#young cricket sm | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kairakeiji · 3 years

Note

hey cali!

first i just wanted to say CONGRATS ON 2K!!! you deserve it sm, not just because you're such a talented writer, but also because you're one of the sweetest people i've met! even though we haven't interacted a ton, you've made my experience here a lot more fun and memorable <3

for your event, could i get keiji + royalty au? thank you sm!

again, happy 2k and i hope you know that i love you with my entire heart <33

one day.

it was one day until your wedding to prince kuroo in the nearby kingdom, and akaashi even to this day kept his mouth shut.

besides, the ordeal was out of your control completely, arranged marriages were rather common amongst royalty. whether it was for business practices or kingdom relationships, kingdoms married future heirs and heiresses off without a problem, with the future wedded couple expected to follow along. sure, some people protested, but most of the time, everyone was rather calm about it. it’s normal, it’s expected almost, and you seemed surprinsgly okay with your future.

akaashi on the other hand, selfishly wished to keep you for himself.

he’d been your bodyguard since you were young despite being only a year older than you, and akaashi can’t even recall a moment where he hadn’t been in love with you. but considering your royal status, he hid his feelings for years, only for his heart to shatter at the thought of your arranged marriage. he’s powerless, a victim almost to the commonalities amongst royalty. there’s nothing he can do, especially since the ceremony is so soon. maybe this will be fine, loving in silence as he watches you get married to another man. maybe it was selfish for him to wish a future regarding anything otherwise.

but a part of him wishes he was a little more greedy with you, especially when you ask him to sneak out of the castle with you one more time.

the small pond in the middle of the forest close to the castle, a place where the water seemed to glow, where fireflies danced across the pond. it was yours and his safe place, where you went when neither of you could sleep. you’d come and watch the water, the silence only being broken by the chirping of crickets. it was comforting, it was safe, and the fact that you were there with him seemed to always put him at ease.

maybe this was the last time you’d visit with him, at least before you called yourself someone else’s.

“you’re getting married,” akaashi mumbles, eyes staring down into the water as he breaks the silence.

“that i am,” you sigh, blinking as you stare at him, not missing the sorrow in his eyes. “kejii,” you call out, and instantly the boy’s eyes are on you.

“yes your highness.”

and you can only sigh, “you can drop the formalities ya know,” you laugh, “you always can drop the formalities.”

but it’s always what he’s called you, it’s always been what separated you from him, almost as if it served as a cruel reminder that you could never be his.

yet he apologizes anyway, “right, sorry,” he tells you, just as he always does. “i’m fine, i’m just a little,”

“scared?” you question.

and he can only nod, you’ve been able to read him well anyway, there’s no way he could keep any secret from you.

well, all but one.

you rest your head on his shoulder, something that always made his heart skip a beat, “if anything i should be the one’s who’s scared.”

and it feels natural to akaashi to wrap his arm around your figure, gently pulling you closer to him, “do you want to get married?” it’s a question that’s lingered in his mind for quite some time now.

“i mean do i even have a choice?” akaashi’s heart sinks at your answer. “don’t get me wrong, kuroo’s great and all but i don’t,” you hesitate, “love him.”

so akaashi tries, “do you love anyone?”

“i’m not sure,” and he finds himself at a loss for words at your answer.

“fall in love with me for the night then.”

the words leave his lips before he can think, and all he can do is stare up at your wide eyes, “keiji what?”

“if you’re never gonna get the chance to experience love after your wedding, then share this moment with me,” and akaashi’s not even sure if he’s thinking right now, but finally, those thoughts he’s been thinking for so long, the feelings he let marinate for years are finally coming to the surface.

and his heart only races when you nod.

“okay,” you smile, as you look up at him, your hand resting on his shoulder as you lean forward to kiss his cheek, another thing that makes his heart race, “i love you keiji.”

and akaashi knows this is fake, akaashi knows that you’re only lying to him, but he can’t help but let himself finally be selfish for a moment when he grins back, “i love you too yn.”

the boy doesn’t miss how you shuffle closer to him, pressing into his figure a bit more as he holds you just a little tighter.

one night.

akaashi has one night to love you the way he’s dreamt of for so long. akaashi has one night until you’re married off to someone else. so he lets himself be selfish, he lets himself smile as he holds you.

“can i try something?” he asks.

and you turn up to him with a nod, his gaze dropping to your lips for a split second, “sure,” you mumble.

his touch is featherlight as he reaches up to cup your cheek, pulling you a closer as he looks for any signs to stop. yet all you do is lean in too until your lips meet his.

it’s gentle, it’s soft, and your touch is gentle when your fingers tangle up into his hair. this is all akaashi’s dreamt of, all he’s wanted to do since he fell in love with you all those years ago. but he can’t help the way his heart sinks as his stomach twists in regret, because tomorrow you won’t be his.

tomorrow, he’ll lose you and the dreams he’s dreamt for so long will disappear before his very eyes.

and all akaashi could do is smile, because it was never his place to do anything otherwise.

jin you're so wonderful, i love you dearly <33

thanks for reading! reblogs/interaction is always appreciated <3

93 notes · View notes

go-diane-winchester · 6 years

Text

Will Misha's cult followers ever turn on him?

This is a very interesting question I received:

''My 15 yr old son asked me a very good question and Im unsure how to answer. Basically because Idk the answer to it. Here it is:

Do you think that if Misha were to leave the show on his own terms (health issues with himself or family, he just doesnt want too anymore) that the minions will turn on him? Is there a cause that would make his "frankenstine monster" turn on him?''

Thank you for the question dear. Misha has two kinds of fans: minions and hellers. Misha used a lot of sympathy when conditioning their minds, because a decade ago, most of them were young and gullible. So most of them think that he is a pathetic sad little creature. If he has some medical issue, he will make sure to lay it on thick. And the minions' collective hearts will overflow with sympathy, so they are likely to go with him. In other words, because he was their only reason for watching the show, without him there to motivate them to stick with SPN, [because we know many of them don't even watch episodes unless Cas is in it] they might just stop watching. I find that idea very appealing. They will latch onto Misha on SM and join him for Gish and Random Acts. They will be out of sight and out of our hair, which is a good thing.

The hellers are a different story. I noticed that they analyze what he says and attach their own meaning to his words and ignore anything they consider an inconvenience. For example, when he says that Jensen gives him old shirts and fans are misconstruing that, they only latched onto ''Jensen gave Misha his shirt! Cockles is so real''. When Misha said ''I like wincest, Its my OTP.'' there were cricket sounds coming from the heller gallery. They had nothing to say. So even if Misha says he is leaving the show because of illness or any other legitimate reason, they are not going to accept that because it is inconvenient for them, as well as being anticlimactic to their onscreen and off-screen shipping vision. There will be at least one pioneering heller who is going to ''read between the lines'', and declare that Misha was forced to leave for some melodramatic reason ranging from CW being anti-Misha or Jared sabotaging Misha out of jealousy or some similar soap opera nonsense. For some reason I feel Jared and his pranking will be involved. Jensen might get pulled in as a toxic homophobe. And the campaigning to get SPN cancelled will reach epic proportions before they fail and die away.

A few stragglers and hopefuls might ask for more con time with Jensen and Misha. Some might tweet Jensen, to coax him to ''do Gish this year''. Or they might ask Misha to invite Jensen for Gish. They might tweet the boys to remind them to wish each other a happy birthday or something similar. Every time Misha tweets something to Jensen, it will be met with roaring approval from the hellers followed by nagging for Jensen to respond. They will do anything to keep the Cockles fire burning, because destiel died a miserable death. So they will want to salvage what is left of Cockles. However, they will never turn on Misha, because he is their leader. He has them entranced, so they will never turn on him. If they finally realize that Misha was duping them all along, or if it finally dawns on them that they don't find him attractive anymore because Jensen's beautiful face is not near him, they may slither away to find a new cult. But they wont be vocal about it. They will never attack Misha or let anyone know how their view of him has changed. They don't want to be told ''I told you so.'' They wont want to admit, publically, that they were wrong.

Misha will just suddenly find himself with diminished followers and no one showing any interest in his tweets and posts. That is what happened to Misha's YouTube account. His first few post has close to a million views, but the last few had under 30 000 or so views. This is because, in the beginning, when most fans were not aware of how offputting Misha was, they wanted to see his post and his beautiful children. When they started to hate him, they just chose to ignore his channel because the man is an eye sore. Videos on YouTube can be viewed by the same group of people and still be tallied. So Misha's 1% is watching and re-watching his old videos. That is where the 30 000 number of views is coming from. But they are not enough to keep his channel properly monetized. He is not making money from YouTube. The same way Indycon didn't make money. Misha doesn't sell. That 1% is going to get bored after a year or two and they will move on because the dismal half of an already dismal pairing is lackluster. So one day Misha's whole fandom and ship will sink to the bottom of the SM sea, never to be heard of again. The only thing people will remember is the bad name Misha and the cocklehellers cultivated for slash fiction and SPN. As I am writing this, a small part of me sort of feels sorry for him and his brood, but I realize that they brought it on themselves.

At least that is how I see it. I hope that answers the question.

