#speed queen 51

[culkin-rory]

[parasamata]

small clip of rory as ‘cory’ in speed queen 51!

[angelsnkisses]

i just know he had sm fun in there 😭

[thattrashrat]

i need scream queen to release NOW i cannot wait any longer!!

[monstersdownthepath]

Lord of Skies and Temptation: Pazuzu, King of the Wind Demons

CR 30

Chaotic Evil Large Outsider

Bestiary 4, pg. 50-51 (Image from the Complete Book of the Damned, pg. 87)

Among the eldest and most powerful of the Demon Lords, Pazuzu was one the first non-Qlippoth demons in all existence along with his former lover, Lamashtu. His dalliances with Lamashtu during the early days of creation were things of both legend and horror, their meetings on fledgling worlds striking the unfortunate planets with the force of asteroids and populating them with all manner of unholy creations. Both of them would scheme and vie for the position of God of the Abyss, but in the end, the throne would only accept one. Tearing the domain of beasts from the god Curchanus, Lamashtu ascended to the rank of Demon God and kicked the ladder out from under her, preventing anyone else from following in her shadow. She now regards Pazuzu as little more than someone she dated in the past, nothing more than a brief fling... something which whips the winged Demon Lord into a berserk, frothing fury.

Or, well, it did. As the ages have passed, Pazuzu has gotten more subtle and patient, and has begun seeing value in manipulating mortals. He's begun to work in Lamashtu's shadow, weaving just enough purposeless destruction into his antics that she barely registers his presence with anything but passing interest, but with every word whispered into the ear of a willing mortal, he erodes the pillars on which the Demon Queen has built her castle by another slight scratch. It may take a few thousand more years yet, but he has all of eternity; one of the perks of being at the top of the pecking order himself. Very, very few other Demon Lords wish to cross him, and for good reason. That "CR 30" isn't just for decoration!

The other biggest reason is that almost every Demon Lord in existence has some manner of flight speed, and Pazuzu's Avian Mastery means ANY creature with a natural, nonmagical flight speed must make a DC 40 Will save to attack him; failure causes the attack to not only fail, but also locks the victim out of being able to directly attack Pazuzu for 1d4 rounds. This ability is unlikely to come up against players (unless they're all Strix, for whatever reason), but he has a great many other tricks that definitely will.

To anyone coming here from D&D, yes, Pazuzu still retains his most famous ability: Hear Name. He can hear his name every single time it's spoken aloud by anyone on any world or plane and through every barrier and form of protection there is. This ability presumably works on any speaking creature, gods and innocent scholars and babbling toddlers alike, so one could imagine it getting annoying for him. However, if his name is said thrice in the same breath (even if it's just part of a long run-on sentence), he instantly knows the exact location and true name of the speaker, which is information that's infinitely more useful for him; he rejects calls from his cultists more often than not but tends to at least investigate anyone who's unfamiliar to him on the off-chance it may be a new soul he can corrupt. Be careful trying to get his attention, though, because if he happens to be on the same plane as a creature that says his name three times, he can immediately try and Possess the poor fool and ride along in their soul for the remainder of their days (or until he possesses another target but shh).

That may not seem especially useful as a Demon Lord who spends most of his time in the Abyss, but Pazuzu is explicitly noted to not do that. To avoid divine retribution he must remain hidden (at-will Shapechange aids in that regard) and work subtly, but Pazuzu is one of the few Demon Lords who can not only freely travel to and from the Material Plane, but often does to further his own schemes personally. How does he get there? Well, that's the fun part! All Demon Lords can use Miracle while they're within their own domains, but their Miracle can only be used to shape their realm or create an effect in-line with their divine domains... but Pazuzu goes a step further with Wish available to him 1/day, the spell completely unrestricted in his hands and allowing him to simply Plane Shift wherever he pleases without issue. Powerful enough outside his lair, but he can use the Mythic Augmented version while in his domain to perform truly berserk feats that borderline breaking the game's rules entirely. Mythic Augmented Wish is basically a blank check in the DM's hands, and it alone is what allows the Lord of Temptation to steer the mortal world in whatever direction he desires.

If he doesn't Wish himself into the universe, he may still use Astral Projection (as all Demon Lords can) to send his essence in instead, his projection acting in every respect as his flesh and blood body, including being able to use Possession on anyone who speaks his name thrice. What IS Possession, you may ask? Is it like the spell of the same name? Haha, ha, no, you WISH it was that weak. Pazuzu's Possession is the stuff of legends, a Save-or-Suck that can decide not only a battle, but a campaign if it's used successfully. Once per day as a swift action, Pazuzu can target any creature within a mile (or on the same plane, if the target is someone who spoke his name thrice) whose name he knows and attempt to possess them. That target has one DC 43 Will save standing between them and the Demon Lord being able to ruin their life; if they succeed, Pazuzu can never attempt to possess them for as long as they live (being killed and returning to life voids this warranty), but if they fail? Ooh boy.

Pazuzu can permanently read the mind of a possessed creature and, by concentrating, can receive all their sensory information. Not so bad so far, especially since the creature retains their own will and control over their body, but this is only at the Demon Lord's whim. As a swift action, he can seize total control of their body and command them to perform any action he wants them to, without restriction. He can force a possessed target to attack their allies, use their most powerful magic to destroy everything around them, destroy or throw aside all of their possessions, hand over a MacGuffin or slay a helpful NPC, fight alongside him or grant him their resources, or even end their own life, and the victim has no ability to resist his control or deny his orders. No saving throw, no force of will, no nothing. While the overt uses are bad enough, if the Demon Lord is especially cruel, he may have his victim speak their true thoughts--no matter how damaging to the party's relationships they may be. He always knows what they're thinking and can force them to say whatever he wants, including just straight up making up "truths" for his victim to helplessly spout, but sometimes the real truth is more painful than any lie he could conceive.

He can use his swift action to command his possessed victim to perform any action they could take on their own, but he has an even worse trick as well: He can channel his spell-like abilities through his puppet as well. Mercifully, the spells are scaled to the victim's stats rather than his own, so a creature with 5 Hit Dice would only deal 2d8 damage with his Unholy Blight and Telekinesis would only last 5 rounds, so it's all fairly balanced... except for Whirlwind and Summon Demons, the former conjuring a destructive, controllable cyclone that can bodily lift and throw Medium creatures like pebbles, and the latter a spell-like that Pazuzu can use 3/day as a swift action which conjures a flat CR 20 encounters-worth of demons regardless of the possessed host's level. The only thing their level affects is how many rounds the cyclone or the demons stick around, and even just 3 rounds is enough time for them to wreak unholy havoc before vanishing.

Other tools at Pazuzu and his puppet's disposal include, but are not limited to: Desecrate, Blasphemy, Shapechange, and Dominate Person all at-will. At 3/day there's the aformentioned Whirlwind, Quickened Dominate Person, Sympathy, and Symbol of Persuasion, and finally as his 1/days besides his Wish, there's Dominate Monster and Time Stop. Useful enough in his hands, but combining them with the talents of his puppet? He may not have to lift a finger. Beyond these, the uses for Greater Teleport at will are infinite, but with his ability to force his puppet to use it, he could easily kidnap them from across any distance by having them teleport right to his side for whatever wicked designs he has.

