#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.

[roryzlittles1ut]

I..I just wanna know what happened to Speed Queen 51. It said it released last year and..it’s still not there. I haven’t even heard anything abt it either 💔

[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!

[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.

Sharing is caring so please reblog if you enjoyed this and maybe even leave a comment to make my day!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

I don’t have a tag list so follow @secretswiftymarvelfanlibrary​ and turn on post notifications for updates!

[crawlthesky]

BAKUTEN SHOOT BEYBLADE  Screencaps

source: DVD rip resolution: 832x624 file type: .jpg (batch-converted from .png) image count / file size: Overall: 29,517 screencaps / 6.6GB Individual: see the read more

Bonus: DVD Extras ♥ zip 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11 Other ♥ zip 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74

♥ “Why are there virtually no screencaps for episode 29?” Because it’s a recap episode, and I refuse to screencap the entirety of a recap episode. I refuse!!! ♥ If you have any problems with the download links, let me know, and I’ll toss you an alternate link or split them smaller or something. ♥ Have fun making a buttload of icons or edits or whatever.

Eyecatches → 18 screencaps / 3MB Title Cards → 51 screencaps / 16MB

01: Explosive Battle! Go Shoot! → 683 screencaps / 161MB 02: Howl Seiryuu! The Birth of Dragoon! → 612 screencaps / 132MB 03: A New Friend, His Name is Max → 703 screencaps / 156MB 04: Opening! Battle Tournament → 469 screencaps / 103MB 05: Crash! Max vs. Kai → 462 screencaps / 102MB 06: Sweep! Dragoon Storm → 508 screencaps / 111MB 07: Takao vs. Kai, Confrontation of Fate → 545 screencaps / 129MB 08: Formation! BBA Team to the World → 655 screencaps / 149MB 09: A New Holy Beast, the White Tiger Family → 501 screencaps / 114MB 10: Run Up There! The Asian Tournament → 498 screencaps / 109MB 11: Rei, The White Tiger is Lost! → 533 screencaps / 93MB 12: Goodbye, BBA Team! → 542 screencaps / 124MB 13: Cry Out Rei! Howl White Tiger! → 647 screencaps / 139MB 14: Defaults? A BBA Team Division → 576 screencaps / 132MB 15: A Battle to the Finish! For the Top of Asia! → 688 screencaps / 146MB 16: White Tiger vs. Mountain Cat → 467 screencaps / 109MB 17: Final Battle! Jet-Black Lightning → 656 screencaps / 136MB 18: He is Defeated! Small Blader → 530 screencaps / 125MB 19: Landing, a New Battlefield! → 601 screencaps / 142MB 20: The Shivering American Power → 666 screencaps / 159MB 21: Intensive Training! Seeking New Battle Power! → 482 screencaps / 131MB 22: President vs. Worldwide Selection → 810 screencaps / 196MB 23: Opening! American Tournament → 613 screencaps / 146MB 24: American Hero Michael’s Power → 613 screencaps / 136MB 25: Semi-Final, Super High-Speed Circuit! → 655 screencaps / 153MB 26: Crash! The American Tournament Final → 438 screencaps / 104MB 27: The Hot, Scorching Scorpion → 405 screencaps / 93MB 28: Conclusion! The American Tournament → 466 screencaps / 105MB 29: BBA: What’s Left After the Heated Battle → 49 screencaps / 10MB 30: The One Who Follows the Holy Beast → 643 screencaps / 149MB 31: Going on a Journey to Europe, and a Disturbance → 546 screencaps / 120MB 32: Assault! Bladers of Darkness! → 689 screencaps / 138MB 33: The Corps of Black Shadow → 549 screencaps / 115MB 34: The Gorgeous Holy Beast → 616 screencaps / 148MB 35: Duel in the Coliseum → 573 screencaps / 133MB 36: Crush It! Anpisbainer → 642 screencaps / 163MB 37: Blader for the Queen → 614 screencaps / 141MB 38: Formation! The Strongest European Team → 724 screencaps / 173MB 39: Decide! Power to Victory → 689 screencaps / 165MB 40: Deciding Area Russia → 647 screencaps / 152MB 41: Here It Comes! The Door of Memory → 701 screencaps / 185MB 42: The Person Who Desires the Strongest → 516 screencaps / 114MB 43: The Nightmare Ceremony Match → 582 screencaps / 139MB 44: Goodbye, Kai! → 554 screencaps / 128MB 45: Duel at Baikal Lake → 626 screencaps / 143MB 46: Borg Invasion! → 562 screencaps / 134MB 47: Meeting Again! European Team → 581 screencaps / 148MB 48: Kai’s Selection → 549 screencaps / 129MB 49: Scream of the White Tiger → 596 screencaps / 141MB 50: The Snowfield of Revelations → 524 screencaps / 122MB 51: BeyBlade Eternally → 652 screencaps / 144MB

[culkin-rory]

speed queen 51 trailer

[bookish-artist]

Hi!

