#miss aubrey thorne

[isabelleffe]

List of Pro-Palestinian Celebrities That I Have Been Working On

last updated: 11-26-2024

pro🍉 (❌ = problematic for unrelated reason, 🕊️= passed away)

reneé rapp

pedro pascal

bella ramsey

bella hadid

gigi hadid

dua lipa

melanie martinez❌(sa - “she didn’t say no” was response)

the weekend❌(misogyny - lesbian fetish)

towa bird

phoebe bridgers

lucy dacus

julien baker

beabadoobee

kehlani

hozier

melissa barreram

macklemore

cate blanchett

hari nef

julia fox❌(connections with kanye and drake)

mitski

SZA

nina lu

zendaya

victoria monét

rachel zegler

jenna ortega

clairo

chloe forero

miss rachel (toddler learning)

ariana grande❌(said her dream dinner date is jeffery dahmer)

ricky montgomery

angelina jolie

maisie peters

chani nicholas

nemahsis

chappell roan

frank ocean

ramy youssef

cardi b

halsey

eddy mack

saul williams

arooj aftab

michelle wolf

carice van houten

matt mcgorry

michael stipe

Jasmin Savoy Brown

Dame Vivienne Westwood

Neemz

amira jazeera

MUNA

Hedy Epstein

Hunter Schafer

Chance the Rapper

ishowspeed ❌ (treated his ex-girlfriend terribly)

Noname (rapper, poet, and producer)

shannon berry

nicola coughlan

bambie thug

zara larsson

AURORA

jonathan glazer

joaquin phoenix❌

lizzy mcalpine

coldplay (will champion, phil harvey, guy berryman, chris martin)

tyler the creator

björk

pink floyd (at least roger waters)

lauryn hill

chuck d

david bowie (loving the alien)🕊️

Malcom X🕊️

the strokes (Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti, Nick Valensi, and Nikolai Fraiture)

earl sweatshirt

michael jackson (palestine, don't cry)🕊️

kid cudi

rage against the machine (zack de la rocha, tom morello, tim commerford, brad wilk)

lorde

FKA twigs

joji

ethel cain

Michael Jordan Bonema

lil peep🕊️

sean beam

liam cunningham

dianne guerrero

sean bean

tobias menzies

charles dance

carice van houten

emma d’arcy

madison pettis

lena heady

mxmtoon

joe alwyn

momona tamada

patrick spicer

mark ruffalo

halle bailey

chloe bailey

nicola coughlan

tom welling

kristen kreuk

rob delaney

kali uchis

louise xin (fashion designer)

isabela merced

joseph quinn

grace van dien

helana christensen

josh hutcherson

charli xcx

megan thee stallion (called for ceasefire at her concert 8/1/24, not sure if she talked about it before that because i only went to one concert)

hozier

katie leung

not pro🍉 (“neutrality” = not pro 🍉, red text = signed letter for "israel")

taylor swift (no statement)

kanye west

oprah

dwayne johnson

lana del rey

selena gomez

rihanna (no statement)

adam sandler

lady gaga (performed in "israel")

beyoncé (no statement)

justin timberlake (performed in "israel")

noah schnapp

bon jovi (performed in "israel")

robbie williams (performed in "israel")

Brett Gelman

entirety of paramore (no statement)

chris pratt

justin bieber

hailey bieber

haley baylee (no statement)

natalie portman

madonna (performed in "israel")

kardashian family

Jenner family

jennifer lawrence

amy schumer

neil druckmann (admitted to "The Last of Us Part 2" being based on Israel's genocide against Gaza, except from a zionist's point of view)

bruno mars (performed in isnotreal)

mayim bialik

emily engstler

gal gadot

Jerry Seinfeld

Debra Messing

Bryan Lourd

Richard Lovett

Ryan Murphy

Zachery Levi

Sharon Osbourne

Tracey-Ann Oberman

George Lopez

Phil Rosenthal

Mekhi Phifer

Diane Warren

Haim Saban

Irving Azoff

Ynon Kreiz

Jody Gerson

Mark Hamill

Rick Yorn

Howie Mandel

Sherry Lansing

Rick Yorn

Tom Rothman

Julian Edelman

Antoine Fuqua

Jack Black

Aubrey Plaza

Tahj Mowry

Josh Peck

Ziggy Marley

Howie Mandel

Chris Pine

Billy Porter

Ben Savage

Jeremy Seinfeld

Bella Thorne

Aubrey Plaza

uncertain

billie eilish (wore ceasefire pin but doesn’t boycott - made videos for mtv israel)

laufey (connections to mitski- no statement)

hank green (historically hasn’t been pro🍉 but has donated recently)

olivia rodrigo (connections to Chappell roan - no statement)

dylan mulvaney (posted in support of palestine but has a few pro-israel friends & has partnered with pro-israel brands)

If you spot any typos, mistakes regarding celebrities listed, or have information about celebrities not listed, please either DM me or leave a comment on this post!!

As always, this blog stands with Palestine, Congo, and Sudan. PLEASE make sure to email your state representatives (if you live in the United States). If you do not know your representative (or how to contact them), you can use this website (which is the official U.S. House of Representatives website). Make sure to amplify Palestinian voices and journalists as well (a list will be included below of some Palestinian journalists and groups/people supporting Palestine on Instagram).

@/wizard_bisan1

@/hindkhoudary

@/m.z.gaza

@/anat.international

@/palestine.academy

@/eye.on.palestine

@/ampalestine

@/byplestia

@/wael_eldahdouh

@/jenan.matari

@/thepcrt

@/blackforpalestine

@/jewishvoiceforpeace

@/palestinianyouthmovement

@/eid_yara

[choicesjanuary2024]

MASTERLIST || WELCOME || PROMPTS || RULES || HOST

Listed in alphabetical order by artist name. If I missed adding one on this list, or missed reblogging, please let me know.

@aallotarenunelma

Chronicles of a Crimson Summer 11 (ID Fic & Edit, Cas x MC)

Songs that describe my pairings (ID & It Lives Songs)

@dutifullynuttywitch

Starlit night (WtD Fic, Troy x MC)

@inlocusmads

chosen family (CoP Fic, Trystan)

hello, goodbye ~ jimmy rose (CoP Fic, Jimmy)

laplace’s angel (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

meeting at a crosswalk (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

slam poetry (MAH Fic, Stevie x MC)

@jerzwriter

A Different Fate - Final Chapter (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

A Little Mess (OPH Edit, Tobias x MC)

A New Perspective (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

A Tipsy Winter Tale (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Clucking Amazing (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

Different Destinations (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

If the hat fits… (CoP Fic & Art Commission, Trystan x MC)

It Always Starts Somewhere…. (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Pen-sive (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Pietro & Azul (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

Stress Reduction (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

The Morning (WtD Fic, Eli x MC)

Trystan’s 2023 Holiday Recap (CoP Edit, Trystan x MC)

Twenty-Five (WTD Fic, Troy & MC)

@ladylamrian

A Prince for the Holidays (Blades Fic, Aerin x MC)

His Barbie, Her Ken (Nightbound Fic, Nik x MC)

Loyal to be Royal (Nightbound Fic, Nik x MC, Garrus x MC)

@liaromancewriter

Daddy’s Girl (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Making It Work (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

Miami Nights: Before and After (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

New Year Wishes (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Whatever It Takes (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

@lilyoffandoms

Alex as the Winter Princess (Nightbound Art, MC)

Aerin x Raine (Blades Art, Aerin x MC)

Aerin x Raine (Blades Art, Aerin x MC)

Ash Clark (ILITW Art, OC)

Captain Pandrosion Elara (AtV Art, Sol, Meridian, Kepler, MC)

Casey MacTavish (OPH Art, MC)

Coffee Date(s) (CoP Art, Trystan x MC)

Detective Lilah Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Ethan (OPH Art)

Gabriel Rose (CoP Art)

Imtura Tal Kaelen (Blades)

Inspired by Mal x Daenarya (Blades Art, Mal x OC)

Kajsiab (Alpha Art, MC)

Kieran (TCH Art)

Lancelot x Guinevere Silhouette (Guinevere Art, Lancelot x MC)

Leaf, King of Birds (TCH Art)

Lilah Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Luca O'Rinn (ID MC)

Mal Volari (Blades Art)

Marianna Howard (Desire and Decorum Fanart, OC)

Nia Ellarious (Blades Art)

Nora Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Sabastyan Thorne Case File (CoP Art)

Saini Rusanen (ID Art, MC)

Tatum x Aubrey (FA Art, Tatum x MC)

Together We Win (Blades Art, MC)

Trystan (CoP Art)

Tyril Starfury (Blades Art)

Wallace (Blades Art)

@lovealexhunt

Happy New Year (RCD Fic & Art Commission, Thomas x MC)

Helios - Emma’s Arylu (TE Art, Familiar)

#plantlove (OPH Fic, Bryce x OC)

Post Christmas Bliss (RCD Art Commission, Thomas x MC)

Spread Joy #841 (Blades Edit, Mal)

Tuneless Wonders (TE, Fic & Art Commission)

Valax (Blades Art)

@peonyblossom

Hades of House Nightbloom (Blades Art Commission, MC)

I Wasn’t Built For Iceland (AME Fic, Carson x MC)

We’ll Figure It Out (Untamable Fic, Kit x MC)

@stars-are-within-me

In Her Arms (CoP Fic, Vasili, Juliana)

The Skies (Blades Fic, Imtura, Ventra)

@tess-liam

Turning the Page (TRR Fic, Liam x OC)

@thosehallowedhalls

A 2AM Christmas Tree Farm [1/2] (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Babysitting the Demonic Duo (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Home without - Part One (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Progression (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Tabloids, or a story in 5 headlines (CoP Fic, Trystan x Emma)

[sonicshipbattles]

Amy Tournament: Submitted Ship List

This is the full list of ships submitted for the tournament, omitting any that were disqualified. Please read through it and let me know if anything has been missed or if you feel something should be subjected to an inclusion poll (i.e. a vote to see if the ship should be included or not) Once the match-ups have been posted (which will happen after I've made all the images and arranged them on the grid), all ships will be locked in and there'll be not more editing to what's included, so let me know of any changes quick if you need to

