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mack-anthology-mp3 · 8 months
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This was the first completed track from the very beginning BK & the Understanding’s DIY project, originally titled Humble Beginnings and later split into three albums: Beginning Kernels, Basal Keystones, and the yet to be released (TBA soon!) Burning Kindling. This DIY music video is a completion of rough footage and clips taken from social media. The track was mixed and mastered by Jay Cortez of Elevated Studios and Jonny Blues & Co., who also can be seen in this music video. This is the lowest quality of BK & the Understanding’s music videos, but Jay did a pretty good job with the track.
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soapybutt17 · 8 months
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Light of My Life
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Summary: The New Year meant new things for everyone in the Price Household. A not-so new face had also become an addition to the chaos if it all. Characters: Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x Price!Female Reader. John Price. Simon Riley. Soap MacTavish. Word Count: 3,146 Chapter Warnings: None A/N: @glitterypirateduck: here is part two like I promised. hope you enjoy~
Part 2 for Your Are My Sunshine
Masterlist | Series Masterlist || Request are Open
“Why are you more nervous than me?” Kyle couldn’t help but point out the moment the car has stopped in front of a rather large farm house a few hours outside the city.
As Kyle stepped out of the car and gazed up the vast expanses of rolling green hills, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. You had always spoken about your family’s farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, but nothing could have prepared him for the sheer grandeur of the place.
The farmhouse stood proudly at the crest of a gentle slope, its stone walls weathered by centuries of wind and rain. Ivy clung to its sides, giving it a rustic charm that was impossible to resist. A slate room crowned the structure, and a tall, stone chimney sent a plume of white smoke spiraling into the clear blue sky. The whole scene was like something out of a fairy tale.
You led Kyle up the gravel path that wound its way to the front door, and as they approached, he couldn’t help but notice the colorful flowerbeds that lined the walkway. Brilliant reds, purples, and yellows contrasted with the lush green grass, creating a vibrant tapestry of colors that he would have only seen in movies.
As you finally knocked on the door, the noise from the inside of the house halted. Kyle had only notice now in his amazement the array of voice that could be heard from the inside.
Opening the door, your father, Captain John Price, stood talk. A deep frown rested on his lips the moment his eyes met him as well as your own. The frown grew even bigger the first moment he caught sight of your hands holding onto his own.
“Darling. Sergeant.” Price had acknowledged, opening the door further to let the two of you inside.
That had somehow surprised him. The Captain’s reaction was the last thing you would have expected to give him at this point after hiding his relationship with his daughter and how he had downright lied through his teeth for well over a year because of it.
What surprised him even more was the sight of two familiar co-workers that also seemed to be just as surprised as the two of you the moment you step foot inside.
“What the hell are they doing here?” You questioned but your question was immediately tackled into a hug by your mother.
“You finally brought your boyfriend along. He’s a handsome fella too.”
Kyle was left stun by the short woman—shorter than you were which was saying a lot as you barely reached his shoulders and you were a few inches taller than her. But her height did compensate at how much of a firecracker she was as he was being pulled away from the pack of lion ready to devour him.
With the two of you dragged into the kitchen, Kyle was had come to realize that the apple doesn’t fall far from the three as she began her array of questions about your drive to the farm, and how meeting his parents had gone. All of which you had answered with the same enthusiasm as your own mother. The smile on your face return, Ghost and Soap being in the house was momentarily forgotten.
“I’ve dealt with your father and the two boys for you two. So you’re both safe from them for the rest of the night.” She winked towards him and he had let out a sigh of relief because of it.
“Thank you.” Kyle spoke. “I’m sorry for coming without notice.” He apologized being another mouth to feed for tonight.
“Nonsense. When I learned that Simon and Jonny were coming I’ve made food that is enough to feed the entire army.” She spoke as a matter of factly. “Besides, I am still hoping that my daughter would finally bring you along to meet us. I’m happy that she finally did—even if the circumstance isn’t on your end on this.”
Kyle nodded before turning towards you knowing the implication of his arrival.
“Now since I’ve pulled you two away from the chaos of the three boys still in the living room, why don’t you two head upstairs to your bedroom to freshen up, I’ll deal with your father for you for the time being.”
~
John Price was not happy one bit. Not even the fact that he was home for once for the holidays could brighten his mood. Not even the fact that all his children were in the same room or the fact that his own sets of children in the base were also here to celebrate the New Year could brighten his mood.
How could he be so blind to not see it?
His daughter that had been through so much growing up with a father that gave you so much empty promises that it took him years to even allow him to make his own and keep. The daughter that might not have been his blood but he loved just the same like the rest of his own. The daughter that he would die over and over again if it meant you were happy and safe.
How could he have not seen the way you look at his boy Gaz, the man that he had immediately taken under his wing since the incident in Piccadilly. The man that he had hope to be better than he could ever think of being in his career. The man that was torn and pulled apart for the war that had no beginning nor end. The man that he would take a bullet for if it ever come to it.
How could he not see the way you two look at each other the way that you did in front of him now?
“They look so in love. He looks are her just like how you look at me.”
His attention had turned away from the happy couple and turned to his own beloved. When he had first found out about you and Gaz making out in the parking lot for Soap and Ghost to see, he had a mind to drive straight to Gaz’s house just to beat the living shit out of the man, but his wife was godsend. Immediately putting her foot down at his plan and brought all the anger he had to a halt.
“I don’t look at you like that.” He muttered, refusing to admit as such—not wanting to be compared to Gaz at the moment.
“So you don’t look at me with love, John?”
“I didn’t say that.” He muttered turning his attention back to the pint of beer in his hand. “I have my own way of looking at you.”
“Like you want to get into my pants?” She teased him.
“I mean—” He trailed off with a smirk, earning a light slap onto his chest and the all too familiar giggle from her.
“You’re impossible.” She rested her cheeks against his shoulder, her eyes glued to the picture perfect sight of their daughter and his—Sergeant. “After everything we’ve been through, I never thought I would see the day that she’s happy with someone.”
“She had always said that she swore off men after what her father did to you.” John grunted, the memory of those words still haunted him.
How such a little girl like you back then had been forced to grow up and see that not everyone could be kind—not even your blood. It was a statement that had haunted them all for years. If he’s not as good as Daddy John, I don’t ever want to have any man. It was a revelations for him back then, not only how your mind works as a toddler, but how you had finally called him Dad instead of the Mister Price or Mister John. It was at that moment that he had vowed to himself that he would make sure you had everything you could ever want, protected from any kind of heartache that may come into your life.
“She ate her words.” His wife acknowledged. “Don’t be too hard on Kyle. You always said that he was a good man. What difference does it make now that he’s seeing our daughter?”
She was right. She was always right when it comes to situations like this. But he couldn’t help but still be the overprotective father to you. He could throw you into the deepest parts of hell for missions because he was confident in your capabilities, but this was different. To him, he couldn’t do anything to save you from any form of heartache that would come your way.
“I don’t want her to get hurt anymore.” John finally admits.
The boisterous laughter of his children and that of Soap filled the air, the way you had egged Soap on with Kyle as his kids tackled Soap to the ground. But his mind was still filled with the dread of such a possibility. He could not see himself being able to see you heartbroken all over again over a man that disappointed you. He did not have the heart to look at Gaz the same way if he decided to hurt his baby girl.
“We can’t stop that, John. You and I know that. All that we could do is be there for her if ever the time comes. But seeing Kyle, seeing him with our daughter, I doubt that would even happen.”
“How could you know?”
“I just know. You have to trust me on this.” She winked finally standing up and announcing it was getting close to midnight.
John’s eyes turned towards the clock. It was few minutes to midnight and the New Year. With one command from him for everyone to head outside for the fireworks. Everyone scrambled out, Soap and the kids dashing out and racing to see who would be first. It left John and his wife for a moment in the sudden silence of their home.
“I trust you.” He whispered to his wife as they walked hand and hand outside to everyone standing around waiting.
The crisp cold air immediately hand him pulling his jacket off and wrapping around his wife. He had also noticed the same gesture that Kyle did for you. His jacket wrapped snuggled around you and you beamed at him as thanks.
Again, his wife was right.
As everyone awed at the fireworks that began to explode into the air, his arms had wrapped around his wife, but his gaze shifted back again towards you, how you snuggled into Gaz’s arms, both of your gaze up towards the sky as everyone began to countdown to welcome the New Year.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Happy New Year!
The dark skies burst bright from the fireworks, and he had pulled his wife in for a kiss. Well over two decades together, who would have ever thought that this would be the life he would have for himself.
“Happy New Year.” He whispered against her lips before his attention turned back to every single one of his family.
His children wrapping their arms around Simon and Soap as they wished them a happy new year, to his daughter that had her eyes close and forehead resting against Gaz’s own, words that he couldn’t read were exchange between the two of them before Kyle gave you a gentle kiss on the lips, the nose, and finally the forehead.
Maybe his wife was right. Gaz could make you happy again.
~
“Dad! We’re on holiday!”
Kyle couldn’t help but smile at your overprotectiveness for him and his sake. But for the past twelve hours, he was left unscathed at the hands of his Captain and the two overprotective older brothers you had earned in Soap MacTavish and Simon Riley. It was a win on his book but not something he would want to test.
So when his Captain had asked him for a quick walk out in the open fields the following morning, he did not even attempt to refuse the offer. But it did scare him that he had been adamant that Simon and Soap to not join along even as the Scot had insisted on it. He knew well enough to know that he wanted to talk, not as his Captain, but as the father of his girlfriend.
“It’s fine.” He tried to reassure you but the frown on your lips grew deeper refusing to break the glare that was still directed at your father.
“I agreed with your mother that I will not do anything during the New Year party, I never promised not to after.” Price had pointed out with a grin, it was his own little way of getting on your nerves and it was working far too well than even he would expect.
“You’re impossible, Dad.” You muttered plopping yourself onto the dinner table for breakfast.
Kyle turned to look towards your mother as she had placed a place of full English breakfast in front of you with an extra serving of eggs just like what you always liked. She shared a pointed look with her husband whose smile slowly fell before making his way outside to wait for him.
“Don’t worry about him, his bark is worse than his bite.” She had reassured but Kyle knew it wasn’t always the case. Working for him for as long as he did, his bite was all the more worse than his bark especially when he was certain it was for the greater good—greater good for this case was his daughter.
“I hope so.” Kyle joked, but the fear was all too evident in his voice.
Kyle had ignored Soap’s teasing as he finally made his way out of the house. His Captain was patiently waiting with his arms crossed against his chest. The moment he had noticed he was out, he began to walk and Kyle was left to follow him in silence.
It had been a five minute walk, the cool morning air a welcome companion to what he would expect would be a heated discussion between him and the man walking in front of him. All the anxiety of the secret he had hidden from him had continued to eat him up as the walk continued but he was afraid to start the conversation.
“Did she ever tell you about her biological father?” Price had began as they had halted by the herd of cattle by the meadows.
“Yes Sir.” Kyle responded.
It was the first thing you had ever told him early on in your relationship, how it had shaped the way to view relationships in general. He had know early on that there would be a possibility of what they had to be over before it had even started. He had thanked his lucky stars that it didn’t. Lucky enough that he could be everything you had hoped out of a relationship that you wanted and needed.
“Then I don’t need to tell you why I am not keen on having anyone dating my daughter, especially with someone that she works so closely with.”
Price had finally turned to look at him. Kyle had been all too familiar with the look. The stern cold wall that he used to intimidate any adversary that would even dare come their way. It was unnerving that he was directed with such a gaze instead of being in the background witnessing some other poor soul.
 “Yes Sir.” Kyle agreed. “But I love your daughter, Sir. We have thought it would be best for everyone to keep in a secret until she was good and ready.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“Over a year, Sir.”
“And what are you intentions with my daughter?”
Kyle took a moment, wanting to form his words carefully without causing more tension and chaos in their relationship going forward.
“I want to be the man she could depend on when she needs me to be. I want to be the man that could make her the happiest that she could be. I—I just want to be by her side whatever relationship it may be that she would want and need from me.”
He waited with bated breath as the Captain stared at him, scrutinizing his words carefully for all it was worth. Kyle was thinking that he was mincing his words and looking for anything that would incriminate him as insincere, but he was certain he would not find any.
“I want you to know, Sergeant.” He began. “That if I ever learn that you hurt her, in any shape or form, I would be the last person you should be worried about. You will worry for your career, for your safety, for your life if you even dare hurt a single hair from her pretty little head.”
Kyle gulped but nodded, knowing that this was no longer his Captain, but the father of his girlfriend that would drag him to the deepest parts of hell if he makes so much as a mistake of making you cry.
“But last night, when I saw her with you, she was the happiest I have ever seen. It was rare and far between when she was like it. The first time I’ve seen it was when I told her that I was officially adopting her as my own daughter. Those bright eyes that twinkled in a love she never thought she would ever deserve. I saw it when she looks at you.”
Kyle couldn’t help but smile at such an information. He know the look he was talking about, he was certain that he was giving you the same, a look that was even more in love and adoration for you and everything that you do for him.
“You have my blessing when it comes to your relationship, but just know that you will both endure a couple of weeks of intense drills for lying to me about your relationship.”
Kyle thought as much. He nodded shoving his hands onto his pocket and only now did he realize the small box nestled deep inside his sweatpants.
“I also wanted to ask you blessing for something, Sir.” He began pulling out the velvet box for the man to see.
The Captain took a moment to realize what it was before a chuckle escaped his lips.
“I should have expected this.” He shook his head. But agreed nonetheless.
It didn’t take long for their holiday off to end and everyone was back to their normal lives inside the base and in mission. It did take long for Kyle to propose, who would have ever thought that he would in the brink of death while you held him close to you.
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lhrry · 1 year
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can you please make a compilation of harry’s house / faith in the future parallels?
so I decided to  make this broader and rather suggest different possible readings, so while some are very overt and some are more conceptual or subjective and produced by my own reading of each album. the best thing about some of these, though, is that they are not the same or parallel per se, but more like two sides of the same story/responding to one another!
no title song but rather an overarching concept as the title of the album
the way both albums keep returning to the idea of change, dancing between resisting and accepting it, sometimes borderline celebrating it
Things haven't been quite the same, there's a haze on the horizon, babe... [...] I've never been a fan of change, but I'd follow you to any place // tell you I'm on my way, nothing could make me late, said I had a plan for us, time it came and changed it all
In this world, it's just us, you know it's not the same as it was // and the element of change + continuing to go on together in you and me until the end waking up to start again
In this world, it's just us, you know it's not the same as it was // you and me until the end waking up to start again
nobody stays the same, no matter how much you want it, some things change
I remember back at Jonny's place, it's not the same anymore // eg a trip down memory lane, houses all look the same, there’s different names on the gates, you know the people have changed, oh it’s such a shame, nothing stays the same
Louis’ different version of you know it’s not the same as it was, such as nobody stays the same, no matter how much you want it, some things change; we knew that all would change; before the world it got so serious, before the time it got away from us...
Also the resistance to change for Louis in eg When somebody told me I would change, I used to hide behind a smile, is felt in as it was or even more explicitly in late night talking
Louis also has these nothing actually changed/resistance to change moments (common people, nothing’s changed/, we’re still the same inside)
talking/not talking 
So when you find out what we're fighting for, I'll be ready to talk // am I bothering you, do you wanna talk?
Do you wanna talk? We share the last line, then we drink the wall, 'Til we wanna talk // there were problems in this empty bottle, at the bottom, but we drained all that
we’ve been doing all this late night talking, ‘bout anything you want until the morning // the jokes and songs in silver tongues (nights like these we’ll remember..)
I don't wanna talk about the way that it was // we can talk about it, it’ll only make it worse, there’s a time for sayin’ who did what where it went wrong I wanna hear all that but tight now etc. (also I won’t say a word, it can wait til the morning)
I’m in an LA mood, I don’t wanna talk to you vs I can still hear your silence
I’m here, right here, wishing I could be there for you // the sentiment in angels fly, especially the “I’m on my way”
Harry, you’re no good alone // alone we’re just as good as the rest
Answer the phone, “harry you’re no good alone, why are you sitting at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?” ringin’ the bell and nobody’s coming to help // I’m on my way with some time to borrow […] I’ll knock on your door it’ll save me from callin’
The reminder to look up to the sky in angels fly vs holding me back, gravity’s holding me back
The sentiment of finding community and chosen family in Matilda and All This Time 
I said you know me, alone we're only, just as good as the rest, together we're the greatest, […] it's you and me until the end, life for us is never over and the different ways in which Louis says I love you and it’s us until the end // harry’s there’s just no getting through, without you, just me and you, love of my life, etc.
I don't want you to get lost // cos I'm a hard man to lose, but I figured it out 
Stay green a little while, You bring blue lights to dreams // blue like the lights surrounding me, it all seems so different when I'm around it, see all these waves and waves of green, keep on coming like a dream, until nothing is the same 
nothing is original, there's nothing left to say // nothing to say when everything gets in the way 
not harry's house but also if you read the greatest as for and about the fans at the shows, there are parallels with lights up (talked about here) and also worth mentioning louis’ no falling all to pieces // harry’s falling
elements of boyfriends and written all over your face, as you're giving me the silent treatment, don't know what it's achieving // it gets hard to know what he's thinking, you love a fool who knows just how to get under your skin
I'll do everythin' I can, To help you through, If you're feelin' down, I just wanna make you happier, baby, Wish I was around, I just wanna make you happier, baby, we've been doing all this late night talking // you know when I'm with you I'm so much happier, nights like these we'll remember the songs we wrote etc.
the entirety of keep driving and silver tongues conceptually
I think these songs most obviously mirror and respond to each other, both being very “just you and me” songs
with keep driving being a collection of things and probably inside jokes only harry and the person he wrote the song for understand and silver tongues having own version in “and I choked when your smoke got in my eye, bad logic and empty cans, I know nobody understands me like you do” where he illustrates the faulty logic of choking because of smoke in his eye, + the repetitions of nobody understands me like you do
You smile at me and say, “It’s time to go”, but I don't feel like going home as an answer to I would ask, "Should we just keep driving?"
we shout some things that we'll regret, sit down with a masterplan I know nobody understands me like you do again sounds like the entirety of keep driving basically
maple syrup, coffee pancakes for two, hash brown, egg yolk, I will always love you // you me until the end, wakin’ up to start again (there’s even breakfast and waking up, hello?)
we’ll remember those stupid jokes only we know, you know, when I’m with you I’m so much happier, nights like these, we’ll remember those songs we wrote only we know and the entirety of keep driving
there's nowhere else that I would rather be // You're always there, so don't overthink
and I'm the one who will stay, oh // you know the party’s over, when you’re standing in an empty space alone 
babe // babe 
you got the cinema // if you believe a guy’s Superman, there selling tickets at the cinema
cause loving you’s the real thing, it just feels right // can we please get back to loving when it’s good it’s really something
whatever gets you through the darkest night, just find the light out in the madness, hold tight // you showed me a power that is strong enough to bring sun to the darkest day
with me, I know you wanna come with me, take anything you can carry and leave everything else behind // take you with me everytime I go away; I’ve never been a fan of change but I’d follow you to any place, if it’s Hollywood or Bishopsgate I’m coming too
put the pain behind you now, you don't need it anymore // you can let it go and the sentiment of matilda
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dirtyriver · 6 months
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WORLD PREMIER: LES GHOULS - locked away in the vault of Roy Thomas, released for the first time in 65 years for your viewing pleasure!