I just found your blog and loving it! Could you maybe answer all those questions since I'm new here? 🙏🏼

Well welcome! And of course I can, thank you for asking so nicely mon ami ❤️

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

Closed, always

2: Do you take the shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotel?

No my hair is picky

3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

Um well they're tucked in at the end, not on the sides

4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before?

No not my vibe of decor

5: Do you like to use post-it notes?

Yes way too much tbh

6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

No I'm not really a coupon user

7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?

Probably a bear. I feel like a single creature is easier to get away from than a swarm, if escape is plausible

8: Do you have freckles?

I do not

9: Do you always smile for pictures?

Yes

10: What is your biggest pet peeve?

Cutting me off/talking over me.

11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

No never

12: Have you ever peed in the woods?

Yes

13: What about pooped in the woods?

No

14: Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing?

Occasionally yes

15: Do you chew your pens and pencils?

I chew my pens *sometimes* but not my pencils

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

1

17: What size is your bed?

Queen

18: What is your song of the week?

Loud - The Home Team

19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink?

Of course!

20: Do you still watch cartoons?

Oh yeah

21: Whats your least favorite movie?

Talladega Nights, can't stand it

22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

Probably on my family's land

23: If you’re a girl, bra size? If you’re a guy, pants size?

42DD

24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

Depends on the restaurant I get them from, different places have different favorites lol

25: What is your favorite food?

Mexican, specifically enchiladas

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

Oh gods.. Pride and Prejudice, any of the Winnie the Pooh movies, old school Disney, Phantom of the Opera, there's just so so many lol

27: Last person you kissed/kissed you?

My fwb 😆

28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

Nope

29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

Sure why not?

30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

Hmm, probably in elementary school. We did that write a soldier program and that's the last vivid memory I have of writing a letter

31: Can you change the oil on a car?

Nope

32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

Yes

33: Ever ran out of gas?

No, I always have at least a quarter in there

34: Favorite kind of sandwich?

Turkey, cheese, lettuce, mayo, jalapenos

35: Best thing to eat for breakfast?

Sunny side up egg on an everything bagel with orange juice, maybe some bacon

36: What is your usual bedtime?

Between 11:30-12

37: Are you lazy?

No

38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?

My first costume ever was a hershey kiss! Then I was a power ranger, pirate, Belle, witch, cat, dog, wolf, red riding hood, Ghost face, pumpkin king, angel, devil, fairy.. I've done a little bit of everything 😅

39: What is your Chinese astrological sign?

Um sign of the rat I think? '96 baby ✌🏼

40: Are you horny?

At this very moment?? No lol

41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

Not currently no, eyeballing a couple

42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs?

Legos, duh

43: Are you stubborn?

Me? Stubborn? Never 🙄

44: Who is better…Leno or Letterman?

Ew neither

45: Ever watch soap operas?

No not really my thing. Unless you count k dramas

46: Are you afraid of heights?

I don't love them, but they're not a fear

47: Do you sing in the car?

Full on karaoke show

48: Do you sing in the shower?

Karaoke show part 2

49: Do you dance in the car?

Way way too often 😂

50: Ever used a gun?

Yes, I'm a good shot too 😏

51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

Probably my uncle's wedding like 10+ years ago

52: Do you think musicals are cheesy?

Absolutely not, I love them! One of my favorite genres ever

53: Is Christmas stressful?

When you wait until the very last minute like I did yes 😮‍💨

54: Ever eat a pierogi?

I have not actually, I'll have to add that to the list

55: Favorite type of fruit pie?

I'm not a big pie person

56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

Marine biologist, ballerina, librarian

57: Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes

58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

Frequently, it's a little unsettling actually

59: Take a vitamin daily?

No

60: Wear slippers?

Sometimes

61: Wear a bath robe?

Also sometimes lol

62: What do you wear to bed?

Either sweatpants and a tee or just a tee

63: First concert?

Panic at the Disco!

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?

Walmart

65: Nike or Adidas?

Both

66: Cheetos Or Fritos?

Cheetos

67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

Well I'm allergic to nuts and I don't eat sunflower seeds, sooo 😂

68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien?

No never

69: Ever take dance lessons?

Yes

70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

I don't really care honestly, as long as they can help pay bills and have some ambition in life in gemeral

71: Can you curl your tongue?

Yes 😇

72: Ever won a spelling bee?

No

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

Of course

74: Own any record albums?

Not yet!

75: Own a record player?

Soon!

76: Regularly burn incense?

Yes

77: Ever been in love?

Yes

78: Who would you like to see in concert? Ghost, Bad Omens, Hozier, BTS

79: What was the last concert you saw?

Panic at the disco back on 2016

80: Hot tea or cold tea?

Hot tea

81: Tea or coffee?

Coffee, iced, extra milk extra sugar please thanks

82: Sugar or snickerdoodles?

Snickerdoodles are god tier

83: Can you swim well?

Well enough

84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

Yes

85: Are you patient?

