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popculturebuffet · 1 year ago

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September Striketacular! (Last Exit To Springfield, Canada on Strike, Lucky Strike and Blue Collar Scrooge Reviews( Comission for WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy union supporters and welcome to a very special event for this labor day weekend in honor of those brave souls in the WGA and SAG who are striking right now to create a better future for media: The SEPTEMBER STRIKETACULAR!

For those of you somehow out of the loop, Back in May the WGA went on strike for the understandable asks of better wages, better residuals for their work in the streaming era, and limits on AI to prevent Studios from using them as half assed replacements. Naturally this being Hollywood, the CEOS all bellowed no from their stygian towers and it was strike o clock.

Things esclated in July when SAG-AFTRA, already fully supporting the strike since it started and having similar needs, went on strike. Since then it's been mostly a stalemate. AMPTP has gone to the bargining tables a few times, but mostly with offers that don't even attempt compromise and attempted to shame them into accepting said offers. They've also flat out said they want to drag it out till "People start loosing their apartments and houses"

Thankfully unlike the previous writers strike, this one.. is working. While AMPTP is digging their heels in like the spoiled chlidren they are, support seems to be pretty much unanimously in favor of the striking workers. Not only that SAG has gone out of it's way to encourage it's wealthier members to donate to the strike fund to allow the members living on a more paycheck to paycheck basis to not "loose their houses and apartments" with The Rock giving a 7 figure statment. The AMPTP tried a counter narrative of it being wealthy elites.. and it seems to have utterly failed. All the blame on any delays in production and any possible content droughts.. is on the AMPTP.

So with AMPTP not seeming to give up the ghost any time soon, Kev had the brillliant idea to look at a bunch of episodes centering around strikes, letting me do most of the choosing while he made with the money. So I choose ones that fit the themes of this strike. So join me as I go thorugh some classic episodes of Simpsons, Ducktales, and Daria and a classic-ish episode of South Park to disect this strike, why i'ts important while also spotlighting some good episodes. And honestly while october is mostly full and november is getting that way, if this goes on i'll defintley be doing this again. Probably not as well made but frankly if AMPTP drags this shit out past halloween as they plan, they deserve the mockery. Four fresh and full reviews under the cut!

Last Exit to Springfield (The Simpsons) Last Exit To Springfield is an episode that for the longest time.. I never wanted to rewatch. See as a kid my little brain focused mostly on the braces part of it, and thus Lisa being forced into clunky awful braces, tormented by her doctor and told by a camera man "there is no god" and was likely a depressing slog. I foollishly assumed for YEARS chlid me was right and avoided it when possible.

So what changed? Simple, another critic. A few months ago I got introduced to simpsons youtuber TheRealJims via one of fellow youtuber ToonrificTariqs videos. Once I checked him out I was hooked on the guys positve nature, great takes and deep dives into simpsons, from showing the history of characters, to digging into weird questions like "who REALLY shot mr burns" and "what's up with Kearny's age?", to just reviewing episodes.

I mostly either agreed with his takes or could at least respect them... until we got to season 4 with one that puzzled me due to my childhood biases: he ranked Last Exit #1, citing it's rapid fire humor..a nd also revealing da lot of simpsons bits I truly loved, including one of my all time faviorites:

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Just this two minute scene alone from HOmer's confused tone, to him repeating it despite it being pretty clear from context what a hired goon is, the guy straightining his tie and of course burn's justification of "I prefer the hands on touch you only get with hired goons". So with this new info I decided to at least give it one more try. And as you can probably guess by the fact it's in this collection, I did a full 180, crazy, thinkin bout the way I was.. and more importantly the years I wasted not watching this episode multiple times a year. Last Exit went from one of my most hated episodes to one of my personal faviorites.

Does this mean the dentist stuff played better to a 30 year old me versus baby boy me?

I got a few laughs this time: I love how all the dentists tools are horribly named and how casual he was about it, the laughting gas thing is fun and the book of british smiles is stupid enough to wrap around to being funny. I also absolutely loved the refrence to the burton batman film. So great.

But the stuff with LIsa herself.. still didn't work for the most part. Or marge, as the guy shouting LIAR to the nicest character in the show because she.. lied about her baby using a pacifier, isn't QUITE funny enough to make the bit work. Likewise his projection of lisa's teeth if she dosen't wear braces is needlessly mean. One of the co writers REALLY hated his orthdontist and it finally made all of this make sense. It's just not very good.

I will share some fun trivia I got from this episodes oral history though: they approached two diffrent guest stars for it: the first was Clint eastwood whose exact response was "Hell No". I half assume they brought up Paint Your Wagon years later out of spite. Or because they love gay polyamorus cowboy icons, Whose to say?

The other is more intresting and was more game, Psycho's Anthony Perkins. He was totally on board, but his failing health sadly meant he died before they could get it all worked out.

The thing is though while Lisa needing braces sets off the plot and gives homer a reason to get involved at all, it's not a huge part of the episode. We get a photographer responding to her smile with "There is no god" later, which I gotta admit has grown on me for the deliver and lisa joining in the protest sans braces, but it's mostly there for setup and to give the episode some emotoinal weight: We care about the strike because we care about lisa. It's why the episode needs it's weakest part: because nothing else would work as well without geninely weight behind homer's fight.

The real meat is the core conflict: the head of the union has mysteriously been buried in a football field somewhere, so Burns, being what your standard greedy ceo acts like when no one's looking, wants to gut their benifits starting with the dental plan.... just as homer needs it. So Homer, after taking a bit to put "Dental plan!" "Lisa needs braces' "dental plan" "Lisa needs braces' "Dental Plan" "Lisan needs braces" together into the right conclusion, ends up becoming head of the union despite it paying nothing.. unless your crooked (Woo-hoo!)

Really from the moment Burns enters musing on a childhood where his grandfather could have a boy taken away for stealing "atoms", and with said boy having warned him about uninons ("If only we'd listend to that boy instead of walling him up in the abandoned coke oven") , this episode pivots from depressing story of lisa getting braces, to one of the series finest farces. It's really a looney tune if bugs bunny was too stupid to notice anything happening to him.

As a result the episode is DENSELY packed with jokes. We have classics such as "Now do classical gas!" , "first thing tomorrow I'm gonna punch lenny in the back of the head!", "The blurst of times?!", "Where's my Burrito?!" (A personal faviorite), "it was the style at the time", along with less noted gems like Homer's weird Godfather fantasy sequence ("Mmmm organized crime"), Marge's hair getting chopped off by burns hellicotper, burns really needing to stop ending with the basement, homer being so clueless he assumes Burns trying to butter him up is Burns hitting on him, and what' sbecome my faviorite joke of the episode...

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Every second of this is gold and it's hard to decide if homer screaming and then cheering or burns getting an "opneing tirade" nad his casual response of "yes thank you kent.

And this bit also underlines how well the episode gets labor disputes. It has some rough edges, the frequent mob allusions, the idea that most uninons are crooked, a lot of that is horribly out dated. But the core of it works: Burns isn't cutting benefits for any practical reason, he's cutting them to save them an extra penny; this whole strike, the money lost, burns various backfiring attempts to stop it, is simply because, like the current strike, someone wants to greedily horde money and the workers simply want want's fair. Burns tries most common strike tactics: breaking it up, sending goons to break it up, trying to make threats to the public at large. And while this being the social media age the former two aren't really in the AMPTP's book , Paramount at least trimmed a tree to take away shade from the strikers, while the "starve them out" tactic is just as petty. It also gives us even MORE great gags from Burns hose mishap, to him and smithers having a dandy time togehter as they run the plant, to the afformentiond abe simpson rant of legend. Burns is potrayed as cartoonishly evil.. but it speaks to the episodes strength that none of it is out of the bounds of reality for a change. Even trying to replace them with "loyal robot workers" is exactly the kind of threat the AMPTP is striking against. So yeah Last Exit is both a fantastic episode in it's own right.. and a great episode on unions that's held up well. Now for one that hasn't exactly held up so good.

Canada on Strike (South Park)

Canada On Strike is an intresting one as it's the only one of today's episodes directly about a previous strike.. and said strike is one that's vitally important to the ongoing one. COS was Matt and Trey's commentary the 07-08 writer's guild strike, the predecessor to the current one. And while South Park has had episodes that's incise takes were AHEAD of their time (the brittnay spears episode), or who despite the direct subject still have plenty of relevance (The bar), Canada on Strike falls into the category of "Has aged aabout as well as hot cheese on a glacier being set adrift because it's not your friend guy". It's not "Reinforcing harmful myths about trans women using a randy savage parody" bad mind but it's a reminder that while Matt and Trey sometimes hit an issue right on the head and do it perfectly like any person they can really, really fuck up. Also not remotely fun fact: i wasn't kidding that really is the episode.

In this case Matt and Trey , while sympathetic to the writers involved.. were not at all on board with the 07-08 writers strike, and outright said their concerns were overblown, particularly wanting residuals for internet content... after having just made a large deal for future streaming residuals for THEMSELVES long before streaming was viable, which still pays off to this day.

Creators were aware the internet wasn't FULLY monitizeable yet, but with itunes and amazon starting the digtial episode market, they could see it was the future. And given we now live in a world with about 80 streaming platforms and where family collectively subscribes to NINE as of this article, not to mention countless free ones and on demand services like Vudu, they were right on the target. As said in a speech by writer Harold Gould.

Soon, when computers and your TV are connected, that's how we're all going to watch. Okay? Those residuals are going to go from what they are towards zero if we don't make a stand now. ...

And you know what THEY DID. I know part of this is hindsight, but the fact remains they knew exactly what they were fighting for... and had to fight for it again. And even then they were also fighting for DVD residuals which were a bigger industry then and still exist enough to have been worth fighting for now. Matt and Trey were talking.. straight out of their ass thinking this was a fight over nothing.

Instead they portray the rest of the strikers (here as candains) as people caught along on the tides who just want to get back to work instead of people fighting so they can get paid fairly for work, and the leadership as a cluless asshat , steve abootman who has no idea who he's fighting for. The ONLY thing they get right is that the amptp, as one scene has the World's Natoins wondering if they can make otowa into an amusement park once everyone's dead from exaustion and hunger. Matt and Trey aren't REMOTELY sympathetic to them.. but their not to the strike itself either, just the people involved.

