#liz also didn’t get very long to do a ton but i think science is pretty cool so she still gets her awesome points

[demigodofhoolemere]

“The female companions in the classic series never did anything but scream and twist their ankles”

[aliciam72]

Just a quick Malex one shot before I go back to my Alien Baby WIP

A little warning that this isn’t exactly Forrest friendly even if it starts out as Forlex...

BULL RIDING FOR DUMMIES      

“Are you sure that thing is safe, DeLuca?” Michael asked after the rental company left the bar.

“Of course it’s safe. Why do you want to try it to make sure?” Maria teased, bringing a smile to his face.

Things between Michael and Maria had softened over the months since their breakup, much to Michael’s relief. “Nah, mechanical bulls ain’t my style. I’d much prefer the real thing.”

Maria scoffed. “You’ve ridden a real live bull?”

Michael nodded. “I tried my hand at it a few times. It was fun but not something I’d do for a living.” He leaned close and whispered. “Especially if I wasn’t a telekinetic alien.”

Maria threw her head back and laughed. “You couldn’t do it on your own, huh?”

Michael laughed with her. “Not a chance in hell. I did think about it for a hot minute though. Those boys make good money on the rodeo circuit, but even with the powers it was hard as hell. What made you rent one of these?”

“I heard it draws a crowd. This town has tons of macho cowboys trying to impress the ladies.” Maria joked.

“Well, I ain’t getting on it. I’ve got no one to impress.” 

“That’s too bad. I hear Alex is planning to be here.” Maria said over her shoulder on her way to the stockroom.

Michael followed her. “And why would that make a difference? He’s still with Forrest isn’t he?” Michael knew damn well that Alex was still dating Forrest, the whole damn town knew it but maybe something had happened since he saw Alex last. Very doubtful since he just saw him two days ago, but he could hope, right?

“Yes, he is still with Forrest but I don’t think it’s as serious as you make it out to be. Why don’t you come and see for yourself?”

“Nah, I don’t want to make things weird for him. I want him to be happy.” Michael wanted nothing more than to always be where Alex was, but he was trying to be a good friend and let him enjoy his relationship with Forrest. God knows he deserved some happiness after the events of the last year. 

“C’mon, Guerin, everyone is going to be here. And I know for a fact Alex would never want you to stay away just because of him and Forrest.” Maria handed him a case of whiskey and nodded to the bar. “Could you put that out there for me?”

She picked up a case of tequila and followed him out of the stockroom. He set the box behind the bar and leaned back. “You really think he won’t mind if I’m there?”

“He will not mind. He’s still your friend even if he’s dating someone else. Please come.” Maria assured him.

Michael nodded. “Okay, I’ll be here. It’s always a good laugh when some idiot thinks he can ride that thing on the red level.”

@@@

Watching people trying to impress their dates by riding the mechanical bull was pure entertainment gold. Michael sat with his friends and laughed and cheered along with everyone else. He had to admit he was having a good time, even if it seemed like Forrest was glued to Alex’s side, constantly giving him little kisses on his cheek and holding his hand on the table. 

Alex allowed it most of the evening but got annoyed when Forrest nuzzled into his neck more than once. He turned to Forrest and whispered low so no one else could hear. “Can you dial it back a bit. It’s making me uncomfortable.”

Forrest glanced across the table to Michael, who for once wasn’t staring at them before looking back to Alex. “You’re uncomfortable or he is?”

“Forrest, that’s not fair. We’re all having a good time tonight, can you not ruin it?” 

“How is showing you I care ruining it?” Forrest feigned innocence.

Alex sighed. “Never mind.” He watched the latest rider fall to the ground to a chorus of groans.

Forrest took a long swallow of beer and stood up. “You know what? I think I’m gonna give it a try. After you do love a hot cowboy, right?”

Alex groaned. “Forrest! You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

Forrest pretended he didn’t hear him and walked up to the guy controlling the bull. After a few moments, he climbed on and signaled he was ready. Everyone at the table watched in amazement at Forrest not only made it through the green level, but the yellow and red as well. 

The whole bar was cheering when he jumped off. Alex watched him eat up the praise of those around him. He glanced to Michael and noticed sweat on his brow and the slight tremor in the hand resting on the table. Sighing, he reached into his backpack and pulled out his flask. 

Wordlessly, he walked over to Michael and handed it to him. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you. Drink before you puke.”

Michael eyed him and lifted the flask to his nose. He gave Alex a wry smile when he smelled the acetone. He shook his head in amusement and took a long sip before handing it back. 

Forrest made his was back to the table. “How was that for some bull riding?”

Alex’s smiled at him. “That was definitely some fancy stuff. I never knew you could ride like that.”

“Yeah, well, not all us cowboys show off.” Forrest threw Michael a smug smile before pulling Alex into a quick hug. 

Michael stood and for a moment Alex thought he might do something stupid but he just slapped Forrest on the back. “Great job, man. You made it look so easy I think I’ll give it a try too.”

Michael lasted all of ten seconds before he was thrown to the floor. He groaned as he stood and sheepishly made his way back to the table. “Guess it’s a lot harder than it looks.”

Alex rolled his eyes and took a long drink from his beer. Isobel and Max teased Michael for a few minutes about having to give up his hat to the Cowboy gods. Even Kyle and Maria got a few good natured digs in. Through it all Michael smiled and laughed it off as the loving teasing it was. 

That is until Forrest gave him a slow clap. “That was amazing. I thought someone with such macho cowboy swagger would be able to handle a fake bull for more than ten seconds.”

Michael continued to smile. “Yeah, guess I’m out of practice.”

“Or maybe it’s all for show and you’re just a crappy cowboy. Maybe you should give up your hat. I mean you did lose to a history nerd.” Forrest pulled Alex closer and kissed his cheek again. 

The table went quiet, Isobel shaking her head every so slightly at Michael. He swallowed and took his hat off his head to set it on the chair next to him. Glancing around the table at the worried faces of his friends, made his stomach churn. They all thought he was going to cause a scene and lash out at Forrest. Instead he just stood and headed out of the bar. He could hear Isobel and Liz calling after him but he didn’t stop until he was in his truck heading back to the airstream. 

@@@

Alex pushed Forrest’s arm off his shoulder. “What the hell was that?”

“Oh come on, Alex, I was just having some fun.” Forrest replied, kissing him again.

“I told you to stop doing that. It makes me uncomfortable.” 

Forrest held up his hands. “Sorry, I was just joking. I didn’t mean anything.”

“No, you weren’t joking. You were intentionally rude to him. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Alex stood and grabbed Michael’s hat off the chair.

“Where are you going?” Forrest called when he headed to the door. 

“To apologize for my asshole ex-boyfriend.” Alex snapped.

Forrest chuckled. “He didn’t do anything you have to apologize for.” 

Alex stopped and turned to stare at Forrest. He opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and continued to the exit.

He could hear Rosa as he reached for the door. “He wasn’t talking about Michael, asshole.”

@@@

Alex could see the fire pit glowing when he pulled into the junkyard. He slowed his car, grabbed Michael’s hat and got out. “You forgot something.”

Michael took a long swallow from his beer. “You keep it. Looks better on you.”

Alex laughed. “So dramatic.”

“What are you doing here, Alex?”

“You didn’t have to do that you know.”

Michael shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alex sat down next to Michael. “You are still a miserable liar. Thank you for tonight. It was great to be out with everyone and not have it feel weird.”

“I’m glad you had a good time. Did you really come here just to return my hat?” Michael asked.

“Not just to return the hat. I also came to apologize for my asshole ex-boyfriend.” 

Alex said it so casually that Michael leaned forward, sure he misheard. “Come again?”

“Yeah, it seemed to confuse Forrest too, though I think Rosa took a little too much pleasure in explaining it to him. I broke up with him.”

Michael’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

Alex smirked and leaned close, his lips almost touching Michael’s. “Seems history nerds aren’t type.”

Michael shifted in his seat. “Oh yeah? And what is your type?”

“Science nerd with a bit of macho cowboy thrown in.” 

Michael gave an indignant squawk that was silenced by Alex’s lips on his. 

When he pulled away, Alex smiled softly. “Will you come home with me, cowboy?”

Michael grinned. “Let me grab my hat.”

[juleswritesthis]

Roswell NM 3x11 Thoughts (I have a lot of thoughts!!!)

Contrary to popular opinion I really liked this episode. Yes, the science was so made up it was funny, yes certain character choices are hilariously silly, yes there was a lot of scenes filled with exposition dump, yes characters disappearing for episodes not to be mentioned as if they don’t exist is jarring & annoying, and omg yes, the Wyatt arc (if you can call it that) fell flat and was a complete waste of valuable screen time. So yes, I agree with most everyone’s assessment. That said still a very enjoyable and entertaining episode setting up the final concluding 2 hours of the season. Let’s get into it.

