#one of the pictures on my wall is a local transit alert sign from the bus stop near where i used to live which is COOL but also would doxx

[br1ghtestlight]

desk that i ordered arrived today so my bedroom is (mostly) finished being set up >:D still want to get a beanbag chair at some point. and perhaps a rug

[baevillier]

Safe | Tyler seguin

part 2

Light flickered in a scattered pattern as warmth began to seep through the layered glass of the bus windows. Y/N lifted her head from the padded portion of the chair she had cuddled into, she felt her body tense as she was physically weak and sweat covered her skin.

The carrier was parked at what appeared to be a rest stop in a small town, a slight ocean breeze floating through the air as tourists filed off the bus. It had been almost a day since the girl had boarded the transit, the bus often took many breaks and they had yet to get to Atlanta. Taking her hoodie off and pushing herself up from the seat, she looked out of the bus and towards a small town sign. 

Southport, Florida.

Deciding to take a quick walk around to stretch her legs, the woman made sure to have all her things before heading out, she breathed heavily as the humidity washed over her- her body basking in the golden sun that cascaded against her skin. her hair brushed against her neck and she shrugged at the awkward tickling feeling.

Walking away from the group, she made her way further into town and let herself relax, she had time before she had to be back on the bus, there was no harm in looking around.

Making her way through the charming little town, something stirred inside Y/N. She felt calm here by the water, with the breeze brushing against her shoulders, it was almost as if she felt relaxed.

Maybe she didn’t need to go to Atlanta. 

A small white building with a battered exterior caught her attention and the girl smiled. A corner store. Walking towards the building that had certainly seen better days. Y/N let her eyes trail pass the establishment. It sat right on the water, a dock connecting itself to the shop.

Soft bells sounded above the shop door as she entered, alerting whoever was around that they had a customer. As she walked inside and looked around, she saw that the building was actually attached to the gas station next door. they must be owned by the same people.

As Y/N was browsing the store and looking through the shelves, she noticed a wall near the back which had a bunch of pictures pinned to it. Presumably locals or family of the owner. 

Everything in the town seemed to be family owned which was quite nice, the town had history. The motel she had passed on the way towards the store was calling out to her in the back of her mind. Maybe staying one night wouldn’t hurt. 

Quick footsteps moved towards the girl and she spun around quickly, coming face to face with a curly haired man with a slight beard growing in- he had an apologetic smile as he was obviously caught off guard by having a customer this early in the morning.

The fright in Y/N’s eyes was evident and she stood with tension griping her shoulders. 

“Hi- sorry, uh how can i help you?” the man grabbed an apron off the wall and pulled it on, tying the straps behind his back. His white t-shirt and jeans were covered by the red striped material of his smock.

Smiling at him she walked towards the counter, placing the few items that she had picked up on her way in down. A bottle of water, a bag of chips and a granola bar. 

“Are you new in town? i don’t recall seeing you before..” he trailed off, waiting for an answer and also her name if she were to offer it. From what Y/N could tell, he seemed friendly enough, but in light of recent events, she kept to herself.

Taking out her wallet, she nodded. “just passing through…” remaining quite mysterious with her answer.

Sending her a bright smile and scratching his jaw, the man shrugged it off- it was at this point that Y/N could read the small writing on his apron. "Paul” the name tag was printed. How much do I owe you… Paul?” she trailed, pointing up to the tag, so he could see where she was getting the name.

A chuckle flooded through her ears, the man having a kind smile on his face. “Paul is my dad… He used to own this place but now it’s mine… My name’s Tyler.” he outstretched his hand after cleaning up the counter and putting his apron away.

The woman pressed her lips into a thin smile at her mistake. “Sorry… my name’s (y/n)...” She was almost hesitant when giving over her name. What if someone had come looking for her and asked questions?

Tyler took her hand delicately and shook it, not giving too much of a squeeze or yanking her towards him. “Its nice to meet you Y/N...” he went to ask her about where she was heading before his attention was drawn else where. 

“Daddy!” a tiny voice rang out, high pitched and adorable as little footsteps ran towards the pair- instantly reminding Y/N of how the man had done just moments ago.

