#I also know it was 2014 and it would not have flown

[birdiebortnik]

The world, if Aramis had been gay

[late-to-the-party-81]

For the very first time - Chapter 5

[or 5 times the Cap Quartet slept with each other and 1 time they slept all together]

AN: So, I was going to post this yesterday, but then realised it would get hidden under a mountain of boop, lol. So have some Sam/Steve time. This is set after the events of CA:TWS, when Sam and Steve are following leads on Bucky around the world. Catch up on Chapter 4 here.

Beta’d by @kingofsorrow20

Likes are loved, reblogs are golden

Mood board by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Join my tag list here Master list

Chapter Summary: Looking for Bucky, and Steve is frustrated. It’s a good thing that Sam is there to help him get out of his head and indulge him.

Chapter Relationship: Sam x Steve

Chapter Word count: 3.9k

CW: Mild Angst, referenced masturbation, Accidental Porn watching, Kink reveal, Daddy Kink, Friends to lovers, Top Sam, Bottom Steve, Pleasure Dom Sam, Sub Steve, Multiple orgasms, Super-soldier refractory period, Blow job, Anal fingering, Anal Sex.

Sam and Steve  - late 2014 

“A waste of fucking time,” Steve bit out as he walked into the hotel room and threw himself down on the bed. It was probably a good thing that Sam had been in charge of the keycard and therefore opening and closing the door - Steve would probably have taken it off its hinges with the mood he was in.

He was lying on his back, one arm thrown over his face, and was trying to toe off his shoes at the same time. Everything just felt like too much of an effort. 

It had been several months since the Triskelion and Bucky’s re-emergence and then subsequent disappearance. Steve had been obsessively scouring all of the intel he could get hold of through Maria’s new job with Stark and the remains of Nat’s assets. He’d flown all over the world, following up on sightings and even rumours, but no luck. Every time he arrived somewhere it was to find out that Bucky had already moved on, if he’d even been there in the first place. 

At least, for the most part, he’d had Sam with him. Sam, who’d barely known him and Nat when he’d agreed to aid them in their effort to take down HYDRA. Sam, the voice of reason, telling him when to stop, when to slow down and rest. Sam, the bonafide bad-ass who had now saved Steve by the skin of his teeth on more than one occasion. Sam, who was so god-damn attractive it should be illegal.

Nat, the loving friend that she was, had given him just enough details about what was under those tight-fit pants to make his general appreciation of Sam blossom into a full blown crush. Okay, Sam had helped with that by just being, well, Sam. Charismatic. Supportive. And as already stated, a badass.

Steve moved his arm from off his face and peered out from under his lashes. Sam was pottering around the small room, tidying up what very little mess there was, and then, unintentionally, set Steve’s heart racing when he pulled his shirt off over his head before picking up the towel from the end of one of the queen beds in the room.

“I’m gonna get a shower before you get in there and use up all the hot water,” Sam teased, grinning at Steve’s prone form. Steve flipped him the bird as Sam turned away with a chuckle and made his way into the small hotel bathroom.

This was always the worst part, Steve thought. Knowing that Sam was only a few feet away. Naked. And with his enhanced hearing he could hear Sam when he hummed or whistled under the spray. He’d also heard Sam do other things while in the shower, which had led to Steve, ashamedly, copying along and wondering what Sam actually looked like when he…

Steve shook his head. He should not be thinking about his friend like that, even if he knew that friend liked guys as well as girls, the way that he did himself. Even if Sam liked to flirt with him and leave him flustered. He should be concentrating on finding Bucky, because Bucky needed him.

The shower shut off and a minute later Sam reappeared, towel wrapped around his waist, chest still damp, and clutching his pants and underwear.

“All yours, Rogers. The pressure’s good too. Maybe a good shower will help you get out of your bad mood. I’m gonna order room service, cos I’ll be damned if I’m getting dressed to go out again. Want me to order the works?”

There he was again, looking out for Steve. ‘The works’ was code for ‘a super-soldier amount of food’. By ordering for himself he was making it look as though he wasn’t actively ensuring that Steve didn’t pass out from hunger. It apparently hadn’t taken long for Sam to get Steve’s number, although he wouldn’t put it past Nat to be slipping Sam information. Hell, she probably even had a dossier labelled ‘Dealing with Steve Rogers’.

“Sounds good. Thanks Sam,” Steve replied before sitting up and shucking his own shirt. He hesitated a moment, but realising how much time they’d already spent together, he also stripped out his jeans and socks and made his way into the bathroom in just his boxer briefs. Despite facing away from Sam, he got the feeling that the other man was watching him the whole time.

His shower took him ten minutes, and somehow, Steve managed to not jack off while he was in there, despite the urge being quite high. It did mean, however, that he had to try and hide his half-chub by holding his underwear in his hands in front of his towel before walking to the far side of his bed so that Sam couldn’t see him.

For his part, Sam wasn’t really paying attention. He’d changed into a pair of grey sweats and a red sleeveless tee and was currently standing at the hotel room door, accepting the trolley of food that had been sent up for them. On the surface it looked like a veritable feast, but Steve knew from experience that it was only just enough to keep his body going until the morning. There had to be some downsides to the serum, and having to spend a large portion of his back-pay on groceries and protein shakes was one of them.

Steve changed into his own sweats -navy - and his own tee - white and looking like it was a size too small - before moving across the room to investigate what Sam had ordered. His face lit up as he took in the selection.

“Thanks, Sam. You know me so well,” he exclaimed as he claimed the triple stack burger with its accompanying tower of onion rings and bucket of fries.

“No problem,” Sam replied. “Come on, let’s sit and watch some TV. We can eat on my bed, but wheel that trolley round your side. I’ve got all I want here.” He gestured to a large bowl of what looked like chicken and spicy rice that he’d placed on one of the side tables of his bed. Steve gave him a small nod, and then the pair of them got themselves comfortable.

Sam picked up the remote and flicked through several channels, before settling on a rerun of Hell’s Kitchen. “This okay with you?”

“Sure,” Steve mumbled around his burger. “I don’t want something I need to concentrate on.”

The next thirty minutes passed and Steve made his way through the pile of food that Sam had ordered for him, although Sam did steal a few fries from him once he’d finished his own meal. 

“You could have ordered some for yourself,” Steve jokingly chastised.

“Like you’ll miss five fries, you lug.” Sam jostled his arm against Steve’s and then they were both chuckling. The credits began to roll and Steve picked up the remote to find something else to put on. He flicked through the channels, the choices getting stranger and more niche the further up the list he went until….

“Fuck me, Daddy!”

Steve flushed, realising he’d scrolled as far as the porn channels and became very aware that he was sitting very close to Sam while on the screen a twinky young man was getting a good going over by a larger, burlier one.

“Ummm,” he stuttered out. He turned his head to look at Sam, but found the other man looking back at him with a grin on his face, but an unreadable look in his eyes.

“Didn’t know you had a ‘Daddy’ kink, Steve. But to each their own. Which one are you?”

Sam was teasing him. Obviously. But Steve found he couldn’t speak. His mouth had gone dry and in his mind’s eye he was lying on his back, Sam folding him in half, splitting him open and…

He must have been sitting silent and wide-eyed for too long, because he came back to himself, blinking at the sound of a deep chuckle, while the porno continued to play in the background.

“Oh, sugar. You’re gagging for it, aren’t you? And from the look on your face, you don’t want to be the Daddy. But are you looking for one?” Sam’s voice dropped even lower. “Want me to be your Daddy, Steve?”

“I - umm.” Steve’s brain was not co-operating, but that was probably because all his blood was in his dick, obscenely tenting his sweats, as his eyes roved of their own accord over Sam’s muscular body. Sam lifted his hand and cupped Steve’s face, brushing his thumb over one of Steve’s cheeks.

“You’re not as subtle as you think when you’re checking someone out. And that’s okay. I had a feeling there was something here when we first met, and then Nat confirmed it. But it’s down to you. We don’t have to do anything about it, if you don’t want to. Can forget this even happened, and just be friends. But I gotta let you know, you’re a sweet looking thing, Steve Rogers, and I care an awful lot for you. I’d be honoured to help you work out a little tension, if you’ll let me.”

Steve felt like a deer caught in headlights, an eerily familiar sensation. He wanted. Oh, how he wanted. But he was also conflicted. He was looking for Bucky. Bucky who he loved and now knew was alive. Should he do this? Indulge himself? He’d had no such qualms when he’d slept with Nat, and it wasn’t as though he didn’t have feelings for Sam as well, but the confusing thoughts swirled around in his mind.

“Talk to me, Steve. What’s going on in that enhanced brain of yours?” Sam was still gently stroking his face, not making any other move to touch him. Steve looked him straight in his eyes, saw the affection as well as the lust that was now clearly telegraphed and his defences, his reservations, ebbed away.

“Make me stop thinking, Sam. Please!” His plea was almost whispered - raw and desperate.

Sam’s smile widened as he shifted and moved closer, leaning over Steve as he sat on the bed and brought their lips together. 

Since waking up, despite what Nat had initially thought, Steve hadn’t been celibate, having sought out a few anonymous hook-ups with both men and women. The only problem had been that most people had assumed that because of his size that he’d naturally want to be in charge and while that may sometimes have been the case, it wasn’t what he wanted all of the time. However, as soon as Sam kissed him, leaned into it with natural dominance, Steve knew that Sam got him. Knew what Steve needed in the here and now. His heart sang and he felt no guilt as he turned himself over to the sensations.

He reached out, his hand curling into the front of Sam’s shirt just as Sam’s tongue demanded entry to his mouth. He let it in gladly, enjoying the soft urgency, filled with want, but also unhurried. He whined, his own tongue joining in the dance as Sam pressed him back onto the bed, lying on top of him. Steve didn’t know how long they made out for, slow and easy, with their bodies pressed together and their cocks brushing against each other through their clothes, but he could feel impatience - a neediness - burning through his veins, and when he began to roll his hips, in search of more friction, Sam broke away with a chuckle.

“Feeling needy, Steve? What do you want from me?” Sam questioned him gently, no doubt aware of how Steve was floating off into a different headspace. He dipped his head and nuzzled at Steve’s throat before latching onto a patch of skin and sucking a mark onto it. “We could just do this - make out and rub against each other? Or I could put my hand on you, stroke your no doubt pretty cock until you come and cry? Or we could go further? I could open you up, stretch you out and fuck you until you don’t know your own name?”

Steve let out a moan, his eyelids fluttering at the mental image Sam had painted for him. Sam just moved to the other side of his neck, raising a matching mark that would unfortunately fade too soon. “Words, sugar. Need to know you’re on board.” He reached down, open palm skimming over Steve’s chest, brushing against one of his nipples, causing it to peak under his shirt. Then, without warning, Sam pinched at it, and Steve wailed, the pain and the pleasure merging into one.

“Fuck me!” Somehow, he managed to make his voice work. “Please! Want you in me.”

Lazily, Sam brushed his palm over Steve’s other nipple, and gave it the same treatment.

“Who do you want in you, sugar?” he asked as he tweaked on the stiff nub.

“Daddy!” Steve cried out. “Wan’ Daddy to fuck me.”

Sam captured his lips again, and while Steve was dizzy and disoriented from the sudden harshness of it, Sam stripped him of his t-shirt, only breaking the kiss to pull the fabric over Steve’s head. 

Sam then moved back, stepping off the bed, quickly removing his own clothes and turning off the TV. Steve couldn’t move from where he was, his hands lying on the bed level with his head and his eyes squarely on Sam’s cock which bobbed in front of him, already shiny on the end with precum. Steve’s lips felt dry and he couldn’t help but wet them with his tongue, eliciting yet another rumbling laugh from Sam. 

“You’re cock-drunk already and I haven’t even started with you.”

He stepped closer again, his fingers curling around the waistband of Steve’s sweats, and perfunctorily peeled them from his body. Steve’s own cock bounced and slapped against his abs. Discarding Steve’s pants on the floor, Sam reached out and walked two fingers up the rigid length of Steve, from base to tip.

“Well, what do we have here? This all for me, baby?”

“‘S,” Steve mewled. “For you, Daddy.”

“And if Daddy was in the mood to ride this perfect cock, would you let him?” A disappointed noise left Steve’s throat at the question, because if that’s what Sam wanted then Steve would happily let him, but he just really wanted to be fucked right now - feel that stretch and burn and the almost overwhelming feeling of his prostate being rubbed just right by that perfect looking cock.

As if he could read Steve’s mind, Sam lay his hand flat on Steve’s abdomen and stroked upwards, soothing him. “It was just a question for another time, baby. I’m not gonna go back on my promise to turn you into a mess on my dick.”

“Yeah.” Steve shook his head earnestly. “‘Nother time. Let you do wha’ you want. But I need you.”

