#i made 9 more but too laz to put

[dormiebasne]

Me, but... mith from flight rising.....

[dailycass-cain]

Batgirls #16 makes more sense in lieu of the news the series will be ending with #19. It's a rare one & done issue, but not necessarily one.

In all honesty, prior to the news on Friday, I figured this was writers Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan paying homage to both Cassandra and Stephanie's ongoing runs by doing a one/done but really a single issue building off what came prior.

Really this issue is a culmination of seeds planted since the very beginning.  It's kind of satisfying in a way seeing story beats from the early issues paid somewhat off in creepy ways.

This puppet Jason has haunted me since I read the issue and IT SHALL HAUNT YOU NOW TOO!! 

*ahem*

Namely, the opening "salvo" of the Mad Hatter showcases what Mr. Greene was doing all the way since #1 (but really we saw all the way to #9).

Now seeing the creepy doll in #9 makes more sense with what he was commissioned with, and a bit of a payoff that yes Steph was right.  Just Greene was someone who developed something rather creepy for the supervillains of Gotham (akin to the Carpenter).

It's a neat little bit where Gotham gonna be Gotham and even working on creepy dolls for the bad guys wasn't gonna protect him from other monsters Gotham had (aka Mr. Fun).

If anything, I'm a bit surprised this wasn't further connected, but I'll base my theory anyway that Jervis targeted the Batgirls with this elaborate scheme because they took out his student. Charles Dante aka--

It is a nice way to circle things all the way back to then besides Greene. But that's my personal theory.

Suffice it to say I did enjoy Neil Googe's art for this story because of the creepiness of the dolls and his style helps bring the monstrous twist all the better.

Again, Conrad and Cloonan have been showing Hatter has been using various stuff (again making me wonder given Spellbinder's modus operandi was the same).

Taking stuff (namely Hatter’s mind tech and Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin) and warping it for his own cocktail twist. I mean the clues are all there.  Hatter used Lazarus Resin and this issue uses a Man-Bat formula on a Batgirl to make her a Girl-Bat.

I'm a bit surprised at the choice because Cass did have a history with Man-Bat (in the ye old Batman & the Outsiders by Frank Tieri). So I figured if anyone was going to be a Girl-Bat it is her this issue.

But nope the recurring theme this series has been is Steph is the one who's gonna suffer. I mean literally, she's been doused with the brew Tutor/Spellbinder had made. She got tortured and "killed" then had the Laz Resin used on her. This issue--

I mean I get it. But dang Steph's been put thru a ringer in this series. The fact that she's still willing to go after ALL this has happened to her is astonishing. It almost makes me wonder...

If the whole point of this, makes Steph retire. That this DC's way to give her this moment but step aside. I really don't want that but man there's got to be a point to put her thru ALL OF THIS. That said--

-- I loved this. Because one it harkens to something Cass has been doing throughout her career. She speaks to monsters.  Treats them fully as humans still even given their deformities and conditions.

She did it with Mr. Freeze (Batgirl Vol. 1). Man-Bat (Batman & the Outsiders). Clayface (Detective Comics). Orca (DC: Doomed & the Damned).

I think it's VERY telling this is Conrad and Cloonan having Cass relive a BAAAAD moment in her life in losing Basil here and being like, "NOPE! THIS ISN'T GOING DOWN LIKE THAT!"

It all feels waaaaaaaaaaaaay too similar in how this issue plays out to how it played out in Tec.

I mean we literally have Babs in this issue in the SAME EXACT POSE as Kate did in Tec with both having a sniper rifle. Just that this time-- Cass FOUND THE WAY.

It proves Cass was right back then and it feels justified in a way that yes she could've talked Basil out back then. Instead of you know--

I also think that's been the greatest problem DC has been skirting away from. You have these two characters with SO MUCH HISTORY. You had Basil remain good for a period even after that and turn him evil on a whim.

Not have ANY payoff with Cass seeing this? Come on DC. Break our hearts dammit!  You literally gave Tynion's Tec run an Omnibus and various trade forms. If you can revisit the overrated rubbish Hush story you can revisit this story!

Back to this one. I really did like the simplicity of this issue where it's all about the "little" things. Things we as readers picked up on and get nods to the past of prior Batgirl volumes (or issues from this) and payoffs.

But the biggest one besides the connection to Tec this issue had was again a connection to Batgirl Vol. 1 I saw NO ONE pick up on. I kept it silent until this moment.

I mean someone did catch the nods to the way Cass thought of Steph during the Andersen Gabrych run. That was a neat detail.

But here's mine I caught.  At the end, we had this mention from the narrator (and I'll fully admit it. THIS WAS THE BEST NARRATION this series has given us. It ADDED to the emotion of this issue). That Cass was by Steph's side the ENTIRE TIME.

Just like Steph stood by Cass's bedside after she had to deal with the Shiva groupie in Batgirl Vol. 1 #26.

That's a deep cut, but a nice one that had me all:

Again, this issue had LAYERS of stuff that I enjoyed.  Which is all the more reason the news this past Friday is so 💔because since #9 the series has been clicking until #14 where it just unleashed that salvo of goodness.

Yes, it's baiting us. I'll fully admit but in a way it reminds me of what creators said akin to Tim/Cass back in the mid-00s that now fully relates to Cass/Steph here.

Cass/Steph literally do act like two people in love with each other who haven't accepted it yet. Well, Cass we know did in #15 but I think this is the first real acknowledgment that Steph gives to Cass this issue.

Will we get SOMETHING in these next remaining issues? Who knows. But I really enjoyed this issue and what it gave us. Just connecting so many dots to this current run and of Batgirl stories' past.

[subsequentibis]

2, 7, 9 and 10 for laz, sal and john?

wooo let's put this one under a cut!

2. Why does your oc look the way they do? What are your reasons for their appearance?

sal is pretty heavily inspired by most of the tall gangly awkward sweaty weirdo scientist/researcher characters i recall fondly from a lot of media i liked growing up, plus hair that's fun to draw and that mimics the fungus's tendril shapes. she started out looking fairly different as my vtm character, but then i fell a little in love with dev patel (and this was also when i was still drawing her as a man) so she ended up closer to his look in david copperfield. purple is a color that doesn't exist much in nature, or so i've heard, so it can have a mystical/spooky/unnatural feeling to it, especially i think a kind of paler ghostly purple, which is why i chose it for her sweater. similarly i gave her grey eyes because i feel like they give off a slightly unusual or unnatural vibe while also being very beautiful. she gets a turtleneck because i gave her my fear of/discomfort with having my neck touched to an extreme degree, she doesn't even like feeling the wind on it. the rest of her clothes are brown/dark tones to give her an earthy and grounded feel. i'm not very good at thinking of outfits so i made her like a cartoon character that only has one set of clothing but just gave her sensory issues so she has a whole wardrobe of nearly identical sweaters, pants, and jackets for comfort. originally i was going to have the fungus able to chameleon-esque shift color so it would be mimicking her hand and eye almost exactly except for almost imperceptible lines where the tendrils meet, but i ended up not liking that idea so much and gave her gloves & a glass eye to hide the bits that she loses over the course of the story. she's long and spindly because i tend to think of her hunched up and curling in on herself, like she's always felt just a little bit too big and is trying to compensate for it, and also because that's very fun to draw.

lazarus is pretty heavily inspired by john constantine, sam vimes, columbo, hellboy, any cigar/cigarette-chomping long coat-wearing detective or investigator with a dry sense of humor. he's gone through a couple versions actually, he was my character in several different ttrpgs until i settled on him as a detective npc for an urban shadows campaign i ran and that really nailed down a lot for him looks and attitude-wise. grey raincoat to help him blend in a little more with the city, i like to think he could lean against a concrete wall and almost disappear. big stompy boots or heeled shoes because he's short as hell and wants to look taller. red as an accent color for blood/fire/etc. actually i debated red eyes as well for a bit and finally settled on orange because, of all things, pilferingapples drew bahorel with these really lovely orangey whiskey colored eyes and that always struck me as gorgeous. i just cranked up the orange to make them obviously not natural and as a connection to lava. he's a bit of wish fulfillment for me as a trans man - short but with a broader build, fairly strong shoulders and hips but a bit of stomach to fill out between so he's not really hourglass-y at all. hairy all over, big obvious top surgery scars that will get an update to probably look like flames or claw marks soon, and covered in interesting scars. i always wanted to come up with a story behind all of them but i only ever figured out ones for two, one on his knee and the brand on his chest that ties him to his demonic patron. he had a shitty tiny ponytail for a long time because i love getting my hair just long enough to have a tiny shitty ponytail, but his hair started getting longer over time and now i like him with long hair. cringefail facial hair. he cannot grow a mustache to save his life but that's not gonna stop him.

ok so john. john was originally a hotel podcast oc, as in like i had this idea that the owner might have once been a human guy and got yoinked and twisted to fit the hotel's needs. so john was just my design for the owner but a little more saturated, like he goes semi-greyscale when he gets got. i ditched the turquoise bolo tie when i decided i wanted him in underbelly and i'm trying to fill his wardrobe out a little more with clothes that a divorced dad trying to find his feet again after a painful break up might pick for 'fun'. where laz was my wish fulfillment as a trans man back in college, when i was barely beginning to believe i could possibly be genderweird, john is my wish fulfillment as a trans man now. tall, beefy, hairy, big shaggy sideburns. he's got less thought put into him than the others because he's not been around as long, give him a few years to mature in the soup and i'm sure he'll develop.

7. Does your oc have any notable skills or good personality traits? Why did you give them those traits? Why do they exist in-universe?

see prev answer for sal!

lazarus is somewhat similar to sal in that he's quick to pick up on tiny details, but i would call him more street smart than book smart. i wanted the two of them to have a bit of a battle of the minds going on, not quite like death note levels but more like your average columbo episode. laz is in total control of himself at pretty much all times, as well - he is driven primarily by anger, but he's had enough time to figure out how to use anger instead of being used by it. sometimes he loses control but it's rare. he has a good relationship with a lot of people in the underbelly, he makes a point to help out where he can and engages in a lot of favor-swapping. i really want him to be a pillar of the community sort of guy, someone really intensely invested in the space they've helped to build because he's been aimless and wandering in the past and it's no way to live. he's a bit world weary and can come across as cynical, but deep down even if he doesn't believe in the inherent goodness of man, he thinks man can be dragged kicking and screaming towards some kind of goodness.

john is a good natured and good hearted kind of guy, despite his flaws he has a fairly strong sense of right and wrong and he's really fiercely loyal and protective of his loved ones. frankly see that one post that's like 'character that's submissive in the way a guard dog is submissive'. he's lost people and relationships in the past for various reasons so when he finds something that sticks he's desperate to keep them close and safe and intact.

9. In a group dynamic, what kind of role does the oc usually fill? Are they a worry wart? A troublemaker? The straight man?

sal is the worrier for sure and the one who goes home early because she's not having fun. laz is the one you think is the straight man until a third act subversion and then he's either covered in other people's blood or has challenged the biggest guy in the bar to a drinking contest that he will win and then make out with said guy. john is the designated driver.

10. What is your favorite trait regarding your oc?

i love sal's cowardice. it's really meaningful and special to me how little she wants to do with anything happening to her and how she figures out how to deal with it anyway and succeed while never really getting over how much she wants to just go home and get in bed.

my favorite lazarus trait is his anger, because i love a character who lets their rage bubble and boil under the surface while appearing completely calm until they just explode, but like a controlled demolition.

i love john's ability to adapt. when he ends up in the underbelly it's not long at all before he's got a stable job & a place to live & people who call him friend because he just goes with the flow and makes it work. yeah he's got goat eyes and horns and he sleeps on a pile of hay now bc he's too big for his bed most nights but hey, could be worse!

[britishsass]

First Line Tag Game

So, my friend @tyriantyrant tagged me here to do this. Here goes.

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line, then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

I’ll do them behind the cut, and I’ll be using all my WIP projects (Then a few that are complete.) Here goes.

 1) Red Flags (working title): To G, everything was red flags.

(A mafia AU portal fic for some friends of mine-- It’s likely going to have hints of Dougline with a lot of angst about what happened to her and not being able to tell anyone.)

2) The Trial (working title): He stood silently, looking between the prosecution and the defense.

(A fic based off of a roleplay I’m doing with a bunch of people, going off of the idea that one character could be accused of murdering his brother and there are multiple lawyers in the roleplay, so why not put him on trial for it. Genfic.)

3) Gelly Face Chapter 4: Another night. Another dream. In the familiar halls of the apartments, a deep, strong, and almost mournful riff tore through the night, born by the quick, gentle movements of his fingers on the strings. 

(A Sally Face/Portal au longfic that’s been going on for ages behind the scenes. Genfic with some hints of oc/oc, Dougline, Raingil, and Stephgel, but it’s not the focus.)

4)  Cabinet Man: “I have never seen a person win at the game that killed me.”

(A video game I plan to make one day, based on the song Cabinet Man by Lemon Demon. Gen, built on family)

5) Case Files: I didn’t ask to be a detective. I demanded it.

(An original book I’m writing with my gf-- No spoilers here, y’all ;) )

6) Chell Phone: On the list the things Miss Johnson was ready for, she preferred to think that everything in day to day life was included: She was used to low funds, starvation, poor health, aches and pains, and plenty more.

(An abandoned Portal fanfic about Chell after Aperture)

7) Untitled Conrayah: “Don’t talk to that one, newbie.”

(An among us fanfic being written with my gf since we made our characters into more realistic people. Genfic)

8) Untitled Hero/Villain au: The Spectre knew when he was beaten, especially when Blitz was involved.

(A Dougline sickfic/superhero au about Doug as a vigilante “villain” trying to fix the money imbalance and Caroline as a hero who accidentally takes away his sight while trying to stop him, and has to stay with him as he recovers.)

9) GLaDOS recognizing Doug (working title): “The ventilation shafts were the opposite of Chell's favorite way to travel, but then again, it was still nicer than the countless elevator rides she had lived through.”

(A story about Chell and GLaDOS coming across Doug in one of the pods during chapter 8-9 of Portal 2.)

10) Mirror Man: This story does not begin with action, nor with a happy family.

(An original book being written with my friend Asher. Yet again, no spoilers ;) )

11) Untitled self-insert episodic fic: Another early morning in the Mystery Shack. Oxy pushes pancakes around their plate, avoiding eye contact with their dad and their uncle, who are chatting in detail and barely avoiding an argument.

(As it says, it’s an episode fic. I wanted to make a sort of series of Gravity Falls episodes that took place a few years after the show and took place in the fall, using my own oc there.)

12) To The Moon AU: On one late night in 2020, Owl drove down the road, barely able to focus on the path with the rain, dull light, and the pumping music-- This time, Lazarus had put on some Mother Mother. 

(A fun sort of au fic with me and my friend Laz as workers at Sigmund Corp going through Doug’s memories, solely because I thought it would be fun to go through it.)

13) Trafficking au: She needed his help more than ever before, even though she didn’t want to admit it.

(A REnis fanfic written with my gf that was going to be a dark take on the universe, using creatures as a sort of stand-in for current issues. Mark/Enis, of course)

14) Your Turn To Test AU: Reluctantly, Chell walked out of the room to join the others.

(A YTTD/Portal au that has been mostly planned out, but still needs time to actually continue. Being written with a friend.)

15) Silence: Doug hated the silence much more when he couldn’t even think through it.

