#but marshall kind of wants it to actually be for romantic purposes

[clarasghosts]

i've only ever seen a handful of episodes of himym, but just as i was literally thinking that ted and barney must have slept together at some point because it just makes sense, marshall said on my screen "i like you two together".

[abstract-crossverse]

Hmm, how about Ira x bold reader x Ezekiel? I think I’d be an interesting dynamic, a gentle giant, a bold-flirty-daredevil, and a dramatic flirt. Chaos is what it sounds like. (btw, if this matters- he/they pronouns for the reader plz :> )

Didn't think someone would ask for my statues, so thank you! Most of my stuff doesn't really imply gender so everyone is included, so the reader's gender in this is really up to you!

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

Ira and Ezekiel with a bold S/o

I think it's best if I warn you of a few things first

Both of these mf are hopeless romantics

Ira is the biggest simp in the house

And Ezekiel loves to cause problems on purpose

You can guess they're gonna be all over you, intentionally or not

Ezekiel is a bit competitive, so he sees Ira being a simp and doing stuff for you, he takes it as competition

While Ira's just clueless about what Ezekiel's trying to do

Both make it obvious they like you, Ira accidentally though

Both think your boldness is badass, specially Ezekiel

When get your act on Mervill or Max, Ezekiel is always there, he loves the tea and joins you sometimes

Ira's the one trying to get you to stop before one of them gets physical

Ezekiel has some of your best quotes written in a book in his room, he uses them from time to time

I.e. "you feeling froggy? Leap then, you won't." -S/o after Merv said he didn't have all day for their bullshit

There was one time you were nowhere to be seen, the statues searched the whole mansion and maze, only to look up from the outside and see you at the very top of the roof with Marshall, drinking your favorite beverage while you both where joking and talking about life

And lemme tell you that Manor's T A L L, and you weren't even nervous in the slightest

The relief in Ira was so big you have no idea, Ezekiel was the same but he was a tad bit jealous that you where there with Marshall

Ira always tries to help the mortals leave the nightmare, and Ezekiel refuses to kill, so he'll be the one spending the most time with you

Both are masters of dates even though they never dated anyone, but they know exactly everything you like

Both are pretty great to cuddle with, specially Ira, he's always warm for some reason

Ira being taller than both of you(and stronger), he likes carrying you both around, his reasoning being that he wants to be stronger

Only you and Ira know what's under Ezekiel's mask

They think your fearlessness is so badass but there also kind of scared of you-

Like, Malak told them a bit about you, he said you weren't scared of the Monkeys or Agatha, and you sure as hell wasn't scared of them when you came in through the portal

You actually started complimenting everyone and flirting with them??

But you were so caught up in your pick up lines you died to the spikes and swinging axes a few times

Eventually you just stopped for a while, somehow trapping e v e r y o n e under your stare

And you weren't scared at all, just stared at them deadpan sitting on one of the couches like a monarch

You did get bored after a bit, so you just yawned got up and left, while keeping them stuck in place

It was so confusing for most of them, while others *cough* Henry and William *cough cough* were laughing their asses off

They love and fear you lmao

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

[erintoknow]

love yourself challenge

@dorkousloris​ and @ladyshivs​ tagged me for this, thanks to you both for thinking of me! c:

rules: choose your 5 favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Some of the stuff i’m most proud of hasn���t technically been posted online yet but i’ll stick with stuff i can actually show off, haha there’s no order to these, just as i think of what to say about them:

[Doomed From The Start] – so, at one point late last year i really got it into my head to go back and revise some of my earlier fics, and then that kind of... grew into a... 50k word fanfic novel. for someone that struggled to write anything for the better part of a decade i don’t know where this sudden surge came from but i’m pretty proud of myself for managing. proud and maybe more then a little self-conscious, haha.

[honey, you are nothing to me] – i really like this as a little character piece showcasing Crow’s identity struggles, denial, and how it’s all become twisted up with his past romantic relationship with the ex-marshal

[“It’s been awhile, hasn’t it Sparkles?”] – a friend, @frozenabattoir​ inspired me to think about alternative worst-case scenario AUs, and this came out of that. writing it ended up being pretty inspirational for later less grim stuff

this year also saw me start experimenting with some visual art stuff – i can’t actually draw nor do i own anything to like a tablet, but i’ve done some experimentation with editing and photography, mostly for the purpose of making playlist covers for the very, very many playlists i’ve made on spotify hahaha

this is a combination of two different self portraits and a screenshot from the video game The Missing, i kind of stumbled into the color scheme and instantly loved it

amazing, not a playlist cover, this one was inspired by The Passenger IF beta i played a couple months back, the whole ‘eldritch being shoved into a puny mortal shell’ concept was pretty fun to explore

i’ll tag, uh.... @doedipus​, @witchy-cutie​, and @saltypeepo​ if you’re up for it?

[gingernastyy]

OOOU i saw your headcanons were open!! you’re an amazing writer and i love your characterization :) uhh do you got any fluffy headcanons to share for john/bonnie? if you want of course! again, wonderful writer you are!!! have a blessed day friend 💖😌✨

After the end of the gang John, outside of Dutch and what he taught him, really doesn’t know who he is. He doesn’t know what he wants in life, or what he aspires to do. 

He kind of just follows what others want, sometimes for better or worse. In this case it’s building the house and barn that Abigail wanted. He feels guilty for how poor of a father he has been and feels he’s obligated, but also genuinely wants to help both Abigail and Jack in any way that he can.

It was more of Abigail’s dream to have the farm, but it gave him a sense of purpose. He enjoys the ranch life, it’s the busy work he misses from the gang.

Over the years, John and Abigail realize their feelings for each other- or in other words, the lack of romantic feelings for each other.

With Sadie being back in their life, healing from the stab wound in her side from hunting down Micah, Abigail becomes aware of the deep love she has for her. Maybe it was always just the forced pressure of others why she felt she needed a husband and the pressure of them having a kid together that made her feel she had to be with John. Sadie, Abigail and John have a long conversation about how they feel for each other. They come to the conclusion that though John and Abigail love each other it’s more in a platonic and friendship type of way.

Sadie quits the bounty hunting business. She teases the both of them about giving her the family bug but she is happy as all can be with Abigail. She had a bit of ranching under her belt from the time that she and Jake were together so she and Abigail continue working the ranch with Jack.

The four of them live together for a while, getting the ranch up and running. Sadie and Abigail, a happy couple and the three of them work to raise Jack together, John and Sadie working day after day to keep the ranch going. John and Abigail still present themselves as married to the public, to protect her and Sadie’s relationship. 

Everything goes pretty smoothly until the consequences from finding Micah catches up with them. When the Bureau of Investigation takes Jack and Abigail, it’s both John and Sadie that work on figuring out how to get them back. All the time he took to get out of the life he gets roped back into having to hunt down Bill, Javier, and Dutch. He’s not exactly smart about it, he’s not proud of going up to Fort Mercer and getting shot.

He’s grateful that Amos and Miss Macfarlane find him when they do or he’s sure he would have bled to death.

It seems that whenever John is bed ridden,  he wakes up to a pretty lady watching over him. As wonderful as that it is he would like to not be mauled by wolves or shot in the gut in order to see them. He also hates that the first time he meets Miss Macfarlane he’s in such an unpleasant position.

Right as he’s waking up she’s bombarding him with questions about what he was doing at Fort Mercer, how he knows Bill Willamson and in the same breath calling him an idiot. He likes her immediately. 

When John gets the chance he sends a telegram to Sadie. Explain what happened to Abigail and Jack but leaves out the part about him being injured. It’s harder than getting a dog away from a bone for John to tell Sadie she should stay back and take care of the farm while he handles the situation. There’s nothing more threatening to him than, even though it is only the text read from a telegram, Sadie saying “I don’t care what you have to do, you go get my wife back John Marston.” 

Unfortunately, until he’s healed he can’t focus on getting them back. But in the meantime, while he’s healing he grows quite fond of Miss Macfarlane and is a farmhand for her. She teases him more than any woman he knows but… he kind of likes it, keeps him on his toes. He certainly gives her plenty of things to tease him for.

John’s not always been the best with words, so when he’s explaining the situation he’s in to Bonnie he might have led her to believe he was actually married. It’s habit for him at this point, to protect Abigail and because he had been living for years believing he would marry her one day. It’s not exactly an issue until he’s been openly flirting with Bonnie. She puts her foot down and confronts him, poking him in the chest, “I ain’t that kind of woman John Marston so you need to quit that.” He knows he’s being scolded but he’s pretty sure he falls in love with her right there. John stumbles over his words and does his best to explain his situation with Abigail and Jack to make it clear that he’s not being unfaithful. But that just leaves them to stand there flustered because he was flirting with her and Bonnie might have let slip that she was attracted to John and enjoyed his advances but had been upset because she believed him to be married. 

They might avoid each other for a little after that but if you asked them, they would deny it. John just got caught up with helping Marshal Johnson and Bonnie had the ranch to worry about. 

They’re only able to avoid each other for a few days, John did need to work back the money he’d cost them and they missed each other. Bonnie asks John to walk the perimeter with her in the evening, which was clearly an excuse be he ain’t gonna turn her down. She tells him her father is real fond of John, “says your good husband material I believe is how he phrased it.” Drew finds John hardworking, reliable, and he appreciates his philosophies. “Thinks you’re much rather suited for me than any other farmer he’s met.” 

John of course laughs, from the shock of it all and because he’d never thought someone would consider him husband material. As they head back to the house, John flusters Bonnie with his reply, “While marriage seems a little fast, I do appreciate having your father’s approval. But more importantly, do I have yours?” 

John falls a little harder as he sees her pretend to think it over, “I ain’t decided yet,” but she’s grinning so big at him. 

Every night after that John sees her off to bed, standing at the bottom of the porch stairs, wanting nothing more than to follow her inside but trying to somewhat take things slow, he takes his hat off and says real soft and sweet, “Goodnight Miss McFarlane.” Bonnie of course rolls her eyes at him and tells him to just call her Bonnie already, “I swear you’re such a gentleman it’s annoying.” John laughs in that way that makes Bonnie smile back and want to kiss him forever. “You’re the first person to ever tell me that,” 

John keeps working around the farm, playfully asking Bonnie if he’s got that $15 covered from his doctor visit. She likes to pull the “hmm not yet, there’s plenty more work for you to do” and he responds with fake disappointment, “guess I’ll just have to stick around longer then,” all while smiling and winking at her. And maybe sometimes they end up holding each other and kissing for a little too long but who can really say? 

After John helps with the barn fire, he asks if Bonnie would be willing to send some cattle to Beechers Hope after he’s finished. He plans to get some cattle for the farm for Abigail and Sadie, almost as a housewarming gift for them. He also brings up in that moment that he’s been thinking of gathering some of his things and bringing them to stay with her. 

To say Bonnie was traumatized after everything with Bill Williamson’s gang would be an understatement, but she isn’t alone and John reminds her of that. Bonnie’s always had to be strong and independent, so she tries to keep it in and hide it from John but he won’t have that. He sits with her during late nights, after nightmares and when she’s too tense to sleep. He opens up to her about his own trauma, specifically the hanging from when he was a kid. They were already close but after that, they feel an even deeper bond. After one emotional talk, Bonnie opens up about how afraid she was, John sharing the same fear, he tells her he loves her. 

