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defaulttwig · 3 years ago

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Allegiance to a Stranger

Prince Hal x fem!reader (18+)

Summary: Looking for work in a dingy pub/inn, you catch the eye of a rather handsome stranger. He offers you money, in return you simply need to talk to him. Easier than your other services, right? Plus, you got free drinks. Absolutely nothing could escalate from there.

Warnings: smut

WC: 4.9k

A/N: oldie uploaded from AO3 and a prequel to Long Live That C*ck but can be standalone

The moment you entered the inn's pub, you booked it to a corner of the room, finding a table along the wall. Petra would kill you if she found you came back here. The patrons here served danger on the second hour of drinking, but the coin balanced out the bad. Well, you thought that. Petra had you swear you'd avoid this place like the plague. Fuck the coin, but you needed the coin fuck to make a living.

What better way than to barter yourself for the drunkards that frequented the place?

Seated at a table by the wall, you could better scout out potential buyers from there. Every able body set before you like they were the merchandise and not you. You were on the lookout for those who seemed to have the fattest pockets.

This lot proved tougher to pick out than the last time you were here. The pub lacked breathing room, packed full of men and women drinking away their sorrows. None looked willing for a fuck and those that did either already had a gal on their lap or looked piss poor. You huffed and did another once over for the umpteenth time around the room.

Sitting around on your ass and wasting precious hours that could be used to make money pissed you off. If there was just anyone that-oh? Oh. You did a double-take. Not too far from you, a lanky gentleman sat hunched over a table, nursing a tankard. That didn't necessarily catch your eye but the fact he made not-so-subtle glances your way.

A brief assessment from your spot told you he must have good coin on him. Or, at least enough for your services rather than be wasted on the piss poor ale here. And judging by the peeks behind his dark locks, you were sure he wouldn't mind a companion tonight.

You gathered yourself and made your way over. He didn't seem perturbed as you sat at his table. You made sure to puff your chest a bit, accentuate your selling point, and offered him a smile.

"Couldn't help but notice you're all alone," you said.

He lifted his gaze at you, but his face had been partly hidden by hunched shoulders and his disheveled hair. You leaned forward and tapped your finger on the table.

"Would you like someone to share a drink with?"

"I'm fine."

You blinked, momentarily lost. His voice, as much as he sounded bored, excited you. His tone held such a cadence and manner of power, you couldn't help but be drawn in by the way he spoke. Surely, you wouldn't have expected someone as lanky and seemingly lone-wolfish as himself to carry such an intoxicating sound.

You smiled to yourself, certain you wanted his coin. "Didn't seem that way when you kept looking at me over there. Or, are you looking for other services? Services I may be able to provide."

He fully turned to give you his full attention. Every fiber of your being had not been prepared to be faced with an angel, not here. His deep eyes bore into your own, carrying so much emotion that you couldn't name. Even in the poor lighting here, you could make out his sharp features, sure he had to have been a god of some sort. Count your lucky stars, you really wanted his coin.

"If I wanted your services, I'd have asked."

You didn't let that deter you. "All right." Folding your arms under your chest, you raised it a bit shamelessly. A man this beautiful had to have some coin in his belt, a hefty amount. "I'll go bother another patron. Someone will enjoy my company."

You noticed him glance at your chest and knew you already won this quiet battle. Baiting him, you stood from your seat to make a point. He had not allowed you to move two steps from him before his hand grasped your wrist.

You looked down at him, batting your eyelashes innocently. As if you didn't know what you were doing.

You fought down a growing smile, instead pouting slightly. "Problem?"

"Fine." He sighed. The way he made it sound, you'd think you pestered him over and over and not simply made an offer that he ultimately could have said no to. "Drink with me. It's dreadfully dull here."

You reclaimed your seat, painting the puffed chest look. "Dull? I'm afraid we're not in the same pub if you don't see the man suckling a woman's tit on the other side of the room."

You both looked over at the same time and saw exactly what you described. Another woman trying to earn coin the same as you, though she seemed farther ahead of you in securing that coin. You had yet to know if he'd buy your services.

He looked back at you as your smile grew. "Or, are you not used to this sort of crowd?"

"I'd wager this isn't your ideal place either."

You blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your posture is awfully rigid for someone who acts like she knows what she's doing." He gestured his tankard in your direction. "And I've seen real whores. You're more of a whelp, someone who doesn't belong here."

You hadn't expected this turn in the conversation. Finding your train of thought, you forced a light laugh. "Perhaps, your vision is fuzzy. This isn't my first time."

"No, I don't believe so. But I do believe I could count on one hand how many times you've done this."

"Wrong." He was right, you just didn't want to agree and have him turn his money elsewhere. "If you believe that, why not find a woman who suits your interests?"

"Because I'm not looking for a fuck. I'm looking for a drink." He tried to take a drink but realized his tankard was empty. Waving down a barmaid, he brought his attention back to you. "And I'm certain you'd appreciate the night off, wouldn't you?"

Your smile had slipped off by now. Looking him in the eye, this not-so-angel of a man, you fought the urge to frown. "I still need to make a living. If you truly won't provide it, I'll look elsewhere."

"Consider this your service," he said as he ordered drinks for both of you to the barmaid before she hurried off to fetch some. "Drink with me, hold a conversation if you can, and I'll pay for both the drinks and your time."

You certainly frowned now, unsure of this trickery. "I don't believe you."

The two drinks had been set between you. This handsome stranger kept his eyes on you as his hand disappeared under the table. Your eyes widened the moment he set his hand down on the table before you, pulling back to reveal three gold coins.

"You have my word." He took hold of his tankard, raising it with a nod. "Drink. We have all night to talk."

You took hold of your own tankard, eyeing it cautiously before putting it to your mouth. He offered a half-smile, taking a drink of his own. If that was how you would earn your coin, you wouldn't mind. Free drink and free coin, that's the life anybody could ask for.

For three hours, the two of you drank and talked. Each drink served, he'd hand you more coins. You wanted to keep the drinks coming at that point, but held back. You wanted to remember this time with the stranger beside you.

The first hour consisted of him asking you questions. Nothing deep. Questions of 'have you traveled far out before,' 'pet peeves,' 'do you think you can hold as many drinks as you are?' Questions like that. That last question made you slow down your drinking, a reminder that you had your limits as any other person, but it also slowed down the coin.

By the second hour, you had gotten his name. Hal. It rolled off the tongue easily. And you were certain that even if you did get too drunk to remember tonight, you'd remember his name. Not that you thought you could forget this man.

In the third hour, you had both nearly completely stopped drinking. Poking fun quietly at other patrons, you couldn't remember smiling this much. Certainly not with a stranger.

Hal raised his hand and called someone over. You expected another round of drinks but he asked for two bottles. He caught your look just as he asked for them to be brought up to his room.

"I've had my fun, but I'd like to escape the commotion." Before you could ask if he was looking for your other service, he continued. "You're more than welcome to continue this conversation up there unless you've grown tired. I'll still pay, of course."

Just talking. You'd never have expected this from a man. And you certainly didn't have it in you to venture out this late full of ale. You took him up on his offer, following him out the main floor and up the stairs to his room.

He let you in before he followed, shutting the door behind him. A moment before he could walk away from the door, he heard a knock and opened it, receiving the two bottles he asked for. He closed the door with the side of his shoe, looking at you.

From the intense gaze, you almost expected an order to strip, but he walked past you to set the bottles on a table. He glanced over his shoulder. "You're free to sit wherever you please. No need to simply stand there."

You nodded but he'd already looked away. Your gaze fell on the bed and though a small part of your mind warned you to not sit there, you did anyway. Hal stared at the bottles as you looked him over.

Three hours were not long enough to know a person, especially when most of the conversation had been about you. Yet, you felt that all had been said downstairs. Maybe it was the ale, but you were warm with ideas about Hal.

He grabbed a bottle, mind set on something, and turned to find you on the bed. He looked you over before he made his way to you. Your heart spiked with emotion, stuttering as he moved behind you to all but flop onto the bed. You turned in your spot to look at him. Eyes on you, he held himself up by an elbow and took a large drink.

"Truthfully, I have nothing more I want to say to you," he said. "I've run out of things to talk about hours ago."

"Oh." You weren't sure to feel about that. "Then, why invite me up here?"

"Because I couldn't fathom letting a beautiful girl go." His eyes bored into yours, his mouth pulled into a frown. "Not in a place like this. Not when you still need to earn a living."

"So, what are you saying? You want to buy my body for the night?"

He lowered his gaze to the bottle. "I wouldn't want to disrespect you. I want to take your feelings into account. I will pay you for being in here, whether you enact your services or not. The choice is yours."

You scrunched your nose. "I'm not sure if you're really giving me a choice."

"Simply sit here and talk with me about whatever is on your mind." He held the bottle at his side, flopping back onto the bed. "Or, you can do what you first intended to do with me."

You gathered your dress in your hands, kicking off your flats. Pulling yourself further onto the bed with your knees, you looked down at him. "Which of us is really selling their body? You or me?"

He lazily turned his head to look at you. "If there is an answer, I am not the one who knows it."

You swallowed air. His gaze fell to your chest once more and you couldn't help but feel shy. Seeing how he looked at you, with such lust, you almost wondered if the ale messed with his head. He hadn't acted this way up until now.

You won't deny that when you first saw his face, you not only wanted his coin for capital reasons. You had truly been curious what a man of his nature would be like with a partner. Your hand reached out to him, finding the collar of his tunic and pulling it aside, revealing a bird charm on a chain necklace. You wanted to know if he was anything in bed like he had been in the pub, someone that you'd find yourself wanting to be with for hours on end.

"You're drunk," you reasoned.

"If I finish this bottle, then I can confidently say I am drunk. For the moment, my head is clear." He sat up, grabbing your hand before you could pull it away from his necklace. "Are your thoughts clear?"

Your heart stuttered. The warmth from his hand enveloped your small one. His face not so far from yours, you wondered what his lips would taste like. Ale, most definitely.

"My thoughts are my own."

He pressed your hand to his exposed collarbone, eyes narrowing just slightly. "Tell me you don't want this."

Your eyes flicked from his own to his necklace, to his lips, back to his eyes. You weren't sure you could say that. The thoughts in your head were your own, but they vanished the moment he declared this. You licked your lips, trying hard to utter any thought that weighed against this moment.

So far, you only found you wanted this as much as he seemed to. "Hal."

"Yes?"

You looked at the bottle. "I do want this. If you want this too, don't finish that bottle. I'd like you to be of the present mind."

If he could've set the bottle aside any faster than he had, you were certain he would. He adjusted himself to sit up fully, his hands holding him up on the bed while you let yours linger on his tunic.

"I wouldn't want you to forget me." You smiled softly.

"I don't believe any amount of ale could make me forget you." He exhaled slowly. "Whatever happens tonight, I ask that you remember me too."

You'd sunk back into your comfort zone, a teasing smile on your lips. "Show me what you got, and I'll carry your name to my grave."

He accepted the challenge. No more words needed to be spoken on the matter, both of you dove in for a kiss. You were right, he tasted like ale. Parting your lips and wrapping your arms around him, you were sure you tasted no different.

Both of you scrambled to take each other's clothes off. The moment his tunic went over his head, your hands traversed his torso, memorizing the rough edges. Your nails dragged along his skin, featherlight and leaving goosebumps in their wake.

It took a moment for your dress to come off, but it was just a heap on the ground by the time he grabbed you and laid you beneath him. Both nude, your eyes fell to his necklace, the bird in direct line of sight. You tapped your finger against it, letting it swing back and forth for a moment. Hal grabbed it, simply looking at your face.

You couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but you had no thoughts. Act first, think later was your current mindset. Your hands found purchase in his hair, fingers buried in the dark locks as you pulled him down to kiss you.

He tasted like heaven. His lips were slightly chapped but the same could be said for you. He swiped his tongue over your lips, drinking in your moans. His hands found their way to your breasts, massaging the mounds with slow, rough movements. You sighed into his mouth, enjoying his hands.

He broke the kiss, moving his mouth along your neck. He bit and sucked wherever his mouth landed, biting particularly hard below your collarbone, along the soft mound of your breast. You knew that mark would be visible in the morning, with the sort of dress you wore, but it only excited you more. People would see the markings of a beast, strangers in your path unaware what sort of angelic beauty put them on you.

You pushed on his shoulder, stopping his barrage of attacks with his mouth and brought his face back to yours. His kisses were finer than any ale from the richest of provinces. You could get drunk on his kisses, forget the number of tankards you went through earlier.

Hal massaged your legs. His hands slid up along the inside of your thighs. Your breath halted as he neared your cunt, only to breathe out in a huff as they fanned out to your hips. You hadn’t realized how sensitive your hips were. Not until he gingerly trailed the pads of his fingers against the area. Your hips jerked, a sharp exhale came from you as he let his eyes wander over your body.

He repeated the motion. Rinse and repeat. Nearing your cunt, only to touch your hips or squeeze your thighs. Each time he’d venture closer to your cunt, making your insides flutter. He brought his mouth down to one breast, licking the nipple. You were caught off guard by the action, assuming he’d continue to tease your lower body.

The attention to your breasts had been more than welcome though. You wrapped your arms over his shoulders, head against the pillows and basking in his hot saliva coating your nipple. He flicked his tongue right before his teeth grazed it. When he moved to give the same attention to your other nipple, he used that distraction to use his hands.

Your breath caught in your throat, hips jerking once more. He slipped his thumb through your folds, swiping it through your wetness. Right before he pressed it against your clit and smothered the wetness on it.

You gasped and raised your hips. His thumb circled your clit, switching up the pattern every so often. You were so wet, a knot building from the attention he gave you. He didn’t stop, not when you tapped his arm and tried to convey you neared your high. Right on the edge, you threw your head back, ready to explode.

Hal pulled his hand away.

You let out a pained moan. The knot faded in a burning sensation to almost nothing as your gaze snapped to him. You furrowed your brows, reaching your hand to your cunt, about to finish yourself off.

“Why did you stop?”

He caught your hand. Your eyes widened as his narrowed. “Not yet. Not until I say so.”

You swallowed your spit, trying to find your words. “What do you have planned?”

“I’m going to make sure you remember this.”

He let go of your hand, which you let fall to your side. In favor of seeing where this was headed, you watched intently as he grabbed the back of your knees and parted your legs wider. He kept his gaze locked on your face as he neared your cunt. You shared a moment of silence, where nothing seemed to happen. The tension hadn’t dissipated and you nearly squirmed, gasping as he parted the folds of your cunt with his thumbs and blew against your clit.

It chilled against your went cunt. A stark contrast to the heat you felt that sent your cunt aflutter. He briefly glanced at your cunt, enveloping the little clit in his mouth. You let out a quipped moan, twitching under him. He worked wonders on you, that tongue of his rolling your eyes into your head. You grabbed his hair for stability, encouraging him with soft praises.

“Oh, god,” You said. “Lord, what you’re doing to me.”

You felt the knot once more. Repeating phrases such as that, swearing against the king, the lord, you swore to everyone but Hal’s name. His name was too holy to soil. You’d curse anything before you cursed him. He stopped, again, before you could reach that climax.

