#willow is a group number

[stalkerish]

if glee was still on they would have an episode where everyone fails to get tickets to the eras tour so the glee club puts on The Eras Tour (Glee Club Version)

[the-real-couchrat]

I thought I had escaped the hyperfixation, but it caught up to me. Hyena!Dipper, Wolf!Mabel, and Coyote!Stan from @seiya234’s Shooting Stars chapter 294 (also a few Henrys)

I struggled with Mabel’s eyes for a while, because I wanted to make it clear where she was looking at by giving her pupils, but not break the effect of the “rainbow oil slick” eyes. I ended up removing the tears on a lot of doodles bc it wouldn’t turn out right with the fur.

I used to have a closeup of Henry and Dippers first meeting, but it kept marking the post as “mature” because of it.

[judgmental-eyebrows]

In a lighter season 5/6, Buffy gets to keep taking her college classes. Spike still falls for her, and does awkward things like waiting for her outside the door, trying to carry her books when she’s in a building.

(she thinks he plans to fence her textbooks for cash, and shoves them into his ribs the first time he tries it)

but for the buildings that aren’t as friendly to the sunlight impaired, he slips into the back of the classroom. Thankfully, it’s for a literature class that he finds relatively interesting.

Unfortunately, the professor is very wrong about a number of things, and there’s only so long Spike can control himself before an Outburst.

Buffy is torn between being embarrassed, wanting to stake him, and impressed that he whipped out that lie about auditing the class so quickly. Willow and Tara consider asking him to join their study group. Dawn wants to skip middle and high school and go straight to college if that’s how much fun it is.

[the-mortuary-witch]

THE MORRIGAN

WHO IS SHE?

The Morrigan is a triple goddess from Irish mythology who is associated with war, fate, and sovereignty. According to myth, she is often depicted as a crow or raven, and is said to appear in both a positive and negative guise, sometimes as a nurturing mother and other times as a destructive force. She is said to be the phantom queen of the Danaan People, the ancestral spirits of Ireland, and is sometimes depicted as a powerful seer or prophetic figure.

BASIC INFO: 

Appearance: the Morrigan is often depicted as a fierce and powerful woman wearing a long, flowing black cloak or gown, and sometimes with feathers or a crown of feathers. She is also commonly associated with a black crow, which is said to be her messenger and the vessel of her power. Her appearance is usually associated with darkness and mystery, embodying the enigma and unpredictability of war and fate.

Personality: she has a complex and multi-faceted personality, often embodying multiple aspects of femininity. She is said to encompass aspects of the traditional maiden, mother, and crone archetypes, representing youthful zeal, maternal nurturing, and wise counsel, respectively. She is also known for her vengeful and bloodthirsty streak, embodying the brutal and ruthless nature of war and the chaos of fate. Despite her fierce and sometimes fearsome reputation, she is also viewed as a powerful protector and defender of the Irish people.

Symbols: cloak, spear, chariot, sword, and shield

Goddess of: magic, war, battle, life, death, sovereignty, fresh water, destiny, prophecy, and fate

Culture: Celtic

Plants and trees: willow, aspen, rowan, snapdragon, hawthorn, yew, belladonna, mugwort, rose, and nightshade (do not consume, handle with care!)

Crystals: ravenite, black agate, hematite, smoky quartz, bloodstone, onyx, charoite, black obsidian, labradorite, shungite, and black tourmaline

Animals: crow, raven, horse, eel, rook, serpent, and wolf

Incense: frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, rose, cedar, juniper, and dragon’s blood 

Colours: red, black, white, blue, and green

Numbers: 3 and 6

Zodiac: Sagittarius 

Tarot: Suit of Swords, The Tower, Queen of Swords, Justice, 7 of Wands, and Death

Planet: Moon

Days: Monday, Imbolc, Lammas, Mabon, Samhain, Halloween, and full moons

Parents: Cailitin and Ernmas

Siblings: Ériu, Banba, Fódla, Gnim, Coscar, Fiacha, and Oll

Partner: The Dagda and an unnamed shapeshifting goddess

Children: Mechi

MISC:

Crows and ravens: the Morrigan is often associated with crows or ravens due to her nature as a deity of death, fate, and transformation. In Irish mythology, crows or ravens were often seen as messengers between the worlds of the living and the dead, and could be seen as omens of impending change or transformation. For the Morrigan, these birds served as her messengers and helped her carry out her duties as a deity of war, fate, and the supernatural. Additionally, the Morrigan herself was sometimes depicted as a crow or raven in the form of a woman.

Death: she is often associated with death because she is seen as a deity of fate and transformation, which can include death and rebirth. In Irish mythology, she is often depicted as a battle goddess who wields a spear or sword, and is seen as a bringer of violence and change. She is also associated with the concept of death as a natural and inevitable part of life, and is sometimes seen as a guide for the souls of the dead as they cross over to the afterlife.

War: in Irish mythology, she was often seen as a fierce and powerful warrior, who would appear in the form of a crow or raven to guide and aid the soldiers of the Tuatha de Danann, a group of gods and mythological beings. She was often invoked by soldiers in order to bring them victory in battle and could also be seen as a symbol of the chaos and destruction that can occur during war.

Triple goddess: she is often associated with the triple goddess archetype due to her connection with the number three and her role as a goddess of transformation and female empowerment. In Celtic mythology, the number three was often seen as sacred and powerful, and the Morrigan is sometimes depicted as embodying these three aspects of femininity: maiden, mother, and crone. This association reflects her nature as a powerful and multifaceted deity who encompasses the different phases of a woman's life, from youth and fertility to wisdom and maturity.

Samhain: in Celtic mythology, Samhain is believed to be a time when the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead becomes thin, allowing the spirits of the deceased to return to the world of the living. The Morrigan, as a goddess of death and transformation, is seen as playing an important role during this time, guiding and assisting the souls of the dead on their journey to the afterlife.

Magic: was seen as a powerful force that could wield the energy and power of these natural forces, and the Morrigan was often invoked as a source of magical power and insight during certain rituals and spells. Additionally, the Morrigan is sometimes depicted as a sorcerous figure in some myths, casting spells or curses and using her supernatural abilities to influence events on the mortal plane.

FACTS ABOUT THE MORRIGAN:

She owns a herd of enchanted and magical cattle. 

Contrary to some interpretations, the Morrigan is not necessarily seen as an evil or destructive deity. In many myths, she is depicted as a protective and wise figure who aids and guides heroes on their journeys.

She is sometimes portrayed as a shape-shifter, able to take on the form of a crow or other animals.

The Morrigan is often associated with the number three, representing the three aspects of maiden, mother, and crone.

She is also associated with the Fae and the Banshee—a creature that generally takes on the form of an old woman who wails in mourning to announce the coming death of someone in the family.

The name "Morrigan" comes from Old Irish and means "phantom queen" or "great queen."

She is often associated with ravens or crows, which were seen as her messengers between the worlds of the living and the dead.

The Morrigan is known for appearing in the form of a woman with long, flowing hair, sometimes carrying a spear and/or a shield.

HOW TO INVOKE THE MORRIGAN:

Working with the Morrigan often involves building a relationship of mutual respect and trust with her. You can approach working with her in the following ways:

Research and study her mythology, folklore, and symbology to gain a deeper understanding of her nature and characteristics.

Set up an altar or sacred space dedicated to the Morrigan, and make regular offerings to her.

Perform rituals or spells in her honor to seek her guidance and power.

Meditate or visualize her presence in your life, and work on developing a direct channel of communication with her.

PRAYER FOR THE MORRIGAN:

“Hail Morrigan, maiden, mother, and crone.  We call upon you, great and powerful deity, to guide us on our path, and protect us from harm. Teach us to be strong and fearless in the face of adversity and help us to find balance in our lives.”

“Bless our endeavors, and grant us success in all we do. In your name, I give thanks for your presence in our lives. Hail to you, the Morrigan.”

SIGNS THAT THE MORRIGAN IS CALLING YOU:

Repeatedly seeing signs of crows or ravens, which are associated with the Morrigan.

Feeling a strong connection to the themes of war, fate, and sovereignty.

Having vivid dreams or visions of the Morrigan or her symbols (e.g. a raven, a battle flag, etc).

Feeling drawn to read or learn about the Morrigan or Celtic mythology.

Experiencing strong emotions or changes in behavior that feel linked to the energy of the Morrigan.

Feeling the urge to explore or embrace warlike or competitive activities (e.g. sports, martial arts, strategy games).

Finding yourself drawn to stories of powerful women, goddesses, or wanting to honour and empower yourself.

Having a sudden urge to explore your own shadow or unconscious and to confront and transform it.

A sudden urge to create or engage in art, poetry, or music that connects to the Morrigan’s energy and symbolism.

OFFERINGS:

Red meat.

Mead. 

Red wine poured into the ground. 

Apples. 

Milk. 

Whiskey. 

Storm water

Crow or raven feathers. 

Knives and daggers. 

Scrying. 

Artwork and poetry. 

Red foods. 

Deep green, black and red stones/crystals. 

Honey. 

Dark chocolate. 

Coins. 

Studying Celtic mythology. 

Blood (especially menstrual blood). 

Traditional Irish foods. 

DEVOTIONAL ACTS:

Creating sigils or magickal symbols associated with the Morrigan and her aspects (such as battle, war, death, etc) and charging them with your intention and energy.

Performing war dances, warrior rites, and ceremonies of protection and victory.

Paint your nails black or red while thinking of her. 

Shadow work. 

Exploring magic and divination related to the Morrigan, including the use of rune stones, scrying, and spirit communication.

Draw or paint her. 

Participating in activities where you are willing to take risks and venture into the unknown, as the Morrigan is known for pushing individuals to embrace their destiny and seize control of their life.

Respecting the dead. 

Working to protect and uphold your own personal sovereignty and destiny, and resisting outside influence or control.

Make a playlist that is dedicated to her, or listen to music that reminds you of her. 

Lighting a black candle. 

Feeding your local murder (crows). 

Celebrating the changing of the seasons and honoring the cycles of life and death.

Praying and making offerings to the Morrigan, seeking her guidance and power for your magical and spiritual practice.

Screaming your heart out when alone in the woods. 

Performing blessings and healing rituals for fresh water bodies, such as lakes, rivers, and streams, to honor the Morrigan’s association with water.

Standing up for yourself. 

Exercising (especially if it’s challenging). 

Celebrate Samhain. 

[apas-95]

Ambush on Exit 6

September 21st, 2038 -- A night to remember, as an Army logistics convoy bound for FOB Raleigh is ambushed by NARA guerrillas just outside Huntington, WV.

Three platoons of the North American Red Army carried out an ambush around 7pm, as a column of Army trucks carrying supplies to the Appalachian front passed through Huntington. Gunfire and explosions rocked the city as the guerrillas engaged in pitched battle with the National Guard garrison and Army convoy.

