#I’m Jerome’s biggest defender | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

marivenah · 2 years

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❛ this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. ❜ + laurie/jacob xoxo

thank you so much for sending me this! I really enjoyed writing it! 💕

words: 3.6k

warnings: slight graphic depiction of violence, mention of sex, angst

a/n: this took me way too long, I apologize. I actually finished this yesterday, but I didn't like it at all. I rewrote some parts today and I like it a lot more now. Hopefully, no one in here is too ooc (that's like my biggest fear hah). This is the first of my works that I'm posting on here, so I'm kinda nervous haha 🙈

“Oh man, Jess is goin’ to kill ya.”

Laurie was barely listening to what Sharky said. She frantically whirled around, looking for her equipment. The sniper rifle was strapped to her back, as per usual. The only things missing were her handgun and bow.

All kinds of different thoughts were flowing around in her head. While she rummaged through her bag, on the lookout for the handgun, Laurie’s thoughts wandered to Jess. If she was to find out about… whatever it was between the Deputy and Jacob Seed of all people, Jess would definitely kill her.

“I can’t believe you fucked Jacob Seed!”, Sharky exclaimed. “Next thing ya tell me, is that you’re running hand in hand through the Bliss fields with his sister.”

Laurie groaned.

“Aren’t they preachin’ about celibacy and all that shit?”, he asked, more so to himself than her. “You made him sin for you. Honestly thought you’d do that with John instead.”

She turned around and squinted her eyes at him. “Sharky, not helpful.”

“Did you do it before or after he put you in a cage? Or did you do it in the cage? He seems like the type of guy who’d be into that kinda stuff”, Sharky said.

“Can you stop already?”, she said, her face growing hotter by the minute. “I didn’t fuck him.” She paused. Shame was crawling up her body. She hated herself for having these thoughts. She loathed what she was craving for, what kept her awake at night. “But I wanted to.” Laurie mumbled under her breath and her lips grew into a small pout.

“For real?”, the disbelieve in his voice clear as day. “But he looks so grimy. I mean, I’d kinda get it with John or any of the others, really.”

“He does not— “, she started, sounding way too offended for her liking. Laurie stopped herself before she could finish the sentence. She was not going to defend one of the Seed brothers, especially not Jacob. So, she slowly swallowed the unspoken words.

As her eyes looked back into Sharky’s blue ones, heat spread on her face again. If it wasn’t nighttime right now, he would’ve been able to see the Deputy’s reddened cheeks. “It’s not like I wanted this to happen.”

“Yeah, but it did happen.”, he said.

“And what am I supposed to do about it? Do you want an apology? Do you want me to confess to paster Jerome? Which, by the way, I’ve already done. Or do you want me to call John, so he can carve ‘Lust’ into my body? How do you all expect me to be the perfect little Deputy, doing everything people want me to do at all times? I’m so tired of it!” Laurie yelled, raising her voice by each statement, harsher than she intended it to be.

Sharky took the smallest step backwards. He himself probably didn’t even notice it, but Laurie did, immediately regretting the little outburst of emotions. Screaming at her friends, people who only want the best for her is something she never wanted to do. To turn out like her parents.

The lingering silence felt like eternity and Laurie had no idea how to break it. She has never been good with people, especially in these kinds of situations. So, she stood there, the only movement being the fidgeting of her hands.

“I’m sorry”, was all she could say, whisper, voice shaking.

Sharky didn’t respond, instead, he let the silence creep its way back between them. His eyes were resting on her, lips turned into a frown.

The Deputy furrowed her brows and defensively wrapped her arms around herself to stop them from shaking. With a small huff, she turned around and rummaged through her bag again.

“So, what are ya going to do now, Deps?”, Sharky asked as he crossed his arms.

For a moment, Laurie stopped. What was she going to do? Her plan was to hunt down the Seeds, starting with Jacob, as she knew where he was going to be tonight. Getting rid of the Peggies and possible Judges first was the easier part. However, what would happen next? The answer was actually quite simple; shoot him. Or perhaps he shoots her. If Laurie was to die through the hand of a Seed, Jess would definitely kill her for that, too.

Quickly shaking the worrying thoughts out of her head, Laurie went back to digging for her weapon. A cool surface brushed her fingers, and she pulled the handgun out of her bag. She inspected it briefly, checking for ammo. She then strapped it to her leg.

The most important weapon the Deputy needed was her bow. Her best strategy was to quickly and quietly eliminate the Peggies first. The sniper rifle might’ve been quiet, but not fast enough. Hand- and shotgun were too loud, so she’d only need the 1911 for the final blow. The first weapon Laurie had acquired in Hope County, was the one to end it all for good.

The last she’s seen of her bow was in the truck she and Sharky stole from a few Peggies earlier that day. Without having answered his question, Laurie stepped out of the little cabin they planned on using as shelter for the night, leaving Sharky behind. The cool night’s breeze brushed over her cheeks, calming her down in the process. Up here everything seemed so peaceful as if the war in Hope County was non-existent. The indigo of the night sky melted into the green of the forest beneath it. The view of the Whitetail Mountains was astounding. The smell of the pine trees reminded her of better days. In a perfect world, she would just stay up here and forget about everything else. Preferably with someone by her side. The Deputy took a deep breath before she headed to the car.

The bow rested on the backseat of the truck. The young woman eagerly grabbed it, alongside the arrows and strapped them over her shoulder.

The crunching of footsteps approached her and a hand on her arm stopped Laurie from leaving.

“Dep.”

“I will do as I was told. I will stop the Seeds.” Sharky opened his mouth to say something, but Laurie cut him off. “And the only way to do that, is to kill them, right? That’s what everyone wants me to do. I said I would help and so that’s what I’m going to do.”

She put her own hand on his and lightly squeezed it. “Please, let me do this. I know what I’m doing.” A lie.

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “Just don’t get yourself killed out there.”

“And that’s coming from you of all people”, Laurie chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him.

Sharky grinned at the remark. Though again, before he could speak, the Deputy tipped his hat with her fingers. She nodded briefly and smiled at him, then she left.

After a few steps, Laurie heard a grumble behind her. She spun on her heels and spotted Cheeseburger, who was eager to follow her. “No, Cheeseburger”, she simply said and continued walking.

He huffed in protest and followed her regardless.

“No, stay,” she raised her voice at him. The bear did as he was told and Laurie walked off alone, leaving her friends behind.

Laurie was waiting on the ledge of a rock, close to the Hawkeye Tunnel, high up in the Whitetail Mountains. The Peggies wanted to drive to the Devil’s Drop and Jacob will be with them. Though she doesn’t exactly know why he would be with them. The Peggies usually came to this place to dispose of any resistance members that wouldn’t cooperate with them.

Perched up against the rocky wall, she fumbled with the bow in her hands, absentmindedly brushing over its surface. For the past hour, she’s been contemplating whether she actually wanted to do this. Her mind told her to just end it tonight. Solving this problem would be so easy; hunt down this family and kill its members. They’ve done so many horrible things to the people of Hope County. Ridding of the Seed family would turn Laurie into a saviour. Right? This should be the easiest task in the world for her. Laurie has no problem killing the Peggies. Why is it so hard for her when it comes to this godforsaken family?

She hates this. She hates this with all her gut. Why is it up to her? Why does she have to make this decision? Why does she have to do all the work? If the people of Hope County wanted the Seeds dead, they might as well do it themselves.

Laurie’s heart ached at the thought of killing the youngest Seed sibling. So far, Faith has done nothing but comfort her. The soft sound of her voice. Her reassuring words. The sweet smell of the Bliss flowers. The softness of her hands, that always grabbed for the Deputy’s own one’s ever so tenderly. Faith may not be innocent, but Laurie wasn’t either. No. Murdering Faith was not an option for her.

As her thoughts were drifting to the Seed brothers, she heard cars approaching her. She flinched, then quickly lowered herself to lay flat on the ground. Two trucks passed her and drove through the tunnel. The Deputy quickly climbed down from the rock. Paying attention to her every move, so she wouldn’t fall. Landing safely on the ground, she entered the tunnel as well.

The trucks came to a halt and a few people appeared. Laurie counted four, maybe six Peggies and only one Judge: a small troop. No sight of Jacob yet. If he wasn’t here after all, perhaps that was a sign. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts.

Six Peggies were no problem for her. She only needed to wait for them to separate, which they always did for some reason. And so, she lingered. Like a wolf hunting its prey. Only that wolves always hunted in packs and Laurie was alone. Why did she tell Sharky and Cheeseburger to stay behind again?

After a few moments, she spotted Jacob. It wasn’t easy to tell from her position, but the red rifle strapped to his back was giving him away.

The Peggies pushed two people out of the truck and shoved them to the Drop. It sent shivers down her spine and the grip on her bow tightened. She had cleared this place before. Jacob’s soldiers came and took it back from the Militia. The resistance members stationed here were never to be seen again. Maybe those were two of the missing people.

Two of the Peggies stayed behind and didn’t follow the others to the Drop. The opportunity couldn’t be more perfect. The Deputy wasted no time. She nocked an arrow and aimed it at one of the men. She steadied her breathing, squinted one of her eyes and shot. Hit right through the head. Laurie grabbed another arrow. As the second man turned to look at his partner, the arrow pierced through his eye.

Silence. The only thing the young woman could hear was unintelligible talking from the Devil’s Drop. It echoed through the tunnel, but it was calm still. That means no one heard or noticed the assault so far.

While crouched, Laurie went further into the tunnel. Dragging one of her hands along the rocky walls, until the voice became clearer. Jacob was speaking to the hostages. Something about weakness, culling the herd, blah blah blah. If Laurie rolled her eyes any further, she would’ve probably been able to see the back of her skull.

She arrived at the trucks. Just in case one of the other Peggies decided to look after their fellow soldiers, the Deputy moved the dead men behind one of the vehicles. Too heavy to completely lift them, she instead dragged them. Their clothes were rough and smelly. Even Faith’s Angels smelled better, and they were practically zombies.

After she was done, Jacob was still talking. Laurie’s heard his voice countless times before. In her rampage hallucinations, over the radio, in her thoughts, in her dreams. She should be sick and tired of his voice, of him. But there is something deep within her that’s yearning for more every time she hears him speak. She closed her eyes and pushed this feeling back into the depths of her mind.

At the sound of footsteps, Laurie’s eyes shot open and took her out of her thoughts again. She jumped to her feet and pressed her body firmly against the truck. As the Peggy was in sight, Laurie grabbed her into a chokehold. The Peggy wriggled frantically, flailing her arms around, scratching at the Deputy’s arms.

Laurie had to make sure they wouldn’t make any noise. With one hand still on the woman’s mouth, the Deputy used the other one to reach for her knife. One swift movement and blood was spilling out of the Peggy’s throat.

Now it was only one more Peggy left. No more sneaking needed. Laurie grabbed her handgun and walked towards the Devil’s Drop. Without batting an eye, she shot the last man on her way to the ledge. Within a heartbeat, the handgun found its way to the back of Jacob's head. Finally, he stopped talking.

Laurie’s eyes wandered to the resistance members. With a flick of her head, she gestured for them to leave. The two didn’t need to think that over twice and immediately left the Drop.

The Judge came closer and growled at Laurie, ready to pounce at her. Jacob whistled at it. The wolf obeyed and stood down, completely calm as if the Deputy was no threat anymore. Unsettling, yet still impressive, in a fucked up way.

Only Jacob was left. His back still turned to her. This was the moment. It was perfect. All she needed to do was to pull the trigger and then it’d be over. Once and for all. Over.

“Couldn’t stand by and watch some sinners bite the dust?”

“Shouldn’t you know that by now?”, she asked with a humourless laugh. “But that’s not why I’m here”, Laurie spat, pushing the gun further into the back of his head.

“What are you waiting for, then? Do it.”

Laurie hesitated. As expected. The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to do it. Her grip on the gun tightened and started slightly shaking from it.

Jacob didn’t say anything else and instead slowly turned around to face the Deputy. Her heart started beating faster, thudding against her ribcage. Warmth was spreading through her whole body. Face burning. She hoped that the night was hiding the redness once again. Her palms also started sweating. In a few minutes, she’d be a shaking, crying mess. And all he did so far was looking at her. God, she felt so pathetic.

Laurie scanned his face. From the scars and rashes over to his lips and lastly his eyes. His expression surprisingly relaxed, despite the current circumstances. Blue eyes looking into her brown ones. Though at closer inspection they looked more tired than relaxed. Still, even in this state, even in this lighting, they didn’t fail to make Laurie completely melt. She could lose herself in them— Oh no. Not this again.

The Deputy shook her craving for the soldier out of her head. “I’m supposed to hate you”, she says, more to herself than to Jacob. Her whole body tensed up more and more while speaking. “No. I do hate you. I hate you so much. I hate what you’re doing to me.” She hesitated but eventually continued. “And I hate that I’m falling for it.”

He didn’t answer, only mustered her instead. He was clearly thinking about something.

“This wasn’t how it was supposed to go”, Laurie said.

“You’re not done yet, Deputy. You still have a purpose”, his voice raspy, but calm. As if she wasn’t holding a gun to his head. The husky tone sent tingles over her whole body. That’s just what he does to her, with no effort at all. Without even knowing it. At least she hoped he didn’t know.

The gun was still resting on Jacob’s forehead. “You’re right. It is my purpose to stop Eden’s Gate. And then it’s over.” Her eyes started to burn. Laurie blinked rapidly to stop the tears from escaping. “Then I’ll be free.” She put on the softest smile Jacob has ever seen from her.

“Do you really think it’s that easy? I don’t remember you being this naïve”, he said. The tone in his voice shifted and it almost sounded like he was scolding the Deputy.

“I can’t do this anymore, Jacob”, she said while frantically shaking her head. “This is the only way.”

“And what will it free you from?”