Ehh that could use some work

86: DJ or band, at a wedding?

DJ for sure

87: Ever won a contest?

Not that I remember

88: Ever have plastic surgery?

Not yet

89: Which are better black or green olives?

Don't make me choose

90: Can you knit or crochet?

No but I want to learn to crochet

91: Best room for a fireplace?

Bedroom

92: Do you want to get married?

Maybe

93: If married, how long have you been married?

Single af

94: Who was your HS crush?

He was one of my best friends senior year and nothing ever happened :/ come to find out he almost kissed me one day bc he liked me so much but he never did 🤦🏼‍♀️

95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?

No

96: Do you have kids?

Nooo

97: Do you want kids?

NOOO

98: Whats your favorite color?

Green

99: Do you miss anyone right now?

Yes

Hope this gives you some insight! If you wanna know more you're always welcome to ask 😊

[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

[grumpygreenwitch]

The Fairy and the Prince #11 + #12 + #13 + #14 + #15 + #16

Part 1 - Part 2 - Parts 3 & 4 - Part 5 - Part 6, 7 & 8 - Part 9 & 10 - Part 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16 - Part 17, 18, & 19 - Part 20, 21 & 22 - Part 23, 24, 25 & 26 - Part 27, 28, 29 & 30 - Part 31, 32, 33 & 34 - Part 35, 36 & 37 - Part 38, 39, 40 & 41 - Part 42 & 43 - Part 44 & 45 - Part 46 & 47 - Part 48, 49, 50 & 51 - Part, 52, 53 & 54 - Part 55 & 56 - Part 57, 58, 59 & 60 - Part 61, 62, 63, 64 & 65 - Part 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 & 72

This is a far larger update than usual, not out of author’s generosity (I’m a horrible goblin and I have a reputation to uphold!) but because as I was doing the speed-editing two of the chapters ended up as four.

It was a close thing. Adam hardly had time to strip off his filthy clothing and put on a robe before Leminy began pounding on the door. Beli rubbed his face and hair with a damp cloth, but at least that only helped make it look like he was sleep-tousled, and the fact that Dane stumbled out behind him looking barely awake helped as well. They lined up like obedient soldiers before the Master of Scions and four unsmiling guards. Leminy could, of course, ask where Arditty was, but Culli was the lady's to command, and she could only admit that she'd been commanded to stay with the boys.

Leminy couldn't even be displeased that Adam was where he was supposed to be, though the young prince got himself a blistering earful about eschewing his studies for the sake of a nap, of all things. He did his best to look properly chastised. But in the end, Lemony-Leminy actually looked relieved. None of his charges were missing, a victory he counted well won when he'd already begun to realize his job might not end up with the choosing of a king, but with far too many funerals.

Culli said nothing. Adam tried to speak to her, but she merely lifted up a hand, her basket of mending tucked under an arm. "Do you know what you're doing, highness?"

"I know Linden's my friend," Adam admitted slowly. "And I know I'm never going to be king, Culli. There's too many others here that'll beat me to it, even if I wanted to be."

She caught his chin and gave him a deep, unreadable look. "'Never' is a very dangerous word, highness. Don't use it unless you mean it, unless you know for sure all that 'never' is and can be and will be. Particularly not with them involved."

"Linden's not like them."

"Maybe so. I don't know, I can't tell. I know you wouldn't call just anyone a friend, so I'm willing to believe, a little. But you can't blame me for telling you to be so, so careful."

"I am. I will be. Thank you, Culli."

She smiled wryly, shook her head at him, and left. Arditty was found playing ball-toss with her friends in an inner courtyard, and of course they all accounted for one another, so nothing came of that, either. The source of the screaming in the woods was not found.

***

It took three days until Boul found Adam.

Disheartened at Linden's absence from the woods, Adam spent his time trying his best to apply himself to the things he ought to be learning. It was no secret that the youngest prince had no ambition for the crown, and none of the others considered him competition so much as they thought of him as a convenient weathervane: as long as Adam were there, they knew they still had a fighting chance for the crown. He was left out of the dueling, the poisonings, and the general and vicious backstabbing that was beginning to escalate under the Queen Dowager's watchful and ruthless eye.

Prince Ather went into the woods at sunset on the second day, and he didn't come back.

Adam was helping Culli spin wool when the maid dropped her spindle. He snatched it out of midair instinctively, broken out of his dour haze by the unlikeliest of mishaps, and looked up at her from where he sat, bare feet kicking idly into a stone-lined pond while she sat on a graceful bench next to the water.

"Highness, your friends are here," she managed to inform him, her voice a little croaky.

Adam whipped around. Boul was hiding behind the plinth of a statue, a dancing lady wrapped in veils of gossamer granite.

"Boul!" he cried out gladly, rushing over. He slammed himself chest-first into the young troll, what he'd been taught was a proper troll greeting, and staggered back. "Boul, what are you wearing?" he asked after a moment, caught by surprise.