Les Ghouls is a 12½-minute, mostly black-&-white film made circa 1958 by a group of six teenagers in Jackson, Missouri, including Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich, who went on in the 1960s to become writers and editors at Marvel Comics. It was intended as an homage to/ripoff of the 1948 movie classic Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, just filmed for a lark. It was filmed largely in black-&-white despite the relative difficulty of obtaining that kind of film even then. John Short, who owned the (new) movie camera, served as primary director; Roy Thomas scripted the movie (in synopsis form) and supplied all art and lettering appearing in the film. There were vague plans to eventually either record a soundtrack or to at least have the cast members accompany showings by narration and dialogue, but those plans never materialized.
CAST:
Slim--------------------------------------------------- Gary Friedrich
Slat ---------------------------------------------------- Ron Lowes
Dr. Sturdley ------------------------------------------ Andy Leonard
Melvin ------------------------------------------------ Lyle Hutteger
The Monster ------------------------------------------ John Short
Werewolf ---------------------------------------------- Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich went on to become major writers in the comicbook industry.
Roy Thomas was an editor of Marvel from 1965-80, and editor-in-chief from 1972-74. He also scripted runs on such series as X-Men, Avengers, Conan the Barbarian, Savage Sword of Conan, Star Wars, Red Sonja, Kull the Conqueror, Daredevil, Captain Marvel, The Invaders, Incredible Hulk, Sub-Mariner, etc. He also co-created the likes of Wolverine, Carol Danvers (future Captain Marvel), The Vision, Ultron, The Squadron Supreme, The Invaders, Union Jack, Spitfire, Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, Morbius the Living Vampire, Sunfire, Banshee, Valkyrie, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Doc Samson, Brother Voodoo, Warlock, Ghost Rider, Son of Satan, Thundra, Captain 3D, What If, Not Brand Echh, and others. In the ’80s he defected to DC Comics, where he co-created, wrote, and often edited All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc., Arak – Son of Thunder, Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!, Young All-Stars, and Jonni Thunder a.k.a. Thunderbolt, as well as writing the likes of Wonder Woman, Shazam!, Superman, Green Lantern, Batman, and Justice League of America. He has also written comics for Topps, Heroic, etc. He co-created both a super-hero comic and a comics-history magazine which were titled Alter Ego. His and wife Dann’s independent series Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt was optioned for a film in the ’90s. He has also written for films, TV animation, and live-action TV.
Gary Friedrich wrote several series runs for Marvel, including Sgt. Fury, Captain America, Nick Fury – Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Frankenstein, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, Daredevil, [the Western] Ghost Rider, Combat Kelly, Captain Savage, and Captain Marvel—and was the major creator of [the motorcycle-riding, supernatural] Ghost Rider and the co-creator and first writer of Son of Satan. He served as assistant editor at Marvel from late 1966 to 1968. He and Roy Thomas co-created the concept for the Marvel comicbook Not Brand Echh. Gary also wrote for Skywald, Topps, and other comics companies. He passed away in August 2018.
(via Bleeding Cool)
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AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM (2023)
Starring Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Martin Short, Nicole Kidman, Vincent Regan, Jani Zhao, Indya Moore, Pilou Asbæk, Jay McDonald, Natalia Safran, Samuel Gosrani, Jay Rincon, Jonathan Bremner, Jack Waldouck, Jonny Vaughton, Osian Roberts and Grant Huggair.
Screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.
Directed by James Wan.
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. 124 minutes. Rated R.
Let’s face it, it’s a bad time for Aquaman to continue his adventures in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. A whole tidal wave of issues are pressing against the return of the King of Atlantis.
First off, and most basic – the world at large seems to be getting a case of superhero fatigue. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in particular is in a precarious place, as the last remnants of the old Zack Snyder-planned DCEU of which this film is a part has come to an end, and the new James Gunn DC universe is going in a completely different direction – a direction which may or may not include Aquaman. (The appearance is that at least for now, Aquaman has no place in Gunn’s DC films.)
The last several DCEU films have been box office disappointments, including The Flash, Shazam 2 and Blue Beetle. It’s not unique to DC, who has always been the also-ran comic book cinematic universe. Even the grand poohbah of the art form, Marvel, has had recent films become severe box office disappointments. (The Marvels, Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, anyone?)
Not only that, but there have also long been rumors of an uncomfortable, strife-filled set for this film – particularly an apparent feud between star Jason Momoa and co-star Amber Heard, which is a concern, considering they are playing husband and wife. In fact, Heard’s role seems to have been cut due to Momoa’s insistence on limiting her involvement – although that limitation also may have to do with Heard being essentially cancelled after the infamous trial against her ex-husband Johnny Depp.
Still, Warner Brothers thought enough of Aquaman to toss it out in the deep end and make it a Christmas tentpole title.
I can’t say that I share their optimism. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the best and the worst of modern superhero filmmaking all mixed up into a big, confusing mess. There is very little in the way of a plot here, although there is nearly constant eye-popping action which the filmmakers hope will distract you from the fact that not much of this stuff makes much (or any) sense.
Also, the attempts – mostly by Momoa, but by some other characters as well – to add some much-needed levity and humor to the film almost inevitably fall flat. (This was also a problem with the first Aquaman film.)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is lost itself, a huge, shambling series of poorly edited (mostly) underwater battle sequences held together with just the barest wisp of a plot. And that little wisp of story is basically one we’ve seen over and over now, particularly in superhero movies.
The cast feels like they are on autopilot for the most part – particularly Nicole Kidman who looks like she would love to be anywhere, anywhere, but where she is. On the other hand, Randall Park steals pretty much every scene he is in as a scientist who is dragged into an evil plot.
I can sort of relate to him. Although, in fairness, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom does have some fun action sequences, for the most part you’d have to drag me kicking and screaming into ever watching this again.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2023 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: December 21, 2023.
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javic-piotr-thane · 1 year
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Torchwood: Among Us Part 3, VORTEX June 2023
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[putting the actual article under a readmore because it contains spoilers for the first boxset! and also because I want to be kind to y'all's dashes lol]
APOCALYPSE NOW
To British television viewers, Janet Ellis is a familiar and beloved face. Best known as a presenter on Blue Peter and also as the mum of pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor, it shouldn’t be forgotten she was once a guest star in Doctor Who when she played Teka in The Horns of Nimon. And now, she’s coming face to face with the Torchwood team playing a character named Janet!
Torchwood: Among Us 3 features a quartet of adventures with How I Conquered the World, written by Ash Darby, Tim Foley and James Goss; Doomscroll by Ash Darby; Heistland by Tim Foley and The Apocalypse Starts at 6pm by James Goss.
The team, with Yvonne Hartman (Tracy-Ann Oberman), Ng (Alexandria Riley), Orr (Samantha Béart), Mr Colchester (Paul Clayton) and Tyler Steele (Jonny Green) are surviving against the odds as it seems that the whole world has been turned against the organisation. But who is behind this? It’s time to find out.
How I Conquered the World has been co-written by the three writers of this set. Writer James, also the producer of the series, explains: “Episode nine is where we find out what set Torchwood up and why it did it. It ties into all of the stories so far in the season. Who turned a cul-de-sac into killers, who was persecuting Colin, who was behind Voloshnik and what Bilis was doing in the Torchwood Hub? It’s also a story about our lives now, and how, if we really are angrier all the time, where does all that anger go? It’s an interesting piece of storytelling and features some use of artificial voices, which is curiously rewarding and sometimes hilarious.”
Co-author Tim was delighted to work on a collaboration for the first story in this set. He says: “Oh, it was wonderful. Writing Torchwood is always a team sport. It’s great building a series like this together – I’ve had such a good time with James and Ash.”
The second adventure, Doomscroll by Ash, features a very recognisable world with social media influencers. James explains: “Episode 10 might be the one where Twitter goes, ‘I cringed so hard at this’! Something’s killing influencers and Torchwood have to stop it. It’s got a lot of very dark humour in it and truly disturbing situations. The cast are all phenomenal, delivering some lines that are probably unsayably weird. It might be the most relevant thing we’ve ever done, or it might be way off beam, or it might be the kind of thing you listen to in 2027 and go, ‘What’s an influencer?’”
The next story Heistland has been written by Tim. James says: “Episode 11 sees Torchwood Cardiff and their Icelandic equivalent carrying out two heists. Yvonne Hartman sets out to steal a crypto currency before an auction that could end the world. When it was scripted we were still getting our head around NFTs. Now it’s coming out after the bankruptcy of Sam BankmanFried and seems strangely wise. A lot of it is set in the French city of Carcassonne, which is beautiful and very dear to Tim’s heart. Clearly he thought, ‘Where’s the least likely place to base a crypto currency?’. It’s joyous to get Kai Owen back, and Rhys and the mysterious Kristin’s dynamic make me long for more Torchwood Iceland.”
Tim was delighted to be able to send Torchwood to Iceland. He agrees: “Absolutely! After we went there for Misty Eyes, James was keen we returned. It was fun to send Yvonne to France as well – gives a real international flavour to what we expect from ‘heist’ stories.” But has Tim actually ever visited Iceland? He concedes: “No! I’m a fraud! I do have friends from there though. I’d love to visit. And it was fun learning facts about the country. No trains in Iceland! Outrageous.”
Summing up the story, Tim says: “Yvonne performs a heist and Rhys tries to stop her! Or is it the other way around? I love writing for Rhys. Whether he’s barbecuing or making delicious sandwiches, I always seem to be feeding him. And giving him nice warm jumpers. That’s all I want to do for characters I love. And there’s something that happens in a turret that’ll get the listeners talking.”
The Apocalypse Starts at 6pm concludes the series and features the aforementioned Janet Ellis. James says: “Episode 12 was the most glorious, starstruck day in studio since we got Sir Michael Palin in! We had Janet Ellis, MBE, playing a national treasure called Janet. It’s essentially, ‘What if you found out the world was going to end during The One Show? How would they cover it?’ And the answer is this episode. It features riots, kidnapping, aliens and reasonable Christmas gifting tips. The regulars are all wondrous throughout, playing very different aspects of their characters, and, madly, Janet walks away with it.
“We were worried she’d push back on some of the lines, but she really went for it. If you’ve ever wanted to hear a Blue Peter presenter swear, then you’re in for a treat! Janet agreed to it because, of all wonders, she worked with Paul Clayton back in the day and he took her out to lunch and talked her into it. We don’t deserve that man.”
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Friday, 6 December 2019
Liam releases his debut album LP1 through Capitol Records. It's hip hop and R&B-oriëntated, drawing influencefrom Usher and Justin Timberlake. A number of singles were released ahead of the album including Strip That Down, Get Low, Bedroom Floor and Familiar. For You, Polaroid and the Christmas track All I Want (For Christmas) are also included as bonus tracks. Stack It Up was released as the lead single from the album. Live Forever is also released simultaneously alongside the album
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The opener of the album is Stack It Up featuring A Boogie wit a Hoodie, written by Ed Sheeran, Steve McCutcheon, Frederik Gibson and Artist Dubose better known as A Boogie wit a Hoodie. The production's in de hands of Steve Mac
Remember is written by James Abrahart, Jonathan Price, Stefan and Jordan Johnson, as well as Marcus Lomax aka Marc Lo and Oliver Peterhof aka German. The production is done by The Monsters & Strangerz (= production and songwriting team of Alexander "Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Oliver "German" Peterhof, Stefan and Jordan Johnson) , Jonny Price and Gian Stone
Heart Meet Break is written by Jake Torrey, Michael Matosic and Joseph Spargur, also known as Joe London, who also did the production of the song
Hips Don't Lie is written by Stefan and Jordan Johnson, as well as by Marcus Lomax, Alexander Izquierdo and Oliver Peterhof. The Monsters & Strangerz and Ben Chang aka Bengineer
Tell Your Friends is written by David Brown, Dylan Bauld and Sam Watters. The two last also produced the song
Say It All is the first song on the album Liam co-wrote. Other songwriters on it are Ryan Tedder, Sandy Wilhelm, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen. Ryan Tedder produced the song with Stargate (= producing and songwriting team of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen)
Rude Hours is written by James Duval, Rudolph Huggins and Daniel Schofield, who also produced the song as DannyBoyStyles
Live Forever featuring Cheat Codes is written by Samuel Preston, Evan Kidd Bogart and Sylvester "Sly" Sivertsen, while the song's produced by Trevor Dahl and Sly
Weekend is a song written by Liam, with Aaron Zuckerman, Simon Wilcox, Nolan Lambroza and Shaun Frank. Both Aaron Z and sir Bilan produced the song
Both Ways is written by Liam, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Stephenie Jones, Ian Franzino and Andrew Haas. Afterhrs hàndeld the production
Strip That Down featuring Quavo is written by Liam, Ed Sheeran, Steve McCutcheon and a lot of others, while the production is done by Steve Mac
For You featuring Rita Ora, from Fifty Shades Freed is written by Alexandra Tamposi, Ali Payami and Andrew Wotman. The two last produced the song with Peter Karlsson
Familiar featuring J Balvin is written by Gamal Lewis, Sean Douglas, J Balvin and Michael Sabath, wil also handled the production
Polaroid featuring Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella is written by John Paul Cooper, Samuel Romans, Edward Drewett and Jonas Blue, who also handled the production
Get Low featuring Zedd is written by Charles Hinwhaw Jr, Tristan Landymorr, Fabienne Holloway and Anton Zaslavski als Zedd, wil also did the production
Bedroom Floor is written by Charlie Puth, Jacob Kasher Jr, Steve McCutcheon, Ammar Malik, Noel Zancanella and Aaron Jennings. The production's handled by Steve Mac and Ben Rice
The last song the album is All I Want (For Christmas), written by James Newman, Samuel Preston and Phil Cook. The latter also produced the song
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effectsdatabase · 2 years
Text
Last week's top 20 videos (2022, week 30)
Top 20 videos last week (July 24-30)
Why Jimi Hendrix was special w/ Roger Mayer #shorts (by Pedal Pawn)
Don't Make These VOLUME PEDAL Mistakes! (by Vertex)
Hermida Audio Mosferatu Teardown! See what's inside! (by Gray Bench Electronics)
Sabbadius Maui Funky-Vibe (Short Advance) (by Sabbadius Custom FX)
Walrus Audio Janus turns 10! (by Walrus Audio)
Cheap Vs Expensive: Marshall Blues Breaker vs Mooer Blues Crab (by Jason Ayala Spare)
SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT TAB - NIRVANA ft. Stone Deaf FX WARP DRIVE | Guitar Tab | Lesson | Tutorial (by Stone Deaf FX)
Is the Behringer SF300 a "Real Super Fuzz?" - Budget Vs. Boutique - Comparisons to the JHS Supreme (by 60 Cycle Hum)
Original SHIN-EI Univibe | THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE REAL DEAL ???? (by Fret Junkies)
Will it Shoegaze? // Strymon - Deco (by collector//emitter)
"The Jonny Greenwood Pedal"?The King of Gear Feral Glitch | Foxing Rig Rundown Trailer (by Premier Guitar)
Boss Overdrive OD-3 + Blues Driver Boss BD-2 - blend or stack? (by We As A Company)
Strymon El Capistan v2 (by Mike Hermans)
UAFX Pedals vs. Walrus ACS-1 vs. Strymon Iridium vs. Tube Amps - Audio Comparison (no talking) (by Guitar Bonedo)
VOX Tone Tips: Comparing the V846HW and V847 (by Vox)
Boost Pedal Basics #shorts (by Fortin Amplification)
Boss: FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz (feat. Behringer Super Fuzz) | Bass | theoandhispedals (by Amateur Effects Reviews)
Pro Co RAT vs. JHS Packrat (by Bassic Gear Review)
Sabbadius Funky-Vibe Maui edition (by R.J. Ronquillo)
Running pedals into an overdriven amp (by Zander Circuitry)
Overviews of the previous weeks: https://www.effectsdatabase.com/video/weekly
from Effects Database https://bit.ly/3QingGS
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pgoeltz · 8 months
Text
Ship’s Wednesday Mix at 6:30 am ET
https://h2oradio-2.mixlr.com/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Steve Parish’s The Big Steve Hour at 9:00 am ET
SiriusXM Grateful Dead Channel (Ch. 23)
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Galvezton (solo) from WDVX Blue Plate Special at 12:00 pm ET
https://wdvx.com/listen/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
LB Beistad from Lightning 100 in the Volume Studio
2:00 pm CT/3:00 pm ET
https://volume.com/t/DWQf5H/ (FREE)
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
New Orleans Jazz Vipers from New Orleans Jazz Museum at 2:00 pm CT/3:00 pm ET
https://www.facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum/live
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Ethiocolor from Millennium Stage, Washington, DC at 6:00 pm ET
Check: https://www.youtube.com/c/kennedycenter
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Rebecca Schumejda - Poetry Night - Saratoga Springs, NY at 7:00 pm ET
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMC7WZ7SNtI
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Big Something + Susto from Hi-Fi Indy, Indianapolis, IN
8:00 pm ET
Possibly: https://www.facebook.com/theBIGsomething/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Jeff McErlain & Matt Schofield, Teddy Kumpel & Nome Sane?