At the noise, Tyler turned around and swooped a little figure up into his arms- a blonde haired girl with brown eyes and a pointed nose. she looked no older than five, but definitely no younger than three.

“And whose this?” Y/N chuckled softly, looking at the girl with a kind smile as the child clung to her father’s neck. Tyler smiled and poked the tiny girl’s cheek, he fixed her shirt and denim shorts before setting her own the ground and ruffling her hair.

“This is Emily… my daughter.. and the towns resident trouble maker!” he tickled her side and the girl squeaked, howling in laughter and giggles before running back off to where ever she came from.

(Y/N) felt her heart swell, she had always wanted kids, someone she could raise and make into a good person. But she wanted to do that with someone she could trust and love… Someone better than Michael.

As she came out of her daydream, Y/N looked up at Tyler who had quite a few inches on her. He had to be at least six-foot.

“Uh right- do you sell maps? and maybe you could point me out some directions to the nearest motel?” she offered him a kind smile. Bringing his attention back towards her purchase.

Suddenly a smirk found it’s way onto the brunette’s lips. “Thought you were just passing through?” he chuckled. 

The woman’s lips felt into a tiny smile. “Might be staying longer than I anticipated.” she admitted charmingly. 

Shaking his head, Tyler leaned under the counter, pulling a map out and handing it over- “Usually i don’t sell maps since Southport doesn’t get a lot of tourists… but you can consider this a loan.” he smiled softly, grabbing a piece of receipt paper and writing the directions on it.

Y/N tilted her head, sweet curiosity masking her expression. “A loan?” she asked. Handing him the right change for the rest of her items. 

Putting the cash into the register, the man passed her a small paper bag with her goodies inside, placing the map right on top. His eyes held a cheeky spark that was as bright as the day.

“So that you have to come back.” 

[multipleservicelisting]

After Capitols Become Fortresses, Far-Right Protesters Are Mostly a No-Show

SAN FRANCISCO — And this is how the last weekend of the Trump presidency wound down, with state capitols across the nation ringed by barricades, military vehicles guarding closed-off streets and Washington, D.C., all but shut down. In the end, it was for a handful of protesters, most from the right, a few from the left, many looking more like ragtag stragglers than the furious mob of Trump supporters that ransacked the U.S. Capitol more than a week ago.

In Concord, N.H., five masked men dressed in tactical gear and carrying assault rifles gathered on the sidewalk in front of the statehouse lawn to express concerns about “government overreach.” In Lansing, Mich., National Guard soldiers watched as a dozen members of the far-right Boogaloo Bois group showed up with military-style weapons.

Across the country, legislative chambers — the people’s houses — became citadels. At least 17 states called up their National Guard.

In Washington, 15,000 troops, more than the nation has stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, established a Green Zone, adding to the impression of an occupied city. The National Guard said the troops came from all 50 states and three territories, a force that could grow to 25,000 by Wednesday.

The large presence of troops and police officers across the country came after warnings from the F.B.I. that armed protests were planned in all 50 capitals and following online chatter promising demonstrations or worse in the days leading up to Wednesday’s inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr. as president.

The nation’s militarized streets on Sunday were a remarkable spectacle as police and National Guard officers faced off with promised right-wing protests that, at least on Sunday, were reduced to a whimper. Protesters in some states could be counted on one hand.

At the Massachusetts State House, where hundreds of police officers deployed around the perimeter, a pedestrian shouted, “What’s going on?”

“Maybe a demonstration, maybe not,” an officer responded.

But officials say they will remain on alert through Wednesday’s inauguration.

In Denver, where public offices were boarded up and police officers perched on rooftops, the smattering of Trump supporters who showed up to the State Capitol wondered whether they had come on the wrong day. “I was expecting more than me,” said Larry Woodall, 59, who wore a Trump 2020 face mask. “I feel like I’m the lone wolf.”

A reporter in Lincoln, Neb., counted two protesters marching around the State Capitol, one armed and the other carrying a homemade sign.

Outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol there were so few protesters that reporters lined up on the sidewalk to interview a man who gave his name only as Alex and wore a sweatshirt that said “Fraud 2020.” Reporters then turned to a man named Eddie who was selling “Biden is not my president” T-shirts but who left soon after for lack of customers.

