#file under: wants: bruno

[knotfodder]

name: Bruno Brownhound nicknames: pup (by some) dob. age: April 13, 1998 (25) gender: Male pronouns: (he/him/his) secondary gender: Omega occupation: greenhouse worker species: werewolf fc: Tom Holland

+goof-ball, cuddly, clever, optimist+ -clumsy, stubborn, sensitive, hot head-

[moe-broey]

Would you like some strangely elaborate specific ass headcanons? Of course you do!!!! Also I'm outsourcing a very specific dilemma. But you have to Learn My Methods first. Okay? Okay!!!!

PIERCINGS. AS STORYTELLING DEVICES. GO!!!!

Okay! So what the hell are we looking at and what exactly am I trying to determine, here? Well!!! There's a few different facets to this.

FIRST OF ALL. REALLY REALLY CUTE AND ALWAYS SO FUN TO ME

One, two, three!!! They're a set of three, and they're marked as such by how many sets of piercings they have in their ears. It's such a small detail that happened more by coincidence than intent, but it makes drawing all three of them together feel coherent and again, fun! I also really like the storytelling/contrast of the Askr siblings having golden jewerly, while Moe's is in silver (it does mix silver and gold more broadly -- but I'm talking just the face/ears here!). You get the sense (... in addition to Moe's more scruffy appearance in general), that one is from a more "common" background.

Okay, but what's all that text? STORYTELLING.... 2

Piercings, as a way to indicate connections to other characters, and to imply background information.

First example, it's noted that Bruno has had his in for a long time (... kind of regretting the specificness of "as a kid". That's supposed to have implications, but tbh it may be more fitting for Bruno as a whole to simply have said, "A Long Time"). He wears something modest, maybe a common stone, but still eye-catching. I like to think Alfonse became enamored with it (guys can also do this???), same way he was completely smitten by all of Zacharias. One extremely questionable piercing job courtesy of Zacharias himself and egged on by Sharena (who made a generous donation and/or sacrifice from her own jewelry box) later, it's a miracle he managed to heal them. Equally impressive is how long he managed to hide them as a teenager.

Meanwhile, you see Sharena's example is pretty straightforward! Assigned ear-stabbing at birth. It worked out well, though! Aside from that one time where her piercings mysteriously closed up and they had to be re-done, when she was little. Which could mean nothing. Alls well that ends well! In fact, she liked the look so much she decided to get another set done! Which may or may not come back later...

I will admit, the saddle plugs on Bruno were an impulse decision I made drawing this out (so not a super strong design headcanon, and maybe I could draw it better w more practice tbh, test run ect ect), BUT. MORE IMPORTANTLY. That idea, AND NEXT UP: STORYTELLING... 3.

On top of noting significant connections and providing background information -- here, you have gaining more and/or doing different Things with your piercings, as a way to indicate the passage of time or a change of taste. Woah, that's a lot of text! That's just my autism showing, I'll do you a favor -- with Moe specifically, the biggest takeaway here is:

One, two, three. There are other iderations of Moe of course, plenty of awkward in-between stages. But as I've developed it, I've found that there's like... three really plot relevant parts of its life. One easy to forget, two OH GOD OH FUCK, three that's the guy who lives here now. AWESOME!!!!

OKAY. OKAY. PEONY she has BEEN HERE THIS WHOLE TIME. What's up with that?

So we have background implications/information, we have connections to other characters, and NOW. WE HAVE. Paths that diverge. Sharena, 2. Peony, 1. Plus, a little bit of shape language with those tear drop earrings... on Sharena specifically...... ohghhghhf........

I've always been really indecisive with my Peony designs (for some reason it has been SUCH A STRUGGLE FOR ME), but I do like the simplicity of this one actually. The "Princess Peach core" note about Sharena is more about her color palette, but after writing that I went You know what. Fuck it *gives Peony Princess Peach earrings*. This does feel subject to change, but the idea they could be like water droplets is so cutes... I have really wanted to give Peony earrings with a blue gem though, BECAUSE...

The blue and silver are a nod to this reoccurring detail on Peony! So not only does it tie back to Sharena (IMPORTANT), it also (theoretically.) ties together nicely overall!!

Okay. So. Where does this leave me. Why did I draw all this out? All these little details that exist in my mind, why did I go out of my way to create this elaborate in-depth demonstration? Remember when I said I was gonna outsource some shit?

PROBLEM: I NEVER. EVER. EVEEEERRRRRR KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH LIF'S EARRINGS‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ AND THE LACK OF DIRECTION IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE GLARING EVERY FUCKING TIME I DRAW HIM‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

And what prompted all of this. What REALLY made me Think About This. I did another "ehhh Fuck It" with Lif's piercings, where he's sharing a panel with Moe, and

Ooughgughfhghhh...... them having the same earring arrangement.

But then. Then. I got autism brained about it. I can see Bruno having fuck all time to stretch his ears while on some gayass journey (... the. Timelines. Time in between Events. Maybe he wouldn't have full big stretched ears in Book 1. HOWEVER). Inconvenient, maybe, but if he's dedicated to the grind. He can do it. And I mean, have you seen his muscles? Dude CARES about his appearance. Meanwhile Moe ABSOLUTELY had fuck all time to stretch its ears before arriving in Askr. Then I'm thinking about Alfonse. NEVERMIND how much time it takes to stretch your ears, I'm thinking about the Number Rules. I'm thinking about how he's One, the first guy of a set of Three. I'm thinking about the Number Rule, to indicate Time. Why WOULD he have Three? The Number Rule, as Paths Diverging. There's Two of him, not Three. ALSO ASKING MYSELF "Would Alfonse get more piercings???" LIKE NO. BECAUSE. THE. THE RULE OF THREE. THE ONE TWO THREE. WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😫😫😫😫😫

Idk am I just insane. Am I a lost cause. Lif's ears are usually covered up by his long shaggy hair anyway. But really that does just make any time any piercings Would be visible, just. I am just so deeply conflicted torn between Goth Alt Men Hot and THE METHODS‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ THE STORYTELLING THE METHODS MY DEEPLY INTRICATE RITUALS‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

[cornetnspinet]

✧˖° take me home

giorno is a fifteen-year-old the gang doesn't know much about. bruno realises that after he's helped him become a mafia boss.

post-canon, everybody lives au english isn't my first language. i haven't watched vento aureo in its entirety in a minute. yes I started writing this and realised that fugo probably shouldn't be there yet but whatever this isn't very serious.

the soft sound of quiet chatter and cutlery make for background noise at libeccio. giorno sips his cup of tea, thinking, as bucciarati places a plain manila folder on the table in front of him.

“those will be the first things you should go over, i believe. you’ll have more to go through later, but i still advise you rest the most you can for now.” the capo says as he takes a seat at the table.

it’s only a few days after diavolo’s death, and while giorno is now Pasionne’s don, they still need to formalise his status to the rest of the mafia.

giorno opens the file to skim through it, making note of how thick it is for a first summary. contact names from all over italy, including other capos’, important locations, passione’s legitimate businesses, territorial control, a brief rundown on the drug trade. he has a lot to learn about the organisation he runs, he realises.

“you should probably look at it more closely at your desk at home-” bucciarati says before giorno can read the papers too thoroughly. after a brief pause, he adds, “are you still in boarding school, by the way?”

giorno looks up at bucciarati. he did go back to his dorm when they came back to napoli, it being where he keeps all of his belongings and all. but now, given the job that he had, he wasn’t sure he’d even stay in school at all. “i am. but i’m planning on moving out.”

giorno doesn’t think his answer through though, because in reality he’s not sure where he’ll go immediately.

thankfully, bucciarati already knows what the younger boy is thinking about.

“if you need a place to stay, you could always come to my house.” the capo kindly tells him.

giorno learned bucciarati lived in vomerro with narancia, and now trish. fugo had an apartment next door, which had been signed in bucciarati’s name, since he wasn’t old enough to have it under his own.

“i uh, i might do that, if you don’t mind.”

“will your parents agree to it?”

“yes.” giorno answers a bit too quickly. there was no way he was going back to live with his mother. it’s a silly thing to ask, he thinks, he’s the head of the neapolitan mafia. but bucciarati is bucciarati and giorno knows he means well.

bucciarati stares at him, his blue eyes scanning his face. then he tells him warmly, “that’s fine with me. you should be able to come whenever you want. i’ll turn another room into a study for passione business, so you can keep your room for school and whatnot.”

giorno blinks, “i was thinking of maybe dropping out, actually.”

the older man frowns and sighs, leaning back in his chair, “i know this is a lot to take in, and that is why i’m telling you to go easy on yourself, but you should stay in school, giogio.”

giorno looks at him, dumbfounded. “i just became the boss of passione, bucciarati.”

“and you are still only fifteen-”

“i’ll be sixteen next week.”

bucciarati makes a quick mental note of that, “-and now that we have taken over passione, we have time to do the things we planned on doing. taking down the drug trade is not going to be done in a day, and you won’t be doing it alone. you will have time for school, giorno.” his voice is gentle but firm, and that reminds giorno that bucciarati is older than him. it reminds him that he, himself, is not an adult yet.

giorno stays silent, sensing bucciarati would not let this go. his hand absentmindedly toys with one of the corners of the manila folder on the table. he thinks for a minute as he watches bruno refill his cup of tea. strangely, he feels a little like a child, and he has not experienced that in a while. probably something to do with his upbringing. he tries not to think about it too hard.

