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tteii · 3 years ago

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a sakuatsu fic

tags: exes to lovers, married skts, inspired by captain holt and kevin’s kiss

ao3 ver. | unedited twt thread ver.

“You what?” Miya Osamu couldn’t help but raise his voice when he heard his twin spouting stupid shit. Only the counter and the wooden spatula he was holding was preventing him from strangling the annoying blonde in front of him.

“I’m not talking to you.” Atsumu turned his direction back to Rintarou, his twin’s boyfriend of sixteen years, as he continued eating his onigiri. “So, I was saying一”

Osamu shoved another onigiri on his twin’s mouth. “Why the fuck do you need to make a Grindr profile? I thought the couple’s counselling was going well.”

“First of all, I could’ve died一”

“But you didn’t.” Rin said as a matter of factly then, kissed his boyfriend on his left cheek. “Gotta pick up the new batch of tuna in the market. Will be back in an hour.”

“Ugh! Have some respect!” Trying to throw his chopstick at the love birds, which he failed miserably, resulted in a fake gagging just to show his disdain because why not?

As soon as Rintarou left the shop, it became quiet until there was a soft sniffle. “It was okay, at f-first ‘til一”He started crying, tears and snot. Thank god Osamu was quick enough to pat his twin’s head as an act of comfort. “T-the psychologist told me一sniff�� to have more time. And I was like, excuse you doctor, you’re not paying for my rent and medication!”

“Ssh, it’s alright. Did you explain to them your side?”

“No! How could I when the gorgeous bastard agreed and pointed out that I barely have time for sex let alone weekly dates!” More sniffles, more wailing.

It wasn’t his fault, not entirely. True, that ever since he got assigned to a bigger project, he rarely had time. Blame the architect firm for sending him to Aomori! Blame the expensive rent in Tokyo with its boxed apartment. Blame his ADHD and its fucking caviar price meds.

Blamed everything and he ended up losing the love of his life.

After several threatening texts to Rintarou and excessive pleading that his life depended on this fucking finally, he was ready to thread the waters and catch some big fish with tight fitted pants and black turtleneck to add some mysterious effect.

10 minutes!

The guy, Akiteru, was already 10 minutes late.

“It’s okay, you’re just used to Omi’s timeliness.” Atsumu murmured under his breath, chanting it like a spell.

“Miya?”

Dirty blonde? Check.

Beige trousers? Check.

Suede loafers? Check.

Long nails? Check.

Atsumu was baffled. How could someone check all his run-towards-the-exit-asap list.

First, there could only be one blonde in the relationship. Beige trousers made him icky like a melted popsicle in summer time. Suede? Hard to fucking clean, it should be forbidden. Leather was popular for a reason! Long fucking nails?!

Atsumu was about to faint. Or burst. Or scream. It didn’t matter. The moment his date went to the restroom, he immediately paid for his drink and immediately ran for his sanity.

Of course, he sent one last message to the guy before deleting the app.

Sorry, forgot to tell you I’m allergic to suede and alcohol. Thanks for your time.

- Miya A.

“So…?” Rintarou wiggled his eyebrows, taunting Atsumu before whispering something to his boyfriend’s ear.

“Nothing! And stop talking behind my back, I’m literally sitting in front of you guys!”

“Jealous.”

“Green-eyed monster.”

Atsumu sighed because no matter how good he lied to his co-workers about his date that ended bragging for three whole days, unfortunately, he could never fool his twin.

“What should I do…?” It sounded more sad? Ah, dejected. Defeated. Like a loser.

How could he think that a dating app and a date in the bar could make him forget about the one and only Sakusa Kiyoomi. Four years of pinning since high school. Another five years of dating, learning, familiarizing and memorizing every single non-hypoallergenic sanitzer there was in the market. And three and a half years of being married, sharing a house, their love and life.

How stupid could he be?

No one could replace Kiyoomi in his life. Not that he wanted to. He just…he just wanted to give him a better life. Bigger house. A backyard and a big dog. Europe trips.

Things he couldn’t give him when he was a broke college student and a struggling 24 year old competing to get a job in the most sought-after architecture firm in Tokyo.

He just simply wanted to give him the life he deserved.

So what went wrong?

“You know he loves you, right?” Osamu broke the silence. “You’ve known each other for years. Do you think he’s the type of person to give up easily?”

“B-but, I hurt him, Samu. Made him cry.”

“Like it’s the first time? Remember when you had your first fight? Outside my dormand you were carrying his shirts and hoodies in a plastic bag, ready to throw it in his face in case he asked for a break up?”

Atsumu remembered it all too well.

Last year of uni. He spent the night at Rin’s dorm because he caught Kiyoomi talking to a girl after turning him down for a date. He was crying the whole night. Asking if he was worth it. If Kiyoomi actually loved him in the first place. If everything they had was real.

And when he was going down the stairs, with the plastic bag full of his boyfriend’s clothes, he saw Kiyoomi standing outside the dorm, cheeks stained with tears and a bouquet of white lilies on his hand.

A symbol of devotion.

“You think Omi’s going to run under the rain, shouting my一”

“Miya Atsumu!” That was his name, coming from a familiar voice.

He stood up from the couch and as he was looking from the window of his twin’s second floor apartment, he saw a dark figure standing outside the building.

Just like before.

Umbrella and slippers be damned. All he was thinking was to get to the door as soon as possible一

“Miya Atsumu! Miya! Atsu, please…”

They said it only happens in the movie, a kiss under the rain that is.

They said it only exists in Nancy Meyers movies.

He was no Nancy Meyers or in a romance film but everything felt right, even magical.

The wet kiss. The tears hiding under the rain drops.

The quiet I love yous. The warm hug amidst the cold winds blowing harshly. The several sorrrys shared between another kiss.

How their hands trembled at the touch of each other’s skin. How their hearts were about to burst simply because their love for each other was so much.

“Com'on lovebirds! You’re both gonna get sick!” And just like that, Suna was again standing by the door. Osamu was behind him, chin perched on his shoulder.

“I love you.”

“No matter what.”

- fin.

#sakuatsu #sakuatsu fic #married sakuatsu #skts #skts fic #skts au #uecchific #hq fic #haikyuu fic #haikyu fic #exes to lovers

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awesomepancakestacks · 4 years ago

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Silver Tongues and Apparitions

@i-write-shakespeare-not-disney

It was dark in the alley as I struggled to scan the picture one more time. I looked up to see a form walk down the alley and stop right outside a warehouse to look at their phone. That was her. I jumped to a ledge of a building just across the alley.It was dark, just how I liked it. The rain tonight came down more like a mist that was barely felt as it landed on my face. I checked to see if I could see my target clearly from my scope. I couldn't help but let out a sigh. Finally. After a few hours of tracking her down to a warehouse and finding the perfect angle for the shot, I had her.

I had to wonder who she's pissed off so much that they called me in. I tried to get a closer look at her through my scope. The first thing I noticed was her colorful rainbow hair that was a sharp contrast to her dark clothes. She was also short but I knew enough to not let that fool me into a false sense of security. Even from here I could see she wasn't anyone I would want to mess with up close.

I pulled out the phone while trying to balance myself and my rifle as I laid on the

“I have her in sight “ I whispered as I put the phone on my shoulder and aligned the target.

“So you’ve met her?” A deep baritone voice answered through a crappy receiver.

“You didn't tell me you also wanted information out of her.” I paused, my finger on the trigger.

“ Trust me, I think she’s the only person you wouldn't be able to squeeze information from.” My trigger finger twitched as he laughed.

“You want me to meet her first?” I asked, confused.

“I hear wind. Why do I hear wind?” His voice raised a bit in panic. There was a few seconds of silence before I let out a small groan.

“So, you don't want me to take a hit out on her?”

“Jesus, Mute, I just sent you her name and picture.” He breathed out exasperated with a bit fear seeping through at the end.

“We’ve worked together extensively. I figured you were just being short and concise with me.” I jumped to the roof and sat down, beginning to disassemble my rifle.

“What? No! I'm setting up a really big job and I wanted you to check out one of your future co-workers.”

“Ouch. I’ve done big jobs on my own just fine. I don't need co-workers.” I hung up. I couldn't help but scoff. I’ve always worked alone. Help was just never needed ever since I became the best in the market. I turned back to look for her as she finished typing something on her phone before going into the building. My ego was hurt but I’ll admit I started to get curious.

I quickly jumped to my weapons room to leave my rifle bag and exchange it for two handguns before jumping back to the alley. I pulled up the mask making sure it came up to just under my eyes. I jumped to the other side of the closed door of the warehouse and gradually made my way down room by room until I found her.

It was a smaller dark room and I made sure to stay in the darkest corner so I can observe without interrupting. There was nothing lighting the room but a haphazardous lamp taped to the ceiling. Under the light she stood accompanied by someone. There was a white middle age man tied up on a beat up metal charge. Both the man and the chair looked a bit worse for wear. He was sweating profusely and with good reason. Her aura was intense, even as she stood a few steps away from him. A heavy metallic feeling came over the room as she just stood smiling at him for a good minute.

Suddenly out of the blue she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and leaned into his ear. She started whispering to him. I jumped to another corner to get a glimpse of what she was doing to him.I could see her lips moving but I couldn't make out the words. At first the balding man twisted in his chair trying to get away from her. Then after a few seconds, he started to scream in agony. She was torturing him in some way and I couldn't get close enough to figure out how. A minute went by with more of his tormented cries before I realized I was holding my breath. Even my heart was racing.

After a few minutes passed she pulled away and I couldn't move.She was looking straight at me with pitch black eyes. Her midnight eyes held me paralyzed until she eventually looked away. I was so sure I was practically invisible in the dark. Still, I made sure to not move a muscle in case she became suspicious.

“Are you ready to talk or do you want me to go over the boiling oil part again. I think you liked that one.” Her voice was deep and strong, it seemed to penetrate everything that could hear it. The man started to sob and I could see her eyes roll mockingly. Still a smirk formed on her face as she gave him a minute to catch his breath. After a few seconds of quiet, she started to lean in again. The abused man started to violently shake as he pleaded loudly.

“Alright, alright! I'll tell you anything, please.” He spoke in a croaky voice as he spilled everything and then some. Her smirk slowly disappeared and was replaced by a bored dead expression. After he finished his monologue, he hung his head in defeat. I didn't need to see his face to know what he now understood. There's only one fate for him now that he served no other purpose. The game had ended.

She turned her back to him as she took three steps away. Then, like a lightning strike, she wiped out her pistol from her back and shot him clean through the head.There was nothing left for me to see. I was out of the room in a second, leaving her and the body. I jumped to a dock a few blocks away pulling out the phone and dialed his number. It only rang once.

“What's her name.”

“Havoc. So you like her?” His voice raised a bit at the end of his reply. After all these years he’s still trying to befriend me. It was cute in a pathetic sort of way.

“I’m intrigued.” That in itself was impressive in a way I couldn't really describe.

“Great! Ill se-” I dropped the phone into the water next to me. I left the pistols in their place a bit bummed by not being paid for tonight. Still, not all was lost. It’s been a while since I’ve had an entertaining night.

Even in bed I couldn't keep her from my mind. Her pitch black eyes, the way her stance reminded me of a loaded gun, and the screams she drew out of the man with whispers. Shivers ran down my spine as I turned. My face was reflected unto the Citysearch outside my window. It caught me by surprise, my own black eyes were wide with alarm behind my bangs. My black hair spread around me chaotically only added to my unnerved expression. I quickly closed my eyes and tried to shake the remaining feeling of her heavy, metallic aura. It was futile as a silver tongued canine chased through the night and into an abyss until daylight broke a few hours later.

#OCs #villainsonas #fic #first fictional work!

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imsafiyacharles · 4 years ago

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ALABAMA’S AGING BLACK FARMERS UNCERTAIN ABOUT FUTURE AS THEY STRUGGLE TO CREATE LINES OF SUCCESSION

Billy Gibbons intends to die on this land.

At 70, the bespectacled Black farmer may very well be the last heir to work the family plot; 80 acres of black soil in Browntown, Alabama, an unincorporated community less than 20 miles north of Prattville.

Gibbons’ parents pinched and scraped to purchase the acreage for $850 in 1940. They intended to pass it down to him and his brother; but he died in 1976 after contracting meningitis while away at military training in Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“I can remember all of this was woods,” Gibbons said, waving his arm over the crop land that extended before him. It was a brooding morning that had already spilled rain and left his feet besieged by shallow pools of muddy water.

The old farmer wore a faded army jacket and dark cap with worn blue jeans; occasionally pulling his face mask to the side to expel a portion of the chewing tobacco occupying his right cheek, before apologizing for the habit.

“As far as you can see to woods was woods,” he spat.

The forest was so dense, and the family’s resources so limited, they worked only five acres of farmland to start.

“My Daddy, he done all the cleaning with a mule, a ax and a shovel,” said Gibbons.

They farmed row crops — collards, turnips, mustard greens — and bought a couple head of cattle. Gibbons had trees pushed off with bulldozers through the years. He now owns about 50 head, which he spreads across the family land and some 170 acres he rents just a mile up the road.

With the help of his wife, he hauls most of his vegetables weekly at the Curb Market downtown where in 1999, he became its first African American vendor. He would serve as president for nine years.

“This is a tradition here, and it’s still standing,” he said.

But for how long?

Like so many of the nation’s Black farmers, mostly clustered in the South, the future remains uncertain.

In 1920, African Americans accounted for 14% of all U.S. farm operators. That number has since dwindled to a staggering 1.4% percent. Alabama, the third most populous state for Black producers, sits at 6%, according to 2017’s agriculture census.

At the turn of the 20th century, Black landowners held 15 million acres. Today, they own 3.4 million, about half a percent of American farmland.

Black farmers have faced discrimination at every level, struggling against social and financial barriers to achieve land ownership and the right to operate their farms independently within an agricultural economy that has long profited from the exploitation of their labor through slavery, sharecropping and legal loopholes.

Over decades, many southern Black families lost land due violent intimidation, deceit and financial hardship. Farmers who sought loans from government agencies to keep their properties running in lean times or make needed improvements were denied, shortchanged or failed to receive timely assistance. (The United States Department of Agriculture settled in 1999 the class action lawsuit Pigford v. Glickman brought by Black farmers alleging more than two decades of lending discrimination.)

While the latest agriculture census reported a 5% increase in Black producers between 2012 and 2017 after revisions to its data collection, there was also a 3% decline in Black operated farms.

“What I hope we don't see is the eventual extinction of the Black farmer,” said Brennan Washington. He works with limited resource farmers across the South as a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) liaison at Fort Valley State, a historically Black land grant college in Georgia.

In the past, Washington said, a Black farmer with a large acreage may have applied for a USDA loan to purchase seed, among other necessities, and would find their application lagging.

“[USDA] would process the paperwork too late for them to get their seed on time. So, they get their seed in the ground too late, they don’t get a crop, meanwhile they’ve got a lien on that property that USDA will seize if they can’t get it paid,” he said.

Further complicating matters is the fact that farmers are aging, and many are finding it increasingly difficult to get young people to replace them. Nationally, the average age of a farm owner is 57½ years old; 43% of Black farmers are 65 and older.

'Farming has shrunk from a mile to 300 feet'

Browntown is a Black community founded on farming. According to local history, twin brothers with the surname Brown bought the land that encompasses about a 20-mile radius; it was parceled among their heirs when they died. Gibbons’ grandmother was a Brown.

But the promise of higher-wage work, and the perceived freedom from Jim Crow segregation and racism lured many young Black people north during the Great Migration between 1916 and 1970, away from rural farm towns like these.

“Most of the farmers had large families and they kids was brought up on the farm. But as years got by and all these kids grow up, they was rushing to get away from the farm, because the farm was a struggle — still is a struggle,” said Gibbons.

The figures are dramatic. Between 1940 and 1950, more than 42% of the nonwhite Southern population vanished. That number rose to 65% for nonwhite youth between the ages of 15 and 19, according to a 2007 SARE report.

With four biological children and four stepchildren, Gibbons has no shortage of heirs. But their desire to enter a business they've watched their father struggle to maintain over the years is lacking, which means the family is currently without a contingency plan.

Marshall, 58, and Lorenzo Davis, 66, co-own Davis Farms about a mile west of Gibbons’ property and face a similar consequence. The brothers farm row crops, rotating varieties of watermelon, field peas, snap beans and other seasonal crops they sell daily at the Finley Avenue Farmer’s Market in Birmingham.

As farm operators, the two have found themselves in a position they never intended. Fond memories of time spent working alongside their father on the farm throughout their youth persuaded them to keep the business alive after he passed in 2004.

The brothers farm about 300 acres, half which belongs to the family, and 40 acres the late Davis bought in 1960. That land is legally split between Lorenzo, Marshall and a third brother, Andrew, who farms independently.

Like many operators, the Davis’ maintained full-time jobs to keep their farm going. Lorenzo retired in 2014 after 33 years as a correctional officer, and Marshall is still currently employed at a facility in Elmore County. He wakes early most days to put in work at the farm before heading to the prison for the second shift from 2 to 10 p.m.

“Twenty years ago, when our father was in operation, we had cows and hogs. At one time, we were up to 200 acres of field corn,” said Lorenzo.

By the late-90s they had quit farming cattle. The cost of feed was expensive, and profits were slim. Bills on a farm add up quickly — seed, fertilizer, fuel, equipment maintenance. Lorenzo pointed out a 20-year-old tractor they owned that cost them $60,000 to buy brand new; an equivalent today, he said, would be well over a $100,000.