The 1st Battalion of the National Guard's 116th Infantry Regiment first made contact with the guerrillas while on a patrol ahead of the convoy. Troops of the NARA company dubbed the "Cleaning Crew" were spotted as they positioned themselves beside Exit 6, along the convoy's expected route down I-64.

Several squads of National Guard troops dismounted and engaged a platoon - identified as 'Maid-3' by NARA - along the treeline, sustaining significant casualties in the process. While National Guard infantry and UGVs forced the guerrillas to retreat, other National Guard elements mobilised to locate and isolate the NARA forces.

A resident of the New Wind Rising Farm south of the engagement describes armed individuals, with older-style M4 rifles, moving through their property. "There was a drone flying up [overhead], like a little plane," they said. They also described the use of loitering munitions, consistent with the National Guard's Switchblade UAS. "One zipped in like a missile, kamikaze."

According to the resident, multiple groups of the armed irregulars fired upon each other briefly. It is unclear whether this was a case of infighting, or multiple insurgent groups. When asked for comment, a NARA commander, who goes by the nomme de guerre of 'Kat', replied: "I may be stupid."

While fighting continued south, as National Guard forces formed a wide security screen, isolating the NARA riflemaids, a platoon of National Guard vehicles escorting the convoy was devastated by a number of IEDs concealed further along I-64. Among them was the platoon commander, Lieutenant Willow, who was on her first assignment.

Following the bombing, the Army convoy continued past the wrecked National Guard vehicles, and departed Huntington without incident. Reports from residents and police after the battle state that two additional platoons of NARA guerrilas were present and mobilised in the city of Huntington itself, but did not participate in the ambush before caching their equipment and dispersing.

For up to date coverage on the ongoing civil war, subscribe to our newsletter!

[dorothylarouge]

Comic Book Review: Runaways by Rainbow Rowell

Hello, all. Today I will be taking some time to discuss a comic book I enjoy. This is the first in what will hopefully become a series of long-form comic book reviews I'll be writing for this blog as I continue working through my backlog of unread comics as well as ones I'm rereading, both on my own and through me and @bimboficationblues' book club.

I first read the original run of Runaways in digest trade paperback format at my local library when I was in middle school, and the book hit me at the exact right time, since I was pretty firmly the book's target demographic - young, restless, and beginning to grow resentful of the adult authorities in my life. I never read the 2017 revival, as I was not reading comics when I was in high school and college, but I was at my local library - a different one, I don't live in Texas anymore - while waiting for the power in my apartment to come back on due to an outage, and discovered that they carried the full series in trade paperback. I decided to check it out and see how it held up to the original run, and found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it - enough, clearly, to make this post. I'll get into more detail about the 2017 book later in this post, but I'd like to first give an overview of the original series to provide some context for how this book came to be, since it's quite a niche, cult-classic book as far as Marvel titles go.

Part One: Born to Run

At the turn of the century, comic books faced a number of problems. The bottom had fallen out of the industry in the early 1990s due to the burst of the speculator bubble, sending shockwaves that continued to reverberate into the early 2000s. Marvel Comics had nearly been bankrupted and stripped for parts, surviving only by the skin of its teeth, and was only just getting back on its feet. But now, another threat was looming: anime and manga. Imported comics from Japan were beginning to capture a larger and larger market share of comics sold in the United States, fueled by the popularity of Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and others on television. Marvel sought to fight back by producing books which would appeal to young fans of these Japanese imports and act as gateway drugs into more standard Marvel fare. Their first effort came in 2000 with the utterly embarrassing Marvel Mangaverse, a group of books which copied superficial and stereotypical aesthetics of manga, without any of the substance.

Just look at this shit, man. Anyway, in 2003, Marvel tried a different approach with their Tsunami imprint. The books in this imprint would also employ art styles that reflected the influence of anime and manga, but would feature character-driven, in-continuity storylines aimed at a variety of age ranges. Among the titles Tsunami would publish was a book written by Brian K. Vaughn (known at the time mainly for his work at DC's Vertigo imprint, including a run on Swamp Thing and his own Y: The Last Man) and illustrated by Adrian Alphona (who would go on to co-develop Kamala Khan with G. Willow Wilson) titled Runaways.

The initial premise of Runaways was really quite brilliant in its simplicity: Alex Wilder, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Gertrude Yorkes, Molly Hayes, and Karolina Dean are casual friends bound together mainly because their parents are all friends - actors, engineers, lawyers, and influential people in the Los Angeles area - who gather once a year for a charity event.

As the kids are left bored and alone while their parents meet at Alex's house in Malibu, they find a secret passage and are able to observe their parents at the meeting, learning that, in truth, their parents are a group of supervillains known as the Pride, who control crime and vice in Los Angeles, and who conduct human sacrifices in arcane rituals.

As the kids attempt to discover more about their parents in order to find evidence to bring to the police, they each begin to discover unique powers and abilities: Gertrude has a psychic link with a genetically-engineered deinonychus, Karolina is a light-powered alien with the ability to fly, Molly is a super-strong, super-tough mutant, Chase gains access to powerful technology created by his parents, and Nico is able to summon a magical focus known as the Staff of One when she bleeds, which she can use to cast powerful magical spells, with the catch that she can never cast the same spell twice. Alex, with a genius strategic mind, becomes the group's leader, and with the group learning that the police in LA belong to the Pride, they run away from home and drop off the grid in order to find a way to put a stop to them.

The first volume of Runaways chronicles the kids' conflict with their parents, as well as run-ins with a vampire named Topher and Marvel's original runaway teen superheroes, Cloak and Dagger. Eventually, they learn that their parents were gathered to serve godlike giants called the Gibborim and conduct a ritual which would wipe out all life on Earth, save for six of the Pride - or more specifically, their heirs, the children. The volume ends with the team's climactic confrontation with their parents, as they begin the ritual to end the world, with Alex revealing himself to be a mole in the group and having secretly been on the side of the Pride all along. After Molly disrupts the ritual, the Gibborim arrive and vaporize Alex and kill the Pride, with the kids barely managing to escape. In the aftermath, the kids are placed into foster care, which they promptly run away from, becoming teenage fugitives once again.

The first volume of Runaways lasted only 18 issues, but sales of the digest format trade paperbacks (another thing copied from how manga is distributed in the US) proved so strong that a second volume began publication in 2005, featuring the same creative team. This volume saw the kids continue to evade the police, adult superheroes, and social services. Along the way, they recruit a few new runaways, including Victor Mancha, a cyborg built by the Avengers villain Ultron, and Xavin, a shapeshifting, genderfluid Skrull who imposes themself upon the group as Karolina's fiancee due to a marriage arranged by her parents. They also take a trip to New York City to help clear Cloak's name when he's accused of attempting to murder Dagger. There, they come into conflict with the Avengers, and get sushi with Spider-Man.

Over the course of the second volume, Gertrude is killed in a fight with a reformed Pride made up of a time-displaced version of Alex's father and his MMO friends, and Vaughn's run on the title ends with a story in which Chase, who is grief-stricken after her death, makes a deal with the Gibborim in order to bring her back in exchange for a sacrifice. The deal falls through, and the kids are forced to fight the gods that their parents once served, ultimately managing to defeat and erase the Gibborim from existence.

After Vaughn left the book, unfortunately, Runaways started a long period of decline. He was replaced as writer on the book by Joss Whedon, who penned a couple middling stories, including one where the kids fight the Punisher and the Kingpin, and another where they're flung back in time to 1907 New York, where they recruit the final member of the team, a young mutant and child bride named Klara Prast who can make the flowers grow. Yawn. Volume 2 of Runaways ended with issue 30, and the book was relaunched with a new #1 in 2008, this time with the creative team of Terry Moore (best known for his indie book Strangers in Paradise) and Humberto Ramos (a veritable workhorse whose portfolio speaks for itself, particularly his work on Spider-Man). This brief, forgettable run was followed by a fill-in issue or two by Christopher Yost, and then a final, mediocre arc by Kathryn Immonen which ended the series abruptly on a cliffhanger.

After this, the wilderness years. Characters from Runaways appeared with some regularity - Nico, Chase, and Victor all played major roles in various Avengers spinoff books, none of which suited them particularly well - although in the pages of Avengers AI, Victor would forge a friendship with a reprogrammed Doombot which would play a role later. Mostly, though, it became clear over the years that these characters did not work in normal superhero books, because they were not normal superheroes - they were Runaways. Part of the problem the book had come to face in the later years was a failure to understand that point. The Vaughn run had proven the potential of the characters and concept of the Runaways - they needed a writer who understood that potential, and how to bring it out - and they could have a renaissance.

Then, in 2017, a Runaways TV show premiered on Hulu, to tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Marvel, for the most cynical and synergistic of reasons, decided to give them that renaissance.

Part Two: It's Only Teenage Wasteland

Runaways volume 5 (volume 4 was an unrelated Secret Wars tie-in) is written throughought by Rainbow Rowell. Rowell's background is in contemporary young adult fiction, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but translates very well to this comic. Runaways, at its core, is not a superhero book- a point which will be made more explicitly later in the series - it is a teen drama with superpowers. Angst, sexual tension, and resentment of authority are all key elements of the series, which Rowell employs effectively throughout. Joining her on art for the initial run of the volume is Kris Anka, who would later go on to be the lead character designer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Anka's art is colorful and expressive and complements the tone of the series brilliantly. It's probably the best Runaways has ever looked. Of particular note are the outfits Anka designs for the characters, which change from issue to issue and help to characterize each Runaway visually.

The book picks up with the Runaways having split up, with Molly living with her grandmother, Victor having been reduced to an inert, deactivated head following his apparent death in Avengers AI, Karolina in college and dating Julie Power of Power Pack, Klara in foster care, Xavin in space, and Nico in a shitty LA apartment after a brief stint with the all-female A-Force. The inciting incident of the book occurs when Chase appears with a time machine, having recovered the dying Gert from the events of volume 2. Nico is able to use her magic to save Gert's life, and she wastes little time pushing to get the rest of the gang back together.

Of course, two years have passed since Gert died in-universe. Karolina, Nico, and Chase are all adults now, and Molly is a teenager now, happily living with her grandmother. Things changed while Gert was away, and there's no way to go back to the way things used to be.

