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leahsgirl · 4 months

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celebration night | alex greenwood x reader

based off this request except i kind of went off script a little, only a short 1.3k for because its currently 4am right now - hope you enjoy!

mentions of anxiety (only briefly), suggestive language, smut sort of??

—

it was times like these, where you were sat in the back of a car, dolled up to the nines, when you wondered how you ended up with your girlfriend.

the two of you was en route to another awards ceremony that would be celebrating her (and her teammates) contribution to the footballing world.

you was her plus one of course, having dragged you to a couple beforehand over the course of your relationship. you weren't exactly the biggest fan of these events considering you was a very introverted person with an almost constant pit of anxiety in your stomach, but you knew how much they meant to Alex and what kind of girlfriend would you be if you weren't there supporting her?

when you first met her, at a club match you went watching for your childhood friend chloe, you already had a massive crush her. what you didn't expect was for the blonde to offer getting drinks sometime when kelly introduced you and the rest was history really.

so yeah, back to the present where you, a bartender, was keeping a strong grip on your football sensation girlfriend's hand, trying your best to keep your nerves under control. "i'll say it once i'll say it again; how do you do this all the time? how do the nerves not knock you sick?"

the older girl chuckled, "nerves turns into adrenaline - and adrenaline helps me play better." stating it simply and turning her head to press a light kiss on your temple. "you'll be fine baby; you always have me remember?" alex was aware of how your thoughts could spiral to the point of no return, how you would psychoanalyse certain situations and how you anxious you could get when in big groups like tonight will be. she knew exactly how to calm you down and for that you was thankful.

the car now pulling up outside the steps that lead to the building, a chauffeur opening the door for the blonde and you, alex got out and once again held her hand out for you to take. there was a few paparazzi/photographers outside behind the rope fences calling out your girlfriends name. "alex! alex!" "alex! whose the girl with you?!" "over here alex." after a few shots you was ushered inside where the place was already buzzing with people.

they'd gone for all white and gold decorations you gathered, having noticed the balloon arch mixed with the two colours, as well as white decorative roses scattered around in bunches and a champagne tower slap bang in the centre. you never understood the point of them if you was honest, the glasses are far too dainty to remove from the pyramid and just one accidentally nudge to the poor thing and it would come crashing down.

"y/n, alex, hiya." turning around to the familiar voice you see lucy, one of the blue-eyed girls national teammates. you liked lucy, she was one of the girls you clicked with the most when visiting alex at her european and world cup tournaments. "oh my god i feel like i haven't seen you in ages" you say as you went in for a side hug. "its only been two months y/n, has alex over here been boring you that much?" the brunette smirked while your girlfriend rolled her eyes playfully.

"she's been keeping me busy actually, last week she forced me to learn how to rollerstake for no reason." its true, the thirty-year-old was always convincing you to do the stupidest, most cheesy stuff but you don't mind. In fact, it's probably one of your favourite things about her seeing this goofier side compared to the more serious and reserved ones the fans got.

"don't act like you don't secretly love it." she said crossing her arms over her chest while you just giggled in response and pecked her lips. "i do sweetheart don't worry."

after some mindless chatter with the barcelona player, staff came out to escort people to their seats. the set-up was tables of six and you was happy to find out accompanying you on your table was mary, lucy, ella and her boyfriend joe.

complimentary alcoholic beverages were being given throughout the night which you indulged in as you watched the awards being presented one by one.

alex was up for some sort of team award if you remembered correctly, not exactly understanding the drabble of words she was saying when she first told you the news, you think its eleven people getting the same award or something if you took anything from the conversation. what you did know is that she had to go up against international players which makes the award even more special if she is to win.

the night dragged on as you listened to speech after speech after speech. eventually, the time had come for 'FIFPRO Women's World 11' "that's it." you thought to yourself as the man read the title of the honour, now recalling alex telling you about fifa's women starting eleven.