Amy (Black Rose)/Amy (Rusty Rose)/Amy (Thorn Rose) Amy (Modern)/Amy (Sonic Boom) Amy/Anton Veruca Amy/Aubrey (Omori) Amy/Bark Amy/Basil (Omori) Amy/Belle Amy/Blaze Amy/Blaze (IDW) Amy (Nimue)/Blaze (Percival) Amy (Paladin)/Blaze (Percival) Amy/Blaze/Elise/Sally Amy/Blaze/Espio/Silver/Sonic Amy/Blaze/Sally Amy/Blaze/Silver Amy/Blaze/Sonic Amy/Blaze/Sticks Amy/Blaze/Sticks/Surge Amy/Blaze/Surge Amy/Blaze/Tekno Amy/Brittany Miller (Alvin and the Chipmunks) Amy/Coral Amy/Dexter (imaginary boyfriend) Amy/E-102 Gamma Amy/Elise Amy/Espio Amy/Espio/Silver Amy/Fiona Amy (Classic)/her hammer Amy/her love for destiny (tarot) Amy/Honey Amy/Jewel Amy/Jewel/Tangle/Whisper Amy/Jewel/Surge Amy/Johnny Lightfoot Amy/Knuckles (General) Amy/Knuckles (Sonic Boom) Amy/Knuckles/Shadow/Sonic Amy/Knuckles/Sonic Amy/Lanolin Amy/Manic Amy/Maria Amy (Nimue)/Merlina Amy/Metal Sonic (General) Amy/Metal Sonic (Classic) Amy (Rusty Rose)/Metal Sonic Amy/Metal Sonic/Shadow Amy/Metal Sonic/Sonic Amy/Metal Sonic/Surge Amy/Metal Sonic/Tekno Amy/Mina Amy/Nicole/Sally Amy/No One Amy/Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony) Amy/Ricky Amy/Rouge Amy/Sally Amy/Sally/Sonic Amy/Scourge Amy/Shadow (General) Amy/Shadow (Archie) Amy (Black Rose)/Shadow Amy (Rusty Rose)/Shadow Amy/Shadow (Sonic Boom) Amy (Thorn Rose)/Shadow Amy/Shadow/Silver/Sonic Amy/Shadow/Sonic Amy/Silver Amy/Sonia Amy/Sonic (General) Amy (Black Rose)/Sonic Amy/Sonic (IDW) Amy/Sonic (Modern) Amy/Sonic (Nicky) Amy (Nimue)/Sonic (King Arthur) Amy (Rusty Rose)/Sonic Amy/Sonic (Sonic Boom) Amy/Sonic (Sonic X) Amy (Thorn Rose)/Sonic Amy/Sonic (Werehog) Amy/Sticks (Modern) Amy/Sticks (Sonic Boom) Amy (Thorn Rose)/Sticks Amy/Sticks/Surge Amy/Surge Amy/Surge/Tekno Amy/Tangle/Whisper Amy/Tekno Amy (Rusty Rose)/Tekno Amy/Tikal Amy/Trip Amy/Whisper Amy/X-Robot

[feyofmay]

Hello!! I absolutely love your writing and was so excited to see your requests are open!! 💛 I was wondering if i could request a platonic amy march x reader (gn or fem is absolutely fine) with the prompt "i missed you so much". i was imagine maybe reader had been travelling for a while or just hadn't been spending much time with amy recently, and they both miss eachother alot and just have a fluffy reunion! though of course feel free to go whichever direction inspiration takes you!!!! (i also don't mind whether its just best friends or reader and amy are siblings, though i am very biased to the latter)

Even if you don't end up writing this, thank you so much for the things you have written because I'm absolutely in love with them!!!! and of course an extra big thank you if you do write this!!!!

— aubrey!! (@yokolesbianism/aubeystawby) 💛💛

AWWW tysm!! Literally you’re the sweetest & it warms my tiny little heart!! Of course I will write your little request, but I made it a little different. (for flavor ;0)

Word Count: ~800

(not edited, so there’s some grammatical errors. sorry not sorry)

The ache of the youth spent in the twisting thorns of blackberries & dashing madly down dusty paths like deer fleeing from the maw of a greater beast is not felt until, when waking up one morning, her bones are stiff & wooden. As if, if she were to bend her elbow, she could hear a creaking sound from the rusty nail between her two joints. Ever since Amy had left for France to pursue her dream of becoming a great artist,- one who, in her triumphant cries, “would rival Renoir and Boticelli and Thomas Lawrence!”- y/n, the youngest March, has awoken to the splintering ache of an accosted youth.

To say she misses her sisters is an understatement to the highest degree. Everything is far too quiet without the constant chirping of her sisters, a never ending symphony of adolescent conundrums & complaints. Once an eternal twilight, with her sisters playing the role of singing cicadas, the morning had risen with their departure from the best. Several things, which she previously thought were silent, have now shed their fear, & the appliances remind her of her creaking bones with their squeals & whines. The only thing that ever eased her mind was Beth’s piano, a reminder that, although her sisters have grown, she still remains young & a girl.

However, one early morning, the noise of chittering like field mice in a barn snuck in from underneath her door. Like a puppet, her wooden bones acted in the same order that they always have. Planting her feet on the ground, she threw her- well, it was first Marmee’s, then Meg’s, and then Jo found it far too “girlish”, so it was lastly Amy’s- shawl, a soft blue & green woolen piece, to keep herself from freezing in the morning sun.

“Marmee! What’s with all the clamor?” Y/N shouts out as she rubs the last grains of dreams quickly forgotten, a gift from Sandman in the night. Their voice is scratchy like an itchy wool scary as they waddle toward their door. Before Marmee can even consider replying, a shrill squeal fills the house.

“Sister! How I’ve missed you!” the shriek makes the wallpaper curl into itself, & the pounding noise of, what can only be assumed to be, heavy iron weights plummeting onto their creaking wooden stairs grows closer & closer to the half-awake Y/N. Immediately recognizing that voice before she can even register the smell of fresh air streaming in from her open window or the sticky feeling of morning dew on her face, Y/N snatches the door knob & swings it open wildly with reckless abandon.

There, standing before her, in a voluminous, almost cartoonishly large crinoline skirt with tiers upon tiers of ruffles & lace-trimming in differing shades of porcelain blue & silver, her sister & part of her soul, Amy, stands before her like a statue carved from marble & opal. With a toothy grin that reminds Y/N of all the long summer days spent rolling around in the vibrant green grass by the meadow, Any doesn’t waste a second as she barrels towards Y/N & catapults her arms around her little sister, who is unsure if she’s simply still dreaming or actually awake.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you! I’ve missed you so so dearly! All I could think of was how I wished you were beside me. Oh, I’ve so much to tell you! ” Amy rambles on as she digs her face into the nest of locks that rests upon her sister’s head like a rabbit burying into fresh earthen dirt. Curling her fingers around the poofy & seemingly floating sleeves that hug Amy’s sleeves in ways Y/N didn’t know was even possible, the cool touch of the soft, buttery linen kisses her fingers like a distant memory of childhood that’s been lost to the breeze. The fabric leaves a tingling sensation that reminds her of the bells that decorate the Church during Christmas time.

As the folds of linen ripple between her fingers, it’s then she finally feels her mind recenter. The colors around her bloom like the first day of spring, & everything falls into focus. Amy is back. She is real & home & here, in her arms. Slowly, Y/N tepidly wraps her arms around her sister & presses her face into the fabric of her dress. Something hot dribbles down her cheeks, & her silent tears collapse into Amy’s dress. The rust melts off of her joints as she feels her youth soak back into her bones. Her sister, her person, is home.

“I missed you, as well, sister.”

[jennyboom21]

U.S. women’s national team defender and captain Becky Sauerbrunn will not be on the team’s 2023 Women’s World Cup roster, according to multiple sources briefed on the decision. The sources were granted anonymity as they were not allowed to comment publicly on the USWNT roster, planned to be announced next week, or Sauerbrunn’s exclusion.

Players were informed of their roster status on Thursday. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson declined to comment.

Sauerbrunn is still rehabbing an April foot injury that kept her out of action for her NWSL club side, Portland Thorns, for most of May. She made a return as a second-half substitute in their June 3 game against OL Reign, then did not appear in their June 11 game against the Orlando Pride. Before that game, Sauerbrunn had been listed as questionable in the league’s availability report.

Sauerbrunn, 38, has won two previous World Cups with the USWNT, one in 2019, and one in 2015. She is also a 2012 Olympic gold medalist and a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist. She has made 216 appearances for the USWNT.

Separately, sources confirmed the World Cup roster status of three other players: goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury, midfielder Savannah DeMelo, and defender Kelley O’Hara will be on the roster.

O’Hara’s inclusion on the backline assures the team will have a veteran presence that could help replace Sauerbrunn’s presence in the locker room. O’Hara, 34, had missed multiple camps through the end of 2022 into the start of 2023 while dealing with a lingering hip injury, making her return to the USWNT environment with her call-up for the April friendlies against Ireland.

DeMelo’s addition is perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the roster, given USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s midfield experiments with numerous other players, including San Diego Wave’s Taylor Kornieck. DeMelo has been solid with Racing Louisville and could bring some depth in a box-to-box role, and is a player who works hard on both sides of the ball, can drift wider as needed, and is good at reading the play and creating chances.

Kingsbury is another slightly surprising inclusion, almost certainly at the expense of AD Franch as the team’s third-string goalkeeper, with Alyssa Naeher and Casey Murphy having been locked in to their respective roles over much of the World Cup lead-in. Kingsbury isn’t a stranger to the USWNT senior team, but only has one appearance for the team — a clean sheet earned in a 9-0 win over Uzbekistan in April 2022.