The first arc of the book establishes some core themes which will continue to be relevant for the rest of its run: change, growing up, and family bonds. Gert is the heart of the book, despite her vociferous denials of that being her role. She is the driving force behind reuniting the Runaways, and her character is explored in this book more than it ever was in the Vaughn run - her negative self-image, which she hides behind an acid tongue, is a recurring focus. Of note is a scene where she discovers that her purple hair, which had previously set her apart and helped her to feel as if there was something special about her, has become a common fashion statement in the time she spent being dead. Her relationship with Chase is also examined - the age gap that now exists between them precludes any resumption of dating, and she eventually gets together with Victor - but Chase still loves her despite himself, and holds out hope that things can change when Gert gets older and the age gap is less of an issue. It's a little creepy, but psychologically understandable, as is his giving into temptation when a future version of Gert appears and practically throws herself at him.

Rowell's focus on character is central to what makes the book work. There are few titanic threats and fewer supervillains; the drama in Rowell's Runaways is driven by the characters and their relationships to one another, which are given a fresh perspective due to the characters having aged and grown since the previous volume of the series. Molly struggles with the idea of growing up and having to face adult fears and responsibilities, especially when her best friend in middle school offers her a way to stay young forever. Nico struggles with the feelings she's realized for Karolina - picking back up a plot thread from Xavin's introductory arc - as Karolina struggles balancing university, supporting the Runaways, and being a good girlfriend, failing at the latter as Julie breaks up with her - but in the process allowing her and Nico to finally have the right timing.

Also complicating matters are Victor's Doombot friend, who becomes a recurring character and joins the main cast in the back half of the series, and Alex Wilder, who has returned as a living corpse, with the children of the Gibborim on his heels. Rowell's portrayal of Alex is one of the series' most interesting aspects, as a young man burdened by his past mistakes and whose inability to acknowledge or account for them prevents any reconciliation with his one-time friends, and leads him to continue making the same mistakes over again. The only bond with the group he is able to maintain is with Molly, the only other Runaway who still misses her parents, and they have some very sweet interactions in a spotlight issue which serves as a look at what things could be like if Alex was willing to own up and atone for how he's hurt the others. His arc is left unresolved, though, for reasons we'll get more into in a bit. Doombot, meanwhile, has a brief storyline in which he comes to grips with his sense of individuality separate from the programming he was given by Doctor Doom, but other than that his primary role in the series is to serve as a caretaker, of sorts, to the kids, as well as a source of consistent comic relief.

That's another thing about this series: it's very funny! Much of the humor is character- and interaction-based, which is very much my style of humor in comics, but there's also some really nice sight gags and creative use of lettering and sound effects to create jokes. A lot of the humor in the original series can be hit-or-miss, in particular a lot of the more dated references, so the humor in this volume is a refreshing change of pace.

Following the fight with the children of the Gibborim - one of whom, Gib, sides with the group and becomes their newest member - the series enters its midpoint, in which Karolina drops out of college and begins moonlighting as a superhero as an unhealthy outlet for her anxiety, which ultimately ends up dragging the other Runaways into the orbit of Doc Justice, one of Los Angeles' premier superheroes, who outfits and equips the group as his new J-Team. I'm conflicted on this arc for a few reasons. The first is that it interrupts what I felt was an interesting arc for Karolina using superheroics as a coping mechanism, which I felt wasn't explored fully before Doc Justice showed up. On the other hand, though, the arc really gives Gert the spotlight after some time of having it off of her, and she's really able to shine as the one Runaway excluded by Doc Justice due to her weight and lack of powers, both key elements of her own negative self-image which haven't gotten a lot of focus since the early arcs of the series. Further, the arc serves to drive home the point that the Runaways are not superheroes and that Runaways is not a superhero book in the traditional sense. Seeing everyone in spandex and responding to distress calls just feels wrong. And Doc Justice is a great villain for the series: a conceited superhero obsessed with fame and media attention, who has systematically arranged the deaths of various teammates over the years in order to maximize sympathy and publicity. It's all very Hollywood. The ultimate downside of the Doc Justice arc, I think, is that after it's done, the series only has seven issues left. The eternal curse of Runaways, to have each volume cut too short, rears its head once again, and in using one of its final arcs to make a meta-commentary on the series as a whole, it sacrifices some opportunities for the character interactions and interpersonal drama that really make the book shine.

The final arc makes an effort to pivot back to that interpersonal drama, including a delightfully fucked-up romance between Chase and a future version of Gert who has traveled back in time to supposedly save him from himself, which blows up as you might it imagine it would once present Gert and Victor stumble across them. There's also a plot thread of Molly, Chase, and Nico helping a visiting Wolverine and Pixie track down a mutant who sent a distress message, in which Nico very nearly kisses Pixie due to her established character flaw of getting caught up in the moment, and it seems like she and Karolina are going to have an honest conversation about it - only for the conversation to instead be about the frankly much less interesting conflict Nico has been facing about the evil sorcerer whose spirit is housed in the Staff of One, and who is taking a piece of her soul every time she casts a spell. It's a conflict that could be interesting if more focus was placed upon it, but it's the subject of one issue prior to this and the end of the series means that it ends up going nowhere beyond Nico entrusting Karolina with the staff in the end. That's a major flaw in this run, though one that isn't entirely its own fault - its abrupt end means plot threads, like future Gert's abduction of Chase, Nico's conflict with the spirit of the Staff of One, and Alex's usurpation of the Doc Justice mantle, are left hanging.

It really is unfortunate, and makes the time spent on the Doc Justice arc, which probably could have taken four issues instead of a frankly indulgent seven, feel even more egregious and unnecessary with hindsight. This series has a leisurely pace, which is good when it allows character interactions and dynamics to stretch out and have maximum impact, but it also means that at the end, when everything has to wrap up relatively quickly due to the amount of time taken in previous arcs, there's a disorienting and frantic energy, like trying to get your room cleaned five minutes before your parents get home. In particular, the last issue crams a ton of stuff in, to an exhausting degree - Karolina summons her people to take her into space and treat her for injuries she sustained in Doc Justice's efforts to martyr her, future Gert enacts her plan to kidnap Chase into the timestream, Gert's time traveling parents show up for some reason, Alex is surveilling the team for reasons unknown, Xavin is now a general of Karolina's people... it's a lot to leave on a cliffhanger.

Rowell's Runaways is a good book, and I do recommend it, either on its own or, preferably, after reading the original 2000s run. It does a great job of moving the characters forward, maturing them, and giving them more adult problems to deal with, while maintaining the series' core themes of identity, questioning authority, and anxiety towards adulthood. It simply doesn't have enough issues left at the end to resolve all of its plot threads, and that is what ultimately holds it back from being great. 38 issues is a good run, better than any volume of Runaways before it was able to achieve, but its pacing choices and the number of plates it attempts to keep in the air leave the reader wanting more.

But, to its credit, it succeeds in making me really care about what that "more" could be.

Part Three: Run Away With Me

Volume 5 of Runaways ended with issue 38, cover date October 2021. It outlasted the TV show it was meant to tie in with by two years - a TV show that was eventually pulled from streaming as a cost-cutting measure. In the years since the series concluded, not much has been happening in that corner of the Marvel Universe. The characters have made few, if any, appearances, and there's been no talk of a sixth volume, despite the plot threads left hanging.

Well, that sucks, you know? Runaways is such a unique series with such a special voice and perspective in superhero comics, and it deserves a place in Marvel's publication roster as much as the millionth Spider-Man or X-Men spinoff does. It has never sold spectacularly, but it has an audience and, crucially, has always been good for its originally intended purpose: giving Marvel a backdoor into the teen and young adult market that has for decades now largely eschewed comic books. Manga sales now account for nearly half of all comics sold in the United States, and while Marvel now mainly serves as an IP farm for adaptation into the much more lucrative MCU, I think there's value in a series like Runaways that's able to tap into that YA market in a way Marvel's other books aren't able to.

I think with the right creative team, Runaways could easily become a solid seller that is able to have a respectable run of issues. Volume 3, as well as the original Vaughn run, prove that this is possible. I would seek out a writer like Mark Waid, whose bread and butter is character work and who was able to revitalize Archie's comic line to appeal to YA readers, or Ryan North, whose Fantastic Four is one of Marvel's best titles right now primarily on the strength of its character dynamics, or David Willis of Dumbing of Age, whose work for the past decade has entirely centered on young adults finding themselves, to take over the reins of a revival, someone with established chops in the genre. Pair them with a quality artist - think Chris Samnee or Todd Nauck, and I think there's a recipe there for a hit.

I hope we see Runaways come back again, sooner rather than later. Another eight year hiatus would be unbearable.

G-d help me, I wanna see these crazy kids again, and see where the road takes them.

FINAL SCORE: 3.5/5. A good comic.

[cillianmesoftlyyy]

Horror Movies Pt. 2 | Neil Lewis x fem!reader

Summary: She shares a special passion for horror movies with her boss, Neil Lewis. But it doesn't end there, she also shares his secrets... or at least the ones he can keep himself. He's been keeping one from her but maybe a night of adventure will break the silence and scare them to their senses.

Warnings: Drinking, semi-public sex, boss/employee relationship, struggles with self-image, spying, invasion of privacy, slight disrespect for the dead, smut, moments of miscommunication and assumed consent, unprotected sex, oral, and some fluff.

word count: 3229k

Lady Grinning Soul- David Bowie 🎶

Freak- Lana Del Rey 🎵

Minors do not interact!

“What are you doing, Neil?” She whispered, not wanting to trespass. 

“Having a little adventure since our act of chivalry was all for naught.” He shrugged and smiled goofily. 

“You want to play golf?” She looked between the dark green and Neil’s face. 

“Nah, not golf.” 

She stared at him for a little while longer before ducking beneath the fence. He followed her and they started to cross the green, looking up at the star studded sky. 

“The stars are so pretty tonight.” She pointed up at the clusters of twinkling lights. 

“Wait until you see what I have to show you.” He smiled mischievously and took her wrist. He pulled her across the golf course and through the connecting gate. 

“Where are we now?” She looked around and noticed the distant groupings of headstones. “Are we in a cemetery?” 

“Bingo.” Neil laughed and let her wrist go, running ahead a little. The graveyard was cool and still, surrounded on all sides by tall shrubbery. They climbed the short hill up onto the main stretch of green, walking alongside the grave markers. 

“This feels like the beginning of a horror movie.” She recalled Neil’s previous statement from the morning and he laughed. 

“I like to come here at night. It’s so peaceful and I like to look at the people’s names. It helps put my life into perspective.” He led her to a small mausoleum beside a weeping willow and swiped his arm across his forehead. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” He gestured around and she nodded. 

“It really is but… what does this have to do with the bra?” 

“Ah, well since you can’t use it and Nancy doesn’t want it back, I thought we could leave it as an offering… here.” 

“Who do you want to give it to?” 

“Someone who died the same day that one of us was born.” He stated as he had already begun looking. She helped him and they passed the lines of headstones, checking each name for their respective birth and death dates. They wandered through a few plots until they found a secluded embankment. There was an older headstone with Neil’s birthday listed as the person’s death date. 