8:00 pm ET
https://volume.com/t/JFW1W0/ (FREE)
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Ukulele Night w/ Bobby Howard, Wavy Dave, Bubba Low Note
8:00 pm ET
Check: https://www.greenparrot.com/key-west-webcams/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Jay Ungar & Molly Mason from the Quiet Room #181
8:00 pm ET
https://www.facebook.com/jayandmolly/live
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Dierks Bentley w/ Infamous Stringdusters, Tanner Usrey, Kaitlin Butts from Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO
7:00 pm MT/9:00 pm ET
Possibly: https://stringdusters.mixlr.com/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Lee Yankie & The Secret Stash from Maple Leaf Bar, NOLA
9:00 pm CT/10:00 pm ET
Check: https://www.youtube.com/c/MapleLeafBarLive
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Jonny Mojo solo from The Green Room Social Club
7:00 pm PT/10:00 pm ET
Check: https://tickets.clubgreenroom.com/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Jason Charles Miller - Whatever You Want Wednesdays
7:00 pm PT/10:00 pm ET
https://www.twitch.tv/jasoncharlesmiller/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Voodoo Neil Young from Broadway Oyster Bar
10:00 pm CT/11:00 pm ET
https://www.facebook.com/events/205797942233110/
˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜
Tyler Alexis - Wine & Music Wednesday
8:00 pm PT/11:00 pm ET
https://www.twitch.tv/tyleralexismusic
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jonspurpleskirt · 3 years
Text
Sharing Comfort
A/N: This is for @archivalpride. Prompt was “Sharing Clothes” and “Pre-Canon” so I wrote a fluffy piece to celebrate the quiet moments of trust. 1.7k in word length. No warnings apply.
___
Jon did not make friends fast. Most people he found to be too intimidating, boring or exhausting and not many knew what to do with his sudden info dumps and sharp comments that shot out of his mouth seemingly at random.
He'd been alone in Research for a long while because of it and happily so. Things had changed when Tim had joined the Institute, though. Tim had come into the library and sat down opposite Jon with a thunder cloud hanging over his head and pain in his dark eyes. He'd been quiet and snappy in a fake cheerful way that screamed undealt trauma. At least to Jon, who seemed to be the only one to feel the vibes of "Leave me alone" and "I'm grieving" that Tim gave off in a constant stream.
Having Tim as his desk partner was an intense experience despite the way they only ever nodded to each other in greeting at first. But it was also intriguing. A mystery. Jon loved mysteries.
The instances he had ever willingly initiated a conversation with a stranger could be counted on one hand. Which marked the day he tapped Tims shoulder - after roughly two months of co-habiting - to tactfully ask him what he was groaning about as a very special day indeed. They steamrolled into friendship from there, both personalities clashing in the best ways possible.
Jon pulled Tim into nerve wracking research expeditions, Tim flirted them out of being arrested a few times, they went out for drinks and karaoke and movies and stayed late nights to crack nutty cases of supernatural bullshit together.
This went on for months. A nice, comfortable new routine. Jon wasn't alone anymore. And Tim broke out of whatever had pulled him down so much, becoming more cheerful and flirty by the day. Which didn't matter to Jon because Tim would always come to him the most, would always seek out to partner up with Jon and would defend his prickly personality to his dying breath.
And then Sasha joined them. She came from Artefact Storage, which made her a prime target for every curious researcher in a five mile radius. Tim and Jon included. Alright maybe they were the worst of the bunch.
Although Jon only thought of himself as a partner in crime in this one. He had been dragged along by Tim, after all. Sure in the end he had been the one to ask the most questions, but that wouldn't have been the case if he had just been left alone to be antisocial in front of his laptop.
Sasha and Tim, much to Jons chargin, hit it off within the first few seconds. And ever since then their cozy two-someness had turned into a group effort. With specially leverage put on the word "effort".
"Morning Jon!"
Jon let out a deep, rumbly hum, voice not up to the task of supporting words this late in the- He glanced at the little clock at the bottom of his screen. Ah... early in the morning.
With a laugh that was far too cheerful however you would describe the current hour, Sasha sat down next to him. She leaned in to look at what he was working. He leaned away to get her out of his personal bubble.
Her legs brushed his and the rustling drew his gaze downward. She wore a thick wool skirt, long enough not to go against the dress code. It was a somewhat dull navy blue and fell down in enticing waves around her crossed legs.
It looked very soft and comfortable. Jon itched to touch it. Instead he rubbed against the stiff fabric of his own cream coloured dress pants.
"Would you mind?" He snapped at her.
"No. You spelled 'aboriginal' wrong."
"Thank you for your insight. Don't you have anywhere else to be?"
"Don't you?" She shot back, light and quick as though they were just bantering and not fighting over the right to sit at this table.
Sasha huffed at his glare and slid a cup of something steaming over to him. "You keep staying so late that I can buy you a drink at the asscrack of dawn and be sure you're still here to consume it hot. I'm not usually one to judge anyone's sleep schedule. But I'm judging your sleep schedule."
"And yours is any better?" Jon muttered, taking the offering and peeking inside. Black tea with a bit of cream and hopefully enough sugar to rot his teeth out of his mouth. He needed both the coffein and the sweet energy source.
"I'm getting at least two more hours of sleep than you do on a daily basis, so I'm good."
"Tim would have both of our heads if he knew."
Sasha put her hand on the table and stretched out her pinky. "I swear secrecy if you do."
With a snort Jon linked their pinkies. "I'll hold you to that."
So... Maybe Sasha wasn't that bad. She was a little aggressive in her befriending techniques, Jon mused. At least he hoped the early morning chats and cups of tea and coffee were that and not an elaborate plan to get rid of him via slow poisoning. But she was about as curious as Tim and Jon and her skills with computers were very happily exploited by the both of them. So Jon eventually had to admit that she was actually a very nice addition to the group.
Not that he could have ever said no to their friendship. Tim and Sasha put together were a maelstorm of affection, sucking Jon in with a force he had no chance to defend against. And before he knew it they had successfully gotten him accostumed to friday nights at the pub and saturday mornings in their flats, smashed together on a couch or a bed or a mattress depending on who had had the misfortune of playing host that week.
Jon hadn't been this comfortable since Georgie. And that wasn't only the booze talking. It was one of those nights where they ended up leaving the pub early to lounge around Sashas massive sofa instead. Jons head was swimming within a blissful haze of tipsiness.
He was slouching over one end of the couch, head tilted just so that he could watch his two friends bicker. The words didn't really register, but the noise was nice and their expressions were funny.
Without his conscious saying so, his gaze slid down to Sashas leg area. She wore a very eye catching, fluttery red skirt this time around and the way the warm glow of the ceiling lamp was reflected in the material was mesmerizing.
"Oh Jonny boy, don't you know staring like that is rude?" Tim half-joked as he noticed.
Sasha slapped him on the shoulder. "Shush you there's like zero sexual longing in his gaze, Tim. You don't need to go all protective big brother on me. He just really likes my skirts."
"They look comfy." Jon muttered, sinking deeper into the couch.
"Awww. Jon. Jon my love. My friend. My buddy." Tim scooted over to him, nearly face planting on the floor in his eagerness to slide into Jons side. "Is this jealousy I hear?"
"No. Did you just degrade me from lover to lowest friendship tier?"
"Oh I beg to differ." Tim sang, ignoring the question and making Jon scowl harder.
An arm got thrown over his shoulder and Jon was tugged into Tims side, relaxing into the tight hold against his will.
"You know if you didn't make it a sport to buy the most uncomfortable clothing ever, you wouldn't need to glare at Sashas fashion choices all the time. Making other people think things about your intensions."
"Fuck other people."
Jon waited until the surprised laughter of his two friends ebbed down to speak again. "I wanna be comfortable too..."
"Say no more. Sasha to the rescue."
Tim and Jon both whined as she hopped off and darted away into her bedroom. She hadn't been part of the cuddle pile, but her presence was still dearly missed. Thankfully not for long because a few minutes later she reappeared with a long, purple skirt.
"Here you go mister. Go on try it on."
Trading places with her Jon didn't hesitate to shug his trousers off and slip the skirt on. Tim wolf whistled behind him and Jon dutifully showed him a finger. The yelp he heard shortly after told him that Sasha must have taken more direct approach to disciplining Tim.
"Bad boy. I picked that colour for a reason."
Jon flushed at the reminder that Tim and Sasha knew. That they knew and accepted him and even went out of their way to make him comfortable.
"I may not be allowed to touch, but I can still appreciate beauty when I see it."
"Do you need glasses, Tim?" Jon couldn't help but ask while he settled back down.
It was his turn to be slapped on the shoulder. "Nu-uh! No self depricating jokes in my household!"
"Yes ma'am." He scooted over to Sashas side, marveling at the slide of the soft material against his legs. "Anyway. Touching yes. But no sex, only cuddles."
Sasha laughed in delight as she pulled him closer so he could stretch out, the two of them nearly shoving Tim off the couch.
"Wait, wait, wait Jon you're definitely not comfortable yet!"
"Hm?" He frowned at the renewed shifting, jeez everyone was being so squirmy today.
"Dress shirt? Really? Wait a sec."
Tim ended up finding a truly attrocious night shirt he had stored in one of Sashas cupboards. It was rainbow coloured, but at least it was made of a soft cotton and about a size too big on Jon.
"Awww Jon you're adorable!"
"Timothy Stoker don't you dare take a photo."
"Fine, fine. But I will remember this day forever."
It turned out that he didn't need to. The next time they were over at Sashas Jon asked to borrow their clothes again and the next time after, and the next time after that, too. It kind of escalated from there, clothes mixed together until it was hard to remember who owned what.
And that was perfect. Because the most comfortable clothes were always the ones that belonged to his friends.
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bcbdrums · 3 years
Text
A Day in the Life of Bonnie Rockwaller
What, not a Drakgo fic!?  No...no it is not.  This one is all about Bonnie.
A girl only really seen through one lens on the show, perhaps misunderstood... A cheerleader, twelve-years a ballerina, a good student, the youngest in her family, and dating a football star. The "mean girl."
What is her life really like?
Happy (belated) birthday to the amazing @sharperthewriter!
FFn     AO3
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A Day in the Life of Bonnie Rockwaller
The alarm clock went off too soon for Bonnie Rockwaller on that Thursday morning. With a groan she reached over and slapped the device until the beeping stopped, and then blinked at the bright sunlight creating a glow at the edge of her teal curtains.
She didn't want to get up. But winners didn't sleep in.
She rolled out of bed, untwisting her dark red leopard print pajama bottoms and spaghetti strap top from where they had shifted in her restless sleep. She hadn't slept well, again.
She slipped her feet into her fuzzy slippers that matched the pajama set and grabbed her phone off her nightstand, unplugging it as she hastily flipped it open to check her messages.
There weren't any.
She pushed down the pang that tried to creep into her chest, and instead turned to her wall calendar next to her desk. She paused for a moment to look in the bright mirror above the desk, tousling her hair with one hand and giving a half-grin at the way it fell over her shoulders. She looked incredible even straight out of bed.
The pang tried to enter her heart again, and she frowned and turned to the calendar, confirming the day's events with what she already had in her phone planner. After cheer practice she planned to go to the boutique for the final fitting of her homecoming dress, and that night she had ballet.
After nodding to herself that all was correct, she flipped over to her text messages out of habit. Her thumb hovered over the message at the top that hadn't been replied to from the night before as she considered sending another. But then with a scowl and another pang she closed the phone and tossed it onto her unmade bed.
She stepped over to the barre that her parents had had installed in her room and began her routine of ballet stretches. She forced the distracting thoughts about the lack of message reply away and started going over the new Mad Dogs cheer routine in her head. Ever since she and Kim had become co-captains of the squad, she couldn't help but admit...the routines had gotten better. And harder.
Bonnie sighed.
After finishing the stretches she changed into her black leggings, blue sports bra, socks, and running shoes. With the workout she knew she was going to get after school, she needed to get plenty warmed up ahead of time. Plus, she was worried she might have gained a few pounds in the last month and might not fit into her gown.
After tying her shoes, she grabbed her mp3 player and set it on her workout playlist, which included her favorite upbeat songs by Britina, MC Honey, the Oh Boyz, SmashMouth, and more. She also had some strange rap song that she'd seen once on American Starmaker that had topped the charts, but she could never remember the name of the artist.
She popped her earbuds in and hurried past the bedrooms of her siblings, hurrying out the door of the split-level home into the crisp, cool morning air. She set her stopwatch for seven and a half minutes and began jogging down the sidewalk, the golden light of the sunrise beginning to warm her skin within minutes.
Against her will, her mind fell back to the unanswered text from the night before. It wasn't that Brick hadn't been slow to reply in the past... In fact, his replies were coming slower and slower lately.
Bonnie couldn't ignore the pang in her chest that time, and she took a deep breath and ran faster. There were plenty of logical reasons her boyfriend might not be answering her texts. He was in college, after all. He had homework...which...he had never really done much of in high school, but the fact that he'd made it through one semester of college so far meant he must be doing at least some now.
She told herself again she was worrying over nothing. He had always been confused about things that were important to her, and to girls in general. He would read her text that day and confirm about the dance, and then she would send him a picture of her gown so he could buy the matching corsages.
The alarm on her stopwatch went off, and she turned around and started jogging back in the direction of home at a faster pace than she'd begun. As she felt the adrenaline pump through her from the run, she got an idea. She didn't need to wait for Brick to reply... She could just send the picture of the dress after she tried it on. That would give him the hint. He had probably just forgotten to reply anyway...
Bonnie finished her run with confidence, and when she returned home she hurried past her siblings in the kitchen, grateful for the loud hip-hop music currently playing in her ears so she wouldn't have to hear anything they might say to her. Though it was unlikely they would.
Her older brother by one year, Jonny, was sitting on the kitchen counter with his dirty sock-clad feet on the refrigerator door, playing some hand-held video game. Her even older sisters, Connie and Lonnie, were seated at the kitchen table leaning over a fashion magazine and a laptop computer, shopping online she assumed. They would curb the behavior when their parents came out for the 'family breakfast' they insisted on each day, before each family member would vanish to their various obligations.
Bonnie wasn't upset about family breakfasts really; ever since her dad bought her a car, she barely saw her family, since each member in turn had previously driven her everywhere she needed to go—her siblings with complaints, of course. Now she was wholly independent, so the breakfasts held more meaning to her.
After returning to her room, she glanced at her phone still on the bed. She thought about her plan to text Brick later after she picked up her dress...which would be in about nine hours.
The pang of worry hit her chest again.
She grabbed the phone along with her bathrobe as she went back down the hall to take a shower. She opened the phone and looked at the text she had sent the prior evening before dinner that remained unanswered.
*You're still free next Saturday for the homecoming dance, right?*
Still breathless from the run and with sweat irritating the center of her back, she started the shower and then scrolled through the prior texts between she and Brick over the past couple of weeks, noting the slow times between his responses compared to her quick ones, and his lack of many words. After a moment of tense indecision, she fired off another quick text.
*I'll send you a photo of my gown after school!*
She set the phone down and grimaced as she started to undress. A lack of words wasn't anything new, and she was stunned as she realized she was telling herself not to worry. Why should she worry? She shouldn't even have let that thought in her head.
She frowned and leaned over the counter, staring at her face in the mirror as it started to become fogged with steam.
"I have nothing to worry about," she reassured herself out loud, and after giving herself a crisp nod, she adjusted the water temperature and made haste to shower.
She thought about Brick's class and football schedules, which...she'd had to badger him for back in the fall. They weren't consistent day to day, and he even had night classes a couple of days a week. These offered plenty of reasons why he might not have replied to her text messages. A college boy was busy.
After another swath of reassuring thoughts she felt her confidence returning. And then just as she switched the shower off, she heard the telltale beep of her phone indicating a message received.
She nearly slipped on the tile as she hurried to the phone, only half-drying her hands before flipping it open. The text was from Brick.
*Call me later.*
Bonnie read the words five times as her heart began to race, and then she mentally shook herself and quickly dried the phone off before drying off herself and putting on her bathrobe.
The text was a positive. He wanted to talk to her. Right...? Usually it was she who called him, and he only answered half of the time anyway... Come to think of it, he never said much over the phone. He just hummed responses to what she said to him.
Bonnie frowned into the fogged-up mirror as she began to blow-dry her hair. She didn't need to read any more into the text than was there. He probably wanted to talk about logistics for the dance.
She let the sound of the blow dryer drown out her thoughts, and as soon as her hair was no longer damp at the roots she unplugged the blow dryer and set the appliance on the counter before snatching up her phone again and storming down the hall back to her bedroom.
When she stepped through the door, she hit her ankle hard on something and tripped, plummeting forward with a gasp. Her phone flew out of her hand and was forgotten as she tucked into a somersault and came out of the fall safely and on her feet. She took hardly a second to catch her breath before whirling around and pushing her hair out of her eyes as she scowled. Her full laundry basket on the floor was the culprit, but her eyes narrowed as she realized it was the load she had put in the night before...and it wasn't clean nor dry.
"Lonnie!" she shouted before even leaving her room, turning the short distance down the hall to her older sister's room. "Why aren't my clothes clean? And why did you put dirty clothes back in my room!?"
She had just reached the door when it opened a sliver, and she could just see her sister's blonde hair and smirk.
"Oh sorry B, forgot to tell you I took your clothes out last night to do mine," Lonnie said, her tone rife with sarcasm. "Needed my intimates done before my date later."
"You could have waited your turn! Why didn't you tell me last night?" Bonnie said through gritted teeth, her hands in fists at her sides as she seethed.
"Mmh, guess it slipped my mind. Sorry, B..." she answered as she pushed the door closed, drawing out the 'sorry' in an all too familiar way.
"Rrrgh!" Bonnie snarled, hitting the closed door with a flat palm before turning on her heel to head back to her room.
"Sheesh, Bonnie, take a chill pill."
Bonnie blinked and saw Jonny leaning against the wall, not looking up from his video game.
"Quiet, nerdlinger!"
"Hmph," was Jonny's only reply, said through a smirk with a shrug.
"I have nothing to wear now!"
"Wow, nothing," he replied flatly, clearly disbelieving and disinterested.
Bonnie took a sharp breath in through her nose and was about to retort when Connie poked her head out of her own doorway.
"Nothing that'll help, anyway," she said with a slight giggle and smirk, giving Bonnie a once-over.
"Connie!"
Her eldest sister disappeared into her bedroom, and the sound of another door closing was her alert that her brother had departed too. Bonnie stood alone in the hallway for a moment, seething and feeling irrationally like she might cry before she shoved the emotion away and stalked back to her room.