“We might eventually have to get back into growing grain because we’re aging now and you can gather all that with machinery,” Marshall said. “Help is harder to come by now than it was 20 years ago.”

Like Gibbons, the Davis brothers remain passionate about farming but are struggling to devise a transition plan. Marshall’s 36-year-old daughter sometimes assists him at the farmer’s market., and Lorenzo has a 35-year-old son that has indicated an interest in the operation, but he doesn’t have much experience and works a good-paying job that his farm income would likely never match.

Without a probated will, farms are vulnerable to becoming heirs’ property

Most farm operators are generational, acquiring land as it is handed down through family members.

While 65% of white Americans with a high school education report having a will, only 23% of Black Americans possess one, according to a study reviewed by Texas A&M law scholar Thomas Mitchell who studies heirs’ property; land owned by multiple people who typically share a common relative that’s died without leaving a probated will.

Kara Woods has studied heirs’ property in Macon County as a postdoctoral researcher at Tuskegee University (TU). The historically Black 1890 land grant school’s research and extension programs provide agricultural education and support to Black producers; often subject to the same imposed financial limitations the farmers they serve face (Congress mandated 1890s because southern land grants they created 28 years prior barred Black students).

“It really goes down to generations ago when everything was in the family bible,” Woods said. “You might have the lineage in the family bible, [unofficial] wills in the family bible. People who were able to get land after becoming free didn’t trust white lawyers because they didn’t have means to read and write. So, at that point it was safer to keep the land without a will because you knew the family could always stay on it,” said Woods.

One of the problems with heir’s property is that it isn’t divided by parcels or acres; it’s split by percentage. That means that if a family has 50 acres and five heirs, each would be entitled to 10% of the land, not 10 acres. So, the more heirs a property has, the less value each person holds.

Because heir’s property is an informal form of ownership that involves multiple people, most banks refuse to allow the land to be used as collateral in financial lending, and it’s generally appraised at a lower value than clear title land.

These properties also rarely qualify for state and federal grant programs that cover everything from community development, to disaster relief and housing. Without individual ownership, heir’s property isn’t an effective tool for building generational wealth.

Before Alabama approved the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, co-drafted by Mitchell, in 2014, a single heir could force the sale of an entire property through a legal partition action. Usually the sale would net far less than market value for the land. (The 2018 Farm Bill includes a provision sponsored by former Sen. Doug Jones that would authorize $10 million a year through 2023 to help farmers resolve ownership and address succession issues to avoid this and other snags.)

Lack of generational leads put Black farmers on the back foot

Though fourth-generation Black Belt farmer Demetrius Hooks, 47, knows the value of a will, he’s had a hard time convincing his father, Al Hooks, 72, of the urgency in getting an official document drawn up.

Like the Davis’, Demetrius never imagined he'd assume farming as an occupation. He 'd always helped around on weekends at the Shorter farm, but when he lost his graphic design job at this newspaper around 2010, he spent more time there.

The father and son talked it over and decided Demetrius should assume a more official role. A few years later, he ended up at TU working as a farm internship liaison.

Demetrius handles sales and marketing for Al Hooks Produce, and his father does most of the farm work, though the younger Hooks does get his hands dirty every now and again. He has two siblings who have families of their own, but none work the farm.

The Hooks grow fruits and vegetables that they sell each weekend at the Macon County Farmer’s Market and through direct sales via text message to customers who pick up their “veggie crates” weekly at Demetrius’ home. They hold farm stands at Auburn and Birmingham’s summer markets, too.

Through a cooperative partnership facilitated by TU, the Hooks previously sold some produce items to Walmart. That created a need for an onsite processing plant to wash, refrigerate and package the vegetables. They were able to secure a $75,000 grant to build the $125,000 site and increase their capability.

Beyond the need to expand capacity, large retail contracts like these often require special certifications like GAP (good agricultural practices) that can be time consuming and expensive. And it can take months to receive payment.

Demetrius said the business had previously maintained a contract with Whole Foods, supplying them squash, zucchini, peppers and collard greens for a few years. When Amazon acquired the company in 2017 subsequent changes were made to their vendor specifications, which coincided with a cancer diagnosis. They could barely keep up with the requirements.

For many small Black farms that lack capital to pay certification costs or labor to meet greater demand, these large contracts remain out of reach.

The Hooks no longer sell to either large chain and are currently working with smaller regional retailers like Filet and Vine in Old Cloverdale; though they will again attempt to meet Whole Foods’ certification requirements now that Demetrius’ cancer is one-year in remission.

There’s a “gap in business development. It would be nice if everybody started their business at the same time and you didn’t have years of being locked out of certain opportunities because you’re Black. Once those blockages and implements of discrimination have been removed it’s not as if the next day I can easily walk into Whole Foods and be ready to deliver to them,” said Demetrius.

“You still have those generational leads. Other businesses that didn’t have those problems have that benefit of being able to maneuver through those obstacles once they come up.”

Although nothing has yet been written in ink, Demetrius has expressed to his father his interest in taking over the farm when he retires. But the matter of a probated will still hangs in the balance.

“I don't really think I should have a say of how it's done; it's how he wants to do it. But I need him to come out and tell me,” he said.

Certifications allow access to wider markets, but can be costly and limiting

In recent years, a burgeoning cultural movement has emerged seeking a return to African American agricultural traditions. Urban farmers, many of them women, have cleared blighted plots and cleaned up city blocks in an effort to nourish and beautify Black communities that too often lack access to fresh produce and healthy food options. The trend of “reverse migration,” first observed in the 1970s, continues as more Black people return to ancestral land in rural communities across the South.

“There’s a new awakening that's happening where people who left during the Great Migration and went to work a job in Detroit or Ohio, they're coming back to Alabama and Georgia and Mississippi,” said Natilee McGruder, a community land, food and farming systems advocate, who's currently working to connect local Black farmers with a national seasonal food chain.

“There are young Black people who are in New York and California who are landless, who want to farm, who are ‘woofing.’ There are elders connecting with young folks. And there are the 1890s that have always been here to support Black culture, Black community and Black farmers. There's a complete renaissance that's happening,” said McGruder.

At 77, Josie Gbadamosi-El Amin, may well be a part of this Black agrarian rebirth. When she began farming 10 years ago, she had no experience.

With bright eyes and a wide smile, the retired substance abuse counselor described how she fell in love with Shady Grove Blueberry Patch after a friend clued her in on a “secret” spot where locals picked berries on a conveniently absent farmer’s Tuskegee property.

“I had to lock my eyes on the line of trees because it was so overgrown that I was afraid I might get disoriented, and I better find my way out,” she said. “But I was just enamored by the blueberry bushes. It was just so wonderful. I had never seen anything like it. There was something about the spirit of this place.”

She inquired after the land and found a few leads, purchasing the 46-acre farm in 2010. The move was so left field that her four daughters were concerned she may have hit her head and corrupted her judgement in a recent slip and fall accident, she recounted; then burst into peals of laughter.

For the Watts, California native, owning a farm has been an all-consuming experience. So much to learn and so much to do.

Gbadamosi-El Amin moved to Tuskegee in 1969 to study sociology at TU. That connection paid itself forward for the new farm operator. From the agricultural school, she learned that the acreage she purchased was the former site of a working farm project led by Booker T. Whatley, the “small farm guru” who popularized the pick-your-own harvest method and subscription buyer’s club model (commonly known today as CSA) before it was widely adopted.

What looked like a mess of trees, tangled weeds, and overgrown bushes was in fact a model for sustainable agriculture cultivated by one of the country’s foremost experts on regenerative farming.

In exchange for seedlings, Gbadamosi-El Amin got a farmer to bring his tractor and a couple workers in to help clean up, as well as some Tuskegee students who joined in. The operation still runs as a “u-pick” service, inviting visitors to gather their own blueberries from the shrubs in late May through mid-August. The retired counselor also sells jams, dried fruit and blueberry tizanes — a fragrant, nutrient rich tonic that’s made from the leaves and fruit.

Education has been at the forefront of her approach. She and her husband work on the farm full time. With the help of extension agents at Tuskegee, Gbadamosi-El Amin has attended agriculture workshops and is learning how to write grants to apply for farm subsidies and improvements.

She regularly invites people interested in learning about agriculture to Shady Grove and even has allowed some to experiment with growing plants and herbs like turmeric, moringa and hibiscus on site. Although she uses organic methods, she is hesitant to seek certification, not solely because of the associated costs and paperwork but because it would likely prevent her from facilitating the sort of collaborative environment the farm’s ethos is grounded in.

“Once you get certified then you have to put all kinds of limits on your property. You can’t have people just wandering in the field to you-pick. You have to really control things. It really begins to limit the kind of interaction people can have,” she said. “What I wanted for the farm was to be a place where people could relax and enjoy themselves. That was part of what motivated me.”

Gbadamosi-El Amin said her daughters have since warmed to the idea of owning a family farm and have pushed her to create a formal long-term business proposal before they agree to get on board with any succession plans.

New federal legislation can help, but advocates face an uphill battle

In November, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Justice for Black Farmers Act, an attempt to address systemic barriers to success that operators have long faced; and encourage a new generation of young Black farmers who have the will but lack the capital to get established.

Among its aims are to reform USDA policies that facilitate discrimination, protect remaining Black-owned land, financially empower HBCUs to assist socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, and establish a land grant program to support young, landless Black farmers. The bill would also create an agency mandated to return land to Black farmers previously seized by the government and create a federal bank to allow easier access to credit for farmers of color.

On Feb. 15, Democratic senators took that action a step further when they introduced the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act, a bill that would provide $4B in direct payments to these farmers to cover losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as systemic discrimination. The bill, which has been lauded as historic by the National Black Farmer’s Association, would also lay out an additional $1 billion to address discriminatory practices at the USDA.

It will be an uphill battle to get these measures passed, but either bill would throw a much needed lifeline to farmers. Without them, the future remains as clouded as ever.

Gibbons, the 70-year-old Browntown man, for his part, is like most farmers, steadfast in his love and commitment to the livelihood. He was also frank about the farm’s future: there isn't one. Why counsel his children to leave good-paying jobs for such a risky profession?

He was brought up on farm life, the children lack his passion, he said; and would likely be unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices demanded.

“They couldn’t survive, I don’t think," Gibbons said. "Aggravation. That’s what farming is all about. I don’t know whether I love it or I’m crazy. It’s in my heart and I have no intention to quit. I’m just going have to die at it."

Read the story as it ran on montgomeryadvertiser.com here.

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spacehologramcollection · 5 years ago

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Kombat Krew Summertime Headcanons;

For one brief moment, the UK had some sunshine, now it’s gone back to raining and being windy. I blame Brexit. So, I wrote these whilst it was hot and finished them when it was pissing them down. The price I pay for living in the North and having beautiful landscapes, nice water and friendly locals; is that the weather will always be shit. I also went overboard for Kabal. As per. Warnings; Little NSFW, 18+ so it’s under the cut. Kano. But it’s a shitpost. Swearing, fluff, angst, all the usual shit.

GIFS do not belong to me.

Kabal;

· Just like his mom used to say, ‘Suns out, guns out’ He will literally wear little to nothing. The littlest bit of sun, and he’s already stripped down to shorts and a vest. He’s used to the heat and fucking loves it.

· He will take you on cute dates. Walks in the park, late night walks through the city, him driving an hour to get to the best places that sells shakes and ice cream. He’s down for it all.

· He loves that it doesn’t get dark till later on, it means if he’s working a late shift, he can still spend a fair bit of time with you.

· Summer means his bike comes out of the garage. He loves nothing more than to go for a long bike ride on a Sunday. He’ll sometimes go a bit quicker, just to make you wrap your arms around his waist tighter. But your safety is his priority.

· Cute. Fucking. Picnics. He can sort of cook, but he’ll love to just lounge about with you… then turn into making out with you.

· He’s deeply into PDA, he just thinks the world needs to know of your love for each other. So, he’ll always have an arm around you, taking selfies with you and just generally being cute as fuck.

· Will rock up and take you to lunch. You can go wherever you want.

· Swimming is on the table. He’s more into teasing in the water.

· At night you’ll have to forsake cuddling for hand holding. If it’s too warm to cuddle.

· He’ll let you play with the AC. He’s easy.

· Most of the above is Pre-Burn. Post-Burn is a lot different.

· He hates his body and doesn’t want to overly show it off in Public. It’s different on Missions but in terms of casual wear. He’s going to suffer through the heat.

· So, for the sake of him, you stick to cool places or stay at home.

· He prefers winter now. And at first, he won’t take as many selfies with you, but that will change once he feels more confident.

· The body thing won’t change, people can be cruel, and he doesn’t want to put himself or you through that.

· He’ll still sit half naked at home once his confidence has returned.

· His skin is also much more sensitive and can burn very easily. So, he has to stay in if it’s too warm. Or else it will feel like he’s on fire again.

· So cold baths and cold showers are on the table. With a little bit of teasing and a whole lot of body worship.

Sub Zero (Kuai Liang);

· What. Is. This. Fresh. Fucking. Hell?

· He hates this. He fucking hates it. It’s why he doesn’t visit Hanzo a lot. Or leave Arktika. Because he hates it.

· He won’t let on how much he hates it. No. He tries to suffer in silence, but you can tell by how uncomfortable he looks.

· Whilst he doesn’t melt or feel the heat overly, he is affected by it a fair bit. If it’s majorly warm, then he’s going to mildly be uncomfortable. That, and he has hay fever.

· When he wakes up with scratchy eyes, his throat on fire and he looks like he’s just been punched. He knows summer is here.

· He does like that you wear cute clothes in summer though. It does bring a smile to his face, and if you’re happy then he can live with the uncomfortableness.

· He grew up with the cold most of his life. So, he never really got experience summer. He never really got to experience much outside training to be honest.

· So, you’ll get to introduce him to fun summer things to do. All whilst he’s worrying about the Clan because Bi-Han is in charge.

· He has a sweet-tooth, so the fact you can both divulge in that pleasure is great. He’ll love to share his ice-cream with you.

· He also likes how cuddly you get in summer. How you cuddle up to him at night, press his hands against your face, neck, back, stomach etc. He is now your personal air conditioner. And he now understands Jonny’s joke.

· He doesn’t mind. He just wants to be close to you and feel close to you. So, he feels content with this. He’ll only feel comfortable doing it in private however. PDA is not his thing.

· At night, he loves that he finally gets to spoon you. His once cold hands that woke you up, becoming a relieving comfort. He wants to be close to you. He’s so touch starved and now he gets all the touch he wants. Even deep within the night.

· Kissing him as more refreshing than all the lemonade in the world. His mouth feels cold, and breathing him in, is like breathing in cold air.

· He’ll also be more inclined to lounge around with you with his shirt off, so you can lay on his chest, back pressed firmly against him. He’s getting to keep you cool and be close to you, and you’re getting the same. He sees this as a win, win situation.

· He knows summer makes him uncomfortable, not so much so its unbearable, he still has a human side. But you make it all better for him.

Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi);

· Summertime, unlike Sub, does not bother him in the slightest. In fact, the Shira Ryu Fire garden is in full bloom. Everything looks scenic and majestic as fuck. He has to admit he’s low-key relaxed.

· Training and meditation outside happen more so for him. He detests the cold. He’ll stand with a big coat on in winter. But Summer, he can relax, and everything feels so much calmer.

· He’ll love to take you on walks through the garden. Pointing out various flora and fauna. Telling you the Japanese names of all the flowers.

· He’ll also be more inclined to take his food outside and sit with you. The both of you sat in peace, enjoying each other’s company.

· The cool summer breeze will occasionally blow hairs from his man-bun, letting them cascade and frame his face. Which makes him seem less gruff and stubborn and softer.

· Night times with him consist of a lot of tossing and turning on your part. He’s warmer than average. Which means when it comes time to cuddle, he’s making you warmer. He feels bad, but he also likes to hold you in your sleep. Like Kabal, you compromise and fall asleep holding hands, or back to back. As long as he can feel you’re close he can rest easy.

· He likes tea, but he knows this weather is not the best for a searing hot cup (Unless you’re British, then there is always time for tea), so he’ll bring you ice tea.

· He relaxes a little more in summer, his guard is ever so slightly down, and you swear you can see him smile. He has a bad experience with ice and snow, so it is understandable.

· When it’s just the two of you, he will let you make and put a flower crown on him… only if he can put one on you first.

· He’ll also be more inclined to sleep butt ass naked. So, you get that view to wake up to. Which is always a bonus.

Cassie Cage;

· Summer time is her jam.

· Lots of cute drives out with her, getting cold drinks and generally bumming about.

· It’s not often she gets free time, but when she does, she wants to spend it with you. Especially in summer.

· Swimming in the Special Forces pool. She’s sure you’re meant to swim laps in it. But you know, it is too fucking warm for that shit.

· She lives for shopping in summer. Picking out cute outfits. Not matching but co-ordinated.

· She still likes to exercise in summer. She is a fucking machine. She doesn’t expect you to wake up and run with her… but maybe if you’re awake when she gets back, you can go for a walk.

· In terms of walks, nice scenic woods and forests. Something more of a gentle walk and more relaxing than a hard-core hike.

· She is the type of person to take surprise selfies of you. Ones she prints off and hangs on the wall, with those little LED clips.

