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polarisbibliotheque · 2 years ago

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Hello. For your Spotify Wrapped Game, how about 4 with Dante. By the way, thank you for all your writting, I really enjoy it 😊

Hello, my dear!! I'm always so happy to see you here, I enjoy your presence in the bibliotheque ^^ thank you so much for all the love always and thank you for the request of the Spotify Wrapped!!

It took me some time, but here it is \o/

I gotta get used to write smaller stuff

Spotify Wrapped Special: 4, Dante - Baker Street Extended Mix, by Undercover

Pairing: Dante x Reader

Summary: To maintain your incredible physique and stamina while fighting demons, you and Dante must exercise regularly. He often forgets you're human, though.

Author's notes: I wheezed when I noticed it was Dante with the very 90's dance remix of Baker Street, since Vergil's first Devil May Dance edition was with Baker Street - the non dance-y version of it. Oh, I love when fate makes oposite-complimentary twins so obvious *sighs*

About the Song: Originally by Gerry Rafferty, Baker Street is a song with a catchy saxophone riff and lyrics that are quite existential about life and its changes. It has a mixed version by Undercover, the one in question, and being a child of the 90's I'd say I listened more to this version in the early 00's rather than the original one. Love 'em both, though.

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4, Dante - Baker Street Extended Mix, by Undercover

“Dante, I love you… But my energy levels are close to zero today.”

You were practically being dragged by your red devil – Dante held your wrist and got you walking alongside him as he guided you to the center of the shop. The upbeat music took over the Devil May Cry, but you just wanted to sit down and sleep.

Probably on his chair, feet on his desk. The classic.

“Nah, babe, can’t let you slack off like that!” Turning back at you, Dante stood with both hands on his hips. “It’s trainin’ time. Gotta get those muscles strong enough to fight demons.”

“I’m already strong enough to fight demons.” You pointed out, raising one of your eyebrows. “I’d gladly train with you, but I’m really tired, Dante. I feel like I’m gonna collapse on the floor at any moment now.”

“See, I can’t let that happen to my sweet muffin, can I?” He winked back at you; a cheesy smile glistening on his lips.

“Sweet muffin…?” Oh yes, you were judging, now with your hands on your hips. “Really…?”

“Oh, yeah. Sweet muffins are as delicious as ya, babe!” His answer came with Dante starting to move his hips from side to side on the rhythm of the song. You never thought the remix of Baker Street would be so fitting for his fitness sessions, but there you were.

“Jeez, who are you now?! Jane Fonda?!” You had to laugh back as Dante did the same, trying to get you to move alongside him.

“I’m gonna be if I need to! Leotard and everythin’!” He pointed back at you, making you laugh even more. You had to give in, moving slightly. “C’mon! Gotta get some energy goin’!”

With those words, Dante took his shirt off, throwing it back on his desk, standing side by side with you. While watching, you just sighed in response, rolling your eyes.

“That’s low, you devil.”

“Hey, I do what I gotta do.” Dante winked back at you. “C’mon. Let’s start with a couple of jumpin’ jacks.”

“Yeah, why not kill me right at the start…!” You complained but accompanied him either way.

Exercising with Dante was always fun. He liked keeping it fun and upbeat, choosing high energy songs and mostly strength exercises you were both used to.

Even so, following him wasn’t an easy task. You often talked about that with Kyrie: sometimes, Nero decided to train alongside her, and she always had a hard time. Kyrie wasn’t weak nor in a bad cardio shape, but keeping up with Nero… It was a thing in itself.

You immediately understood when she talked about it with you for the first time. Training with Dante was a pain – you and Kyrie did different kinds of trainings, but even if the Spardas said they would keep it light for humans, they had a hard time knowing what light meant physically.

Lady later joined that conversation, mentioning the very few times she made the mistake of going to a local gym with Trish – the devil never seemed to get tired and lifting weights was so easy, every bodybuilder at the place ended up overworking themselves trying to prove they could lift more than Trish. Long story short, they couldn’t and ended up in the hospital while the devil woman left for tea and macarons with Lady post workout.

And Lady didn’t do half of the things Trish did but looked like she had just ran a marathon three times in a row. Trish was barely blushing.

Living with devils really wasn’t easy for humans like yourselves.

“Ei, you’re doin’ pretty good today, hot stuff. Dunno why you were complainin’.” Dante winked at you as he finished the jumping jacks, ready to start a new set of exercises. You just rolled your eyes.

“You say this all the time, red devil.” You placed your hands on your hips, already feeling your breath accelerated. Dante, in the other hand, was completely normal. “I’m always doing pretty well for a human.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re awesome, babe.” With those words, he placed a quick peck on your forehead, before starting moving around once more. “C’mon. We’re just startin’.”

“I’m gonna regret this, I’m pretty sure…” You shook your head, sighing. He was an endless ball of energy when depression didn’t hit.

When it did, though, it was almost impossible to get Dante off his chair. He was an immovable force tossed on the big Devil May Cry desk and there wasn’t much you could do – although, you could always find a way to grab him out of his deepest nightmares.

There was a reason why you would always follow him around whenever Dante was that happy and wanted to dance, exercise, go out, have fun or whatever. It warmed your soul – no matter how much he tired you physically. While watching him move in the rhythm of the saxophone blasting through the shop, you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling upon watching him smile.

You would never say you’d be one to experience real love. But there was something about wanting to smile when you saw someone you cherished so much smiling as well. The fact he was happy made you happy, no matter how gray the day was. And if that wasn’t real love, you’d argue you didn’t know what love was, then.

“See? You are doin’ great!” Dante couldn’t spend time doing something with you without praising – it was something inherent in him. If you could smile only watching him smile, he could drown in happiness whenever he saw you blushing and letting yourself free around him. That was real love for Dante. “Ready for some push-ups?”

“Oh, c’mon! Now you’re definitely tryna kill me!” You had to laugh it off, although preparing yourself. Taking your shirt off, you threw it on the couch and cracked your fingers.