(A Gravity Falls/Portal au shortfic taking place during weirdmageddon. Was going to be about the whole statue thing and how it actually feels.)

~~~

After this point, they’re all done!

16) April 8th: For the first time since they had arrived, Mayday did not allow themself a pleasant spot in the sun.

(A shortfic about my oc Mayday and how they cope with the anniversary of a loss.)

17) Testing: For a change, Doug had finally managed to get an approved vacation, something about as rare as a statement without ulterior motive from Cave.

(A shortfic about Doug Rattmann being put through testing and how working at Aperture was Not Good.)

18) another nightmare: Ford was used to nightmares, but not when others were near. With Fiddleford in the room, he had expected them to get easier.

(Also about the roleplay I’m in, but this time, it was built off of a scene from another game that felt too familiar with Ford from Gravity Falls. Basically, being unable to control what you do and hearing yourself hurting someone you love.)

19) smells like...: Though Doug could never admit it, the hallucinations had gotten much worse, to the point he could've sworn a few were truly there even after checking his usual ways to defend himself from fakes

(Still about that roleplay, but this time, a scene with Doug and a mental breakdown.)

20) Blame: It was difficult to focus on anything other than the suggestion of blame. Who did it. Who was in the wrong. Every time, it came back to what he could have done.

(A very short fic about that roleplay yet again to destress.)

I’ll tag @clockworkjunkie and @legallymean because i think my other friends were already tagged, oof--

Things that they have in common: I don’t tend to remember to describe places or people, only to jump right into info-dumping or setting a scene with actions or what the point of it is. 

My favorite one is likely 17 because I find that hilarious.

[thehardkandy]

so i got thinking about my old projects and so i put together a list of finished first drafts of books ive had, kinda in chronological order. the early ones are definitely absolute crap, but there is a turn around. originally i included abandoned books, but i took them out cause they were really only at the start

please be kind because i am painfully aware that all but about two of these titles are hogshit but i never changed them because im lazy & half of them aren’t worth giving a better title

1. Silhouettes in the Shadows (inspired by a short story i started in grade 4 or some shit and never finished for class, which was inspired by an episode of martin mystery=57k) - Nano #1 - Silhouettes #3 (in chronology) 2. Two Halves Make a Whole (me self-inserting lesbians for the first time=80k) - Nano #2 3. Silhouettes in the Shadows Redux Part 1 (ground-up redraft of first half of og book. a little bit better, but not worth starting Part 2=54k) -Silhouettes #2 4. Salt of the Land (awesome aesthetic, my worst plot & pacing & characters ever=51k) - Nano #3 5. +At Weiron Pass Novella (40k) - Bold & Broken World #1 6. Tales of Stones & Seas (tried to figure out a Le Guin style & failed horrifically, abandoned=65k)* 7. +Protectors (neat YA characters & world, bad aesthetic, lame execution & half-assed ending=63k) - Silhouettes #2 8. +The Time of Two Moons (an all-time favourite=95k) - Nano #4 - Silhouettes #3 9. +Gods of Industry (thx for the name Coelle, also adore this book=87k) - Bold & Broken World #2 10. At Weiron Pass Novel (ground-up redraft=82k) - Bold & Broken World #1 11. First Rites (122k & then started over b4 ending; currently editing cause it’s fucking dope) - Bold & Broken World #3

+ titles i dont hate

* this book was abandoned by in theory it was at the very end. it just wasnt worth writing

i could get into deets but im too laz & it’s not really important. i was suprirsed that i have a handful more drafts of books than expected, though. I thought most never saw more than draft 1, but as it turns out probably half have at least 1-2 extra drafts. 2-3 get to draft 3 or 4, which sometimes include very deep rewrites (though not quite enough to count as a full redux)

i got 2 fully abandoned books that made it to 10-30k

Games:

A Thing to Strive For (44k) Long Distance Runner (<2k) San Francisco, 2118 (25k)

A Political Marriage (~110k)

3/4 of those games come from short stories, though ATtSF is originally 2k, LDR was ~ the same (because it was a personal challenge lmao), & SFF2118 was 10k

i dont have anything more coherent to put together. im tired. but god do i need to make FINAL drafts.

[rebellect-writes]

[SIZE=1][b]Name:[/b] Jess. [b]Age:[/b] Old enough that I'm getting tired of answering this. [b]How did you find us?:[/b] I took a trip into Hell and found you.

[b]Name:[/b] Lazarus Donovan [b]Nicknames & Aliases:[/b] Laz will do. [b]Age:[/b] 40. Though he looks 35. [b]Date of Birth:[/b] May 28th 1971. [b]Gender:[/b] Male. [b]Sexual Orientation:[/b] Questionable. [b]Occupation:[/b] Jack of all trades, that, and he's Twist's hound.

[b]Animal Species:[/b] WereDog. [b]Animal Description: [/b] [IMG]http://breederinfocenter.com/images2/20061111213659_074529_1.jpg[/IMG][LIST]For a supposed medium sized breed of dog, Lazarus’ canine half is actually quite big compared to some dogs and still not the biggest mutt on the block. He stands at 26 inches at the withers, and weighs in at 90lbs of streamlined muscle that can make some humans cringe in fear. From the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail; he’s 5 feet and 4 inches so it’s easy to get scared. He’s not a long coated German shepherd dog at all, though the thick black and tan fur would make you think so. Screw your pure blacks and your pure white variations; he loves his dog form the way it is. It makes it easier to blend in with some working dogs as the breed is generally used for labour. [/LIST][b]Do you have a hybrid/alpha form?:[/b] [URL=http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=Weredog&order=9&offset=96#/d2lw0fb]Scooby Snack? Yeah!... You idiot.[/URL][LIST]Of course he has an alpha form; it was practically beaten into him. Standing roughly at 6’11, and weighing in at 250lbs, Lazarus isn’t that much bigger in this form. Of course he’s a bit menacing but that’s a good thing – so he thinks – and isn’t something that anyone should want to meet in a dark alley in the middle of the night. Laz retains his black and tan markings in this form, though his fur is only a little thinner in this form then his full dog form. He looks like he’s a dog that can walk quiet comfortable on his hind legs really, with cone like ears, a muzzle packed full of fangs and hands with curved claws and a brush like tail. [/LIST][b]Rank:[/b] Rogue. [b]How long has your character been a lycanthrope?:[/b] All his life. [b]Mindset:[/b] Dominant. [b]Power level:[/b] Beta by choice (hides his alpha status).

[b]Face Claim:[/b] Josh Holloway. [b]Description:[/b] [IMG]http://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv90/bloodwillout/app%20pics/600full-josh-holloway.png[/IMG][LIST]Lazarus is 6’1 inches tall in his human form; he’s pretty average in the height department which is fine with him. He’s your average kind of guy in all honesty, he’s used to hard graft so he’s pretty toned, Lazarus only weighs in at a simply 200lbs even if he doesn’t look like it, and most of the weight’s packed away in muscles. With pale green eyes that darken considerably when he’s angry, the shaggy cut of dirty blond hair, and dusting of stubble finish off his rugged look quite nicely. Some day’s he clips his hair back, sometimes he forgets to shave. It’s not something he really pays attention to.

Does a sense of style matter, really? Well if you insist on it. Laz doesn’t like clothes and he doesn’t exactly hate them either. He’d be much more comfortable lounging about in a pair of jeans and a loose shirt than a suit – though that doesn’t mean he doesn’t look smart when he dresses up! He just needs to be poked and prodded hard to do so -, so his style doesn’t differ from torn and shredded jeans, open dress shirts and t-shirts and a pair of boots. Jewellery and tattoos now eh? Well he does wear the odd pendant or handmade wrist band. It’s just a matter of practicality most days. [/LIST][b]Special Skills:[/b][LIST]Gee, you mean all those street smarts have gone for nothing? Shame. Other than that, he's good staying under the radar as a dog. Also, this is pretty important becuase not everyone can be as cool as he is. He’s a full blown animal servant, meaning that from the first mark he became less breakable and susceptible to vampire mind tricks. From the second mark, gave Mordichai the ability to draw power from him and taste food and drink through Lazarus. The third mark gave them both the ability to communicate telepathically with each other but only when his Master is awake. The forth mark gave him immortality by drinking his masters blood, better mental stabilisation/communication with his master and the ability to draw on Mordichai’s strength. Oh the perks of his job! [/LIST][b]Personality:[/b][LIST]Lazarusarus is a firm believer in ‘survival of the fittest’, that being said, he’s got a sort of soft spot for weaker dogs. He won’t actively help them, but he will keep other folks from breaking people even more if he can see that the ‘underdog’ can pull themselves through whatever task it is. What can I say? He likes a challenge and if he sees one, he’ll prod at it but, he’ll likely lose interest and go about his business after awhile. Idiots have little appeal to him. He’s a smart man, intelligent so he won’t rush into things from the word go. He’ll exploit weaknesses that he can find for his (and the his Master’s) own benefit if he can, and if he can’t, he knows when to cut his losses. Sure Lazarus can charm people, smile and joke around, he can also be cocky and egotistical at times, and closed off as well at times.

He loved once, or lusted, he doesn’t know what it was but he thinks its love. Oh sure he’ll deny it if he’s ever asked, but he knows the truth. He won’t open himself up fully to another person again, unless he can help it. Does that mean he’s looking for someone to open up to? Heck no. He’s just going to keep himself apart from people and still be around them. Trust issues is probably what you’d call it, actually, it’s what he’d call it to. The woman that stole his heart earned his trust, but when she left, that hurt him. So, he’s made it a personal mission in life to just not care what people think about him, and as long as they make no trouble that he has to fix, he doesn’t care what people do.

A common thing with Lazarus is, until you can prove yourself to him, you get a nickname. You can bitch and moan and demand that he use your real name, but he’ll stubbornly start making said nicknames worse. It doesn’t mean anything to him really, but dog’s minds are different in some respects. Scents and actions are easier for him to remember then names are. The only acceptation to this rule are the dominants to this dog, he’ll go out of his way to remember their names.

Donovan won’t take an insult lying down; to him that’s like losing an ear or something close to death. Making him sit out of things will make him whine and pout like a toddler deprived of sugar. He may or may not voice his complaints but to people that know him; you’d be able to tell by the tension in the man’s shoulders and the snarky attitude. It’s sort of the same way when he knows he has to submit to someone but doesn’t really want to. He may think he’s bigger and stronger, but if he’s forced into a position that makes him back down, he does it with as little snark as possible and takes off to the pub afterwards, or in the worst case scenario, takes a pocket knife to the inside of his arms to release the tension he feels. He hasn't cut for a long time, since before he was in love even, but it was an old habit and you know how they die don't you?

Lazarus doesn’t think of himself as mad, not in the conventional sense of the term. So he can kill without hesitating, it’s the predator in him, not the human. That and the fact that any good cat is a dead cat, was beaten into him when he was growing up. He’s not afraid to do what must be done to protect what’s his, if it means submitting to someone to get something he wants, he’ll do it. Practicality really when you think about it is something any animal knows. A weakness could get him killed, and he certainly doesn’t want that. He’s not afraid to bleed for a good cause either believe it or not, if a show needs to be put on, he’ll put his name forward and that will be that. Someone called him masochist when he was younger, so maybe that is true.

Marked by the Master vampire, Mordichai, hasn’t changed him much at all. Red (Violent Man) is someone he can relate to in some ways, and he’s pretty fond of that personality when he’s not being a prick trying to scare everyone. Blue (Business Man) is the side that draws out Laz’s more controlled side. He cares when Blue is around. Mordichai’s well being is one that Laz puts before his own. He’ll stop Red at a cost to him if he has to, distracted Blue and anything else that needs doing. The vampire is his master and owner, mind, body and soul. [/LIST][b]Likes:[/b][LIST] [*] Carving figurines and sketching. [*] Reading when he's alone. [*] Playing with his tennis ball when he's in his dog form. [*] When Mordichai isn't bugged by Kiss vampires. [*] Chasing cats in dog form. [*] Sleeping in occasionally. [*] Mordichai's attention. [*] Quiet nights at the Raven. [*] Walking instead of getting in a car or on a bus. [*] A challenge in any form. [/LIST][b]Dislikes:[/b][LIST] [*] Having to suffer idiots on a regular basis. [*] Mordichai's disappointment. [*] Losing his ball. The last time it was under the couch. [*] Kiss vampires poking their noses in where they're not wanted. [*] Humans thinking that they're all that when they aren't. [*] Drunks in the club. [*] Being around other were-dogs for a long time without a reason. [*] A bad horror movie. [*] Rainy nights. [*] Not being able to find someone for Red to kill. [/LIST][b]Strengths:[/b][LIST] [*] Repetitive shifting with little fuss and bother. [*] Doesn't mind being Red's puppet. [*] Partial shifting. [*] Marked all four times. [*] Keeps his eyes and his ears open for anything useful. [/LIST][b]Weaknesses:[/b][LIST] [*] Not catching the change in Mordichai's moods. [*] He's too curious at times. [*] Silver still burns, even if he's a born shapeshifter. [*] He has a bit of a sweet tooth. [*] Won't ever allow his master to hurt a woman under 18. [/LIST][b]History:[/b][LIST]Born back in the cold July of 1971, Lazarus Donovan was pushed into the world by a teenage mother named Aileen in a back alley in East Cork, Ireland. Aileen should’ve told her parents, she should’ve done a lot of things to ensure that the baby would be safe and sound but she didn’t. Instead, she’d hidden it until one day she couldn’t hide any longer, just like she hid that she could shapeshift. Unprepared for everything, the youngster dumped the baby the first she could find that would offer the babe some chance of survival, in the ambulance bay of the CMC (Cork Medical Centre) before fleeing and never looking back. The father was never notified, Aileen didn’t even know his name, didn’t even care about that dog.

The baby was stumbled upon by a human nun of all creatures. The human sister found Lazarus tucked away out of the worst of the cold weather, and heartbroken for the little mite, Sister Magdalena brought him inside to get checked over by one of the clinic doctors. There looked like there was no option for Laz at the time, declared fine by the doctor, the Sister had no choice but to contact the Priest that resided over the parish and go through the appropriate channels to get the baby into a loving home. For some reason Magdalena was protective of the whelp, she wanted to take him home with her and raise him as her own son, but she did not. The only thing she could give him was a name, and that was Lazarus. Lazarus’s earliest childhood memory is that of mean and spiteful nuns with bony fingers prodding and poking. Magda may have given him a name, but she had no say in where he went after she gave him up. During his earlier days in Cork, Lazarus knew one human family in the space of three years. The Donovan’s didn’t have him long, they didn’t even get to call him son and he didn’t get the chance to recognize them as parents before Mrs Donovan’s husband died in a car accident and his ‘mother’ put him back into care before moving to England. Not understanding what was happening around him, the wee lad just carried on like any normal child would.

Bounced around allot over the next few years from home to home and foster group to foster group, Laz finally hit a wall. He’d always know that he was different someway, but he didn’t know how different until one day he was kicking a football around in the park on his own and the next, he was a dog. A bloody big dog too, in his thirteen year old mind. It was his thirteen year old mind that passed it off as a dream the first time, and the second time it happened without his control, but everything fell apart when he hit fifteen. Laz was with his foster sister, Olivia. She was a great girl, pure human and also a strict catholic just like her parents. When she saw him shift, at first it was fun and games, but then she began to grow wary, thinking he was the devils hound and that her brother was unclean. When he shifted back, despite what he said and did, she began to panic and ran home leaving Laz to watch her go.

He could’ve followed, he wanted to, but he didn’t. Instead he shifted and went the other way, running for days and days until his paws bled and he couldn’t go any further. He stuck to the minor roads, out of the way, and never once went near humans. They didn’t understand him, he didn’t even understand himself. Eventually he found himself in Dublin, and he still hadn’t shifted. He wanted to be a dog, to forget the look of horror on Olivia’s face. That didn’t last though, it was perfectly logical for the youngster to want to hide and forget everything that was happening, but it just wasn’t meant to be as he found out a year later. Tearaway teenager Mary found him, scavenging on some scrubland that was passing itself off as a parkway. She coaxed him out with food, and he went to her. A year as a dog is a rough time, Laz had lost weight, forgot a lot of things, almost forgot how to shift back. Once the food was gone, so was he for a few days and they played this cat and mouse game for days, until finally Laz decided to stop running away. She’d proven she wasn’t going to hurt him, and he’d had a lot of time to think about things and what he wanted to do.