One DC 43 Will save failure is all he needs... but luckily, a Lawful creature gets a +10 bonus to this save, while a Good creature gets +20, and both these bonuses stack for Lawful Good creatures, meaning the shining paladin of Iomedae only has to succeed a DC 13 save to avoid being possessed, so pathetically low that characters expecting to engage the Demon Lord in combat can only fail if they roll a 1 and even common citizens have a fair chance at battling his influence. Unfortunately, as Lord of Temptation, he does have a trick for that: Profane Wishcraft. Any creature that accepts a Wish from him--even if they're coerced, mislead by Shapechange or a possessed victim, tricked into it by Sympathy, or controlled via Dominate--has to make a DC 43 Will save or have their soul contaminated and shift immediately to Chaotic Evil. While this is terrible enough for the hope of their immortal soul, it also leaves them open to Possession without the protection of their alignment.

We've talked a long while about Possession, but in truth it's Pazuzu's biggest and most flexible tool, and his most unique ability. It's not mind-affecting or any form of curse, so there's no way to avoid it but its saving throw. The victim can't end it by their own action (because he'll know and stop it), and any creature who breaks the effect via Dispel Evil or Dispel Chaos must succeed a DC 30 caster level check or he just possesses them instead. Even if it's ended, here's a fun fact: There's no per-day restriction for any creature that says his name three times, so the unfortunate victim is one Suggestion or Dominate away from being worn like a puppet all over again!

If Pazuzu didn't have access to this signature ability... well, there's just not a lot that's actually special about him. He's powerful, yes, but generically powerful, using potent but boring spell-likes to seize control of his enemies and smashing apart what he can't control with his Scepter of Shibaxet, a personal artifact he can call to himself at any time. In its scepter form, the Scepter of Shibaxet can pinpoint the exact location of any creature hostile to its wielder at-will (a boring but incredibly practical power), can be presented as a standard action to induce panic in all creatures within 60ft who fail a DC 23 Will save, and can 1/day be used to permanently destroy any magic item. That last one is sure to raise an eyebrow or two, especially if your big suit of magic armor was the only thing standing between you and the Scepter's alternate form as a +5 Anarchic Keen Unholy Longsword! That's 2d6+20 damage up to four times a round, +2d6 if you're Good or Lawful and +4d6 if you're both. If he's being harried or feels like harrying, he can use Flyby Attack and Greater Vital Strike in tandem with his 150ft fly speed to deal 6d6+20 as a single blow instead.

However, he's incentivized to stand and fight. Not only for his weapon Full-Attack, but because he's also got a painful beak (2d6+15), his free hand and his two birdy talons (1d6+5), and his lengthy scorpion tail (2d8+15) loaded with a poison that not only drains 1d6 Wisdom with each failure to resist it, but nauseates the poisoned victim. In addition, if Pazuzu doesn't move more than 5ft in a round, he becomes surrounded by his Aura of Locusts that pour from his mouth and fill a 10ft square around his already 10ft body. Any creature that enters or starts their turn in this space must succeed a DC 43 Fortitude save or be nauseated... but I can't help but feel this is a tragically missed opportunity. Why not let his locusts do extra damage? Why not give him a free Vomit Swarm every round? Why doesn't he have Creeping Doom or, hell, just Insect Plague since he literally passively exhales insects? It'd make him a lot more interesting than he ends up being!

But I suppose that's why he's as close to a "demon king" as there currently is in Pathfinder. His kit is simple and effective, as he's essentially an incredibly fast and incredibly resilient melee tank, with his standout Possession ability carrying a thousand plot-hooks and party wipes by itself. The relative dullness of his kit in battle is made up for by all the chaos he can cause out of battle, granting wishes and demonic powers to his mortal thralls and minions, and using his menagerie of crafting feats to gear them up to deal with whatever would make them nigh-insurmountable threats to the party... or to tempt the party into working for him with whatever treasure they need to combat an entirely different, more immediate threat. In this way, he serves almost the same purpose in the Abyss as Mephistopheles does in Hell!

You can read more about him here.

[mushroompollution]

Chapter 61: Demios

Previous Chapters: The Sablier Arc Masterpost (35-42) || 43 || 44 || 45 || 46 || 47 || 48 || [ Ceremony Arc: 49 || 50 || 51 || 52 || 52.5 || 53 || 54 || 55 || 56 || 57 || 57.5 || 58 || 59 || 60 ] Read the manga: imgur || mangaread (ad warning)

The hero trio, along with Sharon, are called into the Duchess Rainsworth's office, where they're given bad news.

The Duke Nightray was found beheaded in his townhouse. But the time of death is too recent to be Elliot.

As the group discuss the possibility of a copycat, a second Headhunter, one of Pandora's agents comes running into the office in a horrified panic, bearing even more bad news:

The boy they were questioning had been abducted by none other than Vincent Nightray.

Inside a carriage speeding out of town, Vincent explains to a shaken Leo how he holds two Contracts, one Legal, one Illegal. Queen of Hearts was the name given to his Illegal Chain, based off the description a witness had given Pandora after Fred and Uncle Nightray had been killed.

But what a rude thing to call her, Vincent says. When her true name is Demios, the Executioner. The Chain that Humpty Dumpty had begun to copy after forcing Elliot to kill his own beloved brothers.

Leo is surprised as the carriage pulls up to the Nightray mansion. Isn't that the first place Pandora will look?

As the door opens, he finds that question already answered. And it really disappoints me that there's absolutely nothing here about him realizing that Echo/Noise was the one who almost made him shoot Elliot back in Sablier, but anyway--

A flashback begins as Vincent explains that after the incident at Isla Yura's estate, he had met with the Duke Nightray in a secret chamber in his townhouse. There, the Duke had told him all of this, then ordered him to take Leo away from Pandora, and for the Baskervilles to protect him.

Vincent had questioned him about his involvement with Isla Yura and Humpty Dumpty, learning that the Duke was being used just as much as he was trying to use Yura in return.

Vincent shreds some curtains with his trusty scissors as he explains to the reasoning behind the experiments to Leo. That children whose lives were affected by Chains were said to be more likely to form a Contract with them. As he does, the memory of Elliot, impaled by Humpty Dumpty, makes Leo wretch.

Vincent goes on explaining, and the flashback of his meeting with the Duke Nightray continues.

He had asked why the Duke had allowed Elliot and Leo to be together in the first place. Why he didn't destroy Humpty Dumpty, sever the Contract, and save his own son?

He admits that he had even poisoned Gilbert to draw suspicion away from the two of them. After all, no one would ever suspect him of attacking the brother Vincent had always loved a little too much.

The Duke tells him how Humpty Dumpty shares the burden of the seal between its many Contractors. That the "Core" of the Chain resided in its earliest Contractor, moving to the next in line when that one died. So it wasn't thst easy!

Besides. They didn't have Raven yet at that time. The research on Humpty Dumpty was necessary to recover the Nightray family's pride and honor, and maintain their position within Pandora.

It was Elliot's greatest wish as well, the Duke professes. A statement that really pisses Vincent off.

He goes on to admit that he had broken the second Sealing Stone and killed Rytas and Marie. Pandora may have labelled Elliot as the Headhunter, but Vincent says he's going to prove them wrong here and now.

It's not like him to get so carried away. As Vincent watches the Duke's head fall, the flashback fades a little further back, to Vincent standing in that chamber where Elliot had died.