[cleocatrablossy]

Okay, I’ll do designs later but here’s an explanation sorta- it’s all ramblings. Spoilers for Omori ahead! They’re animals now. This functions on the idea that magically they all live as long as people and mature at the same rate because I don’t want to bother doing age scaling for this so uhhhh don’t question it please

At the start(before Mari’s death) they’re all wild

Sunny and Mari are both cats(Sunny’s a tuxedo cat Mari looks like Mewo). Mari’s declawed which is important later

Hero’s either gonna be a husky or a wolfdog because I want him to look sorta intimidating and be by far the biggest one out of all of them but also really fucking friendly and harmless

Kel’s gonna be a labrador or golden retriever… there’s no need for explanation

Aubrey’s a fox because like they’re really fucking sweet and friendly as a base-line (at least I captivity) but also sneaky bastards I like the dichotomy of foxes being actually awesome friends with being seen as evil tricksters with her personality shift and trying to put on a brave face and be mean to deal with stuff. I was thinking of making her a rabbit or coyote but tbh I don’t want her to be a herbivore, but also I want to make sure that out of the main crew she’s only genuinely stronger than Basil.

And speaking of Basil- he’s a nightinggale. I want him to be a songbird of some sort and due to the story ‘the nightinggale and the rose’ I’ve always associated them with plants and miscommunication so yeah. Also in that story the nightinggale pierced her heart on a rose thorn which in my mind lines up with how he kill’s himself in the neutral endings. I now nowadays their songs are associated with being happy so I’m thinking- since they’re animals and he wouldn’t have a camera he tells stories via song. The pictures in game make everyone happy, but after Mari’s death he doesn’t sing until they start recounting stuff. He lives in a rose bush btw so uhhhhh yeah book reference on 1 day left night.

The somethings are cool! Sunny’s is gonna be a fucking cougars and Basil’s is a vulture. The somethings that appear in headspace are different wild cats

Now the hooligans! I won’t go into detail I’ll just say what they are. Kim: Coyote/Vance: Red wolf(did you know that red wolves are mostly coyote? Fun right!)/Angel: Peregrine Falcon/The Maverick: Hare/Charlene: Stoat

With the animals in game- both row and headspace- I have a conversion! Cat->butterfly/moth, dog->dragonfly, bunny->ladybug.

And about Mari’s death, Mari and Sunny will still be working towards a recital but like- they’re cats so it’s not instruments lmao. But Mari makes them both cute little leaf collars for it. Their fight starts on a tree branch that extends over a busy road. Sunny tears off his leaf collar while Mari’s trying to get them ready to go and drops it. Argument ensues and they walk further and further down the branch. Basil flies over just as Sunny hits Mari which makes her fall down. She can’t scrabble back up because no claws and Sunny can’t grab her in time. Basil’s a tiny bird so he can’t do shit either. Mari gets hit by a semi or something(maybe a truck with something behind it? It just has to be out of view of the driver so they don’t stop) and Basil and Sunny get her body out of the road and lay it on the side in the grass. They try to wake her up to no avail, so Basil gets Sunny to put her head in such a way it would be possible for it to have gotten smushed while she was lying there. They disappear, eventually everyone gets together to look for Mari since she’s missing. They find her and figure it was probably suicide since she’s laying with her head in the road and run over.

Main story changes- Hero doesn’t go to college because animals. He goes through that year of not getting out of bed. After he yells at Kel then apologises he spends a few days trying to get back into normal stuff before he keeps getting overwhelmed after not being near others in so long and keeps getting reminded of Mari so he fucking dips to forests on the outskirts of the nearby town. Sunny becomes a house cat after Mari’s death. He’s left to his own devices with a window accidentally left open for a week. Kel finds out after a day and drags him outside since no one can stop him. Over the course of the three days Kel and Sunny run into the regular headspace bosses which influences Sunny’s adventures in Headspace. On the prologue part of headspace it’s all serene and Basil doesn’t go missing because of a photo, instead Mari also comes to his house and he tries to tell Omori that Mari shouldn’t be there since she’s dead but it cut off by Sunny waking up before that can be revealed. When Aubrey and co. are found bullying Basil on the first day they actually take him and run. Sunny despite being a cat does have access to knives because house, Aubrey still gets stabbed. Kel and Sunny go around looking for Basil and interacting with the headspace bosses. In headspace Basil is suddenly missing and due to his recent near reveal of the truth Omori gets to work at really trying to destroy memory of him and making the real world as unsettling as possible by making the headspace bosses terrifying. Hero catches wind of everything happening in Faraway National Park and heads over about halfway through 2 days left. The hospital is actually a veterinary office. Hero, Kel, and Aubrey brought Basil and Sunny there for the final day. Sunny’s humans are called over and bring him home but not after the good ending happens. Sunny manages to convince his humans to let him be an indoor-outdoor cat somehow.

Faraway town is gonna be a National park(Natural habitats are ignored. It has a lake in the middle with a river leading to the ocean.) Captain Spaceboy, Sweetheart, Slime Girls, Humphrey, Mr. Jawsum, the sprout moles, King Carnivore, and King Cralwer all have real world counterparts! In headspace they’re twisted and terrifying versions though. Spaceboy is a deer, after the second breakup as space ex-husband he gets chronic wasting disease. Sweetheart is a red phase bush viper because neat pink venomous snake lol. The slime girls are geese lol. Humphrey is a giant sturgeon(I mean giant, there has been a 11 foot long sturgeon. He is at least that long). Mr. Jawsum is a a bull shark, they can swim up rivers and survive in fresh water which is how he ended up here. The sprout moles are ants lmao, and King Crawler is just a bunch of ants with a weird version of the zombie ant fungus(Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) that’s making them form King Crawler lol. King Carnivore is just a Venus fly trap patch. The bosses of headspace’s RW counterparts are widely respected in Faraway National Park.

Okay okay okay

I’m terribly sorry to inform you, but I’m going to make an Omori AU out of an idea I had while watching Velocipastor.

I will return shortly with drawings and explain it.

[sage-druid]

😳Um…HELLO HELENA! Gorgeous 😍

[penguinempress8]

The shaving scene

When Anthony says that he aims to choose a bride with his head and not his heart, I realized he’s actually pretty obviously talking to Benedict about BOTH Kate and Edwina. At first I thought it was just Edwina, but upon rewatching 50,000 times, I think it’s both - his head (Edwina) and his heart (Kate).

Benedict probably already knows that Anthony is attracted to Kate at this point. He knows she irks him for sure, but I think he also knows there’s something more there. Which is interesting, because this is the first scene we as viewers see after Anthony realizes Kate is Edwina’s sister.

Let’s look at the continuous dialogue without the Sharma scenes spliced in:

Benedict: Miss Sharma? (Benedict totally says this on purpose to imply Kate)

Anthony: Miss Edwina Sharma. Not the sister. Miss Edwina will suffice. It is only out of the greatest love for my family that I aim to choose a bride with my head and not my… heart. (not only implying that Edwina is his head, but that Kate, the alternative, is his heart. Benedict gives him a knowing smile. The more I watch, the more I think he’s smiling because it’s not just Anthony choosing with his you know what, but that it implies Anthony is choosing Kate specifically if he’s thinking with his you know what)

Benedict: Does Miss Edwina return your affection?

Anthony: *sigh* not yet. She would have done if it were not for the —

Benedict: The sisterrrr. (Again, Benedict pushing Anthony’s buttons) She’s rather thorny I take it.

Anthony: Indeed. She need not trouble me. Every rose does have its thorn after all.

I also think Anthony might have told Benedict about his convo with Kate on the terrace, perhaps also saying how he’s attracted to her. Or at least Benedict inferring it. Benedict asks Anthony in episode 1 if he is planning to offend every young girl until there are none left and if mother is aware. At first I thought he only meant the girls he’s been interviewing and at the ball, but the only girl he is shown explicitly offending is Kate. I know they don’t show Benedict being fully aware of Anthony’s love until later, but throughout the season, he enjoys Anthony’s agitation with Kate, and he gives knowing looks that could imply he knows he’s attracted to her, even from the start.

We also know that Benedict and Colin give knowing looks to each other during fencing. And again at Aubrey Hall. Love thinking about the siblings shipping them together. Just some more of my ramblings.

[carry-the-sky]

chapter summary

Miss Sharma is—

A nuisance. Brash, pompous, utterly determined to be a thorn in his side. Whatever game the cosmos is playing at, these are the facts. Even if she were none of these things, even if the possibility of her being his soulmate didn’t make his teeth clench and his head pound, he has made his decision.

Miss Edwina will be his viscountess; it is the only sensible outcome.

Of course, Miss Sharma is set to arrive with her family on their excursion to Aubrey Hall—no doubt armed with enough new schemes to fill a ballroom—but Anthony rather feels that he has the upper hand this time. An invitation such as the one he’s extended to Miss Edwina signifies his intentions, forward momentum in the courtship that cannot be lightly walked back. He’s certain he will be able to handle whatever nonsense Miss Sharma throws his way.

That is, right up until the moment she steps out of her carriage.

chapter one || chapter two

many many thanks to @ninzied​, @ejunkiet​ and @edourado​ for all of the love and encouragement, it truly means the world. ♡

[redheadgleek]

2022 books

I realize that I should probably make this post at the end of the month. Or at the end of a quarter. But I feel restless and wanted to organize tonight. So. Have a list. 

I have an unofficial goal to read 52 books this year. On goodreads, I initially set the goal to 20, it's now at 40, and I'll increase it if I meet that, which I'm on track to do (24 so far). Last year, I read 49 books, which is the most books that I've read in the last 10 years. Maybe 20 years. I've missed reading and it's been one of the things that the pandemic has given me back. I read three books this weekend. I can't think when the last time I did that was.

January

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzie Lee (hated the first book due to the protagonist but liked the secondary characters and the overall premise. Much much more enjoyable). A Marvellous Light (The Last Binding, #1) by Freya Marske (reads exactly like a fanfic with lots of longing and emotions. A favorite.) A Modest Independence by Mimi Matthews (for a facebook book club) Thorn (Dauntless Path #1) Intisar Khanani

February

The Last Cuentista by Donna Higuera (my friend recommended the day before the Newberry Medal was announced). Dread Nation and Deathless Divide by Justine Ireland (I am such a squeamish person that the fact that I read a zombie book AND it's sequel says something). The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reed

March

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall (started it in February for Black History Month, finished in March). A Tale of Magic read by Chris Colfer Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

April

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo A Tale of Witchcraft read by Chris Colfer Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox (again started for Women's History Month in March...) A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher The Huntress by Kate Quinn (facebook book club) So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn Currently reading: Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet Washington (it's going to take me all year to read this one because it's so dense and so disturbing); The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix by Howard Markel; What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon (I have complex feelings about this one); A Tale of Sorcery read by Chris Colfer. A Spindle Splintered is on its way from the library.