Sam gave him a knowing smile, before he dipped down to his bag, rummaging through it for a few moments before pulling out a bottle of lube. Then, with a broad grin, he crawled back up onto the bed, between Steve’s thighs.

“Pass Daddy a pillow, sugar.” At Sam’s gentle command, Steve reached up and snagged the one he wasn’t resting his head on, passing it down to Sam’s waiting hand. Then, with a tap to his hip, Steve planted his feet flat on the bed and lifted himself, so that Sam could wedge the pillow under his ass.

“Keep your legs like that,” Sam directed and Steve nodded his head, lower lip caught between his teeth. Sam flicked open the cap of the lube and squirted some out into his right palm, before taking a firm hold of Steve’s cock and starting to jerk it.

“Do you know how many times you can come, Steve? I take it you can recover quickly?”

Steve nodded again, before realising that Sam actually wanted a verbal answer. “F-four,” he replied. “‘Ve done four on my own.”

“Good boy,” Sam drawled, speeding up the motion of his hand so that his thumb pressed up Steve’s frenulum and over his tip, mixing the lube and Steve’s pre-cum together. “You come when you want. I’m gonna give you as many as you can handle.” 

With his free hand, Sam stroked over Steve’s body, sliding up to play with his nipples again, before going lower and cupping Steve’s heavy balls. He even dipped his head and mouthed at the soft skin of Steve’s thighs. All throughout he mumbled soft words of praise and encouragement, and it didn’t take long for Steve to reach his first peak. His hands fisted the sheet and his back arched as his cock jerked in Sam’s hold, shooting spurts of sticky, white cum over Sam’s fingers and his own stomach.

“There you go, sugar. One down…” Sam lifted his fingers to his mouth and sucked Steve’s spend from them, a sight so down-right filthy that Steve’s eyes widened and he squirmed on the sheets. Sam just smiled back at him, before scooping more of the puddle up and moving his hand between Steve’s legs.

When Sam’s fingers connected with his hole, Steve shuddered, his cum still warm and slippery and Sam gently massaged at the taut ring of muscle. Steve tried to relax his body and let the sensations wash over him, but it wasn’t long before his cock was rock hard again and he was pressing up against Sam’s hand. Sam added more lube to his fingers, spreading it liberally, before pressing in with one finger. Steve let out a wordless moan, his body inviting the invading digit with ease. 

Sam pumped it in and out, quickly able to press the whole length of his finger inside Steve. He added a second, and Steve could almost hear the smirk on his face when Steve let out another groan. Sam spent a few minutes scissoring his fingers, stretching Steve out, before he crooked his fingers and Steve jerked like a puppet on a string. With a smile on his face, that Steve could only just see from under his lowered lashes, Sam started to rub gentle circles over Steve’s prostate. 

Steve was no stranger to a prostate massage, but it had been a long time since he’d had one so good. His cock was already twitching, precum coming out in little spurts with every press against that small organ inside him.

“Daddy…” he cried out, hoping Sam understood his need.

“Just relax,” Sam coaxed, wrapping his free hand back around Steve’s flushed cock and stroking in time with the pumps of his fingers. “There we go. Let it happen. Come for Daddy, baby.”

This time, it felt like a river - an endless stream - of cum just flowing from him and Steve writhed with the pleasure of it. 

Sam repeated the same thing when he added a third finger, rubbing over Steve’s spot, almost to the point of overstimulation, and firmly stroking Steve until he started to shudder. Sam this time took the tip of Steve’s cock in his mouth, sucking firmly, making it feel as though he was drawing the cum from him.

After that third orgasm, though, Sam finally gave Steve what he wanted, removing his hand and shuffling closer on his knees, before pressing his own weeping cock against Steve’s lax hole. He slid in easily, pressing in almost to the hilt on the first thrust, Steve’s primed body accepting him without complaint. He started thrusting slowly, taking the time to get to know Steve’s body like this - for them to both get used to it. He carefully avoided hitting Steve’s sensitive prostate head on, wanting to give him a reprieve for a short time and give himself time to enjoy this. Instead he leant over, his hands coming down onto the bed next to Steve’s own hands.

“Open your eyes, Steve. Look up at me.”

Steve dragged his eyes open, the delicate lids feeling as though they were weighed down with concrete. 

“You’re so pretty, sugar,” he drawled and then ducked his head down, taking Steve’s lower lip between his teeth and giving it a nip. Steve squeaked and bucked his hips up.

“More, Daddy. Please.”

“Don’t be a brat,” Sam cautioned as he dropped kisses over Steve’s collarbone and upper chest. “Just trust me. I’ll get you there. Now, wrap your legs around me.”

As Steve did so, his hips tilted a bit more, making it easier for Sam to slide his cock back and forth over Steve’s prostate. Steve drew in a ragged breath as he felt his nebulous fourth orgasm start to coalesce somewhere in his balls. His cock was trapped against Sam’s firm stomach, and his previous spend was easing the way.

Steve was starting to feel overwhelmed by it all, his hands carefully gripping Sam’s shoulders as he rolled his body to meet each one of Sam’s thrusts.

“Where do you want Daddy’s cum, baby? Do you want me to make a mess of your slutty hole?”

Steve couldn’t think of a single thing that would be better. “Yes,” he moaned out with enthusiasm. “‘M a dirty slut for you, Daddy.”

“And are you gonna come with me?” Sam asked, slyly.

“Yeah. Gon’ come. So close.” His words were slurred, the pleasure acting like a drug in his system.

“Do you need to touch yourself, or can you come like this?”

“Like this ‘s good. So good, Daddy.”

Sam altered his rhythm, slowing down, but making each stroker harder and deeper. He tangled the fingers of his right hand with Steve’s left and kissed him, each swipe of his lips an entreaty for Steve to come.  Then, with that first sensation of his orgasm racing up him, his body tightening, Steve heard Sam groan into his mouth and felt Sam’s cock twitch inside him, filling him all the way up.

Steve let himself float on the wave of bliss, only vaguely aware of Sam pulling away from him, and only because the lack of weight against his body made him feel more floaty. He tried to reach out with his hand, but it felt like a dead-weight and fell back onto the mattress.

“I’ll be right back,” Sam muttered quietly in his ear, and Steve just smiled dopily. A minute or so later, Sam’s hands were back on him, a warm, damp washcloth, wiping the sweat and cum from his skin. The pillow, that was probably ruined, was pulled out from under him, and then Steve felt Sam tugging at the coverlet, trying to get it over Steve’s frame that felt as if it was made from over-cooked noodles. 

Sam padded around the room, clearing the plates from their meal and turning out the lights until the only illumination came from one small lamp. When he climbed into the bed, his naked body brushing up against Steve’s side, Sam came to rest facing Steve, propped up on one elbow. His fingers gently raked through Steve’s hair.

“Feel better? Was that okay?”

Steve sighed happily and snuggled against Sam’s form. “Was excellent. Thank you.”

“No problem. I really do care for you, you know?”

Steve tilted his head to look up at Sam’s face, taking note of the serious expression in his dark eyes.

“I care for you too, Sam. A lot.”

Sam dropped a kiss to Steve’s forehead.

“Good to know. And maybe, next time, we can try for five? What do you think about that?”

Steve just smiled against Sam’s skin, wrapping both his arms around the other man and pulling him into a tighter embrace before succumbing to sleep.

Chapter 6

Tag list: @km-ffluv, @wheezy-stucky, @kmc1989, @kombatfather1796, @christywrites, @doasyoudesireandlive, @sonatabee-blog, @endlesstwanted

[p-redux]

Do you know how or when caitriona met her husband? I’m so fascinated by them and you seem to know a lot about her.

Hi Anon, yes, I know the whole story via my previous Tony family source. I've answered this question MANY times, but I don't mind answering it again. But since I've answered it so many times, I'm just going to direct you to a previous post where I talk about most of my past insider sources. And I'll also copy and paste the specific parts related to Cait and Tony and their backstory. Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy reading! 👇

And here's the insider source info specifically related to Caitriona Balfe and Tony McGill. 👇 ( This is an excerpt from my previous Insider Sources post).

---------------👇

My second major source was my Tony family source. My Tony source is someone from Glasgow who was friends with someone I’d known for a while. My friend put me in contact with her. The Tony source approached me to tell me that she was shocked to find out a relative of hers (later found out it was her brother) had revealed “the lead actress from that new show Outlander is dating Tony McGill.” She was shocked because she and her family have known Tony and his family for years, all of them growing up in and around Glasgow. Her brother went to school with Tony and his brother, Joe. She then told me the whole backstory of Cait and Tony. She wanted me to keep the info to myself, and she had no motivation or intention of making it public. But she finally agreed, after I gave my word that I would protect her identity and I have. 

What she shared with me in late 2014 is that her brother found out their friend, Tony was dating Caitriona Balfe. At the time she said they’d been dating for about 9-10 months, that’s why I always put the start of their relationship around March 2014. She was told that by December 2014, the relationship was “dead serious” between them, and that Cait had spent Christmas 2014 in London with Tony and his dad. And then Tony had flown to Ireland with Cait to spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s with her family and friends (we’ve all seen the pic and video on Donal Brophy’s IG). My source said that Cait and Tony had been friends for 9 years or so at the time (again, this was told to me in 2014) and had met years ago when Tony rented out a room to one of Cait’s friends. They hooked up briefly back then and then remained friends, until it turned romantic again around March 2014. The source said that she and her family knew Tony and his family from back in the day, and she told me what school Tony went to in Glasgow (something I haven’t and won’t make public). She said that Tony had moved from Glasgow years ago and had been living in London for a while (again, this was told to me in 2014). Also, that he and his brother owned a bar/live music place in London, The Library in Islington (they later opened a second one, The Reading Room, which Cait posted from on IG) and a music production company. And that prior to that, Tony was the band manager for some Scottish bands, most notable, The Fratellis. She described Tony as “fun, clever, and hysterically funny.” 

The Tony source came into the picture after I had my Twitter account up, where I was posting insider info given by my first source. I had already posted that Sam and Cait weren’t dating. This second source is the one that filled in the missing puzzle piece I didn’t know was missing and told me she knew WHO Cait was dating. I would have NEVER known the name Tony McGill associated with Cait if not for this source. He was on no one’s radar. And he wasn’t on social media. This source told me details only an insider would know. And I also had her full identity, so I knew she was legit as well. Then ‘lo and behold Tony started showing up places with Cait. There is NO way I would have known about Tony without this inside family source. No way. Of course after my source told me about him, I did look him up online and there was hardly any information about him. Never in a million years would I have linked Tony McGill with Cait on my own. And I mentioned Tony McGill way before he started showing up places with Cait. How could it be that I said sources told me Tony McGill is dating Cait, and then a man identified as Tony McGill is seen out and about with Cait? The only way I knew about Tony is because the source told me. 

Back in the day, when Cait and Tony weren’t yet living together yet, people wondered how they made their relationship work given the sometimes long distances? Well, when they first started dating around March 2014, Cait was filming Outlander Season 1, so Tony would go to Glasgow or Cait would go to London on weekends. Then when Season 1 wrapped and Cait went back to L.A. (where she had been living) in late Sept. 2014, Tony went to L.A. to visit her in October 2014 (both their birthdays are in October, Cait Oct. 4 and Tony Oct. 12, Libra/Libra bond!). The Fratellis were also in L.A. Oct. 2014 and Tony helped them out with some business stuff. Then, as I’ve already stated, Cait and Tony spent time together Dec. 2014 and January 2015 for the holidays. Then Valentine’s Feb. 2015, Cait flew to London for the opening of Tony’s 2nd bar, The Reading Room. She posted a pic on IG. Then in April 2015, Tony flew to NY to join Cait for the premiere of the second half of Season 1. Eyewitness sources saw him sitting with Cait’s friends at the screening and then with Cait and her friends inside the after party. There was one PUBLIC pic on Twitter of Cait, Tony and Sam. And I and others have been shown private pics of Tony there. Many of us have seen them but we couldn’t make them public because they show the location where they were taken, thus identifying the source who took them, and she would get in trouble with her boss. After that, in May 2015, Cait went back to Glasgow to begin shooting OL Season 2, and this time, she brought her cat, Eddie with her. Per more than one source, Tony pretty much lived in Glasgow after that with Cait. One person who went to Tony’s bars in Glasgow and then reached out to me, said that she had asked about Tony and was told “he doesn’t come around much anymore because he moved back to Scotland.” They then moved into their new place in Glasgow, moved out of that one and they moved to a new place in Glasgow, and also have a place in London. Some say they also bought a place in the English countryside. And they are obviously now married (since 2019) and they had their first son. THAT’s how Tony and Cait made it work.

