#bridgewater college

[fandomloverangel]

I just got into the college I wanted!! Woo!!! Revealed to my extended family via a grainy GIF in the Whatsapp chat lol.

[alexisstiel]

if you kick all the queer people out of the world then who's going to listen to your podcasts lauren shippen??

oh... that's not...

[nickchristian86]

A series of unfortunate Events or Recreating Don Quixote Or The miseducation of Nick Christian

What colleges have you attended? The timeline: The University of New Mexico (05-08) – Failed Out … Twice Central New Mexico Community College (09) walked in the cafeteria one day to come across… The Walt Disney World College Program (09-10… sort of) Central New Mexico Community College (10-11) A.A. Liberal Arts Bridgewater State University (12-13) – Technically failed out, but had already…

[justforbooks]

Donald Sutherland

Commanding and versatile actor known for his roles in MAS*H, Don’t Look Now and The Hunger Games

Donald Sutherland, who has died aged 88, brought his disturbing and unconventional presence to bear in scores of films after his breakthrough role of Hawkeye Pierce, the army surgeon in Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H (1970), one of the key American films of its period. It marked Sutherland out as an iconoclastic figure of the 60s generation, but he matured into an actor who made a speciality of portraying taciturn, self-doubting characters. This was best illustrated in his portrayal of the tormented parent of a drowned girl, seeking solace in a wintry Venice, in Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now (1973), and of the weak, nervous, concerned father of a guilt-ridden teenage boy (Timothy Hutton) in Robert Redford’s Ordinary People (1980).

Although Sutherland appeared in the statutory number of stinkers that are many a film actor’s lot, he was always watchable. His career resembled a man walking a tightrope between undemanding parts in potboilers and those in which he was able to take risks, such as the title role in Federico Fellini’s Casanova (1976).

Curiously, it was Sutherland’s ears that first got him noticed, in Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen (1967). During the shoot, according to Sutherland, “Clint Walker sticks up his hand and says, ‘Mr Aldrich, as a representative of the Native American people, I don’t think it’s appropriate to do this stupid scene where I have to pretend to be a general.’ Aldrich turns and points to me and says, ‘You with the big ears. You do it’ … It changed my life.” In other words, it led to M*A*S*H and stardom.

Sutherland and his M*A*S*H co-star Elliott Gould tried to get Altman fired from the film because they did not think the director knew what he was doing due to his unorthodox methods. In the early days, Sutherland was known to have confrontations with his directors. “What I was trying to do all the time was to impose my thinking,” he remarked some years later. “Now I contribute. I offer. I don’t put my foot down.”

Sutherland, who was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, was a sickly child who battled rheumatic fever, hepatitis and polio. He spent most of his teenage years in Nova Scotia where his father, Frederick, ran a local gas, electricity and bus company; his mother, Dorothy (nee McNichol), was a maths teacher. He attended Bridgewater high school, then graduated from Victoria College, part of the University of Toronto, with a double major in engineering and drama. As a result of a highly praised performance in a college production of James Thurber’s and Elliott Nugent’s The Male Animal, he dropped the idea of becoming an engineer and decided to pursue acting.

With this in mind, he left Canada for the UK in 1957 to study at Lamda (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), where he was considered too tall and ungainly to get anywhere. However, he gained a year’s work as a stage actor with the Perth repertory company, and appeared in TV series such as The Saint and The Avengers. He was Fortinbras in a 1964 BBC production of Hamlet, shot at Elsinore castle and starring Christopher Plummer. He also appeared at the Criterion theatre in the West End in The Gimmick in 1962.

In 1959 he married Lois Hardwick; they divorced in 1966. Then he married the film producer Shirley Douglas, with whom he had twins, Kiefer and Rachel; they divorced in 1971. Kiefer, who grew up to become a celebrated actor, was named after the producer-writer Warren Kiefer, who put Sutherland in an Italian-made Gothic horror film, The Castle of the Living Dead (1964). Christopher Lee played a necrophile count, while Sutherland doubled as a dim-witted police sergeant and, in drag and heavy makeup, as a witch.

In an earlier era, the gawky Sutherland might not have achieved the stardom that followed the anarchic M*A*S*H, but Hollywood at the time was open for stars with unconventional looks, and Sutherland was much in demand for eccentric roles throughout the 70s.

He was impressive as a moviemaker with “director’s block” in Paul Mazursky’s messy but interesting Alex in Wonderland (1970), which contains a prescient dream sequence in which his titular character meets Fellini. In the same year, Sutherland played a Catholic priest and the object of Geneviève Bujold’s erotic gaze in Act of the Heart; he was the appropriately named Sergeant Oddball, an anachronistic hippy tank commander, in the second world war action-comedy Kelly’s Heroes; and he and Gene Wilder were two pairs of twins in 18th-century France in the broad comedy Start the Revolution Without Me.

Sutherland was at his most laconic, sometimes verging on the soporific, in the title role of Alan J Pakula’s Klute (1971), as a voyeuristic ex-policeman investigating the disappearance of a friend and getting deeply involved with a prostitute, played by Jane Fonda.

Sutherland and Fonda were teamed up again as a couple of misfits in the caper comedy Steelyard Blues (1973). It initially had a limited distribution due mainly to their participation together in the anti-Vietnam war troop show FTA (Fuck the Army), which Sutherland co-directed, co-scripted and co-produced.

Sutherland always made his political views known, although they surfaced only occasionally in his films. In among the many mainstream comedies and thrillers was Roeg’s supernatural drama Don’t Look Now, in which Sutherland and Julie Christie are superb as a couple grieving their dead daughter. Despite the dark subject matter, the film was notable for containing “one of the sexiest love scenes in film history”, according to Scott Tobias in the Guardian, the frank depiction of their love-making coming “like a desert flower poking through concrete”. The actor so admired Roeg that he named another son after him, one of his three sons with the French-Canadian actor Francine Racette, whom he married in 1972.

John Schlesinger’s rambling version of The Day of the Locust (1975) saw Sutherland as a sexually repressed character – called Homer Simpson – who tramples a woman to death in an act of uncontrolled rage. Perhaps Bernardo Bertolucci had that in mind when he cast Sutherland in 1900 (Novecento, 1976), in which he is a broadly caricatured fascist thug who shows his sadism by smashing a cat’s head against a post and bashing a young boy’s brains out. “And I turned down Deliverance and Straw Dogs because of the violence!” Sutherland recalled.

