#Big South Conference

[bongaboi]

Longwood: 2023-24 Big South Men's Basketball Champions

HIGH POINT, N.C. – They never stopped believing. If they could just stick together, they could be the best team in the hugely talented Big South.

They did. They are.

And now they're headed back to March Madness – bringing Lancer Nation along for another thrilling ride to the Big Dance.

Michael Christmas scored 18 points, Szymon Zapala had 17, and Walyn Napper added 10 points and 11 assists to lead Longwood past UNC Asheville 85-59 Sunday in the Hercules Tire Big South Tournament championship game, advancing to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the second time in three years. Napper was named the Tournament MVP, and both Christmas and Zapala joined him as All-Tournament selections.

In three unforgettable days of basketball, the Lancers beat the No. 4, No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the tournament.

On Sunday, they dominated defending champion UNC Asheville, leaving zero doubt who was the Big South's best team when it mattered most.

"It means everything," Zapala said. "It's a dream come true for me, playing in a championship game, winning, and getting a chance to play in March Madness."

When it was over Lancers cut down the nets in the Qubein Center with students, Stampede band members, cheerleaders, faculty and staff, teary-eyed family and other glowing fans eager to celebrate after driving down to cheer in person for a team that that caught fire in the final weeks of the season.

They'll find out who they play in the NCAA Tournament in one week, on Selection Sunday.

"Just an amazing performance by the guys," said head coach Grif Aldrich. "Our effort was tremendous. We were extremely tough. Three games in three days….. The reality is these guys, I'm not sure they couldn't have played another 40 minutes the way they were playing. There was just a dog mentality across the board. I thought it was tremendous."

Two years ago, Longwood (21-13) made its first NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Big South Tournament, following a 15-1 conference record. This time the journey was very different – but thrilling in a new way, a storyline even the most hopeful Lancer fans could hardly have imagined just a few short weeks ago.

This was a group that bonded early – on a preseason trip to Europe -- and stuck together through a tough stretch of mid-year setbacks that might have unraveled less connected teams. Just eight days ago, Longwood seemed likely to be relegated to a first-round play-in game in the conference tournament.

"The only people who didn't realize they were 6-10 in conference were the guys in our locker room," Aldrich said. "They knew they were a lot better. They believed throughout. Their confidence in themselves and each other has truly been remarkable."

In the final weeks of the season, they showed they could go toe-to-toe with anyone in a conference whose overall talent level has never been higher.

Then, in Sunday's title game, they did a lot more than go toe-to-toe.

They had to do it without a key contributor. Elijah Tucker, who played a critical role getting Longwood to Sunday, missed the final game with an injury.

"I talked to ET before the game, what he said was, 'go win the championship,'" Zapala said. "We all said before the game we had to do it for him. That was our mindset from the beginning."

No kidding. Christmas opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and a dunk, Johan Nziemi followed with six quick points as Longwood exploded out of the gates. The Lancers simply pounded away at the Bulldogs inside, extending the lead to 42-24 on Zapala's lay-in at the halftime buzzer.

It was the most complete half of basketball Lancer fans had seen in a long time – maybe ever – and Asheville never knew what hit them. Longwood dominated the boards, held two-time Big South Player of the Year Drew Pember to a single first-half field goal, and kept the Bulldogs off the free throw line until the final 37 seconds before intermission.

The second half was more of the same, as Longwood simply outmuscled, outhustled, outshot and outrebounded the Bulldogs, never letting them get within striking range – allowing players and fans to loudly savor the final two minutes, the game and title in hand.

Everyone contributed, picking up slack with Tucker's absence. Emmanuel Richards was ferocious on defense, and DA Houston – back after an eye injury that limited his minutes in the semi-finals – played with his usual relentlessness while helping Longwood break Asheville's press.

Even Trey Hicks, who made himself a team leader despite getting very little playing time due to injuries during his Longwood career, came off for a few minutes in the second half for the first time this season to spot a Lancers' frontcourt depleted by Tucker's absence. And to the delight of Longwood fans – and his parents in the stands – he scored the final points of the game on a dunk. Napper, meanwhile, set a tournament championship game record with his 11 assists.

"Walyn Napper and DA have literally grabbed hold of this team and told them what they're going to do, how they're going to do it," Aldrich said. "The leadership you saw over the past couple of days has been phenomenal." Of Napper, he added: "One of the great joys in coaching is getting to see people grow. I've never seen anybody grow as much. Even if we had lost in the tournament."

It was the cap of an eight-day run Lancer Nation will never forget. A week ago Saturday, Napper's last-second bucket sent Longwood past regular-season champion High Point in the season finale in Farmville, rocketing them up to a No. 5 seed.

On Thursday, they outworked No. 4 seed Winthrop in the second half to earn a 69-55 quarterfinal victory. And on Saturday, in a game Lancer fans will never forget, they rallied from 15 down in the second half to beat No. 1 seed High Point again – this time on their home court, stunning and silencing a raucous sell-out crowd.

In Sunday's championship game, a close-knit team showed this was no fluke. Longwood is the best team in the Big South.

It's hard to overstate just how far Longwood basketball had traveled.

Prior to the arrival of head coach Aldrich in 2018, Longwood had never finished better than eighth in the conference, had just one overall winning season in its Division I history – and none since joining the Big South. Under Aldrich they've now finished fifth or better in the regular season five straight seasons, and won 20 games or more three straight years – a first in program history at any level.

"I think we have really strived, President Reveley, Tim Hall our AD, we've really wanted to build a program, not just a team," Aldrich said. "This has been an institutional effort. This is extremely is rewarding I hope for a lot of people, not just the guys and women in the men's basketball department, but in a lot of departments where people have really worked hard to build this program."

There's still basketball to play.

GoWood

[specialagentartemis]

Hey, would you be willing to elaborate on that "disappearance of the Anasazi is bs" thing? I've heard something like that before but don't know much about it and would be interested to learn more. Or just like point me to a paper or yt video or something if you don't want to explain right now? Thanks!

I’m traveling to an archaeology conference right now, so this sounds like a great way to spend my airport time! @aurpiment you were wondering too—

“Anasazi” is an archaeological name given to the ancestral Puebloan cultural group in the US Southwest. It’s a Diné (Navajo) term and Modern Pueblos don’t like it and find it othering, so current archaeological best practices is to call this cultural group Ancestral Puebloans. (This is politically complicated because the Diné and Apache nations and groups still prefer “Anasazi” because through cultural interaction, mixing, and migration they also have ancestry among those people and they object to their ancestry being linguistically excluded… demonyms! Politically fraught always!)

However. The difficulties of explaining how descendant communities want to call this group kind of immediately shows: there are descendant communities. The “Anasazi” are Ancestral Purbloans. They are the ancestors of the modern Pueblos.

The Ancestral Puebloans as a distinct cultural group defined by similar material culture aspects arose 1200-500 BCE, depending on what you consider core cultural traits, and we generally stop talking about “Ancestral Puebloan” around 1450 CE. These were a group of people who lived in northern Arizona and New Mexico, and southern Colorado and Utah—the “Four Corners” region. There were of course different Ancestral Pueblo groups, political organizations, and cultures over the centuries—Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, Kayenta, Tusayan, Ancestral Hopi—but they generally share some traits like religious sodality worship in subterranean circular kivas, residence in square adobe roomblocks around central plazas, maize farming practices, and styles of coil-and-scrape constructed black-on-white and black-on-red pottery.

The most famous Ancestral Pueblo/“Anasazi” sites are the Cliff Palace and associated cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado:

When Europeans/Euro-Americans first found these majestic places, people had not been living in them for centuries. It was a big mystery to them—where did the people who built these cliff cities go? SURELY they were too complex and dramatic to have been built by the Native people who currently lived along the Rio Grande and cited these places as the homes of their ancestors!

So. Like so much else in American history: this mystery is like, 75% racism.

But WHY did the people of Mesa Verde all suddenly leave en masse in the late 1200s, depopulating the whole Mesa Verde region and moving south? That was a mystery. But now—between tree-ring climatological studies, extensive archaeology in this region, and actually listening to Pueblo people’s historical narratives—a lot of it is pretty well-understood. Anything archaeological is inherently, somewhat mysterious, because we have to make our best interpretations of often-scant remaining data, but it’s not some Big Mystery. There was a drought, and people moved south to settle along rivers.

There’s more to it than that—the 21-year drought from 1275-1296 went on unusually long, but it also came at a time when the attempted re-establishment of Chaco cultural organization at the confusingly-and-also-racist-assuption-ly-named Aztec Ruin in northern New Mexico was on the decline anyway, and the political situation of Mesa Verde caused instability and conflict with the extra drought pressures, and archaeologists still strenuously debate whether Athabaskans (ancestors of the Navajo and Apache) moved into the Four Corners region in this time or later, and whether that caused any push-out pressures…

But when I tell people I study Southwest archaeology, I still often hear, “Oh, isn’t it still a big mystery, what happened to the Anasazi? Didn’t they disappear?”

And the answer is. They didn’t disappear. Their descendants simply now live at Hopi, Zuni, Taos, Picuris, Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambé, Ohkay Owingeh, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tamaya/Santa Ana, Kewa/Santo Domingo, Tesuque, Zia, and Ysleta del Sur. And/or married into Navajo and Apache groups. The Anasazi/Ancestral Puebloans didn’t disappear any more than you can say the Ancient Romans disappeared because the Coliseum is a ruin that’s not used anymore. And honestly, for the majority of archaeological mysteries about “disappearance,” this is the answer—the socio-political organization changed to something less obvious in the archaeological record, but the people didn’t disappear, they’re still there.

[vaspider]

Man I don’t think people realize that these laws (like the WV laws) affect real people (supporting what you said about bigger issues in the trans community).

I JUST started transitioning. Like, I’m getting T THIS WEEK. If this law passes, I can never go to WV with my family again and my state is probably next. it’s sad because WV is beautiful. camdem park was a big part of my childhood. the mountains there are gorgeous!! i have so many great memories going there for band events. heck, my partner went to a gay conference and drag bar in WV, queer people are there!! they reminded me just now that WV is the state with the most trans people per square inch proportionally (their words, not mine). ain’t our fault how republicans fucked the region over.

republicans be fighting my dysphoria on who can be the biggest piece of shit in my life i swear. you know if one of those men had low testosterone at 60, they will get full treatment, but im scared of ostracization, getting harrassed, and these fucking laws because im a trans guy who has low testosterone. >:(

(i know im just ranting in your asks but damn it we transpeople need to stick together *hug* i wish people would stop hating the south for once and realize there are real people here who call the mountains our home)

💗

[bangtanhoneys]

just gimme them babies - grace chu

Big Hit had been teasing something for the past few weeks. Cute images were posted across their social media and everyone started to expect that there was another Grace album coming, even though BTS were amid a comeback. Twitter was aflame with all the ideas and ARMY were trying to see if anything could be hidden in the images by zooming in. 

Then on a Friday night, a link was uploaded. 

It was a YouTube video which was going to premiere on Sunday afternoon in South Korea. The title of the video: ‘Grace Chu - Here In My Arms Mini-Album (Official Live Performance).’ This puzzled ARMY and the rest of the world even more as it had been a while since the mini album had been released, on the seven-year anniversary of Seokjin and Grace’s relationship. 

For Grace, the whole performance was giving her a mixed bag of emotions. 

Unbeknownst to everyone, it was the first of many ‘last’ performances from Grace until she went on maternity leave. Eighteen weeks pregnant and the bump was now full on display, though cleverly hidden by style choices in the early days, but it was getting harder to conceal. It was getting harder to sing and dance, unable to pull off the choreography like she used to. 

A meeting had been called to put a plan in motion for BTS to continue their comeback, with Grace still present, but not doing the performances. Her voice would be there, she would still do the interviews and the press conferences and a doctor would be on hand at all times. When 25 weeks came around, she would be put on rest. But for now, while she could still perform, she was going to give ARMY a treat.