He ignored your grunting, lazily swirling his middle finger at the entrance of your cunt. “God isn’t here fucking you. Say my name.”

God, he looked like a saint. His beautiful face and mouth were completely opposite of the words coming from him.

“Hal,” you hissed. So, much for holy, you thought while you tried to buck against his mouth and finger. “Don’t stop.”

“I want you to scream my name when you cum.”

“Sure. Whatever you want, but don’t stop. I’m right there.”

That satisfied him. He returned to sucking your clit, his finger pushing past the entrance. You moaned his name, losing yourself as he added a second finger. He curled them, made scissors inside you, did whatever made you twitch and buck. Combined with his mouth working overtime, your hips shook violently, torn between the need to be still and the friction you got.

Everything exploded in a hot white, your back arching off the bed. True to your word, you screamed his name. Apart from the crack in your voice, the volume suited him.

He pulled his fingers out of your cunt, replacing it with his mouth. Your legs threatened to close around his head, too overcome with stimulation. His hands kept your thighs apart, his wet fingers slick against one thigh. You dug your head into the pillows, crying out and weakly bucking as he lapped up your juices.

If he did that forever, as spent as you were, you would be in heaven. You were certain you were going to hell, but his mouth would redeem you. By the stars, you’d pledge to him if he kept you on a blissful high like this.

The moment he stopped lapping up your juices, he brought his face back to yours. He joined your mouths, forcing you to taste yourself on him. You shivered, the strange taste mixing with saliva. He cupped your face with both hands and you felt those wet fingers smear your juice on your cheek.

Breaking the kiss, you weakly reached between the two of you. He wrapped his arms around you and flipped you so you were on top. You forced yourself down the bed a ways, lining your mouth up with his cock.

The tip leaked pre-cum. You took hold of his cock, holding it steady. He twitched and shivered the moment you licked his tip, gathering the pre-cum on your tongue. You were about to go further, but he grabbed your hand.

“Stop.”

You stayed in your position, breaths fanned over the tip of his cock. Tilting your head slightly, you frowned. “What’s wrong?”

He twitched in your hand. “Don’t. I don’t want you to do that.”

“I don’t understand.” You rubbed your thumb over his tip, gauging his reaction. By the way he jolted, you knew he liked it. “Don’t you want this?”

“Not tonight.” Oh, so he planned for more sessions. “I said I’d make this night memorable for you.”

“So, what do you want to do?”

He pushed himself onto his elbows, staring into your eyes. “Get on your hands and knees.”

You understood what he meant, and turned around. He pulled himself to stand on his knees, all the while you backed your ass into him. You looked over your shoulder.

“What next, your majesty,” you teased.

He squeezed your hips, pulling you closer. “Don’t call me that.”

“What do you want to be called?”

He lined his cock at your entrance, teasing in the tip. “Just say my name.”

He held your hips steady, thrusting himself completely in. You moaned, head dropping down. He remained still, allowing you ample time to adjust to his size. Tears pricked your eyes by the time you picked your head back up, looking over your shoulder at him.

“Hal,” your voice cracked slightly. You cleared your throat. He looked at you, scared he’d hurt you. “Don’t hold back.”

His face blanked. You feared you broke him. By how he acted, you figured he had some tricks up his sleeve, but he remained quiet.

“Hal?”

“I heard you.” He smoothed his hand along your back. Your eyes widened as he gripped your neck and pulled you until your back was flush against his chest. His lips brushed against your ear. “Are you certain?”

“I am.” You touched his hand on your neck. “Do whatever you want to me.”

“I won’t hurt you.”

“I trust you.”

He pulled out until his tip remained, then slammed his hips back into yours. “I’m going to make you cum. A thousand times over, whore.”

Your eyes widened. You hadn’t expected the name-calling, but it made your cunt flutter with want. Hal noticed this as well.

He bucked into you again, setting a pace for himself. “I’m going to make you forget every man. Only my name will make you quiver.”

“Yes.”

He squeezed your throat. “The moment you stepped into the pub, I had my eyes on your tits.” He breathed hotly into your face, his gaze set on the way your breasts bounced from his rigorous fucking. “Thought about my hands on them. Thought about fucking you with your tits pressed agaisnt the table.”

“Hal.”

“I’m going to make you cum until the sun comes up.” He bucked up into you. “Touch yourself.”

“Huh?” You exposed your neck for him, letting him bite your neck.

“Touch yourself. Play with your pretty clit.” His hand left your neck to grab a fistful of your hair, tugging hard. “Pleasure yourself.”

You did as told. Lowering your hand to your clit, you rubbed two fingers in a circle over it. Collecting the juices that spilled out of your cunt and coated his cock, you used it on yourself. It made it all the more slippery, your rubbing faster and sloppier.

He let go of your hair and you all but fell forward, catching yourself with your free arm. You laid your head on it, rubbing yourself in tune to the way his hips sporadically slammed against yours. He continued to buck into you, combined with your rubbing you knew your next wave was approaching.

And when it happened, you were a moaning mess, your fingers halting in their movement as you became nearly limp, rocking with Hal’s thrusts. He brought his hand between your legs, continuing to overstimulate you. You writhed under his touch, moaning his name in what sounded like whimpers.

He took your fingers, sticking them along with his own in his mouth. You shivered at how his tongue lapped at your fingers. It was short lived, as he brought them to your mouth straight after. You sucked on his fingers, your hand fallen out of your mouth to lay listlessly by your head.

Your walls fluttered around his cock. Moans muffled around his fingers, you let him pull them out of your mouth to go back to rubbing your clit. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head.

“God, Hal, if you keep this up,” your hazy mind said, “I’ll have to pledge my allegiance to you.”

Hal, for what it was worth, pressed himself to you. “What was that? Speak up.”

You moaned. “I’m pledging allegiance to you, Hal.”

“What?” His thrusts slowed so he could gather his thoughts. “You’re supposed to pledge allegiance to your king and country.”

“Yeah?” You arched your back into the bed. “Fuck the king and country. You’re the one I’m in bed with.”

“So, what are you saying?” He continued to thrust. “You’d give up any other man for me?”

“For this?” You quivered. “Yes.”

His thrusts picked back up. Pace fast and rough, he gave everything his all. “Then, cum for me. Cum for your king.”

Your legs shook violently from how rough he handled you. The knot returned full force. If you hadn’t already had your face planted into the bed, you’d have collapsed from how hard you came. Hal’s name chanted from your lips, you weakly bucked back into him until he climaxed right after.

He continued to fuck you through both of your orgasms. His seed spilled into you, hot and full. Your walls fluttered erratically around him, taking him all in.

The moment he had finished, he pulled out of you and collapsed beside you at the foot of the bed. You turned your head, basking in his handsome features. His face and body glistened with sweat. No doubt you were the same.

Hal weakly brushed some hair out of your face. “Did you mean it?”

You hummed, mind partly focused on the leakiness from your cunt. “Mean what?”

“You pledged your fealty to me. Do you want to be mine?”

“Your personal whore?” You scoffed. “If that’s how you always fuck, yes.”

“No other man will bed you?”

“Not if you pay me. I still need to make a living.”

Hal nodded. “It’s settled then.”

He wrapped his arm around you. You pressed a brief kiss to his jawline, snuggling closer to him.

“Did you mean what you said about making me cum until sunrise?”

“Yes.” His eyes closed. “Enjoy your break. We’re starting again soon.”

You smiled and closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. “I could get used to this.”

#prince hal x reader #hal x reader #timothee chalamet x reader

362 notes · View notes

mattzerella-sticks · 3 years ago

Note

batfam and flashfam reaction to barry and bruce dating? or the league? or the ccpd's reaction that barry is dating BRUCE WAYNE? idk

sorry this took so long! work got in the way lol

old news.

Clark set his tablet down on the conference table, retaking his seat between Diana and J’onn. “…that was all Natasha uncovered from the artillery left behind after we scared the sellers away,” he explained, “she and John think they can figure out, though, where these weapons originated from, but that might take time.”

“Do we have time?” Bruce asked, “It seems like Gotham’s infested with these guns. Just the other day Oracle’s agents were caught in the middle of a crossfire between drug runners and Peacekeepers, both groups armed with this… alien gear.”

“Playing both sides?” Kendra suggested, leaning forward in her seat, “Is it one group looking to stoke chaos by fueling fire to already heated factions, or are we seeing two sellers from the same planet jockeying for control of the market.”

“Whether it’s one or two sellers coming from the same place we don’t know,” Clark told her, “But we do know that some of the weapons smuggling groups already active aren’t happy. From what Lois says, Intergang is having issues moving their merchandise because of the damage these newer weapons can do, and they’re running their own investigation into the matter.”

“So if Intergang isn’t behind this, then can we take Apokolips out of the equation?” Barry asked, sipping some coffee. That was his eighth, the other seven, empty, Styrofoam cups littering his table space. “Since Intergang and Apokolips are pretty tight knit?”

“We can’t rule Apokolips out as being behind these weapons, unfortunately,” Diana sighed. She grabbed her own tablet, tapping the screen. A holograph lit from the center of the table, highlighting the deathly, firepit ridden planet. “Though Darkseid and Intergang have a relationship, many members of the Apokoliptian court wouldn’t think twice about underhanded dealings that might benefit them. Or, possibly, Darkseid is betraying Intergang – taking out the middleman, so to speak. Testing new weapons we haven’t seen, spreading them across Earth so we’re distracted from other matters… until Scott and Barda tell us it’s not New God tech, we have to keep this possibility in mind, like the possibility that it might be magic –“

“I’ve made your concerns aware, Diana,” Clark said, “I’ve even put the Irons in contact with Kent and Khalid. We’re open to every possibility, which reminds me… Hal? Have you updated the League database with your latest ring files?”

Hal hissed, deflating, sliding down in his seat. “Not yet. Kinda got sidetracked by that earthquake in San Juan.”

“Why don’t you do that now, then,” Clark said, “as long as no one else has anything to add?” The remainder of their League remained silent. “Good. Then I guess we’re done.”

The team began shifting from business into a more relaxed attitude. Clark and Diana started trading stories about their weeks, having not seen each other since the last meeting. Kendra crept her way towards J’onn, hands sliding across his shoulders as she whispered something in his ear that made him smile. Arthur mumbled under his breath in Atlantean, disengaged with surface drama for the moment with something on his tablet.

Hal turned to Barry, nudging him with his elbow. “Hey,” he whispered, “I was thinking drinks. You in? Course, I need to get that file download, but that shouldn’t take long. If you want to wait –“

“No.”

Both Hal and Barry whipped their heads to where Bruce sat, the other man not looking up from his tablet as he spoke. “No?” Hal asked, “What’s it to you? I wasn’t inviting you.”

“I know,” he said, “but I was answering for Barry. He can’t get drinks with you because he has a prior engagement.” Bruce’s gaze moved from the tablet to Barry, a softer expression, foreign to his usual gruff demeanor, graced his features. “A reservation for two at Girabaldi’s, tonight, seven o’clock.”

Barry glowed, lightning crackling off his body as a sign Hal recognized of his friend’s utter delight. “What’s the occasion?”

“No occasion,” Bruce shrugged, “figured it might be a change of pace given our last few dates.”

No one breathed at that moment. Time slowed, Hal noticing every Leaguer situated around the table pausing what they did. Everyone seemed intrigued with the current revelation happening before them.

Barry snorted into the dregs of his last coffee. “Well… rooftops can be romantic, but it was all starting to get a bit repetitive…” he said, “And having someone else besides me deliver our food is a definite plus.”

“Wait, hold on a second!” Hal interrupted their flirting with a glowing, green wall that separated his best friend and his colleague. “What is happening?”

“We were talking, Hal,” Barry hissed, jabbing him in the stomach, “Can you can it with the lightshow?”

Bruce hissed under breath, “Rude…”

“Sorry, sorry…” Hal replied, sarcastically, making the wall bigger and more ornate, “I guess the whole you dating freakin’ Batmanof it all kinda took me off guard.”

“Kinda threw us all for a loop…” Clark added. A sharp glance from Bruce cut him down a size, causing Clark to blush and stare at his lap sheepishly. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “didn’t mean to speak out of turn.”

“Seriously,” Bruce rose, addressing the group, “none of you were aware that Barry and I’ve been dating these past few months?”

“Months?”

Sighing, pinching his brow, Bruce stood there for a beat. Then, he turned. His cape swooshed behind him as he exited. “I can’t believe this.”

Barry smiled at the others, shrugging, “We did think you all knew already, if it makes you feel any better?” He vanished from sight, too, not even bothering to clean up his litter.

Hal slumped in his chair, the green wall dissipating, almost as if it never existed. “Barry and… and Bruce? I can’t believe it.” He pointed at the door where the two men left, asking, “Seriously, did that even happen?”

“It did,” Arthur said, “It most certainly did?”

“Well, what do we do now?”

No one dared to speak, save Diana. She cleared her throat, steeping her fingers, carefully parsing through her words carefully. “We don’t do anything besides what we were already doing,” she said, “Which, for you, Hal, means uploading those files.” She collected her tablet, levelling a stern stare at the remaining Leaguers. “Understood?”

Everyone agreed. The others followed Diana from the room, leaving Hal by himself. He stretched out across the table, knocking into Barry’s empty coffee cups with a frown. “Barry and Bruce,” he muttered, “how the hell didn’t I notice… months! For months! Barry’s been putting up with Bruce’s ass for months!”

#justice league #batflash #batman #flash #batman x flash #bruce wayne x barry allen #bruce wayne #barry allen #hal jordan #clark kent #diana prince #dc comics #dcu #dc fanfic #batflash fanfic #i've been percolating this for awhile before the suggestion was even thrown my way however the set up was different #altho I do like the set up in this it feels nice

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bigskydreaming · 4 years ago

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Me constantly side-eyeing the preoccupation with Dick Grayson and money, how he pays for stuff, how much of it is Bruce’s, etc etc, when there’s like, comparatively zero examination of or even question about how and where Jason’s money comes from or Tim’s or Cassandra’s or like a ton of other superheroes, lol. Like, why is it only Dick’s financials that are constantly subject to scrutiny?

Facts that have been in play more than once in canon:

Dick likes to be self-sufficient when and where he can be.

Dick has at times had money from a trust fund from Bruce, and money from a wrongful death civil suit in regards to his parents’ deaths, that Lucius Fox invested on his behalf.

DIck has at times asked Bruce for additional funds, primarily for use for his friends or teams.

Dick has repeatedly and consistently worked dayjobs with a specific eye towards earning his own living wages, even when he doesn’t have to. Its particularly odd how often the subject of how does Dick pay for things comes up, even like just in regards to his apartment, when Dick’s consistently one of the only superheroes without a singular iconic job that’s a part of his narrative (like Clark and reporting, or Hal and being a pilot, or Barry and being a crime scenes/lab tech) who nevertheless consistently seeks out and holds down jobs for the express purposes of....having money to pay for things.

