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jadoue1999 · 4 years ago

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The X-Men and the member they lost - Chapter 2

Summary: Erik finds out he has a son. But life doesn't like seeing him happy, so it made sure he was already missing when he learned about his existence.

Previous parts: chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8,

Chapter 2: Erik and his rotten luck with family

It had been a week since the 70s episode had aired and no new episodes had shown up since. That left plenty of time for thinking and pondering on what was this WandaVision show. After many theories, they had conceded to Hank’s idea. It definitely seemed like a glimpse into a parallel universe. The mystery of Peter’s implication still lingered in the air. Charles wasn’t sure if he really wanted the answer. This all-powerful woman with the same surname as the speedster could have decided to do anything with him. He had yet to show up anywhere; they had combed the background for signs of him, but they had found nothing. The team went as far as to call it a misleading clue, but he didn’t let himself believe that. It was too strange to simply be a coincidence. The telepath was in his office one night when Raven entered.

“Is this a good time?” Wondered the shapeshifter. The professor nodded his head yes and she closed the door behind her before taking a seat. While he didn’t look into her head, he could sense her determination and hesitation about what she was about to tell him. Finally, she took a breath, “we need to tell Erik. About Peter.”

Erik. How could he have forgotten?

He was the boy’s father after all, even if he didn’t know it yet. Raven had told him as she filled him in with what had happened when they were fighting Apocalypse. She had mentioned Peter’s confession and how close he came to tell his father the truth. He had kept silent since, deciding that no one was in the right to inform the metal bender other than his own son. But now Peter was missing, they had to get him back. Erik needed to know.

Charles agreed with her and they were off to Erik’s room. The man was reading a book in front of the fireplace, seemingly enjoying a moment of peace and quiet. He turned to them as they opened the door.

“Charles. Raven.” He greeted them as he closed his reading. “What’s going on?”

The professor wheeled himself forward to his friend, he knew he had to break it to him gently. “It’s Peter,” he started. The man looked at him, his thoughts echoing his confusion as to why he was bringing up the speedster. “He’s missing. Has been for about two weeks, but I wanted to make sure before telling you.”

“Okay,” Erik replied after a few seconds of silence, “have you found anything?”

He could feel Raven’s frustration growing as the metal bender barely showed any concern. Charles didn’t blame him; the man had only seen Peter for an hour at most in the last ten years. He felt the same level of concern to the boy as he would with any other students at the school.

“We have found something, we’re not sure what it is, but it’s definitely linked to his disappearance.” He paused, trying to see if Erik was starting to understand. He continued when he found no reason to believe so. “Do you remember when he broke you out of prison?” The man nodded. “And when he came back to help fight Apocalypse and was injured in the process?” Another nod, more hesitant this time. Erik clearly didn’t get where he was going with this. “What I’m trying to say is that he’s a very special person, I hadn’t seen his type of power before meeting him and Hank found him fascinating as well. Can you believe he agreed to break you out just for the challenge? Quite extraordinary if I say so myself. But my point is, Peter’s-“

“He’s your son, you moron!” Snapped Raven, earning herself an offended glance from Charles. “What? You clearly weren’t going to tell him with all that rambling.”

The pair looked at Erik, awaiting a reaction. Had they not been aware of the situation, they easily could have believed that he was doing an aneurism. The man didn’t speak, but the metal in the room started shaking. Raven called out to Erik to try to calm him down, but her voice fell on deaf ears. Only when Charles shouted at him to stop that the man gradually calmed down.

“I... I have a son?” He seemed beyond shocked as he finally acknowledged the truth. Charles nodded yes and met Erik’s gaze as the man spoke once again. “What did you gather about his disappearance?”

“Don’t you need a moment to collect yourself and take in the situation?” Wondered the telepath. The man’s thoughts were all over the place, filled with shock and worry. It was obvious he needed some time alone. “Erik, please take some time, join us when you’ll be ready.”

The man didn’t protest as Charles and Raven exited the room. They closed the door and met up with the team, informing them about the situation.

...

Erik, in all his life, had never considered himself lucky. He had lost his family in Auschwitz and was then used as a lab rat by Shaw. Once the evil man had been taken care of, many years later, he had then accidentally paralyzed Charles, one of his few friends. Then he was wrongly accused of killing the president and imprisoned for nearly a decade until he was freed. By his son. But of course, he didn’t know, because life was just like that with him, and he had gone on a quest to show the world the true power of mutant kind. That, of course, ended horribly; so, he went into hiding. He had built a family, a happy one even. He truly had hope for a better future, but life loved to prove him wrong. Madga and Nina had died, and he had been chosen to be a horseman for a god. He had, in his grief, accepted and it led to Peter having his leg broken. He felt sick to his stomach as he recalled the panicked look on the young man’s face, his eyes pleading him to do something. He didn’t know, why hadn’t he known? The boy had almost died, and he did absolutely nothing.

How could he even consider himself his father when he had already failed him so much?

Still, he might not even get a real chance to properly know him now that his son had gone missing. Erik definitely wasn’t a lucky person.

He looked at the fireplace that had previously given him comfort and suddenly felt like the heat was choking him. He paced quickly through the mansion; the corridors were empty due to the late hour. After getting outside, he decided to walk around the lake. The little waves created by the soft breeze always helped grounding him. His Nina always loved the water. They had installed a bird bath because she had requested that the surrounding animals should always have something to drink when they came to visit her. He wore a small smile on his lips as he sat on the grass in front of the lake and sighed.

“Hello, my darling,” he told the water. “It’s already been a year since you and your mother left. I hope you’re happy wherever you are.” A curious bird landed next to him, looking at the man with puzzlement. Erik smiled, perhaps Nina lived on in all the creatures she loved so much. He held out a hand to the small animal, not really expecting anything. Surprisingly, it flew towards him and landed on his finger. Erik felt his heart grow warm as the bird let him pet his back. The soft feathers felt so similar to his daughter’s hair. “You might not believe it, but I just discovered that you have a half brother. He’s older than you, but I’m sure you would have gotten along well.” The bird chirped at his words. He stopped stroking it, “but I’m afraid he’s gone for now. What do you think we should do?” The bird looked at him with its small eyes and stretched its wings, taking off in the sky to regions unknown. Erik dared a hopeful smile as he watched it fly away. He looked at the sky, contemplating the stars before getting up. “Don’t worry Peter,” he told the wind, “we’ll find you.”

...

The moment he had gone back in the mansion, he was intercepted by Charles who called him to his office. The wheelchair bound man had a few files open on his desk. He motioned Erik forward as he spotted his friend.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, I take it you want to know what we’ve gathered so far?”

Erik nodded, of course he did. Charles took the files with him and led them out. They entered the room containing Cerebro, he was about to ask him their reason for being there, but he was interrupted by his friend.

“Before we start, I want you to keep an open mind. We don’t know what exactly is going on.”

Erik frowned but agreed to the conditions, nonetheless. The bald man pressed a few commands on the board and the screens lit up.

Whatever he was expecting to see, it wasn’t this. He had expected government videos showing his son dragged out of a car, him being taken or even tortured. He certainly hadn’t expected to see a sitcom that somehow changed decades every episode. It seemed completely irrelevant, but the few cuts and creepy details kept him from dismissing the whole thing as a joke. The third episode was particularly strange. Fear creeped into his veins as the woman menacingly approached her friend. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the cut that showed nothing or the possibilities of what could’ve have happened to the poor woman.

When everything was done, he turned to the telepath. “What does this mean Charles?”

The man sighed, putting a finger to his head for a second before looking at him again. “I’ve called the others; they’ll be here soon.” He turned to the screen that showed the rolling credits. “From what we’ve gathered, this is a parallel universe. The woman, Wanda, seems to either control this world or is trapped there as well.”

“But what does this have to do with my son? As far as I’m aware, he’s never met this woman.” Their discussion was interrupted by Jean, Scott, Kurt, Ororo, Hank and Raven coming in. They had probably been woken up by the telepath’s call, judging by their yawns and sleepy eyes. After a few seconds of questioning from the tired young adults, Charles motioned them forward and opened one of the files he had with him.

“This is Peter’s file, I hadn’t really thought about reading it, since he’s past high school age, but Wanda’s comment made me curious.” He pointed to his personal information, it contained his name, address, and schools he had previously attended. Nothing seemed amiss. “I did some digging and it turns out that ‘Peter’ isn’t his real name. It was changed when he was very young.” He flipped the page, showing a government document authorizing the name change. The team looked at themselves in shock as they read ‘Pietro Maximoff’.

“So, what does it mean?” Chimed in Hank. “Sure, he has the same name as the woman’s dead brother, but there’s no way they’ve ever met.”

Charles scoffed in amusement, “yes, you’re right. But I searched through various archives to find more about him, and I came across this.” He pulled out an old newspaper clipping. It read: mysterious death of a teen leaves the police baffled.

The article had one picture, it showed a teenage girl smiling, like any other child her age. Erik looked at Charles, demanding confirmation about his suspicions. The telepath nodded, “this is a picture of Wendy Maximoff, Peter’s twin.”

The group was silent for awhile when Jean suddenly gasped. “Oh my god,” she covered her mouth in horror. “I once asked Peter why he didn’t like celebrating birthdays and he told me how he used to have two cakes but only had one now.” She looked towards Scott and Kurt. “I- I assumed he was being greedy, but the loss of his twin could explain it!”

Erik didn’t listen to the group’s reaction; he was too busy processing the information he had just learned. How could he miss so much of his son’s life? He should have been there to help him and make sure that he would be alright. Instead, he was too focused on getting revenge and he had missed nearly thirty years of Peter’s life. And with his disappearance, it unfortunately was very possible that he’d miss more. Everyone’s rambling was interrupted by Cerebro lighting up again. Erik watched nervously as the front of a house appeared. The woman and her husband were trying to get their babies to sleep, something they were apparently not keen on. They continued trying, Wanda even tried to use her magic on them, but, surprisingly, it didn’t work. Their neighbor came in, saying how she had heard them and could help. Then it became strange as Vision suddenly suggested that she shouldn’t help. Agnes looked at Wanda for instructions, asking if she wanted to restart the scene. Erik didn’t have to look around to know that everyone here was confused. Wanda brushed it off, to the confusion of her husband. All of a sudden, the crying stopped; the twins were asleep. Except they weren’t in their cribs. A slight panic settled in Erik’s stomach; the loss of a child seemed too dark for a show like this... right? Strangely enough, the twins weren’t missing, they had aged up to five. The screen cut to the theme song.

“Are the children mutants?” Asked Raven, uncertain about the change of event.

Charles has a pensive look to his face, “I’m afraid I cannot say, for now.”

The episode continued, with the twins adopting a dog. Curiously, Wanda seemed tired of hiding her powers, going as far as using it in front of their neighbor. The most peculiar thing happened when the two parents settled that the twins were too young to keep their dog. They suddenly aged up again, now ten years old. Erik had to give it to Charles, this show definitely wasn’t just a coincidence. Were they looking at a new concept for a mutant prison? It certainly seemed like it.

The scene changed to show the husband’s workplace, they were installing computers and people around him were trying to figure out how to make it work. After some corny jokes, an email showed up and the whole room read it together. The X-Men watched Vision wake up his co-worker who seemed to panic about contacting his father.

“That’s mind control,” gasped Jean, “I know that panic, it’s horrible.”

The man screamed about a woman in his head, probably Wanda, and became more and more agitated. Vision zapped him again and, like a switch, he was back to Norm, the friendly co-worker. The group watched in stunned silence as it cut to Wanda and her children. Billy was training the dog and seemed pretty good at it. The twins excitedly got up, wanting to show their father but Wanda told them he was at work. The conversation then turned into a classic “family is forever” speech; telling them how they’ll always have each other, no matter what.

“Do you have a brother, mom?” Asked of the boys.

She looked off in the distance, obviously wondering how to explain her brother’s situation. “I do,” she said, “he’s far away from here and that makes me... sad sometimes.”

Erik didn’t have time to dwell on the possible meanings of her words as the dog suddenly ran out of the door. The twins and Wanda ran out, chasing it. They lost sight of it. Suddenly, the redhead looked up at the sky in anger and told the boys to continue look for Sparky without her. The scene continued with the boys walking alone.

“What do you think she meant by far away?” Asked the boy in green, Tommy, if he remembered well.

His brother shook his head, “I don’t know, but how cool would it be to meet our uncle?”

The boys giggled and continued calling for their dog. Seeing how the episode was significantly darker than the other ones, Erik didn’t have much hope for the poor animal. Turns out he was right; it had eaten a poisonous plant and the boys were heartbroken. After some strange comments about bringing back the dead, they were back at the house. There was tension between Wanda and Vision. He told her about what happened at his work, accusing her of being the cause.

“You can’t control me the way you do them.”

The woman tilted her head to the side, clearly challenged by her husband’s words. “Can’t I?”

There were scoffs of surprise in the room as the credits suddenly rolled. The android didn’t let that stop him as he pointed out the problems with the world, they lived in. He went on to say that he had no memories of his life before the show. That was puzzling, did this place erase people’s memories to guarantee their good behavior? Vision then pointed out the lack of children, something Erik hadn’t noticed but was unmistakable once you realized it. Wanda sat on the couch, trying to explain why she wasn’t controlling anyone. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

“I swear, if Agnes comes in at that moment, I’m going to lose it,” whined Scott.

“I don’t know,” replied Ororo, “usually she just lets herself in.”

The doorbell rang a second time and Vision watched Wanda with accusations in his eyes as she walked to the door. She opened it and was immediately shocked at whoever was at the door. The android asked his wife for the identity of the guest with suspicion. The camera slowly panned over to the person, only showing to back of their head.

Showing his silver hair

The suspense didn’t last much longer, the camera showing that it was indeed the missing speedster. Quiet gasps were heard as Peter walked towards the woman.

“Long-lost bro get to squeeze his stinkin' sister to death or what?” His voice echoed on the walls of the room.

“Pietro?” He nodded his head and the two shared a hug. It lasted a few seconds and Peter pointed to Vision as he walked in.

“Who’s the popsicle?”

The audience laughed at his joke and the screen faded to black, leaving the team stunned as the credits rolled.

“We have to go get him,” said Raven. “I don’t think he’s safe with her.”

Hank nodded, “I think I can find a way,” he pointed to Jean, “I think you could open a gateway to wherever Peter is. I’ve adjusted the machine to focus on the frequency. If you really concentrate, I’m sure it’ll work.”

“Alright, Raven, Erik and I will go,” decided Charles.

Kurt stepped in, “you might need a quick way out, I can help.” He shook his head as Raven and Charles were about to protest. “I’m the one that noticed he was gone; I want to be there when we bring him back.”

The professor agreed and told them to go pack whatever they’d need and to be back as soon as possible.

***

Jean put on the helmet and closed her eyes in concentration. She held out a hand to better focus her power. Nothing much happened, but she frowned her brows with renewed efforts. Flickers of orange light made itself known, slowly gathering together to form a small circle. She grunted in efforts and the portal grew bigger. She opened her eyes which were now glowing a fiery orange and she let out a screech. The gateway was now big enough for them to go through. They quickly said their goodbyes, Charles leaving Hank in charge for the time he was gone. The four shared a look and took a determined step forward. Passing through another dimension definitely felt strange. Nothing seemed solid as they were suddenly free falling.

They landed on the grass. Erik quickly helped Charles back into his wheelchair and took a look around. There was a military base with soldiers that stared at them with dumbfounded faces. He could hear an alarm, probably trigged when they came in. An older man that seemed to be an authority figure started shouting at them, but Erik didn’t hear him. All he could see was the sign that indicated that Westview was in front of them; and the force field surrounding it.

***

Notes: I have to say, Erik talking to Nina is probably my favourite part of this chapter. I've also made up a scene of the boys talking together based on the image of them walking alone that was in the SWORD base in WandaVision. Next up: The x-men meet Hayward (Erik doesn't like him) and learn about who Wanda Maximoff is.

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drhxnkmccoy · 5 years ago

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If I Could Turn Back Time - Peter Maximoff x Reader

a/n: hi guys! i know. i’ve been gone for a REALLY long time. i’m really sorry! sporadic posting seems to be my calling. our holiday season at my store was absolutely insane and between forty hours a week and school i kind of forgot about this. sorry i kinda suck! anyway! this one was a request and it was super fun to write, i was a little bit stuck on the idea but i think it turned out pretty cool. i hope you guys enjoy! please leave me some requests too, i’m trying to get back into the groove of writing whilst we’re all under quarantine :)

Summary: Y/N has no idea what she did, or how she got there. But she knows exactly who she’s with.

She wasn’t quite sure how she got there. Hell, she was completely and totally baffled as to how she got there - nonetheless, how she would get back. As Y/N stood up from the charred grass around her, she stared in awe at the huge mansion in front of her, surrounded by a picturesque blue sky and fluffy white clouds. The image reminded her of a painting, too beautiful to be true. She slowly started walking towards the house, taking note that the beautiful watch Peter had given her was gone. A frown took shape on her face, but she resigned to getting out of here first and finding the watch later. As she knocked on the big, wooden door, she looked up, taking in the beautiful exterior and woodwork that graced the white walls and how the sun shone brightly off the roof. Honestly? She wished the mansion still looked like this.

“Can I help you?”

She looked back down to see a teenaged boy with silver hair holding the door open for her. He wore black jeans and a metallic, silver jacket. His hair would have fallen into his eyes if not for the goggles that sat on the crown of his head. His goofy little smile, though: that was what she recognized. As if she could ever forget the way his lips curled up, showing off his dimples like a model.

“Peter?” She gasped, awestruck at how… young he looked. He couldn’t be more than nineteen, and the whole concept quite frankly freaked her out.

“Uh. Yeah. Do I know you, or something?” He squinted his eyes at her, trying to think of how he could possibly know her, “You’re not a cop, right?”

“No!” She laughed, watching as relief flooded his features, “I… well, I’m not really sure how to explain who I am. Could you, uh, tell me what year it is first?”

Peter quirked his eyebrow, looking around in the background behind her. Maybe she was a spy? Peter’s head spun, as he went back and forth trying to come up with where this mysterious chick could have come from and how she knew him.

“It’s 1982. Seriously, where the hell did you come from?”

1982? She hadn’t realized how far she had gone back. Panic started to run through her veins as she suddenly became painfully aware of how far away from home she was, with no knowledge of how to return. Y/N began to breathe heavily, as Peter’s presence started to fade in light of her sudden anxiety.

