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dearvitya · 3 years

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YOI Fic Recs (Part 2)

Look through part 1 here!

Unsinkable (29k): Victor is a wealthy heir with a lonely soul. Yuuri is a poor dancer with a tender heart. The deck of the Titanic might be a very romantic place to meet your one true love, but it's not exactly a fortuitous one. [Titanic AU]

all the wrong turns (48k): After his disastrous Grand Prix Final, Katsuki Yuuri decides to try to be the first skater to land a quad axel in competition. It’s a secret from everyone, except the mysterious text correspondent who appeared in his phone contacts as “Poodle” following the Sochi GPF.

when pain is over, the remembrance of it often becomes pleasure (19k): Yuuri felt his body grow cold at the name; he had known a Mr. Nikiforov, once upon a time.

Five years after the implosion of their acquaintance, Mr. Viktor Nikiforov returns to —shire society, bringing in tow a young cousin. Mr. Katsuki must navigate these once-familiar waters without giving further offense, all while keeping his own heart firmly protected. [A Persuasion AU]

Love in Exile (99k): Once a well know ballet dancer in St. Petersburg, Victor Nikiforov finds himself exiled to Sakhalin Island as a political convict in 1881. As a man sentenced to katorga he will never return to European Russia or his life on the stage. Known as the "Edge of the World," his life on Sakhalin could not be further from the life he once knew. Strange circumstances lead his path to cross that of a young Japanese man, one of the very few still living on the island. Katsuki Yuuri leads a life of exile of a different kind, one that is largely self-imposed. Drawn to each other, despite their differences, something slowly begins to grow between them. When a narrowly avoided tragedy leaves them stranded together for a long, cold Sakhalin winter, they are challenged to face what their relationship really means, and what future it could possibly have.

Smooth Runs the Waters (3k): Inspector Yuuri Katsuki comes to Hillsborough Hall to investigate a murder most foul and its two primary suspects: newly widowed Victor Nikiforov and his younger brother Yuri Plisetsky.

The Other Side of Sunset (325k): 1874, Wyoming Territory: Yuuri Katsuki Taylor has got his future planned…mostly. Learn how to manage his adoptive parents’ ranch, and inherit it when he’s older. Get married and have kids (someday – not now). And most of all, carry on riding his horse with Phichit and the other ranch hands on the open range and in the mountains. But when he meets Victor Nikiforov, the striking and talented new master horseman at the neighboring ranch – and is treated to a show of his Cossack-style trick riding – his world will never be the same again…

A tale of love, loss, grief, redemption, and second (and third) chances, set in the Old West. [Cowboys AU]

Like a River to the Sea (41k): Gifts from the gods can come in strange wrappings. They can also be mixed blessings, as Victor will discover in time.Living alone on the island of Fleves, near Athens, the last thing Victor expects as he combs the beach one morning is a peculiar treasure that appears seemingly from nowhere in the shape of a handsome young dark-haired man... [Greek mythology AU]

pick lilacs for the passing time (68k): A spark flares up inside him, the vestige of some part of himself he thought long buried now resurfacing to—what, haunt him? And then he realizes. I want to dance with him, Yuuri thinks.

In which the outlandish prodigy Victor Nikiforov hits Yuuri’s life like a whirlwind after he transfers to a prestigious ballet conservatory in Moscow, two grumpy teenagers learn to be friends, and Mila’s Straight Girl CrushTM might not be so straight after all.

for better, for worse (18k): Yakov quirks an eyebrow. “Vitya, we are not having some grand ceremony."

“It doesn’t have to be grand! But the registration office? Signing some papers? Where is the romance in that?”

or: The Trials and Tribulations of Viktor Nikiforov, Six-Time World Champion and Wedding Planner Extraordinaire.

in the woods somewhere (32k): One evening in late autumn, Yuuri goes out to collect firewood. He returns with a man instead. (Viktor, Yuuri, and the end of isolation.)

The Death of Koschei the Deathless (39k): They tell tale of heroes, of men that slay monsters, and defy fate itself. Yuuri Katsuki is no hero. He's just a failed wizard trying to keep his shop afloat. This is the story of how Yuuri Katsuki fell in love with Viktor Nikiforov, and in doing so conquered death.

For the Record (10k): FOR THE RECORD by Viktor Nikiforov

What it takes to craft an Olympic Champion, and what it takes to be one.

Or: Viktor Nikiforov, sports journalist and retired figure skater, interviews Olympic Champion Yuuri Katsuki for an exclusive piece.

Happiness Writes White (37k): Yuuri falls asleep after his first day in St. Petersburg and wakes up in a strange hospital room. To his dismay, the last year of skating has all been a dream simulation designed to wake him from a long coma. Viktor Nikiforov is, in fact, not a figure skater at all, but the creator of the program, and this real world Viktor is nothing like the one he knows.

and you knew what it was (he is in love) (204k): Here's what's normal for Katsuki Yuuri: playing Quidditch, practicing spells, keeping to himself.

Here's what's not normal for Katsuki Yuuri: transferring to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his fourth year and getting to know his idol, International Quidditch Star Viktor Nikiforov.

But maybe there's a reason they say love is the greatest magic of all. [Harry Potter AU]

All Our Yesterdays (1M): York, England, 2120: Yuuri Katsuki is a dime-a-dozen techie, spending his days doing routine repairs at the university. He hangs out with his friend Phichit, goes for a drink, watches holograms. It’s an existence – but is it a life?

Crowood Castle, Yorkshire, 1392: As the son of a baron, Sir Victor Nikiforov makes judgements where lives hang in the balance. As a knight, he must sometimes end them. It’s what he was born to do – but what of the heavy burden on his soul? Death is all too commonplace, while life and love remain elusive.

When a brilliant scientist goes rogue, journeying to the Middle Ages with the world’s first time machine, Yuuri is stunned to be called on as the last hope of preventing her from changing history. After an abrupt departure, he lands at Crowood Castle disguised as an enemy of the Nikiforovs, Sir Justin le Savage – and will need to act the part if he is to survive. It’s a tall order for someone who can barely tell the back end of a horse from the front. But if Ailis, in her own disguise, discovers who he is, his mission will end in a blaze of laser-gun fire. He must not give his real identity away, even to the beguiling knight he’s falling in love with…

#yuri on ice #yoi #victuuri #victuri #anime #victor nikiforov #katsuki yuuri #katsuki yuri #viktor nikiforov #yuri plisetsky #sports anime #fics #fic recs #yoi fanfic #fanfiction #.txt

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oneofyatosfollowers · 3 years

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Happy Yato Day!

Fanfic: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13936397/1/The-Stray-Cowboy

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33158902

It was ironic that a little dusty down in the middle of nowhere would bear the name “Heaven,” especially since it’s been declining since her grandmother’s time. The town was built around a large natural spring that has been shrinking ever so slightly each year while the buildings only grew taller. Hiyori strolled down main street, her heels kicking up loose dirt which dusted the frills of her pink dress. Her father, the only doctor in town, had let her go for the day, giving her a break from replacing her run-away brother at the clinic. So, after visiting her friend, Ami, at the fabric store, and Yama out with the horses, Hiyori made her way to the saloon.

The building was two stories and housed a bar, a small stage, and tables with different games other cowboys could gamble on. Since this town held so much water and resources, it was a common place for vagabonds of all types to stop in and rest. The Inn was right next door, owned by the bar owner’s husband, it’s front often tied with horses. Hiyori’s eyes scanned the beasts for a familiar black mare with a short mane but was disappointed when she saw none. She entered The Lucky Lady, the batwing doors swinging behind her, eyes adjusting as she ignored the cat-calls.

“Hiyori!” The bartender called like they haven’t seen each other in years. The Lucky Lady, a spunky night-time-dancer named Kofuku, waved her friend over with a dirty cloth.

“Good afternoon, Kofuku,” Hiyori gave a short curtsy before taking a seat at the bar, “where’s Daikoku and Yukine?” She asked as her eyes scanned the bar, finally adjusted to the darker space.

“They’re tending to some of the horses behind the Inn. Yuki’s getting good at changing shoes you know,” Kofuku mused as she wiped down the bar, “although they’re not really who you’re looking for are they?” The comment shocked Hiyori out of her scanning. The teasing glimmer in the young woman’s eyes sparking a fire across Hiyori’s cheeks.

“Well! He did say he was coming back today and he’s supposed to be handling my job!” Hiyori sputtered. She crossed her arms with a huff and looked towards the door, waiting for the black silhouette of a certain hitman-turned-messenger-and-bounty-hunter. Unbeknownst to her parents, Hiyori had hired the man to find her missing brother. It felt off to put a secret bounty on her own brother, giving it to an enigma of a man recommended to her by Kofuku and Daikoku, but he’d stopped sending her letters almost a year ago and it had her worried.

“If there’s someone you want found, dead or alive, he’s your man,” The Inn owner had growled, “just don’t get too close.” The gruff man scoffed when his bubbly wife waved off his warning. Of course Hiyori was the strong, intelligent daughter of a doctor, who practiced cattle roping with her brother. She didn’t judge just based on one reputation, Hiyori had to see for herself. Especially with the reputation that particular cowboy had. No, if it weren’t for Yukine then Hiyori would have never hired him.

“Yukine!” Hiyori called when the boy in question walked in from the back. The young teen pulled off a black cutter that was too big for him, and revealed a puff of blonde hair. His hazel eyes popped up and he smiled at the sight of her.

“Hiyori!” He greeted, giving Daikoku the hammer and nails before heading to the bar. Yukine was one of the few people in this town Hiyori didn’t know since birth. Now, she didn’t know the whole story- the boy in question refusing to tell- but she did know the place he came from was not a very kind one. That, for one reason or another, the cowboy she hired to track her brother was the same one that saved Yukine from that place as a toddler. They traveled together since then, Yukine being dropped off at Kofuku’s place so the man could go on more dangerous jobs. Just like now. It was during those times, Hiyori had gotten to know the boy. Even early on, when Yukine would throw tantrums at being left behind or run away from strangers.

“He’s still not here yet?” Yukine sighed as he took a seat next to Hiyori. The boy gave a curtsey scan around the saloon, knowing the man’s figure too well to miss it.

“Sorry Yuki, he said more towards the sun down,” Kofuku reminded them of the last letter the messenger pigeon brought them. The blonde, becoming more and more like a teenager each day, scoffed and crossed his arms.

“Yeah, well, he better get here before Sheriff Bishamon gets back from her trip to the city. Otherwise he’ll just get chased out again.” Yukine soured at the thought, ready to hit the open road again. Hiyori knew a bit about how he felt. She’s felt the need to leave this dusty place, to hop on a horse and ride off into the sunset with nothing but your wit and a couple bullets at your side. But she could never do that to her parents, not like her brother did. Instead she lived through the stories Yukine brought back with him, after the cowboy in black strolled into Heaven like he owned it.

“How long is the sheriff gone for?” Hiyori asked. If the sheriff caught the man sneaking into town there would be a shotoff on sight.

“Oh who knows. I asked Uncle Ebi to keep her there for as long as possible so,” Kofuku shrugged, “I’m sure he’ll buy you two enough time to catch up.” The pink haired woman winked causing the two younger patrons to sputter with disgust.

“Don’t be gross! Hiyori could do so much better than that dusty rattlesnake!” Yukine hissed, insulting the one man he deemed as blood family. Still, the statement jolted something within Hiyori. A boxed up secret that’s been locked up tight since the man in question last rode out of town.

“Hey yeah! Our little Miss Hiyori still has a courtship with that gun dealer from the city,” Daikoku suddenly walked behind the bar, giving his wife a kiss on the head.

“Ukk! You mean Kouto? Hiyori, don’t tell me you’re still seeing that as-donkey,” Yukine quickly muffled his cursing, remembering he wasn’t out on the open road with a not-so-great role model. Daikoku raised a brow at the kid, muttering out a mental note to have a word with the kid’s kidnapper.

“I am not ‘seeing him,’ it is a one-sided courtship at best! One that I do not plan on pursuing,” Hiyori stood suddenly, face red enough to pass as sunburn, “so if you’ll excuse me. I’ll be back after dinner to see if-.” The young woman stopped short, half way from the bar to the door, when she realized the saloon had gone silent. Someone was approaching the planked doors, the sun casting a shadow across a smirk that could steal a golden fiddle from the devil. The room fell into hushed whispers as he pushed open the door and approached Hiyori with careless saunter. The various weapons and coins hidden among his long black coat clinked as his brown boots thudded against the squeaky floor. Since his hat was left in the care of a blonde boy, there was nothing obscuring his sharp gaze from meeting hers. The white ascot around his neck covered his grin to the others in the room, helping keep up with his dark and bloody reputation. If only they knew how sweet he really was.

“Hiyori,” his drawl was rough from breathing in nothing but hot desert dirt but she found his dust-smudged cheeks just as endearing. His blue eyes and smile didn’t waver from her, even as the men closest to him raised their hackles and fixed him with narrowed eyes. The cowboy stopped directly in front of her, much too close for an upper class employer and some hired vagabond. But despite the towns and names he’s buried six feet under, Hiyori met his eyes with a straight back and a confident smile.

“It’s nice to see you again, Yato.”

“A pleasure, Hiyori,” he chuckled. The two shared a moment for less than a second before a barstool behind Hiyori squeaked with movement.

“Finally! About time you got here!” Yukine said. Regardless, the kid was off his stool and across the floor in an instant, arms crossed and hat off, waiting for Yato to ruffle his hair. Which Yato did. Until he pulled the kid into a large hug, encasing the small boy in his leather coat with a happy laugh.

“There he is! My baby Yukine! Have you gotten smaller? Or bigger? Definitely bigger, look at those arms! Turnin into a big strong man now! Gone for a season and look at you! Did you keep my hat nice and safe like always?” Yato gushed.

“Blegh! You smell like horse shit and sweat! You disgusting loser! Get off me!” Yukine hollered, squirming out of Yato’s hold and shoving the man’s hat back in his arms. Yatolet the boy go, satisfied that the bar’s paterons went back to their drinking and card games. Hiyori could understand, having a cute child by his side made Yato look a little less like the hitman he once was. The boy stomped back to the bar, Yato smiling after him.

“Ya heading out?” Yato asked, placing his hat back at home on his head.

“Um nope! No,” Hiyori said. Yato’s smirk quirked back on and he nodded his head to the bar, pouting when Hiyori declined his offered arm.

“Oh Yatty! We missed you!” Kofukue leaned over the bar, her corset popping a string, as she pulled him into a hug.

“Hey Kofuku! Glad to be back,” Yato squeezed her, “thanks for watching the kid again.”

“Yeah, well, the kid’s welcome here anytime. You, on the other hand, got a long tab to pay.” Daikoku grumbled by the taps.

“It’d be easier if you just let me go with you,” Yukine said, haughtily. The kid watched the man that saved him take a heavy seat on the bar, removing his iconic twin shotguns from his shoulders and laying them on the wood. Hiyori took a seat on the other side of Yato, eyeing the long, silver double barrel guns. Her gaze tracing tiny flowers engraved on the metal. She knew without looking that the wooden butt of the guns had the names “Sekki” and “Setsu” carved into them when he was Yukine’s age. Of course, Daikoku’s rule about weapons on the bar went ignored as Yato gave Yukine a side eye from over his pint.

“Death Valley is called ‘the underworld’ for a reason, kiddo. It’s too risky for a youngin.” Yato said.

“I’m not a youngin! I’m fourteen!” Yukine spun on the stool, “and you were even younger when you started out.”

“Not by choice, Yukine.”

“Okay but I’m choosing to.” Yukine’s eyes narrowed even more when Yato just scoffed and took a large swig of cheap beer.

