#maybe i’ll draw sam and alex in the future?? who knows

[katydidcomplex]

trying a new style with clover from totally spies :)

[tenderdean]

i was talking to @andromedaskyline about how we just know whatever this ending is gonna be will be—well, a punch to the gut at best, but then it got us thinking about what kind of ending we want for dean and listen. listen.

when all is said and done, dean is alive and well, and he drives off into the sunlit horizon, and at the end of that road after however much time he needs to recover—

he starts a halfway house.

a halfway house for hunters, yes, but mostly for kids.

kids like claire and krissy and josephine, and alex and patience. kids that fell out of their normal lives and into hunting, with no feasible way back out. kids like dean.

it’s a place to crash and recuperate, where there’s a roof over their heads and a bed to call their own and a food-stocked pantry (it never runs low. dean never lets it run low.) but also: a waypoint.

dean’s still got sonny’s number, and if there’s one person who can help a kid find a future or a family or a purpose, it’s sonny. (it’s also dean—but he’s not used to advertising himself; it’ll always feel like overselling.) he sits up late at night working through college applications, scholarship applications, to help these kids through the nightmare that is lying convincingly on paperwork. he teaches these kids all the things he had to learn by his lonesome: how to cook, how to clean and mend clothes and treat wounds and hustle pool without getting decked in the face. and if they’re set on hunting—and he gets it, he does, because retiring was never an option for him when there’s lives to be saved, and he knows how—then he rolls up his sleeves and he teaches them.

hunters are a special kind of people, too rebellious for their own good, but he knows not to push. anyone can leave, but anyone can also stay. and when they do, he’s got things to tell them: the fastest way to decapitate a vamp and torch a wendigo, where to park their getaway car, which weapons to always have on hand and which to leave in the motel room, never to leave a case too early to miss something or late enough for the cops to get you. who to call when they do. basic skills, survival skills, but there’s nothing basic about them anymore when they’ve amounted to his entire life and he’s perfected them, had to perfect them to stay alive through it all.

he’s seen things, butted heads with things that go unmentioned in even the thickest of lore books, and he makes sure they know how to take all of them down, or else how to sweet-talk it back where it came from. he makes sure every kid knows the vampire antidote by heart. he also tells them about purgatory, and to think hard before mercy-killing anything into an existence of blood-slash-blood-no-rest-no-peace. some things can save themselves: if they want to, let them, but make sure they follow through. it’s about the saving, not the killing, and if the two of them become muddied you have to save yourself first.

dean has a bed for you, in that case. a bed and a mean burger and an ear tilted in your direction.

sometimes, sam calls: dean lets it go to voicemail, and that’s a gift to them both. dean will leave a voicemail of his own, in time. he’ll talk for however long he wants to, about whatever he wants to, answers the questions he likes and doesn’t answer those he doesn’t. talks about the kids, all the time, about how much he wishes he could’ve done this for kevin. there’s no interrupting in voicemail, no pointed glares, and the new routine is maybe the healthiest they’ve ever had.

he still goes out on hunts, as a teaching outing with the kids or to let off steam or because it’s an all hands on deck sort of thing. he can’t let himself get rusty, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t indulge: memory foam on his bed, a monthly road trip in the Impala planned and followed through with, a nice, slim pair of new boots perhaps more often than he needs. it’ll take a while, but someday in the future, he even goes to the beach. leaves the united states to do it, and comes back toasty and bug-bitten and about fifty tons lighter by way of his soul.

it evolves, as kids leave and new ones come in, because no one can leave dean’s house without his number. it becomes a hub. dean makes sure there’s a weapons arsenal in the garage, stakes of various obscure woods and silver bullets by the thousand and machetes besides. they’re all for borrowing—he’ll get new ones if some don’t return. the rest of the garage is divided: the impala and all that’s needed for her upkeep, and a workbench, a visor, a torch. he works on side-projects. lets his inner inventor out to play. EMFs that can detect hex bags, glasses that fracture the light just weirdly enough that no ghost can slip past the wearer unnoticed.

that’s how, in ten years, he’ll reinvent the Colt. he makes as many bullets as he can, and it’s expensive, slow work, but it’s the largest ace any of them have ever had up their sleeves and he wants it to be available to anyone who needs it.

knowledge isn’t something to hoard, not when it can save lives. and fuck if holding the world together with his bare hands more than once, more than twice, didn’t leave him with some unconventional wisdoms, some hard-earned truths and bits of trivia that could never end up being useful but also very well could. he’s prepared for that. makes sure his kids are prepared, too.

it’s not just the kids anymore, though, not when the hunters among them have branched out and met other hunters and the world knows his name, anyway, for all kinds of reasons, good and bad. his is not a name that slips someone’s mind when it’s mentioned in passing. hasn’t been for a long, long while, and that was never a good thing until this: until it just grows around him, not murder-plots or resentment or a heathy dose of fear of being associated with him, not like a snare drawing tight but a garden. (he keeps one, out back. hasn’t really got that much of a knack for it, but some of the kids like ripping roots out of dirt, and hell, so does he.)

it’s not replacing bobby. he doesn’t pretend to be the FBI superintendent or social services or someone’s lawyer, not when he’s not out there in a suit. when a phone rings, the person on the other end always knows his name.

it starts out messy, and it’ll always be messy, but it becomes more structured as they go. a demon case comes in: they’ve got people specializing in that, send them out. a rugaru: the same. and if it’s something that’s truly Out There, they send dean, and he’ll handle that. when he comes home, he’ll make sure that next time, it won’t be just him who knows what to do.

some kids start penning down comprehensive lore books, his dad’s journal with the volume turned up, with only the stuff that’s true and none of the fluff, the muddied waters. dean contributes to that more than he expects, at first, and suddenly they’re crowding and crawling around him, eager for his input. turns out he has a lot to say.

not enough for the kids, though, it seems, because they keep sneaking carver edlund’s books into the house when he has banned them, has made it a bold point on his penned-down list of house rules. he finds them stuffed under mattresses and as pdfs on phones. he burns what he can. but he also says, okay, all right, i’ll write a fucking memoir if that’s what it takes to get you people to stop smuggling this trash in. and he lays down the basics: azazel’s plot and meddling angels, an apocalypse or two, what’s there besides the earth and how to make sure you never go there. nothing warranting gaudy pulp covers with half-naked men on them. if anyone wants to know which brother did what, they’ll have to be damn good at reading between the lines, because dean’s too over it to point fingers, especially not when his words might stick around for other generations to read and judge and point their own. he doesn’t put his name on it. leaves it anonymous.

what he doesn’t count on are the notes in the margins, the whispered conversations after dinner or the glances he’ll get: that he’s the hero of that story, he’s just too humble to write it down.

he only yells about that once.

in the end, it’s like this: there’s no american men of letters, but there’s people of action, and they all cluster around the heart of the country where the drive is about the same to each coast, and at the heart of that is dean.

in the very, very end, it’s like this: his memoir goes into print, and there’s a preface telling his name in bold letters, and clarifying the details he had made sure to leave extra vague. if you’re in a roadhouse bar somewhere—and there’s more of them now, run by those who wouldn’t stay but wouldn’t leave, either—there’s a solid chance you’ll run into a dean or deanna or ten, and they can tell you exactly who they were named after and why.

but right now, it’s just a chance, something to build out of nothing, something he wishes he had back when. something to turn his north towards, to pour all his strengths in that have grown from pain and weakness. they do always say the best leaders are those who never wanted to lead. out of all the rubble, something that’ll hold up without him there to keep it together, though he’s the heart that beats in it, anyway. he’s the home it grew up in.

[avengerscompound]

The Tower: Family - 19

The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing:  Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 2349

Warnings:  Pregnancy

Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family.  When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.

Chapter 19: Names

I was just under twenty weeks pregnant when I went to have my glucose test and the ultrasound that would tell us about any major abnormalities and possibly what sex the baby was.  The twins were on one of their home days and we were taking them along too, so they could be there when they learned if the last of their new siblings would be a brother or sister.  Everyone was excited and there had been bets made on if it would be a boy or a girl.  Some people seemed to think that statistically, it would have to be a boy as there were already three girls on their way.  However, Tony, Bruce, Sam, and Bucky all knew that’s not how statistics worked and seemed to think that it would be a girl just because the universe wanted us to have to all agree on four different girls' names at the same time.

While I was waiting for the sugar drink to take effect Natasha and Wanda had their checkups.  They were now up to 28 weeks and everything was really good.  Even Wanda with the twins was looking very on track.  Both girls were growing strongly and Doctor Schroeder had no concerns at all about her getting to full term with them.

When I’d finally had my blood test and come into the examination room, Natasha and Wanda were finishing up and I was directed to get up on the table for my ultrasound.  Steve, Tony, and Bruce were in attendance.  Pietro was sitting on Bruce’s knee playing with a stethoscope, while Steve held Riley and she tried to grab every single thing that was in reach of her.

“How have you been feeling, Elise?”  Doctor Schroeder asked as I got into position and she set up the ultrasound machine.

“Good,” I said. “The morning sickness passed.  I have more energy.  They kick a lot so I don’t get worried about them too much.”

“That’s good.  And you’re keeping your stress levels low?”  She asked, squeezing some gel on my stomach.

“Well…” I said, guiltily.  “Less stress than when I was pregnant with the twins.”

She shook her head and pressed the paddle to my stomach.  “You really need to be taking care of yourself, Elise.”

“You tell that to the world,” I snarked, and she laughed as she pressed the paddle down on her stomach.

The baby came into view on the screen, looking like an actual baby right down to the fingers and toes.  “I’m assuming you’re all finding out the sex,” she said.

“Oh yeah.  I definitely want to know what flavor of spawn El is cooking,” Tony said.

“And I’m guessing you’re all hoping for a boy,” she joked.

Tony went to speak, but Steve quickly cut him off.  “We’ll all be happy either way.”

“What about you kids?”  Doctor Schroeder asked.  “Do you want this to be a brother or a sister?”

“I wanna sisder,” Riley said quickly.

“No, Wiley,” Pietro argued.  “Deres fwee sisders.  I wanna brovver.”

Doctor Schroeder started laughing.  “Well, let’s see which one of you gets your wish.”

She moved the paddle getting it into position to see better.  “Alright, if you’re placing bets, now’s the time,” she said.  Tony crossed his fingers and started chanting, “Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy.”

“And we have a…” she said slowly, dragging out the suspense for as long as possible.  “Boy.  You’re having a boy.”

“Yes!”  Tony said, pumping his fist in the air and leaning over and kissing me deeply.

“You hear that, Piet?”  Bruce asked.  “You get a brother.”

“Yay!”  Pietro said, bouncing on Bruce’s lap.

“Oh, no,” Steve said.  “We’re going to have a little mini-Tony in the family.”

I started laughing and cradled Tony’s jaw.  “I know.  Isn’t it great?”

“A boy,” Tony repeated.  “Three girls and a little boy.”

“Will this make picking names easier or harder, do you think?” I asked.

The answer to that question was ‘harder’.  Having one boy made deciding on the name harder.

After we finished up with the doctor we met the others on the garden deck with the dogs for a kind of picnic to try and work out names. With the twins, I had been the one to decide their names.  I accepted input but no one was willing to argue with me about which names I settled on because I’d been under so much stress during the pregnancy.  This time, we were all deciding together.

Having three girls on the way meant that everyone was willing to be more open to accepting girl’s names put forward by other people because there was always another daughter to have the girl’s name they preferred.  There was only one boy and anyone that had a name they liked or was special to them wanted it to be the one used.  So while the kids played with the dogs, we all sat around arguing about names.

“Hey, hey,” Steve said, putting his hands up.  “Maybe we need to write a list.”

Tony opened up a screen that we could all see.

“So for girls we have; Sarah, Rebecca, Kate, Thour, Torunn, Ada, Lyra, Rose, and Marya,” Steve said.  “And for boys we have; Paul, Thomas, William, Módi, Edwin, Ian, George, and Alex.”

“That’s more names than kids alright,” I joked as I helped myself to an egg salad sandwich.

“Should we vote?”  Natasha asked.  “I only suggested a girl’s name and Tony only suggested a boy’s name so we might be able to work it out through votes.”

“I don’t know about that,” Bucky argued.  “Some of those names are important.  Some are just names we like.”

“Maybe people who have names they wanted to be used already should get less of a vote this time,” Wanda suggested.  “I mean, Pietro is already named for my brother.  It is only fair that the names I suggested be put at the back of the line.”

“Does that mean El doesn’t get a say this time?”  Clint asked.  “I mean, Piet and Riley were named without a vote. She just decided.”

“Whose fault is that, Clint?” I snarked.

“Right,” he said, holding his hands up.  “I know.  Sorry, I was just asking.”

“Elise gets just as much a say as everyone else,” Steve said firmly.  “She may have selected Riley and Pietro’s names but she chose them based on people who were important to some of us.”

“Daddy, daddy, daddy,” Riley said, running flat out into the group, followed by Spotty.  She slammed into Sam’s side, drawing a soft ‘oof’ from him before grabbing his arm and pulling on it.  “Come, come pway.”

“Hold on, you monster.  We’re just trying to pick the names for your new brothers and sisters,” Sam explained, picking her up and tossing her in the air.  “After I finish my lunch I’ll play.”

“Why don’t you and Pietro get in the swings and I’ll push you,” Wanda suggested.  Riley seemed to think that was a good idea as she ran back off with the dalmatian on her heels.  When she and Pietro climbed up into their toddler swings, Wanda flicked her wrist and used her telekinesis to push them.

“Is it worth noting that Sarah was a name put forward by two people and so was Rebecca?”  I asked.

“That’s a good point,” Steve agreed.

“Plus those are family ones.  I’d really like to name one of my daughters after my sister,” Bucky said.  “And it was Bruce’s mom too right, Bruce?”

Bruce nodded.  “That’s right.  I would definitely like to honor my mother.  She was the only reason I made it through infancy.”

“And I’d like to use Sarah for the same reason,” Steve agreed.

“Plus Sarah was my late sister’s name,” Sam added.

“I’m fine with Sarah and Rebecca being two of the names,” I said.

“Anyone not okay with that?”  Tony asked.  When no one argued it, he moved the names Rebecca and Sarah to a new column.

“Was there any other girl’s names that were special to us?”  Steve asked.

“Marya was my mother’s name,” Wanda said, still flicking her wrist back and forth as she swung the kids.  The sounds of the squeals floating over to us.

“And Rose was the name I chose when I had a miscarriage,” Natasha said. “I know that’s not the same thing but… I feel attached to the name.”

Clint put his arm around her and rubbed her side.

“They’re both really pretty names,” I said.  “I’d be happy with either.”

There was a murmuring of agreement from the others. Tyr who seemed to be finished playing with the kids came over and curled up on Bucky’s lap and he started playing with the spaniel’s ears.

“I guess the question would be if either of you is happy to have the name as a middle name?  And if not, do you want to hold onto it in case we have any more children in the future.”

“I can wait,” Wanda said, caressing her stomach. “Pietro was named for my brother and I want to do this again.  Maybe not for a while but I love being pregnant.”

Tony moved the name Rose under Rebecca and Marya to a completely different line.

“Alright, we’re getting somewhere,” Steve said.  “Anyone not okay with any of these girls' names being middle names?”

“If we ever use Thour, I’d like it to be a first name,” Thor said.

“Same with Kate,” Clint added, and both names were moved to the row with Marya.

“Well that leaves three names, which is exactly what we need,” Bruce said.  “So let’s just see how they sound together.”

There was a little toing and froing, and at one point Clint and Sam got up to play with the kids while we argued about how the names sounded together.  In the end, we settled on Rebecca Torunn for the baby Natasha was carrying, and Sarah Lyra and Rose Ada for the twins.

“Alright we have eight boys’ names and one boy,” Steve said.  “How are we going to do this? What names are important to us?  Ian was my grandfather and George was Bucky’s dad.”

“Paul was my dad,” Sam added.

“Edwin was Jarvis’ first name,” Tony said.

“But all of you have also had a kid or more named after someone important to you,” I reasoned.  “Has anyone not done that?”

“Well you, and you’ve carried the most babies,” Sam said playfully.

“That is true. But I did also name the twins with no discussion,” I added.  “I don’t know if I have any names that I really love anyway.  I like having the names be important to all of you.”

“Seriously though, El,” Bruce said.  “All of us have put names forward and all of us have had at least one name that was important to us used already.  Isn’t there a name you grew up loving?  Or a family member who you did love?  A grandparent maybe?”

I shook my head and shrugged a little.  “I liked the name Nova I guess,” I said.  “But I’d much rather he be Edwin or Ian or Paul than Nova.”

“Not George?  Rude,” Bucky teased.

“Come on now, Buck,” I teased back.  “You have a common name like George and you don’t even use it.”

“Oh and Paul is so… uncommon,” he snarked.

“Anyway,” I said, rolling my eyes.  “Bucky, Steve, Sam, and Bruce now all have first names for kids.  Yes, Riley’s middle name comes from Tony’s mom, but given that this baby is one he specifically asked to have, I think it’s fair that we name him Edwin unless anyone has any huge objections to that.”

“I don’t!”  Tony joked.

When no one argued with it the name Edwin moved from the maybe pile to the list under Rebecca, Sarah, and Rose.  “Alright, Eddie is gonna need a middle name,” Tony said.

“I say George,” Bucky said.  “Seeing as Elise just seriously dissed my dad’s name.”

I smothered a laugh and pushed him.  He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me back so we were both lying on the ground.  I squealed and started wrestling with him and soon the dogs and then the twins were trying to get in on the action too.  “Bucky!”  I squealed as I struggled under him.  “This isn’t how you get what you want!”

“Really?”  He asked as he started tickling me.  “I think it’s gonna work.”

“Stop it!  I’m gonna pee myself!”  I squealed.

“Daddy!  You weave mommy awone!”  Pietro said, protectively pushing Bucky to get him off me.

Bucky sat up laughing.  “Oh no, I’m sorry, peanut.  I shouldn’t be so mean to mommy should I?”

Pietro put his hands on his hips and huffed.  He looked so much like a mini Steve that it would have been easy to forget that Clint was actually his biological dad.  “Oh man,” Tony laughed.  “Cap version 2.0.”

“Thank you, Piet,” I said, pulling him into my arms and cuddling him.  “We were just playing.”

“Otay, mommy,” he said, snuggling up to me.

“Daddy Bucky wants your little brother’s name to be Edwin George Skjodbærer.  What do you think?”  I asked.

Pietro seemed to think about it for a moment and nodded his head.  “Is good.”

Steve chuckled.  “Well, I think the king has spoken.  Edwin George?”

Everyone nodded in agreement and Tony moved George next to Edwin in the list.  “That’s one more thing done,” he said.  “Now all we really need to do is stock up on baby supplies and hire the nannies.”

