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carrieneuman · 3 months

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Writing Battle Practice

The contest I signed up for starts the beginning of February. I haven't written to random prompts in years, so I wanted to get a little practice in. I found a random story generator and got:

Main Character: Your character is old, cautious, and thinks carefully.

Setting: The story begins in a castle.

Situation: A family get-together is arranged.

Theme: loss

I'm nervous about the week it took me to write it when I'll only get three days for the contest, but I'm hoping the adrenaline and deadline will keep me going.

Pearl walked into the castle and suppressed a groan as her sisters oohed and ahed over the concocted monstrosity. It was a tourist trap, plain and simple. She didn’t care how good the lunch was, it would have tasted better back in the town that wasn’t trying to pretend to be something it wasn’t.

But Belle had always loved make-believe tripe, and the point of this outing was to make her sister happy. Pearl had to remember that. Belle had taken their mother’s passing hard, and it was high time Pearl chipped in and carried some of the weight of maintaining family bonds.

She offered to take a bag her younger sister Opal was holding, but she waved her off. “It’s not even heavy,” Opal insisted.

Belle and Opal’s children and grandchildren filed in. The two little ones seemed confused, but Tristan was the perfect age to declare himself a knight and start running around to guard them. The cousins were soon chatting happily, leaving Pearl and her sisters on their own.

She grimaced but smoothed it out before Belle saw. She had already endured a lengthy guilt trip to come back to Texas only a few months after Mom’s funeral. She didn’t need any additional pouting.

“Good weather today,” Belle said.

Opal nodded. “Good thing I helped Tanner caulk that window of his or it’d be mildewing in this humidity.”

Pearl wished she could just groan until it drowned out the insipid small talk. What was the point of getting together if this was all they said?

“You must be enjoying it,” Belle said to her, snapping her focus back. “Can’t have many nice days in the city.”

“You’d be surprised. There’s charm to any weather if you look for it.”

“And if you’re inside most of the time,” Opal teased.

Pearl laughed. Plenty of her friends made art in storms and winds to capture the rawness of nature, and she’d gone out many times to watch. But her own sculpting did work best in climate control.

Belle didn’t smile. Instead, she looked around for somewhere to sit. Despite her broken-in sneakers and stretch waist jeans, she was uncomfortable already.

Opal joined her on the couch, but Pearl stood across from them. It had been a long car ride, and she was used to walking.

“Take a load off,” Belle said. “Get comfortable.”

“I am comfortable.” She tried to say it nicely, but her older sister still frowned.

“Don’t mind her,” Opal said. “You know how antsy she gets.”

Pearl disagreed with that description of herself, but she said nothing since it seemed to mollify Belle. This weekend was for her sisters, she reminded herself.

There was something. “So Opal, my calendar says it’s almost Bailey’s birthday. Any idea what she wants?”

Opal’s eyebrows went up, and she smiled broadly. “I’ll send you her Amazon list.”

That would be a nice way to ease in. She had always just sent twenty dollars in a card. What did twenty-somethings even want these days?

Belle snorted. “Not just getting some hideous drawing one of your friends made?”

“Now stop that,” Opal chided.

Pearl had badly misjudged Jennifer’s high school graduation present. “I’ve gotten better,” she offered.

The kids laughed at some joke, and Pearl felt a twinge of envy. She’d have stayed in touch if any of this had ever been easy.

They moved off, following the children upstairs, and Belle pulled a stack of notecards out of her purse. She had to hunt for her reading glasses before she could start sorting them.

“Now we can get down to it. I want to make sure we’ve got a full inventory of Mom’s things she left behind. Do either of you remember what happened to that set of good forks she had at Thanksgiving four years ago?”

Pearl felt a twinge of disgust. Who cared about old forks?

“If you mean the ones with the little flowers, I think she borrowed them from Aunt Levina,” Opal said.

Belle made a note. “I’ll check with Lisa. She’ll have them if they were her mom’s.”

“I’m glad we got that settled,” Pearl tried.

Belle flipped to another card. “And what about the watercolor Dad painted of the lake? Last I remember, it was in the guest room.”

It wasn’t a half bad neo-impressionist piece. Pearl could understand someone wanting it.

“I think Mom gave it to his friend Larry.”

Belle made another note.

Pearl hoped in vain that was the end of it, but Belle went on about annoying odds and ends that had gathered dust on end tables and shelves for years. Opal did her best to help, but Pearl just tried to keep her mouth shut.

“If you came home more often,” Belle said to her, “you’d be more help.”

Pearl bit back a sharp reply and managed to keep her voice calm. “I just think we can find a more pleasant way to spend the morning.”

“I know, but it needs to be done. I’d rather do it sooner than later.”

“They’re just old things. Wouldn’t you rather spend time with the kids?”

Belle didn’t even look up. “I see my girls all the time. I drive Tristan to swimming every afternoon, and I watch Bryson while Amanda takes a night class at the community college. It wouldn’t hurt you to get some bonding time in, but my relationship with them is rock solid.”

That one stung a bit. But it was why she was here playing tourist instead of sipping wine and enjoying a photography exhibit she had been anticipating.

Pearl looked to Opal for help.

Her younger sister smiled warmly. “Come on now, Belle. What are you so worried about then?”

“Mom.” Belle stopped and took her glasses off, blinking so her eyes didn’t water. “The grands are so little. Will they remember their great-grand?”

Pearl didn’t react. Of course they wouldn’t, and it would only set Belle off to acknowledge it.

“And what about our kids? Mine are only in their 30s, yours in their 20s. How firm are their memories of their grandma?”

Pearl remembered their Grandma Jenny just fine. She started to insist the kids would remember, but something in Belle’s face stopped her. She wasn’t done yet.

Belle looked out the window at the garden beyond. Pearl had to strain to catch her last words. “I just need to know she won’t be forgotten.”

Belle blinked back more tears, so Opal got up and joined her a few steps away. Pearl spoke in a low voice. “I’m worried about her.”

Opal nodded.

“The kids are never going to remember Mom like we do. I don’t want to see Belle work herself up over the impossible.”

Opal only shrugged and patted Pearl on the back. Of course the peacemaker would just watch how things unfolded.

Pearl asked a few polite questions about Tanner’s upcoming wedding and Opal beamed while she answered. “They even think they’ll try for a baby in a couple of years.”

Pearl couldn’t even get her happy-for-other-people’s-choices smile on before Belle let out a choking squawk.

“The loveseat!” She was waving an old photo. “Where’d Mom’s loveseat go?”

Pearl plucked the photo out her hand and looked at it. It was wood framed with stiff red velvet cushions. “That old thing? Hopefully, she threw it out.”

Belle was winding herself up when Opal cut in. “She did no such thing. She loaned it to Cousin David. It’s perfectly fine.”

Pearl doubted that, but she kept it to herself. If David wanted the itchy block, he could keep it.

“David has it?” Belle asked. “Alright. I’ll call and ask for it back.”

“What, why?” Pearl couldn’t help herself. “No one wants to sit on it. If David wants it as a backdrop for his internet pictures, let him.”

“It’s Instagram, you old bat.” Opal laughed.

“Twitter was a ridiculous fad, and Insta is worse,” she bantered back.

“It’s not about using it,” Belle persisted. “We need to know that everything is accounted for.”

“Dear Lord, why?” She never lost her patience like this with her friends.

“Because I don’t want either of you claiming I stole Mom’s things.”

“Abalone!” Opal exclaimed. “How could you?”

Belle’s reply was cut off as Tristan walked up to her and held out a juice box. “Will you open it for me, Gran?”

Pearl saw the rest of the group sitting around a long table having a snack. The girls must have been fussing over the two little ones because Tristan had his food a few spaces down from them.

“Just wait a minute, honey. Grandma’s talking right now.” He looked dejected, but he waited quietly.

“Lots of families fight over inheritances,” Belle went on. “But not us. I’m going to ensure everything is divided fairly so no one has any reason to get angry.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Pearl said. “But the kid’s hungry. Can’t this wait until we eat?”

Belle looked ready to argue, so Pearl walked over to Tristan. “Show me that juice box, kid. I bet I can manage it.” She got him settled back down at the table. “You want us to come eat with you?”

“No way,” he said, stacking cheese and ham on a cracker. “Gran’s too cranky today.”

She couldn’t disagree.

The toddlers were being fussed over by their cousins, so Pearl sighed and headed back to her sisters. At least they were better than small children.

“There’s nothing else for it,” Belle was saying. “I’ll just have to drive up to David’s and demand it back. Then the three of us can decide who’ll keep it. Maybe we can take turns with it?

Pearl had had enough. “No way are you putting that in my apartment. If you two want to waste space on a chair you can’t sit on, that’s your business.”

“But we need to honor Mom.”

The pain in Belle’s voice got to her, and she smoothed her tone. “And we will. But not by keeping a bunch of old junk that doesn’t mean anything to us.”

“The three of us are what matters,” Opal agreed. “Our memories of Mom are what will keep her with us.”

“And we all picked out mementos that mattered to us. Like the bluebell brooch you picked. Or the quilt Mom and Grandma Jenny made that I kept.”

“They almost came to blows over it.” Belle laughed despite her snuffly nose.

“And I got the cookbooks,” Opal said. “So I can make any of Mom’s recipes anytime you want.”

“You already did it, Belle,” Pearl said. “You made certain we wouldn’t fight and we’d take our memories home with us.”

She did start to cry then. Opal hugged her, and Pearl joined in. “What if it’s not enough?” Belle asked.

“Then we’ll fill in the missing bits,” Pearl said. “Together.”

