#special & Events

[kreuzfahrttester]

Mit A-ROSA Genuss und Unterhaltung erleben

Neue Special- und Eventreisen in der gesamten Saison | Exklusiver Gutschein-Code | Wein- & Genuss-Reisen auf Rhône und Douro Seit über 20 Jahren sind Oliver Edelmann und A-ROSA ein kulinarisches Duett. Während der „Wein- & Genuss-Reisen“ verwöhnen er und sein Team die Gäste mit zwei Pairing-Winzer-Menüs. Foto: A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH Rostock, 17.12.2024 �� Im März 2025 starten die 15 A-ROSA…

[streetsofsalem]

A Neighborhood Besieged

A dynamic, healthy city is composed of neighborhoods: this is a time-honored, universal observation, so much so that I believe it is a truism. It follows that municipal leaders should prioritize the protection of neighborhoods, but too many times, far too many times in my opinion, the City of Salem has pitted residents against developmental entities which seek to alter the composition and…

[boltonbritreads]

🗣️Eddie Munson Fic Recs

This is gonna have a sappy start before I get into the fic rec portion: but I just wanted to say that at the end of May 2022, I was finishing up my first year of law school. It was rough, challenging, lonely, and basically everything you’d expect and I was in a bad place and the fandom I’d been in was slowing down just naturally. I truly wish I could remember how I even became aware of Eddie Munson because stranger things wasn’t really on my radar anymore and whoever I followed at the time that started to veer off into Eddie-mania, thank you. In the two years since then, I’ve graduated and become the worlds babiest lawyer and I genuinely owe a lot to this fandom and community on here for giving me a fun, usually safe, creative place to escape to when it got rough.

I’m just hoping to maybe remind people that there are already an incredible, incredible amount of existing stories to read and talk about that deserve your attention and love if you’re looking to read some Eddie stories. Some of these will be fics I’ve recommended before but I’m going to try my best to pull together writers and fics that I love and think everyone should read in the hopes that someone like me who still scrolls through eddie tags looking for my nightly bedtime story can find something new to them to read! ✨

Previous Fic Rec list here!! some overlap but there’s no such thing as too much hype for these writers

@munson-blurbs I hope it’s ok but I’m linking Bug’s full masterlist here because I have genuinely loved everything she has written. There are blurbs, series, and special events which are all incredible and worth a read! Bug is currently still writing the “Living after Midnight” series which is my current obsession and features rockstar!eddie x motelheiress!reader and it’s angst and lust galore

@corroded-hellfire also sharing the Eddie Masterlist here because there’s so many fics to read!! As You Wish, Big Brown Eyes, Where the Heart Is are all incredible but truly there’s so much here to enjoy

@upsidedownwithsteve SIMMER!! jk I’m actually linking the Eddie Masterlist here too because I love them all but “I Want You To Want Me” and “Simmer” are out of this world

@pinkrelish The Yes Policy I love it, you love it, we all love it and if you haven’t caught up yet oh my god I wish I was you and could read these chapters for the first time again

@ghost-proofbaby I’ve previously told people to go read 24 Hours, and you should, that’s an order; but Maroon is ongoing! and it’s actually infiltrating my every thought so go on over and get caught up bc I think it’s safe to say things are getting amped up

@trashmouth-richie I have also previously recommended Honey, I’m Home because it’s a work of art but Ziggy has a new mini series “Crash + Fall” that I’m completely obsessed with the concept for and I’ve loved every piece so far!

@tiannasfanfic I just reblogged Conviction again but I genuinely am not exaggerating when I say I think about this story and these two monthly and try and find this story all the time to re-read it endlessly. It’s a really lovely story of unplanned pregnancy and two characters not realizing they’ve been smitten for each other the whole time and I love it

@carolmunson I’m sharing another Eddie Masterlist here because I’d be making this post far too long but Carol’s stories are all incredible, complex, and honest. “Let’s go, don’t wait” just got updated and I had to read it like 3 times last night because it was too good to just read one and done

@rebelfell I just discovered Sarah’s blog after reading the most recent “Frenemy” fic and idk what I was doing wrong to not already follow her and not have already read her whole Masterlist but I’m linking the whole thing bc she’s so good!!

@the-au-thor I also only just discovered Elle’s blog and that’s criminal but thank god I found Babysitting Mun because I am a sucker for rockstar!eddie and this series has me on the edge of my seat rn

@storiesbyrhi I’m sharing the Masterlist folks because I have genuinely loved every single story and series and I have read them all now (some several times). So many of Rhi’s stories have a wonderful warm witchy vibe that I crave and I’ve read Siouxsie and the Soulmates, The Cabin in the Woods, Our Patron Saint of the Arts, Vintage Reeboks, and Burning Yarrow (insert screaming fan gif) multiple times now

@heart-eyed-love this fic is the epitome of a soft, cozy, domestic night with Eddie and if you need a hug read this 🥹

@eddieandbird I JUST got caught up on Eddie/Tour Manager series and I’m fully obsessed and desperate to know how they’re gonna navigate this - for folks new to the story, Eddie and his tour manager accidentally drunkenly get married- what could go wrong??

@eiightysixbaby the scream I scrumped when I finished reading Princess Leia, and Other Wishes - look bffs to lovers is already my absolute weakness on this earth but then you had to make it witty and funny and FLUFFY I just can do nothing but re-read and pine

@superblysubpar I’m still obsessed with this addition to The Boy is Mine writing challenge and oh god it’s so good 😩

…and while we’re talking about it - here’s the entire The Boy is Mine masterlist with an INSANE amount of incredible stories to read

@the-unforgivenn !!! tumblr hates me and deleted this bullet (so if you already saw this post, no you didn’t) but And I Need You to Know is a proper novel! I can’t imagine how much time, love, effort, planning, and work went into creating this insane and absolutely incredible world but everyone needs to read this!! and then follow up with She’s So Cold bc I love it and I am so reader

~~ this is not the end nor an exhaustive list! I just wanted to put something out there now that I plan to build on because I know I’m always scrolling and searching for new things to read or old things to revisit ♥️ ~~

[mistyresolve]

| His Foresight - Simon “Ghost” Riley X Medic!Reader (Part 1)

Word Count - 3k 

Summary - Doc (y/n) is a medic at a base camp when they meet Lt. Simon “Ghost” Riley, when they meet for a second time it is because he’s been injured. During the two weeks it takes him to fully recover they develop an unspoken friendship. Simon’s next assignment is to escort a convoy across enemy lines, which would have been a walk in the park if they weren’t a part of that convoy. Even worse is when his worries and fears become real. 

Tags/Warnings - Blood and Injury, Depictions of war and violence, Explicit Language, Character Death, Trauma, Opioids (they’re prescribed but i just want to add this in case), Slow Burn, Eventual Smut  

A/N -  im working on part 2 rn but it may take a little time for me to finish and upload but im in the middle of finals and have been busy with studying so please forgive me  

Masterlist  ❤︎  Tag List Form

The first time Ghost came through your tent he was bringing in his comrade, Soap, for medical attention. It was a gunshot to the arm but nothing detrimental. A clean shot and the bullet had gone right through.

Ghost had remained quiet and observant but answered any questions you had about the wound. 

“When did this happen?” 

“Half an hour ago. Give or take.”  

“Any meds?” 

“Shot of adrenalin.” 

You had sewen up the gunshot and nursed Soap back to health. However, Mr.MacTavish had been a difficult patient and after a week you discharged him early just to get him out of your hair. On multiple occasions you caught him trying to escape, claiming he was fine and ready for combat at least once a day. Most special ops were deluded like that, most thought they were superhumans. In a way, they kind of were with the speed at which they recovered. You would never tell them that. It would just go to their head.   

Your tent has since been upgraded to a deployable field hospital. With a total of 50 beds and 15 staff members. 

The second time Ghost made his way your way was on a stretcher. It was a deep and disturbing stab wound to his side, and if it were even an inch deeper it would have punctured his lung. It took you the whole two weeks he needed for recovery to get the full story out of him. Apparently, it was a series of unfortunate events which resulted in a hand-to-hand scrabble. He’d dominated his opponent and came out victorious but not without injury. He’d been all on his own for hours before finally making it to Exfil. In those few hours, he lost a lot of blood and was without any sort of analgesic until he was in the helicopter on his way here. Whatever the field medic had given him for the pain was enough to completely incapacitate the beast of a man. All the same, it was doing its job and controlling the pain. Your team had to do an emergency surgery at the base camp because he wasn’t stable enough for a medivac to a major hospital. 

The man was in a foul mood when he awoke the next day. He wasn’t rude and uncivilized, but he made it clear the last place he wanted to be was bedbound in a field hospital. When it was mentioned he was going to be sent back home for recovery, he downright refused.  

Strangely enough, it was also the first time you saw his entire face. When he first came in you were so amped on adrenalin and stressed that you didn’t register that his mask had been removed. It was immediately established that no other personnel apart from the small 3-man team already working on him would be allowed to interact with him to ensure his identity remained confidential. It was more for their safety than his if everyone was being candid. Even in his charts any identifiers were redacted and replaced with “John Doe”. 

Two days post-op he insisted he be relocated to his barracks because he “could handle his own”. You compromised and told him you’d allow it under the one condition that he lets you come and check on him at least once a day. He did, but he didn’t exactly have a choice either because you would have shown up anyway. 