Boul rumbled. He didn't have the finesse of Linden, and he didn't belong, as Adam did. Knowing he was unlikely to make it far into the palace grounds without being discovered, he'd managed to wrangle himself into a pair of pants that barely fit his legs in width, but which he'd had to roll up nearly to the knee so he wouldn't trip on them. He'd snagged from somewhere a coat that dragged behind him but hardly covered his arms to just above the elbow, and he'd found a muddy, forgotten scarf that he'd bundled up around his face and head. "No good at hiding," he admitted at last, as usual the soft croak of his voice a startling contrast to the rough look of him. Then he looked up, and shrank warily behind the statue.

Adam turned. Culli clapped her hands to her mouth, her eyes going very wide.

"It's fine, Boul. This is Culli-maid, she's good. Culli, this is Boul. It's short for Boulders."

"F'r brains," Boul completed, rapping lightly on his skull with his knuckles and provoking a stone-on-stone sound.

Culli pressed her lips closed very, very tightly, because despite her shock and fear some part of her wanted to laugh at the name. And it was a startlingly large part. "How do you do," she greeted, curtsying.

Boul went very red behind his scarf, and retreated even further behind the plinth, and Culli found herself perhaps a little charmed.

"Boul, what's wrong? Is Linden in trouble?"

Boul shook his head and stretched out a long arm to point at the water mill in the Royal Gardens.

Adam looked that way, frowning. If that was all, why hadn't Linden come? Boul, however, spoke as slowly as water grinds stone down, and he still had his baby habit of falling asleep mid-sentence. That, again, was nothing against the troll; he was a troll, and that was his nature. But it did make it hard to get an abundance of news out of him. The prince turned, his steps growing hurried.

"Highness, your shoes!" Culli cried.

"It's fine, I won't need them!" Adam turned to look at her, running backwards briefly for a moment before turning and sprinting at full speed. Boul ran with him, but quickly fell behind, hampered by the clothing. Adam waited for him under the cover of the Garden hedge, and then helped him get out of every garment. "This was very clever, Boul."

"Itchy," the troll admitted, but he'd puffed up with pride. He carefully took the coat from Adam and set it aside. "Giving it back," he explained.

"Oh," Adam felt a little sheepish. "I didn't even think of that. You put me to shame sometimes, Boul." He bumped a fist to the young troll's shoulder, who rumbled low and bumped him back, very carefully. It still staggered the prince a step.

They ran through the gardens, where it was far easier to avoid being seen and heard, going around bushes and trees and statues, until they reached the shady corner where the water mill stood. It was actually a fully working mill, but it had been locked until such a time as a miller for it could be found. The wheel still moved outside, and there were benches and flowers all around it. The door was meant to be barred so wild animals could not come in from the woods, but the window shutters were easy enough to pry open. Inside, the floor was covered in wood shavings and it still smelled as if the whole thing had been newly finished the day before. Sunlight arrowed in through the gaps, both decorative and accidental, in the shutters.

"Linden?" Adam called out into the dappled dark, scrabbling not to fall as he climbed down from the window.

"Adam!" Linden crashed into him in a glad hug. "Where's Boul?"

"Outside. Help me unbar the door for him, he won't make the window." They moved to do just that, and Adam jerked in surprise when a third pair of hands joined them, but he didn't have the breath to spare for questions at the moment. With the door unbarred the young troll scuttled in... and immediately as far away from the newcomer as the airy space allowed.

"Maybe we should leave it unbarred. This would be a nice place for Boul," Linden mused, looking about them after they closed the door and rested the bar off to one side.

Adam examined the stranger. He was guessing the stranger was examining him, too, but he couldn't tell: they had such a wild mass of bright, curly red hair that the rough woolen cap on their head smushed it partially over their face, hiding most of their features under it. There were no eyes to see, there was only the curl over the lip that said there had to be a nose under there. Like Linden and Boul, they wore what looked like castoffs, clothes chance-found and stolen from a clothesline. Unlike his friends, the newcomer had made an effort to make them fit. The shirt sat comfortably on bony shoulders and fit the long, spindly arms. It wasn't tied or buttoned, though. Gray wrappings secured it around long, pointed fingers armed with blackened claws. The pants were bound around their -her, Adam realized, they were a her- her waist with a broad leather belt randomly studded with brass and copper bits, silver and even a single gold button. No iron, of course. It was impossible to tell if the ears were pointed or rounded, only that one of them had a wooden hoop threaded through with a single human knucklebone.

"Linden, won't ye introduce me to yuir friend?" Teeth, so many teeth, flashed in the dark when the stranger spoke, her mouth seeming to open nearly to her ears.

Adam spoke before Linden could. "Is that really your mouth?"

Linden gasped. The stranger's mouth widened in a smile, it widened and grew and curled at the corners, wider beyond what should have fit on her face. Teeth like glassy, broken needles, stuck too close together, filled that smile an gleamed at the young prince. "'Tis," she said with just a hint of malevolent glee. "Pretty, aye?"

