#Miller mausoleum

[saygoodnight2theworld]

S shared a Flickr photo with you.

Miller Mausoleum, Holden, MO

[wildemaven]

fall apart, again : interlude - a letter to joel | joel miller

-> pairing: joel miller x ofc!genevieve

-> wc: 1001

-> content warning: 18+ blog; angst, alluding to loss, post outbreak, reader is Joel’s wife, reader has a name but has zero descriptive features,

-> a/n: I kind of abandoned this series and didn’t really have any plans to finish it. It felt good where they ended in chapter 3 so I was just going to call it good. But then I was reading through the chapters and kind of found some inspiration to write something for them again. Big thank you to @gnpwdrnwhiskey for always listening and encouraging and fixing my writing!!

series masterlist / playlist

previous / next

Joel,

Feels weird to be sitting here, on our bed, in our home. I guess I should mention we made it back to Austin— Steve and I. 

I met Steve in the ER in Laredo on the evening of the outbreak— he lost his wife. We managed to make it out of there together and promised to keep each other safe. He heard there’s a QZ in Denver, so we’re making our way north. 

I made him promise to stop in Austin. I just had to see for myself, see if there was a chance you and Sarah might still be here— alive. 

Like I said, it feels weird to be here. Seeing our house in this state. Disheveled and abandoned, but still feeling very much like the place we thought we’d live forever. It’s like a personal landmark now, for what once was such a beautiful home filled with so many beautiful memories. Maybe it’s more of a mausoleum of sorts. Kind of morbid, but also very true. ‘Here lies the Millers, before the world went to shit.’

Except, I’m here and you’re not. 

I think the worst part of all of this is not knowing if you’re okay. Steve says I have to accept that there’s a chance that you’re not, that any worst case scenario that I have lost sleep over, might be my reality. But I refuse to accept that. So, I silently pretend that you are okay. That you have managed to get Sarah and yourself, and hopefully Tommy, to safety. You’re somewhere out there protecting our baby girl and staying strong for her like you’ve always done. 

I feel like I’m rambling. My thoughts are just all over the place being here and thinking of you. Or maybe I’m just dragging out my time here because the minute I leave, it will be like a final goodbye to this place— and I don’t think I’m ready for it just yet. 

It’s like I can still smell the faint musk of your cologne in the air. Like you’ll walk through our bedroom door, pulling your keys and wallet from your jeans and tossing them on the dresser, all while telling me about some mishap on a job site that set you back a few days. I can just see that grumpy look you wear so well. Then, when you’ve let it all out, you instantly soften when you finally look at me sitting on our bed and then you’re apologizing for boring me with your work bullshit. I would listen to your work bullshit every single day if it meant we could be together again. 

When I got here, it was like I was being pulled into Sarah’s room. I sat there for a while, remembering all the times we had laid there with her reading her bedtime stories until she would fall asleep. I miss our dance parties while we would wait for you to come home, her insisting I had zero rhythm anytime one of her little boy band hits came on and I attempted to keep up with her choreographed routine she had memorized. I’m taking a few things of hers, I hope that’s okay. I don’t think I can come back here and I want to have something of hers. 

I found your ring on our dresser. Don’t worry I’m not mad you aren’t wearing it. Gosh, I can’t believe I would get so worked up over seeing it laying there instead of on your finger. I know how much it bothered you wearing it to work and worrying about losing it or getting it caught on something, and yet I would still get annoyed over it. But, maybe you weren’t meant to wear it so I could find it today, so I could have a piece of you with me always. 

I guess I should wrap this up. I know how much you love when I can go on and on about anything. 

I will write to you. Whenever I get the chance. To Sarah, too. I’ll keep writing to you both for as long as I can. 

I love you Joel. I always have. And I always will. Wherever you are, I just hope you know that. 

Forever and always,

Eve 

*

“Hey, Genevieve— ya doin’ okay up there?” Steve calls up from downstairs. 

“Yeah! Just give me a sec! I’ll be right down.” You try to hide your pain as you respond, wiping the few tears sprinkled across your cheeks. 

You fold your letter to Joel, placing it securely in an envelope you had found next to the pile of printer paper you tucked away with the items of Sarah’s in your pack. You push yourself off the bed, walking around to the side where Joel slept since the day you moved in. You run your handover the indentation in his pillow, remembering how much you loved to wake up before him just so you could watch him sleep. 

Lifting the corner of his pillow, you gently place the letter underneath it. The last place you talked to him, is the first place you’ll write to him. You imagine he’s laying there, sleeping peacefully when you kiss the top of his pillow. 

Grabbing your pack off the bed, you take one last look at the space, your heart clenching at the finality of this visit. You force your legs to move towards the direction of the door, stopping briefly at the dresser to grab Joel’s ring, tucking it into one of your packs inner pockets safely. 

Steve is sitting on the couch when you finally make it downstairs. His patience is something you’ve appreciated since the day you met. He knew how much stopping here meant to you, and he told you to take as much time as you needed. 

“All good?” He asks once you’ve stepped off the last step. 

“No, but it will be, I think.” You tell him as you make your way out the front door. 

[littlezarp]

Recommendations

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@gh0st5bby4life fics are *chef's kiss*

Jitters : 141 x OC (Jitters is a PMC brought onto the support 141 operations, much to the distaste of the 141 group of PMC's)

@halcyone-of-the-sea's every work

Ghost :

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@uselsshuman 's Masterlist

he tells me to shut up, i got this

The choices we make

Angsty shit with Simon

The truth is out

Living with ghosts

Sugar Daddy

@nsharks 's one shots + Bleeding blue series

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Butterfly effects

Wolf and the lamb - (Lion and the Lamb prequel)

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@charnelhouse's Ghost Masterlist

He knows

Mistaken friendship

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Protector

Mausoleum

All Alone

The things I never said

Dad!Simon by @lundenloves

Paperwork

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The witch and witch hunter

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Menage

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The roommate series

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Others

One, two, three - Ghost x reader x soap

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Don't touch my boys - Ghost x reader x soap

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That sex pollen fic - everyone x reader

Dead Disco - Ghost x Soap x F!reader

COD monster men

The Pack

Poly relationship with Simon and Johnny

Safeword with the cod boys

Knights in shining tactical gear - Ghost x reader x soap

John Price :

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Deep Breaths

Four

Lion and the Lamb

Viper and the Lamb

Argument and makeup

The Killing Moon

Professor Price

Rest

Bad dreams

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Apollo, do you copy

Imagine

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Songs that sound like sea foam - Fisherman!John Price x Mermaid!reader

Not in your life

Guilt

Bloodstained honesty

John Price x F!OC Tank

Salt and pepper

The Last of Us

@guess-my-next-obsession's Joel Masterlist

@charnelhouse's Joel Masterlist

Confused Warmth

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Reject me, I get it

Who are you if not alone

Cold as ice (part 2 : Cold as ice II)

Savior complex

Too late

Summer Lovin

Say it with your hands

Hot single dilfs in your area want to chat!

You're losing me

Chasing

The Hayloft

Still here

The whole @pedgeitopascals Joel Miller masterlist

Call my name

Love in the middle of a firefight

Lucky for me, I run on spite and sweet revenge

Once again in your arms

Angst with Joel Miller

Narcos

Boss - Javier Pena x DEA!OC

The Rookie

The dangers of misunderstanding

To sell your love for peace

Just dumb enough to try

@absurdthirst's Javier Pena Masterlist

Are you staying ?

Just Friends

The last goodbye

Love me not

Haikyuu

All I wanna do is save you - Dilf!Matsukawa x College F!Reader

[criticallyacclaimedstranger]

Fic: The Price of a Life

Read on Ao3

Fandom: The Last of Us (HBO)

Ship: Joel Miller x you (cishet f reader)

Tags/warnings: Dubcon, rough piv sex, that thing when you want it but you're too dry so it hurts - don't do it please just don't, creampie, Joel is bossy, enemies with benefits, unprotected sex (it's a postpandemic military dictatorship, there ain't no condoms, but there is in the real world, so slap rubber on that meat before inserting it), canon typical violence.

Summary: You are a FEDRA agent who find Joel Miller outside the QZ, but let him go because he saves your life. The next time you meet, he thanks you in his own special way.

Words: 2,546

 You have just entered the building for a sweep when you hear a clatter in the next room. Pointing your gun and flashlight against the door, you approach it on light feet, your eyes fixed on the dark opening. Nothing more is heard, and you can’t see anything, so you enter and immediately check behind the door.

The room is cluttered with debris and dust, a mausoleum picked out by years of raiders. There's a pushed over wardrobe in the middle of it, and you move around it to secure the back of it.

In the same moment as you see him, a man stands up from behind the wardrobe, pointing a shotgun at you.

"Drop it," you command him immediately, shining the light into his face. You recognize him from the QZ: he's one of those who burn bodies. And he deals drugs, you know that, too. The local FEDRA agents are well aware of him breaking curfew and doing supply runs outside the QZ, but as long as he keeps his head down, keeps them with pills, and doesn't cause trouble, they're willing to look the other way.

Actually finding him here is another thing, though. There is no way you can look the other way now.

He's staring at you, eyes as black as coal. You know from hearsay how dangerous it is, but this is the first time you see it for yourself. He looks ready to leap at you: his broad body is as tense as a pulled bowstring. All he needs is a window, a crack, and he'll have you.

"I'm warning you," you add, but you know that this is just about who draws first. He will pull the trigger on you. He does not move, he barely even blinks.

That's when you hear the hiss slightly behind you. You turn your head towards it just as the infected monstrosity attacks, and in the next moment a gun goes off, the shot making your ears ring. You jump back, expecting to be hit, but the infected has stumbled onto the floor and is bleeding out fast.

Heart racing, you turn back to the man, gun pointed at him. He, in turn, has his shotgun pointed at the infected, but directs it immediately back to you.

You take stock of the situation, and twitch when your walkie crackles. Your CO wants a report on the shot.

The man is completely still, finger on the trigger, waiting for your next move. It only takes you a second to decide. You lower the flashlight but keep the gun pointed at him. You press the com button on the walkie-talkie.

"One infected, terminated. It's clear. I'm coming out."