"now introducing your women's starting eleven team!" the massive sliding doors opened up, revealing the ladies one by one. An overwhelming sense of pride engulfed you as you watched your partner stand on stage in her very sexy suit (if you do say so yourself) with trophy in hand. with a quick few lines from each girl, they made their way back to their seats. standing up, you beamed at alex and placed your hands on her cheeks "i'm so so proud of you." she leans in and kisses your lips, smudging your red lipstick slightly.

"you in the mood for celebrating later?" parting away from your lips, she whispered in your ear. you could see her eyes filled with lust which meant only one thing. offering to get out of there, alex and you say your goodbyes to your friends/her teammates. To be honest the ceremony was dying down anyways so it was only a matter of time before you actually did leave.

as soon as your front door closed hands grabbed your waist and pressed you onto the wall. lips attached to your neck, biting and sucking at the skin as you gave in to the quiet noises of pleasure before they found your mouth once again.

the kisses were sloppy and eager as the defender swiped her tongue across your bottom lip gaining entrance into your mouth, tongues in a fight for dominance.

she stopped. dragging you by the hand into your bedroom and pushing you onto the end of the bed. this time, she snaked her hand under your top, reaching up to massage your breast. "you're beautiful you know that?" alex watched in amusement as you tried to stay quiet while she pressed her knee up against your centre. "tell me what you want princess."

literally just the words she was saying was enough to send you over the edge if you let it. "i want- i want you lower." the breathlessness in your voice made the blonde smirk, complying with your wishes. she made her way down to your pants menacingly slow, undoing the button and sliding the silk material off until they were disregarded somewhere in the room. "can i just say, I'm practically naked and you're out here still in your suit." as much as you loved the suit, you'd much rather be seeing her toned abs right now.

taking the hint, she quickly thew the outfit off, now hovering over you in just her black lingerie. "better?" she asks and you nod, shamelessly raking your eyes down her whole body.

the man city player busied herself with tracing patterns up your thighs, getting dangerously close to your centre without actually touching it. "alex please."

toying with the elastic on your thong she looked up at you. "please what? i want to hear you say it." the lust was practically oozing out of her mouth right now. slotting her hand under the mesh material of your underwear she repeated herself, "say it y/n."

your brain was going into overdrive from the teasing she had given you; your chest heaving. "alex..please fuck me already."

she caught your lips in a passionate kiss. "good girl."

#alex greenwood #alex greenwood x reader #woso #woso community #england lionesses #lionesses #request #manchester city wfc

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sourwolf-sterek32 · 11 months

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Broken Without You

Summary: After witnessing the death of your best friend Henry and his little brother, you're close to giving up and ending it all. Until Joel asks you to join him and Ellie on their journey across the country and gives you a reason to keep fighting.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: language, blood,

Previous Chapter

Chapter 15- Final Chapter

The way back to Jackson was easier in the car compared to horseback. Joel had stopped by a cluster of abandoned vehicles by a gas station and found Ellie some new clothes that were better than the hospital scrubs she was wearing.

Ellie hadn't spoken much since she woke up, not that you blamed her. All this time she thought she was going to save the world and now... you couldn't imagine how she must be feeling.

The car lasted most the trip, but the engine broke down not too far from Jackson, forcing you to travel the last five hours on foot.

You took a short cut through the woods instead of following the windy main road. Joel and Ellie were walking slower than usual as you trekked through the woods, and you knew that was for your benefit because the concussion was really taking its toll on you.

"You know, Sarah and I used to hike like this all the time." Joel suddenly started to say, glancing over his shoulder at you and Ellie. "I wouldn't say it was her favourite thing. She wasn't a fan of the mosquitoes and such."

"I don't blame her." You commented, swatting away a mosquito as you spoke.

"But she was a big climber... or scampering. That's probably the right word. That girl... she'd see a big rock, and just... pew." Joel explained moving his hand up as he spoke. "She woulda liked you. Not to say the two of you are the same. Definitely different kids."

That caught Ellies attention as she lifted her head and looked over at him, "how so?"

"Well, she was a lot more... I wanna say girly..." Joel slowly answered not wanting to offend her. "And I'm not sayin' that you're not girly-"

"I'm not."

Joel smiled, "yeah, you're not. So that. She was taller. She had a killer smile. Again, not sayin' that you don't."