· She’ll love to sit out on your balcony or porch, talking shit over a bottle of wine and relaxing.

· Fruity fucking cocktails are the devils work and she will get wasted on them. You both will.

· Johnny always throws a BBQ. He doesn’t cook, but Cassie will always invite you around. So, you can enjoy some good food with her.

· Lots of cute photos.

· If it’s way too warm, just sat around catching up on TV and drinking some sangria.

· Theme parks are also on the cards, she loves going out and experiencing life as much as she can! And she loves the adrenaline that comes from riding rides!

· Long night drives, in which you wake up at the coast or the lakes for a surprise weekend. Consisting of walks, lounging, fishing, quad biking, swimming.

· And of course, Cassie splashing you in the sea and running away.

· A summer with Cassie is memorable and always an adventure to conclude!

Erron Black;

· He loves warm weather. Texas was warm and so is Outworld. He’s used to this weather and it’s normal for him.

· Where he is will depend on where and what you are going to be doing.

· Outworld will consist of lots of banquets, lounging around and horse riding.

· He wants to show you everything Outworld has to offer. Whether you be exploring the sprawling markets, or if you’re bathing in one of it’s not so secret waterfalls.

· You’re going to be going out at the crack of dawn and returning with the fireflies.

· He’ll love to take you to the parties and banquets that Kotal throws.

· He’ll be all over bringing you a drink over and having an arm around you.

· Dancing the fucking night away, not caring if you both suck ass at it, he will not be opposed to dancing with you.

· If he’s still in the Black Dragon, then expect lots of days out. Shopping, grabbing lunch, grabbing a bite to eat. All the usual.

· Also expect for him to cook some old recipes for you, for the both of you to enjoy out in the garden.

· At night he’ll still want to hold you, but he understands how warm it can get. He’ll also not sleep with covers or clothes on. So, what a sight for you in the morning.

· The warm weather makes him a little hornier than usual. So, there is that.

· He’s not corny or cheesy, okay maybe a little at times, but he will love to watch the sun set slowly with you. Doesn’t matter where you are, he will want to watch the sun set with you. Whisky In hand and your favourite drink. Just enjoying the comfortable silence.

· Watching the sunset turns into stargazing and him telling you all the stories of the stars and making up new ones for the ones he cannot remember.

Fujin;

· He is not a fan of warm weather. He can keep himself and you warm if you so please however! He is the god of wind after all!

· He’s not sure how to spend ‘summer’ since he’s not really ever had the chance to enjoy himself. So, he is down to follow your lead.

· He only asks for one thing. Please help him braid and keep his hair off his back. He hates warm sticky days, because it causes his hair to stick to his back. And it is his pet peeve.

· He is less versed in Mortal customs than Raiden. His time on Earth has been White Lotus based. So, he’s in for a fucking treat.

· He would love to go to something like a museum or an aquarium. If it’s warm and sunny outside, he wants to go out and experience all there is!

· He’d love to visit a museum and look at all the art, historical artefacts and immerse himself more in Earth’s culture. His eyes go really wide as he examines everything.

· Aquariums are on the list, as the ocean has always fascinated him. He just hasn’t had the time to visit. When he tells you that he’s never really been to the beach. You’ll plan a day trip there. Since looking at fish is one thing, but him actually visiting the sea is another.

· When you go to the beach with him for the first time, he’s like over the fucking moon. He loves the ocean. The sound is so relaxing, and it fills him with peace. He kind of wants to meditate but then you ask if he fancies a swim.

· He can swim but not well… so you stick to shallow waters at first, before swimming a little further out. Nothing above waist height. He’s loving it.

· Whilst he is a Demi-God, nobody else seemingly notices. So, he will sneak a few kisses here and there.

· He’ll love exploring the city with you, trying new food and sitting on rooftop terraces. He will ask lots of questions and also compliment you a lot.

· Loves camping and will always take you camping when he can in summer. He’ll tell you all the stories he knows, you’re unsure which are made up and which are true. You don’t want to know because the excitement is in the guessing.

· He’s lived a long time, and can you tell you anything you want to know.

· At night if you cannot sleep, he will maybe, just maybe, if you bat your eyelids enough, conjure up a breeze to keep you cool. Not so much you’re cold but more of a comfortable breeze. Now you can both cuddle when you fall asleep.

· Whilst he doesn’t need a lot of sleep, he does rest and sleep more than Raiden. So, prepare for falling asleep around your little campfire under the stars with him.

· Fujin needs more love and more screen time.

Kano;

· Land Down Under starts playing.

· He’s butt ass naked, parading around.

· Smells worse than usual.

· Can cook a mean BBQ.

· But nobody wants to eat his food, because of his hygiene.

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harveywritings92 · 6 years ago

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Bad Wolf: Werewolf! Jason Todd x Reader

The following is a non profit fan based story Batman, Red hood, Nightwing etc. belongs to DC Comics please support the official release.

I gain no profit from this nor do I own anything other then OCs and whatever sprouts from my imagination. Thanks for reading!

Y/n woke up that morning her e/c stared blankly up at the ceiling trying to work through the deafening haze, she felt sore and her limbs felt like they were made of jelly. she turned to look at her alarm clock wincing as her hips protested from the sudden action, it was 8 am...the closed her eyes, she bolt upwards realizing she was late for wor....oh, right she didn't have a job anymore, she frowned wanting to feel angry and disgruntled, but couldn't find it in her.

She actually felt happy! that she didn't have bend over backwards for her lazy ass co-workers anymore. no more stolen credit, no work being pushed on to her, No creepy Chris from resources flirting with her and sending her creepy messages.

No Yvette her snotty supervisor belittling her in front of everyone...She was brought out of her thoughts when a large muscular arm wrapping around her naked waist and pulling her back down on to the bed.

"Go back to sleep Pip-squeak..." a tired voice rumbled the h/c blinked and turned to the second person in her bed a man with green eyes messy black hair with white streak, and a body that looked like it was chiseled from marble glared up at her lazily, Y/n blinked at the man mind still fogged up as she tried to remember the last 24hrs and how the hell did she end in bed with someone like him.

"You're firing me?!" Y/n shrieked staring at her boss gobsmacked at Yvette who tried to look sympathetic, but as he was clearly more interested in her stupid manicured nails and make-up to care. "We just can't keep someone, who just wants sit around being lazy and do nothing while her co-workers do everything for her." Y/n couldn't believe what she was hearing...Lazy?...Nothing?! she stood right up and slammed her hands on the desk causing Yvette to jumped.

"I've worked my ass off for this company for six years...I watched it go from a 40 person operation to 120! I missed my uncle's funeral because I was busy doing my fellow workers jobs and your fucking work while you were on vacation in Hawaii...and you accuse me of being lazy?!" The blond had heard enough and called security to escort Y/n off the premises, the h/c yanked her her arm out of the guard's hand. "Don't bother I'm going..."

She hissed before shouldering one of the large men she packed her things and walked out of building all while her ex co-workers whispered and snickered at the [y/h] who flipped them all off as she got in the elevator. Why the fuck did they choose to fire her tonight of all nights, It's cold and raining the bottom of cardboard box she had her stuff in gave out from all the water it absorbed,

scattering and breaking all the glass crap inside, She didn't even bother to picking it up she just stared at the broken remains of the last six years of her life slowly being washed away by the rain. She watched aluminum pencil cup roll down into a gutter and into the foot of some drunk passed out in the gutter.

The e/c stared blankly at the man debating if she should call someone to pick him up, she sighed and went over to the guy not caring if he was dangerous; with how shitty her night was going? Death would be a fucking godsend.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" She saw the guy more clearly now he was in some tactical looking gear, some kind of helmet "Sir are you okay?" She felt her heart speed up the man still hadn't moved she started speed walking towards him, Y/n Was going to call out to him again...

only for her voice to die when she realized just who the man was, it's was the red-hood Y/n felt fear curdle into her stomach she'd heard about the gun trotting vigilante, how he kills people well bad people but still people none the less.

the h/c took a step back, but then noticed the subtle stream of red pooling around his body being mixed with the water and washed away from the rain and the hole in his shoulder.

after some heavy thoughts the e/c girls managed to pull Red-hood up and somehow managed to dragged him back to her apartment. "Fuck you're heavy.." she grunted depositing the large guy on to her couch, then went searching around her apartment cabinets for that old bottle of whiskey her uncle had gifted for her 19th birthday...

The [Y/h] hummed finding it now she just needed to find the old med-kit. she looked into the upper crawl space and found her Uncle's kit and brought it down and went back to her living room Red was still out...And with a sigh the e/c girl tied her hair back and prepped for surgery, the benefit of being raised by a black market surgeon? was knowing that he didn't give two shits if she used his stuff.

She'd removed the bullet from Red-hood's shoulder being mindful of his privacy she didn't take his helmet off, but she did have to cut his shirt and unzipped his body armor off, if she wasn't in doctor mode right now the H/c would be drooling over his abs.

Y/n hummed as she pulled out bits of Kevlar and body armor from his wound and stitched him up, then went to examine the bullet curiously it had a dull sheen to it almost like...

There was knock at her door Y/n frowned she wasn't expecting any visitors? She got up from her coffee table and went to check the peephole and her nose scrunched up like she'd smelled something sour when she saw who it was. Chris...wait she never told where she lived. the h/c felt a lump form in her throat.

As she cautiously unlocked her door and opened it a crack. "What are you doing here?" Y/n hissed glaring at her ex co-worker suspiciously the greasy haired man pulled a "Charming" smile which failed miserably reminding Y/n of the joker.

"Well I heard Yvette fired you so I figured you could used a friend?"

"No, thanks I got enough friends and you sure as hell ain't one of them.." She went to close the door and Chris wedged his foot between it, as he struggled to keep the door open.

"Well, At least let me take you out for a couple drinks."

"No thanks, I've already got plans."

"With who?" Chris huffed still trying to pry his way in, The h/c tried to think of an answer when a tired and annoyed called from her living room. "Whose at the door babe?" Y/n glanced over her shoulder while Chris jumped away from the door as it opened wider to reveal a large man with raven hair with a white streak and green eyes coming up behind Y/n pulling a t-shirt on.

The e/c girl was borderline panicking and cheering to every god there was imaginable in her head, as her stalker gawked at the tall, handsome and muscular man who looked like he could easily snap his skinny ass over his knee like a twig.

"Oh this is Chris, he invited me for drinks." The greasy hair man swallowed as the large man's green eyes narrowed at him, like he knew all of Chris's dirty little secrets. "That was nice of him, Too bad you and I already got plans..." The raven haired man said curtly as Chris sweated bullets as he tried to come up with a response. But the message mystery man was sending him was loud and clear.

*Get the fuck out of here before I throw you off the roof.* Chris readjusted his tie and coughed awkwardly. "Yes, Well then I'll just be on my way." the greasy man said as the "couple" waved him off and closed the door, Y/n check the peephole and watched Chis stare bewildered at the door before walking out of her view,

She relaxed for a few moments that was until a large hand wrapped around her neck. and tall muscular figure loomed over her threateningly. "Where the fuck am, and who the hell are you?" the man demanded eyes filled with suspicion.

"Good to see you up red." The h/c wheezed as the man squeezed her neck harder, his face contorted into a snarl. "Answer me or I'll snap your neck." He hissed as Y/n winced trying to keep her eyes focused "Y/n...You're at my apartment....I found you bleeding out on the street..." His brows furrowed and he let go of the h/c's neck, She took breaths and coughed trying to breathe.

"Were you the one who fixed my shoulder?" Red asked examining her the y/h nodded clearing her throat. "Why?" The h/c shrugged rubbing her neck. "I don't know, would you have rather I call the cops?" Red's jaw set she had him there it was then he noticed a photo hanging on the side of her door, It was of an old man in army gear.

"I know that guy, he was some quack who set up shop in the narrows."

"Yeah that was my uncle...He taught me how fix people."

"Hmn, what was the deal with the neck-beard?"

"creepy Ex Co-worker, I just got fired tonight..."

Y/n muttered as Red's eyes went from the picture to her, she wasn't much to look at kind of plain really,her e/c eyes were swollen, hair a mess and her clothes were kind of sticking to her from the being caught in the rain. But other then that she smelled...safe, He hummed to himself then sighed "Go take a shower and put on some night clothes or whatever you girls wear."

Y/n looked at him confused as Red huffed in annoyance. "I said we had plans didn't I? The h/c seemed unsure but, complied fifteen minutes later Y/n came out of he room in a f/c hoodie, gray t-shirt jean-skirt. When she went out into her living room she found Jason on his cell phone texting he noticed her and put it way and got up from her couch. "So, where are we going?" the H/c asked.

And that's how they ended up at a bar.

Y/n was complaining about Chris and Yvette, Chris was a creepy guy who still lived with his mom, he smelled like he bathed rotten eggs and would constantly lurk around her desk or send Y/n messages and...with photos, though she never opened any of his messages with image attachments mainly out fear of what she'll see. And Yvette Martine she's 40 acts and dresses like she's 16 and looks like leather face under all that make up she wears.

"and she has this chihuahua named Pretzel that she drags around in a little pink bag." She takes another sip of her beer. "the poor thing looks at me, like it's saying put me out of my misery." Red listened to her intently he seemed pretty annoyed just from hearing about these people. "That place wasn't an office, it was a high-school." He snarked causing Y/n to snarf and him to burst out laughing as she tried to clean up.

Fifteen minutes later the two were arguing about how Violet should've won Wonka's contest she's the only one who was willing to stick her neck out for the Oompa-Loompas, Red was insistent that Charlie deserved it after all the crap he went through to get the damn ticket aside from that stunt in the soda room he was pretty chilled and polite about the whole thing.

Then that turned it whether or not the Smurf's were mammals or not."Oh my god! Smurf's don't lay eggs! They're mammals!? Papa has effing beard!" Y/n jeered Red rolled his eyes at her scoffing "It's a single female in large group of males, she'd in heat every 24/7 if she didn't lay eggs!" He snarled and pointed at the little graph he made on a napkin.

Neither had noticed they were getting closer to each other, Next thing they knew they making out on the bar, It wasn't till Bartender noticed Red pulling Y/n's skirt up and the h/c fiddling with his belt, "Yeah, alright Charlie get them out of here!" they snapped at the bouncer who kicked the two drunks out.

The two burst out laughing and held each other up as walked down the street when Y/n stopped and glared at the large building. "Ish dis where yous used to works?~" Red slurred Y/n nodded bad mood returning. "Hey wanna trash yer bosses offishce?"

The e/c looked confused then smirked "Dey don't lock the back itsh brokin." she slurred back the green eyed man smiled like a kid on Christmas. "Aces! let's go." He grabbed her hand and led her around back, but paused at a junction box Red opened it and pulled a knife from his boot a and snipped a gold and black wire that controlled the security system and light blue one for the cameras.

Before continuing on to the back door. they found Yvette's office the and trashed the hell out of the shelves, awards smashed, make up and nail-polish smeared everywhere. and the cherry on top was when Y/n and Red had sex on Yvette's desk causing it to break.

"Oh, fuck...Yvette gonna blow."Y/n giggled into Red shoulder as he gave her piggy back ride back to her place, they had just missed getting caught by a security guard.

Red chuckled obviously still hyped up the benefits of being inhuman; beastly vitality and recovery time. "What I would do to see the look on her face." he snickered picturing a 40 year old Haris Pilton throwing a toddler temper tantrum over her office.

Needless to say their fun didn't end there, once they got back inside of Y/n's apartment, they had few more rounds of sex giving her neighbors an earful of just how loud the usually quiet h/c could be. it was around four am when they finally settled down. Y/n was pretty much knocked out and Red lazily threw his arm around her before dozing off...

Y/n's face heated up as it all came back to her, holy crap she trashed Yvette's office...holy crap she drunkenly gave her virginity up to a stranger...A hot stranger and it was mind blowing, but still a stranger!

But then again she trashed Yvette's office! Fucking over Yvette definitely weighed out the sex with a stranger...who was she kidding? the great sex and fucking over Yvette weighed out the stranger thing! Y/n had laid back down with Red who hummed tiredly pulled her closer to to him and dozed off...

only to be awaken abruptly a 11 by loud knocking she heard Red growl in annoyance next and mutter "leave it..." But the knocking persisted the h/n wiggled out of his arm and threw on a t-shirt and shorts wincing as she did so before making her way to her front door and opened it to reveal a enraged Yvette frothing at the mouth and crying causing her make-up to melt down her face. "Sorry, I'm all out ruby slippers, check with Dorthy down the hall." she went to close the door only for her ex-boss to hold the door open.

"YOU TRASHED MY OFFICE YOU BITCH!?" the blond shrieked causing a few neighbors to poke their head out of their apartments, just as an out of breath cop came running up to "Ma'm let us handle this." the pink pantsuit clad woman glared at the cop offended that he had the gall to tell her to stand down.

"Whats there to handle? I know it was her!" she pointed a finger a Y/n who stayed stone faced then turned to the officer "Look I don't know what she's on about, c'os I was here all night." the e/c girl said let she just described what color shirt she was wearing.

"And do you have anyone who can confirm that?" The cop said trying to restrain Yvette, as Red's voice cut in. "Yeah...Me and half her neighbors, pretty sure I had her screaming my name loud enough for the whole block to hear.~" He purred leaning against Y/n's bedroom door frame in his cargo pants, eyeing the h/c like a piece of meat. "Nice stamina on this one, kept me going till 4 am." he bragged the cop looked the nerdy looking girl in front of him was almost impressed then snapped out of it.