You receive confirmation from your officer, and start to back out of the room, eyes and gun trained on the man, flashlight lowered. Even in the half dark, you can see his obsidian eyes watching your every move. When you're out the door, you stop for a second and just look at him.

Last chance.

You lower your weapon and leave the building. When you step out to the sunshine, you realize you've been holding your breath since the attack.

Night has descended and with it, curfew. You patrol the dark, deserted streets of Boston, nodding to a passer-by that you know from previous patrols: he works late, and has a permission slip. You're not going to bother him again. His droopy eyes and shuffling steps tell you everything you need to know: he just wants to get home, to his bed, and sleep for as long as he can before it all starts again tomorrow.

QZ night watch might seem much easier than running missions outside the city walls, but it's just another side of the same coin. You're on your own, and you know how dangerous smugglers can get. Your arm will always bear the scar from one that got a little too close with a knife once.

A searchlight from one of the watchtowers passes by, illuminating the street, before continuing over the buildings. In the wake of the passing light, you see a figure slipping out of an alleyway and hurrying across the street. You raise the rifle and switch on the flashlight.

"Stop!"

The figure does not slow down, so you start to run. It disappears into another alley, with you in pursuit. As you turn the corner, you run into a tall, broad frame. The rifle is yanked from you, and you're slammed face first into the brick wall. You're wearing a helmet, but the impact makes you bite your tongue, and the taste of blood fills your mouth.

Before you've even gotten a good look at him, you know that Joel Miller is standing right behind you, sturdy arm pressed against the back of your neck, the length of his body pressed up against you, one of your arms twisted behind you back.

You made inquiries about him, discreetly, after the episode outside the QZ. The things you found out would have been blood-curdling to pre-pandemic you, but since the outbreak, you've done some heinous shit yourself. Joel Miller’s rap sheet, had he had one, seems almost normal now.

In the harsh light of day, inside the QZ, you would watch him carry bodies and throw them onto the burning heap of dead people. His ruddy face half concealed behind a bandanna, he was still easily recognized by the gray in his dark hair, the scowling intensity of his stare, and the way he carried himself. He seemed to be fueled by a quiet rage that only needed a spark to flare up and consume everyone around him, moved with fatigued determination. He had boldly met your stare from across the pyre, and there was something about the look he gave you that moved something deep inside of you, something you thought was dead and forgotten.

"Release me," you now spit, trying to snake your other arm behind you, looking for a grip of his head. Joel twists your arm a little tighter, and you let out a hiss. A little more, and he'll dislocate your shoulder or break a bone.

"Any other weapons?" he demands in a low rumble that does something to you despite - or perhaps because of - the threatening tone.

"Glock. Right hip," you yield, and Joel quickly finds the holster, snaps it open, and pulls out the gun. You hear it clatter to the ground further away.

The second he's holding the gun, you shoot out from the wall, using the momentum to bang your head back against him, hitting his chin. He curses but slams you back against the wall, like you are just a ragdoll who didn’t just use all your strength to try to break free.

“Don’t do that again,” he tells you, “For your own good.” Is that amusement you hear in his voice?

You spit blood but stay still. Joel is pressing you against the brick wall with his body, and you haven’t had a man this close to you in… well, a long time. There’s something stiff rubbing against your ass cheeks and your head swims when you realize that it could be something other than his holster. His warm breath burns the little stretch of skin that shows at the back of your neck, between your helmet and jacket. You smell him; smoke and stale clothing with a hint of dusty leather. Swallowing, you hope he can’t feel your pulse, because your heart is racing at an embarrassing speed.

There’s a scratch of static from your walkie as the tower wants a report from you.

“Tell them everything is okay,” Joel says immediately, releasing you enough so that you can answer and confirm that all is well. As soon as your hand is off the HT, Joel captures your wrist and turns you around. Just as you face him, the moon breaks out from behind the clouds, and you gaze up at Joel’s face, lit by silvery light. He comes across as even more menacing in the cold moonlight that deepens the shadows in his face, sharpens his nose, makes the gray in his hair and beard almost glow. His glower is the same as before, but there is something else there: curiosity.

And something deeper, darker. Your gut drops, your pussy clenches.

“Please, let me go,” you ask him, ridiculously polite. Joel releases your hand and slides his palm up your arm, fingers closing around your throat as he eyes you so intensely that you find yourself wishing you could just sink through the ground.

“I will,” he lets you know in a voice that despite its calm lets you know that he’s issuing a threat, “but only after you take what I give you.”

You swallow hard when you realize what he means, and he feels your throat muscles flex. His thumb comes to a rest over your windpipe, rough pad caressing your prickled-over skin.

“I… I let you go earlier!” you stutter, mouth going dry, yet pussy growing wet. Joel smirks as he pushes down on your windpipe.

“I know.”

With that, he leans in as if to kiss you, but hovers right in front of your face. Your face burns in shame when you realize that you’ve come forward in anticipation of the kiss despite the added pressure on your windpipe. He cocks his head, the dark smirk spreading.

“You might enjoy this after all.”

He’s embarrassingly right. When he releases your hands to unzip your jacket, you just stand there, passive in the moonlight, letting him pull open your jacket to throw an almost uninterested glance at your chest. He proceeds to your belt, unbuckling it and pulling your pants down without ceremony, your shorts following.

“Let’s see what we’re dealing with,” he murmurs as he shoves his hand between your legs, fixing you with his stare. Burning under the intensity of his dark eyes, you want to cast down your eyes, but find yourself hypnotized by him. His fingers push through your wet lips, causing a shiver to run through you. You whimper when he slips one finger inside you, not far, but enough for you to clench around it.

His grin is infuriating and makes your cheeks burn even hotter.

"Just be quiet and it'll all be over soon."

I don't want it to be over soon. The thought lands in your mind, makes itself comfortable, and renders you pliable as Joel manhandles you so that you're back to facing the wall. You hear his belt buckle snap open, his hot breath is on your neck, and then you feel his stiff shaft at your entrance. You press your eyes shut in anticipation and whine when he starts to push inside. You're wet, but not wet enough for him to just slip in. The friction makes you groan, and Joel immediately covers your mouth.

"I said be quiet."

You bite back on another whimper as he pushes deeper. Sweat breaks out on your forehead and you lean it against the cold brick wall. You should stop this, you should elbow him in the side, fight back, bite his fingers to cease his slow, painful invasion. But you can't, and you won't. Your fingers grasp at the coarse wall, and you clamp your teeth together, and you take it, let him claim you, inch after unwilling inch. When he's all the way inside, hips connected to yours, he stops still, hand sliding slowly down until his fingers slowly curl around your throat. You stay completely still, afraid to move, unwilling to move in case your non-compliance inspires him to just leave you where you stand. And that is the last thing you want, to be discarded and disregarded by Joel Miller.

"Is this what you've been thinking about up in that high and mighty tower of yours?" he growls into your ear, pulling out a little before thrusting back in, making you choke on your held back moan.

"You've been thinking about me fucking you in an alley like this, haven't you? I could see it in your face the first time I laid eyes on you."

Your Yes comes out as a pathetic little snivel, and he rewards you with another thrust. Your pussy is beginning to coat him in enough lubrication to move with less resistance, but you're still gulping at how tight a fit you are providing him with.

He ruts into you, faster and harder as lubrication starts to permit more movement. Nailing you to the wall, he releases your throat and places his hands on your hips instead, to help him ravage you with greater force. It's fast, it's brutal, and it's fucking good to be used, be useful, not just a pawn or hired gun for some faceless government agency, no, now you mean something to a real person, and you haven't been meaningful to anyone in a very long time. And it feels so good, his cock just feels so good the less traction there is, maybe you'll even be able to cum, fuck, when was the last time you had an orgasm? You push your ass out as your teeth sink into your lower lip, and Joel immediately picks up the pace, as if understanding what you are trying to accomplish. There is no more speaking, only muted moans, panting breaths, and the lewd, wet slapping filling the alleyway. You keep your voice down by biting down on the sleeve of your jacket, choking for every time Joel slams his hips into yours. Then he slows down, his breathing becomes strained, and he buries himself in you, all the way in, and you feel your fluttering core fill with thick, hot semen. His hips twitch, driving himself even deeper, however that even is possible, and your hipbones scrape against the wall. One of his hands is released from your hip and covers yours on the wall for just a fraction of a second before he pulls out and takes a step back.

You hear him zip up his jeans, and you turn around slowly, hoping your legs will carry you. He's looking at you from under heavy eyelids, the hint of a smirk on his lips.

"We're done."

You pull up your pants and find your voice. "I didn't even cum." You hear how whiny and bratty you sound, and lower your eyes when Joel steps up to you again. He places two fingers under your chin and raises it, forcing you to look at him.

"Maybe next time you won't chase me into an alley and try to shove a gun in my face," he instructs you in a voice that makes your pussy clench around the cum seeping out of you. His thumb drags over the corner of your mouth, and you become aware of the dried blood there.

"You're bleeding. Clean yourself up."

With that, he backs further in between the buildings, kicking your Glock to you before disappearing into the shadows. You take a deep breath to steady yourself, sort out your clothing, pick up your handgun and rifle, and step back out of the street. An excited smile spreads on your face.

So, there is a next time?