A ‘see you later’ treat and a way to announce her pregnancy. 

HYBE’s top floor had been cleared and re-done, back to the very basics but hints of pastel colours - ivory, pink, purple, green, yellow, blues, etc. The band that had played with Yoongi during his D-Day tour was drafted in and they, along with Grace, had come up with a small set-list that would do what it needed to do - say goodbye but oh, pregnant!

She was nervous as the hours to the premiere ticked down. The K-Pop world could be unpredictable when it came to idols and their private relationships. Their reaction to her and Seokjin had been more than favourable, but this was something different altogether. They weren’t married and the pregnancy had been kind of wanted but also a major surprise. 

It had been a major surprise to all the boys when they were given their uncle hoodies. 

Grace had banned them from being at HYBE on the day of the performance. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them there but they were a distraction, having already seen the set the day before and were causing chaos with the flowers that had been brought in. Well, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook and Hobi had been causing chaos. Namjoon, Yoongi and Seokjin had been causing chaos by going over the lyrics. 

There were a few swear words and obviously, the lyrics were sexually suggestive but that’s why this would be a one-off and never done again. 

The minutes were ticking by and Grace let out a deep breath, putting a hand on her stomach where there was a slight fluttering. She was standing in the middle of the set, the band behind her with a small orchestra, all dressed in various colours while she was dressed in a pink sparkly dress. 

It had been designed to be loose, to hide the bump until she was ready to reveal it. Any camera on her wouldn’t be able to tell that she was 18 weeks pregnant, ready to tell the world what she was expecting. 

As the premiere ended and the official performance began, ARMY was shocked to see Bang-PD pop up in a recording that had been filmed the day before. 

“I’m pleased to introduce to you all, Grace Chu, our female member of Bangtan Sonyeondan. We hope you all enjoy the performance of this amazing album even if we’re a bit behind and I hope to see you all in the comments.”

It was puzzling and anyone translating had commented that it was such an odd thing to say. Some were beginning to worry that it was going to spell the end of BTS as they knew it.

Finally, the cameras switched for ARMY to see Grace standing here, microphone in hand as the band and orchestra started the intro notes to Positions. The comments started going crazy with everyone watching, each trying to get Grace’s attention, not realising she couldn’t exactly see them. 

The boys, however, in Namjoon’s apartment had the performance on his wide-screen TV and could see the comments coming in real-time. Jimin was running a commentary as he held his phone in his hand, his screen showing the comments only as the rest watched along. 

They were just as nervous, Seokjin more so. This was going to be a big day with the world knowing their most private news and it was either going to be bad or it was going to be very good. In this idol/K-Pop world, it was hard to know. 

So far the comments had been exploding over her voice, how she was glowing and there had been one or two comments who had already suspected what was happening.

“Ah ARMY aren’t stupid,” Jimin laughed as he pointed out the comment he had quickly screenshotted before it disappeared. “They said this is giving baby vibes and then the other comment said she’s going to announce she’s pregnant, putting money on it.”

“Is there a reason she picked a pink dress?” Yoongi asked, already making note of the particular colour.

Seokjin shrugged, accepting the bowl of food from Hobi who had been sorting out their takeaway food. “I have no idea, we haven’t had a gender scan yet. I think the stylists said it was the only material they had which would hide her bump.”

Yoongi didn’t quite believe it, nor did Seokjin who knew the exact reasoning behind it all.

It was then the most important song came, the boys and everyone holding their breath because it was going to happen within seconds. Staff were ready to start banning, and even lawyers were on standby to start suing. 

34+35 started playing, all eyes on the screen as Grace took a breath and stood from the chair she had been sitting in from the previous performance of Safety Net. 

“You might think I'm crazy, the way I've been cravin.' If I put it quite plainly,” she turned sideways to the camera and smoothed the dress to the now obvious eighteen week bump, “just gimme them babies.”

The internet went into utter melt down. Grace carried on with the song, completely unaware of what was happening across various social media pages. All she saw was a thumbs up from Sejin. 

Pink confetti started raining down as she got towards the end of the song, finally revealing to the world and to the boys what gender it was. 

“You liar!” Yoongi yelled, pointing a finger at a grinning Seokjin.

“Ah I technically wasn’t lying, the stylist did pick that material for a reason,” the father of a soon-to-be baby girl pointed out, ignoring the rest as they clamoured around him for hugs. Jungkook was crying into Namjoon’s chest, blubbering how he was going to be the best big brother ever. 

At the end of the performance, at the end of the video, Grace gave the camera finger hearts and patted her stomach with a smile on her face. The screen faded to black with pink wording: Bangtan Baby. Coming April. See you soon.

[lovebaby123]

Aphrodisiac

Pairing : Leader! jungkook × fem!reader

Genres: smut,fluff,love,aftercare

Summary : The leader of the secret agent group secretly goes to help the quiet agent in her bedroom after knowing she was given a disturbing substance to consume by the enemies.

Warnings: rated (M 18+) , dom!jungkook , sub!reader, shy!reader, secret love, reader is a blushing mess, intense makeout, lips sucking, nipple playing, nipple sucking, oral ( reader receiving) , sweaty, heated, fingering, unprotected sex (DON'T) , sexy!jungkook, caring!jungkook , loved!reader.

Note: This is my first time writing anything to public. I apologize for any grammatical mistakes. Please read till the end, i made it with so much love. Please enjoy. 💘

"Did everything go well?"

"Yes sir. There were about seven criminals that were there. We have caught all of them. Alive." The agent answered to their leader who just came back from Italy after attending a very important meeting of the central intelligence of their country.

"Good. Are all the agents safe and well? "

"Yes sir...but.." the agent hesitated after thinking a bit as he himself was unsure of the situation that was created in the mission that evening.

"But? What ?" Asked the leader, looking out of the big window of their conference room, staring at the dark night.

" Sir actually, when we went there to find the criminals, they caught some of our agents and tried to torture them. However, that didn't last long as we were able to call for help but.... I think they...... drugged one of our agents to get the truth out of her." Explained the agent with a bit of hesitation in his voice.

The Leader's eyebrows furrowed a bit listening to his agent. A drug? To get the truth out? He wanted to laugh at their pathetic attempt. But all that came out of him was a slight smirk at the end of his right side lip, as he played with his newly gotten piercing with his tongue.

" Who was drugged?"

" Um.. Agent Y/n.... " The agent answered looking down at the feet of the leader.

His smirk was quick to be replaced with a tight line of lips.

"Mr. Jeon...we tried to talk to her all the way back, but she didn't even utter a single word. Even after coming back from the mission, she went straight to her room. We dont exactly know what drug she was given." The agent uttered in a low voice, unsure of the reaction of the man standing in front of him.

"Hmm.... It okay. Your duty is done for today. You can rest now." Jungkook dismissed the agent while still looking out of the window.

"O...okay sir. Have a good night" the agent muttered, surprised by the ignorance of the leader towards his agent. He wanted to question the leader further, but looking at his face reminds him of his capabilities as a leader. He chose to keep his mouth shut and left the room.

"Always getting in trouble." Sighed the leader.

Jeon Jungkook. The Leader of the secret central agency of South korea, who is known for his utterly cold behaviour and sharpest mind. He may speak less ,but his way of working through every mission, is out of this world. An absolute ideal man for the country ,who keeps his work before anything else, and his identity hidden. Have been working under this agency for 9 years.

Lee y/n. Agent no. 4. sharp, quiet and one of the best agents of the agency. prefers to speak less in front of new people but is very sweet and caring from inside. However this sweetness is long forgotten when she is on a mission. But, in front of their leader, with whom she has been working under for 4 years, the matter is different.

1:03 AM . Quiet, slow steps through the dead silent hallway of dorm rooms of agents were taken by the buff man. An empty mind. black shirt, black trousers, big black boots and hairs tied in a messy manbun, he took his steps towards the very specific room while playing with his lip ring. Advancing towards the room, 3 light knocks were planted on the wooden door , as he waited for the person on another side to answer the door. However, a slight frown appeared on his forehead as not even a single sound came from the other side.

After standing still for a minute, his tattooed arm advanced towards the code box as he entered the respective code that only he and the owner of the room knows. No one else.

As the code entered, the door unlocked. He slowly opened the door and was taken aback a bit the very, very cold room. 'isn't it cold already' , thought the man, as he took slow steps inside.

Scanning his sharp eyes across the messy room, he as surprised by the state of the room. Clothes were shattered on the floor, shoes were thrown around messily, the AC was unusually on the lowest temperature. Thats when his eyes fell upon the bed.

There she was, lying on the bed, under the thick blanket, facing the wall, unaware of the sudden presence of the man, who was now staring at the gurl with softened eyes. After staring at the girl for a minute , he figured that she is sleeping . As he didnt wanted to disturb the obviously tired agent, he turned around to leave the room as quietly as he came.

"hunghh"

He stopped dead in his tracks after listening to the heart shattering sob, that came out of the girl behind him. He didnt dare to turn around and stood dead where he was. And thats when it happened.

One after another , quiet sobs filled the cold atmosphere of the room. Turning around, he took 3 big steps to reach the bed , as his right hand grabbed the blanket that was covering the figure of the sobbing girl. He didnt think twice before he slowly pulled the blanket away and grabbed he shoulder to make her look at him. He slowly pulled her towards himself. Thats when his heart shattered.

" My baby......" Came out as a mere whisper after looking at her heart clenching state.

Her face was covered in sweat. Red cheeks and nose. Long black Hairs sticking to parts of her face. And fat tears coming out of her half lidded eyes,as no strength was there in her body to look at her lover, who was now staring at her face with furrowed brows as he took her burning body in his strong arms.

Tightly clutching her in his arms , his hand ran down her arm and held her soft palm in his hand.

"What did they do to you baby?? Please tell me... " He whispered in her ear as his heart broke listening to the powerless sobs of his sweetheart.

"Jung..jungkook-ah" a whisper of his name came out of her mouth as she struggled to breathe.

" Hold me please...."

Jungkook was quick to listen to her as he made himself lay down with her ,taking her in his arms as her arms wrapped around his waist, hiding her face in his hard chest as she sobbed, " I feel so hot." She told him while shifting closer to him,if possible.

Hot? Jungkook's mind running everywhere to think of a drug that she might be given as for her to be like this. But his thoughts came to a halt when he felt something warm on his neck.

"Kook...help me.."

Jungkook looked down on his love, whose lips were hovering over his collarbone, licking and sucking it like a little kitten.

That's when it clicked in his mind. He smirked as he figured out what exactly is happening and why she is feeling hot all of sudden.

" Oh darling..." He whispered from above her ear, as his hands went below to grab her by her waist and pull her up. As she came face to face with him, she directly leaned toward his lips, chasing a kiss. He leaned his head back quickly, as a deep laugh erupted from his throat.

Aphrodisiac.

Thats the cause of her state.

She again hid her face in his neck as she whined due to feeling embarrassed.

"Ah whyyyyy" She chirped in his neck as she starts feeling hotter in his warm embrace.

Jungkook grabbed her face in both of his big palms as he squished her cheeks and asked, " Is my baby feeling needy? "

Looking directly in his eyes, which were now dark with lust, she felt shy as she looked down on his chest to avoid his heated gaze. Even in this state of her body, she can't help but feel shy in his arms.

"Awww.. baby...look at my eyes" he smiled as he bent his down to look into her eyes, feeling her shyness makes him want to squish her in his arms.

She gathered her courage and looked into his eyes and got hypnotized by the ocean of lust in his dark orbs. His warm breath mingled with hers as his hands went lower to her ass, and grabbed the flesh in his palms with such force that made a sudden moan rip out of her throat. She looked surprised at the sudden touch as she looked in his eyes.

He pulled her towards his body as their lips met for a heated kiss that took her breath away. His tongue was quick to find hers as both of them got lost in the heat. His hands started massaging the flesh in his hands and her hands went forward to explore his well built chest. Her trembling fingers started unbottoning his shirt as he smirked in the kiss noticing her boldness.