My Tony source also parted ways with me, also due to fear of being found out. She didn’t formally break up with me, the way the original industry source did, she simply ghosted me. But I also see her pop up on Twitter or IG sometimes and get all wistful. Oh well...

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

So, Anon, that's the Tony and Cait backstory straight from someone who knows Tony and his family. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by! ❤️

[inlocusmads]

Hey Mads! I woke up with this question in my head this morning, and as I'm pondering it, I'd love to know your thoughts.

What would have become of your Trystan if they had not met Nora? What direction would their life have taken? (Feel free to add how Nora's would have been different, too.)

Hey there, Elsa! This is such an interesting question because both Nora and Trystan were at different points in their life and though they simply might be just people and can't exactly do so much as to rearrange the other's brain molecules, their "influence" so to speak holds some gravity regardless.

(PSA- using he/him for Trystan; another PSA- this is very very long. I am so sorry. Also spoilers for Book 1 and 2)

In terms of Trystan if he hadn't met Nora, he would likely have adjusted to the merits of what an exiled royal would get. Most likely an unspecified "foreign diplomat" position, likely Drakovia's Minister Counselor for Counselor Affairs to the United States for a time period until he's called back again to be the heir (I'd like to think Trystan declined the position, but the Drakovian government ended up submitting his name anyway; so a couple of interns can file paperwork, so he can attend ribbon-cutting ceremonies). It's admittedly a very cushy life and had Trystan maintained a resume, he would not need to spend a massive portion of his time in a private detective agency in Manhattan so to speak.

A large portion of his character arc, from my perspective at the very least, comes from multiple "sources of approval" and him finally stopping that vicious cycle and doing things more earnestly. From seemingly training his whole life to be the next heir, to constantly hold himself accountable even if the situation didn't warrant his accountability. I feel like his exile as a whole contributed to taking back that "portion" of his life, but seemingly finding it impossible to let go. Prospects, jobs, etc, etc, nothing really did interest him as far as his description of "what exactly did he do in those eight years from 2014 to 2022?" goes. I feel like a massive portion comes from his fear he has for the future while simultaneously trying to remember the past and pour a bunch of alcoholic parties and midday diplomatic ceremonies at the Embassy and boom, eight years have flown by.

I'd like to think had Trystan never met Nora, he would have carried that "fear for the future" idea into the future. He'd have no idea if he actually wants the crown, suppressing his urge to ask questions, to challenge his own beliefs and instead, would be glad if someone provided him any sort of certainty on a plate. I feel like the reason why I like Trystan so much is because he gives me "hitchhiker who has no idea where they're going but likes the ride anyway and will get stabbed by 45 raccoons" vibes.

It is kind of partially explored in canon, when he struggles to remember if at all he's tied the topsail, struggles to put his word forward even though he is literally the next Guy On The Throne, in Book 2 swayed by what people want of him and is happy to take dance lessons and etiquette courses and immediately gets back into the royal groove even when he's explicitly made plenty of comments and expressed thought on how he doesn't really want to go back home.

It's a little dicier in canon, I'm ignoring Book 2 entirely for this, but I feel like his tightrope walk of "I've wanted to take you to show my home" to "Oh no, my family sucks, everything sucks, I do not want to go back there" makes me conclude that it's kind of sad that his own family, his own next-of-kin, ever-ready to give him answers (in the form of sham trials to royal decrees to emails to letters probably) are also the very people who'd take that away from him. Also why he's ready to talk about Drakovia's culture and history - the people who came before him- than the people who are right next to him and who'd gladly stab him in the back.

I feel like this whole uncertain business kind of started as "I don't think I can trust my family" to "I don't think I can trust anyone at home besides the culture that's so set in stone" and becomes this blob structure where he's just trying to figure out where he belonged and if at all he could pick and choose what to accept.

This is, say when he meets Nora. Nora doesn't have just any job, she's a private detective and PIs ask a bunch of questions. They're unashamed about it; they're not going to hold back, however "dumb" a question might be, in search for the truth. Even if it means interrogating a history Professor by shoving an ancient three-headed statue of Mahra in their face (real subtle guys) or sneaking into a spa to get into a cult and messing around with the cult people, even if their answers are just a series of grunts and "who let these guys in here?"

I feel like from the very first time Trystan saw Nora on the job and got to participate in it, he kind of felt like he was wearing HD glasses - as in he could "see" the truths being someone detached from the case. They could sniff out Madani's been having an affair all the way to Eleanor wearing her victims' hearts on her hands, encrusted into diamonds, just from subtle wordplay (actually not so subtle Elly). It kind of offered him a new perspective and a new thought process to look into Juliana's case. Especially when Nora (MC) asks him "Hey, you know it isn't your fault right?" and Trystan's just info-dumping about whether or not he tied the topsail.

It wasn't just Nora who implored him to think from different perspectives, rather the job that said so. Trystan, who willingly participated in the case- just to go "ahaha i love it when you get flustered Nora, also I'm invited to the Iverson Ball so there, you cannot stop me" and to take back that he's not so lonely in the whole "understanding the unknown" business is, fine arguably an "overnight next-to-impossible" character development, but it makes a partial sort of sense in the circumstances he was in. He was desperate to understand what happened to Sonja, and his correspondence with Nora seems to help him unravel a whole different perspective.

As for Nora herself, she was stuck in an awkward period much like Trystan, except for different reasons. In my hc, it hadn't been that long since she went from being an NYPD officer to a PI (give or take 2-4 years) and she doesn't deal with a lot of high profile cases, clearly. I'm assuming she's mostly thinking about doing a good job, not slacking off or just trying to get through one day without the PTSD weighing her down. She'd suffered intense trauma, it's surprising and actually baffling she can power through a day without any troubles. I feel like Nora was stuck in the place where she needs closure on her dad's death, unable to move on, even after so many years and at the same time dealing with the whole "what the fuck do I do" in her thirties.

She was also in this weird perspective in her life where she didn't believe in a person's redemption. Pretty fucked up, I know, but one, she doesn't forgive anyone that easily and two, she doesn't forgive herself for the most part. Kind of like a John Wick but the hatred is all internal, which kind of made her refuse second chances - both on the granting and receiving side of it. On one hand, she believed the corrupted cops in the NYPD should be killed off and on the other hand she believed she didn't deserve Mafalda's generosity when she gave her the job as PI. This kind of barrelled down into a mess where she found it impossible to simply forgive and no change in perception or environment helped her. The smallest of mistakes or screw-ups could tick her off or the smallest of disapprovals from people close to her would send her on a rampage (that's why you never EVER tell her, even as a joke "Jimmy would not be proud of that", because she will murder you)

Nora kind of learned to forgive upon meeting Trystan. Here is a guy who is clearly cocky who hides his depressing state of self pretty well, who is easy to trust her that openly and will call her out on her BS but at the same time, literally in Chapter 4 or 5, tell her her father would be super proud of her WHILE being this unhinged flawed character who learns by making errors and is no perfect by any means, but he tries. He tries to be a good person, even though he knows he doesn't deserve it. He tries to see her way and Nora had no reason to really forgive or believe his story. Nora didn't have to second-guess the murder allegations because what, it's just his word against the entire country of Drakovia. And yet, she finds it in her heart to forgive even when he isn't looking for pardon and finds it in herself to forgive even if she fucks up.

I don't think Nora would have that opportunity to address that if she didn't meet Trystan, rather she would but it would have been a difficult process for her to do so over a couple of years which would have been gruelling considering Nora's a "ey we'll cross that bridge when we get there" and ends up getting smacked in the face everyday regardless.

____

I feel like both of their development arcs would have been a lot "slower" hadn't they met the other - which isn't a wrong thing, it's just that a slow, horrifying idea to deal with constantly would be exhausting instead of using that time to solve the case from down up. Sure, it is a long process in itself. Trystan wants to get over his fear of the unknown, but it isn't overnight. Nora wants to forgive herself, but it won't happen with happy affirmations and people saying nice things to her. They both need time, but more importantly, someone to just y'know relate to. While they do come from insanely different upbringings, backgrounds and that playing like 90% of the role in how they see stuff, the other 10% is where they find comfort and solace in knowing they might not just be alone out there.

And so yeah, TLDR: While nothing really would have happened of significance, they wouldn't have been able to find a different friend who could just sit down and hear them out and go, "totally been there, you know what helps?" "Unhealthy coping mechanisms?" "No, wtf, who raised you, I meant therapy, like proper therapy, not the ones that go 'uh huh' and take notes" "Ah right."

Sorry I got a little carried away there, I'd love to talk about Nora and Trys's character development - even if it is a fucked up version of the canon and my fanon just melting into a brainrot. Thanks for the question Elsa!

[usafphantom2]

Red Eagle Reminisces, The Story Of An Aggressor Pilot

September 27, 2023 Vintage Aviation News Articles 0

Members of the 4477th Tactical Evaluation Squadron standing in front of a MiG-21 under evaluation. USAF Photo

By Stephen Chapis

“After a few minutes of waiting, Colonel Chuck Holden called me into his office. He was in a flight suit with his feet up on his desk and a cigarette dangling out of the corner of his mouth. I saluted and as he returned a half-ass salute he leaned forward and shook a piece of paper at me. He growled, ‘Z-man. How the [expletive] did you get this job?’ I replied, ‘What job would that be, sir?’ He congratulated me as he handed me the paper. It was a letter, on 4477th letterhead, from George Gennin notifying my wing commander that I was being reassigned to the Red Eagles as of October 1983. That’s how I found out I got the job.”

Photo by Stephen Chapis

Due in no small part to restrictive, politically imposed rules of engagement, the U.S. Air Force kill ratio during the Vietnam War was just 2.04-to-1. In the 1990s, during operations over the Middle East and the Balkans, Air Force fighter crews scored 50 aerial victories for no losses. This dramatic turnaround is often credited to the advent of the Red Flag in 1975, but it was a number of classified exploitation programs and the establishment of a top-secret squadron that operated MiG-17s, MiG-21s, and MiG-23s that allowed the Air Force to achieve such unchallenged air dominance.

Two USAF F-5Es flanking a MiG-17 and MiG-21 of the 4477th Tactical Evaluation Squadron. United States Air Force. [USAF Photo via William R Peake]

In early 1968, the United States borrowed and exploited the capabilities of an alleged ex-Iraqi MiG-21F-13 Fishbed E under the classified program Have Doughnut. The following year, the U.S. obtained a quartet of MiG-17F Fresco Cs, also alleged to be Iraqi in origin, and exploited those jets under the Have Drill and Have Ferry. In 1973, exploitation programs such as these were formalized under Have Idea, and five years later, the highly classified 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) was established at the equally classified Tonopah Test Range, north of Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Members of the 4477th Tactical Evaluation Squadron standing in front of a MiG-21 under evaluation. [USAF Photo]

In a nutshell, the purpose of the Red Eagles was to expose as many pilots as possible to real MiGs, to eliminate what was called “buck fever”, the pilot’s shock of suddenly seeing a real MiG up-close for the first time. It was better for a fighter pilot to get the proverbial deer-in-the-headlights look with a “friendly” MiG over Nevada rather than in combat with a hostile foe.

The program in which the Red Eagles operated was known as Constant Peg, but we’re not here to present the history of the squadron as it is covered in great detail in Steve Davies’ 2008 book, “Red Eagles: America’s Secret MiGs” and “America’s Secret MiG Squadron: The Red Eagles of Project Constant Peg”, which was written by the Red Eagles first commanding officer, Galliard R. Peck, Jr., Col. USAF, (Ret.) in 2014. What follows is the story of Robert J. “Z-Man” Zettel, Lt. Col. (USAF), Ret. (Bandit 39), and his career path that led him to the Red Eagles and the cockpit of the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Robert Zettel grew up in a family where no one had flown or even been in the military. Through his high school years, Zettel read a lot about aviation built model airplanes, and decided that he wanted to be a pilot, but a high school guidance counselor killed that dream. Zettel told the author, “I told him I wanted to be a pilot. I was so naïve that when he asked me what kind, I said, ‘I don’t know. Air Force or Navy.’ I’m sure he meant well, but he gave me three or four reasons why that would never happen and that I should probably think of doing something else. I was completely deflated.” Not even a year later, Zettel’s Air Force career came out of the most unlikely place, “…one of my older brothers was heading for Notre Dame and the ROTC department had sent him a big package. He threw it out because he wasn’t interested, so I literally pulled it out of the garbage. I asked, ‘What’s this?’ He said, ‘Something about Air Force.’ So, I looked through all the colored brochures, and back in the day, they had those little tear-out things, so I filled one out and sent it in.” Zettel related.Ezoic

That piece of refuse launched Zettel’s career. He took his Air Force test and was awarded a four-year Air Force scholarship at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Upon graduation, he received his commission through the Air Force ROTC program and went to an undergraduate pilot training class at Vance Air Force Base (AFB) in Enid, Oklahoma, where he graduated at the top of his class in March 1978. After completing his conversion training in the F-4 at Luke AFB, Arizona he flew F-4Ds with the 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS)/18th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), at Kadena AB, Okinawa followed by F-4Es the 36th TFS Osan AB, Korea, which was the last F-4E unit in the Air Force.

