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sleeplesssmoll · 9 months

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So I've been reading the traces recently and came across a line that seems like it should be important to well at least something but I haven't seen anyone talk about it? Here's the line btw:

It's specifically the "you're imitating the Messiah" Part that's like making me think. So uhh yeah I just wanted to share it.

Sorry if it's a strange thing to send I wanted to see someone else's opinion on it.

Reverse1999 loves to put Vertin in the position of Jesus. We saw this at the end of Chapter 2 where she was sitting in Judas's position and Schneider was in Judas's spot. Arcana calls her "the savior" and describes Vertin in an almost biblical manner whenever she's interacting with her. Even her little Suitcase is called an "ark". However, this instance is a bit different.

Disclaimer, Idk much about religion but I did try to look this bit up because it reminded me of something too. If anyone has more experience in the matter pls feel free to correct me or add on. I will do my best but I might get stuff wrong.

Note: Vertin was placed in a coma because the Foundation wanted her out of the way. This is relevant to the theory.

Here is what I found:

Source

The Jewish high priests were apparently looking for a reason to get rid of Jesus. As the revolutionary leader of a new movement that challenged the religious status quo, he posed a threat to their power. But they couldn’t just take action themselves. Ultimately, sentencing was up to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor at the time. And they needed to provide him with a legal justification for Jesus to be crucified. The trial of Jesus A number of witnesses testified against Jesus before the Sanhedrin, a Jewish court. Although the Gospel of Mark says many of them gave false testimony, Jesus didn’t confirm or deny their accusations. In fact, Jesus remained quiet through most of his trial, refusing to respond to the charges leveled against him. But he did respond to one question. Asked, “Are you the Messiah?” he seemed to admit that he was. Caiaphas, the chief priest, called this blasphemy. And then the others agreed that Jesus should be put to death.

This trial parallels Vertin's story.

Moving on, this trail is in the chapter where Madam Z is playing ping-pong while trying to convince her friend to vote for her decision. The whole thing is an analogy to referring to how Vertin started off as the simple Timekeeper who kept records of the end of eras and now she plays this pivotal role that is rocking Foundation's core. She is the real ping-ping ball being batted between two factions of the Foundation. She has no say in the matter because she is now an object in a bigger game. Her fate relies on the people around her. Poor little Vertin is always a pawn in someone else's game. I highlighted some bits in red from the trail posted below that helped me put it together in my head. You can see it if you click "Keep reading." I hope this helps!

Also, thanks for giving me a chance to really look at this. I glossed over it the first time but the scene is even more intense now and I have a deeper appreciation for it. Any corrections or additions are welcome cause I'm out of my depth here.

Source: Chapter 4-16 Ball Game

Ping, pong. Ping, pong. Ping pong ping pong ping, pong. Ping. Pong.

An imitation show?

Yes, an imitation show. A ball imitation show, little thing.

You're imitating the Messiah, while I'm imitating an orange ball made of plastic.

Being pushed back and forth by two rackets, I have nowhere else to go. Once they apply a force on me, I can't help bouncing to the sky.

You can see how the air flows across my dry, wrinkled skin ...

Oh, what a coincidence! Aren't you in the same situation as mine now!

Ha! Look at your frowning face-

Your face wrinkles from the eyebrows to the nose tip, but people can barely see those light furrows. We know what that means. You have a poker face, and it's never your fault.

But for now, your face is not the thing that matters. Well, maybe for someone it is, but still, it's not. You know what really matters?

The game! Yes, it's the game, of course the game matters!

Everyone loves the game. They gather at the stadium, yelling or roaring vehemently. They choose one team to become its fan and spend good money on a team uniform or an autographed ball.

Yet, it's just a ball. You see where I'm coming from?

Just a ball. Its outline, a circle, could be found in any geometry textbook and anywhere in this world. When the first hominid picked up a coconut and threw it to the sky-and caught it—and threw it—and caught it-and threw it again, when she felt joy and yelped, had she ever thought of the future?

The future where a simple ball has become so complicated and enchanting, now we call it the present.

Complicated and enchanting?

Hahahahahaha! Yes, sure! Complicated and enchanting!

Use your silly and smart head to think about this ball game carefully.

The complex scoring rules, the harsh requirements for reactive agility, the countless possible foul points ... Your fingers, your wrists, and arms, a correct way of using them will lead to victory!

What matters more is, like every ball game, it focuses on how you serve the ball and hitting it back.

It's not an easy job as it sounds. When you are in the game, you need to concentrate. Where will the ball come from, and how will you return it to your opponent-you need to figure that out within half a second.

Use your power in a proper way, move your feet in a stable pace, inhale and exhale at the right timings.

Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong...

The sound will last forever and ever until that bouncing little thing falls to either side of the court.

#reverse 1999 #reverse 1999 lore #ask #religion is everywhere #everywhere

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life-around-me-yura15cbx · 1 year

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Favolaschia calocera, commonly known as the orange pore fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae. Due to its form it is also known as orange pore conch or orange Ping-Pong bat. Throughout much of its expanded range F. calocera is now considered an invasive species. It colonizes ruderal sites along transport routes and can become dominant in habitats disturbed by human activity. Mycologists fear that it may be displacing native fungi species as it spreads through the paleotropics. Фаволаскія калоцера

Waiwera, Auckland, New Zealand

FP67+PG Waiwera, Auckland, New Zealand

-36.5382000, 174.7138000

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wjbsart · 3 years

Text

A complete, very long list of all GBoard-combinable emojis because I can't find one anywhere.

Ok so for those who haven't seen my stuff (or have only seen my Bionicle posts), I sometimes emoji mashup redraws, with the recent fourth one using GBoard-based fusions. Frustratingly, there's no actual list of fusion-compatible emojis, so I'll attempt to compile them, in a list below the "Read More" thing:

Green/▢ = compatible with fusion Blue/△ = only works with certain emojis Red/◯ = not compatible with fusion

Also, since other people's terms for specific emojis might not match up with mine, I recommend using CTRL+F and then doing this to find the specific emoji you're looking for. This list is in the order presented in GBoard's Emoji menu. Some of them will be generic unicode symbols, I don't know how to change that, sorry for the inconvenience. Also, I won't aknowledge multi-category Emoji.

Smileys and Emoticons

😀Open-mouthed smile▢

😃Wide-eyed smile▢

😄Closed-eyed smile▢

😁Closed-eyed grin▢

😆Laughing▢

😅Sweating smile▢

😂Cry-laughing▢

🤣Cry-ROFLing▢

😭Crying▢

😗Kissing▢

😙Kissing, closed eyes▢

😚Kissing, blushing▢

😘Kissing, winking w/ heart▢

🥰Surrounded by hearts▢

😍Heart-eyes▢

🤩Star-eyes▢

🥳Noisemaker and party-hat▢

🤗Hugging▢

🙃Upside-down▢

🙂Smile▢

☺Blushing, smiling▢

😊Blushing▢

😏Looking off to the side▢

😌Relieved▢

😉Winking▢

🤭Hand over mouth▢

😶Nightmare fuel Mouthless▢

😐Neutral▢

😑-_-▢

😔Pensive▢

😋Licking lips▢

😛Tongue out▢

😝Tongue out, eyes closed▢

😜Tongue out, winking▢

🤪Tongue out, wide-eyed▢

🤔Hmmm▢

🤨Suspicious▢

🧐Monocle▢

🙄Rolling eyes▢

😒Unamused▢

😤Snorting▢

😠Angry▢

😡Angry, red▢

🤬Swearing▢

☹Frown▢

🙁Frown but less▢

😕Confused▢

😟Distraught▢

🥺Pleading▢

😳AWOOGA Flushed▢

😬Yikes▢

🤐Zip▢

🤫Shushing▢

😰Distraught, sweating▢

😧Distraught, shocked▢

😦Distraught, neutral▢

😮Open mouth▢

😯Open mouth, surprised▢

😲Shocked▢

😱Horrified▢

🤯Your head asplode Mind blown▢

😢Crying, single tear▢

😥Crying, less sad▢

😓Sweating▢

😞Dissapointed▢

😖Pained▢

😣Persevering▢

😩Weary▢

😫Tired▢

🤤Drooling▢

😴Sleeping▢

😪Sleeping but different?▢

🌛Left-facing moon▢

🌜Right-facing moon▢

🌚New moon face◯

🌝Full moon face◯

🌞The sun▢

🤢Queasy▢

🤮Vomiting▢

🤧Sneezing▢

🤒Unwell▢

🤕Bandaged▢

🥴Drunk▢

😵Dizzy▢

🥵Hot▢

🥶Cold▢

😷Masked up▢

😇Angel▢

🤠yee haw▢

🤑Money-tongue▢

😎Cool▢

🤓Nerd▢

🤥Lying▢

🤡Clown▢

👻Ghost▢

💩Poop▢

👽Ayy lmao Alien▢

🤖Robot▢

🎃Jack-o-Lantern▢

😈Demon 1▢

👿Demon 2▢

👹Oni◯

👺Tengu◯

☠Skull and crossbones▢

🔥Fire▢

💫Star with trail▢

⭐Star▢

🌟Star with bits▢

✨Stars▢

⚡Lightning◯

💥Explosion◯

💯100△

💢Anime anger symbol◯

💨Steam▢

💦Sweat Droplets▢

💤Zzz▢

🕳Hole▢

🎉Party popper▢

🎊Confetti ball▢

😺😸😹😻😼😽🙀😿😾Literally all the "cat in different emotions" emojis▢

❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤Literally all the coloured hearts△

♥Heart suit▢

💘Heart with arrow▢

💝Heart with ribbon▢

💖Shiny heart▢

💗Growing heart▢

💓Beating heart▢

💞Swirling hearts▢

💕Two hearts▢

💌Love letter▢

💟Heart in square▢

❣Heart exclamation mark▢

💔Broken heart▢

💋Kiss▢

👥Two silhouettes◯

👤Silhouette◯

🗣Talking silhouette◯

👣Footprints◯

🧠Brain◯

🦠Microbe▢

🦷Tooth◯

🦴Bone◯

💀Skull▢

👀Eyes◯

👁Eye▢

👄Lips◯

👅Tongue◯

👃👂🦶🦵💪👍👎👏🙌👐Every other body part and hand gesture, seriously this isn't even all of them◯

People

Seriously, I don't know why none of the people-category emojis are Fusion-compatible. Let's just move on.◯