That was where you were right now. 

You knocked and waited for a response before letting yourself in, your supplies and kit in hand. It was just after noon when you arrived. You scanned his room. It was clean, almost barren. His blinds were half open, and the window cracked to let in the cool, fresh air. The clothes he was wearing when he came wounded were still in the biohazard bag we gave him when he left. The tray of food on the desk beside his bed was left untouched, and judging by the food variety it was from breakfast. 

Upon hearing your arrival Ghost had forced himself into a sitting position. His face flushed with the change of position. His dark eyes were rimmed red from a lack of sleep, and his facial hair was growing. He was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants with the insignia of his old company and a plain black shirt. The shirt was loose and thin, but it did nothing to hide the muscle hiding underneath.   

You rolled your eyes, blew out a breath, tossed your bag onto the bed beside him and pulled out the rolling chair at his desk to sit in front of him. 

“You look like shit,” you knocked his elbow in a silent demand to lift his arm. 

He grimaced but did it without complaint, “Ya, well I feel like shit.” 

You lifted his shirt to get a look at the bandage underneath. There wasn’t any shadowing or blood seeping through so you gave him a quick nod before dropping the shirt, “Have you taken anything?” 

He jerked his chin to the little orange bottle on his desk, “One of those.” 

You picked it up to read the label, Oxycodone 10 mg OD.  

“Nice, but you should be taking it with food,” you tilted your head in the direction of the untouched food. He merely shrugged, his eyes weary. His eyes turned the same golden brown of a whiskey glass in the sunlight.  

You discreetly took his respiratory rate before moving on, “Any side effects? Nausea? Headache? Upset stomach?”  

“Nope,” he said in exasperation. He leaned back onto his elbows, his long body stretching out across the width of the bed with his legs still hung over the side in preparation for you to change his dressings. 

You gave him an unimpressed look, before pointing to the garbage bin he had at his bedside. There wasn’t anything in it but it was placed here in preparation,  “If you aren’t going to be compliant I’m going to bring you back to the infirmary.”   

“It came and went already. I’m fine,” he moved to lift his shirt, hinting at you to hurry up get the dressing change done and leave. 

You scooted the chair closer, preparing your materials and supplies on his bedside table. When you removed the bandage and revealed the stitches you clicked your tongue, he hadn’t pulled any of them but the fact that it was still bleeding made it apparent he’d been more active than he should have been. 

“How’s it lookin’ down there, Doc?” He rolled, his gaze following your movements with predatory grace. You glowered at the nickname. 

You hummed, “Mhm.” and started cleansing the wound with saline before donning gloves and cleaning it more thoroughly. He hissed at the contact and you looked up, he had pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. His body tensed, and his muscles taut. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t find him attractive. Alluring even. Especially when he was in this position, and had that look on his face.  

“Are you going to survive?” You asked pulling back slightly.

“Just cold s’all.” 

He made it through the rest of the dressing change without so much as a flinch. In fact, he might have fallen asleep near the end for a second. He didn’t open his eyes until you finished securing the gauze with the last piece of tape. His lids were heavy and his mouth was pulled down into a slight frown. 

“You going to eat lunch?” you tugged off your gloves and threw them into the bin beside you. 

He nodded sluggishly and laid back on the bed, folding his hands over his abdomen. Maybe the Oxycodone was making him drowsy, but he looked like he desperately needed rest. 

“Did you sleep well last night?” You rolled back on the chair, giving him space. He shook his head. You quickly finished cleaning up any remaining supplies or trash before filling out his chart, “Maybe if you didn’t keep reopening your wound you’d be healing faster and sleep better.”     

He replied with a quiet, almost boyish chuckle, “I’ve been behaving, don’t worry.” 

“You’ve been nothing but extra paperwork,” you retort, tapping his leg with your foot. You stood with a snap of your notebook. “What do you want to drink with your lunch?” 

“Just water,” his eyes remained closed and you made your way for the door, bringing his cold breakfast with you. 

You returned with a new tray of food, this time you picked foods that would be easy on the stomach. The damn fool must have smelt it as you walked down the hall with it because before you could knock he was opening the door and stepping aside to let you in. 

“Such a gentleman,” you tapped his shoulder as you passed. 

He seemed to perk up at the brief contact, “As always.” 

You placed his tray on the table before picking up your bag to get ready to leave for the day, “Any last request?” When you turned to face him your cheeks heated at the way he regarded you. His face softened, melting into something akin to respect. He was so expressive and you didn’t think he was aware. Perhaps it was because he had grown accustomed to the protection of his mask. You almost didn’t wait for his answer before taking your leave, making an excuse that you needed to report back. You did, but it wasn’t anything urgent, you just needed to get out of his room. Away from him. If only to remember how to breathe. 

The process for the following two weeks was the same, only each day you stayed a little longer. You talked a little more. Despite his reputation, he was… normal. He was a little aloof and standoffish at times, and horribly, criminally unfunny, but he grew on you. You were slightly upset and maybe even a little scared you’d never see him again when you officially discharged him. Even worse, you were scared to see him again. Only, every time he returned from a mission he would come to pay you a visit. You might have considered calling him a friend. Might have considered wanting more from him.  

Soap would sometimes occupy Simon, having made a connection with you of his own. A different type of connection, but a wholesome one. Soap had made a jest about just recruiting you as the 141’s personal field medic instead of bothering you at work every other week. Simon had shot the idea down like water on a fire, and the topic was never brought up again. He simply stated, “Never letting that happen.” 

He had his reservations about you entering an active warzone, let alone going on assignments with a squad like the 141. He’s never outright said it but he developed a soft spot for you. Over the months he had unintentionally carved a hole in his chest just for you; a place where he could protect and watch over you. His fondness for you only made it all the harder when he received the 141’s next assignment. It was a regular convoy escort but he felt sick when he read your name on the list. He even went so far as to double-check the itinerary with Captain Price. Went so far as to try and get you removed from the assignment. When you learnt of what he was doing you cornered him and chewed his head off. You understood his trepidations and his actions, but both of you knew he was out of line when he tried getting you booted from the mission. 

The convoy, mainly consisting of medical personnel, equipment, and supplies, would be moving right through enemy lines to get from your current base to a new one a few towns over. It would be dangerous, you weren’t naive, but you were your own person. You were simmering, but you couldn’t help the twinge of regret for yelling at him. 

In the days leading up to the mission Simon had grown distant, but remained watchful of you. He kept quiet, but you could see it in the shadow of his eyes, and in the muscles between his shoulders that he had a lot to say. 

There was a total of 5 medical personnel that were being transported, yourself included. You would be a vehicle with Butters, who was elected as the head medic for the new base, and your driver was going to be none other than Captain Price. 

As everyone was preparing to leave and loading up the last supplies, you caught Price and Simon in a quiet conversation, you couldn’t hear their exchange but you could tell it was heated. Price rolled back on his feet, fixing Simon with a tight-lipped smile before shaking his head. With that Simon backed away from him, pointed a finger at him saying one last thing before he turned and stalked towards the vehicle he would be in, obviously unsatisfied with Prices’ response.   

Butters sidled up next to you, his pack slung over his arm and offering you yours in his other hand, “There has been a slight change of plans,” he sighed, “Our voyage is now split into two days, we'll be staying overnight in a town in between. Our route hasn’t been completely cleared yet.” 

You turned your attention to him, your brows furrowing, “So they want us to have a sleepover behind enemy lines?” You almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it. 

Butters shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the turn of events. Butters always seemed to keep his thoughts and feelings close to his chest, but it was clear very little invoked thoughts and emotions out of him. He enlisted when he was 18 years old; he was 32 now with a wife, 3 kids, and another on the way. There was a high probability he would be asking for leave in the next couple of months so he could be there for his next child's birth. It sucked because he was the only other medic you were close with. You’d miss him. 

Butters and you jumped into the back seats of one car with Price, you’d be in the middle of the convoy, Ghost, Soap, and another medic in the other would take the rear, and Gaz and Roach would be in another vehicle at the front. There was also a total of five transport trucks. The convoy would be a giant target as we passed through, which is why the 141 was tasked with our protection.   

Price explained that the ride would be slow-moving and briefed the two of you on what to expect. He instructed you both to stay alert and that there was a chance of running into a hostile.   

The first couple hours were incredibly boring, but Butters alleviated some of it by tasking you with going over the manifestation of everything you guys were hauling with you. You also made conversation with Price about his last leave, he had returned home and “sat on the patio and smoked cigars” for two weeks.

 The sound was louder than anything you ever experienced in your life. You didn’t even have time to scream before the force of the detonation knocked you unconscious. 

It couldn’t have been longer than a couple of minutes when you finally regained consciousness. The vehicle was now completely upside down, the wheels still spinning as they faced the sky. The seatbelt was the only thing keeping you from landing face-first into shattered glass and rubble. 

In front of you, Price was already pulling himself out the window and onto the street. He looked back into the cab and for you and said something. 

Nothing was processing right. Not his words. Not your thoughts. Not the sight before you. Everything was foggy, as if it was a dream. 

Price reached back for you, bracing you with an arm before releasing your seatbelt. Your knees cracked as they hit the roof, the glass ripping through your uniform. The pain didn’t even register. Price hauled you out with him before going back in for Butters. 