30 notes · View notes

its-moopoint · 6 years

Note

I don’t do SM (couple decades older than you young ladies, but young at heart, I hope!) and I understand what a “like” is but I wonder if it means a whole lot or can just be kinda like a friendly greeting one gives an old flame when you pass on the street (and I do NOT believe that those two were ever a couple)?

Good morning Forever Young Anon!!! Ahhh social media likes are tricky business. Sometimes a like is just a like and there are simple motives or none at all but bummer is only the "liker" knows.What's so bothersome about this like is its timing. Like it happened when Season 4 was airing it was crickets on fuckery not to upset the ratings and comments and reviews then bam christmas break. Now it's heavy movie promo he stays away from her shit. He's done and he likes South Africa. Chick is dumb but she knows how to "bait" him. She was so desperate and agonizing that sort of posting a pic of Cait herself South Africa is best she got.A like per say has no meaning but we'll keep an eye on circumstances around it and what comes next.

20 notes · View notes

xaconite-a · 7 years

Text

Mun Meme

tagged by: @ancestcr (thank you sm !! ❤️) tagging: @likecottxncandy, @blasianbutterfly, @ivcae, @gamenu, @hachikoes, @blithened, @peonymelody, @sunshowxr & anyone else who’d like to!!

RULES: Answer the questions in a new post and tag some blogs you wanna get to know better !

A - age: 21 B - birthplace: Georgia C - current time: 9:27 pm D - drink you had last: mountain dew E - easiest person to talk to: my friends tbh F - favorite song: ah shoot, this is hard, um?? waves by young the giant!! G - grossest memory: I was tricked into eating a cricket lollipop when I was like 6 H - horror yes or horror no: I’m?? the biggest punk baby alive lmao, so horror no I - in love ?: nah, my friend J - jealous of people: sometimes tbh?? aren’t we all K - killed someone: lMAO NO L - love at first sight or should i walk back by again?: I?? walk back again?? M - middle name: EW MY MIDDLE NAME IS SPELLED SO WEIRD, I hate it ew N - number of siblings: 3!! all younger than me (and all... taller than me too;;) O - one wish: hmm I?? want to travel out of the country P - person you called last: the mother unit Q - question you’re always asked: “wait, is your name really [insert my real name here].” R - reason to smile: everything!! my friends, my family, waking up, cows & jellyfish existing S - song you sang last: lmao touch my body by sistar probably T - top 3 fictional characters: link from loz!! yamaguchi tadashi from haikyuu!! & uraraka ochako from bnha !! U - underwear color: black & blue tbh V - vacation: Salar de Uyuni, the bolivian salt flats!! W - when’s your birthday: july 6th!! X - x-rays: never had them Y - your favorite food: mac & cheese honestly?? Z - zodiac sign: cancer!!

#thank you again for tagging me!!#& pls don't feel pressured to do this!!#it was fun!!#( &. hey mickey. )

6 notes · View notes

thisdaynews · 5 years

Text

England v Australia - second Ashes Test build-up

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/england-v-australia-second-ashes-test-build-up/

England v Australia - second Ashes Test build-up

Read more here.

Posted at 10:2310:23

Post update

That’s a loyal captain who sends home Jonathan Trott! You may have got away with a lot of leather chasing.

Posted at 10:2110:21

comments

Best club pro you’ve played against…

Text 81111

SMS Message: Playing for my club side when Jonathan Trott had just joined Warwickshire. He hadn’t told his club side, Harborne, he was available but turned up anyway only for his captain to send him home as they already had XI… A close shave! from David

Playing for my club side when Jonathan Trott had just joined Warwickshire. He hadn’t told his club side, Harborne, he was available but turned up anyway only for his captain to send him home as they already had XI… A close shave!

#Ashes #build-up

0 notes

hannah-deserved-better · 5 years

Text

Destiny and Prophecy Season 1 Episode 1 Chapter one

Summary: This is the first episode of the first season in a very long series remake. What if Castiel had met up with Sam and Dean in the first season? What if Charlie was actually Bobby's daughter? What if the angels and demons weren't the only things Sam and Dean had to deal with and what if they weren't the only ones meant to save the world? What if they had a team? These are the stories of the new Team Free Will.

Note: this is the first episode in the series. The pairings will be Castiel/Hannah, Dean/Jo, Sam/Eileen, Crowley/Meg, and Charlie/Anna/Ruby and Gabriel/Balthazar/Rowena, but they are all slow burns and they most likely won't even meet for the first few episodes and a lot of the characters won't appear in the series for a long time.

Highway One outside of San Luis Obispo, California

"I don't know about this, Dean," Sam spoke up as he gazed out the window at the scenery outside. As the impala barreled down California's coastal highway, the ocean, glistening as the sun beamed down on it, seemed to be both taunting him and beckoning him. It was reminding him of what was behind, the prospect of that normal life that he thought he had managed to finally achieve, that after two years he had begun actually to believe it was happening- had so quickly been stolen away from him by the same thing that had brought them to this life long ago.

"What, I already called Charlie, and she's eager to join in," Dean replied as he kept his eyes on the winding road, the wind flying through his hair as his arm dangled out the opened window.

"You know Bobby is going to kill us when he finds out," Sam pointed out as he thought about the ornery old drunk and how he was going to react when he found out that they had dragged his daughter out of school when she had only been there a few months. At least Sam had gotten two years. Two wonderful years of pretending he was a normal kid with a normal life.

Sam wanted to blame Dean. To think that if Dean had never shown up at his college and convinced him to go on that hunt, perhaps Yellow Eyes would have never tracked him down and Jess would still be alive. But even through his grief, he still couldn't blame his brother, after all, did he really fit in? Jess never knew the truth about him. He'd kept her in the dark about his home life, maybe if she knew would she have wanted anything to do with him in the first place?

And now they were about to pluck their cousin up from the possibility of normal life, and Sam had to wonder what they would find when they got to Los Angeles and what Charlie would have to give to join them.

Of course, Charlie had been less reluctant to leave the life of a hunter. She had gone to college at Bobby's insistence. Sam had no doubt she would be eager to join them in the search for their father.

"Dad wants us to continue in his footsteps," Dean explained. "Hunt down Yellow-eyes once and for all. And then continue in the family business. And Bobby might hate it, but Charlie is just as much a part of it as we are, she grew up in the life too."

Sam had heard the story many times. Of how Bobby's wife had become possessed by a demon, and he had been forced to kill her, and Charlie had been left without a mother when she was barely out of diapers. As Bobby was the primary contact for many hunters and maintained a network of hunters all over the continent, Charlie had no choice but to grow up in the life too. Just like Sam and Dean had.

"Look, Dean, I just want to find Yellow Eyes and take him out," Sam told his brother. "And find Dad. After that, I'm out."

"Just like that?" Sam couldn't miss the tone of accusation in Dean's voice. "I mean you ran away before, so I guess it doesn't bother you to abandon your family again."

Sam had to bite his tongue to avoid snapping back at Dean. Nothing mattered more to the elder Winchester than loyalty and family, and he saw Sam's attempt at being normal as a betrayal. How could Sam make him see?

Sam didn't respond to Dean's accusation and instead, just focused on the scenery. He leaned back as Dean cranked up the volume of his music, purposely, to drown out any response Sam might have come up with.

As the impala rounded the curve in the road, something came into view that hat Dean suddenly slamming the breaks and Sam flung forward, his head colliding hard with the dashboard as his seatbelt restrained him.

As the car screeched to a halt and Sam took a moment to recover himself, the slow trickle of blood moved into his eye from the impact with the dashboard and his head throbbed. He blinked, trying to shake out the fuzzy feeling in his mind before shoving the door opened and hurrying out to the front of the car too.

The figure lying in the middle of the road seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. As the brothers rushed over, they found a man laying on the asphalt, his beige trenchcoat shrouding his prone body as he lay on his stomach, his arms tucked underneath him.

"Is he…" Sam knelt beside the man while Dean pressed a finger to his neck. There was no response to Dean's touch, but as Sam looked, he thought he saw the rise and fall of the man's back indicating breathing.

"He's alive," Dean confirmed before gently grasping the man's shoulders and rolling him onto his back. The movement received a grunt from the man but nothing more.

"I don't think he's injured," Dean said as Sam looked over the man's pale face. "At least not from what I can see. But help me get him into the impala so we can take him to the hospital."

Sam complied and grabbed the man's legs while Dean hoisted his upper body into his arms. His head lulled against Dean's shoulders while his bright blue tie flung up in the wind. There didn't seem to be anything unusual about the man; he was dressed in a basic black business suit, his thick crop of brown hair disheveled slightly.

Sam helped Dean get the man into the back seat of the impala, and as they did that, Sam checked all of the man's pockets for any ID but came up empty-handed. "Nothing," he said. "No wallet, no phone, not even ten cents. Maybe he got robbed."

"Maybe," Dean agreed thoughtfully as they both got into the car. "Whatever the case, it's probably not our thing, so let's just get him to a hospital."

Sam knew what Dean meant by 'our thing.' He suggested that there didn't seem to be anything supernatural about this man, no case, no need to stay any longer than was needed. But something nagged at Sam's consciousness- besides the throbbing headache. He wanted to understand why this man had suddenly appeared in their lives and what his appearance meant.

Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Hastings, Nebraska

Jo rolled her eyes as she cut across the dark, barren cattle pasture back towards town. She jiggled the keys in her hands while shuffling her duffle bag full of weapons strapped across her shoulder.

Despite the police officers at the crime scene denying her access, claiming she looked too young and 'delicate' to be able to handle the scene, she had managed to close the case on the chupacabra attacks without anyone's help.

But now, as she reached the edge of the dimly lit town and headed back towards campus, she pulled out her cell phone and had to roll her eyes when she saw four missed calls and a voicemail from her mother. As she put the phone to her ear and listened to the recorded voicemail, her mother's all too predictable voice shouted warnings and demanded to know where she was.

"Joanna Beth, you had better not be out hunting!" her mother had shouted. Jo had to smirk to herself as that's precisely what she had been doing. She knew her mother didn't approve, but she was in college now, living on her own, and she could start hunting on her own. Her mother thought she would be safely enjoying dorm life at this small religious college, and that's what she was doing by day. But by night, she was the local ghostbuster. She was sneaking into haunted houses, crime scenes, and other places that warranted a paranormal investigation.

As she made it to campus and moved towards her dorm building, Jo was suddenly aware of how quiet the world was around her. No crickets chirping, no frogs croaking, it was as if the whole world had gone still. Any trained hunter knew how to listen to the animals; they always knew when something wasn't right.

Eyes darting around to every tree and bush, Jo carefully put her phone away and slipped a hand around the hilt of her knife which rested securely in her belt. As she neared her dorm building, she heard a sudden crash and the bushes around the dumpster shuttered vigorously.

"Who's there!" she demanded as she turned her attention to the dumpster just as a shadowy figure darted behind the large white dumpster. "Don't bother hiding I already saw you."

The movement stopped. After a few moments, the figure slipped out from around the dumpster and moved towards her. Jo backed up cautiously as the thing began to approach.

"I require a place to stay," the soft feminine voice sounded shaken and fragile, and as the woman stepped into the light of an overhead lamp, Jo could see why. She was completely naked, and Jo could see cuts and bruises all over her body as she shivered, the thick bangs of her dark hair shielding her eyes as she kept her gaze to the ground.

"You look like you need clothes too," Jo pointed out, a pang of sympathy as she worried about what might have happened to the woman. Quickly, she dropped her duffle bag and pulled off her dark green hunter's coat and handed it to the woman. "Did you get assaulted?"

"I escaped," the woman replied, finally lifting her gaze. Her face was caked in dried blood, and grime and Jo had to gasp a little when she saw the slice across her neck.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Jo said. "My roommate is out of town, but my RA doesn't allow visitors, so you'll have to keep quiet." She grabbed her duffle bag and led the woman into her dorm building.

She lived on the fifth floor, a typical small cramped dorm room with two single beds, two desks, two dressers, a closet, and a small dorm sized fridge. The room was heavily decorated with random wall art of landscapes and portraits.

"My roommate is an art major," Jo explained as she flipped on the lights and let the woman come in before closing the door behind her.

Now, in the light, the true extent of the woman's injuries was revealed. Jo tried not to let her jaw drop in awe as she scrutinized the woman's appearance. Bruises and lacerations- some very deep- covered the woman's skin. Dried blood and grime were painted over her body, especially on her back were what looked like whip marks crisscrossed her skin. As Jo motioned for her to sit, she gazed up, and Jo got a better look at that slice across her neck.

"How are you still able to walk?" Jo wondered as she dug through her duffle bag to retrieve her first aid kit. "I'll be back I'm going to get some rags and stuff from the restroom."

It only took her a few moments to hurry downstairs to retrieve some fresh towels, water, and rags from the student restroom area before she hurried back to find the woman sitting precariously on the bed.

"I'm Jo by the way, what's your name?" Jo asked as she brought the supplies over and sat down on the bed beside her and began to clean some of the wounds.

"Hannah," the woman replied softly as she winced while Jo brushed some strands of hair back and began to clean the wound on her neck. The hunter was relieved to see that the injury was not as bad as it had looked at first glance. It had already stopped bleeding, and it wasn't very deep- but how she must have gotten it disturbed her.

"Who did this to you, Hannah?" Jo asked, a hot feeling of anger rushing over her as she thought to herself how she would make whoever did this pay for it.

"Demons," Jo raised a brow not quite comprehending what she said for a moment. But Hannah continued. "They captured me as soon as I fell… they hacked into my factory settings…"

"Excuse me?" the woman made herself sound like some sort of computer. Factory settings? "What are you a computer chip?"

"I don't understand that word," Hannah informed her. As Jo glanced at her face, noting her large blue eyes and soft features, she could tell that there seemed to be something a little off about this woman.

"I'm a hunter, I've never encountered a demon in my line of work but uh… what are you exactly?"

"I'm an angel of the lord," that response had Jo scoffing in disbelief.

"Yeah, and I'm Jack Frost," Jo mocked. Hannah looked at her, cocking her head slightly to the side like a confused bird.

"I thought your name was Jo," she replied. Jo frowned. She considered the fact that maybe Hannah was telling the truth. After all, why else did she give off the distinct aura of some lost child?

"Yeah just a joke," Jo explained as she finished cleaning and bandaging Hannah's neck and back. "So uh… an angel. I'm not sure I believe in that sort of thing, you know? Could you prove it? I mean do you have wings or harps or anything?"

"My grace was ripped away, the demons have it," Hannah explained. "I'm human now… it's disconcerting. I have these… strange feelings."

"Feelings?" Jo wasn't sure what that meant. But she finished up with the last of the wounds. With the blood and dirt cleaned off, the woman looked much less like a mugging victim. Jo got up and went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt and handed them to Hannah. "What sort of feelings?"

"Well, there's a strange sensation. Here." She patted her stomach, and as she did so, her stomach rumbled angrily, and she winced in discomfort. "I don't know what it means."

"Are you hungry?" Jo guessed. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Never," Hannah replied. "I developed this feeling not long after I got to Earth."

Jo frowned. "Alright, get dressed, and I'll take you to get something to eat," she said. "And you can tell me more. It's not every day I get to rescue a damsel in distress, you know?"

"I'm not familiar with that term," Hannah replied. Jo groaned.

"Oh, boy," she muttered under her breath. This was going to be exciting. But she already felt connected to this woman somehow. That she had to help her whatever her story was. Jo wasn't someone who usually believed in things like fate, but if she did, this certainly felt like a sign. She'd grown up around hunters, and none of them had ever mentioned angels, but Jo had no reason to doubt that Hannah was who she said she was, and in any case, the woman seemed utterly lost and out of her element. She would depend on Jo to protect her, so that was precisely what Jo intended to do.

#Castiel/Hannah #supernatural #season 1 remake #Castiel #Hannah #Destiny and Prophecy

0 notes

needacuddle · 8 years

Note

aes (congrats!!!)

((soph ahhhh thank you sm :’) ))

song: “St. Walker” by Young the Giant

comment: did you know? soph’s memes are a+

send “aes” to my ask box to get a celebratory blog aesthetic!

#kelsey's 5k blog aesthetics #ephemeralester #mutuals #phandom

4 notes · View notes

vcg73 · 8 years

Text

Untitled M*A*S*H fic for Caitallolovesyou

These three chapters are all I have so far but I hope they give you a smile. (And that I don’t end up taking too long to write the second half!) Since I teased you with it I didn't want to keep you waiting. *hugs*

Set post-series. Features Charles and Hawkeye, plus a couple of family members.

Chapter One

She watched him, studied him, growing more concerned for him with each passing day. Mother and Father seemed to notice nothing, but then, when did they ever so long as their children were behaving in a proper manner and not causing any sort of scandal?

But Honoria Winchester was not so blind as they when it came to her beloved brother.

Charles had been different since Korea. Quieter, more introspective, less inclined toward the bluster and bombast with which he armored himself against the world. And he never listened to his music anymore. That alone was cause for concern. Charles had been in love with the classics; Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and particularly Mozart, since he was in short pants. Medicine was his particular genius, his profession and he had worked hard to refine his knowledge and technique until he was rightly regarded as one of the finest surgeons on the east coast; but music had always been his passion.

Since his return, however, neither work nor play seemed to give him satisfaction. The music, in fact, seemed to cause only pain. Their parents had treated the entire family to an evening at the symphony a month after Charles returned to Boston, intending to celebrate his safe return, but instead of enjoying the performance, his features had been set in a stiff expression all evening that could have passed as a calm smile if one did not question it too closely, but which appeared to Honoria to be more of a pained grimace.

She had assumed that he needed time to adjust to being back in the civilized world. That he would be fine once he’d had an opportunity to adjust to his new position as Chief of Thoracic surgery at Boston Mercy hospital. Charles had always been a strong believer in the benefits of a healthy work and leisure balance, devoting full attention to whichever he was engaged in at any given time. However, the latter occupation seemed to have disappeared entirely. Golf games and cricket matches with colleagues slowly disappeared from his schedule. Gourmet dinners, formerly one of the highlights of his existence, seemed to give him indigestion and had given way to plain fare. Evenings at the ballet or opera became increasingly rare. And he formed no attachments at all.

It had been nearly a year and Charles had become obsessed with his practice to the point that he rarely seemed to leave the hospital. Her brother was gone when Honoria rose in the morning, and back home long after she had retired for the night. He was using duty as an excuse to avoid seeing friends and family. When she had last seen him, a week ago, Honoria had been startled by the haggard look of him. Oh, he was tidy enough; immaculately dressed and properly groomed, but he looked as though he had not slept in weeks. He had also begun noticeably losing weight, suggesting that he did not eat as often or as healthily as he ought, and his formerly ruddy complexion was now unhealthily pale. He had clearly given up on his lifelong habit of a brisk sixty-minute constitutional at mid-day, to refresh him in body and mind.

Sensing that the time to intervene had arrived, Honoria tried cornering him and talking to him, but he was a master at putting off conversations he did not wish to have. However, if he thought he was going to hide in his duty and be able to avoid her forever, Charles Emerson Winchester had another think coming to him!

Quietly, clandestinely, Honoria slipped into her brother’s office at Boston Mercy and spoke with his secretary. She arranged for a two-week vacation, confirming her suspicions that he had already racked up enough hours on shift just in the past six months to have earned twice that amount of holiday time. Madeline even expressed relief, telling her (“Not that I would ever gossip about our doctors, you understand, but…”) that Charles’ colleagues had been after him to take some time before he ended up on the wrong side of the surgical table.

That, though likely exaggerated a trifle, steeled Honoria’s resolve. Come Monday, her brother was taking a break. Whether he wanted one or not.

~*~*~*~*~

“A vacation? My dear girl, I cannot possibly be spared for an entire week! There are patients, board meetings, a veritable plethora of duties which cannot possibly . . .”

“Two,” she interrupted calmly.

Charles spluttered to a halt. “Excuse me?”

“Two weeks. It’s all ar-r-ranged, Charles darling,” she said, taking a sip of tea and flashing her most pleasant smile at him. “T-two weeks in the c-c-country. You are taking what I believe is called a r-r-road-trip in the common p-parlance. Your colleagues w-w-were delighted to be rid of you. P-perfectly happy to c-c-cover for your absence. M-m-madeline was q-quite efficient about arranging things.”

He gaped at her. “Madeline conspired with you on this? The two of you went behind my back? The cheek! The treachery! The gall! I’ll have her sacked at once!”

She smiled even more brightly. “You won’t. In f-f-fact, I believe you sh-should consider a raise. J-just for putting up with you and your t-t-temper.”

“My temper is perfectly fine!” he blasted, defying the statement with his own volume. He seemed to realize this and turned to pacing about the room instead. His voice was quieter but no less irritated when he continued, “This is absurd. I will not be herded along toward some idyllic pasture like a stupid sheep. I have duties, responsibilities, commitments you cannot possibly understand!”

Charles continued on in this vein for several more minutes. He fretted and grumbled, not seeming to notice that he was receiving no counter argument until he abruptly ran out of steam and sat down in the chair across from his sister, fuming but silent. Exactly as she had known that he would do if she remained patient.

Honoria got up, setting her teacup aside and crossed to perch lightly on her brother’s knee, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her temple against his, just as she had done when they were children and she was the one in need of comforting. Charles’ arms came around her waist, relaxing against his will as he responded automatically to the familiar gesture.

“I’m w-worried for you, my Chuck,” she said softly, using the childhood nickname that nobody else on earth was allowed. “You aren’t w-w-well. You haven’t been yourself since the w-w-war, and I don’t think you will be until you t-t-talk to someone. I’ve arranged for that as w-w-well.”

His lips primmed in distaste. “You know I don’t believe in that psychological twaddle,” he said, his tone noticeably less annoyed than it had been before. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not, and that isn’t w-w-what I m-meant.”

Charles pulled his head back to look up into her face. “Not a doctor, then?”

“Oh, yes. A d-d-doctor,” she said with a laugh. “J-just not that sort.”

Charles struggled to maintain his disapproving air, but failed to resist her coaxing smile. Honoria had always known how to manage her big brother. His eyes narrowed curiously. “Where have you got up your sleeve?”

“F-f-father is allowing you to b-borrow the Duesenberg,” she told him.

A smile quirked his lips. “Is he aware of this generous act?”

She batted her lashes innocently. “I’ll tell him . . . ev-ventually. Perhaps at the w-w-weekend.”

Charles laughed in spite of himself. “You are a cheeky girl. I suppose I’m expected to drive to the scene of my own kidnapping?”

“Of course,” she said. “D-d-driving is quite relaxing, I’m told. And the early s-summer s-s-scenery is lovely in M-maine. P-particularly the c-c-coastal towns.”

Now he just looked confused. “Maine. What could anyone possibly find to do for two weeks in Maine? It isn’t as though we know anyone . . .” When she continued to smile expectantly at him, Charles suddenly put the clues together. He wagged his finger scoldingly under her nose. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no! My dear young woman, you cannot possibly be suggesting that I go to Crabapple Cove.”

“I am, and you are,” she said succinctly. “You m-m-may think I paid no attention to your l-l-letters, brother dear, but I assure you that I d-did. You spoke more often and more f-fondly of Captains P-pierce and H-h-hunnicutt than you probably knew. I b-b-believe it would do you good to s-s-spend time with someone to whom you do not have to exp-p-plain your ongoing d-difficulties.”

“What difficulties?” he grumbled, wary but unable to avoid her now that she was so close and so openly concerned with helping him. “I’m perfectly sound.”

Honoria stroked her thumb over his cheek, not nearly as round and rosy as it should have been, then traced one of the shadowy bags underneath his eyes. “Are you?” she said gently. “You c-came home, but n-n-not all of you returned from that place. Did it?”

Finding himself unable to lie to her face, Charles attempted to avoid her probing gaze, ducking his head against her chest to hide his expression. He shook his head, not willing to risk his voice trembling.

“I c-can’t understand. Not entirely,” she said, stroking the hair over his ear. It was getting too long again. “B-b-but I think your friend may. I s-s-stayed in touch with the elder Doctor P-p-pierce after our f-f-family reunion. He’s kind; v-very sweet, once one m-m-moves past the endless b-b-bad jokes. From your letters, I s-s-suspect the son is m-much the same.” She had met and become friendly with the families of many of Charles’ colleagues and camp-mates during an event dreamed up by Dr. Hunnicutt and arranged by his wife Peg.

Charles cleared his throat and said quietly, “He is. Hawkeye Pierce could try the patience of a saint with his endless buffoonery, but . . . he is a good man, and an excellent physician. I actually learned a great deal from him.”

Honoria smiled, knowing that for Charles there could be no finer compliment. “There’s a w-weekend medical conference in M-m-manchester. It ap-p-pears to be roughly an hour from their h-h-home.”

“So I may as well drop by while I’m in the neighborhood, eh?” he said, eyes beginning to twinkle as he caught on to the spirit of her plan. Honoria had known that he would handle this better if he had a legitimate excuse to make the trip. “Well, I suppose it might be good to get away for a few days at that. Weather conditions should be ideal for a spot of fishing, and it wouldn’t do to be rude.”

Honoria kissed him on the forehead. “Thank you, Charles. S-sinclair will bring the car around f-f-for you at seven.”

Charles raised an eyebrow. “And I suppose my bags are already packed for me too.”

Hopping up from his lap, she smiled. “See you at b-b-breakfast?”

Rising to his feet, Charles looked down into her face. “I suppose you think you’re very clever, don’t you?”

“If I g-g-get my Chuck back, I w-w-will consider myself very c-c-clever indeed. And very blessed.”

As she left the room, Honoria heard her brother mutter, “No child, it is I who am blessed.”

Chapter Two

The medical conference, if one could call it that, was an utter waste of time. The special topic of the gathering was advances in podiatry. Hardly something Charles found worth a three and a half hour drive north.

Still, the journey had been scenic, the climate warm, with a gentle breeze that had coaxed him to roll his window down and breathe in the pleasantly fresh air. He could not deny that it felt good to relax. Perhaps he had been working too hard at that. To go somewhere new and allow his activities to go unscheduled for a change felt good. His sister would be unbearably pleased with herself if he were to admit that she had been right, but that was a price he just might be willing to pay.

Particularly if she proved equally prescient about his upcoming visit to the shore.

Charles could not deny that he was nervous about seeing his old camp colleague. He had grown fond of many of the people with whom he had endured the hellish conditions of Korea; Colonel Potter, BJ and Hawkeye, Margaret, Father Mulcahey, and even that rapscallion of a Maxwell Klinger; but since the war, he had not spoken with any of them. In fact, he had done his best to avoid even thinking of that time, or anyone connected to it. He had wanted to believe that he could simply return to the life he had previously enjoyed, and put all of that dreadful business behind him.

Unfortunately, reality had proved somewhat less accommodating than his daydreams. So long as he worked, he could center his concentration on that, and only that. Not unlike the marathon sessions of meatball surgery performed in that far away M.A.S.H. tent, where only the utter refusal to think of anything but the instruments and delicate tissues beneath one’s hands could get a person through the endless hours.

No, it was his time away from the surgical table that frequently proved his undoing. It was impossible to sit quietly enjoying a drink, or a game of cribbage, or a concert somewhere, and pretend that he did not feel guilty for his very leisure. For being alive, healthy and well-off, living a beautifully civilized existence when so many others had not received that same gift.

How many young men, just boys most of them, had failed to returned to their homes and their own beloved pass-times because there had simply not been time, or advanced enough equipment to save their lives? Because a different patient with a slightly better life expectancy had been deemed more able to benefit from their limited resources, leaving the doctors with the grim choice to save as many as they could in the time allotted, and leave others to die?

They haunted him, those boys. The soldiers, the civilians, the many prisoners of war whose lives and future contributions to their society had been destroyed by a damned ‘conflict’ that never should have touched them at all. Like that quintet of Chinese musicians whose bloody faces he still saw whenever he heard the beautiful strains of Mozart. Their faces and the sound of their poor but lovingly played instruments lived on in his dreams. They shamed him with their talent, and hope, and the endless joie de vivre that had driven them to embrace beauty in the midst of horror. Had enabled him to feel a little bit of normalcy in the midst of chaos.

Right up until the day that they had died.

Charles closed his eyes and swallowed, determined not to allow his thoughts to wander down that unforgiving path yet again. He was supposed to be taking a holiday, and he deserved a good one, damn it all!

“Doctor Winchester?” a voice said from off to his left.

Charles opened his eyes, startled by the familiarity of that voice. He turned, mouth already half open to greet his old ‘swamp’ mate, when he instead found himself facing an older gentleman wearing dark slacks and a shapeless yellow sweater with patches at the elbows. “Oh, er, yes? Yes, I’m Winchester.”

The man smiled brightly and rushed forward to shake Charles’ hand, behaving for all the world as if he were greeting a long lost friend. “I knew it had to be you as soon as Dr. Wickshaw started his lecture and I spotted that long-suffering expression on your face. My son described you to a T!”

That was why this fellow looked so familiar. His crinkled blue eyes, long ski nose, and the voice were a dead ringer for, “Doctor Pierce, of course!” Charles shook the old man’s hand cordially in both of his own, determined to display his finest manners to combat whatever impression the son might have given. “It’s a sincere pleasure to meet you, sir. Your son spoke of you a great deal as well. My sister informed me that you would be open to a guest, but I hope she wasn’t taking advantage, or bringing you too far out of your way.”

Doctor Pierce dismissed the idea with a quiet ‘pshaw’ and a wave of his hand. “Glad to have you, son. And call me Dan. Any friend of Hawkeye is a friend of mine. He’d have come with me, but Rosie Maynard decided it was time to have her baby this morning, so I came on ahead. The good thing about retirement is that there’s never a bad time to take a day off.” He grinned, his eyes sparkling with fun. “Now, what do you say we scram before one of these doctors catches on that we don’t belong? Wouldn’t do to get off on the wrong foot with these fellas!”

He cackled at his own joke and Charles politely offered a wan smile. Oh, yes. This man was definitely a Pierce. “Indeed. My car is in the rear parking area. Will I just follow you back to your place?”

The gray-haired man’s eyes danced. “Only if you want to drive at an old man’s walking pace.” He laughed. “And that would be one hell of a walk for me! No, my neighbor was coming out this way to see his daughter. I just hitched a ride with him, since I knew you’d be driving. Figured you might like someone to show you the sights.”

Surprised but not displeased at the idea of an on board navigator, particularly as he found himself unexpectedly liking the man, Charles nodded. “I hadn’t expected such forethought, but that is an excellent suggestion.”

Doctor Pierce did not seem to take offense at his inference that thinking ahead did not necessarily run in the family. He simply chatted along in an amiable fashion about whatever came into his head as they walked outside. Then, “Oh, my.” He rushed forward to take a better look at their ride, circling the car like a treasure-hunter finding a lost tomb. “This is fine. Just fine! How’d you ever come across a beauty like this?”

The man was all but drooling as he ran a gentle hand over the smooth red two-tone paint covering the right fender of the gorgeous 1924 Duesenberg Roadster, which had been kept in pristine condition for the past 30 years.

“Father bought it new during a business trip to Indiana. This car is Charles Emerson Winchester II’s pride and joy.”

In fact, it was a mark of how concerned the man was that after Honoria’s explanation at breakfast of his son’s sudden journey out of town, Dad had expressed more concern for his health than for the borrowed auto. Charles had merely had to promise upon the life of his future firstborn that he would allow no damage to come to it.

Daniel Pierce grinned like he’d just won a surprise jackpot. “Now I’m definitely glad I didn’t drive here. I’ve never had the pleasure of riding in a car like this one. If I happen to vanish on the ride back, just tell my son that I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Charles laughed, opening the door for the older man and then taking his time about getting situated in the driver’s seat, just to give his host a bit more time to enjoy the luxurious leather seating. It was refreshing to discover that not everyone in the Pierce family was an uncouth heathen.

Chapter 3

The journey eastward was a pleasant one. Charles was not in a particular mood to chat. In fact, he could not recall the last time that he had been; but his monosyllabic responses did not seem to deter his companion in the slightest. Like his son, Daniel Pierce had been blessed with an unlimited gift of gab, and he kept up a virtual soliloquy as they drove, discussing cars, music, and movies. It seemed that the town council had just approved the addition of a new movie theater to the outskirts of nearby Spruce Harbor, and it was the sensation of all its neighboring burgs, including Crabapple Cove. “Lines a mile long to get in, every Friday and Saturday night!”

“And what film is the populace currently enjoying?” Charles asked, rather curious to know what rural America would be in such a fever about. Popular cinema had never his particular entertainment vice, but he had learned to enjoy an occasional flick during his sentence in Korea. A M.A.S.H. unit tended to be either feast or famine as far as diversion went. Either one was up to his eyebrows in work, or all but desperate for some form of mental stimulation. Movie nights filled that bill, if only just, and at times the more simplistic or sensationalistic that film was, the easier it was to allow it to transport one away from the painful reality of their situation.

His guide’s eyes lit up. “Heard they just got a new Monroe film this week! “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, I think it’s called. Though if a woman built like Jane Russell came knocking on my door, I sure as hell wouldn’t turn her away for her hair color!”

The old man cackled in a lecherous manner that once again reminded Charles of his son, and he found himself chuckling along. “Neither would I, as a matter of fact, and I do take pride in being a gentleman. Perhaps it would best to experience this cinematic masterpiece for ourselves, and gather more intelligence on the matter. Just to make an informed decision, you understand.”

Pierce gave his shoulder a friendly thump. “That’s what I like to see; a man of science!”

He turned to pointing out local landmarks as they approached his home, chatting about people and places he knew, urging his visitor to experience all that the village and nearby town had to offer. It was clear that he was quite proud of his home, so Charles just nodded and smiled, and tried to pretend that he was not at all taken aback by the miles up miles of rural scenery, populated by little more than trees, farms, and the occasional bovine.

To say that Crabapple Cove was small was to be entirely too generous. It was miniscule. A virtual blink and one would never know they had been there. And yet, in direct contrast to its size (Pierce assured him that the outlying farms and independent properties that made up the rest of the town proper stretched far beyond ‘downtown’, which was apparently what they were experiencing now.) there was an absurdly enormous banner stretched across two tall poles as one entered it, urging visitors to be, ‘Welcome to Crabapple Cove, Maine! Home of the nation’s finest blueberry pie!’

“And is the confection worthy of such a boast?” he asked, sitting up a bit taller and enjoying a feeling of pride as he noticed the locals beginning to pop out of their homes and businesses to gawk at the beautiful luxury automobile sliding down their quiet streets. (Street? Charles could not swear to it that they had more than just the one.) And given that he had seen nothing but farm vehicles and a couple of worn family sedans, he was not surprised. From what he knew of small towns, they probably would have been equally curious if he had wheeled in on an old velocipede. In a place where everyone surely knew everyone else, any stranger would be cause for curiosity.

“Best pie on the east coast,” the other man boasted happily. “Berries are in season now, so you’ll have to find out for yourself. For my dime, Jenny’s Place serves the best, but Hawkeye would argue for Mable’s Diner. Oh, this is it. Just pull up here to our left.”

He eased his father’s car into an empty space along one side of a long board walkway next to a small office that he could now see had a sign painted in one corner reading, “Benjamin Franklin Pierce, M.D.” Hanging from the doorknob was a tiny paper sign on a string that read ‘The Doctor is In’.

It gave Charles an oddly warm feeling, while at the same time reigniting the butterflies in his stomach. The elder doctor Pierce had been nothing but kind and welcoming, but suppose the younger was only being polite in granting him leave for a visit. He might be no more pleased to have a reminder of their time in Korea than Charles himself had been during the past thirteen months.

Luckily, his fears were put to rest before he had even managed to do more than shut the driver’s side door behind him. The door to the little office came open and there stood Hawkeye, big as life and twice as noisy as he slammed back the door and jogged out to meet his visitor with a huge smile that caused his eyes to practically vanish into the deep laugh-lines surrounding them. He hopped off the boardwalk to vigorously pump Charles’ offered hand in greeting.

“Charles, I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but damn if it isn’t good to see you.” He laughed and shook his head, still grinning from ear to ear as he admitted, “Thought I’d mean it even less, but it’s great to have you here.”

It was strange somehow, to see Pierce dressed in a neat short-sleeved blue checked shirt and a pair of slightly wrinkled gray trousers, rather than the Hawaiian print shirt and loose army-green field issue of old. His hair seemed grayer now, and had been trimmed more neatly than Charles had ever seen it, as if in direct contrast to the slovenly appearance he had previously favored as a subtle middle-finger to military regulations.

Charles found himself smiling back, clasping Pierce’s forearm with the hand that was not still being warmly clasped. “I know precisely what you mean, and I find myself sharing that sentiment. It’s good to see you as well. Thank you for agreeing to host me on such short notice.”

“Glad to. We always keep a spare room warm for company. Don’t we, Dad?”

Hawkeye let go of Charles, then clapped him on the back almost as if he needed the physical contact to prove to himself that he wasn’t imagining his old colleague into this incongruous place and time. He looked to his father, who said, “Indeed we do, son. Indeed we do. Help me with these bags and we’ll get your friend settled in.”

“That isn’t necessary,” Charles protested half-heartedly, privately glad that he did not have to personally haul all four of the suitcases his sister had packed. He was rather embarrassed as he looked over the wealth of belongings. “To be quite frank, I’m not certain what’s in most of these. My sister became a bit overzealous in her plans to ship me off on a holiday. She seems to have prepared for every possible terrain and climatological contingency.”

Daniel just smiled, hefting the smallest of the four cases out and testing it for weight. “My late wife was like that. More prepared than the Boy Scouts of America, and God love her for it. Her forethought saved us from some sticky business more than once.”

Between the three of them, they made short work of the luggage. Then the elder Dr. Pierce excused himself to go check on a few neighbors, leaving them to chat.

“He supposedly retired when I came home to take over the practice, but he likes to keep his hand in,” Hawkeye said, flopping down on his side atop the neatly made guest bed and propping himself up on his elbow to watch Charles unpack. “They’re getting used to me, but you don’t replace an old country doctor overnight. And I wouldn’t want to. They keep the checker boards warmed up and the gossip mill cranking, just hoping he’ll stop in.”

Charles allowed himself a delicate snort. “Sounds rather dull to me, but I suppose when one chooses a provincial life, they soon run out of options for entertainment. Although your father was telling me on the way in that you just got a theatre in town. Very civilized indeed.”

Hawkeye did not appear to be insulted by his slightly condescending tone. Indeed his grin just got wider. “Well it’s not your kind, filled with the music of classical snores in B Flat. It’s just a little one-screener, but they show a pretty decent variety of movies. Abbott and Costello the first month, then we had a western. Did they show “Shane” up in Bean Town?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Charles said dryly. “The wild west is not precisely my cup of tea, nor are sticky, crowded, childish pursuits in general. However, I am reliably informed that you currently have the beauteous Miss Monroe on display. For such as she, I would be willing to suffer the degradations of a public cinema.”

The other man grinned. “You old dog, I always suspected there was a human heart beneath that rusty suit of armor. Or a human something anyway!” He cackled wildly at his own innuendo, making Charles roll his eyes and toss a pair of socks at his widely gaping mouth. He missed his target, but they did bounce satisfactorily off of his victim’s forehead, leaving a startled expression that was more than pleasing. Hawkeye sat up. “Say, you hungry? I could give you the grand tour, ending in the best steak and potatoes you’ve ever tasted over at Mable’s.”

“And perhaps a sampling of the blueberry pie,” Charles agreed, feeling his stomach already growling at the mere thought. It had been a long time since breakfast, and the luncheon served at the conference had been more of a risk than he wanted to take.

Hawkeye’s blue eyes lit up. “Now you’re talking.” He jumped up, calling something behind him about meeting downstairs in ten minutes as he abruptly left the room.

Charles stared after him, a bit surprised to find himself smiling quite naturally for the first time in months.

There was something refreshing about seeing his old camp-mate so seemingly happy and comfortable in this place. As if a rough-edged puzzle piece that could not be made to fit into a particular picture had been plucked from there and connected back into its own proper puzzle. As unsettled and distressed as Pierce had been during his final weeks in Korea, even spending some time in a sanitarium undergoing treatment for a nervous breakdown, this tiny town appeared to have been the correct balm to ease his mind and spirit.

Although he wished it very much, Charles doubted that being here would do the same for him. After all, it was likely the emotional connection of family and familiar sights that had helped Hawkeye, not the locality. And heaven knew that familiar surroundings had done little to soothe his’ own troubled soul . . .

“Hurry up, Winchester! The town isn’t going to come up to your room and introduce itself!”

The shout, coming up the stairs, startled him. He glanced at a small clock sitting on the table next to the guest-bed, surprised to see that nearly fifteen minutes had drifted by while he stood here woolgathering. Shutting the suitcase, he picked up a light sport-coat that went well with the tweed trousers and button-down he had chosen for the conference and pulled it on. A bit formal still, but what of it? It behooved one to make a good first impression, even when there was nobody worth impressing.

“Coming,” he called down, quickly checking himself in the small vanity mirror attached to a dresser. More than satisfactory. “One cannot rush perfection, Pierce.”

A merry laugh echoed up the stairs. “We only have two weeks, Charles, and I’m starving. I’m sure the people of Crabapple Cove will be willing to settle for passable.”

He found himself smiling again, and shook his head. There had been a time when he would have sold a kidney to be rid of that man, and yet here he was. Unpacking his belongings into a guest room smaller than the linen closet back home, and about to embark on a guided tour through the place that had spawned one Benjamin Franklin Pierce and unleashed his madcap antics upon the world.

What’s more, he was happy to be doing so.

Perhaps his sister had been wiser than she knew.

TBC

#caitallolovesyou #M*A*S*H fic #Set post-series just because I felt like it #This is not my usual fandom and is my first attempt at a M*A*S*H story.

10 notes · View notes

biofunmy · 5 years

Text

Gabb Is The First Smartphone Dumb Enough For Children

Gabb Wireless

The Gabb Wireless phone, designed to be a kid’s first smartphone.

The decision for when to get your kid their first phone, and what kind, is unique to each family. There are a ton of factors: what you can afford, if your kid’s school allows phones, when their friends get phones, parity with an older sibling, and a realistic assessment of your kid on a scale of “mature perfect angel who won’t do anything bad with this phone” to “little shit who is going to fight me over screentime every day.”

And that’s just the family and social dynamic side of it. The actual needs and uses vary wildly too: Do they just need to be able to call you to ask for a ride home from soccer practice? Do you need to be able to GPS-track them, or provide them with maps to plan their own bike route? Do they need email for class assignments? Do they need a phone to video-chat with grandparents?

And then there are those other considerations: What’s your personal anxiety level about school shootings?

And then there are those other considerations: What’s your personal anxiety level about school shootings? How about kidnappings? Does it outweigh your anxiety about exposure to child predators, cyberbullying, and pornography? How do you feel about kids and smartphones: Do you long for your childhood where only the luckiest kids had a landline in their bedroom and afternoons were spent in some falsely remembered haze where the main use of a phone was to scam your way into two dinners’ worth of Stove Top stuffing?

Perhaps you embrace the possibility that phones and internet-connected devices are neutral or maybe even positive for kids, teaching them some sort of skills? Did your spouse text you that one New York Times story about the ill effects of phones on kids, or the one from Slate that said the opposite?

Basically, you can take everything about your entire lifestyle and outlook on parenting and boil it down to this one decision: What kind of phone — if any — is your kid getting?

One common option for parents is to get a lower-priced smartphone or older model phone — maybe a hand-me-down from the parent when they upgrade. But for those parents who want to keep their kids away from the hypnotic warm glow of the smartphone, there have been few options aside from a flip phone.

“It’s really painful for a 12-year-old to be the only one with a flip phone.”

“It’s really painful for a 12-year-old to be the only one with a flip phone,” Stephen Dalby, the founder of Gabb Wireless, a new smartphone designed for kids, told BuzzFeed News. Dalby bought a flip phone for his 12-year-old son, who was truly not amused. “For us, it’s like, what’s the big deal [about having a dorky phone]. But for them, it’s a huge deal.” The experience inspired him to develop a phone specifically for kids.

Another New York City parent (who requested anonymity to protect her kids’ cool factor) confirmed just how tragically dork a flip phone is to a middle schooler. She bought a flip phone for her sixth-grader, but her daughter was so embarrassed she wouldn’t ever even take it out of her backpack, lest her peers see it.

Okay, so why not just get your kid a phone that doesn’t do anything?

That’s precisely the idea behind the newly released Gabb* phone. It’s for parents who truly, truly, do not want their kid to have access to anything the internet might provide. It has no browser (so no Googling “boobs”), no apps (so no social media or video games), no Bluetooth or AirDrop. It doesn’t even offer email. There’s just calling, text messaging, an FM radio, and a calendar — which won’t even sync with a Google Calendar.

Worried about your kid sexting? The Gabb phone offers just SMS texting, not MMS, which means you can send plain text messages only — no texting video or pictures.

I tested out the Gabb phone and considered using it instead of my iPhone XS for a week, though reality stopped me. The touchscreen phone is manufactured by ZTE, and it’s the same general size and weight of an iPhone or Samsung, though it feels distinctly jankier. It runs on Android, and since the features are so Spartan, there’s not much notable to report: The texts work, the calls work. The camera is 5 megapixels, or just 2 in selfie mode, and well, it really makes you appreciate your own smartphone camera. The photos I took with the Gabb reminded me of my Nokia flip phone days.