“Come on, Yato! You said it yourself, I’m turnin’ into a man now. I’ve been traveling with you for nearly a decade! I know how to shoot and lasso and care for horses and where to look for gold and know when it’s gonna rain! You taught me all of that and you always say when I’m older you would keep me with you all the time! On all your jobs, so why?” Yukine almost pleaded, frustrated. Hiyori bit her lip and looked from Yukine to Yato.

“Because I thought this one was going to be particularly dangerous. You know I don’t want you seeing that,” Yato finally said, setting his glass down with a clink, “besides, I was just going to poke around and gather information. If there was anything solid I’d come get you.”

“Is that right?” Yukine asked, unconvinced.

“‘Course. It’s not like you missed anything big. I just went around, did the normal askin, followed a couple hollow rumors, then came back. You would have been bored anyway. Why? You think I would lie about it?”

“Do I think you would? Yes. Cause you lie to make me feel better. You do it all the time.” There was a beat that no one commented on. Hiyori couldn’t bring herself to see Yato’s reaction to that attack on a very recent wound.

“Well that clearly isn't the case this time is it?” Yato said, then sighed and softened his tone, “there really was nothing Yukine but I just wanted to be sure. There’s no law in the underworld and I don’t want you anywhere near that place.” The man finally turned and fully faced the boy he claimed as his own. Yukine regarded Yato for a couple moments longer, just as water started to rise over his hazel irises. Suddenly and harshly, Yukine got off his seat.

“If you don’t trust me to have your back and you don’t want me around just say so. Stop coming back already.” Snarled Yukine. He left the saloon and Hiyori knew he would be heading to the Inn where one of the rooms was permanently his and Yato’s. Beside her, Yato chugged the rest of his beer then slammed it back on the counter with a sigh. Daikoku chided him and took it, wiping it clean with disdain.

“Don’t worry, Yatty. He’s at that age. Yuki didn’t mean it, he just missed you and rather go on your adventures than stay here,” Kofuku offered.

“That’s what he doesn’t get. They’re not adventures,” Yato scratched his neck, “I’m out of bullets.” The implication silenced the young women.

“Still, the boy’s right about one thing, he’s growin up. Can’t tell him what to do forever,” Daikoku eventually butted in, placing a new mug of beer in front of Yato.

“Watch me,” Yato pouted. That got a small giggle out of Hiyori which might have quirked the tip of Yato’s lip just a little. Kofuku and Daikoku hummed and shared a look. Eventually, Yato downed the rest of his drink before getting up.

“Hiiro is out back. Needs a bath,” Yato said.

“Pay for your beer.” Daikoku answered.

“Put it on my tab,” Yato knocked on the bar.

“Like hell-”

“Okie dokie, Yatty! See you at dinner!” Kofuku waved. Yato pointed at her with a finger gun, clicking as his thumb mimicked the hammer. He grabbed both gunstraps and lazily swung the weapons over one shoulder. Taking two steps, Yato looked over his shoulder, one blue eye meeting hers from under his hat.

“You comin?” Yato tilted his head. Despite the looks their friends gave her, a large smile grew on Hiyori’s face and she happily hopped off the stool.

“Yeah!” She followed the cowboy in grungy clothes out the bar and into the Inn. Since it was still late afternoon, the place was just about empty. The wooden rooms and wool sheets too hot on a summer day. Hiyori took a deep breath, feeling free from the stares of others in town with nothing to do but spread rumors. Still, she was very aware of the man standing behind her, always a bit too close, and she turned to face him. Hiyori would have to wait until later tonight to hear his tales. Yato was too good at telling stories and always insisted on drawing to go with it. Once Yukine finishes reading and goes to bed, Yato and the rest of the town congregate at The Lucky Lady for drinking, dancing, and music. It was then that Hiyori- and sometimes her teasing friends- would get Yato to herself.

“How are the folks?” Yato broke the silence.

“They’re okay. Since the water’s been going, my father’s been trying to find ways to give strong medicine that uses less water.”

“What a coincidence,” Yato hummed, “every lead I tried to follow on your brother ended up being about the water crisis.”

“You think he’s following the drought?” Hiyori asked, urgently.

“Couldn’t say. He’s never struck me as the heroic type, to go galavanting off and save the world; but it is suspicious. Unfortunately, once I got deep in the drought debacle his name would vanish,” Yato shrugged, “it’s all anyone’s talkin about.” At some point Yato’s shoulders slumped and Hiyori sighed. This was the fifth time Yato came back with dead ends. It wasn’t his fault. Not only was he right- in that her brother was known to ride by the seat of his pants- but the job required him to stay away for long periods of time. Tracking someone like that kept him away from Yukine and other people who missed him. Still, disappointment hung her head.

“I’m so sorry, Hiyori. I promise I’m going to keep looking.” Yato put a hand on her shoulder and Hiyori took it in both of hers.

“What about Yukine?”

“I don’t know. I’m gonna to take him this time around but- I just don’t know where this leads. And you know how he is. You’ve seen him loiter around the school house in the past. I just don’t think it’s good for him to be growin up on the run.” Yato mumbled. He twinded their fingers together and the box inside her jolted again, but settled when he did nothing more.

“Daikoku’s right, you know, every day it becomes more and more his decision.” Hiyori offered him a small smile. He blinked at her before the cocky smile Yato was known for grew across his lips. He brought their hands up and pressed a light kiss to the back of her glove.

“I’ve missed you, darlin’,” he said. The box inside her was getting harder to keep closed, memories of his previous visits flashing across Hiyori’s eyes. Really, she wondered if Daikoku knew she failed to heed his warning. It was no wonder people caught her staring at that horizon and sighing with longing.

“Yato,” Hiyori tried, pulling her hand slightly but not letting go. A look of hurt flashed across Yato’s face- so familiar to her own when she watched him leave and come back with new scars- and Hiyori almost wanted to hit him. But instead his eyes quickly darkened and he squeezed her hand.

“Don’t tell me you’re not a filly anymore? That gun smith with the cheap products gotcha or are your parents makin you drag your rope?”

“None of that!” Hiyori huffed. She took her hand back and turned around, arms crossed.

“Not that it has anything to do with anything! Since I hired you to find my brother while-”

“While you stay here and take his place and care for the family business and not go off with Kouto because that would be leaving ‘em behind,” Yato repeated, “come off it, Hiyori. Your parents are adults and you have your own life. Just admit you want to have your own adventure.”

“And where do you suppose I go? Just to wander around by myself? Or were you planning on taking me and not Yukine?” Hiyori whirled on him, tired of this do-si-do of a conversation.

“It’s too dangerous with me,” Yato said through grit teeth, hat tilted to cover his knitted brows.

“So what then? You’ll drop us off in random towns while you go back and forth?” Hiyori threw out without much of a bite. There was a moment of Yato staring at the floor and Hiyori rolled her eyes. Of course the fool of a man would think that was a good idea. She stepped back in front of him and reached under his hat to pinch his cheek.

“Ow!” Yato flinched away. He rubbed his cheek like some little kid who got a light smack and Hiyori snorted. How did she once fear him? His pout was back but not for long, blue eyes softening at her laughter.

“I just want you to be happy. You only get one life you know,” Yato said, hand dropping from his cheek.

“And I’ll decide what I want to do with it. Just like Yukine.” Hiyori’s reminder quieted the cowboy down.

“I just don’t want to drag him into another one of my mistakes. He deserves better.” Yato said. Hiyori frowned, reminded of Yukine’s earlier comment.

“He doesn’t blame you.” She offered. About ten years ago, when Yato traveled with a group of bandits who’s name struck fear into the hearts of all who heard it, they rode into Yukine’s place of birth. Hiyori had met Yukine, seeing Yato in passing now and again, she came to understand Yukine’s memory of that night was hazy at best. That was until a year ago, Yato first took off to find Hiyori’s brother, and the boy’s memories resurfaced. He confronted Yato, learning the fate of his birth town.

“I know he doesn’t blame me but you saw how he was. How he gets when I pull the trigger. I worry he’ll grow to resent me.” Yato sighed, “you know, I remember that night like it was yesterday. I was young and he was so tiny, the town was burnin down all around us, his loved ones were bloody behind ‘im. Just as I turned Hiiro around to run, he ran after me with his little arms up. I scooped Yukine up without thinkin and took off in the opposite direction of the group.

“I don’t know how but Hiiro and I managed to run for an entire night and I didn’t put him down for one second. It wasn’t until Hiiro finally bucked us off that I realized he hadn’t moved. I- haha- I actually thought he was dead and I had been carryin’ ‘round a corpse. But when I looked down, his head buried in my chest, he peaked up at me with big doe eyes. No tears, no fear. We passed out right there in the dirt. I thought he’d be okay but he didn’t speak at all. I was gonna drop him off at the next town but I just-. He wouldn’t talk- barely looked at me- but was stuck to my side like he was made of molasse or somethin’.” Yato was staring off into the distance, not realizing he was still talking. Hiyori watched and listened quietly, as she often did. Something must have happened in the underworld and she wanted to let him cope. Twelve people was twelve too many for a kind man like him.

“The little bastard grew on me. Starin at me while I babbled, sleepin on my tummy, clutchin my coat and tuggin to sit up front. Honestly, when I stretched, he stretched, I pissed, he pissed, I cleaned my guns, he’d use a stick, when I held onto the reins, he’d grabbed ‘em too,” Yato sighed again, voice wavering, “But he was so nervous around me, jumpy. Always looked at me to make sure he could move even an inch- wouldn’t even eat until I told him to. He deserved better. I figured Kofuku and Daikoku would want him to raise as their own. When I got here and I thought he was comfortable enough, I mounted to get ready to go but he came running out crying. Sobbing even. His arms up at me. That was- that was the first time I heard him speak. He said ‘don’t leave!’ And I just couldn’t. Sure I stayed for a year or so but I couldn’t keep out of work that long. And he used to be okay- happy even- when I’d give ‘im my ascot or hat to keep safe till I came back.” Yato’s eyes were covered but his lip trembled before he bit it, trying to control his breathing.

Yukine’s recent confrontation about that day- the accusations and disappointment Yukine regretted saying- scratched every wound of guilt Yato felt. It was hard to smile for a child that looked up to you while you blamed yourself for his circumstances. It was even harder to keep leaving. They did make up, as they always did, but it had been a painful experience that Yato still hasn’t forgiven himself for; no matter how much Yukine reassured him.

“Yukine remembers everything and still choose you. He looks up to you, Yato, and loves you just as much. Yukine’s not going to suddenly regret everything and leave,” Hiyori put a hand on his chest, “and neither will I.”

“I don’t know about the ‘look up to’ part but uh,” Yato swallowed thickly around a wobbling smile.

“It’s true, I can tell,” Hiyori leaned in to whisper, “you know he calls you his dad when he talks about you.”

“He does not!” Yato gasped.

“We promised not to say anything.”

“Uh-huh,” Yato looked down quickly then back, “and what do you call me when I’m gone.”

“Saddle Bum,” Hiyori stated.

“Yeah,” Yato sighed, “you got me there.” He huffed out a laugh which only got stronger the more they looked at each other.

“We should probably get Yukine,” Hiyori suggested.

“You’re right,” Yato said, “as usual. Bested again by Miss Iki. Just can’t argue with you, the lush oasis saving me from my weary travels.” They made their way up the stairs and down the hall of bedrooms.

“That’s right, you can’t. So stop trying.” Hiyor playfully huffed.

“Yes ma’am,” Yato swooned. Turns out Yukine wasn’t in their room and instead was around the back of the saloon to tend to Hiiro. By the time the two moseyed around the two buildings, Yukine had washed down the horse- the mare really loved water- and was cleaning her hooves. Hiiro was a short, exceedingly loyal, black horse who hated when her mane got too long and had the most fickle personality even with people she liked. Her ears twitched as her rider walked towards them, shifting back and forth, as Yukine leaned against her hindquarters and scrapped at her back hoof.

“You were right, you really do have the hang of that,” Yato whistled. Running his hand along her clean hair. She snapped at Yato but nickered when Hiyori patted her pink nose.

“She doesn't like it when you do it,” Yukine shot after a couple beats.

“Of course she does,” Yato said, skirting around the horse. Hiyori chose to stay by Hiiro’s front, watching Yukine give Yato a quick glare over his shoulder.

“So, when are you leaving?” Yukine growled. Hiyori tried not to suck in air too loudly as Yato’s wide eyes flickered to hers then back.

“N-not for a while. Gotta go over the clues and make a more solid plan,” Yato’s boot kicked the dirt, “I’m gonna need your help with that. Like always,” he tried. Yukine was not impressed, hardly sparing Yato a scoff.

“Why bother? It’s clear you don’t trust me to watch your back.” The blonde muttered. Finally, Yato’s hands fell out of his pockets and his attitude grew into something more serious.

“What gave you that idea?” Yato followed the kid around to the other hoof, brows knitted. This time, Yato was ignored and the cowboy tapped the kid with his boot.

“Yato,” Hiyori warned under her breath.

“Hey,” Yato tapped Yukine’s side again, “would I have given you twin pistols if I didn’t trust you with them behind my back?” The tip of his boot nudged one of the revolvers at Yukine’s hip, silver twins just like Yato’s, named “Blessed” and “Burial.” That got the teen to look up at Yato, frown still in place.

“No,” Yukine mumbled.

“And you know why? Cause you only give-”

“Cause you only give weapons to those who have your back and disarm those who don’t, I know,” Yukine parroted.

“I need to get more phrases,” Yato muttered as he scratched his head.

“But giving weapons is not the same! I want to be with you! I want to do all the same things you do, by your side! I mean I’m supposed to be your-!” Yukine bit his lip and quickly refocused on Hiiro’s hoove. Yato’s eye brows rose to his hat for a moment before a grim expression took root.

“I killed twelve people in the last four months,” Yato stated. There was a beat of silence as the wind pushed a tumbleweed across the ground. Yukine tried to hide the shock- the horror- that shot across his face, but Yato caught every inch of it.

“So what?” Yukine spat weakly, “you act like I’ve never seen someone die.”

“I don’t want you to see anymore.”

“Well that isn’t your choice is it? Or do you not want me to be like you that badly? I was there too, you know.” Yukine finally snapped, whipping around to glare at Yato. There were tears in his eyes, boiling with frustration, but no one commented on it. Yato couldn’t think of anything to say and Hiyori clenched Hiiro’s reins. The mare was getting restless with her rider’s change in attitude.

“I know you were there and I’m sorry,” Yato confessed, “I’m not anyone you should strive to be. You don’t have to be anything for me, you don’t owe me nutin.” He kicked at the ground again and Hiyori wanted to roll her eyes. Honestly, such a fool of a man.

“I know that,” Yukine muttered too, now just as embarrassed, “I’m not trying to owe you. I just think-” the boy’s face rose in temperature and neither man could look at each other or address their feelings. Eventually Yato let out a huge sigh mixed with a groan.

“Well, everyone’s telling me what a man you are now and that I gotta let you make your own decisions. Can’t keep you caged forever or that won’t protect you in the long run,” Yato finally relented.

“So I can come? With you?” Yukine sprang to his feet, “and you’ll stop dropping me off here? I can be with you for every job?” Fists balled Yukine stood on the tips of his matching boots to stare wide eyed at Yato. The man blinked again, something fragile crossing his eyes before he smiled.

“Suppose so. Unless you want to come back, which you can any time,” Yato said.

“Yes!” Yukine suddenly remembered he was supposed to be an adult and straightened out, “and you promise this time? No tricks? No lies? No gimmicks?” He pointed up at Yato who finally snorted out a laugh.

“Nothin of the sort, o partner o’ mine,” Yato held up a hand, “honest.”