Eventually, he found his way back to human form. He had learnt a lot, noticed a lot too. Humans weren’t the only things out there. It was probably what brought him back into the world of the living, but with no money or place to stay, the teenager had to do what was necessary to get going. He stole, lied and cheated his way through the supposed conmen and women stalking Dublin’s shady alleys over the next few years. When he managed to get a place to stay for himself and wasn’t reduced to squatting as a dog, Laz found a job in one of the bars. He always kept an eye on Mary, she knew him as a dog, she didn’t know him as a human though and it was one of those things that he wanted to change. Ok, so he supposed he stalked her for a little while, in a platonic kind of way. It was hard at the time to get his emotions straight between human and canine. The pub he worked in was her regular, and he saw her every night coming and going with strangers. Eventually summoned up the courage to talk to her and she blew him off. Obviously, he’d said something wrong but Laz couldn’t work out what it was, pushing twenty one, he really didn’t need the aggravation of dealing with a woman when he was trying to be normal.

Over the next fourteen years Lazarus made a name for himself. He never had a stable partner; he worked and charmed the people around him. Did good things for the people he considered friends and eventually ended up buying the lease for the pub he worked in. The Kings Head became his little kingdom, a place he could control and do with what he wanted as the world changed outside the front door. The biggest thing that happened in his little life was that the supernatural came out of the closet in the late nineties. However in 2006, the supernatural world was very much a part of day to day life for the thirty five year old hound dog, Laz. He often spent time around other shapeshifters and vampires, he just enjoyed their company and that’s when everything turned upside down. A bar fight broke out, some angry vampire that had stopped in to get out of the rain had been assaulted by humans, two from the local church. More religious fanatics than anything else, they’d had that type in the pub before and they’d always punted them out on their backsides. It was complicated and Laz only remembers a little, just stepping in between a priest and the vampire, a blade punching into his side rather than the vampires. He didn’t even know why he did it; it just felt right to him, like he needed to be there. How was he supposed to know that he’d sparked the vampire’s curiosity with one act? Mordichai dispatched the rest of the rabble that was there, it was bloody and violent and by the end of the night the Kings Head was burning down. Laz didn’t care, the knife had done some serious damage that his body was struggling to heal and he was pretty much out of it.

He was dragged back to a house that Mordichai had rented while he was in the city, the vampire poked and prodded at him and Lazarus did the same back. He quickly found out that the vampire wasn’t just one person but three and he came up with names for each personality. Red, Blue and Mordichai. He must’ve done something right because in the last five years, he’s not wandered away from the vampire – actually, scratch that, he wouldn’t leave the vampire he called master – and his master hasn’t killed him. Supposedly, if Mordichai wanted him dead, then Red put his foot down on that buy giving Lazarus the marks of an animal servant binding the dog and master together for all eternity. That still doesn’t stop Mordichai from skinning him, or something really creative but one thing is for sure, they need each other and that’s that...No matter how much they deny it. [/LIST][/SIZE]

[nexstage]

LIMBO SILVAM - PART 9 (1/3)

It was the void again, but this time it felt different. Like something was missing. Though, of course, something was because the light, the sound, air, and other elements were nonexistent; still, there was an emptiness that couldn't leave them alone no matter how hard they tried to ignore it.

 "Lapis?" Someone was calling her name "Lapis, wake up!" Why they sounded so distraught? "Lapis, please! Wake up! Don't leave me!" Wait, that voice...

 "Peri...? Peridot?" Her eyes opened slowly and she spot the tear-stained gaze of her love, her eyebrows furrowed and the whole body was trembling.

 "Thank stars you're awake!" Peridot's arms wrapped on her neck, she could hear some sniffs and feel the wetness of her tears.

 "Hey, Peri. Hey, it's ok, I'm not going anywhere" a blue hand caressed the yellow, triangular-shaped hair to comfort her. Her cerulean eyes wandered to every corner of whatever they were, but the problem was that only black surrounded them. Utter black and silence.

 If it weren't for Peridot's presence and voice, she would go crazy in that desolated dimension.

 "--rry" Peri's voice was a pitiful whisper, but she could hear a bit of what she said, and Lapis didn't like it.

 "Say it again" Lapis grabbed both her companion's shoulders and looked at her seriously "Say it and then tell me if you would've liked to see me acting this way"

 Peridot, despite her tears and self-hatred blinding her judgment, understood what Lapis meant. She knew, from many conversations both had before this mess, that the blue gem tended to fall to a depressive hole, believing everyone was better off without her, that her mistakes and past wrongs made her look like poison instead of a flawed person. But it wasn't true. Lapis WAS flawed, like Peridot, Steven, and the rest of her friends. Good and bad traits together which made them unique. Still...

 "Laz, this is different. I should've protected you better, I should've done more, I shouldn’t have gotten us lost when the plan was reaching the light at the peak! I... I ruined it all... How can you be so forgiving with me?"

 "Because it's not your fault" Peridot was going to protest but Lapis stopped her "No, I'm serious. Peri, even if our places had been inversed back then, things would have still been out of control. The shadows, the monster, the storm, our bodies deteriorating. We would've ended up the same"

 "Are you really trying to make me feel better? Because it's not working" the blue gem smiled at her bitter and angst-ridden love to whom she hugged tightly. Peridot melted at the touch and clung like a baby koala, calming down a bit.

 "I'm still sorry, Laz" the technician said morosely "We're dead because of me"

 Lapis didn't know what to say at that. They were surrounded by darkness, yes, but it didn't feel like death, not yet. Should she tell her that maybe they were in a sort of coma? Would that change something?

 "I was in this kind of darkness too" Lazuli decided to approach it slowly "Maybe we are in the same condition I was. Maybe what we need is to find a way to wake up"

 "But how? Back then, I was the one finding you unconscious and even I thought you'd never get out of it, but now we don't have anyone to find and protect us from those monsters"

 "Come on" slender, blue fingers caressed a wet cheek "Since when the powerful and lovable Peridot gives up? What happened with 'I think we can win. I think you can win'?"

 "It was slapped by reality, Lapis. That's what happened. Reality and being rubbed in your face that without powers there's no point in trying. Besides, why are you so encouraging? As far as I know, we might be dead already and this is how the Afterlife looks like"

 "Because certain cute and brave gem has shown me all this time that trying new things may seem scary, but it is worth it in the end" Peridot didn't respond but the frown of her face told Lapis that the little gem didn't agree at all.

 What were they going to do now? There were no options but to wait for a miracle and even that was useless because they were stuck in the middle of nothing, in a black dimension or whatever part of the Afterlife. What about their friends, their family, their lives in Little Homeworld? All gone.

 Lapis could feel the helplessness and self-loathing emanating from Peridot. She was pretty familiar with those feelings, though it was better if she felt them than her crush. Being so distraught by your self-hatred because of some mistakes or what fate had in store for you wasn't a good experience. It was something Lazuli could relate to with Peri, but she'd rather see her smiling and not giving up than this.

 She truly wanted for the mechanic to keep trying, to think on a plan or at least give a last chance to go home, but come to think of it, Lazuli considered it a bit selfish to push encouragement and comprehension to her comrade who was emotionally drained and needed a break of more planning that might go wrong. What Peri required more than anything was a silent company to ground her.

 Slowly, she approached and put her on her lap, hugging Peridot from behind while placing her chin on her yellow, triangular hair. The other protested a bit, not in the mood for some temporary comfort but the green gem was too tired to do something and groaned miserably.

 A long stretch of silence passed, both Crystal Gems submerged in their own thoughts, while nothingness and darkness remained the same. There was no up nor down, no light nor limits, nor sign of life or danger. 'This is how a sad ending must feel like' Peridot mused numbly 'A huge well where you can do whatever you want which ironically won't give you any satisfaction or change the outcome, just a temporary distraction that will leave you emptier than before while living with the fact that you didn't do enough. Just hopelessness and failure in front of you'

 Yeeesh, she was getting the depressing vibes that Lapis used to have, wasn't she? Though, with their situation being shitty as it was, using her big brain was a waste of time. But no, she doubted time was even allowed to exist in this sad void.

 'I can do whatever I want' Peri remembered suddenly from her last musings and an unexpected idea crossed her mind 'I can ask Lapis if she--' she shook her head trying to dismiss it. There was no way Laz would accept that, besides, even if she said yes, if they remained powerless, then it would be a wasted chance. And she wanted to do it in their home, not in an entirely black and silent dimension.

 'I can't put her through that' Peri reflected sadly 'Even if she trusts me, it will be asking too much from her, and because of me she's stuck here'

 "What are you thinking about, Dot?" Lapis' tender voice got her out of her internal debates, then the little gem stiffened with the idea of telling her companion the truth. "Is something wrong?" the blue gem placed her hand on a green chin so both could see each other. Peridot gulped, her mind and heart fighting for dominance about what to do: not saying anything or being honest.

 "Uuummmm... I don't know how to say this" she started and prayed internally to not screw this up too "I was... Well... You know, we don't have any idea of how to get out of this place, whatever it is, so... If for some reason we are going to be trapped here forever, maybe we should...try...something... You know, to pass the time... And I..." some tears of frustration gathered in the corner of her eyes and she rubbed them furiously "Forget it, it was stupid anyway"

 "No, it wasn't. Whatever it is, you can tell me" Lapis smiled at her kindly, Peridot debating with herself if there was a point to try "Come on, Dot. What is it?"

 "It's just a meaningless whim, that's all. Why should we embark on something like that? I mean, didn't you want to go home? Why haven't you told me to think on a new plan, encourage me or knock some sense into me? Why are you acting so calm instead of freaking out?"

 "I could lash out, blaming me or you, lose hope or keep trying on my own, but it wouldn't be fair to you. You are exhausted, frustrated, angry, confused. I know how that feels, so I decided to just be at your side in silence instead of overwhelming you"

 "Oh... Well, t-thanks, though it's not that I'm the only one with plans, yours was great too but... Anyway, don't you miss home?" Lapis hugged lovingly and in her subconscious, Peridot could understand what she was trying to say 'You're my home'. "You are too" the green gem mumbled while sniffing.

 "Laz, how do you think Steven and the others will find us? Will we be found poofed, cracked, both of them, maybe our bodies under layers and layers of snow, or...or shattered?"

 "Are you asking this in the slightest hope to not be in darkness anymore?" Peridot didn't say anything for some minutes until she nodded to which Lapis said "They will. Even if it takes them too much, they will. I mean, if they get stuck, Garnet will guide them. She has future vision, after all"

 "I wish I had that. That way we wouldn't be trapped here. But, even if they find us, what are the chances of wakening up? Maybe this is our new eternity now. No home, no friends, no meep morps. Just a big and round zero"

 Lapis was lost on what to do to help with her love's distress. The more they talked about the next course of action -if there was any-, the more somber was Peri's mood which broke her heart. Then she remembered something and hoped it didn't trigger another dark emotion on the little gem, "You know, I was imagining us visiting Pumpkin's tomb once we returned home. It was so difficult for both of us when she died"

 "I wish she was here too, Laz. I'd like to visit her with you" the blue gem caressed her cheek smoothly, Peridot leaning on the touch, before saying something else "I also wanted to cuddle with you in my hammock. Rest for a bit, relax, just the two of us"

 "I wish we were at home right now. I wanted so much to fuse with you" the little gem kept enjoying the caress on her cheek until she heard a gasp and saw Lapis' surprised eyes. Immediately, she covered her mouth with both hands, cursing herself mentally for having let out that without thinking.

 Lazuli was completely stiffened, barely processing what she'd heard while looking at Peridot as if she was seeing someone else. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong! This was all wrong! She shouldn’t have said that! She should've kept her mouth shut! This was a bad idea!

 "I-I-I-I-I... Sorry!" Peridot ran while holding back tears. She glanced a still stunned Lapis for the last time before getting lost in the never-ending darkness.

 --------------------

 The blue Crystal Gem was a mess. No, her mind was the one being a mess, exactly. Confusion and dark memories she thought she had overcome time ago were getting the best of her as her whole body tensed when she remembered Peridot's words: I wanted so much to fuse with you.

 Peri wanted to fuse. Peri wanted to and had chosen her, Lapis Lazuli, to do that. She had hopes of returning home with her and then ask her if the blue gem wanted to fuse with her. And, by some twist of fate or accident, Peridot had confessed it and now she was gone.

 What was Lapis supposed to do with that information? Before the Gem War, fusion never crossed her mind, not only because of Homeworld laws but also for being unnecessary for her. Then, after being dragged to Earth by Jasper and Peridot, it became her worst misdeed along with her most savages urges of revenge when she unleashed all her anger and hatred on Jasper once they fused into Malachite.

 She hated it. She was disgusted by it as much as she was disgusted with herself. Jasper's cold words rang in her mind, reminding her why: You can't lie to me. I've seen what you're capable of. I thought I was a brute, but you, you're a monster.

 Lapis wasn't a warrior gem; however, she was powerful. She could steel the ocean and fight the Crystal Gems while her gem was cracked. She could take control of Malachite and hold both Jasper and herself prisoners in the ocean. She even sent her flying with a single water punch. She had so much power and ammo, and that was the problem.

 No, the problem was that Lapis was too violent. So much rage, hatred, and pain for being a prisoner 6000 thousand years pushed her to do the worst to someone she despised. But Peri, though, she wasn't Jasper nor she had any intention to force her to fuse. It was only a wish of hers. But Peri might get hurt, just like Jasper or worse. She might see how dangerous Lapis was and hate her. Fear her.

 The blue gem would rather die than risk her relationship with her companion just because of a wish, even if it was Peridot's. Guilt hit her hard for thinking that way. She was being selfish again. Peri had done so much for her, the least she could do was to give her what she wanted, but Lapis couldn't stand the fact of seeing someone so precious to her getting hurt if they fuse.

 What was she going to do? If she said she didn't want to fuse, Peridot would be sad and disappointed. And if Lapis said yes, there was a huge chance she might screw up and hurt Peri. She would never forgive herself if that happened.

 'Battling the Diamonds sounds easier now' Lapis lamented and covered her face, trying to think on a way to solve this problem. 'And back then, I felt safe because I knew Peri was there and we were facing them together'. Then it hit her. Of course! Why she didn't think about it? She just had to talk to her. Though it would be more difficult than when she apologized for abandoning the little gem.

 Whatever, the blue gem didn't have time to imagine how things might go. Peridot needed an answer, and she will give her one! "Peridot, look, I--" Lapis stopped after noticing her love's absence. Where the hell was she?!

 Her mind scrambled for an explanation and then she remembered how Peridot apologized, ashamed and scared, before running away. "Oh, stars! Peri!" In a snap, she got up from the invisible floor and went to search her companion, praying that she hasn't got too lost.

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

 The former technician didn't know where she was. Well, technically, her answers were yes and no. As far as the green gem was concerned, she was stuck in a void-like dimension without hopes of going home. But she could also be in a coma, or in the Afterlife. So it was a yes and a no. Not that it mattered to her anyway.

 All Peridot planned to do that moment was lie on the floor and hope to be swallowed so she could forget her biggest fuck up. More tears of frustration fell from her eyes. This was the reason why she should've kept her wish locked in her mind. Because of it and her stupidity she had lost Lapis, the best that happened to her.

 The pain was unbearable. There were no friends to comfort her, no advice from Garnet to fix her mistake, no Temple or Little Homeworld, nothing to give her some solace from the loneliness. Everything she valued so much, gone. Only memories of it.