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

putting down my scattered thoughts for where i would like season 2 of the webtoon to end 🤔

season 1 ended with the cotton candy scene, webnovel 51 and webtoon 42. s2 is currently at the slime dungeon, which is webnovel 61 but webtoon 52. the webtoon condensed hearthfenrir punishing the golden ivory tower (ch 46-49) into like 2 panels and condensed/skipped a few other minor scenes. i never actually read all the early chapters, so idk if the 10 chapter/episode gap is because even more entire chapters got skipped. if it is, then it means that the adaptation speed is roughly 1:1 except for when entire portions get cut.

if we take s2 to also be ~40 episodes, we might hit episode 80+? assuming a 1:1 adapation speed, it would mean webnovel 100+. and if some portions get chopped (maybe some sections of floor 299 and some others) maybe we can even hit webnovel ch 110?? idk if that area will be a good spot to stop though.

the week of regressions is at webnovel 77, while greenwalle starts at ch 82. narratively speaking, the start of greenwalle would be a nice place to start s3, except that i think the webtoon readers might get a little upset about still being stuck in the tutorial period orz. unless floor 300 is just that well done?? idk. actually i think floor 300 would work well as the central arc for this season, just like the toy mansion was. i just want to see post-regression tesilid though 😔

harpy queen is 87-91 and pandora's is ch 91-98. personally i think it would be nice if they could include greenwalle and a little bit after. just to smack all of us silly with the huge gap between tutorial tesilid and post-regression tesilid. i think casual webtoon readers would have forgotten how optimistic and well-meaning baby tesilid was by the time season 3 rolls over, so greenwalle wouldn't hit as hard.

stopping at the end of pandora's would also mean adapting 40 chapters, so i guess maybe they don't need to cut too many scenes? i also don't think it would be a good idea to include much past pandora's. the vatican arc is a liiiiitle bit long. there's the whole setup period, then the snow queen dungeon, then everything keeps snowballing into the magic republic arc and we only get space to breathe again at ch 128 when ailette blacks out. which is also a cliffhanger itself.

greenwalle being in s2 on its own would be a bit of a let-down i think because iirc nothing really happens there, we just meet reed and tesilid wakes up and barely talks. harpy queen arc very clearly shows how much more cold-hearted tesilid has become, which is great for making us all cry, but idk i think pandora's is a cooler place to stop? harpy queen ends with "how is tesilid going to sacrifice himself to regain powers without dying", which is a nice cliffhanger but i think it's not appropriate for a season finale - the stakes are too high. pandora's ends with them entering the vatican, which is a whole new stage of their lives so i think it's a nice spot for s3 to pick up.

[feralnumberfive]

I wanna read your ramble about planes more

And I couldn't be any happier to share with you, especially on today, National Aviation Day! ☺️

I'll talk about a real cool and gorgeous plane I saw last month, but first let me tell you about its kind.

The P-51 Mustang was the hotrod fighter of WWII, and easily the most famous fighter of WWII. It was designed and built in just 100 days, and was revolutionary as it was the first aircraft to successfully be designed with a laminar flow wing.

There were a handful a Mustang variations, but here are the most common. The most notable differences are their canopies. A-C had what is called a "birdcage" or "razorback" canopy while the D model had a "bubble" canopy that provided a 360° view (note: The P-51C could also have the Malcom Hood and the P-51B could also have a birdcage canopy)

There is an odd looking bump on the belly of the Mustang that is a cooling scoop for the radiator and oil. While aerodynamically it looks like it causes more drag, which it does, it actually takes advantage of a cool effect called the "Meredith effect." Due to the fact that the hot radiator is inside of the scoop, there is actually a backdoor on the scoop that blows out the hot and pressurized waste air.

This pressurized air being blown out is actually producing thrust, like a jet engine and more specifically a ramjet, and for the Mustang it produces about 300 lbs of thrust. So the "Meredith effect" is that despite the scoop itself producing more drag on the airframe, the thrust being produced nearly equalizes the effect of the drag and offsets it.

Okay, now onto one of the most beautiful planes I have had the pleasure of seeing. This is a P-51C named "Thunderbird" that has quite the history.

Hollywood actor and WWII bomber pilot Jimmy Stewart owned this plane after the war ended. "Thunderbird" never saw service in WWII as it was a surplus aircraft and instead was bought and used as a race plane. It won the 1949 Bendix race trophy and had an average speed of 470 mph, which was record setting at the time. Due to the paint on the plane and how polished it was, it actually gained 8 mph in flight.

In late 1949 famous WASP pilot, and leader, and one of the most well known women aviators and record setters named Jackie Cochran bought "Thunderbird" where she set more world records in it. She eventually sold it back to Jimmy Stewart before it was passed onto more owners.

The aircraft was involved with a crash in 1955 and began part recovery for restoration in 1999. In 2007 the restoration of this aircraft began and was finished in mid 2023. In early June it had its first post restoration flight. It is painted in 100% original colors and has the same designs it wore when it won the Bendix trophy. It had been painted less than one week prior to when I saw it, so it was a very clean and neat Mustang!

A neat fact about this aircraft was that after Queen Elizabeth II was coronated it was used to fly the coronation tapes for CBS from Newfoundland into the United States as it was trusted for its speed to complete the job

Alright, (long) ramble over. Thanks for letting me share!

[johnnytorresprowres]