"Where were you before then."

"A bar, I think we got kicked out at about twelve?"

"Kicked out for what exactly?"

"Well, I did say until 4 am didn't I?"

Cop the coughed awkwardly "Right, sorry for the trouble. We'll just be... ma'am?" Both Jason and Y/n both looked a the wicked witch of the west side who was making goo-goo eyes at Jason who frowned obviously not liking the way she way looking at him,

The raven haired grunted and went back to Y/n's room as the cop finally snapped the blonde out of it "ma-huh...who was that?" Y/n not wanting Red being one Yvette's victims said the words that would screw her. "My fiancee." she heard Red trip in her room he was listening...

The blond woman sneered in disgust "what a waste of a good man..." She humphed and walked down the hall leaving the cop and Y/n alone "FYI she made pay cuts last week pissed off a lot people..try one of them." the h/c informed the officer who was still gawking at her.

"I'll be sure to do that...say if it doesn't work out betwee-" Y/n slammed the door in his face.

She then when to check on Red who had his head in his hands "Fiancee, seriously?" he asked looking up at her, Y/n shrugged "If you want to get jumped and diddled by the reason old people put plastic on their furniture, be my guest."

The raven haired man snorted then sighed when his stomach growled "Wanna get brunch?"the two were silent for a few seconds the e/c muttered "Hell, yes." they went to a crappy diner down the block laughing about what just happened. "By the way..."

Y/n coughed trying not make this awkward "Last night was the first time I had sex." Red spat his coffee out at a waitress who glared at him, he muttered a quick apology then at gawked Y/n for a solid minute..."Fuck!.. Shit why didn't you say anything," He wiped off the counter with some napkins the waitress slammed in front of him. "I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked freaking out the h/c shook her head.

"No, I'm fine Red just sore." the green eyed man looked at her guiltily then sighed "Jason." Y/n looked up at curiously as money on the counter. "My name is Jason." and with that he left the diner, when Y/n got back to her apartment Red-hood's gear was gone. Y/n frowned suddenly for the first time in six years her apartment seemed dull and empty...

#werewolf! Jason Todd #Jason Todd fanfiction #Red hood #x reader #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #dc comics #Batman vampire au #supernatural au #richard grayson #Tim drake #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #interspecies romance #werewolf x reader #monster x human

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soulfulzebrablogs · 5 years ago

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The new Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star series? Sure, we can talk about it.

An Introduction to the review of The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star series.

I was born in the 90s, which means that my formative years began and mostly ran its course in the 2000s, the rise of the social media age. When the mid-2000s arrived, I was blissfully unaware of the social media platform that was about to change all of our lives. I remember the day distinctly, it was 2005, 12 year old me was at UCLA, not quite a college student yet but rather waiting for my mom to get off work with my sister and dad. I was on the computer minding my own business, probably perusing on a Kingdom Hearts forum site, and out of nowhere my sister comes to me and exclaimed “yo, have you heard about this new website where you can go to post videos of whatever?! It’s crazy!” And trust, this at the time was a crazy concept to comprehend. Perhaps I’ll get into this more another time but let’s just say there was no website like Youtube before and there still really isn’t one like it now. The competition has been light at best (I guess IGTV is the current closest competitor… Vimeo had a moment, still kind of does honestly), and with a website that’s all about Broadcasting Yourself, some wise individuals got the idea to become early stars on the platform.

I remember at school the conversation went from “did you see that Chocolate Rain video?” to “Have you seen that Shane Dawson video?” Kids loved Shane and his edgy edge lord humor, not going to lie, I was not a huge fan. He had a couple of videos that amused me like the infamous video where he killed one of the earliest and biggest internet stars, Fred, and his Lady Gaga parody video, but aside from those, the whole edgy humor for the sake of being edgy never appealed to me and my musing, and that’s saying a lot because I’m quite easily amused by damn near everything.

As for Jeffree Star, I used to hear his name all the time and thought for a long time that he was Chris Croker, the man behind the iconic “leave Brittney alone” video, classic mix up. But in recent years I’ve realized and heard things about him that were quite troubling, particularly the racial remarks he has been caught saying on video… multiple times (Note: Jeffree has since come out about this addressing his past racist remarks a couple of years ago). In their first collaborative series titled The Secret World of Jeffree Star, these scandals were talked about at length in one of the series’ episodes where both him and Shane shared their similar experience as being labeled extremely problematic in their early career to say the least.

They both express their regrets for their past mistakes and realize the consequences of being in the digital space and age; everything you do somehow lives on the internet forever and when you’re in the public eye, your past discretions will be known to people who pay attention and hold on to the receipts. As a young black woman with big aspirations in the Entertainment Industry, for people like Shane and Jeffree, the question of if they are or were racist will always linger in the back of my mind as I watch their collaborative projects unfold. But at last, these reviews won’t necessarily focus on their past transgressions unless it comes up or makes since to bring them up, it all depends on how the content unfolds in front of us, in real time.

The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star series is basically an idea that was suggested in the last series come to life: what is the process of creating and marketing a makeup line, products, and merchandise from start to finish whilst also examining the beauty world through the lens of Shane and Jeffree’s (and Andrew too, the cameraman and Shane’s co-editor) eyes. This is especially interesting that Shane, an industry outsider and one the most popular Youtube creators ever, come into this world, and collaborate with Jeffree Star, one of if not the top beauty and business guru. It cannot be understated how ingenious this move is and the absurd amount of money Shane, Jeffree and Jeffree’s company are about to make with this partnership. I have watched all of Shane’s person studies style documentaries since he changed to this format about a year and a half ago (eventually, I’ll do a breakdown of all the series, the people examined, the progressions, etc.) but I must say, this one I am particularly interested in to see the scandal that rocked all scandals on Youtube that was unfolding while this series was being filmed, and Jeffree and Shane were in the middle of it. Most of you reading this probably know what I’m talking about. I won’t go into details about it now (but if you want the details of all the tea, check out these videos on from the Youtube channel Spill), I’ll wait for whatever episode or episodes discuss and show the drama, and so far it hasn’t happened yet, but Shane and his cameraman and co-editor Andrew have done a clever job of foreshadowing what they know will be the big event of the series. So much was left unsaid after that whole ordeal, that it left me and others wondering, with this series:

Will we as viewers be left with more questions than answers? Will that whole fiasco be put to bed? What new information will come from this? What exactly was Jeffree and Shane’s involvement in it all? Why did they insert themselves into the drama at all? Was Tati influenced by them to break this scandal? And finally: was Jeffree Star in the right and if so how are Shane and Andrew going to make Jeffree look sympathetic?

The only question I know for sure will be shown is the last one, for Shane has proven time and time again that a big focal point of these series is to show these seemingly irredeemable figures in a different light, giving problematic creators a platform to have their Redemption Arc narratives. So far, for good or bad, these series have been shown to persuade minds, especially when it comes to Jeffree Star (the other people in Shane’s other series are debatable at this point when we compare long term and short term effects they’ve had on Youtube audiences). But now I’m getting a bit ahead of myself for the first two parts of the series doesn’t really get into this tea yet.

So with this not-so-quick summary and back story out of the way, we can get into the reviews, the format for them will be very much like this, free flowing thoughts and opinions on each episode. Since the episodes/parts 1 and 2 are already out, I’ll go ahead and merge those two parts together, especially since the first episode I felt served as an overview of the story and the tone of the series will be partaking in moving forward… also this introduction has turned into such an elongated analytical explanation that I think if you’ve made it this far, you’re a champ and I shall reward you by giving your sleepy, information overload eyes a break (also, let’s be real, this will help me stay on track and post more… it’s the little tricks we do to motivate ourselves). But if you want more, I should have my parts 1 and 2 review up sooner rather than later, unless some major life events happens like Dramagedon 3.0. With that, I digress, until the next episode.

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lilytcyip · 5 years ago

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December 31st, 2019

1.3 tera v w/ rjin & ggao

1.4 cactus & la foret w/ jng

1.8 talked it out with jng ; tried to understand that if i were happy, what more could you ask for

1.11 cyns bday dinner

1.11 craft beer w/ aleung & lwong

1.13 arisu & standing egg with efeng & aleung ; drove on highway for the first time

1.18 west dineout w/ annie pkp

1.19 glass w/ fifi

2.10 first snow of the year

2.3 cny lunch at home with the fam - tong yuen & poon choi

2.4 mooseknuckles - grateful

2.5 lunar new year

2.16 hangiout with mamayip & sis: beta 5, fixing the parka, meetfresh, miku sushi dindin

2.17 mom leaving for 2 months, wandering earth with the yips

2.19 happy hour cactus w/ fifi

2.20 kokoro lunch & shopping w/ rjin

2.20 so hyang w/ veda & nwu

2.21 black been noodles & tonkatsu lunch & usagi matcha sweets w/ ewong

2.22 green leaf sushi & grounds for coffee w/ vtan

2.25 sushi mura w/ acao ; larry berg planes and kisses for the first time

3.13 mental health talk w/ nwu & tchiu + jamjar

3.15 virtuous pie & nanas green tea w/ rjin

3.16 wine night w/ claw, aleung & fsyal

3.17 tabom & stanely park w/ jerpilla

3.23 pool & rc shopping with jyang

4.3 studying with jyang on campus & langara bye

4.9 studying with jyang at my house

4.18 ramen danbo & official date

4.20 so hyang & off the grid waffles w/ ayip

4.26 sci ning off w/ aleung, claw, fsyal, lwong & mcheung

4.27 clay llama terra pot class

4.29 so hyang budae jjigae & yifang w/ ewong

4.30 rc shopping & sushi lover with the yips

5.1 maenam, kits beach & rain or shiine ice cream w/ rjin

5.2 our first little tiff & being called chubby by mlo

5.3 shopping w/ vchan, aleung & fsyal

5.7-5.11 LA trip

5.8 LACMA & melrose & century city field

5.9 warner bros tour

5.10 malibu

5.28-6.1 hokkaido, japan

5.29 a 2-floor hotel with own onsen

5.31 otaru food adventures

6.1 doraemon painting & royce airport

6.2 macau: got scammed by taxi & lost luggage

6.7-6.15 inner mongolia & beijing

6.18 first co op offer

6.21 fire port party at fifis house

6.29 pottery painting w lwong, aleung, vchan, fsyal

7.5 brunch w/ rjin at jethro’s fine grub, baker & table

7.6 nwu’s birthday dindin at coast, hangout with aleung & nwu at nightingale

7.14 leavenworth cherries

7.17 brunch w/ rjin at OEB

7.19 nightmarket w/ jyang, mlaw, rjin

7.21 beach day w/ aleung, fsyal & lwong; hy’s with fam

7.24 chau veggies w/ acao

7.27 shiok & icy bar w/ ewong

8.3 first day of work at doctors office

8.4 escape room w/ vchan, fsyal & jyang; bowling & anh and chi

8.17 dindin w/ fsyal, aleung & tlim; double date walks at olympic village with ancas

8.18 - 8.19 kelowna

8.18 polar grove & penticton lazy river, mission hill

8.19 kayaking, quail’s gate

8.24 lit night at fifis house with the girls and boys

8.25 aleung’s bday harrison trip

8.27 work shopping & nuba w/ fsyal

8.28 sleepover w/ rjin

8.29 brunch w/ aleung, moii cafe chill with fsyal too

9.3 first day of co op work

9.7 grave of the fireflies & wildtale cuddles

9.14 eric chou meet & greet

9.19 amandarachlee neg comment and posted my encouragement on her story

10.5 maiko parfait & shopping w/ jyang, earls with the amigos

10.18 gmen & oncecake: melody, rillakuma, card & collage

10.24 dark table w/ rjin

11.7 moii after work

12.15 baking custard souffle pancakes w/ ewong

12.18 office christmas party & bbt w/ slim

12.19 glow

12.21 fifi’s christmas party

12.22 christmas market w/ rjin: churros & chimney cake

12.23 psyc team secret santa & mahjong

12.25 christmas dindin at market by jean-georges

12.26 birthday dindin at zeferelli

12.27 ring & birthday dinner at brix and mortar w/ jyang

12.28 skated alone, worked out, baked & dindin at botanist

looking back at it now, i definitely went out a lot more compared to previous years LOL i had some struggles in january, and at multiple points in my life i blamed myself for being ungrateful, for seeking more when i already had so much in life compared to other people. my friends were there for me and i wouldnt have been able to live through it without them. then again, during reading break in february, i got myself into the same hot mess and i was sad about it for a week and i blamed myself for getting so attached so quickly. because of these experiences, my expectations were v low and i didnt really expect anything when i talked to jyang, what they say really is true, you get it the moment you stop seeking for it. it comes and find you (: the 3 most important that happened this year is burbur, co op job & me getting more comfortable around doggs; this is a big deal !! i actually like cuddling dogs and i feel less scared of them as long as i have some time to get used to them!! im proud of myself for making progress with my phobia! after i started my co op job, bc i didnt have a lot to do, i felt like i wasnt actively contributing to my workplace and that i was very useless. i still feel the same way now, but i think i am slowly getting used to it. thankfully, my coworkers are VERY nice and i enjoy working around them. while i did not get a different position for january, im still grateful that i got an extended placement. nonetheless, meeting with the different PIs and sumeet pointed me in the right direction of looking for nserc / volunteering opportunities when i do go back to school. AND ofc burbur! im grateful that we were able to be there for each other for the past 8 months, both the ups and downs and i am so so thankful that we’re understanding and patient with each other, as we help each other learn along the way and help each other become a better version of ourselves. this companionship is better than i have asked for and i always remind myself to focus on the important things rather than the minor inconveniences. this year, in terms of fitness goals, ive been doing really well before asia. but ever since i came back, it all went downhill and i gained back all the weight that i lost this year year LOL so in 2020, one of my biggest goal is to eat healthy again, and workout more consistently. getting a job in sept kinda interfered with my progress too, bc i was so tired after work, even when i wasnt doing anything and i stressed eat bc i felt terrible. a lot of diff factors made me feel super stressed, and the fact that i wasnt eating clean / exercising reguarly made me feel worse about the whole situation ): so in 2020, maintaining a healthy lifestyle will be one of my top priorities and gifting myself a healthy body is one of greatest things i can do for myself. this also contributed to the lack of journalling near the end of the year, it felt like bc i wasnt doing the things i was “supposed to do”, i just felt so bad whenever i couldnt tick off that particular habit whenever i fill in my trackers. but tonight, i watched this video and it talked about habits should be for awareness, not for self-hate or self-loathing. this is something that i need to keep in mind. ever since april really, the issue of leaving my house and meeting up with my friends have always stressed me in fear of dealing with passive aggressiveness with my mom lool everytime i get inviited to plans, i just get anxiety about having to tell her about it LOL and even when im out, having a msg/ call for her freaks me out in fear that she will get mad at me for being home late and etc and fifi really woke me up with her words, i should just care less LOL i need to stop caring so much about what she thinks, bc at the end of the day, this IS my life and if i never make any changes, i will never be able to grow and be independent. i think this pree much sums up all my events and emotions in 2019, the last year of the 2010s. in the next decade, a lot of things will happen as i will be in my 20s - 30s, where new opportunities will arise, and graduate uni, do my masters, find a job, maybe even marry and move out LOL the 2020s will definitely be an impt decade, but just for next year i want to:

1. understand that i am old enough to make choices, and in general, care less about what she thinks

2. at the same time, i want to appreciate and be grateful for what my mom, dad and annie have done for me; a lot of the times, i feel like i take them for granted just bc i know they will always be there for me and this is not how you should treat your biggest supporters

3. trust that everything will workout in the end, while you may not be able to envision what you career / life would be like when youre 30, you can definitely take small steps and move towards your goal

4. be mindful of what i eat and exercise regularly (4x hiit & cardio a week) ; treats & sweets in moderation; use those habit trackers for awareness, not for self-loathing / self-hate

5. create art regularly, read more and at least do 5 duolingos every week!

every year, time just seems to go by faster and faster and i feel scared at times. as i type this, theres only 8 minutes left of this decade LOL so in 2020, continue to live in the moment, be present, cherish those that are around you, and have faith that everything will come together, one piece at a time. at the same time, always rmb that you can make small changes to be a better version of yourself, whenever & however you want and this is the 1 thing that other people can’t stop you from doing!

#diary #personal #thoughts #last post of 2019

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calling-gull · 6 years ago

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The Duchess’ Children and the Fate of the Warlock

((Co-written with Nallaen Ravenstone’s mun, who doesn’t have Tumblr))

Lightning cracks the sky as a peel of thunder booms, sending a heavy, dead pulse of sound through the cores of the men and women that fought to keep their vessel afloat. Rain pours heavy, making the stained wooden surfaces of the Anchor ship slick and slippery, many fighting to keep their footing as they struggle to heave rope and drop weight. Torrents of water spill over the decks as chaos reigns, commanding officers barking orders in hopes to keep that dread hound misfortune at bay.

All through it, the only thing that Nallaen Ravenstone can think about right now is the two children currently hiding in the captains quarters, crying and scared from the noise and tumult outside.

"HEAVE!" Calls the first mate, attempting to direct the crew to pull on a rope to keep the main sails up and steady.