It was during his time at Kadena that Zettel set his sights on becoming an aggressor pilot and his assignment to 36th, which was the last air superiority F-4E unit, was quite beneficial in building his credentials and skill set. Zettel spoke of his path to the Aggressors, “I was first introduced to the Aggressors at Kadena… I looked at their role and thought it was an ideal role to hone my skills and become a real air-to-air expert. When my flight commander offered me the opportunity to go to F-4 Weapons School, I turned it down because I wanted to be an Aggressor. He was a graduate of that school and my response to his offer was simply, ‘Well, thanks I’d rather be an Aggressor.’ He was livid.”

Zettel called the commander of the 26th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (TFTS), which was based at Clark AB, Philippines, that afternoon and told him he’d been offered the weapons school slot, but he’d rather be an Aggressor and amazingly after asking Zettel how much time he had (he had 600 hours in F-4), he hired him on the spot. When he completed his tour at Osan in September 1981, Zettel went to Nellis to check out in the F-5E and complete the Aggressor Program, which included a single surreal sortie against a mysterious MiG-21 and reported to the 26th at Clark in February 1982.

When Zettel came home for Christmas in December 1982, he spent a few days at Nellis and had a most fortuitous meeting with a friend from Clark, “I happened to run into a guy by the name of Jim Day. He’d been one of our GCI controllers at the 26th and was then working GCI for the 4477th. When he saw me in the hallway at the 65th he asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m home on Christmas leave, so I’m hanging around for a day or two to see some old friends and talk to the commander.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Do you have your Class A uniform with you?’ I said, ‘Yes. Why?’ He said, ‘Your name has been floating around as a possible Red Eagle.’ I was shocked because I didn’t think I could get there from where I was in my career at that time.” Zettel recalled.

Day arranged for Zettel to meet with Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) George S. Gennin, who was the Red Eagles commanding officer at the time. Zettel recalled the interview in 2016, “I walked in, saluted smartly, and introduced myself. I think they already knew who I was. Gennin asked me, ‘Would you have any problems flying these airplanes? These are not your standard airplanes. They’re not as safe. We’ve had accidents. We’ve had people get killed.’ Of course, I was young and single, so my reply was, ‘Absolutely. No problem.’ You throw caution to the wind, and you’re bulletproof at that age, right? Anyway, it was all over in 35 or 40 minutes, and I still remember as I was walking out the door he said, ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you.’ Well, at that point I figured I’d never get the job.”

Three months after Col. Holden handed Zettel the letter from LTC Gennin, Zettel arrived at Nellis in September 1983 to begin a most amazing time in his career. He told the author in August 2021, that the cover story was that he was flying “highly modified F-5s” at a secret location north of Las Vegas. Over the years, this cover story was bolstered when Z-Man would go on the road with the 65th. Zettel arrived when the Red Eagles were in a period of transition as they had just retired the MiG-17s and received a number of MiG-23s.

Squadron members with one of the F-5E Trainers/DACT aircraft. [USAF photo]

A total of 61 Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots were assigned to the 4477th during its 11-year existence and nearly half logged time in the Flogger. There could have been more, but there were some who turned down the opportunity to check out in the swing-wing fighter, especially after crashes claimed the lives of Capt. Mark “Toast” Postai (Bandit 25) and Lieutenant General Robert M. “Bobby” Bond in 1982 and 1984 respectively. Zettel on the other hand made it known that he would jump at the chance to fly the jet and after two years and 338 sorties in the MiG-21, he got his chance.

Zettel explained the process of learning to fly the MiG-23 without the benefit of a two-seat trainer, “The checkout was very similar to the 21. I sat down with the squadron IP (Instructor Pilot) for a few days of academics, which included sitting in the airplane, touching all the buttons and switches, and spending a lot of time on emergency procedures. Then one morning you go out there, crank the airplane do a taxi out to the end of the runway, and then come back. Then in the afternoon, you do the same thing again, except this time you go out to the runway, close the canopy, light the afterburner, pull it out quickly, pop the drag chute, exit, and drop the chute off in the infield and taxi back to the ramp. You didn’t take your checkride until the fourth or fifth hop.” On those early flights, the pilot in the MiG had an experienced Red Eagle on his wing in a T-38.

Once Z-Man was fully checked out in the MiG-23, he began flying presentation flights in earnest, and despite its dubious reputation, Zettel loved flying “the 23”, he was especially impressed with its speed and described two flights where, as Sam Shepard said in ‘The Right Stuff’, he wanted “…to see where that old demon lives.” Zettel told the author, “Once I was down on the deck at two or three hundred feet… and I indicated 830 knots, which was probably close to 1.4 Mach. It was really moving.”

The second flight was a functional control check flight, a favorite of fighter pilots because the airframe is unencumbered by pylons, missile rails, and external tanks. Zettel said, “That was on the deck. I once did a functional check flight, and I had some extra fuel. I was talking to the GCI controller, and he said the ranges were clear. So, I thought to myself, ‘You know, I’m going to see what this thing will really do.’ I climbed to 40,000 feet and did a straight and level 1G acceleration. If I recall the [canopy] redline was 2.23 [Mach] and when I hit 2.2 it was still going, and I thought, ‘That’s close [to redline], that’s fast enough.’ The MiG-23 was the fastest jet I ever flew.”

Whereas the MiG-21 was a dogfighter with an excellent turn rate, the MiG-23 Zettel said was “…more of an interceptor than it was a dogfighter… go into a furball… one or two turns and you’re done.”

That statement didn’t keep Z-Man from nearly getting a gun kill against what is today a fighter that is undefeated in aerial combat- the F-15 Eagle. Zettel related the story with a grin, “I obviously had a lot of air-to-air experience, so I learned how to max perform the 23, meaning taking it right up to the angle of attack limit. I would surprise guys by going into the vertical. I would do an attack on them, and they would get ready to reverse… I’d see this turn; I would just take it up… to work them in the vertical. They weren’t used to seeing that. I did that vertical setup with an F-15, and when he reversed early, and I took it up high, and he reversed back, which depleted a lot of his energy. By the time he tried to come back for me, I was up over the top, getting ready to come down as he started to fall off. So, I’m coming down on him… ready to call guns killed and he calls knock it off. I still remember swearing inside my oxygen mask, ‘Son of a bitch. I can’t believe you called.’ I’m pretty sure he called knock it off only because he did not want to be the only F-15 guy ever to be killed by a MiG-23.”

By the time he left the 4477th, Zettel had logged 138 sorites in the MiG-23 for a total of 70 hours. After his Red Eagles assignment, Zettel went on F-15 with 94th TFS/1st TFW at Langley AFB, Virginia, and retired in 2001 after 14 years of active duty and six in the reserves. In 1991, he was hired by United where he flew DC-10s, A320s, 767s, and 777s. He retired in 2019 as a 767 Line Standards Manager. Today, he and his wife, a retired Captain for American, reside in Florida and enjoy flying a float-equipped AirCam.

In 2019, Zettel was traveling through the Midwest and stopped at the National Museum of the US Air Force (NMUSAF) to take a brief trip back in time. He was there just as the museum was opening and knew just where to go to see an old friend — MiG-23MS ‘Bort 39.’ Having arrived at the display within minutes of opening, he found no visitors nearby, just a couple of tour guides no doubt wondering why someone was there to see a MiG-23 first thing in the morning. Noticing their curiosity, Zettel explained his background, affiliation to the Red Eagles, and this actual aircraft. The guides said they’d never met anyone who’d actually flown a MiG, much less the one right before them. Without hesitation, Zettel quickly told them a few anecdotal stories about the unit, as well as the aircraft. He then offered to tell them a few more if they would allow him behind the display rope for some photos with his old comrade. They both nodded instantly, and Bandit 39 was soon beside the “Flogger” he’d first flown more than 30 years earlier but couldn’t talk about until just 15 years ago. Oh, and true to his word he told them of a couple of short experiences he and others had in the “Floggers” of the 4477th — a once-top-secret unit that contributed to America’s decades of air dominance.

@WarBirdsNews via X

[agbob-dollpants]

~The Secret!?~

How many people have you met that have over 100 AG dolls? For me, personally, I think I could probably name about ten other collectors that have such an extensive collection. In this post, you will find out why I’ve reached such a high point in my collection, and why all of my dolls have reached me in such a consistent manner.

Random doll pic!!

Happy April! The fourth month of 2023… wow! This year has flown by really quickly so far. As many people know, April is autism acceptance and awareness month, so I thought I’d like to make a post regarding that! Today (April 2nd) is also Autism Acceptance Day!✨

And that is exactly what my secret is. Something I’ve been wanting to share on AGIG for years. Something that I didn’t even know until I was 12 years old but had been effecting me for me entire life. Something that was hidden from me that I no longer want to hide from other people. I am autistic.

I’m not super familiar with the AG/doll community on tumblr, but because of that, I thought it would be a good way to introduce myself early on. Apparently, I got the diagnosis when I was 4 years old, but my mom told me randomly one day when I was almost 13. I was kind of shocked at the time, but once I thought about it for a second, everything began to make sense. “Oh, so THAT’S why I did *insert random thing* when I was little!”

I honestly feel a lot better about myself now that I know this information, but I’ve been wary about sharing it with others because my mom was hesitant to even tell me, let alone have me tell anyone else, about it. This month, remember to NOT support Autism $peaks or “light it up blue,” default to identity-first language, and LISTEN to actually autistic voices! Red instead!❤️

Now for the fun part. 🤭 I get to talk about my dolls! I got my first 2 dolls in 2012, but I started to become really passionate about AG and the brand after my friend and I had discovered AGTube in 2014. The first AGTube video I ever saw was an AGSM called “Sandy Gets Her Ears Pierced.” I was BEWILDERED by the dolls moving by themselves and then I got sucked into the hole of AGTube, as I started to learn just about anything I could about these dolls. ✨

Basically, that’s how American Girl became a special interest of mine! A special interest is an intense, focused interest that an person has on a specific topic for a long period of time. At that time, I had 10 dolls, and now I have 144 almost 9 years later! My younger self would POUR over my current doll collection and would do anything to have even half of the dolls that I do today! She’d flip out seeing her dream dolls like Sonali, Kanani, Mia, and McKenna in my current collection, and it makes me really happy to be living out a big dream of mine from when I was younger! :)

Thanks for reading, dollblr! Have a wonderful day!

[coff-beans]

I just started watching 2003 TMNT

I’ve been on a personal mission to watch everything TMNT related these past few months, but I’ve been going backward. I watched the ROTTMNT series, then the movie. Then I watched the Bayverse movies, followed soon after by the 2012 series. After watching all of that, I discovered the Batman vs. TMNT movie (2019), so I watched that. Then I watched the 2007 movie. Currently, I’m watching “S1: EP1″ of the 2003 series. I’ve noticed many things throughout my time watching these shows, and I will most likely do multiple analyses on them. But for now, I’d like to mention something that has been bugging me. Raph’s accent. Each Raph has a different accent (so far), here is a list of what I’ve noticed:

ROTTMNT- 2018(/2022): Nothing special, just a basic American accent. Not a thick one, but if you listen closely you can still hear it being somewhat of a New York accent at times. 

Batman vs. TMNT - 2019: More of a New York accent mixed with an American one, his gravelly voice gets in the way of being able to tell his exact accent. 

Bayverse - 2014/2016: Heavy(?) Brooklyn accent

2012: Similar to ROTTMNT he doesn’t have much of an accent, except he doesn’t have any signs of a New York accent. If anything, I think I’ve heard someone with a voice just like his multiple times during my time living in Washington state. It’s not something that has a prominent accent. 

2007: Definitely more of a Brooklyn accent, not as heavy as in the Bayverse. But still prominent enough to be easily recognized when he speaks. 

HOWEVER-

So far, Raph’s voices have been an American accent, a New York accent, or a Brooklyn accent. So you can imagine my surprise when I start watching the episode and I hear a FUCKING AUSTRALIAN ACCENT!? LIKE?? HELLO????