Animals and Nature

💐Bunch of flowers▢

🌹Rose▢

🥀Wilted rose◯

🌷Tulip▢

🌺Hibiscus flower◯

🌸Cherry blossom▢

🏵Rosette◯

🌻Sunflower◯

🌼Daisy▢

💮White flower◯

🍂Falling leaves◯

🍁Maple leaf◯

🌾Rice plants◯

🌱Seedling◯

🌿Herb◯

🍃Falling leaves again◯

☘3-leaf clover◯

🍀4-leaf clover◯

🌵Cactus▢

🌴Palm tree◯

🌳Deciduous tree◯

🌲Coniferous tree▢

🏞National park◯

⛰Mountain◯

🌊Wave◯

🌬Wind◯

🌀Tornado symbol◯

🌁Foggy scene◯

🌫Fog▢

🌪Tornado▢

☃Snowman (with snow)▢

⛄Snowman (without snow)▢

❄Snowflake

🏔Mountain with snow◯

🌡Thermometer◯

🌋Volcano◯

🏜Desert◯

🏝Desert island◯

🏖Beach◯

🌅Sunrise/set (water)◯

🌄Sunrise/set (mountains)◯

☀Sun▢

🌤Sun with cloud◯

⛅Sun and cloud◯

🌥Cloud with sun◯

🌦Sun and cloud with rain◯

☁Cloud▢

🌨Snowcloud◯

⛈Stormcloud◯

🌩Thundercloud◯

🌧Raincloud◯

💧Drop◯

☔Umbrella with rain◯

🌈Rainbow▢

✨Sparkles▢

🌙Crescent Moon◯

☄Comet◯

🌠Shooting star▢

🌌Milky Way◯

🌉Bridge◯

🌆City in the evening▢

🌃City at night▢

🌍🌏🌎Earth▢

🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘The moon◯

🙈🙉🙊🐵Monkeys, wise or not▢

🦁Lion face▢

🐯Tiger face◯

🐱Cat face▢

🐶Dog face◯

🐺Wolf face◯

🐻Bear face▢

🐨Koala face▢

🐼Panda face▢

🐹Hamster face◯

🐭Mouse face◯

🐰Rabbit face▢

🦊Fox face◯

🦝Raccoon face◯

🐮Cow face◯

🐷Pig face▢

🐽Pig nose▢

🐗Boar head◯

🦓Zebra head◯

🦄Unicorn head▢

🐴Horse head◯

🐸Frog face◯

🐲Dragon head◯

🦎Lizard◯

🐉Dragon◯

🦖T-Rex◯

🦕Diplodocus◯

🐢Turtle▢

🐊Crocodile◯

🐍Snake◯

🐁Mouse▢

🐀Rat◯

🐇Rabbit▢

🐈Cat▢

🐩Poodle◯

🐕Dog◯

🐅Tiger◯

🐆Leopard◯

🐎Horse◯

🐖Pig▢

🐄Cow◯

🐂Bull◯

🐃Water buffalo◯

🐏Ram◯

🐑Sheep◯

🐐Goat▢

🦌Deer▢

🦙Llama▢

🦘Kangaroo◯

🐘Elephant◯

🦏Rhinoceros◯

🦛Hippopotamus◯

🦒Giraffe◯

🐒Monkey▢

🦍Gorilla◯

🐪🐫Camels◯

🐿Squirrel (why does the squirrel of all things have a Unicode symbol?)◯

🦡Badger◯

🦔Hedgehog▢

🦇Bat▢

🐓Cockerel/rooster◯

🐔Chicken◯

🐣🐥🐤Chicks◯

🐦Bird▢

🦉Owl▢

🦅Eagle◯

🦜Parrot◯

🕊Dove◯

🦢Swan◯

🦚Peacock◯

🦃Turkey◯

🦆Duck◯

🐧Penguin◯

🦈Shark◯

🐬Dolphin◯

🐋🐳Whales◯

🐟Fish▢

🐠Tropical fish◯

🐡Pufferfish◯

🦐Prawn◯

🦞Lobster◯

🦀Crab◯

🦑Squid◯

🐙Octopus▢

🦂Scorpion▢

🕷Spider▢

🕸Spiderweb◯

🐚Shell◯

🐌Snail▢

🐜Ant◯

🦗Grasshopper◯

🦟Mosquito◯

🐝Bee▢

🐞Ladybird◯

🦋Butterfly◯

🐛"Bug" yeah sure ok◯

🐾Pawprints◯

Food and Drink

🍓Strawberry▢

🍒Cherry◯

🍎Red apple◯

🍉Watermelon◯

🍑Peach◯

🍊Orange◯

🥭Mango◯

🍍Pineapple▢

🍌Banana◯

🍋Lemon▢

🍈Melon◯

🍏Green apple◯

🍐Pear◯

🥝Kiwi◯

🍇Grapes◯

🥥Coconut◯

🍅Tomato◯

🌶Chili▢

🍄Mushroom◯

🥕Carrot◯

🍠Sweet potato◯

🌽Corn◯

🥦Broccoli◯

🥒Cucumber◯

🥬Lettuce◯

🥑Avocado▢

🍆Aubergine◯

🥔Potato◯

🌰Nut◯

🥜Peanuts◯

🍞Bread▢

🥐Croissant◯

🥖Baguette▢

🥯Bagel◯

🥞Pancakes◯

🍳Frying pan◯

🥚Egg (somehow)◯

🧀Cheese▢

🥓Bacon◯

🥩Meat◯

🍗Chicken leg◯

🍖Anime meat◯

🍔Burger◯

🌭Hotdog▢

🥪Sandwich◯

🥨Pretzel◯

🍟Chips◯

🍕Pizza◯

🌮Taco◯

🌯Wrap◯

🥙Stuffed flatbread◯

🥘Paella◯

🍝Spaghetti◯

🥫Can◯

🥣Bowl◯

🥗Salad◯

🍲Pot of food◯

🍛Curry◯

🍜Noodles◯

🍣Sushi◯

🍤Fried prawn◯

🥡Takeaway container◯

🍚Cooked rice◯

🍱Bento◯

🥟Dumpling◯

🍢Oden◯

🍙Jelly Donut Rice ball◯

🍘Rice cracker◯

🍥Fishcake◯

🍡Dango◯

🥠Fortune cookie◯

🥮Moon cake◯

🍧Shave ice◯

🍨Ice cream◯

🍦See above◯

🥧Pie◯

🍰Cake slice◯

🍮Custard mate what kinda custard have you been eating, this is clearly a créme caramel◯

🎂Birthday cake▢

🧁Cupcake▢

🍭Lollipop◯

🍬Boiled sweet◯

🍫Chocolate◯

🍩Donut◯

🍪Cookie◯

🍯Honey◯

🧂Salt◯

🍿Popcorn◯

🥤Soft drink◯

🥛Milk◯

🍼Baby bottle◯

🍵Green tea◯

☕Coffee▢

🍺Beer◯

🍻Beers, plural◯

🥂Champagne glasses◯

🍾Champagne◯

🍷Red red wine◯

🥃Whiskey◯

🍸Martini◯

🍹Cocktail◯

🍶Sake◯

🥢Chopsticks◯

🍴Knife and fork▢

🥄Spoon◯

🔪Kitchen knife◯

🍽Plate▢

Travel and Places

🛑🎡Everything from the stop sign to Ferris wheel◯

🎠Merry-go-round horse▢

🎪🏕Everything from circus tent to campsite◯

🌇City at sunset yes I'm surprised as you are▢

🛤Train tracks◯

🛣Road◯

🗺Map◯

🗾Japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes and it's beautifuul!◯

🌐Globe with meridian lines▢

💺Plane seat◯

🧳Luggage◯

Activities and Events

🎈Balloon▢

🎀Bow◯

🎁Present◯

🎇Sparkler◯

🎆Fireworks◯

🧨Dynamite Firecracker◯

🧧Red envelope◯

🎐Wind chime◯

🎏Fish streamers◯

🎎Japanese dolls (that's what the emoji's called, don't @ me with the actual name for them)◯

🎑Moon viewing ceremony◯

🎍Pine decoration◯

🎋Tanabata◯

🎄Christmas tree▢

🎗Ribbon△

🥇🥈🥉🏅🎖Medals◯

🏆Trophy◯

📣Megaphone◯

🥅Goal◯

⚽⚾🥎🏀🏐🏈🏉🎾🏸🥍🏏🏑🏒SPORTS◯

🥌Curling stone◯

🛷Rosebud Sled◯

🎿Ski◯

⛸Skate◯

⛳Golf-hole◯

🎯Target◯

🏹Bow◯

🥏Frisbee◯

🎣Fishing rod▢

🎽Running shirt◯

🥋Martial arts uniform◯

🥊Boxing glove◯

🎱8-ball◯

🏓Ping-pong◯

🎳Bowling◯

♟Chess◯

🧩Puzzle piece◯

🎮Controller◯

🕹Joystick◯

👾Videogame alien◯

🔫Gun◯

🎲Dice◯

🎰Slot machine◯

🎴Flower playing card◯

🀄Mahjong tile◯

🃏Joker◯

🎩Top hat◯

📷📸Camera◯

🖼Painting◯

🖌Paintbrush◯

🖍Crayon◯

🧵String◯

🧶Wool◯

🎼🎵🎶Music▢

🎷🎺🎸🎻🥁Instruments◯

🎤Mic◯

🎧Headphones▢

🎚🎛🎙📻Assorted audio stuff◯

📺TV◯

📼VHS◯

📹Camcorder◯

📽Projector◯

🎥Film camera◯

🎞Film◯

🎬Clapperboard◯

🎭Comedy and tragedy masks◯

🎫🎟Tickets◯

Objects

📱🧻Everything from smartphone to toilet roll◯

🧸Teddy bear▢

🧷🧢Everything from safety pin to baseball cap◯

👑Crown▢

🎒💍Everything from backpack to ring◯

💎Diamond▢

💄👓Everything from lipstick to glasses◯

🕶Sunglasses▢

🥽📁Everything from goggles to folder◯

🕶Newspaper▢

🗞🔎Everything from rolled-up newspaper to right-pointing magnifying glass◯

🔮Crystal ball▢

🧿🔓Everything from Nazar amulet to open lock◯

Symbols

There are no compatible non-repeated Emoji here.◯

Flags

Aaaaand none here either.◯

Feel free to let me know if I got anything wrong.

#emoji #emoji mashup #cursed emoji

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thelittleredheadedmusician · 4 years

Text

five phones on the table

DCU, Titans Rating: Gen 1,077 words AO3 A look at the fab five by looking at their phones. Sometimes you want to try something weird with your writing style so you get an idea and call it a character study. This is what comes of that.

The long table with its numerous chairs was, by proximity to the kitchen, a dining table but due to the nature of the building it occupied doubled as a meeting and strategy table. The small net, paddles, and light plastic balls stored in an innocuous box in the kitchen meant it tripled as a ping pong table.

Currently, its occupants were not any number of the young heroes who were welcome in the halls. No one sat eating breakfast, though a ring of coffee and stray bit of egg would need to be cleaned off, or tinkering with anything from weaponry or gadgets to video game controllers or motorcycle parts. No drops of blood from emergency triage covered the top or powdery strings from aerosol cans thanks to prank wars.

Instead, five cell phones lay abandoned in the otherwise empty rooms. As useful as they can be, even just to stave off boredom on a stakeout, their owners weren’t in the habit of grabbing them when danger called and they rushed to face it. While their owners had grown in time with the rapid developments of cellular phones — and regularly used and fought the cutting edge of technology — these were not like the phones they started off with. They were much more fragile. Their first cell phones had survived punches, drops, outer space, and arguably a bullet from Deathstroke the Terminator. Even the ones built by WayneTech now had a tendency to shatter when slipping off the kitchen counter.

The first of the phones was indeed a WayneTech phone, one that technically speaking was still in the design phases of development and wouldn’t even have a prototype for another two years. Yet, on the table it sat in a sturdy black case that was nicked and worn. A once bright red and blue S in a shield sticker was on the back, though it had faded and begun to fray with age. The screen flickered to life every few seconds with a notification coming in. The small rectangles showed only the app the messages came from and the name of the sender, nothing more. Small bat: Little Bro. Small bat: Little Bro. Yellow ghost: Babs. Green speech bubble: Amy. Green speech bubble: Alfred. Small bat: Boss Man. The picture that was barely visible through the notifications was of an elephant dressed in finery, a big top circus tent blurry in the background.

The next phone was older and more beat up than the first. It was made by a company that used a fruit for its name and image. The owner had been given it and it had been gotten for free, part of a family cellular plan years ago. The red case it called home was just as worn as the phone itself with its cracked screen. Though it was slim and light with a chipped yellow lightning bolt painted on the back. The spiderwebbing lightning bolt in the glass showed a young woman’s sly grin as she stared down the camera with her arms crossed. “Linda Calling” framed her. When no one answered, the image changed to a picture of three people with their arms loose on each other’s shoulders. A man with bright, tangled red hair and sparks of freckles, the same dark haired young woman with almost perfect teeth, and another man with long, pale orange hair and a wry, almost annoyed expression. Their faces were covered quickly by the “Missed Call: Linda” notification.

The third was newer than the last and though made by the same manufacturer as the first it was older than that one. In a hopeful optimism of its owner, there was no case. Which was odd as the camera was one of the best found in a mobile phone and many with the same model took great pains to protect it. Which isn’t to say that the owner wasn’t careful and didn’t go through great pains to care for it. The layers of metallic colored stars that stuck to the back helped to prove this as one fell into wear, another bright shine took its place. The photo on the screen of the other side had been taken using that excellent camera by the owner. A large group of people, all carefully posed yet laughing and antsy at the experience, at a picnic or a party. The people all called this building home and the people who moved through it family. A single text message came through from a “Diana” that began with “Dear Sister,” and then was cut off.

The fourth phone was bulkier, chunkier, than the others. It was carefully custom made to withstand the pressure and depths of the deepest seas. One of just a few in the world. It lived in an airtight waterproof case and was kept charged due to what some could only describe as magic. Despite the practicality of the case, it still managed to impart some individuality. A deep, almost royal blue, it was covered in a swirling pattern that some might think of as waves, and others flowers. Its screen stayed dark, though there was a message from much earlier. A small note of encouragement from a “Dolphin” overlaid on a serene image of crystal blue water shining in a lake surrounded by verdant trees.