#writeblr #original writing #contest practice

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drrobertpuffphd · 2 years

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THOMAS LAWRENCE British, 1769-1830 “Portrait of Mary Anne Bloxam”(later Mrs. Frederick H. Hemming) c. 1824-25 Oil on panel Photo is taken by: @robertpuffjr After the death of Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1792, Thomas Lawrence was appointed Painter in Ordinary to King George III. Drawing inspiration from Reynolds’s style, with its allusions to the old masters, Lawrence dominated society portraiture in England. He was knighted in 1815 and elected president of the Royal Academy in 1820. His accession to this office no doubt prompted his desire to own the original design by Giovanni Cipriani for the diploma awarded to new Royal Academicians. Cipriani’s drawing belonged to Richard Baker, who offered to give it to Lawrence. In return Lawrence volunteered to paint a portrait of Baker’s great-nephew, Frederick Hemming. Sittings for the portrait were underway when Baker died and Hemming inherited his collection. Lawrence also coveted Baker’s drawings by Raphael and offered Hemming a companion portrait of his fiancée, Mary Anne Bloxam, in exchange for them. Bloxam was reputedly an accomplished porcelain painter, and in her portrait holds a brush as if busy at work; she is depicted in a modish white Grecian dress. (This writeup is taken from the description at Museum.) Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas USA #thomaslawrence #thomaslawrencepainting #lawrence #kimbellartmuseum #historyofart #arthistory #greatworksofart #artmuseum #art #artist #masterpiece #painting #museumvisit #artlover #artists #artblogger (at Kimbell Art Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CecfSA6L9BC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#thomaslawrence #thomaslawrencepainting #lawrence #kimbellartmuseum #historyofart #arthistory #greatworksofart #artmuseum #art #artist #masterpiece #painting #museumvisit #artlover #artists #artblogger

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princecameronlovedacommoner · 3 years

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all i can think of right now is topper finding out about rafe and barry being fuck buddies and him getting all protective and rafe trying to convince him barry’s chill

Okay so this turned out pretty fluffy hehe Or at least it’s a super fluffy ending. I hope you like it and thank you for your prompt!!! :)

(Warnings: Mentions of suicidal thoughts, hospitalization, and rehab for an addiction)

A few tough topics in the characters’ pasts but I swear it’s a nice happy ending for everyone!

“Sooo, this is the new place, huh?” Topper eyed each corner of the screened in patio carefully, as if he were expecting a terrible surprise if he sat down in the wrong place.

Rafe couldn’t exactly blame him for that. He had found a few needles in the couch cushions once upon a time, before he’d moved in permanently and cleaned the place up. But Barry didn’t deal with the hardcore shit anymore and customers weren’t always lingering all over the place now that there was a legal storefront where they could pick up their weed then take it home to smoke.

“Home sweet home.” Rafe confirmed, tossing Topper a beer when he finally settled on a place to sit down. “Like what I did with the furniture out here? Now these couches match the one in the living room.”

Topper nodded with a thoughtful hum. “Sugar Daddy let you splurge a little on the remodeling?” He questioned and Rafe rolled his eyes.

“Shut up. He’s not my sugar daddy. We’re getting married.”

Topper hadn’t opened his drink yet, even as Rafe was downing his own, perched contently on the armrest next to his best friend and just looking like he was at ease with the world.

That was a look Topper had never seen on Rafe, but still, he wasn’t going to just give this guy his blessing without making him work a little first. He’d heard some troubling stories about Rafe’s knight in not so shiny armor, and he felt it was his responsibility to look out for his buddy, since Ward Cameron obviously wouldn’t.

“You look…happy?” Topper tried to sound convincing, like he actually bought the idea already that Rafe was making the right call with this guy.

“You sound surprised.” Rafe raised a brow, setting his beer aside and wiping a line of foam from his mouth. “Look, man, I know it’s not figure eight worthy or anything but it’ll grow on you.”

“Rafe.” Topper ran his hands over his face.

“It’s not the scum on the siding is it?” Rafe asked. “Barry’s uncle’s supposed to come and power wash that before the wedding.”

“No, no, the house isn’t the problem, man.” Topper met Rafe’s eyes again, gathering the courage to ask him some harder questions. “I’m worried about you being with this dude.” He confessed. “I know he sells pot in town now, but he used to be a coke dealer right?”

Rafe scrunched up his nose. “Used to be doesn’t mean he is now.” He huffed defensively. “I used to be an addict. Now I’m not. And Barry changed a lot for me…”

“Didn’t he get you addicted in the first place?”

“So fucking what?” Rafe growled, doing his best to remember the breathing techniques that were supposed to help him settle in moments of frustration and anger. “He got clean when I did.” He told Topper, fists slowly beginning to unclench at his sides. “And if it wasn’t for him, I’d still be a mess in the head. You know he was the one who finally took me to talk to somebody, right? Ward didn’t do shit besides throw a few checks to the rehab place…Barry was there for me, man. When I went in, when I got home. He really got me through everything. Even now he always keeps up with my appointments, reminds me to take my pills and all that.”

Topper felt a bit guilty now. He’d just assumed that it had been Ward who finally caved and started paying attention to Rafe’s problems.

That is what a father would do, after all. Eventually. Hopefully. But in Rafe’s case, apparently his “father” hadn’t come through. His fiancé had.

“Did he uh…Did he take you to the hospital that one night?” Topper inquired. He tried to keep the memories of that particular evening to a minimum. It scared him even now, thinking of Rafe in the worst state he’d ever been in, storming out of his house with a gun and shouting about putting himself out of his own misery. He’d claimed it would be the best thing for them all.

It wouldn’t have been and Topper knew it even then, but while his words hadn’t been enough to stop Rafe that night, this new guy’s supposedly had.

Topper called Rafe’s phone a million times after he’d left and finally the next morning he’d gotten a text back.

“Rafe’s fine. Took him to ER. They keepin him for a few days.”

Topper had this confirmed himself, hurrying to the hospital and asking after his best friend, almost sobbing and tears ready to pour down his face as he panicked to the nurse at the front desk of the psychiatric ward.

“Mr. Cameron is safe and that is all I can tell you for now.”

Normally Topper would argue for more information but the knowledge alone that Rafe was still breathing was plenty to put his mind at ease.

At least it was until Rafe disappeared for a long time after that.

Topper had gotten one phone call and this time it was Rafe himself, just after getting out of the hospital three days after the incident.

“Listen, I’m going away for a bit.” He’d told Topper. “If Dad asks, tell him I’m fine. I’ve got a um…a friend…with me. He’s gonna take me to Dallas. There’s a rehab program there that’s supposed to be good.”

Topper remembers feeling relieved and fearful at the same time, happy for his friend that he was finally getting some help but wondering who on earth he’d gotten mixed up with that was taking him all the way to Texas.

“Tell your friend to take care of you, alright, man?” He’d pleaded with Rafe. “Stay safe, bud. We’ll celebrate when you come back.”

“For sure.” Rafe hadn’t sounded very hopeful then but now, Topper saw a completely different person when he looked at his best friend.

He was happy, peaceful, finally able to live his life without fear of Ward’s tyranny…and he was getting married soon. To a guy that Topper still hadn’t met, but that had done a lot for Rafe.

When the front door to the trailer opened and shut and footsteps could be heard walking through the living room, Topper wasn’t sure whether he wanted to try to be as thankful or as intimidating as possible.

“Yo, baby!” A thickly accented voice called once the man it belonged to reached the kitchen to grab a drink for himself out of the fridge. “You home? Where’s your little friend, huh? Thought we was grabbin’ somethin’ to eat!”

“Out here!” Rafe answered, smiling even before his fiancé came to stand in the doorway of the patio.

He looked like quite a rough character, and in fact…Topper recognized him.

“You!?” He let the demand for an explanation fall straight from his dropped jaw.

“Yeah, me.” Barry snorted, setting the beer he was carrying aside and holding his arms out for Rafe. “Where’s my welcome home kisses, sweet thang. Come here and let me squeeze you a little.” He pulled Rafe into his arms and held him tight, kissing against his neck and then pressing one gentle peck to his lips. “Thought I told you not to go gettin any prettier while I was gone.” He grinned, and Rafe just looked so…in love? Topper couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Hey tone it down in front of Top, babe. Alright?” Rafe was blushing and unable to hide the fond little grin he wore once Barry sat him back down. “He’s a little squirmy about this kinda thing.”

Barry turned to look at Topper, eyes scanning the younger man up and down before he nodded his approval. “You the one that calls in to check on Country Club all the time, ain’t ya?” He asked.

Topper nodded. “He’s my best friend.” He confirmed to Barry. “Just wanna be sure he’s doing alright still.”

Barry gave Topper a friendly smile then and whacked him on the back in a brotherly manner. “You alright, man. We’ll get along just fine…Baby Cakes? You take your medicine this mornin’ after I left?” His full attention was back on Rafe, sitting back on the nearest couch and pulling his fiancé down onto his lap to hug on him.

Alright. This was good. Topper was convinced that he could be friends with Barry.

Maybe Rafe had better taste in men than he’d once thought.

#rafebarry #outer banks #rafe x barry #rafe cameron #barry outer banks #topper thornton

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drabbles-mc · 3 years

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Just The Thing

Bishop Losa x F!Reader

Request by my fave @est1887: I have this idea for a request for bishop I saw this video of this guy using a flamethrower to clear his driveway of snow and I’m like that’s hilarious and perfect so since Texas just got a crazy snow and ice storm why not the same for Santo padre. Bishop comes to his lady rescue because she has to go to work at the hospital but she’s can’t get out of her driveway because it’s iced and on a hill, like it’s the apocalypse of snow. Idk where to go from there but I got this from a prompt list. “Well I suppose that’s one way of doing things. Wouldn’t have ever thought to use a flamethrower, myself.” “Is it even legal to own this many?” I can see him now looking like rambo with a cigar and a flamethrower clearing her driveway like el Rey de los Mayans Lolol her knight in shining leather lol

Warnings: language, Bishop being extra and loving every second of it

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: I loved the slight sense of chaos of this request lmao. Bishop really didn’t come to play with Mother Nature. Enjoy! xo

Bishop Losa Taglist: @masterlistforimagines @sincerelyasomebody @sadeyesgf @thesandbeneathmytoes @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @multiyfandomgirl40 @sillygoose6969 @queenbeered @louisianalady @gemini0410 @paintballkid711 @chibsytelford @yourwonkywriter @sesamepancakes @arveeee @mayans-sauce @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @plentyoffandoms @georgiaaintnopeach @twistnet @themoonandthewicked @garbinge @bucky-iss-bae @encounterthepast @everyhowlmarksthedead @rosieposie0624 @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo @mijop @xladymacbethx @blessedboo @holl2712 @lakamaa12

Join my group-chat here: (X)

You had never heard of there being snow in Santo Padre. It was the equivalent of hell freezing over—it just didn’t happen. Until it did.