You smiled listening to him talk about Sarah. You wished he would talk about his late daughter more often, but it was a hard topic for him, and you knew he was only doing it now to try and get Ellie to smile and cheer her up a bit.

"-But you know why I think she'd like you?"

"Why?" Ellie asked curiously.

"'Cause you're funny. I think you would've made her laugh. Anyway, I bet you would've liked her back."

Ellie smiled softly, "yeah, bet I would've."

The three of you continued walking up the path over the hill. Each step was making your head thump more viciously, but you just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

"There ya go. Not much further now." Joel suddenly announced, coming to a stop and you lifted your head to find that you had finally reached the top of the hill and the community of Jackson was in the distance.

Thank fuck for that.

"Do you need a rest?' Joel asked, looking over at you worriedly and you realised that you probably weren't doing a good job at hiding your pain.

Did you need to rest? Definitely. But you feared that if you sat down, you'd never get back up again.

"No."

Joel looked like he wanted to call you out on that clear lie, but then Ellie suddenly started to speak.

"Hey... fuck." She swore softly, looking away from the two of you almost as if she regretted saying anything.

You watched Ellie carefully as she shook her head at herself and walked over to the two of you before looking up at Joel.

"Back in Kansas City, you asked me about the first time I killed someone. When I got bit in that mall, I-I wasn't on my own. My best friend was there and she got bit too. We didn't know what to do, and she says, 'we can just wait it out. Be all poetic and lose our minds together.' And then she did. And I had to... Her name was Riley, and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess. And then Sam-"

You looked away at the mention of Sam. Images of his dead body flashing through your mind.

"That's not on you." Joel quickly reassured.

"I know, but..."

"Look, sometimes things don't work out the way we hope. You can feel like... like you've come to an end, and you don't know what to do next." Joel kept saying, but you had stopped listening when you felt nausea rise in your stomach.

You took a few steps away from the two of them while Joel continued to talk because you weren't sure if you were going to be sick or not. You had hoped when Marlene said nausea and vomiting were common symptoms of a concussion that you had just gotten lucky and missed out, but apparently not.

"-Swear to me. Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true."

Her words caught your attention, the nausea momentarily forgotten as you glanced back over at them, waiting to see what Joel was going to say.

"I swear."

Ellie stared at him for a moment contemplating what to believe before taking the leap of faith that Joel was telling the truth because she trusted him. He was the one man in this entire world that she trusted without question, so whether or not she thought that he might be bending the truth a little, it didn't matter because she simply nodded, trusting him blindly.

"Okay."

Joel hid the look of relief on his face well, but you could tell a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders now that Ellie believed his lie.

"We're nearly there. Let's keep moving." He said after a few moments and Ellie nodded starting to follow him before she noticed that you weren't moving.

You grabbed hold of the tree beside you for support as bile began to rise in your throat.

"Uh, Joel?" Ellie's worried voice called out before she jogged over to you and grabbed your shoulder to see if you were okay, but you quickly pushed her away just as you leant forward and threw up.

Ellie mumbled something like 'gross' under her breath, but you were too busy to really notice.

Joel was beside you in an instant, pulling your hair back as you threw up the little food you had inside your stomach. Once you finished, you squeezed your eyes shut trying to lessen the thumping pain in your head, but it wasn't really working.

"Uh, is that normal?" Ellie asked from behind you.

"Yeah, nausea and vomiting are pretty common for concussions." Joel reassured, still holding your hair with one hand, the other rubbing soothing circles over your back.

"Not that. I mean the, uh, the blood."

Your eyes snapped open in confusion and you had to squint a little to see, your vision still in and out of blurriness before you spotted the blood mixed into the gross fluids on the ground.

Yeah, no, that definitely wasn't normal.

"Fuck." Joel cursed softly from beside you.

"I'm fine-"

"Don't. Don't lie to me." Joel warned, shaking his head.

You sighed, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand before standing up straight, still holding the tree trunk for support as you turned to face him.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" He asked raising his hand causing you to glare at him. "Yes, I'm being serious. How many fingers?"