“Whoa, hey. Calm down. It’s okay - WHOA!” Peter took a step back as she took in a sharp breath and her hair caught fire as if she was a tree struck by lightning. “How did you…” he took a second to watch the flames dance through her hair, understanding just why she wasn’t screaming out horribly in pain, “Are you a mutant?”

Y/N closed her eyes, trying to focus on the situation at hand. Her anxiety lingered, but the calm she was trying to force upon herself was able to subside it - for the most part. She felt the heat begin to die down and soon enough, the flames began to extinguish.

“Uhhh… okay. Okay, this is fine. Everything is fine,” Peter mumbled to himself as he watched the flames disappear. What would Charles say in this situation? He knew exactly what Charles would say. Peter could practically hear Charles’ voice in his head, telling him to invite her in. “Do you, uh, want to come in?”

Y/N opened her eyes. The anxiety had faded and she had zoned back in at the sound of Peter’s invitation. Noting the look of mild terror on Peter’s face, she nodded, “Yes.. yes I would. Thank you.”

The mansion looked ginormous, and it only got bigger as she stepped inside. A huge staircase that split and went two ways as you opened the door, classrooms to the right and dormitories to the left. It looked almost the same as when Charles had recruited her, sometime around 2012. She gazed around in awe as Peter shut the door, unsure of what to do next.

“As interesting as this has been, I’m curious. Where the hell did you come from? You’re obviously a mutant… are you here looking for Professor? If you are, you couldn’t have come at a better time, considering he’s THE PROFESSOR again..” Peter babbled, mostly to himself, at a speed faster than she could comprehend.

“The Professor? Professor Xavier is here?” Y/N found a bit of hope in that statement. Hopefully, Charles would know what was going on and how she could be here… Charles always knew what to do, even when he didn’t.

“Yeah! I mean, no. Usually, yes. But I guess there was some type of emergency, like there always is, and well, I mean, if you know the professor you know he’s always the first one out there to solve the problem. So right now? It’s just you and me.”

“Was that your convoluted way of telling me Charles is on a mission?” Y/N sighed - young Peter was a lot more… zealous, she’d say, than adult Peter.

“Yeah! Wait - how do you know about missions? Wait - never mind, you’re a mutant. Duh, Peter”, he shook his head, “Are you one of Charles’ students? You look kind of old to still be a student,” Peter tilted his head.

Y/N shook her head, “Uh… yes. You could say I’m… a student of Charles.” It wasn’t a lie - she had been a student of Charles.

“Oh.. cool. Well, you can hang until he gets back. Oh! We should order a pizza!” Peter’s mind quickly got occupied and he turned to search through a drawer filled with take out menus.

“Peter! Focus! I need your help.” Y/N was too impatient to sit around and wait for Charles, maybe Peter knew something about how and why she was here - she could only hope that the butterfly effect wouldn’t somehow ruin their relationship in the future.

“Whoa, okay. What?” Peter didn’t look up from the drawer, but Y/N knew her next words would change that.

“I’m from the future. I don’t know how and why I’m here, just that I don’t belong here and I have to get back.”

Peter’s eyes practically bugged out of his head.

“Whoa! The future! Wait, that’s so crazy because a couple years ago some guy came back from the future - he was all mean and grumpy, maybe you guys are from the same place! Wait, what year did you come from?” Peter struggled to focus on one point at a time, as usual.

“2020. I’m from 2020. I - Wait, grumpy? Are you talking about Logan?” Y/N shook her head, “Nevermind that. I just need to figure out how to get back to where I came from.”

“Hmm. Sucks. I don’t know anything about time travel. But hey, tell me about the future!” Peter zoomed beside her, and in the two seconds it took her to turn and face him, he was already cozy on the couch.

Y/N approached the couch as well, wondering if it was really her place to tell him what the future holds - what if she told him about their relationship and then it never happened? She didn’t want to change the course of history.

“Well…” She sheepishly took a seat beside him, “There’s… a lot of big stuff that happens in the future. For one,” she pointed at the small television seated upon a cart at the door of Charles’ office, “there are televisions four times the size of that. And there are more than three channels. And -”

“That’s cool! Hey, are the X-Men still a thing? Oh, and who’s the president? Oh, hey, do you know me in the future?” Peter cut her off with the force of his questions.

This was it. Would Y/N tell him? Would that endanger their future together?

“I… do. Yes, I know you in the future.” She smiled at the way his eyes lit up when she said that.

“No way! Are we friends?”

Her voice was caught in her throat. She knew Peter - he was a curious guy, this question was to be expected. And yet, she still had no answer for him.

“We -”

“My, my, Miss Y/N.” She was cut off by Charles’ arrival, the wheels of his chair squeaking slightly as he entered the room. “How nice it is to see you again.”

He looked so… different. Y/N had never seen Charles with hair before - only in pictures.

“Professor,” she stood and shook his hand, “it’s always a pleasure.”

“I believe this,” he pulled her watch out of his pocket, “belongs to you.”

Y/N looked at him with large, wide eyes. He had found her watch! This meant he had to know what she was doing here. Right?

“Whoa,” Peter glanced over the couch, “My dad has a watch, like, exactly like that.”

Charles grinned at Y/N, trying to hold back a laugh at the look of confusion mixed with terror on her face, “As lovely as it is to see you, darling, unfortunately we’ve got much to do today. Peter should be studying for that quiz tomorrow, hm?”

Peter’s eyes widened and before Y/N could even blink, he was gone.

Charles laughed, heading towards the door,” Perhaps, if you don’t mind visiting on another day,” Charles was already escorting her out the door.

“But, Professor -”

“Don’t worry, dear,” Charles opened the door for her, “I’m sure whatever it is,” he winked, “can wait a little bit.”

And with that, he shut the door.

Y/N gasped, opening her eyes to see the dingy walls of her office. She stood from her desk chair, looking around the familiar room. The ceiling looked like it was about to cave in, the wood beginning to rot. The paint on the walls was peeling, adding to the old, abandoned look of the room. Everything looked like what she remembered - not what she had seen.

“Babe?”

She whipped around to see Peter standing at the door, “Are you coming? I thought you were supposed to be done with class, like, an hour ago - Whoa! Okay!” Peter stumbled back as she ran into his arms.

“What year is it?” Y/N looked up at him - he was the Peter that she had come to know and love.

He looked at her with a look of concern, “Are you okay? It’s 2020, crazy. Are you sick?” Peter held a hand up to her forehead, which she quickly slapped away.

“I’m fine,” Y/N straightened out her skirt, “I’m sorry. I guess I just… lost track of time. But I’m done, let’s go.”

Peter grinned and took her arm, leading her away from the office, “Wow, nice watch,” he winked, drawing her attention to the beautiful piece of jewelry he’d given her, “Wonder who could have given it to you. So, how was your day?”

“Crazy. Like you wouldn’t believe…”

#peter maximoff #peter maximoff imagine #peter maximoff x reader #evan peters #quicksilver #quicksilver x reader #quicksilver imagine #evan peters x reader #evan peters imagine #x men imagine #x men #marvel

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cmcreid-warriorprincess · 5 years ago

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Parentdale - - - for plotting ref!

So Lyndsy’s soiree has be thinking about the Havensdale parents a lot and I’d love to plot out some connections with them!! Below’s a list of all my viable parents and their backstories in a compact summary for reference (feel free to message me about connections etc and what it’ll mean for our actual characters!):

Havensdale Natives (they grew up here so high school etc connections like!!)

Karen McReid (single, fc; stana katic) - you know her already! The aunt of Ruby & Carrie, mom of Danny. She was super serious in high school, like ‘class president’ material also with a bit of a wild side but her sis Krystal was the Wild OneTM. Had the weight of the world on her shoulders ALL the time. Eventually dated Daniel Moore (Jenny’s uncle) in high school. Now a businesswomen and all around pillar of the community but keeps an arms length from being too involved in town shenanigans.

Veronica Evans (single) - this is Erica and Rose’s mom! She’s very lovely, a friendly neighbour with a messy ex that no one really knows the real story of (except a select few including neighbours the Wilsons). Close with McReids & Wilsons. Had a lot of friends in high school but lost touch with them when she was married. Is still trying to regain Power over her life and have fun again with friends. Doesn’t date but might want to. Help her.

Chuck and Claire Cooper (married, fc; paul rudd and leslie mann) - the Cooper’s! Christian’s parents and Cam/Callie’s aunt and uncle. Chuck is a teacher at Havens High and Claire owns local baker ‘Claire’s Cakes’. Chuck Cooper was the Ricky Beaumont of his time, total party animal, messy flirt, always up for shots. He’s a bop! Claire is the one who keeps them together, a responsible, very embarrassing mom (they’re both embarrassing tbh). They were BFF since childhood but didn’t get togetherTM until well after high school. ▣ (x)

Victoria Harvelle (married, fc; america ferrera) - Jess’ mom and absolute #dramaQUEEN. She grew up in Havensdale and got the hell out as soon as she turned 18. She’s an ex soap opera star, glamazon and simply #dying over having to be back in Havensdale all these years. Thinks she’s better than everyone - always did. D-I-V-A. Fake friends only probably. Knows her husband is cheating on her. Will not discuss his love child Lua Harvelle thanks bye. Was compelled by Jess to think they’d sent her away for her bad behaviour but tbh won’t bring her up either.

Mitchell and Lacy Morrison (married, fc; alexis denisof and charisma carpenter) - the Morrison parents! Mitch is an absolute dork with really cool socks who owns ‘Morrison Records’. Honestly just...a soft, nerdy Dad who loves his wife more than anything. Lacy is the Bad GirlTM and always was (definitely in love with this nerd all her life tbh). She’s very cool which makes up for how uncool Mitch is. Remember, non-magical people think Mark woke up from his ‘coma’ recently and magicals know he was brought back from the dead. They deserve a nice night, basically.

Aaron and Marie Fairchild (widowed, deceased) - Charlene’s mom/Rachel’s uncle and aunt. Marie died when Charlene was young and Aaron is always on the road for work. Marie was thee Cool MomTM and very involved. They both would have had a TON of friends until Marie died and Aaron became distant. Needless to say, neither are here tonight.

Lyndsy McArthur and Andrew Moore (re-married - fc; , deceased - fc; jason bateman) - Jenny’s parents! We all know Lyndsy of ‘Lyndsy’s café’. She’s an absolute sweetheart with a right hook to match. Another piller of the community TBH, need I say more? The same goes for Andrew who died when Jenny was little (he was a fireman). These two were high school sweethearts, 100% the cutest couple, probably prom king and queen. Lyndsy’s now married to Derek McArthur if y’all remember!

Felicity Montgomery (married, fc; madchen amick) - #icequeen! In high school though she was a punky rebel with a giant attitude problem. Her and Ethan McArthur were also #that couple - don’t remind her. (x)

Maryse Anderson (married) - Effy & Lana’s mom, god help her. Very judgy, very straight laced and god fearin’ - she’s also super involved with the town’s events etc. Probably causes drama at every PTA meeting. Probably has beef with every other parent in town. BIG SECRET: her husband is in jail.

Larry Manning (married, fc; will smith) - Tyler’s dad. Owner of family pub/restaurant ‘The Silver Fox’ and a town treasure. Basically everyone’s dad, always looking out for you and can fix pretty much anything. He’s a settled down, very chill, married man and father. Was literally THE COOLEST guy in high school though, ask anyone!

Fred Porter (married) - the Porter dad! Can you believe there was an original Greg? ‘Cause Fred was breaking hearts, jaws, his own fists and making 1000 mistakes per minute long before his second son was even a thought. He got his act together! He’s a very hard working dad with good, family values who only wants the best for his family. Is so hard on Greg because he sees so much of himself in him tbh. His wife was 100% his saving grace, he loves her so much.

Mr and Mrs Jennings (married) - Isaiah’s parents! Mr Jennings is a member of one of Havensdale founding families so they’re SUPER involved in the town. They’re very fancy, have a big ole house, love to take trips but are friendly with everyone. They’re only snobby on accident. Mr Jennings is very serious and is waiting for Isaiah to stop his nonsense and join the family business. Mrs Jennings is way funner.

Not *from* Havensdale but live here now!!

William ‘Bill’ Tyler (technically, legally still married, fc; mark ruffalo) - Hailie’s dad. He own’s ‘Bill’s Tech Store’ which is a computer store so he’ll fix your WiFi etc. A grumpy loner type with an absolute heart of gold. Everyone who was around at the time knows his wife Grace Laurel Tyler left him and Hailie years ago (her dramatic return is still lowkey on the D.L right now though). Loves his daughter SO MUCH, is stressed to his eyeballs about her having.......a boyfriend. ▣ Was dating Sarah Palmer before she died (Juliette's mom) and honestly, me and Kayleigh figured this out today and I'm still crying.

Joseph Montgomery (married, fc; matthew mcconaughey) - Mr Montgomery! He’s lived here with Felicity since before Elena was born (22+ years). He’s a business man with political ties and always wears a suit. A big ole charmer that you literally can’t help but like!

Mrs Porter - info to follow on Greg, Simon and Annie’s mom but lbr...she’ll be an angel!!!

Penelope ‘Penny’ Manning (married, fc; salma hayek) - Tyler’s mom. The Mannings moved to Havensdale 17+ years ago! Penny’s a high flyer, works in fashion, always has her hands-free in, slightly aloof and very scary when she’s on the phone dealing with a problem. The BossTM. Absolute goals. Loves her son and doesn’t mean to be so absent. Friends with everyone but she never has time.

Joseph Salvatore (married, fc; jared padalecki) - Joey and Keith’s dad (and maybe more). He’s lived in Havensdale full time aroundabout when Keith was born (ISH). Before this, he was a legit rockstar. He toured, he did the whole sex, drugs, drink and rock ‘n roll thing. Now he’s a real pillar of the community, owns the gym, is very involved with the town - which made the arrival of his Secret Son Joey such a SCANDAL. He’s still recovering.

Charles Harvelle (married, MIA, fc; david tennant) - No one has noticed yet or caused a scene about it but Mr Harvelle is currently missing.... Details will follow, for now his wife just believes he’s on another business trip AKA having an affair with his secretary. A mess at being a father and husband. RIP. Has lived in Havensdale aroundabout 18 yrs with his wife and Jess.

Mr & Mrs Thomson (married) - Tessa’s parents. They’re both hunters who’ve been on the road for most of their lives (saving people, hunting things, the family business). Just a fab couple! A supportive, dorky dad and a badass yet super sweet mom. They’re v likable and have been in town for a fair few months now.

#hihrp #hihparent #ooc #is this a good reference or a mess who can say!

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florrickandassociates · 5 years ago

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TGF Thoughts: 3x10--The One About the End of the World

I did it, I wrote recaps for all of season 3.

Oooh, this ep starts off with the credits.

This is the season 3 finale, but it’s not written by the Kings. Maybe they were busy with Evil at this point? As I’ve mentioned before, Evil is very good. I am NOT a fan of horror, but Evil works for me for several reasons. If you haven’t seen it, you might be imagining it’s full of jumpscares and gore. It certainly has its fair share of jumpscares and gore, but they’re not the point. The show’s definition of evil isn’t just demons… it’s radicalized misogyny and slavery and racial inequalities. And, as you might expect from a show written by the Kings, evil manifests itself in misuses of technology quite frequently.

Honestly, I think I laugh more than I cover my eyes while watching. And, to be clear, I laugh because the show is funny. It’s quirky and bizarre, serious enough to be dramatic but light enough to be watchable.

It’s also got a central myth-arc (way more serialized and puzzlebox-y than TGW/TGF/Braindead) that’s as complicated as you want it to be. If you want to look for the hidden puzzle pieces (literal puzzle pieces!) you can. If you want to be an attentive but univested viewer, you’ll be able to follow the arc just fine. The arc itself is pretty simple and the Kings use recurring guest stars to build a web that pays off over the course of the season. So if you’re used to following a TV show with lots of guest stars-- and you all are, since you’re viewers of TGF-- the mytharc isn’t going to demand a lot of effort to follow.

Speaking of guest stars, you WILL recognize at least one familiar face per episode. And if you pay attention to the credits, you’ll recognize the names behind the scenes, too. I love it when showrunners collaborate with the same people over and over-- it makes me think they’re good to work with and look out for their friends.

Just finishing up the most recent season of Younger before I jump into writing this and there was a Liza/Charles scene giving me MAJOR Alicia/Peter in Death of a Client vibes, mostly because of her hairdo. Then I realized: both scenes were DEFINITELY filmed in the same place. I love it.

Confession: I don’t actually remember anything about this ep, except for the very end.

Kurt was working from home! He was prepping for 2020.

Oh we saw Julius leave the firm to become a judge? And here I thought it was a spoiler he was in a robe in the s4 trailer.

There is talk of making Lucca a partner! Yes! There’s also discussion of someone named Rosalyn, who I’m sure is great but also, have you met Lucca Quinn? But in all seriousness, if the writers want me to truly believe there’s another associate who can rival Lucca, they have to show it to me.

I do believe the partner who says Rosalyn would be better for the culture of the firm than Lucca, though. Lucca hasn’t shown herself to be that invested in getting to know her colleagues (aside from the two white girls), and I think (not sure though) Rosalyn is the one we’ve seen speaking up the last several episodes.

Jay is going to dig into Book Club more, and I cannot wait until this is gone.

Cookies shouldn’t have photorealistic faces on them.

Did they REALLY hire white guys for the mailroom because that consultant said to?

There is a very angry former client of RBL asking for more money from Julius. Blum put him up to it. Go away, Blum!

Now there’s a lawsuit to make it seem like RBL is exploiting all the police brutality victims they’re represented. This is part of Blum’s plot.

Diane accidentally answers a call from Marissa, so Marissa gets to hear all the gossip about salaries and partnerships.

Now there’s weird lightning. Not in the clear yet!

Oh RIGHT, there was that FaceTime defect. I forgot about it.

Lucca doesn’t want to know what Marissa heard, but she’s happy to hear more once Marissa’s started the conversation.

Is it possible for a man to say “ladies, we’ll get to you” in a work setting without sounding sexist? I don’t think it is.

Casually sexist judge likes Blum.

