver your body so you could see it all. Your mouth whispers something that is lost in the wind. 

“What do you think, sugar?”  Kon asks, grip on you firm. He won’t let you fall. You are slack jawed and speechless. Eyes wide as you stare back into his, all the lights above and below you making his glitter in a barrage of colors. He pulls you close, one arm wrapped around.  A gloved hand brushes a tear away from your face. He kisses your forehead, all softness and warmth. He doesn’t beg you to stop crying or tell you that it’s all going to be ok. He just lets you be. Your head bows, forehead pressed against his shirt. You let the tears fall towards the bustling city. 

Kon rests his chin on your head and you feel the rumble in his chest before you even hear the tune. “Fly me to the moon~” he sings into your hair as he holds you close, his hands sliding to your waist,“let me play among the stars~” You sniffle, resting your head on his. You smile against his shoulder. You feel a giggle tugging on your lips as you two sway in rhythm with his singing. 

“”Let me see what spring is like on, A-Jupiter and Mars~” 

“You are so fucking cheesy,” you laugh, sore and bright and genuine. 

"Still your favorite cheese ball though," he chuckles. You do not argue. You simply press a kiss to his jaw and watch the twinkling lights around you.

"Fly me to the me to the moooon~" This time you sing along, careful not to step on Kon's toes. He presses his forehead against yours as you both sing off key and sway haphazardly in the wind. 

You sing and dance in and above the starlight. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks fir reading!!! Happy New Years. I will edit more later.

Tag list:  @batarella, @anothertimdrakestan, @lucy-roo, @multifandomgirl-us, @idkmanicantenglish,@birdy-bat-writes,  @boosyboo9206, @americasmarauders , @l-horizon11, @arestorationofbalance , @cloudie-skay, @wunderstell @hyp-oh-critical

[mr-walkingrainbow]

can we get a super fluffy bad weather abimel fic? love your stuff btw <3

Aww thank you!!!

BAD WEATHER HERE WE GO!

I was very very conflicted, because y’all know I live for thunder angst. But because of my simping ass their is distinctively two different Columns in the Abimel prompt list

Thunder angst

And Bad weather

So as much as I want to turn this into thunder angst

I’m just gonna write bad weather

So hear y’a go!

“Goodbye my love!” Abigael calls out to the Vera Vaughn house.

“Bye Cariño!” Mel replies sweetly.

“Ugh! You guys are just couple goals!!!” Maggie groans from where she lays sprawled on the couch.

Macy doesn’t acknowledge the question, too buried in her book in the corner.

Mel raises an eyebrow, “Thanks Mags, but you know you could be couple goals as well, if you just finally told Jordan your feelings?”

“Hushhh hush hushhyyy,” the empath half silences half groans, “I don’t wanna focus on him, I wanna focus on how adorable you and Abigael are”.

“AGHHHHHHHH!”

The loud scream pierces the house, everyone jolts, minus Macy. Who really, is just that into her book.

“CARIÑO?!?” Mel yells, jumping to her feet and racing to the door.

Abigael is still standing in the doorway, back facing the Latina.

“Abby?” She prods quieter.

Slowly, the hybrid turns to Mel.

A small puff of air escapes the lesbians chest, as the site of red angry dots coating half of Abigaels body.

“Mel,” Abby speaks in a lofty robotic way, “Mel it’s snowing.”

And that’s how we lead to her current situation.

A fires crackling, the thermostat practically melting, and Abbys bundled up in every single blanket they own, yet she’s still shivering like a popsicle.

“B-b-blood-dy H-hell.” Her teeth chatter violently as she curses.

“I’m so sorry Mi amor! I should have checked the temperature.” Mel apologizes once again.

“What’s wrong with her?” Maggie questions nervously, “She was only outside for a second? She shouldn’t be this affected.”

Abby tries to explain, but her teeth clank to much to even get a sentence out.

Mel places a warm hand on her forehead, stroking it just how she likes it.

“S’ok Cariño,” she assures, “I’ll explain. You just focus on getting warmed up.”

Abby nods, hesitating in a way that causes her to gaze to linger.

It’s a bit gratifying, how she can tell exactly what’s she’s thinking.