And thing is, none of these things are mutually exclusive, contradictory or hypocritical? Its only the hyper-fixation on one specific element of all this at a time that tends to present the illusion otherwise.

Some other things to keep in mind on the subject of Dick Grayson and money in fics:

1) If your fic takes place during or after or otherwise references Dick running Wayne Enterprises during the year Bruce was lost in time and believed dead by most of the family and cape community, are you taking into account that what Dick was doing there was the exact same kind of work that Bruce normally does? And that thus he would have been making quite a good deal of money? Have you considered that even a single year of this should be more than sufficient to last him for a good long while, given that he lives a comparatively modest lifestyle outside of his superhero endeavors? Are you subjecting Dick and his usages of money from this time to a greater scrutiny than you normally apply to Bruce and how he uses money he makes from Wayne Enterprises? Are you treating Dick as being less entitled to any money made here than Bruce normally is, just because Dick doesn’t have Wayne attached to his name even though at the time and in the continuity where this happened, Dick was 100% Bruce’s legal son and heir?

2) If your fic or headcanons are paying close examination to Dick’s various jobs and whether he’s living according to his means or occasionally dipping into “Bruce’s money” to supplement that, are you paying similar attention to Jason’s sources of income? If Jason’s money is coming from off-the-page criminal enterprises, is this something you’re leaning into because you’re of the stance that there’s nothing morally or ethically wrong with the specifics of what Jason is doing to make money here or have you simply relegated it to being immaterial and not even worth exploring, something there’s no need to even get into? If so, is there a reason you’re more willing to handwave away money gotten from means other than just an average dayjob, than you are money gotten from an actual, verifiable, on the page dayjob that simply doesn’t seem high-level enough to earn a significant income? Is there a reason the latter is presented as more worthy of scrutiny and critical awareness in your fic than the former?

3) If your fic is delving into what is and isn’t Bruce’s money, are you applying the same view of money earned vs money inherited to what Dick makes vs ‘gets from Bruce and/or his first parents’ insurance/wrongful death suit’....as you are to what Jason makes vs gets from Bruce or Tim makes vs gets from Bruce and/or his parents’ inheritance....or even what Bruce makes vs got from his own inheritance? Have you ever made the distinction that the money Bruce used to launch everything Batman in his early twenties wasn’t money that he quote and quote earned at WE which he wasn’t even working at yet, or had barely started at, but was, in a sense more ‘his parents’ money’ rather than his? Is there a reason Dick can’t access any money outside of what he makes at his dayjobs without there being an emphasis on it being “Bruce’s money” and is that same reasoning in effect when say, Tim accesses funds that are specifically from Bruce....is this similarly being singled out as Tim using “Bruce’s money” vs his own, or money from his first parents? (Keep in mind that Jack Drake wasn’t particularly wealthy at the time of his death and Tim didn’t actually inherit a lot of wealth pre-Reboot).

Point being, are you treating Tim or Jason or ANY of the other Batkids as being more implicitly entitled to Bruce’s money without it being singled out as being Bruce’s money, specifically, and if so, is that something to reflect on: why you view Dick and his relationship with Bruce and any funds stemming from him differently? If its simply because Dick does pride himself on being self-sufficient when he can, is this a source of hypocrisy when he can’t be for whatever reason, or say, is it no different from any child who tries to rely only on their own earned funds as an adult, but still can and does go to a parent for help when they need it?

4) Are you aware that the Titans, as a team, actually make money in various ways like merchandising, and that especially in the 80s this was a large focal point of how they funded things like their headquarters and vehicles....and that the Titans also were allotted funds for things like living expenses FROM these revenue streams? And that Dick was one of the handful of Titans specifically noted as being in charge of organizing and maintaining these revenue streams and the money resulting from them, and also was just as entitled to funds from them himself, same as the rest of his teammates who were able to survive on these without holding down dayjobs at times the majority of their focus was on being a Titan?

I say this one as most people AREN’T aware of this, but especially when compared and contrasted with how much less of a thing this is in later generations of super-teams, who handwave the subject of money, it is noteworthy IMO that Dick and his generation of Titans were one of the few times this was made an actual focal topic. With again, Dick showing a lot of initiative in making the Titans as self-sufficient without specific outside backers as possible. (But also, when they did have outside backers this included a variety of people who were NOT just Bruce Wayne).

Point being, though Dick did ask Bruce for help in purchasing things that were Titans related, the Teen Titans were never a case of “Dick relies on his dad to fund his superhero club and clubhouse”....and even if it WERE, consider this: what makes this any different than the fact that Bruce funds a lot of the Justice League himself - and by himself, remember I mean not just money he earned himself working at WE but the millions and even billions that weren’t earned but rather accumulated via inheritance? Is it simply because Bruce isn’t on this team himself, and if so, is this same scrutiny or contextual framing being given to other generations of the team like Tim’s, or other teams Bruce backs without being a personal member, like the iterations of the Outsiders he’s not directly involved with other than as a benefactor?

In conclusion:

If you notice yourself focusing more on Dick’s money and what is or isn’t ‘his’ money than you do any other character, its worth trying to delve into WHY.....because when there are discrepancies in how and where and why one character is singled out or scrutinized on a subject more intensely than others, those are going to show up in other peoples’ awareness whether or not you decide to apply your own awareness to determining why those discrepancies exist in the first place.

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reduxulousoctopus · 3 years ago

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[text reads "Introducing: Kid Lantern!"]

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

Part Five

Wally is floating above the bed and making himself dizzy with a series of aerial somersaults when another voice, different from the one before, speaks from the ring. “Hey, kid. Can you hear me?”

He holds the ring up to his face. It sounds like the person speaking is using the ring like a walkie-talkie, but Wally isn’t sure how to do that. “Hello?”

“Great!” the voice says. “This is Green Lantern speaking.”

Wally turns to Aunt Iris and whispers urgently, “Oh my god its Green Lantern!”

“I’m working on a tough case tomorrow, and thought I could use a little help. I heard about the bank robbery you stopped this afternoon. That trick with the fire hydrant was really smart thinking. You saved lives today, Wally. You were brave and resourceful and clever—and that’s exactly what I need in a partner. So I sent the ring to find you and see if you have what it takes, and since we’re speaking now, it looks like you do. So what do you say? Do you want to help me out?”

“Yes! Yes-yes-yes!”

Green Lantern chuckles fondly on the other end of the line. “Good. But before we start work tomorrow, you’re going to need some training. Is your aunt listening?”

“Uh-huh,” Wally says, holding the ring out towards Aunt Iris. “She’s right here.”

“Er—yes, hello,” she says awkwardly. “I’m here.”

“If it isn’t too much trouble, could you bring Wally to the desert outside Coast City? It shouldn’t be more than a ten-minute drive from your location. I can give you directions through Wally’s ring.”

Wally clasps his hands together and gives Aunt Iris his best puppy-dog eyes.

“You want us to meet you in the desert?” she asks.

“There’s a convenience store nearby, so we won’t be totally out in the boonies. But there’s still plenty of room to practice flying safely.”

“He’s gonna teach me how to fly!” Wally exclaims. He stops floating and grabs Aunt Iris’s hand so he can start dragging her to the door. “Come on, let’s go!”

Aunt Iris plants her feet. “No.”

Wally freezes for a moment, feeling his heart break completely in half. He slowly turns back to look at his aunt in dismay. “Please? Please, this is my only chance…”

“Oh, we’re going,” Aunt Iris immediately assures him. Wally nearly collapses with relief at the same time that he nearly hits the ceiling with excitement. It’s a strange feeling. “Just not dressed like that.”

Wally glances down at his new costume. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Because people might see you in it and figure out who you are because you’re with me,” Aunt Iris explains. “Superheroes have enemies. I don’t want anyone coming after my nephew to get to Green Lantern.”

“Don’t worry. I can fix that from here.”

Just like that, Wally’s costume ripples away, turning back into his t-shirt and boxers. Wally pouts, already missing the costume and how cool and powerful it made him feel. He never wants to wear normal clothes again.

“We’ll call you back as soon as we’re in the car,” Aunt Iris tells Green Lantern.

“Alright. All you have to do is ask your ring to call Green Lantern. Talk to you then.”

They quickly get dressed. Wally considers wearing his Green Lantern t-shirt—he was going to wear it to the parade, but it’s not like he can’t wear it twice—until he remembers the conversation he had with Hal about how superheroes don’t make any money off their merchandise, and decides against it. He wears a plain red shirt instead, over jeans and sneakers. Instead of the pretty sun-dresses she’s worn most of the time they’ve been in Coast City, Aunt Iris puts on a pair of jeans, a tie-dyed t-shirt she got at some concert she went to with Barry, and a pair of rubber-toed basketball shoes.

“I don’t need it,” Wally complains when Aunt Iris hands him his coat.

“Deserts are cold.”

“Deserts are hot.”

“Not at night,” Aunt Iris says. “Put on your coat.”

“My ring protects me from the cold, otherwise Green Lantern wouldn’t be able to survive in space.”

“Put on your damn coat, Wally.”

Wally meekly pulls on his coat. “That’s a bad word.”

“I know.”

“You said the F-word earlier, too.”

“Guess I owe you a dollar, now.”

“Are you mad at me?” Wally asks anxiously.

Aunt Iris immediately stops in the middle of putting on her own coat to pull him into a hug. “No, sweetie, I’m not mad. I’m so happy you’re getting what you wanted, and so, so proud of you. I’m just… scared, I guess.”

“Why?”

“All this, Green Lanterns and magic rings and space stuff, it’s just a bit outside my comfort zone.” She sighs and pets his hair. “I’ve always tried to keep you safe—ever since I held you for the first time in that delivery room and wished that you were my baby. But now, with all this… I don’t know how to protect you if something goes wrong. That scares me to death.”

“You don’t have to be scared, Auntie. I’ve got the ring, now,” Wally says proudly. “I’ll keep us both safe. I promise.”

Aunt Iris smiles fondly and kisses his forehead before letting him go. “Then lets find Green Lantern and make sure you know how to use that thing.”

Wally takes a deep breath, then frowns with intense concentration.

“Wally?” Aunt Iris asks as she finishes putting on her coat and straightens the lapels. “What are you doing?”

“Hold on, I almost got it,” Wally says. He closes his eyes to focus even more, and after a few seconds, he’s got it figured out. When he opens his eyes and looks down at himself, his clothes are already transforming back into the Green Lantern costume. “Ha! Got it! Look, Aunt Iris, I figured it out how to make my costume appear by myself!”

“That’s amazing!” Aunt Iris says. “Now can you change it back?”

“Sure, let me just…” Wally looks down at himself and concentrates as hard as he can. A shimmer of green light passes over his body again, putting him back in his normal clothes once more. “See! I did it!”

Wally races out the door and down the stairs to stand by their rental car, where he bounces in place with uncontrolled excitement. “Come on, come on! We can’t leave him waiting!”

Aunt Iris hurries down to the car with her keys already in hand. As soon as she unlocks the doors, Wally hops into the passenger seat and holds his ring up in front of his face. “Ring, call Green—”

“Seat-belt,” Aunt Iris says.

“I don’t need a seat-belt,” Wally says. “Green Lantern’s ring automatically makes a force-field when—”

Aunt Iris shoots him a stern, flat look. Wally buckles his seat-belt.

“Thank you,” Aunt Iris says in a sing-song voice.

Wally uses his ring to call Green Lantern, who starts giving them directions out of the city. As the buildings gradually become less and less numerous and, after they leave the freeway, he sees fewer and fewer cars on the road, Wally feels like he’s going to have a heart attack and die of anticipation.

Eventually, Green Lantern tells them to park their car in front of a rustic-looking convenience store. One of the signs on the door boasts VALLEJO MARKET: TRY OUR WORLD FAMOUS HOT DOGS! The sign fascinates Wally. World’s famous? How good would a hot dog have to be to be world famous? Or maybe they’re actually infamous for being really bad? His pizza dinner is a distant memory; now his stomach yearns to try this mystery dog. That’s why it’s doubly upsetting when Aunt Iris drives right past the convenience store without stopping.

“Where are we going? Green Lantern said to park back there,” Wally says, pointing at the rear window of the rental car.

“There’s a security camera outside,” Aunt Iris explains loudly enough for Green Lantern to hear through the ring. “If I heard that someone spotted a lot of mysterious green lights out back behind a convenience store the night before Green Lantern started showing up to crimes with a kid sidekick, the first thing I’d do is check the convenience store’s camera footage to see if any kids matching his description showed up. Going through the rental car company would lead to me, and just like that, Wally’s name and address is public knowledge for any creep that Green Lantern happens to piss off in the future.”

“Huh. That’s… a really good point, actually. I’d have never thought of that.”

“Yeah, well, I’m a reporter. It’s my job to know how to find information.”

“Aunt Iris,” Wally whispers, putting his hand over the ring, “you said another bad word.”

“What? No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did. You said ‘P off’ The P-word is a bad word.”

Aunt Iris sighs. “What am I up to, now? A dollar-fifty?”

“If you say another bad word before we go home, can we come back to that convenience store so I can buy a hot dog?”

“What?” Aunt Iris laughs. “Why?”

“Oh, a Vallejo dog? Yeah, you’ve definitely got to try one before you head back to Central City,” Green Lantern interjects—revealing that he’s been able to hear them the entire time Wally was covering the ring. “But you’ve got to get one with everything on it or it doesn’t count. With the crunchy pickles and this sweet honey mustard that’s just—muah!”

“I’ll think about it,” Aunt Iris replies as she turns the car onto narrow gravel road. “We’re taking a side road to get some distance from the highway.”

“Alright. I’ll meet you there.”

They continue slowly down the gravel road for about two minutes before Aunt Iris pulls the car over. The sun had just dipped below the horizon when they left the hotel. Now, when Aunt Iris shuts off the engine and turns off the lights, everything around them is dark except for the stars dotting the night sky. Wally quickly unbuckles his seat belt and climbs out of the car, scanning the stars above for a flash of green.

“Do you see him, yet?” he asks.

Aunt Iris emerges more cautiously, using the glow of her cellphone's screen to check the ground for snakes or any other desert-dwelling creepy crawlies before she sets her foot down.

A streak of green light arcs down from the sky at breakneck speeds, sling-shooting around a distant mesa before rocketing towards them. The light swoops directly over their heads, so close and fast that it ruffles their hair and clothes, before landing nearby with a stylish twirl.

“Hi, Wally!” Green Lantern says with a grin. His aura bathes the area around them in bright green light.

All of the things Wally planned to say when he met Green Lantern—all the cool lines he had prepared in advance to make a good first impression, and even his sincere expressions of appreciation and admiration—go flying right out the window. Nothing he’s ever imagined can compare to the experience of seeing Green Lantern in person, with the ring, the costume, the muscles, the movie-star looks and confident smile that says, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

“Hi,” Wally squeaks.

“So, are you ready to learn how to use a Green Lantern ring?”

“Uh-huh,” Wally answers with a nod.

“Alright!” Green Lantern claps his hands together. “Let’s get started! We’re burning moonlight and I want you to be an expert ring-slinger by morning.”