“Ha! You’re all talk, I know!” Starting a weird dance, you had to laugh back when he started talking again. “C’mon, don’t give up now! We have a long way to go and you’re doin’ amazing, hottie!”

“Not giving up, Jane Fonda! Let’s go!”

Of course, you would do push ups in your own human way, while Dante leaned his feet on his desk, hands on the floor, just warming up his muscles, as he would say.

You learned the hard way his official way of doing push ups was against a wall, feet high on the air – a push up in a handstand. During those days, you would just lean on his desk and read something while he exercised with metal music blasting through the shop – those were the days Dante took his exercising seriously and you just allowed him to do whatever his devilish stamina allowed and needed him to do to keep him in shape.

With your hands on your hips again, you were already sweaty, blushed and needing a little break to breath normally once more. Dante just got up and it seemed like he hadn’t even started.

“Need a break, gorgeous?”

“Yeah, a quick one…” You sighed while wiping some sweat off your forehead.

You didn’t expect, though, to be swept off your feet in your strong red devil’s arms.

“Dante…!”

“I love dancin’ with ya, babe!”

There was a golden laugh in his voice that made you giggle in response while holding tightly to his shoulder and hand. Dante intertwined his fingers with yours, spinning with you in the floor of the Devil May Cry – the song carrying you both in that lovely feeling of having each other.

Living with devils wasn’t always easy. Living with Dante, though, was always delightful.

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thepeoplesmovies · 3 months ago

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Peaky Blinders Creator House Of Guinness Cast Announced

Anyone for a pint of Guinness? Netflix have today announced the cast for Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight‘s House Of Guinness. With production of the 8 part series based on one of Ireland’s most famous dynasties now started, what better time to know who is who. James Norton, Jack Gleeson and Dervla Kirwan all star with Norton playing Sean Rafferty, Gleeson as Byron Hedges and Kirwan as Aunt…

#2024 #Dervla Kirwan #House Of Guinness #jack gleeson #James norton #steven knight

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ashisgreedy · 1 year ago

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Richard Jackdaw 🎶

A moody playlist ~

Spotify Link Here To Full Playlist

Track 1:

So strange and beautiful How you gaze upon my bones A mistake, a tragedy Since we missed each other by a century

Track 2:

Touch me with no hands

Hold me with your eyes

Unwind me with your mind tonight

Track 3:

These are hard times for dreamers

And love lost believers

Track 4:

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream Make her the cutest that I've ever seen Give her two lips like roses and clover And tell her that her lonely nights are over

Sandman, I'm so alone

Track 5:

Oh, darling, my soul

You know it aches for yours

'Cause you're the reason I believe in fate, you're my paradise And I'll do anything to be your love or be your sacrifice

Pic of Jack Source

Made it collaborative if you'd like to add to it~ (use this link)

#Spotify #richard jackdaw #yeah... i got it bad 😭#im in love with your honor

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benicioscenes · 2 years ago

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BENICIO DEL TORO as JACK RAFFERTY SIN CITY 2005 | dir. Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez

#the above the law mindset here yikes #this man is a detective #benicio del toro #beniciodeltoroedit #bdtedit #jack rafferty #jackraffertyedit #sin city 2005 #sincityedit #JACKRAFFERTY #*benicioscenes.gif #mine #tw gun #cw gun #tw alcohol #cw alcohol #i would let him lock me up tho ngl... fic idea

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sustainably-du-mortain · 2 years ago

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Detective Jonah Rafferty

he/him | 27 | Adam & Nate

Introduction under the cut

- Basic Info -

height: average (5'7" / 172cm)

hair: dark brown, short

eyes: light brown

face claim: Jack Falahee

sexuality: gay & polyamorous

- Personality -

on first impression he appears as a sarcastic little shit because he's not much of an outgoing person, and socialising isn't his forte, not that he cares to do any efforts about that.

but once he finally feels safe enough to let his guard down it's easy to realise he has a huge heart too soft for his own good and he'd do anything for the people close to him, even if it means putting his own life on the line.

although he is very serious, he loves to joke around if the opportunity presents itself, and it's pretty easy to make him laugh.

mind you he's shit at socialising but if there's one thing he's good at, it's flirting. he thinks he can flirt his way out of any situation, but that can sometimes make it hard to decipher if he's being sincere about his feelings or not.

- Relationships -

Adam: they had a really hard time getting along when they first met, as neither of them was having the other's shit, but they quickly realized that they both had a real interest in their job and were really invested, thus gaining each other's respect and more... Jonah was very aware of his attraction towards Adam, but he wasn't going to act on it at first, because he wasn't sure he was ready for a relationship just yet, but seeing as the attraction just kept growing he started flirting with Adam to see if maybe, there could be something more between the two of them and let's be honest, openly flirting with Adam is hilarious, but it backfired when he fell for the stern vampire. He's not the slightest frustrated with Adam being back and forth about his feeling, well maybe just a tad but, because of what he went through with Bobby, he can understand how terrifying it can be to start a relationship, so he doesn't really mind, and it also gives him time to get used to the idea of a relationship himself. His nickname for Adam is mon amour (my love)

Nate: meeting Nate was a whole other story. He couldn't deny that he was definitely attracted to Nate, and Nate made it really hard to deny the fact that the attraction was mutual. Now, Jonah hadn't dated since Bobby, he had a flings, but nothing ever serious, so Nate being as open about his feelings as he is, was very unsettling to Jonah because he wasn't used to that, so when Nate made it clear that he wanted it to be something serious, Jonah panicked because he has feelings for the vampire, but he's not sure he's ready for a relationship quite yet, so he pulled a A move on Nate, until he figured out, that yes, it's scary, and yes, he really wants more with Nate. But when he got with Nate, he made it clear that he also had feelings for Adam, he gave Nate time to process it all and I hc that Nate eventually helped him win Adam over. He also had a really hard time with Nate because of the whole Rebecca thing. His nickname for Nate is joli coeur (literally it translate to 'pretty heart' but it's usually used to refer to someone as a huge flirt)

Mason: his bestie. It was kind of a friends at first sight type of encounter for these two, it was like a silent agreement that they’d have each other’s back from the moment they met.