If the hybrid could, she’d be blushing lightly. But since she was so cold, it was impossible. But Mel can tell by the angle of her eyebrows.

And she understands.

She nods assuringly, and makes sure to keep stroking the laters forehead.

Abby mumbles something gratefully, sinking into the touch.

Maggie looks at them, knowing something passed between them without her knowledge.

And Mel isn’t sure if it’s because of her empath powers, or just her natural sisterly instinct, but slowly, her sister nods along too. A smile gracing her appearance.

“So basically, the cold effects Abby different then us.” The Latina spoke, drawing the subject away from her girlfriends silent implication.

Maggie’s eyebrows furrowed, “We said that before, but why is it?”

“We’ll, she’s part demon.”

“Yeah but so is Macy, and she doesn’t get this severe?” The brunette gestured towards their sister, who peeked up curiously at her name.

Mel took the moment to roll her eyes at the eldest, who somehow only just was pulled from her trance.

“Well Macy isn’t the same as Abby.”

-“Wait, your comparing me to Abby?” Macy interrupted, eyes trailing, and widening, once she saw the frozen girl, “Wow?! What happened?”

“Really Mace?” Maggie glared slightly, hands on hips.

The eldest waved her hands in the air, “What?! I’m in the middle of a deeply interesting book about the physics of life and gravity and how-“

-“A-And I’m Al-r-ready b-bored!” Abby coughed from her cocoon of blankets. Lapsing into another bought of violent shivers.

Mel quickly turned, “Shhh, shh, it’s ok, just go back to sleep. Just keep getting warm and cozy.”

She pressed another kiss to her girlfriends brow, wrapping her more efficient in her little ‘Snuggle coon’.

Abby relaxed only when Mel continued her comforting movements on her forehead.

Macy glared fiercely, not happy with her book being so blatantly insulted, “Remind me why we can’t just let her freeze.”

“Because if you even attempted to I would tackle you to the floor with no hesitation,” Mel stated with emphasis, “No ones allowed to hurt Abigael.”

“Besides the fact that she looks like a Lil Puppy Overlord all wrapped in those blankets!” Maggie (of course) cooed.

The eldest looked miffed, “Yeah you need to get your eyes checked Mags.”

Mel started to growl, which quickly got Macy to shut up.

“As I was saying, Abigaels physically, and hereditarily, part demon. Macy is a witch, but with demon blood. Theirs a different. Especially in how they react to things.”

“But how does that make her so perceptible to the cold?” Macy questioned.

“We’ll her temperature is naturally higher the ours, yours is a tad bit higher due to your blood, but not nearly as high as hers.”

Maggie looked confused, “But wouldn’t that just protect her from the cold more?”

“Hypothetically, yes,” Mel paused, “Think of her as a flame. Now picture an Ice cube. You wouldn’t. Put an ice cube directly in the fire or something hot, because although really cold, it’s much more consequential. Now the flame, ergo Abby, is really hot, in more ways then one.”

“Yeah, yeah,” her younger sister smirked, “We get it, you simp the ground she walks on.”

“Mags!” The Latina squeaked, blushing madly, “Enough of that! Anyway, she’s literally hot. So slowly, in a gradual sense, she’d last longer then most people. But it’s when it’s abrupt cold, like snow hitting her, or unprepared weather, that effects her more drastically then us. Because her temperature doesn’t regulate like ours do.”

Her sisters took the information in, nodding accordingly.

“Now, I love y’all, but I have to tend to the popsicle I’m calling my girlfriend.”

Macy eagerly left the room, while Maggie brightened, “Ooh! I’ll make her Moms power cocoa! Y’a know, the one she’d make just when-“

-“We turned from cheerfully numb to painfully cold,” Mel finished with a bittersweet smile. The cocoa always seemed to infuse all the love a mother felt for her daughter, “Yeah, Abigael would love that. Thanks Mags.”

“No problem!”

Her attention immediately shifted back to her girlfriend, who was practically being swallowed by all the blankets around her.

“Ok, it’s just me now, so you can stop pretending to be asleep.” Mel whispered.

Abby peeked open an eye, “H-how’d you know?”

She smiled warmly, “Oh Cariño, I know you my love. I know that your not truly asleep until your breathings light, and your eyebrows lax. …. Also you’d twitch every time I’d stop touching your forehead.”