You stared at his hand for a few seconds, trying to blink away the blurriness before your vision cleared, revealing two fingers.

"Two."

Joel shook his head, "it shouldn't have taken you that long to answer."

"I have a grade 3 concussion, remember? Blurry vision is normal. I'm fine."

"But blood is not normal." Joel hissed, pointing down at the ground angrily, but you knew he wasn't angry at you, he was just scared.

"What do we do?" Ellie asked worriedly.

Joel glanced over at the girl before looking back at you noticing the way you were holding onto the tree beside you, "can you walk?"

Probably not.

"Yeah."

Like he could somehow read your mind, he stepped forward and snaked his arm around your waist, helping you walk before the three of you continued in the direction of Jackson.

It was slow going. Ellie hovered on your other side anxiously almost as if she thought that you might collapse at any moment which, yeah, okay, that was a valid fear because your head was starting to spin again and if it wasn't for Joel practically holding you up, you would not be standing right now.

"We're nearly there." He whispered, glancing down at you.

You didn't acknowledge what he said, too focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The more time that ticked by, the more heavily you leant against Joel, your legs starting to feel like jelly beneath you.

The adrenaline that had been keeping you moving in that hospital had worn off long ago, but after resting in the car you had started to feel better. But, now after walking for a few hours, you could feel yourself going downhill and fast.

The ringing in your ears started again. You winced at the shear pitch of it before black dots started to cloud your vision and the blood drained from your face.

"Uh, J-Joel? I think... I think I'm gonna-"

That was all the warning you could give him before you felt yourself slipping into unconsciousness.

The first thing you noticed when you started to wake up was the pain in your head. A pain that you had gotten annoyingly used to lately.

You kept your eyes closed for a while, knowing it would only get worse when you properly woke up. Right now, balancing between consciousness, the pain was bearable, and you didn't want to make it worse.

The room was silent apart from the occasional beep-beep sound that you used to hear in hospitals back in the day that indicated you were still alive.

Jackson must have an infirmary somewhere. Tommy had offered to take you to it all those weeks ago when you got into that fight with Mark... wait, Mark. If you were back in Jackson, he would not be happy. Shit, what were you going to do?

It hurt too much to think about, so you just laid there and tried to work up the courage to open your eyes, but it felt like too much effort.

"I don't know what happened. I was supposed to take her to the Fireflies and walk away. You go halfway across the country with someone..." Joels quiet voice suddenly started to say from somewhere to your left.

Why was Joel here? And who was he talking to? Because it sure as hell wasn't you.

"She needed her immunity to mean something. Maybe I was startin' to buy into the whole cure business... maybe I just wanted to do right by her. And then we made it. We found the Fireflies. Because of her they were actually gonna make a cure. The only catch... it would kill her."

"Jesus Christ, Joel." Tommy's voice swore softly. "What did you do?"

"I saved her."

You drifted off back to unconsciousness, Joels voice slowly fading out until you could no longer hear him or the beeping machine.

It wasn't long before you were slowly coming too again. Joel was still talking quietly in the background telling his brother about what happened in the hospital with Ellie.

Slowly, you opened your eyes, squinting in attempt to sharpen the blurred images before you. The pain in your head wasn't getting any worse now that you were awake which was a silent relief as you glanced around and took in the pale blue and white schemed hospital bedroom.

"Goddamn." Tommy whispered, drawing your attention over to him.

He was leaning against the wall at the far end of the room, his arms folded across his chest as he stared at Joel who was sitting on the chair beside your bed.

"That's, uh, that's a lot. What does Ellie know?" Tommy asked quietly, not realising that you were awake yet.

"I told her they just ran some tests. I told her, her immunity meant nothin'."

"And she believed you?"

Joel shrugged, "didn't say otherwise."

You stared at the two of them for a moment before noticing that Joel had a guitar in his lap and was cleaning it with a small rag. Had he been holding it the whole time? Where did he even find it?

You tried to shift in your bed to get a better view, but the small movement sent a spike of pain through your head. Out of impulse, your hands travelled to your face, pressing the throbbing area on your temple before you noticed an IV drip sticking out the back of your hand.