"It's absolutely awesome!" Adam replied in naked awe.

She faltered. Visibly.

"Adam, this is Needlemaw." Linden chewed on their lip, a nervous habit they'd picked up from Adam.

Needlemaw didn't know what to say or do. Her life was short by her people's counting, it was one of the main reasons she was there: she was old enough to be a warrior, but young enough to relate to Linden and their friends; that, at least, was the hope of those who'd sent her. But in all her living she'd only ever dealt with the adults of Adam's world. When they faced her, they were of an age to have their beliefs set in stone - their beliefs, their mistakes, and their fears.

Adam had none of those. Teetering on the edge of his first brush with adulthood, and certainly saddled with grown-up concerns as he was, the prince was still only twelve years old. More, the foundations on which his response to Needlemaw were grounded were, though he didn't know it, half-truth and half-lie. On the one hand he believed Linden would keep him safe, always, no matter what.

In Needlemaw's case, that was absolutely a lie; she was the oldest of all the fairies present, powerful enough within her nature that she could have beaten them all, Boul included, without a second thought. Or even a first.

But Adam's admiration was utterly true, completely honest. He was twelve. The sight of Needlemaw's primary attribute was, to him, something to be admired, like the fine craftmanship of a sword. A wise person doesn't blame the sword for being sharp and lethal.

In all her life, Needlemaw had never been admired for what she was. Feared, yes. Shunned, often. Dismissed, disdained, distrusted, more times than even one of her kind will rightly tolerate. Called 'awesome'? Adam was the first. A frisson of an unknown emotion kindled and flowed through her. It would be a while before she'd be able to put the name of 'pride' to it. "Aye, all mine."

"I bet you could bite a sword in half!"

Needlemaw, who'd done exactly that in at least two separate occasions, chortled. "I can too!" she agreed gleefully. "But I prefer some nice crispy fish."

"Oh, the skin all charred and crackly," Adam agreed, immediately distracted. "And stuffed with mushrooms -"

"Drizzled with oil and some fresh wild herby-herbs -"

"With nice roasty taters on the side -"

Boul whined, made hungry by this talk, and it seemed only reasonably to go fishing after that.

***

Needlemaw, Linden told Adam, was to come with them at all times.

"This is because of the kelpie, isn't it," Adam said after a while. Across their small fire, they both watched as Needlemaw put a whole trout in her mouth, tail-first, and pulled out only the head and the skeleton without ever moving her jaws. Boul 'ooooh'd in awe. "She's your bodyguard, like."

Linden, sitting next to him, arms wrapped around their legs and fingers tangled around their muddy toes, nodded without looking at Adam.

"They don't seem terribly strict or anything," Adam suggested. "Are they the sort to forbid you to do things?"

"Needle? Never." Linden rested their head on their knees. "But she's, you know. People don't like her, they don't like her kind. They snarl and she snarls back. It's going to make everything complicated."

"My people or your people or them?" Adam asked pointedly. He had a guess as to what Linden's bodyguard was, but as with all things Linden, he didn't want to ask. For one thing, it felt as if it would be terribly rude and for another, to name things was to give them power.

"Nobody. Well, we don't care either way, but that's because we don't ever really come together with her people. But your people and the Court. The Court least of all."

"The Court only likes the Court," Needlemaw suddenly said from across the fire.

"Do you mean harm to Linden?" Adam asked bluntly.

The mass of wild curls shifted minutely, and a moment later Needlemaw laughed. "I'm here to protect the wee sapling, highness. Are ye going to ask after my intentions next? Who's taught ye to ask questions, Boulders-for-Brains here?"

"Don't call me that, please," Adam said stiffly. "I'm Adam, like Linden and I said. I'm not a prince."

Needlemaw went still and silent. "I beg yuir pardon, Adam."

"Thank you," the prince replied.

"Don't ye like being a prince?"

"No. I don't want to be king. It's just a reminder that I didn't even choose for it to happen to me."

"True enough," Needlemaw said evenly. "'Twill come for ye someday, though. Oblivion or not."

"Yes, but that's not today, and it's not tomorrow, and that's fine for now." Adam stretched his feet toward the fire. "So you're important," he turned to look at Linden.

"Ynoes," Linden hid their mouth behind their knees, arms curled tight, spine rigid.

Adam blew out an exasperated sigh at an uniquely Linden word. "Linden."

"I'm me," they snapped at him tartly. "I don't want to be important, I didn't ask to be important."

Adam closed his mouth and looked at Needlemaw, who shrugged lightly. "Well, I don't mind Needlemaw. And it could be worse," he pointed out.

"Worse than having a nanny?!" Linden exclaimed.

"Yes!" Adam flung an arm towards Needlemaw. "You can't make friends with a nanny, Linden! You could've got a nanny, you got a bodyguard instead!" He eyed Needlemaw. "Can you climb?"

"Uh, why?" The fairy was suddenly feeling very cautious.

Adam scoffed. "Well, you're not going to do your job very well if you can't climb."