Abigael blushed at the last part, glancing anywhere but Mel.

“Hey, look at that,” Mel commented ruefully, “At least you can blush again.”

The hybrid groaned, letting herself sink into the blankets in her embarrassment.

“Aww, mi amor,” she cooed lightly, pulling back the blankets till she could see her girlfriends face again, “How are you feeling Cariño?”

“Like a B-bloody popsicle.” Abby grumbled.

“We’ll fortunately your Body temp seems to be doing better, your teeth aren’t chattering as much and your starting to gain some color back.” She noted dutifully.

Abby groaned again, overall looking miserable.

“I hate snow:” she complained bitterly.

“I’m sorry,” Mel apologized earnestly, “Do you want some snuggles?”

Abigael brightened, “Oh god yes your like a mini furnace, but Mel..?”

The Latina smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll still stroke your forehead. Y’a know it’s ok to ask? I’m not gonna hold it against you?”

Abby nodded, although she still didn’t look quite convinced.

Mel understand, although it hurt her, Ratcesca had infused into the girl that asking for things she liked was foolish and weak.

She was their to slowly disband all the toxic knowledge that monster had unforced in her.

The lesbian quickly braced herself for what was going to feel like the heart of a volcano, before shifting under the heaps of blankets.

Nevertheless, she’d jump into a real one if it meant her girlfriend would feel better.

Mel wrapped her arms around Abigael, spooning her as much as she could.

“Better?” She questioned softly?

“Almost.” Abby whispered back.

She understood immediately, and started to caress the lattera crown, smiling when the other started to purr in contempt.

“Oh I love you Melanie.” The hybrid murmured blissfully, “Even if I’m freezing my blood out.”

“We’ll I for once love you too,” Mel replied warmly, “Even if I’m about to die of heat stroke.”

“Oh shut it!” The later smiled fondly.

The lesbian just laughed, loosing herself in the repetitive motions.

About five minutes later, Maggie came in with her moms power cocoa.

She smiled at the scene before her.

Wrapped in about fifty blankets, Mel and Abigael were snuggled in the heart of it. Both peacefully sleeping entwined.

“Oh,” she cooed adoringly at the cuteness, placing the cocoa mugs nearby, “Like I said. Total couple goals.”

[inkribbon796]

The Marvelous Misadventures of One: S. Marvin Argentum Ch. 4: Unsettled

Summary: Marvin and his team go to take on the hunters, and to hopefully get back to Egoton in time.

Post A/N: *Host glares at me* Why is he back so early?

Me: *throws hands up* I tried! Okay!

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4

It took a couple days for them to get all the supplies they needed, Techno insisting that a war could not be won without supplies. But when they did and Ghostbur was hanging at some hideout with Techno’s sister, they went up to the hunter’s base and waited a safe distance away from it. Philza sent a couple of his crow familiars to scout ahead.

Marvin dared to hope that it wouldn’t come to anything too severe, like wiping out the entire Guild. He didn’t think they deserved that. After all, everyone on Spade’s list of “people willing to burn an entire city of innocent people” were already dead so he hoped that meant everyone else was fine.

Although he didn’t like the idea of justifying a barely human glitch demon’s murder spree. Especially if that person was an evil Logan.

“So if Plan A an’[1] B don’t work,” Marvin told Techno and Quackity.

“Trust me, these assholes are going to go with the third option,” Quackity smiled, tossing Marvin a potion and the underhanded a second one. “They’re hunters, being dumb and violent is in their blood. I’ve never met a hunter that hasn’t been like Dream.”

“I’ve met a couple of decent ones, Dream’s not so bad,” Techno disagreed.

“Are you fuckin’ serious right now?” Quackity demanded angrily.

“Oi![2] Quit being children, yer[3] gonna[4] give us away!” Phil yelled at them. He glanced at Taylor and Marvin. “Get goin’ an’ we’ll be waitin’ fer the signal.”[5]

“Thank you,” the hunter told him.

“Just don’t blame yerself[6] when it ends violently,” Phil warned, both him and Techno down some invisibility potions and then disappearing.

Marvin and Taylor then walked up to the base and a couple hunters were already waiting for them.

