#the reason team black and edward is a bit ahead
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Then Came You
A/N: This is my contribution to @cshistfic Historical Fic Event. This is my first time diving deep, just submerging myself into research to make sure I got my time period correct and I had a blast. Sometime I had too much fun and thankfully I had @spartanguard to push me off my high horse. Thank you @shireness-says for making this event and running it. Hopefully my entree is worthy enough. This fic is based in the 70’s and is inspired by Disney Pixar’s Cars. This may have up to 3 parts.
Summary: Rookie of the Year race car driver Killian Jones finds himself lost in a forgotten Storybrooke on his way to the finale race of the season. His world and perspective on what he wants gets turned upside down in the small town.
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Where the fuck am I?
was Killian Jones, famous race car driver, first thought as he woke up. Well, first thought after he got over the throbbing pain in his skull. He sat up to see he was laying in a cot. Taking in his immediate surroundings, he realized he was behind bars. His head fell into his hands.
How did I get here?
He recalled being at Pocono in the Piston Cup series finale. He was named Rookie of the Year and was set up to be the first one to win. His only real competition was Ernest “the King'' Triton, Atlantica’s golden boy, who was planning on this being his last season, and Edward Teach, the King's tail biter. They weren’t expecting Killian to come out of nowhere and take the season by storm.
He was set to win it all, ahead by half a lap, checkered flag insight when a tire blew. He struggled but was able to keep control of his car. He could feel his competitors gaining on him as he lost speed. Such events caused a three-way tie, set to be settled in a week in Daytona.
He remembered the interviews asking about him driving without a crew chief; he always had an issue taking orders. The King came walking up to him.
“My man, you are one bad racer. You got more talent in that famous smile of yours than half these dudes got in their whole body but you’re stupid. Let me give you the lowdown: this ain’t a one-man show, young blood. You need to wise up, get yourself a good crew chief and a good team. You ain’t gonna win unless you got stellar people behind you doing their jobs so you can keep being the slammin’ driver you are.”
He thanked him for the advice before they were made to get on stage for the press. That's when Edward Teach decided to try to psyche him out.
“Listen space cadet, that was some fab drifting today. By me. He he he. First one at Daytona gets Atlantica all to themselves. Catch my drift?”
Then he went looking for his team, only to find out from Smee, his truck driver, that he had to make a personal appearance over at his sponsor's tent—Arendelle Chocolates, run by sisters Elsa and Anna Arendelle, most famous for the Apollo Bar.
“A taste that’s out of this world!”
He desperately wanted to get away from his sponsor. He didn’t care for sweets and frankly found most disgusting. He entered the tent to find the other reason he didn’t care for his current sponsor: children all running around with their grubby hands. The sight made him squirm, but Smee reminded him they gave him his big break and it was in his contract. With those inspiring words, he put on a smile, made his way to his sponsor sisters, said a few words that had the tent roaring in cheers before he said goodbye.
“Killian, that was stellar! We are so proud to call you our driver!”
“And we are looking forward to another fab year!”
“Don’t drive like my sister!”
“Yeah, don't drive like my sister!”
He and his crew got on the road not long after that. His crew were in the truck along with his car while he drove just behind them. While his crew pulled off to get some rest, he kept going to be the first at Daytona. But he kept nodding off and got lost.
He remembered pulling out his map to try and find out where he was. He tried to keep his car steady while trying to make out what his map said by moonlight, when he heard sirens. Looking up, he saw the lights of a town. Before he could think about pulling over the sirens were accompanied with sounds of loud popping. He assumed it was the officer firing at him. He tried to dodge the bullets but soon lost control of his car. He ran into quite a few things before gaining control again, only to get caught on something. He gunned it to get free, only to have his car spin out once he was. The last thing he remembered was something crashing into his driver side door effectively stopping his spin out and causing his head to slam into his window; then everything went black.
Groaning, he picked up his head taking another look around. He was on a cot, in a holding cell, in a dusty office. He was taking in the desks and filing cabinets, looking for signs of life, when he heard a voice.
“Well hi,” came an excited, high-pitched voice.
His head snapped back to one of the desks to see a boy he missed sitting just behind it.
“I was wondering when you were gonna wake up.”
Killians faced scrunched up, “What's going on? Why am I here?”
The boy laughed, “Like you don’t know. For being a spaz last night.”
“What's your name, lad?”
“Henry. What's your name?”
“You don’t know my name?” Killian asked, taken aback by the question.
“No; why should I know your name?”
“I’m Killian Jones.” He waited for the moptop boy to put the pieces together
“Killian Jones!” Henry shot up out of his seat as he exclaimed the name before falling back down. “Yeah, not ringing a bell.”
Killian furrowed his eyebrows, “Where am I?”
“Where are you? You’re in Storybrooke, the most rockin’ town on the Potomac River.”
Killian sighed, dropping his head, bringing his hand up rubbing at his forehead. “Great. Just great.”
“Well if you like this place, you should see the rest of the town.”
Killian picked up his head, looking at the brown-eyed boy and spied just behind him the keys to his cage. Focusing back on the boy, he smiled and stood up from his spot on the cot.
“You know, that's a brilliant idea. I’d love to see the rest of your town. If you just let me out of here, we could go cruisin’ the town.” Killian finished his thought as he came leaning against the bars.
“Golly! Really?” Henry sat up straighter with a bright smile that slowly turned into a smirk, “You think you can psyche me out. I’m ten, not stupid.”
“Henry!” a new voice shouted out.
In walked a man sporting a perm and mustache wearing a star at his hip.
“What have you been told about being in here with criminals?”
Henry sighed, “Not without supervision. But he was sleeping.”
The man crossed his arms, letting out a huff, “Well now he’s awake. Want to help me escort him to court?”
The next thing Killian knew, he was in chains and being placed in the back of a cop car. After a short ride, he was hauled out and guided into Town Hall where he was met with shouting and very angry townspeople. He was placed in a chair.
“Oi mate,” Killian looked up at the sheriff, “I gotta skitty. How long is this gonna take?”
The sheriff, Robin read his name tag, crossed his arms, “Do you have a lawyer?”
Killian scoffed, “Aye, but he's probably in Hawaii right now.”
“If the defendant doesn’t have representation, the court will assign one to him.” Robin turned to the crowd behind him bringing his fingers to his lips, letting out a shrieking whistle. “Anyone want to be his lawyer?”
The room went silent.
“I’ll do it,” a familiar voice broke the silence.
Killian turned to see the boy from before trotting up to the gate. Robin quirked an eyebrow at him.
“What? It's not hard.”
“Hmm, alright,” Robin agreed, letting the boy take the seat next to Killian.
Killian looked between the two before landing his gaze on the sheriff.
“Are you serious?”
“Well, our normal defense is at the vet after you clipped his dog last night,” Robin informed him before speaking to the room, “All rise! Honorable Judge Nolan presiding.”
Everyone stood as the sound of a door opening and closing was heard. Heavy footsteps rang out in the silence.
“I want to know who is responsible for wrecking my town. I want his ass on a silver platter. I’m gonna put him in jail until he rots. No, until the jail rots on top of him then I’ll put him in another jail and wait until that one rots. I—”
The man's rants came to a halt as he laid his eyes on the accused. “Get him out of here, sheriff. I want him out of my courtroom and out of my town. Case dismissed; charges dropped.”
Killian let out a breathy laugh, “Woah. You were a better lawyer than I thought, youngblood.”
“Sorry I’m late, Your Honor.”
Killian turned to see a stunning blonde woman come strutting in.
“Bloody hell,” Killian whispered under his breath. He thought the sheriff must’ve found his agent's number and gave him a call. This must be who they sent from his attorney’s office.
As she was walking by, Killian spoke up, “Hello, love. Thank you for coming but we are all set. He’s dropped the charges.”
She stopped and turned to him, her eyes darting to the boy next to him. “What?”
“Aye, we got off lucky. Now all we have to do is speed on down to Florida.”
“Please.”
“I get that a lot. I create feelings in people they themselves don't understand.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Right. Well I’m gonna go talk to the judge.”
“Whatever you gotta do, love. Do be careful though. These cats are a bit feral.”
She pursed her lips, nodding before turning her attention to the smiling child next to him, “Hi, Henry.”
“Hello.”
Killian looked at the boy before looking back at the blonde, who had turned to the crowd behind him.
“Morning everyone,” she called out, receiving greetings in response. She turned, eyeing Killian as she did, before she walked up to the judges stand who was intensely looking at his papers.
“David, you're looking well. Your sideburns are—”
“Forget it, Emma. I already dismissed the case,” he said, not looking up at her.
“He endangered most of the town and destroyed half of it. You can’t just let him go.”
“We are better off with him gone.”
Emma huffed, “Alright; you asked for it.”
Emma turned and addressed the room, “I move for an appeal. Robin, if you will help me escort the accused to the Mayor.”
Robin assisted Killian out of the chair. They followed the woman down the hall and up the stairs. Killian would protest but the walk was giving him a great view of the blonde’s ass.
As they came to a door labeled Mayor, Robin leaned over and whispered to Killian, “May the mayor have mercy on your soul.”
Before Killian could question or even look at the man he was being ushered into a black and white room.
“Ms. Swan, why are you barging into my office?” A woman sitting behind the desk in the middle of the office asked, not bothering to look up at the intruders.
“Judge Nolan ruled to dismiss the charges against our drunk driver—”
“I wasn’t drunk,” Killian interrupted.
“And I moved for an appeal. I thought the sooner the better,” Emma continued.
The woman finally looked up to see Emma standing in front of her desk before her eyes darted to Sheriff Robin, and Judge Nolan standing just behind her with Killian standing in between them.
“What are the charges?”
“Reckless driving, reckless endangerment, trespassing, vandalism, and destruction of property.”
“Why did you dismiss the case?” The woman directed the question to Judge Nolan.
He stepped forward standing next to Emma. “Madame Mayor, what happened last night was a terrible occurrence but I believe the longer this man stays, the more trouble will come.”
“Based on what?”
“I know the kind of man he is. I can see it in his eyes. He’s the last thing this town needs.”
“We let this guy walk, it sends a message to every delinquent in town that you can do whatever you want. The town needs to be fixed—they need this,” Emma stated.
“I think the sheriff's station’s reputation will precede this incident. We are fine without him,” Judge Nolan responds.
The mayor turned to Emma. “What do you suggest the sentence should be if I agree to your appeal?”
“Make an example of him. Give him community service, make him fix everything he can that he broke. Whatever he can’t, fine him for; by the looks of his clothes, he can afford it.”
The mayor sat back looking between the man and woman in front of her.
“Sheriff,” she called, “What say you? Should I let this man go to avoid further disturbance, or have him fix the town?”
“Well, I think the town needs renovation more than it needs to avoid trouble. In fact, I think we could benefit from some,” Robin eloquently answered.
The mayor nodded, standing from her seat, “I’m inclined to agree. The accused is sentenced to community service until everything that was damaged from last night's events is fixed and a fine of six hundred dollars for reckless driving and endangerment.”
Killian’s eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead. He went from walking away scot-free to becoming this town’s new handyman along with being fined six hundred dollars.
The mayor took her seat once again stating, “You are all dismissed.”
Emma turned around with a satisfied smile plastered on her face. “Looks like Florida is gonna have to wait.”
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More hetalia highschool AU, 🌟magic team🌟 edition :)
Under the cut bc it is long ❤️
Vladimir is that one kid obsessed with Twilight but only for the vampires; it was his first ever exposure to vampires thanks to his dad thinking Twilight was an appropriate book for a 11 year old. Team Edward going strong for five years, he'd proudly declare like it actually mattered. He tries his best to dress goth at school even though his uniform gets in the way. Fake ear piercings(his parents won't let him pierce them yet), over the top makeup, he's dyed the top half of his shoes black because his parents were concerned about his obsession with black and wouldn't buy him the black tennies he wanted— "mom look, these are marked down for back to school! Can I pleeeease get them???" "....may I know why the black ones specifically?" "They match the ever nothingness of my soul." "Yep! The white ones it is then!" "Mooooooooooom!"— Vladimir has been dubbed the cringy vampire kid of course.
Lukas is into pretty much anything concerning cryptids and magical creatures because they can't be proven to be fake or real, which intrigues him. He carries a book about mushrooms at all times and info dumps on pretty much anyone about identifying poisonous mushrooms and which mushrooms are safe to eat. His backpack is covered in buttons and pins to show off his interests. He keeps an amethyst in the front pocket of his backpack, reason unknown other than to just randomly pull it out and let Mikkel look at it. He's that kid that always wears his hoodie no matter the season, he never takes it off. Under his hoodie is always a crude worded t-shirt that the school would not approve of, much less his parents. He's relatively quiet and because he's quiet he's considered a weird kid.
Arthur can't decide if punk is his style or if goth is. Either way, his way of self expression at school in addition to the uniform is horrible. Checkered black/red shoes his grandma got him with his older brother's hand me down worn out greying socks—"can I PLEASE just have my own clothes???" "we have perfectly good clothes for you in the garage! I can fix them up to fit you better and everything!" "but I want cool NEW clothes!" "those are cool clothes and as far as the other kids know, they're also new. Now get your transformer backpack and get to the car. I put a new patch on it last night so that should hold it for the rest of the year."— Old Pierce the veil shirt, with holes chewed into the collar from his older brother Dillan, peeking out from under his white polo. A black and red choker to match his black and red slowly tearing apart too big flannel on top of a black pull over. A deep blue beanie, the hoodie of his pull over almost constantly on top when outside the school. He dyes a part of his hair a different color every month. He spikes his hair using too much gel and is convinced he looks good. He talks too much about bands and always gets Vlad and Lukas going on and on about fictional creatures he does not FULLY believe in himself. He does, however, believe in magic and loves Harry Potter, more specifically the Weaselys, to bits.
Natalya is a sophomore, a year behind the boys, and she just kinda pushed her way into the friend group until they eventually accepted her into it. They were the only three she knew who liked occult related topics. She's on the baseball team because she wanted an excuse to hit things with another thing and NOT get detention because of it. She wears the khaki uniform skirt and takes full advantage over being able to wear any kind of tights underneath; skull pattern, plain black, blood splatter pattern, fire pattern. Anything that makes her feel like a badass. She's always talking about antiques and forging weapons, more specifically knives. She has a whole collection of fidget toys but her favorite is this pea pod keychain her father gave her. She's always talking about how she'd like to be a medical examiner and to just prove that she's serious, she'll bring up a picture of a human model and point out the difference between a self inflicted fatal wound and a homicide. She puts up a charade of being able to see and talk to ghosts to freak out Alfred, her extended friend first met through Tolys.
They collectively believe they're cool and that other people know this. They're genuinely blind to the obvious snickers sent their way, being called losers and nerds. They're really knowm for like really pathetic things like; Natalya is Ivan's, tallest and most intimidating member of the wrestling team, weird younger sister by a year. Lukas is just the weird quiet kid that reads by the courtyard garden during lunch. Vladimir is not only the vampire goth kid but the kid who's parents believe the teachers are giving his son low grades on purpose and will yell at them for it. And Arthur is just. He's another Kirkland, immediately assumed to be a massive trouble maker because of his now graduated brother Alistair and one grade above him brother Dillan. Everyone loved his eldest brother Darick and sometimes compare him to Darick.
Compared to what others THINK they do, such as witch craft for some odd reason, the four of them do pretty typical teen activities. Like hang out at the mall. Do their honework together. Play video games and D&D when they have the chance. The boys do have sleepovers still as they have since meeting each other in middle school, Nat not really being a fan of sleeping where she doesn't live but comfortable enough to go to their houses and just chill for the day. They have become friends because of their related interests but thats not what they're ALL ABOUT.
Fun facts/stories about these losers I thought about while bored as fuck:
• Lukas, in his freshman year, went on a nature hike field trip with his lit class after reading Into The Wild. And he brought his mushroom book of course. They walked around, looking at the sights, talked about the book. Lukas just stops at one point, falling behind the class. He picks up a mushroom, goes to the teacher and is like "You see this? Its not poisonous." And straight up fucking eats it without warning. The teacher called an ambulance even though Lukas kept telling him he was fine and that that mushroom was 100% okay to eat raw, but for sure better off cooked. Lukas calmly shows the paramedics his book and they're like "yeah that actually was safe to eat, we don't need the book to confirm that, but um. Please don't ever pick something off the ground and eat it again. Just. Please don't do that, son." .....he did it again before leaving to go back to school but this time he didn't tell anyone.
• In elementary school, Natalya brought in a model of the human brain she asked her dad to borrow. He had to say yes because she was his only child genuinely interested, not bored of, his medical profession and he found it very cute and honoring. So she's at show and tell, its her turn right, and she silently goes up to the front of the class and pulls out the model brain. Teacher tries to step in because, hey, these are 6 year olds—AND WHY DOES THIS 6 YEAR OLD HAVE A PLASTIC BRAIN??? But Nat just shooshes her. In surprised shock, the teacher is just quiet as Nat begins to explain parts of the brain and their function— which was all wrong actually. She knew the words and everything but she didn't get the locations right. She sounded confident and smart and she was telling this to a bunch of 6 year olds so they believed her of course. End of the school day, her dad is having a hilarious conference with his youngest's teacher about the brain incident.
• Vladimir loves reading. He's loved it since he began to learn how, even if his dyslexia gives him grief along the way. So since he loves to read he'll always get excited and read ahead in class or in the public library reading club. One summer, the reading club was reading The Giver and it was getting really good. Vlad was loving the story, so much so that Vlad began to read ahead in his own time when he really wasn't supposed to be, the club was reading it together out loud and discussing it. Now he's read enough and worked hard enough to figure out how to help himself focus better and understand each word and sentence without having to reread it all multiple times over or get stuck. But sometimes the meaning and context to what he's reading doesn't ALWAYS process with the words as he's too focused on reading the words right and it passes right over his head. So Vlad is reading ahead and he's getting to the part where The Giver has given Jonas the memory of the sled again. And Vlad just sits there after reading that paragraph. He rereads it. And rereads it again. And then he leaves his book on his bed, goes to the the hall closet and takes out the ironing board. He grabs a plastic container to use as an ill attempt of a helmet and he just. Rockets down the staircase and hits the wall. He screams and cries and his parents rush in from the livingroom. When asked what happened he just says "I wanted to understand the sled scene better! Now I do and I feel really bad for Jonas!" He just couldn't quite grasp WHY the sled accident hurt, never had a broken bone nor sled afterall, and needed to find out. And that's how Vlad got his first broken arm at the age of 12.
• When Alfred and Matthew moved in with Arthur's family, Arthur didn't like it. He was a moody young teen but he was also just tired of the full house. His cousins were loud and nosey. He had to share a room with his four older brothers already and now with Matthew while Kathleen and Alfred got a room to themselves. Arthur thought this was so unfair. So his solution was to run away. He was 13, he needed a place to have some peace and quiet for once. So he texts Francis and Lukas, the only two of his friends living in his neighnorhood. Francis is not on board with helping him run away at first but then Lukas brings literally all his camping gear for Arthur's use and then Francis is on board because he had the feeling Arthur was going to get himself killed somehow. So as the elder one of the group he accompanied Arthur and Lukas out to the short stretch of woods behind the last street of their neighborhood, intending to go to the big clearing before hitting the roads leading to the airport and whatever else buildings. They're out there setting everything up together and they're done by like 4 pm. They sit down and talk, munch on oreos and other snacks Arthur deemed as essential survival foods. Then Francis looks at his cell and remarks "wow its already 6! Ah, Lukas, we should get home. Afterall, neither of us ran away so we still have supper to eat. Come on Lukas, let's go before our parents come looking for us." They exchange goodbyes, Francis trying his best to hide his cocky smirk. So Lukas and Francis start walking off, Arthur crawls into the tent and eats half a cookie before frowning and feeling too alone. He didn't expect to feel alone because all he wanted was to BE ALONE. Before he knows it, he's running out of the tent yelling after his friends to stop and wait up. "Oh whats wrong, Arthur? I thought you wanted to run away." "I— I forgot I hadn't fed my rabbit is all! I'll run away tomorrow! I'm not... Feeling lonely if.. If that's what you think...." Arthur did not run away the next day. Buuuuuut the three plus Vlad made a tree house together in the Kirkland backyard that they still use today!
#if you thought these four would be cool kids in this au then you thought wrong#hetalia#hetalia au#hetalia england#hetalia belarus#hetalia norway#hetalia romania#hetalia magic team#there should be more content of the magic losers + belarus tbh magic team is a bad group name but so fits their collective vibes so well
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Animal Magnetism - Ch.1
Edward Cullen was not a normal teenager; of that I was certain. But knowing that did nothing to stop the pull I felt towards him. And if what he was saying was any indication, he felt some strange pull towards me, too. It was like we were magnets struggling against hope to stay apart. I only wondered what would happen when we inevitably collided.
Chapter 1. Shiny New Girl.
Fanfiction.net / AO3
Intro/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/
I sat up in bed and looked around my new-old room, the white comforter bunched up around my waist. Once upon a time, this had been my nursery. Of course the walls, painted a light lilac color, were dark in the dingy grey light streaming through the window. No surprise, it was raining outside.
I had been in this city for all of two days and already more rain had fallen than I had seen in my entire time down in Phoenix. Rain wasn't a bad thing in small, reasonable doses. But nonstop it was suffocating. I just had to remind myself to take deep breaths and everything would be fine. I closed my eyes and let the cool air fill my lungs before I forcefully blew it back out.
"Bella, honey, you have to come down soon or you'll be late for school!" Renee's voice drifted in through my locked bedroom door and I flopped back down against my pillow, and threw my arm over my eyes in an attempt to ignore her. "Bella, get up."
I forced a cough just loud enough for her to hear me through the door. "I'm not feeling too well. I think the climate here doesn't really agree with me. Maybe I should just move back to Phoenix. You and Dad are more than welcome to stay here, though."
Renee was silent for a moment and I could just imagine her guilty expression. She knew how I felt about this move and for the past few days, I had been playing heavily on her guilty conscience. It wasn't my normal go-to, but I figured if there was a chance it might work, then it was worth trying.
Suddenly, my door swung open – I guessed Charlie had a key to every door in this house laying around somewhere – and Renee was standing there, her expression no longer guilty; now she was annoyed.
"Get out of bed right now," Renee exclaimed, standing there in the doorway. I could feel my eyes widen in surprise as she yelled at me. "I have spent the past sixteen years of my life alone and I am just trying to fix some of my biggest mistakes. I am sorry that you had to leave your friends behind, but I am tired of doing everything by myself. The least you can do – really, honestly, the bare minimum – is get up and get dressed for school!"