Winners didn't cry.
She glanced into the laundry basket, noting all of her favorites wrinkled and wet from half a wash cycle, including her planned outfit for that day. She sighed and stepped to the closet, looking at the variety of things she didn't often choose because they were old, out of style, or weren't appropriate for school for one reason or another.
After several minutes pushing through every item and muttering about things being out of season, she grabbed an old favorite crop top she'd forgotten about and probably hadn't worn since freshman year. After scanning the array of bottoms in her closet and not finding a suitable match, she reached into the far corner and grabbed the old, baggy Club Banana overalls she'd used to wear with that top all the time.
When she got dressed she realized two things quickly: first, that sleeveless purple and teal tie dye racer-back crop top was quite snug, rode up higher than it used to, and showed her bra under her arms; second, that the overalls were also just a touch too small. They hugged her hips and her rear in a way she actually found attractive as she spun in front of the mirror, but the straps weren't fitting entirely over her shoulders and even hurt a little.
She frowned slightly as she unbuckled one strap and let it fall over her back, and the bib ever so slightly forward. It relieved enough pressure from the garment that she felt comfortable in the choice, and after looking at the very obvious sides of her bra showing under her arms, she unhooked the undergarment at the back, pulled off the straps, and then took the garment off through one of the arm holes in the style of Raquel Spring from "Pals." She dropped it in the laundry basket with a frown, determining then and there she would have to get back at Lonnie for potentially ruining her wardrobe.
After another quick spin in the mirror and deciding she looked good enough, Bonnie put on her socks and shoes and hurried back to the bathroom to quickly do her hair and makeup. Her parents would be upset, but she wasn't sure if she'd have time for breakfast anymore. The clothing problem had slowed her down, plus she suddenly remembered some math homework she'd left unfinished the night before in favor of working on memorizing the latest ballet routine.
Her focus fell to the unfinished math word problems—why were word problems so hard?—as she fixed her hair with the blow dryer and a round brush into its usual style, and then hurriedly put on her makeup.
After giving a satisfied nod to her appearance, she hurried back to her bedroom again. She closed her homework into her math book and shoved it in her backpack, knowing she'd have a better chance of getting it done and being on time if she did it after she arrived at school, maybe during her first class. It was with that somewhat shaky resolution that she threw her backpack over her shoulder and then grabbed up the laundry basket and headed down the hall.
She ignored the smirks of her siblings as she strode past them and quickly got the load of laundry started. Her mom didn't have to work for a couple of hours yet...
When she returned to the kitchen, she noted her three older siblings expressions had sobered as they sat dutifully around the table eating their usual breakfast meals, and her parents with them. Bonnie took a deep breath.
"Mom, when my laundry finishes can you put it in the dryer? And hang up the other things?"
Her mother looked up from her dish in confusion.
"I thought you did laundry last night?"
"I started to, but somebody decided theirs was more important," Bonnie said, hands on her hips as she glared at her older sister.
Veronica Rockwaller gave a disapproving frown toward the blonde-haired young woman, who merely shrugged.
"She didn't come back to dry it anyway," Lonnie said.
"I fell asleep doing homework!"
Bonnie's father, who until that point had been invisible behind his newspaper, cleared his throat.
"Bonnie..."
Bonnie groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know I'm supposed to sleep at least seven hours each night. I got them," she assured him. She didn't think it important to add they'd been spent tossing and turning, worrying about Brick. And that the same worry was what kept her from finishing the homework.
She turned to the cupboard and took out a protein bar before spinning around and heading for the front door.
"Bonnie!" her mother sang in a disappointed tone as she walked past. Her father looked up from his paper and coffee again with a raised brow.
"Sorry Mom, sorry Dad, I have just enough time to finish my homework if I leave now," she said by way of excuse.
"But Bon-Bon!"
Bonnie looked from her mother's disappointed face to her father's. Donald 'Donny' Rockwaller lifted his hand in a vague gesture that she could leave, and she grinned and flipped her hair with one hand as she turned to hide her relief.
"Now Ronnie, schoolwork comes first. At least she won't miss dinner," her father said pointedly. "Especially since it'll be the last family dinner before our trip this weekend."
Bonnie froze at the tone in her father's voice and glanced back over her shoulder. He was staring at her over his newspaper.
"Of course not!" she said with a broad, innocent smile. She thought a moment. "...But I do need to pick up my homecoming dress after cheer practice today."
"Oh, I can come with you!" her mother said brightly.
Bonnie's smile faded to a panicked frown and she started waving her hand in a stopping motion. But her attention shifted suddenly as her sisters spoke.
"You mean they found a dress to actually fit that shape?" Connie said.
"Clearly nothing else does," Lonnie said, giving a disgusted look at Bonnie's current attire.
"Ladies," their father admonished, and Bonnie turned to leave in a hurry amid her mother's scolding of her older sisters and her brother's snickering. She wasn't about to let her mother come along to the dress fitting, or anywhere else where they could be seen together by people she knew—not since the ski trip incident.
In the driveway, she dropped her backpack on the passenger seat of her white convertible and sighed as she sank into the tan leather driver's seat. After tuning the radio to her favorite hip-hop station and cranking the volume, she began the drive to school, letting the sound of the wind and the music carry her thoughts away.
----------------------
When Bonnie walked through the halls of the school and saw Kim Possible standing in front of her open locker, she actually perked up. She needed to talk to Kim about the complexity of the final sequence in the new cheer routine before practice. She began quickening her pace, but stopped short when Kim's locker was pushed closed by a confidently grinning Ron Stoppable, dressed uncharacteristically in his football jersey.
Bonnie stopped and took a step nearer the other wall of lockers as if it could hide her while the...the loser of a held-back senior Kim now called 'boyfriend' leaned over the red-head at her locker and set his hand on her waist, kissing her in a very suave move. Bonnie blinked at the scene in shock, feeling a sinking in her stomach and an actual camaraderie with Stoppable's hairless pet which was scrubbing at its eyes from the football star's pocket.
'Football star...'
"Whoa, put out the fire you two!" was the declaration of Kim's other best friend, Monique, who Bonnie could find no fault with except for choosing the other two as companions. The girl was confident, trendy, smart, and someone she could have called 'friend' herself. But apparently Kim had gotten to her first.
Bonnie passed the trio without a word as they began chatting and hurried to what was their joint homeroom. She needed to finish that math homework and would need a seat in the back if she was to avoid Mr. Barkin's watchful gaze. And the last thing she wanted right then was to hear about how great life was the world-famous world-saving cheerleader.
She remembered Brick's text and reached in her pocket for her phone, and then froze.
It wasn't there.
She remembered with a fury that she had dropped it earlier that morning when she tripped on the laundry basket, and she mentally swore further revenge against all of her siblings for the crime. They deserved it for the years of tormenting her anyway.
She dropped her math book heavily on the too-small desk and leaned over the homework paper, one hand on her forehead to hide her face as she stared down at the problems in the book.
She stared at the words and numbers while her classmates gradually filed in and took their seats around her. She barely acknowledged Tara's cheery 'good morning' as she read over the first word problem again and again, unable to focus long enough to finish it, and she tuned out the tardy bell and Mr. Barkin's gruff greeting to the class.
All she could think about was Brick's text. She couldn't remember another time he had asked her to call. In fact, their phone conversations usually ended with him interrupting whatever she was talking about and asking if he could call her back another time...which...he never did.
A telltale buzzing made her reach instinctively for her phone, and she frowned when it wasn't there. She glanced over at Tara in the next desk, who was grinning down at her phone in her lap.
Tara saw her friend's attention and after a moment and a glance at Mr. Barkin who was writing on the chalkboard, she passed the cell phone to Bonnie.
Bonnie smirked as she saw it was an update to Stoppable's blog, and she glanced to where the blond-haired boy sat next to Kim in the front row. He had his phone in his lap, and he seemed to be typing blindly with one thumb while his hairless pink pet typed at the same time. She frowned and shook her head in confusion as she looked back to Tara's phone for the latest gossip.
*A reliable source has reported that Dr. Drakken and Shego have been looking at real estate in Tahiti. Is it a new lair, or a romantic vacation home?*
Bonnie rolled her eyes and passed the phone back to Tara. While that pair of villains were among the most interesting, she was tired of the 'are they or aren't they?' that Stoppable kept spinning to keep interest in the blog.
"Well?" whispered Tara, and Bonnie looked at her while keeping one eye on Mr. Barkin. "What do you think?"
"I don't think it matters where they do it?" Bonnie whispered back.
"They're totally a couple!" Tara said with a small giggle, scrolling through the other posts on the blog.
Bonnie shook her head and looked down at her math book again, feeling like she might be able to focus at last. As she finally began writing figures on the paper to solve the first word problem, she realized she'd wasted most of homeroom and hadn't heard even a word of Mr. Barkin's lecture. She tried to tune into it as she wrote, ignoring the giggles off to her right and the grin of her cheer co-captain a few rows ahead.
It was bad enough she had to watch Kim and Ron making out in the hallway. The last thing she needed was to think about happy villain couples too, when she couldn't hardly remember the last time she'd had Brick's arm around her.
----------------------
"And five, six, seven, eight and aerial...three...down...V...and left, right, left, right and to-the-base!" Kim called out the beats of the cheer routine, watching with arms crossed in front of the bleachers.
Bonnie, up in front and with the mirrored role to Kim's, had the most difficult steps and was trying to complete her moves while also listening to Kim's commands to the rest of the squad for her timing. It was going well, exactly like she'd practiced in her bedroom the night before. They had collaborated on this routine and were sure it could win the next competition, but of course, they all had to start somewhere in learning it.
As she felt sweat beginning to form on her brow she remembered the competition last year, when Brick had sat in the front row cheering her on. She'd gotten a major thrill bragging about him to the girls from other squads, who had all been envious of her gorgeous, all-American boyfriend.
"And liberty...to scorpion... Bonnie!"
Bonnie felt the weight shift from Tara below who was her base, and realized she'd failed to shift into the scorpion pose. Which meant when Hope next to her, standing in for Kim, had nowhere to place her foot for the next move when their feet were supposed to touch. She watched in a mixture of annoyance, fear, and embarrassment as Hope went down despite Crystal's efforts, and she quickly lost balance too, landing in a forward lunge when her feet finally hit the gym floor.
When she righted herself she found every member of the squad staring at her. It wasn't often she found herself in this position, as it was usually her leading the glares toward Kim who was often distracted by her 'missions' and more recently, her steady boyfriend.
The heat came to Bonnie's cheeks and she crossed her arms and turned away with a frown.
"I didn't have the balance for scorpion, it would have been worse if I'd tried," she said by way of excuse.
"Maybe if you'd lose a few pounds," Tanzy said not entirely under her breath, earning a few gasps from the long-time members of the squad.
"Why, you—!"
"O-kay," Kim said with authority. "Bonnie, let's swap. You call the routine and I'll hop in."
Bonnie was torn in that moment between arguing that she wouldn't mess up again and taking the pass and actually watching the routine as she called it. She wanted to watch it again anyway, but she was uncertain in the moment which was the less embarrassing of the two options.
As Kim raised a questioning and slightly impatient brow in her direction, she rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Fine, get up there."
Bonnie watched as Hope and Jessica swapped places, Jessica being Bonnie's stand-in as Hope was Kim's. Then when everyone was back in place in the starting positions, she began calling the counts and moves.
She was glad she'd made that choice, because she had no choice but to focus and for at least the rest of practice, Brick didn't enter her mind at all. Not even when they had played the music and she and Kim had both operated in their regular positions. She hated to admit it, but they were a good team as co-captains.
It wasn't until later after showering in the locker room and waiting for Tara to finish fixing her hair that Bonnie began to dwell on the situation with Brick again. She was also worried that he might have sent her another message while her phone was at home, somewhere on her bedroom floor. What if he had tried to call, and her lack of response made him think she was ignoring him? What if he'd wanted her to call right after school, or after cheer practice?
"What's wrong, Bonnie?"
Bonnie startled from her thoughts and realized her brow had been twisted in so much worry, that it hurt. She uncrossed her arms and pushed off of the wall in the girl's locker room where she'd been leaning.
"Nothing, you ready to go?" she asked Tara, who was fluffing her golden, wavy hair.
"You bet! I can't wait to see your gown! And guess what, the boutique left me a voicemail during practice. Mine came in today too!"
"Yeah that's great. I need to run home first, that all right?"
"Oh...sure, what for?" Tara asked, hurrying behind Bonnie who had slung her backpack on her back and started out of the locker room.
"For my phone," Bonnie answered somewhat impatiently.
"Ohhh right... Do you think Brick might have messaged you?"
Bonnie felt that pang in her chest again and increased her pace. She had confided to Tara about her missing phone, but hadn't fully admitted her fears that Brick was losing interest in her.
"Maybe. He usually waits for me to reply, unless he's asking for homework help."
Tara continued talking, but Bonnie barely listened until they reached her convertible in the parking lot. They tossed their backpacks in the trunk and then Bonnie sat heavily in the driver's seat with a sigh. The fall earlier during practice, though she had landed fine, had definitely been a shock to her system.
"Bonnie?"
"Hmm?"
"I said, do you think the hot pink will be too much?"
"I've been telling you for years to let go of the green."
"Well it's a kind of a—"
"Never-mind, I'll see it when we get there," Bonnie said as she started the car.
She stared straight ahead, ignoring the concerned and confused look she knew Tara was giving her. She grabbed her sunglasses off the car's sun visor and hid her eyes behind them.
She couldn't focus on the conversation about gowns with the possibility of a missed call from Brick swirling around in her head. Not to mention the sudden increased concern that her gown wouldn't fit after Tanzy's comment at practice.
Back in the locker room she had direly wanted to ask Kim if she had gained weight, knowing the red-head would be honest, but she hadn't. Now she wanted to ask Tara, but she wasn't sure if her friend wouldn't sugar-coat the answer just to please her.
Bonnie flipped the radio station to pop, Tara's favorite, and gave her a half-smile that seemed to assuage any concerns her friend may have had. She turned the music up higher to avoid any possibility of conversation and drove the familiar route back home, unable to deny the anxiety now coursing through her as the promise of getting to her phone was near.
----------------------
Bonnie parked her car near the house after driving perhaps too quickly up her family's long driveway, if Tara's slightly startled expression was any indication. She kept her sunglasses on to hide her slightly guilty expression as she grabbed her backpack from the trunk and hurried up the steps.
"If my sibs aren't around you can help yourself to anything in the fridge," Bonnie called over her shoulder as Tara hurried behind her.
She didn't feel like stopping at Bueno Nacho or anywhere else on the way to the boutique, but it had definitely been too long since lunch.
The house, gratefully, seemed empty when they went inside, and Bonnie nodded toward the fridge before heading down the hall to her room. It was just a quick stop for her phone and a snack before they would head back to try on their gowns.
In her room, Bonnie took her planner and the books for that night's homework out of her backpack and placed them on her desk, knowing she might forget otherwise after ballet later that night. She glanced at her watch as she dropped her backpack and began calculating how much time she would have, and then frowned. There was really only time to try on the dresses, make the final payment if they fit, and then drive Tara home. Then she would barely make it home through rush hour traffic in time for the family dinner, and then she would have to hurry off to ballet.
She wouldn't be able to start her homework until after eight thirty that night. Or call Brick.
A quick search of the room revealed her phone on the floor near the barre, and she flipped it open to find six missed text messages. Two were from Tara that morning, the second of which asking why she wasn't answering texts. Bonnie rolled her eyes.
She cringed at the text from Kim asking why she was late for practice, and it was with dismay she saw that the other three were from Liz, Crystal, and Hope. Brick hadn't sent any other messages, and there were no missed calls.
Bonnie put the phone in the hip pocket of her overalls, frowning at the discomfort it gave her since the older garment was slightly too snug.
'Or maybe you've just put on a few pounds...'
She shook that thought from her head as she fished in her backpack for her wallet. She glanced at the math book at the top of the pile of homework on her desk and frowned at the memory of turning in an incomplete paper earlier that day, and then she looked up at the mirror. Her hair was more limp for the rigor of cheer practice, but there wasn't time to do anything with it.
Bonnie chose a teal purse from the several she had hanging behind her door and shouldered it after putting her phone and wallet inside. She hurried back to the kitchen where she found Tara eating a pudding cup.
"Those are Jonny's," Bonnie commented, knowing her brother would be upset. Not that she cared... She just knew she would probably take the heat for it.
"Oh, sorry," Tara said with a small giggle as she licked the butterscotch from her lips.
Bonnie opened the fridge and after a sad perusal, she grabbed one of her brother's pudding cups too. She plopped down on the bar stool next to Tara and opened the cup, staring blankly at the cabinets opposite as she dug her spoon in.
"...Did Brick call?" Tara asked after a moment of silence.
"No," Bonnie said, then spooning a larger bite into her mouth. While she could no longer ignore the growing concern that Brick was losing interest in her, she still didn't want to talk about it. Because if Brick was in fact losing interest...she didn't want to think forward to what would come after that conversation.
"Ryan left me a message during practice," Tara commented.
Bonnie nodded approvingly as she licked her spoon.
"Status."
"But he was always trying to cop a feel," Tara continued with a frown.
Bonnie smirked. "And you care?"
Tara's frown deepened.
"Right, I get it. You're waiting for 'love'," Bonnie said, drawing out the last word sarcastically.
"So are you," Tara retorted, "unless something's changed?"
"Nothing's changed," Bonnie said, glancing back at the cabinets and letting her vision blur as she took another bite.
"Look, I like making out but Ryan just doesn't understand where the line is," Tara said thoughtfully.
Bonnie silently ate her pudding as she thought about her physical relationship with Brick. He was a good kisser, and she always felt a sense of pride curled up under his arm, whether they were at the movies or at a party after a game. He'd never given her any indications he wanted more, so they'd never talked about it. But what if...that was part of why he was losing interest now? Had he met someone else who gave him more?
Bonnie considered their on-again, off-again relationship over the past three and a half years. It was always she who had broken up with him when they were 'off,' due to his lack of attention or some rude comment he had made. She'd always just assumed he would be there when she had cooled down, and he was. Even the time he'd seemed interested in Kim during sophomore year, she hadn't worried, because she knew he wasn't Kim's type.
'Her loss!'