“alright. i’ll think about it.” giorno finally says.

“please do.” bruno responds. he takes a sip of his drink. “when is your birthday, exactly?”

a few days later, giorno is standing in bucciarati’s kitchen, carefully taking a few slices of bread off the grill. it’s starting to be late in the afternoon. he’s appreciating the orange hues coming through the big windows. he’s been going over some mafia trade reports all day and it’s made him blue.

the whole gang is here, their chatter can be heard coming from the sunroom behind him. after moving in, giorno realised the rest of the team regularly came over, whether it was for work or just to spend time together.

he told himself he had never lived in a house this full before when he arrived, spending his first dinner there with bucciarati, narancia, trish and fugo. but now that abbacchio and mista came almost every day as well, he’s even more surprised. even when living at his boarding school he’d often eat alone and spend time on his own.

giorno leaves the kitchen with his plate of fettunta in hand, joining the rest of the gang in the sunroom. he’s been eating fettunta almost every day, which is something he was always used to having as a kid, with it being very easy to make. but since he started living with bucciarati, he realised expensive olive oil made a real difference. he’s emptied an embarrassing amount of it from the bottle in very few days.

“i don’t know why i have to do this much,” narancia whines, “my english teacher hates me already anyway.”

the boy is half-slumped on the table in the centre of the room, his homework in front of him. he went back to school recently, and fugo has been helping him catch up a little bit.

“you’re trying, that’s what matters,” fugo tries to politely encourage him, despite the annoyance present in his voice. it’s true that narancia has been complaining about school every time the subject was brought up.

giorno sits next to mista, who passes him the water pitcher absentmindedly after he asks for it.

“you’re always listening to english music narancia, you must know some,” mista says.

“well, i don’t know what they’re saying, dumbass, that’s why i’m learning english,” narancia responds, before fugo urges him to focus.

bucciarati passes behind narancia to take his seat at the table, and as he does so, he takes a look over his shoulder. giorno knows the capo is proud of the younger boy for going back to school. he learned recently that bucciarati never got to finish his education. it made more sense why he asked him to keep attending.

abbacchio is also there, reading, barely paying attention. he doesn’t speak much when he comes over, and if giorno didn’t know of his bond with bucciarati and the gang, he would have wondered why he stayed.

trish is in her room. she doesn’t leave it much, and no one blames her. she’s still readjusting to a life she doesn’t know much about yet.

the landline rings through the house, disturbing the comfortable atmosphere. bucciarati gets up and makes a beeline for it, and picks it up from its spot in the open living room. from the corner of his eye, giorno sees the capo frown.

“who is this? oh!” the man’s face relaxes. “i’ll put him on the phone.” he turns to the sunroom, “giogio, it’s for you.”

giorno gets up and bucciarati hands him the phone, mouthing ‘it’s your mother’. giorno’s shoulders tense, and he hopes bucciarati doesn’t notice. the man returns to the table in the next room to give them some space.

he holds the phone to his ear. “hello?”

“haruno,” it’s undoubtedly his mother speaking, “i’ve heard you left boarding school?” her voice is curious, and maybe a little hesitant.

giorno is surprised she cares enough to call. “i’m not a full-time boarder anymore, but i still attend classes. how did you get this number?”

“the administration said it was the new contact you gave them. what are you doing now anyways? are you working?”

giorno sighs, realising his mother would be wondering about whether he’s making money. “i am.”

“well, how is it going? what are you doing?” she continues, suddenly more interested.

“i’m running a business and it’s going well. did you want to know anything else?” his voice is cold. he just wants the conversation to end quickly.

“well, i was just checking on you-”

“okay, now you have. goodbye.” he says and hangs up before she can ask anything else.

he sets the phone down, letting out a breath he was unconsciously holding in. he’s suddenly aware of how silent the house has become. he turns to the sunroom and finds everybody staring at him.

“what?” giorno asks, wondering if his demeanour on the phone was a bit too strange.

“dude, you speak chinese?”

“it’s japanese , narancia,” fugo corrects right away.

oh. he must have switched without noticing. he hadn’t spoken it in a while, but he still used it with his mother during the very rare instances where they’d have a conversation together.

“i do. i’m half japanese.”

even abbacchio’s mouth slightly falls open at that. obviously, the whole gang can tell giorno has some east asian features, but with his blonde hair and deep knowledge of napoli and its mafia, they weren’t expecting to actually hear him speak japanese.

“wait, where were you born?” mista asks, now very curious.

giorno walks back to his seat at the table, “i was born in japan. moved here when i was five.” he answers plainly.

“wait, that’s so cool!” narancia exclaims, his worksheet now forgotten.

“that’s very impressive. though i’m guessing you don’t have the occasion to speak it much in italy,” fugo says, smiling.

“no. i also don’t really know how to read or write in it.”

bucciarati, dumbfounded at first, now looked content and amazed. “it could still be very useful for the future. knowing multiple languages is always an asset, especially in the mafia,” the last part is more or less a hint for narancia to take his english class more seriously.

however, the younger boy doesn’t really pick up on that. “wait, i know some spanish!” he says energetically instead.

“you do?” mista asks, perplexed.

then, with the most concentration he can muster, narancia slowly says “Que et bombin! ”

mista blinks, unimpressed. “that’s not spanish.”

“one of my friends was spanish and used to say it all the time!”

“well, it’s not-”

“okay, narancia, you should focus on your english homework,” bucciarati intervenes. he turns to giorno, who is now quietly biting into a slice of bread, before fugo starts asking him questions about japan.

bucciarati takes a minute to really look at him. he can acknowledge giorno is smart and undoubtedly strong, he has seen him save him and the rest of the team more than once in the short time they have known each other. but he also recognises there aren’t many things he knows about him.

he has noticed giorno didn’t bring much from his old dorm when he moved in. a couple of books and some clothes. he wondered if he had any hobbies. the other day, narancia made him and trish listen to a couple of CDs he owns. between narancia’s rap music and trish’s taste for all saints and other pop groups, giorno admitted enjoying british rock when it came on the radio. it’s as much as he’s learned about him.

of course giorno is his boss, and he will respect him as such. but he has just seen him talk to his mother on the phone. he is still going to school. he is a sixteen-year-old.

almost. his birthday is tomorrow. a couple of wrapped jeff beck albums are sitting in a drawer in bucciarati’s room. bruno knows enough about giogio for now.

[hulloitsdani]

do you think putting Bruno under a contract with the Summoner could’ve saved him from his pointless death in Book 6?

Yeah! It 100% would! They might have been able to save everyone from Helbindi in book 2 to Heidr in book 7. However, it’s a matter of being able to.

The only people Kiran has been able to bring under contract are those they have summoned, and they’re notedly not able to summon the exact versions of the people in this world. Of this Askr. Of their reality. Kiran can summon a spring alt of Alfonse from a different world, but the exact Alfonse they’ve spent the past few years with? No. He’s not coming out the other end of the Breidablik. Which, you know, makes sense. Might create a paradox of some kind. A weapon built to carefully remove extremely important powerful people from throughout many realities might have a problem if it’s trying to remove someone that already exists where it wants to put them. It can’t complete the action. Pick from the wide array of infinite alternate realities instead please! There’s a plethora of existing copies of this guy, surely those are just as good. The breidablik can only move a file to a folder if it doesn’t already exist within that folder!

So, theoretically, it would work. Everyone they summon, they can save from death an infinite amount of times (if they’re quick and in range). But there seems to be one hard rule on who they can summon— it can never be the exact person they have sitting right in front of them. This version of Sharena, Anna, Alfonse, Bruno, Veronica, etc. from this version of Zenith are off the table. Deeply ironic, given the fact that those are the people they’d give anything to save.

But perhaps it’s better this way. Kiran already has a complex over the control they have over those they’ve summoned. Adding their closest comrades to that list might get pretty bad pretty quickly. So perhaps it’s better that these powers stay intrinsically tied.

[talenlee]

Dev Pile 2025-20

Sorry, folks, calling something of an easy mode on this one. See, this week has featured some vet visits and an election and some general bad times for sleep so I’m taking an easy route here and going to talk about a game that’s not part of the ongoing Moonshiners and Bloodwork game designs.

I’m gunna talk about revising The Botch for a new era.

The Botch is a 2015 card game I made in I think ten days with my friend Cass Marshall. They were doing portrait practice and I had an idea for a game that needed simplified, abstracted pieces – a small number of pieces of art that they could, literally, sketch. The original game relied on 24 pieces, twelve characters and twelve items.

Inspiration

It’s hard to point to anything in the history that I can definitely cite as inspiration. I am pretty confident that I had seen a review of the card game Mascarade, a Bruno Faidutti game from 2013. That game shares one of the core mechanics of The Botch; the idea that you take cards from another player and swap them under the table. This idea in Mascarade is meant to represent masks being moved around in a ball, with people taking and swapping disguises moment to moment.

It’s hard to say for sure, because even now I don’t think I’ve ever played Mascarade. I think I’ve seen the rules described in a game explainer, but I don’t know what all the cards do, and I don’t know for sure what all the components in the box are. Bear in mind, there’s literally nothing wrong with taking this existing structure and making a different game off it; I’m not embarrassed by the idea that this game is based on Mascarade, I just don’t think it’s fair to say that it is. The main thing is, I suspect the bugs that exist in The Botch don’t exist in Mascarade because the developer was better, and I figure if I’d played that game I might know about it.