“Here.” Neil pointed to the numbers on the stone and smiled up at her from the ground where he was crouched. She joined him on the ground and nodded. “Edgar Allen… that’s almost too weird. It must be a fake name. Edgar Allen? He just needs a ‘Poe.’” 

She trailed her fingers over his name and nodded. 

“So, how do we do this?”

“What, are you saying that you’ve never left an expensive bra at a dead person’s grave?” He joked and she almost laughed out loud when he put his hand over her mouth, shushing her with a smile. 

“You’ll wake the dead.” He whispered and she smiled against his hand, her eyes boring into his. She hoped that her eyes were telling him what she wanted or how happy she was to be with him, even if it was in a fucking cementary. He removed his hand slowly and cleared his throat. Sweat coating his forehead, trapping a few strands of his longer dark hair. 

“We, uh, let’s just drape it over the headstone.” He put the bra over the long rectangular top of the stone. 

“We should say a few words.” She offered and cleared her throat quietly, “May I?” She glanced over at him. Neil was staring at her, his lips parted partly. 

“Uh, er, yeah. Of course.” He sniffed and looked back at the headstone. 

“Mr. Allen, we leave you this offering in hopes that you will bestow upon us the grace of your guidance and experience. Inspire us to be brave and forward with our… desires,” she couldn’t think of a better word, “Help us imagine ways of living our lives to the fullest.” She added. When she glanced over, Neil was nodding almost absentmindedly. 

“Give us a little adventure in our lives, Edgar.” He clarified. 

“Mhmm.” She hummed in agreement and they waited in silence for a few minutes, taking in the serene peacefulness of the graveyard. 

“If this were a horror movie, we would be-” She broke the silence but the force of Neil’s body cut her off. He’d kissed her, his hands snaking behind her head and pulling her into an aggressive kiss. She pulled away breathlessly, he was panting too.

“What-” She started.

“I’m sorry, christ. I thought you were… sending me a signal.” He stumbled over his words. 

“You thought I was asking you to make a move on top of someone’s grave?” She raised a suspicious eyebrow and he chuckled, embarrassed. 

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I just… oh I don’t know.” He trailed off and stood, putting his hands back into his pocket and turning away from the grave. She followed him quickly. 

“What, Neil?” She stumbled after him, up the embankment. He spun around and held a hand against his head.

“I just… I thought that lately there was something different between us.” He looked away. 

“Neil…” she frowned and fought the anger in her voice, “you just fucked someone last night. I don’t know if I should believe anything that you’re saying right now.” She crossed her arms across her chest and looked up at the sky. 

“I, well we didn’t actually… have sex.” He mumbled. 

“What do you mean?” She raised her eyebrow. 

“God, this is so fucking embarrassing,” he pulled down on his face and trilled his lips. 

“What, what is it?” He nearly smiled, finding him too funny to take seriously. 

“Well, she came into the store right before closing last night and put on this whole act about which movie to pick… kind of like the girl in the store today. I told her to pick Arsenic and Old Lace… yada yada yada, she ends up flirting and leaning over the counter, batting her eyelashes at me. I’ll admit that I succumbed to her but as soon as she got me on the couch, she started… eh slapping me and calling me a bad boy and look, I totally get kinks but it was a little too weird for me.” 

“So what happened?” She encouraged him to go on and he looked back at her, his heart fluttering in his chest. He sighed and looked at his feet. 

“We watched the movie and the whole time she wouldn’t stop talking, so she missed basically everything. And when the movie was over, she started kissing me and undressing herself. And when she got my pants down, I couldn’t get it up. So, that’s what happened.” 

She gasped and immediately clamped a hand over her mouth.

“I’m sorry. It isn’t funny, Neil,” she apologized but he shook his head. “Whatever, go ahead and laugh. I don’t know how it happened but I just wasn’t attracted to her. I don’t need a girl who’s a film geek like me but I can’t stand people who just talk through a movie or pay absolutely no attention to what’s happening. There’s not point in putting it on if you’re not going to pay attention. And not to mention she looked-” He cut himself off and chucked. 

“What?” She waited for him to finish but he shook his head. 

“It’s silly.” He sniffed. 

“We’ve already gotten this far, you might as well tell me.” 

He cocked his head, staring at her face in the faded light of the crescent moon. He inhaled deeply and told her, point blank. 

“She looked like you,” he took another breath, “she looked like you but she was nothing like you. I realized that I was only humoring her because she looked like you and for some reason, my subconscious had tricked me into thinking she was you. And after that, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He watched her for her reaction and she exhaled shakily, not knowing how to respond. 

“What happened after that?” She asked quietly. 

“I told her that it wasn’t a good night and she packed up. In the heat of the moment, she must have forgotten her bra but look,” he took a step closer, “that doesn’t mean our relationship needs to change. It's not like I’m in love with you or obsessed, I just realized that the person that I was really attracted to this whole time has been you.” He looked down into her eyes. “I didn’t have time to explain it this morning and I knew how it looked so…” He shrugged, “I actually haven’t slept with anyone in weeks. Ever since you got the haircut actually, I guess I haven’t stopped thinking about you whether or not I was conscious of it.” 

“Jonathan asked me out.” Was all she could think to say and Neil chuckled lightly. 

“That’s a minor detail.”

“He’s one of your best friends.” 

“And because he’s one of my best friends, he’ll understand why I’m doing this.” 

“What if I don’t like you back?” She narrowed her eyes, wanting to stand her ground a little longer. He took one more step closer, their feet almost touching and he leaned over slightly, his breath brushing her forehead.

“Do you like me?” He asked softly. 

“I don’t know,” she lied. He brushed his lips against hers. 

“Do you want to find out?” He teased her and her breath caught, nearly choking her. She couldn’t speak from the nerves paralyzing her, so she just nodded. He rubbed his lips against her lips, not kissing her yet. She brushed her nose against the soft spot of skin below his nose and above his lip, standing on the balls of her feet. Her hands came up and stopped midair, unsure how or where to touch him. Turning his head slightly to the side he kissed her. His hands went from the top of her thighs to her waist and then up to her neck, which he held in place while he moved his head to kiss her. He stood still and reciprocated his slow kisses as best as she could. She put her hands on the outside of his and wrapped her fingers around each wrist. He sucked on her lip and she let her head fall back, giving him a better angle. She stumbled back a little and he caught her in his arms, his lips never skipping a beat as he sucked her and explored her. 

“Are we going to fuck in a graveyard?” She panted, pulling herself away from his hungry mouth. Neil smiled and looked around at the deserted cemetery, empty with the exception of the dead. He shrugged. 

“Do you think they’ll hold it against us? Haunt us for the rest of our lives?” She smiled.

“Are you kidding? They’re probably dying for a show.” He cracked himself up over his own pun and she rolled her eyes affectionately. She kissed him again before he could make another joke and pulled him into the alcove of a mausoleum. There was a stone casket beside the mausoleum and they stumbled over to it, wordlessly deciding to fuck against it. He pressed her back up against the cold stone which felt amazing in the humid summer air. He groped her breasts and she slid a hand down Neil’s chest below the waistband of his jeans. She reached her hand into his underwear and took a hold of his hard cock. She smiled against his lips. 

“It obviously wasn’t a problem this time, was it?” She teased and he groaned, looking up at the sky. 

“No, no, it wasn’t.” He laughed breathlessly as she rubbed her hand down his length, twisting her palm at the end. He went back to kissing her but broke off to whine and pant occasionally as she jerked him off. She pulled her hand back out and spat on it before returning it back into his pants. She fondled his balls and squeezed them, making him gasp against her lips. He reached a hand up her camisole and wrestled his hand beneath her bra. He was definitely a breast man. 

She removed her hand from his pants and pulled his pelvis against her by looping her fingers through his belt loops. With his free hand, Neil unbuttoned her jeans and unzipped the fly. She did the same for his jeans and turned around, sticking her butt against his hard crotch. 

“Fuck…” Neil looked at her ass and felt himself get even harder. He pulled her back against him by holding her shoulder. He kissed her bare neck and carded his hands through her cropped hair. “You’re so beautiful.” He whispered and she sighed softly. At that moment, she felt infinitely beautiful, so beautiful that it would last a lifetime. He pulled down his pants slightly and glanced around before bending her over again. She pulled down her jeans and rubbed her underwear against him like before. She held her hands flat against the stone casket monument and opened her mouth, nearly moaning in anticipation of Neil’s cock inside her. He slowly rolled down her underwear, the hipster style that covered her butt. They were white, ironically. 

Exposing her ass, he moaned and reached around to her cunt and rubbed her clit. 

“God, fuck me already, Neil.” She pleaded and he nodded. 

“Are you wet enough? I don’t have a condom.” 

“I’m soaking wet, Neil. Don’t worry about the condom. It’s ok with me.” 

“Ok, ok.” He smiled and spat on his hand, rubbing the saliva over her folds. Then he did it again, smearing his spit on his own cock. She gasped loudly when he pushed his tip inside her. He grabbed her hips and tried to stop himself from rutting into her. 

“Fuck, go slow… you’re so big.” She whimpered and moaned as he slowly pushed further in. He gasped pitifully and resisted the urge to cum immediately like a schoolboy. 

“Jesus, you feel so good.” He panted and watched as his cock went further inside her. She clutched her uterus, trying to allow him to enter her. He whined as she did so and gave a few tiny thrusts. 

“Ah, ahh.” He moaned weakly and started to fuck her more regularly, feeling her walls begin to mold around him. “Oh fuck, its so good.” He pulled her hips against him with a harder thrust and she cried out softly, her hands sweating against the stone. As she became wetter, he slid in and out faster, hitting the bottom of her uterus each time. 

“Jesus, Neil!” She moaned and pushed herself against him, wanting him further inside. 

“I can’t go any farther, honey. You’re not big enough.” He whispered against her neck and continued to fuck her with the same primal sexuality as a dog in heat. She hummed to keep herself from screaming out. 

“Fuck yes, this is so good.” He praised her and went faster, his pale legs shaking with pleasure. He felt like he was losing his virginity all over again, needing to come already and they had just started. He pulled out and spun her around to kiss her, his hand holding her chin up to reciprocate his kiss. He switched places with him and pushed him onto the ground where he was sitting on the grass. She kicked off her jeans and underwear, still in her shoes and socks and straddled him. He whimpered as she lowered herself onto him and sat completely on him. She shifted her hips back and forth, wanting him to stay completely inside her. His back was against the stone. When she started to feel her orgasm approaching he started to move up and down, snapping on top of his cock in quick movements that made them both cry out.

“Mmmm, fuck…” Neil panted and looked up at her, studying how her head fell back and her neck arched out towards him. He looked down and watched how her cunt took him, so wet that precum dribbled down his cock onto his pubic hair. 