“Both hands,” Yukine narrowed his eyes. With a scoff Yato held up both hands like he was at gunpoint.

“I swear it,” Yato vowed, “on my only son.” Finally the dam broke and Yukine went back to his beaming smile.

“Yes!” Yukine pulled at his own ascot, “I won’t let you down! I promise!” The boy crouched to gather his materials only for Yato to crouch with him.

“I know you won’t, you’re my kid after all,” Yato took off his hat and put it on Yukine’s head, smushing it down with a laugh, “and I’m mighty proud of ya.” The two boys shared a laugh and Hiyori finally turned and gave them their space.

“But chu-know, we gotta get you your own hat. The tips of my ears are all crusty,” Yato gripped.

“Just get a different hat!”

“It’s my hat!”

“Then don’t leave for so long!”

“I don’t understand why you can’t just get your own hat.”

“I had one! Before you made me drop it in the river!”

“Oh I made you, yeah okay, and who made you that hat in the first place?”

“Well you should-” Yukine continued to argue, back with his old spunk. Hopefully they would get to spend some time together before she watched the two of them leave this place behind. That painful tug in her chest was getting harder to ignore.

Until a gunshot sounded across the desert and embedded itself in the dirt. Hiiro reared into the air, letting out a cry of alarm as Yato and Yukine readied their arms. Hiyori immediately ran to the back of the buildings and hid behind a small pile of crates. While shoot outs didn’t happen as often as they did in other towns, they were enough for her to know what to do. A tall figure stepped gracefully off of a blonde, raggedy stallion, high heel boots crusting the dirt beneath. Another couple figures in matching law uniforms dismounted but didn’t ready their weapons. Instead they eyed the standoff with wariness and annoyance. Hiyori sighed and stepped out from her hiding spot but stayed several feet away. Bent at Yato’s side, Yukine stood but kept one gun pointed, sharing a nod to the deputy sheriff across the way, who did the same. Meanwhile, Yato’s smile shifted to a dangerous grin which was replied with a snarl.

“Skank.” Yato greeted Sheriff Bishamon.

“Vermin.” The blonde growled in return. Deputy Kazuma tried to calm her, reminding her that Yato’s previous transgressions have been pardoned and he has yet to cause another. But his pleas went unheard. The two took slow steps forward, guns steadily aimed right between the eyes.

“You got nerve showin’ your face in my town,” Bishamon said.

“Why’s that? Don’t tell me it’s not big enough?” Yato joked. This didn’t go over well, the woman took a shot in front of Yato’s feet. The man yelled some sort of curse as he stumbled back, pushing Yukine behind him despite the kid’s protests. Yato’s gun remained pointed, trained by experience. Though the cowboy was clearly at a disadvantage, the sheriff having two bands of bullets criss-crossing over her chest.

“Come on, I’m just here for some good drinks, a fun time at Kofuku’s,” Yato said, “besides, shouldn’t you be on vacation? Aren’t you back a little early?” The man took another step. Hiyori’s fists tightened as she saw the hand signals Yato was giving Yukine from behind his back.

“That deviersion you had Miss Kofuku do? To have me run to her uncle while you tried to sneak around in my town? Not a chance.” Her eyes hardened but Deputy Kazuma already had a hand on her gun. It wasn’t until Yato’s eyes slid to meet Hiyori’s- the question clear in his expression- that the box from deep within shook and burst open. The confirmation she gave was with the tiniest of nods and their eye contact was over just as fast as it started. In an instant the situation changed; Yukine had mounted Hiiro who rose to her hindlegs with a loud cry and soon Yato was up too, shooting at the law’s horses to scare them. While Bishamon was distracted, Yato took the reins from Yukine and drove Hiiro towards the young lady.

“Wha-? What are you doing? You idiot!” Yukine was already turned around, guns pointed behind them, watching Yato’s back. The kid went ignored, Yato had his eyes trained on Hiyori’s, intense stare eclipsing his grin.

“Come on!” Yato held out his hand. Hiyori moved without another thought, grabbing his hand and letting herself be yanked on the thundering black stead. Her body fell roughly across the blackened cowboy.

“Wait!” Hiyori cried as they dashed around the corner and down the main road, “what about our-? My things?” Her concerns were covered by wisps of her hair and Hiyori had to brush them aside to see Yato throw his head back and laugh.

“Relax! We’re just taking a stroll until the armadillo-woman cools off,” Yato looked down at her and winked, “we haven’t danced at Kofuku’s yet right?”

“Gross! Stop being such a creepy old man! You’re lucky Daikoku even lets you back into that bar!” Yukine yelled at them. Yato’s laughter was contagious and soon it spread to Hiyori, the young woman clinging to the cowboy as he took her on an adventure.

#noragami #noragami fanfic #fanfic #noragami au #western au #yato #yukine #hiyori #Hiyori iki #yato day #happy yato day!!

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norsunluu · 5 years

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Mortal Kombat 11, Could They Get It?

(No DLC)

Jade - 100%. Revenant or not that woman is fit af and I’m a sucker for green costuming. 10/10

Erron Black - I do dig the cowboy outlaw thing. BUT he probably thinks he doesn’t have to wash his hands after pissing. Also, I have a cousin named “Aaron” and the name is too close. 3/10

Kabal - Nah. He would not take my needs into consideration. Would last less than five minutes. Looks like fuckin’ Karl Ruprecht Kroenen from Hellboy and I ain’t about to bone that absolute abomination. -1/10

Kung Lao - Homeboy can get it. You just know he’s gonna keep going until you finish too. He is not going to insult his ancestors by leaving you unsatisfied. 9/10

Sub Zero - Dumb question. This beefcake cold get. This. Ass. You know that thing where you put ice in your mouth before going down on someone? Nuff said. 10/10

Scorpion - Is he sexy? Sure. But would he be a good lover? Not at all. Far too consumed with avenging literally everyone to even think about coochie. 2/10

Cetrion - Like Jade she’s got the green goin’ on but she takes it to the next level with matching hair. Got a Poison Ivy vibe. I would worship her like the goddess she is. 10/10

Frost - The hair? The eyes? The arms? She’s definitely not into it for a relationship after nor would she even return a call, but she could top me any day. 8/10

Baraka - NOPE. HELL TO THE NO. Look at that motherfucker. Demonic durian fruit lookin’ ass. Dick probably barbed like a cat’s. Can’t hold onto any part of him. Be droolin’ all over you. Got less lip that an English dude. And he’d probably eat me. (Not in the way that I want). -11/10

D’Vorah - She may be hot but don’t need her whole family present for the main event. And you know no matter how good you are she’s going to talk shit. Even though she makes you do all the damn work. 5/10

Raiden - Maybe a little sucky suck for all he’s done for earth, but eh. 4/10

Geras- This construct is the definition of beefcake. I would climb him like a tree. Unfortunately, he can also rewrite history so you’ll never know what it was truly like. Was it actually mind-blowing? Or was it two minutes of missionary in the dark? You’ll never know. 8/10

Kano - Am I a slut for that facial hair? Yes. Blame Wolverine and Sabretooth. Straight up dickhead though. Would have ZERO respect for my body. Probably into some weird ass kink. Would leave me handcuffed in a cell for later. No thanks. 3/10

Jax Briggs - Fuck the police. But I would fuck this officer. Show me what them cybernetic arms do, baby. 10/10

Cassie Cage - She’s very cute. Reminds me of Tinkerbell. Not really big on blondes. Doesn’t seem like she’d be assertive in the bedroom at all. 3/10

Kotal Kahn - He’s green. He’s buff. And yet, I’m just not feelin’ it. 5/10

Scarlet - Cool look but I hate mosquitoes. nope. 1/10

Sonya Blade - This milf has the thigh power to crush my skull like a melon. Tempting, but she’s too busy for sex. 6/10

Johnny Cage - Boring. Not everything is about you, Johnny. He has never made a woman cum in his life. And I’m not giving him the chance to start with me. I’m not appalled but I’m also uninterested. 1/10

Noob Saibot - The embodiment of evil is not going to do any foreplay. And he won’t use lube either. Hell no. 0/10

Kollector - I ain’t gonna lie, I’m intrigued. The extra arms could be fun and he’s got that build I love. But he could also use those arms to stuff me into his bottomless backpack. 2/10

Kitana - No question here. Kitana was one of my first crushes. I would do anything this woman asked of me. Anything. 11/10

Jacqui Briggs - Gorgeous. Strong and brave like her father. Tough af. Top me please. 10/10

Liu Kang - If you think I’m not about to ride the chosen one into the sunset, you’re a fool. Look at those fuckin’ arms and that kickass hair. Fuck me up, dragon daddy. 11/10

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ask-edd · 4 years

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((Have a little MattDan fic I wrote earlier for funsies. I think it fits them right now :3c ))

“Would it be too cliche if we matched clothes a little?” Matt stands in his closet, digging through outfit after outfit.

"We wear the same thing every day, wouldn't it be weird to change it up?" Dan sits on Matt's bed, fiddling with his hoodie strings. He's right though, they just wear their hoodies all the time.

"Yeah, but what if, to really sell the point that we're dating, we wear something different!" Matt pulls out two outfits and shows them to Dan. "Should we go with my purple or your green?” He presents the outfits, both of which are in fact purple and green.

“Well, you pull off purple and green on a daily basis, so that wouldn’t be much of a change,”

“Oh true. I could just get a hoodie just like yours.”

“Yeah, but it wouldn’t get here very quickly.” ‘Right. And I don’t wanna wait any longer to tell them.”

“Which is why we should just tell them now!”

“But there’s no flair there!”

Dan flops backwards and huffs at his boyfriend. “What if we don’t do purple or green? Like we go with a whole different color?”

“I’m listening.” Matt says, putting the outfits away.

“What if we go with…” Dan trails off, lost in thought as he tries to think of a color that’s not associated with any of his friends. “Brown!” “Brown? It’s such a neutral color though.”

“Yeah, but it goes good with everything! Like we do!”

“Dan.”

“...What?”

“That’s brilliant!”

Matt wastes no time hurrying to the brown section of his closet, which is admittedly smaller than his other sections. Dan can hear the sound of plastic hangers clinking together as Matt searches, which he finds just a bit entertaining.

“AHA!”

“Find something?” Dan asks, sitting upright and looking over at Matt.

“Yep! Behold!” He retrieves an outfit from his closet: dark brown denim jeans and a cream-colored button up shirt. “Now I know what you’re thinking, this looks simple, right? Well look over here!” He hurries over to the purple side of his closet and retrieves a dull purple vest. “Brown and purple cowboy!”

Dan gets a good chuckle out of that, but he’s a bit confused. “If you wear that, what am I supposed to wear?”

“Simple!” He places the outfit next to Dan on the bed before going back to the brown clothes in his closet. He does some scanning and finds a similar outfit, albeit with minor differences, like the shirt being short sleeved and the pants being cuffed at the bottom. He heads to the green section and retrieves another vest. But he’s not done just yet! He sets those on the bed before heading over to his accessory dresser. After digging through it for a few minutes, he finds two bandannas, a green one and a yellow one. He places them on the corresponding outfits and gives Dan an expectant look.

“Well? What do you think?”

Dan takes a short moment to smile to himself before giving Matt a nod. “They’re great!”

“Perfect! Let’s get dressed!”

With that they face away from each other and start getting undressed. After a few minutes, they’re dressed like gay cowboys with their respective colors. They take a moment to look at themselves in one of Matt’s many mirrors.

“Well, I think we look great!” Matt beams as he adjusts his green bandanna.

“Yeah! We’re ready to get out there to herd some cattle and ride off into the sunset together!” Dan agrees, making sure his vest is on straight.

“Alright. Let’s tell them.”

“Yeah!”

They both hurry downstairs and see the lads all hanging out in the living room. Before they can say anything, Tord turns to see them, looking their outfits over.

“Really? That’s it?” “What?” Matt looks at him quizzically.

“That’s what you’re wearing to tell us you and Dan are together now?”

“Wha- How’d you know that?? It was supposed to be a surprise!”

“Dude you talk a lot fucking louder than you realize, we all knew what was happening the moment we heard ‘Yeah, but what if, to really sell the point that we're dating, we wear something different!’.” Tord says in a mocking tone.

“I mean.. You did yell that part…” Dan mumbles, a bit dejectedly.

“Whatever. We look fabulous regardless of your salty attitude.” Matt sticks his tongue out at Tord who responds with his favorite finger.

“Congrats, by the way.” Edd notes, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“Yeah, welcome to the club. We got jackets coming in soon.” Tom says just a little bit sarcastically.

Matt crosses his arms and huffs as Dan pats his arm. “My jacket better be green.”

#writing #eddsworld #ew matt #ew dan #ae shipping

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 5 years

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Episode 124: Lion 4: Alternate Ending

“Please tell me my destiny.”

We’ve had Ronaldo as a toxic gatekeeping fan intent on harassing the creator. We’ve had Lars as a disappointed fan whom the creator is desperate to impress. We’ve even had Navy as a false fan who’s only interested in robbing the creator’s spaceship (arguably a rarer breed than the first two). So now it’s time for the obsessive clue-hunter, who parses through the creation so deeply that the original meaning gets lost in the shuffle. And this time, our fan stand-in is Steven.

Lion 4: Alternate Ending is an episode about Steven trying to ruin Lion 3: Straight to Video. All the magic from that first glimpse of Rose Quartz threatens to be extinguished through overanalysis, to the point where his discovery of a new tape is met with dread instead of excitement. For all the Steven Universe fans that get frustrated by Steven not being as invested in the lore as they’d like, well, this is what happens when Steven gets as invested in the lore as you’d like.

To be clear, I don’t think Steven succeeds in ruining Lion 3, especially because the conclusion of Lion 4 manages to enhance its predecessor. I also don’t think it’s a bad thing that he tries: it fits his post-Storm in the Room state to tear through whatever evidence he's got to figure out why he was born, and it’s properly painful to see him so desensitized to the wonder of Rose’s tape that he’s reduced it to a possible decoded message. What better way to express how Steven feels than tainting a pivotal moment with his mother?

I’m super into stories where a mystery to the characters isn’t a mystery to the viewer: the core example is Cowboy Bebop episode Speak Like a Child, where our 2070s crew is trying to solve the case of a strange antique object that a 1990s audience already knows is a videotape (although a fifth of the way through the twenty-first century, we’re already getting removed from an era where modern audiences would know what a Betamax is, even as a cultural relic). Because the writers don’t have to try to fool us, we can focus more on how the characters tackle a problem instead of trying to beat them to the punch with our own deduction skills. I wouldn’t call Lion 4 the most concrete example of this sort of story, as it’s not impossible that Rose was leaving encrypted messages behind, but to me at least the “twist” that Rose’s tape wasn’t part of some dubious master plan is obvious enough that I can just enjoy the ride.

“Enjoy” is perhaps the wrong word, because while this is an excellent episode, it’s not a fun one. There are comedic moments, because this is still Steven Universe, but watching a kid at the end of his rope struggling to understand his place in the world is bound to be harrowing stuff. Steven’s determination is compounded by his solitude: the Crystal Gems are pointedly absent, as the last time he asked them for answers his dad got abducted to a space zoo and it’s easy to confuse correlation with causation. So it’s just Steven and Lion for most of the episode, and it’s telling that Lion answers Steven’s final cry for help by bringing him to see his dad. Some things can only be fixed by talking, and for all his strengths, Lion isn’t a great conversationalist.

Before we get to Greg, this Steven/Lion solo outing uses constant activity to sidestep the dullness factor that bogged down Steven’s Lion. After a strong first impression of Steven’s mental state as he scours Rose’s tape for clues, going so far as to try to find meanings in anagrams, Lion revs up the plot by retching up a giant key. I love that Steven’s first thought is the same as mine, and likely yours: the chest in Lion’s mane that we first saw in Lion 3, which unlike Bismuth remained a mystery (and it still is, because we never saw what Steven found in there between Change Your Mind and the movie). Even though the key is comically oversized, Steven ignores the obvious and keeps trying to make it fit. So right off the bat, we get two little stories about Steven looking for answers where there clearly aren’t any and doubling down despite the futility out of sheer desperation for the truth.

From here we get a montage of past locations a la Marble Madness and Warp Tour, accompanied by a gorgeous medley of location themes from Aivi and Surasshu; I will never not complain that we don’t get to have an album of their scoring, because this episode’s soundtrack is one of their best. Visiting the Armory harks back to Lion 2 as the tape did for Lion 3, and we also get a glimpse of Rose’s Fountain and Rose’s Room to continue our references to the many known areas tied to Steven’s mom. When nothing works, Steven pleads with Lion for more information, aware by now that the cat has some answers.

While I’m not huge on Steven’s Lion as an episode due to the aforementioned dull pace, it’s awesome to see our heroes return to where Lion was first found. Buddy’s Book already did a great job of reminding us of Lion’s desert home, but now it’s time to finally investigate the area further.

Jesse Zuke and Raven Molisee paired up for our last episode, leaving their usual respective partners Hilary Florido and Paul Villeco at bat for Lion 4. The ragtag team has so far given us rich visuals, with a particularly expressive Steven and Lion (crucial for the non-talking member of the duo) and a callback to the lovely settings of the past, but every aesthetic choice they make is topped by the desert run. It’s a beautiful shot, evoking the iconic ocean run of Lion 2, but Steven’s exhaustion (aided by Zach Callison’s beleaguered performance as he narrates his thoughts) tinges the scene with melancholy where there was once only magic. Steven’s desperation is no longer the frenzied need from when Greg was kidnapped, or even from the beginning of this very episode, but has been worn down to a weary determination that just breaks your heart. This is Charlie Brown after a yanked football too many; he hasn’t been thrown a single bone in his search for answers, and this might be his last chance.

I try not to include too many images in these reviews, because they can mess with the flow of the text, but screw it this shot is also amazing:

The pyramid-like structures leading to the locked door are the first we see of a new hidden getaway, and retrospect makes Steven’s plight even worse: as we learn in Legs From Here to Homeworld, all he had to do was touch one of them to get a major hint about Rose’s true identity.

It wouldn’t have solved everything, as Garnet would likely assume they were spoils of war, Amethyst wouldn’t recognize them, and Pearl would keep her mouth shut. And it would’ve ruined the pacing of the mystery for such a strange hint to be presented, so from a storytelling perspective it makes total sense to keep this in the backburner. And it’s not like it’s that weird that Steven doesn’t feel compelled to touch what seems to be a couple of statues when he’s spent the whole episode looking for a lock and it’s right in front of him and he just survived hours of desert travel. But knowing what we know now adds to the drama of how close our hero is to the truth he deserves.

In yet another bummer, Rose’s hidden landfill is worn down to the point where most of the walls had collapsed, meaning Steven didn’t even need the key. Which isn’t to say the key wasn’t important, as it prompts his trip in the first place, but it’s just one more way that the universe seems to be throwing unnecessary hurdles at him. In the same vein, Lion not only could’ve warped him to the destination as he mentions, but he could’ve done so without hacking up the key in the first place. But we’re long past the point where we should expect straight answers from Lion, so I forgive the big lug.

The first thing that came to my mind when Steven saw the dump wasn’t Amethyst’s room, although there are obvious similarities. It was Greg’s storage locker, the place where we first talked about Rose all the way back in Laser Light Cannon, the place where Greg expressed confusion about why a magic woman fell for a regular guy like him. And as frustrated as Steven is, this room is a wonderful unspoken answer to that distant question: among Rose’s many imperfections was that, like Greg, she was kind of a slob. It’s so nice to have a mundane flaw after nearly a full season of focusing on her as a liar and murderer, especially a flaw that reminds us of why she and Greg were so great for each other.

But yeah, Steven isn’t interested in subtext, and his tantrum is both realistic and reasonable. He finds the tape for Nora by accident, right after kicking some garbage in anger, and this is where that Speak Like a Child oomph comes in. It’s crystal clear that the tape was a backup in case Steven was a girl, but he’s so primed for lies and complications that the obvious answer eludes him and he suspects the worst. I honestly can’t blame him. If you learned out of nowhere that your mom killed someone, who’s to say you don’t have secret siblings?

The contrast between harsh desert and soothing sunset is another treat for the eyes, readying is for a cooldown after two distressing acts. Greg’s excitement over seeing the old tape blinds him to Steven’s angst in a way that adds honest tension to the exchange, because he’s trying to give Steven a fun treat but has no idea how much anguish his son has been through to get to this point. To Greg, telling Steven the answers outright would be ruining the moment, but the wait is already killing the kid. In an episode without an external villain it’s such a clever way to present a final “confrontation” to overcome.

When we finally see the tape, it becomes even more apparent that it was a backup for a hypothetical daughter. Still, I love how the strange new version of a video we know and love is only half-seen, as we focus so much on Steven’s reaction at the expense of footage. Where he was once gazing at the marvels of a new glimpse of his mother, his eyes are now furrowed in frustrated concentration. As in Lion 3, he has a viewing partner, and Greg’s welling tears mirror those of Steven and Sadie from the first tape, highlighting that the Steven of the present isn’t feeling an ounce of tenderness.

Tears do come for Steven, but in the form of anxious release. When he’s told that he’s Nora, meaning he’s the person the tape was intended for, Steven still doesn’t get it and exclaims that he’s his mom and his sister; it’s sort of a joke, but boy is it rough to hear him slip that in some way he does see himself as his mom rather than his own person. So thank goodness he’s saying this stuff to Greg, who’s calm at first but leaps to the occasion when Steven frantically asks why he exists.

As is standard by now, Greg's got fatherhood down cold. He adjusts his tone to show he’s taking Steven seriously, but rather than jump in he sits his son down and lets him talk. He addresses Steven’s concerns gently but firmly, leaving no room for doubt that he’s loved and appreciated no matter what. He brings himself into the conversation by saying he changed his name, doing so not to turn the topic to himself but to reassure Steven that it’s okay to not be stuck on one identity. And just look at how perfectly our three main characters exist in the shot during this last talk:

Steven gets those happy post-tape tears after viewing the last part of the video, and our happy ending is earned, but it’s not a full victory. Rose still had issues, but at least Steven has gained some confidence back that she wasn’t all bad. He’ll go back and forth on how much guilt he feels for her actions, but at the very least he knows now that his decisions to try and atone for her mistakes are his to make, and not a mandate from a dead parent looking for an escape route.

Whiiiiiiich means that now he’s able to try and feign a sense of control over helpless situations by assigning blame to himself in new, exciting ways. Hey, it’s not like the show could’ve solved all his problems less than halfway through Act III of the series. Lion 4 thus doesn’t have the conclusive oomph of Lion 3, which closed a trilogy of Lion Episodes as well as the stage of the show where Rose was a well-realized but distant idea more than a full character. For all its strengths, Lion 4 feels much more like Just Another Episode. But that’s okay. It doesn’t owe the past a thing.

Future Vision!

Again, those pyramids return in a major way, because they’re not pyramids.

Greg talks about Garnet’s inability to predict things about Steven, which is an element of their relationship throughout the show but gets major focus soon in Pool Hopping.

Escapism blends the two big Lion Runs by setting it back on the ocean, but making the passenger an exhausted Steven facing one last ordeal before relief in the form of his dad with a guitar.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It doesn’t make the top twenty, it does make the top twenty-five. Just like Bismuth right before our hundredth episode, this doesn’t mean much now, but it will next time, because I’m expanding again to a Top Twenty-Five when we hit the big One Two Five with Doug Out.

Top Twenty

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

When It Rains

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

6. Horror Club 5. Fusion Cuisine 4. House Guest 3. Onion Gang 2. Sadie’s Song 1. Island Adventure

(Kind of unbelievable to me that a Lion Sequel doesn’t have official promo art, but luckily we have discount-supervillain’s measured take on what Nora Universe would realistically look like.)

#lion 4 #lion 4: alternate ending #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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writing-promp-ts · 5 years

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gay things i’ve done before i realized i was gay

-i once got into a fight with some boys over a girl in elementary school

-i don’t think it was the same girl but i once also sacrificed myself on the playground of free for all tag for a girl so she could keep playing

-i drew (very bad) pics of girls kissing

-that child wlw moment when you get a crush on a girl and you don’t know how to express your feelings so you sprinkle grass on her head (ya i did that too)

-7th grade i had a crush on one of my girl friends and i justified that by saying “oh i’m straight! she’s just the exception” (no dumbass you’re gay) (about a year later i realized i Was Not Straight)

-i would never want to hold hands with my boyfriends but i would 100% hold hands with my friends who were also gay gals

-i went to the movies with one of my girl friends and we held hands for the entirety of the movie and she even kissed my cheek afterward. i couldn’t stop blushing

-i would become nauseous when a girl and a boy kissed but was fine with two girls kissing

-i wrote a story about two girls with gay subtext in like 6th grade

-i wrote a poem for a girl and was like “it’s a friend poem”. it wasnt.

-i know i used to be an asshole towards people who weren’t like me (“straight”) up until 9th grade but anytime one of my pan friends mentioned her having a girlfriend i would become curious and want to know more and think about if i myself had a gf

-i took “am i gay” quizzes and Did Not like the answers

-i would let girls fall asleep on me and be 100% comfortable but if a dude tried that? hell no

-i would honestly feel weird if i accidentally touched a girl? this was before i knew i was gay. it just felt like she would call me a weirdo or something but usually they were like ??? what’s wrong you didn’t do anything bad

-i invited the girl i had a crush on in 8th grade (still the same one from 7th grade) over to my house and we slept in the same bed and it was Great

-me: i’m straight // my pan friend: ya you’re about as straight as this line *points to a Not Straight line*

-i would date just about any guy that showed interest in me just because i didn’t want people to think i was a lesbian (that was very bad i got into abusive relationships bc of that)

-i would always see girls be interested in guys with muscles so i would work out a lot and go to school and show off my muscles. pretty sure i even impressed a girl once in middle school because i had lil abs at the time

-i play video games a lot and when i was bicurious i would romance the girls in games that would allow me to and be very pleased

-i also remember when i was younger and i played red dead redemption or something and would imagine myself as the hero cowboy or whatever saving the girl and riding off into the sunset with her

that’s all i can think of right now but honestly it’s a mystery how i didn’t even think that i was gay before a few years ago

#its so funny #even my friends knew i wasnt straight

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leatherlaceandblades · 4 years

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Day 5

11. What is your character’s favorite historical or fairy tale figure?

Aimee...would like an adventuring princess or lady. Not so much a straight up warrior, but a seemingly average girl that, when faced with a hardship, wouldn’t back down.

Willow...Would like a rough and tough lady. An outlaw. A swashbuckling pirate. A renegade. They would be unconventional, strong and opinionated.

Viina...Would like the silently strong character. Loyal, with occasional harsh critisms. They would be hard working and knowledgeable.

Moka...Would love the silly sidekick. The one that could laugh in the face of any danger. The one that isn’t afraid of anything.

12. Would your character marry someone their family didn’t approve of?

Aimee...yes. She doesn’t really have a technical normal family anyway, but if she did, and they didn’t like the person she loved, tough.

Willow...Pft. yes. And still come around with them under her arm while casual mentioning how great things were.

Viina...Probably. And it would be a choice of them learning to deal with it, or she would be gone from said famly’s life.

Moka...Would, but there would be a lot of worry over it. Being a people pleaser is hard, but ultimately, the person she loved would have their happiness come first and thus they would be married to live a very eventful happily ever after.

13. Do/Did any of your characters have large ears they had to grow into as a kid?

Aimee...Well yes. She’s half Elezen and therefore had rather large pointy ears for a Hyurian built child.

Willow...her ears are slighty smaller than her mom’s and not quite as noticable. Average sized ears just with pointy tips.

Viina....OMG, yes. They were HUGE. Huge and fluffy-furry rabbit ears that were constantly twitching and moving with sounds and her own emotions.

Moka...No. For a Miqo’te, she had average ears. Sure they were fluffy, but that was about it.

14. Are any of your characters nonverbal?(I’m taking this to mean do they use a lot of gestures when they talk)

Aimee...Will give cues, both on purpose and not. Her body language says a lot.

Willow...Yes. She uses her hands and arms a lot. She is also really poor at concealing facial expressions, both good and bad.

Viina...Can, but is far more reserved.

Moka...Is. Always.

15. Did your character ever want to be a cowboy?

Aimee...Sure, who wouldn’t want to be riding in to the sunset, feeling all confident and carefree?

Willow...Probably right below wanting to be a pirate.

Viina...Nope.

Moka...Who needs the label? She would ride a horse and shoot a gun quite happily any ol’ time.

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thecollegefootballguy · 5 years

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Bizarro Football: An Alternative History of the Big 12 in 2018

Hey folks! I wanted to update this series I did last year. I’m charting out an alternate history where the 2010-13 realignment cycle didn’t happen and all of the conferences remained how they were in 2010. I started with the Big 12, because the fracturing of that conference is what started this whole thing.

If you want to look at the previous years for the Big 12 check these out: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.

Big 12 North Standings

Iowa State 8-5 (5-3)* Missouri 9-3 (5-3) Colorado 8-4 (4-4) Kansas State 6-6 (3-5) Nebraska 5-7 (2-6) Kansas 5-7 (2-5)

Big 12 South Standings

Texas 12-1 (8-0)** Oklahoma 10-2 (6-2) Oklahoma State 9-3 (5-3) Texas A&M 8-4 (5-3) Baylor 6-6 (3-5) Texas Tech 4-8 (1-7)

**Big 12 Conference Champion *Big 12 Division Representative

Yeah this year was pretty messy. The North remains the weaker division but the South just got weird. Iowa State repeated as North champions thanks to a tiebreaking win over a better Missouri team. The Cyclones drew a pretty tough cross-division schedule, having to play at both Texas and Oklahoma, but their home-road splits within the North gave them the advantage. The Tigers also had a tough draw from the South, having to play at A&M and hosting Oklahoma. Maybe they would’ve beating ISU in Ames in real life, but I’m not confident enough to change the outcome.

Colorado definitely took advantage of the weaker division. The Buffaloes didn’t even make a bowl irl but they were able to beat Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Kansas State to easily secure a third straight bowl season in Bizarro 2018. I bet they would’ve kept MacIntyre in this alternate reality. Kansas State also benefits. Bill Snyder is able to ride off into the sunset having brought the Wildcats to yet another bowl. If only this was real. We can only dream.

Nebraska stays in the basement. The Cornhuskers actually were playing pretty well by the end of the season, but their tough cross-division schedule (Texas, at Oklahoma State, at A&M) and tough home-road splits in the North prevent them from taking advantage of the weak division. But hey, the surging Huskers were able to beat Kansas and Colorado in Lincoln to cap the year on a high note. Yeah I know irl NU and CU played at the beginning of the season in 2018 and Colorado won. It’s not playing out that way at the end of the year when the Huskers were surging and the Buffs were falling off a cliff. Maybe it was charitable to give KU two conference wins, both at home over a weakening Colorado and K-State. Oh well, it didn’t help them make a bowl.

The South was weird. Texas loses to Maryland out of conference and then beat Oklahoma at Red River just like real life. But they don’t lose to OK State because they would have hosted the Cowboys instead of travelling to Stillwater, and they certainly don’t lose to West Virginia, who isn’t even in the Big 12 in this universe. I think they could have lost to a surging Texas A&M at the end of the year, but the game would have been in Austin and for what it’s worth UT was also playing pretty well towards the end of the season (and postseason).

OU is the big loser in this scenario. The Sooners were certainly the best team in the conference, but in this scenario they can’t get a rematch against the Longhorns to reassert their dominance. Oklahoma also would’ve had to play Bedlam in Stillwater, and I don’t think they would’ve mounted that same crazy comeback. OK State is the big winner. They drew very favorable home-road splits which helped to turn a disappointing 7-6 irl campaign into a solid 9-3 season. They still had boneheaded losses to Tech and Kansas State. A&M had a very tough draw, I gave them losses at Oklahoma State, hosting Oklahoma, and at Texas. Maybe they could’ve won these games, but probably not all three, which they would’ve needed to do in order to win the division outright.

Baylor’s charitable cross-division schedule (hosting both Kansas schools), gets the Bears into the postseason. Tech’s didn’t (at ISU, at CU, hosting Mizzou).

So that’s how we get Iowa State and Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. In real life these were probably the second best North team and the third best South team, but their particular schedules tipped the scales. I have the Longhorns beating the Cyclones for the second time in 2018 to finish a surprising 12-1 and winning their first conference title since 2009. Texas is back! The Horns would stand a good chance of making the Playoff with this record despite all of the screaming protests from stats people. I’m sure if chosen they’d have gotten crushed, but if they play a 10/10 game like they did against Georgia...who knows? Well, they’d still lose to Clemson.

#college football #Texas Longhorns #Oklahoma Sooners #Iowa State Cyclones #Oklahoma State Cowboys #Missouri Tigers #Texas A&M Aggies #Colorado Buffaloes #Baylor Bears #Kansas State Wildcats #Nebraska Cornhuskers #Kansas Jayhawks #Texas Tech Red Raiders

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slingspeacea · 6 years

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☆ // SUBJECT: THE EARP HOMESTEAD. LOCATION: PURGATORY, COLORADO

a collection of research exploring the idea, that if not for wynonna earp’s low budget and physical filming location, purgatory and its key landmarks should have been based in the united states, around the colorado river specifically. !important: earp roleplayers are more than welcome to also adopt this divergence if they agree with it, and may 100% feel free to REBLOG this post. please remember when interacting with my character, in all verses, that they are from purgatory, colorado, and not from canada. if after reading this, you feel bothered, please let me know and we can absolutely follow writers’ show canon in our threads!!

☆ // WARNING!!

this divergence is strongly opinionated. the writers of the show have confirmed the plot setting for the television series wynonna earp, is in fact located in alberta, canada. i am 100% aware that alberta is absolute show canon. however, as a roleplayer, creative writer, and western fanatic, i can neither ignore, nor let wyatt earp and doc holliday’s history get completely washed away for the sake of filming convenience. make no mistake. i love the show, the storyline, and i love the characters immensely; but because of both the comic book series, and nonfictional history, their story’s location does not make any sense to me or add up at all.

☆ // PART I. WYATT’S JOURNEY.

first, let’s begin with wyatt earp’s original routes and a few historical events. i’ve taken the time, and mapped wyatt and doc holliday’s trail out below in order. they were obviously riding on horseback and taking ferries or trains, so they wouldn’t have been using main roads or highways ( although busy trails later became paved highways and roads throughout america ). at only one point does wyatt travel through canada and it is during his two, long journeys to alaska. as you can see below, he really goes nowhere near alberta or calgary on his way to his next stop, seattle, washington.

it would make way more sense for purgatory to be located somewhere in the united states, in one of the towns wyatt earp lived or stayed in for a prolonged period of time. not to mention the old west is well... united states history, and all notable events regarding the old west happened in the states. the original 1993 wynonna earp comics even pay homage to places like tombstone ( and can i mention when the t.v series says they’re loosely based on the comics, they are hardly anything like them? like barely even remotely? ). it mentions white trash and trailer parks, hill billys, pabst blue ribbon, you name every southern stereotype, and they cover it. no surprise, it is based in america.

“ two u.s. marshals and a sheriff lie dead in san diablo, new mexico. when marshal wynonna earp hits the trail to bring the killers to justice, she uncovers connections to a devastating new drug...and a pack of redneck vampires! modern firepower and frontier justice --that's wynonna. “ wynonna earp, comic issue #1, summary.

but that’s totally besides the point, and another post probably worth making entirely. let’s get back to the real wyatt earp and docs holliday’s actual history. below are some maps, and i’ve linked bigger versions so they’re easier for y’all to see.

larger map images for reference: a, b, c.

exhibit one: map a. ↳ this displays his route from dodge city in 1875, up until his last ride to los angeles where he would also die in 1923. this map is all prior to docs death specifically, which is extremely important. why? because doc had obvious connections to both constance clootie and bulshar. this has become even even more so evident in season 3. wyatt earp did not travel through canada until after docs actual death. this alone raises a red flag as someone who thinks placing purgatory in canada was an easy cop-out by show writers, and as someone who often ponders plot holes in the show’s storyline.

another point i have to to stress, is that a majority of wyatt earp’s time with doc holliday throughout life was spent in the southwestern united states. their stomping grounds are where a majority of the route lines cross on the map, and they traveled between each of those cities, owning saloons, gambling, hunting outlaws, etc.. countless times. i’ll have more to add about this later under section iii, which heavily regards the revenants.

exhibit two: map b. ↳ map b is probably the most important of all three. it depicts what his ride would have looked like from wrangell, ak to nome, and then from wrangell, ak to seattle, wa. google maps actually wouldn’t let me map the whole thing through from idaho and washington to alaska, because fun fact, you have to fly and take ferries to get around from the usa to those alaskan towns. phew, can you imagine wyatt’s adventure to alaska on horseback and water?? his wife actually tried to stop him from making the journey because she was pregnant at the time, but of course, he saw an opportunity for wealth and didn’t listen.

alberta is a far stretch out of the way. he would have had to go over or around the canadian rockies, and since he was traveling to and from alaska from either washington state and/or idaho with a clear destination in mind, it would make no logical sense whatsoever. the red triangle, accurately labeled show’s location wtf?? is where the show’s canon ghost river triangle is located. i know what you’re probably thinking, they never say it straight up in the series, but writer’s confirmation aside, upon researching there is one particular episode which gave us show purgatory’s exact location right away. here is a picture of waverly in s01e03, with a map of purgatory. . . and here is another .... and now here is an actual, real map which indisputably matches waverly’s layout. note: those are not my screencaps, you can find the original post i got them from here !!

exhibit three: map c. ↳ vildal, california is where he built his home in 1911. the earps bought a small cottage in vidal, the only home they ever owned. beginning in 1911 and until Wyatt's health began to fail in 1928, Wyatt and sadie earp summered in Los Angeles and spent the rest of the year in the desert working their claims. The "happy days" mine was located in the whipple mountains a few miles north of vidal. wyatt had some modest success with the happy days gold mine, and they lived on the slim proceeds of income from that and oil wells. ( source: wikipedia. )

so, my question is likely the biggest plot hole in the whole freaking television series. how the heck did wyatt’s family homestead end up all the way near calgary, alberta, canada?? the show writers ignore this entirely and uses an insane amount of liberties. wyatt never had any children to begin with, but if one wants to paint the picture of family, love, loyalty, and closeness as they do on the show, i would think that the earps would have remained somewhere closer to wyatt’s grave. at the very least in the same country.

the other major thing to take into consideration, is that by the time map b and map c were traveled, real doc holliday was also dead and no longer amongst the living. i bet your thinking, ❝ okay so maybe vidal, california would have been an alright place for the show to take place, since that was wyatt’s actual only home. ❞ and i totally agree, but the more i thought about making this wynonna’s hometown and ground zero for the homestead, the harder i could picture the gang there. problem is, the landscape is nothing but desert. it’s hot and arrid. in vidal there are there are no prairie winds, or great plains, or chinook rocky mountain sunsets. on the show we see mountains, rivers, forests, and more importantly, large amounts of snow.

this leads the divergence trail back to none other than the myth, the man, and the legend, doc holliday. let’s dive a little more into his relationship with wyatt in the next section.

☆ // PART II. DOC AND WYATT.

how wyatt and doc met in history & the show. ↳ earp had run two cowboys out of wichita earlier in 1878. during the summer, the two cowboys—accompanied by another two dozen men—rode into dodge and shot up the town while galloping down front street. they entered the long branch saloon, vandalized the room, and harassed the customers. hearing the commotion, earp burst through the front door, and before he could react, a large number of cowboys were pointing their guns at him.

in another version, there were only three to five cowboys. in both stories, holliday was playing cards in the back of the room and upon seeing the commotion, drew his weapon and put his pistol at morrison's head, forcing him and his men to disarm, rescuing earp from a bad situation. no account of any such confrontation was reported by any of the dodge city newspapers at the time. whatever actually happened, earp credited holliday with saving his life that day, and the two men became friends.

how wyatt and doc actually parted ways in history. ↳ according to a letter written by former new mexico territory governor miguel otero, wyatt and holliday were eating at fat charlie's the retreat restaurant in albuquerque, "when holliday said something about earp becoming 'a damn jew-boy.' earp became angry and left…." holliday and dan tipton arrived in pueblo, colorado in late april 1882. ( source: wikipedia. )

doc’s death in real history. ↳ in 1887, prematurely gray and badly ailing, holliday made his way to the hotel glenwood, near the hot springs of glenwood springs, colorado. he hoped to take advantage of the reputed curative power of the waters, but the sulfurous fumes from the spring may have done his lungs more harm than good. as he lay dying, holliday is reported to have asked the nurse attending him for a shot of whiskey. when she told him no, he looked at his bootless feet, amused. the nurses said that his last words were, "this is funny.” holliday died at 10am on november 8, 1887. he was 36.

wyatt visited sick doc before he died. ↳ wyatt heard of doc’s death shortly after he had died. he was close by in aspen, colorado at the time, and it’s thought that he may have visited doc before his death. josephine earp told a story about sitting beside doc’s deathbed, but it’s thought that she may have confused this with another occasion ( because of old age ). she additionally gave an account of doc and wyatt’s last meeting in the lobby of a denver hotel. both men were quite upset and josie said that wyatt cried afterwards. there’s also a story that doc’s gun was also sent to wyatt although again not a lot of evidence to prove whether or not it’s true.

wynonna earp flashbacks. ↳ in s01e03, wyatt visited his bedside, where doc is very ill and lying down in a tent. it’s implied doc was resting, wyatt packed up his things for him, and dispite his sickness, earp keeps urging him to ride with him to purgatory. doc rejects knowing he can’t and says goodbye. this is likely right before he seeks out constance clootie for immortality, in whatever town they were in. there is no viable way his transformation could have happened in purgatory, because the church in wynonna’s vision quest later on was somewhere on the outskirts of town.

on the series, doc holliday had already come across constance clootie, and gained his immortality before the best friends had their argument and wyatt disowned him for becoming something of the devil’s work. wyatt also finally admits to his family being cursed. doc was also as equally heartbroken about wyatt’s opinion of his choice, and throughout the series, we see how deeply he considers and takes an earp’s opinion to heart. despite being set in modern years, and appended romantic aspects aside, his relationship with wynonna mirrors that of his and wyatts.

consider that wyatt already killed constance clootie’s sons, and bulshar clootie is the man he was fixed on punishing for cursing him. it’s entirely plausible doc followed closely behind wyatt’s tail after being shunned, and that wherever wyatt was going was only a few days ride from doc’s staying place. the witch clootie admitted she turned doc ageless to hurt wyatt and succeeded, but we also know that where blushar goes, clootie is looking for vengeance. it’s conceivable to theorize certain suspicions such as, but not limited to; doc wanting take back his immortality due to wyatt’s rejection, and in turn while meeting clootie, got tossed with the final seal into the well.

the “earp well” lol. ↳ we know doc winds up in a well , but it’s location seems to appear elsewhere from it’s original place on the earp property in season one’s pilot episode, to somewhere in a random forest, in s02ep08. the earp property is said by wynonna to be only 10 acres ( 0.125 sq miles ). for a farm where you have to drive to get from point a to point b, this is not very large or inaccurate. all shots of the property are also mainly rolling farmland with no large forest vegetation resembling that of the well’s site. i’m going to chalk this discrepancy up to this scene having been in the pilot, having a low budget and limited choices for pilot filming location.

doc’s well was never on the actual earp property like some probably assume at first glance, but instead, somewhere else entirely. just go on ahead and re-watch. after retrieving peacemaker and talking to dolls, wynonna drives up to the purgatory town line, truck facing towards the town. it makes for a clear ( or not so clear ) clue hinting the well’s whereabouts. in s2ep08, juan carlo takes wynonna outside of purgatory to the outskirts for her vision quest. the well is clearly located in that area and tied heavily to the flashback in the church. from a teen wynonna was a drifter. she could have stashed the gun in an abandoned well anywhere, somewhere safe, and no where too close to the homestead. but here is another thought, doc and wynonna’s fates were entwined, so who knows? maybe she felt specifically drawn to that area and frequented there to clear her head when she was younger. merely a concept.

finally, bobos imprisonment in the well further proves it’s located elsewhere, since revenants can't step foot on earp land without being burned. this gives us some room to play for setting up wynonna earp’s story in colorado.

tying history and flashbacks together. ↳ this is where it gets complicated, where it’s hard to put things into words, and where my divergence really starts, because the show canon entirely ignores actual history when it comes to the true separation and deaths of both of these men. we have no clue as to the location in either of these flashbacks on the show, but we do see wyatt is wearing a jacket and scarf. it’s apparently cold outside so there’s at least that to work with. the state of colorado has cold winters, which also works in this divergence’s favor.

if the real doc holliday died in glenn springs, colorado, and the real wyatt earp was in aspen, colorado around the time of his death, we could place purgatory somewhere in that area. doc faked his death on the series, between the time he decided he would became immortal, and the time he was thrown in the well shortly after. sewing these realities together puts purgatory in colorado. doc’s death would make the location default. in regards to the comic taking place in the deserts of the united states, this divergence will also have that covered later on.

the canadian show takes an extreme with creative freedoms and gives no resolution whatsoever as to how wyatt earp somehow settled down in alberta, candada ( did they even do their fact checking?? ) or how every family member has lived there ever since. the actual wyatt earp had no children, and his home was and will always historically be in vidal, california.

so, let’s make this more believable. what if in another universe that isn’t real history, but makes a hell of a lot more sense when unified with the show’s, wyatt earp made a home in colorado after bulshar was buried? not only close to where is thought to be his best friends grave, but where he can keep an eye on, and protect, bulshar’s remains until he dies? bobo moved him, but where were they prior? on the show wyatt is also said to have been partially involved in entombing bulshar’s body. therefore, this explanation would make 100% total sense as to why wyatt and his wife never made it to vidal, california. his life’s journey would have been stopped dead in its tracks, so he could keep the demon who cursed his family from the widows, and make sure bulshar never returned. one could claim, in a historically based, fictional western series, that wyatt earp built a ranch because of this, and settled down with his wife in a town called purgatory, colorado.

☆ // PART III. WYATT’S CURSE, THE REVS, & THE GHOST RIVER TRIANGLE.

wyatt earp’s curse. ↳ the earp curse makes all people that wyatt earp had killed in his lifetime resurrect over and over again. those revenants can only be killed by the peacemaker which only the current heir can use. wait a minute. wynonna voice: say whaaaat?? wyatt never killed multiple people in canada. at any point in history. how would the 77 people he killed even get to canada if revenants can’t leave the ghost river triangle in the first place?? can you say, major woops? this is personally my favorite fudge up.

the ghost river triangle. ↳ the ghost river triangle is an area of cursed land, partially framed by the splitting of the ghost river into two, that imprisons the resurrected outlaws killed by wyatt earp. should a revenant cross the boundary line, they experience hell on earth. to quote waverly, in leavin' on your mind: '...everything from the mountains to where the north and south ghost rivers meet, forms the ghost river triangle. it cuts through the big city, contains thousands of square miles of forest, foothills, prairie, the badlands. and all of it...cursed.'

forest, foothills, prairie, and badlands? yeah, if we want to place divergent purgatory somewhere in the united states to make the show a little more historically accurate, the ghost river triangle definitely parallels to none other than the colorado river. the colorado river runs through colorado, utah, arizona, nevada, california, and all the way down to mexico. at least three of those states were in fact, wyatt’s stomping grounds before and after his historically recorded vendetta ride.

not to go with some total, mythical, movie cliche here, but in an alternative wynonna world set in the united states, the ghost river triangle could have also been named by the native americans who inhabited the land along the colorado river. factually, many parts of the colorado river are actually suspected to be haunted. let’s not get too carried away, though. alberta canada is in fact home of a real place called the ghost river valley, and there’s totally no disputing that.

wyatt’s vendetta ride ↳ in history the vendetta ride was a deadly search, where wyatt lead a federal posse for outlaw cowboys they believed had ambushed, and maimed virgil earp and killed morgan earp. the earp brothers had been attacked in retaliation for the deaths of three cowboys in the gunfight at the o.k. corral on october 26, 1881. from march 20 to april 15, 1882, the federal posse searched southeast cochise county, arizona territory for suspects in both virgil's and morgan's attacks. several suspects had been freed by the court, owing in some cases to legal technicalities and in others to the strength of alibis provided by cowboy confederates. up to this point, wyatt had relied on the legal system to bring the cowboys to justice. now he felt he had to take matters into his own hands.

i could be wrong, but i have a feeling the chase for bulshar is loosely based on this part of wyatt earp’s history. the parallel of his two own brothers dying, and two of clootie’s sons dying, is a little thought provoking, no? coincidental even? an eye for an eye, perhaps? there is a lot of wyatt’s history left to be uncovered and explored, and that’s if the show writers even decide to reveal anything else at all. on the show, wyatt got innocent people killed, there was one hell of a lot of collateral damage surrounding him.

i feel 100% comfortable standing firmly by the headcanon that after wyatt was cursed and his brothers were killed, that he went on a tear after bulshar and destroyed anyone who got in his way. this is important, because these events could be tied to his life in tombstone, arizona, and the events which took place in and after the shootout at the OK corral. if he was cursed in tombstone, then there is no way around it, one of the ghost river triangle’s points would have to begin there.

the revmap, i mean . . . revamp. ↳ below is a map which bases a divergent ghost river triangle heavily off of history. it takes into consideration doc holliday and wyatt earp’s routes, where doc’s last known whereabouts were, where wyatt would have killed the most men, and finally, his vendetta ride. in total the divergent river triangle’s perimeter is about 2,500 miles and takes 36 hours nonstop to drive. in contrast, the show’s ghost river triangle is 617 miles and takes about only an easy 12 hours to drive from point to point. purgatory is west of denver, and the homestead is about where the house icon is. ( larger image version is here. )

yeah okay, so the size may be of some issue, but vastness aside, there are three things this triangle does have, that the other doesn’t. firstly, historical accuracy. it includes nearly all of the areas where a number of wyatt’s targets made their peace. if we tie back to wyatt’s vendetta ride and the whole paralleling idea for a moment, many of the revenants who rode with bulshar would've died in various areas of colorado and the purgatory area. secondly, the terrain might aid with narrowing revenant whereabouts down. deserts and mountains surround a majority of these iconic towns. and lastly another argument can be made that because some revenants do want to end the earp line, few might've simply migrated to colorado and placed themselves somewhere closer within wynonna’s line of fire.

i could continue ridiculously blabbering on and on about why i chose this location divergence for my character. everything from climate, to terrain, and how there are salt flats in utah nearby, or my really strong distaste for how the show writers erased wyatt earp and doc holliday’s real history, but in honesty i think everything i’ve covered above nicely sums up my research and premise. anywhooo, that’s all for now folks, hope you enjoyed the read!

#- ̗̀ ♤ // — V: MAIN. » ̖́-#- ̗̀ ♤ // — V: CANON. » ̖́-#- ̗̀ ♤ // — DIVERGENCES. » ̖́-#- ̗̀ ♤ // — HEADCANONS. » ̖́-#phEW IT'S FINALLY FINISHED #if you have questions #don't be shy !!

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fearlessstateofmind · 5 years

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Reunion short + Ashe thoughts

The Good

Cowboy! Cowboy! Cowboy!

Seriously love the start and all the leaning heavily on western tropes imagery for mccree and route66 in general (on point cinematography)

Pale rider

Jesse walking out of the smoke

Stand off

The shooting someone without looking thing

Riding off into the sunset

Etc

That bit where one of the deadlock grunts looks round like 'wtf he missed' and no he didn't he hit exactly what he wanted to it was just the train not you.

Jesse gave them the tip cause he needed to bring the train down to get echo but this would be very hard as a single person.

Ashe looks right up my alley to actually play

Edit: as of the post credit scene I hadn't seen earlier, I love how kind of childish stealing her bike then driving past her is + that with Jesse not really seeing her and deadlock as that much of a threat anymore (bigger fish etc) which is why he gets them to take down the train - he knows he can take her and the res t pretty easy

Echo has some interesting implications (but also I have other thoughts on her)

I like the implications that Jesse is pulling some strings around new overwatch and if very aware of what's going on but...

The Bad

It's yet another thing that raises more questions and new things than it does answers and pay offs to old ones.

I hate that this starts as 'this is a Jesse short' and isn't and uses him as vehical to do something else about other people. Retribution was cool cause we see him for the first time being his own character not like primarily in something to support someone else's story and this feels like back to that. Like introduction vehical + Jesse straight up sending another character to recall instead of himself.

Echo part feels tacked on in a lot of ways and like it (and her herself) comes out of nowhere.

She has too little actual stuff for a (important sounding) character introduction to actually work and therefore feels introduced a bit prematurely if anything.

The addressing of recall was kinda vague in an unsatisfying way (again raises new questions without answering old ones I think)

Similarly kind of want to see more on Jesse's existing relationships with people before introducing a bunch of new ones - it sort of gives him too much stuff to get through (again more questions than answers)

Look I don't know how to phrase this other than Jesse comes off as too cool-tm and this isn't exactly what I mean but it's the best I've got (particularly in the very last bit).

Relatedly character depth feels a little lacking in basically all parties in this short. (We know from previous things Jesse at least has a lot of it and there's like a lot of stuff to work with post fall of overwatch/etc?

Ashe, Jesse (presumably) and two other people can't have been the founding members of deadlock and it have been founded in 1976? I could plausibly see the number not being a year or like them claiming to be a much older group or something...but they've fucked up stuff like this before so idk.

Founding gang and becoming notorious enough that overwatch decides to deal with you by 17/19 is a bit out there

Similarly Jesse being founding member/leader of deadlock seems a bit off with the rest of his backstory (unless blackwatch didn't know this) idk idk, it definitely changes how it reads a lot (@segadores-y-soldados has some posts that make more sense on this...bizarre choice to reframe deadlock from the obvious interpretation of what we've already seen and the timeline stuff - I'm on mobile it's late linking is hard there are several posts)

I hate the ethnically ambiguous (fine blizz I'll play ball with this) kid leads white girl into life of crime implication from Ashe's bio.

The Ugly

Animation beautiful overall but that pie looked really really weird

#overwatch #mccree #jesse mccree #reunion #ashe #i will work out what her actual tag should be at some point - its late so #honestly i nearly put the whole 'this has some really racist connotations' under ugly #but ive gone for the joke instead #this isnt very well structured but im proud of the good the bad and the ugly thing #to reiterate early thought #hmmmm....#(i actually really want to write something about mccree as an ethnically abiguous character and stuff relating to that specifically)#overall lot of wasted potential i guess?#something like that

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marjaystuff · 2 years

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Elise Cooper Interviews Maisey Yates

Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch, “Gold Valley” book 13, and The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge “Gold Valley” book 14, by Maisey Yates both have an underlying theme of overcoming grief. In addition, each book has a novella that also touches on grief. There is a range of feelings that are present in each: hope, joy, despair, anger, and understanding. As with all her books, Yates is the master of banter between the characters. Whether making the reader laugh or cry they feel they are a fly on the wall as they listen to the characters’ conversations.

Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch has best friends, Jake Daniels, and Callie Carson, agreeing to a marriage of convenience. What makes this book fun is that all the Daniels family is front and center. But the plot focuses on the cousin Jake and Callie. She shows up at his ranch with a marriage proposal. To fulfill her dreams of riding a saddle bronc, she needs her inheritance. And to access that, she needs a husband.

After losing his parents, along with the other Daniels’ children, in a plane crash, he refuses to get attached, believing that once he loves someone, he will lose them. So, he decides to just exist and not feel. Callie also has feelings of loss, because she feels she is her parent’s replacement to Sophie, the daughter they lost to an illness before Callie was born.

The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge features Jake’s brother Colt Daniels. He also has issues with grief and loss; besides his parents he lost a good friend on the rodeo circuit. He agrees to have a one-night stand with Mallory Chance. But the small town epitomizes the saying “it’s a small world,” after he turns out to be her landlord and related by marriage to her brother, Griffin. Mallory became a mid-wife after having a still-born birth and has now decided to move closer to her brother. She wants a fresh start, especially from her live-in boyfriend of fifteen years who is a man-child. Colt and Mallory become close when they decide to work together to tend to a newborn. This baby, his goddaughter, was left with him by the mother who wants a fresh start.

Both books have a solid romance with interesting characters. These books are page-turners as readers take a journey with the characters. Family loss, grieving, and finding love are themes that have great meaning.

Elise Cooper: You explore grief in both books?

Maisey Yates: A lot of my stories have conversations with grief. Funny, but my books that deal with heavy grief tend to win awards. In case, you want to know, I did write these books prior to having a real adult experience with grief, when I lost my mother. One of the books was written while my mom was in hospice. One of the wonderful things about writing is the healing process. I know I can deal with these horrible things that come up after a death and put them in my stories. For me, grief is a good vehicle to push my characters to the edge.

EC: There is a lot about rodeos in Rodeo Christmas at Evergreen Ranch. Do you like them?

MY: Yes! I enjoy going to rodeos. My goal is to get out to the Pendleton Round Up rodeo in Oregon. It is a week-long celebration of western heritage that includes parades, concerts, a night pageant, shops, and of course rodeo events.

EC: How would you describe the hero, Jake Daniels?

MY: Very broken and protective. There was a thread that called my heroes “disasters in Stetsons that are in need of therapy, not a relationship.” I thought no way. These are fictional characters who need love and are afraid of commitments because of something that went on in their life. He is brave, vulnerable, and caring.

EC: How would you describe the heroine, Callie Carson?

MY: Stubborn, determined, sassy, a tough cookie. She is a straight-talker, honest, spirited, and strong. When I was writing her, I thought about one of my favorite books growing up, Caddie Woodlawn, a historical western. Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She'd rather hunt than sew and plow than bake and tries to beat her brother's dares every chance she gets. At the end of the book, she is more receptive to those feminine qualities of cooking. At first, I was disappointed, thinking she caved. But when I read it again as a teenager, I understood why she embraced some feminine qualities. I like my heroines to have a journey going from Tomboy to woman. Callie realizes she does not have to give up her interests, nor does she have to reject the idea of femininity to be strong.

EC: Callie saw with the Daniels’ family how she too could be feminine and strong?

MY: You are referring to the book quote, “Sammy, was a flurry of motion, hair, and diaphanous fabrics. Police Chief Pansy was the female counterpart to Ryder, with Rose, the youngest, most stubborn, and outspoken. Iris, the oldest of that sibling group, was maternal, but with a dry, quiet wit that snuck up out of nowhere. They are people who know their own minds but are all different. They show her, she can be different, but also strong.” Callie also noticed that Rose was a lot like her, a spirited tomboy about her own age. Pansy was tough as nails and very spirited. Iris was softer and more traditional. Sammy was an earth mother. Callie found it fascinating to by surrounded by all these different kinds of femininity.

EC: What were the roles of Jake and Callie’s parents in the book?

MY: Jake and his family addressed grief from different angles. Jake lost his parents, while Callie’s parents were still hurting over losing her sister Sophie. Her late sister was a shadow over Callie just as Jake’s parents were a shadow over him. They are not there, but in a sense are there, affecting everything Jake and Callie did.

EC: Please explain the quote, “Take the shrapnel out, heal the wound.”

MY: Jake had issues. He is hanging on to what is infecting the wound. The wound is kept festering because he feeds it so it can never heal. Jake doesn’t want to let go of the pain because he sees it as keeping him safe where he does not have to move on. He does not want to be happy because he fears it can be taken away so the wound will reopen.

EC: The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge had an ex-boyfriend, Jared, who was mean. I thought you would have him come back to Mallory and have Colt react.

MY: I wrote that scene where Colt punches him in the face. I took it out because I did want the plot to quit being about Jared. He should not have any more space in her life. For me, she told him to F off, so she was done with him. Instead, I wrote a scene about her dealing with a client emergency. This way Mallory was able to grow and address her own issues. I basically bait and switched myself.

EC: How would you describe Colt?

MY: A control freak and alpha male. Artistic. He crafted wood, which is how he expresses himself. He also plays the guitar. My husband and family are all musicians. The scene where Colt picks up the guitar at family gatherings is what our family does. I unintentionally reference and admire my dad and husband. I project them onto my heroes.

EC: How would you describe Mallory?

MY: Smart, a work in progress. She has a strength in work, but not so much in her personal life. She is loyal, persistent, feels she must prove herself, and wants to save people.

EC: What about the relationship?

MY: With Jared, he was more of a habit. She did not love him. It was dysfunctional, one-sided, and created low self-esteem. She grew and matured, while he never did. It fostered the worst parts of each other. They were co-dependent.

EC: What about the relationship with Colt?

MY: He is supportive. He thought they were matched together because of fate. They both helped each other with their own issues. I think at times he is more vulnerable than she was.

EC: How about the sibling relationship between Mallory and Griffin?

MY: They had a good home life, but with different parental experiences. She felt very overshadowed by him. She saw him as exceptional. I think some of it is older child versus younger child. She idolizes her older brother and sees him as better than her. Mallory has a little bit of hero worship and a little bit of jealousy.

EC: What about your next books?

MY: In March 2022 will be the book written with my author friends: Nicole Helm, Jackie Ashenden, and Caitlin Crews. It is titled Sweet Home Cowboy and comes out in March 2022. Four Hathaway sisters had grown up apart, but they agree to move to Jasper Creek, Oregon, to revitalize their grandfather’s farm. It is very humorous.

In May 2022 Unbridle Cowboy, in the “Four Corners Ranch series” has hero Sawyer Garrett becoming a single dad to tiny baby June. He needs to find a woman to be a mother to his infant daughter. He decides to do it how the pioneers did: he puts out an ad for a mail-order bride. Accepting is Evelyn Moore. She can't believe she's agreed to uproot her city life to marry a stranger in Oregon. But having escaped one near-disastrous marriage, she's desperate for change. This series will have some cross-over with the Gold Valley and Copper Ridge series.

In June 2022 Ruby McKee Comes Home will be published. Ruby McKee is found abandoned on a bridge as a newborn baby by the McKee sisters, she’s become the unofficial mascot of Pear Blossom, Oregon, a symbol of hope in the wake of a devastating loss. Ruby is on a quest for the truth about her origins, but it uncovers a devastating secret. It will have a romance, a little bit of mystery, and family.

THANK YOU!!

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junker-town · 4 years

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Predictions for every NFL team from those who know their team best

With no scrimmages or preseason, here is what to expect.

The hopes and dreams of 32 fanbases hang in the balance with the NFL season almost upon us. It’s been a bizarre lead up to the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning we have much less information than we normally would entering the season.

Normally we get at least some information from scrimmages and preseason by now. Instead we’re going off gut feelings and beliefs. We asked our network of team blogs (and a couple from your’s truly) to give us their predictions for their beloved teams in the hopes to learn more. Here’s what they think from the fans who know their teams the best.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals will live and die by their offense. The Cardinals did little to address their defense in the offseason, instead further stacking the offense by adding DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald are a quarterback’s dream, and Kyler Murray should have major success through the air this season. Unfortunately the defense still won’t be enough to have them compete in the NFC West ... yet.

— James Dator, SB Nation

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons will be looking to put two straight years of mediocrity behind them and take a veteran team on a deep playoff run. With a ton of money committed to stars and short-term bets on players like Todd Gurley and Dante Fowler Jr., this team is built to contend right now and more or less has to keep the current brain trust around.

— Dave Choate, The Falcoholic

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens will win the Super Bowl. With nearly all of their high-level talent returning and multiple big-name pass rushers being added to the defense, the Ravens will end the season hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

— Kyle Barber, Baltimore Beatdown

Buffalo Bills

The Bills will sink their teeth into the AFC East. The window is wide open for the Bills after years of being in New England’s shadow. While the Patriots move on from Tom Brady, and the rest of the division is, well, the Dolphins and Jets — there’s a major chance for the Bills to dominate and try to becoming the source of consistency in the division.

— James Dator, SB Nation

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers will try to rebuild the franchise into a consistent winner under new head coach Matt Rhule, something they haven’t been since... well, since the team was founded in 1995. They’re still searching for their first ever back-to-back winning seasons, and they currently have a long, rocky road ahead if they plan to accomplish that goal anytime soon.

— Bradley Smith, Cat Scratch Reader

Chicago Bears

The Bears will once again have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but as is Chicago tradition, they’ll only go as far as the quarterback can take them. If Mitchell Trubisky — or Nick Foles — can simply manage the offense, the Bears will be back in the playoffs.

— Lester A. Wiltfong Jr., Windy City Gridiron

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals will bounce back faster than anyone expected. Joe Burrow is NFL ready from the jump, and the bones of this team are still good. Expect them to at least be competitive this season, and make people wonder why they were so bad a year ago.

— James Dator, SB Nation

Cleveland Browns

The Browns will have the best rushing attack in the NFL, but only when the passing game gets more efficient mid-way through the season will Cleveland start being the favorite to win every week as opposed to just a crapshoot. That will put them in the mix for a late-season wildcard chase in the AFC.

— Chris Pokorny, Dawgs By Nature

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys will see if Jason Garrett was the issue with their talented roster falling short of expectations. Mike McCarthy takes over as head coach and he will try to elevate the Cowboys into a team that can win in the playoffs.

— Dave Halprin, Blogging The Boys

Denver Broncos

The Broncos will surprise a lot of people. That defense is going to be sneaky elite, so watch out!

— Tim Lynch, Mile High Report

Detroit Lions

The Lions will have a top five offense with a healthy Matthew Stafford and new weapons in the backfield. If the defense can improve even marginally, they will be in the NFC North race come December.

— Jeremy Reisman, Pride of Detriot

Green Bay Packers

The Packers will be an NFC contender again, and even if they don’t match their lofty 13-3 record from a year ago they could be a better team overall. The defense returns almost all of the key players, featuring a terrifying pass rush and a strong secondary, while Aaron Rodgers looks poised for a bit of a bounce-back in his second year in Matt LaFleur’s offense.

— Evan Western, Acme Packing Company

Houston Texans

The Texans will be unpredictable. Yes, that sounds weird for a prediction — but so much is up in the air. Houston went some big roster shifts this offseason, notably headlined by trading DeAndre Hopkins, but as long as DeShaun Watson is under center this team can still make noise and win the AFC South.

— James Dator, SB Nation

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts will reclaim the AFC South title with a potent rushing attack, dominant offensive line and veteran quarterback leadership. The young defense will start to put everything together as All Pros Darius Leonard and DeForest Buckner complement each other, second year cornerback Rock Ya-Sin takes a second-year leap, and Kenny Moore returns to the field healthy as one of the league’s best nickel corners.

— Brett Mock, Stampede Blue

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars will try to avoid suffering their ninth losing season since 2011. With 16 rookies included on the roster going into the season opener, a question mark at quarterback in Gardner Minshew, and a defense that traded away key players like Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye, it looks to be another year of heartbreak in Duval.

— Ryan Day, Big Cat Country

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs will become the first NFL team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since 2005. During the most uncertain of times, they returned nearly all of their starters from their championship team, highlighted by the game’s best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes.

— Pete Sweeney, Arrowhead Pride

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders will be better on both offense and defense and will vie for an AFC playoff berth.

— Bill Williamson, Silver & Black Pride

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams will find the explosiveness on offense that they had in 2018 but lost last year and a surprise star player in the front-seven besides Aaron Donald, but who that is remains to be seen.

— Kenny Arthur, Turf Show Times

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins will look to build upon a surprise five-win season in 2019 after being called the “worst team ever” by some analysts. Under Ryan Fitzpatrick, this year is the stage-setter for the Dolphins to return to being a long-term contender once Tua Tagovailoa takes over late in the year or in 2021.

— Kevin Nogle, The Phinsider

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings will break their Bret Saberhagen-esque cycle of being very good in odd-numbered years and average in even-numbered years under Mike Zimmer. Despite their offseason losses, the Vikings still have a lot of talent, and the NFC North is there for the taking. The Vikings will do just that, nabbing their first division title since 2017.

— Christopher Gates, Daily Norseman

New England Patriots

The Patriots will continue to try to do their jobs. Are those jobs good enough to keep the dynasty alive, though? That’s the question...

— Bernd Buchmasser, Pats Pulpit

New Orleans Saints

The Saints will finally be able to add a second Super Bowl to the resume of Drew Brees. After getting agonizingly close the past few seasons, the Saints will finally take care of business in the playoffs to let Drew Brees ride off into the sunset of retirement as a champion.

— Christopher Dunnells, Canal Street Chronicles

New York Giants

The Giants will try to get turned around after going 12-36 over the past three seasons. The Giants are starting over with rookie head coach Joe Judge and second-year quarterback Daniel Jones.

— Ed Valentine, Big Blue View

New York Jets

The Jets will begin their latest rebuild. New general manager Joe Douglas made the first investments in the offseason by focusing on the offensive line. It is overdue, but the Jets have finally started to put pieces around Sam Darnold.

- John Butchko, Gang Green Nation

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles will make the playoffs for the fourth straight season but fail to win more than one playoff game at most due to offensive line issues.

— Brandon Lee Gowton, Bleeding Green Nation

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers will look to ride Ben Roethlisberger‘s surgically repaired elbow back to the postseason. With an elite defense and a two-time Super Bowl champion commanding the huddle, the Steelers have pushed all their chips in for the 2020 season.

— Jeff Hartman, Behind the Steel Curtain

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers will see if Philip Rivers was really in decline last season, or if it was his surrounding cast that couldn’t get the job done. However, injuries remain a nuisance as they’ve already lost their best player on defense for the year.

— Michael Peterson, Bolts from the Blue

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers will turn into an offensive juggernaut, but come up short in the Super Bowl for the second season in a row. After a season’s worth of offensive highlights, ironically enough, it’s the defense that lets the team down in the big game.

— Kyle Posey, Niners Nation

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks will make their first serious Super Bowl run since the 2014 season. With an offense led by an MVP contender in Russell Wilson, as well as a defense with as talented a linebacker and secondary group as any in the NFL, Seattle is poised to win its first NFC West title since 2016, with the hope of greater things to come from there.

- Mookie Alexander, Field Gulls

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers will be one of the most improved and most successful teams in the NFL thanks to a man they call Tom Brady. Can we say Super Bowl?

— Gil Arcia, Bucs Nation

Tennessee Titans

The Titans will find themselves playing in the final four again, but this year they will get over the hump and make the Super Bowl.

— Jimmy Morris, Music City Miracles

Washington Football Team

The Washington Football Team will struggle, but finally show some signs of life. Ron Rivera is a coach players love to give all their effort to, and that alone should make Washington at least watchable this season. It’s not much, but it’s progress.

— Scott Jennings, Hogs Haven

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flannelfiction · 6 years

Text

Have Faith In Me

Chapter One : Adjustment

Yawning, Jesse looks across the table to the young boy who could seriously pass for his son. Dark tanned skin from being out in the sun all day with splashes of freckles, and they both even had the same color eyes. Both have longer brown hair that’s pushed under a cowboy hat, Jesse’s being a legitimate one and the boy’s being a neon atrocity that he loves. An untamed desire to live rages in both of their hearts too and resonates into the ways they hold themselves; stand up straight, chin up, shoulders relaxed, eyes resolved, and feet firmly on the ground. They both have the same toothy grin that melts hearts and breaks them all the same. Neither of them seem to ever take much seriously, preferring to laugh off anything that might possibly happen. Even at such a young age, the boy seems to have been through a lot that’s made him very mature.

“Hey… uh Jesse,” the boy holds Jesse’s gaze with ease, but he won’t even meet anyone else’s eyes yet. Jesse’s heart broke when he realized it at first. He became aware of the boy’s disposition when they met up with Jack and Gabriel. Held himself all the same but refused to make any eye contact or even look in their directions until Jesse convinced him they were well and fine. Afterwards, he began to meet their eyes more often, but Jesse fears what hides behind the walls he hasn’t breached yet. “Is it okay if I go outside after dinner? I wanna play with Han.” Han was an imaginary friend that the boy had made up after reading a book about samurai at the local library. It was far from annoying to Jesse, he found it adorable and remembered back fondly to playing with his imaginary friends.

“Go on, you’re done eating, ain’t you?” Jesse waves off the kid with a grin. “Be safe, Warren. Sun starts going down, you start getting back. I don’t care what Han says if he wants to keep playing, you listen to me, boy.” Warren rolls his eyes at his recently acquired surrogate father, assuring him he’d be back well before then. If Jesse had been looking at the door as Warren rushed passed him instead of at his plate, he’d have seen the door open before Warren got to it. His reaction would’ve definitely been different if he had seen that. Less dopey smile at how cute he thought Warren was since he figured Warren pretended his friend opened the door, and much more horrified. It’s a good thing Han was smart and made sure not to do anything if Jesse’s eyes were on him.

Continuing to munch at his meal, Jesse mulled over what had to be done at the ranch in the coming days. Now that it was finally warm enough to ship out chicks, he had a very large order coming out. Jesse found out Warren loved chickens and birds as much as he did, so he bought a large variety of chickens to raise. Warren showed interest in learning how to care for them and sell them, and Jesse was all for teaching the boy anything he may want to learn. Though Warren insisted that Han had been teaching him about the chickens, but it was dismissed in Jesse’s mind as Warren being over imaginative and doing research on his own. Jesse also bought a handful of new cows off a farmer who couldn’t handle them along with some goats and the farmer’s flock of sheep. He had the pasture already set while he was in the military, so all he needed was the sheep. Jack and Gabriel had already gotten him cows and horses as a welcome gift.

With ideas brewing in his head, Jesse pushes himself backwards in the chair. It screeches against the floor as it begrudgingly complies to his demands, grating on his ears. The chair creaks slightly as he stands, thankful to be freed of any weight upon the seat. Eyeing his mechanical arm in slight distaste, Jesse uses his flesh hand to pull out his phone and slowly type out a quick message to Jack asking if he didn’t mind loaning him the farm truck for the day tomorrow. Usually there was no issue, but Jesse always preferred to have all his marks spotted before he made a move on anything. Hesitation and lack of planning are the downfalls of all great ideas.

The farm truck wasn’t fancy, but it did have a huge bed in the back with a cover. Something that Jesse’s truck did not have. His truck was a modest size without a cover, and he rarely ever needed more than that. Mostly he leaves the property to grab feed or take Warren out and about. Jesse loved his truck, often cooing at her when she attempts to bog down mid drive. Thankfully, Baby, the truck, hasn’t been doing that as often since he put in new sparks and fixed a leaking head gasket. Some time this week he needs to pop in the new radiator, and he really needed to figure out the slight exhaust leak that’s leaking into the cab. People keep telling him to get rid of Baby, but he’s attached. Jesse’s had her before the war and now that he’s out, he wants to fix her up even more since she sat for so many years.

Instead of just standing around and waiting for Jack to reply, Jesse decides to wash up the dishes in the sink and watch Warren play with his imaginary friend. Warren is dashing about and attempting to do a combat roll as though someone were watching or critiquing his poor form. A comfortable warmth begins to boil in Jesse’s chest as he watches the boy continue on his adventurous escapades through the open grass. He imagines this must be what his mother told him about, that she could watch her children play for hours and never be bored. It makes a lot more sense as to him now, watching Warren play was one of his recent favorite things to do. Popping back up, Warren assumes a mock archer position and pretends to draw back a string and release a mighty arrow into the air. Jesse makes a mental note to pick up some books on archery and maybe a bow for Warren to learn on.

Perhaps Warren is playing with things he’s actually interested in learning about. Jesse muses that Han is probably a figment of what he’d like to learn to do. Warren seemed particularly interested in the swords and bow that were in the book. Maybe Jesse would pick up a wooden katana from the local weirdo shop next time he went into town without Warren. He knew Warren would treasure anything that Jesse bought for him, the kid practically begged to be allowed to shadow Jesse around the farm. Funny that he’s interested in samurai stuff too now. A cow boy samurai would be pretty amusing to see running around the ranch.

Buzzing alerts Jesse to the fact that he’s neglected his phone and let someone go to voice mail. He quickly wipes off his hands and looks away just in time to miss seeing Warren’s clothes move as someone unseen adjusts his posture so it’s correct. Phone in hand, he taps in his password to see who he missed so he can call them back. “Hey Gabe, what’s up?”

“You need the truck tomorrow?” It was Jack speaking over the phone is his gruff voice that in the right situation could do wonders in making Jesse’s pants not fit quite right. He can imagine Jack scratching the slight shadow that seemed to permanently attempt to grow in on his strong jaw and chiseled neck. Jack is probably thinking over if he has anything he needs to do tomorrow or not, and, if he does, he’ll probably tell Jesse they can just go together to conserve gas. “I wanted to grab some supplies… do you mind if we just ride together? We can go out to lunch, too. We haven’t been on a date in a while.”

Smirking slightly to himself, Jesse beams back into the phone, “Sounds like a plan, Jackie.” His metal hand adjusts the grip on the phone and his flesh hand adjusts his hat, smoothing the rim. “Want to hit up that little cafe on the south wing a’ town ‘fore we head over to the post to grab the li’l ones?”

“Sounds like a’ plan,” Jack mocks Jesse’s southern twang that came out more because he was excited. “Thank we should hit up an ol’ saloon while we’re at it?”

“Shut yer Yankee mouth, Jack,” Jesse sneers into the phone before Jack busts out into laughter. Gabriel must’ve caught the last part of their conversation because he busted out laughing in the background, too. Jack’s hearing is lacking, so he always has the phone on the loudest setting before speaker phone turns on. It might as well be on speaker, though, since every word of the conversation can be heard easily by anyone in a five foot radius.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jack blows off Jesse’s statement smoothly and then laughs a bit. “So we’ll head out in the morning then, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jesse nods even though Jack can’t see him whatsoever as he paces a new tread into the floor boards. His bare feet making soft padding noises against the old wooden floors as he slows in pace. “See you then, I’mma go get all the animals in before bed after dishes and a smoke.”

“Sounds good, Jesse.” Jack has warmth in his tone and it make Jesse’s heart skip a bit momentarily. “Good night.”

“Night, Jack,” Jesse smiles warmly, back relaxing as he tries to click the end call button with his metal hand. Of course, it doesn’t register with the touch screen on the phone, and Jack winds up ending the phone call instead. Distaste once again tints the way he looks at the metal limb that doesn’t even register as a hand to machines or feel warm. Self hate swirls about Jesse’s gut and begins to brew a not-so-healthy case of heart burn for later on in the night that Jesse will wake up with nasty burps from. Grumbling, he goes back to finish his dishes with hope that Warren is still playing with Han in front of the window. Thankfully he is, and, somehow, Jesse notes that his archer stance has improved significantly. Interesting, too, was how there seemed to be a shimmery space next to Warren… like how cars look in the summer when they’re running or just above a grill that’s heated up. Jesse figures it’s just the sun plays tricks in the almost-sunset but still blue sky, and he doesn’t think too much farther than that.

Sometime while Jesse’s washing dishes, the shimmering fades away and Warren quits practicing his mock archery. Instead he opts for looking at the cows, running further into the distance until he’s just a speck on the fence around the pasture. As his source of entertainment leaves, his brewing self hatred returns to remind him that he’s not the man he once was. His metal hand grips a cheap plastic cup a little too hard and goes right through it. He begins to audibly curse himself out as he crush the cup in his metal hand and chucks it so hard to the (also plastic) garbage can that it too become dented. Angered yelling begins to rage from Jesse’s lungs so he decides to grab a cigarette from his coat that’s slung over a chair. Grumbling more angrily, he walks outside and lights it up eagerly. He needs a smoke. He needs to calm down.

Stomping his way over to one of the rockers, he sits down and looks out over the river. Flowing freely and not pausing for anything that may fall in, the water gushes by and sweeps along tiny branches and various fish. The recent rains have really surged up the water; it’s about ten feet up onto the shore. Gabriel said that’s about as far as it’ll go, so Jesse is glad he’s seen the approximate highest point for his own reference. Any sort of planning he may need to do in the future will be dependent on how high the river may get. No use putting in a building that’ll flood out every year, or putting in a root cellar that will always be below to the water line. The roaring waters of the river would just wash it all out and down the banks piece by piece. Gabriel and Jesse made sure Warren knew never to go near the river without an adult around for that reason.

Inhaling deeply, Jesse feels a faint tingling beginning to set into his finger tips as he relaxes into his chair. The feeling bubbles up into his forearms and slowly washes over his shoulders. Numbing his anger as the sensation begins to rush over his scalp, Jesse sighs contently and takes another long drag. He knows his metal limb can’t feel, but he swears he feels both his hands get the tingling the sensation, it’s quite unsettling. Deciding to ignore it for now, Jesse looks out across the grass to the river and the forest beyond. The sky is an infinite expanse dotted with clouds that hide portions of the cerulean blue canopy. Tall green peaks lumber above the mostly moss earth at their bases, and briars act as walls against the border between the woods and grassy river bank. The slightly grey-green moss an interesting contrast to the vibrant green briars and deep pines and bright maples of the wood. Greens a beautiful harmony with the sky, and the birds flying about elaborate splashes of color on a canvas of earth tones. Bliss.

“You guys settled in yet?” Jack asks with a sideways glance as he drives down the road. The truck jostles over the potholes roughly and a few clacks are heard from the back from tie downs slacking over to the side. Jack’s thinning, short hair flitted in the wind from the open window slightly. His skin is pale and still vibrant and youthful looking even though there’s a scar through his lip and in-between his eyebrows on a diagonal toward his right eye. Many other scars litter his body and betray that he’s a bit more aged than his smile and actions lead on.

“Working on it,” Jesse laughs a bit as he tucks his hair up into his hat better to prevent it from whipping his face further. His fingers are calloused and large, so it’s a bit tedious for him to have to focus on getting it to fit in his hat without having to move his hat in a way that lets more hair fall out. A quiet, deep throated chuckle lets out and Jesse figures it came from Jack so he doesn’t comment on it. Meanwhile, Jack figured it came from Jesse, and neither of them notice the weird shimmery area in the shape of hands holding up some hair in Jesse’s hat so it doesn’t fall. “Warren is playing with Han a lot more, he’s playing archery a lot lately. I think I’mma buy ‘im a bow to practice with. Probably buy him a couple books on archery and its history or something, too. Kid likes that sorta thing, a lot more into reading than I’ve ever been.”

“It’s a good thing he’s different from you in that way,” Jack has a scolding tone to his voice from the get go. Jesse is already rolling his eyes before Jack continues on with his small speech. “If you could’ve just gone back to college and gotten an associates degree, you could’ve advanced so much quicker!”

Waving him off with his metal hand, Jesse shrugs. He knows that Jack is low-key telling him that if he had gone to college like Gabriel and Jack urged him to, he would’ve been in a commanding station farther back the day of the explosion. What Jack didn’t know was that it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. There was the infamous hat that would get started, and if your picture was on the hat and the money inside the hat was high enough… you’d die at some point. If you didn’t, the money would get sent to you once you got home safely. Jesse was curious how much he’d receive here soon, and, when it came, Jack and Gabriel would find out what happened wasn’t an attack from the other side at all.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jesse fake grumbles, actually enjoying having the man he’s always looked up to worrying after him. It was a nice feeling that helped him through some tough times. Jack and Gabriel were openly doting and always made sure that Jesse knew he had a place to rest his head. They had taken him in when he was a brat without direction making stupid decisions and running with the wrong folks. When Jesse ran too far into the desert because his family got killed in a car crash, they found him and drug his sorry ass back home to heal. Jesse would do anything he needed to make sure that they didn’t have to find out about the hat until the money came. He wanted to make sure they couldn’t do anything until it was too late to find out who did it and when. All three them have put money in a hat for someone else. Jesse and Gabriel had even received the money out of the hat for being the one who ended the person. Albeit the hats they chose to participate on were usually suspected spies or leaks, but they had still participated actively. It’s only natural to accept that it is what it is, no matter how shitty.

“What type of chicks you get this time around?” Jack give Jesse a sideways glance, eyeing his reaction. Jesse wasn’t aware but he was significantly paler and sweat was beading around his temples. Memories of the explosion were replaying in Jesse’s mind, the car that went up into the sky in pieces and out to the sides in a variety of sharp pieces. Though even the dull pieces cut through flesh like razors or embedded themselves in. “Jesse,” Jack calls out carefully but receives no response again. “Soldier!” Jack’s voice barks and Jesse’s head snaps over to Jack immediately. His eyes are glazed over but come back to reality as he looks at Jack. “So what type of chicks you get this time around?”

Giving a nice smirk, acting as though he hadn’t just had a minor flashback, Jesse begins to list off a generalized answer. “I got some olive eggers, blue eggers, Easter Eggers, dual purpose birds, white egg layers, brown egg layers, some bantams, standard sized feather footers, and some birds that I’mma cross for some delicious meat birds. Warren’s interested in learning about chickens and raising them and marketing them,” Jesse’s completion begins to even out as he talks, and he knows what Jack is doing for him. Having him talk about anything but what’s going on right now in his mind so he can relax. “I figured getting a whole bunch that we start a breeding stock off of would be a good treat for the kid, a good hobby for me, and maybe a good way to make money seeing how there’s too few ranches around here. You’d think there’d be more cows and shit, y’know?”

“Yeah,” Jack laughs a bit. “Most folks travel to the city or have meat brought in around here. You’ll make a killing once you get everything going. You getting any other birds?” Jack’s grip on the steering wheel begins to calm and his knuckles he didn’t realize had been in a white knuckle grip feel a bit of ache. His jaw is tight and he’s doing his best to keep up his calm appearance, but something in his gut is beginning to rage with worry and something else he’s not sure of. Something is telling him to push Jesse for more information, but he has a feeling it’s a bad idea.

“Pheasants, quail, duck, and goose. Got an assortment coming in to play with,” Jesse grins and grabs a cigarette out of his breast pocket and a lighter. “It’s gunna be a fun year for raising up some little ones.” Inhaling deeply, Jesse holds the flame to the end of his cigarette for a moment. When he’s done he exhales a fast puff of smoke out the window. Jack smirks a bit at the light enthusiasm radiating from Jesse.

“Yeah? Making use of all the barns you had built up finally?” Jack shoots a teasing grinning Jesse’s way. For the past ten years, Jesse has been building up all the buildings he would need for his animals at Jack and Gabriel’s property. Jack and Gabriel didn’t mind in the slightest, they were looking forward to having Jesse move in with them. The more buildings he built, the more assured they felt that he was definitely planning on moving in with them for a longer set of time. When Jesse nods, Jack chuckles a bit, “About damn time.”

“Yeah,” Jesse nods and they fall into silence as the truck rumbles down the old country road. The gravel winds through woods and between fields, a pasty white-grey streak on the fertile earth. Mighty oaks watch over the truck as it passes under large, outstretched limbs with hand sized green leafs. Farmers wave at the white truck from atop seed planting tractors, and Jesse and Jack wave back from the cab of their modest in comparison truck. Birds swoop nearby the car and occasionally in front of the car with impressive dives and speed. Gravel continues to crunch all the way into town.

#mchanzo #Hanzo #hanzo shimada #jesse mccree #jesse #cowboy #demon #oni!hanzo #jack morrison #gabriel reyes #fanfiction #probably going to be putting smut here that wont go up on ao3 #farm #have faith in me #overwatch

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sweet-taiyaki · 4 years

Text

Berry Break

I am one class away from spring break. My friends and I are going on a road trip to Nashville for my 21st birthday and we cannot wait. I’m the last of my friends to turn 21 so we were all looking forward to this trip. Before we set sail, I want to introduce the group to you. I’m Elizabeth, currently a senior at Florida State University and my major is criminology. My roommate Emma is also going on the trip. She’s a dietetics major and also a sorority sister. Emma’s friends, Olivia and Leah, are also in a sorority, but at Florida International University. They have been close together in the sorority. They REALLY want me to join, but it’s just not my thing, even though I basically hang out with them all the time. Emma and I go to Miami a lot and eventually, I got close with her friends as well.

So yes, the four of us are going to take over Nashville. My class just ended and now I have to pack. “Hey, Liz. You ready?” Emma looked over to my room to see that I haven’t packed anything yet. “I’m sorry, Emma. I have been studying and at the gym more than anything this week. I just wanted to get through midterms.” I packed up real quick, then we headed to Miami to pick up the girls. We arrive to the school and Emma starts to scream as she saw Olivia and Leah. Emma and I get out the car to have a big group hug. They pack their stuff in the car and we were on our way to Nashville. We sing in the car on the way there. “Do you think that we can find our future man there,” Leah asks. “Maybe,” says Emma, “I mean you look the part to find a cowboy with your cowboy boots and curly hair.”

We stopped at a liquor store. The girls go straight for the Trulys. “Truly? Not white claw,” I said. The girls laughed. “White claw doesn’t have as much variety as truly, plus white claw is overrated.” We bought it with our fresh ids and headed to the hotel. Fast forward getting ready, pregaming, and took some selfies with the girls ready to hit the town. We get to Broadway and hit up FGL house first. I walk into the bar and lost Olivia. Apparently, she saw a guy that she knew from school and decided to chill with him. He looked attractive, probably in a fraternity she hung out with. “Leah, do you know him,” I asked. “Yeah, he’s really cute, but I heard that he has a girlfriend, but she isn’t here, so something must have happened. But him and Olivia are friends regardless.”

We start dancing and a guy came up to Emma saying how pretty she was. Leah and I giggled as we watched him buy her a drink. The live band started to get lame with slow songs, but Leah and I wanted to dance and drink more. We had a group chat on our phones and I texted the group saying that Leah and I wanted to go. As I sent that text, Olivia met up with Emma. I could see them together and they said it was cool to split up as long as we had another girl with them.

Leah and I went to the Dierks Bentley bar. Most of the floors had djs. Leah got a drink at the bar and a guy approached her and bought her drink. I stayed behind her. Someone bumped into me and I apologized. When I turned around Leah and the guy were gone. I looked around and did not see them. I asked the people around me if they saw them, and no one said they knew. I sent a text to Leah, ‘wtf, where are you.’ She said she was on her way back to the hotel to sleep with him. I texted the group chat around midnight saying that Leah is at the hotel with a guy. I didn’t get a response.

Great. I was alone in Nashville. I stayed at Dierks until I saw another one of the girls and tried to have a good time. But it was nice to see the strip light up and the wind blowing through my hair. “Pretty, innit,” a voice behind me said. I turned around to see this handsome guy, some facial hair dressed in a jacket with a white undershirt, jeans, and of course, cowboy boots. “Yes,” I said, “Very beautiful.” I didn’t see him with anyone else. “Where are your friends,” I asked. He laughed, “I actually got off my shift and decided to have a drink. But I don’t see a drink in your hand, so let me get you one. I insist.” “Alright,” I said as I walked over to the bar with him. The bartender made our drinks and told us the total. He was struggling a little bit, but gave the bartender my card. She took the card and he looked at me, “I said I was gonna buy them! Why did you do that?” I laughed and apologized, “Maybe I wanted to buy you a drink.” He laughed and we walked back to the rooftop. “My name is Grayson, by the way. I didn’t mean to intrude or anything. It just seemed like you were alone.”

I chuckled. “My name is Liz,” I didn’t want to confirm if I was alone. There was a girl screaming in and out and I went over to investigate, Grayson followed me. On the other side of the rooftop, the girl seemed like she wanted to be alone and this guy was harassing her. Finally, I’m putting my education into real life since no security was around. “Hey, she said she wanted you to leave her alone,” I barked. The guy comes over to me and Grayson stood in front of me to defend me. “You gotta get thru me to bother this woman.” The big guy pushed Grayson over and held me by the neck. “Don’t tell me what to do, bitch,” he said angrily. I used my self-defense techniques, including the groin, to downgrade his large ego. He was on the ground in pain. Security came up to escort him out. The girl gave me a hug and thanked me. I turned around and Grayson was gone. I guess, he was embarrassed.

I left the bar and texted the girl group chat that I was heading back to the hotel. I ran into Grayson when I was on my way. “Grayson, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. I’m training to become a cop and—” “You don’t have to apologize, I was just in the presence of a superhero and I didn’t know how to react, since I wanted to look like the good guy.” He kissed me on the cheek and gave me a slip of paper with his number on it. I looked back and he looked back at me and winked. I smiled and my phone started to blow up with texts from the girls. All the girls met up at the hotel and their guys were actually in the same hotel. After the weekend, the guys wanted to come back with us to Miami to tan and get some sun. We all left for Florida, but I wished Grayson would have come with us. I texted him back and forth the whole ride back.

The girls were with their guys playing volleyball and I was just sunbathing. “Where is that guy you were with, Liz,” Emma said. I shrugged and brushed it off. “Who is that guy,” Olivia said. I turned around and it was him. “Liz, I want to prove to you that I can take you down like you did that guy.” “Oh really,” I said. He grabbed me on his shoulder and threw me into the ocean. My friends gasped, but I started to laugh. I grabbed him into the ocean and kissed him. We went back to shore and walked into the sunset talking about our lives. So yeah, that was my spring break. It’s crazy turning 21, but full of adventure.

#spring break

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