"Whoa, hey, easy. Don't rip the IV." Joels calm voice suddenly said.

He put the guitar down and leant over, grabbing your arm and gently lowering it, those beautiful brown eyes meeting yours. He looked tired. But also relieved as he stared at you.

"What... where am I?" You asked, your voice coming out a mere whisper as you looked around, your eyes landing back on Tommy. "Jackson infirmary?"

Tommy smiled, "if her brain can figure that out, I think she will be okay."

"My brain?"

"The doctors were worried about a subdural hematoma." Joel explained, but you just stared at him blankly having no idea what that meant. "Bleeding on the brain. They were worried you might have a brain bleed."

"Oh." You replied, not really knowing what else to say because although you weren't a doctor, you knew that would be bad.

"They ran some tests, it came back clear. They said that if the blood in your vomit is a once off occurrence, then it shouldn't be anything to worry about."

Well, that was good news then.

"I should get going and give you two some privacy. I'm glad you're okay, Y/N." Tommy said sincerely as he looked over at you.

"Thanks Tommy." You gave him a small smile before he began walking out the room.

He paused in the doorway and turned to look at Joel.

"About what we were talking about earlier... I can't say I'd've done different. I'll take it to the grave, if I have to."

Joel nodded his appreciation and Tommy nodded back before he walked out the room.

"How long was I out for?" You asked.

"'bout 12 hours."

"12 hours?" You questioned, sitting up in sudden shock, but moving that quickly was a terrible idea and you winced, grabbing your head. "Fuck. Forgot about that."

"Easy. The doctors might've cleared you of brain injury, but you're still dealing with a bad concussion." Joel warned, standing up and gently guiding you back down into a laying position.

"Lucky me." You mumbled sarcastically.

Joel let out a deep sigh before he sat back down in the chair and rested his head against the wall behind him. He tilted his head towards you, but you didn't say anything for a few minutes as he stared at you like he was trying to memorise every last detail of your face.

"I thought I was gonna lose ya." He whispered, his voice coming out sadder and softer than you've ever heard it. "I was so scared."

Your heart shattered hearing the pain in his voice and you reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. Joel squeezed it back and looked away, his eyes glistening with tears.

"I nearly lost Ellie... then I nearly lost you... Jesus, I can't... I can't lose either of ya. I wouldn't survive it."

"You're not going to lose either of us, okay? And it's gonna take more than a few head knocks to get rid of me." You reassured, but Joel just shook his head.

"If Ellie ever finds out the truth... I'll lose her. I know I will." He said, glancing over at you, his brown fearful eyes swimming with tears. "She wanted to save the world... and we took that choice from her. I took that choice from her."

"There was no guarantee that the cure would work. We saved her life."

"She ain't gonna see it that way."

That was definitely true.

"Well, I'd rather have Ellie alive and hating us, than dead and liking us."

"Me too." He agreed, swiping the tears away with his free hand, the other still holding yours tightly.

Suddenly the door across the room opened and a woman holding a clipboard walked inside.

"Ah, it is good to see you awake Miss Y/L/N. How are you feeling?"

"Better." You answered, watching as she walked into the room and inspected the beeping machine to your left before writing a few notes down on the clipboard.

"That is good to hear. I just need to do a couple little tests and then if you can keep a bit of food down, I'll be happy to let you leave. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable in your own bed." She explained with a kind smile.

You nodded, "that sounds great."

40 minutes and a piece of toast later, you and Joel were walking through the front door of your house that Tommy and Maria kept free for you.

Ellie was sitting at the kitchen table with her back to the door and head down while she scribbled on a notepad. Music was blasting through the headphones on her head and was completely oblivious to everything around her.

"Hello? Ellie?" Joel called out, but there was no way she'd be able to hear.

You closed the front door behind you while Joel walked over to Ellie and kicked the chair she was sitting on causing the girl to jump and yank the headphones off her head.

"Jesus." She gasped, looking over at him. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

You laughed softly from across the room causing Ellies head to snap in your direction and her eyes widened when she saw you.

"Yeah, I'm out." You smiled.

