#joe was so aggressive and fond all at once :')

[cementcornfield]

What do you remember about that first touchdown?

I just remember scoring and doing the griddy and then Joe pushed me.

#joe was so aggressive and fond all at once :') #so thrilled!!! #and the touchdown was exactly like all their LSU touchdowns!!! #they said we just won a natty together and now we're gonna win a super bowl <3 #and the fact that it was vikings and justin was there! ahhhh!! #ja'marr chase #joe burrow

[anthonybialy]

Ivy League in League with Hamas

I hope Columbia students are as dedicated to their studies as they are to LARPing.  I doubt it.  They seem to not know much of anything.  Portraying aggressive foes of Israel confirms such.  Refusing to move from ground that was never theirs shows commitment to the cause.

College brats crave pretending they’re something other than political science majors doomed to beg Joe Biden for debt evasion.  A university that wanted to continue to pretend to be taken seriously would deny outdoor squatters the right to Sha Na Na presale access codes.

Instead, expect a flurry of senior theses based on how leaving plants unwatered in an Amsterdam Avenue apartment for three or four days allowed the non-Israel parts of the Middle East to finally prosper.  This is the school where a showy phony lied about being raped so she’d have an excuse to drag a mattress around campus as a regrettable standard of performance art, which makes today’s showy truancy unsurprising.

Acting violent while pretending to not be reflects a wholesale refusal to interact with reality.  True cosplayers act just like their beloved terror cause.  Man, they are focused on playing along.  Their habit of harassing Jews shows solidarity.  Claiming they were the victims all along is what the keffiyeh represents.

Tom Wolfe’s ghost has never been busier.  Earth’s most entitled brats throwing a tantrum while camping on Manhattan’s Ivy League grounds to show fondness for an invading terror squad means he’s still releasing novels a page at a time as news reports.

A Peoples’ University doesn’t sound quite elite.  Those seizing land are presumably honoring prominent Democratic activist Jim Jones’s naming conventions without realizing it.  Like every other contemptible notion that preening quad radicals believe, the inadvertent hilarity stems from their patent ignorance.  While it’d be nice if they were informed, the rest of us can use the laughs.  What are they supposed to do during college: learn?

The sort of students you’re glad you never drank with get to pretend they’re doing something righteous with a lawn campout.  Guilt over unbelievable privilege leads to fretting about the less fortunate.  Enrolling in a moral vacuum prompts sympathy for terror instead of victims.

Columbia students think The Diary of Anne Frank has a happy ending.  Confused reading list participants know what they would’ve done during World War II, namely defend Normandy from invaders.  The claim that 2020’s city torchers were the equivalent of Allied soldiers got sillier just when you thought that was impossible.

These advanced times sure are unenlightened, at least for those at the costliest and therefore best colleges.  Society regresses without learning from primitive times.  Let’s say there’s precedent involving campus radicals defending terror movements.  Collegiate nitwits once again romanticize ghastly assaults against decent people in respectable societies.  A useful degree would feature learning how many of them are not.

Praising the terror side is how the smuggest brats from your high school class battle for the underprivileged.  Hamas engages in rather intense bullying they’d surely condemn if it involved misgendering.  Total non-anti-Semites just happen to be ganging up on the one Jewish state.  Tormenters get every last detail wrong, including which side features people who want to be left alone.

Students fume about a sliver of land that at its narrowest is smaller than the island upon which Columbia lies is long.  It’s not just the lack of real estate that makes Israel an underdog.

The one Middle East country that would tolerate idling undergraduate uselessness can afford to on account of that whole natural rights bit.  Citizens could claim it was awful without consequence.  Go ahead and hold a pride parade in Tel Aviv.  I’d envision a permit tie-up for anyone trying the same in Gaza. Rather confused observers add exercising the right to self-defense to their appalling list of reasons they loathe Jews.

Idle grifters with student IDs get to pretend they’re standing up for a noble cause.  The side against Israel is way less nicer, and underdevelopment must be the fault of oppression.  That sort of logic is common amongst attendees at more prestigious schools.  Ignoring what happened at the music festival to people about the same age helps maintain consistency.

The Morningside Heights campus of Hamas University is a popular study abroad program.  But enrollees can only harvest so much knowledge.  An internship would help.  They can learn from their heroes.  Columbia campers should transfer to Gaza colleges.  There’s a hospital on every corner, which means there must be at least that many schools.  You know it’s bad when the rest of 2024 New York City seems sane by comparison.

Class is boring.  Learn about the real world out on the Columbia quadrangle.  It sure is fun camping out while shrieking insults at civilization.  Real-world experience is supposed to be school’s goal.  Professional terrorists blaming success is the default Columbia student ideology in practice.  Feeling insulated on campus leads to guilty role play.  Flaunt uselessness in the name of awfulness.  This is the best time to dine at Katz’s, as none of the uneducated students will be there.

#Israel #Hamas #Israel-Hamas War #Middle East #antisemitism #terrorism #Columbia University

[wickedpact]

Do you think that there might be a story behind the ‘feral’ reaction Nicky has when Joe gets stabbed? I’ve read a lot of fanfiction about Nicky’s lunge there and how it was a little out of character for the type of character Nicky is portrayed as. Even in the comic there’s a similarish reaction.

Do you think we might find out in the next tales through time segment?

you know... its kind of funny bc ive seen several of those fics/posts too and i have to admit i dont really. . .prescribe to the idea that its unusual behavior for him?

& i know the thought process there is ‘nicky is such a calm/serene character usually, but the only time he’ll lose his shit is when joe is hurt’ which like, yeah nicky is a calm/serene monk-ish type of dude, luca (i think) called him calm and wise in an interview once. but i just. . honestly dont see nicky reacting any differently in that scene if it had been andy or booker -or even nile- getting stabbed. bc hes not just gonna Sit There and watch people hurt his friends!

and i feel like im almost contradicting myself here bc i talk abt nicky as this character defined by faith all the time. personally i dont think nicky's haunted by the idea of potentially losing the others the way that say, andy or joe are, because hes got Faith that they were all destined for this life and therefore Faith that they are destined to be together. so if joe gets stabbed or something, nicky has (maybe not complete faith) but strong faith that he’ll be fine. he doesnt worry to the extent that joe does (say, like joe does in the van).

but on the flip side i just dont think him lunging to stop someone from hurting joe (or any of the other immortals) is contradictory to that or even unusual. he believes they’ll come back, but that doesnt mean hes going to watch them (or be serene about watching them) get hurt. honestly i mean,, when you think about the alternatives, what was he supposed to do? merrick just whips out a knife and immediately just brutally stabs joe in the neck, and its both shocking and terrible to watch (and probably more so for nicky than us, at least in regards of it being terrible). if anything i think it would be weird or unusual for him to actually keep his cool in that situation. i mean, just imagining that scene but with nicky not jumping to try and stop it is actually kind of unnerving to think about

and the other alternatives,,,, i mean:

A. jump in & try to stop it (what he does)

B. do nothing (creepy and unnerving)

C. clutch his pearls and gasp i guess? (weird coming from a 900 y/o warrior)

and i dont know, whenever i see interpretations of that scene, its almost always used as evidence that deep down nicky has some deeply violent impulses that he keeps on simmer 99% of the time and hes constantly ready to flip on a dime from Calm Nurturing Monk to Cold Feral Warrior. im not fond of that interpretation bc....................... well, honestly, i just hate male characters with anger issues sdfghjk

and i dont really think (personally) that its canon!

its like ‘do no harm, take no shit’ you know? nicky's a nurturer at heart, and a deeply empathetic person, but that doesnt mean he wont stop someone from hurting his loved ones (Permanently) if he needs to. its like his rifle name! ultima ratio: the last resort. he’ll do it if he has to and he wont feel bad about it! and idk for me, i dont think theres any explanation needed there, and i honestly dont think its a feral reaction? i mean. joe was being stabbed, of course nicky was going to try and stop it, i just dont see anything feral/aggressive about that that sticks out from his other traits.

so like yeah, (imo!) there isnt any Deep Dark characterization there to be uncovered. hes a monk type character and hes a warrior. a warrior-monk. those two things dont necessarily contradict! its like. .. a duality. the duality of man.

HOWEVER, i mean,,,,,,,,, who knows! we know so little about the characters! and looking at the ttt schedule... weve got what’s probably a noriko story in issue 2, followed by a western booker story. issue 3 is the moon landing assassination, which is a team story, along with the 70s andy story. then in issue 4 theres the solo nicky story and the post-achilles story (which will probably be an andy & booker one). AND THEN theres the present-day (probably-nile) story and the paris (probably-booker) story, then the two mysteries, one of which is likely a solo-joe story.

of those, obvs the solo-nicky one is likely to go into nicky’s brainspace, and maybe the probable-solo-joe-story might include him to some degree. the others all seem like he’ll be a background character at most tbh

#this ended up longer than i thought it was so Under the cut it goes #Anonymous

[lesbianlotties]

“Did you just hit me? With a pillow? Oh. It’s on now.” with either andyquynh or all of the old guard

I have no excuses for this... i am just... they deserve to be soft and have fun okay? thank you so much for this prompt

--

“I really want to kill you right now, Quynh,” Andy rubbed her forehead and sighed. She couldn’t even remember how the argument started but they were alone in the living room now and Quynh was being too smug about it, her usual little shit self, and Andy was angry at how much more in love it made her feel.

“Hey, if you kill me, I’ll kill you,” Quynh raised her hands in mocking innocence, “and one of us not immortal anymore, my heart.” 

Andy knew that Quynh was just kidding, hopefully. It had been centuries since they had playfully killed each other to settle their arguments. But if maybe Andy was considering killing Quynh, just a little… Was the love of her life really above some light stabbing to win the argument? It was better not to use knives, Andy decided.

While Andy had her internal debate, Quynh, content with her belief that she had won the discussion, was focused on her new phone, a wonderful little device that demanded too much attention whenever she used it. That’s the reason why she wasn’t ready at all when she felt a pillow, a pillow of all things, hit her in her head, messing up her hair and earning an utterly shocked expression on her face. “Andromache…” she used the old name very slowly, threateningly, “Did you just hit me? With a pillow?” She made a pause to stare at Andy’s goddamned smug smirk and then added, “Oh. It’s on now.”

The battle was just ruthless. Less than a minute later one of the pillows was teared up and spreading its stuffing all over the place. Andy jumped on the couch, Quynh jumped on Andy. Andy didn’t hold back on her strength, but Quynh was incredibly fast with her attacks. They laughed only half of the time they were fighting.

When the noise was too much and something probably important made a loud crash as it broke down, victim of Andy and Quynh’s pillow fight, the rest of the team started curiously leaving their rooms to investigate.

Booker was the one to cautiously approach the living room. He sighed gravely and gestured around him, even though the women were ignoring him he asked them, “Seriously?” But then, of course, a second later he also received a pillow thrown at his head. “Seriously?!” he exclaimed louder, turning around to find out that Joe couldn’t hold back his laughter. Joe, Nicky and Nile had come out of their rooms holding all their pillows, and they were eagerly moving toward the living room. Booker had no choice but to make a quick stop at his bedroom and join in as well.

“Do you get more immature as you get older?” Nile asked, repeatedly hitting Andy’s back with a pillow.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” Quynh complained when she saw Nick straight-out grab one of the couch’s cushions.

“Could you maybe hit the others too?!” Booker exclaimed, while Joe contentedly hit his head with a pillow again.

They were a mess of aggression and fondness, laughter and angry grunts, deadly battle techniques coupled with the softest weapons and way more fun than they had expected to have that night while tragically destroying their living room.

“Quynh stop it!” Andy yelled in the middle of the fight, she was barely holding back her laughter. But when the woman she loved more than anything once again hit her in the stomach with a pillow, Andy groaned, “That’s it!” throwing her pillow on the floor and instead running to pick up Quynh and throw her over her shoulder. Andy moved around the room, still defending herself and smiling, Quynh was struggling against Andy and laughing but still waving a pillow around and even hitting Andy’s head.

The battle went on and on, until late at night, when most pillows were ruined on the floor of the living room, and everyone was too tired to go back to their rooms. Half on the pillow-covered floor, and half on the couches that ended up in completely different places than they were before the fight, the six members of the family found a comfortable place to sleep, all with relaxed smiles on their faces, safe, and unmeasurably happy to be together.

#when i say fluff And humor is My favorite thing in the world.... #the old guard #the old guard fanfic #andy x quynh #andromaquynh #the old guard fanfiction #andy #andromache #quynh #yusuf al kaysani #nicolo di genova #joe #nicky #booker #sebastien le livre #nile freeman #tog #prompts #answered #moonlightandromache

[scythian-andromache]

one year celebration 

an old guard ficlet based on this ask Summary: As immortals, time quickly blends together, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't celebrate the milestones and the happy moments. Or: Five times the Old Guard celebrated being together for a year.

also available on [AO3]

***

“It’s been a year since we met; we should do something to celebrate,” says Andromache.

“Has it?” asks Quỳnh, laying on the pallet next to her. They find themselves once again in the middle of the desert, although this time by choice, and with better supplies.

“Well, within a day or two,” hedges Andromache. “Admittedly, I don’t have instruments to measure the stars more precisely.”

Quỳnh forgets, sometimes, how long Andromache lived before meeting her, how much knowledge she’s acquired. She knows that she spent several years at sea, and that she learned to use the stars to navigate, to tell time, to guide her into the unknown. Out here, far away from even the campfires of a settlement, they shine bright, the Silver River high overhead, sparkling in the clear, inky black sky. Quỳnh finds it beautiful that Andromache thought to calculate their time, track their movements in the stars above them.