[a-world-i-never-made]

As I approached the gate I saw my father sitting in the armchair by the window. The sight of him sitting there, waiting for me, gave me a terrible pang. It was as though he had been sitting there all these years. I felt at once like a criminal, like a murderer. It was my sister who opened the iron gate. She had altered considerably, had shrunk and withered like a Chinese nut. My mother and father were standing at the threshold to greet me. They had aged terribly. For the space of a moment I had the uncomfortable sensation of gazing at two mummies who had been removed from the vault and galvanized into a semblance of life. We embraced one another and then we stood apart in silence for another fleeting moment during which I comprehended in a flash the appalling tragedy of their life and of my own life and of every animate creature's on earth. In that moment all the strength which I had accumulated to fortify myself was undone; I was emptied of everything but an overwhelming compassion. When suddenly my mother said, "Well, Henry, how do we look to you?" I let out a groan followed by the most heart-rending sobs. I wept as I had never wept before. My father, to conceal his own feelings, withdrew to the kitchen. I hadn't removed my coat and my hat was still in my hand. In the blinding flood of tears everything was swimming before my eyes. "God almighty!" I thought to myself, "what have I done? Nothing I thought to accomplish justifies this. I should have remained, I should have sacrificed myself for them. Perhaps there is still time. Perhaps I can do something to prove that I am not utterly selfish..." My mother meanwhile said nothing. Nobody uttered a word. I stood there in the middle of the room with my overcoat on and my hat in my hand and I wept until there were no more tears left. When I had collected myself a bit I dried my eyes and looked about the room. It was the same immaculate place, showing not the least sign of wear and tear, glowing a little brighter, if anything, than before. Or did I imagine it because of my guilt? At any rate, I thanked God, it did not seem poverty stricken as I feared it might look. It was the same modest, humble place it had always been. It was like a polished mausoleum in which their misery and suffering had been kept brightly burning. The table was set; we were to eat in a few moments. It seemed natural that it should be thus, though I hadn't the slightest desire to eat. In the past the great emotional scenes that I had witnessed in the bosom of the family were nearly always associated with the table. We pass easily from sorrow to gluttony.

Henry Miller -Reunion In Brooklyn

[freak1ish]

@huntrcsss asked: ❛ Do you think we fight hopeless wars? ❜/  BOOK STARTERS VOL.35    THE SONG OF ACHILLES    MADELINE MILLER / ( ALWAYS ACCEPTING )

HER WORDS ARE ENOUGH TO DRAW A PERPLEXED EXPRESSION ACROSS HIS disfigured features and he looks up at her with a level of uncertainty, which probably gives away that he was not EXACTLY happy about being placed on the spot like this, especially since he did not have his older mask to hide behind as he continues to roll up a cinnamon-scented cigarette.    

❛I guess it depends on your way of lookin' at it, but if you mean is fightin' monsters a losin' battle then yes it is as once you murder one three more turn up to take it's place. I actually don't know why I waste my time killin monsters since I am one myself. ❜ He is relieved that she will not recognize him as the man she discovered standing over a person's unconscious body a few days ago, as it allows him to have this conversation with her without feeling like he is constantly walking on eggshells. ❛I guess I do it because it is a good way of passin' the time and it is also a way for me to carry on my Dad's legacy. ❜His attention is drawn to the treetops and their vibrant green glow, as well as the few civilians strolling through the park. It is peaceful here, in contrast to the mausoleums he had just departed from, where restless spirits had screamed at him to help them find some semblance of peace in the afterlife.  ❛Why did you chose the hunting life? ❜ 

@huntrcsss

[thewritersaddictions]

2023 : Eddie Munson- Episode 3 No Longer Kids

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC!Lilly Miller

Pov: Eddie Munson

Warnings: 2023, Lonely feeling, kids have grown up, Dustin and his kids, Robin and Steve tied the knot, Jane (11) and Max are together, he finally meets her for the first time, Will and Mike are together which he totally saw coming, Robin being nosy (but in a cute friendly way) Eddie totally has a crush on Lilly, just is to dumb to see it

Summary- Eddie learns a lot about the kids and his friends. Steve and Robin are married. Dustin and the other kids are all grown. He meets El and Will. El and Max are together, while Will and Mike are together. Robin points out that Eddie might have a crush on Lilly. 

A/n- firefly=grpahics for dividers

WC- 5.5k

Stranger Things Master List // The Adults Master List // 2023 Series Master List

"The two of you married instead... I was so sure that you and Nancy were going to get together." I'm looking at Steve and Robin's hands. identical rings on each of their hands. On the right hand, they are married. Robin isn't shy about it, she shows off her rings coming over to me. Steve on the other hand is more focused on the fact that I'm here. Standing in front of him."We had a funeral for you and everything." It's hurt. The words are harsh and could cut right through the glass. 

They're aren't tears in his ears, but there's some sort of relief all in the same sentence. "Rob, He's right here and standing in front of us and you're concerned with showing off that fake ass ring." Steve is harsh and mean. I can only imagine. Dustin will be throwing and chunking shit at me."Oh yeah, I got over that the second I saw him. What's the point of yelling at him, he looks like he hasn't aged a day. Let's just go. We're too old to be fuckin' yelling at each other." Rob yells back at her husband, at Steve.

He rolls his eyes. I open my arms. In an attempt at a friendly hug, Robin is there within seconds. Steve watches, "Come on you dingus." I hear Rob mutter from the side of her face. I open my arms again and make more room for him. He comes over slowly, there's a little bit of a limp in his left leg. He manages and makes his way into our hug. There's a relief that hits my chest. The urge to cry is strong, but instead of crying I breathe steadily. 

I take in the time that Steve is giving the both of us. "What happened?" Steve whispers. I try to explain to come up with words, but a shrug is all I can give him and Robin. "Have you seen Dustin or any of the other kids?" I ask as Steve leaves the hug, Robin is still stuck. "Rob? Come on let the guy breathe." Steve fusses at her. I smile shortly at the way that they haven't changed a damn after nearly forty years.

"Sure we see Dustin all the time. His kids gosh they're like extremely like him. He tells them stories about the upside down all the time." Rob rattles off, Steve is back to rolling his. "Robin." He shouts, "Sorry." She apologizes but at who, I shrug my shoulders. "The other kids haven't left either. Everyone stayed right here. Dustin didn't want to leave after you disappeared. He felt like he wasn't doing the right thing, something about you being the best of friends and how you wouldn't dare leave if he had died." Steve says.

The three of us are standing in front of my uncle's grave. "What are you two doing here at the damn cemetery?" My thoughts running with the ADHD. Running back and forth between one and four different things. "Oh, we have to stop by and make sure that Steve's parent's grave look proper." Robin is pointing out a few rows forward, there's a huge mausoleum."We came to fix it up," Steve says coldly. I gather that he wasn't close to his parents. Close was the wrong word to pick. "They were dipshits and forced me and Robin to marry just so they would get the fuck out of my hair about how I wasn't married," Steve mumbles.

"Oh" Was all I could think of, so close was the worst word. "Steve’s parents were pricks," Robin says, she took the word right out of my head. I just shook my head. "We were at his funeral," Steve says simply as he looks down at Wayne’s grave. "Dustin was the one that told your uncle that you were gone. Dead. God Dustin gonna flip when he finds out you aren't dead. Oh shit Rob we have to go get Eds, Claire, and Beth from that camp class." Steve is rushing trying to grab Robins wrist.

"Hold on a fuckin' sec." She looks over at me. "We still live in Steve's house, it's brighter now. Come over in a few days. We can re-introduce you to everyone. Some people you never got the chance to meet too. I missed you, Eddie. Glad you're back." Rob says sweetly coming into my space and grabbing me tightly hugging me hard that it causes me to cough a little when she lets me go. Steve waves at me while the two of them walk away. I look down at Wayne’s grave. 

"I should have figured that this shit would happen once I left Lilly’s trailer. I bet you're loooking down at me with absolute horror at the mess I've caused for myself." I can imagine his chuckle and the roll of his eye as he’d wave me off. There’s something that I just miss about my uncle. Wayne had been through everything with me. It’s hard to imagine that I wasn’t there for him when he needed it the most that some other person was there. Regardless though I guess I have to suck it up and be glad that someone was there for him. 

The urge to sit down was strong. Sit down and not say a goddamn word just sit there in the warm air. “Wayne I wonder what your thoughts are on Y/n? She’s really pretty it’s hard sometimes for me to focus on anything other than that.” I whispered into the open air. Regardless of the answer that I thought I might have gotten from my uncle I never got an answer. Just the sounds of birds flying past and a few cars driving past the cemetery. I only sat on the grass for a few more moments. “I think I’ll go visit the kids if they even wanna see me.” 

With that, I got up and patted the hard headstone that had my uncle’s name imprinted on the marble stone. I took one last look at his grave before walking away. I had to get back to Lilly’s trailer. According to Steve and Robin, all the kids were still here, and Dustin has kids. He named one of those kids Eds. It makes me wonder on my walk back to the trailer park if he named his son after me. If my disappearance had that great of an effect on him. I wonder if he missed me that much. 

Had I not realised just how much I had affected Dustin’s freshman year of high school. Had I not realized just how important I was to Dustin’s life, how important I might have been to every one. I walk and walk until I somehow make my way toward the trailer. I’m not sure why I think that Lilly will continue to let me stay here. I might have to get a new place to stay, but I walk further up the porch. I don’t just walk in I can only aimigne catch Lilly in a rather compromising position. 

I wouldn’t want to make the only other person I know in this hollow and broken town uncomfortable. Maybe I was just thinking to hard about everything. Seeing Steve and Robin had only made me think more about the things that I had been taken from. That some evil force had taken me from y mtime and my friends all because of what. Was it all a sick joke on me. The best prank in the godamn wall. I knock hard on the outer glass door. The lights are on inside. But I think about just running, far away from her front door. That’s until she’s opening it and staring at me. 

“Eddie, you came back?” She asks ushering me back into the calm space she’s created. “I thought you just up the trailer earlier.” Lilly is dragged me towards her couch. I might had just woken up this morning and left, grabbing my boots and shoving them on before running out of her trailer. The ceiling was still staring at me, looking deep into my soul. “I just had to get out, it’s still just a tad weird to know my uncle isn’t here anymore. I went and vivisted him by the way.” I murmured as we settled on the couch. 

“You should have let me rive you there it’s a long walk to the cemetery.” Lilly said getting more comfortable on the couch. I was looking down at the contact she had created by grabbing my wrist and dragging me into the trailer. “I’m sorry it’s still weird for you. I should have realized that.” With that Lilly had let go of my wrist and retracted her hands into her sweatshirt pockets. I tried to say something but nothing came up to console her. “I bumped into some old friends, from my time I guess.” Lilly’s eye light up gleefully. 

“You did? Did they reconginze who you were? Are they nice?” Lilly asks about too many questions for my racing mind to answer them. “I think they weren’t mad for my disappearance. They invited me over for dinner. To meet the friends that were in that group.” I rattled off. Lilly was so close to me on the couch that i wasn’t able to focus. No girl not the many yearsthat I had lived in Hawkins was ever so attentive, or caring to me. It was an odd and new feeling one that scared the living shit out ot me. 