Ellie practically fell out her seat as she rushed over and wrapped you up into a tight hug causing you to chuckle. You hugged her back and looked over at Joel who was smiling softly as he watched the two of you.

"So, are you, like, gonna be okay?" Ellie asked, pulling away and looking up at you with worried eyes.

"I'm perfectly okay."

"Doc said she has to rest for next few weeks. Her headaches and symptoms will last for a while, so I need your help making sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Since when do I do anything stupid?" You responded, resting your hands on your hips as you looked over at him and Joel opened his mouth to respond but you quickly held your hand up. "Actually, no. Don't answer that."

Ellie snorted softly in amusement before Joel pulled the guitar off his back with the straps catching her attention, her eyes lighting up at the instrument.

"What's this?" She asked in surprise.

"Some folks call this here a gee-tar."

Ellie rolled her eyes, "funny."

"You wanna hear something?"

"Okay."

Joel walked over and sat down on the back of the couch, seeming a little nervous as he rested the guitar in his lap before lifting his head to look at Ellie.

"Promise me, you won't laugh."

"I won't laugh." She smirked causing Joel to raise his eyebrows before she looked at him seriously, "I won't."

"Trustin' you." He said, staring at her for a moment before he looked down at the guitar in his hands and took a deep breath before he started to play.

You watched as he gently strummed at the cords playing a beautiful soft tune, but then he opened his mouth and started to sing, and your jaw dropped.

"If I ever were to lose you I'd surely lose myself"

He was actually singing. Holy shit.

"Everything I have found here I've not found by myself Try and sometimes you'll succeed To make this man of me"

He strummed the guitar while he sung, putting his heart and soul into every word and you found yourself unable to look away.

"All my stolen missing parts I've no need for anymore 'Cause I believe And I believe 'cause I can see Our future days Days of you and me."

You couldn't stop yourself from smiling as you watched him. Your heart fluttering as he sung with a voice you never realised he had. You didn't think it was possible, but you found yourself more attracted to him.

"There you go."

"Well... that didn't suck." Ellie replied with a grin.

Joel chuckled softly, "I'll take what I can get."

He ran a hand over the top of the guitar before he stood up from the back of the couch and walked over to Ellie, holding the instrument out towards her.

"She's yours."

"What? No, no, no. I don't know the first thing about-"

"I promised that I'd teach you how to play." Joel reminded.

You thought back to that day on the freeway when Joel had found a broken guitar in the back of a van. Ellie smiled softly, remembering that day too as she took the guitar and rested it in her lap.

"You did." She nodded, looking down at the instrument.

"So what do you say, tomorrow night, first lesson?"

"Deal."

"Okay. C'mon, you need to get some sleep." Joel instructed, looking over at you.

"I just slept for like 12 hours in the infirmary. I've had enough sleep." You pointed out causing Joel to sigh.

"Okay then. Well, I need to get some sleep."

"Don't forget that the walls are mighty thin in this house." Ellie quickly reminded, looking between the two of you with a smirk. "So, if you guys plan on having sex or doing anything-"

"Okayyyy. I think we get the picture." You quickly said, grabbing Joels arm and leading him towards the stairs. "Goodnight, Ellie."

"Goodnight, love birds!" She shouted.

"That kid is gonna be the death of me." Joel muttered under his breath.

You snorted softly and leant into his side as you slowly walked up the stairs, "you two secretly love teasing each other. Don't try and deny it."

Joel sighed, but you could see the small smile on his face at your words before you walked into the bedroom and flicked on the light.

"She told me another joke earlier when you were still unconscious." Joel suddenly said, and you turned around to find him leaning against the doorframe with a smile already on his face as he thought about it. "It was probably the best one outta that stupid book."

"Oh, God. What was it?"

"What is the downside to eating a clock?" He asked, and you paused thinking about it for a few seconds before shrugging your shoulders. "It's time consuming."

You couldn't stop yourself from laughing, "that is so dumb."

"They're all dumb." He responded, smiling softly before he pushed himself off the doorframe. "Goodnight, Y/N." He turned to walk away before you called out his name.

"Joel?"

He glanced over his shoulder, "yeah?"