As soon as I heard it I immediately thought of Steve Irwin, and now I can’t stop hearing it. It torments my mind like a plague being released upon those who have sinned. The shadows of the past Raphels watch me, they cast their piercing gaze upon my very soul. Looking upon me in shame all I can hear is the fucking crocodile man talking in place of what once was my favorite ninja turtle. I believe this is my curse, I have watched too many ninja turtles and the gods will not allow it. The mortal soul is not meant to know this much, and this is my punishment. I will forever bask in the knowledge of the TMNT that constantly resides in the back of my mind, it will pull at my mind until it breaks, and I hope it does. So then, and finally then. I will be released from my curse and brought back down to the chains of man. But alas, I know this shall not be the end. As much as I try to believe this to be my wish, I know in my soul that it is not the case. Even if I am given my escape if I am finally freed from my chains and able to walk along my mortal breathen once again. I will not accept, for I am an Icarus, and I have flown too close to the sun. My wax wings shall melt, but I will not learn. Even as I spiral down to the ground below, I will not regret what I have done. For I know that I would not have changed a single thing, that this is what I wanted. This is my curse, but it is also my desire. 

o wait nvm, it’s a New Jersey accent. Srry.

[straightfromthetorturedpoetsdept]

Hello, hope you're having a good day

I love reading your songs' analysis but I don't get very well your analysis of The great war. What made you think this is the break up song ? Like what lyrics? I think I agree with your pov but I need more details to make my mind

Okay, so, have you listened to hits different? Do you know about the girl who lives in delusion?

The great war is kind of like this for me. First, the great war means the FIRST world war. In the context of this relationship, this is the FIRST war they had to fight. In my opinion, it is about kissgate and how she went on twitter to deny kaylor which was the betrayal that she dealt to karlie.

Let me back up, taylor has repeatedly referred to true love as golden. This is how she views her relationship with Joe, because it's not burning red. The way taylor describes falling in love is "flying towards the sun" and so when a relationship goes bad, you've flown TOO close to the sun. You're so blinded by the light that you keep flying towards it even as your feathers are melting off, Icarus.

She says in the bridge that this love was "burned for the better" which we know is incompatible with how she views true love, aka for her that's joe. Burned here implies this is an unhealthy relationship but the war imagery should tip you off to that before you get to the bridge.

So back to the song, she has started the song off with imagery of fighting and the use of the pronoun "her," and remember this is a song off an album where the theme is literally "if one thing had been different, would everything be different today?" So the song starts off with taylor thinking back to how her knuckles were bruised like violets from fighting this war.

Violet is queer coded specifically for sapphics with a whole history there, as well. So, there is another queer flower being used as imagery here.

"Cursed you as I sleep-talked, spineless in my tomb of silence" this is clearly about kissgate to me. She is having nightmares of where it all went wrong and she is tracing it back to kissgate in 2014 (?)

Crimson clover is another gay floral reference, crimson & clover is a song about sapphic love for example. Anyways, sweet dream was over gives me gold rush vibes and I have nothing else to say about it other than this.

Once we get to the chorus, we have already changed history. "Tears on the letter" brings me to closure, where the reality is karlie apologizing to her (maybe?) And taylor resenting that letter because she remembers how it used to be, how it could have been. But in the song, I think she is saying she wrote a letter crying and vowing not to fight anymore if they could survive kissgate.

I think in reality, this actually happened (karlie sobbing with her head in her hands) but taylor said something to push her away and this started the beginning of the end of their relationship.

So, the second verse I can only interpret as Karlie telling her to trust her more (maybe taylor accused her of wanting them to be caught? This is speculation but im giving an ex so u can see my train of thought of what I think the verse represents) but here is like present taylor speaking through past taylor saying "diesel is desire, you were playing with FIRE" so here is the burning imagery again. You can write a whole thesis on this line and the beautiful metaphor it is for unhealthy relationships but I'll just say here that she is saying that the desire between the two women burned up them inside until there was nothing left of what they had.

"The bombs were close" is a reference to the phone call drama that I think signals the end of their relationship for real because Karlie lost interest in her as her reputation tanked and also the way she was treating Karlie was probably not okay because she was valuing fame over the two of them.

And here she is saying "my hand was the one you reached for all throughout the great war" because karlie wanted them to go public but she was too afraid to live her truth. "Always remember the burning embers" is also another hint that she's talking about a past relationship due to that burning red metaphor she likes to use for break up songs.

Then we get into the bridge which solidifies it for me because "it turned into something bigger" feels so my tears ricochet to me. We know Taylor was betrayed by Karlie somehow in the masters situation and she is literally saying that their relationship war turned into "something bigger" because kissgate was the catalyst for karlie betraying her and causing her to lose her masters in the way that she did. "Even on my worst day, did I deserve babe all the hell you gave me" hell is depicted as a burning inferno and "raining hellfire" is what this line references to me.

Somewhere in the haze = the lavender haze

Got a sense I'd been betrayed = masters situation

Your finger on my HAIRPIN trigger = right where you left me, you won't let me come out because of our history, you had to kill me but it killed you just the same because she is queerifying pin triggers, which is a gun term that modifies it to SHOOT FASTER. The brilliance here is *chefskiss*

But remember, we're still in the time period of kissgate so this is where I make the connection to hits different bridge and outro because it feels like a complete shift in tone where Taylor does decide to trust karlie after kissgate but karlie is now falling out of love with her because karlie looked up at her with "honor and truth" during kissgate and so she called off the troops because she was the one hurting Karlie in the kissgate situation and vowed to find a way to leave her record label maybe?

She called off the troops, which I think is her record label, and I think this means she was trying to find a way to leave them for the 2 of them to go public. But we also know that karlie cheated on her during their relationship because of the way she talks about the emotions behind August.

And the most devastating part of this entire song is "that was the night I thought I lost you, I really thought I lost you" for me because it is the thing she is changing about this entire situation. This WAS the night she lost her because in reality, there was 2 great wars in history.

The Great War foreshadows the coming of a second war in the context of this relationship because people really celebrated the end of the war like it was the last bloodshed they'd see on that scale again. This is why I think it's like hits different because it wouldn't make sense for her to be saying "there is no second great war" with the context of the great war not being a break up song.

Like, in order for this to be a happy song, you would have to ignore the historical context that she is referring to specifically by using the name "the great war." And this is why ultimately to me, this is a break up song because this song is about the feeling of believing you've won before walking straight into a checkmate trap.

Then she used funeral imagery here much like she used it in so it goes for the bridge in that song too. She says "we can plant a memory garden" why would they need to plant a memory garden of they are still together.

A memory garden implies remembering someone who died at war, and then the "place a poppy in my hair" and "there's no morning glory" "it was war, it wasn't fair" these all feel like the aftermath of kissgate on their relationship.

Like yeah, they "won" the battle of kissgate but their relationship was altered by the events of this so greatly it caused a greater, bloodier war.

Again, you cannot divorce the historical context she is using in this song from your analysis and the context is "people thought ww1 was the great war because they couldn't foresee how their actions caused a CHAIN REACTION that led to the second world war" like that is the context.

The singer here, taylor, couldn't see how her actions started a domino effect that would cause Karlie to betray her during the masters situation, leading to their metaphorical death as a couple.

They survived the great war and she vowed she'd always be Karlie's but we know that's not true and that's why it's a break up song, anon.

I love you, thank you so much for this.

[munstysmind]

Hi! I have officially read all the chapters in year one and all of the one shots/prompts! Are there any other Maddie and Chris stuff that’s not in your master list? I know I sAw the flufftober one—-which btw is that set in the future?!

Hi Anon,

Only just saw this, I’m sorry 🤦🏼‍♀️

You’ve flown through. I’m going to link everything I have for you just in case you’ve missed something.

Maddison Masterlist

Shorts And Extras

Requests And Prompts

I have two from Fictober…

“This Was Not My Intention” which is set in the future, I’m thinking early to mid 2014.

And

“How Would That Even Work?” which isn’t set anywhere in the storyline, I just had the idea and my brain wouldn’t let write anything else until I finished it.

I also have this funny short drabble I posted about a year ago that always makes me laugh, I really need to make a stand alone fic masterlist because I have ideas that aren’t part of the storyline that I still want to write.

I love that you love Maddison, this series is my baby and holds a very special and significant place on my heart.

Also, if you wanted to be added to the Maddison Taglist, send me an ask with your user (I won’t post it) or just DM me.

[star-going-supernova]

So. Madison Russell. Godzilla vs Kong. Welcome to my ted talk.

From a writing perspective, they totally wasted her character. She, Josh, and Bernie were almost exclusively used just as a method of showing the audience what was happening "behind the scenes" at Apex. Pouring the whiskey on the computer was about the only thing of note they did, and even that didn't do much. Mechagodzilla was only slightly hindered by it, and if they'd just written Kong and Godzilla differently in the fight scene, they could have skipped the whiskey part entirely. They could have done so much with having people "on the inside" but Monarch as a greater organization barely had any presence at all, which negated the need to have people on the inside. 

Maddie's steadfast insistence that Godzilla wasn't a bad guy at the beginning had so much potential, but it became the conspiracy thing instead. It felt less like she wanted to prove Godzilla wasn't turning against humans, and more like she and her new conspiracy friend wanted to crack open a shady organization, which was frustrating. If they wanted to depict her as someone who was forced to become competent at a young age, which was part of the serious, intense vibe I got from her, instead of the inexplicable personality shift, they should have showed her doing something to help. Getting in contact with her dad/Monarch, giving them evidence to begin a city wide evacuation outside the Apex Hong Kong HQ, messing something up or making it harder for the Apex people to get Mechagodzilla up and running—just, anything. 

The fact is, we had Maddie being very proactive in KotM. Stealing the ORCA was the game changer. Instead of taking that to the next level in GvK and giving her an opportunity to continue that aspect of her character—that is, being someone who refuses to sit by when she can do something to help, even if it’s dangerous—they rendered her obsolete. 

The movie wouldn't have significantly changed if you took her character out. If Bernie went by himself and ended up in Hong Kong, nothing would have changed, because Maddie didn't do anything of personal importance. She went from being an active character in KotM to being a passive one here, which are a pet peeve of mine. If you saw my post about what I liked and didn’t like about Godzilla (2014), that might sound very familiar.

It would also have made so much more sense if she developed a love for studying Titans instead of focusing on conspiracy theories. Plot-wise, it would have given her claim to her dad that Godzilla was being provoked more credence, and could’ve opened an interesting dialogue between them to reinforce that she knows what she’s talking about. Monarch was obviously still a big part of their lives, given that Mark had rejoined, so it would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Maddie to pursue a Titan-related future. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I loved Jia, and wouldn’t want to take her out of the movie or even diminish her presence in it. In fact, I think they should have focused on Jia, and only on Jia. 

Hear me out: Godzilla vs Kong should’ve been split in two. A Part 1 and Part 2 situation. 

For Part 1, we keep a lot of the GvK canon, especially the Kong-centric stuff. Include even more scenes showing us that he’s protective of Jia, don’t just have Dr. Andrews say that he is. Have him defend her from something dangerous, maybe even from some humans. Include their backstory, how he saved her during the storm. And start it even earlier, before Godzilla attacks Apex the first time. Keep the whole Hollow Earth plot, keep the fight scene in the ocean, keep the discovery of the temple and the axe.

And on the Godzilla side of things, start earlier on that as well. Keep the other Titans in, have humanity tentatively believing that a time of great peace is upon them. Their mere presence is restoring the planet. There was an emphasis of nature, particularly in relation to the Titans, in KotM that I really think they should have included more of in GvK to better tie the two movies together, if only they hadn’t swept all the other Titans under the rug. They wanted a movie about a fight, not about the Titans. So, undo that. Show us a little of what Mark does, do a sweep of the other KotM cast (cameos at the very least) to show how they and Monarch are working to uphold that peace post-Boston. I’d also have loved to see Boston itself, too, five years later. 

Instead of giving us a Generic High School scene, show Maddie learning about the Titans alongside the experts. Bring back the wonder and amazement she had when she saw Mothra for the first time, when she reached out and touched her. She’s second generation Monarch, make that mean something. When Maddie took the ORCA to Boston, she had a conviction. She couldn’t not have. She was there in part to lure Ghidorah in, but I can’t even pretend to believe her plan ended with that. She knew Godzilla would come. 

That sort of belief is hard to kill, and if death via Ghidorah wasn’t enough to scare her off, no way anything else in those five years afterwards did. Her belief that Godzilla is good survived to GvK, and should’ve been a main focal point of her character. Godzilla attacks Apex—she and every other Monarch person who has spent years studying the Titans knows something is up. 

Keep Mark’s character development regarding his opinions on Godzilla. He believes Maddie when she says something has to be wrong, not just because he trusts his daughter, but because he looked into Godzilla’s eyes and saw more than just an animal. 

They’re in Part 1 only minimally, just to establish their presence and how they feel about Godzilla destroying Apex. The focus is clearly on Jia and Kong’s side of events. 