“Eddie are you alright?” Lilly asks, scooting somehow closer into my personal space. Not that that was the problem. It was more the fact I was trying desperately to keep all of my emotions under wraps in a rather difficult situation. “I… You’re… Yeah I’m okay.” I managed to sutter out. She looked down between us, like she had somehow noticed how much she had gotten close to me. “Oh shit I’m sorry I… I di– I didn’t mean to get all up in your space.” She mutters a small apology. “It’s alright Lilly, I’m a little hungryl, you?” 

She cocks her head in the cutest of ways. Her bangs flowing infront of her face. “You mean like do I want something for lunch?” She looks for more information in my eyes, and when I shrug my shoulder she gives up rather quickly. “I can make a mean grilled cheese.” It’s not great food, but it’s something that I can do for her as a weird thank you for letting me stay with her. “You can really make a mean grilled cheese why don’t you just show me, Eddie.” Lilly coaxed me, her brows raised like she was challenging me. 

I saluted her and went behind the counter to get a sense of the kitchen. Not that it was any, or much different from when I was living here. Not that I originally spent much time in the kitchen. Wayne had always cooked dinner, and when I was in the kitchen it was to put a bowl of spaghettios into a bowl and heat them up. I got tto work quickly though, only having to ask Lilly where a few things had been placed. Never did she come into the kitchen. I even heated up some soup to share together. 

When I was done cooking I strutted out of the kitchen and placed her plate infront of her. I wasn’t sure about a lot of things regarding Lilly. So, I made sure to grab her a set of utensil if she wanted them. The bowl of soup went infront of the two of us, I tired to sit further away from her just to give us a arms length of space. Lilly’s first bite could never have been better, a dealious moan fell from her lips, and the more she kept eating. The more my knees buckled at the sound. 

“HOLY SHIT Eds. This is fucking perfection.” She giggled as she wiped her face of bread and cheese crumbs. I tried to stuff my face so I didn’t have to say a single word. I wasn’t ver y trusting of my own voice. “Thanks.” I was able to get out with a mouth full of brunt cheese, and bread. There wasn’t much beside that little conversation, before Lilly was reaching for a remote. That my attentio was turned to the screen intfront of me. “It’s a flatscreen, really thin too.” Lilly said as she flicked back and forth between channels. 

The quality was mamazing better then anything I’d ever seen, and that wasn’t really anything to go based off of. “Are you okay if we watch something?” Lilly turned to look at me, her hair was up. Guess she had gotten upset by the random strands that I was coming to like very much. In a few more seconds I’ve returned my attention back to the bright and high quality screen. There’s some sort of dramatic show playing in the background as Lilly goes back to eating her food. It’s getting closer to evening so the sun is setting beautifully. 

“Do you remember me saying that I was invited over for dinner with my old friends?” I throw the question into the comfortable air. Lilly lifts her head from the pillow on the couch, her legs are tucked in her bottom. “Hmm yeah, what about it Eddie?” She asks, as Lilly tries to pay attention to both the tv show and my conversation with her. “I was thinking that maybe you could I don’t know join me? I know that you probably don’t really care, but I… I just really don’t want to go meet my old friends without you.” 

The words come out rather sentimental like. More like I needed her, like I wasn’t able to think about anything other then her. I just… the truth was that I didn’t want to feel out of place in a new place or rather a new time. We stare at each other, in the dimming room as the sky line turns darker and the tv screen becomes brighter. Lilly is staring at me, her eyes sparkle. Brown eyes staring hard into my own. “You want me to go with you?” She asks. “Yeah.” She smiles, “Yeah I’ll go with you, Eddie.” 

It’s for a few more days until, I gather myself and Lilly into her car and drive us down to Lake Nora. Lilly fucks with the radio in her car, “Do you have a certain music type you like to listen to Eddie?” Lilly asks me as I pull up to a stop light. Not that the trailer park is far from Lake Nora. In the time that I had been selling weed and other speicalitys in Hawkins I had only ever been invited to one King Steve party. That drive was creep as shit, something I’d rather not repeat. 

I turn looking at Lilly, “Don’t laugh now, I’m a metal head. I like the way the music rumbles through my bones. Used… I was a part of a band at one point here in Hawkins.” I offer my thoughts. She doens’t laughs, rather instead she finds a metal radio station. “Here you go, listen this until we get to your friends house.” She rests back in her seat and let’s calm unknowing in the music. The music is little odd, stuff that I’d never heard. But the guitar, and drums in the background broke through sounding rather familiar sorta. 

When I pulled up to Steve house the lights are beaming inside and there’s a few cars already in his drive way. A mini-van, and a few other compact cars. I move the car to make sure that we aren’t in any ones way if they need to get out before we ourselves leave. Lilly is in a pair of black jeans that have purposeful holes in them according to her. A red blouse that make sure her shoulders on visible. “So my friend in there.” I say eyeing the front door. “Yeah your friend in there?” Lilly echos me. 

“Steve, and Robin are married. Steve got a thing where his hair always has to be perfect. And then his wife Robin is really talkative. Like she’ll talk your ear off. I don’t know about anyone else.” I say with a sad shrug. “Eddie?” Lilly brings my attention up to her. “Eddie everything will be fine I promise you that. If you need to leave or you just feel out of place come find me. Okay?” Lilly whispers even though we’re alone in her car. I nod, and grab to unbuckle my seat belt before getting out of the car. 

The air is somehow different out of here. Just like it was when I first came to the this house to sell. The sound of Lilly’s passenger door closing makes me jump, as my eyes don’t dare leave the front door of Steve house. I don’t leave my trance until I feel Lilly’s hand slip into mine, another jump out of skin moment. “Come on Eddie, I’ll knock on the door.” She takes me and we walk towards the front door, when we make it to the porch I can hear the sounds of happy screaming children. No backing out. 

Before I know it Lilly is knocking on the door, and it’s a long pregnagnt moment of silence and waiting. Then the door is opening, Steves is staring at the pair of us. “Hey, I didn’t realize you were bringing someone with you.” he says calmly. “Yeah he didn’t want to feel to out of place.” Lilly speaks up for me. I smile and Steve only nods before opening his door all the way open. The sounds of screaming children pass again as we walk into his living room. There’s life in this house, such a contrast to the past. 

“Everyone is in the dining room, if you’d like we can just go eat now or you can met with dustin. You know he’s bound to freak out once he sees you.” Steve says as he takes Lillys coat from her hooking it around a hanger and into the coat closet by the front door. “Who;’s Dustin?” Lilly asks as she looks back over at me. “He was my kid best friend I guess.” I say trying to think how best to explain it. “Like a younger brother that I never got.” I say changing my mind. Steve laughs. 

“How about I just meet everyone all at once.” I suggest. Steve shrugs his shoulders. “Whatever you want man.” He guids us towards the dining room. Robin is the first one of to see us. “Eddie! You’ve made it!” Heads turn, and then everyone is staring straight into me. My sheild come up as I shuffle through the faces. Mike is there he’s got a little grew growing in his black shaggy hair. the red headed girl Max is older, but smiling holding someone’s hand I don’t know. Erica is staring at me with those scary eyes. Then there’s Dustin. 

I can still hear the kids running in the background. There’s like background music now. Dustin is staring me down, tears are floating at the edges of his eyes. He won’t stop looking at me. I grab onto Lilly’s hand. I feel like I’m floating and I need to feel like I have some sort of anchor. Lilly squeezes back, letting me know she’s there. “WHAT THE FUCK!?!” Dustin screams, someone, well everyone looks at him. There’s a new voice, “Dusty take a breathe please.” The female voice says. “I can’t fucking beialive this. Steve what the fuck is this??” 

Dustion is throwing cruse words around like they’re aren’t young ones around, just running past. “No I won’t fucking calm down either Suizs. He was fucking dead. And everyone here knows it. We all watched how he didn’t come back through the fucking gate. Don’t you dare tell me that this is Eddie. I don’t… you… i had…” For a moment Dustin calms down. I let go of Lilly’s hand, amking my way towards Dustin. “Dustin” I try, he looks up at me almost automatically. “I’m not some creep or some upside down monster. I’m just me.… I’m Eddie.” 

I mutter, there’s silence in the entire space of the dining room. “Dustin please just know that I’m here now and alive now. Let’s just eat and you can introduce me to your kiddos. I bet they’re just the best just like you kid.” I say softly. He looks like he’s crying, verge of tears. “Eddie.” He says quietly. “I thought… I thought you were dead.” He said, coming to hug me. I hugged him back, and let him take all the time he needed. “Hey kid, do you think we could eat.” I ask after a few long moments. 

“Yeah we can eat.” he says with a small chuckle. Steve and Robin had moved in two new chairs and everyone had made room for us to sit down. Dustin went back to his seat. “By the way this is my wife, Suize.” Dustin says as he sits back down. Dinner is already on the table. “We’ve got three kids, and we named one of them after Eds.” “Yeah Dad!” There’s a yelling coming from the other room, and I can’t help but smile at the sound of happiness and joy coming from the kid. Dustin rolls his eyes. “Kids” 

There’s peace and quiet in the moments of eating. “Steve is the best cook in town. I swear it.” I hear Robin mumble through a mouth full of food. Steve rolls his eyes at his wife not wife. There’s moreeating in silence, I don’t feel my heart beat as fast as it was before. What I can feel is a soft hand on my knee, rubbing a thumb over my kneecap. I don’t dare look over at Lilly. “So, who’s your friend?” I hear Erica ask. Of course it’s Ecria. I remember that kid always having so many little thoughts. 

“Well, she’s um…” I look over at her. I’m not sure how to describe it, so I give her the reins of this conversation. “Well I’m Lilly. I live in the trailer park.” Heads turn with forks in mouths. “The trailer park?” Dustin questions her. “Yeah kinda funny I live in Eds old trailer.” She answers with giggle. I can see the wheels turning in Dustin and Ercia heads. It’s as if a day hasn’t passed since they were in school and little kiddos themselves. “So you’re saying you live in Eddie old trailer? How’d that even happen to you?” 