What books do you think I should read this year?

[thiswasinevitableid]

Pleasant Surprise (Indruck Superhero AU)

A little fic I’ve had bouncing around my head for awhile, set in the universe of “The Thrilling Adventures of the Green Knight.”  It takes place after that story, and after the events of the small fics “Aww, Rats” and “Back in Time”. You can read it as a standalone, but it does contain some spoilers for main fic.

“You know how you always say communication is important in a relationship?” Indrid drums his fingers on the arm of the couch. 

Dr. Mwangi nods, the chain on her glasses glinting in the soothing lights of her office.

“I...there is something I am not sure how to communicate to Duck. I, it’s something I’ve been dishonest about. I” Indrid takes a deep breath, “I lied about the date of my birthday.”

Dr. Mwangi doesn’t so much as cock an eyebrow, much like she managed not to gasp in horror when he told her what his training regime involved when he was learning to be a villain. Indrid’s going theory is that this self-control is his therapist's super power. 

“Do you want to spend part of our session today figuring out how you’d like to talk with him about this?”

Indrid fidgets with his glasses, “Yes, please.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

Duck comes home to one of his favorite scenes; Indrid sitting with his easel in front of the rat run. His boyfriend decided he needed to cultivate his artistic streak, so that one part of his life would not involve superheroing or villainy in any capacity. From the look of it, he’s still on the theme of inserting the rats into still-lifes of different styles. 

Duck loves watching him paint, in a way at once connected to and completely different from the attraction he feels observing the other man train in the hideout or dig himself into engineering a new invention. There’s the same cleverness in his hands, the same concentration lining his face. But there’s an innocence that’s absent other places, a kind of happiness that only exists in activities untouched by his past.

“Hello, chivalrous one.” Indrid murmurs as Duck comes to drape his arms over his sweater clad shoulders.

“Hey sugar. I like the new paintin’--is that Dr. Harris Bonkers?”

“Indeed.” Indrid turns his head, his grin as bright as the streetlights flickering to life outside, “The fuzzy medical practitioner in the style of Seurat. I foresee Aubrey liking it as a Christmas gift, and I wanted to do it while the inspiration was still fresh.”

“Bet she’ll get a kick outta it.” Duck kisses the top of his head, then starts removing his work clothes, “you had dinner? Thought I might reheat some pizza.”

“I ordered us dinner, it should arrive within ten to fifteen minutes, depending on whether this is the broken stoplight timeline.” Indrid sets his brushes aside, stands so he can follow Duck down the hall to the bedroom.

“Thanks for doin’ that.”

“There is, ah, something I wish to discuss before it arrives.”

Duck turns and his heart twinges. Back when Indrid was his nemesis, Duck learned to read his emotions, a skill that eluded everyone else. He can tell when Indrid is nervous and, most often, when Indrid is nervous and doing everything he can to hide it.

“What’s on your mind?” He takes a soft step towards the other man, who goes very still as he summons his next words. 

“Do you remember what I told you about my birthday?”

“That it was in the spring and you’d let me know when we were gettin close to it. Wait, fuck, you never did, not this year or last year. Then again, last year was when the White Star boys kept tryin to fuck everythin up, think a lot of stuff got missed. Do you, uh, wanna do a birthday observed or somethin? Could even get a little goofy and do a half-birthday.”

Indrid shakes his head vehemently, “No. That is not it. I, I ah, I lied. My birthday is not in spring. And before you ask ‘when is it,’ the answer is I have no idea. We never celebrated birthdays. I only know my age because my father unleashed my brother and myself upon the world some time after I, or rather we, turned eighteen.” Indrid tucks his hands into the pockets of his sweater, “that is all I wish to say.”

It would be easy to giggle at his serious tone. 

Duck pulls Indrid into a hug, “Thanks for tellin me. Do you want help tryin to work out when it really is?”

“I...I do not know. I was simply tired of such a small lie weighing me down.”

“Okay. You wanna cuddle until dinner?”

“Of cour--oh damn it all.” Indrid steps back, pulling off his sweater, “Baron Thorne is going to try and hold an entire dormitory of students hostage in forty-five minutes.”

“More than a two hero job?”

Indrid tips his head back, then replies, “it’ll go best with for. I shall alert Barclay and Aubrey.”

“Roger. I’ll get the car.”

---------------------------------------------------------

Duck’s researching potential plants for Dani to modify into non-lethal weapons when the secure elevator dings open and Agent Stern hurries out, looking a kind of excited he hasn’t seen since Barclay’s parents landed their ship to meet their son’s new boyfriend. 

“Gettin the feelin you got good news for me.”

“I do.” Joe pulls out his datapad, “I went through the files we confiscated from Abbadon to find the one on Indrid. It did indeed have his birth date, and you are not going to believe what it is.”

Duck looks at the little boxes of letters and numbers beneath the photo of a much younger Indrid with a much crueler smile. 

“No fuckin way.”

“I know right?” Joe grins, “ I think he’ll get a kick out of that.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“My birthday is on Halloween?”

“Yeah!” Duck looks so happy that for a moment the emotion carries Indrid as well. 

“That is rather fitting. It’s always been my favorite holiday.” He can see it now; little orange lights, a black tablecloth, some cake.

“And it’s three weeks away, so we still got time to plan somethin to mark the day. I was thinkin we could have it Friday, since Halloween is a Saturday and I know at least Barclay and Dani got things they do every Halloween. How’s that sound?”

He isn’t sure. Something circles up from the deep, animal part of his mind, but he can’t name it and so does his best to ignore it. 

“It sounds wonderful.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Indrid cannot escape. Everywhere he turns there are birthdays; on the T.V, in the restaurants he and Duck go to, on cards and balloons when he’s getting groceries 

It’s your big day!

“You don’t turn thirteen everyday”

To my son, on his eighteenth birthday

“To my brother, my favorite partner in crime”

“This week on ‘My Neighbor’s a Werewolf,’ Jamie throws Max a surprise party, and gets a big surprise of his own.” 

When that one flickers across the screen, Indrid clicks the T.V off with a little hiss. He’s tense, feels like the embodiment of the moment a knife-tip meets skin; resistance and resignation in the instant before it all comes pouring out. 

“You got a cake preference?” Duck rests his hand on the couch near Indrid’s shoulder, tone light as he continues, “know you like really sweet stuff, I could get mom’s hummingbird cake recipe from Jane-”

“Whatever you think best.” Indrid flexes and coils his fingers.

“‘Drid, it’s your party, you get to mark the occasion however you want.

“And what if I do not wish to mark it at all?”

“Uh…” Duck clears his throat, “uh, that’s fine too.”

Indrid turns his head to see the expression he knew would be there. 

“That upsets you.”

“N-uh, fuck, I uh, it don’t uh-”

“Duck, please do me the courtesy of not drawing out the lie.”

Ducks shoulders sag, “Guess I’m a little disappointed. I, uh, I was havin fun plannin it with you. Thought I could make up for all the times you didn’t have one.”

“Well, you can’t.” Indrid snaps, stands more dramatically than he means to. He just wants this to be over, wants to stop seeing the memories he thought he’d properly laid to rest, “you cannot make up for what I saw, what was done to me, what I did.”

“I-”

Indrid holds up his hand, “I know you see it as your job to remove all traces of my tragic past that you can.”

“Hold the fuck on.” Duck shakes his head, “Is that what you think I’m doin? ‘Drid, it’s just a party. If you don’t want it you don’t want it, but don’t fuckin pretend this is some indicator of us as a pair.”

“Oh but it is.” Indrid feels his lips curl into an old smile, “you get to play the nice, normal hero making everything better, while all I am is someone to pity, broken long before you ever met me!”

Duck goes still, and in his visions he sees the rats finishing skittering to the far side of Ratopia. It’s at this moment he realizes he’s been yelling. 

“I…I am going to bed. Goodnight.” He hurries down the hall, only bothering to change his pants before crawling under the covers. In most futures, Duck follows him and demands they finish their argument, leading to a far larger fight. But the hero doesn’t come. This gives Indrid time to get his breathing and heart rate back to normal, to try and work out why the thought of his loved ones gathering to celebrate his birth makes him want to disappear into the night. 

He’s not quite asleep when Duck comes in. He’s not quite ready to apologize. As he’s contemplating his options, his boyfriend slips under the sheet and lays in such a way that his right hand is inches from Indrid’s own. 

Without opening his eyes, Indrid slides his fingers across Duck’s palm. Duck shifts to interlink their fingers, and closes his hand. 

Indrid wakes up five hours later in two discrete stages. The first is coming out of the nightmare, of his body registering the need to move, to hide, before his brain is fully back to the present. The second is waking up enough to wonder why he always hides in the closet after these dreams; he didn’t have a closet growing up. 

He creeps into the living room, hoping he hasn’t woken Duck. He has woken Chicken, who decides it’s close enough to her breakfast time to yowl at him until he feeds her. While she crunches her cat food, he opens one of the doors to Ratopia. The mischief is mostly asleep, but at  the sound Void rouses from his spot atop Mallard and scurries over to Indrid’s hands. 

“You forgive so easily.” Indrid murmurs, cupping him in one hand and closing the cage with the other, “or perhaps you just forget with much greater skill than I.”

He knows when Duck is behind him. Without turning, he sets Void on his shoulder and says, “I think I know why I have been so unpleasant tonight. I...I have only ever marked two changes in age; being old enough to face the trials of my order and being sent out to cut down those who dared oppose us. My ‘birthday’ is a harbinger of suffering and death. And I, I know that is not the real truth, but it is the one my body believes, the one my mind has been bracing for without me fully understanding that’s what it is doing. I did not mean to take that fear out on you.”

“‘Drid” Duck’s voice is scratchy with sleep, but when Indrid turns his eyes are alert, “I’m so fuckin sorry. It, uh, it didn’t occur to me that your birthday would be wrapped up so tightly with the shit you went through as a kid. I never meant to push you into somethin you didn’t want.”