 'How could I be so stupid?! Laz was the only thing I have left! We were there for each other during this hellish journey and now she's gone! All because of my big mouth!' she yelled and punched the invisible ground hard. If there was a way to travel through time, the green Crystal Gem would take the chance without question so she could still be with Lapis. So she could at least enjoy her company in this miserable eternity.

 'I deserve this, though' she concluded sadly 'Lapis wouldn't be trapped in this place if it weren't for me. And still, she was so kind, didn't lash out, even if she had the right to. I wonder if she's looking for me...' Peridot snorted, bitterness in her features 'Who am I kidding? After saying what I said, it's obvious she'd rather forget I exist. Such ruler of the skies I've become. More like a butt, an idiotic and worthless butt'.

Without a single care in the world, the engineer started singing self-deprecating songs while laughing and crying at the same time. Time passed slowly, despite not feeling it at all, but then a voice interrupted her singing session much to her annoyance. "Ugh, not now, Lapis" she said, her mind too numb to register what was going on around her. 

Still, the other Crystal Gem didn't stop calling her name, and the more she tried to ignore it and keep wallowing in self-pity, the more insistent her companion became which made her snap. "I SAID NOT NOW, LAZULI!!!!" the green mechanic glared at Lapis who stopped but not for the glare but because of the huge relief she felt at finally finding Peri.

In a single movement, Lapis lifted her love in her arms and hugged her as if she was going to disappear if she let her go. "Thank stars you're ok, Peri! Don't do that again!" the blue gem held her close to her chest and that's when the other Crystal Gem got out of her funk, processing what had happened and looked at her companion confused.

 "Laz? W-Wait you're here? Why?" Lapis' relieved smile turned into a frown after hearing those questions. It sounded like Peridot doubted the idea of the blue gem trying to find her or wondering about her whereabouts. Like she didn't care at all.

 "What do you mean...? P-Peri, I was worried sick! I didn't know if I could find you or if you were ok. I even thought you got lost forever and that terrified me. What if something had happened and I wasn't there to protect you?"

 "But... But I thought you didn't want anything to do with me because... Because of--"

 "Because of you wanting to fuse with me?" Lapis answered for her and the pained expression on the green gem was enough for the other Crystal Gem to have her suspicions proven right. Slowly, she sat and invite Peridot to do the same in front of her. The former technician tensed greatly until a blue, gentle hand held hers to make the invitation friendlier, not more challenging, though Peri still prayed internally to not have to deal with this situation.

 "Do you want to start or should I?" Peridot shook her head in a silent plea to drop the subject, to change it, to be in silence only for Lapis to sigh. "Peridot, I don't want to force you to talk about this and I won't. Don't worry. But that doesn't mean we have to put it aside. If I had done that with the knowledge that I left you behind back then, would you have liked it?"

 "N-No... I wouldn't have" Lapis was going to continue, the green gem stopped her though "But still fusion is a sore spot for you! I-I mean, it's not that seeing some of our friends like Garnet, for example, makes you feel all uncomfortable and angry. Back then, in Homeworld, we saw Steven and the original Crystal Gems turn into Obsidian and it was great, but I know it's still...hard... I can't relate though. I've never fused with anyone, I even thought I was unable until I discovered I have ferrokinesis. But that was nothing compared to your experiences. What happened between you and...you know, Jasper... Even imagining it isn't enough. But the point is, I didn't want to put you through that, to remind you how it felt. I didn't want to hurt you"

 "Peri..." the blue gem caressed her love's cheek sweetly, moved by those words. Even with the pain and the stress, the mechanic was caring for her, thinking about her wellbeing "It's sweet of you doing that. Thanks. But now, let me do the same"

"Uh?" Peridot looked at her with a raised eyebrow and Lapis' smile for a bit bigger "Peridot, there are things that I cannot change. Many mistakes and misdeeds that I wish I could erase from my mind and my hands. Being fused with Jasper... Malachite... Those two are part of the list. I couldn’t stand being a prisoner, not after being trapped in a mirror for millennia. So I took the chance to unleash my rage and hatred on Jasper. I acted and became the worst when I was Malachite to the point of even missing those sensations. The lust of power, of control, to have my revenge. I liked it, I needed it, I hated it as much as I hated myself. I couldn’t stand fusion because It reminded me about what I had become. And when you said you wanted to fuse with me, I was shocked. Confused. And then I was scared. I didn't know what to do"

 "Did I make you feel like you were being forced?" Peridot's voice was small and afraid of having screwed up worse than she thought, but Lapis caressed her cheek again to ease her tension "No. You didn't force me, I was just surprised. The problem is that I don't know what is the right answer. And I don't want to hurt you either, Peri. Not after what I did to you when I left with the whole barn. You've done so much for me, you deserve to have your wishes come true. I don't know how though, and it's because of how I treated Jasper. If I said no, it would be to protect you from me, but you'd be sad to have your wish denied. But If I said yes, there might be the chance of you getting hurt and it would be my fault. I want you to be happy, Peri. But I want you safe too. And... And I'm afraid I don't have what it takes to do both"

 In a matter of seconds, two short, green arms wrapped around her neck, much to her surprise. She could hear some sniffs and a tear or two landed on her left shoulder. "You clod" Peridot said, barely keeping it together "Even with all that you did to Jasper, I would never see you as a threat. You are the best that happened to me. Really, the best. And you changed, Lapis. Sure you make mistakes and sometimes let your emotions get the best of you, but you're still great. You have come so far like me. You would never hurt me"

 "How do you know?" the blue gem couldn't believe what she was listening to. "Because I see it in your eyes. And yeah, it sounds cheesy and cliché as humans say, but I mean it! I truly do! Despite everything we put the other through, what we have has become something more beautiful and stronger than we could have imagined. So, whether you want to fuse or not, don't worry. As long as we're together, as long as you're at my side, it will be enough for me to be happy" Peridot tightened her hold on her companion before continuing "I'm j-just overjoyed that you don't hate me"

 "You silly" Lapis now was hugging her while crying "Why would I hate you? You're the best that happened to me too. Just because I'm not sure what to do concerning fusion, it doesn't mean that my feelings towards you are going to change. Peridot," Lazuli looked pulled away gently and looked at her seriously "I'm still unsure of what to do about your wish...and your safety too. To be honest, I don't trust myself. Not entirely when a subject like this comes to the picture. But, if you really want to fuse with me, I will do it then. For you. Let's give it a try"

 Peridot's mind was divided. A part of her was screaming in happiness because one of her wishes would come reality and it would be with her beloved. However, another part within her reminded the green gem about their powerless condition which prevented that wish to be fulfilled. "Thanks, Laz. You don't know how much that means to me... But, I, no, we can't. It's impossible"

 "What?" Saying that Lapis was shocked was an understatement after hearing that answer.

 "Laz, I don't know if you have forgotten but our powers are neutralized for some reason, and now that we're stuck here we cannot use them anymore. So, even if we try to fuse, nothing will happen. That was...another reason why I didn't want to tell you about my wish"

 "Oh" the blue gem facepalmed mentally for forgetting that simple but very important detail. She was so caught up reflecting about fusion, her mistakes, her relationship with Peridot and then trying to look for her love that she didn't think about the impossibility of fusing because of their condition. "I-I see... I'm sorry, Peri"

 "Hey, it's not your fault. Besides, you're here with me. We're together. I just hope you don't get bored with me as your only company"

 "Why would I? Peri, I've been alone a big part of my life and I even thought isolating myself would help me deal with the pain, but it didn't. Being with my family, my friends, with you especially, that's what helped me. You and I, there for each other, that's enough and I couldn't ask for anything else"

 Peridot smiled while a river of tears ran down her cheeks, she hugged Lapis again and savored the intimacy, the trust and love between them. Even with the rest of her lives in the void-like dimension, she knew deep down that with Lapis, that kind of end didn't sound so sad anymore.

 How much time did they spend like that, cuddled and hugging each other tightly? Both gems had no idea, though caring about that was out of question. Then, Lazuli got up from the floor and lent Peridot a hand who took it confusedly. "Is something wrong? Do you want to go somewhere else? Because there isn't so much to see if you have seen it"

 "No, Peri. It's not that. What if we dance for a while? Would you like to?" the green gem sighed sadly and was going to say what Lapis suspected but was interrupted "I know we cannot fuse, but I didn't ask you to dance so we can try on the impossible. I want to dance with you to pass the time. To enjoy it together. What do you say?"

 "Oh... Well, uuummm, I'm not that skilled in dancing, maybe I make a fool of myself"

 "It's ok, I can help you" A kind smile was enough for Peri to give in. Lapis right hand holding the engineer's left one, while the blue gem's left was in Peridot's right shoulder. Peri didn't know what to do with her right hand until Lapis instructed her to put it in her waist. With the position all set up, she moved to her right, her companion doing the same with her left foot; the same thing happened in the opposite direction.

 Minutes later, they were in a more synchronized and harmonic rhythm, Peridot finally leaving her tension and fear of feeling ridiculous behind to have some well-deserved fun with the person she loved most. Lapis' smile was bigger and shined marvelously at seeing her beloved enjoying the activity, relaxed and not full of self-hatred.

 Soon there were giggles that turned into laughs as the dance got more sophisticated. Both gems felt lighter, revitalized, energized by the other's company. This was more fulfilling than having her powers back, it felt like home seeing your significant one in front of you smiling.

 Peridot got more daring in the dance and gave Lapis a waltzes turn despite not being as tall as the blue gem, and in exchange, her companion did the same. Peri pecked her romantic partner's lips in an instant, smirking at the blushed face of Lazuli and put her in a deep dip. The other smiled amused and turned around with the green gem in her arms, dancing in circles elegantly.

 She'd never had so much fun, but then one of her feet made trip the other and she fell, back ready to collide with the invisible ground. Thankfully, Peri stopped her fall by grabbing her waist with both hands and all the strength she had which wasn't that much. Lapis looked at her surprised, the other gem blushed deeply trying to think on something to say, but her chance was taken by her love's laughter, so contagious that even Peridot snorted and erupted in giggles.

 It was liberating. The darkness, the silence, the harsh reality, their situation and everything they had lost, none of that mattered at that moment but the sheer joy of dancing with someone they loved. Moved by those sentiments, Lapis and Peridot pressed their foreheads to the other's and kissed like there was no tomorrow. Passion and love back together making them shine metaphorically and literally. Their whole bodies turning a blinding white, mixing together until becoming a big mass of light.

 'What is this?' It thought, confused and surprised 'Am I--?' But couldn't finish its sentence when a strong sense of longing hit it. Home. It wanted to go home. Family, friends, Little Homeworld, Steven, Pumpkin, all those words transformed into feelings, then into images that increased its brightness. It impulsed the being, like fuel for a rocket, to what it believed up was.

 Going fast or to the light's speed was an understatement, though the thing didn't care at all as long as it could find a way home, an exit from the desolated darkness. Without noticing, a tunnel made by light and shadows were taking shape in front of it.

 The being accelerated as it saw very far away bits of an opening. It looked like the sunlight going through the holes of a wall, that was enough for the thing to boost its energy. The end of the tunnel got closer and closer, the hole becoming clearer while letting more sunlight illuminate the path until it consumed everything.

 Then...

 "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" that was the only thing heard in the highest part of the highlands, coming from a mass of light which crashed on the top of a huge snow-covered, rocky pilar. In an instant, two figures emerged from the snow, spitting and coughing. Peridot rubbed her eyes and froze at the incredible change of scenery.

 There wasn't darkness or silence anymore. High hills and rocky columns were gathered in front of the majestic mountain whose peak they were trying to reach. "L-Lapis--" she was going to inform her romantic partner about her discovery until she saw the aghast gaze of the blue gem.

 "We escaped..." Lazuli's shocked whisper was a total contradiction with her expression, unable to believe that she and Peridot had gotten out of the darkness they had labeled as their end of the journey. The green gem launched at her with a hug crying of relief. Hope revived in a snap.

 Her blue companion took a bit to reciprocate the feeling but when she did, it was as fervent as Peri's. The svelte Crystal Gem spooned her love while jumping in circles, her giggles a mix of shock and faith she thought she had lost. "We're free, Peri! We're free! Free!" the other nodded endlessly, feeling like she could take on everything and everyone at once.

 "I don't care if I was proven wrong of being trapped there forever! We have another chance! We can still go back home!" Peridot pointed like an excited child to the top of the mountain. Its crevice spilling light in the form of a pilar.

 "We are so clo-- Aaaaggghhh!!!" Lapis fell to her knees much to Peri's concern. The tear-shaped gemstone felt like a giant battery, hot to the touch and sending deep-cutting volts to her whole body. Peridot's horrified gasped made her look at herself and Lapis didn't like what she saw.

[northofsomewhererp]

Your Name, Age (17+), & Timezone: Meg, too old, EDT

Zephyrine Oriana Bowie turned 17 years old on March 14th. She’s a junior at Greensville High School. Her faceclaim is Billie Eilish.

Bio:

As a lover of all things strange, you could guess that Zephyrine Bowie tends to stand out in a crowd. From her peculiar fashion sense down to her creepy obsession with the dead, she was never one to fit in.

When Mélissandre Thibert, her biological mother, passed away due to some post-birth complications, no one really knew what to do with the little girl. Her father was a one night stand: he’d never even pretended that he’d be a part of that child’s life, and Mélissandre didn’t expect him to be, either. Her life had been on a steady decline: she lost her job, was battling addiction and had just gotten dumped by whom she thought to be the love of her life. In some ways, Zephyrine was her saving grace, her one reason to try and get better. And for a while, it worked. But ultimately, she was in too poor a condition previously to be salvaged by 9 months of self-care.

When it all came down to it, the only person who stepped up to the task and wanted that child was Makani Bowie. He’d been a pen-pal of Mélissandre’s for nearly 10 years now, and although they hadn’t met more than 5 times, they made sure to talk every day and video chat weekly. It was nothing if not platonic, but nonetheless he was all she had left. With him residing in America and little Zephyrine being in France, it wasn’t an easy task. But after a long, strenuous process, he was finally able to adopt the little girl and bring her back to his home, in Greensville. Makani’s mother often referred to her as a demon, recalled seeing something ‘wicked’ in the little girl’s eyes the moment she was first brought into the family. Eff grew up alone with Makani and his son, Lazarus. Even without a mother, she never lacked anything: she’s forever grateful for that.

In elementary school, Bowie started to display an explosive character. She didn’t have a good relationship with her classmates. From the get-go, she was an easy target for kids to pick on. It didn’t help that at any given chances, Zephyrine would go on about how she believed in fairies, mystical creatures and witchcraft. But in all honesty, she couldn’t give a flying fuck about what others thought of her, she liked to embrace who she was and her beliefs. What were these kids to her anyway but mere classmates? When they started to spread vile rumors about her and her family, she started to lash out at them. Especially at girls. She’d decapitate their dolls and pick up fights. Pull, scratch and bite. During this time, she often found herself in the principal’s or the counselor’s office, and this carried on into her high school career. Needless to say she didn’t have many friends, still doesn’t. But she likes it that way. Now a junior in high school, it seems as if most of the kids she went to elementary with forgot about her. In fact, it was during the summer before her freshman year that her appearance took a drastic turn and she’s basically unrecognizable anymore. Zephyrine started getting inked and dyed her hair all sorts of fantasy colors. Her peculiar sense of fashion draws attention, but the good one this time. Eff is usually quiet, for the simple reason that she prefers discussing with the dead rather than the living. Yet she’s not afraid to speak her mind. It comes pouring out of her without any effort. In that sense, she’s incredibly blunt and lacks a filter. Some have called her rude, but she doesn’t care. Regardless, Bowie is a very smart and articulate young lady. What most people admire about her is obviously her open-mindedness. She’s also a big fan of DIY projects and any sort of crafts, which makes her somewhat resourceful. She’s someone that although you may need some time getting in their good books, once you’re in her circle you can always count on her.