***

Needlemaw, as it turned out, could climb. She was also dead afraid of heights.

"You must have climbed some before!" Adam shot at her when she stalled them yet again, pressed tight against a cornice, her limbs locked and trembling.

"Aye, when there was a point, a reason, a goal!" she snarled back at the prince. She had scrabbled over fortress walls with her kin on many occasions, to overrun the defenders and feast on the defeated. She had clambered over and through many sorts of structures and almost every type of home, both fairy and mortal, chasing whoever fled before the tide of her people. But she'd never had time to look down before.

On the roof above them Linden peeked down, expression as unreadable as the language of trees was to Adam.

Adam sighed. They couldn't keep doing this; it wasn't just that they weren't getting anything fun done, it was also dangerous. He wasn't sure if a fall from a good height would kill Needlemaw, but he would have wagered his desserts for the entire week that it wouldn't be harmless, and if she kept getting distracted and panicked she was absolutely going to fall at some point.

And, Adam suspected, Linden would make no effort to catch her. He didn't want to fault his friend, but it seemed mean all the same. Linden had not asked for a bodyguard, sure, but the prince didn't think Needlemaw had asked for the job, either. He had no idea what power could compel either of them to put up with an obligation they both hated; possibly they had a Queen Dowager to answer to, as well.

He stretched out from his own perch and offered a hand. First things first. "Alright, well, let's get you up here first, I guess. Give me your hand."

Needlemaw's head twitched around, and Adam almost thought for a moment that he could see eyes through the mass of her curls. She said nothing, and he twitched his fingers. "Come on, then! I have to leave when they call for supper and I'd like to get some fun in!"

"Oh, very important that is, supper," she muttered with utmost scorn, staring (or so he thought) between him and his hand.

"Hasn't anyone ever helped you climb?" Adam asked in exasperation.

Needlemaw didn't reply.

"Adam, no one likes her kind," Linden said very quietly from the roof. "No one ever helps them."

"I'm not helping her kind, I'm helping her!" Adam shot back at Linden before turning back to the girl. "Well?"

"There's sommat wrong with ye, I'm sure of it," she muttered. "I just can't tell what it would be, out of the muchness of ye." She uncoiled slowly, straightening up somewhat, which only made the spindly length of her limbs that much more obvious. There was a menacing grace in the way she moved, Adam thought, like watching a spider react to the fly struggling in her web. But then she froze again "I can't, I can't. Erry time I look down I -"

"Stop looking down," Adam commanded her. "Look at Linden. Look at me." He shifted. He was half in and half out of a narrow, decorative balcony, his arm outstretched, his hand open.

Needlemaw shook and cocked her head, and for a moment bright yellow eyes, as alien and predatory as the kelpie's, stared at Adam. She looked up at Linden, then back at him. "And yui're sure I'm to call ye Adam? Adam and nothing else?"

"What's that got to do with anything right now?"

"As much as the weight of yuir last fingerbone to ye, I guess," Needlemaw muttered, stretching out, gripping the offered hand at last.

***

She fit herself around the edges of their group; it helped that Adam welcomed her, though he and Linden had some spectacular fights over it, the sort they hadn't had since he'd mentioned the iron bits that went into each horse's mouth when the princes were learning jousting, or when he'd tried to carve his name into the linden tree. Needlemaw ended up yanking them apart on one of those occassions, dragging them off one another by the scruff of their shirts and lifting them in the air, shaking them roughly. "Oi!"

Adam heard his teeth rattle and hung limp, sullen and sore. Linden tried to scrabble free of Needlemaw's grip and got rattled some more. "Do ye really want what'll come to pass if we don't make this work?"

"Let go of me!" Needlemaw dropped them, and Linden stomped away.

Adam immediately felt shame at his outburst, never mind they'd both escalated things. "Linden, wait -"

"Wait ye should." The fairy maid's hand rested lightly on his shoulder. "Does crowding ever help yuir temper?"

Adam chewed restlessly on his lip, but he didn't follow, not until Needlemaw tipped her head. They walked side by side into the woods and the silence. "Ye do know, Linden's people wouldnae be the ones to be teaching 'em to kick and pinch and poke eyes." When she saw Adam flush, she blew out a slow, fluting breath. "That's what comes of ye mortals. Even when ye dinnae mean to, ye change everything ye touch."

"I really didn't mean to!" Adam rallied against an accusation he couldn't even fully understand. "Linden's fine the way they are, they're still Linden."

"I didnae mean it against Linden." At the prince's puzzled look, she smiled, teeth just barely glinting for a brief moment. "I mean me."

"What, I haven't changed anything in you! You're the same as you were when we met in the water-mill."

"Am I?" Needlemaw mused. "I'll have to make notes, to make sure and stay that way." She already knew something had radically changed from the very moment she'd met the prince and he'd not been afraid; even more so when he'd lent her a hand, when he'd risked his friendship for her sake. She just didn't know how vast those changes might come to be. Yet. "Adam, do ye know why I'm here? Do ye understand how special Linden is?"