There were those who made light of the moment. In Lansing, a man arrived with a large Nerf gun and wore a T-shirt declaring himself part of the Michigan Nerf Militia.

But there was no denying the anxiety of a nation wounded from a divisive transition of power and suffering from a pandemic and anxious exhaustion, particularly after the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol in Washington.

Capitol Riot Fallout

Updated 

Jan. 17, 2021, 10:05 p.m. ET

The United States Postal Service announced that it was removing or locking many blue mailboxes from the streets of Washington as a precaution. Secret Service agents checked wheels and the interior of cars parked along Massachusetts Avenue for anything suspicious.

In Salem, Ore., fewer than a dozen men dressed in military-style clothing marched onto the grounds of a park across the street from the State Capitol, waving flags. One held a sign made with marker on white posterboard: “Disarm the Government!” it said.

At the Texas Capitol, pro-Trump protesters gathered as officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety patrolled the grounds and guarded the entrance to the nearby Governor’s Mansion.

A protester lounged against a stone wall, holding a semiautomatic rifle and smoking a cigarette. He declined to give his name, saying he was there to “observe what was going on.”

Daniel Hunter, a 34-year-old handyman, drove down from Waco on Sunday, he said, to ensure that no one assaulted the Capitol.

“If they do, I’ll get in front of them,” he said. “Storming the Capitol isn’t civilized behavior.”

The events of Jan. 6 remained on everyone’s minds. Unlike other seminal moments of the Trump presidency, the attack on the Capitol has not dropped away from the news cycle or been eclipsed by some subsequent outrage. With more footage becoming public over the weekend, the riot became even more vivid and personalized.

In a 12-minute video posted Sunday by The New Yorker magazine men are seen rifling through the desks of senators in the Senate chamber and flipping through their files. “I think Cruz would want us to do this,” one man says, referring to Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican. The video captures conversations between the rioters and police officers inside the Capitol. “You are outnumbered,” one of the men tells officers, adding that the rioters are there at the behest of President Trump, “your boss.”

For many of those watching from a distance, the storming of the Capitol and its aftermath combine into a picture of a nation almost unrecognizable to them.

“The last week and a half has been off-the-charts bad,” said Rich Kenny, a food distributor in Burlingame, Calif., who was cleaning out his garage on Sunday.

“It’s very surreal, and it’s very depressing,” he said. “And for somebody who has friends in other countries, they’re saying ‘What the hell is going on over there. You guys are the better democracy, and it looks like it’s falling apart.’ So it’s a really tough time. And I’m ashamed.”

In Sacramento, Calif., there was little sign of any protesters but the authorities were not taking any chances. A chain-link fence and portable metal barriers surrounded the Capitol building and armed National Guard troops were posted on street corners outside the state library and the office of the Secretary of State. Helicopters circles overhead.

A man on a scooter stopped to gawk and muttered from behind his face mask.

“Can you believe this is happening in America?” he said.

Reporting was contributed by Jack Healy from Denver; Shawn Hubler from Sacramento; Campbell Robertson from Harrisburg, Pa.; Simon Romero from Santa Fe; Ruth Graham from Concord, N.H., Ellen Barry from Boston; Sabrina Tavernise, Dionne Searcey, Elizabeth Dias and Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio from Washington; Michael Hardy from Austin, Texas; Kate Andrews from Richmond, Va.; Joe Purtell from San Francisco; Kathleen Gray from Lansing, Mich.; and Lauryn Higgins from Lincoln, Neb.

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[junker-town]

Inside Willie Taggart's first Signing Day at Oregon, where everything sounds new

The new head coach brings an entirely different energy to the futuristic complex in Eugene, with his first month in charge including multiple staff-inflicted challenges.

4:04 a.m. PT. The first fax is from three-star wide receiver Daewood Davis of Deerfield Beach, Florida. Two minutes later, it’s Fort Myers, Florida running back Darrian Felix.

“Threee OOOoooh fiiiive, to my city, we get it.”

Oregon head coach Willie Taggart is singing a Drake song that includes a reference to Miami’s area code while scrolling Twitter on his phone. His green-and-yellow Nikes lean on the edge of the conference room table.