Jones is highly entertaining, overly good looking, and sometimes hilarious villain. Nathan shines bringing charm and depth to the role. Its important to note that Jones hasn’t caused any lasting damage to the group. Sure, he has tried to kill various members, he’s responsible for putting Maria in a coma & has kidnapped half the cast basically, kept our heroes busy all season. But when it comes to killing or destruction it’s really been focused on the dregs or racist folks of the town, the poor scientist in Santa Fe (I think it was Santa Fe) & the lady at the university last week. No one of any real consequence to our heroes. Now I have no idea if Maria’s vision arc has concluded because it hasn’t been mentioned in forever, but I’m assuming that there will be a major death by season end. Noah killed Rosa and the 2 other girls, abused Isobel for 10 years and destroyed the lives of all the mains. For Jones to be a real big bad there’s got to be some long-lasting consequences to one or more of our mains. Though I’m going into the final 2 episodes with excitement there is some concern. I don’t think any of the mains will perish but I do worry about Sanders and even Heath. (I’m really worried about Sanders y’all especially after that promo!!!)

Jones negotiation with Liz was bizarre. Why negotiate at all? Wouldn’t he just threaten to kill or maim people…what the heck is Liz’s bargaining chip against an all-powerful, evil dictator? If she doesn’t do what he wants he can just start killing folks she loves. It really is that easy. I get the whole creativity inspiration thing but fear for those you love is a great motivator. I was so amused that after hours of discussion Liz pulls out the big guns… free the sheriff. Was that her wild card? Really Liz? She may be a kick-ass scientist with a boatload of courage and sass, but I wouldn’t have her negotiating any of my needs anytime soon.

Isobel and Rosa scenes continue to delight. I think it’s clear Rosa won’t be in Season 4 much. As much as I will miss her, I’m glad that she will find some peace and joy at art school, she deserves it. Unlike Wyatt who does not deserve any tranquility because his redemption (if you can call it that) was not earned. Instead, his memories were wiped along with it any true feelings of guilt and remorse. How can we believe he has truly changed? What happens if his memories return? So silly and completely wasteful screen time (no offense to the actor who is quite good and likable).

The Dallas and Max scenes were wonderful. Don’t get me wrong I prefer the show not tell method. And Dallas conveniently having the entire Oasis history in a memory from his father then regurgitating those memories to Max (and the audience) was not the best way to convey the story. However, the actor who plays Dallas is ridiculously charismatic and I could listen to him recite the phone book (do those still exist?) and be entertained. Plus, for one moment I truly believe that Dallas had gotten through to the constantly self-sacrificing, martyr that is Max Evans. But as the promo for finale proves with Max asking Michael (why Michael?) to kill him, the words didn’t stick. Oh Max…

Speaking of, I truly feel so bad for Max. He’s had it rough. In a span of couple weeks, he’s been told he is a clone of an evil dictator, he isn’t the Savior but in fact a weapon to bring down the real Savior who also isn’t really a savior but a genocidal maniac (Michael’s words not mine) who slaughtered half his planet. Not to mention the “there has to be 3” doesn’t include him, as he isn’t part of the triad. And that because he is a clone, he doesn’t actually have biological parents or siblings or anything, well Michael, by DNA sort of, maybe? Oh, and he is the only thing tethering the evil, psycho dictator to life. I mean…

My hope for Season 4 is that Max gets to process everything he has learned about his existence. He hasn’t expressed how he feels the entire season and he deserves to. I hope the writers don’t have him get over it by season’s end with one scene or worse just sweep it under the rug. Like being a clone of an evil psycho, to be used as a weapon, without any real connection to Isobel and Michael? That’s got to have some lasting effects…please writers let me see it on my screen.

Speaking of show not telling, Michael’s new powers. I not a fan of Michael telling us a story of how he used his mind control powers accidently when he was 18. Can we please see these scenes so we can feel the true emotional impact?

As for these powers, strap in, this is a doozy (and might be controversial). I, like Michael, feel that taking someone’s free will, no matter who they are is not a good power to have; it’s not fun, it’s not cool. Michael is right that’s some dark shit and a power that needs to be used very sparingly and with a ton of responsibility.

I loved the scene between Sanders and Michael, but I have a couple issues with some of the dialogue. Sanders is the only living person (other than Jones) that knew and loved Nora. Thus, he can speak about her with authority. He is also the only person who is any kind of real parent figure in Michael’s. Thus, him saying Michael has no darkness can be believed. He knows Michael and he knows Nora. However, Sanders doesn’t know what its like to have powers, especially an immense power such as mind control. Though I appreciate Sanders’ perspective (and agree with him about the purity of Michael’s soul) I wasn’t a big fan of him brushing away Michael’s fears about having mind control powers and not wanting to use them. Yes, it’s important for Michael to recognize just because he has Jones’ power doesn’t mean he is or will ever become Jones. It’s not the powers that make a person. But the line about Nora not fearing her powers was not helpful. Nora’s powers were telekinesis, engineering (if genius is a power) and possibly miraculous crop growth. None of these powers take away a person’s ability to control their actions (well telekinesis to a certain point but in nowhere near actual mind control). So of course, Nora didn’t fear her powers.

I wish someone had validated Michael’s fears instead of brushing them away with a few words of you have no darkness or in Isobel’s case you aren’t like Jones/Noah. A person does not have to be evil or bad to misuse a power like mind control & for that misuse to have dire consequences. Can you imagine being able to make people do what you want them to do at any time? Even if your intent is to do good, it doesn’t mean it’s something that should be done or won’t have major consequences. Sort of like the ends justify means conversation between Jones and Liz. What is the line, do you recognize it and what’s to stop a person from inches towards the line and what happens if you cross it?

So, my wish for next season is for Michael like Max is given time to process what he has learned about himself and his powers. My wish is for Michael is to continue to struggle with when, how and if he should use the mind control power. That way even when faced with a racist sheriff that is holding a gun to his friends, he is careful, asks for consent and never takes advantage of this tremendous power. In addition, I do think it would be very interesting to continue to explore these powers and how they maybe could change a person? Take Max’s power to give and take away life force. He killed Noah and used that life force (and his own) to bring Rosa to back to life. Seems like a good exchange but ethically and morally having a person decide who lives or dies? And how would this all fit into religion with Dallas being a priest? These could make for some great conversations and strong character development. Fingers crossed we see some of it and not just get told in passing.

The music in the episode was amazing. The beginning with Nothing Else Matters and Jones is a tux… I mean… Also, the ending with the fight sequence, building the suspense, only for the reveal to be that Jones had wanted them all to come so he could trap Liz, Dallas, and Max along with Isobel and Michael (for extra leverage) in his mind. I’m confused about why everyone was sitting but Michael was standing? Is he able to move or is he able to resist his father’s mind control? I’m really looking forward to next week and for Team Human to come to the rescue (maybe).

Favorite lines of the episode:

Sanders to Michael: “You are just a pair of sad puppy dog eyes and a cowboy hat”

Jones to Team Alien & Liz: “Well, everyone seems a little tense” (LOL I love Jones!)

Dallas (or Isobel) writing on the wall to Jones: “KNOCK, KNOCK”

[pastelwitchling]

Hi! I have never done something like this, i don’t even know how it works, or how i should do it 😬🙈 it’s m’y first prompt but also this is the first time i leave a comment 🙈 my english is not very good, so, sorry in advance, but i was listening Coldplay’s A Sky Full Of Stars, and all i was imaginig was malex. And your stories are the best!!! So, If you have time, and if you like the idea, can you write something like: Michael wrote this song for alex, (and maybe he sang in front of everyone) because he wanted to show him how important Alex is for him, how much he loves him, And why not how much he regrets what happened with Maria 😬🙈 i want everyone, and especially Liz and Maria to understand how they didn’t know anything and how bad friends they were/are... Thank you for all your work!! J’adore!! And merciiii in advance!!! Even if you don’t write something inspired by this, i like the fact that i can share something i think or feel... So thank you for this space and for your creations!!

by @m-chuchi.

***

               Michael tapped the back of his hand with the piece of paper he’d been clinging to since he left the airstream an hour ago.

He’d barely finished writing down the last of his thoughts, everything he’d been keeping in since long before Alex showed up in front of his airstream with a whole team of air force soldiers.

               And he’d given himself ten whole seconds of pacing, of telling himself what a terrible idea it was, before his defenses went out the window and he’d slammed the gas on his way to the Pony. Because it was Open Mic Night. And he’d heard from Isobel that there was one person who was definitely planning to sing.

               Not that Michael had tackled him the second he’d opened the doors. No, he’d stayed in the back, staring at Alex in his booth with Kyle, inching closer and closer without realizing he was doing it. As Alex smiled and laughed with Kyle, as Kyle repeatedly touched his arm or ruffled his hair (he was going to kill that doctor someday), Michael had to remind himself that if Alex didn’t want to keep things going with Forrest Long, then he definitely wouldn’t be starting anything up with his straight best friend.