“The voices.” That tell her what do to. The voices that constantly point out her mistakes. The voices that blame her for everything that went wrong. “Pressure. Doubt. Fear.” Laurie swallowed hard. “You.”

His blue eyes scanned her face, though she didn’t know what Jacob was looking for. After a short-lived moment, he crossed his arms. She should’ve shot him for that. He could have reached for his gun or grabbed his knife. But at this point, Laurie didn’t even care anymore. Technically, the gun to his head wasn’t even necessary. She knew Jacob wasn’t going to kill her. Be it because Joseph still needed her or because he cared for her.

“You became stronger. You proved that to me.”

“How? By doing your little hallucination parkour?”, Laurie scoffed.

“Your fear is unjustified”, he said, ignoring her remark.

“How can you say that? You have no idea what this does to me.” Laurie slowly started to sound hysterical.

“You think I don’t know what this shit feels like?”, he raised his voice, sounding almost offended by the Deputy’s statement. “I endure it, for my family. For Joseph. Because that’s my purpose.”

“I did the same. But I can feel it slowly destroying me. And I’m not strong enough to hide it the way you do.” Her body relaxed again. “It’s like you said; I’m nothing but a coward pretending to be a soldier.”

She slowly lowered her gun and holstered it back on her leg. Laurie shrugged and shook her head. “I’m not going to do it. I can’t”, her voice cracked a little.

The only reaction she received from Jacob was a deep breath. And then silence. It felt suffocating, excruciatingly so.

“You’re wrong, you know. I’m not strong. I cannot even do something as simple as striking you down.” Tears pricked at her eyes. She turned her face away from him in hopes he wouldn’t see her crying, though he most definitely already did. “And it’s not because I’m not capable. It’s because I don’t want to.”

“And yet, everyone expects me to do it. Faith is one of the few people who understands me. She’s like a—” She paused. “I cannot kill her.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “Even John grew onto me. I mean, he’s still a bastard, but I do like him. And you—” Laurie’s eyes went back to Jacob. “Well, you should already know what I think about you.”

He finally spoke. “I can remove your fears and give you strength.” Jacob took her hand into his own. The tenderness in his gesture felt odd. Only Faith has ever handled her like that. “It’s not too late. All you need to do is come back to me.”

“I cannot join you.” She frantically shook her head and tears started running down her cheeks. “The people of Hope County believe in me, trust in me. I cannot let them down. I don’t want to disappoint, not again.”

“That’s what makes you weak. You put the needs and lives of these people before you. Strangers, who are sending you out to fight their war for them. Who are hiding in their bunkers, like the fucking cowards they are.” The grip of his hands tightened, and Jacob started to lightly squeeze Laurie’s hand. “The Resistance is holding you back. They’re not worthy of you. They don’t deserve you. A wolf among sheep”, he said with venom in his voice.

In all honesty, Laurie agreed with what Jacob said. Not necessarily with everything, but the part about her fighting their war for them, was, essentially, true. Still, his way of seeing things was kind of bizarre to her. Someone being in need of help doesn’t make them weak. She knows this more than anyone else.

The Deputy swallowed hard and lowered her gaze. She used her free hand to put it atop of Jacob’s and gently brushed over his calloused skin. “This is not who I am, Jacob. I can’t. I’m not strong enough.”

She let go of his hands and looked back into his blue eyes once more. There it was again, the feeling deep within her heart. Aching. The urge to reach out, to cup his face in her hands, to get closer, to press her lips onto his. Laurie suppressed this feeling, to the best of her abilities.

Before she could betray herself, she turned away and left.

Jacob grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her from leaving. “You really want to go back, running errands for Eli and his poor excuse of a militia?”

Laurie didn’t want to. She’d rather stay here. She’d rather go with Jacob, join the Project. Simply the thought of it felt liberating. If only she didn’t care. But she did and that was the ‘problem’. The Deputy didn’t look at the man who was still holding onto her. She couldn’t.

“I have to.” The Deputy looked up at Jacob for one last time. “It’s my purpose.”

#it's been two days and i'm already embarrassed by this #is this angsty enough?#i can't tell #i ended up switching their names back for the ship tag #jacob x laurie sounds too much like jacob elordie to me #and that always reminds of the kissing booth #omg #laurie x jacob kissing booth au #asdasdgas #thanks i hate it #x: feed the hungry #laurie x jacob #oc: laurie devin #jacob seed #mywriting*

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ficklefics · 4 years

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Friends Like These - Chapter Thirty: Do It Myself

Separated again from Jerome, this may be Harleen’s final stand. But she won’t rely on anyone else to save her.

Jerome Valeska x Harleen Quinzel

SERIES MASTERLIST ~ MASTERLIST ~ CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Taglist: @hexqueensupreme

Chapter Warnings: Gore, Violence

I hate waking up like this.

I’m tied to a chair, my arms by my sides and held tight against the metal with tape. The room is clean, clinical, brightly lit.

I shake my head, trying to wake up quicker. I need to get out of here. Again. The door in front of me clicks open to reveal the man from before, the man who showed me pictures of my family.

“Good, you’re awake.” I glare at him. “This isn’t how I wanted it to happen, Harleen. We could have done good work together.” “What, playing judge, jury and executioner for all of Gotham? Sure, great work.” I growl. He sighs in disappointment. “If only you could see things from my perspective. Your new friends are destroying this great city.” “It’s not so great.” “You don’t believe that.” His voice oozes condescension. “You chose to stay while your parents left.” “I’m here to finish this.” “And not for any other reason?” I know exactly what he’s suggesting. My head drops, eye contact breaking; I can’t let him read my mind. “You’re a lost cause, Harleen. That’s what you are. But luckily -” He turns to the door as another man brings in a camera on a heavy stand “- there are other uses for you.”

“What are you going to do?” There’s no fear in my voice – but my heart is starting to race. This can’t be good. “You aren’t worth much in the grand scheme of things. But Jerome Valeska is.” As he’s speaking a trolley is rolled in, carrying surgical equipment. “And he will come looking for you. That much is sure.”

I scoff. “You’re an idiot. Jerome doesn’t actually care about me. I’m just a toy to him.” I don’t believe the words, not anymore. But he doesn’t know that.

The man frowns, his polished demeanour wavering. Our eyes are locked. Two steely glares, trying to judge what the other is thinking. “That’s a shame. I had hoped it wouldn’t have to come to this.” He reaches behind him and pulls a gun out from his belt. I straighten up at the sight of it. “But if Jerome won’t come, as you say, then we have no use for you.” He points the gun at my forehead, right between my eyes. “A necessary evil.” The safety clicks off. His finger rests against the trigger. My heart thuds in my ears.

“Wait!” He cocks his head at me. But he doesn’t fire. “You’re right. Jerome will come for me.” He lowers the gun, smiling smugly. “Wonderful-”

“Jerome will come for me and he will make every one of you regret touching a hair on my head.” I lean forward, straining against the tape, and the man backs off a few steps. “You’ve really fucked up now. You’re as good as dead.” I’m almost proud of the outburst. “You may be right. But we are well defended here. And you know Jerome better than anyone; you know how his emotions rule him. He’ll be reckless.” “You’re underestimating him.” “You’re underestimating what we plan to do.” He sheds his jacket and rolls his sleeves up. “We want him here. And we want him to suffer.” His fingers dance over the scalpels lined up on the tray. I’m not so bold anymore. “Imagine how upset he’ll be when he sees his precious Harleen being disfigured in the same way he was. Of course, you’re alive, so it will hurt a bit more.”

“You wouldn’t…” They can’t. They can’t do that.

“But we will.” A switch is flicked and a red light appears on the camera. “Say hello to Gotham.” I watch him in horror as he steps in front of me. “This is a message for Jerome Valeska, and everyone who calls themselves his ally – turn yourself in, or this innocent girl will suffer. And to prove that we are not bluffing, or lying…” He steps away and picks up one of the scalpels. “You’re more insane than him.” I bend backwards trying to get away but it’s hopeless. “I’m saner than anyone else in this city. Now, this will sting.” He forces my head back with his free hand and leans over me. I stare at the camera, pleading for someone to rescue me, and grit my teeth as the scalpel slides under my skin.

In some ways, it’s not as bad as what Jerome did. It’s less savage, more controlled. But it’s as though I can feel every nerve being broken and pulled apart. And it’s slow going – he started at my cheekbone and still hasn’t reached my chin. I refuse to scream. I won’t give him the pleasure.

An alarm blares. His hand jolts and I hiss at the movement. “I will be… back in a moment.” He drops the scalpel and moves away, wiping his hands as he slips out of the door.

For once I’m hoping it’s Jerome. I’m almost praying that he’s here to rescue me. Not that I need rescuing.

The tape around my wrists has gotten slacker. I groan, twisting my right hand. The loose joint pops easily so I can slip my hand out. I free the other one and stand woozily. I guess with everything that’s happened I’ve lost more blood. I stumble to the door, but he’s already coming back. I can hear him speaking to someone. I hurry backwards and grab the biggest scalpel I can before I sit back down, holding my arms at my side. The door opens again. His back is turned as he comes in. “I’m afraid we will need to hurry this up; it seems as though our plan has worked a little too well-”

When he turns I sink the scalpel into his neck. His eyes widen and he gasps for breath, a trickle of blood already spilling from the corner of his mouth. I pull it out and slash at his throat. Blood sprays over me and he falls to the floor. I follow him down and stab his chest again and again. I know he won’t survive. I know there’s no point continuing. But I want him to suffer. The look of fear in his eyes almost makes me laugh. He deserves this. And then it’s gone.

I killed him.

“Boss, are you okay?” A voice outside the door. I grab the gun from the body and point it towards the guard. He’s distracted by the pool of blood surrounding us. It makes it easy for me to fire two shots into his chest. He drops. I stand up, almost falling on the slick floor, and make my way out of the room.

“Jerome!?” I call out, but all I can hear is alarms, gunfire, shouting. I choose a random direction, towards the chaos, and begin to limp that way. I don’t know for sure who’s here, but I can’t just wait. I can practically feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins – it’s the only thing that’s keeping me going.

The closer I can get to the noise the more I can pick out individual voices. “Where is she?!” Somehow, through everything else, I can hear Jerome. “I’m here!” My voice cracks as I yell.

And there he is. From around the corner. He locks onto me and sprints faster. I hurry as fast as I can. Just as he reaches me my legs give out, but he catches me before I can fall to the floor. “Took you long enough.” I give a weak laugh before everything goes black.

Something is licking my neck. Something rough. Something that smells like –

“Puddin’?” The dog sitting on my chest barks excitedly at me then goes back to nuzzling. I lift a heavy arm and scratch behind her ears. Turning my head, I realise that I’m in my apartment, tucked into bed.

Was it all just a dream?

It’s night outside. The lights of Gotham sparkle behind the windows. I manage to sit up, nudging Puddin’ onto the other side of the bed.

Everything hurts.

“Lee?” Lee Thompkins is standing in the corner of the room looking across the city. At the sound of my voice, she turns. “Thank goodness.” She crosses to sit on the edge of the bed. “We weren’t sure when you were going to wake up. Or if.” “It was that bad?” “You’ve sustained a lot of trauma.” “What’s new?” I laugh. “Why are you here?” “Ed asked me to help. They didn’t want to take you to a hospital.” “And when you say they-?” “Jerome.” She doesn’t look happy about it. “He’s here?” “I think so. People have been coming and going.” “What happened to… to everyone?” She stands back up and begins to pace. “The people who took you? Let’s just say they’re not a threat anymore.” She folds her arms over her chest and looks at me. “I did my best, with the-” She gestures to her jaw. “Luckily the cuts were clean, but they will scar.” She hands me a mirror off of the dresser and I examine my reflection. As always, Lee’s stitches are neat and orderly, but they take up a lot of my cheek. I shrug, handing it back. “What’s one more scar?” “I’m going to go. If you need anything, I’ve left my number.” I stand up and wrap her in a hug before she can protest. “Thank you. For everything.” “Stay safe.” I’m not sure if that’s much of an option anymore. She leaves with a final smile and I’m on my own. I pick up Puddin’ and hold her close. The warmth is comforting.

I hear the door open. In the window I see him.

Jerome.

For the first time, there’s an awkward silence between us. I watch his reflection carefully.

“Cute dog.” “She is.” I put her down on the floor. “So…” “So…” We say it at the same time. He chuckles. “Ladies first.” “Thanks for, well, saving me.” “All in a days work.” He shrugs, confidence reappearing. “So, you gonna join your family? Go skiing in your chalet?” There’s a bitter edge to his teasing. “It’s a lodge. And no.” I shake my head. “There’s no going back now.” “Why not?” Now he’s happy. Hopeful. “I killed a person. Two, actually. You were right.” The admission should make me feel awful. But whatever I feel is… more complicated than that. “Told ya’.” Smug bastard. “No need to rub it in.” He’s smirking at me now. “If it wasn’t for you, I would never have been there.” I turn around to face him. His eyes are dark. Hungry. I recognise that look. “And if it wasn’t for me, you’d still be normal.” “Nah, you can’t take all the responsibility for that.” I grin. The skyline catches my eye and I move to stand beside the window: Gotham spread out before me. “There’s no point running. It doesn’t get me anywhere.” “I could have told you that.” I roll my eyes. “Nothing’s the same. Nothing’s certain anymore. Nothing, except…” Except Jerome. “No matter where I am, you’re always one step behind me.” “I like to think I’m one step ahead.” He shrugs. Always cocky. Always arrogant. “Shut up.” I snap at him. “I barely recognise myself. But I think I’m more “me” than I ever have been.” All of the thoughts in my mind, every feeling, every question, every crisis, are spinning like a hurricane. I turn to look at him. “And I know what I want.”

“And what do you want, Harleen?” Jerome stares at me with an intensity I could never have imagined.

“Everything.”