A sharp pinch was delivered as a reward on her ass as she gasped in pain and pleasure in the kiss.

As they ran out of breadth, they parted from the kiss and stared at each other's eyes.

Both of them being non talkers, they let their eyes speak all the time, then it be in public or in such heated moments.

" You gonna let me take care of you huh?" He whispered on her lips.

She once again shied down as she tried to turn away from his hold ,but he was quick to hover upon her, as he buried his face in her neck.

"I will baby, i will take care of you the whole night. Gonna fuck you so hard you'll forget your own name." He whispered seductively in her neck as wet kisses were placed down ,followed by hickies.

She wanted to bury deep into the ground, listening to the filth coming out of her man's mouth. It was only in these types of moments where he lets his mind speak and only she knows how much filthier her can be in bed.

His pulled himself up and sat on his knees, trapping her under him and looked down at her.

Swollen lips, red blushed cheeks ,sparkling eyes and her chest going up and down. Looking deeply in her eyes ,his hands went forward to unbutton her shirt as she stared back at him with the same intensity.

After unbuttoning the shirt, he helped her out of it and his fingers unhooked her black bra that was covering her tits.

After getting rid of her uppers, he went back on his knees as he stared down at her chest while breathing heavily. His hands gently caressed the soft, fluffy skin of her boobs as se closed her eyes, feeling his warm touch on her burning skin.

"Please....do something..." She moaned out, running out of patience as heat was taking over her mind.

He didnt waste a single second and advanced his mouth towards her tits as his warm mouth engulfed the heated skin, running his tongue over the hardened nipple.

She moaned out loud in pleasure, hands gripping his hairs as she noticed his sexy manbun, and decided to free his locks. She opened the bun and buried her fingers in his hairs and gripped them tightly, making him moan.

Harshly sucking on her nipple, his right hand taking care of the other one.

She was lost in pleasure. Closed eyes and heavy breaths. She wanted more, Wanted to quench her thirst.

His tongue and lips made their way down, on her stomach, licking and sucking, lost in the soft and milky skin. As he reached her booty shorts, he looked up towards his love, who was now staring back at him with hooded eyes. Her eyes pleaded with him to continue his journey.

With a smirk on his lip, he pulled her shorts down along with her drenched panties. The sudden gush of cold air on her core, made her shut the thighs tightly as she threw her head back on the pillow.

He kissed her left thigh from the side, as his hands made their way between the thighs. In a strong tug, her open her thighs with force.

Looking at her shining pussy made him harder than he already was. 'I'm gonna die today'

Looking up in her eyes ,he threw her a sexy wink as what he did next, took away the breath of her lungs.

He straightly went towards her clenching pussy and gave the most stomach twisting suck of her life to her clit.

" Aghhhhh jungkookkkk" she grabbed his head in his fingers as her thighs trapped him between them, squeezing his head. But that didnt stop him from moving his tongue relentlessly in her dripping cunt.

Slurping,sucking,licking and biting. Making her see stars.

Her moans turned into sobs as pleasure took over her mind, completely forgetting that there are other people at their floor too.

"J-jung...jun.. "

"Tell me baby" Vibrat

After constant torture on her sensitive cunt, she starting breathing heavily with closed eyes.

" I m gonna cum....." she whispered in shivering tone.

"Do it baby, show me what you got, come on" he muttered while still licking her sweetness as vibrations from his words finally made her feel the heaven and she came with a loud moans. But his tongue didnt stop there. Sucking the living soul out of her , he finally decided to plant a deep smooch on her pussy, as she whined from overstimulation.

He again at on his knees, staring at her flushed red face. His chin and nose shining from his sweetness. Feeling his heated gaze on her, she hid her face in her palms, still overwhelmed by the orgasm. his gaze darkened by witnessing her shy behaviour as he bent down , grabbing both of her wrists and pulling them away from her face. She had her eyes closed, not daring to look at him. However, she was taken aback by feeling his lips on hers with such force that made her head dip back more in pillow. Tasting herself in his mouth, she moaned out in his warm mouth.

After a minute , he parted away and took off his already unbuttoned shirt, still looking at her deep orbs.

Looking down at her completely naked body, he was as hard as rock. He then proceeded towards his trousers as he took them off in a hurry.

" I will ruin you tonight babygirl" he whispered while taking off his boxers and throwing them away to the floor.

Parting her legs, he bent down, as he lined himself up on her already clenching pussy, he leans down to plant a sweet kiss on her forehead. Placing his elbows on the bed , beside each of ear, he joined both of theirs forehead and looked deeply in her ocean eyes. She stared back while breathing heavily on his lips.

Feeling his hard and warm tip on her entrance, she gripped his biceps that were beside her ears.

He slowly pushed his hard cock in her soaked pussy as both of them moaned into each other mouths, closing their eyes.

She moaned out loud in pain as he filled her to the brim, squeezing his hard muscles, leaving her nail marks. He starting moving in her cunt as the room got filled with deep moans. The temperature rising, both of them got lost in devouring the pleasure.

"Arghhh kook-ah " she whispered in his ears as he buried his face in her neck, sucking hickies while pounding her sweet cunt with deep, strong thrusts.

" Feels so fucking good bay, so fucking good aggghh" He moaned in her ear as her bit her earlobe after, causing her to sob due to the extreme intensity of pleasure she was experiencing.

" Such a good girl for me , keep clenching baby... you love my big cock don't ya? always so wet for me" his torture continued on her poor pussy as she starting sobbing in his ear while hugging his broad shoulders.

"So fucking perfect baby, so good, only for me yeah? only I can pound in this tight cunt, no one else damn it" his said while gritting his teeth as he pushed himself up and planted his palms beside her head and started again at an inhuman pace. She moaned out loud as her hands reached up to grab his wrists, her mind was drunk in pleasure. All she could see was him. Only him.

She could feel him in her stomach as a knot started forming in her tummy, ready to burst.

" I can feel it bay, come on, cum for me, sock this fucking dick in your sweet juices. Come on" he moaned while he deepened his thrusts on her warmth as he can feel her core clenching hard on his dick.

"Ughh Daddy..." she whispered mindlessly, as she couldn't hear what she was saying, not knowing that something snapped in him after listening to his favourite word coming out of her mouth.

" Ahhh fuck baby, you drive me so fuckin crazy" he said while speeding up his thrusts.

Thats when the coil burst her stomach as she came, hard.

" AGGHHHH" her scream didnt stop jungkook from thrusting deeply in her quivering cunt, as he stared at the place where they both were connected. Watching her cream his cock and listening to her shivering sobs, made his high approach him faster.

After a few thrusts, his hips started fluttering as he came with a loud moan. He kept thrusting slowly making her whine from overstimulation.

After finished off, her fell upon her, as she took him in her shaking arms. After breathing sufficient air, he fell beside her, and pulled her to his chest, while rubbing her back affectionately.

" Feeling good now love?" He asked while caressing her hairs gently.

"Hmm..Sleepy..." She whispered in his neck, as he chuckled at her cuteness.

" Okay, lets clean up fast" saying that he got off bed and headed towards the bathroom. He came back with a warm wet towel. Climbing on the bed, he parted her legs slowly, and started with her inner thighs. Gently wiping of their juices off, her slowly cleaned up her overly sensitive womanhood, causing her to whine quietly.

" Its done baby , shhh" he completed wiping her off and went back to the bathroom. He came back with another towel this time, making her look at him confusedly.

He felt her stare as he looked at her curious eyes, and threw her a flying kiss , causing a red tint and a shy smile to appear on her face. He again climbed on the bed and started wiping off the arms , chest, stomach and her face gently.

A beautiful smile made its way towards her lips after looking at his care towards her, making her heart filled with warmth.

He also smiled after looking at her smile and leaning in for a sweet kiss which she reciprocated happily.

Then he threw the towel aside and slipped under the covers with her, cuddling her to sleep.

After a few minutes , he could feel her breathing softly, and decided to return back to his room as he didnt wanted the whole agency to find out about their hidden secret. However, he had to deal with the criminals as well , who were caught in the evening , wanting to make them learn a very important lesson of not messing with his woman again.

He slowly got off the bed and wore his clothes quietly and picked up her clothes from the floor and nicely folded them and placed them on her study table.

He came back towards her and stole one last kiss from her lips.

" Goodnight babygirl"

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 27 June 1905, the revolutionary union the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in Chicago, Illinois. One of the first multiracial unions in the US, the IWW advocated all workers uniting into one big union, taking control of society and abolishing capitalism. It's founding conference lasted from June 27 to July 8, and was attended by over 200 workers including legendary labour organisers like Mother Jones, Big Bill Haywood and leading Black anarchist Lucy Parsons. It organised large swathes of previously unorganised workers in the US, and pioneered many innovative new types of industrial action like slow-downs and sabotage. Parsons at its founding convention delivered a speech arguing for sit-in strikes, which would sweep the US 30 years later, declaring: "My conception of the strike of the future is not to strike and go out an starve, but to strike and remain in and take possession of the necessary property of production." The IWW won big improvements for hundreds of thousands of workers, and for its troubles faced savage repression from employers, with many organisers beaten, jailed and murdered. It also spread to other countries including Chile, Australia and South Africa. It still exists today, although much smaller than it was, and its members are active in many organising projects. We've got a number of great books where you can learn more about the IWW, as well as other items celebrating the union, in our online store. Proceeds help fund our work: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/iww https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=651651877008031&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[aimeedaisies]

The Princess Royal’s Official Engagements in April 2024

06/04 As President of the Working Clumber Spaniel Society, held a Training Day to mark their 40th Anniversary at Gatcombe Park. 🐶

09/04 On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Windsor Castle.🎖️

With Sir Tim Opened Tideway’s Chelsea Quay, on Chelsea Embankment in London. 🌊

With Sir Tim, As Master of the Corporation of Trinity House, attended the 70th anniversary of Re-Hallowing Service at St Olave’s Church, followed by a Reception at Trinity House. ⛪️🍾

10/04 Visited Helmshore Mills Textile Museum in Rossendale, Lancashire. 🧵👕

Visited Trawden Village Community Projects in Trawden near Colne, Lancashire. 🏡

Visited HMS VENTURER in build at Venturer Hall in Fife. ⛴️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

11/04 In Northern Ireland Princess Anne; 🇮🇪

Visited Fleming Agri Products Limited in Derry. 🚜

Visited Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners, to commemorate its 170th Anniversary. 🚢

Visited the South West College Erne Campus building in Enniskillen. 🏫

Visited the renovated Enniskillen Workhouse in Enniskillen. 💼

As Patron of Maritime UK, attended the Northern Ireland Maritime and Offshore Cluster launch Reception at Belfast Harbour Office. ⚓️🥂

12/04 As Royal Patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, attended the Northern Ireland Conference at Dunsilly Hotel in Antrim. 🇮🇪👨‍🦽

As Patron of Tenovus Cancer Care, visited a Mobile Support Unit at Bronglais General Hospital in Aberystwyth. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏥

15/04 With Sir Tim As the Former President of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, presented The Princess Royal Award and Royal Dairy Innovation Award at Gatcombe Park. 🐄🥛🏆

16/04 As Royal Patron of the National Coastwatch Institution, this visited Fleetwood Station in Fleetwood, followed by a Reception at Marine Hall. 🔎🌊

As Patron of the Pony Club, visited Wrea Green Equitation Centre in Preston, to mark the 25th of the Pony Club Centre Membership Scheme. 🐴

As President of the Carers Trust, visited Sefton Carers Centre in Liverpool, to mark its 30th anniversary. 🧑‍🦯🩺

17/04 On behalf of The King, held two Investitures at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

18/04 Attended the Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch at Guildhall. 🍛

As President of The Duke of Edinburgh's Commonwealth Study Conferences, held a Dinner at Buckingham Palace for the President's Council and the Caribbean-Canada Leaders' Dialogue. 🗺️🍽️