Oh hello Maia. Blum says Maia became “disgusted and quit” after seeing RBL’s methods. Well, that’s a lie. You’d know it was a lie even if we hadn’t seen Maia get fired, because in order for Maia to know the firm’s methods she would have to do work. (OKAY I WILL STOP BUT THIS IS THE LAST EPISODE WHERE I CAN MAKE JOKES AND I’M GONNA MISS MY PUNCHING BAG A LITTLE BIT)

Maia is using her mom’s name and carrying the portfolio Diane gave her, just to throw Diane off.

Diane confronts her about it and asks if this is retribution. Maia says it’s just “lawyering.” Maia could have gone to any other firm-- like, even Canning’s firm-- and I would’ve thought she had a point. I would say trying to throw Diane off is mean but no worse than what others have done. But Blum is so hateful and malicious Maia has no ground to stand on.

Maia says she’s coming after RBL because they’ve done wrong. She sounds like she’s convinced herself-- or maybe she’s gotten that good at lying. (It is telling that so many former clients would be willing to join this suit, though-- Maia isn’t wrong about that)

Show title spoken alert!

I am pretty sure the Diane/Maia scene right there is one I would have ripped Diane to shreds for if it had been her vs Alicia, and Blum wasn’t involved, because Maia’s being very practical (Blum is out to screw you; I am here for the clients) and Diane is on her high horse. Hell, maybe I’d even take Maia’s side if we got Blum out of the picture. But I hate him. And Maia’s on this case because Blum said so. She’s running his firm and working with all his clients; this one just happens to have a way to spin as doing good.

Kurt has to intro 45 and is drafting a speech. Diane doesn’t know yet, so she thinks his scribbled “the last two years have been amazing/brought me a new optimism” are about her. She finds out the real meaning for the scribbles and leaves the room.

Blum’s here again. I hate him.

Also RBL may have caught Blum and turned him in to the ACDB but Blum got disbarred all on his own by doing disbarrable shit repeatedly and knowingly.

Lightning balls. Weird.

Lucca asks Jay how she’s thought of. I feel like if you have to ask that question you’re probably not thought of as an integral part of the culture. This is a smart thing to show as Lucca’s weak spot. She’s never liked making friends. Lucca also worries she’s “not black enough” for the firm.

“Everyone likes you. Just, a lot of the associates think you never hang out,” Jay says. “So it’s high school? I don’t care about being popular. Who has time to hang out?” Lucca responds. That’s the problem, right there! Maybe this isn’t such a thing at RBL, but where I work, the partners always make a point of greeting everyone, sticking around at happy hours, etc. Part of their job is to create the culture. RBL doesn’t seem to have that culture, but I absolutely understand why some of the partners want it to.

And the “not black enough” comment is coming at least in part from Lucca’s tendency to surround herself with all the white characters when she does socialize.

“I do not have to prove myself to anyone, or perform what they think black should look like. This is 2019. I’m not playing this stupid fucking game,” Lucca responds. She’s right, I think, but I would also be curious to hear other perspectives. This situation feels pretty nuanced to me in that I think it can simultaneously be true that Lucca can act however she wants and shouldn’t be judged or typed for it AND that there’s a somewhat strong case against Lucca as a partner because of her engagement with her coworkers.

Does the fact that I like Evil!Maia so much mean I secretly liked Maia all this time???

Jay asks Marissa to help him create more diverse happy hours. And then it’s time for them to confront Book Club. Jay’s got some intel on Rochelle, who’s legit enough to have done polling for Eli. Overcharging a client 30% for a focus group seems like maybe not a big enough deal to blackmail someone with, but Jay tries!

Rochelle isn’t having it and tells Jay and Marissa, basically, that she’s going to escalate things.

Oh there are very many guns in Diane and Kurt’s bedroom suite thing.

Diane winds up writing Kurt’s speech for him by bullshiting. Kurt knows it’s bullshit. Diane’s writing a parody but it’s also not parody at all. “A parody but it’s also not parody at all’ is also true of the mindfuck that’s been the last four years.

Jay ends up doing drawings of cartoon animals to be used in court because the judge can’t understand anything complicated. One cartoon is Judy Giraffe, who may share a name with the toy Andrew Wiley’s kids had in late season 6 (but I’m too lazy to look it up and see if I’m right about that).

This also may just be Zootopia.

LOL there’s ASMR happening now. I could explain why but it’s more fun if I don’t.

This scene is hilariously over the top.

Maia was 12 in 2000. I feel like that’s inconsistent with other timelines we’ve been given but whatever.

Lucca awkwardly tries to socialize. Lucca immediately misspeaks by saying she thinks Obama probably wished that for one day he didn’t have to be “the black president” and her colleagues freeze up and push back.

Marissa then shows up and the scene ends. Awkward.

Now Blum’s hired actors to be disruptive in court. Ridiculous. I hate Blum. That said, this isn’t really any lower than Diane’s ASMR shenanigans.

Blum is singing now, goodbye.

I FORGOT ABOUT THE CORRUPT JUDGE ADRIAN WAS FUCKING.

So much COTW in this ep. Remember how it used to have meaning when the regulars got called to the stand? Like, I know this is technically character driven drama but it’s nowhere near as engaging as last episode’s internal investigations.

Rosalyn comes into Lucca’s office: she knows they’re up for the same partnership, and understands that’s why Lucca came to drinks. Rosalyn was informed by one of the partners, and as much as I like Lucca, Rosalyn is making quite a good case for herself by handling herself so professionally here. She comes to Lucca once she realizes the partners are pitting them against each other, “because that’s what people do to the black girls.” I want to hear more of what Rosalyn is about to say, but she’s cut off by BALL LIGHTNING. What the fuck? Now the power is out.

Rosalyn thinks it’s the end times. The red skies do suggest that. Lucca is unconvinced.

Diane pays Maia a visit. “So, you got what you wanted. A corner office,” Diane says. Had Maia expressed this wish? Or is Diane mocking her?

Maia says she knows what she’s getting with Blum, and “sometimes that’s better.” She isn’t wrong. But it’s BLUM.

Diane offers Maia her job back. No, PARTNERSHIP at RBL. HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. It’s hilarious enough in isolation, but the thought of Maia getting partnership over Lucca or Rosalyn (who both seem very deserving) makes it even worse. I think half of their staff would quit if Maia was made partner.

It’s more money and Maia is skeptical. She (wisely) guesses that she’d be forced out after six months, but Diane (has she talked to any of the other partners about this?) says that wouldn’t happen. “You’re trying to buy me out of my case,” Maia FINALLY realizes. Well, I guess it makes sense she’d believe she was actually deserving of a partnership after two years of half working.

Diane says it’s also because she impressed Adrian. Lol, okay. If that’s what it takes to make the suit go away.

Maia says she’ll think about it and asks Diane if it’s weird that they’ve ended up in this spot. Diane says yes and smiles.

Blum overheard the whole thing, naturally. He tells Diane that Maia won’t go with her. Now he is singing. Why is he singing. Why won’t he stop singing.

Liz does not like that Adrian and Corrupt Judge are friends. Why is Corrupt Judge here?

Diane watches Kurt awkwardly avoid clapping while standing directly behind 45. It is very funny and Diane enjoys it. Kurt is then removed from the audience, which leads Diane to say “Kurt, my God, I love you.” The incident makes the news almost instantly.

This Good Fight short has the characters in it. I imagine there’s a non-zero chance we get an animated, musical S4 wrap up given that they had to halt production.

It’s weird there’s a short that says the season is over, followed by another scene.

Lucca and Marissa discuss how Maia got the partnership offer. Why would Diane or any of the partners let that slip?! “Two black girls are up for the job and they give it to the white girl,” Lucca says. Marissa’s surprised she’s not angry, but Lucca explains-- she knows Maia’s not going to take it. Marissa thinks Maia will, but Lucca understands that Maia’s moved on.

Lucca no longer cares about the partnership because she’s realized “the best thing is to not care.” It’s almost like she was friends with Season 7 Alicia, who said this like twice an episode.

Then Marissa and Lucca drop acid in the office because the world is ending, I guess.

Didn’t the s1 finale also do this end of the world thing? A less apocalyptic version.

I think this Diane and Adrian scene may be a callback to that finale.

Diane posits that love and hope will get us through the endtimes.

Aaaah the case is still happening but I’m SO CLOSE to being done with season 3. I still love what TGF is doing, but its central devices and plots for season 2 worked so much better.

RBL wins! Diane notes that Maia hasn’t responded to their offer. Does that mean someone is still considering giving Maia a fucking partnership even though the case is closed? HA.

Maia points this out and Diane insists they really want Maia home. This is probably the worst judgment I’ve ever seen Diane have? She wants to bring her goddaughter who is three years out of law school on as a partner at her firm, OVER two extremely qualified black women? Even if Maia were truly the best lawyer ever, the optics alone are bad enough to make Maia a terrible choice.

Maia decides, instead, to head for D.C. with Blum. She gets in an elevator and sucks on a fentanyl lollipop, which, sure, why not? I think they offer her partnership purely so we the viewers can see she’s choosing to emulate Blum and she likes it.

BYE BLUM!!!!!!!!!! BYE MAIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I won’t really miss either of you, but also, what am I going to write about when I can’t complain about Maia?

And we’re back in the opening moments of the premiere, which, as it turns out, were a flashforward to this moment in which Kurt and Diane get SWATted seconds after Diane announces she’s happy and Kurt asks what could go wrong. I hope they’re both ok because I won’t be able to deal if they do anything to Kurt. (Or Diane but I’m less concerned about them killing her off lol.)

That’s a wrap!

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 5 years ago

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Assassin’s Greed: The Story of Charles Guiteau

My favorite historical figure has got to be presidential assassin Charles Guiteau, a person you’ve likely never heard of. You probably know John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, but Guiteau (pronounced get-oh) is not a household name. Where Booth and Oswald shot famous presidents, Guiteau shot James Garfield, who had served for only four months at the time and is best known for having been assassinated. Guiteau was cartoonishly twisted, with delusions of grandeur and a Type A god complex. He believed himself to be faultless, guiltless, a renaissance man, a master political advisor, and perhaps even the Third Coming of Christ (yes, third; you’ll see what I mean below). His life story sounds like something scripted to be as pathetic and conceited as possible, and it would be funny were it not so tragic.

So come with me on an adventure back to the gay old days of the 19th century, so we can delve into the mind of America’s least favorite assassin. Strap in, cause this is a long one.

Charles Julius Guiteau was born in 1841 to a family of French descent (you may have been able tell because he’s an -eau). Despite this, it is important to remember that he never learned to speak a word of French. Keep that in mind. He flunked out of school because he never felt the need to study for any exams. He was convinced he already had perfect knowledge on any given subject, “why fix what ain’t broken?”

In 1860, he joined a cult because his dad was friends with the leader. (Side note: this cult would later dissolve when a tornado destroyed their headquarters, transforming into a company that made spoons. This has nothing to do with the story, I just thought it was funny). This cult coined the phrase “free love,” which at the time just meant everyone was allowed, nay, encouraged, to bone everyone else; older women were ordered to act as “sexual mentors” for adolescent boys because they were the least likely to conceive. It was messed up. The cult also thought that Jesus had already come a second time, in 70 AD, so they had free reign on Earth to do whatever they wanted with no consequences. The end of days had come and gone, so it was smooth sailing from here on out.

Guiteau idolized the cult leader, believing him to be the perfect man in every way. The cult leader however believed Guiteau was unstable and unfit for the community. Do you know how messed up you have to be to get kicked out of a cult? People were so put off by his behavior that they gave him the nickname “Charles Get-Out,” and when he sued the leader for mistreatment his dad wrote a long apology letter saying “I’m sorry my son’s a weirdo, please don’t think less of me for it.”

He became a lawyer by sheer blind luck, barely passing his bar exam because he just so happened to work as a clerk at the Chicago law firm in question. He lost the one and only case he argued in court, and spent the rest of his career as a corrupt bill collector. He short-changed all of his clients, overcharging and under-refunding, pocketing the difference before skipping town to avoid the police. He did this often, hopping from town to town and leaving right before they could run him out on a rail.

In 1872 he endorsed Horace Greeley for president against incumbent Ulysses S. Grant; both men were Republicans, but Greeley caucused with the southern Democrats and became their nominee. He lost in a landslide, and died less than a month after the election, but again, that’s not important to the story. What is important is that Guiteau was convinced that had Greeley become president, he would have rewarded Guiteau’s endorsement with a federal appointment. Guiteau was just some schmuck, a nobody, but he believed that his approval was somehow the most important thing a candidate could receive, and that they would be undyingly grateful for it.

Guiteau believed that he was ordained by God to spread His word, and so concluded that his own word was therefore the word of God. He tried to start his own cult, plagiarizing the text from the cult leader he idolized, but it never got off the ground. In 1877 he was on a boat that collided with another; theirs sunk, but his made it back to port, so he was further convinced that his life had been spared for a higher purpose. If Christ had come again in 70 AD, Guiteau believed he had returned for the Third time this very day. At this point, his dad thought he was possessed by the devil.

You could say they didn’t exactly see eye to eye.

1880 comes along, he’s been embezzling and stealing even more money from even more cities, avoiding consequences all the while, and decides to once again throw his hat in the ring of politics. He endorses Grant for a third nonconsecutive term, despite having “campaigned” against him in 1872. Guitaeu changed his mind with Orwellian confidence, “oh, I always supported Grant, Greeley was destined to lose, I knew it and actually did my best to make sure his campaign floundered, I was always looking out for my main man Ulysses!”

Guiteau handed out leaflets and gave a speech endorsing Grant to basically no one; he may as well have just stood on a street corner shouting his opinion at passersby. Grant lost the nomination to one Congressman James Garfield, so Guiteau took the leaflets, crossed out Grant’s name, wrote in Garfield’s, and continued passing them out. The rest of the text remained the same though, so it made no sense, praising Garfield for leading the Union Army to victory during the Civil War, and saying he deserved a third term despite this being his first time running. Garfield won the presidency, and Guiteau was absolutely convinced that it was because of his leaflets. “What else could it have been?”

March 1881: Being wholly responsible for Garfield’s election, he starts writing him fan letters singing his own praise. “As you already know, I got you elected (you’re welcome, by the way). I did this out of the kindness of my heart, and all I ask in return, all I feel I deserve, is an ambassadorship. France will do nicely, I’ve always wanted to live in Paris!” As you remember, he can’t speak a word of French, “but I can learn on the job! I’m the best at learning things, but I’m sure you already know that about me. I look forward to our partnership. Your biggest fan, Charles.”

No word from the president, but Guiteau doesn’t worry. He just writes more letters. “Didn’t hear back from you, don’t know if you read my first letter, but just in case you didn’t, I’ll recap; you won because of me, I’m ready for my federal job whenever you are. Thanks and you’re welcome. Your smartest and most qualified fan, Charles.”

Still nothing. He moved to Washington, DC and became a homeless vagrant. He went from house to house, spending a night, eating the food, then leaving before rent was due; classic Guiteau! The White House kept ignoring his letters, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and personally confront the Secretary of State. “I’m sure you’ve read my correspondences, you know my qualifications, I am ready to go to Paris, just say the word.”

“Oh my God, we’re not giving you a federal job, stop writing us letters, leave the president alone, you’re a total nutjob.”

Guiteau was heartbroken. He couldn’t understand how Garfield could be such an ingrate! “I gave everything for that man, I sacrificed so much, and this is how he thanks me? I campaigned for him, I gave speeches, I handed out, like, so many leaflets!” He felt ignored, he felt BETRAYED. “How dare he? How DARE he?!? He owes me! He’s got to be the least considerate person on the planet! I put him office, I-” At this, he had a horrible realization. “Oh my God, I put him in office... He’s only there because of me... It’s all my fault! I gave this bastard the key to the White House... I gave him the nuclear codes!” [Guiteau was again misinformed, because nuclear weapons wouldn’t be invented for another 64 years] “I’ve created a monster! I put him there, and only I can take him out! I need to assassinate President Garfield.”

And so the pieces begin to fall into place.

He borrows money from his brother-in-law to buy a gun at a pawn shop. He believed God was telling him to kill the president; either that or he was telling God that the president needed to die and was just giving Him a heads up. At the pawnshop he specifically chose an expensive revolver with an ivory handle because he thought it would look better in the display case of the museum they would eventually build for him. He even managed to haggle down the price one whole dollar (about $26 today, so good on him, master deal maker).

July 2, 1881. President Garfield arrived at a train station in DC, and Guiteau is there waiting for him. He had no body guard because this was the 1880s, and nobody thought someone would be crazy enough to shoot the president in peacetime. The only government employee present with Garfield was the Secretary of War, a young man by the name of Robert Todd Lincoln. Yes, that Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham, the first and so far only president to be assassinated. And he got to witness the second, firsthand.

Guiteau shot Garfield twice, but only wounded him; he fell to the ground, bleeding but very much alive. Despite this, Guiteau was confident the job was done. “Don’t worry everyone, you don’t need to panic, the tyrant is dead, you can thank me later.” The police ran at him, “officers, please, take the former president’s body away, it’s bleeding all over the train station. He’s as much a nuisance dead as he was alive, am I right? Wait, why do you have those batons?” The tackled him to the ground, as police are wont to do to people who shoot the president. “Okay, o-ho-ho-kay, I get it, you guys need to put on a show for the crowds. I understand, I shouldn’t have used a gun in public, I should’ve waited until I could had him alone, I get it, you don’t need to be so rough with me. Listen, just talk to President Arthur, he’ll have my back, I just put him in office, he’ll vouch for me, it’s cool.”

Garfield lived for two more months, wasting away in agony from infection because his doctors didn’t even think about washing their hands. They would poke around his bullet holes with their fingers to fish out fragments, poking organs, tearing muscle, just making it much worse than it needed to be. Garfield may have survived if they had just left him alone; years later, Teddy Roosevelt would be similarly shot, and survived with the bullet in his chest for seven years. Garfield died on September 19, 1881, at which point Guiteau was officially charged with murder.

Being a lawyer, he wanted to represent himself in court, but he was appointed a public defender instead. The defender quit after a week because Guiteau was impossible to work with, so his brother-in-law came on as his new lawyer; he wasn’t a criminal defense lawyer, just another bill collector like Guiteau, he was literally the only person willing to help him out for free. Guiteau claimed he was not guilty by reason of insanity, that God had possessed him, simply using his body as an avatar and smite Garfield. “It was divine intervention, nothing could be done to stop it, it was out of my hands.”