I stride across the room and grab Jerome’s shirt, pulling him down and kissing him. He doesn’t even hesitate before pulling me even closer, our bodies pressed tight together. I lace my fingers through his hair, tugging at it, making sure this is real and he is there and this is happening. And it is. He is.

He pulls away from me, both of us breathing heavily. “You’re mine, Jerome Valeska,” I smirk up at him. “Works for me.”

His lips capture mine, and everything else disappears.

Everything but him and me.

That’s all we need.

MASTERLIST

#jerome valeska #jerome valeska/harleen quinzel #jerome valeska x harleen quinzel #Harleen Quinzel #jerome #the joker #harley quinn #gotham #jerome valeska fanfic #jerome valeska fanfiction #harleen quinzel fanfic #harleen quinzel fanfiction #gotham fanfic #gotham fanfiction #gotham imagine #jerome valeska imagine #harleen quinzel imagine

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kevkesblog · 4 years

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Translation: kicker magazine profile about Julian Brandt (July 27, 2020)

By Thomas Hennecke and Matthias Dersch

Had he made this artistic pass during the corona pandemic with empty stands in the stadium, it would have been a pity. A week before Christmas however, there is almost no free space in the Signal Iduna Park left. Everybody is ripped off their seats – except the RB Leipzig fans – the moment Julian Brandt marks the second goal. Brandt digs deep into his toolbox. Receiving the pass by Sancho, processing the ball, shot. Three actions in one fluent move, south American suppleness with ice-cold efficiency, a master class. Goal of the month December.

This cool blonde with the jersey number 19 – he is a man for the special moments. A player who makes a difference. And a gambler. A footballer having fun and who lets the difficult things look easy and made his relaxed demeanor a trademark. You can guess why he named Diego (the Bremer, not Maradona”, like Brandt said in BVB-TV) is his idol. The Brazilian used to have the blessings to do great things on the pitch. Diego also had a dream goal in his repertoire: 62,5 meter distance on April 20, 2007 against Alemannia Aachen. End score: 3:1.

The fact Brandt coolness also comes from a sometimes fatal way of risking things, relativizes his actions. You are torn a bit. People who appreciate show, spontaneity, art and creativity will love him more than people adding statistics and all mistakes and how they translate onto the pitch. The ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ looks beyond that and celebrated Brandt as a “Player with the Wow-Effect”. Brandt plays passes, so precise they will find almost every gap. As if they were managed by an electronic brain. He celebrates chop passes which look good and find their goals. But he also screws up counter chances with sloppy passes. He gives goals to his opponents with carless back passes. Or he shoots x-times against the goal, without a slightest danger to the goal keepers.

2019 is the second year with coach Lucien Favre and the so-called “restart”. BVB manager Zorc took a lot of money into his hands, in order to optimize the team. Looking back he wouldn’t be as passionate about some transfers as he was back then – but the 25 million euros for Brandt are still a good and useful investment, Zorc thinks: “Julian is a talented football player and has a lot of potential. He is very active on the pitch, demanding the ball, plays in a self-confidend way and doesn’t hide.”

Then follows the “but”. Zorc follows everything very closely from his box seat on the team bench. He sees mistakes by Brandt, unnecessary mistakes – calles “unforced errors” in tennis. “He still does a lot of them”, Zorc complains. “He has still work to do when it comes to working against the ball, Julian knows that best himself.” Indeed one doesn’t have to look far to find weaknesses. He himself is his biggest critic, the professional once claimed. Yet, he never lets that sort of self-reflection get out of his hands: “I always question myself, whenever I’m not performing well. But I never question the fact that I still can do it.”

It’s easy to spot: this Brandt-guy is not Mr. Perfect nor a football-playing robot. Rather he is an un-adjusted fine spirit on the pitch. Always in a good mood, with a fresh quote on his lips. During the USA-journey to Seattle last year, he was walking interested through the Museum of Pop Culture where Borussia was celebrating its “Black and Yellow night”. He had some small talk with journalists, he seems relaxed, approachable and cool. The opposite of the footballer clicheé of being arrogant. Brandt is “a fantastic guy” says Captian Marco Reus, “he’s a funny and open guy”.

As engaging, positive and uncomplicated his persona comes across: sometimes however Brandt appears to be less serious about stuff. It’s seems as if an extra scoop of ambition is missing, based on his body language. Unlike many other professionals. “I heard from many people before, about me looking like I’m sort of listlessness I embody”, Brandt said during an interview with the former BVB-player Patrick Owomoyela. Yet he assures: “My inner drive is always there.”

Brandt shows both faces during the game against Leipzig. Magical and faulty. He serves Timo Werner the 2:2-goal on a silver platter with his horrible wrong pass. “Perhaps someday there will be the award: wrong pass of the month”, says the 24 year-old. “I’m sure, I’ll get into the top 5.” BVB-boss Hans Joachim Watzke is face-palming on the stands in that moment. With some distance he likes Brandt’s way of playing. The BVB-boss says: “Julian makes extraordinary mistakes, because you can only play extraordinary if you take risky passes or have risky ideas.”

Five months later, both major teams in Germany play against each other on the evening of May 26. Borussia against Bayern; light house 2 against light house 1. Dortmund has to win, otherwise the Bundesliga title will be gone and Dortmund starts in a rush. Erling Haaland gets the ball in the midfield after 17 seconds, by winning a head ball against Joshua Kimmich. From the back Brandt storms in front like a speed train, captures the situation, speeds up the game and passes over to Thorgan Hazard with his left foot. The clock ticks – 19 seconds into the game – Manuel Neuer gets out of his goal and saves the situation for Bayern at the last moment. But he passes the ball into Haalands feet. His shot rushes through Neuers feet until Jerome Boating saves it for Bayern on the goal line. Brandt goal celebration dies on his lips. The blitz goal after just one minute – it would have been his act as well.

Same game, 43rd minute. Mats Hummels defending for Dortmund, the ball moves a few meters to the left. Kimmich gets the ball, looks up, sees Roman Bürki standing a bit too far away from the goal, shoots and scores. The guy standing the closest to Kimmich: Brandt. It would have been unfair to make him responsible for the goal alone, half of the team is responsible as well. Yet some people who’s heart is beating for black and yellow would have preferred Brandt at least trying to hinder Kimmich on making his genius shot. He does: nothing.

He's a day dreamer, Brandt once said. Day dreamers keep strolling through their thoughts. A study found out: day dreamers are capable finding time to dream because their brains have enough space left. In the past day dreaming was understood as a sign of lack of concentration and attention – today people see it as a sign of intelligence and creativity. Like a lost professor: brilliant, sharp mind, yet sunk into his own world.

It is however no explanation for him being passive in front of the goal in May that basically pre-decided the German championship. Brandt made his day dreamer confession in a different context – when asked about a career plan. He doesn’t have one, he said: “Everything that happens in my life, happens spontaneously. I don’t even know what I will be doing in three weeks from now.” Brandt lives his live as free and individual as possible and as disciplined as necessary. He likes to sleep long in the morning and only leave “shortly” in order to just barley making it on time at the training ground. “Every minute is sacred” he says with a wink of an eye. “I don’t know how often I had to pay a penalty for being too late.”

A year Brandt is employed in Dortmund. The statistics are showing respectable numbers. 42 games, seven goals, 13 assists, ten second-pass assists. The season prior in Leverkusen he had seven goals and 15 assists – just in the Bundesliga. He added six scorer points in the DFB Cup then and the Europa League. “I had to find my place during the first months. I played on many positions and didn’t know many of the boys yet. It’s why it was a bit un-harmonic”, says Brandt. “Nevertheless, now I’m “in”. I had a nice year with great moments. I have to say: I’m really satisfied. Everything can get much better. However its was fine for the first year.”

Brandt wanders through the BVB team, gets put into five different roles. The center midfield is the place where he can show his class the best – whenever he has the game in front of him. He can put his instincts and creativity into force and can create chances with his passes. He is basically a lost force when playing way in front. Except against Slavia Prag in the Champions League he confirmed with two assists, Favre decision putting him into the front as a striker. His abilities are also limited once he plays on the wings.

He never has a lack of commitment and engagement. Brandt is running on average 11,85 kilometers in 90 minutes. Nobody of the permanent Dortmund players is running more. He wins 52,4 % of his one-on-ones – more than Sancho (45,6%), Marco Reus (44,6%), Hazard (42,0%) or Haaland (41,4%). His passing with a 84 percent accuracy however still has room for improvement compared to the other specialists like Axel Witsel (94,1%), Dan-Axel Zagadou (91,1%) or Raphael Guerreiro (89,2%).

Brandt is brilliant in games like against Gladbach (DFB Cup, kicker-grade: 1,5), against Fortuna Düsseldorf or Schalke in the Bundesliga (both 1,5). He has personal low points in Freiburg (sub in and out of the same game; grade: 5), in Munich (grade: 6) and against Milan in the Champions League, where he basically loses the ball in almost every scene. Every game becomes a personal balancing act for the highly skilled national player: he dances on a high wire – here and there he loses his grip and crashes down.

His time in Dortmund started with a glitch. He makes a mistake and drives onto the parking lot of the youth time at 7.45am in the morning. A BVB employee has to show him the way. Brandt decided to leave the comfort zone Leverkusen on purpose. “Dortmund” – he says, “Dortmund is much bigger in terms of media interest, the stadium, the number of fans and in terms of pressure. It’s a different game here. It could make a mark on me and will serve me good.” And then there is the wish to win a title which made him to transfer to Dortmund. It’s about a basic attitude in sports, Brandt said a year ago, “everybody should have the drive to win every game.”

Because Dortmund only won 28 of their 46 games this past season (seven draws, eleven defeats) a lively debate about coach Favré heats up as well as a discussion about the mentality of the team. No fans will get together in Dortmund and celebrate the fifth second place finish of the team since 2013. Nobody will fill extra pages in historic club chronicles, some BVB players are now suspecting. “We are not satisfied to finish second”, Brandt confesses. “We aren’t angry, but also not satisfied. We want more.” He then sticks up for his colleagues who get criticized for some bad performances and whenever there are doubts about their mentality and the harsh criticism: “We want to the big price. The team is hungry, they are in for it to win titles. The team is capable of that. You have to always aim high.”

Children who are having their first day of school this year, have lived a life only knowing Bayern Munich as German football champions. In order for them to understand that other teams can be successful as well, Dortmund needs to win the “all-or-nothing”-games, Brandt thinks. The duels with the other Bundesliga havy weights: Bayern Munich, Leipzig, Mönchengladbach, Leverkusen. “You have to win those games, if you want to stay on top”, he says. “Yet you also have to take smaller teams seriously. Something like a 3-3 draw against Paderborn is fatal.”

Borussia Dortmund gave the players four weeks vacation. This Thursday the team will come back together well rested. The months during the corona crisis, the tough hygiene rules of the German Bundesliga, left a mark on Brandt. “It does something to you”, he confesses, “you don’t see many people. You see your family, perhaps a few friends. Otherwise: nobody. You are happy to be able to go out and have some freedoms again.” Now he can go out again – at least a bit.

#julianbrandt #julian brandt #bvb #BVB09 #borussiadortmund #borussia dortmund #Bundesliga #dfb #diemannschaft #German NT

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, November 24, 2020

OED Word of the Year expanded for ‘unprecedented’ 2020 (BBC) This year has seen so many seismic events that Oxford Dictionaries has expanded its word of the year to encompass several “Words of an Unprecedented Year”. Its words are chosen to reflect 2020’s “ethos, mood, or preoccupations”. They include bushfires, Covid-19, WFH, lockdown, circuit-breaker, support bubbles, keyworkers, furlough, Black Lives Matter and moonshot. Use of the word pandemic has increased by more than 57,000% this year. Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Dictionaries, said: “I’ve never witnessed a year in language like the one we’ve just had. The Oxford team was identifying hundreds of significant new words and usages as the year unfolded, dozens of which would have been a slam dunk for Word of the Year at any other time. “It’s both unprecedented and a little ironic—in a year that left us speechless, 2020 has been filled with new words unlike any other.”

Jury duty? No thanks, say many, forcing trials to be delayed (AP) Jury duty notices have set Nicholas Philbrook’s home on edge with worries about him contracting the coronavirus and passing it on to his father-in-law, a cancer survivor with diabetes in his mid-70s who is at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19. People across the country have similar concerns amid resurgences of the coronavirus, a fact that has derailed plans to resume jury trials in many courthouses for the first time since the pandemic started. Within the past month, courts in Hartford, Connecticut, San Diego and Norfolk, Virginia, have had to delay jury selection for trials because too few people responded to jury duty summonses. The non-response rates are much higher now than they were before the pandemic, court officials say. Judges in New York City, Indiana, Colorado and Missouri declared mistrials recently because people connected to the trials either tested positive for the virus or had symptoms. “What the real question boils down to are people willing to show up to that court and sit in a jury trial? said Bill Raftery, a senior analyst with the National Center for State Courts. “Many courts have been responsive to jurors who have said that they’re not comfortable with coming to court and doing jury duty and therefore offering deferrals simply because of concerns over COVID.”

The next few months could be rough for the U.S. economy (NYT) The next few months have the potential to be very unpleasant for the American economy. Many states are reimposing coronavirus restrictions, which will likely lead to new reductions in consumer spending and worker layoffs. As Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve chairman, recently said, “We’ve got new cases at a record level, we’ve seen a number of states begin to reimpose limited activity restrictions, and people may lose confidence that it is safe to go out.” Adding to the economic risks, several of the government’s biggest virus rescue programs are scheduled to expire next month. It isn’t clear whether Congress will renew them, because congressional Democrats and Republicans disagree on how to do so. A lack of government support, Powell has said, may lead to “tragic” results with “unnecessary hardship.” The longer-term picture is more encouraging, though. There is reason to hope that the next economic recovery, whenever it comes, will be stronger than the frustratingly weak recovery after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. “It’s a good guess that we’ll get this pandemic under control at some point next year,” writes Paul Krugman, the Times columnist (and Nobel Prize-winning economist). “It’s also a good bet that when we do, the economy will come roaring back.”