Activity (1-10): 5

Have you read the rules?: removed

In the event that you leave, can we keep your biography for future use? *grabs zephyrine* no she my baby

Any comments/questions?: no thank u ♥

Sample( 2+ paragraphs):

Night had always been Zephyrine’s favorite time of day for as long as she could remember. The starry sky, chilly breeze and complete silence were only a few things she enjoyed. But tonight, she found herself in a totally opposite setting.

When her brother, Lazarus, asked her to tag along to a gathering on the beach, Zephyrine didn’t think twice about it. Their Meemaw was coming over, and no opportunity to be as far away from the woman as possible were taken for granted. What she hadn’t taken into consideration when blindly accepting was the amount of people that would actually attend, or how Laz was bound to dump her to go french some random person at some point in the night.

Zephyrine’s currently sitting in front of the bonfire, throwing anything she can find into the flame and watching it burn. She hasn’t spoken to a single soul, and Lazarus, of course, is nowhere in sight. It wouldn’t be as bad if the bonfire wasn’t surrounded by couples practically fucking right then and there. She hadn’t expected this big a turnout, and the crowd was starting to make her feel antsy. Throwing one last empty can of beer into the fire, Bowie decides to get up and head towards the shore.

The further away she gets from the crowd, the lighter her steps feel. It’s not that she was afraid of people, not at all. She was just very picky with people she allowed close to her. Eff held everyone to a higher standard due to past hurt, which made getting close to her very difficult. And Lazarus’ friends? They definitely weren’t her type. Funny how her brother was the person she got along with best, but his choice in friends was so poor. When she reaches the shoreline, Zephyrine crouches down and drags her finger against the damp sand. She isn’t drawing anything in particular, just letting her hands wander around and she finds herself way more entertained than she’d been the entire night. That is, before someone pulls her out from her bubble.

“Boo!” Lazarus startles his sister, bursting into laughs when she topples over face first into an incoming wave. Now drenched in ice cold water, Eff wipes a hand down her face.

“You motherfucker!” she exclaims, springing up into action and staring at him with wide eyes. She tries so hard to keep her angry act, but a smile can’t help to pull at the corner of her lips. This just amuses Laz further.

“I didn’t think you were so fucking clumsy, chill out Eff”, he rolls his eyes, and that earns him a hard shove from his sister. He stumbles but his feet remain planted into the ground. “Nice try, sissy.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m gonna catch a cold because of your dumb ass”, Bowie sighs. She grabs a handful of her hair and twists it so drain the water out. A slight rustling sound catches her attention and when she looks up, Lazarus is draping his jacket over her shoulders.

“Here. Are you having fun? Except the possible hypothermia, I mean”, he asks with a sheepish smile. He picks up a beer bottle, presumably his, and takes a long swig as he awaits her answer.

“Are you seriously asking me this, Laz?” Zephyrine retorts. “I thought you knew me better than that, wow”, she puts a hand over her heart, dramatizing the situation and that manages to make her brother chuckle.

“I know you’re dying on the inside, sue me for being hopeful. Y’wanna go home, then?”

“Your unbuttoned shirt and raw lips tell me you don’t”, she crosses her arms over her chest, an eyebrow quirking up as she eyes him from head to toe.

“Ah, shut the fuck up. It’s a party, what did you expect?” Lazarus counterattacks, visibly taken aback by the comment, flustered even.

“For you not to dip your dick in the first chick you see, maybe?”

“To be fair, I dipped it.. but in her mou-”

“Ah ah! Stop talking, TMI, Laz… TMI!” the girl interrupts him, nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Fine, okay. Still doesn’t answer my question. You wanna go?” Zephyrine bites her lip, avoiding his gaze as she shrugs. “Zephyrine…” he warns, and that makes her snap her head up to finally look at him.

“…yeah, this sucks. And I’m cold. I just know you’re having fun and I don’t wanna force you to leave. But if Dad picks me up, then Meemaw’s gonna-”

“Zephyrine, calm down, it’s okay. This is getting boring, anyway. We ran out of beer, I’m good with leaving”, he reassures her, stepping closer and pulling her into a hug. He sways them from side to side, purposefully making them tip over as if to almost fall, but he catches them back every single time. They both laugh in unison, and that’s the first real laugh Effy let out tonight. Lazarus moves back only enough to look at her. “Even if I didn’t wanna leave, I’d leave for you”, he presses a soft kiss to her forehead, but she pushes him away.

“Gross, you’re drunk”, she states as she wipes away the spot on her forehead he’d kissed.

“Maybe I am, so what?”

“Don’t kiss me, period. Especially not when you ate pussy, you reek of it!” That comment makes Lazarus burst into giggles, almost falling over his sister. “God, you’re done, let’s go”, she wraps an arm around his waist and starts walking away.

A comfortable silence settles between them, and that’s something she always appreciated from her brother. There wasn’t a need for small talk, they could just revel in each other’s presence without a word spoken. And so, the entire walk home was spent without a word being exchanged. Zephyrine was cold, slightly buzzed and tired, but as they strolled through Greensville together, she couldn’t help but think maybe this night wasn’t so bad after all.

[weekendwarriorblog]

Interview: “Traffik” Director Deon Taylor on His New Thriller Starring Omar Epps and Paula Patton, and Production Company Hidden Empire

Deon Taylor is a filmmaker who has created an interesting niche for himself as a director, having made movies in relative obscurity for ten years.

Things really took off for Taylor in 2014 when he formed the Hidden Empire Film Group production company with partner Roxanne Avent.  The company had its biggest hit in 2016 with the horror-comedy Meet the Blacks, starring Mike Epps, which was self-released through Freestyle and grossed $9 million based on a budget of under a million. The company has really stepped up its productions since then.

Taylor is back with Traffik, a tense thriller starring Omar Epps (only his second movie in the past ten years!) and Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible), as a couple who travel to a remote cabin for a romantic getaway, only to get caught up in a feud with a gang that’s been kidnapping women as part of a sex trafficking ring.

The movie is being released by Codeblack Entertainment on Thursday night into 1,000 theaters, and it’s a surprisingly solid thriller that really puts Patton through her paces as an actor, and also stars Luke Evans, Miss Pyle, Laz Alonso and William Fichtner.  

I spoke with Taylor on the phone this past weekend, and it was quite refreshing to talk to a filmmaker who I never had an opportunity to talk to before, who has been able to build this independent production company that makes movie with such amazing talent. It’s no surprise that Taylor’s movies are being released theatrically to a wider audience where other similarly-budgeted thrillers are being dumped to VOD.

ED: I’m glad I got a chance to see your movie, because Codeblack doesn’t generally show their movies in advance to critics, so I consider myself lucky.

Deon Taylor: Yeah, and I think this is not the typical Codeblack movie either, so yeah, I'm beyond excited for the movie, and I'm happy to talk to people about it. As an independent filmmaker, you only get a shot every now and again to finance your movie and make it yourself, and I'm actually extremely happy with my decision to make this film.

ED: I wanted to ask you a little bit more about Hidden Empire, but let’s start with “Traffik” first. I haven’t seen your earlier movie “Supremacy” but reading the premise, it sounds like that was also a thriller based on true events. Did that lead the way into this one?

Taylor: I've always been a fan of thrillers, number one, but number two, I always love things that are grounded in reality. Being able to watch a movie that has, number one, some substance but, number two, there is something that is speaking to me that is real, I find myself being attracted to it. And Supremacywas that for me, very much so. Supremacy, I built that film, but that was much more of a festival movie. This movie here is a much more broader audience film, but it is a true, gritty reality-based movie. I just think that what we were able to do with the movie and the storyline and to be able to kind of blend this issue into a thriller was really cool to be able to do it with the talent, the cast, Roxanne Avent, who produced it. It just to me was a perfect storm.

ED: Did you have to do a lot of research into trafficking? How do you even begin to do that?

Taylor: I was never gonna write this movie. I'm a black filmmaker. I'm always looking for things that touch me, and it was very weird how this happened. It came to me organically through my 13-year-old daughter, because we were actually getting emails about kids being trafficked in our area. I was just like, “What? What is this?”As a parent, you experience everything. You hear about guns. You hear about shootings. You hear about whatever the normal hype you get on the news, right? And this was one of the things that I had never experienced, especially as a black man. This is like, “Trafficking? What does that mean? What are they saying?” I was blown away when I did the research and realized, “Wow, man, this is not only this city. This is a domestic issue and it's happening at an alarming rate.” That's what drew me to the project, man. I just kinda took myself, put myself in the room. I'm gonna figure out how to make a story around these events. I'm gonna try to make a story around these headlines. It's millions of headlines.  And do something where I thought it could actually live in a real place and people would actually want to see it and then at the same time get a message.

ED: You ended up casting what might be one of the sexiest movie couples I’ve seen on screen. Omar and Paula Patton were incredible together.

Taylor: No, you're right.

ED: If I didn't know Omar already had a beautiful wife at home I would have thought they were a couple.

Taylor:  Right. They look great together, man. Paula was my first choice for the film. I just thought she was amazing, and I was a huge fan of what she had did in Déjà vu. When I started getting ready to do this film, I just remember saying to myself, like I told her. I said, “Man, I'm not sure if iyou wanna do stuff like this or not but I said it just would be incredible for us to strip you down in terms of make-up and hair and just have you stretch out as an actress because I know you're amazing.” You know? Because this is a woman who went from being a really, really incredible actress to Deja Vu, to Mission Impossible, whatever it is, to comedy. You have to have a gauge to be able to do that. You know? So this movie to her was like, she said, “D, you're exactly right. I wanna do this,” and she's prolific in this film. No one can tell me anything I know Paula did and I'm blown away by it.

ED: The movie really puts her through her paces. She really goes through a lot in this movie as it goes along.

Taylor: Yeah. It doesn't stop. The movie is relentless and I think that's kinda what we wanted to go after, because there is no cool way to get trafficked. You know what I mean? I said that if we're gonna do it, I wanted to do the movie where it was respectful for people that've been trafficked to be like, “Yeah, that's hell,” not try to figure out some cool, elegant way to be like, “Now, you're trafficked.” No, man. This is hard. This is what happens. You know what I mean? They are literally killing women, they are bondaging women. They are beating women. They are traveling women across the country in the back of trucks.I just thought this was a really, really dope thriller to be able to build for people to see and then obviously [at the end of the] movie, you get the stats and then you quickly understand, “Oh, man,  this is real.” You know what I mean? And I thought that was a very interesting take for today's audience.

ED: Also, you brought Omar Epps back into theaters. It’s crazy, but he really hasn’t done many movies in recent years as he’s transitioned over to TV. I think he’s done maybe one movie in the last ten years or so?

Taylor: Yeah, it's crazy. What's great about him is he's a movie star. And it's a difference between an actor and a movie star. A movie star is someone where you can recall numerous films where you're like, “Oh, man, I loved that. Oh, that was Omar.” That's a movie star who stays with you, and [I was] obviously a fan of him from Juiceto Love & Basketball. You go on and on, but being able to take him and put him back into this medium was incredible, and he didn't miss a beat. I felt like in the movie when you watch it, that's Omar Epps. You know what I mean? He's so good. There's moments with Omar where… what's so beautiful about him is there's moments where he's one of those actors that don't have to use dialogue to communicate on strength. Omar is able to give you a feeling just off of a look, and I thought that was what was so dynamic about him and Paula in this one.

ED: Despite the subject of this thriller, it actually feels like a great date movie, because it does have a little of everything including romance, action…

Taylor: Man, me too! Love, drama, and you're right. It's one of those movies where as it gets intense, you hold hands, and it's a good ride, and it's also a good movie in terms of, like I said before, I think when it's over, it's a talking point. Unlike most movies you walk right out of the theater and 10 minutes you forgot it. This one, I think, you go to bed, you wake up, and like “What? Do you remember that one part?” I think that's what's cool about it.

ED: I’m not sure if you’ve heard of this movie from the ‘70s called Race with the Devil, but it seemed like a twist on that.

Taylor: You're the second person that brought that up. I know that film extremely well. That's a great movie and one of the movies that I referenced was The Vanishing. I was a huge fan of that movie because it broke every rule to me. It was the first movie when I was younger that I watched. I said, “Okay, yeah. He's just trying to find his wife. He's gonna find his girl, and then it's just like, no, he's actually not gonna find her. And, oh, by the way, not only is he not gonna find her but what you thought happened, it did happen.” I just remember that movie breaking the rules and staying with me, and I remember just at the time how prevalent gas stations and kids and people getting abducted was. That was during the time when people started being kidnapped.

ED: Speaking of rides, I gotta ask. Where'd you find that amazing car Omar was driving?

Taylor: It's a '70s Chevelle Supersport. When we were making the movie, what I wanted to do was ... A lot of the locations and the equipment in the film, I wanted them to be used as characters, so what was interesting was the Chevelle represented Omar. He was classic. He was timeless. It was something that he built with his hands for his girl versus spending a bunch of money. He was more of a man's man, and that was just a very cool car to be able to use, opening the movie, feel it, see it. It's sexy, it's beautiful, it's strong. And ultimately, to use it in a chase sequence was really cool as well, and then the other thing that I was able to use that I really wrote as another piece of equipment was the big-rig truck. It is introduced the same exact way. It comes into a big shed. It's ginormous. It's lit. It's strong. It's like a monster, and I just thought both of those automobiles, the truck and the car, were dynamic in the film as characters.

ED: You made this movie independently, but was there any kind of mandate to make it PG-13 or was that a personal decision?

Taylor:Well, I don't think we ... No. I think it is rated R.

ED: Oh, it is?.

Taylor: It is. Yeah, but we made it independently, man, and for me, like I said, I just couldn't find a way to make a PG-13 movie about trafficking, not that could resonate and hit home. The movie doesn't have sex in it and all that stuff, but what the movie does have is it deals with a subject matter that is very, very dark and very scary, and for that, I think you're gonna get rated R.

ED: I guess so, but I'm kind of surprised, because I feel teens should know about the fact this is happening, and it doesn’t seem too dark for them to learn from it.

Taylor: I definitely think it's one of those movies that you could sneak in and a kid could get it and understand it and not be appalled, if that makes sense.  I do think it has a really good lineup. I think the Rated R tag on it is simply based on the subject matter, versus what we're doing in it.

ED: I want to ask you about Hidden Empire, because I didn’t really know about the company until I was doing research for this interview. You have a pretty amazing bio, actually. You even were a basketball player! How did Hidden Empire get started? Is it fairly self-contained?

Taylor: Thank you so much. Yeah, it's just myself and Roxanne, my producer and partner, my partner in life, and we have our other partner, Robert Smith, and that's it, man. When people ask about us making our films independently, I am the definition of independent, right? (chuckles) You don't get no more independent than us, right? I mean, we're literally at home writing scripts, raising our money, casting out of our house, asking for favors and ultimately shooting a movie and then hand-delivering it and trying to figure how to get it out. I mean, we've been doing that now for 10 years and we chose “Hidden Empire” because we've always realized that we are building something that's needed in the culture, needed for minorities in terms of being able to make movies that speak to multiple genres and multiple people. But at the same time, no one's ever known about us. What’s been great is now people are starting to see our work, and that is basically becoming the light for people that shines on us and people to understand our story, which I think is beautiful.