"Of course! They're my best friend, my first friend. I had none back home and I wasn't going to make any here. There's always been just us."

She had to hold back a grin. "No, I mean to their people."

"Oh." In one single sound the prince made it absolutely clear how little he thought of Linden's people and their opinion compared to the weight of friendship between the two of them. "No. I've always thought it'd be rude to ask, you know, anything. And in the end it makes no difference anyway."

Needlemaw didn't even know what to say for a long time. Such utter acceptance was something she'd never experienced, something she was sure very few across all the Courts of her people had known, particularly from a mortal. She wondered if that was what she'd seen shine in Adam's eyes, the force of his heart, the immensity of the friendship and the loyalty he offered. "There's not been any like Linden in longer than most of the trees in these woods have memory, Adam. They're rare, rare as ye, I wager."

"I'm not rare. The palace is full of princes."

"And how many of them trying to get away from being king, rather than running neckybreaky to it?" When Adam didn't answer, Needlemaw went on. "Linden's drawn attention, they have. Worse when they started mucking about like wild things with ye."

Adam was quiet a long, long time. "They said... They said the Court called them silly for being my friend," he said at last, and the weary, lonely sadness in his voice startled her. "I suppose because they knew when I come of age I'll die. The Prince in the Woods will kill me like he's killing everyone else."

"He's not exactly killing 'em, he cannae. He's testing 'em. They're just tests he knows they're gauny fail."

Adam had learned enough about Linden and Needlemaw's people not to protest that it was no difference at all, because to the Folk in the Woods there absolutely was a difference. "He's still going to see me dead. All because a girl told him no."

She scoffed. "Is that what yui're taught? Some tripe of love and heartbreak?"

"It's not true?"

She laughed, mean and coarse. "The Court don't love! The Court don't hardly like. They're empty, gone brittle with age, stuck together with power. They've done all that can be done, played all the games, fought all the wars. They're bored, Adam, and 'tis the bad kind of bored." She shook her head. "'Twas a game. And like most games of the Court, 'twent bad. Very very badly bad."

"Everyone thinks a fairy prince fell in love with the Queen."

"Love? No, I don't think a one of 'em knows what love is anymore. They lost it and forgot it. They play at it, Conemara and Canemore," she hawked and spat disdainfully to one side, as if the names were foul in her mouth, "they're siblings. They made a bet. They made a game of it, when the High Queen sent them here, where their chaos couldnae do harm in Her Court. If he could make the princess fall in love with him, and leave everything behind, put his ring on her finger, then he'd get to rule. If he couldn't, then the ruling fell to her."

"She said no."

"Aye, that's the problem, Adam, she did say no." Needlemaw smiled her terrible smile. "And she meant it. Canemore was sure she loved him, was sure she'd do anything for him. He'd not reckoned that a mortal could love until her heart bled and still have sense, have wits. She did, yuir princesss then, yuir Queen now."

"She loved him?"

"Oh, the Court sings songs of her love. He hates them, so his sister has them sung aaaall the time."

"But then -"

Needlemaw stopped walking and leaned down. Where Adam was only beginning to hit the growth spurt of his youth, the fairy maid was what a mortal would call a teen, taller than the prince by a good foot or more. "He thinks she tricked him, yuir princess, because that's all they do in the Court, trick each other, and the crueler the trick the better. He, do ye see, Adam, he did everything right to make her fall in love with him, and she did. There was naught she loved more than him. But she were also smart enough to know, to really know that he didnae love her back. That he would destroy her if she let him." She straightened up.

"So she said no," Adam licked his lips. "And he lost."

"He lost. His sister rules. And 'tis her law that he is never to be allowed to forget why she rules, and not him."

"Oh, he's going to kill us all," Adam closed his eyes, feeling his heart hammering against his ribs as if it were a rabbit just become aware of the snare around its foot. "He'll never not be angry."

"No," Needlemaw agreed, waiting to see if the young prince could see the fathomless depth of the trap.

"Because... because it's entertaining. Because it's funny to the Court to see him murder us all without actually touching us."

Needlemaw touched her long, pale fingertips to her mouth, then pressed the kiss to Adam's forehead, acknowledging his wit and his intelligence. "This is him without a throne and crown, Adam. Can ye imagine what he'd do if he had both?"

"Can he?" Adam felt chilled to his marrow. "When he lost to his sister -"

"No. That bet was laid. 'Twas won and done. The Court is her Court, until she dies, or fades, or passes it on, and she'd as soon give it to the likes of me before she lets him have it. No, he had no way out, Adam. Until Linden came about."

Adam froze. He stopped walking, because if he took another step he feared his legs, gone nerveless, would dump him on his face. "No."