“We need some music. Feels like an actual office in here. Can we get some music? Something with some juice, please.”

A Kodak Black track starts on Pandora. Thirty seconds later, phone calls and FaceTime sessions are muffled. There’s a dash to find the app’s “radio edit” setting.

“Clean version! Some clean music, please,” Taggart laughs.

4:20 a.m. Now it’s a “fax” from Cocoa, Florida athlete Bruce Judson.

“BRUUUUUUUUUUCE,” the staff yells. Bruce isn’t on the phone, and the coaches aren’t being filmed. They’re just yelling.

The fax is a holiday custom, one coaches observe on this day. They aren’t actually faxes in 2017; they’re photos of signed National Letters of Intent that’ve been scanned and emailed, then sent to a clunky desktop printer set up the end of a sleek conference room table, all purely for the ritual. Every detail in Oregon’s Hatfield-Dowlin Complex is equal parts ruthless function and overstated luxury. The printer is neither. Holograms of committed athletes would better fit the surrounding aesthetic.

Three months ago, Taggart was taping inspirational quotes to the walls of an all-sports weight room at USF, happy to be home in Florida but stewing about stuck outside of the national title picture.

Now he’s the captain of a billion-dollar football spaceship, which a shoe mogul landed in the Willamette Valley pines. The uniforms, the marketing, the “Puddles” The Duck commercials, the unassailable cool are Taggart’s to control. Now he can have holograms if he wants. In just under two hours, Phil Knight and a Nike phalanx will fill the other end of the conference table, just to watch.

Taggart’s entire career has been a labor to be recognized, and he has succeeded. This is Oregon. This is Nike. When he shows off the panoramic view in his office, he tells visitors, “Look at all this. Look at all the ‘no excuses.’”

4:21 a.m. A video wall on the far end of the room is playing ESPNU, and Lane Kiffin’s monotone Florida Atlantic commercial airs. Most of the room had never seen it. There’s a round of laughter. A few staffers debate if it’s real.

Texts and calls are coming in from the Sunshine State. Half the room came with Taggart from South Florida and are still enjoying East Coast body clocks, which put the hour at a respectable half past 7.

“West Coast hasn’t woke up,” defensive coordinator and former South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt yells. He yells and drinks Pepsi, both constantly.

“I can tell for certain, Hawaii is not awake yet,” new defensive line coach Joe Salave'a says. “I promise you.”

4:28 a.m. New offensive coordinator and former Florida International head coach Mario Cristobal sits at the middle of the table, filing through 2018 targets while a few of his new co-workers pass around a shadowbox of his championship rings from Alabama. He’s been a Duck roughly 13 days and physically in Eugene for only a handful of hours. By his count, he’s averaged three hours’ sleep a night since he was hired.

In a meeting room next door is a working list of around 100 names for 2018’s class, written floor-to-ceiling the previous afternoon. He expects to expand that to around 300 in a few days.

“I’m on the phone with this ‘18 kid in [a Southeastern state], and he’s telling me how he’s been an Oregon fan his entire life. Loved Oregon. Or loves Oregon. Those are the guys we have to I.D. immediately. Those are the guys we have to lock in on and not let up,” Cristobal says.

There’s a noticeable urgency. Just days released from four years in The Process, he’s anxious get Oregon caught up to the three-year advance cycle of evaluations programs like Alabama already have.

“It’s one bad recruiting cycle now; one cycle can cost you everything,” he says.

4:48 a.m. Pandora shuffles to Ice Cube’s “Check Yo Self.”

“You know Coach Leavitt was bumping this back in ‘90s in that all-white ride,” Taggart laughs. (For a period of time, Leavitt drove an all-white town car as a young assistant coach. He does not confirm if indeed bumped Cube.)

“Oh man! That car, man, what a great car …” Leavitt says, trailing off. He’s already in a full suit and completely hoarse. For the rest of the day at booster functions, he’ll tell record crowds in Eugene and Portland he lost his voice playing laser tag with recruits.

Each time, the line secures a huge laugh, then massive applause, because Oregon fans aren’t used to getting any information about recruiting. The Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich eras downplayed the public-facing components of chasing talent and celebrating the catch.