“What did you have in mind?” asks Quỳnh.

Andromache’s smile, even in the depths of the night, is positively devilish. “Oh, I’ve got some ideas.”

**

“It has been a year since the four of us got together,” says Yusuf, one evening, as they are sitting down to break their fast.

“Already?” asks Andromache, pouring out a liberal measure of wine into her goblet, and then doing the same for Quỳnh and Nicolò. Yusuf still isn’t entirely sure how old Andromache is, but the passage of time is already starting to blur for him, so he understands her confusion.  

“That can’t be right,” argues Nicolò, brow furrowing. “We met them in late September, Yusuf.”

“The equinox is not for another week,” says Quỳnh, which is neither here nor there, although as Nicolò recalls, they didn’t meet Quỳnh and Andromache until after the equinox.

He jumps at it. “See? Not a year.”

“Habibi, you are using the Julian calendar again,” says Yusuf, a mix of fondness and resignation in his tone. They’ve clearly had this conversation before. “By the Hijri, it was exactly a year ago today, and I think that deserves a celebration.”

That’s good enough for at least one of the others. “Hear, hear!” cheers Andromache, raising her goblet and then draining its contents, before turning to press a kiss to Quỳnh’s cheek. “Milestones like these must be celebrated!”

If Nicolò hadn’t been looking directly at Quỳnh, he might’ve missed the way her cheeks reddened slightly. There’s a story there, he’s absolutely sure of it.

“Yes, milestones are indeed important,” she echoes, a glint in her eye.

“We shall revel tonight!” Andromache declares, looking at her fondly.

“And if we find some wrongdoers,” adds Quỳnh archly, looking at Yusuf and Nicolò in turn, “so much the better for us, and so much the worse for them!”

**

“It’s Booker’s one year anniversary, today,” says Nico, nudging Andy’s shoulder.

Andy nods absently, gazing out the window with one of her thousand-yard stares. “We should celebrate,” she says, the corner of her mouth twitching up a little.

She hasn’t been the same since she lost Quỳnh, not really; she’s retreated into herself, even as she continues to lead their little ragtag team. Nico’s sure she’s remembering the celebrations of yore, and then she shakes her head, snaps herself out of it.

“Macarons, maybe? Sébastien is aggressively French, he would probably like that.”

“And perhaps a cheese plate while we’re at it,” adds Nico, glad that they’re going to continue this tradition, even if it feels strange without Quỳnh there.

That gets half a snort out of Andy. She looks at him a moment. “We’ll do this right,” she vows.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I’ll go tell Yusuf, shall I?”

Andy nods, and they get to work.

The look on Booker’s face makes it all worthwhile, and for just a moment, everything feels right again. It doesn’t last, but it was nice to pretend.

**

“It’s been a year, Nile,” says Andy, handing her a small wrapped package. “Happy anniversary.” Her face is tired, her smile sad, and Nile knows that Andy doesn’t just see her, but every single one of the immortals that came before her.

“Thanks, Andy,” she says, and sets it aside to open later, because she just has this tingling feeling that it’s going to make her cry.

She thinks that’s the end of it, but when she comes into the kitchen for dinner, there’s a balloon (slightly battered, reading “It’s a girl!”) and a slightly lopsided cake on the table.

“Ah, passerotta!” exclaims Nicky, turning from the frypan. “Happy one year of immortality!”

“You didn’t have to do this,” she says, and Nicky shakes his head.

“It is tradition,” he insists, “and in the dark times, you must celebrate the light, yes? You are a reason for us to celebrate.”

It’s a lovely dinner, it really is, but Nile can feel the undertone of melancholy. There has to be a way to convince them that they’re all better together. She can’t rectify Quỳnh’s loss—there’s not even a way to track down the iron maiden because it’s been a while since she had a dream about her, but from the others she understands that the dreams come and go—but maybe she can find a way to bridge the gap with Booker.

She makes that her mission for the next year as they cut into the very delicious spice cake that Nicky and Joe made.

**

The mattress dips hard and bounces as a foreign weight lands on Andy’s bed. Andy springs awake, defenses up, and in her bleariness sees only Nile, lying next to her, a grin on her face.

“Mphgff,” mumbles Andy, falling back into a horizontal position, and she shoves her hand into Nile’s face, pushing her head away. “Sleeping. Go ‘way.”

In response, Nile licks Andy’s hand—one is never too old to utilize that technique—and Andy hisses, cracking an eye open. “What, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the fuck.”

“It’s been a year.”

“Your concept of time is more fucked up than I thought,” grumbles Andy. “It’s been almost two and a half.”

Nile’s face gets closer, until she’s almost nose to nose.

“Do you need help with the concept of personal space?”

“It’s. Been. A. Year,” repeats Nile, punctuating each word with a poke.

And—oh. A year since they convinced Quỳnh that a murderous rampage was not the way to go, a year since they reluctantly teamed up to take down another Merrick-esque operation, this time headed by Dr. Kozak, who’d somehow managed to escape the lab, a year since Quỳnh and Booker were brought back into the fold. Since all six of them have been together, however tense it’s been at times.

“We’re celebrating,” says Nile. “So get your ass up.” She bounds out of the room, and Andy takes a moment to smile at Nile’s enthusiasm, and the fact that she remembered their hodge-podge tradition.

When Andy hauls herself into the kitchen, she finds everyone else already there; Quỳnh, too, looks absolutely murderous at the fact that she’s up before noon, but Andy knows she has a soft spot for Nile a mile wide.  

“And how, pray tell, are we celebrating today?”

“Well,” says Nile, looking pleased with herself. “We’re doing a family dinner tonight. Joe’s agreed to make couscous.” Joe takes a bow. “Nicky’s doing the dessert.” A smirking smile from the aforementioned party. “Booker brought some fancy champagne from a valley I can’t pronounce.” There’s hard liquor too, Booker mouths, which earns a look of approval from Quỳnh. “And for this morning, I rented out a paintball concourse for us.”

“Paintball,” says Andy neutrally.

“I get to use you all for target practice,” says Quỳnh, delighted.

“And I won’t have to body block your shots at Andy for once,” Nile snipes, only half joking—she had, in fact, taken several of Quỳnh’s bullets for Andy early on.

“I get to shoot Booker without anyone sending me dirty looks,” says Nicky, only half joking, and Joe high fives him while Booker makes an offended face.

Nile turns back to Andy, looking hopeful, and Andy suddenly hopes that she never loses her spirit, never becomes jaded like she, herself, is. She raises an eyebrow at Nile. “You’re all going down.”

Nile grins. “Pancakes first. And Copley has magnanimously agreed to send some dossiers over in case there’s a criminal organization we’d like to dismantle as a team building exercise.”

There are murmurs of approval, and she looks around at each of their faces, this strange little family that she’s acquired. She hopes that she’s the last immortal, that this won’t happen to anyone else. But just in case it does, she’s going to make sure this particular tradition lives on, because even when time blends together, it’s important to celebrate milestones, to celebrate having each other.

***

#the old guard #andromache the scythian #nile freeman #yusuf al kaysani #nicolò di genova #sebastien le livre #quỳnh #the old guard fanfiction #lenci writes #yusuf al-kaysani

[himbowelsh]

for the love of god joe toye valentines alphabet pls

valentines day alphabet  ( accepting! )

A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?

Joe’s more verbally expressive than you’d expect, actually. He’s got no problem with physical affection, but he’s also not above outright saying it. He’s a straightforward guy who sometimes struggles with his own tender emotions, so hearing them out loud helps   ---   and he thrives on verbal affirmation from his partner, too, so it’s a give-and-get thing. “You looked great today,” or “nobody can sing like you”, things like that. Joe’s also...   aggressively generous with his free time. He’ll do favors for the people he cares about before they even realize they need to be done. He’ll just do things, which is honestly easier than saying his feelings out loud, but speaks just as loudly. Any way he can take some of the burdens off his loved ones’ shoulders is good enough for him.

B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

He doesn’t know the first thing about flowers, but he likes them, and he tries. Always brings his Ma a real nice bouquet for special occasions, and once when his sister was in the hospital he got the most gorgeous yellow roses...  Joe’s not about to grow ‘em himself, but he knows how to pick up a good flower arrangement.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

Nah, bro. Joe’s got a weird thing about junk food. He doesn’t love it. While absolutely willing to buy it for other people, he won’t indulge himself. (He is the uncle who lets the kids run a little wild on his watch, so sometimes after spending time with Uncle Joe, his nephews come back with their faces covered in chocolate. Joe’s sisters just sideeye him.)

D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

Not a complicated guy. Go out drinking with him, have a good time, maybe dance a little...  so long as his partner knows how to have a good time, and he’s in a place he’s comfortable in, Joe couldn’t be happier.

E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

His arms, man. Just...  his arms. If he tried, Joe Toye could probably lift a tank. What do you think his hugs are like?   (Correct answer:  a religious experience.) He passionately doesn’t enjoy being hugged, especially out of the blue  ----  but on rare occasions, he deals ‘em out, and they’re very worthwhile.

F   :   FLIRT.   is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?

He’s not bad at it. Doesn’t try especially hard, but you know when he’s trying. Joe’s a forthright guy. When he’s into someone, his voice will get lower; he’ll make excuses to get closer to them, studying them with a dark, intense gaze. If they’re out somewhere, his first move is usually to buy them a drink; while he’s not into small talk or pick-up lines, he’s good at bantering if the other person wants to play.

G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?

Joe doesn’t give gifts. He gives...  favors. Like, he’ll do shit for other people. He’ll fix a broken cabinet, but new tires on their car, or even pay someone to fix that leaky spot in their roof. If it’s something he can do himself, he’ll do it; otherwise, he’ll find someone who can. Joe’s hired plumbers for people. (The one time he tried to do his sister’s plumbing as a favor was a disaster no one’s allowed to talk about.) It’s easier than trying to figure out what someone wants, and he feels useful at the same time.

H   :   HEART.   is your muse quick or slow to give their heart away?

He doesn’t give it away easily. Joe’s cautious in relationships, not rushing into anything too fast; he’s constantly wondering how his partner feels about him, and has his own undercurrents of insecurity that make giving himself to a relationship...  difficult. He’s got to find someone who gets him. Joe would gradually give his heart away over the course of a long-term relationship  ---   but once someone’s got it, it’s theirs forever.

I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

He... fails at it a few times. Legitimately chokes on the words. He has to take a sip of water, cause he starts coughing. It’s not that Joe isn’t confident of his own feelings, but he’s not great at saying how he feels, and second-guesses himself at the last second...  he’d need to hear his partner say it first. He needs that reassurance before he can feel comfortable declaring it himself.

J   :   JEALOUSY.   does your muse get jealous in a relationship?

Not super jealous, no. When he does have those feelings on occasion, he keeps them inside. Joe won’t bring it up with them, because he’s all about internalizing those negative emotions; at worst, he might watch his partner intently across the room, brooding to himself. The only time he’ll intervene when his partner is with other people is if they’re clearly making his partner uncomfortable, or crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Joe doesn’t put up with that.

K   :   KISS.   is your muse a good kisser? why / why not?

He’s a surprisingly handsy kisser. Joe loves to be touching his partner, whether it’s a hand on the side of their face or a grip on their shoulder, pulling them closer. His favorite sort of kiss is one where he's sitting, pulling his partner down into his lap. Holding them anchors him, giving him a sense of purpose; it keeps him working hard, to feel their tiny moans of pleasure muffled against his lips. Isn’t afraid to get a little rough, but can also be heartrendingly tender. If he can cup their ass while kissing them? Fan-fucking-tastic.

L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?

He’s very devoted to his mother; his sisters and their families have their own things going on, but Joe would drop anything for them in a heartbeat; he enjoys the company of the fellas at work, and cares for a lot of them; and, of course, his Easy Company friends are the ones who understand him best, and occupy the foremost place in his heart.

M   :   MOONLIGHT.   is morning or night a more romantic setting?

He’s not picky. Literally no preference here. Anytime is a good time for kissing, if they’re both in the right mood.

N   :   NAUGHTY.   what is your muse like in bed?

He’s got a lot of passion, and channels it into his every movement. While he doesn’t mean to be rough, it sometimes happens; his partner wakes up with bruises on their thighs and very fond memories of how they got there. Lots of stamina, and can keep up a consistent rhythm throughout. Heavy breathing, and occasional dirty talk in that low, raspy voice. He’s not loud, but loves a partner who is. Willing to try every position at least once, but has a real thing for feeling his partner on top of him, while he guides them along. When he reaches his peak, he tends to bury his face against his partner’s skin to muffle his groan.

O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?

He’s very straightforward. Not super eloquent  ---  it’s actually something he’s very self-conscious about   ---   but with Joe, he says what he means, and you know what you’re getting. When Joe wants to speak his heart, he manages.

P   :   PARTNER.   what does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?

Someone who keeps him on his toes. Someone...  sexy, and energetic, with an inner warmth that reels him in and refuses to let go. Someone who looks past the surface and understands people. A non-judgemental person; a hard worker, who puts their all into everything they do; someone who takes responsibility to their family very seriously, and who’d set everything else aside to help someone in need. Not to mention, someone with a killer set of hips.

Q   :   QUESTION.   would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?

