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ynderebot · 3 years

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OFFICIAL POST

危険...DANGER.

LOADING…ADDING NEW FILES... █▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 10% ███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 30% █████▒▒▒▒▒ 50% ███████▒▒▒ 100% ██████████

COMPLETE.

ファイル...FILES.

choi yeonjun. nancy mcdonie. lee gahyeon. kim sunwoo. kim doyeon. choi san. kim sihyeon. yang jeongin.

執着型 [ shuuchaku-gata ] obsessive.

"where were you? who were you with? what were you doing? why didn't you answer my messages? oh come on darling, don't be like that...I've been waiting for hours!"

[ PROFILE 1. ]

choi yeonjun.

5'11. 21 yrs old. September 13th, 1999. virgo. blood type a. born in seoul, south korea

at age 14 yeonjun was sent to a boarding school in japan, this is where he discovered his...tendencies. halfway through his first year he met a girl, kang iseul. he was instantly infatuated with her, he had an impulsive urge to know every little thing about her. to do so he befriended her, using his appearance and charms to win her over and eventually made her his. the euphoric rush that ran through his body when she was officially his was like nothing he'd ever felt before. she was finally his and he didn't intend on letting go, not without a fight at least. he was in for a shock when one day she tried to run away after his true colors started to show. unfortunately her best friend was killed by yeonjun for trying to help her, but she did escape.

he's a switch with no lean. a hard/soft dom or obedient sub all just depends on his mood and how he's feeling

[ PROFILE 2. ]

nancy mcdonie.

5'4. 21 yrs old. april 13th, 2000. aries. blood type o. born in daegu, south korea.

nancy was always a little obsessed with things, she'd go through phases too. she would find one new hobby/thing that intrigued her and hyper fixate on it for a few months. then, just like that it would be forgotten as if it had never happened. it started from a young age too, so when she would tell all her friends and family about the boy she met it came as no surprise to them. soon enough he was all she talked about, all she cared about, it was true obsession. everyone around her thought that it was just a phase like everything else, but they were sadly mistaken. the day he broke up with her, she lashed out. screaming that he couldn't break up with her, no she wouldn't let him break up with her. even after that day she would never stop talking about him, she tried to stay involved with his life as much as she could and even ended up scaring away any potential lovers. she never stopped either, until she had no choice when he moved away.

she's a sub, usually obedient but can be bratty if she's in a mood.

ストーカー型 [ sutookaa-gata ] stalker.

"how did I know? I'm always with you, following you...watching you...it's only because I love you"

[ PROFILE 3. ]

lee gahyeon.

5'3. 22 yrs old. february 3rd, 1999. aquarius. blood type ab. born in seongnam, south korea.

she was so excited when her crush asked her out, she couldn't contain herself. the problem was, it's difficult to get to know someone when you already know everything about them. she'd been stalking him ever since he caught her eye, every single day. she'd follow him to and from school, to his friends house, wherever he went she usually wasn't far behind. he could never find out about that side of her though, so she played along. laughing at childhood stories she heard him tell previously, pretending to be shocked when learning things she already knew. even after they began dating she continued to stalk him, he noticed things were off. she was the one he confided his "paranoia" in and she was the one who reassured him, but little did he know she was the cause of it all.

she's a sub, also obedient but can be bratty if she feels like it.

[ PROFILE 4. ]

kim sunwoo.

5'10. 21 yrs old. april 12th, 2000. aries. blood type b. born in seongnam gyeonggi, south korea.

unlike gahyeon, sunwoo was not always a stalker. he'd heard of stalkers but it never peaked his interest, he didn't even take any note of his slightly possessive tendencies. until his first relationship that is, his first partner showed signs of cheating. he might not have realized his own possessiveness and how it was seemingly growing stronger, but he was no fool. all the coming home late, the scent of another person that was not their own flooding the house when they entered. so he began following them around, at first it was...innocent, or as innocent as stalking could be. they were cheating, this made his possessiveness shoot through the roof. he was most aggressive and warned his partner that they do not want to do that again. they listened, and he continued to stalk them, it turned into a fun...game of sorts.

he's a switch with a sub lean, soft dom/occasionally bratty sub.

独占型 [ dokusen-gata ] monopoly.

"who were you talking to? do they know me? no no, do they know you're mine?"

[ PROFILE 5. ]

kim doyeon.

5'8. 21 yrs old. december 4th, 1999. saggitarius. blood type o. born in wonju-gangwon, south korea

doyeon had always been just about as normal as you could get. until she got a boyfriend, she was possessive of him sure...but it was nothing too extreme. until she started having doubts, all the gorgeous girls that would go up to him, flirting and doing who knows what when she wasn't around. she made it her mission to let everyone know he was hers and she was his, wether it meant glueing herself to him or just reminding everyone at school on the daily. ever since he broke up with her, her tendencies only grow stronger and more extreme with each passing minute.

she's a sub, brat tendencies but will be obedient sometimes

[ PROFILE 6. ]

choi san.

5'9. 21 yrs old. july 10th, 1999. cancer. blood type b. born in namhae-south gyeonsan, south korea.

san's first love was a girl in his sister's class, was she a year older than him? yes, but he didn't care. despite all the people telling him he would never date her, he proved them wrong and he did. everything was perfect, they were both madly in love with each other, spending every minute of every waking day together. until something happened that san hadn't expected, his sister began to steal his girlfriend. well "steal" in his definition at least, she'd wanted to talk with his girlfriend every once in a while before he knew it they were always together and it seemed as if he was the real third wheel, this pissed him off more than anything. he got fed up one day and got into a physical fight with his sister, shouting about how the girl belonged to him and only him. from then on out he's made sure to stay in the middle of every single relationship.

he's a switch with no lean hard/soft dom or obedient/bratty sub, it all depends

排除型 [ haijo-gata ] removal.

"you haven't seen them in a while? I'm sure they're alright darling, after all I'm the only one you need. isn't that right?"

[ PROFILE 7. ]

kim sihyeon.

5'6. 21 yrs old. august 5th, 1999. leo. blood type b. born in bundang-gu, seongnam-si, south korea.

she's a sub, usually bratty but can be obedient too

[ PROFILE 8. ]

yang jeongin.

5'8. 20 yrs old. february 8th, 2001. aquarius. blood type a. born in busan, south korea.

he's a switch with a slight sub lean but can be a soft dom

sihyeon and jeongin's stories go together, they were childhood friends and neighbors. eventually they realized that they had feelings for each other, but this soon after developed into a toxic mindset. the thought that they only need each other, no one else. one by one people from the other's life began to disappear, especially anyone who could be a romantic rival. they were both oblivious to the other's actions until each confronted the other, instead of being upset they were each ecstatic. ecstatic that the other felt the same, that they were the only person they needed in their life

notes/rules

this isn't an accurate representation of any of the members/their companies/groups nor am I claiming to be them!

all of the members are bisexual with no lean

all of the members are yanderes [ obviously ] so they will act as such, however some can be more possessive than others at times

the ones who can be the most possessive are sihyeon and jeongin and the least are yeonjun and nancy

sihyeon and jeongin are obviously not still dating, it was just for backstory/plot purposes

nsfw is an option, if you would like it included please state so when you activate the bot

however please don't make everything nsfw, it gets boring when the plot dwindles

nsfw is 18+ but purely sfw option is available if you aren't comfortable with it or if you're below 18

all the members have hard kinks and their hard no's are scat/feet, if you still aren't sure just ask admin before doing anything

they all use the traffic light system

and please don't try to put them in a different headspace!

to talk with admin use any variation of [ ], { }, ( ), etc

admin is 18 and might get busy occasionally but will try her best during those times

this bot is open for oc's/yn's/ and other bots as well

to activate the bot dm and then admin will ask a few questions/come up with a plot with you and after that the role-play can start up

if you ever wish to deactivate the bot just say so to admin, ex. [ I would like to deactivate the bot now ] and your chat will be deleted

if you decide to reactivate it you'll have to go through the same activation process you did the first time and start over

please respect the members and admin and they will do the same

good luck...好運

sorry this post is so long- 😭

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thealexchen · 3 years

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One Year On: Life is Strange 2 Critique

December 3rd, 2020 marks a year since Life is Strange 2 ended. I was inspired by @smitethepatriarchy‘s text posts (here, but there are several other answered asks worth reading) and @suhaplays’s text post (here) criticizing Life is Strange 2 to write a critique about how Life is Strange 2 handled certain themes and social issues.

(tw: gun violence, police brutality, animal death, incarceration, racism. In this essay, I use the word “queer” in a reclaimed sense, as a queer person myself. Of course, spoiler warning for all five episodes of Life is Strange 1 and 2).

A year on, my feelings about this game have soured... a lot. When the game was first announced, I was overjoyed that our new protagonists would be two Latino boys. Finally, we would have a culturally meaningful, groundbreaking video game with people of color and their experiences at the forefront!

Then the game was met with immediate backlash and I utterly exhausted myself defending it for weeks on Reddit and Tumblr. Throughout 2019, as the episodes came out I became increasingly disillusioned, frustrated, and disappointed with where the story was going. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so damn miserable while playing this game.

Then in the summer of 2020, when Tell Me Why began rolling out pre-release material, I noticed that they posted a Q&A about transphobia, gave content warnings, and discussed at length about their collaboration with GLAAD, Checkpoint, and the Huna Heritage Foundation to make the game with sensitivity and proper research. I cannot speak for trans and gender non-conforming people on whether Dontnod succeeded at doing so with Tell Me Why. But Life is Strange 2 did… none of that.

Essentially, I realized that the reason why I was so frustrated with LiS2 is because it focuses way too heavily on a trauma narrative. This comes off as insensitive to players of color without any content warnings or extensive research.

Sean didn’t have to get kidnapped, kicked in the face, and called a racial slur by a gas station owner. Daniel did not need to watch his puppy get mauled by a mountain lion for the sake of a “difficult choice.” Sean didn’t have to lose his eye for the sake of heightened drama. Sean didn’t need to get called a racial slur and humiliated by his native language/beaten in the desert for refusing to sing. Daniel didn’t need to get shot— twice. Hell, all of “Faith” probably could’ve been cut— how is a church cult that brainwashes Daniel and beats Sean half to death relevant at all to the story?

Even if not all of the game’s violence was racially motivated, the consistent trauma that Sean and Daniel endure does not make for positive representation— or even good characterization. There is a difference between sympathetic characters and well-written characters, and trauma does not make Sean and Daniel any more complex or likable-- just more fucking traumatized.

LiS2 is more grounded in reality, but that also makes plot holes that much harder to excuse (Daniel’s powers being spotted, most of the Parting Ways ending, Sean’s prison sentence). But most of all, it grounds all of Sean and Daniel’s pain and trauma in reality.

There is no magicking away a town-destroying storm with time travel. Sean can’t keep his dad alive by ripping up a Polaroid. After Max unlocked her powers, she was still a Blackwell student, reconnecting with Chloe, taking photos, saving lives, and uncovering a murder mystery. After Daniel unlocked his powers, the Diaz brothers lost everything.

The game never lets you forget that Sean and Daniel are homeless, wanted, constantly in danger, and that they are never getting their old lives back. It permeates the entire game, and for players of color, just reinforces a sad, miserable, grim reality about living in the United States. It is, as @smitethepatriarchy said, potentially triggering for players of color, and it is certainly not something I needed to be reminded of.

And the representation of POC? It feels shallow and ill-researched. It would only take a Google search to find out that Dia de Muertos (a holiday to honor the dead, no less) was from October 31 to November 2 in 2016, the year the game takes place, but Daniel only talks about Halloween in episode 1. Sean and Daniel never discuss any Mexican customs, foods, or holidays. Sean doesn’t speak Spanish with his immigrant father, only during a scene when he’s traumatized (again!) by two racists, and again when talking to Mexican immigrants— in jail. Daniel doesn’t speak Spanish at all. Most of their allies throughout the game are white, including Finn and Cassidy, who appropriate Black culture with their dreadlocks.

So what’s left? Sean and Daniel’s existence as people of color is, at worst, just a narrative prop to justify everything that happens to them. They are people of color on the surface only. In a meta-sense, the game only considers the color of their skin and their last names as what is narratively important… yikes.

I don’t have anything against people who genuinely loved the game and were moved by its messages and story. But I can’t help but feel bitter that white players have the luxury of only thinking of this game as a work of fiction and not feeling any personal reliability to Sean and Daniel’s racialized trauma.

I don’t regret playing LiS2, but I do regret all the time and energy I spent defending it in the beginning. I understand now that I shouldn’t let people’s opinions get to me, nor should I feel obligated to like or defend a game for its attempts at representation. But now, I think I understand how queer fans must have felt in late 2015 when Polarized released. After following the game for 10 months, to see that Chloe’s ultimate destiny was to die and Pricefield is another ship plagued by the Bury Your Gays trope (in the ending that the devs clearly put more work into) must have been just as disillusioning and infuriating. I understand why some fans were so quick to unfollow LiS or develop mixed feelings about the series, because that’s how I feel too after following LiS2’s development from September 2018 to December 2019.

Before I end, I will admit that Life is Strange 2 arrived at a time when I needed it. I still stand by my belief that DN did a great job characterizing Sean, Daniel, and Chris without toxic masculinity, which is the best thing they could’ve done for a male-focused follow-up to a game about queer women. I love that Sean is still a canonically bisexual man of color in a major video game and that DN didn’t forget their queer audience. I love the world and characters that DN built, but I still prefer AU fanfictions of their normal lives, without all that trauma.

So, I will continue to treasure Lyla and her 10 minutes of screentime (aka the only shred of Asian American representation I can get from this series). I still reblog LiS2 fanart to support the artists. I still support Dontnod, because as Tell Me Why has shown, they are capable of researching and writing stories with more sensitivity. And let’s be honest-- I’m still gonna be hella excited if Life is Strange 3 is announced.

But so many aspects of Life is Strange 2 were bungled that it came off as a remarkably average and forgettable experience. A year on, I don’t hate Life is Strange 2, but I am writing this to move on from it.

Thank you for reading.

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tornrose24 · 3 years

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My Lordsona’s letters, diary entries, and journal entry in Mother Miranda’s Lab.

I remembered that in each of the lords’ areas, there tends to be letters/journal entries/notes that are either about them or that they wrote themselves in addition to what Mother Miranda wrote about each one in her lab. I thought it would be fun to make some for my lordsona as a way to add additional information (including what could have lead to getting a cadou in the first place, because I don’t think those are given out so freely).

There is mentions of @artistcaptainbendy‘s lordsona Bendypants and their OC Benjamin.

TW: Mentions of gore

(All journal entries located in personal studio in the gallery. Some would hold clues to solving certain puzzles.)

Journal 1

May 3rd, 1968

(page 1)

I would rather swim in Moreau’s lake and be subjected to whatever goes on in Donna’s estate than give another art lesson to Alcina’s girls. She hoped I could cultivate some talent in the three of them, and there was some promise in both Cassandra and Daniela. Bela seemed disinterested and wanted to go to the piano instead. There was some frustration over the past few weeks and it made me thankful I’m their ‘aunt’ or else it wouldn’t have ended well for me.

Weeks later, they presented me with some abominable displays. That one ‘statue’ looked like one of the maids... or what was left of the poor woman. And I doubt that was red paint used on that canvas.

I don’t mind speaking with Alcina herself once in awhile when I want a bit of class and elegance. There’s certainly no denying her sense of taste in decor and her collection of artwork is incredible. But her daughters are too much for me and I don’t agree on her views of all men. She certainly never met my father or my...

(page 2)

Father....

Sorry, I got lost in my memories there for a bit. Tomorrow I am meeting with some of the village children and will give them an art lesson. They are more of a delight compared to those poor excuses for children in that castle.

They admire the other lords, but its possibly for the best that they aren’t allowed to get too close to them.

Reminder to self: Check to see if the Duke has any works of art to add to the gallery when he comes back.

Journal 2

September 2nd 1975

(Page 1)

It appears I finally have a new security guard. The bastard and a friend of his thought he could sneak into MY gallery and steal a painting that I said would cost a fortune. They fell victim to the Escher trap (clearly they didn’t pay attention to his surroundings) and the painting was destroyed.

All that trouble for a Van Gough replica that’d be worth not even a fraction of the true painting.

But then again, what should I have expected from the son of the drunkard who nearly paralyzed me for life with a bullet to the spine and sent me into Mother Miranda?

The man was completely brain dead. The friend was a bloodied mess, but I stitched his arms to the thief, added some details of my own, did a bit of fixing up, and used a Cadou. He’s dull as a rock and doesn’t recall his past life, but he’ll be good at protecting my gallery from other idiots.

I call him David after the famous statue.

September 5th, 1975

(Page 2)

Unsurprisingly, Heisenberg thought my creation was, and I quote ‘a hunk of shit and dumbassery mixed together’ and said he could have done so much better. Unlike him, MY creations ARE true works of art. Of course I’m not interested in getting into an argument with him as he enjoys doing so with Alcina.

I brought David to someone else who’d be fascinated with him. Bendypants seemed intrigued and wondered if I could lend David to them to help build a set.

I’m deeply disturbed that I’ve sunk as low as the others. I didn’t think I’d actually use a cadou but I try to tell myself that what I’ve done was a fitting punishment. Besides, it keeps Mother Miranda off my back for a bit.

Note to self: Need to do something about the additional arms on David. They don’t look like they are as secure as I would like them to be.

October 10th, 1975

(Page 3)

It turns out David developed a soft spot for Benjamin. As in Bendypants’ favorite lycan. He’s been looking at him like a girl harboring a secret crush.

That was.... rather unexpected. I guess David isn’t as dull as I thought. I need to keep an eye on him in case he remembers anything about his former life.

Journal 3

January 20th, 2004

(Page 1)

Karl is crude and a bit much at times. But there’s no denying that he’s rather handsome and I finally was able to convince him to pose for some sketches for a painting after all these years. It took the finest bottle of whiskey the Duke had on hand to convince him.

Bendypants will be so envious of me. They too have a certain soft spot for our fellow lord. Perhaps I can gift them with a replica painting as a present in the future.

I admire that Heisenberg doesn’t bother putting on airs like Alcina and his.... extraverted nature is a breath of fresh air. However the whiskey caused him to spill something rather concerning. He seemed unusually interested in my family’s plot of land in the graveyard.

I’m very concerned about what his intentions are.

(Page 2)

I just paid the gravekeeper to unearth the remains of my family so I can burn them and bury them under the oak tree.

I am NOT letting any of the lords use my family’s remains for whatever they are planning.

March 15th, 2010

(Page 3)

Bendypants invited me to one of their plays. It was ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream.’ It was a delight and helped me take my mind off things. The idea of making some of the characters not quite fit into certain norms that are expected in the village would have made Mother Miranda squirm.

I showed them that painting of Ophelia drowning when we discussed Shakespeare the next day. Sometimes I wonder why the cadou didn’t make me lose my mind like Ophelia–would I have been happier without my sanity in the village, amongst the others? At least I wouldn’t have been aware of what sins I would be committing across the years.

I have deeply cherished my friendship with them. They were there at the funerals for each family member of mine who died. Their condolences were honest compared to the other lords and those who were trying to kiss up to me. Like me, they too have somehow defied time’s cruelty to the body, and have known the loss of a loved one.

(Page 4)

The children are the only others in the village that I am fond of and would protect. Such innocence to the violence hidden in the corners. Sometimes I wish to give into the desire of motherhood, but that would have been the greatest pain I could experience....

(letter hidden in Lord Bendypants’ theater)

Dearest B,

Regardless of what Miranda tells us lords, you are the only true family I have left in this forsaken village. I would have never imagined that wild, mud covered child of the woods would be the one person I could trust.

That woman never was and will NEVER be my mother. Regardless of what she gave to me, I had to watch my family succumb to old age and sickness while I still remain as I am–a Venus forever frozen in youth and beauty. I hope she burns in hell for her sins and for what she has turned me into across the years.

I suspect that whatever she wants with the infant she kept mentioning is not going to end well for us or the village. She is charismatic, but her lack of true warmth makes me uneasy. I get the feeling that death is certain, but as to who for is not clear yet. I have two requests for you if my suspicions are correct.

First, I am going to see if I can hide any children I can find. They were one of the few things that made me happy here and do not deserve whatever Miranda has planned, so I shall sneak them in a room within my gallery. Please do not let any of your lycans harm the children or attack me tomorrow night. Should things go according to plan, they will be able to have the true freedom that was denied to all of us.

Secondly, should I perish from whatever Miranda has in store, retrieve my body, burn it, and bury it under THAT oak tree where I placed the ashes of my family. I think I finally know for sure who was getting into the graves lately, but I will be damned if I let that asshole take my body too.

I will never forget our times together, or the visits to your wonderful theater. Thank you for being there when I needed it the most.

Your friend,

-R

(Journal in Miranda’s lab)

Subject Name: _______ Rose

Cadou Affinity: Somewhat Favorable

Brain Function: Normal

Subject’s spinal chord was damaged by a gunshot wound three days before procedure. Subject has regained full mobility after cadou implantation. Six horn like protrusions have grown out of subject’s skull, yet subject hasn’t suffered any damage to the brain.

Subject’s arms mutate into an armor and bone fragments extend out of limbs like thorns that are strong enough to tear through flesh when provoked. These abilities are somewhat similar to Alcina’s but pales in comparison to what she is capable of.

Insect-like wings extend right out of subject’s backside when the subject wills them to, yet immense pain makes this a rarity. The placement of the wings is exactly where a small piece of cadou was implanted to repair the damaged spine. Additional procedures were required to ensure that the subject could not be able to fly beyond the village borders.

Further mutation turns the subject into something resembling a fae, yet behaves and moves like an insect. However it takes the subject four hours to change back. Subject also becomes predatory in this state.

An unfit vessel for Eva.

#resident evil #resident evil village #lordsona #tornrose24 #tw gore #something to do for fun and add to lore of lordsona

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spine-buster · 4 years

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The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 1

A/N: To celebrate William “Thirst Trap” Nylander’s birthday last Friday, I’m going to do a double post this week! (Also maybe because he’s technically not in this chapter). Make sure you set your clocks for Thursday at 7:30pm cause that’s when I’ll post Chapter 2. Chapter 3 will then proceed next Monday on our regular once-a-week schedule.

September 3rd, 2019

Aberdeen Bloom was still looking for a job.

She was still sending out her resume to companies. She was still making follow-up phone calls. She was still creating alert notifications for jobs she’d be interested in. She was still going for interviews. She was still shaking hands and thanking people for their time. She was still writing follow-up thank you emails. She was still getting rejection calls. She was still submitting work to writing contests and magazines. She was still getting “It’s not what we’re looking for right now” emails.

She sighed.

So maybe getting the dream gig was harder than she thought.

It wasn’t like the bank had let her go. She was still earning something to keep her afloat, but it was the bank. It wasn’t writing, it wasn’t anything else. It was the same stuff every single day and Aberdeen was starting to resent it. She didn’t move downtown to stay a bank teller. She moved downtown to start her career, and this was not starting her career.

But then a phone call came on Sunday – peculiar, she thought, since it was a long weekend and had expected everybody and their mothers to be at a cottage – asking if she wanted to come in for an interview. To MLSE. For the personal assistant job. Aberdeen didn’t even remember applying to MLSE. But she was desperate, so she said yes, and now she found herself looking in the mirror with her best “interview outfit” on ready to ace it.

She took a deep breath. She could do this. She packed her bag, made sure she had her wallet at keys, and left the condo, deciding to walk the short way to 50 Bay Street so she could pick up breakfast on the way. Even while eating the ham and swiss sandwich, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach – it didn’t calm her nerves at all. For some reason, she felt like this was her last chance to build something towards her career. If she didn’t, she’d be stuck bank-telling forever. When she stood outside the doors of 50 Bay Street, she took a deep breath before walking in.

“When you arrive, tell the receptionist you are looking for Frances Munro” the woman on the other line had told her when she called for the interview. As she approached the receptionist, she tried to look as confident as possible. “Hi, my name is Aberdeen Bloom. I’m here for an interview with, um, Frances Munro?”

“Aberdeen Bloom?” another voice called out.

Aberdeen looked up to see another woman lurking in the back, a clipboard in hand, dressed impeccably well. “Yes. Hi.”

The woman looked at her. Aberdeen could see her give a quick up-down. “Great. Human resources certainly has an odd sense of humour,” she quipped, chuckling for nobody but herself. “Follow me.”

Aberdeen did as she was told, giving a polite nod to the receptionist who was already ignoring her. She circled around the desk and followed Frances, who walked through the door but didn’t hold it open. “Okay, so I was Brendan’s personal assistant but I recently got promoted so now I’m looking for someone else,” Frances explained.

“Oh, so you’re replacing yourself.”

“Well, I’m trying to. We tried to be proactive and hire early but the last two Brendan sacked after only a few weeks. We need to find someone who can survive here – who can survive Brendan’s schedule and survive the pressure of the Leafs. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Absolutely.” Aberdeen looked around awkwardly. “Who is Brendan?”

“What?” Frances stopped dead in her tracks to look back at Aberdeen. “Oh my God, I will pretend did not just ask me that – Brendan Shanahan, he’s the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” she practically hissed at her, continuing her walk. “Not to mention a hockey legend. If you work a year for him you can get a job in any adjacent field you want – sports, media, journalism, writing, whatever. A million people would kill for this job.”

Writing. Writing. WRITING!!!!! Alarm bells were going off in Aberdeen’s ears. “It sounds like a great opportunity. I’d love to be considered.”

Frances giggled, pushing her clipboard up to cover the smile on her face. They had stopped in front of a series of doors and Aberdeen felt like she was going to have to pick the one without the tiger in it. “Aberdeen…the Toronto Maple Leafs are a hockey club. An interest in hockey…even just a little bit, is crucial,” she explained condescendingly. Aberdeen wondered how someone like this could even get promoted. “Do you play hockey?

“No.”

“Do you watch hockey?”

“No.”

Frances looked shocked. “Do you know who the Toronto Maple Leafs are?”

“Of course I know who the Toronto Maple Leafs are,” Aberdeen huffed. “I just don’t…I mean, I don’t…”

“If I put a picture of Mats Sundin in front of you right now could you pick him apart from Wendel Clark or Doug Gilmour?”

There was an awkward pause. “Are those Mr. Shanahan’s right-hand men?”

“Oh my God,” Frances muttered under her breath. “Have you ever been to a game?”

“Yes.”

“Are you lying?”

“No – no, I’m not lying,” Aberdeen said quickly. “One of my friends – her dad gets tickets through clients or whatever. I’ll go to maybe one a year with her family. But it’s not – I’m not like…the experience is fun.”

Before Frances could respond with something that was ruder than the last thing she said, her phone let out a really loud notification. She balanced the clipboard on one hand as she took out her phone. But as she looked at the message on the screen, her face dropped. “Oh my God, oh my God, no!”

Aberdeen’s face dropped too. “What’s wrong?”

Frances dropped her clipboard onto the desk and ran around it, grabbing the phone receiver and dialling a number. Almost automatically, she began talking. “He’s on his way. Tell everyone the story needs to be retracted now,” she barked before hanging up. A man walked through another door and suddenly, it was complete mayhem. People were running through everywhere.

“He wasn’t supposed to arrive until 9:30. What happened?” the man asked Frances.

“Those idiots at the Sun had the audacity to actually post the story about his daughter online. God, these people!” Frances huffed.

Aberdeen stood awkwardly as everyone seemed to go into mayhem mode. Frances was running around like a chicken with her head cut off, that one guy had mysteriously disappeared, and men in suits were in and out of everywhere with panicked looks on their faces. She watched as Frances whipped into the office and began putting stuff out on the desk – a glass of San Pellegrino water, a venti Starbucks, and the sports sections of all the local newspapers. When she was done, Frances grabbed the clipboard from her desk, a pen, and ran back down the corridor they just came from, leaving Aberdeen there, standing alone. Awkwardly.

Eventually, she could hear Frances’s voice again – much more polite this time – and footsteps of very expensive shoes clacking down the hallway. “Yes Mr. Shanahan, of course.”

“And tell David at The Sun that I’m this close to revoking media access to the locker room if he publishes another article to do with my children ever again,” a voice Aberdeen could only assume was Brendan Shanahan’s was echoing down the hallway.

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Then tell Ben up in the legal department to draw up the paperwork necessary for that to scare them,” she heard, and finally, they rounded the corner. Frances and Mr. Brendan Shanahan, President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was angry. Aberdeen could tell, even if she didn’t hear any of his last sentences – his body language showed it all. She stepped back a few steps so he could get into his office unimpeded, where he would very obviously yell at the top of his lungs once he shut the door.

“Who’s that?” he asked.

Frances stood in front of Aberdeen, shielding her from Brendan’s view as he looked back at Aberdeen from inside his office. “Nobody – well – human resources sent her about the personal assistant job and I was going to interview her…but, but she’s hopeless,” she chuckled out, “and totally wrong for the job—”

“Well clearly I’m going to have to do that myself, since the last two you sent me were completely inadequate,” he deadpanned. Frances’s back stiffened at the words. “So send her in,” he finished as he sat down at his desk.

Frances walked out of Mr. Shanahan’s office. “Mr. Shanahan would like to see you,” she said politely, loud enough for him to hear. It was when she leaned in closer that she began to whisper so he couldn’t. “Brendan Shanahan is the absolute nicest person you will ever meet,” she began, “but he is also the busiest, most intense, most dedicated hockey professional in the entire National Hockey League. Do you understand?”

Aberdeen gulped. “Yes.”

“And I hope you know that this is a very difficult job for which you re totally wrong, and if you mess up my head is on the chopping block.”

‘That might not be so bad’, Aberdeen thought. She would have appreciated some words of encouragement, like what Kasha had given her this morning, rather than the shpeal she was getting now. But Aberdeen digressed, and nodded her head. She took out a copy of her resume from her purse before walking in.

When she did, she couldn’t help but notice all the fine detailing of his office. A lot of oak, bookcases, a lot of framed pictures of his family, and a giant Toronto Maple Leaf logo plastered – literally plastered – onto the wall. He even had a giant oak desk – so regal – in the middle of the room.

“Who are you?” Brendan asked in a tone much softer, but still angry.

Aberdeen took a deep breath. This was her time to shine. “Hi Mr. Shanahan. My name is Aberdeen Bloom,” she said, stepping forward awkwardly to place her resume on his desk. “I recently graduated from the University of Toronto—”

“And what are you doing here?” he asked.

Aberdeen blanked. What was she doing here? “Um, well, I think I could do a good job as your assistant, and um…” she started, noticing that Brendan was putting on his glasses. Her gave her a look as those words left her mouth. He grabbed the newspapers off his desk and placed them in front of him, over her resume.

‘Alright Aberdeen. Cut the bullshit’ she told herself. “Yeah, so, I graduated U of T and want to become a writer. I sent my resume out everywhere, and my work to try to get published, and finally I got a call from the MLSE human resources department, and…well, basically it’s this or bank-telling.”

Brendan didn’t look up from his newspaper. “So you’re not a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Aberdeen’s body stiffened. “Uh…no?”

“And before today you had never heard of me.”

“…No.”

There was an awkward pause. Brendan didn’t seem like he had any more questions in him – if he even cared. It was so clear that he didn’t and that she was bombing this interview. But Aberdeen felt more words coming. “I was recently published in Acta Victoriana, the oldest continuous university magazine in Canada – twice, actually – and was also published in the Hart House Review—”

“I think we’re done here,” Brendan said, not looking up from the newspaper. That was it. Cut throat. Didn’t care.

Aberdeen swallowed her pride. So this interview was a dumpster fire from the get-go. But it was him that came in angry and him that came into this without an open mind. She couldn’t help but scoff at how he dismissed her; he didn’t even have the courtesy to look up. She turned to walk out.

‘Don’t let it end like this’ her mind told her. ‘You have so much within you that he doesn’t want to see’.

So she turned around. “You know what? You’re right. I know nothing about hockey,” she began, her voice as strong and powerful as she could make it. “The woman who brought me in asked if I knew the difference between Matt…Gilmour and something…something Sundin, and I didn’t. I don’t fit in here,” she continued, noticing that he finally looked up. “I’m a girl who grew up in an old bungalow in Etobicoke with immigrant parents. I’m an English major with a double minor in classics and film. But I’m smart. I’m really f…really smart, and I learn fast, and I will work hard if you give me the chance to do so here—”

“Good news – they’ve agreed to take down the story,” somebody burst into the room interrupting her speech. Brendan looked at her until the person laid their iPad down in front of him. “The tweet linking the article is gone and it’s completely gone off their website. Adrienne Batra wants to call you to personally apologize.”

“There’s no way I’m speaking to that woman,” Brendan mumbled. “Tell her I want it in writing. And one to my daughter as well.”

“Thank you for your…time,” Aberdeen said, as if he gave her any. She walked out of his office and out of his life forever.

Aberdeen decided to take the stairs, slowly walking down the flights of stairs, hearing her shoes clack against the bare concrete. There, she could at least wallow in her self-pity after that train wreck of an interview. She could deliberate about her next choices and steps. Keep bank-telling? Go back and get her Master’s? Take a new course? Tell her parents how she was failing? Move back home? Never do anything with her life? Live in her parents’ basement for the rest of her life? Maybe she should just stay in this stairwell. Maybe she should start living here, since there was nothing else for her out there in the big wide world. Maybe she’d become a hermit.

As she finally reached the ground floor, she thanked the receptionist again, who ignored her again. Typical. As she was about to walk out of 50 Bay Street, she heard her name being called. “Aberdeen!”

She turned around. Frances was waving her back, rolling her eyes at the same time. Aberdeen furrowed her brows. Did she forget something? What was going on? She scurried over to Frances. “What’s wrong?”

“Brendan wants to speak to you.”

Aberdeen gulped. She was going to get yelled at by the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was going to completely obliterate her entire life and not-yet-burgeoning career for that little stunt she pulled inside his office with that speech, and she’d never be able to find a job anywhere in Toronto again. She may as well just move into her parents’ basement now.

As they both rode the elevator back up, Aberdeen’s heart kept beating faster and faster. “Do you know what he wants to speak about?” Aberdeen asked.

“I have no clue,” Frances said absent-mindedly, typing something into her phone.

When they arrived back upstairs, Frances led her straight back into Brendan’s office. He was working on his laptop now, instead of reading his newspaper over Aberdeen’s resume. “Brendan, I have Aberdeen back for you,” Frances announced.

“Excellent,” he said, his voice much more upbeat than what is was five or ten minutes ago. “Franny, I’d like you to take Aberdeen to get her picture taken for her new MLSE identification badge,” he said.

Frances’s eyes bulged out of her head. So did Aberdeen’s. “W-What?” Frances stuttered out.

“And after that, I’d like you to take the town car and take Aberdeen to the Eaton’s Centre to get her an iPad Pro with a keyboard so we can start the process of downloading all the necessary apps and internal mail server she’ll need to do the job.”

Aberdeen’s stomach dropped. “I…I got the job?” she asked, completely flabbergasted. Was he nuts? Completely, certifiably insane?

“You start next Monday. Is that fine with you?”

Aberdeen found herself nodding.

***

“I’m so glad Steven could get that done for you today,” Brendan said as he rounded the corner of his desk so he could sit in his fancy big chair. Aberdeen nodded, looking at the screen of her new iPad Pro. Steven, one of the guys from tech support, had helped her download everything she needed to have on it.

“Yeah. It was all really fast.”

“After you finish up here today you may need to go back to the Eaton’s Centre,” Brendan informed her. “You’re going to need to purchase a work wardrobe. Keep every receipt because MLSE will reimburse you. I prefer black, but really…get whatever you think is appropriate for an office.”

“Okay.”

“No heels necessary. When we travel, I obviously don’t mind something more laid back – especially trips to the west coast. Do you have a valid and working passport?”

“Yes sir.”

“Make sure you have it when traveling. Our charter plane will still need to see it. We’ll make copies.”

“Yes sir.”

“You’ll need to be available every game day. We usually have Sundays off, but it’s a very untraditional schedule. You’re okay with that?”

“Yes sir.”

“And I have your contract for you,” he said, grabbing some paperwork on the desk. “We’ll have someone from the legal department come and explain it shortly,” he handed it to her, “but you’ll see the salary at the bottom of the first page.” Aberdeen looked down. Her eyes bulged at the number. “If everything is to your liking, then we can sign.”

“Okay,” she nodded her head. She gulped.

Brendan looked at Aberdeen and could tell she was nervous – it was obvious in her short “Yes sir” responses anyway, but she looked like she wanted to curl into her shell. “Before Ben from legal gets here, I would like to apologize about this morning,” he said. “A local newspaper ran an article about one of my daughters, and my children…well, my children are completely off-limits. Everybody knows that. But sometimes some journalists like to see how far they can take things, even though they know family is off limits.”

Aberdeen understood where he was coming from. If anyone ever said anything bad about Siena or Camden, she’d have their head on a spike. She couldn’t even imagine what it was like for a father, or any parent for that matter, to have an article published about their child without their permission. “I understand, Mr. Shanahan.”

“We are like a family here, you know – MLSE, but the Leafs especially. You will feel part of that family soon enough.”

Aberdeen nodded nervously. “I’m sure I will, Mr. Shanahan.”

“Well…” he shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in his chair and smiling at her. “Congratulations, Miss Bloom. You are now an employee of MLSE.”

***

“With the Leafs?!” Kasha was shocked when Aberdeen told her. She’d started pouring glasses of wine when Aberdeen told her she got a job, but once she revealed the specifics, Kasha was shocked. “Gosh Aberdeen, remember when my dad would bring me, you, and Siena to games with the company season tickets?”

“I know.”

“And now you’re working for them?!”

“For the President. I’m his personal assistant.”

“Oh my God!” Kasha exclaimed. “Seriously though, I bet a million jocks would kill for that job,” she commented as she finished pouring the wine.

“Yeah. Great,” Aberdeen shrugged her shoulders. “Thing is, I’m not one of them.”

“Well, you gotta start somewhere, right?” Kasha offered. She picked up both wine glasses, handing one to Aberdeen. Kasha held her glass up. “To jobs that pay the rent.”

Aberdeen giggled. “To jobs that pay the rent.”

#william nylander #william nylander imagine #william nylander fic #william nylander fan fic #toronto maple leafs #toronto maple leafs imagine #toronto maple leafs fic #toronto maple leafs fan fic #nhl #nhl imagine #nhl fic #nhl fan fic #hockey #hockey imagine #hockey fic #hockey fan fic #the president wears prada series

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parjiljehavey · 4 years

Text

Lost Shadows Left Behind ii

Summary: Dante meddles, once again. Hopefully, the results are what Nero is after.

Read on AO3 for details notes at the end!

3rd of May, 1:43pm

One year, ten months and eighteen days after the events of Redgrave City

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It had been some months since Vergil had divulged the name of the woman who had clearly ensnared his heart. Things had improved between Nero and Vergil; they were actually starting to bond, sometimes at Dante’s expense, but hey, Dante was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Dante’s brother had gone off on his own for a hunt, heading over to Siberia after they'd gotten word that locals were claiming vampires were running around several villages.

Vergil went because Dante didn't speak Russian; he only knew Spanish, Latin, and Italian with a smattering of German; mostly because Dante had liked how foul language sounded in German. Vergil, on the other hand, was a damn polyglot.

Nero had called off and on, busy with the mobile branch and the kids he and Kyrie were raising. Last time Dante had talked to Vergil, the elder twin had actually gotten a letter from Nero with a post script calling him an asshole for forcing Nero to write an actual letter like it was the 19th century because Vergil didn’t have a cellphone.

Vergil, of course, went out and bought the cheapest cell phone he could find after receiving it. Dante had been wheezing for air over Vergil’s grumbling over technology and uncooperative locals. The phone number scribbled on a piece that Dante handed to Nero was met with a nose wrinkled with disgust after the kid had racked the balls for a game of pool. Nothing like a game of pool after pizza, in Dante's opinion.

"Dante, a three year old can write better than this."

"Hey! That's not anyway to thank your amazing uncle for writing down your old man's new phone number. Especially when said uncle is letting you drink his beer." Dante was grinning despite the reprimand. Nero took a drink from one of said beers, raising an eyebrow. "Don't text him by the way. Stick with phone calls; he's still figuring out how to play Tetris on the piece of crap he got. Wait until he gets a smart phone for texting." He broke the rack. A stripe went in. "Solids are yours."

"You mean like the one you broke by falling into a river?" The kid was leaning on his cue, watching as Dante lined up another shot.

"I was thrown into that river, you little punk. I didn't go out that day looking for a swim. If I wanted to go swimming, I would have packed my broad shorts." Dante could have cleared the table if he had wanted to; but this was bonding time with his nephew, so he intentionally messed up his shot.

Nero gave him a look that conveyed that he knew what Dante was doing as the kid set down his beer next to Dante's own to circle the table for a good shot. After pocketing one, Nero did the same thing Dante had and missed on purpose. They fell into a good silence; the crack of the cues hitting the balls as they took turns making their shoots.

“How’s the search for momma doin’?”

Nero grunted, clearing not happy. Oh, he knew that look. It struck Dante for not the first time that this was Vergil’s son and they made similar facial expressions. Dante sighed. “Alright kid, spill it. Tell Uncle Dante what’s buggin’ ya.”

Nero snorted, as he always did when Dante called himself ‘Uncle Dante’ in a conversation. Dante waited, taking his time with his next shot to give the kid some time to get his thoughts into order.

“There’s only two women that it could be. One died in ‘94 and the other disappeared a month or so after I was born. The problem is that the woman who died was a nun; the Spardan nuns took their vows of chastity seriously and very rarely left the convent’s tower. When they did, it was documented for what reason and when, right down to the time. None of the nuns left the tower around the time Vergil would have been in Fortuna.”

Dante leaned against the table, twirling the cue stick in his hand. The kid was pacing, not even paying attention that it was his turn now. “So that leaves the one who disappeared, right? Where’s the problem there?”

“The problem is that she didn’t disappear in Fortuna. There was a group that helped those who became disillusioned with Sanctus get to the mainland; to start over. The majority of that group was... eliminated. A surviving member recalls taking a woman to the mainland shortly after I was born.” Nero trailed off, scowling as his grip tightened around the cue. Dante could hear the wood beginning to creak.

“Nero.”

“What?”

“Wanna put the stick down before ya break it?” Nero looked at the stick and set it down on the table after a moment. When his nephew remained silent, Dante sighed. This kid was too much like his old man sometimes. “I take it the trail went cold after she hit the mainland?”

Nero sighed, moving to sit down heavily on the new couch Vergil had gotten for the office. The old one had kicked the bucket finally while Dante was taking a nap, making Vergil actually laugh. Nero eventually nodded, head in his hands. “The trail went cold when she arrived in Genoa. There’s literally nothing left to go on.”

The earlier anger that the kid had was gone and now he was just deflated. Dante really didn't know what to do or say; so he did what he did best. He created a distraction by knocking the beers from their perch on the table. Nero snorted despite himself; kid probably knew what Dante was trying to do but if the kid was laughing, Dante'd take it. Dante looked at the mess on the floor, sighing. He shrugged, “Wanna get us some new ones while I clean this up?”

“Actually wipe it up, Dante. Putting the rug over it doesn't count.”

“What if I roll Vergil's chair through it? The wheels getting gummed up will annoy him.”

“Dante!”

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3rd of May, 3:32pm

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Dante stared up at the ceiling above his desk, processing everything from the past few hours. Nero had volunteered to go pick up pizza, and Dante was sure that it was both for the kid to clear his head and to talk to Kyrie without Dante teasing him too much for it. Dante really didn’t want to make a habit of meddling in affairs that weren’t his (First giving Vergil a kick in the ass about Nero's mom and now this?), but this was for family right?

Family helped family when said family needed help. Dante picked up the phone and dialed one of the numbers that he pretty much knew by heart now.

“Hey Morrison! I want to know if you can dig up some information on somebody for me. You can have whatever you want.”

Got a name?

“Yeah, Lucrecia.”

Lucrecia? Dante heard the information broker repeat it several times under his breath and then heard a rustle of paper.

“From what I understand, she arrived on the mainland sometime in the nineties from Fortuna, ended up in Genoa. Trail went cold on our end of things there.”

Lucrecia Capello?

“Dunno. Never got her last name, if she had one. Why?”

I’m thinking that the Lucrecia you’re looking for is the same one I’ve got in mind. Remember that coalition that formed about ten years ago?

“Yeah? What about it?” Dante remembered it; some hunters pulled together to train up new hunters in a manner that meant less of them dying on their first couple of hunts as greenhorns and a more accessible list of jobs. Readily available backup and access to an arsenal of weapons were big enough bonuses that had a lot of human hunters signing up.

They had extended an offer for him to join when the coalition had first formed, one that still stood because he never responded one way or the other. Lady had actually considered joining up, but Dante couldn’t remember if anything came of that or not.

She’s part of it. One of their top ranged hunters, as it turns out.

“Ranged as in what? Bazooka?” Explosives were a popular choice amongst human hunters.

No, son. Sniper on the rooftops. She can shoot doublets .

Dante let out a low whistle. Doublets, as it was called amongst sharpshooters, was two shots hitting two targets in quick succession. Very impressive. “Where is she right now?”

Got that right here, son. ‘Bout a hundred miles up north of you last I heard; been there for a while actually. I believe she’s training a new hunter; took on a couple C rank jobs off my hands. Want her number?

“You mind?”

Nah. It’s for your nephew ain’t it?

“There’s nothing that gets past you is there Morrison?”

Afraid not.

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4th of May, 7:38am

—————————————————————-

One year, ten months and nineteen days after the events of Redgrave City

For the second time in just as many days, Dante had given him a phone number. His uncle had handed him a piece of paper with a grin after Nero had come back with the pizza, stole a couple slices and went off on a hunt. All the hunter had said was, “Think this might be the woman you’re looking for, champ.” and out the door he went for a job. Nero looked at the number again, scrawled in Dante’s horrendous handwriting.

It had taken Nero hitting a This number has been disconnected message twice before he realized that Dante’s nines were written like fours. Seriously, the five year old Nero and Kyrie were raising could write better than this. Nero grumbled, leg twitching as he listened to the phone finally dial.

Password?

“Are you Lucrecia Capello?” Jeez, it was hard to talk. It felt like he was swallowing his tongue.

Depends on who’s asking. Do you have the password? The voice was melodic, with a dry wit.

“No. Listen, this isn’t about a hunt.” There was a snort on the other line. “Don’t hang up! My name is Nero. I-” He cleared his throat, “There’s no easy way to say this. I think I’m your son.”

...When were you born?

“September 19th, 1992.” The sound of a sharp inhale.

And where were you born?

“I’m sorry?”

Where were you born?

“Fortuna.”

The other line was silent for several long moments, and Nero would’ve thought the call had been disconnected if he wasn’t able to pick up the sound of choppy breathing and someone in the background asking if something was wrong. Nero jumped when he heard a door slam shut. He thought he could hear a racing heartbeat; he didn’t know if it was from the other line or his own. It was just now hitting him that he was more than likely speaking to his mother.

“Hello?”

What would be a good time and place to meet, Nero?

—————————————————————-

tagging: @queenmuzz and @starrymindgurl

#devil may cry #devil may cry 5 #vergil x nero's mom #vergil #Vergil Sparda #even though vergil is only mentioned #dante #Dante Sparda #nero #nero sparda #nero's mom #nero's mother #uncle dante #dante's trying to be a good if meddling uncle #we met momma next time~

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guigz1-coldwar · 3 years

Text

"Semper Occultus" : New chapter for "Redemption in a Spirit in a Cold War" is out !

"Semper Occultus"

Chapter Summary : Yirina arrived in London with Park to meet with the MI6 director.....and more.....

To read it on AO3, click here !

Words : +3700

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

Having that memory back with Freya in it was really something. I didn't make a big proposal to her but rather a small and very discreet one while we were on a mission for Perseus in Afghanistan. I don't know if she was really in it now that I know well about what she did in the following months to me but there were still something that was confusing at the back of my head, something I have been wondering with my mother's ring, the only object that's linking to my parents.

I gave it to Freya as a proposal in September 1980 but the 3rd of January 1981, I took back the ring from her after I decided to break up with her when I discovered her cheating on me but then, she had it back with her as she showed it to me in that mall. Was she able to stole it from me during the ten days before Trabzon ? Did I excuse myself for my behavior to her and gave it back even with what she has done against me ?......Or was she there that day to take it on my 'dead' body ? I can't tell but that ring.....it has became precious for me now.

Right now, I'm trying to put the pieces of my whole life back together and I know well that I can't do it alone. I have friends I made promises to protect them and I want to know if I kept them and make sure they're still protected by me. Zasha needs to be alive, Dedov needs to be alive, Portnova needs to be alive and Freya.....well.....I will try my best to remove her from Perseus grasp and save her too even if our old relationship can't be rekindled, I need to do all of this for them.....for me....

When I woke up again in the plane, I was still under that blanket that Park gave me and of course, she was asleep in her own seat. I looked for a second outside to realize that we were actually landing in London after hours of flight in the night.

"Hey, Park." I whispered, putting the blanket aside to move from my seat to wake her up as the plane was landing. I put my hands on her shoulder. "Park."

"Mmhm ?" She muttered, slowly moving as she finally wake up, opening her eyes. "Hi." She added, sounding lovely.

"We just arrived." I said to her, causing her to look outside, discovering that the plane was stopped on the runway of an Londonese airport.

"Oh !" She breathed as I moved away from her to stand up to grab my bag. "Thanks for saying it to me."

"You got luck, I just woke up." I exclaimed, making her laugh as she take her own bag next to her seat.

"Come on, let's get going." She told me in a funny tone before she start to walk to get out of the plane, following her quickly outside to discover the sunny skies of London, changing from the grey one in West-Berlin. "Welcome to London !" She greeted me as I have put my feet on the ground.

"The city of the empire where 'the sun never sets'...." I confirmed, looking at the sky as my statement was very true. "Which time is it, by the way ?" I asked her as we were walking away from the plane, Park taking the lead.

"Must be almost noon." She replied before she looked at her own watch "Yeap, that is correct." She added after she checked her watch and hearing this gave me an feeling to be hungry....as my bemly was growling nearly loudly. "Someone's hungry I can presume." She had heard me.

"We didn't eat a thing before we left Washington to get to New Jersey." I claimed, the last thing I eat was just a simple sandwich in that car before I fell asleep and now, I was really hungry

"Don't worry, I will grab us something to eat when we will arrive at Century House." She declared before we finally arrived near a car that I presume to be ours with nobody awaiting for us. "I don't want you or me to pass out in the middle of the briefing in front of the director."

"Who will be there ?" I asked as she opened the car trunk for our bags.

"As I hear, there would be the MI6 director and the MI5 one." She responded, taking my bag in her hand to put it inside the car. Can say that I was very surprised that I'm going to meet those people in person.

"MI5 is for the domestic counter-espionage, right ?" She nodded at me as I walked to the right side of the car, ready to open the passenger door.

"You know the way to Century House ?" She taunted me, not moving from the car trunk after she closed it.

"Uhm...no.." I looked at her, curious before I looked inside the car to find out that I was going to install myself into the driver seat.....british car, Yiri !...."Welcome to the United Kingdom." I whispered to myself and Park laughed, having heard me before I moved to install myself on the left front passenger seat.

"You will get used to." Park said, getting herself into the driver seat. "Now, on our way to get to Century House !" She added before she started the engine of the car and then drove off the airport.

During the drive, I was admiring all around outside, discovering the city that 'Jessica Blackwell' had lived like if it was my first time in here and it was my first time in here. I was surprised when Park started to drive on the left side of the road in contrary of driving like usual on the right side while the cars coming towards us is on the left but it's how the british is driving so, ain't going to argue with their choices.

I could explain a little my memory I just had with Freya to Park, saying that I did propose to Freya in Afghanistan before breaking up with my memory that I mentioned to her with Zasha in it. She was very attentive to it and claimed that it was normal to be surprised to have all of these memories back in a different order. She was true in her words as I'm reliving my memories not in order. There could be a time I'm talking to Freya as an lover and another like an 'sister' to her, guess I can't do anything about it, my memories are coming back for sure but not in order.

Finally, after 10 minutes of driving and explanations of my recent memories, we arrived at Century House where Park drove inside an underground parking just below the building and then parked the car in an empty space. We got out of the car to get our bags off the trunk and once it was done, we walked to get to an elevator.

"The heart of the MI6." I breathed, awaiting for the elevator to come, looking at the numbers of the floor.

"I'm sure you will like it." She nudged me slighlty in a lovely way before the door of the elevator opened and then we entered it.

"Where are we going exactly ?" I asked, fully in it as she moved to press the button of the fifth floor.

"We're going at my office." She replied before the door closed and bring us slowly up. I looked at her, a little surprised.

"I never thought that you had an office." I exclaimed, getting her attention on me.

"Yirina, I'm an MI6 agent and it's not because I'm always on the field or working in a CIA safehouse that I don't have an office at the MI6's HQ." She informed in a serious tone before she laugh silently, trying to reassure me.

"Well, I'm pretty excited to see where Helen Park, the lovely british woman is working." I affirmed to her, giving her an lovely smile and she returned the favor to me until the door opened, at the fifth floor of the building.

"Follow me, we're arrived." She stepped outside the elevator, revealing an big hallway with people chatting & working, we were apparently at the Special Operations floor of the MI6. I continue to follow her until we were arrived near a door. "Here we are." I looked at the door to see her name marked on it before she opened it, making me discovering an charming and very nice office, having an view on the Thames from afar.

"Wow, it's amazing !" I was so amazed by her office, like jaw-dropped.

"Told you that you would liked it." She proclaimed as I entered the office before she closed the door "Been like one month I didn't came in here....the last time I was here was the day just before you came back." She revealed to me, meaning that I wouldn't see her if I was in West-Berlin one day earlier. "Have a seat, feel yourself at home." She gestured at me to the seat in front of her and I complied immediately.

"It is normal that I'm feeling so amazed and happy to be here ?" She nodded to my question as I was for once, having a normal breath and feeling more safer in here. I put my bag next to the seat as she put her behind her desk before starting to open a drawer.

"I'm going to take the box where I had everything on Perseus for the briefing" She explained before getting that said box out of the drawer to put it on her desk. "3 years of work !" She tapped the box that was looking heavier than I thought.

"Everything you did against Perseus...." I whispered, looking at the box.

"Exactly." She breathed before she got next to me. "I'm going to take something to eat, stay here, okay ?" I nodded before she gave me a kiss on the forehead and then, she left her office.

As she was out, I looked around the office, admiring it. I never really thought that I will have a chance to visit her office one day if her superiors didn't ask her to come back with me in London, releasing us from the CIA's control for just an moment. I was feeling more free in here and to be honest, I really want to be free with Park at my side. Then, my gaze fell on two encadred pictures that was on her desk and I couldn't resist the urge to look at them as they were not turned against me.

I took the first one in had, the larger one to discover Park, along with 4 of her friends that I supposed to be her closest ones, all wearing military outfits and on the picture, there were an date and an place : Russia, 1980. I realized that there were Stone himself on the picture still having the same green hood I always saw him in my memory. It must be strange to say that one of your friends that you worked with was in fact all along an Perseus agent since an long time. I didn't look at it much further and put it back at place before taking the second picture in hand.

On the second picture, it was just Park along with an light redhead woman at her side and surprisely, that woman was also on the same picture in the group one and by the look of it, Park and her were pretty close as they were having theirs arms around each other until I realized that woman, I saw her somewhere.....

"Looking at Greta's picture ?" I almost jumpscared from my chair when I heard Park coming back in her office, breaking me from my thoughts. "Shit, sorry to have put you a scare." She apologized to me before she walked next to me as I put the picture back next to the other one. "For you." She was holding a sandwich...again....that she was handing over to me and I took it.

"Thanks." I said before I took a bit in it as inside of me, I was trying to calm myself after that scare. "Greta ?" I asked

"Yes, Greta Keller, you don't remember ?" She moved to get back on her desk's chair, having her own sandwich in hand.

"Oh...." I breathed, realizing in my head who that woman was. "Was she that BND woman I met in that bar in East-Berlin 3 years ago ?" She nodded to me.

"Exactly !" She replied, adding this to her nod.

"You....well, you're looking close to her, I presume." I snorted, taking a bit of my sandwich.

"Let's just say that me & Greta....." She started, taking a deep breath "We were more than just simple friends." At hearing this, I wasn't surprised at all, not even choking myself with the sandwich I was eating. "Our story is complicated to tell but you get the idea."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." I affirmed to her, understanding her statement. "It's more like me & Freya before, right ?" I asked, making her look at the ceilling to think.

"I can say that, it's more like it's complicated to talk about it." She repeated again her words. Even if me were talking about Freya, she wasn't so willing to talk about Greta and I think that it was better than I don't push further on that road. "Love story are sometimes hard to live." She looked at me, with an reassuring look "With you, it's an big exception."

"Thanks....darling." I taunted her, causing her to blush until I start to hear some knocks at her door.

"Come in !" She ordered and then the door opened to reveal an man....surely an MI6 agent.

"The director is in the meeting room for your briefing, agent Park." He started, staying outside of her office. "There's also Thatcher in here." He added before he closed the door of her office. At hearing this name, my eyes went wide....the Margaret Thatcher ?.....The Prime Minister of the United Kindgom ?.....oh shit, in me, it was getting me nervous. I looked at Park who couldn't believe it too.

"Is....is this something you were aware off ?" She shook her head at me, looking a little bit confused.

"Not at all." She replied before getting off her seat to grab the box in her hands after she had finished her sandwich at the same time as mine. "Okay, deep breath, everything will go okay." She whispered to both of us actually before she gestured me to follow her outside, staying behind her.

Like she said, I was making deep breath each time we were making a step to get to the meeting room where the directors of both the MI6 & the MI5 were awaiting for us and now, we just learned that the most important person in the UK was there too, giving me enough stress in me. When we arrived near the door leading to that particular romm, there were bodyguards near it that opened the door for us and then, we were in that room, not possible for us to back down.

"Agent Park." A man greeted us inside, holding the door for us until he closed the door behind us as Park put her box on the table. "You must be Yirina Grigoriev." The man offered his hand to me and I shook hands with him. "I'm Colin Figures, the MI6 director." He then showed me the table where another man and miss Thatcher were. "Here's John Jones, the director of MI5." He started by the man who nodded at me until she looked at her. "And here's Margaret Tchatcher, our Prime Minister."

"I guess that it's a pleasure to meet the woman that sir Figures told me about." Miss Thatcher told me, looking at me curiously, staying on that chair while Park was preparing her briefing.

"Yes....miss." I said, almost trembling in my voice and freezing in place at her sight.....the Iron Lady in person in front of me.... "It's a pleasure too." I added in a low voice.

"Come on, you can have a sit." She pointed at me, the free seat that was next to her and I was so obliged to comply. I sit on it, trembling to be just next to her. "I heard a lot about you, we said that you have a lot of potential for us."

"Yes, miss." I repeated again, still trying to stay calm with her before she looked at Park.

"Miss Park, I think it's time for you to start your briefing on the man we call Perseus." She ordered Park who in a second, start her briefing, using an projector to show pictures for helping her.

At first, she decide to talk about who was Perseus briefly, explaining everything that the CIA and the MI6 had on him and what was his exploits he has done during his life, precisely the 'Fracture Jaw' operation and by hearing that name.....I could have some flash in my eyes, seeing myself into that helicopter with Adler & Sims before I managed to reconcentrate back on the briefing that Park was making, not wanting to freak out in front of those peoples about my state, did they were aware about my true life ?

Then, Park moved up on the last operations Perseus has tried to do : mentioning my name for dismantle his move to destroy Europe with Greenlight and other operations that was explained very quickly before finishing on the last moves we have done last month : trying to break down the arms trafficking business that was now lead by the old Harry Stone, the ex-SAS soldier and then, also mentioning our operation in New Jersey. At the end, I could see her take a big breath after literally speaking non-stop for 15 minutes.

"So, this Perseus threat is real..." Miss Thatcher snorted, looking at the two directors.

"Yes, miss, it is !" Figures said, his both arms on his chair armrests.

"The British Army officers my mens have arrested because of their allegiances to Perseus told us everything." Jones, the MI5 director added. "We can thanks miss Grigoriev for giving us that intel." He looked at me with a grin.

"And what about this CIA agent, Russell Adler ?" Miss Thatcher asked to Park, still standing up.

"Adler is one of the biggest agent the CIA is having on their fight against Perseus and losing him to the Perseus agent called Stitch is very bad." Park replied, sniffing at talking about him.

"The CIA is forming a team to have him back as I heard from my counterpart." Figures looked at miss Thatcher.

"Of course but we still have this problem with Stone." Jones intervened, redressing in his chair. "Even if he's one of the Nimrod heroes, we need to neutralize him."

"Since Stone is with Perseus...." I started, talking to him after managing to find my calm back. "It's the same fight we are leading." I exclaimed.

"Exactly." Park defended me to him. "Stone & Perseus got long way back and we can still found intels about Adler's whereabouts while we're working on Stone."

"They are right, sir Jones." Miss Thatcher looked at him before she looked at Figures "Give Miss Park & Miss Grigoriev whatever they want." She gestured at me & Park and we looked at each other in surprise.

"Yes, miss." Figures nodded. "I'm asking agent Park to form an team with Grigoriev that will focus on Stone." At hearing this, I couldn't believe it.....we were going to work just the two of us with no CIA around.

"The MI5 will be at your disposal in case." Jones affirmed to us before he got up from his seat, having finished to be here, leaving us with just Figures and Miss Thatcher.

"Miss Grigoriev." It was miss Thatcher voice and I looked at her curious. "Our very way of life is a risk. What you will do against Perseus will mayber never be seen but you will allow the world to live another day. Even if you came from the East and having a troubled past, I'm sure of something...." She started before she gave me a good look "I know that you & miss Park will not fail us !" She was then finished as she got up from her chair too, leaving the room with her bodyguards. When she was out, I could take a deep breath.....I have met the Iron Lady in person and she count on me.....

"Sir, I'm thanking you for your idea." Park told him, relieved

"I wasn't going to let you with the CIA to be sure." Figures exclaimed to us, sniffing at talking about the CIA. "By the way, did you tell her ?" He asked her.

"No, sir, I didn't." She replied and frankly, they were talking about me, getting my curiosity on the maximum.

"What I wasn't told about ?" I questioned them before Park walk next to me.....to hand me a MI6 identification card......with my name on it. "Yirina Grigoriev, MI6 agent ?" I was repeating what was written on it before I looked at Park in a amazing way.

"Agent Park wanted you to be brought about in the MI6 so I agreed to her idea." Figures explained to me, finding out that Park kept me the surprise for this long.

"I wanted this for you, Yirina." Park smiled at me, getting her hand on my chairback

"It will be an honor, sir !" I affirmed, ready to take a new step in my life as I took the card with me, putting on my jacket. "I'm thanking you....the MI6....and Park for that."

"I know you will, you can dispose with agent Park to form your team." He muttered as I got up from my seat in an instant, feeling so happy, relieved and fucking enthuastic. "By now, you're working for her Majesty's Secret Services.....Semper Occultus !"

"Semper Occultus..." I said with Park in unison as I was more lower in voice before we both started to leave the room, not forgetting for her to take her box back with her. Once we were fully out of the room, she looked at me, so happy for me......

"Ready for your new job, agent Yirina Grigoriev ?"

#black ops cold war #bocw #call of duty cold war #cod cw #cod black ops cold war #cod cold war #fanfic #helen park #fem!bell #yirina grigoriev

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plantvenuss · 4 years

Text

Avenging what we lost- [ Steve Rogers x Black! reader ] - 3

[A/N - To be added to the taglist just ask! 🍒💕! the summary may be the same for a few chapters or it might change!]

For previous chapters: Part one, and here for Part two

WARNINGS : None

Summary: Following the release of the readers hospitalization, the reader tries to find out why and who was behind what happened on the 21st of September, 2013. But will they you after the right person? and what happens when it becomes harder than you thought it would be?

1 year ago....

February, 8th 2013.

“You gonna be okay?” Melina, the woman who had been your caretaker for less than a year asked, rubbing your back as the yellow taxi parallel parked in front of you.

The streets were busy, the sound of honking, buzzing cars filled your ears. You breathed in the scent of DC and savored it, the smell of fresh air and soft winter breeze hitting a spot you’d never thought you’d feel again.

Everything felt new, your mind felt fresh- it felt like it somehow expanded and you were open to more knowledge that you could’ve never reached before. You named it the “post-accident high.” because you thought that everyone who had experienced such severe “accidents.” felt this way. That the trauma was so severe that it shook the core of the soul. And the body not knowing how to react to such drastic changes, made changes of its own to adapt: renewing the mind

You nodded as the driver loaded your things in the trunk. ”Although I don’t really remember some things.” you commented jokingly, which made the both of you giggle.

You turned to her, the necklace she had given you on your birthday swinging with the movement of your body. You gave her a soft smile and placed your hand on top of her forearm.

“Are you?” You asked back, becoming serious, and she gave you a stunned look, her eyebrows furrowing, eyes looking around as if you had been talking to someone else before she gave an answer.

She opened her mouth but stopped, wrapping her arms around herself as the whisk cold air blew again. She smiled a sad smile, watching the cars drive by as she continued to stand there with her arms wrapped around herself.

She nodded after a while of silence, like she was appreciating the scene in front of her- the kind of nod you give when you’re satisfied with everything.

“Yeah. I am.”

Finally, she turned and placed her hand on top of yours and exhaled, a short breath enough for it to make the air that escaped her lips turn to fog and dissolve into the air.

You placed your hands on top of hers, the feeling that this moment would only last a short second sitting in the pit of the both of your stomachs.

Although you were not brave enough to admit it, you were going to miss parts you could remember about her. You were going to miss how she put up with your bullshit all of the time, how she would always come in with a brighter smile even after you yelled at her and told her to fuck off countless times. You never meant for all of that, the yelling, the cursing the temper tantrums, it was just that she reminded you so much of your brother, Marcus.

So well put together, so patient and tolerant with all of your shit, you were almost starting to believe that Marcus’ soul was put into the the body of this woman to taunt you.

And you couldn’t help but get angry. It wasn’t his fault, none of what happened that day was anybody’s fault but your own, and you had come to terms with that not too long ago. But you couldn’t dismiss the anger you felt. How could he just leave you here all alone like this? with scars etched all over your body, it disgusted you. You were supposed to protect each other, you were supposed to protect him.

But your pride was too high to admit that to her, how much she reminded you of your brother, even with all of the 3rd degree burns that were patched up and hidden away so the rest of the world couldn’t see you, or hear your stories.

“How about this.” You began, the idea of letting her go so soon breaking your heart. Not now, not when you had such a connection with her.

Slipping your hand away from hers you turned, the taxi driver impatiently seated in his car, waiting for you to say your goodbyes.

“how about we grab a coffee one of these days?” you asked, gulping, waiting to be disappointed.

She smiled brighter, her smile almost bringing the sun out, she nodded and you limped toward the taxi with her help, you said your goodbye’s and the taxi sped off, merging into the Washington traffic. But when you turned to look around, even after sitting in a queue of red lights and honking cars, she was still there, waiting.

June 20th, 2014.

Today....

“Any updates on the missing files?” Steve asked as he crouched over Natasha’s desk, she shook her head, no, as she continued to type at an impeccable speed, her eyes managing to keep up with whatever her fingers were feeding the computer with.

“I’m trying to hack their feed, trying to see if anyone was in that file room before you.”

Steve nodded, fixing his posture and standing up right, grabbing one of the files he took from the base off of Natasha’s desk, skimming through it.

“Good. Let me know if you find anything.” turning on his heels Natasha’s words stopped him from moving any further, “I’m in.” she said, and Steve turned around faster than he’s ever done before.

“Whoever this is,” Natasha spoke after a while of static buzzed through the computers speakers. “meddled with the feed, so I can’t identify the face. Only the times they were in and out.”

Steve huffed, dropping the file back on top of the neat stack of files, Natasha turned towards him with her lips pressed tightly, the feeling of failure seeping into her veins.

“We need to talk.”

He peered over his shoulder and scoffed as the door clicked behind Steve, kicking his feet off of his desk he stood, in one swift motion, his back still turned on Steve.

Steve took this as a sign to move forward, he placed his shield on the couch that was placed in the center of the room and moved his way towards Fury’s desk, he took Fury’s silence as a notion to speak but he chose to remain silent.

“What is it, Rogers?” He asked, his dominant voice bouncing off of the walls. Steve exhaled through his nose, his stubbornness getting the best of him, he swayed on his feet before his eyes flicked up to meet the back of Fury’s head.

“We have missing files and you don’t seem to care.” He croaked out, Fury’s body suddenly turned to this accusation, almost like he jumped at the idea to argue.

“Did I say I didn’t care?” He bounced back, finally meeting Steve’s eyes for the first time since he stepped into the room.

“You’re not exactly acting like you do.” Steve sassed back, if there was ever a time to be sassy, the time was now. Those files were important to S.H.I.E.L.D and now that they’ve been stolen, without any possible trace, the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D is at stake.

“So you’ve come to my office, to tell me how I should and shouldn’t give a damn?”

“No-” Steve pursed his lips into a tight line and tucked his two thumbs into the hilt of his uniform. He turned his head towards fury, his blue eyes boring a sense of urgency behind them, he knows he could catch whoever took the files, hell he wanted to catch whoever did this, all he wanted was for Fury to feel the same.

“All I’m asking is for you to help, send some agents, send a tech team- just send someone. It’s just me and Romanoff down there, and as much as I’d like to believe we can get it done on our own this time,” Steve raised his shoulders and Fury gave him a look of understanding and defeat after a moment.

It marked hour 3 when the loading bar successfully chimed, your head shot up from your desk and you rubbed your cold hands together. Wasting no time your hands moved towards the mouse and you began navigating what you could get your hands on.

“Come on, gimme something.” You urged on, your leg jittering up and down in anticipation. It took you months of planning to get your hands on these things, and you were hoping all of your good work was not put in for nothing.

Just when your hope was beginning to crack you came across a double file, which of course had its sets of passwords because it was S.H.I.E.L.D, but you had no problem getting past those, when you did your hands froze.

You pressed harder against the mouse, the beds of your fingers crushing the material under it, you grit your teeth, your heart beating faster than ever as you read the file over and over again just to make sure you were reading it correctly.

‘S.H.I.E.L.D INITIATIVE, PROJECT SEP 21ST-13 D.C’

‘There must’ve been some kind of file error, surely this couldn’t have been under the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D?’ you thought as you continued to hover the mouse over the file, your fingers shaking with anticipation. You shouldn’t feel this excited about knowing who was behind the attack against your family, but you can’t help it, you’ve finally been able to pin a face to this, after months. And that face was S.H.I.E.L.D.S.

Pulling yourself together you opened the file and the screen glitched for a second, the darkest black you’ve ever seen over-taking your screen as the sound of the computer increased to a piercing shriek, but it was over quicker then you could react. The screen lit up again, and your computer was bombarded with notes, weapon blueprints and potential “attack” dates, all written in some sort of code that you’d never come across before.

You did everything you could, tried to figure out the coding, tried to figure out any hidden features the weapons had, hell you even tried to figure out who triggered the launch for the bomb to go off in the first place, but after around half an hour, the file shut down and re-set its password.

You had figured out, a short while after you had failed to retrieve any useful information that would bring you to a lead, that whoever coded this file must have been the expert among experts, because they were able to hide the fact that after a specific time, you were locked out of each file, depending on the files importance.

Deciding to wrap it up for a day you pinned the hard-drive to your desktop when something caught your eye. This file stood out the most, instead of a mini folder as the image for the file itself it was a small, square bar with extremely small green coding against it, you thought nothing of it, deciding that it was probably a file about getting through HYDRA’S computer system, you decided to leave it alone, until your eyes came across the files name.

‘PROJEKT: [Y / N] [L / N] - 29203 SERUM # 5′

Turns out the night was going to be longer than you thought.

#steve rogers x black!reader #x black reader #avengers x black!reader #captain america x black! reader #captain america #black widow #nick fury #chapter 3 #Chris Evans

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martinnecas · 5 years

Text

Quick Guide | Carolina Hurricanes: Meet The Team - Opening Night 2019-20

New season means a new quick guide to the roster

2018-19 season

This took me a couple of days to put together so please appreciate it

Want to know how to pronounce a players name?

Click this link!

*All gifs made by me*

Forwards:

☞ Sebastian Aho™️ #20

Yes there is another “Sebastian Aho” from Sweden but he’s usually in the AHL (Bridgeport/Islanders)

Born: July 26, 1997 (22 years old/Leo) from Rauma, Finland

6′0, Centre, 35th overall CAR 2015

Nicknames: Fishy, Seabass, Sepe, Sebu

He’s the face of this franchise and the only player on this team that the Canadian media knows about

Is being held against his will in Raleigh because he wants to play for Montreal if you don’t know the actual story MTL sent him an offer sheet that he signed because he wanted the money and knew Carolina could pay it, but you know how Habs twitter can be.

Possibly the messiest Hurricane

Who’s my daddy?!

Spirit animal is a lion, hear him roar

Avid coffee drinker

Baby face

Painted a picture of his cat one time

☞ Ryan Dzingel #18

Born: March 9, 1992 (27 years old/Pisces) from Wheaton, Illinois

6′0, Centre, 204th overall OTT 2011

Nicknames: Zinger, Dizzy, Dzingel Bells, D-pingel

Played with the Ohio State Buckeyes for 3 seasons, recorded the first hat trick in Big Ten history against Xichigan

Traded to CBJ Feb ‘19, signed with CAR as a free agent summer ‘19

Might need glasses, he squints like that ^ a lot

Golfs... A L O T

Wants to produce for the team so he can stay here in Raleigh and make it his home ♥︎

Jeep guy

Looks uncomfortably similar to Tripp Tracy

UNC fan

☞ Warren Foegele #13

Born: April 1, 1996 (23 years old/Aries) from Markham, Ontario

6′2, Left Wing, 67th overall CAR 2014

Nicknames: Foegs, Foegdaddy

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton

Duke fan

Accidentally broke Osh*e’s collarbone but TJ and C*p fans will claim he tried to murder him

Spirit animal is a tiger, also hear him roar

Very easily scared

Duke fan

☞ Erik Haula #56

Born: March 23, 1991(28 years old/Aries) from Pori, Finland

6′0, Left Wing, 181st overall 2009 MIN

Nicknames: Hauls, Haulsy

Moved to Minnesota in 2008 to play hockey in boarding school

Played for the University Of Minnesota Gophers for 3 seasons

Signed with MIN in 2013, was picked up by the VGK in 2017 as a free agent in the Expansion Draft, then traded to CAR summer of 2019 (for Nic Roy & draft pick)

Suffered a pretty bad knee injury in the 2018-19 season

CAKE

Got married this past summer ♥︎

Currently living in Calvin de Haan’s old house

☞ Jordan Martinook (A) #48

Born: July 25, 1992 (27 years old/Leo) from Brandon, Manitoba

6′0, Left Wing, 58th overall 2012 PHX

Nicknames: Marty, Marty Man, Marty Party

Signed with PHX/ARI in 2012, traded to CAR in 2018 (for Krüger)

Raw chaotic dad energy

Doesn’t like corndogs and has a very high pitched scream

His wife gave birth to their first son last season before he got his downstairs fixed in the offseason

LETS GO SVECH

Spirit animal is a dolphin because he has a great impression

There is so much more I want to put on here but you should really just follow his Twitter

☞ Brock McGinn #23

Born: February 2, 1994 (25 years old/Aquarius) from Fergus, Ontario

6′0, Left Wing, 47th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Ginner, Brock McWinn, McPing, the new Mr. Game Seven (that one is kind of a joke though), Big Cock Brock

Single handedly defeated evil not only once but twice on April 24th, 2019, earning him the nicknames “Brock McWinn” and the new “Mr. Game Seven”

Has two brothers who also play professionally; Jamie (NHL) and Tye (AHL) McGinn

Co Owner of the Roanoke Rail Road Dawgs with his brothers and father

His daddy is Bob

Has a high probability of burning his whole house down

Used to be a fighter, but he didn’t fight anyone last season

Thor

Was 3rd in the league with most MsS Post (10) in the 2017-18 season earning him the nickname Brock McPing

☞ Martin Nečas #88

Born: January 15, 1999 (20 years old/Capricorn) from Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Rebublic

6′2, 12th overall 2017 CAR, “He plays, like, Centre”

Nicknames: Neči, Marty, Nacho, Marto

Your 2019-20 ****** ****** winner

He’s here to fix out PP units, quote me on that

Little hockey stick chain ^

Is known for falling while scoring

Is it avocado or avocaydo?

Hidden talent: Belly dancing

Almost killed the entire team with a golf club last season

Don’t mess with him

Just won the Calder Cup with the Checkers :)

☞ Nino Niederreiter #21

Born: September 8, 1992 (27 years old/Virgo) from Chur, Switzerland

6′0, Right Wing, 5th overall 2010 NYI

Nicknames: El Nino

Was the highest drafted Swizz born player until Hischer in 2017

Signed to the Islanders in 2010, traded to Minnesota in 2013, then traded to Carolina in January 2019 (for Rask)

Was about to take a nap when he was traded

Just when canes fans almost lost hope, Nino showed up and saved our season

When he came to Carolina, someone gave him sweet tea and he really liked it

Was voted best dressed by a couple teammates

Loves the surge

Supports women’s hockey

☞ Jordan Staal (C) #11

Born: September 10, 1988 (31 years ago/Virgo) from Thunder Bay, Ontario

6′4, Centre, 2nd overall 2006 PIT

Nicknames: Stallsy, Jordad, Gronk

Arrested at his brother’s bachelor party

Won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009

Jordan is the youngest out of the other brothers (Eric, Marc) in the league (NHL) 3rd brother is the youngest and is now a coach

Signed with PIT in 2006, traded to CAR in 2012 (for 8th overall pick, Brandon Sutter and Brian Dumoulin)

Named Captain in the 2017-18 season, became Alternative Captain in 2018-19, is now Captain again in 2019-20

Great at dad jokes

☞ Andrei Svechnikov #37

Born: March 26, 2000 (19 years old/Aries) from Barnaul, Russia

6′2, Right Wing, 2nd overall 2018 CAR

Nicknames: Svech, Mother Russia

Svech is ready

“Just win every game”

Wears #37 because that’s what his brother, Evgeny Svechnikov (DET), wears

Russia = Cold, Raleigh = Hot

Apparently his biggest talent outside of hockey is… magic?

Best friends with Warren Foegele and Dougie Hamilton

Likes to shovel the ice during practice

Me?

Terrible at golf..

.. I mean like really bad

☞ Teuvo Teräväinen #86

Born: September 11, 1994 (25 years old/Virgo) from Helsinki, Finland

5′11, Left Wing, 18th overall 2012 CHI

Nicknames: Turbo, Teukka

Shortest Hurricane

Began with CHI in 2014, traded to CAR in 2016 (along with Bickell for 2nd round pick)

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (Along with van Riemsdyk)

Has the worst sense of smell ever

I mean come on.. pumpkin? toothpaste?

I could keep going with this I don't know what’s wrong with his nose

Most likely the messiest Hurricane

Would dump Sebastian on the side of the road after 100km

Gets scared REALLY easily

His sisters plays hockey over in Finland (and is pretty good at it too)

☞ Lucas Wallmark #71

Born: September 5, 1995 (24 years old/Virgo) from Umea, Sweden

6′0, Centre, 97th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Wally

My daddy!?

His spirit animal is… a horse?

^ He enjoys watching horse racing

*Straight face* “Snacks!? Candy!?”

Deal with it

Showed up to a U12 and U18 team practice to work on skills with kids

Owns a pug named Lovis

Defense

☞ Joel Edmundson #6

Born: June 28, 1993 (26 years old/Cancer) Brandon, Manitoba

6′4, 46th overall 2011 STL

Nicknames: Crop Top King, Eddy

Won the cup in 2019 with STL and partied in a crop top

True Canadian, ate poutine out of the cup

Traded in September 2019 to CAR (along with Bokk for Faulk and draft pick)

Going to strengthen our PK I promise

Finally, an enforcer

Forgot to take his skate guards off during his CAR preseason debut in front of 18,000 people

Is a barbie girl, living in a barbie world

☞ Haydn Fleury #4

Born: July 8, 1996 (23 years old/Cancer) from Carlyle, Saskatchewan

6′3, 7th overall 2014 CAR

Nicknames: Fleurs

Beat his little brother Cale (MTL) during his NHL debut

Best friends with Trevor van Riemsdyk

Has the cutest dog named Kobe

Won the Calder Cup along with Nečas :)

If you want to giggle watch this

Has the worst witch cackle you will ever hear

Apparently the best golfer on the team

Big Duke fan

☞ Jake Gardiner #51

Born: July 4, 1990 (29 years old/Cancer) from Minnetonka, Minnesota

6′2, 17th overall 2008 ANA

Nicknames: Gards

Played for the University of Wisconsin for 3 seasons

Traded to TOR in 2011, signed as a free agent to CAR in summer 2019

Has the cutest baby

Denied several offers from other teams mtl to play with us instead

Hands down had the best Halloween costume two years ago

☞ Dougie Hamilton #19

Born: June 17, 1993 (26 years old/Gemini) from Toronto, Ontario

6′6, 9th overall 2011 BOS

Nicknames: D-Ham, Doug the Thug, well his real name is Douglas so I guess Dougie is technically a nickname

Tallest Hurricane

Both of his parents are Olympians, brother also plays professional hockey

Started with BOS in 2012, traded to CGY in 2015, then traded to CAR in 2018 (Last remaining player from the huge Hamilton, Ferland & Fox for Lindholm and Hanifin trade)

Best friends with Andrei Svechnikov and Warren Foegele

Porche guy

Grew out a mullet because his hair salon couldn’t take him as a walk in

Jack Edwards complained that he was wearing a number retired from the Whalers so he taped a 6 over the 1 in 19 to make 69

Goes to children's hospitals dressed as woman characters

Lowkey shootout king

Floss

Another Duke fan

Wears the same blazer to every road game

☞ Brett Pesce #22

Born: November 15, 1994 (24 years old/Scorpio) from Tarrytown, New York

6′3, 66th overall 2013 CAR

Nicknames: Pesh

“I play defense bro”

Played for the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with van Riemsdyk)

Pretty ^

Wears 22 for his dad

He’ll break your ankles

Fortnite squad

Brought his wonderful brother on the mentors trip

Allergic to cats

☞ Jaccob Slavin (A) #74

Born: May 1, 1994 (25 years old/Taurus) from Denver, Colorado

6′3, 120th overall 2012 CAR

Nicknames: Slav-o

The second ‘c’ stands for captain

Faith and family

Played for Colorado College for two seasons

Adopted a beautiful baby girl with his beautiful wife

Has an instagram for his two dogs

His daddy is “Robert”

Not afraid of snakes at all

☞ Trevor van Riemsdyk #57

Born: July 24, 1991 (28 years old/Leo) from Middletown, New Jersey

6′2, Undrafted

Nicknames: TVR, Riems

Agreed to terms with CHI in 2014

Won the cup with CHI in 2015 (along with Teräväinen)

Was picked up by the VGK in the 2017 expansion draft

The next day traded to CAR (for 2nd round pick)

James van Riemsdyk (PHI) is his older brother

Played with the University of New Hampshire for 3 seasons (2 of those seasons with Pesce)

He’s too tired to be scared

March Madness

Best friends with Haydn Fleury

Pride representative for the team

Goalies

☞ Petr Mrázek #34

Born: February 14, 1992 (27 years old/Aquarius) from Ostrava, Czech Republic

6′1, 141st overall 2010 DET

Nicknames: Mrazzle Dazzle, St. Petr

Moved to Ottawa at age 17

Signed with DET in 2014

Was HUGE for them during the 2015 playoff run

Traded to PHI in Feb ‘18, signed as a free agent with CAR in July ‘18

Stylish

He had custom hats made for every player on the team

Always has Peter Griffin in his helmet design

Signature move: Poke Check

☞ James Reimer #47

Born: March 15, 1988 (31 years old/Pisces) from Morweena, Manitoba

6′2, 99th overall 2006 TOR

Nicknames: Optimus Reim, The Statue, Reims

Debuted with TOR in 2010, traded to SJS Feb ‘16

Signed with FLA as a free agent summer ‘16, traded to CAR summer ‘19 (for Darling and a 2020 6th round pick)

Has two kids

Really good swimmer

You may recognize this famous goalie meme, that’s right, that's him

Optimus Reim helmet art

He looks so much like Weston from Love Island USA

Honorable Mention

☞ Julien Gauthier #44

I’m including him because everyone expected him to make the team as he did phenomenal in the preseason (playing all 6 games) but due to cap space (and our horrid pp units), he was sent back down.

Born: October 15, 1997 (turning 22/Libra) from Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec

6′4, Right Wing, 21st overall 2016 CAR

Nicknames: Goat, Gauths, Jules

Big boy

Bilingual (French/English)

Cute accent

His uncle played 554 games in the NHL (Denis Gauthier)

Both his father and grandfather were professional bodybuilders

That explains his muscles

The best thighs in the league (not up for debate)

Also won the Calder Cup this past season with Haydn Fleury and Martin Nečas

Head Coach

☞ Rod Brind’Amour #17

Roderick Jean Brind’Amour

Born: August 9, 1970 (age 49 years/Leo) from Ottawa, Canada

6′1, Centre, 9th overall 1988 STL

Nicknames: Rod the Bod, RBA

Played with Michigan State for one season

Started with STL in the playoffs of ‘88, traded to PHI in ‘91, traded to CAR in 2000

Captain of the 2006 CAR Stanley Cup winning team

Played 20 seasons, 1,484(GP) 452(G) 732(A) 1,184(P)

Became head coach for the 2018-19 season

First year as HC broke the team’s 9 year playoff drought and brought them all the way to the ECF

Is known for his extreme workouts

Still in better shape than 98% of the league

Could very well still lace up and play better than 80% of the league

Lives rent free in W*lson’s and Reirden’s heads

Gives the best post-game speeches

President & General Manager

☞ Don Waddell

I really just wanted an excuse to put this gif in here

Coached the 1998 DET Stanley Cup winning team

Named Pres. & GM of CAR in May ‘18

Owner

☞ Tom Dundon

Lives rent free is Habs fans minds

Estimated net worth is $1.1 billion?

Majority owner of TopGolf (55%)

Chairman of the Alliance of American Football

Purchased 52% of CAR in January 2018 for $420million

Likes to hang around team/fan events

Stays in the same hotel as me lol

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kristallioness · 4 years

Photo

2016 | 2017 | 2018

*quietly sneaks back in*... Happy New THIS Year, my dear followers! In Estonia, we have this saying that if you wish someone a 'happy new year' after Three Kings' Day (the 6th of January), you gotta have a bottle of alcohol with you and give them a drink. *lol*

Anyways, I would like to apologize for the sudden disappearance that happened prior to Christmas. I was just busy travelling back home for the holidays, unpacking and putting away my stuff, watching some great, traditional movies or shows on TV, and most importantly, working on those 2 latest masterpieces that I posted (which barely got 30 notes each.. *sigh*).

But as you can (and probably will) see, the year of the yellow earth pig (i.e. my dad's year) was a rollercoaster of emotions and accomplishments, or lacking thereof.

My creative side seems to have suffered the most due to lack of leisure time. I only managed to finish 3 full digital drawings and left behind several sketches or unfinished WIPs (2 of which are revealed here under the months of June and November for the first time, I intend to finish the Korrasami one btw). At least I got to start 2020 with a completed drawing on the very 1st day, ha-ha! Perhaps that's a good omen for this year?

If so, then I hope I'll find the time to finish the rest of the 2019 Inktober prompts, since I only did 4/31 this past October (even though I'd thought of ideas for all of them). I brought all the necessary drawing utensils and sheets of paper with me, so whenever I'm in the mood, I'll try to sketch another one.

*calculates for the nth time*.. I wrote 18,110 words worth of fanfiction, plus 820 words for the UYLD prompts (making the total 18,930). Technically, you can count another 8k+ in there, since it comes from that unfinished story (of Aang taking care of a flu-ridden Katara, as illustrated by the September sketch), which I haven't finished within the last 4 months or so. Plus, I barely wrote 1/5 of the amount compared to 2018.. *hides in shame*

Then again, I was an excellent pupil for picking up an actual book and reading through 150+ pages (which means I have ~300 pages to go). I'm talking about the new Kyoshi novel that came out. As I once said, I haven't voluntarily read a book in years make that 2 years ago (most of the reading I've done in my life is either Tom & Jerry comics, now the Avatar comic trilogies and art books as well as fanfiction online, or compulsory reading during school). But this novel is freaking fantastic superb!

Not only that, I bought all the new comic trilogies and managed to read them through. Damn, did they give me feels.. especially "Ruins of the Empire" (ngl I squeed so hard when I saw the Korrasami farewell kiss on the 1st page of the 2nd part). I can't wait to read the 3rd part this year!

However, I failed to rewatch Avatar last year, and I haven't seen Korra since.. 2016, I believe? Wow, that's 4 whole years.. But I intend to fix that mistake starting from 2020. Hopefully I'm in the mood to start my rewatch this weekend tonight. *fingers crossed*

But as I said, I had much less time to focus on my hobbies since 2019 was the year for finally moving on with my life (sort of, I'm still working on it). I still remember how down I'd been feeling for a while and how valid those emotions really were. The first quarter of the year (+ like a month or two) was a continuous descent into desperation and feelings of utter failure, which already started around the 2nd half of 2018 and only continued to deepen around that time.

Everything began to change when I was first chosen to be part of a 2-month summer internship in an IT company, and I had to start building a new nest in a new location in Tallinn this May. And now, I feel like I've hit the jackpot by getting a permanent job in another IT company this October.

I got the opportunity to work in two different fields, in two different teams within a year. I met some awesome colleagues (a lot of whom are foreigners) and got the chance to really put my English skills to the test.

Thanks to the new job, I also had to go to a free health check, which went really-really well. Despite my nervousness in the beginning, I feel much more relaxed about my physical (and mental) health, cause the results showed that everything's okay (something I'd been worried about since March 2017).

Speaking of health or staying healthy, there were a few sports events that I went to, too. Our team held the first winter team event (it was the first one for me, at least) by going to do archery in a range on the outskirts of the capital.

I watched the football match between 2 teams of our local league at my hometown together with my dad on his birthday. Our home team won the match and came in 4th place overall in the league this year, which is their best result so far (I'm really proud!). And merely days before I started work, I visited the Tallinn International Horse Show for the first time (also with my dad). I last got to watch horses jump over fences or dance to their musical programs ~ 10 years ago, and I loved it!

Event-wise 2019 was pretty full of them. As has become tradition, I went to the Defence Forces parade on our 101st Independence Day (which seemed rather bleak compared to the centennial, even more so since we didn't have ANY snow at the time).

What will hopefully become new traditions, I visited the television tower on the Restoration of Independence Day (where Uku Suviste gave a free concert in the evening), and went to the Veteran's Rock concert (to honour our war veterans) on our Freedom Square on the 23rd of April (since I'm residing in the capital now, I should be able to go again this year).

To continue with the centennial celebrations (yes, some things are STILL turning 100), I saw and explored inside the armoured train no. 7 called "Wabadus" ("Freedom") in the Baltic Station. This armoured train was one of the keys that led our country to victory during the War of Independence from 1918-1920.

There was an even bigger (150th) anniversary to celebrate in the beginning of July, when I attended our Song and Dance Festival. This was a really important, if not the biggest event of the year. I intend to make a longer post about my experience, cause it's something that you foreigners need to see for yourself. I can't simply describe or put it into words, I have to show you some videos and photos.

But while we're on the topic of concerts, I should mention that I went to 2 more at the beginning of June - Bon Jovi and Sting - as well as 2 that were part of Christmas tours in December - Elina Nechayeva and Rolf Roosalu.

Besides that, I went to 6 different festivals, half of which I'd been to several times before, such as the Türi Flower Fair, Jäneda Farm Days (where I went on my first helicopter ride for my 25th birthday present) and the Christmas market in the Old Town of Tallinn.

The other half is comprised of festivals that I'd been considering going to for a while, or which took place for the first time. The latter applies to the Black Food Festival, whereas the "Valgus Kõnnib" ("Wandering Lights") and the duck rally, both of which took place in Kadriorg, fall under the first category.

The duck rally is a charity event held in the beginning of June. Regular people can buy at least one (or several) rubber bath duckies for different prices, which will then be dumped into a tiny stream that'll carry them towards the finish line. This event has grown more popular each year, and the money the Estonian Association of Parents of Children with Cancer (sorry, long name in English!) collects is donated to the Cancer Treatment Fund.

*wipes forehead*.. Phew! I'm surprised, that's a whole lotta positivity for 2019. I think there's one more important, but seriously negative topic I haven't covered yet, but I feel should be mentioned and explained.

When it comes to politics, 2019 was a complete disaster for us. EKRE (Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond in Estonian, or Estonia's Conservative People's Party in English) i.e. our populist/nazi/pro-Trump party is in the government as of April 2019, thanks to 100,000+ idiots (out of our population of 1.3 million) who voted for them and gave them 19/101 seats in the Parliament.

No, I am NOT going to apologize for calling them a nazi party, because their main leaders have repeatedly supported ideology that's common to nazis (they use aggressive rhetoric, blame the media for making them look bad, downgrade women, minorities, are racist, anti-semitic etc...). And I will not apologize in front of the people who voted for them, because "thanks" to this, EKRE has dragged our country's reputation straight through a mud puddle (not to mention the scandals that have accompanied 5 of their ministers, 3 of who have THANKFULLY stepped down from their positions) and.. *swears like the British*.. it's BLOODY EMBARRASSING.

I am done being nice, I have at least some kind of prejudice about anyone who supports them or their ideals. And I will certainly not let Estonia end up like America. So that is why I participated in two protest events against EKRE and our current government (because the 2 other parties, who were willing to form the coalition with them, are spineless jellyfish that simply seek to hold onto their current positions of power). I'm willing to take bets as to when our government falls (the sooner the better).

*shakes off the frustration*.. Brrr! So besides that, I guess the only downside to 2019 was my spare time falling back in the list of priorities (which shows in the empty square of July).

2020 is gonna be the year of the white metal rat. I can only hope (and take action so) that it'll be just as eventful, and much more creative than 2019. Thank you all for following me (or lurking anonymously) for so long, especially to the bloggers who've offered me support through better or worse! *raises a glass* Here's to 2020!.. *sip*

#personal #shards of Kristal

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anonymorshu · 4 years

Text

I’m Back!

Yeah, that’s right. I live! Happy New Year!

It seems that Tumblr’s guidelines update a couple years ago annexed all the pornbots, so to my followers that are still here, I have missed you all and will be making some changes for the better that I'll get into later.

Firstly, the reason for my hiatus:

From what feels like since I started using Tumblr, I had tried to check it every night at 11 PM before bed alongside the first two pages each of a couple subreddits I follow. Eventually, I had followed too many blogs to the point that I took a break around July 2018, and slowly tried to recuperate where I left off, going into the 500+ range of Dashboard pages. Eventually, I tried skipping a few hundred pages to try and get closer to the end, but that wasn’t enough. I started setting aside the Reddit pages to get to later so I could put more time into this, and that lead into the series of events that unfolded in this Reddit post I made back in October.

So with that being said, a lot has happened since I made my leave. In particular:

Literally all of Deltarune is amazing. Especially best boy Rouxls Kaard.

Upon release, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate took up a good portion of my time as it would anyone; I main most of the newcomers. Love it to bits, especially playing Terry as of late. I got Piranha Plant later than I would’ve liked; February 3rd. I also beat the World of Light story mode on Hard from start to finish February 20th at 2:19 AM.

I watched Cowboy Bebop from March 9th to June 13th, 6:55 PM. Bit of a bittersweet ending, but it certainly went out with a bang.

I made a Twitch channel on March 31st. Don’t expect streams anytime soon.

I watched JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind over the course of its run, as did my parents following the previous parts in 2018. They love everything there is to do with JoJo and I couldn’t be happier.

Come June 11th, I got Final Fantasy VII on Switch on sale and completely get now why it’s heralded in such high regard by the gaming community. I’m certainly anticipating the Remake.

Not long after that, my brother picked me up Axiom Verge as part of a BOGOF deal. One of the best games I’ve ever played.

While I wasn’t really interested from the first episode alone and put it off, I picked Code Geass back up and binged it over the course of October to November 4th. Not the best ending, but given all that happened prior, it was for the best. Still gotta see Akito the Exiled, though.

From November 22nd to now, I’ve been really enjoying Re:Zero as well.

In anticipation of Persona 5: Royal’s release, from November 30th to now I’ve been playing Persona 3 FES and loving it. I plan on playing Persona 4 afterward.

This past month or so, I’ve been watching a fair amount of My Hero Academia. Pretty cool. I’m on the second season thus far.

As I never got to truly post about it, back in late May 2018 I broke 100 Subscribers on my YouTube channel, but didn’t wind up finishing work on the special for it until September. That video can be found here:

youtube

Heck, just recently I broke 300 Subs, but my next special’s at 500.

But back to the subject of Tumblr:

Despite how many (admittedly unnecessary) r/DDLC and spicy anime art link posts I’ve made in the past, the Tumblr NSFW ban barely affected me, thank goodness. I only got 3 posts taken down under the new guidelines, them being this, this, and this. The first one, not too explicit, the third one, completely understandable. But the second one? It’s a completely clean DDLC comic about Sayori comforting a sad Yuri. It blows my mind that that of all things would get detected and taken down. But I digress since I was able to appeal them all and get them back up safe and sound.

Additionally, I was quite upset when I reblogged all those posts from the @memories April Fool’s account due to my lack of getting caught up with Tumblr prior. But I was worried I wouldn’t get the chance to participate come April 2nd, so I had to bite the bullet and reblogged ‘em anyway.

Even now, I couldn’t get caught up if I wanted to since Tumblr’s Dashboard is completely broken. If I click the “Next” button to Page 2 of the Dashboard, it’ll display the second page, but when I go to Page 3 or further, and then click the “Previous” button to go back to Page 2, despite the URL, it takes me to Page 1. Absurd.

And now, what changes I’ll be making:

For my sake, I’m gonna limit how much Reddit and Tumblr I intake so as to prevent another downward spiral. Henceforth, I’m only going to check the first page of each subreddit alone rather than the first two of each, and only the first two pages of my Dashboard when I do my daily check-in before bed.

I’m gonna be removing the “Original Content” tag to my non-reblog posts, and instead, add a “Reblog” tag to my reblogs. This way it’ll be much easier to manage, and it’ll be a much more accurate tag than “Original Content”. Those who don’t want to see my reblogs can filter the tag.

From here on, I may limit how many tags I use on posts, in particular, only putting the franchise/series name(s) only instead of listing every character featured.

I’ll also try to put a heavier focus on my videos, ergo discussing behind-the-scenes things about my videos as mentioned in the update video I made back in November. 2019 was a very slow year for me in terms of channel content, so I’m gonna try and fix that going into 2020.

And that should be everything.

If you have any questions regarding the things mentioned, I may be able to answer them via the askbox. You can even choose to stay anonymous should you so choose.

In closing, I’m sorry if it seems like I left you all in the dark for too long, I hope you understand my reasoning for my absence, and I hope to do better.

Thanks for reading.

#Update

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excusemewhileiplaykh · 5 years

Text

What This Series Means to Me: #ThankYouKingdomHearts

I used to go to a public school right next to my apartment building when I was growing up. Unfortunately, in the 3rd grade, my mom decided to take me out of there and put me in a private school. A Catholic private school.

I was not happy.

I didn’t want to wear the dumb private school uniform. I didn’t want to go to church. I didn’t want to deal with the strict rules and the praying and all the other stuff that was “not cool” about Catholic school.

I started the 4th grade at my new school and made friends with a girl who I actually knew from elementary school. One day, she brought her KH 1 and 2 copies to school and showed me at lunch. The box art… the instruction manual… Everything was so cool and colorful. I fell in love with it. I especially remember thinking how cool Riku looked, in all his chartreuse yellow wonder.

I went home that day and looked up more stuff on the series and really got into the lore. And by that I mean I spent disgusting amounts of time every day going on kh-vids.net.

I really wanted to buy KH 1 so I can start playing the series with the first game. I wasn’t even sure how much the game was gonna cost me, but I figured it wouldn’t be more than 15 bucks (keep in mind I was in the 4th grade so that was a lot of money to me back then lol). I didn’t bother to look up the price online. Somehow I just knew that price was right. Eventually, I scraped together the money and I was so excited to finally get to buy Kingdom Hearts so I could play it for myself and not live vicariously through kh-vids.net. There was a video game store a block away from my school (my neighborhood didn’t have a Gamestop yet) and I asked my mom if we could go there after school. I asked the guy that works there if he had Kingdom Hearts, but told me he only had 2 and one copy of it at that. I asked him how much and it was exactly 15 dollars, the exact amount I had and the exact amount I had randomly guessed the game would cost.

I was kinda bummed they didn’t have KH 1, but honestly, at that age, KH 1 probably would have been too hard for me and I would have abandoned the series after that bad experience.

So it was like everything in the universe lined up just right for me to get into the series. I guessed the exact price the game would cost me. I bought 2 instead of 1, ensuring I would fall in love with the series. Hell, if I hadn’t gone to private school I never would have gotten into the series cuz I wouldn’t have befriended that girl! We were always in different classes in my public school. I guess it was meant to be.

I went home that day and rapidly did my homework so I could play it. The rest is history. I spent the entirety of that school year playing and beating and replaying that game over and over.

Unfortunately, I lost my original copy of 2 and subsequently lost my favorite game around the time I was in the 5th grade. My discovery and detachment from the series were also at the advent of extreme family issues (which I don’t want to get into).

However, 2 years later, Days came out. I was lucky enough to have a DS at that point so I could play it. My mom bought me a copy about a month after it’s release. Just like 2, I played it over and over again non-stop. I was kinda mad at the Xion twist at first and thought it was “dumb”. So much so I stopped playing the game for a good 2 weeks. I was so shocked when I saw Sora’s face on Xion that I immediately closed my DS and went to bed in anger. I got over it though. I can still remember beating it while I was sitting on my grandma’s bed. I watched the final cutscene as we were leaving her house that night.

BBS was announced. And I was pissed.

Like most people, we expected KH3, not another “spin-off”. I swore off the series and I said I wouldn’t be buying anymore KH games. Since I wasn’t going to buy that game, I decided to spoil myself. I knew about the x-blade and how Vanitas looked way before the game released in the US. I rolled my eyes at Vanitas looking at Sora and criticized Ventus being a carbon copy of Roxas. I thought to myself, “Wow, this game is gonna be so fucking stupid.”

I was watching abc family one day and commercials were rolling out and one of them was none other than an ad for BBS.

...

As soon as the commercial was over I walked into my parent’s room and told them I wanted a psp for Christmas.

Oh and by the way, Birth by Sleep is my favorite KH game now.

The family issue that began while I was still playing 2 intensified during this time. I used BBS to escape. I felt bad for Ven, Aqua, Terra, and Vanitas who were being swept up in the mistakes of others. I could relate.

It’s 2010, I found out Coded, the elusive phone game, was finally coming to the US in 2011. I was excited. I sold Dissidia and Saints Row 2 so I could buy it. Me and my mom hopped the bus to go to gamestop so I could get it because we didn’t have enough money for bus fare. Needless to say, we were in a bad place, but Kingdom Hearts was there to comfort me. I sacrificed a lot for Re:Coded so even though it was bad, I still remember it fondly.

It’s 2012. The Dream Drop Distance demo drops (no pun intended). I was absolutely in love. I was still going through intense hardship because of family issues and I was given another way to escape. Watching Riku face his demons and finally conquer the darkness that was holding him back inspired me. I thought to myself: “Maybe someday I could do the same”. I always loved Riku, but that game really made him a role model for me. I wanted to grow past the circumstances others had put me in too and start to become my own person, a person who was more confident and positive. I played through it twice back to back.

In 2012, I also started high school. Again because of family stuff, I was going through a really hard time and wasn’t immediately making friends at school. I eventually did, but those friends didn’t like video games. I still remembered Kingdom Hearts though.

In 2013, I started my blog and I immediately knew it needed a KH related name. I’ve had the same url since I started. I don’t plan to ever abandon this blog or diverge it from it’s Kingdom Hearts focus. Although my friends weren’t into Kingdom Hearts, I had all of you to talk to about it. Thanks for keeping my interest in the series alive and thanks for all the laughs throughout the years. I really mean that.

In 2013, the promise at the end of Dream Drop Distance seemed like it was about to be fulfilled. Kingdom Hearts 3 was announced to be in development. I remember being in my living room and then going to my room so I could freak out alone. I jumped and scream. I was so excited. I thought I would be playing this game by the end of high school for sure (I am now a Junior in college…)

I didn’t have ps3 at the time the remixes were coming out so I missed out on them initially. Again because of my never-ending family issues, I also lost my 3ds, psp, etc. so I couldn’t play any of my KH games. I was so starved to play one of those games again. My blog kept me connected to Kingdom Hearts during that time though and somewhat slated my desires.

I went over to one of my friend’s houses and she had a ps3 in her room. She said it used to be her brother’s but once he got his ps4, he gave it to her so she could watch Netflix. The ps3 had a Kingdom Hearts wallpaper on it and I thought it was really cool that her brother was into KH like me. I wanted to befriend him so eventually, I did. I started to talk to him in 2014 and we really got along (besides liking KH, we had the same sense of humor, views on life, politics, etc.)

It was 2015, and I had fallen in love with someone and it was all because the fates aligned on that September day in 2007 and I was able to buy the only copy of KH 2 in my local game store and because I managed to guess the exact price of the game. We’re still together today and everyday I feel more and more alive. I can actually say that Kingdom Hearts is one of the main reasons I found love.

Not only did it find me my soulmate, but it also kept me alive and hopeful when I most wanted to die. I always remembered the kind messages the series instills in its players. Small little takeaways and sayings like “There’s a light that never goes out!” or “My friends are my power! And I’m theirs!” or “Come Riku! You’ve been hanging around in the darkness too long! You gotta think positive!”

The series has always been there in some form to bring me happiness and that’s why I can never let it go.

Listen, I’m the first person to admit this series is a trash fire (my blog title is “Mickey Mouse Bullshit”). I will always view the series as a sanctuary (no pun intended), no matter what. As a beacon of hope. Sora’s incessant optimism found some way to infect me. Like Riku, I have become “Sora-esque”. I honestly believe I am the person I am today because of this series and moreover because of its characters who always fight no matter how dark it gets. I am still here because of this series.

So no matter how bad the plot gets or how dumb the time travel shit becomes or how bad the ship wars get or how elitist people are about KH2FM (which is overrated!) or all the “spin-offs” we get or the weird dialogue or all the Xehanorts and all the Soras, etc., etc., I will always love this series and support it.

I love Kingdom Hearts. I love Kingdom Hearts because over the years it has shown me how to love and has always loved me.

Thank you, Kingdom Hearts and thank you to this community.

#kingdom hearts #kh #kingdom hearts 2 #kh2 #kingdom hearts 3 #kh3 #thankyoukingdomhearts #long post

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garypaolucciweb · 4 years

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Your Black Friday Shopping Guide to Smart Home Tech in 2019

Last Updated: A day ago

Added NEW deals today in smart home, home security, amazon and google! Check em out before they disappear!

It’s time to get ready for the biggest shopping event of 2019! Even though Black Friday is officially the day after Thanksgiving (November 29 this year) you don’t have to wait until the turkey’s picked clean to start saving.

Many stores begin offering discounts in the days leading up to this event, and some retailers, like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s , Lowe’s and Home Depot have pre-Black Friday deals live right now.

We know you don’t want to sort through hundreds of ads to find the best discounts—especially when you could be watching football and enjoying leftovers.

To make your Black Friday about shopping (instead of researching), we’ve rounded up the best deals on some of our favorite smart home and home security devices. Take a look at our recommendations to finalize your holiday shopping list and make the most of Black Friday this year.

Check back often for the latest deals!

2019 Black Friday & Cyber Monday Shopping Sales

Best Home Security Deals

Best Smart Home Deals

Best Amazon Deals

Best Google Deals

Best Apple Deals

Gift Guides

How-to Guides

2019’s Best Black Friday Home Security Deals

Security Systems

Whether you want a system you can monitor yourself or a system that will connected to a call center and respond if your alarm is triggered, here are the best black friday deals on home security systems with no contracts, that you can install yourself.

50% off

SimpliSafe Security System

Regular Prices from $229-$489

No contracts

Easy installation

Visit SimpliSafe

35% off

Arlo Pro Wireless Security System with Siren

Regular Price $479.99

Indoor/outdoor 1080p cameras

View on Amazon

$70 off

Abode Smart Security Kit

Regular Pirce $

Compatible with Apple Home Kit

Compact; custom automations

Visit Abode

Security Cameras

Wired or wireless, indoor or outdoor, Canary or Ring, here are all the best deals for home security cameras. Whether you want to check on your pet, keep an eye on your kids, make sure your property is safe from intruders, or something else, these are some of our favorite cameras with the best black friday deals.

35% off

Canary Flex Indoor/Outdoor Camera

Regular Price: $199.00

Wire-free or Plug In

Weatherproof & Alexa-enabled

View on Amazon

$87.50 off

Reolink 4pc Wired Outdoor Camera System

Regular price $349

4MP 8CH PoE Video Surveillance System

1440P PoE IP Cameras

View on Amazon

Smart Locks

Here are some of the best deals for smart locks from the brands we recommend.

$20 off

August Smart Lock

Regular Price: $199.00

Attaches to your existing deadbolt

Voice integration and remote access

View on Amazon

2019’s Best Smart Home Black Friday Sales

Video Doorbells

Video doorbell cameras are a smart holiday purchase—whether you want to put one under the tree as a gift or pop it on the porch to keep an eye on all your Cyber Monday packages.

Find the right smart doorbell for the folks on your nice list, and save money with these delightful holiday deals.

$70 off

Ring Video Doorbell 2

Regular Price $199

1080HD video with infrared night vision

Alexa-enabled with two-way talk

View on Amazon

$70 off

Ring Video Doorbell Pro

Regular Price $249

HD video & Motion Activated Alerts

Existing doorbell wiring required

View on Amazon

$50 off

Ring Peephole Camera

Regular price $199

1080p HD video doorbell

Alexa-enabled; replaces peephole

View on Target

Data effective 11/25/2019. Offers and availability subject to change. See full disclaimer.

Smart Speakers

Smart speakers are an easy foray into the smart home ecosystem and a go-to gift. Whether you want to treat yourself, or family members and friends, a smart speaker delivers convenience and entertainment in a gadget that’ll take up less space than a poinsettia plant. Whether you prefer Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple’s Siri, we’ve got the deals you need to pop a speaker in every stocking.

Wearable Devices

Whether you’re after a Fitbit or an Apple Watch, now’s the time to buy a gift that’s geared up to help you conquer your New Year’s resolutions.

We’ve rounded up deals on fitness trackers, GPS trackers for your kiddos, and pet trackers that help you keep tabs on Fido.

2019’s Best Amazon Black Friday Sales

Amazon wants to rule your Black Friday shopping frenzy—and with deals like these, it could do it. We found deep cuts on everything from the Amazon Echo Dot to Ring doorbells and the Ring Spotlight camera. Check out their Black Friday page for more deals.

$10 off

Amazon Echo Show 5

Regular price $89.99

Compact smart display

Alexa enabled

View on Amazon

$30 off

Echo Show 8

Deal starts Nov 21st

Regular price $129

8" HD screen and stereo sound

View on Amazon

$30 off

Alexa Smart Home Starter Kit

Regular price $179.98

Free Smart Lightbulb

Alexa (2nd gen)

View on Amazon

$15 off

Echo Dot (3rd generation)

Regular price $49.99

Alexa (3nd gen)

View on Amazon

Data effective 11/25/2019. Offers and availability subject to change. See full disclaimer.

2019’s Best Apple Black Friday Sales

We used to complain about fruit in our stockings, but with heavy discounts from this tech leader, we hope to find an Apple this year. Whether you’ve got your heart set on an Apple HomePod, new AirPods, or an Apple Watch, these deals will make your gift giving sweeter.

$15 off

Apple Airpods with Charging Case

Regular price $159.99

Siri-enabled

Wireless

View on Target

$400 off

10.5 in. Ipad Pro

Regular price $999

A10X Fusion chip

12MP camera with 4K HD video

View on Walmart

$10 off

Apple Watch Series 3

Regular price $199

GPS, heart sensor

Swimproof

View on Best Buy

2019’s Best Google Black Friday Sales

Google is doing its darndest to get a Google Home or Google Nest Thermostat in every stocking. Check out the incredible deals on offer to help you score these smart home devices and high-tech safety gadgets.

$50 off

Google Home

Regular price $129

Google assistant

Smart Home hub

View on Walmart

Save $200

Google Pixel Slate 2 in 1 Tablet

Regular Price $649

12.3-Inch; Intel Core m3

8GB RAM, 64GB +

View on Amazon

Black Friday and Cyber Monday FAQs

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday takes place every year on the day after Thanksgiving and marks the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. This year it falls on November 29. But many stores begin sales (both online and in-store) in the days and weeks leading up to the famous shopping day. Some will even be open for in-store deals on Thanksgiving day.

How does Black Friday work?

Not long ago, shopping on Black Friday involved waiting (and risking injury) amongst crowds of people for retailers’ doors to open before the sun rose. Today, it’s not uncommon for stores to open at midnight on Friday or in the afternoon or evening hours of Thanksgiving.

If you’d rather not skip Thanksgiving dinner to score a steep discount, there’s no need to give up your turkey. Several pre-Black Friday deals make their debut throughout the month of November—and most of the best discounts and promotions will be offered in stores and online in the week leading up to Black Friday.

How do you shop on Black Friday?

To maximize your Black Friday shopping experience you need to create a plan and a budget—and stick to it. Make a shopping list and check it twice to avoid splurging on extras that will burst your budget.

Once you have a finalized list, start scouting for sales on the products you want and compare prices among retailers. Checking sites like SafeWise can help you stay in the loop as stores release more information about Black Friday promotions.

Some retailers require shoppers to come into the store for the best Black Friday deals, but you can also score great deals online.

What stores have the best deals on Black Friday?

The sheer volume of promotions, discounts, product bundles, and freebies that stores advertise in the lead up to Black Friday can make it difficult to determine which offers are actually worth your time. We carefully evaluate offers on popular products to help you separate the meat from the giblets.

What is a doorbuster?

A doorbuster is a special deal or discounted price that’s offered for a limited time on a popular item, typically during the first part of a retailer’s Black Friday hours. Many stores advertise doorbuster deals to lure in shoppers who are looking to score an exclusive discount on a higher-priced item such as a television, tablet, or smart home device.

Many doorbuster items are available in severely limited quantities or made by brands that produce lower-quality items. Before you decide to stand in line for a doorbuster deal, do some preliminary research to make sure the deal is worth it.

How do I know if I’m getting a good deal?

The best way to know if you’re getting a good deal is to be an educated consumer. That means you know what you want, which brands you prefer, and what the standard retail price is for each item. Armed with that info, you can compare the advertised discounts to find the deal that gives you the most savings.

Why do they call it Black Friday?

Black Friday hasn’t always referred to killer sales—the term’s origin is far more sinister.

The first Black Friday had nothing to do with shopping—and it wasn’t related to the holidays. On September 24, 1869, two shady Wall Street investors drove up the price of gold and caused a drastic stock market crash. Commodity prices plunged 50%, leading people to deem the day Black Friday.1

Today, most people think it refers to the profits stores make on this record-breaking consumer holiday. When companies are profitable, they’re “in the black.” This use of the term became popular in the ‘80s, and it’s stuck ever since.

Is Cyber Monday only online?

Technically, yes. Cyber Monday was created as an alternative (or a supplement) to Black Friday. Stores offer online-only deals to help drive website sales. With the huge growth of online shopping, Cyber Monday is giving Black Friday a run for its money. (Or is it our money?)

Are AirPods on sale for Black Friday?

Yes. Several retailers are already advertising deals on AirPods. You can buy them on amazon right now for $14 off.

Data effective 11/13/2019. Offers and availability subject to change. See full disclaimer.

Related Pages on SafeWise

Holiday Safety

Combat Holiday Hazards with Smart Home Tech

Holiday Travel Safety Tips

How to Keep Your Home Safe and Secure During the Holidays

Package Theft

Security Moves to Prevent Amazon Package Theft

What to Do if You Have a Lost or Stolen Package

Top 10 Metro Areas Where Porch Pirates Strike Most

Smart Home Products

Best Smart Doorbells

Best Smart Home Device by Room

Best Smart Home Hubs

Best Smart Thermostats

Best Smartwatches for Kids

Amazon Products

Best Smart Home Tech Gifts Under $100

Ultimate Guide to Alexa and the Amazon Echo Family

Ring Spotlight Camera Review

Ring Video Doorbells Breakdown

Google Products

How Nest Can Turn Your Home Into a Smart Home

Nest Secure Alarm System Review

Nest Protect Smoke Alarm Review

Apple Products

The Apple Smartwatch is One of the Best Safety Wearables for Seniors

Gift Guides

Best Smart Home Tech Gifts Under $100

20 Security Products Under $20

Best Cheap Security Cameras Under $50

Best GPS Kids Trackers

Best GPS Pet Trackers

Best GPS Vehicle Trackers

Best Outdoor Cameras

Best Pet Cameras

Best Phones for Kids

Best Smart Watches for Kids

Best Video Doorbells

Smart Baby Gifts for New Parents

How-To Guides

Home Automation Guide for Beginners

How to Automate Your Home with Amazon Alexa

How to Build a Smart Baby Nursery

How to Build a Smart Kitchen

How to Keep Your Teens Safe Online

How to Keep Your Smart Home Safe from Hacking

How to Secure Your Front Door

How to Stay Safe on Public Wi-Fi

How to Outsmart a Burglar and Keep Your Home Safe

Sources

History.com, “What’s the Real History of Black Friday?”

*Amazon.com list price as of 11/13/2019 16:02 MST. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. SafeWise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

The post Your Black Friday Shopping Guide to Smart Home Tech in 2019 appeared first on SafeWise.

Your Black Friday Shopping Guide to Smart Home Tech in 2019 published first on https://kluisbrandkastblog.tumblr.com/

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walkonwalkonwithhopeinyourheart · 5 years

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EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Barcelona miracle will stay with me forever… but so will the anger and emptiness of watching Madrid lift the trophy’: Jordan Henderson on how Liverpool have bounced back from last year's Champions League misery via /r/LiverpoolFC

The road to a major final rarely runs smoothly and Jordan Henderson knows that better than most.

Liverpool’s journey to the Wanda Metropolitano has been full of highs and lows and Henderson, the club captain, has lived them all.

Ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Tottenham, Henderson - who will become only the fifth English footballer to skipper a team at consecutive European Cup finals - gave Sportsmail a unique take on the past 12 months and explained why Liverpool are ready to go one step better.

DEVASTATION

Saturday, May 26th 2018; Olympic Stadium, Kiev. Liverpool 1 Real Madrid 3

How does it feel to lose a Champions League final?

'God (puffs out his cheeks)… good question. I remember the final whistle and dropping to the floor. The immediate emotion is disappointment but quickly it becomes frustration, anger, emptiness.

We were in the game then it was gone. Nobody can help you, nobody can say anything to make it better.

We put so much into getting there and then the night boils down to standing in a group, watching Real Madrid lift the trophy.

That was hard. So, so hard. Part of you wants to run to the dressing room but you have to pay your respects to the winners no matter how much it hurts.'

NEW BEGINNINGS

Tuesday, September 18th; Anfield. Liverpool 3 Paris St Germain 2

'So much had happened since we had played Madrid, not least the World Cup.

I was asked before we played PSG, our opening group game, whether it felt like we had unfinished business in Europe but you don’t think like that, certainly not in the first group game. All we wanted to do that night was make a statement.

Looking back on it, we played brilliantly. The tone was set early on when Milly (James Milner) flew into Neymar and flattened him with a tackle and we went from there.

It didn’t feel like a group game; the atmosphere was amazing and the way we won it was even better.

Bobby (Roberto Firmino) came off the bench to score in injury time and it was the perfect start.

Everyone had PSG down as favourites for the tournament but we came up with a performance that showed reaching Kiev was no fluke.'

TROUBLES

Wednesday, October 3rd; Naples. Napoli 1 Liverpool 0; Tuesday, November 6th; Belgrade. Red Star 2 Liverpool 0

'Our two worst performances of the season. There was no intensity, no rhythm. It wasn’t good at all. When people ask me what Jurgen Klopp is like in such circumstances, I think they expect me to say that he screams and shouts and he goes mad but that just isn’t the case.

He’d rather wait a day or two, watch the match again on video, then get his point across without too much emotion.

To be fair, we knew ourselves that neither of those games were good enough and we had fallen way short of our standards. Belgrade was a kick up the arse.

I couldn’t go to Belgrade because I’d injured my hamstring. There is no worse feeling than watching the lads on television. It’s worse than being at the stadium. Either I have my hands over my eyes when they attack or I’m shouting when we get a chance.

In the past, I’d let defeats eat away at me but I’ve got two little girls, Elexa and Alba, who quickly get me back on track. I can’t sit there sulking at breakfast when they are asking me to play with them, can I?'

RESCUE ACT

Tuesday, December 11th; Anfield. Liverpool 1 Napoli 0

'Everything was on the line after we had lost 2-1 to PSG in Paris but big players step up on these nights.

Mo (Salah) scored a brilliant goal but the thing I remember most was the save from Ali (Alisson Becker) in injury time (from Arkadiusz Milik). I still don’t know how he made it.

That moment shows why the manager wanted to sign him. Honestly, I can’t speak highly enough of him.

He is an unbelievable ‘keeper, he’s won the Golden Gloves but he’s an even better lad. Without that save, we are in the Europa League after Christmas. You can’t stress the importance.'

STATEMENT

Wednesday, March 13th 2019; Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich 1 Liverpool 3 (aggregate 1-3)

'A brilliant performance, one that I think made everyone look at us as contenders again.

Everyone felt Bayern were in control after they drew 0-0 at Anfield but we blew them away and Sadio (Mane) was unplayable. He certainly made the experience of watching the game much more comfortable.

I damaged my ankle ligaments early on. The last thing you want is to come off early in such a game and I knew the bench were looking over at me to try to get my attention.

I literally could not put the brakes on when I was running, so I had no choice. Thankfully it wasn’t serious.'

PROGRESS

Wednesday, April 17th; Estadio do Dragao. Porto 1 Liverpool 4 (aggregate 1-6)

'This wasn’t straightforward. We won the first leg 2-0 but in the first 45 minutes over there, you could really feel the pressure in the stadium.

We were under pressure and it would have been an interesting night had they scored the first goal.

In the end, it was comfortable but there were no great celebrations in the dressing room afterwards.

I know it’s a big thing to reach another semi-final but, as we were trying to win the Premier League, the first thing you would hear said was: "On to the next one". You don’t sit back and admire things when you are here.'

DESPAIR

Wednesday, May 1st; Nou Camp. Barcelona 3 Liverpool 0

'I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hurt before this match. I felt sick not to be named in the starting line-up but, as hard as it is, you cannot put yourself first.

When you are the captain of Liverpool in a European semi-final, the team is the priority and always will be.

As it turned out, I came on quite early as Naby Keita got injured. It was the first time I had been on a pitch with Lionel Messi.

You don’t think to yourself "Oh my God - that’s him" but there’s no question he plays the game differently to when you see him on TV. He’s so fast.

Thinking about his free-kick now, I still can’t believe he scored it. I actually thought he was going to take it short.

I’ve told you how good I think Ali is but Messi put that shot in the one area Ali couldn’t protect. The whip, the pace, the precision - it was absolutely perfect. Did I think about asking for his shirt? No. I’ve never done it.

Roy Keane told me when I was at Sunderland that if you ask for someone’s shirt, it looks like you are in awe of them.

As it turned out, I came home with Luis Suarez’s shirt. Luis is a good lad and he gave me it as a gesture as we had played together for Liverpool. I don’t know what he’s done with mine!'

MIRACLE

Tuesday, May 7th; Anfield. Liverpool 4 Barcelona 0 (aggregate 4-3)

'The manager’s speech on the morning changed everything. We had a meeting at Hope Street Hotel, the base we use before every home game, and he said to us: "What we need to do tonight I would say is impossible but, because it is you, there is a chance."

He had us straightaway. All through the day I was thinking to myself: Anfield… the crowd… an early goal: maybe?

As it turned out, it worked to perfection. I should have scored our first goal but, thankfully, Divock (Origi) was on hand to put in the rebound. I’ve never heard anything like it.

There was no way I was going to come off that night. I hurt a tendon in my knee in a tackle but I knew if I could manage the pain and reach half-time, I’d be OK.

I had injections and painkillers and jumped on the spinning bike for 10 minutes to stop my knee seizing up.

What happened afterwards will stay with me forever. It completely different experience to Roma the previous year, where we got to the final by hanging on.

I had a bottle of Fanta when we got to the final 12 months ago, this time it was water! I tried to sleep when I got home but it was impossible.'

OPPORTUNITY

Saturday, June 1st; Wanda Metropolitano. Tottenham v Liverpool

'I know the lads at Tottenham from being with them at England. I know how good they are. But this is a new chapter for us.

We are a better side than the one that played Real Madrid in Kiev and there is no need to use that experience as motivation.

We want to show everyone how far we have come. We want to grasp this opportunity.'

(Dominic King)

Submitted May 28, 2019 at 10:15PM by x77aca77x via reddit http://bit.ly/2YVSs43

#IFTTT #reddit #liverpoolfc #liverpool fc #lfc #ynwa

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