#lance albright

[maxriderg]

Folks, in honor of Zeno Robinson's upcoming 33rd Birthday, I've made a little something for his 33rd Birthday and welp, have a very Happy 33rd Birthday to him, complete with this.

[writerofscribbles]

LANCE ALBRIGHT MOODBOARD [ the rise of the sun main character ]

“Need I remind you that I can never be free of them? That they will forever have pieces of me; pieces that I can try to reassemble, but they’ll never be the same. So no, I don’t just want revenge, I want to conquer them all.” 

The half-brother of Lyra and the crew’s business man, Lance finds them all of their jobs and helps them maneuver through the criminal underbelly and ensure that they don’t step on too many toes. He also must tread carefully, as he is a former affiliate of the Rising Sun crime syndicate. The organization that runs the entirety of the capital, Chimere. 

Side Note: This concludes the moodboards for the “main” characters. At least the main ones within Lyra’s crew, and since the book focuses on them, I wanted to do their moodboards first. The tag if it works is this and the character page is here

I do want to do other aesthetics/moodboards, but it might take me a while. So far these are the ocs I’m ready to fully share. any questions, comments, etc. are welcome C:

[mongoose232323]

So #MoscowMitch McConnell Just Told Large

Corporations To Just STFU And Stop Trying

To Commit Economic Blackmail But Interjecting

Themselves Into The “Right To Vote” Issue Or

He’ll Blackmail Them By Taking Away Their

Big Tax Cuts.

Basically He Said Just “Give Us The Money And

Shut The Hell Up Beaches!!”

.

Mitch McConnell Threatens Businesses

Of 'Serious Consequences' After Many

Condemn Georgia's Restrictive Voting Law

From The Article

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned big businesses they would face "serious consequences" after accusing them of employing "economic blackmail" in attempts to influence voting laws as the backlash over Georgia's elections law that imposes voting restrictions intensifies.

"From election law to environmentalism to radical social agendas to the Second Amendment, parts of the private sector keep dabbling in behaving like a woke parallel government," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement Monday. "Corporations will invite serious consequences if they become a vehicle for far-left mobs to hijack our country from outside the constitutional order."

"Businesses must not use economic blackmail to spread disinformation and push bad ideas that citizens reject at the ballot box," he added.

His statement comes after Major League Baseball's decision to no longer host the All-Star Game in Atlanta, potentially sparking other boycotts of the state, and several businesses including Delta and Coca-Cola condemned the new Georgia elections law following public pressure.

The statements by McConnell are particularly notable not only because he has long championed the involvement of corporate money in politics -- a past position he attempted to square with new remarks on Tuesday -- but because the Republican Party traditionally has been more sympathetic to big business.

During a news conference in Louisville, Kentucky, Tuesday, McConnell reiterated his warning to corporate America to "stay out of politics" and to not be "intimidated by the left," blasting the MLB and other corporations' decision to "jump into the middle of a highly controversial issue" as "stupid."

McConnell has previously supported businesses involvement in politics, including backing the US Supreme Court's 2010 decision in the Citizens United case, which allowed big businesses more power to spend freely in federal elections. In 2014, he spoke out against Democrats' attempts to allow Congress to set limits on corporate campaign spending in federal elections, calling it a threat to basic speech rights.

Asked about how he squares his support of Citizens United with his call for corporations to stay out of politics in the debate over election laws, McConnell said, "They have a right to participate in the political process. They do."

"But selecting how you do that in a way that doesn't completely alienate an awful lot of people who depend on your products strikes me as not very smart," he said, adding earlier, "Republicans drink Coca-Cola too, and we fly, and we like baseball."

In his statement Monday, McConnell accused Democrats of lying about the Georgia law hastily passed by state Republicans and signed into law last month by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.

He disputed the claim from President Joe Biden and others that the Georgia voting law is reminiscent or worse than Jim Crow-era laws, arguing that "nobody really thinks this current dispute comes anywhere near the horrific racist brutality of segregation."

"Our private sector must stop taking cues from the Outrage-Industrial Complex. Americans do not need or want big business to amplify disinformation or react to every manufactured controversy with frantic left-wing signaling," McConnell said in his statement, adding that "it's jaw-dropping to see powerful American institutions not just permit themselves to be bullied, but join in the bullying themselves."

McConnell also slammed congressional Democrats' sweeping elections legislation, the "For the People Act," as a "power grab" of all 50 states' election laws and the Federal Election Commission that "is impossible to defend, so the left wants to deflect." The measure, which does not have enough votes in the US Senate to pass, would override many of the restrictive provisions in the new Georgia law and others like it.

The Georgia law imposes voter identification requirements for absentee ballots, allows state officials to take over local elections boards, limits the use of ballot drop boxes and makes it a crime to give or offer voters food and drink as they wait in line to vote.

Republican advocates for the law argue that it makes Georgia's elections more secure and that it expands access to voting -- pointing to the law's requirement for each county to have a minimum of one drop box for absentee ballots and expansion of early voting in many counties.

The law, however, dramatically reduces some large counties' number of drop boxes, significantly shortens both the overall length of runoff campaigns and the early voting period for runoff elections and shortens the duration of the absentee voting period.

MLB's move to relocate the All-Star Game, potentially costing Georgia $100 million in lost economic impact, was the first in response to the state election law. Atlanta Democratic Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on CNN Saturday predicted that it would be the "first of many boycotts of our state to come."

During a news conference Saturday, Kemp vehemently defended the Georgia elections law and said he would not waver or be swayed if Georgia were to lose more events, thus costing the state more business and tourism dollars.

He accused MLB of putting Democrats' wishes "ahead of the economic well-being of hard-working Georgians who were counting on the All-Star Game for a paycheck."

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, like other Democrats, said he respected MLB's decision, but hoped businesses would protest the law not by boycotting the state, but "by coming here and fighting voter suppression head on."

After the law was passed, some of the nation's most prominent Black business leaders called out their Fortune 500 peers for their muted response to new laws that restrict voting across the country, and challenged them to be more forceful in condemning what they said were deliberate attempts by Republicans to limit the number of Black Americans casting ballots in key states.

Last week, American Airlines and Dell Technologies spoke out against a Texas elections bill that would place new restrictions on the voting process, particularly for those living in densely populated counties.

At an event in his home state Monday, McConnell said he "found it completely discouraging to find a bunch of corporate CEOs getting in the middle of politics."

"My advice to the corporate CEOs of America is to stay out of politics," he added.

During his Tuesday event in Louisville, McConnell said he supports CEOs contributing to politicians.

"That's fine. It's legal, it's appropriate. I support that. I'm talking about taking a position on a highly incendiary issue like this and punishing a community or a state because you don't like a particular law they passed? I just think it's stupid," he said.

Cliff Albright, the co-founder of voting rights group Black Voters Matter Fund, accused McConnell of "hypocrisy."