(go down and read WEDDING first!)  Okay, so he’s hesitant when it comes to marriage. Once he’s made up his mind, though? Joe Toye is all in. He’s no diamond expert, but he knows the guy at the jewelry shop, who gets him a good deal.  He’s the sort of sentimental to get the inside of the band engraved with their initials, or something equally gushy; it’s a gorgeous rock, and it’ll look even better on the love of his life’s finger.  Joe actually fantasizes about seeing his partner wearing his ring in the days leading up to the proposal...  which he does outside of the restaurant right before their date, with a light flurry of snow beginning to fall from the sky. He wanted to propose at dinner, but it occurred to him that his partner might not want all those people around and watching, so he panicked in the doorway and dropped to his knee right there. His actual proposal is a little breathless, but so fervent, and his puppy dog eyes are in full force. If they turned him down there, his heart would definitely break. 

R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

He’s got a sensitive heart underneath that tough coal miner’s exterior. Joe’s the sort of guy to adore a partner once he’s got one...  but he’s definitely not inclined to daydreams. Joe doesn’t pretend to be anybody’s Prince Charming. His brand of romance is very down-to earth, but he definitely wants to fall in love at some point.

S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

Little Joe wanted a truck, not a girlfriend. He just... wanted to drive a big truck. He had a truck phase.

T   :   TRUE LOVE.   does your muse believe in true love?

He doesn’t know. Legit couldn’t answer that question if he tried. What’s the difference between true love and...  just regular love? Is there a special sort of love you’re supposed to try for? How do you know if you got it, or...  nope. Too much to think about, don’t bother him with it.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

...  yeah. He was young then. Stupid. You won’t get him to talk about it, unless he’s well past the point of reasonably drunk.

V   :   VALENTINE.   how does your muse feel about valentine’s day?

Slight panic. He doesn’t know what to do. Does his partner want something? Should he get them something? What? Before getting into a relationship he wasted exactly none of his energy on Valentine’s Day, and now, god help him, has no idea what to do with it.

W  :   WEDDING.   would your muse get married? why / why not?

It ain’t something he’s gonna rush into. Joe comes from a religious Irish family, divorce is not an option for him  ---  if he’s anchoring himself to one person, it’s gotta be for life. Finding the right person’s the tricky part. He tells himself he’d be find if he never ended up married (keep lying to yourself, you love-starved fool)  but when he does meet someone, he’s got to give it a lot of consideration before popping the question. He’s got about a dozen fears, rejection being the biggest one, so he kind of has to talk himself into it.

X   :   XOXO.   does your muse use / like pet names?

He’s actually fond of them! Playing on somebody’s name is his favorite (he calls Luz “Georgie”, for example, and has an arsenal of nicknames for his nieces and nephews)  but when it comes to his partner, his favorites are “sweetheart”, “baby”, or even “darling”, muttered just low enough for them to hear.

Y   :   YOURS.   does your muse get protective easily?

Abso-freakin-lutely. The biggest misconception about Joe Toye is that he’s a violent guy. He’s not. He won’t swing unless someone gives him a damn good reason  ---  and seeing somebody threatening the people he cares about is the biggest reason in the book. Joe won’t start a fight. He’ll end it.

Z   :   ZZZ.   how many people has your muse slept with?

He’s...  not the Virgin Mary, by any means. If he’s out somewhere, and somebody’s being friendly...  Joe’s gonna be friendly back. He’s not ashamed about it. He’s had maybe...  6 - 7 partners, but most of them have been casual flings.

#joe toye #headcanons

[wolffupdates]

Alex Wolff on 'Castle in the Ground,' Producing a Movie with Nicolas Cage and His 'Jumanji' Future

The actor also reveals the text his friend Cage sent him about playing Joe Exotic.

[This story contains spoilers for Castle in the Ground.]

At 22, Alex Wolff has already had a full 16-year career in Hollywood. From his supernatural horror hit, Hereditary, to his expanding role in the Jumanji franchise, Wolff has even written and directed his own film, The Cat and the Moon. Wolff’s latest role as Henry in Castle in the Ground checks another box that is consistent with most acclaimed actors as his grieving, opioid-addicted character required dramatic weight loss. Since he was already quite lean, losing 30 pounds took its toll on the New York native.

“I only had a couple weeks before I started shooting. I know that [my diet] just didn’t turn out very well, and it turned out to be super unhealthy at the end of it,” Wolff tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I had a lot of problems, but I’ve now found out since then that there’s some totally better, more healthy ways that you can do it. And a can of tuna and an apple is not that.”

At the end of 2019, Wolff wrapped production on Michael Sarnoski’s Pig, and the experience went so well that he’s already collaborating with one of his co-stars on another project. That co-star happens to be one Nicolas Cage.

“I have a movie that I’m going to direct that I wrote and I’m really, really excited about it. And without spoiling too much, Nic is actually producing it with me,” Wolff shares. “I’m going to be starring in it… But yeah, I’d say it’s a character drama with elements of thriller. It’s definitely a psychological drama.”

In a conversation with THR, Wolff discusses Castle in the Ground’s impact on him, his Jumanji future and the text exchange he had with Cage regarding Cage’s new role as Joe Exotic.

You lost 30 pounds for Castle in the Ground. Did you subscribe to Christian Bale’s Machinist diet of one apple and one can of tuna per day?

Oh God. Yeah, I’ve heard of that. I’ve heard of a lot of different diets. I mean, mine was really interesting because I only had a couple weeks before I started shooting. It was like two or two-and-a-half weeks. I know that mine just didn’t turn out very well, and it turned out to be super unhealthy at the end of it. I had a lot of problems, but I’ve now found out since then that there’s some totally better, more healthy ways that you can do it. And a can of tuna and an apple is not that. (Laughs.)

Does a character like Henry ever frighten you to the point of being more cautious in your own life?

Interesting. I think more than anything, it really made me have empathy for people who make bad decisions. More than make me not make bad decisions, it makes me have more empathy for the people who make these kinds of decisions with addiction and everything. I see them more humanly.

As Henry showed, one wrong choice can create a ripple effect that has complete control over you.

Yeah, it just seems like this kind of thing happens so quickly. That’s the scariest part of the whole thing. This can happen so quickly once you start dipping your toe in this pool of these drugs and this kind of lifestyle. You just get completely sucked in, swept up, chewed up and spit out.

When your characters go through a difficult experience and you have to play those feelings and emotions that come with the territory, has that ever prepared you, to some degree, for a similar experience in real life?

I think it’s more the opposite. I mean, there are certain eerie times when life imitates art, but it’s more that my life experience becomes applicable to certain movies and characters. I can do some transference, but I don’t really think that anything that I’ve done in a movie has prepared me for anything in life. What I’ve done in movies has been a collection of my own experience.

I loved the voicemail scene between you and Imogen (Poots). Did you guys rehearse that scene since the timing is so precise and comedic?

I love that scene. We didn’t do much rehearsal in this movie at all. It was pretty guerilla warfare. (Laughs.) We could just go for it. So, we may have run through it a few times, but really, the rehearsal was us just kind of figuring it out as it goes along.

At first, I thought Henry was angling for a romantic relationship with Imogen’s character, Ana, but then I quickly realized that he wanted to transfer the caregiving of his mother (Neve Campbell) onto someone else who was sick in her own way. Do you also think he was dependent on caring for a sick person, as opposed to some romantic fixation?

Maybe he had a crush or something, but I think it’s kind of deeper. He needed anything. He needed anything from her — whether it was romantic or to just be around her, I think he just needed somebody in his life to fill the void of his mom. I don’t think it’s as simple and as clean-cut as her replacing his mom, but I think it’s just that he needs something. He needs some family.

[This next question contains spoilers for Castle in the Ground’s ending.]

The movie ends on an ambiguous, full-circle moment, but given the unforgiving and relentless nature of the opioid crisis, I think history repeated itself in Henry’s mom’s bedroom. Was that your interpretation as well?

Well, I almost want to keep the end a secret for people who haven’t seen it. So, I kind of want that to be one of these big surprises. But I think you’re right. I mean, I’m thinking about it, but I think you’re right. He kind of gives into it eventually. I think he protests, but he lets her do it. I think it’s this moment where, yeah, it’s like history repeating itself. It’s like a prophecy or premonition that he’s going to end up doing it. I kind of want people going in, thinking that it’s going to go a different direction or thinking that it’s going to all come up daisies. You think it’s going to go that way, and then, I think it’s important that it’s like “nope.” It should end super hopeless and punishing because that’s how this actually ends. This is how these drugs usually end.

I loved how aggressively blunt Henry could be at times. He was pretty reserved for the most part, but he did not hold back when it came to Ana’s friends. For example, Tom Cullen’s character said to him, “You seem like a good kid,” and Henry responded, “Thanks, I kind of thought you were a piece of shit...”

(Laughs.) Yeah, I think it’s his only way of survival. I think he is shy, and I love that too. That was really a good element in the script, and I think we worked on beefing that up a little bit. He’s like a little boy, and I think little boys are like that sometimes. They put on a front of toughing it out, hence “I kind of thought you were a piece of shit...” But I think it’s also his way of giving and receiving love. I think it’s how he and Ana bond. I think it’s just his way of connecting.

Henry’s girlfriend, Rachel (Star Slade), had her own life while he was taking care of his mother. She was also going off to school soon. Was Henry’s decision to break up with her partially inspired by the fact that she didn’t need him as much as his mother or Ana did?

That’s interesting. That’s a really good question, but I didn’t see it that way. Maybe to a certain degree, but I would say that instead of her being more independent, I think it was about the fact that she was almost too good for him at a time when he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle any kind of positive thing in his life. He wanted to be miserable. He wanted to follow the danger and follow his id, not what was healthy for him.

You started acting at six years old. Once you became old enough to make your own choices, did you ever sit down and assess whether you wanted to keep acting or not? Obviously, you made the right call, but sometimes, we hold on to things just because they’re all we’ve ever known.

I think about quitting acting every single day. I have a very love-hate relationship with it. The second I start a movie or when I’m not good in a scene, I’m like, “Fuck, I don’t want to do this anymore. This is hard.” You have to, in equal measure, be completely in love with it and need to do it. It feels like a need. It feels super deep and heartfelt.

Given the sad state of the world, have you done a screen test or chemistry read with another actor yet via Zoom?

Yeah, I’ve done a bunch of monologues and stuff with people, which has been really fun. I’ve been writing monologues and sending them to my friends, and I think that’s been really good. I’ve done some play readings on Zoom, but it’s not the same. It’s not great, but it’s okay. It’s better than nothing. The lag time is better than I actually expected, but it’s just still not perfect. It just isn’t.

You were an uncredited partygoer in Cory Finley’s Thoroughbreds, and you just had a supporting role in his latest film, Bad Education, which is excellent. Clearly, Cory felt guilty over the size of your Thoroughbreds part, right?

(Laughs.) He better have! He better feel guilty. No, I was shooting Patriots Day like an hour away from where they were shooting Thoroughbreds, and I knew the producer. So, I came just to hang out, and they just threw me in there, which was fun. But yeah, he’d better feel guilty for not giving me a bigger part. (Laughs.)

In Bad Education, I was quite fond of your outburst after Geraldine Viswanathan’s character pressures your character to publish her exposé, but he’s torn because of his recommendation letter from Hugh Jackman’s character.

That was kind of a fun day because Cory doesn’t usually have people improvising, but I kind of just went for it.

Jumanji: The Next Level left things in a very tantalizing place as the Jumanji game world has returned to the real world a la the original Robin Williams movie. Are you intrigued by the possibility of your real-life characters acting alongside the avatar characters for a change?

Oh my God, yeah. That better happen. That would be so amazing. I want that. Yeah, I think it would be full circle. To come back to the real world.

I think you just came up with the title.

Jumanji: Full Circle? Yeah, it better be that. Jumanji: Full Circle, I like that. The idea of all the kids, The Rock, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and everybody else in the real world makes me so unbelievably excited.

Recently, your name was on a very exciting list of actors in connection with a new movie from one of my favorite filmmakers, M. Night Shyamalan. Can you say anything about this?

(Wolff imitates static noise.) We’re going through a tunnel actually. Sorry, I’m going through a tunnel right now. There’s a tunnel in my house. Can you hear that? (Laughs.)

You’ve heard this quite a bit, but Hereditary’s car accident scene is one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve ever seen. Oftentimes, when the cast and crew know they have to shoot something dark like that, they find ways to keep the set as light as possible. Was that the case that day?

No, actually. That was not the case. For me, sometimes if they’re trying to make it too light, it���s kind of distracting. So, I sometimes have to just stay in the zone. I kind of just was wearing my headphones and trying to stay in the spirit of it. I think it’s sometimes too hard to completely jump in and out.

Did that scene mess with your head for a little while after shooting it? No pun intended.

(Laughs.) I think it did mess with my head in the moment. I think the whole movie was kind of difficult. It kind of stuck with me. I think that scene in particular definitely stuck with me at least for a few days. But I think that movie was like a constant attention-taker. I think it haunted me for a while.

This is a shameless question, but have you texted your friend Nic Cage about his brand-new role as Joe Exotic [of Tiger King fame]?

Of course, I have. Of course, I have. I said, “Are you playing Joe Exotic?” and he texted me back (Wolff imitates Cage.) “You bet your ass I am.”

It’s perfect casting.

When I first saw it, I said the only person who could possibly play him in a fictional world is Nic. I just feel like that guy is so larger than life, and anybody else would not be able to go there. Nic is the only person who can go there, I think.

Are you itching to direct again?

Yeah, man. I have a movie that I’m going to direct that I wrote and I’m really, really excited about it. And without spoiling too much, Nic is actually producing it with me. Yeah, I’m really excited about it.

Can you reveal the genre yet?

I would say it’s a character drama, and I’m going to be starring in it. I’m really excited about it. But yeah, I’d say it’s a character drama with elements of thriller. It’s definitely a psychological drama.

***

Castle in the Ground is now available on Digital HD and VOD.

#alex wolff #alexwolff #natandalex #castle in the ground #castleintheground

[silverleavesofautumn]

Fate Swap: Team Tokyo

Daichi Shijima taking the role of Hibiki Kuze

             Our boy Daichi has become the Protagonist of this story. Good for him! Daichi is one of the characters who doesn’t change much in terms of backstory. He is still a third year student from Tokyo who gets involved in the crisis on his way home from entrance exams, where he meets his first two companions. He really hates fighting and wants nothing to do with demons or JP’s but when the extent of the crisis becomes clear to him, his loyalty to his new companions and his desire to help others force his hand. Daichi doesn’t catch the attention of JP’s by being a super impressive demon tamer (though he’s by no means a bad one), instead much like vanilla Hibiki, Daichi is surprisingly good at drawing people into his orbit. Daichi’s earnestness and loyalty make people very loyal to him in return, even if he still gets ribbed on even as the protagonist. He’s a bit lonelier in this incarnation as he doesn’t have a best friend Hibiki, so he’s even more eager to please. Daichi still thinks it stupid when everyone starts fighting, but instead of starting his own faction, he’s just very insistent on recruiting people to whatever route he takes.

Dr. Otome Yanagiya taking the role of Daichi Shijima

             The good doctor’s backstory has not changed to much either, with one notable exception. In this Fate Swap, Otome does not work for JP’s, instead she works at a Tokyo hospital. She has custody of Koharu, and there is some tension because she is working very long hours, so she isn’t home too often.  She was on her way home from a shift at the hospital when the crisis began. Her two new companions offered to get her back to her apartment where Koharu was. Despite their best efforts, they got dragged into the events of Day 1 and Otome began to grasp how bad the situation had become. She agrees to assist JP’s as long as they provide refuge for Koharu. Otome teases her companions, but she cares for them quite a bit and is often a voice of reason in the group. She helps Daichi gain his confidence and comes to care for him as something of a little brother. She is kidnapped much like vanilla Daichi helping out in Nagoya and is quite shook up after the experience, which makes her even more protective of her friends, particularly the ones younger than her. When the in-fighting reaches a fever pitch, Otome puts her foot down and forms her own faction, insisting that humanity is at its best when they reach out and understand each other, even people they maybe don’t agree with. She is the leader of the Neutrality faction.

             Keita Wakui takes the place of Io Nitta

                            Keita is a second year from Daichi’s high school, and the ace of the Boxing club. Keita remains very stand offish and aggressive, preferring to solve his problems with violence, which puts him at odds with Daichi and Otome. He is first introduce aggressively asking Daichi for directions, which quickly spirals when Daichi recognizes him as the “reformed” delinquent from his middle school days, and Keita starts threatening him, at which point Otome attempts to step in, and the crisis starts. While initially reluctant to stick with the two, he agrees to escort Otome back to her apartment, figuring if nothing else, walking around might let him scope the situation. After the events of day one he admits he feels like he “owes Daichi one”, and that he’s going to stick around since Daichi do-gooder nature makes him a trouble magnet, which means more fights. Much like vanilla Io, Keita’s parents both die as the crisis continues, causing him briefly double down on his aggressive and strength obsessed tendencies. Daichi and the others manage to reign him in for the most part, but it’s clear that his grief is taking a huge toll on him. Keita is chosen as the vessel for Lugh, and runs off. When Daichi catches up to him, Keita’s emotions boil over and he rages that he wants to beat Mizar with his own strength or it won’t matter. Daichi can convince Keita that they need his help, that it is his strength that is helping them as he’s the only one capable of hosting Lugh, and that even regardless of that, relying on others isn’t a weakness. Keita will go through with the ritual, (and survive), but will become more reserved for the following several scenes. At the route split Keita will surprise everyone by siding with Otome. If fought he will use the full power of Lugh, yelling that he intends to use all his strength in pursuit of his ideals. If sided with, Keita will admit that when Lugh was possessing him finally had all the strength and power he sought at his finger tips…and nothing was better. He still couldn’t bring back his parents, he couldn’t beat Mizar, or heal the black scar. Power was only worthwhile if there was purpose in it. Keita decided to side with Otome because he believed hers was the best option, a world that didn’t rewrite peoples values, or value just the individual or the collective. He still was seeking strength but he realized to become strong you first had to allow people to be weak, and even selfish.

             Jungo Torii replaces Yuzuru “Joe” Akie

                            Fate Swapped Jungo is much the same as vanilla Jungo in terms of personality and even much of his backstory. Jungo remains a kind if absent minded chef’s apprentice in Tokyo. He is protective of his friends, and can be quite scary if something threatens them or innocent people/animals. Jungo is introduced running up to Otome, Daichi, and Keita, and unlike vanilla Joe, Jungo is strong enough to carry all three at once, dragging them over to the amphitheater before Keita manages to break his hold. After they defeat the demons tailing Jungo (who helps them fight, unlike Joe), Jungo joins their team, insisting they’re friends now. Jungo has no particular qualms about going to Nagoya, though he notes he lived there briefly as an orphan after his parents died. He said the orphanage was under funded, so they often didn’t have a lot to eat. He wasn’t there long before he was adopted by a couple, who then moved the family to Tokyo. He isn’t particularly fond of the city, but its there he meets his cat, Jungo, so he grows to like it more. Jungo chooses to side with the Equality faction, insisting even though he doesn’t want to fight his friends, a world where no one would suffer, where people would never have to be hungry, was worth fighting for.

Hinako Kujo replaces Makoto Sako

             Hinako is the daughter of head of the Kujo family in Osaka. She was raised to inherit the family and the Kujo style of dance, and was believed to be a true prodigy. She rebelled quite a bit against this, first not wanting to be a dancer at all, and later wanting to learn other styles causing friction within the family. She was on her way to a non-traditional dance lesson when she got hit by a car. The injury was not life threatening, and with sufficient physical therapy she was able to regain much of her grace and capabilities. Unfortunately, the accident and her dance lesson caused an apocalyptic argument with her family, and was a constant source of discord. The day she turned 18, Hinako moved out of her family’s home completely cutting ties with them. She happened to be scouted by JP’s in Tokyo as she threw herself (quite aggressively) in to various martial arts, searching for a physical activity to replace dancing with. She was offered a job with JP’s and she jumped at the opportunity, quickly becoming one of their best hand to hand combatants and catching the eye of the current leader. Hinako is still very cheerful, quick to tease or even flirt with her companions. In particular she is close with the branches lead scientist, and one of their best doctors, who are also both quite young. Hinako is the first member of JP’s Daichi and the others encounter, and she is the one who eventually convinces them to help out. In the route split Hinako choses to side with the meritocracy faction. Here it is reveal that Hinako is still incredibly bitter about what happened with her family, noting that people less talented than her had dictated her whole life before she joined JP’s. That she had bent and stretched, and made compromise after compromise, had tried to make her family happy but it was never enough for them. So she rejects the idea that to live is to serve others, which is how she initially perceives the equality faction. Despite this bitterness, she is still someone who ultimately believes in the good in people, leaving her conflicted over the course of the game and even when fought against.

#devil survivor 2 #DeSu 2: Fate Swap #Some of these are much longer than the others and I apologize for that

[krinsbez]

GI Joe: Remixed, the Stygians

Another set of OCs by the brilliant Night_stalker, this time of the Baroness’ elite personal black ops goon squad, the Stygians:

Team leader:

Name: Waylon Calthrope Codename: Obelisk DoB: Classified Orientation: Homosexual Former Affiliation: Force Research Unit Bio: Waylon comes from a long line of military men, so when he was picked for the FRU, eyebrows were raised. Yet, the hardened NCO had been chosen, so he went into it eyes open. Needless to say, by the time he was transferred out, he had picked up quite a few unsettling habits. Needless to say, these habits weren't what Her Majesty's Armed Forces particularly liked, so he was sent down to Gibraltar, in order to cool off. Alas, he was involved in Operation Flavius, which was the final straw for many of the brass. Come 1990, he was handed his kit in a box, told to leave, and politely reminded of the Official Secrets Act while on his way out the door. Naturally, he did what anyone would do in such a time, and went off to join ArmorGroup, a PMC, where he actually was doing very well for himself. Well, nobody doubted his skills, stories are still circulating throughout their barracks of his daring deeds, the problem was, stories were circulating. Including one or two that showed he hadn't quite lost those habits that had gotten his discharge papers in the first place. In an attempt to avoid losing such a highly valued member, AG just had him rotated into a training position, figuring that he could be far less harmful there then in the field. A reasonable argument, it failed to consider one possibility. Namely, that he would occasionally be called up as a Floater (Guard used to fill temp holes in schedules), which was exploited once the people in charge of staffing realized the potential gold mine they had on tap. Then the company was acquired by G4S, and one of the changes they made was letting go of personnel who they deemed to be unfit to have under their umbrella. Waylon was one such person, but this time, he had done some prep work. As he walked out the door of his old office, a worn cardboard box with the few personal belongings he had inside it, he pulled out a business card, and dialed it. The phone rang twice, before a woman with a Eastern European accent picked up the phone. "Baroness? This is Waylon, are you still looking for another member of that outfit you're setting up?" Hobbies: Knife Throwing, Weightlifting, Fantasy Football, and Homebrewing.

Members:

Name: Matsui Yunosuke Codename: Goryō DoB: June 19th, 1979 Former Affiliation: Inagawa-kai Specialty: Close In Protection Orientation: Het, Married to Console (see below) Bio: Born into a Yakuza family, Matsui grew up with the ethos of the movement as his nursery rhymes. However, he didn't seem to fit quite in. Despite his best efforts, the only things he seemed to be good at were keeping silent, and when keeping silent wasn't enough, cracking skulls. As one would imagine, while it makes him a great bodyguard and enforcer, when it comes to stuff that requires a bit more of a business mind, he didn't fit in. The local boss, seeking to capitalize on his talents, assigned him to guard his beloved sister, who was responsible for handling the books side of the business. However, even he couldn't protect her from an full sized hit squad sent by a angry rival. While in hospital, his boss tried to silence him, which failed horrifically. Once he was done recovering from some torn stitches, he was contacted by one of the Athenes, and made a very appealing offer..... Revenge for service, in essence. Stricken with rage, he agreed, and the boss was soon killed in what was described as "A gangland deal gone wrong", and what was described by a police offical off record as "The single biggest bloodbath he'd seen in his career". Hobbies: Kendo, Spider keeping, listening to punk rock, and watching trashy romance anime.

Name: Balbina Krajewska Codename: Baba Yaga DoB: Classified Former Affiliation: Medi-Vipers, before that, [REDACTED] Orientation: Asexual. Specialty: Medical/Interrogation Bio: Much of Balbina's life before Cobra is left blank. Mostly as she comes from the Medi-Vipers, and that stuff is kept classified as hell, and also because well, nobody wants to look too deep into the Abyss. That said, it is known that she's a combat medic par none, winning several commendations for her life saving methods, as well as managing to uncover a organ theft ring. Totally unrelated, according to her. That said, she did ruffle some feathers, as well as other parts of their bodies, so a sideways transfer was in order. Hobbies: Cosplaying, Ballet, Medical experimentation, and Medical Cosplaying (Don't ask. Seriously.).

Name: [REDACTED] Codename: Console DoB: Unknown Former Affiliation: Cyber-Vipers, before that, Unknown Orientation: Het, married to Goryo Specialty: Heavy Weapons/Cyberwarfare Bio: While little is known about Console's previous life, given the usual Cyber-Viper "Welcome Basket", what is known is that she's got a fondness for heavy weapons, in particular DShK's, a hatred for GI Joe that seems rather intense, implying a personal connection to them, and finally, some very interesting tattoos on her body. Or at least, the remains of some tattoos, implying the Cybers laser removed them before her conversion occurred. Hobbies: World of Tanks, Knitting, Trolling forums, and deadlifting weights.

Name: Romeo Moretti Codename: Gaucho DoB: Unknown Former Affiliation: None Orientation: Single Target Sexuality, believed to be Baroness Specialty: Long Range Threat Neutralization Bio: Growing up in the Atacama Desert on the compound of a former Argentinian military sharpshooter and his wives, Romeo's childhood wasn't really the best. Between the daily marches to toughen them up for the impending apocolaypse, the hard shooting conditions, tight rations, and the annual tradition of being dumped someplace to find their way back, well, the fact that it took Romeo until his 16th birthday before he finally put a bullet through his father's skull could be taken as a sign of how patient he was. Or how long before he was allowed live rounds and some trigger time. Fleeing the compound with a old Mosin-Nagant rifle on his back, a canteen of water, and his favorite horse, it wasn't expected he'd show up anytime soon. Yet he survived in the wilderness, becoming a poacher, and on occasion when hunting was lean, a hitman. His natural charm and skill with a rifle somewhat impressed the locals, a fact which he started exploiting, trading animal pelts and teeth for ammo and other nescessities. However, soon the heat became too much for him, both figuratively and literally, so he started looking for a way out. As luck would have it, Baroness had heard rumors about this daring man's skills, and made him a offer. It's rumored he accepted as soon as he saw a photo of his new boss, but there probably isn't any truth to them. Hobbies: Horseback riding, hunting, meditation, collecting stuff for his secret shrine to Baroness. 

Name: Goktas Muhiddin Codename: Askari DoB: March 5, 1983 Former Affiliation: Special Forces Command, Turkey Orientation: Het Specality: General Combat Bio: [REDACTED] Hobbies: Wargaming, Baccarat, playing Overwatch (Reaper Main), and cross country running. 

BONUS: The leader of Athene, The Baroness’ personal paramilitary unit (because her boyfriend has the Iron Grenadiers and she can’t stand not being having an army of her own)

Name: Moira Burns Codename: Lozen DoB: December 19th, 1980 Former Affiliation: 1st Marine Battalion, A Company Orientation: Gay, currently engaged to a Track-Viper and a Rock-Viper at the same time. Bio: Why Moira left the Marines is a matter of some debate amongst her new command. Some claim that she was forced out before Don't Ask was repealed, and held a grudge over the matter. Others make the argument that the "Apricot Incident" was the last straw for her military career. And then we just have people who think she joined out of true love. The answer may never be known, as all parties involve remain silent. What is known is that she left the Marines with a bit of ax to grind against them, which made her rather appealing to the Baroness. Why she picked Moira for the Athene unit's lead isn't as concealed. According to Baroness: "Moira's professionalism and aggressive leadership style made her a perfect fit for the Athene Unit", which has been accepted as the gospel truth. Or at least nobody feels a desire to really push matters much further past that. Hobbies: Burning down Apricot trees, movie reviews, dog breeding, and weight lifting.

#GI Joe #GI Joe: Remixed #GI Joe Fanfic #GI Joe: Remixed Stygians

[blckwales]

⭐ (one for everyone 😏)

for each “⭐️” I get, I’ll write a headcanon about our muses.

Thomas & Eleanor

Eleanor is the main cause to his emotional struggles and also relief from them. With her life he’s constantly introduced to new emotions, of which he has very little control over to begin with, but she is also the one guiding him through them. He mostly hides any struggles he can because he is not her responsibility, it was him who vowed to look after her. It causes a lot of internal emotional strain on him but he will never be aggressive towards his wife, however his aggression towards those who threaten or insult his wife is problematic. Their first born as a teenager insulted Eleanor whilst having a fit, without a word Thomas dragged his son by his hair to the castle chapel and forced him onto the floor to pray for forgiveness, with it upsetting Eleanor and therefore himself. He never again got physical with his family after that.

Thomas & Henry II

The idea of a Empress does not resonate with Thomas and his values at all but the purpose the woman with her family serves is the reason Thomas pledged his fealty to the family, more specifically to Henry II. In reality he fought for the prince and prince only, his vows technically forbidding him from offering any personal protection to the Empress but he never disclosed such to the prince out of respect. Had it come to it he would have chosen Henry’s life above Matilda’s. When crowned king Thomas chose to stay but only because he was able to serve him in an honorable position, this was part of Thomas work to pay back for his sins.

Antony & Eleanor

His life with Eleanor enabled his aggressive and threatening behavior but he actually began to calm down quite fast after arriving to Gaul. His mind remained as wicked as before but he also began to express a wider range of emotions with Eleanor also instead of chaos he became more organized. Her presence calms him down easily however he rarely tried to calm her down if she is aggressive with someone else because he’s simply too curious about what the woman would do. He’d all but forgotten about Rome until Octavian had sent a few Senators to discuss business with him. They doubted Eleanor’s devotion to Rome and refused to believe when Antony assured he had the queen under his control so he arranged them to “mistakenly” walk in on him and Eleanor having sex, with Eleanor under him.

Antony & Julia

His choice to marry Julia instead of Octavia was partially due to his fondness of her side of the Julii family, with Octavia Antony would have simply been too close. The choice was also out of spite when it came to Atia, Julia being a constant reminder of the betrayal Atia once suggested Antony should commit. The union also strengthened his position among Octavian’s supporters and Antony, as hypocritical as it is, wasn’t interested in marrying a woman who he knew already had an affair going on which she would continue once Antony would go about his own love affairs. He believes Julia to be more dutiful and discreet wife like her step-mother, also having children was not a priority when deciding on the marriage instead what resources Julia had. Antony may seem distant as always but he makes an effort to keep Julia happy.

Joe & Aleera

Beauty and the Beast, but the beauty was a monster too. Where his following was constant flattery to his ego finding someone with the need to kill and also enjoying it was an entirely new sensation. It revealed a much more sensitive side in him, that of wanting to be understood and embraced not because she wanted to be like him, like the rest did, but because she is like him. Once bitten Joe’s need for a legacy grew less important even though he would go on to work on it with her, instead Joe focused on what had always been the core of his work and it was simply the love and desire for it. To kill for the sake of killing without any bullshit excuses or motives. Joe never forgets who gave him his new life and gives Aleera all his love.

Joe & Goddess

The friends with benefits relationship took an unexpected turn when who he considered to be more of a tool to keep him out of death row became something more, something he cared about. Any desire of killing her physical body turned to protecting it. He would never admit it but he is dancing to  the Goddess’ tune and always will since at the end of the day he will never be able to be part of the real world he’d so enthusiastically set to murder, therefore leaving said world isn’t so difficult. The goddess brought a semi unfortunate quality in a Joe which began to slow down his work, his fondness for domestic life with someone who likes him.

Edward & Ilona

Before they were crowned king and queen Edward’s two illegitimate sons became part of the extended family as they joined court as very capable men. Roger eventually became the ambassador for Hungary and John became the head of Edward’s secretary office. It had been Ilona’s desire to invite the two and meet them for years but it was Edward’s shame that kept it from happening, the sudden change of tune was due to one of the boys’ mother who on her deathbed begged her son would not be alone in the world. It was then Edward asking Ilona’s permission for them to come.

Solomon & Valerian

Solomon dislikes relying on Valerian’s help almost as much as the Devil and he often goes all mute should anyone tag along with him and keeps a few feet distance from them as well. His behavior seems like pure hate but when one was in danger Solomon nearly died helping them out and actually asked help with his wounds. The more he spends time with them the more there’s distance between him and religion, instead morals become his main guide.

#warringpeace

[gamerszone2019-blog]

The Blame Game: Trump, Video Game Violence, And Following The Evidence

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/the-blame-game-trump-video-game-violence-and-following-the-evidence/

The Blame Game: Trump, Video Game Violence, And Following The Evidence

Following a pair of back-to-back mass shootings, some American politicians and pundits have once again turned their ire towards video games. The most high-profile of these was President Donald Trump, suggesting that video games contribute to a culture of violence that causes people to feel flippant with the sanctity of human life. However, he was far from the only or even the first politician to cast blame. But where does this reaction come from, and does the scientific evidence support it?

Playing Politics

Though the pair of tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio on August 3 and 4 have revived the topic of video game violence, politicians expressing concern over the effect of violent video games on young people is anything but a new phenomenon.

Prompted by games like Mortal Kombat, Night Trap, and Lethal Enforcers, Congress held hearings on video game violence in 1993-1994. Led by Senators Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl, the planned hearings were given extra furor thanks to Bureau of Justice statistics that showed gun-related violence had reached record highs in 1993. Politicians pointed the finger at violent media, especially video games.

“I’d like to ban all the violent video games,” Lieberman said at the time. “It’s hard to control every measure of this, especially in a society that values free speech and First Amendment rights.”

During the hearings, Lieberman argued that the average video game player was 7-12 years old, and so violent games were being marketed to children. Recognizing that an outright ban was impractical, however, Lieberman threw his support behind warning labels for violent video games. Congressional pressure had made clear that the government would take action to regulate the industry if it did not regulate itself. The result was the industry banding together to form and abide by ratings given by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

The next significant political challenge to video games came from a California law that eventually made its way up to the Supreme Court of the United States. Brown v Entertainment Merchant’s Association was a suit concerning a 2005 law restricting violent video game sales to minors without parental supervision. The law, drafted by former California State Sen. Leeland Yee and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, demanded labeling beyond the standard ESRB labels and would fine retailers for selling violent games to minors. It defined violence under an obscenity statute that had previously only been used to restrict the sale of sexually explicit material. The EMA argued that the law unfairly treated video games as fundamentally different from other media, the sale of which is not restricted to minors.

In a rare 7-2 ruling, the famously conservative Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in the Court’s opinion that video games are subject to the free speech protections afforded by the First Amendment. He was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, with Justice Samuel Alito concurring. Only Justices Stephen Breyer and Clarence Thomas dissented. Significantly, Scalia’s written opinion explicitly rejected California’s argument that a causal link existed between media violence and real-world aggression.

“The State’s evidence is not compelling,” Scalia wrote. “California relies primarily on the research of Dr. Craig Anderson and a few other research psychologists whose studies purport to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children. These studies have been rejected by every court to consider them, and with good reason. They do not prove that violent video games cause minors to act aggressively … They show at best some correlation between exposure to violent entertainment and some minuscule real-world effects.”

Despite this standing opinion from the highest court, politicians still regularly point fingers at video games, especially in response to acts of real-world violence. This latest example isn’t even the first time we’ve seen it from President Trump. Following the mass shooting in 2018 at a high school in Parkland, Florida, the president convened a roundtable with industry groups and critics on the same subject. It similarly used depictions of video game violence to suggest a causal link between exposure to violent games and real-world violence.

So why does this keep happening?

The Renewed Furor

The shootings in El Paso and Dayton took place over the course of less than 24 hours. Though mass shootings have become almost routine in American life, two mass casualty events occurring in such quick succession appeared to shake Americans to their core. Heartbroken citizens looked to leaders for guidance and action.

Almost in unison, conservative leaders rallied against video games as a culprit. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Republican House minority leader Kevin McCarthy both appeared on Fox News Channel on the morning of August 4, calling for action against video games and suggesting a causal link between violent games and violent actions. President Trump’s prepared remarks on Monday morning gained the most attention, but he was largely following a narrative already set by other conservative leaders.

“We must stop the glorification of violence in our society,” Trump said. “This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace. It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately.”

Critics of the president have suggested the tendency to blame video games is something of a stalling tactic, to shift the focus away from discussions of gun control that often take place following mass shootings. And to be sure, this would have strategic merit. American interest in gun control legislation waxes and wanes with current events, so muddying the waters and waiting it out could work, if one’s goal was to simply maintain the status quo.

Whatever political maneuvering might be at play, some segment of the broader population does genuinely believe video game violence contributes to real-world violence. Their strong concerns may be based in good faith, but the evidence is inconclusive at best.

What The Evidence Actually Shows

One of the most common arguments against a link between video game violence and real-world is anecdotal and intuitive. It has been stated many times and in many ways: video games are enjoyed the world over, and countries with similar or much higher video game adoption rates have significantly lower levels of gun violence.

The ESA stated this in its initial response to President Trump’s remarks, saying, “Other societies, where video games are played as avidly, do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the US.”

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick echoed this sentiment days later, calling Trump’s comments disrespectful to the victims and their families. “The fact is entertainment is consumed world-wide,” he said, “but gun violence is uniquely American. So we need to address the real issues.”

This sentiment isn’t new. The Daily Show host Trevor Noah lampooned the Trump administration along the same lines in a 2018 segment following the roundtable after the Parkland shooting. In the segment, Noah argued that stricter gun regulations are “most effective and realistic way to limit gun violence,” citing lower homicide rates in countries like Japan–despite their fondness for video games.

A more authoritative refutation can be found in a policy statement issued by the American Psychological Association in 2017. It argues, “Scant evidence has emerged that makes any causal or correlational connection between playing violent video games and actually committing violent activities.” The policy statement goes on to point out that a 2002 analysis from the United States Secret Service “suggested that school shooters tended to consume relatively low amounts of violent media compared to normative levels for same-age peers.” It’s careful to note that this finding does not conclude that increased consumption of violent media would result in less real-world violence, just that a link cannot be established.

The paper concludes that public officials and the media should refrain from suggesting a causal link between media violence and real-world acts of violence. At most, it says, media figures should refer to studies that may link video games to “aggression.” It argues this because, as Justice Scalia noted in his 2011 ruling, the studies linking media violence to actual aggression are disputed, and usually extend to minor acts of aggression such as “the administration of unwanted hot sauce to make food too spicy, making someone put his or her hand in freezing ice water or bursts of white noise in laboratory experiments.” The APA suggests that these findings are not conclusive and the methodology “remains a matter of reasonable debate.”

On the other hand, a 2016 statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics is more sharply critical of media violence. First, it draws a distinction between aggression and violence, to help parse terms.

“For example, a snarling dog is behaving aggressively; once it bites, it has resorted to violence,” the statement says. “A person who verbally abuses another would not be committing an act of violence by this definition. Thus, all violent acts are aggressive, but not all aggressive acts are violent.”

It argues for a “broad scientific consensus that virtual violence increases aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors,” and dismisses the landmark Supreme Court ruling as based upon First Amendment grounds rather than scientific merit. It does concede, however, that laboratory aggression as a proxy for real-world aggression has proven to be a research challenge. Though increased aggression in a laboratory setting has been consistently shown and studied, this does not necessarily result in real-world violence. Finally, it states that an experimental, real-world study linking virtual violence with real-world violence has never been conducted, because the rarity of violence precludes a large enough sample size to be accurately studied. On the whole, though, the AAP appears to suspect some link may exist, and recommends more stringent enforcement mechanisms.