Basically, I’m not arguing that The Botch isn’t a copy of ideas in Mascarade, I’m arguing if it was a copy of that gamewholesale, it’d probably be better.

Goals

What I wanted to make when I started The Botch was a game as cheap as I could make it that was also really good. The Botch is a game that needed 24 cards total if players provided their own tokens to track health and diamonds.

At the time, I wanted something that I could make cheaply; I wanted it to be affordable in terms of all the pieces that went into it. Art assets were a gift from a friend, the fonts were freely available. At the time, one of the requirements for the service in question was a test print — literally, a printing designed to make sure it fit my demands and so DriveThruCards didn’t have to deal with disgruntled customers if I’d set up the files wrong. A larger game costs more to ship, moving from ‘envelope with some cards in it’ to ‘shipping a box.’ What’s more, the more cards you’re printing, the longer you wait for the thing to get put through the queue.

At the time, there also wasn’t an option for a printed card box: The Botch was shipped originally in a small plastic jewel box, which we supplemented with a printed rules sheet.

I knew I wanted the game to feel like a crime caper movie, which meant the characters had to have good titles for expressing their idea clearly. Characters don’t need a bunch of abilities to express long term staying power, they just need to

Thus, the goals were:

A game with strategic depth that didn’t require a big expensive board

A game with variety so you could play it differently from time to time

A game whose theme delivered on the feeling of a chaotic crime story

The result was a game that I could sell for $10 AUD, at a profit. Small number of cards, printed and shipped in bulk to keep production costs down, and the gameplay style has a solid pitch that attracts people to try it in sheer ‘sure, why not?’ vibes.

What Needs Changed

Well, the world has changed. Every link in the chain is different and prices have changed everywhere. The current stock I have of The Botch and its sequel The Botch Is Back were made under the old rules, in the old, pre-Pandemic world. Those units can sell at $10 because, well, that’s what they cost. The problem comes from if I want to make new versions of The Botch.

Here are some details:

The art I have isn’t the resolution printers might want now. There are tools for fixing this, but I don’t want to put Cass’ art into anything calling itself an ‘AI upsizer,’ for one. This means I might have to vector-redraw it (to carry the aesthetic of the first version) or I might have to get new art for everything.

The card images I have are all fixed images, at a fixed resolution. Same problem as above, but this is fixable. My skills with vectors and non-destructive edits have improved immensely in the past ten years (as you know, you’d hope), so this is just a matter of reconstructing the existing elements.

A 24 card game isn’t really viable any more. The basic costs of getting something to my house for distribution are enough that the difference between 24 cards and 52 cards and a box isn’t meaningful, because games aren’t being printed based on # of cards, but rather on units.

The Botch has a really complex set of game pieces you need to ‘know’ through a reference sheet, and shipping the game without that reference sheet means people can spend time confused by the game rules until they play through the game.

There are other interface refinements. I particularly want to standardise the wording and now, with years of experience, I want some cards to be reworded so they’re more useful. Particularly, I want to standardise a few game actions, and then have cards to have effects on reveal, on player death, to both make them easier to remember in terms of their action, and make the gameplay variety come from the game state that follows. I also want to put markers on cards based on player count. Make it nice and easy to signify ‘hey, these are the things you should run in a game of only 4 players.’

The current company we work with, Launchtabletop, are who we used for Lysen Co. That game comes in a tin, it has freedom to move inside its box, and I like how it feels, aesthetically. It’s a game with some stamina, some toughness to it. If I’m revising things including art and wording, and I’m looking to upgrade The Botch to a bigger box, with a higher cost, I want to justify it with an improved game experience. I want the game to be better, to justify going from a pair of $10 games you can play for $15, to instead a single box of $25.

Oh, two games?

Yeah, The Botch was one of my first games to get an expandalone, The Botch Is Back. The cards are completely capable of working together, and that means that I already have a double-sized package of cards to stick in the game; 24 items, 24 characters. If they’re all updated to work together they can use mechanics shared across one another. For example, the Helmet in The Botch can just use the recover mechanic! Similarly, the Cop could use the Stash mechanic to represent gathering evidence and not be dependent on specifically one item card.

Therefore:

Improve the card rules.

Standardise items, make the character cards the only place complex rules exist.

Ensure the game comes with a reference sheet.

Consider adding cards to add another expansion element I’ve been considering.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[aidans13]

Bounty Hunter’s Love

Summary: Aidan Dubois, Bail Enforcement Agent for the NYPD, gets called in to help SVU track down a serial killer/rapist. He then proceeds to meet Captain Olivia Benson where his life goes into a spiral.

TW: Mentions of rape and murder. Drugs. Sex (Dom/Sub). Swearing (English/Arabic).

Pairing: Olivia Benson/Male OC

Notes: This will be a multi-chapter fic. It’s also my first fic so apologies if it’s not perfect.

Chapter 1

The elevator dings.

Aidan walks out of the elevator with Chief McGrath to the SVU squad room which is in chaos. People walking around with case files and paperwork. People answering tip lines and phone calls. Aidan takes a deep breath and goes further into the squad room. McGrath notices his hesitation. "Aidan you are the best Bail Enforcement Agent the NYPD has. You go in and do your job."

"I know Chief. Anxiety is just a bitch sometimes. I got this though." Aidan says confidently. They walk farther into the squad room. Chief looks over at Captain Benson and gets her attention. "Captain Benson. I brought you some help for catching Victor Marshall." Olivia looks up and notices McGarth standing with Aidan who has the brightest green eyes and covered in tattoos. She walks over taking her glasses off eyeing the man. "And who would it be?"

McGarth gestures to Aidan. "Captain Benson. This is Aidan Dubois. The best bounty hunter in the city."

"You're the one that caught The East Harlem Killer. Anderson?"

"Yea that was a long two weeks of constant stakeouts." Aidan chuckles softly noticing her squad staring.

"Well. Let's get started."

They both walk to her squad huddled in front a tv screen with a timeline board next to it. "Guys. This is Aidan. He's going to be helping with the case." "Aidan this is Sergeant Tutuola. Detectives Velasco and Bruno." They all nod to each other. Aidan breaks the silence.

"So. What do we have?"

Bruno speaks up. "Victor Marshall. Kidnapped and tortured two girls before murdering them. He was given an ankle monitor but unfortunately was able to cut it off."

Aidan glances at Olivia before turning back to Bruno. "Where does the GPS last show his location?"

"George Washington Bridge."

"In relatives in the city or in New Jersey?"

"Only his mom who swears she hasn't seen him."

"Did she post his bond?"

Finn hands Aidan a copy of the bond paper. Aidan looks at it noticing his mom cosigned the bond for $50,000. "Does she realize that he doesn't show up by the date on the bond that she goes to jail?"

Finn smirks. "I don't think anyone mentioned it."

Aidan smirks back at him. He turns to Olivia. "Might light a fire under her ass." Olivia sees a mischief glint in his eyes. She bites her bottom lip lightly hoping no one notices her staring. "Well Mr. Dubois. Want to come help enlighten her?"

"Lead the way Captain."

Olivia turns to grab her coat. Aidan turns to the squad. "Let's hope someone comes up." Velasco says.

Olivia comes back. "Finn see if anything is related between the victims. If any places are intertwine, maybe he has hideout that's correlated to them. Bruno. Velasco. Talk to the parents again. See if they can remember anything."

"On it." They all said unison. Olivia walks over to Aidan to is securing his badge on his belt.

"Ready Mr. Dubois?"

He looks up and smirks softly.

"Always."

[blowflyfag]

the Wrestler: Volume 25, 2009

Q & A 

MISSY HYATTT

(Part 2)

“If I didn’t need money, I’d work in this business for free”

WHO WAS WRESTLING’S original diva? There are credible arguments to be made for Miss Elizabeth, Baby Doll, Sunshine, Tammy Sytch, Sable or any number of pioneering women. But, there is one lady in particular who would make any short list: Missy Hyatt.

What has been the key to Hyatt’s success? Her uncanny ability to reinvent herself. Hyatt started out as the self-centered, pampered brat that everyone loved to hate, with every woman wanting to rub her face in the mud and every man wanting to turn her across his knee for a good spanking. She evoked strong emotions during her stints in World Class Championship Wrestling and the Universal Wrestling Federation in the mid-1980s, and often outshined her male counterparts, including “Hollywood” John Tatum and “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert.

Yet  Vince MCMahon wanted her to give up her naughty ways and join WWF as an affluent hist of the “Missy Manor” interview segment. It turned out that “Missy’‘s Manor” was no “Piper’s Pit,” and the WWF and Hyatt parted ways in a matter of weeks. 

So what’s a girl to do? Hyatt returned to Jim Crockett Promotions, where television producer Dusty Rhodes made her backstage interviewer and an occasional color commentator. She was one of the hottest stars of WCW during the early years of Ted Turner’s ownership, managingThe Steiner Brothers and The Nasty Boys, hosting a highly successful 900-line, and appearing on countless pieces of merchandise. Hyatt ended up suing WCW for what she considered her rightful share of the proceeds and all of it landed in court, where she also filed a sexual harassment claim. 

With nowhere left to go, Hyatt accepted Paul Heyman’s offer to appear in ECW, where she flourished as a sultry sex siren, whose conniving ways seemed to be a natural extension of the spoiled Southern Belle she had portrayed a decade earlier. 