19/04 On behalf of The King, held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. 🎖️

21/04 Unofficial As President of the Working Clumber Spaniel Society, hosted a test day at Gatcombe Park. 🐶

22/04 As trustee of the council of St George’s House Princess Anne;

Attended a council meeting at St George’s House. 💼

Attended a Lecture in St. George's Chapel. 🎓

Attended a Dinner at the Vicars' Hall. 🍽️

23/04 On behalf of The King, held two Investitures at Windsor Castle. 🎖️

As Royal Patron of the Special Boat Service Association, held a Dinner at Windsor Castle. 🚤🍽️

24/04 As President of the Riding for the Disabled Association, visited the Cavalier Centre, and presented The King’s Awards for Voluntary Service in Farley, Much Wenlock. 🐎🏆

As Patron of Save the Children UK, visited the Lyth, Ellesmere, the birthplace of Eglantyne Jebb. 🏠

Visited the Jebb Memorial Garden at Cremorne Gardens in Ellesmere. ⛲️

25/04 Attended "DNA Day" at Illumina Centre in Great Abington. 🧬

Opened the National House Building Council's Apprenticeship Training Hub at Histon Football Club. 👷

As Patron of the Royal College of Midwives, visited Hinchingbrooke Hospital Maternity Unit. 👶🏥

As Colonel of The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons), visited The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment at Hyde Park Barracks. 🐴💂

As Chancellor of the University of London, attended an Institute of Commonwealth Studies Reception at the Senate House, to mark its 75th anniversary. 🎓

27/04 As Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, attended the National Drill and Piping Competition at HMS Raleigh. 🫡⚓️

30/04 As Guardian of the Chaffinch Trust, attended a Reception at the Reform Club. 🥂

As Chancellor of the University of London, attended a Graduation Ceremony at the Barbican Centre. 🎓

As Commandant-in-Chief of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps), presented Coronation Medals at Wellington Barracks in London. 🫡🎖️

Total official engagements for Anne in April: 39

2024 total so far: 171

Total official engagements accompanied by Tim in April: 3

2024 total so far: 32

FYI - due to certain royal family members being off ill/in recovery I won't be posting everyone's engagement counts out of respect, I am continuing to count them and release the totals at the end of the year.

[inside0ut-dotnet]

Ready, Set, Pride! Last Minute Celebration Ideas

With only 24 hours left until Pride Month kicks off, it's time to start planning how you're going to celebrate with your fabulous love bugs! Are you hitting up a major pride celebration in a city near you, hosting a virtual pride event, or just keeping it low key with your partner or friends? Whatever your plans may be, get ready to show your pride and spread the love!

Join the Parade or Party

If you're lucky enough to live near a city hosting a major pride celebration, why not join the parade or party? Put on your brightest rainbow outfit, grab some glitter, and get ready to dance the day away with your LGBTQ+ community. It's a time to be loud, proud, and unapologetically yourself!

Mid South Pride (May 2-June 2) in Memphis, Tennessee: A huge celebration including Memphis Pride Fest Weekend, a Drag N Drive event, a Big Gay Dance Party, and a Pride Parade.

Gay Days at Disney World (May 30-June 3) in Orlando, Florida: Over 150,000 LGBTQ+ Disney fans attend this annual event at the Magic Kingdom, featuring parties, a Gay Days Expo, Bear pool parties, and special guest performers.

Provincetown Pride (May 31-June 2) in Provincetown, Massachusetts: Enjoy a Pride festival, Queer Comedy showcase, Feet Over Front Street Pride 5K, and more. This year, there’s also “Reimagining Queer Africa” with art, technology, and outreach from Lagos, Nigeria.

New York City Pride (June 30) in New York, New York: The largest Pride Parade in North America, drawing thousands of participants and spectators in Greenwich Village.

Washington, D.C. Capital Pride (June 8-9): Events throughout the month, including a Night of Queer Expression and a rooftop pool party.

Twin Cities Pride Festival (June 28) in Minnesota: Minnesota’s second-largest festival, featuring LGBTQIA+ entertainment, vendors, and community resources. These events celebrate our collective queer joy, honor LGBTQ+ activists, and provide safe spaces for everyone to express their queerness and sexuality. 🌈✨

Host a Virtual Pride Event

Can't make it to a physical pride celebration? No problem! Host a virtual pride event with your friends and loved ones. Get creative with rainbow-themed decorations, plan some fun activities or games, and don't forget to blast some empowering LGBTQ+ anthems. It's a great way to show your pride from the comfort of your own home!

Pride Summit 2024 by Lesbians Who Tech and Allies:

Date: June 11th - 13th

Description: A week-long virtual summit with thought-provoking discussions, learning experiences, and professional development opportunities.  Speakers include tech luminaries and cultural leaders like Gabrielle Union and Sam Altman.

WorkPride 2024:

Date: June 17th - 21st

Description: A global virtual Pride conference focused on workplace equality. It’s free for professionals, graduates, and inclusive employers.

Brooklyn Pride Virtual Drag Bingo:

Date: June 4th

Remember to check out these events and celebrate Pride Month! 🌈

Keep it Low Key

Not in the mood for a big celebration? That's totally okay! Pride Month is all about celebrating love and acceptance in whatever way feels right for you. Whether you're spending a quiet evening with your partner, having a small gathering with friends, or simply reflecting on what pride means to you, there's no wrong way to celebrate.

Pride Month is a wonderful time to celebrate the beautiful spectrum of gender and sexuality while advocating for equality and justice in the LGBTQ+ community. Here are thoughtful and meaningful ways to celebrate Pride Month at home:

Decorate with LGBTQ+ Art and Decor:

Refresh your home’s interior design by proudly hanging a rainbow flag in your front yard or windows. You can also support LGBTQ+ interior designers by incorporating their art and decor into your living spaces.

Create an Outdoor Cinema:

Set up an outdoor movie night in your backyard or balcony. Choose LGBTQ+ films or documentaries that resonate with you. Invite friends or family (virtually, if needed) to share the experience.

Design a Reading Nook:

Curate a cozy reading corner with books by LGBTQ+ authors. Dive into their stories and explore diverse perspectives. It’s a great way to celebrate Pride while enjoying some quiet time.

Get Creative in the Kitchen:

Use your culinary skills to make festive creations. Bake rainbow-themed cookies, cupcakes, or a colorful cake. Share your delicious treats with loved ones or enjoy them yourself.

So, tell us, how are you planning to celebrate Pride Month this year? No matter how you choose to show your pride, remember that love is love and you are valid, fabulous, and deserving of all the happiness in the world. Happy Pride Month, love bugs!

[bongaboi]

UNC Asheville: 2022-23 Big South Men's Basketball Champions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Drew Pember had 29 points, Tajion Jones scored 16 in the final 7:35 and No. 1 seed UNC Asheville stormed back to beat seventh-seeded Campbell 77-73 on Sunday, winning the Big South conference tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA tournament for the fifth time.

Ricky Clemons hit a jumper to give Campbell a 66-52 lead, and then Jones took over. The senior guard scored 10 straight points for the Bulldogs (27-7) after Pember made two free throws to cut their deficit to 68-64 with 3:41 to go. Clemons and Jones traded 3-pointers and Pember followed with a three-point play to get UNC Asheville within 71-70.

Clemons hit a jumper with 1:44 to play but the Fighting Camels would not score again. Pember, who has attempted and made more free throws than anyone else in the country, sank a pair. Clemons was fouled but missed both free throws and Jones buried a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs on top 75-73 with 55 seconds left. The last time UNC Asheville had had the lead the score was 13-11.

Pember, the Big South's Player of the Year, hit 9 of 19 shots but just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. He made 10 of 12 foul shots. Jones sank 9 of 14 shots, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. They each grabbed eight rebounds. Fletcher Abee hit three from distance and scored 11.

Jay Pal scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Fighting Camels. The senior made 11 of 18 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. He added four assists and blocked two shots. Big South Freshman of the Year Anthony Dell'Orso scored 12 points -- just two after halftime -- and snagged seven rebounds. Clemons, a former walk-on who is now a senior, hit two 3-pointers and scored 17 before fouling out.

Pal had 16 points and eight rebounds by halftime to guide Campbell to a 38-35 lead at intermission.

The Fighting Camels (16-18) made their only trip to the Big Dance in 1992, losing to eventual champion Duke in the first round 82-56. Campbell is the sixth No. 7 seed to advance to the Big South title game. All six lost to the top seed.

UNC Asheville sports a 2-4 record in its four previous NCAA tourney appearances.

[chvnnie]

Letter One: Smoke and Tears

Love Letters Series Page

wc: 2.7k

genre: angst

warnings: apocalypse au, creature feature, use of weapons (guns), alcohol - brief, injuries (gunshot wounds, though no details), fire. I believe that's all, but if I missed anything, PLEASE LET ME KNOW

summary: It's been over a week since you've heard from Chan, and the guilt is burning him alive.

this is a work of fiction. this fic in no way represents the stray kids members as people, or as a whole. you are responsible of the media you consume. please read responsibly.

series taglist: @straystayvlive, @fawnpeaks, @strayingawayy, @almighty-obsession, @ershyni, @chai-papa, @moon0fthenight, @djeniryuu — comment to be added

Hey, you.

I know I promised to write sooner. There has been a lot happening and while I sat down with my notebook daily, fully intending to respond to your last letter, something forced my attention away. I’m so fucking sorry it took me this long. I haven’t been very good about keeping my promise, have I? 

I promise to change that. Actually. There’s no excuse for missing that week window like I did. And it will never happen again. 

We got to the south side of town seven days ago. It was difficult leaving midtown, but staying there wasn’t practical. On top of all the haunting reminders, it started to get overrun. Rather than cling to the past, desperate to keep it despite its death, we chose to leave. 

The journey south only took us a day or so, but was relatively easy. Jisung cried the entire first day, walking further behind us than we would have preferred. The change has been the hardest for him — he really hasn’t settled in yet here. I’m scared he never will. 

But other than that, there really weren’t many hiccups. I was feeling optimistic; we hadn’t had this good of a journey probably since the start of it all. No injuries, no misplaced anger. Simply doing what we needed to survive. 

We even found a bunker within the day of arrival, saving us the risk of camping out in the open. A tall, abandoned building. I think it used to be an office. The cubicles have been nice. You know how limited privacy is now, so we take what we can get. It was easy to barricade all the exits, and our walkies actually work here (that was the one thing about midtown I despised). There’s even a kitchen! God, what a luxury. Truly, it seemed like a long term place. 

Until day four. 

There’s only two entries to the office; the front and the fire escape. It was Seungmin’s night to guard the front, Hyunjin at the back. I sat in the long conference room with Jisung — the window faces the street. It’s a good lookout. All was quiet, as it had been so far. I pulled out my journal fully intending to write to you. 

That’s when Jisung gasped, pulling his binoculars from his face and hitting me to grab my attention. I grabbed my own, and followed where he was pointing. No, it wasn’t what you’re expecting. 

“Are those people?” Jisung had asked me. 

My vision isn’t bad, but even I had to squint. He was right; though the group wasn’t big, it was obvious by the way they were walking. 

By the torches they were holding. 

For a while, we just watched. But I don’t think it was from lack of entertainment, rather sheer shock. The torches were touching homes, old buildings, flames blossoming at high speeds and dancing in the night sky. Screaming for attention, begging the Nots to come find them. To find all of us. 

The south side isn’t safe. Though the word has spread, I can tell you my love, that I’ve never feared I wouldn’t see you again until we broke into this god forsaken office building. 

Jisung had a window cracked, the perfect amount of space for his sniper to slip through. He was up and at the gun before I could fully process what was happening. 

“I have a shot.” He says within seconds, the cracked circular glasses fogging up. “At one. I could take at least three out—“

“Don’t.” I said, adjusting the binoculars to get a better view. Twelve people, I counted. All around our age, a mix of men and women. Each of them laughed as they turned the earth to ash. “Wait.”