Conclusion

While scholars may disagree regarding the weight and emphasis of conclusions offered by laboratory studies, even the sharpest scientific critics of video game violence draw a cautious distinction between findings of heightened aggression and the soundbite-ready conclusion that video games are a primary cause in these ongoing national tragedies. Regardless, politicians have been looking to the medium for more than 20 years, and they likely will again the next time a tragedy hits close to home.

Source : Gamesport

#Game News

[reggiesflannel]

Dirty Laundry - Jack Maynard

Summary: You finally meet your best friend’s boyfriend’s brother, the one who your best friend has been trying to keep away from you.

Word Count: 1578

Warnings: None so far ... little bit of swearing maybe?

Author’s Note: So! I was kinda unsure about whether or not I was gonna post this, I wrote it literally months ago and I didn’t know whether I wanted to post this, especially since it actually uses a girls name and not Y/N but i’ve decided to post it. I’m planning on this having between 10 and 15 parts/chapters/etc and yeah let me know if you guys want me to post more.

Life was a bit fickle sometimes; you never knew what was going to happen from one moment to the next. Sometimes you could predict it; if you spent enough time with certain people then you could usually guess how they would react in particular circumstance. Other times it was a bit trickier to guess where their heads were at. If you were a wallflower, you learnt how to watch people, how to predict their every move. You studied people.

Jack Maynard was not a wallflower, not by a long shot. Jack Maynard was forever the centre of attention, he was the one at the core of every late night party and the surging force behind every boys night out. Jack had always liked having peoples eyes on him for as long as her could remember, that was where he did his best work - with all eyes on him and his actions.

Evie Freudman was not the centre of attention - not if she could avoid it. She had spent most of her teenage years in the shadows, sticking in the dark corner with a book at late night parties and skipping out early on girls nights out to watch netflix in her pyjamas. She was good at reading people; her mother had always said that she could look in someones eyes and be able to see their soul.

---

"Think fast Jacky Boy!" Conor Maynard's loud voice echoed in his younger brothers ears as he launched himself onto Jack's back, causing the younger boy to grunt as he stumbled to regain his balance. Behind him, he could hear Joe and Casper cackling at his expense. Jack groaned as he struggled to balance his older brother on his back, messily punching in the code for their building as all four of them staggered up the stairs to their second story apartment.

The entire building could hear the four boys climbing up the stairwell, which included Conor's long-term girlfriend, Annie, and her friend, Evie. Annie looked at her friend with wide eyes as she tried to think on her feet. Annie had been friends with Evie for almost five years now, and it had been almost two since they had found each other again in London. During that entire time, Annie had made a concerted effort to keep her pseudo-brother-in-law away from her friend.

It wasn't that she thought they would make a bad pair - quite the opposite actually - she knew that the two of them were incredibly well matched and that they would complement each other fairly well. She had no doubt that Jack would be able to bring her shy friend a little out of her shell and that Evie would perhaps be able to ground Jack a little and make him care about someone else for once. However, Jack was a notorious fuckboy and she had witnessed many a girl get her heart destroyed by him, and if she could stop Evie from being one of the many, then she would.

Evie had left her family behind in Australia; many of them had already disowned her following her fathers death. She really didn't have anyone in London besides Annie and a few good friends that she had made at university. If nobody else was going to look out for her wellbeing, then Annie sure as hell would. If that meant keeping Jack Maynard as far away from her as possible, then so be it. Evie was just Jack's type but he wasn't mature enough to be what she needed, in Annie's humble opinion.

Before Annie could even think about hiding Evie from the boys, her boyfriend and his friends were crashing through the front door of their loft apartment. She rolled her eyes before turning to her friend, "I apologise for whatever these dickheads do in the next few minutes," she offered quickly before topping up Evie's wine glass. "So whatever happened with that guy you went out with? Scott, was it?" she asked, listening intently as her friend went off on a tangent about the cockhead from her history lecture.

The boys were too busy fucking around in the sitting room to make much notice to the girls in the kitchen, until loud and rambunctous giggles broke through their conversation and causing Jack to look at his older brother in suspicion, "has Annie's laugh suddenly gone up fourteen octaves?" he asked mockingly. Conor shoved his little brother as he got up to investigate, the three other boys trailing behind him on his journey to the kitchen.

"Little Eve!" Evie spun around at the loud and booming voice of her best friend's boyfriend, smiling brightly when he came into her field of vision, hoping off of the bar stool to hug Conor tightly. Conor grinned over his shoulder at his girlfriend as he swept her friend off her feet in a massive bear hug, before gesturing to Annie that Jack was behind him and already curious.

"Mr. Annie! How are you? I haven't seen you in forever!" Evie asked Conor brightly, her smile infectous as both Conor and Annie found themselves mirroring her grin. "I hope you're keeping my best friend happy, making sure she's well fed and kept away from young princes," she implored the young man as she watched Annie roll her eyes before leaning into her boyfriend's side, a fond smile etching its way onto her face as she looked them over.

Evie absolutely adored  watching Annie and Conor together, it made her infinitely happy to just watch them interact with each other. Despite all the teasing, she was well aware that Conor kept her best friend very very very happy and sexually satisfied (that one she wished she could be less aware of). In all the years that she had known Annie, Evie had never seen her so unapologetically happy and giddy, and she was sure that she had Conor to thank for that. He was good for Annie, a lot of silly and sweet gestures wrapped into a handsome bow.

"He does what he's told," Annie filled in for him, leaning up to brush a soft yet meaningful kiss to her boyfriend's jaw. Evie found herself looking away and blushing shyly, not wanting to intrude on such a sweet and intimate moment between her two friends. Apparently, this was not a feeling that was shared by the other occupants of the room.

From the moment Jack barged into the room, her eyes were on him, drinking him in as he playfully wedged himself between the happy couple. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he grinned, one arm over each of the couple's shoulders. His eyes gradually fell on Evie, widening significantly at the clearly shy yet stunning person in front of him. From the way her glasses were perched on the bridge of her nose to the way she would wring her hands together under a strangers gaze; he knew that this was someone he wanted to know.

"And who might this be?" he asked, his focus never leaving the girl in front of him and delighting in the deep blush that seemed to be permanently etched onto her face. It had been a long time since he'd encountered a shy girl that didn't immediately bore him.

Rolling her eyes, Annie shoved his arm off of her shoulders. "This is my friend, Evie, she's too good for you," she introduced, standing next to Evie with her arms crossed over her chest, "Evie, this is Conor's brother, Jack," she countered, gesturing to Jack with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Come on, we're gonna be late for our reservation," she commented, all but dragging her friend out of the room.

As soon as they had vanished, Jack rounded on his older brother, "What the hell was that about?" he demanded accusingly, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he waited for Conor's answer. "How come I've never met her before?" he asked with slightly less aggression, "I am charming!" he huffed, his signature pout painted across his face.

"That's exactly why!" Conor exclaimed, "Look, you're my brother and I love you, but you're not exactly the most charming after you sleep with a girl," he pointed out, placing one hand on Jack's shoulder. "Evie isn't a girl who you can ghost and expect her to bounce back, and if you hurt her, then Annie will kill me and I'd really like to keep my girlfriend and my bollocks if you don't mind," he snickered.

"So your girl just knows i'm gonna fuck up? That's a bit cynical don't you reckon?" Jack scowls, shrugging Conor off. "I've had plenty of girlfriends before!" He insinuated, puffy his chest out in indignation.

"And they all wound up hating your guts and blocking you on everything imaginable!" Conor laughs, "Gee Jack, can't imagine why Annie would wanna keep you away from her friends!" he cackled loudly before leaning back against the counter.

Tilting his head slightly, he took in the determined and confused look on his brothers face, that wasn't expected. "Look, i'm not getting involved because I'd like to retain my appendages, but Evie's a big girl, she tends to keep people at arms length but if you're your usual charming self, maybe she'll open up to you and if you don't seriously fuck it up, Annie might even be happy for you."

"Don't you want something more than a one night stand?"

#jack maynard #jack maynard imagine #jack maynard imagines #jack maynard smut #jack maynard fanfiction #jack maynard fanfic

[clarenecessities]

5/1/17

son i have just had the most delightful day of my got damn life. i know a daily clare post where i’m not just complaining about my life in unnecessary detail is unusual but honestly i just had a swell time

we had language class this morning & admittedly i did ask way too many questions and tell a girl she was pretty bc i have no filter when i’m tired (she is pretty, it was just a weird time to say it)  but i learned a whole bunch! sean has been good with like, maidin mhaith and such but most of it is in one ear and out the other (except conjugation, which is blessedly simple) but we have a new teacher up from teelin & she has us repeat stuff like, excessively. it’s actually pretty reassuring. icr what she was having us chant but at one point we were just going in like gregorian style.

only complaint about anna (the new teacher) is that her accent is different from sean’s so she says ‘dh’ as a [Ghy] instead of a [dJ] so simple shit like “god” and “second” is absolutely fucked. i’m hoping she’ll give us some leeway bc i learned from the Horslips if we’re being quite honest. she’s really adorable though--she taught us how to say we were tired (thank god; a sentence i can use) and she was like miming falling asleep. Ta.. tuirseach oram, i think? she didn’t spell it for us but sean said she’ll teach me on wednesday how to spell everything so i’m flying blind for a while.

we went up the cliffs to look at the napoleon-watch tower--it was pretty chill but the journey nearly killed me. between classes i went up to the store & got some deodorant and a popsicle-thing (it sucked, it was like unsweetened frozen orange juice) and the deodorant here is weird it’s all either spray on or roll-on liquid, so it feels like you’ve just put mosquito repellent on your armpits lmao. anyway yeah it was about four miles but it was a little too steep for a malnourished cripple such as myself to tackle on pepsi & popsicle alone. only fell once though, and saw a load of sheep. the girl who i inadvertently complimented taught me about flowers (i asked the name for harebell because i’d forgotten it, and then i was like “hey what’s this one! what’s this one) which made me feel better bc i’d been a bit worried i’d made her uncomfortable. she was singing a song from the last unicorn at one point & we ended up gushing about that for a bit.

up at the top, when we got to the tower, a small parade of our classmates attempted to scale the side & get up to the door (about ten feet) while our guide was distracted--he hadn’t told us not to do it, he just went back for stragglers and didn’t see. we were all sort of standing around speculating & saying it looked like reasonable holds but nobody really wanted to try after the hike, except, cue hunter, the oft-pseudo-offensive manchild i grow less fond of every day (yesterday he was saying sauron was the good guy & like while it was clearly to ‘troll’ people he was also saying some straight up fascist shit in his too-well-assembled arguments). anyway hunter got up onto the pile of rocks, reached the handholds, and immediately surrendered, saying he’d do it the day he could do two chinups. next up was ben, who was volunteered by a few of us because he’s tall and relatively strong--he also got his hands in the holds, but retired immediately on the basis of being too lazy to actually haul himself up. third was chris, who (if you ask me) saw it as a sort of challenge and just went through the effort to show off, which was what hunter was trying to do but couldn’t back up. frankly i’d have been more impressed if i wasn’t a bit leery of chris--he’s not said anything bad to me, he just has a very condescending vibe that i find Incredibly Irritating.

hmm but then we looked out over the cliffs, and our guide told us a story about a sea stack called “the devil’s dick” and we found our way back down about an hour after it was supposed to have taken. idt he was counting on so many of us being so slow, but he had about five of us lagging for various immutable reasons.

class was supposed to start up again at 7 but we’d only gotten down the mountain at about 6, so i decided to forgo the half hour line for the chipper & grab something from the shop (ultimately some pound cake, bc i’m so healthy). outside the shop, who should turn up, but the black cat i’ve been trying to impress for three days!! she was waiting outside the cafe for food (despite having already been fed) so she didn’t run away, but she wouldn’t let me pet her until ashley--one of the workers i met yesterday--came out to smoke, and sort of.. cat-vouched for me? the cat was wary but she clicked to it, and since she’s the one feeding it i think it trusts her opinion heheh. she advised me not to pet it since it was probably covered in fleas but i was like God Himself cannot stop me from petting this cat.

it was wonderful, she just laid down and rusted in the sun, and she looked so happy and peaceful. i hope this means she’ll let me pet her in the future bc i think i love her

she went off back to the shop after a while, so i headed back down the road for class & ran into kelly and matt waiting for their chipper food, and they were like “hey come hang” which i was thrilled to accept. kelly may be the only one who understands how incredible the cat situation was heheh. we decided to call her heather--kelly had been considering matilda but she’s saving that for her own black cat. chris came out the pub & joined us around then, and he and kelly have this sort of pseudo-aggressive banter going where like they’re both clearly not crazy about each other but neither is offended so much as annoyed, and they play it off like a comedic rivalry. it’s actually an interesting dynamic lmao--it’s like the ways that people cope with each other & the things we’ll do automatically you know? interesting.

ben and adrionna came up around then, i think they’d been in the pub too, and they were sweet as always. adrionna and i talked some more about the last unicorn, but were sidetracked by the arrival of: another cat. This one’s a tuxedo tom with crusty eyes and dandruff but he’s so sweet, he’s so good. he was clearly angling to get some of kelly and matt’s fish and chips, but i didn’t mind. we didn’t name him bc we weren’t sure if he was the one named tinkerbell or if it was the other black and white cat, who lives up by our cottages. 

we had to head back down bc class was supposed to start at seven, only come to find out it was seven thirty now, so we just sat out front and waited. the black and white cat who may or may not be named tinkerbell made a brief appearance, but took off down a sheep field before i could approach her. on the way down kelly and i went over our beeves w people, which is probably the oldest and fastest bonding method known to man--we agree on people for the most part, which isn’t too surprising given our mutual affinities for cats & communism

while we were sitting out front we were blessed by a visit from--get this--a fourth cat. at first i thought it was heather bc it’s also black with green eyes, but as it got nearer it was clearer it wasn’t. he’s a tom, older, bigger than her, with a square jaw and less rust in his coat but much more in his purr. we decided to call him gorse to keep up the theme. there’s some speculation that he’s heather’s father, as she’s still quite young, but i expect we’ll find out. if the crusty-eyed potential-tinkerbell isn’t in fact a tom, they may be the mother, and then heather and smaller-potential-tinkerbell would make good sense as their offspring. a black and white cat and a black cat birthing a black and white kitten and a black kitten? almost poetic, in a way.

evening class was awesome, not the least of which because i’d gotten to pet three cats by that point. we had a professor out from galway who’s co-writing a book with sean about joe heaney, and he’s an o’leary himself (well; an o laoire) so i kept joking he was my grandson (sean was the only one who laughed but it may have been pity). he talked for a long while about folklore and living traditions, and bealoideas and etymology and poetry--he recited the Planter’s Daughter, which i’d never heard before--it’s really good tbh. he also said at one point that folklore was sort of viewed as the domain of “slightly deranged maiden aunts” & i was like finally, a calling for me!

we learned the first few stanzas of a song--it was really nice because he took us through the lyrics talking first, instead of jumping right to singing like sean (yes we learn it faster, but we learn it wrong bc we don’t know what we’re saying). as i was looking over the lyrics i realized ONE of the words looked FAMILIAR--a gconra chlair. i was like hey,,,,, that can’t mean what i think it means can it, so i flipped it over and the translation was “coffin”.

heheh so i asked him about it and i was, in fact, right--it’s a coffin of boards. a wooden coffin, really, a poetic device, but there it is, folks--the etymological origin of my name put to practical use!

my first time seeing it in a sentence and it’s about a coffin. what’s better than that honestly

he also told me there’s a different pronunciation of “gconra” down in Cork (i had mentioned my people were from Cork (he laughed and said mine too--i told him they were the same people but tbqh i don’t think he heard me)), so whereas in Galway they’d say it like “groan-rah” in Cork it’d be “G-cone-ah”

so of course, me being the tremendous nerd i am, i asked him about cnudanai, which i happened o have written on the back of my notebook (see: tremendous nerd) and he taught me the cork pronunciation as a counter to sean’s donegal/connemara blend of “croo-dah-nai”. in Cork it’s “c‘noe-daw-nai” like the word canoe’s been truncated. good shit grandson. good shit.

mm and aftter that i just came on back up to the house! we got off at 9:30 so i’ve been slacking off since then tbh. i got a bit of planning done on the hike for my spooky fic, but i’ve not written it down yet. got weirdly sidetracked by fanart of inuyasha’s parents haha

but now it’s 1 am here so i’m out. pray for my muscles to heal miraculously in the night, please

#daily clare #long posts #clare goes to ireland

[famedubaitravl]

Wood has his eyes set on outpacing Jofra Archer

WI TOUR OF ENGLAND, 2020

With Anderson, Broad and Woakes being safe bets at home, Mark Wood has his eyes set on outpacing Jofra Archer © Getty

Mark Wood admits he is in a pace race with Jofra Archer as the pair battle it out for the crown of England’s quickest bowler. Right now, Wood thinks Archer is winning that race but he is determined to catch up.

“I cannot speak for Jofra but I definitely want to be quicker than him and I’m sure he wants to be quicker than me,” Wood said. “Especially in the World Cup, he used to joke about it all the time, that they were putting my speeds up higher deliberately. If we were to play together it would be exciting. But it’s not a bad rivalry, it’s a friendly rivalry.

“I would say he’s probably quicker than I am and certainly makes it look a lot easier than me so I want to prove that I can be as fast as Jof. That friendly rivalry does spur you on to be a better cricketer.”

Both men were vital parts of last summer’s World Cup victory, combining for 38 wickets between them, but they have yet to play in a Test match together. Whether that happens during next month’s series against West Indies remains to be seen but having two 90 mph plus bowlers in the same attack is no doubt a tantalising prospect for England captain Joe Root, particularly with an away Ashes series only 18 months away.

The likelihood is, however, that England will select either Archer or Wood for the upcoming Tests against the West Indies, perhaps on a rotation basis given all three Tests are set to be played back-to-back. Each have had their injury problems of late. Wood only returned to Test cricket in the final two Tests in South Africa after a long lay-off and Archer missed three of the four matches in that series because of an elbow injury. England will want to treat both carefully.

With the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes experts at bowling in England, competition for places is fierce too. “I don’t see myself being in the best XI in home conditions,” Wood said. “Maybe away conditions suit me a little more. If you put your best XI down, I’m not sure my name would be in there. I’d love to be, and I’ll push as hard as I can to keep my spot but I’m thinking in home conditions I’m maybe not the first name on the team sheet. But we’ll wait and see what happens.”

Wood is the man in possession, of course, having played in England’s last Test match. His re-introduction to Test cricket in South Africa, after nearly 12 months out of the team because of injury, went as well as could have been hoped. He took a Test best nine wickets in the fourth Test at the Wanderers, bowling quickly and aggressively, to round off a 3-1 series win. “I put in probably my best performance in the last game,” Wood said.

By his own admission, however, Wood’s first innings spell against West Indies in St Lucia in February 2019 remains the quickest he has managed. Indeed, it was, by common consent, one of the fastest spells ever bowled by an English bowler. Wood ended up with 5 for 41 from 8.2 overs, an effort which kick started his career after an injury plagued, stop-start four years in international cricket.

“I felt in a great place, and I still look back on that performance with fond memories,” Wood said. “It really gave me confidence going into the World Cup and into South Africa so yes it probably was my consistent quickest. I think I could get that again.”

A shorter-run up paid almost immediate dividends. “I wish I’d changed my run up sooner, I think that was a big change,” he added. “Also the fact I went on a Lions tour before the West Indies to the UAE, got some confidence there and bowled well. Actually stepping out of the international scene, making some adjustments and things I needed to work on then coming back I felt a different player.

“Once you get that one score, or for me that one five-wicket haul, that gave me a massive boost. It sort of calmed me down where I’m not trying too hard and I can have that belief. I had the belief before but I was frustrated I had not showed people how good I could be. To get that five-for really helped and has allowed me to kick on.”

Wood is one of 30 players who assembled at the Ageas Bowl for England’s bio-secure pre-series camp on Tuesday (June 23). All the players and management were tested for Covid-19 on arrival and the results were all negative which means training can begin on Thursday.

“The organisers have done a fantastic job and literally there has been no stone unturned,” said Wood, who has been supporting children to get active through cricket as part of Yorkshire Tea National Cricket Week – a week of fun, online activities for children at home or at school from the national cricket charity Chance to Shine.

“You come in and get a check straight away, your bags are cleaned and then you are sat in your room as if you have moved into a hotel room. The temperature check was weird – you just walk through a tent outside and they tell you you’re alright. Don’t know what would happen if you are not alright there!

“It is a bit like a sci-fi movie. Everybody is masked up you don’t know whether they are friendly or not, some people scowl more than you think. It is something we will have to get used to.

“You have to follow arrows and feet marks everywhere. You go to a food station with a chef who gives you your food. You’re not touching anything like you usually would. Then you go to the tables which are sporadically spaced out. This morning I had breakfast and looked at the back of Jos’ head.

“The cleaner can come in once a week for a deep clean. If you don’t want that to happen, you can refuse it. The state that my room will be in, I’ll definitely be accepting it. This is your space. Your own room is yours to look after and I’m not the cleanest. I’ll have clothes and stuff everywhere in a few days’ time.”

Easily bored, Wood says he will be on the hunt for things to occupy his mind. “Normally with masseur Mark Saxby as soon as I saw him I would be lifting him up in the air but I can’t go near him,” he said. “Everybody is trying to abide by the rules. Of course it is safety first. I am not a big golfer either and there is nothing else to do. You can’t go anywhere so I’m not sure what I’m going to get up to yet. It is a bit odd.

“The fact that Stokesy can’t get to me because we have to stay two metres apart, he is definitely on my radar. it is a question of how far I can push him before he snaps. I think yes I will get up to something. I have to stop the boredom. There is an old school arcade with street fighter console and I think that looks tempting. I might have a go on that. I might dress up for the part as well.”

Yorkshire Tea National Cricket Week works with the charity Chance to Shine to support and grow the grassroots of the game in schools and communities. Join in at https://ift.tt/2Bzmt3B

© Fame Dubai

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[himbowelsh]

BoB + Pacific boys and their secret hobby / guilty pleasure?

Richard Winters: He enjoys knitting. It’s something he keeps to himself for a long time, but it’s a great form of stress relief for him. He gives his friends and family, scarves, hats, and even sweaters; for the longest time he claimed he bought them, but Nix is the one who finally catches Dick knitting and figures out his secret.Lewis Nixon: He freaking loves mini-golf, okay? Real golf is pretty lame, but golf with obstacle courses, flashing lights, and swimming pools? Hole in one, baby. He's a pro. He especially loves really detailed little courses -- he gets to outsmart them and they're so much fun. He's basically a big kid on the mini golf course.

Carwood Lipton: Sometimes when he doesn't have anything better to do he'll stop in on the nearest open house. He's not looking to buy anything. He just is fascinated by walking through other people's homes, seeing how they live. There's something intensely intimate about it. (He never thinks of it as creepy until the day he takes Ron with him, and Ron tries to steal whatever isn't nailed down. After that, Lip reconsiders his hobby.)

Ron Speirs: Couponing. Why is he so into it? Why is he so aggressive about it? No one knows. Ron belongs on Extreme Couponing. He’ll steal piles of newspapers, just for the coupons. He keeps books. He’s only had one coupon expire on him in his life, and set it on fire right there in the store.Harry Welsh: He’s a stress-eater, but he’s such a midnight snacker that it’s ridiculous. Sometimes he wakes up and can’t sleep, so his go-to is just cookies and milk from the fridge. (Kitty will come downstairs at two in the morning to find him hunched over the kitchen table, three cookies stuffed in his mouth, and give him a long, disappointed look.)Herbert Sobel: He has a passion for opera music. Anytime he needs to unwind he just puts on some opera, kicks his feet up, and loses himself in the music. (He never tries to sing along, of course -- he values his own eardrums.)Eugene Roe: Cooking! This isn't so much a "guilty" talent, but cooking is such stress relief for him. He knows his way around a kitchen, and is damn good at preparing anything, from his grandmother's gumbo to spaghetti that would make Perconte shed tears of joy.George Luz: Erotica novels. He doesn’t like them, and he certainly doesn’t find them sexy -- he thinks they’re damn hilarious. His favorite would have to be But... You’re A Horse.Joe Toye: He’s a compulsive cleaner. Like, if he’s in someone else’s kitchen and they’ve left used paper towels lying around, he’ll clean them up. He’ll do other peoples’ dishes for them, fold their laundy... he doesn’t know why he does it, but it’s kind of stress relief to him.Bill Guarnere: Both Babe and Fran (his best friends in the world) are in love with certain shows, and while Bill pretends not to care, it's... tough not to get sucked in. These shows range from Shondaland to Gossip Girl to daytime soap operas. (Bill is very passionate about Grey's Anatomy, okay.) He and Fran will also watch telanovelas, and get really into it.Babe Heffron: Bubble baths. If he can, he will. He'll use up all the hot water and feel not one ounce of shame.Don Malarkey: Smoothies. They're just really... really good, okay? He loves the fruity ones, but he's not above trying something with carrots or other vegetables in it. The local health food bar loves him.Skip Muck: ALIENS ARE REAL, YOU GUYS. He’s fascinated by UFOs and cases of alien sightings. His interest extends into other supernatural occurrences and cryptids too (when he visited Oregon with Don, the first thing he did was go on a hunt for Bigfoot).Joseph Liebgott: Fashion. Look, Liebgott isn’t going to go and become a male model, but he could. He doesn’t even restrict himself to men’s fashion -- he thinks some of the modern fashions are super cool. He doesn’t apply what he knows to his own wardrobe, but he’s always up to flipping through a fashion magazine if there’s nothing else around. (He secretly loves Project Runway.)Frank Perconte: Look, sometimes you just need a nap, okay? Perconte loves his naps. If the opportunity is there, he’ll seize it -- he can get comfortable any time, any where. He insists that he needs his beauty sleep because “a face like this doesn’t happen on its own!”David Webster: He's goddamn nosy. This isn't even a guilty pleasure, he just is. He loves listening in on conversations and will butt into peoples' business just because he's interested. No one wants him there, no ones sure why he's there, but good luck getting rid of him.Bull Randleman: He loves baking. Bull can make a cake that will blow your mind, and his cookies are out of this world, but his specialty is cranberry tarts. You haven't lived until you've tried one.Johnny Martin: He loves 80s work out videos. He gets really, really into them. He’s got the shorts, the sweatband, everything.Buck Compton: He’s so good at chess?? Like, it’s scary how smart he is with this game. He can outwit any opponent, and he’ll coerce people into playing against him for fun. It’s never fun -- the only one who has fun is Buck.Shifty Powers: He loves listening to scary stories. He knows how bad it is, because he'll wind up freaking himself out later, but he just LOVES them. He's especially fond of ghosts and supernatural tales. He's subscribed to all the Read-Aloud horror channels on YouTube and can spend hours listening or reading through spine-chilling tales.Floyd Talbert: He writes poetry. Like not -- not good poetry, okay. Don't think for a second it's good. He knows how awful he is, and he can't rhyme to save his life, but he likes just rambling about his thoughts on paper. Poetry is easier than keeping a diary, and he feels more artistic, even if he's super embarrassed of the poems himself. (He left one lying around once. Webster found it and it almost made him cry.)Chuck Grant: He loves watching documentaries on YouTube. It’s pretty dorky, and a little boring at first glance, but Chuck is fascinated. He’ll go from watching a show about building the pyramids to one about the possibility of life on Mars. As a result, his YouTube history is hella weird, and he knows random facts about various things.Albert Blithe: When he was a kid, his mother forced him to take tapdancing lessons. He can still tap it out like a pro. He’s got the shoes in the back of his closet and everything.