The fifth and final phone was in as bad of shape as the second. An almost out of date model by Queen Industries, a company that no longer existed or at least not in that capacity. Though the owner would regularly take the small device apart, tinkering and updating the small wires and computer chips within. A thick, almost violently pink case had taken the actual brunt of the wear. Most of the back was covered by a sticker that was the image of a tweet with the immortal phrase “Help me obi Juan whoever the fuck you are.... You're my only ho.” The image on the screen was a young girl in a princess dress and a yellow Robin Hood hat grinning and waving at the camera. It was easy to assume her name was Lian as the text from an “Oliver” could be read saying “Daddy it’s Lian. Love you. Stay safe.”

It might be a few hours and a few battery percentages later, but eventually the owners would come and collect them. Would respond to the notifications. Maybe clean up the bit of egg and the coffee ring on the table.

#dc comics #teen titans #titans #fab five #dick grayson #wally west #donna troy #garth #roy harper #writing #own writing #my fic #batbros #ginger army #everybody needs more donna troy in their life

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bandstolookup · 3 years

Text

* arlie

* dreamliners

* nikki and the corvettes

* honey ltd.

* the shades

* the contessas

* the crystals

* dillon warnek

* slenderbodies

* pigeons playing ping pong

* George Ducas*

* throwing back sunday

* Whitney Duncan* ()

* promoting sounds

* the biltmores

* playing heroes

* DVDA

the sundance kids

motionless in white

verjault

lincoln

voice of god

rogue

lemon demon

eli josef

joe barnhill

les baxter

blue envy

blake babies

charles emanuel

sebadoh

les baxter, his orchestra and chorus

beau dommage

gilbert bécaud

the aislers set

the ladybug transistor

belinda

the quiet loud

rollerball duo

the julie ruin

belouis some

superchunk

ben's brother

john berry

moe shop

frank turner

built to spill

bigbang

cilla black

mission of burma

jaded juice raiders

jeffrey lewis

galaxie 500

cayetana

the amps

shonen knife

thinking fellers union local 282

cloud nothings

jeanne black

strange ranger

uncle tupelo

meat puppets

magazine

stereolab

helium

the gits

gang of four

fiREHOUSE

twin peaks

tom rush

r. ring

silence is broken

porno for pyros

charles manson

the shaydes

the evens

leon russell

liz phair

the gerbils

mirah

screaming females

narrow head

the olivia tremor control

captain beefheart

grass widow

eyedress

pipes you see, pipes you don't

the essex green

the pastels

the apples in stereo

lifers

sprr00w

bags

ride

the magnetic fields

elf power

indigo de souza

nick drake

vashti bunyan

the jam

pinhead gunpowder

electrelane

the clean

the vaselines

heaven hill

the specials

suburban lawns

orange juice

jonatan leandoer96

paul baribeau

the modern lovers

heatmiser

uranium club

boys life

bangs

discount

more to monroe

velocity girl

grandaddy

rites of spring

the sunshine fix

the frosted ambassador

fraxiom

your demise

the bats

the glands

komeda

the spits

paces

blaque alex

the dixie narcos

dayliites

health club

mudhoney

nihilist cheerleader

PJ harvey

hands of gretel

new bloods

mecca normal

otoboke beaver

hire the puppets

amyl and the sniffers

vivien goldman

nobunny

neo boys

the tammy's

the last resort

the struts

yelle

playing heroes

paul bartolome

fleetwood gold

priests

big mama thornton

andy seagrave

dominic fike

the blue poptarts

VIAL

anti cimex

KONTAMINATE

fea

the devotchkas

G.L.O.S.S.

x ray spex

passenger of change

blue delta

sean cosgrove

dakota striplin

lowfye50

kella sin

venom

emily's sassy lime

pussy riot

naked aggression

cibo matto

belly

slant 6

excuse 17

ex hex

heavens to betsy

babes in toyland

red aunts

skating polly

the slits

bush tetras

kleenex

the raincoats

white lung

the downtown boys

lunachicks

voodoo queens

tribe 8

lady pills

partyline

team dresch

skinned teen

tacocat

medeski martin & wood

scruft

calamity jane

childbirth

barb wire dolls

skinny girl diet

the butchies

northlake

dazey and the scouts

7 year bitch

the sugarcubes

melkbelly

rpwl

face to face

primo!

alright, goodnight.

indigo girls

fred mascherino

the holy mess

k light

elephanttalk

IGORRR

driver friendly

the radio department

i9bonsai

the living tombstone

hexproof

soul machine

fiston mbuyi

goodrich family band

appetite for voltage

the durbulence

nick shoulders

parsnip

broadcast

cold cold hearts

upon the water

kingdom of dana

jimmy reed

the gama sennin

murray

guytano

the ordinary things

the monsoon

alan turing

dead daisies

young marble giants

essential logic

HRVRD

i the mighty

jonah matranga

dream nails

the killer barbies

girls at our best!

starrats

racoon

the bbb's

tiger trap

alvarez masterminded

young signorino

dead heart bloom

tiger mountain

ephermal rift

life on repeat

lume

matt pryor

modern life is war

museum mouth

giovanni bononcini

northern faces

olympia

OWEL

places and numbers

pretty & nice

rewod

tonoso

The Whooliganz

Soul Assassins

Gangrene

step Brothers

the snake the cross the crown

therefore i am

firebug

slayyyter

rusty dusty

this patch of sky

time in malta

trial

understand

upgrade hiphop

delta 5

slutever

sharp violet

vaux

wild orchid children

wind in sails

fly havana

youinseries

local operator

boysetsfire

brent walsh

burn

the wldlfe

cane hill

cinematic sunrise

crawdiddies

closure in moscow

plutonian maximalist

5head

coldfront

goodbye tomorrow

hands tied

hot cross

household

hussey

crwn

wayne rogers

cherie torrie

idlehands

killing flame

liars academy

LIMBS

man will surrender

kombat

sevendaysofnight

merriment

mozart season

nowHere

ORBS

chris trapper

perma

prema

prevent falls

refuse to fall

rising fawn

secret space

snapcase

tallhart

texas in july

super jesus jackson

voyce memos

the dear & departed

the hope conspiracy

the rocking horse winner

the stryder

arlo parks

the five satins

lungleg

leopard print taser

cherry glazerr

the frumpies

tweens

the muffs

kraftwerk

betty blowtorch

bread and circuses

karthik

THICK

baby guts

static dress

veruca salt

dump him

thievery corporation

potty mouth

marine girls

gina young

chris bloom

partyline

audio influx

the donnas

mika miko

clit kat

the coathangers

bruce wiegner

the downsides

eric church

be well

too close to touch

erase eratta

cibo matto

twompsax

kitten forever

have a nice life

cub

jack off jill

adickdid

calling all captains

g7taiwanband

period pains

the peechees

scarling.

toad the wet sprocket

every scar has a story

flume

crooked colours

the avalanches

pink siifu

jack stark

naomi punk

lalleshwari

void

AmaLee

yui

senses fail

lala lala

ludus

agent orange

asian kung-fu generation

gesaffelstein

strawberry switchblade

christian death

robert palmer

iced

peel dream magazine

john newman

miss june

gulch

tanya donelly and the parkington sisters

zero boys

gord downte

swirlies

bully

i tried to run away when i was 6

bury your face in my neck nose and all

shopping

katastrophy wife

daisy chainsaw

Modern Nations

bartees strange

the psychedelic aliens

fred costello

3RACHA

VIXX

Joshua Bassett

everet almond

hollow coves

hed planet earth

q tip the abstract

american hi-fi

olivia rodrigo

trickster figures

handsome jack

louie duffelbags

danger incorporated

me + L

e ø

crooked north

pandora's asylum

KiDDPiNK

Shannon Ferguson

minutemen

zamuel

highbeams

rascals

dandy lions

dante de leo

locke aizen

russian village boys

jack britten

VAR

VOILÀ

lightenvy

flechaus

joshrassic park

foxhedge

astrology now

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heli0s-writes · 5 years

Text

Good Enough

Summary: From this ask: i read your deadcrush miniseries and ig i got caught in the feels and love the way you write 💛 i was wondering if you could write something bucky x y/n where she’s younger but they’re in a stable relationship and she becomes pregnant? like she‘s happy and excited but bucky is kinda worried bc of his genes, past, etc.

A/N: So sorry this took like five months! 2.5k words. Fluff with a little cussing involved.

Bag of Tricks One-Shots Masterlist

“How do you feel about the color orange?”

It’s a Friday night in the tower, almost bedtime when you embark of a journey of questions, carefully placed breadcrumbs for Bucky.

“I feel… fine?”

“Light orange or dark orange?”

“What’s dark orange look like? A dirty penny?”

“Light orange it is.” You scrunch your nose at the thought of painting a room the shade he’s imagining.

“What for?”

You shrug.

When you both brush your teeth, you take glance at him in the mirror, eyes trailing from his brow to his chin, attentive to the way his nose slopes and his jaw cuts. Jesus, you’d be lucky if--

Bucky mutters from behind a mouthful of toothpaste suds, “What is it?”

After four years it makes sense that he would be able to figure out when you’re keeping thoughts to yourself. He’s in your head, Bucky Barnes. Even when he’s not there, you’re thinking of him. Every second of the day, really. It’s Bucky breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and all other hours, too. It makes you a little bewildered with joy that you can feel so much for a single person.

Even before he kissed you at the end of that horrid mission--- when you nearly drowned in some lake in Scotland. He had plunged into the murky depths, arm gushing blood, yanked you up onto shore and performed CPR. Your ribs nearly broke and Sam was by his side, head in his hands. Get up, get up, get up, goddamn it!

With a final two-handed press into your chest where the slightest bit of crunching could be heard, you spat. Two mouthfuls of foggy blue-green right into his face.

FUCK!

Sam sighed in relief, leaning back with his hands on his waist because if you hadn’t woken up, he thought, Bucky would have burned down the entire country.

I think--- another sputter as you attempted to catch your breath—the fucking Loch Ness monster--- fuck. I think I saw that shit.

Blinking the prickling from your eyes, you struggled to see clearly from the swelling of your lids. Your sternum felt bruised, and in front of you, Bucky looked about ready to burst into tears.

You got a little—haha—my spit—on your face.

He snarled and you reeled back in response. He snarled and shoved you back into the mud and kissed you until you coughed again into his mouth, a final splash dowsing a blazing moment.

Sam looked away with a grin and spoke into his earpiece, updating the rest of the team of your status. She’s up. Well—sort of. Barnes is kind of all over her.

Even before that moment, your head had been swimming with all thoughts of him along with desperate attempts to drive them away—make them small and unseen so you don’t trail behind him like a lovesick idiot.

He was the damn Winter Soldier. He was a legend and you were just a loud-mouthed kid, only twenty.

You had been rough around the edges, needing a lot of preparation and training before you could run any missions. There was a lot of difficulty at first, especially when it came to Steve. You were always too clumsy, too brash, not enough pirouettes and cartwheels. Whatever.

So, after days of doing nothing but getting scolded and running simulations alone with FRIDAY, Steve dragged Bucky into the weight room where you were throwing a seventy-pound medicine ball around like it was a can of soup.

Punch her. Steve had commanded with a smirk, a little irritated that earlier in the day you kicked his legs out underneath his shield. Punch her with your arm.

You almost shit yourself. And Bucky looked like he could have, too. It took a lot of yelling from Steve, yelling back from Bucky, and incomprehensible yelling from you before Bucky was so overwhelmed with the noise that he just did it.

That powerful arm pulled back, whirred, launched itself forward and you had bat it away like a ping pong ball, feet grounded assertively. Wide blue eyes pierced you, made your heart leap into your mouth, and when he did it again you were so struck by him it hit square in your chest.

Steve clapped his hands together. Great. Meet your new training buddy. You two rough each other up—Buck, you get her right because she’s inconsistent and I’ve got her signed up for a patrol three weeks out.

As Steve promised, three weeks later, you were crammed into a tiny car next to Bucky. The second his shoulder rubbed against yours, you found yourself thinking that you were either going to have his baby, or you were going to die alone.

It was a joke, to start, but you really had it bad, finding yourself more anxious and fearful, and covering it up with smart quips and comments in hopes of throwing him off.