"I told ye, ye dinnae know how special yuir friend is." Needlemaw threw her arms out. "Out here 'tis all wild and passing, will'o'wisps and pixies, trundling things, fading as quick as they come." She snapped her fingers for good measure. "Kin to fireflies and butterflies and all the things that come up full of beauty and die the next day and no one there to mourn them, to remember them, or even miss them. Even the trees don't remember well, unless 'tis biggish to them. But Linden -"

"Linden's like them," Adam's voice was strangled with fear. He hadn't been afraid of his fate, he hadn't been afraid to die. He'd known he could only do the one thing to escape the fairy prince's fury, and if that didn't work, well, what else could he do? But he'd never thought of Linden being in danger, and the idea, the very hint of it roused in him things that were far too great for his twelve-year old heart.

"Aye," Needlemaw said quietly. "And with Linden comes all the power of the Wild Green. A court on its own, if only there were someone to name it that."

"Is that why you're here?" Adam's hands curled into fists and looked up to where he knew those fey, alien yellow eyes rested. "To take Linden away? To bring them to this monster?"

Needlemaw felt, for the third time since she'd met the young prince, as if something were turning on its axis, as if somewhere a page with 'Needlemaw' writ large at the top were being turned, made into something new, because once again there was no fear as the young mortal faced her. Her! So few things were more nightmarish than her and her kin, and yet here he was, this slender bone splinter of a mortal boy, with his eyes full of destiny and his heart already crowned, threatening to take her on with nothing but his dirty, tiny fists for the sake of his friend. "No, and no, and no again," she replied, and she was glad it was the truth. "He cannae force Linden to choose him, and thank be the blood on me cap for that. No. I'm here to make sure Linden's here to court, when the time comes for him to come courting."

Adam relaxed visibly, and snorted. "They'll never."

"I'm hoping yui're right, Adam. And I think ye might be. And I cannae imagine what his anger will be like, when he's balked twice because yuir bloodline went mucking with his affairs." She let him mull on that. "Come on. Let's go find yuir friend and see if there's any talking some sense into 'em. And I cannae believe ye two have me saying such things."

***

It still wasn't perfect, but they made it work. Linden tried to escape once or twice, outright lying to Needlemaw about their whereabouts. Adam wouldn't have it, and they both had the welts and scrapes and bruises to show for those disagreements.

"I hate this, I hate them! I hate them!" Linden had screamed from the rooftops, a shrill bird's cry of fury and outrage and impotence when it returns home and finds its nestlings stolen by a predator. They were both battered, filthy and bloody, clothes and skin scraped. Adam was going to be nursing a black eye for weeks; it was that, Linden's punch sending him crashing down to the slate and stone and clay, that had broken Linden's fury and turned it to grief and shame. "My woods were fine, my woods were wild and green and kind and they've turned them ugly, they've turned them hungry, and I hate them!"

"No. No, Linden." The young prince scrabbled back to his feet and rushed over to where his friend perched against the light, heaving with sobs they refused to cry, quickening all the emotions pent up in their sapling body into one. They tried to shake Adam off, but he persisted, until at last they were hugging, and Linden wept against his shoulder. "Don't," Adam pleaded quietly. "Don't hate, Linden, don't hate them. Hate's what made a muck-all of this to begin with. Don't hate."

They clung to each other in the bright morning sun, the young prince lean and sturdy and deeply human, the fairy child slender and brown and crowned in white hair that smelled of flowers, with their shattered many-colored eyes, both of them bearing burdens they had never wanted. In the end Linden pulled away a little, the storm of their emotions spent, and rubbed roughly at their face. "Well, can I be mad at them at least?"

"Oh, gods, yes," Adam agreed stoutly. "I don't even know them and I'm mad at them all the time."

That made his friend smile, if only a little bit. But it was enough.

"Besides, even if I could I wouldn't change anything."

"What!" Linden sounded aghast.

"Why would I?" Adam shrugged. "Without them I'd never have met you."

Linden had no answer to that for a long, long moment. "I guess they've done two good things, I suppose," they admitted, toeing angrily at a roof slate. "I wouldn't ever not want to be your friend, Adam."

Adam grinned, and rubbed at his face, leaving blood smeared all over his sleeve.

"Tch!" Linden turned and led the way. "I guess we best find Needlemaw. Maybe she'll know what to do about that eye."

Needlemaw's cure was to lick the wounds, which made them sting fiercely and briefly and then got rid of them before the day was over - all but Adam's black eye and Linden's split lip. It marked a change, that day and that fight, and by the time autumn's last leaves were blown out of the trees, the redcap was as much a part of their group as Boul.

[howardhawkshollywoodannex]

Jason Patric as Lt Charles Gatewood in a publicity pose for Geronimo (1993). Jason was born in Queens, New York, and has 51 acting credits from a 1985 tv movie to two films awaiting release in 2022.

His other notable credits include The Lost Boys, Rush, Sleepers, Speed 2: Cruise Control, The Alamo, and an episode of Entourage (as himself).

Jason is the son of actor/playwright Jason Miller (Father Karras in The Exorcist), and grandson of comedian Jackie Gleason.

[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.