“Chan, we need to act now.” He’s getting ready. I can tell. Tongue between his teeth, digging until the muscle breaks into a tiny cut, blood slowly filling his mouth. “They’re headed our way.”

He’d give away our location, I explained. The group isn’t close enough to be a danger. We need to wait, to see if there's a motive behind the destruction. Humanity is all united against the dark — there has to be a purpose behind this betrayal. 

Jisung wasn’t happy with me. Between forcing him from midtown and now this, I feared that night that if we didn’t lose our lives, I’d lose one of my most trusted friends. Still, he didn’t shoot, following the one we picked as the leader with his gun. Ready in case the okay was given. 

It didn’t take long for me to allow it. I don’t want our letters to just be about the horrors we’re facing. The suffering of being apart. So I will spare you the details of what made me allow the shot, and death of these twelve people. 

We didn’t see the thirteenth until it was too late. Until the makeshift cross was pitched in the center of the burning homes, the screams of this man were loud enough to wake the dead. In a world where everything has been taken from us, our lives forced apart, something I believe we all deserve is safety. 

Except for the twelve. While I mourned the man, I was delighted to watch the fire claim its creators. 

The rest of the night was quiet. Jisung and I sat in silence as we watched other refugees extinguish the flames, sharing a can beer we had been shaving. The luxury felt needed after what we had witnessed. 

His hair has gotten long. I think you’d really like it; it’s charming, especially when he ties in a little half pony. The cut on his cheek I mentioned in my last letter has healed nicely; Seungmin is getting better at his stitch work. The stars weren’t visible that night, but with the moonlight that pooled in from the windows, his eyes made you think there were. 

After he took a sip of the beer, his face twisted in disgust. “This is rancid.”

It made me laugh, the dramatic way he stuck out his tongue as he searched for the water jug. “I think it might be a little expired.”

“Oh? You think?”

“If you want to be a bitch, then I’ll just finish it off.”

God. I wish you could have seen the way he smiled, or could have felt the warmth that filled my chest at the sight of it. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Jisung smile like that. He even laughed, which made me do the same even though my eyes were burning from smoke and tears. 

I volunteered to keep watch the next few nights, though it didn’t come without push back. I said I wasn’t tired, though the truth is that I didn’t want to subject the rest of them to the suffering happening outside this building. They’ve had it hard enough, and I don’t want to add to their burden. 

Day five, Felix and Changbin went out to find supplies. We made a list — things we needed, things we wanted. If a luxury could be stolen, it should be. Felix had the paper, smiling brightly at me when I gave it to him. 

I never expected to hear his sobs mere hours later. Head on Hyunjin’s lap as Seungmin tended to the wound he had gotten while they were at a store. They ran into a group of humans, they said. In the same building, though at the other side. While Changbin kept his gun drawn, they agreed to ignore them. That’s just what you do — let others survive. 

Until they saw them. And laughed, laughed, laughed when they shot Felix in the thigh. Changbin’s voice trembled when he described the group of people. Jisung looked at me, face expressionless but eyes wide. 

There were more than twelve.

Superficial, Seungmin said. He was able to remove the bullet and tend to the wound. Felix would be okay, other than the limp he’s sure to suffer long term. 

“Charming, in a way.” Seungmin joked, but it made Lix laugh. Exactly what we all wanted; if he loses his sunshine, what’s the point?

We were blessed with day six. Nothing happened. Literally — Jeongin even started to nod off at his position. The day was spent playing cards or huddling around the beat up radio. Hyunjin started a mural on one of the walls, the colors bringing us the joy we so desperately needed. 

I spent the day in one of the empty conference rooms. Sitting under the window, thumbing through the photo book you gave me. Remember that day we went to the movies to see some cheesy Christmas movie? You hated it, mocking it the entire time just to get teary eyed at the end. In the parking lot, you hit me with a snowball and how was I to let that slide? I love that photo of you, drenched in water and snow, laughing as you build another snowball. 

I flipped through it over and over, happily losing myself in the worlds tucked in those glossy photos. Though everything in the world is meeting a fiery end, you are the one constant. The driving force behind my survival, behind the protection of the others. Without you, I would succumb to the flame. Life is not worth living without you, even if all I have is letters and memories. 

Fire may take your words, though it will never take my heart. 

That day would have been a wonderful one to write. But instead I spent it reading your letters, tracing the characters of your name. How does it look so lovely? How do you make words beautiful? I spent it looking at your pictures, bringing the album to my nose and inhaling deeply. It still has faint hints of the home we shared together. Do you think we might be able to return one day? Even if not, it won’t matter. I just want you. 

But closer. We are getting closer, and closer to getting to you. It’s taken more time than I would have liked, but the apocalypse doesn’t really like making time for people. By the time you read this, we’ll have left the south side. Step by step, closer to you. 

I miss the way you kiss me. The way your lips feel against my body. I miss your breath tangling with mine like the snow colored sheets we used to lay upon. I miss inhaling you, breathing you. The way your breath would hitch when you’re surprised, when you feel good. The little huffs of air your face before laughing your heart out. 

Fuck. I need to hear that sound again. The cassette tape you sent me isn’t enough anymore. I need you.

I fell asleep in that office, your letters pressed to my chest. And when I dreamed, it was only of you. Watching the smoke hand and hand. 

The sixth day, yesterday, the Nots arrived.

We watched as they entered the town; boney backs arched, long nails scraping the streets. Their horrible squeals were almost piercing, even with our windows shut. It’s always so chilling to see them; the remains of humanity lingering on their morphed bodies. Slowly, they slink down the street. Sniffing for any signs of life. 

Felix was tucked in one of the bathrooms with Seungmin, a walkie turned on loud. If we needed to go, it needed to be fast — which left Hyunjin packing our belongings as Changbin, Jisung, and I stood in the very same conference room where we first saw the twelve. 

���They look rough.” Changbin comments, leaning against the window. He had been keeping watch on the front entrance; even though Jeongin and Minho were standing guard. A warning would be valued. “They’re hungry.”

Jisung gagged at the word, cleaning his glasses with the sleeve of his sweater. “Fucking gross, don’t say that—“

“Why do you think they’re so loud? They’re getting desperate.”

At this point, I realized my optimism was playing a part in my downfall. Even as I watched the crowd of Nots scavenge the debris, looking in trash cans and behind fences, I could only think about how lucky we were to be so high up. They couldn’t touch us, tucked away on the fifth floor of the building. 

The lookout walkie gave a crackling noise before Minho’s voice cut through; clear, measured, even though his tone was obviously frantic. 

“Breach at the fire escape.” He says quickly. 

I picked up our walkie. “Do you hear anything?”

It felt like a century before he responded, all of us holding our breath as we waited. The silence was more chilling than the shrill squawks below. It’s one we all know too well; they’ve found prey. I can only hope it isn’t us. 

Minho clicks back on, and I realize it was naive of me to be scared of the Nots. “Laughter.”

The room began to spin, my ears void of all sound except the sound of laughter. Louder and louder it, closer and closer to our floor. The most horrible melody, leaving the bitter taste of blood in my mouth as my body feels like it’s melting. 

They have flames. 

“Seungmin, take Felix out the front.” I clicked in, trying to stay as calm as possible. “Now, hurry—“

“The Nots are out.” Changbin says, eyes bouncing from the direction of the fire escape to the window. “They’re not going to make it.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Jisung mumbles, opening a window to set his gun up. He squints one eye, tracking the creatures with the barrel of his gun. “I’ll take out as many as I can.”

It was a lose/lose. No matter which exit we took, the risk was high. But something in my gut told me that we rather deal with the Nots than whatever is making that bloodcurdling laugh. 

“How close are they, Minho?”

The silence is a beat too long. “Too close. We need to fucking go.” 

There wasn’t much more than needed to be said. By the time Jisung had shot down a good number of Nots, the laughter was accompanied by banging. Slow, hollow knocks. Their fists were hitting the door. 

And then came the heat. 

The flames grew slowly from under the metal door, dancing on the worn out carpet. By the time we were rushing down the main staircase, it had already enveloped the room I had slept in. Where I had dreamed of you. 

If it weren’t for Jisung, we probably wouldn’t have been able to escape as easily as we did. Hurdling over twitching bodies of Nots, we kept our gaze ahead. Running past the cross, ducking behind remains of buildings. I don’t know how long we ran for until we came across an empty convenience store. Changbin pushed a stand against the door after we cleared it. Boxing ourselves in temporary shelter. 

At the window, Jisung stood. Arms crossed, watching the smoke tangle with the clouds. He heard me coming, yet didn’t even look up at me. “I told you we should have never left the mid.”

He didn’t sleep last night. Neither did I.

We are leaving the store pretty soon. Seungmin is checking on Felix’s wound, Changbin and Minho mapping out a new route as I write. We’re heading east this time. I’m not sure when we will stop yet. 

But east means we’re closer to you. 

I’m mailing the letter today, too. According to the calendar we’ve been keeping, it’s now August 23. The heat has been sweltering here — how is it there, for you? Probably that much different, but you’re further north than us. I can only hope a cool fall breeze will greet us when I meet you again. 

I picked a new spot for you to send your letter as our location has changed — I’ll attach a map to this and check it daily. I know we’ll be in that area for a while, so  send there for now. Hopefully we won’t have to flee again, but I won’t be too optimistic this time. 

The world may be on fire, but so is my love for you (hahahahaha). But truly, if it weren’t for you, the apocalypse wouldn’t seem so bearable. 

Stay safe, my love. I’m coming home soon.

Forever yours,

Chan

[space-mermaid-writing]

"Send me any prompt"

VAMPIRE STEPHEN 🦇

i see a prompt request and i trip and choke and die in my haste to ask for vampire stephen. prepare for paragraphs of inane vampire rambling over discord.

I expected nothing less from you :D Have this 5+1 sequel of 'The Vamp and the Were'. Beta by KJ <3 Everyone listen to 'Secretly A Vampire'. It's very vampire Stephen coded.

Summary: 5 times the team didn’t know Stephen was a vampire and 1 time he didn’t realize they knew

Tags: Vampire!Stephen Strange, Werewolf!Tony Stark, IronStrange, established Relationship, 5+1, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff, all the good stuff, revealed secret, whump Stephen, protective Tony

Ko-fi | Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Word count: 4.8k

Secretly a vampire

1

Stephen stepped through his portal and into the Avenger’s tower. More specifically into a conference room.

“Thank you for joining us today, doctor,” Rogers greeted him.

Stephen answered with a nod and sat down on one of the many free chairs. At least he wasn’t the last one to this meeting. It was the first one he attended. So far he had always refused to go; not because the Avengers were publicly known for hunting vampires – and Stephen was a Vamp.

It was problematic on several levels.

Stephen himself hunted vampires as well but only those who posed a danger to society. Those Vamps who had lost their minds and succumbed to their blood lust.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of those. And they were – rightfully – feared by the public eye.

But there were other vampires as well, living a normal life. At least as normal as life could be if sunlight killed you and your species was hunted down.

Stephen was the best example of those kinds of Vamps.

Well, Stephen was a mediocre example because he was a Master of the Mystic Arts and thus did not represent the norm.

But in his work he distinguished between dangerous and harmless vampires. Just as the Avengers should do it.

Albeit they were a long way from it.

Stark entered the conference room, carrying a mug that held probably an unhealthy ratio of coffee to liquid. He dropped into the chair right next to Stephen.

Tony was the only other person in the room who knew Stephen's secret. He had found out by accident; a mission gone bad. Although it had probably been inevitable, considering how they had circled around each other.

Tony threw a wink at him and Stephen scoffed affectionately. Tony knew Stephen wasn’t a fan of pda – at least outside of what he considered family – and thankfully the werewolf kept his hands to himself.

Clint was the last one to arrive; also with a coffee in his hands. He slid into a seat in the back and Rogers started the meeting.

Stephen listened only with one ear. If he was honest, he was just here to show some Sorcerer-Avengers alliance. And because he got tired of the Avengers asking him to join.