Felix: the fact that Felix wasn’t a single bit intimidated by him put him off at first and he didn't know how to react around him, but he quickly won him over by cracking up the funniest jokes. Now he absolutely adores Felix as he’s so easy to get comfortable with.

Also he's an enabler so nothing good ever comes out of these 3 being in the same room together.

Rebecca: his relationship with Rebecca definitely isn’t the best, to say the least. Her constant going away contributed to their poor relationship, and he resents her a lot for that because he deeply suffered from it. She's one of the main reasons he has so much trouble trusting people, because he's scared they’ll just leave him at some point like she did. He's decent to her at work because he considers that Unit Bravo doesn't have to witness their relationship issues. He's not yet sure if he'll ever be able to forgive her for all that she did, or more precisely for what she didn't do.

Rook: he has a couple memories of his dad that he really cherishes and he kept a lot of Rook's stuff to feel closer to him.

Verda: these two became friends the second they met each other. Jonah being a science-minded guy he was really interested in Verda's work although he's more tech inclined. Verda also became kind of a father figure for Jonah.

Tina: he met Tina in his first year of uni and although they didn’t click right away, due to Tina’s bubbly personality and Jonah’s not very social behaviour, they became great friends thanks to Tina’s perseverance and her support everytime Jonah needed it. Their relationship is all based on queer people supporting each other: they stood up for the other, went through their first heartbreaks together and Tina helped Jonah get out of his relationship with Bobby.

Bobby: he was one of the first people accepting Jonah’s polyamory, although he took advantage of that way too often to cheat on Jonah. The first few months of their relationship were amazing and Jonah was relieved by how open Bobby was with his polyamory and the couple flings he had when they were together, but he realized after a long time that Bobby wasn’t fine with it at all and that he was just using it to sleep with other people behind his back to get anything he wanted and when Jonah realized that, their relationships quickly deteriorated as Bobby became abusive and manipulative over Jonah.

Douglas: he pities the boy a lot because he can see that his relationship with his dad isn't great and damn, the kid reminds him so much of a younger version of himself. So, of course, he wants to help but he doesn't really know how, so he has resorted to taking him under his wing, although he isn't a big fan of the whole worshipping thing that's going on.

- Random Headcanons -

He has dog named Bo that he adopted as a puppy after he found him outside of the station one day. Someone had left him in a cardboard box so he took him in for what was supposed to be one night, but when Bo climbed up in bed with him during the night, he just fell in love with that little ball of fur.

He's a guitarist. He learned to play the guitar as a teen because Rook knew how to play. He's a natural and he learned really fast. He actually played in a band in Wayhaven as a teen, but got kicked out when they learned that he was polyam. He owns a Fender EOB Sustainer Stratocaster and an acoustic guitar, which were Rook's.

He's a songwriter. He started writing not long after learning how to play because he didn't know how else to express his feelings.

He has a huge record collection that started when he kept Rook's record. When she learned that he started collecting records, Rebecca started gifting him some on his birthdays and for Christmas and that's the only thing that made him not hate her completely as a teen.

He's fluent in French, he has been learning it since he was a kid because he once saw a clip of Rook speaking it and he became obsessed with him, but he also had a nanny who spoke French, so he grew up learning that language.

He hates the rain and he's scared of storms. As a kid he grew up with no one to reassure him when there was a storm or simply heavy rain and it traumatized him. He's a heavy sleeper but storms and rain are the only thing that will wake up in the middle of the night.

He picked up boxing after being kicked out of the band. He needed something to let his anger out and not snap at every person staring at him. So everytime something in his life goes wrong you’ll find him at the gym where he’ll train for hours until his knuckles bleed. He’s an extremely good boxer but he’ll obsess over a lost fight so training with Adam is a pain in the ass.

His favorite dish is lasagna. He just loves that it’s a fairly easy dish to make and that he can change the recipe all he wants depending on his mood. Tina can attest that he makes the best lasagna of Wayhaven but he also made the worst ones.

#new blog means I get to introduce my OCs all over again #oc: jonah rafferty #adam du mortain #nate sewell #adam x jonah x nate #twc detective #twc #the wayhaven chronicles #ali's headcanons

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fiftytwotwentythree · 10 months ago

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Wellness Wednesday:

Happy...? New Year?

I say, Yeah, Yeah It Is.

Avoid Eating Out... Check

Avoid Sweets/Junk Food... Check

Lose 52 Pounds... Check

Lose 100 Pounds... Check

Try Out a Vegetarian Diet/Lifestyle (for a month) without Making it a Personality... Check

Go the Whole Year Rockin' a Rat Tail... Check

Weigh the Lowest You've Ever Weigh in Almost 2 Decades... Check

Phew.

These last couple days/weeks/month I have been in a horrible mood, but the last two days of December I had sudden change in behavior and attitude.

I got hit with a surge chutzpah. Workouts became slightly easier. Even though I was running on fumes (aka massive lack of sleep) I don't feel exhausted like I have for the past few months.

And I gotta give up for the New Year and the Death of this Challenge. Seeing the days turn into hours with the Challenge made Heart Grow 3 Sizes... in a Good Way.

I can finally put this Weight Loss/Wellness Challenge down in books under the Win Column.

53rdth and FINAL CHECK-IN:

Current Goals:

Lose 52 lbs

Completed as of 4/12/2023

Milestone: Loss 100 lbs as of 11/01/2023

Milestone: Loss 104 lbs as of 12/27/2023 thus doubling my initial goal of 52 lbs

New Goal: Maintain or Continue on The Weight Loss Path

Avoid "Junk Food"

Completed:

A whole year with no Pizza, Ice Cream, Pop/Soda, Chips, Candy, Sweets/Desserts

Minimize Take-Out / Fast Food Consumption

Completed:

A whole year with no take out or eating out once - not one single outing.