Sorry, but I’m leaving Josh out and seriously dialing back Bernie’s role. Instead, the character we follow inside Apex is Ren Serizawa. We see his motivations, his ambitions, and he becomes a character with more than just a few lines. Does he resent Godzilla? Or does he resent his father, too? Serizawa’s sacrifice was willing, after all. He was no accidental casualty. 

Part 1 ends in the Hollow Earth, with Ghidorah taking control of Mechagodzilla on the surface. Alter the timeline just enough so that Godzilla has only just arrived to Hong Kong, and Kong’s still in the Hollow Earth. The final scene is Mechagodzilla emerging into the city as the sun rises. The post-credits scene is our KotM cast in the Argo, location unknown, watching a screen with Mechagodzilla on it. 

Part 2 begins with a reveal: Ren Serizawa isn’t dead. 

Backtrack. This part focuses more on the Godzilla side, and Monarch. It’ll have flashback scenes from the five years between KotM and now, showing exactly why Monarch as a whole firmly believes Godzilla is reacting to something instead of being anti-human all of a sudden. The Titans are not inherently malicious; destruction is a side effect of their size, no more, no less. He earned his title of King in KotM—make it mean more than just trying to make Kong “bow.” Make him a protector, a guardian. He’s nature’s balance. By definition, he must protect humans as well. 

What Monarch needs to figure out is this: what is he trying to protect them from? 

They investigate Apex in search of the answer, but knowing from past experience the sort of things Godzilla gets proactive about—the MUTOs, Ghidorah—Monarch mobilizes. They prepare for another fight, at Mark’s instructions. He witnessed both San Francisco and Boston firsthand, even if the former was from a civilian standpoint. 

Godzilla has more hunt scenes. He targets a second Apex lab after his ocean fight with Kong, telling Monarch that they’re on the right track. 

Maddie, being a minor and not dragged into the thick of things (yet), has to stay home. Remembering the podcast she sometimes listened to, when the topic was focused on the Titans, she tracks Bernie down, and he tells her about what he saw: the eye. 

The two of them go to the ruined Apex building and discover the eye is gone before getting caught. With Monarch currently breathing down their necks, they recognize Maddie to be Mark’s daughter and take her to Hong Kong. Sorry, Bernie, but that’s mostly as far as you’re involved. Timeline-wise, this is roughly when Kong puts the axe in the temple floor and Godzilla blasts a hole to the center of the earth. Monarch is following Godzilla, but they’re behind a bit thanks to the tunnel shortcuts. They’re still unaware that Maddie has been kidnapped and is en route to Hong Kong.

This is also when Mechagodzilla gains a life of its own. Walter Simmons is killed and Ren Serizawa becomes trapped in the link to Mechagodzilla, serving as the bridge between the robot and Ghidorah’s mind. Ghidorah is essentially controlling MG by controlling Ren, who is controlling MG. Make sense? He’s the puppeteer’s puppeteer. 

We reverse some things. Godzilla fights MG first, gets beat around but not as much as in GvK because he isn’t fresh out of a different fight. Kong returns to the surface through the tunnel Godzilla created, having carried the one remaining HEAV out himself, because Nathan Lind has never flown one before and doesn’t know how they work. Kong wants to protect Jia, and Ilene Andrews and Nathan Lind are very lucky that Jia likes them. 

Mechagodzilla sees Kong and takes off, and Kong decides now would be a great time to fight Godzilla, who’s having a pretty bad day. Monarch arrives, and half of them split off to follow MG while the rest stay to try and deescalate the situation. Other than Godzilla faring slightly less well, the fight goes mostly the same as in the movie, except for one big difference: one of the Monarch crafts pick up Jia and Co, and she’s able to get Kong’s attention from the back of an Osprey well enough to tell him to stop fighting. There’s a bigger threat out there, and Godzilla definitely needs to be okay enough to fight it. Either they work together, or they reschedule. 

She’s very stern about it, and though no one’s really sure what the two Titans decide on, they stop fighting. They leave together to go after Mechagodzilla, who is currently being slowed down by Mothra, because she deserves to be in this movie. The other Titans basically hinder Mechagodzilla as much as possible as it rampages, telling Godzilla where it is. Monarch finally figures out that it’s heading for the nearest entrance to the Hollow Earth, right around when they also figure out that Ghidorah is involved. With Dr. Andrews and Nathan Lind’s input, they theorize it intends to take more of the power source down there to further strengthen it. 

They do their best to clear the cities in its path, evacuating as many people as possible. It’s all they can do. As in the past, they must trust Godzilla to do the heavy lifting. Around the same time, an assistant tells Mark that some guy named Bernie called and is asking for him. This is how he finds out Maddie was taken to Apex’s Hong Kong location.

Meanwhile, the Apex guards and Maddie finally arrive to find the facility abandoned and damaged, MG gone, and Simmons dead. The guards more or less split, leaving her there alone. Maddie, being Maddie, goes deeper until she finally discovers Ghidorah’s skull and Ren Serizawa inside, trapped in his own head with Ghidorah. It’s killing him. 

He’s aware enough to have a conversation with her. They argue about the Titans. He wants Godzilla destroyed out of anger over his father’s preference for Titans, rather than his own son. 

(“You’re not the only one with ghosts!” she yells at him. “You’re not the only one who resents a parent for putting Titans ahead of you when you needed them!” He chokes out, “I do not resent my father—” “Coulda fooled me. Why else would you be spitting on his sacrifice like this? Who are you trying to help, huh? All the other kids out there who are losing their moms and dads because you let Ghidorah out? Sorry, mister, but the last time someone did that, your dad paid the price.”) 

Ren is getting worse. He’s going to die if he stays in the link much longer, but he can’t disconnect. Maddie, looking around, gets to work on something. The camera slowly pans around to show that there’s a second pilot seat, back-to-back with Ren’s. It would allow for seamless switching between pilots without MG ever not having someone at the controls. 

Even with the other Titans’ help, Godzilla and Kong are unable to stop MG from going through the tunnel and into the Hollow Earth. Monarch is unable to follow, because of the gravity issue. They’re both tired from the journey and their fight, especially Godzilla. This is their last chance. If Mechagodzilla reaches the power source, it’s all over. 

The fight doesn’t go in their favor. They’re both bad at working together, so their attacks are uncoordinated at best, actively hindering each other at worst. Kong gets flung off a mountain and MG pins Godzilla. Even thought he caught himself, Kong isn’t going to make it up in time to help him. 

Maddie puts on an identical pilot setup, and with Ren’s instructions, switches the link over to herself, freeing Ren. He collapses forward, immediately falling unconscious from the release of the strain. Fighting past the pain and overwhelming presence suddenly in her head, Maddie does what she does best: she causes Ghidorah problems. 

She screams, and it echoes like a roar through his skull. 

In the Hollow Earth, Mechagodzilla stumbles. 

It’s the beginning of the end. She can’t control it or even really stop Ghidorah, but she gets in his way as much as possible, giving Godzilla and Kong the edge they need to finally get their act together and use some teamwork to take Mechagodzilla down. They destroy it and return to the surface before parting on amicable terms. 

After too long, Mark arrives at Apex with a whole team of people. Ren Serizawa is found comatose but alive, and he’s quickly removed for medical attention. Though Maddie’s also alive, there’s something else clearly wrong. She’s still wired into the piloting gear, stiff and unseeing, as if she’s frozen. Her eyes are open but distant, pupils virtually gone from how constricted they are, and her jaw hangs open slightly. Despite how tense her body is, she’s limp. Nothing they do wakes her up, even after getting her out of the skull. 

They wheel her out on a gurney to where a handful of Ospreys landed, but as they leave the building and step out onto the roof, they find Godzilla has returned. He watches them, and he’s exactly as aware as Mark remembers. 

(“She tried to help you,” Mark calls out to him. No one knows exactly what happened in the Hollow Earth, during the fight, but the scene in Ghidorah’s skull was telling. “No, she—she did help you!” For the second time in her life, Maddie put herself in Ghidorah’s path and, ultimately, won. Only this time, her victory came with a price.) 

Godzilla snorts before leaning over the roof’s railing, moving toward the gurney. The humans all back away, even Mark, though he doesn’t go far. Spines humming, eyes flaring blue, Godzilla rumbles deeply. 

On the gurney, Maddie stirs. 

Later, much later, after Maddie and Jia have met—heaven help everyone else, honestly—they sit together on the edge of a pier over the ocean, Jia leaning comfortably against Maddie. It’s quiet. They’re alone, watching the sunset. A heavy footfall behind them, the feel of the vibration trembling through the wood, makes them turn around. Half concealed in the brush at the edge of the island’s foliage, Kong stands, facing them. 

They both wave before standing. They sign goodbye to each other, then part ways. As Maddie walks away to a waiting Osprey, we see behind her as Kong crouches to allow Jia to climb into his palm before vanishing into the forest. 

The Osprey takes off over the calm ocean. It has a different design than most, with a large door set in the side instead of at the back, more like an ordinary helicopter. It’s open as they go, Maddie secure inside as she stares out. A smile spreads across her face as jagged spines slowly breach the ocean’s surface, easily keeping pace with the Osprey, which lowers to be closer to the water.

For just a moment, in the fading light, Maddie’s eyes almost shine blue. The screen goes black to the sound of Godzilla’s roar.

[straighttohellbuddy]

📓 !!

Okay im so excited please know I think about How The Light Gets In's world every day still, and so anyways here is a side story I want to write but there's a lot of set up regarding the reader and eef becoming friends again. For context, they were incredibly close around 2014-2017, but people were getting creepy and invasive and demanding about their friendship (think 2012 toxic side of the Phandom, if that makes sense), and a lot of the reader's relationships were strained at that time because while they had been successful before, they were absolutely blowing up after their first album released and they became far more mainstream. They felt like they were bothering the people they had become closest to, both because they're worried that they're a bother, and because gossip rags and paps would harrass their friends looking for a scoop, and so they ended up just completely cutting off contact without warning one day right before they went on their first tour. the start of HTLGI is about 3 years since they'd been in proper contact with any of the creators they were close to at that time.

DON'T LOOK AT ME on their 2017 ep Hyperfocus was a more general song in response to everything that had been happening in their life around that time, with a focus on how they stop associating with anyone for a while, without outright addressing it, but on their latest album n o s t a l g i a, read at 5am ft. Troye was specifically written at the start of quarantine, when the reader was getting back into YouTube, about their feelings regarding how their friendship with ethan ended, as they spent a lot of this time looking back of their YouTube career, and he was the person they were closest to for a very long time, before they iced everyone out.

OKAY SO THERES MORE OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE WHOLE FIC AND THE READER BUT

Werewolf Ethan & Mark. I'm sorry I don't make the rules. They have golden retriever energy you cannot change my mind. But also because this is the HTLGI you know that supernatural characteristics are able to be activated rather than just triggered by the full moon. What I'm trying to say is since this is set in the year of Unus Annus, they film a video together that's like, you know that show where a person has to try and outwit a professional tracker? Except its the reader being tracked by two werewolves at night in a national park. Reader is wearing some sort of night vision camera on themselves so whenever it cuts to them the audience can't actually see how they're using their powers, if that makes sense.

Also the reader agreed to this knowing it would probably be when they ended up telling Mark and Ethan about them being a demon.

Video is titled Hunting Down An Old Friend

A few Moments that the boys edit out:

The reader using their stupidly sharp prehensile tail to swing from tree branches, though they leave in shots where the reader's tail can't be seen.

Knowing that with the werewolves having advanced hearing, the reader would give themselves away by talking to the camera, they take a few minutes having flown up to a high tree branch, to pull out a notebook and do a little sketch of how Mark and Ethan appear in their Demon True Sight, and holding it up to their camera.

Werewolves being one of the animals who can kind of sense demons without being able to identify them, essentially like dogs can sense natural disasters and are often good judges of character, this can be heightened on command for werewolves. There's about 15 minutes of footage cut out of the boys discussing or mentioning how this place has awful vibes and that they should have done this during the day. It gets worse as they get closer to the reader, who didn't realise that the boys hadn't thought to ever use that particular power around them before.

("I say this with so much love and appreciation for you, dude," Ethan yells, looking up at you from the base of the tree they'd finally found you in, "but I- this is making me anxious I feel like something terrible's gonna happen, and we should probably get out of here and film the rest of the video back at Mark's." And behind him, Mark's nodding, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, eyes scanning the trees for whatever was most likely the cause of this terrible impending doom.

Oh. It's you. And they don't know its you.

Now or never, you suppose.

"Can you cut the cameras for a second? You're going to be fine I promise," you called back, and though they obligingly did, they both seemed antsy. You cleared your throat awkwardly, "that... that terrible feeling, that's not the park or anything in it- well I mean, it is, but it's just- it's me."

and later

"Dude your wings smell like rotten eggs."