Bored, his eyes wandered to the big panorama window. They were on the east side of the tower and since it was late afternoon there was no direct sunlight coming in. Tony had installed UV filtering windows in the whole tower anyway, so that Stephen could move freely within it at any time of day or night, without worrying about getting burned.

“… they reported traces of vampires in Middlesex, New Jersey.” The map of a neighborhood near the sea could be seen on the large screen on the wall. "So far it's been narrowed down to this area. We'll look into it. Get ready to strike soon."

Stephen's jaw tightened when Rogers circled a specific block in South Amboy. He had meant to stay in the background and not attract attention. But if they keep following that specific lead, innocent people might get hurt.

Given two choices, Stephen always chose the one that protected others; instead of himself. That was why he spoke up.

“Actually, the Vamps in that area aren’t dangerous. Quite the opposite: they proved to be useful in providing valuable information on illegal cargo several times.”

All heads turned to him, surprised – even Tony, although for a different reason.

“Vampires are always dangerous,” Natasha chimed in. Her eyes were as sharp as her facial features. Stephen was pretty sure there was some fae somewhere in her blood line. It would explain so much about her.

The sorcerer gritted his teeth. They didn’t know this was a sensitive topic to him. A very personal one. He refused to back down.

“Not all vampires are mindless beasts. I’ve talked to several individuals who are actually very pleasant to be around. And they don’t kill humans for blood.”

“It’s true,” Tony added and Stephen's eyes shot over to him. Of course Tony backed his partner up.

His support seemed to help Stephen's case, because Rogers gave in. “Alright. But we will keep an eye on it.”

Stephen just nodded.

In a subtle gesture Tony put his hand on Stephen's leg, calming him. It wasn’t really necessary, but it was the thought that counted.

Self-preservation hindered Stephen from revealing more in front of the team. He decided to warn his contacts in New Jersey anyway.

The rest of the meeting he leaned back, listening in silence.

Tony didn’t move his hand away the whole time.

2

The wooden stake to his chest was a surprise. It had come out of nowhere. An improvised weapon, pulled from the rubble of the construction site where they were fighting.

White-hot searing shards of pain erupted from the wound.

Stephen hissed in agony. He managed to whirl a spell at the attacker, but the damage was done. He staggered sideways.

“Doctor Strange!” Peter rushed to his aid.

It had been movie night and he, Tony and Peter had been comfortable on the couch when Jarvis had informed them about the attack. Some other Avengers – who had also got the call – had joined the fight.

Stephen was bent over kneeling, trying to regain control over the pain, when the boy crowded his personal space.

“Are you okay?” Peter, who had no problem facing scary monsters, was overwhelmed by the situation. He had no idea what he could do to help Strange - and the fact that the vampire didn't respond only increased his panic.

“Are you going to die?” Peter’s worried face was hidden under his mask but his voice was breaking. A wooden stake to the heart was one of the big myths about killing a vampire.

Fortunately, a wrong one.

“No,” Stephen pressed between his teeth. And then a not very convincing, “It’s going to be alright.”

Sam landed beside them. His wings retreated into the pack on his back as soon as his feet touched the ground. “Shit, doc. Paramedics are on their way.”

Stephen wouldn’t wait for them.

“I need you to pull it out.” The sorcerer gestured to the stake. He didn’t want to burden Peter with the task. And he couldn't do it on his own; he needed all his strength to hold back his teeth from kicking out. It was a shock reaction of his body to defend itself.

“Are you sure?” Sam asked. “That looks nasty.”

It probably did. More so because the Avengers thought he was a regular human being. He was probably wondering how Stephen was still standing on his feet.

“I’m a doctor. And I have magic. I will heal in no time.” Stephen’s voice was pressed. Just because he was a vampire didn’t mean he wasn’t suffering. He was indeed in a lot of pain.

Finally, Sam stopped protesting. Instead, he put his hand around the stake; and pulled.

Stephen's lips tightened, wrinkles forming where none existed before. His breath seized – even though a vampire didn’t have to breathe at all. But it helped with the pain. At least that was what he told himself.

Stephen managed to cast a spell that mended his robes, concealing the wound from sight. His vampire powers would take care of that one. He just needed some rest and a blood bag from his refrigerator.

As soon as Sam got the wooden stake out completely, he threw it away in disgust. It was drenched in blood and other liquids the Avenger didn’t want to think about too closely.

There was an angry growl approaching them fast.

Oh yeah, now Sam had to calm down a concerned and very feral lover, who had probably smelled the sorcerer’s blood on the other side of the battlefield, as well as heard his cry of pain.

3

Stephen avoided going outside during the day. Understandably, since it would literally kill him – if he didn’t take precautions. Usually, there was no reason for him to hit the streets in broad daylight anyway.

Usually.

But this was a magic-related emergency right in the middle of bustling central New York, and Wong wasn’t currently available. Which was why Stephen was here, wearing several protection spells so the sun wouldn't burn him to a crisp immediately. The cloak rested on his shoulders, expanding his collar to a full hood to provide extra protection.

The glowing box that hovered six feet in the air in Central Park better be worth this.

Tony didn’t leave his side. Ever since the incident in Australia, this was a sensitive topic between them and the werewolf acted overly protective. Stephen didn’t argue with him. He had learned his lesson. He did accept Tony’s sunglasses though.

“For your eyes,” the Were muttered.

Stephen wasn’t sure if it was meant to protect them, or if they currently betrayed his true nature by turning into a bright shade of red. So he hid them behind the tinted glasses.

It was late in the morning, not yet noon, and the day not too warm. He could work with that; as long as his time outside was kept short. Despite all precautions, he felt a headache approaching.

“Thank you for coming by,” Natasha greeted them, approaching from the side. She and Clint had been the first ones to the scene. But as soon as they had seen that flying box, they had called the sorcerer.

Stephen turned his head to her, shielding his face from the sun with his hand. Even with the sunglasses it felt too bright. And maybe he imagined it, but his skin felt itchy.

Natasha took in the unfamiliar style of the Cloak of Levitation, and the accessory that obviously belonged to Tony. As well as his defensive posture. “Are you alright, doctor?”

Stephen wasn’t surprised she noticed something. She was very observant.

Before Stephen could open his mouth, Tony chimed in, chuckling. “You see, our wizard here has a bit of a hangover. It got late yesterday and we may have opened one bottle of wine too many.” He looked at Stephen with mischief dancing in his eyes, “Next time you should stick to grape juice.”

The vampire didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to; it was written on his face that he was not impressed by those words – even with half of it hidden.

When Stephen didn’t object – and really, why should he? This was the perfect excuse – Tony grinned broadly and bumped his shoulder with Natasha. “We should avoid loud noises and bright light,” he stage-whispered, prompting her to follow him towards the weird magic object – and away from Stephen.

4

Bruce opened the door to the supply room – and stopped right in his tracks. “Oh… eh, I’m… I’m sorry, guys…”

He had clearly caught Tony and Stephen in flagranti. Stephen had pushed Tony against the shelf in the back, and was currently working on the soft skin of his neck, right between his ear and his shoulder. His back was to the door and he stills as soon as he heard it open. But he didn’t turn around nor did he make any kind of move.

Tony had his head tilted sideways to give him more room. His hands were on Stephen's shoulders, grasping the fabric of his shirt, while his legs were wrapped around the sorcerer’s hips.

He clearly enjoyed what they were doing very much. His pupils were blown wide and his eyes dark, when he locked them with Bruce.

Tony was slow to react. “Oh… hi, Brucie…” He smiled lazily.

There was a low growl in the room; surprisingly it didn’t come from the werewolf.

“You should leave,” Tony still hazily smiled. “Room’s occupied”

“Yes..sorry…” Bruce shuffled away, his head red by embarrassment.

The haze on his brain lifted enough to ask Jarvis, “What was that about, J?”

“I apologize, Sir. This room has no form of locking mechanism.”

That was something Tony should change. He made a mental note to add a lock to every single door in the compound.

The thought was forgotten in an instant when Stephen started to lick over where he had just bitten Tony. It was to close the wound; and to get Tony’s attention back.

The engineer shifted his focus back on the vampire. He rocked his hips against Stephen’s and elicited another growl from him, this time more needy.

5

Stephen was tired. Not ‘I need to go to sleep because he was a regular living being’-tired. No, vampires were physically and mentally not able to sleep; even if they wanted to. They were undead. And while the dead slept permanently, the undead never did.

This could be exhausting in its own way.

When he joined the Mystic Arts, Stephen learned to meditate, which was an effective way to shut off his mind; at least for a while.

Stephen had been gone from this dimension for a few days and now he craved a drink, a quiet and dark room, and the scent of Tony. Preferably a combination of all three things together.

He opened a portal straight into Tony’s bedroom.

Of course he didn’t find Tony there. The Were was barely in his own bed when Stephen was present. Without him, he probably barely walked in here at all. Plus, the sun had already risen.

Stephen went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Tony always had fresh blood for him available - packed into innocent looking, unlabeled boxes. It made sense; this was Tony’s private penthouse, but he often had guests over; Avengers coming upstairs. Stephen wouldn't want them to ask unwelcome questions.

He took a box and a glass – he refused to stick a straw into it. It would look too much like a juice box and Stephen just knew Tony would make a joke about that.

Instead he poured the red liquid into a wine glass. It was easier for him to hold it with the stem placed between his digits to prevent it from falling.

“Jarvis, where’s Tony?”

“In his laboratory, Doctor Strange.”

The Vamp opened another portal with the intention to at least steal a kiss from his partner, before he retired for the day. He changed his robes into something comfortable while walking through.

“… can you make one that ticks like a bomb, but instead of exploding there will be a small banner popping out that says ‘boom’. And then it will explode… oh, hey doc.”

Stephen realized too late that Tony wasn’t alone. Clint was standing next to his desk, both men leaning over schematics for what seemed to be trick arrows.

Walking up to his partner, Stephen took a sip from his drink.

Clint’s eyes followed the movement of his glass. “Is that red wine?”

Stephen paused, looking down at the red liquid. He was lucky Clint was human and couldn't smell blood over that distance.

He licked over his lips and noticed Tony was watching their interaction rather amused.

“Is that a problem?” he answered with a counter question.

Clint just shrugged. He certainly didn’t judge him, even though it was barely 10 a.m. in the morning.

+1

Stephen was in Kamar-Taj when he got the call from Tony.

“Poison Ivy is attacking Washington DC. We could use some backup.”

Stephen frowned and glanced at his phone. It was early in the morning, which meant it was pretty late on the East Coast.

“Really?” he asked. “It’s the middle of the night.”

“I would also rather work in the lab right now. You coming?”

"Shields are at fifty-seven percent," Jarvis interjects. There was an explosion somewhere in the distance on their side.

"No pressure," Tony reassured either Stephen or himself, the Vamp wasn’t sure.

“Yes, just send me a-”, his phone chimed when he got a message, “…photo.”

“See you on the other side.”

Tony hung up and Stephen opened the photo. It showed a street lamp that was overgrown with vines – just like the sidewalk in the background. Everything was a bit blurry but good enough for Stephen’s magic to work. He opened a portal and with one step he was standing on the other side of the world.

There was chaos in the streets. In the dead of night, they were filled with a sense of urgent as people ran frantically in all directions. The sound of sirens wailed in the distance, adding to the cacophony of fear and confusion.

Stephen detected the general scent of panic in the air; it smelled sour and sharp with a hint of uncertainness.

Suddenly the asphalt cracked open and spiky vines shot high into the air. They chased Peter, who was swinging between the tall buildings.

Stephen summoned sharp and glowing discs and cut the stem. The heavy upper part fell – as the cloak of levitation pulled Stephen into safety – and hit the ground with a loud thud. The lower half of the tendrils, however, continued to move; like cut tentacles, but more angry now. Stephen cut them again, this time right above the ground.