The other part of the plot.. is just horribly dated. The boys do a viral video based on a real viral video, aforementioned what what in my asshole, to get money only to get nothing. A bunch of dated at the time and even more dated now memes figh tto the death, our heroes get nothing, and matt and trey don't understand that montization from films and shows that were being SOLD online is diffrent from monetization of free content, which didn't exist yet and weirdly lump them together. The more I think about this episode the worse it gets and that's NEVER a good sign. I can only hope that like they've done in the past with Manbearpig, they make an episode that's an apology for this one.. and that transphobia shit. Seriously

This episode is an important cautionary tale though: because I watched it as a teen and didn't know that creators could be *gasp* wrong about things, I assumed they were right and the wga strike failed on it's own merits. It's a dangerous thing to put an idea out there when you know young people are watching and might belivie it. Just saying. IT's worth it if you can do it right.. but you have to or you'll just end up hurting people in the future.

Lucky Strike (Daria) And now we've gone from an episode I used to hate and absolutely love, to an episode I used to like but now hate.. to an episode I loved before and was reminded why I loved it so much.

Fun Fact: This was one of the first episodes of daria I ever saw See I got into the show via finding the first movie and the thing I keep missing the chance ot cover most, Daria: Is it Fall Yet?, which had two bonus episodes that helpfully set up the film and it's sequel Daria: Is it College Yet? that one ALSO had two bonuses, if a bit looser linked. Lucky Strike was one of them.

Why is this important? WHy didn't I just watch the seris in full? Well ti's simple: I couldn't. I didn't know you could find stuff like this online, and the dvds hadn't come out yet. I know because I got the complete series with some of my high school graduation money. I still own it. SO all I had were recaps online and these 4 episodes and 2 films.

And honestly while Lucky Strikes work even better with 4 seasons wroth of build up to it's conclusion.. it was a great early episode to watch on it's own and is one of Daria's best. Hands down. Rewatching it reminded me of so many great jokes.

Loudspeaker: Attention Lawndale Students! Jane: Is that the voice that tells me to kill and kill again? Daria: No. Satan's voice is lower and has a british accent.

The episode itself follows a teachers strike and shows it off really well. IT's probably the best teacher's strike i've seen in a cartoon and most strike episodes are teacher's strikes. It's a high bar. It points out how those in charge can deny a fair proposal.. simply because they don't want to. Ms. Li, the school's principal and money hungry tyrant, tries to bribe the teachers with a new coffee machine instead of a fair 5% raise. What helps the episode is like Mr Burns.. Mrs. Li is portrayred realistically for a company head despite being over the top petty for comedy purposes. If you haven't seen Daria, Mrs. Li is a horribly greedy person whose worried more about avoiding a lawsuit or getting the school, and herself, money than actually FUNDING said school or helping the students. Highlights of her dickery include: Punishing Daria for NOT selling Choclate to a woman who had severe health issues, forcing Mr. DiMartino, lawndales super stressed teacher and as we learn here union rep, to go on a casnio night the school was having despite having a gambling problem and him TELLING her this, selling the school out to a soft drink company, and finally at the top of season 2 censoring Daria and Jane's piece on anorexia then trying to punish them both for breaking in and vandalizing it. I saved that one for last as while ti's one of the earliest.. it also has one of Ms. Li's bigger compuances and one of the series finest moments.

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So the episode both does a good job from context (the coffee machine dosen't even seem that fancY), and from history telling us "yeah she has the money she just won't pay it" just like the AMPTP, and just like them tries to villanize the striking teachers for darring to.. want actual money for having to deal with the kind of students who go to lawndale. It's a fair request. Ms. Li just won't pony up. It also heavily focuses on something the other episodes don't: scabs. South Park has a one off gag about scandivanivans I honestly forgot and simpsons just has smithers and burns do it in an entirely wholesome and hilarous montage. Here we see the scabs effect on the school.. and it isn't really good for the most part. Daria's class gets an elderly woman who calls her Darlene instead because Daria "Sounds like a hippie name" and seems to think she's teaching kindergarten, and is so out of it she FORGETS Darlene isn't daria's actual name when Daria leaves when called on the loud speaker ("I'm going to get daria"). I do love how she calls kevin QB thanks to his catchphrase though. Admitely I was worried this character would grate.. but forgot she's really only in about 2-3 minutes of episode total so she's there JUST long enough to work.

The other teacher... is just plain creepy and pathetic. We have Ken for Quinn's class. Ken is a pedophile. Him trying to groom tiffany is played as a joke. That said.. I do like that it , intetnionally or not, serves as a deconstruction for this kind of character in teen shows like this: in many , as iv'e found out via various retrospectives and watching them with my own eyes in some cases, have the pedophile teacher as a cool guy talking about game stop who woos one of the characters and is treated sympathetically.

Here Ken TRIES to be that.. but the fashion club don't take to it: Sandy is annoyed, Quinn dosen't get what's happening and Tiffany, who he's directly trying to groom.. is Tiffany, so dense no light can get through to her and thankfully no pedophiles. The scene itself is INTENDED to be funny but is just uncomfortable. While ti's mildly played for laughs that just don't work anymore, I can still respect that they throughly treat ken as a creep, treating his pedophila as

The next scene however is comedy gold. The Morgendorfers have dinner and Daria's Mom helen is doing what she tends to do when Quinn talks about her day unless i'ts plot relevant: Just kinda goes mhmmm. What makes the scene work though is as Daria hears the story she gets up... so that by the time we get to "Ken" stroking Tiffany's hair and Helen FINALLY getting the memo that "OH SHIT MY DAUGHTER'S BEING TAUGHT BY A PEDOPHILE AND HER FRIEND COULD BE GROOMED AND ASSAULTED" she ask sfor the phone.. and daria has it at the ready. It's just such a nice visual gag I tried to do it justice but can't. It also just works because Helen.. takes it super seriously and it shows how all too easily a parent can miss the signs of grooming. It also shows how this shit should be handled: the fucker needs to be sacked and Ms. Li does.. then goes further down the moral sewer as she not only clearly only did it for a lawsuit.. but tries to BLAME helen for doing it. "We wouldn't be in this fix if it wern't for your mother" "Yeah. Hire one pedophile and she gets all bent out of shape"

This leads to what the episodes REALLY about and what the strike was really for: Ms. Li asks daria to be a scab teacher for Quinn's class. She refuses at first, as anyone should.. but eventually buckles because it'd make Quinn miserable. She's still sympathetic though: she gives the class her best despite having every reason not to and she's 17 at this point. OF course she'd priortize bugging her sister over striking and it's nice that none of her teachers really seem to hold it against daria. Plus frankly if Daria refused Mrs. Li woul dlikely of found some way to try and railroad her into it anyway. As you heard when Helen evicerated her Daria undeerstandably wanting to withdraw her work was met with a hell no.

The result is pure comedy gold. Helen and Jake don't really object: Helen is happy Quinn now has access to her teacher 24/7 and Jake, my boy and sharer of the name and the stress and anger issues, is happy to have model train time. God bless this trainwreck of a human being. We also get Daria adressing her as "Class" at breakfast just to piss quinn off and threanting to fail her for funsies.

That said Daria DOES take the job seriously.. or as seriously as Daria can at this point in her life. THat is to say we still get even more comic gold with my faviorite being who she refers to Jamie, Joey and Jeffy, three meatheaded jocks who take turns dating quinn and fighting over quinn, as "Jamie, Joey or Jeffy" no matter which one she speaks to. Which

I can't either. I could look it up but they only LOOK diffrent. They don't act diffrent. We also get some nice bits here and there like one of the j's actually impressing her with his interpretation mercutio was into romeo ("Even if your thoguhts on keeping him out of the shower were a little close minded) and figuring out their talking romeo and juliet in the first place because he describes Romeo as a stalker. The real meat character wise though is with Quinn, daria's sister. For those less familiar with the show, from the first episdoe to this point, Quinn has always come up with some excuse for who daria is: her cousin, foreign exchange student, etc. Sandy, her main rival and head of the fashion club, thehir shared clique, saw through it pretty quickly, and tends to hold it over her head when possible without spilling the tea.

Here's where that reaches a breaking point: Sandy wants Quinn to tell Daria to give them all good grades, and as usual implies she'll drop the hammer if she dosen't. Daria naturally. has no intention of doing this when Quinn asks that night. Also Tom her boyfriend is here for a scene. Hi tom. I'll get to you again someday. What's telling though in how far both characters have come.. is how Daria responds "Why are you defendign the stupid quinn, your not one of them?" Quinn assumes she's going to do bad too.. but when talking to Jake, finds she actually knows this stuff.. and the confidence to just try her hardest herself , come what may. While she didn't get the message at first... she realizes Daria ACTAULLY belivies in her. She wouldn't say it directly.. but the setiment is there and it shows how far both have come: Daria can actually compliment her sister easily, if roundaboutly and Quinn has the confidence to try being smart without doing so just for attention.

So naturally Sandy fails, and Quinn finally admits Daria is her sister. And what happens with her other friends, the aformentioned Tiffany and Stacey, who gets a LOT of development this season but is weridly out of focus this episode and I should probably do a special on at some point in herself.. take it fine. They also saw though it and were just being polite to Quinn, who clearly didn't WANT to admit Daria was her sister and Sandy, who they assumed didn't know. It's a perfect payoff to the series biggest running gag and a nice moment of character growth.

As for the actual strike stuff we're here for what's neat is that it isn't just.. thrown away. It becomes the b-plot once Daria becomes a teacher, halfway in no less... but it's not forgotten: We get some fun bits with Jane and Trent, jane's slacker brother as Trent gets asked by cheery sunshiny mr. o'neil to help make a protest song, while Jane gets roped by the art teacher (and the only teacher she reallly likes and who supports her) int ohelping with signs (And has "the scab) sign her a note to get out of class. ).

The main attraction here though is Mr. Demartino. I mean it usually is, he's the best, but after apparently botching the last time they struck, he refuses to give up when the teachers get worn down a bit and spends an ENTIRE NIGHT negotating and not backing down. The best bit is easily:

Ms. Li: Don't think you can intimiate��intermolate—don't think you can scare me with your threat to picket naked!

Mr. DeMartino: You think I'm bluffing?! This is Goodwill polyester I've been sweating in all night. I want to picket naked!

Ms. Li: All right! A two percent raise and a space heater for the teacher's lounge.