"Mitch McConnell and others have demonstrated their hypocrisy on this issue, whether it's the issue of not wanting businesses to be involved in politics -- which is a first for Mitch McConnell -- or whether this is an issue of saying, they don't like 'canceling' stuff, although they are on a regular basis, trying to cancel our voting rights," Albright told reporters during a virtual news conference Tuesday.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/04/06/politics/mcconnell-businesses-georgia-elections-law/index.html

[dudedrops319]

Dooley Noted - A musical journey through the mojo of a Toledo bluesman

(original version can be seen at https://toledocitypaper.com/feature/dooley-noted/)

Dooley Wilson is frustrated.

It’s 9:57 am on a cold Saturday in December and he is supposed to start playing at 10 o’clock. He has only just now stumbled out of the Toledo tundra into the cozy confines of the Glass City Cafe, which has booked him for its popular Bluegrass Breakfast music series.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” he cries out in the direction of restaurant owner Steve Crouse, who assures him everything is fine. Wilson looks pained as a brief flash of flame passes over his smoldering dark brown eyes. No, it’s not fine. He was scheduled to start playing the blues at 10 sharp, and now he’s going to start late. And a professional should always be punctual.

Undaunted, he swallows his disappointment and, within 10 minutes, he has everything set up at the front of the restaurant which serves as the stage. Upending his battered Cunard Queen of Elizabeth canvas bag, he sorts through the contents— Halls menthol cough drops, a bottle of slippery elm supplements (“Just in case my voice goes out”), a bottle of Deja Blue water, a glass vase that serves as a tip jar and a power strip.

He plugs the power strip into his amp, a well-loved 1965 Fender Bandmaster. And then out comes the artisan’s tool— his Jay Turser electric guitar. It doesn’t have a name or anything; it’s a utensil to serve the stew of blues (“It’s a cheapo guitar, but it’s MY cheapo guitar,” he muses). He’s almost ready. He asks, and a cup of hot black coffee is delivered. After the obligatory microphone check, he sits on the edge of a worn tan suitcase and readies his guitar. It’s time to go to work.

Soon the Glass City Cafe fills with the sound of the blues— and Wilson is lost in ecstasy. He’s sitting atop the worn tan suitcase, choking the guitar neck, his angular carved-in-stone features a mask of concentration, fingers and knuckles gnarled from a lifetime of plucking strings. There’s no setlist, no backdrop, no real plan. Just a working man with an instrument sharing the gospel of what he believes is the greatest music that exists. Wilson plays the blues as if his life depends on it.

And maybe it does.

From C.J. to Dooley

Dooley Wilson does not take toast with his mozzarella cheese omelet, favoring potatoes instead. Sitting in the Glass City Cafe months later— this time as a patron— he is a bit more relaxed than he was when he played here. He still doesn’t smile much. Wilson isn’t grumpy, he just carries himself with an intensity that’s disarming. You get the feeling that he doesn’t want to be here. That’s because he lives to do one thing: Play the blues. And when he’s not playing the blues, by gum, he wants to be playing the blues.

But for now, he’ll tell his story. Now 45 years old, he was born C.J. Forgy, in West Lafayette, Indiana to James and Sandy Forgy. His parents split when he was two years old and he went to live with his maternal grandmother in Maumee. An only child, Wilson describes himself as an “artsy kid” who spent hours in his room drawing and writing.

“Everyone thought I was going to be a visual artist,” says Wilson, taking a sip of his coffee. “But along with writing, over the years I’ve let those skills atrophy,” he says, with a regretful sigh. “But I don’t know; I’m thinking about taking up drawing again for its therapeutic value.”

So what sparked his obsessive devotion to the blues? It started as musical hangups often did in the ‘80s— with a cassette. At 15, Wilson, who was teaching himself guitar and whose musical tastes at the time ran towards Led Zeppelin, walked into Camelot Music in the now-long-gone Southwyck Mall and spied a tape from Columbia Records called Legends of the Blues Vol. 1. There was something about that tape that spoke to him.

He picked it up and looked at the back. As-yet unfamiliar names like Bo Carter, Blind Willie Johnson, Charley Patton, and Leroy Carr stared out at him from the tracklisting. Robert Johnson— he knew that name from an interview he’d read with Jimmy Page and he was fascinated by the infamous story about Johnson reputedly getting his blues talent while making a deal with the devil at a crossroads. Maybe it was the ghost of Johnson himself speaking to Wilson that day in Camelot Music. All he knew is that he had to buy it.

When he got home, he popped the tape into his boom box, and something in the universe shifted. At that moment, C.J. Forgy ceased to exist and the bluesman named Dooley Wilson was born.

“That anthology started this mystique and passion I had for this music,” says Wilson, in between forkfuls of omelet. “It just spoke to my angst-ridden soul at the time and I had never heard anything so authentic, so human, so real. Take Son House’s song ‘Death Letter,’ which is on that anthology. It’s taken from his 1965 Columbia session and it’s just this amazing song about how a man gets a letter saying that the woman he loves is dead. It’s just…” Wilson often trails off when he talks about the blues; yet another reason why he’d much rather play you a song than talk about it.

From that fateful moment, the blues wasn’t just a preferred style of music to listen to or to learn to play… it became, at that time, a life choice.

“I decided I’m going to devote my life to being some kind of bluesman like Fred MacDowell or Son House,” says Wilson. “It became much more important to me than making a living. If you weren’t dead and black, I couldn’t be bothered to listen to you.”

Henry & June

By the way, where did that name Dooley Wilson come from? Wilson smiles broadly with a touch of sheepishness. He was setting up one of his earliest gigs, at the famous East-side haunt Frankie’s, and his buddy Lance Hulsey (currently the leader of Toledo rockabilly outfit Kentucky Chrome)— who Wilson played with his first band, a heavy metal project called Harlequin— said that the promoter needed to know what to call him… and C.J. Forgy didn’t exactly sound bluesy. So the young musician, right there, decided on the name Dooley Wilson in homage to the actor and musician of the same name, famous for playing the character Sam in Casablanca. Dooley Wilson is now his legal name. He cashes checks with that moniker.

With a new name under his bluesman’s belt, the then-recent Maumee High School (Class of 1992) graduate needed a band that would let him explore the blues the way he wanted to. The result was Henry & June, a heavy blues ensemble that Wilson formed with his good friend Jimmy Danger. They got the band name from a recently released biopic of Henry Miller, one of Wilson’s favorite authors.

“I was obsessed with the blues at that time, but I’m still incapable of playing it correctly,” says Wilson, draining his coffee cup. “I was really struggling to learn how to play blues the way it was meant to be played.”