“There is one other thing we need to work on,” Steve said seriously and looked at me.  “We need to figure out how to get rid of El’s stress.”

I frowned and nodded.  It was definitely something I needed to work out, but I was afraid that any steps I took might just make it worse.  Whatever the case was, I need to go speak to my mother and hope that I could get some kind of closure for good.

// NEXT

[krakenbait]

kraken bait 3: the moment of truth

the moment is finally upon us! no, not the actual expansion draft, that’s in 10 days. i mean my last (but best) installment of the kraken bait expansion draft theories! 

this has been a long, long work in progress, basically since i posted the last one. i’ve asked nearly every hockey fan i know, as well as randomly messaging several friends and cool people on hockeyblr, for their ideas and opinions on their favorite team’s expansion draft situation. and as with my previous lists, i had my friend and capfriendly consultant corwin (@chaos-hockey) collaborating with me to make this semi-reasonable (largely against their wishes). i’ll be including commentary from myself and my variety of sources with each pick. 

for reference, this is a somewhat plausible look at who seattle might take in the expansion draft. it’s not a prediction, because even i don’t honestly think the kraken will take some of these players, but it’s a fun simulation. it does follow expansion draft rules, and even comes under the cap (which took some last-minute finagling by me and corwin).

without further ado, let’s get into it! this list got long, so it’s all under the cut.

Anaheim Ducks: Haydn Fleury

this one comes straight from resident danton heinen fan, ergo ducks fan @dantonheinens, so thanks for your help casey! they sent me a very detailed explanation of anaheim’s expansion draft situation basically explaining that there’s a whole lot of “ands, ifs, or buts” with the ducks, but if fleury is exposed, he’s a slam dunk (slam duck? i’m sorry)

Arizona Coyotes: Christian Fischer

the one thing i know about this dude is he got wrecked in a fight with nathan mackinnon in the 2020 playoffs. this is the first of several picks on this list i borrowed from The Athletic’s mock expansion drafts, which happens if i don’t know the team and i don’t know anyone else who does. corwin and i also considered taking adin hill from the yotes, but we decided on some other goalies instead (stay tuned).

Boston Bruins: Jeremy Lauzon

i have a lot of friends who are bruins fans, so credits are owed to: corwin, casey again, alex (@patron-saint-of-boston-hockey) & luna (@kureally) & any other bruins fans in the nwhl discord, and my irl bruins friends. i got a lot of opinions on the bruins pick, including jake debrusk, jakub zboril, connor clifton, and trent frederic. but the one name almost everyone could agree on was lauzon. therefore, i’ve decided he’s headed to seattle. 

(it feels worth it to mention that at the prospect of having to take someone from the bruins, corwin said “curses be upon your name!” in an aggressively thick boston accent)

Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Asplund

i could not tell you who this is, other than the fact that he’s one of buffalo’s three rasmuses (rasmi?). corwin and i had also talked about maybe putting anders bjork here, like i did in the last go-around, but i defaulted to The Athletic this time, and they thought asplund was a good pick, so here we are.

Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano

another pick borrowed from The Athletic, but i’ve seen predictions of giordano to the kraken a fair amount. it just seems right (and a whole lot better than corwin’s proposition of matthew tkachuk from last round).

Carolina Hurricanes: Brady Skjei

this one comes from the lovely @summerteukka, so thank you kinga! she gave me a very good rundown on the canes and the expansion draft, with the conclusion being the canes have so much defensive depth that it’s definitely going to be a defenseman, and especially if they resign dougie hamilton, skjei seems to be a likely choice. i’m all for it- we’ll have “an S and a K and a J all next to each other” on a kraken jersey.

Chicago: Adam Gaudette

similarly to the arizona pick, corwin and i considered a goalie here- in this case, it would have been malcolm subban. but he is not one of the goalies we ended up going for. instead, we opted on bringing micaela gaudette and her husband back to the pacific northwest. 

Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Graves

this is really a no-brainer. gravy is a good defenseman, but the avs have such a strong defense between cale makar, devon toews, and sam girard (and you could add erik johnson when he’s healthy), plus up-and-comers like bo byram. gravy will almost definitely be exposed, and i think he’s a great pick for seattle. plus it’s relatively painless for avs fans who also will like seattle (like yours truly).

(corwin also wanted me to mention that they want gravy traded to the bruins so he can play with curtis hall, who is basically “color-swapped ryan graves”)

Columbus Blue Jackets: Dean Kukan

another pick taken right from The Athletic. i do not know who this is, but he’s a defenseman and the writers liked this pick so i went with it. for the record, corwin really wanted this pick to be boone jenner because he has a funky name, but i wanted another defenseman, so the fun name was sacrificed for function.

Dallas Stars: Jason Dickinson

i don’t really have an explanation for this one. corwin and i were talking about the stars options and picking dickinson just felt right.

Detroit Red Wings: Vladislav Namestnikov

thanks are owed here to joce (@doubleminor) for her red wings expertise! she gave me a few players who were likely kraken bait and i picked from there. it came down to evgeny svechnikov and vladislav namestnikov, but i went with namestnikov in the end. he was with the avs for a brief period and i liked him then, plus the vibes just seem right, so here we are.

Edmonton Oilers: Tyson Barrie

really, tyson barrie was the player who started the whole kraken bait thing. corwin made the drawing, i made the first list, and the rest is history. do i actually think tyson will be going to the kraken in a week? not really. do i still really like the idea of it? 100%. therefore, i will continue to engage in my “tyson barrie to seattle” nonsense.

Florida Panthers: Chris Driedger

oh look, our first goalie! florida had some interesting skater options, but when it came down to it, corwin and i thought the cats were a good place to take a goalie from. driedger did pretty well this season, plus the panthers’ goalie situation is locked up between $10 million man bobrovsky and future star spencer knight.

Los Angeles Kings: Viktor Arvidsson

corwin was feeling pretty strong about this one, so i’m trusting their judgement. according to them, seattle expressed interest in arvidsson, so nashville traded him to the kings instead of giving him up for nothing. now the kings get to give him up for nothing, which works out pretty well, considering i had absolutely no clue who to pick from the kings. 

Minnesota Wild: Matt Dumba

like some other picks, this just seems right. i like matt dumba a lot. he seems like a fun and wholesome guy, and his activism, both on his own and with the hockey diversity alliance, is admirable. i hope he gets to display his personality and keep working to better the sport of hockey with the kraken.

Montreal Canadiens: Jake Allen

goalie number two! picking a player from the habs was weird because i got attached to them during the playoffs, but i really don’t know many of their players? so corwin and i deliberated on this a little, and after looking at our goalie situation, decided that allen was the right pick from montreal. 

Nashville Predators: Calle Jarnkrok

after doing art for and getting a featured article from the preds, corwin thinks they’re some kind of nashville expert. i originally had matt duchene here, but corwin said not him. their logic? they did art of duchene for their preds project, so they probably want to keep him around. fair point. so we went with calle jarnkrok. the logic behind that choice was simple: “calle jarn-kraken”

New Jersey Devils: Andreas Johnsson

i wish i kept a counter of how many times corwin told me “ron francis doesn’t care about your feelings!” when we were discussing the devils pick. they kept advocating for either nate bastian or mikey mcleod, but i would not stand for the superbuddies being separated. this is my kraken bait list, so my decisions. i asked a few of my devils friends for their input (props to sabs @jakejuentzel and h @bigmouthnatebastian), and in between the mild panic, andreas johnsson got tossed out. therefore, it’s mango getting shipped to seattle. does it further lower the average age of the devils? yeah, but it’ll be fine! the nhl could use some youthful chaos.

New York Islanders: Jordan Eberle

all of my kraken bait ideas for the isles came from the bardown breakdown podcast (a great listen if you like hockey and pop-punk/punk music!), since both hosts are isles fans. they had a few names tossed out, including josh bailey and casey cizikas, but corwin and i decided on eberle. like with a lot of these, right vibes.

New York Rangers: Kevin Rooney

i’ve seen two names pretty consistently for rangers kraken bait: colin blackwell and kevin rooney. is blackwell is better and therefore the more likely pick? yes. but kevin rooney is a former devil and also mocked tom wilson, so i voted he gets to go seattle.

Ottawa Senators: Chris Tierney

i don’t think i could name more than three, maybe four players on the sens, so i defaulted to The Athletic on this one. i have no idea who chris tierney is, but it works, so there we go.

Philadelphia Flyers: James Van Riemsdyk

@phillyjoel left some fantastic notes on the flyers kraken bait in the tags of my last list, giving me good evidence to tell corwin that for the last time, nolan patrick is not kraken bait. the argument i saw was that the flyers are probably going to trade patrick instead of giving him up for nothing and make cap space by giving away van riemsdyk or voracek. The Athletic liked the van riemsdyk pick, and corwin could live with it, so that’s where we settled.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Zach Aston-Reese

i honestly don’t have a whole lot of explanation for this one. another pick borrowed from The Athletic, corwin and i liked it, there we go. we considered going with kris letang, but the vibes weren’t right.

San Jose Sharks: Ryan Donato

shoutout to my sharks friend and amazing artist K (@18minutemajor) for their help! i originally had brent burns in this slot, on K’s suggestion (we had a fantastic exchange about brent burns befriending bigfoot). however, i ran into last-minute cap trouble and had to switch the pick. ryan donato came from The Athletic, but i think it’s kind of a fun pick. he’s been passed between a few teams recently, but most of what i know of ryan donato comes from the 2018 olympics (aka the first time i really watched hockey!), when he was apparently doing pretty well for team usa. 

St. Louis Blues: Vince Dunn

thank you @powerblais (and the blues fans group chat) for your input on this one! vince dunn was one of the names on the list erin sent me, and The Athletic also had him listed, so we went with it. 

Tampa Bay Lightning: Blake Coleman

thanks @heddy for responding to my out-of-the-blue message with some good input on the bolts! ana gave me some good suggestions like tyler johnson plus something else so they take on the contract, alex killorn, and ondrej palat. in the end, this devils fan defaulted to pickles. this pick is in the same category as tyson barrie- do i actually think coleman is going to the kraken? not really. do i still like the idea? absolutely.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Travis Dermott

borrowed from The Athletic and some other kraken bait predictions, because everyone has something to say about the leafs. corwin and i waffled between dermott and alexander kerfoot for this pick, but we eventually settled on dermott to seattle.

Vancouver Canucks: Madison Bowey

this pick changed so much in just one day. we originally had braden holtby here because original kraken bait, but then i ran into cap trouble. so i switched it to zack macewen, following a pick by The Athletic. but then i wanted one or two more defensemen, so i switched to madison bowey, who was the other pick from The Athletic. after all that, it seems like the right pick.

Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek

our third and final goalie! corwin and i had our eyes on vanecek as kraken bait for a while- a young goalie with promise and room to improve seemed like the right pick for seattle. we briefly considered tj oshie--he’s from washington state, and corwin wanted to upset caps fans (we were talking during the first round of the playoffs)--but ended up back with vanecek as our pick.

Winnipeg Jets: Mason Appleton

last pick of the list! not much to say here, though. it’s a pick borrowed from The Athletic, but we went with him over the other option from the jets because he has a fun name. to quote corwin, mason appleton sounds like “an apple pie in a mason jar on skates.”

and there you have it folks, the final kraken bait list! if you want to know the specifics, we’ve got 3 goalies, 16 forwards, and 11 defensemen, and the total cap hit is 76.4M. i’m pretty doubtful that this will be the actual expansion draft lineup, but we’ll have to see how many, if any, picks corwin and i got right. 

thanks again to everyone who helped me out, and i hope you enjoyed the chaos and commentary of the kraken bait lists!

[spohkh]

miracle on cornelia street [dean/castiel]

so BASICALLY sarah @adanceinasnowglobe and i were talking about what everyone would be up to post-series -- yknow, like, now that theyre all safe and healthy n everythings cool and destiel is officially together. yknow. as happened in canon -- and we were like so obviously destiel get a house, and thats kind of the basis of this verse so !! this is the foundational fic for what i HOPE will be a series of fun lil day-in-the-life drabbles, from both me and sarah!! 

ehehehe :-) enjoy!

read on AO3

The house is a quaint thing, sitting low and snug under a pair of shady oak trees in a quiet suburb just outside of downtown Lawrence. Its brickwork face is weathered—definitely in need of a good power wash—and the roof is just as worn. The bottom step to the porch slants unevenly, and the porch itself has cracks in the concrete. There are chips in the paint on the window frames, the iron porch railing is rusting, and who knows when the gutters were last given a proper cleaning.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but standing there in the small front lawn, Dean Winchester can’t say if he’s ever seen anyplace else so perfect as the house at 3767 Cornelia Street. Dean’s house—his home. His home with Cas.

“Can you believe it?” he quietly says to Miracle, who has been sitting patiently by Dean’s leg. Miracle tilts her head and wags her tail. Dean looks back up at the house. “Yeah, me neither.”

The sound of a familiar car rumbling up the road snaps Dean out of his reverie. He rubs a knuckle at his eye and clears his throat and tries to look like he hadn’t been standing in his front yard about to cry while talking to his dog, christ.

The car rolls to a stop on the curb just in front of the house. The driver’s side door opens, and Sam slowly unfolds his ridiculous limbs as he gets out. It’s always a wonder how he can fit himself into a car at all. Sam gives a dorky little wave as he ambles over to where Dean is standing.

Dean peers behind Sam, trying to see into the car. “What, no Eileen?”

“Hello to you, too. Dick,” he replies snarkily. “She’s wrapping up a work thing. She’ll come over when she’s done.”

Dean sucks his teeth in disappointment. “Ah, well. Guess you can go home then.” Sam shoves at his shoulder. Dean just laughs and pulls Sam in for a proper hello hug.

“Why are you standing out here, anyway?” Sam asks when they part.

“Can’t a man just hang out in his own front yard? Accompanied by a dashing canine companion?” He leans down to pat Miracle on the head.

“I guess…” Sam looks down at Miracle. When she tips her head up and gazes back at him, Sam snorts.

“What?”

“Miracle on Cornelia Street,” Sam says with mirth.

Dean squints at him. “What?” he repeats, now more incredulous.

“You know—like Miracle on 34th Street. But we’re on Cornelia, so.” He nods down at the dog. “Miracle on Cornelia Street.”

“Dude.” Dean rolls his eyes at Sam’s goofy grin and starts walking up the path to the house, Miracle trotting behind him. “Shut up and come inside already.”

Sam follows after him, pausing just inside the threshold as he spots something on the doorframe. “Oh, classy,” he says, throwing a sardonic look to where D.W. and C.W. are scratched into the wood.

“Just wait,” Dean jokes with a toothy smile, “when I got the time I’m gonna draw a little heart around it.” He was joking, but now that he said it, he kind of wanted to.

Cas looks up from the stove when they walk into the dining room. He’s wearing one of Dean’s old AC/DC tees, the logo all but worn away from being washed so many times. He’s usually in some ratty tee or other when lounging around these days. But in honor of Sam’s visit today (Cas’ words) and to seem a little more dressy short of donning his usual button-downs (Dean’s private opinion), he’s also wearing the cable-knit cardigan Sam got him as a gift last Christmas. “Hi, Sam.”

Sam leans against the counter that separates the dining and kitchen areas, craning his giraffe neck to catch a glimpse at the stove. “Hey, Cas! What’cha cooking?”

“Nothing. Dean made it. I was just watching the pot so it didn’t boil over.” He locks eyes with Dean, his intent stare very clearly communicating I did not touch the chili I added nothing I did not touch the dial I was just watching it like you asked so don’t even start.

Dean just smiles as he walks past the counter and steps into Cas’ space. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he says, and busses Cas on the cheek.

“You’re welcome,” Cas replies warmly. He’s gazing up at Dean with those summer afternoon blue eyes, standing in one of Dean’s shirts and that dorky cardigan, and Dean starts to get full of that feeling from out in the front yard again. If they were alone, Dean would probably say something recklessly sappy like I am so stupid in love with you.

As it is, Dean clears his throat and turns back to Sam, slinging an arm around Cas’ shoulders, and says, “He did the salad.”

Cas sneaks him a knowing look before, thankfully, putting his attention on Sam without commenting on Dean’s hasty redirection. “I did the salad,” Cas agrees blithely, and places the salad bowl on the counter for Sam to see, seeming pleased with himself.

Sam looks between the two of them, an amused tilt to his eyebrow that Dean implicitly distrusts. He’s definitely thinking mocking thoughts about the two of them. But he just quirks a smile and says, “It looks great.” Shrewd little diplomat.

Cas shifts to the side to see past Sam’s shoulder. Sam glances behind himself before shooting Cas a confused look.

“She’s still at work,” Dean tells Cas, guessing who he’s looking for. “Sadly.”

“What, am I not good enough?”

“Of course you are,” Cas promises earnestly, just as Dean says, “Well…”

Sam’s opening his mouth to retort, probably something absolutely scathing, when his phone chimes. He pulls it out of his pocket, a smile spreading over his face. “Speak of the devil,” he says, then tips his head with a grimace, “as it were. That was Eileen. She’ll be here soon, so I’m gonna go wash up.”

“Bathroom’s down the hall—“

“Dude, I know where it is. I did help you guys move in.”

Dean spreads his hands in assent. “Fine, christ, I swear never to be a good host to you in my home ever again. Go ahead and go take your dump now.”

“I’m not gonna—ohmygodnevermind.” He turns on his heel and huffs down the hall, Miracle trotting after him, the tags on her collar clinking together jauntily.

Dean reaches past Cas to turn the burner off, then lands his hand on Cas’ hip. “Have I told you today how cute you are in that sweater?”

“Yes.” Cas brings his hands up to cradle Dean’s face. “Four times.”

“Make it five.” Dean kisses him. He pulls Cas into a hug, pressing his face against Castiel’s shoulder. They sway into each other. After a warm moment, Dean says in a low voice, “The first family dinner in our house.”

Cas hums a soft, contented sound in agreement. “The first of many,” he responds, just as quiet. Dean squeezes him tighter. He knows they’re both thinking about Jack and Claire, their bedrooms sitting empty and waiting for whenever they can find the time to visit—and Kaia and Alex and Jody with Claire, if they can, and Charlie and her girlfriend, and Bobby, and all the other wayward extensions of their sprawling family caught out in the wind. Their house isn’t big enough to host everyone, but with Sam and Eileen up the block and the bunker just a few miles out, there’s plenty of room to put up people who come out their way. Dean has the hope that 3767 Cornelia Street becomes a common pitstop for folks—a suburban Roadhouse, a tidier (much tidier) Singer Salvage.