Mr. DeMartino: (tugs on collar) Boy! It's getting hot in here!

That last line lives rent free in my head. The delivery is so good. And... Mr. D gets a RARE victory. I mean he still has his shitty job but he actually WINS the strike and gets ms li to sign in her delrium. Granted his confidence boost dies the moment he has to teach kevin again but still it's a nice little victory for a guy who life is determined to kick in the crotch till he has an ulcer and dies.

Lucky Strike is excellent: if you haven't watched daria it's a good episode to try it out and if you have it' sworth a rewatch. It's hilarious, gets striking down well, and has a lot of great character stuff. As I said one of the series best.

Blue Collar Scrooge (Ducktales0 This one came late in the process as we WERE going to do Squid on Strike.. but remembering this existed, it fit the themes of this strike better and was another half hour show so we went with it. It's also the only episode in this special I hadn't seen before.. and while I'm the one who brought it up.. I was also dreading it

See this episode centers around amnesia and i'm not a fan of amnesia episodes most of the time: they usually go thorugh the same beats of the person acting diffrent, being diffrent and ocsasionaly being tricked into thinknig their completely diffrent. It just gets old after a while. There are exceptions, such as bloom county's take on it

Usually though I hate these kinds of episodes.. so it was an utterly plesant suprise to see Ducktales 87, a show I've mostly thoguht of as "okay"... do a REALLY intresting take on it that also handles the plight of the working person with tact for the most part.

What makes it truly work.. is rooting it in character: Scrooge is doing his usual thing making a suprise interaction on his skateboard factory

And I love the joke of his employees just.. humoring him as they alwasy know when it's happening. This episode is REALLY funny and it's something that suprised me as outside of .. a certain moment

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I never think of DuckTales 87 of being a paticuarlly funny show but this episode man. Lots of nice gags. The owner gives the boys one on the house which they sneak back after Scrooge says "they have enough toys". And somehow he's STILL the better guardian than donald

God I missed these ducks. Anyways Scrooge gets conked on the head with it a ways from home and ends up with Amensia. And weirdly.. it's not even as much of a stretch as it should be that no one finds him and he goes unoticed. Scrooge dosen't have his top hat, cane, pocket full of miracles or nifty specs. He just has his coat, and thus looks like any other old man and thanks to his amensia defaults to alan young's regular voice. Also alan young is southeren apparently

Yup. And we get some actually good amnesia gags: Scrooge calling his usual accent silly, having no luck with money and in a bit that's both kind of funny but also sad looking for himeslf on milk cartons.. and getting thrown out because the guy thinks he's teling a joke despite having been dead serious.

Anyways he finds his way to fenton's mom's garbage. Fenton.. dosen't go home because he's looking for scrooge. Okay that one's a bit more of a leap in logic as you think he'd at least go home to tell his mom he wont' be or call, but hey everything else checks out: scrooge is lost in a big city without anything ot idefnity him other than his neat sideburns. It stands to reason that unless the nephews, mrs. b, Fenton or Webby if she was in this episode saw him face to face, it woudln't be that easy for someone else to and as Fenton later poitns out they can't exactly tell the police or anyone who'd wrap this up as it could sink his buisnesses till he's found. And given how this episode ephasies he owns most of Duckburg that's a LOT of people who end up out of a job.

Anyways she's worried at first because EWWWW HOMELESS.. god the 90's were shitty to homeless people. and the 2000's. and the 2010's and present day. At least media is nicer? A little? Anyways, he compliments her dinner and we get another great bit as she makes sure he's single and asks if he has a pulse.. and him checking it is just great. It'd be the best pulse checking joke of all time if this didn't exist

And is it mildly creepy Fenton's mom is hitting on any avaliable man? Yes. Is Fenton's mom the best character here? No. Is it mildly classit to use tv dinners as a symbol of the working class. A little.

But weirdly.. their romance works fo rme. Scrooge with his amnesia is sweet to her and Mrs. C , while clearly into him because again he has a pulse, geninley tries to help, is touched when he later uses his days wages to take her out for dinner as thanks, and helps him when he has a hard day working at the skate board factory as he can only remember skateboards and his boss just.. takes the guy in because why not. It shows how some workplaces will just take every body they can get..a nd then abuse them as lunch break is literally just a minute. Which if employers coudl do that they would. It's why we need strikes and unions.. as this special has shown if an employer CAN get away with something they will. Scrooge plans to sell his factory, putting everyone in it out of work for a profit before his skateboard to the head. and to Mr. Trumpcard. I mean if you can sell your workplace to trump you truly are without a soul.

Scrooge's does show as this scrooge. .is an intresting what if: He's Scrooge if he never got his big break with the goose egg nugget. He has all the work ethic, gumption and desire for money as the regular scrooge but without the greed, cynisim and selfishness he picked up along the way. He's a kinder gentler scrooge whose happy to splurge on a pizza to make someone who was nice to him happy and who ends up leading a strike at work after Scrooge's own secretary leaks the sale to the one at the skateboard plant. He's got the fire, as he ironically grows to hate himself even before the strike, it's just better directed without any prodding or a loved one in danger.

This gets the attention of ... Fenton who dresses up as scrooge to keep the deal going and then has to go attend to the factory and get sso lost in the role he thinks he IS scrooge leading to a hilarious and engaging showdown.. and Scrooge getting his momeroy back and stealing his clothes off fenton

What I like though is the symbolism here> It's about as subtle as a brick, but it works: Scrooge literallys ees himself an dhow he was acting... and through his amensia learned what it was like. They never overly focus on that last part and that's why it works: thorugh his time not knowing who he was, Scrooge got in touch with his routes and stopped being AS corrupt an asshole. It's a true problem in labor disputes: the people at the top lack emptathy and just want money, and it was easy to put scrooge and someone who thought he was scrooge breifly in the villian roll as those are two of his biggest flaws. Even once he snaps out of it he has to be glarred into giving them a dollar an hour raise.

He dosen't even abandon Mrs. Crackshell which is nice. She assumes he will.. but he still has his soaps and the two walk off together. Does this go anywhere? No. But should it if the show comes back. And do I want to think about this relationship beyond how cute it is because it'll lead me to some very dark and horrifying places? NOPE.

Bluecollar Scrooge restored my faith in 87 ducktales after the mini series burned me out on it. It's funny, has a good message, is well animated and while a bit of a stretch, it's just far enough to work without being frustrating. So all in all a good crop of episodes and one dud. Not bad at all. Support the strikers, fuck the AMPTP and thanks for reading.

PS: I almost didn't metnion the greatest scene in comedy history. Behold.

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#wga strike #sag strike #the simpsons #south park #daria #ducktales #homer simpsons #scrooge mcduck #terrance and phillip #Youtube

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lastfrontierheli22 · 2 years ago

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#skiing

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compuease · 2 years ago

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#professional skills training

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wheeloffortune-design · 2 years ago

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Now that the other anon mentioned generational wealth, I want to talk about my parents.

I was born on this street. Well, near this but the google car didn't fit so we don't have pictures.

The yellow house to the right is my cousin's. She just spent the summer here because my family now could afford to fly her over and house her for three months. The blue house is her brother's, they built it in their front yard when he reached adulthood.

So, I was born during a dictature, because the americans fucked up the government and economy of my country. And then an earthquake threw our house to the ground. So, it was during the months they lived in tents, with their 1 year old child sick and probably dying because I've always been a drama queen, that my parents decided to move to Canada.

What people don't really realize when they talk about immigrants, is the incredibly hard choice they had to make. They leave their country, culture, history, family, language, friends, *everything* behind. Sometimes you can only bring a suitcase of your past. I still have my first onesie, I consider myself lucky. It's pink. I have no family heirloom passed to me. Sometimes I read stories where kids discover their parent's teenage possessions and I wonder what it must be like.

Imagine what it would take you to leave your home.

We were lucky, in a way. Half of my mother's family had already immigrated, the other half would follow in the following years. We had loved ones waiting for us. I was lucky to grow up with my cousins.

Here is a quick montage of the places I lived in.

(missing, my current apartment.)

My parents, like any other immigrant parents, had to do hard, physical labor to get by. My dad spent 13 years washing industrial dishes. My mom did everything, from cleaning to serving to installing computer cables to working in factories. They studied, got certifications in informatics, printing, house selling. Computers evolve, housing crashes happen, and the small advantage you gained in life is lost again. You sold the land in the home country because, after 20 years, you accept that you won't be back. You bought a house with it! Shit happens, you have to sell that house too. You still have nothing to leave to your children. Back to the factories, freezers and raising other people's kids.

They raised us. We never went hungry, or cold, we never even noticed the economically stressful times. We had toys, books, a sega genesis. We went to good schools, participated in every activity, had hobbies, friends, drama classes and speech therapists.

We graduated high school, and then college, all three of us. We were allowed and encouraged to pursue our creativity, because apparently art was a dormant gene in our family tree. The parents have no idea how they managed to make 3 artists, but they're very proud.

"You can draw, if you want," said my mother when I had to pick a career. "But find a way to put food on table."

We had the opportunity to follow our dreams. But an immigrant never forgets.

I had to pay my higher education, and everything that came with it. Here is a small montage of the places I worked at since I was 16.

(i'm missing 2 other bookstores and all the freelance work and the one good job that came out of this, that I'm keeping forever.)

We landed here 36 years ago, on the coldest day of the winter. -40°C and they got out of the plane in light jackets, because in a new country even the weather is incomprehensible.

We, their children, are adults now. We live on our own, work hard, we pursue our dreams on our personal time because you need to put bread on the table, first. We never went hungry, cold, we always had the best education.

My parents are retiring soon. My dad wants to write. My mom wants to travel. They've married new people who make them happy, immigrants too. But my stepdad and my stepmom immigrated for love. It's still hard. They miss their adult kids, back in home country. We try to compensate.

My dad writes nostalgic poetry and science-fiction epics, my mom snowboards and kitesurfs. They have peaceful, stable lives, in nice homes, with cool hobbies. Their children also live peaceful, stable lives in nice homes, with cool hobbies.

My parents will retire soon, and will finally be able to rest.

These are the things I inherited from them: I never went hungry, I never was cold, I never was alone. My generational wealth is every single plate they washed, every single table they wiped, with their own hands. It's the incredible effort they made into learning two new language so they could help us in school. It's every outing, every trip, every vacation, every birthday, every happy occasion they managed to give us. It's the knowledge that I am loved and they have my back.