In Fellini’s Casanova, the second of his two bizarre Italian excursions in 1976, Sutherland coldly calculates seduction under his heavily made-up features. The performance, as remarkably stylised as it is, still reveals the suffering soul within the sex machine.

In 1978 he appeared in Claude Chabrol’s Blood Relatives, a made-in-Canada murder mystery with Sutherland playing a Montreal cop investigating the murder of a young woman. More commercial was The Eagle Has Landed (1976), with Sutherland, attempting an Irish accent, as an IRA member supporting the Germans during the second world war, and as a chilling Nazi in Eye of the Needle (1981). Meanwhile, he was the hero of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), who resists the insidious alien menace until the film’s devastating final shot.

In 1981 Sutherland returned to the stage, as Humbert Humbert in a highly anticipated version of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, adapted by Edward Albee. It turned out to be a huge flop, running only 12 performances on Broadway. Both Sutherland and Albee played the blame game. “The second act is flawed,” Sutherland said. “Albee was supposed to have rethought it, but he never did.” Albee told reporters that he had scuttled some of his best scenes because they were “too difficult” for Sutherland because “he hasn’t been on stage for 17 years”.

Continuing his film career, Sutherland played a complex and sadistic British officer in Hugh Hudson’s Revolution (1985), and in A Dry White Season (1989) he took the role of an Afrikaner schoolteacher beginning to understand the brutal realities of apartheid. In Oliver Stone’s JFK (1991), he held the screen with an extended monologue as he spilled the conspiracy beans to Kevin Costner’s district attorney hero Jim Garrison.

After having made contact with young audiences in the 70s with offbeat appearances in gross-out pictures The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978), the latter as a pot-smoking professor, he was cast as an unconvincing bearded stranger in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).

On a more adult level were Six Degrees of Separation (1993), in which he played an unfulfilled art dealer; A Time to Kill (1996), as an alcoholic, disbarred lawyer (alongside Kiefer); Without Limits (1998), as an enthusiastic athletics coach; and Space Cowboys (2000), as an elderly pilot. By this time, he was gradually moving into grey-haired character roles, one of the best being his amiable Mr Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (2005).

The Jane Austen novel was also featured in the television series Great Books (1993-2000), to which Sutherland lent his soothing voice as narrator. Other series in which he shone as quasi baddies were Commander in Chief (2005) – as the sexist Republican speaker of the house opposed to the new president (Geena Davis) – and Dirty Sexy Money (2007-09), in which he played a powerful patriarch of a wealthy family.

Sutherland continued to be active well into his 80s, his long grey hair and beard signifying sagacity, whether as a contract killer in The Mechanic, a Roman hero in The Eagle, a nutty retired poetry professor in Man on the Train (all 2011), or a quirky bounty hunter in the western Dawn Rider (2012), bringing more depth to the characters than they deserved. As President Coriolanus Snow, the autocratic ruler of the dystopian country of Panem in The Hunger Games (2012), Sutherland was discovered by a new generation; he went on to reprise the role in three further films in that franchise, beginning with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013).

He played artists in two art-world thrillers by Italian directors: in Giuseppe Tornatore’s Deception, AKA The Best Offer (2013), he was a would-be painter helping to execute multimillion-dollar scams, while in Giuseppe Capotondi’s The Burnt Orange Heresy (2019) he was on the other side of the heist as a reclusive genius targeted by a wealthy and unscrupulous dealer (Mick Jagger).

Aside from James Gray’s science-fiction drama Ad Astra (also 2019), in which he co-starred with Brad Pitt, Sutherland’s best late work was all for television. In Danny Boyle’s mini-series Trust (2018), which covered the same real-life events as Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World, he played J Paul Getty, the oil tycoon whose grandson is kidnapped; while in The Undoing (2020), he was the father of a psychologist (Nicole Kidman), reluctantly putting up bail when her husband (Hugh Grant) is arrested for murder.

For the latter role Sutherland was in the running for a Golden Globe, having already received an honorary Oscar in 2017.

He is survived by Francine and his children, Kiefer, Rachel, Rossif, Angus and Roeg, and by four grandchildren.

🔔 Donald McNichol Sutherland, actor; born 17 July 1935; died 20 June 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[displayheartcode]

wip tag

thank you,@thenicestthingiveseen and @takearisk-ao3 for tagging me!

List the titles of your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

for the first time in a while, sans any inbox prompts, i have no fic wips. wild. anyway -

THE MIDWEST HORROR IDEA: a half-vampire collides with a figure from his past at college, creating new risks as they explore the Bridgewater Triangle with their friends. [Adult, supernatural/horror, M/M main romance, still has no outline and only vibes]

DARK ACADEMIA GHOST IDEA: a young girl returns to her boarding school after surviving a near-death incident, but learns that the place is haunted by vengeful ghosts who want to use her. [YA, mystery/occult, F/F main romance, has an outline]

SIR ORFEO RETELLING: a photojournalist is trapped inside a gothic manor with a cursed soldier and his very good dog as something old lurks beneath the land. [New Adult, romantasy/gothic, queer M/F main romance, somewhat outlined]

SPARROW SHORT STORY SEQUEL: the continuing adventures of a grumpy witch and her possessed crush in Brooklyn [New Adult, paranormal romance, queer M/F main romance, somewhat outlined]

LESBIAN TAM LIN: three girls are drawn into the mystery of their town that forces them into a dangerous reenactment [YA, urban fantasy, F/F main romance, first draft is around 50k words]

what i'm looking forward to -

anything, really. i've dabbled with horror, and as a fan of buffy the vampire slayer and supernatural, it's great to dive deep into the genre. it's one-part love letter and one-part exploration of monsters and trauma! i'm also craving more disabled queer romances!!!!!!!

other than waiting to see how many people realize that i borrowed heavily from amherst college for the setting, i want to show why i love the trope Came Back Wrong. it's a metaphor for mental health, a tool to explore characterization, a way to haunt yourself!

i love twisting tropes, especially when it comes to gender! the usual romantasy archetypes are turned around - the girl is dark-haired and tormented while the guy is young and naive

i'm excited to explore more of the magic because i've drawn a lot from diasporic practices. i have growing sources about plant use, exorcisms, and more! i love research!!!!!!!!!

i wrote this draft back in...2019. it was my first full story in ages, and a lot has changed since. i know if i look at it with clearer eyes, it would read like holly black fanfic...

tagging: open to all!