Rock a Rat Tail for a Full Year: Completed

January 1st, 2023 - January 1st, 2024

R.I.P.

Short Term:

Vegetarian-ish Diet: Completed

End Date: 4/09/2023 - 46 Days Total

Groundhog's Day Diet: Completed*

10/01/2023 - 10/31/2023

Stats from December:

Food:

Cans of Soup: 20

Oranges: 19

Bags of Popcorn: 16

Leftover Meals: 5

Salads: 2

Take Out: 0

Candy/Sweets: 0

Workout:

Jumping Jacks: 18,500

Push-Ups: 4,600

Glute Bridges: 4,600

Reverse Leg Lifts: 4,600

Leg Kickbacks: 4,600

Sit-Ups: 4,600

Plank (mins): 230

Weight Loss:

Weightloss This Month: -5.2 lbs

Average Weightloss per Week: -1.3 lbs

Total Weightloss: -106.6 lbs

Entertainment:

Movies:

Movies Watched: 10

Favorite from the Month:

Migration

TV:

Hours of Television Watched: ~ 7 hours ( Ink Master; Last Week Tonight)

Books:

Books Completed This Month: 3

Book Title(s) Completed This Month:

Best. Movie. Year. Ever. by Brian Rafferty

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Book Total for the Year: 7

Comics:

Comics Completed: 1

Trades Completed: 24

Comic/Trade Titles Completed:

Venom by Donny Cates Vol. 2: The Abyss (Venom (2018-2021))

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 2: The Outfit

Ms. Marvel Vol. 2: Generation Why (Ms. Marvel Series)

X-Men '92 Vol. 2: Lilapalooza (X-Men '92 (2016))

Giant Days Vol. 2

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 2

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2 (of 6): Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Color Edition

All-New X-Men Vol. 2: Here To Stay

Civil War II (Civil War II (2016))

Archie vs Predator II

Deadpool by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (Deadpool (2008-2012))

Batman (2016-) Vol. 3: I Am Ban

Lumberjanes Vol. 4

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Vol. 6

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 7: I've Been Waiting For A Squirrel Like You (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015-2019))

Spider-Man/Deadpool Vol. 3: Itsy Bitsy (Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016-2019))

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 3: The Score (Parker Novels Book 5)

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 4: Slayground

She-Hulk Vol. 1: Law and Disorder (She-Hulk Series Box-Set))

All-New X-Men, Vol. 3: Out of Their Depth

Happy Horror Days #1 (Chilling Adventures in Sorcery)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 3

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 (of 6): Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness - Color Edition

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 4

Batman (2016-) Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Favorite Comic/Trade Read:

Batman (2016-) Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Magazine(s):

Magazine(s) Completed: 0

Meal Tracker:

THURSDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Lasagna Style Soup

- (10) Crackers

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

(2) Hot Ham & Swiss Sandwiches

- (4) Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

- (2) Slices of Leftover Ham

- (2) Slices of Swiss Cheese

Bag of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

FRIDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Broccoli Cheese Soup

- (10) Crackers

Supper:

Hot Ham & Swiss Sandwich

- (2) Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

- (1) Slice of Leftover Ham

- (1) Slice of Swiss Cheese

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(2) Handfuls of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

SATURDAY

Lunch:

(1) Bowl Homemade Crockpot Chili

- Melted Cheese

(1) Sloppy Joe on a Bakery Bun

- Melted Cheese

(6) BBQ Chicken Wings

(3) Scoops of Broccoli Supreme Salad

Snack:

(10) Smokies

SUNDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Creamy Chicken & Broccoli with Brown Rice

- (10) Crackers

Supper:

Can of Progresso Minestrone Soup

- (10) Crackers

*** NEW YEAR'S EVE ***

MONDAY

Lunch:

(2) Grilled Seasoned New York Strip Steaks

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Bowl of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

Snack:

Large Bowl of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

(3) Sloppy Joes on Bakery Bones

- (2) Cheese Slices

(4) Scoops of Broccoli Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Workouts:

THURSDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Afternoon Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

FRIDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(10) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(10) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Afternoon Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SATURDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SUNDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(500) Jumping Jacks [10 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

*** NEW YEAR'S EVE ***

MONDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

WEIGHT TRACKER:

Starting Weight (Noon, 1/01/2023): XXX.X lbs

Weight at Last Check-In, 12/27/2023:-0.6 lbs

Weight As of Noon, 1/01/2024: -2.6 lbs

Total Weight Loss: -106.6 lbs

Closing Thoughts:

The Good:

Ended the year losing weight and weighing the lowest I ever weighed in almost TWO DECADES.

The Bad:

I dont know what to do for my next challenge and I am running out of time. What will be my 52 in '24???

I want Nachos soooooooo effing bad and my favorite Nacho Spot is closed for New Year's Day.

The Ugly:

Relasping is always in the back of my mind.

#52 in 23

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thegeekerynj · 1 year ago

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The Fat Guy Reads Stuff... The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #1

An Occasional Attempt to Read, Discuss and Review the Wonders of Comics

By: John Rafferty, cranky old man, and Fan of All Things Comics

Riding the IND

Designed with the intent to acknowledge the Immense Contribution of the Independent Comic Press, and highlight a more unique stable of products

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The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos #1(Tiny Onion/Dark Horse Press)- Creator - James Tynion IV (@jamesttynioniv) Script: Tate Brombal (@tatebrombal) Artist: Issac Goodhart (@issacgoodhart)

“I’m sorry. You’re being so patient with me. But truth is that without you I think I’d be going completely insane.

‘Coo?

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If there is one thing I have learned through my years of fandom, there are certain things the Reader should NEVER underestimate:

The simple beauty of Jack Kirby’s work,

The ability of Bull Sienkiewich to dazzle the reader with the brilliance of his art

Anything written by Denny O’Neil, Len Wein, Roy Thomas or Marv Wolfman

Add to this list:

4. The twists and turns in the imagination of James Tynion IV.

This brings us to his latest story, the Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos, a title which in and of itself twists my age-enfeebled mind.