It’s Dustin asking the questions. Everyone beside Ercia isn’t really paying the most attention towards our conversation, for reasons I don’t know yet. Maybe they’re all confused as to how I’m here. Along with the others who I’m not sure who they are just yet. “Well, if you must know I was great friends with Eds Uncle Wayne. I helped him a lot in the trailer park and he eventually gave me the trailer to live in. I helped with his funeral when it came time.” Lilly says softly, her hand has yet to leave my knee. Empowering the conversation. 

Once dinner is done or atleast everyone is done eating people are on the move to get onto the comfy large couch in Steve’s living room. “So there’s a few people you um…you didn’t get the chance to met.” Steve says his voice almost echos in the tall house. Everyone is now sitting on the couch. Two women are sitting next to each other, Max and a women with dark brown curly hair. “This is Max, who you know from before, and her wife Jane or El.” Steve introduces me to the pair. “Are you the girl with the powers?” 

I ask, there a tense that comes over the room. “Yeah, I once had powers, but haven’t needed them in a long time. It’s nice to met you Eds.” Jane says as she nudges into Max’s side. I can’t help but copy her as i do the same to Lilly. She looks over at me and smiles. Steve takes me attention by introducing me to someone new. “This is Mike, you know he was in your hellfire club, but you haven’t met Will. These two are married.” Steve says. I had known a few gay people that lived in Hawkins. 

“It’s nice to finally met you. I don’t know if you can tell but Mike really took a liking to your whole style.” Will says as he reaches over to give me a handshake. It’s firm but as he smiles at me I notice what he’s talking about. Mike had pratiaclly ripped off my style. Black jeans and leather jacket. I laugh at yet another thought of how much I might have imprint on these kids. Another thought comes up, maybe one of soreness and tightness. Maybe one that will make the whole room go silent but I cant think. 

“So the whole fighting Vecna thing?” I ask. There are a few strong inhales, like they hadn’t thought one day about it. “Yeah we killed that son of a bitch long ago, that was sorta the end of it.” Jane speaks up from her corner next to Max. Max giggles and kisses her wives cheek before shaking her head in agreement. “It was honestly revenge on my part.” Dustin says, there’s more tears but I’m not sure what they’re based on. “Once it was all over lots of people left town. Scared of how scary Hawkins was starting to become.” 

“Do you wanna meet my kiddos?” Dustin asks, Suize is starting to visibly fall asleep on her husband shoulders. They’re such a cute little couple. “Sure kid.” Lilly has yet to leave my side and I squeeze her hand once more, thank her sielntly for coming with me. “You’re welcome.” She murmurs before resting her head on my shoulder. “Kids do you mind coming in here?” Dustin shouts from his spot on the couch. There’s loud thunderish footsteps, “Hey Uncle Steve, dad what’s up.” “I have someone I’d like you to met.” Dustin points over to me. I smile wide. 

“This is your dads best friend from when he was still in school.” Dustin says, “Eds why don’t you met Eddie.” His kids eyes light up, “You’re my uncle Eddie, the guy I was named after, I can’t help but smile wider, “I guess so kiddo.” “I’ve heard so many cool stories about you, like how you totally were the best D&D DM ever, dad got me into that game by the way.” Eds say extasically. I laugh how similar the two are. “I was and still am the best DM.” I encourage him on. I love his style. 

He looks a little like his dad and a little like his mother. Curly hair, but a wide goofy smile. Clothes that I wished that I could have pulled off. “So how old are you Eds?” I ask him. He turns to his dad. “He just turned fourteen a few days ago.” I remember being fourteen and thinking that the world was ending, my dad wasn’t there anymore so I ran and ran until I got to Uncle Waynes trailer. “Well you make the most of it kiddo.” I say patting his shoulder, he goes off sitting next to Suize. 

“Come on Claire. Come meet your Uncle Eddie.” She’s more shy, her long hair is down to her back and she uses her hair as a coping mechinase to hide her anxiety. She moves slowly until she’s right infront of us. “You know I do the same thing when I’m nervous.” I say softly so no one else can hear me. Everyone is watching the both of us. “You do?” She says “Yup, I like to do crazy things like this.” I move my hair from behind my ear and rope it over my lips. Making a fake mustache beard. 

She giggles, and laugh before repeating me. “I like this!” She very verbal once you get her out of her shell. “So how old are you?” I ask, She swallows. “I’m eleven year old. I just got back from camp.” She says point down at her shirt. ‘Camp Lagoon’ Is written on her lime green shirt and a little beetle bug must be there mascot there. “She’s a fan of her science camps like Dusty here was.”Suize comments. Claire moves quickly to move into her mothers lap. “Hey Mama.” She says looking up at her. “There’s one more kiddo.” 

“Beth baby, you wanna come here.” Dustin calls out, There’s nothing for a few moments, then Steve is getting up and going to find her. Clarie and Eds have somehow fallen asleep on their mother. It’s cute and makes me heart ache just a little. Reminds me of my own mother how she always the sweetest women, never forget about me regardless of the fighting that happened between her and my shitty dad. “I’ve got her, she’s was working on some lego bricks.” Steve says. He kneels in front of me handing me the child. She just looks at me. 

“Hello Beth, how are you?” I ask, I’m guessing she isn’t to much younger then her sister. She looks down at my fingers and plays with them. “I’m otay,” Beth whispers. “You okay too?” She asks, I laugh at her whispering but play along. “I’m good too Beth, so how old are you then… let me guess!” I say, I pretend to think for a moment and I feel Lilly’s eyes on me I can’t help but blush from the staring. “I’d say that you’re nine.” It’s a totally shitty guess, she rolls her eyes, I look over to Dustin. 

“Beth is only six, smart little girl though huh.” Dustin comments, “She reminds me of someone I used to know, kinda of a smarty.” I commented, Dustin laughs loudly waking his sleeping child. Beth continues to play with my fingers and then Lilly starts to talk with her. “You’re such a cutie Beth.” Beth giggles and launches her head into my shoulder. “I think you made her shy,” I say looking over at Lilly for the first time in a while. Her smile is hard to miss, but there’s something behind her eyes. Like a longing for kids, the feeling. 

Beth ends up falling asleep on my shoulder, cozying up in my shoulder. Before I know it Dustin is trying to get up frm the couch with a kid in his arms, and one kid in Suizes arms. “Can you help us with Beth?” Lilly had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I get up slowly to let Lilly’s head move down to the couchison. I walk with Dustin and his wife towards the front door and their car. Beth weight doesn’t bother me at all as I watch and stand waiting for Dustin to buckle in his son. “Here’s Beth.” 

Once I get back into the Harringtons home. I’m being dragged by Robin towards the kitchen islands, “Shit Robin.” I manage to huff out by the time she’s stopped us. “You’re totally in love with that Lilly girl aren’y you?!” She asks, theres exctiemnt behind her eyes, and the sound of footsteps stops me from saying the truth of how I’m truely feeling. “God robin you can’t just spring that on someone.” Steve whispers, trying to lower the sound of our conversation. “So do you? Do you like that girl you brought with you?” Steve asks prolonging the conversation along. 

“What do you want me to say. I fell throug her fucking ceiling and now she’s just… she’s just so damn sweet and supportive. I’m not sure I should even…” There’s a pause in my throat. “So you do like her?” Robin beats the word like further into my head. “Maybe…” I saw softly as I look back through the doorway towards Lilly’s sleeping body on the couch. “We should probably get going…” I comment, “What before you go take some of dinner with you.” Steve says shoving a few tupper ware containers into my chest. Looking over at Lilly. 

I tried my hardest to juggle both the containers of food, and Lilly as I walked us towards the car. The food goes into the back of the car, and Lilly goes into the passenger seat. Lilly isn’t fully aware of what is going on around her, but once the engine starts in the car. She right back to sleep. Somehow the drive back to Lilly’s trailer is different. The air is cold, the streetlights stream through the car’s window. I keep looking back between the road and her. Somehow feeingl so utter alone even though I know I’m not. 

It’s weird how cruel your own mind can be to you. I try my hardest making my way towards the trailer park entrance. It reminds me of Chrissy. Driving down the dirt and gravel road with Chrissy sitting next to me staring off into space. I don’t think at all I was aware of what the reality of what was happening around me. I don’t even get out of my head until I hear her voice. It’s not Chrissy’s it’s Lillys and for some reason it calms me almost immediately. “Are we home?” She asks in a sleepy voice

Completed on: 04/18/23

Posted on: 04/28/23

The Adults- @yourfavdummy

[rajproperties-blog]

Unknown Facts About Oakland, California

Oakland is a great place to live, but it has a few unknown facts, which we have addressed below. But taking up apartments for rent in uptown oakland will give you the chance to explore oakland in a more convenient way.

1. A lunch at the graveyard is very appropriate.

One of the best views of the San Francisco Bay in the city may be seen at Mountain View Cemetery, which spans 226 acres on the hills above Oakland. Aside from the hundreds of ancient tombs and eerie mausoleums, it's not unlike your average neighbourhood park. Oaklanders can frequently be seen running, strolling their pets, or simply relaxing. Remember to leave by nightfall. Being imprisoned overnight within a 150-year-old cemetery's walls is the last thing you want to happen.

2. Oakland Coliseum is the site of The Wave's invention.

A staple in the Bay Area who calls herself the "Sexiest Cheerleader in the World" In 1981, while directing the sold-out crowd at an Oakland A's home game against the New York Yankees, Krazy George Henderson started the first full-stadium Wave. Following its television premiere that evening, the Wave quickly became a national phenomenon. It even made its way abroad to events like soccer matches in Mexico and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, when members of the royal family were spotted brazenly waving in the audience during a men's tennis match.

3. It is the birthplace of the Mai Tai.

Yes, Oakland was the birthplace of that gigantic beverage you're sipping from a tiki head at a tacky bar. But back in 1944, the recipe called for merely rum, lime juice, orgeat syrup, Cointreau, and a beautiful sprig of mint. The rest of the world is to blame for its corruption.