He made a mockery of the trial, cursing at everyone from the judge to the jury to his own lawyer to the crowd. He ignored his lawyer and started asking courtroom spectators for their advice, he wrote his testimony in the form of poems and delivered them to the captive audience. He reveled in being the center of attention, ignoring the fact that literally everyone hated him for killing the president. He expected a swift acquittal, and started planning his own campaign for president for 1884, “President Arthur owes me for putting him in office, so I’m sure he’ll step aside and let me run in his place, it’s the least he could do. Maybe I’ll choose him as my running mate, I haven’t decided yet.”

January 1882, he was found guilty and sentenced to death, to which he responded by calling the jury a bunch of “consummate jackasses” (and yes, that’s the real, actual quote, no joke). He was dragged out of the court, screaming obscenities at everyone within earshot. He wasn’t worried though, because he was convinced Arthur would pardon him.

In jail, he composed more poems singing his praise, “Ding dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The Garfield witch! Ding dong, the Garfield witch is dead!” Arthur didn’t pardon him, so he called him an even worse ingrate than Garfield; Guiteau tried to appeal his case so he could shoot Arthur too, but it was rejected for obvious reasons.

June 30, 1882, he is led to the gallows to be hanged. For his last words, he delivered yet another poem, this time an epic ballad about how he was now leaving this mortal coil to return to the kingdom of Heaven. Entitled “I am going to the Lordy,” it had a second or third grade reading level, with lines like “I wonder what I’ll do when I get to the Lordy?” and “I saved the party, glory Hallelujah.” He wanted to have a full orchestra come and give the piece musical accompaniment, but the jail told him no, again for obvious reasons. He didn’t even write music for it, he just thought it was so inspiring that the orchestra would know exactly what he intended and improvise something great.

He read the poem out loud to the crowd gathered to see him die, and was so overcome by how good it was that he broke down crying multiple times, “I’m such a genius!” He may or may not have done a little jig to go along with it, as you do when delivering the world’s greatest poem about the world’s greatest man.

Black hood, noose, trapdoor, neck snap, dead.

The jail refused to turn over his body to his family because they were too poor for a proper burial service (he had wasted all of their money on his defense). An autopsy showed that he was unable to retract his foreskin, so doctors theorized that was what drove him crazy enough to kill the president. Gotta love 19th century psychology; Freud has been largely discredited in 2019, but in 1882 he wasn’t even credited yet, he was just some random doctor, not famous for anything.

The warden sold pieces of Guiteau’s noose as souvenirs, and eventually disinterred the corpse to donate to a museum so people could pay money to see the man who shot the president. They cut out his brain to figure out what was wrong with him; one of its membranes was thicker than normal, possibly syphilitic, and modern medical professionals debate over which topical mental illness he likely had (some say schizophrenia, most agree that Narcissistic Personality Disorder had a huge part to play). They also spit-polished his skeleton and turned it into a dummy to hang up in the corner of a science class, but for some reason they hid it away in a storage room rather than giving it to a university as intended.

And so ends the story of Charles Julius Guiteau. He was a man without reason, without honor, without a lick of common sense or self-awareness. I feel bad for him because despite how horrible a person he was, he was clearly sick and needed help at a time when no such help existed. His life story is comical and tragic. He’ll never be as well known as John Wilkes Booth or Lee Harvey Oswald, and that’s probably for the best. A fitting end for a narcissist, to be mostly forgotten by history.

His gun isn’t even in a museum, the police eventually misplaced it. And I’m sure THAT is what he’d be most mad about today.

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dawnoftime21 · 6 years ago

Text

Come What May (Billy Hargrove x reader) (Part One)

Summary: Billy manages to turn back time after your unpredictable death after coming home from college at the age of 25

Warnings: Drinking, Death, Angst

It had been a whole week since your death and he still remembered the phone call like it was only a minute ago... His heart racing and head swimming with thoughts, the officer on the other line nothing but a white noise after the words left his mouth, "She died on impact, I'm sorry" He wanted to break down right then and there but he couldn't, physically couldn't...his head was so full his body couldn't react. It wasn't until about 5 minutes after the call when everything sank in...you weren't coming. He could remember the feeling of the hardwood floor clashing with his knee caps, his hands turning into fists in his hair just pulling and pulling. The sobs and screams that tore from him were enough to make his throat for 3 days. Susan came into the room, and for once in his life, he didn't push her away. She sat there, holding him and rocking him as he sobbed and sobbed. He knew his dad would call him a pussy, with that shit faced grin on his face but when the news of your death left Billy's mouth, that grin was melted away faster than anyone would have thought.

But what he really couldn't forget was your guys' last conversation face to face before you left to go start your final year of college.

"You know what? Fuck you Hargrove!" You shouted, tossing a pillow in his direction, in which he caught. "You said you'd stop drinking!" Tears brimmed your eyes as you looked at your drunken boyfriend, dishevelled with bottles around him. "Correction, I said I'd try ... TRY" His voice raised. Turning your back to him, you shake your head. "I have to go Billy, I have to make it to Massachusetts before moving day...I can't be doing this with you" your voice was soft, it was always soft after an argument between the two of you.

"Fine whatever! GO" His speech was slurred and you were barely able to get what he was saying, but you got it. This time tears did spill. "You don't mean that" you countered, but he just nodded "Oh yes I do!" He sat up, swaying slightly, eyes unfocused. "O-Oh well I...I love you" you grabbed your bag and walked out of the door. Turning to look back at him, he just layed back down, taking another drink.

He woke up the next morning, looking for you but unfortunately for him you weren't there. He found out what really happened through Max, she told him everything that went down. From telling you to leave to your soft I love you that wasn't returned. You deserved so much more than him, he always thought about this, you were so kind and gentle while he destroyed everything in his path. He regretted ever putting that bottle in his hand, but little did he know those were the last words spoken face to face to each other.

And now here he was, drunk and driving well over the speed limit going who knows where. Ever since you died the thought of alcohol was repulsive but it was the only thing to numb the pain, he had had a whole case before setting out onto the road with his music blaring.

"You took here away from me!! I never even got to fucking say goodbye! You bring her to me and you take her away, I never should have fucked up! I'm being punished!" He then broke down into sobs he didn't even know he was holding. He made you a promise and he couldn't even keep, it wasn't just the promise about drinking...there was one much greater than that and he hated himself over it. He pounded his hands against the steering wheel, anger and remorse flowing all through him. But before he knew it, his eyes were dropping closed and his head was against the steering wheel, car accelerating.

The sun was bright and directly in his eyes. He didn't sleep that long did he? The sun was going down when he started driving and now it looks to be about 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Squinting he could make out, brightly colored everything... Clothing mostly. Bell-Bottoms being worn and heeled shoes. Another thing he noticed was 'Vote For Jimmy Carter 76' ' signs scattered about... But Ronald Reagan was running for president and it was 1984, not 1976. What the hell was going on here and why is he in the 70s? This has to be some fucked up dream, he had been drinking...so it makes sense right?

He gets out of his car quickly and looks around. Everyone was dressed in pale colors and bell bottoms.. dear God this really was the 70s. Slowly but surely he starts to walk around Hawkins, Indiana, it looks so different but the similar at the same time. The cafe looks the exact same but the shop next to it went from being a shoe shop to a music shop. He continues to walk until he make it to the park in the town square. There he sees a group of kids, around his age listening to music, dancing, eating and just running around having a blast. The group consisted of 5 people, 4 boys and a girl in which he couldn't see. Billy leaned against a tree and lit his cigarette looking not only at the group but at his surroundings.... Could he really be in the 70s, is that even possible? He'd be about 9 right now still back in California, so he surely doesn't know anyone in this stupid town...maybe one of his teachers or something but that's about it.

He's drown out of his thoughts with a tap on his shoulder, turning to see one of the boys from the group of kids.

"Excuse me, could I borrow your light? I noticed you were smoking and I forgot my light" he sightly laughs at the end out of awkwardness. Billy slowly nods, handing the boy his lighter, which he takes and lights his cigarette.

"Thanks, I'm Charles" he smiles, reaching out his hand, "Billy" it was a short response and he definitely didn't shake the boys hand. Eventually he got the hint and lowered his hand.

"Anyway, some friends and I are over there hanging out. Eating and stuff, you're welcome to join if you want" usually Billy would say no but, he's not turning down free food.

"Sure, lead the way"

When they make it over there, Charles introduces the group.

"This is Connor, Jacob and Simon" he points to each boy as he says their names, Connor and Jacob were twin brothers, blonde hair and blue eyes..a jock looking type. And Charles himself looked exactly like his name suggested. Preppy and we'll kept, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Simon was African American and was the most normal looking out of the group he looked like everyone else around not some prep or jock.

"and this is my girlfriend (Y/N)" Charles points to the only girl in the group sitting beside Simon. He could feel his heart stop at the sight of her...not her... you.

"everyone, this is Billy" he saw a smile spread across your face. The smile he knew so well.

#billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove imagine #stranger things imagine #masterlist

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neshabeingchildish · 5 years ago

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The Danger Force Family

Four years into the job and Ray still felt like everyday was his first. Charlotte was still feeding him information that he “should know.” Simone was still mumbling under her breath whenever he asked an “obvious” question, before just answering it. He was still wondering why the heck he let Charlotte talk him into this. Of course, it was just mornings. He found his footing after a couple of hours and from that moment throughout the day, he remembered who he was and why he was here. Captain President, the President of all Presidents… At least that’s what he’d put on his campaign posters and van. Everybody else called him “President Man.”

Charlotte was rarely ever on site, considering that she had multibillion dollar apps - SoulDates, FaceMask, and SymBIOsis - her youngest, but most fruitful app which brought supers and non-supes together for social and networking purposes, educated one on the history and cultures of the other, and made public record of the Symbiosis policy and legal decisions regarding it. She had launched a brand of technological baby, toddler, and small child products under the company My Lil’ Ham, which specialized in all baby types, and was voted #1 source for supers babies products, as well.

Hamilton, of course was the face of that company. She’d originally began working on products to make his life easier while she and his father rushed around, trying to do all of the things necessary for society to function. As he got older, she expanded the brand. He was now 5 and looking more like his father all of the time… but being more like his mother.

He didn’t talk much, even though he could do so and do it well. The best way to get him speaking was to mention science or math. Then, getting him to stop talking was your issue. Unless of course, he realized that he was smarter than you. Then, he lost interest. He wanted to passionately discuss science and math with his mental peers. They hadn’t really determined who that was, yet. It certainly wasn’t the kids (or the teachers) at his first school, the kids at the institute that they sent him to after every teacher in the building tried to teach him and insisted that he was simply too advanced for their classroom, and it wasn’t his father. Charlotte had to reign him in multiple times for speaking down to Henry (though she’d wait until Henry was out of earshot), because fortunately, since Hammy was so young and not as expressive as a lot of children, Henry never could tell that he was being condescending. They tried to enter him into several programs, before Max suggested that he go to a prodigy academy in Metroburg.

“More than half of those students become supervillains!” Charlotte complained.

“Yeah, but all of them get the education that they deserve. Besides, you don’t become a supervillain on education alone. Your family background, upbringing, societal treatment and personal response to trauma are usually key ingredients. You and Henry raise him with love, support and comfort. He should be fine.”

Charlotte looked at her son for a while, seeing the excitement and anticipation on his face as she pondered her lab partner’s advice. She sighed and said, “Okay, we’ll check it out.”

“Yes! Thank you, Maxi!” Hammy cheered and rushed to his junior lab - a lab sized for him to work in while his mother worked on her things in the adjacent room.

“I think it’ll be good for him to be schooled around other kids like him, anyway,” Max added. “No way that any kid of Henry’s just naturally has that level of intelligence. Kid’s a super, Charls.”

“His power is what superintelligence?” She asked.

“That’s a legitimate power. I mean… He’s seemed very interested in your work since he was an infant and he began conducting his own experiments soon after he began walking. You thought that was typical?”

“You obviously don’t know my family history. We’re filled with geniuses, on both sides… well, not Uncle Roscoe, but he’s an artistic genius and maybe that counts.”

“Did you get him tested?”

“Uncle Roscoe? No! His art is that good!” She said. Max rolled his eyes and Charlotte smiled. “I don’t need to get him tested. When he’s old enough and knows what supers and non-supes are, I trust that he’ll ask to be tested when he’s ready…” They heard a huge thud from the next room and she gasped. “Charlie!” Max and Charlotte ran into the next room to see that Henry and Charlotte’s younger child, Charlotte II, aka “Charlie,” had knocked over a bookshelf to try to get her toy that rolled under it. “Charlie…” Charlotte said, relieved that the crawling infant hadn’t hurt herself. She picked her up with one hand and fixed the bookshelf with the other.

“You get her tested?” Max joked.

They knew from the first week that they brought Charlie home that she was a super. Though, at that time, she seemed to have hypermotility. Henry was definitely proud and gleaming about it. Char? Not so much. The kid’s metabolism was high and she sucked every drop from her mom’s mammary glands within a few moments, then cried loudly for more. She seemed to be starving, even though Charlotte didn’t have anything else to give her. The baby even went through the excess breast milk that Charlotte had pumped and frozen whenever she had Hammy, which he was still drinking from and it was used for beauty care, too.

But, she also wasn’t a fan of formula, so she’d eat it only when she was too hungry to function and Charlotte hadn’t produced more milk. They were terrified that the kid was gonna starve herself to death! Charlotte got a sample of her breastmilk and worked on synthesizing it in her lab. It took her a few weeks to get it just right, but she wound up having to mass produce it for her hungry little one and began to toy around with it, too.

She’d have different levels of proteins, fats, sugars, and hormones, depending on how the sensory baby bundle blankets read Charlie’s vitals, be able to select custom breastmilk for her current needs. After a while, Charlie didn’t want the naturally created milk, so that was fine - Charlotte simply rebuilt her stash for her and Hammy’s needs.

Now, months later, and crawling around, Charlie was becoming a moving disaster. She was tiny and cute, like her mom… and apparently took after her physically, too. She definitely was moving things that even an adult would struggle with. Hammy suggested locking her up when she accidentally crumbled one of his movie spaceship models within moments of putting her little hands on it. Charlotte had not yet perfected products for babies with superstrength. It was tricky.

They had super strength, but their bodies weren’t super strong. Meaning, yes, they would wreck things in their path easily, but you could still seriously hurt them with any of the tools that were usually used to subdue those with super strength. The body was still forming. They were able to withstand more than a regular baby, but they weren’t indestructible!

Charlie had once broken Henry’s hand by squeezing it too hard. It hurt like the dickens, but he was able to repair it quickly. It was on his enhanced arm, so he was good. Hammy was a little bit jealous. It seemed that his baby sister had two powers and he didn’t even have one. No matter how many “We love you both equally” chats he was given, he could see that Charlie’s situation required more time, effort and energy. When you’re five, that could be read as more love, even if you were a genius who could deduce better. The manifestation of Charlie’s superstrength also signaled the disdain that Hammy had towards Henry. He didn’t hate him or dislike him, but he didn’t like that Charlie was able to break his bones and still get more one on one time with him!

Hammy began working on something in his little lab, which he presented to Charlie on her first birthday. It was a cute little bracelet that had “Baby Sis” in beads and was red, blue, and yellow. After he put it on her wrist, she didn’t have any more super strength accidents and she didn’t appear to have any hypermotility issues, either.

So, the Page family presumed that she must have selected a power that they hadn’t yet seen come into fruition. It was so relaxing to have her be a normal little girl that they didn’t put huge emphasis on it. Charlotte checked her vitals and tested her for diseases. Everything was clear, so she was satisfied.

Hammy was a protective older brother, but he also was often away at the academy. Academy life was okay. He loved his classes and the work that he was allowed to do. He hated his classmates. “Supervillains-in-Training” he liked to think of them as, or to be clever, “Pieces of S.I.T.” He was very adverse to villainy. His parents were known heroes. His aunt was Lady Danger. He grew up in the Hero League Headquarters Nursery and the few normal people that he knew were family and super supporters. He knew that whenever he grew up, he’d most likely work in the world of supers, even though he was a non-supe. The kids around him in the academy weren’t particularly happy about it. Why was he able to get into this school? Why wasn’t he at a school for subpers? Didn’t they have EVERY access outside of this place? He agreed, to a certain extent. He didn’t think that non-pows should just take up space in areas made for supers, but he also knew that he didn’t belong in one of those non-pow schools. He’d tried already.

He was somewhere in the middle. Both of his parents were average born and transformed into supers during adolescence. He had more non-pow in him than super, but he obviously had enough to where he couldn’t quite fit in to the non-pow fold. Even at the academy, the kids that he had classes with were supers that were several years older than him. He was one of the smartest children in the place and this was just how it was. It wasn’t his fault. He hated that he had to remind himself of that. It was as much his fault that he wasn’t a super as it was his baby sister’s fault that she was.

Every year, Hammy worked on Charlie’s bracelet. He didn’t want to take it off of her, just in case, so he’d work on it while she sat on his lap, babbling about her cartoons or whatever.

Charlotte and he were best friends, though he felt (even at his young age) that he needed to protect her from knowing some of the stuff that happened in his life. The worst he would say was “I’m still having a hard time relating to the kids at the academy.” She often thought the worst, so he’d tag on, “But, it’s fine. Who needs people that you have to try to convince of your worth?”

Henry always brought him back to school at the end of the weekend, checking to make sure that his clothes and stuff were plentiful and double and triple checking the food account. It was embarrassing! “Dad, I can take care of myself. I assure you that everything is as it should be!” he said, noticing the older boys pointing and laughing as Henry counted his clean pairs of underwear.

“I know, Bud. I just gotta make sure that…” Hammy snatched the underwear from him and stuffed them back into the drawer. Henry smiled, gently and said, “You know I only do these things because it’s my job to make sure that everything is okay for you.”

“Yes,” Hammy said, annoyed. “I get it. But, I have a hard enough time fitting in with my subper genes!” Henry winced at this and shut the dorm door to speak with his son in private. “I have more to prove than most of these kids and I can’t do that if nobody takes me seriously.”

“Hammy, you don’t have anything to prove, Son…”

“Let’s start there. Stop calling me that. I’m seven years old working on an advanced degree in engineering technology. I can’t keep answering to “Hammy,” and expect someone to call me Doctor in a couple of years.”

“Well, what would you like for us to call you instead?”

“My name is Hamilton. That’s fine. Some of the professors call me Hank, because of my middle name being Henry.”

“I like Hank,” Henry said. “What else can I do to make you feel better?”