When John has to go to Mexico, he sweeps Bonnie off her feet and pulls her into a kiss. Anything could happen as he goes after Javier so he makes sure to kiss her before he goes. It’s a habit he develops every time he leaves to go somewhere.

Abigail and Sadie both insist joining John in his trip to McFarlane’s Ranch after they get settled back in, taking corn with as a thank you and because they want nothing more than to meet the woman who’s got John Marston so flustered.

John discovers a new ring of hell with all three of them together to torment him and he expresses as much but really he’s smiling and to see the smile on Bonnie’s face is all worth it. He knows she loves him. 

Sadie elbows him at some point, both of them watching Bonnie and Abigail chat away, and smirks at him, “She’s real cute, I can see why you got that dumb look all the time.” He of course tells her to fuck off as she laughs and laughs. 

Abigail and Bonnie like each other a lot, Bonnie respects Abigail immensely and Abigail believes Bonnie is good for John, will keep him in line because god knows he could get into some trouble. 

Bonnie pokes at John when she finds out that he doesn’t know how to swim. She questions him on how he is supposed to teach Jack if he doesn’t know how to swim and how does a grown man not know how to swim. She drops the teasing when she realizes that John is insecure about it and insists that she will teach him. John pulls a whole “not worth it or I’m not teachable” excuse with her and she returns with a “Oh are you just going to turn down my feminine charm and seeing me wet in swimwear?” It sure convinces John to get into the water. Bonnie is the only lady he knows that would still find him attractive after seeing him flailing as he tries to swim. He admits to her that it ain’t too bad but can’t help but still feels like a cat to water. 

Even though they’re living together and really running the ranch together, John reminds Bonnie and everyone else that it is her ranch and he’s there to support her in any way he can. 

Whenever John misplaces his hat, Bonnie is always the one who can find it. She says he’d lose his head if it wasn’t attached and kisses him as she places his hat back onto his head.

Bonnie is usually the one to wake up first but the rare times that John wakes before her he kisses his fingers and places it on her forehead or cheek. He doesn’t know how to put into words on how much he loves her.

At the end of their work day they talk and watch the sunset together. Bad days and sometimes even the good days they have a few drinks while they talk. Depending on what they are doing, there’s times that they don’t see each other until sundown. It’s not just chicken and cow talk, or just talk about the ranch, they bring up what they want to do the next day or what if they took a day trip somewhere. Amos and the other farmhands surely can handle the ranch for just one day.

They rebuild the barn together, John telling her about the first barn he’d built. Maybe he’s crazy but he swears, there’s a Bluejay sitting near and watching him this time too. 

If Bonnie stares at John a little longer than probably appropriate while he’s working without a shirt, she’d never admit it and maybe John would stretch and show off a little when he catches her staring. 

John and Bonnie get married in front of the barn at sundown, Hennigan's Stead was always gorgeous in the evening. Abigail, Sadie, and Jack are all there of course and they all spend the night laughing and talking together, celebrating. 

Every night, Bonnie asks John about a different scar as they lie in bed together. He’s covered in them and after each story he tells, she kisses the scar. She teases him for being an idiot for a lot of them, most of them from his dumb choices. He gets the quietest about the bullet wound in his shoulder. 

Fishing and practicing shooting is what they often do in their free time. Even after being in a gang for years, John thinks Bonnie is better than him when it comes to both. Seems like the years of him being out of the gang has made him a little rusty. At least with fishing he never was too good at it.

John, for the first time in his life feels he found happiness being with Bonnie and running the ranch with her. He’s found his purpose and he wants to hold onto it forever. 

[vatican3]

7, 15, 25 marshall. 5, 4, 29 iowa. 9, 8, 10 mal. 19, 26, 6 sam. 12, 16, 14 laz.

I’M PUTTING THIS. UNDER A CUT BECAUSE IT’S GONNA GET LONG. cws for religion, abuse, gore/self harm and whatnot (nothing graphic).

7. What is the nicest thing someone has done for your character?

this is a REALLY hard thing to quantify because marshalls life has had. a lot of profound kindness and a lot of profound awfulness. i think that the amount of fierce love and patience and kindness that the jones family has given him is incredibly nice, but at the same time i don’t think they’d want me to look at it like that because they aren’t doing him a service, they just love him and care about him and it isn’t an act that takes anything out of them. but audrina took him into their home after everything happened in 2014, when he wasn’t speaking to his father and his relationship with his siblings was evolving to say the least, and gave him a place to sleep and he always had idaho nearby and there was always dinner and lots of patience and love and understanding.

answered 15!

25. What’s your character’s favorite holiday/festival?

marshall is a good catholic boy & a haines through and through, so his favourite holiday is christmas. his family has historically gone all out both in the fun, aesthetic parts of christmas, and the religious parts of christmas. he’s also very warm and loving in nature so he likes the spirit of giving, he loves getting gifts for his family and friends and baking cookies and making big christmas dinners. he also really likes church and prayer and worship and the holy feeling of the winter holidays.

5. Describe your character’s favorite weapon.

THIS WAS A HARD ONE BECAUSE. iowa is not necessarily a violent person? at least not on purpose, but they are definitely weird. i think if you asked them this they’d say a scalpel? because it’s precise and very, pointed and deliberate. iowa does in fact like, dissect their own flesh for fun.

4. Your character is buying a walking stick, what does it look like?

whatever it looks like, iowa is painting it immediately and like, gluing human teeth to it.

29. How many partners has your character had?

OK LIKE... iowa dated jason for awhile in high school and was completely heartbroken when they broke up. but then they dated sam for a bit and got over it however they were never like. officially dating sam?? they never talked about it. and then now they’re with nicky for the long haul but they met literally in the hospital where all of that 2014 trauma was taking place,

9. What is your character’s favorite flower?

mal seems like a daisy kinda gal to me... something light n springy

8. Has your character ever stolen anything?

NO.. mal is a law-abiding woman. she’s not actually super hard on laws or anything though she’s just. not in the habit of shoplifting + has money to spare so there’s no need

10. Does your character have any distinctive markings?

i very pointedly always give mal acne because. she has acne, she’s always had acne and i don’t think its ugly!!! and i think its an important thing to have that small bit of representation of like what. real human beings look like.

19. How affectionate is your character?

sammy is actually pretty affectionate if you’re like, romantically involved. he’s very physical and loving and cuddly as a person, he struggles with like, verbal affection and communication sometimes and he DOES actually get anxious that peter and nolan dont know the extent that he loves them to because he’s bad at words.

26. If your character had a different job, what would it be?

currently his job is being a body runner for a local funeral home but IN THE FUTURE he will be a general oncologist so like this is cheating but he’ll be a doctor.

answered 6! owo

12. Is there anything that makes your character weak in the knees?

i KNOW that this is meant in a like. butterflies in the stomach romance kind of way but my first thought was “well he has a heart condition so,” DGHIFDGJOIDFJGOIDFJG but. jokes aside. he loses his fucking mind every time leon gives him art and, leon loves to draw laz, all the time, and draw things for laz, so he’s just constantly going insane.

16. Does your character like to eat snacks?

food is. actually a very important part of laz’s whole character DJGPDFJGPDF he. does in fact very much like snacks the pin about your priest spending $80 on buffalo wild wings in the gc WAS about him the man. likes to eat and shows love by feeding others.

14. Does your character have any disabilities?

YEAH! laz is very much deaf, acquired deafness not genetic deafness, as a result of an infection when he was 19! he also has a heart condition RELATED to his growth condition like there’s no fucking winning. he gets to be 6′7″ but he has to pay in heart problems.

[vestsfriends]

2 Years Later (An Andi Mack Fanfic) Part 3/4

Pairings: Jonah Beck/Cyrus Goodman, TJ Kippen/Cyrus Goodman, Andi Mack/Walker Brodsky, Andi Mack/Amber Kippen, Amber Kippen/Iris, Buffy Driscoll/Marty From The Party

Word Count: 4970 (for parts 3 and 4)

Note: I sadly had to split up part 3 into two more separate parts because Tumblr is being a jerk,, so I’m sorry that it cuts off at a weird part. :/ (also, no matter what you ship, read it. You’ll be surprised, seriously.)

2 Years Later…..

It was now November of year 2021, the trees were now losing their red and gold colored leaves, Autumn now making way for Winter. Shadyside, Utah still remained somewhat the same as it did in previous years, a special spot on the map where people could enjoy every aspect of life and what it had to offer.

Even though nothing news-worthy happened during the course of the past two years, plenty of things had changed for the lives of Andi Mack, Cyrus Goodman, and Buffy Driscoll. They had started attending Grant High School after they had graduated middle school, and they were pleasantly surprised with came of it. Amber had complained earlier on about it, warning the GHC that the school would be their worst nightmare. Which, unfortunately, made the three teenagers not too thrilled for their first day of freshman year. Luckily, it wasn’t as bad as they thought. In fact, their teachers were nice, the upperclassmen were tolerable, and they even got to share a few classes with Jonah despite him being in a higher grade. Nonetheless, the lives of the three teens were much different than what they once were, and in their opinions; they prefer it that way.

~

The bell rang loudly, signaling that school was over for the day. Students almost immediately rushed out of their classrooms, numerous crowds of teenagers from all grade levels had started to form in the hallways. The teachers always remained in their rooms at least two minutes after the bell so they could properly exit the school without being trampled.

As lockers slammed shut and backpacks were slung over shoulders, a student walking by himself strolled down the middle of the hallway a few minutes after class was dismissed.

That student was none other than Jonah Beck, the boy who could nearly kill people with his smile. His emerald green eyes, light brown hair, and his deep dimples stood out the most to many. Jonah was one of the biggest heartthrobs of the entire high school, and his expert football-playing skills only increased that fact. Alas, everyone already knew he was taken.

Jonah instantly turned heads as he walked down the hall, his brand new blue and white sports jacket being shown off. Many girls waved at him shyly from their lockers and turned to their friends giggling.

Despite all the attention he was receiving, he kept his eyes straight ahead to where he was heading. Jonah was walking over to greet the person whom he cared about the most.

~

Andi grabbed her bag out of her locker, setting it on the floor before checking to see if she needed anything else. The short-haired girl was wearing a dark colored but ravishing headband, one that she made herself out of old wires and broken earrings. Andi grabbed her phone from her backpack and placed it inside her denim jacket, which was completely covered in different symbols and sewn-on patches.

Andi took one last look at her locker for any folders or books she might need for homework later. The dark brown-haired girl’s locker was overflowed with crafts, glitter, miniature posters, and on the door of the locker, she had a small collection of photos taped up. Most of the pictures were of her, Buffy, and Cyrus, plus a couple extra. She had a special picture taken from the semi-formal the year prior with her boyfriend, which was up in the corner of her locker surrounded by many post-it note hearts. She smiled at it for a brief moment, recalling the fun she had with him that night.