Her out-of-the-ring exploits have embroiled her in controversy. In her 2001 tell-all autobiography, Miss Hyatt: First Lady of Wrestling, she detailed her relationships with John Tatum, Eddie Gilbert, Road Warrior Hawk, Jake Roverts, and Wonder Years star Jason Hervey, among others. Today, Hyatt lives in New York City with her two Jack Russell terriers, Milo and Jake. For fans who want to keep Missy Hyatt under minute-by-minute surveillance, her pay website–missyhyatt247.com–offers a webcam that constantly streams video from her apartment. Hyatt’s house website is missyhyatt.net.

“Missy has revealed so many intimate details about her life in her autobiography and on her websites that I felt as if I already knew her,” said Senior Writer Harry Burkett, who spoke with the self-proclaimed “First Lady Of Wrestling” for 90 minutes. “Her real personality is quite different from the ‘vamp’ persona she tries to project. She has a very sweet ‘girl next door’ quality.”

Q: Despite the fact that you began your career 23 years ago, you’ve never stayed very far from the wrestling business. You still make appearances on the indy circuit. What are you up to these days?

A: I still have my websites, missyhyatt.net and missyhyatt247.com, and, yes, I still work the independents and do autograph sessions. I'm really proud of the work I've done with Women Superstars Uncensored over the past year or so. I do color commentary for WSU DVDs and I also host some “Missy’s Manor” interview segments. 

Q: What is your typical day like? 

A: I work with Jack Russell terriers for an organization called Russell Rescue, not to be confused with Dawn Marie’s Wrestlers Rescue [laughs]. She takes in unwanted and abused wrestlers, and I take in unwanted or abused Jack Russells, so I'm sort of a foster mom. I recently took in a dog named Bruno, who had heartworm, and I kept him until that problem was cleared up and he could go to another family. 

I do behavioral assessments on the dogs when they come to my home. Do they go after someone who’s knocking on the door? Is there anything that seems to upset them? So I document all of that behavioral stuff on the paperwork. I also do home checks to make sure that prospective homes have the proper fencing, things like that. Jack Russells are very smart, but they also have so much energy that some people can’t keep up with them. 

[It was then-boyfriend John Tatum who got Missy Hyatt into the wrestling business back in the mid-’80s. Tatum felt he needed a beautiful blonde valet–and the rest is wrestling history.]

Q: The question is, are you able to keep up with them? 

A: My dogs end up adopting my personality, which means they become lazy and sleep in late. Dory Funk Jr. said that he grew up with a bunch of Russells, which are really handy if you have a working ranch with horses and stables. 

Q: That sounds like enough to keep you busy. DO you have time to watch the current wrestling product, such as WWE and TNA?

A: Yes, there’s a lot that I like about WWE and TNA. When I watch Raw or Smackdown, I just think how I'd like to work a big crowd like that. Back in the NWA and WCW in the late-’80s and early-’90s, we did pay-per-views every couple of months and drew decent crowds, but it was nothing compared to what WWE draws on a nearly nightly basis. I just think, Wow. I’d love to see myself on that big TItanTron. 

I have a dream, and it sounds really corny, but I've always wanted to work one WrestleMania dressed as The Gobbledy Gooker. I’d want Kane to give me a tombstone piledriver and then rip off my turkey costume. Of course, I'd still have the beak and big feet, wearing a fur-kinki, and I'd cluck around the ring and get back inside my egg. Some people dream about dollars or fame, but I've had a much simpler aspiration: to be The Gobbledygooker at WrestleMania!

Q: Maybe you weren’t The Gobbledygooker, but you certainly came a long way. How did you break into the wrestling business?

A: I became involved through my boyfriend: John Tatum. He had been wrestling in Georgia and then went to work for the Crocketts for a while. He met Tully Blanchard and Baby Doll while he was there, and that’s when John decided he had to get him a blonde girl who looked like Baby Doll. So, when he went to Texas, he took me along. [World Class referee] David Manning convinced me that I would make a good valet, and David and another referee, Rick Hazzard helped me with that.

Q: What were you doing when John met you? A: I was working as a cocktail waitress at a bar, the Hyatt Hotel–as a matter of fact–in downtown Atlanta. I also worked at the pool bar during the summer there. 

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: Tallahassee, Florida.

Q: Had John been in the wrestling business very long when you met him?

A: No, no. He was from Pensacola, Florida, and he’d been in the business for only about six months, if that. He worked in Georgia and then the Caroolinas for about 10 months. Then we went to Texas in ‘85.

[Although Missy Hyatt and Sunshine were in-ring rivals in World Class Championship Wrestling (above), they were good friends outside the ring (right). Hyatt says Sunshine was a patient mentor during her early days. 

“When I first started working, I was really nervous and scared. The first big thing I did was a catfight with Sunshine where we pulled hair and rolled around the thing, and I couldn't help laughing. When we got in the back, Sunshine yelled at me, “You can't laugh out there!”]

Q: Had John always been a wrestling fan, or did he fall into it some other way?

A: John and Michael Hayes are cousins. Michael is from Pensacola, too. As for me, I fell in love with wrestling when I was 17. I was over at my parents’ house, and I was upstairs with my dad, who was flipping channels. I saw Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts putting a baby bonnet on Terry Gordy’s head and a pacifier in his mouth, and they were all running around the ring. It was Georgia Championship Wrestling. I was amazed by what I was watching. What was this? I thought it was the coolest thing. I knew I didn't want to wrestle, but it seemed like a real hoot and something I wanted to do. 

Q: Wow, that must have been when The Freebirds were feuding amongst each other. What was the first challenge you had to face as a valet in Texas?

A: Trying to figure out what my name would be! My last name is “Hiatt” with an “i,” so I changed it to “Hyatt” with a “y.” Also, my first name is Melissa, but my parents called me “Missy” and John caught on to that. That’s how I became “Missy Hyatt.”

When I first started working, I was really nervous and scared. The first big thing I did was a catfight with Sunshine where we pulled hair and rolled around the ring, and I couldn't help laughing. When we got in the back, Sunshine yelled at me, “You can't laugh out there!” But I was having so much fun. During my career, I've been paid a lot of money for what I love to do. If I didn't need money, I'd work in this business for free. 

Q: I suppose World Class was ahead of its time as far as divas are concerned.

A: Let me tell you, we sure were! Looking back on it, I'm surprised that I got paid the same as the guys. They didn't just look at me as a female, but someone who helped draw people to the shows. My pay depended on where I was on the card and how many people were there. So I was paid extremely well, even though I was a woman. I think of all the people who helped me–Fritz Von Erich, David Manning, Bronco Lubich–and realize it was a great time. If Texas had been the only place where I had worked, and John and I had gone back to Florida right afterward, i’d still consider it the highlight of my life. 

[Was it Hyatt and Hot Stuff International or vice versa? Either way, Hyatt and Eddie Gilbert made an effective and entertaining team in the Ultimate Wrestling Federation.]

Q: Did it occur to you that women could add a whole new dimension to wrestling?

A: Sex and violence sell in movies and on TV, so why not wrestling? Even ultimate fighting has the octagon babes and boxing has the ring card girls in their little outfits.

Q: Your catfights with Sunshine must have gotten a huge response, considering the audience was definitely male-dominated at the time.

A: Because we did the same buildings each week, we had to come up with something new each week. For over a year, I'd do bad stuff to her on TV and then she’d beat my fanny all week at the house shows. I’d lie, or come up with a new way to insult her, and she’d be ready to tear into me again. It was so easy–and so fun to get a reaction. We nearly started a riot in Abilene, Texas.

Q: What was the road schedule like for World Class?

A: We did TV tapings every Friday night in Dallas and then we’d run a show on Monday night in Fort Worth. Every three weeks, we’d go to the outskirts, such as Lubbock, Amarillo, and El Paso. For the most part, though, most of the shows were in smaller towns within a couple hours of Dallas-Fort Worth. Football was really big in Texas, so there were plenty of large high school stadiums where we drew a lot of people–usually within 60 miles of Dallas.

Wrestlers and divas are so much like movie stars now because there’s so much glamor. The outfits are so fancy and everybody’s so polished. That’s a big difference between now and the territorial days. Even WCW was much glitzier toward the end of my time there.

Q: Was Sunshine helpful when you first went to World Class?

A: She was the best. She taught me everything. And, trust me, I was a handful. You may remember that World Class had a two-hour show on Christian network for a while. 

Q: Yes, the Christian Broadcasting Network.

A: That’s  right. [World Classbooker] Ken Mantell gave me a line to use against Sunshine. It went something like, “Sunshine’s butt is so big that when she has to haul ass, she’s got to make 10 trips.” I said it verbatim. When I got backstage, poor Ken looked like he was having a heart attack, red in the face with his blood pressure going up. He told me that I shouldn't have said the word “ass.” I said, “Yeah, but you told me to say that.” I was so young at the time. I was surprised that CBN didn’t even bleep it out. 

[“Sex and violence sell in movies and on TV, so why not wrestling? Even ultimate fighting has the octagon babes and boxing has the ring card girls in their little outfits.”]

Q: Well, the word “ass” was used in the Bible.

A: That’s true. I felt sorry for Ken because he had to deal with these girls all of a sudden. But Sunshine and I were good friends. I’d have friends over at my apartment, and Sunshine would have to sneak through a window. Back in the kayfabe days, I couldn’t party with the babyfaces, you know.