4. Many films have been shot in Oakland.

"The Matrix Reloaded," "A Time to Kill," "Howard the Duck," "Basic Instinct," "Moneyball," "Greed," "So I Married an Axe Murderer," "True Crime," and "Fruitvale Station" are among the films shot in Oakland.

5. Oakland is the birthplace of the popsicle.

In Oakland in 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson left his drink out in the cold and awoke to discover a treat frozen on the stirring stick.

6. The weather is nicer here.

The Bay Area isn't all doom and gloom. When compared to nearby San Francisco, Oakland is typically about 10 degrees warmer, so you won't need to worry about wearing a scarf everywhere and there are few chances that the foggy weather will ruin your picnic. You're ready to go with a simple hop over the bay.

7. This was the landing site for the first solo female flight from Hawaii to the mainland.

On January 12, 1935, Amelia Earhart made her first solo flight from Hawaii to the mainland when she touched down in Oakland, California, 18 hours and 16 minutes after taking off from Honolulu.

8. You don't have to leave town to see redwoods.

Oakland, on the other hand, contains two redwood parks: Oakland Redwood Regional Park and Joaquin Miller Park. There are hundreds of acres of redwood forest to explore, as well as miles and miles of paths. With origins in the 1880s, the redwoods you'll find are some of the Bay Area's oldest. These were a few unknown facts about Oakland, but if you’re searching for apartments or maybe houses for rent in Potrero Hill or anywhere in Oakland, you should definitely give Raj Properties a chance. Raj properties will bring the best deals for you. Visit website now https://www.rajproperties.com/

[g63heavenonearth]

Allegheny Cemetery 111321-24

[blackacre13]

maybes a surprise!danny isnt dead story so him and the team join the heist

(So, I just posted one that’s the O8/O11 crew so I wanted to veer a bit away from this suggestion as far as using both full teams, but hopefully this variation works for you!)

Danny hadn’t showed. It was time to record his time of death as real, Debbie supposed. She hadn’t believed it when she heard the news. She hadn’t believed it at the mausoleum. And she hadn’t believed it when she went to toast Danny with a dirty martini after a heist gone extremely well.

When Lou proposed, she made it her mission to find him for Debbie and although she never told Debbie this, a part of Debbie had hoped that Lou would find him for the wedding or that Danny would just show up, inviting himself. But neither happened. A wet Lou, practically drowning in the rain, mascara running down her cheeks, and her body shaking with sobs had greeted Debbie as she opened the door to the loft the night before their wedding. And she just knew. He wasn’t coming. Maybe he was alive. Maybe he was dead. But one thing had been for sure: he didn’t want to be found. And it broke Debbie Ocean’s heart.

And stubborn Debbie didn’t give up there. She waited until the last minute to slip inside the venue, giving Lou a heart attack that her bride was missing. And the blonde didn’t miss the brunette’s mahogany eyes darting around the room every few minutes before steering back to Lou. He had missed it.

This wasn’t to say that Debbie and Lou weren’t in complete and utter bliss as newly weds and the weeks and months ahead. They certainly were. They were making up for lost time, able to spend long days lounging around with each other, their savings and finances no issue. There were kisses aplenty, passionate sex, and the simple things they hadn’t gotten together for so long like holding hands, home cooked meals shared together, and Debbie’s newest hobby of pointing out inaccuracies about prison in movies and television shows. But somewhere in the back of her mind, Debbie still wondered. She felt if she gave up hope, she was letting down Danny. But 99% of her ached with the truth that seemed to be right in front of her and Lou didn’t have the heart to sway her either way.

That is, until, one late night in January. There was a quick rap on the door of the loft, followed by five minutes of silence and then the same again. Lou and Debbie shared a long look. It sure as hell wasn’t one of the girls; none of them ever knocked, always inviting themselves in except for Rose and Tammy who called ahead. And no one else knew where they lived.

“Do you think—“ Lou started, afraid to complete the sentence out loud.

“It’s not,” Debbie shook her head. “But it is something.”

Lou took a deep breath before standing up from the couch, ushering Debbie to stand behind her, and then headed over to the door, sliding the chain slowly and turning the lock.

The blonde opened the door to a white orange midnight sky; there was snow on the horizon. And below it, right in her eyesight, someone she hadn’t seen in years.

“Miller,” he laughed. “I think you can take your hand off the pocket knife.”

“Rusty!” Debbie called, cutting in front of Lou to clap him into a hug. He swung the brunette around in a circle before placing her back on the ground next to Lou.

Lou squinted at him, sizing him up. They always got along, yes; in fact, they were practically siblings, but since Debbie and Lou had stopped running jobs with Danny and him, she was always suspicious when he appeared out of the blue every once in a while looking for something or someone or with a bizarre favor to ask.

He pushed the two of them together, shoulder to shoulder, and grinned.

“Look at the two of you!” He sighed happily. “Finally tied the knot! Had only been, what? Thirty years of denial and dating?”

“Something like that,” Lou grumbled, not in the mood to be teased.

“Come in, Rust,” Debbie smiled, punching Lou playfully at her grumbling, sudden sour attitude as she ushered Rusty in as well.

“So, what brings you here?” Lou asked Rusty’s ass that was sticking out of the fridge, his mouth already full of Tammy’s cold lasagna, a plastic bag of Amita’s pancakes in his hand.

He took a moment to swallow and close the fridge.

Debbie watched as he placed the pancakes on the counter and leaned back against it. The brunette sucked in a deep breath.

“Debs, he’s back.”

Lou’s worried eyes found Debbie’s and locked on for dear life, her hand finding her wife’s own, clutching it tight.

“But he didn’t—Rusty, he can’t. By now—“

“I swear,” he smiled sadly, his mouth twitching. “I didn’t know, either. Not until today.”

“Well, where the hell is he?” Debbie panted, moving past Lou to push Rusty’s chest.

“Honey, hey,” Lou whispered, pulling her back and pulling her into a hug, kissing her forehead. “Let him explain.”

“I haven’t seen him yet,” Rusty admitted. “But he called me, Debs. It was definitely him. Used that stupid childhood nickname you had. Nobody else knows that. And he told me to go find you two and said the three of us can see him, but only tomorrow and only if we get there together.”

“Where?” Lou demanded.

“You just have to trust me,” Rusty sighed. “He’ll only give me one piece at a time. But we have to go now.”

“That’s a whole lot of nothing to go off of, Rusty,” Lou sighed. “You know I trust you and Danny, but what the fuck?”

“He’s got a job,” Rusty smiled.

Debbie was practically screaming. “A job, Rusty? A job! He carries this shit on for almost three years and he comes out of the woodwork because he has a fucking job?”

Lou held her back again.

“It’s good, Debs. You should hear what the cut is.”

“In case you haven’t read the papers, I think we’re pretty set for the next lifetime or so. Especially with two of us,” Lou pointed out.

“What if you could double it?” Rusty grinned, picking up the pancakes again.

“Can we please put the job aside and address the fact that my brother is alive?” Debbie pleaded, rubbing at her head. “I don’t understand what the hell he’s been up to.”

“On the run,” Rusty sighed. “Which reminds me. We’ve got about twenty minutes if you want to see him. So pack up whatever you need.”

“Are you fucking for real?” Lou hissed.

“Dead serious.”

“Too soon,” Debbie sighed. She turned to her wife, trying to read her face. “We doing this?”

“Nothing to lose,” Lou smiled sadly. “You’ve been wanting answers and it seems like Rusty will be getting them direct from the source by the hour.”

“Alright,” Debbie nodded. “Let’s do it.”

“There we go!” Rusty cheered. “That’s the spirit guys. The old gang back together again.”

“God, you really don’t know how to read a room, do you?” Lou sighed at him.

“My job is usually more poker prep and talking Danny off a cliff.”

“Well, you best get ready to go and land us somewhere with Danny or I will drive you off a cliff myself,” Debbie threatened.

“Honey, come on,” Lou laughed. “Let’s throw a duffel together and hit the road. You have a long lost brother to see.”

“More like murder,” Debbie hinted, keeping up her constant promise that if Danny was alive, she’d kill him herself, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that Lou hadn’t seen since before prison and a smile playing at her lips. The twinkle that came with a job. The twinkle that matched one that she had used to see all the time. The twinkle that Danny Ocean got in his eye when he had a plan up his sleeve and Debbie on his side.

[chiropteracupola]

Mausoleum of the Miller family, Mountain View Cemetery

[cecilfaust]

TASK 001. THE REAPING

Smith stood in his dead younger brother’s bedroom, rummaging through his dead younger brother’s clothes for a dress shirt that his dead younger brother would have worn to the Reaping.

Of course, both Mason and that shirt would never be seen again.

It was just that all of Smith’s were either torn or dirty. What good was a dead younger brother if not for the extra wardrobe? It wasn’t like he would be needing it again anyways. What? Like Mason would get a chance to grow out of them?

Just as he had finished picking out a shirt, Smith froze when he saw a framed photo on Mason’s dresser of him and his brothers smiling. He could see the scene playing out before him. The camera would zoom in as he began to tear up while the strings playing in the background would swell and —

“Let’s go.”

Smith wiped a single tear from his cheek before closing the door behind him. Whether it was his father or his older brother or the imaginary voice of Mason himself interrupting his thoughts, Smith followed anyways. It was a hard day for all of them, the anniversary of when they last had seen Mason. A reminder that they willingly sent him off to his grave.

The President’s feed ended just as abruptly as it started and the crowd buzzed in anticipation. Two was hit harder than most other districts, targeting both the people and the industry — they were clearly calling for blood.

The first name drawn was some nobody Smith hadn’t thought twice about. He couldn’t quite remember if someone had volunteered in their place, only that he whipped his head around to lock eyes with his father. It was expected that he would volunteer these Games after Mason had gone just months before. Even with a son in the grave, the Bricks still had their eyes set on a Victor for 127th.

Smith looked at his father defiantly, letting the minutes trickle by without raising his hand to volunteer. The older man clenched his jaw and Smith was sure that he would face his wrath as soon as the reaping was over. But, that was still better than a knife to the back by a supposed ally. Fuck that.

The escort dipped their hand in the bowl once again, but Smith was far too busy giving his father the middle finger to notice.