[electromignion]

Bridgewater fanart! (Who is surprised? /lh /j)

This fanart has been inspired by Lauren Shippen herself, from the # she put on the reblog she did of my Jeremy Bradshaw sleeping fanart “also: new headcanon I now have vipin started TAing for Jeremy when he was still in undergrad soJeremy also has one photo of the two of them at Vipin's graduation in his office”. So I had to draw it of course, I’m so thankful for Lauren’s support, feeling truly so honoured so this is the least I can do 🤧

This is to me, what Vipin asked to do to Jeremy, and so he did because he has always appreciated Vipin (a beginning of friendship there?? They both cherish that pic for sure and yes I plan on drawing Jeremy’s office, and yeah I only drew this to put it in a small frame in Jeremy’s office, that’s my dedication 😭🤌 I’m putting a read more for a further explanation of my headcanon and also the outfit (regalia, cords, medallions wise) because yeah there is a whole day of research behind this and also finger cramps because my Apple Pencil decided to slowly d word on me as I was trying to finish this fanart so I used my fingers jejdjd)

So: please know that I’m French, so it was very hard to find information about graduation ceremonies: we do not have that in France, so I’m sorry if something is off!

First of all, professors and whole faculty members must wear their regalia at graduation ceremonies hence Jeremy having his academic regalia. And it made me learn that the velvet colour on some parts of it + the hood colour differ depending on the field they had their phd in, Jeremy’s is white because to me he has his phd in history (at least from what I understood, as even in S1 EP01 he talks in his lecture room about getting credits in history) which counts in the “art, social and humanities” section because history counts as humanities which is white. (Which also explains why Vipin’s tassel on his cap is white because to me he also went in that field) Jeremy’s hat is a velvet tam with a gold tassel which is the formal hat for the doctorate level.

Then… come Vipin’s cords and medallions. I headcanon Vipin as a really high achieving student, I might be wrong though, but he is too great of a TA to not be. So as a disclaimer: all the information I gathered there come from things linked to the Bridgewater State University because I really wanted to be accurate as much as I possibly could (Yes I truly spent a day for that and I might have drunk one or two Monsters).

For the medallions: the one with the black neck ribbon is “the Diversity Champion medallion recognizes and honors those students who have worked tirelessly for the advancement of diversity and inclusion during their time at Bridgewater College.” I really see Vipin trying to really be actively trying to make it go for the best in clubs and such at BSU and the second one with the blue/green neck ribbon is “The Alpha Chi medallion symbolizes the honor and distinction of being a member of the national academic honor society.

The supporting neck ribbon is in the colors of Alpha Chi.”

Which brings us to the cords he has on his regalia: the green and blue cords represent Alpha Chi as well.

The gold cord represent his level of achievement it’s for “summa cum laude” (“meaning "with highest praise", typically awarded to graduates in the top 1%, 2%, or 5% of their class, depending on the institution.” Which is the highest distinction one can have when you get a diploma at uni in the US).

Then the red and blue cords “Graduates wearing blue and red cords with mixed tassels are members of the national history honor society, Phi Alpha Theta.” (Which for me also was a good idea as Vipin is truly going through so many documents linked to history for Jeremy, our guy is that interested into academic stuff)

Then for the purple rainbow scarf… it’s a real thing I’ve seen on graduating pictures from BSU!! And I gotta admit… I’m quite fond of the idea of Vipin being pan 🫣 (just my own hc always)

I’m sorry for the extra lengthy explanation but I feel like it was needed (maybe it is to flex my research /j) as I think it was really interesting in the development of the hcs around Vipin and even Jeremy!

And to me needless to say but Jeremy has been greatly moved that Vipin asked him to do a picture together where they throw the cap in the air because to Jeremy, Vipin could’ve done it with his fellow classmates. And Jeremy is fully aware of how much it was important for Vipin. (And maybe own little headcanon: I’m sure Jeremy doesn’t even have much pics from his own graduations)

I truly imagine that during the whole graduation ceremony Jeremy was feeling uncomfy in his academic faculty regalia because it’s way too formal (although it’s quite mandatory to wear it) so he is just 🧍🏻 standing being no thoughts head full of folklore only (he is of course very proud of his students nonetheless) therefore, Vipin asking him to do that picture must have been THE highlight he had during the ceremony (even counting all the ceremonies he ever had to attend to)

And to finish in case you missed it, here’s the fanart Lauren reblogged and where she talked about her new headcanon (saying this like that sounds surreal to me, I’m so honoured once again 🥹): https://www.tumblr.com/electromignion/716771521320878080/i-finally-finished-my-bridgewater-fanart-this

[emotionalsupportsoccerball]

Player Profile: Casey Murphy

She’s a keeper (sorry I had to) get to know newbie Casey Murphy!

Position: Goalkeeper

Hometown: Bridgewater, NJ

Age: 27

Jersey Number: 18

Previous World Cups: 0, one of the 14 newbies!

USWNT Caps: 14

USWNT Clean sheets: 10

Club Team: North Carolina Courage

College: Rutgers University

Star Sign: Taurus

Fun Fact: Casey is engaged to Chris Mirabelli who is a professional track and field athlete and has seen lots of success as a javelin thrower! The two have this adorable golden retriever named Nash!

[smaller-comfort]

Wip wednesday? I genuinely could not remember what day it was all day long. I only go into the office two days a week, and yet I was standing at my desk convinced it was Thursday. So! Let's do this.

Some cutting room floor scraps from my Sea of Stars modern AU, and a chunk of the Obyron/Zahndrekh necrontyr monstrosity that has gotten completely out of hand.

Boys of Summer- Sea of Stars College AU, Aephorul/Resh'an (working title; alternate working title is The Brother of the Mayor of Bridgewater, but at that point I might as well just call it "New Brunswick Circa 2002".)

This is all getting cut, actually. I ended up writing a whole bunch of background stuff that doesn't belong in the actual story. (The actual story is 1000% just porn and Aephorul's increasingly panicked internal monologue, followed by Resh'an's increasingly panicked external monologue.)

Nasreen is an OC with a major role in Outshine the Sun, and I adore her, but she mostly only plays an incidental role in this modern AU as Resh'an's occasional beard.

-----

His backpack was covered in scuffed pen and white-out doodles and was held together with safety pins and patches- including a bunch of rainbow flags and pink triangles. When he'd caught Aephorul looking on the first day of class, he'd given Aephorul a flat, challenging glare.