The Iron Man suit stopped next to him midair, opening the face plate. “Thanks for joining. We’re currently dealing with Rose and Thorn, but her plant pets have a mind of their own and they cover a lot of ground here; destroying streets and buildings.”

“They’re Solanaceae.” At Tony's quizzical look, Stephen added, “Nightshades. They probably get stronger during the night.”

“A cousin of yours?”

“Funny,” the Vamp dead-panned. “I’ll do what I can, but our best bet is probably a giant flamethrower.” Fire killed almost everything efficiently, plants as well as vampires.

“Since when do you have a doctorate in botany? I’ll see if I can get propane from somewhere. Might take a while though.”

“Great. In the meantime, I'll take care of the weeds.”

They parted ways. Tony flew off while Stephen moved right next to where more plants breached through the street. He cut them as low as he could reach with his magic even though he knew it would be more effective to get rid of the roots.

At the same time that was more difficult, especially since he didn’t know how deep they went, or in what way they were connected to each other.

The more he attacked them, the more ferocious they got. The plants seemed almost sentient, sensing where he was, even though he remained mostly in the air and didn’t so much as touch the ground with his feet.

It made Stephen hesitate, wondering what exactly he was facing. It wasn’t magic; not really. Maybe – and that was a big maybe – he could find a way to communicate with them and make them leave.

The asphalt cracked in several places right below Stephen. The Cloak of Levitation pulled him back, but the plants seemed to focus solely on the sorcerer. They hit him before he could throw up a defense spell.

Three big branches pierced his torso and Stephen let out a cry, low and anguished that carried through the streets.

The cloak billowed, trying to pull him free. The movement only made it worse.

Another vine yanked the cloak off him. Someone called out for Stephen, but the noise was muffled in his ears.

The vines hurled him around and then threw him through the air. His loyal cloak zipped after him but wasn’t fast enough to catch him before he hit the pavement and tumbled over several times.

Ironically, the plants softened his fall – albeit only insignificantly.

Stephen gasped for air; and immediately choked on liquid. His lung must have been pierced and blood was pooling in it. He stopped breathing to avoid choking.

He propped himself up on his elbows – his hands were shaking badly – before he rolled onto his side. Deep in his stomach, a dark purple orb of anguish seemed to throb with his pulse. His vision was hazy and tinted red. The feeling of bleeding out was all-consuming.

“Stephen!”

The plants around him were burned away by a modified blast as Tony landed at his side. The werewolf crouched down to examine his partner. The suit retreated from his hands and his head. He wanted nothing more than to cradle the man in his arms, but the presence of the enemy was too close.

“Shit, Stephen, talk to me.”

“’m fine,” was what Stephen wanted to say. All that got out was a gurgling noise. Blood ran down his chin. The vampire turned his head and spat it out, even though it sent vile warnings throughout his innards.

He heard the voice of Jarvis, running a diagnostic scan of him: “…as well as his lung and abdomen. He is experiencing heavy blood loss. Immediate intervention is advised.”

That sounded about right.

“You need blood,” Tony observed what Stephen had already concluded as well. He was losing the vital liquid too fast. His throat felt dry, even though he was still choking. And he didn’t have the strength to check but he knew his fingers were sharp claws and his teeth on display. It was his body urging him to hunt.

For now he was still in control of his mind, yet he had to act fast. Or he would turn into a wild beast that would prioritize to ensure his survival.

Tony helped Stephen sit up. He groaned in displeasure as the pain intensified. Then he grunted with horror as Tony took off one arm part of his armor.

“What…you doin’?” he muttered, barely intelligible.

“I told you: you need blood. Don’t argue about it. Not now.” Not while they were in the midst of an emergency. Not again.

Stephen looked at him, shaking his head. He had already drunk from Tony twice this week. It had only been small amounts, but the body of the werewolf needed time to replenish its blood. With all his injuries, Stephen would need more than Tony had to give. Stephen might feel better, but Tony would die of blood loss.

The vampire didn’t have breath left to articulate that; except he was sure that the engineer must have come to the same conclusion.

Tony was also very aware of Stephen's stubbornness regarding Tony’s health.

“..home…” Stephen managed to get out.

There were plenty of blood bags in the fridge. His hand moved to his belt, where his Slingring was normally stored – and he touched right into a deep wound.

The Vamp hissed in pain and Tony saw the blood running down shaking fingers. Stephen knew he barely had the strength to move, much less to open a portal.

His senses grew stronger as he became more aware of possible food sources around them. Surprisingly, he also got calmer. Or maybe his body just got ready to attack at the earliest convenience.

Suddenly he was glad he was too weak to move a lot.

Tony was kneeling behind him, to support his back and stop him from toppling over; his mind running a million thoughts and calculating all options.

If not from him, Stephen could drink blood from someone else. Tony surely could find someone in this city, even though the area was evacuated. He would knock them out personally if necessary.

Stephen would never drink without consent. And animal blood wasn’t sufficient for this situation; it had to be human blood. Or at least humanoid.

A hospital!

They had blood bags in stock. Even though marching in and demanding them would raise questions. Tony would have to be careful not to reveal Stephen's nature.

On the other hand, if he waited too long, Stephen's nature would reveal on its own; when he went feral to get what his body needed.

Suddenly his trail of thoughts was interrupted by another voice.

“What’s your status?”

Rogers was jogging over to them. Maybe he had smelled the lots of blood Stephen was losing. Or he got called on the scene because Tony had ignored his comm for the past however many minutes – right after he had screamed for Stephen.

The sorcerer was trying to make his bleeding, lanky body smaller and shielded away from the Avenger. Showing his vampire features to Captain America – a very famous vampire hunter – would start a whole other kind of mess.

Tony helped him by subtly moving his armored body between them. “The wizard is out,” he explained dismissively. “I have to get him home immediately.”

This wasn’t really his plan; they were too far from New York and Stephen too weak. It was a good enough excuse though. And it gave Tony an idea: if Stephen wore the armor it would – hopefully – protect him; and those around him. It would leave Tony vulnerable in the still ongoing fight, but he would manage.

He glanced to the side where Rogers was still standing, analyzing Stephen's condition. Tony opened his mouth to throw a quip at him, but Steve beat him to it.

“What if he takes my blood?”

“What?” Tony stared at him. He was sure he misheard. Even Stephen stilled in his arms.

Rogers tilted his head. “If your werewolf blood is fine, mine should be as well.” At Tony's distrustful look, he adds, “You forget I’ve got super hearing. And the tells were rather obvious. Now,” he took the last steps towards them slowly, as if he was approaching a wild animal. “I believe we don’t have much time. I give him my permission to take the blood I can spare.”

Tony’s posture became defensive. It was subconscious, his mind still screaming: protect mate!

“Why?” he asked.

“We are a team, Tony”, Rogers said as if that were a very obvious reason. It probably was – under normal circumstances. Then Rogers spoke to Stephen directly. “And you are still Doctor Stephen Strange, even if you’re a vampire.”

Tony was still hesitant, and that said a lot about his experience with people he had trusted and who had then stabbed him in the back. Some even literally.

But then he felt Stephen weakly nudging him and he turned his attention back to the sorcerer. Stephen needed blood now; they would do the talking later. He weakly beckoned Steve to come closer.

The ground shook again, however, nothing broke through it - for now.

Rogers put his finger to his ear and spoke over the comm to the team. “We need some brief cover. South side.”

Stephen didn’t see who else moved in their direction; his focus was on the Avenger in front of him. Tony stayed with him and Stephen trusted him – as well as Rogers – to stop him should he take too much.

Rogers crouched down as well and looked at them, unsure. “So, how do we do this?”

“Your wrist.” Tony nodded towards it.

Rogers pulled the tight sleeve of his suit up and held it out to the vampire. If he had any second thoughts, he masked them well.

Stephen’s trembling hands wrapped around the warm skin. He felt life pulsing in the veins, a lot of it. Water pooled in his mouth; or perhaps it was blood. He wasn’t sure.

Instead of feasting on his meal immediately, he looked up at Rogers, his red eyes asking for permission. Steve granted it – again; this time with a simple nod.

Stephen bared his teeth and pierced the skin with them. On impact, a sound escaped Rogers, rather surprised than in pain – in fact it didn’t hurt more than a needle prick. And then the pain was completely gone. Everything was fine. Maybe he even was a bit too calm about the situation; the vampire drinking from him and the fight around them.

He had heard about a vampire’s thrall – but he still felt in control. A bit light-headed, sure. But not alarmingly so.

Roger’s eyes met Tony’s, who watched him with alert eyes.

After a while, Stephen let go of him and leaned back. He looked instantly better. He was still bleeding but he no longer made that gurgling sound with every breath. His wounds also seemed to be slowly closing. Or at least the bleeding had stopped.

He moved to stand up, but Tony held him back, gently.

“Take it easy.”

And Rogers added, “We got you, doctor.”

Bonus:

“What did he taste like?” Tony asked way too casual and out of context.

Stephen didn't have to ask who he meant. There weren't many people he had drunk directly from recently. "Artificial. Like a snack with a weird combination of flavors.” Looking at the Were he found him way too smug about his answer. “Are you jealous?”

Tony shrugged, ducking his head. It was a tell; he couldn't fool Stephen. “It was just weird seeing you drinking from someone else. It’s an intimate thing. At least it always feels this way for me.”

Because every time Stephen drank from the Were it almost exclusively led to sex.

Stephen pulled him into his arms. “Only because we make it intimate.” He kissed his temples. “What you and I have is special, Tony.”

Tony left it at that, but the scent of a very happy Were invaded Stephen's nose.

[mariacallous]

Russia’s renewed and much broader assault on Ukraine’s energy sector this spring, which has now destroyed roughly half of the country’s electricity generation capacity, represents an explosive blow to Kyiv’s resilience, civilian morale, and industrial production. What’s worse, the ongoing Russian attacks on the vulnerable energy system offer few prospects of a quick fix that could right the situation before Ukraine enters its third winter of the war.

Since early this year, Russia has set out to finish the job it failed to complete in early 2023—the destruction of Ukraine’s civilian energy sector, especially the power plants that provide light and heat for millions of Ukrainians.

Beginning in March, Russia has specifically targeted Ukraine’s biggest power plants in six massive waves of missile and drone strikes, wiping out about 9 gigawatts of electricity generation, or half the country’s total. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a reconstruction conference in Berlin on Tuesday that Russian strikes have wiped out 80 percent of Ukraine’s big coal- and gas-fired power plants and one-third of its hydroelectric facilities.

Especially as a result of the last two big attacks, in early May and early June, Ukraine has had to ration electricity for industrial and residential consumers, leaving many with power for only short periods of time; some cities, such as Kharkiv, on the country’s eastern front line are virtually powerless. Russia’s assaults, which the U.K. ambassador to the United Nations has argued are in part an attempt to terrorize civilians, are even a subject for the U.N. Security Council.

As bad as Russia’s attacks have been so far, they could get worse. Russia has already hit some of Ukraine’s natural gas storage facilities—underground bunkers that are used to store fuel both for domestic needs and to backstop European consumption. Further Russian strikes there could expand the pain of energy attacks beyond Ukraine’s borders, right at a time when Europe is scrambling to find a solution for gas transit flows across Ukraine into landlocked Eastern European countries, especially Austria. 

The other big worry is that Russia, after having already destroyed Ukraine’s main sources of baseload power generation, will finally knock its remaining three nuclear power plants off the grid. (Russia has since the early days of the war occupied Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, using it as a shield for its occupation of south-central Ukraine, but the station—Europe’s largest nuclear facility—is in shutdown and not generating power.)

“It sounds mad to attack the nuclear power stations, but Russia could hit the transformers near the nuclear plants. If they did this, the power system will lose its unity, and the country will be split into different energy islands, some with spotty power and some entirely without,” said Andrian Prokip, an energy expert at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute in Kyiv.