Nallaen himself wasn't a sailor, but it didn't take much nautical experience to be told to pull on a rope as hard as one could. The chain of Anchor sailors and mercs pull hard, but the gale winds prove to be too much and snap the rope from their hands, the crew spilling to the deck. Nallaen's face bounces off the rain slick wood, shattering his nose as gulps of raw, rancid sea water fill his mouth. This was an unwinnable fight and Nallaen knew it.

Coughing and sputtering, the warlock spits out the salt water, wiping some blood away from his visage. This was mostly a futile attempt, as more just poured out to replace it, the life fluid much more dull than it ought to be. Nall scrambles to his feet, helping a fellow crew member up reaching up to his ear.

"DANIEL." He yells into the comm, the sound of heavy wins and rain flooding the channel and distorting his calls. "DANIEL. SOMEONE. ANYONE."

Daniel had just finished working on the ship for the day, sending his crew back to the cabins, to their food and well-earned rest. The building was going well and, since he couldn't do anything to help the rest in Stormhollow for now, Daniel focused on what was before him. Once more, he ran his hands over the well-worked wood, the beautiful carvings the shipwrights were putting everywhere. They were turning this ship into, not only a transport, but a display piece for the Anchor Trading Company. Something the Duchess could look at with pride.

The shout from the comm startled Daniel out of his musings, and into 'danger' mode, alert to every sound that was being transmitted to him. What could he do in response to the panic in that voice, but to respond?

"NALL I'm here! What's going on?"

Daniel stood still in the Captain's quarters of the ship, every sense stretched as far as it would go to get every bit of response, his need to help and protect riled up by that panic.

"SHHHHRKT SHIP BZZZT STORM WRRRRRRRRRRRRST KIDS BZZZZZT STOR-"

Nallaen's panicked message is cut off as another wave crashes down onto the ship. His body ragdolls over the deck with the sea water, slamming the main into the guard railings and keeping him from going overboard. Every bone in Nallaen's body screamed, the man fighting to keep consciousness as he tries to speak into his comm once more.

"BZZZT WORKSHSKKRT" He yells, pushing himself back up to his feet and trying to keep his footing as he makes his way towards the captain's quarters.

This idea of his was the only chance that the children were going to make it out of this storm safely and even them, Nallaen might be damning them to a fate worse than drowning, but what choice did he have?

"Shit!" Danny yells as he hears this jumble of sputtering and words, and stormed to his trunk to begin putting a bag together. He knew that Nallaen was tasked with taking the children to safety, and clearly something catastrophic was going on.

Clothing, tools, and a waxed packet of jerky were packed along with a small emergency medical kit. One never knew what would be needed, so most of this emergency pack was already prepared. He heard the words ‘Kids’, ‘Ship’, ‘Storm’, and, he thought, also ‘Workshop’, perhaps.

"Tell me what you need! Try! Where are the kids going!"

"BRRRRRRT ZZZZZZTTTTT SAME TESTISKZZZZZZT FRRRRRRRT PORTASKRRRRRT WARE-"

Nallaen continues his scramble to the captains quarters, dodging bodies and sliding crates and barrels, weaving his way through the chaos as he struggles to make it to his final destination. Eventually, and with some effort, the rain soaked man makes it to the Captains quarters and throws the doors open, barging into the room with little regard for how frightening and image that might be for the young children.

"Nerina...." He pants, grabbing the young baby's bassinet and wrapping the toddler's hand firmly around the hand. "Nerina...you're going to see mommy real soon okay?" He says, trying to calm the screaming child, blood running down the front of his face. "I need you to hold your breath and hold onto your sister. It will be over quickly. I promise."

With that Nallaen produces a gleaming, onyx orb and presses it into the toddler's hand, wrapping her tiny fingers around it.

"It will be over soon..."

The warlock forces her hand closed and crushes the stone for her in her hand, letting go as a torrent of magical energies take both the toddler and the infant far away from the quickly sinking vessel. Nallaen touches his ear once more.

"Daniel. They are on their w-"

That's as far as the warlock gets as the large glass panels at the back of the captain's quarters shatter inward, destroyed by the immense force of a supernatural wave. Water and glass rockets towards the warlock, bouncing him to and fro in the captains quarters as the vessel takes on too much water to float any longer, sails slipping beneath the waves.

Nallaen's comm is nothing but static now.

Already pelting out into the night, Daniel listened to everything he could hear, trying to make sense out of the chaos. It was as he threw himself on his sturdy mountain horse that he understood. The warehouse where they had tested those damn spheres!

"I'll be there! Nallaen! NALLAEN! I'll get there!"

He had no idea if the man could hear him, or if something unthinkable had happened, but he continued, whipping his poor horse into a flat-out run toward the small, hidden boat that would take him across a short span of water to Boralus, and the portals that had been set up there.

Wind whipped the horse's mane into Daniel's face like tiny stinging insects, but he didn't slow one bit. If he was right, the children were now alone in that warehouse, and needed someone there -now-.

Upon reaching the hidden dory, Daniel ripped his saddlebags off of his horse, and smacked the good creature's rump to send him back 'home' to his stable in the ship's shadow. A note was tacked to the saddle for the builder crew, so he shook that worry from his mind.

He pushed the dory out of the shadowed bushes, and out into the water, rowing fast and as quietly as possible to another hidden spot on the shores of Boralus. Keeping himself out of the hands of the userper's authority was absolutely necessary for his crew's safety.

Upon reaching the shore, he hopped out, and pulled the small boat up onto the shore, and tied it safely to an iron ring already set up into the stone. It had already taken him three hours to reach safety past the mountains, and would be at least another hour of walking to reach the portals set up in the Tradewinds Market.

After a seemingly interminable time, he made it to the familiar sights, sounds, and scents of the Market. He stopped only at two places, spending a bit of coin before he left for Stormwind. At one place, he gathered bottles of milk, juice, and soft sausage rolls, nice and warm. At another place, he stopped for a couple of teddy bears. After all, the girls were there alone, after something awful had happened. They would need comfort.

It was thus supplied that he stepped through the Stormwind portal, enduring that gut-wrenching, nauseating feeling of transport.

The storm continues to rage overhead, large pieces of wood and glass swimming around him as he fights to swim upwards and out of captains quarters towards the surface of the water. Around him, Nallaen can see bodies of his compatriots struggling and swimming towards the surface as the destroyed ship sinks around them.

Nallaen was already tired, however. Tired from trying to keep the sails up. Tired from being smacked around. His clothes were waterlogged and so, so heavy. The warlock can feel his oxygen starved body start to scream as he tries push himself towards the surface. Suddenly, his paddling stops as Nallaen allows himself to stop and rest, staring at the water's edge above him.

The fact of the matter was that it didn't matter. None of it did.

The kids were as safe as he could make them and Daniel was on the way. While this wasn't his preferred method of exit, it was a neat one. The warlock opens his mouth and lets the last bit of air flow from his body, salty sea water replacing it in his mouth.

This was good.

Nallaen's vision slips to black and the warlock knows nothing for some time.

Coming out through the other side of the portal to Stormwind, Daniel makes his way directly to Nallaen's warehouse. He remembered the way (and wasn't likely to forget it after that portal test!), and was able to get there within twenty minutes. It had now been four hours since that last panicked yell, leaving the two children alone in the warehouse.

Checking the door for locks, or magical interference - whatever the hell that might feel like, he'd really never know - Daniel simply shoved his muscled bulk against it, snapping the lock out of the wood itself. Fuck this door in particular.

He was greeted by the terrified screams of the girls, and he hurried to set a light glowing and to their side.

"Hey, hey now, it's Danny, remember me? I'm here ta take care of ya for mummy an' daddy."

He continued to talk like this, his voice a low, soothing rumble as he sat on the floor of the mostly empty warehouse, and pulled the girls into his lap. He held them, rocking back and forth slowly, saying soft, calming things, and eventually humming soft songs from his childhood. Those songs spoke of salt scent on the wind, the cold deep of the sea, and the blessed toil of working the waters. They spoke of going home to where one truly belonged, and the peace that follows.

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It took a while to get them calm, and get food and drink into them, but he managed it. After all, the man wasn't all stoic silences and glares, harsh voice and strictness. There was a soft, cuddly core that none but Sabine had seen in him in a very, very long time. For these two mites, it was on full display.

"Captain Conaroy, can you hear me?"

A female voice came over the comm, a voice he'd heard before, from a woman he'd been told about a few times. Someone trusted very well, Sevia Montemayor.

"Aye, I can hear ya."

He looked down at the elder of the two girls munching her way through a sausage roll, and giggling as the baby in Danny's lap wiggled, and squiggled around, burbling happily with a belly full of milk, and soggy bread scraps. "What d'ye want?"

"Do you have the girls? were you able to get to them? Are they safe?" The worry in the woman's voice was almost a touchable thing.

"Aye, they're safe."

"Very well, I will come for them, and bring them back to Stonewall with me, and Lady Randall's three children."

"Good." Daniel gave Sevia the location of the warehouse, and prepared to wait for her to come get the children. It was a shame, really. These were two cuddlesome tiny things, and it had brought him back to babysitting for his younger sibs. But he had work to do, a Sabine to take care of - when they rescued her, at least. If he’d the manpower to get in there and rescue those taken, he’d be doing it, and seeing to it there were plenty more dead to send to the Tides when he’d done.

A slight sigh left his lips as he continued to sing low lullabies to the Duchess’ children. They deserved peaceful dreams after all they’d been through. As he sang, he blanked his mind, refusing to fret over mister Ravenstone’s fate. That was in the hands of the Tides. He only sent a brief, but fervent prayer that the man would be protected, and waited for the battle-hardened protector to come for Nerina and Abby.

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theprocrastinatingalien · 7 years ago

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Beyond Avengers 4 (looking ahead at Phase 4 of the MCU)

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

We currently know very little about what comes after AVENGERS 4. This makes sense, as we really don't (officially) know that much about the follow up to INFINITY WAR.

We DO know that head honcho Kevin Feige has stated that there will soon be a divide In the MCU... everything before AVENGERS 4, and everything after. The face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is changing... we don't even know if we'll get a 'Phase 4'. Personally, I hope we do. I think it's nice to have a group of films. It helps with marketing. It helps when charting character arcs. You don't end up with an endless mash of movie titles (I'm looking at you DCEU!). It helps gives direction.

For the moment, let's assume it IS called Phase 4. if only to keep me happy. What can we expect from it? Well, boss man Kevin has apparently plans for 20 more films after AVENGERS 4. That's basically as much as the first three phases put together. It will be a mixture of sequels and new titles.

Let's start with what we know.

SPIDER-MAN: THE NEXT AVENGER

Okay, so I've made up the title, but it's better that HOMECOMING 2 (and there's already been a SPIDER-MAN 2). Okay, so let's get this straight - yes Peter Parker crumbled to dust following Thanos' click, but we already know we have this movie coming. It'll be the first movie in Phase 4. Obviously Marvel co-runs Spideyflicks with Sony, so they'd want a follow up as soon as possible... and that's in mid 2019! What's more, it's been guaranteed that an Avenger will appear. Now, it won't be Iron Man again (and I doubt Happy Hogan will feature either)... and whilst it could easily be one of the newer characters, I predict (and have done before), that it'll be Mark Ruffalo's Dr Bruce Banner and the Hulk. He's sciency, and more importantly, Ruffalo is meant to have one more film on his contract following AVENGERS 4. I could be wrong about Ruffalo, but Tom Holland will definitely be back (there'll be no switch over to Miles Morales), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May), Zendaya (Michelle) and Jacob Batalon (Ned) will all surely return too.. It'll be interesting to see which villains they use. A VENOM movie is coming out, entirely Sony, starring Tom Hardy (which may or may not cameo Hollan), as well as BlackCat and Silver Sable movie coming too. Will the MCU decide to use more characters that Sony haven't used before, or now start reusing known characters such as Green Goblin or Dr Octopus? Filming will start later this year, so casting news will surely have to start hitting... giving away that Spider-Man isn't really dead...

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3

James Gunn confirmed this, and has apparently finished the script. It's definitely coming in 2020, and will likely be the first movie of three that year - probably around May time. Now, obviously, there's a small matter that all but one guardian have died. Will the film be entirely about Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper)? Of course not. Just as sure as I am that Spidey will be safe, I think all the others that disappeared from the click will be back. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) will all be back. The big question mark for me is Gamora (Zoe Saldana). She died a different way, and that could be a permanent. Whilst I'm sure Saldana's back in AVENGERS 4, that could just be a tie to the soul stone and Thanos. beyond that, I really don't know. It could be that, just how VOL 2 came right after the first movie, VOL 3 could follow that... it might all be set before INFINITY WAR, in which case Gamora will be as right as rain. If the movie truly follows on from AVENGERS 4, then we won't really know until that movie has come out... or VOL 3 starts filming before that movie comes out as we see Saldana on set. Karen Gillan's Nebula survived the most recent movie, but I personally believe she'll die in AVENGERS 4... so don't think she'll be in VOL 3. If I'm wrong though, she will be...depending on whether Gamora is. (I think Nebula's storyline is pretty tied to her 'sister'). Mid credits in VOL 2 told us that Ayesha had created Adam Warlock, so he could well be a main focus of the sequel - despite Gunn suggesting otherwise. Sly Stallone's Stakar Ogord assemble his older generation of guardians too... so they could play a part. And what happened to Sean Gunn's Kraglin? It's possibly, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) could join the team following AVENGERS 4, whilst she waits to be given her own sequel. Maybe Howard the Duck (voiced by Seth Green) could play a bigger part than a cameo. No, I didn't think so either. For me the biggest question here is the time placement... before INFINITY WAR or after AVENGERS 4. The more I think about it, the more I think it could be before...

BLACK WIDOW

Okay, so we don't know this is happening... officially. But it IS totally happening. Writers have been assigned and Chris Evans pretty much confirmed it. However, unlike the previous movies I've talked about so far, this film does NOT mean Scarlett Johansson survives AVENGERS 4. It's highly expected that the movie will be a prequel, going back into her history as a spy. There's a lot they can do with this, and it also means a lot of characters could pop up. There's already been speculation that Sebastian Stan could feature as The Winter Soldier (back when he was still under Hydra control). Obviously everyone expects (and will probably be disappointed if not) Clint Barton to appear. It sort of feels like Jeremy Renner has got a bum deal, so flashing out their friendship would work wonders. There's also the suspicion that Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) could appear... about what about fellow agents Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Any of them could feature to some degree. After playing a supporting character since IRON MAN 2 (back in 2010), it'll be nice for Johansson to headline a film in the MCU, finally. In a year, Marvel like to have at least one sequel and one new film. I expect BLACK WIDOW will likely act as the 'new' movie that year, probably sandwiched between the two sequels GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3 and...

DOCTOR STRANGE 2

You see, this is the problem... another character who disappeared at the end of INFINITY WAR... back for a sequel. I suppose it's possible the sequel could be set between the first movie and INFINITY WAR, but I doubt it. Now all the sequels can be set before, and I feel Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) will a major force going forward in the MCU. Both Kevin Feige and James Gunn have stated the franchise will be a lot more 'cosmic' going forward, and Strange's magic, and use of different realms, will likely play a strong part in that. I think DOCTOR STRANGE 2 will round off 2020, with Benedict Wong returning as Wong, Rachel McAdams getting more screentime as Christine Palmer and Chiwetel Ejiofor playing a much bigger role as Mordo edged towards what could well be the 'new Loki'. I don't know much about the comics for this particular character, but word is Nightmare will be the primary villain this time around. No word on who might play him though... but with Cumberbatch and Ejiofor at the front line, it'll need to be someone impressive.

BLACK PANTHER 2

Obviously the first movie was a massive hit. Obviously there's going to be a sequel. Obviously there's a problem because the title character died at the fingerclick in INFINITY WAR. However, unlike with Strange or Spider-Man, the sequel doesn't necessarily need T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) to live to go ahead. In the comics, Shuri (Letitia Wright) becomes Black Panther, and Queen of Wakanda. Now, if T'Challa's death was 'real'... that should already have happened before/during AVENGERS 4. Wright could be the new BP! Shuri was certainly popular enough, and Boseman could still appear via a spirit walk-thing. You know, that thing they do. He apparently has 5 movies on his contract. Now that could work as CIVIL WAR , BLACK PANTHER, INFINITY WAR, AVENGERS 4 and... BLACK PANTHER 2. It could. Of course, I don't think that's the case. Well, actually, in the comics, both T'Challa and Shuri are Black Panthers... and I reckon that might be where they take it - but Chadwick Boseman's character will be the lead, and alive. I also expect Danai Gurira's Okoye, Luputa Nyong'O's Nakia, Angela Bassett's Ramonda all to return. Probably Winston Duke's M'Baku. Possibly Martin Freeman's Everett K Ross. I also predict Marvel will place the movie around the opening of May in 2021. That's where they put all the films they're confident in.

ANT-MAN 3 (aka ANT-MAN AND THE WASP 2)

We haven't seen ANT-MAN AND THE WASP yet, but you have to assume Marvel are working on the assumption there will be a sequel. When they announced their third phase slate, an ANT-MAN sequel wasn't included. They waited to see how the first would do . By the time they finally get around to announcing Phase 4, I expect they'll known whether ANT-MAN 3 will be on the table. My guess is, it will be. Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, with Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne will probably head-line again. Beyond that, with both ANT-MAN AND THE WASP and AVENGERS 4 to come, I wouldn't like to predict more than that. Other than I think it'll be released in 2021 - although it's worth pointing out that both ANT-MAN movies have been released AFTER an AVENGERS movie... so it could be held back until after...