The Cooldown 1: Pro Wrestling GRIND “Stiff Upper Lip″ - 3/24/2023

1: “Iron” Rip Byson (8-3-1) vs. Joseph “A-Game” Alexander (2-4) At the beginning of the contest, Derek Neal pulled up a chair in the GRIND entryway to watch the proceedings.  Rip Byson had a difficult time with the shot speed of A-Game at the beginning but was able to weather the storm of the Pretty Boy Shooter, return fire with bombs of his own, and was one lariat away from victory.  But Derek Neal caused a sudden distraction and A-Game was able to snatch the prawn hold for the upset.  This would not be the last we’d hear from either Rip or Derek during the event. Joseph Alexander d. Rip Byson (7:41) Now: A-Game: 3-4, Rip: 8-4-1 Up Next for Rip: Derek Neal in a Strap Match at Masters of Reality on 4/28 in Easthampton, MA 5 Prospects for A-Game: Andy Brown (2-2), Myung-Jae Lee (2-1), Alec Price (2-3), ZPB (1-2), Mike Skyros (3-3) (rematch from Doctor Doctor). ___ 2: “King of Chaos” Logan Black (6-3) vs. ZPB (0-2) In a battle of refined lariat practitioners and Western Mass favorites, neither veteran warrior wasted any time letting their hands go and it was only a matter of time before someone’s armor would crack.  But as both Logan and ZPB neared complete exhaustion, it was not a lariat but instead a well-time counter to Logan’s Life-Altering Lariat that enabled ZPB to stack the KoC’s shoulders to the canvas and notch his first win in GRIND. ZPB d. Logan Black (8:13) Now: ZPB: 1-2, Logan: 6-4 5 Prospects for ZPB: Channing Thomas (1-4), Gary Jay (1-2), Andy Brown (2-2), O’Shay Edwards (2-3), Manders (2-2) 5 Prospects for Logan: Ryan Mooney (6-4), Delmi Exo (6-3), Andy Brown (2-2), Perry Von Vicious (7-7) (rematch from Electric Crown), Joseph Alexander (3-4) (rematch from Antisocial) ___ 3: “God Queen” Delmi Exo (6-2) vs. “International Pop Sensation” B3CCA (0-1) A match featuring this much familiarity was destined to come down to one defining strike that landed true.  As they have in every bout throughout their history, they both brought their best bombs.  But it came down to a dialed-in superkick from B3CCA that floored the Emerald Matriarch, and the Pop Sensation found home with the 450 Splash to take home her first GRIND victory. B3CCA d. Delmi Exo (7:51) Now: B3CCA: 1-1, Delmi: 6-3 5 Prospects for B3CCA: Myung-Jae Lee (2-1), Trish Adora (0-1), Jaden Newman (1-0), BEEF (1-1), ZPB (1-2) 5 Prospects for Delmi: Ryan Mooney (6-4), Logan Black (6-4), Perry Von Vicious (7-7), Mike Skyros (3-3), Joseph Alexander (3-4) ___ 4: “The Human Monster Truck” Perry Von Vicious (7-6) vs. “King’s Road Slayer” Derek Neal (0-0-1) Fans of agile heavyweights were right at home.  Derek Neal and Perry Von Vicious tested each other’s mettle in every facet of pro wrestling, from grappling to striking to occasionally taking flight! It came down to who would land their best shot first, and Derek Neal was able to connect with his patented Fisherman’s Buster to notch his first W in GRIND.  Neal called out Rip Byson post-match, Ripper happily obliged, chaos ensued, and a Strap Match is on the books for 4/28! Derek Neal d. Perry Von Vicious (10:03) Now: Derek: 1-0-1, PVV: 7-7 Up Next for Derek: Rip Byson in a Strap Match at Masters of Reality on 4/28 5 Prospects for PVV: Logan Black (6-4) (rematch from Electric Crown), Ryan Mooney (6-4), Manders (2-2), Delmi Exo (6-3), Mike Skyros (3-3) ___ 5: “Uptown” Andy Brown (1-2) d. “Locksmith” Brandon Williams (0-1)  The heavy-handed Andy Brown and mat specialist Brandon Williams brought the thunder in our return from intermission.  After a feeling out process, Williams recognized the danger of the sure feet of the Thiccc Daddy and started fighting for his trusty ankle lock throughout the contest.  But an ill-timed shot was met with an intercepting knee strike followed by the Finish Him to make it two in a row for Andy Brown. Andy Brown d. Brandon Williams (8:10) Now: Andy: 2-2, Locksmith: 0-2 5 Prospects for Andy: Manders (2-2), Myung-Jae Lee (2-1), Mike Skyros (3-3), Alec Price (2-3), BEEF (1-1) 5 Prospects for Locksmith: Ryan Clancy (0-2), ZPB (1-2), Jac St. Jean (0-1), Angelo Carter (0-1), Nolo Kitano (0-2) ___ 6: “Moonlight Son” Mike Skyros (2-3) vs. “Fancy” Ryan Clancy (0-1) Two refined mat technicians with no shortage of familiarity locked horns in a very evenly matched bout.  Clancy was able to keep Skyros off balance with his misdirection with manuevers such as criss-crossing into the crossbody and the rolling single leg crab. But it was misdirection and split-second timing that brought Skyros the victory as he was able to ricochet out of a Clancy kickout right into Skyfall.  Skyros has now bounced back from an 0-3 record to even the ship at 3-3. Mike Skyros d. Ryan Clancy (11:40) Now: Skyros: 3-3, Clancy: 0-2 5 Prospects for Skyros:  Andy Brown (2-2), Ryan Mooney (6-4), Alec Price (2-3), Myung-Jae Lee (2-1), Joseph Alexander (3-4) (rematch from Doctor Doctor),  5 Prospects for Clancy:  Brandon Williams (0-2), Angelo Carter (0-1), Jac St. Jean (0-1), Covey Christ (0-1), Gary Jay (1-2) ___ 7: I QUIT MATCH: “Murder Hornet” Travis Huckabee (6-3) vs. “Top Shelf” Troy Nelson (1-0)  An I Quit match a year in the making.  Personal issues from years past had risen to the surface and GRIND broadcaster Top Shelf Troy Nelson returned to the ring to settle the score.  Top Shelf appeared to be in classic form, even landing his patented Johnny Cage split punch.  But Huckabee utilized his surroundings to great effect, including a spare turnbuckle, a steel chair, and a vicious irish whip into the steel corner post that opened up the back of Troy as a target for Travis.  In the end, an unholy cocktail of the steel turnbuckle hook and contorting Top Shelf’s spine forced Troy to utter I Quit.  Troy had some words post-match for Travis that may have sharpened the edge of the Murder Hornet, as he laid out Troy one last time with a headbutt. Travis Huckabee d. Troy Nelson (12:23) Now: Huckabee: 7-3, Top Shelf: 1-1 5 Prospects for Huckabee: Andy Brown (2-2), Manders (2-2), Joseph Alexander (3-4), Ryan Mooney (6-4) (rematch from Come And Get It), Myung-Jae Lee (2-1) (rematch from You Better Run) Up Next for Top Shelf: Most likely the commentary table with Alyssa & I. ___ 8: GRIND GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP: “Blue Thunder” Jay Freddie (11-1) (c) vs. “World Class” Channing Thomas (1-3) In our 4th defense of the GRIND Grand Championship, the mighty Jay Freddie locked horns with “World Class” Channing Thomas, flanked by the legendary Sidney Bakabella.  Once any brass knuckles were removed from the contest, Channing brought his best to the defending champion, and nearly came away with the victory thanks to a pair of brass knuckles on the fist of Sidney.  But our secondary referee Nate Speckman watching the monitor was there to notify acting ref Bill Thompson of the miscarriage of justice, and the main event was restarted.  Freddie quickly removed Sidney and his hairpiece from the equation, and with hairpiece in tow, landed the Shining Wizard to successfully defend the Grand Championship for a 4th time. Jay Freddie d. Channing Thomas (22:53) Now: Freddie: 12-1, 4th defense, Channing: 1-4 5 Prospects for Channing: Gary Jay (1-2), ZPB (1-2), BEEF (1-1), O’Shay Edwards (2-3), Joseph Alexander (3-4) Top Contenders for Jay’s Next Defense: Anthony Henry and Mike Skyros have both won 3 straight singles matches. Manders, Myung-Jae Lee, and Andy Brown have won 2 straight singles matches. See you at Masters of Reality! - JT

[culkin-rory]

speed queen 51 trailer

[omsdoortodoor]

OMS Door to Door Challenge – Departure Date minus 1 week

Ian's fortnight

Playlist: Classics

Riding on My Bike - Madness

The Bike Song - Mark Ronson

Bicycle - John Cale

Bicycle Race - Queen

Broken Bicycles - Tom Waits

Bicycle Song - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Bike - Pink Floyd

Silver Machine - Hawkweed

Nine Million Bicycles - Katie Melua

Riding On My Bike - Sia

From The Little Book of Cycling.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve contributed to our blog so I thought it was time I wrote something. 

The last few weeks have been my out on several rides of different lengths including a circuit going past Wellington Monument to Culm Head before going passed Smeatharpe airfield to Dunkeswell. I then headed towards Culmstock, through Uffculme to Willand, Sampford Peverell, Uplowman, Huntsham ant the Staple Cross before retuning to Holcombe through Hockworthy. A ride of about forty-six miles which I completed in three and a half hours at an average speed of thirteen and a half miles an hour.

I have also completed several other rides as well as visiting the gym a few times to do some leg and back exercises.

Last week I had both the bikes serviced in Exeter, Bike No1 just needed a check over, but Bike No2 required some attention as it hadn’t had much done to it since I bought it about twelve years ago. It did give me the opportunity to cycle back from Exeter.  Approaching Cullompton I was overtaken by a bunch of about ten keen cyclists, and I managed to tag onto the back go the group & cadge a lift to near Willand. I showed the benefits of slip-streaming, which I won’t have the benefit of during the challenge.

I also saw my Osteopath this week, I tend to go every three months, probably in a vain attempt to keep myself as fit as I can.  She went through a number of exercises and stretches someone of my age should be doing when taking on a long cycle like this one.