You woke up and your body was instantly covered in goosebumps. You rubbed your arms to try and fight off the chill as you went to get out of bed. The hardwood floors were freezing against your feet and you immediately went to find a pair of sandals to wear around the house.

You peaked out the window in your kitchen and your eyes grew wide as you looked at the snow that was covering your front yard. Part of you was wondering if you were dreaming, because the entire scene in front of you just didn’t look right. You sighed, running your hands down your face. There was nothing you could do about it now, so you decided to get dressed and ready before you further assessed the situation.

You pulled on your heaviest hoodie over your scrubs before you headed outside to see just what you were dealing with. As you were stepping down off of your front steps, you nearly wiped out on the path that lead from your door to the driveway. You managed to catch yourself on the railing to your steps before your head smacked off the concrete. Carefully lifting yourself up, you took a closer look at the front path and driveway. With a heavy sigh, you realized that along with the thing blanket of snow, there was also a layer of ice underneath it all. You knew that your car wasn’t going to be good enough to get you to work.

You managed to get back inside without any further incidents and immediately called Bishop. He picked up on the second ring, concern heavy in his voice, “Hey, everything alright?”

“Think you could come over and help me out?” you couldn’t even try to hide the exasperation in your voice as you talked to him, “My driveway is a mess and I know for a fact my car isn’t gonna be able to make it down the hill safely. I was wondering if you had a plow at the scrapyard or salt for my driveway or just, something, anything that will make it so I can get to work today.”

He chuckled, not that he found your distress amusing but there was something about your tone that brought it out of him. “Of course, I’ll be over in a little bit. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you. Drive safe, Obispo. People are going to be fucking nuts out there today, I can feel it.”

“Yes ma’am.”

You hung up the phone feeling a little more relieved than you had been before the call. Worst case scenario, you had to use some sick time and miss your shift. But you really didn’t want to. Hopefully, even if your car wouldn’t be able to survive the trek down your driveway, Bishop’s would and he could bring you to work instead.

Hardly ten minutes later, you heard the sound of Bishop’s pickup making its way up your driveway. The fact that he was able to do that was reassuring—you knew you had a guaranteed way to get to work if he couldn’t make it so your car could get out.

He let himself into your house, calling out for you as he brushed the snow off the bottoms of his boots. You walked over to him, instantly feeling more relieved just at the sight of him. You walked up and he wrapped you in a hug, placing a soft kiss on your lips.

“Heard you were having some trouble with the snow?” he said with a chuckle as you trailed your fingers through his beard.

You groaned and nodded, “Yea. Since when the fuck does it snow in Santo Padre?”

He shook his head, “No fucking idea. But I think I have just the thing to help you out.”

He motioned for you to follow him back outside. You carefully followed his exact footsteps, since he clearly was able to get into your house without falling and hurting himself. He walked over to the bed of his truck and pulled down the tailgate. You were a little surprised that he didn’t bring one with a plow attachment, but you figured he had some sort of plan in mind regardless.

You peaked around his shoulder to see what he had hiding in the bed of his truck. Truthfully, you had no idea what you had been expecting to see. But what you were met with was certainly outside your own realm of possibility.

“Bishop, is that…are those…” you felt like even finishing the sentence was going to sound ridiculous.

He chuckled at the surprised expression on your face, “Go ahead, ask.”

“Is it even legal to have this?” you looked at the device he was holding in his hands, “I feel like this isn’t legal…at all.”

“It’s only illegal if you get caught.”

“Bish, no,” you laughed, “That’s not how that works.”

“You want to get to work, right?”

You chuckled and nodded, “I mean, yea. I don’t exactly want you setting yourself on fire in the process, though.”

He shook his head as he leaned in and kissed you, “I won’t.”

The confidence with which he said it made you assume that it wasn’t anywhere near the first time he used it. You weren’t sure if that was comforting or concerning. In your mind, the last thing any of the guys in the MC needed to be playing with was a flamethrower. But it was too late to worry about any of that now.

You stepped back, nervous but eager to see what he was about to get himself into. He shut the tailgate and took a deep breath. You chuckled to yourself as you saw the excitement growing in his eyes. You could tell that he was thinking to himself that life didn’t give him enough opportunities to use a flamethrower.

He made an initial pass over part of your driveway and you looked on in shock and awe as the snow and ice disappeared in a matter of seconds. Bishop turned back to you with a proud smile on his face and you couldn’t help but to laugh and gesture for him to continue. You pulled your sweatshirt tighter around you as you watched him proceed to clear off your driveway. There were a lot of moments in your life with Bishop that left you thinking that you couldn’t make it up even if you tried, but this was definitely nearing the top of your list. He walked so nonchalantly down the driveway, waving the flames with as much ease as though he was watering your lawn with a garden hose.

It was quite the image, his kutte draped over his sweatshirt as he unleashed fire on the expanse of your driveway. You wondered if any of your neighbors were watching, and what they were thinking if they happened to catch a glimpse of any of this. No one would start trouble, knowing who Bishop was, but you wondered if any of them would want him to hit their driveways next. You chuckled at the thought of Bishop going from house to house like he was selling Girl Scout Cookies, only he was offering snow removal services by fire.

What you had initially thought was an insurmountable problem, Bishop solved in the matter of about fifteen minutes. He walked back up your driveway towards you with the flamethrower perched back against his shoulder as though it were a rifle. You laughed when you saw the cigar hanging loosely from his lips. It wasn’t even lit—you knew he was just doing it because he knew it would look extra badass and he loved getting a good laugh out of you.

He set the flamethrower back into his truck and you walked over to him, unable to stop smiling and shaking your head.

“Well that’s one way of doing things,” you glanced into the bed of his pickup, “Wouldn’t have ever thought to use a flamethrower, myself.”

He chuckled as he pulled you into a hug, “That’s what you’ve got me for, sweetheart. I’m the man with solutions to all of your problems.”

You rolled your eyes at his cockiness but smiled, “Yea, something like that,” you plucked the cigar from his lips, “Pretty sure that’s a giant fire hazard, though,” you tucked it into the pocket of his kutte before leaning in to give him a kiss on the lips, “Thank you, by the way.”

He smiled, “Anything for you.”

“I thought I was just going to have to ask you for a ride to work,” you laughed, “But this works too.”

“I can come and do another sweep later if you want? Just to be safe.”

You shook your head, able to see right through him, “I think I’ll be alright. Go lock that thing back up somewhere that the guys can’t get to it.”

“Yes ma’am,” he pulled you in, kissing you hard on the lips.

“I love you, you arsonist.”

He chuckled, brushing his nose lightly against yours, “I love you too. Let me know when you get to work safely, please.”

“Of course,” you nodded.

You stepped back and watched him climb into his truck. He offered up one small last wave before throwing his truck in reverse and rolling down your driveway. You stood there for a few moments and admired his handiwork, still unable to fully believe what your morning had been like. With a slight shake of your head, you walked over and grabbed your bags from the front step of your house before locking the door. With a slight sigh, you strolled over and hopped into your car. As you turned the key in the ignition, you wondered how many other people weren’t going to make it in to work, or were at least going to be late. You wondered if you were going to tell them how you managed to make it in, or if that was a story you were just going to keep to yourself.

#mayans mc #mayansmc #mayans fx #mayans mc imagine #bishop losa #bishop x reader #bishop losa x reader #bishop losa x you #obispo losa #obispo losa x reader #obispo losa imagine #my writing #fanfiction #drabblesmc

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paralleljulieverse · 4 years

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An Angel from Heaven Come to See Us: Darling Lili Turns 50

This week fifty years ago, Darling Lili -- the last of the big Julie Andrews screen musicals of the 1960s -- had its long-delayed World Premiere at Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome on 23 June 1970.

The event marked the symbolic endpoint of a three-plus-year marathon in which the ill-fated production was beset by an endless stream of problems and delays from inclement weather and union pickets on location to studio takeovers and shady refinancing deals (Bart, 63-72; Dick, 146-48; Wasson, 146-48). This litany of setbacks saw the film’s already sizeable budget blowout to era-record levels estimated anywhere, depending on who you spoke to, between $14-25mill. (Warga, C-20; Wedman, 7-A; Kennedy, 175-77). Egos clashed, tempers frayed and recriminations flew with writer-director, Blake Edwards, blaming Paramount Pictures for imposing impossible demands, and studio executives firing back counter-accusations of reckless indulgence and profligacy (Oldham, 24-25; 44-45).

That this highly publicised drama played out against the backdrop of the greatest economic downturn to hit Hollywood in half a century garnered Darling Lili an unenviable advance reputation as “the archetypal flop among big budget Hollywood productions” (Oldham, 44). “Rarely has so much bad word of mouth preceded a picture,” wrote the Saturday Review, “As the shooting schedule increased, as the costs mounted, everyone was certain that Darling Lili would prove to be a landmark disaster” (Knight 22). Another widely syndicated newspaper article dubbed it, “The Most Maligned Movie Ever,” prompting Blake Edwards to fume: “I’ve never known of an important picture in production so talked about, whispered about, and, yes, lied about as Darling Lili” (Manners, B5).