“Miller Brick!”

His smile dropped when he heard his brother’s name called. Miller, who had nothing to do with the rebellion. Miller, the oldest of the three who kept him and Mason in check. Miller — the fucking martyr.

Smith cranes his neck to find his brother in the crowd. The older boy straightened his back, lifting his head as if he had known what was coming.

“I volunteer?”

His voice came out more as a question than he had really meant it to. What? It wasn’t like he was going to let his brother take the fall for all of it. Burning down the Academy was on his shoulders and his alone.

Before his brother could protest, Smith raced to the stage. As he looked down at the faces of his district, he found his father staring up at him — all pride and no concern. One way or another, he got his way. 

Fine. Let their house of brick build up a mausoleum if that’s what he really wanted. 

[laura-the-mellifluous]

Here’s a playlist for you… Blue 🌙 Samhain 2020 by sinister-sweet

I may make a couple tweaks in the arrangement, but here's my Blue Moon Samhain 2020 Playlist on Spotify. 😃

Here's the songs for those of you who don't have a Spotify account or just want to explore songs you're interested in:

1. Sabbat -Damh the Bard (pagan rock)

2. Don't Fear the Reaper -Blue Oyster Cult (classic rock chiller)

3. Season of the Witch -Donovan (classic rock chiller)

4. Halloween -Cernnunos Rising (pagan accoustic)

5. Bella Luna -Jason Mraz (you know what you're in for)

6. Evil Night Together -Jill Tracey (dark concept music)

7. A Singular Perversion -Kevin Macleod (modern composition)

8. Supernatural Radio A -Kevin Macleod

9. Moonlight Sonata -Paul Lewis (classical cover)

10. Scent of Night -Myuu (modern composition)

10.5 (left out) Corpse Bride/ Victor's Piano Solo -Myuu (instrumental cover)

11. The Ancient Magus Bride Theme -Myuu (modern cover)

12. Samhain -Lisa Theil (pagan folk)

13. Hour of the Wytch -Spiral Dance (pagan rock)

14. Hecate -Wendy Rule (pagan rock)

15. Spellbound -Souixe and the Banshees (rock)

16. Mausoleum - Rafferty (modern ballad)

17. Claire de Lune - Michael Silverman (classical cover)

18. Cryptic Sorrow -Kevin Macleod (modern composition)

19. Darkest Child - Kevin Macleod

20. Blue Moon -Upchurch (modern country)

21. Cherokee Shuffle -Clay County (country/folk)

22. St. James Infirmary -Dr. Michael White (jazz)

23. The Witch Queen of New Orleans -Redbone (swamp rock)

24. Blue Moon -Magpie Jazz Trio

25. Comfortable Mystery P.3 - Kevin Macleod (modern composition)

26. Sally's Song - Vitamin String Quartet (instrumental cover)

27. Jack's Lament -Vitamin String Quartet

28. Ghost Processional - Kevin Macleod (modern composition)

29. Come Little Children/the Hanging Tree Mashup -Peter Hollens and Bailey Pelkman

30. Black Swamp Village -the Speakeasy Swing Band (modern jazz/swing)

31. Got the Jitters -Don Redman and his Orchestra (jazz)

32. Doctor Jazz - Jelly Roll Morton (jazz)

33. When the Sun Sets Down South -Sydney Betchet (jazz)

34. Shine On Harvest Moon - Boswell Sisters (jazz)

35. Silhouetted in the Moonlight -Glenn Miller Swing Band (jazz)

36. Moonlight Bay -Leon Redbone (modern ballad)

37. The Moon and Me - Kevin Chamberlain (from the Addams Family musical)

38. Film Noir - Scott Hallgreen (modern composition)

39. Danse Macabre -the Oh Hellos (classical cover)

40. This is Halloween - Vitamin String Quartet (instrumental cover)

41. Ghostly Music Box - John Debney (from Disney's Phantom Manor and Haunted Mansion Holiday)

42. End Credits (Coraline) - Bruno Coulais and the Nice Children's Choir

43. Crossing the Threshold - Kevin Macleod (modern composition)

44. Vital Vibrations -Dean Evanson, Scott Huckabee (ambient)

45. Thirteen - Bing Satellites (ambient)

46. The Blue Moon Song/ Faeries' Moon -Elain Silver (pagan acoustic)

47. Monster's Lullaby -the Family Arts Theater (family music)

48. One with the Darkness -Reclaiming (family music)

49. Harvest Song -Spiral Dance (pagan rock)

50. Soul's Gateway -Spiral Dance

Happy Hallo-week, everybody!

[wordchanter]

5 Random Rumors

Katarit the fisher has a grudge against Rr-mrr the miller

Oolu the fishmonger sometimes cooks and eats panthers

The blessed longsword of Nara is hidden in the vault of Gluur-ul

There are hidden mausoleums under the granary

Eligo's brewery conceals a secret crawlspace that leads to a nearby quarry

[blackkudos]

Johnny Guitar Watson

John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), known professionally as Johnny "Guitar" Watson, was an American blues, soul, and funk musician and singer-songwriter. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, Watson recorded throughout the 1950s and 1960s with some success. His creative reinvention in the 1970s with funk overtones, saw Watson have hits with "Ain't That a Bitch" and "Superman Lover". His successful recording career spanned forty years, with his highest chart appearance being the 1977 song "A Real Mother For Ya".

Early life

Watson was born in Houston, Texas. His father John Sr. was a pianist, and taught his son the instrument. But young Watson was immediately attracted to the sound of the guitar, in particular the electric guitar as played by T-Bone Walker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

His grandfather, a preacher, was also musical. "My grandfather used to sing while he'd play guitar in church, man," Watson reflected many years later. When Johnny was 11, his grandfather offered to give him a guitar if, and only if, the boy didn't play any of the "devil's music". His parents separated in 1950, when he was 15. His mother moved to Los Angeles, and took Watson with her.

Early career

In his new city, Watson won several local talent shows. This led to his employment, while still a teenager, with jump blues-style bands such as Chuck Higgins's Mellotones and Amos Milburn. He worked as a vocalist, pianist, and guitarist. He quickly made a name for himself in the African-American juke joints of the West Coast, where he first recorded for Federal Records in 1952. He was billed as Young John Watson until 1954. That year, he saw the Joan Crawford film Johnny Guitar, and a new stage name was born.

In 1953, Shorty Rogers had Watson as part of his Orchestra perform for the famed ninth Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles which was produced by Leon Hefflin, Sr. on June 7. Also featured that day were Roy Brown and his Orchestra, Don Tosti and His Mexican Jazzmen, Earl Bostic, Nat "King" Cole, and Louis Armstrong and his All Stars with Velma Middleton.

Watson affected a swaggering, yet humorous personality, indulging a taste for flashy clothes and wild showmanship on stage. His "attacking" style of playing, without a plectrum, resulted in him often needing to change the strings on his guitar once or twice a show, because he "stressified on them" so much, as he put it.Watson's ferocious "Space Guitar" single of 1954 pioneered guitar feedback and reverb. Watson would later influence a subsequent generation of guitarists. His song "Gangster of Love" was first released on Keen Records in 1957. It did not appear in the charts at the time, but was later re-recorded and became a hit in 1978, becoming Watson's "most famous song".

He toured and recorded with his friend Larry Williams, as well as Little Richard, Don and Dewey, The Olympics, Johnny Otis and, in the mid-1970s with David Axelrod. In 1975 he was a guest performer on two tracks (flambe vocals on the out-choruses of "San Ber'dino" and "Andy") on the Frank Zappa album One Size Fits All. He also played with Herb Alpert and George Duke. But as the popularity of blues declined and the era of soul music dawned in the 1960s, Watson transformed himself from southern blues singer with pompadour into urban soul singer in a pimp hat. His new style was emphatic – wearing the gold teeth, broad-brimmed hats, flashy suits, fashionable outsized sunglasses and ostentatious jewelry.

He modified his music accordingly. His albums Ain't That a Bitch (included funk blues singles "Superman Lover") and Real Mother For Ya(1977) fused funk and blues. Watson had album Love Jones in 1980. Reviewing Watson's 1977 LP A Real Mother for Ya, Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981): "Watson has been perfecting his own brand of easy-listening funk for years, and this time he's finally gone into the studio with his guitar Freddie and his drummer Emry and a bunch of electric keyboards and come up with a whole album of good stuff. The riff-based tracks go on too long but go down easy and the lyrics have an edge. Granted, Watson can't match George Benson's chops, but this is dance music, chops would just get in the way. And I prefer his Lou-Rawls-without-pipes to Benson's Stevie-Wonder-ditto."

Later career

The shooting death of his friend Larry Williams in 1980 and other personal setbacks led to Watson briefly withdrawing from the spotlight in the 1980s. "I got caught up with the wrong people doing the wrong things", he was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

The release of his album Bow Wow in 1994 brought Watson more visibility and chart success than he had ever known. The album received a Grammy Award nomination.

In a 1994 interview with David Ritz for liner notes to The Funk Anthology, Watson was asked if his 1980 song "Telephone Bill" anticipated rap music. "Anticipated?" Watson replied. "I damn well invented it!... And I wasn't the only one. Talking rhyming lyrics to a groove is something you'd hear in the clubs everywhere from Macon to Memphis. Man, talking has always been the name of the game. When I sing, I'm talking in melody. When I play, I'm talking with my guitar. I may be talking trash, baby, but I'm talking".

In 1995, he was given a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in a presentation and performance ceremony at the Hollywood Palladium. In February 1995, Watson was interviewed by Tomcat Mahoney for his Brooklyn, New York-based blues radio show The Other Half. Watson discussed at length his influences and those he had influenced, referencing Guitar Slim, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He made a special guest appearance on Bo Diddley's 1996 album A Man Amongst Men, playing vocoder on the track "I Can't Stand It" and singing on the track "Bo Diddley Is Crazy".

His music was sampled by Redman (who based his "Sooperman Luva" saga on Watson's "Superman Lover" song), Ice Cube, Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre borrowed P-Funk's adaptation of Watson's catchphrase "Bow wow wow yippi-yo yippi-yay" for Snoop's hit Who Am I? (What's My Name?). Johnny also played the guitar on the G-Funk remix of Dr. Dre's Grammy award winning single Let Me Ride in 1993.