Barnes, you get The Avengers Ass Award from me, Cap be damned.

Absurd bantering during jogs together when he would stop to pull his hair back and you were struggling to keep up. Your spine tingled when a strand of hair fell forward and hung over his face. Bucky are you from Tennessee ‘cause you’re the only ten-I-see.

He would laugh and wink, call you baby, and egg you on because kids are inexplicable, and Peter Parker’s twitter feed had opened his eyes to all sorts of compliments used in the modern age between friends.

Yeah, you would grin, totally, friends. Me and you, totally, definitely, friends.

Eight months later, Scotland turned the whole thing sideways.

Yeah. We all knew. Y’all are stupid-cute. Sam had snickered. In your ear through the comm link were cheers and whooping. Bucky turned red like the cut on his arm.

“What about green? How do you feel about green?”

“You’re doin’ the thing again.” His comment borders on annoyed as he gives you a sideways glance, throwing his toothbrush back in the cup with a tinny clink.

“What thing?”

“Pretending you’re deaf.”

“Okay...” You smirk, “but what about green? You like green?”

He scoffs, moves so that he’s behind you and swings both arms around to lock over your middle. His chin rests on your shoulder, the scruff of his beard rubbing against your cheek. Once again, you’re reminded of just how much you adore him. Your tummy flutters with nerves as his eyes find yours in the glass, big and curious.

“What’s goin on with you? Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Tell me what you’re thinking.

The fallout of Scotland lingered awkwardly after the plane ride when he rushed back to his room taking long strides and not giving you another glance. He didn’t even have the courage to look at you—only facing the side wall, tucked himself behind the button panel.

Two weeks passed before you cornered him in his own room and spoke those words that would eventually become an integral part of your relationship.

Tell me what you’re thinking, Bucky. If it was a mistake, tell me. If it wasn’t, tell me. You’ve been avoiding me and look—Barnes, I want your goddamn babies, but c’mon. You gotta throw me a bone, I’m shit at reading signs.

There was a strange look in his eye, an overcast sweep staring at his hands clenched together tightly, and for the first time in a long time he didn’t laugh at your jokes. The plates whirred to his left, the knuckles turned bone white on his right. You opened your mouth silently. Three breaths passed before you pushed him up against the wall, using all your strength to peel his hands away.

Then, a kiss. The softest of kisses you could give another human being. Because he was made of memories and regret—pieced back together in the form of Bucky Barnes as fragile as a glass menagerie. You didn’t have to ask him what he was thinking again—it was all over his face: He wasn’t good enough. He was a broken thing. You deserved better. Someone your age, maybe someone who could give you a different life.

So, as you had always done, you bat it away and grabbed him by the face. The second kiss had bruised you both. Sam didn’t let either of you live down matching cut lips for a month.

“What’s your favorite animal?” You ask quietly, ignoring Bucky’s question as you snuggle up next to him in bed.

“Darlin’… I’m tired. Either tell me what it is, or lemme go to sleep.”

You pout and ram your forehead into his arm childishly, “Just tell me!” Usually he thinks it’s cute when you act like this, but tonight he’s had enough of it. He calls your name in a low tone, the same kind of voice Steve uses when you’ve been too nonchalant with mission orders.

In the dark, you grip onto his hand and press your cheek against his arm, commanding your throbbing heart to still just for a moment. “Do you remember when we went to Clint’s place last year?”

“For Thanksgiving?”

“Yeah. And he—he had some of Laura’s family over?”

“And that wretched green bean casserole?”

You laugh a little, swallow thickly, “Remember after dessert when I asked to hold the baby?”

Bucky pauses, digs around in his brain for the moment, “Yeah—you said it was ugly and…”

The lamp on the end-table floods the room orange as Bucky sits up and peers down at you still attached to his elbow. There is recognition in his eyes and suddenly he looks his age—pallid, gaunt, and so deeply afraid. You can only manage a tiny lopsided tug of your lips.

“Are you?” He asks, voice shaking.

You wring your hands nervously, shut your eyes, and hope that when they open Bucky’s expression would change from pained to elated.

“Shit, baby. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.”

“Okay, guess you’re not taking it well.” Your face burns with embarrassment before the heat falls into your stomach like stones. It should have been a moment of bliss—when the man you love would scoop you up into his arms and spin you around while confetti flakes sprinkles from the sky. Then, fireworks, shot by Iron Man would spell Baby Barnes! in the background.

Instead, Bucky looks like he might die on the spot.

He can’t help but feel so worthless, because he hardly feels like he deserves you most days, much less face the thought of bringing an entire person into the world. A child. An innocent. And him—unworthy of goodness.

He chokes, “Baby, I—the, fuck. I can’t give this kid—” He sputters and groans, throws his head back against the wall and you think you might hear the plaster cracking behind his skull. Your face twists into a look of irritation.

“You better not say what I think you’re going to say.”

He looks up, shocked, then quickly ashamed.

I can’t give you the life that you deserve. You’re… you’ve got better options than me. You deserve to be with someone your age.

Four months after the near-drowning and the most perfect, sweetest, kiss. Four months after telling you he would love you, Bucky pulled away in the middle of the night and shut himself out of his own future. You had laughed, and then cried, and then let him have his way. Okay. Yeah, if you really think so.

The next week, Tony threw a party for the new SHIELD recruits and you had gotten extremely drunk off eight mouthfuls of whiskey. Across the room was one very expensive Japanese vase, standing five feet tall and gaping at the ceiling.

The recruit next to you watched in awe as you tossed all empty shot-glasses clear over the heads of seventy people and they crashed into the chasm of the urn, hand up dramatically as if you were making a 3-pointer. Steph Curry with the shot, boy!

Tony sent Bucky a contemptuous look and mouthed fix this the same time the young man’s arm snaked around your waist. Then, you clasped your hand over his with a wolfish grin and waltzed with him out of the room.

Bucky stormed after, snatching you off the recruit who was happily kissing you against the wall. Bucky scowled, squared his shoulders and demanded to know what you were thinking.

With a wide and slow sweep of your outstretched hand, you bowed, teetering just a little.

Buck, you said I deserved better. Here it is. Its name is Henderson.

Bucky pointed at the agent, suddenly caught in the middle of a quarrel he never intended on seeing. The Winter Soldier, looking like he could level the floor, and you, just as strong, glaring back matching his ferocity. You think this … boy –a condescending scoff sent Henderson shrinking down-- could give you better?

He’s my age! Wasn’t that your suggestion? Hey! Henderson, you can give me ‘better’, right? Go grind on each other at a club like us kids do? Make-out in public and dry-hump in the car before fucking all night at your place? Or hey--- let’s fuck all night right here! Do you know—Henderson, do you know whose room is two doors away from mine?

Henderson had been smart enough to sneak away before he could see Bucky press you up against the wall and latch his mouth onto yours. Tears were streaming down your face, way before your tirade had finished. It poured and dripped and wet the front of both your shirts. Bucky Barnes, you’re full of--

He didn’t let you finish. He held your face and wiped your tears. He kissed you again for the last first time, rekindling the fire he had been trying to extinguish.

It would burn, Bucky thought then, until you chose to leave him, because he wasn’t going to leave you again.

“Say it to me again.” You hiss, “Try me.”

“Baby…”

You crawl on top, grab his face with one hand and squeeze until his cheeks mush up and his mouth hangs open. “Don’t be so fucking self-deprecating! I don’t like it! You’re being mean to my Bucky and I’m gonna beat you up because I love him!”

“Un--- o—okay- hon, leggo—” the words escape him pinched together, but you are stubborn. You hold on longer, glare at him harder until he lets out a long-suffering sigh, relenting with a smile—still crushed by your thumb.

Happily, you give him a kiss on the cheek and let go. Bucky rubs his jaw where your fingerprints feel like they might bruise more than just his ego.

A tentative look at your belly, still smooth and firm. His hand finds the plane of it, fingers brushing the skin and over newly forming goosebumps. A surprising amount of excitement flutters in his own at the thought. It’d be good. A good baby. Made up of him and you, and the love you’ve fostered in him, too.

“Mmm, so… green?” You mutter, leaning down to kiss him once more. “How do you feel about green?”

Bucky laughs into your mouth. Defeated. Elated.

“Yeah. Green’s good, honey. Green’s good.”

perm tags: @whothehellisbucky @serpentbaby @badassbaker @alagalaska @cake-writes @crist1216 @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @infinity-saga @jamesbarnesthighs @pinknerdpanda @xoxabs88xox @imsoft-barnes @momc95 @typicalangel @wretchedgoddess @readeity @iwannasail @ya-lyublu-tebya @geeksareunique @wildefire @satanxklaus @jhangelface0523

#marvel #mcu #fanfiction #reader x bucky #reader x bucky barnes #bucky barnes #james buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes x reader #reader insert #fluff #bucky barnes x you

1K notes · View notes

calochortus · 3 years

Video

Orange pore fungus. by Bernard Spragg. NZ Via Flickr: Favolaschia calocera, commonly known as the orange pore fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae. Due to its form it is also known as orange pore conch or orange Ping-Pong bat.

#Favolaschia calocera #fungus #fungi #orange #nature #lowpov #lumix #fz1000

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ukdamo · 3 years

Text

Desert View Overlook

Rose Hunter

the chipmunk’s prayer hands & hunched tremble munch & swipe at whiskers bat-like in front of bikers their cupped hands rising smoke & fingers pointing, faces open doors & baby-like smiles

i took the picture, then lost it, somewhere between the taking & the loading, traffic jams & Vegas

sprawl, the orange roadwork signs, the brown scenic drive signs the beige & taupe attraction signs, follow the switchbacks to the semicircle of signs throwing a horseshoe shadow against the grey concrete beyond the ponderosa & piñon fist-sized kernels, woody green & brown roses, the Mojave too opens up

the detonation sites at Yucca Flat Frenchman Flat, the subsidence craters, the playa:

50 times brighter than the sun, hell burst from the skies torched ancient Joshua trees their teddy bear & oven-mitted hands

Buster-Jangle, Tumbler-Snapper, Plumbob Ranger, Latchkey, Sunbeam, Tinderbox

devastatingly beautiful some called it a letter from home or a firm handshake from someone you trust

i had blood running out of both ears out of both nostrils

while on the diving platform at the Last Frontier the man in a T-shirt, the man with no shirt; the two men underneath playing ping-pong

the drifting column wavy tentacular & cerebellum that vies for strangeness with the windpump & covered wagons no one is looking at i think of those people also

on Mount Charleston (also) Nivaganti “where snow sits” the center of creation

with picnic baskets & RVs, children station wagons, thermoses, walnut brown & plastic cups tree-ring-stained with past pourings the seediness of camping chairs, their squeaking hinges, gritty limbs & sturdy canvas faded

under calendars with detonation times & best spots for viewing & Miss Atomic Bomb! radiating loveliness instead of deadly atomic particles award her a ten-pound bag of mushrooms slather her in mushroom cloud shaving cream

her to-split-a-face-open-mouthed smile a raze to disappear into, black hole eerie, the Atomic Cocktail: one ounce vodka, one ounce brandy teaspoon of sherry, one ounce brut champagne true or false, the doom town mannequins charred & dismembered or dishevelled, merely or pristine, the ones the blast passed through/by

a little above normal but not in the range of being harmful, they said, one-twentieth of that experienced by an X-ray, they said, inconvenient or primarily of scientific interest they said, in St. George Utah for example but who is they

what i always want to know, exactly these inexplicable theys with glasses, horn-rim/ black-rim/browline/cat-eye/bug-eye/G-man/retro/a pink

dusting of radioactive snow played in by a child for example (a proving grounds

a place to find out if something works

(photo by Ty Nigh)

#nuclear bomb #testing site #las vegas #nevada #tourist attraction #marketing #desert #radioactivity #isotopes

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love-and-hisses · 8 months

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Did you know that THIS boy RIGHT HERE (Drum) is still available for adoption? True story! Read his description below, and email Forgotten Felines of Huntsville at [email protected] to inquire. (We are located in Huntsville, Alabama; out of area adoptions are allowed, but adopters must come here to complete the adoption. Drum isn't old enough to drive yet!) .. Drum - (DOB 9/20/23, DSH classic orange tabby & white male) was a stray turn-in to a local animal control along with his sisters Clairee and Ouiser. They came into foster at Forgotten Felines of Huntsville when they were 7 weeks old. DRUM is a total lovebug who walks around with his tail held so high that it curves over his back and nearly touches his head. He's a happy, happy boy who loves to be snuggled, likes being flipped onto his back and held like a baby, and enjoys being kissed. He's a burrower who will hang out under blankets or will tunnel into your hoodie and just sit there and purr like crazy. He's not only a snuggly lap kitten, he is also a very playful boy - his favorite game is jumping up and batting ping pong balls out of mid air like a pro basketball player. He also loves jumping up after the feather teaser, chasing a laser light around, and running after just about any toy you'll toss for him. He tends not to "show" very well - he's used to only being around his foster parents - but given a little time to adjust, he will relax and show off his snuggly personality. He would do best in a home where there are no small children. He gets along well with other cats and must have a kitten or young cat to play and snuggle with. If you're looking for a pair, he's great buddies with his sister Clairee, who is also available. (He has not been around dogs in his foster home, but should be fine with nice dogs.)