Aephorul had just shrugged. “I don't give a shit,” he'd mouthed, and then he'd gone back to taking notes. And really, he didn't give a shit. It was none of his business.

He did sort of want to ask why Resh'an would walk around with pride flags all over his backpack if he thought he was going to get shit for it- but, again, none of his business. Aephorul wasn't planning to make friends with him or anything like that.

And for the first few weeks of class, that was the end of it; Resh'an was always late to class, and the seat next to Aephorul was always open, and their interactions were limited to discussing problem sets and lab reports, and Resh'an asking to borrow a pencil.

“What happened to the one I lent you on Tuesday?”

Resh'an rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I might’ve left it at the library?”

After the third week of this, Aephorul went to Staples and bought a twenty pack of mechanical pencils. He started sticking them in Resh'an's backpack whenever he wasn't looking. It still took another week- two lectures and a lab- before Resh'an even noticed.

“Hey, can I borrow a- huh.” Resh'an stared into the front pocket of his bag, frowning slightly. He pulled out a pencil. And then another pencil. And another.

“Where…did these come from?” He sounded slightly lost as he set each pencil on the desk in a neat line. His mouth moved silently as he counted them “Eight? How…?” He unzipped another compartment of his backpack, and more pencils spilled out.

For a moment, Resh'an just stared at them. Aephorul spun his own pencil across the back of his fingers with a practiced flick of his thumb, and kept his expression neutral. “Guess you don't need to bum one off of me today.”

Resh'an turned to stare at him, slowly. His face was red. “You…why?”

“The look on your face was pretty good.” Aephorul shrugged. Honestly, it had been a stupid whim. “Kinda didn't think it would take you this long to notice, though.”

Resh'an stared at him for another moment, as if waiting for Aephorul to say something else. Aephorul met his stare with the same deadpan, flat expression for a few seconds longer, before he finally let the corner of his mouth twist upwards in a smile.

Resh'an's eyes widened a little, and then he shook his head. “A few of us have been having a study group on Tuesday nights in the Atrium- you should come,” he said. “If you're not busy. Nasreen usually brings snacks.”

Aephorul opened his mouth to say that he was busy, actually, but- honestly, his last quiz score hadn't been great. Resh'an had gotten the highest grade in the class. “Yeah, maybe I will.”

“Cool.” Resh'an shoved the extra pencils back in his bag. “You know I'm just going to lose most of these, right?”

“It's fine. I've got more.”

----

He knocked on the door before he could talk himself out of it; it wasn't like he needed Nasreen's leftover bakery experiments, so if he didn't give them to Resh'an, he wasn't sure what he'd do with them.

“It's open.” Resh'an's voice. Aephorul relaxed slightly and let himself in.

“Hey.”

Resh'an stuck his head out over the edge of his lofted bed. “Aephorul?”

“Missed you at study group. Midterm's on Thursday, so I brought you today's notes if you want them.” He held up the bag of cookies. “And Nasreen's leftovers.”

Resh'an scrambled down the ladder to the ground. “Thanks. You seriously didn't have to-”

“What the fuck happened to you?”

There were bruises on his face; a split lip and the beginning of a black eye. Resh'an winced, and then shrugged. “It's not as bad as it looks. I just…didn't want to deal with class today.”

“Did you get mugged or something?” He handed Resh'an the cookies, and then unslung his bag to take out his notes. Campus was pretty safe, but there were parts of town that got sketchy late at night.

Resh'an laughed at that, eyes wide. “No. That's a good excuse, though. No- I just…went to a party. And made a pass at the wrong guy.”

For a brief, disconcerting moment, Aephorul's vision went blurry with some indescribable combination of rage and horror. “Seriously?”

Resh'an shrugged. “It happens. I should've been more careful.”

“That's fucked up.”

Resh'an stared at him, and very slowly took a bite of a cookie. “Why do you pretend you're an asshole all the time?”

“Wh-huh?” Aephorul felt his face getting hot. “What do you mean?”

“The way you talk. You look at people like you think you're better than them. You pull that whole aloof loner thing in class, and then you play a prank on me that's literally the nicest thing anyone has done to me in, like, years.” Resh'an's shoulders drew up, hunching over a little. “And now you're here and…I don't get it.”

“I don't just think I'm better than most people.” Aephorul lifted his chin a little. 

“Yeah. Okay. Maybe you're not pretending.” Resh'an rubbed at his face with one hand. “Why are you being nice to me?”

“Labs are 40% of our grade,” Aephorul pointed out. “And you're the only other person who got higher than a C on the last test.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “And- I sort of figured we were friends?”

“Oh.” Resh'an looked down at his feet. “I dunno, man, that sounds pretty gay.”

So am I, he absolutely did not say, because he wasn't, and even if he was, it didn't matter. "I guess you'd know, wouldn't you?”

Resh'an grinned a little crookedly. "Yeah, you'd think so, right? Never seems to work out for me, though."

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

The nameless necrontyr thing wherein I mostly chew on a lot of world building, but then I inevitably devolve into shameless fetish nonsense.

This bit is the former, but rest assured, everything that follows immediately after is entirely the latter.

--

'Our nemesor is a madman.' Neb appended the message with a glyph of admiration. 

Obyron replied with a glyph of agreement. As an officer, he had the right to a private partition in the phalanx barracks tent, but he rarely bothered to raise it. It meant that Neb would often push their cots together for them to sleep back-to-back, the way they had during their days in the training yards on the homeworld.

In the dark and quiet, the familiar sounds of subvocalized conversations and the soldiers’ nightly rituals were a comfort after the excitement of battle.

Someone began a recitation, calling out the names of the fallen, whose cots would lie empty until the troop carriers made landfall tomorrow. In the dark, together, his soldiers could use their voices without fear of reprimand. Obyron's voice joined them; it was the only time his words ever came easily. This was his true mother tongue: not the High Necrontyr of the nobility, or even the low dialects of the sand-born, but the soldier's chant.

Beside him, Neb rolled over and put his arm around Obyron's waist and pulled himself close. Obyron could hear the way his voice shook as the litany of names continued.

Sahunet, whose night scythe had taken an artillery charge meant for Obyron, and who wrote letters home to her sisters every decan; 'we commend your soul to the stars,' Djedi, fallen as they made their retreat from the artillery line, who shared Neb's cot as often as Obyron did; 'we commend your soul to the stars'. Iaret, who had earned their name upon promotion to the lychguard only two short months ago, hand picked by Obyron for the position. ‘We commend your soul to the stars.’