“Don’t treat me like a kid. I can take care of myself. I have patent pending products that I made in my junior lab. I don’t need you to do a panty check for me!”

Henry nodded his head and offered, “Well… My parents raised me to look after myself and my sister. Sometimes, I even had to look after them. Whenever your Gigi Siren would have a long sleep after a huge party, or skip off to some frivolous retreat on Dad’s bonus checks. Whenever your Grandpa Jake was in between job assignments and out trying to find work or doing things around the house that I definitely would have to go in behind him and repair… I’ve been being a parent most of my life and I always promised myself and I promised your mom when we got married that my kids, our kids would never have to wonder why I wasn’t around or why I wasn’t helping. I never want my children to feel like they have to do anything a moment before they have to do it. I know that you can do all this stuff, Buddy…” Hammy made a face, “Hank,” Henry corrected himself. “I was just hoping to get to be a real dad to you for longer than mine was to me. I guess that’s out of the question. I’m sorry if I embarrass you.”

Hammy sighed and opened the door back. “It’s okay. You do your best. Grandpa Jake and Gigi Siren are train wrecks. I think that for growing up under them, you’ve done pretty good. Probably because you raised yourself, and you’re a wonderful dad. Just… Hands off my underwear, for the love of God.”

Henry laughed and nodded, “Noted.”

“How is Charlotte?” Hammy wondered. He was the only person who called his sister Charlotte, and they always knew who he meant, because of course, Big Charlotte was “Mom.”

“She’s good. Whenever you come back to school, she asks for you for the first couple of days. By Wednesday, she gets used to you being gone, then when she sees you on Friday evening, it’s her partytime.”

“I have to tell you something, Dad.” Hammy sat on the bed and Henry joined him. “Charlotte’s bracelet isn’t just a bracelet. It’s to keep her superpowers down.”

“What?”

“She was destroying stuff and Mom couldn’t figure out what to do to keep her from doing it. So, I made something for her.”

“Hamilton! What if it would have been dangerous? You can’t just try experiments on your little sister!”

“I know. But, in my defense, I was 5.” They sat there, making the same face - somewhere between a smolder and confusion. “You’re wondering how to present this admission to Mom, aren’t you?”

“Any pointers?” Henry wondered.

“She’s very accommodating when you put food into her. Seafood, especially. Maybe some floral tea and a nice, rich slice of cheesecake?” Hammy was wringing his hands together. “Just… be sure to tell her that I meant no ill will.”

“I’m sure she’ll know that, Hank.” He gave him a pat on the back.

Charlotte knew. She always knew that the bracelet did the job that it did. At first, she thought that Hammy had accidentally tampered the powers, but after paying close attention to Charlie and the bracelet, she realized that he was consistently working on it. As long as she was monitoring how it went, she saw no need to interfere or to make him feel bad about it. Henry was a little bit upset that she never let him in on it, though. While food was a good way to smooth Charlotte over, Charlotte had ways of making Henry agreeable too.

It smelled good in there. “Hey, Diffuschar? What is this blend?” He asked, putting his hand onto the air panel on his side of the bed.

“Henry, are you addressing me?” the Charlotte voice in the air system asked.

“Yes! You are the Diffuschar.”

“I am an essential oil diffusing air conditioning system, Henry. EODACS is the acronym and can be used to address me.”

“Just tell me this blend!”

“This is Mistress Charlotte’s ‘I’m Sorry’ Sexual Seduction Mix.”

“Mis what’s who now?”

“Mistress Charlotte’s ‘I’m Sorry’ Sexual Seduction Mix. It includes Patchouli, Sweet Orange, Lavender, Sandalwood, Jasmine, and Ylang Ylang.”

“I… When did she?” He furrowed his eyebrows. “It does smell good, but honestly, she smells better. She could have Mistress Charlotte sexually seduced me by coming in here smelling like a tropical sundae.”

“Would you like me to switch to Tropical Sundae Seduction Mix, Henry?”

“No. Let whatever Charlotte has going on go on.” When she came into the room, with her hair in Bantu knots and a silk chemise on, he was alert. “Hey. Diffuschar said that she’s airing out some sexual seduction…” She climbed into the bed and crawled to him. “Do you want me to do something?”

“Not be mad at me for not telling you about Charlie’s bracelet?” She said with her lips in a pout.

“I don’t know. I told you right away when I found out.” She raised an eyebrow and he quickly reminded himself, “But, I’ve tried to keep stuff from you before too, so…” He smiled awkwardly. “I really wish that he didn’t have to be at that place. It wears down on him. He’s capable of handling himself, but he’s still just a kid. My kid… and he doesn’t even want to let me treat him like a kid.”

“Well… It’s his decision. If my parents let me go somewhere to school instead of Swellview, I’d have been elated.”

“Yeah, but then you wouldn’t have me,” Henry said.

“Yeah, but…” She didn’t have a reply. Instead, she traced down the middle of his belly, “The universe would have made sure that everything was what it needed to be for us. There’s no way that I exist and you aren’t somehow in my life.”

He smiled and pulled her closer. “You’re trying to have another baby.”

“I 100% am not. Charlie rearranged my insides. I would never want another one of them. The two we have are perfect enough.” He laughed.

The Page-Hart-Thunderman Family was a superfamily of the highest esteem, usually referred to as the “Danger Force Family,” considering that most of their missions were assigned under Henry’s command as Mr. Danger. People even began giving the other heroes Danger alternatives like Charlotte as “Danger Master” or Billy as “Quick Danger.” None of them minded the aliases. It kept them as characters in the minds of the world and that meant that less people bothered them in their everyday lives. Besides, governments had set protective laws in place such as not being authorized to approach any super or hero out of uniform for any purpose but alerting them to a present, real, and nearby criminal emergency.

That law had taken a while to perfect. Because when it first was introduced as to not approach supers outside of uniform unless it was an emergency - people determined what THEY thought was an emergency (and it usually was not). They also would bother people that they knew to be superhuman, even if they weren’t superheroes… which… those persons were not authorized nor obligated to deal with an emergency situation any more than a non-pow citizen was! Then, there was the issue of pulling someone from their child’s program at school for an emergency on the other side of town that they couldn’t even get to in time and also that there were already heroes dispatched to! It took some work before the current system was in place and people were getting used to it. They could be charged with supers abuse if they decided not to work within the stated parameters. That law was Piper’s favorite one ever written, especially with Starlette in tow. The number of people she had reflexively punched right in the face for getting too close to her daughter too fast had become a meme.

Page-Hart-Thunderman Family Reunion was a time that Charlotte, Piper, and Simone started to celebrate the merging of their families. After dating for a couple of years, Piper got married and bridged the Page and Thunderman families together officially. Five years after Ray became President, Gwen’s touched began to look normal again. It was like the effects faded over the years and by that time, nobody had a green hint left in their presentation. Simone was tired of everyone telling her that it was weird to see her normal again, but she was relieved that all of the people who had to walk around that way over the past five years would be able to fit in again. That was the year that the reunions began. She felt like herself again. She felt normal again. She got her tubes untied and began working on making more children and resigned from working for the Hero League.

The festivities began with a feast at the Page-Hart condo, with Henry and Charlotte’s parents hosting. They had it catered, usually and everyone showed up to eat and catch up.

Siren, Jake, Esmerelda, and Antony would welcome Hank Thunderman and Barb, and Evelyn to the “grown ups table” while Henry, Charlotte, Max, Simone, Jasper, Piper, Billy, and Nora usually preferred to take their business to the rooftop. Chloe tended to want to see what was up with the kiddos. The first couple of years, it was only Maxine and Monalise, Hammy and Charlie, Piper’s one little girl, Starlette. But, of course, the family grew and transformed and eventually, they couldn’t even have the opening night dinner at the Page-Hart condo.

Charlotte’s home was the most appropriate place, considering that they added on to the estate all of the time and her inventions made for everyone’s quarters adjusting for the comfort of the individuals within its walls. She, too, had taken a step back from the Hero League, when things got smoother for Ray, and while he sometimes seemed like he had no idea what was happening, he seemed to be handling everything well. He would stop by the reunion with presents for the kids and to talk to “his kids” (Henry, Charlotte, Jasper and Piper), and to eat cake. But, he would never stay for the whole thing. Dinner and playtime with the little ones was enough to fuel his joy for a while and being around all the parents for too long might counter that for him. But, each time that he was headed out, the moms would always offer in sweet voices with kind smiles, “You’re always welcome to stay, Ray!” That was nice. He liked to see that.

Charlotte had been interested in politics for a while. From her work as the Tactical Chief of the Hero League, Her own Campaign Manager for her election, and Advisor to the President; she leaned towards a political career. She remembered that future Ray claiming that she would be president. For years, she thought that he meant President of the United States and to be frank, they NEEDED somebody like her, but in more recent years, she began to think that maybe he meant President of the Hero League. They always just called that position “The President” and every super always knew that they weren’t talking about whatever rubbish was chilling in the White House.

So, whenever Hank was 10 and Charlie was 5, she made dinner one night, of fish, greens, noodles, and cornbread with large bowls of grapes and decorations of assorted lilies and daffodils, with crystals set around the vases. Charlie immediately rushed to the table and stuffed cornbread into her mouth, while Hank looked confused and asked, “What kind of changes are we about to have to go through?”

Henry had just come from a mission and showered. Whenever he came in on Hank asking Charlotte that question, he, like his daughter, grabbed cornbread and stuffed it into his mouth. Yeah… She took after him.

“Everyone sit down, so we can have dinner,” Charlotte said.

Hank looked worried, but Henry and Charlie were ready to eat. Charlotte went around the table, preparing plates and talking, “As Hank as already noticed, I have charged and put out the green aventurine, amazonite, tourmalinated Quartz, and labradorite.” Those sounded familiar to Henry. He was certain that the Charlotte Interface had probably told him about at least a couple of those to get him to go to sleep. “And as Hank knows, with his eidetic memory and studying geology a few summers ago, those are crystals associated with good luck and new beginnings.” That was the easiest way to say it for everyone, including Charlie. “Mommy wants to have a good luck dinner with her family to usher in a new goal.”

Henry raised an eyebrow. This was his first time hearing about a new goal. “Oh yeah? What’s Mommy’s new goal?” He wondered.

She took her seat at the table and said, “Present.” The room went dark and the interface pulled up a powerpoint presentation of a campaign promo for her. Whenever it ended, the lights came back on and she waited for their reactions.

“Mommy, you’re gonna be President of the Whole World?” Charlie asked, excited.

Charlotte smiled and said, “Well, if all goes well, of the Hero League.”

“What about Uncle Ray?” Hank asked.

“He’s comfortable, but he’s also stagnant. It’s given him gray hair. I’m sure he’ll love to be able to go and do something else. I got him an early 50th birthday present - an RV with pet friendly doggie quarters and PageMasterTech state of the art personalization program for both man and pet.”

“So, you’re gonna bribe him into resigning,” Henry said, disappointed.

“I’m going to make sure that when and if he does resign, he knows that there’s a peaceful retirement awaiting him!” She corrected.

Henry forced a smile and continued eating. She could tell that he didn’t like it. Hank was staring at her in disbelief. She could tell that he didn’t like it either. Charlie cheered, “You’re gonna be the best President in the world, Mommy!”

She smiled at her, “Thank you.. But please don’t chew with your mouth wide open… or talk when your mouth is full…” Charlie spit her food onto her plate and repeated herself. Charlotte gagged, “Okay…” She just nodded her head and stared at Henry. He was quiet for the rest of dinner, but before they left the table, Hank had more to say.

“Mom, do you think that Dad can handle being in the field without your backup? This isn’t Swellview. He works on a global level with extremely dangerous threats. There’s no way that you can assist him and be President. You would have to spread yourself entirely too thin. I’ve spent this entire dinner trying to rationalize this decision. You’ll have to help me understand it.”

“It’s something that I want to do, just like The Danger is something that your dad wants to do and I have supported him in doing it most of my life. SO, now it’s time for us to try to support me doing something that I want to do. Does that make sense to you?”

“No!” Hank snapped. “Mom, he’s an idiot! He’ll die without you on his tactical team!”

Charlotte: Hank…

Henry: Hey, now..

Charlie: DADDY’S GONNA DIE???

They spoke at the same time. “No. He’s not going to die and he’s not an idiot.” She thought for a moment, especially from Hank’s viewpoint, then made it more palatable for him, “Well, he’s not defenseless without me. He’s got the suit and gadgets that he needs. He’ll have technical from the interface, and if he needs me, I’ll drop anything for him.”

Hank rubbed his face and said, “I’m leaving the academy to resume your duties on his tactical team.”

“You’re 10, so no you’re not.”

“You think I’ll be able to focus on course material with him out there without you?”

Charlie banged on the table and asked, “Hey! Is Daddy gonna die?”

“No, Daddy’s not gonna die,” Charlotte said. “Henry, some help?” She held her hands out and looked at him. His plate was pretty much empty and his eyebrows were still furrowed, but he nodded his head.

“Hank, Buddy - we don’t want you to quit school. You’re one of the children, and the adults are gonna handle the things that you’re worried about. I’ll touch base with you every single day so that you don’t have to worry. Charlie, Champ - I’m definitely not gonna die. Your dad was born for danger and he’ll be a fighter for many years to come, okay?” Charlie nodded. If her Daddy said it, it was true.

Charlotte and Hank went to go talk on the patio and Henry cleared the table while Charlie went to wash up for the night.

“I’m scared, Mom. The last time you wanted to be president, someone tried to kill you. I’ve read every single report that there was about that election.”

“That was a different time, Honey.” She wrapped her arms around him from behind and they looked up at the stars together, “The stars were different, then. You know, Mommy thinks that the stars line up for perfect things to be done in our lives and I believe that right now, they’re lining up to make your mom a president.”

“Grandfather, a specialist, a leader in his field, has told me to my face that your thoughts on this matter are unwarranted. But, if what you’re saying to me is that you have the confidence that things will be fine, then I choose to try to accept that, too.”

“That’s all I ask,” she said and kissed the top of his blond head. “My Little Ham.”

“Please, do not.”

She laughed and squeezed him to herself.

Henry had gone to bed after tucking Charlie in. Whenever Hank went to wash up, Charlotte went to find him. “Hey… You asleep?” she asked as quietly as possible, in case he was.

“How could I be asleep after that bomb you just dropped at dinner?” He asked back. He didn’t sound mad, but she knew that he wasn’t happy. She sighed and sat on the bed next to him. “I support you. You know I do, I just… I guess I thought that after that last time, this wouldn’t be an option. I’m scared shitless of you being in that kind of position again.”

“Me too, but like I did whenever you were unconscious and most of the world was giving up on ever seeing your eyes again, I’ve got faith. I can do it. Please, tell me that you believe in me?”

“I believe in you more than anything I’ve ever known. It’s the world around us that frightens me.”

“Well, that’s why I’ve got you, though. You and me against the world? They don’t stand a chance. Hashtag Henlotte.”

“Hashtag Henlotte,” he repeated and pulled her to himself.

#family danger #henry danger #Nesha HD Fics #hd fanfic

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warehouse13pod · 6 years ago

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Show Notes 107 "Implosion"

Evil is afoot, Agents.

As always, you can click on this link or by clicking play on the embedded player below to listen to this week’s episode while reading the show notes.

Also, don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon!

This week's Writer Appreciation Corner focuses on Bob Goodman, a true asset to the Warehouse 13 writing staff. We love Bob Goodman and even featured a quote from his io9 article in our "Bonus 01 - Podcast 13 Season 1 Trailer,” linked here and embedded below.

You can follow him on Twitter as @b0bg00dman.

The episode starts with Pete imitating a dubbed Japanese samurai movie. This week's episode dealt a lot with a lot of ~heavy themes~ related to Japan and WWII, and interestingly those themes tie directly into the media history of samurai cinema. Pete was almost certainly imitating the action-packed samurai cinema films that were popular after WWII. And, in fact, most samurai cinema was set during the Tokugawa/Edo Period--exactly when the Honjō Masamune was crafted. You can find a list of some seminal works of Samurai Cinema from The Criterion Collection.

It's interesting that the episode focused on a Masamune being given as a gift to a US president after WWII, because a Masamune was actually given to President Harry S. Truman after WWII and currently resides in the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. That's a pretty direct allegory to a sword being given to Woodrow Wilson and residing in the Woodrow Wilson Museum of Peace.

Incidentally, there is no actual Woodrow Wilson Museum of Peace, but there is a Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, and it is (at least partially) a house!

And since the episode got to the Honjō Masamune pretty quickly and led to an early introduction of our expert in the podcast, let's give her the same treatment here in the show notes! We are so grateful and honored to have had the highly illuminating Dr. Nyri Bakkalian as our Artifact Expert this week. She shed so much light onto a subject that I have just…no other knowledge of whatsoever. It was fascinating to hear all she had to say about the Honjō Masamune and about Japanese swords post WWII more broadly. You can find her on Twitter as @riversidewings, check out her blog, or support her on her Patreon for more information.

Dr. Nyri Bakkalian shared a cringe-worthy story of someone who stripped a samurai sword to the tang. If you know nothing about swords (like me) then you probably didn't know what a tang was--or that there are so many more parts of a blade than the hilt, tsuba, and that long stabby bit. For my fellow sword novices, here's some info on the anatomy of a sword. Here's some information specifically on Japanese swords. And here's some information specifically on tsubas and other Japanese sword mountings.

But guess what?!

Dr. Bakkalian was kind enough to give us even more information after Miranda's interview. She sent us a link to a Japanese resource that discusses the real Honjō Masamune--and that even includes a diagram of the sword itself. Dr. Bakkalian added that "the sword was appraised many times, but it was designated a National Treasure of Japan in 1939, so we're fortunate that we at least have a paper trail if not the blade itself."

While I don't know much about swords, I do know a bit about kitchen knives. And what I know about kitchen knives ties in--very slightly--with the history of swords. Specifically, the layering technique of forging Japanese steel blades. Here's a bit more information on how Japanese kitchen knives are made and how that ties into the history of sword-making in Japan. Not that anyone asked, but I'm a big fan of my hybrid knife set that has a Japanese steel blade but a piece of thick metal that extends all the way down through the hilt like a German blade. The knives have a nice thin, sharp edge like a Japanese blade but a comfortingly weighty, solid handle that makes me feel more in control as I cook. I've included pictures of them, because I love them and this is the closest I can come to being useful about anything related to blades.