“I-I-I figured out how to make my costume appear,” Wally manages to say.

“You did?” Green Lantern’s brows lift in surprise. He looks impressed.

“Uh-huh. I did it a few times back at the hotel room.”

“It took me a while to realize I could even do that,” Green Lantern says. “Go on, show me.”

“Okay, Mister Green Lantern. Sir.”

“Kid, please, it’s just Green Lantern. Mister Green Lantern was my father.”

Wally gasps in shock. “Your dad was a Green Lantern, too?! Is he the old Green Lantern who was in the JSA?”

Green Lantern laughs, not unkindly. “What? No, no, that was just a joke. Sorry. I’ve actually never even met that Green Lantern. Both of us having rings and the same name are just weird coincidences as far as I know.”

Oh. Well, there goes that theory. Wally just lost a lot of arguments online.

Aunt Iris lays an encouraging hand on his shoulder. “Go on, Wally,” she says quietly. “Show him what you can do.”

Wally takes a few breaths to calm down enough that he can concentrate. His costume appears in a flash of light. He’s getting faster at it each time he tries.

“Great job, kid!” Green Lantern says.

Wally beams with pride. “Can you teach me how to fly, now?”

“Sure,” Green Lantern says. “But first we should—”

Wally already shot off into the air like a bottle rocket by the time Green Lantern started saying ‘but’. Green Lantern and Aunt Iris both stare up in shock as Wally races several miles up into the air, painting a glowing green trail of loop-de-loops across the starry sky. His whoops and cheers of delight echo off of the surrounding mesas.

“Wow. Look at him go,” Green Lantern says with a grin. “Kid’s a natural.”

“Since he’s gone, let’s take a moment to chat, just you and me,” Iris says. Before Green Lantern can react, she grabs him by the front of his uniform and drags him down to her height. “Let me make this crystal clear, you oversized glow-stick. If you let anything happen to my nephew, I will ruin you. Your secret identity, every skeleton in your closet, every embarrassing moment in your life will be front page news in every state. Do you understand me?”

“Don’t worry,” Green Lantern says. He briefly holds her hand between both of his own. Even through the mask, his sincerity is clear to see. “He won’t get hurt under my watch. I promise.”

After a moment, Iris nods, satisfied with that. “Then you’d better go catch him, because knowing Wally, I’m pretty sure he’s headed for outer space.”

Green Lantern snaps his gaze back up to the sky, where Wally is just a tiny green dot entering the stratosphere. “Oh, shit. We’ll be right back.”

He shoots up into the sky, chasing after that tiny green dot as fast as he can. Even so, he may not have been able to catch up if Wally didn’t stop at the edge of the upper-atmosphere, frozen by either trepidation or awe as he stares out at the endless field of stars. Green Lantern slows his approach and rises up until he’s floating next to Wally.

“Heck of a view,” Green Lantern says after a moment.

“Yeah,” Wally replies breathlessly.

“I’ve seen things out there that no one else on Earth will ever see,” Green Lantern says, “but even with a power ring, it’d take a well over a thousand lifetimes to see it all.”

“Wow…”

Green Lantern smiles and points at the moon. “How about you start right there?”

Wally looks at him in surprise. “Really?! We’re going to the moon?!”

“Well, not right now,” Green Lantern says. “We’ve got a lot of training to do before tomorrow, and I think your aunt would murder me if I tried to take you to into space without her permission. But how about tomorrow after our investigation, if your aunt’s okay with it?”

“Awesome!”

[That brings us to the end of what I had already written before I started posting. No comments yet at time of writing, so I have no idea how any of you are reacting to this story--I'm hoping it's generally positive? Maybe? At least no one's hated it enough that they felt the need to tell me so.

If you read this far--first, thank you. Second, should you feel at all inclined, please leave a reply or or tag or something letting me know if you want me to continue writing this story (and potentially other stories from the Sidekick Swap AU). I'd like to keep going, I just need to know there's someone else out there who's interested in order to justify the time and energy I'd need to spend working on it any further.]

#hal jordan #wally west #iris allen #my stuff #kid lantern au #sidekick swap

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spurious-result · 4 years ago

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for the MGS ask game (oooh these are all so cool but I'll try to restrain myself ... a little): 3, 8, 15, 18, 27, 40, 42, 45

It is a very juicy list, lol! These are very nice choices. :)

3. Is there anything you would change about the plot?

AH... I have so many mixed feelings about this. Probably the single biggest aspect of the plot that I wish had been different, from a purely selfish emotional standpoint, is the ending of mgs4. But would I actually want to change it, if I could? Yikes. Hard to say.

I remember playing through 4 for the first time, and hoping SO HARD that they were going to find some kind of miraculous solution to save Snake because that entire game is, like, one big gut punch. But watching the narrative arc unfold, it became increasingly clear that a surprise “happy ending” like that would ultimately feel cheap, and unearned. That tension between what I *wanted* to happen, and what I knew made sense for the story as written.

(I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about the mgs4 ending in general, but I will try hard to rein them in here since they’re not really all that relevant to the question here. Ha. Self control is hard!)

So, yeah. Ultimately, I think things played out in a way that felt right. BUT, DAMN.

8: Favourite little detail in a game?

I have lots of these that I love! For this round, I’m going to say - the way your cardboard box starts to look increasingly battered if you’ve been shot at while wearing it. Looking a bit crumpled, flaps falling off, etc. And just the way you look when you’re running around in it, in general. LONG LIVE THE BOX.

15: Quotes you think about most often?

Another good one, that I’m happy to give multiple answers for! I’m quite partial to the exchange that Snake and Otacon have over Sniper Wolf’s body, as Snake is walking away through the snow:

“What was she fighting for? What am I fighting for? What are you fighting for?”

And Snake’s answer: “If we make it through this, I’ll tell you.”

It’s a good character moment between the two of them, and a bit of insight into what’s driving them both at that point in the story.

18: Most wtf scene?

Another wonderful moment from mgs2... God, I wish I could go back and play that whole game again for the first time. So much great stuff.

Raiden being freed from the torture table in Arsenal Gear, and getting control again as the player while he’s... completely naked. Running around with his hands over his junk. And then you proceed to play like this for a fair amount of time before you finally get your clothes back - because why the fuck not, I guess??

NAKED CARTWHEELS, people. You can’t make this shit up.

27: Underrated character?

Hmm... I’m going to go with maybe Strangelove, here?? I like her a lot, and I think it’s interesting to think about how different Hal’s life might have been if she had lived. I do feel like she gets a fair amount of love in fandom considering that she’s a relatively minor character, but I wish she could have had a bigger role on-screen in the series.

40: Do you own any merchandise?

Ha - I do indeed! I will sometimes get mgs stuff from my family for birthday/Christmas gifts, etc. So I own a couple of T-shirts, a couple of the Figma action figures (which are pretty fantastic), and the Otasune plushie set that just came out recently.

42: Most memorable codec call?

Can I award this to all of Otacon’s “save frequency” proverbs in the mgs2 tanker chapter, collectively?? This was another thing that sold me on the series, right off the bat. Those convos are pure gold.

45: Do you want another game or should the series be left alone?

Oh, that’s tough. I’m torn, because it’s hard not to want MOAR CONTENT, when it comes to anything you love. But there’s also something comforting about having everything be *finished,* so you can look at it as a whole and appreciate the overall story from beginning to end. (Though of course that’s always a bit muddy with mgs, since the games tend to jump around a fair amount as far as chronological order goes, and you have different main characters doing things in different time periods, etc.)

If there were going to be any further games, I would potentially be interested in seeing remakes of mg1 and 2. Otherwise, honestly, I’m pretty satisfied with what we’ve got, and I’d be afraid that any further additions would just make the story messier.

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trash0falltrades · 7 years ago

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Dark Knight Brownie Bite

just your ordinary Batman ice cream crack fic based off of the actual ice cream @chimaerakitten and I saw and promptly bought.

AO3

Bruce walked into the living room to find Dick sitting in front of the T.V. and eating ice cream out of the carton

“Tough day?”

“Had a fight with Babs,” Dick mumbled, stuffing another spoonful into his mouth.

“Ah.” He looked down at what he was eating and did a double take. “Wait—is that Batman ice cream?”

Dick turned towards him with a scowl, daring Bruce to judge him. “Yes.”

“Oh…well. Where did you get it?”

“I dunno, Alfred brought it back.”

Bruce sat down next to him, getting a better look at the carton. “Are those really bat-shaped chocolate chunks?”

Dick granted him a small smile. “Yep. And they’re delicious.”

“Give me a moment to go get a bowl. I have to try this.”

********************************

Diana’s yell caused the other League members to come running into the room.

“What’s wrong?” Barry asked, appearing out of nowhere by her side.

She turned towards him, a huge smile on her face. “Nothing. It is just—look what I found in the freezer. We have our own ice cream!” She brandished the carton at the group that had gathered. “See? Golden Lasso Twirl! This is amazing!”

She passed it along to the others, showing it off. “There are more too. Clark has one called Krypton Cookie Dough. And look at this one— Dark Knight Brownie Bite. It rhymes!

Dinah snorted. “Hear that? Our very own Batman has his own flavor.”

“Does it taste of vengeance? Barry asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“Shut it,” Bruce growled, glaring at him. “It's actually pretty decent.”

“You knew about this?”

“Well… yes. Alfred brought some home.”

Clark picked up one of the cartons for closer inspection. “Does anyone know how we have our own ice cream? Who made this?”

“I think we did.” Seeing his puzzled look Bruce shrugged. “What, it’s merchandising. There are worse ways to promote the League.”

“Well, I say we all try it,” Diana said, passing out a bunch of spoons and some more cartons.

The room fell silent as they all took their first bites, a chorus of “mmmms” soon following.

“This is amazing,” Diana confirmed. “I think we should be very proud.”

**************************************

“Pssst. Bruce!” Barry called, motioning him over.

“What’s going on?”

He leaned towards him. “We need to band together to stop Clark.”

“Has he been writing articles about you again?”

“What? No, that was only once. No, he keeps eating all of our merchandised ice cream.”

“Well, his face is technically on some of it.”

“But he’s eating yours and Diana’s too. Hal said he specifically labeled his carton and saw Clark eating it. I thought we all agreed to never take something from the work fridge that wasn’t ours?”

Bruce’s eyes narrowed. “Well then.”

“You’ll help?”

He nodded. “This ends now.”

Later that week they once again heard yelling coming from the break room. Bruce and Barry entered to find Clark, laying on the floor panting, the freezer opened to reveal shelves stacked with Kryptonite.

He glared up at them from the floor.

“Really?” he groaned.

Bruce shrugged. “Sorry, we all agreed this had to stop. You can’t keep eating all of the communal ice cream.”

“It…was just… a few bites.”

“Still against office rules.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine…I’m sorry.”

Barry leaned over him “We should have tried this earlier. This was way more effective than that Ben and Jerry’s ice cream lock.”

Clark just scowled.

**************************************

Diana emailed Bruce a link with the message Have you seen this yet? It was an article written by Clark detailing a contest between Metropolis and Gotham to determine whether Superman or Batman ice cream sold better. The winning city got bragging rights and a massive ice cream party put on by the League.

Who organized this? Bruce typed back.

Me, of course. It’s a great way to draw attention to the product. Also, the rest of the League wanted to see you and Clark compete. There is a betting pool.

He sighed and re-read the article. There was no choice but to ensure that Gotham won. He was planning his strategy when Dick leaned over his shoulder.

“I’m ready for patrol. I’m going to go and —wait—is that….”

“The damn ice cream? Yes.”

He leaned in farther. “Oh my god, you’re having a contest?” He burst out laughing. “Well I’ve done my part already. How are you getting the rest of Gotham to buy in?”

“I have a few ideas.”

The next day he sent Alfred to every store in the area to buy up all the Batman flavors he could find. He then called the distributer to explain that he wanted to buy as much Batman ice cream as he possibly could, whatever the cost.

“Are you serious?” Dick asked, eyebrows raised.

“It’s a matter of honor. You all want an ice cream party, don’t you?”

“Sure, but what are you doing with all the ice cream you’re buying right now?”

“I already told you, I’ll give it to Batburger.”

“And I told you that your idea was ridiculous!”

“Why? I’m helping a local business.”

“Surrrreeeee.” he said, with an eye roll. “Just because they’re bat themed doesn’t mean they can use a thousand gallons of batman ice cream.”

“Well, they can now.”

Clark was waging a successful campaign himself. There were articles nearly every day in the Daily Planet about what the contest meant to Metropolis, one of which involved interviewing adorable elementary schoolers about how they were raising money to buy the ice cream. A few days in he even appeared on morning news channels as Superman to hawk the product.

Dick stared at Clark on the T.V. shaking his head. “That’s low. We can’t let this stand.”

“I thought you said this was ridiculous.”

“Well now he’s fighting dirty. And it’s not like you can go endorse the product as Batman, no criminal in Gotham would ever take you seriously again.”

A slow grin spread over Bruce’s face.

“What? Whatever you’re thinking, I don’t like already.”

“I can’t, but maybe the boy wonder can.”

Dick opened his mouth to protest and then just let out a sigh. “Fine. Let me know when the cameras show up.”

It went back and forth for nearly a month, the two of them constantly trying to one up the other.

On the very last day, Diana sent them the month’s sales report. When he opened it there was a press release from the League about how grateful they were that everyone was so involved, and that since the sales were so close, both cities would be receiving the prize.

Bruce swore.

Are you serious? he typed back. Please tell me you’re joking.

We wanted to reward both cities. Why is that so bad?

Because by my calculations, I’ve bought over thirty thousand dollars’ worth of Batman ice cream within the past month.

When he told Dick and Alfred later in the day they merely shrugged. “Technically we didn’t lose.” Dick said. “And I’ve heard Batburger is expanding. So you really did help out a local business.”

“Great,” he said, less than enthused.

Alfred smiled. “Oh, do cheer up Master Bruce. I can get you some ice cream if that would make you feel better.”

“God no.”