"To YOU Ethan! And no they don't!"

"If it makes you feel better they smell like burning and rotten eggs."

"It does not."

(for reference, when enhancing their sense of smell werewolves can kind of distinguish various supernatural creatures, or parts of supernatural creatures. Some creatures have an inherent scent, but some, like angels and demons, only have distinct scents when they've activated certain attributesor abilities; demon wings smell like fire and brimstone, which unfortunately means burning and rotten eggs. I like to think angels wings are like the love potion in Harry Potter that smells like the things you love the most. Mark and Ethan usually don't enhance it around each other because they smell like wet dog to the other)

This gets about 2k notes on tumblr. The reader likes it:

Ethan finally finding Y/N at the end of Hunting Down An Old Friend (2020) Colourised.

Other things to note regarding all this:

It takes a while to rebuild their friendship to the point where they're comfortable enough to be on camera together (eef and reader specifically).

However, the Unus Annus video is the first thing they properly do together, and the reader, in an effort to connect more and make up for the past, will join in multiplayer gaming streams if asked.

Impromptu duet in proximity Among Us of Young Volcanoes by Fall Out Boy, which has their respective chats and fandoms losing their minds, except it stops abruptly after the first chorus as they both remember the opening lines of the second verse (make it easy, say I never mattered -- those lyrics hit a little too close to home)

But also the reader convinces him to join him for a proper cover in like, February of 2021, and it's something deeply sappy (I'm thinking Bon Iver by mxmtoon because I think its sweet and fits them well)

Also Ethan being reminded that the reader is kind of a much bigger deal than when they'd been friends before.

designed to hurt (touch me) from their ep Working On It is nominated for a Grammy for Track of the Year, and n o s t a l g i a wins Best Pop Album (because it's my fic and I said so)

FIRST OF ALL designed to hurt (touch me) is a beautifully produced song about Corpse (which people do not know) and the title itself is literally making fun of something he said IMAGINE his reaction to it being Grammy Nominated 😂😂😂 God he'd be proud but lowkey fuming, meanwhile the moment the nominations are announced the reader tweets:

me: here is an album where I processed my entire world view including heartfelt explorations of the trauma of existing and oversharing in the public eye from a young age without the traditional barrier between audience and entertainer

the grammys: that's cute BUT you know the song you wrote to bully your boyfriend and also be horny on main for him before you guys were even dating? THAT deserves its own recognition.

meanwhile Ethan's like..... this is the same person who I filmed a video with playing cards against humanity, and you laughed so hard you almost threw up. I am very proud but deeply confused.

The Hot Meme of Late April 2021 is "2 time Grammy Award Winning Artist Y/N" with a gif, still, or quote from the reader where they're just being an absolute chaos gremlin.

Of course we have "If I bleached my asshole for charity I'd do it tastefully."

2 Time Grammy Award Winning Artist Y/N speaking to their actual boyfriend in the year of our lord 2020: You are being executed for Clown Crimes.

ethan posts a short video to twitter simply of his screen where he's renaming a folder from "Never Before Seen Images of Grammy Award Winning Artist Y/N" simply changing it to 2 time Artist. The reader responds specifically to his tweet with a video of themselves asking Google how to hard reset someone else's computer.

So many screenshots from old videos surface that week.

I miss this world. Sorry this is rambly!!

[violets]

tag game!

rules: tag nine people you want to know better ✨

thank you @fujiyamarecords for tagging me!! 💕 

three ships: all the ships i know have flown out the window help... erm mitsuha x taki from your name (gonna casually plug my gifset hehe), nina x benny from in the heights, jake x amy from brooklyn nine-nine! 

first ever ship: would rapunzel x eugene from tangled count adsjkljxc i think that has to be one of the first. somewhat regrettably i was also a jelsa back in 2014 👁

last song: all too well (10 minute version) even though i listened to like 2 minutes of it and stopped bc it was the youtube version and they bleeped out fuck and i was like nah fuck that, and before that i think it was yummy yummy love by momoland!

last film: last full film i watched was crazy rich asians. last film i partially watched was shrek the third (it’s so fucking funny i cannot even. i really can’t)

currently reading: unfortunately i’m jared 19 and never fucking learned how to read :/ idk i mostly just read fanfiction and occasional poetry through the richard siken bot on twitter

currently watching: tbh i’m not watching anything at the moment :( i wish i was but alas i am not

currently consuming: what is this meant to mean? food??? or is this like a step up from currently consuming? well if it’s food the last thing i ate was a banana

currently craving: pasta ramen noodles food just all of it except i’m too lazy to cook please save me :<

i’ll be tagging: @ricochets @nobodynocrime @madsbuckley @deepika-padukone @rrogueone @yyh @yesbodyyescrime @user-jedi @sharpay and whoever is reading this!! <33 

[meetmeatthecoda]

Since the other anon brought Luther Braxton: Conclusion up, I've decided to throw my two cents of bitter rant in:

First of all, I'd like to say that I genuinely love Liz, most part of the time. I think that she always has had great potential to be a very interesting, versatile, many-sided character. But the inconsistency of writing honestly ruins her and I will never not be bitter about it. Not to mention the fact that the way writers force her to think and behave sometimes makes me go 😳🤢🤬😤

Just like in Luther Braxton: Conclusion. Truth to be told, I think that's the first episode that made me very angry (to put it mildly) with Liz because of how she lashed out at Red – mind you, for literally no reason over than her own nonsensical conclusions I have no idea how she's managed to draw from the information she was given – instead of... I don't know... thanking him for finding her and saving her life (because we all understand that if Red didn't find her, Braxton would kill her once he got the information out of her) for the umpteenth time? or – I know that was too much to hope for from how the writers had been behaving before that episode but still – showing just a little bit of concern and asking him about how he was feeling because between being captured and flown over to the Factory, being half-blown in the boilers explosion, being the object of Liz's attempts at first aid (which were... not good, despite her undeniably good intentions), being in the epicenter of the missile strike and then, not allowing himself to rest, running around the whole DC area, desperate to find her before it's too late, Red had been through a lot in those 24 hours... but apparently I, a viewer, was more concerned about his well-being than Liz was (and that's after the CPR scene, where she was obviously concerned, to put it mildly, and the memories about him saving her from that fire, because that's one of the only ways those memories could be interpreted and certainly the most logical and consistent way at that).

Because instead of going with either (or both, which would be especially nice) of the most logical and human options mentioned above, Liz chose to hurt Red, which in turn hurt me (and, I believe, many of the fans), because he certainly does not deserve such treatment... especially, from Liz.

Because as bad as Red might be and as many things as he can be blamed for, one thing has always and will always be true: he cares for Liz, and cares deeply (too deeply for his own good, if you ask me), and while he does withholds certain things from her and his attempts to protect her may be misguided sometimes, he wants only what’s the best for her, he tries to make sure she gets all the best things in the world and Liz has no right to be so salty and bitchy with him.

Sorry for the rant... But I've just got a lot of feels. Also, I have been hurting for Red since, approximately, 2014, and this feeling, after dulling a bit in the past few years because I sort of fallen out of watching the show with quite such obsession I have been watching earlier seasons, intensified greatly during the last season and especially after that absolute disaster of the finale (I never thought I'd have to see two of my favorite characters, who are one of my OTPs for life, die, and so painfully and tragically at that... because we all know that Liz's death crushed Red – canonical Red, at least – and there is no chance that he'll ever recover from i because Lizzy is his heart and life, the ray of light in the dark cave of his life, his Polaris that guides him home – that is his home – the source of his power, his everything, and without her he simply cannot exist and function – that much was made painfully clear in Cape May... Sorry once again, but I'm just... 😭😭😭😭😭😭😡😡😡😡😡😡😭😭😭😭😭😭😤😤😤😤😤😤😭😭😭😭😭😭)

Yesssss, anon, bitter ranting about TBL, my favorite!! *burning-elmo.gif* 😎😎😎 Firstly, I totally agree about loving Liz as she should have been & the wasted potential will never not make me sad 😭😭 Secondly, I so agree about the Luther Braxton eps... the fact that Liz never actually thanked Red for legit burning the world down to get to her not to mention punching the ever-living shit out of that one scumbag, let alone - you're so right - um, asking how he was doing?!?! After he literally was blown up twice in the span of like an hour, guided her through her traumatic, unlocked, level 10 backstory, AND pretty obviously saved her fucking life as a child??? .....Unrealistic, I guess 😒 Thirdly, I so agree that Red has never deserved such awful treatment & betrayal from Liz when he has only ever had the best intentions of protecting & loving her... That's one of the many, many tragedies of TBL 🥲 Anyway, no worries, anon, my inbox is 1000% a safe place to rant & hurt for Red... bc you're absolutely right: there's no canon way Red can come back from the horrible, nonsensical choice they made in killing off Liz, it's a true shame that things ended that way, & I - for one - have no interest in watching a season of Cape May with no light at the end of the tunnel 😓 If it's any consolation, anon, I feel you completely on all of this, thank you for sending this ask, & much love to you!! ❤️

[theycallmebeccawrites]

Chris & Ellie Series: Episode 24.5

Hello loves! Hope you guys are enjoying your Friday. I have the day off today and I’m supposed to be working on another episode... and instead I’ve spent the last hour or so fighting with Canva to be able to add the lovely Santa hats to my normal banner. Obviously I won.

A couple notes on this episode: this is just a short one, you know how the half episodes work, just little bonus story that doesn’t necessarily play into the plot that much. That said, did I foreshadow something coming up in the next episode? Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe. 😉

I’m posting this for y’all today because 1) I promised to and 2) because Oregon and Oregon State play their annual football game today. (By the way, I used the match up’s old name in this episode because it takes place in 2014, but as of this earlier year we no longer call it the Civil War.)

I hope you all have a nice weekend. Wear a mask. Be nice to everyone. And generally, don’t be an asshole.

xoxo Becca xoxo

Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)

Rating: G

Warnings: n/a

Episode Summary: This episode takes place in November 2014 and is a quick look at how Ellie spent Thanksgiving.

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

This episode can also be read on AO3.

The Chris & Ellie Series Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist

Episode 24

Episode 24.5: Quick Trip Home

November 29, 2014

Ellie stood next to her dad in the visitor seats at Reser Stadium for the matchup between Oregon State Beavers, the home team, and her beloved Oregon Ducks.

"This is awesome!" her dad, Mike Spencer, yelled into her ear to be heard over the crowd.

"Yes it is," Ellie yelled back.

She and her sisters had pooled their money together to buy tickets to the annual rivalry game between the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers football game, called the Civil War, for their dad's 60th birthday. Since she hadn't planned to come home for Thanksgiving, Ellie had figured he'd take her brother-in-law Garrett, but then her dad had asked her to go with him to the game.

After getting the ok to take time off from the bookstore, she'd flown home to Oregon Wednesday night and spent Thanksgiving with her parents and other family members. Then yesterday, she had hung out with her niece and nephew while her mom and sisters went shopping. 

Ellie always missed her family, to some degree, but it hadn't been until she'd gotten home and gotten a big hug from her mom and an even bigger hug from her dad that she realized how much she had needed to come home for a visit. Being around her family had revitalized her soul and had helped her heart hurt a little bit less.

At the same time, being around the loud, crazy, nosy bunch had also confirmed that she had made the right decision to stay in Los Angeles. Even if it meant being closer to family, moving back to Oregon wouldn't have been the right decision for her. At least, not right now.

For her final full day in Oregon, she and her dad had left home early in the morning in an attempt to beat the traffic to the game. Of course, everyone else had decided to do the same thing, so it had still taken them twice as long to get to Corvallis as normal. Then they'd killed time at one of her dad's cousin's houses, before they'd all driven to the stadium to tailgate before the game.

It was the first game she'd seen the Ducks play in person in a long time and with the way they'd been playing this year, it was even more exciting than the last time. The Ducks had only lost the one game to Arizona and had won the six games that had followed.

Even with the loss, they were still ranked in the top three in the national polls. Which meant that as long as they won the PAC-12 Championship, they would advance to the first ever semi-final game for the National Championship Playoffs.

Only adding to the excitement of the season was the fact that Marcus Mariota, the team's quarterback, was in the running to be named the Heisman Trophy winner for 2014. A trophy that no one at the university had ever won.

"LET'S GO DUCKS!" Ellie cheered as the offense took the field again.

By the time it was all said and done, the Ducks had beaten the Beavers 47 to 19.

The drive home had taken them ages and Ellie's voice was still hoarse the next morning when her parents took her to the airport for her early morning flight.

As quick and jam-packed as her trip to Oregon had been, Ellie felt happier than she had before and ready to take on whatever came next.

Episode 25

Want to find me off tumblr? I'm @beccatheycallme on twitter. I also post my stories on AO3.