The undeniable success of this year’s Russian assault is a sharp contrast to its ultimately failed bid in the first winter of the war to freeze Ukraine into submission. Russia has thrown more ordnance at more vulnerable targets this time around, leading to longer-lasting damage that will be far costlier to repair. Only after the big strikes in early May did Ukraine have to start rationing power to residential and industrial consumers. There is concern among big industry, such as the country’s once-vaunted steel and iron industry, that the power outages could kneecap what appeared to be a miraculous wartime recovery of industrial output.

“The difference is that before they mainly targeted transmission lines and substations and now they are destroying power generation plants,” said Slawomir Matuszak, a Ukraine specialist at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw. “The previous attacks were relatively easy to recover from—a question of days or weeks. But you’re looking at one to two years now for a real rebuild, if that even makes sense, because they can simply be attacked again.”

For Ukraine’s leaders, the renewed Russian strikes pose a threat to the country’s already strained ability to sustain years of unremitting bombing assaults, social and economic disruption, and the increased mobilization of service members. The new campaign has redoubled Ukraine’s desperation to bolster its air defenses in order to protect what’s left of its energy system. 

“Russia’s goal hasn’t changed—they seek to destroy our energy system and use it as a weapon against our citizens,” said Kira Rudik, a Ukrainian parliamentarian who leads the pro-European party Holos and who described the constant disruptions to daily life from the power outages that come atop Russia’s ceaseless use of stand-off weapons to batter civilian residences across the country, including her own. (Zelensky said Tuesday that Russia had launched 135 glide bombs in just the last day.)

“So we are saying, get us the F-16s, get us the Mirages, get us to this luxury point where we can go to bed and know that we will wake up in the morning,” Rudik said, referring to U.S.- and French-made fighter jets. “In Ukraine, we do not have this luxury.”

The increased pace of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure has also injected fresh urgency into the question of how and when to leverage Moscow’s frozen assets for Ukraine’s assistance. U.S. and European leaders are working on a plan to turn the proceeds of frozen Russian cash into a large loan for Ukraine. For those on the receiving end of Russian attacks, even discussions such as those at the reconstruction conference in Berlin seem too focused on rebuilding Ukraine after the war, rather than reinforcing Ukrainians’ will to resist now.

“We need the money now,” Rudik said. “We have a simple task before us: to survive the summer and get through the winter somehow.”

Some Western countries are heeding Ukraine’s pleas for more air defense, which could help protect both cities and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks, especially after the devastation unleashed in the May and June strikes. Germany is now mulling the dispatch of a fourth Patriot air defense battery, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz urging allies to do more; Italy is preparing to send more air defense systems of its own, while even recalcitrant countries such as Spain are sending more air defense ammunition. Late last week, the Biden administration included more air defense missiles in its latest aid package for Ukraine.

Getting more air defense is a necessary but hardly sufficient condition to begin rebuilding Ukraine’s battered electricity sector. Even at big plants that had an air defense umbrella, such as Kyiv’s critical Trypilla generating station, Ukrainian forces simply ran out of ammo under Russia’s big assault in April; the plant was demolished. But even with better air defenses, energy experts doubt more than 2 to 3 gigawatts of power generation capacity could be rebuilt before winter. That would still leave a big shortfall in power generation, not to mention the ongoing damage to combined heat-and-power plants that provide central heating during Ukraine’s brutal winters.

One short-term, but expensive, fix would be to rely on more electricity imports from Europe. Just before this year’s Russian assault began, Ukraine was actually exporting excess electricity production to Europe—but that was soon reversed. Today, Ukraine can import about 1.7 gigawatts of electricity from Europe and in a pinch can even get more than 2 gigawatts of power. The problem is that imported electricity is more expensive than the subsidized power Ukraine generated at home, exacerbating the country’s already strained finances. 

The other solution, long broached in Ukraine, is to build more small, decentralized power plants, including small gas-fired turbines and renewable sources such as solar and wind power. The push for more renewables has actually increased during the war, and especially in the wake of this spring’s Russian onslaught, as Ukraine seeks new sources of power generation. 

On Tuesday, members of the G-7+ Energy Coordination Group and Ukraine’s government outlined plans to make the electricity sector more resilient, including through more distributed generation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday at the Berlin conference that Brussels is raising money for urgent power sector repairs as well as a host of small-scale generators. “The aim is to help decentralize the power system and thus increase resilience,” she said.

The biggest advantage of replacing hulking, centralized power plants with a lot of smaller, widely scattered sources of power is that they are a lot harder to blow up with scarce Russian missiles.

“If you have sources of microgeneration, and lots of them, then Russia will not have enough missiles to hit all of them, even if they knew where they were,” Prokip said. “So distributed generation is the right way to go, but the government didn’t take enough steps to do this when it could.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dave Jamieson at HuffPost:

Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama have voted against joining the United Auto Workers, a setback for the union as it tries to organize the auto industry in the South. The vote count at the German manufacturer’s facilities in Vance, near Tuscaloosa, was 2,045 to 2,642 against the union, according to a preliminary tally from the National Labor Relations Board. More than 5,000 workers were eligible to cast ballots in the weeklong election that ended Friday. The union has a week to challenge the results.

The UAW was coming off a historic victory at Volkswagen’s Tennessee plant last month, where workers had voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionization. But the loss at Mercedes could slow the union’s plans to organize more foreign-owned auto facilities in Southern states. UAW President Shawn Fain said in a press conference following the results that the union and its supporters had “left everything on the table.” “While this loss stings, I’ll tell you this: We’re gonna keep our heads up,” Fain said. “We fought the good fight and we’re going to continue forward. Ultimately, these workers here are going to win.” Mercedes thanked employees for voting in a statement following the election. “Our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible Team Member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election,” the company said.

[...] The UAW has long represented auto workers at the “Big Three” of Ford, General Motors and Jeep parent company Stellantis, primarily in the Midwest. But over the years, foreign manufacturers like Mercedes, Volkswagen, Nissan and Hyundai have established factories in the South to take advantage of lower wages and “right to work” laws, reducing the UAW’s density across the industry. Organizing those plants is key to the UAW restoring its once-formidable bargaining power, and to boosting wages and benefits in Southern facilities that lag behind unionized plants.

Sad news in Alabama: The UAW lost the vote to unionize the Vance, AL Mercedes-Benz plant 2,642 to 2,045.

[sapphyreopal5]

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that you're all ready for this year to end already. I'm pretty sure given what's happened in Jensen's life, he sure is ready for 2023 to go out the door. Big Sky and The Winchesters getting cancelled, FBBC having 2 brewers quit in 1 week, firing several other employees according to some posts that were here on Tumblr and on Instagram, and let's not forget The Winchesters lawsuit that was filed earlier this year. I'm aware some people here have been speculating on what is to come of Jensen's brewery FBBC, so I thought I'd share a little bit of some interesting history with regards to the Ackles and Graul families in business.

In a previous post, I talked about some of the history of FBBC itself being tied to a brewery called County Coast Brewing Company that was in the Malibu, California area back in 2013. The former address was 29201 Heathercliff Road #116 in Malibu, CA. Gino was the listed owner of this brewery that was incorporated 10/4/2013 and became inactive 10/9/2017, 4 years and 5 days after this company was formed. Its current inactive status is listed as Suspended Ftb/Sos. One noteworthy mention here, I couldn't find this County Coast Brewing Company anywhere as being say "permanently closed" as you would other businesses. No Google reviews or searches are available either for this company. Hmm, it's just like it never existed unless you know to look up Gino's name and affiliated LLCs or remember the name of this company...

According to this website, it says under the Why is My Business Suspended section: "Generally, businesses are suspended when they fail to:

File a return

Pay

Taxes

Penalties

Fees

Interest

You may be able to find out the reason for suspension using MyFTB. Business entities registered with Secretary of State (SOS) must file and pay at least $800 franchise or annual tax from their registration date to current, regardless of business activity. Visit due dates for businesses for more information on when to file and pay."

After doing some further research thanks to this Tumblr post, it does seem that after Jensen filed for the incorporation of Family Business Beer Company back on 11/5/2014 in Dallas Texas, 1 year, 1 month and 1 day after County Coast Brewing Company was filed in California under Gino's name. Interestingly enough, a couples post that were seemingly tied to the County Coast Brewing Company dated prior to FBBC opening doors in January 2018 are still on the Facebook page. This post dated 4/8/2014 BEFORE FBBC was incorporated but is on the FBBC Facebook page states "On our way to Denver for the 2014 Craft brewer's Conference!!!" This photo dated 12/8/2013 has a caption stating "looking forward to trying out our newest batch of Pale Ale!" Again, no comments on it date past 3/17/2017 just like the other post that predates the official opening of FBBC in Austin on 1/10/2018 by several years.

The other Tumblr post I mentioned here even has a screenshot (along with several others) of posts that have been deleted including one that was posted on 1/24/2015 at 6:56pm saying "County Coast is moving location and names!!!!!! WTF?! Haha, relocating to the South. #AustinTexas get ready!!!!" Given the Graul and Ackles family histories of deleting comments they deemed unsavory on the FBBC Instagram page, it doesn't surprise me that they cleaned up shop on the internet and Facebook pages to try eliminating the existence of the failed County Coast Brewing Company and rebranding their Facebook page to become Family Business Beer Company's. According to this article, it states "While living in California, Jensen and Gino often brewed their own beers at home. The family moved to Austin and decided to finally open their own place. They found the Dripping Springs property in 2014, hooked up with now-head brewer Nate Seale, and got started from there." Guess they forgot to mention the former location the had in California that got suspended due to noncompliance with state tax regulations. Hmm....

Now, this is where things start to get interesting regarding the history of both the Ackles and Graul families and business. I mentioned the suspended ftb status that was put on the County Coast Brewing Company before. I also took the liberty of researching LLCs affiliated with Jensen and Danneel and found some similar statuses on previous companies they had incorporated in the past. I elected to put some notes to summarize things like when these companies were voluntarily dissolved (or straight up suspended) in the screenshots below. The Ackles Talent Services, Inc. California branch that was incorporated 6/22/2010 was suspended on 4/2/2013 and also has a forfeited ftb status which translates to the same status that is on the other brewing company that was in Gino Graul's name.

Looking over Danneel's companies, there is a Talking Poodle Productions, Inc. that holds the status "Inactive action by Secretary of State" that used to read as "Active not in good standing for failure to file annual report". According to this website for 2006 Louisiana laws titled 2006 Louisiana Laws - RS 12:163 — Failure to file annual reports; revocation and reinstatement of articles and limitation on authority to do business with the state, it states the following interesting tidbits of information: "§163.  Failure to file annual reports; revocation and reinstatement of articles and limitation on authority to do business with the state

A.  Where a corporation has failed to designate and maintain a registered office, or to designate and maintain a registered agent pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 12:104, for a period of ninety consecutive days, or where a corporation has failed to file an annual report for three consecutive years, according to the records of the secretary of state, the secretary of state shall revoke the articles of incorporation and franchise of such corporation."

Also, "F.(1)  As used in this Subsection the phrase "not in good standing" means any corporation which is delinquent in filing an annual report.

(2)  Each corporation, domestic and foreign, which is not in good standing is prohibited from engaging in commercial business operation with the state or its boards, agencies, departments, or commissions.  Any contract between a corporation which is not in good standing and the state or its boards, agencies, departments, or commissions is subject to be declared null and void, by said board, agency, department, or commission or by the Division of Administration."

There are of course other parts I didn't put in here for the sake of keeping this post a reasonable length but it seems that the bottom line message is the same here: The Grauls and Ackles have a history of not complying with tax laws and is unlikely they simply forgot to file taxes or annual reports as necessary. Was this to hide questionable financial practices? Are both families hiding unethical behaviors? Are they unable to afford accountants who can properly file all reports with state and federal tax governmental branches appropriately, so they can stay in business? Are these simple, honest mistakes on behalf of the Graul and Ackles' families? Not sure what you all think of this but it is entirely possible with this information here that there are some questionable business practices going on here and that the speculations here about FBBC not doing so good just might have some factual basis.