This episode dealt a lot with the frustration that can come from poor communication between friends and coworkers. This is something that Artie struggles with a lot. Here is an interesting blog post for any managers or team leaders out there looking to foster better communication in their workplace.

In the stakeout scene in the parking lot of the Japanese Embassy, Pete makes a joke about how the goggles make him look like Kermit the Frog. I couldn't find a pic or gif of him in the goggles, but here's a pic of Kermit.

As we get further into the series of Warehouse 13, we're starting to encounter more and more artifacts per episode, which means that we may not have experts on to discuss every single artifact that an episode references or features. That said, we love this fan wiki as a resource to look into the artifacts that don't get as much airtime on Warehouse 13 or on our podcast.

In this episode, we don't spend a lot of time on it, but Artie uses a 14th Century Firework called an "Ice Flower" that mesmerizes onlookers by triggering a feedback loop in their optic nerve. You can find out more about mesmerism in our show notes for 103 "Magnetism." The fan wiki points out that the firework resembles a type of firework known as a Catherine wheel firework. Here's some more information about the history of fireworks.

In the hotel room with Artie, Pete, and Myka, Myka demands that Artie tell them exactly what the sword does. We learn that the sword turns the bearer invisible but splitting light in half. The bending and manipulation of light to essentially mimic invisibility is actually a thing that scientists are researching. There are lots of techniques they try, and you can learn more about them here.

In this same scene, we got another great detail from the brilliant art department on this show. As Artie is explaining the history of the Honjō Masamune, he pulls out a Japanese handscroll. Japanese illustrated handscrolls are a beautiful and intricate form of visual storytelling media and you can read more about them here. Personally, I learned about them from the video lecture series from Sunday at the Met entitled "Storytelling in Japanese Art." You can click the previous link or click play on the embedded video below to watch that lecture series.

You can find more lectures about art and history from The Metropolitan Museum of art on the museum's website or more directly, from its YouTube channel. I've found some truly amazing information there.

We made a reference to Kluger getting "dusted" (RIP Kluger). That was, you guessed it, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference.

Miranda referenced using the Oxford English Dictionary to look up the origin of the word "kabosh." The OED, as it is affectionately called is an amazing resource at whom's alter Miranda and I both worship. It's so much more than a dictionary. It gives the history and first use of every word you can imagine.

You can gain access to it with your library card number, so please: support your local library. Go and sign up for a card, so you can access this awesome resource.

Now that you have a library card (I'm assuming you dropped whatever you were doing to go support your local library and get a library card), you can now check out the books where the phrase "to put a kabosh on" were first used. The first was Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens and the second was The Wheels of Chance by H.G. Wells.

It is taking literally everything in my power not to post a spoilery gif of H.G. wells right now, but I'm committed to keeping major plot developments out of the show notes until we discuss them on the podcast, so instead here's a picture of me right now trying not to spoil things.

We also discuss how Artie's file said he was suspected of espionage but was actually arrested for treason. Small fact check, but espionage and treason are different crimes.

Outside the Wilson Museum, Pete and Myka have one of their patented heart-to-heart and Myka unintentionally reveals--much to Pete's delight--that she is a fan of Star Trek: The Original Series. Specifically, she and Pete discuss the trope of "red shirts."

We talked about how the orange vs. purple Tesla reminded us of lightsabers in Star Wars and Priori Incantatem in Harry Potter.

Miranda gave a Mini-Actor Spotlight on the actor who portrays Mrs. Frederic's bodyguard, Jung-Yul Kim.

Meanwhile, our main Actor Spotlight of the week focused on James MacPherson himself, Roger Rees. His IMDB is incredibly impressive, but his credits extend far beyond his work on the big and small screen.

Miranda recognized him from his turn as Lord John Marbury in The West Wing.

We also gave a shout out to Rees' husband, Rick Elice, an accomplished writer and actor in his own right. Sadly, Roger Rees passed from brain cancer in 2015. He was a powerful and talented actor who left an enduring mark on Warehouse 13. Rest in Pease, sir.

We referenced this hilarious scene with Pete and Myka's gesture-based discussion about needing to shoot unsuspecting Secret Service Agents with the Tesla...

…and how it reminded us of Spike knocking over the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign every time he entered and left town in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Another reference #TakeAShot)

We also take a moment to appreciate the importance of Leena to the Warehouse. She's great, and we want everyone to remember that she's great.

We also talk about how Artie's unwillingness to address the source of his closed-off nature ends up putting Pete and Myka in danger and making Myka very upset. She says that Artie needs to address his emotions instead of allowing his emotional scars to hurt those around him. Miranda and I support mental wellness and therapy. Please see our show notes for 103 Magnetism for a list of crisis resources.

The episode ended with a couple of quotes from the Talmud. You can learn more about Jewish Sacred Texts here. I haven't personally used this resource so I can't very translations or commentary or anything, but we always link to books we reference in the podcast--so, if you want, you can read the Talmud online here.

That's all for this week.

See you next time, Agents.

#wh13 #warehouse13 #Warehouse 13 #107 Implosion #podcast 13 #pc13 #podcast13 #roger rees #buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #james macpherson #bob goodman #daniel dickinson #Dr. Nyri Bakkalian #communication #talmud #jumblr

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lovemesomesurveys · 6 years ago

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Why did you last feel like crying? I’m sensitive and something rubbed me the wrong way yesterday. How long ago and why did you last feel infuriated? About a month or so ago because of certain circumstances. I was just so fed up. Do emotions control you or do you control your emotions? Oh, they definitely have control over me. Do you keep your friends secrets/private information to yourself? Yes. I share a lot on here about myself, but otherwise I keep to myself for the most part about certain things. What negative quality do your friends bring up the most? No one really brings up negative qualities about myself except for myself. I’m very much aware of them.

What quality do you think you have that others don’t think you do? I don’t know. Do you often “jump” to conclusions? Yes. Would you let your best friend babysit your younger sibling (hyp if none)? My younger sibling is 20 years old. Do you find being alone with strangers scary, interesting or indifferent? Pretty indifferent usually unless they try talking to me or I feel uncomfortable for some reason. Do you think you know a lot about the world? There’s a lot I don’t know. A lot none of us know. What about the world do you wish you never found out? Uhh. Do you know first aid? I mean, I could clean a cut and put a bandage on. That’s about the extent of it. Does the sight of blood make you feel sick? Yes. Does your first name have an L in it? Nope. Middle name have a C in it? No. Last name have a R in it? Yes. Do your initials spell a legitimate word? If so, what? No. The word above, does it have any connection to you at all? Do you prefer classic rock or nope alternative? What’s “nope alternative”? Do you like Kings of Leon? I liked some of their songs. I wonder what happened to them. How about The Script? Yeah. I wonder happened to them, too. Does crying make you feel better? Sometimes. Do you know a girl called Becca? No. How about a guy called Gregory? No. Does someones background effect whether you’ll be friends with them or not? I mean, depends? How about their religious background? No, not for a friendship. If someone admitted cheating in a past relationship of theirs, would you trust them? That would certainly raise a red flag for me. Do you drink tea and/or coffee every day? Coffee, yes. Did you ever want to be a cook as a kid? No. How about a fashion designer? No. Do you wish that magic was real? I used to wish that. What food would you love to wipe off the face of the earth? None. Just cause I don’t like something doesn’t mean I’d want to take it away from those who do. Can you use a bottle opener? Yes? Do you own a cheese grater? Yes. What time will it be in 38 minutes time? 8:49PM. What day/date will it be in 11 days time? March 23rd. Have you ever owned a pet fish? Yeah, several. Do you prefer fire or ice? Fire for bonfires, fireplaces, or candles. I personally don’t mess with fire, like I won’t light anything myself cause I’m afraid, but it can be relaxing and pretty to look at. Do you rap along with rap songs? Sure. When happy, do you become more talkative? Yeah. Bowling or sailing? Why? I guess bowling, but I’d rather not do either one. What colour is your kettle? We don’t have one. How about your microwave? Black. Do you prefer sitting in the front or back of a car? Front. How about in a train? Never been on one. On the bus? I had to sit in the designated handicap spots, which were in the middle. Do you care about politics? I used to keep up with that stuff more, but I just don’t have the energy for it. Especially with this presidency... Obama or Bush? Blair or Brown? When did you last cook something from scratch? I don’t cook stuff from scratch. What things make you jealous? Eh. Are you offended easily by non politically correct language? Not usually. Do you think the censors/fcc go a bit too far or are just right? I don’t understand why you can say ass but not hole. Do you feel hungry, thirsty, sleepy or none of the above? Hungry and sleepy. What’s your Mum’s Mum called? Her name was Lupe. How about your Dad’s Dad? His name is Charles. Do you prefer crepes, pancakes or waffles? Waffles or desert crepes. Do you have ice-cream in your fridge right now? I don’t think so. How about chicken nuggets? No. Do you eat fish often? I never eat fish. Have you ever taken a martial art? Which one{s}? Nope. Do you know anyone who is scared of you? No? I don’t know why anyone would be scared of me. What person who has died would you bring back and why? As much as I miss my loved ones and would love to see and hug them again, I wouldn’t bring anyone back. Where they are is a lot better than being here on earth and I believe I will see them again one day. Do you like watermelon? Yeah. Can you remember the month of your first kiss? October. Do you make friends easily? I don’t try. What makes you different from everyone else? *shrug* I give you a piece of paper. What do you draw/write on it? I don’t know. Scribbles. Do you like purple and white patterned things? Sure. Do you know anyone called Pipa? No. I say purple, you think… Grapes. What do you think is the most interesting thing about you? I don’t think I’m all that interesting. Do you like being complimented or does it make you uncomfortable? I’m just so awkward. Does the description of your starsign correspond with your personality? I don’t believe in that stuff, but no. I’m so opposite of what a Leo is described to be. Do you have a photo album? We have a few. What artists paintings do you find the most beautiful? There’s many beautiful pieces. What about the most disturbing? Uhhh. Have you ever gone to a camp or summer school? I’ve been to science camp, Girl Scout camp, and summer school. I had to in 6th grade cause I missed a lot of school due to having to have surgery that required to me to miss a few months and then I took some classes in college during the summer to finish quicker. What was your favourite cartoon as a child? “ive listed these a lot lately” <<<< What was your biggest fear as a child? Bugs probably. Would you rather be able to fly or breathe underwater? Fly. What about invisibility or mindreading? Invisibility. Do you like what you see in the mirror? No. Which stereotype do you dislike the most? Any harmful ones. Can you remember all your past teachers names? Not a lot of my college professors, actually. A few, but not all. Especially from community college. Do you like talent shows? Which ones? The Voice. Have you ever failed an important exam? In what? In math. Do you find people taller than you intimidating? Maybe, but usually it’s because of how the person comes across rather than their height. Pretty much everyone is taller than me, so that’s not usually a factor. Do you think you are better than people of a different country/background? Absolutely not. What’s your favourite thing about your country? A lot of things. What’s your least favourite thing about your country? We have our issues, but so does everywhere else. Who is your favourite bzoinker? I. Don’t. Use. Bzoink. What websites do you have bookmarked? The main social media sites I use. Do you use bows and ribbons to decorate your gifts? Yeah. Do you listen to the same type of music as your parents? What type is that? Yeah, we like a lot of the same stuff. What TV show scared you as a kid? Are You Afraid of the Dark. I liked watching it, though. Family Guy, The Simpsons or South Park? Why? I don’t care for any of them.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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anythingstephenking · 6 years ago

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The Morally Grey Mile

Strap in for another grim tale. At least men are the ones getting fucked in The Green Mile, amirite ladies? No, still not cool? Ok then.

I suppose it is a disservice to call The Green Mile solely a “grim” tale, but because the core story focuses on an innocent man headed to the electric chair, it is pretty damn grim. If you haven’t read the book you’ve seen the movie but spoilers anyway - the innocent man dies and it sucks for the reader. It’s certainly more complicated than “bad wins” but a real bummer all the same.

Backing up a bit. The Green Mile was King’s first attempt at a serialized story release. In the book’s forward, King tells us it’s story of inception. Through a series of fortuitous events and a conversation with business associates about Charles Dickens, King concocted the idea to release a story in a series of “chapbooks”. Apparently Dickens released some of his stories that way, and they were so fervently popular that a band of dingdongs pushed each other off a dock and drowned while awaiting a shipment of Dickens into Baltimore Harbor. I imagine if the Harry Potter books were released that way I would have ended up in the harbor too. No judgement, zealous Dickens readers, I get it.

Logically, if it worked for 19th century Dickens, it would surely work for 20th century Stephen King, right?

(cue Mr. Burns fingers).

A single book released in installments monthly, garnering 3-4x the cost of a single paperback. Good for you SK, good for you. Cause turns out, the constant reader ate it up and bought ‘em like hotcakes.

Cause that’s the thing - this is a really really good story. Not because it’s beautifully written like Cujo or Firestarter or mind-bending like The Dark Tower books, but because it is a real page turner. I credit the format for that - you can tell it was written in a plot-driven, cliffhanger kinda way. In the same way serialized TV (before binging took this joy away) would leave you wanting more week to week, The Green Mile leaves each installment in a way where you can’t imagine not picking up the next one.

Per my contractual agreement with myself, I am required to reach each and every page of this story, but I’m a strange bird and the rest of the world isn’t a weirdo like me. At the end of the day, the narrative structure here really works and I plowed through all 6 installments in a day or so. Those reading in real-time (and not binging like me) waited a month between each publishing, from March through August 1996. There was no dock delivery in Baltimore in 1996 but I imagine if there was, the crowd waiting for each would be large.

So the narrative approach works, but what about the story itself? My analysis comes back slightly muddy but mostly positive despite some hard to swallow flaws.

I can’t claim to know what death row would have been like in 1932, but I’ve watched enough PBS documentaries to know what it’s like now. The group held at Cold Mountain are described as killers, yes. As rapists and wife beaters and arsonists. But they also come across like a rag-tag group of buds that should have their own reality TV show. One of the prisoners, Del, raped and murdered a young girl then accidentally killed a bunch of other people trying to cover his tracks by setting the building on fire. But he’s got this cute, somewhat supernatural mouse named Mr. Jingles that does tricks. Ain’t it cute? Then he fries and literally catches on fire in the electric chair.

I understand the intention of the tale - humanity lives in all of us. Empathy shouldn’t be reserved just for some. Death is final and it comes for all of us. What I struggled with was trying to understand if this was blatant reference to King’s personal stance on the Death Penalty (against it, obvs) or something more subtle. Should we take away that killing is wrong no matter what? Or that there is more nuance at play here?

Because there’s more happening on the green mile than just murderers dying (no matter how dramatically) in the chair comically nicknamed “ol’ sparky”. We’ve got John Coffey in chains, convicted of raping and murdering two 9 year old girls. JFC. I just can’t.

But he did, and he will die for his crimes. Here’s where the controversy around this novel begins. John Coffey is a large black man with magical powers. Spike Lee specifically calls out King publicly for this “magical negro” trope, which honestly I can’t disagree with. Dick Halloran from The Shining and Mother Abigail from The Stand fall neatly in this bucket as well. But even as I type this I know I am cherry-picking; I’ve read plenty of King stories with mystical beings and they’re mostly white (or more often other worldly). But King’s repeated use of the n-word and other racial slurs in his writing is real cringeworthy. As I move further towards his 21st century writing I keep hoping this will stop. It hasn’t yet, as of 1996. But King and writing about race is an entirely separate post for another day.

Back to The Green Mile; we learn that John Coffey has special healing powers when he cures the head guard, Paul Edgecomb of a UTI by grabbing his crotch. Normally this type of behavior will get ya thrown in the hole, but Paul’s so grateful he lets it slide.

Once we learn of the healing powers of Coffey, it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery. While getting arrested he cries “I tried to stop it but it was too late.” Everyone involved in the investigation assumes he means he tried to stop himself from murder but couldn’t; anyone with half a brain can deduce that someone else killed the girls; he tried to heal them. He was too late.

We’re set off to learn who really murdered the girls, but this revelation takes a backseat, at least in my mind. For me, the big mystery is; will John Coffey get executed? I’ll be honest, I hadn’t seen this movie, so I didn’t know. The phone the governor used to phone in stays-of-execution was mentioned early, so my Chekhov’s Gun senses lead me to believe it was possible. Why bother if not? Well the phone is mentioned at execution time, only to say it won’t ring. And of course it never really was a question - Coffey is a black man in the south, convicted of murdering two girls in 1932. Of course no one’s coming to save him. It’s sad. Real sad.

We’re given solace in the fact that Coffey claims he’s ready to go - his powers are too much and he’s tired. This is a nonsense cop out that provides relief to all those that understand the truth, allowing them to go on living, loving their wives and kids and casseroles. John Coffey should not have died. The end.

Things are wrapped up in a bow with the end stories of everyone involved and their timely and untimely deaths. I guess that’s it; life sucks, then you die; death can come for you in any way, without discrimination.

I earmarked what is one of my favorite lines I’ve encountered so far in King’s work.

“We had once again succeeded in destroying what we could not create.”

Executing anyone (murderer or not) takes a toll on most of the prison staff. I just loved this so much on so many levels; they are men without the ability to create life; they are not god; they are mortals stealing mortality. So beautiful.

So, it’s no stretch to call this the brother of Shawshank, but at least we get a female character in Paul Edgecomb’s wife. I don’t remember her name so that’s not great. But she was a woman and she at least was there, so it gets knocked up a few rungs from Shawshank IMHO.

I’d have to say this is one King novel that really perplexed me. I suppose I got into the routine of enjoying typical good-vs-evil tales where the good guys eventually overcome. For me, The Green Mile wasn’t green at all but a wavering shade of grey I still can’t see properly.

(Side note: As I sat down to write this, I thought to myself “I’m not sure what I’ll say about The Green Mile.” Turns out, quite a bit, this is probably one of my longest entries. Who knew?)

8/10

First Line: This happened in 1932, when the state penitentiary was still at Cold Mountain.

Last Line: I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long.

Adaptations:

Like it’s brother Shawshank Redemption, I had never seen this movie before. It made it’s run through awards season in 1999, mostly for Michael Clarke Duncan’s portrayal of John Coffey. Who later tragically died of a heart attack with his girlfriend Omarosa (of Trump WH fame) which I didn’t know, but good golly, that is another sad story for another day.

Listen, this is a highly regarded movie that’s on many top lists, so I won’t stab into it too hard. But it is SO LONG.

Frank Darabont got his panties all in a bunch when folks told him a 3 hour running time was too long, claiming that if 2 hours was the correct length of a film that cinema classics like Lawrence of Arabia were invalidated. Well guess what? I’ve seen Lawrence of Arabia, and yes that shit is too. damn. long. As is The Green Mile.

One would think that with 3+ hours of material, the character development would be on point. It’s not really; the prisoners are mostly glossed over (even more so than in the book) as lovable murders. Wild Bill is the exception (overacted by Sam Rockwell), and he serves as the sole real “bad guy”.

Edgecomb and his other prison guards are painted as saints (again, minus one guard who takes on the “bad guy of the good guys” role). If the book was grey the movie is much more black and white. Tom Hanks for president for sure, the guy is a national treasure. But they were one step away from giving him an actual halo. As someone complicit in the murder of an innocent man, I just can’t declare his character for sainthood. The real Tom Hanks, a million times yes. Paul Edgecomb? Nah.

The movie is fine. I approve of Darabont’s relationship with King and have thoroughly enjoyed their previous collaborations. I was sad to see that he let his film rights to The Long Walk expire last year, picked up by New Line and James Vanderbilt (of Vanderbilt fortune... old money... sigh) who penned Zodiac, which leaves me slightly hopeful but assume it’ll trickle back into development limbo for the remainder of eternity.

I’ve already finished my next read, Desperation and after I slog through the 2.5 hour ABC miniseries (UGH) I will keep trucking. New Year, more pressure placed on myself to plow through the back half of King’s bibliography.

#book review #movie review #the green mile

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doom-doom-doom · 7 years ago

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You will never be as cool as Nigel Farage

https://www.politico.eu/article/nigel-farage-last-laugh-youtube-star-brexit-anniversary/

“Nigel Farage’s last laugh

Two years after the Brexit vote, the former UKIP leader is living his best life.

Nigel Farage has a gin and tonic in his hand and is wondering what to do next.

The sun is shining in Brussels on a lovely May afternoon. While other European parliamentarians are debating the EU’s budget, Farage is out for lunch. Some places in this town don’t serve him, he says, but this one, Invictus on Rue de Trèves, is willing to oblige, and he takes a table under an olive tree in the walled courtyard out back.

He is dressed in a dark gray pinstripe suit, a stiff white shirt and a spotty blue tie, and tucks his napkin into his collar as his fruit de mer linguine arrives.

The man U.S. President Donald Trump dubbed “Mr. Brexit” freely admits that, whatever comes next, he’s already peaked.

“I remember thinking, the week before Christmas [2016], about what had happened that year, and thinking the great secret with this is to savor it. To never even believe for one moment you could ever repeat it. Otherwise the rest of life will be a disappointment … Whatever I did in the future, it could not get any better than that.”

The U.K.’s vote to leave the EU two years ago this week was the fulfilment of a 20-year obsession for Farage. In the same year, America elected a president who shares Farage’s anti-globalist, nativist worldview — the icing on the cake. Trump then hosted Farage in New York, fêted him and posed for a photo — the cherry on top. That photo still holds pride of place on the desk of Farage’s Brussels office, facing inward so he can look at it while he works.

(...) “We’d just have to see wouldn’t we. There’s UKIP possibilities, there’s setting up a national movement, there’s trying to do a 5Star type job. All those things are possible,” he muses.

But he doesn’t really want to. With the sun streaming down on him in Brussels, highlighting a little dark spot of linguine sauce on his napkin bib, he says serenely: “People say to me things like, ‘Oh no, you’re not on the frontline the way you were.’ Great! Good, I’m perfectly happy where I am. I’m not craving that level of attention.”

(...) Walking through the European Parliament building is like running a gauntlet for Farage. He attracts looks — curious ones, scornful ones — everywhere he goes, and shows every sign of enjoying it.

“That blonde girl in the lift gave me quite a look didn’t she,” he remarks. “I didn’t know whether it was a good look or a bad look. The astonishing thing is if I go downtown. I’m very careful in the evenings. We have had some troubling incidents, some real aggression.”

Crossing the Espace Léopold with Aurélie Laloux — the French secretary-general of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy parliamentary political group that Farage chairs — he plots another moment of mischief.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel is addressing MEPs the next day, and Farage says he is going to “tease them horribly.” (He does so, prompting a brief flurry of headlines the next day by telling Michel “Belgium is not a nation.”)

Why does he do it? “Because that’s how you get attention. And then you’re on the television. And then people want you to write articles. And you’ve got a chance then to make your arguments. Plus, also it’s fun, which should never be forgotten.””

Nem lehet nem imádni ezt az embert.

“Kelly, a tall, broad former Irish journalist, “doubles as a bodyguard,” Farage jokes, and sometimes refers to his boss as “Il Duce.” (“Oh, well that’s just a bit of fun isn’t it,” Farage says later when asked about it.)“

Tényleg nem!

#nigel farage

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shaykeijser · 7 years ago

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riverdale 2x16

here are my thoughts/reactions to this weeks episode that no one asked for, which will include spoilers (obviously) so i’m putting them under the cut. i’ve already watched the episode so these aren’t my first reactions technically but they’ll be the same.

caution: i’m not a fan of jughead or the core four. so i’ll be poking fun/getting annoyed at them.

- why did betty not go straight to alice with the dna test? why would she give chic, who she thinks is capable of hurting her, the opportunity to last out at her? i also still don’t get why she didn’t just get a normal dna test. like you’re a journalist, get the full truth, not just some of it

- i fucking called it!! why do ya think hal wanted nothing to do with chic? remember when he said “you’re letting this stranger into our house”? he wouldn’t call his own son a stranger

- fp is the dad and that’s the facts (that wouldn’t make bughead wrong don’t even try to defend that)

- chic is such a good creep IM LIVING FOR IT

- if it wasn’t a for-profit prison it wouldn’t be the worst idea. but it is so :///

- southside high was falling apart at the seems. the old students were aware of that and were plenty happy to go away! yes the lodge’s had other intentions with shutting down the school, but overall it was a good thing. there’s other, more valid reasons to not like the prisons that aren’t being talked about!!

- lol we know that veronica running for stuco wouldn’t end up well

- fred getting more screen time <333 (even if i don’t totally agree with him)

- does everybody at this school watch the same tv shows how is jughead quoting scandal (which i had to google) universally understood? i’m actually a sophomore and my friends and i quote vines.

- why isn’t ronnie defending herself? she gave that look to archie so he could defend her. where did kick ass veronica i don’t take no shit’ lodge go??

- ‘hunger strike for southside high’ BOI

- ‘for it to re-open’ i had to pause this when i first watched this scene. he went there for like 2 weeks. toni was his only true friend for the majority of it. he didn’t like the idea of it and didn’t like what he had to do to survive there. the other students were happy with it closing!! why you gotta be so extra?? and if he really wants to get out of riverdale to be a writer he shouldn’t be trying to go back to a school that had teachers who gave up hope on their students

- ew ethel (i was eh with her all together but i’m still >:( over how she got mad at veronica for what hiram did to her father. veronica was one of the only people who was comforting her and tried to make amends. we can’t forget that when that all was going down veronica didn’t like her dad)

- WHY ARE KEVIN AND JOSIE SITTING ALONE

- wait jk i remembered

- HAHAHA ok i’m josie (don’t get me wrong i like veronica and is the only tolerable lead for me atm but that slushie thing is really funny. it was sorta uncalled for, but she is working with her father soz)

- props to veronica for being the bigger person in this scenario

- 'what are the odds your father’s gonna be the first inmate in that prison?’ #boomroasted #thatwasatheofficereference #didanyonegetit

- lol at least veronica kept her cool for a little bit (go her btw)

- MY POOR CHERYL NO

- mama blossom is shady and nana rose is sassy

- that tea’s gonna be poison i’m calling it

- why would ethel’s dad want a job at the prison? he was a businessman

- veronica’s own parents are threatening her UGH

- power to veronica for wanting to run but this isn’t gonna end well

- TONI’S HOT & even if her audition flopped cheryl still would’ve made her member #lovemybabies

- tbh i didn’t like the lodges being the main plot point and i’d still prefer for the serpents to get more screentime than them BUT this is getting interesting

- drag him archie

- i want to see other south siders fighting for this why does jughead get to be the leader of this revolution (that i’m here for!! except for the school thing bc it doesn’t make sense)

- y’all have been having friendship problems since the ms. gr**** thing i think the trains have been getting closer than you think jug

- FINALLY, THE CHONI I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR

- something bad is gonna happen to cheryl i’m calling it, and nana rose

- (about what betty said after cheryl opened up) betty let chic into her and her family’s life can she not just be cautious from a distance and let her mom enjoy having her son back

- of course toni’s in the bed you sly little bird cheryl

- y’all gonna fuck? kidding this the cw that’s only for het couples

- THEY GONNA KISS AWE

- ok fuck why can’t we have some happiness for once

- penelope and claudius pushed her, i mean penelope had obviously prepared a back up plan incase she didn’t die (mentioning sundowners syndrome)

- #ProtectCherylBlossom

- aw archie’s mom is back i’m happy

- YES SCHOOL THAT BOY FOR DISRESPECTING FRED GO MAMA ANDREWS

- charles melton looks really hot with a bruised face oi oi (so does jordan connor)

- that lowkey sounds like a bribe veronica....

- fang, toni, and pea are in this scene?? new favorite scene

- honestly, if any other serpent was the one in jugheads spot i think i would be all for it lmao

- i thought mary (andrews) was gonna also give archie the safe sex talk that he archie never got dang

- mary’s giving good advice though let’s just hope archie will listen to it

- I LOVE KEVIN

- kevin had the right to tell chic, she was the one who forced him into the poorly planned catfishing (like seriously - she shouldn’t have been there and they shouldn’t have done it at a school). kevin has barely got any good storylines that actually continue and i’m so damn happy that he’s sticking up for himself. betty only reaches out to him when she needs help.

- betty talking about her darkness and saying ‘darkness’ in general is the most cringey thing ever. she has some sort of mental illness. i don’t know what but they shouldn’t have taken this ‘darkness inside of me’ approach.

- i wish V tried to become josie’s friend before asking her for an endorsement. actually, i wish the show resolved their friendship ages ago. they’re the one of the few WOC and overall i’m tired of girl x girl friendships being ruined like this

- it’s got so bad that veronica had to bribe josie to endorse her. i know this isn’t gonna go well

- sweet pea looking like an out of focus snack <333

- DRAG HIM JUGHEAD (lol you can tell how much i don’t like archie being up hiram’s ass that i’m praising jughead)

- give betty cooper therapy, you cowards

- ‘i caught the black hood’ bitch no you didn’t that hoe still out there & i’m taking that theory to the grave

- sheriff keller woah i forgot about him

- my boy fp!!

- omfg imagine when betty tells jughead that chic’s dad isn’t hal they better have him be like “...what if it’s mine” (i just realized that sorta sounds like jughead saying ‘what if the kid aka chic is mine’ and that’s not what i meant, i meant that chic’s dad is jughead’s dad but that made me laugh so i’m keeping it)

- oh sHIT something’s gonna happen @ this concert/rally for veronica’s campaign thing

- kevin’s filming it yeps something’s happening

- ope i knew it ethel is passing papers out

- woop there it is

- i don’t ~really~ get why betty’s mad

- JOSIE’S APART OF IT WTF I DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING but i should have :(

- this show tries to be all about female empowerment but then they have two girls banding together to bully an already manipulated and hurting girl. smh

- again, i don’t ~really~ get why betty can’t trust her anymore

- :((( i feel so bad for ronnie. she’s being manipulated by her parents and i really want her out of lodge industries. she’s taking blame for the shit that her parents have done

- THIS IS WHAT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR

- HAHAHAA THE WIG OH MY GOD

- “i was guessing” congrats betty, you’ve played yourself

- the offer that hiram made to fp actually sounds nice :((( if only he wasn’t so shady

- archie is so far up hiram’s ass he sounds exactly like him

- YOU GO MARY! SCHOOL YO CHILD

- finally a parent (alice) talks bout safe sex to their kid (betty)!!! my mom is gonna be so happy when she watches this episode (yes i watch riverdale with my mom, no it’s not awkward during sex scenes because we watch every show together so we’re used to it)

- “absolutely not.” keep telling that to yourself alice

- alice cooper is my favorite cooper

- “he’s dangerous.” bitch so are you? you held a lighter up to his face?

- i thought alice killed that drug dealer is that what betty is saying he did

- cheryl doesn’t have red lipstick on in this hospital scene something’s gonna happen

- nana was being poisoned by the tea :((

- i guess i’m remembering this wrong i thought alice shot him (about the scene in chic’s room)

- how did betty not remember that he didn’t touch anything

- CHERYL DROP AND ROLL OUT OF THAT CAR NOW

- look at archie being all smart aw

- why is betty next to kevin?? stay away from my baby (kevin)

- this scene is actually really powerful? even though them chaining themselves to the school is a repetitive and cliche thing to do, the aesthetics and the filming of it is really cool

- can we see all those young serpents more often pls

- what is jughead talking about why does he think they’re gonna lose riverdale high? is it because of veronica running? bc no one’s gonna vote for her after those flyers

- uGH i can see him being a good president

- why is betty so done with her and veronica’s friendship? i really don’t get why she’s so mad at her?

- jughead, betty, and fp all living together. that’s a concept

- SOMEONE WRITE A HEADCANON OF ALICE BUSTING INTO THE TRAILER TO GET BETTY BACK AND THEN WE GET SOME CUTE FALICE ANGST

- i’m happy mary’s staying bc maybe with her around we’ll get more fred screen time #canyoutellilovefred

- FUCK YEAH FRED IS RUNNING

- toni topaz is the caring type of girlfriend who goes to her girl’s house when they aren’t in school pass it on!!

- but really though where is cheryl what are they doing to her

- CHERYL DOESN’T DESERVE THIS SHE’S BEEN EMOTIONALLY ABUSED FOR YEARS AND HAS LOST A BROTHER, FATHER, AND BEST FRIEND

main takeaways

~ veronica is being manipulated by her parents and doesn’t deserve half of the shit that’s getting thrown at her

~ jughead is still cringey and extra

~ toni is the girlfriend of all of our dreams let’s be honest here

~ cheryl blossom doesn’t deserve this bullshit

~ betty cooper is mentally ill

~ chic is fp and alice’s son

~ #FredForMayor

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spotifypremiumapks · 3 years ago

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Marines, Service Members Killed in Afghanistan: Names, Photos & Tributes

Who were the Marines and service members killed in Afghanistan? Rylee McCollum was about to become a young father in only three weeks and wanted to be a Marine as long as anyone could remember, even toting around a rifle in his diapers. Jared Schmitz was remembered as a “true American hero.” Serving his country was “something he’s always wanted to do, and I’ve never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he can be. Max Soviak was a Navy corpsman from Ohio whose sister described him on Instagram as “…my beautiful, intelligent, beat-to-the-sound of his own drum, annoying, charming baby brother was killed yesterday helping to save lives. he was a f***ing medic. there to help people. and now he is gone and my family will never be the same….he was just a kid. David Lee Espinoza was described as a “brave young man from Laredo, Texas.” Kareem Nikoui was a young Marine from California whose dad told Daily Beast he “really loved that family. He was devoted—he was going to make a career out of this, and he wanted to go. No hesitation for him to be called to duty.” They were among the 13 U.S. Marines and service members who lost their lives in the Kabul, Afghanistan, attack on August 26, 2021. Heavy is committed to running a tribute and photo for each. You will see those tributes and pictures below, and we are adding more as they are identified. President Joe Biden said in a news conference that the dead service members were “standing guard at the airport…These American service members who gave their lives are… heroes.. engaged in the selfless mission to save the lives of others.” However, some of the parents of the service members were very upset by how their children died. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. Asked by the radio host in St. Louis what message he wanted Americans to remember, Mark Schmitz, Jared’s dad, said: “Be afraid of our leadership or lack thereof. Pray every day for the soldiers who are putting their lives at risk and doing what they love, which is protecting all of us. I think they’re the only ones that we can honestly say have our backs.” The Daily Beast reported that Steve Nikoui, a Trump supporter and Kareem’s dad, expressed anger toward President Biden, saying, “They sent my son over there as a paper pusher and then had the Taliban outside providing security. I blame my own military leaders… Biden turned his back on him. That’s it.” Here is a tribute and photo of each hero, added as they are released:

Rylee McCollum, Wyoming: ‘The Definition of Courage’

Rylee McCollum, of Bondurant, Wyoming, was remembered as “the definition of courage.” Chi McCollum, his sister, wrote on Facebook, “Rylee James. My heart is completely shattered. I love you so much. You are my hero and you were going to be the best dad. I love you, I love you, I love you… Semper Fi.” On August 19, she wrote, “I’m thankful everyday you are my brother. Stay safe, we love you. Can’t wait for your return and to meet my niece or nephew. Love you Brotato 💗🇺🇸🦅⚓️🌎” He was from Bondurant, Wyoming. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of this brave Marine,” Regi Stone wrote on Facebook. “When it comes to the definition of courage, Rylee Mccollum is it. We were fortunate to have him in our home in Wyoming many times as he and Eli were getting ready to enlist together. They kept each other out of trouble, which wasn’t easy, because they were both so ready to serve their country. One evening as we were all having dinner, Kim tried giving her best motherly advice and suggested that they let someone else go in first if the time ever came. Without hesitating, they both said, “if anything ever happens to us, just know, we were doing what we loved. We’re heartbroken but proud to have known this brave hero. Please pray for his family, his wife and new baby that will be born soon. And, let’s keep all his Marine brothers in our prayer. Semper Fi.” Wyoming’s Governor Mark Gordon confirmed McCollum’s death on Facebook. “I’m devastated to learn Wyoming lost one of our own in yesterday’s terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan,” he wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of U.S. Marine Rylee McCollum of Bondurant. Jennie and I, along with all of Wyoming and the entire nation, thank Rylee for his service.” The Casper Star-Tribune reported that Rylee McCollum was on his first deployment for the evacuation and was manning a checkpoint at the airport when he died. His older sister, Roice McCollum, told the newspaper that he was expecting a baby in three weeks. “He wanted to be a Marine his whole life and carried around his rifle in his diapers and cowboy boots,” McCollum’s sister said. “He was determined to be in infantry… Rylee wanted to be a history teacher and a wrestling coach when he finished serving his country. He’s a tough, kind, loving kid who made an impact on everyone he met. His joke and wit brought so much joy.” She added: “Rylee will always be a hero not just for the ultimate sacrifice he made for our country, but for the way he impacted every life around him for the better. Making us stronger, kinder, teaching us to love deeper.” Rylee’s sister Chi wrote on Facebook, “My hero, Our hero, an American f***ing hero. I love you.”