Tag List: @nomadicpixel​, @heather-lynn​, @alievans007​, @mrs-captain-evans​, @stopjustlovethemcu​, @thewannabewriter​, @guera31​, @badassbaker​, @chezdricks​, @patzammit​, @katiew1973​, @zoeloveschrisevans​, @marvelouspottering​, @pegasusdragontiger​, @smoothdogsgirl​, @peaceinourtime82​, @ek823​, @anionthewrite​, @mizzzpink​, @giftofdreams, @janeyboo​, @princess-evans-addict​, @jesseswartzwelder​, @avenger-nerd-mom​, @furrywerewolfcollector​, @ladyamandapanda12​, @gigglegirl77​, @poisonedyouth-americanbeauty​, @jennmurawski13​, @theladybiers​, @rapunzel-flynnrider, @thesecretlifeofdaydreamss, @animnerd​, @tvjunkie08​, @coldmuffinbanditshoe​

My tag list is always open, just let me know if you'd like to be added!

[larryfanficcatalog]

Non Au

page one || page two

Given A Chance (174k)

Summary: Louis and Harry run into each other five years after One Direction ends and learn how to love each other again. Featuring: Reggie as the overweight labrador, Niall as Louis’ last grip on reality, and Nowheresville, North Carolina as the setting for Louis’ worst nightmare to come true.

And Then A Bit (159k)

Summary: Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.

To The Ends Of The Earth (68k)

Summary: During a yearlong hiatus, Louis visits Harry at his cabin in Idaho, where long-buried feelings ignite like the fire keeping them warm.

Still I Call It Magic (15k)

Summary: harry and louis before and after concerts throughout the last 4 years.

It Goes, It’s Golden (151k)

Summary: Harry and Louis broke under the strain of it all and now, years on, there's a chance to put all the pieces back together. Set in early April 2015 all the way through to October. Written in Harry and Louis' perspectives, alternating every chapter.

Call Unanswered (249k)

Summary: The day after his 27th birthday, Harry Styles attempts suicide. Louis is flown to his bedside to unravel the mystery of why he did it after a flash drive is found with a note attached, addressed to Louis. On it are a collection of 78 songs, all written for different dates from their past.

When We Were Younger (53k)

Summary: In where you get to see small glimpses of Harry and Louis' life together through the years, first through the eyes of others and eventually their own, as their life keeps spinning madly around them.

Love Is A Word (You Gave It A Name) (21k)

Summary: it's christmas. in between snowman building, tree shopping, and ill-advised skating on a frozen lake, louis and harry get ready to take the most important step of their lives.

They Know (7k)

Summary: The start of Harry and Louis' relationship from the other boys' point of view.

Happy To Be Here (70k)

Summary: The weeks spanning October 2012 - January 2013 are a rollercoaster for Harry and Louis. There's shows to play, an album to promote, publicity stunts to be acted out...and several new tattoos to be inked. Throughout it all, the boys focus on the most important thing in their lives - their relationship.

Who Knew (130k)

Summary: Louis cheats on Harry and gets a girl pregnant

The Winner Takes It all (6k)

Summary: Harry wears only his purple boa, and Louis make good use of the other two.

Stop The World (‘Cause I Wanna Get Off With You) (12k)

Summary: Five times Louis and Harry get walked in on at the worst time, and one time Louis makes sure they don't.

The Dark And The Dentist (66k)

Summary: “I know this song,” Louis whispers, and Harry has to lean his ear toward him to pick up what he’s saying. “It was written for people to dance to it. We should be dancing.” We can’t, Harry almost spits, but it’d be stupid of him. Louis knows they can’t. Even if he looks like any regular Parisian in their twenties, and Harry looks like any hipster Parisian in their twenties, they can’t anyway. To be fair, they probably wouldn’t do it even if they were out. But if they were two uni students, both in Paris for an exchange, meeting over fallen books at the library, or because of mutual friends, or watching Monet’s Water Lilies? “How would we dance?” Harry murmurs, mouth almost pressed to Louis’ cheek, so close he can feel his warmth. What a picture they must make, two millionaires freezing in a park and dreaming of a different life.

An account of the events of November 2014. Canon-compliant.

Always Come Back To You (29k)

Summary: “I’ll do it,” Harry offers brightly. No one even blinks. “I’ll do it?”

Louis sighs irritably. “Shut up,” he orders, tossing a pillow in the general direction of Harry’s face. This is a terrible time for jokes, especially Harry’s lame, old people ones. Not that it was an old people joke. Just that most of the time Harry’s jokes consist of knock-knocks or terrible puns. The type of jokes old people like, Louis’ pretty sure. His nan always finds them hilarious when Harry tells her one.

Harry bats the pillow out of the air without even blinking. “Be reasonable, Lou,” he says in his most reasonable voice.

Louis is perfectly reasonable, thank you very much, and he’s also frustrated and upset and tired and he really wants to punch something. Maybe he should have held on to that pillow a little longer.

“You’re not gonna fucking do it,” he snaps. “That’s the last thing I need.”

Gravity Pulls On You And Me (4k)

Summary: Having to hide his relationship isn't easy. Harry knows it's the price he has to pay to be able to be in One Direction and still be with Louis. Keeping his love a secret is slowly starting to upset him more and more. One night, he reaches his breaking point.

Bigger Than Life (49k)

Summary: “Boybander Harry Styles spotted leaving West Hollywood joined hand in hand with new beau, Xander Ritz”

His heart drops in his chest as he scrolls down, ignoring the short irrelevant article and looking desperately for a picture. Sure enough, there’s pap shots of Harry and Xander, walking hand in hand, looking drunk and cheerful and together.

And that’s—that’s really not what Louis was expecting at all.

Perfect (8k)

Summary: Harry and Louis write Perfect.

If You Say Run (I’ll Run With You) (4k)

Summary: an interpretation of what happened behind the scenes of One Direction's final performance before the hiatus.

I Want To Be So Complete I Could Light A Whole City (3k)

Summary: Harry and Louis have a weekend together before Louis is back in the States and Harry is set to jet off to Jamaica to start recording his album. Harry's love for Louis runs so deep he might just suffocate.

Rainy Days In The Sun (5k)

Summary: It's not always perfect, but it's them. A collection of scenes.

A Few Of My Favorite Things (8k)

Summary: Harry and Louis do cat sitting.

The Ways We Fight (10k)

Summary: How Harry and Louis learn to disagree with each other.

Of Love And Ice Cream (2k)

Summary: A little look into a very hot day in LA. Harry and Louis are hot, eat ice cream and, as always, love each other.

Sugar Pie, Honey Punch (2k)

Summary: Harry is baking and Louis is not helping.

You’re My Light (2k)

Summary: Harry arrives at their home in LA a day after Louis and finds him smoking on the balcony.

Go And Ride With Me, Get High With Me (2k)

Summary: harry and louis smoke before the apple music festival

[dansnaturepictures]

15\09/21-Part 1 of 2: Richmond Park

Since 10th October 2010 when after seeing Red Deer’s on that week’s episode of Autumnwatch based at Richmond Park and we wanted to see these mammals ourselves so came to this Royal Park, we have come to Richmond Park every year. And since 2014 have come to fairly nearby Bushy Park on the annual day trip in and around the time of the Red Deer rutting (mating) season. Last year however we just did the Bushy Park part of the trip in an afternoon rather than the usual day trip to them both at the height of the pandemic really in pre-vaccine days and knowing obviously being close to London there are more people about here so we felt a briefer visit to one would be safer and more sensible all round. We came on 10th October last autumn so effectively Covid (quite rightly as the safety comes first) prevented us from coming to Richmond a whole decade to the day since we first went. But today we returned to both Richmond Park and Bushy Park as we usually do coming to Richmond first and got to celebrate coming here again eleven years on that time has really flown by and I love coming here. My next post is about Bushy Park today. Getting into the car with excitement building for the anticipated trip on a sunny morning at home with the tree visible from my room looking great and I loved seeing as well as Collared Doves on the roof nicely against a blue sky a Red Kite soaring over the town not one I’d seen locally for a while. The kitchen and house was full of crane flies interestingly last night with a Box Tree moth in the kitchen too.

At Richmond Park when we arrived walking down towards Pen Ponds where we usually base ourselves here in quite sunny conditions that greeted us for much of the day, I took the first three pictures in this photoset on this walk, I realised with us coming a little bit earlier this year (we did come in September in 2017 and still saw deers so with us having this week off for day trips in the end where we might have gone away if things had been different it felt like a good opportunity to squeeze this annual trip in earlier) we rather got to see this beautiful place quite summery still with very green leaves all over rather than being in autumnal multi colour as they so often are when we do this trip and seeing many mushrooms. The main hint of the time of year were chestnut trees carrying nuts which was interesting.

We got some great views of Small Heath butterflies on the walk around the ponds and there was a wealth of tormentil especially in terms of flowers which looked great a star flower for me this week off particularly around the ponds and also lots of hawksbeard or catsear which was great to see and ragwort. On the ponds masses of Egyptian Geese a star bird here which we got brilliant views of all day as shown in the fifth picture in this photoset here, neat looking female or eclipsed Shovelers and two of my favourite birds the bright red headed male and charming brown female Pochards as shown by the seventh picture I took today in this photoset and some Great Crested Grebes made great sights. I also liked seeing a Cormorant on a water gage type of equipment in one of the ponds which we got really nice views of another star bird of the place. I also took the fourth picture in this photoset of Black-headed Gulls lined up nicely on some rails by the water. I got the sixth and eighth pictures in this photoset of Pen Ponds.

Dragonflies adorned the marshy areas beside the ponds with nice views of Migrant Hawker which I am having a great year for and seeing a lot lately, as well as a Common Blue Damselfly. Then came a glorious moment in our day when we spotted a splendid female Black Darter on the verge of a pond. An excellent species to see which came into our life at Thursley Common in 2018 and 2019 but the fire that impacted the board walk rather prevented us seeing one last year there. But in 2019 when last at Richmond Park we also saw one here in early October that year so I had just thought could we see one today and I was thrilled to. One I was so pleased to see and it’s good to know we can rely on here for them a bit maybe. At that stage I thought it was probably only Emerald Damselfly another we first saw at Thursley which kept me from getting my dragonfly and damselfly year list close to my highest ever total in 2019, when home I realised there was one other Red-veined Darter which I saw in 2019 and not this year. More on that in my next post about our time at Bushy Park today though.

Walking on and we got the always visit defining moment of a smashing and intimate moment seeing a striking emerald wonder of a noisy Ring-necked Parakeet sat in a tree. It was a treasure to spend some special moments watching this bird and taking photos as I did on the way back to the car too. Even though I am seeing these more and more at home now, it was still fantastic to see these eccentric birds wheeling through the London sky today a true highlight of today. Walking on also we got an exciting glimpse of a little Fallow Deer which did look adorable and saw a flash of green again this time a Green Woodpecker flying through another of my favourite birds that this spot is so strong for.

Then just past the Pen Ponds car park and we had the moment we had hoped for. Sat underneath trees after seeing one on the way in driving through the park were a group of eleven Red Deers, what always drives us to come here. We enjoyed a sensational few moments being so honoured to be in the company of these majestic and gigantic beings. It was such a privilege to be able take in sights of them and try for pictures, as the group with varied sized antlers largely rested ahead of the peak of the rut to come standing up occasionally. Their antlers did look in fine condition. One of the main stags with big antler’s ears flapped gently in the wind was lovely to see. As we so often see some Jackdaws hopped onto the backs of the deers to clear anything undesired on their fur. A perfect few minutes of enjoying nature and I got the final two pictures in this photoset of these Red Deers. 

After an ice cream from the car park kiosk on the way we enjoyed a cup of tea when back at where we parked and some wafers that we have every year since we first came. I liked seeing a Speckled Wood here well, an interesting little caterpillar and lots more Ring-necked Parakeets flying overhead. On the subject of parrots we were then surprised to see the exotic blue and yellow of a macaw gliding through the park! My Mum then spoke to the lovely lady with it and it was chico_the macaw on Instagram and it was just such a lovely and really feel good sight to see I am so glad we saw them today and was really nice to learn about them, what a lovely moment it was today. My next post has the story of our time at Bushy Park today.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: My first Black Darter of the year, three of my favourite birds the Pochard, Great Crested Grebe and Green Woodpecker, two of my favourite mammals the Red Deer and Fallow Deer, Mallard, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen, Cormorant, Egyptian Goose, Greylag Goose, Black-headed Gull, some great views of Jackdaws landed on different things, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Long-tailed Tit, House Sparrow, Ring-necked Parakeet, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, possible hairstreak gliding along the tree line, Grey Squirrel, Migrant Hawker and Common Blue Damselfly.