“But I do want it!” Indrid shoves his hands into his hair, “I want to have dinner with our friends, to get gifts, to enjoy a thing that millions of people partake in every day. And I am so, so very angry that I cannot, that instead I am dealing with all of this.” He gestures vaguely to himself, then looks at Duck, his body registering safe as the hero joins him by the rat run. When Duck opens his arms, Indrid nestles into them without hesitation. 

“Whatever you decide on, that’s what we’ll do.” 

Indrid hums, snickers when Void clambers onto Duck to tickle his cheek with his whiskers. After the shadows of the past recede in the warmth of Duck’s embrace, Indrid whispers, “I would like to have the party. I would like to help you plan it. But I...I would like a few of the details to still be surprises for me. It might be nice for my birthday to bring me a pleasant one for once.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oooh, this looks so cool!” Aubrey sets a gift on the table as she admires the mothman string lights, banners, and balloons, “dang, Duck, didn’t know you had a decorator streak.”

“Don’t get a chance to flex it much. And it’s kinda easy when the theme is so specific.”

“I’m trying to compliment you, doofus.” Aubrey playfully whacks his arm, then squeals, “honey, look, rats in hats!”

“Awww” Dani joins her to regard the mischief in their tiny party hats (only Mallard is still wearing his, the others in various states of tossing them about), “Indrid, did you make these?”

“Indeed, though Barclay made these.” He slides the enclosure open and sets five rat-sized cupcakes on the floor, “which is wonderful, because I did not want them to feel left out. They’re getting them earlier than the rest of us because Barclay is looking for ways to keep me out of the kitchen.”

“It’s your birthday, that means letting someone else cook!” Barclay calls from the kitchen.

“But I modified the blender and the mixer to be self-operating!”

“Wait, what?” Is all they hear before Barclay is drowned out by whirring. 

“Should we help him?” Dani says through their laughter.

“He’s a professional, he’ll be fine.” Joseph steps from the kitchen, his casual wear of jeans and a Loch Ness Monster dress shirt still somewhat jarring to the former villain who only ever saw him in suits, “Aubrey, Dani, can I get you anything to drink?”

“Yes please. Okay doctor, time to play.” Aubrey opens the special hatch in Ratopia and deposits the rabbit, who settles in to be groomed by his smaller friends. 

Dinner is fancy macaroni and cheese and fruit salad, Indrid’s favorites. As Ned regales the table with his latest misadventures in fixing up his new van (“I was unaware an owl could nest in a seat cushion”) Indrid glances at the entryway. 

“Everythin okay?” Duck whispers.

“Yes. I, ah, I simply did not expect so many gifts. I know it’s customary to receive them but I thought you got one or two. Not that everyone brought them.”

“You wanna open them?”

Indrid nods, grinning, “very much so.”

He takes care not to peek at the futures when unwrapping them, wanting to preserve the excitement as long as possible. Aubrey gives him a six pound bag of Lucky Charm marshmallows, Dani sneaks out to the car and returns with a potted plant (“I modified it so that the blossoms will be extra attractive to moths”). Ned gifts him a signed, limited run poster from Red Dust on His Soul, Joseph and Barclay a stack of new romance novels (“I think you’ll like Agent X, it’s a mystery series but he romances quite a few characters in them”). Mama sent a package from West Virginia that contains a small, wooden duck she carved herself and made especially smooth so it would be soothing to rub). And Lydia Little, AKA Sylvia Cold, presents him with a mug declaring him “Favorite Brother.” 

Duck’s present is the last one he opens. Waiting for him in the rectangular box is a white shirt with “World’s Greatest Rat Dad” on the front. The back is covered in squiggle-scratches of five different colors, which Duck explains are signatures from the mischief made in rat-safe fabric paint. 

“It’s perfect.”  Indrid sighs, kisses his boyfriend and then beams at his friends, “it is time for cake.”

They dim the lights, sing to him as Barclay emerges from the kitchen with a massive, mothman shaped cake with lots of candles. To his delight and surprise, the inside is layers of pink and yellow, flavored with strawberry and vanilla. He eats far more than is perhaps wise, but it is his birthday and it is his understanding that such things are allowed.

His guests linger for a few hours more, Aubrey and Dani the last to leave with a reminder to put the plant on the balcony. Indrid waves goodbye, closes the door and arms the security to full. He turns back into the house, sees the cards and gifts his friends put so much thought into locating for him, the stray dishes and half-empty glasses that signify they were here. For him. Because they wanted to be, because they care about him.

“‘Drid? You want any more cake before I put it aw--oh fuck, sugar, what’s wrong.”

“Nothing” he sniffles, grins, “these are tears of happiness. I, ah, I hurried us into cake because I felt them upon me when I opened the gifts. It will take some time yet for me to be willing to show such feelings around our friends.” He wipes his eyes, “thank you, my love, for arranging this.”

“Any time, darlin.”

He smiles, “Have I mentioned lately that you are my hero?”

“Pretty sure you called me that this mornin. But I sure as hell don’t mind hearin it again.”

------------------------------------------------------------------

“What is this?” His brother scowls up from the paper plate Indrid passed to him through the complex delivery system keeping his cell from the world around it.

“Cake. Today is our birthday. Did you know that?”

“Who cares for such frivolous things, little brother?”

“Those of us who do not spend our lives steeped in the misery of others, twin brother. If you do not want it, give it back and I shall share it with one of the guards.”

Apollo looks at the cake. Then he kneels on the floor, tearing into it with his hands. He doesn’t eat it what he destroys, and after a moment Indrid grasps why.

“Did you really think I hid some device to help you escape in there?”

“Yes.” His brother is now trying to light stab the cake with his gaze. 

Indrid rubs his forehead, “Perhaps some day you will learn to see things for how they are, not how you believe them to be.” He starts for the door, looks over his shoulder and says softly, “happy birthday, Apollo.”

A slam as his brother strikes the see-through front of his cell, “Get back here this instant you worthless, traitorous, coward!”

The door slides open and Indrid steps into the hall. Joseph is waiting for him, drops his eyes from the security feed to the man in front of him, “what a waste of Barclay’s cooking.”

“Agreed.”

A gentle pat on his shoulder, “You tried, that counts for a lot. Now go enjoy your night.”

“And my knight?”

“Him too.” Joseph waves goodbye, then adds, “and happy birthday!”

Indrid gets home before the city trick or treating hours begin; he’s feeling rather good, all things considered, and Halloween is so beloved by villains that the odds of his evening being interrupted by work are almost none. 

Duck is on the porch lighting their Jack ‘O Lanterns, grinning brighter than all the candles and lights on the block combined when Indrid walks up the steps to join him. He sees in the futures that he’s made him a special, Halloween themed birthday dinner. 

He pulls Duck into a hug, kissing the top of his head with happy sighs, thanking whatever twist of fate pushed him into the arms of the man who was, in many ways, his first-ever pleasant surprise.

[legalizesupercorp]

In Honor of Pride Month here’s a list of out and proud LGBTQ+ Celebs

1) Nicole Maines

2) Demi Lovato

3) Colton Haynes

4) Miley Cyrus

5 & 6) David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris

7 & 8) Ellen Degeneres & Portia De Rossi

9) Hayley Kiyoko

10 & 11) Matt Dallas & Blue Hamilton (ft their son Crow)

12 & 13)  Cara Delevingne & Ashley Benson

14 & 15) Sarah Paulson & Holland Taylor

16) Rosie O’Donnell

17) Sara Gilbert

18) Maisie Richardson-Sellers

19) Lady Gaga

20) Elton John

21) Elliot Fletcher

22) Bex Taylor-Klaus

23 & 24) Cheyenne Jackson & Jason Landau

25) Zachary Quinto

26) Matt Bomer

27) Chaz Bono

28) Billy Eicher

29) Ross Matthews

30 & 31) Stephanie Allynne & Tig Notaro

32) Laverne Cox

33) Rowan Blanchard

34) Halsey

35) Keiynan Lonsdale

36) B.D. Wong

37) George Takei

38 & 39) Teddy Geiger and Emily Hampshire

40) Lauren Jauregui

41) Caitlyn Jenner

42) Stephanie Beatriz

43) Freddie Mercury

44) Anderson Cooper

45 & 46) Tegan & Sara

47 & 48) Jaymes Vaughan & Jonathan Bennett

49 & 50) Ruby Rose & Jessica Origliasso

51) Shane Dawson

52 & 53) Rose Ellen Dix & Rosie Spaughton

54) Tessa Thompson

55) Drew Barrymore

56) Danny Pintauro

57) Alyson Stoner

58) Raven Symone

59) Sara Ramirez

60) Shannon Beveridge

61) Jodie Foster

62) Ellen Page

63) Jane Lynch

64) Wentworth Miller

65) Amber Heard

66) Jim Parsons

67) Victor Garber

68) Michelle Rodriguez

69) Cynthia Nixon

70) Alan Cumming

71) Ricky Martin

72) Wanda Sykes

73) Billie Joe Armstrong

74) Samira Wiley

75) Melissa Eheridge

76) David Hyde Pierce

77) Heather Matarazzo

78) Charlie Carver

79) Angelina Jolie

80) John Barrowman

81) Robin Roberts

82)  Michael J. Willett

83) Frank Ocean

84) Clay Aiken

85) Kristen Stewart

86) Robert Gant

87) Wilson Cruz

88) Rupaul

89) Lily Tomlin

90) Sandra Bernhard

91) Megan Fox

92) Vanessa Carlton

93) Chris Colfer

94) Lance Bass

95) Jesse Tyler Gerguson

96) Stephen Fry

97) John Glover

98) Sean Hayes

99) Ian McKellan

100) Brendon Urie

101) Denis O’Hare

102) Adam Lambert

103) Nathan Lane

104) Eric Millegan

105) Adamo Ruggiero

106) Amandla Stenberg

107) Garrett Clayton

108) Janelle Monae

109) Kevin McHale

110) Paris Jackson

111) Kate McKinnon

112) Ke$ha 

113) Aubrey Plaza

114) Fergie

115) Anna Paquin

116) Aaron Carter

117) Kristian Nairn

118) Jake Zyrus

119) Bella Thorne

120) Mara Wilson

121) Sam Smith

122) Ezra Miller

123) Ian Alexander

124) Lachlan Watson

125) Jeffree Starr

126) Sophie Turner

127) Evan Rachel Wood

128) Thomas Sanders

129) Lilly Singh

130) Emilie Autumn

131) Janeane Gerofalo

132) Gillian Anderson

133) Wallis Day

134) Andrew Rannells

135) Billy Porter

136) Laura Jane Grace

137) Michael D. Cohen

138) Rachel Maddow

139) Lea DeLaria

sorry for the long af post but i wanted to include as many as possible

Please feel free to add whoever I missed :)