The stars would burn a little brighter tonight for their sacrifice. Where a noble might leave behind a monument of stone as their legacy, a soldier could only hope to live and die for the glory of their dynasty. Most of them would be consigned to the unmarked graves of the battlefield, but their legacies would live on in the lychguard's chant- until they, too, fell in battle. Once their unit was gone, no one would remember these names.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Lucky: Part One

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.3k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there is any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them. If you’ve seen the show, then it’s the same level of angst unless otherwise stated

"Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters." - Francisco Goya

Since moving into Spencer's apartment without ever bringing your own things, you realize that he has an extra room that you both don't know what to do with. He was kind of using it as storage for the things he didn't know what to do with, but now that you're here, you wanted to turn it into something you could both use. Your place burned down, so you don't have anything to bring over to this apartment, but that doesn't mean you can't make new memories together.

Before you can do anything to the room, you needed to paint the walls, so you took everything out and placed it in the living room. Spencer was laying down plastic as you were carrying out the last item.

"Okay, that is the last item," you declare as you walk back into the room.

"Good, because I'm done laying down plastic. You know, the last time I tried painting a room, I got paint everywhere, and it took me a few weeks to get it all off."

"So, what I'm hearing is, get paint all over you," you grin and wink at him.

"If you start a paint war, I'm taking you down."

"I take that as a challenge," you giggle. "Plus, it's a good way to get you into the shower."

"Y/N, you never need a reason to get me into the shower."

At this, you laugh and set up the many paint brushes and paint trays you'll be using to paint the walls. Once everything is set up and ready to go, you and Spencer leave the room to get ready for work. You wanted to do this before work so that when you're done, you can get started without having to do all this work.

When you get to work all neatly dressed and ready to go, JJ is passing out files to everyone on the team before you can set your things down at your desk. Without a word, she heads back up to the briefing room where Rossi and Hotch already are. You set your things down at your desk and head to the conference room with the rest of the team.

"A local girl, Abbey Kelton, 19, left her parents' home to go to the local junior college in Bridgewater, Florida. She never came home. Three days later, joggers found her--part of her--in a nearby park."

JJ pulls up pictures of the half-cut girl where only the upper part of her body was found.

"What did that to her?"

"Bridgewater's off of I-75, which is often referred to as alligator alley for reasons that are now apparent. Everything below the waist had been eaten."

"Ah, the circle of life," Rossi states.

"This doesn't look like alligators to me," you say and flip through the file.

"You're right," Hotch affirms your feelings, "alligators didn't cut off her fingers, slit her throat, or carve this into her chest."

JJ pulls up another photo of the same girl who has an inverted pentagram carved into her chest.

"Locals believe the killing was committed by a satanic cult."

"Wait, Killer satanic cults don't exist. They were debunked as a suburban myth," Emily states, noticing the weird looks she is given by everyone. "What?"

"Rossi's the one that debunked them," Spencer says.

"Oh, right. Thanks."

"Cult or not, the killing was ritualized. This will turn serial if it hasn't already."

"So, killer satanic cults don't exist, but satanic serial killers do?" JJ wonders.

"Very much, but we never found any evidence of a killer satanic cult. In reality, there are only two types of violent satanic criminals. Type one is where someone, most likely teenagers, assumes the satanic identity to rebel. Usually with minor crimes like theft and vandalism to either church, schools, or places of authority. When combined with drug or alcohol use, they can turn violent," Spencer explains.

"That was out of my book word for word," Rossi says.

"Oh, trust us, we know."

"Uh, killings are accidental, usually resulting from their hobby getting out of control. Killings won't turn serial--"

"Reid," Derek shakes his head.

"Sorry."

You reach over and pat the back side of his hand, silently letting him know you found it interesting. You know there isn't much time to talk about this, and if not stopped, Spencer can talk about anything and everything.

"That's one type. What's type two?" Emily asks.

"The adaptive satanist is the one you have to worry about," you pitch in. "The typical serial killer rationalizes his fantasies by blaming them on outside forces. In this case, Satan. He adapts satanic beliefs to fit his specific homicidal drives. He doesn't kill because he believes in Satan, he believes in Satan because he kills."

"Well, let's hope it's the teenagers. Whether you're religious or not, the presence of satanic elements can affect even the most experienced investigators. We're not immune, so keep an eye on the locals and keep an eye on each other," Hotch advises.

"My mother took us to church every Sunday until I moved out. This whole devil thing doesn't spook me at all," Derek shakes his head.

"Maybe that's because you never truly bought the God part either," Spencer says.

"No offense, kid, but you don't know what I believe."

"I mean, logic dictates that if you believe in the one, you have to reconcile the existence of the other."

"People's reaction to Satan Is what gives it appeal to these offenders. It has power, and it would be a mistake to underestimate it."

Your entire team packs up their things and heads to the jet to fly to Florida. When you get there, Hotch, Spencer, and Emily went to the medical examiner's office to look at the body while you, Rossi, Derek, and JJ head to the local church to talk to the pastor there. Derek wasn't too thrilled to be put on this half of the team, but he didn't argue.

According to Hotch, Abbey's car was found at a gas station near her home. There was no sign of foul play, and according to the medical examiner, the alligators got to her sometime during the night. Her nose was broken in at least forty-eight hours prior to finding her, which is about the time of the abduction.

The cause of death was the slicing of her throat. It was cut roughly eight hours prior to the discovery of her body. The state of the body makes it impossible to determine if sexual assault was involved since the bottom half was gone. The pentagram was done post-mortem, so she was dead when her chest was cut.

The thing that stumped the examiner the most was her fingers. They were all severed, and he didn't know when they were severed until he look at the contents of her stomach. She was fed all ten fingers just prior to her death, which means she endured a lot of pain before she died.

You need to give this girl the justice she deserves, and you hope the pastor will help you or give you a clue as to who could be doing this. Rossi pulls up to the church and you all get out before heading up to the front door. Right before you can enter, Derek speaks.

"Rossi, do me a favor. You talk to the priest, alright?"

"You'd rather interview the grieving parents on the worst day of their lives than the priest?"

"If it's alright with you, yeah."

Rossi shrugs and heads inside where the pastor is waiting for you. JJ called him earlier to let him know you'd be coming at this time.

