#hooksie my love

[rewiredmind]

Apparently in the midst of critter posting I forgot entirely about this, and continued to until boredom got the better of me and I checked my wips

his bf is a little critter

[thewritersofdeceased]

A Dark Rainy Night

Morgie Le Fey & James Hook (featuring Maleficent and Hades)

Fandom ; Descendants Rise Of Red

rain. it was a lovely thing. the sound of it gently hitting the windows of merlin academy, at least captain james hook thought so. although he was outside, standing by the waters in order to enjoy the moment. He hadn’t brought his jacket, having thought the day would be sunny. after all, he had been in the water part of the day, but now he was just in a white button up, his black jeans and a pair of black boots. the pirate hadn’t heard the rustling of the trees and bushes behind him, until the voice of a familiar person pierced his ears. “what’re you doing out here, hook?” the voice of the youngest member of the group hook had been in, the voice of morgie wasn’t hard to decipher amongst the area. letting out a sigh and humming in response, the pirate turned to look up at the boy sitting just on a tree branch. he hadn’t replied, looking up as morgie raised a brow to him. “come on, hooksy. it’s dark out here and it’s cold..” the sorcerer explained to the ravenette, who merely shrugged his shoulders. “oh, i love it when it’s all dark and gloomy like this. it’s a joy to see the clouds all dark.” the pirate explained to the boy above, turning to make his way towards the water again. morgie could see why, but he didn’t enjoy this as much as the hook wearing boy. 

”what if you get sick, ay?” morgie questioned, clutching the dark green snake scaled jacket he wore close to him. he knew the pirate would deny ever getting sick, but it was something he noticed. it was springtime, the worst time to ever get sick because of allergies and everything of the sort. shaking his head, morgie continued to watch the pirate, making sure he wouldn’t get hurt, slip in the mud, whatever else there was. “come onnn! hooksy, it’s late, and we both know we’ll get sick if we stay out here long enough!” and surely, morgie didn’t want to deal with hades or maleficent lecturing him about being out in the rain. a groan escaped the pirate, his head leaning back as the rain fell down onto the ground below and himself. “morgie, sweet, sweet, morgie. we’ll be fine.” he knew they wouldn’t be fine, at least the pirate himself. after all, hook didn’t bother to bring a jacket, which made the younger frown from where he sat. “if i have to carry you, hook, i will.” morgie threatened, having carefully climbed down from the tree and being careful of the mud that had begun to stain the ground below. the sorcerer let out a groan of complaint towards the pirate, running a hand through his hair. “why didn’t you bring a coat! you’re going to get sick, james!” the real name is what made hook tense up.

he didn’t respond for a while, standing as he stared out into the open sea. it wasn’t until he felt something be draped onto his shoulders. looking to the boy now standing alongside him, morgie held a genuine worried expression. “alright, alright. you’re so worried.” the pirate teased as he gently ruffled the shorter boys hair, earning a sudden push away. “i’m worried because i care about you, hook. i’m not trying to get sick, and neither are you.” he explained to the boy, gently taking ahold of the pirates hand, beginning to head back towards the dorms. “i don’t understand why you do.” hook mumbled, covering a yawn. sure, rainy weather was nice and all, but it did make him tired. it was the reason he could fall asleep quickly. anything but ticking clocks helped the boy fall asleep quick. “because you’re my friend.” the sorcerer added quickly, just above a whisper. a murmur, he’d even think. the pirate hummed in response, slightly leaning against the sorcerer who tried to avoid being in open spaces. there was silence between the two boys before hook spoke up with a tired and calm tone of voice. “...thank you.” the sudden phrase made morgie’s expression change from confusion to a genuine look of surprise.

”... you’re welcome, hook.” the serpent then replied, wrapping his arm around the tired pirate in order to keep him from stumbling. “here, how about i carry you? i’m strong enough.” morgie suggested to the boy, earning a soft hum. which, to the serpent meant that would be okay with the pirate. pausing in his steps, the dirty blonde, basically brunette, picked up the black haired boy up carefully into his arms. “this okay?” morgie questioned, earning a soft voice from the pirate, who was bound to fall asleep from the rain falling around the two. “..yeah.. this is fine.” hook replied to te others questioned, making sure the arm that was dangling was his hook, rather than his free hand. even if he would fall asleep, he didn’t want morgie to be cut by the sharper points of the hook. as morgie adjusted the pirate in his arms, he began to walk all the way back to the dorms once again. sure, of course it was difficult to open the doors, but at least hook was getting the sleep he deserved. morgie knew the ticking of the clock in the rooms had made the pirates' sleep schedule get terrible. the two shared a dorm, of course the serpentine had noticed. for one of the most energetic of the group, morgie noticed a lot, but never once spoke on it.

entering the shared dorm(more like he dragged himself into the gods dorm) his eyes noticed two of the other members, the more parental figures of the group. Maleficent, or just Mal to him, lifting her head from where she’d been sat. “where were you two?” she questioned, raising a brow. hades looked practically asleep himself, his head slightly resting in his girlfriend’s lap. yeah… the god was asleep. otherwise, he’d be awake lecturing the boy for being out in the rain. then again, hades himself hated rain, it always ruined the fire he would either create or set somewhere. “i had to go and get him. it’s late, and we all know how badly he enjoys the rain.” morgie explained to the fae, who hummed in acknowledgment. she had been running a gentle hand through her boyfriends hair, watching as the blue haired boy slept peacefully for once. as she watched morgie through sharpened eyes, she hummed something to herself. “he’s going to get sick in those clothes.” she commented as she waved it off with her hand. morgie had looked over for a second, placing the pirate down on the spare bed that hades truly never had a reason for. the god despised roommates, so he had tried to get a room to himself. with enough threatening, it worked. “well, i’m not going to fix his shirt. he’s asleep. and i’m not going to make him uncomfortable.” the serpentine explained, shaking his head.

”now, did i say that?” maleficent spoke calmly, shaking her own head before letting out a sigh. “just… cover him with the blanket. he’ll wake up and be able to change.” she explained before letting out a soft sigh. “go get some sleep, morgie. there’s always a spot for you in this room somewhere.” she explained, nodding to the boy who turned to the fae, humming in response before going to the couch that hades had probably dragged in from who knows where. he usually would use his jacket as a blanket, but it was beyond freezing. “here, i know it’s cold.” maleficent spoke up as she had carefully moved her love, so the god was sleeping in a better position. half sprawled out, but not enough to take up the whole bed. Standing to her feet and going to the serpentine, she held a blanket out, which morgie had gracefully accepted. “..thank you. I’ll talk to you both in the morning? I think it’ll be a bit until he wakes up.” he explained as he motioned to the now asleep pirate.

maleficent nodded in response, going over to the lights and turning them off. “yes, yes. goodnight, morgie.” the fae spoke softly, watching as darkness surrounded the room and the rain pattered against the windows. soon, after going back to the bed, silence then surrounded everyone. the group of four asleep. only until the afternoon hours struck for their classes.

[finishinglinepress]

FLP POETRY BOOK OF THE DAY: The Charisma of Animals: Poems by Gregory Maertz

ADVANCE ORDER:

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-charisma-of-animals-poems-by-gregory-maertz/

The Charisma of Animals is Gregory Maertz’s first volume of verse. Completed during the first two years of the pandemic, the poems presented here incorporate structural and sonic echoes of formalism in brief lyrics and longer narratives which seek to make transient, intensely personal #experiences—#love and #loss, illness and recovery, encounters with nature and animals, history and works of art—concrete and accessible. They belong to the province of sensations, memories, dreams, and sacred places in Maertz’s personal mythology: the fishing village of Gravir in the Outer Hebrides (home of Eriskay ponies, the eponymous white horses), the Hawaiian Islands, Lake Minnetonka, Manhattan, Heidelberg, Munich, Bergen, Paris, and Griggstown, an historic village on the outskirts of Princeton, New Jersey, where he makes his home with Hooksy, a big orange tabby, in a former cidery.

PRAISE FOR The Charisma of Animals: Poems by Gregory Maertz

Maertz’s poems explore special, seemingly remote places in the world, recesses of the heart, and deeper regions of the mind. The Charisma of Animalsachieves what the most gifted poets do, a unification of strong feeling, profound thought, and striking images. From these poems of a mature life readers of any age will draw wonder and insight.

–James Engell, Harvard University

In The Charisma of Animals, Gregory Maertz celebrates the natural world and yearns for losses clearly tasted in memory. The poems are hauntingly beautiful and paradoxically quiet with a natural animal noise that intermixes and informs human relations. If James Wright and W.B. Yeats collaborated on a poem together, the result would feel like this book— slouching toward a blessing to be born, white horses in tow.

–Erik Fuhrer, author of Eye, Apocalypse (Spuyten Duyvil, 2021)

Gregory Maertz’s incantatory poems possess a profound sense of place. We are there, with him—from the Scottish Hebrides to a New Jersey countryside—overhearing his thoughts and tangibly perceiving his feelings. At times, he engages us with moral responses that provoke our compassion for a diminishing natural world, colorfully alive and beautifully detailed. The emotional precision of his poetical word pictures is enabled by his finely tuned ear and precise denotative command of language. With the eye of a painter, he gilds the natural life he finds before him.

–Ruben Quintero, Cal State LA

Formal patterns do not lie: the narrator in THE CHARISMA OF ANIMALSmourns a divorce, falls in love, then finds that love unreturned. Unrequited love, at least as old as the sonnet form, finds a renewed expression in these poems. Recalling Keats, Wordsworth, Rilke, and remembering canonical sonnet sequences, Gregory Maertz’s poems explore how nature might assuage loss. The narrator’s expansive empathy for animals, emerging in his hungry eye observing life in the opening poem, “On the Island of White Horses,” intensifies throughout the collection . . . The final poem, “Tree Shadows,” pictures a doe and her fawns along Cider Creek. The image recalls his earlier delight in twin fawns in his yard, crushed when he finds them dead: “The slaughter of the fawns drained my heart’s strength.” The doe of “Tree Shadows” momentarily revives his heart: “I long to caress her silken ears and/Peer into her eyes of liquid blackness,” the narrator says. Yet he assumes that like his other loves, she would “shy away from [him].” Should she do this, the narrator would wonder when and where he might “ever feel so entirely alive again.” The conditional nature of the encounter holds in suspension whether the narrator is happy even in this moment. Maertz struggles with a question that the iconic poets he admires did not entertain, “Are any attempts to embody our desires permitted to endure?” From Petrarch’s CANZONE forward, the poet answers, “yes, these poems will exceed my desire.” Maertz’s meditations on longing, set in nature’s foil, exceed as well, and they are almost too much to bear.

–Carol Ann Johnston, Dickinson College

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #read #poetrybook #poems #life #love #loss #nature

[fitnessbootcampuk]

A very special week with my sister Rachel who I have not spent enough time with over the years. I am so glad she came and look forward to seeing her again soon. A massive thanks to Sandie Carruthers for another week of amazing food and banter. Thank you Selina Perdrisat for your professionalism and organisation throughout the week. Herbie Hooks you are growing in knowledge and confidence each boot camp and this week you made me so proud. To all the clients in attendance well done and enjoy your weekend of rest. Big Love Hooksy xxx #physicalexercise #reboot #fitnesstraining #fitnesstraining #loseweight #fitnessandwellbeing #fitnessandwellbeing #nutrition #fitness #bootcamp #psychological #lifechanging #lifechanging #health #mindfulness #lifestyleandleisure #bootcampuk #bootcampholiday #fitnessbootcampuk https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Np2hSJqIs/?igshid=1gp7lino0ali9

[bomberlandia]

Part II: Ranking Every Bomber Since 2015

We finish Ranking Every Bomber Since 2015 with the final stretch, a selection of players who were consistent, dominated, and held the team together through a pretty dark era for the club. 

In Part II, we get into the meat of the rankings. Most of the names you’d expect to be here are here and the Top 20 is as you’d expect although no-one probably thought of Ridley before this year to be ranked among the likes of Dustin Fletcher and Dylan Shiel. 

Enough with the prelude. Let’s see where things finished up. 

Players Ranked from 38 to 1

38. Adam Cooney

37. Shaun McKernan 

36. Patrick Ambrose

35. Mason Redman

34. Travis Colyer

33. Mitch Brown

32. Conor McKenna

31. Sam Draper

30. Jake Stringer

JR: If luck will let it be, Sam Draper will evolve into one of Essendon’s greatest ruckman and will become a Top 15 player. I hope I have not jinxed it. His first year was a real treat. Aggression is his friend. I wrote about Mitch Brown and how underrated he is and I sometimes have those feelings where I wish he was back at Essendon but then realize he plays one good game followed by three games where you don’t even know he exists.  

DE: Some serviceable players here. McKenna was entering his prime, but having lived overseas myself I know how difficult it is to be so far from family and friends, so I sympathise with his need to return home. McKernan could have been anything, but again consistency was a killer. Could tear games apart, then be barely sighted the following week. Stringer is similar. 

29. Kyle Langford  

28. Heath Hocking

27. Jake Melksham

26. Ben Howlett 

25. David Myers 

24. Courtenay Dempsey 

23. Michael Hibberd  

22. Tom Bellchambers 

JR: My favourite Hocking games were when he tagged a key midfielder, like a Chris Judd and would blanket them. He was a brute who loved to tackle inside the centre square and packs that formed around stoppages. He was disciplined and a defensive-minded trier during a time when the Bombers lacked defensive hard nuts. Probably cut with the same physical cloth as a Hardwick or Solomon.

DE: Hocking, Howlett and Bellchambers were warriors for us during difficult times. Myers had such potential, but for some reason never seemed to be in favour enough with his coaches. I felt he could have been a game-breaker like Isaac Smith at Hawthorn if given the opportunities. Dempsey was exciting to watch when he was up and about. 

21. Orazio Fantasia 

20. Martin Gleeson

19. Darcy Parish 

18. Dylan Shiel

17. Dustin Fletcher

16. Jordan Ridley

JR: Fletcher will have greater stakes on other rankings we do. He was at the end of his career. Fantasia has been disappointing. He’s a weapon that possesses speed and goal-kicking sensibilities but not having a body that stands up to the rigours of AFL limits his progression in these rankings. Ridley went from unsighted to best and fairest winner in 12 months. He plays the game like a veteran which speaks to his calmness around the chaotic packs. Expect him to make inroads in years to come.

DE: The great Dustin Fletcher only falls down this list because he was at the tail end of his career. Otherwise, he’d be top-five. I reckon Gleeson was becoming a reliable and attacking defender before his injury, so hopefully he can regain his best form in 2021. Ridley will be top-five for years to come. Expect to see lots of kids, including my son Ernie, wearing No. 14 on their backs.

15. Adam Saad  

14. James Kelly 

13. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti

12. Devon Smith   

11 Mark Baguely

JR: Kelly came out of retirement to play 40 games for Essendon during a raw period for the Bombers. He excelled in making good decisions across half back and had sublime skills. He was a mentor to the young core of kids. I think he gave the club more than the Bombers bargained for on and off the field. He left Geelong at the end of 2015, started in 2016 at Essendon and he’s still at Windy Hill.

DE: Baguely’s high ranking might surprise some, but I really rated him. I thought he gave his all for us over a long period, even if he did turn it over sometimes. If Walla can get fitter, I’d love to see him throwing his weight around in the centre square more often. With Fantasia departing, more pressure will come onto his strong shoulders. Kelly was another who earned his way into Bomber hearts for the role he played (on and off the field) during the dark days. 

10. Brent Stanton

JR: Stanton was a whipping boy for all things that went wrong on the field. Played during a period where the Bombers just weren’t very good. I think we undervalued his metres gained and the run and carry he provided. Instead we think about the costly turnovers. People laughed when he was given the no.5 jumper. But he became a pivotal piece to the team, a long servant, and loyal player. And those things mean something.

DE: I’ve settled on 10th place for Stanton with some trepidation. He was a favourite with coaches and teammates, but was one of my most frustrating players to watch as I felt he turned the ball over far too often. In the modern game, however, a player’s ability to run seems to outweigh their skill deficiencies. He wore the beloved No. 5, which never sat comfortably with me. But there was no denying he gave his all for our club, for which he should be commended.

9. Joe Daniher

JR: Is Joe going to regret leaving? When I think of his time at Essendon there’s only a few things that come to mind – Anzac Day 2017, the All-Australian nod, and his screamers. What won’t be missed: his set shot routine and (often) poor body language. He only played 15 games in the last three years but when fit, he’s unstoppable. I think there’s always going to be debate and question marks on where Joe fits when pitted against other Bombers. 

DE: Unimaginable to think Joe will not be wearing an Essendon guernsey anymore, given the family’s involvement. But since becoming injury-prone he’s been a huge disappointment and, in terms of on-field output, I’m fine with him leaving. At his peak, he could have been Buddy Franklin-like, but sitting on the fence while your teammate kicks for goal is embarrassing. Imagine if Roughy had done that at Hawthorn…Clarko would have sent him home to Leongatha! Thanks for your service, Joe, but thanks, too, for the salary cap room.

8. David Zaharakis

7. Cale Hooker

JR: Both players have been very good servants over a ten-year period – Zaharakis has played 217 games; Hooker 201 games. Zaharakis gets credit for being able to stay relevant, playing roles, and doing what the teams needs him to be. If this was my all-time favourite Essendon player’s list, Hooker would be higher. The fact he shares the backline with Hurley – a superstar- probably takes inches off his position on this list. His reported displeasure about Bellchambers not getting a farewell game and the joy he emits when he kicks a goal only shows how much he cares for the club. Hooksy is all-time.

DE: Zaka has at times been dynamic, with his outside run and good decision-making as good as any in the league. Hooker could have accepted a huge offer to joining Fremantle, but stuck by the club and deserves to see out his career a one-club player. Sometimes makes strange decisions, but overall has been a terrific defender (at times forward) for us over a long time. Forget the footage of him chasing Buddy – Hook has given his all for our club. What more can you ask of someone?

6. Andrew McGrath

5. Brendon Goddard 

JR: Goddard was a proven elite weapon with deadly foot skills before he came to Essendon. His leadership proved valuable to rebuilding and supplements teams. I wrote about Andrew McGrath’s incredible rise this year for Bomberlandia and covered his journey to the draft for Sportsnet. The two things that stand out are his athleticism and his leadership. His work around the ball is now elite. He’s only 22.

DE: McGrath will lead this list in the near future. His 2020 season was outstanding and, to me, he was our number-one leader through a difficult period as he showed a will to want to carry his teammates to victory week after week. Certain to replace Dyson in the near future and hold the position for a long time. Goddard could rub people the wrong way, but he showed us all what type of attitude you need to be a winner. A victim of poor circumstances when he arrived, but led the team admirably.

4. Dyson Heppell 

3. Michael Hurley

JR: Hurley is approaching 200 games (193) and his longevity has seen him become of the best defenders Essendon has ever produced. I still think about what would have happened if he stayed a forward. If you think of all the games the Bombers have played since 2015, Hurley has probably featured in the best in most of them. I reported on Heppell during his Gippsland Power days for the Pakenham Gazette. On the field he changed games, made good decisions and was gutsy. Most of all his teammates looked up to him. That continued when he joined Essendon.

DE: As a fellow Leongatha boy, have followed Dyson’s career closely. Popular with everyone, he’s been a decent leader during difficult times. But it’s time for a more ruthless skipper, like a Voss or a Hodge or a McGrath. Hopefully he can keep his body healthy for the rest of his career. Hurley has been a warrior for us, crashing packs and putting his body on the line year after year. At one point I felt he should be captain. Like Dyson, I hope he stays healthy and finishes his career in red and black.

2. Jobe Watson

JR: I thought Jobe would be too slow to play in the midfield but he proved me wrong. I thought he wasn’t elite enough and then he won a Brownlow. He spent his career proving people wrong. A stoic leader. Stood tall during the supplement’s saga which happened during the twilight of his career which makes him, as Dan put it, “one of the greats.”

DE: Jobe would have been No. 1, but he was at the end of his career when this list starts. One of the best of his generation, poorly treated during the dark days yet remained a strong leader throughout. If a Team of the Century was picked today, he’d be on the bench at least. One of the greats. That he emerged from his father’s shadow to carve out his own fine career is a testament to his determination. 

1. Zach Merrett

JR: What else needs to be said about Zach Merrett? The fact everyone was up-in-arms during the trade period at the thought of him going to a club like Carlton or Collingwood, says a lot about who he is and what he stands for. He’s been super consistent and reliable for a five-year stretch during a time where the Bombers haven’t been easy to read. I can only see McGrath or Josh Dunkley (if the club gets him) as two players that could surpass Merrett. Until that happens, it’s Zach Merrett over everyone. 

DE: While Zachy isn’t a game-breaker in the way a Patrick Dangerfield is at Geelong, he has undoubtedly been our most consistent player over the period in question. No frills, just gets the job done. But it shows our lack of top-end talent when Zach stands alone for the Bombers on league leaderboards for stats. 

_______________________________________

Historian Dr Dan Eddy is the author of 12 books, including “King Richard” and “Always Striving.” A life-long Bomber supporter, you can follow him on Twitter @DanEddyBooks35 and read his sports books at www.daneddybooks.com.