As she thought about it further, she realized that the last few times they'd broken up...she couldn't remember Brick protesting. Or even seeming that upset. Or...happy when she'd declared they were back together.
The pang in her chest turned to a swirling unease in her stomach, and she glanced to the side to see that Tara had just finished her pudding. She grabbed the small plastic cup and spoon out her hands, earning a surprised squeak, and carried them and her own unfinished pudding around to the sink where she dropped the spoons in and then tossed the pudding cups in the trash.
"Come on," Bonnie said abruptly, shifting her purse to her other shoulder. It had been on the one with the overall strap, and she realized the garment was a bit uncomfortable over her shoulder after all.
"What'd I say?" Tara questioned. "Look, I'm over that Ryan is a celebrity... Jason's never tried to push the boundaries, and that matters more to me."
"Fine, whatever," Bonnie said as she headed back out the door. "Long as he's got the cash."
"We go out," Tara defended her own on-and-off boyfriend.
"To places other than Bueno Nacho?" Bonnie accused as they got back into the car.
"Yes," Tara said emphatically, sounding almost hurt. "And he even told me he'll take me to Chez Couteaux before homecoming."
"How do you know he's not gonna turn out like Ryan did?" Bonnie retorted as she started the car.
"Bonnie!"
"Just saying," Bonnie responded with a shrug and a frown.
She turned the music back on as she backed the car out of the driveway. The conversation had only increased her worries about Brick to the point she didn't even bother denying them anymore. What if that was the reason he was distant from her? What if he had in fact found someone else who was more the kind of girl he wanted?
What...what was the kind of girl Brick wanted? Bonnie felt the uneasy feeling in her stomach intensify as she suddenly worried that she wasn't it...
----------------------
"I've been telling you for years Tara, jewel tones," Bonnie said, watching Tara look uncertainly at the gown she wore that in Bonnie's opinion was a dream come true.
Tara's choice that year was a dark hot pink strapless mermaid gown, satin until the mermaid flare at the bottom where the material was tulle. The bust was covered in tiny rhinestones that faded away down the bodice, which Bonnie thought were a great compliment to her figure.
"Are you sure?"
"Sometimes your favorite colors just aren't ones you can wear," Bonnie said, leaning back on the bench and crossing her legs again. "With your hair, eyes, and complexion... Jewel tones, Tara."
Tara's expression brightened at Bonnie's reassurance, though her brow still showed uncertainty.
"Look, it's perfect. Just take it off and I'll put mine on," Bonnie said, rising from the bench and moving into the adjacent fitting room. She quickly divested herself of her shoes, overalls, and tank top and then carefully removed her gown from its hanger.
As she stepped into the dress and slipped the straps up over her shoulders, she felt a comfortable, familiar confidence settle over her that she'd lacked that day—the confidence of looking good.
She zipped up the black dress and adjusted the raspberry colored chiffon sash at the waist which folded and had a panel that draped down the front nearly to the floor. The dress had two high slits up each side and a deep V-neck, with straps that thinned over the shoulders. She smiled as she mentally pictured the way it would look with her hair and makeup done to perfection, and black heels to match. Ruby earrings would complete the look...
She straightened up in front of the fitting room mirror as a vision entered her mind of Brick standing at her side wearing a black tuxedo, with a cummerbund and bow-tie to match her sash. They would have to be dyed of course, along with roses for the corsages, but there was still plenty of time.
The excitement that had bubbled up in her chest at how great she and Brick would look walking into the homecoming dance together burst suddenly as all of her insecurities about their relationship suddenly came back. She felt in her purse for her phone and after pulling it out flipped it open. There had been no messages or missed calls in the time she and Tara and been out so far.
She turned to face the mirror again, posed and grinned, and then moved her phone around in one hand trying to get the best angle and also capture the entire dress. It took three tries, but she finally got an image she was okay with and sent it in a message to Brick.
*Match everything to the sash.*
As she looked at the image once more before pushing send she felt her confidence returning. She was the hottest girl at Middleton High, and Brick had never looked at anyone else in the almost three years they had been together. She had nothing to worry about.
She sent the text, put her phone back in her purse, and then exited the fitting room. Tara was dressed in her school clothes again and seated on the bench Bonnie had previously occupied, her folded hands atop the knee of her crossed leg which she was swinging as she smiled and waited patiently. When she focused her attention on Bonnie, her mouth fell open in a gasp.
"Oh, Bonnie that's gorgeous!"
"I know. Doesn't it just scream 'me'?" she said with a grin, slowly spinning and then striking a pose.
"It's perfect!"
"Like I said. Me."
Just then, a wolf-whistle startled them and drew both of their attentions to where about ten feet away a vaguely familiar red-headed teen boy stood. Bonnie realized in a moment it was one of their classmates, but she wasn't entirely sure of his name. She couldn't recall ever actually speaking to him.
"Smokin'!" he said, giving her a thumbs up and a grin that revealed less than perfect teeth.
Bonnie recoiled in mild disgust, though she couldn't argue with the compliment.
"Yeah, way too hot for you," Bonnie said in retort. She meant it derisively, but the look Tara gave her made her wonder if it had accidentally come off as flirty.
The guy continued looking her over without any pretense, and Bonnie racked her brain for his name. All she could really recall about him was that his tired, baggy eyes were always staring at a computer screen and that he had never once been in gym class.
"So, got a date for the homecoming dance?" he asked, his look becoming practically lascivious.
The boy's name finally registered in Bonnie's mind.
"Uh, yeah. And if you come with twenty feet of me at the dance Reiger, I'll tell my boyfriend Brick that you asked me out."
Ronald Reiger seemed to snap out of his hormone-motivated stupor, but it didn't last long as a devious smirk returned to his face.
"I didn't think Flagg liked his babes with so much junk in the trunk. But I sure do," Reiger said, wagging his eyebrows knowingly.
Bonnie sputtered incoherently for a moment before a shrill scream left her throat. Every face in the boutique suddenly turned to look at her, and Bonnie's face reddened in both anger and embarrassment as Reiger left the store laughing.
Bonnie's hands were clenched in fists at her sides as she seethed, the conversation already replaying in her mind. So focused was she on the horrible things Reiger had said, that she didn't notice Tara had been speaking to her until she felt her friend's hand on her shoulder.
"He never even goes to the dances. Just ignore him."
Bonnie took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but she still felt the sting of embarrassment as multiple eyes continued to watch her.
"Tara," she began, not liking how pathetic her voice sounded, "have I gained weight?"
"No! If anything you're slimmer," Tara said, her usual happy-go-lucky smile back on her face.
"Really?" Bonnie asked, starting to straighten up from the hunch she'd not realized she'd fallen into.
"Oh yeah. You look great! Especially in the varsity cheer uniform. You rock it!"
Bonnie looked straight into Tara's eyes and saw the sincerity; she wasn't just trying to butter her up.
She pushed her hair back and fought the twisting of emotions in her chest, glancing away when she finally said a quiet, "Thanks."
"Besides, Reiger's been crushing on you since middle school," Tara continued thoughtfully, "but I've never seen him with anyone. He's probably got his own issues."
Bonnie looked up in surprise. "Since middle school!?"
Tara looked confused. "Yeah. I thought you knew."
"Ew! No, that's the first time I've ever acknowledged that loser's existence!"
Tara looked confused again. "Don't you remember he asked you to dance in seventh grade, at the welcome back dance?"
Bonnie blinked at her. "I thought you said he never goes to dances."
"Not since that one. He asked you to dance and you said no."
Bonnie searched her memory, but all she could recall of that first dance in seventh grade was how hot she had looked in her black and white leopard print skirt and hot pink blouse with the matching collar.
"Ugh, let's just pay for the gowns and get out of here before some other loser shows up."
"Hey," Tara said, and Bonnie felt a hand on her shoulder again, "this was fun. We barely hang out anymore. I'm glad we could fit this in."
"Yeah," Bonnie said with a quick smile before hurrying back into her fitting room.
As she changed back into her crop top and overalls she thought about Tara's words. It was true, they hadn't been hanging out as much since Tara had finally given up on that loser Stoppable part-way through junior year. Once she had stopped pining over him she found she enjoyed dating around, which meant less time for friends. And of course, varsity cheer took up more of both of their free time. They hardly saw each other outside of school activities anymore.
Bonnie considered the things in her own life that were keeping her busy. Ballet was four nights a week now that she was in the highest level, and for the past month she had spent all of her free time...worrying about Brick's diminishing communication. They had only been out on a date once in the last three weeks, but she realized she had been purposely keeping her evenings free just in case he wanted to see her. He was only going to the University of Lowerton after all, so it wasn't that far a drive.
But he hadn't mentioned going out once since their last date. He only responded to her messages, and barely at that...
Bonnie scowled as her mood soured again, but she didn't let it impact her carefully hanging the gown back on its hanger. The boost she had gotten from trying it on had already faded, and she was eager to get home so she could hopefully have a chance to call Brick in between dinner and ballet. A glance at her phone showed he hadn't replied to her message with the photo of the dress.
The overall strap on her shoulder was suddenly bothering her, and after a very brief moment she unhooked it and let the bib fall fully down and the strap down her back, a moment later looping both straps through the belt loops on the garment so they wouldn't flop too much. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror she reconsidered the decision for a moment, noting just how much of her midriff was showing due to the high crop top and how low the overalls fell. But she shook her head and shouldered her purse and turned away from her reflection. Because despite herself, she couldn't even distract herself thinking about Tara's compliment because she was no longer able to hide the worry in her eyes.
----------------------
Bonnie shut off the car and then sank low into the leather seat, exhausted as she stared at the reflection of the golden sunset off her dash. She ran her mind back over the day's events, each recollection interrupted by the harsh, stabbing worry about Brick's text.
She felt a small measure of calm as she remembered how Tara had leaned down into the car to hug her when she had dropped her off at her home. Her friend had thanked her for a fun afternoon and promised to see her the next day with her usual bright smile and wave as she left.
Why couldn't Brick be more like Tara? Bonnie never had to worry that Tara wouldn't answer a text, or be less than honest about their friendship. If Tara was upset about something, Bonnie knew it in a moment from the look on her friend's face.
She also realized with sudden guilt, which she quickly shoved down, that she wasn't always quick to make amends when she and Tara got into disagreements. And yet, Tara...was still there.
She forced away the strange swirl of emotions in her chest and turned her thoughts to Brick again. Had she done something to upset him, and that's why he was distant? He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and he had always been extremely easy-going in high school. It was one of the things she liked about him actually... He did whatever she wanted, and she got to show off her man candy wherever she went.
She startled suddenly, her eyes seeking something to focus on as too many realizations hit her all at once. Could Brick be avoiding her because she only treated him like a tool? And...since when did she no longer want that with him, and want to be treated like an actual girlfriend?
Her mind was racing for answers, and when she looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror she saw the truth in her own eyes. She had wanted more for a long time, but hadn't been giving Brick anything to let him know that.
Another strange mix of emotions hit her as she fought against the revelation she had just had. She didn't need a relationship. She didn't need to give and take, or to care about someone else's needs. Winners didn't need other people, after all.
Even as her head spoke the defiant thoughts, an image of Tara's smile and the memory of her hug before they parted that evening flew across her mind's eye. She sighed and slumped back in the seat again.
Who was she kidding?
She grimaced as she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Brick had said to call her... It was time to put herself out of her misery and stop living in a high school fantasy. If she really did...want more...she would have to give more.
She pressed the speed dial with an ironic grimace and held the phone to her ear. It connected after four rings.
"Hello?" He sounded confused, which made her stomach twist in unease.
"Hey Brick, baby," she greeted with a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh, hey," was the response in his usual smooth tone, but it was lacking the smile behind it.
"Did you get the photo of my gown?" she asked, avoiding any more difficult topic for the moment.
"Yeah, it's smokin'!" he said, and Bonnie felt some of the unease leave as she heard the smile in his voice. She also recalled that Ron Reiger had used that exact term to describe the dress, and her face fell.
"Do you need me to send you the address of the boutique to get your cummerbund and bow-tie dyed?" she continued in a hurry.
"Yeah about that..."
Bonnie felt her throat constrict and immediately tried to calm her breathing. Before she could speak, Brick continued.
"I don't think we should see each other anymore."
Bonnie's chest heaved as her breaths came more quickly.
"What... You...you...are breaking up with me?" Bonnie sputtered. They weren't the words she wanted to say, but they were the ones that came out.
"Yeah... So no hard feelings," Brick said. It sounded final, and Bonnie gripped her phone hard as she leaned forward in a panic.
"Wait! Can...can we talk about this?" she stammered.
"Talk...?" Brick sounded confused by the suggestion.
"Yeah, like...like...why?"
"Oh, well... I feel like since I went to college we've...grown apart?" Brick answered, still sounding confused. "And like...we didn't really know each other that well anyway."
"What do you mean?" Bonnie gasped, her instincts taking over again. "We talked almost every day for three years, we went out all the time, I even hung out at your house with your lame-o family!" Bonnie cringed at the instinctive insult she'd given and hurriedly backpedaled. "I mean..."
"Yeah, and like...that's just it," Brick continued in the voice she knew so well, sounding much more himself. "We did all those things and I don't...really know you."
Bonnie blinked several times, fighting the onset of tears. Her mind was a jumble of searching for excuses and counter-arguments, as well as the distracting interruptions of how she basically been treating Tara exactly the same way she had treated Brick.
"Well...then let's get to know each other," she finally said. She looked in the rear-view mirror at her stricken expression, and then her eyes fell to the reflection of the short crop top she was wearing. "And like...if you come over Saturday, my parents won't be home all weekend."
She had lowered her tone on the last, hoping to sound seductive. Her heart raced for fear with the implication she had just given him. That wasn't what she really wanted, but she was desperate.
"No thanks... It's just not gonna work between us. I'm sorry, but...it's over."
Bonnie clutched the phone tighter, breathing into the receiver as no words came while tears filled her eyes. A moment later the line disconnected, and she let a sob escape her lips as she listened to the dead air at the other end of the line.
She closed the phone and dropped it back in her purse, then wiping the tears from her eyes.
'Winners don't cry, winners don't cry...'
She tried desperately to force the tears away, but as she replayed the conversation with Brick in her mind they kept coming. She turned her gaze upward as she grabbed a tissue from the box in her center console, but she didn't dry her eyes yet.
The resounding finality of Brick's statement, 'it's over,' kept looping in her mind and causing a torment of indecision. There was a part of her that wanted to call him back and fight to keep him. She even wondered if driving to Lowerton for a salacious meeting would change his mind after all.
That idea made her heart pound in anxiety, and she recalled her earlier conversation with Tara. It wasn't what she wanted... But...she still wanted Brick.
She dried her eyes, and on that thought she shouldered her purse, and then carefully took her plastic-wrapped homecoming gown out of the trunk of the car. The sudden realization that she had no date for the dance started the tears anew, but she didn't stop and headed for the house.
'Winners don't quit...'
When she walked inside, the telltale sounds of quiet conversation told her that her family had already started dinner. She wiped her eyes once more with her free hand and held the gown up so that when she passed through the kitchen it would detract attention from her.
"Bonnie..." was the disappointed greeting from her mother when she turned the corner. Bonnie held the gown up higher.
"Sorry, I had to take Tara home. Her gown came in too."
"Ugh, why do you hang out with such fashion rejects..." Lonnie said.
Bonnie didn't even make eye contact. "For your information she got a hot pink dress this time. And even if she does need a little help with fashion, at least she's a real friend."
"Since when do you have real friends?" Connie said with a giggle.
"Girls," their father admonished.
"Bon-Bon, what are you wearing?" her mother asked, noticing her attire despite the gown she was holding up to block their view.
Jonny leaned forward on his elbows with a smirk and raised his eyebrows, and the three sisters glared at him.
"Gross!" they all said in unison.
"Just looking to see if she actually grew a pair or if it's still just socks," Jonny said.
"Like you've ever seen real ones," Lonnie countered.
"Right back at ya, Sis'," Jonny snickered.
"Ugh!"
"Like you've ever seen more than two brain cells," Connie continued the argument.
"Bonnie, surely you had something you could have worn a bra with..." her mother continued over the adult children's argument.
"I had the overall bib up all day," Bonnie said with a slight scoff, and then added in a mutter, "well, half of it."
Her slight embarrassment and annoyance with her family was overriding the hurt of losing Brick, for at least the present moment, and she hurried down the hall to her room to hang up her gown. After she had done so she leaned on her desk with a heavy sigh, staring down at the mountain of homework.
She looked up at herself in the mirror. Her face wasn't as puffy as she feared, and she hurried down the hall to the bathroom to wash off the tear stains. She made the mistake of replaying the conversation with Brick in her head again as she did so, and her tears flowed again. She permitted herself a few whimpering sobs this time, in hopes that doing so would help purge some of the emotional turmoil and let her get on with the evening.
A harsh knock at the door startled her, and she hurriedly splashed more water onto her face and added some soap to clean off her ruined makeup. She'd gone to ballet without it before, though she hadn't in awhile.
"Just a minute!" she called more loudly than was necessary.
"Take a chill pill, Bonnie," came her brother's mocking voice.
Bonnie felt a renewed embarrassment and annoyance about his earlier comments and scowled as she turned off the faucet and dried her face.
"There are other toilets in this house where you can sit and play video games, you know," she retorted.
"Yeah but I'll be bothered in those," he said matter-of-factly.
Bonnie checked her face again and after hanging the towel she opened the door with a sharp jerk.
"Whoa, fan the flame, Bon-Bon!"
"Don't call me that," she bit back as she stalked past him and back down the hall.
She listened to his snickering and the closing of the door as he escaped the family dinner for at least awhile, and she began changing for ballet. As she did so she told herself she wasn't going to think about Brick anymore. She could easily get a hot date for homecoming, and she could start work on that the very next day. All she needed to worry about for the rest of that night was dinner, ballet, and homework, in that order.
She forced her mind to think about the difficult routine she was going to need to rehearse that evening as she put on her pink tights, black leotard, and ballet slippers. After that she stood in front of the mirror, already feeling more composed for how elegant she looked in the attire that spoke of over a decade of hard work. The word 'regal' even crossed her mind as she pulled her hair up into a French twist.
She considered going back to dinner in just her ballet outfit, but considering Jonny's comments she threw on a baggy teal Club Banana logo t-shirt over her leotard. And then after checking that her pointe shoes were in her ballet bag, she dropped her purse inside and zipped the bag up and headed back out to face her family.