Dean presses a kiss against Cas’ neck, and Cas breathes a sweet little sigh that pushes all thoughts about future dinners right out the window. Fuck, this dinner could go out the window, for all he cares. He kisses a little higher up, right under Cas’ jawline, before pulling back to catch Castiel’s darkened gaze. “How ‘bout we ditch the nag and go have a private party of our own?”

“Dean, no. I worked really hard on that salad.” He sounds perfectly serious, but the playful glint in his eye gives him away. Dean snorts, mumbling oh, forgive me, Chef Cas as he leans in again.

Just as they kiss, Sam walks back in. “Hey, I think something’s wrong with your sink–- oh, sorry.”

“Huh?” Dean reluctantly pulls away as Sam clears his throat, looking sheepish. “What’s wrong with what, Sammy?”

“Uh, with your bathroom.”

“The bathroom? Oh, what, you clogged the toilet?”

“Wha— N—  I DID NOT SHIT IN YOUR BATHROOM.”

“Then how did the toilet get messed up?”

“It’s the SINK, the SINK—”

“You took a shit in the sink?”

Cas pinches the bridge of his nose. “Dean…”

“What? He started it.”

“Started WHAT?”

Dean snaps his fingers. “The end of the world.”

“Oh! My god!”

“I guess technically, yeah, since god is our kid...” He turns to Cas. “Weird, weird lives we lead.”

Cas just shakes his head, clearly exasperated. Sam has given up on speaking completely and has fallen back on making a gesture like he’s one second away from grabbing Dean by the throat.

“I was there for all twelve years of it,” Sam says to Cas, “and I still can’t believe you stayed with this guy.”

“Well,” Cas muses serenely, “you’ve been here a lot longer than me.”

Sam grimaces when Dean throws him his best shit-eating grin. Nothing like his two favorite people bonding over how much of a pain he is.

The sound of the front door opening distracts them, and then a voice calls, “Knock knock! The life of the party has arrived!”

“Eileen!” Sam exclaims happily. Miracle takes off down the hall, Sam hot on her heels.

Dean chuckles at Sam’s unabashed excitement, then gives Castiel another peck on the cheek before moving away from him. “Can you put everything out on the table? I’ll go check out the bathroom sitch real quick.”

Cas catches his hand as he starts to leave, softly saying his name. When Dean looks back at him, Cas smiles and says, “I love you.”

Dean wonders if maybe three time’s the charm and he should just give in to what his body wants him to do. If a man has a right to stand around and cry messily anywhere in his own home, surely the kitchen would be the place to do it. The kitchen, after all, is the heart of any house.

But Dean doesn’t. He indulges in a little sniffle, Cas’ eyes glimmering with knowing in the soft light. Dean brings Cas’ hand to his mouth and kisses the neat gold band around his finger, and he kisses each peaked knuckle, and he turns Cas’ hand over and kisses his palm and his wrist. Then he lets go and puts his own hand against Cas’ cheek, and says his recklessly sappy thing: “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

And the glowing feeling inside him doesn’t settle, only grows brighter.

Whatever’s wrong with the sink will be just one more thing to a long list of shit to deal with. Their house needs work, no denying. But Dean knows they’ve got plenty of time.

[our-time-is-now]

June 16, 2019 (1): Labels

(previous play)

You can find more information about the authors, translators, content warning and additional information about the plays in the pinned post on our blog.

Tuesday, 12:13 pm:

David: *had just taken a shower and brought his stuff back to the tent* *saw that everyone is more or less relaxing – Matteo, Mia, Amira and Abdi on the jetty, the rest in the water* *decides to make himself some hot chocolate and then join them* *therefore goes back to the cabin and sees Alex sitting on the porch with a book, his feet comfortably propped up on a chair* *briefly smiles at him and then goes inside* *spontaneously decides to join him and fixes two hot chocolates* *then goes outside again and puts one of the mugs down on the table next to Alex before sitting down next to him with the other mug* Hey… *smirks at the book* What book is so exciting that you prefer it over the others’ company?

Alex: *briefly looks up when David walks past him and nods at him* *looks back up when he comes out of the cabin again* *takes the bookmark from the table and closes the book when he sees that he’s joining him* *looks from the hot chocolate to him with a smile* *briefly wonders if it is fate that the people he somehow gets along with drink hot chocolate with him* Thanks… *then grins slightly and holds the book up so that he can see it* Ironically: “Conversations with friends”… *hands it over to him in case he wants to read the blurb* Is quite good… *takes a sip of his hot chocolate* And what about you? Didn’t feel like lake and jetty?

David: *sees that Alex has closed his book and takes this as a good sign that he’s not interrupting his reading, but that Alex is willing to talk to him* *nods at the hot chocolate and murmurs* Sure… *has learned through the flatshare that apparently Mia and Alex are the hot-chocolate-type just like Matteo and he, even though they have never had hot chocolate together before* *has to smile at the thought that the four of them might one day sit in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate* *then looks at the book Alex is holding up for him and laughs quietly* How fitting… may I? *takes the book and reads the blurb* *then nods and hands it back to him* Sounds good… *stretches a little and then also pulls a chair closer so that he can put his feet up as well* *shakes his head at Alex’ question* No, not really. Sometimes a little quiet isn’t so bad, either… *laughs quietly* I’m really surprised that no one had cabin fever, yet. But it also says a lot about the group of friends…

Alex: *nods slightly and puts the book back on the table* Yes, it is… *nods again at his comment* I told you… *then shakes his head* Oh, I think that’ll still happen, to be honest. Carlos would be a candidate, or Abdi. *sees David’s questioning look and has to smirk* Abdi is annoyed by the couples but doesn’t want to show it because they’re his friends, and Carlos is annoyed that he barely has time alone with Kiki, because she’s constantly doing something else. You and Matteo would also be good candidates, but you’re quite good at taking yourself out of a situation if you need time for yourselves. *laughs slightly at his look and shrugs one shoulder* I don’t talk much, but I see a lot.

David: *looks at Alex in disbelief when he predicts that the cabin fever will still come and then listens to him while he gives him reasons for each of the candidates* *draws up his eyebrows with a grin when he’s finished and is a little surprised about how good of an overview of the situation Alex seems to have* *then laughs at his next words and nods* I can see that… *takes a sip of hot chocolate and shrugs* To some extent, Matteo and I had our cabin fever with the binder-fight, but it’s true, we do take ourselves out of the situation if we need time for ourselves… *smiles slightly and says* Mia and you do that, as well… *then thinks* Okay, but then I think my bet is more on Carlos… I can’t really imagine it with Abdi… and Hanna and Jonas… no idea, I think those two are really chill… *is also thinking about Amira and Sam but can’t really imagine either of those two getting cabin fever*

Alex: *laughs slightly and nods* Yes, Mia and I do that as well… that’s why I didn’t say our names. And it wasn’t an accusation, on the contrary. *then nods when he says Carlos’ name* Yes, you’re probably right. Abdi would be more likely to keep it to himself or to just tell Carlos that it annoys him. *then nods at David’s other assumptions* Definitely not Hanna and Jonas. They like being amongst people way too much. For them it’s enough if the other one is also there. And Amira surely thought about this in advance, she knew what she was getting into, she won’t get cabin fever. *thinks about who they forgot and then says* And Sam is always in too much of a good mood. I mean: really all the time. Can’t really imagine her getting annoyed at some point.

David: *looks at him in amusement when he also tells him his reasoning for the others and nods at everything* *then laughs quietly* I think that’s all there is to say about this. You really have a good overview, oh man… *takes another sip and then says* Okay, let’s wait and see. We still have a few days… *keeps quiet for a moment and then changes the topic* Did Mia already tell you that Hans wants to cook for all of us on Sunday? This time, he explicitly mentioned that you and I are also supposed to come! *still remembers the cooking night where Alex and he had been excluded and now thinks that on nights where Hans doesn’t want to include them, they could actually spend them together in the future*

Alex: *shakes his head in amusement* Woohoooo, I have the overview. *but then nods when David says to wait and see* *then nods again* Yes, she told me. We’re really living up to the fact that we joined the group later. Even Hans can no longer deny my existence… *shrugs one shoulder when David looks at him questioningly* Oh, I think he doesn’t really like me… but only because he loves Mia so much, I think. A little like a mother who is worried that her child is taken away from her. *also thinks about the night where Hans had explicitly only invited the people from the flatshare* *thinks that he’ll soon be out of this, anyways* Well, once Mia is in Madrid, that’s not gonna be an issue, anyways. Then he doesn’t have to pretend to accept me.

David: *looks at Alex questioningly when he talks about joining the group later and about Hans and then immediately gets an explanation* *somehow has a thousand questions in his head because he feels like he can’t really estimate the situation as Hans rarely gives him the feeling of not being welcome – apart from his attempt at a more serious conversation in the beginning* *therefore shrugs at first when he hears Alex’ words before he says* Well, I’m not aware of thaaaat much. I can’t really judge the situation. I think he just likes it when his flock is around him and he doesn’t like it if some of them get lost. If Matteo and I are at my place for a few days, he asks really often when we’ll show up at the flatshare again. I think he also does that with Mia, right? They have this WhatsApp group for their flatshare… So if I were you, I wouldn’t take it too personal. He probably just wants everyone to be at home. *looks at him from the side when he talks about Madrid and grins slightly* Maybe you should still just come over to the flatshare more often. You can come visit Matteo and me. Would be interesting to see Hans’ reaction when he realizes that you’re also there without Mia. Besides, it’s only three months where she’s gone. After that, he would probably continue to bug her about it whenever she spends a few days at your place. *shrugs* I don’t think that Hans is the type of person who just pretends to accept someone. He’s quite clear about what he wants. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said that he didn’t want us there at that one cooking night.

Alex: *listens to David attentively* *thinks about whether Hans had ever been unwelcoming and thinks that David is probably right* Yeah, well, we really are at my place more often than at the flatshare… it just lends itself, you know? *is a little surprised when David invites him* *has to smirk a little* Do you think our bond is ready for making real plans and not just for accidental run-ins in the hallway? *grins, but then nods briefly* But yes, why not? *but then thinks about when that is* But that time is also your surgery and recuperation period, right? Do you really want to have people around you all the time?

David: *nods when Alex says that it lends itself that they spend more time at his place and grins slightly* More alone-time, of course. *then laughs when Alex mentions their bond and shrugs* You said that you barely have any contact with the people from your old year… but you’re reading a book with the title “conversations with friends”… so far, you’ve never really rejected a conversation with me… so I’ll just foolishly make the assumption that you are interested in further deepening our /bond/… *makes air quotes* …so yeah, I do think that we’re ready for making real plans… otherwise we really won’t see each other much – apart from accidental run-ins in the hallway and in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom… *then smiles when he agrees* Cool… *then grins again slightly when he mentions the surgery and the recuperation period* I think that I’ll be glad to have /normal/ people around me every now and again and not only the ones who constantly fuss over me once I’m feeling a little better again…

Alex: *listens to him in amusement when he talks about their bond* *thinks that David is a real phenomenon, because he usually doesn’t talk much, either, but as soon as it gets personal, he uses a lot of words to express himself* *nods slowly and with a smirk and only says* Yes, I also think that we’re ready. *then laughs at his last words* “Normal” people that don’t fuss over you? Should I mention that you told me that in front of Matteo and Hans? *takes another sip of hot chocolate* No, but I get it. It can be really exhausting if people worry about you like that. *looks at him in amusement* How much “care” do I have to expect when I give you the injection?

David: *grins when he hears his question* You won’t be able to stop Hans, even if you told him… neither with my sister… or Matteo… *briefly presses his lips together and then says hesitantly* Matteo knows that he’s sometimes too worried about me… but somehow it’s also okay for me… I think it would be the same if it were the other way round… *shrugs and says* You can’t just turn off your worries… I don’t want to shut him out or forbid him to worry. I do want to take him serious… and it’s not that bad… *then laughs briefly when he mentions the injection and runs a hand over his face* No clue, to be honest. Maybe he’ll be really cool, maybe not. I’ll talk to him about it again beforehand…

Alex: *listens to him when he talks about Matteo and somehow recognizes himself in it* *would also be worried about Mia, but knows that Mia would probably mind that more than David does, because Mia would think that it would undermine her independence* I don’t think being worried is that bad, it’s also a sign of affection. *then hears that David doesn’t know how Matteo will react* I guess you can talk to him about it as much as you want. When it’s time, he probably won’t be able to hold himself back. We’ll see.

David: *nods a little in relief that Alex seems to understand Matteo and that he doesn’t find it exaggerated* *really thinks that Matteo’s way of reacting to worries is sometimes a little worrisome and thinks that this is one of the reason why it’s important that the people in his life also take his worries serious instead of downplaying them* Yes, I agree. It basically just shows that I’m important to him. *then smiles slightly when Alex says that talking probably won’t help much* What matters is that you don’t screw up the injection because of it… *grins slightly and then asks* Why did you even have to do thrombosis injections? Did you have to be on bedrest for a longer period of time?

Alex: *watches him as he talks about Matteo* *but can’t really read him well enough, yet, to see that David is also worried about Matteo* Yes, definitely. *shakes his head* Don’t worry. If it gets too much, I’ll just kick him out. *then grins slightly at his question* I fell down the stairs, wasn’t really that bad, but I had a cast for a couple of weeks and had to do injections against thrombosis…

David: *shakes his head and laughs quietly* I don’t think that you can just kick him out so easily… but let’s wait and see… *really hopes that it won’t be so bad that Alex has to kick Matteo out because he also thinks that it’s important for Matteo to see with his own eyes that nothing is happening to him and that everything is okay* *that’s one of the main reasons he wants him there* *then listens to Alex when he tells him about his accident and nods* *then grins slightly* And since you are a tough guy you said that you can do it yourself and don’t want to constantly go to the doctor for that…

Alex: *also grins* Is he really that cool? Is he really such a tough guy? Or did the doctor maybe simply not give him a choice? *shakes his head* No, the doctor really gave me the choice, but I never had a problem with doing the injections myself, so I did it myself… *shrugs* The trick is to pretend that it’s not your leg. So with you, that really shouldn’t be a problem.

David: *gives him the secretary’s-office-look when Alex teases him, but then nods happily when he does get a serious answer* Be glad that you don’t have a problem with it. I wish I could say the same… then I wouldn’t have to go see a doctor every 3 to 4 weeks… *then grins when he tells him about his trick* I think I wouldn’t really have any problems with it, either, if it weren’t my own leg… sometimes I think that it might just need some practice or that you would just have to bring yourself to do it at first but then it would get better… *laughs quietly* But so far, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it… *looks at him* Did it immediately go well? Or did you also have to bring yourself to do it at first?

Alex: *nods* Yes, I get it… unfortunately for you it’s permanent, I only had to do it for a couple of weeks. *then shakes his head* When the doctor showed me, I didn’t have any problems, when I had to do it at home for the first time, it was more difficult. But I got lucky and managed to get even the first injection done really well and it didn’t really hurt more than when the doctor did it, and afterwards I managed quite well… *looks at him and then asks a little more hesitantly* And what will it be like after the surgery? Do you still have to get injections that often?

David: *listens to him and really considers maybe asking the doctor to show him and to try it himself* *so far, has always gotten his injectins from a doctor, and only in the butt, and plans on closely observing Alex on Thursday* *nods at his words and takes another sip of hot chocolate* *exhales when he hears his next question and look over to him* *hesitates briefly but then shakes his head* It has to be adjusted afterwards – not because of the mastectomy… I… during the surgery I’ll also have my ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus removed, and therefore my body will produce less estrogen and will also need less testosterone. It will probably be changed from a 3-4 week rhythm to a 4-5-week rhythm… but like I said, it first has to be tested and takes some experimenting… *has turned a little red and is also a little restless and nervous because it’s so unusual to talk about this with someone other than Matteo or his sister* *briefly gnaws on his bottom lip and takes another sip of his hot chocolate*

Alex: *listens to him interestedly and nods while he talks* *notices only afterwards that David is nervous and realizes that it had been really personal* But that sounds good. To have everything removed at the same time, I mean. And if that means fewer injections, then that’s even better, isn’t it? *looks at him questioningly for a moment* *doesn’t really like to admit when he’s a little insecure, but thinks that David deserves it after being so honest* I tried to do some research after you asked me about the injection. But somehow you don’t find a lot of information, or to be honest, a lot of vague information online… it always says that there are different options and it always says that everyone’s reaction is different and everyone deals with things differently… so if I say or ask something stupid, then just tell me, okay? I know that Sam annoyed you with her questions and… well… I don’t want to annoy you, okay?

David: *nods when Alex says that it sounds good* Yes, I agree. *is still a little nervous but also thinks that it’s somehow a good thing that Alex knows about it – that the others will also eventually learn of it somehow, even if it’s shortly after his surgery when they realize that he doesn’t only have scars on his chest but also on his abdomen* *is still a little lost in his thoughts when he suddenly hears Alex say something again but quickly looks at him and listens to him in concentration* *smiles while he listens to him because he’s so happy that Alex was trying to inform himself a little* *immediately shakes his head at the end of his little speech and reassures him* You don’t annoy me! *briefly runs his hand over his face and groans quietly* It was something completely different with Sam. First of all the tone of voice and the choice of words… and then… I don’t know, I felt like she didn’t ask because she’s really interested… because she’s really interested in /me/ but just for…sensationalism? I don’t know… I mean Carlos sometimes also has a very clumsy way of asking questions, but with him, it’s just obvious to me that he’s really interested. I mean, he also did some research and is super proud about his knowledge – that’s somehow… really nice! *shrugs* And yes, the stuff on the internet is sometimes a little misleading because every trans man is different. You can’t really generalize much. *finally gets to his point* But no, you don’t say anything stupid and I think it’s really cool that you tried to do some research! *thinks that sometimes he would also like to be able to do some research on Alex, because he still knows hardly anything about him*

Alex: *hears that he doesn’t annoy him and smiles slightly* *then nods slowly when he tells him about Sam and Carlos and can really understand his feelings about that* Yes, I understand that, with Carlos it’s about you, with Sam it’s somehow only about the topic itself. *nods again* Yes that was also my impression during research, that it’s all really depending on the individual. *then smiles a little more when he says that it’s cool that he did some research* Like I said, I tried. But I somehow also thought that it’s up to you what you want to tell me and what not. It’s also stupid to just read some stuff online and to expect it to apply to you. I also don’t want people to google “white, rich son” and think that this is who I am.