[email protected] to inquire. 😻

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marlalarraz · 4 years

Photo

Men's Singles Table Tennis Final - Full Match | Rio 2016

Court Dimensions

Table Tennis Table

Are regulated playing surfaces designed specifically for the game of table tennis (ping-pong). Table tennis tables measure 9’ | 2.74 m long by 5’ | 1.525 m in wide. The playing surface of a ping-pong table must be set at a height of 2.5’ | 76 cm and is equipped with a center net that is 6” | 15.25 cm high and stretches 6” | 15.25 cm beyond the width of the table.

Equipment

Racket

Composed of a blade and 2 rubbers. One rubber must be black, and another one must be red

Ball

40+mm table tennis ball, color white or orange. Nowadays, you must use a Poly Ball 40+mm. We don’t play the celluloid ball 38mm anymore.

Clothing and Shoes

Clothing (t-shirts, shorts) and shoes are your images. It not only shows your etiquette, your professionalism but also your attitude to the sport.

Basic Skills

Stance and Footwork

Feet: Your feet should be wide, about 1.5 or more shoulder widths apart so that you can quickly move side-to-side. Keep your non-dominant foot slightly ahead of the other (for right-handed people, this means keeping your left foot slightly closer to the table, for left-handed people it’s the opposite).

Ankles and knees: Keep your knees and ankles slightly bent and flexible, with your weight forward on your toes. This keeps your body ready to move forward or backward as needed.

Back and Shoulders: Keep your upper body slightly bent at the waist. With the bent ankles, knees, and waist and your shoulders forward, your whole body is in a slightly crouched position, ready to spring into action.

Arms: Your arms should be in front of your body, with your elbow and paddle in front of you.

Holding the paddle: The exact position of your hands and arms in your stance depends on your grip or how you hold the bat. There are two basic grips in table tennis: the shakehand grip, and the penhold grip. The different types of grip have specific variations for your hand position on the paddle depending on your preference and style of play.

Table Tennis Strokes

Forehand Drive: The forehand drive is the most basic and fundamental ping pong stroke. It returns aggressive/attacking strokes and lands your ball close to the opponent’s baseline or sideline. With the forehand drive, you rotate your body to the back to add power to the ball, so rotate the upper body away and transfer your weight onto your back foot, moving your arm straight back.

Backhand Drive: The backhand drive is the mirror of the forehand drive, intended to return attacking shots and land the ball at the opponent’s baseline. To deliver a backhand drive, stand with your torso in the path of the ball (rather than reaching with your arm), and keep your stance angled toward the table with your free arm pointed toward the ball.

Backhand Push: The backhand push returns short balls, and prevents your opponent from making an attacking return. As with the backhand drive, your body should be positioned in line with the ball, rather than reaching to the side with your arm.

Forehand Push: The forehand push is also designed for returning short balls and preventing attacking shots. Like the forehand drive, you stand with the dominant foot slightly back, and rotate the upper body to accentuate the motion of the paddle. However, unlike the forehand drive, you do a smaller backswing, rotating your wrist forward through the range of motion, and keep your paddle open to brush beneath the ball.

Serving

A table tennis serve is the final basic skill, and it’s a crucial skill since the serve is the only time you have complete control of the ball and the game. There are a number of different types of serves each with different pros and cons but the basics remain the same. To serve in table tennis:

1. Balance the ball on the palm of your free hand with the hand open.

2. Throw the ball vertically upward so that it rises at least 6 inches above your hand.

3. As the ball drops, hit it with your chosen stroke, ensuring that it bounces on your side of the table, goes over the net, and bounces on your opponent’s side of the table.

Rules of the Game

1. No Hands On The Table

Believe it or not, leaning your hands on the table is not allowed in the sport. So, you should never touch the table with your hands. If you do so, you will lose a point. If you have ever played table tennis, you probably know that this is a common practice – especially when the ball is high in the air and bouncing and you want to smash it in the opponent’s part of the table.

2.When Serving, The Ball Must Be Thrown 15mm

Another rule which you may not knew about the game is that the ball must be thrown at least 15 millimeters in height while serving. Obviously, this kind of toss is a good habit – and what it means is that you must throw it at least 15mm into the air from the flat palm of your hand before it is being hit. You are also not allowed to throw the ball in any way which adds spin to it.

3. If The Ball Hits The Net On Service, You Should Serve Again

Sometimes, when you serve the ball in table tennis, it hits the net – and either falls in your part or the opponent’s part of the table. If this happens, you should know that the official rule is to re-serve and replay the serve. There is no actual limit to how many “nets” a player can have on first serve, but the general rule sticks to three in total (before a point is lost).

4. The Ball Must Be Held In A Flat Palm Above The Table

When preparing to serve, you need to hold the ball flat in the palm of your hand and above the table – all in order to ensure that the opponent and the umpire can clearly see it as well as the direction in which it is thrown (held).

5. Rubber Colors

Last but not the least is the rule of rubber and its colors. If you ever held a table tennis paddle, you probably know that one of the sides has a black rubber and the other has a red one. This is only to ensure that the opposing player knows what to expect when they serve – with either the black or red rubber – as well as to prevent any confusion.

Officiating the Sport

Scoring

A competitive game of table tennis is played to the best of five or seven games. The first player to get to 11 points in a game is the winner. However, if a game is tied at 10-10, a player must win a game by two clear points. You do not lose service if you lose a point - each player must serve for two points in a row before handing the service over to their opponent.

Officials

For every table tennis competition, a referee is appointed with a deputy who can act on their behalf. The referee is required to be present at the venue throughout a tournament and is required to uphold the rules.

During a table tennis match, an umpire is appointed to decide on the result of each point or rally. The umpire is required to use their judgement when applying the laws and regulations of the ITTF. Where the umpire is officiating alone, their decision is final and they should be seated about 2–3 metres from the side of the table and in line with the net.

Technical and Tactical Skills, and Analysis

Table Tennis has a new Olympic Men’s Singles champion after Ma Long defeated the previous title holder Zhang Jike with a dominant 4-0 triumph. Ma’s performance on the night was legendary, as the world number one saw off Zhang- seeded 2nd just below him – without dropping a single game. However, despite the crushingly one-sided end scoreline, Zhang gave the new champion a good match as fans were treated to a wonderful final. The first game of the final opened brightly as Ma and Zhang produced some fantastic rallies right from out of the blocks. Ma made a positive start to the end and went 8-4 in front, but Zhang then began to grow into the game, winning a number of points with shots down the line from his backhand side to edge 8-9 ahead. Both competitors knew how important it was to take game one, and Ma did just that (14-12) to earn the early advantage. Ma was becoming more and more confident by the second, while simultaneously dampening Zhang’s mood. Game three featured a masterclass in attack-against-attack, and attack-against-defence rallies, both players giving it their all as the atmosphere in the Riocentro – Pavilion 3 hit fever pitch. But the established pattern prevailed and Ma extended his lead (11-4) to move ever closer to Olympic glory. Zhang’s body language heading into the fourth game looked negative, and the 28-year-old fell 3-0 down leading to his time-out. China’s Head Coach Liu Guoliang sat in the stands to show respect for both of his athletes, leaving it up to Zhang to find his way back into the final. Despite winning back-to-back points after the break, Zhang simply ran out of ideas for an alternative approach as Ma finished off his opponent in straight games (14-12, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4) to seal the gold medal for China. Following the conclusion of the match, Ma Long showed his appreciation toward the fans by forming the shape of a heart with his hands, and in a rather touching moment the Rio 2016 champion stood side-by-side with Zhang Jike to lift the Chinese flag aloft. Ma took time after his win to talk about his experience in the final, “I played well throughout the match; the title is only possible with that high level of play.”

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Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5H-Eq_Kcxw

References:

BBC. (n.d.). Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z9m7xsg/revision/3

Custom Table Tennis. (2018, October 25). Retrieved from Custom Table Tennis: https://www.customtabletennis.co.uk/the-5-basic-rules-of-playing-table-tennis/

Daish, S. (2017, March 21). ITTF. Retrieved from ITTF: https://www.ittf.com/2016/08/12/day-six-report-ma-long-strikes-mens-singles-gold-rio-2016/

Maddock, B. (2020, November 14). Dimensions. Retrieved from Dimensions: https://www.dimensions.com/element/table-tennis-ping-pong-table#:~:text=Table%20tennis%20tables%20measure%209,the%20width%20of%20the%20table.

Ping Pong Ruler. (2020, October 15). Retrieved from Ping Pong Ruler: https://pingpongruler.com/basic-table-tennis-skills/

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thebrideofthewizardhowl · 4 years

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The game was invented in England in the early days of the 20th century and was originally called Ping-Pong, a trade name. The name table tennis was adopted in 1921–22 when the old Ping-Pong Association formed in 1902 was revived. The original association had broken up about 1905, though apparently the game continued to be played in parts of England outside London and by the 1920s was being played in many countries. Led by representatives of Germany, Hungary, and England, the Fédération Internationale de Tennis de Table (International Table Tennis Federation) was founded in 1926, the founding members being England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales. By the mid-1990s more than 165 national associations were members. The table is rectangular, 9 feet by 5 feet (2.7 metres by 1.5 metres), its upper surface a level plane 30 inches (76 cm) above the floor. The net is 6 feet (1.8 metres) long, and its upper edge along the whole length is 6 inches (15.25 cm) above the playing surface. The ball, which is spherical and hollow, was once made of white celluloid. Since 1969 a plastic similar to celluloid has been used. The ball, which may be colored white, yellow, or orange, weighs about 0.09 ounce (2.7 grams) and has a diameter of about 1.6 inches (4 cm). The blade of a racket, or bat, is usually made of wood, is flat and rigid, and may be covered with a thin layer of ordinary stippled, or pimpled, rubber, which may be laid over a thin layer of sponge rubber and may have the pimples reversed. Whatever combination is used, each of the two sides of a paddle must be different in color. The racket may be any size, weight, or shape.

There are basic equipment to use in playing table tennis;

· Ball

The ball that used in the game weighs 2.7 grams. It is a small celluloid ball that is white or orange in color, depending on the preference of the player. They come in different qualities with those possessing 3 stars being the best kind It is recommended for beginners. Also, they come in a variety of sizes ranging from 38 mm to 54 mm in diameter. However, the 40 mm diameter ball is used mainly in international leagues and competitions. It is the one specified by the International Table Tennis Federation-ITTF.

· Rubber, Racket, or Paddle

The table tennis racket or paddle is another important piece of equipment. It is used to hit the ball back and forth on the table. The shape is similar to the one used for tennis except it is smaller and made of different materials. The racket is made of wood and rubber. It is divided into two parts, the handle, and blade. The quality of both parts of the racket can affect the force applied by the player. The player must choose the best kind of racket to get good results. Aside from that, the player must take note of the rubber used on the blade. This can affect the type and amount of spin used in hitting the ball. Rackets are available in pre-made as well as customized conditions. Beginners are recommended to acquire the pre-made ones, to avoid the confusion of making customized ones. However, they must be sure to buy from reputable sports shops or online table tennis stores.

· Table Tennis Table

Included in the list of important table tennis equipment is the table. The ITTF specifies that the official table tennis tables used in the tournament must be 9 ft long, 5 ft wide, and must be placed 30 inches above the ground.They come in either green, blue, or black color and are made from hardboard. The surface must be smooth to provide the lowest friction possible.