"Bonnie, you missed almost all of dinner," was her mother's sad greeting when she re-entered the kitchen.
Bonnie dropped her bag behind her chair and then grabbed a plate to serve herself some food.
"It was a busy day," she said, again more harshly than was warranted. She swallowed guiltily when her father looked at her over the rims of his glasses.
"Connie was just telling us about the seismology research project she's working on in college," her father said as he cleared his throat.
"Yeah," Lonnie interrupted, "and if we keep listening to it we're not going to have time to talk about my date tonight."
Bonnie noticed her bottle-blonde sister's attire for the first time—a too-tight strapless periwinkle mini-dress, with a sparkling crystal necklace and earrings to match. Her makeup was also overdone, which wasn't atypical.
"So who's this one?" Bonnie asked boredly, moving her spoon through the pasta salad as she sat at the table with her family.
As Lonnie described her 'hot date' who worked for a modeling agency, Bonnie's thoughts instantly drifted to her lack of a date for the homecoming dance, and then beyond. She considered her sister who dated anyone who might be able to give her a jump-start into a film or modeling career. Lonnie didn't seem interested in a serious relationship...
Bonnie realized all of a sudden that she herself was. She couldn't do what her sister did. And while she didn't yet know what she wanted to do after high school (another worrying thought that she would bury until she had no choice) she knew she didn't want to date guy after guy... She had never really enjoyed that. Which meant that apparently...she wanted something steady.
"Bonnie?"
She re-focused as she realized she was being spoken to—it was her turn to share about her day.
"Well I got my gown, not that anyone noticed," she began.
"It's lovely, dear," her mother said.
Bonnie tried not to frown at the aged-sounding appellation.
"Thank you, Mom," she said, tossing a glare at her sisters. "We also made a lot of progress on the cheer routine for regionals. It's too fussy, like all of Kim's routines, but I've got to admit...it'll be pretty cool when we've got it down."
"Have you given us that date for our calendars, Bonnie?" her father asked without looking up from his meal.
"Yes. And the ballet. And the homecoming game, and the dance so you don't schedule anything over it."
"Will Brick be taking you to the dance?"
Bonnie felt her entire frame tense, but she forced her face to calm and took a swallow of her food to both give herself a moment to compose herself and to force down the lump rising in her throat.
"No, he's busy," she lied easily. "Besides, I'll be voted homecoming queen so I should go with whoever is voted king."
"You? Queen?" Connie said, and she and Lonnie began to snicker. The sound of Jonny's deeper voice joining theirs was the family's cue that he had returned from his 'bathroom break' and Bonnie glared at all of her siblings in turn as her brother retook his seat.
"Well of course it will be me. Who else could it be?" Bonnie asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms indignantly.
"Probably that red-haired babe you can't get along with, what's her name?" Jonny asked.
"Ugh, that fashion don't dating the biggest loser in the school? As if!"
"Check the facts, Bonnie, she's a world-famous hero and she was on the cover of every fashion magazine that mattered two years ago," Connie said.
"Yeah. Don't you remember when we all wore Kim-style?" Lonnie added.
Bonnie scowled and let her frustration out in a growl. "That was before she had a loser boyfriend, though."
"Are people treating her any differently?" her father cut in.
Bonnie blinked as she considered. People had always liked Kim Possible, ever since middle school when they had met. And that had never changed. Kim wasn't part of the 'in-crowd' or any crowd really, but everyone still liked her and she was—Bonnie mentally groaned—friendly to everyone. And nothing at all had changed since she'd started dating her long-time dweeb of a best friend.
"No," Bonnie admitted.
"Probably gonna be her then," Jonny said, between two large bites. "She's a babe."
Bonnie's face felt hot in a mixture of embarrassment and rage as she saw her sisters nodding in agreement, but she said nothing. To argue would only reveal a weakness on her part.
"Whatever. I'm going to ballet," Bonnie said, dropping her spoon and reaching behind her for her bag.
"But Bon-Bon, you just got home," her mother protested.
"Yeah, and the performance is in two weeks! I want the extra warm up time. I'll see you later," she said over her shoulder as she departed.
She tuned out the continued protests and snippy comments from her siblings as she left the house and hurried down the dimly lit sidewalk to her car. The sun had set and the air had begun to cool, but it had a different feel than that of the morning chill. The morning had felt fresh, almost hopeful, and like she could take on the world. This chill was a descending weight, and felt like it would sap every last ounce of her strength.
Bonnie put up the roof of her convertible as suddenly every conversation she'd had that day began playing through her mind. And try as she might, she wasn't able to stop them.
The blaring of the radio on her drive to the theater couldn't stop them, nor could attempting to distract herself thinking about the challenging steps she would need to complete in the rehearsal that night. Instead, she heard a chaotic chorus of voices that seemed bent on the goal of severing every last thread of what made her...Bonnie.
----------------------
The voices continued throughout her warm-up stretches, and through the initial routine that Mlle. Catriona had the dancers perform in the warm-up room. Bonnie uncharacteristically stood in the back, t-shirt on as she moved mechanically through the familiar steps.
"You mean they actually found a dress to fit that shape?"
"Maybe if you'd lose a few pounds."
"I didn't think Flagg liked his babes with so much junk in the trunk."
Bonnie barely heard the accompaniment of the bright piano rhythms, so loud were the day's memories. Was she actually gaining weight? Was that why Brick had really lost interest in her?
"If anything, you're slimmer."
The recollection of Tara's words didn't do much to calm her fear that she might in fact be heavier. She looked at her distant reflection in the mirror from the back row of dancers, and then started to look around at her peers. She was definitely more shapely than the rest, but...she wasn't overweight; she was just the atypical curvy ballerina, in comparison. Still...she was suddenly glad she'd kept her t-shirt on.
Bonnie focused on Tara's encouragement and let that carry her through the rest of the warm-up until the class moved to the main stage to begin rehearsal of scenes for the upcoming performance of Swan Lake. An unusual self-consciousness hit her as she pulled off her t-shirt after tying on her pointe shoes, but she shook it off and held her head high. She had earned the principal role in the ballet and clearly, her weight wasn't an issue to her teacher or the director.
Across the stage, Matteo, who played the principal male role opposite to hers, grinned and waved at her. She smirked and waved back. Matteo was a winner like she was, and they worked well together. She had been very pleased when learning he had been cast in the role of the prince.
"I don't think we should see each other anymore."
Brick's words over the phone suddenly came back to her like the stab of a knife, and her smirk dissolved. She saw the confusion on Matteo's face, but she glanced away and half-listened as Mlle. Catriona gave some last minute direction before they would begin rehearsal of the pas de deux that ended Act III. Thankfully, she had no feeling that she might cry at this recollection. But the crushing weight and pain of loss were still strong, such that she realized suddenly she had placed a lot more value on the relationship with Brick than she had previously thought.
The rehearsal piano began again, and Bonnie began moving through the practiced steps.
"We did all those things and I don't really know you."
The memory of Brick's explanation for the break-up sent another stab of pain through her chest. How could he say he didn't know her? He knew her class schedule, and all of her extracurriculars...
Her thoughts stopped suddenly as she realized that Brick was right. They didn't...really know each other. They knew their schedules, what kinds of movies they liked, and the local school gossip, and that they both understood athletic discipline. But otherwise...
Bonnie swallowed nervously as she considered the boy—young man—who had taken seven years to graduate high school that she had dated on and off for three years. Brick Flagg...was hot. That was it. She didn't really know much about who he was. That suddenly concerned her as she looked around at the other dancers on the stage. Some of them she knew more about than even the girls on the cheer squad. Yes, with the cheerleaders she could gossip. But the ballerinas talked more about real life—their jobs, their plans for after high school, their families... Some were even already in college.
Bonnie moved to the wings of the stage, catching her breath as the coda of the dance approached. Matteo's leaps were majestic, and Bonnie smiled as she watched the fellow athlete who was very attractive—just not in the bulky way that most appealed to her—and who she realized she also knew better than she knew Brick. She didn't even know what Brick was studying... But Matteo was preparing to audition for the New York Ballet. And as a hobby, he did woodworking.
She had no idea what Brick's hobbies were, or if he even had any.
"It's over."
There was a greater finality as she replayed Brick's words in her mind again, and it was with great annoyance she realized the tears were beginning to flow. She almost missed her cue as the piano changed, but she set her jaw and held her head high as she retook the stage.
She found her mark and set up for the fouettes. She had managed twenty-seven the last time and was hoping to make it an even twenty eight this time. She heard the anacrusis of the music and began to spin, executing the practiced technique with skill. But as she spun, blurred images of faces watching her suddenly brought the fears back to her mind.
Was she too heavy? Did the turns look awkward as a result? Did the other ballerinas gossip about her when she wasn't there, the way she gossiped about each cheerleader in turn when they weren't around?
"Since when do you have real friends?"
The memory pushed her out of the intense focus that her spin required, and with a small cry, Bonnie fell out of her eleventh fouette. She quickly moved back to the mark and resumed, not wanting to stop because it would only bring more negative attention. She caught just a glimpse of surprised faces and heard gasps over the piano before she resumed the turns, counting them even though there was no point in her desperate search for distraction.
She may have overheard the other dancers talking about their lives over the years...but she didn't really tell them about her own. They weren't her friends anymore than anyone at school was.
As she finished the last fouette—twenty-one—she posed and smiled confidently despite the tear rolling down her cheek. She didn't look at Matteo as she passed him while he began his solo.
"You? Queen?"
Her siblings were right. Who would vote for her anyway? She talked badly about those she called 'friends' to everyone, and she didn't even acknowledge people like Reiger who had been in her class since middle school. She had started faltering in cheer practice, which never happened. And now she was even failing as the star of the ballet.
It was with this swirl of dark thoughts that she began the final sequence with Matteo, who broke character to give her a concerned look as her tears continued to flow. When finally the piano held the last chord Bonnie smirked as her character required, and posed while breathing through her teeth, trying to calm down.
"Are you okay?" Matteo asked quietly through the small wave of applause their fellow students gave.
Bonnie held her smile and allowed the eye contact, which only had the tears flowing more.
The moment the music stopped and the director began giving commentary, Bonnie interrupted with a hurried, "Excuse me," as she began rushing from the stage. The murmurs that followed made her feel sick, and none more than one of the other girls commenting: "Maybe she's going to call Brick."
----------------------
The rest of the rehearsal had gone better. Bonnie had dried her tears and shoved the emotions away with her mantra of 'winners don't cry' and had channeled all of her focus and energy into making up for the earlier mistake and emotional slip. People acting differently toward her the rest of the night had only driven her further, and while she might not have given the most artistic performance, technically, she was flawless.
She had left the theater with that small measure of control giving her a touch of strength, and she maintained that feeling for the entire drive home. But once she had parked in the darkened driveway and saw fewer lights on in her family's home, she felt the roiling of emotions start to return.
She shouldered her ballet bag and silently moved up the walk to the house, hoping that everyone had retired to their respective hobbies for the evening. And Lonnie of course was on a date and wouldn't be home for hours. All Bonnie wanted to do was take a shower and forget the horrible day.
Thankfully, she moved quietly enough that her brother—playing video games on the big screen now, since her parents had gone to bed early due to their flight the next day—was unaware of her presence. And as she passed by Connie's room, she heard her older sister gossiping on the phone.
When Bonnie closed her own bedroom door she felt a huge relief come over her at the same time a weight fell. She barely had the strength to pull her purse out of her ballet bag, and her phone of that before dropping the former on the floor and flopping on the bed with the latter.
She let herself rest for just a moment, her muscles tired from their exertion throughout the day and night, and then she sat up intending to get ready for a shower. But her gaze fell upon the stack of books and homework on her desk.
"Unghh..." she groaned aloud, flopping down on her bed again and dropping her forearm over her eyes and plunging her vision into darkness. She began mentally calculating how long it would take to shower and then tallying how many assignments she had due the next day.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a buzz from her phone which was still on silent from rehearsal. She flipped it open, her chest constricting at the thought it might be Brick.
It wasn't.
It was just a silly update from Stoppable's blog. Bonnie sneered in annoyance and almost dropped the phone, when she saw a comment alert pop up on the new post. It was Tara.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she opened up the post to actually read it.
*Drakken and Shego seen dining casually at Croutons. Is it a business meeting or a romantic interlude?*
Bonnie felt a pang as she looked at the photo that Stoppable or someone had snapped of the villain duo... Was Stoppable actually following them for this silly obsession?
She scrolled down to read Tara's comment which was full of emoticons and hearts, enthusiastic about the growing evidence that the pair might be romantically involved. The pang Bonnie felt before grew stronger. Even the villains that Possible fought were going to find their happy ending. While her relationship-which-wasn't had just ended.
With a heavy sigh and a few yawns, Bonnie changed into her pajamas and decided to forego the shower for the evening. It would only make her more tired, and she had a couple of hours of homework at least. And it was already past nine o' clock.
She moved to her desk and sat down, arranging her books in the order in which she wanted to tackle the assignments. Another buzz from her phone caught her attention, and she glanced at it to see that a debate had sprung up on Stoppable's blog about the blue and green-skinned villains. It seemed even Kim was weighing in, in favor of the two being together, which thrilled Tara.
Bonnie considered her friend again, who she'd given so little time to throughout senior year. And who despite that and her general careless and casual treatment of her...was perhaps the only real friend she had.
An emotional tug of war began within Bonnie then, which she finally ceded to as she flipped to her messages and typed a quick text to Tara.
*Thanks for coming with me today. I'm going to be up late finishing homework if you want to join me in snore-ville.*
She sent the text and felt the emotions in her chest start to calm. She looked in the mirror and sighed as she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.
'Winners never quit.'
Her phone began buzzing with the notification of a call. On the screen was Tara's name, and Bonnie smiled.
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Days Later...
Bonnie stood on the football field and adjusted her black skirt, knowing she looked perfect, but unable to get Kim's and Monique's words out of her head. So strong was the swirl of nerves building in her stomach that she completely missed Tara's wave of encouragement from the sidelines.
"In case you didn't notice, now Kim is the one dating the star of the football team."
"Ron has broken more school records than Brick ever did."
Bonnie's siblings had been right... In the days that had followed her picking up her gown from the store with Tara, all the buzz around school was that Kim was the one slated to win the title. Bonnie tried to tell herself she didn't care, but the buzz had been equally clear: Ron Stoppable was expected to win king.
Bonnie tried to ignore what that would mean for her. Still dateless, humiliated, and no longer the center of attention...anywhere. The senior table in the cafeteria was meaningless, since they were all seniors. And the only people who cared anyway were brainless jocks, as it turned out. She was an equal with Kim on the cheer squad, but since they had taken roles as co-captains it was becoming very clear who was in fact more skilled between them at the sport, and it wasn't Bonnie. She was even slipping in ballet, and still wondered if her curves and weight might be an issue. And of course, ever since Kim had...saved the world...from those Bueno Nacho toys, everyone treated the red-head exactly like who she was: a hero.
While Bonnie herself was ignored and forgotten.
Soon Mr. Barkin would announce Kim and Ron as the Middleton High homecoming king and queen, and they would get even more attention. While for the remainder of Bonnie's senior year she would fade into obscurity. But without all of the things that cheer and ballet and Brick's status had brought to her...was she still a winner? Who...who was she?
"This year we replaced our old-fashioned paper ballots with our own state of the art electronic voting system, which snagged second place for Ron Reiger in the Tri-City science fair."
Bonnie absorbed Mr. Barkin's words and in a flash an idea struck her about how to get her identity back.
Ron Reiger was seated near the sideline with his whatever-device that everyone had used to vote for king and queen. Bonnie ran out of the row of nominees into Reiger's line of sight, who looked at her with the same leer he had back at the boutique. It turned her stomach, but Bonnie ignored it to give him a flirty smile and a 'call me' gesture. Reiger's leer grew, and after giving her a knowing smile he typed something into his device and a new paper printed out.
Bonnie sighed in nervous satisfaction as she hurried back to her place near Kim. She might not be the best cheerleader. She might not even be the best ballerina or best student anymore. She might have lost her boyfriend. She might be...all alone... But she was going to be homecoming queen. And once she was, she could start getting her identity back.
Because Bonnie Rockwaller was a winner, and she always would be.
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jeromevalseka · 3 years
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coming back from my hiatus to inflict a fic i wrote 2 years ago on all of you :) i found it while sorting through old wips and was like...huh, i may have been on to something..........
Jonathan was at Bruce's house because apparently that was something they were doing now. He didn't mind, not really, but—and he would never admit this, even on pain of death—he wasn't the best at making friends. Or keeping them. He usually just hung around with Jerome or Jervis, hiding out under the bleachers to smoke stolen Camels, perpetually trapped in a play-act of high school delinquency. Which was—whatever. He was beyond caring about things like that. 
Bruce Wayne, though—
Bruce Wayne wasn't the type of person that Jonathan would have ever imagined himself becoming friends with. Study partners. Co-dependent acquaintances. 
Jonathan was not the usual type of person to be swept into his orbit. They were not—and he could not emphasize this point enough—in similar social groups. On every level, except physical, they did not even exist in the same world. 
And that was fine.
Bruce surrounded himself with the Tommy Elliot’s and Silver St. Cloud’s of the world. Pretty, vapid things that probably considered visiting a trap house an adventure and drove to school in Tesla’s. (There was no probably about it, actually. Jonathan knew Silver St. Cloud drove a Tesla because earlier in the year she ran over his bike with her shitty, energy-efficient, crime against humanity of a car.)
Bruce got along with his teachers. He had a special handshake with Principal Essen. He was inevitably going to end up being Prom King when the time came. He was an honor-roll student with enough extracurriculars to make Jonathan's head spin and, as far as he could tell, he had enough admirers at his beck-and-call that there was no reason he had to stoop to inviting Jonathan over to his mega-mcmansion to watch a movie.
It wasn't like they hung out. They were partners on a chemistry project once, and their study session had quickly been derailed by an impromptu lesson in shotgunning—which was a completely normal and natural thing to happen. Like, sure. Maybe Jonathan had been a teensy bit curious as to whether straight-laced golden boy Bruce Wayne would actually smoke with him, and maybe he was in over his head before he’d even grabbed his zippo, but, c’mon. He was only human. 
It wasn’t like anything world-shaking had happened.