"Stay."

He frowned in confusion and turned to face you while you sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at him.

"Stay with me." You said, your voice barely above a whisper, afraid that he might say no.

Joel stared at you for a moment, a million different emotions washing over his face before he eventually nodded and stepped into the room, closing the door behind himself.

Relief washed over you as you lifted up the blankets and laid down while you watched Joel walk around the bed. He kicked off his shoes before he hesitantly pulled down his jeans and removed his jacket, but as he reached for the buttons of his shirt, he paused and glanced over at you.

"Is this okay?" He asked, unsure if he was crossing an imaginary line by sleeping in just his underwear or something.

"It's perfect."

He nodded, unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it onto the pile of clothes before he crawled into the bed beside you.

Neither of you said anything for a few minutes, both of you laying on your backs and staring up at the ceiling listening to each other breathing. It was awkward. You could feel the awkwardness, so you knew Joel could as well, but you also knew Joel probably wasn't gonna do anything about it.

Taking a risk, you rolled over and rested your head gently against his chest. His body tensed at the sudden touch, and you were about to apologise and move away, but then his body relaxed, and he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his side. The two of you fitted together like perfect puzzle pieces as you rested your hand over his bare stomach.

You ran your hand gently over his skin while he played with your hair, the two of you content just laying together in each other's arms. It was nice. It was really nice.

Suddenly, your fingers brushed over the healing stab wound on the side of his stomach and you paused because you couldn't feel the stitches there anymore.

"Ellie made me get it checked out by the doc." Joel supplied, like he knew what you were thinking. "They removed the stitches, said whoever stitched it did a good job. So, uh, thanks for that. I-I don't think I ever did thank you."

"No problem, just do me a favour and don't get stabbed again. That was terrifying." You admitted, running your finger over his chest in small circles. "Like, seriously, I don't ever want to have to do that. I thought you were going to die."

"You and me both."

You fell into comfortable silence for a few minutes, but Joel's body had turned a little tense while he was in deep thought. He was working up the courage to say something, so you remained silent and patiently waited thinking it would have something to do with him getting stabbed, but what he said next absolutely shocked you.

"This isn't easy for me. I've never... Not like this. But... I never meant to fall in love with you."

His words had you momentarily stunned, and you opened and closed your mouth a few times like a fish out of water, but you were too shocked to say anything. Were you still unconscious in the infirmary? That was highly possible because surely Joel wouldn't love you, would he?

"Look, I can leave. I'm sorry-" Joel began to say, taking your shocked silence as rejection.

"Neither did I."

Joel paused, "what?"

You lifted your head from his chest and looked down at him, those beautiful brown eyes meeting yours and you smiled.

"I never meant to fall in love with you either... but I did."

Joels face broke out into a warm smile before you leant down and captured his lips with yours. The arm around your shoulders pulled you closer until you were practically laying on top of him as he started to kiss you back.

"I love you." He whispered against your lips.

You pulled away slowly, your faces inches apart as you stared down at him taking in every freckle, every scar, every wrinkle on his face wanting to remember every detail of this moment.

"I love you, Joel Miller."

THE END

MASTERLIST pinned to profile

Commissions open! Link in bio & DM for enquiries

A/N: Well, we have finally reached the end (at least for now)

I'll be honest, I could have posted this chapter a little earlier and I'm sorry for that, but posting it earlier meant that it would be over sooner and... I didn't want this story to be over. Joel Miller (and Pedro Pascal) mean the absolute world to me and I am so utterly terrified for Season 2 because well... I won't mention any spoilers from the game, but the next season will absolutely break me. I do plan on continuing this story once the 2nd season comes out but that will be years away and I don't know what life will be bring in the time before that, so I won't promise anything. Anyway, thank you everyone for your likes/kudos/reblogs and most of all, comments. I see and appreciate every single one of you and I am so glad that others have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have writing it.