“Bout[7] time you showed back up,” one of the hunters said, the Guildmaster quickly coming out.

“Guildmaster, I challenge you—” Taylor began but the Guildmaster just fired at them. Marvin immediately summoned his cards to deflect the shot but Techno dived in front with a massive tower shield appearing to tank the hit.

A cloud of black began to head towards them as the squawking of hundreds of crowds began to descend on them.

Techno pulled some ash-greyed skulls and his blood red aura curled around them and bones began to construct around them. The human skeletal figures had three heads a piece and gore hanging off the bones, they were just a spinal column with massive rib cages and they were three times the size of a normal human. Instantly they began spitting napalm-like fire and began attacking everything around him. Some of the bursts of fire almost hit Marvin.

Chaos erupted immediately, and Techno flung himself into the fray, his axe gleaming in the sunlight.

“Fucking demons!” Taylor shouted in anger as they raced towards the Guildmaster, both them and Marvin throwing magic at the Guildmaster.

The fight itself was relatively quick, Taylor trying to get a duel with the Guildmaster, and more and more hunters were quickly turning to side with Taylor for multiple reasons. But right before Taylor could fire on the Guildmaster, who was weakened by all the fights and skirmishes she’d been in since May, a single poker chip flew towards her.

It was coated with potent magic and sliced through her skull. The smiley face on it was coated with blood.

The fight switched on a dime as all the hunters looked at Quackity. The skeletal abomination that Techno had summoned was finally killed, bodies strewn around him. Phil was summoning some little configurations of magic to keep Techno fighting something until his bloodlust calmed down.

“What the hell!?” Taylor shouted at Quackity.

Quackity shrugged, “Hey, she was going to kill you, you should be thanking me.”

“She was defeated,” Taylor spat.

“Apparently not if she almost took your fucking head off,” Quackity dismissed.

“I should take your head off,” Taylor spat.

“Quackity, take Slime an’[1] Fundy an’[1] go,” Phil ordered sternly.

“Fine,” Quackity shrugged. “Got shit ta[8] do anyways.”

Taylor was already summoning up magic and Slime turned into a mass of green gloop that Quackity took with him, throwing down some potions to make him and Fundy faster as they left.

Taylor sent some hunters after them, but they would lose them. Quackity too ruthless to let them take or capture him or Fundy. The new Guildmaster turned to Marvin. “We’ll meet you at Egoton, I just have to take care of this mess first.”

“Deal, don’t be late,” Marvin ordered.

“We’ll follow, maybe we can keep the feds off the party,” Taylor promised him.

“I’ll tell e’eryone ta expect yah then,”[9] Marvin warned.

“Good,” Taylor yelled as they raced off after Quackity.

That left Marvin to tell Chase the good news to the other heroes . . . or he would have. His calls and messages weren’t getting through to anyone, even if he used Phil’s phone. It made Marvin uneasy.

So they were forced to hitch a ride in Thompson’s jeep when they had issues getting a train ride. It let Marvin talk to the two very battle experienced demons and desperately hope they weren’t already too late. They were running out of time. There were only four days left and Marvin knew they needed all the time they could get.

Marvin was currently driving with Techno and Ghostbur currently napping in the back of the car. Ghostbur was leaning up against Techno.

“Like I said,” Philza smiled. “If yer[3] ever in the area when we are, yer[3] welcome ta[8] a couple rounds.”

“Ain’t[10] that a death pit?” Marvin asked.

“Yeah, maybe yeh wanna wait until yer one ‘a us,”[11] Philza smiled. “Yeh look like yer one life away from turnin’.”[12]

“I hope I die then, doesn’t seem that good ta[8] be a demon,” Marvin told him.

“Sometimes it sucks,” Phil admitted. “Yer never full, never content. Yeh always feel like yeh should be doin’ something. But it has its perks sometimes.”[13]

The avian demon looked back at Ghostbur and Techno, smiling a bit. “How’s Tommy doin’[14] these days?”

“He was alright last time I saw him,” Marvin reported. “He’s a good kid.”

Phil smiled, “Yeah he’s a lil’[15] shit but he’s got his moments. Glad him an’[1] Tubbo are back on good terms.”