(He tried, valiantly, not to think about how cold Bruce’s hands had been or the weight of him sitting on his legs or the way he looked, breathing out smoke: eyes lidded, pupils blown. He tried, most of all, not to think about how soft his mouth was. It was a losing battle.) 
So, they'd been partners once. Months ago. And then, again, in Leob's English class when they had to write a paper together a few weeks after the chemistry project. And, okay, maybe Bruce had started smiling at him in the hallways as if that was something he was allowed to do. And, maybe, Bruce had started spending a few days out of each week hanging around in Jonathan's threadbare bedroom pretending like he was charmed; pretending like he couldn’t buy everything to Jonathan’s name three-times over with just his lunch money. 
They were friendly. That was all. 
(Only that didn't really feel right to him. Something about the idea of it—of them—being nothing but a series of stomach-twisting accidents make his mouth go dry and ashy. He wasn't superstitious. He’d long given up the urge to want things; long resigned himself to the kind of disappointment that blooms ugly and rotten, and sinks like a stone in a stomach; disappointment that clings and chafes and oozes open like a burst blister with each little hurt—but every moment he spent with Bruce—every eye roll and bumped knee and shared song—made his chest well up with—with wanting. Bruce Wayne made Jonathan want. He made him burn-up. He made him dream. It was terrible—pinpricks beneath his nails—it ate away at him. He hated it. He hated it, and—)
He broke out of his thoughts, then. Bruce had a way of catching his attention.
Case in point:
A throw pillow worth more than his college savings slammed into his cheek.
It lacked Bruce’s usual subtlety. When he turned, instinctively, towards the direction of the throw, he found Bruce already wrapped tightly in a garish orange-and-blue quilt, lounging on his sofa with the air of a world-weary prince. He was too much—Bruce was—in ever conceivable way, by every possible count. Looking at him set his teeth on edge. His fingers twitched, hidden by ratty sleeves. Little prince, little prince...
Jonathan moved to sit beside him. He swung the throw pillow at his head in retribution. He felt like he was having a sugar rush. 
Jonathan was never a fan of sweet things. He elbowed Bruce in the side: sharp, straight to the ribs. Jonathan was never a sweet thing, himself. 
Neither was Bruce. He reached out and yanked down on a clump of Jonathan’s hair. “Don’t be an asshole.”
“Don’t pull my hair,” Jonathan said, twisting away, aiming for Bruce’s ribs once again. Bruce let go, only to pinch at his cheek instead, pressing the skin hard between his thumb and forefinger. He hissed, “What are you? Five?”
“You’re such a baby,” Bruce said, letting go of his cheek, smoothing his thumb over the space he’d pinched. “An asshole baby.”
"Can't help what I am," Jonathan said, barely resisting the urge pass his thumb over the spot Bruce had just touched. "What’s the problem? You want me to change? Be nicer? That’s a slippery slope, you know. First, it’s don’t be an asshole, Jonny, then it’s cut your hair, Jonny; donate to the orphans, Jonny. Where does it end?”
Bruce kicked at his shin. “I’d hate to speak for every orphan, but I think most of us could care less about your charity.”
“You say that now—”
“And I’d never ask you to cut your hair. It suits you.”
They suddenly felt too close, sitting on the couch as they were. “Spend a lot of time thinking about what suits me, baby?”
"Ha,” Bruce said, his expression odd. ”I spend more time thinking about what doesn't, hotshot.” 
That wasn’t a denial. That was, probably, as close to the opposite of a denial as Bruce would give. Something rabbited nervously in his chest. "Well you can’t leave me hanging, now. You gotta tell me what else you like about me or I’ll think your just making shit up." 
"I like,” Bruce stressed the word, “to think back to when you were too nervous to be this annoying.” There wasn’t any real bite to it, but whatever strange, tenuous thing hung between them fizzled away. Jonathan couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or not. "Tommy's half-convinced that you're secretly mute, you know? You just—loom around without saying anything. And Ivy thinks that you’re the brains behind all the shit that Jerome stirs."
Jonathan hadn't known that Bruce and Ivy Pepper were close enough to warrant them gossiping about him. Though, to be fair, he also hadn’t known that Bruce was talking to people about him, at all. Which. Huh. Bruce was talking to people about him. His sugar rush came back, full force. He felt dizzy with it. 
"As if I could convince Jerome to do anything.” His mouth felt very dry. "Remember when he filled all of Strange's desk drawers with fish?"
Bruce made a face, but laughed anyways. "The lab room smelled like something died in it for weeks. You're telling me that wasn't your idea?"
"Disappointed?"
"Mm," he hummed, eyes crinkled up at the sides, looking cozy and warm and a world away. "Any chance you’ll give me Jerome’s number? Want to put a good word in for me?"
And there it was. So it went. Give and take. Push and pull. Push until the air fissured, pull until Bruce drew his line in the proverbial sand. Every time. 
Speech seemed to have suddenly fled him. He elbowed Bruce instead, hard enough for Bruce to roll his eyes and nudge his thigh with his foot, a lazy smile settling on his face.
"I'm kidding." He said, and his voice was warm. He shifted a bit in his cocoon of blankets so that his legs were suddenly in Jonathan’s lap and their shoulder’s were pressed against each other; Bruce a solid, warm line against him. His hair brushed over Jonathan’s cheek while he settled down, and if Jonathan moved his arm just so he could feel his heartbeat. This was the reason Jonathan kept wanting. This was the reason Bruce was too much—as a concept, as a person, as the sliver of whatever that he cast off to jab into Jonathan— 
 He felt as if he’d touched a live-wire, though he imagined that might have hurt less. Bruce was still talking, “I already have his number, anyways.”
“You want to date Jerome?” Jonathan asked, stomach turning inexplicably. 
Bruce choked, coughed, and then, in a hoarse, panicked voice, asked, “What? Date Jerome? No. What the—No. Just—no.” 
His teeth still hurt. His hands were shaking, hidden in his sleeves. He wished he was back home, wrapped in his own ratty comforter. He wished...Well. It didn’t matter what he wished, in the end. “Sorry for asking.”
He could feel Bruce staring at him, something doe-soft about the look his eyes, but he couldn’t face him—could only bear to keep him in his peripherals. “I don’t want to date Jerome,” he said, after a long moment, steady and firm. “I want...” He could see him wet his lips, take a breath, and continue, “I want to watch this movie. With you.”
"Good thing I'm here then," Jonathan said, something ugly welling up in his chest. He held it. He let it go. 
"Yeah," Bruce said, grabbing the remote with a frown. "Good thing." 
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tkmedia · 3 years
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NHL Expansion Draft 2021: Full list of players available for Seattle Kraken
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The NHL announced the protected lists for the 30 teams involved in the NHL Expansion Draft. (Vegas is exempt.) With the names of those protected come the guys who could be snatched up by the Seattle Kraken. There are a number of big names that have everyone trying to figure out just what general manager Ron Francis will do. Will he take Canadiens netminder, and future Hall of Famer, Carey Price and his hefty cap hit? Is Vladimir Tarasenko the sniper he needs or is his health a big question mark? There's also a number of guys who would fit in nicely but are free agents and the chances of signing them are not high (i.e. Alex Ovechkin).  EXPANSION DRAFT: Date, time, rules & more for Seattle Kraken team selectionRegardless of what Francis, coach Dave Hakstrol and Co. end up doing, there's a good chance the Kraken will be a playoff contender in just their first season. For now, let the intrigue and the guessing WWRFD (that's: what will Ron Francis do?) begin. Here's a look at every player they can pick.
List of players made available by all 30 NHL teams
Anaheim DucksAndrew Agozzino (F) David Backes (F) Sam Carrick (F) Chase De Leo (F) Ryan Getzlaf (F) Derek Grant (F) Danton Heinen (F) Adam Henrique (F) Vinni Lettieri (F) Sonny Milano (F) Andrew Poturalski (F) Carter Rowney (F) Nick Sorensen (F) Alexander Volkov (F) Trevor Carrick (D) Haydn Fleury (D) Brendan Guhle (D) Jacob Larsson (D) Josh Mahura (D) Kevin Shattenkirk (D) Andy Welinski (D) Ryan Miller (G) Anthony Stolarz (G)Arizona CoyotesDerick Brassard (F) Michael Bunting (F) Brayden Burke (F) Michael Chaput (F) Hudson Fasching (F) Christian Fischer (F) Frederik Gauthier (F) John Hayden (F) Dryden Hunt (F) Andrew Ladd (F) Lane Pederson (F) Tyler Pitlick (F) Blake Speers (F) Tyler Steenbergen (F) Jason Demers (D) Cam Dineen (D) Alex Goligoski (D) Jordan Gross (D) Niklas Hjalmarsson (D) Ilya Lyubushkin (D) Dysin Mayo (D) Aaron Ness (D) Jordan Oesterle (D) Vili Saarijarvi (D) Josef Korenar (G) Marek Langhamer (G) Antti Raanta (G)Boston BruinsAnton Blidh (F) Paul Carey (F) Peter Cehlarik (F) Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (F) Taylor Hall (F) Cameron Hughes (F) Ondrej Kase (F) Alex Khokhlachev (F) Joona Koppanen (F) David Krejci (F) Karson Kuhlman (F) Sean Kuraly (F) Curtis Lazar (F) Greg McKegg (F) Nick Ritchie (F) Zach Senyshyn (F) Chris Wagner (F) Linus Arnesson (D) Connor Clifton (D) Steven Kampfer (D) Jeremy Lauzon (D) Kevan Miller (D) John Moore (D) Mike Reilly (D) Jarred Tinordi (D) Jakub Zboril (D) Callum Booth (G) Jaroslav Halak (G) Tuukka Rask (G)Buffalo SabresDrake Caggiula (F) Jean-Sebastien Dea (F) Cody Eakin (F) Steven Fogarty (F) Zemgus Girgensons (F) Andrew Oglevie (F) Kyle Okposo (F) Tobias Rieder (F) Riley Sheahan (F) Jeff Skinner (F) C.J. Smith (F) Will Borgen (D) Brandon Davidson (D) Matt Irwin (D) Jake McCabe (D) Colin Miller (D) Casey Nelson (D) Michael Houser (G) Carter Hutton (G) Dustin Tokarski (G)Calgary FlamesByron Froese (F) Glenn Gawdin (F) Justin Kirkland (F) Josh Leivo (F) Milan Lucic (F) Joakim Nordstrom (F) Matthew Phillips (F) Zac Rinaldo (F) Brett Ritchie (F) Buddy Robinson (F) Derek Ryan (F) Dominik Simon (F) Mark Giordano (D) Oliver Kylington (D) Nikita Nesterov (D) Alexander Petrovic (D) Michael Stone (D) Louis Domingue (G) Tyler Parsons (G)Carolina HurricanesMorgan Geekie (F) Steven Lorentz (F) Jordan Martinook (F) Max McCormick (F) Brock McGinn (F) Nino Niederreiter (F) Cedric Paquette (F) Sheldon Rempal (F) Drew Shore (F) Spencer Smallman (F) Jake Bean (D) Jake Gardiner (D) Eric Gelinas (D) Jani Hakanpaa (D) Dougie Hamilton (D) Maxime Lajoie (D) Roland McKeown (D) Joakim Ryan (D) David Warsofsky (D) Antoine Bibeau (G) Jeremy Helvig (G) Petr Mrazek (G) James Reimer (G) Dylan Wells (G)Chicago BlackhawksRyan Carpenter (F) Brett Connolly (F) Josh Dickinson (F) Adam Gaudette (F) Vinnie Hinostroza (F) Brandon Pirri (F) John Quenneville (F) Zack Smith (F) Calvin de Haan (D) Anton Lindholm (D) Nikita Zadorov (D) Collin Delia (G) Malcolm Subban (G)Colorado AvalancheTravis Barron (F) Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (F) Matt Calvert (F) J.T. Compher (F) Joonas Donskoi (F) Sheldon Dries (F) Vladislav Kamenev (F) Gabriel Landeskog (F) Ty Lewis (F) Jayson Megna (F) Liam O'Brien (F) Brandon Saad (F) Miikka Salomaki (F) Kiefer Sherwood (F) Carl Soderberg (F) T.J. Tynan (F) Mike Vecchione (F) Kyle Burroughs (D) Dennis Gilbert (D) Erik Johnson (D) Jacob MacDonald (D) Patrik Nemeth (D) Dan Renouf (D) Devan Dubnyk (G) Jonas Johansson (G) Hunter Miska (G)Columbus Blue JacketsZac Dalpe (F) Max Domi (F) Nathan Gerbe (F) Mikhail Grigorenko (F) Ryan MacInnis (F) Stefan Matteau (F) Cliff Pu (F) Kole Sherwood (F) Kevin Stenlund (F) Calvin Thurkauf (F) Daniel Zaar (F) Gavin Bayreuther (D) Gabriel Carlsson (D) Adam Clendening (D) Michael Del Zotto (D) Scott Harrington (D) Dean Kukan (D) Cameron Johnson (G)Dallas StarsNick Caamano (F) Andrew Cogliano (F) Blake Comeau (F) Justin Dowling (F) Tanner Kero (F) Joel L'Esperance (F) Adam Mascherin (F) Matej Stransky (F) Taylor Fedun (D) Ben Gleason (D) Joel Hanley (D) Niklas Hansson (D) Julius Honka (D) Jamie Oleksiak (D) Mark Pysyk (D) Andrej Sekera (D) Sami Vatanen (D) Ben Bishop (G) Landon Bow (G) Colton Point (G)Detroit Red WingsRiley Barber (F) Kyle Criscuolo (F) Turner Elson (F) Valtteri Filppula (F) Sam Gagner (F) Luke Glendening (F) Darren Helm (F) Taro Hirose (F) Vladislav Namestnikov (F) Frans Nielsen (F) Bobby Ryan (F) Evgeny Svechnikov (F) Dominic Turgeon (F) Hayden Verbeek (F) Alex Biega (D) Dennis Cholowski (D) Danny DeKeyser (D) Christian Djoos (D) Joe Hicketts (D) Dylan McIlrath (D) Marc Staal (D) Troy Stecher (D) Jonathan Bernier (G) Kevin Boyle (G) Kaden Fulcher (G) Calvin Pickard (G)EXPANSION DRAFT: Full list of players protected by all 30 teamsEdmonton OilersTyler Benson (F) Alex Chiasson (F) Adam Cracknell (F) Tyler Ennis (F) Joseph Gambardella (F) Seth Griffith (F) Dominik Kahun (F) Jujhar Khaira (F) Cooper Marody (F) James Neal (F) Alan Quine (F) Patrick Russell (F) Devin Shore (F) Anton Slepyshev (F) Kyle Turris (F) Bogdan Yakimov (F) Tyson Barrie (D) Oscar Klefbom (D) Slater Koekkoek (D) Dmitry Kulikov (D) William Lagesson (D) Adam Larsson (D) Kris Russell (D) Mikko Koskinen (G) Mike Smith (G) Alex Stalock (G)DUNCAN KEITH: Oilers add three-time Stanley Cup championFlorida PanthersNoel Acciari (F) Patrick Bajkov (F) Juho Lammikko (F) Ryan Lomberg (F) Brad Morrison (F) Aleksi Saarela (F) Frank Vatrano (F) Lucas Wallmark (F) Alex Wennberg (F) Scott Wilson (F) Lucas Carlsson (D) Kevin Connauton (D) Tommy Cross (D) Radko Gudas (D) Noah Juulsen (D) Brady Keeper (D) Brandon Montour (D) Markus Nutivaara (D) Ethan Prow (D) Anton Stralman (D) Philippe Desrosiers (G) Chris Driedger (G) Sam Montembeault (G)Los Angeles KingsAndreas Athanasiou (F) Michael Eyssimont (F) Martin Frk (F) Carl Grundstrom (F) Bokondji Imama (F) Brendan Lemieux (F) Blake Lizotte (F) Matt Luff (F) Drake Rymsha (F) Austin Wagner (F) Mark Alt (D) Daniel Brickley (D) Kale Clague (D) Olli Maatta (D) Kurtis MacDermid (D) Jacob Moverare (D) Austin Strand (D) Christian Wolanin (D) Troy Grosenick (G) Jonathan Quick (G)Minnesota WildWilliam Bitten (F) Nick Bjugstad (F) Nick Bonino (F) Joseph Cramarossa (F) Gabriel Dumont (F) Marcus Johansson (F) Luke Johnson (F) Victor Rask (F) Kyle Rau (F) Mason Shaw (F) Dmitry Sokolov (F) Matt Bartkowski (D) Louie Belpedio (D) Ian Cole (D) Brad Hunt (D) Ian McCoshen (D) Brennan Menell (D) Dakota Mermis (D) Carson Soucy (D) Andrew Hammond (G) Kaapo Kahkonen (G)Montreal CanadiensBrandon Baddock (F) Joseph Blandisi (F) Paul Byron (F) Phillip Danault (F) Laurent Dauphin (F) Jonathan Drouin (F) Michael Frolik (F) Charles Hudon (F) Corey Perry (F) Michael Pezzetta (F) Eric Staal (F) Tomas Tatar (F) Lukas Vejdemo (F) Jordan Weal (F) Cale Fleury (D) Erik Gustafsson (D) Brett Kulak (D) Jon Merrill (D) Gustav Olofsson (D) Xavier Ouellet (D) Shea Weber (D) Charlie Lindgren (G) Michael McNiven (G) Carey Price (G)Nashville PredatorsMichael Carcone (F) Nick Cousins (F) Matt Duchene (F) Mikael Granlund (F) Rocco Grimaldi (F) Erik Haula (F) Calle Jarnkrok (F) Ryan Johansen (F) Sean Malone (F) Michael McCarron (F) Rem Pitlick (F) Anthony Richard (F) Brad Richardson (F) Colton Sissons (F) Yakov Trenin (F) Frederic Allard (D) Matt Benning (D) Mark Borowiecki (D) Erik Gudbranson (D) Ben Harpur (D) Josh Healey (D) Tyler Lewington (D) Connor Ingram (G) Kasimir Kaskisuo (G) Pekka Rinne (G)New Jersey DevilsNathan Bastian (F) Christoph Bertschy (F) Brandon Gignac (F) A.J. Greer (F) Andreas Johnsson (F) Ivan Khomutov (F) Nicholas Merkley (F) Brett Seney (F) Ben Street (F) Marian Studenic (F) Will Butcher (D) Connor Carrick (D) Josh Jacobs (D) Ryan Murray (D) David Quenneville (D) Colby Sissons (D) P.K. Subban (D) Matt Tennyson (D) Colton White (D) Evan Cormier (G) Aaron Dell (G) Scott Wedgewood (G)New York IslandersJosh Bailey (F) Cole Bardreau (F) Kieffer Bellows (F) Casey Cizikas (F) Austin Czarnik (F) Michael Dal Colle (F) Jordan Eberle (F) Tanner Fritz (F) Joshua Ho-Sang (F) Ross Johnston (F) Otto Koivula (F) Leo Komarov (F) Kyle Palmieri (F) Richard Panik (F) Dmytro Timashov (F) Travis Zajac (F) Sebastian Aho (D) Braydon Coburn (D) Andy Greene (D) Thomas Hickey (D) Mitchell Vande Sompel (D) Parker Wotherspoon (D) Ken Appleby (G) Cory Schneider (G)New York RangersColin Blackwell (F) Jonny Brodzinski (F) Phillip Di Giuseppe (F) Gabriel Fontaine (F) Julien Gauthier (F) Tim Gettinger (F) Barclay Goodrow (F) Anthony Greco (F) Ty Ronning (F) Anthony Bitetto (D) Brandon Crawley (D) Tony DeAngelo (D) Nick DeSimone (D) Mason Geertsen (D) Jack Johnson (D) Darren Raddysh (D) Brendan Smith (D) Keith Kinkaid (G)EXPANSION DRAFT FRENZY: Ryan Ellis, Jared McCann, Barclay Goodrow among players swapped before trade freezeOttawa SenatorsAvailable Vitaly Abramov (F) Michael Amadio (F) Artem Anisimov (F) J.C. Beaudin (F) Clark Bishop (F) Evgenii Dadonov (F) Jonathan Davidsson (F) Ryan Dzingel (F) Micheal Haley (F) Jack Kopacka (F) Zachary Magwood (F) Matthew Peca (F) Logan Shaw (F) Derek Stepan (F) Chris Tierney (F) Josh Brown (D) Cody Goloubef (D) Mikael Wikstrand (D) Joey Daccord (G) Anton Forsberg (G) Marcus Hogberg (G) Matt Murray (G)Philadelphia FlyersAndy Andreoff (F) Connor Bunnaman (F) David Kase (F) Pascal Laberge (F) Samuel Morin (F) German Rubtsov (F) Carsen Twarynski (F) James van Riemsdyk (F) Jakub Voracek (F) Mikhail Vorobyev (F) Chris Bigras (D) Justin Braun (D) Shayne Gostisbehere (D) Robert Hagg (D) Derrick Pouliot (D) Nate Prosser (D) Tyler Wotherspoon (D) Brian Elliott (G) Alex Lyon (G) Felix Sandstrom (G)Pittsburgh PenguinsPontus Aberg (F) Anthony Angello (F) Zach Aston-Reese (F) Josh Currie (F) Frederick Gaudreau (F) Mark Jankowski (F) Sam Lafferty (F) Sam Miletic (F) Evan Rodrigues (F) Colton Sceviour (F) Brandon Tanev (F) Jason Zucker (F) Cody Ceci (D) Kevin Czuczman (D) Mark Friedman (D) Jesper Lindgren (D) Andrey Pedan (D) Marcus Pettersson (D) Juuso Riikola (D) Chad Ruhwedel (D) Yannick Weber (D) Casey DeSmith (G) Maxime Lagace (G)San Jose SharksRyan Donato (F) Kurtis Gabriel (F) Dylan Gambrell (F) Jayden Halbgewachs (F) Maxim Letunov (F) Patrick Marleau (F) Matt Nieto (F) Marcus Sorensen (F) Alexander True (F) Christian Jaros (D) Nicolas Meloche (D) Jacob Middleton (D) Greg Pateryn (D) Radim Simek (D) Martin Jones (G)St. Louis BluesSam Anas (F) Sammy Blais (F) Tyler Bozak (F) Kyle Clifford (F) Jacob de la Rose (F) Mike Hoffman (F) Tanner Kaspick (F) Mackenzie MacEachern (F) Curtis McKenzie (F) Austin Poganski (F) Zach Sanford (F) Jaden Schwartz (F) Nolan Stevens (F) Vladimir Tarasenko (F) Nathan Walker (F) Robert Bortuzzo (D) Vince Dunn (D) Petteri Lindbohm (D) Niko Mikkola (D) Mitch Reinke (D) Steven Santini (D) Marco Scandella (D) Jake Walman (D) Evan Fitzpatrick (G) Jon Gillies (G) Ville Husso (G)Tampa Bay LightningAlex Barre-Boulet (F) Blake Coleman (F) Ross Colton (F) Yanni Gourde (F) Tyler Johnson (F) Mathieu Joseph (F) Boris Katchouk (F) Alex Killorn (F) Pat Maroon (F) Boo Nieves (F) Ondrej Palat (F) Taylor Raddysh (F) Gemel Smith (F) Otto Somppi (F) Mitchell Stephens (F) Daniel Walcott (F) Luke Witkowski (F) Andreas Borgman (D) Fredrik Claesson (D) Sean Day (D) Cal Foote (D) Brian Lashoff (D) Dominik Masin (D) Jan Rutta (D) David Savard (D) Luke Schenn (D) Ben Thomas (D) Christopher Gibson (G) Spencer Martin (G) Curtis McElhinney (G)MORE: Maroon fourth player to win three straight Stanley Cups with two different teamsToronto Maple LeafsAvailable Kenny Agostino (F) Joey Anderson (F) Adam Brooks (F) Pierre Engvall (F) Nick Foligno (F) Alex Galchenyuk (F) Zach Hyman (F) Alexander Kerfoot (F) Kalle Kossila (F) Denis Malgin (F) Jared McCann (F) Riley Nash (F) Stefan Noesen (F) Nic Petan (F) Scott Sabourin (F) Wayne Simmonds (F) Jason Spezza (F) Antti Suomela (F) Joe Thornton (F) Zach Bogosian (D) Travis Dermott (D) Ben Hutton (D) Martin Marincin (D) Calle Rosen (D) Frederik Andersen (G) Michael Hutchinson (G) David Rittich (G)Vancouver CanucksSven Baertschi (F) Justin Bailey (F) Jay Beagle (F) Travis Boyd (F) Loui Eriksson (F) Jonah Gadjovich (F) Tyler Graovac (F) Jayce Hawryluk (F) Matthew Highmore (F) Lukas Jasek (F) Kole Lind (F) Zack MacEwen (F) Petrus Palmu (F) Antoine Roussel (F) Brandon Sutter (F) Jimmy Vesey (F) Jake Virtanen (F) Madison Bowey (D) Guillaume Brisebois (D) Jalen Chatfield (D) Alexander Edler (D) Travis Hamonic (D) Brogan Rafferty (D) Ashton Sautner (D) Josh Teves (D) Braden Holtby (G)Washington CapitalsDaniel Carr (F) Nic Dowd (F) Shane Gersich (F) Carl Hagelin (F) Garnet Hathaway (F) Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (F) Alex Ovechkin (F) Garrett Pilon (F) Brian Pinho (F) Michael Raffl (F) Michael Sgarbossa (F) Conor Sheary (F) Zdeno Chara (D) Brenden Dillon (D) Nick Jensen (D) Lucas Johansen (D) Michal Kempny (D) Paul LaDue (D) Cameron Schilling (D) Justin Schultz (D) Craig Anderson (G) Pheonix Copley (G) Zach Fucale (G) Vitek Vanecek (G)Winnipeg JetsMason Appleton (F) Marko Dano (F) Jansen Harkins (F) Trevor Lewis (F) Skyler McKenzie (F) Mathieu Perreault (F) Paul Stastny (F) CJ Suess (F) Nate Thompson (F) Dominic Toninato (F) Nathan Beaulieu (D) Jordie Benn (D) Dylan DeMelo (D) Derek Forbort (D) Luke Green (D) Sami Niku (D) Nelson Nogier (D) Tucker Poolman (D) Mikhail Berdin (G) Laurent Brossoit (G) Eric Comrie (G) Cole Kehler (G) Read the full article
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krinsbez · 4 years
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A proposal for a Worldbuilding Project: Super Pulp Heroes (Marvel + DC + Assorted Pulp Heroes)
Some years ago, DC released an imprint dubbed First Wave, a line of books that mixed classic Pulp Heroes (Doc Savage, the Spirit etc.) with modified versions of some of their pulpier superheroes, ala Batman, the Blackhawks, etc. This project is an attempt to do something similar, but incorporating Marvel characters, Said DC and Marvel characters would probably have to be tweaked a bit to fit a pulp-y tone. Our setting is, ala Batman: The Animated Series, a weird timeless mash-up; men wear hats, cars have sideboards, the sky is full of Zeppelins, but people have cell phones, cable news is a thing, and gay people have rights. The Big War ended within living memory, and another is brewing, with tensions in Europe and brushfire conflicts in Asia. Bold explorers uncover lost and hidden places and knowledge filled with wonder and horror. America's cities are rife with crime and corruption, the rich getting richer while the poor numb themselves with drugs, booze, and bigotry. And there are darker things brewing; strange cults worshipping stranger gods with rituals of blood and sacrifice, mad geniuses discarding ethics and sanity seeking to learn Things Man Was Not Meant to Know to satisfy their own egos or line their own pockets, uncaring of the damage done by the horrors they unleash. It is in this milieu that extraordinary men and women from every walk of life, are putting on masks, picking up weapons, and hitting the streets to do what the authorities cannot or will not, and protect the innocent.
A tentative list of characters to be included:
DC: Batman, Blackhawks, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Sandman, Crimson Avenger, Blue Beetle, the Question, John Constantine?, Zatara/Zatanna?, Challengers of the Unknown?, Adam Strange?, Jonah Hex? Slam Bradley? Travis Morgan: Warlord? King Faraday? Human Target? Swamp Thing? Jon Valor the Black Pirate?
(I’d like to include Tom Strong, but his whole “born with the new century” thing makes it tricky to make him work in a timeless setting)
Marvel: Blade, the Bloodstones, Ka-Zar, Jessica Jones, Shanna the She-Devil, Black Panther, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Shang Chi, Daughters of the Dragon, Punisher, Black Widow, Nick Fury, Blonde Phantom? Ferret? Golden Age Angel? Golden Age Black Widow? Jann of the Jungle? Agents of Atlas? Man-Thing? Red Sonja?
(I’d like to include the FF, but they’re too superhero to fit)
Pulp: Doc Savage, The Spirit, the Shadow, the Avenger, Rima the Jungle Girl, the Green Hornet, the Phantom, Mandrake, Airboy, Indiana Jones, the Rocketeer, Tarzan, Hellboy, Lobster Johnson, Atomic Robo, Tintin, Jonny Quest and Co., Alan Quatermain? Modesty Blaise? Black Bat? Green Turtle? Miss Fury? Remo Williams? Zorro?, the Lone Ranger?, The Men from U.N.C.L.E.? Steed and Mrs. Peel? Doctor Syn?, Terry Lee?, Scarlet Pimpernel? Operator No. 5?, Domino Lady? Captain Midnight?, Mack Bolan?, Shaft?, Coffy?, Sherlock Holmes? Sheena: Queen of the Jungle?, Flash Gordon?, G-8?, Buck Rogers?, John Carter?, Dick Tracy?, Captain Midnight?, Vampirella?, Athena Voltaire?, Lara Croft?, Conan?, the Spider?, Sam Spade?, the Continental Op? Philip Marlowe? James Bond? Prince Valiant?
I’m welcome to suggestions for additions
(Question marks are a combo of not sure if they're important enough to add, not sure if they fit, not sure I know enough about 'em to do 'em justice, or some combo thereof) 
I’ve got a bunch of questions and ideas for discussion I will present if anyone is interested, of which I will start with the following:
-Most of the characters can be squeezed into the timeless period relatively easily, but quite a few are tied to specific past or future eras, and I’m not sure what to do with them. One is to have multiple Timeless areas, so, say...the Lone Ranger, Sherlock Holmes, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, Jon Valor, Doctor Syn, Alan Quatermain and Tarzan all lived in the same era. Or that Adam Strange, Gullivar Jones, John Carter, Buck Rogers, and Flash Gordon can all interact.
-For purposes of encouraging interaction, I propose we do we away with fictionopolises so, say the Spirit and Green Hornet live in Chicago, not “Center City“, Batman and Black Canary live in New York, not “Gotham City“, etc.
-The enemy in the last war was Hydra. The people who are going to be the enemy in the next one are the Circle Trigonists. Alternately, the other way ‘round.
-Not sure how to make characters like Airboy who need the war to be happening RN to work. Also not sure to have both Hellboy and Lobster Johnson around at the same time.
-How do we want to distinguish Yellow Claw, Shiwan Khan, the Insidious Fu Manchu and any other Yellow Peril villains from each other?
-Speaking of, how do we deal with the fact that lots of these characters either are, or have associated with them, racist stereotypes?
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typingtess · 5 years
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Tiptoeing through the “Hail Mary” guest cast
Gerald McRaney as Retired Navy Admiral Hollace Kilbride McRaney returns from "Hit List" in season ten.  
Adam Kulbersh as David Conklin Played Ben Suarato the computer tech in Law & Order: SVU about 15-years ago, Gene Spector in Make It or Break It, Jeffrey Lloyd in Wake Up It's Tuesday, Aaron Mazur in Murder in the First, Ian Calloway in Dog with a Blog and Murray Fox in Better Things.
Was Alan Katzenbach in the "Need to Know" NCIS episode.
Guest starred in episodes of Third Watch, Hope & Faith, Jonny Zero, Blind Justice, How I Met Your Mother, Medium, Ugly Betty, Dirty Sexy Money, Desperate Housewives, Without A Trace, Monk, Victorious, Miami Medical, I'm with the Band, Modern Family, The Mentalist, Jesse, Castle, GCB, Common Law, The First Family, Suburgatory, The Middle, Bones, Kickin' It, Shameless, Marry Me, House of Lies, Rosewood, Major Crimes, Thundermen, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD and Young Sheldon.
Kulbersh had a cameo (he's the guy in the robe) in Daniela Ruah's season 11 renewal video. Kulbersh in the makeup chair.
Omar Maskati as Adnan Das Played Marwan in Tyrant, Omar in Better Call Saul, Martin Scott in Time After Time and Elias in Unbelievable.
Was in episodes of Blue Bloods, Believe, Person of Interest, The Good Wife, BrainDead, Bull, Broad City, Quantico, Kidding and The Resident.
Tony Mirrcandani as Vihaan Das Appeared in the episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Emily Owens MD, Criminal Minds, The First Family, The Spoils of Babylon, The Exceptionals, Bones, American Odyssey, The League and The OA.
Sohm Kapila as Noor Career began in England with guest roles in a number of British series.  U.S. work includes Jane the Virgin, Casual Madam Secretary, Crazy Ex=Girlfriend and Charmed (2019).
Entering the lot. Obligatory table read photo. Obligatory photo with LL Cool J.
Jessica Blackmore as Naval Intelligence Officer Jess Adams Appeared in a number of short films, TV movies and feature films.
K.T. Thangavelu as Cleaning Lady Guest roles include The District, Boston Public, Alias, Judging Amy, The Guardian, Six Feet Under, Monk, Hack, She Spies, The Shield, ER, Dragnet (2003), The Division, Crossing Jordan, Ghost Whisperer, Nip/Tuck, House, Shark, Invasion, What About Brian, Medium, Boston Legal, 24, Raines, Caveman, The Young & the Restless, The Practice, The Mentalist, Outsourced, Law & Order: LA, Wilfred, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mom, The Guest Book and This Is Us.
Adam Dunnells as Muscle A large man (played a football player in a Jimmy Kimmel Live sketch), Dunnells guest starred in episodes of American Horror Story, Numbers, Eleventh Hour, Star-ving, CSI: Miami, The Mentalist, No Ordinary Family, Big Time Rush, Workaholics, General Hospital, Bones, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, Blood Relatives, Aquarius, Days of Our Lives and Criminal Minds.
Written by: R. Scott Gemmill and Frank Military
R. Scott Gemmill wrote/cowrote “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “Breach”, “LD50”, “Found”, “Borderline”, “Absolution”, “Archangel”, “Tin Soldiers”, “Impostors”, “Cyberthreat”, “Honor”, “The Watchers” and both sides of the NCIS Los: Angeles/Hawaii Five-0 “Touch of Death” episodes, “Recruit”, “Free Ride”, “Wanted”, “Ravens and The Swans”, “Impact”, “War Cries”, both ends of the “Deep Trouble” season five finale/season six premiere, “Inelegant Heart”, “Praesidium”, “Traitor”, “Active Measures” (season seven premiere), “Blame It On Rio”, “Internal Affairs”, “Matryoshka” part one,  "Talion" (season seven finale), “High Value Target”/“Belly of the Beast” (season eight premieres), “The Queen’s Gambit”, “Under Siege”, “Unleashed” (season eight finale), “Party Crashers” (season nine’s premiere), “This Is What We Do” (episode 200), “Các Tù Nhân”, “Goodbye Vietnam”, “Ninguna Salida” (the season nine finale with Joe Sachs), “Hit List”, “Asesinos”, “Till Death Do Us Part”, “Choke Point” and "The Guardian".
That little ray of sunshine Frank Military wrote/co-wrote “Little Angels”, “Deliverance”, “Lockup”, “The Job”, “Greed”, “Betrayal”, “Crimeleon”, “Vengeance”, “Out of the Past” Part One, “Rude Awakenings” Part Two, season four’s finale “Descent”, season five’s premiere “Ascension”, “Allegiance”, “Spoils of War” (which he directed), “Black Budget”, SEAL Hunter”, “Rage” (which he directed), “Unspoken”, “Unlocked Mind”, “Revenge Deferred”, “The Seventh Child”, “Crazy Train”, “Uncaged” (which he directed), “The Silo”, “Monster”, “Line in the Sand” (which he directed), season ten opener “To Live and Die in Mexico” (which he directed), “The Patton Project”, “Better Angels” and season ten's finale "False Flag".
Directed by: Benny Boom who directed “Ghost Gun”, “767”, “Fool Me Twice” and "Pro Se".
This episode was the last one filmed in the spring before the summer hiatus.
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