I didn't think it was particularly fair of her to imply that she had been working alone all this time. She had my help, and we were always such a good team.
"I am happy that you and Dad are back together," I said in a very small voice. "But Forks? Why couldn't Dad move in with us? Mom, don't you miss the sun?"
God, I missed the sun.
"Bella, I am sorry that we had to uproot you from Phoenix, but your father has an established career here. He's the Police Chief, for God's sake! He couldn't just walk away from that and start over somewhere else. He needs to be here." Renee's voice softened as she spoke and tenderness filled her eyes as she sat on the edge of my bed. "And we need to be here with him. I'm sorry, honey, but you're going to school here."
"Maybe you need to be here with him, but I don't," I grumbled. Renee's face tightened and some of the tenderness left her as she guessed what my next statement would be. "Why can't I just stay with one of my friends? Madison already offered, and I'll come back for vacations…"
Renee stood from the bed, bringing my grumbling to an abrupt halt. The annoyance re-entered her expression. "If you aren't out of that bed and getting ready for school in five minutes, Isabella Swan, I swear you will regret it."
Less than an hour later, I found myself in the front seat of Renee's car, my arms crossed over my chest as I glared out at the school in front of me. I didn't understand why there were so many buildings when there were only a couple hundred students in attendance, all of whom seemed to be crowded under the awning right outside my window gawking at me.
"Oh, Bella, stop pouting," Renee pleaded, but I rolled my eyes and stepped out of the car without responding and slammed the door behind me as I hitched my bag more firmly over my shoulder and trudged through the rain towards the office, praying I wouldn't slip and fall.
I managed to reach the building without humiliating myself and, trying my hardest to ignore the curious looks I was getting from my new peers, pulled open the door to the office and walked up to the front desk. The receptionist, a portly woman with a stiff red bob was on the phone and signaled for me to wait a minute, so I stood there patiently, drumming my fingers on the desk in front of me. I looked around, trying to gain my bearings and immediately regretted it as I locked eyes with more than one curious student milling around under the cover of the large awning that extended from the office towards the small courtyard; I supposed if not for my arrival, it would have been your typical morning here.
I started to turn away in avoidance of all this unwanted attention, but something caught my eye and held my attention outside of the office. There were five… people – students, I guessed, though I would have thought that impossible were it not for the book bags each of them was carrying – standing in the far corner, closest to edge of the awning. They all stood out from the rest of students around them.
Their skin was pale, paler than anyone else's in this sunless hell-hole. They were all devastatingly beautiful and I let my eyes wander over each of them. The first one my gaze was drawn to was huge, a giant of a man. He looked more like a professional football player than a student. His curly hair was a dark brown. I'd never thought the word beautiful could possibly apply to a man so large and brawny, but he certainly was.
Standing next to him in a clearly possessive fashion was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her thick blond hair cascaded down her shoulders, curling inward at the ends. She stood only an inch or so shorter than her football player counterpart. One word came to mind as I studied her: confidence. She was the type of woman who knew how gorgeous she was, and owned it.
Next was a tall blond-haired man. He was muscular, but nowhere near as built as the first guy, and taller. He looked like the most reserved of the group, eyes angled downward, sort of like he was nervous, but it seemed every muscle in his boy was tense, anticipating. Something about him just screamed danger, like at any given minute he may spring into action and lay waste to us all. He, of all his companions, seemed to want least to be here.
Next to him was a cute miniature person. Her hair was black as midnight, cropped short; it just reached her collarbone and spiked out in every direction. Out of all of them, she looked most comfortable standing there as she turned her head to speak to the blond boy, her lips moving so quickly I was sure I wouldn't have caught a word she'd said if I were standing right next to her. The boy she spoke to didn't even glance at her, but shook his head in response to whatever she said and I got the impression that he was rather bothered by her words. She watched him for a moment before turning to walk away from the group, her gait smooth and graceful and every bit the way a ballerina might move across a stage, until she suddenly froze, her gaze going blank as she stared ahead of her.
The blond boy moved quickly to her and placed a hand beneath her elbow to steer her back toward the group as the other couple continued to stare away from her, looking totally uninterested in whatever was going on with their friend. None of the other students milling around seemed to notice anything that these five were doing and they seemed to like it that way.
It seemed that whatever had happened was over already. Her lips were moving quickly again. None of her companions were looking at her, but I had the distinct impression they were all listening carefully. Confused, I turned to the fifth member of the strange group, surprised when my eyes met his dark ones. His bronze hair was disheveled, almost falling into his eyes, but it was too short to obscure them. He was tall and lanky, just barely taller than the blond boy, and much thinner, but it seemed to me that he was still very strong, just less obviously so than the other two boys. His tan sweater hugged his chest and biceps, straining just enough to hint at the musculature beneath. I forced my eyes back up to study his face more closely and was struck by the realization that he was absolutely stunning. All of the five were startlingly beautiful, but this boy's good looks far surpassed the rest. Even the perfect blond girl was less stunning than he.
Suddenly, I realized that the eyes of each and every one of them were on me and I blushed, and dropped my gaze to the floor as I turned quickly to look at the receptionist, who had just hung up the phone.
"Can I help you, dear?" she asked, looking at me expectantly. I cleared my throat, still embarrassed to be caught staring, and nodded.
"Yes. I'm new here. I just need to get my schedule," I said softly.
"Ah. You must be Isabella Swan," the receptionist said. She picked up a piece of paper on her desk and studied it briefly.
"Bella. Yes," I said, trying to reign in the flash of annoyance at the sound of my full name.
"Bella Swan," she corrected herself, holding the paper out to me. "Here you go. This is your class scheduled and a map of the school. You should be able to find your way around, but if you need help, I'm sure any of your peers would be thrilled to show you around. I hope you have a good first day here at Forks High."
I took the paper from her with a murmured thanks and a forced smile before I turned around. I immediately noticed that the mysterious group was still there, but only two of them were looking at me still: the beautiful boy with the bronze hair and the small, waif-like girl.
She looked apprehensive as she watched me push the door open and the boy looked frustrated, confused… and a bit pained. Though they looked casual, and all were staring off in different directions, I did notice that each of his companions had moved, surrounding him almost protectively. The two muscular boys were on either side of him, their backs to me, and the blond girl was standing directly in front of him, angled sideways with her shoulder almost touching his chest. Only the small pixie-like creature who was also watching me hadn't moved from where she stood behind him. It almost looked like they were blocking him in, not protecting him, I realized. Protecting everyone else? From him? But that didn't make any sense. He was just a boy. What could he possibly do?
I furrowed my eyebrows and forced myself to look away and almost ran right into an eager-looking boy with blond, spiky hair who was grinning down at me.
"Oh… hi," I said, wondering why this boy was standing so near me.
"I'm Mike Newton. Are you new here?" he asked, sticking his hand in the limited space between our bodies as if for a handshake.
"Yes," I said tersely, and just barely managed to avoid rolling my eyes. Of course I was new here. There were maybe four hundred students here across all four grades. Everyone probably already knew each other and, if they weren't personal acquaintances they had to at least know of each other. "I'm Bella."
As reluctant as I was to make a place for myself here, I couldn't bring myself to be outright mean to anyone. I sighed and looked down at my schedule. English with Mr. Mason in building three. At least I wasn't starting out with a terrible class.
"Can I help you find your first class?" Mike offered.
I stared at him for half a second, tempted to refuse – something in his eagerness made me uneasy and even if I wasn't after making friends here, I had a feeling I wouldn't want to encourage him. I did not, however, feel much like wandering, lost, in search of building three. It wasn't a large school – nothing here was large except for the expansive forest and water on either edge of town – and I could read a map as well as the average person, but it seemed overall easier to accept this one small offer of assistance.
"Sure," I said, making myself smile at him, a quick upward turn of my lips before I handed him my schedule. "Thanks."
"No problem!" My new companion said cheerfully, taking the paper from me. "Okay, so building three is over this way!"
Frowning, I tried to listen to him as he rambled endlessly, but I couldn't concentrate, frustrated as I was with myself. How was it that I had managed to get myself stuck with a guy who was basically an over-eager puppy dog leading me through the gloom of drizzle and soaking grass. Something told me I wasn't going to find it very easy to avoid him as he turned his head to beam at me, still speaking, telling me about his own schedule. We had Government, Biology II, and Gym together, apparently.
"I could swing by after American History," Mike offered as he opened the door to a building with a large numeric three painted in the corner. "Walk you to Government so you don't get lost."
"Oh, that's okay. I think I can find it. You don't need to go to the trouble," I said, but his smile never faltered as he stopped in front of a classroom. Looking past him, I saw that the room number matched what was on my schedule, and the walls were plastered with literary quotes. It eased my worries, the familiarity of it all. Even here in small town, middle of rainy nowhere, an English class was still an English class.
"No worries!" Mike said, already backing away. I realized he was probably going to be late to his own class if he didn't hurry, else he likely would have stuck around. "I'll meet you outside."
Before I could speak again, tell him I really didn't think it was necessary, he turned and moved through the light trickle of students who hadn't yet made it to class. I huffed out a breath and walked into class just as the second bell rang. Every single eye turned to me, then, all twelve – could classes here really be that small? – students, and the teacher.
"You must be Isabella," said the teacher, a tall, thin man with a rapidly receding hairline. The nameplate on his desk identified him as Mr. Mason.
"Bella," I said softly, but nodded. He handed me a class syllabus, and smiled at me, trying to make me feel comfortable, probably, but I could see the curiosity in his gaze. Here I was Chief Swan's mysterious daughter, not just any new student. Although, I couldn't imagine Forks High regularly saw many new students.
When he ushered me to an empty desk in the back of the class without making me introduce myself, I felt the knot of anxiety, heavy in the pit of my stomach, loosen exponentially. Safe for an hour.
I studied the syllabus as Mr. Mason called the class's attention to him and started to recap the last lesson: Bronte, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Chaucer… I had already read some of the titles listed and didn't see anything I wasn't already familiar with, at least on a basic level. The knot loosened a bit more. Maybe… just maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
When the bell rang and everyone began gathering their books, I took my time, flattening my slightly rumpled class schedule and comparing it to the small, blurry school map I hadn't had much time to study. Mike said he would meet me outside, but I didn't want to rely on anyone overmuch. I walked slowly to the door, trailing behind the last couple of students.
"You're Isabella, right? Chief Swan's daughter?"
Looking up, I saw yet another helpful face, and almost grimaced. Two boys trying to help the poor distressed damsel in one hour? Maybe everyone here was just that friendly, I thought doubtfully.
"Bella," I corrected.
"Bella," he repeated, almost obediently. "I'm Eric. Eric Yorkie. Can I help you find your next class?"
"Um…" He looked nice enough – glasses, skin problems, hair nearly as dark as the girl with the spiky hair and graceful gait I had seen earlier. His limbs were long, too long for his body, as if he were still growing in quick, sporadic bursts, and he had a cheerful, helpful smile. He looked nothing like Mike Newton who was almost Nordic with his blond hair, blue eyes, and boyish features, but something in his smile reminded me of my first tour guide. "I don't want to put you out, but you could point me in the right direction, I guess."
He took my schedule from my hands, the paper slipping through my fingers quickly as he drank in the words. Maybe it was just my imagination, but he looked almost disappointed when he said that he was headed toward building four, but would be happy to show me the way to building six.
"Hey, Bella!"
Turning, I saw Mike rushing toward us. I tried to keep my face neutral when I saw the annoyed, almost dismayed look on Eric's face when he saw Mike, but dread coursed through me.
"Hi," I said when he caught up.
"What's up, Mike?" Eric sounded almost dejected and I wondered if he thought Mike might have some sort of moronic claim on me now.
"Hey, man," Mike said in a way that made me think that, while they may not be particularly close, these two boys were friends. He turned to me quickly, flashing that smile that only made me want to run away. "What's up, Bella? I thought we were walking to Government together."
"Oh, yeah, well… Eric was just pointing the way," I said, internally cringing at the awkward moment.
"We have English together," Eric said, almost boasting, immediately cheered by my less than enthusiastic reception of Mike.
"Building four is the other way," Mike reminded Eric, who glared at him.
Oh yeah, these two were definitely some type of friends… perhaps friendly rivals… if Mike knew Eric's schedule well enough to be able to helpfully point out that he, Mike, could help me out much more conveniently.
I was at a loss for what to say as they continued to stare at each other. So, instead of saying anything, I just turned in the direction Eric had started to lead me, and walked away.
"Bye, Bella!" Eric called. "I'll see you at lunch!"
Frowning, my back to him, I nodded. I heard Mike rushing to catch up to me, and found myself tuning him out as he started talking the moment he fell into step with me.
"Anyway, Eric's nice and all, but he's kind of weird, if you know what I mean," Mike was saying as he led me into our Government class.
I had never been so eager to meet my teacher. I all but ran from Mike's side and up to the sturdy desk in the front of the room to collect my syllabus from Mr. Jefferson. Once again, I wasn't forced to introduce myself to the class, though Mr. Jefferson did loudly suggest I get someone's notes so that I would be caught up for the test on Thursday. Immediately, Mike waved at me.
Once again, the only open desk was in the back of the classroom, several seats away from Mike Newton. With a sigh of relief, I angled my body away from him and began to doodle on my syllabus. When the bell rang at the end of the period, I was shocked – I had hardly noticed the passage of time, but my mindless art had shifted from mere doodles to a shockingly detailed, breathtakingly handsome face. I was no artist, really, not like Renee who made a living teaching, critiquing and occasionally creating art, but there was no mistaking the strong jaw, the messy hair, the intense gaze staring up at me.
Flustered, I hid the page away and shoved it to the bottom of my bookbag as I hurried to the door. How had I managed to draw him in such detail? I hadn't spoken to him, hadn't even seen him up close, but I knew, somehow, that down to the slight cleft of the chin, I had gotten every detail of the beautiful, bronze-haired boy I had seen for the briefest moment this morning.
This time, when Mike led me the short distance from building four to building five for my Trigonometry class, I was grateful for his incessant talking. It allowed me to ponder how, exactly, I had drawn him so clearly, and why. Mike left me at the door to the classroom, looking slightly put out. Apparently, he had noticed that I wasn't paying attention to him. Feeling guilty, I smiled and thanked him for showing me the way. He perked up immediately and brushed off my thanks with a promise to see me at lunch.
"I'm headed back to building one, so I won't be able to walk you to Spanish," he said apologetically. "But it's in building seven, right on the other side of the Government building."
"Thanks, Mike," I said again, waving as I headed into my class. "See you."
Mr. Varner, the Trigonometry teacher, was not as kind as the rest of my teachers. He made me wait next to his desk until everyone arrived, then had me introduce myself to the class. Only once I had stammered my name did he show me to an empty desk, again in the back of the room.
I slid shakily into the chair and rested my overheated face in my shaky palms.
"Hey… Bella?" I lifted my face to see the girl next to me smiling at me not unkindly. She had wildly curly brown hair and the most obviously fake spray tan I had ever seen. Her teeth were straight, and bright white. "Don't worry. Varner's sadistic. He made us all go around the room and introduce ourselves on the first day. As if we don't already know each other."
I smiled tentatively. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but Mr. Varner called on her to solve a problem on the board. She frowned, and then gave me a look that clearly said, See? Sadist, and walked confidently to the front of the class.
The knot in the pit of my stomach had tightened and about doubled in size, it felt, and had me trembling all over, but when my friendly neighbor smiled at me as she headed back to her seat, I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. It was just high school. No big deal.
She turned to me as soon as the bell rang. "I'm Jessica Stanley," she said as we both shoved our books in our bags. "What's your next class?"
"Spanish," I said without consulting my schedule. I had it memorized by now. "Building seven with Mrs. Goff."
"Hey, me too. We can walk together," Jessica offered.
This, at least, wasn't as uncomfortable as walking next to Mike or Eric. At least it was less likely that Jessica might try to make a pass at me. She talked incessantly as we walked, and so quickly that I almost didn't catch everything she said.
"Mike was talking about you nonstop in American History earlier," Jessica said so nonchalantly that it was clearly anything but an off-the-cuff remark. "I swear Lee wanted to strangle him."
Jessica liked Mike. It was obvious in the way she forced a nervous chuckle and rolled her eyes, then watched carefully for my reaction. Hopeful, like she wanted me to reassure her that I didn't have any interest in Mike. Wary, like she was worried I would start raving about the boy she wanted.
I just frowned and shook my head. "Boys."
"Boys," she agreed, rolling her eyes.
Spanish was uneventful. Mrs. Goff didn't make me introduce myself, just handed me a class syllabus like all my other teachers, and assured me that she would answer any questions I had. I sat, once again in the back of the room, and wiled away the hour doodling. This time, when the hour was up, my doodles were nothing but messy lines outlining the page.
"You should sit with me at lunch," Jessica offered. "I can introduce you to all my friends."
It could have been just my imagination, but when she said 'introduce you' it almost sounded like 'show you off.' Still, I accepted her offer and followed her to the cafeteria, where we stood in line to get our food.
As we walked through the crowded cafeteria with our trays, I noticed them again: the five strikingly attractive people I had seen through the window while I'd been getting my schedule. We were going to walk right past their table. Though I couldn't help but feel somewhat giddy at the idea of being so near him, I tried not to look at any of them; I'd been caught watching them once already, I didn't need it to happen again. Even trying my hardest to stare straight ahead I saw, unmistakably, how he stiffened when we walked past. The boy with the bronze hair sat ramrod straight in his seat, his hands clenched into fists on the table in front of him. When he turned his head, ever so slowly, to glare at me with intense unadulterated hatred, all four of his companions looked at me as well. His eyes were pitch black and surrounded by dark circles, his lips set in a hard scowl.
I froze in my tracks, terror coursing through every inch of my body, before a sudden wave of determination washed over me. I had to get the hell away from them, from him. I was still terrified, but I rushed to catch up with Jessica, who hadn't noticed me pause, and was still talking about the Girls' Choice dance later in the year, and how she thought she might ask Mike to go with her.
When we stopped at a nearly full table near the middle of the room, Jessica smiled brightly and gestured for me to sit next to her.
"Hey, guys! This is Bella!" she announced, excitement dripping in her voice. It was clear she thought it was some sort of accomplishment that she was the one to bring me to the table. She ran through introductions so quickly that I wouldn't have been able to keep up even if I hadn't just had the life scared out of me.
Several minutes later, when the table was full of female chatter, I worked up the courage to look over my shoulder. He was still glaring at me. None of his friends were looking at me, but the big one had an arm slung over the younger one's shoulder in a way that would have looked casually affectionate if not for the way he was watching me. I had the distinct impression that the big one was putting in great effort to hold his friend in place.
I looked away and concentrated on playing with my food rather than eating it. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry. A while later, when I guessed the bell was about to ring to signal the end of lunch, I turned to Jessica in what I hoped was a casual manner.
"Who are they?" I asked, pointing over my shoulder without looking.
"Who?" Jessica asked, looking over my shoulder, but it was clear from the tone of her voice that she had already guessed whom I was talking about. She smiled wryly and leaned in close to me, lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "Oh, those are the Cullens."
"The Cullens?" I asked.
"Yeah, they're Dr. Cullen's adopted kids," she said. "They're all related. I mean, sort of. The two blonds? They're twins, Jasper and Rosalie Hale. I think the doctor and his wife only adopted them a few years ago, not long before they moved here. The brunettes are Emmett and Alice Cullen. They're brother and sister. Technically, they're Dr. Cullen's niece and nephew, but his brother and sister and their spouses died like five or six years ago, I think? And he legally adopted them, so they're his kids, too."
"Oh." I frowned. That was only four. There were definitely five of them. I didn't want to ask, though, and show too much interest.
"Yeah," she shrugged. "They're kind of weird, honestly. Like, perfectly polite and all, I guess, but weird."
"Weird how?" I asked. I wanted to ask if coal-black eyes and unprovoked murderous glares were the norm for that group, but she had said they were always polite and the way he had looked at me was anything but.
"They keep to themselves a lot," she explained. "I don't think any of them have any friends except for each other. And they're all together."
She gave me a significant look, like I was supposed to think something of that. When I didn't react, she went on. "Rosalie's with Emmett, the big burly guy. And Alice – the little one? – is with Jasper, who always looks at least a little bit in pain. It's weird, right? That they all live together, and they're all dating?"
"I mean, if they're not actually related, I don't see why it's anyone's business," I said with a shrug, but I couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't said anything about the fifth one – the boy with so much hate in his eyes.
"Huh, I wonder where Edward went," she whispered then, and I watched her face as she scanned her gaze across the cafeteria. "He's Emmett and Alice's cousin, another one of Dr. Cullen's nephew-sons. He's totally gorgeous, but for some reason, he won't date anyone. Not even Lauren, and she tried really hard to get him to notice her when they first transferred here."
She lowered her voice and leaned in even closer so that she was all but breathing the words in my ear, obviously not wanting her friend, Lauren to overhear. I glanced around the table, trying to remember which one was Lauren. My gaze fell on the blond girl across the table talking to one of the boys a table over, a flirtatious smile on her pretty face.
"Hey, Bella!" someone said happily and I heard a quick scrape as someone pulled a chair out to sit in the empty seat on Jessica's other side.
"Hey, Mike!" Jessica exclaimed, leaning away from me and towards him. I looked up and nodded at him, happy to let Jessica attempt to distract him.
When I was sure neither Jessica nor Mike was looking at me, I risked one last glance over my shoulder. Sure enough, there were only four now, sitting at the table. The one who had looked like he hated me – Edward – was no longer there. The little one, Alice, turned her head suddenly to stare at me, and her sharp gaze went blank and unfocused again. Her boyfriend leaned close to her and wrapped an arm around her as he continued to look around the room as if nothing was out of the norm. Suddenly, her eyes came into focus again, and she beamed at me before turning to speak to her table quickly. Then, she got up and all but danced out of the room. After a brief pause in which all three of them looked slightly stunned, Jasper followed her.
When the lunch bell rang a few seconds later, I followed Mike to Biology, where Mr. Banner pointed me to the only empty table in the room. Mike came to sit next to me. A little annoyed, I turned to him with one raised eyebrow.
"Do you sit here?" I asked. Mike wasn't so bad, really, if you had someone to share his attention. It just seemed like being one-on-one with him might begin to wear on me.
"Nah, I sit over there by Tyler," Mike said, gesturing toward an empty seat a few tables away, next to a tall, lean, good-looking boy with short brown hair. "But maybe Cullen will switch with me."