"Good afternoon," he greets.

"Father Marks, I'm Agent Jareau. These are agents Rossi, Y/N, and Morgan."

"It's good of you to come."

"We're sorry we have to be here under these circumstances, father."

"Well, Abbey's parents, Bob and Lee-Ann, are in my office. We were discussing her service."

"Agent Morgan and Y/N actually have some questions for you," Rossi states, taking Derek completely off guard.

The younger agent looks at the older one, but Rossi doesn't make a move to even acknowledge him. You can feel the resentment coming from Derek, but you'll have time later to comment on it. Right now, you can't make a scene, and Derek knows this.

"Well, uh, they're upstairs, on the first door on the right, and they're expecting you." Rossi and JJ head up the stairs, leaving you and Derek alone with the priest. "So, how long has it been, agent Morgan?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, since you've been in God's house. Priests and dentists can spot an overdue customer a mile away, so... how long's it been?"

"I didn't come here to talk about myself," Derek says rather rudely, but he wants to make it known he doesn't like this.

"Occupational hazard. My apologies."

"Is this the biggest church in town?" you ask, trying to move the conversation along.

"We're the only proper church in Bridgewater."

"Are you aware of the religious aspects of this crime, the pentagram?"

"Yes, I am."

"Have there been any break-Ins, thefts, or threats towards the church? Maybe parishioners behaving strangely? Regulars who may have recently stopped coming?" Derek wonders.

"Not that I'm aware of."

"How about questions about Satan from your younger members? Possession? Exorcisms? The occult?"

"Well, now, that, I'm sure I would remember, but no."

"Good. Thanks for your time."

Derek doesn't waste any time leaving the church You apologize to the pastor and follow your friend out to the car. He is seething with silent anger, so you have to tread carefully to not upset him even more.

"Derek, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath and calm down."

"I'm not really in the mood, Y/N."

"Look, Rossi may be arrogant and cocky at times, but you can't let him get inside your own head. You can believe in whatever you want to believe in, but it's not really your place to discredit what someone else believes in. You may not have outright said it, but you came across as that. You're not alone, Derek. I'm right here."

He doesn't respond to this, and thankfully, you don't have to stay out here in tense silence for long. Rossi and JJ soon come out of the church once they're done with the parents. Rossi passes by Derek with a subtle smirk on his face, and you know Rossi is going to play dirty for the rest of the case.

There's nothing left to do here, so you all head back to the police station to meet up with the other half of the team.

"There's no evidence that any of the local kids were into devil worship or the occult," Derek says.

"No, this is not a group of teenagers. It's a serial killer, and considering what he did with her fingers, a sadistic one."

"That, I wouldn't say just yet," Rossi states.

"He cut off her fingers, and he made her eat them. If that isn't sadistic, I don't know what is," Emily gasps.

"If it was, that's the only sign of sadism present in the crime. If he was purely a sadist, there would have been more signs of torture. The fingers are a message."

"What the hell's the message?"

"'She's not my first'," Hotch says. "None of the fingers found in Abbey's stomach were hers, and six of them were index fingers."

"I'm going to see if I can't dig up something," Derek says and takes a handful of files before retreating to an empty room.

You get up and follow him, and he doesn't seem to mind your presence when you walk into the room to help him. Without a word, you sit down next to him and grab a file to look through it with him. Suddenly, his phone rings and he answers it knowing who it is."

"Hey, what you got for me, girl?"

"I just sent you ten separate IDs belonging to the ten fingers found in Abbey's stomach. No two fingers belonged to the same woman."

You're so close to Derek and it's so silent in the room that you can hear Penelope over the other end of the line.

"You ID'd them already?"

"Mmhm. Forty-plus prostitution arrests made it easy. They worked truck stops and rest areas in the counties surrounding Bridgewater."

"Well, the unsub knows the area well."

"Clearly. Gotta go. Bye."

This isn't like Penelope to hang up so quickly, and Derek immediately picks up on it. Something must have happened to her.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. What, no snappy rhetoric? What's going on?"

"Not in the mood."

"Penelope?"

"Uh, that guy from the coffee shop asked me out, I took your advice, and I blew him off."

She had a date? You didn't know this, but you stay silent so you can hear the rest.

"Oh, um... good. Smart move. Something was definitely wrong with him."

That's Derek's first and only mistake.

"Wow. You are some profiler. You could tell how wrong he was from what little I told you."

"Garcia, I didn't mean to--"

"I wonder, was it that he was too handsome or too interested in me that tipped you off on how wrong he was?"

"Garcia, I--"

"Just because you wouldn't cross a crowded room to hit on me does not mean that a more perceptive, less superficial guy wouldn't. Hey, Derek, you want snappy? You suck."

She angrily hangs up the phone, and Derek is left flabbergasted at what just happened. He looks over at you for help, and you sigh.

"All Penelope wanted to hear from you was encouragement and support. She's nervous, Derek, about a date she has. Whether it was intentional or not, you insulted her by insinuating that no man could ever look at her because 'there was definitely something wrong with him'. I'm surprised, Derek. You have two sisters, yet, not a single clue as to how to talk to one who is just a friend. Next time, be a friend to her and not an overprotective brother."

Emily comes into the room with a file in her hand.

"The profile is starting. We got the ID of all ten victims. They were all abducted and killed here in Bridgewater."

You and Derek get up and head to the main room where all the officers and your team are gathered.

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[dothwrites]

pov, you are a student at Bridgewater College, where you are taking professor jeremy bradshaw's class, and the professor has not been to class in the past two days, and when he does come back, he's talking about the fae realms and the other side and giant black dogs, while you are just trying to get an easy history credit

[nerdfighterwhatevernumbers]

the most confusing thing to me about Bridgewater is everyone keeps saying ‘this is a small town’ but they have an entire college

[pinkpanther05]

Hello ✌︎('ω')✌︎

This is the promised university/college list

Reach:

Amherst College

Boston University

Dartmouth College

Swarthmore College

UPenn

Vanderbilt University

Wake Forest University

Yale

Target:

NC State University at Raleigh

Safety:

Bridgewater College

Bridgwater State University

Chicago State University

Drexel University

Georgia Southern University

Morgan State University

Virginia Commonwealth University

Winston-Salem State University

Valdosta State University

Virginia State University

I’ll probably upload my stats later on this week. Not on Friday or Saturday tho i think I’ll be to busy then. I’m not tryna get stalked by some random old perv. stuff like my school and the program I’m in won’t be on there if I think it’s compromising.

—ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

[stubobnumbers]

College Football By State - Massachusetts

FBS: Boston College Eagles – Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts – They played their first game in 1893. They are in the ACC.

University Of Massachusetts Minutemen – Amherst, Massachusetts – They played their first game in 1879. They are currently an FBS Independent.

FCS: Harvard University Crimson – Cambridge, Massachusetts – They started playing in 1873. They are in the Ivy League.

Holy Cross Crusaders – Worcester, Massachusetts – They started playing in 1891. They are in the Patriot League.

Merrimack College Warriors – North Andover, Massachusetts – They started playing in 1947. They just moved up to FCS, and they are in the Northeast Conference.

D2: American International College Yellow Jackets – Springfield, Massachusetts – They are in the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10).

Assumption University Greyhounds – Worcester, Massachusetts – They are in the Northeast 10.

Bentley University Falcons – Waltham, Massachusetts – They are in the Northeast 10.

D3: Amherst Mammoths – Amherst, Massachusetts – They first played in 1877. They are in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).

Anna Maria Amcats – Paxton, Massachusetts – They first played in 2009. They are in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC).

Bridgewater State Bears – Bridgewater, Massachusetts – They first played in 1960. They are in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).

Curry Colonels – Milton, Massachusetts – They first played in 1965. They are in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC).

Dean Bulldogs – Franklin, Massachusetts – They first played in 1957. They are in the ECFC.

Endicott Gulls – Beverly, Massachusetts – They first played in 2003. They are in the CCC.

Fitchburg State Falcons – Fitchburg, Massachusetts – They first played in 1984. They are in the MASCAC.

Framingham State Rams – Framingham, Massachusetts – They first played in 1974. They are in the MASCAC.

UMass Dartmouth Corsairs – North Dartmouth, Massachusetts – They first played in 1988. They are in the MASCAC.

Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneers – Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts – They first played in 1973. They are in the MASCAC.

MIT Engineers – Cambridge, Massachusetts – They first played in 1881. They are in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).

Nichols Bison – Dudley, Massachusetts – They first played in 1932. They are in the CCC.

Springfield Pride – Springfield, Massachusetts – They first played in 1890. They are in the NEWMAC.

Tufts Jumbos – Medford, Massachusetts – They first played in 1875. They are in the NESCAC.

Western New England Golden Bears – Springfield, Massachusetts – They first played in 1981. They are in the CCC.

Westfield State Owls – Westfield, Massachusetts – They first played in 1982. They are in the MASCAC.

Williams Ephs – Williamstown, Massachusetts – They first played in 1881. They are in the NESCAC.

WPI Engineers – Worcester, Massachusetts – They first played in 1887. They are in the NEWMAC.

Worcester State Lancers – Worcester, Massachusetts – They first played in 1985. They are in the MASCAC.

The Awards!

My Favorite Mascot – The Amherst Mammoths. (But the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs AND Tufts Jumbos AND Western New England Golden Bears get honorable Mentions.)

The "Deadly Sin" Award – Springfield Pride.

The "Color Wheel" Award – The Harvard Crimson.

The "Best Town Name" Award – Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. (Home of Massachusetts Maritime).

[zooterchet]

Suicide is Painless

Preschool: SKI Sheriffs, through Katie Stevens, childhood girlfriend. The interdiction of international arrests, through the marijuana and arts community. Blocked by Christophe Stevens, theft of mail and data circuits, to defraud collegiates into writing careers. Christophe Stevens, held in national prison, alongside HJ Carver.

Elementary School: German Nationalist, the removal of elders not serving the common poor, their new class of race and proclivity. The trap of the old and poor, to repeat their lives, through children, to bring us a Greatest Generation. Blocked by Alexandra Gaetano, report of her great uncle, Joseph Biden, as under threat, and resulting strip of library and book goods, a Rabbinical shutdown of Hopkinton OSS (Office of Strategic Services).

Highschool: Central Intelligence Agency, a fat pornography actor in love with a cheerleader, seeking to serve in political science unions to prevent George W. Bush from being slandered in the press; despite being a sitting United States President, the founder of the Air National Guard; ground boots experience, at Waco, avenging the Oklahoma City Bombing, with Albert Gore on helicopter overwatch. Blocked by Jenna Williamson, through the Mossad, arrest on grounds of anti-Semitism; mocking King George, and Adolf Hitler, through class elections saluting George Washington and George Soros, two Gypsy Irish.

UMass-Amherst: Exxon-Mobil, as a Sonatech employee out of Dupont Petrochemical, real representative family member, Sarah Dupont, on campus to clear recruitment. The colonization of the Middle East, Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, for future trade between Arabs and Muslims, and Jews and Catholics, with Calvinist Protestant axis strategem as center of program. Blocked by Matthew Lennox, seeking to become a Rabbi, necessitating gay sex and theft of job, to prove loyalty to MI-6.

Bridgewater Triangle: Professional MUSHer, at print of materials through MUD, MUSH, MUX, and MUCK, with cybersex and prostitutes and drug dealing; the life of a diletente in poverty, like any American under the Obama years, loading a truck and working on hard pavement, in factories and warehouses and hospital programs, buying grass and drinking beer; the hardest times in Massachusetts history, the height of the gay rights and pink pride movement, funded by Boston mobsters out of Friends Stand United. Blocked by Michael Charlebois, own father, horrified at the prospect of son visiting a Japanese dominatrix and marrying into the Japanese Imperial Family, as a hidden Noble, through grandmother, Georgette Charlebois, a Mussolinist operative out of Providence, Rhode Island.

Southern New Hampshire University: Alterna Comics, a freelance writer's career out of Boston under Charlie Baker, the new hope for the state of Massachusetts; away from nicotine bans, marijuana busts, and prostitute's sanctions, an internet led by physical obstrusive laws of location being origin of violation, without Germans or unions interfering with Massachusetts business, and open attendance of college under the Trump Era. Blocked by John Remby, seeking to marry woman courting, Kara Williamson, to cheat on her husband, a bigot out of the warehousing community, that had attempted to punk author out under 2003 referendums through Sharon, Massachusetts, and the Comcast Israeli investment.

Twitter: Employ of Elon Musk, through Joseph Biden and INTERPOL. Report of spy's dealings, to inspire country.