Christopher Chaos is an enigma, wrapped in a dimensional rip, trapped in a Schrodinger’s Box. He sees things that may or may not exist, envisions multiple levels of solutions to mathematical equations (during English Class), has auditory and visual hallucinations which might not be hallucinations… Is he certifiable, or truly experiencing everything he is seeing?

A great deal of story is crammed into the first issue, introducing Chris, his parents, his crush Hayden (who might be a werewolf), the Men in White, and Chris’ penchant desire to be Herbert West…

Strangely, none of it feels rushed. Everything flows at a good tempo, the dialogue is interesting and at times downright fun. Chris’s conversation with Peggy is both beautiful and poignant, an exposition of pain and self-realization leading the Reader to see the character as either a tortured soul, or a friend of the Pigeon Lady in Battery Park.

The team of Tynion, Brombal, and Goodhart have brought created a character and world full of such potential, it is only a matter of time until everyone is flocking to it!

Much like pigeons…

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

#Christopher chaos #the oddly pedestrian life of christopher chaos #dark horse comics #James Tynion IV #isaac goodhart #tate brombal #tiny onion

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itsawhumpsideblog · 1 month ago

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In The Prison Cell I Sit, Book 1

Content notes: character illness, capture and a hospital stay, eventual good news, an impromptu church service, and the battle of Antietam so hold on to your hats Peter Rafferty was a real person and a Medal of Honor recipient. Father Corby was as well, and his actions here are a matter of historical record. The song is "Tramp, Tramp Tramp", written from the perspective of a prisoner of war dreaming about being home again. Listen here: https://youtu.be/r2TCGZ5Ym78

"In the prison cell I sit

Thinking, Mother dear, of you

And our bright and happy home so far away."

~Tramp, Tramp, Tramp

We did not speak of the incident afterwards: it is not in the nature of soldiers, nor of boys, to sit around and discuss their feelings about any event. We simply kept going, as we knew we had to. Not long after Driscoll and his son died, the order came to fix bayonets. Grimly, we did as we were told and prepared for a charge. It was in this charge that one of the men of Company B, a private named Peter Rafferty, was wounded.

"Get to the rear," one of the officers yelled to him, seeing him stagger upward, but Rafferty shook his head.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but I can't do that," he said and kept forward, holding his gun level at the enemy. The officer shook his head and muttered something under his breath, but it was too late now and Rafferty charged forward with the rest of us.

It wasn't long before he was shot again, and not just once. The officer appeared to swear under his breath but there was nothing he could do personally- he had the rest of the company to lead. The man who had been marching next to Rafferty bellowed for a stretcher bearer and it happened to be Jack and Rory who answered the call. Jack was, as always, pale at the sight of blood and simply doing what Rory told him to.

They placed the stretcher on the grass next to Rafferty and quickly picked him up and put him on it and began struggling to the rear.

I shot Jack a grin and nodded to Rory and we charged up the hill to meet the Confederates. We fought them literally hand to hand. We were so close that we could see their faces as we ran our bayonets through them, and they, similarly, were the last witnesses to the final words of many Irish soldiers.

When we found ourselves with some room, I reached for another round- only for my fingers to close on air. My jaw dropped and I looked frantically around. Patrick only fired off another shot before his eyes met mine. He looked hopeless, and I knew that we were now in the same predicament.

Patrick's spine stiffened and I could tell that he was steeling himself for the next charge forward when the order came to retreat. We didn't like to go, once we had gotten into a battle, but we had no ammunition with which to fight and so at last we turned and retreated hastily out of the reach of the Confederate guns.

We re-grouped as soon as we could and marched back, in much more ragged condition, towards our old camps. We could not have been prepared for what we found there.

My brigade arrived in time to see our camps burn; all our belongings in our tents were in flames and we could only stand and watch the fire shine in the dark. I could see the faces of my friends clearly. Ted's mouth was wide open and Patrick's face was bleak as he surveyed the ruined ground.

"Where are Jack and Rory?" was all he could manage. I shook my head- I didn't know. We promptly went in search of them and in a moment when I had assumed things to be as bad as they could get, things promptly got worse.

Jack and Rory were nowhere to be found.

We were annoyed at first that we couldn't find them- it could be tedious searching for one or two men through the entire brigade- but our annoyance quickly turned to worry and then to something approaching panic.

We went in search of Sergeant O'Malley, who we trusted above almost anyone else.

"Rory and Jack-"I began and couldn't go on- we had run to find the Sergeant and I was out of breath.

"Rory Coleman and Jack Lynch are gone," Patrick supplied. "We think they were captured."

"Don't be too hasty," Sergeant O'Malley cautioned us. "They might be around, looking for you, too, and you just haven't run into each other yet. I'm sure they'll show up."

We nodded, but we weren't so sure that this was the case and when, the next morning, Rory and Jack still had not appeared, we could only assume that they had been captured.

"We know they didn't desert," Patrick said firmly. Ted and I agreed. We knew Jack and Rory; they would never do that. There was no question.

"And…" Patrick hesitated. "Are we sure they weren't… wounded? Or killed, God forbid?" Ted and I thought about it. The truth was, we weren't sure at all and that was our fear, that Jack or Rory was wounded and we had left them behind.

"I saw them with a stretcher, right before we charged," I said uncertainly.

"And I saw them on the way back," Ted agreed.

"Really?"

"Yes, when we were retreating. You know how Rory gets. They were having some trouble with the stretcher- they weren't moving as fast as we were and I couldn't get to them to help them, and there was no way they were going leave that man behind. You know Rory," he repeated. We nodded; of course we did.

"Then we know they made it through the battle," Patrick summarized. Unfortunately, that was all we knew.

It was hard to accept that Jack and Rory were missing; captured, as far as we could tell, but although we had searched the field hospitals without finding them, we had no way to be really sure that they hadn't been wounded or killed, and the uncertainty nearly drove me to distraction. It was also difficult to accept the fact that all of our belongings were gone, up in flames with our camp, although luckily my letters from home were safe in the pocket of my coat.

I thought of Rory's Christmas presents- the card from my sisters, the scarf and gloves, and I knew that he hadn't been carrying them when he was captured. They were gone, too. Not, I realized, with a pang of regret, that Rory needed them now.

We also sat down one night, as soon as we got paper and pencils, to write to Sinead, Jack's girl, to let her know what was happening. Although he tried to hide it, we knew that Jack wrote her every week, regardless of the circumstances, and we knew she would notice when the letters stopped coming. She always wrote him back, and for several weeks we received his letters at Mail Call. We never opened them and kept them all in Patrick's knapsack in case we should ever have the chance to give them to Jack or, if worse came to worst, return them someday to Sinead.

Our regiment was much smaller than it had been. We had fewer than 300 men these days, less than half the number that had marched off to battle with us before this campaign. Some of our officers declared the intention to go back to New York to try to recruit more men. I envied them. Hearing of their plans, I was suddenly homesick.

I was a little bit in luck, though. In early August, there was a package from home. I had written a long letter telling Mother, Maura and Bridget everything that had happened to us. I had left nothing out; from the mule race, to the battles; from Dan and Caleb to Jack and Rory's capture. It was the longest letter I had written since I enlisted, but I felt better when it was sealed and sent.

A few weeks later, I got a reply:

Dear Micheál,

We're sorry to hear that it's been such a long month for you and we are praying for better luck for you in the future. As for the things you lost in the fire, we will send new of whatever we can. Do you know if Rory was carrying his St. Christopher medal? We hope so, but if not we will send another. Here is a fresh shirt and some socks, anyway. Maura says that she hopes you will come home soon so that she can be married, and Bridget hopes you will come home so that you will be here with us again. I just want you safe, wherever you are. We are praying for you and for your friends, especially for Jack and Rory.

Love,

Mother

Patrick also had a letter from his family, saying many of the same things and also sending some necessities that we had lost in the fire. We were grateful, but I remember that summer as a hollow one, solemn and full of worry for our friends. That's not to say that there were no good days, but that summer was very much a time of all work and no play for us.

In August, we were again ordered to march prepared for battle, and there were rumors of another fight at Manassas, a place to which I had no desire to return. There was a fight and again the Union fought hard and was routed. We showed up too late to take part in the fight, which didn't bother me in the least. We kept a road open for the troops heading back to Washington, and I passed the battle of Second Bull Run without hearing a shot fired.

Nothing felt the same without Jack and Rory. I missed Rory's music and quiet competence in any stressful situation; it helped me stay calm too. I missed Jack's antics and the way he had of finding fun in any task. Patrick and Ted and I looked out for each other twice as diligently, now. It was just not the same without all of us there.

And then, one day in September, we were sitting in front of the tents we had received as replacements for the ones burned all those months ago after the fighting at Malvern Hill. I was writing a letter home and grinning over a funny picture Maura had drawn for us, and Ted and Patrick were playing cards. We all looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps to see Sergeant O'Malley standing there, looking like he was about to burst.

"Lads, I have news for you," he said, unable to conceal the delight in his voice, "It's about Lynch and Coleman. There was a prisoner exchange. They were part of it."

Our jaws just about dropped.

"They're coming back?" Patrick asked, disbelieving. Sergeant O'Malley nodded.

"They'll be in the hospital for a while, no telling how long exactly, and then they'll be sent back here or discharged."

"Why would they be discharged?" Ted wanted to know. He sounded nervous and was actually wringing his hands, although he didn’t seem to be aware of the fact.

"Well," the Sergeant cautioned, "we don't know what the conditions were like in prison. I don't want to think about it either, but they may be sick, or starving. If they aren't fit to come back to the army, then they'll be given honorable discharges and sent home." We nodded seriously.

"But the important thing is," he said, "they've been sent back North, and you'll be able to see them again soon."

We thanked him for the news and as he walked off again we turned and began pounding each other on the back, cheering. I could never remember being so happy in my life, except maybe the day we arrived in America. We immediately perked up, all three of us. The card game grew noisier and more boisterous and I joined it, leaving my letter to another day.

The next few days were torture for us. My first thought upon waking the next morning was that Jack and Rory might be coming back. I couldn't wait to see them and was going crazy with anticipation. It didn't really occur to me that they might not be as they usually were after whatever they had been through in that southern prison, and I don't think it occurred to Patrick or Ted either.

It was a full week before Sergeant O'Malley came by again with news about our friends.

"They're in the hospital close by, now," he told us. "If you'd like to go see them, I don't suppose you'd be missed from afternoon drill." He grinned and winked at us.

"Yes, sir!" we responded enthusiastically and quickly got ready to go. The hospital was not far off, but it wasn't that short a walk, either, and we wanted to be there as quickly as possible. We took the things that Mother and the girls had sent to replace what Rory and Jack had lost in the fire, packed in a knapsack along with all the food that we could spare.

We arrived a little later at the hospital, and realized we weren't sure where to go next. There were a couple of buildings, and we hadn't the slightest idea how to go about finding Rory and Jack in them. We stood there, looking around in confusion and shrugging at each other until at last a nurse hurried by with a tray in her hands.

"Excuse me, miss," I began but she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I can't stop," she replied and kept going. I blushed, embarrassed at my failure.

"Let me try," Patrick smiled and when another nurse passed by, this time carrying a load of wash, Patrick stepped over and said pleasantly,

"Miss, may I help you with that?" Without waiting for her answer, he took the wash basket from her and carried it in the direction she was walking.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I hope so," Patrick said, so earnestly that I had to roll my eyes. "We're looking for a couple of our friends," he explained. "They were just exchanged- they've been in a southern prison since July- and our Sergeant thought we might be able to see them."

"Ah, that'll be the boys they sent up from Libby Prison," the nurse nodded. We were almost to the building now and as we approached the door I stepped forward and held it for her and Patrick, who was still carrying the basket.