“Um, God, Neil, I’m gonna cum.” She panted and he smiled. 

“Come here,” he wrapped his arms around her and turned her around again, laying her flat on her back on the grass and thrusted into her again. She gasped and clutched a handful of grass above her head. She wrapped her thighs around his waist and he sat on his knees, pulling her up to meet him. He fucked her hard and fast, pounding his pelvis against hers. The muscles in his butt clenched as he fucked her desperately. She covered her mouth and cried out in pleasure. She squirted but he continued to fuck her, chasing his own high. 

“I’m so close.” He panted and ran his hand down her chin. She looked so beautiful below him, mouth still slightly agape in a pleasurable ‘O’ shape. “Fuck! Oh my God.” He cried and pulled out quickly so that he wouldn’t cum inside her. She rolled over and sucked him off, allowing him to fuck her throat weakly as he finally spilled him cum down her throat. She rolled her tongue around his cock and licked the tip as he pulled out, panting like he had just run a race. He collapsed beside her on the ground and laughed in disbelief. She laughed too, covering her face with her hands. 

“Fucking hell.” She laughed into her hands. “That was the best I ever had,” she admitted and he smiled proudly. 

“Honestly it was mine too, and my first time in a cemetery, I’ll admit.” 

“What, you’re saying to don’t fuck all your girlfriends here?” She teased and he shook his head, rolling it side to side on the ground. A pleasant silence settled between them as they caught their breath. She tried to ignore the fact that she mentioned girlfriends. Neil flopped his head to the side and watched her, her long eyelashes fluttering as she blinked. 

“Is that what you are now?” He asked.

“Am I what?”

“Are you my girlfriend now?” He clarified with a small smirk. 

“Is that your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?” She laughed and looked away.

“No…” He rolled on top of her and kissed her all over her face, “this is my way of asking. Will… you… be… my… girlfriend?” He asked between feverish kisses. She giggled and propped herself up on her elbows, kissing him back. He slowed his kisses down and she pulled away with a happy sigh. 

“I guess so.” She said finally and he raised his shoulder to his ears, looking around in childish glee.

“Oh, come on!” She pushed him playfully away and stood. He helped her change back into her clothes and they fixed their clothing. She combed through Neil’s hair with her fingers and nodded her approval. Neil looked down at his watch and nodded. 

“The store opens in exactly seven hours, whatever will we do with our time?” He wrapped his arms around her, clamping her arms against her sides and kissing her neck. 

“I have an idea.” She smiled around his kisses.

“What?” 

“Take me home.” 

“What if you’re a serial killer?” He faked a sense of suspicion. 

“Then I guess we’ll just have to find out.” She teased and kissed him deeply, her index finger pressed against the hollow of his cheek.

[howlingday]

The boys and jaune are at the club looking for a girl so jaune can get laid.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9c9kSjuO08/?igsh=OTJiZTJ0MHJqMzlm

Here's the link to more of the scene on YouTube. And thank you for inspiring me to make something a bit... creative at the end.

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

Jaune: (Smiles)

Cinder: I've got a secret~.

Jaune: Oh?

Cinder: I WORSHIP SALEM.

Jaune: ...

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

Harriet: (Chugging shots) See, that's the problem! I can't find a man who can satisfy me! Some guys can go an hour, maybe an hour and a half, but that's it! A man's got to put in overtime to get me off!

Jaune: ...

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

Yang: I'm not interested in a guy unless he rides a motorcycle.

Jaune: ...

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

Willow: Yeah, baby, well, I'm almost single. My husband's on death row!

Jaune: ...

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

Melanie: This is the first date Missy's been on since the doctor separated us!

Miltiades: This is the first date Missy's been on since the doctor separated us!

Jaune: ...

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

Blake: I'm into the group thing.

Jaune: ...

Sun: (Smiles)

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

Salem: I was a powerful witch in a previous life.

Jaune: ...

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

Penny: (Beatboxing)

Ruby: My name is Ruby, and I'm the best~. Everybody always wanna feel my breast~.

Ruby: Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up...

Jaune: ...

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

Nora: I've been doing some videos, but what I really want to do is star in my own videos, because I want to become a pop singer, and a rock singer, and write my own songs, and sing my own songs, and then I want to be an actress...

Jaune: (Nodding in and out)

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

Tyrian: (In a dress) I hope you don't mind me coming over and sitting down, but I've been watching you all night~. And I wanna tear you apart~.

Jaune: !

Tyrian: And your friend, too~.

Cardin: (Spits out drink)

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

Neptune: So, how's the hook up going?

Jaune: Terrible. I've spoken to probably a dozen girls tonight and not one of them feels right to me.

Cardin: Pssh! It's not about feeling right, Arc. It's about getting you some so you can stop being such a sad-sack!

Ren: I think what Cardin is trying to say is that you're looking too deep for a commitment. Tonight is just helping you make an attempt with a woman. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sun: Well, you guys might be losers, but I managed to get that groupie chick's number.

Jaune: Yeah, have fun with that. Hope you can find a player two.

Sun: Easy! Neptune, you in?

Neptune: Sorry, Sun, but I'm already spoken for tonight. See, I was just having the most interesting conversation with that hottie in the black dress.

Jaune: Well, be careful, because I don't think you're the only one working some magic tonight.

Cardin: Damn right! That babe in purple was hungry for some Winchester, and I'm ready to serve myself up on a silver platter~.

Jaune: ...Cardin, no. Just no. (Sighs) Ren, can you help him?

Ren: I'm afraid not, no. I'm going to be busy with my own escapades tonight.

Jaune: Yeah? What girl?

Ren: Women, actually. The biker girl and the dreamer.

Jaune: Oof... Hope you've got the horsepower and the earmuffs to land it, buddy.

Ren: I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Thank you for your concern, Jaune.

Jaune: So, everybody's getting laid tonight but me?

Cardin: Ah, just hammer back a few and pick one, Arc. It's not rocket science!

Jaune: Yeah, you're right. This makes brain surgery look easy.

Jaune: (Malachites dump drinks on him)

Jaune: ...I'm going home.

Sun: Dude, don't-

Jaune: Nope. Not doing it. (Walks out)

Neptune: Poor guy... Think he'll be okay?

Cardin: He's fine! Now, where'd that feisty purple chick go~?

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

Jaune: (Walking up the stairs, Sighs) Fucking stupid-ass...

???: Are you okay?

Jaune: Huh? (Sees woman in work clothes)

???: You look like you've had a rough night.

Jaune: That's 1 way to put it. (Unlocks door) But nothing a shower can't fix, right?

???: Ooh...

Jaune: What?

???: I just spoke with the super. He said that side of the building was going to be without water until tomorrow.

Jaune: Great. Just... fucking... great. (Sighs)

???: I... don't think it's as great as you say it is. (Chuckles)

Jaune: No, but it's basically par for the course.

???: Oh, do you play golf?

Jaune: Uh, no, I'm not really a sports kind of guy.

???: Oh, really? Would you say you're a drinking kind of guy?

Jaune: Better in me than on me, actually. (Chuckles)

???: (Giggles) Well, I don't have anything stronger than coffee, I'm afraid.

Jaune: Agh, and I forgot to get coffee today. (Chuckles) Guess I can't get a win tonight, huh?

???: I guess not. But if you'd like, I could make us a cup.

Jaune: ...I don't think your husband would appreciate me coming inside smelling like I do.

???: Husband? (Looks down) Oh... No, I... I'm afraid I'm not married anymore. (Twists ring)

Jaune: Oh... Shit, I... I'm so sorry.

???: Thank you, but... It's been some time since he passed away. Maybe... Maybe it's time I move on... (Pulls off ring)

Jaune: I... I think you should move on when you feel like you're ready to move on.

???: (Smiles) You're sweet, you know that?

Jaune: Yeah, well, sweet only takes you so far.

???: Well, if you're not too sweet, you can use my shower. So long as you don't melt like sugar.

Jaune: (Chuckles) Thanks, and, uh, I promise not to melt in your shower.

???: I should have coffee ready by the time you're out.

Jaune: Oh, well, thank you. Uh, do you have sugar, too, or should I dip you in my coffee instead?

???: ...

Jaune: Too far? Sorry. I think it's the booze in my hair.

???: No, no, it's fine. It just took me a minute to realize you were making a sugar pun, too. (Chuckles)

Jaune: Yeah... Uh, listen, is it really okay if I use your shower?

???: Of course! I was going to use it myself, but you look like you could use it more. (Opens door)

Jaune: Thank you, (Walks in) and I promise not to take all the hot water.

???: Please don't. (Walks in, Shuts door) I could use a shower myself after such a long day.

Jaune: Rough night, too, huh?

???: Well, nothing's too rough for this tough, little lady. (Giggles)

Jaune: And, uh, does this tough, little lady have a tough, little name?

???: Hardly. If anything, it's as delicate as a flower.

Jaune: Well... My name's Jaune Arc. It's short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. The ladies love it~.

???: (Snickers) Do they, now? Well, my name is Kali Belladonna, but I don't think I can come up with anything as creative as your introduction there.

Jaune: (Chuckles) Yeah, sorry. But at least it's not as bad as the songs I come up with.

Kali: Oh, you sing?

Jaune: Just as a hobby. Is this the bathroom here?

Kali: Mhm. Help yourself.

Jaune: But not too much. (Winks) Beautiful flower like you needs water, too.

Kali: (Giggles) Oh, stop~.

Jaune: (Enters, Locks door)

Kali: ...

Kali: (Sighs)

Kali: Kali Belladonna, this is how you get hurt.

Kali: (Takes off clothes, Unlocks door) Well... Here's hoping this is worth it...