Q: Was there anybody else you looked up to? Or were you and Sunshine the only women around at that time?

A: There was Baby Doll with the Crocketts, and Miss Elizabeth had just started in the WWF. Here’s one funny story: George Scott, who worked for Vince McMahon, had heard about Baby Doll at about the same time I sent pictures to the WWF. He contacted World Class, thinking I was Baby Doll. That’s why David Manning and Fritz Von Erich wanted to keep John and me there. I’m glad John and I had that run in World Class, because I think we were great working together. 

[While working in the UWF, Hyatt often interacted with a young Jim Ross. According to Missy, nobody can match Good Ol’ J.R. on the microphone.]

Q: I thought so, too. How did you meet Eddie Gilbert?

A: I met him when we went to the UWF.

Q: When you first met him, did you think you’d ever marry the guy?

A: No! It was another case of life imitating art. That time was wild. We did the Hot Stuff & Hyatt International angle, and Ken Mantell was there … it was such a blur because we were traveling so much. I enjoyed that time very much. 

Q: You mentioned that life imitates art. As we know, you left John and eventually married Eddie. Leading into that, John and Eddie were vying for your affections on UWF TV, with Eddie outsmarting John each week. The vignettes from that time were very funny. I remember a limousine pulling up to take you and John to lunch, and somehow Eddie elbowed his way into the limo so he could sit beside you. It was really funny stuff. 

A: I remember that! Jim Ross was interviewing John, who was waiting for me to arrive in the limo. Eddie came out, noticed there was a TV in the limo, and squeezed himself into the car between John and me. I think we left Jim Rossjust standing there. At that time, Eddie and I liked each other, so I guess it was happening and I didnt realize it. 

[Life  imitates art. To John Tatum’s chagrin, a UWF storyline romance between Hyatt and Gilbert evolved into an off-screen attraction and eventually marriage.]

Q: Wrestling is weird in that way, as far as life imitating art. It seems that every man and woman that are put together in a storyline end up as a couple in real life. 

A: It may be terrible to mention this, but look at what happened to Chris and Nancy Benoit. There was also Steve Austin and Jeannie Clarke, and Steve and Debra McMichael.

Q: So you would say that love triangle among you, John, and Eddie mirrored reality?

A: On TV, Eddie and I always said it was “strictly business.” But there was a lot of playing around and joking. Once when we were at the hotel in Tulsa, John had left with Jack [Victory], and Eddie got really drunk. Eddie came in from the pool, down the hallway, and passed out in my hotel room. I had to get Carl Fergie to get him out of there. The next day, I teased him all day. Something just sparked, I guess.

Q: You certainly demonstrated a sexual tension on TV. I remember that Eddie would refer to your group as “Hot Stuff & Hyatt International,” but you would always refer to it as “Hyatt & Hot Stuff International.”

A: Right. Bruce Prochard worked out of the Houston office at the time, and he had blue satin jackets made. Mine said “Hyatt & Hot Stuff” and Eddie’s said “Hot Stuff & Hyatt.” I don’t know what happened to that jacket, but I wish I still had it. It would bring back good memories.

Q: Eddie was often credited for having a great wrestling mind. Did you learn things from him that you didn’t learn from John or anyone else?

A: I learned more about wrestling as a business, from how it works to how to handle money. I learned what worked with a wrestling crowd and what did not. Eddie loved wrestling since he was a boy. His mom showed me how he would make up characters, book matches, lay out TV shows, and create whole storlines in his black-and-white composition books. He was really elaborate. He was the Anges Dixon of wrestling.

Q: No wonder the CWF seemed like All my Children! Seriously, though, I know Eddie wrote for some fanzines and magazines in the late-1970s.

A: And he took pictures! He showed me a tape of a match where he and Jim Cornette were at ringside taking pictures.

Q: Cornette, Paul Heyman, and even Tammy Stych got their start by taking pictures and sending them to our magazines. You never took pictures for us, but you sure posed for a lot. Tell me, how was the UWF different from World Class?

A: The traveling. I think they would sit there with a map of the United States and then throw darts to see how far they could make us drive. We’d be in Tulsa one night, and then have to drive to New Orleans, and then drive to Houston, and then to Memphi. It never made sense. We’d leave at 2:00 in the afternoon and not get back until 4:00 in the morning.

[“You could see how hot and intense the crowd was on UWF TV shows. It was like a fever. The craziness was contagious. To me, it was more exciting in those days.”

Q: I think the most common complaint I've heard about the UWF, or the Mid-South promotion that preceded it, was that it was  really big territory.

A: That’s for sure. But you also made a lot of friendships when you’re traveling together so much. I remember we’d all be in a can with One Man Gang driving–just a lot of camaraderie because we were working together every night. We were more like a family. 

Q: At the time, the WWF was expanding nation-wide. Frit Von Erich and Bill Watts certainly entertained the thought of challenging Vince McMahon. Did World Class or the UWF have a chance?

A: If either World Class or the UWF had gotten a better foothold on cable, maybe so. The UWF was the hottest wrestling show on TV at the time, in terms of pure action. THe show had enormous talent, in addition to Jim Ross as the announcer. And nobody can compare to Jim Ross as an announcer before or since. When we would tape shows in Tulsa, everything would break down at the end of the episode, so fans always wanted more. We didn’t give away main events in those days. 

Q: That’s what I hated about the UWF! Hacksaw Duggan wouldn’t tear into One Man Gang until one minute before the show went off the air. I would be screaming at the TV!

A: Yes, Jim Ross would be yelling, “We’ve got to go!” The whole idea was to get people to buy tickets. We didn’t have pay-per-view yet, so the TV show was like an ad to sell tickets to the arena. We would do the TV tapings in Tulsa every two weeks. We never had to give away tickets for free because the arena was always packed. You could see how hot and intense the crowd was on  UWF TV shows. It was like a fever. The craziness was contagious. To me, it was more exciting in those days. 

Q: I suppose that’s the price you pay when wrestling goes mainstream. Nowadays, you get more of a mainstream crowd, the same people who would come out to see the Harlem Globetrotters if they came to town. 

The UWF must have had wide syndications back then, because I remember the UWF running its TV show in my home state of Maryland. That was a long way from Tulsa. 

A: The UWF had really good syndication, but World Class was even more impressive. If I remember correctly, World Class had 223 stations–including stations in the Middle East–while the WWF had only 30 stations here in the United States.

Q: World Class even tried to run house shows in Massachusetts. 

A: As well as Georgia and California while it was expanding toward the end. You knew one of these companies was going to become a true national company, but you didn't know which one would get there first. 

Q: Who contacted you about going to the WWF?

A: Eddie and I just mailed in some pictures, and Vince called.

Q: Did he call for both of you?

A: Yes. It was a complicated time. There were rumors that Crockett was going to buy the UWF. We didn’t know whether Crockett was going to swallow up the UWF or keep it separate. Some said he would honor the UWF contracts and others said he wouldn't. Eddie sent out stuff to the WWF just as back-up. But I wanted to go to the WWF because I wanted to be a big star and get me a doll. It still hasn’t happened. 

[After a short stint with the WWF and some indy appearances, Hyatt made a move to WCW, where she made her name as a ring announcer (left), color commentator (above), and valet.]

Q: Did Eddie ever wrestle for the WWF in the late-’80s?

A: He had first gone to the WWF in ‘81, but he didn’t go in the late-’80s. He was helping Ken Mantell book for the UWF. When the buyout came, Crockett wanted Eddie to do all the booking for the UWF and Ken left. Eddie told Vince that he’d rather book for the UWF than just wrestle for the WWF. I was very pigheaded, though, and I wanted to go to the WWF and become a superstar. 

Q: I remember “Miss Manor.”

A: Oh, gosh. 

[themculibrary]

Missing Scenes Masterlist 2

part one

.40 Caliber Ache (ao3) - aSintobeRin G, 1k

Summary: Peter just needs a second. Less than a second. Just long enough for him to catch his breath and get rid of the stars dancing across his vision.

A missing scene from NWH, between the school roof and the science lab.

AKA Odessa (ao3) - sirendoom T, 3k

Summary: Natasha was given a mission years ago to escort an engineer but encounters a mysterious enemy along the way.

Bottom of the Ninth (ao3) - anti_ela steve/bucky T, 1k

Summary: The missing scene from Avengers: Endgame.

"I understand," Bucky said, smiling. His heart was imploding, but what did that matter? He'd never expected Steve would choose him. This was inevitable.

Benign (ao3) - Face_of_Poe G, 2k

Summary: “T’Challa,” Ayo moves closer, leans in to whisper harshly. “I accept your word that James Barnes did not murder King T’Chaka. He is still HYDRA’s assassin. That has never been in question.”

T’Challa turns and considers him; Bucky’s eyes skitter away under the scrutiny. Steve keeps a firm hand on his shoulder, steadying him, grounding him. Signaling his readiness to defend him further, if he must. “Was, Ayo,” T’Challa murmurs. “He was HYDRA’s assassin. And the Winter Soldier had a great many victims, yes?”

Bucky swallows and keeps his eyes fixed on the ground.

“We cannot let ourselves forget that the Winter Soldier’s first victim… was James Barnes.”