ED: Is it true you have three movies in post right now? Does that mean you have made three more movies since finishing “Traffik”?

Taylor: Yeah. So last year I shot all year, so I have another movie coming in. It's called The Motivated Sellerwith Michael Ealy and Dennis Quaid and Meagan Good. We have another film, 38, which we're doing with Dante Spinotti, and then I did a comedy called The House Next Door. Yeah. All of them are scheduled to start dropping.

ED: That's amazing. That's still all with Hidden Empire?

Taylor: Yeah, all 100%, man. No studios. No management. No agents. Just us. So yeah. I mean, hopefully now what's beginning to happen is we're starting to get some incredible people around us to help us in terms of the journey that we're on and to learn where we're going and help us navigate, but yeah, this is solely, 100% independently-done.

ED: The talent you're getting for your movies is amazing, even going back to “Meet the Blacks” with Mike Epps.  Do you just have a lot of friends in the business?

Taylor: Yeah. You know? I think what happens is, I always tell people, “Light attracts light.” I try to really pride myself on integrity and energy and being a real person. And I think what ultimately happens is when you do that, you attract other people that are looking for the same thing and I've been really blessed over the last years to meet a lot of people and then to have the ability to ask them to work with me and Mike Epps is one of those people. The same with Paula Patton. And it's just been proven that it works and I think as long as we're staying true to the art and we're not blinded by some false agenda, I think we continue doing this for a long time and making really, really dope movies.

ED: Whatever you're doing is working right now and I'm really hoping that this movie gets you out even more. 

Taylor: Man. Me, too. 

ED: This is going into 1,000 theaters, and it's a great weekend. I think you don't have a lot of competition., so get out there while you can.

Taylor: Yeah. I mean hopefully someone will go see it, right?

Traffik opens nationwide on Friday, April 20.

[missingapulse]

16, 6, 9!

which muse is most willing to fight another muse?

okay, literally, lazarus slayne will fight anything that moves, as i’m sure most of y’all know, by now. literally such an angry child, mostly bc of her horrid childhood, but angry, nonetheless!! and, like … she’s chilled out a lot but still. + coranza, salem, keiran, and narella !! they’re all easy to pick a fight w too tbh.

which one of your muses have you been playing the longest?

lazarus, actually!! she started out as a chara on an indie rp blog that i had when the first descendants movie premiered?? bc i was trash for the movie and at the time, i was super afraid of joining an rpg??? sO YEAH.

she was a chara on an indie blog, and she was originally SUPER well-mannered, expert ballroom dancer, literally so graceful, sO REGAL??? her original fc was samantha isler but she had zero resources sO. when i brought her here, i changed her fc to kat newton bc they were both from supernatural and i loved my spn girls sm bUT kat’s resources did NOT fit a regal af girl, so i just kinda ….. changed her??? made her from the isle, made her angry and tragic af???? and i am sO HAPPY THAT I DID I LOVE LAZ SM !!!!!!!

why were you drawn to each one of your characters?

oKAY Y’ALL ARE GETTIN A LIST LETSGO

LAZARUS: okay, so, like i said, she was originally so different??? and i was originally drawn to her bc at the time that i made her, the darkness aka amara in her ‘teen years’ or whatever (played by samantha isler huhuhu) had been introduced on supernatural??? and she was sO regal and badass and powerful and i just??? wanted that??? and the corpse bride seemed like she would have a regal af daughter bc idk. she would want a man to fall in love w her daughter one day??? and she believed that men only loved ‘proper’ ladies or whatever???? sOMETHING LIKE THAT. so i just lowkey ….. took amara and revised her to my liking??? also renamed her????

bUT THEN. sam had zero resources, and i rly loved claire novak??? so kat was my second option bc??? spn girls ok. and idk?? kat’s resources were all badass af. i wanted an isle child??? plus i just loved the corpse bride but i was also already an expert at writing children w deadbeat parents (i’ve been angsty writing stories since i was in like elementary school let me live) and so???? lazarus slayne just kinda????? bECAME????? pLUS i felt like a ‘doesn’t give a crap’ kinda chara was a great way to break the ice in a new rp????? tHIS GIRL HAS SUCH A BACKSTORY LEAVE ME ALONE

KETURAH: okay so after sO LONG of not being interested in wreck-it ralph, i was lowkey forced to watch it one day and i fELL IN LOVE WITH VANELLOPE VON SCHWEETZ and i had wanted to make a smol daughter of her for the loNGEST TIME, but i was like??? ehhhhh. nah. aND THEN. ally made hershey and i was still lowkey hesitant tbh?? i was like. meh i can live w/o her. bUT the more i saw hershey on the dash, the more i nEEDED this candy child???? so eventually, i made her??? and listen, i had such a hard time finding an fc for her like. i was looking for an fc w coloured hair that looked super duper sweet??? and originally, i’d been gonna use son naeun, but she was taken at the time so i settled for joy??? aND I AM SO HAPPY THAT I DID I LOVE JOY I LOVE KET I LOVE JOY AS KET BYEEEE

KASIAH: basically, i went through this period of time where every morning when i woke up, i’d be super bored so i would turn on a disney movie??? aND there are so many pixie hollow fairies movie that i would usually opt for one of those?? aND ONE DAY, i turned on the pirate fairy and i was like. ‘wow hey i don’t have a fairy anymore since i dropped olwen??? i love the fairies???????’ aND. that movie is like ….. all about dust keepers tBH so i was like !! dustkeeper would be cool !! and originally i was gonna make a child of terrance but then i was like ??????? pixie dust alchemy wtf so cool??????? and i’d been wanting to use son naeun since i’d made kitket sO THUS KASIAH WAS BORN

JUNIPER: okay so literally. i wanted an ethereal af child named juniper tBH. that’s the short version. i thought it was cute af and i was like???? wOW I NEED. and i was torn between will o’ the wisp or absolem as the parent, but cestrum was literally so cool?? and he made me realise how cool absolem was as a chara?? and i hAD to have juniper blue tbh.

also throwback to when wendy was originally her fc and it just ……. didn’t work. no one is as ethereal was yeri. literal ethereal queen

ELODIE: oKAY. so i had made elodie once before, but the must just hadn’t worked out??? basically, i just loved rowan blanchard and??? originally she’d been gonna be a hood child, but just!! i wanted a guardian kid sm !!!!! so i made her, and ended up dropping her a few months later??? bUT. then linda brought nyle and she talked me into remaking elodie and yEAH.

MILLICENT: oKAY SO. throwback to when tasha was still here zane, lilith, and poppy were all a thing, like !! i gained muse for milly when i lost muse for lilith??? bc i knew that i still wanted a halloweentown kid, just … not ….. lilith??? sO. i thought up this feisty lil girl w an old lady name and just??? when i looked at jungkook, i just saw dahyun as his sister for sOME REASON????? so i hAD TO USE HER??? aND YEAHHHH

CHANCE: oKAY. so i watched zootopia for the first time and i was like !!!!! i love nick wilde !!!!! but i originally wasn’t going to make him bc i was like??? ehhhhh. but then i dECIDED TO and he was originally supposed to be a jerk??? like. he was such a jerk in his very first ever starter ok. a jerky lowkey con artist type of guy????? bUT THEN HE MET LUNA AND HE CHANGED AND HE WAS SOFT AND NOW HE IS PERMANENTLY SOFT AND I LOVE HIM + i’d been wanting to use l.joe for a while tbh

MATILDA: oKAY SO. when i was younger, i LOVED the heffalump movie. lumpy !! was !! my !! fave !! and so one day, my sister and i watched the movie again and??? i fell in love w that smol heffalump aLL OVER AGAIN. and i tried to refrain form making this kid bUT I JUST COULDN’T TBH. i needed the smol heffalump who was always barefoot, who only wore lilac, who sang songs all the time, who couldn’t do a heffalump call !!! smol heffalump who called herself tilly bc she always used to forget her full name when she was younger !! who was afraid of the rest of the hundred acre woods bc she was afraid she’d get ‘hunted’ like pooh and the gang tried to do to lumpy !!! and yooa was the immediate choice for her fc like??? smol heffalump who has a cute british accent w yooa as the fc??? ummmm yES. (tho i tried melanie martinez as her fc for a while and that just … didn’t work out idk)

EIVUI: i wanted an alien kid again !!!!! and pleakley was just so iconic??? and arin was so aDORABLE????? this baby just called to me okay. little ballet dancer who steals clothing from random boys that she sees bc she thinks their clothes look comfier??? tiny child who practically gets swallowed by the clothes that she steals??? obsessed w mosquitoes bc she thinks her dad saved them & e-arth???? just likes sparkly things too??? literally the most dRAMATIC CHILD TO WALK THE FACE OF THE EARTH !!!! fake cries??? to get what she wants??? uMMM YES????

CORANZA: bASICALLY I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH ELENA OF AVALOR AS SOON AS IT PREMIERED ON DISNEY CHANNEL TBH OK. like, elena was so pure?? so sweet??? so helpful??? so i was like??? what if she had a royal bitch as a daughter??? how would tHAT GO??? and voila !!!! coranza was born !!!!! i dropped her at one point but i picked her back up in a heartbeat bc??? i just????? missed??????? her??????????

ASTORIA: from the time i was, like, seven?? eight?? narnia was my absolute fAVE. i loved aslan?? and i’d had an aslan child before but i dropped her. but then like, a year later??? i just saw taissa and i was like??? narnia !!!! aslan !!! like. i needed a powerful af lioness. magic that no one can explain????? the daughter of the purest entity in narnia AND the most corrupt entity in narnia??? + i’d considered her as a daughter of reepicheep also but i love aslan so??????? yEAH.

ZAIRE: i had wanted to use byun baekhyun for the longest time, but i had no idea where to put him??? but then i literally fell in love with the beldam lore that whale had created and i just??? had to????? and he was originally lowkey?? a punk?? but then he actually became good at poetry and he became soft and??? but then i dropped him for a while bUT THEN I MISSED MY SOFT POETIC SON SO YEAH.

SALEM: oKAY. so, throwback to zane, lilith, and poppy aGAIN. bc salem is basically a revised, reboot of lilith??? i love tnbc sm??? i missed this child sm??? but the name lilith had been taken when i brought her back, and when i originally made her, salem was my second choice sO !!! aLSO. you can find the inspiration for her hide and seek games HERE. and then her witchcraft?? i new a guy who was into witchcraft and i was like????? sounds like smth salem would get into while she was back on the isle so why tf not

KEIRAN: literally i had just wanted a mist kid for the longest time??? i don’t know wHY EXACTLY esp since i already had a fairy child bUT??? keiran mist called to me okay. and originally she was supposed to be a smol, but now she’s a punk who uses weird af insults and??? yEAH. THIS ONE JUST HAPPENED TBH IDEK

NARELLA: listen. my sister and i started watching the show white collar and?? i fell in love w neal caffrey. he was suave and charming and manipulative and i just !! wanted that !! and i also wanted another alien child, and i considered stitch?? but then, the next day, i watched leroy and stitch and i was like ……. y e s. sO YEAH

FELICITY: oKAY SO I HAD WANTED A SOFIA CHILD FOR AWHILE bc i literally would watch sofia the first w my niece every. single. day. but like, i managed to resist the muse for a while??? aND THEN. one day, i remember sarah posted smth abt having watched sofia the first in the ooc chat and so i was like !!!!! mE TOO !!!!! and then just ….. the soft-spoken, animal-friendly, kindhearted babe literally named after ‘a state of happiness’ was born !!!!!!! + her original fc was stefanie scott, but her resources were so bad???? and also i am so in love w for dove cameron so like ….. and !! my muse went up so much when i switched to dove so like??? ayyyyy bless

JUSTICE: fAM I HAVE LOVED HTTYD FOR Y E A R S OK. literally endless love for toothless tbh??? aND I HAD WANTED THIS BABE FOR SO LONG BEFORE I MADE HER. she was originally supposed to be a smol but now she’s not??? but i am a-ok w this tbh like??? idk. she just became this person who just really doesn’t care?? like … she’ll probs …..start getting high all the time at sOME POINT??? she just feels so USELESS as a human bc she’s handicapped??? and the idea of her being handicapped literally just came from toothless’ missing part of his tail tbh. this just just her leg instead?? and she was born w it sO.

CERIDWEN: okay so the ursula event fucked me up?? and aLSO?? dESCENDANTS 2????? basically, i fell in love w the idea of an ursula daughter and like. as soon as i thought of her, the ideas just kEPT COMING. like??? ursula stole her voice??? yES. ursula actually won her in a deal??? yESS. ursula forced her to be a sea witch??? yESSS. and then the eels came from flotsam and jetsam tbh??? but like, zip and blu are actualy??? nICE??????? bUT YEAH. I LOVE THIS GIRL TBH PLS LOVE HER TOO

[ecotone99]

[HR] You Gotta Drown

Laying flat on his stomach underneath a raised,1980's Chris Craft Scorpion, the boat's scent of mildewed lake water strong in his nostrils, Justin couldn't stop seeing Laz die.

The memory played on repeat in his mind. The dark house that was supposed to be empty this summer. The wall safe. The sound of a creaking floorboard. The explosion of a shotgun. White hot incandescent light flashbanging him, sawing through his eyes. Meat and blood and bone exploding from Laz's back like a grotesque confetti popper, spraying viscera down Justin's front before he turned and ran out of there like the Devil was after him.

Sticky bits of Laz still covered Justin's neck and face, itchy where it had begun to dry like glue. His clothes were ruined now and before he could even think about making it out of this he'd have to find something clean to change into. Currently he resembled a walking talking Manson Family crime scene. One look at him and anyone with a cell phone would have the cops on him in minutes. Less.

Blood, bone, and guts. He cursed himself for not taking the keys to the truck off Laz before he ran out of there. Whoever had shot Laz had done it with no problem, though, not even a word of warning. As far as Justin's logic went, it stood to reason that the shooter had no issue with adding him to the body count as well.

Goddamnit, why wasn't the house empty? Laz had been certain it would be. Those were his exact words. "Hey, man, chill. Allie does the cleaning there on the weekends and she says these people are out in North Carolina for the summer, doing some sort of fuckin' timeshare shit. I'm certain, alright?"

And like a fool, Justin had believed him. Driving to the job at 2am, he actively ignored the nervous feeling churning in his stomach, the cold sweat making him shiver as they listened to the police scanner for patrols in the area. When they pulled up to the house there hadn't been any lights on in any of the windows and the driveway was devoid of cars. It was one of those big lake houses in a community of copycats, each with their own two acres leading down to a dock and the better side of Lake White Bear. Manicured lawns. Meticulously trimmed hedges. Even the trees looked rich. Justin had forced himself to block out the little pissant voice telling him that this seemed too good to be true.

In the distance he heard the faint whine of a police siren, maybe an ambulance too. Probably a couple of squad cars at least. Justin had been in this business long enough to know that cops didn't show up to shootings without a team. A whole swarm of bees with badges would arrive and get down to the brass tax of finding him. First, they'd find Laz dead, so certain about his misinformation. They'd see he still had the keys to the truck and that's when the shooter would explain, if he hadn't already, that there had been two burglars and that the one still breathing was on foot. Justin wasn't sure if Harrison County had a K-9 Unit or not, but he was betting they did. In less than a half-hour they'd have a dragnet set up to catch him. In a small upper class town like White Bear? They'd hunt him past the state line. He had to get out of there immediately.

As quietly as he could, Justin rolled out from underneath the Chris Craft and surveyed his surroundings. About fifty yards from where he had been hiding, an embankment sloped gradually downward toward crowded dock space. Beyond that the shimmering surface of Lake White Bear ebbed gently against the mooring with soft splashes and the occasional ghalump of water suction. Higher up on the hill was a large grey house, windows black and eerily still.

Justin scratched at his neck. He really needed to wash Laz's blood off of him and breaking into another occupied home to do it was miles away from smart right now. But the lake was right there.

With hyper-focused caution, Justin padded across the grass to the dock and sat down, exhaustion washing over him as he took off his shoes and socks. The sound of police sirens was much louder now. He did not know how far he had run from the crime scene, and although it felt like he'd been running for an hour, he knew he probably hadn't put enough distance between himself and Laz's body. If he didn't hurry he would soon be in handcuffs in the caged backseat of a cruiser wondering how it had all gone so wrongly.

The dock's damp wooden boards were chilly on the soles of his feet but when he eased himself into the water he found the lake to be surprisingly warm, even this late at night. Treading water as best he could, Justin dunked his head underneath and scrubbed the blood and brain off of his face. Lake went up his nostrils like fire ants making him cough and splutter, spitting into the water and splashing instinctively, much more than he figured was quiet and safe enough to do. After that he'd had it with the lake. The blood was washed off his face now, fine. It was never going to come out of his shirt. At least he'd had the sense to wear dark clothes, plus it was still pitch black out. If anyone did happen to spot him, they wouldn't be able to tell he had blood all down his front. These were small mental concessions but they helped improve Justin's optimism that maybe he might make it out of this after all.