[owl-falls-au-gravity-falls]

Stanley Pines | Owl Falls AU

IN ENGLISH

Stanley Pines is The protagonist of Owl Falls AU

Stanley "the werewolf knight" Pines, his current age is 57 years old, was born on June 15, 1967, he was relatively young, unlike what many believed at first glance, he studies hard about the boiling islands, as well as a way to find a portal back home, although he also helped Eda sell her potions and elixirs

Stanley's nickname, "the werewolf knight", comes from being the male version of Eda and her type of curse, which was cast on him by someone who is currently unknown

Stanley Pines has two brothers, both older, Stanford Pines, his twin brother, and Sherman "Shermie" Pines, the oldest of the three brothers, his mother is Caryn Romanoff Pines, his father is Filbrick Pines, he has Jacob Pines as a nephew and Dipper and Mabel as great-nephews, both twins

His fraternal relationships outside of blood ties are Eda Clawthorne, ex-wife and now his best friend, King, whom he considered his nephew, although he does not say it explicitly, Luz Noceda, a human girl who gave him back his hopes of returning home, became a kind of apprentice for Stan, over time he met Willow, Gus, Amity and Hunter and simply became the father of the group

His appearance is quite similar to what he had thirty years ago, thanks to the elixir that Eda gave him to stay active and energetic to make his deliveries and escape, the differences are that Stan's hair has been dyed a silver gray, the coat he wore was worn out over time, so Eda gave him a cape similar to his old coat, with a hat to keep him warm, internal pockets to easily steal and a resistant material to prevent wear

Some personal items that Stan keeps from his world are the following:

Stanford's diary number 2, in which Stanley had recorded his discoveries and notes on the boiling islands

His cape, a gift from Eda, which keeps him warm and protects him from any threat

His palisman, Dominique, created with the help of Eda, with whom he has a special connection, and of course the palisman can become a baseball bat with which he can fight, since Dominique was very resistant

His metal gauntlets, golden color, which he uses to fight hand to hand, only in emergencies

EN ESPAÑOL

Stanley Pines es el protagonista de Owl Falls AU

Stanley "el caballero lobo" Pines, su edad actual es de 57 años, nació el 15 de junio de 1967, era relativamente joven, a diferencia de lo que muchos creían al verlo a simple vista, estudia arduamente sobre las islas hirvientes, así como una forma de encontrar un portal de vuelta a casa, aunque también ayudaba a Eda a vender sus pociones y elixires

El apodo de Stanley, "el caballero lobo", viene de ser la versión masculina de Eda y su tipo de maldición, la cual le fue lanzada por alguien que por ahora es desconocido

Stanley Pines tiene dos hermanos, ambos mayores, Stanford Pines, su hermano gemelo, y Sherman "Shermie" Pines, el mayor de los tres hermanos, su madre es Caryn Romanoff Pines, su padre es Filbrick Pines, tiene como sobrino a Jacob Pines y a Dipper y Mabel como sobrino-nietos, ambos gemelos

Sus relaciones fraternales lejos de los lazos sanguíneos son Eda Clawthorne, exesposa y ahora su mejor amiga, King, al que consideraba su sobrino, aunque no lo dice de forma explícita, Luz Noceda, una niña humana que le regreso las esperanzas de volver a casa, se convirtió en una especie de aprendiz para Stan, con el tiempo conoció a Willow, Gus, Amity y Hunter y simplemente se volvió el papá del grupo

su aspecto es bastante similar a la que tenía hace treinta años, gracias al elixir que Eda le entrego para mantenerse activo y enérgico para hacer sus entregas y escapar, las diferencias son que el cabello de Stan se ha teñido de un gris plateado, el abrigo que usaba se fue desgastando con el tiempo, así que Eda le entrego una capa similar a su antiguo abrigo, con un gorro para abrigarlo, bolsillos internos para robar fácilmente y un material resistente para evitar el desgaste

Algunos objetos personales que Stan conserva de su mundo son las siguientes:

El diario número 2 de Stanford, en el cual Stanley había registrado sus descubrimientos y anotaciones sobre las islas hirvientes

Su capa, regalo de Eda, que lo abriga y protege de cualquier amenaza

Su palisman, Dominique, creado con la ayuda de Eda, con quien tiene una conexión especial, además claro de que el palisman puede convertirse en un bate de beisbol con el que puede pelear, ya que Dominique era muy resistente 

Sus manoplas de metal, de color dorado, los cuales usa para pelear cuerpo a cuerpo, solo en emergencias...

[roontwo]

long owl house rant! yayyyyy!!!(spoilers)

one of my favorite things about the owl house is the implications. for example, titans corpses make up the two landscapes we see throughout the entire series(not counting the shot from the atmosphere where we are bunch of unidentified land masses). titan trapper island, the hand of a significantly large titan with the rest submerged underwater, and the boiling isles being the whole corpse of Kings dad. life on either of these places is confirmed to have inherited magic from the strong residual magic from the titan they formed on. the defeat of Belos would likely lead to a lasting peace, that combined with social advancements like the university of wild magic and the potential inclusion of humans in magic society would undoubtedly lead to an economic boom, as well as a boom in population. the boiling isles is fairly small for the only known and inhabited continent left after the titan trapper island is abandoned, with the only way to get to it destroyed. the implication of this, combined with the inevitable rise in population, and the fact that the only inhabitable spaces we see are comprised of titan corpses, is that one day King will have to die and bear life on the continent that forms from his body(The Collector and construction magic combined with human architecture notwithstanding of course). the untold number of grimwalkers that Belos created and destroyed. a child using advanced abomination magic in the time pool episode implying that magic was stronger in the wild era. the time paradox with Luz and Philip. every “evil” character that turns good.

Boscha’s bullying being heavily informed by how much she values her friends, ie. “willow has to make friends out of plants”, “you’re not cute, i still have more friends than you!”. “captain goes first”(as long as you guys follow behind me), her reaction to Amity breaking away from the group. the only real moment of emotion from her being when she cries upon getting her friends back.

Darius’s dismissiveness of Hunter being informed by his worry that he’s too busy riding Belos’s coattails to be a real person. every character we see chase Belos’s favor is punished for it because it is an unachievable goal(Lilith, Kikimora,Odalia) and Darius wishes to save Hunter from this fate.(also the previous golden guard was his mentor and he mighttttt know what happens to grimwalkers, “why does Darius look so sad in this?”).

Principal Bump’s initial denial of Luz’s desire to study multiple tracks being informed by how seriously he takes his job and how he truly believes that no student is irredeemable. he assigned her to the potions track(under the guise of randomness) because he knows she only knows two spells and has to use paper to cast them, meaning that the only track that she would reasonably stand a chance in is the only one that only requires mixing ingredients.

Amity’s initial distaste for Luz(AND WILLOWWWWWW????) being informed by her abusive perfectionist upbringing. she desperately wants to be her own witch, but has been conditioned to believe that doing so will only bring shame to her and her family. so when she sees Luz breaking all of those rules, exploring magic in such an unabashed, unorthodox way, and loving it, she’s resentful of her freedom. of the fact that she doesn’t know anything about what it supposedly takes to be a witch but she’s just doing it anyway.

every episode of this show, even the last 3 that disney didn’t even wanna give us, are packed full of insanely deep implications and character motivations that i just can’t stop thinking about. and this is all without digging into lore that didn’t get explored super hard like the archivists and such.also willow is perfect in every way, i love her.

[reachoutandtouchfaith-pccw]

Dutch van der Linde

Correspondences:

Story: Red Dead Redemption Series

Deity Of: Wealth, gold fever, mountains, cave systems, slow erosion, natural disasters

Symbols: Fehu Rune, Ehwaz Rune, Prosperity Knot, Solomon's Knot, Number 8, Awen

Colors: Black, red, white, gold, brown, gray

Planets: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter

Elements: Fire, air, water (at least in the beginning)

Tarot: Emperor

Favorite Season: Autumn

Zodiac: Taurus

Birthstone: Emerald

Holidays: National Day of the Cowboy, his birthday takes place on I Love Reese's Day

Herbs/Plants: Rose, dandelion, weeping willow, black nightshade (poisonous!), henbane (poisonous!), mandrake (poisonous!)

Crystals/Gemstones: Black agate, brown agate, bloodstone, jet, black onyx, brown zircon

Animals: Horses, snakes, coyotes, crows, bulls, lions and cats

Affirmation: "Have some goddamn faith."

Offerings: Cigars, coins and dollars (especially from that era), vial of blood, horseshoes, poetry and philosophy books, deck of cards

When To Work With: Days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Times of day are twilight, dawn, and sunset.

Reasons To Invoke His Energy:

Manifestation and Opportunity. Spotting opportunities and angles, coming up with backup plans, finding unconventional solutions, manifesting money (though this comes with risks — he may ask for more in return!), and opening closed doors.

Empowerment and Leadership. Public speaking and persuasion, building loyalty in a group, finding followers for a cause, confidence in leadership positions, developing a commanding presence, and starting a movement or community.

Protection and Resistance. Breaking free from oppressive systems, protection while operating outside conventional rules, strength to resist authority, creating safe spaces for outcasts, and finding escape routes from bad situations.

Creativity and Vision. Inspiration for grand schemes, developing ambitious visions, having unwavering conviction and faith in those visions, inspiring others to see your vision, connecting seemingly unrelated elements, and seeing the bigger picture.

Survival and Adaptation. Navigating hostile environments, reading dangerous situations, finding resources in scarcity, building from nothing, adaptability in crisis, protection, and urban and wilderness survival skills.

Shadow Work. Processing betrayal trauma from rats, examining which parts of yourself you hide to appear "proper", studying yourself with the same intensity Dutch studied Evelyn Miller, and keeping a journal of your thoughts and philosophy.

Just remember, like invoking any other PCC energy, Dutch's energy comes with that warning label. Too much can be a bad thing. Use with proper respect and moderation. Also, friendly reminder that any and all PCCs are good for curses, hexes, and jinxes...

When you're going to invoke him, it's a good idea to look out for...

Signs:

Hear:

The whistle of a distant train

The clopping of horses' hooves

The creaking of wagon wheels

The rattling of a stagecoach

The clinking of coins dropping

The music of a harmonica

Smell:

The richness of cigar smoke

The sourness of gunpowder

The spiciness of sagebrush

The ruggedness of leather

The sweetness of sandalwood

The earthiness of whiskey

Feel:

The coldness of morning frost

The warmth of the rising sun

The heat of a campfire

The sting of rope burn on palms

The crispiness of cool air

The prickliness of cacti or paresthesia

See:

The transportation of a horse

The sparkliness of the horizon

The haziness of ubiquitous dust

The flashiness of spurs

The darkness of his silhouette

The brightness of a camping lantern

Taste:

The succulence of mangoes

The freshness of purified river water

The palatableness of root beer

The bitterness of birch beer

The rusticness of sarsaparilla

The creaminess of cream soda

These signs are to only be looked out for if you can’t visualize him in your mind's eye.

Clown-O-Meter:

Does He Do Any Pranks?: Yes, and his most notable one is the "Stick 'Em Up Cowboy" moment.

What Are His Emo Moments?: He broods on cliffsides and balconies, plus I'm pretty sure he's an insomniac.

Does He Have A Stage Presence?: Yes, he's very charismatic, he has theatrical speeches, he keeps saying "one more score" like a circus act that never ends, and his train heists look amazing.

Does He Have A Clown Cult?: Yes, he has what technically could be called a "clown cult" made of cowpokes.

Would He Be Part Of A Killer Clown Version of Rebel Clown Army?: Considering their main goal is anarchism, most definitely.

Did He Kill One Of His Family Members?: He paid Arthur Morgan $20 to kill his whole family for him.

What Is His Kill Count?: 625.