The short-haired girl scanned her eyes over her textbooks and folders, her eyes ceasing upon her mirror. She moved in closer, noticing her black eyeliner was a bit smeared. Andi took out her purse and was about to reapply but another person’s hand stopped her from doing so.

“Walker?”

Andi squealed with excitement before leaping into her boyfriend’s arms, pulling the two of them into a tight but comfortable hug.

“What are you doing here?” Andi asked after they separated. Her face was still in-awe that her boyfriend was somehow able to be there during school hours while he attended another high school in a neighboring town. “Doesn’t your last class usually end right now?”

Walker chuckled, the taller boy not-so-secretly hiding something behind his back. “I was able to leave a little early,” the male artist displayed a cheery grin. “Plus, I couldn’t just skip out on our one-year anniversary.” He took out the object from behind him, holding it out to his girlfriend.

Andi’s face lit up. “You remembered!” She happily exclaimed as she clapped her hands together, the word “excited” not even coming close to what Andi was feeling. It was far beyond that.

The short-haired girl’s gaze fell upon what Walker was holding in his hands. Andi couldn’t believe what she saw. In Walker’s grasp was an assorted bouquet of origami roses, the paper neatly crafted and folded by hand. The finishing touch to the gift was a pink ribbon holding the roses together. Andi felt touched by the thought and detail that Walker must have put into making such a creation. She took the bouquet and smiled graciously at the taller boy standing a foot away from her.

Walker placed his hands on Andi’s shoulders to pull her closer to him, eliminating all space between them. Andi leaned upwards to place her forehead against Walker’s, both of their eyes slipping shut to take in their moment of total bliss.

“Happy anniversary, Andi,” The tall brown-haired boy whispered, his breath against her skin which caused a shiver to go up the girl’s spine.

~

Jonah waltzed down the hallway, every step making his light brown hair bounce. He was coming closer and closer to his final destination, the fact that the person whom he was seeing was unaware of Jonah being not too far away made the green-eyed jock want to attempt a surprise greeting. He grinned, the corners of his mouth upturned into a devious smile.

The junior football player stopped next to his partner’s locker, the door of it keeping Jonah’s body hidden. He leaned his back against the row of lockers and crossed his arms in a “cool flirty” kind of way. The person busy with packing up inside their locker didn’t even look up from what they were doing to know who was right next to them.

“Hey, Jonah,” Cyrus addressed the other boy, not taking his eyes away from his stack of textbooks. “I could see you coming from a mile away.” The dark-haired boy zipped up his backpack, his hair slightly coming out from under the blue and purple striped beanie on his head.

The green-eyed boy gaped as he took his body off the lockers. “I- how did you even see me if you were packing up?” He squinted at Cyrus in a suspicious manner. “Are you secretly psychic?” He pursed his lips.

The pale boy turned to look at Jonah whilst struggling to maintain a straight face. “You’re really something else dude,” Cyrus shook his head laughing and shut his locker closed. “You’ve tried to scare me so many times already this year and you haven’t even been successful at least once.” Cyrus smirked and crossed his arms across his chest at his personal victory.

“Shush you,” a flustered Jonah Beck stuffed his face into the crook of Cyrus’ neck from behind him. “I like surprising you.” His voice came out quite muffled.

“Too bad you never do.” Cyrus received a groan from Jonah who wrapped his arms securely around Cyrus’ stomach.

“Oh and also,” Cyrus paused to rummage through his backpack, causing Jonah to remove his arms from his boyfriend. The dark-haired teen took out a black glasses case. “You forgot this in the chemistry lab again.”

Judging from the guilty expression apparent on Jonah’s face, Cyrus immediately assumed he did it on purpose. “Babe, for the last time, you can’t just “forget” to bring your glasses wherever you go.” He pushed the case into Jonah’s hands despite the other boy’s refusal.

“But I hate wearing them,” Jonah whined. “I look like a huge idiot.” He stared at the floor.

Cyrus furrowed his eyebrows. He absolutely hated it whenever his boyfriend put himself down, something in his stomach would feel unsettling. Without any further thought, he grabbed the green-eyed boy’s hand and used it as a way to pull him in, brushing their lips together. They shared a short but satisfying kiss, one that Jonah was quite disappointed to let go of.

“You look great with or without your glasses.” Cyrus reassured him, running his fingers through the strands of Jonah’s light brown hair. “Just, please, don’t keep purposely leaving them in the chemistry lab. You don’t want to actually lose them.”

Jonah sighed, “even if I wanted to wear them, I can’t. People will stop liking me and they’ll think I’m a huge dork.”

“You are, though.” Cyrus’ teasing earned him a playful shove from Jonah. “Hey!”

“Shut up,” Jonah stuck out his tongue. “You don’t want Mr. Marshall to kick you out of drama club and give the assistant director role to someone else just because you’re being mean to the leading actor, do you?” He flashed an innocent smile.

Cyrus waved him off. “Please. I’m going to wow him with how well I put together the play this year,” he placed a hand on his hip. “And it still amazes me how you’re more embarrassed of wearing glasses rather than being in the school play.” He raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.

Jonah shrugged. “I play sports and I like theatre. No big deal, the girls that are obsessed with me while I’m on the field love it just as much as seeing me perform the leading man in a romantic play.” Jonah blew a passionate kiss to Cyrus, who dramatically rolled his eyes.

“I have no idea why we’re doing a Disney movie that not too many people have ever seen,” Cyrus muttered. “Plus, I’m very unsure as to why Mr. Marshall chose you to play Hercules.”

Jonah was insulted, an exaggerated gasp leaving his mouth. “How dare you, I make an amazing Hercules! I have no weaknesses, only strength circulates through my body.” The football player flexed a muscle, and started wiggling his eyebrows.

Cyrus was unphased by Jonah’s flirting and showing off. “Sure, Jonah,” he sarcastically agreed. The raven haired boy took many steps closer to Jonah before wrapping his arms around the other boy’s waist and planting a deep kiss on Jonah’s mouth. Their bodies were against each other, feeling both of their heart beats racing. Cyrus could not exactly control himself, moving his lips firmly and quickly against Jonah’s and completely forgetting that they were still inside the school hallway.

Jonah could barely comprehend what was happening to him, let alone kiss the other boy back. Instead, his eyes remained wide open and his hands were suspended in midair. But, when Cyrus bit down on Jonah’s bottom lip, it sent a wave chills up his spine, along with a huge rush of warmth making his face appear bright red.

After a couple of seconds, Cyrus broke their heated kiss and stepped back, wanting to see the outcome of his experiment. As he predicted, Jonah was out of breath and bug-eyed, with the addition of a deep red blush staining his cheeks. Mission: success.

“I-I uh,” was the only words Jonah could manage to speak. His embarrassment only heightened when he and Cyrus both saw another figure watching them from not too far behind them.

“Um, are you guys done..?” The voice coming from the figure belonged to TJ Kippen, a tall boy with now light brown hair with streaks of gold. “I’ve been waiting for you people to stop making out for at least two minutes.”

Cyrus and Jonah jumped apart, their bodies about five feet away from each other now. Both boys awkwardly apologized to their friend.

“We weren’t making out, though,” Cyrus claimed matter-of-factly. “I was just proving to Jonah that he does have a weakness.” He cheekily grinned at the annoyed boy standing not too far away. “Sorry you had to see that though, Teej.”

TJ cackled. “Underdog, I’ve seen much worse, trust me.” He thought back to the time when he walked in on Buffy and Marty kissing in the boy’s locker room, just the slight reminder of it gave him shivers. “ Much worse.”

Cyrus looked terrified for him. “I’m not even gonna ask.” He shifted the conversation to a much lighter topic. “Anyway, how are you even over here right now? Shouldn’t you be at practice with Buffy?”

TJ sighed. “Practice got cancelled because Kira decided to sabotage us….again.”

Both Jonah and Cyrus facepalmed. They could feel TJ’s pain. Ever since the summer between 8th grade and freshman year, Kira has made it her mission to ruin TJ’s (and his friends’) lives since he “broke up” with her to date Cyrus at that time. She unfortunately has not given it up yet, despite TJ and Cyrus’ break-up in the last few months of freshman year. Buffy told TJ and the others that she would protect them from Kira’s wrath, and was always on guard. Sadly, they couldn’t keep track of Kira every second, so she was able to get away with sabotaging Buffy and TJ’s practices.

“When is she ever going to give it up?” Jonah groaned. “She’s been making life a living hell for all of us the past few years.”

TJ shrugged. “I guess until she gets into deep trouble for it, which means we would have to catch her in the act and be able to provide proof.”

Speaking of the devil herself, Kira Tesse, with her signature smirk plastered on her face, strutted down the hallway with her group of usual pranksters. Two of her friends unfortunately being ex. friends of TJ, Reed Miller and Lester Fenten. It still amazes the GHC to this day that a girl as evil as Kira was somehow able to obtain a friend group.

TJ faked a smile and greeted her through gritted teeth. “Hi Kira.”

Kira didn’t make eye contact with the tall boy when she replied, “hey, Kippen ,” before she used her body to hit TJ into the lockers from the force of her shoulders. His body fell onto the floor from impact.

“ Oops , sorry, better watch where you’re going.” She continued walking, laughing along with her friends.

TJ felt an ache in his arm, immediately rubbing it with his other hand. “I hate that girl,” he muttered under his breath.

Cyrus and Jonah quickly came to his sides, checking for any major damage while cursing at the curly-haired girl for her cruelty.

Kira and her friends continued laughing as they walked away, not realizing four intimidating teenagers blocking their path. The bullies immediately stopped, their pupils constricting. Towering in front of them were two high school seniors, Amber Kippen, the captain of the girls volleyball team and Iris Clover, her cheerleader girlfriend, with the addition of 6’1 Marty From The Party and his sporty girlfriend, Buffy Driscoll. The four of them death-glared down at Kira and her group of cronies, scaring them intensely.

(Tumblr wouldn’t let me fit the rest okay,, I’ll have a fourth part)

[dolphinitley]

Jacob Seed/F!Deputy Fic

“Love Like Revenge”

Chapter 4

Word count: 2,499

Full work on AO3

Summary: In this chapter we learn about Jacob and Dep’s pasts, as well as the deputy’s real name! Also they kiss for the first time!

Constructive criticism and comments are very welcome!

Tagging @theeonlyroman @colorguardian18 @flyawayturtle @farcrying5 @zacklover24 @sassenach-on-the-rocks @theromanianbookworm @afeverxlongingstill @mmechromancer @jacobmybeloved @jacobseedswife @theatmmmmm @liilaac @deputyoneill @jacobsrook

Rook woke up on her couch alone late in the morning. She pondered if last night was real or a dream. The Wolf came to her house, made her dinner, cried with her, apologized to her, and slept with her.

But that didn’t change the fact that he was still leading the PEG military. He was still part of an organization that kidnapped and killed non supporters without provocation. He still sponsored The Cook who butchered and burned families in front of each other.

When Rook lived in her hometown in Missouri, she would have consulted her best friend about her romantic life. However, if she were still in Missouri, she probably wouldn’t be having feelings for a killer. She wouldn’t be a killer.