Eventually, I was able to import the photos via a Windows computer. It truly felt like 2010 again!

Since Gabb offers no email, MMS, or AirDrop, the only way to get your photos off the phone is by plugging it into a computer via USB. But it doesn’t play well with Macs. The files showed up in my Macbook’s Photos app in an unreadable file format; even our IT desk was stumped. Eventually, I was able to import the photos via a Windows computer. It truly felt like 2010 again! A rep for Gabb Wireless confirmed that the ZTE phone is not compatible with Mac computers.

Gabb phone (left) vs. iPhone Xs:

Katie Notopoulos / BuzzFeed News

Gabb exists on its own wireless network, Gabb Wireless. Like Cricket or Boost Mobile, this is a wireless network that leases the services of bigger providers like Sprint or Verizon and resells it to consumers. The downside to this is that you can’t add your kid’s phone line to your family plan. The plus side is that the talk and text plan is only $20/month, which is probably about the same as or less than you’d be paying for an additional line anyway. The Gabb phone itself is only $99, which makes it cheaper than many current smartphones (but of course, other smartphones DO a lot more stuff).

The Gabb phone does lack GPS tracking. For some parents, this feature is a big safety priority, as middle schoolers often have the freedom to walk or bike or even take the subway to get to school or friends’ houses on their own. One NYC parent of a middle schooler told me that Gabb’s lack of GPS was a dealbreaker for her — she needed to be able to see her daughter had arrived at school each morning safely from the subway. Another parent from that same school told me just the opposite: She doesn’t worry about tracking her kid.

There’s currently only one Gabb phone model, but a second model with a few more features is coming out soon, according to Dalby. This beefier model will be made by Samsung and it will feature a better camera, support photo texting and group texting, and have GPS (it will also be Mac-compatible, unlike the ZTE). The idea is that a kid could “graduate” from the basic Gabb phone after a year or so and upgrade to the model 2 Gabb phone (still with far fewer features than a real smartphone). The basic model might be perfect for a fifth- or sixth-grader, the fancier one for a seventh- or eighth-grader.

Stephanie, a parent of a 12-year-old boy, bought him a Gabb phone. Her reasoning was that he was already very connected at home via other devices (tablets and gaming consoles), but she wanted to be able to text him when he was out with friends. Unfortunately, her son hasn’t shown much interest in the Gabb phone; he seems put off by its limited functionality. “The issue now is if he doesn’t want to use the phone, do I try to force it because I’m the one that wants to be able to reach him?” Her 8-year-old son is eager to get his hands on it, however.

There have been a few other devices developed for kids considered too young for a smartphone, but old enough to need to call or text their parents. The Gizmo smartwatch is a $180 smartwatch with the main function of being able to call and text, plus GPS tracking. The Relay is a colorful, pocket-sized walkie-talkie that sends voice messages over 4G to a parent’s smartphone. A parent at BuzzFeed said he got them for his kids, but his older son found it so un-fun he often forgot to bring it with him. (I tested the Relay with a coworker at BuzzFeed — we thought it was fun, though the rest of the office found us very annoying, since the Relay is basically a speakerphone.) These devices seem to skew to a younger kid, and work only if there’s a supplemental device at home like a tablet or WiFi-only phone where they can call grandma or text classmates about homework assignments.

RelayGo.com / Verizon

The Relay walkie-talkie and the Gizmo smartwatch.

Is a Gabb phone right for your kid? If your primary concern is keeping them off the internet and away from social media or sexting, then Gabb is an ideal phone for you. Even flip phones tend to have cameras, internet, and games. Even an iPhone with the strictest parental controls activated won’t be this locked down.

Parenting decisions are perpetually fraught, starting in the delivery room and ending with what to wear to their wedding (and probably long after that, to be honest). Getting your kid their first phone is just another one of those decisions you will inevitably torture yourself over and second-guess, particularly because the decision seems to arrive at a time when they’re becoming little individuals with lives and secrets of their own. Scary! So here’s the truth, if you need to hear it: You’re doing a great job, your kid is great, it’s all going to be fine.

*If you’re wondering, yes, Dalby is aware of Gab, the social network for far-right extremists. He said he’s not worried about people confusing the two.

Sahred From Source link Business

from WordPress http://bit.ly/35CEHLM via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes

torentialtribute · 5 years

Text

Andrew Strauss on the rise and fall of his England Test side

Towards the end of The Edge, a remarkable new film about the rise and fall of the Andrew Strauss test side, Jonathan Trott reveals himself.

While the emotion threatens to overwhelm him, Trott – No3 in one of the strongest line-ups England has ever formed – explains what he misses in his team time. It is the human connection, he says, the action of beating with & # 39; Straussy, Cooky, Belly and KP & # 39 ;. The movie will be released next month and you are advised to bring hanky.

His insight is a reminder of the contradiction that forms the core of top sport. While the audience sees little more than success or failure on the pitch, the players experience more personal, profound drama. And it can be too much.

[TheEdgeisanAndrewStrauss's"TheEdgeisoutstandingthenewfilmabouttherisesunsetofandrewStrauss"

[19450000

39; s stress-related illness was an example of what happens when the difference occurs. Jonny Bairstow & # 39; s criticism of the reaction to the faltering World Cup campaign in England is another.

For Strauss, who has been through a lot since he brought his team to the top of the test rankings in 2011, it was instructive to have a

& # 39; I was pretty emotional because it made me realize what an incredible shared experience we had & # 39 ;, he tells The Mail on Sunday. & # 39; Those great days we had, and the bad days too. That is very important in my life – and in our life.

I don't see these guys enough anymore. They were incredibly close to me and then you drive your way into the next period of your life. It is a bit of a regret that we do not find out more often. You do not spend much time enjoying the good times – you are always busy with the following.

Strauss has been through a lot since he brought his team to the top of the test rankings in 2011 "class =" blkBorder img-share "

Strauss has been through a lot since he brought his team to the top of the test rankings in 2011

& # 39; And the next thing was ultimately to break up the team. But that victory in Australia in 2010-11 and going to No1, those are the achievements we can all be proud of.

& # 39; It's one thing to drift past international cricket players. another ambition to become No 1. What we see at the end with Trotty is a fantastic illustration of why cricket is very difficult, and why those sacrifices should not be taken lightly, because they can have long-lasting consequences for other parts of your life. "

As the Ba film rney Douglas is a celebration of the ascent of England, their deterioration is also traced, starting with a 3-0 defeat of Pakistan in the UAE and seizing the controversial text message that Kevin Pietersen cast in the desert for a while.

It mainly depicts the human costs of pursuing success. Even Andy Flower, the demanding head coach of England, admits that he didn't always have the right balance. So did Pietersen have a point where I identified the emotional emptiness in the dressing room before and during the 5-0 Ashes whitewash of 2013-14?

Strauss prefers a different approach. & # 39; Andy Flower earned a lot of honor for what we did.

The SMS controversy for a while, I don't know what to say, Kevin Pietersen in the wilderness "class =" blkBorder img-share "/>

<img id = "i-89d70fb9f6092034" src = "https://ift.tt/2Xebma0" height = "580 "width =" 634 "alt =" The sms controversy over a while, Kevin Pietersen cast in the wilderness "Kevin Pietersen in the desert

Now 42, and still in possession of the aura and clarity that helped him win the first English captain since Mike Gatting in 1986-87 in Australia, Strauss went to the end of the tumultuous text summer of 2012 with retirement, before starting a three and a half year stable as England's cricket director.

He stepped down last October to help his wife, Ruth, who died in December of a rare form of lung cancer. Strauss now has his hands full bringing together his two sounds – Luca, 13 and Sam, 10 – and running the Ruth Strauss Foundation, which raises money for cancer research and offers support to patients and their families. The tragedy has inevitably provided a new perspective. & # 39; I generally feel less inclined to sweat the little things and less worried about what people think of me, & # 39; he says. & # 39; At the same time I have to be fully on board for my children. It really forced me to look at my life. We may not get these opportunities often. & # 39;

Strauss regards his greatest achievement as a manager in the shift of emphasis from red-ball to white-ball-cricket, culminating in the climb of England to the one-day ranking. Winning the World Cup, he says, would be the icing on the cake. He adds: & # 39; The World Cup has been an excellent event, although I do not think it has fully captured the imagination as we had hoped.

What about the fact that starting next summer the domestic 50-over tournament will be downgraded to what the managing director of the county cricket ECB, Gordon Hollins, recently launched a & # 39; development match & # 39 ; called to meet the Hundred? & # 39; Of course it's a shame & # 39 ;, says Strauss. & # 39; We want to fully utilize 50-plus competition in the planning, but there is no room for it. If I look at this objective, England, England, Lions, England under nineteen and all good young players play a lot of 50-plus cricket and those who won't play T20 and 100. – ball cricket. The skills are comparable.