Overall (out of five): 🎈🎈🎈

Additional Notes:

Dutch van der Linde, to say the least, is one great big mystery. Based on what you've seen of him, you either love him, hate him, love to hate him, hate to love him, or — dare I say it — sympathize, truly dig into his background and theories until he is a tad bit crystal clearer so you can solve the mystery, and let him inspire you, which is what I found myself doing. Now, what I'm about to say may be something that you find yourself disagreeing with, but it's both my own personal UPG and theories that I agree with around Reddit. If you don't agree, please don't comment and just feel free to scroll over this Tumblr post.

Dutch is a victim of circumstance. Beyond his control, every plan he has made has failed. His luck ran out, starting with the Blackwater fiasco. Each subsequent stop — Valentine, Strawberry, Rhodes, and St. Denis — ended in disaster or tragedy. By Beaver Hollow, he was in freefall. His plans crumbled, his people died, and his leadership cracked under mounting pressure. Nothing seemed to go right for him anymore and we all know this. What was hidden in the background that many people didn't know, however, was that Dutch made a deal with the Strange Man.

According to Redditor u/kaellcb, he made this pact after he and Hosea were arrested so that they could escape their cell and live happy, fulfilling lives. But, in a move that is very reminiscent of Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean (cowboys are pretty much land pirates anyway), he did not want to live up to the end of his bargain and tried to do anything and everything in the realm of possibility to make sure that he never would. This led to his infamous bad luck. Read the full thread here for more information.

I also agree with Redditor u/Jamerson357, at least on the second half of his post. John Marston ended up becoming another Micah, turning on his fellow outlaws, and that's something that Dutch doesn't tolerate with good reason. Dutch only believed Micah because he thought that Micah was supporting him (but he only saw through him after Arthur's death). And, as far as Arthur goes, he only abandoned him after he gained tuberculosis, and rather letting him die from disease, he was trying to make him die in a blaze of glory, just as Jon Bon Jovi wrote about. Read the full thread here for more information.

Regardless if you find yourself agreeing with u/kaellcb, u/Jamerson357, or both, one thing is clear: Dutch is revealed to be a very misunderstood outlaw who, in fact, is both a Cinnamon Roll and BAMF, once you do some digging into his story. He did what he could to keep the gang together. He is a visionary and never a true antagonist. And with that, I leave these pieces of information here so you can do what you want with them: either work with his energy or not. The choice is yours.

[is-the-thing-actually-jewish]

Okay i saw your answer on etrogs so it made me wonder: etrog vs rimon, which is more Jewish?? (I’m not actually invested in a definite answer, but I’m VERY invested in the debate)

Rating: HERE’S THE DEBATE YOU WANTED 

Answering this question necessarily requires a working definition of what makes something “more” or “less” Jewish, and what that definition is results in several different answers with their corresponding justifications. Does “more Jewish” mean “more important to Judaism religiously”? Or “more important to Jewish culture?” Or “belonging uniquely to Jews as opposed to any other enthno-religious group?” So, here goes: 

More religiously important: ETROG. The etrog, also known as the citron, is one of the four species critical to the celebration of the Festival of Sukkot. Leviticus 23:40 commands that “on the first day [of Sukkot] you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God seven days.” “Hadar” translates to “splendor” or “beauty” and is traditionally read to refer to the etrog tree. Interestingly, the Jerusalem Talmud suggests the possibility that “hadar tree” could refer to pomegranates before dismissing it, as the pomegranate has a “beautiful fruit but not beautiful wood,” (or possibly vice versa, scribal texts disagree), whereas the etrog has both beautiful fruit and beautiful wood, along a beautiful scent. (Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 3:5:2). All that aside, there is mitzvah d’orieta (a religious obligation directly from the Torah, as opposed to an obligation established by the rabbis, a mitzvah d’rabbanan) that requires the use of the etrog, whereas all religious use of the pomegranate, such as at a Tu B’shvat Seder or as a siman on Rosh HaShanah, have merely the force of minhag (religious custom, not law). 

More important to Jewish culture: RIMON. Pomegranates feature in a huge amount of Jewish art, especially as decoration on pretty much any Jewish ritual item. You can find them on everything from ketubot (marriage contracts) to hanukkiot (hanukkah menorahs). I’ve seen pomegranate tallitot, pomegranate mezuzot, pomegranate tzedakah boxes, etc. Personally, in my house, we have four different pomegranate mezuzot, a pomegranate hand-washing cup for ritual handwashing, pomegranate candlesticks, a pomegranate kiddush cup, and, ironically enough, an etrog box decorated with— you guessed it— pomegranates. (I also have pomegranate earrings and pomegranate socks, thank you fiance) (At the time of this writing, this blog is also a Jewish thing decorated with pomegranates). A search for “pomegranate” on Judaica.com offers 197 results, whereas a search for “etrog” turns up 4 actual lulav and etrog sets, plus 13 decorative boxes designed to safely hold one’s etrog during sukkot and not as decoration at all. 

Pomegranates are one of the seven species biblically associated with the land of Israel, along with wheat, barley, grapes, fig, olives, and dates (Deuteronomy 8:8)-- a list that does not include etrogim. They are also an important motif throughout Shir haShirim (Song of Songs), in which the lovers frequently compare each other’s beauty to that of a pomegranate. Pomegranates symbolize beauty, fertility, fecundity, mitzvot, and merit, as in the annual Rosh HaShanah wish that “our merits be as plentiful as the seeds of the pomegranate.” A common (though inaccurate) bit of folk wisdom gives the number of seeds in a pomegranate as 613, one for each of the commandments given in the Torah. 

In a particularly entertaining digression in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 8a) in which the rabbis are comparing their physical attributes (yes, this means exactly what you think it does), the narrative voice pauses to explain that if you want to understand just how unbelievably gorgeous Rabbi Yochanan was, you should take a “silver goblet from the smithy and fill it with red pomegranate seeds and place a diadem of red roses upon the lip of the goblet, and position it between the sunlight and shade. That luster is a semblance of Rabbi Yoḥanan’s beauty.” Does this really support my thesis? As minor evidence at most, but I will seize any opportunity to share that description. 

Meanwhile, the etrog does not appear as a symbol or decoration in and of itself, only in the context of Sukkot and the other three Sukkot species. You may indeed see an etrog on the Torah curtain in Tishrei or in a panel of stained glass in the synagogue… but you’ll only know it’s an etrog because it has the lulav right next to it, generally as part of an array of holiday-related symbols. (I do, in fact, also own an etrog earring, but just the one— the other one is a lulav, thank you sibling.) There are a plethora of midrashim on what exactly the etrog symbolizes, but always as part of a set. For example, it’s often associated with the heart, to go along with the palm frond’s spine, the myrtle’s mouth, and the willow’s eye. As my fiance put it, “If you see a pomegranate on something, there’s a decent chance it’s Jewish. But without the lulav, an etrog just looks like a lemon, and there’s nothing particularly Jewish about lemons.” 

Belonging Uniquely to Jews: ETROG. The citron is widely agreed to be one of three “true” members of the citrus family, along with the mandarin and pomelo, with all others the results of hybridization. Archeological and primary-document research confirms that the citron originated in eastern India and southern China, and was found in Sumerian ruins dating from more than six thousand years ago. It is referenced in the Vajasaneiy Samhita, a compilation of Vedic religion texts, called Yajur-Veda (ca. 1200-1000 B.C.E), and early Greek and Latin writers describe the citron clearly, mentioning its use as an antidote to poisons and a way to ward off moths from one’s clothes.* However, a 2015 study found evidence that the diffusion of the citron throughout southern Italy and the surrounding region dated to the destruction of the Second Temple and subsequent Jewish diaspora. The study concludes that their results “evidence the special role played by Jews in the spread of the citron as the authentic sacred fruit used in their Tabernacles ritual.”* It is worth noting that there is a variety of citron known as “Buddha’s Hand” that may be used as offerings in Buddhist temples, but it looks so dramatically different from what we know as an etrog as to be a different item entirely (and, indeed, multiple rabbis have ruled that it should not be used for fulfilling the mitzvah). Thus, the etrog is inextricably and uniquely linked to Jews. 

On the other side of the debate, pomegranates appear frequently in art, stories, and cultural artifacts throughout the world, particularly in the Middle and Near East. These stories range from the Ancient Greek myth of Hades and Persophone, whose consumption of pomegranate seeds kept her in the underworld for the winter each year, to a Buddhist legend of a child-eating/stealing demoness whom the Buddha convinced to only eat pomegranates and become a patron goddess of children.  Greece, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, among others, consider the pomegranate to be one of their important symbols. Traditions regarding pomegranates abound, including a Greek custom of smashing a pomegranate on the new year for good luck. They are widely considered a symbol of fertility, abundance, and good luck, similarly to their symbolism in Judaism. In short, while Jews are very into pomegranates, so are a lot of other cultures. 

*Gina Maruca, et al. “Religious and cultural significance of the citron (citrus medica L. ‘diamante’) from Calabria (South Italy): A biblical fruit of the mediterranean land.” Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering A, vol. 4, no. 4, 28 Apr. 2015, https://doi.org/10.17265/2162-5298/2015.04.006.

[leveloneandup]

Christen Press on potential Angel City sale: ‘It allows the club to continue to professionalize’

Willow Bay and her husband, Disney CEO Bob Iger, are close to purchasing a controlling stake of Angel City FC. There’s no public timeline for when the deal will be done. Still, the new ownership group — and the numbers around their investment, somewhere in the ballpark of $300 million — has reignited discussions about NWSL club valuations and the rapid growth of women’s soccer here in the United States.

Angel City forward Christen Press, who was also the team’s first signing, spoke to The Athletic on her way to training on Wednesday morning. Immediately, she noted she was following the potential sale through media reports herself. Her reaction — and that of her fellow players — was one of excitement.

Press said those numbers shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. Not if you’ve been paying attention, anyway.

“When you start to see valuations as a player, and as someone who has a very vested interest in the business of women’s sports, there’s two things,” she continued. “First thing I think is, ‘Hell yeah.’ This is exactly how it should be, right? On our podcast, we just talked to Ali Krieger about how, as a novice broadcaster, she’s making more money than she did as a player. These types of sales and deals are working towards changing that.”

For her second point, Press said that Angel City has gotten a lot right through the first few years in the league. Whether that’s game day experience, business, or community, all of those things are already working.

“They also have a lot of things that they need to get right, and a sale like this is a lot of money to the club,” Press said. “It allows the club to continue to professionalize and push the envelope in terms of the expectations for women’s sports. I do think Angel City recognizes that they have a lot of room to grow on that end.”

Press called the team a “zero to one project,” but one that needs a different level of funding to go from one to two. That’s along the same lines as what one early investor told the Los Angeles Times in March when the news broke that Angel City was considering selling a controlling stake.