"Those boys are in this building," she told us, "and as soon as we get the wash where it's supposed to be I can take you up to see if you can find your friends."

We thanked her and hurried to distribute the linens into the correct piles. The woman was smiling as we did so.

"I've never seen boys so happy to do this kind of work," she remarked and we all laughed a little self-consciously. At last we had finished and we straightened up from our task, looking around at last, and ready to be going.

"All right," she said, "let's go see if we can find your friends. What are their names?"

"Rory Coleman and Jack Lynch," Ted told her and she shrugged.

"They don't sound familiar, but none of the men do outside my own ward. I can pretty well rule out the first floor, then." We followed her up the stairs to the second floor and to the ward there.

We entered the room to find the walls lined with cots. It was a long, thin room with each cot separated by a chair and small table. Perhaps half of the beds were full.

"Most of the wounded are in another ward now," our guide explained. "The men here are sick with something or have been sent north from a prison, like your friends. We don't have patients like that often, but of course now we've got a group."

I thought I recognized some men from the Irish Brigade, even one or two who might have been in my regiment, but neither Jack nor Rory was in that room. We walked up and down the rows, peering into the faces we saw there, and it was no easy task.

When we left that ward, the nurse took a long look at our faces and stalled entering the next ward for as long as she could, trying to let us rest.

"You get used to it," she said gently as she led us at last into the second room.

Jack and Rory were not there, nor were they in the first ward on the third floor. As we entered the fourth room full of beds, drained and terrified that we would not find our friends after all, a cry met us at the door.

"Patrick! Ted! Micheál!" cried a voice, and as we looked frantically around to place it, we saw a soldier struggling to sit up in bed.

"Jack!" I gasped and we hurried over to find Jack lying in bed, weak and thin. He was coughing and looked pale, but he was clearly happy to see us, and he grinned and shook hands with us enthusiastically. He motioned to the next bed, and there was Rory, smiling in his shy way.

We hugged both of them as though we were girls, just happy to see them alive, and at last Jack lay back on the pillow, beaming. Rory had not tried to sit up and I worried about this.

"How are you lads?" Patrick asked and Ted added, in his blunt way,

"You don't look too good, either of you."

"Thanks, Teddy," Jack said sarcastically and Rory just laughed a little.

"I'm all right," he said and, as if to prove it, sat up quite easily and reclined on the pillow. "It's just nice to be in a real bed after sleeping out in the open," he added, as if sensing my fears. He plumped the pillow and smiled. We all turned to Jack who was pretty clearly not all right. I had seen people look worse and had been sicker myself- I thought of the night Da had drowned- but if anyone needed to be in the hospital it was Jack and not Rory.

"I'm fine," Jack said defensively, feeling our eyes on him. He rubbed one hand across his forehead and then coughed at length into his fist. "Now that I'm free again, eating and all, there's nothing wrong." This was such a blatant lie that only Jack could have told it.

"There were a lot of men sick in prison," Rory explained. "There was fever going around. I guess Jack caught it."

"How long has he been sick?" Patrick asked, as though Jack wasn't right there.

"A few weeks now. He was worse before. Most were." We looked at Jack again, processing this information.

"I'm fine!" Jack protested, but when he tried to sit up as Rory had done he yawned and fell back on the pillows. "Sure," he admitted, "I'm not as well as I could be but I'll be all right in a few days."

Rory smiled at him. "Of course you will," he said indulgently. The nurse had been occupied on the other side of the ward, but she came over now and took a spoon and a bottle of medicine out of the pocket of her apron.

"Take this," she said and helped him sit up to swallow the spoonful. After a few minutes he stopped coughing and, now that he was calming down, no longer as excited by our being there, he closed his eyes and went slowly to sleep.

Rory looked over to check on him and when he was sure that Jack was comfortable he sat up straight, folding his legs under the blanket and leaning on one hand. He was thinner than before, as Jack was, but he didn't look so changed, really. He was still recognizably himself. This pleased me.

"I'll probably be out of here in a few days," Rory commented off-handedly. "They just want to fatten us up." He laughed softly and cast a glance over at Jack. They seemed to me to have grown closer. Rory looked out for Jack and Jack kept Rory's life interesting. It was something they both needed.

"Do you still have your fife?" Ted asked. "Just curious."

Rory nodded. "It's under the bed," he explained. "Jack lost his drum, though. They didn't let him keep it."

"Too bad," Patrick grinned. "The men will probably miss his drumming." They hated Jack's incessant practice and this comment made Rory laugh. Then he asked the question we had been dreading.

"Do you have my knapsack?" he wanted to know. "My scarf from your sisters is in there," he added, to me, "I kept the card, though, and the St. Christopher medal your mother sent."

I felt a little sick at having to deliver the news. I was glad Jack was asleep; I wanted to break it to him slowly.

"Rory," Patrick said gently, "after you two were captured we marched back through our old camp. When we got there- it was on fire." He paused, letting this news sink in. Rory looked shocked but, to my relief, only that. He really was doing fine, I realized. He wasn't just saying it.

"Everything's gone," Ted added, trying in his rough way to say it kindly. "I'm afraid we lost all our things. Tents, too."

I remembered, then, what I had in my new knapsack.

"My sisters knitted you another scarf," I told him, producing it. "We wrote and told them what had happened."

"Did you tell them I was captured?" Rory wanted to know. I nodded.

"Everything."

"And they still made me a scarf?"

"Of course," I said. "We knew you'd come back." I tried to smile. Of course we hadn't been sure of any such thing.

He smiled contentedly and I thought that this was the most that I had ever seen him so happy. He asked after our families, and kept looking over to check on Jack. We watched Jack, too, worried about our usually lively friend.

He awoke after a while; we intended to stay until we were told to leave, and so when Jack yawned and stretched and rolled over, the first words he spoke were,

"You're still here?"

"We're still here," Ted agreed, rolling his eyes.