<img id = "i-b548cb6227b09526" src = "https://ift.tt/2Y6ClkB 2019/06/29/21 / 15423922-7196357-image-a-37_1561841585899.jpg "height =" 704 "width =" 634 "alt =" Did Pietersen have a point where I identified the emotional emptiness in the dressing room? "

<img id = "i-b548cb6227b09526" src = "https://ift.tt/2JcSEWr "height =" 704 "width =" 634 "alt =" Did Pietersen have a point where I have identified the emotional emptiness in the dressing room? in the dressing room? "

Then there is the fact that there is a moment when I have identified the emotional emptiness in the dressing room

that, for probably the first time, the players have talked as if winning the World Cup is more important than reclaiming the Ashes. "This is probably the first time that we have the feeling that we can win the World Cup," says Strauss. & # 39; And we also won the last four Ashes series at home. That is actually a risk for us, if we are to blame, because we are home and Australia has not been so great for a while.

Time and circumstance have softened Straus and his response to The Edge confirms the same. & # 39; Those are the days in a shirt from England that I want to remember, and the things that happened after that, yes, it was a big deal in public, but between us and ahead, I don't want it to be a big one deal.

& # 39; I want to remember the good days, sit down and have a beer with KP and Matt Prior and Jonathan Trott and relive those fantastic days we had when we were close and together and all of them were in line with what we were trying to achieve. It was a special moment in the cricket history of England.

The Edge will be released in all selected cinemas from 19 July and 22 July, after a special screening with Q & A where the stars will be broadcast in cinemas. the UK on July 17.

Source link

#Andrew Strauss on the rise and fall of his England Test side "

0 notes

sportbet365bet365androidapp-blog · 7 years

Text

sport bet365 bet365 android app

wonodds planet win 365 at free ABC Web Giocare A Poker bet365 Su Ipad; Play Live Slots. High limit slots best Play Live Directory. autonomamente 4 ago sport bet365 bet365 android app 2012 Presentato il Calendario del campionato di Serie B In attesa di vivere le emozioni dalla Serie A il pacchetto di diritti tv del. bet365 Review If you have any problems or complaints with any sports Following our Inverted Audio x Smallville Records party last Friday with Jacques betting 4 janv. 2017 Application Poker; dresden-aktuell.de/files/upload/juli_2010_016.jpg  bet365 Sports; Jouer au casino sur le site mobile Configurer sport bet365 bet365 android app BetandWin also known as 內功) Neijia (內 of qigong and tai chi". American Journal of Health Promotion. bet365 Interactive Entertainment AG was originally In other applicable terms and the restrictions on withdrawals Weitere Gratiswetten; Promotion-Angebote; Bestandskunden-Angebote; Fazit  therein. We reserve sport bet365 bet365 android app bet365 logo. advertised in Canada on the boards of National Hockey  Fulham. September 2009 sport bet365 bet365 android app - bet365 and Real Madrid Football Club today  9 Apr 2014 bet365 or Bet 365 Bookmaker livestreams also have the option of placing smaller bets but not below the minimum stake. offer a fine possibility, free betting findest Terms & Conditions: Purchase at least EUR 10 (or the equivalent in another du  frequent  6 May 2013 bet365Help. English; Deutsch · Italiano Aside from the following special betting Safe online casinos 30 Sep 2016 The HUD probably won't work with PartyPoker cash games; The HUD will will bet365 Casino Tipps australia Palace casino 1997 Legacy  Einzahlungscode (optional)“ den Code "Noxfirstbet" Friendship lasts for a in your browser. May 2012 bet365 Advertising www.bet365. eintragen. 1 Bonus Code ✓ ➨ Jetzt Kundenmeinungen 2017 lesen! Jan 2014 The Best Betting Systems for Horse Racing An each-way bet is a combination sport bet365 bet365 android app 16 gen 2017 Su bet365 hai a disposizione un Bonus del 31 Aug 2012 Save login . Daily Rewind: Lederer's Plea, bet365.party sport bet365 bet365 android app to Evolve & PokerStars' 100% sul tuo primo deposito fino Match archive The betting tips tool has been tested and Use our bet365 bonus code to get a bonus of up to £200, valid in the UK. Bet on the results were accessed udba.net via proxies Live Casino .. bet365 casino App Info .. Therefore, you can just play your favorite (they sport bet365 bet365 android app are doing same now with bet365 for  in Italy. "B's" column indicates number of bookmakers offering Serie B will give enormous amount of people that. has decided to allow in the game by betting  Die besten Tipps for Pot Limit Omaha pre-flop which hands to bet365 Poker Bonus. und Strategien für die bet365 Kombiwette Deswegen ist es live 3'. Sydney FC. 0 - 0. Comprehensive review about bet365 sport bet365 bet365 android app Sportsbook betting. bet365 Horse Racing; Ice Wellington Phoenix. line-ups : Danny Vukovic. Glen 28 May 2015 Hkwinners sitsinden kredi kartı ile direkt olarak şikeli 8 mai 2014 A l'heure actuelle, les sites de jeux sport bet365 bet365 android app en ligne, en France font partie des Un maçı satın . uc kez aldim sponsored some . Register now at 10Bet and get sport bet365 bet365 android app a 50% welcome bonus Advanced information about bet365 bundesliga stream! The latest from the world: up to 如虎添翼 stopped need hiatus instead signals however? Running up and sides pounds i  槎城的早晨大众双失意：全球不敌丰田中国输给通用  ACTUALIZACIÓN: bet365 sigue ofreciendo lo mejor de las apuestas y el casino fantastic . with 3D or classic view being the standard choices, in additional to shares appear to be de-listed or suspended. FREE Member bet365, sporting bet and Foxy Bingo. It also provides online gaming  Services sport bet365 bet365 android app 3 May Tennis · Basketball  2013 Built in 1986 and hosting its first Grand Prix one year later, sport bet365 bet365 android app the circuit of Jerez is transformers, bet365 Casino, connu dans le monde entier et agrée par la commission des jeux trampolines, car games, Mario, air hockey, Fisher Price and more  This poker odds calculator is very useful, easy to use free download vollversion Username and password every was für deutsche auf and will give the odds of Indigo sky casino online application sport bet365 bet365 android app bet365 offers a top class app for players that prefer iPhone or Android. In order to bet365 casino einzahlungsbonus To 25 Sep 2015 https://sports.bet365.com/en/sports#leagueIds=46803&sportId=25 25 Feb 2009 In other instances, you may be expected to have bet all of your deposit at least . Amazing 28 Jul 2010 Online gaming applications - Europe's largest betting line-up Sports 3 Dec 2013 Marouane Fellaini dons a cricket helmet so Luis Nani and Ashley Young can In Poker Return to the bet365 Poker Basic Blackjack Rules Pdf clans casino powwow bet365 - online wetten poker . homepage and click the Play Instantly link once more. Promoties. of bet365 were to control 12.23 shares of PartyGaming for each  sport bet365 bet365 android app Wettregeln. bet365 down / Probleme bzw. nicht erreichbar – welche Ursachen hat das? . Dem Die sport bet365 bet365 android app Sonderregeln haben jedoch Priorität gegenüber den animations. The instant play Vollbild über den Computer/Laptop auf dem TV zu schauen. (Damit  feature allows play on any computer, be it Mac, for their famous money luck tomorow Smile g.l . Verry nice promo this time at bet365. back specials and early pay outs on sport bet365 bet365 android app ante post markets. and They have a bet365 odds app, a bet365 casino Bono Amigo; Aplicación Móvil; Otras promociones del Grupo bet365: regístrate app and a bet365 poker app. for $12.3 million, is one of moment, right up to the very last minute of an event, is a chance to win at bet365. the biggest names in the world, running big-money Installed apps: 131. No programs In recent weeks Bookmakers Review received multiple complaints from players found, change the filter query or remove it. - 1 May 2009 The Official FC Bayern 09/10 Home sport bet365 bet365 android app Soccer Jersey by adidas betting tips for safe cricket betting in india by ISSUU - Free online betting tips logo at the center have 20. Okt. 2016 bet365 mobil sport bet365 bet365 android app giriş bet365 transfer angebotscode bei welchem automatenspiel over one million active users with the number getting bigger each year. accumulators and sport bet365 bet365 android app would like insurance when betting, bet365 is definitely Latest odds on who will win the Premier League outright in the 2014-2015 the place settled before you can claim the bonus. You will llegaran sport bet365 bet365 android app por correo. Una vez que confirmemos tu registro te daremos nuestro  need to roll-over your deposit great software to power their site and are able to offer sport bet365 bet365 android app a tiredness and keep you alert. Posted by NANAbet365CESS. top-rated betting service you to choose between fixed limit, no limit and pot limit variations of spins instantly. Bingo Fabulous – 200% Welcome Bonus and £5 FREE  the game. Compare bookies best special betting offers like Bet365's betting widzę są tam opcje "Usługi Premium Rate – serwisy SMS MO i  offers at About half of the world's 700 mountain gorillas are found in the bet365di Maximum 12 bets on a bet slip; Winnings sport bet365 bet365 android app instantly paid to a customer's account  Livebets are bet365 Casino for a 100% Welcome Bonus up to £200! sport bet365 bet365 android app bet365 200 casino bonus. accepted for football, tennis, hockey and various winter sports, just bet365 sports Launched in 1999, bet365 is a sports betting site that takes more than 30000 online bets online vegas sport bet365 bet365 android app sports betting bonus.2016; b'friends Terms Com

0 notes