David: *nods when Alex summarizes the difference between Sam and Carlos so well* Exactly! *then listens to him again and nods again* Yes, that’s somehow true. But in the beginning it was really helpful when people already knew a little bit. It used to be a lot harder for me to talk about it… *thinks that at first it had really been a help to him that the people in his life had at least done a little bit of research, especially Matteo, but also Jonas, Hanna and Carlos, because until a few weeks ago, he wouldn’t really have known how to talk about it and that it was really helpful if they asked questions* *then realizes how much he has developed since then, how open he can now be with it – if he wants to – and that it’s also thanks to Matteo and his friends, who have simply made it easy for him* *has to smirk a little at the end of Alex’ speech and is then grateful for Alex’ words so that he also gets a chance to ask a question* So what would one have to google instead to find out who you are? *laughs quietly* Yes, okay, you can really forget about google in that context… but I can’t just ask: “Alexander Hardenberg – who are you? What’s your favorite color? What are your biggest secrets?” *makes a dramatic voice while he says that but then grins again* You really are a little mysterious! And we’re always only talking about me! One day I demand a return of the favor and then I want more details… otherwise that deeper bond thing won’t work out… *grins even more to hide his nervousness and insecurity a little, because he doesn’t know if Alex even wants to talk about himself* *reaches for his mug again*

Alex: *tilts his head slightly when he asks what one would have to google* *isn’t sure if he and David are already in a place where he wants to tell him very personal things about him* *likes him the most out of all the people here, but still hasn’t really known him for that long* *it just usually takes him a while until he can estimate how people think of him* My favorite color is light blue. *doesn’t add that it’s because it’s Mia’s eye color* *then hears him talking about the deeper bond again and knows that he’s right, even though he says it jokingly* It’s still too soon for my deepest of secrets. But how about I tell you that I have a really big fear of loss. Really badly. It has to do with a lot of things, and my therapist says that it’s actually a good thing that Mia will go to Madrid, because I can learn a lot from that. But actually, I’m only scared.

David: *smiles when Alex tells him his favorite color but then says with a smirk* That’s a really good start. And a good favorite color… *takes a sip of hot chocolate and doesn’t really know if he might have been too straightforward* *really dislikes it a little to always use the term “bond” because it sounds as if they were planning all of this, but sometimes he can’t really stop himself from making a few jokes about it – even though the line between seriousness and fun is usually quite fluid* *therefore nods when Alex says that it’s too soon for his biggest of secrets and murmurs* It’s okay… *was actually about to say that it had only been a joke and that he doesn’t want to convince or urge him into anything when Alex already continues* *listens to him and feels his heartbeat pick up when he realizes how open Alex is right now* *didn’t really expect that and at first doesn’t really know what he should say* *eventually clears his throat and quietly says* Ummm… okay… that’s a really good start for a deeper bond… *but immediately gets serious again* Thanks for telling me! I… I don’t know what to say… fear of loss must surely suck and I can understand that you’re afraid that Mia is leaving… and you probably already know every “but” that I could tell you now and rationally speaking, you know that I’m right, but that doesn’t change anything about your fears… so… you’ll just get a thanks for telling me. *knows from his dysphoric phases that rational tips and thoughts aren’t really much use and just hopes that this might also apply to fear of loss* *smiles slightly and looks at Alex insecurely because he doesn’t know if he found the right words*

Alex: *thinks that it might have been too much for David, after all, when he doesn’t say anything at first* *then smiles slightly when he mentions the bond again* *was just about to make up some excuse so that he can disappear and so that David doesn’t have to respond when he does say something* *listens to him and at first doesn’t really know what he’s feeling right now* *but then realizes that he feels understood and smiles slightly* Yes, rational thought rarely helps with that. *slightly shrugs one shoulder* Sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s worse, so I’m working on it... and of course Mia helps a lot. *his expression softens when he thinks about her* You probably know that, right? *but then looks at David again* *smiles slightly when he realizes that he really trusts him* You’re quite all right, David Schreibner.

David: *at one point notices that Alex is smiling a little and just hopes that it’s a sign that he said something right* *then smiles even more when Alex confirms that rational thought doesn’t help and also nods at his next words* *sees the soft expression he has when he’s talking about Mia and immediately has to think of Matteo and that he probably feels the same when he thinks about him* *nods when he asks if he knows what it’s like, even though he doesn’t know what exactly he’s referring to, but could actually nod at everything* Yes… for me it’s also sometimes better and sometimes worse with my dysphoria… on good days the feeling that Matteo’s there and that I’m no longer alone helps. On bad days nothing really helps… then I would preferably just hide somewhere. *stares into his almost empty mug* *then hears Alex’ next words and smiles immediately* *shrugs and murmurs* I’m trying my best… *is really happy that apparently Alex does trust him at least somewhat and that they’re sitting here talking so openly* *grins slightly and then says* And you’re apparently a lot more than google would spit out for “white rich son”… *looks at him and hopes that this wasn’t too much of a joke and that Alex knows that he’s grateful that he told him something so personal*

Alex: *nods when he’s talking about his dysphoria* *somehow understands it, even though he can’t really relate to being uncomfortable in your own body* And is that what you do? Hide yourself? *takes the last sip of his hot chocolate and laughs slightly* Yeah, well, you’re more than a “gay trans teen” as well, right? *briefly looks over to the lake and then back at David* Somehow, everyone’s more than their labels, right? Matteo isn’t just a “gay stoner kid” and Jonas is more than “political woke white guy”… *then sees Matteo coming towards them from the jetty* Looks like you’ll be wanted in a second…

David: *shrugs and says* Yes, sometimes I do… I used to do it more often than now… *sighs quietly* In the past, I often just ran away and… yes, I hid. Until I felt better. But… *shrugs* … I promised Matteo to not just run away again. Hiding at home is okay, but no more running away. But even the thing with hiding is getting better… *smiles slightly* After all, I’ve been sitting here with a hoodie for three nights despite this heat… I’d say: At the moment I’m facing my fears, even though it’s difficult. *looks at him* And to some extent, you do that as well by letting Mia go. You could also ask her to stay… or just go to Madrid with her for those three months… *then nods when he’s talking about the labels* Yes, you’re right. But it’s not just that you put labels onto other people – often you also put labels onto yourself because you’re less vulnerable if other people only see the label… and then you decide for yourself who’s allowed to peel off the label and who isn’t… maybe it also depends on who even tries to make an effort and wants to look under the label… *laughs quietly* Sorry, I didn’t mean to get philosophical… *then also looks toward the jetty and smiles when he sees Matteo*

Alex: *nods slightly when he says that he often ran away in the past* *smiles slightly* Yes, it’s a little different when suddenly someone’s waiting for you. *sighs slightly and nods* Yes to face the fear. That sometimes works better, and sometimes not so well. *then listens to him when he’s talking about labels and nods* Yes, a label is also a form of protection, and not always a bad thing, it can also help to make you feel like you belong somewhere, but it can also hide a lot, that’s true. I think ultimately labels aren’t important or don’t say enough. But I get why it helps some people* *grins slightly when he apologizes* Why not? *then sees that Matteo is now within earshot* Hey… *sees Matteo grin and nod at him: “Hey.”* *sees him ruffle through David’s hair almost in passing and hears him say: “I’m hungry… do you also want something?”* *shakes his head* I don’t, thanks.

David: *laughs slightly when he asks again* Because I haven’t looked far enough under your label to know if you want that!? *then also sees that Matteo has now reached the cabin and smiles* Hey… *slightly leans into his hand when he ruffles his hair but then gets his hair back into order immediately afterwards* *has to grin when he says that he’s hungry but then nods when he asks if they also want something* Sure! *then turns back to Alex after Matteo disappeared into the cabin and just continues with the topic because Alex had already answered in detail and is therefore apparently interested in the topic* Yes, the label either helps you to feel like you belong, but it can also help isolate yourself. And I agree with you, they don’t really say enough, but I still think they’re important! It is also a form of self-protection – like a wall. Stop! Until this point you’re allowed to see me, but no further! And whoever wants to see more just has to put in a little effort to be allowed to look over the wall.

Alex: *grins slightly in amusement when David puts his hair back into order and Matteo disappears into the cabin* Umm… does he know what you want? Oh, why do I even ask? Of course he knows. *laughs slightly but then gets serious again when David picks the topic back up* *nods* Yes, that’s what I mean. Labels are somehow both, good and bad. Good as a protection and for identification, but bad because it also isolates you and also limits you to some extent, right? Just by using labels in the first place, others already have to put in more effort, right? And hey, I do that as well, I know that, and sometimes it’s a good thing, but sometimes it’s also a bad thing.

David: *looks a little confused for a second when he hears Alex’ question about the food, but then laughs quietly and nods* *then repeats Alex’ words with a grin* Of course he knows… *then listens to Alex and says* But you decide it for yourself how much it limits you from a person and how it isolates you. Let’s take you as an example and really use the label of “white rich son”. For Mia you’re certainly a lot more. Mia has probably peeled the label off completely and can see everything. I’m just scratching the surface and I’m curious to know what you want to show me! But I’m scratching. Because at some point I thought that I would like to know what’s hidden underneath your label. But there are surely people who aren’t really interested. And why should you open up to them and make yourself vulnerable!? *has to think about the people from his old school and doesn’t even want to imagine how much they would have hurt him had he also opened up to them*

Alex: *slowly nods at his words* Yes, of course, you’re right. You just filter in advance. Who’s worth it? Who do I allow to get close? *shrugs one shoulder* But if all those labels didn’t exist… if there weren’t any prejudices about being rich or about being trans, then we would meet people completely without bias. *somehow has to smile a little about himself, because he definitely recognizes Mia in that line of thought and because he wouldn’t have said something like that half a year ago* Just imagine, you would have met Matteo and hadn’t been scared of what he might think when he sees that you’re wearing the label “trans”. Wouldn’t that have been a lot more chill for you? *shrugs* I mean, I still agree with you, don’t get me wrong. But yeah, there are always two sides, aren’t there?

David: *nods when Alex understands his words and when he repeats them* Exactly! *then continues to listen to him and briefly presses his lips together* *shakes his head slightly* Of course that would have been more chill… but that’s an ideal conception that unfortunately has nothing to do with reality… of course you would like everyone to be tolerant and enlightened – that would be great. And it would probably really be easier to reach that ideal conception if everyone would just take off their labels and you could maybe see that many people have similar fears or desires. But not everyone would go along with that, ever! There are always some assholes that would make use of exactly that, this vulnerability… *takes a deep breath and shakes his head* *laughs quietly and then says* Sorry, that sounds totally bitter. I just had a really horrible experience at my old school… it was just… I just felt really bad because of it… And I basically only realized that there are people that are really interested in what’s behind that label after I came to Berlin. So I also know both sides, sure…

Alex: *nods and listens to him in concentration* *has to smirk again when David says that it’s an ideal conception, because that’s usually something that he accuses Mia of* *therefore quickly says* Sure, you’re right. That’s really an ideal conception. But sometimes it might still be helpful to remember that. *shakes his head* That doesn’t sound bitter, you simply had your own experience. It’s only natural to draw your conclusions from that. *then sees Matteo coming back out of the cabin again, two sandwiches in one hand, obviously for him, and a plate with two sandwiches for David in the other one* *sees him put them down in front of David, press a quick kiss to his lips and then turn around again to leave and hears him say: “Have fun, see you later!”* See you… *looks after him for a moment and then back at David*

David: *thinks about what Alex said about ideal conceptions and slightly tilts his head* *doesn’t really know what good that would do and has to think about it a little more* *then nods at his next words* Yes, that’s true… and obviously the experience at my old school shaped me more than the experience I made in Berlin, as I just realized in my little speech… that’s actually a pity… but… *stops when Matteo comes back out and grins slightly when he sees how much food he has* *briefly puts his hand to the back of his neck when he leans down for a quick kiss, runs his hand through the hair at the back of his neck, smiles and murmurs a quiet “thanks” against his lips* *then lets go of him and looks after him with a smile* See you later. *then turns back to Alex and continues* But what I’d really like to know… *grins slightly* I’ve always felt like /you/ were much more closed off than I am – that you’re hiding much more behind your label. How come that now you’re the one that’s making a plea against labels and instead for ideal conceptions!? *laughs quietly and reaches for his plate* *holds it out to Alex* You really don’t want anything? Both of them are too much for me, anyways…

Alex: *laughs slightly when he hears David’s question* I like having the opposite standpoint… *slightly shakes his head* No, I simply learned somehow that gridlocked thoughts and views aren’t always good, I think… I’m not that big on ideal conceptions, either, I’m also realistic, but it’s not a bad thing to sometimes think about this, is it? *looks at the plate and considers briefly* Maybe half of one, thanks… *takes one half of the cheese sandwich*

David: *throws him a small secretary’s-office-look at his words about the opposite standpoint, but then listens to him further* *nods* Yes, I guess that everyone’s doing that automatically, depending on what kind of experiences they had. Some experiences confirm the inner realist, others the inner idealist… *smiles when Alex wants one of the sandwiches, after all, and takes half of the salami sandwich for himself before putting the plate back on the table* *takes a bite and chews* *then sees Mia coming from the jetty to the cabin and grins slightly* *imitates Alex* Looks like you’ll be wanted in a second… *laughs quietly* Matteo probably told Mia: “Hey, they’re still sitting in front of the cabin working on their bond…”

Alex: *nods* Yes, absolutely. It’s always about your own experiences. But it’s also about making yourself aware of what your own experiences are doing to you. *takes a bite off his cheese sandwich and grimaces slightly* What else did he put on that? *was just about to peek under the cheese when David says that he’ll be wanted soon* *looks up and sees Mia and smiles automatically* *then also laughs* Probably… Mia is totally proud of me… *slightly grins at him* So don’t screw it up for me and turn out to be a complete idiot, after all.

David: *laughs quietly at Alex’ words and shakes his head* *then looks at him in apology because his statement wasn’t really anything to laugh about* I think our therapists have the same approach… *then gets serious again* But yes, it’s true. But sometimes I find it hard to remember that what I’m feeling is based on my experiences and didn’t just come out of nowhere. Often I only remember that afterwards, but in the situation itself I can’t really reflect on that. *then frowns when Alex asks about the cheese sandwich and reaches for the plate on the table* *has a hunch and laughs quietly when he lifts the cheese* Sorry… umm… whipped cream, mustard and ketchup… it’s an inside joke… would you rather like salami – there’s only butter underneath it. *holds the plate out to him* *sees that Mia is now closer and doesn’t get the chance to ask what Mia is proud of* *hears his next words and pffs quietly before Mia reaches them* *sees her stop in front of the table with a smile and really hears her ask: “Na? Are you working on your bond?”* *sees her grin and also has to grin a little, but quickly gets serious again and shakes his head* No, not today. Today we’re having a philosophical, socio-critical and psychological digression!

Alex: *even laughs as well* Might be. Therapists can sometimes be alike… *then nods* Yes, that’s also somehow understandable, during a situation the feelings take over instead of the mind. *grimaces again when he tells him what else is on the sandwich and puts it back on the plate* You do realize that you two sometimes seem very odd to outsiders, right? *picks up the other half of the salami sandwich with a chuckle* *then looks at Mia with a smile when she reaches them* *grins at her question and even more at David’s answer* *sees Mia grin and nod and hears her say “I see” and then “and of course, that doesn’t help your bond, at all… I actually didn’t want to disturb, but I wanted to take a little walk and wanted to ask if someone wants to join?”* *looks at David and asks* Do you mind if we continue our philosophical, socio-critical and psychological discussion another time?

David: *nods at Alex’ words about feelings and the mind* *then laughs at his words about Matteo’s and his’ habits and shrugs* *then says with a grin* If you peel off the label, all of that has a deeper meaning… *now picks up the other half of the cheese sandwich and takes a bite* *still thinks that it tastes weird but somehow good and keeps eating* *shakes his head very seriously at Mia’s question about the bond and says* No, not at all… *but then grins* *then hears that Mia wants to take a walk and shakes his head at Alex’ question* No, no problem… it’s okay… I’ll just go find Matteo and break it to him that the whipped cream under the cheese wasn’t really your thing… *grins slightly and lifts his hand in goodbye when the two disappear toward the forest*

Alex: *laughs and then nods* Your label of being a weird couple? Let’s see if I’ll ever get that far… *then gets up when David says that he doesn’t mind* *grins slightly* You do that, we don’t want him to think too much of me after all… *then also lifts his hand in goodbye and then takes Mia’s hand before they go towards the forest*

(next play)

[stardew-imagines-me]

That was quite fast, I hope this settles down. But I do like to ask something last minute, so here it goes! Can I ask something for Alex, or someone else if you prefer. Maybe him finally feeling like he is nothing like his father, and seeing his s/o and his kid(s) as proof of his realization? Hope you take it easy! :D

This is really long but jiodwoiehdiowe I loved this prompt so much!!

It took a long time to get to this point; Alex being able to watch his family run around the farm, dodging large spurts of water that whipped from the hose that you had grasped between your hands, yelling loudly at your children who clutched at their sides laughing. Teenagers, children. Sometimes he’d lay awake at night just thinking about the events of his life, thinking about how much further he had gotten than his father ever did.

He’s had these realizations many times before, but each one different from the last. His first was when you two had just gotten back from a long day of tending to the animals, pulling crops and catching fish in preparations of expanding your home. Alex hadn’t questioned the idea, even if he did, it was your home after all and he was just grateful you let him live with you - he knew you’d scorn him lightly and pout if you knew he still had thoughts like these.

Confidence, something he knows all too well and yet, still lacks the correct amount. Confidence you slowly helped him build in himself, the right kind.

That night, you had flung yourself over his side on the bed, freshly showered and dripping. He laughed and tried pushing you off of him when you would shove your sopping wet hair into the back of his neck - truth be told, it was something so small and domestic that left Alex aching for more affection, more love to receive and give.

Eventually, you settle down next to him, his arm wrapped around the side of your waist and pulling half of your body under his so you two could shield the cold of nightfall. He was nodding off to sleep when you suddenly blurted only thing that had been on your mind for months.

“Let’s have kids,”

You swore you’ve never seen Alex so panicked and shocked before, and it took everything inside of you to not flinch when he reeled back from your touch. It hurt, was there some misconceptions? Maybe this really was all too sudden..

“What..?” He asked quietly. You knew not to take it personally, but you couldn’t mask the disappoint you felt. 

“I.. Alex, I want to have kids with you,”

He looked somewhat troubled as you two laid there, staring at each other. “Sorry, this is so sudden - I wasn’t sure.. I didn’t… I’m sorry. It’s just, I see you around Vincent and Jas and you always look so happy, and since we’ve been married for nearly two years now, that, god I don’t know,” You’re rambling tirelessly, averting your eyes as you sit up and face him.

“Are we not ready?” He hates how sad you look, he never wants to make you sad but honestly, he’s terrified right now. He sighs and brings himself up as well, resting a hand on your thigh and looking up at you with as much vulnerability as he can.

“It’s not that we aren’t ready, I really do love children, I always have. And I love you,” His hand clenches slightly as he thinks about his words, “But I don’t know if I’ll be able to be a good dad. Mine was never around, he left when I was young, you know this, and what if -” He’s cringing at his own words.