· Net and Post

The net is bought together with the table or rackets, or it can be bought by itself. Whatever the case, it should be six feet long and six inches wide. It should have an upper white tape that is not more than 15mm wide. Also, it should include an assembly that can be attached to the middle of the table tennis table. The four types of equipment are the most basic that any aspiring player should buy. Other table tennis equipment include shoes, clothing, and accessories. However, these are optional.

Table tennis is a complex, layered game, and mastery requires a balance of mental strategies and physical skill. But even the most complex game is built on the foundation of four basic skills that even a beginner can learn and practice to improve their game. Practicing the basic skills of table tennis improves your performance and your enjoyment and allows you to develop more advanced skills later on. Here are the basic skills of table tennis.

Before hitting your first shot it’s worth getting your body in the right position. A correct and stance in relation to the table depends to some degree on your grip, and whether you’re are attacking, defending, or serving the ball. However, even as your arm position and placement relative to the table changes, you should always have the correct stance and body posture. The right stance gives you the balance, stability, and range of movement you need to play the game.

Feet

Your feet should be wide, about 1.5 or more shoulder widths apart so that you can quickly move side-to-side. Keep your non-dominant foot slightly ahead of the other (for right-handed people, this means keeping your left foot slightly closer to the table, for left-handed people it’s the opposite).

Ankles and knees

Keep your knees and ankles slightly bent and flexible, with your weight forward on your toes. This keeps your body ready to move forward or backward as needed.

Back and shoulders

Keep your upper body slightly bent at the waist. With the bent ankles, knees, and waist and your shoulders forward, your whole body is in a slightly crouched position, ready to spring into action.

Your arms should be in front of your body, with your elbow and paddle in front of you.

Holding the paddle

The exact position of your hands and arms in your stance depends on your grip or how you hold the bat. There are two basic grips in table tennis: the shakehand grip, and the penhold grip. The different types of grip have specific variations for your hand position on the paddle depending on your preference and style of play.

Each grip has advantages and disadvantages, but it’s also important to choose the grip that is comfortable and natural for you.

The four basic table tennis strokes

The four basic strokes of table tennis are necessary to master forehand and backhand attack and defense.

The forehand drive is the most basic and fundamental ping pong stroke. It returns aggressive/attacking strokes and lands your ball close to the opponent’s baseline or sideline. With the forehand drive, you rotate your body to the back to add power to the ball, so rotate the upper body away and transfer your weight onto your back foot, moving your arm straight back.

As soon as the ball hits your side of the table, rotate your body toward it, shifting your weight forward. Hit the ball at the peak of the bounce, adding speed at impact to impart spin. After you have struck the ball, continue the motion to rest with your paddle pointing upward. For a great demonstration of the forehand drive, check out this video:

The backhand drive is the mirror of the forehand drive, intended to return attacking shots and land the ball at the opponent’s baseline. To deliver a backhand drive, stand with your torso in the path of the ball (rather than reaching with your arm), and keep your stance angled toward the table with your free arm pointed toward the ball.

Your waist should bend forward and lift upward as you move your paddle arm forward and upward, hitting the ball at the top of its bounce and completing the forward and upward motion. Check out this video for a demonstration of the backhand drive:

The backhand push returns short balls, and prevents your opponent from making an attacking return. As with the backhand drive, your body should be positioned in line with the ball, rather than reaching to the side with your arm.

Sweep your arm forward from your chest, letting the paddle swiftly brush underneath the ball at its peak. Aiming downward toward the table or forward to the net imparts various amounts of spin, so this is a controlled stroke. Here’s a great demonstration video:

The forehand push is also designed for returning short balls and preventing attacking shots. Like the forehand drive, you stand with the dominant foot slightly back, and rotate the upper body to accentuate the motion of the paddle. However, unlike the forehand drive, you do a smaller backswing, rotating your wrist forward through the range of motion, and keep your paddle open to brush beneath the ball. For a demonstration of the forehand push, check out this video:

1. Balance the ball on the palm of your free hand with the hand open.

2. Throw the ball vertically upward so that it rises at least 6 inches above your hand.

3. As the ball drops, hit it with your chosen stroke, ensuring that it bounces on your side of the table, goes over the net, and bounces on your opponent’s side of the table.

Conclusion

These basic skills are always worth practicing and drilling, no matter how experienced a player is because all advanced skills are added to these fundamentals. It’s definitely worth dedicating some alone practice time to each type of shot. Mastery of the correct technique not only improves your game but can help prevent strain and make the game more enjoyable. Learning the basics is the first step on your way to becoming a champion.

Tactics generally rely on three main skills: The ability to keep the ball in play. The ability to play the ball to certain areas of the table, and. The ability to apply pressure on your opponent by using different types and amounts of spin, and different speeds, in order to create openings and hit winning shots.

Official Rules of Table Tennis

These official table tennis rules should help you keep things straight.

1. GAMES ARE PLAYED TO 11 POINTS

A Game is played to 11 points. A Game must be won by two points. A Match is generally the best three of five Games.

2. ALTERNATE SERVES EVERY TWO POINTS

Each side of the table alternates serving two points at a time. EXCEPTION: After tied 10-10 (“deuce”), service alternates at every point. Can you lose on a serve in ping pong? Yes! There is no separate rule for serving on Game Point.

3. TOSS THE BALL STRAIGHT UP WHEN SERVING

How do you serve the ball in ping pong? Hold the ball in your open palm, behind your end of the table. Toss at least 6” straight up, and strike it on the way down. It must hit your side of the table and then the other side. NOTE: Once the ball leaves the server’s hand it is in play, and so counts as the receiver’s point if the ball is missed or mishit.

4. THE SERVE CAN LAND ANYWHERE IN SINGLES

There is no restriction on where the ball lands on your side or your opponent’s side of the table. It can bounce two or more times on your opponent’s side (if so, that’s your point), bounce over the side, or even hit the edge.

5. DOUBLES SERVES MUST GO RIGHT COURT TO RIGHT COURT

The serve must bounce in the server’s right court, and receiver’s right court (NOTE: landing on center line is fair). Doubles partners switch places after their team serves twice.

6. A SERVE THAT TOUCHES THE NET ON THE WAY OVER IS A “LET”

Can the ball hit the net in ping pong? Yes, during a RALLY, if it touches the top of the net and then otherwise lands as a legitimate hit. BUT not when serving. If a served ball hits the net on the way over and otherwise legally bounces in play, it’s a “let” serve and is done over. There is no limit on how many times this can happen.

7. ALTERNATE HITTING IN A DOUBLES RALLY

Doubles partners must alternate hitting balls in a rally, no matter where the ball lands on the table.

8. VOLLEYS ARE NOT ALLOWED

Can you hit the ball before it bounces in ping pong? No. In regular tennis you may “volley” the ball (hitting the ball before it bounces on your side of the net). But in table tennis, this results in a point for your opponent. NOTE: When your opponent hits a ball that sails over your end of the table without touching it and then hits you or your paddle, that is still your point.

9. IF YOUR HIT BOUNCES BACK OVER THE NET BY ITSELF IT IS YOUR POINT

If you hit the ball in a rally or on a serve and it bounces back over the net after hitting your opponent’s side of the table (due to extreme spin), without your opponent touching it, that is your point.

10. TOUCHING THE BALL WITH YOUR PADDLE HAND IS ALLOWED

What happens if the ball hits your finger or hand during a ping pong rally? If the ball touches your PADDLE hand and otherwise results in a legal hit, there is no rule violation and play shall continue as normal. Your paddle hand includes all fingers and hand area below the wrist. But what if the ball touches a player’s body anywhere else during a ping pong rally? You may not touch the table with your non-paddle hand for any reason. It will result in a point for your opponent, but if your opponent’s hit sails over your side of the table without touching it, and hits any part of you or your paddle, that is still your point.

11. YOU MAY NOT TOUCH THE TABLE WITH YOUR NON-PADDLE HAND

You may touch the ball or the table with your paddle hand (after reaching in to return a short serve, for example), or other parts of your body. NOTE: If the table moves at all from your touching it during a rally, that is your opponent’s point.

12. AN “EDGE” BALL BOUNCING OFF THE HORIZONTAL TABLE TOP SURFACE IS GOOD

An otherwise legal serve or hit may contact the top edge of the horizontal table top surface and be counted as valid, even if it bounces sidewise. The vertical sides of the table are NOT part of the legal playing surface.

13. HONOR SYSTEM APPLIES TO DISAGREEMENTS

If no referee is present during a match and the players disagree on a certain call, the “honor system” applies and the players should find a way to agree, or play the point over. Ping pong carries a tradition of fierce but fair play. Help us keep it that way!

How to officiate the game? Simple!

During a table tennis match, an umpire is appointed to decide on the result of each point or rally. The umpire is required to use their judgement when applying the laws and regulations of the ITTF. Where the umpire is officiating alone, their decision is final and they should be seated about 2–3 meters from the side of the table and in line with the net.

Citations:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z9m7xsg/revision/3

https://www.pongfit.org/official-rules-of-table-tennis

https://basilioeduc.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/officiating-table-tennis/

https://pingpongruler.com/basic-table-tennis-skills/

https://www.tabletennisspot.com/basic-types-of-table-tennis-equipment/

https://www.britannica.com/sports/table-tennis

video is from: (Men's Singles Table Tennis Final - Full Match | Rio 2016 Replays https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5H-Eq_Kcxw )

#pingpong

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soitmightgetweird · 5 years

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Drenched (Halloween fic)

Bucky x reader

Summary: an accidental prank at a party flips your entire night upside down

Warnings: swearing, as per usual

Word Count: ~3300

A/N: Holy fucknuts. It’s been a year and a half since I posted a fic. Damn guys. I dunno who the heck is still paying attention to little ol’ me, but here it is anyway. ((I’m working off a very old taglist, so let me know if you want to be removed. Also let me know if you want to be tagged. I mostly write for Steve and Buck, so you could request all tag or just one dude. Side question.. do Steve fics still happen?? I’m so out of the loop guys.))

Popcorn ceilings are good for collecting dust and giving you something to stare at when you’re bored. They’re not so good at showing you how to handle a conversation you don’t really want to have. After another little whine from your friend, you finally pull your eyes away to look toward the person sitting on the arm at the far end of the couch. She’s decked out in a gorgeous 1940s-style dress and her hair is delicately styled to match.

“I’m really not feeling like going to a party this year, Nat.”

She frowns. “But you love Halloween.”

“You’re right. But I just feel like turning on my little pumpkin lights and watching scary movies in the dark. I’m not really in a go-out-and-drink-around-a-bunch-of-strangers mood.”

“Not everyone will be strangers.”

“Well, work has been kicking my butt—”

“Honey, I know. You’re busting your ass for that company. But your friends miss you. Steve and Sam both ask how you’re doing all the time. Apparently your texts aren’t very… wordy.”

If it was anyone else in your apartment giving you sad eyes and practically begging you to be social, you’d be irritated. Nat has been the friend who’s helped pull you out of your funks for years. She knows just when to test the waters and when to back off. She’s able to read you insanely well.

The fact that she didn’t drop the conversation immediately means she knows you haven’t reached the burnt out point yet. Once that thought crosses your mind, you know you’ll end up going with her.

“I don’t have a costume,” you say in a resigned tone.

She smiles softly. “Just put on jeans and a hoodie. I’ve got a mask from Mr. Robot. Boom, simple.”

“Nerd.”

“Guilty. But hey, the party isn’t supposed to be that big.”

You level your stare at your friend. “Isn’t it at Stark’s?”

“Oh. Good point. Well, you can always tell me when you’ve had enough. I just want you to spend time with friends to help you recharge. You know work gets more tolerable when you have fun memories to occupy your mind.”

It’s hard to argue with Nat when she hits the nail on the head. “Alright,” you say as you roll off the couch with a faux-dramatic groan.

A few minutes later, you leave your room in your standard attire and slip into your Converse. Nat smiles again as she watches you turn on little accent lights in your living room before grabbing your keys and following her out the door.

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

The first thing you notice as you approach the building is the flashing lights, dancing through the sky and originating at the penthouse apartment, thirty stories above your head. You reach up and touch the mask that’s currently pushed up on top of your head.

“He really does go all out. Is this enough of a costume?” you ask.

Nat hooks her arm through yours as you close the distance between yourselves and your destination. “Of course. But honestly he doesn’t care; he just wants people to come and have fun.”