Student loan repayments (WSJ) The U.S. government stands to lose more than $400 billion from the federal student loan program, an internal analysis shows, approaching the size of losses incurred by banks during the subprime-mortgage crisis. The Education Department, with the help of two private consultants, looked at $1.37 trillion in student loans held by the government at the start of the year. Their conclusion: Borrowers will pay back $935 billion in principal and interest. That would leave taxpayers on the hook for $435 billion, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The analysis was based on government accounting standards and didn’t include roughly $150 billion in loans originated by private lenders and backed by the government.

Brazil’s local elections (Worldcrunch) Brazilian local elections can be fun to watch. Candidates come from every walk of life, and are notably allowed to use nicknames on the campaign trail—and there have been some true gems over the years: a loud man with thick sideburns and bushy hair campaigned as “Geraldo Wolverine”; an elderly man in army uniform and full beard was “Bin Laden for Governor”; and we’ve also seen a tropical, chubby Spiderman, an old Robin, and Jesuses in various shapes and sizes. Earlier this month, as Brazilians headed to the polls to elect local leaders in the country’s major states and cities—including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro—there were exactly 78 candidates who chose to run as some form of “Bolsonaro,” and even one as “Donald Trump Bolsonaro.” Results are in and 77 of them failed to get elected, including the president’s ex-wife, who campaigned as Rogéria Bolsonaro. The Brazilian leader personally chimed in on his social media accounts to endorse the 59 candidates (with and without familiar nicknames) he favored—only nine of whom got elected, according to Estadão de S. Paulo daily. Centrist and moderate parties made gains in the local contests, which also came at the expense of the other massive political force in the country, the leftist Workers’ Party.

Reporter Gatecrashes EU Defence Chiefs’ Video Call After Login Details Posted on Twitter (Vice) A Dutch journalist managed to join a video call for EU defence ministers, much to his and everybody else’s surprise. Video posted on Twitter shows Daniël Verlaan, a technology reporter for broadcaster RTL Nieuws, in disbelief as he realises he’s actually managed to jump on the call. RTL said that Verlaan was only able to do so because of information tweeted by Dutch defence minister Ank Bijleveld, including a photo (since deleted) showing five digits of a six-digit PIN needed to join the call. Defence ministers representing EU members and foreign policy chief Josep Borrell were on the call. When Verlaan joins, Borrell asks, “Who are you?” After exchanging pleasantries, and as laughter is heard in the background, Borrell asks the reporter if he knew he was “jumping into a secret conference.” “Yes, I’m sorry, I’m a journalist from the Netherlands,” Verlaan says. “I’m sorry for interrupting your conference, I’ll be leaving here.” A spokesperson for the Dutch ministry of defence told RTL a staff member had accidentally tweeted the picture containing information that allowed Verlaan to join the call. “This shows once again that ministers need to realise how careful you have to be with Twitter,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

France’s Dragnet for Extremists Sweeps Up Some Schoolchildren, Too (NYT) Armed with assault rifles and wearing balaclavas, dozens of police officers raided four apartments recently in a sprawling complex in Albertville, a city in the French Alps. They confiscated computers and cellphones, searched under mattresses and inside drawers, and took photos of books and wall ornaments with Quranic verses. Before the stunned families, the officers escorted away four suspects for “defending terrorism.” “That’s impossible,” Aysegul Polat recalled telling an officer who left with her son. “This child is 10 years old.” Her son—along with two other boys and one girl, all 10 years old—was accused of defending terrorism in a classroom discussion on the freedom of expression at a local public school. Officers held the children in custody for about 10 hours at police stations while interrogating their parents about the families’ religious practices and the recent republication of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the magazine Charlie Hebdo. The fifth-grade classmates are among at least 14 children and teenagers investigated by the police in recent weeks on accusations of making inappropriate comments during a commemoration for a teacher who was beheaded last month after showing the cartoons in a class on freedom of expression. As France grapples with a wave of Islamist attacks following the republication of the Charlie Hebdo caricatures, the case in Albertville and similar ones elsewhere have again raised questions about the nature of the government’s response.

France’s Sarkozy goes on trial for corruption (Reuters) Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy goes on trial on Monday accused of trying to bribe a judge and of influence-peddling, one of several criminal investigations that threaten to cast an ignominious pall over his decades-long political career. Prosecutors allege Sarkozy offered to secure a plum job in Monaco for judge Gilbert Azibert in return for confidential information about an inquiry into claims that Sarkozy had accepted illegal payments from L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt for his 2007 presidential campaign. Sarkozy, who led France from 2007-2012 and has remained influential among conservatives, has denied any wrongdoing in all the investigations against him and fought vigorously to have the cases dismissed. Next March, Sarkozy is due in court on accusations of violating campaign financing rules during his failed 2012 re-election bid. Next March, Sarkozy is due in court on accusations of violating campaign financing rules during his failed 2012 re-election bid.

Merkel, Germany’s ‘eternal’ chancellor, marks 15 years in power (AFP) In power so long she has been dubbed Germany’s “eternal chancellor”, Angela Merkel marks 15 years at the helm of Europe’s top economic power Sunday with her popularity and public trust scaling new heights as her remaining time in office ticks down. With the coronavirus raging around the world, the pandemic has played to her strengths as a crisis manager with a head for science-based solutions. Merkel, 66, has said she will step down as chancellor when her current mandate runs out in 2021, and leave politics altogether. Assuming she finishes out her fourth term, she will tie Helmut Kohl’s longevity record for a post-war leader, with an entire generation of young Germans never knowing another person at the top. The brainy, pragmatic and unflappable Merkel has served for many in recent years as a welcome counter-balance to the big, brash men of global politics, from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin, as liberals have looked to her as the “leader of the free world”. A Pew Research Center poll last month showed large majorities in most Western countries having “confidence in Merkel to do the right thing regarding world affairs”.

China tests millions after coronavirus flare-ups in 3 cities (AP) Chinese authorities are testing millions of people, imposing lockdowns and shutting down schools after multiple locally transmitted coronavirus cases were discovered in three cities across the country last week. As temperatures drop, large-scale measures are being enacted in the cities of Tianjin, Shanghai and Manzhouli, despite the low number of new cases compared to the United States and other countries that are seeing new waves of infections. On Monday, the National Health Commission reported two new locally transmitted cases in Shanghai over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to seven since Friday. China has recorded 86,442 total cases and 4,634 deaths since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

Singapore, a City of Skyscrapers and Little Land, Turns to Farming (WSJ) In this skyscraper-studded nation of nearly six million people, all the farmland combined adds up to about 500 acres—an area roughly the size of a single American farm. That explains why more than 90% of the city-state’s food comes from abroad, a feat of globalization that plays out every day as beef is brought from New Zealand, eggs from Poland and vegetables trucked in from Malaysia. But recent developments—from Covid-19-related border closures to international trade fights—have shown that near-total dependence on the outside world may not be the best strategy in a shifting global environment. The Asian financial hub long focused on growing investment is turning to growing food. It can’t be done the traditional way, however. Land is so scarce in Singapore that the government continually reclaims territory from the sea to build new urban infrastructure. Instead, businesses are trying to reinvent agriculture. Industrial buildings are being converted into vertical farms with climate-controlled grow rooms. Rows of lettuce and kale are nourished not by soil, but via automated drips of nutrient-infused water. LED lights substitute for the sun. The government’s goal is to have 30% of the island’s nutritional requirements produced in Singapore by 2030, up from less than 10% today. Earlier this year, it shipped 400,000 seed packets to households to encourage home cultivation of leafy greens, cucumbers and tomatoes. In September, it announced about $40 million in grants to expand high-tech farms.

Reports: Israeli PM flew to Saudi Arabia, met crown prince (AP) Israeli media reported Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which would mark the first known encounter between senior Israeli and Saudi officials. Hebrew-language media cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu and Yossi Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, flew to the Saudi city of Neom on Sunday, where they met with the crown prince. The prince was there for talks with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. A Gulfstream IV private jet took off just after 1740 GMT from Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, according to data from website FlightRadar24.com. The flight traveled south along the eastern edge of the Sinai Peninsula before turning toward Neom and landing just after 1830 GMT, according to the data. The flight took off from Neom around 2150 GMT and followed the same route back to Tel Aviv. While Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have reached deals under the Trump administration to normalize ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia so far has remained out of reach.

Cyclone Gati hits Somalia as country’s strongest storm on record (Washington Post) Tropical Cyclone Gati struck the arid nation of Somalia on Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds, making it the strongest storm on record to hit the country. The cyclone made landfall after undergoing an extraordinary period of rapid intensification, which may have set a record for the entire Indian Ocean basin, at one point attaining the strength equivalent to a Category 3 storm, with 115 mph maximum sustained winds. Its landfall was farther south than any major hurricane-equivalent cyclone on record in that part of the world as well. Landfall occurred near Xaafuun, a small community about 900 miles northeast of Mogadishu, where the land juts east near the northern tip of the country. Hordio and Ashira, both desert communities, were also directly affected by the core of the storm. A broad four to eight inches of rainfall accompanied the system through northern Somalia, the driest part of the country, drenching desert regions with a year or two’s worth of rainfall in just a matter of hours to a couple of days. Rains also swept through the Gulf of Aden and brushed up against Yemen.

#headlines #news

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onestowatch · 4 years

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The Best of 2019 and Beyond | Staff Picks

It’s the end of 2019. The world is on fire. You inhale your mango-flavored juul pod. The most pivotal figure in the world is a 16-year-old Swedish girl. Your Amazon Alexa listens intently in the corner of your bedroom. What I’m trying to say is that it has been an absolutely crazy year and an equally mind-blowing year for music. And what better way to cap the end of a year, an end of a decade than to perform a mandated survey on the entire Ones To Watch staff in the hopes of gathering their thoughts on the music that shaped their 2019, their 2010s, and their predictions for this brave new decade.

Maxamillion Polo

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: An honest toss-up between keshi and Aries. Believe 2020 belongs to them.

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Lizzo, who is finally getting the recognition she’s deserved for years.

Best Music Video of 2019: BTS - “Boy With Luv”

youtube

Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Carly Rae Jepsen, this year and every year.

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Childish Gambino at The Forum. Felt like church.

Favorite 2019 trend: stan and cancel culture. Live by the sword; die by the sword.

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Naruto-running through Area 51.

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Conan Gray is going to be absolutely massive come this time next year.

Favorite Song of 2019: Dominic Fike, Kenny Beats - “Phone Numbers”

Favorite Album of 2019: Tyler, the Creator - IGOR

Favorite Artist of 2019: Lil Nas X, if only for his Twitter presence.

wow thanks u guys pic.twitter.com/CetLFOKP41

— nope (@LilNasX)

December 6, 2019

Favorite Song of the Decade: Grimes - “Oblivion.” Honorable mention goes to Mitski’s “Nobody.”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Childish Gambino, an unmatched creative.

New Year’s Resolution?: Take more pictures, edit more videos, cook more, and discover more artists.

Green Lee

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Arin Ray

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Kenny Beats

Best Music Video of 2019: TOSS UP BETWEEN GINGER ROOT’S “WEATHER” & “B4” BOTH FIRE. HUGE FAN. CAMERON LEW, YOU’RE THE MAN.

youtube

Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: BENEE

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: SLOWTHAI AT THE ECHO WITH DAVID O’ CONNOR. HOW MANY OF YOU CAN SAY THAT YOU’VE MOSHED WITH YOUR BOSS? HUH!?

Favorite 2019 trend: @foosgonewild

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Game of Thrones’ trash ass ending.

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: BENEE

Favorite Song of 2019: Monsune - “Outta My Mind”

Favorite Album of 2019: MAGGIE ROGERS – HEARD IT IN A PAST LIFE

Favorite Artist of 2019: Channel Tres

Favorite Song of the Decade: Tyler The Creator ft. Frank Ocean - “She”

Favorite Album of the Decade: SHIT. This is hard. Majid Jordan by Majid Jordan or Whack World by Tierra Whack.

Favorite Artist of the Decade: BROCKHAMPTON.

New Year’s Resolution?: To be a better son and take better care of my body. Your health is your wealth.

Jenna Singer

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Huron John

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Johnny Utah

Best Music Video of 2019: Loved ROLE MODEL’s newest lyric video for “that’s just how it goes” – super simple and done very well.

youtube

Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: I don’t typically crush on artists, but seeing Jeremy Zucker perform live was a momementttttt

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Polo & Pan – they are incredible, such a party

Favorite 2019 trend: Loose jeans lol – may low rise skinny jeans burn in the past forever

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Diplo playing Stagecoach – still confused, slightly jealous I missed it

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Ahhhhh! This is so hard to tell, the ability to make it big has been redefined with the ability to make music in your room. Really digging Gracie Abrams right now!

Favorite Song of 2019: I have the worst memory, but “Hit the Back” by King Princess is a whole jam and has been on repeat

Favorite Album of 2019: Again, worst memory but LOVING Immunity by Clairo right now

Favorite Artist of 2019: Clairo

Favorite Song of the Decade: i. have. the. worst. memory. I’m going to go with “Stolen Dance” by Milky Chance

Favorite Album of the Decade: Sadnecessary by Milky Chance – a go to

Favorite Artist of the Decade: … Justin Bieber. Not for necessarily for his music, he’s withstood well against a lot of pressures from being such a world famous artist

New Year’s Resolution?: MAKE BIG CAREER MOVES – also carve out more time to relax. You are your best when you’re rested and clear-minded!

David O’ Connor

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Sam Fender. So much more to come from him, can’t wait.

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Clairo, built her own queendom of timely perception.

Best Music Video of 2019: “CRYABY” by Dijon. Visually tackles an emotion that’s hard not to look at.

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Lauren Sanderson. She may not care but I do enough for the both of us.

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Sir SlowThai @The Echo w/ @fuqgreen.

Favorite 2019 trend: Flood-prepped pants

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Lizzo memeing and melting the internet at every occasion.

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Arlo Parks, Deb Never, Dijon, Arizona Zervas, Audrey Mika, Alaina Castillo, Garçons, Sam Fender.

Favorite Song of 2019: “CHA” by LAUNDRY DAY. I am equally nostalgic and envious to write so honestly about teenage angst.

Favorite Album of 2019: slowthai - Nothing Great about Britain

Favorite Artist of 2019: slowthai

Favorite Song of the Decade: ANHONI - “Drone Bomb Me.” If you know me well, maybe too well, I’ll sing this song happily and loudly.

Favorite Album of the Decade: Intuitively obvious but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was the decade’s benchmark

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Kanye. Defending him became my protagonist social calendar.

New Year’s Resolution?: Work with more diehards before I die.

Malcolm Gray

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Sudan Archives

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Channel Tres

Best Music Video of 2019: Solange - “Almeda”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Green Leef

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Channel Tres at The Moroccan Lounge

Favorite 2019 trend: Creatives demanding ownership

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: The last season of Game of Thrones being so mid

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Baby Keem

Favorite Song of 2019: Tyler, The Creator - “I Think”

Favorite Album of 2019: Toro y Moi - Outer Peace

Favorite Artist of 2019: Toro y Moi

Favorite Song of the Decade: Darius - “Hot Hands”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Kanye West - Yeezus

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Frank Ocean

New Year’s Resolution?: Listen to more music and make some music

Jimmy Smith

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Can't Swim

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Grayscale and Angel Du$t

Best Music Video of 2019: Blink-182 - “Not Another Christmas Song”

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Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Vans Warped Tour 25 Year Anniversary Festival

Favorite 2019 trend: TikTok, all of it.

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: The Chats

Favorite Song of 2019: Bring Me The Horizon - “Sugar Honey Ice & Tea”

Favorite Album of 2019: Issues - Beautiful Oblivion

Favorite Artist of 2019: Waterparks

Favorite Song of the Decade: Angel Du$t - “Toxic Boombox”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Every Time I Die - Low Teens

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Every Time I Die

New Year’s Resolution?: Meet My Chemical Romance

Alec Wing

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Little Simz

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Billie Eilish

Best Music Video of 2019: FKA twigs - “Cellophane”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: UMI

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: James Blake / The Strokes / The Who

Favorite 2019 trend: IGOR Wig

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Drake Getting Booed off stage at Camp Flog Gnaw

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Aldous Harding

Favorite Song of 2019: YBN Cordae ft. Anderson .Paak - “RNP”

Favorite Album of 2019: JPEGMAFIA - All My Heroes Are Cornballs

Favorite Artist of 2019: James Blake

Favorite Song of the Decade: Frank Ocean – “Self Control”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Kendrick Lamar

New Year’s Resolution?: To build something and be proud of it.

Precious Kato

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Monsune

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: BENEE

Best Music Video of 2019: Jungle - "Casio"

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Oscar Jerome

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: The 1975 at The Roxy

Favorite 2019 trend: Wearing your jacket draped over your shoulders. It feels badass!

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Having not one but two Fyre Festival documentaries.

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: DVNA

Favorite Song of 2019: Friendly Fires - “Offline"

Favorite Album of 2019: Loyle Carner - Not Waving But Drowning

Favorite Artist of 2019: Hablot Brown

Favorite Song of the Decade: HONNE - “Take You High"

Favorite Album of the Decade: Mac Miller - The Divine Feminine

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Tom Misch

New Year’s Resolution?: Learn how to separate hope and naiveté.

Alexa Schoenfeld

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Hamzaa, Jean Dawson.

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Baby Rose, slowthai

Best Music Video of 2019: UMI ft. YEEK – “RUNNIN (EP. 3)”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: FKA Twigs, Pell

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: PVRIS at The El REY

Favorite 2019 trend: Millenial app astrology – have you entered the Co-Star universe?

What cultural moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: No genre boundaries, no gender boundaries

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Remi Wolf, Peach Tree Rascals

Favorite Song of 2019: Jacob Collier ft. Daniel Caesar - “Time Alone With You”

Favorite Album of 2019: The Menzingers - Hello Exile

Favorite Artist of 2019: UMI

Favorite Song of the Decade: The 1975 – “SOMEBODY ELSE”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!”

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Kanye West

New Year’s Resolution?: EXHALE DEEPER

Brooke Pohle

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Briston Maroney

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Summer Walker

Best Music Video of 2019: Jadu Heart - “Purity”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: I would end it all for A$AP Rocky this year and every year

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Maggie Rogers at the Greek Theatre

Favorite 2019 trend: Reflective 3M jackets

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: The mess of Area 51

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Patrick Martin

Favorite Song of 2019: Maggie Rogers - “Light On”

Favorite Album of 2019: Billie Eilish - When we all fall asleep where do we go?

Favorite Artist of 2019: Briston Maroney

Favorite Song of the Decade: Rihanna - “Stay”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Lorde - Pure Heroine

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Rainbow Kitten Surprise

New Year’s Resolution?: Put my mental health first!!!

Jess Chung

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Rosemary Fairweather

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: BENEE

Best Music Video of 2019: Crumb - “M.R.”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Pedro Sampaio

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Dominic Fike

Favorite 2019 trend: fanny packs !

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: the reappearance of Keanu Reeves on social media / memes / movies / games

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Clairo

Favorite Song of 2019: Rex Orange County - “10/10”

Favorite Album of 2019: BROCKHAMPTON - Ginger

Favorite Artist of 2019: BROCKHAMPTON

Favorite Song of the Decade: Dominic Fike - “King of Everything”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Tyler, the Creator

New Year’s Resolution?: Do more hikes !

Jessica Thomas

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Hope Tala

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Rosalia

Best Music Video of 2019: Ashnikko - “Hi It’s Me”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: ROSALÍA

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: BANKS at the Palladium

Favorite 2019 trend: Not sure if this counts but this dude is my hero… (editor’s note: totally doesn’t but I’ll accept cause same)

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Juice WRLD’s tragic passing and the effect it will have on generations of creatives to come.

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Boy in Space (!!!)

Favorite Song of 2019: YBN Cordae ft. Anderson. Paak - “RNP“

Favorite Album of 2019: Matthew Chaim - The Mathematics of Nature

Favorite Artist of 2019: Lolo Zouaï

Favorite Song of the Decade: BANKS - "Gemini Feed"

Favorite Album of the Decade: SZA - Ctrl

Joey Legittino

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: BabyJake

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Aries

Best Music Video of 2019: Supa Bwe ft. Qari - “LOOK”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Kailee Morgue

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Beck, Cage the Elephant, and Spoon at FivePoint Ampitheatre

Favorite 2019 trend:Cowboy culture hitting the mainstream. Yee Yee!

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Eating tide pods

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Ant Saunders

Favorite Song of 2019: Augustine - “Guts”

Favorite Album of 2019: Cage the Elephant - “Social Cues”

Favorite Artist of 2019: BabyJake

Favorite Song of the Decade: Mac Miller - “Self Care”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Blink-182 - “Neighborhoods”

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Mac Miller forever

New Year’s Resolution?: To not wait until New Years to make new resolutions for myself.

Chase Nathan

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: EARTHGANG

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: JID

Best Music Video of 2019: DaBaby - “BOP”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Dominic Fike :)

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: slowthai at Flog Gnaw

Favorite 2019 trend: Baggy Pants - no more of that cuffed pant look

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Being 10th row at Flog Gnaw for Drake

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Bakar, Guapdad 4000, Kent Jamz, Grip, KEY!, Mez

Favorite Song of 2019: Tyler, The Creator - “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”

Favorite Album of 2019: Dreamville - Revenge Of The Dreamers III

Favorite Artist of 2019: Tyler, The Creator

Favorite Song of the Decade: Mac Miller ft. Anderson .Paak - “Dang!”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Anderson .Paak - “Malibu”

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Tie between Anderson .Paak and Pusha T

What Is Your New Year’s Resolution?: Be more positive!

George Schaefer

Most Underrated Artist of 2019: Pi'erre Bourne

Best Breakout Artist of 2019: Baby Keem

Best Music Video of 2019: Octavian ft. Skepta & Michael Phantom - “Bet”

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Biggest Artist Crush of 2019: Summer Walker, Jhene Aiko

Best Concert You Attended in 2019: Baby Keem at The Roxy

Favorite 2019 trend: Igor Wig

What moment of 2019 will you not be forgetting anytime soon?: Watching Drake get boo'ed off stage

Who is poised to be the breakout artist(s) of 2020: Jean Dawson

Favorite Song of 2019: Pi'erre Bourne - “Guillotine”

Favorite Album of 2019: Baby Keem - DIE FOR MY BITCH

Favorite Artist of 2019: Toro y Moi

Favorite Song of the Decade: Kanye West ft. Pusha T - “Runaway”

Favorite Album of the Decade: Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

Favorite Artist of the Decade: Frank Ocean

New Year’s Resolution?: Get a job.

#staff picks #slowthai #billie eilish #aries #keshi #benee #clairo #tyler the creator #kanye west #maggie rogers #dominic fike #channel tres #umi #2019

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1863-project · 5 years

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Big Fat Summary of Everything

I’ve been rewatching all the Big Fat Quiz episodes for...well, no reason, really, other than that I felt like it. So without further ado, here’s the important stuff I’ve taken from each episode.

BFQOTY 2004:

The first-ever episode. It takes a little bit for the series to hit its stride, and it’s probably most visible here.

Simon Pegg is here, though, which is always a nice plus.

BFQOTY 2005:

Another quieter year, although major celebrities appear alongside the comedians - namely Sharon Osbourne and Gordon Ramsey.

Jon Snow appears reading songs as news stories for the first time. He doesn’t start dancing to them until much later, though.

First appearance of panel show master David Mitchell on BFQ.

BFQOTY 2006:

This is where it goes off the rails, because 2006 is the first of the three appearances of the team that becomes known as the Goth Detectives, Russell Brand and Noel Fielding. Teams gave deliberately weird and funny answers to things they didn’t know before this, but they took it to another level.

Ironically, despite this they end up winning as a joke, which is hilarious.

Big Fat Anniversary Quiz (2007):

First appearance of Richard Ayoade on the show. He and David Mitchell are a team, to boot (and go by the name “Speccy Nerdy Fucknuts,” at that, after their plan to be seated in the middle yet call themselves “Team Three” is thwarted).

BFQOTY 2007:

Noel and Russell return to defend their title, the only time the winning team has returned so far intact for the next year’s episode. Jimmy Carr isn’t as lenient with them and their bullshitting this time around.

This is the first time regular Rob Brydon is on the winning team even though he’s been in every episode up to this point with the exception of the anniversary episode.

BFQOTY 2008:

Jonathan Ross is glaringly absent this year, but it’s because he and Russell Brand had gotten themselves into some pretty serious trouble over the course of the year. Rob Brydon is also absent, meaning that the Bipedal Seal is now the only constant on the show.

First appearance of Claudia Winkleman.

First appearance of two for James Corden, and he flawlessly sings a verse of That’s Not My Name from memory, foreshadowing his future career as Carpool Karaoke maestro.

Davina McCall and Claudia Winkleman talk about wanting to double-team Jon Snow.

BFQOTY 2009:

Despite what had happened the year before (not on the show), Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are allowed to be a team.

David Mitchell refuses to dance. It’s very funny.

Rob Brydon does the man in a box voice.

BFQOTY 2010:

First teaming of absolute dynamo surreal dream team Noel and Richard, clearly the best idea this show has ever had. They set a then-record with a score of 12. Team name this year is The Electric Moccasins (although as a joke Robson and Jerome comes up as an alternative).

“How can you throw a live wasp?”

“Why do you think it’s weirder throwing a live wasp than a nightmare?”

BFQOTY 2011:

David Walliams and Miranda Hart set the all-time low score record with a measly 4. Which is impressive because Noel and Richard have been a team eight times over the course of the show’s run as of early 2019.

BFQ of the 80s (September 16, 2012):

Not the most notable of episodes, but still worth it. At least go watch the Mitchell Brook kids act out Live Aid.

BFQ of the 90s (September 23, 2012):

Two words: Mr. Blobby. Jack Whitehall is traumatized for life now.

BFQ of the 00s (September 30, 2012):

Noel and Richard’s second appearance as a team, and most notably, the episode where they make their legendary “your mom” joke at Jimmy’s expense. (Team name: The Indoor Kites aka Hot Shame.)

BFQOTY 2012:

Jack Whitehall’s first non-special appearance on the show. He and James Corden proceed to behave like a couple of giggling schoolboys the entire time, even ordering pizza and white wine and having it delivered to them. Oh, and they’re in tuxedos.

Richard Ayoade’s first win on the show. He’s teamed with Gabby Logan.

Russell and Jonathan are a team again. Apparently this is working out for them.

Charles Dance reads 50 Shades of Grey.

BFQ of the 80s (September 22, 2013):

Again, a quieter special by comparison to some of the episodes of the show, but David Mitchell and Phill Jupitus are a team, so if you’re a fan of panel show team captains appearing on other panel shows, it’s worth it.

BFQ of the 90s (September 29, 2013):

Jimmy Carr gets gunged (slimed for the Americans who grew up with Nickelodeon).

BFQOTY 2013:

Dream team Noel and Richard return as a team for the third time and are actually joint winners, marking their first victory as a duo on the show. Sadly, there’s no team name.

Jonathan Ross brings a turkey and makes sandwiches for everyone else.

BFQOTY 2014:

This is the notorious Mel B episode, but it’s also the first appearance of Sarah Millican, who is wonderful.

Richard and David Mitchell are a team again.

Jon Snow’s dancing career begins in this episode, if I recall correctly.

Big Fat Anniversary Quiz (2015):

Third and as of now final appearance of the Goth Detectives. Russell hands out his phone number to audience members and gets them to text him the answers, which isn’t caught until fairly late in the show.

Jack Whitehall does some texting of his own and interacts with Chico, and it’s honestly one of the funniest things that’s ever been on the show. Claudia hugs him as if she’s his mom when he gets a response for the first time.

BFQOTY 2015:

BAD DONG. I’m pretty sure this doesn’t need to be elaborated on, but if you’ve never seen Bad Dong, you need to see Bad Dong. The episode is worth watching for Bad Dong alone.

Of course, if you like Taskmaster, Greg Davies is here, so that’s a good reason to watch too.

BFQOE January 5, 2016:

First-ever Quiz of Everything. Chelsea Peretti of B99 fame is here, if you’re a fan of Nine-Nine.

Richard and Noel (under the team name The Ladder Collars, named after Jonathan Ross’s giant shirt collar) almost win, but Richard insists on making a joke on the last question and they end up in second. Noel of all people calls him out on it.

Mel Giedroyc takes her shoes off to get more comfortable at one point. Noel notices and proceeds to compliment her shoes (high praise coming from him), then says he’d like to drink Bailey’s out of them (which is a reference to probably the one Boosh thing everyone on the internet has seen at some point in time).

BFQOE 2016 Series Episode 1:

Worth it alone to see Jon Snow doing YMCA.

Jonathan Ross and Bob Mortimer’s team name is One And A Half Condoms.

Two dancers from Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing With the Stars in the US) perform a series of dances for the teams to identify. Somehow, despite hosting the show, Claudia doesn’t get most of them right.

BFQOE 2016 Series Episode 2:

Noel and Richard have the team name “The Sultans of Bhunai.” Also, by some bizarre set of circumstances they actually win outright.

Richard goes on an absolutely legendary rant after Rob Beckett steals his tray of candy, which amongst other things leads to him renaming Jonathan Ross and Adam Buxton’s team “The Ancient Fucks.”

Personal highlight for me besides Richard’s candy rage: Noel drawing himself and Richard on the bottom of the screen at one point. Cute as hell.

BFQOE 2016 Series Episode 3:

The only time Noel has won two episodes in a row. Here he’s teamed with Eddie Izzard, which is honestly inspired.

Alan Carr and Romesh Ranganathan call themselves “The Twins.”

BFQOTY 2016:

Romesh’s father has been dead for three years and Jimmy didn’t bother to find that out before asking him what his father thought about his tour of America with his mother, which led to the show breaking down before it even got started this time.

Mel Giedroyc is obsessed with Crossrail. It’s great, trust me.

BFQOE 2017:

Noel and Richard’s team name this time is Humanity’s Last Hope:

Katherine Ryan and Aisling Bea bring puppies on. Real puppies. And it’s wonderful. Everyone takes turns holding them.

When the panelists wonder who owns the moon, Noel just flat-out raises his hand. Because, you know, he IS the moon.

Noel draws an eel in a top hat, which I suspect is a Hitcher reference.

BFQOTY 2017:

First appearance of Big Narstie, who ends up fitting in surprisingly well on the show.

Noel and Richard’s team name is Cakes in the Maze.

Oh, and Noel is dressed as the podium.

BFQOE 2018:

Vic and Bob are a team! An actual double act is a team for the first time! (Their name is Strike Force One.)

Personal highlight of this one for me is the Mitchell Brook kids acting out Kasparov’s loss to IBM’s Deep Blue.

BFQOTY 2018:

Noel and Richard’s team name is Discount Fireworks.

Mo Gilligan flosses to Baby Shark.

On that note, upon learning Baby Shark was the biggest hit of 2018, Noel throws a tea mug and shatters it...then immediately goes to pick the shards up so that nobody gets hurt.

“That’s right! I’m on Bake-Off, motherfuckers!”

BFQOE 2019:

Sandi Toksvig and Big Narstie are becoming friends and it’s the cutest thing.

On that note, Sandy (a lesbian) and Joe Lycett (bi/pan) answer a question asking what three songs have in common with “Gay. They’re all gay.”

Also, Sandy knows weird facts about everything, in case you were wondering if QI is in good hands. It definitely is.

Jon Snow brings all the boys to the yard.

#Big Fat Quiz #BFQOTY #BFQOE #comedy #British comedy

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greycupchampionship-blog · 4 years

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Grey Cup Championship

The most surprising jump comes from the BC Lions, who vaulted Edmonton in odds to both appear in and win the 107th Grey Cup game. However, the Esks could put that dream to bed in Week 17, as they’d clinch the crossover playoff position with a victory.That’s good news for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who won the West in 44 percent of sims and made it to the championship nearly half the time. They also feature in the most likely Grey Cup showdown for this week. Speaking of the Ticats, they remain in the drivers seat in the East. The victory over Winnipeg vaulted their chances to appear in the Grey Cup to 85 percent and their chances to win the whole thing up nearly 20 percent. Hamilton is also in the top three most likely matchups for the title.With the tight race atop the West Division continuing to amp up with every passing week, we got to see the weight that a win or a loss could have on the CFL Simulation. 107th Grey Cup 107th Grey Cup Festival 107th Grey Cup Championship Grey Cup Champions Grey Cup Championship Grey Cup Final Grey Cup Game CFL Grey Cup CFL Grey Cup Game Grey Cup Time Grey Cup Start Time Grey Cup TV Channel Grey Cup TV Coverage Grey Cup Halftime Show After being projected to be in the most likely Grey Cup matchup against Hamilton in the Week 16 edition of the sim, a loss to those very same Ticats severely hurt the Bombers’ this time around. Along with their drop to third place in the West standings, Winnipeg was also dealt huge blows to their odds to host a playoff game, win the division, and appear in the championship game. The model calculates each team’s probability of victory in each remaining game. It then simulates 10,000 replications of the remaining regularseason schedule and resulting playoff bracket including the possibility of a playoff crossover team. For each replication, the model keeps track of a number of performance metrics for example, which teams earned home playoff games, which teams appeared in the Grey Cup, etc.. TigerCat fans everywhere, and the TigerCat organization, have worked hard to convey our enthusiasm for bringing the Grey Cup to Hamilton again, Ticats owner Bob Young said in a statement. We are thrilled to be in consideration by the Canadian Football League to host the upcoming 2020 Grey Cup game and festival, and we look forward with excitement and anticipation to the league’s announcement on February 21. We want to thank the CFL and the Grey Cup committee for their diligence throughout the bid process, he said in a statement. We feel like we put forth a strong and compelling bid to host the 2020 Grey Cup in our 110th anniversary year where we will be able to showcase Mosaic Stadium and Saskatchewan's incredible hospitality. We encourage our fans to come together on February 21st as we anxiously await the announcement. Hamilton last hosted a Grey Cup the infamous Snow Bowl game at Ivor Wynne Stadium in 1996, while Regina's Taylor Field was the site of the 101st Grey Cup that the hometown Riders won in 2013. Olympic Stadium last played host to the Grey Cup in 2008.This fall's Grey Cup, the 107th, is set to be hosted by the defending champion Calgary Stampeders on November 24 at McMahon Stadium. The CFL Simulator returned ahead of Week 13 and made Riderville very happy when it projected Saskatchewan as an early favourite to win the 107th Grey Cup. But following a lopsided loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the road, the green and white dropped out of the top spot in all the categories they led in the first simulation. The biggest hit they took was to their Grey Cup odds. After being at nearly 50 percent a week ago, they sit at just 6 percent now and won the championship just three percent of the time. They’ve also had their odds to win the West dropped from 49 to 6 percent. The Bombers have jumped into the driver’s seat ahead of Week 14 action, and the Calgary Stampeders have now jumped into the conversation as a championship favourite again after winning both halves of their homeandhome series against Edmonton.Calgary has also received another spot in the top five Grey Cup matchups with their performance. In the East, Montreal made a jump up after winning their third straight game in Week 13 and they now feature in two of the five most likely championship game matchups. Their percentage to capture the championship went down because of Calgary’s surge, but their odds of hosting a playoff game went up. After beating Ottawa in their headtohead matchup in Week 13, the Toronto Argonauts improved their odds in nearly every category. On the other side, the REDBLACKS are now projected to finish with the worst record in the league at 414. While there's no love lost between the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders, neither team is looking for a repeat of last game's fireworks.A heated contest between Montreal and Calgary in midAugust started with a pregame brawl and ended in a comefrombehind, overtime victory by the Alouettes.That wild finish — and the bad blood between both teams — is still fresh on everyone's minds as the Als 76 prepare to host the Stamps 94 on Saturday. Grey Cup 2019 107th Grey Cup 2019 107th Grey Cup Festival 2019 107th Grey Cup Championship 2019 Grey Cup Champions 2019 Grey Cup Championship 2019 Grey Cup Final 2019 Grey Cup Game 2019 CFL Grey Cup 2019 CFL Grey Cup Game 2019 2019 Grey Cup I've spoken to our team about it and I'm sure they've spoken to their guys, said Alouettes coach Khari Jones. That's not what we're about. That's not what they're about.There's always going to be a little talking back and forth, but we're going to make sure that our guys aren't into anything extracurricular. We'll let our play speak for itself. Before that Aug. 17 encounter even started, the pregame warmup turned into a full skirmish when Montreal cornerback Tommie Campbell traded punches with former Stampeder teammate Wynton McManis. Players from both teams converged on midfield and more punches were thrown. There were no suspensions following the fight, but three players were fined.We want to play with poise and we want to make sure not to get in altercations especially before a game, or during a game, Stamps coach Dave Dickenson told the team's website this week. That's not football to me. I don't think I really need to address a lot of it. Grey Cup Live 107th Grey Cup Live 107th Grey Cup Championship Live Grey Cup Championship Live Grey Cup Final Live CFL Grey Cup Live Grey Cup 2019 Live Grey Cup Championship 2019 Live Grey Cup Final 2019 Live 2019 Grey Cup Live Montreal went on to win 4034 in overtime following an improbable fourthquarter comeback. Down 11 points with 45 seconds to play, the Alouettes scored a touchdown and twopoint conversion, then recovered the onside kick and booted a lastsecond field goal.It was Montreal's first win at McMahon Stadium since 2009. I'm sure they're watching the film to know what happened and the mistakes they feel they made, and what plays we made, said Jones of Saturday's opposition. Our guys have the knowledge that we can beat this team and we have to play really good football to do it. Since that loss, the defending Grey Cup champions have won four straight games and clinched a postseason berth. Calgary sits atop the West Division, tied with the Saskatchewan Roughriders 94 and a halfgame ahead of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 95.That fourgame win streak coincides with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell's return from injury. Montreal is also getting its starting QB back this week. Vernon Adams Jr. returns after serving a onegame suspension for a dangerous and reckless act. The CFL suspended Adams for swinging a helmet at Winnipeg linebacker Adam Bighill on Sept. 21.The Alouettes quarterback was forced to watch from the sidelines as Montreal lost 2523 to the B.C. Lions last week after a fumbled thirdandshort late in the fourth quarter. Grey Cup Live Free 107th Grey Cup Live Free 107th Grey Cup Championship Live Free Grey Cup Championship Live Free Grey Cup Final Live Free CFL Grey Cup Live Free Grey Cup 2019 Live Free Grey Cup Championship 2019 Live Free Grey Cup Final 2019 Live Free 2019 Grey Cup Live Free It was really difficult not to be on the field with my guys, said Adams, who had two passing and two rushing touchdowns against the Stamps in August. But this week I'm back and I'm glad to be back. I'm just trying to help lead and do whatever I can to bring a win to the home crowd. Montreal would clinch its first playoff spot since 2014 with a win or tie against the Stampeders. A postseason berth and home playoff game is all but guaranteed for the Alouettes, who will likely finish second in the East Division behind the Hamilton TigerCats. This city is buying into it, said Adams, who is tied for second in the league with 15 passing TDs. They have nothing but good things to say after our games. Even when we lose in those tight ones, they're still saying how much better we look from previous years. It shows how much we want to win for this city and this organization. Grey Cup Live Stream 107th Grey Cup Live Stream 107th Grey Cup Championship Live Stream Grey Cup Championship Live Stream Grey Cup Final Live Stream CFL Grey Cup Live Stream Grey Cup 2019 Live Stream Grey Cup Championship 2019 Live Stream Grey Cup Final 2019 Live Stream 2019 Grey Cup Live Stream His throw to a covered Michael Klukas in the end zone on the final play of the game was intercepted by Jonathan Rose to preserve Ottawa's victory.Defence, honestly they played their hearts out, Mitchell said. Offensively we just didn't. We didn't step up when we needed to. We didn't execute.Down six points midway through the fourth quarter, Ottawa's De'Andre Montgomery recovered Lorenzo Jerome's puntreturn fumble to give the Redblacks the ball on Calgary's 19yardline. Ward's 30yard field goal cut the deficit to three points down with just over five minutes to play.I do believe honestly we got outplayed and probably outcoached, Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said. Let's be honest about that. We had our chances. We still could have won. Grey Cup Live Stream Free 107th Grey Cup Live Stream Free 107th Grey Cup Championship Live Stream Free Grey Cup Championship Live Stream Free Grey Cup Final Live Stream Free CFL Grey Cup Live Stream Free Grey Cup 2019 Live Stream Free Grey Cup Championship 2019 Live Stream Free Grey Cup Final 2019 Live Stream Free 2019 Grey Cup Live Stream Free I didn't feel our best players offensively were dialled in. We were close, but couldn't make the throws, couldn't make the catches, really couldn't control the line of scrimmage. That's a problem. I thought our defence did enough. They caused turnovers and scored.Roberson's three interceptions matched his season total from 2018. That was a heck of a game for him, Dickenson said. Tough to waste that type of performance and not come out of here with a win.His team down 186 after the first quarter, Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell said comingfrombehind to win the seasonopener was important in the growth of his quarterback and team. Watch Grey Cup Watch 107th Grey Cup Watch Grey Cup Championship Watch Grey Cup Final Watch CFL Grey Cup Watch Grey Cup 2019 Watch Grey Cup Championship 2019 Watch Grey Cup Final 2019 Watch 2019 Grey Cup The 108th Grey Cup has seen bids submitted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton TigerCats, and Montreal Alouettes.We want to thank all three organizations for firstclass bids, any one of which would continue to take the Grey Cup game and festival to new heights,” Ambrosie said in a statement last week. Both Hamilton and Saskatchewan have yet to hold Grey Cups in their new facilities.The Ticats' Tim Hortons Field was opened in 2015, while Mosaic Stadium, the home of the Green Riders, opened in 2017.

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arkhamsurviour · 6 years

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Trapped Little Birdie- Jerome Valeska x Reader

Just a little one shot whilst I’m bored at work😓

“(Y/N) you are not to come downstairs or into the living area, do you hear me?” Theo’s deep voice bounced off the walls and practically shook the whole apartment. “Yes Theo” I shouted back as I rolled my eyes and sighed. I was never involved in Uncle Theos plans which hurt me a little as my overactive mind put it down to him not trusting me. He still saw me as a child which I was certainly not, I could defend myself, he should know he sent me to martial arts and gun handling every week.

As I perched on my windowsill I looked down to the thousands of workers buzzing around like ants trying to get to wherever there destination was. Sometimes I wish I was down there with them just part of the crowd but my uncle forbid me from leaving the penthouse unless authorised only by him- it sent a girl insane. I suppose he has too many enimes for his niece to wonder around freely. But after years of living here I felt like today would be different and life changing.

A few hours passed and there was a commotion coming from downstairs in the living area. The exact place I had been told to stay away from. I tried to ignore it and focus on reading my book but all I could hear was a man screaming in pain. Slamming my book onto my bed I gave into my child like curiosity and cracked the door open to try and hear better, but again all I could hear was screams of pain. I widened the gap in the door so I could slide out of my room, my fluffy socks padded my feet on the harsh cold wood and made it easier for me to sneak around. As I came to the spiral staircase I tried to peer out of the gap, managing to get into a position where I could see what was going on but unless you looked up you couldn’t see me- perfect. But as soon as I looked down I wished I’d stayed in my room and carried on reading my book because what came next I did not expect at all. My Uncle was stood with his back against the staircase as he watched Tabby whip a man in a striped onsie, he was wriggling around on the floor like a cut in half worm, to the left of my uncle there were another five people tied to a small wheeled cart, four men and one girl. They were watching on as this man was whipped within an inch of his life. Expressionless expect one, who had the biggest smile on his face, he caught my eye almost immediately due to his copper hair. His boney face looked on in amusement without an ounce of horror to what was going on. They all wore the same stiped onesies and I could see now there were numbers stitched on to them, sort of like an inmates uniform- wait I remember hearing the news ramble on about six Arkham escapees. Oh my gosh, what was my uncle doing with six mentally insane people in the house. I moved round so I could get a better look as I did the floor boards creaked every so slightly, I held my breath knowing for sure my Uncle would have heard that and I would be caught and punished for disobeying him. But to my relief he didn’t look up and find me I don’t think anyone did.

“That’s enough for now Tabby.” My Uncle suddenly said taking a seat at the dinner table. “Now as you can see, this is what happens when you don’t do as you’re told, but if we work together as a team we can make this city crumble to its knees and then we will rule it together.” It was like listening to those crazy dictators you hear about in history. What was my Uncle planning, I had never seen him like this, he always put on such a good act as though he was this good man that wanted to follow the rules and justice but now that imagine was flipped over it’s head as he was standing in our living area with six physopaths! I took a moment to try and calm my breathing but nothing was working, how could I share the house with this man and pretend everything is fine. A loud laugh which echoed through the room pulled my attention back downstairs, where the man who was being whipped now lay on the floor motionless, Tabby was pulling her whip from around his neck and it didn’t take much to guess what had happened. I couldn’t stop a gasp from escaping my mouth and it came out a little too loud as Theo’s head stared to turn around, I made a bolt for my room before he fully faced me but I think I was caught regardless, I flung myself onto the bed and pretended to still be reading my book, shortly after I heard his footsteps come racing up to my room and barge in without knocking, it startled me a little but I didn’t say anything. “How much did you hear (Y/N)?” He asked in a deadly quiet voice. “What do you mean?” Using my biggest puppy dog eyes I had hoping that playing dumb would work in my favour. “Don’t play dumb I know you better than that.” He crossed his arms and his tone turned into a more serious one. “Most of it” I admitted lowering my head. “Come down with me and I will deal with you later.” He left my room and not wanting to be in even more trouble with him I quickly followed. We descend down the stair case and every pair of eyes in the room landed on me. I hated being the centre of attention so my cheeks turned from their usual (S/C) to a shade of pink. I took Tabby’s side as I much preferred her to my Uncle, she gave me a concerned look but only for a few seconds then her she faced the escapees once again.

My eyes scanned the prisoners and landed on the copper haired boy from earlier, his face twisted into a smirk one that had many dark thoughts behind. I couldn’t concentrate on what my Uncle was telling them and considering the boys gaze never left mine I guessed he didn’t hear it either. My eyes only left his when I heard my name mentioned, “(Y/N) since you’re here you may as well make yourself useful for once.” Those words for some reason made my blood simmer, he was the one who always made me stay in my room like a good little girl and not help with anything. A small trickle of blood fell from my palm where my nails had dug into to refrain from saying anything back. The copper haired boy noticed this and his smirk only grew wider. “Help Tabby untie these people.” He commanded.

I stepped forward to the only woman in the group her long curly hair looked untamed and messy, her face was pretty even without make up. I undid her restraints around her ankles and made my way up to her hands, she rubbed the skin around them and stepped of the cart. “Thanks darling.” She said.

I then came to the copper haired boy, I kneeled down and undid his ankles first and made my way up to his wrists. We was in touching distance and he gave off a aura of chaos, his dark coloured eyes held pain and darkness. For an psychopath he was insanely hot- pardon the pun- and I think he knew that’s what I thought and he was cocky without even saying a word. After undoing his wrist restraints I took a step backwards as he hopped off the cart with a childish leap. “Hiya doll.” He said with a wide grin showing his perfect teeth. “Hello.” I replied not wanting to be rude. “Oh! I didn’t introduce myself! How rude of me! My names Jerome, Jerome Valeska.” He chuckled with a formal bow, I giggled at his nature. He was no older than myself or at least he didn’t look it. He took my hand and kissed it before standing up again. He had a well built frame and stood much taller than me but that wasn’t hard. His ruffled hair was a huge colour difference to his pale skin. “I saw you watching little bird, I can already tell you like trouble as I bet Theo told you to stay away from here.” He paced around me like a lion with its prey. “He did, curiosity got the best of me.” I sheepishly said. “Well you know what they say curiosity killed the cat.” And with that he erupted into a ear piercing cackle.

We was blissfully unaware of the fact that Theo and Tabby was watching us interact. “Don’t be too hard on her, shes normally so good, you can’t blame her for wanting to be involved after being cooped up in here for so long.” Tabby pleaded with Theo. He looked lost in his thoughts when he suddenly snapped out of it, “on the contrary, I’ve come up with a wonderful plan that will involve our new group and the skills of my niece.” He said with a growing smile...

#jerome valeska #jerome x reader #jerome imagine #theo galavan #gotham fanfiction #gotham #dc fanfic #dc fandom #dc #dc comics #tabitha galavan #reader #reader imagine #imagine #fanfic #maniax #barbra gordon

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faithbred-blog · 6 years

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JEROME VELES ( CIS MALE & HE/HIM )? oh, aren’t they the FIFTY year old HUNTER ( VAMPIRE ) who works as the MANAGER at DÉGAGÉ? word on the streets is that they are FAITHFUL & INNOVATIVE, but they can also be ILL-TEMPERED & CALLOUS. by the way, they look eerily similar to KEANU REEVES, don’t they? ( admin karin / 20 / aest / she/fae )

FULL NAME: jerome veles. AGE: fifty. PRONOUNS / GENDER: he/him / cis male. SPECIES: vampire. jerome is only very recently turned, with not many knowing of his vampirism yet. formerly, he was a human of a hunter, and still does operate within the hunters. HOUSING: halkirk, in a two bedroom house with his daughter. FAMILY: his parents long gone and dead, the only family that jerome has now is his adoptive daughter meredith grant. she’s the daughter of a friend who passed away a while ago, and he had taken her in when she was thirteen. he adores her like a father would a daughter even if meredith only became his daughter in her later years.

BACKSTORY

his mother left when he was young. too young for jerome to even remember, even. said that she wasn’t ready to raise a son, that she wanted to do it the right way and get married before being a mother, and had upped and ran in the middle of the night, leaving jerome under the care of only his father. they didn’t talk about his mother.

heart attack tw / he was sixteen when his father died of a heart attack. the only parent jerome had ever known, gone. they weren’t thick as thieves, but he had loved his old man. losing him was a huge loss to jerome. only two years before he hit adulthood, his aunt and uncle had taken him in and provided the support he needed. they never became parent-like figures, but despite the loneliness he felt after his father was gone, jerome was grateful of them.

he had chosen to forge his own path when he entered adulthood. a year after high school and now in college, he rented a one bedroom apartment in the frenchtown quarters of town. over the years, he’d slowly move himself up.

almost in his thirties and struggling to make a steady income that could properly support him, jerome finally stumbled into an opportunity. he’d been acquainted with the now mrs. vanderbilt in his childhood, although they didn’t run in the same circle. the offer had came from her side of the family — the hunters side of it. they had notice of his affinity for defending himself, and had offered him money — good money — in exchange for becoming a hunter.

he doesn’t hunt blindly. while he is wary of most supernatural creatures, the only ones he outright hunts are the ones he’s assigned to hunt. the ones that pay good money. his targets are usually big too, as he sees no point in hunting the lesser of the supernaturals. doing that won’t change anything.

death tw / eight years ago a long time friend of his died, leaving behind a thirteen year old girl called meredith grant. while jerome was never exactly her godfather, he had liked her, and her mother was one of the few real friends he had before she passed away. the girl grew up without a father, and a mother who died when she was still a teenager. it was almost a mirror image of what happened to him. not wanting her to grow up completely and utterly alone, jerome had taken her in. a favor to the girl’s mother, perhaps, since he’d been fond of her too.

adopting meredith drove him to further his hunting career. he needed that money more than ever now that he had a daughter. and he’s a good one at it too. he’s come across quite a few of fairview’s more popular supernaturals, either as a warning or as a failed attempt on their lives. jerome isn’t an infamous hunter the way jeremiah baines and his family are amongst the hunters’ community, but he does his job well when he needs to. ( sidenote: the fact that he’s a good hunter was also what led him to convince victoria vanderbilt to manage her restaurant. the pay wasn’t as good as he wanted it to, but he had managed to secure it in exchange to becoming a good hunter who was affiliated with her family, even if victoria herself wasn’t an active hunter. )

the two of them make do pretty well. jerome taught his daughter how to hunt and defend herself if it ever came down to it, and she was well aware of what he did for a living. she didn’t know the extents he would go to when he hunted, but after all, a daughter didn’t need to know that about her father.

and things went well. until recently, when jerome crossed paths with a vampire who had, in an attempt of revenge for hunting him, bitten jerome and left him almost for dead in the woods. and perhaps death would’ve been better too, for that bite had changed his life when he woke and realized what he is now. the very thing that he hates the most. out of all the supernaturals, jerome resents vampires and faeries most, because he views them as invulnerable creatures who can get away with any crime while still living a long life. the fact that they faced no consequences unless they were killed unnerved him, and they were the two creatures that he would stop at nothing to hunt when it calls for it. now? he was exactly the creature that he hated.

it’s only been a few weeks since jerome’s transformations, and he has managed to conceal himself pretty well. most older vampires in town could tell who he was from their honed enhanced senses, but jerome cuts back on the blood bags and still attempts to eat like a normal human would to hide his identity — especially from meredith.

PERSONALITY

no matter what people say about jerome, he is a passionate man. he’s passionate, he’s loving, and he’s very much driven by the loyalty he feels towards meredith. there are few that he lets in, but if he does let you in and cares about you, he is very much loyal.

jerome is as morally grey as they go. he’s the epitome of the ends justify the means.

he’s also very ill-tempered, and while he’s not a grim man who is always seen scowling or frowning, — he does offer smiles — most of degage’s employees know better than to set him off.

it may not seem like it at first glance, but he’s cunning. he has a very high sense of self-preservation and always had since he was a kid. jerome’s good at thinking things up on the spot and weaselling his ways out of terrible situations, although the means for doing so aren’t always so great.

he’s also deeply resentful. he’s quick to anger, but he’s not quick to forgive. if you’ve hurt him or the people who are close to him, the chances of him forgiving you is very low. after all, he still hates his sire with his entire heart and never will stop in all the immortal years to come.

at the end of the day, he’s on the verge of being a broken man. not that that excuses any of his actions, — because he often takes it too far — but he’s lonely and the only light in his life is meredith. his resentment doesn’t exclude the one he has towards himself too, and he feels like he hasn’t done enough for her and never will. but if it weren’t for her, he would’ve lost all his shreds of humanity and become the monster that he hates the most.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Does your character have any nicknames? a few close friends can probably get away with calling him jer, but that’s the only nickname he’s ever gone by.

Does your character have any distinguishing features such as tattoos, scars, piercings, etc? n/a.

What kind of things does your character like? What do they dislike? jerome’s fond of heights. while it’s a fear that many people have, he enjoys being on higher grounds and looking at the skyline and the city beneath him. it relaxes him.

Where does your character go when they are angry? he takes walks, or he goes up on the roof and stares at the skyline to calm himself down.

What is your character’s biggest fear? Who have they told this to? Who would they never tell this to? Why? there are many, but his ultimate biggest fear is being alone. other than hating vampires, it’s the biggest reason why he hates his vampirism. being immortal means having to watch people come and go, and he feels sick thinking about being alone after meredith finally grows old and dies. it’s not a fear that he shares, especially not know when there is so much at stakes and he’s an adult with many responsibilities, but it’s a fear that’s never gone away since the day his dad left him.

Does your character have a secret? If so, what is it? yes, his vampirism is currently a secret. not one that no one knows of, but it is something that he keeps concealed from most others.

Has your character ever been in love? Have they ever had a broken heart? he’s never been in love, but he thinks if meredith’s mother had stayed alive he might’ve fallen in love with her one day.

WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

sire. give me the person who turned him!!! jerome would’ve attacked them as soon as he realized that he was turned, probably almost killing them now that he had these newly acquired strength and speed that he didn’t know how to control in addition to his hunting abilities. the details of this can be ironed out when we plot it out, but i imagine jerome would have either very nearly killed them before they escaped or he thought they were dead but they didn’t die.

vampires. while it isn’t common knowledge that he’s been turned, i imagine that most vampires in town — especially the older ones — would be able to sniff out his vampirism due to their heightened senses. jerome takes care to not smell too much like blood, but it’d be interesting to have a few vampires knowing what he is now.

targets. he’s hunted supernaturals for over 20 years now. i’m sure he’s run into a lot of the supernaturals in fairview and has gotten into fights with them. whether or not he’s actively hunted them before, some supernaturals jerome just outright don’t like.

dark witch. obviously, he needed a daylight ring as soon as he was turned into a vampire. i’m open with two directions with this: a dark witch who had blackmailed him by giving him a daylight ring and promised to keep his secret as long as they do his binding ( or vice versa, him blackmailing them into it ), or a witch that he trusts with his secrets and is friends with.

#sacrilegeintro #the gif is of young keanu reeves dsdsf but i just wanted an excuse 2 use that bc i cant use that in threads #i said i was gonna sleep but i ended up finishing this so here we go #* // : biography.

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jbaeteng · 6 years

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Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng on Pep Guardiola, Jupp Heynckes, the Champions League and winning the World Cup

Jerome Boateng says he - like employers Bayern Munich - is in a very good place now that his recent injuries are behind him.

Thigh and shoulder problems restricted the 29-year-old defender to just 13 top-flight appearances last term, but he has been a virtual ever-present of late, celebrating his 150th Bundesliga outing in the red of Bayern in Saturday's 2-0 win at Mainz.

"I feel good, Boateng told goal.com. "I'm very happy that I'm feeling better. I'm feeling very comfortable on the pitch now. It took a while with my muscle and shoulder injuries."

In peak condition once more, Boateng has already made as many Bundesliga appearances in 2017/18 as he did last term. He has also started Bayern's last eight league assignments, recording as many wins and four clean sheets.

"We're playing way better than before," Boateng said, Bayern having posted 13 Bundesliga wins from a possible 14 since Jupp Heynckes returned to the helm at the start of October 2017. "[Jupp] has great experience, he's like a father figure for our team and everybody follows him. We're very happy."

Boateng was an integral part of the Heynckes side that claimed an historic Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League and DFB Cup treble in 2012/13, but it was the subsequent tutelage of Pep Guardiola that helped shape him into one of world football's most accomplished centre-backs.

"He's brilliant - one of the best," Boateng said, having added three Bundesliga titles and two DFB Cups to his collection during Guardiola's three-year stint in charge. "For me, tactically, he is the best. This season, Man City have bought a lot of good players. You can see that it's his team now. They're playing very well."

With Bayern and Guardiola's Manchester City through to the last 16 of the Champions League, there is every possibility of a two-legged reunion at Europe's top table in the spring. The record German champions lost out in the last four in each of Guardiola's three seasons as coach and in the quarter-finals under Carlo Ancelotti last season, but Boateng is determined to go the distance in 2017/18, just as he did five years ago.

"Obviously, we want to go as far as we can," the FIFA 2014 World Cup winner said. "There are tough leagues. The English League, the Spanish, Italian, they have good teams, but at the end of the day we have a very strong squad and we will try to win it. Of course, it will not be easy."

Germany's World Cup triumph is another feat Boateng will be hoping to emulate. The Berlin native started every game at the finals in Brazil and - fitness pending - is a shoo-in for a starting berth alongside Bayern teammate Mats Hummels in Russia later this summer.

"It's the biggest thing you can achieve," Boateng admitted. "It was very emotional, but I left it behind me very quickly. I didn't think everyday, 'I'm a world champion'. I want to set new goals because if you say 'I'm a world champion,' you don't grow and don't keep your level."

pic : 27.Jan.2018 / TSG

#jerome boateng #interview

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ficklefics · 4 years

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Friends Like These: Chapter Twenty-Four - Not This

Harleen's birthday was fated to be a memorable event for all the wrong reasons.

SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Taglist: @hexqueensupreme

Chapter Warnings: Shooting, panic attack, gas attack

Every member of staff I see as I walk through the building greets me with a “Happy Birthday”. Part of me is annoyed at not making Molly swear to secrecy – she’s the biggest gossip in Gotham – but I’m still enjoying the attention. The locker room is empty when I arrive. Lucky, because the moment I open my locker to put my bag away two pieces of paper fall out. I glance around, trying to see if this is some kind of birthday prank, if there are people watching to see what will happen. Once I’ve confirmed that I’m alone I pick them up. They’re playing cards: the two of diamonds and the joker.

“Seriously?” I stride down the ward towards Jerome, the cards held tight in my hand. “I was going to sing, but,” He looks me up and down, a fake grimace on his face, “You already look like you’re going to hit me.” “Not funny.” I roll my eyes at him and drop the cards onto the drawers next to the bed. “Who did you get to do this? And what do they even mean?” “One of the nurses, I don’t know. She was very scared of me though.” He snorts. I roll my eyes, reaching for the prepared tray. “And what they mean. Well, the joker – that’s me, obviously. The two of diamonds; I was going to get you diamond earrings, but…” “You’re in prison and even if you weren’t you’d have to steal them?” “Exactly!” He throws his head back against the pillows and chuckles. “Haha.” I resist the urge to laugh with him, choosing instead to mock him. We quickly fall into the routine of me checking his face, scolding him for not taking care of it, and moisturising it for him. However, as I start to work on his face I hear the crackle of the guard outside’s radio. That’s nothing unusual, but when he actually comes into the room I turn around. “There’s something happening, some kind of trouble. Whole place is going into lockdown.” He seems panicked. “Oh, okay. Should I head back -” “No time. You need to stay here -” He glances behind me at Jerome still strapped to the bed. Sweat begins to drip down his forehead, “- with him.” “It’s alright,” I look over my shoulder at Jerome, glaring at him. “I’ll keep him restrained.” “Okay. Now,” He begins to leave, going to close the door behind him. “Don’t unlock this door for anything.” It clicks shut, the sound of the gate rattling closed muffled. I turn around to Jerome, pissed. “Is this you?” “Why is it that whenever there’s a breakout it’s my fault?” “Because every time you’ve been in Arkham you’ve escaped?” “To be fair, only one of those was my fault.” He attempts to argue. “You’ve only escaped twice,” I counter, beginning to put away everything I’ve brought out. He goes to speak but is silenced abruptly by the sound of gunshots. My head snaps towards the door, my heart immediately beating out of my chest. I can’t breathe. All I can think about is the day at school. The corridor filled with panicked students. Jerome’s laugh filling the cafeteria. The death. The chaos. And everything that followed. My legs buckle beneath me and I fall to the floor. Blood rushes in my ears, punctuated by the sound of guns being fired and people screaming. I can’t tell what’s real and what’s in my head.

And through it all, Jerome. In my memories and my reality. He is constant. Unavoidable. Inescapable. I can hear him shouting my name. Over and over again. Why won’t he leave me alone?

“Harleen!” His hands are on me. I have to be imagining this. He’s strapped to the bed. He can’t get out. He can’t. He can’t.

He has.

Jerome is crouched in front of me. His usually cruel or mocking eyes shine with… concern? No. Jerome doesn’t worry about other people. He especially doesn’t worry about me. Jerome hurts me and tries to control me and separates me from my family and puts me in danger and kills people to protect me and… All this train of thought is doing is making me panic more. Jerome’s hands slide to from my arms to my hands and grip them tightly, grounding me. “Just breathe,” It’s almost a growl, and I am forced to listen, my breathing slowing down and my mind doing the same. The gunshots are still going off outside, accompanied by shouting, but I push them away for now. The biggest issue for me right now is Jerome. “How did you get out of your restraints?” I push him away, standing up. He scoffs, putting distance between us. “Well, sorry for helping.” “How?” I demand. “Easy. They’re not actually that secure, I can get out whenever I want.” “Then why didn’t you?” “Maybe I didn’t want to scare you off.” I tilt my head at him. I don’t understand. But I guess he doesn’t feel like explaining. He’s at the door, twisting the lock shut and pulling a cupboard in front of it. “So, this really isn’t you?” I take a step towards him hesitantly. He groans at the question and looks at me. “Do you really think if I wanted to break out, this is when I’d do it?” “I guess not.” My heart and breathing have slowed, but the fear still sits in my brain. People with guns never ends well for me. “What do we do?” “What d’you think?” He’s so infuriating. “Call the GCPD. Make sure they know. And then…” I look around the room, trying to figure out what we can use to defend ourselves. There are no guns, no weapons, nothing to fight with. Except… No, that won’t work. I let my logic take over and skip through every option available, searching for something that might give us a chance of surviving. “We can hide in the morgue. That’s another door between us and them.” “Fine.” I can tell Jerome doesn’t like the idea of calling the GCPD, but we don’t have any other option. I hurry to the old rotary phone that sits on the desk and dial 911, holding the receiver to my ear and gesturing for Jerome to go into the morgue. He shakes his head. I roll my eyes, gesturing again, but he shakes his head. I sigh and ignore him as a voice speaks to me. “Which service do you require?” “Police, please,” I say, trying to stay calm and trying to ignore Jerome shoving more furniture in front of the door. There’s a click as I’m connected. “Hello?” “This is the GCPD, what’s your emergency?” The voice on the other end of the line is almost bored, as though whoever it is is just going through the motions, waiting for their shift to end. Typical police. “My name is Harleen Quinzel, I’m a nurse at Arkham Asylum. The building is under attack, there’s people with guns. I’m trapped in the ward, barricaded in with a patient.” I blurt everything out to make sure I don’t’ get interrupted or dismissed. And I make sure not to mention who I’m with. “Thank you, Miss Quinzel. A squad will be on their way.” I’m about to ask what we should do, but he’s gone. I groan in frustration and slam the phone down. “They’re on their way,” I tell Jerome as I go to the door into the morgue and open it, “Now get inside.” “Ooh, so authoritative. I like it.” He smirks. I ignore him again or at least try to, the same way I try to ignore the ache in my chest that appears every time he flirts with me. I can’t pay attention to it. Can’t risk it. I follow him in and lock the door. “Harleen Quinzel locking me in a small room; all my wildest dreams come true.” He chuckles darkly. “Shut up.” “Okay.” And he does. I stare at him in shock. Jerome never shuts up. Never. “Look, do you know anything about this?” He sits up on a trolley as I start pacing the room, glancing at the door every time I turn, fearing the worst. “If you do, tell me. Now.” “I actually don’t, for once.” I sigh, continuing my pacing. Hopefully the GCPD gets here soon.

I always was an optimist.

Jerome and I have only been hiding in the morgue for a few minutes before there’s an almighty crash just outside. I jump up from my seat on the ground next to the drawers, Jerome doing the same from the trolley. “They’re through,” I whisper. I’m shaking again. “Just keep calm, Harls. You’re good at that.” Jerome mutters, his eyes focussed on the door. “I’m good at pretending to be calm. That’s different.” “Then pretend!” He half-shouts, half-whispers. I huff, but bite my lip and force myself to be prepared. To be brave. Like I was when Jerome had me. This is the same. Don’t be stupid, and run when you see an opportunity. Worked well enough last time.

I jump and slam a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming when there’s a ferocious pounding on the door. Jerome hushes me. He’s deadly serious. For once. I can hear voices, muffled by the thick metal. Then one of them shouts: “If you come out now, we won’t hurt you.” Jerome shakes his head at me but I don’t need him to. I know enough to know it’s a bluff, that we’ll open the door and they’ll kill us. So we wait, silent, steady, as they continue to speak. “Okay, you were warned!” The same voice calls. I take an almost instinctive step towards Jerome, to the vaguest sense of security I can get. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything. Thank fuck.

Something’s happening. I hear something, almost a laugh, then a hissing, like gas releasing. Exactly like gas releasing. It’s coming under the door, a grey smoke-like substance. Jerome and I move at the same time, pressing up against the far wall as the gas begins to fill the room. “Any idea what it is?” I ask, and he looks at me as though I’m an idiot. “You’re the smart one, you tell me.” “You’re the criminal!” There’s no point in staying quiet now as I can smell the gas. I try to hold my breath, Jerome doing the same, but there’s no point. I can smell it now, sweet and sickly. “It’s knockout gas,” I tell him, feeling my head start to go cloudy. “What?” Jerome coughs – it’s affecting him too. “They’re not killing us. They’re -” I cough, as my feet start to slide out from underwear. Suddenly, I’m on the floor. Jerome crouches down next to me, trying to get me to sit up, but instead, he falls too. My vision starts to go to dark, and the last thing I hear is the door being forced open before I fall into the icy unconsciousness.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

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