Kareem Nikoui, California: ‘He Was Going to Make a Career Out of This’

Nikoui’s father, Steve, a California carpenter, told Daily Beast, “I stayed home from work yesterday because there was that attack and I knew he was there. So all day, I was glued to the TV.” He knew it would take about eight hours to tell him if his son was among the dead, and horribly, around 7:15 p.m. PT, “these young men walked up,” he said. He told Daily Beast, those Marines were “more choked up than me,” Nikoui said. “I was actually trying to console them. But at the same time, I just wanted them to get out as soon as possible so that no one from my family came back and saw them. I thought it appropriate that I be able to tell them.” “I haven’t gone to bed all night,” Nikoui continued to the publication. “I’m still in shock. I haven’t been able to grasp everything that’s going on.” Kareem “loved what he was doing, he always wanted to be a Marine,” said Nikoui to Daily Beast. He was initially stationed at Camp Pendleton and often brought fellow Marines home for the holidays. “He really loved that family. He was devoted—he was going to make a career out of this, and he wanted to go. No hesitation for him to be called to duty,” the father said. The Daily Beast reported that the father, a Trump supporter, expressed anger toward President Biden, saying, “They sent my son over there as a paper pusher and then had the Taliban outside providing security. I blame my own military leaders… Biden turned his back on him. That’s it.” A woman wrote on Facebook, “We lost a member of our Norco family yesterday. My friends grandson was one of the Marines killed in Kabul…Kareem Nikoui you are our hero and a hero to so many you were helping. Godspeed Marine! We thank you for your ultimate sacrifice and we will not forget you.”

Jared Schmitz, Missouri: ‘True American Hero’

Jared Schmitz, 20, was identified by his father in a St. Louis radio interview as one of the 13 U.S. Marines and service members who died in the attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2021. He was remembered as a “true American hero” who had always wanted to serve his country. Speaking to St. Louis Today radio, Mark Schmitz emotionally paid tribute to his son, who was from the St. Louis, Missouri, area, saying that serving in the Armed Forces was “something he’s always wanted to do, and I’ve never seen a young man train as hard as he did to be the best soldier he can be. That’s a big part of why we are all obviously devastated and sad, but there’s so much anger right now because he wasn’t even given that opportunity to demonstrate all the skills he had protected and learned while in the Corps, and he took his job very seriously. Someone came along took the easy way out and ended everything for him and for us. And the others who were killed.” State Rep. Nick Schroer wrote on Facebook, “Today please pray for Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz who paid the ultimate sacrifice yesterday serving our nation. This young marine was from St. Charles County and is a true American hero. Keep his family in your prayers today. Thank you for your service young man! God Bless you and your family, Marine.” Heavy reached out to Jared’s father to see if the family wanted to say more, and he said they would be sending out a release soon. Schmitz told St. Louis Today’s Carol Daniels: “I was able to talk to him this morning, his son was killed in yesterday’s explosion. Marines came by at 2:30 in the morning to give the horrific news. They are supposed to come back today to follow up on more details, what happens next, details I am assuming, I don’t know a lot but unfortunately our son was one of the 13 casualties yesterday.” Schmitz said Jared had only been in Afghanistan for two weeks. “He was stationed in Jordan on his first deployment and then when things got a little hairy over in Afghanistan, he was one of the 6,000 or so troops that was called in.” The father said that he and his wife were concerned when they found out Jared would be going to Afghanistan. “We knew this was something he trained for and was looking forward to participating in,” he said. “He was not the type that liked to sit around and get his four years in and walk away.” He added, “He wanted to be in a situation where he actually made a difference in what his role was within the Marine Corps; he was excited to get that opportunity. As his parents, of course we were terrified. I don’t have words for how upset we are and I am sure he is as well, This is just absolutely devastating Mark Schmitz said that his son graduated from high school in 2019 and as a Marine in October 2020. He was a Lance Corporal. “He was probably one of the coolest unique individuals I’ve ever met. Very honored, I can call him my son,” the father said, becoming emotional during the radio interview. “His life meant so much more and so incredibly devastated that I won’t be able to see the man that he was very quickly growing into becoming.”

Max Soviak, Ohio: ‘Helping to Save Lives’

Soviak’s sister Marilyn posted on Instagram, that her “baby brother was killed yesterday helping to save lives.” She wrote: I’ve never been one for politics and i’m not going to start now. What I will say is that my beautiful, intelligent, beat-to-the-sound of his own drum, annoying, charming baby brother was killed yesterday helping to save lives. he was a f***ing medic. there to help people. and now he is gone and my family will never be the same. there is a large Maxton sized hole that will never be filled. he was just a kid. we are sending kids over there to die. kids with families that now have holes just like ours. i’m not one for praying but damn could those kids over there use some right now. my heart is in pieces and I don’t think they’ll ever fit back right again. Max Soviak was a Navy corpsman. He was a medic in the U.S. Navy, and was a native of Berlin Heights, Ohio, according to Fox 8. “Max was full of life in everything he did,” Edison Local Schools said in a statement to the television station. He was killed at the airport’s Abbey Gate. “He was well respected and liked by everyone who knew him,” the district said. U.S. Senator Rob Portman wrote, “Jane and I are heartbroken by the death of Max Soviak, a Navy Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman from Berlin Heights, who lost his life in the service of his country. He was a hero who died serving with his Marine brothers helping to save fellow countrymen and our Afghan allies. We mourn his loss and are praying for his family and friends.” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost tweeted, “Max Soviak was one of ours, a 2017 graduate of Edison High School. Each one who died had a hometown where they were known—classmates, friends, family. Familiar places they should’ve been able to return to as they grew older sights and sounds and memories. They did not die as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans, self-sacrificially serving others in the face of danger. Let us honor them.”

David Lee Espinoza, Texas: ‘A Brave Young Man’

David Lee Espinoza was a Marine. The City of Laredo, Texas, wrote on Facebook, “The City of Laredo expresses its most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza, a brave young man from Laredo, Texas. Thank you for your service to the United States of America and Laredo. Your acts of courage and bravery will always be remembered in our community. Read the full article

#marineskilledafghanistannames #marineskillednames #marineskilledphotos #whowerethemarineskilled

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carmenlire · 7 years ago

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Higher than the Big Trees Ch. 5

Read on ao3

It’s bright and early the following Monday and Alec has a full day. In the morning, he’s taping the preliminary footage for his Good Morning America slot that will predominantly be live on Friday. In the afternoon, he has two meetings. One is with Out Magazine. He’s their cover for the next issue and he has a photo shoot and interview. The other is with the record execs to discuss the next phase of his career: Album 7, as yet untitled.

Alec hasn’t told anyone, but he’s wildly unsure about where he wants to go. Where does one go after completing their third sold-out world tour? He's been at the top for so long that he doesn't know what else he can do. He fears he's reached his limit. He hasn’t written a song in weeks and the little new material he has is no good.

He’s suffering from extreme writer’s block. Nothing feels fresh. Everything is generic, stale. Mediocre. Alec very much fears that his good luck has run out. He’s spent ten years in the limelight and that’s more than most artists ever have.

Truth be told, Alec is disenchanted with the whole scene. He can’t help but think about that guy from the club. Whatever-his-name-was had been only too eager to sleep with Alec, forget that he was apparently in a committed relationship. People can be shit, and Alec knows that better than most, but it doesn’t help him feel any less like a piece of meat. A commodity.

Everyone wants Alec Lightwood, superstar. They want the guy that can hook them up with floor seats to the Lakers or score them a table at the restaurant du jour without reservations. Alec is the guy who can whisk you away for a weekend trip to Belize, first class all the way.

They want that Alec.

No one sticks around for the less glamorous man. The Alec that’s deathly afraid of spiders, has a hideous fondness for hole-riddled hoodies, and whose favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice. Only a handful of people know Alec under the surface. He likes it that way. He does. But half of that number is family and the other half might as well be. It’d be nice to meet someone who cared about him, the person. Not him, the celebrity.

But, it is what it is, and Alec needs to stop moping and get ready for the day. He wakes up around six in the morning, goes for a run to the Black Panther soundtrack, and when he returns to the penthouse, Jace and Izzy are in the kitchen.

Jace wakes up every morning at the ass crack of dawn to open his gym and who the hell knows why Izzy is up so early. She is notoriously not a morning person.

She’s swallowed up by, it looks like, one of his hoodies. She’s staring at the coffee machine with a kind of singular focus that she usually reserves for the camera or a biology textbook. She doesn’t acknowledge him and he just grabs an apple from the bowl on the counter and heads to his room, throwing a nod to Jace as they pass each other.

He munches on the apple while scrolling through his phone. He answers a few tweets and posts an Insta pic of the three of them from over the weekend. They’re all at Uptown Java with the caption it’s good to be home.

Alec takes a shower and gets ready for the day. He throws on a pair of olive green ankle pants with a lightweight navy sweater and a pair of light brown Oxfords. He throws on his sunglasses, grabs his wallet, and leaves the apartment.

When he gets downstairs, he chats to the doorman for a few minutes. His name is Charles and he’s tall and lean like a greyhound. He’s at least eighty years old and has been working as a doorman since Alec moved in-- probably since before Alec was even born. He’s a sweet man who loves crossword puzzles and sweet tea. He always remembers Alec’s birthday and brings him a pie his wife baked every Sunday when he’s in town.

After talking with Charles, he heads out to the sidewalk. There are only one or two paps hovering around his building and Alec ignores them and their cameras. He’s gotten good at ignoring journalists over the years and they’re usually just like pesky gnats. The town car is waiting for him and his driver, Dave, opens the back door with a grin.

“How are you doing this morning, Mr. Lightwood?”

Alec grins back and throws him a nod. “I’m doing just fine today Dave. How about you? How’re the kids?”

“Well, little Elise won an award at the science fair over the weekend and Davy Jr.’s obsession this month is Simon’s latest album.”

Alec laughs a little. “Simon’s album has been a success. It's holding steady in the Billboard Top 100 and Lewis is ecstatic. I could get Davy a shirt, if you think he’d like it?”

Dave’s smile widens. “You know damn well that Davy would love anything having to do with Simon. I’d appreciate it, man.”

Alec has one leg in the car and looks at Dave over the open door. “I’ll see what I can do. Tell Elise congratulations and that she’ll have to explain to me what her experiment was the next time I see her. The two of them will have to visit Izzy, Jace, and me soon and catch us up. I'm sure Elise would love to chat with Izzy about all things science.”

Dave laughs as Alec sits down. “Will do, Mr. Lightwood.”

The drive to the television station is only half an hour, a minor miracle in New York traffic. Alec spends that time answering emails and catching up on the news.

They pull up in front of the building and when Dave opens his door, he’s immediately bombarded with cameras and shouts. Most of the people are journalists, whom Alec largely ignores. There are a few fans waiting on the sidewalk by the front doors, though, and Alec goes over to each of them. He spends a few minutes talking to them and getting pictures taken.

A few fans have gifts for him, which he warmly accepts. It always surprises him how thoughtful his fans can be. One girl brought him a handmade rainbow bracelet that he immediately puts on his wrist and a couple of boys give him a little penguin plushy the size of his fist. It’s cute as hell and Alec gives everyone a hug for coming out and seeing him.

He heads inside and is ushered through the labyrinth of hallways by an eager and attentive assistant. Alec spends the next few hours talking to more people than he can keep up with. He spends some time working on publicity shots for advertising and gets a better idea of the itinerary for Friday.

By the time he leaves ABC’s headquarters, it’s lunchtime and he has barely enough time to scarf down a hot dog from a street vendor before it’s time to head to his record company’s headquarters in Lower Manhattan. It’s forty-five minutes of bumper to bumper traffic and Alec's almost climbing out of the car before it comes to a complete stop. He’s never late for anything work-related and he strides into Institute Records with three minutes to spare.

Lydia is just inside, waiting for him. She’s on her phone, typing in a flurry, and looks sharp in a five thousand dollar suit. She looks every inch the agent and Alec is grateful that she’s always on top of things.

Without looking up, she asks, “What did you have for lunch?”

Alec says, “A hot dog from the vendor on the corner of 4th and Braxton.”

Lydia suppresses a full body-shudder. “I don’t know how you eat those things, never mind that you seem to love hot dogs with all the fervor of a teenage boy.”

Alec laughs. “Hotdogs are classic. They’re about as All-American as you can get and they hit the spot on a busy day running around New York.”

Lydia hums but doesn’t offer any other reply. She taps on the screen one last time before sliding her phone into her briefcase and finally looking at him.

“So, do you know the game plan for this meeting?”

Alec raises a brow. “Artfully misdirect and willfully play dumb?”

Sighing, Lydia says, “As a last resort, yes. Are you telling me there’s still nothing new that you want to show the label?”

“No.”

Lydia looks at him, appraisingly. “Okay, then. Since that’s the case, we’ll follow your plan. Remember, the primary goals here are to set a due date for first demos and discuss the music video we’re doing for your last single from An Arrow in the Dark. We’ll try to extend the timeline until. . . August 1st? That will give us another month for you to produce more material. What do you think about that deadline?”

An Arrow in the Dark was his sixth album and had sold over a million copies within its first week of release. He only had one more single-- Empty Hearts-- to release from that album cycle and was excited to start filming for the music video. Empty Hearts was one of his favorite tracks from that record and he was looking forward to talking to different producers and directors to see what each of them would pitch for the video concept.

Alec thinks about it for a minute, before responding, “Yeah. That’ll do it. I should hopefully have at least one damn song by then. Besides, I think that’s the best we’re going to get with them.”

Alec loves Institute Records. He’s been with them since he was sixteen and they’ve always been more than generous to him. However, he is under no illusions that he is anything but a cash cow to them. As soon as the well dries up, so to speak, he will have a pile of problems with them. He’d just better hope that this writer’s block eases up soon.

Alec and Lydia walk into the boardroom and are confronted with half a dozen executives in rigid suits, all in varying shades of navy or black. The label president, Jia Penhallow, is in good spirits and the meeting lasts the standard three hours. Lydia is a shark, always preserving Alec’s interests, and Alec appreciates that she does her job thoroughly and unapologetically. By the end of the meeting, Alec has his demo extension and is set to review potential directors during the first week in July-- roughly three weeks from now. Lydia and he shake hands with everyone before leaving.

Alec takes a deep breath once they’re back on the street and Lydia does the same, unbuttoning the top buttons of her dress shirt and taking her suit jacket off, draping it over her arm.

“Well that was more successful than I was banking on,” Lydia says dryly.

“Yeah, I’m surprised they were so chill about everything.”

Lydia shrugs a little. “Maybe in a rare fit of conscious, they saw that you needed a break from working nonstop. Or, they realized that their number one guy on the roster was burning out and they decided to back off in an effort to help you get your mojo back.”

“Whatever it was, I’m just glad they gave me a reprieve. But, I need to get my ass in gear and start writing some songs worthy of the Lightwood name.”

Digging through her bag for sunglasses, Lydia squints at him. “What about those sessions you’ve planned with Catarina Loss? Do you think those will be fruitful?”

Alec looks down the block, watching as a woman talks rapid-fire into her cell phone and a kid skateboards past, narrowly missing running over an old man. His voice is pensive as he replies.

“I don’t know, Lyd. I think that having the opportunity to write with her will be a huge boon to my career. A definite milestone. I just hope to hell we can write, that I can write something that makes goddamn sense. You’re my agent and my friend so I’ll tell you that I’ve written half a dozen songs in the past few months and they’re all garbage. I don’t know what I want my next album to sound like. I don’t know anything. I might be a little more burnt out than even I thought. I need to get my head in the write space to write-- I just don’t even know what that looks like these days.”

Lydia takes a few steps until she’s at his side and wraps her arm around his waist. Sympathetic, but with a hint of steel in her tone, she says, “I’m sorry you’ve hit a rough patch, Alec, but hopefully you can take some time from this break and regroup. Take a weekend and fly to a place where no one knows your name--” She ignores his snort of disbelief, “-- or try something you’ve never done before. Maybe you just need a change of pace. You’ll get over this. You know you will. You just might have to get inventive and change things up. Creativity never deals well with static. You know that.”

Thinking over what Lydia’s just said, Alec nods along. “You might have a point, I suppose. Maybe I’ll rent a cabin in Tennessee for a few days. Or, I could take a cooking class. Try something new.”

Lydia smiles brightly. “There you go! Something different to jumpstart your brain.”

With a sigh, Alec takes his arm from around her shoulders and steps back, putting distance between them.

“Well, as riveting as this conversation and pep talk was, I need to head uptown. I have that interview with Out in an hour.”

Walking backwards a few steps, Lydia nods. “Alright, then. I’m starving anyway. I need dinner soon or I might just faint.”

She turns sharply on her heel and throws over her shoulder, “Have fun! Don’t say anything that will give me a headache tomorrow morning.”

Alec grins and calls out, “No promises,” before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

His job is never-ending, a constant merry-go-round of concerts, meetings, and interviews. He’s hit a rocky patch right now, but damn if Alec doesn’t love his career, the constant flux, thrives off the hectic schedules. He looks wistfully at a pretzel stand as he strides past and ignores his stomach that’s started growling.

He has places to be and people to impress. Alec is thinking about answers to questions that will no doubt be asked this evening. Alec has been interviewed hundreds of times and they always ask the same questions. He knows his standard answers by rote. It never hurts to run through them again, though. He’s stuck in his head, walking on autopilot to the little cafe the interview is taking place at. He doesn’t notice the man on the other side of the street, walking quickly in the opposite direction.

Magnus doesn’t notice him either, too wrapped up in making it on time to his standing Monday night family dinner with his four favorite people in the entire world. Catarina will kill him if he’s late another week and he does so hate disappointing Madzie.

They're just two busy men among a million in New York City. Yet, they're both resolutely not thinking about the man they met a few nights ago and refuse to acknowledge just how often their thoughts stray to the handsome stranger that enthralled them late into the evening. They don't even notice the wistful sighs and pangs of yearning that escape them.

#my writing #httbt #what?? two chapters in 1 week #lol #malec fic #malec fic rec #singer!alec #professor!magnus #fic update

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