AVENGERS 5

We know there'll be one... the question is, when. Typically AVENGERS movies are released at the start of may, three years apart. THE AVENGERS came out in 2012, AGE OF ULTRON in 2015 and now INFINITY WAR in 2018. Obviously, we're breaking that tradition with AVENGERS 4 in 2019. The earliest I expect AVENGERS 5 will be May 2022, but with an expanding slate of sequels, and the intention of including new titles, they might push it back a year to 2023. It will, in theory, be the first to not feature the likes of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Nor might it include Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) or Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). I mean, it might, but it's unlikely. So who will it include? Personally, I have no idea who the villain will be but as for heroes... I guarantee it'll feature Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (probably Chadwick Boseman, possibly Letitia Wright). It'll probably feature Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Wasp (Evangeline Lilly). There's also someone else it might feature. You'll notice I missed out Steve Rogers from the earlier list? Well, as far as Chris Evans goes, he'll not be back after AVENGERS 4, but I doubt that can be said for...

CAPTAIN AMERICA 4

In the comics, the mantle of 'Captain America' has been used by several people - most notably Bucky Barnes. Whilst Evans only had 6 films on his contract (extended to 7 to encompass AVENGERS 4), Sebastian Stan signed up for 12 movies. Right now, he's only spent four of those - the CAPTAIN AMERICA trilogy, and INFINITY WAR. AVENGERS 4 takes him to five and if the rumoured appearance in BLACK WIDOW happens, that's only half of his contract. That leaves (potentially) three more Cap movies, and three more Avenger movies. I've no idea who the villains will be in a fourth Cap movie, unless the movie itself is a 'Battle for the Shield', an idea I came up with that I'm taken with. Anthony Mackie is already Falcon in the franchise, and in the comics, Sam Wilson becomes Cap also. There's also the potential for Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) to take on the shield. There could be a three-way tussle for the mantle. Ultimately Stan will probably take the lead, as it seems to be the order of things. As a side note, Wilson's Cap is trained under an older Steve Rogers, his age caught up with him. It's possible, rather that outright killing Chris Evans' character, they swap him out for an older actor, to train the younger successor. Possibly not, but it's an option. The biggest question here is, when do they roll out this new Cap? Before or after AVENGERS 5? THE FIRST AVENGER lead into the first film to unite the characters, and a new character picking up the shield could do the same. We'll just ignore that both Bucky and Wilson turned to dust. They'll be back. Extra note - despite the title, with a new actor headlining, Marvel might treat the movie as a new franchise.

CAPTAIN MARVEL 2

The trickiest one on the list really... as the first CAPTAIN MARVEL comes out next year, certainly less than two months before AVENGERS 4. That will probably be enough time for Marvel to figure out if the movie deserves a sequel. So far, only THE INCREDIBLE HULK has stood alone, with no sequels to speak of. I'll lay money on it staying that way, and CAPTAIN MARVEL 2 will be in the Phase 4 slate. If the first is set in the 90s, then a sequel could be set in the 00s. More likely though it'll be present, so she can lead the Avengers. As I mentioned earlier though, it's possible (rather than shoehorning a sequel into the slate) Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) could find herself back in space, now with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3... possibly filling the void left by Gamora.

NEWBIES

This is where we get really sketchy. There's been rumbles of a film for THE ETERNALS, it might be time NAMOR gets some underwater adventures, or if the day-walking vampire BLADE comes in on the actions. Let's also not forget that the deal with Fox will mean the X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR and DEADPOOL can crossover into the MCU. It won't be yet... but look how quickly Spider-Man entered the area.

If I had to predict Phase 4, I'd go with the following:

July 2019 - SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING 2 (confirmed) - May 2020 - GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3 (basically confirmed) July 2020 - BLACK WIDOW (sort of new) November 2020 - DOCTOR STRANGE 2 - May 2021 - BLACK PANTHER 2 July 2021 - CAPTAIN MARVEL 2 November 2021 - NEW FRANCHISE (example BLADE or NAMOR) - February 2022 - CAPTAIN AMERICA 4 (sort of new) May 2022 - AVENGERS 5 July 2022 - ANT-MAN 3 / ANT-MAN & THE WASP 2 So there we are, those are my predictions for Phase 4. How wrong am I? I expect we'll have an idea come Comic Con 2019!

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auskultu · 6 years ago

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The Stones In-Session

Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 1 June 1968

OUTSIDE THE recording studio there were two little teeny-boppers from a by-gone age, sheltering from the rain in a shop doorway in the hope of speaking to their idols. Meanwhile, inside the studio the ‘idles’ were getting it all together in their usual apparently haphazard, but highly effective, manner. The Stones were in session.

Keith Richard sat cross-legged upon the floor, extracting inspiration from his guitar, upon which you looked and found it looking back at you because he had pasted two cut-out eyes on it which were so photographed that they gave the impression of moving and following you about the room.

Bill Wyman, all in black, is exercising his lower mandible in preparation for another of his “action man” appearances and experimenting with a mellotron. His hair is longer than usual but he is considering having it cut—the problem being to decide which one.

Mick is patrolling the area to and from the control room with such enthusiasm that he seems to have lost a stone in weight but later informs me that this is due to the fact that he has given everything up for health reasons—eating, drinking and smoking.

He reports acidly he has never felt worse. He looks remarkably healthy.

Rehearsal

Charlie Watts is also preparing for a return to live appearances and in one of his inspirational moments of dead-pan comedy does a practise run-out off an imaginary stage, from his drum kit, waving one stick to the imaginary crowd. It deserved a bigger laugh than it got.

Brian Jones arrives in the control room to consult with Jimmy Miller about the present stage of their new album and whether there might be room for him to include some of his special electronic-music on the album.

“I’m very hung-up on electronic music at present,” says Brian. “If there is not room to include it on our album I would like to do something separately.” At one stage Brian was convinced that ‘Child of the Moon’ was the more commercial of their sides on the current single and took some considerable time and trouble in working out the saxophone effect on this number which turns out sounding like a trumpet! “But the more I hear ‘Jumping Jack’ the more I realise’ I was wrong,” smiles Brian. “It has that same appeal as ‘Satisfaction’ and now I’m really getting to love it—it really is a gas, gas, gas!”

He talks briefly about his disillusion with pop music of late and how he stopped listening to it as of six months ago when, “the really groovy and interesting things stopped happening!” Brian also refers to their film which begins shortly as having a theme of “destruction and creativeness.”

“We create,” he adds with a wry grin.

On drums Jimmy Miller goes down in the studio and sits in on a part of the jam session on drums. He works himself into such a lather that the mane of black and grey hair flies in all directions and he sweats profusely—if Keith Moon ever needs a replacement!

This “playtime-like” approach by Jimmy has more significance than some might realise, for he believes in complete identification with the artists he is working with, and in absorbing as much of their musical identity as he can. Consequently you will see him even doing a little cod-impression “Jagger’s jig” during a run-through.

“I don’t want to impress any of my musical ideas or attitudes upon the Stones,” says Jimmy, “I just want to bring out all the natural talent they have. I want the Stones being the Stones and that’s what we think ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ is. The Stones really sell sounds. You’re in the studios with them and everything seems to be drifting to no purpose and then it all comes together quite suddenly.”

While Keith and Brian are working out a guitar thing Bill sits in the control room and interests himself in a trade paper. He is hugely amused by an advert for a DJ called Jerry Conway who has a picture of himself in one paper with the heading, “Recognise Him?” and continuing, “Direct from his fantastic disc-jockeying success in the Strand.” Bill had apparently missed out.

Jimmy is playing a tape back of an earlier recording cut by the Stones in which there is a fine piece of piano bashing.

“Who’s playing piano?” I ask, committing the cardinal sin of expecting Mick to reply to pedestrian questions.

“Charlie!” says Mick immediately without flinching. Lulled into a sense of false security I get as far as writing “CH” in my note book before falling in and finding my informant regarding me out of the corner of his eye with a derisive grin. Jaggered again!

Questions? Having watched me wander about the studio for some minutes Mick finally takes pity on me and suggests, “Maybe you would like to ask me some questions?”

“That would be nice,” I agree and we retire to a small sound proof room which is half way between the studios and the control room—a kind of no-man’s-land. Mick is in one of his let’s be cooperative but not too co-operative moods.

“’Child of the Moon’ is probably the more original of the two numbers we have cut for a single,” said Mick. “It’s a pretty song. I think it will do well in America—it’s more for the American market.” “Why?” “It has a country and western influence,” replied Mick with touching straight-faced sincerity.

Was their new album likely to be a reversion to form. The kind of thing we expected before Satanic Majesties. “There will be some simple things and some complex ones,” said Mick.

Would there be any love songs? “Oh yes plenty of that,” agreed Mick fervently. “Lots of that!” I meant songs dealing with boy-girl relationships? “Well there’s ‘Parachute Woman’,” offered Mick.

Plenty of good solid beat numbers? Mick shakes his head and nods violently indicating much beat with a stamping of his foot.

Other Stones were drifting into the room and sat to listen to the cross-fire. I attempted to give him a hard time with one question—some chance. Why had he decided to accept the role of pop star in his first film when he had always stated he would not play that kind of character before?

Collapsed Keith Richard made an aside which collapsed Charlie.

“Did you hear that,” smiled Charlie. “He said, ‘On behalf of the Board I should like to hear that reply’.”

“No the role is not like that anyway,” said Mick defensively. “It’s no use my saying it is good until you see the result, but it’s not the conventional idea of a pop star.”

Why had the early excitement of pop music apparently cooled—was it due to so many top groups like the Stones doing fewer live appearances?

“All these things go in cycles,” said Charlie. “You can’t bring back an era that is dead. If the Beatles went back to Liverpool now there would be no need to cordon off blocks to prevent the thousands of fans getting at them. The times have changed and its going to be a long time till they change again. Outside these studios now there are two kids. A year ago there were ten and the year before that twenty or more.”

#Rolling Stones #1968 #mick jagger #Brian jones #Charlie watts #Keith richards #bill wyman #jimmy miller #nme #1960s #sixties #60s

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gregkatepetegowest · 3 years ago

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Chiloquin + Crater Lake

Our drive from Tahoe to Chiloquin, OR (35 minutes-ish outside Crater Lake National Park) was just under six hours with a couple stops along the way.

Our Air BnB in Chiloquin was a manufactured home on a couple acres in the middle of farm country! The sunsets and moonrises were so good. We were able to see them with the mountains in the background. The house itself was very spacious which we all appreciated and the plan was for Greg to have ample room to run around in the yard. Well, we arrived and as we were driving down the road to the house the windshield started getting pelted with giant bugs. Both Pete and I had no idea what was going on. Greg was also unaware. We parked in the driveway and immediately realized the bugs were grasshoppers. Thousands of them! If you walked through the yard, they flew around spastically, flying into whatever was around (us, the house, etc.) We attempted to walk Greg down the road and gave up quickly after being hit in the faces a couple times with hoppers. Greg actually didn’t mind the grasshoppers and even had some fun chasing and eating (yes) a few; it was more Pete and I who vetoed the afternoon walk. Google research told me that hopper outbreaks were common for the area and generally caused a bit of devastation to vegetation. So anyway, my dreams of a yard for Greg to run around in for a few days went out the window quickly. I ended up finding a wetlands park on Chiloquin Lake (10 minutes away) and took him there early in the AM to run. This was exciting for Greg as we saw a ton of small gopher looking animals as well as lots of birds. We also had a skunk spray in our direction but managed to run away before the scent caught us. Ah, the joys of traveling with an 80 lb dog.

Back to why were in the manufactured hopper home in Chiloquin. CRATER LAKE! We only had one full day in the park, which felt sufficient for this stop. We got up early, I took Greg to run and Pete did some work. We were on the road to Crater Lake by 7:30 am and at the trailhead by 8:15 am! Chiloquin/Crater Lake typically has a high temp of 58 degrees and a low of 34 degrees for the month of June, but the heat wave had caught us and it was going to climb to 90 that day so we wanted to be on the trail early.

We started with Garfield Peak, which promised a panorama of the lake. Pete’s buddy hiked this trail in July last year and was not able to make it to the summit due to SNOW. Crazy, right? The hike itself was fairly mellow and just under four miles and we were able to make it to the top thanks to the unseasonably hot weather that had occurred just before we arrived. We did have to hike through a bit of snow but it was totally doable. The view at the top was incredible and there was only one other small group there when we arrived which was another perk of starting relatively early. Crater Lake is truly amazing. The lake was formed when a massive volcano erupted 7,700 years ago. The volcano peak collapsed inward to form a large crater. It is the deepest lake in the United States (1,943 ft deep). The water is incredibly blue because it is very clean and very deep. When sunlight enters the lake, most of the red, orange, green and yellow light waves are absorbed and converted into heat and the blue rays are reflected which is why the water appears to be so blue. The water is Crater Lake comes solely from snowmelt and rain and is cleaner than the water that comes for your faucet! I have more nerd facts, so if you’re interested, hit me up! All in all, just so f’n mind blowing to think about.

After we completed Garfield Peak, we tried to drive to The Pinnacles (cool lava rock formations) trailhead but discovered the road was closed. This was sad, but we were close to another trailhead that offered a cool view of The Phantom Ship (lava rock formation in the middle of the lake that looks like a pirate ship), so we did that instead. We rounded out the day by doing an easy 2.5 mile loop that took us down a small canyon and along Annie Creek. By this point, we were tired, hot and needed to get back to let Greg out. We pit stopped just before exiting the park to eat our sandwiches and drink a local brew we had purchased at the campground market (Lawnmower Lager by Caldera Brewing Co.). On the way back to the manufactured grasshopper palace, we stopped by a very funky (in a great way) organic market and grabbed some fish and veggies to grill for dinner. As we neared the turn onto our road, we noticed a ton of black smoke and as we got closer, we could see flames jumping up from what appeared to be a farm/grove of pine trees. We were pretty freaked out because the fire (which ended up being a forest fire that took out two buildings) was probably only two miles or so across the fields from where we were staying. Naturally, Pete was on a high alert and prepared for a potential swift exit but loading the car with our yoga mats and only our yoga mats. Priorities. I sent a note to our Air BnB host who told me not to worry based on where the fire was. We kept a close eye and were impressed by how quickly helicopters showed up to dump water and fire retardant and everything was under control within 90 minutes. Scary stuff and can’t decide whether I would choose forest fire or tornado at this point.

Our time in Chiloquin/Crater Lake was wonderful. I would love to spend more time in Oregon and wish we could have made it up to Bend. From Chiloquin, we began our 14.5 hour journey towards Yellowstone National Park!

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the-mythical-norm · 7 years ago

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*batteries not included

Paying for fun is stupid. But we do it because that’s the bill of goods we’ve been sold by a capitalist society. Everyone thinks “I️ need to have a lot of money or make a lot to do fun things. And I only do a thing most of the time if I’m getting paid” But making all this money is usually not fun. I️t doesn’t cost anything to sing in the rain or dance in the street. Of course a lot of fun things cost money and I️ do recognize it’s nearly impossible to live outside the marketplace. But why only do things that you get paid for? And why be imprisoned by paying for enjoyable things? We should strive to live lives where we mostly do things we aren’t paid for, rather things we love doing. Instead we spend most of it working and then doing stuff on the side that we don’t get paid for. Why do we have to work so much, are all of these things we want to buy really worth it? These bentleys, these hilltop mansions? And how the heck did we accept such a transaction? How did we get so caught up in the material world that we are forced to support it through hard work at whatever cost. I think it’s because of distraction. Our lives are largely filled with studying, test taking, being bored, working and other shit we don’t want to do, so how do we get through it? We need little pressure releases to keep us from killing ourselves. To keep us from questioning if this is all worth it. So they keep us distracted. Ultra, frat parties, video games, weekends. Just when we start to turn our heads and question our standing, ZAP!, Coachella!, oh theres a party this weekend? Ill do some drugs, blow off some steam.. life doesn’t suck that bad.

If we didn’t have these little treats, and we pondered all this work and pointlessness, we could become very dangerous to the marketplace. We might even start a revolution. They know what happened in 1968. They know about the stonewall riots, the black panther party, the civil rights movement, the counter culture, the situationist, et cetera.

If we were gonna work, they had to make the work place cool too, some businesses will have a bar in the office, or a jungle gym, a nice cafe.. At google, you don’t even have to wear shoes and you can bring your pets, I wanna work there! Why would anyone refuse to spend their 9-5 here, its so comfortable! All of these little bites of coolness, and packaged rebellion, its just enough to keep us going. Keep the hamster in its wheel. The marketplace is genius. They know we don’t want to work, and they know we don’t need all this shit we are saving our money to buy, but they found a way to dismantle the young bombs inside us and we ended up on the hamster wheel anyway. Market researchers came into to our homes and studied us, so they knew exactly what we wanted, and exactly what else we wanted too. We wanted a burger, so of course we want the fries too, and the soda, ketchup, mustard…the products never stop. So we have to work more to afford it, but the work is comfortable enough so that we don’t question it. So if the work is comfortable, the benefits are nice, eventually you’ll get to use your money on the weekends or over the summer, whats the big deal? Why is it so bad to be a sheep?