“What’s been built at Angel City in three short years is nothing short of incredible. And in high-growth companies, it is absolutely normal to step back and look at ‘what do we need to continue this growth?’” Sarah Harden, CEO of Hello Sunshine, said. “This board has determined that this is the right time to bring in a new major investor. That’s it. That is the story.”

Of course, Angel City hasn’t been the only NWSL team to explore a sale — though they have the more positive distinction of exploring a move willingly. Also in March, San Diego Wave FC made headlines for setting a new record, with the club’s principal owner Rob Burkle agreeing to sell to the Levine Leichtman family at a total valuation of $120 million. The valuations of NWSL teams are being watched on a global scale as well. For instance, Chelsea has started to explore the idea of selling a minority stake in their women’s team, using Angel City’s previous valuation of $180 million as their benchmark.

“All of the measures of women’s sports right now are growing, and I think the NWSL is at the forefront of a lot of that,” Pete Giorgio, who leads Deloitte’s global and U.S. sports practice, told The Athletic in March. “Those large valuations and these large transactions validate both the foresight, but also the investment that a lot of people made in the first place.”

As women’s soccer analyst Kim McCauley pointed out, Michele Kang received plenty of questions when she seemingly overpaid for the Washington Spirit in 2022. Kang had originally offered $21 million for the controlling stake in the team. She closed the deal at $35 million, which only two years ago seemed like an absurd number.

Seattle Reign FC finally wrapped its sale last month, with the Seattle Sounders and Carlyle Group taking over the club for $58 million (that club’s sale was the result of John Textor’s takeover of Lyon and a sole focus on the men’s team, with Olympique Lyonnais also sold to Kang). Before that, the sales of the Chicago Red Stars — a total bid of $60 million, with $35.5 million as the purchase price — and Portland Thorns FC at $63 million were also finalized, with both of those changes coming following the league’s abuse scandal.

“If you have an ownership group that needs to be out, it’s actually really hard to compartmentalize, and I think we’ve seen that in the Chicagos and the Portlands, how it’s affected the players,” Press said. For her, it’s different in Los Angeles, as she pointed to the regular presence of owners and investors at games. “For this, it’s only positive. We know our ownership group.”

The NWSL is going through an incredible transformation. Even with the positive impact of some of those changes and investments, it’s not hard to understand why some fans and supporters might get a little nervous about this much money coming in and how it might change the sport. Some of those changes are deeply necessary and some will absolutely affect the culture of women’s soccer in America.

Press has been part of what she called “a generation of change”, whether that’s on the USWNT with their fight for equal pay and a new collective bargaining agreement, or her NWSL career, which started in 2014 with the Red Stars. “I can’t even remember what that first field that I played on in Chicago was called, but I was driving out of the city for an hour and a half to get to some turf field.” The Red Stars’ home field was at Benedictine University; in 2014, the team had an average attendance of 2,949.

“I don’t think we want to hang on to those memories,” Press said. “There is absolutely a connection between those of us who have been fighting for improved standards in the league and our fans because the fans have had so much influence in that fight and our success. It really has bonded us with our community in a way that it feels like we’re all doing this together.”

Press isn’t worried about that bond being lost. She believes it’s trending in the right direction, especially as players have a lot less to worry about off the field and can step directly into stardom. Players that turn into superstars have to be supported though, by brands, by teams, through marketing and the media.

“That’s storytelling and that’s investment, so as it continues to grow, there is a huge opportunity for the relationship with the fans to transform. And because we continue to find ourselves in a fight for legitimate valuations and for fair pay and for equality, we’ll be able to maintain such a strong tie to the fans that help us achieve these things.”

There are more immediate goals for Angel City to accomplish, even with the potential sale to the Bay-Iger group in the works. On the pitch deck, acquired by Semafor, the first of the new ownership group’s guiding principles is “Improve team performance, player support and retention,” which also includes the tangible goal of building a new facility that could serve as the team’s HQ and training site.

While Angel City is currently in 11th place in the NWSL, they’re only three points off the playoff line cutoff. They’ll face Gotham FC in their final match before the league takes an extended break for the Olympics.

Press said the team can rely on the existing trust between the players and ownership group to allow the sale process to play out as it should and not have it overshadow the urgent need for three points on the field — at home — this weekend.

“The entire focus of the group is on the game,” she promised.

[mercurygray]

HBOWW2 Rewatch: 1943

As we head into Week Two of the #hboww2rewatch, some context for where we left off:

It's February of 1943. We've spent a whole year fighting in the Pacific and to be honest, that year hasn't gone all that great - until we win on Guadalcanal. It is a six month long slugfest in the mud, but Guadalcanal is the battle that tells America that island hopping can be done - that there is some hope, however small, that maybe, just maybe, this will work. It's been a little over a year since Pearl Harbor. We're still trying to rebuild the Pacific Fleet. Kaiser Shipyards are trying cut down production times on destroyers. Willow Run has just finished being built, the largest single aircraft production facility in the world, ready to build B-24s at an astonishing pace.

It's February of 1943. John Basilone is headed home to sell war bonds, so that we can finance Kaiser, and Ford, and every single other crazy idea Big Bill Knudsen is trying to sell the manufacturers of America.

It's May of 1943. The North Africa campaign has been a success - Rommel has finally been booted back to Italy and the Allied forces have a toehold to attack the soft underbelly of Europe. Engineers are working hard to transform the desert airstrips of Tunisia and Algeria into working airbases that can attack the south of France, and Romania, and Italy.

It's May of 1943. The 100th Bomb group is forming up from Kearney, Nebraska, and a number of other bases west, going overseas for the first time, and they have no idea what they're getting themselves into. The RAF has been fighting the air war since 1939, and frankly they're tired.

It's May of 1943. Let's go.

[outlying-hyppocrate]

my main characters' music tastes, featuring a few artists i think they would listen to!! (i really need a name for their little group. (': )

freya: not a big music person. mostly listens to classical and lofi for the sake of studies, but lana del rey, ethel cain, cigarettes after sex, billie eilish, nicole dollanganger, elita, and baby bugs do occasionally make appearances. she only ever listens to music when she's bored in class and there's no more work to be done.

silas: incredibly varied, like mine, but with a focus on my chemical romance, the front bottoms, radiohead, destroy boys, and the dresden dolls. see also: mindless self indulgence, tally hall, and will wood and the tapeworms. he's just like me for real,,,,

jensy: jensy willow is the gayest straight(?) man to ever exist. an absolute princess of a boy. and what do princess boys listen to? MALICE MIZER!!!!! it's mostly visual kei bands. and sometimes vocaloid. kikuo, maretu, and siinamota is his shit.

cockroach girl: exclusively video game soundtracks and stomach book / femtanyl / gezebelle gaburgably type things. what more do you expect from her. (in the girl's defense, gratia mundi from final fantasy xv is a masterpiece and she has every right to listen to it. as she should.)

ghyslaine: the angriest-sounding songs you have ever heard. she is so so angry at the world. slipknot would be her number one artist on spotify if spotify were a thing in other timelines. see also: korn, system of a down, and even babymetal, because babymetal fucks and i am sick of pretending they do not.

théophane: now. he tells people he only listening to music from the timeline. he does on occasion. but his main music taste is, to quote the new generation, "zesty as fuck". think todrick hall, realxman, troye sivan, katy perry, carly rae jepsen, kesha…… also every song to ever have been classified as a "white girl banger", europop, and the entirety of brat. if anyone should be allowed to have a "brat summer" it's théo. he's been through an awful lot with his sister, after all. let him have this.

psyche: the most obscure of the obscure. she's the type of person to know what the fuck flowerviolence is. allthepiecesgatheredbymay, stumik bug, flowerswillgrowfrommygrave, and she died in pallet town!!! are her favorite bands.

[talonabraxas]

The Sacred Trees of The Druids and The Pagan Tribes of Old Europe Few peoples held trees in such high regard as the Celts and their Druids. I may also add that I consider the beliefs of the Thracians (my ancestors) to have been very close to those of the continental Celts during the period of great learning and the high – rise of the Druids. This was not a blind and primitive worship, but a genuine veneration based on an understanding of the importance of trees to material and spiritual human existence. The evidence of the close relationship between Celtic peoples and trees is clear in the landscape, with woodlands that have been carefully managed for up to three thousand years and extensive network of hedgerows. Certain trees – alder, apple, ash, birch elm, hawthorn, hazel, pine, oak, rowan, thorn, willow and yew – are mentioned persistently in Celtic tradition.

Indeed, so important were trees to Celtic peoples, that there were laws to protect them and govern how they might be used. In Ireland they were divided into four classes: “Nobles of the Wood“, “Commoners of the Wood“, “Lower Division of the Wood“, and “Bushes of the Wood“. Misuse of timber and living wood was punished with fines according to the class of the tree involved. Many of the methods of woodland management that are still in use today (although much in decline) were used by ancestral Celts to ensure that their precious resource was renewed. Pollarding, coppicing, planting, drainage, hedging, and so on, along with foraging (by people and animals) were all used to good advantage. The qualities of different timbers were well known and there were even woodworkers who specialized in operating with a single timber. Yet this mundane use of woodland never obscured the emotional and spiritual relationship that ancestral Celts had with trees that surrounded them.

Although most people no longer consciously acknowledge this bond, it still exists and there are times when it makes itself known. The Great Storm that tore across southern England in October of 1987 uprooted 15 million trees in a few short hours. This was believed to be the wrath of the ancient Anglo-Saxons gods, for the English people neglected and abandoned the old faith, accepting a foreign religion that wasn’t even remotely compatible for the Europen peoples. That same politicised faith soaked with the blood of millions of innocent people for the benefit of a small group of “god’s chosen people” calling themselves “the elite“. The wind wrought great damage on houses and other human constructs , and there was even a loss of human life, but it was the destruction of large numbers of trees that left many people in a state of shock. Even now the landscape is so altered that it can be disorientating.

Mythologically, the Celts believed we were descended from trees, springing like fruit from the branches. Even J.R.R. Tolkien wrote and portrayed this idea with the Ents in The Lord of The Rings and his other books. Serving as an allegory or as a metaphor, it was evident what he was trying to convey to the reader. In particular, the Celts believed we were descended from the great Oak. How widespread or absolute a creation myth this was, is uncertain, but a sacred tree regarded as a ‘tree of life‘, was to be found at the heartland of many Celtic tribes. There is no doubt that the Celts had an equivalent of the highly important Scandinavian and Germanic conception of ‘The World Tree’ – Yggdrasill. The importance of the tree to the Celts, is well attested in classical and Celtic sources, and it is likely that a tree did stand at the centre of sacred cosmology in the same way that it stood at the centre of tribal life.