My heart stopped. "Who?"
"Edward Cullen. This is his spot. He's the only one smart enough to do all the labs on his own, so Mr. Banner has always let him sit alone." Mike looked around the room as if expecting Edward Cullen to suddenly appear. "I wonder where he is. He was in American History this morning."
"Maybe he's just running late," I said weakly.
Maybe he's avoiding me, said a small, scared, sad voice in my head.
"Maybe," Mike allowed. But when the second bell rang and Mr. Banner told Mike to go back to his own seat, Edward Cullen still hadn't arrived. I was relieved – I didn't particularly want to spend an entire hour mere inches from a boy who seemed to hate me on sight.
Gym last period was horrible. It was Mike's last class of the day as well, so he walked me there, talking excitedly about getting to play basketball today. Apparently, Monday was basketball day at Forks High.
"You can be on my team," Mike reassured me, sensing my trepidation.
"Trust me, you don't want that," I told him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Fifteen minutes later, I had been delegated to the sidelines after accidentally hitting three people – one of them Mike – in the head with the basketball.
"Wow, Bella," Mike said, still rubbing the back of his head as we walked towards the parking lot after Gym. "No offense, but you really can't play basketball."
"I really can't do anything involving coordination or physicality," I said weakly, hitching my bag higher on my shoulder and twirling the adjustable strap between my fingers absently as I scanned the parking lot for Renee's car. "And I did warn you that you didn't want me on your team."
"Hey, it's no big deal. And don't worry, I'll still be on your team," Mike said as he stood next to me under the awning. "Do you need a ride home? I usually ride with Lee, but I'm sure he'd be happy to make an extra stop."
I shook my head immediately. Aside from finding it odd and a bit rude to offer to have his friend drive me home without consulting him, I also didn't want to give Mike any reason to think I might like him. Honestly, I didn't really dislike him; he seemed like he might not be the worst friend to have. He was certainly kind enough to take the literal hit of having me for a teammate. I just didn't see myself liking him the way that I thought he might want me to like him.
"My mom will be here soon," I said.
"Okay!" Mike said brightly. "But, hey. If you get tired of having your mom drive you around, you know where to find me."
"Thanks, Mike," I said, stepping up to the curb when I saw Renee pull into the lot. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I thought I heard him respond, but I had already pulled the hood of my jacket up against the slight drizzle and all I could really make out was the taptaptap of water against the slick material.
FFN / AO3
#twilight fanfiction#twilight fanfic#edward x bella#bellaxedward#looooook it's an update#least favorite chapter alert#really sucks that it's chapter one lmao because that's supposed to be the attention grabber
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[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 41
Last time: Armstrong the Great got a promotion, Beardless grew a beard, and Teacher got a surprise surgery. Onwards!
The Mining Crew is still going through the tunnels towards Fort Briggs, it looks like Al hasn’t caught up to them yet. Whoops, Winry just tripped over a box of - gah, dynamite!
[Yoki]: “Nah, these are all sopping wet. Relax, they wouldn’t blow up even if we wanted them to.”
Wow. Yoki being the Voice of Reason. Times sure have changed.
Scar snaps at them to keep moving, “they could already be after us.” Yeah, but if you dwadle long enough then Al can catch up! So please May, keep up with the freakouts!
Back in Baschool, the storm’s passed so Sideburns is back to plotting against Kimblee. Aw, come on. I get shooting Kimblee from the get go, but why do you have to kill his other two guys (I’m assuming Chimeras like Toad and Boar). Keep them alive, they can join Al’s Chimera Army! Ed is understandably shaken at these KOS orders being thrown about.
Episode 41 - “The Abyss”
See, I hear “The Abyss” and I immediately think about the staring quote. Is Sideburns going to get a last-minute change of mind about killing all three, decide to be better than Kimblee? Not like that’s a high bar to clear, but still.
Ed’s trying to argue for taking Kimblee alive for questioning, Sideburns says he’ll never talk. As for his men? Maybe they’re being forced to serve Kimblee, but Sideburns thinks it’s too big a risk to bet on that. First Law of Briggs: The Careless are the first to die.
[Sideburns]: “We aren’t going to be careless. We’re killing Kimblee. And the two men with him.”
Walking down the hallway, Sideburns and the two Briggs soldiers talk about how Ed’s chosen the more difficult path of trying to keep his enemies alive. Their attitude seems to be “Admirable, but foolish.” Come on Ed, prove them wrong!
Back with the Mining Crew, Marcoh’s getting translations from Scar (finally), seems the current passage is about a “miracle drug” that extends life and transforms all metals to gold. Damnit, so it’s the Philosopher’s Stone, so much for the notes giving an alternative. Ooh, Xing culture lesson! Apparently Xingese refer to immortals as “a true being” oh Leto DAMN IT it’s right back to that smirking Truth. Whatever. Anyways, “True Beings” are considered perfect souls so they’re compared to the perfect metal gold (yeah, Winry and the Chimeras are totally lost by this point).
[Marcoh]: “So in other words, an immortal person is seen as a golden being.”
[May]: “In a sense…”
*camera shifts to Beard*
Oh. OOOOOOOOHHHHHH!
Keaton said:One thing of note is that all the people of Xerxes have gold hair and gold eyes. And I do mean gold, because there's no black outline that blonde people in the series have.
[May]: “It comes from the man who brought Alchemy to Xing.”
Wait, where are you going? Beard you’re walking away from one of the most badass fighters in the entire show and her husband, team up with them and you’ll be unstoppable! Whyyyyy.
Winry remarks that the Xing teacher of Alchemy having golden hair and eyes sounds like Ed and Al… hold on, I need to check something.
*rewinds to Ed standing in room*
*returns to Winry, pausing at Beard along the way*
Huh! So Beard has the Xerxes no-outline blond hair, but Ed has almost this blend between Xerxes and Amestrian hair, he has an outline but it’s not as pronounced as Winry’s. Neat!
Finally, the exit! Scar must have been feeling a bit cooped up since he just kicked the door down. Yoki relishes his newfound competence and takes the lead nope instantly falls into massive snowdrift. I knew it couldn’t last. Aw, Boar sees how deep the snow is and immediately offers to give May a piggyback ride! And Toad says they’ll go first to make walking easier for the rest.
Walking through a winter wonderland… wait, is that Al?
It is Al!
[Winry]: “That’s Al!”
[May]: “THAT’S MY HUSBAND?!”
Jeez May, chill. No I didn’t mean rub your face on Al’s arm, Winry may have frostbite-proof earrings but Al was literally just buried in a snowdrift, you’re gonna lose your cheek at this rate! Al reports on the occupation of Fort Briggs, they’ll be walking right into their hands. So now what, do they just go back to the mine? Wait a minute, Scar just walked off and is staring all mysterious-like at the mountain range… are they going to Drachma? Scar says there’s a mountain village nearby (no idea how to spell that name), there are some Ishvalans living there. Toad and Boar are skeptical, but Yoki’s all too eager to give leadership back to Scar.
Oh shoot yeah, Al did kind of just run off on Kimblee. Do they even have an excuse for that, or is Sideburns just banking on Kimblee being dead before the absence of an Elric brother becomes an issue?
...Ed literally made another suit of armor and is making a Briggs soldier puppet it around. Wow. And the voice? Kimblee, come on. I was just starting to think that you were a valid threat again. Stop disappointing me.
As “Al” struggles with stairs, Sideburns is trying to set up his assassination. Seems Kimblee’s suspicious of the Briggs soldiers (gee, I wonder why) and is planning to search the mines with just his two flunkies. As Sideburns prepares the snipers, Ed runs ahead.
Kimblee orders his guys into the mine to look for tracks as a sniper lines up his shot… until he sees Ed approaching. Ed tries claiming that Kimblee would get lost searching the tunnels- nope, Kimblee’s already clued in on the assassination plan. With an attitude and past like his, he can practically smell the murderous intent. Sideburns tells the sniper to line up the shot and nope Kimblee pops a steamcloud.
Ooooh shoot he’s going into the building with Sideburns and the snipers, isn’t he? Quick Ed, I’m totally ok with the mass murderer getting sniped but if you can still take him alive then never mind, that was a claw strike and a nonhuman fist, flunkies confirmed as Chimeras.
Hey, it’s the Lion and Gorilla from the end credits! New potential recruits for Al’s army, please don’t kill them Ed. Also, I am having major OPM flashbacks now.
Mid-ep pictures of Kimblee (wait, didn’t he already get one of these?) chewing on a Stone, and Edward getting ready to pummel some Chimeras.
While Ed is otherwise occupied, Kimblee strolls down into the mineshaft and wait what? How are there tracks? The Mine Crew left right before that huge snowstorm that Al could barely read street signs in, how on Leto’s depressing planet were these tracks now obliterated by that storm?
Fighting Music starts up as Ed faces down Lion and Gorilla, he can’t see them but at least they can’t see him but animal hybrids, remember? They’ve got superhuman senses and if sight fails then they can probably hear and smell him with ease. Yup called it. An armknife to the Lion gets Ed free to dodge Gorilla’s attacks, the Briggs troops reach the street but can’t see through the steam to help Ed. Not like they could do much against the Chimeras.
Whoops, Ed dodged a bit too much and walked straight into the mineshaft. Ouch. Now he’s going to stunt his growth even more!
[Ed]: “Dynamite, huh? There’s one perk to fighting in a mine.”
Aw, Ed baby. You’re about to try something that even Yoki knew wouldn’t work, aren’t you?
The Chimeras jump down to continue fighting Ed, who brandishes the sticks in their direction. But they just laugh at him? Aw, they know about dynamite being worthless when damp. So much for that attempt-
Nitroglycerin. Nitroglycol. Ammonium Nitrate. Nitric Acid and Ammonium.
YES
By the power of Chemistry, Ed with his silly little nose-plugs and shit-eating grin has turned your superhuman sense of smell into a tactical disadvantage!
Kimblee looks up to see a stinky explosion and his two flunkies down for the count, now without a hostage in play it’s just the Fullmetal Alchemist and the Crimson Alchemist. Ed demands that Kimblee spill the beans, but Kimblee isn’t inclined to cooperate. Saying he’ll speed things up, he pulls out a Philosopher’s Stone.
Alright, here we go! Ed vs Kimblee, the Stone Seeker against the Butcher of Ishval, our hero facing against the very power he once sought, and a true Philosopher’s Stone at that unlike Cornello’s pale fragment. This is gonna be
are you fucking kidding me.
Kimblee. Kimblee, you stupid incompetent trash-talking eternal disappointment. I thought your “fight” with Scar on the train was as low as you could go, I thought that with you easing back into my good graces you would earn recognition as an acceptable villain. But nooooo, you have to boast that you’ll end this quickly and then stand there like a dolt as Ed nyooms around you and kicks your Stone into the mineshaft. And then he slices your palm so your TC tattoo is useless.
You. Utter. Failure.
Don’t bother trying to continue dude, I know that you’re just gonna pull out your second Stone to try and keep fighting but come on. That was just embarrassing. Just stop, please.
Alright so now he’s got those glowing red eyes like Bradley had when he was blabbing at The Great Armstrong, boasting about how Ed’s mercy just gives him another chance to kill. He spits out his second Stone and wow ok that was a big explosion. The tower over the mining shaft collapses in a huge cloud of smoke, the Briggs troops are knocked back and the Chimeras fall through the shattering floor (noooo, come back, Al hasn’t had a chance to recruit you yet!).
We’ve got the Somber Music playing as the last pebbles fall in the ruined mine shaft, Ed is down at the bottom a little worse for wear. Hey, it’s Lion and Gorilla! Quick Ed, rescue them from the pipes that have them pinned so we can… uh… that’s a lot of blood. You feeling ok, buddy?
OW. Uh, so when Ed fell down into the mine shaft he landed on a beam. And the beam went through him.
The camera’s shaking and going in and out of focus as Ed tries to pull himself off the beam, but the shock’s setting in and he collapses twitching on the ground eye rolling up and getting obscured by his hair Leto this is not good
Al just collapsed?! Aw hell no he’s getting another pull from his body? Bad timing, Al’s body! The girls are panicking and the Chimera’s are wondering what’s wrong with General Armor Guy, Winry’s doesn’t know what to do and Al’s motionless in the snow not even with his usual glowing eyes stop it
Ed? Ed’s not moving and there’s too much blood finger twitch! He’s still breathing but he really needs to figure out Roy’s flame technique to seal his wound soon.
[Ed]: “I won’t make her cry…Especially not over something this stupid!”
Ok so through the Power of Love Ed is overcoming the shock to Transmute part of the beam away, then Earthbend the rubble off of the Chimeras. They’re not too happy with their boss destroying the building they were in, so heck might as well join up with the kid who dug them out.
So Ed’s helped up by the guys he was enemies with five minutes ago, Lion notes that if he pulls the beam out then Ed’ll bleed out. But Ed has a plan, bioalchemy! He totally read about it before, he’ll be fine. But with all the damage he’ll need the power of a Philosopher’s Stone
well isn’t it convenient that he knocked one down the mine shaft just a little bit ago, huh?!
Wait what, he’s going to “use his own life force”? Take a few years off his lifespan what. Ok, so I’m supposed to just go with the idea that the kid who has no real bioalchemy experience beyond the failed Human Transmutation is going to manage to concentrate as a beam is pulled out of his guts and harness the power of his own soul in a way that’s never been done before. Just spend a minute or two looking for the shiny red gem that’s down there with you! Fine whatever, Protagonist Powers away.
Look I’m sorry I know that this is a moving scene and all with Ed accepting the cost of his mercy and screaming as the bloody beam is yanked from his intestines and visualizing himself as a Single Soul Philosopher’s Stone but come on we clearly saw the Stone fall down and you’re just going to ignore it. Fine whatever I’ll try to move past it. So Ed grits his teeth and managed to ok thank you for not making it perfect, he’s patched up his organs and stopped the bleeding but it’s only a temporary fix, he’ll need some professional help. Not that he plans on getting any, he’s up and raring to keep fighting Kimblee nope he’s out for the count.
Lion and Gorilla look over their rescuer, knowing that he can’t fight their former boss as beat up as he
there it is!
Apologies for the rant about the Stone earlier, Lion just found it and decided to not give it back to Kimblee. They’ll just head out and let the madman think they died in the explosion. As for Ed? They’re off to find the kid a doctor. (Oh please let this go where I think it’s going…
*knock knock*
[Lion]: “Hey, so we hear you’re a good doctor, and we’ve got this kid who’s a bit beat up…”
[Doc]: “Oh come on!”
pleasepleaseplease)
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30. First Round
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How was I going to find time alone to hunt down J. Jenks, and why did Alice want me to know about him?
If Alice’s clue didn’t prove to be helpful, what could I do to save those I loved?
How were Edward and I going to explain things to Taras and his family in the morning? What if they reacted like Ivan? What if it turned into a fight?
I didn’t know how to fight. How was I going to learn in just a month? Was there any chance at all that I could be taught fast enough that I might be a danger to any one member of the Volturi? Or was I doomed to be totally useless? Just another easily dispatched problem?
So many answers I needed, but I did not get the chance to ask my questions.
Wanting some shred of normality, I’d insisted on staying in the cottage that night. Jacob was more comfortable in his wolf form at the moment; the stress was easier dealt with when he felt ready for a fight. I wished that I could feel the same, could feel ready. He ran in the woods, on guard again.
Once we were back at the cottage, I tried to unobtrusively search to see if there was a chance Alice had left something—anything else that could help me. When my search proved in vain, I returned to the front room of the cottage to ask my questions of Edward. The ones I was able to ask, at any rate; one of the most difficult problems was the idea of trying to hide anything from him, even with the advantage of my silent thoughts.
He stood with his back to me, staring into the fire.
“Edward, I—”
He spun and was across the room in what seemed like no time at all, not even the smallest part of a second. I only had time to register the ferocious expression on his face before his lips were crushing against mine and his arms were locked around me like steel girders.
I didn’t think of my questions again for the rest of that night. It didn’t take long for me to grasp the reason for his mood, and even less time to feel exactly the same way.
I’d been planning on needing years just to somewhat organize the overwhelming passion I felt for him physically. And then centuries after that to enjoy it. If we had only a month left together... Well, I didn’t see how I could stand to have this end. For the moment I couldn’t help but be selfish. All I wanted was to love him as much as possible in the limited time given to me.
It was hard to pull myself away from him when the sun came up, but we had our job to do, a job that might be more difficult than all the rest of our family’s searches put together. As soon as I let myself think of what was coming, I was all tension; it felt like my nerves were being stretched on a rack, thinner and thinner.
“I wish there was a way to get the information we need from Elena before we tell them about everything,” Edward muttered as we hurriedly dressed in the huge closet that was more reminder of Alice than I wanted at the moment. “Just in case.”
“But she wouldn’t understand the question to answer it,” I agreed. “Do you think they’ll let us explain?”
“I don’t know.”
I couldn’t waste one second of time today. There were answers I needed and I wasn’t sure how much time Edward and I would have alone today. If all went well with Taras’s family, hopefully we would have company for an extended period.
“Edward, will you teach me how to fight?” I asked him, tensed for his reaction, as he held the door for me.
It was what I expected. He froze, and then his eyes swept over me with a deep significance, like he was looking at me for the first or last time.
“If it comes to a fight, there won’t be much any of us can do,” he hedged.
I kept my voice even. “Would you leave me unable to defend myself?”
He swallowed convulsively, and the door shuddered, hinges protesting, as his hand tightened. Then he nodded. “When you put it that way... I suppose we should get to work as soon as we can.”
I nodded, too, and we started toward the big house. We didn’t hurry.
I wondered what I could do that would have any hope of making a difference. I was unique, to be sure, and I was a tiny bit special, in my own way—if having a supernaturally thick skull could really be considered special. Was there any use that I could put that toward?
“What would you say their biggest advantage is? Do they even have a weakness?”
Edward didn’t have to ask to know I meant the Volturi.
“Alec and Jane are their greatest offense,” he said emotionlessly, like we were talking of a basketball team. “Their defensive players rarely see any real action.”
“Because Jane can burn you where you stand—mentally at least. What does Alec do? Didn’t you once say he was even more dangerous than Jane?”
“Yes. In a way, he is the antidote to Jane. She makes you feel the worst pain imaginable. Alec, on the other hand, makes you feel nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sometimes, when the Volturi are feeling kind, they have Alec anesthetize someone before he is executed. If he has surrendered or pleased them in some other way.”
“Anesthetic? But how is that more dangerous than Jane?”
“Because he cuts off your senses altogether. No pain, but also no sight or sound or smell. Total sensory deprivation. You are utterly alone in the blackness. You don’t even feel it when they burn you.”
I shivered. Was this the best we could hope for? To not see or feel death when it came?
“That would make him only equally as dangerous as Jane,” Edward went on in the same detached voice, “in that they both can incapacitate you, make you into a helpless target. The difference between them is like the difference between Aro and me. Aro hears the mind of only one person at a time. Jane can only hurt the one object of her focus. I can hear everyone at the same time.”
I felt cold as I saw where he was going. “And Alec can incapacitate us all at the same time?” I whispered.
“Yes,” he said. “If he uses his gift against us, we will all stand blind and deaf until they get around to killing us—maybe they’ll simply burn us without bothering to tear us apart first. Oh, we could try to fight, but we’ll be more likely to hurt one another than we would be to hurt one of them.”
We walked in silence for a few seconds.
An idea was shaping itself in my head. Not very promising, but better than nothing.
“Do you think Alec is a very good fighter?” I asked. “Aside from what he can do, I mean. If he had to fight without his gift. I wonder if he’s ever even tried...”
Edward glanced at me sharply. “What are you thinking?”
I looked straight ahead. “Well, he probably can’t do that to me, can he? If what he does is like Aro and Jane and you. Maybe... if he’s never really had to defend himself... and I learned a few tricks—”
“He’s been with the Volturi for centuries,” Edward cut me off, his voice abruptly panicked. He was probably seeing the same image in his head that I was: the Cullens standing helpless, senseless pillars on the killing field—all but me. I’d be the only one who could fight. “Yes, you’re surely immune to his power, but you are still new in this life, Beau. I can’t make you that strong a fighter in a few weeks. I’m sure he’s had training.”
“Maybe, maybe not. It’s the one thing I can do that no one else can. Even if I can just distract him for a while—” Could I last long enough to give the others a chance?
“Please, Beau,” Edward said through his teeth. “Let’s not talk about this.”
“Be reasonable.”
“I will try to teach you what I can, but please don’t make me think about you sacrificing yourself as a diversion—” He choked and didn’t finish.
I nodded. I would keep my plans to myself, then. First Alec and then, if I was miraculously lucky enough to win, Jane. If I could only even things out—remove the Volturi’s overwhelming offensive advantage. Maybe then there was a chance... My mind raced ahead. What if I wasable to distract or even take them out? Honestly, why would either Jane or Alec ever have needed to learn battle skills? I couldn’t imagine petulant little Jane surrendering her advantage, even to learn.
If I was able to kill them, what a difference that would make.
“I have to learn everything. As much as you can possibly cram into my head in the next month,” I murmured.
He acted as if I hadn’t spoken.
Who next, then? I might as well have my plans in order so that, if I did live past attacking Alec, there would be no hesitation in my strike. I tried to think of another situation where my thick skull would give me an advantage. I didn’t know enough about what the others did. Obviously, fighters like the huge Felix were beyond me. I could only try to give Emmett his fair fight there. I didn’t know much about the rest of the Volturi guard, besides Demetri…
My face was perfectly smooth as I considered Demetri. Without a doubt, he would be a fighter. There was no other way he could have survived so long, always at the spear point of any attack. And he must always lead, because he was their tracker—the best tracker in the world, no doubt. If there had been one better, the Volturi would have traded up. Aro didn’t surround himself with second best.
If Demetri didn’t exist, then we could run. Whoever was left of us, in any case.
And... if Demetri didn’t exist, then Alice and Jasper could be safe forever. Is that what Alice had seen? That part of our family could continue? The two of them, at the very least.
Could I begrudge her that?
“Demetri...,” I said.
“Demetri is mine,” Edward said in a hard, tight voice. I looked at him quickly and saw that his expression had turned violent.
“Why?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer at first. We were to the river when he finally murmured, “For Alice. It’s the only thanks I can give her now for the last fifty years.”
So his thoughts were in line with mine.
I heard Jacob’s heavy paws thudding against the frozen ground. In seconds, he was pacing beside me, his dark eyes focused on mine.
I nodded to him once, then returned to my questions. There was so little time.