You fall into comfortable silence with your friend as you make your way through the lobby and into an elevator. As you climb, the cheesy elevator music is slowly drowned out by the sounds of the party.

The elevator doors open to a spacious modern penthouse that you’re sure looks a hundred times bigger when it’s not full of people. There’s fake spiderwebs with little plastic spiders on most surfaces—bookshelves, pictures on the walls, the stairwell to the second floor, the hanging lights in the entry. There’s a cauldron sitting on a high shelf, spilling fog from dry ice over the opening to the living room. Rubber bats are hanging from string, there’s a small witch with light-up eyes swinging around the room by the blades of a ceiling fan, a skeleton in sunglasses sprawled across the kitchen island and surrounded by snacks, and there’s a life-sized werewolf statue standing off to the side of the room.

You’re actually… not sure if it’s a statue or someone waiting for the opportune moment to scare everyone around them.

As you’re finishing your visual tour of the room, muscular arms drape over your and Nat’s shoulders. You turn your head to see another mask like the one that’s still on your head instead of pulled down over your face.

“Nice mask,” the person says, and even through the music and people you immediately recognize the voice as Steve.

You laugh. “Great minds I guess.”

“I just saw Wanda a little while ago, who knows where Tony is, Scott is desperately trying to Clint at beer pong, and Sam and Bucky are on the balcony.”

Your face scrunches a little before you’re able to stop it, an expression that Nat and Steve both notice.

“Haven’t warmed up to him yet?” Steve asks, and you’re sure there’s a small frown hidden behind his mask.

You sigh. You know Steve and Bucky have been friends since childhood. Nat has been friends with him since college. But you… no encounter with Bucky Barnes has ever been easy.

Nat was your first friend in the city—a chance meeting at a coffee shop near your apartment. A few months after you’d settled into your new home and job, she started inviting you to outings with her friends.

Steve became an immediately calming presence in your life. Sam offered charm and humor, Wanda was your go-to when you wanted music recommendations, Clint and Scott were the big brothers you never (secretly, always) wanted. Even Tony was fine. He was a little eccentric and sometimes flashy with money, but he had a good heart.

Bucky. You wanted to like Bucky. You did like him at first… for a few minutes.

He was charming too, all smiles and bright blue eyes when Nat introduced you. Over the course of the night though, you heard a lot of stories about his dating reputation and Bucky got way too drunk. Your night ended abruptly when you turned away from the bar and suddenly had beer all down your shirt and jeans.

And when Bucky said “watch it, asshole,” you marched back to the table and told the group you were going home. The night faded into the past, but that’s what started your dislike for Bucky Barnes.

It’s been five years and you still aren’t really “on board” with him. You’re civil enough when you’re around each other but you also won’t seek out conversation with him, even going so far as to direct most of your attention to your phone if you happen to end up seated near each other when you all go out to eat.

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

It occurs to you a couple hours into the party that you’re enjoying yourself and you’re glad Nat was a little insistent.

You spent a little while in the dining room watching Scott (dressed in a full Jedi robe) do relatively well at beer pong, but not as well as Clint, who was wearing a more modern version of a Robin Hood costume.

"No way in hell I’m wearing tights," he’d said as he sunk another ping pong ball in an orange cup.

Wanda was the next friend you found, in a grungy outfit that resembled Furiosa from Mad Max. You stood with her and Nat for a while, sharing updates on work projects and movies you’d all seen recently. Tony passed by in a long, fitted coat that accented his steampunk look. He even had a little gadget on his lapel made of gears that actually moved. He made it himself and was very proud of it.

You’ve been on the balcony for the past two hours talking to Nat and Steve when you notice your drink is empty. After asking your friends if they want anything, you decide to pull your mask over your face and head through the large glass doors into the living room. As you weave your way through the crowd you spot a large amount of people on one side of the room, so you veer a little to the left to walk through the foggy opening into the hallway.

Before you make it to the other side of the hall, you spot Sam leaning against the wall in front of you, next to the bottom of the stairs that climb up the wall to your left. He has a lazy smirk on his face, like he’s never been more comfortable in his life, just leaning against that wall.

You raise your hand to wave as you call out his name, hoping he can hear since your voice is slightly muffled by your mask. You then notice the speed in which the smile shifts into an expression of full-on panic before you’re suddenly doused in water.

Through the sound of the shouts from the people who were splashed near you, you hear Sam speaking your name and a different voice swearing above you.

You rip your mask away to see that Sam has his hands out toward you, a sincere look of apology on his face. When you turn and look up, you see Bucky. There’s an equally petrified look on his face and he swears again as you bolt for the stairs, Sam’s voice and footsteps following behind you.

Bucky runs through the second door on the left and almost has the door shut before you push through, the door crashing into his shoulder.

“Ow, hey, what the shit! I’m trying to get you a towel!” He grabs a towel out of the closet behind the door and shoves it at you before backing further into the bathroom.

“What the actual fuck, Barnes?” you yell, unzipping your hoodie and throwing it on the counter. It doesn’t make much difference, your shirt is soaked too, but that’s staying on.

“I thought you were Steve!” He has his hands out now, mirroring Sam’s earlier stance, but you’re pissed and you want to get in his face.

You feel a hand gently grab onto your arm as Sam tries to pull you away from his friend. “That’s entirely my fault. I was only paying attention to the mask.”

“Steve has a foot in height on me! And who the fuck drops a bucket of water in someone’s house?”

“We put a tarp down—”

“I was having fun!” Bucky’s still getting the full force of your yelling. “I’ve been stressed the fuck out and Nat convinced me to come out and now I’m fucking drenched—”

Sam says your name again.

You turn around. “Go get Nat please, I want to go home now.”

“Wait,” Bucky protests and Sam stops in the doorway. “Sam just… go enjoy the party, I’ll take her home.”

“Like hell you will.” You finally let go of half the towel and dry off your arms before wrapping the thing around your body, trapping your wet hair against your back.

“I mean to your home, smartass. I’m sorry we pranked you; it was an honest mistake. Let me… I dunno, let me buy you a coffee or something. You’re cold, it’ll warm you up.”

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

You keep three feet between you and Bucky as you walk back down the sidewalk toward your apartment. The silence is heavy and awkward, and you stare down at your shoes that squish quietly with every step. Your wet hoodie clings to your arms, sending a shiver down your spine. Unfortunately, the only two options are to wear a wet hoodie or leave your arms exposed to the chilly night air and you’re not sure which is worse.

Another chill hits you moments before a second hoodie is draped over your shoulders. You want to throw it back at him, but it’s already helping to shield you against the wind. At that thought, you glance sideways. Bucky’s arms are exposed now but he doesn’t seem to mind the chill.

Before you look away, he reaches up to rub his shoulder.

You huff out a breath. “Sorry I hit you with the door,” you mumble,

A couple beats of silence pass before he answers. “That doesn’t sound like a sincere apology, but I understand. Sorry again about the water.”

You respond with a grunt.

“Why do you hate me?”

You look at him again, your annoyed expression back on your face. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m just asking why you hate me? What did I do? Before the water.”

“First of all, you apparently have a habit of spilling things on me.”

“What?”

“Do you remember the night we met? You spilled an entire glass of beer on me.”

He stops walking. “Shit. That was you.”

You stopped a few paces in front of him and turned toward him. “Do you remember calling me an asshole right after?”

Bucky’s eyes narrowed. “Why would I do that?”

“How should I know? But you did. You spilled beer on me then called me an asshole. And I left. Doesn’t really make a girl want to be your friend.” You turn around and start walking again only to realize after a few steps that he isn’t following you. “Are you coming or am I walking the rest of the way alone? Not that I care.”

“I didn’t… I didn’t call you an asshole?”

“You were also a little drunk that night, maybe you don’t remember.”

“No, I… yeah, I had a bit to drink. This girl I’d been seeing had broken things off and I was upset… we’d actually gotten kinda serious. But I didn’t talk about her much because... I dunno, maybe I didn't wanna jinx it. I was having fun distracting myself when they started making jokes about my dating life and I guess I tried to drown my sorrow instead of just talking about it.”

You just stare at him. That absolutely isn’t the response you expected.

“So I'd just got another beer and this dude bumped into me while trying to get some girl’s attention. I called the guy an asshole and was gonna apologize but you were gone. I guess that explains why you avoided even talking to me in passing after that night. Doesn’t really make a guy wanna be your friend.”

You just stare at him. Your dislike had been entirely based off a misunderstanding? “Great. I am an asshole." You turn away from him and continue walking toward your apartment.

"Hey wait, you're not--"

His footsteps sound as he catches up to you. He reaches out and touches your elbow to get you to look at him, pulling his hand away quickly. Physical contact is entirely foreign for you two.

"Can we just forget that night? I mean you can forget about this one too if you want, but I genuinely am sorry. It always kinda bummed me out that you didn't like me--you seemed pretty cool based on all the stories I heard from Steve and Sam."

You frown. "That almost makes me feel worse."

"Please don't. I could've tried to fix things too."

The silence that follows isn't quite as uncomfortable but you still break it shortly after you start walking again.

"I am actually sorry I hit your shoulder. Even when I thought you didn't like me, I would've never intentionally struck you."

He reaches up again to rub his shoulder. There's a smirk on his face as he drops his hand and lifts that shoulder in a small shrug. "I kinda deserved it."

"Maybe. About that coffee though. Just... your hoodie's wet now and I'm not going into a cafe in these clothes. I can just throw this in the dryer and make a pot of coffee. If you want."

Bucky laughs. "I want to make a joke about you inviting me over after dark, but I'll spare it since we're only just now becoming friends."

"Are we becoming friends?"

Bucky turns a worried expression toward you, as if he's scared he pushed too far. When you return a small laugh with a shake of your head, he smiles too.

"You basically said the joke by referencing the joke. But I'll give you a pass this time."

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

You're hyper aware of Bucky's presence as you ride the elevator to the fifth floor together and even more so as you're unlocking your front door and allowing a person into your apartment you never expected to invite over.

"I like your decorations," Bucky says from behind you.

You turn to see him looking at the mantle over your fireplace. There are fake webs and little cheese-cloth ghosts in jars on one side and sparkly black and purple pumpkins next to a little figure of a bird dressed as a witch on the other.

"Thanks. Um... I'm gonna go change and throw this in the dryer. Be right back."

The nerves that arise when you're changing are completely unwelcome. Do you need to put on actual clothes or is leggings and a sweatshirt alright? What do you talk about while you're waiting on his hoodie to dry? What if it's just awkward silence?

You stop mid-movement when you realize you've had those thoughts... before you went on dates.

Nope.

You pull a leggings and a blissfully dry sweatshirt on and walk out of your room, throwing all the wet clothes in the dryer together on the way back to the living room. When you walk in the room, Bucky's crouched in front of the tv, going through the stack of movies you set out a couple days ago. He stops shuffling the cases and holds up your copy of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil with a very serious expression on his face.

"You... have excellent taste in movies."

"Jeez, I thought you were about to lecture me. We can watch it while we wait on the dryer if you want. I'll go start coffee."

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

The next morning, you wake up wondering why your neck hurts. Opening one eye, you squint through the sunlight and are met with the sight of your living room. Well, sleeping on the couch explains the neck pain. With a yawn, you stretch your legs and nudge a solid mass on the other end of the couch. Bucky is still there, his socked feet propped on your coffee table and his head resting against the back of the couch.

You nudge him again and he stirs. Then he starts and sits up straight.

"Shit. I'm sorry, I dozed off. Oh... it's morning."

"It is.”

"I um... I guess I'll take my hoodie and go?"

"More coffee."

He chuckles, the sound deep and warm. "Trying to keep me here?"

You put your head back down. "Trying to get you to make coffee."

After you’ve both had two cups of coffee—you’re choosing not to think too much about the fact that he apparently remembered exactly how you like your drink because the first cup he handed you was absolutely perfect—you walk back into the living room with Bucky’s hoodie, holding it out as he finishes slipping on his shoes.

“Oh, it’s warm,” she says with a grin, slipping the garment on and immediately zipping it up.

“It’s chilly outside and despite what you may think, I am actually nice to friends.”

“Oooo, we’re friends. You said it, no take-backsies.”

You laugh. “Well, you do make a decent cup of coffee.”

“You’re right, I do. I’ll get out of your hair now, though. And next time we all go to dinner, you have to actually talk to me. No more cold shoulder?”