Breathing Room (ao3) - kcscribbler T, 5k

Summary: In the immediate aftermath of S02E01, both Loki and Mobius are a little worse for wear. Shameless self-indulgent H/C, you've been warned accordingly.

Disconnect (ao3) - shadowhuntingdauntlessdemigod T, 1k

Summary: The first day they tie him to the table in the isolation ward, James Buchanan Barnes fights with all the will and strength he has left—not that he has much to give after being held in a prison cell and barely fed for weeks. Here’s what it gets him: strapped so tight that his lungs can hardly expand, stuck with needles filled with varying liquids, and knocked out by a fist to the cheekbone.

Fracture (ao3) - Silent_but_Artemis bruno/kamala G, 5k

Summary: An addition to the end of Episode 3: Destined to fill in some blanks. What happened after Kamala left Bruno and Nakia that night? How did Bruno end up with his arm in a cast and was Nakia able to get the full story of Kamala's powers explained to her?

How Bucky Barnes Accidentally Became A Goat Farmer (ao3) - SeaSpectre160 G, 1k

Summary: Bucky Barnes has been through a lot of strange experiences. This latest one? Being stalked by a pair of goats that have apparently decided that he’s their human now.

(in)sincerity (ao3) - Ingrid_Gradiant loki/sylvie T, 955

Summary: At McDonald's, Loki and Sylvie were talking for another minute and a half while we heard Mobius talking to Brad Wolfe. What did they say? Maybe this.

in your arms i fall (ao3) - icantsleepits4am steve/bucky M, 1k

Summary: In 1945, five Red Army soldiers search for a dying American in the Alps and thus, the Winter Soldier was born.

my mind is a hurricane (but you calm the storm) (ao3) - helloilovefanfiction implied loki/mobius T, 1k

Summary: As he flipped through the files, Loki’s gaze caught on a particular variant with dark bruises around his neck, clearly inflicted by a hand. Against his better judgement, he read the summary of the variant’s Nexus Event.

One More Bridge To Cross (ao3) - Taramayus mj/peter T, 20k

Summary: Now, sitting on Happy’s uncomfortable, probably very expensive, modern couch, with Peter on one side of her pressed up close and holding her hand, and Ned on the other end slumped in the corner as they watch Mean Girls (MJ’s pick, sue her, they needed something more light hearted to watch after the week they had) MJ wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. There is a running commentary comparing characters to students at Midtown with May chiming in from the kitchen here and there. -- or, how do MJ and Peter evolve from the post-credit scenes in FFH to the main events of NWH

remember me (for centuries) (ao3) - bookinit loki/mobius T, 3k

Summary: He doesn’t have time for this. It’s been twelve years, and he still doesn’t understand the inner components of the throughput multiplier. Yes, twelve years is a mere blink of an eye, in relation to the grander scope of his life, but—foolishly, Loki thought he would be a quicker study. OB said centuries, but Loki had, in the far back of his mind, expected minutes. He had expected greatness. He had expected to be exceptional.

He is decidedly not.

—

between centuries, loki figures out what he wants.

say goodbye (ao3) - thorbiased jane/thor T, 1k

Summary: A missing scene from Thor: Love and Thunder that answers a few questions I had like:

How did Jane get Warsong? Why did Jane go to Valhalla if she’s not Asgardian? How come we never saw Valkyrie’s reaction to Jane’s death? Can’t we actually have some Valkyrie screen time?

Single Malt 9ao3) - Tsimmes T, 1k

Summary: Sam could forgive Walker for the guns-a-blazing approach to diplomacy and intel gathering, or his generally obnoxious demeanor, but he draws the line at forcing him to deal with a concussed international terrorist and certified pain in the ass.

The Church Bells Toll For Thee, Lost Soldier (ao3) - DCAngst T, 2k

Summary: James Buchanan Barnes is a face and name on display in the Smithsonian. He reads about himself, and when he leaves, he heads to Brooklyn, where a haunting sound calls him to a familiar place.

In the Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie, Steve comes home from his mother's funeral, with Bucky following. Church bells ring in the distance. Seventy-eight years later, they ring again.

The Talk (ao3) - mybestgirl steve/peggy G, 3k

Summary: Steve has a crazy idea. Bucky doesn't think it's all that crazy.

thought we built a dynasty forever couldn't break (ao3) - mducklesworth G, 2k

Summary: He finally looks over to Steve, who’s still staring intently at his book.

“That haircut,” Tony says, “looks absolutely terrible on you.”

He doesn’t miss the flash of surprise that crosses Steve’s face, like he’s shocked that Tony even noticed he’s there. He smooths the page out and looks up. For a minute, he doesn’t say anything, just looks, sitting like that with his cheek against his fist, and Tony doesn’t manage to hold his gaze for too long.

[monsterkissed]

📓

this one is cheating because i have definitely spoken about this At Length elsewhere but this askmeme is about fics that live in my head rent free bc i'm too lazy to kick them out onto the page so: VA bad end au/bruno corruption au, in which bruno does not do a traitorism and just delivers trish exactly where she's supposed to be and goes home and settles into his new role as passione's certified best boy and tries his best not to throw himself into the sea about it. and then he meets the boss's right hand man and everything gets much worse for everyone except me because i like it when bad things happen to my faves

so obvs we're dealing with some wanting for nails here, but my short version is that giorno didn't make it thru the baby face fight, which led to mista not surviving white album and bruno just mentally filing that under "this is why you should never hope for things to get better ever." and thru a total random coincidence stumbles on what turns out to be the underboss and, thru him, diavolo, both of whom have very little helpful advice to give on processing emotional trauma but a whole lot of unhelpful coping skills for ignoring pressing concerns and past trauma that they are more than willing to pass on! it would be entirely unilaterally manipulative if not for the fact that neither of them are socially adept enough to commit to that; doppio has no experience of actual irl relationships and gets easily overwhelmed by the concept and diavolo is pre-inclined to believe that anyone who is cool and good must also recognise that he is also cool and good.

which basically sets up two parallel Bad Ideas at once: on the pink side neither of them have any idea how to integrate outside parties in a way that is not just adding a vicarious step to how they already operate with each other. on bruno's side he begins to wonder whether he can change the gang the way he wants from the inside, by working with the people at the top of it. could he Fix Them? (he can't) (they will make him worse)

[knotfodder]

-

[jaywings]

WIP tag game - tagged by @gonturan0

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

are we sure we want all my WIPs? Most of these are vague, undeveloped ideas but here we go I guess

Psychonauts:

Windmills of the Mind (jumble of snippets and ideas for that one-shot collection)

psychonauts under attack

Werewolf Raz

hydrokinesis

whispering rock next

Sasha's mistake

Psychonauts Christmas

The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes

ace raz

Other:

Misc Invader Zim

Written on the Bathroom Walls (IZ)

dominator is bad news (Wander Over Yonder)

Bruno is home (Encanto)

Echoes of the Future (Clone Wars)

midnight story (Mouse Guard)

Frattura (Portal, sequel to Cieco)

little nightmares

teen titans

coraline fic

Misc Dark Crystal

Her Light Returned (Dark Crystal, next chapter)

Crossover:

Be Careful Making Wishes in the Dark rewrite/comic (notes for a project that will... likely never happen)

The New Client (Grim Fandango/Psychonauts)

pn/portal

encanto/pn crossover

Psychetale (Psychonauts/Undertale)

DW/IZ crossover

InvaderNauts (Invader Zim/Psychonauts)

InvaderTale (notes and scripts)

The Doom Crystal (Invader Zim/The Dark Crystal)

IZ/Courage the Cowardly Dog

[nonsensical-pixels]

THE LINDASIMS2 RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTATION: PART ONE

No idea how to really make one of these posts. Most Sundays I'd wake up and post my own CC. But not this Sunday.

DISCLAIMER: This is not really a callout post. This is a warning to anyone who intends to download Lindasim's stuff. And a genuine one. I have nothing personal against Linda, this is only what I've found from my own deep dive into Linda's files. I have no proof that what I've found is stuff that Linda herself did, but the stuff does exist. And it's terrible.

WARNING: Some of these images contain racial slurs that may make you uncomfortable.

You can find the nails file I use for my 'research' post here. It's part of the reuploaded March 2021 set and from what I can see that entire set is a giant mess.

Credits go to @dystopianam and aga on @acottonsock's server for providing the links to the files I needed to inspect.

Continue to read if you really want to know what you download when you download Linda's files.

OPENING THE FILE

Obviously, step 1 to any research regarding Sims 2 CC is... opening the file. And at first glance, this may seem completely normal to a CC newbie. It's from 'Base cc #333', 'LS_ACC_TF_AF_nail_M1_4swatches', 'LS_ACC_AF_nail_1v290321_mesh'.

I mean, it looks like any normal Sims 2 file, right? It's a mesh!

Until you open one of DeeDee's own accessory files.

Yeah... notice how there's a TON of stuff that isn't present in the other two?

Now, at first, I gave this the benefit of the doubt. Maybe, I thought, this was just another sign of my lack of knowledge regarding Sims 2 CC. It's been awhile since I've done my own accessories. But let's move on to the next part of my research...

THE 3DID REFERENCING FILES

There are 57 3DID Referencing Files in this nails mesh files. And maybe I'm ignorant, but I'm pretty sure sims don't have 57 fingers.

I didn't have time to actually see where they're pointing to... but... why the heck are they in a mesh file?