“Edward, why do you think Alice told us to ask Elena about the Volturi? Has she been in Italy recently or something? What could she know?”
“Elena knows everything when it comes to the Volturi. I forgot you didn’t know. She used to be one of them.”
Jacob growled beside me.
“What?” I demanded, in my head picturing the beautiful dark-haired woman at our wedding wrapped in a long, ashy cloak.
Edward’s face was softer now—he smiled a little. “Elena is a very gentle person. She wasn’t entirely happy with the Volturi, but she respected the law and its need to be upheld. She felt she was working toward the greater good. She doesn’t regret her time with them. But when she found Carmen, she found her place in this world. They are very similar people, both very compassionate for vampires.” He smiled again. “They met Taras and his family, and they never looked back. They are well suited to this lifestyle. If they’d never found Taras, I imagine they would have eventually discovered a way to live without human blood on their own.”
The pictures in my head were jarring. I couldn’t make them match up. A compassionate Volturi soldier?
Edward glanced at Jacob and answered a silent question. “No, she wasn’t one of their warriors, so to speak. She had a gift they found convenient.”
Jacob must have asked the obvious follow-up question.
“Elena has an instinctive feel for the gifts of others—the extra abilities that some vampires have,” Edward told him. “She could give Aro a general idea of what any given vampire was capable of just by being in proximity with him or her. This was helpful when the Volturi went into battle. Elena could warn them if someone in the opposing coven had a skill that might give them some trouble. That was rare; it takes quite a skill to even inconvenience the Volturi for a moment. More often, the warning would give Aro the chance to save someone who might be useful to him. Elena’s gift works even with humans, to an extent. She has to really concentrate with humans, though, because the latent ability is so nebulous. Aro would have her test the people who wanted to join, to see if they had any potential. Aro was sorry to see Elena go.”
“They let her go?” I asked. “Just like that?”
His smile was darker now, a little twisted. “The Volturi aren’t supposed to be the villains, the way they seem to you. They are the foundation of our peace and civilization. Each member of the guard chooses to serve them. It’s quite prestigious; they all are proud to be there, not forced to be there.”
I frowned, troubled by this.
“They’re only alleged to be heinous and evil by the criminals, Beau.”
“We’re not criminals.”
Jacob huffed in agreement.
“They don’t know that.”
“Do you really think we can make them stop and listen?”
Edward hesitated just the tiniest moment and then shrugged. “If we find enough friends to stand beside us. Maybe.”
If. I suddenly felt the urgency of what we had before us today. Edward and I both started to move faster, breaking into a run. Jacob caught up quickly.
“Taras shouldn’t be too much longer,” Edward said. “We need to be ready.”
How to be ready, though? We arranged and rearranged, thought and rethought. Have me in full view? Or hidden at first? Jacob in the room? Or outside? He’d told his pack to stay close but invisible. Should he do the same?
In the end, Jacob—in his human form again—and I waited around the corner from the front door in the dining room, sitting at the big polished table. Jacob sat a few chairs from me; he wanted space in case he had to phase quickly.
Though I was glad to have Jacob nearby, it made me feel useless. It reminded me that in a fight with mature vampires, I was no more than an easy target; I didn’t know how to protect myself.
I tried to remember Taras, Kate, Carmen, and Elena from the wedding. Their faces were murky in my ill-lit memories. I only knew they were beautiful, two blondes and two brunettes. I couldn’t remember if there was any kindness in their eyes.
Edward leaned motionlessly against the back-window wall, staring toward the front door. It didn’t look like he was seeing the room in front of him.
We listened to the cars zooming past out on the freeway, none of them slowing.
“I really made everything as difficult as I possibly could, didn’t I?” I murmured, mostly to myself.
“What do you mean, Beau?” Jacob asked, though he was looking towards the front room. Edward’s eyes locked on to me.
“If I had just let Edward and Carlisle change me as soon as I got sick…”
“Beau, love, you can’t know how that would have changed things.” Edward argued.
“But I’d be a full vampire, the Volturi wouldn’t be confused about what I was.” I countered.
“Maybe, but I wouldn’t have stuck around.” Jacob frowned. “I wouldn’t be here with you.”
“But you’d be safe!” I insisted. “They wouldn’t be coming after you or the rest of the pack.”
“Unless Sam changed his mind and attacked the Cullens for breaking the treaty—or if I had gone ballistic.” He frowned, watching me carefully.
“Jake, I can’t see how this is anything but my fault.”
“No,” Jacob and Edward said at the same time, but before they could argue further, we heard the sound we’d been waiting for: the slowing of an engine on the freeway, the tires moving from pavement to soft dirt.
Edward darted around the corner to stand waiting by the door. Jacob and I stared at each other across the table, desperation on our faces.
The car moved quickly through the woods, faster than Charlie or Sue drove. We heard it pull into the meadow and stop by the front porch. Four doors opened and closed. They didn’t speak as they approached the door. Edward opened it before they could knock.
“Edward!” a male voice enthused.
“Hello, Taras. Kate, Elena, Carmen.” Three murmured hellos.
“Carlisle said he needed to talk to us right away,” the first voice said, Taras. I could hear that they all were still outside. I imagined Edward in the doorway, blocking their entrance. “What’s the problem? Trouble with the werewolves?”
Jacob rolled his eyes.
“No,” Edward said. “Not precisely at least. Our truce with the werewolves is stronger than ever.”
A woman chuckled.
“Aren’t you going to invite us in?” Taras asked. And then he continued without waiting for an answer. “Where’s Carlisle?”
“Carlisle had to leave.”
There was a short silence.
“What’s going on, Edward?” Taras demanded.
“If you could give me the benefit of the doubt for just a few minutes,” he answered. “I have something difficult to explain, and I’ll need you to be open-minded until you understand.”
“Is Carlisle all right?” a female voice asked anxiously. Elena.
“None of us is all right, Elena,” Edward said, and then he patted something, maybe Elena’s shoulder. “But physically, Carlisle is fine.”
“Physically?” Taras asked sharply. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that my entire family is in very grave danger. But before I explain, I ask for your promise. Listen to everything I say before you react. I am begging you to hear me out.”
A longer silence greeted his request. Through the strained hush, Jacob and I stared wordlessly at each other. His russet lips paled.
“We’re listening,” Taras finally said. “We will hear it all before we judge.”
“Thank you, Taras,” Edward said fervently. “We wouldn’t involve you in this if we had any other choice.”
Edward moved. We heard four sets of footsteps walk through the doorway. Someone sniffed. “I knew those werewolves were involved,” Taras muttered.
“Yes, and they’re on our side. Again.”
The reminder silenced Taras.
“Where’s your Beau?” one of the other female voices asked. “How is he?”
“He’ll join us shortly. He’s well, thank you.” Edward hesitated, minutely. “He’s taken to immortality with amazing finesse.”
“Tell us about the danger, Edward,” Taras said quietly. “We’ll listen, and we’ll be on your side, where we belong.”
Edward took a deep breath. “I’d like you to witness for yourselves first. Listen—in the other room. What do you hear?”
It was quiet, and then there was movement.
“Just listen first, please,” Edward said.
“A werewolf, I assume. I can hear his heart,” Taras said.
“What else?” Edward asked.
There was a pause.
“What is that other beat?” Kate or Carmen asked. “It’s so slow…”
“Yes, and remember how distinct it is—how different. Now, what do you smell? Besides the werewolf.”
“Is there a human here?” Elena whispered.
“No,” Taras disagreed. “It’s not human… but… closer to human than the rest of the scents here. What is that, Edward? It’s… almost familiar. Like I’ve smelled it before.”
“You have, Taras. But what else can you discern from that scent?”
A pause.
“It’s more human than we are…” Taras said slowly, “but it isstill like us in some ways.”
“Now, please, Taras, pleaseremember to listen. Throw away your preconceived notions.”
“I promised you I would listen, Edward.”
“All right, then. Beau? Please come here.”
My legs felt strangely numb, but I knew that feeling was all in my head. I forced myself not to hold back, not to move sluggishly, as I got to my feet and walked the few short feet to the corner. The heat from Jacob’s body flamed close behind me as he shadowed my steps.
I took one step into the bigger room and then froze, unable to force myself farther forward. I took a deep breath.
I thought I’d prepared myself for their reaction. For accusations, for shouting, for the motionlessness of deep stress.
Taras staggered back a few steps as he looked me over, confusion overwhelming his expression. Kate narrowed her eyes. Elena moved slightly in front of Carmen, holding her arms out protectively.
“Congrats, you freaked out the vampires,” I heard Jacob tease under his breath.
Edward put his arm around me. “Now before you jump to conclusions—” he began.
“What’s going on here, Edward?” Taras exclaimed. “Are you trying to test the Volturi? Carlisle told us you needed to change him!”
“What’s… wrongwith him?” Kate’s narrowed eyes were focused like lasers on me.
“Edward this isn’t wise.” Elena sighed.
“Wait,” Edward said, his voice harder now. “Remember what you hear, what you smell. Now look at what you can see.”
“I see a human!” Taras snapped back.
“Taras,” Edward said sharply, “Listen to how slow his heartbeat is! Think about his scent! And look at him!”
“His heart…” Carmen whispered, peering around Elena’s shoulder.
“He’s not a full vampire, no,” Edward said, answering an unspoken thought and directing his attention toward Carmen’s more open expression. “But he’s half-vampire.”
The four vampires stared at him like he was speaking a language none of them knew.
“Hear me.” Edward’s voice shifted into a smooth velvet tone of persuasion. “Beau was very sick—he was dying. Carlisle didn’t not believe he would survive the transformation. When we finally did attempt to change him…” Edward paused, only for a briefest second, “Something happened. Beau awoke as you see him now. Half-vampire and half-human.”
Taras’s mouth was hanging open, he didn’t seem aware of it.
“Edward, I don’t understand.” Elena was shaking her head.
“You hear his heart, don’t you? It’s too slow for a human. His scent, it’s human and vampire.” Edward said as calmly as he could manage.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Elena said. Her shoulders were still stiff, her expression cold.
“Come now, Elena. Open your mind.”
It was Carmen who responded to Edward’s words. She stepped around Elena, ignoring her half-articulated protest, and walked carefully to stand right in front of me. She examined me carefully, taking in every detail.
“Your eyes have always been beautiful,” she said in a low, calm voice, “but now they almost glow with an inner light, don’t they?” And then, as if she could not help herself, she smiled.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
They all glanced at each other at the sound of my voice.
“May I?” Carmen held out a hand toward my face.
I nodded once.
She gently placed a hand on my cheek, her head tilted slightly to the side. “You are warm, but… too cold for a human.” She leaned in closer and sniffed. “Your heart beats, but I smell no blood in you—not blood I would desire, at least.”
“What?” Taras demanded, coming closer. “How?”
Elena approached now. Reaching out her hand, “Please?” she glanced down at my own hand, her expression still cold.
I put my hand in hers, she felt my skin, examined my face. “Ah,” she nodded. “How very strange. But I see now. You are not human, not strictly speaking.”
“How did this happen?” Kate asked, coming closer now.
“When I was dying,” I answered, “I needed a blood transfusion.”
“We had few options,” Edward continued, “So we took a chance on a theory.” His eyes darted over to Jacob.
“You used the werewolf’s blood?” Taras’s voice was shocked.
“Hey.” Jacob grumbled.
“Jacob and his people possess advanced healing, we hoped that this would help Beau—and it did. It made him stronger. But the werewolves’ blood is not compatible with our venom. The end result…” Edward tightened his arm around me.
“A half-vampire.” Elena whispered.
“Will the Volturi accept this?” Taras asked Elena.
“He is no longer a mortal,” Elena replied. “If anything, he would be better adept at hiding the secret of the immortals than any of us.”
“They’d be confused.” Kate added. “But they’d understand, I’m sure.”
“So what is this grave danger you warned us of?” Taras asked. “Surely, you’re concerned about how they will react. The Volturi would be cautious but why—”
“The Volturi have been told that Beau is still human, and they’ve been informed of our friendship with the werewolves.” Edward answered, darkly.
The four vampires looked panicked now.
“The Volturi will not honor a truce with werewolves, Edward.” Elena’s voice was grave. “Believe me, I know.”
“We had intended to send Beau alone to meet with the Volturi. His thoughts are protected from Aro and so Beau could hide the wolves’ involvement.”
“But who would do this to you?” Taras was angry now. “Why?”
“When Ivan saw Beau that day in the mountains,” Edward explained. “Beau hadn’t hunted for several weeks. He appears more human when he doesn’t hunt, and he had Jacob with him.”
Kate hissed, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Ivan did this? To you? To Carlisle? Ivan?”
“No,” Taras whispered. “Someone else…”
“Alice saw him go to them,” Edward said. I wondered if the others noticed the way he winced just slightly when he spoke Alice’s name.
“How could he do this thing?” Elena asked of no one.
“Imagine if you had seen Beau, looking even more human than he does now. Imagine if you knew the Volturi demanded he be changed.” Edward said.
“When Ivan saw me, I was telling Jacob how happy I was that everything worked out—that I could stay in Forks, still be around my human family and friends.”
Taras and Kate’s eyes widened slightly as understanding began to dawn on them. The memory of their mother who refused to let go of her human life bringing pain into their expressions.
“Jacob changed into his wolf form when he sensed Ivan and Ivan didn’t wait for our explanation.” Edward continued.
Taras’s eyes tightened. “No matter what he thought—what he might have felt… You are our family.”
“There’s nothing we can do about Ivan’s choice now. It’s too late. Alice gave us a month.”
Both Taras’s and Elena’s heads cocked to one side. Kate’s brow furrowed.
“So long?” Elena asked.
“They are all coming. That must take some preparation.”
Elena gasped. “The entire guard?”
“Not just the guard,” Edward said, his jaw straining tight. “Aro, Caius, Marcus. Even the wives.”
Shock glazed over all their eyes.
“Impossible,” Elena said blankly.
“I would have said the same two days ago,” Edward said.
Elena scowled, and when she spoke it was nearly a growl. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would they put themselves and the wives in danger?”
“It doesn’t make sense from that angle. Alice said there was more to this than just punishment for what they think we’ve done. She thought you could help us.”
“More than punishment? But what else is there?” Elena started pacing, stalking toward the door and back again as if she were alone, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the floor.
“Where are the others, Edward? Carlisle and Alice and the rest?” Taras asked.
Edward’s hesitation was almost unnoticeable. He answered only part of her question. “Looking for friends who might help us.”
Taras leaned toward him, holding his hands out in front of him. “Edward, no matter how many friends you gather, we can’t help youwin. We can only die with you. You must know that. Of course, perhaps the four of us deserve that after what Ivan has done now, after how we’ve failed you in the past—for his sake that time as well.”
Edward shook his head quickly. “We’re not asking you to fight and die with us, Taras. You know Carlisle would never ask for that.”
“Then what, Edward?”
“We’re just looking for witnesses. If we can make them pause, just for a moment. If they would let us explain…” He touched my cheek. “Prove that Beau has been changed, or at least that we did our best to change him. Explain that the wolves present no immediate danger to them. Champion the Volturi to show us some mercy.”
Taras nodded slowly. “Do you think they will listen?”
“I don’t know. If Ivan had only given us a chance to explain before going to the Volturi we may have been able to avoid this entirely.”
“Beau still would have had to convince the Volturi his change was… satisfactory.” Kate raised an eyebrow.
“Beau,” Elena said quietly, still pacing, “is a rare creature. Aro would not risk destroying anything so unique without pause.”
“We can witness to the quality of our family.” Carmen finally said in a decided tone. “We can add our voices to yours. The Volturi are strict, but they are not without mercy.”
“Without mercy…” Elena repeated, still distant.
“Yes, we can witness for you,” Taras said. “Certainly that much. We will consider what more we might do.”
“Taras,” Edward protested, hearing more in his thoughts than there was in his words, “we don’t expect you to fight with us.”
“If the Volturi won’t pause to listen to our witness, if they will not show mercy, we cannot simply stand by,” Taras insisted. “Of course, I should only speak for myself.”
Kate snorted. “Do you really doubt me so much, brother?”
Taras smiled widely at her. “It is a suicide mission, after all.”
Kate flashed a grin back and then shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m in.”
“I, too, will do what I can do protect you all,” Carmen agreed. “Do not be so troubled, Beau.” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
“Thank you, all of you.” I said quietly.
For a moment I thought that maybe what we were attempting might be possible. Maybe we would be shown mercy by our enemies.
And then I remembered that Alice had left us, and my hope vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
#Breaking Dawn#Breaking Dawn Revamped#Breaking Dawn Rewrite#Beau Swan#Beau Cullen#Edward Cullen#Jacob Black#Twilight#The Twilight Saga#Twilight Saga Revamped#Twilight Rewrite
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X-Men Black: Emma Frost #1
“Hunger is Productive”
Writer: Leah Williams | Penciller: Chris Bachalo | Inkers: Bachalo, Wayne Faucher, Al Vey, John Livesay, Tim Townsend, Jamie Mendoza | Colourists: Bachalo, Antonio Fabela, Dan Brown, Carlos Lopez | Letterer: Cory Petit
Published by Marvel | 31.10.2018 | $4.99
X-Men Black: Emma Frost #1 is the final of these one-shots, giving us a story that plays out as a revenge move from Emma Frost against the Hellfire Club, with the assistance of a number of X-Men.
Leah Williams’ take on Emma Frost feels dead on. No nonsense, confident, and able to take on any and all comers through a focused, detailed, and well thought out plan of attack. I really, really like this characterization and it feels like the “real” Emma, much more so than the weirdly emotional, outright villainous, mad cackling character that we’ve seen a few times since her seeming departure from sanity in Death of X.
The artwork from Chris Bachalo and the entire art team army for this story is also very impressive. There are nice touches of humour and action throughout as Emma and her X-assistants enact her plan.
I’m still confused by the overall intent and purpose of the X-Men Black series of one-shots. It’s largely delivered an entertaining bunch of comics focusing on X-Men villains (or antagonists, as it were), but there doesn’t seem to be a wholly unified purpose to them. Some of the promotional material promised that the one-shots would lead into Uncanny X-Men, but there’s no real direct link hinted at so far. There’s been forward momentum for this Emma Frost book, as well as last week’s Juggernaut, but, by and large, most of these haven’t really been overly steeped in current continuity and don’t really muck about with the status quo too much. This is the first of the five that really set out with a clear set up for future stories and a new situation that will definitely have broader implications for the X-Men as a whole, but there are no indications as to how this might possibly be capitalized upon in the future.
It’s also still unclear whether or not Emma has definitively become a villain again, as she’s been mostly depicted as since Cyclops’ death in Death of X, or if she’s found a new purpose. Though, there’s definitely an indication that she’ll still be at odds with the X-Men for what she’s done in this story.
Overall, though, like the previous instalments, this is a highly entertaining story in its own right, worth it for both Williams’ characterization of Emma and for Bachalo & his army of inkers and colourists’ wonderful art.
“Apocalypse - Degeneration Conclusion”
Writers: Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler | Artist: Geraldo Borges | Colourist: Rachelle Rosenberg | Letterer: Cory Petit
This is the fifth and final chapter of this Apocalypse back-up, seeing him regenerate into a new body and figuring out what exactly was going on in this strange world he found himself in.
I find it interesting that Apocalypse has learned something through this entire ordeal, but it’s not what we’d naturally think. Most people having been humbled and brought to their lowest point often develop a feeling of empathy. Not so here, as Apocalypse is possibly even more ruthless than before.
Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Geraldo Borges, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit have given us a fairly entertaining serial through the back-ups and delivered a rejuvenated Apocalypse to the world of the X-Men. I wonder where it’s going to go from here.
Quick Bits:
Extermination #4 takes a moment amidst the chaos and gives the explanation for what kid Cable and Ahab have been doing. In doing so, Ed Brisson also nicely raises the stakes to make you wonder how the X-Men can possibly get themselves out of the situation. Might well be one of the reasons why the forthcoming Uncanny X-Men arc is being called “Disassembled”. Great art from Pepe Larraz, Ario Anindito, Dexter Vines, and Erick Arciniega. Anindito’s work isn’t necessarily as “clean” as Larraz’s, but the grittiness works for this chapter, and isn’t necessarily a dramatic shift in style or tone.
Multiple Man #5 does its damnedest to break your brain with multiple multiples, multiple timelines, and multiple instances of time travel shenanigans. It’s fun. Kind of insane, but fun. Matthew Rosenberg, Andy MacDonald, Tamra Bonvillain, and Travis Lanham have done a good job with this series, bringing Multiple Man back to the world of the X-Men. And then killing him again. Multiple times.
Old Man Logan #50 is one hell of a conclusion, as Logan takes one last stab at taking down the Maestro. The final battle between Logan and Maestro is brutal, this issue beautifully illustrated by Ibraim Roberson, Neil Edwards, and Carlos Lopez.
What If...Magik #1 is a pretty great story from Leah Williams, Filipe Andrade, Chris O’Halloran, and Clayton Cowles, presenting “What if Magik became Sorcerer Supreme?” It’s an interesting twist from the Darkchylde character arc, giving Illyana a chance at redemption and a healthier outlook on magic and herself with the help of Doctor Strange. Also, the art from Andrade and O’Halloran are pretty much worth it on its own.
Collections: Weapon H - Volume 1: AWOL, Weapon X - Volume 4: Russian Revolution, X-Men Blue - Volume 5: Surviving the Experience, X-Men: Grand Design - Second Genesis
d. emerson eddy is ahead. Is a man. Is the first mammal to wear pants, yeah.
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Northern Migration Chapter 15 (Notes + Preview)
We’re finally inside Wonderland, so you know what that means! I hope everyone is ready and geared up for what is ultimately going to be a very strange version of everyone’s most painful taz arc. Like always, these notes are going to contain spoilers for the new chapter, so make sure to read that first before giving this a read. You have been warned.
Spoilers Ahead!
I think that given the fact that both Taako and Lucretia were wandering Faerun at the same time in search of the same person, it would be a little strange if they didn’t run into each other at some point. I think this scene kind of highlights one of the things I find to be the most interesting part of Taako—how little of a grasp he has on his own emotions. He seems like someone who is guided by really strong feelings, but he doesn’t want to be so he has to twist his logic around to make it seem like he’s in the right. He sort of knows deep down at his anger towards his family has reached irrationality, but it’s easier on himself to just believe that he still has a reason to be upset. This is probably a bonkers interpretation of his character, but it’s a tad too late for me to back out on it now.
Ren doesn’t remember meeting Lucretia because, honestly, it was a long time ago. She hasn’t really put two and two together yet.
Sorry for all the sudden scene changes throughout this chapter. If I wrote out everything in detail like I usually do, we wouldn’t have gotten to Wonderland this chapter.
Carey isn’t gone! We’ll come back to her!
I am legally obligated to have a Magnus and Julia scene every arc where they’re just being a good couple.
FYI, Davenport got a new wand off screen. I was supposed to have mentioned Magnus and Stevie picking up a new wand for him when they were shopping a few chapters back and I forgot like the damn fool I am.
Fun fact, originally they were going to meet up with Killian, Avi, and Ren outside of Wonderland via realizing that they were being followed. I cut this out for logistical reasons, but there was going to be a gag where everyone got a billboard with their chosen reward on it. Ren’s was going to be an image of one of the Wonderland elves holding a finger over their lips that says “you know” (like the Griffin meme) in order to imply that Taako’s life could be won back. I’m sad that this joke was cut, but ultimately the chapter works better this way.
Okay, this is going to be a whole can of worms. But let’s talk about the actual changes to the Wonderland formula I had to make. As we know, I try not to do a retelling of the podcast. I think it’s both boring to read and impossible with how many changes I’ve already made. So I felt like I couldn’t do Monster Factory again. This time around, our heroes haven’t had forty odd episodes of hunting down monsters. Having a tournament where they can go up against characters that we already know the motivations and abilities of works better thematically. And, honestly, the added drama of that is going to work better in print than a straight up DND fight will. Luckily, in canon we know that the trials of Wonderland changes based upon who’s competing so I hope that this at least isn’t coming out of nowhere.
Trust and Forsake was also met with an unfortunate cut from the story. I tried making it work here, but the fact that it wouldn’t be anonymous really detracted from its effectiveness. It ended up just making the whole process feel bloated. Hopefully, the tournament style will make up for the lost drama.
Also I will mention now that I’m going to do my best to keep the whole tournament MBMBAM themed.
And, finally, we’re at the wheel spins for Killian, Avi, and Ren. As mentioned in the chapter, Avi took one of Ren’s spins because he didn’t want her to lose any more than she already has. So he got hand and brain which means he lost his left thumb (which will really hurt his ability to do his engineering work) and the knowledge of why he wanted to try to become a member of the militia in the first place. We haven’t really covered much about that yet in his backstory, but just know that he did some things he regrets in order to make it as far as he did in the process. Killian, meanwhile, landed on eye. She sacrificed her ability to see color.
One final note: yes, the spins are going to be a lot meaner than they were in the show. This was still a fairly nice round, though I did try to raise the gravity of it by having Edward not give glasses to Davenport and having Lydia take Avi’s thumb (which is a very important finger). It will get worse, trust me.
And that’s that. That was a whole heck of a lot to go over. Wow. Anyways, here’s your preview for the next chapter. Until next time!
Music that rattles the space between their bones pulses through the air, matching the flashing neon lights as the crowd roars their enthusiasm. Lucretia still tries to yank her feet out of the metal binding her to the ground as Davenport keeps a wary eye between where the Wonderland elves lounge on their thrones to where their enemy team stands in a similar state of frantic confusion.
Julia has her shield in one hand and her sword in another, taking a step back so that she can hear over the music. “Guys, what do I do?” she asks. “This is sadistic.”
“I don’t think they’re going to attack us yet,” Davenport says.
“I can’t get this to…” Lucretia groans and pulls out her wand, muttering angry words under her breath as she fires a spell. The blue sparks of her magic zip over the metal before crackling, turning black as it ricochet’s up her leg. She yelps, dropping her wand as she tendons go rigid.
“Careful.” Julia scoops the wand off the ground and hands it back to her, smoothing her hand over Lucretia’s cheek and shoulder. “Istus all mighty—are you alright?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She winces, squirming as she continues to try to free her legs. “Damn it. That was supposed to be an unlocking spell.”
Up on the elevated dais. Edward throws a lazy head back as he holds up a goblet of wine. “Dear Lydia,” he says. “This is getting a bit boring. I don’t think either team is taking this game too seriously.”
Lydia hums. A wicked grin curls through her lips. “I think it’s time we raise the stakes a bit.” She rises from her throne, coming to the edge of the dais so that the spotlight can shine on her. “For this game, we’re going to need some volunteers from the audience.”
From the audience encircling the arena, beams of light arc through the air—about half a hundred. They strike the ground like meteors, bluish smoke wafting into the air as humanoid figures rise from the wreckage. “A quick rule change—now we’re going to have some new participants playing alongside you guys. If any of them hit either button, then you both will lose and face the penalty.” She flicks her half curtain of hair. “I suggest you protect your button very carefully.”
#the adventure zone#taz balance#taz taako#the suffering game#magnus burnsides#Davenport#taz lucretia#julia burnsides#taz fanfic#taz fanfiction#updates#notes#taz nm#taz northern migration
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'Death to 2020': 'Black Mirror' Creators on Making Topical Comedy Amid the Pandemic
The 2020 NFL season has been plenty strange, and the AFC playoff race is bringing the drama right down the wire. Week 16 produced some postseason-altering results that will have significant ramifications on seeding and will determine which teams still have hope in the final week of the year. After an exciting early-afternoon slate, here’s where things stand in the AFC playoff picture:
The Steelers sit atop a tightly contested AFC North.
For the first time in the Mike Tomlin era, the Steelers rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit on Sunday, stunning the Colts to complete a 28-24 comeback win and halt a three-game losing streak. But the most surprising part wasn’t the comeback. It was that it happened because of the arm of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 244 yards anคาสิโนออนไลน์d three touchdowns in the second half, and went 6-for-9 on passes 10 yards or more downfield for 133 yards and two scores, according to Pro Football Focus.
This contest had division-crown implications for both teams, and we’ll get to the Colts in a bit. The Steelersสล็อต offense entered Sunday trending in the wrong direction, and their dominant defense had injuries piled up within nearly every position group. Both were issues during a first-half shellacking at the hands of Philip Rivers and Co. Indianapolis built a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter and seemed firmly in control of things when Pittsburgh’s offense finally awakened. Roethlisberger, who entered the game tied for 27th among quarterbacks in intended air yards per attempt (6.9) and 34th in air yards per completion (4.5), connected with Diontae Johnson on a 39-yard touchdown and JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 25-yard go-ahead score with 7:38 remaining. Smith-Schuster’s celebration after the play was muted, but for the first time in a while, Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense looked like they were enjoying themselves. Big Ben finished Sunday with a season-high 342 yards and three touchdown passes.
“I just felt like we weren’t havingสูตรสล็อต fun,” Roethlisberger told reporters after the game. “I felt like it was important to come out in the second half [and have fun]. It’s not easy to do when you’re losing.”
Roethlisberger’s performance, in tandem with Pittsburgh’s defense holding the Colts to three second-half points, led the Steelers to the 12-win mark and their first AFC North title since 2017. It also prevented the team from potentially needing to fight off the Browns and Ravens in Week 17.
The Browns, meanwhile, entered Sunday with a chance to end the NFL’s longest playoff drought—and they could do it against the Jets. Considering Cleveland’s recent form, that sounded like a cakewalk—until Saturday afternoon, when the Browns learned that four of their wide receivers and two linebackers would be out because of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
Cleveland’s rushing game has ranked among the best in the league; Football Outsiders had the Browns as no. 8 in rushing DVOA entering Sunday. But absent starting left tackle Jedrick Wills and right guard Wyatt Teller—who were out with an illness and ankle injury, respectively—the BrRuay clubd Sunday no. 8 in rush defense DVOA), and finished with 45 rushing yards on 18 carries (2.5 yards per carry). Baker Mayfield and the Browns’ passing game missed wideouts Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Rashard Higgins too. The Jets took an early lead and Mayfield failed to find much success through the air, finishing 28-for-53 with 285 yards and three fumbles (two lost).
Still, the Browns pulled within four points early in the fourth quarter and trailed 23-16 with just over a minute to go. They drove to the Jets’ 16-yard line, but facing fourth-and-1, Mayfield dove ahead on a QB sneak and the ball was popped loose. Kareem Hunt recovered it behind the line of scrimmage, but the drive ended, along with Cleveland’s chances at earning a postseason spot on Sunday.
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While the Browns were faltering, the Ravens continued their run of impressive play in a 27-13 win against the Giants. Baltimore’s offense has used an easy stretch of games against the Cowboys, Browns, Jaguars, and Giants to channel the form that spurred the team’s dominant 2019 season. Running backs Gus Edwards (15 carries, 85 yards) and J.K. Dobbins (11 carries, 77 yards, one touchdown) combined with quarterback Lamar Jackson (13 carries, 80 yards) to help the Ravens notch their 10th win of the year. And with the Colts’ loss, Baltimore got back into the playoff picture just in time for the regular season’s final week.
The Ravens and Browns each control their fate entering Week 17. Baltimore must beat the Bengals to earn a wild-card berth; Cleveland must defeat the Steelers. Both teams could finish as high as the AFC’s no. 5 seed, depending on how the Dolphins perform next week against the Bills. Baltimore owns the tiebreaker with Cleveland based on head-to-head win percentage.
“This one’s on me,” Mayfield told reporters after the loss. “This one is going to sting for a day or two, but we’ve got the Steelers to win and get in. Yes, I’m aware of what could have happened if we won today. I’m well aware of that. But it is what it is.”
The Colts lose their grip on the AFC South and give the Titans a chance to secure their spot.
The Colts entered Week 16 knowing that if they won out, they’d be in. Things got off to the right start on Sunday against Pittsburgh, as Indianapolis took a 21-7 lead going into halftime; the Steelers’ lone scoring drive followed a Rivers fumble that set them up at Indy’s 3-yard line. Rookie tailback Jonathan Taylor had rushed for two scores and Rivers had fired a 42-yard touchdown pass to Zach Pascal to help the Colts surge comfortably into the lead.
But things fell apart in the second half. Indy opened the third quarter with a field goal, then went three-and-out on back-to-back drives. The Steelers scored touchdowns on each of the ensuing possessions, as Roethlisberger began picking the Colts’ secondary apart. And after Pittsburgh took a 28-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Rivers tossed a crucial pick, allowing the Steelers to chew nearly four more minutes off the clock before Indy regained possession. The Colts managed to get to Pittsburgh’s 33-yard line, but Rivers threw three straight incompletions to end the drive on downs, and following Sunday’s other results, the Colts are back on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
“I’m gonna believe that 11 [wins] is gonna be enough,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “I don’t deny that we need help, but…”
Next week, Indy will face the one-win Jaguars in a must-have contest. But even if the Colts win, there’s a chance they’ll miss the postseason, as the Ravens and Browns each hold head-to-head tiebreakers and the Dolphins have a greater conference win percentage. The Titans, who face the Packers on Sunday Night Football, can now clinch the AFC South title with a victory.
The AFC officially runs through Kansas City.
The Chiefs clinched the AFC’s no. 1 seed on Sunday following a dramatic 17-14 victory against the Falcons. For the seventh consecutive game, Kansas City played in a one-score contest, and for the seventh consecutive time, it won. At 4-10, perhaps the Falcons weren’t expected to put up much of a contest. But they got stops when they needed to and did a decent job of generating pressure on Patrick Mahomes, specifically from the interior—star defensive tackle Grady Jarrett recorded a pair of QB hits.
Mahomes wasn’t at his best Sunday. He completed 24 of 44 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns and threw an uncharacteristic red-zone interception early in the third quarter. The Chiefs—who’ve been the NFL’s highest-scoring third-quarter offense—didn’t get a point in the frame.
None of that mattered.
Matt Ryan’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Laquon Treadwell gave the Falcons a 14-10 lead with 4:33 left, but roughly two minutes later, Mahomes drove the Chiefs to Atlanta’s 25-yard line. Mahomes was nearly intercepted by rookie cornerback AJ Terrell in the end zone, but Terrell couldn’t maintain possession after hitting the ground. The very next play, Mahomes found Demarcus Robinson for the go-ahead score with 1:55 remaining.
The Falcons almost forced overtime, as Ryan led them down to Kansas City’s 21-yard line and set up kicker Younghoe Koo—who’d made 27 straight attempts—for a 39-yard field goal. But Koo’s drift sailed wide right, and the 14-1 Chiefs clinched the AFC’s top seed, home-field advantage, and the conference’s lone bye.
“Just a bad day for the offense,” Mahomes told reporters after the game, “starting with me.”
Perhaps it should be concerning that Kansas City keeps finding itself in close games, and that twice this month it’s had some of the lowest outputs ever with Mahomes behind center. But that hasn’t mattered yet. And considering the Chiefs boast a QB whose play while trailing is historically good; an All-Pro in Travis Kelce, who’s put together the greatest single statistical season by a tight end; and one of the NFL’s most explosive receiving corps, it’s hard to find a reason why Kansas City won’t find its way through the AFC and back to the Super Bowl.
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The Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa–Ryan Fitzpatrick Conundrum Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones tackle the "nonsense and chaos and horribleness" of 2020 with a star-studded mockumentary filmed under pandemic-era protocols. "We hope to give people a sort of cathartic exorcism of the year that was 2020," Jones tells The Hollywood Reporter.
"People definitely need a relief," says Annabel Jones, summing up 2020.
Speaking virtually alongside Charlie Brooker, the Black Mirror creators tell The Hollywood Reporter that this year wasn't a good fit for another potentially harrowing season of their Emmy-winning anthology series. Instead, the producing partners and Netflix collaborators decided to tackle the "nonsense and chaos and horribleness" that was 2020 with comedy.
Death to 2020, which released on Netflix Dec. 27, is a different kind of end-of-year special. First conceived in July as the coronavirus pandemic continued to rage around the globe, Brooker and Jones settled on the format that would work best under COVID-19 era production constraints and a tone that would best sum up 2020.
The result is a mockumentary that mixes real-life footage with commentary from fictional talking heads who represent familiar 2020 archetypes. Those such "experts" are played by Samuel L. Jackson (a reporter), Hugh Grant (a history professor), Kumail Nanjiani (a tech CEO), Tracey Ullman (Queen Elizabeth II), Samson Kayo (a scientist), Lisa Kudrow (a conservative spokesperson), Diane Morgan (an average citizen), Leslie Jones (a behavioral psychologist), Cristin Milioti (a soccer mom), and Joe Keery (a gig economy millennial).
The actors filmed their scenes separately and each in one day, with locations split between London and Los Angeles amid a 10-day shoot at the end of November in order to deliver the most topical takes. Laurence Fishburne was the final touch, narrating an ever-evolving script, written by Brooker and a team of scribes. Al Campbell and Alice Mathais directed the cast in the U.K. and U.S., respectively, as Brooker and Jones ran the sets remotely via Zoom.
The 70-minute standalone special — which, to be clear, does not exist in the Black Mirror universe — tackles the global pandemic, the sweeping Black Lives Matter movement and the U.S. election, while also touching on moments like the rise of TikTok, Parasite’s historic Oscars win and #Megxit. Brooker, known in the U.K. for his comedic takes on current affairs as well as his dystopian series, approaches it all with the "slightly detached" and "elite" air often employed by documentaries, a genre that has especially thrived on Netflix.
"The whole format is slightly tweaking the nose of high-end Netflix documentaries, so it sort of made sense to be doing the show in this form and also on Netflix. I don’t know that a special like this would have been commissioned if it wasn’t for the pandemic," says Brooker. Jones adds, "I hope what Death to 2020 does is give people a sort of cathartic exorcism of the year that was 2020."
Below, in a chat with THR, Brooker and Jones detail what it was like to make Death to 2020 in an unprecedented year amid "huge leaps of progress" in production, discuss their approach to Trump's role in the special and all of those Netflix mentions ("The crew were almost in reverence to her like she was the Queen," says Jones of Ullman's The Crown-worthy performance), and muse about how 2020 might change how they tell stories in the near future.Just Won’t Go Away
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ESSENCE Fest (And Likely ALL Other Concerts) Canceled For 2020, But A Virtual Edition Will Go Down + WWE Deemed ‘Essential’ In Florida, Wrestlers Still Fired
Essence Festival 2020 has been cancelled and virtual edition of the event will be hosted to raise funds for COVID-19 relief. Get those deets, plus the ridiculousness moves by Florida officials by deeming the WWE as essential inside….
Summer plans to attend the annual ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans have been cancelled.
Today, ESSENCE announced that they will no longer move forward with the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture live experience and look forward to returning to New Orleans in 2021. After New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell recommended that no large events take place in New Orleans in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, they decided to pull the plug on the annual event.
ESSENCE initially thought they would be able to reschedule the festival for the fall, but with the way Americans are rapidly being infected with COVID-19, they made the tough decision to postpone until next year for the sake of the public’s health. Not to mention, New Orleans has been on track to becoming the new epicenter for the deadly virus.
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After continued monitoring of the evolving developments in the COVID-19 global pandemic and in collaboration with our partners in the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana, ESSENCE will no longer move forward with the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture live experience. We look forward to returning to New Orleans in 2021. Tickets sold for the 2020 Festival will be honored in 2021 and full refunds are also available. We are excited to now announce an ‘ESSENCE Benefit Series to Fight COVID-19’ will raise money and provide support for businesses and organizations in Black communities across the country. We will host the first-ever ESSENCE Festival of Culture: The Virtual Edition taking place over July 4th weekend as a multi-day experience and benefit celebration linked to this effort. The virtual Festival will be a benefit celebration in honor and support of the City of New Orleans, which has been an incredible partner over the Festival’s 26 years and continues to be especially hard hit during this crisis. Click our bio link for the full statement from ESSENCE. #EssenceFest
A post shared by ESSENCE Festival (@essencefest) on Apr 15, 2020 at 7:45am PDT
On the flip side, ESSENCE will host a virtual event to help raise money to support the black community – businesses and organizations – across the nation.
”We are excited to now announce that our ‘ESSENCE Benefit Series to Fight COVID-19’ will raise money and provide support for businesses and organizations in Black communities across the country, and that our first-ever ESSENCE Festival of Culture: The Virtual Edition taking place over July 4th weekend will be included in this effort as a multi-day experience and benefit celebration,” ESSENCE said in a statement.
”This Festival will be hosted on our new ESSENCE Studios streaming platform, which will extend the experience to communities everywhere providing unfettered access to the power, purpose and party that has made the ESSENCE Festival the largest cultural, entertainment and empowerment experience in the world.
”Women across the globe and their families will engage in interactive, live opportunities to be inspired, empowered, entertained and transformed as they enter a new economic, spiritual and wellness journey ahead. The virtual Festival will be a benefit celebration in honor and support of the City of New Orleans, which has been an incredible partner over the Festival’s 26 years and continues to be especially hard hit during this crisis.”
Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana thanked ESSENCE for working with the city to help flatten the curve in NOLA.
“ESSENCE and the City of New Orleans have a partnership that thrives in good times and is made even stronger in challenging times,” said Mayor Cantrell. “We share an uncompromised commitment to the best interest of our local community and our tourist community, and the priorities right now are providing support to those who have been affected by the disproportionate impact of the pandemic here in New Orleans and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to our great city in 2021 for the return of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture and to once again helping to create such an unmatched and magical experience.”
“We greatly appreciate the Essence family for working with the City of New Orleans and Louisiana as we face this ongoing public health crisis,’ said Governor John Bel Edwards of Louisiana. “We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Essence family and look forward to continuing the celebration in 2021.”
Will you be tuning in for the virtual event?
In other news...
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NEXT WEEK on #SmackDown | The #SmackDown Tag Team Titles will be on the line in a Triple Threat Match, @sashabankswwe and @saronasnukawwe clash in a high-stakes matchup, @bryanldanielson faces @wwecesaro and @trinity_fatu faces @ashasebera_danabrooke in #MITB Qualifying Matches, @sonyadevillewwe looks to clear the air with @mandysacs and MORE!
A post shared by WWE (@wwe) on Apr 10, 2020 at 7:38pm PDT
As public health experts are encouraging (and almost begging) people to gather only if they have to, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declared the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) as an “essential service” during the deadly pandemic. And his reason for doing so doesn't even make sense.
DeSantis basically told reporters he made the WWE an essential service because people need new content while in quarantine. We can’t make this up.
“I think people are chomping at the bit,” he said. “I mean, if you think about it, we’ve never had a period like this in modern American history where you’ve had such little new content, particularly in the sporting realm. I mean, people are watching, we’re watching, like, reruns from the early 2000s, watching Tom Brady do the Super Bowl, which is neat because he’s gonna be in Tampa and I think they have a chance to win a Super Bowl this year. But I think people - to be able to have some light at the tunnel, see that things may get back on a better course — I think from just a psychological perspective I think is a good thing.”
What he doesn't say is that the owners of WWE, The McMahons, are staunch republicans who, like DeSantis, are close personal friends of Donald Trump.
Peep the press conference he held yesterday where he talks about it below (at the 27:40-minute mark):
youtube
He said there would be no crowds in attendance, but still. There are tons of people who work behind-the-scenes to produce a WWE show. By the way, the WWE announced one staffer recently tested positive for COVID-19 last week.
BREAKING: WWE has come to terms on the release of Drake Maverick (James Curtin), Curt Hawkins (Brian Myers), Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra), EC3 (Michael Hutter) and Lio Rush (Lionel Green). We wish them all the best in their future endeavors. https://t.co/cX449nNSLU
— WWE (@WWE) April 15, 2020
DeSantis and Linda McMahon are now under scrutiny for this decision considering their Trump ties.
Although the WWE has become essential in Florida, the company has furloughed some of its wrestlers in an effort to cut costs and increase cash flow.
The company cut legend Kurt Angle along with a score of wrestlers: tag-team partners Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Drake Maverick, Curt Hawkins, EC3, Lio Rush, Heath Slater, Aiden English and Eric Young. Zack Ryder, Sarah Logan, Erick Rowan, Primo and Epico Colon, Mike and Maria Kanellis and No way Jose were also reportedly released. Several producers, including Lance Storm, Shane Helms and Fit Finlay, were also let go or furloughed, as was referee Mike Chioda.
Oddly, Rusev, one of the most popular figures who also appeared on E's "Total Divas" with his wife Lana, was also cut.
Rusev tweeted a few weeks back said that he was willing to pledge 20k of his own money to help pay staff without pay in WWE.
Today they released him, I feel fucking sick.
You're a top man @RusevBUL
— (@Fiend4Follows) April 15, 2020
The WWE is also reducing the salaries of executives and board members; decreasing operating expenses; cutting talent expenses, third party staffing and consulting; and deferring spending on the construction of the company's new headquarters for at least six months. It's reported the WWE will save $4 million a month with the measures “along with cash flow improvement of $140 million primarily from the deferral in spending on the Company’s new headquarters.”