#the ice cream is really good #and there are comic panels on the sides #friend you should be slightly concerned #that I came up with this ridiculousness solely from second hand knowledge from you

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bloggermagazine · 5 years ago

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Alexa (64/32 Bit) Download Free For Windows 10 PC

Alexa is a Digital Assistants App for Home windows 10. It's a private digital assistant like Siri from Apple and Cortana from Microsoft. Use your voice to do many issues and have peace of thoughts — moreover, management your sensible residence gadgets remotely from anyplace. Alexa App echo dot from amazon is your final digital good friend. You possibly can obtain and set up it in your PC or laptop computer by following the under detailed information. These directions are legitimate for each 64 bit and 32-bit variations.Initially, Click on on the inexperienced Obtain button positioned within the first a part of this web page. Scroll the opened web page down until you discover the Obtain Hyperlinks field. The utterances syntax lets you generate many (tons of and even hundreds) of pattern utterances utilizing just some samples that get auto-expanded. Any variety of pattern utterances could also be handled within the utterances array. This module internally makes use of Alexa-utterances to develop these handy strings right into a format that Alexa understands. Learn the documentation there for a radical set of examples on the best way to use this. A number of intents might use the identical listing of potential values so that you wish to outline them in a single place, not in every intent schema. Use the app's dictionary if you're utilizing the conventional Amazon developer portal, the schemas. Intent () and utterances() features will generate an intent schema JSON string and an inventory of utterances, respectively. But there are apparent limitations to gadgets that rely completely on voice interfaces, which the Echo Present is meant to deal with. The display screen on the machine provides the power to stream movies, present lyrics whereas taking part in music and show calendar occasions and voice-dictated textual content messages to different Echo customers. Displaying film showtimes and different lists on a display screen, because the Echo Present can, is extra handy for customers than Alexa studying them. "I feel Echo Present matches very effectively within the kitchen," mentioned Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Artistic Methods. The catch is that for now, the one individuals an Echo consumer can name are different Echo house owners or anybody with an Alexa app on an iPhone or Android machine. One of many advantages of getting an Amazon Echo (or an identical Alexa-enabled machine) is that it is at all times getting higher, and we have seen increasingly Alexa expertise added over the previous few years. Extra selection can imply a number of the gems get misplaced within the pile - however, we're right here to cease that from taking place. We have been preserving our eye on the most effective expertise it is advisable to find out about, and we have collected them collectively right here for simple reference. To make your life simpler, we have put the Alexa expertise in useful classes: Amazon Echo Alexa expertise for sensible houses, Alexa expertise for a journey, Alexa expertise for foods and drinks, and the most effective video games to play in your Amazon Echo. Apps listing will seem, seek for Alexa Faucet the primary consequence and faucet set up ALEXA, DO YOU KNOW HAL "Alexa, inform a bedtime story to ." Contact Executed When it will get put in and Open the app SmartThings Traditional app Choose the menu button on the top-left of the web page Then insert your Amazon Username and password for Alexa app login. While you logged in, then pair your Alexa machine, and you may change the setting by your selection. When every part is ready, Now chances are you'll proceed to take pleasure in your Amazon Alexa app. Obtain Alexa app home windows 10. Alexa makes your PC expertise higher. The Alexa app for the Laptop helps most of Alexa's options and skills. You can simply ask Alexa to regulate your sensible residence gadgets, take a look at calendars, create shopping for lists, reply questions, examine the knowledge, set timers. Test the climate earlier than you intend your day and extra. Why select Alexa Voice Service or AVS? Alexa Voice Service supplies direct entry to all of the cloud-focused capabilities or expertise of Alexa. This expertise includes the dear assist of software program instruments, kits, APIs and extra. AVS is an ideal option to simply assemble voice-oriented gadgets, as it's a dependable speech recognition expertise. The cloud additionally comprehends pure language conveniently. This fashion, AVS supplies higher expertise and reduces the price of improvement. Therefore, new gadgets can attain the market sooner with new options. Amazon retains on releasing Alexa updates regularly. For all these causes, Alexa Voice Service turns into a worthwhile answer to create new gadgets with voice management options. Tens of millions of consumers demand these options, which makes it useful for all manufacturers, designers and builders. Intuitive, pure buyer engagement turns into extra customized with such merchandise. All main residence machine manufacturers supply Alexa suitable merchandise corresponding to sensible lights, televisions, cameras, and others. You too can make the most of this expertise and provides prospects with an opportunity to regulate sensible residence merchandise with the built-in Alexa interface. There's a program referred to as "Phrase with Alexa" to certify sensible merchandise and supply them to your prospects. This may convey a sophisticated improve and an aggressive edge to your sensible residence machine improvement. Read the full article

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flyboyhasmyheart · 7 years ago

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hal jordan | hello neighbor

A/N Hello guys and welcome to my first reader insert ever! :D I had so much fun writing this and I really hope you like it. I really adore Hal and feel like he doesn’t get appreciated enough, so I decided to start out with him and will probably even make a second part to this, because I had really fun writing this. (: Hope you enjoy!

(Y/N) - Your name (L/N) - Last Name (H/C) - Hair color (E/C) - Eye color

______

A week passed since you became a part of the famous Justice League. Batman made an agreement with you to move to Coast City, because there was a higher crime rate than in your small hometown, but also because you were inexperienced in fighting. In order to make sure you wouldn’t get yourself killed in your first weeks on duty, he decided to give Green Lantern the responsibility to watch over you and help you to cope with your recently achieved role as hero. Your new apartment was even right next to his and the Green Gladiator offered to help to move your stuff into your new home.

It was a fresh autumn morning when the cab parked in front of your new home. Red and orange leaves were gracing the street, only the gateway was spared. You stepped outside of the cab, while the cabdriver helped you to unload your stuff out of the car and drove off afterwards.

“Well, hello neighbor!”

You turned around to find a man - a quite attractive man. He had brown hair and stunning brown eyes. His clothes were quiet casual, including a white T-Shirt, blue Jeans and a brown bomber jacket with a Tag reading “JORDAN” sticking on his chest. You concluded that this must be the Emerald Crusader, because you had totally no clue who else he should be. “So, I assume you are…” You started your sentence, but were immediately interrupted by the man. “Green Lantern, at your service! You may call me Hal. Hal Jordan.” “My name is (Y/N). (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” You answered while blushing slightly and moving a displaced (h/c) hair streak out of your face. “Well, I am glad I’ll be able to spend time with a beautiful lady like you. Do you need a helping hand?” He offered while pointing at your belongings. Your blush deepened and you started shifting your weight from one foot to another. “Thank you, some help would be really nice.”, you answered and gave him a small smile. He grabbed your suitcases while you took the bags. “Thought you’d actually use the ring for that.” You stated jokingly. “Believe it or not babe, I can do many things, not matter with or without my ring.” He answered cockily and winked back at you. Once again your face heated up as you followed Hal upstairs.

He opened the door to your apartment. Your (e/c) orbs scanned the living room, which seemed big enough for more than one person to live in. Hal explained that, thanks to a good friend of Batman, there was already furniture in the apartment and you wouldn’t even have to pay rent for the first three months until you would find a job. “By the way, where do you actually work?” You asked out of sheer curiosity, but it also was a prevention of an awkward silence. “Well, when I am not busy protecting the universe I am working at Ferris Air Force as a test pilot.” He stated proudly. “Sounds really cool. ” You smiled at him. “You know, when we’re finished here I could take you for a flight. Afterwards we could hit some clubs, but if you’re not a party girl a quite dinner at some nice restaurant would also do. But first things first, I’ll unpack your stuff for ya.”

Hal grabbed your suitcases with your clothes and took them to which you assumed was the bedroom and started unzipping them. You began to panic and dropped your bags, running after him into the room. “Hal, you really don’t have to do this, besides I have my own way of sorting my clothes don’t take this personally, but you don’t seem like the type of guy who folds clothes.” You rambled behind him. He however stated that you probably have already folded them and they only needed to be put into the closet. Your face turned bright red once again as Hal opened one of the suitcases, against all your protests, and started to chuckle.

Before you got your powers you were already a big admirer of the Justice League and superheroes over all. Obviously, like every other fan girl you possessed some merchandise of your favorite heroes including a lot of t-shirts. And your favorite Green Lantern T-Shirt had to be on top of your other clothes.

“Do Green Lantern panties come along with?” He asked while holding back his laughter. “Wh-What?! No?” You shrieked while turning away from him. To your misfortune Hal got an idea and was all of a sudden behind you. Unexpectedly, you saw green light in the corner of your eye and immediately turned around only to face Hal, now with his Green Lantern uniform on, including the mask.

He laid his arm around your shoulder and placed his mouth beside your ear cooing “You know, you should have told me you are such a big fan. I am always up to fulfill a lady’s dream, especially for someone as sweet as you.” You couldn’t form words with your mouth as your breath hitched and body started sweating. How couldn’t you be totally agitated, your idol was standing right in front of you, flirting huskily into your ear, while sending goosebumps all over your body. The tight bodysuit cladding his well-build body didn’t help as every feature of his muscles were outlined. The teasing was real!

Your brain cells were fizzing out as your body continued heating up. There was no way you would allow to be referred as the fan girl on the team, so you had to quickly come up with a plan in order to restore your coolness. “Woah, I thought your powers come from willpower, not arrogance. ” You said while freeing yourself from his grip. “Besides, we can’t just ‘hit some clubs’ with you in that attire.” Good job (Y/N)!

Hal pouted for a moment while transforming back, but soon enough had his cocky smirk back on the lips. “So, that means you’ll actually go on a date with me?” He asked with a teasing undertone. You sighed while nodding. “Yes, if you want to call it like this, than we have a date. Now, let me just sort my tableware into the cupboard.” As you headed to the kitchen the Lantern fist pumped and unknowingly to you continued sorting your clothes into your dresser.

Meanwhile, you placed the dishes into the cupboard, when you suddenly heard Hal’s laughter and started blushing madly as he exclaimed “You actually do have Green Lantern Panties!”

#hal jordan #hal jordan imagine #hal jordan x reader #green lantern #green lantern headcanon #green lantern imagine #green lantern x reader #hal jordan headcanon #dc #dc comics #dc x reader #dc imagine #superhero imagine #reader insert

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misstinapie · 16 years ago

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The Hayden Kho Chronicles

I wasn't about write my thoughts on this issue anymore because this was supposed to be written two weeks ago, same time when Adam Lambert lost to Kris Allen and would have had a title 'What they lost this week'. But same old problem again of me not being able to juggle time between sleep, work, stalling, tv, frustrations on Cinema Tycoon 2 (which has in my own opinion would not have passed if I was the SA of that game, that is if that's what you call on game projects) and more sleep. But this certain issue has hogged offices, tv, and even thru quotes whoever in this country haven't heard of that scandal must be living under a rock at the deepest trenches of our oceans.

As i've told multiple times, the office downstairs has a ratio of 5 males:2 females (the other female is older than the rest of us and has kids. also before there where 6 men). Need I add still unmarried testosterone filled-men who secretly exchange porno (literally) at my back. Well at some times it's obvious.

One of which was this so called Kho-Halili scandal. Or much more apt, the Kho Chronicles as I call it. Well you see there was this link online, downloaded and spread at our office. The 10th floor IT found copies of the video a day or two after my mates at the 4th already feasted on it. Then the haunt for the next scandal was on, and stories of pirated stalls selling DVD of the scandals not meeting the 'demand' of the merchandise. I even remembered one said that there was this one stall that said *'Wala nang Hayden-Katrina Scandal dito, bukas na lang'. I've also heard people on public transports talk about it, there was one who have claims to have actually purchased the so-called DVD for 200.

I think I'm a moral-person the least and being opinionated that I am I can't help but have these thoughts on these people and if given the chance (and courageous enough to tell them in their face) what I'd say to them:

The Filipino Masses - always curious and never wanted to be left out. They always find it uncool especially if they haven't known about this and that. They'd always be like - 'You haven't watched it yet?!' Plus with the technology nowadays, anything can be shared to anyone so effortlessly. And you know how Filipinos are. They love sharing. There was even one time back then when there was this infamous flash drive who I don't know who owns making rounds on all the pcs in the office.

The Media - again. Not only do they cause the hype but they instigate the fire of curiosity on everyone. Not that I'm saying that they've caused all this drama but they have their part. No need to say more to that.

Hayden Kho - so far with all the sidetracks this guy and his mom are causing he sounds like this guy I know (I know some of you are) who are Pilates at heart, everyone's to be blamed but not yourselves. All I could say is that the nerve of him. He only has balls on his videos but never on his reasoning. The issue here is not on the drugs or whatever next alibi you'd ever come up with. I knew someone who personally knew this guy back when he was still in college. From the story I learned that you weren't even appealing back then. With that I thought he must be an insecure person who need assurance that after a probably bad younger life needed some proof that he, who was once a nobody, can 'jug and sex' women most men of his age could only dream about. Such a lame excuse for a man. Grow some spine dude and stop acting like you're a victim here. Yes I've heard of the blackmailing and all but what, a collection of videos? How can you be a victim when you purposely recorded those videos without consent?! Have you heard of the Edison Chen scandals? He was a far better man than you could ever be because he admitted and showed remorse while you are actually competing for sympathy! If you really wanted us to see that you are genuinely sorry for this hype you've caused then show it. You can't even ask for forgiveness for crying out loud.

Katrina Halili - I haven't been watching too much news on the tv (again, by the time I reach home it's already primetime shows) but I've seen snippets and is always informed by officemates on the updates. I genuinely feel sympathy for you and I am proud to say that I can gladly say, 'No, Katrina, I haven't seen your video. I haven't and I'd never.' Yes. I haven't. The lady has my respect since the day I saw her cry on this other issue she had with another local actress. With what I found about that small encounter was that she may be a bitch on tv but she's plainly truthful on her relationships and she's very emotional in terms of the people she mingle with. To conservatives they may tackle the issue of her having sex out of marriage but that we aren't in the position to judge. It doesn't mean that she consented on doing it serves her right that she's done it. It just so happens that this guy has issues on his own and unfortunately she's a part of it.

As a woman I feel bad whenever people argue like is she (Katrina) all whining about when her video wasn't even that clear unlike the Hayden-Maricar scandal. And that why is she all being defensive about it when she is, after all a sexy actress. I think that both way of thinking are so uncalled for. It doesn't matter whether the video wasn't as clear as day, or whether she's a sexy actress or not, the issue here, is still, having a supposedly private moment intentionally recorded without the consent of the other party. And that is just it. No need to dig deeper onto the drugs part (though that is a different story) or to the fact that the relationship Hayden has with Katrina was in his belief, nothing more than like that part up there 'jug and sex'. It's not an excuse why he'd do that in the first place. Keeping videos of those women he had sex with are like trophies of some sort for this guy and that is something, yes, well happening and probably would give everyone the idea of why not make videos of ourselves too? Like 'let's beat Hayden's record and show the world we are better men'. Such people are so sick and so full of themselves the only thing they know they could prove their manliness is when they do that. In the end they only make themselves pitiful.

*'There are no Hayden-Katrina Scandals here for now, but it will be available tomorrow'

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epickendall · 6 years ago

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The Summer of Del'goxoth part 10

Logan Hall tells Danny about how he died than how he became ghost afterward.

"See after a heated argument with my director about my acting skills in a certain scene we were filming. I went to a local bar I got hammered never got so fucking drunk since I was a teen actor anyway I kept drinking cheap beer and tequila until I fall off the bar stool after that the bartender got me off I went back to my car,"

"So let me get this straight you argued with your director, so you decide to get wasted and then get in a car while drunk?" said Danny

"Yes, it wasn't the smart move but fuck it at the time I thought I was the king of the god damn world, and I could survive anything in my career. So drove pretty good while drunk until I pass out on the wheel my foot was still on the accelerator. I drove off into desert surface driving straight toward off the road then one medium size rock flip my car over and over until it lands on the roof of the car. At my final moment alive I see a small fire and gas leaking out of the car then boom I died thing I knew I see I was ghost floating over the flaming car and my bad body,"

"I'm truly sorry about your death, Mr. Hall."

"Don't sweat kid and..wait a minute your Danny Phantom are you?"

"Yes,"

"Oh my god, I thought I it was mind playing tricks, and I was talking to myself,"

"Your not, I got to ask why did you damage that guy car in the garage?"

"You see Danny I'm still a bit frustrated and sad about my death I flew around for a couple of days until stumbling on this town. So decided to take my frustration on the whole town with pranks let me tell you kid it's was hilarious the reactions I got from my pranks. like this big buffy red dude, I prank where I put a shocker on one of his axes; he grabs one of the axes he got shook so much that you can smell his hair burning funny right?"

"No that was kinda dangerous and being a douchebag Mr. Hal,"

"Whatever It's funny to me pranking people below but since your here and we're both celebrity sorta I come up with ideas for both us that you'll never disagree with on the outcomes of it,"

Danny crossed his arms, "what's your idea?"

"See we get an agent for the both us to have our own TV show or movies starring us that why we could getting rich off being ghost celebrities,"

"Look, Mr.Hall.."

"Wait not done yet then merchandise, toys, videogames, magazines, and even rap music about us we'll get us a fan base, more money, and all the hot girls will come to us. Hey, is there any hot ghost chicks?"

"Mr.Hall! There no way I agree to that idea of yours, it's both ridiculous and insane,"

"Fine do you have a way of making me human again since you can do that I heard I bet I can do it faster than you,"

"God this guy is such an asshole," Danny thought "no I have no idea how to make you human,"

"But you can?"

"That's because I'm half human and half ghost your just a ghost,"

"Your joking, I'm stuck being a ghost?"

"Yes, Mr. Hall you are a ghost there no way you'll never be alive again I'm sorry,"

"No no Danny I'm Logan Hall I have to be alive or at least famous will I’m dead,"

"Calm down Mr. Hall"

"Calm down! you know how much work and things I have to do become a famous actor all the great movie I was in,"

"Not all them great," Danny said to himself.

Logan heard him, "what mean not great?"

"I mean I got to agree that some of the movies you were in are not that good, to begin with,"

"You little bastard first you reject my idea, then tell me you can't make me alive again, and now you insult my movies I'm getting the feeling that you want to be the only famous ghost around here,"

"No, I hate being famous you douchebag,"

"What wrong with being famous; it's everything anyone wants, and you don't like it.” Logan get more and more angry “That's it you son of a bitch I'll take away your fame and your life!"

"Oh god, he snapped," Danny thought as he gets into a fighting stance "Mr.Hall you don't have to do this we can work things work," Danny trying not to get in a fight with Logan.

"I want to do this,"

Logan flies straight toward Danny for a punch Danny dodge Logan punch Logan kept trying to land a blow on Danny but Danny ducks and dodges Logan punches until Danny kicks Logan in the stomach and the ghost actor fly back away from Danny.

"I'm guessing you got your stuntmen to do your fight because you suck at fighting,"

"Ha, I learn something new I can do in my new ghost body,"

In front of Danny's eyes, Logan changes his appearances into a cowboy bandit with an unkempt beard.

"This is my cowboy bandit character Joe Strong I played in my fifth movie Dead Eye Alex partner," Logan said in a country accent.

Logan pulls out a long barrel colt revolver he fires six bullets rapidly Danny managed not to get hit by five of the six bullets, but the last shot managed to scrap his shoulder. Logan reloads his gun then he and Danny shoot at each other until Danny shoot the gun out of his hand.

"What are going to do now without your six-shooter cowpoop,"

"I got plenty more forms from past works for you idjit,"

Logan turns into a hockey mask-wearing slasher that wore an overall and black boots.

"This Sid cole from Bikini Beach Massacre I star as him the killer,"

"Dude that movie sucks it didn't make any sense,"

"I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Logan pulls out a machete and a spiked bat he tries to stab and bash Danny head Danny quickly use his ice power to freeze Logan hands together then he uppercut punch to Logan chin seemly knocking him out. Danny pulls out the thermos.

"Now it's time for you to go to the ghost world where they can deal with your shitty pranks,"

Logan wakes up seeing what's going happen from he heard on the news and read websites about the Fenton Thermos when he was alive Logan breaks out of the ice from his hand that Danny made.

"You won't see the last of me, you asshole!" Logan shout

Then Logan suddenly teleported away from Danny before Danny can turn on the Fenton Thermos.

"Dammit, I have a deal with that guy while I'm in witness protection this can't get any more complicated,"

Danny put's away the thermos he flys down to a forest area near the road he lands on the ground he changes back to his human form suddenly his blonde wig falls off of his head when he goes to picks the wig up he hears.

"River?"

Danny turns to see Wendy holding an ax in her right hand as she has shooked face Danny fly to her as he was worry and also shock.

"Wendy! What are you doing here?"

"I saw some green light flashes in the sky when was I driving the kart back to my job I drive to find where the green light flashes coming from then saw you change and your wig drop, are you, Danny Fenton?"

Danny couldn't say anything but sadly say "Yes I'm Danny Fenton or Danny Phantom,"

#Danny Phantom #gravity falls #OC #gravityfalls wendy

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ismael37olson · 6 years ago

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Broadway Pop!

I have fallen in love with Funko Pops figures -- they're so odd but so wonderful. In recent months, Funko has released several Little Shop of Horrors figures, as well as two versions of both Danny and Sandy in Grease, and big collections of figures from Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. But wait, there's more! I was fortunate enough to happen upon Amanda Tang's Broadway Pop store on Etsy, and it was like I had died and gone to musical theatre memorabilia heaven. She has custom Funko Pops for Hamilton, Newsies, Wicked, Book of Mormon, Phantom of the Opera... But it gets even better. You can commission special orders from her! Would anyone really think I could have that information and not act on it? I couldn't help myself. So I asked Amanda to create a trio of figures for me, Billy Crocker, Reno Sweeney, and Moonface Martin, in the original 1934 Anything Goes. See the photo above to see how cool they turned out! Amanda is totally open to suggestions... About the same time, I discovered the very cool work of Brian Reedy, brother to New Line's resident graphic artists, Matt Reedy, who's been designing all the New Line posters since 2006. That family clearly has good artsy genes. Brian's already made a Hamilton woodcut, and an Audrey II linocut, both incredibly cool and both for sale in Brian's Etsy store. Having found both these artists, I've been thinking about all the ways my artist friends could make money creating musical theatre related merchandise. There's already a ton of it on Etsy, though most of that is uninspired. And there's a large, easy-to-target fan base eager for cool stuff like that. That fan base probably skews younger (which is good for the art form!), but it also includes people my age. I started thinking of all the musical theatre characters that would make excellent Funko Pops or linocuts. To work, the character needs a pretty distinctive, iconic look, that translates clearly into these different, necessarily simpler forms. And that made me think about what characters in musical theatre have a look that transcends the original actor who played the role -- or in some cases, characters whose look was set forever by the original actor.

For instance, even with the simple, almost expressionless faces of the Pops, a red sequined dress and red feathered headdress are unmistakably Dolly Levi, at that one specific moment, coming down the stairs of the Harmonia Gardens during the intro to the title song. The same is true of Cassie's red rehearsal clothes, Mame's gold jumpsuit and short haircut, Mrs. Lovett's bizarre side curls... Once I started thinking about this, I couldn't stop. Imagine Pops and/or linocuts, and/or whatever other things we can dream up, depicting... Dolly Levi (in the red dress!) In a set of three! Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, and Streisand (in gold)! Maybe also Bette? Lola from Kinky Boots Evan Hanson from Dear Evan Hansen Zaza (and Albin?) from La Cage aux Folles

Ti Moune from Once on This Island

Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof

Don Quixote from Man of La Mancha

Stew from Passing Strange Mame Dennis from Mame (in the gold jumpsuit!)

Cassie from A Chorus Line Princess Winifred from Once Upon a Mattress Charity Hope Valentine from Sweet Charity Pres. Jackson from Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Ethel Merman, as a career-spanning set Including Reno in Anything Goes, Annie in Annie Get Your Gun, and Rose in Gypsy Chita Rivera, as a career-spanning set Including Anita in West Side Story, Rosie in Bye Bye Birdie, Velma in Chicago, and the Spider Women in Kiss of the Spider Woman Porgy and Bess from Porgy and Bess Jeremy, Michael, and the Squip from Be More Chill Tracy and Edna Turnblad from Hairsprayy Mother and Coalhouse Walker Jr. from Ragtime Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady

Prof. Harold Hill and Marian the Librarian from The Music Man

Rev. Purlie and Lutiebelle from Purlie Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked Hedwig and Yitzhak from Hedwig and the Angry Inch J. Pierpont Finch and JB Biggley (and Rosemary?) from How To Succeed in Business... Sally Bowles and the Emcee (and Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz?) from Cabaret Do two sets -- the original 1966 look AND the 1990s revival look Berger, Claude, and Hud from Hair Laurie, Curly, and Jud from Oklahoma! Anna and the King from The King and I Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart from Chicago Capt. Macheath, and Mr. & Mrs. Peachum from Threepenny Not sure which version... the original 1928 Berlin production? The famous 1950s off Broadway production? The sexy 1970s Public Theatre production...?

The whole cast of the original Fantasticks The three (four?) Dreamgirls

The whole cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee All the leads from Spring Awakening All the leads from In the Heights All seven leads from Rent All the leads from Avenue Q All the leads from Into the Woods I could keep going. For a long time. But I won't. I'm sure by now you have a dozen in your head that you can't believe I left off my list. I feel your pain. But also, I'm thinking, how much would I (and you) LOVE Pops and linocuts of Jason Robert Brown, Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Finn, Pasek and Paul, Joe Iconis, Kander and Ebb, and sure, why not, Rodgers and Hammerstein. Although personally, I'd love to have a Rodgers and Hart set! And while I'm on a roll, also Hal Prince, Tommy Tune, Bob Fosse, George C. Wolfe, Michael Bennett, Susan Stroman, Michael Mayer, Michael Greif, George Abbott, George M. Cohan... Just think of the thousands of dollars I could blow if all of these were available. Maybe this post isn't such a good idea after all... I'll just leave it there for now... But stop by and see Amanda and Brian and their cool work...! Long Live the Musical! Scott from The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre http://newlinetheatre.blogspot.com/2019/01/broadway-pop.html

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todaynewsstories · 6 years ago

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Empty shelves, poor customer service speed Sears’ demise

(Reuters) – Sandy Hetrick drove 15 miles from her home to a Sears in Media, Pennsylvania on Wednesday to buy folding chairs and clothes.

FILE PHOTO: Store closing signs advertising discounts at a Sears in New Hyde Park, New York, U.S., Oct. 10, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo

Her local Sears in Wilmington, Delaware, the 54-year-old retiree said, was so poorly stocked that she stopped going there, even though there is no Delaware state sales tax.

“It’s really going down,” Hetrick said about Sears, which is weighing whether to file for bankruptcy protection in the coming days.

“You can’t find any help. The stores have minimal items,” she said as she shopped at the store in Media.

A change in sentiment among previously loyal shoppers like Hetrick contributed to the retailer’s sharp decline in sales. Sears losses have continued to mount to over $11 billion from its last annual profit in 2011. For a graphic, click tmsnrt.rs/2A3giRQ

On Thursday, Reuters reported Sears CEO Eddie Lampert is exploring a bid for some of the retailer’s businesses and real estate once it files for bankruptcy.

Sears did not respond to multiple requests for comment. In September, the retailer said it is cutting down on lower-performing products and becoming more aggressive in clearing out seasonal merchandise. It also expanded the assortment on its online marketplace, which allowed it to add more popular brands.

Sears also said it continues to take steps to improve its in-store experience for shoppers, without offering details.

It has made attempts to sell its products like tires and Kenmore appliances on Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) website to offset the decline in traditional shoppers by acquiring new customers online.

Even so, its annual sales have dropped nearly 60 percent to $16.7 billion.

A Sears store is pictured with a sign indicating the store remains open during the ongoing redevelopment of the neighboring Granite Run Mall in Media, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 10, 2018. REUTERS/Tom Hals

The retailer’s problems, according to shoppers, former employees and vendors interviewed by Reuters, range from its limited assortment of merchandise to poor customer service. In addition, some said, the retailer abandoned basic shop-keeping standards such as clean stores. And Lampert’s leadership over the years to save the chain hurt it more than helped.

The retailer, which for decades was considered the Amazon.com of its time, branched into industries as diverse as insurance, real estate and even broadcasting. A sign of its corporate power was the 110-story building called the Sears Tower, once its corporate headquarters in Chicago and the world’s tallest building for a period of time.

Hetrick shopped at Sears since she was a child, and said she recalls looking forward to its Christmas catalogs. But nostalgia for the Sears hallmarks, from the catalog to Craftsman tools, has not helped the 125-year-old department store bring customers through its doors in recent years.

The retailer lost its allure with shoppers after shrinking its total store locations by over 70 percent in less than a decade. Sears runs nearly 900 stores, including the Kmart chain. As of February 2018, the retailer said it employed about 89,000 workers in the United States compared to the same period five years ago, when it employed 246,000 people.

Over that time, the number of consumers open to shopping at Sears dropped to 14 percent on June 1, 2018 from 28 percent on June 1, 2013, according to data from YouGov BrandIndex, a company that tracks public perception of brands.

Only 9 percent of U.S. millennials – aged between 22 to 37 years in 2018 – said they would consider buying goods from the retailer, it said.

KMART EFFECT

Some former employees said the retailer started going downhill in 2005 when it merged with Kmart, a deal engineered by Lampert. In 2004, when the retailer announced the merger, it was the third-largest in revenue behind Walmart Inc (WMT.N) and Target Corp (TGT.N).

Customers used to be able to check out in any department in the store, and there was always someone to ask for assistance, said Judy Davis, 81 of Banning California, who retired from Sears in 1999 after working at the Cerritos, California, store for 27 years. But after the Kmart merger, the checkouts were placed in one corner near the store exit, and cashiers could not leave their registers, she said.

“They really used to promote customer service. That went out the window,” Davis said.

At the Pennsylvania store John Fullerton, a 60 year-old truck driver who visits Sears to buy clothes, tools and appliances, could not find a salesperson to check him out.

“There’s no traffic coming through here,” he said referring to the store’s empty aisles.

Lampert’s lack of experience in the retail business was the biggest reason Sears’ fortunes took a turn for the worse, said Chad Brand, president of Peridot Capital Management, which holds Sears bonds.

“What I think he missed was realizing that when your competitors are investing that capital and you are not, you are going to lose customers to your competition,” he said.

Lampert and his spokespeople were not available for comment.

Ray Wimer, assistant professor of retail practice at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management, said the story of Sears over the past year has been about trying to rework the $134 million debt payment coming due. But the bigger issue is how bad merchandising hurt performance, he said.

“Look at J.C. Penney (that has some similar financial issues) – launching a new brand Peyton & Parker on Oct. 19. I can’t remember the last time Sears launched a new brand to excite the customers to shop,” Wimer said.