[tabloidtoc]

Star, January 25

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Meghan Markle’s life is a lie 

Page 1: Emma Stone’s baby joy -- after months of speculation thrilled mom-to-be Emma debuts her baby bump during a hike with a pal 

Page 2: Contents, Sutton Foster and Nico Tortorella and Debi Mazar filmed a scene for Younger’s final season 

Page 4: Candace Cameron Bure came out swinging again against commenters on a holiday pic she posted on Instagram of her and her husband Valeri Bure and kids Natasha and Lev and Maksim and she got a load of snark for the heavily retouched pic 

Page 5: Karlie Kloss usually steers clear of dishing on her sister- and brother-in-law Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner but on January 6 Karlie broke her silence after Ivanka tweeted and quickly deleted a post calling a pro-Trump mob storming the U.S. Capitol building American patriots and Karlie begged to differ tweeting that accepting the results of a legitimate democratic election is patriotic and when one Twitter user urged her to tell her brother-in-law and sister-in-law she lamented I’ve tried 

* Olivia Jade Giannulli posted a clip of herself dancing maskless at a beach-house party and the New Year’s Day Insta came days after her mom Lori Loughlin was sprung from prison and the clip which featured her toasting with a glass of vino came less than a month after she aired her regrets in an interview -- the party girl feels she’s suffered too from the scandal and she was just letting off steam 

* Rege-Jean Page has sent pulses racing with his groundbreaking role as the rakish Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton but it was his reference to James Bond’s legendary martini preference in a tweet that had fans speculating he’s in line to take over from Daniel Craig as the next 007 -- the biracial actor has been vocal about the importance of inclusive casting 

Page 6: Jessica Simpson whose own father once bragged about her double Ds is enjoying a very particular benefit of her recent 100-lb slimdown which is she’s gone down two cup sizes and she says she feels more athletic and her body is more in proportion -- in addition to easing back pain she feels a different sort of weight has lifted because all that talk about her breasts made her feel they overshadowed her as a person 

* Drew Barrymore is nursing a private pain as her ex-husband Will Kopelman went public with his new love Vogue staffer Alexandra Michler and the two are serious while Drew is still single and she is alone and feeling like the odd man out -- there are times when Drew absolutely regrets divorcing Will especially now that he’s dating again and Drew was holding out hope for a reunion but when she discovered Will was seeing someone new she knew there was a good chance it may not happen and even worse her own attempts at finding romance have fallen flat as she’s tried online dating a few times but had no luck 

* Star Spots the Stars -- Jimmy Fallon and wife Nancy Juvonen, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest, Jenna Dewan, Aubrey Plaza, JD Martinez 

Page 8: Star Shots -- John Legend gave his son Miles a zip around the water on a jet ski during a vacation in St. Barths, Ellen DeGeneres on a bike after lunch with friends in Santa Barbara, Brooke Burke dressed in wintry workout gear sipped a hot drink 

Page 10: Leslie Jones on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Christina Aguilera playing video games with her son Max 

Page 12: Kit Harington takes his dog for a walk in London, Sean “Diddy” Combs passed out gift cards and gift bags to those in need in Miami, Mindy Kaling online shopping 

Page 13: Gabrielle Union and her husband Dwyane Wade on a hike, Jenny McCarthy maneuvered her trash bins to the curb in Chicago 

Page 14: Coach Tom Jones on The Voice UK, EJ Johnson at the beach in Miami, Margaret Qualley and boyfriend Shia LaBeouf on a hike in L.A., Dua Lipa eating during a getaway in Tulum, Mexico 

Page 16: Normal or Not? Tori Spelling out in Los Angeles with her dogs and husband Dean McDermott -- normal, Nicole Kidman and an alpaca -- not normal 

Page 17: Jennifer Garner playing the drinking game from The Crown in which participants who can’t repeat a phrase correctly must smudge their faces -- not normal, Kate Bosworth celebrated her birthday with husband Michael Polish and some bubbly in Beverly Hills -- normal 

Page 18: Fashion -- stars stun in Pantone colors of the year Illuminating Yellow and Ultimate Gray -- Mindy Kaling, Thandie Newton, Jorja Smith 

Page 19: Ariana Grande, Zoey Deutch 

Page 24: Olivia Wilde made news stepping out as Harry Styles’ plus-one to his agent’s wedding in Montecito and he introduced her as his girlfriend as the two mingled and held hands -- the next day Harry and Olivia who hit it off on the set of her upcoming psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling in which he stars were spotted heading into his L.A. home -- wedding guests weren’t the only ones surprised by the new couple as Olivia’s ex Jason Sudeikis dad to her kids Otis and Daisy has been nurturing hope of a reunion since their split in late 2020 and he was surprised she’d go for one of the actors in her movie -- now Olivia is conflicted because she’s having fun with Harry but there’s no denying her feelings for Jason continue to linger and some are betting her romance with Harry will flame out in no time and no one would be surprised if Olivia and Jason ended up getting back together 

Page 25: Florence Pugh and Zach Braff had Hollywood abuzz after a pal wished her a happy birthday on social media and cryptically referred to her as FPB -- that extra B caused many to surmise that Florence has quietly exchanged vows with Zach and taken his last name and Florence hasn’t done much to shut down speculation by strategically hiding her ring finger in photos shared on Instagram 

* Zoe Kravitz filed for divorce from Karl Glusman after 18 months of marriage because she was fed up with having an MIA husband -- things between the two hit a breaking point after Karl failed to check in with his wife while filming Please Baby Please in Butte, Montana -- Zoe couldn’t take being ignored and when she and Karl finally spoke they had a big fight and she pulled the plug shortly afterwards 

* They called it quits in October after two years together but Bethenny Frankel and Paul Bernon are now giving their relationship another shot -- they split up because their long-distance romance proved too difficult but Bethenny really missed him and it turns out Paul missed her too and it seems second time’s a charm because a loved-up Bethenny and Paul indulged in PDA at a Miami studio as they watched her daughter paint with the artist

Page 26: Cover Story -- Meghan Markle exposed -- Meghan’s older half-sister is dishing some major dirt about the former actress’ rise to royalty in her new bombshell book 

Page 30: Inside Kim Kardashian’s escape -- Kim reached her breaking point with Kanye West months ago but took many steps before she finally left him 

Page 32: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over -- these celebs more than made up after breaking up and they made it all the way down the aisle -- Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo 

Page 33: Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Prince William and Kate Middleton 

Page 36: Beauty -- sweet dreams -- get better ZZZs and wake up looking gorgeous with products that nourish 

Page 38: Entertainment 

Page 48: Parting Shot -- Splashing out on a romantic getaway in Tulum, Mexico Bella Thorne and boyfriend Benjamin Mascolo made time to keep it tight on the sand 

[tiny-maus-boots]

Wild West AU pt 7

“It’s been three days.”

Beca gave a short nod and slid the blade along her whetstone with measured ease. Chloe brought the glass of whiskey up to her lips for a slow sip, her eyes catching Beca’s to share an annoyed look.

Jesse either didn’t see or chose not to and settled on a chair at their table. He and his boys had been making themselves at home in the Caverns and their presence was starting to ruffle everyone’s feathers. “You sure your crew is gonna show?”

Beca paused and let the deep blue of her eyes bore into him. “They’ll be here.” She let her gaze drift back down and slid the other side of the blade along whetstone with a final sounding snick. Jesse watched her with nervous anticipation, his lip caught between his teeth as if he were just barely keeping his words from spilling out. The memory of Jesse had been a thorn in Chloe’s backside for years, the desire to settle up with him for leaving Beca to hang never that far in her thoughts. And here he was in the flesh, so close she could punch him, but she didn’t dare because their success was dependent on tenuous peace between them all.

“We’re riskin’ a lot here already but if they don’t show…”

Chloe put her glass down hard on the scarred table causing Jesse to turn and stare at her. “You don’t have to question our loyalty to our own.” He had some balls on him for even doubting that their girls would come through for them when they needed it. It wasn’t just that though, he had been persistent with his attention toward Beca and she was more than a little put out by it. His look was not a warm one when he met Chloe’s gaze.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His lips thinned out in anger and Jesse started to rise to his feet, the chair scooting back with the push of his legs.

“It means none of us are cowards.” She brought a shoulder up in a shrug at his question and played with the half full glass.

“You calling me scared?”

Beca sighed when his voice rose and slid her whetstone and polishing cloth into her rucksack choosing not to get involved in the brewing argument. Chloe didn’t blame her for not wanting to open old wounds and for the most part Chloe had tried to ignore Jesse but he seemed to be making a habit of popping up wherever Beca went, his presence a constant and weighted shadow over them. She brought her hand up, palm grazing over the hard butt of her gun and she itched to draw it. Jesse tracked the movement and curled his lip in naked disgust.

“No sir. Everyone gets scared from time to time.” The anger in his eyes flickered at Chloe’s words, confused by her acknowledgement of fear but not quite sure if he could trust it. She downed the last of the whiskey and turned the glass upside down on the table, her body rising smoothly from her seat to lean over the table in a pose mirroring his. “I’m callin’ you a yellow bellied bastard of a coward.”

His gun was out before she finished speaking but it didn’t scare her in the least. Chloe leaned in closer, the barrel of his gun brushing her shirt. The cavern around them slowly muted to silence as everyone focused in on their table. Jesse’s voice was a strained barely contained roar. “Call me a coward again and see what happens.”

“You shooting an unarmed woman because you don’t like hearing the truth isn’t gonna prove your point Jesse.” Neither of them broke eye contact to look at Beca who was finally done packing her tools away. The brunette stretched her back out and reached out casually to snag Chloe’s arm to tug her mate into her lap. The second Beca’s arms were around her Jesse ceased to be any kind of a concern because all she could see, all she wanted to see was Beca. Their foreheads touched in silent communication before Stacie’s amused voice broke them moment.

“Best put that steel away, boy, before you hurt yourself trying.” Chloe turned her head in time to catch Jesse leveling the gun at Stacie in anger and embarrassment. He wavered a second before putting his gun away and turning on a quick heel to stomp out of the entrance. Before he even cleared the mouth music started up again and folks resumed their drinking. Chloe leaned further into Beca’s body and smiled as Stacie settled into the chair Jesse had just vacated. “That kid has some fuckin’ nerve. He’s lucky Bree ain’t here.”

“He’s lucky my girl isn’t lookin’ to pick a fight.” Beca smirked, giving Chloe a squeeze and nodded her thanks when Stacie placed a bottle of whiskey in the center of the table.

“Who’s not looking to pick a fight?” They turned just as Aubrey sauntered in with a wide smirk. Chloe raised a hand half playfully and reached out to pour a shot for Aubrey with her own glass. “Thanks darlin’.”

Aubrey settled and swept her hat off her head, tossing it casually to the side to land on the empty chair left at the table. Her hair cascaded down and the blonde gave a quick jerk of her head to fling it back over her shoulder. Chloe couldn’t help but notice the way Stacie’s eyes lit up at Aubrey’s openly excited smile. She understood, seeing Aubrey this open and unselfconscious was rare thing, one they all treasured. “You look mighty pleased with yourself Bree.”

Aubrey downed the shot and wiped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand. “Found ‘em. The Sisters and La Muda are up in Penitence. Our lil buddy with a badge says Sheriff Cox won’t let anyone through town to head toward the Badlands. Ace and Florencia are settling their gear in some rooms. Dingo is makin’ friendly with Bumper.” The blonde’s lip curled a little at the idea of anyone getting friendly with Bumper and they all shared a laugh. “So what’d I miss?”

“Jesse pulled a gun on Chloe because she called him a coward.” Aubrey blinked at Stacie, weighing her words for truth before she turned to look at Chloe.

The redhead shrugged her shoulder for confirmation. “He was being a turd. But now that the girls are here he should be happier.” Beca snorted softly and Aubrey pointedly refilled her drink. Chloe looked between them then at Stacie who shook her head with a grin. “What?”

“He’s not gonna be happy until he’s riding out with a wagon full of gold and Becs on the back of his horse.” Stacie shrugged as if that were obvious and Aubrey made a face to say ‘she’s not wrong’ and downed the shot with a hiss.

“Preferably with you dead in the grave Chloe if God grants his prayers.” She refilled her glass once more and pushed the bottle back to the center of the table. Aubrey snapped a finger length splinter from the edge of the table and lit the end in the lamp. She leaned back in her chair and lit the end of a half smoked cigar she’d pulled from her vest pocket. “Jesse will be a concern before our business is through mark me on that.”

Smoke curled up in a billow above their heads oddly comforting despite Aubrey’s words. Stacie played with the charred splinter but she pinned Beca with a look. “Aubrey’s right but we won’t have to deal with him too much longer. Way I figure we do two jobs and it’s done. First is snag the train, bring it to the mine and the second is to load it up and blow out of the territory as quick as we can.”

Beca nodded and tightened her arms around Chloe as she shifted more comfortably in her seat. “Any word on when the next train is gonna be along on the old Union line from the east?”

Aubrey puffed on the end of her cigar and gave a nod. “Not for another month.” It took the wind from Chloe’s lungs and she slumped in defeat against Beca’s chest.

“That’s too long Bree! We can’t stay holed up here forever. Not with the company we got and the Army breathing down our necks.”

The blonde gave a nod and raised the shot glass to her lips. “There is another train but you’re not gonna like it.” She tipped it back and leaned back with a shrug. “A short line passenger from Georgia is coming up through town. Be here in two days.”

Two days wasn’t a lot of time to get the rest of the track laid out and the mine widened out enough for the engine. Beca grunted softly and shook her head, one hand reflexively tightening on Chloe’s thigh. “That’s risky. Grab the train in the same place we have to bug out of? I dunno about that.”

Chloe sat up a little so she could pull the charred splinter from Stacie’s hand using it to sketch out a rough map on the table top. “Maybe, we don’t let the train get to town. Look here, we can ride it down just before its due in Penitence. Stop her on the tracks right there, kick off the passengers and breeze right on through town until we get to the mine.”

The other three leaned closer to look and Aubrey nodded her agreement. “By the time they realize what’s happened we could be loading up gold. Be gone before they scout out the new track all laid down…it could work.” Some of Jesse’s boys laughed loudly at a table across the room. None of them close enough to hear the conversation but Chloe wasn’t taking any chances. Whatever was left in the bottle she upended on the table and swiped a hand over the charcoal sketch to obscure the route.

Beca reached across the table and put her hand out palm down. Chloe immediately rested her own hand over it and looked expectantly at Aubrey. The blonde smirked and rested her hand on Stacie’s already resting on Chloe’s. When they broke Stacie took Aubrey by the hand and tugged lightly. “C’mon let’s make those boys jealous.”

Aubrey blinked owlishly and looked around her voice a scandalized whisper. “What?” Eyes darted to them and a few chuckles could be heard around the cave. “What are you doing?” Chloe could see her trying to pull back her hand but Stacie held fast even going so far as to pluck the cigar from Aubrey’s lips to stub out on the tabletop.

“I’m trying to ask the prettiest girl in here to dance but she’s givin’ me a hard time.” Aubrey stopped resisting and blushed at Stacie’s words almost unsure if she was the party in question. For a second it looked like she might refuse and try to pull away again but Aubrey took a breath and stood letting a delighted Stacie lead her to the middle of the floor where they held each other in a slow sway.

Beca hummed and hooked her chin on Chloe’s shoulder. “I’m a sucker for those two ya know.” She smiled at the admission and turned her head to kiss Beca on the temple.

“You’re not alone in that Cowgirl. C’mon, let’s go hunker down for the night. Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day.” Beca gave another hum in agreement and let Chloe lead her back to their room. Little by little things were coming together and she was feeling more confident that they’d get through this just fine. They just had a few loose ends to tie up before they were out for good. As they passed through the corridor leading up she wondered where exactly Jesse had gotten off to. Not that she cared overly much about his wellbeing but Aubrey had been right. The only thing they could trust Jesse to do was look out for himself. Beca’s hands trailed up along Chloe’s sides, already pulling the shirt from her trousers before they’d even fully gotten in the room. Beca kissed her like she needed Chloe to know how badly she was wanted, needed even, and suddenly she forgot to be concerned with anything but the woman in her arms or the almost aching desire to touch and taste all of her, claiming Beca in a way that Jesse never could.

Beca was hers and she was Beca’s and there was nothing Jesse could say or do to change that. As the last of their clothes fell free and they tumbled into their bed Chloe stopped thinking all together and let her instincts lead them to ecstasy.

[unholyhelbiglinked]

Camp Beaverbrook | 011

CHECK OUT THE STORY FROM THE START HERE

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter has a lot of blood in it, but also, so do the rest of them. 

Hey Mom,

Emily here. Who else would it be, though? I’m sure you’re expecting a phone call at some point but I don’t think I can bring myself to go in there. Not when Aubrey thought… It doesn’t matter. I got to meet Jane’s parents. They’re nice people. Normal people. Miss Eide has a job as a bank teller and I think Mr. Eide sells water heaters. They’re both taking breaks from that, though. Understandably. Maybe I’ll be seeing you a lot sooner than summers end.

Emily

The scent of blood wasn’t something Emily Junk had ever paid much mind to. When she was seven years old, she was dared by Nellie Zeeman to jump off the swings when the chains had creaked to their longest point, and she could practically touch the sky.

Emily had jumped off without a second conviction and she remembered the exact moment she landed in the mulch. She could technically taste the dirt that filled her mouth, the blood that mixed into an insane cocktail against her tongue. She had scraped her knee and red dripped down her bare leg. Nellie Zeeman ran the opposite direction before Emily’s lower lip quivered and she wailed. She could smell blood then.

She could smell blood now too.

It clawed at her throat like it had been slit with edging poison. It made her swallow roughly and it darkened her eyes to a different degree; Aubrey Posen was sat on the edge of a springy bed with a limp olive-green blanket that wasn’t tucked in all the way. Her hair was damp, and it clung to her shoulders.

The yellow shirt she wore was wet in different variants: where her locks fell, where her skin hadn’t dried, where a thick sanguine fluid wicked its way into the fabric of the tank top that had been woven in a factory somewhere in Ohio. Her hand was coated in rust and she shifted uncomfortably at the sound of the door opening. Emily panted, stunned.

She felt naïve at the thought that this was over, that it had stopped at one death. Maybe Jane had gotten lost in the woods and nature overtook every inch of the poor girl’s body until she had sunk into the soil herself. Emily hadn’t read the ME report. She hadn’t seen the body. She was foolish. Foolish and in overdrive.

“Oh my god, Aubrey.” Her words pushed through the thorns in her throat.

Emily had dropped down to her knees easily, not regarding the pain that shot through them as she carefully took Aubrey’s fingers. It was familiar, and Aubrey’s touch was chilled and clammy.

“No,” The blonde whispered stopping Emily by applying pressure to her stance, she pulled her onto the bed, their knees touching.“Don’t.”

Emily nodded and let Aubrey breathe in softly. The air in the cabin was musty. There were posters on the wall, boy bands that Emily had admittedly plugged into her cassette player in an attempt to enjoy the static-filled sound. Her mother refused to give her a disc man, but now that the little plastic boxes were dying out, she had no reason not to invest in one. This had to be Chloe’s cabin.

Chloe who had pulled her from her thoughts and her sleep when she rushed in to grab clothes for Aubrey in the first place. She didn’t’ bat an eye at her, instead, telling her where to find Aubrey. She was going to run towards Gail, sweet Gail, who had yet to pull the camp from function.  

“Chloe was, Chloe is, trying her best,” Aubrey spoke, her eyes were trained on the evenly placed laundry basket that was overflowing with gold and green. “Poor thing can’t stand the sight of blood though. I think I need to get someone to clean up the shower. It’s awfully messy in there and-“

Emily shifted her touch to the woman’s wrist. She could feel the rapid heartbeat against the inside of her index finger. It pounded like a drum. “Aubrey, stop.”

The blonde drew in a heaving breath but kept her mouth shut. She was clearly unbothered, or numb, to the amount of blood that was dripping against her arm. It had slowed, even now. But it was worrisome. Her pear colored eyes were widened, and her heartbeat continued to sound like a snare.

“I don’t know what happened,” She finally whispered. “I was showering. The water was getting cold because I guess I stood there too long. I always stand there too long.”

Emily nodded gently, eyes trying to search the girl’s face. A purple bruise was forming around the laceration and Emily tried her hardest not to stare.

“They came at me, Em. I- I could feel the wood splinter under the tip of that knife. It burned.” Her throat audibly tightened. It wasn’t the beginning of a cry, because this was more than that. This was a fear that shook Aubrey Posen’s body harder than anything ever had before. “It just burns.”        

Aubrey melted into Emily’s side. The younger girl was pretty sure she would vanish into the floor if she had the chance. Her nose was cold against the inside of her neck and scent of blood wasn’t so noticeable anymore. The way Aubrey was crying was. The way her whole body shuttered, and fingers dug into the fabric of Emily’s shirt. She was like a pine tree, unwavering in the wind, finally pulling its roots from the deeply packed fine soil.  

Her chocolate gaze flipped up to the door as it creaked open. Stacie Conrad was breathing heavily, a little less tactful about keeping her disdain towards the wound to herself. “Chloe told me you needed this I- Should I grab someone who can fix you up?”  

Aubrey straightened up and moved the length of her arm across the base of her nose, chin lifting slightly as she gave an easy and collected stare.

The archer looked a little sickly compared to the blue of the sky. Maybe Stacie didn’t like blood. If Emily hadn’t been exposed to the dangers of it when she was young, she supposed she would look a bit green too.

“No, it’s alright.” Emily objected. “I can do it.”

She took the first aid kit from Stacie, who hung by the door for a few moments before ducking out into the ever-cooling air. Emily didn’t waste time digging through the plastic case. She found alcohol wipes, padding, and some wrapped bandages. The rest were band-aids that could hold up against water. Anti-itch spray. Usual things that would be needed at a camp this size. Aubrey followed her with reddened eyes, she sniffed softly.

Emily was careful as she tore away the wrapping of the wipe. The toxic scent of antiseptic-coated her lungs as she kneeled on the bed next to Aubrey, one foot hanging off the side. “This might sting, just a little.”

Aubrey hissed as the cool wipe met the mostly open wound.

“You know, I used to volunteer at an animal shelter during the winter. The doctor there, he had a lot of free time, so he started to teach me a few things. You don’t need stitches so that’s good, it didn’t cut deep enough.”

“Okay,”

“Right,” Emily Junk didn’t do well with awkward silence, but she could respect Aubrey Posen’s need to be quiet. Her own mind was still buzzing with trauma. Jane Eide was dead and the girl she may have possibly felt a strong fondness for had been attacked in the showers. She struggled to silence her thoughts, and instead laid a pad of gauze down before wrapping the majority of Aubrey’s arm. “You’re all set.”

“Thank you, Emily.”

Aubrey stood herself, rolling her shoulders back as much as she could, her eyes darkening. Emily had seen it before; that rage hungry look that translated from pain. It made her freeze, feeling that edge of ice bite at her skin once more. She settled for playing with the fuzz at the end of Aubrey’s jacket, the fabric stretching past her wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“It’s fine,” Her voice was tender, “I just need to take care of a few things. Stay here if you want.”

Emily opened her mouth to object but was met by the screen door opening and closing. She stared at the way the lined material looked so vivid against the daylight as she blinked a few times before shoving off the bed herself and walking onto the creaking porch. Everything looked the same.

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting: A lake filled with blood, a sky harbored with rolling clouds ready to rain down acid. At least a police car to take a statement about a possible killer still on the campgrounds. Instead, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Aubrey looked distraught compared to her usual demeanor.

Emily found herself following at will, her sneakers crunching against the grass as she stopped right at the stony shore. She could smell the musk of the lake that always wore off the second her feet touched the mucky bottom in familiarity. This time she hung away, swallowing roughly as Aubrey’s boots met the far end of the dock.

Beca had a whistle in her mouth, letting the metal drop from her lips before she turned slightly on her heel. Her eyes were trained on the campers in the water, a few of them splashing around while others swam laps close to the ropes. She itched at the edge of her neck where her sweatshirt stood.

“Aubrey?” she turned completely, “Jesus dude, what happened?”

The taller woman shoved her hand down, knocking the clipboard from Beca’s grasp. The loud clang caught the attention of few, Beca glancing down before letting out a breath, her hardened eyes glowering at Aubrey. “What the hell, Posen?”

There was an immediate petal of blood the second Aubrey’s fist connected with the right side of Beca’s face. The sound was unmistakable, knuckles against bone and a string of profanities as Beca stumbled back, her shoe skidding against the edge of the dock before she caught herself- before Aubrey caught her and pulled her forward by the neck of her sweatshirt.

Emily’s throat tightened as the fond scent of rust hit her nose. She reached forward and grasped the base of Aubrey’s tank top, quickly searching for a place that wouldn’t’ wound the girl further, a dark red soaking through the pad of cotton on her shoulder.

“You’re fucking dead, Mitchell!”

“Get off of me!”

Beca struggled to push the girl’s hands away as Emily pulled back even harder to no avail. She moved her hands against the woman’s side, ducking under her arm completely to create a barrier between the head counselor and the water sports director. Her fist was raised, but her eyes quickly lightened, features softening as her lips parted and her hand dropped.

“Stop it! Both of you!” Emily shoved Aubrey back slightly “Go cool off.”

“I’m gonna-“Aubrey took a shaky breath, a step back, even “Yeah.”

She shook her head, eyes sharp as she blinked towards Beca. Aubrey drew in a breath and walked down the rest of the dock. Emily’s clouded eyes followed her frame as she departed, feet heavy and fingers clutching at the dull ache visible on her shoulder.

“What the fuck was that about?” Beca asked,  grabbing her clipboard from the wooden dock. Emily hadn’t noticed how unstable it felt. A deep shade of brick was smeared across her arm where she had struggled to steel the laceration on her cheek. An ugly shade of blue and purple was already blistering against pale skin.

“Sorry, she uh-“Emily fretted “You’re okay?”

Beca pressed her fingers close to the blood, pulling back and rubbing it between her thumb and index finger before glowering up at her. “Yeah, Em. I’m fine.”      

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/01/06/rapinoe-lloyd-headline-u-s-squad-morgan-out/

Rapinoe, Lloyd headline U.S. squad; Morgan out

Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd and Mallory Pugh headline the roster for this month’s training camp for the U.S. women’s national team.

All told, U.S manager Vlatko Andonovksi named 27 players to the group that will gather in Orlando, Fla. from Jan. 9-22. The camp will conclude with two games against Colombia on Jan. 18 and Jan. 22 at Orlando’s Exploria Stadium. The matches will be the first domestic games for the U.S. women since the 2020 SheBelieves Cup that was held last March.

“A big credit goes to our players, team staff and overall medical staff for the tremendous work to make sure we have secure and healthy environments for our camps and games,” said USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “And a special thanks also goes to our game operations staff for enabling us to host two matches against a talented opponent. It’s extremely valuable to play a team we don’t see that often and it’s important for our Olympic preparation.”

Andonovski held two camps in the latter half of 2020, a year in which there was considerable disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first was an 11-day camp in Commerce City, Colo. back in October, as well as a November trip to the Netherlands that concluded with a 2-0 win against the Dutch.

The trio of Rapinoe, Lloyd and Pugh didn’t take part in either camp and saw limited or no action for their NWSL teams in 2020. Lloyd’s return comes as she is just six caps away from becoming the third player in U.S. and world history to play 300 times for their country. If she reaches that milestone, she will join Kristine Lilly and Christie Rampone.

“Both of them are a little bit ahead of what we expected for them to be for January camp, from the physical standpoint,” Andonovski said of Rapinoe and Lloyd’s return. “The only thing they’re missing is a team training, so it’s good that we have a good, eight or nine trainings before we go into the match, and both of them are expected to get minutes. Whether it is in the first or second game, we’ll determine that. But from the mental standpoint, I think they’re refreshed. Their mind is rested, and they’re very excited to be back in camp.”

There are several notable omissions from the roster. Forward Alex Morgan announced on Tuesday that she has contracted COVID-19, and will thus not take part in the camp. Manchester United forward Christen Press will remain in England as she regains her fitness following a non-COVID-19 illness. Club teammate Tobin Heath will also remain in Manchester so as to take part in FA Women’s Super League matches.

“We’ve been in communication and I personally have talked to Alex numerous times now, and I’m glad that herself and her family are doing well and slowly but surely they’re putting everything behind them, and they’re handling the virus very well,” Andonovski said of Morgan’s absence.

Forward Catarina Macario was named to her third consecutive camp, but will not play in either match, as she is in the final stages of completing the process to be eligible to play for the U.S.

Colombia, the reigning Pan-American games champion, comes into the match ranked 26th in the world. The U.S. remains ranked No. 1 in the latest FIFA rankings.

TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY POSITION:

GOALKEEPERS (4): Aubrey Bledsoe (Washington Spirit), Jane Campbell (Houston Dash), Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)

DEFENDERS (10): Alana Cook (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Abby Dahlkemper (North Carolina Courage), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars), Crystal Dunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Fox (UNC), Ali Krieger (Orlando Pride), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit), Margaret Purce (Sky Blue FC), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars), Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC), Jaelin Howell (Florida State), Rose Lavelle (Manchester City/ENG), Catarina Macario (Stanford), Kristie Mewis (Houston Dash), Samantha Mewis (Manchester City/ENG), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit)

FORWARDS (5): Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars), Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC), Lynn Williams (North Carolina Courage)

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