He’s standing at the door, hand on the doorknob and ready to leave when he asks the question. There’s an easy smile on his face, but you still see a trace of that same worried expression.

“No more cold shoulder,” you agree. “You don’t have a long walk, do you?”

He shakes his head. “Nah. S’only two blocks. See you around.”

And with that, he opens the door and leaves your apartment, casting one more look over his shoulder to smile as he walks down the hallway.

The realization that you also have a goofy smirk on your face as you walk toward your bedroom stops you momentarily, along with the thought that his presence is already something you know you want more of.

Well shit.

Tags: @stanevansalways19 @scarlettsoldier @feelmyroarrrr @shakzer00 @pixierox101 @chrevastan @aubzylynn

Bucky only tag: @nerdyandproud9

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes one shot

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exit-path · 4 years

Text

[Video ID: A clip from a movie. A teenage boy says, “People DO forget the best joke of the summer.”

A crowd of people are on a grassy lawn. They appear to be having an outdoor picnic of sorts. A young boy with a light wooden baseball bat and a white cap throws an orange ping-pong ball at a teenage girl. The ball hits the girl’s leg. She picks up the ball and throws it back at the boy. The boy is hit in the arm, and he throws it back at the girl. Everyone starts to laugh. Finally, the girl throws it back at the boy. Now EVERYONE’s laughing. This entire time, the ping-pong ball has never touched the grass, it had always been suspended in midair by their throwing. End ID.]

Actually, this video never happened. It was all a hazy mess in the dream I had last night. I wonder if we can take a common trope on Tumblr, like giving a video ID for an attached video, and turn it into an art form?

#peysi #tumblr

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tleecacc · 4 years

Text

Virginia Lee

My mom came into this world on November 11, 1922. She loved that she was born 11/11/22. And she loved that it was something genuinely unique. That it held all the axioms of synchronicity.

She often proudly told the story of when she was born, how she was so tiny the doctor’s did not expect her to live. As a last resort, a last ditch effort to save her life, the doctor gave my mother horse serum. Apparently that was a thing. And when she made it through the night, the doctor came in the next morning to tell her mother and father that miraculously she was gaining strength. He said to her parents, my grandmother Eulalia, and grandfather Daniel, ‘this little girl is a fighter’ …That she was.

She was born into an era that included the great depression. She lived through a world war, and so many incredible changes that the 20th century presented its almost unfathomable. Some of which she out right rejected, others she eventually either accepted or adopted. Her first microwave oven was used as a bread box for years before she agreed to learn to use it properly. She was the original, ultimate minimalist. She saved wax paper, rubber bans, bread bags and aluminum foil. She abhorred the idea of just throwing things away after one use, which culminated in receiving food gifts wrapped in layers wax paper, encased in at least two bread bags, held tightly together with six rubber bans. She was also a vitamin freak and insisted on a well balanced diet. We were not allowed to leave the house without drinking orange juice that was kept in as air tight a container as possible, so as not to lose its rich life giving force. She detested impracticality. We’d by her gifts to make her life easier but she would eventually admit to one or another of us, ‘Its so unnecessary, I don’t need it’ ‘I’ll never use it. My old (fill in the blank) works just fine’ etc.

I thought she was the most gentle person ever to touch her feet to this earth. And I believed she couldn’t possibly love anyone as much as she did my brother’s and sisters and I, until she met her grandchildren. My mother held an extraordinary amount of love in her heart for each of them.

She found her spiritual path in the love and devotion she exhibited towards her family everyday of her life, and to every person she encountered, with few exceptions. She prayed for all of us everyday. Harder if she thought we were in special need, a heart was aching, someone's health was in question, a soul was at risk… or you spent time in bars which is the same thing… so yeah, she prayed a lot.

My mother was one of 11 children born to Daniel and Eulalia May. When you come from large families such as ours, you can spew out the names of your offspring or siblings in successive order as if it were one name. For my Mother’s family it was

BobDorthyVirginiaMaryRitaBillLoraineDaveDanBarbaraTom. And by the time my mother was 14 years old, she was a mother to her 8 younger siblings, as her mother was rarely well. She never complained about that role. She loved her brothers and sisters and was devoted to their care. She loved each of them and their individual take on life. She was very proud of the life they each garnered for themselves and their children. She was happy to see them living in a world less harsh than the childhood they endured. She held an extraordinary capacity of love in her heart for each of them. And she took their needs on without the least bit of resentment or regret.

My mother’s family moved 17 times in her years at home. In a family with six gorgeous women you can imagine the stir it caused within each neighborhood they were adopted into. They were the May girls. With their flowing red, auburn and black heads of hair, their Miss America smiles and that undeniable May sense of fun loving humor. To say they were gregarious almost doesn’t do their personalities justice.

My momma was beautiful, physically and spiritually. She loved her life. She was radiant in the outdoors and pushed us daily to be out in the fresh air. She was athletic. Mom made the varsity field hockey team as a freshman. She never drove a car and so walked everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Which may explain the athletic prowess of her children. As toddlers, when the newest sibling took over your spot in the stroller, we had to run along side her to keep up. Although she only stood four foot eleven, she had legs that moved incredibly fast. This tiny, feisty, determined woman walked everywhere and loved every minute of it, so it was hard on all of us to see the loss of that freedom in the recent months when her health finally took that joyful ability away.

According to my mother, the advent of television was humanities downfall, and she was determined to get us children out of doors in the fresh air. She loved picnics in the park and spending time in our large back yard (‘you can’t find a back yard like that just anywhere’). She took us places on busses when my dad did not. We rode to the Art museum, Steinberg, downtown, the Muny free seats, all of forest park really and of course Cardinal Glennon Hospital. A place I believe they new her by name. She made sure we learned to swim, rode bikes, and spent as much time as possible at Jamieson park. She ensured we ran, play ball of any and every kind. All of which we each embraced and learned to love. And to this day we, each of us appreciates her love of nature, because she instill that same love in each of us.

We woke every morning to a good, most often hot breakfast. We were not allowed to escape without first downing a glass of orange juice. Our nutrition was high on her list. Good food on our plates was something she did not often have as a child and often went hungry. I think she is the only person I know who actually did walk uphill to and from school…in worn-out clothes and ill fitting shoes. So to my mother, giving your children what you didn’t have meant that we had everything that was important. Sometimes more, but never less.

She made Christmas Eve our best family celebration every single year. And the tradition goes on today, and will never fade if most of us have our way. It was one occasion that brought us together without fail with all of our clashing personalities, boisterous voices, our loud laughter, and our undying competitive spirits. And an occasional cartwheel from Uncle Laurie. It wasn’t always easy. It was always crowded. And nothing gave her greater joy than to see us all hugging and joking and telling stories, especially if they were about her. She never once let us for a minute question her deep abiding love for us, and she laced all of it with her Irish, indelible May family sense of humor.

My mother was hilarious and she’d be the first one to let that be known. Her sense of humor was one of her great attributes and oh so contagious. My mom instilled in us a basic truth, that one can get through any hardship with prayer and an ability to laugh at ones own foibles. Besides, they made for better stories. And she was the ultimate storyteller, often laughing harder than everyone in the room. She’d sometimes be laughing so hard you couldn’t make out the punch line. And she loved a good practical joke. She once turned off the kitchen lights and laid herself out on the floor, playing dead, to scare my brother Scott, after he and my brother Chris had just spent an hour telling my sisters and me scary stories in the dark. Stories and antics that made us scream with fear and laughter, except maybe Laurie. She screamed alright but then burst into tears….of course…Because Laurie cries at everything so, grain of salt. But man she got him good. And laid there on the floor laughing so hard her belly shook.

She had the most contagious smile. Broad and genuinely warm and engaging. Her laugh was the most incredible music I’ve ever known. If she was telling you a story that she found particularly hilarious, it was all she could do to get the words out as she could hardly breathe. In those moments it didn’t matter that you might not be able to understand her, her joy was a gift.

She made our life so amazing. Nine kids in a 2 bedroom house with a 1/2 story attic big enough for 5 girls to share, like a dorm room. A finished basement where we could roller skate when it rained, or play ping pong or pool and a room that held a zillion board games, blocks, bats, balls, snow suits and boots, a record player, dart board, and the electric trains we set up every Christmas. She taught us to play cards, and never complained when we turned up the stereo or radio when we girls were doing dishes, or dad was out of the house.

She pitched whiffle balls, set up our croquet game or let us use her clothes line for badminton or volleyball. She let us dig in the dirt, play with the hose when it was hot, had my dad build us a sand box and a swing set. She taught us how to cross stitch and made paste with flour and water to stick our construction paper cutouts together. She was unstoppable. She was the ultimate mother. I am who I am today because on 11/11/22, the day God took his wand and cast stardust across the universe and breathed life into my sweet sweet mother, the tiny infant that was not expected to live. She fought for her own life and that of her children and grandchildren with love and prayer and sheer determination. She fought with a deep love for life and heart felt prayer from her soul, for each of us.

The last day she was awake, she gave me a message to pass on to her children. It was a moment I will never forget for the remainder of my own days, and worth repeating often.

‘Tell the children I said goodbye.

Tell them that I love them so much.

Tell them to be good to their mother’s and dads, they love them so much

I love them so much’

I said, I promise momma, I love you so much

She said, ‘I love you more.’…I love you more. How could I ever argue that.

Addendum:

Since the funeral, I have wanted to finish my acknowledgments of the remainder of my siblings that I did not mention at church. Sorry, I lost if after Peggy…

To:

My brother Christopher Dennis, for all the quiet stoic patience that my mother instilled in you. I remember how you always got on your bike and ran errand for mom as a kid. How you took on babysitting duties and made those times fun for us. How you rarely, if ever, complained about life in the middle of 9 kids. How much joy you gave her with the attention and love you gave to our brother Mark. It made her so happy. Mom loved you so much and I could always see her appreciation of you and your gentle way of being. When I look at you, I see that part of her in you.

Mark Joseph, wish you could read and understand me so I could tell you how incredibly much she loved you. Words could never convey.

James, I’m happy she is finally able to bestow all of herself on you now.

Carol Lee. Mom loved you so so deeply. She worried about you constantly, and was so grateful to be able to be there for you in the hard times you suffered from a disease doctors knew very little about in your younger years. She was always so happy to hear your sweet voice on the phone, and to know you were okay. I know she hated leaving you. Thank you for always staying so closely connected to her.

Laurie Lee. She thought she was finished having her passel of children, but as she was apt to reminded you, she decided she had room for just one more, and that was you. I love how much you loved her. How you kept in contact with her and worried about her. You were her last and she enjoyed spoiling you with her time and attention in the years when you were the last be at home with her before grade school. She always noted your generous heart, and you are more like her in that way than many, you just cry more…then again maybe not. She was so proud of you and how hard you worked for the sisters. You are so devoted to your own family, and working for the nuns is almost as good as having a priest for a son…, but not quite so don’t get a big May head about it. Lucy I am so grateful to have been there, to bare whitness, as you, her youngest child, knowing this would probably be her last meal bravely spoon feed her, through tears of course, that last bit of ice cream. I will never forget it.

Finally I come to Scott David. This one, will get to me the most. I spent many hours over my lifetime watching my mom with her own struggles, for her strength to take care of her brood with little sleep, for her ability to keep going after a particularly difficult day with the Bear, which were many, to fight her own depression from being overwhelmed with the enormity of the load she bore everyday from the sheer logistics of her life. But you Scottie were my hero in that. You could make mom laugh with just a one liner as you came barreling through the door. You were a true angel in mom’s life and therefore all of our lives. You brought her more joy with your own May sense of humor than all of us put together. You made her day, everyday that you were near her, and for that I could never repay you. I relished every single moment of watching you, with your quick and whitty sense of irony, make her laugh, make her smile, make her silently giggle. Thank you for all the Johnnie Carson nights you spent with her. I enjoyed watching the two of you at that hour more than any other hour of the day, because you could always bring her relief with your own joy of life. Thank you for all the practical jokes you put up with from her. They were the best and I was always on board with being in on them. You as much as mom taught me that with a humor, everything, no matter how difficult, can be made better, could be eased. I can never find the words to express how much hope you brought back to us when you lifted her spirits. Thank you for giving her so much joy. I don’t know what she would have done without you in her life.

Love you Momma,

Theresa Lee

#grandmaginny virginialee

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