Pulling himself out of the water and onto the dock as quietly as possible was no easy feat, but with some exertion he managed it. He lay on the cool wooden planks for a second, catching his breath, listening to the splash of water off boat hulls and the whisper of wind through grass and trees. A night bird called above in a branch behind him. All of Justin's senses seemed heightened, and yet, dulled. For a moment the trouble he was facing felt distant and unimportant. Chilliness brought him back to the panic, however, and with resigned reluctance he forced himself back onto his feet, his mind racing to plot his next move.

And in the darkness that swelled over the water rose a newer sound. A soft tinkling of what Justin placed to be sleigh bells. His ears pricked and his attention darted to the noise like a small animal catching the scent of an unseen predator. Over the lake he could partially make out a shadow gliding across the water, but only just. His heart thumping like a battle drum, he scrambled to grab his shoes and made a beeline across the wharf to where a small catamaran was moored, leaping onto the deck and once again diving onto his stomach near starboard, hoping he hadn't been seen by whatever it was that approached.

A wan, greyish blue light bloomed to life in the darkness, and though it was rather dim, to Justin it seemed as bright as a lighthouse lamp. He flattened himself even more against the boat's deck, squinting across the black lake.

A small rowboat came into view, coasting slowly toward the dock. A lantern hung from the bow, a thick candle burning dully, it's flame wavering silently as the boat came to a stop just at the end of the moor. A man was at the oars. Even in the dark Justin could see he was old. The shaggy silver beard knotted around the man's chin glittered in the moonlight and the way he rowed revealed the sort of back problems usually reserved for the elderly. When the boat came to a halt, bumping and scraping against the dock, the man pulled his oars in and tied it off to an unused cleat.

"Ya can quit hiding now, Justin." The man's voice was deep and raspy, almost like a cough stretched thin as a whisper. Justin felt The Fear return to the foreground of his mind. "I ain't here with them cops round yonder. I swear it. I'm here to take ya where'n ya need takin' to. Now come out here so we can be off."

Justin stayed flat. He had no idea what was going on or who this man was. For all he knew this guy was with the Coast Guard or something and this was all a trick. Sound travels a long way over water. Could be some boat cop heard him splashing and sputtering around in the lake and cooked up this old man's story upon investigation. He wasn't about to let them lure him out with tricks.

The old man reached into his long coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He shook one out of the pack, put the filter between his teeth and bit it off, spitting it into the lake. He leaned over his boat and lit the cigarette off the weak flame of the lantern's candle. The smell of the cigarette triggered Justin's nicotine addiction, but he stayed put.

The man ashed into the lake. "These I rolled myself. Got a box'a tubes and tobacco, one'a them hand rollers. Cheaper than buyin' them Winston's. But they taste a hell of a lot worse. Ya come on out, ya can have as many as ya need. Be quick about it though, boy. The law gon' be here before ya know it, and then it'll be a long while before you taste a Winston again. Ain't no smokes in county. Took 'em all out years back on account of lung cancer. But you know that. Ya been to county plenty. You'll be there before sunup if you don't get in this boat."

The old man was right about most of that. There weren't any cigarettes in county anymore. Hadn't been for nearly ten years now. And he had been there his fair share of times. And the way it was looking, he'd probably be there again before morning. This time though they'd have him segregated on the Felony Wing and he'd be going up State.

Justin slowly stood up. He couldn't have told you why he did it, not really. A part of him wanted to believe that the old man was here to help him. On the other side of things, if the old man was setting a trap, Justin just wanted to spring it and have this nightmare end. So he stood up from his hiding place and faced him.

"How do you know who I am, and who sent you here?"

The old man flicked his cigarette into the lake and motioned for Justin to get in the boat. "All these questions ya got be better answered once we out on the water. Trust me on this one, boy."

All Justin could think of was the feeling of cold handcuffs being latched to his wrists, too tightly, digging into his skin as he tried to find a comfortable sitting position in the back of a cop car. He'd take the rowboat over that every time. He padded quickly across the dock and stepped into the boat. The old man got in and sat across from him, taking up the oars once more.

They pushed off from the dock and with two strong beats of the oars they glided out into the clear distance of the lake. Soon the rhythmic splash of water on oars and oars on water began to make Justin drowsy. That, combined with the night's exhaustive series of events made it difficult to stay awake. Only the fear and uncertainty kept his eyes open.

For twenty minutes the stranger rowed and rowed. He was strong for an old man, Justin had to admit. He wasn't sure if he could have kept it up for even half that distance, even though he was decades more youthful.

The man stopped rowing. Darkness flooded every direction. The moon had been obscured by clouds and the candle had burnt out. The man pulled the oars in.

"You got questions." He rasped. "Here is the place to ask them."

"Okay," Justin started. "Who are you and what is this? How did you know where to find me and why are you helping me? Did Laz hire you or something?"

The old man pulled out the cigarettes and offered one to Justin who took it eagerly. Like the old man had done, Justin bit off the filter and spat it into the water. The old man did the same, only this time he lit Justin's cigarette with a match and then his own. Before the match burnt too far down he relit the candle inside of the lantern. The glow of it cast ghostly shadows across the man's face, a face that seemed oddly familiar to Justin.

The man exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. "The answers I'm gonna give ya," he said, "ain't gonna be easy to accept. Matter fact, I promise ya they're gonna come out like insanity."

Justin nodded. The way the night was going, insanity seemed like the new normal. "Well go on then," he encouraged the man. "Explain it so it sounds sane."

The old man nodded back. "Well here it is and I swear it's the truth, so help me God." He hit the cigarette again and talked through the smoke. "Everybody who ever lived eventually dies. Just like Laz did tonight. You seen that much is true. The thing about dying' though, is not a whole lot of folks know what happens after that. But I do know what happens. I sure do."

Justin was already confused. "What does this have to do with anyth-"

"Just hold up and let me tell it. I said it wasn't gonna be pretty." The old man killed his cigarette and tossed it. "Like I was saying," he continued, " I happen to know what happens when the reaper comes knocking. I know you always wondered about God and heaven and hell. Well, all of that shit is real. When you die, you go to one of two places. Up, or down. And you don't wanna go down, trust me. But when you're going up, there are some bad folks who wanna stop that from happening. I guess they get brownie points or something for every soul they stop from gettin' into heaven. So when you're on your way in, they try to strike up a deal with you. I'm here tonight because I took the deal."

Nothing the man said made any logical sense. "What the hell are you talking about? Seriously, man. Who the hell are you?"

The old man laughed a small hoarse chuckle. "Boy, ain't it obvious? I'm you."

The old man was right. His story was completely insane. Justin laughed along with him.

"I told you it was crazy, right?"

Justin nodded laughing and then he reached across the boat and grabbed the man by the front of his jacket. "Who the fuck are you!" He growled.

The old man pulled Justin's hands from his coat with more of that surprising strength. The muscles in his hands felt like corded steel. He pushed Justin back to the other end of the rowboat, the force of it rocking the boat slightly and making the lantern swing on its perch.

"Like it or not, I'm you." The man said again.

"No. No you aren't."

"Justin Lee Washburn. Born December 22nd, 1987 in Duluth, Minnesota. When you were a kid you were in and out of juvie for running away from home because your daddy beat you up. They put you in that foster home and everybody started calling you Jail instead of J.L. like you wanted 'em to. You broke Casey Fitch's nose because of it out back of that little community park and he never ratted you out. Told Ms. Christine that he face planted falling off a jungle gym. Don't nobody know about that but us and Casey."

Justin's mind raced wildly trying to remember if he had told anyone else about that. It was an incredibly obscure piece of personal information for this man to have, regardless. He himself hadn't thought about it for two decades, let alone mentioned it to anyone.

"If you're me, then you know the first person I ever masturbated to."

"Sure do. Except it wasn't a person. It was Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons."

Holy fucking shit.

"Jesus Christ." Justin couldn't believe it, but he did.

"Nah, he's not real. Christ, I mean. There's a God, but Jesus ain't him. Same devil though."

"Okay, but why are you here then? Or fuck, why am I here? Am I dead too?"

The old man shook his head. "No you ain't dead. You don't die for another fifty seven years. After Laz got killed, we ran down to this dock and hid out for a while, but you fell asleep. When you wake up you got a cop's flashlight in your eyes and you're in prison not more than three months later doing 60. They gave you your's and Laz's time. A real piece of work, the Judge is."

"So, like what," Justin asked. "You're here to make sure I get away?"

"Sort of, but not exactly."

"Well then make it make sense, man."

"Well, when I was in prison I spent a lot of time working on building up my body and a whole lot more time than that getting religious. I guess I got so religious that when I was running on the exercise yard and had my heart attack, whoever keeps score decided I made it into heaven. But it's just like I told you. There's a lot of folks waiting just outside the gates and they all wanna make a deal with you. They'll do anything to stop you from choosing heaven, even if it's only for a little while."

Justin leaned in. "What do you mean, a little while?"

"What I mean is, they made me a deal. I could go back and try to change your mind about things and they'd get to stop me from entering Heaven. But that doesn't mean I can't still get into the pearly gates though. We, I mean. Because there's still yourself. You have time to change and put yourself on the correct path like I did when I was locked up. So they only delayed us. But after this, it's all on you. If you fuck it all up you could get on the wrong end of that scoreboard and lose your ticket for good. I got until sunrise to make up your mind. After that I go to Hell. But if you take the deal too, I just stop existing."

Justin held out his hands gesturing for a cigarette and his older doppelganger immediately translated it and obliged. He took a long drag of cheap tobacco and then asked, "What do you mean if I take the deal too? What's my part in all of this?"

The old man hesitated. "You ain't gonna like this."

"Just tell me."

"Alright," he went on. "For the deal to go through, you gotta drown."

"Wait, what? Why do I have to drown?"

"Look," defended the old man, "I don't know why you gotta do it, I just know that you gotta do it. These guys, the ones who make the deals, they aren't good guys, Justin. Matter fact, they're probably the worst guys there is. They make these deals and hedge their bets. Think about it. If you don't fulfill the deal on your end, I go to hell anyway. And since we're still the same person on the same timeline, you're gonna die in prison and go to hell too, because I already traded our sold for this opportunity. But, now hear me out. If you do take the deal, you get put into a new timeline, one where you listened to that gut feeling telling you not to go with Laz and you don't go to prison and you got a chance, Justin, a chance to turn it all around again because your soul ain't sold anymore. But, you have to drown first. That's the only way."

Justin sat quiet for a while, shivering in the cool air gusting off of the lake. The way he saw it, he was fucked no matter which direction he turned. On shore, the cops were waiting. He knew he couldn't run forever and they'd catch him eventually. He had spent enough time in the system to know that he didn't want to die in prison. So, he had a choice to either die like that, a long slow death with no reward to look forward to in the end, or he could take the bigger risk and die now. At least the bigger risk had a possible payoff.

"Okay," he said finally. "How we doing this?"

The old man pointed to the floor of the boat. "Rope and a cinder block. You'll go down fast. I'll tie your hands up so you won't be able to get loose. Take a lungful of water and it's over."

"Fuck me, man."

"I know how you feel." Said the old man. "Took me three minutes to die from my heart attack. Longest three minutes of my life."

"Well then we better get this over with," said Justin. "Before I change our mind."

The moon had shifted its position in the sky when it finally came out from behind it's cloud cover. The old man checked the knots on Justin's wrists and ankles and seemed satisfied by his work. He lit up another cigarette, took a few hits to get it going and put the butt in Justin's mouth. Then he picked up the cinder block and handed it to Justin who was able to clutch it to his chest even with his hands bound.

"I hope you live a better life than I did," the old man said. "And while you're at it, do us a favor and quit smoking these things. They'll kill ya."

Justin spat out the cigarette. "I can do that."

The old man chuckled again. "You ready?"

Justin was not. His belly was full of snakes and tar. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Yeah, me neither," said the old man and pushed Justin overboard.

submitted by /u/PointlessPoem [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/32ebndZ

[cuthie]

Lautner: Questions

1-3 Did you have a best friend growing up? What was their name? Are you still in touch? Best childhood memory, worst childhood memory?

Gonna run all these together. First, yeah, kinda. We never said, ‘Hey we’re best friends!’, but he was one of a few kids I talked to. Cody Finklehorn. We used to be a part of this garbage collecting team. That sounds dumb, but this was charity for the elderly. Helping them get rid of their trash, it wasn’t a big deal. Me, him, Mary Claire, Lester, and a few others. Like it was a thing we made up. Well, they made up. Cody was pretty popular, and he liked me for some reason, so everyone else just had to suck it up when I tagged along. I remember, as a joke, he shoved me in the dumpster once. Like, not in a bullying getting shoved in kinda way like you might think. This was a friendly prank, shove ole Lautner in the garbage.. Ha. I remember the bottom of the dumpster was just putrefying liquid. It coated my pants, seeped into my socks and shoes, it was disgusting. Cody laughed so hard, they all did. I was pretty pissed at the time, but it was ultimately harmless. 

I think my best memories come from those times in that lil gilnean kids gang. We were maybe ten years old? Helpin folks felt good, like it should. Oh and Winter Veil caroling. That was good too. Worst memory? What counts as childhood here? I was fourteen when I lost my parents to the Worgen and myself to the curse. That was the stuff of nightmares. Like, compared to that, what could be worse? If we mean even younger, there was the time we were evicted. Like, I’m talkin furniture smashed, and clothes in a puddle out in the middle of the filthy street. I had to have been five or six at the time, I really didn’t understand it. There were these men throwing our things out, and an older man yelling at us. Not just raising his voice, but berating my father and screaming and he had this vein on his forehead, he was red in the face. I thought we were gonna be murdered or something. We slept in the library my mother worked at for a while after.

I’m Gilnean, so everyone I knew is dead, basically. Pertainin to ‘do you still keep in touch’.

4 Would you rather have your own kids or adopt? How many kids would you want?

If it’s one or the other, adopt, for obvious reasons. How many kids? I’m good with none. That’s just not something I think about.

5 Do you think you'd be a protective parent or a relaxed parent?

Relaxed. Kids learn from their mistakes, it’s good to let them make them, yeah?

6 What is the worst injury you’ve ever sustained?

I dunno. I’m not a big baby, so I just tough shite out. I’ve been stabbed, had a half dozen arrows hit me, been in an explosion in Darkshore, I had a column collapse on me in the middle of a burning Teldrassil. I’ve had shrapnel injected into me from an exploding goblin aerial craft, I’ve been bitten, beaten, slashed and poisoned.

Pain is temporary.

7 Name one person you would kill in order to protect another person. Who would you sacrifice?

The fuck kind of question is this? I’d kill countless Horde and other murderers. Maybe I don’t understand what’s being asked, but I’ll just write Laz’s name down twice. I’d kill him to protect someone else, and I’d also sacrifice him. Heh.

8 What is the biggest and most important goal you have set for yourself?

Repay my debt to Kal’serrar. Just gonna help them help others until I’m dead and gone. Boom, done, easy.

9 Most dangerous thing you have ever done?

Enlisted with the Kal’serrar. Read the answer to ‘worst injury’, because they’re responsible for 90% of them.

10 What do you try to pretend to care about that really does not interest you?

Kal’serrar lectures. I attend so that I look responsible and like a team player. They’re snore fests. This includes any seminars or training in which we don’t get to actively fight someone.

11 Do you think you’ve ever broken someone else’s heart?

Nope.

12  Describe how you feel physically when you’re in great emotional distress.

My breath feels cold, from my chest up to my throat. I also get this dizzying slow motion fainting sensation sometimes, and I have to kick at my ankles to ensure that I can still feel my legs. I know that sounds weird.