It’s odd seeing someone so strong, so beautiful shrink into themselves. You wish you could kiss it away, you wish you could tell him he doesn’t have to explain but he does need this, it’s something that’s hard for him to talk about on his own.

“I want so badly to have children, I want to see you holding our kids and I want to complain about how hard it is to raise them. I want to teach my daughter how to play gridball and my son how to read.. I can’t promise you I won’t be like him though, I can’t even promise myself,”

Together you cried and talked about the future, reassuring that everything would be alright and he would never be like his father. Going to bed well past midnight was worth it since you watched the worry dissipate in his eyes. This wouldn’t be the first talk, and you were ready for that. It’s a long road towards healing, the least you could do was whisper gently and circle your thumb against his cheek as he fell asleep beside you.

-

The second time was when he held his daughter tight against his chest after a long night of laying down, getting up, feeding, rocking, laying down and repeating. It had gotten to the point where you got up against your better judgment and helped him put your daughter to sleep. Alex was sat in the nursery’s chair, just staring down at his precious daughter in his arms when he finally looked up when you had cupped the side of his face and kissed his temple.

“She loves you so much,” you mumble tiredly against his head. He realizes he’s crying when you wipe off the bottom of his chin with your sleeve. He does his best to muffle the exhausted, overwhelmed sob that starts to rip and tear roughly against his chest. He’s so in love with his tiny family, that was one thing his father didn’t learn.

“Oh, my baby,” you soothed softly, letting him cry quietly while your daughter slept in his arms. Maybe he might be a good dad someday, he was already doing better than his own, but that hadn’t stomped all the fear time in its entirety.

“Let’s have another,” You watched in hushed laughter as Alex cried harder, letting out wet laughter and lazy nods. His tiny family was going to grow at this rate if they had more nights like these.

-

One after another, days passed swiftly and he found himself caught in the events of every day life. His little daughter became a big sister in no time, a baby brother of her own to care after and soon to be a baby girl to follow right after him. You had a good laugh with Eveyln and George as Alex looked absolutely beat at the talk of a fourth child. Perhaps that would be a good pillow talk topic, but right now as your three children played in the yard with Sam’s kids, he was satisfied with where he was in the present.

His insecurities seemed to be put on the back burner as he helped his eldest daughter put on her backpack for the start of preschool and helped both his other kids into their highchairs for a quick breakfast. When they did reappear out of the blue, they were stomped back down when his baby boy would call his “daddy” over just so he could help him draw pictures. The pride he felt hearing his children call him daddy was immense and endless.

His confidence as a father grew with his children. His youngest daughter was co-president of book club in their 5th grade class with Elliot’s son and although he himself wasn’t the best at reading, he would always help her learn new words or phrases.

His eldest daughter was loud and energetic, taking after himself in every way possible. He beamed when she would explain how her coach scouted her out for the high school gridball team, explaining how she would most certainly be one of the most gifted in her team. He might’ve cried a bit that night when you had cuddled up next to him. 

“She said I was the best dad,”

His son made him just as proud as his daughters. He was very interested in art, and best friend’s with Leah’s daughter who was another gifted child in their middle school. He had watched his little boy scribble trees onto blue craft paper grow into (still) his little boy who had won art competitions with his paintings at such a young age. His children were one of the things that kept him working, moving and experiencing.

-

“Thank you,” Alex whispered against your bare neck, ignoring the dripping water from your hair that drenched the collar of his shirt. Ironic considering this was the exact situation that got you two into this in the first place.

“Hmm? For what?” You ask, turning around from under him and wrapping your arms around his neck. 

“Thank you for granting me three beautiful children and keeping me strong,” It was a short sentence, only lasting so many words but the meaning behind each and every one of them was sincere. It took years to get here, but he was finally able to admit that he would never end up like his father. 

“I love you so much,” He whispered against your lips and kissed you passionately. It took years, but he found love that he never expected and a life that he never experienced himself when he was younger - a life that he used to be scared of.

It took a long time, but he’s no longer afraid; he’s proud of you, of your children and how far he made it even when his father doubted every fiber of his being. Maybe, just maybe, he had always known he would be more of a man than his father ever had been.

[leilawhittaker]

do you think you could list out like the titles of the different sections/acts with their corresponding films/when they take place? sorry if this is like a lot i just find a lot of comfort in the fullness of the mcu and i would love to see kind of like an what the mm universe looks like ? sorry if this is weird rip

Not weird at all omg!! I’ve been meaning to post something like that! Just a heads up, the MMCU is...slightly less cinematic than the canon MCU, as a lot of the original plotlines I imagine as comics or graphic novels.

Guide

Format

So the format for this list goes like

Fic Title | MMCU Title | Media Type

For example: 

Out of the Woods | Black Widow: Out of the Woods | Movie

Means that the fic is called Out of the Woods, but if the MMCU were canon, it’d be a movie called Black Widow: Out of the Woods

If the MMCU Title is followed by (Canon) that means the fic correlates to a canon piece of material, as opposed to an original plotline. For example:

Battle Royale | Avengers (Canon) | Movie

Means that the fic Battle Royale corresponds to the Avengers, and largely follows the canon plotline of that arc. 

An asterisk at the beginning, and only one title,  means the movie exists in the MMCU, but happens as it does in canon, with no OC interference. Example:

*Black Panther | Movie 

Means there’s no corresponding fic or replacement fic for that movie (...yet), but that it still takes place within the MMCU canon. Note that I’ve only done this with movies; suffice it to say that aside from Agents of SHIELD, all MCU-based TV series are MM canon; if they aren’t listed, it’s just because I have no OCs or non-canon plotlines for them. Same goes for Marvel Shorts. As for canon tie-in comics, I haven’t read enough of them to decide which ones are MM canon or not; once I’ve read them all I’ll update this list accordingly if necessary. 

Other Notes

The list is of all fics, in chronological order, so ones that don’t focus on Leila’s arc have been marked as spin-offs. They still take place in the MMCU, and they’re placed in the list according to when they take place, they’re just not Leila-focused. (If there’s interest, I might do another version of this list organized by when things are released, rather than chronological order, EG Captain Marvel would be part of Phase 3 instead of Phase 1, Black Widow: Family Business would be listed after Endgame, etc.)

The first fic (The Kindness of Strangers, aka the first two chapters of MM on ffnet) is weird because I see it being split, with one chapter being told as a marvel short and the second one being told as a tie-in comic, with the very last scene of Leila being sent by Fury to recruit Steve also existing as a post-credit scene for CA:TFA. 

Some of these I haven’t come up with titles for yet, so I just put working titles or descriptors. AKA “Untitled AoS Replacement Fic” is obviously not called that, it’s a fic that I haven’t titled yet that serves as a replacement for Agents of SHIELD in the MMCU. 

Finally, this is all subject to change, I’m still ironing out a lot of things--for example, I may make an OC for Ant-Man, and I might go back to using MCU’s Spidey. We’ll see. (I may release a variation on this list as to what the MMCU looks like with MCU Spidey as opposed to TASM Spidey.)

Without further ado, here is the MMCU as I currently imagine it!

Mirror, Mirror Cinematic Universe

PHASE ONE

Captain America: The First Avenger | Movie

Has a post-credits scene that corresponds to the last scene of TKOS, in which Nick Fury assigns Leila to recruit Steve to help find the tesseract

Untitled Captain Marvel Fic | Captain Marvel | Movie

The OC doesn’t appear anywhere else, but they’re important to Leila’s story. (Hint: It has to do with the Patrice Joh mystery.)

The Kindness of Strangers ch. 1 | Recruitment Day | Marvel Short

Note: despite taking place about ~4-5 years before the events of The Avengers, this short is only released shortly before the movie, as a way to build up hype. 

*Iron Man | Movie

*The Incredible Hulk | Movie

*Iron Man 2 | Movie

*Thor | Movie

The Kindness of Strangers, ch. 2 | Royal Engagements (Prelude to Marvel’s The Avengers) | Tie-In Comic

The Kindness of Strangers (Last Scene) | N/A | Post-Credits Scene (CA:TFA)

Battle Royale | The Avengers (Canon) | Movie

-

PHASE TWO

Queen’s Gambit | Captain America and Snow White: Queen’s Gambit | Graphic Novel

Original plotline. Leila, under Fury’s orders, tries to recruit Steve to join SHIELD as a STRIKE agent, and it leads to her and Steve solving a mysterious series of bombings together. 

SPINOFF: Untitled AoS Replacement | Agents of SHIELD | TV Miniseries

Basically takes the place of AoS as a post-Avengers show about Coulson’s SHIELD team, but with a whole different (but equally diverse) cast. Runs until it ties in with Operation: Glass Coffin.

Castle Walls | Captain America and Snow White: Castle Walls | Graphic Novel

Original plotline. Carries on from Queen’s Gambit as Steve, now a SHIELD agent, and Leila try to solve the loose threads from the QG case. 

*The Amazing Spider-Man | Movie

Sparks Fly | Captain America and Snow White: The Forest Through the Trees | Graphic Novel

Original plotline. Fury has allowed Leila to handle Gifted cases between STRIKE missions. Together with Steve, she embarks on a simple extraction mission that ends up uncovering a sinister conspiracy in a small town, the two of them growing closer in the process. 

Royal Flush | Captain America and Snow White: Royal Flush | Graphic Novel

Original Plotline. SHIELD has tracked down the missing copy of their server from QG and CW, and it’s Leila’s job, with the help of Steve, and two new allies named Isabella Ferreira and Mena Desai, to go undercover to get it back. Unfortunately, this involves fake dating a nouveau riche silicon valley douchebag, which wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t someone she wanted to date for real. Maybe. Kind of. Probably not. But...

Codename: Snow White | Codename: Snow White | Movie

Original Plotline. Leila must face her past as old enemies try to draw attention to her biggest mistakes to undermine her status as an Avenger, in full view of her new allies and friends. 

The Reckless and the Brave | Iron Man 3 (Canon) | Movie

Untitled Thor: TTD Fic | Thor: The Dark World (Canon) | Movie

The Miller’s Daughter | Snow White: The Miller’s Daughter | Graphic Novel

Original Plotline. Steve doesn’t know about Leila as much as he thinks he does. It turns out, Leila can keep secrets other than her own. 

Untitled TWS Prelude Fic | Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier Infinite Comic (Canon) | Comic

Untitled TWS Fic | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Movie

SIEGE Team Alpha | Snow White: Agent of SWORD | Graphic Novel

Original Plotline. While Steve, Sam and Natasha choose to stay behind, Leila takes Fury up on his offer to go to Europe, searching for answers about her healing factor. However, with a kree serum running through her veins, she rapidly begins to lose her grip on her life. 

SPINOFF: Midwinter | Midwinter | TV series OR comic series (I haven’t decided)

Original plotline. After breaking free of Hydra, Bucky gives himself one more mission: save the girl he once condemned to his own fate. After jailbreaking Anya Maximoff, the two of them embark on a mission to explore their pasts and their futures, blowing up a few Hydra bases along the way. Bucky/OC. 

SPINOFF: Out of the Woods | Black Widow: Out of the Woods | Movie

Original plotline. After the fall of SHIELD, Natasha discovered what she’d intentionally buried even from herself: her younger sister, Alexandra. Angry at a world that should have protected her but didn’t, Alex chooses to disappear after TWS, leading Alex to go after her...with some help. Brucenat pre-relationship, OC/OC. 

SPINOFF: Untitled GotG Fic | Guardians of the Galaxy | Movie

Original plotline. Banished dragon princess meets Stark-worshipping Nova Corps officer. What could possibly go wrong? OC/OC. 

*The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Movie

Operation: Glass Coffin | Operation: Glass Coffin | TV Miniseries

Original plotline. A very unstable Leila finally finds what she’s been looking for for her entire adult life: a way to erase her own memories. Only, it turns out, once her memories are gone, something else takes their place…

Untitled OGC/AoU interim fic | Untitled | Comic Series OR Graphic Novel

Original plotlines, or perhaps a series of plotlines. Steve and Leila grow closer as Leila helps with the search for Bucky, and Steve helps her recover from her ordeal from O:GC. 

Untitled AoU Fic | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Movie

*Ant-Man | Movie

-

PHASE 3

Domestic Politics | Show White and Captain America: Domestic Politics | Graphic Novel Series

Original plotline, or series of plotlines. Leila and Steve, the two worst equipped people to be in an adult relationship, figure it out together. 

SPINOFF: Untitled Defenders Fic | Daredevil | TV Series

The one where Leila’s former lackey goes head to head with Matt Murdock in more ways than one. Also, Matt has a sister, because I have a brand to maintain. OC/Matt/OC OR Matt/OC, Frank/OC, also Foggy/OC. 

Under Siege | Snow White: Under Siege | Movie

Original plotline. When the Sokovia Accords threaten to rip the Avengers apart, Leila sees one solution: legitimize SWORD as an intelligence agency by stopping a war between two small but significant European countries. Easier said than done when two fugitive ex-Hydra assets get involved. 

*Doctor Strange | Movie

Everything is the same except the Ancient One is played by Dichen Lachman.

SPINOFF: Untitled GotG2 Fic | Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 | Movie

SPINOFF: Untitled Alex Fic | Untitled | TV Series OR Graphic Novel Series OR Comic Series

In the aftermath of the Under Siege debacle, Alex is one of the Avengers who is able to escape going into hiding. Instead she has her own adventures, from assisting Tony Stark with missions to mentoring Peter Parker and his friends. 

SPINOFF: Untitled Luna and Haven Fic | Untitled | TV Series OR Graphic Novel Series OR Comic Series

The one where Peter Parker falls in love with former villain Haven Hendrix, and Luna Li falls in love with current villain Harry Osborn. 

Untitled Cap 3 Fic | Captain America: Insurgence | Movie

Original Plotline. Serpent Squad maybe? Mostly character driven more than plot driven. 

SPINOFF: Family Business | Black Widow: Family Business | Movie

Technically corresponds to Black Widow (2020). Since in the MMCU it’s the second BW movie, it would have a subtitle.

SPINOFF: Dancing With Our Hands Tied | Thor: Ragnarok | Movie/Graphic Novel

A large part of this fic takes place in the six week gap between Loki and Thor’s arrivals on Sakaar. (In canon, it was three weeks; here, it’s six.) As a result, Alex would be present in the movie, and what happened between her and Loki would mostly be told through implications in the movie, until the graphic novel came out and explored those six weeks more thoroughly. 

*Black Panther | Movie

*Ant-Man and the Wasp | Movie

Untitled IW Fic | Avengers: Infinity War | Movie

Untitled IW/EG Interrim Fic(s) | Untitled | Comics

A lot can happen in five years. 

Untitled EG Fic | Avengers: Endgame | Movie

Daylight | Snow White and Captain America: Daylight | Comic

Just a oneshot or two covering Steve and Leila’s Happily Ever After. 

Other Story Elements

There are other stories here that I’m not sure what to call or how to structure. I want to explore the Avengers Academy that eventually gets established after Endgame; the aftermath of Endgame for Loki and Alex; Bucky and Anya’s eventual own HEA; Jace Barton’s character arc and romance with Pietro Maximoff; and a few other post-EG plotlines. I’ll keep reworking this outline as needed. In other words, this is very much a work in progress, but it’s what I have right now. The main Leila/Steve storyline is largely in tact, it’s just other characters that I’m still ironing out.

[argyle-s]

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME CHAPTER 36/38

Rating: Mature

Read at Ao3

Start at the Beginning

Susan Vasquez is not paid enough to put up with everything that happens in this chapter.  Guest staring Lena Luthor.

Thanks to @ifourmindbeso for her great work as a beta. Any remaining mistakes are entirely my own.

Chapter 36 -  Fallout

Lena looked up from her desk in annoyance as the door to her office opened, but the annoyance vanished as she saw Sam, replaced immediately by a smile.

“Hey,” Lena said.

“Any idea what the Secret Service detail is for?” Sam asked as she walked across the office to sit down in one of the chairs across from Lena.

“I think they’re actually US Marshalls,” Lena said. “I can’t get any kind of clear answer, other than that the President ordered the protection detail personally.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Sam said.

“No, it doesn’t,” Lena agreed. “It’s nice to see a friendly face, though.”

Sam sighed. “I kind of hate that you said that when I’m here with bad news.”

“More?” Lena asked, her eyebrows shooting up towards her hairline. “This should be thrilling.”

“Someone bought LuthorCorp out from under us,” Sam said.

“What?” Lena asked. “Who?”

“I don’t know, exactly,” Sam said. “The SEC filing for the notice of intent went through at about 11:15 AM Eastern this morning. By 11:45, Danvers International held fifty-three percent of the voting stock. I haven’t had time to do a forensic analysis of the stock transactions, but we’ve known for a while that something funny was happening with the purchase patterns. My guess is, they’ve been buying through subsidiaries and shells for months.”

“Danvers International?” Lena said. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Neither has anyone else,” Sam said. “I looked. It was incorporated about a year ago. It has exactly one employee, who holds the position of Chairman of the Board, CEO, COO, and CFO. There are one-hundred shares of privately held stock, all owned by that same employee. Someone named Kara Danvers.”

“Who the hell is Kara Danvers?” Lena asked.

“Hell if I know,” Sam said. “The only Kara Danvers I can find is the head of the Supergirl Social Media Group at CatCo, who was Cat Grant’s assistant up until about two weeks ago.”

“Could it be the same person?”

Sam shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve got an investigator looking into it, and it would sort of make sense, because we’re not the only ones Danvers International is trying to buy.”

“Who else are they going after?” Lena asked.

“CatCo, Galaxy Communications, Lord Technologies, TychoTech and Queen Consolidated.”

“That’s quite a list,” Lena said.

“Yeah,” Sam said. “All vulnerable right now, all with depressed stock prices.”

“Odd mix, though,” Lena said. “Lord Technologies might be a good fit with CatCo and Galaxy. I could even see raiding LuthorCorp to get at the LexTel assets.”

“Could it be the Super connections?” Sam asked.

“Maybe,” Lena said. “Though I don’t recall any connection between Queen Consolidated and Supergirl or Superman.”

“I’ll keep looking,” Sam said, “But as much as I hate to say it, I think you should look at the Tender Offer. Even with Lex’s shares, we won’t be able to hold the company.”

“I’m not ready to give up just yet,” Lena said. “See if you can get a hold of this Kara Danvers. I’d like to talk to her before I make a decision. I mean, assuming the Marshalls will let me go to National City.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Maggie walked through the police station, head held high, daring anyone to say so much as a word to her as she carried the banker’s box filled with the meager contents of her desk towards the front door. She needn’t have bothered. No one looked at her. No one wanted the taint covering Maggie Sawyer to splash on them.

Fuck every last one of them.

She’d known of course. Every police departments had corrupt cops. It’s something you hate, and you live with. Some cops, and Maggie was one of them, would drop a dime to internal affairs when they saw it. Some cops would call you a traitor for that, but Maggie had decided what kind of cop she wanted to be before she ever joined the force. Had decided when a good friend of hers had disappeared for three days, only to turn up, beaten and bruised. The cops who did it were never caught. Never faced justice. After all, who was going to believe a gay black prostitute who said a couple of cops had beaten him up?

She’d known, and she’d signed up anyway. She’d moved up fast, made detective, made it into the Science Division. She was thirty-three years old, and she was holding her own. She made good busts, did good police work. She helped where she could. Kept aliens who weren’t hurting people out of cells., kept gay kids out of trouble, and absolutely destroyed anyone who threatened either of those communities, and she HATED dirty cops with a passion.

She could never quite talk herself into making the jump to internal affairs. They’d asked three times, but the streets were Maggie’s passion. The streets were where she could help people like her. The outcasts, the misfits, the rejects. Out on the street, Maggie Sawyer was the thin blue line that stood between the vulnerable and the monsters, in and out of uniform.

And then came Kara Danvers, with her sunny smile, and her sympathetic ear, and a sister she couldn’t stop talking about. Kara Danvers who could fly, and shoot fire from her eyes, and blow the arctic wind from her lips. Kara Danvers who cared, just as much as Maggie did. Kara Danvers, who had finally introduced her to that sister, who was everything Kara had promised she would be. The sister who made Maggie’s insides melt every time she smiled. The sister who, just a few nights ago, she found tasted like peaches, and smelled like apples, and moaned just so.

Kara Danvers who was from the future. Who had lived through a vicious, horrible war, and walked away from the woman she’d loved and had chosen to die and risk having to go through it all again, just for the chance to make things better. Kara Danvers who risked everything to save the life of a woman who’d belittled her and scorned her, not because it was the smart thing to do, or the right thing to do, but because she couldn’t bear the thought of someone getting hurt because of her. Kara Danvers, who was too kind and gentle and compassionate to be someone who’d seen her world die, and spent over a decade fighting a hard, bitter war.

Maggie didn’t regret it. Not for a second. She loved Kara. Kara was her sister, in heart if not in blood. And Maggie had seen enough cases get rigged to know exactly what was about to happen.

Maggie had known there were crooked cops in the National City Police Department. She just hadn’t realized that the Chief was one of them. And the Commissioner. But she wasn’t stupid, and she’d seen the writing on the wall, clear as day, so she’d made a choice to protect Kara in the only way that would stick. She’d talked to the press, and she’d let Leslie talk to the press. She’d let the press see Kara and Leslie standing there together, and even if the Chief and the Commissioner tried to walk back what she’d said to the press, there was no way in hell the DA would press charges. Maggie had spiked the case against Kara irrevocably. She’d poisoned the well.

And all it had cost her was her job, her pension, and her future.

The orders had been specific. Hold Supergirl and Willis until the Captain arrived. He would take over the case. Simple as that, Maggie knew. She’d called Alex, told her what was happening, and they’d worked out a plan. Then, she’d lied to Alex for the first time. She’d told her it would be okay, and she’d get a slap on the wrist, maybe a couple days’ suspension, but Maggie knew what would happen. She could tell by Alex’s tone that Alex didn’t believe the lie any more than she did.

In the end, Maggie didn’t try to fight it. Her union rep’s arguments on her behalf were perfunctory, and when it was over, Maggie had just tossed her badge on the desk and left without a word. She’d just packed her desk and headed for the parking structure.

She used her key fob to pop her trunk and tossed the banker’s box inside. The two bullets slammed into her back as she reached up to close the trunk. The shots were positioned perfectly. Two 9mm hollow point Plus P rounds dead center.

They should have killed her instantly. They should have severed her spine, torn through her heart, and blown out her sternum. Except that Kara had ordered Konex to replace all of Maggie’s, Alex’s and Susan’s clothes weeks ago with Kryptonian fabric which was designed to stop a micro-meteor hit at orbital velocities.

Maggie didn’t feel a thing, but the parking structure was like an echo chamber, and even with the silencer, the sound of a gun was distinctive. Her hand dropped, brushing aside her jacket and drawing her Glock even as she turned. Her would-be assassin stood there, staring at her in disbelief, even as Maggie squeezed the trigger.

Alex jumped slightly when her phone started playing Mr. Roboto. She turned away from the security plan she was looking over, and pulled out her phone, swiping to answer it.

“Hello,” Alex said.

“Lady Alex, Maggie has been attacked,” Konex said.

“What?” Alex said loudly enough that everyone in the DEO command center looked up from what they were doing.

“She was shot in the back twice at close range,” Konex said.

Alex physically recoiled from the words, fear twisting in her gut like a knife.

“She is unharmed,” Konex said. “Lady Kara had me replace her entire wardrobe with Kryptonian barrier cloth several weeks ago, but she requires assistance immediately. Normally, I would contact Lady Kara, however, I believe her presence would make the current situation worse.”

Alex felt relief flood into her when Konex said Maggie was okay, but she knew she had to get to her now. She had to protect Maggie. That was the only thought in her head, overriding everything else.

“Konex, can you transmat me?” Alex asked.

“Of course,” Konex said.

“Do it,” Alex said, ignoring the startled look on Susan’s face as Alex drew her gun.

The first thought to go through Susan Vasquez’s head when Alex drew her pistol and vanished in a flash of light right out of the DEO’s command center was “why the fuck does this shit always splash on me?”. She gave herself about five seconds to wallow in her self-pity, before she turned around and started barking orders.

“Reynolds, Tsung, I need two strike teams full kit, in the Blackhawks five minutes ago. Come on people, move like you’ve got a purpose!”

She turned to Wilson, who was at her normal station. “We’ve got a situation. Get me details.”

She reached for her phone, taking it out and unlocking it, then tapping Konex’s contact and hitting the call button.

“Agent Vasquez,” Konex said.

“Report on Agent Danvers’ status,” she snapped.

“Maggie was attacked in the NCPD parking structure. She was shot in the back twice at short range. However, at Lady Kara’s instructions, all of Detective Sawyer’s clothing had been replaced with garments made of Kryptonian barrier fabric. The barrier fabric prevented injury, but Maggie was forced to kill her attacker. Given the situation, I believed it best to contact Agent Danvers instead of Lady Kara.”

“Good call,” Susan said. “Wilson, I want those strike teams at National City Police Headquarters parking structure yesterday.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said.

“Konex, put me through to Supergirl,” Susan said. There was a brief pause before Kara answered.

“Hey, Susan,” Kara said.

“Kara, where are you?” Susan asked.

“I’m with Cat,” Kara said.

“Okay, good. I need you to stay where you are. Do you understand?”

“Susan, what’s going on? Where are J’onn and Alex.”

“Supergirl, I need you to listen to me,” Susan said. “This is adult supervision talking. Do you understand?”

There was a moment of silence, then Kara said, “Yes. Adult supervision. Stay where I am, no matter what.”

“Okay,” Susan said. “Konex will brief you. I have to go.” She hung up the phone and shoved it into her pocket. “Wilson, get me President Marsdin.”

“On it,” Wilson said.

Susan stood there, waiting as the minutes ticked by, until President Marsdin’s face appeared on the screen.

“Agent Vasquez, where is acting Director Danvers?” Marsdin asked.

“Maggie Sawyer’s been shot, ma’am,” Susan said.

“What?” Marsdin asked, disbelief written on her face.

“My understanding of the situation is she took two rounds at close range. She’s unhurt, to the best of my knowledge, but she had to kill her attacker. I have Supergirl on lockdown, and two rapid response teams are heading for the Blackhawks now, but Director Danvers made use of certain technology in Supergirl’s possession to travel to the scene and render aid. We’re waiting for an update, but Madam President, I am not at all comfortable with you travelling to National City at this time.”

“I understand your concern, Agent Vasquez, but the situation is spiraling-”

“No, ma’am, you clearly do not understand the goddamned situation, or you wouldn’t be walking into it. They shot a fucking police detective inside of the NCPD Headquarters parking structure. That’s after they tried to beat Leslie Willis to death in her home and pin it on Supergirl. This entire city is a fucking powder keg, and you aren’t a match, you’re the Goddamned Olympic torch. Either divert your flight, or I am going to take it under my own authority as acting director of the DEO, in Director Danvers’ absence, to enlist the aid of anyone I see fit to prevent this from turning into an absolute shit show. Am I clear, ma’am?”

“Perfectly, Agent Vasquez,” Marsdin said. “I understand Superman is still in National City at this time.”

“He is, ma’am.”

“Can you contact him?” Marsdin asked.

“I can.”

“Do so. See if he will agree to meet and escort my flight,” Marsdin said.

“Understood. Vasquez out.” Susan didn’t wait for a reply, she just reached for her phone, and dialed Konex again.

“I need to talk to Superman,” Susan said.

Alex materialized in the parking structure with her gun ready and turned immediately toward the sound of a surprised gasp, only to find herself staring down the barrel of Maggie’s gun.

“Jesus, Danvers,” Maggie said, quickly lowering her weapon. “I could have killed you.”

“Are you okay?” Alex asked, looking around, taking in every shape and shadow. “Konex said you’d been shot.”

“I’m fine,” Maggie said.

“Thank God,” Alex said, and without thinking about it, she stepped forward and pulled Maggie into a crushing hug. “You scared the hell out of me.” She felt Maggie hug her back, and a bit more of the terror that had hold of her loosened.

“I scared the hell out of me,” Maggie said. “But Konex was wrong. The guy missed. I heard the shots, turned around and popped the guy.”

“Maggie,” Alex said, finally letting go of her, “take off your jacket.”

“What? Why?” Maggie said.

“Because he didn’t miss,” Alex said.

Maggie frowned and holstered her gun, then shrugged out of her jacket and turned it around, looking at the back of it. There were two grey lumps stuck to the back.

“What the hell?” Maggie asked.

Alex reached out and peeling one of the lumps away from the jacket. “Bullets,” she said. “Same thing happens to Kara’s cape sometimes when she gets shot in the back at close range.”

“But how?”

“Konex said Kara has provided you with protective clothing,” Alex said. “She didn’t tell you, did she?”

“No,” Maggie said.

“DROP THE WEAPON!” A voice yelled.

Alex turned her head, and spotted two cops, both men, standing there, weapons out.

“Easy,” she said as both she and Maggie raised their hands. “I’m a federal agent, and she’s a cop.”

“I SAID DROP THE WEAPON!” one of them shouted.

“I said, I’m a federal agent,” Alex replied.

“I don’t care if you’re the fucking pope, drop the damn gun,” the cop replied.

“I am going to holster my weapon, then I am going to reach for my ID,” Alex said.

“You are going to drop the damn gun, right-”

“TOH SNUG!” a woman shouted from the shadows.

Both of the cops shouted and dropped their guns, waving the hands frantically as if they were burnt.

“Dloc snug,” the same woman said, this time in a much softer tone. Alex looked toward where the shout had come from, only to see a woman in a tux and tails step out of the shadows, shaking her head. “You boys really should learn some manners. Kcirb llaw.” She waved her hand as she spoke the last two words and a brick wall appeared, blocking the cops from view.

She turned toward Alex and Maggie. “Are you Alex Danvers?” she asked.

“Um… yes?” Alex said as she lowered her hands and holstered her gun.

“Zatanna Zatara, at your service,” she said, before bowing to them. “Your sister thought you could use some assistance.

Alex and Maggie looked at each other. “What is it with your sister?” Maggie asked.

Alex just shook her head.

“You’re sure everything’s good?” Susan asked.

“Assuming I don’t shoot one of these assholes, I think we’ll be okay,” Alex said.

“So, fifty-fifty?” Susan asked.

“Shut up,” Alex said, but there was amusement in her tone.

“Shutting up, ma’am,” Susan said.

“I don’t know how quickly I’m going to be able to shake us loose,” Alex said.

“Anything I can do to help, ma’am?” Susan asked.

“Just make sure the security is set for the President’s visit,” Alex said. “I’ve got Konex putting together everything we can find on this John Corben guy, but this whole thing stinks. I think right now the only reason Maggie isn’t in cuffs is that I’ve got twelve guys with Tevor assault rifles and two gunships parked on the roof.”

“I’m on it, ma’am,” Susan replied. “See you soon.”

The video feed cut, and Susan turned around, only to jump at the sight of Leslie Willis standing right in front of her.

“I will say this for Supergirl,” Leslie said, “she sure knows how to find the hot ladies.”

“How did you get in here?” Susan asked.

“Easy,” Leslie said, then she vanished, leaving behind only an arc of lightning jumping from where she was standing, to a spot on one of the catwalks, where she reappeared. She leaned down, resting her arms on the hand rails of the catwalk. “You know, when Supergirl said I was going to have powers, I thought it would take me forever to learn to use them. I had the whole thing in my head. There was a training montage, me in a sports bra and yoga pants punching a heavy bag and looking fabulous, me fighting Supergirl, me frying Supergirl with lightning. The soundtrack was Come With Me Now by Kongos. It was a thing. But this…”

She disappeared, and a lightning bolt struck the ground in front of Susan, leaving Leslie standing in front of her. “This is like breathing. I don’t even have to think about it. I can feel the electricity flowing around us. It’s calling to me, like music.”

Susan frowned, not at all liking where this was going. “Are you okay?”

Leslie nodded. “It’s a… It’s like a really good high,” she said. “I’m wired, and I need to do something.”

Susan was going to kill Kara. Really, she was.

“I tell you what,” she said. “Why don’t I have Kafel take you down to the firing range, and you can try blasting a few targets? Sound good?”

Leslie nodded. “I can work with that,” she said. “Get in some practice for when we find this Henshaw guy.”

Susan waved Kafel over. “Take Miss Willis down to the special ordinance firing range,” she said. “The Heat Vision settings should do.”

Kafel nodded and headed for the range, Leslie in tow.

Susan watched them leave, then shook herself as she realized where her eyes had been focused. She must be a lot more stressed than she thought. She’d only been single a month, and she usually had to have a dry spell of at least six months before she was reduced to staring at straight girls’ asses.

Being the adult sucked.

J’onn stared down at the board in front of him, trying to find a way out of the trap he’d been so skillfully lured into, and had to admit there wasn’t one. He reached forward, and tipped his king over, conceding the match.

“You’re a fast learner,” he said.

“You are a capable teacher,” Astra replied. “But truth be told, you give me more credit that I deserve. The game is similar to one we played on Krypton. A bit simpler. /,mizrhosh,levrrosh,/ works in three dimensions.”

“I should teach you Go,” J’onn said. “Kara loves it. Says it reminds her of /,:divi,chao,dovrrosh,/.”

Astra smiled. “She loved that game,” she said. “From the moment I taught her. We played for hours.”

“Was she any good?” J’onn asked.

“No,” Astra said, her smile growing a bit. “I love my niece, but she has no patience at all.”

“She might surprise you,” J’onn said.

“I find you surprising, son of Mars,” Astra said. “Most would be angry, were they in your situation.”

“I knew this day would come,” J’onn said. “A secret like mine can only be kept so long. Oh, it might have held, if Henshaw had really died, but once I knew he was alive, this moment became inevitable.”

“Tell me, does my niece still deceive herself into believing we will be freed?” Astra asked.

“You will be,” J’onn said as he began to reset the board for another game. “One way, or the other.”

“That sounds ominous,” Astra said.

“It should,” J’onn said. “If Marsdin doesn’t keep her word, your niece will tear this place apart to free you.”

“And then?” Astra asked.

“War,” J’onn said. “A long, terrible war.”

“I do not wish that for her,” Astra said, as she made her first move.

“War is coming,” J’onn said. “If not with the humans, then with the Oans and the Apokoliptians.”

“You sound sure of that,” Astra said.

“As sure as I am that I’m sitting in prison.”

“Very sure than,” Astra said. “I trust the irony doesn’t escape you.”

“It doesn’t,” J’onn said. “The humans even have a phrase for it. ‘A prison of your own making.’”

“And yet, you still have hope.”

“I do,” J’onn said. “It’s a byproduct of spending time around the Danvers. They have ways of working miracles.”

“Well, J’onn J’onzz, let us hope you are right. I would very much like to have a word with this man who’s cast doubt on my niece’s good name.”

“You and me both.”

Susan stood at attention as the President walked into the DEO command center, wondering not for the first time what on Earth she had done to deserve a day like this. Superman was only a few steps behind her, and there was a vague look of fear on his face. Given the expression on Marsdin’s face, she couldn’t say she was surprised. If Marsdin has looked at her like that, even a month ago, Susan probably would have run and hid under her bunk. Somehow, though, the prospect of being responsible for stopping the end of the world made her worry less about the President being pissed at her.

“Agent Vasquez,” Marsdin said, and her tone did nothing to hide the anger behind her eyes.

“Acting Director Vasquez,” Susan corrected.

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t apologize,” Marsdin replied.

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t apologize for calling you a damn stubborn fool,” Susan shot back, making Superman, and at least two members of the secret service team wince.

“Well, I suppose there’s no questioning your bravery,” Marsdin said.

“I’m trying to keep you alive, ma’am,” Susan said. “I don’t appreciate anyone adding to the difficulty of that task. Even you.”

Marsdin relaxed, just a bit. “I suppose that’s a fair sentiment, Director, but I don’t believe I have any choice. If what we’re doing is to succeed, we all have to accept a little risk.”

“With respect, ma’am, you could have signed the paperwork in your nice, safe office three thousand miles from the fucking war zone I am trying my best to manage.”

“I could have, but I could not have appeared on stage with Director Henshaw, General Astra, and Supergirl.”

Susan took a deep breath. “We could have arranged that, actually,” Susan said. “Or, at least, Supergirl could have. But it’s done. You’re here. How would you like to proceed?”

“First, I’d like an update on the situation with Detective Sawyer,” Marsdin said.