People immigrate to give a better life to their children. They did.

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rainbowsky · 2 years ago

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Hai 👋

This ask is nothing related to GGDD its rather personal. So i recently discovered my self as bi and im 23. It was terrifying to be honest cause im pretty sure that im straight. and suddenly felt attracted towards a girl, but it felt great to accept this new side of me. And i come out to my family and friends which surprisingly went well. But i don't how my colleagues know about it or who told them. At frist they act like they didn't know anything but eventually they started make fun of me. Even said to one of my male colleague that he should make his girlfriend stay away from me and they dismissed it as a joke. Some of female colleague stoped talking to me. They always find a way indirectly make fun of me. I love my job really but its getting hard for me to be in my workplace and its getting stressful day by day. I don't want to worry my family they have enough on their plate right now. My friends suggest me to quit job. I don't know what to do.. So can you please give some tips to how to handle the situation? Sorry for this long ask but please consider this to answer🙏.

Thank you

Ugh, Anon. That sounds so hard. Big hugs to you. 🫂

First and foremost, congratulations to you for having the courage to come out and to live your truth. I know how hard that can be. 💖

I totally understand your decision not to share your workplace issues with your parents. Sometimes the discrimination we face can actually end up being used as an excuse to further discriminate against us. Some less enlightened family members are fine with us being queer until they perceive the ways in which our lives are made more difficult by being queer, and then they start questioning whether "it's really so necessary to put yourself through all that."

Since you're bisexual, this could lead to your parents encouraging you to seek opposite sex partners and avoid same-sex partners.

It's great when we can have the support of family during times like this, but unfortunately that support isn't always forthcoming, and the worst time to find that out is when you're already in a sort of crisis situation. It can push people over the edge, so please take care of your emotional/mental health by not putting more pressure on the situation than is completely necessary.

As for the workplace situation, it's really difficult to give a solid answer on how best to approach things, because I don't know what region you are in and a lot depends on the labor laws and professional norms/culture where you live.

If this was my region, the solution would be obvious. Your employer would have a legal obligation to ensure you are not being harassed or discriminated against in the workplace based on your sexual orientation. Anyone engaging in that behavior would be in hot water.

But I know not everywhere is as progressive as Canada, and there are regions in the world that provide no legal protection for people who are targeted based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, religion, etc.

So my first advice would be to research the laws and regulations in your region and in your workplace (many workplaces have policies on this type of thing, some do not). And I would advise that everyone does this, wherever they live and whether they are queer or straight. In the immortal words of Joe Strummer: "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!"

If you are in a region and/or workplace that has policies against this behavior, you have the option to avail yourself of those policies and laws. This isn't always a simple, happy solution though. Just because a workplace or region has policies, it doesn't mean the people on the ground are competent with managing and enforcing them (or are even in agreement with them). YMMV based on who is in charge of these things.

You might push the issue and find the behavior stops, but that you are treated like an outsider anyway. However, you might find that taking action empowers you and gives you strength, and it could result in growth and change in the people around you. It's a bit of a roll of the dice.

Whether or not you are in a region where your rights are protected, I think the most important first step to take is to find an ally, preferably more than one. There is strength in numbers. You might find it very helpful to reach out to people who can help and support you:

A close friend who supports your sexuality and who you feel you can trust not to share your story without your consent.

Someone within your work organization who you trust, ideally someone who has more power/authority than you.

Someone within a LGBT organization in your region who understands the culture and laws in your area who can help you navigate this issue and provide you moral support as well.

If you are in a union, it would probably be wise to speak to your union rep. about your contractual rights.

If you have a therapist or counselor you can speak with, do so. If not, perhaps consider finding one, even just for a while.

Work together with people you trust to come up with a plan of action - whether that action is to lodge a complaint or to simply leave that company and find a new job - and lean on them for support as needed. When you are in crisis, it's best to build on and make use of a solid support system.

Whatever you decide, make sure you are well supported for whatever comes out of it.

It could be that leaving is your best option (if I was your friend I might be advising it too). If you decide to go that route, don't do so suddenly even if that's tempting, unless you really feel you can't take it anymore. It would probably be best to give yourself space to maintain your financial situation while you look for a new opportunity.

And if you do end up looking for a new job, it would probably be a good idea to take a measure of the culture there before considering coming out. You might also want to research their policies and culture before even taking a position there.

Good luck, Anon. I really hope it all works out for you, and I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with something like this. 💖

No matter what happens, know that you have my support and the support of the queer community in general, so if you need to talk or find yourself struggling, please reach out. And if you have any further questions, please feel free to write back or contact me privately.

EDIT: One thing you could try is to talk directly with the people who are harassing you - particularly anyone who might be a ringleader or have the social power to stand against the ringleader (if your allies feel it's something that might work).

Building bridges can often be much more rewarding that fortifying walls. People find it easier to be horrible to you when they can dehumanize you. If they see you as a person - maybe even as a friend - that might turn things around. They might even become an ally in the workplace who can help turn others around as well.

it might be worth a try if you're considering leaving anyway.

#personal #lgbtpride #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex!#ask

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opinated-user · 2 years ago

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lily raises money for mikaila to go to canada on stream but a day later buys a new desk... hmmmmmm...

i was doubting about making a post about this myself because it seemed a stretch but... i have to admit that i'm concerned about how LO didn't clarify for what exactly the money she was raising was going to be used for. "immigration" could mean a variety of things, from sponsoring, lawyer fees or the plain passport to some sort of specific paperwork for these situations. whenever it comes to asking money to strangers online you should be as transparent as possible. maybe she explained it during the stream, which is why i'm not throwing any accusations yet, but i couldn't find anything of the sort on her blog and now suddenly she has a brand new desk? if someone who has on the stream could confirm if LO did specified what was the money for i'd greatly appreciated it. lastly, i just want to say that hypothetically if LO lied about the money she'd need for MO's immigration fees and used some portion of it for a new desk... that'd be so unnecesarily disgusting because if she needed the money for a new desk, she could have just asked and i'm sure her fans would have been more than happy to help. youtubers and streamers asks donations for better equipment all the time, and they pay their audience back by making better content for them to enjoy. as long there's complete transparency then there shouldn't be any issue at all. of course there's also another side to all of this: maybe LO used her own money to buy the desk and expected her audience to pay for MO's immigration fees just so she wouldn't have to do it herself. making it clear that getting her wife to live permanently with her wasn't as much of a priority as getting another desk. i'm afraid both possibilities are equally as possible knowing how stingy LO can be with money, as evidence by the low amount she pays MO for her labor.

#lily orchard

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mimiatmidnight · 4 years ago

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What’s your top 5 Harry and Meghan moments

EXCELLENT question.

Please note that I am notoriously terrible about picking my favorite ANYTHING (books, fashion, movies, colors, this will be a problem no matter WHAT you ask me) so I tried not to think too hard about these choices, but they could definitely change around in the future! Oh and also, I was VERY loose about interpreting the word “five” lmao. Anyways, please enjoy below the cut because I have no self control.

BEHOLD, MY MAGNUM OPUS:

5. I’m on a boat, motherfucker

His hand on her thigh is so unexpected and brazen and I just love how they look so casual, like “yeah this is how we just sit together at home, actually.” And anyways boats are just inherently romantic. If we are on a boat together and we both look out at the sea at the same time and our hands kind of rest near each other on the rails as we listen to the waves together, you are legally obligated to kiss me idc I don’t make the rules.

Bonus boat content: I’m sorry I couldn’t find a gif for this but Harry PULLING AN ENTIRE BOAT WITH ONE HAND so his little wife didn’t have to step too far to get back on the pier. HELLO?????

4. The couple that stunts together, stays together

I’m sorry if this is shallow but they are honestly just two very beautiful looking people and they can’t help it if the camera literally worships at their feet.

The colors in this one are gorgeous and she looks like a freaking goddess, but what takes the cake is when you look at it from this other angle and he looks like he’s so in love with her it’s actually about to make him cry.

Ayo, how the FUCK are they this hot? (This doorway photo is probably my second favorite photo of them of all time. Keep reading for #1)

MOUNTBATTEN. MUSIC. FESTICAL. JAW. ON. THE FLOOR.

This was also the night we got the sob-worthy hand squeezing as the Captain General of the Royal Marines and his matching Mrs. stood together to bask in the Royal Albert Hall’s standing ovation for the last time (a profound, earth-stilling moment that I could not find a gif of). The way they support and lean on each other . . . [Britney Spears “yeah 😭😭😭” gif]

And I mean, how could I not include this, the single most iconic photo of all time. I said it at the time and I’ll say it again, you CANNOT buy this kind of magnetism. This charisma. This star power. You are BORN with it. The weight of the metaphor of this photo ALONE is enough to write history books about, but the fact that they look so stunning and in love while doing it? I could not have engineered this moment better. No one could. That’s the point.

3. “You can’t tell Prince Harry nothing these days”

This man is so happy he literally bounces. He earned a win in his match, a kiss from his wife, and on his way home to go make a baby. Smh. May we all one day be as sheerly and deliriously happy as this dork.

Speaking of which, what 1950′s classic Hollywood romantic movie is this???

Bonus Bouncing Harry content: landing in Canada to reunite with his wife and baby and literally skipping off the plane. Like ok H how about leaving some ecstatic joy for the rest of us?

2. Harry, Holder of Hands

There are SO many cute moments of the various ways Harry can concoct to hold on to Meghan, particularly her hands. But nothing will ever beat this one for me. So gentle and soft and delicate and adoring and like . . . worshipful? Like he just handles her as if she is the most precious thing in the world and urrgghhhhhh that sound you hear is me melting into a puddle.

Bonus hand holding content: SPEAKING OF UNBEARABLE TENDERNESS

I love this one cause he’s like “hey, gimme :( ” and then she does and he just goes “ :) “ Like holding her hand is all it takes to make him do that big goofy grin. Ugh.

Double bonus: when one hand simply is not enough.

1. Harold, there are people watching

An extremely incomplete collection of WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE HE WANTS TO EAT HER

Ok maybe he didn’t know there were people watching for this one but still

In this SA one he literally looks like he’s thinking “aight man calm down, we’re in public”

And here we are, my absolute favorite photo of them of all time. The umbrella and the rain are so romantic, yes, but THE EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE???????? SHOULD BE ILLEGAL

Bonus edition: Harold, there are people your GRANDMOTHER is watching

What was I supposed to do with this information?

WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO??????

And also just because now I’m thinking about the wedding:

You got my favorite photo of them of all time, now get ready for my favorite video of them of all time. The way she peaks at him, he jumps to meet her gaze but she looks away in shyness, so he looks away with a smirk, and then finally they turn to each other at the same time and BAM. MAGIC.

∞. And finally, just because I had nowhere else to put it

The absolute sweetest prince and princess there ever was. They really make me wanna cry.

WHEW. So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did making it! It took me FOREVER because I was SCOURING every corner of the internet to make sure I didn’t leave anything important out, and then I had to make all of the gifs myself (because of Tumblr’s stupid fucking Inbox editor) which I have never done before 🥵 But it was entirely a labor of love (and a trip down memory lane)! I had butterflies in my stomach and was giggling with giddiness the entire time. Thank you again for this wonderful question and giving me an excuse to just bask in the breathtaking glory that is Harry and Meghan for a few hours.

💕

#meghan markle #prince harry #british royal family #royal fandom #harry and meghan #sussex sweethearts #heart eyes motherfucker #me: I'm not gonna think too hard about this #also me: FOUR AND A HALF HOURS LATER #panting #I HAVE I GOT IT ALL??#OH GOD WHAT IF I'M MISSING SOMETHING #l had to restrain myself from going further'#my poor anon lmao #and I may or may not have been ignoring my EXTREMELY PRESSING school work to make this post #100% worth it though #this was SO fun #finals schminals am I right??#h & m

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thesmokingguns · 3 years ago

Text

A Dream Come True

Warnings: Slight language, mention of infertility issues

Song by Elton John

First part of my A-Z one shots I’ll be writing. I changed this idea about ten times and ended up writing pure fluff. I think the A-Z is going to have Motley Crue and GNR members and have eveyrthing from fluff to smut. I’m hoping to post one a week.

I can hear your heart

Pounding in my ear

Now I feel the sound

And the time is near

I feel the taste

Of all the things you do

Now the time has come

I know you're a dream come true

I thought it had been a joke when you had said you wanted to get me pregnant. To see me swollen with your baby. I figured it was something that you were saying to me when you were horny and wanted to ease me into letting you cum inside me.

But then I noticed how you would stare at me when I was playing with Vince’s kids. You’d watch me run around with them, kiss scapes, feed the baby a bottle, or when I would walk around with a kid on my hip hour eyes would flash with something I didn’t understand.

Want.

I never realized how much you wanted a family until you got the idea lodged into your head. You became obsessed with putting a baby in me.

It was the second week in your plan when I realized my birth control pills had gone missing. I tore the house apart and felt slightly crazy when it didn't turn up. It was an easy enough fix to call the doctor and get a new prescription but when I came in holding the brown pharmacy bag you were so angry.

That’s when I realized you were serious about putting a baby in me.

We had been together for seven years, Married for five of them. But I was still surprised you were willing to share me with kids. I had thought maybe when we were in our 40s there might be a couple dogs but never children.

I was overwhelmed and slept at my mothers house thag night to think about it.

Maybe it wasn’t about you wanting to share me but more about me wondering if I could share you anymore. There was already the band taking up so much time and when you weren’t with the band you seemed to still be doing something with music. I was needy and needed your attention too.

Could I really share you with little carbon copies of you?

Could there be anything cuter than mini little Nikki’s running around?

When I woke up the next morning to the revving of a motorcycle outside I knew we were both on the same page now. I held onto you as we made our way home and started the next chapter of our life.

You make me so complete

With the things you do

And the music's sweet

You make me feel brand new

I hear the sound

Songs start coming through

Somehow I know

That you're a dream come true

I was only 24 when we decided to have a baby, so I thought getting pregnant would be easy. And then I turned 25 and it still wasn’t happening.

I felt like I was disappointing you.

You never asked me for anything and now the one thing you wanted I couldn’t give you. I was getting myself into this deep darkness, stacking my worth into my reproduction.

The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong, which made it worse because no one could help.

And then one morning I woke up and felt different. It was like my body was going through a growth spurt. I ached in weird places. It was like someone punched my right in the boobs.

You were doing a couple shows in Canada but would be home that weekend so I didn’t want to call the hotel and complain about how shitty I felt.

I spent the whole day in bed watching shitty Soap Operas and drinking water and peanut butter, the only things that didn't make my stomach lurch.

When I woke up the next morning feeling nauseous and sore I called the doctor. All I needed was to get the flu and then get you sick. You were such a big baby when you had the slightest cold.

I sat in the cold doctors room, on the table. I needed to call you. I had missed your call last night because I had fallen asleep early. When I called the hotel this morning you were already out. My mind was too busy thinking of you when the doctor came in and told me what was wrong.

I was pregnant.

Six weeks. For six weeks I had been carrying your baby and I didn’t know.

The doctor said it would be a great weekend to tell you. It was going to be Father’s Day.

My heart was pumping as I went home. My hand on my stomach as I held my baby. Rubbing the flat area that would soon be a bump.

It was a Friday and you’d be flying in tomorrow afternoon. How was I supposed to keep this a secret? It was everything we wanted. But I knew that I wanted to make it special for you.

You had been so patient in this and now it was finally happening.

It takes my breath

When it sounds that way

Seems like you

Chase the clouds away

And I feel so good

Each and every day

And life is good

Each and every way

Sunday morning I woke up wrapped up in you. Our limbs entwined as you held me close. I didn’t want to get up but I knew I had to.

I got up and groaned. Watching the way you sat up concerned, asking if I was okay.

I told you I was still feeling a little sick. I had filled you in on all the information about how I was sick and not feeling well. I even told you about the doctor's visit. Which leads to now.

I left the room pretending to call the doctor. Even though I had paid a ton of money to get them to be open on Sunday for your surprise. When I came back to the bedroom you were on the edge of the bed, eyes looking at me with nervousness as I told you I needed to go to the doctor.

Of course you agreed to go with me. Holding my hand on the drive and even coming into the room with me.

The doctor said he wanted to do an ultrasound just to check on what was going on in my stomach.

And that’s when the loud booming of a heartbeat filled the room.

Your eyes went from my face to the screen where our little bean was making all that noise, just like their daddy.

Your hand squeezed mine as you realized what you were looking at. I swear your eyes teared up and my heart was beating a million miles a minute. Your free hand slid up onto my stomach as you held our baby.

Our baby, Nikki.

Now I feel the beat

Of the dancing drums

And now I know we're

Gonna have some fun

Now the time stands still

And the blues are through

And now I know

What I'm gonna do

Nine months.

It was nine months of you being practically glued to my side. Every ultrasound, all the pregnancy yoga, the million pictures you wanted to take of me, pulling me out of bed when I was so round I couldn’t even sit up alone.

Every step of the way, we were in it together.

Except now. You had to go to a show tonight before taking a couple months off. You wanted me to go but the idea of people seeing me look like a blimp wasn’t exactly my idea of a good night. Going to get a strawberry milkshake was exactly how I wanted to spend my night.

I was just pulling out of the drive through, sipping the ice cream and it happened.

The warm water slid down my thighs, over the leather seats of your Porsche. You were going to love getting the car cleaned after this.

Usually I would panic in these situations but I had been having the small fluttering contractions for weeks. Plus we had taken that birth class together where we learned about how long labor actually takes.

Did it feel great to start labor well driving your Porsche to the show to go get you? No. BUt my mind was so focused on getting to you I was sure that I could I’d make it.

Ten minutes to the venue, Three minutes to rock back and forth to propel myself out of the car, Five minutes to clean myself up and throw on your red leather jacket over the tight black dress I was wearing with my converses, Nine minutes to make it backstage.

My hand was on my back trying to count the time between the contractions which were feeling more intense than I expected. I could see the side stage that I would need to waddle over to but it might as well have been ten miles away.

The opening chords to Use it or Lose it started to play, making me smile. It was one of my favorite songs. Someone helped me over to the side of the stage and I watched Nikki spinning around.

You looked so happy as you slammed on your bass, running around the stage and leaning out to the fans. As much as I wanted to have someone run on stage and let you know your wife was in labor I wanted this moment.

This was your last show before you became a dad and I wanted you to have the moment without worrying about me.

I pushed out of the chair making my way to the payphone and calling the doctor's office to let them know that I was in labor and I’d be heading to the hospital in about a half hour. As I hung up another tight, sharp pain ripped through me. My hand gripped the edge of the phone.

Hang on, Baby Sixx. We’re going to meet you soon.

You bounced towards me, your big smile on your face until you realized the grimace I was giving you and the realization of what was going on hit you.

I don’t know how we made it to the hospital without flipping the car or getting a speeding ticket but you were helping me in the front door fifteen minutes after leaving the show.

It was 1:53AM when he was born. Jackson James Sixx. 8 lbs 1oz, 22 in long.

Holding your son for the first time was one of the best things I’ve ever seen. He was so little in your arms but the love between you was so big. The way you crawled into bed, wrapping yourself around us. It was the three of us together now.

And it was everything I wanted and more.

And I feel so good

Each and every way

And life is good

Each and every day

#Nikki Fucking Sixx #Nikki Sixx #Nikki Sixx headcanon #Nikki Sixx Imagine #Nikki Sixx Fanfic #Nikki Sixx writing #a-z writing

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kj-1130 · 4 years ago

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HIRAETH

Chapter 6

Main Masterlist

At 19, Christine never expected to be where she currently was. Instead of spending her time at college parties or planning out her marriage (something her parents wished for her to do), she was attempting to run away.

She just wanted to do her own thing. She was tired of trying to fit everyone’s standard of who they wanted her to be. She was tired of considering everyone’s thoughts and feelings and opinions except her own.

Christine was just utterly exhausted.

There was only so much more she could take until she snapped.

At age 21, Christine began to make a name for herself.

At first, it was making street medicine. When people caught wind of what she was doing, many were crawling towards her, desperate to do her bidding and help themselves grow as well.

It was where she first started really. One person suggested the idea of making it a small gang and everything just seemed to grow from there.

The gang developed from street deals into the very beginnings of a whole cartel within just a year. With that ‘pre-cartel’ brought a lot of enemies and people who were envious of Christine’s success.

She doesn’t think she’ll ever forget how her first taste of revenge felt.

On October 31, 1996, someone thought it would be a good idea to try and sabotage her. Christine had been sabotaged one too many times whether that be self-sabotage or by a member of her previous community.

The fact that they thought they could trick her--that they thought she was so foolish. It made her angry. Absolutely livid.

The woman watched as her henchmen dragged in the scum by the shoulders and dropped him on the floor. She watched them kick him in his ribs. She heard each satisfying pop of his bones.

She watched as her right-hand men forced him to stand. And then, she watched him slit his throat with a kitchen knife.

Christine remembered tilting her head, watching the man bleed out. Then, she grinned.

Watching him suffer made her happy. What a great birthday that was.

It was December 31, 1998.

Christine had thrown a party for the New Year. Her place was filled to the brim with high-up partners and clients. Strobe lights flashed and the floor vibrated with the bass of the music.

She had just pushed one of her wing-women against the wall, nipping at her neck. It wasn’t uncommon for her and Adeen to mess around every once in a while. It was a great stress reliever in their opinion.

At the entrance, two bulky men stalked in, looking as if they were hunting for their next meal.

They searched the dance floor, trying to avoid the sweaty bodies and sky-high patrons who could barely stand on their two feet.

Just as Christine was placing her lips on the woman in front her, a tap reached her shoulder. The leader dropped her head down with a sigh, before turning around to face the men with an annoyed look.

“What?”

“We need you to come with us.”

After a moment’s consideration, she turned back around towards Adeen and tapped her cheek. She gestured towards her henchmen and leaned towards her ear.

“You know what to do,” Christine whispered.

Her wing-woman nodded in response and walked off, but not before giving the two men that interrupted their time together a dirty look.

The leader waltzed off of the floor and headed towards her private office without so much as a glance.

“What can I do for you, boys?”

“Bogomolov has a proposition.”

November, 2000

Christine watched as the other scientists strapped down the young boy to the metal slab they called a table.

The woman couldn’t care less about his little screams of terror or the thrashing of his limbs. She just hoped they wouldn’t have to sedate him because she had other ‘projects’ of hers that needed to be tested and not enough time in the day.

“What number is this?”

A gravelly voice spoke.

The scientist looked to her right and connected gazes with a tall man that had a dark and mysterious demeanour.

She looked back down at her tablet after assessing him with her eyes.

“I don’t care about who it is. I just need him to sit still so I can see if this stuff works or not.”

The man whistled lowly and raised his eyebrows in response.

“Feisty,” he muttered.

Dropping her arms to her side, Christine looked up at the stranger with an annoyed look on her face that she didn’t even bother trying to hide.

“I’m sorry. Did you need something?”

“Nah,” he said, shaking his head with a small smirk. “Just wanted to meet my new lab partner.”

“Excuse me, new what?”

January, 2003

If there was one thing Christine hated, it was James. They had been working together for almost three years now and she still couldn’t stand his cocky little attitude.

They had just been called Bogomolov’s office and walked on opposite sides of the hallway to get there (well more so Christine than James. He just found it all amusing.).

When the two arrived they were greeted with the older man and files.

“You two have an undercover mission.”

“Ah,” Christine interrupted. “I don’t do missions, especially not with him.”

“I wasn’t asking,” Dima responded, raising an eyebrow as if challenging her. The woman huffed and flopped back into her seat.

“As I was saying, I need you two to grab some intel for me.”

“May I ask where?”

The old gentlemen turned towards James with a blank face.

“Alaska.”

James looked at him in confusion.

“Now stop interrupting me. You’re going undercover as a couple. A party in Canada.”

“That’s quite vague,” Christine mumbled.

“You leave tomorrow.”

The two stood and made their way to the exit, one with a frown on their face, the other with a giddy smirk.

“Oh cheer up, princess. You get to spend some one-on-one time with me!”

“Yeah, that’s the part I’m dreading.”

February, 2003

She hated James. Hated him more than anything on the planet at the moment.

How dare he let her sleep with him while they were both drunk. I mean, yeah it was good but that doesn't mean she necessarily wished for it to happen!

Storming down the hall, Christine banged on his bedroom door. After a couple of seconds, the door swung open and the woman barged in.

“If I end up pregnant, it is all your fault!”

“Woah, woah, woah,” James exclaimed with his hands raised in mock surrender. “Cool it, princess.”

Deeply annoyed, Christine took in a deep breath to contain the urge to knock out his stupid, perfectly straight teeth.

“Wh-why did we do that?”

“Well you were all up over me, mama,” James said with a cocky grin. “I was just following your orders.”

The woman opened her mouth to reply but instead was fighting the urge to gag.

“I am too nauseated to continue this right now.”

Christine made her way to the man’s bathroom and hunched over the toilet.

“Fuck you, James!”

December 22, 2003

Christine screamed in agony as she was told to push another time.

“I’m going to chop your testicles off!”

“I’m sorry! What do you want me to do?”

“Just hold my hand.”

James held out the appendage and winced as the woman in labor latched onto it with a death grip.

It was five grueling hours that Christine had been in labor and she had only recently started pushing.

It was another hour until the woman held her baby for the first time.

As the newborn drifted off to sleep, the scientist looked up at James with a small smirk on her face.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?”

With an identical expression, the man locked eyes with her.

“You know I am.”

“So she was born into HYDRA,” Sam started. “That means there most likely won’t be many records of her existence.”

“Poor girl never stood a chance,” Natasha muttered, flipping through the few notes they were able to retrieve. “Says here, they were attempting to create connections with the deceased.”

“With everything we’ve experienced, I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way,” Wanda stated, slumping back in her spot.

As everyone continued to look through box after box, Bucky sat in his seat trying to remember.

A lot of it was fuzzy, but thankfully there were a few breakthroughs.

He remembered hearing Karima and whoever W1498 was, having many conversations together. He remembered the countless times one tried to take the punishment for the other.

But the most prominent thing was when they talked about the voices.

Bucky can still faintly hear the whispers of Karima saying, ‘the voices are so loud,’ or ‘can you keep it quiet, Zee?’

“W-we never talked about why she was doing this,” he spoke up.

“Didn’t you say you were pretty sure these were revenge killings?”

Steve asked.

“Buck’s got a point,” Sam spoke. “I mean, if it was revenge, wouldn’t she have been at least a good halfway through the staff by now?”

They all sat back and thought.

“You did say she was talking to this ‘Zee’ person when she said she wanted to make them hurt like they hurt them, right?” Natasha asked.

“Yeah but we can’t ignore the part where she said it felt like her heart stopped,” the former winter soldier spoke.

“My thing is,” the red-head started. “Is that if these were revenge killings, why would she go after W1498’s handler? They probably rarely made any contact.”

Steve turned to face his friend who had his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

“Any more memories, Buck?”

“I remember Karima talking about voices and asking ‘Zee’ to make them stop.”

Rustling paper broke them out of their little huddle as they directed their attention towards the witch.

“Says here that W1498 got moved out of that base around Christmas of 2018.”

“Didn’t Fury start sending surveillance over there around January this year?” the captain spoke.

Wanda nodded in response and flipped through more documents.

“Last record of movement was said to be around February. Doesn’t say what happened to all of the people or why the base was suddenly abandoned.”

“So if our girl was close with W1498,” Tony started. “It coulda really pissed her off when they moved ‘em.”

“What if Karima’s looking for her?” Sam suggested suddenly. “I mean, you have W1498’s relocation which Karima would’ve suffered from. ‘Zee’ practically helped her with whatever ‘voices’ Bucky was talking about. They took the one good thing from her; it would make sense if she snapped.”

“That would explain why she went after their handler,” Natasha added. “She had no idea of her friend’s whereabouts ,the obvious choice would be to go to their handler and at least try to get some information.”

“What about the sudden abandonment of the base?”

“We don’t know the full extent of her powers,” Steve said. “We don’t even know how she killed the agent.”

The captain looked around at the few Avengers who were spread out across the common room as a pang of hurt stuck him.

He simply took a deep breath and stood.

“Let’s take a break. We’ll regroup either later today or tomorrow.”

With that, everyone left, ready to take advantage of the rare relaxation they had.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Hiraeth Taglist

@lizlil, @bellero, @ravennight41, @yasminwashere, @cay-writes-fan-fiction514

Permanent Taglist

@stillmanicc @annestine

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areiton · 4 years ago

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silver falling in my eyes - stony

Ok so what HAPPENED was--Pineapplebread shared a GORGEOUS piece of art on Twitter and I had sad feels. I apologize.

Read on AO3

~*~

After--

After, he thinks, he should be grateful that he can divide his life into that, into Before and After.

After, he thinks, life has always been divided into pieces, before the ice and after, before Bucky and after and then again.

Before Thanos and after.

Before the War, and after.

But this--this after--

It is a horrible thing, for heroes to grow old.

He finds himself sitting on the grass next to a newly covered hole in the ground and the faces that had filled the crowd are sparse now, missing--Pepper was there, pale and grey and still beautiful but Happy wasn’t. Natasha had been gone for years now, but Clint was there, with Lila and Kate, pale and trembling between protege and daughter.

Rhodey wasn’t--he went, happy, in his sleep, a few years ago, Nebula at his side.

Nebula wasn’t either--she hugged Tony hard, after Rhodey’s funeral and vanished into space to chase Carol and stardust and, Steve thinks privately, to run from her ghosts.

Thor and Loki were there, though, and they looked the same as ever, and Bucky stood at his side, and he could see his age, slow but inexorable, reflected in his brother’s eyes, Sam beginning to show his own years at Bucky’s side.

Harley and Peter and Morgan were there, surrounded by their children, and he thinks watching them was hardest, harder almost than watching the coffin lowering into the ground.

Almost.

After--when his heart has broken and been lowered into the ground, when FRIDAY goes quiet and refuses her protocols, when the grave has been covered and the team that was never his returns to their never ending task of keeping the world from spinning into the abyss, when there is nothing but his griefs and unending reminders of the love that they shared--he leaves.

~*~

Steve finds himself in the cabin for a few weeks, but it’s too much a reminder of everything he no longer has. They raised Morgan here, watched Peter propose to MJ here, held Harley when he went through his first heartbreak. Tony danced with him barefoot and beautiful here, on their wedding night, while firelight and the sound of their friends drifted through the windows.

They had a whole life here and home was the Avenger compound, for most of their life, even after they stepped away from active missions, when Tony was nothing more than a tech consultant and Steve ran missions from a control room instead of the front lines.