“So what happened ta[8] him ta[8] make him move out?” Marvin asked. “If I’m allowed ta[8] ask.”

“Tommy was in a rough place an’ he need ta get away from Dream, he lived with Techno fer a while an’ then,”[16] Phil trailed off, waving off with his hand. “Tommy needs ta[8] stay away from Dream. It’s not my business ta[8] talk about something he doesn’t wanna[17] talk about. Ask Tommy.”

Marvin left the topic at that and after switching off between Phil and then Techno they made it back to Egoton in almost record time.

After a nap in a very uncomfortable car, Marvin realized a lot of hours too late that Host could have cut their travel time down to minutes and he was just a little bit pissed about that. But they were here, and everything was going to be alright.

Phil stopped at a gas station right outside Egoton’s city limits, after finally receiving a text from Ethan. The young hero was confused at the urgency, but he promised everything was alright. So Marvin was finally feeling less anxious and stressed.

“We got a couple days,” Marvin smiled, feeling victorious, a coffee in his hands. “We’ll prepare an’[1] then we’ll—”

Marvin’s proclamation cut off when he slammed into an almost invisible barrier, his mask protecting him from breaking his nose.

“The fook[18]?” Marvin spat.

Techno walked up and braced his hand on the barrier. “That’s not good.”

Then he took out an axe and tried to cut his way in but the barrier held.

“Bruh,” Techno looked back at Phil, who was already summoning some crows.

Ghostbur tried to phase through the barrier, but he only slammed against it. “What, why can’t I—”

“Pardon the Host, he thought that Marvin would take longer.”

Marvin glanced around, trying to find the Host, but the four of them were pushed back as the Host almost seemed to emerge from the barrier in a flurry of words.

“Host, what the fook[18],” Marvin spat, only frustrated instead of furiously angry.

“Oh, Host, can you let us in?” Ghost asked politely. “Are people already fighting?”

“No, Marvin and the others are early,” the Host dismissed.

“Then let us in,” Marvin felt an ugly weight settling in his gut.

“Oh Marvin,” the Host smiled. “The Host cannot have Marvin arrive too soon. All his hard work would go to waste.”

“Yeh[19] bastard!” Marvin spat. “We’re supposed ta[8] take this on ta’gether[20]!”

“No,” the Host corrected with an eerie smile. “The Host’s sole mission is to protect his family. Regardless of the goals of the other heroes or villains. The Host has put too much effort and correction to do anything less. Marvin should not worry, the Host will ensure he does not remember this altercation.”

“People are gonna[4] die!” Marvin spat, starting to throw his magic against the Host, his aura wiping it away as if Marvin had merely sneezed at him.

“Marvin does not know what the Host has sacrificed to protect people, he has done everything in his power to protect those close to him,” the Host’s aura wiped around him, words and narrations charging the air. “And the Host will not allow Marvin to ruin it.”

The Host snapped his fingers and his narrations wrapped around the group as Marvin and the others were almost pushed into another space as time began to tick on.

After all, the Host had a wedding to prepare for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. and

2. Hey! (or: Wait a second!)

3. you’re

4. going to

5. Get going and we’ll be waiting for the signal.

6. yourself

7. About

8. to

9. I’ll tell everyone to expect you then

10. Isn’t

11. Yeah, maybe you want to wait until you’re one of us

12. You look like you’re one life away from turning.

13. You’re never full, never content. You always feel like you should be doing something. But it has its perks sometimes.

14. doing

15. little

16. Tommy was in a rough place and he need to get away from Dream, he lived with Techno for a while and then

17. want to

18. fuck

19. You

20. together

[memphisbarbecue]

A CHRISTMAS STOCKING

     Got a few news-ish bits inside, so let’s dump them out. I’ll start with this fairly astonishing item.

     Yes, that is a T-shirt from the legendary Brady & Lil’s on South Parkway East, which flourished up until a quarter century or so ago and whose spirit lives on at the Bar-B-Q Shop on Madison, the go-to place for our household. This was my birthday present from my daughter, who found it on a clothing resale site. Someone in North Carolina had it. She made me open it early, at Thanksgiving, so she could see my reaction.      It is in remarkably good condition for its age. It’s a large, poly/cotton blend branded Touch of Gold. Can’t be many of these still around. I’ve got to work up the nerve to wear it. A few years ago, my daughter gave me an old matchbook from Bozo’s in Mason, Tenn., another favorite spot. Here’s a closeup of the famous dancing pigs.