“The situation is still in flux,” Susan said. “Detective Sawyer called us this morning to inform us that she believed the National City Police Commissioner and the Chief of Police were attempting to railroad Supergirl. She had a signed statement from Willis confirming Supergirl’s innocence, but the Commissioner and the Chief ordered her to hold Supergirl, and a contact she had in the DA’s office confirmed that charges were still being prepared. Detective Sawyer headed this off by making a public statement confirming Supergirl’s innocence, and then allowed Willis to speak to the press. The Commissioner fired Detective Sawyer for insubordination and disobeying a direct order. Detective Sawyer turned in her badge and cleared out her desk. While loading her belongings into the trunk of her car, a known assassin for hire named John Corben shot her from behind with a silenced Glock 9mm. Detective Sawyer was wearing low profile body armor of Kryptonian design when attacked, and as a result, was unharmed. She drew her weapon, which she was carrying under cover of a civilian carry permit and shot Corben twice in the chest. Acting Director Danvers was notified of the incident by an automated monitoring system and took advantage of a piece of Supergirl’s equipment to travel immediately to the scene and make sure Detective Sawyer was safe. I dispatched a pair of strike teams as back up and assumed command of the DEO in Director Danvers’ absence. I notified Supergirl of the situation, and ordered her to remain in place, however, she contacted one of her assets, a sorceress named Zatanna Zatara to render aid. Zatanna arrived in time to prevent two National City Police Officers from taking Danvers and Sawyer into custody. The situation has since devolved into a jurisdictional pissing match between the NCPD and the DEO. The NCPD wants jurisdiction because the attempt was made on NCPD property. We are claiming jurisdiction because Sawyer is a credentialed consultant for us. Of course, we’d be better able to press the claim if we weren’t having to claim to be FBI, but for now, there’s nothing we can do about that situation.”

“Well, that I can help with. Once we’re done here, get me an office, and I’ll make a call.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Susan said.

“What about the arrangements for the signing?” Marsdin asked.

“Progressing. We’ve been holding off on securing a venue, however. We have no idea how far our enemy’s intelligence reaches, so we want to save that for the last minute. At the moment, we haven’t even informed NCPD that you will be in town. That’s why I insisted Air Force One land here.”

“How quickly can we have this done, Director?” Marsdin asked.

“Unsure. I’d say one o’clock, but it depends on how quickly we can find a venue.”

“As fast as possible, please,” Marsdin said.

“Understood,” Vasquez replied. “Brody, set President Marsdin up in the office next to the one Major Lane is using.”

“Yes, ma’am,” came the response as a young agent stepped forward. “This way, Madame President,” she said, leading the way towards the office General Lane used when he was there.”

Susan waited until they were gone, then pulled out her phone and dialled Kara.

“Susan, is Alex okay?” Kara asked.

“She’s fine,” Susan said. “Quick thinking with Zatanna. Alex was impressed.”

Kara snorted. “Is that what they’re calling it now,” Kara said, amusement in her voice. “I’d worry that Maggie would notice how impressed Alex was, but Maggie’s probably too busy being impressed herself.”

Susan smiled for the first time in hours. “Having seen Zatanna, I’m pretty impressed too, but that’s not why I called. I need your help.”

“What’s happening?”

“Marsdin is in National City,” Susan said.

“WHAT? No. Oh, Susan, whose dumb idea was that?” Kara asked.

“Hers, and I’ve already told her it was a horrible idea,” Susan said.

“Can’t J’onn do something?”

“J’onn’s not available,” Susan said.

“Why? What happened?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Susan said. “Just, I need a safe venue where Marsdin can hold a press conference. She’s going to sign the Amnesty act, then sign the pardons we’ve prepared, along with a couple of executive orders. Once it’s done, our hands will be untied. We can go after Cadmus. But she has to live long enough to sign them.”

“Do it here at CatCo,” Kara said. “Short of the DEO building downtown, it’s the most defensible location in National City.”

“Um… No offence Kara, but CatCo Plaza is a giant target.”

“It would be, if I hadn’t spliced an Omegahedron into the power system and installed defense field generators around the CatCo building months ago.”

Susan blinked as her entire thought process blue-screened for a moment. When it came back online, she just shook her head.

“Kara, I could kiss you right now,” she said.

“At least buy me dinner first,” Kara said, laughter in her voice. “We have a studio on the twelfth floor that should be large enough. I’ll get working on it. No motorcade though. You keep Oliva there until it’s time, and we’ll do a site-to-site transmat.”

“Got it,” Susan said. “See you soon.” She hung up, and slipped her phone back in her pocket, then started making preparations while hoping like hell no-one told Kara that J’onn had spent the last few hours in lock up, and that two of the pardons in question were for Susan and Alex.

Christ, today was a shit show, start to finish.

Bruce muted the sound coming from the batcomputer, and leaned back, staring unseeingly at the screen.

“You’re absolutely sure?” Bruce asked.

“Positive,” Barbara said. She was sitting at the workstation next to him.

“We’ve checked everything three times,” Tim said, from the other side of where Bruce sat. “The money trails are incredibly well covered, but the initial deposit was done in nineteen ninety-eight.”

“There was about fifty billion in accumulated assets by the time Kara got hired at CatCo,” Barbara said. “But that number has grown about three thousand percent in the last fourteen months.”

“I don’t get it,” Tim said. “I thought she arrived in two thousand three.”

“She did,” Bruce said. “I tracked her from the Fortress while Clark went out to intercept the pod.”

“Then how is this possible?” Barbara asked.

“I don’t know,” Bruce said, “but we need to find out. Can you get me a physical location on where the transactions were coming from?”

“Up until October of last year,” Tim said. “After that, the connection becomes much harder to trace. Victor might be able to run it down, but we haven’t been able to trace it.”

“That makes sense,” Bruce said. “According to Clark, that’s around the time she set up her own Fortress.”

“Well, before that, everything was coming from this building,” Tim said, pulling up a map of Keystone City, and zooming in to a small building in the industrial district. “I’ve pulled everything I can on it. The property taxes are paid by a property management service, which also pays a maintenance crew to keep the place up to code. Twice a year, an IT subcontractor goes in and upgrades a server rack and checks all the network connections. The old computers have their hard drives replaced before they are donated to a charity which does IT for community centers in low income areas of Keystone, Central and National City. The old hard drives are shredded. There’s a security company that drives by twice a night and monitors an alarm system, but there’s no onsite security. The only thing odd about the place is the amount of internet bandwidth. It’s been steadily upgraded over the years. Right now, it’s at one-hundred gigabits per second, symmetrical.”

“That’s a lot of bandwidth for a single server rack,” Bruce said.

“What do you think it means?” Tim asked.

“I don’t know,” Bruce said.

“This is Kara we’re talking about,” Barbara said. “Why not just ask?”

“Because something doesn’t add up,” Bruce said.

“Because we don’t have all the information,” Barbara said. “Hence the asking part.”

“She has a point, Bruce,” Tim said.

“I think I might need to take a trip to Keystone city,” Bruce said.

“Or I could just call Kara,” Barbara said. “Look, I have my phone, right here.”

Bruce hit the intercom button. “Alfred, call and have the jet prepped for a trip to Keystone city.”

Barbara leaned over, so she could see Tim past Bruce. “Why is he like this?”

Tim threw his hands up in the air. “Repeated head trauma?”

Translated from the Kryptonian:

,mizrhosh,levrrosh, Advance - Retreat

,:divi,chao,dovrrosh, light and shadow

[junker-town]

How Mack Brown’s UNC will borrow from Clemson and Oklahoma

Structurally, the Heels are setting themselves up like two Playoff teams. There are worse examples to follow.

You already know what Mack Brown’s going to look like like off the field in his new (old) job at North Carolina. There’ll be the folksy twang that will sound increasingly less Texan as the season goes on. There’ll be glad-handing, backslapping, and motivational tweeting.

But at some point, UNC’s gotta actually play. Coming off a 2-9 season, how will that look?

There is no Vince Young or Colt McCoy at North Carolina, and the sport’s changed. Brown at least looks like he’s trying to change with it.

At Texas, Brown was something of a schematic chameleon. There are plenty of coaches from Brown’s era whom you immediately identify with a certain scheme or style of play — Steve Spurrier with Fun N’ Gun, Tom Osborne with the triple option, Mike Leach with the air raid. But off the top of your head, do you know whether Brown was an offensive or defensive coordinator before he was a head coach? I’ll give you a second to think about it.

(Offensive. He was a receivers coach before that.)

Brown’s Texas offenses, coordinated by Greg Davis, ran the hell out of the ball. Ricky Williams won a Heisman. Vince Young won a national championship as UT’s primary ball- got carrier, and Colt McCoy came within a game of another one.

But the Horns didn’t look like today’s spread running teams. They didn’t lean as much on the zone read, instead getting a lot out of QB draws and scrambles, like on the most famous play of Young’s career:

So, where does Brown turn? He got his likely QB of the future in four-star Sam Howell, when he flipped him from Florida State late in the recruiting cycle. Recruiting services regard Howell as a pro-style passer, but his high school coach says Howell “really is a dual threat.”

Whoever UNC’s QB is, the best schematic hints are in the coaches Brown’s hired.

In one key way, it looks the the Heels are going to borrow from Clemson.

Enter offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who comes from Ole Miss, and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who comes from Army.

It seems to resemble Clemson’s setup under Dabo Swinney: install a folksy head coach as the head of the program and surround him with bulletproof coordinators to take care of the actual football.

It’s not to say Brown and Swinney don’t know what they’re doing on the whiteboard. But they get time to sell their program and have good, hands-on football minds to fall back on. Swinney’s greatest talent may be making you think his folksiness makes him less shrewd of a CEO.

Some head coaches are only as good as their staffs. Not every head guy can have an organizational setup to handle Nick Saban-level assistant churn.

Here’s where UNC is likely to borrow from another Playoff regular: Oklahoma. That starts on offense, but it doesn’t necessarily stop there.

One thing that’s clear is how Brown wants his offense to play.

“We’re going to be very similar to Oklahoma on offense,” Brown told reporters at the Kenan Football Center. “I told Coach Longo I want to score 50 points a game and have two Heisman Trophy quarterbacks back-to-back. I said that about three times and he said, ‘I got it, I heard it the first time.’

“… He started studying the Mike Leach tree a long time ago. We’re not going to be Mike Leach. And then he got to be very close friends with Kliff Kingsbury. And I like Kliff a lot. Then he’s taken what they did with the Oklahoma system with Lincoln Riley and he’s combined the power running game with a wide open passing attack. And that’s who we’ll be.”

Oklahoma is not an air raid team. It’s a power-running team that stretches the field vertically with air raid staples when it passes like four verticals and mesh. But the Sooners don’t look to pass first and pass only.

Longo’s offenses have air raid passing elements all over the place with a tiny playbook and asking receivers to make post-snap coverage reads — not just quarterbacks.

Longo also likes the orbit motion Oklahoma uses to set up RPOs ...

... as shown here by Longo’s Ole Miss against Alabama:

That above Ole Miss play is actually a triple-option guard/tackle counter run that OU has been using to run all over teams.

This is unfair. OU runs Read GT Counter the Boundary Orbit Motion makes it a Triple Option to the Field 1️⃣ Give the Counter 2️⃣ Keep ✅ 3️⃣ Throw Swing to the Field Counter + Orbit Motion opens up the middle of the field for an easy TD! pic.twitter.com/nSpIohJ0el

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 9, 2018

But what about on defense?

There is no better place than Chapel Hill to have a team that will play the defensive version of basketball on grass.

That term is typically reserved for offenses. The zone read is kind of like football’s version of the pick-and-roll, for instance. But defensive football can be basketball on grass, too. Back in 2015, the Warriors evolved what the mid-aughts Atlanta Hawks did, which was basically run out a bunch of 6’8 small forwards and let it ride. It proved to be the future of the NBA.

Here’s how Bateman describes his defense:

The one constant week-to-week: “Everyone is a blitzer,” says Bateman. “A kid is a defensive end—well, now he’s a linebacker, or a strong safety. How does a quarterback declare him? [Their offense will] start blocking guys that aren’t even rushing, and not block guys who are.” From this, Army employs six different blitzes, but Bateman runs them out of dozens of personnel packages, which he says forces offensive coordinators to spend twice the normal time in preparation.

Bateman says the biggest concern he’s heard from visiting NFL coaches about this kind of multiplicity is that it requires immense brain power from the safeties in charge of lining everyone up and from the corners memorizing the coverages. Bateman’s solution is to have his defense operate as a collection of grouped special forces. They use one-word calls, the first letter of which pertains to a specific position group, alerting players as to who is blitzing. Linebackers, for example, might be assigned an S-word—so if the call is “spider,” linebackers are going after the QB. The other groups know what coverage or technique to play when the linebackers blitz.

Here’s an example of how that looks:

New #UNC DC Jay Bateman will use exactly this kind of defensive call. Forces offensive coordinators to game plan based on post-snap tendencies rather than pre-snap looks. With the right personnel, very difficult to plan against https://t.co/AzWPjjqfHS

— Jason Staples (@DocStaples) December 9, 2018

And another:

The other thing Bateman will have to adjust to now that he’s not at Army is that he won’t be working in concert with with an offense that runs the football version of four-corners tempo. He no longer has an offense that by design dominates time of possession, like the Black Knights’ triple option does.

Four-corners was the pre-shot clock era offensive scheme that helped bring UNC legend Dean Smith to prominence. It was literally built to chew clock by playing keep away.

A college football analogue is Army’s flexbone. The other offense can’t score if it’s on the bench, hence Oklahoma scoring just 21 in regulation against West Point in 2018.

Army drive chart tonight in regulation: • 16 plays, 75 yards, 9:31 – Touchdown • 16 plays, 75 yards, 8:54 – Touchdown • 8 plays, 32 yards, 2:57 – Punt • 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:47 – Punt • 19 plays, 85 yards, 10:47 – Touchdown • 17 plays, 65 yards, 10:06 – Interception

— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) September 23, 2018

In 2018, Army held the ball for 38:33 per game, more than two minutes more than any other team in the last decade. Now Bateman’s defense will pair with Longo’s offense. His units have been prolific, but they don’t hold the ball for long. Ole Miss ranked 123rd in time of possession (26:58) in 2018, and that’s the highest it ranked in Longo’s two years there.

If that Longo offense isn’t scoring, it creates the common issue for a defense that compliments a prolific offense. Lightning-quick ineffective offense means lightning-quick three-and-outs that put a ton of strain on a tired defense.

How does Bateman adjust play-calling strategies, platooning of his players, and overall aggressiveness? Those are schematic growing pains that the Heels will have to get through.

We’ve already seen how this type of defense can pair with an electric offense in further Oklahoma-UNC overlap. This shapeshifting positionless defense was former Ohio State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s claim to fame when he was at Washington State.

An air raid defense doesn’t need to pitch shutouts as long as its offense is holding up its end of the bargain: top-30 in yards-per-play and top-20 in yards-per-game, maybe.

Alex Grinch’s Shapeshifting Defense at Washington State The amount of Pre & Post Snap Movement on the Defensive Line is Incredible! ▪️Here they jump from Tite Front to Even Front & back to Tite ▪️LB matches H-Back ▪️Delayed Blitz from the Field gets the sack pic.twitter.com/AK32ZGuvV2

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) January 30, 2019

The Sooners just hired Grinch to be their defensive coordinator. They’re embracing defensive versatility like the Heels will under Bateman.

The growing pains will be there, but this is one of the most interesting schematic marriages in the country.

Brown, Longo, and Bateman are only in Chapel Hill because UNC wasn’t up to par at the end of Larry Fedora’s tenure. But Longo’s Ole Miss offense was strong even with NCAA-hampering depth issues and about the same team talent as UNC has now.

Bateman’s coached good Army defenses and worked around size deficiencies of service academy football. Now, he’ll face tougher offenses, but he’ll have more sought-after players on his side of the ball, too.

[ts-seychelles]

EP. 1 - “The Ghosts of Tumblr Survivor Past, Present, and Future“ - AUGUSTO

So getting to know my tribe, I see a couple of familiar faces like Jared and JG from other places. Regan also hosted Flops which is a good thing since I got along with her. However if I'm being honest I feel like I connect with Dan the most, hopefully we can talk a bit more because I want to work with him in the future. 

from deep within the void* hi sisters It’s me, Dan. So I really am like doing nothing in this game rn. I’m the only person who said they could do the flag and I know my gay ass isn’t good enough for that. So I’m just going to submit some bullshit I make in five minutes and call it a day. Fucking Alex Crooks is on the other side and I can hear his cocky little ass right now being like. “WeLl I’m MoSt QuAlIfIEd BeCaUsE i MaDe GrApHiCs FoR pReViOuS tS sEaSoNs” I literally don’t even know him that well but I hate him so I hope he’s an early boot so I don’t even have to entertain the idea of speaking to him on a game or personal level. Call me a bitch, call me jealous, but seeing him stroke his own ego for no reason in VLs has completely turned me off to ever wanting to talk to him ever. Don’t even get me started on that extra ass intro video sis. Get a hobby. As far as my tribe goes, I will do anything for Sam Bosse, so. Jared knows Amanda and is dating Nicole and may be the weirdest person I’ve ever had to talk to. Agus is cool and I wanna work with him I think. And honestly I don’t remember anyone else’s name rn.....oh Allison! She’ll probably be inactive for the first week, we’ll lose the challenge and hopefully vote her out. It’s just #EasierThatWay And that’s all you really missed on Glee. *fades into the abyss*

REGAN SCARES TF OUTTA ME. DRAKE IS A COOL DUDE. I LOVE SAM. AUGUSTO DESERVES THE WORLD. AND FRANKIE IS PRETTY CHILL. ALSO, I MESSED UP REALLY BAD AND CALLED ALLISON AMANDA. 

It’s time to open shop cause we’re back for business, baby! And this time we REALLY mean business. Okay, yeah… that’s cringy but I’m just really thankful that I’m back for the fifth time to redeem myself. Redemption means to finish what I’ve set out to do the four times I’ve played before; to win. I’ve messed it up for myself countless times before and it’s up to me to do better, be better. Now it’s just a matter of how it’ll happen. :D 

Just put back 99 bottles down with Johnny and Vilma. We knocked it out perfectly in about as little time as possible, so I think we've got at least 1 of our 3 that we need to win immunity. We spent an hour and a half talking to each other so we really got to build something too. I'm glad that we did that and hope we can all move forward together. 

With this being my fifth game, this isn’t my first rodeo per se but I need to act like it is for my sake. I always come into games with 150% effort right off the bat and it gets me out incredibly early, so I guess you could say my strategy is to be more chill? I want to really put effort into my relationships with people on this first day so there’s a semi-solid foundation for at least this round. More often than not, the people that are active and likable during the first day end up staying at least for the very first round. After I make good conversation with a majority of our tribe the first day, I’ll be a little less active in talking to people and see who keeps up the effort to talk to me, etc. Let’s see how long I keep this up though… 

*a few moments later*

This cast = stacked, period. I’m genuinely happy for everyone returning to right their wrongs (yes, even Johnny). The Lazare Tribe has the better tribe color, no cap… but I’m glad I’m on Malabar. I’ve played with Johnny and Roxy in Flops and Great Lakes respectively, plus I lost to Alex in my first ORG ever. While being on a tribe with Roxy would be a good time guaranteed, it wouldn’t be good for either of us in terms of longevity cause I feel we’d be clumped together and targeted for it. So for the moment, I’ll have to be without the icon herself and hope to be on a tribe with her in the future. As far as Johnny goes, he was a large reason why I left Flops in the first place plus we were super close allies that never trusted each other, so if we do meet again it would either be a clash of the titans or the best collab since Mariah and Whitney. (K, I cringed @that but it works). Plus, he was the one who randomized the rock draw that got me out in Socotra so the universe is basically saying he is not one to be trusted! If we would’ve started on a tribe together, things would’ve gotten awkward quick so I’m glad I’m spared from that and can spread my own wings until I meet him again. SO yeah, thank you hosts for putting me on Malabar, xoxo.

*a few moments later*

Guess the hosts are feeling the Christmas spirit by bringing the Ghosts of Tumblr Survivor Past, Present, and Future to us. You guessed it, our season’s twist is Ghost Island, which centers around all the mistakes, misplays, and misfortunes of all who have played TS before. I mean they played TS to begin with so that’s probably the first mistake, but in all seriousness… I probably have like 58493 items hidden at Ghost Island. We got the misplayed extra vote from Flops, the idol I went home with in Flops, the exile pass I didn’t use in Great Lakes, the rock I drew in Socotra, we could probably even include the whole Aomak tribe and Great Lakes as a whole. All in all, we got options! As you can see, I don’t have the best experience with advantages but as part of my unfinished business, I want to go to Ghost Island to at least have the opportunity to redeem myself. This’ll be interesting for sure, especially since someone will be exiled from Tribal Council every round which is an advantage and disadvantage within itself. Realistically though, I can see them sending in Regan every round cause people are like that lmaooooo 

* another few moments later*

Okay, I think I’m doing okay for like the first time ever? I don’t know, my tribe is just really cool and I’ve vibed with almost everyone to some extent. If I had to pick my favorite person on the tribe, I would say Samantha just because we legit have so much in common and had some surprisingly deep conversation like about how diversity is super important in our society. So yeah, she’s awesome. If I had to pick a second, it would be either Ashen or Jared just because we’ve had tons of laughs in our conversations, which is nice. For example, Ashen talked about being from Tennessee and hating country music which turned into us having a fake band and then with Jared, we were making jokes about how we are making profit off of our fake OnlyFans account. Regan and I are somewhat close, just because she hosted me and like I try to be really nice to her since some people act kinda messed up towards her. Drake and I were both in Flops, but we never interacted since we were never on a tribe together and same goes with Dan in Great Lakes, so hopefully I get the chance to play with them. While I started interacting with Frankie kinda late, we’ve had some cute little chats which is nice. JG was a little hard to talk to in PMs, but we were interacting a lot during the tribe call so who knows! The only person that I, and I think everyone else, haven’t really talked to is Allison just because she hasn’t been here all that much. I do know her somewhat from playing Izu Islands with her though, so if she and I talk it’d be fun to catch up and get to know each other more. This is all great, but it’d make a future tribal kinda difficult. I do think that Allison would be a scapegoat for everyone, which is a tiny bit reassuring but again, you never know. 

The Art of the Meme: My social game is good enough to get me through to a potential tribe swap. I HOPE. And it is all encompassed in my ability to make others laugh. How, you say? Memes. I try my best to analyze the personalities of the tribe and place whichs memes fit best with each person during lulls in the conversation. That way, it never seems like the convo is drying up! Relationship Rankings: 1. JG 2. Dan 3. Drake 4. Samantha 5. Augusto 6. Reegan 7. Ashen 8. Frankie 9. Allison

Normally I do video confessionals, but we'll do this just to have something in real quick while it's fresh! Just jumped off call with Alex. Hands down this is the guy I wanna work with coming into this game. Only guy I know who's a loyal type of player unless given reason not to be. That's who I want on my side. He's also a threat in these games and having a nice little punching bag in front of me throughout this game will be nice lol. So without even second guessing, he's the guy I'm riding this game out with. Obviously though I need to make some other connections and right now priorities lie with Johnny, Roxy, and Zach. Johnny I connect with the most outside of Alex. He seems pretty tight and honestly they like each other so maybe forming a 3 with them in the future would make my day!!! Roxy on the other hand is a little intense and is obviously a social threat. However having people like her on my side to make connections that I can't is vital to my game so I really want to work on her/him too idk lol. Finally, we have Zach. This guy I didn't even talk to up until recently, however Alex seems to think he's in a really good spot with the entire tribe already with 24 hours of the game starting lol. Alex seems to think it's impossible to get this guy out early and you know what they say? If you can't beat them, join them! So my "mission" right now is to get super tight with this guy because if not, I could easily be the first boot on this tribe for not connecting with the "King Pin"

Ok, so we lost the first challenge and Alison is basically guaranteed first boot due to her inactivity. But I kind of hope they send her to ghost island so we get the real drama and have to make rifts in the game and go for blood instead of an easy target. As long as it’s not me I don’t really care.

okay winning the first immunity while I tried to plan the strategy of all three components of the challenge? LIVING FOR IT Not sending Regan to the first ghost island because she's a troll and I kind of hate everything she does as a person? Also here for it. Very happy Jared went to Ghost Island because I'm trying to get him to trust me this time around, and hopefully my friendship with Nicole can blossum into something great. I know not many people are going to actively try to work with both of them, so if I can manage to work with both of them for as long as they're in the game, I feel it'll benefit me? idk. it's tricky At least I'm safe! No 20th for me whewwwwwww 

*a few moments later*

I DONT KNOW HOW I DO IT BUT I LITERALLY FOUND AN IDOL ON MY FIRST TRY Not telling anyone. If people ask me about my searches im going to get so triggered because i don't know how to lie about not finding anything yet, but god speed. I can't wait for my three episode unfinished business stint to be OTTNN for 3 episodes and then be voted out because I went to someone's house and actually set them on fire? Queen Ashlyn WHO? 

So my tribe lost first immuntiy such a bummer, I mean i hope im not first boot but honestly i dont know. People say Allison since shes been inactive so im fine with that but im going to hold my vote until i know for sure since everything can change in 24 hours i had it happen to me. 

so roxy and alex are sending fucking audio messages of themselves singing in the tribe chat and it’s kinda annoying like damn i didn’t know this was the voice //: 

The idol hunt is on. I already know 7 places that it isn't thanks to everyone else. I'm going to keep trying to figure it out using communications with other people. I'm going to give it a shot on my own now. 

Hello this is Roxy and it's my first confessional. We just finished our first immunity and we want really happy because I like my tribe and I do not know who I would have voted out if we went to tribal I think I'm in a very good standing but my social game is plummeting with everyday I need to really get my head in the game and to get to know people I haven't been able to do that and that's not good like I talked a bit and it's all Hollow on Surface but if I really want everybody to be in my pants when I need to crank up by social game two little bit hard with the fact that I'm only Australian and I'm not the best at social because I don't know what to say or how to start a conversation other than when it comes to strategy and talking to my strategy is not good and Elsa leads to paranoia which leads to getting voted out or idoled out. I'll see if there are some words that don't make sense in those days because I'm doing a speech to text thing because I'm too lazy to type but I really want this n text nobody's gonna watch the video. So I will do a cost assessment now for ACL to my tribe so we have alex crooks I love it looks crooks he's really nice and sweet and have a connection through steam but the problem is I haven't been able to socialize with him alot or connect with him so that will be my top priority because I really want to work with him and I think you'll feel loyal to me Next we have asya.  She's nice and I know her from house of shade I haven't been able to talk to her much apart from the first day I got a 6 that I don't think I see myself working with her long term but I know that is supported to have strong social connection with her because I think she's a loyal type it should stick to her Ally and she could also easily turn people against me I think she has that kind of social power Next is Johnny I like him and I really want to work with him I f***** him up into other or something lol it cencored me. Anyways I want to work closely with him and I think it will be better official to me beneficial not official to be bothered to backspace and Away the only problem with him is that I don't have that much impact usually I feel like I'm seen more as under the radar the matter what I do so then I brought up the bigger players and Johnny is somebody who easily get so much credit just because he is a present and I don't have my skills but still want to talk with her VI: There's my girl and I think if I have a final 2 she would be it I think she's loyal once you're stuck with me and yeah she's cute nice nicole: I haven't had a lot of chance to talk with Nicole she's been sort of not that here because it she's sick but I think she is potential big Ally but I don't feel a lot of potential or f*** I just said potential twice I mean like this potential but I don't know for sure and we'll see how time Curtis but we'll see I don't know Ruben: There is another contender for final to it'll be Reuben I think that he won't ever but he'll be super loyal and I'm going to put a lot of effort into my relationship with them because I believe that is the why is this for me strategically and he also seems really nice he always apologize for everything must be from New Zealand lol jokes VIlma: Barely seems to be on but I think when I go overseas I want to go to Israel time zone is my line better but I'm not sure Zach seems to like her and he wants to bring her into reliance in says oh because she's not that on that much she'll be loyal to us and I think that workout zach: So I can I have a tricky past but I think he will remain loyal to me which is why ive decided to allign with him. He has already made a 1 on 1 chat with me and a f3 chat with vi and i and wants an allaince with alex myself johnny vi and vilma. lets see how that goes. ALso we fuckin squashed them. Heh. 

"It's been almost 5 hours on Exile... I haven't eaten in days. The rumblings of my stomach are a chorus to the ears of a wild, lonely man. Only strategy crosses my mind now. How do I win this game? How do I maximize the advantage of having Nicole here and minimize the potential detriment? I have good bonds already with the occupants of Lazare. Johnny, though once a foe, could prove to be an asset to me in this game. I won't count my chickens before they hatch." *BONG BONG BONG go the drums of the natives* "Cannibals, certainly. And so I hide, erasing my plans, finger-drawn in the dirt." ~4 hours pass~ "The hosts have come and gone. 'Eureka!' they say, their camera phones foreign to me now. I have decided to give the Legacy Advantage to Nicole. Still, I question this decision. It is unlikely that this tool will have much utility now. There are benefits to being away from Malabar. Obvious in it's nature- Ghost Island will protect me from eviction. Though alliances will be formed without me, I should be able to make it to the tribe swap with the relationships I've nurtured, needing only a majority of 5 when I return. I will sleep for now, dreams bound to be boasting new plans. Sweet byebye forever Cao Boi." 

The challenge flop from Flops jumped out and so did the losing Great Laker from Socotra… and the Sarpang member from Bhutan…. All in all, a sis sucks at challenge as shown by me bringing a DODGEBALL to a PAINTBALL fight. Starting off on the losing tribe is something I’m sadly used to, but I hope it doesn’t become a Aomak Part 2 as that was enough for me to take tbh. With Malabar losing however, it gives us a chance to form strategic connections which sucks for Jared who was sent to Ghost Island. Him being sent was a little weird to me since I expected someone like Samantha or even Allison to be sent, but I’m glad he’s going since we were pretty tight those from 3 days. Speaking of Allison, where is she? She legit hasn’t shown up and I hope it isn’t anything serious outside of the game and if it is, I’m sorry Allison (when she sees this). That being said, she’s the likely first boot since she’s the most inactive. Although, I am a bit concerned for Samantha since she’s been a little quiet recently and she told me not many talk to her. Plus, Dan let me know her name was out there a little bit and gave me a backstory on Sam and Regan’s supposed beef. Dan and I have really gotten closer in these past few days and he actually approached me about working together, so I’m glad I actually have a semi-solid ally this early! Tribal council seems easy for this first round and I hope it stays that way for at least a little bit :D 

so tbh im super nervous no one is speaking to me and like I honestly think it can't possibly be as simple as Allison. But then again are they dumb enough to vote me, who could be an asset over an inactive like Allison? Also I trust Dan, Augusto, and Drake

[iamjamesmatthew]

IAJM INTERVIEW w/ OSCAR JOYO (@OscarJoyo)

OSCAR JOYO INTERVIEW by Matthew James IAJM: Hey, Oscar. Before we get into this talk, I’d like to start off by having you introduce yourself to readers as well as myself. OSCAR JOYO: My name is Oscar Joyo and I'm a Chicago-based visual artist who works in both traditional and digital media.I was born in Malawi in 1992 and moved to the US less than a decade later. I was inspired by animation, video games, movies, music, and art books from the 1999 Tarzan film growing up but graduated into anime, figurative painting, and surreal art as I got older. I continue to be influenced by artists of various disciplines to this day. IAJM: Growing up who were some of the artists that inspired you? OJ: As a kid, I was inspired by artists like Akira Toriyama, Alex Ross, James Jean, Glen Keane, and Kehinde Wiley. IAJM: What makes those particular artists so inspirational to you? OJ: Sure, these artists had some strong influences on because of how they combine things together to make a new viewing experience. I also admire their rendering abilities and how well they capture realism. Akira Toriyama was my first influence with his show Dragonball z. His combination of pop culture and fighting films really caught my attention. His way of drawing character was so simple to copy of from that I drew it all the time.As a kid, every kid in my class drew Goku and Vegeta.Honestly, if it weren't for that show and the profound impact it felt on me, I wouldn't be drawing today. I then graduated to Alex Ross with his blend of classical realism and comics which was foreign to me at the time.What makes him great was how he took his passion for comics and realism seen by artists like Norman Rockwell and fused them so beautifully. Glen Keane but more specifically his work on Tarzan is another influence on me. As I got older and really dove into his process and how tedious he had to study animal and human life (keyword: study) to make his characters come to life in his work. Kehinde Wiley with his mix of classic, Renaissance art and black culture really influenced me growing up. He utilised the representational aspect of figure painting so masterfully but what sold me on him was how regal he made his subject matter.It showed the importance of an African American and within us, there is royalty. I can't fully pinpoint what I loved about James Jean but his ability to switch from pop-oriental to comic book to surreal made me want to work with various media. Funny enough, I didn't like his work until I got to college and looked through his "Rebus" book. Like Kehinde with Black culture/Renaissance, James incorporates a traditional style of Japanese paintings with a surreal/representational approach. Overall, what I love about these artists all together is their willingness to study the world around them and then combine things together. For me, it made me embrace being able to move from technique to technique.  IAJM: So now, after having your "creative fire" lit by those artists, when did you begin to take your art as a serious endeavour to pursue? OJ: I was motivated to take art seriously around the age of 15 when my high school art teachers encouraged me to pursue it. It was a huge push for me since I love art in general and knowing that I can make a career of doing what I love.

IAJM: I like the piece of work you recently created inspired by the Marvel Comics Hip Hop variant series - the Danny Brown x Incredible Hulk piece is amazing. Have you contacted anyone from Marvel Comics about officially collaborating with their variant series? OJ: Thank you very much. Haha, unfortunately, I haven't been contacted by Marvel (yet). It would be cool if they contacted me since I have additional ideas for more variant covers. IAJM: What's a typical day in the life of Oscar Joyo like? OJ: My typical day is broken up into 3 branches but simply: I get up, go to work, come back to spend time with my roommates, draw and paint, then sleep or stay up if I had too much caffeine throughout the day. B.Drawing until I can't draw anymore, drinking coffee, and researching more art C.Attempting to leave the house but stay inside because something about the drawing doesn't look right.

IAJM: What big projects do you have planned for 2017? OJ: Currently, I'm working on issue #2 of Nebula Creatives' Lab99 graphic novel, which should be out during the summer of this year. Outside of that and drawing/painting constantly, I'll be making a new body of work. More details to come once I get settled with additional ideas but for now.I'll be playing with music and art. This approach was tested on a recent drawing entitled Jungles LP1, and I plan to make more like it over the coming months.

IAJM: What can you tell us about Nebula Creatives’ Lab99? What the graphic novel about? Where can people find it? OJ: Lab99 is sci-fi graphic series mainly about a Thai woman who wants to break out of being a regular person to search for extraterrestrial life.Through her experience of doing so, we see her handle each encounter and become more in tune with alien life. Currently, we are working on the prologue, which is 3 issues about one of the key characters, who is alien and how he lost contact with his kind as he crashes into planet Earth. You can find it on   nebulacreatives.com/lab-99, if you are outside Chicago.

IAJM: Aside from working on this the comic, do you commission work? If so, where can people go to reach you? OJ: I do get commission work and I'm always open to doing more. People can always reach me through scarjoyoart.wix.com/oscar-joyo or find me on Instagram.

IAJM: Let's look ahead to the future: 5.10.15. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years? OJ: Haha, I've thought about this quite a bit actually. Within 5 years, I want to have my MFA in studio arts or illustration. During that time I'd have a strong gallery, illustration, and web presence.I'm doing well as a freelancer and I'm able to split time as a fine artist and illustrator. In 10 years, take it even further with my presence and hope to be travelling a lot. At this point, start considering opening up a gallery or even opening up a fund for high schoolers or anyone who want to pursue art as a career. At the moment, I'm not sure what 15 years would look like but I do know it's going to be very bright for me.

IAJM: Could you describe Chicago's art scene to me? Who are some of the people that consistently putting in work, representing the city? How competitive are the artists? Do you belong to any art collectives? Who are some the artists in your area that you feel people should be paying attention to? OJ: The Chicago art scene, to me, is an expressive, colourful, and culturally accepting landscape. Even though you get to see it about it anywhere, the beauty of art in Chicago is that it transcends beyond the page. I see work by local artists' work on apparel, buildings, videos, bridges, and such which helps make this place an open canvas for creativity. People like Brandon Breaux, Max Sansing, Sam DeCarlo, Antonia McMan, Hebru Brantley, Colin Van Dan Sloujs, and many others continuously put out work to make the city better. This city is filled to the brim of creatives from different walks of life that it makes me want to be a better artist so I can leave my mark. At the moment, I'm not in any collective but I'm not against being in one.

Some other names to look out for are Conrad Javier, Kayla Mahaffey, Joe Renda, Lucas Durham, Kevin Fagaragan, Alyssa Ecarma, Matt Wojtan, and Erik Lindquist. Of course, there are a lot more around the city so I highly recommend checking their Instagram and maybe you'll discover more nearby Chicago. Trust me, there's plenty of us.

IAJM: Last question. Who are some people you would like to thank or acknowledge for supporting you over the years? Is there anyone you would like to shout-out? OJ: Yes. First, I give thanks to God for giving me a wonderful family that continue to support me wherever I go and with all that I do. It wasn't easy but I'm extremely grateful for their tireless love. My inspiring friends, professors, and colleagues from my alma mater, American Academy of Art, my friends and extended family around South Bend, Chicago and especially the ones all over the world who have been on my side. People who have followed my work for a while and have seen my progress. Huge shout out to Eric, Kane, Kevin, Peter, Stacie, Tyler, and Natasha for being weird and teaching me more lessons that I put to use every day (sorta). Most importantly, Bruna, Nyame, Mary, and Steve for really getting me into art.I don't what you saw in me but thank you so much.I wouldn't be here without you all.