#AN EXPANSION TEAM IS NEVER HAPPENING IN BOSTON | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

utterlyinevitable · 3 years

Note

Sharing a bed for O x E! I love them so much 😭🥰

Two in a Bed

Pairing: Ethan x F!MC (Odette Hall) Rating: Teen+ Summary: She’s always taken the second bedroom when she spends the night at Ethan’s, so he as no reason to expect anything else. Trope: Fluff, Domestic

A/N: not the best thing i’ve written. the scene in my head just was not coming out in words.

__________________

This isn’t the first time they’re spending the night together.

They’ve fallen asleep on couches a plenty over the last three years. Odette curled up on the Diagnostics Team couch with her legs thrown over Ethan’s lap. Her head resting on his shoulder on flights. Snuggling up to weather the storm at an over-night work emergency at a New Hampshire ski resort – though somehow, she awoke in the oversized bed and to Ethan sprawled out on the couch.

But this was different.

Sharing a bed implied something… intimate. Certain assumptions surrounding someone’s space. Daunting preconceived notions.

She knows Ethan’s bed is comfy – so much better than the second bedroom.

Soon he’d be back and Odette would have to decide. Decide if this dance they’ve been doing – testing the waters of their friendship the last few weeks – was worth it. Their careful little world could shatter if she does something wrong. The idea of losing Ethan as a friend was scarier than the notion of never being his lover.

She’s thought about it all before. Many, many times. Of all the reasons she shouldn’t. Why she should always stick with the bedroom he gave her, because he values her over anything else.

But tonight she didn’t think about it. Not like she normally would. Something about being here – in his warmly lit living room with the expansive Boston skyline peering in – invigorated and inspired her. In the short time he’d been gone to change she began writing.

Less than five minutes after he departed, Ethan padded back in with his sleeping shorts on.

“Staying up?”

“Just a bit longer,” she nodded, frantically scribbling some things down on a small duck egg colored notebook she always kept close by.

“Okay.”

He grabbed his tablet off the docking station before settling on the couch next to her. Odette was sitting on her feet, long hair pulled back in a haphazard bun, hunched over the arm rest scribbling. Ethan took a moment to appreciate her; the way her lips parted and he could feel her breaths moving in excited spurts, and how she was squinting so hard – her eyes struggling without her glasses. He watched her work and didn’t dare turn off the Tower Records documentary she had playing. If he learned anything, it’s that you cannot impose yourself on a creatives’ environment.

Eventually, a long while later, he nodded off next to her.

Once she was done, she turned to her sound companion. He looked so peaceful with his head lolled back, hands folded across his stomach, long legs spread out for miles, and his hardened daily expression looking ever so boyish. Calm. It took everything in her to stop staring.

Odette shook him gently awake; “Ethan, hey. Time for bed.”

Deep azure eyes blinked, settling half open on her fuzzy form. He didn’t say anything, just nodded and took her outstretched hands.

Ode pulled him off the couch and led him towards the corridor. A small tap to his lower back signifying him to proceed without her. She took care of turning everything off as he made his way to the other side of the apartment.

Ethan waited for her in the doorway of his room – waiting, anticipating and preparing for a proper ‘Goodnight’ before retreating to their rooms. They’ve done this countless times even after openly deciding to date. This little ritual has become second nature – he could even do it in his sleep.

Leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed over his chest, he waited. Eyes heaving and struggling to keep awake, he waited.

Click.

The last lamp in the living room shut off. Ethan stood a bit straighter in the dim lighting casted from his less-than-effective bedroom blinds.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Oh!”

Odette was startled to see him still there in the dim lighting. Most nights he climbs into bed when her mind proves too restless for him. Though seeing his slumped stature pulled at the corners of her lips.

Without hesitation, Ethan hazily reached for her hand, then leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Goodnight, Etta.”

Her name came out low and raspy on his lips. He lingered there longer than usual, taking in her natural scent. And Ode couldn’t help but turn towards him and his warm breath caressing her cheek. Couldn’t deny the inevitably in the palm of her hand.

Seconds passed. The moment suspended in mid night air. Ethan waited for her to mimic his sentiment and pull away. And waited.

And neither let go.

She squeezed. His eyes widened, a switch flicking on and immediately sobering him up.

Odette Hall and Ethan Ramsey looked at one another for moments and moments and seconds on seconds just there in the doorway. Him asking wordless questions and her silent, assuring answers in the twinkle of her shadowy features. Their eyes conveying all that needed to be said.

Ethan let go, taking a step back into his room, and watched her move towards his bed. Still standing in the corner of his room, his mind and body couldn’t quite catch up with what was happening.

She’s been in his space before – they’ve had coffee in bed when he’s been too hungover to move.

But now she’s fully in his sheets. And he knows the second her head hits the pillow she’ll have claimed it all as her own – every single facet of his life now hers, wholly. Her rosy scent lingering for time to come.

Ethan knows he shouldn’t stare. Moves gingerly to the side he’s slept on longer than he can remember. And she looks so at home in his bed; like its always been her side to begin with. It’s all a bit different now. More enticing. Makes the Ethan Ramsey want to spend more time at home. He has to shake the thought away.

It’s just a bed.

Odette’s propped up on one elbow watching him muddle his way. He does. Not quick enough to not make things awkward, and Ode to think maybe they should’ve talked about this first. Just because they’re dating doesn’t mean they just get to invade one another’s space whenever they so choose. No matter how right it feels.

Ethan settles in. Head hits the pillow. She twists to reach towards the bedside table. And his foot instinctively searches for her ever-freezing one, just to make sure she’s really there. He sighs happily when he truly finds her. His eyes might be closed but he’s certainly not dreaming.

Odette shuts the lamp off; the smallest, lightest, happiest of smiles at home on her thin lips. She shimmies down the sheets to get comfortable, satin pajamas on Egyptian cotton sheets. Rolls fully on her side to face him. Even in the dark he’s so beautiful. He’s on his back and eyes are closed, his breathing evening out as he descends slowly back into a further peacefulness than before. She’s certainly staring – and if he feels it, he doesn’t say anything. Ethan just extends an arm out to her. Without a single doubt, she cuddles closer.

They drift off to sleep. The second her head rested in the nook where his shoulder meets his neck, security overtook her. Not long after he was lulled by the warmth her body radiated through him and her dainty breaths coating his skin.

And their hearts beating in time.

________________________

@openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations

Perma:

@lucy-268 @thegreentwin @queencarb @danijimenezv @starrystarrytrouble @terrm9 @interobanginyourmom @maurine07 @mercury84choices @schnitzelbutterfingers @the-pale-goddess @whimsicallywayward15 @mvalentine @mm2305 @rookie-ramsey @drariellevalentine @withbeautyandrage @forallthatitsworth @stateofgracious @missmiimiie @uneravine @iemcpbchoices @sophxwithers @therookie @quixoticdreamer16 @lsvdw-blog

Ethan:

@udishaman @binny1985 @honeyandsunfl0wers @wingedhairstylemusicweasel @ohchoices @dulceghernandez @blossomanarchy @stygianflood @caseyvalentineramsey @openheartthot @senseofduties @tsrookie @kalogh @aworldoffandoms @takemyopenheart @casey-v @ethanramseylover @a-crepusculo @randomperson111 @lilypills @anntoldst0ries @nix-grey @aishaaaaaaah @estellaelysian @mysticaurathings @mayarambles

#Anonymous #asked #open heart #choices open heart #open heart fanfic #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc

79 notes · View notes

taketheringtolohac · 3 years

Text

i’ve been working on the most self indulgent au for about a week now and I thought i’d share my thoughts. now presenting... my ace attorney blaseball au! including teams, positions, modifications and more about all the ace attorney characters i could think of and how they would play blaseball. you can also find it on ao3 here, but ive included all the information i have below the cut!

Blase Attorney (Blaseball Ace Attorney AU)

Phoenix-

Team: Yellowstone Magic

Position: Batter

Modifications: Seeker

Details: one of the first replacements in the game, he was originally just a blaseball fan who was following around miles edgeworth his childhood friend to his games (disguised as him going to see Larry play) and sort of wished that he could play so he could get closer to miles and is at a magic/steaks game that miles is pitching when someone gets incinerated and suddenly he’s on the field in a jersey with a glove and that really messes him up, he's a pretty good player not a star player but definitely a solid one, gets the seeker mod in the season 19 tarot reading

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: REALLY high martyrdom

Maya

Team: Yellowstone Magic

Position: Batter

Modifications: Haunted

Details: she replaced Mia when she was incinerated and isn’t a season 1 player but has been here so long that it FEELS like she is, isn’t great at the game and has like really bad forbidden knowledge stats but she occasionally hits a surprise dinger and the fans love her so they infuse her and she becomes a serviceable batter, is constantly filled with guilt and emotions about being the person who replaced her sister she gets the haunted mod in an election

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: high base thirst, really good divinity that only gets better after her infuse

Edgeworth-

Team: Dallas Steaks

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: None

Details: season one player who didn’t really want to join blaseball but he took it in stride and he wasn’t very good at first but he got a blessing that MADE him good and he’s miraculously been on the team the whole time, originally placed in good league because Fran was in Evil and von Karma wanted them to dominate the game and become the best in their respective leagues, still one of the best players in the game, his dad still dies somehow, refuses to “buy into” the dad bit from the steaks and insists that he was just placed here

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: EXCEPTIONAL ruthlessness (one of the highest in the game), good other stats as well, just a really solid PITCHING statline, his other stuff isn’t good

Franziska-

Team: Hades Tigers

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: Friend of Crows

Details: season one player who fans LOVE even though she hates everything about the game and the circumstances in which she’s here, she’s a naturally good player but she lets up a lot of home runs, she receives the friend of crows modifier in season 10 much to her dismay, ALMOST pitched a perfect season and then absolutely RUINED it in the last game and it crushed her

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: higher highs than miles but also lower lows, in particular her overpowerment isn’t very good, she is also a more well rounded player and would also be a fine batter (solid thwack)

Gumshoe-

Team: Originally on the LA Unlimited Tacos, then feedbacked to the San Fransisco Lovers

Position: Batter

Modifications: Siphon, Attractor

Details: season one player that is beloved by the fans and he’s decent at the game but he always tries to steal bases but he is so bad at it, he’s the teams siphon but he NEVER drinks blood except to draw a walk, he ends up getting redacted because of consumer attacks and is probably one of the first to do so despite him having QUITE a bit of soul, he becomes Wyatt Gumshoe in the Wyatt Masoning

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: GREAT thwackability, bad everything else which makes for a really interesting player to say the least

Athena-

Team: Miami Dale

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: None

Details: POWERFUL ARMS also she is a replacement player she probably becomes a replacement after Simon does and she got into blaseball because of that cute flowers pitcher and now she’s here but she LOVES Miami and she LOVES being bad at the game, she leans really hard into the neon aesthetic

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: good unthwackability and ok ruthlessness, shakespeareanism is her highest stat, would also be a great batter and has really good thwackability and divinity, GREAT vibes

Apollo-

Team: Mexico City Wild Wings

Position: Batter

Modifications: None

Details: founding member of the wings legal team who’s another replacement player that FEELS like he’s a season 1 player, he isn’t very good in general but REALLY good for the wings and is probably the mvp at some point but like he’s a really inconsistent hitter but when he DOES hit its POWERFUL and he gets a lot of RBI’s

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: SHOCKINGLY good musclitude and ground friction, GOD awful moxie

Larry-

Team: Dallas Steaks

Position: Batter

Modifications: None

Details: season one player who is like the teams designated player we beat up on because they’re awful but we love them, gets shadowed in the expansion era because he just wasn’t good anymore and he REFUSED to leave, he is the definition of “YOU CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS,” would always party but his forbidden knowledge is TRASH so it was never worth anything because he’s top ten in the league for career strikeouts

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: REALLY HIGH PATHETICISM HOLY SHIT but good ground friction and like, ok musclitude