But even as he worked to unravel the mysteries of Deep South blues, Wilson was experiencing something unexpected: Success. Henry & June had released a single called “Going Back to Memphis” on Detroit label Human Fly Records, and the song was attracting a lot of heat. The popular band The Laughing Hyenas— which featured former Necros member Todd Swalla, who would go on to play with Wilson in his later outfit Boogaloosa Prayer— were big fans of the song and were trying to get Henry and June signed to Touch and Go Records. Some cat named Jack White, who had a little band called The White Stripes, also was a big Henry and June fan and began covering “Going Back to Memphis” in concert.

“We were kind of a hot, cult thing on the scene in Detroit,” says Wilson, thanking the Glass City Cafe waitress as she refills his coffee. “Jack White wasn’t the only cool person in Detroit who knew who we were though, of course, he became the most famous one. Judah Bower of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion put out a cover of the single on his side project called 20 Miles. I heard The Von Bondies used to cover ‘Going Back to Memphis.’ It’s a really fun, simple, dumb song.”

And then right when things started to go well for Henry & June, it all went wrong. The blues were supposed to feel like freedom and suddenly Wilson and the rest of the band began to feel decidedly trapped.

“Jimmy in particular felt like things were getting stagnant,” says Wilson. “Things were going good for us but it started to feel like we were just going through the motions. It was creative claustrophobia.” And so the band, at its peak, unceremoniously broke up.

“We were just dumb kids. We had no idea what we were doing with our little garage band. Looking back, that may have been the worst decision of my career. But when you’re young and dumb, you don’t realize that; you just think ‘Well, I’ll just do the next thing that comes along.’”

Today, Henry & June is fondly recalled as an early part of the Detroit music resurgence of the latter 20th Century. While The White Stripes, Kid Rock, The Detroit Cobras, and various Detroit rappers, from Eminem to Insane Clown Posse, put the Motor City musically back on the map, Henry and June remains a small part of that legacy. Copies of “Going Back to Memphis” routinely go for more than $100 on eBay, and the song was recorded live by The White Stripes for their DVD concert film, Under Blackpool Lights.

And no, Wilson hasn’t received any royalties. It all worked out for the members of Henry & June, though. Drummer Ben Swank is now the top A&R guy at Third Man Records, Jack White’s label. The band did a well received reunion back in 2010 in Toledo and everyone is still cool with one another. But in rock-n-roll and the blues, time waits for no one, so Wilson was off to new projects and new adventures.

And those adventures would lead to him nearly lose his mind.

On a wing and a Boogloosa Prayer

Brushing off the ashes of Henry & June, Wilson decided to further buckle down and get more “authentically bluesy.” He quickly formed a new band with Ben Swank and guitarist Todd Albright, that went through various names such as Dime Store Glam and Gin Mill Moaners. They sat in for many nights at the long-gone-but-never forgotten Rusty’s Jazz Cafe.

“I was spending all of my disposable income on that watered down whiskey at Rusty’s,” said Wilson. “Rusty’s was an amazing little place.” After a while though, he got restless and decided he would get as real as the blues could get and move to New Orleans.

“I wanted to see if I could live as a street performer,” said Wilson. “I had this rather naïve idea that I could possibly make a living at it in that town. I suspected it was the place on Earth where you might encounter people doing this kind of music.”

So Wilson moved to New Orleans, virtually homeless, busking on the streets of NOLA. Meanwhile, The White Stripes were starting to get their first big taste of international notoriety and began introducing “Going Back to Memphis” to a whole new audience due to their frequent covering of the song in live gigs.

“There I am trying to get lunch money down in New Orleans, and suddenly The White Stripes and the whole Detroit thing started to blow up and I’m trying to be Mr Authenticity down in effing New Orleans,” says Wilson, shaking his head incredulously. “My career is awful. I always zig when I should have zagged.”

But New Orleans proved to be an artistically fruitful time for Wilson. He met true, dyed-in-the-wool blues players who were playing incredible music from their souls. Nobody had record deals or anything that could get in the way of making direct, honest music. Many of these men and women were homeless or living off the grid; something Wilson describes as “an anti-American dream.” He talks enthusiastically and excitedly about that time in his life.

“These were some of the greatest living blues artists. There was a guy named Augie Junior who was simply incredible. I had never heard anything like him. There was this woman named Lisa Driscoll who played the washboard. People called her Ragtime Annie. And…”

Suddenly Wilson stops in mid-sentence and a hollow expression crosses his face. He stands up, sets his coffee cup down, excuses himself with a hurried “I’m gonna step out for a minute” and before uttering another word, he’s left the Glass City Cafe. A few minutes pass and he returns, wiping his forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, sitting back down. “It’s just…it’s hard talking about this. I just got a little overwhelmed talking about some of my departed friends.”

He steadies himself with a sip of coffee that’s starting to go cold, as he’s eager to move on to talk about his other great band, Boogaloosa Prayer. Formed after moving back to Maumee fresh off a year in New Orleans, Boogaloosa Prayer, which Wilson says “was one of the best things I ever did artistically” came after stints in short lived bands like The Young Lords, and The Staving Chain.

Boogaloosa Prayer, an aggressive blues rock outfit featuring in part his old friend Jimmy Danger and Maumee drumming legend Todd Swalla, garnered quite a devoted following, playing in both Toledo and Detroit. The band had momentum behind them that recalled the Henry & June days. Then one hot summer night in 2006 at the now-shuttered Mickey Finn’s Pub, Wilson’s demons got the better of him.

Sporting a shaved head and a sickly frame that was skinny even by his normally lithe, sinewy standards, Wilson cracked onstage during the show. He ranted incoherently, couldn’t perform any songs, and couldn’t remember any lyrics. To everyone who was there, it was a harrowing experience.

Today, Wilson is reluctant to talk about the incident but he acknowledges it happened.

“I can say that I had a horrible psychotic breakdown and it had an impact on my life,” says Wilson, a bit guardedly. “At the time I had several severe emotional stressors in my life. A toxic woman in my life was stalking me. I had a business deal that was crushing me under the pressure. Plus, Boogaloosa Prayer was breaking up at the time because Swalla was moving to California. It all led to that time in my life.”

Following his breakdown, Wilson spent some time in a psychiatric ward, and lived in his aunt’s attic as he attempted to rebuild his fragile psyche. He eschewed traditional psychotherapy and refused meds because he’d seen too many of his friends “get hooked on those damned things.” Through a lot of hard work, meditation, and support from his friends, Wilson says he “totally got well again” and he hasn’t had any mental health issues since— thank goodness.

“Losing your sanity really puts a damper on your life.”

Still walkin’ down that road…

Wilson now lives in what he calls “a shack,” though it’s actually a carriage house out on a property in Maumee. The place smells of incense, a bit cramped but cozy abode, filled with guitars, amps, books on Buddhism, and novels by Charles Bukowski. Exactly how you would expect Wilson to live. This is not the living quarters .of a typical 45 year old, but it is definitely the home of a bluesman— and that’s all Wilson ever wanted to be. He plays gigs around the region and works as a “factotum” (his term) helping out family members and friends with projects. He’s completed an album and is currently trying to figure out how to release it. Love? Not interested.