With just a week left before we set off, I have several rides planned which will hopefully include a couple of longer routes and going out on consecutive days, I’m happy with my level of fitness so it’s now just about spending time on the bike.

Celeste our motorhome went in for a service and wash this week and I decided to go for a ride while I was waiting. I rode what will be part of the first day, leaving Wellington I climbed on to The Blackdown hills and on to Chard, through Winsham to Drimpton where I turned round and did it all in reverse. It’s fairly hilly but with some lovely countryside and pretty villages. The climb back on to The Blackdowns was tough but in all I rode 51 miles in about four hours which I was pleased with. Unfortunately, my phone went flat halfway through the ride, so I only managed to record part of the ride on Strava through which I monitor my performance.

I have to keep Jane and my cousin Heather musically happy during our time away so I have been buying CDs and downloading songs by the likes of ABBA, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston and Coldplay to name a few. There may be times when I’m glad to be on my bike!

Heading into the final week before departure I have a couple of jobs to finish off on Celeste before packing her up ready for the off and of course we have our Fundraiser on Friday the 6th, The final Holcombe Rogus Pop Up Pub in the village hall so hopefully we will see you there.

Once we are on the challenge, there will be far fewer text blogs and more videos, pictures and interviews.

Thank you for your support and readership over the last few months.  Your comments and support has really helped us to prepare for our journey.

As you know we are raising funds for Overcoming MS. If you would like to support this amazing charity which helps to improve the life of people with MS you can follow this link.

[wikiuntamed]

Top 5 @Wikipedia pages from a year ago: Friday, 24th March 2023

Welcome, velkommen, selamat datang, croeso 🤗 What were the top pages visited on @Wikipedia (24th March 2023) 🏆🌟🔥?

1️⃣: Kitty O'Neil "Kitty Linn O'Neil ((1946-03-24)March 24, 1946 – (2018-11-02)November 2, 2018) was an American stuntwoman and auto-racer, often called "the fastest woman in the world" for her various speed records. Her women's absolute land speed record stood until 2019. An illness in early childhood left her deaf,..."

2️⃣: John Wick: Chapter 4 "John Wick: Chapter 4 (released in Japan as John Wick: Consequences) is a 2023 American neo-noir action thriller film directed and co-produced by Chad Stahelski and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch. The sequel to John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and the fourth installment in the John..."

3️⃣: ChatGPT "ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched on November 30, 2022. Based on a large language model, it enables users to refine and steer a conversation towards a desired length, format, style, level of detail, and language. Successive prompts and..."

Image by

Original:

OpenAI

 

Vector:

Zhing Za

4️⃣: Shou Zi Chew "Shou Zi Chew (Chinese: 周受资, born 1 January 1983), also known as Chew Shou Zi, is a Singaporean businessman and entrepreneur who has been serving as the chief executive officer of TikTok, an online video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, since 2021. ..."

Image licensed under CC BY 4.0? by Photographer: Lukasz Kobus

5️⃣: Cleopatra "Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (Koinē Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Θεά Φιλοπάτωρ lit. Cleopatra "father-loving goddess"; 70/69 BC – 10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. A member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder..."

Image by Louis le Grand

[cloudiyum]

1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed of course

2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Yes I doo, I want to donate them to homeless shelters.

3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? Tucked in, I love being tucked

4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before? No but I've stolen many a cone

5: Do you like to use post-it notes? I do at work

6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I don't come across any coupons in my life right now

7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? BEAR. ABSOLUTELY A BEAR. I would gladly be mauled to death

8: Do you have freckles? Not freckles but "beauty spots" as my mum calls them

9: Do you always smile for pictures? Nooo I tend to avoid that cuz my lips turn into 2 dimensional objects

10: What is your biggest pet peeve? Untidyness. Leaving the babywipe lid open. Dirty fridges.

11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk? No I don't!

12: Have you ever peed in the woods? Yeeees

13: What about pooped in the woods? No I once went camping for a week and didn't need to because my body knew It'd have to be in a hole.

14: Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing? Not really, maybe if I'm eating rly tasty food

15: Do you chew your pens and pencils? Nope

16: How many people have you slept with this week? Zero the fuck

17: What size is your bed? Queen.. slay

18: What is your Song of the week? LIKE A GIRL DOES PEACH PRC

19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Absofuckinglutely. I'd love my Henry to dye his hair pink if he would

20: Do you still watch cartoons? Not really but family guy yes

21: Whats your least favorite movie? OMG. DUNE!! FUCK DUNE. my god. worst/boring movie I've ever seen in my entire life.

22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Bury? In dirt.. what else can you bury treasure in?

23: If you’re a girl, bra size? If you’re a guy, pants size? 10D I think, last time I got sized was when I was 14

24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Mustard or Sweet and Sour sauce. Mostly nothing though

25: What is your favorite food? Salmon Sashimi <3 <3 <3

26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love? TWILIGHT <3 <3 <3

27: Last person you kissed/kissed you? My Henry on the 7th November 2023

28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout? I did scouts when I was like 8 or 9 and met this cute girl named Chloe and we were such good friends at camp. I think she gave me one of her lip glosses or something. I wish I could find her again

29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Only if my nips n bits were covered with an emoji or something

30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? I don't remember but it definitely would've been to henry. Or today to pippa for work

31: Can you change the oil on a car? Nope but I can fill my tires with air :)

32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Only once I think

33: Ever ran out of gas? Never I would die

34: Favorite kind of sandwich? Banana & Honey or Cucumber & Salt <3 <3

35: Best thing to eat for breakfast? Bacon, egg & bbq sauce toasted sandwich or poached eggs on toast

36: What is your usual bedtime? I aim for 10:30 but sometimes its midnight

37: Are you lazy? No, I value my well deserved resting time

38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? :( I wasn't allowed

39: What is your Chinese astrological sign? Ox I think

40: Are you horny? No I am not, that is very rare

41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Nope

42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs? the fuck are lincoln logs

43: Are you stubborn? Noo my mind can be changed very easily

44: Who is better…Leno or Letterman? Crystal meth santa claus <3

45: Ever watch soap operas? I like the big bang theory sue me

46: Are you afraid of heights? I would say not

47: Do you sing in the car? YEA I DO VERRRRY LOUDLY

48: Do you sing in the shower? On occasion

49: Do you dance in the car? I wiggle

50: Ever used a gun? Nooo

51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? When I was 9 years old

52: Do you think musicals are cheesy? Some of them.

53: Is Christmas stressful? Not really

54: Ever eat a pierogi? Yess with Henry & Greg in San Francisco <3

55: Favorite type of fruit pie? Cherry or blueberry

56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? A cleaner only cuz mum once said they get paid a lot HAHA

57: Do you believe in ghosts? Yea friendly ones only

58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? I have a specific scenario I see every time I get it. I'm swinging back on the blue classroom chair in my year 7 classroom. The big windows are to the left and I'm at the front left of my class. I think Mrs Ralph or the other one was teaching. Every time.

59: Take a vitamin daily? No but I would if the gummies weren't so expensive and had enough nutrition in them

60: Wear slippers? no

61: Wear a bath robe? nono makes me look like an idiot

62: What do you wear to bed? The only thing I want to wear to bed for the rest of my life is the avocado toast oodie sleeping shirt that henry got me. It's so fucking ridiculously comfortable you have no idea

63: First concert? Die Antwoord in 2015 but if that doesn't count then apparently mum took me to see Hi-5 when I was little, I don't remember it tho

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Walmart if I'm in America, but in Australia I like Kmart for everything and Target for clothes and socks

65: Nike or Adidas? I don't really give a fuck to be honest but Nike aesthetic is more pleasing to me

66: Cheetos Or Fritos? I've never had fritos but I enjoy flamin hot cheetos

67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Neither, those textures are off putting to me. Too gritty

68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien? No is that French?