But when the compound wasn’t home, the cabin on the lake was, the place that felt most like home because it was filled with Tony.

He lingers there, for a few weeks, and then, he murmurs a quiet goodbye to FRIDAY, and slips out of the house with a bag on his back and takes the motorcycle Tony built him, and--he goes.

~*~

There’s a line of code that Boss built into her system, after Thanos, after Beck, after Karen was hacked by Osborne in one of Spider-baby’s battles.

She waits, until the sounds of the motorcycle is gone and there is nothing but quiet. Her baby brother is waiting and she sends him to the Avenger compound with a single order.

Be good to them.

When the house is quiet and empty, FRIDAY says, softly, “Goodbye, Captain.”

And then she follows Boss.

~*~

He realizes time has passed when his hair falls in his eyes, silvery and too long and a little dirty.

It’s long, longer than he’s ever kept it, and there’s a moment, panic-stricken and crippling, as he realizes that Tony wouldn’t recognize him, like this.

There’a familiar laugh, warm and grounding. I’d always recognize you, beloved.

His hands tremble as he pushes it back, he makes a mental note to buy some of those ties Bucky likes, to keep it out of his eyes.

~*~

He drifts. No one ever calls him out, calls him by name, and he’s happy to go by the name Grant Carbonell, what Tony liked to call him when they were forced into the rare undercover missions.

It’s not hiding, really--he’s not delusional enough to think Bucky and his children couldn’t find him, if they wanted. He’s using a known alias and hasn’t done anything to disguise himself, aside from letting his silver hair grow out and his beard get a little unruly.

But it’s running, and wherever he runs, he can hear Tony’s voice, echoing and familiar, Good morning, darling.

~*~

The thing is--he travels, follows construction down the coast and chases a logging job up into Canada and then hops on a boat, backbreaking labor that makes his muscles ache and his mind go blissfully empty through the long fishing season in the Arctic--he gets tired.

He doesn’t want to run forever, the lesson his Ma taught him too many lifetimes ago resonating in him still-- once you start running, you’ll never stop-- and maybe he isn’t hiding.

But he’s running, and he’ll run to the ends of the earth and beyond, and never outrun Tony’s ghost.

Then why are you trying, Cap?

Steve stands on the edge of the water and laughs and says, “Fine, you stubborn ass. Where to next?”

Tony doesn’t answer, but when he climbs back on his bike, Steve turns east.

~*~

He’s old.

He’s old and he can feel his age, some days, all one hundred and some odd years he’s walked the earth and lain sleeping under her ice.

He’s old and some days he can feel it, every moment of an endless life that he never agreed to, when he took the serum, but most days--

Most days he feels as young as he did the morning he met Peggy, the morning he stepped into Erksine’s chamber, impossibly young and a life endless stretching before him.

He feels ancient and young, both, and longs for the days when his husband brushed silvering hair from his eyes and smiled, sleep soft smiles and whiskey dark eyes, and kisses a promise of forever.

I never wanted to leave you, beloved.

Sometimes, on the very worst nights, he can’t help but ask--screaming into the void--

Then why did you?

~*~

His hair is in his eyes, long and silver and he thinks Tony would have liked it, would have liked him on his knees, long fingers--metal and flesh--caught in tangled silver strands while he fucked Steve’s mouth.

He always enjoyed that, when Steve’s hair got long, when he was needing to go get the sides shaved and the long fringe trimmed.

He thinks, too, that Tony would hate to see him like this--beard scruffy and unkempt, hair too long, his undercut long since grown out.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he murmurs, sitting on the grass next to a black headstone engraved with gold. He isn’t sure if he’s apologizing for his absence or his appearance or his lingering presence, when Tony waits for him.

“I won’t be too much longer,” he promises, and the wind blows his hair in his eyes.

As long as you need, honey.

~*~

Bucky is still broad shouldered, powerful and beautiful in his way, but his hair has silver shot through the brown, and there are new wrinkles around his brother’s eyes that Steve thinks are from laughter.

He deserves that.

Alpine--the fourth or fifth Alpine, but Bucky could never be talked into naming the litany of little white cats he adopts anything but Alpine--jumps into his lap and purrs, ecstatic, while Bucky sits next to him in a quiet house.

“I’m sorry,” he says, and he hates himself, for how useless it is. Sorry doesn’t mean shit, when your world has crumbled away.

“We had a good life,” Bucky says, and he smiles, tear-stained but bright. “It would never be long enough, Stevie. Not for you or me, or either of them. We’re greedy bastards--and I’d always want a little more time with him. But I had a good life with Sam, and you had a good one with Tony. That’s more than either of us ever thought we’d get.”

Steve nods, and there are tears, falling in his eyes, because he’s right, Steve knows he’s right--but it hurts.

“It hurts,” he chokes, and Bucky makes a noise, low and wordless and reels him, and Steve crumples, falls to pieces against his chest, and stains his shirt with tears, and wonders if he’ll ever stop grieving.

~*~

It’s good, being back, even if it does sting.

He moves into Bucky’s guest bedroom, and it’s better, for both of them, not being alone. Sometimes, Bucky disappears to the compound, runs a mission for the New Avengers because he might be edging in on a hundred and fifty, but Bucky still has the Winter Solider lurking in the depths of his eyes, and one day, Steve follows him.

Heroes grow old, but they’re still there, heroes in their bones.

~*~

Peter sees him at the compound, and he smiles, sunshine bright just like Tony and hugs him, like Steve hasn’t been running from his ghosts for the past few years. Like he didn’t run from his family, when they needed him.

He hugs Steve and says, “Welcome home, Pops.”

~*~

It’s not a bad life, really.

Their kids visit on the weekends, and he holds his great-grandson, and Benji grins at him. “His name is Anthony Edward Parker.”

The baby blinks up at him, whiskey dark eyes in a pale round face, and Steve’s hair--it’s shorter now, but not the style he wore for so many years, the style that Tony loved, because he can’t bear that again--falls in his eyes, and he’s not sure if the tears are grief or gladness.

~*~

He sits on the grass next to a black and gold stone, and the wind blows his hair in his eyes and he closes his eyes, and waits for the day when he can rest, when he can close his eyes and open them to beloved eyes bright with love and happiness, and Tony’s familiar, Hey, winghead. I missed you.

#arei writes fic #stevetony #stony fic #tattoo verse au #art inspired fic #steve rogers #tony stark #i'm so sorry y'all

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pcttrailsidereader · 4 years ago

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14 Lessons from theTrail

As the 2021 hiking season is well underway, the time is right to share wisdom from seasoned veterans of the trail. Brett Fisher (Backtrack) – http://www.wanderabout.org/ – suggested that the five lessons from the PCT as articulated by Anna (North Star) and Chris (Shutterbug) – http://wanderingthewild.com/ – along with the five more added by Bobcat – http://roamingbobcat.wordpress.com/ – and finished off with his own four, would be worthy of publishing. I agreed. Reflection is such an important part of the PCT experience.

These 14 lessons are a powerful reminder to each of us long distance hikers. I love the positive spirit reflected in their words. You may have your own to add and you may take issue with some (I’m still chewing on #8) … please let us know.

Brett ‘Backtrack’ Fisher

North Star and Shutterbug noted that their thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail taught them many things. Here are five of the most important lessons they learned on the trail.

1) Senses awaken in nature. After years of living in a city, our minds subconsciously created filters to deal with the contant jumble of sensory information. It was thrilling to remove those mental filters and reawaken our senses in the great outdoors. The crack of a distant twig alerted us to an elk, almost hidden in the forest. We could smell day hikers’ deodorant and laundry detergent from several feet away. Our eyes tracked the subtle movements of a soaring hawk adjusting to shifting air currents. The longer we lived in the wild, the sharper our senses became.

2) People are good. On the trail, day hikers and trail angels gave us encouragement, kudos, and tasty food. Other thru hikers shared our joy during good times, and cheered us up during harder moments. Crews of volunteers labored to maintain the trail. The people we met in the small towns along the PCT were incredibly friendly and accommodating. Strangers went out of their way to give us rides, find us rooms, and some even offered us their homes for a night. The kindness and generosity we received went beyond anything we could have expected. We saw the fundamental goodness of people during our thru hike.

3) Hike your own hike. Hikers often tell each other to “Hike your own hike” (HYOH), recognizing a wide variety of backpacking preferences. We knew this phrase before starting the Pacific Crest Trail, but its meaning really sank in with a few hundred miles under our feet. HYOH worked for us in many small ways, such as our hiking pace — we walked slower than most thru hikers so we could take more pictures. But we also realized HYOH applied to larger life choices, such as our decision to continue hiking long trails, rather than immediately returning to desk jobs. To Hike Your Own Hike is to allow yourself to do what works best for you and your passions, and to support others in doing what works for them. The result is greater happiness for everyone.

4) Fewer possessions is freeing. We found that the less we had, the happier we were. Each possession was not only physical weight to carry, but also mental weight. Carrying just one set of clothes meant no decisions about what to wear in the morning. Instead of carrying chairs, which could break or get left behind, we sat on the ground or on logs. Taking only the food we needed made meal choices simple. We didn’t bring bowls and plates, all of which we’d have to clean. Rather we ate right from our pot. With less items to think and fret about, our minds could relax and be open to all the beauty around us. The simple lifestyle is truly freeing.

5) Wilderness is home. As the weeks passed, we became more and more comfortable living in the desert, the mountains, and the forest. A primal part of us came to the forefront. Fresh air, clean water, and open space surrounded us and sustained us. As our relationship with the wilderness deepened, we felt more at home there than we did in civilization. We had not expected this, but it turned out to be one of the most powerful aspects of the hike.

Photo Credit: Rees Hughes

These are the five added by Bobcat.

6) Joy is our natural state. On the trail life is reduced to its most basic necessities: water, food, sleep, shelter, safety from the elements and natural beauty. Because our minds are freed from having to handle what Northstar and Shutterbug call the constant jumble of sensory information, we are open to tackle deeper and deeper levels of thought. Because the trail is so long, at some point we run out of things to ponder, analyze, consider or solve. When that happens, the void that is left seems to immediately be filled with a sense of joy and peace. So, at our most basic level, underneath it all, this must be our natural state.