               He spotted Liz and Maria at the bar, also glancing at Alex every so often as they shared a secret conversation, but didn’t approach them. The last thing he needed was Alex seeing him around Maria this soon and getting the wrong idea. According to Isobel, Forrest had left some parting words for Alex before heading back to New York. Namely that his friends weren’t really his friends.

               When Isobel had asked Alex about it, he’d confessed he felt a little betrayed that Liz had played favorites and Maria had done any of it in the first place. Nothing he hadn’t already told Maria and Liz themselves. Which was why they wouldn’t approach him now. That, and the fact that Kyle seemed to always have an excuse to keep either of them away.

               “It’s temporary,” Isobel had told him. “He just wants them to know he’s hurt. But neither of them wants to think they did anything wrong, so it’s taking a little longer.”

               If Michael was being completely honest, he felt a little bad for Liz and Maria, but worse for himself. He at least knew he’d hurt Alex, but his problem, unlike the women’s, lied with trust. Alex didn’t think he was anything special to Michael, not after he’d dated his best friend and dismissed him so many times. There was very little Michael could do to prove that the airman mattered more to him than anybody else.

               But this, Michael thought, nearly tearing the paper in his nervous grip, this might fix things.

               “. . . Alex Manes.”

               Michael blinked. Caught in his own mess of thoughts, he missed the introduction to Alex’s performance. Move, he thought, and without any chance to change his mind, he quickly closed the distance between himself and Alex as Alex headed to the stage.

               “Take this,” was his greeting, slipping the piece of paper into Alex’s hand.

               Alex frowned. “What’s this?” he asked, and without waiting for Michael’s answer, he unfolded the torn paper and quickly scanned the contents. He blinked, startled, and looked back up at Michael. Something shifted in his expression. “Guerin, what is this?”

               Michael held Alex’s gaze, which wasn’t hard since he didn’t think he could look away if he tried. “A song. I – I wrote it. I want you to sing it, Alex.”

               Alex clenched his jaw. His dark eyes glistened to bright hazel for just a moment, like he could hear Michael’s song in his ears, feel everything he’d felt as he’d written those words.

               “Why me?” he croaked, looking at Michael like he was terrified one word or touch from the cowboy would shatter him.

               And for the first time in a year of pretending and trying to be someone he wasn’t, Michael genuinely smiled, helpless and in love. “You know why.”

               Because it’s you. It’s us. And you have to be the one to sing it.

               Alex bit his lower lip, hesitant. He glanced back at Kyle who seemed to realize that he was in safe hands. Kyle made a shooing gesture at him to get to the stage. Alex held the paper against his chest, locked eyes with Michael one more time, and went on to the microphone.

               He sat at his piano and set the lyrics in front of him. His brows furrowed in that cute way they always did when he was concentrating, and his fingers hovered over the starting notes. Michael didn’t write songs. Science was always his specialty, not heart. But there’d been one or two instances in the past when he’d sat down at his guitar and worked at a melody that was what it is now.

               Meeting Alex, in his dark clothes and black eyeliner and all his piercings and beautiful, kind smile and warm eyes, had given him his chorus. Turning his own back on Alex, seeing him happy without Michael, that had given him his verses. The risk of losing him forever had given him words.

He’d never known what to really make of the music he’d made, but when Alex started to sing, all doubt and nerves left his mind. All he could do was listen to his airman. Somehow, he found a chair and thoughtlessly sat down, his eyes never leaving Alex as his fingers flew along the piano keys, as he sung the words into the microphone with the same anguish and hope and love Michael had felt writing them.

As he sung, Michael’s eyes burned. So we’re still connected, he thought. They were beyond a relationship, beyond just two men. They were the entire cosmic universe of stars in one love. They were for each other, and no one else. Anyone who listened to Alex sing now, sing Michael’s words, would know that he was part of another heart, another soul. And Michael would never give him up to anybody. Not ever again.

Alex’s eyes glistened but his voice never wavered, as if he’d been longing to say these same words to Michael, too. Out of the corner of his eye, Michael saw Liz and Maria staring, Liz’s eyes filled with tears as a few had already escaped Maria’s. Michael saw Liz glance at him and back at Alex, as if seeing them together for the first time.

Michael wondered if they were anything like she’d expected. If they made any sense at all to someone like her, who operated in logic and reason. In what universe, after all, did an air force captain descended from alien hunters and an angry alien cowboy ever fit?

Michael didn’t care. Alex was his, it didn’t matter how. Only that he was.

When Alex played that last note, the bar erupted into cheers. Michael could even hear Kyle applauding behind him and Liz and Maria clapping, too, but Alex didn’t seem to see any of them. His eyes were fixed on Michael.

Michael was at the stage’s side before Alex could even stand. Alex stepped down, closer than an arm’s length away, shaking his head.

“I didn’t know,” he said weakly, as if the song had drained him completely.

Michael swallowed the lump in his throat. He took a step closer. “I didn’t let you.”

Alex noticed and didn’t stop him. He held up the paper. “Can I keep this?”

“It’s yours,” he scoffed. “It’s always been yours.”

Alex pursed his lips. “And you mean it?”

“Every word,” Michael breathed, moving close enough now to press their foreheads together.

Alex exhaled shakily, grabbing Michael’s jacket tightly. “Then why aren’t you kissing me?”

That was all Michael needed. He closed the distance between them, wrapping Alex in his arms without a care to who was watching, and taking his lips in his own. Alex’s hands came up to hold his face, tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Michael might’ve moaned, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to touch more of Alex, taste more of him. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up again.

Alex’s taste, his warmth, his beautiful tiny whimpers into Michael’s mouth – it was all so overwhelming that Michael wanted to drag him out to the parking lot and take him apart in the backseat of his truck.

Somewhere behind him, he could hear people approaching them, could hear Kyle’s voice saying, “Give ‘em a minute. You can talk to him tomorrow.”

Michael briefly imagined Liz and Maria trying to approach them, then felt the brush of Alex’s tongue against his, and all other thought vanished. Good, he thought at Kyle keeping the others back. He didn’t think he was willing to let Alex go for a single second.

“G-Guerin,” Alex breathed in between kisses as Michael slid a hand around the hem of his shirt. “We can’t – not here –”

Michael took his hand and kissed his fingers roughly, not wanting to be apart from him for even a breath. “Then come on,” he said. “I’m having you. Right now.”

And he pulled Alex towards the door, leaving the noise and conversations to be had behind them, Michael’s song to them between their clasped hands.

***

I’m not taking prompts (so please don’t send them in), this is just really late.

Merci beaucoup pour ton message, c’est très gentil de toi! (I’m so sorry for my awful French, I’m very rusty.)

Also, for those who didn’t know, I’m having an IG live for the last couple of pages of Heroes Never Die, chapter two. Right now, it’s looking like it might be this Tuesday. I thought it’d be a fun way to connect with you guys, let you see my writing process, etc. (Because so much happens in those last couple of pages). I’ll be writing for most of it, and it’ll be about an hour, but maybe you guys can come along and write with me? It might be fun. And then the following day, hopefully after edits, I can post the second chapter. I’ll keep my IG updated on the exact time, if anyone’s interested.

[hellyeahheroes]

Post-OMD/Slott’s unused Spidey characters: Alpha a.k.a Andrew Maguire

So there was an ask about Alpha and it was about what happened to him, and yeah, it was just as @filipfatalattractionrblog​, otherwise known as the admin, said, Slott got tired of him and dumped him on someone else where they got written into obscurity. And that is like a thing Slott or the writers of Post Brand New Day did constantly. He did it with Cindy Moon, he did it with a bunch of Spider-verse characters, he did it with Yuri Watanabe, he did it with Mr. Negative, Screwball, he did it with the entirety of Parker Industries and Horizon Labs. He even did it with Superior Spider-man. The moment Brand New Day started, Spider-man was tossed around a bunch of writers where they all started trying to race to create the next MJ love interest replacement. So there are even more characters that Slott didn’t create that are very under utilized. Not to mention characters created prior to One More Day/Brand New Day didn’t have much fucking screen time during this and thus did not receive any development. So characters like Liz Allen, Phillip Chang, Betty Brant, Flash Thompson(although he got to be Agent Venom), Randy Robertson, Glory Grant, Mary Jane Watson until fans complained, and even Aunt May which made the whole One More Day deal redundant. 

Old school Spider-man constantly hung out with his clique. Post One More Day Spider-man didn’t seem to have many friends outside of his Spider-man persona. And the partnerships that he did make didn’t last.

So, this is where I will go back and detail those lost characters starting with Andy because he is the most egregious. Then I speculate if they can come back, what role should they have.

I fucking hate Andrew Maguire. And apparently, I am supposed to hate him according to Slott, but I believe that is a cop out. He wanted this character to work. Regardless, Andrew Maguire serves as the Peter Parker without any of the selflessness and virtue. “So...Eddie Brock?” No, not as cool as Eddie or as well written.

And subtlety is not a thing for Slott. If you noticed, the character is named after the two Spider-man actors at the time, Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield. People say it is a tribute, I personally think he was mocking them. My opinion, but you already know that.As you can see that the origin is pretty much a This Loser Is You trope which is weird because it’s insulting for fans of Spider-man, a character that is renown for being a superhero with everyman problems, to have a character who exists to say Peter is exceptional and you are not.

Andy goes on a Field Trip to Horizon Labs and meets Peter Parker who is about to unleash his newest discovery, Parker Particles. Which by the way, feels like an accomplishment for Peter, but Slott just had to twist the knife on that and have Reed casually say that he discovered it first and decided to leave Pandora’s Box be. Fuck Reed Richards. Anyways, as expected, Parker’s experiment went to shit and Andy decides to to perform his one solo act.

And Alpha is born. 

Okay well, first, Horizon had to settle with Maguire’s parents to avoid lawsuits and Any became the mascot for Horizon labs and then Alpha is born. So they do a check on his powers to see what the kid’s got.

He has the strength to lift a ton which is weaker than any Spider-man, he is bulletproof, has enhanced speed,has energy projection. So if you are following those useless ass stat charts on Marvel wiki, his chart would be...

Intelligence: 2 Normal

Strength: 4 One Ton is his max

Speed: 3 It just says enhanced speed so I am going to assume he can’t break the sound barrier

Durability 5 Bulletproof

Energy Projection: 5 Long Range single energy type blasts

Fighting Ability 2 Normal

What we have here is a powerhouse. Oh and he has a caveat. He can only use one power at a time at the moment. And he is only growing more powerful because Mr. Fantastic points out, Andy is embedded with Parker Particles which are tied to the expansion of the universe. His powers are only going to grow. So Mr. Fantastic decides to place Andy Maguire under Peter Parker’s care. Thus making Alpha Spider-man’s sidekick.

Alpha because no one else in the world has self-control without an Uncle Ben dying decides to market himself as the next best superhero. He gets marketing deal with Horizon to market their inventions, and he also becomes a pop sensation and media darling. Gets the girl that he was pawning after, Chrissy Chen, who I do like btw. I mean he is living the life, amigo.

His new girlfriend even makes him a fan page. 

And this is where there is some credence to the idea that Andy was meant to be hated because the comment section tears him apart with meta commentary. He is called a poochie which is a synonym for Scrappy, a term tor fan hated characters. Which, again, what is the point of a character that we, the fans, are meant to hate? It is counter intuitive and a waste of time. I mean people like Golden Booster, Slott. I just don’t get why bother with this? Of course, Andy’s set up in his origin follows the same beats as Slott’s other creation, Cindy Moon, who he wanted to be liked and cried racism when fans hated her as well.

This is endemic to Slott’s run as a whole. He doesn’t get Spider-man. He wanted to create Iron Man instead of making Spider-man stories. And when he introduces new characters, he doesn’t properly want to build them. Like Kamala Khan had 3 issues of character development before she became a superhero. Her origin was fleshed out. Miles had 5 issues and 14 issues to have a proper origin. Andy literally has just 1 issue that can’t even be considered an origin. It is not his origin story. It is just another problem for Peter to solve and that was the problem with Cindy Moon. She wasn’t a character but a replacement to Felicia Hardy who Slott went and tarnished to begin with.

So Alpha gets annoyed with those comments and decides to prove the haters wrong. Peter has been keeping track of Alpha the entire time so he intercepts him before he does anything wrong. Spider-man takes him under his wing and makes him his side-kick.

First, no. Spider-man has turned down sidekicks from Black Cat without super powers, Ollie Osnick, Sally Avril, and a few others. Miles’ isn’t his sidekick, student, or anything. Miles is his own hero who Peter feels responsible for and he sort of hangs out with.Spider-man doesn’t do sidekicks nor would he take them on if offered. He barely does team-ups and only out of propriety and necessity. So him donning Andy as such is out of character and kind against theme.

Second, the dialogue here does not match Peter’s tone.He is too sarcastic and cavalier about things. Peter is one of the most restrained heroes in Marvel in terms of his power usage. He knows what Andy is capable of. He wouldn’t be so casual. He would be on him like white on rice. He knows the seriousness of Andy’s situation. If he teaching Andy, he would refrain from fighting unless he has to. Peter was a teacher. He should know how teenagers are because he has dealt with them. It is like....okay.

Anyways, Andy being the ambitious little scamp decides to take over and do his own thing.

Okay, this is when I kind of knew that Slott would be an okay Fantastic Four writer.And he doesn’t waste any time reminding people that he is the most powerful hero of all time. 

Ben is beside himself because the little shit used his catchphrase in public, Johnny is ribbing on Spidey because he created a monster, Sue is trying to keep the peace, and Reed is annoyed because of Parker’s terrible decision of telling a teenager that he is the most powerful being in the universe. 

Reed tries again, and reminds Peter that Alpha is his responsibility. He has to essentially babysit Alpha for free. Meanwhile Alpha is letting his newfound success go to his head. He decides to two-time the girl that he was pining for...or he only liked because he felt that she was the best that he can get. You see, Andy is the guy who thinks as people as material to gain. He doesn’t mind using them, but once he outgrows them, he dumps them.

It is like Slott just wants to create the biggest asshole in Spider-man. And I guess that’s okay, but again, to what end? Is Andi going to be a bad guy? No. Is he going to be a reoccurring character? No. So why bother creating him if other writers won’t bother and fans hate him?

After this, Miles Warren aka the Jackal captures Andy easily and Peter has to find the little fuck because he is ,”Peter Parker’s responsibility.” Yeah, I am tired of that too.The Jackal wants to clone Alpha and repopulate the world with his own Alpha Males. No I am not kidding, that is what he calls them. Anyways, Peter tries to stop him but not before Miles Warren congratulates him of “out mad sciencing” him and creating Alpha. 

....I am already bored with this comic so I will speed it up. Jackal unleashes the clones, clones don’t have the Alpha powers because the power is not tied to Alpha’s genetics, Alpha breaks free of the harnesses and kills all of the clones, and saves himself sort of. Well not before saying even more alarming shit.

This is it. This is where he will learn, right? This is where Alpha makes a turn and become the little scamp that we hope for.

Well...can’t say that I am surprised. 

Peter gets fed up and conspires to take his power away from Alpha because the kid just can’t be trusted with them anymore. He is far too dangerous and honestly, Peter was right, but he was wrong the rest of the time.

Here is the thing: Alpha should have never been given these powers and allowed to keep them in any capacity.Peter should have suggested of taking them away from the very beginning and so should’ve Reed Richards and every hero who tested Andy. And I get it, it’s a little hypocritical of a blog about teenaged superheroes to say this, but there is a difference between the teens we usually cover and characters like Alpha. Alpha is in it for the glory and fame. He never has a redeeming moment. He is never humbled and is too self-centered to be humbled.Making him the strongest teen ever without proper guidance and knowing his parents were trying to mooch off of him and didn’t give a shit how much it effected his son, and only cared because of a profit margin should have been a dead giveaway. Someone should have spoken to his therapists or teachers and figured what kind of kid Andy was. It shouldn’t have taken issues of Spider-man testing it out because it was a bad idea from the start.

Alpha continues to use his power irresponsibly until the Avengers demand that Spider-man call him in to deal with Terminus. Alpha does so as he travels from Japan to Manhattan to deal a huge blow.

So good news is that Alpha got stronger. Bad news is that Alpha took out all of the airplane controllers in the vicinity so all planes are about to crash all over the New York area. So think 9/11 except on 30 buildings or so. The Avengers go into scramble mode and try to immediately rescue the civilians which by the way was the first rule Spider-man told Alpha. Guess who isn’t trying to save any civilians? 

So Alpha utterly failed this day. He made a bad situation worse and it shouldn’t have taken this to finally bench Alpha. The moment he disobeyed Peter, was the moment he should have been stripped of his power. I am being serious. But whatever, Alpha gets stripped by Spider-man.

So Alpha got powered down and is normal again.

But wait, there is more. Otto took over Peter’s body and preceded to give Andy his power back, but only a little of it this time. Andy moves to Pittsburgh, his parents divorced, and becomes the new hero of the Burgh. But he accidentally kills someone using his Alpha power, his power has been shown to be cancerous and he unknowingly gave his mom cancer and he doesn’t know it, the person he supposedly killed comes back and becomes this huge cancerous alpha powered villain named Zeta, Alpha stopped Zeta, and then another criminal blackmailed him to stop Andy from fighting crime or he will kill his whole family. And that was it for Alpha.

Can this character be redeemed?

Yes. 

Honestly, Alpha was saved in his mini in my opinion. I know, I didn’t post any pictures because that mini looked like shit. Again, however, the story wasn’t bad and did redeem him a little. He should have been in Miles Morales spot when it came to Marvel’s PS4. He was more suited for it and most of Marvel’s PS4 was Slott’s Spider-man run anyways. It had Yuri, Screwball, Mr. Negative, a sympathetic Doc Ock, and shit. All of these are hallmarks of Slott’s writing.