Damn.
Photo: Getty
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source http://theybf.com/2020/04/15/essence-fest-canceled-for-2020-but-a-virtual-edition-will-go-down-wwe-deemed-%E2%80%98essential%E2%80%99-
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Chapter 23
A/N: Hellloooo! Without further adieu here is the next chapter! Thank you for all of your love I appreciate it <3
Harry had given Adalyn some space over the next few days. The following morning after their date Harry had sent her a message knowing that she would be at work already. He apologized for how things ended up and wanted to know if there was anything he could do. Addy had taken most of the day to respond to him even though he had seen that she had read the message earlier in the morning.
Her response led him to believe she was starting to have doubts about their relationship, which was of course natural. After all, dating a prince was not exactly an easy thing. Seeing those words on the screen made him want to go to her instantly to try and make everything better. They read… ‘I don’t know Harry. I need some time to think. Please give me a few days.’
Each day Harry had sent her a little message she would wake up to in hopes she would agree to meet with him and talk about it all. Today was that day. Sitting in a meeting with his private secretary and other members of his team he felt his phone ring.
Seeing her picture light up on his screen he immediately pushed his chair back and said, “I will be right back.” Harry told Edward quietly as he slipped out the room before seeing Ed’s unflattering expression that he was missing this board meeting he had already re-scheduled twice for the prince.
“Hey beautiful.” He answered the call as quick as he could. “How’s your day going?”
“It’s been one of those days.” Harry could hear the stress laced in her voice. The heavy sigh she released further confirmed what he was thinking. She was having a difficult day at work. Between work and the animal rescue Addy was being pulled thin.
“Want to tell me about it?” Harry opened the door to his apartment settling down in his chair.
“I just wanted to hear your voice is all.” Addy admitted in a quiet whisper. Her words brought forth a wide smile on the prince’s lips. She had missed him; at least that was a step in the right direction.
“We had another curator quit this week so my boss dumped all of her projects onto me and I have a deadline next week to get this exhibit done and I won’t be able to get all the pieces in by the time it opens.” Adalyn continued to vent rambling on about the stresses she was facing in her job. Harry thought it was ridiculous how much pressure her boss was putting on her as of late doing the work of more than two people.
Addy hardly complained about her work, but Harry listened to her intently knowing that she needed a venue to let go. All she needed was someone to vent to. A few minutes had passed, as the line became silent indicating that she was done.
“I’m sorry babe, but I know you will find a way.” Harry encouraged her, as much as he could hoping that it would help ease her stress a bit.
What she said next was something he had been waiting for her to say in the past few days. “Can you come over tonight? I promised Ainsley I would hang out with her, but you should come… I think we are going to order in and watch a movie but afterwards we could talk….” Addy became quiet hoping that Harry would agree to come over.
“What time?” Harry smiled through the phone trying to hide the elation in his voice.
“Six?”
“Are you taking the tube home again?” Harry suddenly thought of an idea.
“Mmmhmmm.” He could hear her a voice in the distant background asking her to sign a few papers followed by a rustling sound. “Thanks Eva. I will be there in a minute.”
Waiting to hear the door close Harry continued to speak. “Why don’t I pick you up from work? It would be quicker for you to get home.” He tried his best to convince her.
“You don’t have to. I don’t mind taking the – ”
“I want to Addy.” Harry interrupted her before she could come up with a reason to back out.
“Be here at 4:30. I will see you then babe.”
Harry angled his vehicle into a visitor’s parking spot near the entrance of the museum wearing a pair of sunglasses and a hat. Staring at the museums glass doors he watched intently waiting for Addy to walk through them. A few moments later Addy dressed in a figure hugging burgundy dress with a pair of classic black heels walked out of the entrance taking a few steps onto the concrete path ahead of her.
Scanning the area she tried to spot the prince’s car but could not see him. Harry picked up his phone calling her. “To the left.” Harry watched her head turn spotting his car.
As she stepped closer to the vehicle her lips turned up into the biggest smile once Harry came into her view. Unlocking the door he reached over and pushed it open for her. Climbing into the passenger seat she continued to beam at him.
“Thanks for picking me up!” It had been four days since she had seen Harry. Four days too long. Without warning she leaned in to place a small kiss to his cheek thanking him for picking her up after such a stressful day. Knowing that she would be home in half the time instantly boosted her mood.
Looking back over his shoulder he checked to see if any cars were coming as he pulled out of the lot. Feeling a small hand grab his he glanced down seeing her fingers intertwine with his in a silent gesture. Addy was looking out the window away from him as he gently squeezed her hand letting her know he was here. He could sense that she needed some quiet after a long stressful day so he let her be stuck in her mind the rest of the way home never letting go of her hand.
Harry parked behind her flat building watching her eyes narrow in the rear view mirror. Addy had no doubt seen Luther pull up in the spaces behind them. Unknowingly to her she gripped his hand tighter staring out the window at his RPO.
“Addy…” Harry calling her name broke through her thoughts. Turning her head she tried to hide her disappointment to the fact that Luther was working this evening.
“Don’t worry about it.” He opened the door rounding the vehicle to Addy’s side. Helping her out of the vehicle he watched her glare over his shoulder surely making eye contact with Luther. Hearing another car door close he glanced back at him.
Luther had gotten out of the car coming their way when Harry shook his head no instantly stalling him. He didn’t want to upset Addy right now especially since he had just been given the chance to talk with her tonight.
“It’s ok… He needs to come in. I’m not happy about it, but he’s here for you.” Addy waved at Luther to follow them in.
That evening Harry got to learn more about Addy and Ainsley’s relationship. They had been friends since childhood, ending up at the same university in Leeds being college roommates. Ainsley was simply not just a best friend, she was viewed as a part of Addy’s extended family. Ainsley’s own family was never close and she had spent the same if not more time with Adalyn’s family than her own.
Ainsley had Harry keeling over on the ground laughing at a story of one of their ‘wild nights’ in their first year of college that ended with them being in the back of a cop car while Addy tried to flirt her way out of it. Addy buried her head into her legs dying from embarrassment, but giving into Harry’s wicked laughter that filled the room.
“Ainsley! Enough!” Addy giggled tossing her head back gathering the courage to look at Harry sitting beside her with the widest toothy grin she had ever seen him display.
“Sorry babe. You are so cute when you’re embarrassed.” He leant over placing a sweet kiss to her temple. Closing her eyes at his touch she silently begged for more of him. Feeling his firm lips leave her skin she glanced up catching his gaze.
Harry sensed that she desperately wanted to talk to him and get it over with, but she had promised Ainsley that she would hang out with her and he wasn’t about to make her break that promise. He could see her torn eyes not sure what to do in the moment so Harry made the decision for her.
“What movie do you want to watch?” Harry averted his gaze to Ainsley. He didn’t want to take over from their time together. Ainsley turned her back towards them to dig out their box of movies giving Harry a chance to quickly talk to Addy.
“We can talk after…” Addy mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him. Settling back into the sofa she moved to sit between Harry and Ainsley. Ainsley wrapped herself and Addy up into a warm fuzzy blanket snuggling together making Harry display a jealous look.
“Sorry Harry I am stealing your snuggle buddy tonight.” Ainsley barked at him sticking her tongue out in a teasing manner. Pursing her lips together Addy tried to hold in her laugh staring at the prince’s shocked face. Shrugging her shoulders at him she silently told him to deal with it.
“She isn’t just a snuggle buddy.” Harry winked at the two women sitting beside him earning a gasp from his girlfriend. “Harry!” Addy scolded, shocked that he would say that in front of her friend.
Ainsley leaned in towards them. “It’s not like I haven’t heard you guys…” She laughed seeing Addy’s cheeks go red. “And we were talking about your sausage the other day at the grocery store.”
Receiving a narrowed glare from Addy she couldn’t believe how embarrassing her friend was tonight. Addy could not even look at Harry now, feeling the heat in her cheeks rise. His deep laugh reassured her that he wasn’t upset that Ainsley knew.
“Oh please go on!” Harry retorted. Snapping her head in his direction she shook her head no violently. “Oh hell no!” Ainsley started to speak, but was quickly silenced by Addy’s hand flying out to cover her mumbling words.
Hearing his little bell jingle Harry glanced back over his shoulder seeing Chance walking into the room. Calling him over the dog happily wagged his tail jumping up on the small space between Harry and Addy. “It’s ok. I have Chance to snuggle with. Right boy?” he scratched the dog’s ears seeing his tail whacking Addy’s leg hard.
“Chance!” Addy’s mouth opened at the shocked betrayal. “That’s right. He loves me more.” Harry winked at her earning a playful swat from the brunette. “He even gives better kisses.” His remark earned him an eye roll from his girlfriend.
Throughout the course of the movie Ainsley had fallen asleep on the far end of the sofa. Addy had snuggled up to the prince cozying into his warm body. Her arm was snaked around his stomach holding him securely in place. There was still another half of the movie to go, but Addy reached forward grabbing the remote to pause it.
Rising from her spot on the sofa she reached out for the prince’s hand. “Let’s go to my room.” Addy whispered careful not to wake her roommate. Harry loosely gripped her hand following her lead into the bedroom. Crawling over top of her comforter Addy sat crossed legged on top of her bed while Harry lied down casually on his side.
Harry would be lying if he weren’t terrified at what they were about to discuss being unsure of the outcome. He had given her time and space to do what she needed to do, but they had yet to actually talk. The fact that she had called him today and invited him over gave him a glimmer of hope that she had sorted things out and still wanted to be with him. The last thing he wanted to do with her tonight was to fight so he would give her the time to explain it all before saying his part so he could fully understand her side of things.
Seeing her eyebrows furrow, Addy grew silent, concentrating down to a random spot on the bed. He knew she needed a minute to gather her thoughts.
“First… I owe you an apology.” Addy’s gaze lifted locking eyes with the prince. She held his gaze hostage as he eagerly waited for more. “I am sorry I left quickly the other night and have hardly said anything to you in the past few days. I know it must have been confusing, but I appreciate you giving me the time I needed.”
A light giggle escaped her lips at the thought of the messages she had woken up to. “And those messages you sent me… so I would wake up to them always brought a smile to my face.” Fidgeting with her hands he could tell that she was nervous to talk with him. Remaining silent Harry gave her an inviting smile, allowing her to control the talk.
“What Luther said really got to me…” she paused needing to look away from the prince. “Partly because it was true.” Sighing Addy took a series of deep breaths to calm her budding nerves, afraid of what the prince would think of what she was about to say.
“I knew that a relationship with you would be different and sometimes more difficult. I thought I understood that, but I really didn’t until the other night. Things with you… have been getting more serious and it kind of frightened me a little. Thinking this was all too good to be true.” Addy looked back to the prince trying to gauge his reaction, but he wasn’t giving her anything but a simple understanding nod of the head. She knew he was not going to say a word until she had told him all of it.
“I am scared Harry.” She confessed whole-heartedly. It was about time that she admitted that to the prince. Harry sat up and moved closer to her sitting directly across from Addy. Her shaky hands were engulfed by his in a comforting approach to get her to keep going.
“There is so much that you don’t know about me and there are things in my life that I keep locked away. Once people know those things they look at me differently. They treat me differently. I have trusted people with that information and they have burned me in the past so it’s not easy for me to let my guard down and share it all.” Focusing her eyes on their entwined hands she continued.
“I am scared that I am starting to fall for you… that maybe you don’t feel the same.” Drawing in a deep breath she squeezed his hand. “I am scared that you are going to hurt me like Jake…” Addy closed her eyes hoping that he would not be mad at her for saying it, but it was true.
Lifting her head she caught the prince’s sincere eyes staring at her. “Jake knew all those things and I thought I knew him. I never thought he would be the kind of man to hurt me the way he did and I know that you aren’t even comparable. You are a better man than him, but it terrifies me to no end putting that trust into someone again and not letting the fear of being hurt consume my relationship with you.”
Addy started to choke up a bit feeling the pangs of hurt in her chest. “My heart was shattered, I was a ghost just trying to get through each day. I don’t think my heart could handle it again Harry.” Becoming quiet she looked to Harry, her eyes begging for him to say something.
“And the other night made you think of all of these things?” Harry finally spoke angling his head keeping their gaze locked. Asking her trying to better understand her fears.
“When you took me to you and your mother’s spot…” Addy started to get teary eyed.
“You trusted me with that… you said no one has been there but you and her. It made me realize how badly I wanted to know more about you and her and everything else, but that also meant I would need to share things from my past too.” Wiping away a stray tear she grew silent wanting Harry to say something more. “And that may make you feel differently about me.”
“I took you there because I am falling for you Addy…” Harry took in a deep sigh. “I know it’s scary and I have to be honest, it is not going to get easier for us. It will be hard and different, but I promise I will be here always to help.” He paused letting the words sink in. “Besides, all those things that have happened have made you who you are and I like getting to know that girl…”
Her head sprang up at those words feeling her heart pounding in her chest. He’s falling for me too… she thought to herself. Addy needed to hear that confirmation from him, that they were in the same place in this relationship. Unable to stop the smile that was starting to spread across her lips she shook her head in disbelief.
“You didn’t think I felt the same about you?” Harry chuckled inching closer to the brunette. Addy shook her head ‘no’ in reply. “I hoped you did… but I wasn’t sure.”
“Then let me tell you again….” Harry grinned with a smirk. “I am falling for you Adalyn Mackenzie and that terrifies me too. You have this indescribable grip on me and I can never shake you from my mind no matter how hard I focus.” Staring at her bite her bottom lip all Harry wanted in this moment was to devour her sweet lips, but he knew they needed to finish their talk. ‘These past few days without you were excruciating not knowing what was going on in your mind. I thought I was going to lose you and I wasn’t prepared for that to happen. I didn’t want for that to happen.”
“I need you to be honest with me and tell me when you are feeling like this because I don’t always know. When something is to much tell me.” He eyed Addy seriously, wanting her to really hear his next words. “This will not work if we both shut down and build walls back up. I want to know those things about you Addy, but in time and when you feel right to share it.”
“But once the press knows… they will find them out too…” he desperately wanted to warn her about them. “They will dig and dig until they find it.” No matter how hard he tried to prepare her for them it wouldn’t matter. They were vicious to the point where Harry had thought about ending it with her just so she would not have to go through that.
“I cannot protect you from everything… but I promise that I will do whatever I am able to.” Addy knew exactly what he was talking about. Once the press got wind of their relationship, there was only so much Harry could do for her. He was asking her to be honest with him and trust him.
“I’m sorry I can’t give you a normal relationship… a normal life Addy.” His voice grew low. “You have to decide for yourself if that is something you want.” He silently wished that she would walk away in this moment and be completely selfish. That way he would not have to see her go through it and he knew she eventually would. He would not have to see the tears in her eyes at what they wrote about her, the way she dressed or how different her body should be, all the lies of him with other women; invading her life like vultures.
“I know what I want.” Addy spoke without skipping a beat. She was now sure of it.
This conversation with Harry gave her a multitude of answers she was looking for. Things she had needed to hear from the prince in order to give her a bit of peace of mind that where their relationship was heading was in the same direction. In her time away from him, she had tired to think of what life would be like without him and in all honesty, she couldn’t envision a life without Harry in it. Knowing that she would need to place more trust in him did scare her to no end, but it was also the price she was willing to pay to see where things would go. Yes she would be vulnerable, yes she would have to lay her heart on the line again, but all she could think about was what if it worked out. What if he was it and that was a risk she was willing to take. It would all be worth the ride to find out, even if it ended in miserable heartache.
“I want you Harry. Besides, where’s the fun in normal anyway?”
“You want me huh?” Harry maneuvered his body closing in the gap between them. Addy grabbed his shirt pulling him in further wanting to feel his bodies contact against hers. Gently lying down Harry held his body towering over top of her going in to attack her neck with an onslaught of kisses.
Exposing as much skin as she could, Addy angled her neck towards his lips feeling them press firmly on her skin in a series of kisses. Electric shock ignited the nerves in her neck moaning in need as his hot mouth devoured her.
Mature Scene
Addy’s hands trailed down his chest gathering the ends of fabric of his shirt; she tugged it over top of his head tossing it to the side. Breaking the string of kisses on her neck she sat up helping Harry discard her of her clothes leaving only the prince with his boxers on.
Harry continued to explore every inch of her both with his mouth, his tongue, his hands feeling the way she responded arching her body closer to his touch. The need was urgent, desperate as she reached down his boxers grabbing him with a hard squeeze, but yet Harry forced her to wait. Taking her wrists he pinned them above her head letting her know that he was going to take his time with her.
Staring into the depths of her wide lustful eyes Harry couldn’t help but watch her expression as his hand trailed down towards her center. Her parting lips gasped feeling his fingers stroke over top of her growing wetness. Harry was slow, deliberate in his movements forcing her to yield to his pace, his unhurried touch building the desire that stirred within her.
Closing her eyes she felt his mouth capture one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking on it she arched her body begging him to not stop his torment on her. Tangling his fingers in her hair he was all over her body building a cascade of passion that left her body in wild moans.
Slipping his tongue against hers he begged for entry into her mouth searching for her tongue she let him in. Moaning against his hot lips she pulled his body down by the nape of his neck wanting to feel his body tight against hers, skin to skin.
“I want you in me Harry…” she tried to persuade him again between the assault on her lips.
“Not yet…” Harry giggled lightly knowing how torturous he was about to be with her.
Kissing an invisible trail in the center of her body down from her lips he moved himself further downward in the bed licking his lips eagerly wanting to taste her. Without warning he drove his tongue inside of her setting her off into a surge of moans that was music to his hears.
Pulling a gasping moan into her lungs she began to feel dizzy, her body over run with intense abandon. Addy grabbed a handful of his ginger locks and pulled him closer to her. Harry’s laugh was mumbled against her skin setting off vibrations making her breathless.
Thrusting one finger inside of her he curled it hitting that sweet spot within her that turned her moans into a new pitch of orgasm. Shuddering against him her legs shook uncontrollably. Harry not letting up his thrusts while she rode out her orgasm making his cock become hard at the sounds he elicited from her.
Slowing down he glanced up at Addy, watching her crumble into the sheets, her face glowing with a grin from ear to ear. Climbing back up beside her Harry kissed her lips pressing down firmly on them.
Cupping his face she wrapped her legs around him holding him prisoner. “Now I want you.” She lifted her body off the bed to kiss him again. “How do you want it?” Harry teased her knowing what positions she always enjoyed.
Releasing her grip she sat up placing a hand on his chest pushing his body down onto the bed. Offering the prince a wink she snuck her hand beneath his boxers grasping him firmly giving his member a few strokes. Leaning down she whispered in his ear.
“I am going to ride you Henry Wales.” She pecked him on the lips before turning her body quickly running into the bathroom to grab a condom. Ripping off the package she rolled it onto his cock.
Straddling Harry she angled herself above him holding him in place. A devilish grin appeared on her lips as she made eye contact with the prince. Knowing she was about to be up to no good Harry shook his head lightly warning her not to do it.
“I dare you too…” he egged her on secretly hoping she would. Sticking out her tongue at him she teased the tip of him against her wetness stroking it slowly up and down her knowing she was driving Harry mad.
Lowering herself down on to him slowly, she gave herself time to adjust to his large size. Her breaths were jagged, indrawing sharply holding her breath as each took in each inch of him. Feeling Harry fully in her she tossed her head back taking a moment before she started to ride him.
His hands reached out to grip her hips pushing them down harder on top of him while he watch her tits slowly bounce, his mouth watering wanting to taste them again. Harry relinquished control allowing Addy to please him fully. Addy would take his cock out of her completely then slam back down onto him causing a multitude of moans nearing bringing him to the edge and then denying him what he wanted, what he needed.
Unable to handle it any further Harry sat up grabbing the brunette making them be on the same level forcing her to look into his deep blue eyes. Continuing to grind on top of him she moved her hips rhythmically as she wrapped her arm around the side of his body holding onto him in an effort to steady herself. His hands cupped her ass gripping them firmly holding her body hostage right where he wanted her. His tongue attacked the flesh on her breasts feverishly.
“You are mine.” He whispered to her before capturing her moans with his lips. Breaking apart breathlessly Harry began to thrust into her pressing his cock up against a spot that made her eyes roll back into her head and mouth quiver.
“Harry!” She called out letting him know that she was close. Her pussy clenched down around him causing a low groan to escape his lips. “Cum with me Harry.” She pressed her forehead against his begging him to; their lips inches apart staring into the eyes of the other.
Her body shook violently feeling Harry slow down his thrusts into deeper more deliberate ones. Harry felt her fingers dig into his back burying her moans into the crook of his neck. His arms wrapped around her pulling her body down onto him one more time before releasing himself with her.
End Mature
All that could be heard was their breathing as they struggled to find reality again. Addy pressed her body as close as she could against Harry’s kissing his neck with sweet gentle kisses. His cock was still buried within her, but she didn’t want to go nowhere, to be nowhere but here in his arms in this intimate moment they had shared.
Sitting back up she smiled down at the prince as he brushed a piece of her hair tucking it behind her ear. Intimate moments like this took away all doubts in her mind. She was right where she belonged.
“I am yours.” Addy beamed at the prince seeing the lust disappear in his eyes replacing it with something that she had not seen before.
#prince harry#royalfanficcollection#phff#prince harry fanfic#fanfic#prince harry fanfiction#chapters#chapter23#harryandaddy#littlebitofeverythingphff
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Any more college AU's that aren't in the tags? Thank you.
obviously this list would be ridiculously long if I gave every single recent college au that wasn’t in our tag, so I’ll try to stick with ones that are fairly long or chaptered/wips haha
poppy seeds by Batman - A coming-of-age story.
My Lovely Lilac by Profound_Felicity - Kim Taehyung begins his freshman year of college, nervous for what lies ahead. After all, being a pansexual crossdresser can turn some heads and garner negative attention from those around him. Thanks to the “Pink Princess,” an LGBT blogger he follows religiously, he feels equipped to face whatever university has in store for him. However, nothing could prepare Taehyung for crushing on a boy who lacks the ability to feel romantic and sexual attraction.
see me, feel me by aeterisks & aetoms - Jeongguk never thought he would end up stumbling upon his Twitter crush’s nsfw account, much less discover he’s a camboy. As if that wasn’t enough already, he ends up at Jeongguk’s place with something he can’t refuse.
In Every Parallel Universe (I’ll Keep on Loving You) by rimacchi - “Taehyung.” Jeongguk stops him, his hand tight on his wrist and his head roaring, aching and spinning all at the same time with his thoughts jumbling up but the elder’s lips curl — that toothy boxy grin he has seen through the years. “You disappeared. You literally disappeared. You were gone for seconds and then you just — materialized!” “I have no magic tricks, Jeonggukie.” He replies and smiles because that’s what Taehyung does. He smiles like nothing’s wrong, he laughs and makes everything brighter and beautiful and worth it. But now Jeongguk’s confused and part of him thinks it’s because of those cups of coffee last night and another thinks it’s because he’s going insane; insane because for five seconds, he saw Taehyung vanish into thin air. Or Jeongguk’s happy as a college freshman and is in love with the physical embodiment of sunshine but some shitty supernatural phenomenon makes his boyfriend appear and disappear like magic and the world must have messed up.
Kintsugi by mysweetkittae - Kintsugi (n) – The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. Jungkook never expected to meet him, the boy that shone as bright as a million suns yet carried a darkness so heavy in his heart that it left his soul shattered, scrambling to pick up the splintered pieces and put himself back together again before he fell apart again. He never expected to meet him, but he did, and he wouldn’t change it for a thing.
Soulmates by GiiGii - Soulmates are supposed to be rare and enviable.At the height of his career, Jungkook can’t believe he’s found his; a beautiful Omega. He also can’t believe that his soulmate has rejected him. Taehyung has struggled with being an Omega since he presented. He doesn’t want to be forced into another dominating relationship but the appearance of Jungkook is upsetting his wishes.
the world don’t stop ( it’s on again ) by dormant_bender - Jungkook just wants to be normal, but of course that’s impossible when the world has labeled you as “Spider-Man.” Despite his newfound power and abilities, the one thing he is still unable to do is confess his feelings for his best friend Taehyung. Spider-Man!Taekook AU.
grabe me by the neck and don’t you ever let go by cypherkooks - taehyung, the worlds most dedicated psychology major, wants to try out a real life experiment and jeongguk loves taehyung too much to say no to anything he asks, even if he’s not completely aware of it yet
he smells like strawberries, cologne, and youth by peachberries - Taehyung was that one kid who everybody wanted to know, cheerful, friendly, relaxed, he was some sort of campus God. Jungkook was quiet, awkward and blunt, only able to claim one friend, Jimin. Jungkook had always hated Kim Taehyung, and oh… would you look at that, they’re in a project together. And oh… would you look at that, Jungkook has completely fallen in love with the guy he’s supposed to hate.
i got your ass (in the scope) by nutaella - Things might have gone a little bit hot after Jeongguk and his team won their final game—not that they’re complaining.
under this sky by kapiitae - Jeongguk figures if Taehyung is the sun, bright and shining for the whole world to see, he must be the moon, ever constant in reflecting the beauty of the sun.
if you can’t take the heat (stay anyways) by 00kg - Jeongguk has learned that friends with benefits is better if friends is more like a loose term for people you pass in the hallway or the guy you outdrank at the anime club’s terrible meet-up or that one crazy guy on campus who talks to pigeons. Luckily for Jeongguk, Taehyung fits into all three categories. Unfortunately, he’s also Jimin’s roommate.
12 Weeks by TaeTea - “If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.” - Edward HopperIn which Taehyung tries to capture the complexity of love within the infinite shades of Jeongguk
Black Dahlia by AmandaPleese - Jeon Jeongguk is not afraid to die. So he thinks. It’s not until he is staring into the eyes of his soulmate, black spots beginning to splotch his vision, chest on fire, far too many dark petals trying to come up his esophagus at once, that he’s terrified. It’s too much. Tears sting his eyes, and he looks desperately at his soulmate who looks just as desperate right back, his world beginning to teeter. His throats closes up, and he can’t breathe. Jeongguk thinks he’s never been more scared in his life. Jeongguk doesn’t want to die.
I Got Lost In You(r Eyes) by NastaeTae - The earth is surrounded by a universe that doesn’t care, and filled with people that do. When something is out of place, the universe will correct it, no matter what the cost.
Idiosyncratic by jiminsfw & tkac - “I just want to own you and for you to own me just as much. I’m sick of people saying that we’ll never work out, that two alphas would be a destructive relationship. I want to feel secured that you won’t leave me for a pretty and delicate omega or beta, want you to feel the same security with me as well.” Jungkook’s voice is shaky, breaking at some parts of his speech. Fuck, he’s crying. He grips Taehyung’s shirt with both his hands, tears slowly running down his cheeks. “I want to prove them wrong, hyung. I want them to know that we’re just as good as every alpha/omega or beta/beta pair out there. I want them to stop doubting our love and saying that it’s just a phase.”
Fall Asleep (Fall For You) by drannie - “They say when you fall in love you can’t fall asleep, but now that I’ve met you I feel like I finally can.” A University AU where Jungkook and Taehyung become roommates. But Jungkook has insomnia and can’t fall asleep with other people and Taehyung can’t fall asleep alone.
got a question or request? check our tags page first to see if what you’re looking for is already there, or use the search bar on our blog! if you don’t have any luck with that, feel free to send us an ask when the inbox is open^^
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Royai Scene 28
So this is a scene I’ve had in my head for at least about a week and needed to get out. I thought it would be interesting to see what might happen when Roy meets his and Riza’s kid for the first time.
This was the result.
The basic premise is that Riza has been rushed to the hospital, having gone into labour. Roy intended to stay by her the whole time (even though her vice grip on his hand was cutting off its circulation), but unfortunately there was a patient who’d been brought in that was bleeding to death from a gunshot wound and was screaming in agony. It reminded Roy a bit too much of something he saw in Ishbal and his PTSD kicked in, leaving Team Mustang to keep him calm while Riza gave birth.
So as you can imagine, Roy is not exactly pleased by his behaviour, even if he has no control over what triggers his PTSD.
(The scene begins with Roy opening the door to Riza’s hospital room. He’s happy to see that his wife’s okay, and she even has a little bundle in her arms, but he still feels bad over abandoning her the way he did.)
(Seeing him, Riza looks over at her husband and smiles.)
H: Hey...
M: Hey, gorgeous...
(He walks over to her and stops just inches away from the bed.)
M: I’m sorry...
(Riza shakes her head.)
H: Don’t be. You know as well as I do that you have no control over what triggers your memories.
M: I know...I just wanted to be there, you know?
H: I know...
(Roy smiles sadly at her as he leans in closer, intending to cup her cheek and give her a kiss. That is until he feels a tiny grip wrap around his pinky finger. Looking down, he comes face to face with a little human with the vague outline of black hair, and amber eyes.)
(Roy is now completely overtaken by the emotion, completely forgetting all of his guilt and instead embracing the sight of the little bundle staring up at him.)
H: Go ahead...He’s been wanting to meet you...
(Very gently, Roy picks up the little boy and cradles him in his arms, smiling very sweetly at the little boy his wife had just given birth to.)
M: Hi, there...I’m your daddy...
(Riza smiles, happy to see that Roy has recovered from looking so devastated. Now, he just seems happy. Genuinely happy, like when they’d first gotten married.)
M: Have you picked out a name, yet?
H: No. I wanted to wait until you came back, so we could pick one out, together.
M: Alright. (He starts happily playing with his son.) So what should we call him? You got any ideas?
H: Well, I was thinking we could call him Maes?
M: No, not Maes.
H: Why not?
M: Because what if turns out to be talkative? Then we’ll never get any work done at home. If you know what I mean?
H: Alright then. What about Edward?
M: No...That one’s still a bit too close to home for me...
(Riza realizes what she means. Yes, it’s been three years he last saw Edward, but the wounds of both failing as a parental figure to Ed and loosing him is still a bit too fresh in her husband’s mind.)
H: Alright...What about Micheal?
M: Micheal?...Yeah, I like that...Micheal J. Mustang...
H: What does the J. stand for?
M: Nothing. But he’ll need something to make himself sound prestigious. It’ll help him get by in this world.
(Riza can’t help but laugh at her husband’s reasoning.)
H: Alright then, Micheal it is.
(Now that they’ve picked out a name for their son, Roy smiles back down at him before looking up to face his wife.)
M: You know, I think this might be the happiest day of my life...
(The whole time Riza is smiling at him.)
H: I think so, too...
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29 Best About Us & About Me Pages (+ Why They’re So Good)
Most website owners don’t take their About Us page very seriously.
They’ll talk about themselves for a bit, upload a photo or two, and then call it a day. Worse, they rarely update the darn thing — the About page they threw together on Day 1 is the same one they’re sporting months (or even years) later.
That’s a problem because most visitors to your website aren’t old, familiar faces — they’re first-timers coming from Google who don’t know anything about you.
And the first thing many of those visitors do? Yep, they check out your About Us or About Me page.
Sophisticated bloggers, freelance writers, and business owners know the About page is one of the most important pages on your website — it introduces you to new readers, potential customers, and future adoring fans.
And the websites that get them right — like the ones I’m about to share with you — have a huge advantage over their competitors.
So, ready for some inspiration? Let’s dive in.
The Best About Us Page Examples
1. Todd Henry
Why Todd Brown’s About Me Page is So Good
Todd Brown writes with the precision of a Navy S.E.A.L. sniper within each section of the page. Every word plays a role and delivers. It’s the writing equivalent of Bruce Lee’s one-inch punch.
What You Can Learn From Todd Brown’s About Me Page
Once you say what you need to say, stop writing.
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2. Advance Your Reach
Why Advance Your Reach’s About Us Page is So Good
Many great About pages talk about their company’s history solving a specific problem. Few people talk about solving a personal problem as foundational as fixing a broken relationship with your father.
Is it me or is someone cutting onions in here?
What You Can Learn From Advance Your Reach’s About Us Page
Don’t be afraid of getting vulnerable, especially if it’s central to why you chose your path. Letting your guard down builds a stronger bond with your ideal readers and more effectively repels the ones who aren’t a match anyway. Win-win.
Editor’s Note: Advance Your Reach has one the best About pages I’ve ever seen. From design to copy, it’s nearly perfect. Their business could be solely focused on selling black licorice and, based on their About page, I think they’d still be successful.
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3. Grammarly
Why Grammarly’s About Us Page is So Good
Grammarly has a cult following with professional writers. And Grammarly prominently displays the reason why right on their About page. Their benefit-rich copy serves as a beacon to bring more writers into their warm embrace.
What You Can Learn From Grammarly’s About Us Page
Make your mission statement loud and clear. Grammarly’s mission statement — “to improve lives by improving communication” — is at the very top of their About page. Make sure readers can find yours too.
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4. Ramit Sethi
Why Ramit Sethi’s About Me Page is So Good
Ramit’s ‘About Me’ page stands out for two reasons:
First, he positions himself as a contrarian — the anti-expert expert.
Second, Ramit is known for being long-winded. He’s true to form on his About page, but it’s worth reading every word.
What You Can Learn From Ramit Sethi’s About Me Page
There’s no such thing as “too long” when it comes to content, if it’s engaging and informative. It’s important to be true to yourself and not just mimic what you see other people doing.
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5. Ray Edwards
Why Ray Edwards’ About Me Page is So Good
Ray takes advantage of the way the human brain is wired. He knows that, when people see a question, they want to answer it. In the case of his About page, they have to read more to have enough info to answer the question.
And if it does sound like them, they’re more likely to keep reading, which is exactly what he wants.
What You Can Learn From Ray Edwards’ About Me Page
You can get your point across about what you offer, while still keeping your reader as the focal point. Frame what you’re selling in how it will help your reader.
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6. SiteGround
Why SiteGround’s About Us Page is So Good
SiteGround lets you know right away that they’ve been in the web hosting game since 2004. You can’t overstate the value of getting potential customers comfortable that you’re not going to go all Bernie Madoff on them.
What You Can Learn From SiteGround’s About Us Page
Repetition can be a good thing. If you have a key advantage versus your competitors, say it loud and say it proud. In SiteGround’s case — longevity, loyalty, and innovation make for quite the trio.
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7. Truvani
Why Truvani’s About Us Page is So Good
The copywriting and web design here are fingerlickin’ good — the page seamlessly transitions from establishing a rapport (based on values) to selling. The CTA (call-to-action) isn’t all neon signs and flashing lights, but you can’t miss it.
What You Can Learn From Truvani’s About Us Page
It’s okay to “sell” on your About page. People didn’t just show up on your ecommerce site to do some light reading. Make a quick connection, and then make it easy for them to get your product.
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8. SE Ranking
Why SE Ranking’s About Us Page is So Good
Differentiating your company when it’s in a crowded niche isn’t easy. An “all-in-one SEO tool”, SE Ranking competes with the likes of Moz, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.
But despite the stiff competition, SE Ranking doesn’t overdo it. Their About page projects calm and serenity by using solid copy and a pleasing color scheme.
What You Can Learn From SE Ranking’s About Us Page
You don’t have to “go big” to be effective. A nice page design featuring bold colors and top-notch copy will always jump off the screen.
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9. Yellow Leaf Hammocks
Why Yellow Leaf Hammocks’ About Us Page is So Good
In a word: simplicity.
Yellow Leaf Hammocks combines a socially-conscious mission statement with a product description that lets potential clients know everything they need in only three lines of above-the-fold text.
What You Can Learn From Yellow Leaf Hammocks’ About Us Page
You don’t have to write a novel in order to make a great first impression. Having a clear, compelling, catchy message — prominently displayed above the fold — helps you grab your readers’ attention before they turn away.
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10. WP Engine
Why WP Engine’s About Us Page is So Good
WP Engine does a lot of things well on their About page, but I love the “Our people fuel the engine” section toward the bottom of the page.
It shows WP Engine knows their target customer cares about diversity, and that it’s a key differentiator for them.
What You Can Learn From WP Engine’s About Us Page
Using numbers makes your About Us page feel official. If you’re a business that has interesting data at your disposal, following WP Engine’s lead and prominently display it.
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11. Kajabi
Why Kajabi’s About Us Page is So Good
From the large, high-quality photo that greets you, to the way they casually weave in four unrelated success stories of customers to show the lengths of their unconditional support, Kajabi’s About page feels like it was crafted by someone you might know.
What You Can Learn From Kajabi’s About Us Page
Don’t make it all about you. Speak directly to the type of reader (or customer) you want to attract. Come across as a friend who can help them, not a stranger looking to get something from them.
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12. RKA Ink
Why RKA Ink’s About Us Page is So Good
RKA Ink’s About page tells you not to hire them (or anyone else) until you’ve read a free eBook. Of course, not only does this eBook bring them email leads, but its content helps convince readers why they are the best option.
It’s a rare example where you end up in a long-term relationship with a company because they told you NOT to hire them.
What You Can Learn From RKA Ink’s About Us Page
Just because you have a business doesn’t mean you can’t have a personal brand. And if you can showcase the same writing or design chops on your site that you want clients to buy, you’ll be way ahead of your competition.
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13. Bob Goff
Why Bob Goff’s About Us Page is So Good
Bob Goff uses his website’s About page to introduce you to his team members. A headshot for each team employee is given, allowing readers to put names to faces.
What You Can Learn From Bob Goff’s About Us Page
Let readers and potential customers learn about everyone in your company, not just the head honcho.
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14. FreshBooks
Why FreshBook’s About Us Page is So Good
Freshbooks turned their About page into a second home page — with links for everything you might want to know about them. It’s surprising we don’t see businesses use this approach more frequently.
What You Can Learn From FreshBook’s About Us Page
Large and small businesses — like people — can be multifaceted. Thoughtfully putting all aspects of your business on display casts a wider net, which attracts a larger group of people to bring into your world.
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15. Harvest
Why Harvest’s About Us Page is So Good
Harvest creates a perfect user experience on their About page for the no-frills, busy professional. They give you direct links so you can jump straight to whatever you’re looking for. No scrolling.
What You Can Learn From Harvest’s About Us Page
“Simple design works” is the main lesson, but there are two important storytelling lessons here too:
First, people love origin stories.
Second, business origin stories are even better when they start by solving your own problem. It exponentially ramps up the relatability.
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16. iThemes
Why iThemes’ About Us Page is So Good
In a word: community. They start with the Oklahoma City shoutout and then each person on the team shares a catchphrase or motto. You can learn a lot about a person from what they choose as their catchphrase.
What You Can Learn From iThemes’ About Us Page
Highlight the people who comprise your company, not just the company itself. iThemes’ About page gives the name of the company, its home city, and a simple tagline. The rest of the page is dedicated to their people — who they are, what they do, and how you can connect with them on social media.
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17. Wave
Why Wave’s About Us Page is So Good
Testimonials are great social proof, but business awards are just as effective (if not more so). And they’ve been collecting business awards like Pac Man gobbling up power pellets, Wave’s About page prominently displays them.
What You Can Learn From Wave’s About Us Page
Awards add instant credibility. And whether or not the reader has heard of the company giving out the award doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think it might.
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18. Asana
Why Asana’s About Us Page is So Good
The pictures Asana uses are fantastic at giving new readers a glimpse behind the scenes at their office. Each one looks like a photo you have on your camera roll, complete with the action blur in the screenshot above.
What You Can Learn From Asana’s About Us Page
Your photos don’t need to go through a gauntlet of 23 Snapchat filters to make a first impression that sticks with your reader. The photos just need to match your overall message.
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19. BuzzStream
Why BuzzStream’s About Us Page is So Good
BuzzStream’s About page gives you enough info to know what BuzzStream does, but not how they do it. It stirs up curiosity, while giving the reader multiple ways to contact BuzzStream if they want to learn more.
What You Can Learn From BuzzStream’s About Us Page
With the right hook, you don’t need to tell your whole story on your About Us page. You can place your bait and wait for the leads to start pouring in.
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20. Marie Forleo
Why Marie Forleo’s About Me Page is So Good
A beautiful website isn’t worth much if the content sucks. Marie Forleo not only has one of the most eye-catching About pages on the web, but she also hits you right in the feels with her heartfelt words.
It reads as close to a letter to a friend as you’ll see.
What You Can Learn From Marie Forleo’s About Me Page
Read Marie’s About page and you’ll learn how to write about what you believe in — and why — without it looking like a bulleted buzzword bingo cheat sheet.
Aside: She also has a book with the best title ever — Everything Is Figureoutable (affiliate link).
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21. Ann Handley
Why Ann Handley’s About Me Page is So Good
I love Ann Handley’s stuff. And her About Me page is no different. Her value proposition is so dialed in, it almost brings a tear to my eye. The testimonials in the speech bubbles are a great touch too.
What You Can Learn From Ann Handley’s About Me Page
Third person works great when you have lots of accolades (like Ann) to showcase. Written in the first person, it might come across as bragging.
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22. Nathan Barry
Why Nathan Barry’s About Me Page is So Good
The founder of ConvertKit, Nathan Barry knows dropping the names of a few well-known customers (“Gretchen Rubin, Chris Guillebeau, Pat Flynn, Tim Ferriss, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Tim McGraw”) work as well as any raving 5-star review when it comes to proving your product does everything you promise.
What You Can Learn From Nathan Barry’s About Me Page
If you have a high-profile customer, subscriber, or admirer, don’t be afraid to leverage it.
Also, positioning is key. I switched to ConvertKit from MailChimp partly because I learned ConvertKit was built for blogging — made by creators for creators (like me). If you’re part of your target audience, be sure to say so.
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23. Tarzan Kay
Why Tarzan Kay’s About Me Page is So Good
Between the popups for the 80s pricing persona and referring to me as a “superstar”, I totally would have signed up for Tarzan Kay’s email list if I wasn’t already on it.
Tarzan’s About page is a masterclass on writing with personality. No person on the planet could plagiarize her page and get away with it.
What You Can Learn From Tarzan Kay’s About Me Page
There’s a reason “hero’s journey” stories are so popular. Most people see themselves as the underdog.
“If this other person who was broker than I am could turn it around, then so can I (with their help).”
If you have a hero’s journey story, use it on your About page.
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24. Talking Shrimp
Why Talking Shrimp’s About Me Page is So Good
Laura Belgray’s About page has possibly the best FAQs I’ve ever seen. You need to just go read them because I can’t do them justice. Humor. Fun Facts. Persuasion. It’s all there.
What You Can Learn From Talking Shrimp’s About Me Page
If you’re legitimately funny, don’t be afraid to sprinkle humor throughout your About page.
Through Laura’s humor and powerful word wizardry, you’re probably going to want to redo your own About page with FAQs like hers. Luckily for you, she has a course on that — conveniently linked to in her About page.
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25. Tim Ferris
Why Tim Ferris’ About Me Page is So Good
Tim includes a TL;DR version of his bio on his About page. But honestly, if you read the first bullet in the “long winded” version, you’ll want to read the rest. I’d even go so far as to call Tim the king of social proof.
What You Can Learn From Tim Ferris’ About Me Page
Communicating how you help people in a brief statement is one thing. Summarizing your life’s impact and still doing it justice is a different story. You can learn how to do it by studying Tim’s short version.
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26. Jessica Lawlor
Why Jessica Lawlor’s About Me Page is So Good
Jessica lets you know she’s about pushing boundaries, but pulls the reader back in letting them know this is the right place for them before any knee-jerk fear makes them click away. It’s the perfect balance of reality and what could be.
What You Can Learn From Jessica Lawlor’s About Me Page
Focusing on aspirations that feel within reach to your readers is more likely to get them to take action. This means sometimes you may have to underpromise on what you can deliver. Weird but true.
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27. The Creative Penn
Why The Creative Penn’s About Me Page is So Good
They say an image is worth a thousand words. In Joanna Penn’s case, that’s spot on. The first thing you see on her About page (for a site dedicated to writing, no less) is a photo of her TWENTY-SIX books. It certainly got my attention.
What You Can Learn From The Creative Penn’s About Me Page
Sharing your journey — even as you’re on it — is a great way to establish credibility and build a following with people who want to learn the gems you’ve picked up so far.
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28. Ashlyn Writes
Why Ashlyn Writes’ About Me Page is So Good
*Chef’s kiss* to the specificity Ashlyn Carter uses throughout her About page. She makes it perfectly clear who should (and shouldn’t) use her services.
What You Can Learn From Ashlyn Writes’ About Me Page
Specific writing slaughters ambiguous writing in a back-alley street fight all day long. Writing for everyone means you’re writing for no one.
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29. B2B Launcher
Why B2B Launcher’s About Me Page is So Good
Practical and no-nonsense are two of my favorite things. You can see Ed’s commitment to both with his “choose your own adventure” style of lead magnet pop-up. He gives immediately-actionable information for each group of people.
What You Can Learn From B2B Launcher’s About Me Page
If you want to address two audiences on the same page, it helps if those personas are at different points on the same development journey (i.e. beginning writer vs. six-figure writer). If you can pull it off, it’s highly effective.
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What’s Your Favorite About Page?
Too many bloggers, freelance writers, and business owners take their About pages for granted.
But not you.
You know the About Us page is the second most important page on your site — only ranking behind your homepage.
And you now have 29 great About Us page examples to inspire your own.
All that’s left is to take what you learned and put it into practice.
Which example above was your favorite?
Is there a great About page example we missed?
Let us know in the comments below!
The post 29 Best About Us & About Me Pages (+ Why They’re So Good) appeared first on Smart Blogger.
from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/best-about-us-pages/
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HOW Design Live 2017: A Recap (Part 2)
Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of a full recap of HOW Design Live by Maureen Adamo. Check out Part 1 here.
HOWies, as conference attendees call themselves, share a language designers really don’t get to use all that often. Creative folks can work a little to get some of the design-speak to rub off in client communications, or maybe help a significant other understand a frustration with the Google clip art they used to make the logo for their Meetup group. Though there’s always a ceiling there, and you can really only expect a fellow designer to dig into the conversation about why you never ever use that typeface.
The HOW Design Live 2017 conference presented designers with a chance to use that language in a dialogue largely focused on four themes: honesty or authenticity, seduction or the role that love plays in communication, change and the technologies that can revolutionize design in the coming years, and the boldness designers can bring to their work and life to create bigger impact in the areas that matter to them.
Thursday
Design Thinking is Bullsh*t
Natasha Jen, Pentagram
“The ultimate operating system will be our minds.”
OK, so, as someone who’s dabbled in work with startups and played around the think-speak that comes with the territory, I admit there have been aspects of the design thinking philosophy that felt pretty good on the surface. Like, finally, people are beginning to see design is more than a pretty face! But there’s always been this tiny bit of unease with it that I couldn’t really pin down, and Natasha Jen helped put that to rest.
Design thinking is not design. It sounds a lot like it, though, with the ‘d’ word right at the beginning, so the confusion is understandable. Have you ever tried to ferret out the actual definition? It’s incredibly self-referential and circular and Natasha Jen throws out all the cliches and bywords that never communicate anything concrete: solutions, alignment, co-creation, traction, ideation, deep design (???), radical innovation and user outcomes, among others. Design thinking, she says, is literally trying to think like a designer. “Design thinking packages a designer’s way of thinking for non-designers in a strict methodology so that anyone can solve design problems.”
Jen goes on to say that real designers surround themselves with evidence, since they’re always studying artifact and interaction. She says design is too complex to be distilled into a single methodology, and goes on to imagine some pretty radical futures for what design looks like when it’s actually designed, forecasting that the next great interface will be no interface.
5 Things Keeping You from Being a Great Creative Director
David Lesué, Workfront
“‘A’ players hire ‘A’ players; ‘B’ players hire ‘C’ players.”
David Lesué immediately apologized for the assumptions baked into his conference title. A) Who says you’re not already a great creative director? And who says he can tell you how to be a better one? B) It’s not really what he meant to say anyway. A more accurate description for his talk, he said, would be something like “Five misconceptions about being a creative director and five replacement beliefs.” It’s not as sexy, but it’s real.
With such a straightforward premise, the question begs to be answered. What are these misconceptions and beliefs?
Great work speaks for itself
Lesué says not so, that all work needs translation. Clients won’t naturally understand the work, because it wasn’t made for them, it was made for their audience. Concepts and ideas need to be explained so clients won’t pass on the best solution because it doesn’t feel right to them.
Process kills creativity
Think this instead: Just enough process unlocks creativity. You can figure out how to automate what he called the “roadie work,” the drudge production and organizational tasks, with good habits (like consistent file naming and project/task intake) and task management so that you have more time to pursue higher level thought.
It’s my job to the best
Nope, it’s your job to make your team better. You can’t be afraid to hire people who show more skill as a designer, or a whatever, than you have. The focus as a creative director is on building the best possible team.
The client is always right
High five, yeah? Instead of deferring to clients indiscriminately, Lesué says you get what you put up with and that you’re constantly training clients on how you’d like to be treated. An example: Lesue’s team works in a consistent cadence, so clients are familiar enough with the group’s flow to know any project requests have to be made ahead of their weekly planning session to make it into the schedule in a timely fashion.
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right
Instead of sweating every last detail of every project that hits your desk, be uncompromising when it matters. Another example: Lesué doesn’t ask his team to hit home runs with they’re asked to clean up the company dodge ball team logos that have been designed by other departments.
How to Cheat: Creative Domination Through Villainy
Stefan Mumaw
“We’re given a box to work in. We must learn to circumvent the rules and cheat.”
Stefan Mumaw donned a black ensemble, complete with mustache and eye patch to teach designers how to be wickedly creative. He presented three steps, with exercises. First, you need to think like a villain. “Villains know the rules so well, they know how to get around them.” Second, you should live in the leading, which can be translated as, “What does the creative brief not say we can’t do?” And third, you need to understand the end game. A simple way to cut to the heart of a project’s goal is to ask “Why?” And Stefan suggests asking it three times. When you get to the third answer, you’re probably dealing with the really important objectives and the hows and whats you started with can then be bent to your evil designs.
Make What’s Important to You Important to Others
Jeff Greenspan
“We need to steal back, and we need to steal everything.”
Jeff Greenspan was tired of the media monotone and lack of good questions around the Edward Snowden issue. He decided to create a conversation the media could pick up on by installing a 400-pound bust of the outlaw on top of a park monument. We, too, can provoke debate over issues that matter to us. Though Greenspan highly recommends you have a lawyer on standby; the guerrilla installation almost landed the stunt’s co-creators in jail.
Using his training in advertising and communications, Greenspan launched other projects — some with less serious ramifications to his freedom — to continue to challenge assumptions prevalent in mainstream conversation, including issues of privacy and white-collar crime, with art. (Not all his work of such enormous gravity, he’s also the originator of the Hipster Trap.)
When attempting cultural subversion on your own, Greenspan says you need to be clear about your project’s goals and not be beholden to how you think events will unfold. Some things will fall into place in fortuitous happenstance, as he described in his Snowden project, that would have been impossible to plan for and can strengthen your statement if you’re able to go with the flow.
Friday
Speak to be Heard: Communicating Your Best Ideas
Eleanor Handley
“We come into the world knowing how to use ourselves, and somewhere along the way we constrict ourselves.”
You’re already good at communicating. You just forgot how to do it. Kind of like how we were born weird and open and passionate and creative, and then life happened and we pretended to be different people. To help us start using our voices again, Eleanor Handley reminds us that how we sound is more important than what we say — a concept any Eddie Izzard fan would be familiar with.
Spoken communication is more physical than we allow for and she offers three rules: It comes from using more of ourselves, not less (don’t confuse being authentic with being small), great communication comes from focusing more on the other person, and you do not need to feel confident to project confidence. So there’s no reason to delay your public speaking career until you feel like a big enough badass, ok?
Handley says since we have most control over what we do, more so than being able to stop a particular thought or feeling in the moment it happens, we can work to improve communication with specific actions and habits. Do some deep breathing exercises before a presentation, make sure to warm up your vocal cords (you can pretend you’re talking into a cell phone to sneak this into your schedule, if you need), and remember to pause anywhere there is a natural stop in your speech, like periods or commas between lengthy phrases. The silence isn’t as long as it feels like it is to you, and it gives you a moment to breathe and think about the words that come next.
Saturday
Master the Art of Seduction
Pum Lefebure, Design Army
“Pum, don’t think of yourself as a designer. Think like a seducer.”
As a perfectionist in recovery, it took me a while to realize how true it is that our vulnerability is what allows us to connect. So, I was immediately pulled into Pum Lebefure’s talk when she described a scene in which she was watching an H&M ad she created and acted in. She was gazing into her own giant face on the glowing screens in Times Square, then looked at everyone around her and realized, “Nobody cares!”
The market is beyond noisy, so she told herself she needed to launch an all-out campaign of seduction. She says the journey to purchase has now become the journey to fall in love and brands should learn how to flirt, romance and seduce, because consumers are looking for more than a happy transaction. When it’s done, she says, good design has to entice all the senses.
Change. Change. Change.
Alina Wheeler
“He was always leaving the earth, always going other places.”
An obsession with David Bowie is a unique kind of gift, especially when you’ve studied the man and the magician to the extent Alina Wheeler has. The session she presented was an electrifying homage to his genius and his legacy, imparting his life and art as one who has gone before to show us the way. The musically-punctuated presentation rocked through Bowie’s many personas, encouraging designers to become masters of their image, inviting the continual reinvention of identity and passions. Possibilities are endless, Wheeler and Bowie say, and nobody does it alone. Build creative collaborations, and use them as fuel for your own fires. Always keep moving and know when to come, know when it’s time to go. And because the legend made what he loved up until he knew it was time to go, he lived it well: “It’s never too late to become what you could have been.”
What Happens Next
David Carson
“If you want kid art, have a kid do it.”
I wish I knew for sure what David Carson thought was next. I heard his presentation went 45 minutes over time, and I had to duck out at the 15-minutes-over mark. Without having the benefit of that last half hour or so, it seems the thru-line of his commentary, as he playfully walked through slides on his extremely unorganized laptop, was about the honesty, transparency and humor with which he does his work — which is also the way he seems to view the world. He shared found art he had captured and unabashedly enjoyed (a wide array of visual puns and tomfoolery) as well as his advice on how designers might have careers as long and illustrious as his (comparison mine). Every image was perfectly captured with philosophical design epigrams:
“It’s important to put things where they don’t obviously want to go.”
“Just do it, but don’t always center it.”
“Never snap to guides.”
“My Helvetica poster was done in Franklin Gothic.”
And some of his direction was a little more … direct:
“Be open to things you’re not expecting while you’re working.”
“Don’t mistake legibility for communication.”
“The time you spend on the work is proportional to the time consumers will spend with it.”
It was especially amusing, as I listened to him describe his pieces, to remember all the conversations I’ve had in which the desired outcome was essentially the reverse-engineering of something David Carson has done. And when you hear Carson talk about his process and how he arrives at his destination, it’s just not possible to do what he does backwards, sideways, bent over or upside down. What he does is who he is, and that’s essentially what he’s asked us to do, too. Carson asks us to put ourselves in the work and get more personal. He says, “Nobody can pull from who you are like you can.”
Closing
This year was amazing and was again so much more than I could absorb with one set of eyes and ears. The Draplin pop-up shop returned to the exhibit hall mid-day Thursday to much fervor and excitement. The whole HOW community banded together to make sure Justin Ahren’s Wheels4Water fundraising campaign exceeded the week’s $10,000 goal, providing clean water for more than 250 Ugandans for life.
And when it comes to the big ideas, the message to take home, it seems like thoughts on strategy and technique, seats at the table (though we still want those, please), ROI, etc., were upstaged by a not-too-overwhelming, but sincere plea. At varying degrees of intensity, the experts, design leaders and visionaries I could cram into five exhilarating days of reconnection, was for more. Our design leaders and legends want more from us. They’re asking designers to be the more that we want to be. The more that has a voice, the more that gives and shares and grows, the more that boldly goes into the future designers are innately equipped to know how to get to when things get complicated. At the very least, it’s a vivid enough dream to wake us every day for the next year with the question, “What would be great? What would be amazing?”
The post HOW Design Live 2017: A Recap (Part 2) appeared first on HOW Design.
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'Death to 2020': 'Black Mirror' Creators on Making Topical Comedy Amid the Pandemic
The 2020 NFL season has been plenty strange, and the AFC playoff race is bringing the drama right down the wire. Week 16 produced some postseason-altering results that will have significant ramifications on seeding and will determine which teams still have hope in the final week of the year. After an exciting early-afternoon slate, here’s where things stand in the AFC playoff picture:
The Steelers sit atop a tightly contested AFC North.
For the first time in the Mike Tomlin era, the Steelers rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit on Sunday, stunning thคาสิโนออนไลน์e Colts to complete a 28-24 comeback win and halt a three-game losing streak. But the most surprising part wasn’t the comeback. It was that it happened because of the arm of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, and went 6-for-9 on passes 10 yards or more downfield for 133 yards and two scores, according to Pro Football Focus.
This contest had division-crown implications for both teams, and we’ll get to the Colts in a bit. The Steelers offense entered Sunday trending in the wrong direction, and their dominant defense had injuries piled up within nearly every position group. Both were issues during a first-half shellacking at the hands of Philip Rivers and Co. Indianapolis built a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter and seemed firmly in control of things when Pittsburgh’s offense finally awakened. Roethlisberger, who enterสล็อตแตกง่ายed the game tied for 27th among quarterbacks in intended air yards per attempt (6.9) and 34th in air yards per completion (4.5), connected with Diontae Johnson on a 39-yard touchdown and JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 25-yard go-ahead score with 7:38 remaining. Smith-Schuster’s celebration after the play was muted, but for the first time in a while, Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense looked like they were enjoying themselves. Big Ben finished Sunday with a season-high 342 yards and three touchdown passes.
“I just felt like we weren’tyoulike9 having fun,” Roethlisberger told reporters after the game. “I felt like it was important to come out in the second half [and have fun]. It’s not easy to do when you’re losing.”
Roethlisberger’s performance, in tandem with Pittsburgh’s defense holding the Colts to three second-half points, led the Steelers to the 12-win mark and their first AFC North title since 2017. It also prevented the team from potentially needing to fight off the Browns and Ravens in Week 17.
The Browns, meanwhile, entered Sunday with a chance to end the NFL’s longest playoff drought—and they could do it against the Jets. Considering Cleveland’s recent form, that sounded like a cakewalk—until Saturday afternoon, when the Browns learned that four of their wide receivers and two linebackers would be out because of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
Cleveland’s rushing game หาเงินออนไลน์has ranked among the best in the league; Football Outsiders had the Browns as no. 8 in rushing DVOA entering Sunday. But absent starting left tackle Jedrick Wills and right guard Wyatt Teller—who were out with an illness and ankle injury, respectively—the Browns struggled to move the ball against New York’s front seven (the Jets entered Sunday no. 8 in rush defense DVOA), and finished with 45 rushing yards on 18 carries (2.5 yards per carry). Baker Mayfield and the Browns’ passing game missed wideouts Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, and Rashard Higgins too. The Jets took an early lead and Mayfield failed to find much success through the air, finishing 28-for-53 with 285 yards and three fumbles (two lost).
Still, the Browns pulled within four points early in the fourth quarter and trailed 23-16 with just over a minute to go. They drove to the Jets’ 16-yard line, but facing fourth-and-1, Mayfield dove ahead on a QB sneak and the ball was popped loose. Kareem Hunt recovered it behind the line of scrimmage, but the drive ended, along with Cleveland’s chances at earning a postseason spot on Sunday.
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While the Browns were faltering, the Ravens continued their run of impressive play in a 27-13 win against the Giants. Baltimore’s offense has used an easy stretch of games against the Cowboys, Browns, Jaguars, and Giants to channel the form that spurred the team’s dominant 2019 season. Running backs Gus Edwards (15 carries, 85 yards) and J.K. Dobbins (11 carries, 77 yards, one touchdown) combined with quarterback Lamar Jackson (13 carries, 80 yards) to help the Ravens notch their 10th win of the year. And with the Colts’ loss, Baltimore got back into the playoff picture just in time for the regular season’s final week.
The Ravens and Browns each control their fate entering Week 17. Baltimore must beat the Bengals to earn a wild-card berth; Cleveland must defeat the Steelers. Both teams could finish as high as the AFC’s no. 5 seed, depending on how the Dolphins perform next week against the Bills. Baltimore owns the tiebreaker with Cleveland based on head-to-head win percentage.
“This one’s on me,” Mayfield told reporters after the loss. “This one is going to sting for a day or two, but we’ve got the Steelers to win and get in. Yes, I’m aware of what could have happened if we won today. I’m well aware of that. But it is what it is.”
The Colts lose their grip on the AFC South and give the Titans a chance to secure their spot.
The Colts entered Week 16 knowing that if they won out, they’d be in. Things got off to the right start on Sunday against Pittsburgh, as Indianapolis took a 21-7 lead going into halftime; the Steelers’ lone scoring drive followed a Rivers fumble that set them up at Indy’s 3-yard line. Rookie tailback Jonathan Taylor had rushed for two scores and Rivers had fired a 42-yard touchdown pass to Zach Pascal to help the Colts surge comfortably into the lead.
But things fell apart in the second half. Indy opened the third quarter with a field goal, then went three-and-out on back-to-back drives. The Steelers scored touchdowns on each of the ensuing possessions, as Roethlisberger began picking the Colts’ secondary apart. And after Pittsburgh took a 28-24 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Rivers tossed a crucial pick, allowing the Steelers to chew nearly four more minutes off the clock before Indy regained possession. The Colts managed to get to Pittsburgh’s 33-yard line, but Rivers threw three straight incompletions to end the drive on downs, and following Sunday’s other results, the Colts are back on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
“I’m gonna believe that 11 [wins] is gonna be enough,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “I don’t deny that we need help, but…”
Next week, Indy will face the one-win Jaguars in a must-have contest. But even if the Colts win, there’s a chance they’ll miss the postseason, as the Ravens and Browns each hold head-to-head tiebreakers and the Dolphins have a greater conference win percentage. The Titans, who face the Packers on Sunday Night Football, can now clinch the AFC South title with a victory.
The AFC officially runs through Kansas City.
The Chiefs clinched the AFC’s no. 1 seed on Sunday following a dramatic 17-14 victory against the Falcons. For the seventh consecutive game, Kansas City played in a one-score contest, and for the seventh consecutive time, it won. At 4-10, perhaps the Falcons weren’t expected to put up much of a contest. But they got stops when they needed to and did a decent job of generating pressure on Patrick Mahomes, specifically from the interior—star defensive tackle Grady Jarrett recorded a pair of QB hits.
Mahomes wasn’t at his best Sunday. He completed 24 of 44 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns and threw an uncharacteristic red-zone interception early in the third quarter. The Chiefs—who’ve been the NFL’s highest-scoring third-quarter offense—didn’t get a point in the frame.
None of that mattered.
Matt Ryan’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Laquon Treadwell gave the Falcons a 14-10 lead with 4:33 left, but roughly two minutes later, Mahomes drove the Chiefs to Atlanta’s 25-yard line. Mahomes was nearly intercepted by rookie cornerback AJ Terrell in the end zone, but Terrell couldn’t maintain possession after hitting the ground. The very next play, Mahomes found Demarcus Robinson for the go-ahead score with 1:55 remaining.
The Falcons almost forced overtime, as Ryan led them down to Kansas City’s 21-yard line and set up kicker Younghoe Koo—who’d made 27 straight attempts—for a 39-yard field goal. But Koo’s drift sailed wide right, and the 14-1 Chiefs clinched the AFC’s top seed, home-field advantage, and the conference’s lone bye.
“Just a bad day for the offense,” Mahomes told reporters after the game, “starting with me.”
Perhaps it should be concerning that Kansas City keeps finding itself in close games, and that twice this month it’s had some of the lowest outputs ever with Mahomes behind center. But that hasn’t mattered yet. And considering the Chiefs boast a QB whose play while trailing is historically good; an All-Pro in Travis Kelce, who’s put together the greatest single statistical season by a tight end; and one of the NFL’s most explosive receiving corps, it’s hard to find a reason why Kansas City won’t find its way through the AFC and back to the Super Bowl.
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The Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa–Ryan Fitzpatrick Conundrum Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones tackle the "nonsense and chaos and horribleness" of 2020 with a star-studded mockumentary filmed under pandemic-era protocols. "We hope to give people a sort of cathartic exorcism of the year that was 2020," Jones tells The Hollywood Reporter.
"People definitely need a relief," says Annabel Jones, summing up 2020.
Speaking virtually alongside Charlie Brooker, the Black Mirror creators tell The Hollywood Reporter that this year wasn't a good fit for another potentially harrowing season of their Emmy-winning anthology series. Instead, the producing partners and Netflix collaborators decided to tackle the "nonsense and chaos and horribleness" that was 2020 with comedy.
Death to 2020, which released on Netflix Dec. 27, is a different kind of end-of-year special. First conceived in July as the coronavirus pandemic continued to rage around the globe, Brooker and Jones settled on the format that would work best under COVID-19 era production constraints and a tone that would best sum up 2020.
The result is a mockumentary that mixes real-life footage with commentary from fictional talking heads who represent familiar 2020 archetypes. Those such "experts" are played by Samuel L. Jackson (a reporter), Hugh Grant (a history professor), Kumail Nanjiani (a tech CEO), Tracey Ullman (Queen Elizabeth II), Samson Kayo (a scientist), Lisa Kudrow (a conservative spokesperson), Diane Morgan (an average citizen), Leslie Jones (a behavioral psychologist), Cristin Milioti (a soccer mom), and Joe Keery (a gig economy millennial).
The actors filmed their scenes separately and each in one day, with locations split between London and Los Angeles amid a 10-day shoot at the end of November in order to deliver the most topical takes. Laurence Fishburne was the final touch, narrating an ever-evolving script, written by Brooker and a team of scribes. Al Campbell and Alice Mathais directed the cast in the U.K. and U.S., respectively, as Brooker and Jones ran the sets remotely via Zoom.
The 70-minute standalone special — which, to be clear, does not exist in the Black Mirror universe — tackles the global pandemic, the sweeping Black Lives Matter movement and the U.S. election, while also touching on moments like the rise of TikTok, Parasite’s historic Oscars win and #Megxit. Brooker, known in the U.K. for his comedic takes on current affairs as well as his dystopian series, approaches it all with the "slightly detached" and "elite" air often employed by documentaries, a genre that has especially thrived on Netflix.
"The whole format is slightly tweaking the nose of high-end Netflix documentaries, so it sort of made sense to be doing the show in this form and also on Netflix. I don’t know that a special like this would have been commissioned if it wasn’t for the pandemic," says Brooker. Jones adds, "I hope what Death to 2020 does is give people a sort of cathartic exorcism of the year that was 2020."
Below, in a chat with THR, Brooker and Jones detail what it was like to make Death to 2020 in an unprecedented year amid "huge leaps of progress" in production, discuss their approach to Trump's role in the special and all of those Netflix mentions ("The crew were almost in reverence to her like she was the Queen," says Jones of Ullman's The Crown-worthy performance), and muse about how 2020 might change how they tell stories in the near future.Just Won’t Go Away
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