THE AGE DATA

This was what originally stood out to me the most. Why the heck is there AGE DATA in a nail accessory?

THE BHAVS

In @dystopianam's post, they mentioned the game reading some of Linda's files as mods. Well, I found the reason why.

There are... BHAVs? In a mesh file? For those who don't know, BHAVs literally alter the game's code or add new code. From what I can guess these BHAVs probably have something to do with the sim embedded in this file?

THE CATALOG DESCRIPTION

This was the icky part. And why I was hesitant to make this post.

Yep, turns out that whoever made this file is a big fat racist. Also fatphobic. Also probably aware that catalog descriptions shouldn't be in accessory files. Most of the ones I've seen were for objects or... sims. But this one isn't.

THE GMDC AND ASSOCIATED MESH ELEMENTS

Okay, through all of this, I was under the impression that the GMDC, GMND, CRES, and SHPE would be the most boring elements to inspect. I... was wrong.

Yep, the sim has a face. No clue what their name is but they are more present in this file than I expected.

THE JPG IMAGES

It's the hero you've all been waiting for... LIGHTNING MCQUEEN himself!!

Yep, he's here too! He's real! And he doesn't just accompany hairs, I can tell you that much, because these are nails!

Apparently these were based on Bruno's files? (From MTS), since there's a Bruno JPG slipped in there.

THE MATERIAL DEFINITIONS

There are 38 random material definitions. IDK why they're here. They're just... vibing.

THE OBJD (OBJECT DATA)

I was baffled to see this here. Why's there an object in here, I wondered. Until I realised the game sees this as a person. So, yep. That's the moment I realised there's an actual sim in here.

There's a bit more stuff in this file (most notably the Texture Overlay XML) that wouldn't fit in this post because of the 10 images limit... but fun fact, our secret sim has grey eyes! Wow!

THE CONCLUSION

Phew, that was a rollercoaster!

I didn't dare actually loading the game with these files (mostly out of fear that secret sim will haunt my dreams forever...) but as you can see in this post, the reuploaded files from Linda are completely fucked. No way around it. These aren't nail files, they're probably nail files merged with a whole-ass sim.

I'm not too knowledgeable on the subject of sims or BHAVs, but this is what Part 1 of my research has yielded and it's made me pretty fucking terrified. How long have people been downloading this 'leaked' stuff only for it to corrupt their game? It makes me wonder how many neighborhoods were lost to 'corruption' that was actually reuploaded Lindasims2 files...

For now, if you have thought about sailing the seven seas to get Linda's Sims 2 CC, I would recommend reevaluating that idea. Unless you want your game to be destroyed like @dystiopianam's and several others.

aga was kind enough to link me to some pre-2020 files of Linda's and they seem OK (so far...) but I would also not recommend supporting Linda on Patreon until we have proof that these files weren't corrupted by her, but by whoever reuploaded them to SimFileShare.

Also, it's not just the mesh file that's corrupted, in case you thought that. Nope, the recolor files have also been given the hidden sim treatment.

I can't really get my thoughts straight right now and really wanted to make this post before I forgot or the hidden sims came to murder me in bed, but for now, cheerio. I'll be back with more 'what the heck is in these files' ASAP!

[bullet-prooflove]

Vacation Days - Terry Bruno x Reader (NSFW)

Because apparently I am obbessed with side characters :)

You had never been to Belize; in fact, you had never been anywhere outside of the US. You’d never had the means or the opportunity, you and Terry had always talked about travelling but it had been a pipe dream, something to think about after the two of you retired.

Then that whole shitstorm had happened with Bronx SVU, he’d been fired trying to advocate for those girls, for doing the right thing in that hell hole. When he sued them, he hadn’t been looking for a pay-out.  He’d been looking for justice because Bronx SVU was in a state of crisis and those victims, the new ones and the old ones they were simply a file shoved underneath a forgotten coffee cup. He’d received a healthy sum in return for blowing the whistle on the higherups, and he was back in a job, correcting the wrongs that had been perpetrated against those victims.

The two of you needed a break, you were exhausted and overworked from your stint in Homicide and Terry had been putting in all the hours God sent trying to fix the problems that his previous Captain had papered over. When he’d surprised you with a trip to a private island in Belize, you were gobsmacked. You tried to refuse but Terry wasn’t having any of it, the two of you had barely managed to snag more than a couple of hours together and he wanted this, he wanted to spend his money on something worthwhile. Somewhere secluded, where you could just be yourselves, take the time to relax and enjoy one another.

Sun, sea, sand and you. He couldn’t ask for anything more.

You had barely been here a day and he was already beginning to shed the stress that had manifested over the past few months. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this free, that he’d been able to actually breathe.

You were lying on a blanket on the beach when he approached you with a chilled bottle of water. Your book was resting beside you, face down. You were clad in orange bikini bottoms, that hugged your hips just right and nothing else. The advantage of a private island.

You looked delectable; he felt a stirring in his groin as he drank you in. Your eyes were closed, your expression blissful as you lay beneath the parasol. His gaze slipped lower, those beautiful breasts, sensitive nipples he wanted to get his mouth on and lick until you were keening against him. He remembered how good you felt under his hands as they glided down your waist.

He dropped down beside you, setting the water down alongside your book. His fingertips plucked at the string holding your bikini bottoms in place, toying with it between his fingers.

It felt like he hadn’t touched you like this in age, there were stolen moments, quickies in between shifts but he hadn’t had the chance to take his time, to savour you the way he wanted to. He started at your knees, his lips brushing over your skin as his palm chased up along the inside of your thigh. You tasted of coconut, sighing under his touch as he doodled a small pattern even higher. He smiles because he knows that noise, knows that you are relaxed and contented. Already he can see the moisture gathering between your legs, a slight damp patch on the cleft, marring the fabric. A low moan rolls off your lips as he brushes his finger over it.

“Do you want more baby?” he asks you, using two fingers to draw a circle on your clit.

“Please Terry.” You murmur as his fingertips trail along your wet folds. You want to sink down on his fingers, for them to fill you, he can feel it in the way you arch your hips each time he sweeps over your needy cunt.  

He shifts until he’s situated between your legs, his fingers still running over the fabric of your bikini bottoms. His fingertips toy with the elastic as that devilish smile crosses his features as he lowers his mouth to your clothed mound. His breath ghosts across your clit, causing a whine to escape your throat.

“I love having you like this, love being able to do whatever the fuck we want.” He tells you as tugs at the string holding your bottoms in place. He strips away the material before pressing his mouth to your clit. You cry out at the sensation of heat engulfing your system as he kisses that delicate bundle of nerves the same way as he kisses your mouth. It’s soft and tender, almost exploratory as he maps out the shape of you with his tongue.

It's been a while since he has loved you like this, since he’s been able to lose himself in the act of pleasure and he wonders how he could have possibility of gone so long without it. Your distinct taste under his tongue, your fingers in his hair, the way you arch your hips… Fuck he wants more, he craves it. He adds one finger at first, just enough to tease you. You meet each gentle thrust with a whimper, the delirium chasing through your veins like a narcotic.

You’re an addict who needs their fix, you want the rush, but Terry is slow and methodical, he builds you up, drawing out the rapture until you feel yourself on the cusp. He leaves you there, suspended in the euphoria, skin flushed and breathing ragged. Just as you start to come down, he adds another finger. He thrusts them even deeper, hitting that deviant little spot inside you that sends you hurtling over the edge.

It's like a wildfire exploding through your synapses, you drown in the sensation as it erupts inside of you, tearing his name from your lips as he fucks you through it wringing every last ounce of ecstasy from you. His tongue replaces his fingers as he laps up every drop of candied honey, cleaning up that sensual mess.

“Think you can give me another?” He whispers against your inner thigh, looking up at you with feverish eyes. “I need more.”

Love Terry Bruno? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[penumbraphantasm]

I really want to know more about Mr. Incognito since they aren't that much talked about like Bruno. Like why are they in the tower (suppose they're hired by the noise to watch her and that's why they always run away?) Plus who's the person in the trenchcoat. Take as long as you want to answer this

you can still probably guess who mr incognito is from one pose and some of the items. it both is and isn't who you think it is.

i think its fun when theres a bit of mystery left to things. part of me wants to tell about whoever's incognito and why but also part of me wants to keep it a secret, even though i'm not planning to actualize my ideas like, ever.

so i'll put the long answer under a read more and you decide if you wanna know lol

ITS THE NOISE!!!!

but also maybe not the noise we know. it's the other noise.

it was a rough idea but pretty much, this one is from an alt file where crumbling tower wasn't the victory lap it was supposed to be. noisette didnt make it out and theo noise didn't take it well. he feels regret abt not letting her know how much he cared abt her and treasuring their time together more. sad! anyways stuff happened and he's found his way into the file you play.

his default colors would be reminiscent of missing source textures and have noisette's pink but those parts could also change to match whatever color/pattern she's wearing. internal file names for sprites would be like spr_player (noisette replacing peppino, otherwise it'd be playerB for 🐇 lol), spr_playerN (noise) and spr_playerO (other noise, O is after N). the title screen would show 3 tvs but the last one is broken and inaccessible, leaving you with only 2 save slots.