I would argue its akin to the man who can’t see color. He lives his whole life without color, he doesn’t complain because he has no idea what he’s missing out on. But we can still see the color if we really want to. Jeffrey Kaplan writes about how they’ve devised a formula to keep us wanting in his article, “The Gospel Of Consumption,”

“Business leaders were less than enthusiastic about the prospect of a society no longer centered on the production of goods. For them, the new “labor-saving” machinery presented not a vision of liberation but a threat to their position at the center of power. John E. Edgerton, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, typified their response when he declared: “I am for everything that will make work happier but against everything that will further subordinate its importance. The emphasis should be put on work — more work and better work.” “Nothing,” he claimed, “breeds radicalism more than unhappiness unless it is leisure.” By the late 1920s, America’s business and political elite had found a way to defuse the dual threat of stagnating economic growth and a radicalized working class in what one industrial consultant called “the gospel of consumption” — the notion that people could be convinced that however much they have, it isn’t enough. President Herbert Hoover’s 1929 Committee on Recent Economic Changes observed in glowing terms the results: “By advertising and other promotional devices . . . a measurable pull on production has been created which releases capital otherwise tied up.” They celebrated the conceptual breakthrough: “Economically we have a boundless field before us; that there are new wants which will make way endlessly for newer wants, as fast as they are satisfied.”

No wonder we want to make so much money, we have too many things we want to buy, and its all part of their plan. The market is even smarter than that. They hijacked cool culture too.

“Nike shoes are sold to the accompaniment of words delivered by William S. Burroughs and songs by The Beatles, Iggy Pop, and Gil Scott Heron ("the revolution will not be televised"); peace symbols decorate a line of cigarettes manufactured by R. J. Reynolds and the walls and windows of Starbucks coffee shops nationwide; the products of Apple, IBM, and Microsoft are touted as devices of liberation; and advertising across the product category sprectrum calls upon consumers to break rules and find themselves.” -The Conquest of Cool

It doesn’t stop there. Anything new, revolutionary, bold, exciting, cool, everything will be packaged and sold to the masses, by the market. Everything and anything cool you do will be quickly be co-opted and marketed. So then we gotta find something else thats cool, but thats exactly what they want. It’s the perfect equation, we rebel, they sell it, we quit that and find something else, then they just go and sell that too. We’re just rotating the crops. But they got tired of chasing the cool, now they just tell us what to want. Cool still existed and it still rocked. True rebellion existed too, the dadaists, the renaissance, counter culture, LGBT, the beats, the hippies, the black panther party, the list goes on. But it’s sort of diluted, it’s hard to tell if an act is authentic rebellion or just something to sell. I️ know Marcel Duchamp was really rebelling when he submitted his urinal to the exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists, in 1917, but is Marlon Brando really rebelling? When he struts into town with his formidable stature, and wandering gaze. With his blue jeans and leather jacket, or is I️t just a big commercial for Levi Strauss? Buy this new look if you wanna be cool like Brando. All this rebellion was real, but the market eventually saw this and did something about I️t. They sold our little rebellions to us with Dr Martins, hot topic, urban outfitters, etc. These companies have packaged and sold our oppositional energies. The words rebellion and revolution are so watered down, they were even able to make us feel rebellious by our decision to wear vans instead of converse! They are fueling our rebellions so that we feel satisfied. So we don’t freakout!

So now they tell us what we want. Oh you need this new iPhone, this outfit, these shoes, blah blah I️t never stops. How many times did Wozniak say that this new iPhone will revolutionize everything. We are literally put on this earth to buy and sell.

Can we really live authentically? And how can we exist outside the market place? Or at least try? Advertisements for these ivory towers to live in, for these vehicles of mass opulence, for these clothes knitted in gold… its been shoved down our gullet and posted on every wall we pass. In class we talked about how we don’t need all this shit, but they’ve made us want it so bad, that we are basically imprisoned by material. Because we are imprisoned, we must fund our material obsessions, by studying business and accounting, getting internships that put your foot in the door, then a cushy job after college. They’ll tell you, college is for making connections.. you don’t actually learn shit. Nobody uses their major anymore, its just a stamp of approval. I think thats why some people hate college, why doesn’t anyone study art history, or the apartheid in Africa, or the renaissance, music history…why doesn’t anyone want us to know these things? Everyone you meet is just seen as a stepping stone that leads to your palace someday. Oh I gotta be friends with this guy, he can cut me a deal on a nice house later on, and this guy will get me a free car..etc. I got a photographer friend, a banker friend, a chef friend, man I’m set! I mean so many of our relationships are just like empty calories. When you say ‘have a nice day’ as you pass the hostess on the way out of a nice dinner, do you really mean it? Do you want to help her actually have a nice day? Do you care if she does or not? The answer is probably not. But what are we supposed to do just walk out and say no words? I think this is tunnel vision at its finest. We think that this is the only way to live so we do it without question because the unknown is too scary. So then we do things like joining a fraternity because theres nothing else to do in this town. We don’t want to be lonely. We don’t want to venture into the unknown. Joining a fraternity as an antidote for loneliness is gasoline to put out a fire, man. We study to get degrees that will get us great jobs so we can drive to work faster in our Ferraris, to make more money…just running faster and faster on that hamster wheel. Why are we so obsessed with being successful? That equation is why most people live lives of quite desperation. “Well, theres nothing else to do, theres no other life to live….If I didn’t do this with my life, what else would I do with my time?” So who’s to blame for this plutocracy, this capitalist society? Is it our fault? Is it the markets fault? The market research teams, our parents, society…who’s responsible for this! A world of mooks and midriffs! I don’t know, and at this point I don’t think it matters.

Maybe We Just have to Go. Go outside, go for a walk. Life’s joy doesn’t only come from personal relationships and material posessions, but experiences with nature too. Christopher McCandless knew that when he set out for Alaska.

I️ have found great joy in riding my bike on a breezy day, through the falling leaves that shed from the trees above, or sitting out on a doc at some marina underneath the moonlight, playing my harmonica as the boats sway. Hell, I’ve had times far more mysterious and enjoyable then any trip abroad, just looking at the Lake or the beach for a while. Its true we all need a tonic of wildness, but its closer than you think and a lot cheaper too. These things are basically free, and I️m not getting paid to do them. Granted there was a transaction to get the bike.. but these are ways I️ try existing outside the marketplace. Of course brands like REI, Patagonia, Vissla, etc, they try to sell me things I’ll need when I️m off exploring, and I️ buy them because I️m a hedonist too. I just try my best to only take what ill need. And most the things I do buy, I won’t actually need. I️ met a kid the other day while biking. Brandon Stephan Davis. He stood tall and radiated this strange cloud of wisdom around him. His hair was wild and dreaded, clothes withered and faded. He’s a kid about our age, from the big Apple. Hitchhiked all the way to the 305 with nothing but a backpack, an instrument he invented, and his poetry journal. Thats pretty cool. Brandon did that entire journey with basically no money, and not a lick of REI or Patagonia apparel on him. Man, did he have a lot to say! He wrote poetry in a small journal that he kept in his fanny pack, I had the pleasure of hearing one on black oppression. I️ asked him where he was headed, he pulled out a neatly folded map that looked like it had been around. He pointed to this small river and said, “I️m just gonna sit there and watch the water, then I’ll figure out what next. I️ got no where to be.” I can bet he didn’t have a lot of money, but I’d say he’s one the most successful people I’ve met in a while.

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angstymarshmallow · 7 years ago

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By Chance Part 1 - Drake x MC (A Royal Romance Mini-Fanfic Series)

[A little Note: I kept thinking what ifs since the chapter update last week and have decided to indulge in an idea I had from If Things Were Different another fanfic I wrote about Drake and MC meeting differently, and meeting first. Edit: Part 2]

[Summary: A twist of fate has collided MC and Drake right into each other. Meeting for the first time under far different circumstances, MC doesn’t know why Drake feels so familiar, as if her soul has known him from a different life.]

Serendipity; finding something good without looking for it.

Moving to New York begun as many dreams did for Riley. Exciting, exuberant. One filled with hope, and a longing for something more. A chance to be something more. Her sense of adventure brought her; because she wanted to find here where she could not find anywhere else.

The Big Apple in all it’s intimidating glory was supposed to make her better, to give life meaning and fill the empty void she had always suffered in the safety of her hometown. However, it didn’t take long for Riley to realize that wistful thinking could only push her so far. Things did not happen by chance, people had to make them happen.

A sigh escaped Riley’s lips as she propped on elbows along the bar counter and stared pensively across the room. Her eyes halted at the last table of the night, the only people left inside the dingy diner.

Everyone else had cleared out, and the rest of her fellow employees had turned in as soon as their shifts were over. Friday nights were supposed to be spent out until the wee hours of the morning. So she had always been told anyway, but more often than not, Riley never made plans that lasted until three am in the morning. She couldn’t under the responsibility of caring her cat and the prospect of her waiting at home with her tiny whiskers pressed up against her apartment door.

Except the last table of her miserable shift stood between her and freedom. She wanted to toss in the towel for the night, and barely ignored the urge to use her commanding waitress tone on the rowdy guests left inside.

It was a group of them, younger than herself - college kids which had a little too much to drink and were becoming increasingly loud and obnoxious, the longer she watched them.

How had she gotten here? When did doing good translate into what was starting to feel like eternal punishment? She cursed herself for her inability to say no. Friday nights were not apart of her usual shift, but after her friend had begged her to switch because of pressing family matters; she didn’t hesitate to and had unknowingly doomed herself to this hell.

But it wasn’t all bad, she decided as she dropped her cloth back onto the counter. On the plus side; she could use the extra money. If she wanted to pay the mountain of tuition debt left behind after graduating, she needed every source income she could grab her hands on. Briefly, she wondered how much she could sell a kidney for on the black market but thought better of it as her thoughts returned to the present once more.

She grumbled under her breath as her hands aimlessly wiped the counters. This was how she decided to pass the time, hoping at least one scatter-brained man across from her would take the hint and suggest to the rest of his friends to leave.

No such luck.

Mercifully, when the clock which hung securely from the wall opposite of her finally struck ten, she could utter the words she had been thinking ever since they arrived. “Last call, boys.”

She heard a groan followed by loud protests, as they beckoned for another pint. Rolling her eyes, she acquiesced and gathered the substance before dropping it by their table.

They ogled her as she straightened, their expressions mixed with grand stupor and lust in their hastiness at giving her an appreciative once-over.

“Not even if this was your last day on Earth.” She curtly said, eyeing each one of them with impatient brows before folding her arms. “I’ll call you a cab, but otherwise this is probably the last conversation we’re having for the rest of the night.” After a beat she added, “and probably ever.”

One of them snickered, exchanged a lewd comment before focusing their attention back to their drinks.

She rolled her eyes and ignored the stab of annoyance she felt. She was used to it. She didn’t like it, but she tolerated it so long as the tips were good. And yet, this stood as another reminder why she needed to find something better. Something better. Something she could actually enjoy; and not worry about the prying eyes of college boys.

She called them a cab and begun closing up for the night. She wiped tables, rearranged chairs, carefully placed and restocked behind the bar, before double checking that everything was in order and prepared for her co-workers on the weekend.

By the time she glanced absently at the table of drunken men settled in the furthest corner, they rose from their seats and stumbled towards the entrance. They held onto each other, whispering loudly enough for her to hear but still pretend to ignore.

She watched them go, with her pinky fingers locked behind her back. Unless one of them collapsed before reaching the door, she didn’t feel inclined to help them. But after picking up their receipts and seeing the generous tip they left her, she reassured herself by poking her head outside, just in time to spot the cab they disappeared into.

She closed back the door and rested against it for a moment. Friday had been long and grueling. The crowd at night weren’t the same customers during the day and her shoulders sagged with relief of another day finally done.

She rubbed her temples before glancing at the clock again. It was nearly eleven when she left, scooping her apartment keys and tucking her boots under her arm as she did one final check before leaving the quaint diner.

She had forgotten her essentials - a jacket and an umbrella she had forgotten in her great haste to make it to her shift on time. She walked at a comfortable pace before checking her for for the transit schedules. But among feeling a sudden drop of water splashing by the front of her own, she hastily dropped it inside her pocket’s slacks and as she watched the sky turn miserably grey, she wondered what kind of cruel person nature was. And why she was the only one seeming to suffer from it. As soon as she begun feeling droplets of water spilling across her cheeks, she picked up her pace.

Her luck really couldn’t have been any worse.

It didn’t take her long to spot one; they were scattered along the city and one couldn’t walk far before making out their slightly cylinder shapes. She quickly crossed the street with her arm half obscuring her vision before finding sanctuary underneath the shelter’s shade.

“Things really couldn’t get any worse.” She hadn’t realized she had spoken a loud until she heard a deeper voice snort beside her.

Her eyes scan the shelter and she realized with a jolt that she was not alone. In this dim light, she could make out his hair, an unruly dark brown that was swept into a lose bun. His clothes were nowhere near as damp as hers as his blue jacket seemed to have kept him mostly dry.

His eyes were dark as was his expression when he met her stare. “Someone always says that, and then it always gets worse.”

He had an accent, thick - European. She has never heard something quite so lyrically pleasing before, as if every word pronounced was done with deliberation - it sounded Greek but not completely. It took her a few seconds to push past his accent in deciphering his casual tone. Absently, she wondered what had brought him here. New York City’s tourist season was nearly at its end.

“Not true.” She said almost automatically, a reflex of hers from her rebellious youthful days. “What’s the worst that can happen?” It was already Friday and she was stuck outside. What else could make this worse?

It was as if nature had intended to mock her itself. Minutes after speaking, they both winced at the sound of thunder booming and the sight of lightning crackling in the distance. “Awww, come on really?” Exasperated, she glanced up at the sky. Had she not suffered enough?

“See? I told you - every time.” The man beside her sounded amused.

Her shoulders stiffened. She didn’t take kindly to people proving her wrong or making her feel silly for that matter, especially when it was someone she didn’t know.

Stubbornly, she marched over to the other side of the shelter, the part less covered intending to place as much distance as she could between them. He didn’t seem perturbed by her sudden indifference, rather when she peeked at him again - his shoulders had visibly relaxed as if he was more comfortable with her being further away to begin with.

The downpour of steady droplets fell harder than before in a matter of minutes and she shivered as the wind picked up. The more she stood and shivered, the more she wished she was at home with her cat instead, curled up on her sofa with a comfy blanket and binge-watching her favorite tv-show with a tub of ice cream in front of her. Why was it today of all days of the week?

She knew why, her attention had shifted elsewhere; on the mountain of bills pooling by the front of her apartment and the fact that she was behind this month’s rent. Those were all signs that she needed a better job, but she kept telling herself it could wait and everyday that passed, she had the same excuses

Her mind drifted back to the present - she would give anything right about now to be outside of this rain.

As if reading her thoughts, she heard the man grumble beside her. “You’d think a woman would have the good sense to carry her jacket when dealing with this weather.”

New York could be as predictable as it could be volatile. The weather woman had mentioned the possibility of rain but one she hadn’t considered seriously. The morning had been unforgivably hot. “And you’d think a man would have the good sense to offer his jacket.” She muttered back, hugging herself and rolling her eyes. “But alas, chivalry is dead.”

She wasn’t sure if she was hearing him clearly as another clash of thunder assailed her ears but she could have sworn he was snickering.

A low rumble came from his throat.

Usually she liked making small talks with the people she met, because most of the time, she believed everyone had an interesting story to tell. But this man was different, frustratingly so. The earlier moments of familiarity had been forgotten long enough for her to realize he was only adding to her terrible day. All she wanted to was for the transit to magically appear and put her out of her misery.

Silence clung to them as Riley shifted on her feet. She was tempted to break it, as the only sound they were both acutely aware of were her own teeth, chattering. The cold seemed to fasten around her, sweeping her skin and leaving her with undeniable chills.

She refused to look at him directly, but couldn’t help taking a small peek from the corner of her eyes. Her view wasn’t good enough; certainly not for her to analyze whether or not he was a good looking tourist - or one of those crazy strangers you spent avoiding after meeting eye contact with.

She heard him utter a resigned sigh, and she flushed a little when his eyes shifted back to her. “Look, do you want to borrow my jacket?”

She forced a smile she didn’t feel as he waited for her answer. “No thanks. I-I-I w-wouldn’t want t-to put you out of place.” She wanted to be irritated, to be angry at the suggestion. It only came after the complaint of her forgetfulness, and after all - she neither cared for pity or charity. But every word came out as a pathetic squeak; she was tumbling over them as quickly as she was shaking. Could things get any more depressing?

“Don’t be stupid, you’ll freeze to death.” He sounded as if he would actually care if she did - a complete stranger.

She turned to him and saw a flash of genuine curiosity and warmth inside his eyes which, quite frankly surprised her. “Alright.” She stepped closer until their shoulders brushed and his arm cautiously came around her.

She was suddenly aware of the man’s breath so close to her ear, or the familiarity she felt at being so close, as if this wasn’t the first time they had crossed paths. It made no sense to her, she was sure she didn’t recognize him and yet her heart was telling her a different story. She leaned into him a little without thinking and flushed when she realized how strangely natural it felt to, as if they had met before.

Together underneath the bus shelter, they shared his jacket.

If she turned to look at him, she would have had the perfect view of his face. To see what her mystery stranger looked like. But suddenly the idea struck her as awkward and as it was scary - her stomach was simply disconcerted at the thought. She would be embarrassed if he caught her abrupt stare.

“So, great weather we’re having.” She announced suddenly, and then immediately regretted it.

Smooth move Riley, real smooth. She did this whenever she was around someone she didn’t know - said things that sometimes, made few sense. A strained and sometimes foolish way of coping with uncomfortable and un-predicated practicality.