69: Ever take dance lessons? Yeees I did, at Denise Hollins Dance Company. I started when I was 3 or 4 and did Teddy Bears Picnic. I stopped and didn't start again til I was 8 turning 9. 2006 Jazz (I want Candy & Footloose) (Must've skipped 2007) 2008 - Tap (Here It Goes Again & Jump n Jive) Jazz (Moving thru Time & Get Up and Dance) Acrobats (Jump Shout Boogie) Finale (Move Shake Drop) 2009 - Jazz (Backstreets Back & Hocus Pocus) Intermediate Acrobats (Batman) Finale (Zombie) 2010 - (my last year forever) Advanced Acrobats - Gold :)

70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing? I picture Henry as a professional DJ <3

71: Can you curl your tongue? YA

72: Ever won a spelling bee? We don't have those here

73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy? Nooop

74: Own any record albums? A thank u next single and peach prc

75: Own a record player? nope

76: Regularly burn incense? Occasionally

77: Ever been in love? yessss henry

78: Who would you like to see in concert? ARIANA GRANDE

79: What was the last concert you saw? Peach PRC <3

80: Hot tea or cold tea? Cold!

81: Tea or coffee? I like the taste of tea better but I like the effects of coffee

82: Sugar or snickerdoodles? Don't know what that is

83: Can you swim well? Very well, I won champion girl at my primary school once

84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Of course.. I don't think anyone can't do this

85: Are you patient? I try to be yes

86: DJ or band, at a wedding? hmmmmmmm dj

87: Ever won a contest? Not a contest but a wax kit and some free goodies from norris for guessing the correct number hehe

88: Ever have plastic surgery? Nope only lip fillers 4 times. Dissolves way too quick for me tho

89: Which are better black or green olives? omg fuck I love both so much. my fave is marinated green olives

90: Can you knit or crochet? I do not

91: Best room for a fireplace? Living room I guess

92: Do you want to get married? I am :) already. married. hehe

93: If married, how long have you been married? um one month and four days

94: Who was your HS crush? Luke Ramljak <3

95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No that doesn't work

96: Do you have kids? I do not

97: Do you want kids? I think so. I'm very undecided still. Blairs so cute and I don't think my baby will be that cute hahaha

98: Whats your favorite color? Pppppink duh

99: Do you miss anyone right now? henry henry and henry even tho its only been 11 days

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

The Demigod From Asgard - Steve Rogers x Reader (Part 51)

Summary: There’s a lot to process when an old foe returns from the dead

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence! Bit of Angst! Languange!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics​

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 51: The Rat That Didn’t Drown

January for most people is the slowest month of the year. Yet for the Avengers it was a different situation. Many of you heading out on missions, and sending teams out to ones you couldn’t cover.

You were walking towards the tactical room to prep for yet another upcoming mission when Tony intercepted you.

“Ah, Elsa just the person I wanted to see,” Tony says turning on his heel to follow you.

“What is it Tony, I’m kinda busy at the moment,” you say tapping away at the tablet you held.

“I have a potential new recruit” he explains making you stop and turn to look at him raising a brow.

“Really? Who?” You ask.

“I don’t know what they call him but he’s strong, web-slinger, spider kinda vibe” Tony explains passing you a smaller tablet which showed a video of a hero stopping a speeding car.

“Interesting, what’s the name?” You say passing the tablet back and beginning to walk again.

“Peter Parker, he’s from Queens, a student at midtown high,” Tony says making you stop and face him again.

“Wait what? How old is this guy?” You ask holding your hand out to make him pause.

“15,” Tony says making you instantly roll your eyes.

“Tony he’s a kid! We can’t recruit him!” You exclaim.

“He’s already out there working though” Tony points out.

“As a friendly neighbour spiderman! He’s not dealing with terrorists and international arms dealers like we are” you argue shaking your head at him.

“What about just training?” Tony offers.

“No, he’s safer away from this, when he’s older we can consider recruiting him but not now,” you tell him firmly.

“If something happened to him it would be on our hands and I can’t have that, as much as it would be handy to have some extra hands you know this is a bad idea deep down” you sigh.

“Yeah you’re right, just wanted to float the idea by you” Tony sighs nodding his head.

“But keep monitoring him through, he might attract unwanted attention and if we can prevent that behind the scenes then let’s do it” you suggest.

“Got it,” Tony says saluting you “good luck on the mission”

“Thanks, stay outta trouble” you warn him playfully as you head back off.

“Sorry I’m late Stark ambushed me,” you say as you join the team in the tactical room.

“What did he want?” Steve asks raising a brow.

“It was nothing, I’ll explain later,” you say waving it off “so what’s the situation?”

“Standard terrorist cell, the word is however they’ve constructed bombs and other forms of weaponised tech” Nat explains pulling up the hologram of the base.

“Well, at least they had the decency to build their base away from everyone else” you mutter as you look down at the map.

“Means it’s more likely to be heavily guarded though” Steve points out.

“Thus more headaches for us” Nat adds.

“So what’s the plan?” Sam asks crossing his arms over his chest.

“Since we have the luxury of space we’re gonna draw them out, we’re gonna launch our main attack on this watch tower here. Rhodey, Vision and Sam attack them at all angles” Steve explains pointing at the hologram.

“When they start sending reinforcements Wanda I want you to use your powers to cause confusion, nothing too bad just disorientate them, make them easy for us to take out” Steve continues looking over at Wanda.

“Then we’re gonna perform a tactical retreat make them think they’re winning, spread them thin, this will allow Nat and Y/N to sneak in, steal the intel and set the bombs. Once they give the signal Sam and Rhodey you will fly in and pick them up. The rest of us should be out of the blast zone at the point ready to trigger the bombs” Steve finishes.

“Sound good?” He asks looking at everyone.

“Good, when do we head out?” Rhodey asks.

“Get what you need and we’ll go,” Steve says everyone nodding in agreement.

Once everyone else had left the room to gear up Steve turned to you putting a hand on your arm.

“Hey you okay, you seemed agitated when you walked in,” Steve says gently.

You let out a deep sigh “yeah, just Tony being his usual self again” you explain.

“What did he do?” Steve asks.

“He’s found this kid who’s got powers and he asked me about recruiting him, but I told him no because this kid is just far too young” you sigh shaking your head.

“Sometimes I just think Tony just acts without thinking things through, I mean look what happened with Ultron,” you say, Steve, nodding his head in agreement.

“I know, like sometimes I feel like Wanda is too young to be doing all this, and she’s in her 20s” Steve sighs in agreement.

“I told him no but to keep tabs on him for the future” you explain.

“Hey you did the right thing, so don’t worry about it, now c’mon let's go beat up some bad guys,” Steve says making you chuckle.

A few hours later you were in the middle of nowhere hiding up a tree waiting to sneak into the base. In the near distance, you could see the rest of the team attacking the watch tower.

“They’re sending more people out towards you guys,” Nat tells the team over the comms.

“Great, you guys head in and we’ll start pulling back” Steve responds.

“Ready Romanoff?” You ask.

“Let's go avatar,” Nat says making you chuckle.

You look down at the guards by the door near you. There were only two of them and no one else around. So you used your powers to make roots grow up and around them pinning them to the wall.

When you landed down beside them you knocked them out to ensure they did raise the alarm. You then snuck into the base utilising the dark corridors to slip past the guards. Any you did encounter were quickly and quietly taken out.