Only he didn’t. 

Instead, he returned with his gun. Before he could stop you, you crawled back in for Butters to get him yourself. 

You froze. There was no saving him. There was almost nothing left. 

He was on the same side the anti-vehicle mine went off. 

You slowly backed out, shaking your head not believing your own eyes. 

Price was crouched beside you, his back to the vehicle, his eyes revealed no emotion. 

You looked back down the road you had just come down and the transport truck that was tailing you had stopped before entering the intersection. Beside them was the truck that Ghost and Soap were in. Ghost was jumping out, his gun drawn. Soap slid from the passenger seat to the driver's side. The medic they were escorting jumped out the back and ran for the transport truck. 

It was then you noticed that Price was shooting at something down the intersection. You could see the flash as the bullets left the barrel and smell the gunpowder, but you couldn’t hear it. You couldn’t hear anything. 

You brushed your fingers to your ear and when you looked at them they came away red. Blood.

The sheer force of the blast ruptured your eardrums. 

You watched as Ghost applied suppressing fire and sidestepped in time with the truck as Soap rolled it into the intersection.

Price looked over his shoulder at you, his mouth moving. You could see it in his eyes the moment he connected the dots and caught that you couldn’t hear he turned to Ghost. Who jerked his head towards you and met your gaze. His eyes were wide, panicked. He ditched the cover of the truck and sprinted over while Price took over the covering fire. He slid into you, his gloved finger coming up to grab the sides of your face. He was gentle but urgent as he turned your head from side to side to inspect the damage. 

You caught your reflection in one of the side mirrors, and couldn't recognize the person staring back at you. Their expression cataonic. Blood leaked out their ears, down their neck, and blood dripped out of their nose. Their teeth had gone through their bottom lip from the impact of the blast.  

A low ringing began as sounds started to come back to you. Then it turned into an agonizing peal like you had stuck your head in a fire alarm. Ghost didn’t give you a chance to cover your ears because he was already pulling you into his chest, pressing one ear into his chest, and covering the other with his free hand. Using his remaining hand he raised his gun and pulled the trigger. 

Soap pulled their truck up next to yours, making a barricade with them. He slid out, being careful to keep his head down and ready to join the fight. 

Ghost started walking back towards the buildings behind, using his body to shield you from stray bullets. He smelt of gunpowder, sweat, and dust. He smelt familiar. His hard body against yours felt familiar. You felt the reverberation of his voice in his chest as he yelled something. You stumbled back with him as he moved, but he was practically carrying you at this point so you wouldn’t fall. His gun dangled at his hip. Soap was at the door to the nearest building, kicking the door open, the lock shattering. 

The ringing in your ears was still present but you make out their muffled yelling as the rest of them filed in. Ghost sat you down at the far wall and behind rows of shelving units. Price and Soap guarded the entrance.

Price started talking into his radio, “Gaz! We got enemy fire coming from southwest of the fire hall. We’re down one and another has been wounded. We are fresh out of wheels, they planted fucking mines,” he yelled into his radio over the sound of oncoming and outgoing gunshots.  

“We’re on our way,” Gaz’s voice replied through the Ghost radio that was attached to his shoulder.  

Ghost then knelt back down in front of you and swore. His hands shook as he reached for a rectangular pack at his hip, a little red insignia printed on the front. A med-pack. He dumped its contents onto the floor, rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for. 

He lifted your leg and started wrapping your thigh, but not before you saw what he was swearing at. There was a two-inch gash in your leg exposing raw flesh and muscle underneath. 

“That’s not good,” you breathed. It felt like your throat was torn to shreds; as if you had inhaled the explosion itself. 

“You’re fine,” he didn’t look up as he wrapped. It was tight enough that it hurt and you could feel your heartbeat crashing against the pressure. Despite that, the bandage wasn’t going to last.

You choked a laugh, “You might want to get out your, ‘I told you so’s’ while you still can,” You meant for it to come off as nonchalant but your voice quivered. 

“You’re fine,” he repeated. 

“I left a kit in the back seat,” You sucked in a sharp breath when he pulled the gauze one last time to tie a knot, “I don’t know if it survived though.” 

Because it was right next to Butters before the mine tore through the side SUV he was on.

Before I could say another word, Ghost was moving towards the door. Requested for an update, then asked for covering fire before exiting the door. He returned moments later with the kit. When he brought it over he made sure to place it behind him so you couldn’t see the condition of it. You imagined it to be macabre. 

As the adrenalin pumping through your body drained it began to tremble, cold rushing into your bones. Blood was already starting to dot the surface of the bandage. 

“Powder,” You instructed Ghost. He moved fast, cutting the bandage away with the blade he pulled from its sheath at his thigh, and tearing open the packaging. It was a quick-clotting powder used to stop the bleeding. 

You were no doubt in shock because you couldn’t feel the pain anymore. He rewrapped your leg; somehow, it was even tighter than before. You heard Gaz give an update over the radio, asking for more details and you could hear Price relaying the plan. 

Your breaths became shallow and sedated, your strength ebbing away. You fought the urge to close your eyes in fear of never opening them again. 

Ghost tapped a hand on your cheek, “Don’t be falling asleep on me, now Doc.” 

You were barely able to ground out a “Sir, yes, sir,” before your chin hit the front of your chest and succumbed to the darkness pulling at you.

Part 2 

Masterlist  ❤︎ 

[venerablemonk27]

I logged my 200th bird species for Wisconsin! I got a great tip from a close friend, who knows about these things, that a Hooded Warbler had appeared in a park near my house.

[ID: A male Hooded Warbler perches on a mossy branch in the forest. His body is just a couple inches long, with green feathers on back, wings, and tail, and dull yellow for the underparts. His "hood" is a black cowl that covers almost his entire head save for a bright yellow mask that extends in an oval from the middle of his face to surround the eye and ear on each side. He has a pointy dark gray bill shaped for picking insects off of trees, and his eye is a reflective jet black that stands out against the yellow mask. End ID]

The next morning, I packed up my camera along with my work bag and took a break from my commute to check out the park. I arrived to find several people wandering the trails, here to do the exact same thing as me. None of them had seen the Hoodie yet, but they had a wealth of information from other birders on the movements and general behavior of the bird from the past couple days. I spent at least 45 minutes wandering the trails, squishing through the damp and the mud in my work slacks and sneakers. I logged five firsts for 2024, but no sign of the elusive Hooded Warbler.

[ID: The Hooded Warbler perches on the same mossy branch, this time facing away from the camera and looking up into the treetops. His wings are neatly folded behind his back, making a pleasing pattern with the tips of the primary flight feathers. End ID]

So I left the park for work, but decided I should come back in the evening. I knew from the sighting reports in eBird that this guy is active all day. When I got back to the park, it was cloudy and drizzling. I met a pair of nice young women with binoculars and a camera lens as long as mine. I asked, "Are you here looking for the Hooded Warbler too?"

One of them said very casually, "Oh yeah, it's right over there across the creek. Just flittering around." So of course I had to get eyes on him and try to get a photo. It was only a couple minutes before he came out again and started working the far bank of the creek.

[ID: The same Hooded Warbler, this time perched deeper in the brush and looking toward the camera. This angle provides a better view of the black hood and bright yellow mask, looking delicately fringed around the edges. End ID]

I probably followed the Hoodie down the creek for like 10 minutes before he decided to cross over to our side to do some more foraging. I froze. He was almost completely hidden in the brush, but I could see bits of movement and kept him in the frame the whole time. I knew I couldn't make any sudden moves without scaring him away. For a brief moment, he came out to take a closer look at me, which is where all the photos in this post came from. I only managed to shoot three bursts while he was completely out in the open before he took off for the far side of the creek again.

[ID: The Hooded Warbler looks directly at the camera, only partially obscured by a twig. His posture suggests being ready to leap forward and continue the hunt for insects. End ID]

I was left feeling incredibly amped. The other photographer and I had to share back-of-the-camera shots and gush over how cute he was and how close he came to us. It seems it's always a special event when a rare or unusual species shows up in town. I love these brief moments of connection with birds and the people that care about them.

[xinfinityl0ve17]

When and how did you first start playing the guitar? How did you feel at that time?

I was captivated by the heavy distortion sound of 44MAGNUM and Mötley Crüe.

Why did you decide to become a guitarist?

When I strummed the guitar through a beat-up 10W amp with an Arion distortion pedal, the cool sound made me think, "This is it!"

Have you liked music since you were young? How were your grades in music class during your school days?

I liked music, but I hated music classes.

Have you ever played any other instruments besides the guitar? If yes, which ones?

Yes, I’ve played vocals, bass, and drums—just kind of ended up doing it.

If you were to play another part besides guitar, what would it be and why?

Vocals. I'd like to express myself through singing.

Do you think there are any advantages or disadvantages of playing guitar compared to other parts?

None.

Which guitarists have influenced you?

Yngwie Malmsteen, Carcassi, and Sor.

Are there any guitarists you respect or aspire to be like?

I’m a guitarist, but I’m not aiming to be someone else.

Who do you consider your rival guitarist?

Sanzo.

What sets you apart from other guitarists?

I don't limit myself to expressing myself through just the guitar.

What do you always do before going on stage?

Think and imagine.

What do you focus on when it comes to your stage performance?

How to bring the best out of the songs.