"And we have something for you," Patrick added, and I remembered the letters. Patrick rifled through his knapsack and pulled a rather thick stack of envelopes from it. He gave them to Jack, who looked very surprised.

"From Sinead," Patrick told him and Ted smirked at the blush that spread across Jack's face. "We wrote and told her what happened," Patrick continued, "And we picked up your mail." We found out later that Sinead had kept writing to Jack even after our letter reached her. Jack, too, returned from prison with a short letter he had managed to write and keep, to be sent at a later date.

"I wrote her as soon as I could," he told us, "So she should be hearing from me soon."

"We wrote her, too, as soon as we heard you were coming back," I grinned. Jack had a good laugh about that, and then turned away from us to read his letters.

We came to visit again every afternoon, and in a couple of days Rory was discharged from the hospital. Now that he was out of prison, Jack got steadily better and a few days later he, too, came back to us. Everything felt right. There were five of us occupying the two tents again, five of us to cook and work and get into mischief.

It was September in Virginia and slowly the nights turned cooler. One morning we actually woke to some frost on the ground, and I was surprised, but the days were as hot as ever and we looked forward to the evenings, when the temperature was just right. We went swimming still some afternoons, but we were sleeping under blankets at night again.

It was still early in the month when we crossed the border into Maryland. We met out new recruits there, and with them came General Meagher, back from New York. There weren't so many of them as we had hoped, but it was good to have our general with us again, and any warm bodies we could get would come in handy.

"Have a look at those uniforms," Ted commented. "Remember when ours were that shiny?"

"Won't be that way for long," Jack said. "I hear we're headed for another fight.

"We're in the army," Ted shot back. "We're always headed for another fight. Unless Jeff Davis comes to his senses, that is."

Ted was right about the fresh recruits. Their uniforms were crisp and new, and they looked at us bashfully, as though they were ashamed to be clean and well-fed in the presence of veteran soldiers. For my own part, I couldn't help feeling superior. I knew what war was, I knew how to fight, and I had proven over and over that I could hold my own in battle. The new recruits seemed to wonder, as all new soldiers wonder, how they would measure up. They would have their chance to find out.

On the 17th, mid-morning, we found ourselves in the middle of the Union line just outside Sharpsburg, Maryland and crossing a creek.

"Dammit," Ted swore as we stepped into the water. "Did we look too comfortable?" We ignored his complaining, already wet and uncomfortable enough.

After we crossed the creek, an officer gathered the new recruits around him and explained that they were being given provost duty that day.

"You haven't been here long enough to be ready for battle," he said, "and so you'll be spared this time around." There was an unusual silence and finally one man spoke up.

"Sir, we want to fight," he said firmly.

"What, all of you? Really?"

"We came here to fight," the man insisted and after contemplating his options, the officer shrugged.

"Well, all those who want to fight today, fall in. We won't think less of any man who stays behind." No sooner had he spoken than the new men, more than 100 of them, shouldered their guns and joined us.

In a cornfield, later that morning, we piled up everything we were carrying that wasn't essential for battle and got ourselves into formation. Our division was on the right of the battle line and our regiment was on the far right of our division, an acknowledgement of our reputation and capability in battle. It wasn’t long before orders came for us to march at the double-quick into the fight.

Before we moved, I saw our Chaplain, Father Corby, go flying by on his horse. When he'd reached the edge of the regiment, he stopped and we bowed our heads to receive absolution.

"God, the Father of mercies," he prayed, "Through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Amen," we responded.

"You should each make an Act of Contrition," Father Corby added, "And God bless you, boys."

As we marched off to battle I could hear the men around me murmuring the Act of Contrition under their breaths. Together, the five of us bowed our heads and prayed, too, in unison.

"O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee," I began, reciting the words I had said over and over, as my mother had taught me, "and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love." I paused a moment as my throat tightened. I could hear Patrick's voice catch, too, and knew that he was at home in his mind, imagining the church back in Ireland, the cathedral in New York, and our own families. I took a deep breath and finished, "I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen."

We made the sign of the cross as we ended our prayer and, with a sigh, I turned my thoughts back to the battle.

We crossed that field towards a wooden fence, and I tried my hardest not to watch, because the fence was being constantly struck by bullets meant for us. When we finally got to it, we had to stop and lie down on the ground while fence pieces and dead bodies were cleared so that we could go on. Even as we lay there, as flat as we could so that we would be smaller targets, men around me were being shot and dying where they lay.

At last the orders came to go forward again to a road some ways before us. We rose and continued on as the Confederates in front of us poured artillery shot into our ranks.

I was aware, all of a sudden, of a huge gap in the line right next to where I stood. I couldn't have stopped and couldn’t even look around very much, but I had the terrible, sinking feeling that Ted was gone. I was almost sure of it when the shell hit, and when the line closed up and I snuck a glance to my right, there was another man there. My breath caught and I wanted to stop, tell Patrick what had happened and go back for Ted, but that wasn't an option. We had to keep going.

The rebels clearly had an advantage over us there; our color bearers were falling one after the other. Each time our flag was threatened another man would grab the staff and it seemed that almost as soon as he touched it he was shot down.

We faced the rebels on the other side of a road and it was some of the heaviest fighting I had ever seen. They had us pinned down there, unable to more forward. A few times, General Meagher tried to get the men to charge, but most of us knew we couldn’t make it and so we stayed right where we were. A few men each time would try to obey the order and they were all shot down right away. I was afraid that Patrick would become one of them, trying too hard to be heroic.

He stayed right where he was beside me, though, and I thought frantically of Jack, Rory and, most of all, Ted. I was almost frantic to get away and look for them, but I stayed in my place. When the order finally came to fall back, we coolly shouldered our guns and turned to march in parade formation out of the line of fire. We marched back through the fields of dead and dying men, our head held high and our steps calm and even. I couldn't help but feel a thrill of pride as we went at what an honor it was to be a member of the 69th New York of Meagher's Irish Brigade.

Masterpost

#history whump #historical whump #whump #slow burn whump

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