Once you made it to the weapons lab you slipped in. As you took down the first guy you used your powers to restrain the rest. One held a gun out at you, but you froze the barrel causing it to explode in his hand. Once they were disposed of you make quick work downloading the intel and setting the bombs.

“Nat, you done?” You ask into the comms.

“Yeah ready for extraction” Nat responds.

“We’re gonna need you guys to stall, we’re not out of the blast radius yet” you hear Steve say over the comms.

As you curse your turn to spot an agent standing in the doorway. Before you can react, he runs off raising the alarm.

“Shit, we don’t have time we’ve been made” you warn them.

“Rhodey and Sam don’t come for us I’ll get us out, focus on getting you guys clear now” you instruct running through the base “Nat meet me on the roof”

“What about the bombs?” Nat asks once you both get to the roof.

“Set them for a delayed detention,” you say tapping on the small tablet. 

“Ready?” Nat asks.

“Let’s go” you set setting the bombs off.

You then grabbed Nat and took off, flying as fast as you could away from the base. 45 seconds later the bombs detonated, and you could feel the heat of the explosion. Which was soon followed by the blast of air which hit the both of us making you lose control for a moment.

“Shit” you curse as you try and gain control but your landing was still rough. Both of you landed on a heap on the floor.

“You okay?” You ask Nat as you catch your breath.

“Yeah, I’m good just give me a minute” Nat pants, wincing slightly from her spot on the floor.

“You guys okay?” Sam asks as the team runs over to meet you.

“Peachy” you smirk as Steve helps you up.

“Well I’d say that was a success,” Nat says shrugging her shoulders.

“Definitely, now let's head back to the jet we can do a debrief in the morning” Steve nods his head in agreement.

You had just gotten back to the jet when you got an incoming message from one of your teams.

“Agent Gomez, how’d the mission go? Did you get the crossbones gang attacking the police stations?” You ask leaning over the pilot seat where Steve was sitting.

“They were gone before we arrived again, but they left stuff this time” Gomez explained.

“What do you mean they left stuff?” Steve asked confused.

“It’s hard to explain, it’s probably better if you guys came and had a look yourselves,” Gomez says.

“Alright, we’re not too far from your location so we’ll be there as soon as we can,” you say as you look up their coordinates.

The team dropped you off in the small town before making their way back to the compound.

As you approached you could see the cordons in place. Some of the agents kept the crowds back while others talked to the police. There were medics also on the ground tending to the wounded.

“Agent Gomez” you greet when you spot him talking to one of the officers.

“Thank you for coming” Gomez greets shaking both your hands.

“Looks likes they caused a lot of chaos, any fatalities?” Steve asks glancing around.

“No just a few officers were wounded but nothing major” Gomez explains as the three of you walk towards the station.

“So what is it that they left?” Steve asks as you step inside.

“This” Gomez says pointing to the break area.

The entire station was trashed but in the break area, there was Avengers-themed graffiti. The thing that caught your eye though was the dartboard with a picture of Steve pinned to it. Darts sticking out across his face.

“And that wasn’t there before,” Steve asks pointing at the dart board.

“No according to the captain of the station, they locked all the officers up in the holding cell before stealing their weapons and trashing the place” Gomez explains.

You furrow your brows as you looked around at it all. None of it made sense.

“They haven’t trashed any other stations they’ve hit have they?” You ask rubbing your chin in thought.

“No, they’ve been very methodical in the past” Gomez confirms.

“And it was definitely the same people, not a copycat group,” Steve asks hands on his hips.

“All the statements we’ve collected so far match the profile we’ve made,” Gomez says.

“It almost seems like they’re trying to get our attention,” you say thinking out loud.

“You think they’re just trying to make a name for themselves, get themselves caught,” Steve asks looking over at you.

“Maybe, lots of serial killers make conscious mistakes for the same reason” Gomez agrees.

“Let’s continue gathering evidence then see if they’ve given us anything else” Steve instructs. 

A couple of days later you and Steve were sat in his office looking over all the evidence collected related to the crossbones gang. You were getting nowhere, and it was getting frustrating.

“There must be something we’re missing” you huff in annoyance collapsing back onto the couch.

“I know, they seem to have a vendetta against us which doesn’t really narrow it down” Steve sighs running his hand through his hair.

“Well it was you who was on the dartboard, is there anyone you’ve specifically pissed off?” You ask.

“Just the entirety of Hydra, but these guys aren’t affiliated with Hydra so that doesn’t help,” Steve says with a light chuckle.

Your conversation was then interrupted by someone knocking at the door. As you look over you see Sam poking his head in.

“Hey, Sam what’s up?” You ask sitting up.

“I was just watching some of the news coverage from that last police station attack and they showed a clip of the attackers leaving and you can hear them talking,” Sam says walking over.

“Do they say anything useful?” Steve asks sitting up.

“No, but listen to crossbones’ voice” Sam says playing the clip.

As you watch the video of the gang leaving the station you can hear crossbones shouting orders to his men. You realise with a start that you recognise his voice but you couldn’t place where from.

“I recognise that voice,” Steve says his brows furrowed in thought.

“I’ll admit it’s a bit gravelly than it used to be but you’d expect that after a building collapsed on you,” Sam says and you finally put the pieces together.

“Rumlow?” You say not believing it.

“I thought he was dead, his dog tags were in the rubble,” Steve says shocked.

“It was on the records that he did, but I did a little digging and found that they recovered a person who was burnt all over and non-identifiable, John Doe then once recovered enough assaulted his nurse and left the hospital” Sam explains.

“Yeah that sounds like Rumlow” Steve sighs shaking his head.

“And it explains why it was you on the dartboard” you add.

“Well we know who we’re going to be focusing on from this point onwards” Steve sighs leaning back in his chair.

“Do you want me to prep the team?” Sam asks.

“No it’s fine, there seems to be a month or so gap between the attacks so we have time to plan and work out our next steps,” Steve says shaking his head.

As you watched him you could see his mind ticking over as the information sunk in. You knew him well enough to see the emotions bubbling under the surface.

“Thanks, Sam you did a good job,” you say giving him a small smile.

He nods his head glancing over at Steve before heading out. You look back over at Steve to see the nerve in his jaw twitching as he thought.

“Hey, you okay?” You ask reaching over and putting your hand on his knee.

“Hmm yeah I’m fine,” Steve says forcing a smile.

You both knew he was lying but you decided to just leave it for now and not push it. Knowing he needed time to digest the information you’d just learnt.

“Hey, I was thinking of heading to the gym and training for a bit if you want to join,” you say standing up.

“Yeah sounds good I’ll meet you down there,” Steve says nodding his head in agreement.

“Okay well, I’ll see you down there then,” you tell him moving over to wrap your arm around his shoulders and kiss the top of his head.

He gives you another small smile wrapping his arm around you before you step away.

“See you in a bit doll” Steve smiles as you head out.

It was about an hour later when Steve joined you in the compound gym. At which point you were sparing with Nat. He greeted the both of you before wrapping up his hands and moving over to the punching bags. His workout started pretty casually but soon enough he started attacking the bag with more vigour.

“So what’s up with cap?” Nat asks as you took a water break on the other side of the gym.

“Rumlow is alive,” you tell her quietly.

“I thought he got buried under the Triskelion, they found his dog tags,” Nat says furrowing her brows.

“Well somehow he survived whether he lost his dog tags on purpose or not I don’t know, I just can’t believe he’s been out there all this time” you sigh shaking your head.