What inspires you in your musical activities?

Everything, it’s too hard to sum up in a word.

What's the most important thing for a guitarist?

Feeling. Also, treating the guitar as if it were my lover.

What do you currently need as a guitarist?

More finger technique.

Do you want to keep playing guitar for your entire life?

No, I don’t really feel tied to the guitar.

What does playing guitar mean to you?

It has no specific meaning.

LIVE Schedule: 1/6 ON AIR WEST

Bucket list

Real name: Mana

Date of birth: March 19

Height/Weight: 173 cm, 49 kg

Hobbies/Special skills: Cooking, night walks

Albums I’m listening to lately: None in particular

Recent events/news that caught my attention: —

Things I want as a present: Treatment bags, spring water, toys

Message to the fans: Be afraid.

Mana

MALICE MIZER

[aihoshiino]

chapter 157 thoughts

Chapters Since The 143 Kiss Happened And Went Entirely Unacknowledged And Unaddressed Count: 14… IN THIS CHAPTER OF ALL CHAPTERS…????

Aqua Hoshigan Status: White

Congrats to 157 for taking 144's crown as the Oshi no Ko chapter that has vexed and confused me the most. Taken entirely in isolation, it's a sweet, lowkey, calm before the storm moment… but it's entirely because it stands in such stark isolation from the events surrounding it that it feels so baffling. It's like an amped up version of the issues with 156 - when viewed in isolation, you can't strictly say there's anything wrong with it, but as a part of the sequential storytelling of Oshi no Ko it just feels off. I'm reminded of the weird, off-kilter pacing of the Movie Arc, where story beats fell at weird places as if the story was falling out of tempo with itself. Because of that, this chapter review is probably going to be a bit disjointed but tbh besties i am fighting for my life on this one

I will say at the top of things though that it's darkly funny to me that we're fastforwarding through so much of the B-Komachi tour lol. Offscreen no Ko strikes again!

Honestly, this chapter in general kind of defies any attempt at a beat by beat analysis though that does seem to largely be by design. As the chapter title suggests, this is simply some pagetime spent on letting us stew in what a calm, ordinary day looks like for the twins and for what it is, it's sweet and chill. Taken on its own there isn't really a ton to pick apart, other than just pointing at what moments I found cute which was like 90% of them. I want a 5 chapter mini arc of AQRB goofing around at the grocery store and squabbling over the cooking together.

I also really like that Aqua is the one to suggest doing something nice for Miyako and that he joins Ruby in waiting up for her to get home and see it. It feels like a sweet and warm acknowledgement of the subtle shift in their relationship after 155, with the two of them properly stepping into their roles as parent and child.

As nice as this chapter is though, it does kind of feel like too little too late. One of the major complaints across the series (that I do largely agree with) is that Aqua and Ruby's day-to-day dynamic is for the most part underbaked and that the two of them don't really feel like people who grew up in the same household for 16+ years. I think a few more moments like this properly threaded through the manga would have helped but… well, considering OnK's pacing, do I really want to encourage much more downtime…

Moving on from the things I liked, as cute as this chapter was it's also just kind of weird that so much of it feels like the framing device is a recap episode lol. I guess it isn't the worst idea in the world to have one as we're heading into the final stretch of the story but… well, again, see my point above about weird pacing.

It's also just baffling as fuck to see Ruby frame these events in a way that distinctly did not happen lol. Like, sure, she was definitely having fun doing idol stuff for a lot of it but seeing her so warmly gas up stuff like Tokyo Blade when the anime airing right now is reminding us that Aqua was going through the SpongeBob horror hallway the entire time is so jarring - especially when Aqua (and thus, implicitly, the narrative) agrees with her. I mean, fuck, even putting Aqua aside it's WILD to see Ruby framing "Dig Deep" as having been fun for her when her major contribution to the show was manipulative drama stirring for the purposes of chasing clout that she herself said was having an impact on her mental health. I've criticized the story for the ways Ruby's black hoshigan arc amounted to nothing but there's a special kind of infuriating in seeing it specifically call back to that arc and still fail to actually acknowledge any wrongdoing on Ruby's part.

This is part of a much bigger trend in OnK right now of Ruby being super coddled by the narrative and coming off in some really unpleasant ways as a result. I didn't mention it last chapter but something that's been percolating in my brain since after I wrote my review is just how fucking bonkers Ruby's total non-respose to Mem's situation is. "Oh, you're getting stalked by the press? Sucks to be you, thank god I'm Miyako's special little favourite tho 🙏". Not only is this just kind of a shitty response to begin with but it feels insane coming from a person like Ruby who, you know, saw her mother's life blighted and then ended by this kind of treatment. No concern for Mem, tho!

Idk. I don't want to dislike Ruby but man. A lot of the ways Akasaka has been playing favourites with her lately has the effect of Ruby coming off, in universe, like a deeply self centered and callous person in ways I don't think narrative intends or even realizes and thus fails to interrogate in a satisfying way. But that's a rant for another day. And I'm pretty sure you guys already know what today's rant is gonna be. Which is to say, uh…

HEY. AKASAKA. ARE THEY GONNA TALK ABOUT… ANY OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MOVIE ARC?? ANYTHING AT ALL????

This is what I meant when I said this chapter utterly fucking bamboozled me. The way the story has contorted itself into knots to avoid letting Aqua and Ruby have a conversation even when they're literally in the same room is already insane, but giving us an entire chapter of them alone together with ample opportunity to have any sort of meaningful discussion as to the gigantic elephant in the room looming over their relationship and……. literally nothing happens???

This is made even more insanity inducing by the fact that this is, as stated above, more or less a recap chapter and not only does Ruby talk about the movie specifically but we even SEE a flashback to the HikAi kiss…. but not the one Ruby jumpscared him with at the end of 143!!!

What the fuck is even going on anymore? Was it retconned? Resolved offscreen?? Did we collectively hallucinate it??? Is Akasaka gaslighting us????

If nothing else, this chapter has proved to me once and for all that whatever goes on with Aqua and Ruby, that resolution is going to come entirely at the speed of plot, as and when Akasaka decides to do it and not when it would be natural and organic for development to occur. This is an issue that has plagued Aqua and Ruby's r/s from the start, where Akasaka simply refuses to let them communicate, seemingly for the purposes of drawing out the drama rather than because of any narrative justification. So I'm giving on predicting what direction their relationship is going in and what the outcome is going to be. The inner machinations of Aka Akasaka's mind are a mystery to me.

To pre-pick some nits before I leave off… I've seen some people calling this a 'Tanabata chapter' and insisting this is intentional/foreshadowing aquruby end/etc and uh… sorry to be that guy but no it's not lol. Even accounting for the differences in calendars that scatters Tanabata celebrations across July and August, August's Tanabata falls on the 10th this year - and even in the anime world, celebrations across Japan took place on the 'official' date of 7/7. And while there is a Tanabata festival being held in Sendai today… that's just in Sendai, which is all the way up in northern Japan, nowhere near Tokyo where the series is set (and which itself had its Tanabata celebrations on the weekends surrounding 7/7 as per usual.)

There's also just the fact that this chapter… has nothing to do with Tanabata? There's no imagery or iconography and it takes place in the middle of December lol. I simply don't think it was intentional at all on Akasaka's part. It's a cute coincidence, sure, but still just a coincidence.

break next week. i love biweekly manga, oshi no ko.

[twiishaa]

and the rest was bassically history: track 001. unsteady basslines

🎧 masterlist for this smau 🎸⋆⭒˚.⋆

🎶 currently playing : fe!n by travis scott ✩°. ⋆⸜ 🎶✮

there was around 10 minutes until the curtains rose for COMET’s special performance at the Extracurriculars Fair, but backstage, the group were on the cusp of a disaster.

asahi, their bassist, was nowhere to be found.

it had been like this for a while, he was absent in their conversations online, constantly trying to make his presence smaller in their live performances since, and avoiding anyone and everyone, including his band mates. but they thought it wouldn’t come to this — that, even after everything, he’d still preform with them, they were a team, right?

apparently not.

asahi had never felt more alone than he did now; standing at the back of the building, listening to the havoc wreaking inside. he didn’t want to leave his friends hanging like this anymore but he just couldn’t face the crowd.

the extracurriculars fair, one of the most popular events of the university’s calendar was today, and COMET were set to preform a surprise set at the end. however, after the release of their new EP two weeks ago, the group received criticisms for some of their songs, the hate directed almost all to asahi. he didn’t have the courage to stand up and preform again. he couldn’t take it anymore, breaking down into tears behind the building. pathetic.

semi checked outside one last time, in the audience, and even on the balcony. asahi wasn’t anywhere to be seen. yn followed in close pursuit, almost bumping into semi when he stopped abruptly.

“any luck?”

“yn, we’ve looked here about a million times. he’s not here.”

yn looked down, her eyes filling with guilt.

“what do we do now?” yachi was halfway up the stairs to the balcony.

semi sighed. “we’re just gonna have to preform without him today.”

“what? we can’t do that! asahi’s one of us! the songs are gonna sound so empty without him!” yn exclaimed. semi gave her a knowing look and she looked back at yachi. the three of them descended the stairs to meet with tsukki. he knew what the plan was from their eyes, and nodded.

kiyoko tapped yn on the shoulder. “the last club are wrapping up now, you guys should get into position.” she was always good at reading the room.

“still haven’t found him?”

yachi shook her head. “we’re gonna have to preform without him…” she trailed off after seeing a tall, brown haired boy behind kiyoko. he smiled awkwardly, making an attempt at waving.

“he was backstage and heard about asahi going missing, and apparently he knows the bass line to your songs,” kiyoko started.

“well, i know some so if it’d be any help to you..” the guy tried to explain himself to the four, slightly confused members of COMET.

semi and yn glanced at each other, and then at the others. handing a sheet of paper to him, semi said, “here’s our setlist. i can write down some of the chords if you want here but just keep a steady beat and let me know if you need anything else. there’s a spare bass over there.” he pointed towards a few spare guitars, amps, mics and basses.

the brown haired boy studied the paper after taking it from semi, and bowed slightly. “thank you! oh- i’m oikawa by the way.”

kiyoko looked at yn, and with one glance could tell she was in for a long debrief after this.

🎧 notes 🎸⋆⭒˚.⋆

guys i told you id release it soon

there was originally more, but i thought it would be too much in one chapter so expect track 002 very soon … 😈

love replies telling me what you think!! love you guys!!

🎧 taglist: @turquoisenintendo64 @laughingfcx @riverharkness @walllflowerrrsss @jtaimeurmom @saaavsha-0924 @itsdragonius @tar0star @applemiffi send an ask or comment to be added to taglist!! 🎸⋆⭒˚.⋆

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

#15yrsago Pope passes special Vatican copyright giving him exclusive right to use his name, title, image https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/18122/holy-see-declares-unique-copyright-on-papal-figure

#15yrsago Norwegian public broadcaster torrents 7-hour, hi-def trainride https://nrkbeta.no/2009/12/18/bergensbanen-eng/

#10yrsago LISTEN: Wil Wheaton reads “Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free” https://ia600908.us.archive.org/24/items/idwtbf/Cory_Doctorow_-_Information_Doesnt_Want_to_Be_Free_Chapter_1_read_by_Wil_Wheaton.mp3

#10yrsago Kenya’s Parliament erupts into chaos as government rams through brutal “anti-terrorism” law https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000145159/chaos-disrupt-parliament-special-sitting-on-security-bill

#10yrsago Gingerbread Enterprise https://imgur.com/a/gingerbread-uss-enterprise-pvtYQ

#10yrsago NY DA gives unlicensed driver who killed senior in crosswalk a $400 fine https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2014/12/18/vance-deal-400-fine-for-unlicensed-driver-who-killed-senior-in-crosswalk

#10yrsago FCC seems to have lost hundreds of thousands of net neutrality comments https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/2psxh9/the_fcc_ignored_hundreds_of_thousands_of_net/

#5yrsago Mass convictions of local warlords for 2009 massacre revive faith in Philippines’ justice system https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50770644.amp

#5yrsago A vast network of shadowy news sites promote conservative talking points mixed with floods of algorithmically generated “news” https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/hundreds-of-pink-slime-local-news-outlets-are-distributing-algorithmic-stories-conservative-talking-points.php

#5yrsago Volunteer “stick library” is a hit with neighborhood dogs https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/13/dad-creates-stick-library-dogs-11902209/?ito=article.tablet.share.top.messenger

#5yrsago Students at elite Shanghai university protest the removal of “freedom of thought” from the school charter https://asiatimes.com/2019/12/students-protest-at-shanghais-fudan-university/

#5yrsago NIST confirms that facial recognition is a racist, sexist dumpster-fire https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2019/12/nist-study-evaluates-effects-race-age-sex-face-recognition-software

#5yrsago Betsy DeVos quietly spends millions to promote the unpopular policies she hopes to enact as a federal official https://www.salon.com/2019/12/19/exclusive-betsy-devos-family-foundation-funnels-money-to-right-wing-groups-that-boost-her-agenda/

#5yrsago Bernie Sanders got the GAO to study the life chances of millennials, and the report concludes that debt is “crushing their dreams” https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bernie-sanders-report-millennial-living-standards

#1yrago What kind of bubble is AI? https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/19/bubblenomics/#pop

[reshiram]

Out of curiosity, of all the Gbf story events that Seofon has been in, which is your favorite? Especially in regards to his role or portrayal in the event specifically.

Ohh, a toughie but a goodie!!!

Under the cut because this is Loooooooong (mostly the fault of images).

You see, I'm super biased for A Sweltering Eternal Getaway... I've done a biyearly reread of it since it was released, it's very special to me. A little fun fact about me is that I've always been a crazy Seofon fan... He was my first Eternal and I've always loved tormenting him. It's just gotten much, much worse over the years.

Here you can see that I recruited him Straight from SoR (I can recall being SO excited about this, over the moon type of deal). Mind you it was the first Anni Event I actually got to experience In Real time (I joined on April 5th 2019, so I missed 000).

Don't mind my abysmal Eternals Progress. Please. I'm actually really close to being able to 5* them all but I need to put aside some time to Do it Properly. Anyway.

Regardless... As I was saying! The event is really dear to me. Seofon finally gets his wish of being able to have all the Eternals in one place. His well deserved vacation that he's been hyping up for so long.

(From Summer Chloe's Fate Episode, which is really good too. Highly recommend)

There's really cute interactions in it, interactions that just scream "Yup, that's Seofon all right..." and it's a very comforting event to me... But I think aside from my personal attachment to it, there's also the fact that it brings together two very Well Written storylines. The deal with Levin is iconic to me, and the Eternals are also iconic (Duh!). It's simply peak, as they say!

The event starts off with his usual nonsense. Guy who is lurking and then just has to show off his status as Seofon, Leader of the Eternals.

Like what's his deal. Desperatofon.

Really bad. He's so awful, even.

Of course, it's also where this line comes from. 🆘

But I'll move on a bit from showing Sillyfon. There's some really wholesome scenes in this event that just show off how much he loves the Eternals and Captain as well. He has such a big heart, truly. :]

He also shows his intuitive side... His smart side, if you will. He knows more than he lets on, whether that's good or bad... wellllll... it depends on the day.

He loves his cat family so much. It makes me lightheaded... His little meowmeows (literal).

*Waving my hands Frantically around*

...Never mind he's being bad again. Get the bug spray okay?

Ah. It's angsty. It's real dire actually.

Head in hands. Oh Seofon. They love you so much so they can tell you this. And you know that. But acting so tough all the time... Even you deserve to be true to yourself... You really can rely on the Eternals (and Captain)... It makes me think of that one silly Grand Blues strip actually. This one.

So, what I'm trying to say is that. This event has that perfect mix of Silly Seofon, but also Serious Seofon. And also, Seofon gets his ass handed to him, because he deserves it.

He even owns up for his Atrociousness...

And then he goes back to being something akin to a cockroach...... Or skyroach, perhaps?

And let's not forget he literally gets electrocuted in this event (Not that it's new, he got electrocuted in Bzzt! Amped up Summer as well. Which was awesome).

He's not okay. Yay!

HUGE if true.

I almost yap as much as Seofon (Or perhaps I do, just keep it a secret okay? 🌟)

Ending this off with the Ending. I think it's really kindhearted that Seofon duplicates the toy replica Skyblade for Audric! And also let's not forget how EXCITED Seofon was over it. Moefon, you know it, you love it!

So YUP. This is my fave event for Seofon content in terms of his character and such. But I don't want to discount other events!! And You is my favourite Anni event, and it did SO MUCH for Seofon's character... Shoutout to his other self, who has made me extremely unwell. I could get into that but most know my deal with him and how insane he makes me. Heh... Old Bond also has some incredible Seofon moments! I love how he tags along on the Trials, I love how he scares Lu Woh, etc etc... And then there's smaller roles like Bzzt! Amped Up Summer where he only shows up a few times but still makes a big impact. One of my favourite Seofon Noises comes from this event actually. Have a listen...

SO YUPPP, that's it basically! Thanks for letting me ramble about this! I really appreciate it, seriously!!!! 🌠⚔

[lorifragolina]

The Devil Wears Metal

Finally my last entry for Metalsandwich Movie Mania! @now-showing-at-the-hawk-events!

It was originally thought for the Iconic Movie prompt out yesterday but I just missed the day, so, I post it today!

I really venerate The Devil wears Prada and it's so iconic to me that started thinking and preparing this entry the last year when I first knew about the event, and even so I was able to miss the date!! I couldn't stop me making our Metalsandwich version, although I cheated a little but a prequel and a sequel are possible!

Read it in AO3

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove/Eddie Munson Cast: Eddie Munson as Miranda Priestly Billy Hargrove as Emily Charlton Steve Harrington as Andrea Sachs With the special appearance of: Dustin Henderson as Nigel Kipling Robin Buckley as Lily Heather Holloway as Serena

Rating: Mature Word count:9390

One of my favourite dialogues above the line, I had really so much fun writing it!

“Come on, we have the cover briefing in 5 minutes, that means we are 10 minutes late” smiled Dustin, dusting the crumbs from Steve’s shirt.

Eddie was already there with Heather and another girl, and Gareth took inside two guitar amps almost identical.

“Stand here, watch and listen,” said Dustin, reaching Eddie’s side. Gareth plugs a guitar in one of the amps.