The O. Noise, taking inspiration from ol' Noisette, disguises himself as Mr. N to the cognitO and tries to make sure this noisette will be fine on her adventure without messing with things too much. he'd lack access to his usual gear and maybe utilize scrapped stuff like the demolition button and grappling hook to help noisette clear obstacles in certain sections.

after you clear a file the first time, theo noise would disappear and you'd be sent back to the title screen and see the 3rd tv's been restored like nothing happened. if you select it, you'd then be able to play through the tower as noise (like kirby's meta knightmare time attack style)

ridiculous ambitious idea. unfitting for funny pizza game. also feels like noise overload, theres already so fucking many variations of this dude lol. did not pursue this any further but now you know if you read on ooouuugghh

(also im sure noisette, peshino, snick, etc came out of the tower just fine in the actual game. all those enemies in the credits made it out after all lol)

[letomills]

Download all: SFS / Mega

(separate downloads with previews under the cut)

A selection of undies converted for Melodie9 Fat AF, from Maxis-match to more realistic, all on the same mesh. It’s the mesh that I also used for Melodie9 fat AF swimwear here and here (no need to have it more than once in your downloads folder for everything to show up).

All recolors are available either standalone or repo’d to the Maxis-sized AF files they were converted from (don’t forget to delete the folders that you don’t want). Everything is categorized as underwear, BSOK’d.

Required mesh - SFS / Mega

Choose either blockfeet or sexyfeet.

~~~~~

@rented-space’s 3t2 Strapless Bras Briefs - SFS / Mega

Rented-space’s originals

Recolor #13 “darkerblack” was added by me and so is only in the standalone folder.

~~~~~

Neena’s Dotted & Floral Undies - SFS / Mega

Neena’s originals

~~~~~

MissTiikeri Carolus Rex Undies - SFS / Mega

MissTiikeri’s originals (scroll down to “[MissTiikeri] Carolus Rex”)

~~~~~

Bruno Petits Fours Set - SFS / Mega

Bruno’s originals

~~~~~

Bruno Wild Thing Set - SFS / Mega

Bruno’s originals

~~~~~

Veranka Funky Time & Sixth Sense - SFS / Mega

Veranka’s originals

[storiesofsvu]

Happy thursday.

fair warning, if you care about svu spoilers at all, make sure you're staying FAR away from social media until you've watched it.

WOOF

spoilers under the cut for all three l&o's and not really for CME, but just some minor thoughts

Thursday Thursday… here we go!

As usual Ayanna looking like a fucking bomb snack in her suits

Ian doyle get your crusty ass face off my fucking tv. Like, im literally writing Emily fic as I’m watching organized crime, this is NOT THE TIME.

Okay, not surprised the snitch is already dead.

Ah… and we’re back to the sleazy casino manchild. Amazing.

The more we find out about jet, the more I love her.

Wait… bobby’s MARRIED??!? Did we know this already and I just forgot or is this new information? Or is the new info just that he’s married to a mob boss’s niece?

Okay also…the mob boss woman was in the once upon a time in el barrio svu ep.. that’s where I know her from…

LOL to Jamie little white kid freaking over the food and bigger LOL to them having a giant pile of containers to take with him…

Murphy’s accent keeps slipping in and out which is weird cause the actor is irish… then again, if he’s been living in the us for that long it probably does that anyways

The girl playing Rika has defs been on svu before… but im not complaining… she’s hot.

Yeah she was in s19.

Bobby’s such a lil cutie.

“I deserve a lot more than that. But you’re going to spend it on me. Dinner, maybe some jewels…”  “buy you a house if it means I get to come home to you.”  ….things to file away for future fic inspo….

Jet… omg.. I love you.

Okay… but like… jet was being flirted with by a KNOWN gangster ,one who clearly wanted more time with her, whether that is pure intention or not (cause out on the street he did seem a bit genuine, esp once murphy showed up) and like, yes I get that she’s a cop, but WHY would she be left to walk to her car alone late at night. Like, im not talking police escort, but at the very least a “security” from the club or a bartender or anything like… there are some bars that don’t let their service staff walk to their cars alone….

Okay, im actually invested in this arc…  weird.

Now we’re onto mothership. Will I pay attention or will I focus on the prentiss smut I’m working on? Only time will tell!!

Shouldn’t this be a special victims case?

Cops walking up to a suspect muttering “don’t run, don’t run, don’t run.” Will always be hilarious to me.

“these Zumba classes are not working…”  “…I did all the running.” LOOOL that is some quality partner banter. Love it.

I literally just said “where tf are this kid’s parents.”  Like… he’s under 18..

God this is one of those cases that just has curveball after curveball…

Wait… barba upped a case to reckless endangerment and rita’s response was “really, now we’re talking felonies?!” but now RE means no jail time?? Brb while I go google some shit. Okay… It looks like its first degree vs second degree. I’ll accept that.

Samantha maroun and rita Calhoun go on shopping sprees together and I will not accept notes on this. They’re both always so colourful.

I feel like this case would be a super hard one to take to trial… like that jury is gonna be deadlocked no matter what, it would so likely be a mistrial.

Damn these lawyers are fucking smart and know their shit. Good job.

Holy FUCK another curveball. Damn. This is old school writing. Bless.

 Okay, svu time. I don’t know if I’m prepared. (and not because I ship it…)

Still cant get over that Oscar papa is a fucking TWINK

Awwwee sonny… sweet sonshine. I fucking miss you. Wish you were around more often.

Wow… timing.. Seriously? We couldn’t even get sonny in the room?? He had to zoom in? wtf?!

This aint the first time a perp has threatened her son.. like.. she aint fucking around anymore

Also… the fact that they were *actually* going for noah is terrifying and makes it like, so much more worse?!

Fuck.. Velasco… ive missed you…

A phoebe mention!! Can we see her again pls?

Still haven’t decided if I like Bruno or not. Wouldn’t be mad if he joined the team cause lort knows they need a bigger squad. Also really liked that other Bronx detective

Okay.. note on the commercial break… they’re making ANOTHER magic mike??? Is channing tatum that desperate for money??

LOL the “let me call you amanda from now on” line followed by “alright well tell carisi I’ll be home late.” Omg. Fin. Best one liners.

“all you white boys look alike to me” LOL.

Bruno my man, why TF you carrying around that much cash?!?

Yes… THIS ONE! The black girl detective from the bronx. I want more of her.

HANDS! Joe.. jfc calm yourself

Churlish! Okay… imma try to remember that name

….im assuming we’re not getting any muncy in this ep

YEESSS VELASCO playing dirty fake UC (well… kinda…) this should not be as hot as it is…

OH MY GOD ARE WE ACTUALLY IN COURT?! IT’S A FUCKING MIRACLE.

Man… testifying/prosecuting/being on the jury in a gang related case like this, like, my anxiety would be through the fucking roof for the rest of my life…

Im over here still trying to figure out just how dirty joe was playing? Like, if he was gonna go that bad why do it in front of a cop he doesn’t know that well. Like yeah maybe he has a hook with mcgrath but im just wary of shit rn. He’s not that ballsy….

Okay, this isn’t the first time that liv has made threats like this, and it wont be the last.

Yeah.. still so confused about joe… like he *knows* what he’s doing…. Right? Like at first I lowkey thought it was the two of them playing good cop bad cop like liv & Elliot used to back in the day.

“that an invitation?” DUARTE WOW WAY TO BE FUCKING BOLD (would probs prefer that to eo tbh)

Theyre flirting your honour

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK??!!! ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME?!!? I legit wish you could see my face rn. WOW SVU WAY TO FUCKING GO DARK THERE IS ONLY 10 MINS LEFT OF THIS SHIT AND THAT INCLUDES COMMERCIALS WOOOWW

 Are you fucking with me???

Wow… okay.. noted… pray for anyone named Mike on SVU

(but is he actually dead..  or is this gonna be a witsec thing?)

I WAS JUST STARTING TO LIKE HIM DAMMIT

Oscar’s got mommy issues… that checks

Okay well they prosecuted him for murder so… duarte’s dead… wow..

Her new apartment is gorgeous

Did we really have to go all dutch tilt for this scene?

LOOOOOLLL omg that promo had y’all fucking freaking your shit out and it turned into nothing. God bless. So proud of liv for saying no, that she can’t. like, not only did unstabler bring it up at a time that she was probably hella vulnerable, feeling the relief that she/noah were finally safe, like that’s gonna have her releasing emotions she didn’t even realize she was feeling. And then on top of that, someone, a friend.. a flirtatious friend maybe? Coworker? The SECOND person she’d worked closely with named mike be murdered a moment after she left their side, holds herself responsible. Like that is NOT the time to try to fucking kiss her my man. That is the time to wrap her in a hug, tell her that things will eventually be okay and let her cry into your shoulder, a light kiss on the head at most. Jfc. Read the room.

circling back to duarte.. they SERIOUSLY couldn't bother paying molly for like a half day of work to be in the waiting room? he was her captain.. she would be there...

ANYWAYS.

Uh,… CME summary?

Episode was meh. Like literally meh. I have basically zero good or bad points about it. AJ’s kids are so grown up now. JJ looks hot af as usual, and gay af, like the reboot really said “okay, jj is also gonna be secretly gay, don’t tell will”. Sick of the will they wont they with will being sick/dying, lets not tease this shit anymore. Also sick of the wardrobe dept giving Prentiss the exact same shirt in like 4 diff colours to wear and that’s it. Also please let Emily say fuck again. Also JJ. And Tara. Let the women swear pls. it’s not fair Rossi got the first like.. three… let’s hope next week is better!