The inability to hold onto customers is also tied to Sears’ inability to keep its shelves stocked. Reuters reported a year ago how many vendors started pulling back shipments and began demanding stricter payment terms.

Brett Rose, CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, a wholesale distributor of overstocked goods such as garden tools, beauty products and toys, stopped shipping to Sears and Kmart about three months ago.

“If you can’t go into Sears and buy Levi’s or Dungarees that used to be there, why are mom and dad still going there,” Rose said, highlighting that its store shelves are occasionally empty. “If they don’t have the products their core customers need, they lose them.”

A spokeswoman for Levi Strauss & Co, which owns Levi’s, said it still supplies to Sears. VF Corp (VFC.N), which owns Lee Dungarees, did not respond to requests for comment.

Dennis Gansemer, 77, who worked at the Dubuque, Iowa, store for 27 years before retiring, said it was a good company “until they had people running it that didn’t know what they were doing.”

“How do you go from being number one to being ‘Who?’,” Gansemer said.

Reporting by Nandita Bose in New York and Tom Hals in Media, Pennslyvania; Additional reporting by Suzannah Gonzales, Richa Naidu and Karen Pierog in Chicago and Melissa Fares and Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by Vanessa O’Connell and Edward Tobin

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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ultralifehackerguru-blog · 7 years ago

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New Post has been published on http://www.lifehacker.guru/unusual-christmas-tradition-every-state/

The most unusual Christmas tradition in every state

Christmas traditions vary depending on weather, culture, or location.

Minnesota has a large population of Scandinavian people, so they celebrate with lutefisk, a traditional Nordic food.

In New Mexico, wreaths are often made up of dried chiles.

Christmas is celebrated very differently throughout the world. And in a country as large as the United States, it’s no surprise that every state adds their own individual spin to the holiday.

No matter what state you’re in, you can be guaranteed to find a special holiday celebration happening in December, whether it’s a Santa Claus race in Reno, Nevada, or a Christmas tree made of beer kegs in Rochester, New York.

Keep scrolling to see the most unique holiday celebration in every state.

In Alabama, Mobile residents try to break the world record for most elves in one place in “Elfapalooza.”

Santa’s little helpers gathered in Mobile, Alabama.

Photo courtesy of LODA Art Walk

In Mobile, Alabama, thousands of people dress up in pointy ears to join one of the largest congregations of elves in the world: Elfapalooza!

Elfapalooza is currently second to a festive congregation in Bangkok, Thailand, which holds the world record of most elves in one place, but every year Mobile tries to take their spot.

Alaskans parade a wooden star from house to house to represent the Star of Bethlehem.

A Christmas tree in Alaska topped by a star.

Wonderlane/ Flickr

The Russian Orthodox tradition of selaviq, also known as starring, is celebrated in Alaska.

In the days leading up to Russian Christmas on January 7, parishioners parade from house to house carrying a wooden star, which represents the star of Bethlehem. At each house, the size of the group increases as the residents of that house join the party.

At the end of the trek, there are food, gifts, and hymns sung to celebrate the culmination of the Three Wise Men’s journey.

Chandler, Arizona, is home to the world’s largest tumbleweed Christmas tree.

Christmas in the desert.

Photo courtesy of Tomigirl22/ Instagram

One of the most popular tourist attractions during the holiday season in Arizona is the giant tumbleweed tree in Chandler, Arizona.

Workers begin to assemble this dry tannenbaum in September until it is lit for the Christmas season. The tradition of lighting a tumbleweed “tree” goes back 60 years in Chandler.

In Arkansas, people follow the Trail of Holiday Lights from one end of the state to the other.

The Lights of the Ozarks display in Fayetteville.

Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Trail of Holiday Lights

Ostentatious Christmas lights displays may have caught on in all four corners of the globe, but in Arizona, each of the state’s holiday light displays is connected on a giant “trail” that covers the whole state.

The Trail of Holiday Lights is mapped so that you can easily drive from one awe-inspiring display to another.

Santa rides the surf instead of a sleigh in California’s Laguna Niguel Surfing Santa competition.

Santa’s on winter break.

Steve Bruckmann/ Shutterstock

In sunny Laguna Niguel, California, surfing is sprinkled with a little holiday spirit in December for the Surfing Santa competition.

Athletes enter this Christmastime contest wearing white beards and jolly hats. Proceeds from the event support Surfers Healing, a surf camp for children with autism.

In Colorado, Hispanic residents re-enact the nativity during Las Posadas.

Donkeys lead the way to Bethlehem in this reenactment.

Photo courtesy of Tesoro Cultural Center

Las Posadas, or “The Inns,” is a Mexican Christmas tradition, during which people of all ages gather to re-enact the story of Christmas — specifically the journey of Mary and Joseph from inn to inn searching for a place to stay before Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ.

In Colorado, the Tesoro Cultural Center leads a procession of children dressed as Mary and Joseph, as well as shepherds and angels, to travel from house to house asking for shelter. At the end of the re-enactment, there is a celebration with hot chocolate and sweets for children.

Christmas gets spooky in Connecticut with the lantern light tours in Mystic Seaport.

A lantern-lit tour during the Christmas season.

Photo courtesy of Mystic Seaport

Every December in Mystic Seaport, actors put on an interactive play that’s set around Christmas Eve.

This year, the lantern-lit tour of the Mystic Seaport museum is called “The Spirit of the Holiday: A Christmas Ghost Story,” which culminates in a visit from St. Nicholas.

In Delaware, children leave out milk for the mischievous Tomte spirits on Christmas Eve.

Tomte visits children in a Swedish home on Christmas Eve.

David Castor/ Wikimedia Commons

For Delaware’s Swedish population, Christmas is associated with a visit from Tomte, the devilish imp who leaves gifts for good children.

According to the legend, tomten were mischievous and vengeful creatures who guarded farmsteads, but today they are regarded as benevolent Santa Claus or St. Nicholas-like figures.

Wreaths Across America lays holiday wreaths on every single grave in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Honoring the fallen.

Photo courtesy of Macdill Air Force base.

On December 16, Wreaths Across America, a non-profit organization, lays out holiday wreaths on thousands of graves in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., as well as 1,200 other locations across America.

The ceremony is meant to honor the fallen soldiers that have been buried in military cemeteries.

Florida heat means decorating lifeguard chairs instead of trees during the “Deck the Chairs” bash.

Floridians can still be festive even in the warm weather.

Photo courtesy of Hal Padgett/ Deck the Chairs

Deck the Chairs on Jacksonville Beach, is one of the largest holiday lights celebrations in Florida.

Volunteers decorate the iconic red lifeguard chairs of the American Red Cross with elaborate holiday lights displays, combining the spirit of the holidays with the balmy warm weather of the Sunshine State.

Macy’s iconic pink pig train makes its annual holiday appearance in Atlanta, Georgia.

Macy’s iconic pink pig train.

Photo courtesy of Mike Raker/ Instagram

Unless you live in Atlanta, you likely have never seen the pink pig train that comes to Macy’s Lenox Square every holiday season. The pink pig tradition began in 1953 at Rich’s downtown store, and has become a holiday mainstay for Georgia residents who recognize it as a unique staple of the holiday season.

Children can take photos with Priscilla the Pig, climb aboard, and, of course, purchase pink pig merchandise.

In Hawaii, a pig roast over an open fire is the most delicious part of Christmas dinner.

A traditional Hawaiian pig roast.

Tim Wilson/ Flickr

In Hawaii, celebrating Christmas with a hula that ends in an epic pig roast over an open fire is a tradition that dates back to the first Christmas in Hawaii. Celebrated in 1786, a merchant ship docked off the shores of Hawaii during Christmas sent a search party ashore who hunted a pig, killed it, and roasted it.

Later, they are said to have participated in a gift swap with the island’s natives, when a local chieftain sailed out to the docked ship and gifted them with a roasted pig.

The tradition, which resembles the American Thanksgiving story, continues todaywith a roast pig on almost every Hawaiian table on Christmas.

In Idaho, you can take a Christmas cruise to watch the Lake Coeur d’Alene fireworks and light show.

A view of the lakeside Christmas fireworks

Photo courtesy of Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises

Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Journey to the North Pole cruises are some of the most popular holiday events in Idaho.

The holiday light show on the water features floating displays of Santa, Rudolph, The Grinch, and more, as well as fireworks.

Shoppers flock to the Chicago Christkindlmarkt — the largest Christmas market in Illinois.

A bird’s eye view of the market.

Photo courtesy of Christkindlmarkt of Chicago

The most famous American Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market) is in Chicago. Styled after the traditional, centuries-old markets of Germany, this Christkindlmarkt features hundreds of vendors selling traditional crafts and trinkets from Germany, Austria, and local artisans.

There’s also plenty to eat and drink, like glühwein (mulled wine), hot cocoa, and giant German pretzels.

It isn’t Christmas in Indiana without a trip to the Indy Auto Show.

A Christmas-red convertible in the Indy showroom.

Photo courtesy of Indy Auto Show

Held every year starting the day after Christmas, the Indianapolis Auto Show is a unique tradition that puts a hold on traditional holiday cheer in favor of shiny fast cars for lookers and buyers alike.

In December, Iowan residents get together to decorate rooms in the Salisbury House mansion.

The Common Room as decorated by White Willow Events.

Photo courtesy of Salisbury House & Gardens

The Holly & Ivy is a holiday decorating tradition at the Salisbury House in Des Moines, Iowa. Community groups and organizations each adopt a room of the spacious mansion to decorate with trees, ribbons, baubles, and more.

The Salisbury House then hosts tours a few days before Christmas to show off the volunteers’ decorating skills.

In Kansas, young women dress up as Saint Lucy for the St. Lucia festival.

A young woman wearing the traditional lighted wreath of St. Lucia Day.

Photo Courtesy of Visit Lindsborg

Lindsborg is widely known as the Swedish capital of Kansas, so it’s no wonder that the community throws an impressive St. Lucia Day festival every year.

On this Swedish holiday that celebrates the life of the martyr Saint Lucia, the eldest daughter of every family — wearing a white robe and crown of ivy and candles — serves traditional Swedish food to her family. Her appearance is supposed to represent light and hope during the Winter Solstice.

Fruitcake soaked in whiskey is a traditional Christmas dessert in Kentucky.

Fruitcake made with nuts and dried fruit, also known as twelfth night cake.

Brent Hofacker/ Shutterstock

Fruitcake is known around the world as the laughingstock of Christmas culinary traditions. But in Kentucky, you’d be lucky to get your hands on the famous fruitcake made by monks of the Abbey of Gethsemani.

Also known as Twelfth Night cake, this fruitcake made with dried fruits, nuts, and spices, which is often soaked in bourbon (after all, this is Kentucky), is a popular Christmas delicacy.

Christmas bonfires light up the night on the Louisiana bayou.

A traditional bonfire effigy made to celebrate the holiday season.

Nancie Lee/ Shutterstock

Christmas Eve bonfires on the levees are a holiday tradition synonymous with Creole culture.

Every Christmas Eve, locals burn log structures that stand up to an impressive 30 feet. Most are built as traditional teepees (like the one pictured above), but some depict shapes like houses and ships.

In Maine, no Christmas dinner is complete without seafood chowder.

A bowl of Christmas chowder.

Carolyn-Parsons James

In New England, particularly in Maine, one of the most important parts of Christmas dinner is the seafood chowder, made with lobster, crab, and/or clams in a warm, creamy broth.

Get a recipe for New England Christmas chowder here.

A whole block gets decked out with lights on Maryland’s own “Miracle on 34th Street.”

The “Miracle of Lights” tradition.

Mark Peters/ Flickr

Over two decades ago, in Baltimore, Maryland, a man living on 34th Street placed a string of Christmas lights in the tree in his front yard. Soon, his neighbors mimicked his tradition.

Now, more than 25 years later, the humble Baltimore block is transformed every year into a decorative spectacle known as the “Miracle on 34th Street.” Every house participates in the annual lighting tradition that draws visitors from all over the country.

Stockbridge is the Christmas capital of Massachusetts — as made famous by Norman Rockwell’s paintings.

A view of quaint Main Street in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Photo courtesy of Tracey_Anne/ Instagram

Not many people know that the nostalgic paintings created by the popular artist Norman Rockwell actually depicted a real place, and not just small town Americana from his imagination. That place — Norman Rockwell’s hometown — is Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Stockbridge Main Street goes all out every year in December to recreate the idyllic New England setting with parades, caroling, and holiday concerts.

Shoppers come from all over to visit Bronner’s — the world’s largest Christmas store — in Michigan.

Just one corner of this giant Christmas store.

Paul Wilkinson/ Flickr

Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland claims to be the largest Christmas store in the world. Open all year round, the 320,000 square-foot store contains multiple floors of decorations, gifts, trees, and any holiday trinket you can possibly think of.

Minnesota residents always serve lutefisk on Christmas, whether they love it or hate it.

A Nordic lutefisk dinner.

Fanfo/ Shutterstock

Lutefisk dinners began as a Nordic holiday tradition, and are now part of a quintessential Christmas dinner for Minnesotans across the state, regardless of their ethnic background.

Lutefisk is a dried white fish soaked in water for several days and treated with lye. The dish has a Jell-O-like consistency, and is reminiscent of gefiltefish served during Jewish Passover. It has become popular in the Twin Cities region due to the large population of immigrants from Scandinavia.

Decorated boats line the shores of Biloxi Beach for the largest Christmas boat parade in Mississippi.

A boat all decked out for the holidays.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Martini Images/ Instagram

Instead of just decorating houses, Mississippi residents look forward to the decked-out boats that take part in the Biloxi Beach Water Boat Parade. Boaters decorate their vessels to the nines, and the show culminates in a stunning fireworks display.

In Missouri, kids are just as excited to meet the Fairy Princess as they are to see Santa.

The Fairy Princesses from 2015 decked out in white.

Photo courtesy of the Kansas City Museum

If you live outside the Twin Cities, you probably have no idea who the Fairy Princess is. But for local kids, the Fairy Princess is a holiday icon. Young local women dress up in crowns and royal regalia to meet with children. Each child who meets a Fairy Princess gets a toy that comes out of a secret treasure chest.

The Fairy Princess was a tradition started by Kline’s Department Store in 1936. The Klines came up with the idea because they were Jewish and did not wish to hire a Santa Claus. Thus, the non-denominational (and sparkly) figure was born.

December in Montana is about athletic endurance during the Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival.

Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival.

Photo courtesy of Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival

The Montana Ice Festival may sound magical, but this annual ice climbing competition is all about athletic grit.

Held every year right around Christmas in Bozeman, Montana, the festival features daring climbing contests on the face of the Bridger Mountain Range, as well as the annual Adventure Film Festival.

Buffalo Bill’s house puts on a fantastic display in Nebraska for “Christmas at the Cody’s.”

The Cody House.

Photo courtesy of the International Cody Family Association

Yes, Buffalo Bill was a real person. William Frederick Cody was well-known as a historical figure of the Wild West, but these days his mansion — the Cody House— is popular for its holiday traditions.

Local organizations “adopt” rooms of the Cody Mansion and decorate them for the holidays. Visitors can take a tour of the house and will receive hot cocoa and Christmas cookies.