Ema-

Team: Kansas City Breath Mints

Position: Batter

Modifications: Fire Eater

Details: replaced the first player incinerated on the team so she has a lot of fans because she’s been here a while but like also her career is forever impacted by the fact that people mourned so deeply before really appreciating her and a lot of fans can never really love her in the same way, but she has fire eater now and WILL cut a bitch down to size, she’s also definitely been attacked by consumers though, she also parties a LOT

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: good defender, high omniscience and tenaciousness

Lang-

Team: Houston Spies

Position: Batter

Modifications: Maximalist, Siphon

Details: replaced a SUPER popular player who was REALLY good at the game and struggled with a lot of the implications of their legacy but he ALSO became really good and a really iconic player to the team and eventually became a fan favorite, LITERALLY cannot stop freaking drinking blood hes so fucking massive now holy shit but like only his baserunning

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: PHENOMENAL baserunning just in general but his base thirst is low so he doesn’t actually steal that much, SUPER high moxie and musclitude

Kristoph-

Team: Baltimore Crabs

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: Returned, Debt

Details: season 1 player who was a really aggressively middling player who had deceptively high stars and they could never get rid of him until he finally got incinerated in late season 6/early season 7 but he gets necromancy-d on accident and no one wanted this now he just haunts the league, he joined blaseball to get notoriety and some level of fame and convinced Klavier to join him

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: high coldness and ok ruthlessness, unthwackability is fine, shakespeareanism is also good

Klavier-

Team: Originally on the Crabs, but feedbacked to the Seattle Garages

Position: Batter

Modifications: Spicy

Details: he signed up when Kristoph did. because he said that this would be something good to do as brothers and they even signed to the same team, carcinization really freaked him out but he was a season 1 crab and no one knew what would happen, he Feedbacked in like season 6 and kris got incinerated really shortly after he feedbacked which messed him up, he loves the garages vibes WAY more than he liked the crabs

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: high moxie and indulgence

Kay-

Team: Charleston Shoe Thieves

Position: Batter

Modifications: Flippers

Details: shoe thieves, batter, she was originally a shadows player and just sat there doing great thief things until she got called up for having very sneaky good stats (rod.net style) where she singles a lot and then just steals her way to third/home, voted to trust her in season 11 and now she has cool flippers

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: really high basethirst and laserlikeness, also very high anticapitalism, good thwack subpar musclitude

Sebastian-

Team: New York Millennials, possible feedback to the Thieves?

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: None

Details: his dad was a famous blaseball player before the ILB so he signed him up to play and didn’t get on the roster until maybe like season 9, really dramatic arc where he starts out really bad but slowly through incremental stat increases becomes pretty ok but then has a devastating allergic reaction and ends up having to be shadowed because he’s just unsaveable at this point, but still a big fan fave and people still talk about them, he would’ve been a pretty ok batter with really high defense but peanut destroyed that too

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: high highs and low lows and vibes are just… there

Juniper-

Team: Boston Flowers

Position: Originally a batter, but reverbs into Pitching

Modifications: None

Details: season 1 player who is really popular amongst the fans but isn’t well known outside of the fanbase she joined blaseball because she didn’t really have a choice and she was just working at the garden, she wasn’t a great batter but she’s a shockingly good pitcher, she had partied so much that she is now just undeniably good solely because she has partied THAT much

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: SHOCKINGLY good ruthlessness, its her only good stat though until parties make her good

Simon-

Team: Chicago Firefighters

Position: Batter

Modifications: Ego+

Details: another late season replacement that was made to be a edgelord with really good stat set up and he’s a super consistent batter who just also gets walked a lot and has a LOT of thirsty fans, REALLY good at dunking, one of the best idols for solo seeds but ONLY for a SINGLE season because he just underperforms his stars for NO reason and its infuriating, joined because he didn’t want athena to get recruited but she followed him anyways to find out what the hell happened to him and why he just vanished

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: HIGH musc/thwack/martyr with really low patheticism, absolutely ATROCIOUS vibes

Godot-

Team: Hellmouth Sunbeams, roams to the Tokyo Lift and then to the Canada Moist Talkers

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: Roamin’

Details: a season 1 player who would be a MUCH better batter but REFUSES to leave the rotation with deceptively high stars and one of the first players to get roamin’ and actually becomes good because of it infuriating LITERALLY everyone

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: have you seen bright zim? Yeah its just that. He has sixteen fingers for no reason

Trucy-

Team: Originally a Philadelphia Pies player, but feedbacks to the Yellowstone Magic

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: None

Details: Phoenix becomes her dad after she feedbacks, later season replacement probably surrounding the s7 instabilities and beanings and she got REALLY popular REALLY fast with the pies fans and over siesta but then she gets traded like the Monday after and it breaks the fans hearts, she’s not very good but she gets alternated into BEING good

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: moxie queen! Also chasiness and continuation, as well as good musclitude and vibes

Nahyuta-

Team: Originally on the Beams, but feedbacks to the Hawai’i Fridays

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: Attractor

Details: expansion era player who replaced an absolutely GARBAGE player so the fans are DELIGHTED by him, lets up a lot of walks but has shockingly pitched a no hitter despite only being here since season 13, was infused because of his good forbidden knowledge stats, still gets faxed out of the game because he has games where he just lets up a RIDICULOUS amount of runs, actually fit in really well with the Fridays, was observed (by Kristoph?) and then got redacted

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: uncle plasma… 2! Also REALLY big vibes range

Justine Courtney-

Team: New York Millennials, traded to the Breckenridge Jazz Hands

Position: Pitcher

Modifications: None

Details: joined the team before Sebastian probably around season 5, was pretty average at pitching but ate a peanut and had a yummy reaction which made her slightly above average but subpar ruthlessness made her still not great, traded away to the Jazz Hands after Sebastian was shadowed, really polarizing for fans there was a lot of fighting about whether or not to trade her from fans

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: ok ruthlessness

Mia-

Team: Yellowstone Magic

Position: Batter

Modifications: None

Details: was the season 1 stand out batter for the magic, she was a REALLY good season 1 player that fans STILL talk about even though she’s been dead since season 3, she was the person who was standing next to Phoenix when he appeared on the field and caught the ball that was flying towards him before it hit him in the face and she took it upon himself to get him acclimated to the game, she thought of him as a kid brother, she tried to keep Maya away from blaseball but couldn’t stop her from watching on TV, she originally joined to get away from the Fey clan and to try and do something with her life and also possibly find out what happened to her mother and she was promised social power and unlimited access to information

Notable Forbidden Knowledge: really solid statline for someone who never saw any improvements

Phoenix and Miles get together around season 6, right before the Jaylen stuff, then break up because they were both having a lot of emotions about the whole necromancy business and Miles was always on the idol board and there was a lot of uncertainty in their lives. I think a necromancy of Kristoph probably happens in the Expansion Era and he tries to get revenge on Phoenix for god knows what, and Miles ends up getting close with him again after a whole Grand Siesta of just being really emotionally charged friends and finally get together AGAIN in season 13 after a consumer attacks Phoenix, but this time they STAY together and probably get married because they're just so scared of losing each other.

Kay gets to fight god in season 9, no this probably wouldn't have been possible if she was a shadows player originally but uwu <3

Kay and Miles get to know each other because she tried to steal Miles shoes, but he caught her. He offered to make her dinner and they just had a good time, Kay hadn’t really been shown that kind of kindness in a WHILE and she... missed that sort of father figure in her life... so she just keeps trying to steal things from Miles and getting caught until he finally tells her that she can just... come over through the front door. He will never say that she is his daughter out loud, but the collective dadconcious Knows, and tells him that they are proud of him.

Maya and Franziska are rivals. They hate each other. When Maya gets 0 no it only makes it worse because it "ruins" Franziska's perfection as a pitcher and forces her to throw balls. They get to know each other over these pitch offs and start to realize that they actually aren't that different. Gay rights. They kiss. They have a great time over the Grand Siesta and make fun of their brothers, but they both have emergency bags in case the other one dies.

Dahlia Hawthrone would never get involved in Blaseball and everything she does is outside of the game but if she was she'd be on the Boston Flowers and she would be her team's Pudge. A god awful player who on occasion actually does something good and half the fans love her because of her character and half the fans hate her for the same reason and also she sucks at the game.

Most of them also still have their law degrees and also keep some semblance of what they do in the actual ace attorney games, except Ema who has of course factually failed the bar exam by nature of being on The Breath Mints.

#WOW ok this was super long but uwu *forces you all to see this*#anyways PLEASE ASK ME ABT THE ACE ATTORNEY BLASEBALL AU. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE #ace attorney #blaseball #roxy talks

33 notes · View notes

sodone-withlife · 3 years

Text

enough

yay this is my first fic in over a month, and as per usual, there's not much proofreading. all mistakes are my own. also, this isn't as whump-y as my past works and includes a number of my headcanons

@yourlocalheartbreaker here's over 2k words of a rather OOC Criminal Minds fanfic based on your post :) I've intentionally made the ending a bit ambiguous, so let your imagination run wild. the case is also based on what happened in Boston.

here’s a post that clarifies some ambiguities

warnings: alcohol, mentioned character death, mentioned canon typical violence. also, I love all of the characters, but for the purposes of this story, this will come across as everyone (except Hotch, Morgan, and Strauss) slander. don't like it, don't read it.

word count: 2.2k words

“I really am sorry I couldn’t do more,” Strauss said quietly.

Hotch shook his head, staring into his whiskey. “You’ve already done so much,” he said equally quietly. He hesitated, wondering if he should give voice to the thought that had been nagging at him since the last in a week-long series of grueling questioning and testimony.

Fuck it, he thought, dowing the last of his whiskey.

“I think we both knew it was coming,” he said, looking at his now-former boss unflinchingly. To her credit, Strauss didn’t try to hide that she shared his thoughts as they shared a knowing look. “Too many minor bureaucratic infractions, a few major fiascos,” he continued, shaking his head ruefully, “it was only a matter of when.”

Strauss remained silent, swirling the last of her own drink in her glass. It was a longstanding tradition between the two of them to go out for drinks after especially taxing cases and bureaucratic nightmares, one that started weeks after Gideon stepped down and went on leave.

Finally, she broke the silence. “Why did you lie? You and I know very well you had nothing to do with it.” She turned to face Hotch fully, a hint of confusion appearing in her expression. “Why take the fall?”

The answer easily came to Hotch, but it didn’t erase the bitterness with which the words came out. “The leader is replaceable, but the team isn’t.” He looked pained, avoiding her incredulous stare. “Same reason as always.”

He could understand her exasperation; it wasn’t the first time he had discussed the issues within the team with her. Over the years, she tried again and again to get him out, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did. She eventually accepted his refusal to leave, but it didn’t stop her from dropping hints of disapproval here and there—and they both knew some secret part of him agreed with her disparaging comments, much as he tried to ignore it.

The team dynamics had never truly recovered from Boston and Adrian Bale, and that had carried over to the newer members of the team who joined after the fiasco. His standoffish, laconic nature certainly didn’t help. Eventually, even Gideon was ignoring the cracks in the foundation of the team,

Out of all of his coworkers, only Strauss and Morgan remembered (and still sometimes saw) the less-guarded agent with surprising idealism that he had been before everything went to shit.

Now, after years of leadership under his belt, he didn’t know how to be anyone else but the sharp, authoritative unit chief.

Especially after Haley.

(As he had stood in front of the freshly dug grave, he swore that his family would never meet SSA Hotchner, Unit Chief, Agent No-Smile Hardass, if he could help it.)

(The moment he stepped through the front door, he would only be Dad.)

(And in front of a select group of people, he would be Aaron, the man who was just barely toeing the line between profiler and unsub in his jaggedly broken, near-unhinged protectiveness.)

And so he received each act of insubordination from the team, no matter the magnitude, with unflappable calmness, even as he stayed late and went to work hours early to deal with the towering stacks of paperwork that joined the already existing piles of budget expansion requests and case consults.

He trusted their judgment, even if that trust didn’t go both ways.

“You’re very respected, you know that?” Strauss suddenly commented. “It’s the only reason you’ve been able to cover for your team for so long.”

That was something Hotch knew very well. Much as he hated it, he often found himself in the midst of political maneuverings that embroiled his higher-ups, aided especially by his upbringing and law school education. In these circles, where everyone knew everyone wore masks to hide unsavory secrets, there was some degree of grudging respect for everyone, no matter their placement on either side of the aisle. Even those who came from money had to have special acumen in order to make it this far in the cutthroat world of DC politics.

Hotch had gained quite the reputation as a prosecutor in DC, and not just because his father had been a well-known attorney with high-profile clients. Coupled with his meteoric rise through the ranks of the bureau, helping out the right people and collecting numerous contacts and favors along the way, it was no wonder that he had managed to keep the team out of the line of fire for so long.

More and more often, however, he was questioning his decisions to reject each opportunity to move up the chain of command, to instead stay with the team as a field agent. Even though he could almost always understand the reasoning behind each act of insubordination—hell, he even encouraged it sometimes—he couldn’t help but want for things to be different, especially with every night he went home too late and every time he pulled out the concealer he had always had near him since childhood to cover up the bruise-like eyebags that found a permanent home on his face.

But in the end, Hotch didn’t even have a choice.

(But a small part of him knew that this was always how he was going to go.)

Really, he understood why they did what they did. Ten years ago, he would have done the same thing himself.

Now, however, he couldn’t afford to put Jack’s safety and wellbeing on the line.

Some might say that Jack was his weak spot, and they wouldn’t be wrong—he would wholeheartedly agree with them.

He couldn't find it in him to feel guilty about putting his family ahead of all else, but what JJ said when he called them into his office after the fiasco had cut deeply.

You of all people should understand, JJ had spat in his face, and every harsh word he was about to say himself, reprimanding them for callous insubordination to the highest degree, died on his lips. He wasn’t sure how much time passed as he just stood there in silent, pained shock, but it didn’t take long for JJ, Prentiss, and Reid to leave his office with an air of vindication, not sparing him another glance.

Hotch had spent the rest of the day fielding call after call, trying to piece together the exact course of events and fending off the sharks smelling blood in the water.

The bloody chunks of flesh of the three agents who died immediately in the blast, the two who didn’t even make it into the operating room, and the one adult hostage who couldn’t far enough away in time.

Now, sitting across from Strauss and staring into his empty glass, he wondered if things would have been different if he had gotten there faster, adding his own input in formulating a negotiation strategy that factored in the variables he only knew to take into account because of his combined years in prosecution and SWAT and because of Boston.

Especially Boston.

(He already considered all of the what-ifs. He knew that short of suddenly gaining time travel or teleportation abilities, he couldn’t have done anything.)

But maybe he foresaw his current situation the moment he saw Strauss’s emailed request for an urgent meeting the morning after he worked late into the night trying to control the fallout.

Just budget meetings with the higher up of higher-ups, he reassured Morgan when they bumped into each other as Hotch and Strauss made their way out of the Academy offices towards the parking garage. He knew Morgan didn’t believe him—he was wearing the suit that he reserved for black tie events and meetings on the Hill, for one—but there was a reluctant acceptance and a hint of knowing in his eyes.

(Of course, Morgan had an idea of what was going on. No one in the country was ignorant of what had happened yesterday afternoon. As he was looking through the news coverage, confused and horrified as to how something like this could have happened, memories of Boston rose to the forefront of his mind, and he knew that this would end in blood.)

(Then Hotch called him in a frenzy, apologizing profusely for bothering him on his weekend off while all but begging for him to look after Jack for the rest of the day. It was an easy decision. Morgan took Jack to the movie theater, helped him with biking, took him out for ice cream, whatever it took to keep Jack happy and occupied while he himself worried over the state of things at the office.)

(It was well past midnight when Hotch finally fell into a restless sleep in bed next to Morgan, who had a standing invitation to stay overnight and was trying to help him loosen up his tensed muscles.)

“I’m coming into the office tomorrow to tie up loose ends,” Hotch suddenly told Strauss. “I’m not going to pull a Gideon. They don’t deserve that.”

He said as much next day as he stood in the bullpen, looking out at the agents he had worked with for years as he made his announcement.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to retire from the BAU,” he ignored the sounds of shock that rippled through the crowd, “and with my retirement, I am cutting all official ties with the Bureau.”

He carefully avoided looking at the team as he continued. “Please respect that I would prefer to not discuss the details of my retirement at this time, but I will say that this recent case had a lot to do with my decision,” he swept a stern gaze around the room, ignoring the pang in his heart and sudden burning in his eyes when he accidentally made eye contact with a devastated-looking Garcia.

Hotch quickly looked away and continued with his goodbyes before he managed to find an out to retreat to his office, where he picked up the last box of his belongings. It’s surprisingly light, he thought distantly as he took in the stripped office for the last time.

Oh, right, Strauss had helped me pack everything else and bring home the law books and framed certificates after we went out for drinks last night.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Strauss stepped inside, shutting the door behind her and closing the blinds to give them some modicum of privacy from the profilers waiting in the bullpen with their barrage of questions.

“This is it, then,” she commented, eyes on the badge and gun that was left on the expansive desk.

Hotch nodded. “I’m sure the suits will be sweeping through my reports and cases soon enough. The team will find out then.” He turned to meet her gaze, an unreadable glint in his eyes, “But I daresay we will be seeing each other quite soon, however.”

They grasped each other’s hand firmly, something unspoken passing between them. There was a beat of stillness, then Hotch let go. He opened the office door and swept past her, past the team, and into the elevator with his phone already next to his ear, his professional mask back as he left this part of his life behind.

Strauss walked out onto the catwalk, looking out into the bullpen at the profilers sitting at their desks, shell-shocked at the man’s sudden (and all-too-final) departure.

Truthfully, Strauss didn’t know what he meant when he hinted that he would be seeing her (and presumably the team) again soon, but she assumed it had to do with the closed meeting he was pulled into the moment he arrived at the office this morning. She may not be trained to notice the details in human behavior, but she could tell there was a peaceful ease to Hotch’s goodbye that shouldn’t have been there, in addition to the strange lack of the bitterness she knew had been there last night when they went out for drinks.

“Erin, what the hell was that about?” Rossi’s voice shook her out of her thoughts. She turned to the approaching agent, game face back on and preparing to finally unleash the full scope of what had happened over a week ago onto the remaining profilers, who had been shielded from the consequences by Hotch’s presence and tireless negotiations alone.

Whatever Rossi was about to say next was suddenly cut off by an outraged “What?” coming from Morgan, who had been all but interrogating Prentiss, JJ, and Reid about the guilt was practically painted all over their expressions. Now, he ran out of the bullpen, chasing after Hotch and ignoring the calls of his name behind him.

Strauss watched all of this calmly; Hotch had asked that one of the team be made unit chief after his departure, but there was no way she was letting that happen on her watch. Especially based on Morgan’s determined chase after the now-former unit chief, she imagined she would be having two open positions to fill.

It was about time those two got their heads out of their asses, she thought, smiling internally.

May you find your peace, Aaron Hotchner.

#aaron hotchner #criminal minds #derek morgan #erin strauss #emily prentiss #jennifer jareau #penelope garcia #spencer reid #david rossi #jj slander #emily slander #reid slander #probably #bau #tw alcohol #tw violence #tw death

20 notes · View notes

krakenbait · 3 years

Text

kraken bait: so long and thanks for all the fish!

so... that happened.

the spectacle of the expansion draft was pretty fun- loved the boats, especially the one with the inflatable kraken, and some of the pick videos were nice, like the fish-throwing one and the octopus. i did not appreciate the devils slander (you guys have probably seen my very new jerseyan reaction by now), nor the fact that the dude emcee-ing has probably watched maybe two hockey games in his life (called the canes the “carolina panthers,” called them the “anaheim mighty ducks”).

the draft itself was another thing entirely. i am still very emotional about the kraken separating the superbuddies. i do not know if i will ever get over this. simultaneously, i have no idea who several of the dudes the kraken drafted are.

but those are things for another day. right now, i’m here to go over my kraken bait lists and see what i got right and what i didn’t! this is mostly based off kraken bait 3.5, but i’ll include some references to previous lists if it’s relevant. the actual pick will be bolded and my prediction will be in parentheses, but i’ll bold and italicize it if i got it right. reflection under the cut! (and bonus points if you know the reference in my title)

Anaheim Ducks: Haydn Fleury

i got it right! (he looked very good in the kraken jersey. just sayin’!)

Arizona Coyotes: Tyler Pitlick (Christian Fischer)

i have no idea who the hell tyler pitlick is. at least i recognized christian fischer’s name!

Boston Bruins: Jeremy Lauzon

that’s two! sorry casey

Buffalo Sabres: Will Borgen

that’s three! thanks to The Athletic

Calgary Flames: Mark Giordano

score four for kraken bait! i will be very, very surprised if he’s not the first captain in franchise history

Carolina Hurricanes: Morgan Geekie (Nino Niederreiter)

i have been all over the place on canes predictions. it was haydn fleury, but then he got traded (and then ended up on the kraken anyway). and then it was brock mcginn when i couldn’t think of any one, and then brady skjei according to kinga, and then niederreiter according to corwin when skjei got protected. i do like geekie though, so looking forward to seeing him in seattle!

Chicago: John Quenneville (Nikita Zadorov)

i don’t know who this guy is, aside from that he was drafted by the devils, and that still doesn’t help me much. i still think zadorov might have a chance to end up in seattle if he signs with the kraken, though.

Colorado Avalanche: Joonas Donskoi (JT Compher)

i said it in 3.5, it was always between compher or donskoi after ryan graves got traded. i predicted compher because he was a little younger and a little cheaper, but seattle took donskoi, the more consistent performer. i wish him luck with the kraken and hope his dog enjoys the pacific northwest!

Columbus Blue Jackets: Gavin Bayreuther (Dean Kukan)

who in the world is this?

Dallas Stars: Jamie Oleksiak

that’s five! also, for those of you who need to hear it: tall does not equal attractive

Detroit Red Wings: Dennis Cholowski (Vladislav Namestnikov)

no idea who this is. but the octopus reveal was very fun!

Edmonton Oilers: Adam Larsson (Tyson Barrie)

so i was right that the kraken would end up with a ufa defenseman from the oilers. i just picked the wrong defenseman.

Florida Panthers: Chris Driedger

that’s six! never realized how lanky chris driedger is until i saw him onstage at the expansion draft

Los Angeles Kings: Kurtis MacDermid (Olli Maata)

i never knew what to do with the kings. i feel like the kraken might have felt the same, because i have no idea who the hell this is.

Minnesota Wild: Carson Soucy (Kaapo Kakhonen)

it’s a name i recognize at least? but i’m very surprised that the kraken didn’t take kakhonen. the name pun was right there (kaapo krak-honen!), and i feel like he would have been the better option for a young, cheap goalie (more on that in a bit).

Montreal Canadiens: Cale Fleury (Philip Danault)

i’m happy the fleury bros are on the same team!

Nashville Predators: Calle Jarnkrok

calle jarn-kraken. “my boy calle.” i’m gonna leave it at that.

New Jersey Devils: Nathan Bastian (Andreas Johnsson)

do not talk to me.

New York Islanders: Jordan Eberle

that’s eight!

New York Rangers: Colin Blackwell

that’s nine!

Ottawa Senators: Joey Daccord (Chris Tierney)

the young, cheap goalie the kraken actually took. i kind of understand it because the sens were pretty barren, but as the armchair gm, i’d have gone for kakhonen over daccord.

Philadelphia Flyers: Carsen Twarynski (James van Riemsdyk)

who in the world is this?

Pittsburgh Penguins: Brandon Tanev (Zach Aston-Reese)

should have trusted my gut in the last round and picked tanev instead of keeping aston-reese. oh well. enjoy ghost-spotting in seattle!

San Jose Sharks: Alexander True (Ryan Donato)

i still don’t really know who this is, but resident seattle expert cass has informed me that he played juniors in seattle and scored a big winning goal for them. so welcome back, i guess.

St Louis Blues: Vince Dunn

that’s ten!

Tampa Bay Lightning: Yanni Gourde (Blake Coleman)

should have listened to ana on the gourde suggestion. i picked his linemate, so i guess i was kinda close?

Toronto Maple Leafs: Jared McCann (Travis Dermott)

the leafs really traded for him for nothing 😂

Vancouver Canucks: Kole Lind (Zack MacEwen)

who in the world is this? and why does he spell his name with a k instead of a c

Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek

that’s eleven! and i’m two for three on goalies

Winnipeg Jets: Mason Appleton

“apple pie in a mason jar on skates” makes twelve!

and there you have it! i got 12 right out of 30 picks... which is a lot better than i expected, to be honest. if you were making expansion draft predictions, how many did you get? let me know, come talk about the expansion draft, or just drop by to say hi!

#seattle kraken #expansion draft #kraken bait

2 notes · View notes

insanityclause · 4 years

Link

Hollywood, we need your help.

The shows you make and the movies you produce often shine a light on the events around us. They help us make sense of the world and they highlight those moments of heroism and hope that lift our spirits during the darkest of times. But right now, we need more than your artistry. Right now, we need your action.

Here’s the reality: Nurses, doctors and all healthcare providers are used to supplying care in the toughest of situations. We are accustomed to working 80-plus hours a week, making tough decisions, and putting our patients and families interests above our own. The healthcare provider community is defined by its compassion, resilience and sacrifice. But, we have never faced anything like the coronavirus.

Providers are having to take care of patients with limited personal protective equipment, and what we have now is dwindling.

We are reusing masks that we normally would not reuse. We are avoiding eating and drinking during our shifts for fear of needing to touch the masks and contaminating ourselves. N95 respirators that we typically use for any potential airborne infections are being conserved only for the highest risk procedures. What’s most anxiety-provoking is what the next few weeks will bring. We have so little now, will we have any protection as the surge of coronavirus patients continues?

We are hearing about colleagues around the country who already have become infected, those who are in critical condition on ventilators, and our hearts sink. We know what their families are going through, we know that this means fewer patients may get care, and we worry about what this means for us as we prepare for our next shift on the frontlines.

That’s what we are faced with, and we are writing this not to scare folks, but to ask for help from one of the most creative, innovative, inspirational sectors of society- entertainers. Here’s what we are asking:

We need you to lead by example and to motivate your fans to comply with social distance.

Lots of entertainers are already posting on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram about their isolation and social distancing experiences, and bolstering their fans with heartening messages. We need more of this, and we need young folks in particular to understand the seriousness of what we are dealing with. Directed outreach to fans about why crowds on beaches, for example, are a bad idea may motivate them to behave more responsibly. Sharing examples of providers on the front lines on a daily basis, can humanize the struggle.

We need you to donate what you have and encourage others to donate personal protective equipment/ sanitizer/supplies.

We need personal protective equipment, specifically masks, N95 respirators, sanitizer, gloves, gowns, now. We need you to donate what you have to your local hospitals and share your donation experiences with others. We also need you to encourage your fans, co-workers, family members to donate whatever they have in terms of needed supplies to their local hospitals. Even a small donation of 10 or 20 masks can help a whole unit of providers protect themselves for a shift. A small donation of hand sanitizer may mean days of providers being able to employ recommended practices of hand hygiene and protect themselves and patients.

You may have contacts in the nail industry, hairdressers, makeup artists who have these supplies. Please encourage them to donate as much as they can. TV shows such as “Pose,” “Station 19,” “The Good Doctor,” and “Grey’s Anatomy” have donated the masks, gowns and gloves they once used as props to medical workers and hospitals in need. If there are supplies left over from other medical dramas sitting around in a storehouse, it’s time to dust them off and ship them out.

We need you think of creative solutions to produce personal protective equipment/ sanitizer/ supplies.

This is a big one. Your industry is incredibly resourceful and creative. Your connections are expansive. Please work with partners in the fashion industry, alcohol beverage industry, and product development to think about how masks, gloves, gowns, sanitizer can be produced to protect providers. Already, some fashion designers have stepped up like Christian Siriano, who is having his team work on mask production for New York City. The Costume Designers Guild has also stepped up to encourage its members to sew masks. Frankly, we need all hands-on deck from the fashion industry. Similarly, if you own or partner with a consumer goods production company, please think about ways you can help. Finally, there are many celebrities with their own liquor brands. Well, alcohol producers and distributors, there are small distilleries already repurposing alcohol for hand sanitizers and donating to hospitals. Please consider whether your vodka or gin line could follow suit.

We need you to utilize your international connections to find and distribute supplies.

You are among the most connected individuals in this country and around the world. There are solutions to this supply chain crunch that involve reaching out to contacts in other countries. Please leverage any and all connections you have to help with production and distribution. If you have partners and friends in other countries that have supply, ask about donations.

We need you to build awareness and advocate with local, state and federal governments, until this crisis abates.

Finally, we will be involved in this crisis for the coming weeks, if not months. Building and maintaining awareness during this critical period will be crucial. We need your help to bolster spirits and inspire others to care about what’s happening in our hospitals and healthcare centers. This also means advocating with all levels of government and continuing to voice concerns.

We will continue to care for you, your families and loved ones. We are not embarrassed to say, we need some help and support right now.

In the 1940s, during the darkest days of World War II, Hollywood went to war — making movies that clearly articulated what was at stake in that global conflict and stirring American citizens to action. Today, the demands are different, as are the dangers. But a similar commitment to the greater good has never been more urgently needed. Please do your part.

Stay safe Hollywood.

Dr. Mallika Mendu is a practicing nephrologist and Medical Director for Quality and Safety at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. In addition, she is the director for quality improvement for the Brigham and Women’s Nephrology Division and associate medical director of the Partners Population Health Management. The views expressed in this piece those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of her employers.

#coronavirus #covid-19 #hollywood

22 notes · View notes

fic-ya-later · 3 years

Text

Not Gonna Die: Chapter 1

Summary: Castiel is depressed, however he has to return to work even if he doesn’t want too.

Warnings: Mentions of death and depression.

A/N: Hey guys! I am so excited to post this here! If you like what you see send me a message; I’d love to hear your thoughts! My request and taglist are OPEN so let me know if you’d like to join it or like something written! I’m working on honing my writing process and style to work on an original piece I’ve had ideas for so if you are a fellow writer send me a message and we can chat about ideas and processes! I hope you enjoy this work!

Series Masterlist

Chapter One | Chapter Two

Castiel couldn’t tell how many times he had played Clair de Lune, but it was more than the number of whiskey tumblers he had drained in the last two hours of playing. He couldn’t seem to find the end; cadence would lead to cadence and he’d find himself resolving back to the beginning of the piece each time. Each pass through the melody something was different, Castiel’s fingers hesitated on a note, or he dampered a run’s end to cause the chord to linger in his ears. No, Castiel did not like endings. In his small apartment the baby grand echoed with grace. The rain on the glass wall of his apartment created a soft backdrop for the otherwise barren expanse of the room.

A pause in the music filled the air as Castiel reached for the fifth to refill his tumbler, only to find it, to his surprise, empty. What time was it? 11? 12? He couldn't tell any more. He set the bottle on the floor and looked up, running his hands down his face when he saw it. The only picture in the whole house sat on the small table in the corner. The soft hazel eyes smiled at him, and Castiel started another melody as tears swelled in his. This time the melancholy was more than a subtext to the music. He let his fingers linger on each note, the vibrations filling him as Gymnopedie No. 1 filled the room. He would’ve continued like this for hours just as he did the last night, and the night before last, and the one before that, but the vibrating of his phone across the room put an end to his thoughts.

GABE CALLING

With a sigh Castiel silenced the phone. He didn’t need yet another worried sibling bothering him during his self-loathing sabbatical. Not that it mattered. Most of them didn’t care what he was doing, as long as he wasn’t tarnishing the family’s name. Novak. He cursed his father’s last name for the weight it carried. So many knew the Novak technology empire that when they found out Castiel was a part of the family there was a look people would give him which accompanied the customary “why didn’t you follow your dad’s footsteps”. Castiel hated that question. At first he tried explaining that humans are just so interesting, and he felt it was his mission to protect and save them. After he changed his last name people asked why he didn’t capitalise on the familial fortune; he grew tired of explaining that he had all he needed and then some. After he moved away from Boston they would ask what he was running from. Now he had no answer. The past? The future? His family? He didn’t know, but there was something about the beauty of Colorado that just drew him in. There is a real connection to the Earth here. Castiel knew it was where he needed to be the first time he flew out to interview for Boulder City General; if he hadn’t been welcomed to their surgical team, well, he would have flown out to this very house no matter what and become a hermit.

GABE CALLING

Again his brother tried and failed to reach Castiel. The ringtone fell on deaf ears as Castiel was asleep on his sofa, completely dead to the world.

Most of Castiel’s dreams held little power over him. There was the odd dream of his mother which gifted him with comfort and peace. The dreams of wings that left him feeling assured and powerful. Then there were the dreams of forests, forests filled with green which left him waking with the constant uneasy edge of something invisible being out of place. These were the only dreams he cared for; the rest of them he chalked them up to subconscious ramblings of an overworked surgeon. These were the dreams of before. Now mostly he dreamed of red and the whine of equipment.

Blue eyes snapped open. Another of those dreams. With a groan Castiel rolled to his side. 4:12 flashed too brightly into his eyes. He blinked and refocused. May 12. With a sigh Castiel decided the best thing he could do would be to roll himself out of bed and clean up. He returned to work today and the scruff growing down his face and neck simply wouldn’t do. “What have I become?” Steam filled the room and doubt filled his head. “She was just a child.” “You did everything you could” “There had to be something you missed.” Thoughts spiralled through his head as he showered.

Two weeks ago Castiel met a new patient. A girl of only 12 named Claire. One week ago she went into the OR for a routine valve transplant. One week ago Claire died as Castiel stood over her with his decades, it seemed like centuries actually, of knowledge failing him. The operation was supposed to be straightforward, Castiel had accomplished successful surgeries in far worse circumstances, but when she flatlined he was completely at a loss. Nothing in his past hurt worse that the look on her mother’s face as he walked solemnly into the waiting room. Castiel walked out of the hospital that day fully intending on never walking back in. A stranger was the one who convinced him to take a sabbatical rather than retire a whole career early.

GABE CALLING

“Gabe.”

“Hello to you too Castiel.” The silence between the two stretched through the room. “You know what day it is today, right Cassy?”

“Yes. The days don’t change each week Gabriel. I know when Monday is.”

“And we know what happens today. Right?”

“You don’t need to talk to me like I'm a child. I'm trying not to think about it.”

“You’re going to do amazing!”

“Will you bring me lunch?”

“Of course. The usual right?” Cas smiles and hums in response. “Thought so. Don’t stress too much Cassie, I’ll be right down stairs if you need anything.”

“You can do so much better than janitor Gabriel if you ju-”

“Don’t start with me. I’ll work on my life as soon as I can stop worrying about yours little brother. Now get dressed, give Chevy a kiss for me and get your perky ass to the hospital before I have to drag it there myself.”

Gabe hung up before Cas could even retort by inquiring how his older brother knew the shape and lift of his rear, but he did leave a smile on the surgeon's face. As if on cue, knowing her being was mentioned, a meow cut through the empty apartment and the ashen coloured creature wrapped herself around Cas’s legs, her otherworldly eyes staring up at her human with mild disdain. Chevy was a rescue, Castiel took her in after she was dropped off at the clinic Gabe was working at at the time. They all assumed she was blind, her eyes wouldn’t open for weeks, and that she had been hit by a car. The gruff older man who dropped her off had said he would come back for her if she improved, a gift for a family member he said, but then he never came. So Chevy became Castiel’s. After weeks of nursing her wounds and staying up all night to ensure her health, she finally opened her eyes and looked at her new human with mild affection. Upon seeing her eyes Castiel knew she was meant for him, one stark, pure blue eye, and one warm, deep green eye had blinked at him and she decided that he’d do.

“I see you little lady. Let’s get you some food before dad goes to work.” While Castiel was never fond of people in general, he had a soft spot for animals and especially for Chevy. She always was so intune with him, and he wanted the best for her. After her water was freshened and a delicate mix of chicken and cat food mix was placed in her dish up on the counter in the bathroom, Castiel continued to ready himself for work. He showered and shaved quickly, trying not to glance at the scars on his back or on his wrists before dressing in freshly pressed trousers and a white button up.

“You get a kiss from Uncle Gabe this morning.” He scratches the cat’s chin before looking in the mirror one last time, face solemn and firm. “You can do this.”

-------

The hospital was as busy as ever, it was like Castiel had never left, that is until director of surgery Zachariah Adler made himself known. The snivelling man was everything that Castiel considered himself not to be: slimy, greedy, an overall pushover if it meant keeping his image and status, and worst of all he had very little regard for others or the lives that fell into his care--just as long as his numbers look good at the end of the quarter.

“Good to see you back Dr. Allen. I trust your week was...productive?” The director’s tone signalled to Castiel that he had to tread very carefully within the brief conversation.

“Yes Director, very productive. I spent much time focusing on updating my reading on surgical advancements made in the treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. It proved quite provoking and has led me to belie…”

“Yes, yes. Very good. I trust we won’t have any more issues then?”

“No sir.”

“Very good.” The director turned on his heel and left as swiftly as he came, and with not so much a nod in Castiel’s direction.

“Good morning to you too.” Cas grumbled as he made his way to his office. Not much had changed, but there was a small layer of dust coating most surfaces he would have to wipe off on his lunch today. The tiny office was perfect for the surgeon’s needs. The north and east walls were adorned with meticulously organised and cared for bookshelves. The south wall held a bulletin board next to the door, and the west wall was nothing but glass. That overlooked Boulder City and the mountain range beyond. His desk was always kept neat, the only clutter taking the form of an organiser for his active case files and his in/out box, which had far more in it that he would’ve liked at this point, but that is the life of a surgeon.

Just as he’d settled in there was a tap on the door.

“Come in.” Cas absentmindedly called out as he remained buried in a case file that required some attention.

“Dr. Allen?”

“Mhhh.”

“Doctor Bradbury needs you for a consultation.” The voice was firm but cautious.

“Is it urgent or shall I schedule her in?” Castiel still had yet to look up from his case file, consultations were often needed when a surgery or procedure could potentially have adverse effects on a patient beyond the single issue.

“She already has requested you for a 10 am. If that’s amenable of course.”

“Mhhhm. That will do, please tell her I will be in my office Dr….” Blue eyes meet deep green.

“Nurse. Uh, Winchester.”

“Yes, thank you Winchester. Have you worked for Dr. Bradbury long?” The tanned face was not among the carefully catalogued members of staff within Castiel’s brain.

“First day. I will let her know you’re available. Thank you Dr. Allen.” As quickly as he came he was gone and Cas was left staring blankly at the empty doorway, wondering why those eyes captivated him so. There was a faint smell of leather lingering throughout the room that continued to mildly distract him for the remainder of his boring morning of answering emails and setting up appointments for referred clients. Just before he had his meeting with Dr. Bradbury, he was tempted to look up the new nurse in the directory, but stopped himself out of habit. New people often intrigued him, and he knew he could come on quite strong to the ‘uninitiated’ as Gabe called it. Perhaps he would be able to run into him at some point, it would seem those green eyes captivated Cas in a way he was unfamiliar with.

Another knock on the door. This one he was expecting, so he rose and greeted his friend and colleague warmly.

“Cas!” Once the door was shut OBGYN and friend Charlie Bradbury has her arms wrapped snuggly around Cas’s shoulders, he could feel the grin through his lab coat.

“Hello Charlie, it’s good to see you.”

“You too! How are you doing? You cant just ignore me like this; I didn’t know where you were for a whole week! You even missed theme night at the Roadhouse!” The bubbling redhead would go on forever if he let her.

“Charlie.” She quiets. “I’m okay, and yes I will be going to the Roadhouse tonight, and yes I know it’s cowboy night” --- “and girl” --- “Cowperson night. And I wasn't ignoring you, I was taking a brief leave of absence to deal with personal matters. If you wish, we can arrange lunch this week and I can fill you in.” She eagerly nods. “What did you need to see me for?”

“There's the Dr. Castiel Novak I know.” The resulting glare from the blue eyes makes her shiver. “Sorry Castiel. It's a habit. I’ve known you too long.”

“I know, please just be careful. I do not wish for certain members of faculty to know my upbringing or history. I've been passing as human for this long; I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Of course,” She nods sympathetically. While most people were open and accepting to the supernatural since the fall of heaven and closing of hell, many people were still quite superstitious and prejudiced against any nonhumans. “Well, to business. I've got a case that's really troubling me. It’s quite delicate, as the case is slightly personal to one of my staff members. I have a patient. Jessica Moore. She just came in for her routine prenatal and I discovered a heart murmur. I think we might have a tricuspid atresia. To make matters worse Ms Moore is having a difficult pregnancy to say the least. Her attachment is weak and she’s beginning to show signs of preeclampsia.”

“That is quite a combination.”

“Yes it seems that childbearing does not become her. She's the girlfriend of the brother of one of my nurses. I was hoping I could get you in for her next scan, she's due to have another ultrasound at 26 weeks. I’m worried we are going to end up having to either induce her or order a cesarean to maintain both of their healths.” Charlie’s face contorted with sadness at that. Castiel always admired the care she had for her patients.

“When would this be?” He opened his diary.

“Two weeks, Monday.”

“Yes I can be there. Have someone drop by the details later in the week so I can ensure I am up to date on the case.”

“I’ll have Dean drop them off to you tomorrow them.”

“Dean... that’s not a name you’ve used before.”

Charlie smiled at Cas cheekily. “Nothing gets by you Cas. Dean is a new midwife in my department. Came to me straight from the military believe it or not. He’s well over qualified for working with me, but I’m not complaining that I have the most capable, attractive, nerdiest midwife in the west at my fingertips.” She flashed a grin.

“How do those last two make him an effective nurse?”

“They don’t but I wanted to see your reaction. You met him this morning right?”

“Ah so that was the mystery nurse.”

“Yes. Now you can’t go scaring him away. He's already been invited to join the Roadhouse gang. Garth asked him this morning. The two are becoming rather fast friends I’d like to think. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes Charlie, I’ll be there with spurs on.”

“Kinky…” She winks as she leaves the room, and leaves Castiel to his thoughts.

As the day drug on, Castiel became so busy he barely noticed when his lunch hour came up. Jumping out of his chair he swapped his lab coat for a cardigan and went to meet his brother for the lunch he was promised.

#my writing #supernatural #dean x castiel #chapter one #Not Gonna Die #dean winchester #castiel #destiel #destiel fanfic #au

1 note · View note

habsfans98 · 4 years

Text

Reflection of the 2010′s in the NHL

Favorite season in the 2010′s

My favorite season by far in the NHL this decade, was the 2013-2014 season. This was the best season that the habs played this decade in my opinion. Not just in the regular season, but in the post season as well. While I know that the 2014-2015 season, was the better season overall in terms of points and numbers. That season, just felt like the “Carey Price show” rather than the habs show (Which resulted in a sloppy first round series with the pesky Sens, and a painful series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The 2013-2014 Season felt like the team wasn’t just relying on Carey Price. It felt like the team new he was the best goalie in the world. And they weren’t going to let his great play go to waste.

Resulting a deep playoff run, that only ended because a dirty play. (NO! I still haven’t forgiven Chris Kreider for the taking out Price in that series. And I never will!)

Favorite Player of the 2010′s

My favorite player of the 2010′s isn’t who you probably expect me to pick. And I honestly really thought about this one. You’d think I’d pick PK Subban. But really, it was Carey Price, and it has everything to do with being the heart and soul of the Canadiens, for all of this decade. I know that since I made this blog. I’ve made many posts and rants, that the habs overly rely on Price to steal games from the habs. But, he’s never complained about it. Not once. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single comment, or criticism come from Price. That’s honestly why he’s my favorite player of decade. He let his play speak for him, all decade long.

Favorite Playoff series of the 2010′s

If you are a habs fan, and your favorite playoff season of the decade isn’t the 34th meeting between the Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. Shame on you. That series, was spectacular. It was everything a Habs vs Bruins series should have. Hard hits, dirty plays, shitty talking on and off the ice, amazing goaltending between Carey Price and Tukka Rask. Still remember the jumping for joy when Subban scored the game winner in game 1 OT. But it was game 6. Down 3-2 in the series and facing elimination home. Every player in the habs uniform that game, played at a whole new level. All of this capped off with a satisfying game 7 win, in a silenced TD Garden, after a 3-1 win.

Favorite Stanley cup Final of the 2010′s

I hate the fact that for a second decade in a row. The habs couldn’t get to the stanley cup finals!

However, that didn’t stop me from watching every stanley cup final during this decade. And so many of them were spectacular and memorable. The one that fits the favorite category was the 2012 Stanley cup Final.

There’s one reason why this is my favorite Finals. My high buddy predicted the LA Kings winning the cup. That’s right. In my final year of high school. My hockey crazed friend, told me with a straight face, the LA Kings would win the Stanley cup. This was before they changed coaches mind way though the season, and still stayed true to his prediction, when they made in as the eighth seed in the west. When I asked him why he thought they’d win, he gave me just gave me two names: Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick.

The LA Kings themselves also made this a memorable series. Winning both games 1 and 2 on the road in OT, stopping the Devils on home ice in game three, only to lose both games 4 and 5, to have one of the most brutal plays of the decade, cause the dreaded five minute major to the Devils, that ended there season.

It was the first time an eight seed in North American Sports, ever won a Championship.

Most Disappointing NHL moment of the 2010′s

Sigh... For New York Rangers fans. Game 4 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals was an unforgettable night for one moment in particular. Martin St. Louis OT winner. It’s also my most Disappointing moment of the 2010′s. It was the first time since a 2011 World Junior Gold medal game, where my heart sank like a rock in a pond.

St. Louis goal, gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead in the series. the habs would bonce back with a 7-4 win in game six. That’s as much has the habs offense could must. As they could score again against the Rangers losing 1-0 in Madison Square Garden.

So many things happened in that series that I look back on as what if’s. What if Chris Kreider didn’t crash into Price on purpose and injure him? What if the offense didn’t dry up in game six? What if the five players on the ice remember Martin St. Louis was still in are zone before he scored that OT goal against are third sting goalie? Would have won a game seven back in Montreal?

These are the question that will never have answers...

Most Shocking moment of the 2010′s

Honestly, we had some shocking moments in the NHL this decade. Some on the ice, some off the ice. Yet, I don’t think anyone expected what happened during the 2017-2018 season.

No one! NOT A SINGLE PERSON! Predicted what happened that season. And if your did; you clearly owned a god damn time machine!

THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS.

A brand knew expansion team, with players picked up from the other 30 teams in the league; that either didn’t want them, tossed them away for cap relief, or just saw no harm in letting them leave for the new time. Some how managed to become the greatest expansion team in North American Sports History.

In their first season in the NHL. The Knight had a record of 51-24-7 for 109 points, and winning the Pacific division. They then swept the LA Kings in the first round, Humiliated the San Jose Sharks in the second round, and humbled the Winnipeg Jets (turning the entire nation of Canada against them), by beating them in 4-1 in the western conference finals to make the Stanley cup final. They would lost to the Capitals in five games in the Stanley up Final. However, that last part doesn’t change the fact that all these events happened...

IN THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS FIRST NHL SEASON!

Nothing that has happened in this decade will ever or can top that at least to me!

#habsfan98 #NHL #montreal canadiens #opinion #new year #End of a decade #Reflection of the 2010′s in the NHL

1 note · View note

corinnejmorris · 5 years

Text

↷ A DAY IN THE LIFE

Transcribed above: Dear diary, I had lunch with Celia Mae this afternoon since she was in town. Apparently her contractor continues to delay the renovations on her house in the Hamptons, and she drives out every weekend from Boston to meet with him. She likes to believe their hookups are coincidental but surely she knows he’s stalling just to see her? Hopefully her husband doesn’t find out..or does...I don’t know what I’d do in such a situation…regardless, she was telling me about this exercise wherein, you keep track of your day in a journal or an app— but writing most definitely will be more beneficial for me. It’s to get an idea of where your time goes, so you can try to improve your productivity and be more aware of your everyday happenings. Anyways, I’m going to try it on Friday, since Thursday is so busy.

5:30AM

She wakes up with the assistance of $90 sunrise alarm clock. She makes her bed almost immediately and lazily walks over to her ensuite. She’s a morning shower person, so her oversized tshirt gets left on the floor as she lets the water heat up. Towel wrapped around her chest, she continues on to teeth, then skin care— toner, serum, eye cream, moisturizer and sunscreen, then moisturize before she’s onto the closet. She doesn’t spend long finding something, and make sure to grab a pair of leggings and a sports bra for yoga this afternoon. Before changing she sits at her vanity and does her beauty routine— primer, light concealer, lip balm, eye shadow, mascara, lips, perfume.

Transcribed above: Dear diary, I woke up at 5:30 this morning, and spent an hour and a half on my look this morning.

7:00AM

She’s changed and is now in the kitchen, for a mediocre cook at best— Corinne can somewhat pull off breakfast. Turkey bacon in a pan, and a small saucepan is boiling water. Whole wheat toast from a local bakery in her toaster and espresso brews on her stove top. Now is when she checks her phone for late night emails, calls or texts she may have missed and makes note to answer them once she gets to work, or answers immediately if they’re pressing. She poaches her egg, and smashes an avocado on her toast with some chili flakes. She eats alone at her dining room, no phone, no notebook, often times with a soundtrack of soft jazz.

7:45 AM

She’s in her car with two lattes in travel mugs. Although her office isn’t that far, she likes being the first person in the office. Or at least one of the first— but today she picks up Nicky first which used to be a more common occurrence but now he more often commutes with his girlfriend. The drive from her neighbourhood to his is short and she greets him with a hot latte. They drive through the beginnings of morning traffic and Nicky talks while she nods and pipes in occasionally.

Transcribed above: Dear diary, We’re settled in the office now, sometimes I forget how refreshing Nick’s babble can be.

8:10 AM

Emails, phone calls and all the correspondence she can muster before their team debrief. All the while she tries to finish her own latte, and solve whatever Nicky’s plight so happens to be. This is also when she sets up her schedule for the day.

8:35 AM

Team debrief, overlook at the past week, what next week looks like. Where everyone is at on their projects, where they can use insight. This might be Corinne’s favourite part of the day.

9:00 AM

Meeting one, whatever client she’s spear heading normally gets this first meeting. Gets as long as they need, and this slot is usually reserved for whoever pays most. Today it’s a meeting with some more of Bell’s campaign staff. A progress report of sorts.

11:00 AM

Meeting two, a conference call with the New York guys. Corinne mostly does these out of courtesy. She really wishes she could off load this onto someone else, but she doesn’t. They talk about possible expansion, she thinks for a moment about moving back to New York.

12:00 PM

Social media break before lunch, god her brother’s kid is so cute!

12:15 PM

Lunch at the office today and as much as she hates interrupting her eating, there’s a meeting with the board she’s forced to attend.

1:45 PM

Back in her office, with a stack of reports neatly piled on her desk. This alone time is her favourite. Alone with the words and numbers, highlighters and pens— a time she could clear her head of everything else and focus.

Transcribed above: Dear diary, I’m taking a break from the tobacco reports to update you on today’s events.

3:30 PM

Rooftop yoga at the office. She changes in the bathroom down the hall before walking up the final two flights up to the rooftop. A serene closing to her day.

4:45 PM

Back in the office, back in her Western business casual attire and sending out her final emails of the day, planning any meetings for tomorrow, a few quick phone calls and she’s ready to be out the door.

5:25 PM

She says goodbye to her assistant and is off to find her car. With the rush hour traffic her ride takes her around 40 minutes. But also her sometimes shitty driving might also play a part in the length of her commute.

6:30 PM

She unlocks her front door and immediately gets rid of her shoes and drops her purse. Although she’ll only be here for a few minutes, walking through her front door is always a welcoming feeling. She quickly changes, and smokes out her shadow for a more night time look.

Transcribed above: Dear diary, I’m sort of in a rush but, today was a good day— smooth, no hiccups. I have dinner with Colin tonight which should be nice.

8:10 PM

Dinner downtown. It feels like a slightly more personal client dinner but it’s nice to catch up. Although she initially thought they wouldn’t have a lot to talk about, the conversation starts and never stops. She’s glad she got to do this. The company is welcomed, the food is great and the wine is even better.

10:40 PM

His hotel is just around the corner and they say goodbye and agree to catch up again soon. The walk to her car is brisk and she’s back on the road shortly. Driving timidly after her two glasses of red.

11:00 PM

This time there’s an audible sigh when she enters the house this time. Now she’s done for the night. Clothing is shed when she breaches her bedroom and sits at her vanity. She removes her makeup and spends a beat too long inspecting every inch of her face. She slips back into her pyjamas from this morning.

Transcribed above: Dear diary, Dinner with Colin was fantastic, I forgot how charming and talkative he was. It’s always so nice to catch up with people from school. Maybe I should call him.

11:45 PM

She goes downstairs for one more drink and sits on her couch in the dark. She enjoys the stillness of moments like these. Reminds her of the power of her loneliness.

12:50 AM

She drags her tired limbs back upstairs and brushes her teeth before curling up her duvet.

#cbcchallenge #long post for ts #again...why am i like this #anyway i'm bout to pass out #deuces #musings

5 notes · View notes

mailebartolome · 5 years

Text

October Baseball

If you were to ask me what period of my life I could live again, I would choose the month of October in 2004.

By the end of September that year, I was 18-years-old and knee-deep in my growing collection of newspapers that captured the end of Boston's ‘04 regular season. It was also the end of my difficult formative years - years that baseball always made a little easier.

I still remember the first time I caught a glimpse of a game as a freshman. I'd stormed into my bedroom, slammed my door, turned up my radio, and mindlessly flipped through my TV until an expansive vibrant green made me stop.

It was the outfield at Fenway, and despite the thousands of people in the stands, the entire park was buzzing with an electric silence. There was an intensity that creased along the players’ faces and people in the stands. It grabbed me just enough to leave my TV on that station. It stayed there for days, weeks, months - always flickering beneath the music and yelling and mess.

That's how it happened. That's how I fell in love with the game. It was the same way we fall for anything or anyone else - accidentally and out of nowhere.

I loved the patience of the game. The quiet tension that builds for a few innings or hours and how it all comes down to one pitch or swing of the bat. I loved the line drives and diving catches and dirt that takes over the white uniforms. The cold postseason games. The bottom-of-the-ninth, 2-out, bases loaded pitch. I loved the sound of a ball cracking off a bat and how it could bring an entire city to its feet while silencing another.

Looking back now, I know it was more than just the sport. I know it was the human condition at play - the need to connect and belong.

So I fell in love with the game instead of a boy or girl. I was a product of a world in which loneliness and dysfunction prevailed. Baseball was at the other end of that, and it brought me a sense of community and faith and love all combined within the greatest game.

And that's it.

That's the whole entire ballgame folks and thesis of my post and why I'd choose to relive a moment of time that was built around a team.

We were all just kids when the game took over us. When our subconscious connected and transferred our deepest inner selves onto a story that was so much bigger than any of us.

For some, a team represents time with their father. Their grandmother. Their experiences through life - both beautiful and painful.

Boston's stumble into the '04 post-season with a wildcard was how I'd gotten through most difficult events in my life: barely.

Their complete collapse and abrupt rise within the 7 games of the '04 ALCS was an imperfect reflection of my entire adolescence.

Their World Series win and triumph over an 86-year-old superstition was so palpable that I still, fifteen years later, tear up and get chills when I look at photos of the old fans who cried during that final World Series out.

I'd watched all of those '04 games with my best friends - three lively New England boys who'd endured their own chaos. We were kids, yet we were just coming to a point where we could actually feel like kids again instead of makeshift adults. Those games were the heart of it - the campfire that we always congregated around for years.

Two of them have since died from overdoses. The third has drifted.

That October was one of the greatest times the four of us had ever spent together. To get those games and moments and friends back would be impossible. But I can still feel traces of them and us in games today.

For some, a sport is irrevocably tangled with their past. Peel back the layers of the human condition, and you'll find that It's never just a game. It's something so much deeper and meaningful to hundreds of thousands of strangers. That’s what makes it such a beautiful, collective experience.

It’s part of what makes baseball the greatest sport of all time. Especially in October.

#octoberbaseball #baseball #mlb #boston red sox #red sox #postseason

5 notes · View notes

jacklyngradphotography · 5 years

Text

History Catch up

Hello Loyal Followers!

I am excited to give a HISTORY update . Here is a QUICK update where we left off. Gonna Jump around to play catch up and highlight just the big stuff.

1860’s-Photography is SWEEPING

-Colonialism has a connotation..this is a western discovery

-In middle eastern countries it was against the law to have a picture taken

-Many people were performing mimicry & lore (this is relevant for future photos that will be made)

-Images were becoming more than documenting a place or person. They were complex!

War photos were being made- People had always heard of what happened while at war. They had scene paintings made of bottle scenes, but had never seen anything this real.

Bermes vs. England. Showing Strength, WE ARE HERE. Intentional!

Siege at Lucknow-The Siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the Residency within the city of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief attempts had reached the city, the defenders and civilians were evacuated from the Residency, which was then abandoned.

People had NEVER seen pictures like this. With people who had died-their bodies were just lying there in front of their eyes. NOTE: The sky is totally blow out and white, the traveling processing booths were not all advanced enough to handle that brightness.

At this point, Traveling photography started.

-Many well to do western people would travel after they were married, or go on exhibitions and take pictures. This brought knowledge to the world! People were totally mesmerised by the pictures

Like this one in egypt. People were included in the photo to show scale and size.

Pictures were VERy frontal!! Also shows the power the westerners had. The westerners were always shown ABOVE the locals/esterners. You can see the men in the top of the photo are all in uniform (army) and on the hill and below are locals intheir garb. This was intentional. And messsed up….

1851 Felix Taynard-Created the Salted Paper Prints

-They traveled well and you did not need to worry as much about them getting ruined

Right now-1857- Pictures in Europe, France and England were beginning to BEG the attention of artists..where in America it was purely for documenting. They were not ready for “art, love and madonna” They did not have 100’s of years of art, romatics & history as Europe did. They had War…. -_-

J.M.Cameron- 48 y/o

This woman was COMPLETELY ahead of her time! 5 min exposure, Albumen prints. Not all in focus. Untrimmed Photos, “dirty Looking”. Super influential during this time. But critics were UP IN ARMS about how provocative her work was.

-She was seeking out “High Minded” works

-Intellectual Energy

-Built a dark room in “the coal room” of her home

-Artistic Consciousness/Moral & Biblical innuendos

-GORG WORK. Look at the tonal range in this photo!!! And in the late 1860’s!

American War Photos

-Frontal

-NOT Romantic

-Heroic

-Pictures were made to document and to witness

These pictures were trying to tell “A larger Truth”. Sometimes they look staged! But...they are accurate of the time. No one had EVER seen photos of war like this. NEW CONTENT.

Practitioners to Note:

-Gardner, was the ONLY person to photograph the Lincoln Conspirators hanging, also the first WOMEN to ever be hung in public. Took photos of them before they hung

-O’Sullivan

-Barnard

THE WESTERN EXPANSION

On these teams traveling across America, in hopes to show the US new “hope” after the war.

They brought portable dark rooms, using wet plate collodion process. Check out this video if you want to see how it works. IT’S CRAZY that they were traveling through LITERAL uncharted territory with all these chemicals and chemistry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiAhPIUno1o

They took incredible..only the USA were taking landscape photos like this!

Watkins-

1880’s Photography was Democratized-

-Was used in schools to tell truths -Used in textbooks to show proper procedures -Pictures were taken of chemistry and elements to show what they look like to the “regular”person -Women were sewing pictures into their clothing to show “eliteness”

Something so important to understand..is that pictures were beginning to be something that showed status in a home. You would have a basket in your front room, where you welcomed people with pictures of your family (if you had them) or of the queen, or local royals (in Europe).

George Eastman

Created a machine that made dry plates

-Sells them in England and creates a patent in America

-Makes it easy to access plates!! And they were dry NOT wet!

And then..he made up the word Kodak, because he liked the letter K and overnight…

1888-THE KODAK

THIS CHANGESEVERYTHINGGGGGGGG

$25 at the time ($600 today)

Anyone could get them…

You sent your negatives to Rochester to get developed

An overnight SENSATION!! EVERYONE IS A PHOTOGRAPHER….

Overnight, the content of photography changed. Just like the “amerature iPhone photographer”

-More casual, unexpected, regular

This was so popular that hotels installed dark rooms for people.

The joke was “People had the case of the cameras” lol

In the 1890’s, it was terrible to be an artist in America… this was a constant struggle for development of the arts. THAT being said….Art was growing faster than ever. Americans were moving to Paris to study art. THe MOMA is founded...Boston Fine Art is established...Harvard Art…

Eugene Atget-Founder & Father of Documentary Photography

-Does not call himself an artist. A failed painter..

-Dry Plate. Large format

-He had no notes, no theories, he saw this as his job.duty to document what paris was like.

3 notes · View notes

celestriakle · 6 years

Text

I keep getting people who ask me what podcasts I listen to, what they’re about, and which I recommend, SO. Please note: these are solely my opinions, and your taste may differ from mine.

If you ever want more recommendations, check out Radio Drama Revival, which features all sorts of shows, singular and serial, and interviews with their writers and creators.

(This list is regularly updated. Last update 10/31/21.)

Top 3:

Archive 81: Dan is hired to organize some tapes about a very strange apartment building. Really ramps up in season 2. Horror. Good characters, interesting worldbuilding, intriguing plot, good voice acting, the best sound design of everything I’ve listened to so far. The whole package, really. (Ongoing.)

The Magnus Archives: An archivist for an institute of paranormal research reads aloud witness testimonials that turn out to be connected. The most tightly written podcast yet, perfectly paced, amazing use of framing device, fascinating world-building, wonderful slow-burn character development. Pay attention to the details in this one. (Completed.)

The Penumbra Podcast: There are a handful of stand-alone stories, but the two primary ones are a medieval-adjacent fantasy featuring knights facing monsters and a scifi detective noir story. Good breadth, and all the stories are fun and interesting, the characters endearing. Really excellent dialogue and genre play. (Ongoing.)

Great:

Alice Isn’t Dead: An anxious trucker is looking for her missing wife. Done by the Nightvale people but nothing like it. American Gothic variety horror. Lovely descriptions, a good protagonist, an interesting world, well-paced. (Completed.)

The Bunker: A black comedy about three guys who survived the apocalypse broadcasting a radio show to the wasteland. The episodes are long, but clearly and easily segmented for easy listening. Does an excellent job building up the world and characters and maintaining its bleak humor throughout, while going in depth on its themes and the chosen topics of each episode. (Completed.)

The Bright Sessions: People with powers in therapy to learn to cope with them. Contrary to what one might expect, this isn’t about superheroes, but the way it handles healing and growth and relationships are fantastic. A satisfying ending. Very character-driven. Sequel series are now available on the feed as well. (Completed.)

Caravan: Two best friends are on a camping trip together, when one falls into a midwestern fantasy world. So much fun, the characters are full of charm and heart, and the voice actors portray them well. Another heartwarming whisperforge work, funny too. Mildly NSFW. (Ongoing.)

The Deep Vault: In the near future, a small group escape the apocalypse by taking shelter in a legendary abandoned bunker, but they’re not alone. A 7-ep miniseries made by the same people who did Archive 81, and they’re able to develop their cast and the relationships in it quite effectively in the short span given. A fast paced adventure great for a long drive or quiet afternoon. (Completed.)

The Far Meridian: An agoraphobic young woman wakes up to discover her lighthouse is teleporting around. Gentle surrealism with a focus on story. Even the one-off characters are charming, and there are well-written latino characters everywhere. (Ongoing.)

Girl in Space: Just a girl, in space, taking care of a star with only a glitchy AI for company (for now). The girl’s very charming, and the AI is one of my favorites I’ve seen written. (Ongoing.)

Gone: A woman wakes up one day to discover she's the last person in the world. No apocalypse, everyone's just... gone. Very, very strong voice in the protagonist; she's rough and fascinating. Incorporates a mental health angle often neglected in these types of stories. Another season was promised, as season 1 ends on a cliffhanger, but it hasn’t yet materialized. (Abandoned.)

Greater Boston: In an alternate Boston, the Red Line railway becomes it's own city, and the ramifications of that. A story about community, with the focus on a group of people dealing with the aftermath of a single man's death. Both deeply emotional and very, very funny. There are cheese robots, Atlantis, and guinea pigs. A delightful and very well woven wild ride. (Ongoing.)

Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services: A pleasant slice-of-life record of a young witch’s attempt to start a business. It takes a little to get going; I didn’t get much invested until episode seven, but ever since then, it’s continually ramped up. The final season especially is a delight. The crossover specials are very fun. (Ongoing.)

Liberty: In a distant Earth colony colony, there is the city of Atrius ruled by the dictatorial Arkon, and outside are the cannibalistic Fringers. Three stories in one. Critical Research, the first and roughest, follows a crew of Atrians going out and studying the Fringers. Tales of the Tower are is an anthology of horror stories aired by the Atrian government. Vigilance is an Actual Play story where the players are Atrians trying to track down three missing persons for community service, and get stuck in a deeper conspiracy. All of them are excellent, amazing soundscaping, good VAs, and intense writing. Vigilance and Critical Research are over, but Tales from the Tower is still ongoing. (Ongoing, but has several completed stories.)

The London Necropolis Railway: A short listen about a railroad that ferries the souls of the dead. A ghost dodged their train and one of the ticketers needs to chase her down. Short episodes, exciting, funny and fun. (Ongoing.)

A Scottish Podcast: A self-absorbed asshole tries to get rich by starting his own supernatural podcast. A parody of The Black Tapes and its ilk. Hilarious and a solid plot. (Ongoing.)

Startripper!!: An alien office worker buys his dream car and quits his job to go have adventures and live his best life. Genuinely the happiest, most feel good podcast I’ve heard. An absolute pleasure. (Ongoing.)

Uncanny County: An anthology series about strange events happening in a backwater town. Mostly has a goofy, off-beat tone, so it’s all good fun. Stories range from a couple that moves into a a house with a bathtub that reduces aging to a couple trying to get over the husband’s fear of clowns by staying a clown hotel. The stories are connected by place, but there’s no overarching plot; it’s just good fun. (Anthology.)

Welcome to Nightvale: The community radio show for the small desert town of Nightvale, where every conspiracy theory is true. You probably know this. WTNV is credited with kickstarting the new age of audio dramas for good reason: it's weird and wonderful with expansive storylines and amazing characters. I first discovered it back in 2015, but dropped it and didn't revisit it until now, five years later. Even with every other show I've heard, even with its own massive backlog, it still holds up with the best of them, still evoking new emotions and unveiling new secrets. WTNV is still very much an amazing podcast worth listening to. (Ongoing.)

The White Vault: An international repair team goes up to a base in Svalbard and becomes trapped by a storm after making an amazing discovery. Arctic horror. Novel framing, excellent suspense, good sound design and voice acting, a well done show. Uses actually international VAs. (Ongoing.)

Within the Wires: Tales from another world told first through relaxation tapes, then museum guides, then a government official’s notes to his secretary. The delicate unveiling of the world, and the complex relationships depicted through these restricted forms is absolutely masterful, allowing a deep understanding in spite of hearing only one voice. It starts off very strange and surreal, but it’s worth listening through that initial bump to get to the meat. (Ongoing.)

Wolf-359: The crew of a deep-space outpost begins receiving a series of strange transmissions. A sci-fi classic in the podcast community for good reason: beautifully plotted, excellent emotional arcs, a cast of characters I loved in their entirety. (Completed.)

Wooden Overcoats: A comedy about two competing funeral homes in a tiny village. Absolutely hilarious. Each character has their trope, but they are never bound by it and all are allowed to grow and develop beyond it. (Ongoing.)

Good:

2298: In a dystopian future where human lives are guided and curated by the Network, resident 24 is haunted by a beautiful golden bird. A modern take on a Big Brother-style dystopia. Quite short, but fun. Connected to the canon of Girl in Space. (Completed.)

36 Questions: An estranged married couple attempts to reconnect by asking each other 36 questions that are supposed to help people fall in love. A musical, only 3 episodes long. Very good, excellent sound design, and this podcast would easily be in the great category if it weren’t for the ending, which I found unsatisfying. (Completed.)

Ars Paradoxica: A scientist accidentally sends herself back to the ‘40s and gets picked up by a military organization and tries to use their resources to get herself back to the present. One of the earlier audio dramas, so it’s a little tropey, but it existed before many of those tropes were established. I’m still listening through! (Completed.)

Beef and Dairy Network: A comedy podcast that made me laugh! The news from a fictitious network, like if Nightvale was about beef and dairy exclusively. Enough plot and fun to keep it fresh, that it really only wears down after 40 or so episodes. (Ongoing.)

The Bridge: The caretakers of Watchtower 10 on the largely abandoned Transatlantic Bridge are all there for a reason. There are frightening things in the water, and a wealth of stories. A little spooky, but not really horror. Big lovable cast, a good format, and several interesting plot threads to put together and follow. (Ongoing.)

Gal Pals Present Overkill: A ghost tries to figure out how she died and navigate the afterlife in a very haunted park. Sweet, does very interesting things with ghosts as a concept. All girls, everyone’s gay, that latina representation I always crave. (Ongoing.)

Kane and Feels: A pair of PIs (Paranormal Investigators) investigate a trail of subconscious strangeness. A very beautiful and surreal story that blurs the world of reality and dreams. Lovely prose and aesthetic. Episodes release extremely sporadically with no clear season breaks. (Ongoing?)

King Falls AM: Two guys host a radio show in a little town full of strange happenings. A similar premise to WTNV executed quite differently. Charming but underwhelming for the first 50-ish episodes, then ramps up sharply and becomes very intense and very good. (Ongoing.)

Lesser Gods: In a post-apocalyptic future after which humans lost the ability to reproduce, the final five youngest on earth attempt to cope with and solve a murder after one of their ranks dies. Like a YA novel in the best way. Very flawed and complex characters. Episodes stopped coming midseason. (Abandoned.)

L I M B O: A dead man meets people from his past. Manages to bring to life several interesting characters in a very short time, though it leaves questions. Connected to the canon of 2298. (Completed.)

Mabel: Live-in caretaker for an elderly woman won’t stop leaving voicemails for the woman’s estranged granddaughter and discovers many strange things in the strange house. Very narrowly got edged out of my top three, but still very good. Gothic horror. Great use of format, well-paced, mellifluous writing and good music that makes it a pleasure to listen to in sound alone. (Ongoing.)

Middle:Below: A man with the ability to travel to the spirit world helps ghosts move on. Very cute and quirky and sweet. The cast’s charming, and the ghosts they deal with are interesting, and there’s still quite a number of mysteries about the world. (Ongoing.)

Outliers: An anthology collection rather than a narrative, each story tells the tale of a lesser known British historical figure. Well-written, well-acted--mostly--with a bonus of some learning on the side. (Completed.)

Passage: Two skeletons on a lifeboat from a ship that supposedly vanished a century ago washes up on the shore of a small town. A mystery miniseries, only 7 episodes long. Half the reason I listened to this is because it takes place in the PNW. A good mystery, an enjoyable quick listen. (Completed.)

Pleasuretown: A western about a small desert town that got wiped out, and the stories of all the inhabitants who used to live there and the strange supernatural encounters they had. It weaves together beautifully with top notch sounds. Starts out very white/male/cishet, but the stories get more diverse and inclusive as the podcast goes on. It’s episodic enough that the stories are enjoyable on their own, but the large overarching story thread never got resolved. (Abandoned.)

Radiation World: A boat full of strangers on a quest discovers a bunker full of people who survived the apocalypse and they help each other out. Shenanigans ensure. Incredibly fun and funny with a great plot and series of twists. The ending implied another season was planned, but there are no major questions left, so it stand on its own. (Completed?)

Station to Station: A researcher is looking into the circumstances of the disappearance of a beloved coworker no one seems to remember. Sporadic update schedule has made this one a bit hard to keep track of. (Ongoing.)

Alright:

Bubble: A hipster human colony that lives in a bubble on a foreign planet occasionally deals with monster attacks. A comedy that knows its type very well: I have an intimate understanding of the people it’s poking fun at, and that made it at once incredibly fun and also hard to listen to. It implied there would be a second season, but one hasn’t yet happened. The first season stands alone well, however. (Completed?)

Big Data: Seven thieves steal the seven keys to the internet to try to take it down. Each individual heist is really interesting and fun with a great thief, but the frame narrative left me wanting. The ending implied there was going to be a sequel series, but one never materialized. (Completed?)

Congeria: A detective searching for a missing girl gets caught up with cults and murderers. A well produced podcast, well acted and well plotted, this is perfect if you love hardboiled detective stories. Honestly, this is only in alright because it’s not my usual genre. It was just a heavy listen. (Completed.)

The Dark Tome: A dark fantasy podcast where a troubled young teen reads a magic, potentially evil book that sucks her into another world and allows her to witness stories. Very much has the feel of a YA novel. Each stories within the frame are written by different authors, so episode quality varies. (Ongoing.)

Deadly Manners: A classic murder mystery at a grand house party. It was enjoyable, the characters reasonably fun (with one massive racist/homophobic/antisemitic exception), but the whole thing still felt very run-of-the-mill nevertheless. (Completed.)

Dreamboy: A depressed musician gets caught up in a conspiracy surrounding a dream and a killer zebra. Honestly, that synopsis isn’t even the half of it. This podcast is incredibly strange (and explicitly NSFW) but quite fascinating. Also, it has fabulous musical numbers. (Completed.)

Empty: Several humans and an AI wake up on a colony spaceship alone, with no memory. Interesting characters, a new favorite AI, but their season finale was more of a cliffhanger than a finale that wrapped up anything. (Abandoned.)

Hadron Gospel Hour: A comedy podcast about a scientist who broke the universe, his everyman sidekick, and the supercomputer helping them fix it. It’s episodic, and there are standalone shorts in it that are funny. Some jokes haven’t aged well, to put it kindly. At least one episode contains a racist joke. The seasons posted are complete, but the overarching plot never finished resolving. (Abandoned.)

The Infinite: The last surviving member of a deep space exploration mission receives a mysterious signal and contemplates if it’s worth chasing. It preceded many of the more popularized space operas and says many of the same things as them. (Completed.)

Janus Descending: A research team of two get killed while on an expedition to an alien planet. Told nonlinearly. There’s so much here that’s good, but the main characters are afflicted with a whole lot of stupid that diminishes the effect. (Completed.)

Joseph: The Revenge of Opus: A far future scifi story where some dude saves the world and the girl. I'm writing this about nine months after first listening, and honestly that's about all I retained. I remember it being fun, and having very excellent sound design, but the story was very predictable and thus forgettable. (Completed.)

LifeAfter/The Message: A pair of discrete podcasts on the same feed. The Message is about a team of scientists trying to decipher a sound that triggered a pandemic, and LifeAfter is about an FBI agent offered a chance to reconnect with his dead wife through an AI. They were both interesting, though The Message hit uncomfortably close to home, since this is being written in Nov 2020. LifeAfter had a stronger plot regardless, though the likability of its protagonist is questionable. (Completed.)

Magic King Dom: One of the few survivors of an apocalypse grows up alone in Disneyland. Cute and well produced, but the pacing is very fast, and Dom’s characterization stretched my suspension of disbelief. Connected to the canon of Girl In Space. (Completed.)

Misadventure by Death: A trope-aware person is hired to take care of an almost certainly haunted house. The writing feels a little amateur at points, but it’s enjoyable and had decent pacing so far. Updates stopped coming midseason. (Abandoned.)

Tides: A xenobiologist who has been stranded on an alien planet that’s regularly soaked by a large tidal wave. It’s acted well enough, the sound is good, and the premise is good along with the dialogue, but a bit too much time is spent on the visual descriptions of alien creatures and the pacing of the main plot has yet to catch up. (Ongoing.)

What’s the Frequency: Something strange is happening with the radio, and two detectives are on the case. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a fan of avante guarde storytelling methods, and unfortunately, this podcast makes plentiful use of them. It took several episodes for me to grasp a basic idea of which characters were which and what the basic plot was, due to nonlinear narrative, unclear characterization, and similar sounding VAs. In spite of this, the charm of the characters I did grasp and the bits of plot I put together kept me interested and listening. (Ongoing.)

Not Recommended:

The Angel of Vine: A hardboiled PI attempts to solve a grisly murder. A very generic example of its genre, it doesn’t bring anything new or interesting to the table. Just boring.

The Black Tapes: Reporter looks into the unsolved cases of someone who disproves the paranormal for a living. Season one was fantastic, but they start to lose it in season two; the pacing and focus go astray. Season three is worse, and then the finale they put out was one of the most disappointing endings I’ve endured in years. It was bad enough I don’t intend on looking into their other productions, Rabbits and Tanis.

The Blood Crow Stories: S1 is about a malicious entity that haunts a ship, but each season is different. I listened only to s1. If you like villains who get away with all their plans perfectly and face no challenge from the protags whatsoever, then this podcast is for you. The villain is also incredibly overwrought to near laughability and relies on gore and shock value for its fearsomeness. The rest of the cast is alright, but nothing special. Uncomfortable interactions with the creators sealed my decision to not proceed with the other seasons.

Everlasting Beholders: Some aliens attempt to influence an alternate Earth. The changes made are uncomfortable, and it’s a bit hard to follow. Supposedly it connects to Empty, but not in a way I could figure out. It was never finished.

Organism: An alien of some sort learns about the world. Slow, simplistic, boring, with a very strange twist ending.

Ruby and the Galactic Gumshoe (2020): A scifi noir that's a new adventure in a series started in the 80s. Honestly, I loved the narrator and the soundscaping; the feel of this show was amazing. However, I don't recommend it solely because one of the characters is a deeply racist caricature. Ruby has a hi-tech car with an inbuilt AI described as a "big black genie", and whenever he speaks, it's with a thick Indian accent and "mystical" language.

Spines: Amnesiac survivor of a cult ritual tries to find out what happened and where her missing soul mate went by interrogating people with weird powers. Horror. The world is cool, the imagery is very cool, the story is reasonably interesting, but the voice acting is bad. Both voices we hear deliver all their lines, even ones that sound as if they should be deeply emotional, in the same flat, disinterested, apathetic, tired monotone. Not only that, but the pacing and narration destroy any sense of suspense this epic story should have.

Subject: Found: S1 was about a bigfoot hunter, and s2 was about a murderer who loved to kill women. The second story is very much not my thing--especially in light of how s1 treated its main female character--so I only listened to s1. As mentioned, the main female character, the protagonist’s wife, gets her needs constantly deferred or invalidated in favor of her husband’s as part of the story, but he’s the hero so of course he gets the girl. The plot choices that aside are very strange, a bit nonsensical, and the voice acting, main couple aside, is bad.

Dropped:

(Not bad! Just not to my specific tastes.)

Alba Salix, Royal Physician: A grumpy witch tries to keep a kingdom healthy with the help of a fairy and unwilling apprentice. Comedy. I loved Alba, but I’m extremely picky with comedies, and this one wasn’t enough for me to keep with it.

Aqua Marianas: I couldn’t finish the first episode thanks to poor audio quality. From what I heard, it also seemed a bit tropey.

Control Group: A historical fiction about a woman committed to a mental institution for a crime she didn’t commit. I can’t handle this sort of horror; it’s too dark for me.

Counter Worlds: An anthology told audio book style, with narration, which I simply can’t focus on.

Darkest Night: A horror anthology with the frame narrative of a mysterious, suspicious organization doing research into memory. Rather gruesome. Very mainstream sort of horror; some episodes were good, but others indulged too many misogynistic tropes for my taste.

Hector Vs The Future: There was a laugh track and I didn't like that. I didn't make it very far in.

Herbarium Podcasts: A collection of miniseries. Honestly, I can’t even provide an accurate synopsis. My audio processing issues made listening to more than five minutes of this impossible; the inconsistent audio quality was way too distracting and broke my immersion.

Inkwyrm: Intergalactic haute couture. Everything about the concept of this podcast spoke to me on a fundamental level, but I couldn’t even get through all of episode one. The characters didn’t appeal to me, and the sound quality isn’t great. I couldn’t understand the AI character they introduced. When I skipped ahead to see if the audio quality got better, it didn’t, and just like with Herbarium Podcasts above, poor audio is a dealbreaker.

Love and Luck: Two men in love discover they’re witches, told through voicemail. Really, my problem here was just that I wanted more angst. They’re very happy and loving and they work through every relationship problem they have very quickly, and I just plain wanted more conflict and struggle.

Otherverse: Broadcasts from another world where aliens are subjugating humanity. Enjoyable and interesting enough to keep me subscribed, but nothing special. It’s all a little basic, and the audio quality leaves something to be desired. Got bored and the update schedule got sporadic, so I dropped it.

Palimpsest: A girl moves into a haunted house and attempts to cope with the death of her sister. This podcast improved as I listened. The voice acting is solid, but the writing and audio editing in the first few episodes felt very overdone. They picked up as things progressed, and the ending downright surprised me. Season 2 switched protagonists, and the new protag had such a poorly done accent, I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be Scottish, Irish, or Southern, and that bothered me too much to continue listening.

Poplar Cove: They made an asylum joke within the first five minutes of the first episode and that’s a hard no from me.

Sable: From the episode I listened to, this podcast appeared to be about urban legends and monsters, but admittedly I don’t know much. This podcast is told audiobook style, with a single narrator also performing the character voices and no sound effects. I have a very hard time focusing on those sorts of tales.

Saffron and Peri: Comedy podcast about a fairy godparent school. As mentioned previously, I’m extremely picky with comedies and none of the characters pulled me in, so I dropped it.

Tales of Thattown: Effectively, it’s Welcome to Nightvale in the south. Yet another comedy podcast that failed to strike a chord with me, though the creator’s a sweetheart.

Thrilling Adventure Hour: A series of standalone stories. No real complaints; the couple stories I tried just didn't catch my interest.

Tumanbay: A historical fiction podcast surrounding citizens of the imagined city Tumanbay, based on the Mamluk empire in Egypt. Honestly, I'm n the fence on if this should be in my outright "Not Recommended" category. Everything about the production quality was good; the voices and story were interesting. However, this podcast is written and produced by two British men who profess they invented Tumanbay as a separate place because they thought adhering to historical accuracy would be too restrictive and difficult. Little things like the escaped slave who used Slave as his preferred name, or the fact that the more intelligent/cerebral characters all had British accents, while the more brutish ones had Middle Eastern ones, when this is supposedly an entirely Middle Eastern area, got under my skin enough to make me drop it.

Tunnels: A mystery podcast inquiring about a mysterious series of tunnels under a town. The format and tone are rather closely modeled after The Black Tapes, and as I ultimately wasn’t a fan of that, I elected to drop this.

We're Alive: A surviving the zombie apocalypse story. Supposedly, another major pioneer in the rise of modern audio drama. But I didn't realize until I started that the protagonist was a soldier, and I don't care for soldier stories.

Violet Beach: Strange time shenanigans happen to teens when the sun sets purple. The monologues it’s told through tend to meander, and lackluster VAs and no sound design made it especially hard to focus, so I dropped this.

Zoo: An FBI agent attempts to solve the mystery of a traveling zoo home to a variety of cryptids. Lower production value than most other podcasts here and occasionally makes strange choices, but develops its plot steadily and does some interesting things with its premise. Unfortunately, the developments weren’t enough to keep my attention on the long term, so I made the tough choice to drop it.

2K notes · View notes