“And I’m guessing he didn’t take the news well,” Nat says glancing over at Steve.

“I don’t know, he was definitely shocked so I think he’s just processing it all” you sigh shrugging your shoulders.

“Well let’s hope for Stark’s bank account it doesn’t take too long,” Nat says just as Steve rips the bag open.

“Steve pays for them now, Tony refused to pay for anymore,” you tell her making her snort in laughter quieter.

“Anyway let’s get back to training, I have a feeling Rumlow won’t go easy” you sigh heading back over to the sparring mat.

Steve remained quiet the rest of the day, keeping himself busy. When the two of you sat down to eat dinner you watched as he pushed his food around his plate. You knew just how bad his mind must be for him to not to eat at all.

“Steve, what is it?” You ask reaching out over the table to touch his arm.

Steve glances up at you before looking back down with a deep sigh shaking his head slightly.

“This news about Rumlow, it just- its-“ he sighs shaking his head.

“A lot to take in” you finish for him earning a small smile from him.

“Yeah” he sighs in agreement.

“How are you feeling about it all?” You ask him hand moving to hold his.

“I don’t know, so many different things, at first I was angry that he got free, especially when I remembered everything he did, but then I thought that maybe he knows something about Bucky, and what if he’s what finally leads us to Bucky” Steve explains.

You get up from your seat moving to stand beside him wrapping your arm around his shoulder.

“Don’t beat yourself up about him getting away, we knew that lots of rats didn’t go down. And if he does know something about Bucky then we’ll get it from him one way or another because I promise that we will find him. And just remember this, that fact we haven’t found Bucky is a good sign because it means he’s still free” you remind him.

“I just wish he was here, it was bad enough waking up in this century with all my memories, I can’t imagine how it must be with no or broken memories” Steve sighs shaking his head.

“And we’ll help him together, we’ll do everything we can to make his new life free from Hydra and everything they’ve done to him a good one,” you tell him squeezing his shoulder.

Steve smiles up at you before moving you so you were sat across his lap. Wrapping his arms around you tightly, burying his head in the crook of your neck. You smile as you wrap your arms around him, just holding onto him.

“Thank you” he sighs kissing your shoulder.

“It’s nothing I’d do anything for you, wherever you go, I’ll go,” you tell him as he looks up to meet your gaze.

He smiles before cupping your cheek and pulling your lips to his for a sweet kiss.

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Series Masterlist / Masterlist

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[gogmstuff]

1810s dress -

Top:  Lady Hilgrove Turner by ? (Jersey Museum and Art Gallery - St Helier, Jersey, UK). From artuk.org 959X1200 @72 198kj.

Second row left:  1810 Mrs. Margaret Mair by Henry Raeburn (University of Louisville, Speed Art Museum - Louisville, Kentucky, USA). From tumblr.com/blog/view/lavenderiscalming 1184X1500 @72 406kj.

Second row right:  1815 Agalé-Constance Boudard by Adèle Romany (location ?). From tumblr.com/blog/view/lenkaastrelenkaa/693273842257395712

Third row:  1816 Woman, three-quarter length, in an elegant black velvet dress with lace trim by Jean-Baptiste-Paulin Guérin (Sotheby's - 27Jan22 auction Lot 51). Erased spots w Pshp 1538X2000 @300 772kj.

Fourth row:  1816 Ekaterina Pavlovna, future Queen of Württemberg by Henri-François Riesener (Tver Regional Art Gallery - Tver, Tver Oblast, Russia). From tumblr.com/blog/view/history-of-fashion 1719X2000 @72 654kj.

Fifth row:  1819 Rosalia Klieber by Carl Peter Goebel the Elder (Belvedere - Wien, Austria). From tumblr.com/blog/view/costumedufilm; erased cracks & spots w Pshop 2048X2581 @72 1.3Mj. Skirts are no longer free flowing muslin.

[badlydrawnmanic]

this wasn’t an ask, but i thought it would be cool to go over the whole hedgehog family in this universe! details under the cut!

from left to right, we have...

- uncle chuck (51): brother to jules, bernie, and paulie. he’s the oldest sibling of the four and lives in a little shack on the edge of knothole forest. he’s usually working on simple robots and electronics, finding ways to improve things that already exist. he took care of sonic for the first 12 years of his life, so the two of them are very close!

- queen aleena (40): mother of the triplets and the only child of the current monarchy (it’s less of an absolute power thing and more like whatever britain has going on where the queen is more of a public figure). she and her husband have been through a lot, but things have calmed down recently, especially now that her son is acting as mobius’ resident hero! though she may seem ordinary, she’s actually very skilled in the use of magic, and isn’t nearly as helpless as you might think!

- jules (38): father of the triplets and the youngest of the adult siblings. he was the first person to ever be roboticized at age 22, shortly after the triplets were born and eggman first started causing problems. sadly, it cannot be reversed due to an injury he sustained just before being transformed (trust me, they’ve tried), but he's had some work done since his initial roboticization (thanks to chuck), and can stretch his limbs in a similar way to the werehog. it makes for some really good group hugs!

- manic, sonic, and sonia (all 16): you know these guys! while they were all born at the same time, technically sonia was born first, followed by sonic and manic respectively. aleena’s magic seems to have been passed down to them, affecting sonic the most with his intense super speed and other powers. sonia has enhanced strength and speed, though she isn’t as powerful as sonic, and... well, manic seems to have gotten the short end of the stick, but he still has more stamina and can run a little faster than the average person, despite his somewhat lax lifestyle.

- tails (8): while not related by blood, sonic’s taken him into the family, treating the kid as a little brother of sorts! he doesn’t interact with the family as a whole very much, but he does get invited to reunions when they happen!

- bernadette “bernie” (39): the only female sibling of the four blood relative adults, bernie acts as the cool aunt to the triplets and a somewhat annoying older sister to jules, teasing him when they were younger. today, she’s a successful explorer, and she actually took part in the investigation into the mystic ruins! she’s usually travelling the world, but when she comes home, she always has cool gifts for her loved ones!

- muttski (6): just a dopey, lovable mutt of a dog that lives with paulie and his family on their property. he isn’t that good at being a guard dog, but he’s really good with kids and loves a good nap! he’s a bit spoiled when it comes to food, and he usually makes off with some portion of the family’s supper one way or another.

- paul “paulie” (47): the second oldest adult sibling, he lives on a farm with his wife and two children. he works for the region’s postal service, delivering mail by air in his biplane! he’s always wearing an aviator jacket and carries a pipe, but he never seems to be smoking anything with it. he doesn’t see sonic or the triplets a lot, but when he does, he loves to tell bad jokes and he has the loudest, heartiest dad laugh you could ever imagine.

- nicholas “nikki” (12): paulie’s young son. he’s very quiet and pretty anxious, but he looks up to sonic very much, wanting to be like him when he grows up. unfortunately, he has a somewhat severe case of asthma and isn’t known to be very graceful or athletic. still, he doesn’t let that stop him, taking his time off of school to go exploring the forest with his little sister!

- tania (6): nikki’s little sister, tania is excitable and full of energy with a very powerful personality. she isn’t afraid of anything, despite her age and how small she is, and looks up to amy as her personal hero. her dream is to join her on her adventures when she’s old enough, and is very excited to bust up some badniks!

- brenda (43): the wife of paulie and mother of nikki and tania, brenda owns and operates a little bakery in a town near to their family home. she loves baking and gardening, and is the only character here (besies muttski) that isn’t related to sonic by blood. she’s a bit concerned about the effect he has on her children, but supports their adventurous nature nonetheless. :)