Already, she could tell by the sudden tension and rigidness beside her; he probably would have preferred if she stopped talking. “I mean it’s not really great per say,” she continued on because he hadn’t said anything. “It could be better especially on a Friday night, you know?”

He didn’t respond.

Nerves kept her talking, “I mean really what’re the odds that this kind of weather would happen on a Friday of all days?” A hesitation, “despite the fact that there was a small chance it would rain -”

“Do you always talk this much to people you’ve only just met?” His response was curt, a little chilling. “Must get tiring.”

Her irritation flared, like a new-born fire that refused to be doused. Oh the nerve of some men! She wanted to give him a piece of her mind with that attitude. She could feel his eyes on her in the same breath that her eyes glanced up at his.

Their eyes had finally met for the first time.

Her throat went dry.

There was a sudden heat to her chest that had nothing to do with how warm he felt next to her. A strange and yet familiar feeling spread, and lingered in a way that his eyes does on her face.

There was something about him.

About this.

She couldn’t place it but something about this called to her.

She sucked in a deep breath.

Her reply was lost in between his steady gaze; the way they widened just a little before flashing in intimate recognition - as if he felt it too. Until finally, they both looked away.

Her heart had suddenly picked up speed - badump, badump, banging wildly inside her chest. Her hands felt useless by her side and she dived them into her front pockets. Badump, badump - she was afraid it was loud, too loud and the fear of him hearing it’s sound made her try to step back.

She tried to create some much needed space in between them; she just needed to remember how to breathe again. Except with every movement she made to untangle herself, her head and arms protested. She had forgotten they were still tied to his jacket.

“Sorry, I -” She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from continuing. Awkwardly, she tried to duck from under his jacket, until he took it off completely.

Surprised, she watched as he settled the entire piece of clothing around her shoulders. The weight was oddly comforting. “What’re you -”

“Can’t have your teeth chattering again.” He didn’t look at her, however there was a half smile on his lips, “it was overbearingly annoying.”

She wanted to say something, but all she could come up with was a grateful smile. “Thank you, Mr -”

“It’s just Drake.” He finished, inclining his head at her.

“Nice to meet you Just Drake.” She smirked at his sudden frown. “I’m Riley-Robyn Tinsely but - just Riley; to most of my friends anyway.” She held out a cold, wet hand to shake his.

He examined it before grasping her hand in a firm yet steady grip. “Alright Tinsley, do you happen to know when this bus will get here?”

A laugh escaped her throat. “Soon, I’m sure of it.”

They waited in silence, except the quiet stillness between them was different. It changed from the stifling awkwardness it had been minutes ago and felt almost companionable. As if they were two people who simply knew each other, before Drake humored her on what he thought of American weather.

Minutes went by like this and with each fleeting moment, they grew more comfortable and gave little bits of information to each other in order to pass the time. Until, they realized with surprise; they were waiting on separate buses.

Hers arrived first. She hesitated for a moment when they locked eyes again; and she felt herself being pulled by his dark eyes to stay. As ludicrous at that sounds, she was half-tempted to ask where he was heading before thinking better of it. Waving and uttering a soft goodbye, she rushed to catch last shuttle home.

He watched her go with an absent half-smile on his lips. Until he felt it growing into an almost smile, he paused to check the time. So far, America was beginning to teach him things - different experiences than what he had grown up with in Cordonia.

Good different - but nonetheless, with it’s offbeat and yet distinctive charm - New York was turning into a more complicated and intriguing place than he thought it would.

The woman was right; the bus hadn’t taken long after. However, as he stepped with intent to board the vehicle, he noticed something flashing from the corner of his eyes. A gleaming screen every few seconds; a few short paces from where the American woman stood only minutes ago.

He glanced at it for a few seconds before pocketing it and heading inside the bus.

A funny feeling settled over him, one he couldn’t shake, and as a man who didn’t believe in fate or superstition - a part of him had an uncanny awareness; this wasn’t going to be last of seeing Tinsley. Try as he might, he couldn’t shake this. Unfortunately, at the time he didn’t know just how right he was going to be.

#drake x mc #this has been sitting on and off in my drafts for days #i really wanted to write it #but will i finish it #playchoices #chocies stories you play #the royal romance #that's another problem entirely #i should stop staying up so late #long post #i think i just wanted to write them a happy fic #feedback is always appreciated!

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livelikebrent · 7 years ago

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Stop 5: Syracuse, NY

“She just has such a natural beauty. She’s one of the prettiest girls I know.” Brent adored Amanda and said this about her on multiple occasions. Brent adored Drew too. They were some of his best friends from back home in Wilkes-Barre. I adore them too.

Originally, Stop 5 was supposed to be Acadia National Park in Maine...but I simply did not carve out enough time for the trip (oops!). So, with that trip being postponed until the spring the obvious second choice was Syracuse to visit 8 month pregnant parents to be, Amanda and Drew! The last time Brent and I stopped through to visit Syracuse (rather briefly) was after we had gone camping in the Adirondacks in July of 2015. I remember we parked the Jeep at Forked Lake Campground and hiked maybe about a half mile to our spot which was right next to the lake and was picture perfect (until it rained later that evening). The site came with a picnic table and benches and whoever had the site before us, placed several tree stumps around the “fire pit”. So we set up the tent, hammock and walked around the area a bit.

I started dinner while Brent went to get more firewood from the car. Then hopped in his hammock with a Bells Two Hearted Ale. Brent came back with firewood and flowers he picked along the way for me. After we ate we enjoyed the fire and beers before it started to downpour. We didn’t mind though as we planned on waking up with the sun the next morning to go on quite the hike.

Pictured above is us a smidge tired and sweaty after an upwards hike for 3 hours and 4,626 ft. at the top of Giant Mountain in New York. I like hiking but I like to work towards something. That something could be a killer view, waterfalls or anything to keep me motivated. This was quite the view and I remember that the camera couldn’t truly capture the depths of the mountains and how beautiful the view actually was. I also remember Brent struggling a bit during the hike...at one point (I think we were about a third of the way to the top) I looked at him and told him we didn’t have to complete the hike and could just turn around. I could barely even finish that sentence before he looked at me and said, “I didn’t just beat cancer.” When he said the word “just” he drew out the “uhhh” in an annoyed voice. He said that if he could beat cancer and he could get to the top of the mountain. Did any of you just chuckle while hearing him say this in your head? I did. He was a determined and smarty-pants at times. That’s what I liked about him. Not only did he have motivation but determination.

Brendan and I pulled up to a cute little house with a Blazer in the driveway marked with a “LiveLikeBrent” sticker on the back windshield. Amanda, belly and all, came out from the garage led by Bear, their puppy. Bear is a gorgeous mix of German Sheppard and who knows what else and has the softest coat I’ve ever felt. Drew and Amanda gave us the tour of their home and property. During said tour, Drew said he was sold on the house just by the backyard. Their home sits on a decent sized lot with a backyard that backs up to the woods. There’s a slight up slope towards the back of their property where they have Adirondack chairs in front of a fire pit. I originally thought it was a pizza oven due to the fact Drew isn’t a stranger in the kitchen. Turns out that’s what he eventually wants to do with it. So obviously I’ll be back but only when that’s completed.

After we got settled we hopped in the car and went to Emipre Brewing Co. for a late lunch and some beers. As we pulled up I didn’t realize how massive of a facility Empire was...I suppose the name is fitting. On the other hand, Drew couldn’t get over how packed it was. I mean, it was a Saturday afternoon. In October. In Syracuse. With perfect weather.

“Empire Farm Brewery, est.2016, is the largest Farm Brewery on the East Coast. Over 22 acres were developed for educational and beer production purposes. Boasting a new 60 bbl automated brewhouse, the Empire Farm Brewery is producing kegs and bottles for regional, national and international distribution. Bottled lineup includes 3 time consecutive Great American Beer Fest gold medal winner; Skinny Atlas Light, White Aphro, Slo Mo’ IPA, East Coast Amber Ale, and World Beer Cup gold medal winner; Black Magic Stout. Located in Cazenovia, NY, the property also grows hops, lavender, vegetables, herbs, and fruits for use in the brewing process and to support the needs of Empire’s downtown brewpub.

The agricultural component was designed in conjunction with Professor Matthew Potteiger and the graduate student body from the Department of Landscape Architecture, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The Empire Farm Brewery was the class project for ESF’s spring 2012 semester.”

Reading that makes the place sound somewhat dreamy, right? It kinda was. The inside was nice, still smelled somewhat new. The place was jammin’ and as we were ordering our beers and a lemonade for the mama to be, a table opened up. What was neat about the place was that they had long communal picnic tables and “round” tables made out of tree trunks which is where we sat. There is a patio out back with tables, a bar and several corn hole sets. I kept looking around not being able to get over the size of the place. We ordered some food and caught up with one another. Drew knew Brent from back in the day in grade school and had been friends ever since. Amanda met Brent through mutual friends later in life in high school. Brent mentioned to me the first time Amanda told him she liked Drew. It was at a concert of sorts (most likely moe. or something along those lines) where she said it and Brent’s reply was something similar to “Yeah, me too.” ... but she corrected him on what she actually meant. They’re a super sweet couple. The first time I met them was New Year’s Eve 2014. They were staying the weekend at Brent’s apartment in East Falls. I remember Drew cooking dinner for all of us at Danny and Dana’s place. He made quite the meal with nice steaks. The following day I remember learning that apparently eating pork on New Year’s Day is a Polish tradition. I think we even had some venison if my memory serves me correctly. At that point in time, I just knew Drew as the friend that could cook and Amanda as “the most naturally beautiful girls” Brent knew...and his best friends of course.

We ate, drank and tossed around baby name ideas. After Empire we decided to do “fall things” (with the rest of the state of New York) since the weather was so beautiful. We drove to a place called Tim’s Pumpkin Patch. Why did we drive close to a half hour and pass maybe half a dozen orchards and pumpkin stands just to go to Tim’s? Well, first of all it has a 4.4 star rating on Google...so there’s that. But in addition to pumpkin picking they have a brewery, bakery, animals and well, Amanda insisted. When we arrived, I bought everyone some farm feed along with beers and ciders before going to visit the animals. After we cooed over the baby goats, pigs and cows we stopped for some fresh apple fritters before heading into the corn maze. The maze was so difficult we ended up coming out where we began and probably didn’t even touch half of the maze. If the sun wasn’t setting we probably would’ve given it another shot. But at that point we wanted to pick our pumpkins, snag a quick photo of the parents to be and hit the road.

When we got back to Drew and Amanda’s home we were greeted by Bear who quite honestly Brendan and I could not get enough of the entire visit. By the way, he is SUCH a good boy.

We hung out for a while. Amanda and Drew then ended up taking us to a place called Seneca Street Brew Pub where I had a Cider Creek Smoked Up Cider. I thought it ruled and was very much alone on this. Give me anything and everything smoked and I’ll consume it...meat, cheese, beer and ciders. This brew pub was in the basement of a renovated church with a bottle shop on top. It truly didn’t feel like a church by any means but was still a cool spot. The bottle shop had dozens and dozens of locally brewed beers, ciders and some wines. I did fail to take a photo of this place. (I actually forgot to take a lot of photos over the weekend!) After we had a drink we walked down the street in downtown Manlius to IronWood Pizza for some dinner. It had a cool vibe inside and an extensive craft beer list. It had an alternative atmosphere with some cool graffiti on the wall in the main dining room and had somewhat industrial touches around the place.

After we ate we went back and the boys built a fire. There was a meteor shower the night before so we hung out in hopes to catch a meteor or two. Drew said he had been listening to some of Brent’s playlists and suggested that we throw one on. So we did. We played some of Brent’s music from Spotify and enjoyed the night. You can view and play Brent’s public playlists on Spotify right here. Note: I’m not sure if they will disappear once his subscription is not renewed. So please download or screenshot the playlists for future reference if you wish!

Sunday morning was a treat. Amanda and Drew have their Sunday ritual which is checking out the Central New York Regional Market. Brendan had already had his eye on visiting this place. The market has been there for YEARS and has Sunday flea markets, Saturday farmers markets and even serves as a live music venue occasionally. The market has several “sheds” which are extremely long structures with garage doors along the sides where vendor after vendor set up for the day. You can find pretty much anything there. Some people bring their junk, some have brand new items with price tag stickers still on them and then people who have some neat odds and ends. I walked out of there with three silver candle stick holders that just need some polish that I bought for a whopping $2. Amanda and Drew found a metal tub type bucket, kitchen tools and some Simpsons books...yes, as in the TV show. According to Drew the place was “empty” and gets packed in the summers. But I actually thought there were a decent amount of vendors there...but I would have no problem making the trip back up in the summertime. I LOVE flea markets, antique shops, thrift stores, indoor markets, outdoor markets, whatever sort of place that has potential for cool finds.

Speaking of cool finds, we “found” some barbecue too. It was just about lunchtime and before Brendan and I even got to Syracuse that weekend, we decided we would go to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. I actually had no idea this place originated in Syracuse but had been to a location in Brooklyn several years back. We made it right before the Sunday afternoon rush and got a table in a booth. Amanda had mentioned a couple of times that they had solid bloody marys. She ordered a virgin and I told the waitress I’d take Amanda’s vodka. It was a really good bloody mary. It was spicy and whatever dry rub of their’s they rim the glass with was spot on. We started with their fried green tomatoes to share and then ribs, pulled pork, corn bread, mac and cheese were ordered...but I don’t even think that was half of what was order for the table.

This photo above it definitely one of my new favorites. I’m full again just looking at this picture. After I ate my sandwich I could hardly touch the rest of my sides. Or even think about them. Everything tasted so flippin’ good but I felt as though I was busting at the seems. I remember telling everyone I needed to lay down to digest and slumped over in the booth. I have no idea how the boys pack it away.

Just like every trip I take, I find at least one worthy spot for a #LiveLikeBrent sticker. I think that most people would agree that Dinosaur was more than worthy. I spoke to the bartender and gave her the revised version as to why I was there and why I wanted this sticker in their establishment. She gave her condolences but was super touched to hear what I was doing to honor Brent. So if you ever find yourself at the bar of Dinosaur Barbeque in Syracuse a sticker for Brent is there just to the right of the tap system on the back ledge of the bar.

We made our way back to the house to try and digest for a bit.The boys relaxed in the basement (which is massive by the way) and watched some of the Sunday football games. Amanda, Bear and I got in the car and went to Green Lakes State Park for a walk. It was a pretty drive and as you enter the park you also pass through what looked like a nice golf course. We parked the car and started to walk. Turns out the lakes are actually green. The two glacial lakes in the park lie at the base of a gorge. I learned that they are rare meromictic lakes meaning their layers within the water never physically mix. We walked a bit over a mile which made me feel better about the amount of food I had recently inhaled. As we walked we talked about losing Brent, when Amanda lost her father and how the boys have been back in Philadelphia. Ps. Philly Friends - This is the part where I tell you she misses you all and Drew wants me to tell everyone Syracuse isn’t that far...so you all need to visit them.

When we got back, the boys were snoozing in front of the television. Then Brendan showed up in the kitchen and made some coffees. Drew and Amanda’s home is decorated with flea market finds, family heirlooms and pieces they have found along the way. It’s got this farm house vibe but nothing that seems like you can just go and pick-up from the home decor section at Target. (P.S. - There is NOTHING wrong with Target, by the way. I basically live there myself.) But I started asking about an antique cabbage slicer Amanda had hanging above the kitchen sink. I didn’t know what it actually was until she told me but see them all of the time now when out at antique shops. It turns out it belonged to her grandfather back in the day. They also have a couple of letter trays on the walls that hold little knick knacks. I think at their previous apartment they held stones as well. As I was asking about items around the house, Amanda pulled out a stoneware crock which held kitchen tools...and some actual tools. I didn’t realize it until Brendan started asking about the crocks but there are several around their home. Some for decor and others serving a purpose. They were really cool and completely Amanda’s style. Amanda also collects retro kitchen tools with the green handles. She actually just bought the one dead center in the photo on the counter at the market earlier that day. I think we decided it was a pastry/cookie cutter that you roll along dough. It had the shapes of suits in a deck of cards: heart, diamond, club, and spade. It was kinda neat. Amanda pulled out almost every tool and told us about them. She likes the way they look mainly but said when she’s out at the market a lot of people will try to paint the handles green to make them look like antiques and she tried to avoid the replicas.

We finished up our coffee and played with Bear one more time before packing up. Drew woke up from his slumber but claimed he was awake the entire time. We said our goodbyes, packed up the car and made our way back south.This is the part where I remind everyone that even though Amanda and Drew have a little one due literally any day now...they still welcome visitors. This is also the part where I tell you Brent told me Amanda and Drew are having a boy (even though they don’t know the gender of the baby). Maybe Brent was having a “chemo brain” moment when he told me confidently that it’s a boy or maybe he just knew or maybe it’ll just be a coincidence. Or maybe...they’ll just have a little baby girl. Either way, I’m excited to see the little bundle of joy the next time I go to visit them upstate. Thank you so much for having us for the weekend, Drew and Amanda. We love you, Bear and the little one on the way!

#LiveLikeBrent #Syracuse #New York #Adirondack Mountains #Adirondacks #Hiking #Camping #Seneca Street Brew Pub #IronWood Pizza #Manlius #CNY Regional Market #Dinosaur Barbque #Dino BBQ

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