13 Would you rather watch someone you love die right in front of you, or be spared the vision but never get to say goodbye to them?

I’ve done both. You don’t get to say goodbye either way. I’d rather be without the image, so the second one.

14 Is there anything you avoid because of the negative memories it brings back?

I don’t avoid anything, just ask Laz.

15 What kind of flavors do you prefer: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Spicy, Dry, or Umami (savory meat taste)?

Sweet, Urmommy, sour, spicy. I don’t care for dry or bitter. I didn’t put much thought into this, food is food. 

 16 What was the defining moment in which you knew you were no longer a child?

When I woke up from a year long memory lapse with muscles, better senses and an army of zombies burning the town to ashes? After that came a boat ride and a lifetime of being furry and alone.

17 Describe a person you see everyday to someone who has never seen them before.

I don’t think I see any one person everyday. I see Laz a lot, usually by happenstance. He’s a busybody who’s always poking his nose into other people’s business. Here we go: Tall, cocky, pasty, gotta scar near his eye and mouth. Light brownish hair, colorless eyes that glare like daggers. His nose is upturned as if he’s whiffing the foulest of farts at all times. His gait swings out like a lady of the night. He lifts his chin up when he walks, he pokes his chest out as if it were -actually- swollen, and he has a nasally voice when he speaks in condescending riddles. 

18 What does your anger look like? Describe it

It’s a throbbing sensation at the top left corner of my head that pulses and grows and takes over. It’s a red tint in my vision that darkens on anything or anyone that stokes the fire, pissing me off. It’s narrowed eyes, jaded words, bared teeth and balled fists. It’s slow heavy breathing that doesn’t calm but instead fuels the rage, as if each breath forces your chest to grow and heave.

19 Choose one to three words to describe yourself.

Capable. Impulsive. Hilarious.

20 How much education do you have? Can you read and write? Can you speak more than one language?

I was top of my class until the Worgen outbreak. I can read rather fast, and I’m a decent writer. I can not speak more than one language. I know Common, and I don’t care to assimilate and lose my cultural identity by having to learn another language. I speak the King’s tongue, that’s all I need.

Margo Question:  If you could only keep one of your little books to read for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Book? The Prince Groom. It’s got everything from adventure to romance and satire. Dread Pirate Queen Robin sailing her black flagged ship across the waters of the shrieking eels? That’s awesome. But if I could choose a series, it would be The Dark Tower. Fictional bit about other worlds and one tower that stands at the center of all of them, being taken down by the Void. Good shite.

Laz Question: Why is there the need, to keep twisting tales? You don’t really seem to gather quite as much comedic value and interest with them as you seem to hope. And before you whine - I told you I’ve some ears around.

Numerous reasons. Sometimes people need to toughen up, so I poke them and ruffle feathers via altered/twisted tales so that they might grow as a person and develop a thicker shell. Some things should make us cry, some are simply irrelevant. Sometimes I make up an obvious lie so that people will learn to not believe everything they hear. I always smile when I lie. It’s like a private joke that only I’m in on, you know? Sometimes I twist tales to play demon’s advocate, or prompt someone into telling the correct tale. Sometimes I just think it’s hilarious.

[thegloober]

Yanks 11, BoSox 6: Postseason baseball is coming to the Bronx

Game 160: The Return of Didi & Hicks

It is official: The 2018 AL Wild Card Game will be played in Yankee Stadium. The Yankees clinched the top wildcard spot and thus homefield advantage over the Athletics with an 11-6 win over the Red Sox in Friday night’s series opener at Fenway Park. Third time in four years the AL Wild Card Game will be in the Bronx. Hopefully the 2018 game is more 2017 than 2015. The Yankees are 99-61 and on the verge of their first 100-win season since going 103-59 in 2009.

(Presswire)

Another Big Early Lead At one point spanning the ninth inning Wednesday through the fourth inning Friday, the Yankees scored 24 runs in 14 innings. They scored four runs in the failed ninth inning comeback Wednesday, a dozen runs in Thursday’s win, and eight runs in the first four innings Friday. The offense is clicking.

Gary Sanchez gave the Yankees an early 1-0 lead with a long second inning home run over the Green Monster. Eight homers in 17 career games at Fenway Park for Sanchez. Later in that inning Aaron Judge worked a walk, Aaron Hicks grounded a single to left, and Giancarlo Stanton muscled a broken bat single to center to score another run. All that happened with two outs and gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Let’s annotate the play-by-play for the six-run fourth inning:

(1) A record-tying double, this was. Miguel Andujar hammered a ball off the Green Monster for his 44th double of the season, tying Joe DiMaggio’s franchise rookie record. Fred Lynn holds the American League rookie record with 47 doubles in 1975. That is definitely within reach the next two days, especially at an extreme doubles park like Fenway. Johnny Frederick holds the MLB rookie record with 52 doubles in 1929. Can’t see that happening. Tying DiMaggio is cool. Breaking DiMaggio’s record would be even cooler. Breaking Lynn’s record would be the coolest.

(2) There’s a lot going on here. First, Gleyber Torres tomahawked an elevated fastball (it wasn’t in the zone) to center field and I thought it was a home run off the bat. So did Torres. He casually flipped his bat aside and jogged out of the box. Then, when he realized it was going to stay in the park, he picked up the pace and slid into second base, and appeared to jam his left wrist. He was flexing it but did remain in the game.

And secondly, the double scored two runs, the second of which was Sanchez chugging around from first base. He didn’t slide and was called safe because catcher Blake Swihart didn’t hang on to the ball. It popped out of his glove as he attempted the swipe tag. (I’m not sure he ever tagged him with the glove anyway.) Sanchez was called safe, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora appealed to home thinking Gary did not actually touch home plate. It looks like his toe got the plate …

… but Cora appealed, and after home plate umpire Laz Daz signaled safe, the Red Sox challenged. The call stood. Sanchez was safe and the run scored. Catchers usually aren’t the most graceful sliders to start with and Sanchez has been on the disabled list with groin trouble twice this season. I’m okay with the non-slide there. He did almost miss the plate though. That would’ve been bad. Also, Gleyber’s slide at second base was completely unnecessary. The throw went home. Not the best inning on the bases for the youngsters. But, two runs scored, and it all worked out okay.

(3) Another bad slide. This one was necessary though. Andrew McCutchen plopped a single into shallow left — he fell behind in the count 0-2 and still saw six pitches — and Torres scored from second base on the play. He slid headfirst and reached around Swihart to touch the plate with his left hand. It was very similar to the slide that tore his elbow ligament and sent him for Tommy John surgery two years ago. Very similar. My heart skipped a beat. Fortunately Gleyber got up right away and was fine. Phew. Between the slide at second and slide at home, I am totally cool with Torres not sliding the rest of the regular season. The kid does a lot of things incredibly well. Sliding isn’t one of them.

(4) This is one of my favorite home runs of the season. Not only did it give the Yankees a commanding 8-0 lead, but Hicks didn’t even think he hit it out. He threw his bat in frustration and put his head down in disappointment out of the box. Then it carried into the bullpen and he laughed at himself as he trotted around first base. Here’s the video. Watch it for Hicksie’s reaction, if nothing else:

That was a 398 foot homer! Imagine being so convinced you didn’t get enough of it that you throw your bat and look at the ground only to have the ball carry 398 feet. Pretty crazy. Thanks to the Yankee Stadium short porch, we’ve seen plenty of “damn I just missed it oh hey it carried out” homers over the years. Can’t imagine it’s happened often with home runs into the bullpens at Fenway Park though. Little League ballpark, joke dimensions, etc. etc.

(5) The final out of that six-run fourth inning was a Didi Gregorius fly ball to the warning track in right field. It was an out, sure, but it was solid contact. This was Didi’s first game back from his wrist trouble and he hit the ball hard all night. He hit the ball hard and in the air four times in his five at-bats:

First at-bat: Grounder to second (no Statcast data)

Second at-bat: 93.3 mph exit velocity and 328 feet to center (caught)

Third at-bat: 88.3 mph exit velocity and 320 feet to right (caught)

Fourth at-bat: 93.5 mph exit velocity and 275 to left (single)

Fifth at-bat: 102.2 mph exit velocity and 368 feet to right (caught)

The grounder to second was a fairly routine play. Gregorius made good contact in his other four at-bats and he was on the pitches he should’ve been on. We’ll see how Didi and his wrist feel when he wakes up Saturday. Hopefully good. Overall though, I thought his return to the lineup was very encouraging. Couldn’t really tell he missed time with a wrist problem, even only a few days.

(Presswire)

One Bad Inning Happ-ened An excellent start turned into a meh start in a hurry for J.A. Happ. He retired the first nine batters he faced and allowed only a walk and a ground ball single through five scoreless innings. Only 67 pitches through five innings too. If the Yankees are basing the Wild Card Game starter decision on “who pitched the best most recently,” Happ had put himself in position to be the frontrunner no questions asked. He had a big lead and he was cruising.

The Red Sox finally broke through in the sixth inning. Mookie Betts singled to left with one out and Andrew Benintendi doubled over Hicks’ head in center. Hicks got turned around and let a catchable ball go over his head. The Red Sox had runners on second and third with one out. The Yankees still had an 8-0 lead. Happ got J.D. Martinez to pop up in foul territory wide of first base for the second out, which was a relief. Martinez is so damn good.

Two bad things happened after that. One, Happ walked Xander Bogaerts on four pitches to load the bases. Eight runs is a comfortable lead but not really in Fenway Park. Can’t give ’em free baserunners. And two, wow did Happ groove a first pitch fastball to Steve Pearce. This is why you don’t automatically take the first pitch after the pitcher walks the previous batter on four pitches:

Middle-middle at 94 mph. The Yankees are up 8-0 and Happ just walked Bogaerts to load the bases. He doesn’t want to start nibbling and give the Red Sox more free baserunners. So he threw the get-me-over fastball and Pearce hit it over the Green Monster for a grand slam. He is hitting .750/.890/2.459 against the Yankees this season, give or take. (Actually .281/.395/.719 going into this game.) Suddenly the 8-0 lead became an 8-4 lead. Harrumph.

Happ’s final line: 6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K on 88 pitches. His line looked a lot better before that sixth inning. Hicks did Happ no favors on Benintendi’s double. Happ did himself no favors with the walk to Bogaerts. Chad Green was warming in the sixth and I’m assuming that, had the score been closer, he would’ve been in the game to face Pearce (who then gets lifted for pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland?). With a big lead and Happ pitching well overall, Aaron Boone gave his a starter a chance to get through the inning. Happ doesn’t get that chance in the postseason.

Home Run History The Pearce grand slam cut the lead to 8-4 and, thankfully, the Yankees responded right away. American hero Luke Voit slugged an opposite field solo home run into the bullpens with one out in the top of the seventh to give the Yankees a 9-4 lead. It was also the team’s 263rd homer of the season. Bogaerts let a Sanchez ground ball get through his legs later in the inning to let another run score. Should’ve been an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Instead, no outs recorded and a 10-4 lead.

Home run history was made in the top of the eighth. Judge socked a solo dinger to center against lefty Bobby Poyner to tie the 2018 Yankees with the 1997 Mariners for the most home runs in a single season in MLB history. It was No. 264 on the year. Here’s the record-tying homer:

The Yankees fell off the home run record pace for a little bit while Judge was sidelined and Stanton went through his recent slump, but, including Friday, they’ve hit 30 home runs in their last 14 games (!) to tie the record. That is bananas. Still two games to go too! They might get to 270 homers before the end of the weekend. Here’s the single-season home run leaderboard:

2018 Yankees: 264 and counting

1997 Mariners: 264

2005 Rangers: 260

2010 Blue Jays: 257

1996 Orioles: 257

More important than the home run record is the guy who hit it. The homer was Judge’s first since returning from his wrist injury. Going into this game he was 7-for-34 (.206) in ten games back from the wrist injury and his average exit velocity was way down at 87.1 mph. That is very un-Judge-like. He did have a real good swing Thursday in Tampa that resulted in a fly ball to the warning track (video), and Friday night he went deep to the pull side of center, so hopefully that means Judge is regaining his timing. Hooray for homer history and hooray for Judge showing some pop. I was hoping he’d hit one out before the season ended, just to remind us he can.

Nine Outs To Clinch With a six-run lead (and later a seven-run lead) and nine outs standing between the Yankees and homefield advantage in the Wild Card Game, Boone went to his best bullpeners rather than try to piece things together with September call-ups. And that is exactly what he should’ve done. Take care of business and get homefield advantage clinched. Everything that happens this weekend after clinching is meaningless.

Green was warming up in the sixth and he went through the bottom of the order 1-2-3 in the seventh. Boone went to Dellin Betances to face the top of the order in the eighth — Boone’s been doing that regularly the last few weeks, using Betances against the other team’s best hitters — and he ran into some problems. Two walks and two singles gave the Red Sox a run and trimmed the lead to 11-5. Torres made a nice lunging catch on Eduardo Nunez’s line drive to leave the bases loaded and prevent further damage.

Zach Britton came in for the ninth inning and I thought it would be Aroldis Chapman only because he’s pitched every other day since returning from the disabled list and he was lined up to pitch in this game. I wonder if the Yankees are planning to have Chapman pitch Saturday and Sunday just to give him a chance to throw back-to-back days before the postseason. Two days of rest before the back-to-backs then two days of rest after? Or maybe they’re just staying away from him because he hasn’t been good against the Red Sox (16 runs in 16 innings as a Yankee)? I doubt it’s the latter.

Whatever it was, Chapman did not pitch the ninth inning (he eventually warmed up though). Britton came in and walked leadoff man Ian Kinsler on four pitches. Never easy, eh? Andujar then double clutched on Sam Travis’ potential 5-4-3 double play ball and only record the out at second. Gregorius then bobbled a potential 6-4-3 double play ball and his hurried toss to second was wide of the bag. Not only was everyone safe, the runners also moved up to second and third. Like I said, never easy. An ALDS matchup between these two teams will be the death of me.

Britton walked pinch-hitter Christian Vazquez — the Red Sox were subbing out some of their regulars late in the game — to load the bases and walked Bogaerts to force in a run. Three walks in the inning for Britton after two walks in his previous 17.2 innings. At this point, two things had happened. One, eight of the last 13 Red Sox batters had reached base and that is capital-B Bad. Imagine if Boston hadn’t gone 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position likely the unclutch chokers they are. (Or do we only do that for the Yankees?)

And two, Britton had gotten five outs in the inning. Two actual outs (Travis’ fielder’s choice at second and a Benintendi pop-up) and three hypothetical outs (the back-end of Travis’ would-be 5-4-3 double play and the 6-4-3 double play Didi threw away). The sixth out came when Pearce grounded out to third with the bases loaded to end the game. It was not routine. Andujar has to lunge for it and make an off-balanced throw to first. Good grief. I will enjoy stress-free baseball the next two days.

Let’s not do that again, Zach. (Presswire)

Leftovers Everyone in the starting lineup had a hit. Judge (single, homer), Hicks (single, homer), Stanton (two singles), and Sanchez (homer, double) had two hits apiece. Voit (homer, walk) and Andujar (double, walk) reached base multiple times as well. As a team, the Yankees are hitting .263/.353/.535 in their last ten games. Seems good.

And finally, the Yankees have now clinched everything they can clinch. They’ll be the home team in the Wild Card Game, the road team in the ALDS and ALCS, and the home team in the World Series. The rules say a wildcard team can’t have homefield advantage in the LDS and LCS regardless of record. They can have homefield advantage in the World Series though, and the Yankees have clinched a better record than every National League team. Everything’s in the bag. The only things left to do this weekend are set the single-season homer record and win that 100th game.

Box Score, WPA Graph & Standings ESPN has the box score and updated standings, MLB has the video highlights, and we have a Bullpen Workload page. Here’s the win probability graph:

Source: FanGraphs

Up Next The second-to-last game of the regular season. The Yankees and Red Sox will back at it Saturday afternoon with the middle game of this three-game series. That’s a 1:05pm ET start. Hooray for that. Lance Lynn and Nathan Eovaldi are the scheduled starting pitchers for that one.

Game 160: The Return of Didi & Hicks

Source: https://bloghyped.com/yanks-11-bosox-6-postseason-baseball-is-coming-to-the-bronx/