"Johnny was always aware of what was going on around him", recalled Susan Maier Watson (later to become the musician's wife) in an interview printed in the liner notes to the album The Very Best of Johnny 'Guitar' Watson. "He was proud that he could change with the times and not get stuck in the past".

Death and material loss

Watson died of a heart attack on May 17, 1996, collapsing on stage while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. His remains were brought home for interment at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California and buried in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Enduring Honor, Holly Terrace entrance.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Johnny "Guitar" Watson among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Influence

Watson, a recognized master of the Fender Stratocaster guitar, has been compared to Jimi Hendrix and allegedly became irritated when asked about this comparison, supposedly stating: "I used to play the guitar standing on my hands. I had a 150-foot cord and I could get on top of the auditorium – those things Jimi Hendrix was doing, I started that shit."

Frank Zappa stated that "Watson's 1956 song 'Three Hours Past Midnight' inspired me to become a guitarist". Watson contributed to Zappa's albums One Size Fits All (1975), Them or Us (1984), Thing-Fish (1984) and Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (1985). Zappa also named "Three Hours Past Midnight" his favorite record in a 1979 interview.

Steve Miller not only did a cover of "Gangster of Love" on his 1968 album Sailor (substituting "Is your name "Stevie 'Guitar' Miller?" for the same line with Watson's name), he made a reference to it in his 1969 song "Space Cowboy" ("And you know that I'm a gangster of love") as well as in his 1973 hit song "The Joker" ("Some call me the gangster of love"). Miller had also borrowed the sobriquet for his own "The Gangster Is Back", on his 1971 album Rock Love.

Jimmie Vaughan, brother of Stevie Ray Vaughan, is quoted as saying: "When my brother Stevie and I were growing up in Dallas, we idolized very few guitarists. We were highly selective and highly critical. Johnny 'Guitar' Watson was at the top of the list, along with Freddie, Albert and B.B. King. Watson influenced Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, Etta James, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Bobby Womack said: "Music-wise, he (Watson) was the most dangerous gunslinger out there, even when others made a lot of noise in the charts ～　I'm thinking of Sly Stone or George Clinton".

Etta James stated, in an interview at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival: "Johnny 'Guitar' Watson... Just one of my favorite singers of all time. I first met him when we were both on the road with Johnny Otis in the '50s, when I was a teenager. We traveled the country in a car together so I would hear him sing every night. His singing style was the one I took on when I was 17 – people used to call me the female Johnny 'Guitar' Watson and him the male Etta James... He knew what the blues was all about...".

James is also quoted as saying: "I got everything from Johnny... He was my main model... My whole ballad style comes from my imitating Johnny's style... He was the baddest and the best... Johnny Guitar Watson was not just a guitarist: the man was a master musician. He could call out charts; he could write a beautiful melody or a nasty groove at the drop of a hat; he could lay on the harmonies and he could come up with a whole sound." Pearl Jam recorded a song entitled "Johnny Guitar", about Watson, for their 2009 album Backspacer.

Watson's 1976 song "Superman Lover" features on the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto V.

[timeless-hollywood-classics]

William Lawrence Boyd (June 5, 1895 – September 12, 1972) was an American film actor who is best known for portraying the cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy.

Boyd was born in Hendrysburg, Ohio, and reared in Cambridge, Ohio and Tulsa, Oklahoma, living in Tulsa from 1909 to 1913. He was the son of a day laborer, Charles William Boyd, and his wife, the former Lida Wilkens (aka Lyda). Following his father's death, he moved to California and worked as an orange picker, surveyor, tool dresser and auto salesman.

In Hollywood, he found work as an extra in Why Change Your Wife? and other films. During World War I, he enlisted in the army but was exempt from military service because of a "weak heart". More prominent film roles followed, including his breakout role as Jack Moreland in Cecil B. DeMille's The Road to Yesterday (1925) which starred also Joseph Schildkraut, Jetta Goudal, and Vera Reynolds. Boyd's performance in the film was praised by critics, while movie-goers were equally impressed by his easy charm, charisma, and intense good-looks. Due to Boyd's growing popularity, DeMille soon cast him as the leading man in the highly acclaimed silent drama film, The Volga Boatman. Boyd's role as Feodor impressed critics, and with Boyd now firmly established as a matinee idol and romantic leading man, he began earning an annual salary of $100,000. He acted in DeMille's extravaganza The King of Kings (in which he played Simon of Cyrene, helping Jesus carry the cross) and DeMille's Skyscraper (1928). He then appeared in D.W. Griffith's Lady of the Pavements (1929).

Radio Pictures ended Boyd's contract in 1931 when his picture was mistakenly run in a newspaper story about the arrest of another actor, William "Stage" Boyd, on gambling and liquor charges. Although the newspaper apologized, explaining the mistake in the following day's newspaper, Boyd said, "The damage was already done." William "Stage" Boyd died in 1935, the same year William L. Boyd became Hopalong Cassidy, the role that led to his enduring fame. But at the time in 1931, Boyd was virtually broke and without a job, and for a few years he was credited in films as "Bill Boyd" to prevent being mistaken for the other William Boyd.

In 1935, Boyd was offered the supporting role of Red Connors in the movie Hop-Along Cassidy, but he asked to be considered for the title role and won it.[6] The original character of Hopalong Cassidy, written by Clarence E. Mulford for pulp magazines, was changed from a hard-drinking, rough-living red-headed wrangler to a cowboy hero who did not smoke, swear, or drink alcohol (his drink of choice being sarsaparilla) and who always let the bad guy start the fight. Although Boyd "never branded a cow or mended a fence, cannot bulldog a steer" and disliked Western music, he became indelibly associated with the Hopalong character and, like the cowboy stars Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, gained lasting fame in the Western film genre.

Boyd estimated in 1940 that he had starred in 28 outdoor films in which he fired 30,000 shots and killed at least 100 "varmits". He wore out 12 costumes and 60 ten-gallon hats, rode his horse Topper more than 2000 miles and rode herd on 5000 head of cattle. A score or more of heroines had been saved, but were never kissed.

The films were more polished and impressive than the usual low-budget "program westerns". The Hopalong Cassidy adventures usually boasted superior outdoor photography of scenic locations and name supporting players familiar from major Hollywood films. Big-city theaters, which usually wouldn't play Westerns, noticed the high quality of the productions and gave the series more exposure than other cowboy films could hope for. Paramount Pictures released the films through 1941. United Artists produced them from 1943.

The producer Harry "Pop" Sherman wanted to make more ambitious epics and abandoned the Hopalong Cassidy franchise. Boyd, determined to keep it alive, produced the last 12 Cassidy features himself on noticeably lower budgets. By this time, interest in the character had waned, and with far fewer theaters still showing the films, the series ended in 1948.

Boyd insisted on buying the rights to all of the Hopalong Cassidy films. Harry Sherman no longer cared about the property—he thought both the films and the star were played out—and regarded Boyd's all-consuming interest with skepticism. Boyd was so single-minded about his mission that he sold or mortgaged almost everything he owned to meet Sherman's price of $350,000 for the rights and the film backlog.

In 1948 Boyd, now regarded as a washed-up cowboy star and with his fortunes at their lowest ebb, brought a print of one of his older pictures to the local NBC television station and offered it at a nominal rental, hoping for new exposure. The film was received so well that NBC asked for more, and within months Boyd released the entire library to the national network. They became extremely popular and began the long-running genre of Westerns on television. Boyd's desperate gamble paid off, making him the first national TV star and restoring his personal fortune. Like Rogers and Autry, Boyd licensed much merchandise, including such products as Hopalong Cassidy watches, trash cans, cups, dishes, Topps trading cards, a comic strip, comic books, cowboy outfits, home-movie digests of his Paramount releases via Castle Films, and a new Hopalong Cassidy radio show, which ran from 1948 to 1952.

The actor identified with his character, often dressing as a cowboy in public. Although Boyd's portrayal of Hopalong made him very wealthy, he believed that it was his duty to help strengthen his "friends"—America's youth. The actor refused to license his name for products he viewed as unsuitable or dangerous and turned down personal appearances at which his "friends" would be charged admission.

Boyd appeared as Hopalong Cassidy on the cover of numerous national magazines, including Look (August 29, 1950) and Time (November 27, 1950). For Thanksgiving in 1950, he led the Carolinas' Carrousel Parade in Charlotte, North Carolina, and drew an estimated crowd of 500,000 persons, the largest in the parade's history.

Boyd would eventually start a production company of his own, U.S. Television Office, to handle the legacy of Hopalong Cassidy. This company continues to hold full rights to the Cassidy name, trademark, films, and television material.

Boyd had a cameo role as himself in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth. DeMille reportedly asked Boyd to take the role of Moses in his remake of The Ten Commandments, but Boyd felt his identification with the Cassidy character would make it impossible for audiences to accept him as Moses.

Boyd was married five times, first to wealthy heiress Laura Maynard, then to the actresses Ruth Miller, Elinor Fair, Dorothy Sebastian and Grace Bradley. His only son, William Wallace Boyd, whose mother was Boyd's second wife, Ruth Miller, died of pneumonia at age 9 months. After his retirement from the screen, Boyd invested both time and money in real estate and moved to Palm Desert, California. He refused interviews and photographs in later years, preferring not to disillusion his millions of fans who remembered him as a screen idol.

Boyd was a lifelong Republican and supported the campaign of Dwight Eisenhower during the 1952 presidential election.

For his contributions to the film industry, Boyd has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1734 Vine Street.[14] In 1995, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The inner sleeve of the original American Pie album by Don McLean featured a free verse poem written by McLean about Boyd, with a picture of Boyd in full Hopalong regalia. This sleeve was removed within a year of the album's release. The words to this poem appear on a plaque at the hospital where Boyd died.

In 1972, Boyd died from complications related to Parkinson's disease and congestive heart failure.[1] He was graced by his fifth wife, the actress Grace Bradley Boyd, who died on September 21, 2010 on her 97th birthday. He is buried in the Sanctuary of Guiding Love alcove in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale).