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basilone · 6 months

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Sometimes, war is the province of women. An alternate take on the battle for air dominance over the skies of Europe during World War Two, as told through the stories of an American all-female bomber crew and the people around them.

This is a collection of standalone works that all interlock to form one big patchwork quilt of stories. It will see new additions every so often, especially because a lot of it is written to prompts. The collection on AO3 is my best attempt at organizing it in chronological order.

[click here for the WIP story collection!]

Want to know a little more about the OCs featured in this collection? Please click the readmore below!

Charlotte “Lottie” Rivers-Mayhew Fighter pilot turned bomber pilot Can fly anything, will try anything. Big mouth, little heart. Lives in the land of innuendo and crude jokes. Loud about her whole existence. Very smart, but downplays that like whoa. Julie “Jules” Langdon Bomber pilot Runs this gig and everyone else just needs to get with her program. Great at reading people the riot act. Comically unimpressed by everything that lands in her path. Nosewrinkles at any and all delays. Known for slipping people an extra bite to eat. Christina “Tiny” Heartfield Bomber co-pilot Needs five hours to get ready for any kind of social event. Silver spoon baby. Knows all the gossip and all the good songs. Gets a little bit stressed about flying in warzones. Loves a good ghost story. Eleanor “Nora” Graham Navigator The Mom Friend. Prone to giving hugs and peptalks. Bossy and quite rude when things don’t go her way. Cannot flirt her way out of anything. If you see her running, that’s just standard procedure. Valerie “Val” Hodges Radio operator Absolute poker-faced ballsy liar. Most innocent face in the whole crew. Smokes more than her job should allow. Will try to wiggle out of any lectures by offering the most inane excuses. There’s not a puzzle she can’t solve. Genevieve “Two” Hodgson Tail gunner Shows up late to everything except the war. Always chewing gum. Queen of half-hearted salutes and vague politeness. Keeps saying she’s too poor for this level of bullshit. Has a mean right hook. Madeleine “Push” Perrault Flight engineer Making lists calms her down. Can and will call you stupid in four different languages. Thinks planes are better than people. Voice like a foghorn with the attitude to match. Believes she can fix anything. Evelyn “One-Eye” Carter Ball turret gunner Happy-go-lucky baby of the group, rolling with life’s punches. Will talk your ear off. Could probably get away with murder. Best gunner in the crew. Can be painfully naïve. Dorothy “Dee” Llewellyn Waist gunner Born a pessimist. Genuinely thinks no man should ever sport a mustache. Has a limitless supply of stories about her family. Very protective. Would inspire a riot if anyone ever let her talk long enough without interruptions. Maxine “Max” Morrison Waist gunner Bold and brash and crackling with energy. Cracks more bad jokes than anyone alive. Has developed some rather complicated handshakes. Will interrupt any event or conversation. If you see her running, something’s probably chasing her. Stella “Frosty” Lombardi Bombardier Icy calm in any crisis. Can calculate any bomb drop. Complains about the food. Is a true girl’s girl and refuses to so much as speak to most men. Never wants to miss out on the fun.

Lucille Dorrance-Jones, goes by Lucy Jones Nurse The singlemost stubborn person on the planet. Thinks some injuries are fascinating. Harbors a healthy distrust of bureaucracy and paperwork. Can probably drink you under the table. Encourages anyone to sing. Cressida Dorrance-Jones Interrogator Sharp as a tack. Does not forgive, does not forget. Secretly more big-hearted than people would give her credit for. Really wants to fly a plane. Has an ongoing one-sided vendetta with Meatball. Darlene Mayfair Mechanic Cheerful and spirited. Very gifted storyteller. Turns shy when complimented. Ride or die for people and sticks with them longer than they might deserve. Marches to the beat of her own drum. Georgina “George” Campbell Mechanic Has a soft spot for strays. Suffers no fools. Is here to win a war, not ogle cute men. Perpetually fighting a losing battle against the grease stains on her uniform. The best co-conspirator you could ask for. Imogene “Genie” Chapman Clubmobile girl Very outgoing people-person. Better at giving advice than at taking it. Designated hair-cutter. Loves movies and dancing. Knows just about anybody by name. Jack Ellis OSS Doesn’t miss a beat. No-nonsense natural leader. Very determined to do what he believes is the right thing. Talks about the war in terms of “the game”. Warm and caring once he lets his guard down.

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gaianyx · 9 months

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The Last One

by Jane F. Nyx

Summary: Marauders band AU!!! The band, Lily, Remus, James and Sirius are heading to their the last show of their first ever tour. But could a stupid fight make this their last?

W/C: 1.8K

A/N: Feedbacks and tips will be well recieved :)) Proof read.

Happy reading everyone!!

You would think that one of the biggest bands in the world, which’s currently thriving off of the success of their latest album, would be disappointed that their last ever show ends in just under forty-eight hours.

But they’re not.

“Come on Remus, just get on the damn bus!” Remus yells to Lilly. “It will not make a difference whether we are in Rome at eight pm or nine pm dude.” Lily is fairly calm after what happened last night. She knows she did not do anything wrong, so why bother worrying about it?

Sirius lights up a cigarette while walking up the stairs, almost falling in the process. “Oui, I’m the lead singer. I can do whatever the hell I want, oui oui baguette.” Lily whispers to James in her best French accent. James snorts, making them laugh even harder than they already were. The media likes to think that they are all jealous of Sirius’ looks or partners because that’s the only explanation. But as a matter of fact, they all just liked to mess around with each other.

All in the bus, Sirius blows out some smoke and sits down at the front. He likes to look through the large front window while they drive to their next destination. He has never been to Rome and he is looking forward to it. Sirius closes his eyes and lets the sun fall onto his skin. He thinks back to yesterday. God, the band embarrassed him so much.

It all started last show, in Milan.

Everything was more than fine, or at least that is what they thought.

They were doing the sound check in the second-to-last show of their tour, becoming suddenly famous after someone had filmed them in the streets of London.

It had been a big surprise for all of them, but who cares? They were young and famous, what more do you need?

Turns out that it wasn’t everything.

When the soundcheck was done they headed inside to get ready and then headed out to an interview right before their show.

At the interview, they were a little bit nervous, some clearly more than others. James was a clear example; he couldn’t stop fidgeting with her rings.

The interviewer welcomed them all and said he would start in a few seconds.

The band took one last deep breath when the cameraman started counting, three, two, one…

“Welcome everyone, for today’s show I will be interviewing the gold mine of the rock industry, The Marauders,” the interviewer had started.

“Most of you probably already know them, but I will make a short introduction,” the camera was now pointed at the band, to which the band responded with a small wave.

“On the drums, James, our loved bassist Remus, on the guitar Lily and the best, the most loved and leader of the group, our neighbour from France, Sirius, the singer,” after the ‘warm’ welcome the band had lost their enthusiasm (not including Valerie).

The interview went on, but none of the band members were really included in the questions that were asked. At least Sirius seemed to be enjoying himself.

“And for my last question, Sirius would you consider doing a solo career?” the interviewer asked.

Remus and Lily shared a knowing, but it was only after Sirius’ response that they snapped.

“Yes, I have received a few calls the last month and I and my advisers are working on it,” Sirius finished. He had just dropped that bomb as nothing else mattered more than his fame, how ridiculous could he be? Even after all they had been through with the band.

“Well, I guess that it is our time to say goodbye. Once again, thank you for having me–” the interviewer was cut by Remus.

“Actually, I have a few things I would like to say,” Remus was getting angrier by the time and since he and Sirius were dating he thought they were going to be honest with each other, but instead he chose to keep that hidden and that had been the last drop.

“WE, the band, are a group, GROUP. We have no ‘leader’ or whatever you would like to call it,” he continued and James joined.

“We are doing this together as friends, and no solo career is going to stop us,” James said. “Besides, who would want to hear a singer without its band?” Lily had also joined in.

After their little ‘explosion’, Sirius’ words, the program ended and they were left alone in the room.

With angry faces and even angrier thoughts.

But the show needed to go on. And that’s what they did.

Leaving us to today.

When Remus mentions the interview on the bus, everybody starts fighting. They keep saying that Sirius is betraying everyone and that he is leaving them with nothing. But they agreed to tho this tour right? Sirius keeps thinking.

“Look Sirius, if you want to start your own solo career, fine! But we had a plan! We were going to do this last tour and then take a break for ourselves. After this tour, not now! So, either stop acting like a bitch and get on with it or get the FUCK OUT!” Remus snaps.

Silence falls over the entire bus, you could hear a guitar pick drop.

Sirius could not believe what had happened. He and Remus fighting and the rest of the band just watching them like Remus and him are animals at the zoo. It wouldn’t have been the first time the two had had their discussions, but something like this had never occurred.

James looks five seconds away from asking the bus driver for some popcorn.

Lily has never been silent for this long on the tour bus. Is it all falling apart right in front of her? Their friendship was so strong when the band started to take off seven years ago and now they cannot even finish their tour as friends?

They should be reminiscing stories about their first-ever big gig in the ‘Melkweg’ in the Netherlands and sobbing that it is all going to be over soon.

Not this.

Everyone looks at Sirius with anticipation. “He is not going to quit, right?” Lily thinks. Sirius can’t be that stupid. He is not blonde, blonde would look horrible on him. “Should we stop staring at him?” James whispers in Lily’s ear. “He has probably gotten used to being stared at now,” she whispers back.

Sirius looks around the bus, seems to spot something and walks towards it.

His bag. Remus' eyes widen, “No,” he says under his breath. “Pull over,” Sirius says to the bus driver, whose name, even after months of touring Europe, they still do not know. He pulls over at the side of the highway and Sirius opens the door. “Don’t ever tell me what to do,” he says and walks out.

When they are ten kilometres closer to Rome and away from Milan, Lily is the first to say something: “What the actual fuck dude.” They all knew Sirius had anger issues but not that it was this bad. After Lily broke the silence they all looked at each other with a face of shock and agreement. "So what do we do now?" asked James. This question was followed with even more silence until the bus driver stopped at a gas station and turned back around. And once again everyone looked at each other with a face of shock and agreement.

They were going to get their vocalist, their friend, back!

Before the bus is even out of his eyesight Sirius panics. He is literally on the side of the highway because of this fight. The band has fought before but not like this. Who the fuck is Remus to make him go out of the bus, after everything they had been through together? Does he think he can do this without her? He is Sirius fucking Black, you can’t make a good show without a star. No, he can’t quit now, quit the band before the last show of their tour. He has to finish what he started, with everybody; Lily, James and that sexy fucker, Remus. They are family, and Remus still is the love of his life.

Only if they were nearby. Tu tuuu, he turned around. And there they were. His family.

"Look there he is!" screams Lily. Everyone is immediately on the edge of their seat because no one knows how Sirius will react this time. The bus stops next to Sirius and everyone is greeted with his long middle finger. "C'mon Sirius, we can't just cancel the entire gig because you had a temper tantrum," says James. Sirius keeps walking down the side of her road, still giving her fellow band members the finger. Sirius is not letting them win her over that easily. They will have to work for her. "Sirius, you know you love your fans and singing, you can't just let them and yourself down like this. We know you're mad, but like you used to say, music is what brings us together, right?" Remus’ words seem to hit Sirius as he stops and thinks for a moment. After a while, he gets back on the bus and says: "Let's just get this over with." Sirius says as if he is not excited to be back on the bus. The bus driver starts driving again and everyone is cheering Sirius on for coming back to his senses.

After a very silent ride to Rome, the band finally arrives in the eternal city, all in one piece. "I'd say it was a decently pleasant ride considering no one died along the way." James is always good at lightening the mood, and once again his skill comes in handy, as everyone lets out a little giggle. Unfortunately, James’ attempt to help the situation is in vain, because soon after, the tension rises again as reality hits that this could be their last show, ever.

Now, the band is waiting for their queue to get on stage, what ends up being 5 minutes feels like a lifetime. With a mix of nerves, anger and excitement, the band approaches the stage. Within a second of their grand appearance, the crowd roars and screams. James begins playing that well known beat shortly after, and everyone's worries seem to wash away.

Throughout the songs, everyone seems to forget their fight, and they actually have some fun. And then, the dreaded last song of the show begins. Even though they aren’t sad about all of this ending, this song brings back some old memories. The first hit song they ever wrote. Everyone is brought back to the first show they ever held together. They were so happy their dreams came true, and now, it's ending? They wanted this life so bad, and now they're waiting for this dream to end. Is this really what they all wanted? They come back to reality when everyone starts clapping. Time seems to slow as the audience makes their way to their feet to give their favourite band, who is stopping, a standing ovation. This feeling was always the best, you know the people love you and all your insecurities start to wash away. Although this time, it does not feel like they remember. This time, when they look at each other they are filled with regret and disbelief.

Before they know it the show is over and they are backstage. They are done. The room is filled with silence. Sirius looks at Lily whose eyes are filled with tears. Lily has never seen Remus with such a sad look on his face and James doesn’t know what to do with himself.

They look at each other another time before Sirius says the thing they all hoped someone would say.

“So, seven o’clock in the studio tomorrow?”

Requests: Open

A/N: Thank you sooo much for reading, this meens a lot to me. Again, i would love to receive any feedback you guys have.

If you enjoyed this post pls don’t forget to like and comment <3333

xoxo Jane

#marauders era #sirius black #harry potter #marauders #the marauders #marauders au #band au #marauders band au #remus lupin #wolfstar #james potter #lily evans #marauders band

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caeli0306 · 3 months

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one last chapter 10 blurb before I go to bed. this blurb is a bit longer than usual, bc idk if I'll be able to post anymore before the chapter goes up

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When I step out onto the street, the sun is just peeking above the tops of the buildings, blinding morning light making me squint. I get a disturbing sense of deja vu as the street around me slowly begins to come to life. I can practically see Valerie running up to me, dragging me to dance with her. And blood. So much blood. Dust and smoke. Screams and death. I give myself a shake, and drag myself from the memory. I'm not in Draithus, I tell myself, not next to that clocktower as it blew apart. There's no bomber, no threat - at least that I know of. Then I frown - the bombings have been happening in Poromiel for months now, yet I've barely heard whispers about them from the NIA. It's the kind of thing we definitely would have been briefed on, yet it's like leadership is purposefully not drawing attention to them. A cold feeling overtakes me - how much has the NIA not been telling us? What else has it hidden or covered up? Can I trust anything it tells me?

#caeli's fics #fourth wing #tftab #tales from the airport bathroom #castles crumbling tftab

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gwynposting · 4 years

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All Along the Watchtower (Ch. 2)

This story takes place after the “All Along the Watchtower” ending of Cyberpunk 2077, so spoilers ahead.

Ch. 1 | AO3 Link

The gentle glow of neon red fought against the encroaching abyss of the deep. It felt dreamlike, in a way, to have everything suspended in place, weightless, drifting through the sea. Here it wasn’t just her body drifting aimlessly through the water, it felt like the weight crushing her very soul began to lift, she felt as if she could finally breathe free.

But the depths were also a bit disorienting - it was difficult to make heads and tails of direction or speed down here. The only thing V had for reference was the figure in front of her, illuminated by the twin headlamps attached to her diving suit. She was V’s rock, her guiding hand through the unknown, the abyss.

“I wish Evie could’ve seen this,” Judy said as she looked to the towering church before them, it’s darkened silhouette like a leviathan

Evelyn’s name caught V’s breath. She felt the blood drain from her face. Her pulse quickened. Her pupils dilated.

Evelyn’s bruised and beaten body, lying in the middle of the room.

V sought breath after breath in frantic hyperventilation but nothing came. No air would sate her lung’s desire.

Her body lying in the tub.

Judy turned in curiosity to find V flailing in the water. V tugged and grabbed at her throat as if she were trying to free herself from a vice wrapped around her neck. “V?” began in confusion before she realized something was seriously wrong, “V!” she shouted.

Judy...

Her lungs were on fire, as if they contained a dozen lit matches. She felt paralyzed by her visions.

“No, no, NO,” she heard Judy’s desperate voice becoming increasingly frantic, “Stay with me V.”

Judy made a dash over to V to hold her steady, but V didn’t even react to her presence. The sounds around her became murky, like the bass of a concert bleeding through cement wall. All she could see was Judy’s frantic display. It consumed her.

“V! She pleaded, “Not you too,” her voice was a cry to the gods, to anyone who would listen, “I can’t lose you too V. I can’t do it again. Please, Valerie. Stay with me.”

And then nothing.

V awoke with a shock. The snug embrace of her blanket that had been so welcoming before now acted like a vice trapping her in its confines. With one motion she stripped the blanket off and to the side. Her shirt clung to her form, caked with sweat. She tried to gasp for air but nothing would come, as if she were being strangled, like water had seeped into her lungs. She made a mad dash for the sink.

With a grotesque retch, she purged herself into the sink. But before she was done, she began to violently cough into her hand. Her throat burned with each hack until she was left breathless, in a sort of daze staring down at the sink below. Blood stained her hand and seeped down into the sink below. With the blockage free, V finally took her first breath. It came like fire, as the air traveled through her roughened throat to fill her aching lungs.

V collapsed onto her forearms that shakily held her upright. Her breathing was rapid and shaky, with each labored breath feeling like daggers dragged along her throat.

She glanced up into the mirror. Her eyes were lidded, dark circles present underneath. Her skin was flushed. V was hardly able to keep herself stable. She could feel her faculties, both physical and mental, slipping from her grasp.

“Walking talking corpses,” she began to hear, a faint echo in a fading mind. The dread began to seep through her once more. The unshakeable feeling of inevitability, forever present in the back of V’s thoughts, once more resurfacing. How many times had she faced death at this point? Deshawn, Mikoshi. And now she’d have to die once more?

But this time the stakes were different. It wasn’t just about the loss of her own life anymore. It wasn’t about becoming the legend of Night City and going out in spectacular fashion. She had a family. She had Judy. She would have to leave Judy behind.

“Fuck, V. I was so worried. I saw what was happening on the news and you weren’t getting back to me and-”

“I know, Judy,” V cut her off, switching off the car radio’s live coverage of the chaos at Arasaka tower, “I’m sorry. I’m okay. I’ll fill you when I get there, be home soon.”

She couldn’t believe she almost did.

The rhythmic drum of rain droplets bounced against the window. The diver on Judy’s wall glowed under the soft blue lighting, as if they were traveling down the ocean depths.

“What happened in there? In this ‘Mikoshi’?” Judy took the cigarette out of V’s mouth and inhaled, “You still haven’t said anything about it.”

Judy’s eyes were filled with worry, and it killed V to see them so afraid. V closed her eyes and looked away, she didn’t think she even had the strength to tell her if she had to face the hurt.

“Well,” V hesitated, her voice shaky and unsure, holding back tears, “Johnny’s out. But uh,” her breath hitched, “I guess my brain isn’t mine anymore. I only got about 6 months left.”

“F-fuck,” Judy stuttered, her breath caught in her throat. She took a deep inhale from her cigarette, “Fuck, V. You sure?” Judy’s voice was weak, a shadow of its usual strength.

“No, but that’s what Alt said.” V looked down to what she feared - tears streamed down Judy’s face.

“Is there -” Judy began, “there has to be something you can do.” Judy pleaded more than affirmed.

V looked away and wiped the tears from her eyes. “V?” Judy croaked.

“The Aldecados have some contacts that might be able to help, but...” V paused and let the silence linger. She still hadn’t come to grips with it herself, “I was called a ticking time bomb by Alt Cunningham. The AI who instantaneously fried everyone in Arasaka tower.”

The silence was suffocating.

“I’m sorry, Jude.” V’s voice was withered, stripped away by the knowledge that Judy would have to go through yet more loss. That Night City would claim everything that she held close.

Judy wiped the tears from her eyes, “You don’t worry about me, okay? We’re gonna try every last option on this earth before we give up.” Her voice was more assured, as if she were trying to convince V that it would all be okay.

Or maybe she was trying to convince herself.

“And no matter what, V, I will be here with you ‘till the end.”

With that, V began openly weeping, seeking out Judy’s breast to curl into. Judy lovingly wrapped her arms around V and brought her close as she whispered sweet comforts. Each muffled cry sent daggers through Judy’s heart.

“I can’t do it again, Judy. I’m so tired.”

V’s cracked voice pained Judy. But even though it felt like Judy’s own world was crumbling apart around her, she had to be strong for V, “You can, and you will.” Judy gave herself a few moments to steel herself, “You have a family. You have me. We will be there every single step of the way. You don’t need to go through this alone anymore.”

V remained silent, through Judy’s soothings and touches, before finally sitting up. “I think I need a smoke,” almost as faint as a whisper. Judy nodded and retrieved another stick from her pack and held it out for V. She captured the cigarette between her lips and held still as Judy set it alight. She took several draws before she was sated.

“Can I tell you something?” V asked hesitantly.

Judy blew a puff of smoke into the air and turned to her, her cheeks puffy and eyes still bloodshot, “Shoot, V.”

“After I left Arasaka, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jackie. About his funeral. About Mama Welles and Misty and Vik. About how I’d never see that goofy smile anymore.” V took another draw before continuing. “Then I thought about my own funeral, and saw you standing over my body, just like Evelyn. Part of me just, I don’t know, wanted to run off to die on my own and spare you the grief of another loved one dying. Make you hate me instead.”

Judy reached over and grabbed one of V’s nipples, squeezed, and twisted. V squeaked out in shock. “Fuckin’ gonk,” she said, icily, before letting go, “I’d have hunted you down and killed you myself.”

“I don’t doubt it,” V chuckled and took another draw, gently massaging away the pain with her fingers. “Intrusive thought, I guess. In my defence, I went from thinking I was dead meat to actually having some real hope to then have it all stripped away. My state of mind wasn’t exactly in the best place. Sorry, Jude.”

“Don’t apologize,” Judy softened her tone, her eyes becoming more sympathetic, “I can’t even begin to understand what that must feel like.” Judy took one long draw from her cigarette and let out a slow cloud of smoke.

“Just promise me one thing, V?” Judy’s voice became calm, but serious, “no matter what happens, no matter where this trail leads, we do this together, okay?”

V nodded, “Together.”

V felt as if she’d radiated every bit of heat away from her body. Her muscles ached, her throat was on fire, and she couldn’t stop the ceaseless shivers that wracked her body.

She flinched as she felt something brush along her shoulder, but settled into the touch once she looked up and saw Judy’s reflection in the mirror. V tried a smile of assurance but the smeared blood along her lips wasn’t terribly convincing. Judy leaned her head against V’s back, as if to hug her from behind without being too constricting. “C’mon,” Judy cooed, “can I draw you up a warm bath?”

V’s voice was hoarse, rough with exhaustion and fatigue, “Yeah, thanks Jude.” V felt enough strength to start cleaning out the sink and whipping the blood from her hands. She had to shake the memories that cropped up.

Jackie’s blood.

“What time is it?” V croaked, splashing cold water over her tired eyes.

“Just a bit before 5,” Judy cooed.

The sound of rushing water filled their cozy home. They didn’t have a water heater, but they at least had some running water. The Aldecados had set up in a ghost town much like Rocky Ridge about an hour outside Tuscon while they established a basis of communication with their contacts in the city. Most of the old-timers stuck with their own tents that they peppered around town, while Judy and V were more than happy to claim a cozy house off the main street.

“Let me go heat up some water,” V said, feeling silly she’s not being useful.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Judy tutted her teeth. “You stay put.”

Judy held V’s hand to help guide her down onto the ledge of the tub. With V safe, she made her way over to the kitchen and grabbed the tea kettle out of the cupboard. Judy filled it with water then placed it on the stove, turning it on.

While she was waiting for the kettle to reach boiling, Judy returned to their bedroom and picked out a plush blanket. She returned to the bathroom to see V stripped down, sitting on the edge of the tub. She was hunched over, shivering. Goosebumps lined her arms. When Judy entered, V looked up to her. Judy saw it in her eyes, how much everything was getting to her. To see the uncertainty and fear looking back at her made Judy’s heart drop in that moment. V looked so small, so vulnerable.

V shook her head, “It’ll just get dirty,” V muttered, gesturing to the blanket in Judy’s arms.

“Hush, you,” Judy sidled up beside her and wrapped it around V. Despite her protests, V quickly grabbed the edges and brought them close. Judy kept an arm around V and leant her head on V’s shoulders. They didn’t say anything, they didn’t need to. They sat in silence until the gentle whine of steam began to fill the air.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Judy tried to joke, before making her way to the kitchen to grab the boiling kettle. Judy carefully picked up the whistling pot and brought it back to warm up the cool water. Judy kneeled besides V and began to pour. The splash of pouring water and clouds of steam filled the air as she emptied its contents into the bath. Judy tested the temperature of the water with prodding fingertips, then plunged her hand in to stir and distribute the heat.

“I think we’re all set,” Judy said as she shook off her dripping hand. Judy began to shuck off her sweatpants and shirt. “How’d you like to do it?”

“Can you hold me?” V whispered. Judy felt her heart drop.

“Por supuesto, calabacita” Judy soothed as she tried to keep her own voice steady. As difficult as it was to see the woman she loved so vulnerable and hurt, she had to be the emotional rock V had been for her. Judy shed her underwear and dipped her toes in before fully submerging herself. Judy let herself enjoy the comfortable warmth for a moment before making room for V to get in.

V quickly followed suit, tossing the blanket in the laundry pile before dipping herself in the bath, being careful to take her time. Her arms shook with fatigue as she lowered herself down.

She sought Judy’s outstretched arms and sank back into their embrace. V clung to the arms wrapped around her as if she were never to let go again. Judy sat herself out of the water more so that V could snuggle into her without her head dipping below the water level. Judy’s breasts became dotted with goosebumps as they became exposed to the cooler air.

“This is the second time this week, Jude,” V shook in Judy’s grasp.

“I know,” Judy sighed. They both understood the rising frequency of the attacks.

“I’m scared,” V squeaked, almost a whisper.

“Fuck,” Judy mouthed to herself to herself, as if viscerally reacting to the pain laced in V’s voice crack. Fuck this was hard. “I know,” she tried to calm her shaking voice, “But hey, we meet with Mitch’s contact tomorrow. Your fate isn’t written in stone here. Remember that feeling in Vik’s clinic when he broke the news that the relic was killing you? You had no hope of surviving. Every single lead went bust. But you managed to survive V, because you’re one of a kind. I know we’ll find something.”

“Maybe. I’m just… tired, Jude. I’ve been dying for how long now? It feels like I’m just... prolonging the inevitable. Like I’m… stretching myself thin.”

Judy placed a kiss on the top of V’s head, “I know, hun. But the important thing is that now you’re not alone. You don’t need to be strong anymore, we’re all here to help you.”

V allowed Judy’s words to sink in before she tightened her grip on Judy’s forearm, “I don’t like to think of where I’d be without you, Judy.”

“Good thing I’m stickin’ around then, hm?” Judy leaned in to V’s ears and whispered, “can’t get rid of me that easy~”

V let out a small chuckle, “I love ya, y’gonk.”

“I love you too.”

***

“What was he like?”

V stared off aimlessly into the valley below, idly massaging her forearm. Her legs dangled down the small cliffside. The sky bled deep reds and purples as it prepared the way for the sun’s arrival. Clouds caught and mixed the colors to produce vibrant displays.

“V?” Judy repeated.

V’s name caught her ear and brought her out of her reverie. She turned to Judy, a light blush of embarrassment creeping up on her cheeks.

“What was he like?” Judy repeated, motioning down to the spot on V’s forearm that she was palming over - a tattoo that said “Johnny + V” inside of a heart.

V followed Judy’s gaze and recognized what she was getting at. She reflexively moved her hand away from the tattoo, as if she hadn’t realized she’d even been so sentimental about it. She was still rather bitter about that night.

“He was…” V paused in reflection. She still hadn’t come to terms with… everything. She still caught herself thinking out to Johnny, only to get nothing but silence in return.

“You would’ve hated him,” V said with a short laugh, “he was one massive prick. But at the same time, I miss the guy.”

V sought out Judy’s hand and Judy received it readily. Judy remained quiet, letting V have the floor to continue when she was ready.

“He did end up liking you though,” V glanced over to Judy with a smirk, “even with the whole diving business. I guess he was thalassophobic.”

“And we kinda proved him right with that eh,” Judy aired.

“Think it rubbed off on me too after that,” V tried to smile, but the thought of returning back to those depths made her palms feel clammy and cold. She could feel the familiar tightened around her throat return, like a phantom grip threatening to squeeze the life out of her.

“Sorry if you had any plans to do some more diving with me,” V chuckled in a morbid laugh, “Guess I’ll have to stick to experiencing the BDs that you scroll, so I don’t have to feel the anxiety going out myself. For now, I guess.”

Judy brought V’s hand up to her lips and placed a lingering kiss, “You go at your own pace, V. Even if that means you never step foot in the water again, or even watch a BD. Don’t ever feel like you need to push yourself past your limits for me.”

“Yeah… thanks, Judy.”

The silence returned once more as the tips of the sun’s rays began to clip over the horizon. The valley was basked in royal shades, a mixture of vibrant colors and long cast shadows.

“It feels weird that he’s not poking around in my head anymore,” V said solemnly.

“Was he always around or…?” Judy floated.

“I think so, to some extent. Even when I’d take my blockers I guess he’d still experience everything. Just… we wouldn’t be able to communicate.”

V thought a moment before continuing, “I’m assuming it’s similar to the night I got this,” she waved around her tattooed arm, “little present from Johnny. The first time I gave him control of my body,” V’s voice turned icy. “I had to watch that trainwreck of a night unfurl before my eyes and have absolutely 0 control over it.”

V sat still for a few moments. She had never really ever had the chance to vent out to anybody about Johnny, the good or the bad. Her entire life until recently was foot on the chooh, just trying to stay alive. No time for reflection.

“But,” V’s voice began to quiver, “I still think he was a good person. Underneath it all. Think in the end he recognized how badly he fucked up his old friendships, hell, even fucked it up with me.”

“Aww did you fix the bad boy up?” Judy giggled.

V couldn’t hold back a smile and playfully elbowed Judy in the arm. “I guess it’s more that we rubbed off on each other, over time.” V looked over to Judy with a cheeky look, “And before you ask, no, I did not take on his delusions of grandeur. Did start smoking again though.”

“Guess you and me got that in common,” Judy replied with a single huff.

V held the silence for a while, collecting her thoughts. “But I am glad we took out Mikoshi. Not just for Johnny, it was the right thing to do. And I have him to thank for getting me to come around.”

“I’ll mark your relationship as ‘It’s complicated’ eh?” Judy leaned her head on V’s shoulder.

“I think,” V started, “when all of this is over… y’know, if we pump the brakes on me dying… I’d like to return to Night City and do a proper send off.”

“Then I guess we better focus on not dying then,” Judy replied.

The pair winced and squinted their eyes as the sun finally crested into the sky. Its radiance began to creep down their bodies and chase away the chills of the desert morning. Judy’s familiar hum was a welcome addition, and V leaned her cheek on Judy’s head and basked in the moment. She would make sure to cherish every single moment, because sooner or later, she knew she wouldn’t be able to.

And then she heard that familiar voice ring through her head as if he never left, “Happy endings? Wrong city. Wrong people.”

Author’s Note: Chapter 3 is out on AO3 already. I’d post it here but I don’t want to spam this tag so I’ll post the tumblr link in a few days (when I remember). I’m not nearly as dutiful about posting to my tumblr as I will be with AO3 so if you want consistent updates, be sure to check there.

#cyberpunk 2077 #judy alvarez #judy x v #female v #AATW #v and judy

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justinsentertainmentcorner · 4 years

Link

Chris Morris at Variety, via Yahoo! News:

Eddie Van Halen, whose innovative and explosive guitar playing kept the hard rock band that bore his family name cemented to the top of the album charts for two decades, died on Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer. He was 65.

Van Halen’s son Wold announced the news. “He was the best father I could ever ask for. Every moment I’ve shared with him on and off stage was a gift. My heart is broken and I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover from this loss,” he tweeted.

Born in the Netherlands and raised in Pasadena, he founded Van Halen with his older brother, drummer Alex; the siblings were joined by vocalist David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony in the first recording lineup of the group, which exploded after star-making gigs at such West Hollywood clubs as Gazzarri’s and the Starwood.

It was instantly apparent from “Eruption,” the solo showcase on Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 debut album for Warner Bros., that Eddie Van Halen was an instrumentalist to be reckoned with. In a mere one minute and 42 seconds, the axe man detonated a dazzling display of fretboard tapping, ringing harmonics, lightning-fast licks and smeared, dive-bombing effects.

Writing about that recording in Rolling Stone’s 2015 poll of the 100 greatest guitarists – in which Van Halen placed eighth, between Duane Allman and Chuck Berry – Mike McCready of Pearl Jam wrote, “It sounded like it came from another planet…[I]t was glorious, like hearing Mozart for the first time.”

Acting as the band’s musical director and co-authoring the band’s tough-riffing songs, which straddled the boundary between hard rock and heavy metal, Eddie Van Halen found immediate success, and formulated a style that would be emulated by hordes of long-haired rockers.

The group’s first LP “Van Halen,” though it climbed no higher than No. 19 in the U.S., would ultimately be certified for sales of 10 million copies. Its next five multi- platinum albums all reached the top 10; “1984,” released in its titular year, contained the band’s first and only No. 1 single, the synthesizer-driven “Jump,” and sifted another 10 million units.

Ongoing conflict between the guitarist and the antic front man Roth – who reportedly took exception to Van Halen’s extracurricular work, which included jaw-dropping lead guitar chores on Michael Jackson’s ubiquitous 1983 single “Beat It” — led the singer to split with the act after its elaborate and wildly successful 1984 tour.

Such a defection would likely have split a less popular band, but Van Halenfound even greater sales after ex-Montrose vocalist Sammy Hagar replaced Roth. Between 1986 and 1995, the group released four consecutive No. 1 albums.

However, Hagar ankled Van Halen after a tiff about the group’s planned greatest hits package. Eddie Van Halen brokered a truce with former singer Roth long enough to complete a pair of new tracks with the vocalist for the 1996 collection, but after another wrangle, a planned reunion with the singer broke down, and Gary Cherone, vocalist for the Boston pop-metal unit Extreme, signed on for a single album, “Van Halen III” (1998), which tallied comparatively meager sales.

Eddie Van Halen was dogged by personal and health issues that would intermittently interfere with his work in music over the course of the next decade. A chronic joint problem, exacerbated by his reckless onstage style, forced him to undergo hip replacement surgery in 1999. The onset of cancer – likely the result of heavy smoking – led to the surgical removal of part of his tongue in 2000.

The recording of three songs with Hagar for the two-disc compilation “The Best of Both Worlds” led to a lucrative 2004 reunion tour with Van Halen’s second lead singer. However, the alliance proved to be temporary, and it marked the end of both Hagar’s and bassist Anthony’s association with the group (though they would serve as representatives at the band’s 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, which the Van Halens and Roth declined to attend).

After years of false starts, Van Halen reconvened in 2007 with Roth as the front man and Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie’s 16-year-old son, replacing Anthony on bass. Though a tour grossed more than $90 million, it was plagued by rumors of inter-band strife.

Eddie Van Halen’s escalating drug abuse and alcoholism hastened his 2007 divorce from TV actress Valerie Bertinelli, his wife of 16 years, after a protracted separation. He entered rehab in 2007, and was reportedly sober from 2008.

“I was an alcoholic, and I needed alcohol to function,” he said in a 2015 interview with Chuck Klosterman. “I didn’t drink to party. Alcohol and cocaine were private things to me. I would use them for work. The blow keeps you awake and the alcohol lowers your inhibitions. I’m sure there were musical things I would not have attempted were I not in that mental state.”

A second tour fronted by Roth was launched on a more even keel in 2012, supporting an all-new album on Interscope, “A Different Kind of Truth,” which vaulted to No. 2. However, Eddie’s surgery for diverticulitis forced postponement of shows in Japan, which were among the first international dates since 1984.

Though whispers of further shows would swirl thereafter, Roth opined that “I think Van Halen’s finished” in a September 2019 radio interview in Detroit, just weeks before news of Eddie Van Halen’s treatment for throat cancer surfaced in the press.

Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was born Jan. 26, 1955, in Amsterdam. His father played the clarinet, saxophone, and piano, and both he and his brother Alex were schooled on the latter instrument from the age of six. They continued their studies after the family moved to Pasadena in 1962.

Though Eddie – who never mastered sight reading — would perform at classical piano recitals, he sought something contemporary and took up the drums, while Alex began playing guitar. The two teenage musicians would ultimately switch off their instruments; Eddie claimed Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, the respective guitar stars of Cream and Led Zeppelin, as his principal inspirations.

After high school years spent in local party bands, the brothers founded a new quartet – which they unwittingly named Genesis, ignorant of the English group’s existence – in 1972 with singer Roth, whose PA system they were renting for gigs, and bassist Mark Stone, who was replaced by Michael Anthony.

An attention-grabbing date at Gazzarri’s on the Sunset Strip by the rechristened Van Halen led to a demo session with Gene Simmons of KISS, who in the end opted out on working further with the band. However, as bassist Anthony recalled at the group’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, the act was signed after Warner Bros. chief executive Mo Ostin and producer Ted Templeman caught the band at a 1977 show at the Starwood.

Produced by Templeman, the band enjoyed a hit run of six albums with Roth as front man. Both “Van Halen II” (1979) and “Women and Children First” (1980) reached No. 6 nationally, while “Fair Warning” (1981) and “Diver Down” (1982) hit No. 5 and No. 3 respectively.

In the wake of the extroverted Roth’s exit and Hagar’s arrival, some anticipated a downturn in Van Halen’s popularity, but the new vocalist’s flair for power balladry and Eddie Van Halen’s still-puissant guitar attack thrust four albums to the sales pinnacle: “5150” (1986), “OU812” (1988), “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” (1991) and “Balance” (1995).

However, the band never found similar chemistry with Cherone, and Van Halen only witnessed renewed life when it regrouped with Hagar and Roth in the new millennium.

Eddie Van Halen is survived by his second wife, the band’s former publicist Janie Liszewski, whom he married in 2009, and his son.

RIP Eddie Van Halen.

#Eddie Van Halen #Van Halen #Music #Obituaries #Wold Van Halen

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theimpossiblescheme · 5 years

Text

The Jellicles of Britain, as seen by Victoria: 1937-1939

(A.K.A. The Schemer’s massive canon-welding project between the 2019 movie and the stage musical... everybody buckle in, things are about to get hairy...)

Victoria first came to the Jellicle Tribe of Great Britain in 1937 after being abandoned in the street by her owner--she was a small, runty kitten with partial hearing loss, which made her impossible to breed and difficult to keep as a pet. When Munkustrap, Mistoffelees, and Cassandra brought her into the fold, she finally felt as though she had found the family she’d always longed for. And as she came of age among her new loved ones, she would be witness to three important Jellicle Balls...

The Ball of 1937 was a massive sprawling affair that spanned London, from King’s Cross Station to Piccadilly Circus. The guests of honor, as had been the case for many previous Jellicle Balls, was Old Deuteronomy’s only surving mate--a queen named Esther who had formed her own “mini-Tribe” of sorts. The cats of Esther’s clan included Augustus, Noilly Prat, Victor, Sylvani, Bill Bailey, Faber, Stearns, Bengaleera, Vickiprickitass, Mirringo (a cousin of Skimbleshanks), Quaxo, Cumberleylaude, Carbucketty, James, Morgan, Lillie, Socrates (Plato’s brother separated at birth), Syllabub, Grumbuskin, Valerie, Genghis, Gilbert, Murad, Wiskuscat, Jonathan, Edgar, Marina, Olivia, Edgar, and Parsifal.

(Pictured from left to right: Mirringo, Vickiprickitass, and Bengaleera [I came up with them after I posted that initial character concept post, RIP me])

They adored the chance to mingle with their cross-country friends and celebrate both new lives and old ones. However, this year there was a dark shadow hanging over the ball: it was the three-year anniversary of Macavity’s exile. He had already taken a number of cats into his service and recently abducted Demeter as his own prize... all while her own sister, Bombalurina, still worked as his right-hand cat.

This year, Macavity’s plan was to kidnap the other candidates for the Jellicle Choice and “take them out of the running”, as he put it. To facilliate this, he dispatched Bombalurina, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, and Chatalune--daughter of Growltiger and Griddlebone--to sprinkle catnip across the Egyptian, an old theater that the Jellicles had adopted as their base, to render the other cats helpless.

Meanwhile, Macavity’s other henchcats--Zampalesta, Jokaste, Fantazia, and Sparetta--were helping him with the much more grisly part of the plan... which was to have the kidnapped cats executed by Pushdragon, the last surviving member of Growltiger’s Raffish Crew. In a moment of hubris, after thinking he had done away with all of the candidates, he revealed this plan to the Jellicles... and horrified Bombalurina, Mungojerrie, and Rumpleteazer, who had no idea that the plan had involved murder. And while Chatalune still supported the plan, thinking it would mean she’d have a part in her parents’ bloodthirsty legacy, the other three staged a mutiny, helping Munkustrap and Alonzo fight off Macavity and track down Pushdragon before it was too late. Unfortunately, it was too late, and whie Pushdragon was driven away, a night of joy and dancing had turned into a night of mourning... but there was still one candidate left...

When Chatalune deserted the Tribe, she left behind a daughter, Pettipaws. Pettipaws’s one wish ever since her mother--the only parent she had left--abandoned her was to start over, to escape her family’s toxic influence, honor the cats they had killed with love and respect, and live a better, happier life. In light of everything that had happened, she was a very ironic Jellicle Choice, but Old Deuteronomy thought it fitting that after so much selfishness had torn the Tribe apart, Pettipaws’s selflessness might serve as a reminder. And so she ascended to the Heaviside Layer. All the while, Victoria had been stranded on the sidelines, distraught at all the suffering these strange new cats who were not her family had inflicted. She encouraged Pettipaws to make her voice heard and helped Mistoffelees and Munkustrap in cleaning up the mess left behind, but she knew very well now that the life she’d chosen wasn’t at all safe...

The Ball of 1938 was significantly quieter, and a new kind of gloom overtook it as Tumblebrutus’s two brothers--Dionysus and Fleuryfling--were banished from the Tribe and recruited by Macavity. But it also marked the redemption of Macavity’s three former agents. While Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had always been harmless petty thieves who had fallen in with the wrong crowd, Bombalurina’s list of crimes was much longer and more dire. She was missing for most of the Ball, prompting Esther and a couple of her cats to comment on her absence. When she came back, however, she not only had Demeter with her, but also two kittens--Electra and Jemima, their daughters--having snuck them out from under Macavity’s nose. All three were welcomed back with open arms; Munkustrap danced the night’s Mating Dance with Demeter and took the two kittens under his wing (meanwhile their respective old flames, Alonzo and Cassandra, discovered they were more than happy with each other). And while Bombalurina still had some more atoning to do, her good deeds inspired the other cats to be more patient and accepting with her on her road to redemption.

The night’s Jellicle Choice was a tom named Fleckenfell, a loyal tom who had been Bustopher Jones’s good friend and Maitre D’ for many years. He’d once been an Ebenezer Scrooge type who never cared much about the less fortunate, but as he got older and wiser he realized how many opportunities he’d missed to help cats in need and went out of his way to be kinder and more community-minded. His new Jellicle life would be a way he could put the lessons he’d learned as an older cat into practice much earlier so he could make more of a difference. Once he’d ascended, his son Cumberleylaude was left behind, but Victoria practically dragged him over to Bustopher Jones and urged the Cat About Town to take the younger tom as his new Maitre D’ so he would have a family again. Bustopher accepted, and Cumberleylaude was thrilled.

The Ball of 1939 saw new strife hitting the Tribe. War was coming to Britain, and the air-raid sirens that were just starting to go off made it extremely unwise for small, vulnerable creatures to travel across the country, making it impossible for Esther and her family to attend this year. To make matters worse, the Great Pet Purge had many human families driving their cats away into the country in hopes they might survive the bombings, leaving many Jellicles lost and scared. The Jellicle Ball was more important than ever now--it meant the Tribe could still go on amidst the chaos. And so it did--new life was emerging. Pouncival and Etcetera were born early in the year. Mistoffelees summoned seven newborn kittens from certain danger and gave them a new home. Victoria came of age that year and took Plato as her mate, but most importantly she was the one to accept the wayward Grizabella back into the Tribe just in time for her ascension to the Heaviside Layer. The coming years would only have more trouble in store for all parts of the Tribe, and any new kittens would be raised in a bomb-scarred shell of London... but the Jellicles would still survive. Victoria and her family would survive. And even with the smoke in the sky and Macavity still at large, they could still find a way to be happy.

#*wipes brow* This took me a all day... I just hope people like it. :P #cats the musical #my headcanons #Edit: fixed some timeline stuff so I'm happier with it. :P

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razorblade180 · 5 years

Text

OC test: Halloween

Pick a costume; easy as pie. Have fun and get candy.

Valerie:*Wearing Astrid’s clothes from How to Your Dragon 2* Whoop whoop! I love Halloween and I love this character!

Nick:*dressed as SAO Kirito* You look like nice.

Valerie:Thanks, you really like swords huh?

Nick:I mean who doesn’t? Can’t go wrong with a cool blade.

Valerie:Isn’t your character suppose to have two? You only carry one swo-

Nick:*summons arma gigas sword*

Valerie:You are a genius......

Lucas:*dressed as Neji from TWEWY* Well aren’t we a bunch of nerds right now? I like it.

Valerie:Funny, I thought you’d be some kind of ninja or samurai.

Lucas:I’m kinda unironically those things all the time.

Nick:Aren’t you a moody teenager with little motivation most of the time.

Lucas:Let me live my okay!?

*a smoke bomb goes off*

Tenzen:*jumps out in a pink naruto jumpsuit* Did someone say ninja!?

Valerie:*cough* Where did you get a smoke bomb!?

Lucas:Question, why is it pink and not orange? It could’ve matched your hair.

Tenzen:Use that semblance of yours and maybe you’ll find out.

Lucas:........

Lucas:*grinning* Okay that’s cool as hell.

Nick:What’s cool as hell?

Tenzen:*clothes turn orange as he activates semblance* Anyone can wear a jumpsuit; who can create their one chakra mode design? This guy can.

Nick:That’s cool as hell!!!!!!

Tenzen: *bowing* Anyone seen Jin around? I want to show her!

Yujin:Ahem!

Everyone:*turns around*

Yujin:*hands confidently on her hips as she’s dressed like Tifa, but with a twist. On her back is the buster sword and her hair spiked like Cloud*

Tenzen:*breathless*

Yujin:I had to represent two of my favorite things. Badass women who punch things and cool guys with big swords.

Valerie:Your parents would be proud.

Yujin:😁

Tenzen:I think Yujin might be the coolest.

Nick:What if i told you that Jael is right behind with the perfect cosplay for her fighting style, body type, and hair?

Valerie:And also looks really hot.

Tenzen:*turns around*

Jael:*dressed like samurai Erza Scarlet. Complete with her hair up and her own sword* Sup everyone, are you all okay?

Everyone:*blushing* We’re fine....

Tenzen:*slightly staring*

Yujin:Last time I checked her eyes were a little higher Tenzen. *tapping her foot*

Tenzen:*flinching* Sorry!!!!

Sienna:*dressed like Jessie from Toy Story* Told you someone was gonna cheek you out.

Lucas:Aye, that’s an interesting choice.

Sienna:I can relate to Jessie on a personal level.

Jacquelyn:*wearing the same outfit as Gaia from Captain Planet* Aww you guys look so happy dressed up. Where’s Summer and Carmine?

“Big sis is getting ready*

Everyone looks down to see little Garnet in a wolf onesie.

Garnet:Rawr!

Jacquelyn:Well aren’t you just the cutest little thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on!!!! *picks him up* I could just eat you up!

Yujin:So does Carmine’s little brother come and go as he please?

Lucas:Kids play by their own rules.

Jacquelyn:Well this little wolf pup can stay forever if he wants to!

Garnet:I’m apart of big sis’s costume.

Valerie:Isn’t little red riding hood a little bit too on the nose?

Carmine:*steps in as Gerhem from Bloodborne* Who said anything about little red riding hood?

Valerie:I should’ve guessed....

Yujin:*eyes shining* Why are you always so cool? Why do you have to be in another universe?

Carmine:Because your Jaune likes blondes slightly more than red heads apparently.

Yujin:(Oh you’d be surprised.) We’re gonna have a private talk about that later.

Garnet:Carmine!!!

Carmine:Hey there my little monster!!! *holds him* having fun dressing up with your cool big sis?

Garnet:Ah! A hunter, imma fight you. *waving paws*

Carmine:*gasp!* Tiny paws! My only weakness!

*both laughing*

Everyone:(Since when does Carmine look happy?)

Lucas:That just leaves one left. What’s taking summer so-

Summer:*rushing in* I’m here!!!!

The crew is surprised to see her rush in out of breath. She’s wearing brown shoes, black tights, and an over sized green sweater with two broad yellow stripes that slightly cover brown shorts. Reluctantly she’s holding a kitchen knife.

Summer:I tried putting on the blue sweater with the pink stripes and grabbing the stick but it wasn’t working out.

Tenzen:I guess you can say you didn’t have enough “determination.”

Lucas:If you look in the mirror is it “still you”

Summer:......

Summer:Gosh you two, I “love” your undertale jokes.

Nick:Can you not say that word while you dressed like that please? I don’t need Shiva getting ideas.

Summer:Whatever, let’s just go get some candy.

Everyone:All right!!!!!

#rwby #yujin xiao long #lie tenzen #val valkyrie #nicholas schnee #summer schnee #jael frost #sienna frost #jacquelyn frost #carmine arc rose #lucas belladonna #oc test #my oc’s

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cheesecake-beech · 2 years

Note

Hi i love you oc and art from Minions can you to more

👍🏽👍🏽😎

baller

#cheesecake's art // my art #cheesecake's babies // my ocs #tako/heartache #alan/sizzle #elliot/blaze #valerie/smoke bomb #despicable me oc

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mudaship39 · 4 years

Text

Alpha Centurion War, Shadow War, Warring Kingdoms:

Glossary:

Ranged weapons:

Hard light Indigenous influenced blowgun and plasma darts 

Favorite long-distance weapon of Valerie Nadia Torres Garcia and Kelly Andrea Gouyen Mescal  

Throwing weapons:

Heavenly bronze Indian subcontinent style chakram 

A favorite of Isha Jayesh Mishra and his younger sister Amelia Himmat Mishra

Petrol bomb Molotov cocktail

Indigenous Aboriginal Australian style hard light boomerang

Hard light throwing knife

Plasma shinobi or kunoichi assassin ninja stars

Plasma shinobi or kunoichi assassin shuriken

Hard light shinobi or kunoichi assassin kunai 

Shinobi or kunoichi smoke bombs

Grenades:

Nonlethal grenades:

smoke grenades, flashbang grenades, concussion grenades, stun grenades, sleeping gas grenades, EMP grenades, rubber ball grenades, cryogenic grenades, sonic sound grenades, hallucinogenic grenades, chaff grenades, flare grenades, electroshock grenades, warp teleportation grenades, quantum dimensional grenades, & temporal time grenades 

Lethal grenades: 

fragmentation grenades, tear gas grenades, white phosphorus grenades, anti-tank grenade, incendiary grenades, plasma grenades, photon grenades, singularity grenades, ion grenades, pulse grenades, radium irradiated grenades, & miniature portable nuclear fusion grenades

Bows:

Bows that are equipped with small class armor such as leather armor:

Types of bows: short bows, long bows, great bows, recurved bows, reflex bows, crossbows, traditional bows, & modern bows 

Magical traditional composite bow that fires magical, arcane, nether, esoteric, dark, death, aether, nether, temporal, light, life, void, elemental, & divine, heavenly, stellar, & celestial arrows

Bows that is equipped with medium class armor such as chain mail celestial steel armor:

Magical traditional crossbow with iron sights that fires mithril, adamant, divine iron, heavenly bronze, & celestial steel crossbow bolts

Bows that is equipped with medium class steel combat armor:

Plasma crossbow with holographic red dot sight

Hard light modern compound bow with scope

Bows that is equipped with heavy class armor such as arcane aether or nether powered mithril or adamant metal power armor:

Mobile ballista that fires giant colossal mithril, adamant, divine iron, heavenly bronze, stellar titanium, & celestial steel metal bolts that can take down even a hydra or fire basilisk

Magical guns:

Secondary weapons that are equipped with small class armor such as leather armor:

Magical single barrel flintlock pistol with iron sights

Magical double barrel flintlock pistol with iron sights

Magical quadruple barrel flintlock pistol with iron sights

Magical single barrel flintlock rifle with iron sights

Magical double barrel flintlock rifle with iron sights

Primary weapons that are equipped with medium class armor such as the celestial steel chain mail armor: 

Guns that is equipped with medium class steel combat armor:

Esoteric six shot revolver

Arcane 5.56 mm bolt action hunting rifle with scope

Arcane ten shot 10-gauge lever action shotgun with holographic red dot sight 

Esoteric five shot 50 caliber lever action repeating rifle with scope

Esoteric five shot 500 magnum revolver action lever action repeating rifle 

Esoteric semi-automatic pistol with iron sights

Arcane semi-automatic carbine rifle with scope

Modern Futuristic Guns

That have built in: internal scope or holographic red dot sight, silencer or suppressor, red laser sight, foregrip, & or flashlight in the near or far future that fire ballistic, plasma, laser, or hard light rounds: 

Tertiary weapons that are equipped with light class Kevlar military armor: 

A 22-caliber laser pistol with holographic red dot sight

A 38-caliber energy pistol with holographic red dot sight

A 45-caliber plasma pistol with holographic red dot sight 

A 50-caliber hard light pistol with holographic red dot sight

A 44-magnum hard light pistol with holographic red dot sight

A 357 six-shot hard light magnum revolver with holographic red dot sight 

A 9mm laser sub machine gun with grip with drum magazine with holographic red dot sight 

A 45-caliber plasma sub machine gun with grip with drum magazine with holographic red dot sight

Secondary weapons that are equipped with medium class steel military armor:

5.56 mm ballistic assault rifle with scope and 40 mm plasma grenade launcher

7.76 mm hard light medium machine gun with grip with holographic red dot sight 

10-gauge plasma combat shotgun with holographic red dot sight and drum magazine

A 12-gauge hard light combat shotgun with holographic red dot sight and drum magazine

5.56mm hard light particle beam rifle with scope

7.76mm plasma ion rifle with holographic red dot sight

50 caliber hard light bolt action sniper rifle with scope 

Plasma rocket launcher with grip with holographic red dot sight

Hard light six shot 40mm revolver action multiple grenade launcher with grip with holographic red dot sight 

Flamethrower with grip and red dot sight 

Primary weapons that are equipped with heavy class armor power armor:

12.7 mm hard light electromagnetic gauss rifle with scope

7.76 mm plasma Gatling gun with holographic red dot sight

Hard light guided missile launcher with scope  

12.7 mm hard light rail gun with scope 

12.7 mm hard light ion rifle with scope

50 caliber anti matter rifle with scope

50 caliber hard light heavy machine gun with scope  

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dank-hp--memes · 5 years

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The Lives of Others (pt.2...)

so i honestly have no idea how long this story will be. my writer's block is bad today, so here is another chapter of this that I just finished earlier, most of it was written as a part of the last part, but I just didn't include it, enjoy (Ps. if you want me to tag you in any fanfic posts lmk)

tag (: @shit-in-silk-stocking

It seems like hours pass and darkness has fallen over the camp. Rukovsky is now asleep in Legasovs lap. Her soft hair is splayed over his lap as her head lays on Scherbinas coat. Rukovsky’s light silky pink blouse is hanging over her thin body and her floral skirt is a crumpled mess. Scherbina watches her, quietly clicking a pen he pulled from his pocket. Legasov is mindlessly petting Rukovskys head, deep in thought. Rukovsky groans a little in her sleep.

Eventually, Pikalov returns and the men get up and hurry to meet him, leaving Rukovsky in the tent. Legasov is the first to exit the tent and he instantly approaches Pikalov, anxious to know the measurements.

“It's not three roentgen” Pikalov starts

The tension hangs in the air and it almost seems hard to breathe.

“It's fifteen thousand…” Pikalov continues

Fomin gapes at Pikalov, shocked and horrified. His mouth is moving as if to speak but no words come out. Bryukhanov scoffs and shakes his head, not believing what he has just heard. Legasov just closes his eyes, this is as he expected.

“Comrade Scherbina…” Bryukhanov begins, gaping at him.

Scherbina fixes a deadly stare on Bryukhanov who instantly goes quiet. He then turns to Legasov.

“What does that number mean?” Scherbina asks demandingly, clenching his fists.

“It means the core is open…” Legasov starts, swallowing the knot in his throat, “and the fuel is melting down. It means the fire we're watching with our own eyes i-is giving off nearly twice the radiation released by the bomb in Hiroshima”

He pauses and nervously fiddles with his glasses.

“And that's every single hour. Hour after hour” Legasov continues, checking his watch “Twenty hours since the explosion. So that’s forty bombs' worth by now”

He pauses and puts his glasses back on.

“Forty-eight more tomorrow. And it will not stop… Not in a week. Not in a month. It will burn and spread its poison until the entire continent is dead” Legasov continues exasperated and beginning to raise his voice.

Only silence follows as everyone absorbs what Legasov has said. Scherbina turns to the soldiers.

“Please escort Comrades Bryukhanov and Fomin to the local Party headquarters” Scherbina orders.

Bryukhanov and Fomin look at Scherbina in shock as the soldiers seize one of their arms.

“Comrade…” Bryukhanov manages to say.

“You are exscused” Scherbina says, drawing himself up and glaring down at them both in disgust.

“Dyatlov was in charge! It was Dyatlov!” Fomin cries as the soldiers escort them away.

Scherbina pays no attention to them and turns to Pikalov saying: “Tell me how to put it out”

“We'll use helicopters. Drop water on it, like a forest fire” Pikalov says with confidence.

“No-No you don’t understand” Legasov says stepping forward.

“You're dealing with something that has never occurred on this planet before” Legasov explains in horror.

Both men look at him as he pauses for a moment.

“This isn't a "fire". It's a fissioning reactor core burning at over 2,000 degrees” Legasov continues, his voice faltering as he raises it, “The heat will instantly vaporize the water—or worse, ionize it, and then you're-”

“Tell me how to put it out” Scherbina demands, turning on Legasov

“Sand. Sand and boron. Thousands of drops because the helicopters can't go directly over the core, so much of it is going to miss, and there are other-- risks-- but I don't see any other way” Legasov says, shaking his head as he removes his glasses to rub his temples.

“Are you sure about that comrade?” A silky voice says from the tent entrance.

It's Rukovsky. She is leaning heavily on one of the tent posts, Scherbinas coat resting on her boney shoulders. Her thin legs are trembling, and she must muster all of her strength to stay upright. The men look at her in surprise, for it is not apparent how much of the conversation she has heard.

“Mirra” Legasov says, his voice barely a whisper.

She takes a few steps forward, stumbling a little and trembling weakly. They watch in shock as she stands between Scherbina and Legasov. A moment passes and Rukovsky tilts her head, eyeing Legasov.

“It will create problems of its own, but there is no other way” Legasov says, stepping forward to stand beside her.

Rukovsky simply sighs and nods in response. She then leans against Legasov as he wraps his arm firmly around her small waist.

“How much sand and boron?” Scherbina asks, desperate but determined.

“Well I can't be as accurate as I'd-” Legasov starts

“For god's sake—roughly” Scherbina says exasperatedly.

“Five thousand tons” Legasov states as he looks toward the powerplant.

Pikalov and Scherbina exchange a look of surprise and worry. They know they must do as Legasov says if they want to stop the fire.

“And obviously we need to immediately evacuate an enormous area of-” Legasov continues

“Never mind that. Focus on the fire” Scherbina says irritated, glaring at Legasov.

“I am focusing on the fire. The wind is carrying the smoke, all that

radiation-- at least evacuate Pripyat! It's three kilometers away!” Legasov says, confronting Scherbina.

“Comrade… He is right” Rukovsky says as she looks up at Scherbina

“That is my decision to make” Scherbina declares, glaring at the both of them.

“Then make it” Legasov says, challenging Scherbina.

“I have been told not to” Scherbina replies, the anger rising in him.

“Is it or is it not your decision?!” Legasov says in frustration.

“I am in charge here!” Scherbina barks, asserting his dominance over the measly scientists, “This will go much easier if you talk to me about things you DO understand, and do NOT talk to me about things you do NOT understand”

Scherbina glares at them for a moment, but the sight of Rukovsky fills him with remorse. After glaring at them for a moment, Scherbina huffs in frustration and walks off.

“Where are you going?” Legasov calls after him

“To get you five thousand tons of sand and boron” Scherbina calls back before disappearing into the camp.

Legasov stands there in awe for a moment, still supporting Rukovsky. He looks around, feeling lost.

“There's a hotel” Pikalov says as Legasovs eyes fall on him.

Legasov just nods in response, but everything now seems so surreal. Legasov picks up Rukovsky, who gives little protest as he carries her over to a Red Army UAZ-469 that is waiting for them. He gently places her in the car, watching her grimace as she chokes back vomit. Legasov takes a moment before climbing in beside her.

Upon their arrival at the hotel, Legasov helps Rukovsky into the lobby. He places her in a chair and gently fixes her glasses.

“Would you like a drink Mirra?” Legasov says softly as he looks into her eyes.

Rukovsky manages a nod and swallows before saying: “That would be nice Valery Alekseyevich”

Legasov looks at her in surprise as he smiles a little.

“Just Valery is fine, there is no need to use my patronymic Mirra Nikolaevna” Legasov says as he shakes his head a little.

Rukovsky smiles a little and shakes her head. They sit in silence for a moment before Legasov makes his way to the bar. He orders himself a shot, requesting a clean glass. His mind is buzzing and he finds it hard to focus. A woman down the bar addresses him, he doesn’t reply as he takes another shot.

“…Is there anything to worry about?” The woman asks.

Legasov takes a moment, and he can feel his hair standing on end as time seems to slow.

“No…” Legasov manages to reply.

His mouth is dry, and his throat feels incredibly shut. Legasov orders another shot and the couple down the bar raise their glasses toward him. It seems odd, but Legasov brushes it off. He takes a glass back to Rukovsky who hasn’t moved from the chair he placed her in. She is staring out the window, lost in thought, as Legasov approaches. He can see that her eyes are watering and she is barely aware of her surroundings. Legasov places the glass on the table beside her as he takes a seat in the chair opposite her. Rukovsky looks blankly down at the glass for a moment before picking it up and downing. She then looks up at Legasov. He is a bit shaken by the somber expression in her face. No words are exchanged, but Legasov gently takes her hand, trying to comfort her. They sit in silence for a few moments, only the other people moving about the hotel making some noise in the background. Rukovsky begins to stand up, her thin legs trembling as she tries to push herself up, but she is far too tired and weak to stand. Legasov watches her for a moment before picking her up, once again in a bridal style, and carrying her up to his room. Legasov sets Rukovsky on the edge of the clean, neat bed.

“You should try to rest Mirra” Legasov says softly as he removes his jacket. “Valery, I-I should go get cleaned up… I-I…” Rukovsky says as she slowly sits up.

“I will get you whatever you need from your room, but I cannot, in good conscience, let you spend the night alone in this state” Legasov says softly as he looks over at her from across the room.

“Always such a gentleman…” Rukovsky says, shaking her head before continuing: “If you could just get my bag. All of my things should be neatly packed up”

Legasov smiles and takes her room key. In the few minutes he was gone, Rukovsky has made her way to the bathroom and thrown up. She is curled up on the bathroom floor when he returns. Legasov leans in the doorframe, looking down at her. Rukovsky meets his eyes as there is a knock on the door. As Legasov pulls open the door, he sees the large barrel-chested figure of Scherbina standing just outside.

“Is she with you?” Scherbina asks, his raspy voice very stern and serious.

Legasov nods in response and Scherbina barges into the room. Legasov watches the older man as he quickly looks around the room before looking back at Legasov. There is a moment of silence before Scherbina looks into the bathroom to see Rukovsky now leaning against the far wall, facing the door.

“Are you alright comrade?” Scherbina says softly as he stands in the doorway.

Rukovsky nods and smiles up at him weakly. “you may as well use my name comrade Scherbina” She says with a weak laugh.

Scherbina smiles a little and sits down on the edge of the bathtub beside Rukovsky. He pulls a bottle of vodka out of his coat and hands it to her.

“I know it is not much, but I thought you might like a proper drink” Scherbina says softly, looking from Rukovsky to Legasov, who is now standing in the doorway.

Legasov looks around the small bathroom and takes a seat beside Rukovsky on the floor, loosening his tie as he sits down. Rukovsky lays her head against Legasovs shoulder, the bottle of vodka resting in her lap.

“You two should drink it… or at least share it with me” She mumbles smiling at them.

After a few drinks, Rukovsky is laying in Legasovs lap. Scherbina and Legasov continue drinking and talking quietly. The bottle sits empty beside Legasov’s tie, and the men sit side by side, whispering to one another so not to disturb Rukovsky as she sleeps peacefully in their laps, her head and upper body lay in Legasov’s lap and the rest of her lays in Scherbina’s lap.

As the sky begins to lighten with the signs of early morning, the two men share a few moments of silence. They exchange a look before looking at Rukovsky.

“What can we do for her?” Scherbina asks, feeling a bit helpless.

“She should see a doctor…From what I can tell shes suffering from Radiation Poisoning” Legasov says softly, stroking Rukovsky’s hair.

Scherbina nods slowly before saying: “we should get her into bed… she will be more comfortable there”

Legasov nods quietly in agreement. Together, Legasov and Scherbina manage to move Rukovsky to Legasov’s bed without waking her. The sun has begun to rise and is barely cresting the horizon. Both men reek of alcohol, but despite being a little drunk, they must get back to work. Scherbina returns to his room to get ready for the day. Meanwhile, Legasov cleans up his bathroom a little before changing his clothes and freshening up a little. As he is pulling on his shoes, he cannot help but think of the consequences of coming to Chernobyl…

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ghostly-penumbra · 5 years

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DannyMay 2019. Day Eleven

“Shapeshifting”

Chaos unleashed where Dan went, wrapping itself on his victims as his laugh echoed on his survivor’s minds.

Valerie had to take him down.

“Hey, Valerie! It almost feels as if you wanted to destroy me!” Dan grinned, holding up his hands and then thrusting them forward to shoot an immense ectoblast at her.

Red Huntress lunged to the side, moaking her board flip over and down as she kept shooting blast after blast, her grip on her weapons firm like her eyes on Dan’s manic own.

“Come on! You gotta say something, otherwise it’s only half the fun!”

A smoke bomb exploded next to his face, obscuring his sight from his enemy even as his eyes shone red in annoyance. Before he came up with any witty comment, the muzzle of Valeries bazooka was pressing between his shoulder-blades, and was quickly followed by a bigger blast that sent the young ghost crashing against an abandoned building.

Most buildings were like that, nowadays.

Val zoomed in to the gaping hole, her hands going for a Thermos on her belt, her eyes never leaving the debris, the ecto-detector on her mask signaling the presence of the ghost behind all the smoke.

“This ends today.” She told herself, chin raising and shoulders squaring.

The dust was finally clearing.

She had to do this...

Her hands didn’t shake.

She had to do this...

As her visibility cleared, Val got ready to just uncap the Thermos and then do what she had to. But when she had finally located her target, she froze.

“V-val... please... help me...”

Messy raven hair, eyes an icy, almost milky, blue, Danny looked just as he did before leaving Amity Park one year ago, just after the explosion.

“T-this is a trick!” Her legs now trembled, and she had to take a shuddering breath to steady her arm and not drop the gun.

“Please help me! I don’t know how longer I can hold him...” Danny cried, trying to drag himself from under the debris, his visible arm bloody and scratched. “V-val...”

“Danny!” Valerie leaned in, and her hover-board took her next to the boy. Tears streamed down her cheeks, the hope she had tried so hard to crush coming back, of the boy she once knew to still be there, just waiting to be helped.

She just wanted to pull him into a hug, forgive everything.

“Valerie...” Danny smiled, and there was something very wrong with it. “Oh, Val...” He grinned, and his eyes were shining red.

“No!” She cried out, reaching for the gun on her belt as Dan lunged at her, his eyes wild and his long tongue licking at his fangs like the apex predator he knew himself to be.

She should have done it.

#dannymay 2019 #dannymay19 #dannymay #day eleven #ghostly-scrypts #valerie gray #dan phantom #shapeshifting

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soukis · 5 years

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Just a fun little character game. Fill in the below categories with 3-5 things that your character can be identified by. Feel free to add more categories! Repost & tag away !

TAGGED BY: i blatantly stole this. TAGGING: anyone who wants it?

COLOURS:

001. teal.

002. maroon.

003. soft blues.

004. white & black.

SCENTS:

001. lavender.

002. citrus.

003. campfire smoke.

004. floral.

CLOTHING:

001. wrap around shirts & half dresses.

002. form hugging pants.

003. simple slip on shoes.

004. black boots.

OBJECTS:

001. a ribbon belonging to her adoptive mother.

002. small knife in her hair, holds her hair up.

003. bracelet her son made her.

004. tampered hydrangea corsage.

VICES / BAD HABITS:

001. reckless battle ; endangering her own life without reason.

002. casual sex as a coping mechanism.

003. putting her life on hold for others.

004. picks fights just to feel something.

BODY LANGUAGE:

001. chin high, eyes defiant.

002. arms rarely not at her sides, readily by knives.

003. rubs at nape of neck when stressed.

AESTHETICS:

001. flowers braided into hair, ripped up dresses, chipped nail polish.

002. bruised eyes, smeared mascara, bloodied lips, scarred cheeks.

003. flower buds, crystals, yellowing parchment with letters from home.

004. wine, bookcases, soot stained fingers, moonlight on bare skin.

SONGS or PIECES:

001. battlefield - svrcina.

002. warrior – beth crowley.

003. a little wicked – valerie broussard.

004. cherry bomb – the runaways.

005. take me away – globus.

#「☾」( headcanon ) i am the daughter of a king who has forgotten my name.#long post*

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swearronchanel · 6 years

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7.09🎄🌟

Comments on the Call The Midwife Christmas special! *proceed with caution*

Here we gooo

aw Lucille hey

That’s a cute baby 😭

You right Jenny Lee, if only I had a damn map of life lmao

SPACE ELVES LMAO

Reggie!!! My harrrt

That paint probably is pure lead sjskks

Vi’s hair is rough

LMAO who is this old woman she is annoying already

go home shelgah is the new go home roger (if you know you know!! Lol from the show Sister, Sister)

ROCKIN AROUNDDDD THE CHRISTMAS TREEE

new car in this bitchhh

shealgh’s yellow scarf and coat is cute af

AW TEDDY

TRIXIE MY QUEEN!! SHSJKS SHE HAS RETURNED THE SHOW CAN GO ON

!!! THAT WILL BE ME IN 12 DAYS ARRIVING IN LONDON !!!!

the babs pic :(

their tree tho😍

Sister MJ annoyed to have to walk is a big mood

“our work is here” wow this is sad already

Phyllis already knows there’s something sus going on

“They gonna see everything you got” LMFAO LUCILLE

THE QUEEN OF POPLAR IS HOME

wow just kidding 😂😂

omg the Asian babies are so adorable

but what is up grandma from Balto

NOTHING TO DECLARE BUT MY ANNOYANCE LMFAO OK ME AGAIN AT THE UK CUSTOMS

mama bear phyllis😭😭

sister MJ is like listen I’m the sweets and candy queen here back up

HERE SHE IS

BEATRIX IS HOME💖💖

PUCCI?! HONEY GOT SHMONEYYY

omfg my heart MAMA PHYLLIS BATHING THEM

babs sweater omg 😢 I’m crying already

Phyllis omg stop Fuck my heart

PATSY AND DELIA IN SCOTLAND

GARBO OMG LIKE GRETA GARBO she was famous and famously gay I see what they did there najsksk amazing

SISTER MJ FAKING AGAIN LMAOO??

oh shit morphine maybe not faking then lol that can f*ck u up 😂

Fred our pure ridiculous angel

Omg stop sister MJ 😭😭 when she dies it’s over man

Didn’t think the mother house would be by the beach/sea

My mom just made a funny ass remark but it’s kinda mean I shant say

OH SHIT SHES GONNA CRASH

who is that woman tho?

LMAO sister Mildred is like sister E I’m kinda vibing with it 😂 but if she comes for Phyllis then I will have a problem

Sister J just SNAPPED 💀 she is not leaving poplar and that’s that !!

Omg this kid looks like my little cousin

My gal is already back at work!! grinding all day let’s get this bread

Ok I feel their annoyance but it’s true hospitals have a lot of upsides

like number one there are doctors there lmao

oh no😭😭 why is the kid left alone? that’s not fair 😭

YOU’D GO UP LIKE A BOMB FIRE SJSKKS VI IS RIGHT

Aw the little angels (lowkey reminds me of the best Christmas pageant ever LMAO again if u know, u know)

Trix’s coat!! A damn look

A damn BELL?? holy sh*t this convent is like a prison

sorry @ God but I would never

Fred wants to gather the orphans gifts omfg he is SOFT <3

Aw Mother Jesu (but also I don’t know what I imagined her as but this lady isn’t it)

Sister J will not go bc we would riot

*throws to ground* I felt that

APPALLING MUSIC LMAO SHELAGH IT’S CALLED HAVING TASTE

it’s prob the stones I bet

Lucille looks so CUTE love the fit

Lucille and sister MJ together is always a sweet moment

The Turner’s new car is fire I love the color

Shelagh’s pink scarf is cute too, she got the whole rainbow. She has to make up for all the lost years of not being able to dress lol

ok but I have to say the three shades of pink is bothering me, looking like a Scottish pepto bottle (or peppa pig😂)

AW FETUS SHELAGH/SISTER B

📢📢📢 just bc she wants it doesn’t mean it’s right 📢📢📢

Another Mavis wow can they stop recycling names already Lmaoo sheesh it’s not that hard

throw a Gabby in the mix, or matter of fact cast me (imagine LMAO)

This is so sad omg, the little girl watching the others be adopted I can’t 😭😭

Ok sister winnie we see u with some vocals!

Oh shit TB yikess

“Sometimes love is not enough” ouch that shit ‘hurted’ :(

Oo k trixie 😍 we see u

sweetie was in Paris Yass as she should (but lol love how they ignore the fact she left bc she relapsed)

PHOTOGRAPHIC NEGATIVE LMFAO VALERIE STOP

trixie running in her dress and stockings I can’t lmaoo but we love a fashionable midwife but imagine how gross her feet will be through those sheer nylons

not at all relevant but I remember tipsy-ly walking around the Brooklyn bridge barefoot after my hs prom and my feet looked like charcoal after 💀💀😂

SHE’S PUSHING STANDING UP???

My sister in law is cringing bc she’s currently 7 months pregnant and is imagining giving birth outside on the street

the Beverly sisters with rubber gloves 😂

Well that dress is ruined trixie 😂

How do they make those umbilical cords look so real?

the Barbara name tag😭

“It’s only a dress...” character growth ok, Beatrix has grown up 😢

I keep saying but I really can’t if shelagh adopts May

What is up with this pregnant lady who spooks like a dear?? (My sister in law said that lol)

no way she remembers something from 2 years old

SHELAGH IN BLUE SLACKS?? YES A LOOK OK

Glad she finally is in pants tho lol, serving Laura Petrie looks

📢📢Everyone has a story.. 📢📢

My mom just said she wants those vintage tree icicles 😂

It’s been real sister W but bye bye

LMAO WAIT SHE SNAPPED

I remember reading that she was leaving so I’m not surprised

“I feel called to stay here and I don’t care who’s calling me” OK SIS !!! 📢 TELL EM

“Is your knocked elastic gone?”LMFAO aka don’t get your panties in a twistttt

A donkey I’m weakkkk

Patrick gave him Tim’s tree aww

LMAO Tim is pissed

This damn donkey lmaoo this is funny

ofc he likes candy😂

Shelagh and Sister J delivering a baby! This is pure

They said clever girl so take a shot

Another boy today!

LMFAO FRED AND REGGIE SCHEMING

It’ll be crazy fr if shelagh takes this little girl home, she’s already got two kids she doesn’t watch 😂

I’m triggered when I watch elections, takes me back to that horrible day in 2016..

Shelagh and sister J on the beach <3

BURGUNDY SLACKS YAS SHELAGH shawty got 2 pairssss

SECRET CIGS LMFAO OMG I LOVE THISSSS

Patrick can mind his damn business ok

They’re bonding over smoking and I love IT

THE INTENSE ASS MUSIC

IM NERVOUS WTF

SISTER JULIENNE CRYING OMG MY HEARR

SISTER MILDRED TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM THANK U LORDT

BEATRIX SERVING 60s DREAM LOOKS 😍 why doesn’t my hair look like that?

I’m also lowkey sad at the lack of Phyllis in this ep

ANGELA SPOKE HOLY SHIT IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

THEY FOUND BILLY OMFG ANOTHER CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

“You come home with me” BYE MY EYES ARE SWEATING

Trixie looks so damn good & her hug with sister Winnie was cute

the Turner’s are now that family in “in takes two” who they say collected kids 😂😂

This is so cute but I can’t believe it!! And then their were 5 Turner’s!

Neal as one of the 3 kings I am a mess

Vanessa Redgrave PLS chill I can’t I’m shedding caucasian tears 😭😭

LUCILLE HAS A BOYFRIEND??

OMG NO SHE BROUGHT THE CHURCH 🥰🥰🥰

Val is also serving a look!

STOP NOW IM CRYING FR FR

HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SINGGGGGG

I LOVE THE CHOIR UGHH

EVEN PHYLLIS SINGING <3

“we share the shift from darkness into light..” 😭😭❤️❤️ UGH MY HEART

That was so good I can’t wait to be able to watch season 8 in real time next month in LONDON!!

#call the midwife #i'm bad at this #it's all for fun #commentary

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ayankun · 6 years

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GOTHAM

insanely rambley HUGE spoiler-ridden seasons 1-4 thoughts under cut

FIRST OFF LET ME TELL YOU I GOT CHILLS

Secondly, let’s think back to how I felt about season one. A little loose in the narrative, not so much weaving threads as having threads, ones that you keep expecting to pull tight but more often than not just get dropped for other, shinier threads. All leading to a surprisingly effective character-driven season finale that hopes to prove to you that a few meandering plot points can still add to a sum greater than the parts.

(Oswald goes from umbrella boy to King of Gotham, Bruce Wayne starts at the site of his parents’ murder and ends up taking his first steps into the Batcave, Jim enters as this black-and-white idealist and winds learning from a mob boss that even good men sometimes get their hands dirty to get the job done. A socially awkward unrecognized genius has a psychic break, leading ultimately to the fall of Edward Nygma and the rise of the Riddler.)

Season two is a blur. A period of transition from Jim “Good Cop” Gordon Fistfighting Corruption into... Gotham City: Arkham Asylum’s Backyard. Think how much season one was about only Fish Mooney vs Falcone vs the GCPD and Cobblepot doublecrossing everyone he meets, and how much seasons two and three and four were about the Riddler and Valeska and Tetch and Ra’s al Ghul (and Valeska). We have the bring-everyone-back-to-life at Indian Hill period to thank for the sudden left turn into the Strange.

WHICH IS NOT A COMPLAINT.

There are so many types of Batman stories, and there’s a time and a place for both Joe Chill and Killer Croc. Gotham started in one and always knew it was headed for the other.

And B.D. Wong as Strange is a DELIGHT and I really appreciated his dynamic with Miss Peabody. Speaking of, the bomb defusing scene was a real gem omg lololol give the woman some damn water already.

At the same time, the Fish storyline was like WHOA what EVEN is haPPENINg at any given moment. And it ultimately didn’t amount to much? There’s so much waffling between the surviving gang camps where everyone’s either got a kill-on-sight order or a owed-life-debt to each other and the pendulum swings back and forth so quickly it’s not really worth holding onto how anyone feels about anyone else. That dead/MIA character will come back or the rivalry will be revived or the long-held grudge will be recalled if and when that plot point is going to be drafted, but other than that everyone’s friends and that’s ok.

And like. Ivy??? Ivy Pepper??????? Why is that ride so wild??? There is no cause and effect, only next next next. It’s insane. Maybe watching this all at once rather than over the course of four years lends a different perspective, but holy cow. Such a ballsy way to do whatever with a character you never had a plan for.

Which brings us to Barbara Kean?! Season one she was there because they knew she was a Mythos Character but then they were like, wait, whateven is she for though? Which is a fair question, since having her be the Little Lady Trophy Fiance meant she was a boring and needless character wasting space, not standing on her own and hardly informing Jim’s character either. So what to do, what to do. How about we kidnap her, put her through some insanely cruel physical and psychological abuse, make her a psycho-revenge-bride, put her in a coma, have her come back as a 100% Arkham Villain, give her a hench(wo)man, have the henchman KILL HER, have Ra’s al Ghul waltz up out of literally nowhere and say “lol, borrow this arcane mojo for a minute, I’ll want it back later or will I” and now she’s a kingpin of Gotham’s underworld with her own mini League of Assassin?!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like. Even if they never had a plan going into it, I’m pretty okay with most of what they came up with. Better than the lil wifey hanging out at home and having one passing remark about curating a gallery that we never saw and was never mentioned again.

Better off a once-crazy, once-dead mafiosa than the less inspired handling of Miss Kringle. I won’t even get into that trainwreck I-only-exist-to-validate-manpain-of-my-murderer wait I said I wasn’t going to get into it.

So Nygma! Like I said when I got started with the show, the season one Edward Nygma was crafted as this painfully unsympathetic offbeat loser and I think they fully succeeded with that characterization. The emergence of the Riddler persona was a welcome change, an upgrade, a spit-shine into something clean cut and confident and stylish. But I like that, compared to the Penguin, the posterchild for evil-psychotic-villain!Protaganist, for example, they held on to a lot of Nygma’s unlikeablilty in that he’s still an ass, even more of an insufferable egoist, and SO CRAZY he can’t even read himself (which was a big thing about the character before he split in half, so in itself that’s pretty great).

I don’t know. Maybe you like him and I’m supposed to like him. I think he’s exactly what he ought to be, and while I'd never want to see him marched off a peer with a bullet in his back, I’m more than happy to see his fellow villain-Protagonists knock him around once in a while. Penguin and Mooney and now Lee (?!) and Zsasz even are the kind of villan!Protagonist you really root for. But if it’s any one of them vs. the Riddler, they’re definitely not going to lose. Nygma’s like in his own category of villain!Protagonist Antagonist.

Of course, the post-Arkham-proto-Riddler who was running Oswald’s mayoral campaign, now HOT DAMN that was a storyline I could get behind. I almost actually believed they were going to do something great in the Nygmobblepot arena and that was a magical moment. I think the resulting blood feud, as painful of a 360 as they come, was a sounder storytelling decision and more in line with the show’s Schroedinger’s Frenemies mentality.

And his season four storyline with the Ed Nygma persona challenging the Riddler was a nice full circle. Sort of closing the gap between this raging banana nutball and the razor-sharp criminal mastermind he could be if tried. Not SUPER THRILLED with his creeping on Lee but, with all due respect, that’s par for the character so again I say I don’t think I’m meant to like him??

I just spent half this rant on the Riddler so I guess they’re doing something right.

Ok so Cameron Monaghan’s VALESKA TWINS. Let’s get right into it, shall we.

Holy smokes they did everything right on this one. Loved the Primal Fear treatment of his introduction, and the way this random circus kid just so happens to start displaying jokey traits that astute viewers will start to suspect that this could be the big bad we’ve all been waiting for --

and then they kill him.

WOW

I was so ready for this kid to grow up to be the Joker, and they rip that dream away and replace it with an idea that anyone can grow up to be the Joker, and damn if that isn’t the nicest treatment of the character’s fractured and obfuscated origin story. But. THEN!

THEY BRING HIM BACK and it’s everything you wanted him to be. He’s just so good. There’s just the right amount of (IMO, anyway) Hamill-homage in what is otherwise a fully imagined Character who is instantly recognizable as one of many iterations but at the same time outclasses them all. The high-level narrative and dialogue stuff, the stuff they create for him to do, I mean, is all great. And then Monaghan brings this manic A++ game to the table and blows it out of the water. Best Joker performance? Arguably so, especially when you consider

JEREMIAH VELASKA because this kid can’t stop having stellar Joker performances. He’s like, two and a half, three of the best Joker performances on the books. Jeremiah’s distinct visual style, the characterization, AGAIN with the obfuscated we-are-legion origin story hocow. NO COMPLAINTS HERE.

Anyway so if that’s what we get in return for sending Fish Mooney through a narrative meat grinder, then I guess it’s an even trade.

Pengiun. What to say about Penguin. I loved what they gave him in season two, a ton of character stuff because his plot stuff of rags to riches had played itself out. I felt real bad for his mom, but I really liked that he went and made himself mayor, and even while his story arcs tend to go riches to rags and back again, it’s never not a pleasure watching him claw his way up to where he thinks he ought to be.

For the most part they do a good job stringing together these different Protagonist story-groups, keeping in mind that most of these groups serve mainly as antagonists amongst themselves (when they’re not being buddy-buddy to serve some winding end). So when you get the villain!Antagonists you can really tell the difference. I got a little yawny while we were setting up Fries, and by the time we finally locked Tetch up for good I was very grateful. These will never be main characters and the show knows it and wants you to know it, too. So while they’re the main on-screen villain, it can get a little stale because the same effort isn’t being put into their lasting appeal.

Um. Jim Gordon. Another thing I liked about season four was a strong return to GCPD bidniss. Season two there was a lot of GCPD, but with Captain Barnes and the strike force and Galavan, so it was a completely different narrative animal than what Gordon was throwing down with in season one. Then Gordon goes to prison and after that he doesn’t go back to GCPD until well into season three, and by then the story’s about Mario and Tetch and Lee and omg I forgot about Valerie Vale until this very moment whoops.

As was hinted in the season one finale, Jim Gordon went on a very twisty path through the mud before he figured himself out again. Killing Galavan was like WHAT JIMBOY and that wasn’t even the worst of it. What I liked most about his stint as a PI was the character’s eventual acceptance that the law isn’t the be all and end all of righteousness, and that there are other means available when enforcing peace and justice. Not necessarily by killing every evil mayor you come across with your own two hands, but the eye-opening to the virtues of vigilantism is super important when you realize he’s going to be Batman’s main ally down the line and this time in his life is going to be what ultimately allows the future police commissioner to legitimize this kind of shadowy ninja behavior.

Anyway, in season four, Jim kind of comes back to roost at the GCPD, and finally ousting Bullock as Captain was rough but obviously warranted, and with only one season left that was a good time to do it. Harper was a nice addition and I’d like to see more of her as a standalone character. (Similarly, Fox has fit in nicely with the cops, but I’m not overly hankering to see more of his day to day antics.)

What was my real point? I really liked the Gordon vs the GCPD dynamics of season one, and while obviously that’s not a story you can tell forever, it did inform the sense that the police force is a living entity that can serve you very well if it trusts you, but before that can happen you really have to jump on its back and break its will LOL.

Also, remember Renee Montoya and Harvey Dent? Yeah, I don’t either.

SO BRUCE WAYNE, MY FRIENDS.

Gotham is my very most favorite Bruce Wayne story, and much as Batman: TAS is my forever-reference for most Batmany things, Gotham is going to be my heart-canon for Bruce Wayne origins.

It’s one thing to say, “ok so this rich kid watches his parents get murdered in an alley, and from this moment on he vows to do something about it and makes himself a master detective/martial artist who puts on a mask and a cape and runs around at night smashing thugs’ heads in for justice” like it’s a foregone conclusion, a straight-forward A-to-B process, and a wholly other thing to show us, step by step, how he learns to become the thing we all know he’s going to become.

In season one he was this quiet, morose but driven child who didn’t know what to do with this crisis he’d been handed. He’s a kid who sits in a pool with his whole clothes on, trying to hold his breath for as long as possible because he has no idea how else to become better prepared for handling his issues. But he has Selina and he has Alfred and he has Fox and he has Jim Gordon, and he will have the Court of Owls and the Valeskas and Ra’s al Ghul who will all play a part in handing him pieces of himself until he has a full set.

He started with this strong sense of right and wrong, a deeply seated desire to put his talents and his money to some sort of use, an earnest diligence towards bettering himself in all ways, and little by little he gets shown just how much of a fragile and defenseless baby he is. That time Alfred accidentally-on-purpose clobbered him in the eye -- that was the moment Bruce found out they’d all been pulling their punches with him and that he still had so so so far to go.

Of course, at the particular moment, he was going through a well-earned rebel without a cause phase (which will do him well when he calls on those behaviors for the benefit of a wider audience), so I don’t think that realization hit him at the time. BUT I NOTICED. Sure he’s got a bulletproof suit and he can look Jim Gordon straight in the eye now and he can fling himself off rooftops like a champ (and when Alfred gave him the keys to the Batmobile I cried a little), but he’s no Batman. Not yet. Not quite yet.

But you can see without a shadow of a doubt that he’s gonna be! Instead of this “Bruce Wayne woke up as Batman” story, we get a look at all the day by day choices and experiences that inform, shape, and depend on Bruce Wayne’s core identity and the way that they will collectively create Batman.

Now, David Mazouz may not have the character acting chops of a Pinkett-Smith or a Taylor or a Monaghan, and he may not be as comfortable living in a everyday character like Pertwee and Logue do so effortlessly, but there’s a steeliness a Bruce Wayne should have, a hauntedness, an idealistness, that Mazouz emotes in spades. Sometimes his Bruce Wayne does a stunt or pulls a pose that Mazouz KNOWS is Batman territory, and while his awareness of “I’m doing a cool thing look at me doing it” is a little distracting--it’s also SUPER EFFECTIVE and I fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

I’ve always been one of those fans who’s way more interested in the lives and characters of the secret identities (compared to the heroics of the super identities) so hot diggity dog is this the show for me. All Bruce Wayne all the time. When we he does put on the mask, it’s all the more powerful for knowing who exactly is wearing it and what’s driving him to do these borderline insane things.

Not 100% sold on Ra’s’ “I saw this in a dream” strong-arm prophecy, feeling like it steps on four years of Bruce Wayne’s self-determination. Not 100% on how they introduced him and his aims and his baffling reincarnation(s). But I am 100% on the pronunciation of “Ra’s” because I’m aware that Kevin Conroy et al figured it out somewhere between TAS and Arkham Asylum, but it’s something that they never quite got in Arrow. (Oliver consistently uses “raysh” but everyone else is a grab bag between that and “rawz”.)

For that matter, David Mazouz consistently pronounces Ra’s with two syllables, so there’s also that. Wait, hold on. In Gotham they also draw a hard line between Ra’s al Ghul, the man, and “the demon’s head,” some sort of mystical power of time travel and flashlightiness. Give one point to Arrow for not being that bizarre.

Long story short, the shot at the finale where Gordon’s waiting on the GCPD rooftop with the spot light and Bruce Wayne stalks up behind him was BEAUTIFUL. (They also did the thing some episodes earlier where Bruce peaces out on Gordon when Gordon’s mid-sentence with his back turned and I laughed a lot)

Looking forward to their take on No Man’s Land. Here’s a short story for you at the end of this long story:

One time I was reading No Man’s Land volume by volume from the library. It was tough because I checked the first time and they had the full set, but then you never knew that the next one was going to be available when you went in for it.

So I get out of the car one day and look there’s a quarter on the ground. Neat. It’s mine now!

Going into the library, there was a cart of used books for sale by the door. 25 cents each. Hell, I’ve got a quarter now, let’s see what they got.

What they got is the No Man’s Land novelization. For 25 cents, or, in my case, free.

So I read that instead, and turned out I liked it way better than the source comics. I have a hard time reading comics? I tend to not look at the pictures, and certain art styles aren’t my jam. Also when it comes to narrative capabilities, there are different tools and effects inherent to each form, and I appreciated the literary treatment and the internal voice it brought to the table that the comics couldn’t.

Also the author said in the note that his method was to sit down and jam out minimum 2000 words a day and that’s still a feat I admire.

Anyway, that’s my long winded take on Gotham. Not perfection, but certainly a respectable and authoritative representation of a subject matter we all know and love. I give it my second favorite Batman portrayal (behind Kevin Conroy and above Adam West) and my absolute favorite live-action Bruce Wayne, hands down.

#Gotham

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