Her new friends here in Montana understood her recent behavior that would seem horrific to people back home. Rook found great friendships in Hudson and Jess, but knew neither of them would condone her feelings for Jacob.

When she moved to Montana a couple of months ago, she intended to keep a low profile. She didn’t expect to make real friends or make a life here, but she did.

When Rook earned her master’s in criminal justice, she didn’t expect to be fighting a war against a militant cult.

When she began working as a detective in Minnesota, she didn’t expect to be killing zombie-like Angels.

When she was assigned to go undercover in Hope County, she didn’t expect to be the heralded catalyst of the end of the world.

But all of these things, she did.

Her exceptional performance as a detective in Minnesota drew the admiration of the U.S. Marshall Service. However, it also drew death threats from criminals she’d once put away. The USMS’s solution for this was to relocate her to Montana to investigate mysterious disappearances in Hope County. She was to take on the role of an unassuming rookie for Whitehorse and learn about PEG.

The USMS sent Burke in too early. They didn’t listen to her when she said that PEG was too strong for one squad to take on. With or without her, the squad was going to the compound, so she figured she might as well go and help any way she could. That was her first mistake.

That’s what she thought about when the helicopter was going down and when she was killing dozens of Peggies from the passenger seat of the getaway truck Burke drove. Then it was too late to escape Hope County, and she was in it too deep.

She trusted Dutch so quickly. She became a tool for him so easily. She wanted to rescue her team from the Seeds, but a lot of shit got in the way.

Rook was a natural leader, but didn’t enjoy being called a hero. She didn’t want to be deified. She just wanted to do the right thing. Her exposure to the Bliss and gruesome battle made her judgement more clouded over time. She had been trained to kill, but in Hope killing is quick and on a massive scale. It was war and it gave her scars.

She thought she’d be stronger than this. Life would never go back to the way it was before Hope. You can’t just fall back into your old life after war. The person who understood this more than anyone was Jacob. He was smart and strong enough to survive anything.

Since Rook left Hope County, she’d been working on her report to send to her sergeant from the USMS. When she finally sent it in, she made the call.

“It’s a relief to hear from you, Anderson,” the sergeant said. It was strange and comforting to hear someone use her real last name for the first time in weeks. “Your report is impressive. Good work.” This phrase reminded her of Jacob’s praise after she killed Eli, and she clenched her teeth.

“Thanks.”

“I wish I could say your assignment is over and that you can go home, but it’s still not safe for you in Missouri.”

Rook gave a disappointed sigh. She missed her family so much. “I understand.”

“I wish I could offer you some kind of treatment, but the budget has been cut again. Our resources are drying up. I don’t even think we can send a team into Hope County to deal with Eden’s Gate. Just stay where you are and relax. I’ll call you in a few months when it’s safe again. Take care of yourself Detective.”

“You too Serge.”

-

A few days later is was Rook who called Jacob in the morning.

“I’m standing in my kitchen right now, looking out the window, and there’s a Judge wolf who literally barked Tommy up a tree.”

“And you haven't shot it yet?”

“Hey, I’m doing a courtesy to you by letting you know. Anyway, I’m not going to waste ammo on it. I thought Judges were supposed to be obedient, soldier. Don’t tell me you sent it up here just to get my attention.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Dep.” She could hear his smile in his tone. “It’ll be dealt with within the hour.”

Forty minutes later, Jacob’s truck came rumbling up her gravel driveway. She watched his tall and confident figure get out of the truck. Jacob sounded his dog whistle to summon the Judge to its kennel in the back of the truck. Rook felt pity for the poor wolf that now had to live as a Judge, and she didn’t like that Jacob was the person who made it that way. But, she still admired how strong he looked, how focused and blue his eyes were, and his unique red hair and beard. Despite everything she’s seen, Rook knew that there was a good man in Jacob.

When the Judge was secured in the kennel, Rook stepped outside. She didn’t quite know what to say to Jacob, so she went right for the tree that Tommy was in. Tommy could get down on his own, but she wanted to hold him now.

Jacob watched Rook call to Tommy with her arms raised and her head craning up. He chuckled and walked over to the tree. Quickly he climbed the tree to where Tommy was and grabbed the cat. Rook noticed how all animals seemed to obey him. Hell, even most humans did.

Jacob carried the fluffy orange cat over to Rook with a smug look on his face.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Yeah...sorry about that. Won’t happen again.”

Rook stroked Tommy’s fur happily and gave a shrug.

“Anything else I can do for you?” Jacob asked.

“Actually, yes. Follow me.”

There was a lightbulb out in her house that she couldn’t reach to change. She figured that she might as well use Jacob’s height while he’s here.

“How do you not have a ladder?” he asked.

“I, uh, haven’t lived here for very long.”

“Hm.” He wanted to know her story, but got the feeling she didn’t want to talk about it. He quite enjoyed helping her and seeing her satisfied with something he’d done, even if it was an easy task.

Jacob noticed a backpack on the living room floor with the name “Emily” embroidered on it. It was the answer to a question he’d often thought about.

“Emily?”

She turned at the sound of her name. She saw what he discovered and grinned at the realization. “Yes?”

“I’ve always kinda wondered what your name was. I like it,” Jacob said while scratching his beard.

“At home people sometimes call me Em or Emma. But everyone here in Montana calls me Dep or Rook, except you. I’d like to keep it that way if you don’t mind.”

“Right. I’ve got to get the Judge back to the Center now.” Jacob walked to the door and stopped. “Hey Em,” he called. It was so intimate to call her by a friendly nickname. “Would it, uh, be alright if I came back sometime?”

“Doesn’t really matter what I say, right? You’re gonna come back anyway.”

Jacob realized that his past visits were intrusions and actually wrong. “If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

“It’s alright. You can come back sometime.”

“Alright.”

Em often thought about Jacob’s reason for his previous visit. “When I’m with you, like this, my head is clear.”

That was her purpose for him, she thought. She was his soothing drug. She viewed him as less of a threat now, but was still a little suspicious. Nonetheless, she very often dreamt of touching him.

-

Em got out of Hope County and listened to radio stations that weren’t controlled by Peggies. The news on the radio was still just as bad as it was in Hope and getting worse. The most recent report was that the U.S. government had lost communication with North Korea, and the first attack was to be expected at any time.

One of Em’s neighbors decided to move back to their hometown to be with their family, and gave their horse to Em. Her house had a barn and fenced in meadow, and she’d had horses as a girl. Her new horse’s name was Honey on account of her color and kindness. Riding her each day was rather therapeutic for Em.

She was riding at dusk one day when Jacob came to visit her. Tonight he wore dark jeans, a gray t shirt, and a black hard shell jacket while Em wore light jeans and a hoodie. Her brown hair was in a ponytail.

Em wondered how her horse would feel about Jacob. She shouldn’t have been surprised when Honey liked him, as all other animals did. Jacob climbed the fence to the meadow and held the horse’s head in his big hands.

“Are you hungry?” Jacob asked with his straight lipped smile. He was looking up at Em sitting on the horse. Usually she was the one looking up at him. She nodded in the affirmative.

“Good. I brought dinner. Here.” Jacob gestured for her to hand him the reigns.

He led Honey to the barn. Honey was a rather tall horse and Em was 5’4”, so it was quite a jump from Honey’s back to the ground. Right as Em’s feet hit the ground, she felt the slightest grace of Jacob’s hand on her back, just in case.

They went inside the house and washed the dirt off their hands. Em took off her hoodie to reveal a Rye Aviation t-shirt.

Jacob brought in a large paper bag of random things he grabbed from the Vet Center pantry.

He included a six pack of beer bottles, but it only took two for Em to loosen up and want to talk with him.

Sitting across from Jacob at her kitchen table she said, “You know, I’m not really into religion at all.”

“Me neither. But I take care of my brothers.”

“You guys are close, huh?”

Jacob had the remaining four beers which loosened him up as well.

“Growing up we only had each other. Or more like the thought of each other. Most adults were shit to us. We were poor. Our dad preached to us and beat us half to death. Our mom was a shell of a person. Our foster parents worked us half to death. I burned their barn and went to juvie, then I didn’t see my brothers again until I got out of the military. The thought of them was the only thing that kept me going until Joseph found me.”

Em was flooded with empathy for the brothers. His story made her want to adopt children so they’d not ever have to be abused by people like those from Jacob’s past, and she told him that.

“Do you want to sit on the couch? Watch a movie or something?” Jacob asked.

Em put in a soothing movie that she’d seen a hundred times while Jacob cleaned up dinner.

Em laid on the couch, and Jacob lifted her legs easily, sat on the couch, and set her legs on top of his thighs.

The movie was about 10 minutes in when Em asked, “You still brainwashing people?”

Jacob felt bad about his past actions. “No. I don’t do a lot of the stuff I used to. All I focus on now is building and training the Chosen. I don’t fuck with people outside of Eden’s Gate.”

“Why the change?”

“I never cared about anything other than my brothers. I was in pain and I had the power to make others feel pain too. Nobody could stop me. The first time I saw you, it was like a switch flipped. I wondered if I could care about you. You almost were the one to stop me. Then when you said you wanted me, I knew I couldn’t pass that up. Then you telling me to leave you alone had me thinking about what I’d done to you. And others.”

Em got up to her knees next to him. “Do you still want me?” Jacob asked her.

In response, Em placed her hands on his shoulders and slowly leaned in to cross the space between their faces. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she looked into his fierce blue eyes. Her gentle kiss on the cheek made Jacob close his eyes and exhale at the touch he had been so starved for.

When she pulled away from his cheek, Jacob brushed her hair behind her ear and pulled her over to straddle his lap.  

His tough hands settled on her waist and looked up from her legs to her expectant eyes.

Softly, he placed his right hand on the back of her neck and she moved in for a real kiss this time. With heads slightly tilted, their noses touched first. Jacob had the rare look of desire in his eyes and closed the last bit of distance between their parted lips.

Jacob gently enclosed Em’s bottom lip and took his time moving away. They felt a surge of intimate energy that spurred more kisses. Em realized how soft and kissable his lips actually were. Jacob forgot anything that wasn’t the act of kissing her. His eyes were closed and he allowed himself to just feel. The pair got more comfortable and settled into each other. Their kisses gradually became less gentle and more consuming. They were both so starved for this that they didn’t think they’d ever stop. They couldn’t get close enough. Em admired his beard and scarred skin with her grateful hands. Jacob kept pressure on her back and threaded fingers into her loose hair.

Finally pulling away and out of breath, Em said, “I still want you.”

Jacob smiled and pulled them down to lay on the couch. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her jawline up to her lips.

Em enthusiastically wrapped her limbs around him and continued to ride the high. Now he was her drug too, and they were both addicted.

[justfinishedreading]

Part 2 – Reviewing the Play

Felizmente há luar! is a play inspired by a real event in Portuguese history from 1817. That year there were rumours that the people of Portugal were planning to revolt against the monarchy. An army general named Gomes Freire de Andrade was accused of being the leader of the conspiracy, he was imprisoned and condemned to death, but his guilt was never conclusively proven.

In part 1 I talked about what Portugal was like politically in the 1960s when the play was written; it was a time when the country had been under dictatorship for the last 30 years, a time when freedom of speech and the principals of democracy were oppressed. It could be argued that the author Luís de Sttau Monteiro choose to set his play in 1817 to avoid censorship; he may have tried to camouflage his message by using history, a tactic to mask the fact that he was outright criticising the current government. But the liberal message of the play is pretty clear, and the government banned it anyway. I prefer the idea that Monteiro used events of past history to illustrate how little has changed: how corruption and injustice still thrive and shockingly how many similarities still exist between past and present.

In 1817, (and without getting too deep into history because I did that way too much in Part 1), the king of Portugal, D. João VI, was far away in Brazil looking after the empire, back in Portugal the people were impoverished and hushed whispers of revolution floated in the air.

In the play three characters, without having any concrete evidence, offer up the name of General Gomes Freire de Andrade as a possible conspirator. These three characters, two policemen and a spy, have been pressured by men of power to name a suspect, but they are also blinded by their own ambition for wealth and status. The General was an easy target because of his popularity with the people and his liberal views.

Those in power grab onto the General’s name with relish and bring about his downfall. They are; a Portuguese governor named D. Miguel Forjaz, a ruling member of the catholic church, Principal Sousa, and a British marshal commissioned to lead the Portuguese army, Beresford. The governor is in fact the General’s cousin and has a personal dislike for the man. Sousa is worried that revolution would stray the people away from God… but more importantly away from the power of the church and those who rule it. Regarding the British marshal he has absolutely no love for Portugal or its people and simply wants to keep control long enough to earn himself a good commission. These three men of power choose the General to be a sacrificial lamb. Whether he truly is organizing a revolt or not is unimportant, the important thing is to show the people that liberal ideals are not to be tolerated. These ideals go again God, King and Country.

Truth be told, I don’t actually like Felizmente há luar! Sure it is an important work historically and has, and will continue to be, taught in schools in order to teach new generations of teenagers about politics, corruption, censorship and revolution. It’s even propelled me to do research about my own country and write an essay on Salazar and Portuguese colonialism. All art should educate and entertain, however while Felizmente há luar! covers the ‘educate’ bit very well, for me personally it isn’t good enough on the ‘entertain’ front. It lacks love, I don’t mean romantic love, I mean the love of art, the desire to create art because of the author’s love for art. Felizmente há luar! was created to criticize the dictatorship of the 60s, to criticize censorship and show the audience the true face of corruption. It was in essence: propaganda. Propaganda with a good purpose, but propaganda all the same.

Perhaps the problem is with me; so far what little I’ve experienced of classic Portuguese literature hasn’t meshed well with me. It’s too… melodramatic. But I’ll get to that in a moment. Firstly the things about the play which impressed me: the fate of General is what drives the plot, and yet he is never on stage, he is never heard. The man is conspired against, imprisoned, sentenced to death and yet he never has a chance to defend himself. This was a brilliant idea from the author, it reflects how in the 60s political activists, or even ordinary folk with ideas against the government, were taken away, imprisoned, tortured, hushed up, and made to disappear. Their voices never heard.

A scene which I felt was very poignant in the play was when the General’s “woman”, Matilde, having failed to persuade anyone of power to help her then turns to the common people for help. One of them gives her a coin and explains that when they ask for help, when they are starving and without a home, without a job and begging for help, the upper class feel that giving spare change is enough to ease their own conscience. Now when someone from a higher class asks them to repel against authority, to risk their lives for one man, the only help they are willing to give in return are those same measly coins.

Matilde is the character which gave me the most difficulties to accept. She is the classic heroine: a woman of kindness, eternally devoted to her man. That’s the problem; “good women” in classic literature are those whose main job is to fret over the hero and plead for him when he gets into trouble. Matilde is a one-dimensional character. But she has two potentially positive points. Firstly she’s described as the General’s companion, to me it’s unclear whether she’s his wife or his long-term unmarried lover. From a feminist point of view it would be excellent if they were unmarried, this would challenge the catholic church’s insistence on marriage and the idea that only a wife in holy matrimony or a virgin can be representations of women of virtue. But I’m not sure if Matilde’s position is deliberately ambiguous or if my understanding of the Portuguese language has let me down and they actually are married.

The second point and the reason I warmed up to her character was because I realised that of all the General’s friends and family, she was the only one who tried everything she could think of to save him. Unfortunately all she could do was… beg everyone for help, but the point is that she was the only one who was willing to give up her pride in order to save him.  

The last thing I want to talk about is the title Felizmente há luar! which translate as “Luckily there’s moonlight!”. I bought this book during my first year studying in uni in Portugal, at the time I was homesick and would buy books to cheer myself up, but I hated reading in Portuguese so only now, a decade later, am I reading some of them. Felizmente há luar! was a book I bought solely because I liked the cover design and I had mistakenly assumed that the play was a comedy based on the title. The phrase “luckily there’s moonlight!” is uttered twice in the play, both times at very distressing moments. The first is on the night the General is to be executed, burned at the stake. Governor D. Miguel comments “Lisbon will smell all night of burnt flesh, the smell will stay in their memories for many years to come… every time they think of challenging our orders, they will remember this smell… It is true that the execution will last all night, but luckily there’s moonlight…”

Oh how a phrase I thought was associated with a comedy turned so sinister.

The second occurrence is at the very end, Matilde watches the fire consume the General’s body and says “I thought this was the end but it is only the beginning. That fire will ignite this country!” (turns to the crowd) “Look well! Wash your eyes in the light of that fire and open your souls to what it teaches us! Even the night was made for us to see it until the end… luckily ­­­– luckily there’s moonlight!”

Review by Book Hamster

[motherfuckingnazgul]

Miri Marshall | protagonist of Glassbreaker | made using this dollmaker | before the quest/during the quest 

B A S I C S

full name: Mirianel Runninghorse Marshall

gender: female

sexuality: pan

pronouns: she/her

O T H E R S

family: her parents are dead lol. but her best friend is Shay Weaver and his mum, Cara Weaver, looked after Miri a lot after her mum died. so they’re her family, really. also, her horse, Sunrise!

birthplace: the village of Airnian in the Northern Province of the Human Kingdoms

job: horse breeder and sometimes trainer. it’s a family business which she runs with the help of a few others from her village, but she’s the primary owner and makes all the decisions (or, well, she was about to take up that mantle fully when the Fire Nation attacked a messenger arrived from the Capitol...)

phobias: uhh idk about phobias per se but she definitely has a Thing about being called by her full name and about being lied to/having information kept from her. After Everything, she’s afraid of the dark.

guilty pleasures: fucking off for a day to just go ride her horse and ignore her responsibilities, climbing trees, Cara’s pies, hugs from Shay (though that’s not exactly a guilty pleasure), making snarky commentary on obnoxious Easterners in the markets at Maloree when she’s there for the summer bazaar

hobbies: riding and otherwise hanging out with the herd, making thread bracelets, bugging Shay when he’s supposed to be helping his mum dye wool

M O R A L S

morality alignment? let’s call her Chaotic Good

sins: Desire / Despair / Envy / Fear / Hunger / Pride / Rage / Sloth

virtues: Charity / Chastity / Diligence / Humility / Justice / Kindness / Patience

T H I S - O R - T H A T

introvert/extrovert: extrovert!

organized/disorganized: organized, actually, which is probably a surprise to people who don’t know her well. but she’s been on her own a long time.

close minded/open-minded: hm, i think fairly close-minded but can be convinced.

calm/anxious: calm

disagreeable/agreeable: disagreeable but like, in a “will bitch endlessly but will still do the thing” sort of way

cautious/reckless: reckless

patient/impatient: impatient with people, patient with animals

outspoken/reserved: O U T S P O K E N

leader/follower: leader, but she hasn’t figured out that she is yet

empathetic/unempathic: empathetic

optimistic/pessimistic: pessimistic but as with being open-minded, she can be convinced

traditional/modern: traditional, i think, or she wants to be. her people are clinging to their culture and miri doesn’t know enough to be able to live in a fully traditional way (also it’s illegal) but if she could she’d definitely go back to her roots more than she’s currently able.

hard-working/lazy: hard-working

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

otp: eventually, miri/shay, but that’s Hella down the line and well outside the bounds of what happens in her canon. within the bounds of canon she is Not Interested.

Acceptable ships: miri x people leaving her the fuck alone? but she’s also one to sow her wild oats as it were once she’s free of the burden of the quest.

ot3: don’t really have one? there just are not enough characters in this book with whom she’s remotely romantically compatible, which, uh, i did on purpose.

brotp: miri and the boys (that is: kriss and el). rocky start but these three are best.

notp: hilariously, miri/kriss OR miri/el. ... please no.

I WANTED SO BADLY TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ERON IN THIS SECTION BUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS SO AMBIGUOUS. it’s one of those like, i guess it’s acceptable but also No, sort of situations. for a NUMBER of reasons.

anyway thanks @foxnonny for tagging me in this fun meme! i was working on my novel a bit today and saw the tag in my activity feed from a while ago and was like fuck yeah so that was super well timed! anyway i love her and have missed writing her, she’s great

tagging, uh, anyone who wants to do it because idk who has OCs that they’re wiling to talk about, whoops

[mickadamz]

i know everyone has their own opinions on this, but how do you characterize 2p American and 2p England? like how do you see their personalities and stuff? how do you think they vary from their 1p (is that the term?) versions?

OOHEHEHEEHEHEH OH MAN YOURE IN FOR A TREAT

IVE DONE SO MUCH WIT THEM ITS INSANE OKAY

2p eng: his full name is oliver jack marshall. I’m gonna include physical appearances as well. so oliver…

6′0-6′1

average build, though much scrawnier compared to like idk the 1800s

redhead???? yes?

dusty blue eyes

fair skin, not as pale as arthur, but not as tan as, say, greece or romano

longer, kinda rounder features as compared to arthur’s rather compact and sharp features

wavier hair

usually has a scar on his left eye, other scars are au dependant 

ambidextrous, arthur is only left handed (personal head canon, i don’t remember his dominant hand LOL)

freckles bitch

appears to be in his mid-late twenties

has a tired but understanding look on his face most the time

actually has a very nice and subtle smile. he’s been through a lot and its really a blessing to see him relax

as for non appearance based traits:

one of the few aph related characters i don’t see as bisexual, as he’s fully homosexual

not much of a social person, similar to his 1p, but arthur has a bigger struggle with making friends and talking to people as he’ kinda got a mindset that not many people even like him and he’s kinda rude as a defence mechanism? idk i haven’t touched canon in a while but oliver is still not a social person but mores than arthur is

introvert

has a… huge amount of secrets behind his sorta cheerful exterior. beneath that he’s not as nice as you think but he’s trying. things are hard for him

despite existing for much longer and dying less than arthur, he has no idea how to not keep his feelings and such closed up and he finds it difficult to deal with traumatic events. he’s mentally weaker and pretty unstable when having an episode or just in a very stressful situation. otherwise, he seems to function alright

surprisingly not very affectionate to people. theres a few exceptions.

actually has a good relationship with his sealand, arnold gets Nervous hen oliver’s away for a while or doesn’t call-text back within an hour or so. see the o=point above the affection related one

PETTY

sorta friendly, trying to be more open to people. he knows the make mistakes so he tries to be more forgiving

kinda stoic, not much seems to faze him in a regular setting

died 108 times or so (not counting the story related to my allen blog)

bad at baking but excellent at cooking: “oliver is that a cake” ‘*crying* it’s a mistake’

not very graceful

STUPIDLY COURAGEOUS PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF G

breaks the rules if he sees its unjust or unnecessary. a very moral tied person, compared to arthur who fears he’ll be punished the second he tries to against the law, no matter the cause behind it

very loyal

most optimistic of the 2p allies

really likes to make things for people, good artist and basic builder

selfless

enjoys vaporwave

has 3 scottish straight-brutish shorthair cats and a horse, the cats are named samwise, bess, and marmalade/marmie. the horse is named thomas

2p america’ full name is allen tomas soliz .

physically:

5′6-5′7

his appearance (skin tone, hair, facial features) resemble a mid twenties mexican-american man 

his legs aren’t very strong, but he’s pretty fast

his upper body is of average build, but he works out regularly so it’ll increase in strength

missing a tooth

warm, friendly dark brown eyes

calloused hands from having to do things himself and helping out some people he’s come across in the south-western US before westward expansion

wavy, almost curly hair. he attempts to groom it for what its worth.

his skin and hair are soft, he regularly takes care of himself!

picks at his fucking nails so they don’t look the best but what can you do, not like they’re dirty

growing a moustache and a goatee 

SIDEBURNS

h….hes hot

does have scars, most tend to be on his hands from doing heavy duty tasks on his own. has one just above his right eyebrow and on his lip where his tooth is missing

million dollar smile!

right handed

as for non physical traits:

unlike alfred, his twin is a sister and its 2p mexico instead of 2p canada. he’s still related to him though. its mor elf a half/step brother situation

that being said, his mother’s personification is based around the aztec empire area, though mostly around that one group of natives

broadway fan!!!!!!! would die to get on broadway

a big sweetheart really

I’m unsure about the vegan thing but he’s probably got food allergies anyway so dietary restrictions still apply i guess

has a dg named veggie and 2 cats, named armel (large man) and calixto (the devil incarnate)

social fuckin butterfly bitch!

dense like alfred, but not on purpose. cannot read the atmosphere that well

an open fucking book

bisexual

very big on affection in any form

HORNY ON MAIN

I’m kidding but he likes sex. not a big fan of one time flings or fuckbuddies, but has tried it or done it more than once. 

hopeless romantic

he actually switched spots with his nyo counterpart. he used to represent the mid-west due to the high native and mexican population back around the 1800s when he officially joined the other 3 americas. when jessi came along, he switched with her once broadway became bigger and once films started being produced. she’s a movie star, and he’s a Hugh jackman kind of person. he just wants to sing

he may look rough and tough, but once you see him smile for the first time (usually as a greeting to people on the street, he’s very friendly to people), you can see he’s really just a nice person and loves to socialize

graceful as hell, also has a powerful singing voice

also very emotional

almost as stupidly courageous as oliver

rule breaker, most the time for fun, other times because of his morals. protests if he finds it necessary or it suits his personal beliefs

optimistic

i should note that my 2ps have more ‘free reign’ than the other counterparts. they’re the ‘backups’ in case the 1ps are unable to do something. seeing historically, men were more involved in government, its why most personifications involved with government affairs are males. there are obvious exceptions to this, but thats a general (fan made) reason why the majority that we’ve seen in the series are male

[gothic-fiction-in-space]

ALL ABOUT DAVID’S EMOTIONS - The complete collection

At the time of Prometheus David wasn’t meant to be so emotional, but as time passed, they decided to transform him in the character he is in Alien: Covenant, managing to connect everything pretty well. The first scene of Alien: Covenant too helps to give a meaningful “start” to David’s story and character and a beginning that reconnect the character of Prometheus to the character of Alien: Covenant. They went from: “ok David technically can’t feel emotions but let’s keep this thing open-ended” to “ok let’s make that David has always been able to feel emotions". I think it was the right choice, because you really see him behaving in a way that absolutely doesn’t resemble the behaviour of a robot who HAS to make humans feel comfortable, at all. David purposely puts a lot of salt in a lot of his lines, and sometimes (like with Holloway) he even refuses to smile and be “friendly looking”. This is an old interview about David’s character, back at the time of Prometheus…

Q: “There’s a lot made in Prometheus of David’s inability to feel, but there were moments when - as you said - it seems he actually can. Did you go into the film with a clear idea of whether David had any desires or emotions?”

Michael Fassbender: “I wanted to keep it open-ended. I definitely wanted to play with it, with the other crew members on board as well as the audience. I had some ideas but nothing ever needed to be definite. I just wanted to always have that element with David, where you’re thinking, ‘Is he being sincere or is he being sarcastic? Is he being for real or is he taking the piss?’ I wanted that element alive in him”

(http://www.michaelfassbender.org/michaelonprometheuseightnew.html)

———————————————————————————–

“David seems to have some fascination with that film and the character Lawrence” Fassbender adds “and I always attributed it to the fact that Lawrence has got a very clear vision and he’s very pure in his pursuit of it. There’s not much questioning. He’s a very decisive character, and I think David sees elements of that in Shaw as well. That’s why he finds her so fascinating. He’s also an outsider like David; he’s an Englishman, but he’s not accepted really by the English or the Arab nations, so he’s kind of somewhere in the middle”

( https://www.google.it/amp/s/alienseries.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/the-prodigal-son-david-8/amp/ )

—————————————————————————————

And then, let’s look at how things changed in Alien: Covenant…

“We start Covenant,” he (Ridley Scott) continues, ”with a really clever prologue that settles—once and for all—who David really is.” The sequence begins on a “big beautiful blue eye—you see every vein” and over that shot audiences will hear footsteps approach. “How do you feel?” a voice asks. “Alive,” the owner of the eye responds (…) Scott promises this sequence will “really get people going because it’s fucking smart for a change.” Scott and McBride both believe Covenant will cast Prometheus in a new and better light.

(https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/alien-covenant-ridley-scott)

———————————————————————————-

This is Ridley Scottg talking about David’s “birth”.

“So a governor in an AI is essential. You’ve got to have firewalls so that he can’t go through. Because at what moment does an AI, when you feed him with so much information – I mean, beyond anything we can possibly comprehend; so he can beat a grandmaster in a chess match in 15 minutes – or four minutes. At what moment has he evolved emotion? If you pack a lot of information in, does that give stress? And if you get stressed, that’s emotion. If you’ve got emotion, you start to think tangentially, which you haven’t thought of as the inventor. You’re going, ‘Oh f**k, he’s angry’. Or, ‘Oh f**k, he’s amused because I’m such an idiot. And he’s now showing that he thinks I’m an idiot’.That’s what happens in the prologue. So in four minutes, a father – or a god – realises he has a problem… ”

(These things are reaffirmed by Ridley in the blu ray commentary of the movie. In the commentary Scott even adds that David was pretty free and could have refused to bring Weyland the tea, but he accepts to do it because he’s “political”, he’s studying the situation, he’s “already the predator” and these things make him even more dangerous)

(http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/alien/news/a827742/alien-covenant-walter-name-ridley-scott/)

———————————————————————————–

Ridley: “At the end of the 4 mins, the creator realized he already had a problem. Because his  creation is asking him questions: Of course, you are my father. But you will die, I will not.That’s big problem. Immediately “Father” looks at him and goes: Hang on, this thing is way too clever. And therefore gives him an order. The order is “pour me the tea, David.”So David sits there, unblinking, but obviously thinking: Pour your own bloody tea. It’s right next to you. But he doesn’t. He gets up and comes across and pours the tea without any reaction. It’s very dangerous. Already he’s the predator. End of the story”.

Michael: “What’s interesting about David is that he’s very needy. He feels like he needs validation from those around him. He’s looking for love in all the wrong places. In the opening scene, one guy says to him: “Pour the tea”. Immediately he’s processing: Wow this human has some strange power games. Because obviously the tea is right beside him he can pour the tea. But he knows he is accessing his superiority over David”

Ridley: “You get an A.I. with emotions, it’s very dangerous.

Michael: ”Humans too“

Ridley: “Too much information is very dangerous”

Michael: “Too much emotions”

Michael: “If the A.I. thinks he has a soul, then the soul is very real for the A.I.”

(Special thanks to @jacintatveit )

(http://www.miaopai.com/show/zDCKdCBBQiHAcd3wsSXww65v~8-~STJA.htm)

——————————————————————————-

“He (Walter) doesn’t incorporate concepts like vanity or jealousy or gratitude. He doesn’t fall in love with characters like we saw the strange relationship between Shaw and David.There is a bond that develops there which is a very human one, and human flaws that come with it.”

- Michael Fassbender (about Walter & Davids bond with Elisabeth) (The art and making of Alien Covenant, Simon Ward.)

——————————————————————————–

“He talks of her great fondly here. Here we go: ‘I loved her, of course. Just as you love Daniels’ and he says ‘that’s impossible’. A.I don’t love their mistress or master, they respect them but technically they don’t have emotions. But he had emotions, that was a problem, emotion is a problem, emotion can lead to bad behavior”. (…) “Confusingly but understandably, the monster had fallen in love with the woman. All right? So, this is real. He said this is an ode to my dear Elizabeth, ‘cause he knows he’s about to leave. He thinks. ‘Farewell Elizabeth’ (…) David was the prototype, was the art form, the A.I., the very first art form, ‘cause making an A.I is an art form, whereas this A.I has emotions, you don’t want an A.I with emotions, because if he does he’s gonna get angry, you really are in trouble”.

- Ridley Scott, Alien: Covenant commentary

——————————————————————————-

•Do we see more emotional levels in David, more levels of rage?

•I think just human, more sort of engaged in all sorts of human characteristics, insecurity, ego, I mean rage might come out of insecurity, I don’t know though of rage as just an emotion. Playing those kind of things is tricky. But pride, envy, you saw a bit of that with Logan Marshall Green’s character in the last one. And you know he likes to feel important, comes back to pride again, I suppose, so it’s just all a mix of those things and they are definitely more prominent in him as time as passed.

•We did shoot a prologue to the film with Shaw, and we pick up where we left Shaw and David. They’re in one of the Engineers’ ships, trying to find the origin of the Engineers, and their home planet. We could sense that the time that’s passed has caused things to become a little bit fractious between the two of them. You get the impression that Shaw is wary of David, and I think he just wears on her nerves. He’s like this lovesick stalker in space, which is an interesting concept. But Shaw does have sympathy for him, and she does put him back together. He killed her, essentially, to prevent her from leaving him […] David, I think, finds these strong female characters attractive, and he’s really an old romantic. So he’s a little bit confused. He does have a scene with Daniels where he tries to simulate sex. He’s got a strange sexuality. He’s in a very confused state, because he feels these human characteristics— jealousy, vanity, pride— but he also has these sexual desires, which he obviously can’t act out, but wants to.”

•How has David’s relationship with Shaw changed (post Prometheus)? Like any good marriage it’s, you know, there’s a real affection there between the two of them. I think they get on each other’s nerves, well he gets on her nerves rather, but I suppose they went through quite a lot together in Prometheus, so there is a bond there for sure.

(Special thanks to @aldebaranarfeiniel )

(http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/alien/262464/alien-covenant-michael-fassbender-on-playing-two-roles-david-shaw-s-relationship-10-years-later)

——————————————————————————–

“He (Walter) doesn’t fall in love with characters, whereas we saw a strange relationship between Shaw and David. He is purely logical and devoid of emotion, even if those around him, particularly Daniels, search for some sort of emotional connectivity with him; that’s not really there. David tries to educate Walter. I think he sees himself as an older brother, and flirts with the idea of the two of them going into cahoots. But Walter’s programming just doesn’t allow for that, and eventually David realizes he’s getting in the way of his master plan. David, I think, finds these strong female characters attractive, and he’s really an old romantic. So he’s a little bit confused. He does have a scene with Daniels where he tries to simulate sex. He’s got a strange sexuality. he’s in a very confused state, because he feels these human characteristics- jealousy, vanity, pride - but he also has these sexual desires, which he obviously can’t act out, but wants to. We could sense that the time that’s passed has caused things to become a little bit fractious between the two of them. You get the impression that Shaw is wary of David, and I think he just wears on her nerves. He’s like this love sick stalker in space…  The idea is that these human traits have started to overcome the synthetic ones - and I’ve treated him like a serial killer really. He’s afraid of things leaving him, so he incubates them. Like a Jeffrey Dahmer-type character, David doesn’t want things he loves to leave him, so he kills them and keeps them in caskets or preserved one way or the other. He (David) killed her, essentially, to prevent her from leaving him”

(Special thanks to @muthur9000 )

- Michael Fassbender, ALIEN COVENANT MAGAZINE OFFICIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION 2017

———————————————————————————-

“The David8 model was designed to allow the synthetic to develop human-like qualities and characteristics. You can have a lot of fun with David’s character. He’s not receiving maintenance servicing for the last ten years, he has characteristics like pride, vanity that are very human”

- Michael Fassbender (Alien: Covenant Blu-ray version, Ridley Scott master class)

———————————————————————————

“David was supposed to love her (Elizabeth Shaw)  :( ”

Matt Hatton (one of the two set decorator and art illustrator, one of the two men who made all David’s drawings): “Oh he absolutely did. In many ways, not all of them healthy. She encapsulated humanity for him in the end, even more than Weyland I think. Look at the religious adoration even as he eviscerated her. Hence the iconography!”

(from Matt Hatton’s Instagram profile)

[theladyragnell]

OTP questions: Matt/Foggy

1. Who takes the trash out? Matt, because trash smells way worse to him and bothers him faster and Foggy will only take it out when it is “full as God intended, Matthew, it is a waste of a trashbag otherwise and you have to do it yourself if you’re going to be a princess about it.”2. Who reminds the other to take care of themselves? Foggy, oh lord, with a sense of great grievance that Matt does not actually do so.3. Who is happier when they are out in nature? Outside in the city, Matt. Outside out of the city, if Matt can be tempted out, definitely Foggy. Matt deeply distrusts non-urban spaces, they are Too Quiet and Too Open and birds make Too Many Weird Noises That Register Oddly On His Senses. He almost beats up a wild turkey once and Foggy finds this hilarious.4. Do they like to go in the hot tub together? Broke millennial lawyers cannot afford hot tubs.5. Do either of them avidly follow a celebrity and/or fandom? Other than Thurgood Marshall, bless Matt’s heart? I mean, Foggy follows Captain America because he’s got transference for Aunt Angie reasons, but also he is a massive fan of most sitcoms and loves to get drunk and watch crime procedurals to bemoan that they’re never how the law actually works.6. Who builds a pillow fort? Foggy. Matt finds he likes it, all the softness and thick cushions between him and the world are good when his senses are overwhelmed.7. Who plans the romantic date? Also Foggy, because Matt really does try but it’s like he’s a magnet for restaurants where mafia deals are going down, and he looks baffled enough that he’s not even doing it on purpose.8. Who likes to play with the other’s hair? Matt loves both playing with Foggy’s hair (the haircut is A Tragedy okay) and having his hair played with.9. Who calms the other down when the other has a nightmare? Foggy tries his best.10. Who wants their dog to sleep on the bed with them? Again, Foggy, but I don’t think they’ll really end up with a dog because that has loaded can’t-take-care-of-himself connotations for Matt and also they live in a city so Foggy feels like he can’t have the Huge Dog that would otherwise be his destiny.11. Who can’t sleep without the other? Foggy, which is kind of A Problem at times.12. Who is too nice and will listen to a sales person pitch? Neither of them, really.13. Who makes the first move to cuddle? Foggy, when Matt is looking sad-puppy-dog-in-the-pet-store-window enough because Matt is bad at reaching out for affection.14. What is their go to fast food place? What ISN’T.15. Who likes to wear the other’s sweaters?Matthew Hair-Shirt Murdock will steal Foggy Nelson’s cozy weekend sweaters at the drop of a hat and also has one of his college stoner sweatshirts stuck in the back of his closet for really bad days when he can admit the bad stuff isn’t his fault and he deserves some comfort. It still smells like Doritos and rum. (Foggy finds it in there when he’s cleaning up Matt’s apartment after--well, after. He has to stop for the day.)

[ramrodd]

CHARLES SYKES: HOW THE RIGHT LOST ITS MIND

COMMENTARY:

Here's the thing about the Charley Sykes-Lincoln Project side of the GOP: they are all aborigine Joe McCarthy Conservatives. There isn't a dime's worth of difference between Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich, Roger Stone, Grover Norquist, Rick Wilson and Charley Sykes of the Reagan Reagan Personality Cult and Brad Pascale of the Trump Personality Cult except that the Reagan Personality Cult is faced, collectively, with either becoming a Trump Personality Cult ass-licker or becoming a RINO.

George Conway of the Federalist Society has become a RINO because his wife gives better oral sex to POTUS than anybody but Steve Bannon. And giving good oral sex to Donald John Trump* is how to fit in with the Trump Personality Cult.

I'm a hard-wired Eisenhower-George Romney Republican. I voted for Nixon before I went to Vietnam and after I got back from Vietnam. In terms of the critical path of the Kennan Grand Strategy more or less adopted and ratified in 1947 by George Marshall at Harvard, Nixon kept his promise to Vietnam combat veterans to get us out of Vietnam with Honor and the true Glory of righteous republican service. Mitt Romney's vote to convict reflects that critical path exactly. In 1981,  I was declared a RINO by Charles Z. Wick because I was a Vietnam "loser" and I had done business with the Soviet Union made possible by Nixon-Brezhnev Detente. Mitt Romney is a self-identified RINO, coming out of the closet to keep the faith with me and his dad and everyone who has ever gone on a missionary for God.

Which includes, of course, everybody on The Wall. What Jesus says about Cornelius in Matthew 8:10 applies to everyone represented by the souls resting under the eternal vigilence of the Tomb Sentries of Arlington. When it comes to keeping the faith to the American Revolution, that's what it looks like: the 2nd Amendment in action, "To Keep and To Bear Arms" as ballet. French Ballet with a little Bertschgarden Oktober Fest in the mix. I mean, you can hear "Lille Marlene" at night off in the distance and almost see a Parisean Tart waiting at the just outside Ft. Myer's main gate, waiting for the Midnight change of guards, going home.

That's what it means to be a RINO, Mitt and me. And the people who enforce the RINO sanctions are the Joe McCarthy Conservatives like Charley Sykes et al.  (Just FYI: Charley Sykes = Rick Wilson = The Lincoln Project = Nicole Wallace).

Rick Wilson doesn't consider himself a RINO loser: he considers the Trump Personality Cult to be beyond moral redemption, while, of course, he represents the sweetness and light of the Joe McCarthy Conservative movement, a latter-day William F. Buckley, Jr., keeping the faith with Dutch and the economic mechanisms of Donald T. Regan.

Rick Wilson is pissed off because he and his Lincoln Project RINOs are being shut out of the cash flows they have been creating for themselves as political activists, out to line their own nests but with the self-image of Spiritual Warriors carrying the banner of William F. Buckley's vision of Conservative Glory.

It is all white-supremacist fasdist drivel that happens to be very profitable. Sells very good, especially with anyone who can sustain the Pro-Life heresy as a guiding principle as a Christian Steward. Life in the Bible begins at birth in the economics and ethos of Jesus. What goes on between a woman and her uterus is entirely her business, which is the lesson of the woman with the chronic flow. If there is anything in scripture, especially the Gospels, that is more sanctified in purpose than Planned Parenthood by Mark 5:34 “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" I don't know what it could be.

The only thing Jesus really requires of Christian Stewardship is to love the Baby in a "Call the Midwives" kind of way. If we base a single-payer health system on guaranteeing at home Mid-Wive Service and Comprehensive Hospice Care, and everything in-between,  it will pay for itself a hundred fold and reflect the core value of the economics of Jesus as explicated by Adam Smith as a moral science in Wealth of Nations, Mark 9:37. There is simply no ambiguity as to the divine truth in that and how it is being violated by all things Pro-Life and the Joe McCarthy Conservative economic policies.

Which Rick Wilson is pissed off he's been cut off from. This is all that Jeffrey Epstein-Mercer PAC-Jane Mayer Dark Money cash flows that he was counting on to pay his kid's college tuition and tuck a little away for a house in the Hamptons.

Rick Wilson is pissed off he isn't Brad Parscale and, otherwise, there isn't a dime's worth of difference between them and all the Joe McCarthy Conservatives since Charles Z Wick delared me a RINO in 1981. If you really want to pick the moment when the Joe McCarthy Conservative wing of the GOP went crazy it was when George Gilder published his manifesto for an economic policy based on white supremacy, Wealth and Poverty and everyone swallowed it, hook, line and sinker.

And now, George Gilder, Fisher of Men, wants you to take the bait on his Reboot 2020 scheme to privatize the internet because stealing public property is so much easier and profitable than actually earning a living honestly.

The only thing that has prevented America from establishing a permanent NASA base on the moon since Apollo 11 is the success of Joe McCarthy Conservatives like Rick Wilson in implementing their political agenda. The Nixon-Moynihan "Affirmative Action" was designed to catch the global synergies wave set in motion by the public investment in Apollo 11 by transforming the Military Industrial Complex into the Aeropace-Entrepreneurial Matrix at the heart of the Green New Deal and  everything Joe McCarthy Conservative activists like Rick Wilson and Newt Gingrich have done is to fuck it up.

Sorry, Rick: it isn't just anything Trump touches that dies: everything Joe McCarthy Conservatives like you have touched since 1981 has turned to shit. What is the difference between the neo-preparations for the occupation of Iraq and Trump's  response to  Covid 19? Every time a shuttle blew up, Joe McCarthy Conservatives like Jim Sensenbrenner was in charge of NASA's budget. The whole "starve the beast" agenda can be summarized by the lack of test kits in America and shutting down the White House Pandemic office.

Thanks to the success of the ammosexual 2nd Amendment disinformation campaign, a small business person like Trump thinks he can privatize national defense to people like Eric Prince, as viable contingency planning, and contract for national security from the Oligarchs reliably.

But the 2nd Amendment, like the Pro-Life heresy, is big money to political operatives like Rick Wilson and Charley Sykes and they can add it to their shield of Conservative Righteousness in the crusade to fulfill William F Buckley, Jr. self-image of the Romantic Heroism of the singular genius, like John Galt, standing on the wave of progress. shouting "STOP!"

Rick Wilson's only complaint, as a proxy for all those former first-string political consultants and donors who are now potential RINOs, is that Brad Prascale is the future and they aren't.

It's too late for them to even shun Mitt Romney. The finger, having writ, moves on: George Conway may never get laid again.

[mlek13]

Summer, Year 2: Merchant’s Meeting

It’s the end of the simweek, so time for another meeting of the Merchants.  Some of them seem to get along and some don’t.  I’m not sure whose pregnancy Brigid and Tabatha are talking about, but I think they are on the right track as to why I called them all there.

I’ve expanded the invites beyond strictly just the Merchants.  Service sims like Brigid and Amin are invited and townies that my Merchants have good chemistry with are also summoned.  (I’m really trying to push them to pair off.)

After I played this lot last time, I decided what it was really missing was a hot tub, but unfortunately when I play tested it, my sims would get stuck whenever they tried to cuddle in the hot tub, so I had to abandon that idea and instead provided them with the always popular photo booth.  Honestly, I should just call it what it’s used for, a woohoo booth.  (I really need a recolor of it, one that doesn’t look so out of place.)

Audrey and Marshal are first to step in the booth.  It’s a little surprising because Marshal is so quiet, he kind of slips by unnoticed.  I did know he had a little bit of a crush on Audrey, but I think she has other sims she likes better than him.

No sooner than she and Marshal exit the booth, Audrey’s heading back in with Brendan the dog breeder.  (Geez, girl.  Maybe take a little bit of a breather between guys?  I’m trying not to judge.)

Then it’s Caroline and Andreas.  (These two just need to make it official already.   I think I might make them get together.)

Although she just woohooed with two other guys, Audrey’s heart really belongs to Leopold.  (The girl behind him in the swimsuit is Allyn of the fire brigade.  I summoned her in for Marshal because of their chemistry and I think they’re actually friends.  They don’t seem to be that interested in each other though. *shrug*)

Last round I removed Leopold and Phaedra from the friendzone, because I was getting frustrated with their lack of romantic prospects and they do have good chemistry.  Nothing changed for them at home, but what happens at the Merchants’ meeting is another matter.

Amalia is delighted to rekindle the romance with her husband, Horace.

Meanwhile Tabatha and townie Jeff get cozy in the boat overlooking the lake. (They were cuddling for a really long time as they tried to shoo everyone who was waiting in line for the photo booth inside for a little bit of privacy.)

Oh, wow, that morning sickness set in fast!  (Whenever I noticed a lady going into the photo booth, I tried to make her selectable, so there would be a chance of pregnancy.  I generally play with the sound off, but if it had been on, there would have been a lot of baby chimes during this session.  I did miss making a couple of the ladies selectable in time and they may have been the only ones who escaped the pregnancy epidemic.)

Brigid finds love with a townie named Ronan.  They share a sweet first kiss.

But then she steps into the photo booth with Jeff?

Tabatha was not pleased with that!

I think there’s going to be a fight for his attentions.  He doesn’t look like he minds being in the center of this love triangle at all.  (Personally, I’d prefer it if Jeff stuck with Tabatha and Brigid with Ronan, but we’ll see where this goes.)

Then Amin heads for the photo booth and I’m wondering who he’s going in there with.  It turns out it was just himself and he actually used the photo booth for its intended purpose . . . taking a picture!  *gasp!*  LOL!  Oh, Amin.  He would be the one sim who would actually use the photo booth to take a photo.  (I kind of love it.)

So, lots of new Merchant/Servant class babies on the way next round.  Let’s hope they fair better with raising babies than last time.  I’m really hope the singles in this group start rolling some relationship wants.  If they don’t I might just have to start moving them in together myself.  They’re all so tied to their home businesses, that it might be difficult for me to do.

[racingtoaredlight]

Tone - Amps vs. Modeling...a guitarist’s perspective

Guitar.com: Right. With the actual tones that I’m hearing on this recording… I mean, you’ve got stuff that sounds like almost sitar-like and all kinds of things…

Henderson: That is a sitar.

Guitar.com: Oh, okay.

Henderson: That’s one of those Jerry Jones electric sitars.

Guitar.com: Oh, okay. Cool. And how are you recording these day?. Are you using amps and mics? Are you recording through plugins? What are you doing?

Henderson: Amps and mics, man. I’m old school. Marshalls turned way, way up.

Guitar.com: Oh, really?

Henderson: A 4×12 cabinet with Greenbacks and ’71 Marshall. I wouldn’t do it any other way, dude. I hate all that bullshit — that guitar modeling crap, man. That’s so much bullshit.

Guitar.com: Okay. So, you just crank way up in the studio to get that tone.

Henderson: Yeah, man. Like a real musician.

Guitar.com: Yeah.

Henderson: I’m sorry I’m so down on that stuff. I just hear it, and It’s just, you know… I’ve had that stuff over at my house, and I just can’t do a single thing with it — all that Axe-FX and all that stuff over at my house. It just sounds like a joke compared to a real cabinet with a mic in front of it.

But, I understand that some people can’t turn up loud at their house, and I get that. And, you know, for the purpose of laying down some tracks for commercial purposes, I totally can understand how you could fool people into thinking that it is a real amplifier, but there’s no way in hell I can get my tone out of a rig like that. I gotta have the real deal.

*h/t...witasick420 i still can’t believe i can’t spell his screen name after all these years

Link to original article.

Thoughts after the jump...

***

There have been few moments in my life where I’ve felt completely overwhelmed by technology to the point where I questioned whether I legitimately had a fighting chance.  That feeling of helplessness that you’ve lived your life to this point, and your worldview was in danger of being wiped clean.

Towards the end of last year, I started a new project with a guitarist I had just met.  We’d played music a little bit together, but it wasn’t until our first rehearsal with a drummer where I experienced this full force.  In terms of skill, we’re very complimentary...he prefers playing rhythm, and while he has good chops, I have extra gears that are suited for lead playing.

I was playing my uncle’s amp...a Dr. Z Maz 18 (that I’m currently in possession of now) that is unanimously considered as one of the finest point-to-point wired workhorses on the market, through a speaker cabinet with 2 10″ very high-quality speakers.  He brought his Line 6 Helix, the guts of which are the 2nd image at the top, and ran it through the PA.

It was such an unmitigated beatdown, I legitimately had thoughts that all my time spent practicing was a waste, because with the Helix modeler unit, it gave you such a tonal world at your fingertips, it legitimately made up for a massive amount of real estate that skill usually had to occupy.

And I’m not saying that as some kind of slam, rather appreciating just how impressive and comprehensively brilliant a tool like the Helix is.  Immediately...and I am about to criticize it in a second...I knew that things like tube amps and the world of electric guitar that I love would be irreversibly marching towards obsolescence.

That’s how powerful it was experiencing one of these new modeling platforms...that was tuned up by someone who knew what they were doing and spent the hours programming it...after about a two and a half hour rehearsal.

***

BUT...

***

Then I played it.

***

As impressive as the unit was on the sidelines, it was missing a single critical element.  Something that you cannot objectify or put in marketing material or...honestly...explain, without having someone experience it for themselves first hand.

***

The reason that, after this and subsequent rehearsals, I remain fully committed to tube amps is because I’m a romantic.  After that first rehearsal, I didn’t need any more evidence...it slapped me in the face for 150 minutes.

AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER...

I could not ignore how powerful a modeler is for making the end product.  When I had no physical connection to the thing...even with a great rig behind me...the evidence was impossible to ignore.  These things crank out studio quality sound...the Henderson interview was from 2015, these things today are quantum leaps beyond what was around back then...right there no matter if you’re gigging or in the studio or at home.  It’s easier to get a consistent, high-quality sound live.  It fits in a fucking backpack!

But I don’t give a shit about the audience.  I don’t play music for other people...that’s what professionals do...I play for myself and my enjoyment, first and foremost.  And, all this theory nonsense and OCD over equipment...it’s all a quixotic quest to find the combinations of notes and tones that get my entire body covered in goosebumps.

And modelers...as of right now...do not do that.

***

If there’s one aspect of music that I hope you all understand, that I’ve been beating you over the heads with for years, it’s that music is a physical being.

If you ignore this aspect of music, you are missing out on the aspect of what has made it such a strangely important part of global culture.  Those sensations you get from listening to music...it’s not the subject matter or the theory or subjective qualities of tone...it’s the acoustic signal created by a vibration being amplified and projected to your eardrums, where that signal is sent to your brain for processing.

And, no matter what emotional response you have to the word “artificial,” a modeler’s tone is legitimately artificial.  It’s digitally recreated.  While I can say that this doesn’t mean it’s worse, if I have a guitar in my hand it’s an entirely different story.

***

If music is in the hands of patrons and the audience...i.e. commercial purposes...who really cares about organic stuff?  Lets not pretend that music has any sanctity left over in Western culture that hasn’t been exploited and grotesquely copied.

But musicians playing music that they actually love and enjoy is a different story.  The stuff musicians actually have a passion for.  The shit they work to create themselves, for free, because that’s how nature wired them...

Here’s a great article about what went down in a semi-famous test where a bunch of Stradivarius and Gesu violins were tested against great modern examples.  

This study certainly doesn't tell us what happens between a player and a fiddle over a long-term relationship, and this is an important factor. Even over the course of this short testing situation, people's opinions changed and evolved. It's sort of like dating; that chemistry on the first date could be the prelude to a blissful, 40-year union. Or, on the third or fourth date, you could begin discovering that your new beau has unbearably bad breath, hates classical music and just wants to watch re-runs of the "Dukes of Hazzard" and listen to Asia.

***

The Helix is impressive for a number of non-digital reasons...things like touch sensitivity and replicating the natural dynamic response of tubes...but that missing ingredient I’ve been alluding to this entire time is a “feel.”

There’s a feel to tube amps that’s organic.  It might be an electrically produced signal, but the signal is organic and intact throughout the signal chain.  It’s never recreated by a digital processing board or run through a filter more advanced than a small bit of oil in a paper cap.  While it’s an electric signal, the guitar through a tube amp is very similar to a human’s voice...but that organic nature is diminished when the signal is digitally reprocessed.

The easiest way I can explain this is the difference between having sex with a condom (modeler) and without a condom (amp).

*just kidding kids, practice safe sex