[displayheartcode]

the messy potential nanowrimo piles in my brain -

DARK ACADEMIA GHOST IDEA: a young girl returns to her boarding school after surviving a near-death incident, but learns that the place is haunted by vengeful ghosts who want to use her. [YA, mystery/occult, F/F main romance, has an outline]

MIDWEST HORROR IDEA: a half-vampire collides with a figure from his past at college, creating new risks as they explore the Bridgewater Triangle with their friends. [Adult, supernatural/horror, M/M main romance, still has no outline and only vibes]

SIR ORFEO RETELLING: a photojournalist is trapped inside a gothic manor with a cursed soldier and his very good dog as something old lurks beneath the land. [New Adult, romantansy/gothic, queer M/F main romance, somewhat outlined]

SPARROW SHORT STORY SEQUEL: the continuing adventures of a grumpy witch and her possessed crush in Brooklyn [New Adult, paranormal romance, queer M/F main romance, somewhat outlined]

[smallbusinessesbiglegacies]

Small Town, Big Memories

For the past 19 years, I’ve had the privilege of growing up in the small suburban town of East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, with a population of about 14,000 people, located about 26 miles south of Boston. It was only this past August when I left my home on Christina Drive to attend Endicott College that I realized just how much this tiny corner of the world provided me with. EB may not have any giant shopping malls, thrilling adventure parks, or five star steakhouses, but it’s home to a few memorable small businesses that make sticking around worth it.

602 Oak Street in East Bridgewater is yet another address I grew up at, home of Michelle's Studio of Dance. At age three, my parents signed me up for classes; I walked in those doors completely unaware of what the next 15 years held for me. I instantly fell in love with that place: the teachers, the students, the art of dance, I loved it all. From my first ballet recital to my last competition winning ‘The Sparkle Award’ I’ve dreamed of for years, I’ve grown an abundant amount since my days as a toddler. Although I’ve matured a lot as a dancer, Michelle’s Studio of Dance has taught me even more about being a good human.

Michelle Lessard, owner of Michelle’s Studio of Dance, has acted as a second mother to me throughout my whole life. She’s coached me four days a week since I was a baby, offered me one of my first jobs, wiped my tears away on my hardest days, encouraged me to pursue dance after graduation, and traveled hours to attend my first college performance. Lessard was my fairy godmother, always there when I needed her with words of wisdom beyond her years. I can honestly say that not every dancer I know was as lucky as me to grow up in such a loving and nurturing environment, and that’s all thanks to Lessard. For the last 35 years Lessard has ensured her students have gained a proper education in dance, but most importantly, gained the confidence and kindness necessary for a life after exiting the studio’s doors. Even after moving out of my small town, Michelle’s Studio of Dance will always be a second home to me.

Another town spot that I spent countless hours at throughout my childhood is Skinner’s Sugar House, a business as delightfully sweet as it sounds. A beautiful building full of ice cream, penny candy, home roasted nuts, and scrumptious fudge. I’ve been an avid customer of Skinner’s since I was a kid, and have made some of the best memories of my childhood there. Every Friday afternoon, the entire middle school would saunter half a mile down Central Street to Skinner’s and congregate with our ice cream cones on the front lawn for hours upon end. God bless owner Paul Daley for putting up with the slew of us kids taking over his shop at the end of every week, cause if he hadn’t, a portion of my childhood would be entirely less sweet.

After my little league team won the championship softball game, our coaches drove all of us girls to Skinner’s for celebratory sundaes. We were covered in dirt, grinning from ear to ear, tirelessly shoving sprinkles into our mouths. My very first date was a brisk January walk to Skinner’s. (The cold New England weather never stopped us.) Cameron and I strolled the familiar path to Skinner’s Sugar House after the school bell rang as our friends tried to force our hands to meet, both of us too embarrassed to get close to one another. Flash forward seven years, my best friends and I went our separate ways after graduating high school. Our first stop when we reconvened over winter break was none other than the Skinner’s parking lot, enjoying their delicious ice cream and familiar atmosphere we know all too well.

I’m extremely lucky to have Viking Pizza only a short distance from my house on Bedford Street, as my family is likely one of their most frequent customers. Tony Mamouzellos, our neighbor, is the proud owner of Viking Pizza, and ensures that all customers and East Bridgewater residents leave his restaurant happier than when they came in. When I come home from school after suffering through the dining hall cuisine, the first meal I want is always a Greek salad from Viking with extra pita bread. Of course, Mamouzellos knows my family’s order by heart, and rarely lets us leave without giving us free slices of pizza and calzones. Most of the time when my dad calls in our order, the employee on the other line shouts out “Chris Cyr! Is that you?” It’s become a tradition that our calls to Viking exist on speaker phones so we can all revel in these hilarious conversations. Even the delivery drivers walk into the entryway of our home to pet our dog, Mabel. Viking Pizza is like family to us, and I’m grateful that so many of my favorite meals start with a quick drive to Viking Pizza and end with a gathering around the couch with my parents to devour our favorite comfort foods.

Just five minutes down the road on Washington Street lies McGuiggan’s Pub, a true delicacy to me and my people. At age 16, I walked into the pub hoping for a summer job, and ended up gaining a sense of community full of unbreakable bonds. I’ve been working at McGuiggan’s on and off for years now, and love nothing more than spending my school breaks and weekends laughing at the host stand with the servers and bussers. Although work isn’t necessarily supposed to be fun, working at the pub absolutely is. Even when the customers are rude, I can’t help but cackle when complaining to my workers who always take my side and make endless jokes about them.

Before I had the opportunity to experience McGuiggan’s Pub from an employee’s point of view, I was a frequent patron. After my dance recitals, my extended family and I would pile into one of the big mahogany tables and stuff our faces with their famous bar pizza. I used to love coming in on the weekends to hear the live music, obsessed with the bands and singers who would walk through the doors. Little did I know just years later that I’d be the one helping to set up for these artists, and seating little girls just like myself after their showcases and tournaments. With McGuiggan’s Pub, my childhood has come full circle, and I’m grateful to have obtained all of those memories on either side of the host stand. 

Growing up in East Bridgewater may not have been as glamorous or luxurious as living in The Big Apple or Los Angeles, but it was perfect to me. Certain establishments allowed this town to grow differently than our neighbors, and having so many fond memories of these businesses is something I value greatly. My home was a central location in between all of the businesses that played a part in raising me, and I am so grateful to look back on my town with these nostalgic memories.