“I have the kind of personality where I just do better alone,” he says simply. He may be alone but he’s not lonely. He has the best friends in the world in his life, even if most of them are dead. Son House. Sonny Boy Williamson. Bo Carter. All those great blues artists of yesteryear he counts as his personal friends, and by playing their music and his own songs inspired by their influence, Wilson is a happy man.

On that cold December day at the Glass City Cafe, Wilson utters a line that captures his essence: “Oh, I’m Dooley Wilson. Don’t mind me.” But, about that, he’s wrong. Mind him. Pay attention to Dooley Wilson. Pay close attention.

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[brokehorrorfan]

Scream Factory has revealed three 1950s Universal titles landing on Blu-ray in June. The Monolith Monsters will be released on June 18, while This Island Earth and Monster on the Campus will be released on June 25.

The Monolith Monsters is a 1957 science fiction/horror film directed by John Sherwood (The Creature Walks Among Us). Grant Williams, Lola Albright, Les Tremayne, Phil Harvey, Trevor Bardette, and William Schallert star.

This Island Earth is a 1955 science fiction/horror classic directed by Joseph M. Newman (Dangerous Crossing), with uncredited work from Jack Arnold (Creature from the Black Lagoon). Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason, Lance Fuller, and Russell Johnson star.

Monster on the Campus (also known as Monster in the Night) is a 1958 science fiction/horror film directed by Jack Arnold (Creature from the Black Lagoon) and written by David Duncan (The Time Machine). Arthur Franz, Joanna Cook Moore, Judson Pratt, Nancy Walters, Troy Donohue, and Whit Bissell star.

Extras for all three titles will be announced at a later date.

The Monolith Monsters:

A giant meteor crashes to Earth near the small town of San Angelo and local geologist Ben Gilbert (Phil Harvey) brings a fragment back to his lab for testing. Shortly afterwards, fellow geologist Dave Miller (Grant Williams) arrives to find the lab filled with rocks ... and Ben is dead ... his body turned completely to stone! Now in a desperate race against time, Dave and Professor Arthur Flanders (Trevor Bardette) must unlock the secret of the deadly rocks from outer space before they turn the world to stone and destroy mankind!

This Island Earth:

When atomic scientist Dr. Meacham (Rex Reason) is chosen to take part in a top-secret research experiment in a remote lab, he quickly discovers that he is really involved in an evil scheme by alien Metalunans to take over Earth. After he and the gorgeous Dr. Adams (Faith Domergue) make their escape shortly before the lab explodes, they are whisked away in a flying saucer to Metaluna, where they are blamed for the destruction. Will interstellar negotiation save the day or will the scientists be forced to take part in a treacherous battle to the death?

Monster on the Campus:

Fear stalks the seemingly tranquil halls of Dunsfield University with the arrival of a prehistoric fish, the coelacanth. The terror begins when a student's dog laps up water that has been contaminated by the fish and turns into a savage wolf attacking Madeline Howard (Joanna Moore). The school's paleontology professor, Donald Blake (Arthur Franz), is accidentally bitten by the coelacanth and blacks out, only to find that a hulking beast has killed one of his friends. Somehow, contact with this fish's prehistoric blood causes a total collapse of evolution, turning animals and humans into mindless, murderous monsters!

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Bobbi's OC Master...list? Post? How does this work o.o

Because @lithiel and @silentspaces and @magical-game are horrible enablers and I love them

Feel free to ask me questions about anyone in these lists! Also I put a lot of effort into world building for the KH OCs and my original story so please ask me questions about the world, too!

Characters are under the cut bc this got long. I have a lot of characters, ugaiz, and this isn’t even all of them, just the ones I have current projects for

Kingdom Hearts OCs

(I'd call them my Keykids except one is an adult)

All of these guys are members of a gang of thieves from an original world called Iska. I'm in the process of converting all of them into Dandelions, because reasons involving KH3, but for now they're somewhere in modern KH canon. If you want to know specifically about the Dandelion versions of these kids, please specify!

Mizu

Terra

Nathan

Yang

Yuri

Sunny

Tommy

Victor and Hugo

Digimon OCs

This section is basically only here for @magical-game and their penchant for encouraging me in my lame pre-Adventure badfic writing.

Diana “Dee” Ishida

Lance Abbott

Christy Marle

Michael “Mike” and Logan Bridgewater

Legend of Mana OCs

Pretty sure only like two people including @magical-game know what Legend of Mana is XD But I am currently writing something for LoM, so here, have characters!

Sayara

Amy

D&D OCs

I’m only listing the characters I haven’t played yet or am currently playing. Anyone who’s already dead is exempt from this list, but I might add them if enough of y’all are interested

Lynnette “Lynn” Albright [Healer]

Valeria “Val” Steinsdöttir [Fighter]

Original Story Characters

Religious war set in a fantasy world. Followers of Strias, God of the Moon, have declared war on the followers of his brother D’Kanis, God of the Sun. Ten years after D’Kanis’ high holy temple was burned to the ground, the Stri’ites have nearly conquered the world in a thinly veiled expy of the Crusades. Cue the Ragged Band of Heroes here to save the day. (I’m only listing the important characters, there’s more but this post is long enough as it is)

Mortals:

Kana

Syraki

Road

Sorin

Rokubat

Ro’tyotsu

Gods (I debated even leaving them on this list bc they don’t really do much in the story, they’re mostly plot devices, but they are important so here you go):

D’Kanis

Strias

[ao3feed-crowley]

Recap of All My Fics

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/yhYWmqT

by Wtchcool

Inspired by the recaps on The Late Late Show, here is my recap of all my fics.

Words: 707, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Sherlock (TV), Elementary (TV), Arrow (TV 2012), Chuck (TV), Quantum Leap (TV 1989), My Own Worst Enemy, Batman (Movies - Nolan), Eli Stone (TV), The Cape (2011), The Dresden Files (TV), The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher, The Wizard Of Oz (1939), The Big Bang Theory (TV), Early Edition (TV), Gilmore Girls, Heroes (TV 2006), Charmed (TV 1998), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, How I Met Your Mother, Awake (TV), Lucifer (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen, M/M

Characters: Sam Beckett, Al Calavicci, Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker (Chuck), Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Harry Dresden, Hrothbert of Bainbridge, Quentin Lance, Oliver Queen, Tommy Merlyn, Laurel Lance, Crowley (Good Omens), Vince Faraday, Peter Fleming, Jamie Fleming, Rory Gilmore, Max Malini, Scales, Dana Faraday, Damon Salvatore, Jonathan Crane, Eli Stone, Henry Spivey, Edward Albright, Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, Rajesh Koothrappali, Bernadette Rostenkowski

Relationships: Quentin Lance/Oliver Queen, Chuck Bartowski/Sarah Walker, Vince Faraday/Peter Fleming, Dana Faraday/Vince Faraday, Hrothbert of Bainbridge/Harry Dresden, Bernadette Rostenkowski/Howard Wolowitz

Additional Tags: Quiver (pairing), Crossover Pairings, Multiple Crossovers, Multiple Pairings

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/yhYWmqT

[mateushonrado]

Voltron Ben 10 AU

Status Post #876

*Darrell Stoker (Pidge's original Voltron counterpart) as Ben Tennyson

*Katie Holt as Gwen Tennyson

*Lotor as Kevin Levin

*Ozar as Max Tennyson

*Sendak as Vilgax

*Honerva (young) as Hope / Charmcaster

*Raht as Hex

*Lisa (Vehicle Voltron) as Julie Yamamoto

*Acxa as Helen Wheels

*Keith Kogane as Pierce Wheels

*Hunk Garrett as Manny Armstrong

*Lance McClain as Alan Albright

*Romelle as Eunice

*Zarkon as Dr. Animo

*Allura as Ester

*Trigel as Xylene

*Ezor as Sunny Tennyson

*Florona as Kai Green

*Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane as Rook Blonko

*Rax as Cooper Daniels

*Kala (Voltron Force) as Elena Validus

*Matt Holt as Ken Tennyson (Gwen's brother)

*Trugg as Joey / Rojo

*Ladnok as Myaxx

*Malocoti as Looma

*Vakala as Octagon Vreedle

*Remdax as Rhomboid Vreedle

*Kolivan as Ultimos

*Zethrid as Tini

*Antok as Synaptak

*Myzax as Sixsix

*Prorok as Sevenseven

*Druids as the Forever Knights

*Commander Iverson as Driscoll

*Thace, Ulaz, Sal, Regris, Swirn, Xi, Nyma, Rolo, Shay, Sven Holgersson, Olia, Dorma, Daniel, Vince, Larmina, Twyla (Vehicle Voltron), Gyrgan, Blaytz, Haruka (based on Lion Voltron's Twyla but using Lisa's Dairugger name), Teo-sh, Blumfump, Luxia, Merla, Klaizap, Moontow and others as Plumbers

*Honerva (older, similar to what she looked like in the opening scene of "Black Site") as Vera Tennyson

*Hira as Frightwig

*Haxus as Thumbskull

*Morvok as Acid Breath

[writerofscribbles]

The Rise of the Sun Characters

A master post of the main TRotS characters. All characters will be tagged to their specific tag, but just general information about each of them will be stored here below the line. 

although the name of this particular WIP has changed I’m far too lazy to change it in every single post I’ve made about it so whatever

LYRA ESTERMONT - tag

Lyra Estermont was born to a powerful family of witches on a hot, thunderstruck night. Lyra learned how to bend light with her magic, although she’ll never be as good as any of her siblings or cousins. But, she still is pretty good at sleight of hand and it leads to her day job of dancer and fire eater that much easier. She is the distraction and the mastermind behind almost all of her crew’s jobs. She has curly ginger-red hair usually piled up on the top of her head and her eyes are slices of blue-green iron. She has collected herself a loyal and ragtag team. She found them all at different times, bringing them into her “family”, although many wouldn’t believe this fragile little thing to be the core of the team. Trivia: Lyra is a Slytherin.

ZEMIRA VELUS - tag

Technically a princess, but really a prostitute turned crew member, Zemira Velus has lived a full crazy life and she’s only in her twenties.. Although it is concealed from her friends, Zemmy is a former member of the court. Her mother was one of the favored prostitutes within the prince’s bordellos. Her father is one of the princes who never claimed her and her mother died when she was only three. Taken care of by the friends of her mother and was groomed to become a prostitute like her mother. Although the court soon disbanded the prostitute circle that stayed within the castle when Zemmy was fifteen. Many of the other girls also worried that Zemmy would be chosen by one of the princes, maybe her own father. Suddenly without shelter or connections, Zemmy was thrown onto the streets with just the clothes on her back and a single gold necklace that she kept hidden under her shirt to keep it from being stolen. She honestly doesn’t know why she still keeps it, she always says one day she’ll sell it,but she never will. She hopes one day she’ll find her father and show him the gold locket he gave her mother (supposedly). Zemmy is a beautiful girl said to look like her mother with natural, curly dark black-brown hair, rich, dark brown skin, and a beautiful face. She has rich dark brown eyes and a sweet smile. Trivia: Zemmy is a Hufflepuff.

ARREC MARGRIM - tag

The muscle of Lyra’s illusionist crew. He grew up in the dark southern cities as a shadowcat. The cities, and specifically Ventis, have stranger magic than the Northern ones within the Backbone. A particular witch colony and type of witches moved down south, a witch colony known for using shadows to cloak, conceal, and hide in plain sight. His particular skill relies on his stealth and killing skills. As someone who is the muscle of the group, many may not find him that intelligent. They underestimate his brains, when he is indeed intelligent. Not in the sharp way that Lyra is or the witty way that Angelo is, but he is more conflicted. He knows something are wrong, but they can sometimes be the right thing to do. He struggles with his inner moral compass and desire to protect what he loves. Arrec is physically a large man. 6’2” and in his late twenties, it seems like he’d be hard to miss. Fortunately, he is usually cloaked in his shadowy magic, it is just a part of him, unfurling from his soul to keep him hidden in the shadows of the bright capital city. He is muscular, broad-shouldered and relatively handsome. He has thick, ink dark hair that falls messily to the back of his neck, sometimes falling forward to frame his face. He has surprisingly light almond shaped hazel eyes, a clean shaven face, and a serious mouth. Trivia: Arrec is a Gryffindor

NICOLAE AMNUL - tag

While the most mysterious member of Lyra’s crew, he is perhaps the most important. As a codebreaker, riddle solver, and lock smith, Nicolae is vital to almost every job that Lyra has taken in the past few years. He has quick fingers and an even quicker mind. A handsome man with almond shaped eyes, tanned skin, straight across dark eyebrows that reveal that his silver hair is not natural. It is more of a silvery gray, falling several inches past his collar. He usually ties it in a half up, half down style. He typically wears golden jewelry, especially rings and has a single gold hoop in his right ear. He has a quiet smile and bright but dark brown eyes. Nicolae was born near the sea and loves the salty smell of the ocean. His background is unknown mostly, but he does have very vague memories of his mother. She gave him a stag horn necklace before she died and always called him her “little prince”. Whether, he is actually is a prince or not is unknown, considering his mother threw herself into the sea and was never seen again. Trivia: Nico is a Hufflepuff

ANGELO KARVAS - tag

If Nicolae gets the crew into their location, than Angelo gets them out. A sly and sneaky guy, he is the escape artist. Limber, agile, and used to getting out tight spaces (literally and metaphorically). He is the lookout, but this job also means setting up easy means of escape. Angelo is a handsome man in his late twenties. He has thick, wavy dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a laughing face. He usually has well groomed facial hair including a mustache goatee combo and usually some scruff on the sides. He is fairly pale, with intense dark eyes. He always wears silver jewelry and has a knife tattoo going down his left bicep. Not much is known about Angelo’s childhood. Nothing is really known about him. He is well known around the capital for having connections linking him back to the River Rats. He has many escape plans, safe houses, and places to lay low due to his higher up connections. Rumors have circulated that he is the son of a wealthy merchant or even a duke or duchess or someone of royal blood. Angelo allows whatever rumor to flourish, never confirming or denying anything. Trivia: Angelo is a Ravenclaw.

LANCE ALBRIGHT - tag

Lance is the older half-brother of Lyra. He is the side leader of the Illusionist troupe, being more of the guiding business man. Tall, lanky, thin, pale, and ginger, Lance doesn’t quite strike fear into the hearts of those he deals with. He is more cleaned up and put together than the scrappy thieving illusionist crew he helps run with his half-sister. Not touched by magic, it rather goes straight through him, his bones unable to hold any of it within him. While Lance is considered somewhat handsome, he has three long scars that run along the right side of his face. The first starts just above his temple and slices through the top of his right eyebrow, stopping just below his eye. The one next to it slices from his temple to down to the corner of his mouth. The third carves just below his cheek bone down his jaw and right underneath his chin. He has a half-sun (symbolizing rising or setting) branded onto his left shoulder. Trivia: Lance is a Slytherin.

[oosteven-universe]

Unit 44 #4

Unit 44 #4 Alterna Comics 2015 Written & Lettered by Wes Locher Illustrated by Eduardo Jimenez     It's the end of the world as they know it. The alien invasion begins at Area 51 and Agent Hatch, along with rednecks Chester and Ike, must stave off the invaders long enough for Agent Gibson to recover the Freedahken crystal from madman Lance Albright. After all, it's only the future of humanity at stake. The epic conclusion is here! Well this is the last issue of this wonderful introduction of a new world and wonderful characters and a complete and utter sense of silliness and fun that is desperately needed in the world today. This has made me laugh out loud, grin like the Cheshire Cat and has left me wanting to see more of their adventures.     Now I am not really sure why this was in Previews for this week but hey it was and I think I read this four years ago now. I am not even sure I totally mind that either because the moment that I saw this I was excited for it. I mean this is the kind of mindless humour that can make you forget about your day as you find Chester and Ike's day was a whole lot worse than yours. Everybody needs some excellent humour that just doesn't make you think and is something you completely enjoy for the sake of what it is, it's why I watch Mountain Monsters.     I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told and how we see the story structured. The story & plot development and the character development is really rather well done and with the pacing all of this comes together to create a great ebb & flow is one of the reasons I have kept coming back. I mean yeah this is older stuff and the boys have come quite a ways since but I love this. Best buddies fighting side by side against all odds and there are aliens, the army and who knows what else and yet these two are not only having the time of their lives but nothing is really phasing them at this point.     Eduardo's interiors could do with a lot more backgrounds in play but hey what's done is done. I like the linework we see here and how it's varying weights are utilised to create the attention to detail. The creativity and imagination that is on display here is marvellous. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a decent eye for storytelling. The colour work is a bit solid for my tastes but hey it does what it needs to do and well it is still a great learning experience for him.     There’s a reason I love self-published books and that’s because they don’t have established characters and rules on what they can or cannot do with them. The love these guys have for this project is clearly evident and honestly it’s rather infectious. Sometimes people go for stupid humour or crass and base humour to compensate for their shortcomings but Wes took a more intelligent approach and made the over the top humour smart.     It’s truly a unique offering unlike anything you’re gonna find anywhere else. It's one of the those examples of a book I keep telling you look out for in Artist Alley at any convention.  Also I am totally ready for the next arc!

[ao3feed-lancelot]

Work that corner

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2eW1f4s

by Lancelotv01

Working at night was given a whole new meaning to Lance McClain five years ago when he was sixteen and was first scouted by the Galra. At first he was a twink like thing too shy to make much money, but now he was rolling in extra cash. He knows exactly what women and men want and how they want it. Some might say Lance was cocky about how good he is but he had earned the right to brag

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

After a long decision and time to decide what todo with this story I have finally been able to rewrite it and I hope it is enjoyed by many.

It may cause some triggers which I will promptly place warnings in bottom notes for the previous chapter and ahead of the chapter itself. Smut ensured and will be tagged in the chapter name as for those who would like to avoid it.

Words: 1525, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron - Fandom, vld - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: Lotor, Zarkon, Sendak, Thace, Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge, Allura, Coran, Keith Kogane, Lance McClain, Pidge Gunderson, Shirogane Takashi

Relationships: Klance - Relationship, Lancelot - Relationship, Keith/Lance, Lance/Lotor

Additional Tags: Jealous Keith, abuse relationship Lancelot, Recovery, keith is an officer and so is Shiro, allura is the commissioner, Allura's last name is Albright, lance is a prostitue that was tricked into it, sendak is the pimp, sendak won't admit he's the pimp

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2eW1f4s

[ataraxiamfrp]

Thank you all for participating in our activity check! The characters listed here are the ones who did not pass activity check/did not submit an activity check, and who are being dropped for the period from JUNE 5 - AUGUST 5.

If your character is on this list, we will leave your app on your page for three days, during which you will have the chance to send us an ask to immediately reapp. If you choose to do this and you are dropped for activity in a future activity check, you will have to wait a week to reapp as that character.

To reapp, just send an ask including the following:

indication that you would like to reapp

character name and series

date

contact information

In the meantime, you will remain in the server, but be given a role that does not allow you to post until you either reapp, or three days pass, after which you will be removed from the server.

Thanks everyone!

As a note, characters marked with an asterisk (*) must wait a week before reapping.

Daenerys Targaryen - Ommy

Adam Yuriev - Haru

First Emperor Ying Zheng - Lance

Gilgamesh (Crash) - Lance

Orrick-1 - Noah

Noiz - Mari

Lord El-Melloi - Shira *

Ritsuka Fujimaru - Hani

Alphinaud Leveilleur - Anda

Solus/Emet-Selch - Chris

Gara Futaboshi - Frost

Kiri Hyroryu - Frost

Wisdom - Dani

Sandalphon - Enaki

Hua Cheng - Hui

Shi Qing Xuan - Ari *

Joseph Desaulnier (Photographer) - Ivy

Yamato Nikaidou - Cenisa

Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade - Ommy

2B - Tori

Eve - Noel

Cyrus Albright - Shae

Therion - Ivy

Angel Asimov - Cherry

Katrielle Layton - Locky

Kojuuro Katakura - Rose

Nicholas Rush  - Twin

Crowley - Violet

Rewind - Harvey

Lup Taaco - Shae

Sanae Hanekoma - Noah

Sho Minamimoto - Cherry

Lancer (Enkidu) - Hui *

Aesop Carl - Kendal

[ao3feed-voltronlegendarydefender]

Work that corner

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2eW1f4s

by Lancelotv01

Working at night was given a whole new meaning to Lance McClain five years ago when he was sixteen and was first scouted by the Galra. At first he was a twink like thing too shy to make much money, but now he was rolling in extra cash. He knows exactly what women and men want and how they want it. Some might say Lance was cocky about how good he is but he had earned the right to brag

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

After a long decision and time to decide what todo with this story I have finally been able to rewrite it and I hope it is enjoyed by many.

It may cause some triggers which I will promptly place warnings in bottom notes for the previous chapter and ahead of the chapter itself. Smut ensured and will be tagged in the chapter name as for those who would like to avoid it.

Words: 1525, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Voltron - Fandom, vld - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: M/M

Characters: Lotor, Zarkon, Sendak, Thace, Shiro, Keith, Lance, Pidge, Allura, Coran, Keith Kogane, Lance McClain, Pidge Gunderson, Shirogane Takashi

Relationships: Klance - Relationship, Lancelot - Relationship, Keith/Lance, Lance/Lotor

Additional Tags: Jealous Keith, abuse relationship Lancelot, Recovery, keith is an officer and so is Shiro, allura is the commissioner, Allura's last name is Albright, lance is a prostitue that was tricked into it, sendak is the pimp, sendak won't admit he's the pimp

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2eW1f4s

[timhosslerdesign]

Annie Leibovitz, Editorial assignments for Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines

1997–2002

In-house art director: Tim Hossler

As Ms. Leibovitz’s in-house art director I worked directly with her on photo editing, compositing, and production of the final images. Over the course of my 5 and a half years with Ms. Leibovitz, we produced 45 covers and over 180 portraits for Condé Nast Publications.

Shoots included: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nicole Kidman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Bacon, Diane Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, Pam Grier, Claire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jim Carrey, Will Smith, Natalie Portman, Drew Barrymore, Nick Nolte, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Jane Fonda, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Penélope Cruz, Mike Nichols, Ang Lee, Emma Thompson, Steven Spielberg, Sophia Loren, Catherine Deneuve, Meryl Streep, Gene Hackman, Halle Barry, Salma Hayek, Ben Stiller, Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss, Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs, Yo-Yo Ma, Patti Smith, John Lee Hooker, The Roots, Les Paul, Celia Cruz, Brian Wilson, Lou Reed, B .B. King, Björk, Bono. Run DMC, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Jon Bon Jovi, Leonard Cohen, Max Roach, Pete Seeger, Debbie Harry, Outkast, Al Green, Johnny Cash, Beyoncé, Beck, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Lance Armstrong, Mia Hamm, Evander Holyfield, Marion Jones, President Bill Clinton & Vice President Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Tony Blair, The George W. Bush White House

Annie Leibovitz, Advertising campaigns

1997–2002

In-house art director: Tim Hossler

On most advertising projects Ms. Leibovitz avoided consulting with agency art directors and instead would work with me to edit and compose images on-set. Following the shoots, I would work with Ms. Leibovitz and the agencies to produce the final images.

HBO’s The Sopranos, print ad campaigns for Season 4 (2002-2003) & Season 5 (2004)

Guerlain ‘Shalimar’ Fragrance print campaign (2002)

Absolut Vodka 20th Anniversary in America print campaign (2001)

Givenchy print campaigns, Spring/Summer & Fall/Winter (2001)

Dockers Khakis ‘Independent Thinkers’ print campaign portfolio insert (1998)

Anne Klein ‘Significant Women’ print campaign portfolio insert (1998)

HBO Special Jerry Seinfeld Live print campaign (1998)

‘Got Milk?’ Milk Mustache Ads (1997–2002)

[melindacoulson4]

It’s all coming back to me now Ch 2

Here’s the summary again:  Post 4x15. Daisy has entered the framework. Everything that she knows has been flipped upside-down; she just doesn’t know it yet.

This picks up immediately where the last chapter ended, read it here: 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10032407/chapters/22359605

DAISY

By the time they make it to the entrance she’s sweating profusely and not from the weather. It was hot walking on the black pavement for 15 minutes next Grant Ward, but there was the knowledge that she was about to walk into a HYDRA base that made her nervous as hell. And when she was nervous, she tended to sweat.

She counts twenty guards standing at the metal detector and body scanner as they walk through the automatic entrance doors. It seems like they’re all copies of the same guy. They all have shaved heads and a cold stare that is pointed directly at her.

One of the guys walks up to them and stops, holding a hand out expectantly. He holds some kind of scanner gun in his hand.

When she continues to stare at him blankly, not knowing what to do, he finally speaks, “Badges?”

Ward, who is still next to her, and standing way too close pulls a rectangular piece of plastic out of his pants pocket and places it in the guy’s hand.

The agent scans it with the gun, the gun beeps, and he hands the badge back to Ward with no problem.

Think, Daisy! She shoves her hands first in her jacket pockets, then in her pants pockets making a show of searching for the badge that she definitely knows she doesn’t have on her.

“Umm…I can’t seem to find it,” she says pathetically, inwardly cringing.

“No problem Agent Pierce. I’m sure the director won’t mind. We all know who you are,” he comments almost sneering at her.

Agent Pierce? Where did that come from?

“Thanks,” she smiles quickly and then glances out of the corner of her eye at Ward.

He’s already begun walking through the body scanner up ahead.  She speeds to the scanner, not making eye contact with any of the skinheads. Her hand automatically lands on her hip, pulling off the gun that she had on the holster. That was an unfamiliar weight that she hasn’t felt in a long time, not since she got her powers. She places the gun, a knife that she had in her jacket pocket, and a keyring that had five unknown keys hooked onto it into the basin to bypass the scanner. Then, steps through the metal scanner quickly feeling like every buzzer and alarm is going to automatically start going haywire due to her presence. Somehow they would know. They would just sense that she was SHIELD. It was an irrational thought, but she couldn’t help it. This was obviously an irrational place.

Thankfully, nothing happens.

She waits with bated breath for the guard closest to her to pass her the items from the basin. Ward comes over, his shoulder slightly brushing up against her own now, making her internally cringe. She quickly shoves the keys and knife into the same pocket and holds the gun in her hand ready to get away from all of these HYDRA agents.

“Alright, here we go,” Ward comments as she follows him towards the end of the room. As they get closer, she can see that there are elevators built into the wall. Ward moves toward the buttons on the wall and taps one of the up arrows. Okay, so they were going up. Further into HYDRA, she swallows hard, trying not to throw up at the thought.

It isn’t long before the ding of the elevator occurs and the doors slide open. They step in and it’s definitely not what she expected. The elevator isn’t a grey steel box. It’s clear and made of glass; giving her a full view of the outside world. She can see that this side of the building is facing a body of water that is surrounded by vibrant green pine trees. The view would be quite beautiful if it wasn’t ruined by the fact that she was seeing it from inside a HYDRA base.

A sudden sensation of warm skin on her hand startles her, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She looks down, completely shocked to see Ward’s hand making contact with her own. She feels his fingers pressing into the spaces between her own, entwining them together.

“You good?” He asks, eyebrow rising in question.

“Of course,” she responds, squeezing his hand. She tampers down the urge to keep squeezing and break his hand. This was absolutely gross. She didn’t want him to touch her at all. He is a snake; better yet, a HYDRA snake. But, she steels herself, flashing him a smile that she tries her best to make appear genuine. She had to play this part. She had to save the team.

Distraction, that’s what she needed right now. She turns her attention back to the view outside. They are higher up now, way high, and probably more than halfway up the building by now. She can see an array of buildings, barely any patches of green, and busy streets filled with cars. They were in a city. A tall, slim structure catches her eye. It’s odd and unique and she’s only seen it in one place in her whole life. It was the Washington Monument, which means that they are in DC.

The elevator dings once again signaling their arrival. To where? She has no idea. She pulls her hand out of Ward’s grip hoping that would be a natural thing for them to do. They were agents after all. They had to be somewhat professional. Thankfully, he doesn’t react and simply steps off of the elevator.

“Oh so you did get my text? I was beginning to think you two got lost on your way here,” a man’s voice greets them as soon as they step onto the floor. A man, who has a very distinct and very British accent that she instantly recognizes.

She glances over to her right and sees him. It was Hunter, Lance Hunter; the first familiar face that she actually wanted to see. Now, the Jackass contact ID in her phone made perfect sense.

His presence is surprising to say the least. And his appearance is even more of a shock. He’s dressed in a suit. It’s made up of a plain old black jacket, black pants, white shirt underneath, and a black striped tie. She has to quickly school her features; luckily, she’s had plenty of practice over the years because he looks absolutely ridiculous. It reminds her of how Coulson used to dress. Except Coulson somehow made the suit work, he eluded secret agent man. But Hunter dressed like this, absolutely not. She couldn’t take him seriously. If she didn’t know better she would say this was one elaborate prank.

“Christ. Fuckin’ weasel,” Ward mutters near her ear. She can sense the irritation in his tone.

“Well? We don’t have all day. You should’ve been here twenty minutes ago. She’s expecting you,” Hunter snaps, then turns on his heel and dashes out of the room.

What the hell was that? At first, she thought he was joking around about the text, but apparently he was being serious. Ugh, why did the Framework have to ruin everything?

“Let’s go before we get our asses handed to us. Well….before I do,” Ward comments, walking in the direction of Hunter’s exit.

She follows right behind him, jogging to catch up. When they get to the next room, she is utterly shocked. She thought that it was a surprise to see Hunter, but this was an even bigger one. Standing in the middle of the room, is none other than Melinda May. Daisy is able to recognize her even though May isn’t facing them. May has her back to them and she is staring at a statue in the middle of the room, while Hunter whispers in her ear. Daisy takes a closer look and sees that it’s a huge HYDRA statue made out of metal, just planted right smack in the middle of the room, which is bizarre. What is even more unsettling about it is that May has a hand on one of the HYDRA arms and is slowly moving from one end of the arm towards the other. It is almost like she is caressing the statue.

“I do have other agents that I can call. You’re aware of that, Grant?” May questions, now stationary yet still resting a hand on the HYDRA arm.

Grant? She calls him Grant?

“Of course, ma’am,” Ward responds.

Ma’am?

Daisy glances over at Ward. He’s standing with his hands joined in front of his stomach; one hand is gripping the opposite hand and his eyes keep darting nervously around the room.

She can tell that he’s uncomfortable. She had known the real Ward well enough to learn that those are all of his tells.

“Put it up,” May orders Hunter with a flippant hand gesture, still with her back to them.

“Of course….of course, Director,” Hunter responds, almost dropping the tablet that he has cradled in his hands.

Director?….Oh, fuck.  How could she not have put that together? They’re on one of the highest floors in the building. This office is huge. Ward calling May, ma’am. Hunter dancing around here like a lackey. May is the Director of Hydra. She can barely even process this. Her brain refused to connect May to HYDRA, so hearing the words now felt earth-shattering. This was unacceptable and insane. This world really was upside-down.

The wall in front of them suddenly flashes with color, capturing her attention. A picture slides into focus, covering the entire wall. The wall turned into a screen. Wow, HYDRA was high-tech.

“Albright High School. Alexandria, Virginia,” Hunter announces, pointing at the screen.

She can see what appears to be a crime scene photo of a classroom that looked like it was devastated by a tornado. Desks were overturned. There was a gaping hole in the ceiling. The window on the far right side of the scene was shattered.

Hunter begins talking again, but she can’t seem to focus on anything that comes out of his mouth. She’s more interested in this room, which is apparently May’s office. There is hardly anything in here. There’s the strange HYDRA effigy in the middle of the room, of course. On the left side of the room are four white block chairs that almost appear to be made of metal too, the shape and design coming off entirely rigid.

On the right side of the room is a desk, completely made out of glass, which is another oddly futuristic item in this room. It doesn’t even have any drawers. It is just a tabletop with two legs supporting it; if that even qualifies as a desk. The desk is almost completely bare if not for the two file folders neatly stacked in the middle of it. The files are even pristine and perfect, appearing to be piled up corner-to-corner with one another.  There are no pens or papers. No pictures placed in frames on the desk. There is nothing personal, just empty space.

This whole room is bland and unlived in. Anyone who actually knew May would know that this isn’t like her at all.  This is a shell of May, how an outsider looking in would create her to be like. And that’s exactly what Aida did.

“Skye.….let’s get going.”

May’s voice snaps her to attention. She looks at May, who is now finally facing her. Her face is just total devoid of all emotion, so detached. Her hair is completely straightened, there’s no wave to it like the real May’s hair.  

“You’re coming with us?” Ward asks, but she can tell by the panic in his eyes that he wishes he hadn’t even opened his mouth.

May’s eyes dart towards Ward, squinting at him in disgust. “I am. Do you have a problem with that?”

Okay, so some things did stay the same. May still loathed Ward. That was good…kind of in a weird way.

The bright side to all of this Hydra mess is that she found May. Now, she had to locate Coulson. Since May is here, Coulson is probably somewhere around here too. Find one, you find the other; that’s just how it was with Coulson and May.

So….if May is the director of HYDRA, then what the hell is Coulson?

//tbc//

Please let me know what you think/your reaction!!!