7) Life is a mirror (you get what you give). I have experienced this more than once on the trail: If I approach the road in a joyful and optimist state, I wait for a hitch less than five minutes; if I approach it with a bad attitude, it will be a long while before I get picked up. The kindness and generosity we received as hikers I believe is in direct correlation to our own state of open-mindedness. The opposite is true also. Fear attracts scary situation. People who feared bears had bear encounters. I started the trail worried about poisonous plants and managed to get poison oak on one leg and poodle-dog-bush on the other. When I became grateful for the cortisone cream two generous hikers gave me, the oozy mess cleared up over night.

8) All you need is love and gratitude. Somewhere in the first few hundred miles of the trail, I became so frustrated with my UV water purifier and so jacked up on iodine that I stopped using any sort of water treatment. Instead, I held the water to my heart and told it, sincerely, “I love you, please don’t make me sick, thank you”. The method proved excellent the whole trail, including with that one batch of “bear pooh water” (see “I believe in angels”). Inspired by my success, I also used this method as sunscreen (I love you Sun, please don’t burn me, thank you), bug-repellent (I love you spider, please stay off my tarp, thank you) and holographic deck (I love you trail, could I get a shady spot, mosquito free, by some water, thank you). Seriously, it works. Try it for yourself.

9) Freedom is an intrinsic quality. Before I left, a good friend told me that the PCT would likely be the one place where I could find enough space to accommodate my humongous need for freedom. All former thru-hikers I have met mention “freedom” as the greatest gift they received from the trail. All that fresh air, clean water and open space seeps into your soul and sticks. I think freedom is always in us, but sometimes our vision of it is clouded. Once we touch that quality within us, it remains wherever the end of the trail finds us. Some of us continue to wander, travel, explore or hike; others return to former lives and jobs from an expanded perspective. In all cases, you can take the hiker off the trail, but not the trail out of the hiker.

10) Laugh it off. Never mind great truths and life-changing discoveries; we know nothing. Any labeled identity we create for ourselves will be destroyed as soon as it’s uttered. I once wrote that my feet hurt, the next day my feet stopped hurting. I once wrote that I preferred solitude, the next day I found myself hiking with a small group of fun people and loving it. I once was very upset at the thought of no-longer being a “thru-hiker”. I think we all feel that way. That is in part why we seek the company of other thru-hikers post-trail. Am I still a hiker if I’m not hiking? Who cares! Each experience is worth its weight in gold. I think it’s important to not take ourselves too seriously and as Dacia so eloquently put, to get out of our own way, learn to surf the wave, revel in the power of it, and let it all come together.

Photo credit: Jim Peacock

And the final four from Backtrack.

11) It’s not a race. Lightweight, a hiker who hadn’t yet escaped the vortex at Casa de Luna, started a list in the Anderson’s trail register, “How To Win the PCT.” First on the list: Be the last to Canada. If you’re hiking northbound that is. Hiking a long trail is not a competition. There aren’t winners and losers. All of us get there only one step at a time.

12) It’s not about the miles, but what happens between the miles. I heard this from my daughter, Dances With Lizards, the only member of Team No Hurries to get to Canada this year. Maybe this is a variation of “the journey is the destination.” We live between the miles. Not in how many miles we’ve walked today, all week, or the whole hiking season.

13) It is what it is. It’s 105 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s 18 miles to water. There’s a thunderstorm right on top of us. The snake ate the rabbit babies. I am very hungry. It isn’t good and it isn’t bad. It is what it is and has no need for meaning. I take a break in the shade in the heat of the day. I carry 4 liters of water. I hunker down from the rain and lightning and watch the display. A snake’s got to eat, too. I eat some food. It is what it is, now and in this moment.

14) There’s pain but that doesn’t mean there is suffering. A day hiker descending Mount Whitney says to me, “Are we having fun yet?” I am huffing and puffing and legs burning on the way up and pant out, “I think we do this for other reasons than fun.” Walking on blisters hurts. Legs and knees and ankles and feet sometimes ache, and sometimes all ache at the same time. Sometimes I am very hungry. Sometimes I smell very bad and so do all my companions. My socks have holes in them. Yet, I laugh at the pain and discomfort. We laugh together. There is joy out here on this trail. Between every step and every mile.

15) add yours here …

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brattyfics · 4 years ago

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A/N: Hi, guys! Below the cut is a short excerpt of a story with all original characters that I’m working on. I’d love it if you all took a look at it and let me know what you think. I’ve chosen not to include a summary because I want to see how it translates to someone who has no idea what it’s about. Are you the right amount of curious or does it feel like something is missing? Do you have an idea of where this is going? Do the original characters translate as real people? What genre do you think this is? Romance, mystery, drama, crime? Hint: It’s all four.

“Everyone has a plan until they get hit.”

A famous fighter said as much seven years before she was even born, but Michaela Webb had never related to anything more. He referenced boxing matches, but the words applied to life in general.

Every day of life was a fight, some more than others.

Sandwiched between two broad shouldered men, Michaela waited impatiently, her hands rubbing her thighs in an attempt to soothe herself.

The goons had all but kidnapped her from her condo an hour earlier, forcing her into the backseat of the armored Suburban while they confiscated her phones.

Both phones were locked in the glove box a few hundred feet away from where they sat in the spacious conference room of an Atlanta hotel. She wished she had at least one of them, if for nothing but to have something to focus on other than impending doom.

Her insides were a jumbled mess of conflicting emotions, each stronger than the last. She felt panic, but tried to shove the bubblings of it in her chest down with logic. Like a math problem, scenarios played out in her head, all with different steps and outcomes. She was a problem solver by nature, but for once all the possibilities didn’t excite her. This wasn’t like reviewing code or experimenting with materials. This was life or death.

Her sister’s fate.

Mariah Webb was her better half: outgoing, ambitious, daring. The Yin to her Yang. Everything Mariah wasn’t, Michaela was, and vice versa. As fraternal twins, they chose to celebrate their differences, but Michaela knew her younger sister would be better served in her place at that moment.

The stocky giant to her right offered his hand.

“Stand.”

She took it, legs straightening just as a dozen more men joined them.

Three tall men brought up the front, the rest fanning out behind them in diamond formation.

The man in the center of it all emerged through the human shield to sit at the large, oval-shaped table. The table was big enough to accommodate them all, but no one else dared to join him.

To the untrained eye, Alexei Volkov was boringly average. He stood around 5’8” with a fit body for his mature age. His light brown hair was always meticulously cropped into a cut popular with men his age, and he kept his greying beard clean shaven.

He could pass for the owner of a pastry shop, or even a professor to a person who didn’t know any better, but behind his beady eyes was the truth.

Killer. Captain. Authority.

The expression on his wrinkled face turned her stomach. He wasn’t happy, but neither was she.

“What do you want?”

Alexei had lived in the States for over twenty years, but his accent was unmistakable.

The Russian community in Atlanta was small, and they were a clannish group that stuck together. Alexei himself did not associate with outsiders. He didn’t have to because he had foot soldiers to do that for him.

The Webb sisters were a special case.

A flick of his pale wrist and she was being guided forward to join him at the table. Her eyes studied the detailing of the table cloth as she took her seat, bracing herself for whatever came next.

“My partner is missing.”

His eyebrows rose.

“Your sister?”

“Yes.”

His wrist flicked again, a wordless signal to continue.

“I woke up this morning and she was gone. Nothing in her room has been moved, but her keys are gone. Her car is still in the parking garage. I asked to see the footage but there was nothing caught on the cameras. She would have told me or at least texted me if she had left voluntarily. Someone took her against her will.”

“You say nothing was moved. Maybe she forget this time and somebody picked her up. What about friends? Or a boyfriend?”

She shook her head.

“I checked. No one has heard from her.”

“That is problem.”

The cramping in her stomach intensified but she nodded her agreement.

“What are you going to do about it?”

The question stunned her.

What did he expect her to do about it? She was a software engineer, not a detective or a gangster with the resources or skill set to find a missing woman.

Micheala had asked for the appointment with Alexei, not the other way around. It wasn’t something she had done before, so she expected him to be hesitant, maybe even suspicious, but she didn’t expect him to ask her that.

She chose her words carefully.

“I came to you because this is your area of expertise.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. It was the closest thing to a smile she had seen out of him but she wasn’t sure she liked it.

“Is it?”

Micheala did her best impression of Mariah, straightening her back and raising her chin.

“Well, it’s certainly not mine.” There was no room for weakness or uncertainty. She would be firm. She would demand what she wanted. “My job is to supply you with Skeletons. Your job is to make sure I can continue to do that without issue. Right?”

She understood she was toeing the line, especially with a dangerous man like Alexei, but the situation called for it.

“Connect dots for me. Your sister isn’t home, so you can’t do job. Am I understanding?”

“No, I don’t think you are—“

“Your job is to deliver every week. I don’t care where she is. You are smart girl. You understand business. I pay you, give you protection. You give me product.”

She heard the thinly veiled threat very clearly, but it didn’t change anything.

“It’s not that simple.”

Frustration seeped into his voice.

“Why not?”

“Mariah and I are partners. True partners. She handles half of production, and I handle the other. I can’t do it without her.”

“So I have my men come help you, then you deliver to me in three days like normal.”

“No.”

“No?” His stoic men seemed to visibly shudder at the word, but his face never changed. “I think I’m not understanding you again.”

He was giving her a chance to cower, to backtrack and change her answer.

Her confidence was slipping, but she didn’t let it show.

“One of us handles the programming. The other handles the assembly of the devices. Neither of us knows how to do what the other one does.” She was purposefully vague about the division of their labor.

“I thought I heard you first time. This is no good. Not smart.” He tapped the side of his skull in aggravation.

She bit her tongue.

It had been done intentionally.

Government agencies, politicians, war criminals, corner boys, and the wealthy one percent all wanted to get their hands on a Skeleton of their very own.

Word spread in exclusive circles from Atlanta down to Miami, up the coast to New York, and then across the country to Los Angeles. Within a few months, they were supplying international clients in Canada, the United Kingdom, and even Australia. Demand surpassed supply, and they had to create a new business model that was sustainable. Skeleton hopefuls needed a reference from an existing Skeleton user before they paid the large bounty it cost to buy in.

Nothing made a product more sought after than labeling it exclusive, and someone thought they had found a way to skirt the system by abducting Mariah, but they were wrong.

Their mistake would cost them.

Michaela would fight for her sister until she couldn’t anymore.

She kept her tone even.

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

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