The Pacific

John Basilone: He’ll eat weird shit and enjoy it. He’ll put peanut butter on carrot sticks, ice cream on french fries, ketchup on toast. His family used to make a game out of seeing what he would eat when he was a kid. It made him sick more than a few times, but he was always willing to try it. It became a matter of pride to him not to turn a dare down. Now his mother has banned the game in their house, because she’s honestly terrified someone will dare him to eat something like rocks or spoiled food and he’ll do it.Robert Leckie: Okay, look, he’s got high standards for literature, okay? He holds his own writing to high standards. He believes that you shouldn’t publish something unless it’s good... which is why his library contains a full collection of Stephanie Meyer books, and the Fifty Shades series. He doesn’t enjoy them, but he’ll read them, because he finds them fascinating. This is actually something that got published? It makes him feel better about himself. (He refuses to claim either Team Edward or Team Jacob, but his favorite character is Rosalie.)Eugene Sledge: He really enjoys music, but he loves church hymns. It's kind of corny, he knows, but there's something so classic and beautiful about them. While he's working he'll often hum or sing to himself, and he's made a point of learning a lot of the songs he hears every Sunday morning in church.Chuckler Juergens: He loves magic tricks. He’s really, really bad at them, but he’s thrilled anytime he sees one. He can never figure them out, so he’s made it his mission to learn as much as he can. (”Is... this your card?” “No. It’s not. We’ve gone through half the deck already, none of these are my card.” “It’s got to be in here somewhere!”)Runner Conley: So, he’s a track runner, but that’s not his only workout. He loves Zumba. Zumba is his jam, okay? He gets down. He’s the only guy in his entire Zumba class, and he’s convinced that he’s the best one there. Hoosier Smith: He cheats at games. It doesn’t matter what they’re playing. Maybe it’s cards, maybe it’s board games, maybe checkers -- maybe it’s freaking Jenga. Hoosier will find a way to cheat, he will have no shame about it, and he’ll be thrilled with himself.Sid Phillips: Will try to imitate any dancing scene he sees on television. If it looks cool, he’ll try his darndest. This ranges from Gene Kelly to Patrick Swayze. He doesn’t quite have the moves, but he’ll do his best. (He tries to convince his sisters to partner up with him, but they’ve gotten good at saying no to his puppy eyes; Sledge is a different story. Sid has conned him into being the Ginger Rogers to his Fred Astaire more than once.)RV Burgin: He loves gossip. He won’t partake himself, because he is a good dude, but he knows how to listen. He’s fascinated by juicy tales, true or not. Burgie has dirt on everyone.Jay De L'eau: Broadway soundtracks. Just musicals in general. A part of him is adamant that this is nothing to be ashamed about, but he’s sure not about to tell his friends about it.Bill Leyden: He genuinely loves kids?? One of his favorite things to do is babysit his little nieces and nephews. He cusses when he has to change diapers or when he loses the kid (which has happened more times than he wants to admit) but nothing makes Bill happier than playing peek-a-boo with his sister's baby or seeing his niece giggle as he tickles her.Snafu Shelton: Non-ironically enjoys gardening. He sucks at it, and has a black thumb that could kill any living thing it touches, but he does his best. The only thing he's managed to grow successfully is a cherry tree in his backyard, along with a ton of weeds. He still brags about having "the best damn garden you ever seen".Andy Haldane: He loves extreme sports. It scares the hell out of all his friends (Eddie insists he has a death wish) but Andy has been parasailing, skydiving, and bungee jumping. His favorite thing is jet-skiing, which is less-extreme enough that he’s convinced Eddie to come with him once or twice. He’ll admit he’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie.Hillbilly Jones: He likes legos. Correction -- he loves legos. He can make AMAZING things out of legos, and spends hours working on them. It’s literally the skeleton in his basement. He doesn’t want anyone else to know, and he’s pretty sure he’d die if his friends found out (or, god forbid, Andy) but he’s very proud of everything he’s created.Manny Rodriguez: Celine Dion. No, he doesn’t want to talk about it. My Heart Will Go On does things to him, okay? He’s a fanboy.JP Morgan: He loves toy trains. He still keeps the ones he used to have as a kid, and while he doesn’t play with them anymore (really... he doesn’t) he keeps them in perfect condition and is always looking to add to his collection.

#headcanons #the pacific #band of brothers #i aint tagging all of these guys #Anonymous

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2019/6/26/18744245/democratic-debate-time-schedule-live-stream-candidates?__twitter_impression=true

Elizabeth Warren is the only one of the top 5 candidates in tonight’s #DemDebate.

Here's what to watch for as candidates take the stage:

What to expect at the first Democratic presidential debate

The two-night event will air on NBC on Wednesday and Thursday.

By Andrew Prokop  | Published June 26, 2019 6:00 AM ET | Vox | Posted June 26, 2019 |

The first Democratic presidential debate is finally here. The two-night event will take place from 9 to 11 pm Eastern on Wednesday and Thursdayin Miami, and will air on NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo. We’ll also embed a live stream here once it’s available.

This is the first time Democratic candidates will get to square off on the same stage. But they won’t all debate together: A different set of 10 candidates will be featured on each night.

On Wednesday, the first night of the debate, Elizabeth Warren, Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, and Amy Klobuchar will be the leading candidates participating. Warren will likely be the main attraction here, as she’s had a bit of a bump in polls of late.

Then on the second night, Thursday,  Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and Pete Buttigieg will be the most notable contenders in the roster. They also happen to be four of the five top-polling candidates overall, with Biden remaining the clear frontrunner — which makes him a potential target.

Additionally, a dozen other candidates currently polling around the 1 percent level — some senators, some members of Congress, and some who have never held elected office — will all be trying to take advantage of this national platform to better stand out in the field.

After months of campaign announcements and early campaigning, the first debate begins a new phase in the Democratic nomination contest — and in particular, it marks the first high-profile test for frontrunner Joe Biden.

Where the Democratic race stands before the first debate

Joe Biden is winning — but he’s facing tougher attacks: There are 25 at least somewhat notable Democratic candidates in the race, 20 of whom qualified for the first debate. But there’s just one who is indisputably the man to beat: Joe Biden. The former vice president has led nearly every nationaland early state poll so far this year, and he’s currently ahead by 15 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics national poll average.

Many Democratic voters perceive Biden as the most “electable” candidate (an assessment that is generally backed up by polls pitting the candidates against President Trump). They may also have fond memories of the Obama administration and view Biden as next in line. Yet certain aspects of Biden’s political persona fit uncomfortably with a changing Democratic Party, and those problems came to the fore last week.

At a recent fundraiser, Biden reminisced about how he used to be able to work productively with segregationist senators (in contrast to today’s lack of “civility”). The comments sparked criticism from several candidates, including Cory Booker, who called on Biden to apologize. Biden also has been much more skeptical of the “class warfare” economic message candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have embraced — and at the same fundraiser, he told wealthy donors that though “income inequality” needs to be addressed, “nothing will fundamentally change” for them during his presidency.

These are just the latest of many examples in Biden’s career where his mouth has gotten him into some trouble. Separately, there are also questions about Biden’s age: He’s 76, and would be 78 years old by inauguration day 2021. So the first debate is an important moment for him — it presents both an opportunity to put these various fears to rest and a high-pressure setting in which he could make yet more problems for himself.

Sanders, Warren, Harris, and Buttigieg are the rest of the top tier:Beyond Biden, four other candidates have emerged from the pack in polls so far.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has most often been in second place — and while his support remains significant, his coalition from 2016 has clearly split somewhat in the more crowded field. Sanders continues to have a rather antagonistic relationship with Democratic Party leaders, and his campaign is probably the biggest threat to the party establishment.

Then there’s Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. She had a weak start to the campaign but has taken a policy-heavy approach (she “has a plan for that,” the catchphrase goes) and has recently risen to third place. Warren’s rise has been a problem for Sanders, since the two are both on the Democratic Party’s left flank on economic issues.

California Sen. Kamala Harris is a rising star in the national party — she was first elected to the Senate in 2016 after a six-year stint as her state’s attorney general and now hopes to become the first black female president. She remains a top-tier candidate, but she’s had some trouble getting headlines — and currently, she’s not getting all that much support from black voters.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has done the best of any candidate who started off the year unknown. Many national Democrats were impressed with the 37-year-old Harvard-educated gay veteran, and Buttigieg’s polling and fundraising numbers soon reflected that. However, these Buttigieg supporters have so far tended to be overwhelmingly white, and his relationship with the black community in South Bend isn’t great, as the controversy over a recent police shooting in the city has demonstrated.

A whole lot of other candidates are trying their luck: Finally, one thing the debate will make unmistakably clear is that there are a lot of Democrats in this race. The combination of Trump looking beatable, Biden not being an overwhelmingly dominant frontrunner, and Trump’s own surprising outsider win has spurred many Democrats to wonder: Why not me? Lenient qualification standards have let nearly all of them get into the first debate, and now they’re all hoping to have some sort of “moment” that will send them into the top tier.

The debate night rosters and dynamics

Knowing that the field of candidates would be enormous, the DNC tried to avoid repeating Republicans’ example in 2015, when they featured a primetime debate of the top-polling candidates and an earlier “kiddie table” debate with those polling worse.

So the DNC separated the candidates into groups — those polling at 2 percent or above, and those below that level. They ensured each group would be split equally among the two nights, and then held a random drawing to see which candidates would be on each night.

Now each of these debate nights will be two hours long, with 10 candidates onstage. If speaking time is split equally among every candidate, they’d get just 12 minutes each — and that’s before taking out time for the moderators and for breaks. So time is precious, and the contenders will struggle to make every moment count.

The first night: Warren, O’Rourke, Booker, Klobuchar, and the rest

Arranged from left (with the best-polling candidates in the middle), the lineup for Wednesday night’s first debate is:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar

Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee

Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney

Warren is the only one of the top five candidates who ended up being assigned to this night of the debate. As a result, she can’t take on her most prominent rivals face to face — but she will have a major opportunity to stand out.

Still, it’s not like she’s facing a group of slouches. O’Rourke and Booker are both compelling speakers, and Booker has been in the news due to his criticism of Biden. Klobuchar has a reputation for bipartisanship. Inslee is focusing his campaign on climate change, while Gabbard is critiquing US foreign policy, and Castro has put out a flurry of his own policy proposals. Without most of the top contenders there to take up time, it could be easier for a lesser-known contender to get some attention.

The second night: Biden, Sanders, Harris, Buttigieg, and the rest

Again, from left, the lineup for the second debate night is:

Author and activist Marianne Williamson

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Former Vice President Joe Biden

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders

California Sen. Kamala Harris

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet

California Rep. Eric Swalwell

Due to the luck of the draw, this is effectively the marquee night for the debate — with frontrunner Biden, second-place Sanders, and tied-for-fourth-place Harris and Buttigieg all onstage.

And all eyes will be on Biden. He’s certainly no stranger to the format — his first presidential debate was 32 years ago, and he was in several more during his 2007 campaign, as well as general election vice presidential debates in 2008 and 2012. Still, as the clear frontrunner, the pressure will be on, and his rivals will be sure to pounce on any misstep.

Sanders, for instance, will have an opportunity to make the case that his vision for the presidency would be far different — he wants a “political revolution,” whereas Biden emphatically does not. Harris and Buttigieg, too, could argue that new leadership is needed for the party. But it’s not clear just how aggressive these candidates will be in attacking Biden; they could decide it’s a mistake to go too negative this early.

The two Democratic candidates without experience in political office will also be onstage on this night. Marianne Williamson, an author who has written books about spirituality, has recently tried to backtrack from comments she made criticizing vaccines. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Andrew Yang will tout his plan for a universal basic income of $1,000 a month. With most of the top-polling contenders as well as Williamson and Yang on this night, it may be more difficult for the other politicians onstage — Gillibrand, Bennet, Hickenlooper, and Swalwell — to stand out.

What comes next

The second Democratic debate, on July 30 and 31, will be a similar two-night affair, with similar qualification rules.

But after that, the DNC has said, it’s raising the bar. Candidates will have to hit 2 percent in at least four polls, and they’ll also have to have 130,000 unique donors. The donor threshold in particular will be challenging for many candidates who currently don’t have national followings. So the third debate could well have a far smaller lineup.

This week, though, almost everyone will get a chance to go onstage and make their case — for a few minutes, at least.

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