Adding fuel to widespread perceptions of the film as a legendary bomb in the making, the release of Darling Lili was held up for over a year by nervous studio execs. By 1969, Paramount had more big budget roadshow product in the pipelines than any other Hollywood studio (“Par’s Big”, 3). Panicked by the repeated failure of roadshow releases, in general, and the growing cultural backlash against big budgeted musicals, in particular, the studio feared they were “on the verge of an unprecedented financial disaster” and vacillated over how to proceed (Farber, 3). They ordered competing rounds of edits to the film, taking material out to secure a G-rating, then reinserting other material in an effort to broaden appeal (Manners, B5; “Par’s Lili Rated G”,5). There were even rumours the film might not get a release at all. It is “hiding somewhere” and seems to have “just evaporated” noted one newspaper report in late-1969 (Gussow, 62; Benchley, 9).

In December, Paramount finally held two sneak test screenings of Darling Lili in Oklahoma City and Kansas City which proved sufficiently positive for the studio to green-light release (“Kansas”, C2). After the test screenings, Robert Evans, production chief at Paramount and longtime vocal critic of Blake Edwards’s direction of the film, sounded an uncharacteristically upbeat note. “At the end of the film, there was a standing ovation,” he enthused, “and almost all the patrons stopped in the lobby to fill in comments cards...term[ing] Darling Lili as excellent, with special acclaim for both Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson” (Muir, 2-S).

In January 1970, it was announced that Darling Lili would premiere that summer as a hardticket attraction at New York’s Radio City Music Hall (”Par Gets”, 3). The following month, a series of exhibitor previews was held in five major US cities but, in a telling sign the studio still harboured reservations about the film, the trade press was pointedly excluded from all advance screenings ("Not Ready”, 6). This same lingering disquiet resulted in a radically scaled back approach to the film’s release and marketing.

Originally planned as a reserved-seat roadshow attraction, Darling Lili was ultimately repositioned by Paramount as part of what they called their “Big Summer Playoff,” a package of eight films given saturation releases during the summer off-season starting in June (“Paramount’s Summer Playoff”, 5). Only New York and Los Angeles would screen the film as a 70mm reserved-seat attraction; elsewhere, the plan was for the “pic to quickly saturate every major and minor market with single-house firstruns and key city multiples” (ibid.). In an era when studios typically gave their top films staggered releases and only ever issued B-product or second-runs widely during the quiet summer months, this new-style release strategy had a decided air of dump-it-and-run desperation.

The apparent lack of care and finesse in the release of Lili did not go unnoticed. “Darling Lili undoubtedly rank[s] among the unusual summer attractions,” commented one newspaper article, “since one would expect to see th[is] multi-million dollar production around holiday time” (Sar, 4-B). Another bluntly opined that Paramount “seems to have dumped the expensive movie rather than spend any more on it” (Taylor, 21-E). Even Julie, normally the soul of diplomatic discretion in such matters, expressed public dismay at the studio’s handling of the film’s release:

“Three weeks before the opening, there was no advertising campaign. None whatsoever. Paramount didn’t seem to know how it was going to sell the picture--or if. I simply can’t understand an attitude like that” (Thomas, 13).

The sudden shift to a summer saturation release also meant the film’s premiere had to be rescheduled as New York’s Radio City Music Hall wasn’t available till July. In late-May, a matter of mere weeks before the film was set to bow, Paramount announced Darling Lili would now make its world premiere at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood on June 23 before rolling out nationwide the following day (“‘Darling Lili’ to Premiere,” W-2). The New York premiere, meanwhile, would remain at the Music Hall but delayed a full month after the rest of the country.

Putting on a brave face, Julie and Blake did their best to launch their film. On June 18, they attended a special press preview and celebrity reception hosted by Robert Evans and his then partner, Ali McGraw, at the Director’s Guild Theatre (Sar, 24-A). Dressed in a modish psychedelic Pucci pantsuit -- which fans of Julie-trivia will note was a recycled outfit from her recent NBC TV special with Harry Belafonte -- Julie looked relaxed and radiant or, as one columnist put it, “peachy dandy in her wild patterned party pants” (Browning, 2-13). At the after-show reception, she and Blake mingled warmly with a host of Tinseltown notables including Edward G. Robinson, James Garner, Walter Matthau, George Peppard, Raquel Welch, Sally Field, Dyan Cannon, and Peter Graves (ibid).

The following week, Julie and Blake were back for the premiere proper at the Cinerama Dome on 23 June. Dressed to kill in a sleek beaded cocktail gown, Julie posed for press shots on the red carpet with Blake, Robert Evans and Ali McGraw, and co-star Rock Hudson who attended with longtime friend and agent, Flo Allen. Sponsored by the Southern Californian chapter of VIMS, Volunteers in Multiple Sclerosis, the premiere attracted a capacity crowd with an invitation-only champagne supper held at the theatre after the screening (“Premiere”, IV-8) .

For all the old-school Hollywood trappings of the premiere, the American roll-out of Darling Lili was afforded little sense of showmanship or distinction. The Cinerama Dome would be the film’s only fully reserved-seat roadshow presentation (“’Darling Lili’s’ One Reserve,” 7). The film’s run at New York’s Radio City Music Hall -- which will likely be the subject of another post next month, time permitting -- was another exception but it had a hybrid mix of partial reserved and general admission. Elsewhere, the film was released in what could only be described as a woefully slipshod manner.

The day after the World Premiere, Lili was issued simultaneously to an idiosyncratic assortment of theatres and even drive-ins across the United States including such out-of-the-way places as Lubbock, Texas; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Mason City, Iowa. Conversely, several major metropolitan markets didn’t get the film till much later, and some didn’t show it at all. When the film ran it was often booked for a flying season of a week or two -- in some instances, just a few days -- and given little promotion or build-up.

On a PR trip to San Francisco, Blake Edwards was reportedly incensed to discover that Lili was being shown at a local theatre on a double-bill with The Lawyer, an R-rated crime drama (Caen, 6-B). But this was far from an isolated instance. A survey of newspaper advertising from the era shows that, throughout this initial release period, Darling Lili was widely double-billed in US theatres with a range of questionable screen-mates including Downhill Racer, True Grit, Norwood, The Sterile Cuckoo, and Lady in Cement to name a few.

Much like the film’s chequered release pattern, reviews of Darling Lili were sharply mixed. Contrary to the apocalyptic predictions, though, there were surprisingly few outright pans and quite a number of good, even glowing, notices--certainly enough to furnish choice grabs for newspaper ads. Moreover, a common refrain among even lukewarm crits was that the film was far from the disaster everyone anticipated:

“Darling Lili [is] the musical comedy a lot of people have been expecting to be a bomb, but which turns out to be a quite likeable movie” (Crittenden, D-10).

“When a movie becomes notorious like this, everyone expects it to be an unredeeming dud...I’m relieved to say Darling Lili is certainly nobody’s bomb” (Stewart, 28)

“[E]veryone was certain that Darling Lili would prove to be a landmark disaster. Happily, the opposite seems to be the case...it is definitely, joyously, what the industry likes to call an ‘audience picture’ (Knight, 22).

While many reviewers found aspects of the film wanting, they were mostly full of praise for Julie:

“Miss Andrews has, I think, never looked better, warmer or more emotionally mature, nor has she sounded better. The irony is that she projects a richness which is wasted here. It’s like getting Horowitz to play Chopsticks” (Champlin, IV-1).

“Andrews...is one of the last of the great English music-hallmarks. She can sing effortlessly, make a mug or a moue with equal facility, throw away a line and reel it back in with the best—when she is given half a chance. Her latest, Darling Lili, is only a quarter of a chance (Kanfer, 78).

“In Darling Lili...Julie Andrews is the most pleasant actress any audience ever had and that’s what counts...The picture’s weaknesses are Hudson and the war...But I think Julie Andrews is enough” (Geurink, 6-T).

“The best way to enjoy Darling Lili is to look upon it as escape fare [with] Miss Andrews’ golden voice for listening pleasure...While she deserves something much better than her role in Darling Lili, Julie Andrews...is still an out and out professional” (Blakley, 6-1).

“Miss Andrews...is absolutely perfectly suited to the title role. Her voice, her mannerisms, her beauty and her obvious delight with the entire project pay off in one of the finest performances of her career” (Fanning, 17).

“The film’s bright moments belong to Miss Andrews. She is a complete entertainer, and tho [sic] she is center stage for nearly the entire film, one never tires of her pure voice and intelligent acting” (Siskel, 12).

Alas, the better-than-expected reviews were not enough to save Darling Lili commercially. By the end of its domestic run, the film had earned a meagre $3.2mill in rentals, placing it 37th in Variety’s list of annual box-office rankings for 1970 (“US Films,” 184). Instructively, the film posted its best returns at the two theatres where it was exhibited with some modicum of prestige showmanship: the Cinerama Dome and Radio City Music Hall. In the case of the latter, Lili actually broke house records for a non-holiday release (“Radio City,” 12). Combined, these two venues accounted for over a third of the film’s entire North American boxoffice grosses. It’s a curious footnote to the whole sorry saga of Darling Lili which does suggest that, while the film would likely never have been a hit, it could certainly have done much better had its distribution and exhibition been more carefully managed. But that is a discussion for another time and another post...

Sources:

Bart, Peter. Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, the Mob (and Sex). New York: Hachette, 2011.

Benchley, Peter. “1969 A Watershed Year for Motion Picture Industry.” Journal Gazette. 6 January 1970: 9.

Blakley, Thomas. “Julie Andrews Eyes a New Start.” Pittsburgh Press. 28 June 1970: 6-1.

Browning, Norma Lee. “Hollywood Today: Julie’s Reception.” Chicago Tribune. 22 June 1970: B-13.

Caen, Herb. “It’s News to Me.” Hartford Sentinel. 5 August 1970: 6-B.

Canby, Vincent. “Is Hollywood in Hot Water?” New York Times. 9 November 1969: D1, D37.

Champlin, Charles. “Movie Review: ‘Darling Lili’ Has World War I Setting.” Los Angeles Times. 24 June 1970: IV-1, 13.

Crittenden, John. “’Darling Lili’ Surprises by Being Very Pleasant.” The Record. 24 July 1970: D-10.

“’Darling Lili’ to Premiere in Hollywood June 24.” Boxoffice. 25 May 1970: W2.

“’Darling Lili’s’ One Reserve Seat Date.” Variety. 3 June 1970: 7.

Dick, Bernard F. Engulfed: The Death of Paramount Pictures and the Birth of Corporate Hollywood. Louisville, KY: University of Kentucky Press, 2015.

Fanning, Win. “The New Film: Andrews, Hudson in ‘Darling Lili’ at Squirrel Hill.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 25 June 1970: 17.

Farber, Stephen. “End of the Road?” Film Quarterly. 23: 2. Winter 1969-70: 3-16.

Geurink, Bob. “Julie’s Pretty Darling in ‘Lili’.” Atlanta Constitution. 11 July 1970: 6-T.

Gussow, Mel. “Excitement Fills Premier of ‘Dolly’: But Air of Festivity Belies Future of Movie Musicals.” New York Times. 18 December 1969: 62.

Higham, Charles. “Turmoil in Film City.” Sydney Morning Herald - Weekend Magazine. 25 May 1969: 19.

Holston, Kim R. Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showings, 1911-1973. Jefferson, NC: McFarlane and Co, 2013.

Kanfer, Stefan. “Cinema: Quarter Chance.” Time. 96: 4. 27 July 1970: 78.

“Kansas City.” Boxoffice. 22 December 1969: C2.

Knight, Arthur. “How Darling was My Lili.” Saturday Review. 18 July, 1970: 22.

Krämer, Peter. The New Hollywood: From Bonnie and Clyde to Star Wars. London: Wallflower, 2005.

Manners, Dorothy. “The Most Maligned Movie Ever.” San Francisco Examiner. 15 March 1970: B5.

Mills, James. “Why Should He Have it?” Life. 7 Match 1969: 63-76.

Muir, Florabel. “Hollywood: It Snowed Customers.” Daily News. 21 December 1969: 2S.

“Not Ready for Trades But Exhibs See ‘Lili’.” Variety. 28 January 1970: 6.

Oldham, Gabriella, ed. Blake Edwards: Interviews. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2018.

“Par Gets Hall’s Summer Spot for its ‘Darling Lili’.” Variety. 21 January 1970: 3.

“Para. Sets Preview Series in Five Cities for ‘Lili’.” Boxoffice. 26 January 1970: 10.

“Paramount’s Summer Playoff Strategy: 5,000 Bookings for Eight Major Films.” Variety. 3 June 1970: 5.

“Par’s Big Roadshow Splash.” Variety. 25 June 1969: 3.

“Par’s Lili Rated G.” Variety. 24 September 1969: 5.

“Premiere.” Los Angeles Times. 25 June 1970: IV-8.

“Radio City Music Hall’s All-Time Boxoffice Darling.” Variety. 5 August 1970: 12.

Sar, Ali. “Paramount Unveils Two Top Pictures.” Van Nuys News. 21 June 1970: 24-A.

Sar, Ali. “Curiosity Films: Plagued Studios Hope.” Van Nuys News. 28 June 1970: 4-B.

Siskel, Gene. “The Movies: ‘Darling Lili’.” Chicago Tribune. 22 August 1970: 12.

Sloane, Leonard. “At Paramount, Real Financial Drama.” New York Times. 28 November 1969: 48.

Stewart, Perry. “Warm Kiss from ‘Lili’.” Fort-Worth Star-Telegram. 1 Juy 1970: 28.

Stuart, Byron. "Pictures: Big Budget’s Big Bust-Up." Variety. 23 July 1969: 3, 20.

Taylor, Robert. “‘Lili’ Can Be Charming.” Oakland Tribune. 27 June 1970: 21-E.

Thomas, Bob. “Julie Andrews Praises ‘Lili’.” Courier-News. 15 September 1970: 13.

“U.S. Films’ Share-of-Market Profile.” Variety. 12 May 1971: 36-38, 122, 171-174, 178-179, 182-183, 186-187, 190-191, 205-206.

Warga, Wayne. “Stanley Jaffe: Paramount Risk Jockey.” Los Angeles Times. 24 January 1971: C1, C20-21.

Wasson, Sam. A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards. Middletown: Weslayan University Press, 2009.

Wedman, Les. “The End of the Roadshow.” Vancouver Sun. 9 January 1970: 7A.

#julie andrews #Darling Lili #fiftieth anniversary #1970 #cinerama dome #film premiere #paramount #film history #hollywood #classic film #blake edwards

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brookstonalmanac · 3 years

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Events 3.6

12 BCE – The Roman Emperor Augustus is named Pontifex Maximus, incorporating the position into that of the emperor. 632 – The Farewell Sermon (Khutbah, Khutbatul Wada') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. 845 – The 42 Martyrs of Amorium are killed after refusing to convert to Islam. 961 – Byzantine conquest of Chandax by Nikephoros Phokas, end of the Emirate of Crete. 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus. 1323 – Treaty of Paris of 1323 is signed. 1454 – Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of the Prussian Confederation pledge allegiance to King Casimir IV of Poland who agrees to commit his forces in aiding the Confederation's struggle for independence from the Teutonic Knights. 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam. 1665 – The first joint Secretary of the Royal Society, Henry Oldenburg, publishes the first issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, the world's longest-running scientific journal. 1788 – The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island in order to found a convict settlement. 1820 – The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, brings Maine into the Union as a free state, and makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free. 1834 – York, Upper Canada, is incorporated as Toronto. 1836 – Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo: After a thirteen-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured. 1857 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules 7–2 in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case that the Constitution does not confer citizenship on black people. 1869 – Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society. 1882 – The Serbian kingdom is re-founded. 1899 – Bayer registers "Aspirin" as a trademark. 1912 – Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces become the first to use airships in war, as two dirigibles drop bombs on Turkish troops encamped at Janzur, from an altitude of 6,000 feet. 1930 – International Unemployment Day demonstrations globally initiated by the Comintern. 1933 – Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a "bank holiday", closing all U.S. banks and freezing all financial transactions. 1943 – Norman Rockwell published Freedom from Want in The Saturday Evening Post with a matching essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the Four Freedoms series. 1943 – World War II: Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel launches the Battle of Medenine in an attempt to slow down the British Eight Army. It fails, and he leaves Africa three days later. 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Fardykambos, one of the first major battles between the Greek Resistance and the occupying Royal Italian Army, ends with the surrender of an entire Italian battalion, the bulk of the garrison of the town of Grevena, leading to its liberation a fortnight later. 1944 – World War II: Soviet Air Forces bomb an evacuated town of Narva in German-occupied Estonia, destroying the entire historical Swedish-era town. 1945 – World War II: Cologne is captured by American troops. On the same day, Operation Spring Awakening, the last major German offensive of the war, begins. 1946 – Ho Chi Minh signs an agreement with France which recognizes Vietnam as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union. 1951 – Cold War: The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins. 1953 – Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. 1957 – Ghana becomes the first Sub-Saharan country to gain independence from the British. 1964 – Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad officially gives boxing champion Cassius Clay the name Muhammad Ali. 1964 – Constantine II becomes the last King of Greece. 1965 – Premier Tom Playford of South Australia loses power after 27 years in office. 1967 – Cold War: Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States. 1968 – Three rebels are executed by Rhodesia, the first executions since UDI, prompting international condemnation. 1970 – An explosion at the Weather Underground safe house in Greenwich Village kills three. 1975 – For the first time the Zapruder film of the assassination of John F. Kennedy is shown in motion to a national TV audience by Robert J. Groden and Dick Gregory. 1975 – Algiers Accord: Iran and Iraq announce a settlement of their border dispute. 1984 – In the United Kingdom, a walkout at Cortonwood Colliery in Brampton Bierlow signals the start of a strike that lasted almost a year and involved the majority of the country's miners. 1987 – The British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in about 90 seconds, killing 193. 1988 – Three Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers are shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar in Operation Flavius. 1992 – The Michelangelo computer virus begins to affect computers. 2003 – Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashes at the Aguenar – Hadj Bey Akhamok Airport in Tamanrasset, Algeria, killing 102 out of the 103 people on board. 2008 – A suicide bomber kills 68 people (including first responders) in Baghdad on the same day that a gunman kills eight students in Jerusalem.

#Events

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hypnotisedfireflies · 10 months

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Can you rank your stories from your most to least favorite? Interested to know now there are so many.

HA. Omg anon. Okay. This will be hard so you’re getting an explanation under each as to why it is where it is on my list. 💙

1. Drifter’s Dawn

It’s the OG and it’s the thing that got me writing again. There are parts I would like to improve but I think I’ll pretty well leave it alone.

2. Spite

I feel bad putting this above Dusk but Spite accomplished a lot that I didn’t include in Dawn and wish I had. Plus I’m proud of the little arc across this story? Of all the things I’ve written, stuff in Spite is stuff I most wish had found its way into Dawn (excepting that one chapter in The Knight of Cups which I did then include in Dawn).

3. Drifter’s Dusk

First time writing Joel’s POV, plus Tess lives, blah blah blah.

4. The Knight of Cups

So loved writing for Tommy and being able to examine Tessjoel from an outsider POV. I also liked being able to extend the early days which I feel I rushed over in retrospect in Dawn, like the learning to shoot stuff, the caravan of people and the graveyard, etc. This is kind of the stuff I most want to go back and write more of when I get the chance. It’s quite a narrow period of time really, but I would like to explore it some more.

5. Cassius blue

This is my least-read story which could be down to it being only two chapters? But I like that it was just Tessjoel for the majority of it and I got to get inside Joel’s head at kind of a crucial time in their story, when he really started to drift away from Tess and become the Joel we see in TLOU. You know, they’re somewhere they’re kind of safe, Tess doesn’t “need” him and he can wilfully or subconsciously disconnect to torment himself with the past. This couldn’t really get much of a look-in in Dawn because it was all Tess's POV. I also liked writing Sarah for the first time and making nature kick their asses.

6. Blood Orange

Got to play with a different narrative style and that was fun. Wrote this one totally different to everything else in that I basically wrote the chapters out of order and rearranged it – blocks of text and action into other chapters, etc. Also it’s fun writing Tess fucking up.

7. Shots Fired!

I really meant the whole prompt thing to be works of about this length but I prefer longer-form so this is likely to remain the shortest work at 8k. Anyway, I was happy with being able to accomplish a lot in a shorter amount of words, ie, Tess realising she has family blah blah blah. Also establishing some stuff with Ellie.

8. The Last Day on Earth

I don’t hate this or anything, it was just a pain in the ass to write and the least enjoyable for that reason, but I am fine with the finished product.

Snowqueen of Texas and the Ensemble aren’t finished so they don’t get ranked yet.

Thanks for your question anon – I’d love to hear readers’ rankings of this series so far, too!

#driftersverse #asks #tlou #tlou fanfic #joel x tess #tlou fanfiction #the last of us #tess servopoulos #joel miller #tessjoel

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beardedmrbean · 1 year

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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has appointed an independent counsel to conduct a comprehensive review of Richard Glossip's murder conviction and death sentence.

Glossip, 59, was sentenced to death in the 1997 murder-for-hire killing of his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese, but has long maintained his innocence.

He is scheduled to be executed on May 18—a date that was rescheduled from one in February after Oklahoma's Court of Criminal Appeals agreed to slow down the pace of the state's upcoming executions.

Drummond on Thursday announced the appointment of former District Attorney Rex Duncan to review all aspects of Glossip's case, including the initial police investigation, two separate trials, sentencing and appeals.

"Circumstances surrounding this case necessitate a thorough review," Drummond said in a statement.

"While I am confident in our judicial system, that does not allow me to ignore evidence. This review helps ensure that justice is served, both to the Van Treese family and the accused."

Glossip's attorney, Don Knight, said he was thankful for Drummond's decision.

"From the beginning of our work on this case, all we have asked for is a fair review of all the evidence," he said in a statement to Newsweek.

"The new evidence we have uncovered since 2015 shows conclusively, as the first independent investigation by Reed Smith found, that no reasonable juror who viewed all the evidence would find Mr. Glossip guilty of murder for hire.

"We are confident that this new investigation will reach the same conclusion. Richard Glossip is innocent of this crime. We look forward to fully cooperating with Rex Duncan so that he can complete his work as expeditiously as possible, and the State can begin to right this terrible wrong."

An independent investigation by Texas law firm Reed Smith last year raised concerns about lost or destroyed evidence in the case.

It also found that a detective who was biased against Glossip improperly asked leading questions to a co-defendant, Justin Sneed, to implicate Glossip in the killing.

Sneed, a handyman at the motel where Glossip was the manager, admitted beating Van Treese to death with a baseball bat, but he said he did so at Glossip's direction after he promised him money. He was sentenced to life in prison and was a key witness against Glossip at both of his trials.

Glossip's attorneys have asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for a new evidentiary hearing in light of the investigation's findings.

More than 60 state lawmakers, including many who support the death penalty, have also called for a new evidentiary hearing in Glossip's case.

Glossip's latest execution date is the ninth he has faced since 2014.

He has been within hours of being executed three separate times, including in September 2015 when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug.

That mix-up helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma, which ended in October 2021 with the execution of John Grant.

The state has executed seven other inmates since then, including Scott Eizember in December.

#nunyas news #always be sure

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fandomsintimesndparadoxspace · 4 years

Text

Hey folks I want to start writing some fanfiction or draw some fanart so pleas send me some prompts any kind (best at fluff or Angst ;3 whoooooooooo) from any of the following fandoms

Devil may cry

Critical role

Batman (all of dc really)

Umbrella academy

The avengers (all of marvel really XD)

Sanders sides

Merlin

ThePenumbra podcast

The magnus archives

Fantastic beast and where to find them

My hero academia

Bungou stray dogs

Teen wolf

good omens

Supernatural

Detroit become human

Bleach

eddsworld

Naruto

Villainous

Voltron legendary defender

Gravity falls

Tales from the borderlands

Rwby

red vs blue

Midnight texas

Shadowhunters

Harrypotter

Invader zim

Overwatch

Star trek

Full metal alchemist

Repunzels tangled adventure

Soul eater

welcome to nightvale

The hobbit

Lord of the rings

Buzzfeed unsolved

Hollow knight

Hannibal

Star wars

D. Gray man

Wolf 359

Pokemon go

Percy jackson and the olympians

Homestuck

Hetalia

The witcher

Camp camp

Avater the last airbender

Korra

Ace attorney

Mob pshyco 100

James bond

Grimm

Rise of the gaurdians

How to train your dragon

I'm a massive fan of (rise of the brave tangled dragons)

Dead by daylight

Creepypasta

Undertale

Deltarune

Cuphead

Angels of death

Witch's house

OFF

Mad father

Mermaid swamp

Danganronpa

Constantine

The road to el dorado

Be more chill

Over the garden wall

Assassins creed

Don't starve

The ancient magus bride

Fairy tail

Blue exorcist

Jarrasic Park /world

Tokyo ghoul

The evil within

Cells at work

Danny phantom

Sherlock

Brooklyn 99

Pacific rim

Cowboy bebop

Baldi's basics

Fables the wolf among us

Lucifer

The legend of zelda

Bendy and the ink machine

The arcana

Obey me

Dengerous fellows

Durarara(Rarararararararararara XD)

Creepypasta

Steven universe

Death stranding

Noragami

The adventure zone

Doctor who

South park

Death parade

kingsmen

Hazbin hotel

Sonic the hedgehog

Outlast

the dragon Prince

Star trek

team fortress 2

Transformers

Pokemon

The inheritance cycle

His dark matrials

God of war

One punch

Sirius the jeager

Yugioh

Pandora hearts

Black butler

Super mario

Resident evil

The mortal instruments

Any Disney

The mummy

She-Ra

Moomin

There's probably more I'm forgetting..... Hmmmm

#Please I want to write and draw #Give me prompts #I warn u it's probably only fluff or Angst

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profoundnet · 4 years

Text

Profound Member Post - January 2020

Header by @cryptomoon and is available on merch from her redbubble store. You can use all those fancy emojis (and more!) on our Discord server!

The Masterpost is open for all creations by ProfoundBond members which are posted in their entirety during that month.

This months round up is extra special as PB celebrated its 2 year anniversary with a creation birthday bash. You will find submissions for this monumental occasion marked with a 🎂 emoji! Happy Birthday PB and thank you to everyone who makes this server, and our corner of the fandom so great!

MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS FOR JANUARY 2020!

Featuring works by @nox-lee, @nickelkeep, @maleyah-givemetomorrow, @banshee1013, ArielAquarial, @castielslostwings, @butterflydreaming-writes-fic, @goldenraeofsun, @jemariel, @surlybobbies, @blueeyesandpie, @rauko-creates, @foxymoley, @maggiemaybe160, and, @andimeantittosting!

Masterpost below the cut.

noxlee - @nox-lee - noxlee - (Pillowfort)

Soft (E, 1.7k)

15x10 coda. Dean discovers that his new "normal" extends to his sex life as well.

Tags: coda, established relationship, mediocre sex

nickelkeep - @nickelkeep - nickelkeep

Tupelo Honey (E, 5.5k) 🎂

When one of his co-workers fall through on a photo shoot, Dean steps up to help out and cover it. Who knew that there was a such thing as a beekeeper's society? And who knew that a gorgeous blue-eyed man would be a beekeeper?

Tags: AU - Modern, Photographer!Dean, Beekeeper!Cas, Nude Photoshoot, Pinups, Cas acts like Endverse!Cas, Semi-Public Sex

Time Alone (T, 1.9k) 🎂

Dean wants some alone time with Cas. The best way to do that? Find a case and tell Sam and Jack to stay behind.

Tags: Canonverse, Casefic, Salt and Burn, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship, Impala Kisses.

‘Til I Found Salvation (M, 14k)

Finding your soulmate isn't hard when almost everyone has multiple soulmates; four, five even upwards of seven. It's rare to have only three soul marks and people who only have two? Sucks to be them. And the poor sons of bitches who only have one? They're the unluckiest of all. Dean Winchester knows a thing or two about being unlucky.

Tags: Canonverse, Canon Divergent, Soulmate Marks, Angst with a Happy Ending, Temp. MCD, Whump, Hurt/Comfort

Something to Talk About (T, 5.6k)

Charlie pointed up at her ear. "You don't hear that?"

"Hear what?" Dean closed his eyes and rested for a moment. He realized that music played in the background and started searching for the source immediately. "Wait, is that... Is that Zeppelin playing?

"Bunker, play 'Houses of the Holy,'" Charlie replied, a smirk on her face.

The first few haunting notes of the Zeppelin classic started playing, and Dean's head whipped around in surprise. "Where's that coming from? Did you buy one of those damned Alexa Despacito things for the bunker?"

Tags: Canonverse, AU - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Charlie & Sam ship Destiel, Home Automation, Domesticity in the Bunker, Pranks and Practical Jokes

Balance to the Force (E, 7.5k)

When needing their privacy in open areas, Charlie and Dean have no problem switching to an uncommon language - Sindarin, from Lord of the Rings. But when they start speaking it at Nerd Convention, does Dean bite off more than he can chew?

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, AU - ComicCons, Gratuitous Nerdiness, Polygot!Cas, Language/Accent Kink, Strangers to Lovers

Space Oddity (SFW) 🎂

Art for @maggiemaybe160‘s fic Space Oddity

Maleyah - @maleyah-givemetomorrow - Maleyah

Where the Corporeal and Poetry Meet (E, 3.6k)

Part one of a series of ficlets exploring a season 9 divergence, where Cas is brought back to the Bunker and explores his humanity with Dean. "Straddling him as they make out, Dean whispers the suggestion that night. He binds Castiel’s hands with his own tie, which spikes Castiel’s breathing. He’s sure that if he still possessed his grace, his eyes would light up the dimly lit room in pale blue. His eventual orgasm knocks the breath out of him and it takes a long time to come back down into the safe circle of Dean’s arms.

They take it from there."

Tags: Human!Cas, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Soft Dom!Dean, Soft sub!Cas, Poetry, Idiots in Love, Domestic Fluff

Where Kinks and Breakfast Meet (M, 3k)

Part two of a season 9 divergence series where Cas gets brought back to the Bunker and explores his humanity with Dean. "But he still wants to engage Cas. Fully. He’s only unwilling to put Cas at a similar risk, despite Cas’ persistent reassurances that his drop was related to the realisation that hit him mid-play. They do further research together. Into shibari. Into bondage. Into subspace. Drops. Both on the Dom and sub’s end. So he realises he suffered one in the wake of their moment and that he went about handling it the wrong way. A few days ago, Dean found a promising list, which he insisted they fill in to avoid a repeat performance. With everything they have been up to, Dean has faith (who knew?) they are compatible, but he wants clarity. He smiles at the feelings that loosens up inside his chest and huffs, rolling his eyes at himself."

Tags: Human!Cas, Kink Negotiation, Domestic Fluff, Soft Dom!Dean, Soft sub!Cas, switching implied, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester

Banshee1013 - @banshee1013 - Banshee1013

Texas Sun (M, 4k) 🎂

Ever since Cas and Dean tied the knot, they have been driving Sam *insane* with their inappropriately located and utterly spontaneous make-out suggestions. So when he finds them looking at filming locations for the movie "Tombstone" in Arizona, he suggests they take some time (and give him a break!) and road-trip it. Dean plans the route and takes the long way 'round through Texas - all the more time to spend with his angel, and show him some sights along the way.

Tags: Fluff, Road Trips, Sam Winchester is Not Amused, Honeymoon, Grinding, Canon Related, Established Relationship

ArielAquariel - ArielAquariel

Your hand in mine, we walk the miles (E, 11.5k)

With the big day finally there, Dean is more than ready to walk down that aisle and marry Cas.

Tags: Wedding Fluff, Honeymoon, Established Relationship, Alternate Universe, Castiel is Claire Novak's Parent, Fluff, Domestic Fluff

castielslostwings - @castielslostwings - castielslostwings

Slide Away (E, 51k)

Since meeting and falling in love in front of the camera a decade ago, movie star Dean Winchester and his husband, celebrity photographer Castiel, have been the media’s darlings. From the outside, it truly appears as if the couple has it all: fame, fortune, fans and most of all, a profound and unshakeable bond that sees them through all the highs and lows. Behind the scenes, everything is not as it seems. Beyond carefully-curated sets of photos and filters, Dean and Castiel have been falling apart for years. Their marriage is essentially over, the latest victim in Hollywood’s merciless grinder. As a last-ditch effort to punch out some positive PR before news of their split breaks, the boys agree to do one last PR stunt—a recreation of the photos that made the world fall in love with them (while they were falling for each other). Will this plan drive their relationship over the edge permanently? Or will Dean and Castiel finally realize that their fans aren’t the only ones who have been fooled by all the smoke and mirrors? Misunderstandings, miscommunication, and mistrust are only the beginning. But if our heroes can push past those mistakes, perhaps they can learn that it's never too late to start all over again.

Tags: Miscommunication, Misunderstanding, Fake Relationship, Idiots back to lovers, Movie Star Dean, Photographer Castiel, Accidental sex tape, divorce, mutual pining, angst with a happy ending.

looks_clear (chrysalisdreams) - @butterflydreaming-writes-fic - looks_clear (chrysalisdreams)

White Light // Black Water (T, 7k)

In 2019, the Baozhu, a pearl that granted the desire of Dean’s heart, changed the timeline from a particular moment in 2003. Dean is hunting alone when events set in motion before that year catch up to him.

Tags: Drowning, Temporary Character Death, Car Accidents, Baby Gets Hurt, Time Travel, Episode Related, Episode S8e12: As Time Goes By, Episode S14e300: Lebanon, Kale!Sam, Alternate Angel Lore

goldenraeofsun - @goldenraeofsun - goldenraeofsun

Dean Winchester and the Patron Saint of Blind Dates (T, 18k)

Dean Winchester's friends are a bunch of traitors. So he had a bad breakup two years ago and hasn't gotten back on the horse. Their intervention - a series of blind dates - can't be the solution. But if this'll get his friends to stop, Dean can choke down over-priced spaghetti, make forced conversation, and drink whatever random cocktail the weirdo behind the bar makes for him next. At least Cas has Dean's back. One word from Dean, and he'll make excuses for Dean to bail like a super awkward knight in shining armor.

Tags: Human AU, Bartender Cas, Dean has self-worth issues, minor angst, Benny & Dean friendship, minor Sam/Ruby

jemariel - @jemariel - jemariel

Spit-Polish and Shine (E, 1.5k) 🎂

You know how Dean Winchester doesn't wear shorts? Well. Sometimes he does. Unredeemed filthy porn on a car. Prompted by a PB botstat.

Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Sex on a Car, Exhibitionism, Masturbation, Anal Sex, Established Relationship, Sam Winchester is Scarred For Life

surlybobbies - @surlybobbies - surlybobbies

I Like the Sound of That (T, 1k)

In mid-December, Gabe hangs a sprig of mistletoe in Cas’s foyer. Cas, resisting the temptation to strangle his brother, snaps a picture and sends it to Dean. Take it down or leave it up? Idk dude. U trying to catch someone under there? Cas hedges. I don’t want to kiss anyone who’d only do it because of a plant. Fair enough. Just leave it up tho. U’ll break an ankle climbing up ur rickety ladder. Dw u don’t have to kiss me Cas puts his phone down and doesn’t reply. He indulges in two glasses of wine and valiantly tries to avoid thinking about kissing Dean.

Tags: friends to lovers, christmas fic, fluff, mistletoe, au

Lucky Enough (T, 2.5k)

Dean opened his mouth, ready to argue, but then closed it just as suddenly, deflating. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Cas, I don’t mean to be a dick.” “Then stop being one,” Cas said simply, adjusting the blankets around Dean a little more securely. There was a pause. Dean blinked. “You’re supposed to say that I wasn’t being a dick in the first place.” “I dislike lying to you.” Dean scowled. “Why am I your friend?” “Because I spend my holidays looking after you when you’re sick,” Cas said matter-of-factly, reaching out to touch Dean’s forehead. [Dean's sick over the New Year's Eve holiday, but it's fine because Cas has got a bed to share.]

Tags: holiday fic, bed sharing, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, new year's kiss, cuddling

blueeyesandpie - @blueeyesandpie - blueeyesandpie

Beginnings (SFW) 🎂

The door to Dean's room in the Bunker, with Cas's tie on the doorknob

Tags: the bunker, pb100, we all know what's happening in there

In the California Sun (SFW)

A commissioned painting for Slide Away of Dean and Cas standing in a pool.

Tags: slide away, commissions, the tension amirite

Commission for Slide Away (SFW)

A commission for Slide Away of Cas running into Dean's arms along a corridor lined with photos of their rekindled romance.

Tags: commission, yay they happy

The Kiss Cam (E, 8k) 🎂

Dean's excited about the tickets he got for the OSU/UofM football match, but his boyfriend Crowley seems intent on ruining the day (and possibly his life) for him. When the kiss cam settles on them and Crowley pushes Dean away, a blue-eyed man they'd met in line is more than happy to fill the void. Loosely based on the headline/prompt "Woman Kisses Man Next to Her on Kiss Cam After Date Snubs Her."

Tags: manipulative crowley, non-explicit dean/crowley, minor sabriel, strangers to lovers, angst and fluff and e-rated shenanigans, NOT a sports story, pb birthday bash, collaboration

Say It Straight (T, 1.7k) 🎂

Something went wrong in that milk run to Kentucky, but neither Dean nor Cas want to explain what happened. When the truth does come out, it isn't at all what Sam expected...though really, why should he be surprised?

Tags: PoV: Sam Winchester, Sam ships it, Idiots to Lovers, Canonverse, drinking to cope, PB Bot Prompts, first time, no spoilers past season 13

rauko-creates - @rauko-creates - FeaRauko

Sing Love (T, 2.7k)

Castiel comes back from a grocery run with Sam and overhears Dean singing in the shower. ***or*** That one where Castiel finds out that Dean might love him too.

Tags: canonverse, singing, idiots in love, first kiss, fluff, some angst, love confessions

foxymoley - @foxymoley - foxymoley

Hell’s Companion (G, 350 words)

This is for saltnhalo's birthday!

It's hard to write for someone so talented but I scoured PB for any prompts she had shown an interest in and apparently she 'needed this'! Lol So here we are!

Prompt by Sky: You’ve heard of witch!cas and familiar!dean now consider this upgrade to demon!cas and hellhound!dean - hellhounds, of course, having a secret human form in this au.

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Demon Castiel, Hellhound Dean, non-explicit/implied torture of random unnamed demon, mention of Boy King Sam

Roll for Dragons (T, 2.8k) 🎂

Dean is offered up as a sacrifice by his corrupt hometown. Written for jdragon as part of the Profoundbond birthday bash.

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury, Jo Harvelle, Dragons, Alternate Universe - Historical

Mithril (G, 1k) 🎂

Dean makes an interesting discovery in a bunker storeroom so he and Sam perform some experiments.

Tags: Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Weapons, The Lord of the Rings References, Men of Letters, Bunker, Soft!Dean

MaggieMaybe160 - @maggiemaybe160 - MaggieMaybe160

Birthday Wishes (M, 3.5k)

Dean recalls his past birthdays before going out to celebrate his 41st.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Heavy Angst. Anti-John Winchester.

Broken (M, 700 words)

Dean snaps out of a dreamlike state and found he's made a huge mistake and it's Zachariah's fault. All part of a plan to get him to say yes to Michael.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Major Character Death Warning. Heavy Angst.

Demon Deals and Prayers to Angels (T, 4.5k) 🎂

Dean makes a deal with a demon so he can go back in time and change the future.

Tags: Major Character Death Warning. Heavy Angst.

Sleep Oddity (T, 1.5k) 🎂

Based on a prompt: "I just want to go home," said the astronaut. "So come home," said Ground Control. "So come home," said a voice from the stars.

Tags: Major Character Death Warning

Falling (T, 2k) 🎂

Cas remembers all of the times that Heaven was against he and Dean getting together, and the repeated times he didn't care.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Happy Ending.

Memories on Display (T, 2k) 🎂

Cas is in shock after a battle and is going through memories to try to cope with loss.

Tags: Major Character Death. Grief.

andimeantittosting - @andimeantittosting - andimeantittosting

On a Breath of Snow (G, 4.5k)

Once, Castiel, Duke of Rexford, gave up the love of his life in the name of duty and honour. He has dedicated his life to raising his son Jack. Now, a fierce snowstorm brings Dean, Viscount Winchester back into his life on Christmas Eve. And as North Cove Castle's fires burn warm and festive, so do Dean and Castiel’s feelings of hope.

Tags: Regency AU, Getting back together, Christmas, Alternate history

#Profoundnet Monthly Masterpost #january masterpost #dean winchester #castiel #destiel #spn #sorry this took so long guys!#the past months have been A Lot

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lightanddarklove · 4 years

Text

Connverse Week Drabbles - Day 1: Exploration

Explore Your Options

Rated: Gen | Words:1631 | No Archive Warnings Apply

I don't know if I'm be able to do all the days of Converse Week but I was thinking about giving this a try. I have ideas for at least 2 more days, but since this one is on the longer side, if I cop out before day 7 I'll say this counted for Future as well as Exploration.

I’m more than halfway done with prompt 2. Here’s hoping I can just edit the link in when I’m done.

Quick note: These are the state names Connie’s talking about (because everyone should get Keystone and Jersey):

Buckeye - Ohio

Empire State - New York

Lone Star - Texas

Steven and Connie are trying to figure out where they're going to be spending the next few years. New exciting things seem on the horizon for Connie, but Steven needs a bit of encouragement after Little Graduation. Mostly platonic with a side of romantic pining. Steven Centric.

Jam bud conversations on the phone were nice, but Steven missed seeing Connie in person. This as one of those weeks where a call was the only way she could fit him into her busy schedule. He draped himself over the bed, lying on his back, trying to relax as she told him about her plans and projects.

“Have you given it much thought where you want to go to school?” Steven asked, trying to sound encouraging and avoid sounding clingy.

“Well, there’s lots of options, but I haven’t nailed down anything exactly,” she replied. “I really think I want to work at Nasa, or do science communication elsewhere in the engineering field. But I’m worried that I’ll get to a big expensive school somewhere and after taking a few classes I’ll want to change my major and should have gone somewhere else.” Steven hummed in thought. “Right now I’m thinking about an Engineering major and either minoring in Video Journalism, or double majoring and then maybe Political Science as a minor?”

“Well,” he responded, “I know that your parents will support you no matter what you want to do or where you go.”

“I’m not super worried about that,” she said. “It’s more about wasting time or money. I know that they have enough in my college fund for in-state schools, public or private. But if I broaden my search to out of state, I’ll need to secure good scholarships to leave school debt free, which they’ve stressed will really help me in my early adulthood. And in turn, if I need to get scholarships, I should really know what I’m going to school for, because some scholarships are dependent on majors.”

“What about a sport scholarship for tennis or fencing?”

“I haven’t dedicated the time into those to get the majority of my funding from that.”

“I don’t think you need to get most of it from the scholarship, you’ve got the college fund. Plus you’ve trained so hard for swordsmanship. And didn’t you go into a state competition for fencing this year?”

“I wasn’t in the top of them,” she replied dourly. “I placed 6th.”

“For a completion that was state wide, including seniors?” He responded with enthusiasm. “I think that’s got to count for something. If you place in the top 3 next year, you could probably go anywhere you want with at least half of your schooling payed for.”

“I wish fencing was a more recognized sport. But anyway, I have some in-state schools I was looking at, and only a few out of state. A couple in Keystone, one in Buckeye, and Jersey. The furthest ones are in the Empire City area. Well, except for the one in Lone Star that’s supposed to be one of the biggest pools that Nasa pulls from. But that one’s pretty hard to get into.”

“You’re smart enough, I think if you keep trying as hard as you have been, you can get there,” he said trying to keep his voice light. He paused for a moment. “I will miss you though, if you move so far away.”

“Well Lone Star does have a warp pad,” she replied. “I found out it’s a bike-able distance from the school. Forty minutes doesn’t sound that bad. Plus there’s Lion and planes and stuff. It won’t be too hard to see each other if we try.”

“Yeah,” he said, trying to keep the sadness from creeping into his voice. “But if you double major, would you have the time to see me, anyway?”

“You’re my best friend, Steven. I’ll make the time,” she responded confidently. He smiled wistfully, knowing she couldn’t see, but it encouraged him all the same. “There’s probably going to be heavy weeks where I can’t, but I feel like if I get into the Lone Star Aerospace University, I won’t need to impress as much by double majoring. So we can probably see each other most weekends. If you aren’t too busy, anyway. What do you think you’ll be doing next year? That would set you up for what you’re doing while I’m in school.”

“Now that Little Homeschool is done being set-up, and I’m not heading it anymore, I’m not sure.” He paused again. “I’ve been doing the gardening thing, but it’s just something to fill my time. I don’t think I’m becoming a botanist anytime soon.” Connie chuckled.

“Do you think you’ll want to teach again?”

“Even if I could become a teacher, what would I teach?”

“Why couldn’t you?” She sounded firm in her conviction. “I think if you wanted to, you could get your GED, and start school when I do. You’re organized and creative, plus you really seemed to enjoy helping the gems learn. I think you could do the same for music, or cooking, or anything creative, really.”

“I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be,” he replied solemnly. “I’ve had a hard time letting go, and I was so busy I let a lot of things get pushed to the wayside that I should have been better with.”

“Learning about being a teacher from professionals would help you get those kind of skills,” she rebutted.

“I don’t think I have what it takes,” he said sadly. “My dad never finished Community College, I don’t think I could get a four year degree, let alone a teaching degree.”

“That’s bull and you know it,” she replied. “You’re smart and very hardworking. That’s all it takes.”

“You think so?” he asked, hope inching back into his voice.

“I think you’d do well as a music teacher. You could also do design, you learned Illustrator in like 2 months to design those pamphlets for Little Homeschool. You’re a good cook, and you also have make-up skills, if you wanted something that doesn’t take as long to learn, those are good options.”

“Dad helped with the pamphlets,” he replied. “Also, I haven’t done much in terms of music in about 3 years, I’m probably pretty rusty.”

“You learned how many instruments before you were 14?”

“Uke, guitar, bass, drums, piano and vocals. So 6.” He counted on his fingers.

“Plus a few percussion instruments,” she responded.

“The cymbals and triangle barely count.” He rebutted, slightly disdainful. “And I learned harmonica while in space since it was easy to keep in my pockets for when I had too much downtime.”

“That’s something musical you did in the past 3 years. Plus, you have perfect pitch, you’ve taught Peridot about music when you guys were working on the drill, so you have some experience there. Why not share your talents with young musicians?”

“I haven’t been writing songs lately, not since Spinel-“

“So? Learning new instruments could be what brings that spark to make something new. You don’t have to focus on Music Theory, unless you find that’s where your driving energy is pushing you.”

“Other than figuring out what GED requirements are to see if it’s feasible for me to finish in year or two, where would I even start? If I want to teach music, don’t I have to learn like, all the instruments?”

“Start with orchestra instruments, there’s only 4 of them, so it’s more manageable. You already have experience with other stringed instruments. And since you know what the notes on electric bass are, a stand-up base wouldn’t be too different. They’re also the same strings on a violin. The main thing is learning how to grip the bow so you get a clear sound.” Connie paused. “Don’t you think you’d look good playing bass?”

His voice lowered to a mutter as he spoke, “aren’t I too short for that?”

“You aren’t shorter than the senior girl in my school who plays a full-size bass,” she teased. She paused thoughtfully and her tone changed, seeking to uplift Steven. “You don’t need to keep putting yourself down where you feel like you haven’t measured up, especially when it comes to music. You’ve done a lot of great things, and you can still find ways to improve, if you’re willing to learn.”

“Sorry,” he replied. “I just haven’t figured out where I’m going from here. You’ve got a plan, and I’ve…” He trailed off, considering his words carefully. “I’ve been looking for a fresh start, but haven’t found one yet.”

“Steven, comparing yourself to others isn’t helpful, especially since nobody has done the things you’ve done. You have so much to be proud of, you know that? It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished in just a few years.”

“You’ve done amazing things too, Connie,” he said pensively. There was a moment neither of them spoke, and he blushed, taking in all she had said.

“I, your knight, haven’t toppled an empire through Charisma and conviction,” she rebutted.

“Uh, well-“

“Just think about the music teaching, or culinary school, or beauty college, ok? You should have things to look forward to. You deserve that, I promise.”

“Thanks, Connie,” he replied admiringly, trying not to be overwhelmed with her praise. He heard her chair scoot back and she moved to stand.

“I gotta go, Steven. Mom just called for dinner and then I have to finish my paper for History tonight. I’ll text you when I take a break, ok?”

“Ok, talk to you later.”

“Bye!” she said, hanging up. He waited a moment as the call ended, phone still in hand.

“I love you,” he said, knowing the call was over. He hadn’t been able to say it with words to her, not since he had said it when leaving her behind to head for his trial on Homeworld. He hoped that the presents and gestures he had made for her spoke what he couldn’t say aloud. Someday, he could tell her, but not yet.

#Connverse Week #Fanfiction #JambudWeek #Connverse #Steven Universe: Future #SU Fanfic #Steven Universe #Connie Maheswaran #my precious gem child #Non-Betad #Little Graduation #Mostly Platonic #Pining #Steven POV #my writing

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