By lunch, the 24-man, consensus top-20 2017 class is sealed, save for a single player: No. 1 “athlete” (a player with an undetermined primary college position) Deommodore Lenoir. Taggart runs through the commitment list during a booster lunch at the Hilton in Eugene, teasing, “We might have more to come, and you’re really gonna like it.”

The crowd murmurs, and multiple fans who follow Taggart from to Portland Wednesday evening are rewarded with a breakdown on Lenoir, who announced mid-afternoon.

“It was Lenoir! Awesome!” one Duck fan yells to another in the men’s room at Portland’s Convention Center.

If this seems like standard Signing Day procedure to you, you’re not a Duck. And that’s why Taggart is still undefeated at the moment. He and a fresh-faced staff are embracing an exuberant transparency, the goal being to pair the swagger of Oregon’s carefully innovated aesthetic with a voice that matches.

4:55 a.m. Taggart is undefeated even in the wake of two substantial blemishes to his short tenure.

Most recently, assistant head coach David Reaves, a USF carryover, was fired after only five days, following his DUI arrest January 22. Per Taggart and athletic director Rob Mullens, there was an immediate agreement to move on.

“We tell our guys: don’t go out to the bars and do those things, and then we do it,” Taggart says. “David’s a good person. He just made a mistake. And we brought negative attention to our program in a situation where we already had that attention.”

“I did what I thought was best for our football team. I’ll always come back to that. I always say coaches have to be mentors to our players, and that’s not being a mentor,” Taggart says.

“That attention” came from a January team workout that sent three players to the hospital. Local reports stated that the workout routine was mandatory and included “up to an hour of continuous push-ups and up-downs.”

Taggart bristled at the claims made in local news reports, but Oregon suspended strength and conditioning coach Irele Oderinde, a Taggart hire, and issued an apology.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with the workouts from the beginning. It was a lesson for all of us, especially that our players don’t have anything to prove to us right now. They don’t need to prove everything to us at once and drive themselves into the dirt. We have to be smart about everything,” Taggart said.

“It’s easy to perceive [we overworked the players] because we’re a new staff. The reason it’s perceived that way is that it was portrayed as a ‘grueling, military-style workout’ in the press, but it wasn’t. There was no weight lifting on that day. Just body weight. Push ups, sit ups, planks.”

Taggart believes the negative recruiting from rivals who used the players’ hospitalization against the Ducks actually helped Oregon.

“The recruits knew the truth. We didn’t hide behind anything. They saw the negative recruiting as bogus because when they came on visits, those same young men who were in the hospital were on the players’ panel, where recruits and their parents can ask them anything. There was nothing to hide because there was nothing malicious. We’re not trying to beat anyone down, we’re trying to get better.”

6:15 a.m. Nashville defensive tackle Rutger Reitmaier is awake, and his NLI is in. Salave'a is fresh from a visit to Reitmaier and so smitten with Music City, he introduces Reitmaier’s commitment, itself a win over Tennessee and Michigan, Ric Flair-style.

“Y’all-sayin’! Deep South-playin’! Sweet tea-drinkin’! WOOOOOOOO,” Salave'a yells. He’ll soon celebrate by dancing to Chubb Rock’s “Treat 'Em Right.”

“Can we get some Geto Boys?” Cristobal asks without looking up from his chart.

He’s referencing a group from Texas. Notably missing from Oregon’s class: Texas and talent-rich cities in SEC and Big Ten territories. Taggart’s abbreviated transition class bookends with seven Floridians and 11 Californians.

“Could’ve been even better with even a few more days,” Taggart says.

“The strategy is that we’re gonna recruit California hard. We’re coming to California. And we’re gonna recruit Texas hard. But we’re always gonna recruit Florida. And Georgia. Those are football states. We’re gonna recruit football states. So we’re gonna recruit for Oregon in Ohio. I haven’t seen a limit yet to this brand, so we’re going.”

“I haven’t been anywhere yet as head coach here where at least one kid didn’t tell me that Oregon was their dream school. That this was a dream offer.”

A staffer comes in to alert the room that Knight and his Nike group are in the building and on the way. The music is turned up. It’s 2Pac’s “Ambitionz az a Ridah.”

Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports