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marvelmaniac715 · 11 months

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This is part eighteen of my human Chucky au. This story is more suited for Halloween, but I got an idea and I just had to write it. It’s another Glen fic, and like all fics in this au, until the twins are fourteen they’ll go by he/him (Glen) and she/her (Glenda). Glen is seven in this fic, and he’s visiting a haunted house. Please don’t ask why I got this idea at this time of year, I just really liked it.

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The ‘Witch Doctor’ song was blaring out of a broken speaker. The air smelled like hay and pumpkins (don’t ask how). Screeching children and teenagers were running all over the place, and, not for the first time that evening, Chucky was cursing his luck as he held his seven year old son’s small, woollen glove clad hand in his larger bare one.

It hadn’t been his idea to come to this godforsaken place, in fact he’d been a vocal supporter of staying home and renting a PG rated ‘scary’ movie. Halloween used to be fun when he was a kid, back when children could go outside all day then get called in for dinner. Nowadays, trick or treating was harder to do because of ‘stranger danger’.

In fact, Glen himself hadn’t wanted to come either, the kid’s idea of a fun Halloween was watching old cartoon Halloween specials with his twin sister, but Glenda was off at some sort of Halloween themed all-girls sleepover that Glen hadn’t been invited to, so Tiffany had insisted upon Chucky taking his son to the haunted house that was opened near town square to make up for it. He’d almost gotten out of it, but Tiffany reminded him that Glen was very sad that he had nothing to do on Halloween night, so Chucky accepted under the condition that it would be a quick in and out procedure.

So, here they were, frostbitten to the core, ears ringing with the borderline offensive ‘Witch Doctor’ song, regretting their life choices (ever seen a seven year old have a midlife crisis? Well, that’s what Glen was having) as the line for the haunted house got shorter and shorter. As another screaming set of teenagers ran out of the haunted house, Glen squeezed his father’s hand and gave him a frightened look. Chucky immediately understood this look, and squeezed his son’s hand back tighter as he said:

“Hey, bud, I know. Your mom wanted you to see this, and I couldn’t get us out of it. It’s really cheesy, isn’t it?”

Glen shook his head, his eyes widening and filling with frightened tears. Seeing this, Chucky frowned as he came to a realisation.

“Wait, you’re actually scared, aren’t you?”

Glen nodded and sniffled in shame, looking down at the ground and biting his bottom lip, face going red. Chucky felt like an idiot, how could he be so stupid? Of course Glen was scared, the poor kid had never been able to handle jump-scares or anything like that, and the screaming teenagers probably convinced him that the haunted house was so scary that even ‘big kids’ were terrified.

Chucky thought for a moment, before deciding on a plan that just might work. Bending down slowly, the man lifted his son into his arms, rubbing the boy’s back as he confided:

“Hey, I’ve seen a lot of scary movies, and what you’ve gotta learn is that there’s a bunch of tropes. There’s only so many things they can try and use to scare you, and I’ll bet none of them will be that scary. Any blood you see will likely be cornstarch, and all of the ‘monsters’ are just actors. None of it’s real, you know that, right buddy?”

Glen nodded, but he looked unconvinced, so Chucky continued.

“Besides, like I said, I’ve seen a lot of scary movies. I know how to defeat most of the things in there, so if we come across any monster that frightens you, even just a little bit, let me know and I’ll tell you the top secret ways to make them scared, alright?”

This made Glen very excited, and the boy nodded again, but this time with a large grin on his face. With his newfound courage, Glen willingly agreed to enter the haunted house. If anything scared him, he would nuzzle into his father’s shoulder and listen attentively as the man whispered advice such as ‘a silver bullet’s guaranteed to take out a werewolf, or a dog whistle for that matter’ and ‘Frankenstein hates fire, just light a match and he’ll run for the hills’.

It was all going so well, and they were nearly at the exit, with a dozen pictures taken during the process to prove to Tiffany that they’d went. But in the final room, an actor portraying a vampire got… a little too enthusiastic in his attempts to scare Glen.

Seemingly frustrated that none of his coworkers had prompted so much as a flinch out of the seven-year-old, the actor decided to pluck Glen from his father’s arms and toss him into the air. Chucky was already angry about this, but what made him even more furious was when the actor lost his footing, causing Glen to land on the hard, cobblestoned ground with a harsh thud.

Chucky can’t quite recall what happened after that, it returns to him in flashes. He can remember rushing to his son’s side and examining him for injuries, thankful that his son’s fall had only resulted in a bloody nose. Then, he remembers his right hand balling into a fist as he punched someone, possibly the vampire actor. Then Chucky can remember being hauled out of the haunted house by staff, cursing them out the whole time and threatening to involve his lawyer.

Tiffany wasn’t pleased to hear about her husband’s behaviour, but for a month afterwards, Glen would brag to anyone who would listen with a great big smile on his face:

“My daddy punched a vampire!”

#chucky #chucky series #childs play #seed of chucky #charles lee ray #tiffany valentine #chiffany #glen ray #glenda ray #horror #fanfiction #human chucky #human tiffany #human au

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tsuki-sennin · 2 years

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Donbrothers, Episode 35!

Ohhhhh boy! Just got off the train from Oishi-Na Town! Time to visit my friend Tsubasa in Donbura County Jail. And uh... well, my good buddy Jirou is in immense pain so, I wanna check on him too. Going all over the place today, huh? Please stand behind the white line! We're departing on a train ride towards pain!

Spoilers, I guess...

-Well, at least you're not having a massive rampage, right Tsuyoshi?

-It's OUR power, boys!

-"Kijino, you're really making an annoying racket stirring your coffee like that."

-"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO YOU SON OF A BITCH, I PAID FOR THIS DRINK!"

-"Hey man, chill, you don't gotta yell at him like that-"

-"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU INSUFFERABLE LITTLE OTAKU BRAT I DIDN'T WORK FOR 10 YEARS TO BE BOSSED AROUND BY A LITTLE ONI PUNK!"

-"Jesus Christ, what's gotten into you"

-"OHHHHHH LOOK AT ME, I'M A FREELOADER, I'M GONNA WRITE A HAIKU TO PAY MY BILLS!

Lies high as the palms

Bananas within reach

Monkey gets free lunch!"

EAT MY ENTIRE ASS YOU APE!"

-How many takes do you think it took to get that rant right?

-Ohhhhhh, Shinichi jbk;hjg

-Hello Auntie Yuriko.

-"He's hot" OH MY GOD how does Haruka rein you in?

-Ohhhhh, there's something with Auntie Yuriko isn't there

-"Ah fuck, he has a girlfriend already"

-...I get really bad vibes off of auntie Yuriko.

-Miho Spotted.

-Oh no

-Aaaand, we're in jail!

-Jail time with the homie.

-"So like... do you want 500000 yen?"

-"Nah, you... you can keep it, I don't really need that kinda money."

-"Ah... so this means... YOU'RE REFUSING A RANSOM! C'MERE YOU SON OF A BITCH"

-Free doggy!

-Kito, please stop that, I'm pretty sure fraternizing with suspects under interrogation is a violation of the law.

-Ah, who am I kidding, that's not gonna stop her.

-Ohhhhhhhhh, she hit you with the whammy.

-"Go investigate your girlfriend! If you get us results, we'll let you go free!"

-Murasame's just sitting there, huh?

-Yeah just seal him up a little, he'll be fine

-Oh hey, Rumi-chan, right? You're Jirou's ladyfriend.

-Alright, my boy's getting focus!

-JIROU HJKHK

-Natsumi rehearsal!

-Very solid delivery

-Proposal!

-Wan-derful!

-Oh... hello Sononi! There's a really funny case of some poor kid unable to confess his love happening in Oishi-Na Town if you wanna come with me next time!

-"Oh, that boy's gonna die. Old Yeller's got nothing on this dog tragedy. I'll be sure to hand his friends a posthumous Newberry medal."

-Having a midlife crisis so soon?

-Hmm... what is that thing... he seems to be a physics major, so... perhaps he's one of the more science-y sentai. That's a red bird of prey for his face. Yellow beast with tusks... or fangs? And those blue... rubbery shoulders he's got... Ohhhhh, I get it now! This guy must be our Liveman rep.

-A toast~! For the most~!

-Naptime!

-Hello Jin!

-Just send him away like that, huh?

-"Ahhhhh, so you're the guy who made him a psycho. Good job, dingus."

-Hmm... found a new form of dimensional travel, huh? Do you think perhaps they cut through the CooKingdom?

-"Menkai wa wata."

-Natsumi? Ohhhhhhh, a crane.

-Fuck

-Y'know Momoi, I think whenever somebody acts even slightly weird around you, you should assume

-"Are you okay, Pheasant Guy?"

"FUCK YOU HARUKA YOU'RE NOT MY REAL MOM"

-Sloooooow motion!

-Party Time!

-Too fast, too strong!

-Ohhhh, Avatar Change!

-Now transforming! Get your ass on the dance floor behind the white line!

-Aaaaaaaaalll aboard!

-Hyper ToQ Momo-gou! Hyper ToQ Momo-gou!

-Gotta admit, I'm actually kind of a fan of this idea that Momoi's so up in his own hype that he just... slaps his own super form onto another Sentai's Red.

-Alright, Jirou!

-Stop sniffing your girlfriend and lie down!

-...yeah, like that, thank you for listening.

-Got a ToQ Blaster and the Rail Slasher, badass.

-Awww, I wanted to see more.

-Darkness of youth!

-Kimochiiiii!

-Ore koso only one da.

-Youth stuff!

-Let's fly!

-Take that power!

-Matsuri da matsuri da!

-Donbros Utopia!

-Yeah, good luck with that, Mister! Have fun!

-BRUH

-Juto Suck

-"Nooooo :("

-And he just got eaten!

-Fuck!

-Oh God, where is this

-That poor Anoni lady :(

-Oh...

-Ohhhhhh this is the lion's den.

-Jesus fucking Christ, what on earth is happening

-Why is this so horrifying

-Inoue? Tasaki? Shirakura-P? Anybody?

-What the fuck guys, what is happening?

-Ohhhhhhhh that's not good.

-That's not good at all.

-Ramen! Deliciousmile~!

-Oh, that poor chef, he's going through this again.

-That's not our dog, that's a really fucked up cat!

-Uh... hang tight, Tsubasa! We'll save you!

-Next episode that is, Happy Halloween buddy!

#don! don! it's a full force peachy festival!#donbrothers spoilers #avataro sentai donbrothers #donbrothers #momo monday

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loorain · 2 months

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Sims 4 Fontenot Legacy - The Twins' Final Toddler Days

The Legacy House is in full preparation for a double birthday party! With the twins aging up in two days, the house is buzzing with prep and other things.

Sabrina has been hard at work as usual maintaining the restaurant, and things have been going quite well. The days following the wedding have been hectic so they haven't spoken to Beau or Marquise lately, but with Juno's birthday coming up next week that'll surely change.

Sigrid has been soaking up these final toddler days with the twins, taking extra time to read them bedtime stories, play with them, and otherwise love them up. It's a bittersweet moment, knowing that her little girls will soon not be so little anymore, but she's also happy to witness them grow more into themselves and looks forward to the freedoms having older kids will allow her.

Sigrid and Robin have stuck to their promise to be workout buddies again, which is really boosting Sigrid's mood and increasing her self-confidence. She knows her body will continue to change with time and age, but she feels good knowing she's doing what she can to keep herself healthy both physically and mentally.

Sigrid's also managed to squeeze in some leisure time while the twins are at preschool, giving her mood an extra boost. Hey, work hard, play harder!

Scarlett has been taking a little extra time to do things with Sabrina as well. Sabrina and Scarlett's main form of bonding, when Sabrina was younger, was athletic activities like soccer. While they still like to squeeze in the occasional run, their choice in bonding has changed more to food, experimenting with flavors and textures to play around with new dishes for the restaurant. While Sabrina is the one with a culinary degree, their mother is also talented in the kitchen, so this has been especially fun.

Scarlett's new career has also been a fun new challenge for her, and she's gotten back to her passion for music when she has time. In the process, Scarlett's time dealing with her midlife crisis has come to an end. Her life has not been an easy one, losing her mother young, her father in her teen years, supporting her little sister Kira through her journey of teenage motherhood, and then eventually supporting the family she left behind with her sudden death. Still, she did what she could with her life, achieving many great things. She's already had two successful careers, raised a child of her own, mastered many skills, and so much more. She has become a jack-of-all-trades and successful sim despite all her hardships and obstacles, from her ADHD struggles to single-parenthood.

Before anyone notices, it's the night before the twins' birthday party, and hence their last night as toddlers. It's an emotional evening for everyone, but especially their parents.

Sigrid: Ah... it's finally here, huh? The twins' birthday.

Robin: I know. Hard to believe. Bittersweet, yeah?

Sigrid: Yeah. Funny how you can't wait for each phase to happen, yet mourn the end of the current one so deeply.

Robin: What's been your favorite phase so far?

Sigrid: I loved it when they were just little babies. Learning new skills, the beginnings of their personalities starting to form... and man, they were the cutest little things in the world.

Robin: They were. Though I have to say, I think I liked the toddler stage just a little bit more.

Sigrid: Really?

Robin: I think it's because now, they're really forming their true personalities. You can see the good and bad more clearly, and it's given me a lot to think about when understanding who they are as sims.

Sigrid: I suppose you're right...

Robin: But you still miss them as babies.

Sigrid chuckles.

Sigrid: Yeah. I do.

Robin: I understand. It's time we'll never get back.

Sigrid: Feels like time is just always on fast-forward. I want things to slow down. Better yet, can it just rewind?

Robin: Life's not that kind to us. We just have to keep moving on wherever it takes us.

Sigrid: Yeah, I know... And I've been thinking... I don't feel like our family is quite complete yet. I know we've talked about it in the past, but...

Robin: You want to revisit it?

Sigrid: I think it'd be good for the girls. Having another companion when they drive each other crazy or when they feel we don't understand them. Someone who can always be there.

Robin: Maybe you're right. It could teach them a lot of things. And it be another little one to love on.

Sigrid: You really think we should?

Robin: I do. So let's make it happen.

Sigrid grins.

Sigrid: Have I ever told you you're the best husband ever?

Robin chuckles, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Robin: Not since the title change. I could get used to it, though.

Sigrid: Well you better, because I'm never going to shut up about it from this day forward.

Robin smiles.

Robin: I love you, Sig.

Sigrid: I love you, too.

#sims 4 fontenot legacy #sims 4 #sims 4 legacy challenge #sims 4 legacy #sims 4 modded #simblr #ts4 #ts4 simblr

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keldabekush · 3 years

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you HAVE to tell us more about Nuhur!!!

OHOHOHO SO

What I’ve got going on with this guy so far is that they’re kind of your standard Mandalorian bounty-hunter just trying to make enough money to upkeep their ship and equipment and take home to the fam. They have a particular talent for absolutely batshit speederbike stunts, which only very rarely comes in handy. They’re good at bounty-hunting (because they’re a Mandalorian) but it’s miserable and lonely and they silently hate it and they spend a few years getting more and more depressed and sullen until their Mando buddies are like “this is not working out for you” and make them spend some self-care time planetside - which they do, begrudgingly. And then three weeks into their R&R they feel so jittery and guilty about being stationary and not bringing in any cash that they impulsively sign onto the roster of a local racing circuit and eventually they accidentally become a minor celebrity and have to bail off the planet before they draw any more attention lmao, but hey they’ve got a hobby they can fall back on when bounty-hunting gets them down, which is much better than before. Somewhere between getting grounded planetside and becoming a minor celeb, they go looking for the brightest pigments they can find and spend some time painting over their plain matte grey paintjob, partly out of midlife crisis and partly because they just think “fuck it i want to be happy and neon pink will help” and they’re RIGHT According to Mandoa.org, “Nuhur” means “Good times, Laughter, Fun”

#nuhur #oc #my stuff #ask #answer

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years

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summertime sadness .8.

deja vu

Sequel to kiss me in the d-a-r-k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 (masterlist under construction)

Warnings: non con

This is dark!(dad)Steve and dark(professor!)Bucky and dark!Loki and explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: The reader tries to avoid disaster.

Note: Not much to say for this one. Just enjoy. Thank you!💋

<3 Let me know what you think in a reblog, reply, or like. I’m loving the feedback from y'all and the enthusiasm! Also as always, memes accepted.

💋💋💋

Friday night. You were on the train before six. Loki let you go fairly quickly. He had cum fairly quickly. The remnants were on your blouse, barely concealed by your cardigan. The shadows of the underground flickered through the windows and the noise of the crowd drowned out that in your head.

You walked the half-block to your building. An unexpected figure sat waiting on the step. It was too late to hide. Bucky stood, the pizza box balanced against his chest. He smiled weakly.

"Figured since you've been dodging me, I'd come to you," He said evenly. "And I brought some food to appease you."

"I'm not very hungry." You muttered as you dug around for your keys. "I'm tired."

"Must be. You're home late. Train doesn't take that long." He remarked. "If you don't want a slice, you can keep the leftovers for tomorrow. Or is it me you don't want?"

You sighed as you brushed past him and he followed you into the lobby.

"I just...have a lot on my plate." You said as you unlocked the door. "I don't think it's a good idea to keep this up while I'm..."

"Fucking your boss?" He ventured. "You think I couldn't guess?"

"Working." You insisted as you stopped in the door. "And what do you care?"

"I don't, really. I'm only curious. It's all so sudden. You know, it wouldn't bother me if--"

"Nothing bothers you," You snapped.

"So what do you think? You cut off your old ties and chase him into the sunset? You really think he's gonna help you once he's had his fun?"

You flinched. You lowered your eyes and turned away. He kicked his foot in the door before you could close it.

"No, but it will do neither of us any good to carry on like this." You retorted.

He frowned. He looked at the pizza box and picked at the edges with his nails. He nodded. "He knows."

"Yeah," You confirmed meekly. "He knows."

"And so he told you to ditch me? He blackmailing you?"

"I made that decision. To protect both of us."

"Protect us? This could fuck up your whole career."

"Yeah, and if our little affair got out, what do think then? You think they'd keep you on tenure?" You spat.

"I'd find something else. You don't have to play martyr." He argued.

"Sure, maybe you'd survive the fall but what about me? I don't think I'd be able to climb back up."

"Sure you could."

"I'm on scholarship. And if they didn't kick my ass out of the university, they'd surely pull my funding. And the internship? Loki could have me blacklisted all the way to England." You shook your head. "I don't get to fuck up. Not like you."

"And what about Steve?" He asked.

"What about him?” You sneered. “I think I'll stop while I'm ahead."

"You can't just cut him off like that." He said.

"I can take care of myself. About time I start." You hissed.

"A little help never hurt anyone." He said.

"Just... I can't right now." You uttered. "I can barely think. I don't sleep. I... please just leave me alone."

Bucky scowled. "You gonna tell him?"

"When I find the words," You said. "Please don't."

"Yeah, no, you take care of yourself," He shoved the pizza toward you. "And eat something. Just one slice."

"No, I can't."

"Just do me this last favour." He pushed it against you until you took it. "I don't even like feta."

"Thanks." You took the box entirely. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, I'm sorry." He shrugged. "It's as much my fault as yours but... hey, if the fall gets too high, let me know. I'll still be there to catch you if I can."

You gulped and nodded, unable to speak through your tightened throat. You sniffed and finally found your voice.

"Bye." You squeaked.

"See ya," He gave half a wave. "You got my number."

He turned and you watched him go. You backed up slowly until the door shut. The pizza was still warm but the smell turned your stomach. Or maybe it was yourself that made you so sick.

💋

Another week passed. Another agonizing week. The office that was once your naive fantasy had become an all too real nightmare. Loki hovered over you, even when he wasn’t there. He loomed menacingly on your shoulder. His voice in the back of your head.

And Steve. The messages never stopped. You woke to them and fell asleep reading them. Still, you couldn’t think of what to say. He’d give up eventually. You were just some girl he fucked. That’s it. So you left him on read and distracted yourself with your daily torment.

Loki was out of his office that day but it didn’t preclude you from his schedule. As you packed up, your phone vibrated. He was waiting for you outside. You knew exactly why. The same reason he kept you every day. He wanted to try a new toy. Wanted to play with his toy. You responded quickly and dropped your phone in your bag.

The elevator was too fast so you took the stairs. Your steps echoed around the flights and when you reached the bottom, you were out of breath. You stepped out into the lobby and lingered there. Loki’s streetcar was by the curb just outside the doors. His driver kept the window up when you were around.

You took a breath and your heels clicked across the polished floor. You pushed through the door as the rear window of the car slowly declined. Your name tripped you up as it came from your left. You turned to the familiar voice as its owner stepped away from the side of the building.

“Steve?” You gasped. “What are you--”

“Ah, so you remember me?” He asked as he crossed his arms.

“Steve…”

“I just want an answer. Anything?” He stepped closer. “Just tell me why?”

“I… can’t,” You sucked in your lip nervously. “I gotta go.”

“No, no, you can’t just run away,” He caught your arm before you could flee. “Bucky told me you iced him out too. And I can tell he’s not telling me everything either.”

“Look it’s… complicated.” You sputtered. “Can we-- can we meet later? I’ll tell you then but I really need to go.”

A car door opened and closed. You cringed as the figure in your peripheral neared and the arm snaked around your waist to draw you away from Steve.

“Problem?” Loki asked with a smirk.

Steve scowled and looked between you. “Not yours, buddy.”

“I’d say it was. You’re keeping my date…” His hand dropped and he squeezed your ass. You flinched and looked to the sidewalk. “And we have plans I am most eager for.”

“We’re talking,” Steve said. “Give us a minute.”

“You can keep talking,” Loki taunted as his hand trailed along your spine.

You felt Steve’s eyes on you but couldn’t bring yourself to look up. “Without you.” Steve warned.

“Whatever you have to say to her you can say to me,” Loki argued. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Seems she has a certain taste.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think she was into assholes,” Steve scoffed.

Loki chuckled. “Look, gramps, can we get this over with?”

“Oh, we can end this,” Steve stepped up to Loki. “You just gotta walk away.”

Loki rescinded his arm and met Steve in kind. “Doesn’t look like she wants to talk.”

“I didn’t ask you.”

“Well, let’s talk then.” Loki taunted. “You see, me and your midlife crisis have been having quite the time and we’re running behind.”

“Don’t,” Steve bristled.

“And I hear… rather I know,” Loki lowered his voice, “She loves it from behind.”

“Don’t talk about her like that.” Steve growled.

“You must know? Or maybe you’re the old missionary hero, yeah? How long does that little blue pill keep you going?”

“Stop.” Steve’s tone drew your eyes up at last.

“It’s all me. No enhancement.” Loki continued. “And oh, does she love it. You should hear her, begging for it as I--”

Loki stumbled back suddenly as Steve’s fist flew up. You exclaimed and backed away as Loki barely stayed on his feet. Steve reeled back again and you caught his arm before he could grab your boss by his scruff.

“Steve,” You pleaded. “Leave him alone.”

He looked at you then to Loki cradling his bloody nose. “You’re coming with me. Now.”

“No, I don’t think she is,” Loki said as he sniffed back the blood.

“Oh ho, well you can stop me from taking her,” Steve flexed his fingers.

“Steve!” You snapped. “Enough. Both of you.”

Loki narrowed his eyes as he pushed his knuckle to his nose to stem the bleeding. He nodded and glared at the other man. “Fine. Get him out of here before I’m inclined to return the favour.” He barked. “But I expect you at eight. Sharp.”

“Alright, okay,” You appeased as you clung to Steve’s arm; he was still tense and ready to pounce again. “Just go.”

He pinched his nose and grimaced. He turned and strutted over to his town car. He sent one last snarl your way as he opened the door. As his door snapped shut and the car drew away, you let out a shaky breath. You looked up at Steve and his eyes met yours.

“We need to talk,” He said.

“Yeah,” You sighed. “I think we do.”

💋

Your apartment was quiet. A thick silence that settled in your chest. You closed the freezer and grabbed a cloth from your drawer. You wrapped up the ice pack as you neared Steve and sat beside him on the end of the bed. You took his large hand and pressed the cool bundle to it. He hissed, his knuckles swollen and red.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” You said.

“I couldn’t help myself,” He let you cradle his hand. “I can’t believe you’re fucking that guy.”

“Yeah? Or you can’t believe I’m not fucking you?” You challenged.

He frowned and looked away. “Maybe both.” He admitted. “But why him?”

You let out a long breath. You looked to your feet and shifted on the bed. “Because… he could take everything from me.”

“He…” His brow creased. “He’s blackmailing you?”

“Just like you.” You shook your head. “Same tricks, only better.”

“I--” He began. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“You still got that video?” You asked.

He hung his head guiltily. He didn’t need to say so.

“It’s all gotten out of control and the only thing I can do is let the mess drown me,” You grumbled. “All I have to do is get through the summer.”

He drew his hand away and leaned away from you as he dug in his pocket with his uninjured hand. He pulled out his phone and unlocked it. He opened his gallery and scrolled through until he found the video. He handed it over.

“Delete it.” He said. “I shouldn’t have ever taken it. I shouldn’t have…”

You took the phone as his voice died. You watched yourself undressing by the hot tub. It felt so long ago. You hit the trash can icon and hovered your finger over ‘yes’. You sniffed and pressed down. The video disappeared.

“So, does that make everything right?” You scoffed.

“Not even close,” He said. “I don’t think anything will. I realise that now.”

“Yeah, no going back,” You muttered.

“I’m sorry. I know it probably means nothing, but I am.”

“Loki… isn’t your fault.”

“No, he isn’t but… I still hurt you. I used you and I knew what I was doing but I did it anyway.” He stretched his bruised fingers and hissed. “I wish I could punch myself.”

“I know what you mean,” You leaned against him.

“You can punch me.” He said.

“No, I meant me,” You shook your head and placed his phone beside him. “Thank you for apologizing.”

“Least I could do.”

He let you take his hand again and exhaled as you put the ice to it. You stared at his phone as you thought. You raised your head and looked him in the eye.

“Thank you!” You chimed.

“For what?” He blinked.

“I think I figured it out.” You breathed.

“Figured it out?” He wondered.

“First,” You grinned as the pieces fell together in your mind. “I gotta meet Loki at eight.”

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purplerose244 · 4 years

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Thoughts journal Ninjago season 13!! 🖤🖤 (4/4)

Here we are, at the end of just another season of Ninjago! And I've gotta say, until now it has been very good, I think I'm liking this season better than Prime Empire and Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu. I liked them too, but this one feels more complete and deep, also LILLY GOT A BACKSTORY HECK YEAH 😍😍

Prime Empire had one really great ending, so I'm very curious how this season will conclude! Spinjitzu burst? Some last minute plot twist? Cole and Vania confirmed...? 🙄

Here we go!!

THE DARKEST HOUR

So I'm guessing the guys aren't doing too good at the moment 😅

I know this is kind of a tense situation, but honestly Kai looking so confused at having to lead cracks me up 😂 "Do I have to say it? Is that what being in charge means?"

Lloyd: YOU

Jay: SHALL

Kai: NOT

Zane: BE GRANTED THE PERMISSION TO TRAVERSE BEYOND THIS POINT

I have no words, that was such an obvious reference in full Zane style so in character, I have tears. Beautiful 🤣🤣

Also they all look SO COOL 💚💙❤🤍

My ninja babies fighting together screaming NINJA-GOO!! Really this season feels like we're back in the old days, so cool! And they are so in sync, Kai lifting Lloyd up and Zane pushing others away and I LOVE THE FIGHTING ANIMATIONS 🤩

Poor Skull dude, he's trying to do his big bad guy monologue and he keeps getting interrupted 😂

It was cute that both tribes immediately refused to surrender, not sure if it was for pride or they actually care about their new ninja friends, but it was nice

Aahh, near death life experiences, the best way to elicit teamwork 👍 Nice scene, nice cute scene

Nnnnnyyyggg, Lloyd, that's the sacrifice look right there 😱 At least they just turned themselves in peacefully after reuniting the tribes... aaand of course he was lying, I hate that Skull dude 👿👿

THE ASCENT

Back to team Cole! Back to the Upply! 🖤 Quick guys, we're only three episodes left!! NEED TO GO BIG!!

Heeeeeyy, Wu back in business! I kinda missed him a bit taking control of the situation, it used to be him because he was the master. It really is a jump into the past this season! 🤩🤩

Sure let's go with the explosive cart, not like Cole and the other ninja haven't been piloting a falling apart rocket back to Earth before 🤷‍♀️

A Mech on rolleskates, why not? Does Cole even know how to go on those though? He was already out of the Tournament of Elements during Chen's Thunder Blade so I don't really know...

Lolz the monster was actually waiting staring at the wall, guess you don't get much fun in this mine 😅

COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE 🖤🖤🖤

And a poor old couple of civilians traumatized. They need to be trained by the people of Ninjago City on how to deal with weird appearances 💪

I guess we're doing this 😅 Gonna be honest, this is the first very evident sweet look I see from these two. I like Vania, a lot, but another classic love interest? Uuuuhhh, Idk, Imma see the rest of the season and see what happens 🤷‍♀️

A baby dragon on a giant spider, one of my favorite things ever on one thing I fear... I'll let it pass just because Adam is a good boy 🕷🕷🕷

GO VANIA GO GIRL LET HIM KNOW WHO IS THE BOSS HERE!!! 💛💛💛

THE UPPLY STRIKES BACK!

I really like these DnD guys, they've grown on me, let's see what they have in store! 😁

Munce and Geckles under chains, ninja in a cage, the Skull dude has the control, we're back when we started... sucks to be a ninja sometimes 😅

Omg I'm loving that this dude is trying so hard to be menacing and he keeps getting ignored 😂😂 Aww cute, you think you're the first that wants to destroy the ninja? Such a special little snowflake 😘 Evil monologue, we've been going for 13 seasons now with various specials and a movie, we heard it already 🤷‍♀️

Also the reveal, and he's all "Your friend Cole is dead" and Lloyd "That's what they all say, buddy" 👌👌

Poor Cole just wants justice for his mom HELP EMOTIONAL AGAIN

I'm all for Cole's personal team, they should do missions together, like Jay's team in Skybound!... that technically never happened, BUT STILL COOL 🖤💙🖤💙

Oh boy oh boy oh boy got the swords, confrontation ready, BRING IT!! Ninja team is all in for this!! ❤💚💙🤍🌊

REVOLUTION!!!! 💪💪💪💪

Swords aren't usually Cole's weapon of choice... BUT DANG IT HE CAN SWING THEM, HOLY GARMADON!!! THIS IS THE FIGHTING SCENES I WANT!!! 😍😍

How is this the episode prior the finale? It already feels like the finale! What else is going to happen?

SON'S OF LILY

Oh with a title like this, it's a given that I will not survive. Oh boy, here goes, the FINALE!

Chaos, chaos, beautiful dragon of death and distraction, also gently reminder that Mino is also a very good boy 💕 Are the skeletons connected to the skull? Are they gonna stop reform when Cole defeats the Skull Sorcerer?

The swords are not actually magical? Huh, first weapon in this show that turns out to be a fluke, apart maybe the Dragon Armor of the Firstborne... that one stayed intact at least 😅

HERE COMES THE VALKIRIES!!! *classic related music plays*

THIS. FIGHTING. SCENES. ARE. SO. FREAKING. GOOD 😍 Also wow sensei, full kamikaze with a dragon? I guess the sacrifice gene really runs into that family 😅

COLE NO DON'T HURT ROCK BABY 😭

"Always." KIRBY STOP MAKING ME CRY WITH YOUR AMAZING VOICE ACTING SKILLS ALSO HOLY HOOLA GANG

THAT'S LIKE A SPINJITZU WITH THE TRUE POTENTIAL OMG HECK YEAH SHINE COLE SHINE!!! 🖤🖤🖤

A bit red, could mistake it for Kai's, but it's an orange earth lava burst so I understand

Cole: okay guys, done my part

Cole: wake me up when next season is out

LOOK AT VANIA BECOMING THE QUEEN WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL ATTIRE AND USING COLE'S MOTHER QUOTE BECAUSE SHE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM COLE AWWW 💛

Okay, since there weren't evident references to Nexo Knights this season, can I pretend Fungus shooting fireworks is one? Merlok used to do that almost at every season finale... IMMA PRETEND 🙃

She is so adorable, I really love her. Wished we've seen more of her bond with her father, it felt a little easy her giving up on him. Idk, Sky and Chen didn't have that much of a bond but she struggled a lot! But she is super cool and cute, I ADORE her 💕

This sounds like a pretty good experience for Lloyd who FINALLY spent a season without being scarred for life!!! He even met a princess who didn't plan his death!!! Montgomery things are getting better 💚

Well, that surprised me, I guess Cole and Vania like each other but not heavily? Just a very light mood, like they care a lot but no other step further. I'm very happy about this choice, you can see it as a couple if you want, but you can also say they are just good friends. Nice 👍

Oh no, Wu got his midlife crisis, SOMEBODY STOPS HIM 😱

Wherever the wind will take them okay, wherever the producers will decide to torture them 😗

Overall, great finale! 😁

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think I enjoyed Prime Empire's finale more than this one, but this season with all of its episodes was absolutely AMAZING 🖤

The Skull Sorcerer wasn't necessarily a bad villain, but the story kinda went into another direction in my opinion so his part wasn't fundamental. Which isn't a bad thing for me, it's actually new and exciting see the attention to the story instead of the villain, and I did enjoy how they made fun of how cliche he was being 😂

Vania was GREAT. Wished we had more time with her father to really establish what kind of bond they had, but overall I loved her, new best girl acquired 💛💛💛

FREAKING ROCK MOM!! FREAKING LILLY!! I'm so emotional just thinking about this family, omg, THIS is the content I want for Ninjago! Impactful, that makes sense, connected to the heart that makes you so much closer to a character! Finally the Rock family is getting more complex 🖤

I think this season really gave Cole justice, we got her mom's story, we've got him leading a team again, we've got him with a cool new power! 😍😍

For the other ninja it was okay, I really liked the shenanigans with the tribes and the cultures were really fun to explore. Was kinda like a side quest and for me didn't bring that much to the main story, but it was fun and it's fair, Cole had all the attention he deserved 👌

FIGHTING ANIMATION OMG HECK FREAKING YEAH 10/NINJA-GOOOO ❤💚💙🖤🤍🌊

Beautiful designs for the characters, in particular the Shintaro citizens, and also wonderful backgrounds and sceneries, that I thought were starting to lack but here seems much nicer to look at 🤩

What can I say? Ninjago still knows how to mess with my heart, and I'm so very happy about it. I think the so wanted Cole season was definitely worth it 🖤🖤🖤

Now, I heard voices about a possible Nya season... ABSOLUTELY YES, YES TO EVERYTHING, QUEEN GETTING HER OWN SEASON YES YES YES!!! 😍😍😍🌊🌊🌊 Besides that apparently Maya will come back, which is a dream coming true, if they give Nya the same attention they gave to Cole this season, I will be happy 😊

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beckzorz · 5 years

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Nontraditional 01. Spit-Take

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x f!Reader Words: 2230 Prompt: “That’s it, I’ll be in the freezer until further notice, wishing I was still dead.” Summary: Natasha doesn’t think Bucky gets out enough. A/N: Written for my dearest darlingest @kentuckybarnes’ 3k writing challenge!!! Mazal tov, dearest Hannie! Thanks so much for hosting :3 As a nontraditional college student, all the college aus I’ve seen floating around have made me want to write a college non-au... Hope y’all enjoy; let me know what you think!

“Bucky, you need to get acclimated here.”

“I am acclimated. I live here.”

Natasha snorts. She twirls a stylus in her fingers and jots down a few notes on her tablet. “Yeah, you live here too darn much. When was the last time you left the compound to do anything other than food shop?”

“I went clothes shopping with Steve last month,” Bucky argues.

“Yeah. Last month.” Natasha pokes Bucky’s knee with her shoe. He shifts further away from her on the couch with a roll of his eyes.

“It’s nice not knowing I hafta keep running, Nat. Stop trying to run me out of my own home.”

She pinches the bridge of her nose with a sigh. “I’m not trying to run you out of anywhere. But it’s not good to keep so isolated! What are you doing to keep yourself busy?”

Bucky twirled a finger by his temple, lips pursed. “Working on my head, dumbass.”

“Yeah, but other than that?”

“Training recruits and stuff.”

“That’s not the stuff that stimulates your brain, Bucky.” Natasha tosses her stylus and tablet onto the coffee table and turns to face Bucky head-on. “You’re benched for a while longer, so why don’t you do something out in the world, huh?”

“Like what?” Bucky asked drily.

“Well, how about school?”

All he can do is blink at her. “What?”

“You heard me. I know you’re catching up on things, but there’s stuff you wouldn’t know about without classes and stuff.”

“Oh please,” Bucky scoffs. “The internet is more powerful than a professor.”

“The internet can’t think.”

“Not yet,” he mutters.

“Besides, I took an online course locally. It was fun. You should try it.”

“If you took one online, I’ll do that too.”

“No no no,” Natasha says quickly. “You won’t interact with anyone that way!”

“Yeah, and?”

She crosses her arms. “If you don’t do something that gets you interacting with people, Barnes, I swear to God I’ll drag you clothes shopping with me.”

Bucky groans, his head falling back onto the lip of the couch. “That’s it, I’ll be in the freezer until further notice, wishing I was still dead.”

“You’re sounding more like a gen Z kid every day,” Natasha says. “You’ll fit right in.”

“Really.” Bucky lifts his left arm, then drops it heavily on the back of the couch. There’s a notable thump. “Sure, Nat. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Well, I’m meeting up with a friend from my class tomorrow night,” Natasha says. “She’s a nontraditional student, too.”

Nothing changes about her voice or her face, but the hairs on the back of Bucky’s neck stand on end. He narrows his eyes, but Natasha seems totally unbothered. Is he imagining things?

No, no way.

“You should come,” Nat continues. “Maybe that’ll help convince you.”

“Do I get anything if it doesn’t?”

“We’re going for drinks, and I won’t judge you for slamming thirty shots like Sam does.”

Bucky chortles. “Fine. You’re on.”

If nothing else, he decides, this will give him a chance to figure out why Nat’s mention of her nontraditional friend is giving him the heebie-jeebies.

—

“Hey stranger.”

You almost drop your phone in your drink. How does Natasha always manage to sneak up on you? You swallow your shock and hop off the bar stool with a grin.

“Hi Nat! How are you?”

Natasha squeezes your arm fondly. “Not bad. How’s the semester going?”

“Oh, you know.” You shrug and sit back down, patting the stool beside you for Natasha. “This week is when all my big final projects start ramping up. I’ve got two research papers due in May, and I was stupid enough to pick the niche things I’m interested in rather than, I dunno, something easy to find sources on.”

“Oof.” Natasha orders a drink; the bartender gives her a coy smile, but Natasha ignores it. “How’s work?”

“Oh…” You glance around, bite your tongue. “It’s relaxed right now.”

“Thought it might be.” Natasha’s green eyes glitter with private amusement. You press your lips together hard and look into your drink to keep from grinning.

“Anyway,” you say, “how’s things with you?”

“Alright. Work’s light for me as well.”

“You don’t say.” You catch her eye by mistake and burst into giggles.

Natasha sighs. “You’re incorrigible, aren’t you,” she says. You nudge her shoulder with your own and wipe your eyes.

“Probably.”

Natasha’s cocktail arrives. She tips it in your direction. “Cheers.”

“Cheers!”

You finish your drink and smack your lips with buzzed satisfaction. You lean on your elbows and smile at Natasha. It’s been a couple months since you’d seen her—almost since the start of the semester, really—and despite your semi-regular online communication, there’s something refreshing about spending time with her in person. The nature of your work means you’re isolated, so getting a chance to see Natasha…

It’s nice.

“Listen,” Natasha says, cutting through your musing, “I’m trying to help my friend through his second mid-life crisis.” She tilts her head and directs her gaze to the end of the bar.

Your eyes widen. “Dang. I hope I look that good at my first midlife crisis.”

Natasha snorts, but you’re still eyeing the tall beefcake she’s pointed out. He’s a sight even in a ratty sweatshirt and frayed jeans; there’s no hiding the fact that he’s got muscles from here to Alaska. He accepts a shot glass from the bartender with the barest hint of a smile before slamming it back.

Dang.

He glances over your way, and you quickly look back at Natasha, color rising to your cheeks.

“Is that who I think it is?” you murmur.

“Probably.” Natasha takes a pointed sip of her drink.

“He doesn’t look like he’s in crisis,” you say. It’s a struggle not to flick your eyes back at him, but you somehow manage to hold Natasha’s gaze.

“He’s a shut-in,” she says bluntly. “I want him to try school. Maybe you can convince him better than I can.”

You raise your eyebrows with a snort. “Right, because I’m the one with a, what, degree in convincing people to do what I want? Nat, I don’t have any degrees.”

“Well, neither does he.”

“I finished high school, didn’t I?”

You flinch and look over your shoulder.

Bucky Barnes.

He’d melted from his stool and materialized beside you without you even noticing. Natasha, unruffled as ever, merely rolls her eyes. You’re too busy staring to notice. He’d been less than ten feet away before, but up close…

You swallow.

His eyes dance as he glances at you, but he looks back at Natasha without bothering to even ask your name.

“Is this your nontraditional friend?” he drawls.

“Mm.” Natasha tilts her glass. The light catches in her drink, sparkling among the bubbles. “Aren’t you going to say hello?”

Bucky rolls his head along his neck until his face is turned towards you. “Hello,” he drones.

“Greetings, stranger,” you drone back.

Natasha smiles triumphantly. “My work here is done. You two should chat!” She slides off her stool and wanders over to the pool table towards the back, calling out to two of the regulars with cheerful promises of ass-whooping. You can’t help your smile as you watch her go.

Bucky clears his throat and climbs onto Natasha’s abandoned stool, his hip brushing your thigh as he squeezes by you.

You take another sip of your drink to contain your nerves. Now that Natasha’s gone, you’re all too aware of how close he is. With his elbows propped on the bar as he leans forward to order another drink for you both, his left arm is only inches from your right. Your eyes trace the lines of his metal hand and jump to the veins traced on the back of the other. There’s strength in those hands.

You swallow yet again and drag your eyes to his face. He’s studying you, blue eyes slightly narrowed and pink lips quirked. He looks… hostile?

Oh dear.

“How do you know her?” He jerks his chin towards the pool table.

“We had an online class together,” you tell him. “She always gave great answers to her online discussion posts.”

“I bet,” he mutters, but his focus is as sharp as ever even when he thanks the bartender for his new drink. “What class?” He lifts his glass, puts it to his lips.

“History of the Soviet Union.”

Bucky does the most impressive spit-take you’ve ever seen in your life. The bartender, a good five feet away, turns to stare along with nearly the entire rest of the bar. Bucky coughs. You press your lips together so hard your cheeks hurt as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You—” He turns, glares. “You timed that on purpose.”

“So what if I did?” You take a sip of your own drink, lips twitching even as you swallow. “It’s not like I had any control over what class she was taking. Besides,” you add, “it was really funny.”

Bucky snorts. “I bet.” He holds up his empty shot glass with a sigh.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll get you another one,” you blurt.

He looks you over again, this time with less hostility. Are you imagining it, or are his eyes darkening a little?

“Alright,” he says slowly. “But you still haven’t told me how you really know her.”

“I really know her because she invited me for drinks,” you say. “The rest is history.” You flag down the bartender. “Another for him, if you don’t mind.”

The bartender snorts. “So long as he can keep it in his mouth this time,” she jokes.

Bucky shifts in his seat and shoots you a private scowl. You just grin.

“Aww, don’t worry,” you tell him. “I’m sure they’ll have forgotten all about it by the time Nat’s pool buddies throw a fit when she beats them.”

“Yeah? And how long from now is that likely to be?”

You crane your neck to study the pool table. You can feel Bucky’s eyes burning a line along the edge of your face, and you suppress a smile.

“Frankly, I’m surprised she hasn’t beaten them yet. But maybe she’s drawing it out. She does that sometimes. I’ll give it… five, ten minutes tops.”

“And are we betting on this?”

Your eyebrows fly up. Would he bet against Natasha? He’d bet against Natasha Romanoff? Seriously?

“On what? If she wins?”

“No, silly.” He flicks a finger against your arm. “How long it takes her.”

“I don’t usually bet,” you hedge.

“Well, I have a feeling I’m gonna hafta put something on the line if you’re ever going to spill how you know her. Cause there’s no way in hell you’re telling the whole truth.”

Liquid courage emboldens you enough to crack a joke. “Would you believe me if I told you we were lovers?”

Bucky laughs loud and bright. It’s rich; the sound fills you up from head to toe. You stare at the bar and take another drink. You will not let your eyelashes flutter, you will not—

“No way,” he says, grinning. His eyes twinkle. “You’re not bad, not really, but it takes some serious skill to hide the fact that the only person you’ve been eyeing all night is me.”

Alcohol sprays out of your mouth. Your eyes water as Bucky dissolves into fresh peals of laughter. At least he has the decency to pass you a napkin. You wipe your face and the sticky bar, cheeks burning.

The bartender passes with a snort, toweling the area dry. “I swear, you two…”

“Hey, this time it was all her,” Bucky says cheerfully. He leans his cheek against his hand, smiling fondly at you as the bartender shakes her head.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” she says. She makes off to deal with the other end of the bar, leaving you and Bucky to yourselves.

Under his soft look, you find yourself tongue-tied. That, and the knowledge that he’s one hundred percent aware you’ve been itching to get your hands on him all night. Does he know everything?

“Do you really need to win a bet to figure out how I know her?” you ask quietly.

His eyes dart along your face.

“Don’t I?” he asks.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Bucky sits back up, glances over to the back of the bar where cheering is just breaking out. He looks between you and Natasha, you with your steady gaze and Natasha with her wicked, triumphant grin.

You can see the exact moment the light goes off in his head. His eyes widen, his lips part, and his whole body tenses for the briefest moment.

He leans in close—your heart stops—but he just puts his mouth by your ear.

“She recruited you?” he murmurs. He pulls back, stares. You just grin.

“Sometimes, you meet some pretty cool people at college,” you tell him. You wink and take a sip of your drink. A small one, just in case. “Maybe you’ll find out for yourself one day.”

Bucky scrubs his hand over his beard, eyes glinting. Natasha loops an arm around your shoulder, counting her winnings in her other hand. Your eyes stay on Bucky’s as you lean your head against her shoulder, still smiling. He raises his glass to you.

“Maybe I will.”

#bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky x you #bucky barnes x y/n #winter soldier imagine #becca writes #nontraditional

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deathsprecepts · 5 years

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It’s time to go feral, people.

Ever heard of the Precepts of Death server? No? Well, too bad; you missed the official closing of it. Now, before you mourn over the loss of a special place like I did, let me turn the unfortunate news into good news for you!

With the help of @mygenderisconfused, we have a new server up and running! To sum up the whole server’s entirety, we’ve got moderators (myself included and a few of my wonderful friends) that will do their best to help you, the occasional piss kink joke and of course, delicious, delicious Eight Precepts of Death content.

What, did that not drive the message home for you? I know, I know, there are several stages to the Persuasion Process after all.

Now, if you would just stay still, this won’t hurt a bit...

[PHONE RINGS]

Ah, that sweet sound of Despacito. Will you hold on for a second, my dear?

What? We’re not doing the chloroform and torture treatment? Oh, bollocks. It just ain’t an advertisement without the chloroform, Martha!

...Ugh, fine. Have it your way, like Burger King. Sheesh, these advertisements are getting harder to put together.

Anyway, this server is a revamp of the old server, but it certainly doesn’t lack in quality! If you’d like to join, we’ll welcome you with arms that span like Katakuri’s mouth. Well, a bit on the dramatic side there, but know that your presence will be a delight in the server!

So come on down and hop into Vault 111--ahem, I mean, the server--and join us today for a world of fun, games and unsolicited rabies!

What’s that? You got another question? Well, why didn’t you say so? Go ahead!

...Eh? You wanna know the meaning of life? I don’t know how to break this to you, but you gotta find your own meaning, ya know? It’s akin to finding your own happiness, I suppose.

Anyway, aside from the midlife crisis you’re having, here’s the server link if you’re interested: https://discord.gg/g45PjEG

And lastly, here’s another side note for you: You’re loved, buddy. Don’t ever forget that!

#this is just me having fun isn't it #pff #anyway #go ahead and join!#non-8pod

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 5 years

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ASM vol 5 #9/810 Thoughts

I wrote this before the arc had finished so please bare that in mind if you read on because I recognize some of it might seem weird or redundant in the wake of the conclusion tot he arc.

Kinda sorta mixed feelings for this issue.

Okay so here are the aspects I DIDN’T like.

The recap page implies that the general public is starting to forget Peter ran Parker industries and that the heroes all think Spider-Man is in the pocket of the Kingpin.

Now recap pages aren’t actually part of a story so they don’t exactly count per se.

But if that is the intention of the author then the series has done a poor job of conveying the former. It’s just ignored the elephant in the room that was Parker Industry.

And whilst Spencer was saddled with that mess a mess it was nevertheless and he’s cleaned up a lot of other things. Whilst I didn’t consider it a mess necessitating any cleaning up nevertheless when Steven Moffat took over Doctor Who in 2010 (technically 2009 but that’s not important) very early on he established that the massive global Dalek invasion everyone on Earth knew about had been erased from everyone’s memories (mostly) meaning that now alien invasions could happen and new characters would react as though they were sceptical of the existence of wider alien life.

Again, this wasn’t necessary but the point being was that Moffat put the work in to fix something he perceived as a big problem that resulted from the prior regime. Spencer has been doing some of the same here but not addressed that biggest of elephants in the room that from it’s mere announcement the fanbase was collectively calling out as something that would fuck over the series going forward. Because absolutely not would the general public just forget who Peter Parker was in regards to PI, let alone the company itself.

As for the Kingpin thing, I never thought about it until just this issue but I kind of have issues with it now. Because even if the other heroes do not know Peter’s identity surely they DO know Spider-Man and/or Kingpin well enough by this point that they’d not presume Kingpin and Spider-Man to be buddies.

I mean there ARE ways to explain their feelings, like if they presume Spider-Man to be an imposter or something but him being on the outs with the other heroes merely because Fisk put on an appearance of them being friends in spite of their years of animosity shouldn’t make the heroes automatically resentful towards Spider-Man.

Again, it can work but Spencer needs to better elaborate upon it.

Moving in I did have a few issues with Felicia here. At first Spencer seemed to have her acting vindictive akin to stupidity of Slott’s run after SpOck sent her to jail. But then he explained why she was actually miffed at him and it made more sense.

Well sorta.

On the one hand Felicia has always been in love with Spider-Man and so if in character Felicia should jump at the chance to sleep with him if he propositions her. On the other hand though she does say Spider-Man was being creepy which and we get a mere snippet of what he was doing, so presumably he might’ve gone further than that.

The other thing I didn’t like was Peter’s attitude to Felicia. Hey I’m all for ignoring stupid continuity if you are trying to fix things, but here...that isn’t happening. Peter is treating Felicia as an old friend but she hasn’t been that since 2009 and he’s still lying to her. Maybe that will be fixed next issue and their old relationship established but right now it is problematic.

Oh and also the issue seemed to treat their old relationship as being messed up due to Felicia’s criminal tendencies when that wasn’t it. They hooked up in a monogamous relationship 3 times and whilst that was why they broke up the first time that wasn’t what happened on the second or third occasions.

Finally I wish Spencer wasn’t maintaining Felicia’s tendency to be evil. Being a Robin Hood style character okay sure. But here she is basically what she was like in 2009 (except not made into a vessel for Joe Kelly’s midlife crisis sexual fantasies) but if she’s still like that her character is still in need of repair.

Now this isn’t to say I hated every moment they interacted. Far from it. it was more on point than it’s been in a long time and much improved over BND and Slott’s run. So within the context of post-OMD Spider-Man it was good but within a wider context there are still problems. It is at least written better than before, I especially loved the acknowledgment of them making for a good team.

Finally I disliked the art. Common criticism by this point but it stands.

That’s everything I disliked but on the more positive side of things I felt that the general plot of the Thieves Guild is still a fun idea.

The Thieves Guild are an X-Men/Gambit concept but Spencer has put enough distance between them that this NYC chapter of them can be played enough as a ‘Spider-Man thing’. And the notion of them swiping all the paraphernalia of superheroes through the power of super thievery is a fun superhero plot.

I also don’t mind Felicia being a member of their ranks. I mean I feel like if she always had that tattoo Peter would’ve noticed by now, but there are numerous ways to explain that. If nothing else I love the scene between Felicia and her Dad, because it humanizes her, touches on her origin and allows her to be more her own character. I feel there is so much potential to be exploited from exploring Felicia’s relationship.

Now in spite of all those complaints I actually loved this issue because of the Mary Jane subplot. There are some feelings I’m wrestling with in regards to it though but on balance I think this was ingenious on Spencer’s part.

Okay first thing’s first. The artwork by Michele Bandini looked really nice. If you are going to have two artists work on the same story dividing them up based upon the subplot and the main plot is actually a pretty clever idea. I didn’t know there was going to be two artists actually and so when I checked out the preview pages before the issue’s release I was confused as to why Ramos’ style looked so much better from one page into the next. I wish Bandini had done the whole story to be honest.

But onto the subplot itself.

To begin with it’s just lovely seeing Spencer actually give MJ a subplot of her own and focus upon her. And it’s good focus too. So far he’s not really mishandled her in this story at all so Spencer seems to be a decent MJ writer. I hope this trend continues and the relative lack of Mj/his use of MJ within his first two arcs was more about building up Peter and also paying tribute to Superior Foes which landed him this job in the first place.

I didn’t see the Carlie twist coming. Honest of all characters that reveal could have been she was the farthest from my mind. For some reason my mind was fixated upon Bobby CCarr or Jonathan Caesar somehow.

Now Carlie is...controversial of course.

Carlie was one of the many lame Brand New Day era characters with her status made worse than many of the other ones because

a) She was at times a Mary Sue

b) She was pushed hard as the new love interest. I mean really, really, really pushed hard

c) She had an inconsistent character design

d) She was at times bland and at other times just...not nice. See her considering getting a Green Goblin tattoo to piss Peter off. Yes she was drunk but I don’t care how drunk or angry you are that’s like considering getting a Nazi tattoo to piss off your Jewish boyfriend. You are just nasty at that point

e) She was an idiot during Superior despite being the most sceptical person of Otto

Carlie to say the least was HATED by the fandom.

Now look let’s not sit here and pretend the fandom hate went beyond what was warranted by the character. She was treated as an 11 on the ‘this character sucks’ scale.

But that doesn’t mean she didn’t score a very solid 7 or 8 if you catch my drift.

Here though she is arguably written better than ever before, not in the least because most of those problems listed above are being avoided or addressed.

Rather than being an overcritical and judgemental asshole like in her last appearance who either attributes blame to Peter for the horrible things happening to her or else makes it clear the nature of who he is means he’s doomed to misery because no one could put up with that, here she acknowledges none of it is his fault and he deserves happiness.

Spencer does drop his continuity ball though by listing off the wrong reason for why Peter and Calrie broke up. According to him Carlie couldn’t handle dating Spider-Man but in reality it was the fact that he was lying to her that was the problem.

Whatever though, nobody cares why Peter and Carlie broke up, so long as they did.

Similarly, if Spencer wants to try and rehabilitate the character who neglected to inform her ‘friend’ and roommate that she might be dating a villain without realizing it, okay let’s give him and this character a second chance. If Carlie wants to say she always liked MJ in spite of her douche actions lets draw a line under it and try again.

Now we move onto the meat of the subplot. The support group for superhero supporting cast members.

This idea gives me some mixed feelings and it somewhat depends upon how it is handled going forward.

On the negative side, I do not want this to turn into a subtextually critical evaluation of how MJ handled life with a hero in a past or how older runs did. Also the story is somewhat ignoring how MJ DID have people she could talk to about this in the past, like Felicia and Aunt May. But currently neither character knows his secret, might not be finding out anytime soon so okay I guess I understand why Spencer is treating it this way.

I think Spencer’s putting in little lines of dialogue and presents a resistance within MJ to joining the group which makes it clear to us that, whilst Carlie felt alone and unsafe keeping Peter’s secret, MJ doesn’t feel quite like that even though it might be a struggle all the same.

Which is in character, remember she kept his secret for years beginning with AF #15. Similarly MJ has had issues opening up to people in the past and has seen first hand the cost of exposing Peter’s secret.

Now in spite of all I’ve said, I cannot tell you how much I ADORE the idea of a support group for super hero friends and family.

If Spencer plays this right it could wind up as one of the mainstays of the Marvel Universe’s architecture, like Night Nurse or what have you.

It just makes sense as a piece of world building for the Marvel Universe and is an emotionally engaging idea that ANY comic book series can pick up.

Moreover it highlights the innate quiet awesomeness that is Jarvis. Jarvis is like Alfred but to the whole Avengers and one of the most bad ass bad ass normals in the whole Marvel Universe so highlighting him as this proactive, helping and caring individual is appreciated.

This idea is a great addition to Peter and MJ’s relationship too as it gives Mj something to do aside from wait by a window and counters one of the most frequent weapons in the anti-MJ/marriage brigade’s arsenal.

“MJ can’t be with Peter because it’s worse than being with a cop because they get to talk to other cop’s families. It’s just so toxic for her!!!!11!!!”

See Fred Van Lente’s piece of shit MJ story in ASM #605 for proof of this.

But right here Spencer finds a solution to that complaint (which I’m sure the anti-MJ brigade just love him for) and one that makes justifying breaking them up again a lot harder.

Also guessing who all the people in the meeting was turned out to be really fun.

Over all I loved this issue because in spite of my problems with the Felicia end of things the MJ end was brilliant.

p.s. Isn’t it a little weird for Spider-Man to not remember what ‘Spider-Man’ did when they were separate people?

I guess you could argue that his memories from ‘Peter’ might be hazy too. Or that this weird science comes with ‘rules’ like that, e.g. one side has to dominate the other.

#Spider-Man #Black Cat #Mary Jane Watson #Mary Jane Watson Parker #mj watson #mjwatsonedit #Felicia Hardy #peter parker #Nick Spencer #Michele Bandini #Humberto Ramos #Marvel #Marvel Comics #Marvel Universe #X-Men #the Black Cat #Amazing Spider-Man

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onestowatch · 5 years

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Songwriting Virtuoso Sam Martin Chronicles a Life in Debut Solo Album, ‘Alpha Omega’ [Q&A]

Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

Sam Martin has been songwriting and producing for other artists for years, quietly amassing over two billion streams through the projects he’s touched. Martin is widely revered as pop songwriting royalty, with Maroon 5’s “Daylight” and Jason Derulo’s “Want to Want Me” being just a few of the many songs he’s collaborated on. Having already proved himself behind the scenes, Martin is stepping into the limelight with his debut album, Alpha Omega, an emotionally packed 18-track feat detailing a life from conception to finish.

The album itself is too complex to describe in the space of a couple hundred words, but falls somewhere between pop and alternative rock with lots of playful production touches. Martin has put himself at the heart of this project, from playing most of the instruments on the album himself to directing the accompanying film. Featuring audio clips from his own life and translations of highly personal memories, the film showcases the moments in Martin’s life that shaped him into the man he is today. Martin offers a piece of himself to listeners with Alpha Omega, revealing vulnerabilities and taking his artistry to the next level.

We sat down with the songwriter, artist and father to discuss Alpha Omega, telling the truth and gaining momentum as an artist.

OTW: Let’s start with the title! How did you land on Alpha Omega?

Sam Martin: I originally had the album as “Requiem” because I love Mozart’s Requiem. I wasn’t settled on it and my lawyer, who hilariously loves the record and listened to the private Soundcloud link over 40 times, said “This is too positive of a record to be called ‘Requiem.’ What about ‘Alpha Omega,’ like A to Z in the Greek alphabet?” I liked that because the whole album is from birth to death of a human’s life, and it’s semi-autobiographical, but I, of course, haven’t died yet so it can’t be totally autobiographical.

OTW: So is this a story inspired by your life or pretty much a retelling of your life story to the T?

Sam Martin: Once it hits the midlife crisis I project it on people I grew up around, but up until that point it’s like 90 percent autobiographical. There are a few moments I exaggerate because it’s good for the story, but it’s mostly based on true events. I basically had a great childhood and a great thirties so far, so it was a reminder of how hard things have been to get to where I am.

OTW: I think that’s pretty common for people to have a tough time in their teens and twenties and come out of it in their thirties.

Sam Martin: Yeah that’s why I’m hoping people can relate to it; I’m just telling a true story and trying to be honest.

Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

OTW: Could you tell us about the recording process and co-producing the album?

Sam Martin: I didn’t want to bother any of my really talented musician friends because I couldn’t guarantee that it was going to be a good idea. I was so used to bringing opportunities to producers and saying, “Hey I’ve got this song, Adam Levine likes it, let’s do it.” And all of a sudden I’ve got these songs and I’m keeping them. I would start songs like “Sabotage,” and get them really far, but I just didn’t trust that I would be the one to finish them. As the project went on I became way more confident, and I got some help along the way. I played all the bass, key, guitars, organ, some drums, and vocals of course, so it reminded me of how I used to do things as a kid. It felt like returning to my old self, just on steroids. (laughs)

OTW: How does it feel to go from writing for other artists to debuting your solo album?

Sam Martin: Well, I’m sober about it, but it is very fun. I had reached a level of success a lot of songwriters dream of, but for some reason I wasn’t terribly happy. I realized in hindsight that I was getting sick of serving other peoples’ moods and whims. It was exciting for a while, but I learned that you have to express yourself and feed your creative intuitions, or else what you’re writing for other people suffers as well. I have a million thoughts on that, but mainly it’s been fun, healing and exciting.

OTW: Let’s talk about the film, which you directed yourself. That’s a huge undertaking, how was that process?

Sam Martin: It was mostly overwhelming. I hadn’t directed anything for seven years, I used to film features for nonprofits in third world countries. I was actually kind of on track to be a director, but music was always my first love. When I got my break and Maroon 5 took my cut for “Daylight,” I didn’t have to make videos anymore and I dove into songwriting and abandoned directing. I had a bigger idea than the available budget for this project, so I thought the best way to do it was for me to direct it and edit it. My brother and sister helped out as well, and we basically went right to the edge of our abilities. Everyone was a hero on that shoot, once we finally got shooting it was a well-oiled machine. It was really special.

youtube

OTW: You included some audio clips of your own life in the film, how did you go about choosing those?

Sam Martin: My sister is usually our family archivist, and I had her send me some stuff and pick out audio. I also recorded my son, I think he was about two at the time, and he gave me some amazing stuff. My wedding is in there, my dad’s 60th birthday party is in there. For me, it’s wonderful so I hope people can connect with that too.

Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

OTW: Going into the specific tracks, “Blue Eyed Joy” is a personal favorite. Could you tell us about writing that song?

Sam Martin: Oh really? Thank you for saying that, that was the first and last song I wrote for the record. I started it like eight years ago, and it had a few good lines, but I cranked it back open because I felt like it could be much better. The very last thing I wrote on the record was the chorus for “Blue Eyed Joy,” which is like the best part of the whole record. So it’s cool to have the last thing you do be one of your best. I think a lot of songs are written by single people who are sort of troubled. If you look at the top charts, I don’t think any of those people are married or in a long-term relationship. So I wanted to do something that legitimizes sticking it out and get through the hard stuff. My favorite line of that song is “diamonds don’t form overnight.” You can’t think your relationship is going to be perfect overnight. A happy 60-year relationship does exist, and we shouldn’t forget it.

OTW: I think we all need that reminder; dating scene can be tough.

Sam Martin: Yes, it’s possible!

OTW: Do you have a track you’re most excited for people to hear?

Sam Martin: My personal favorites are not always the favorites of everyone else. But my favorite single tracks are probably “Great Escape,” “Blue Eyed Joy,” and “Come On.” As a concept album, it’s important for the listener to note that the album never stops and that themes reemerge.

OTW: Tell us about balancing being a dad with releasing an album?

Sam Martin: My family is a delight. I’m obsessed with my family, and my kids are growing up so fast—I don’t want to miss it. I work from home a lot and have people over instead of going out to write.

OTW: What does 2019 look like for you?

Sam Martin: It looks like a big mystery. We’ve got this record, and I’ve still been writing a lot for other artists. I’m making a whole other record in case we get good momentum—I’m kind of doing everything right now. I must admit I’m having the most fun working on this record.

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

Sam Martin: Starrah. I love that “Codeine Cowgirl” song she just put out. I also love Elephant Heart, my buddy is in that group. There’s some good stuff there.

youtube

#sam martin #alpha omega #interview #blue eyed joy #alternative #rock #pop

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somewhereovertherainbowtables · 7 years

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I don’t normally answer these, but I was tagged by @itsfirecat (hi there!) so why not!

A - Age: I, I really shouldn’t answer this one. I’m older than you think. Let’s leave it at that. Too young for a midlife crisis but juuust old enough for a regular crisis! (apparently)

B - Birthplace: California

C - Current Time: 6pm-ish

D - Drink You Last Had: Water, boring, I know

E - Easiest Person To Talk To: shit, uh, prolly <insert name of partner here>

F - Favorite Song: Lots of favorite songs, hard to choose?

G - Grossest Memory: I had to scrape a dead rat off the sidewalk once using a metal dustpan. That was fun.

H - Horror Yes or Horror No: Cheesy horror only please.

I - In Love?: Truly, fully, head over heels for eternity

J - Jealous of People?: It’s the human condition.

K - Killed Someone?: Not yet... *sharpens knife* jk, I wouldn’t kill someone. (or would I?)

L - Love at First Sight or Should I Walk By Again: EH, I guess? I’m really not the person you should ask about love. Or attraction.

M - Middle Name: Christine

N - Number of Siblings: 1 older sister

O - One Wish: LET ME TURN INTO A BADASS DRAGON

P - Person You Called Last: My dad, probably. I like, never use the phone for phone calls

Q - Question You’re Always Asked: If someone is asking me a question a lot I a too dense to notice

R - Reason to Smile: I saw an animal do something funny or I remembered a stupid awesome pun

S - song you sang last: I don’t really sing. Unless you want to know what a dying cat sounds like

T - Time You Woke Up: Don’t remember, but it was earlier than I normally do. (huzzah for having something to do today)

U - Underwear Color: perv.

V - Vacation Destination: I would love to go to Kyoto

W - Worst Habit: My nails grow long and sharp really fast, and I forget and slash my skin open with them when I’m not paying attention.

X - X-Rays: Yes, but none for broken bones. Just scoliosis.

Y - Your Favorite food: shit son, that’s a toughie. I’ll eat anything that’s not tied down but, cake I guess. I’ll never turn down a good slice of chocolate cake

z - Zodiac Sign: Leo! (grrr! or something. Fun fact, my hair is so thick and fluffy that it does look like a lion’s mane when I untie it)

People to tag? My old school buddies! Come on down! @the-arachnocommunist @scarabsi @perhapsthevision @prodigaldaughteralice @thisisnthomework

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the-magicians-daughter · 4 years

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I need my best friend

Im losing a soulmate

I’m too late to save it.

He’s moved on.

I don’t know what to do.

He’s gaslighting me.

I want things to go back to normal.

I hope she is worth it all.

She will leave. She has a partner.

You said you won’t change. But expect me to change.

You won’t work on your projects without me holding your hand

I can’t criticize you but you can criticize me.

You are an alcoholic and abusive.

How did you go from kissing me and wanting to learn how to love someone with bpd to becoming this angry man who wants a divorce.

You’ve become your father. And mine.

You fell in love with another woman and abandoned me when I was down.

She has a partner. She will stop hanging out with you. Her partner expressed that. And then you will be alone. And you will fall in despair and come back to me and I will not accept you with open arms.

I’ve been in lust before and ruined my relationship and never regretted anything more.

Your not supposed to fall in love with your mistress. You have sex with her.

You wanted to work things out a month ago. What happened?

I wanna finish fixing up the house. And the garden. And more teardrop trips.

I don’t want to move Charlie again.

I feel like I’m dying.

You said you would love me forever. That you would never get a divorce. That we have to die to end it.

I remember feeling like how you must be feeling when I was with Armando. The lust. The fun. And it was. But it wasn’t worth ruining my relationship in the long run. It was simply a quick fix for being sad at the time.

Karma.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

YOU ARE NO LONGER MY CONCERN

I don’t want to take care of you.

You’re not my friend

I don’t trust you.

I guess this is where our story ends

I don’t think I even like you. I find you boring. We have no common interests. I don’t enjoy having sex with you. So what was the point?

Our story ends here.

I will never forgive you.

I pity you. You don’t understand how people or relationships work in the real world.

I don’t think you’re a good person. I don’t trust you.

All I wanted was for someone to love me unconditionally and appreciate me. I wanted my happily ever after.

But that, again, was a lie.

I’m not lonely.

I don’t miss you. This feels just like before.

I think I hate you.

How quickly you chose to abandon your home. Your family.

I hope you’ve never been happier.

I wish you would just kill me. Get this all over with.

You’re acting like you want to be 26 with no responsibilities. It’s immature. Are you going through your midlife crisis?

Switched one vice for another. Lust.

I’ve thrown my relationship away in lust once. It wasn’t worth it.

I was ready to make the house a home. Take your last name. Become a true married couple. Start the teardrops. I was sooo fucking ready. It hurts that that isn’t what you wanted at all.

I’m sorry I didn’t show you more gratitude. I’m working on that. I wish I said it out loud more

Rolling in the deep.

You no longer have control over me. And you never will.

I think you’re a bad person. You’re ruining TWO relationships.

We could have had it all. But you ruined it.

Have you changed your mind because you see I can be happy without you.

I’ve felt single for a while. Even with you.

Is it going to last or will it fade like all things shiny.

All things fade unless you polish them.

I don’t think I want things to work out.

You will never change. And you will never accept me.

What’s the song you have listened to on repeat for this chapter.

“Was it obvious to everybody else?” “Yes” wow.

I’m fine with you going to jail.

Gone girl you?! Ha. I didn’t fake 10 years of journals. They were all factual.

What have we done to each other?

We’ve come undone.

You never fought for me. You were never on my side. Ever.

I don’t feel anything when I see or touch you. I don’t desire you. The flame has disappeared with the trust.

To Kathy: I understand now why your mother and your daughter hate you.

I think I’m going to burn the house down.

I don’t love you. And you don’t love me. Why force it?

I hate you with every cell in my body. You make my blood boil.

You’re impossible.

I hope you burn in hell.

You’ve never been single. You overlap your relationships.

You’re sick. You’re insane.

This isn’t going to work. You just miss how you controlled me.

Im happier without you and it’s killing you.

You can’t destroy me. I am the queen.

I went to aa. It was incredible. The support. Please go. Please go. At least once.

I want to hold you. I want to kiss you. I miss your smell.

This next chapter will be hard. But I believe we can make it. I believe in us.

I still love you.

I’m feeling so many emotions. I don’t know how I’m still standing.

You gave me a record. You’re ruining my life.

Wish we could go to all the biff parties and shows together.

Why do you hate me? Why do you want to ruin my life? Is this all about control? Why? Please tell me.

I feel like this is a movie. I’m just acting in it. It’s a role. And I’m waiting for them the say that’s a wrap.

If we’re going to make this work. You need to put effort into. Just as much as i will.

At the film fest on Sunday. They showed a film about suicide. I stood bravely and kept my cool. But afterwards I met up with them and told them my story. They were proud I’m standing and that they need me here. I need to tell my stories. They’re from philly too. Small world. I don’t know how or why I’m still standing. Why I’m being so strong. But I am. And I will only keep getting stronger.

I want to go home. I want my life back.

Are you ready to be real?

I want paradise.

You set me up.

Is control that important to you?

I feel so betrayed. What did I do wrong?

When did you stop loving me? Was it recently or was it awhile ago?

Dido - hunter

You raped me. You raped your wife while telling her that SHE is the cause of your problems. Then you set me up. You put me in jail. You tortured me. And you will probably just continue.

Why didn’t you just kill me?

At least I can see you in my dreams.

What’s next in this betrayal? You actually kill me?

Why am I being punished? What did I do wrong?

It’s time for you to grow up. Stop blaming other people for your problems. Make friends. Stop calling mommy and daddy for everything. Grow the fuck up.

I truly hope she was worth it all.

Are you happy now?

Is this what you wanted all along?

You ruined my life. I want it back.

I think I might just end my life. I won’t be a burden to you. You will finally be free.

You killed me.

This self isolation is the perfect time: sand and paint kitchen cabinets, spiral lamp, jewelry, make crowns, bread baking. Backyard! The router! If you’re not working on the router I’m going to sell all the parts and buy six shih tzus.

I will be divorcing you and suing for emotional distress.

I hope you understand what you did. I hope you learned your lesson.

You ruined my fucking life. My suicidal thoughts are so strong. What did I do? Why are you doing this to me?

I hope your parents die. And give everything to dawn.

Maybe I will kill you. You’re a waste.

I wish I stabbed you. I wish your parents had to set up a funeral for no one to come to.

Fuck you. Fuck you. FUCK YOU!

I’d don’t feel like a person anymore. This all feels like a nightmare.

You’re narcissistic. You’re a gaslighting. You won’t accept you’re a bad person.

You killed me.

I hope you’re happy now.

Go to a new therapist and talk about you. I’m not in your life anymore and never will be.

We’re never getting back together. I don’t love you.

Why would I even choose to be with someone who doesn’t love me, respect me, or cares for me?!

You’re shitty therapist told you to get a divorce. Well you’re getting one buddy.

It’s funny. My therapist tells me to stop talking about you if I do and that you’re not my concern or focus. It’s a shame your shit therapist doesn’t go that.

You have no friends. Go back to nj. Just die.

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mysteryshelf · 6 years

Text

MARCH ANNIVERSARY WEEKENDS EVENT: Blog Tour - Craks in a Marriage

Welcome to

THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF March Anniversary Weekends Event!

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Great Escapes Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

Craks in a Marriage (Mah Jongg Mysteries) by Barbara Barrett

About the Book

Craks in a Marriage (Mah Jongg Mysteries) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting – Florida Self Published (February 6, 2018) Print Length: 204 pages ASIN: B079DCX8WQ

When Sydney Bonner overhears a fellow mah jongg player arguing on the phone with her husband, she realizes the couple’s “perfect marriage” isn’t all it appears to be. A few days later, the husband is found dead, his head bashed in. Fearing she’ll be considered the most likely suspect, the widow prevails upon Sydney and her three friends—Marianne, Kat and Micki—to find out who really killed him.

Though none of these four fun-loving, take-charge retirees has any training as detectives, the women agree to launch a secret investigation. As they dig under the happy veneer of their community’s social life, they find more than enough suspects, from shady ladies to resentful golf buddies, to keep them looking over their shoulders.

Could the murderer be lurking among the talent in a chaotic production put on by Sydney’s husband, who will do anything to keep busy in retirement? Could the sheriff, who may have more than a professional interest in chanteuse Kat, end up pinning the crime on the women instead? Each discovery during their investigations and their weekly mah jongg game keeps them running as they close in on the killer—but the killer may also be closing in on them.

About the Author

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

What initially got you interested in writing?

By my late thirties, I’d achieved several life goals. I had a wonderful husband, two beautiful children, a job I liked and a lovely house. Though advancement at work was still a possibility, I was at loose ends in my life. Until my favorite soap opera introduced a new character who was a romance writer. That sparked my imagination. I didn’t need the feather boas she wore to compose her novels, but I liked her otherwise glamorous lifestyle. I could do that, I told myself. Hadn’t my teachers from grade school through high school praised my writing? I could do what she did. I tell people now that writing helped me avoid a midlife crisis. (Although I still got a red convertible about that time.)

What genres do you write in?

I have been writing contemporary romance since my late thirties. I was first published over five years ago. I’ve published eleven novels and one novella. This past year, I returned to my love of mysteries and wrote a cozy mystery of my own, Craks in a Marriage. I’m using the same pen name of Barbara Barrett for both.

What drew you to writing these specific genres?

As noted above, I decided to write contemporary romance because that’s what my soap opera character wrote. My masters’ degree is in American History, but I chose not to write in this area, because I knew how much research would be involved, and I wasn’t ready to return to that after my thesis. As a former human resources management analyst who studied jobs in her former life, my characters’ occupations played a major role in developing their stories.

I started reading cozies when pregnant with my first child and needing something to keep my mind occupied. I fell in love with Agatha Christie books, especially the Miss Marple series. Later, when I’d gone through most of those, I turned to English country cozies.

How did you break into the field?

The rise of the digital book and the subsequent growth of digital publishing helped me enter the field. In just a few years, many more opportunities opened up to authors seeking a place for their works to be seen. I am very grateful to The Wild Rose Press for taking a chance on me. I published eight books with them before I felt I was ready to fly on my own last summer.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

I want my readers to enjoy the read and be taken outside their daily life for a short period while going through the book. For my romances, which of course have the happy ending, I hope they take heart that many relationship problems can be worked through if both individuals contribute to the solution.

For my cozies, I hope readers have fun attempting to identify the murderer before my sleuths do and exercise their brains in the process.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

I enjoy the journey taken by my brain and spirit when I write, as I travel in my head and on the computer screen from the mere germ of an idea to a full-blown plot with an ending that satisfies and makes sense. The whole time I’m putting together a book, it’s like I can’t go fast enough to finish it, even when temporarily blocked, and yet when it’s done, I feel lost and alone. Until I start the next one.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Finding the right words to convey the true story I want to tell. I was tempted to say “finding just the right words,” but I’ve learned there comes a time to stop. The revision process is hard. Grueling. But so important. Not just for being true to the story but for helping the reader understand the characters’ thoughts and motivations.

And, of yeah, I have a terrible time with character development. Love writing dialogue.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

Figure out what types of writing excite you most and explore writing in them. Keep what works and move away from what doesn’t.

Educate yourself about the publishing world and the current publishing process and decide on your entry point: large publisher, small publisher, digital-only publisher or self-publish.

Know that the publishing world has become super-competitive. You probably won’t realize how much until you break in, but even with your fore-knowledge, realize you’ll be shocked and you’ll have to work harder than you ever thought necessary.

Unless you’re picked up by one of the top publishers and offered lots of money and support, plan to do most of your promoting by yourself. Or pay a bundle to have someone do it for you.

Finish the book. It may not be the one that eventually gets published, but the self-confidence that comes with completing an entire story is fuel that will charge your brain to create more and proof that you can do it.

Write every day. It takes a while for the discipline to be established, but in time, it’s like exercise, you can’t stand to be away from for any length of time.

Get feedback. Not from your friends and family but from other writers.

Join a writers’ group. The support you’ll receive is more fuel for your spirit and brain.

What type of books do you enjoy reading?

Love reading mysteries. I’d rather listen to thrillers on tape. Several years ago I joined a book club, mainly as a social outlet, because we chose to meet each month at a different restaurant. But this experience has exposed me to stories and authors I might never have discovered were it not for book club.

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

So far, we haven’t talked about the subject of Craks in a Marriage, the game of mah jongg. Like the book club, I initially learned how to play the game as a way of meeting other people when I moved to Florida. Over time, I’ve come to love the game. I play two versions a week. When I decided to write a cozy, what better concept than to make this game the central feature? While I was at it, I chose to make my characters retirees like me, who live in the fictional town of Serendipity Springs in central Florida.

I also live in my home state of Iowa five months a year. My husband designed the house we built when we downsized five years ago.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

Start with my website www.barbarabarrettbooks.com. I have combined both the romance and cozy mystery elements of my career there. You can find descriptions of all my books and buylinks for them.

Next, consider liking and following my author pages, http://bit.ly/2aXZvG9. I tend to update it more frequently.

You can email me at [email protected], especially if you’d like to sign up for my mystery newsletter.

If you want visuals of who and what I envisioned in my novels, check out my Pinterest page, http://pinterest.com/barbarabarrett7.

Barbara Barrett started reading mysteries when she was pregnant with her first child to keep her mind off things like her changing body and food cravings. When she’d devoured as many Agatha Christies as she could find, she branched out to English village cozies and Ellery Queen.

Later, to avoid a midlife crisis, she began writing fiction at night when she wasn’t at her day job as a human resources analyst for Iowa State Government. After releasing eleven full-length romance novels and one novella, she has returned to the cozy mystery genre, using one of her retirement pastimes, the game of mah jongg, as her inspiration. Not only has it been a great social outlet, it has also helped keep her mind active when not writing.

Craks in a Marriage, the first book in her “Mah Jongg Mystery” series, features four friends who seek the murderer of another mah jongg player’s husband before she is charged. None of the four is based on an actual person. Each is an amalgamation of several mah jongg friends with a lot of Barbara’s imagination thrown in for good measure. The four will continue to appear in future books in the series.

Anticipating the day when she would write her first mystery, she has been a member of the Mystery/Romantic Suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America for over a decade. She credits them with helping her hone her craft.

Barbara is married to a man she met her senior year of college. They have two grown children and eight grandchildren.

Now retired, she is a resident of Florida, although she spends her summers in Iowa, her home state. She earned her B.A. degree in History from the University of Iowa and her Master’s Degree in History from Drake University.

When not in front of her laptop creating her next story, she plays Mah Jongg, knits, and enjoys lunches with friends.

Author Links

Website – http://www.barbarabarrettbooks.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Barbara-Barrett-Author-1678443865812386/

Twitter – www.twitter.com/bbarrettbooks

Pinterest – pinterest.com/barbarabarrett7

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8181756.Barbara_Barrett

Subscribe to my newsletter: [email protected]

Purchase Links

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MARCH ANNIVERSARY WEEKENDS EVENT: Blog Tour – Craks in a Marriage was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf with Shannon Muir

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