In Nevada, people don their Christmas outfits for the annual Great Santa Dash.

Hundreds of Santas line up for the race.

Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Events

The Great Santa Dash in Reno, Nevada, is one of the largest Christmas-themed 5K races in the country. Expect Santa hats instead of race bibs, and cocoa and cookiesinstead of water and sports drinks.

New Hampshire inns participate in the “Inn to Inn Cookie Tour.”

Nothing better than a plate of cookies by the fire.

Photo courtesy of Country Inns in the White Mountains

Inns and bed and breakfasts across New Hampshire take part in what’s become known as the “Inn to Inn Cookie Tour.”

Participants can travel to different lodging locations in the White Mountains area to sample homemade holiday cookies and hot chocolate, and mix and mingle with guests at each inn.

New Jersey’s own Storybook Land is tailor-made for celebrating Christmas.

Santa Claus’ house at Storybook Land.

Stephen B./Yelp

Storybook Land has been a prime spot for New Jersey kids for over 60 years, and their Christmas Fantasy With Lights parade has been around for over 25 years.

The evening’s highlight is when Santa appears, lighting up the entire park with a wave of his magic wand.

In New Mexico, “ristras,” a type of red pepper, are hung up as decoration.

Ristras are said to bring health and good luck.

Flickr/Tony Alter

They don’t have white Christmases in New Mexico, so it makes sense they’d decorate with something a little spicier, which is why dried peppers are often strung across homes, or turned into wreaths. The peppers are said to bring health and good luck.

In Rochester, New York, locals look forward to the unusual Genesee Keg Tree all year long.

The Genesee Keg Tree in 2017.

The Genesee Brewery/Facebook

A beer keg tree is constructed in Rochester, New York, annually, with the 2017 tree being their biggest one yet, made out of 430 kegs and covered in 2,000 feet of lights.

In North Carolina, Santa Claus rappels down the biggest chimney in the state every year — Chimney Rock!

Santa rappelling down Chimney Rock.

Asheville/YouTube

Every year in Asheville, Santa climbs down the 315-foot Chimney Rock, and then joins in other Christmas festivities at the park — there’s hot chocolate, cookies, as well as a kind of petting zoo.

The entire town of Garrison, North Dakota, transforms into a Victorian-era village for the holiday season.

Festival-goers.

Helena/Flickr

Garrison is known as the Christmas Capitol of North Dakota, and for good reason, as the entire town transforms into a Victorian-era village for the holiday season. There’s a fruit cake toss, English high tea, top hat decorating, live performances of Dickens’ works, horse-drawn carriages, and a whole lot more old-school festivities.

Residents of Ohio (and people all around the world) flock to Cleveland to remember “A Christmas Story.”

The house was restored recently to look like the film.

A Christmas Story House/Facebook

Take a tour or even stay overnight at the house with the leg lamp in the window from “A Christmas Story.”

Oklahoma residents fire “Christmas guns” every year.

Hitching a ride to the ceremony.

Historic Fort Reno/Facebook

Firing the “Christmas guns” at Fort Reno is a longstanding tradition. Originally a custom brought over by German immigrants, the firing of the guns (and cannons, in some cases) was thought to dispel evil spirits in preparation for Christmas.

Oregon takes caroling to a whole new level with the Singing Christmas Tree.

The Singing Christmas Tree consists of over 350 people.

Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree

Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree entered its 55th season this year. The tree consists of over 350 singers, and the event, which is around two hours long, includes dancing, a nativity scene, and a light show.

In Pennsylvania, Santa Claus ditches the sleigh and rows his way across a lake.

The tree floats in the middle of Children’s Pond.

Handsome Red Productions/Facebook

In Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, Santa makes a more low key entrance than flying in on a sleigh. After a tree has been lit and set afloat on Childrens’ Lake, Santa rows across it to greet all the kids waiting for him on the lit up shores.

Rhode Island’s Block Island creates a tree made from lobster traps every year.

Block Island’s lobster trap tree.

Block Island/Facebook

An annual tradition on Block Island, this Christmas tree, made with around 200 lobster traps, is a little unusual, but makes sense once you think about all the lobster consumed in Rhode Island.

South Carolina celebrates its past with “Christmas 1860.”

Celebrating a Civil War-era Christmas.

Edmondston-Alston House/Facebook

In 1860, Charleston, South Carolina was about to enter the Civil War. To remember that turbulent time, the Edmondston-Alston House gives visitors the opportunity to try and imagine what Christmas Day before the Civil War was like.

South Dakota has an entire town that’s a designated a National Landmark, and it goes hard for Christmas.

Deadwood.

Historic Deadwood/Facebook

The entire town of Deadwood (yes, that Deadwood) is a National Landmark, and has been since 1961. It’s a true time capsule into the days of cowboys and the Gold Rush, and goes all out for Christmas with lights, decorations, and a Christmas Spectacular show.

A band in Tennessee gives away a Christmas ham to a member of the audience every year.

The Station Inn all decorated for Christmas.

bob_johnsen/Instagram

The Nashville Bluegrass Band performs at the Station Inn in Nashville’s hippest neighborhood, the Gulch, every December. And every year, the band gives away a Christmas ham to someone in the audience, after they perform the song “Ham Beats All The Meat.” If not just for the ham, go for the music and the banter.

Texans ditch the normal Christmas pine tree and decorate a pecan tree instead.

A pecan tree.

Highland Parks Texas Parks and Recreation

Dallas residents have a beloved tree they call Big Pecan Tree — all capitalized. The enormous tree gets decorated every year — and has been since 1927— and seeing it in all of its holiday glory is a local tradition.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is constantly on tour, but during the holidays they take a break and perform in their home state of Utah.

The choir has performed in Salt Lake City for over 100 years.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir/Facebook

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was founded in 1847, making it one of the oldest traditions on this list. The Choir has released over 10 albums, including one this year called “Mormon Tabernacle Choir & Friends.” But the best place to see them perform is in their home state of Utah, which they do around Christmas every year.

A town in Vermont gets locals in the Christmas spirit with a scavenger hunt.

The event is part of A Very Merry Middlebury.

Vermont Book Shop/Facebook

Middlebury, Vermont, gets its entire population into the holiday spirit with different events, like the “I Spy” contest. This year, the contest involves finding 10 tiny chickens hidden in 10 store windows in downtown Middlebury. The winner of the contest gets $100 in Middlebury Money — money that can be spent at local shops and restaurants across town.

Virginia remembers the US’ first president by keeping his Christmas traditions alive.

George Washington brought a camel home one Christmas.

Aladdin the Camel/Facebook

In 1787, George Washington brought a camel to his home in Mount Vernon for Christmas, and now Mount Vernon pays tribute to the tradition by having their very own Christmas camel every year. It even takes selfies.

Washington has an entire festival dedicated to tree decorating.

One of the contestants.

Seattle Festival of Trees/Facebook

This year was the 40th Festival of Trees in Seattle. Trees are professionally decorated according to a theme (this year’s was “Project Welcome Home, Vietnam War Memorial”), and can be sponsored by companies or individuals. Trees are for sale, and all of the proceeds go to Seattle Children’s Hospital.

West Virginia’s Winter Festival of Lights spans 300 acres.

Winter Festival of Lights.

Oglebay Resort

The Oglebay Winter Festival of Lights, which first started in 1985, is one of the biggest light shows in the country. It spans 300 acres, and has over 89 lit up attractions — from a rainbow tunnel to Peanuts characters — made with over one million lights.

The Cave of the Mounds in Wisconsin offers Sing-A-Long Caroling Tours in an unusual setting.

Carolers in the cave.

Cave of the Mounds National Natural Landmark/Facebook

During weekends in December, Cave of the Mounds in Wisconsin offers Sing-A-Long Caroling Tours. The cave’s acoustics will make your favorite holiday songs sound otherworldly.

In Wyoming, you can actually ski with Santa.

Santa takes selfies.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort/Facebook

On Christmas morning in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, skiers can fly down the mountain with Santa.

(C)

#christmas #holidays #travel

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inb4vaughn · 7 years ago

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Champions Retreat Is A Masters Fan’s Dream

The par 3 8th hole on Jack Nicklaus’ Bluffs nine at Champions Retreat

Standing on the 8th tee of Jack Nicklaus’ rollicking Bluffs nine at Champions Retreat, under the friendly Georgia sun of mid-autumn, brings into focus every element of golf’s attraction and lasting appeal.

First there’s the hole itself, a handsome mid-length par 3, its tee elevated to afford a view of the reedy Southern slough stretching from the green’s left shoulder to another green perhaps a quarter-mile away, on Arnold Palmer’s Island Nine — much of it strung along the Savannah River — with yet a third nine, the Creek, authored by Gary Player, off to the west a bit.

There’s the middle-of-nowhere setting among dense forest that gives no clue of the 16 luxury cabins and “rustic upscale” clubhouse complex just a few hundred yards away, which cater to a broad array of golf and social members — most of them local, the rest from across America with a handful from other countries — 51 weeks of the year.

The remaining week? That’s when Champions Retreat opens its gates to the public, mostly in the form of corporate hosts and their guests, for the Masters.

Which brings up a third feeling on that 8th tee: The gut-leap of realization that the biggest tournament in golf, and the flawless course that has hosted it for more than 80 years, is just a 20-minute drive (or, for some, a five-minute helicopter ride) away.

THE AUGUSTA EFFECT

Salmon, steak, barbecue, s'mores — Champions Retreat serves it all in style.

The Masters mystique permeates just about every corner of day-to-day life in Augusta and the surrounding towns, and, of course, drives much of the region’s commerce, especially just before, during and immediately after “toonamint” week. It’s truly the center of the golf universe for those few spring days, and it gives Champions Retreat the opportunity to show the world what it’s got going on as a club, a destination and an experience.

And boy, does it have a lot going on.

“Champions Retreat offers the premium golf experience in the Augusta area, allowing for a voyage on courses designed by golf’s greatest legends, Nicklaus, Palmer and Player,” said General Manager Cameron Wiebe, an affable Canadian who came here after stints at some of Southeast’s top private clubs including the legendary, hyper-private Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida. “Exceptional regional cuisine, southern hospitality and a lower barrier to comfort makes Champions Retreat the place to be Masters Week.”

“Lower barrier to comfort” is an understatement. This place lives up to its “retreat” moniker in every way. Solitude and relaxation are key. There’s no pressure dress up beyond standard stylish golf attire — certainly no black ties or designer gowns necessary unless they’re part of a wedding dress code at The Barn, the club’s new events center, with its versatile mix of large and small group spaces and quick access to the clubhouse kitchen, where Chef Jeremy Miller can produce a classic Low Country boil or a high-end four-course meal on appreciative demand … and even cater it to your cabin, if so desired. Meanwhile, pitmaster Hal Rowland produces spot-on barbecue from the on-site smoker, including killer ribs and his special Appling Andouille.

To counteract all that fine eatin’, Champions Retreat offers several golf specific strength and strretching programs, including yoga, plus a fully equipped gym. Golf lessons? Of course, in individual and group flavors.

HOME AWAY FROM … IT ALL

One of 16 4- to 8-bedroom cabins at Champions Retreat

Depending on your settle-in-and-hang style, there’s a four- to eight-bedroom cabin to fit the bill. Some have fire pits and brick patios, others verandas. All and spacious common areas, big kitchens to stock with your own food to cook or spirits to drink, and well-appointed bedrooms with private baths — 96 beds in all. For Masters week, cabins for up to $30,000, not including food, beverage or golf; residential homes rentals are also available for up to $50,000-$60,000.

While most of non-hang time will most likely include a round or two of golf, guests can still venture out onto at least one course for some late-day fun. Way out at the farthest reaches of the Island nine, behind the fourth green, awaits The Deck, which is just that — an expansive wooden deck fronting the river that, along with a grassy area suitable or more fire pit action, popular for corporate parties during Masters week and members-only events year-round. Golfers have even been known to drop a ball or from an adjacent platform and try to blast a ball 220 yards or so over the river and into South Carolina.

THE GOLF: BIG THREE GLEE

The 8th hole of Arnold Palmer's Island nine at Champions Retreat

After nearly 15 years since Gary Player knocked his ceremonial tee shot down his Creek nine’s tough opening hole, all three course at Champions Retreat benefitted from a recent renovations — re-sanded bunkers, improved drainage, better sightlines and green health thanks to some judicious tree removal. Some holes conjure the aesthetics of a certain nearby championship layout so completelh that guests are forgiven if they feel the occasional thrill chill. Masters Week tee times range from $2,400 to $2,700 per foursome (including caddie, $200 merchandise credit, food and beverage all day).

Fittingly, the Island nine brings the most water into play, though its fairways are probably the most generous on the entire property. It’s a classic Palmer-Ed Seay affair asking for big drives over flashed, push-in bunkers and careful approaches to large greens with plenty of break. No. 4 is a highlight reel hole that plays out toward and along the Savannah, with a tall tree that Wiebe dubbed “The Broccoli” pretty much blocking any shot in from the left side. The two par 3s, holes 6 and 8, run neck-and-neck for visual beauty (the latter plays over a slough frequented by kayakers and snapping turtles), while No. 9 is a stellar, zigzagging par 5 with its own perfectly placed fairway tree in the lay-up zone.

The 9th hole on Gary Player's Creek nine at Champions Retreat

With its bright bunkers, forced carries from the tee, bountiful bunkering, strategic sightlines and stout demands on one’s iron game, Player’s Creek Nine is a beautiful beast that comes closest to echoing Augusta National itself on several holes, especially No. 5, which, with the creek snaking up its left side from the tee and around to the green’s right edge on the approach, is essentially a dogleg-right variation on Augusta No. 13. No. 3 might be the toughest par 4 on three nines’ 365-acre expanse — 452 uphill yards from the tips, a still-challenging 382 yards from the members’ tees, with a huge bunker waiting to swallow your drive up the left side. And then there’s No. 9, a spectacular cape-style par 4 swooping left-to-right around a lake. Rinse one there and you’ll most likely have a gallery watching from a cabin’s porch on the left.

We leave the Golden Bear’s rollicking Bluffs nine for last. When each legend chose the site for his holes, Nicklaus couldn't resist this stretch of heaving hills, hollows and piney pitches, which he and his design crew left largely untouched in terms of extensive earth moving. The result is a well-balanced mix of right and left, uphill and downhill holes — and several cool surprises including No. 6, a beguiling and challenging short par 4 that’s best negotiated with a lay-up tee shot downhill to a right-angled fairway, followed by a short iron or wedge to a green tucked between creek and rocky hillside. It’s a delightful birdie opportunity though double-bogeys pop up more often than you’d think.

A couple holes later and we’re back where we started, on that elevated No. 8 tee, reveling in the sweet seclusion, modern club craft and Southern charm put forth every day at Champions Retreat — and revealed to all the Masters-minded world come each magnolia-scented April. If ever there was a reason to take the “member for a week” idea to heart, this is it. You might just decide to stretch that week into a lifetime.

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More golf travel by Vic Williams

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