“Where’s my pick?” asking Eddie, and the girl runned searching in a box. “Why is no one ready?” Eddie grunted and raised a brow.

He wore the guitar’s strap and played a chord, then tested a string, adjusting the keys. Then they plugged the guitar in the other amp and played again.

“No,” he said, doing it another couple of times. “Listen? That little sting in the high”.

The sound seemed absolutely the same to Steve, and he was a little bored. 

Gareth nodded. “It seems completely different”.

Steve chuckled, snorting behind his notebook. “Something funny?” Eddie raised a brow. A stone cold silence fell on the room, and Billy came out from his desk and got close to listen. “No… no, no, I’m sorry, nothing” Eddie’s glance was so sharp that he just couldn’t stop himself. “This is… those sounded exactly the same to me… but, don’t mind me, I’m still learning about this stuff”. “This… Stuff?” Eddie growled slowly, in a low voice that was able to turn off all the sounds around him. “Oh, I see… You think this has nothing to do with you. You turn on your radio, your MTV, and think that you can listen to your easy pop just to fill the silence just while you do your laundry. You think that you should play a whatever instrument and mix it with a computer and dance it at a club when you’re drunk. But this is not just playing. This is not just pop music. This is technique. But you don’t bother to think that those tragic pop albums you listen to when cleaning are the job of a lot of musicians that spend a lot of their time searching for the right sound for you to bounce your little head. And it was in 1990 that U2 decided to explore new sounds and tried a lot of different equipment to release that album that you are wearing right now and probably you found at a tragic gas station, in the casual corner. You think this all is not about you, but in fact you’re listening to something that had been selected and produced in this very room, by those very people, playing with this stuff ”.

[finnitesimal]

So—- Do you think Missa and Philza will ever get out of the you are very special to me and I talk to you in a romantic way nothing to dissect here. Or would pissa be like how it until end of Qsmp. (Feel free to say things you think needs to happen to break pissa out of will they won’t they situation they been in since the start of the egg event.)

Completely forgot I was gonna answer this I got distracted by pocket love

I think like all rp events it's something the actors need to go hey so are we doing this or can I do something else. I think both of them are pretty aware that they're playing a typically romance-leaning couple, so average hopes on it. Definitely don't think it'll be like this forever things are amping up to be more serious and have more consequences I could definitely see a heat-of-the-moment or a while-i-still-can reveal, or even some new plotline around missa that forces qphil to confront some feelings about it

First of all Missa needs to log on. With or without Phil also Not just during events please I want to see you just hanging with people outside of your husband or even make up your own convoluted storyline to add to the rest Nothing is going to happen unless we actually fucking SEE HIM!!!!!!

and i've said this before but Missa needs to somehow break free of the idea that Phil is infallible, is unfailingly good, is out of reach, is always going to be there or be stable enough to handle anything that comes their way. It's like hero worship how he sees Phil, and it's clouding other memories he has with the others ("Phil was the only one who protected me, who gave me a home" said to Roier. To ROIER.) and his own capabilities as a player, he was doing completely fine from before Phil to the early days of their marriage, and there's a good chance it really is just the difficulty spike of the server catching up to him, or ccMissa could absolutely be playing it up deliberately, but with qMissa's already dwindling self-esteem, it's very easy to look at your ever-capable husband and grossly underestimate your own skillset, what's the point he knows better anyway I don't want to hinder him I'll let him lead, and it's going. To affect his perception of Phil as a flawed, hurting, scared person and completely miss that his husband might actually need his help

Phil also needs to start actually trusting Missa to handle himself, because at this point it feels a bit like Missa is more of a favored family pet than a partner. Kind of helpless so he has to take care of it, easier to put affection into without romantic payoff, loves unconditionally, it's funny to distress him. Part of this is on Missa but it also doesn't particularly help when the first idea you have of your partner is how poor and helpless he is and that you have to go help him out and save him from himself like it's an egg task you need to complete. The closest they've had to actually treating each other like real partners was the first day taking care of their new egg, building the house and doing their tasks together, playing off each other's strengths and needs, and while wet cat missa with strong cool protector is funny and cute and very ship dynamic-able I don't think it's enough to move their relationship forwards.

That and actually acknowledging the fact that Missa has more than friendly feelings towards him Phil is pretty notably missing (ignoring?) Missa's sometimes outright declarations of love the Most we've had is the LoudAsHell "that's the love of my life!" at the introductions for the frozen people, where we got punched backwards Sit The Fuck Down!! and nothing yet so far. Every romantic implication has yet to be addressed but He Still Won't Bite The Bullet And Turn Him Down. come on man get it together yes or no bitch

Also. They haven't. Really spent enough time with each other to really know each other. The lack of trust the barely any conversation, most of their interactions centering around keeping Missa alive and getting him geared up or updated (and for maybe 4-ish hours at most fur every stream <- spans months in between) is not a relationship to get into even in Minecraft roleplay it's not going to let them have any real romantic connection they simply don't spend enough time with each other. It's very cute that whenever they do get together they barely spend any time away from each other but they need to do more with that time

If this continues on the same path I genuinely think they're just going to drift apart. Ultimately Phil is most attached to his kids and if he can't find them here he's going to look elsewhere and he's not going to ask Missa to leave hhs friends and family for him and Missa's going to be too much of a coward to actually tell him how he feels before he leaves and we'll crumble and explode. Arguably worse ending, we're going to watch pissa fester and stagnate until it's not as fun for anyone and we'll all move on from what could've been.

Very few ways I can think of to actually get them together*

¹eeeeeeeehhhhhhhh "together"

1) Divorce. It's not working out with your government-issued spouse? He hasn't been on in months you're leaving anyway and the kids are gone so there's nothing tying you together anymore? Take him down to the courthouse, shake his hand, ignore the conflicted look in his eyes as he thanks you for everything and the empty feeling of looking around your house and parading your new single status around and greeting him as neighbors now and feeling like your bed just keeps getting bigger

2) Desertion. Hundreds of thousands of blocks away living on nothing but avocado toast and the occasional messages from your friends wishing you well looking if he's talking to you yet why are you looking for his name anyway.

3) Noble Self-Sacrifice. What if only one of us was in the Spanish dub

Yeah that's all I can think of it's really not likely at the moment and I think they'd know how to conclude whatever they've got going on better than I can

[urrameshi]

A Shot of Espresso

takami keigo x f!reader ≧◡≦

authors note: okay hiiii been writing for a long time, but never really posted before but i’m gonna try! didn’t proof read this ok xoxo also this is a repost from my old blog lolololol

Being in a secret relationship with one of the most famous heroes in the world, really boosted your ego. That meant sneaking into your place outside of the city after late patrols or pretending to ‘save you’ only to sneak you away somewhere hidden for a quick lunch or a quickie.

Was it ideal? Fuck no, you wanted to be shown off. Keigo wanted to show you off like a shining diamond. You were amazing, strong, and just stunning but he was also terrified. The city was just getting more dangerous and while he knew you could handle your own, he couldn’t help but be protective of you.

This morning was different, he told his sidekicks to amp up patrols today, that he would be out of town for a bit. Nothing major, but just long enough he wouldn’t be able to do anything heroic that morning. He had stayed the night with you a few times before, but he would always leave before the crack of dawn.

Early bird gets the worm, or whatever.

He was yours. For the first time, since the start of your relationship he was yours. You weren’t the most romantic person, But this was something you needed. You didn’t wanna have to share him all the time. You were both heroes, you both had busy

You felt his body move next to you. He was trying to be sneaky, was he really trying to sneak out like a teenager?

“Keigo? It’s too early for you to leave. You’re mine this morning, not the world’s.”

“Oh little bird, I’m sorry I know I said I would stay but you know I have a huge day, and that big interview tonight!. Still gotta keep the Commission happy.” You rolled your eyes, rolling over as he threw the covers off. Not before sneaking a peak at his ass you loved so much.

Best of both worlds came with Kegio Takami. He was your world but he belonged to the world. There was never truly enough of him to go around and he knew that. Didn’t stop him from trying to make it work though.

You weren’t anything special enough you guessed for the commission for you both to be seen together. You questioned when the news would break and both of your worlds would be shaken up. Maybe he needed some shaking in that area of his life. You weren’t one to be insecure about anything but with somebody like Keigo, it was hard not to get in your head sometimes.

-

The rest of the afternoon passed without seeing Keigo, “he was such busy, busy bird.” you thought to yourself a bit sarcastically. You wouldn’t see him till much later tonight after he would sneak into your place, and get something to snack on and depending the time, just get in bed and wrap himself around you.

After the rest of your day was much less eventful, you decided to turn in early and watch this interview with ‘The Number 2 Hero, Hawks!!’ Social media was busy, you couldn’t wait.

“Ha! I know him more than you do.” you held the last syllable on the do, stringing it out longer to sing. Joking with yourself out loud and in replies to tweets you were scrolling through helped you feel bad. you swore it did.

The interview was finally starting.

“Tonight everybody we’re here with the best up and comer we’ve had in awhile! Hawks!” The cute host gestured to the entrance where Takami walked out, and the crowd went insane. Everybody loved the flying hero! You couldn’t even lie to yourself, feeling your whole body grow hotter as you watched him on your screen.

You laughed it off, ‘God! You’re acting like a teenage fangirl! he was literally in your bed this morning!’

“Thank you so much for having me tonight! I remember watching my favorite heroes on the show when I was younger!”

“Oh Hawks, you’re always the people’s hero! So you know me, let’s get the cat out of the bag! A lot of rumors are around lately, who’s the lucky girl?”

Oh no! the moment your anxiety had been dreading, he wouldn't say a word to just keep up appearances and it would honestly crush you. maybe you just didn’t know what it was like, but pro hero or not. It shouldn’t have mattered.

Takami threw his head back laughing. “Wow! Really coming in hot, huh?”

“You know, i always come in blazing!”

“It’s funny actually, and i’m gonna get some flack for this but yeah i am seeing somebody actually.” Your mouth dropped! The crowd cheered and screamed, the energy in that studio must have been off the charts!

“That’s how we start a show, ladies and gentlemen! With news you don’t get anywhere else! Tell us about them, Hawks, pretty please?”

You were hugging a couch pillow close to your chest now, “Yes hawks, tell us about her.”

It took him a moment to reply, getting himself more comfortable in his chair. “Well you know, i’m protective so I'm not actually gonna say who it is.” He told her, getting a bit of whining from the crowd. “but I can tell you, they’re like a shot of espresso. it’s like feeling sunshine for the first time. it’s really something special i don’t know if i’ve ever had for myself before, if i’m being honest.”

A Shot. of. Espresso.

It was official you were acting like a teenage fangirl, absolutely swooned by Takami. What a cheesy way to explain it! Every doubt of your relationship had melted away almost immediately.

You were prepared to return the affection when he snuck in after the show. Dealing with everything that could come from this would have to wait till tomorrow. When Takami was here with you, its the only world that mattered.

[avengerscompound]

The Interview - Chapter 7

The Interview - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings:  nothing really

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Melody Danes

Word Count:   1747

Summary:  Melody Danes gets the break of a lifetime when as a lowly intern, she’s assigned to write a profile piece on Captain America.  Steve Rogers is a hard man not to fall for and as she and Melody get closer and Melody’s career takes off, jealousy leads to sabotage, and the potential to bring her whole world crashing down.

Chapter 7

The day Melody’s article was published she was taken out by Bobbi to celebrate.  It felt amazing to see her words on the glossy pages of a luxury lifestyle magazine.  The photos Peter had taken looked so good, being bracketed by her words.  She felt like she’d made it.  However, even that feeling didn’t cover the fact that she was still nervous about Steve reading it.

They had parted on really good terms about a month before the piece was published.  Every time they were together felt more comfortable and more flirtatious than the last.  Steve slowly opened up to her, becoming more comfortable and more real.  It was exciting to get to know Steve's more playful flirtatious side, but it also felt like a privilege.  It was something that was private and meant just for her.  She kept those special pieces of him minimal in the article, holding onto it for herself.

Still, there was a lot of how she felt on those pages and she hoped it spoke to Steve.  They had agreed to wait to decide whether to date after the article came out.  That meant they hadn’t spoken to each other for a month.  In that time, Melody had already started a new piece, this time shadowing Dazzler as the singer prepared for her show at Madison Square Garden.

Her nerves were high by the release of the magazine.  She worried that Steve would have moved on or forgotten about her.  She worried that he’d hate the article and have lost all respect for her.  She worried about the general feedback on the article.  And yet, there was excitement and anticipation in there as well.  She’d done it.  She was a published author.  She was earning money as a writer.  It was the dream she had been working for.  If Steve never called her, she still managed to realize the dream of being a professional author.  Not everyone could say that.  The fact that there was also a potential relationship in the mix, was just the icing on the cake.

The night out with Bobbi was needed, and her cousin took her out for dinner and then drinks to celebrate, and she happily spent most of her first paycheck on the event.  Going out with Bobbi was always a good time, but this just amped it up even more.  She didn’t end up coming home until the early morning, very drunk and feeling very good about herself.

She fell into bed and passed out, sleeping until late the following morning.  It was her phone that woke her.  It was rare to get a phone call and when she fumbled for it, her first thought was that it was her alarm, despite being a completely different tone.

When she realized it was a call, she thumbed the answer icon and pressed it to her ear.  “Hello?” she grumbled.

“You have a crush on me?”

It took a moment for her to register what was being asked of her and another moment to realize who it was that was asking her the question.

“Steve?” she croaked.  Her throat was dry and her mouth felt like it was coated in wax.  She reached over to her bedside table to grab the bottle of water she normally kept there, only to find it empty, and she fell back with a groan.

“How many people have you written about having crushes on?” Steve asked.

“That depends on how far back you want to go,” she said, attempting a joke, even though she felt like she was going to vomit.

Thankfully Steve chuckled softly.  “Okay.  How many people have you written about having a crush on recently?”

“Just the one,” she said, pulling her pillow down to cover her eyes.  “So - did you like the article?”

“I did,” he said.  “I like how you wrote about your feelings about spending time with me.  It made it feel personal and more real than just a regular bio stating all the facts.  Especially seeing as you seemed to like being around me.”

She laughed softly and licked her lips.  “I do like being around you.  A lot.  Was that not clear?”

He chuckled.  “The feeling is mutual,” he said.  “More than mutual.”

She smiled and took a deep breath.  Her heart was beating rapidly.  He liked the article and he liked her.  This was the start of something that could be great and she was in bed, nursing a killer hangover.  “I’m really happy to hear that, Steve.”

“Did I wake you up?” he asked.  “I can call back.”

“No, no,” she said.  “I mean yes, but I don’t want you to hang up.”  She groaned and sat up leaning against her thighs.  “Bobbi took me out to celebrate.”

Steve laughed.  “Oh, I see.  This is the second time I’ve talked to you after celebrating with Bobbi.  Who’s the bad influence, her or you?”

“I think we might both be bad influences on each other,” she laughed.  The sound immediately made her grab her head and groan.  “Oh, that was a mistake.”

He laughed.  “You really went hard, huh?”

“Yes,” she complained.  “You must think I’m terrible.”

“Not at all,” he said.  “I’ll have a drink from time to time, I just can’t get drunk. It’s not like I’ve never tried to.”

“Really?” she said.

“Really.  I’m not a huge partier, but I like to let my hair down from time to time,” he said.  “Maybe a little more low-key than you is all.” 

She laughed softly.  “I’m usually a bit more low-key than this too.  We just ramp each other up so much.”

“It’s good to have friends like that though.  Mine are like that for me,” Steve said.

She relaxed again, letting herself fall back down onto the pillow with a huge smile.  “I’m so glad you called, Steve,” she said.  “I was worried you might not.”

“Why would you think that?” he said.

“I don’t know. It’s been a month, and maybe the article would have scared you off.  I mean I did admit to having a crush on you in it,” she said.

He laughed. “Do you think you were coming on a little strong?”

“Maybe,” she said.  “But I meant what I said.”

Steve made a soft sound that made her heart flutter. “You were right though,” he said.  “It’s been a month. I really want to see you.  Are you doing anything tonight?”

She frowned and her stomach sank.  There was nothing she wanted more than to go out on an actual date with Steve Rogers, but she had a shift at her second, better-paying job.  “I can’t,” she complained. “I have to work.”

“Oh - wow.  New piece?” Steve asked.

“No. I wish,” she huffed.  “I’m an intern at DB - it barely pays anything.  I have a waitressing job to pay the bills.”

“Busy woman,” Steve said.  “That’s commendable.  Another day?”

“I’d really love that,” she agreed.  “I work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night this week,” she said.  “Other than that…”

“What if we do Sunday brunch?” he said.  “I’ve never actually done brunch before.” 

“You haven’t?” she asked.  “Then we definitely should do that. Brunch is the best.  There's nothing like getting to drink alcohol before lunch and it be socially acceptable.”

As they spoke, Bobbi emerged from her room.  Melody heard her shuffle into the bathroom and close the door.  A moment later the water started in the shower.

“I would have thought you'd be put off drinking so early this morning,” Steve teased.

Melody couldn't help but laugh.  “Yeah, you're right there.  Even the thought of hair-of-the-dog makes my stomach roll over.  But still, brunch is good.  Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“I'm not sure.  What about if I come up to your side of town? I mean - you did travel all over the place for me already,” Steve suggested.

A smile crossed her lips.  Steve was such a gentleman, it made her feel a little giddy.  “That was for work,” she reminded him.  “And some of those places weren't exactly convenient for you either.”

“Even still,” he said.  “I'd like to make the effort.”

“Alright.  I should be able to find somewhere nice that has big portions for growing boys,” she said.  “I'll text you the address.”

“Sounds good,” Steve said.  “Is it weird to say that I missed spending time with you this month?”

Her smile got wider and her heart flip-flopped in her chest.  Here she was waiting on tenterhooks to see if her article would scare him off or to see if he’d forgotten about her, but it turned out absence had made the heart grow fonder for both of them. Steve felt the same way about her as she did about him. “It’s not weird,” she assured him.  “I have missed you too.  I know it was my idea, but I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

“It was a good idea,” he said.  “There were a lot of good reasons to wait, and we didn’t want to risk starting things on the wrong foot.  Your article is out.  It’s good.  Now we can go out there with everything on the table.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “But it feels nice knowing we both feel the same way.”

He chuckled.  “Yeah, it does.”  There was a pause where Steve sighed.  “I better get to work,” he said.  “But I don’t want to stop talking to you.”

“Yeah… I better get up and get coffee,” Melody grumbled.

Steve laughed.  “Yes, you better.  Join the real world.  I’ll see you on Sunday.” 

“See you then,” she said.

She disconnected the phone and squealed, kicking her feet in the sheets.  She didn’t notice the sound of Bobbi stepping out of the bathroom.  “You sound excited,” Bobbi said from the other side of the partition.

Melody sat up and crawled to the end of the bed, popping her head over the top of the room divider.  “Steve and I are going out to brunch.”

“Oh, you bitch,” she said laughing.  “That’s awesome.  Congratulations.  I can’t believe my cousin’s going to be dating Captain fucking America.”

Melody laughed along with her.  “I better go have a shower,” she said. “You can work out your jealousy while I'm there.”

“I’ll do one better,” she said. “I’ll make us breakfast, and you can tell me all about the phone call.”

Melody laughed again as she got out of bed.  “You, my friend, have a deal.”

// NEXT

[dg-outlaw]

"Holy Childhood Trauma, Batman!"

Okay, let's get into it. *spoilers ahead*

X-Men '97: Episode 5 - Remember It

So without boring everyone with yet another recap as every nerd fandom outlet has that covered, I want to highlight all the things that really impacted me with this episode.

The animation team, storyboard artists, and directing for this episode.

I love how this series has captured the essence and style of the original 90s series, but has amped up the actions sequences to an 11, 12, 13, or 20! It's been a hot minute since I saw the original series, but I just don't recall many truly badass anime-esque action sequences from the OG series. And while X-Men has always been more of a socio-political and interpersonal drama, it's always cool to see your favorite characters use their powers in unique ways and this was Gambit's episode. I also love the addition of tears in many of the faces of characters during key moments. It's a minor thing, but emphasizing them just shows the gravity of the emotions the characters are facing. Also, special mention to episode 1 as well with Cyclops' intro and the ending battle in the sentinel graveyard. This series is what we all wanted back in the 90s and honestly, I'd be fine if comic book adaptations were more in animation form than live-action. CGI and VFX can be cool, but having characters do insane, gravity defying things like in this episode without looking janky is so awesome.

The usage and variation of the X-Men theme.

In both these scenes (above) the X-Men theme is played, but in vary different ways and I love when a score or soundtrack can enhance the mood of a scene or just help tell a story or convey a mood/emotion. In the first, we see Gambit and Rogue heading into battle and the score is slowed down and just has this serious tone to it. We're not having fun. This is war and we've got our game faces on. The second is the traditional theme and fits the tone as Gambit is just showing off and being a badass. IDK. I'm not a student of music, but I still love this stuff and how even the same music can be varied to convey different moods.

The impact and stakes.

Without getting too political (even though X-Men is all about politics and social issues), it was hard to not feel an extra impact by this episode's destruction of Genosha given the events taking place overseas in Palestine (as well as so many other countries that don't get as much news coverage). Again, trying to keep this to X-Men, but seeing the mass loss of innocent life (even in a cartoon) in such a quick and brutal way just sent my mind there and it was hard to not tear up thinking about the real loss of innocent life in our world (but without superheroes to intervene). Not to mention, I was already prepared for the loss of Gambit thanks to being on the internet and not watching new content the second it drops.

Honestly, this episode felt like an epic finale given the gut punch of emotions, the action, and the destruction. I know there are many theories that this could/will be reversed or altered via time travel, especially with the presence of the Watcher and Cable's attempt to warn his mother, Madelyne Pryor, but narratively I hope we sit with the weight of what happened in this episode. Selfishly, I want it fixed yesterday but I know that if that were to happen it would minimize the stakes and take away from the emotional weight of this episode. Also, the X-women are going through it this season. First, Storm, then Jean, and now Rogue.

The Ending and Saying Goodbye

So, as mentioned above I had Gambit's death spoiled and while I hate that I still wasn't prepared. As I said, I was already dealing with emotions at seeing the destruction of Genosha, but when it came for Gambit's end I was falling down onto the ground even more. Add in the rest of the X-Men at home, only able to watch from TV, devasted and powerless, and then Rogue's emotional (Death of Superman-style) goodbye as the episode faded to black... I still can't watch this scene or think about it without getting emotional all over again.

That said, to all the kids who thought I was lame for picking to play as Gambit on the playground instead of then fan-favorite Wolverine like everyone else, this episode and his epic goodbye was just amazing. I think anyone wanting to do Gambit justice in a film or solo movie/series should watch this episode and take notes. While most of us hope to die peacefully in our sleep at a ripe old age, I think going out like a total badass hero is a close second and Gambit achieved that. I'm sure it'll get fixed eventually, but I think Genosha (when they rebuild) should have the Magneto and Xavier statues back up, but also have a giant one of Gambit as well.

And speaking of Magneto, having him have flashes of his childhood and embracing the Morlocks (especially Leech) at the end was just more piled on emotional damage... and apparently this is just the tip of the iceberg for this season according to the writer/showrunner. I guess the writers know their audience is probably mostly 80s and 90s kids who grew up with Bambi, Land Before Time, NeverEnding Story, Gremlins, and all the other emotionally damaging "kid" content we were exposed to back in the day. Do I need this level of trauma or PTSD as an adult? No. But I'll keep watching.

[cyber-corp]

A review of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 3

By a guy who initially had no interest in this series whatsoever

For the longest time, I had absolutely zero interest in watching, reading, or even engaging with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The tone seemed too bombastic, the humour too out of leftfield and the fanbase too obnoxious. But after watching the anime adaptations of parts 1 and 2 and becoming interested in the rest of the series (and reading a bit of Steel Ball Run, which I quite enjoyed), I decided to read part 3 of JoJo, Stardust Crusaders, out of a morbid curiosity.

What I didn’t expect was a full-on and astounding journey across the world that never lets up and never slows itself down to think. And I felt mesmerised by every single page, every line of dialogue, and every illustration.

Stardust Crusaders’ main JoJo is Jotaro Kujo, a stoic Eastwood-esque high school (?!?) delinquent who likes telling women to piss off and has a special ability known as a Stand called Star Platinum, able to release a flurry of brutal punches at will and do with absolute precision.

All six of the Crusaders themselves (which does include the dog. don’t worry about it) have their own unique Stand and abilities, each of them named after a different Tarot card. Joseph Joestar, (who has skipped DILF birth and went straight to GILF birth), is easily my favourite of the six, as even though he’s gracefully aged and matured, he’s still the same old silly goober from all those years ago. Polnareff is my second favourite, I initially felt indifferent towards him, but soon began to adore this comical Frenchman and his entire arc.

The plot of the story follows the Crusaders on an eventful journey to Cairo, as the number one hater from Phantom Blood, DIO, has returned after 100 years, leeching off of Jonathan Joestar’s body. We don’t get to see much of him until the final confrontation, where he nearly convinces Polnareff to join him, kills Kakyoin by stopping time with his stand THE WORLD, takes Joseph’s soul, and squashes Jotaro with a ROADOROLLA. The only reason he loses is that Jotaro is so unreasonably buffed that he can move while DIO’s stand is active, giving him the opportunity to ORAORAORA him into next Tuesday.

I personally feel that DIO might just be the best villain not just in JoJo, but one of the best entirely. His ability to get his own way and his burning desire to end the Joestar bloodline from Part 1 has been amped up to 11, and it makes him, along with his Stand, THE WORLD, nearly unstoppable. He’s a blunt force with no humanity, and does whatever suits his needs. People either fall against him and perish, or fall with him and submit themselves to his grace. He’s become quite the behemoth when you compare him to what he was doing in Part 1. From kicking dogs to forcing someone he doesn’t know to drive after Jotaro and psychologically torturing them. How far the haters go…

If I could use one word to sum up Stardust Crusaders, it would be “ambitious”. It’s nearly double the length of the first two parts combined, and nearly thrice as varied in setting and tone. From Japan, to the gleaming cities of Singapore to the slums of India and the sandy deserts of Arabia, it nearly stops to sit in one place. Hirohiko Araki has stated that he was less inspired by the other shonen comics of the time and more into road movies like Around The World in 80 Days, which gives this part such a unique international flair. There’s also 2 dozen enemies the guys have to face along their way to Egypt, some of which provide interesting looks into the main characters’ inner machinations, and some are monkeys who smoke and commit sexual assault.

The overall theming of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is humanity’s insane ability to overcome seemingly impossible odds in order to become greater, and this couldn’t be more prevalent than in Stardust Crusaders. DIO is a cruel, unrelenting beast who has already sacrificed his own humanity in order to further achieve his goal of ending the Joestar bloodline once and for all. This makes him a perfect mirror to the Crusaders, who plan to stop DIO in order to prevent Jotaro’s mother, Holly, from dying. This motivation based in love of course triumphs over all, and also leads to one of the greatest spurs within the entire medium of manga.

Stardust Crusaders is full of genuine heart, wit, and genuinely kicks ass all the way through. Reading it is truly unlike anything else. It’s a pastiche of shonen tropes, gothic literature, westerns, 80s action flicks and so much more. I can truly see now why JoJo has the reputation it does. If this was the only part of JoJo ever written, it would still be fantastic.

A true celebration of humanity from beginning to end. Go read it if you can.