What would I do to introduce him back to the Marvel fold?

First, Alpha isn’t Godly anymore. He is like a low rent Nova. That stat chart that you saw in the beginning is where he is at now. So as long as he stays at that level, we are good. Second, his new predicament of being blackmailed by a criminal creates an interesting scenario. I would think a criminal would love having a bad guy under his thumb. So I suspect this bad guy, Boss Jimmy Cohen might think of expanding with his brand new super pet.Let’s say Alpha becomes his own enforcer and forces him to. Alpha’s mom dies of the cancer that he accidentally gave him and becomes Zeta 2.0.

So Andy after dealing with a ton of despair decides to come back and help Boss Cohen expand his empire in New York. He starts in Brooklyn, and you know where I am going with this. Andy meets Miles, Spider-man II. I am against having Miles inherent Peter’s characters, but Andy is basically an unused character. He might as well go somewhere so why not with Miles Morales who is getting an expanding list of rogues anyways. A reluctant fallen hero would be an interesting addition.

As for Chrissy Chen, I don’t like wasting characters at all, especially one that is just off the edge of Spider-man mythos. Chrissy still goes to Midtown High. And so does Lana Baumgartner. Instead of creating another character, just have her be Lana’s confidant just like Miles has with Ganke. 

And that is all folks. Now I will be doing a bit more on the forgotten characters of Post OMD Spider-man. A lot of them aren’t teens, so I will cover them on my other blog. I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading.

@ubernegro​

[meshugana1]

a professor in an all school girls is planning to steal the breasts of 4 top heavy girls in her class. Sarah sporting a G cup. Liz sporting a H cup, Kim an I cup and Jess a l cup. their top bursting tits are always in display a and jess being their leader, she always tells them to wear tops that have massive amounts of cleavage. She also learned a little secret that kim is lactating. She might as well take the lactation and show the girls what a real bust is in front of them while in class

The classroom was abuzz with the usual sort of activities, students gossiping and sharing stories of the weekend. The center of attention was where it usually was, on the “Dolly’s”. They were the most popular girls on the campus for obvious reasons, aside from them all being very pretty and fit they had some of the largest natural breasts in recent memory. Sarah was the youngest one at twenty years old and she had on her ribcage a set of G-cup breast that were as perky as her personality was. Kim and Jess were twins and did everything together on purpose, for some reason they found the fact they looked identical hilarious and coordinated their clothing and eating and exercise routines, even their speaking.

They weren’t the brightest crayons in the knife drawer however but that didn’t matter to most people as soon as they looked at their enormous I-cup juggs. They jutted out nearly a foot in front of them and brought more attention than they ever needed. That was what Liz counted on, she was the ring leader of the group, the smartest and bitchiest one. She was immensely proud of her full H-cups and loved to display as much cleavage as was allowable by the campus standards and made sure her cohorts followed suit. They prided themselves on showing of their tits and using them to get attention and manipulate the student body, they even managed to get their fleshy hooks into a few of the teachers.

Ms. Julie Harper was not one bend her knee to a student however, and this brought her into conflict with the Dolly’s quite a bit. She had spent the entire semester trying to get them to button up both their mouths and their tops, her history class was tough and she didn’t allow any sort of distractions in her class but she couldn’t really confiscate breasts. At least until her sister showed her how, Ashley Harper was a private researcher and an inventor, she’d pester Julie with requests to be the ginny pig for her experiments and inventions. She would accept sometimes just to humor her sister, but somehow she always managed to forget just how effective her sisters inventions were and this usually lead to Julie experiencing some…shall we say interesting effects.

One such invention was a remote control that could manipulate organic molecules, Ashley called it “Experiment 251”, she wasn’t great at naming things but when you invent as many devices as she does who could blame her? The remote was about a foot long and several inches thick at its end but tapered down into a slim handle. It held a smartphone on its face that acted as the control panel for thousands of different manipulations that the controller was capable of.

It took a little persuading for Ashley to give her sister the remote but she did after Julie promised to help test out some more of her inventions. Julie tried her best to listen while her sister told her about how the remote worked but the science was way to complicated even for her, she just taught history after all. She did get the gist of how the controls worked, it was mainly just a point and shoot deal, select the target and the change then hit the big red button.

Ms. Harper walked into her class room and up to the desk. She noticed no student removed their eyes from the Dolly’s or even acknowledged her presence. She took it in stride since it was never going to happen again. She eyed them up one last time, today they chose to wear matching outfits, a red skirt and blouse combo and didn’t bother to do up any but the bottom buttons leaving a deep valley of flesh that lead all the way to each one of their navals. Their shirts must’ve been a few sizes too small because their tits were pressed so tightly against the fabric that they were compressed together and bulged just slightly. Ms. Harper thought she could just make out the perimeter of the areola on Liz, she did like to press her luck where ever she could.

“I said good morning class.”The whole class answered lazily “Good morning Ms. Harper” all except the Dolly’s.“That’s better, now everyone we are going to have a different sort of history lesson today. Liz, will you and your entourage please com up to the front? I need some visual aids.” The girls displayed the usual resistance but walked down anyway, their tits jiggling and bouncing with every step. They stopped at the front and stood in a line against the wall and Liz stared daggers at Ms. Harper.

“All right class, now that the Dolly’s are front and center we can begin our lesson about punishment. Now in ancient times slights and disrespect we punishable offenses and there were all kinds of punishments based on the offense, but mostly they involved the exchange of goods or corporal punishment. Now, just as an example, lets say I wanted my pound of flesh from Sarah here for that one time she told me to take our midterm test and shove it up my dry snatch,   or I wanted to get satisfaction from Kim and Jess for calling me a skinny twig bitch for demanding that they do their homework, or that I wanted to pay Liz back for using her fat tits on the Dean and trying to get me fired. How could I do it? Well there’re tons of ways back in the old times, but now I think I’ll just do this.” She said as she drew the remote out of her purse and pointed it at the girls.

For a second the girls thought it was a gun but realized it was a remote control. Liz was about to mock the teacher but then a beam of blue energy shot out and bathed the girls in its glow. “What the hell was that?” Liz said.“You’re about to find out.” Julie said. Just then all the girls felt a sensation like their breasts were being compressed into their ribcages. Sarah looked down and saw that her red blouse had fallen open and her breasts were bare for the whole class. That shouldn’t be possible, it was two sizes too small and her breast held it taught. Her eyes widened when she saw why, her breasts were sinking into her body! She grabbed and pulled on her nipples trying to will them back but they just disappeared faster and her nipples pulled back painfully until she relented. She looked and saw that her once beautiful chest had totally vanished, she looked like a boy now, she grabbed where her tits should be and tried to rub and massage them out somehow.

Kim and Jess felt the compression next and turned to look at each other. Jess saw as Kim’s boobies receded and Kim watches as Jess’s breast remained the same gigantic size. “What the hell? We’re twins, you can’t have boobs if I don’t!”“Sorry Kimmy, sucks to be you.” Jess said. In frustration Kim grabbed her sisters breasts and pressed them into her chest to try and make them shrink like hers.“What are you doing? Stop!” Jess said trying to stop her sister Kim’s efforts seemed to be paying off as her sister shrank to matcher her. Soon they were once again flat chested identical twins.

Liz watched as all her toadies had lost the one thing that made them unique but now it was her turn. She fell to her knees in front of their teacher and said “Please, I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again! Just don’t steal my tits!” Ms. Harper looked at her for a second and saw true regret in her eyes, she knew Liz wouldn’t go back on her word. Julie let out a sigh and said “No”. Liz felt the compression in her breasts and bolted out of the classroom as her tits dwindled, hoping that whatever Ms. Harper did had a range or something, but it didn’t and she ran through the halls of the campus with her shirt billowing and her flat chest on display.

Julie smiled as she saw Liz run away, poor thing was going to miss the finale. “All right everybody, you’re about to learn something very important. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Julie was excited for this part, all that breast matter had to go somewhere and she was happy to volunteer. She could feel her chest begin to tingle and tighten against her blouse, before she could undo her buttons they became far too taught and she felt her bra snap as her modest chest quickly expanded into the DD range. Something she didn’t expect though was to see the wet spots forming, apparently the girls were a lot more mature than they let on.

Her breasts continued to grow and soon her buttons began loosing the fight and snapping off in all direction. The doors suddenly burst open and Liz angry demanded the return of her breasts, but the poor girl had the worst timing and one of Julie’s buttons flew off and struck the girl in the forehead. It left an impression as she rubbed the spot but she forgot all about it when she saw her teachers expanding tits. Free of the buttons they expanded more rapidly and sailed past basketball size and began to slow down when the grew so large that they reached the teachers desk from a standing position. Julie was lost in the feeling as she had not only stolen the mass but the nerve endings and mammary glands as well. Her breasts were not only the size of beachballs but they had four times the sensitivity and milk producing ability as they should even at their new size.

Julie was drunk off the feelings of her new tits and was barely lucid as she could just make out Liz standing in front of her yelling for her tits back. Julie was so absorbed in massaging her new breasts and expelling the milk she was now constantly leaking out. She grabbed her nipple and aimed it at the loudmouth and she gave it a good tug, spraying the girl in the face with her milk. Liz just stood therewith her mouth open, milk all over her face. Julie still lost in massaging her breasts groggily turned to the rest of the class and said “Class Dismissed.”

The End. Hope y’all like it!

[organicteagarden]

Is There Really a Relationship Between Drinking Certain Tea & Losing Weight?

Could the Real Secret to Weight Loss Be Something as Simple as Tea?

By Elizabeth (Liz) Swann Miller

There I was standing in the wilds of Africa with a massive, red, venomous snake looking right at me and a single thought racing through my mind –“why in the world did I risk my life for this cup of tea?”

The truth is I was looking for what I considered to be the weight loss “holy grail” – a tea that legend claimed completely erased hunger pangs.

The story so intrigued me that I decided to leave the comfort of my home in the US and venture into a remote area of Africa populated by a Kenyan tribe to find out if the tales about this ‘voodoo tea’ were true.

What I discovered changed my life, in that it has allowed me to lose 41 pounds of unwanted fat.

That’s right, not only did the tea really exist (and it’s definitely not ‘voodoo’) but it turned out to be even better than the stories let on.

You see, not only does the tea get rid of hunger pangs; it also activates your body’s natural ability to burn fat. On top of all that, it also boosts your energy without containing potentially harmful caffeine.

I’m going to tell you all about this incredible tea, including how you can get the recipe, in just a minute. But before I do that, let me explain in a little more detail how I ended up in the jungles of Africa.

The first thing you should know about me is that I have degrees in both Psychology and Naturopathy and for over 10 years, I’ve been a practicing Naturopath (ND) specializing in healing through nutrition.

Basically, what that means is, I help people lose weight and improve their health through their diet. Naturally, when I heard about this amazing tea, I was excited.

The fact that I heard the story while I was battling excess weight myself is ultimately what led me to Africa.

At that time, my pregnancy had really taken a toll on me. After multiple complications, I was put on bed rest … I spent 80% of my time stuck in bed, and I was forced to give up the active lifestyle I loved.

I became sluggish. I felt exhausted all the time. Eventually, I developed a sweet tooth, and I absolutely lost control of my weight.

I felt like a fraud. Here I was helping people all over the country lose weight and get the bodies they wanted while I was lying in bed looking worse than I have in my entire life.

Honestly, I felt disgusted with myself, and even though my husband was very supportive, telling me he didn’t care what I looked like, I knew deep down he just wasn’t attracted to me anymore.

Finally, I decided to face the music. I got on the scale one day after having my baby and saw that I was 41 pounds over my target weight.

I couldn’t believe it. I went back to bed and cried.

If you’ve ever gained extra fat, if you’ve ever felt like your body was out of control, I know how you feel. More importantly, I now have a solution that works. It’s fast, easy, and it tastes delicious. I’m going to tell you more about this tea in just a second.

This is the very same tea that helped me drop every one of those 41 hard-to-lose pounds. I feel that weight loss coupled with the success stories of so many others who have followed my program more than justify my “crazy” trip deep into the jungles of Africa.

Now, about that tea… 

To put it simply, red tea has the most remarkable “fat-flushing” action I’ve discovered in 15 years of traveling the world as a Medical Maverick.

I’ve seen some truly mind-blowing fat-loss results, but this red tea is by far the most impressive, most incredible thing I’ve ever discovered.

In studying the tea, I’ve learned that its 5 unique ingredients are scientifically proven to trick stubborn fat cells to open and release hard-to-lose fat.

That means it’s now possible to flush away years — if not decades — of unwanted fat simply by drinking this powerful beverage.

Without getting too much into the science and boring you, the five herbal ingredients basically work in harmony to transmit signals from your brain to your fat cells to burn unwanted fat. It allows you to shrink your fat cells without any feelings of hunger.

Up until now one of the main problems with trying to lose fat (especially around your belly) has always been getting stubborn fat cells to “let go” of the “locked in fat” so the body can “flush harmful toxins and fat away.”

Due to cutting-edge research, we now know that the hormone “Noradrenaline” may hold the key to unlocking fat cells and shrinking them.

In a landmark study at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the NIH, researchers showed that Noradrenaline is an arousing hormone known to control cell volume. (NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Brain may flush out toxins during sleep; Sleep clears brain of molecules associated with neurodegeneration: Study.” ScienceDaily. The link is  HERE.  (accessed July 2, 2017).

In other words, Noradrenaline is what causes the action of “the incredible shrinking fat cell.” It signals your body to start using your belly fat for energy.

Now here is the really good news:

People who drink this delicious red tea experience increased Noradrenaline production. That’s why they lose a lot of weight, particularly in the typically hard-to-lose belly area.

Let me repeat what I just said:

Results show that fat cell size and fat storing volume actually shrinks when you drink this red tea!

That is revolutionary information – and the benefits of drinking this tea don’t just stop with weight loss. 

When I started drinking this incredibly delicious red tea, my entire mood changed. Instead of being exhausted, I had a ton of natural energy.

This red tea was unbelievably refreshing, and when I drank it, I was never hungry.

Drinking red tea also helped me completely eliminate my soda addiction.

I also noticed after a few days of drinking the red tea that I was sweating less. And my breathing was easier, in spite of the intense African heat, which often rose to a scorching 105 degrees!

Plus, even though I had to climb a massive hill to get to the village every day, I actually had more energy than ever before.

I started sleeping better, and waking up more rested and refreshed. I was even more relaxed and calm, despite having to deal with the hordes of flies that were in the area!

And that’s still not all the benefits that I noticed, my stress level dropped, and I was happier than I’d been in a very long time.

Of course, the weight loss was what really got my attention. The weight was really falling off me.

I lost almost 20 pounds that first month.

That’s when I knew … I wasn’t crazy for making that trip to Africa. In fact, it was probably the best decision of my life! I think red tea might just be one of the biggest weight loss discoveries of the past 50 to 100 years.

It is certainly working for many people who have struggled to lose weight in the past. To learn about the five ingredients that make up red tea (all are available at the local grocery store) click here. You’ll also learn more about how red tea can help you lose weight and get the body of your dreams.

 Discover how red tea can help you fix your own “fat-burning glitch” Feel free to look at The Red Tea Detox eBook today.

  All true #tealovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes…

— Tea Detox Recipe (@TeaDetoxRecipe) January 6, 2018

https://www.organicteagarden.net/the-red-tea-secret

[edgar-allan-foe]

[nameless short story]

Word Count: almost 2k with a crap ton of talking/fluff

A/N:  I haven’t been writing in a long time since college kind of sucked the life out of me for five years; however, I’ve been having a lot of personal issues arise lately and I find this as a coping mechanism (especially with my job/boss). ps - im sick D:

Shout-out to @tinny-tin, @lloyd-g, and @stiles-derpinski for being awesome and wanting to see my work.

All I see is red and blue. Everywhere. This kid is going to end up giving me a heart attack. It’s a Wednesday night and usually Peter is coming home from band practice, but in the last six months I’ve seen nothing from this boy – no instruments, no science projects gone wrong, just nothing. I feel like I’m losing him all over again since Ben. That boy was Ben’s entire world let me tell you. The way he boasted about winning the regional science fair two years in a row to how Peter was selected for Midtown’s academic bowl, his eyes glistened with tears of joy. It was as if Peter was his son this entire time.

Tonight, I lie awake worrying about this boy like I usually do. It was taco night since yesterday I saw no trace of him until he got up today to get to school. But like Ben, Peter would never voice what was rattling in his head…what kept him out all night. I always tell myself that I hope he’s talking to Ben somehow through all of this, for us. As I start to drift away from following the news as background noise and beginning a new knitting project, I hear the back window crack just slightly. At this point, the creaks and leaks throughout this apartment don’t phase me, they just give the place character.

“Crap!”

“Who’s out there!?” I screamed. I am not the type to fight, but I was boiling over with the constant absences of Peter these past couple days. It’s like this kid doesn’t have a home. I grab my extra knitting needle and tuck it underneath my skirt. I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone use one of these for self-defense in any crime show, but it’s worth a shot on being creative and terrified all at once. I hear the window squeak once more as I inch closer to my nephew’s room. One could easily shrug this off as the wind or an alley cat, but with all the horrible things happening in the neighborhood recently, I am not in any position to risk it. I place my hand by my hip, ready to grab the needle, and swing the door right open to a –

“AUNT MAY! Jesus! Put that thing down!”

“Peter! PETER!? Where the hell have you been?” I shouted. I hated yelling at my boy like this, but there was no other way to let it all out. “Y’know…I’ve made dinner, did your laundry, even ironed your decathlon jacket, and not once have I even heard you say ‘thank you’. I’m getting so tired…so frustrated. Just tell me what’s going on. Please.” I sit on the edge of the bed ready to start crying. These tears have been busting to come out for the past two weeks and it was time to let out Niagara Falls.

“May…please…stop. Don’t cry.” Peter was the sweetest kid you could ever imagine. Have you ever seen those 60s commercials for baby food where the perfect child with the biggest eyes and soft, angelic curls just makes a mess with mashed peaches and greens? That was Peter. Most definitely my boy, but fast-forwarded 15 years. When he was born, I use to call him ‘PB’ for short – Peter Benjamin Parker. His newborn locks would just sit on the sides of his face, tempting you to push them behind those ears and make room for all that gushing. He was a good kid. A lovely little thing. I slowly drop the knitting needle to the floor and embrace Peter for a long-deserved hug.

“Aunt May, I can explain. I know I haven’t been home a lot and I swear, I’ll –”

“Peter, I know you’re lying.”

“May, I love you and I am so sorry. It’s just this internship means everything to me. I know I haven’t been open with everything that has been happening, but it’s some seriously awesome stuff you wouldn’t believe it! Like today at school, I found out that I can use the gravity formula from Mr. Watson’s physics homework to detect the angle in which the Iron-Man suit needs to be elevated to reach maximum speeds for flight! Like it was the coolest thing ever to even think of stuff like that. Oh, and –”

“Okay, okay. Enough Peter. I get it, you love what you do. But promise me something,” I took a deep breath before I can finish my sentence. “Just come home, please. We – erh, I mean ‘I’ – I miss you, honey.” It’s so hard to not include Ben in every little bit of Peter’s life. They were always together and I know in my heart he would be so proud. After calming down a bit, I noticed on the edge of Peter’s eyebrow some small bruising. It was fresh, at least within the last couple hours. I’ve gotten so use to this child getting beat up, I almost expect it. Last time he came home with a black eye, he mentioned a kid named Steve from Brooklyn. Not entirely sure what Peter would be doing over there so late at night…it took at least 30 minutes without traffic to even make it to the outskirts Prospect Park – Peter’s favorite place since he was a little one. Also, doesn’t Ned live 2 blocks from us? I cannot even begin to describe how many times I’ve seen Ned in the past week looking for Peter. It’s as if he’s forgotten about his best friend too.

           “I swear…every time I feel like I’m on to something and report back to Happy…I end up not being so happy…with myself”, I whispered. I shrug off my blue sweater throw my backpack in the corner. I think that was a first for me to even remember where I place my backpack nowadays. I didn’t do too much in the suit today; in fact, I didn’t even do anything at all. I swung around and helped an elderly man get his cat from inside a dumpster. Quite large. Very fluffy. Calico? I took a few photos of some pigeons. Oh, and escaped a near arrest yet again! I should try to be more careful when interacting with cops, but hey, it happens. A lot of what I’ve been doing since school’s been out hasn’t been all too much. I wouldn’t even try calling it “crime fighting”. I finally perfected my training wheels protocol for shooting web grenades down by Coney though! That was amazing on how precise my vision has become with the new suit…or Karen. Should I even call her Karen? Where did I even come up with the name for Karen? Anywho, from now on I’ll have to respect both suit and her.

           My reports have gotten a lot less action-ey if you could call it that. With all the focus on just utilizing the suit without Mr. Stark replacing the tracking system, I feel a bit lost honestly. Not much is happening now in the concrete jungle. Summer is practically gone. I can smell the new textbooks in my locker already and the musk of Midtown’s hallways by the main office. It’s as if the world knows who I really am now, especially now with Mr. Toomes in jail. I slip back on my mask and make sure the bedroom door is locked. May hates it when I lock the door, so I’ve developed a new habit of playing some of my cassettes when I’m home. She seems to be liking my taste recently. I made a recent shift to listening to classic rock when building Lego empires with Ned or doing homework. It replaces the need for me to talk everyone to death, including myself.

           “Hello, Peter. Lovely evening, isn’t it? What’s with the music?” Karen is quite charming when activated I must say.

           “Nothing, I just needed someone to talk to.”

           “Well…you got me. Would you like me to initiate night mode for you?” It’s gotten quite dark since I came back. My eyes usually dim to the size of a rice grain since the bite. It’s been harder to really keep focus too when I’m reading. “Sure! Thanks Karen! I don’t thank you enough really”, I replied. “So…Karen…what can you tell me about…emotions?” I had no idea where to start. Quite frankly, I am known for terrible first impressions. Most say I’m a world record holder in that.

           “Okay. According Webster’s dictionary, emotions are defined as an intuitive or instinctive mental state based on reason, recent events, or your surroundings.” She does this a lot, so I let her talk.

           “Alriiiiight. What can you tell me about falling in love?”

           “Is this about Liz? Go tell her, she would love to hear what you really feel about her.”

           “I –I can’t. You know I am the reason she’s moving to Oregon.” My eyes are beginning to water so much, it’s hard to really keep it from destroying the mask. Karen is known to start the vacuum inside to keep it dry. She’s like May 2.0 really. “I’m sorry Karen, I feel like I’m pushing everyone away with being Spider-Man. I know what I am and who I am, but I don’t know what I want. I know I want something outside of this Stark-universe. I want to be a normal teenager again.”

           “But you are, Peter.” She deactivated the vacuum so her AI voice resonates a bit clearer. “You’re showing your emotions right now and that is what makes you normal. It’s part of growing up.” My sobbing has mellowed out to that of a puppy huffing in it’s sleep.

           “You’re right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Goodnight Karen.” I peeled off the mask before I could even hear a response.

           “Goodnight Peter.”

[red-tea-detox-diet]

Can Drinking Tea (of All Things) Really Help You Lose Weight? Is There Really a Relationship Between Drinking Certain Tea & Losing Weight? Could the Real Secret to Weight Loss Be Something as Simple as Tea? By Elizabeth (Liz) Swann Miller

There I was standing in the wilds of Africa with a massive, red, venomous snake looking right at me and a single thought racing through my mind –“why in the world did I risk my life for this cup of tea?”

 The truth is I was looking for what I considered to be the weight loss “holy grail” - a tea that legend claimed completely erased hunger pangs.

 The story so intrigued me that I decided to leave the comfort of my home in the US and venture into a remote area of Africa populated by a Kenyan tribe to find out if the tales about this ‘voodoo tea’ were true.

 What I discovered changed my life, in that it has allowed me to lose 41 pounds of unwanted fat.

 That’s right, not only did the tea really exist (and it’s definitely not ‘voodoo’) but it turned out to be even better than the stories let on.

 You see, not only does the tea get rid of hunger pangs; it also activates your body’s natural ability to burn fat. On top of all that, it also boosts your energy without containing potentially harmful caffeine.

 I’m going to tell you all about this incredible tea, including how you can get the recipe, in just a minute. But before I do that, let me explain in a little more detail how I ended up in the jungles of Africa.

 The first thing you should know about me is that I have degrees in both Psychology and Naturopathy and for over 10 years, I’ve been a practicing Naturopath (ND) specializing in healing through nutrition.

 Basically, what that means is, I help people lose weight and improve their health through their diet. Naturally, when I heard about this amazing tea, I was excited.

 The fact that I heard the story while I was battling excess weight myself is ultimately what led me to Africa.

 At that time, my pregnancy had really taken a toll on me. After multiple complications, I was put on bed rest … I spent 80% of my time stuck in bed, and I was forced to give up the active lifestyle I loved.

 I became sluggish. I felt exhausted all the time. Eventually, I developed a sweet tooth, and I absolutely lost control of my weight.

 I felt like a fraud. Here I was helping people all over the country lose weight and get the bodies they wanted while I was lying in bed looking worse than I have in my entire life.

 Honestly, I felt disgusted with myself, and even though my husband was very supportive, telling me he didn’t care what I looked like, I knew deep down he just wasn’t attracted to me anymore.

 Finally, I decided to face the music. I got on the scale one day after having my baby and saw that I was 41 pounds over my target weight.

 I couldn’t believe it. I went back to bed and cried.

 If you’ve ever gained extra fat, if you’ve ever felt like your body was out of control, I know how you feel. More importantly, I now have a solution that works. It’s fast, easy, and it tastes delicious. I’m going to tell you more about this tea in just a second.

This is the very same tea that helped me drop every one of those 41 hard-to-lose pounds. I feel that weight loss coupled with the success stories of so many others who have followed my program more than justify my “crazy” trip deep into the jungles of Africa.

 Now, about that tea...

 To put it simply, red tea has the most remarkable “fat-flushing” action I’ve discovered in 15 years of traveling the world as a Medical Maverick.

 I’ve seen some truly mind-blowing fat-loss results, but this red tea is by far the most impressive, most incredible thing I’ve ever discovered.

 In studying the tea, I’ve learned that its 5 unique ingredients are scientifically proven to trick stubborn fat cells to open and release hard-to-lose fat.

 That means it’s now possible to flush away years — if not decades — of unwanted fat simply by drinking this powerful beverage.

 Without getting too much into the science and boring you, the five herbal ingredients basically work in harmony to transmit signals from your brain to your fat cells to burn unwanted fat. It allows you to shrink your fat cells without any feelings of hunger.

 Up until now one of the main problems with trying to lose fat (especially around your belly) has always been getting stubborn fat cells to “let go” of the “locked in fat” so the body can “flush harmful toxins and fat away.”

 Due to cutting-edge research, we now know that the hormone “Noradrenaline” may hold the key to unlocking fat cells and shrinking them.

 In a landmark study at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the NIH, researchers showed that Noradrenaline is an arousing hormone known to control cell volume. (NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Brain may flush out toxins during sleep; Sleep clears brain of molecules associated with neurodegeneration: Study." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131017144636.htm (accessed July 2, 2017).

 In other words, Noradrenaline is what causes the action of “the incredible shrinking fat cell.” It signals your body to start using your belly fat for energy.

 Now here is the really good news:

 People who drink this delicious red tea experience increased Noradrenaline production. That’s why they lose a lot of weight, particularly in the typically hard-to-lose belly area.

 Let me repeat what I just said:

 Results show that fat cell size and fat storing volume actually shrinks when you drink this red tea!

 That is revolutionary information – and the benefits of drinking this tea don’t just stop with weight loss.

 When I started drinking this incredibly delicious red tea, my entire mood changed. Instead of being exhausted, I had a ton of natural energy.

 This red tea was unbelievably refreshing, and when I drank it, I was never hungry.

 Drinking red tea also helped me completely eliminate my soda addiction.

 I also noticed after a few days of drinking the red tea that I was sweating less. And my breathing was easier, in spite of the intense African heat, which often rose to a scorching 105 degrees!

 Plus, even though I had to climb a massive hill to get to the village every day, I actually had more energy than ever before.

 I started sleeping better, and waking up more rested and refreshed. I was even more relaxed and calm, despite having to deal with the hordes of flies that were in the area!

 And that’s still not all the benefits that I noticed, my stress level dropped, and I was happier than I’d been in a very long time.

 Of course, the weight loss was what really got my attention. The weight was really falling off me.

 I lost almost 20 pounds that first month.

 That’s when I knew … I wasn’t crazy for making that trip to Africa. In fact, it was probably the best decision of my life! I think red tea might just be one of the biggest weight loss discoveries of the past 50 to 100 years.

 It is certainly working for many people who have struggled to lose weight in the past. To learn about the five ingredients that make up red tea (all are available at the local grocery store) click here. You’ll also learn more about how red tea can help you lose weight and get the body of your dreams.

 Discover how red tea can help you fix your own “fat-burning glitch” click here now.

��RvL

[unschoolingfamily]

What I Wish I’d Know When I Started Homeschooling

We’ve been homeschooling since 2009. During that time, a lot has changed. I’ve learned a lot and my children have taught me a lot. Here is what I wish I’d known back then:

1) There Is Only One Way Home Education Works.

Yep, you read that right. It’s the way that works for YOUR child! After years of trial and error, we discovered Liz requires structured learning and assignments. Sara? Open-ended and free-flowing learning. Both are on opposite ends of the learning spectrum and both are learning a ton!

2) Keeping Doubters In The Loop Is Important.

Remember, it is their fear that motivates them. Try creating a daily log update, or a weekly update, something that is encouraging and shows the learning. With Sara, when my in-laws didn’t quite understand why we were educating her at home, and without a curriculum, I made sure to take pictures every day and at the end of the month create a slideshow presentation showing her progress in all subjects. They loved that they had an update on their granddaughter and could see her learning subjects more in-depth than school and it gave them something to brag about at luncheons. For me, it showed a progress of learning which felt good to look back upon.

3) Prepare Yourself For Spontaneous Learning.

Sounds like an oxymoron, huh? Here’s an example: when going to the playground, I look up physics terms and explanations. I focus on only one or two because truthfully, I never took physics and my memory for it won’t be grand. While we are there, I introduce the concept, the vocabulary and the explanation – all while having fun. We also do an SAT word of the week. So Sara, who is 10, has a full vocabulary of large SAT words at her disposal in her conversations.  If everything is learning, then learning is everything.

4) Keep Your Priorities Straight!

For some, that is keeping everything organized, for others, it’s making sure you enjoy the beautiful weather and allow the dust to gather for a rainy day, for another it is keeping up on the latest gaming updates. Remember to check in with yourself and your kids on a daily basis. Priorities change daily. Ask yourself and your kids what your daily goal is and check in at night to see if it was accomplished. If it wasn’t, did something happen to usurp that priority? Did it change? Why didn’t it happen and what could be done differently next to for it to be accomplished? Use small opportunities like that to introduce the concept of priority planning. It is a lifelong skill needed for almost every aspect of life, from bills to vacations.

5) You Won’t Feel Qualified and You Will Doubt Yourself.

Yep. It’s going to happen. You may doubt the curriculum. You will try things on and take them off.  You will wake up in the middle of the night and think: “OMG! What am I doing?!!!” and fret all night long. That’s pretty normal. Forgive yourself and move on. If you are feeling that way, and if you keep a log, go back and look at it. That helps me. I keep a log of things completed each day because it makes me feel better. I grew up in a home/society that placed a high value on education and higher education. I’m stepping off that treadmill because it doesn’t work for my girls, but the old tapes sometimes come and bite me in the butt. The logs are for me and my sanity. (I like The Well Planned Day the best. It has 4 lines per day, per subject=lots of room for my girly handwriting.)

6) The Heart Of Your Child Will Direct You.

This doesn’t mean that they will always know what they want. When they first come home, if public schooled, they will be lost and irritable and confused. They will watch tv, disinvest and sleep a lot. Then, over time, their interests will arise. Sara, who’s never been to school, has no idea what she “isn’t supposed to do” and loves science. She is 10 and working on high school freshman science concepts. She learned to read 2 years ago but her ability to absorb the concepts is there. Liz loves artistic expression. She does a ton of artwork every week. She volunteers at an art studio. She is directed by her love for artist expression from blue hair and gauged ears to photography and watercolor. Each child is different and we use those differences to expand their world of knowledge.

7)The Habit Of Listening.

Listening isn’t done just with your ears. Listening is also done with the eyes. Reading body language. Listening to the unsaid word. Learning how to read body language is very important. I specialized in sales in my prior life and had to learn how to read body language in order to actually hear what was going on with a potential client. I use that same skill set with my children and husband. Arms crossed? They feel defensive. Voice changing in pitch? They may be lying (or going through puberty). Learn to read your child. You will be able to listen more and be in the moment with them.

8) It’s A Lifetime of Learning.

Learning isn’t just done when you finish a book. Maybe your child doesn’t want to finish a book you loved. Liz hated Lord of the Flies and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. I loved both. I had hoped to share them with her. Wasn’t her thing. Instead, she changed books, introduced me to some she loved and my world was expanded into a new genre of vampires and magic. Take each opportunity presented to you and learn from it. Keep your curiosity going! Lifetime learning has a benefit for all.

9) Blessing Of Time.

The greatest part of home learning for us is that it can happen at any time of the day! It’s a beautiful day out, we spend it outside exploring our world. Is it rainy? Let’s watch documentaries and snuggle. It’s 10 pm and suddenly Sara has an urge to do abacus math? Great! It’s midnight and Liz suddenly has an inspiration to write a story? Great! Time is our friend, not our enemy. There is no learning time because it’s all the time.

10) Family Unity:

This one can take some time to come into its own. It ebbs and flows in our home. Sometimes, Hubby feels on the outside because we girls spend SO much time together and he’s more like a visitor in our world than a pillar. That’s hard for him sometimes. Other times, our family unit is stronger because we do spend so much time together. Our communication is stronger. We know all the nuances which occur between one and other and can shift and adjust on the fly. Being together 24/7 can be a challenge. It requires dedication to open communication, honesty, and vulnerability. In the end, it’s worth it but it can be scary getting there.

Overall, since 2009, I feel learning at home, at all hours, has worked best for us. It’s not for everyone and that’s okay. The glorious thing about the U.S.A. is we have a choice to homeschool or not. Places like Germany, there is no choice. It is not allowed.

There will be good days and there will be bad. There will be days you jump up and down and exclaim: “They got it!” and there will be days you shake your head and wonder: “Will they ever get it?!”  In the end, they balance out.

My best advice, dear Reader, is following your gut and follow your heart. Let those lead you down a new path, one customized just for you and your family. Read all you want. Research all you want if that makes you feel better. Enjoy YOUR education and lifetime learning experience. You see, lifetime learning isn’t just for kids anymore…it’s for everyone once you step off that edge and go for it.