     My daughter was home earlier in November, and shifted into full Marie Kondo mode to attack the junk that’s in our house. She turned this up.

     I had forgotten all about it. I think I brought it home from work when I cleaned out my desk. If I remember correctly, a co-worker had stopped there to pick up a sandwich and discovered that two were in the bag. He asked if I wanted the extra one. Hell, yeah! I never ate there a lot, but always enjoyed it when I did. The old Neely’s site on Mount Moriah (or is it Mendenhall -- I can never keep them straight) is still empty.

ACROSS THE RIVER

      I subscribe to the Flickr account of Birch from Memphis, who specializes in old pictures and artifacts from the area. He has a lot of restaurant images, and occasionally one of them is a barbecue joint. Such was the case last month when his post included this postcard for Bill’s Restaurant, in what is now Marion, Ark.

         The post said the building was still standing in 2016, so I drove over last week to check it out. It’s still there, though some later construction has obscured the smokehouse, and a bunch of house trailers fill the back yard (which is why I just shot from the car).

    The post also had some info on the owners and a neat anecdote.

AKA "Bill's Grill"

This building is still standing as of 2016 at the southeast corner of Highway 77 and Bill's Grill Road in Marion. "Bill" was William "Bill" Norvell Harris (1929-2001).

Obit for wife and co-owner of Bill's, Mary Dymple Harris (1932-2018): "Dymple moved to Memphis to work and married William 'Bill' Harris of Marion, AR. ... Dymple and Bill owned and operated Bill's Grill restaurant located on Highway 77 in Marion for many years. She was proud to serve some of the best barbeque in the Mid-South until they closed the business due to Bill's health."

A memory from Bill Morris about taking Danny Thomas and other St. Jude people to Bill's in 1986, in Memphis Magazine. "Little did I know that I would continue to be involved with St. Jude for 50 years. There was a bit of a crisis in 1986. I think St. Jude felt unloved. The truth of the matter is there were not that many new fundraising events in Memphis. Washington University and the city of St. Louis made a big pitch. Danny never suggested that they were leaving us, but they had an obligation to listen, and they spent a day and a half up there.

They returned to Memphis the next day and Dick Hackett and I both wanted to do something for them in a casual atmosphere. It was my idea to go to Bill’s Grill over in Marion, Arkansas. Hackett almost fainted. But there was no way we could compete with St. Louis on a formal dinner. We started out with pitchers of beer. Then they brought out fried dill pickles. Then they brought out rooster fries. Then more beer and barbecue. If they didn’t know what rooster fries were then, they did after they came here. They had a ball.”

HEY, DOC! DON’T BE A STRANGER!

    My last post was about the sudden appearance of Dr. Bar-B-Que’s bus within walking distance of my house. I was surprised and elated that it got a mention in the Memphis Flyer’s internet column.

I’m glad I bought a sandwich that first day, as I saw the bus open only once or twice more. Whenever I drove by for a sandwich, he wasn’t cooking. I’m not sure what happened. The bus sat closed for a few weeks before finally disappearing. (This site didn’t get any traffic from the publicity, either.) I hope I run across him again. His ‘cue is good.

PIT NEWS

This is old news to Cozy Corner fans, but the restaurant finally has its new smoker room up and running. I haven’t been by yet, but it looks like the Corner’s Chicago style smoker has a companion in the new addition. This project was in the news several years ago, back when I was still working. Glad to finally see it.

   Last, the Happy Hocker pawn shop at 975 East Parkway South has closed, and an auction was held there last weekend. It’s a ghost pit, one I don’t know anything about except it used to be the Fairview.  I hope the famous polar bear statues find a good home. I suggest the Pink Palace. I’m expecting that we’ll likely lose another ghost pit.

The pictures are from 2010. The closest thing to it I could find was this 1950s listing for Regolo’s, at 989.

Best holiday wishes to all from the GPC home office! We have a smoked turkey coming from the Bar-B-Q Shop, and ravs and gravy from Dino’s. Can’t wait.