Until next time, stay safe everyone and have a great day ❤️

#Joel Miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller series #Pedro Pascal #the last of us #the last of us fanfiction #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction #Ellie Williams #tommy miller

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hippolotamus · 1 month

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Hiiiii, I have a Buddie sentence for you 🥰🥰

"Baby.... baby please"

Well, damn, Sir... you certainly do! On it 🫡

"Baby... baby please." Buck cradles the tiny bundle in his arms, gently bouncing her as he paces the hospital floor, hoping he can settle her. She's been fed and changed, cuddled endlessly by her dads, older brother and extended family. Still her tiny face is flushed deep red, adorably scrunched as she wails, showing off an impressive set of lungs.

She was born several weeks early, surprising himself and Eddie. Not so early that there were many complications, but enough to warrant a few extra days in the hospital as a precaution before she could be discharged.

Loathe as Buck is to admit it, he's spiraling more than just a little with the surprise delivery. He's sure this is a moment his husband would tease him about having triple checked the car seat, setting the bassinet up two months earlier, and attending every birthing class and ultrasound with their surrogate.

Chim and Maddie also added their fair share of mild ribbing about the stack of What to Expect type books Buck seemed to carry with him everywhere. His brother in law cautioned him about becoming over attached to the content, telling him that it's all great in theory, but goes completely out the window once the baby arrives.

But, well, the thing is... that's great for everyone else to say. To do their best to reassure him. They've already walked this path and know what to expect. Buck feels like he's been studying for the most important exam of his life and he's failing miserably. He's exhausted - mentally and physically - from this new little life they're caring for. And they have all the help they could ask for! From nurses and family. How the hell is he gonna do any of this when they take her home?

"Maybe this was a mistake," Buck whispers, his voice cracking on the last word. "Not that you're a mistake!" He adds hastily, because she could never be.

"No, baby girl, never you. Just me." He huffs out a humorless chuckle. "I can't even settle on a name for you. Papa and I have all these wonderful ideas we thought would be perfect. None of them are right though. How awful is that?"

He strokes her forehead, down her button nose, over her puffed up cheeks. He feels so massive and clumsy when he compares the size of his finger to her miniature features.

"What if- what if I never figure this out? What if I can't be the dad you need? It's just-" He blinks rapidly, sniffing back his own tears threatening to fall. "I want everything to be perfect for you. To make sure you're loved and that you know you're loved. I never want you to doubt what I feel about you. What we feel about you. Me, Papa and your big brother, Chris."

As if she's taken his words as some kind of truce, her cries begin to quiet to small snuffles and whimpers. Her cheeks return to more of a rosy pink and her mouth opens in a wide yawn before closing again. Bright blue eyes seem to meet his for brief moments at a time between slow blinks, until the need to rest overtakes her.

Buck stares in awe at little eyelids, smaller than his thumbnail, closed tight. What may as well be microscopic eyelashes fanning against creamy, pale skin. She's perfect.

He tiptoes to the glider chair, slowly easing himself down when movement in his peripheral vision catches his attention. An enormous smile forms when he realizes it's Eddie who is already beaming, soft and sleepy, at both of them. His husband leans down to press a kiss to her forehead before also giving one to a very pouty Buck.

"You know," Eddie says, lightly scratching through the short hairs at the nape of Buck's neck and making him hum with delight. "I wouldn't sell yourself quite so short. None of us know what the hell we're doing."

The implication registers, smacking Buck in the face like he’s been doused in ice water. "You heard all that?"

"I may have stood around in the hallway to give you two a minute," Eddie confesses. "Sure, I had Chris and my nieces. Maddie and Chim have Jee. Hen and Karen have their stories from Denny. But every kid is different. What worked for them might not work for us, or for her." He nods toward their daughter. "What I do know is you are going to be an amazing dad, Buck. You already are. If you didn't love her and care as much as you do, you wouldn't be so affected by this."

"Thank you. I- I really needed to hear that," Buck answers, his words more than a little wobbly. He does his best to wipe his eyes on his shirt sleeve without disturbing their little girl. "Oh, and, uh, I was looking at more names and there's one I want to run by you."

"Yeah?" Eddie crouches next to the chair so he can be closer to them both. "What is it?"

"I, uh, I know it's kind of old fashioned, but I really liked the meaning behind it." Buck swallows, hopeful but preparing himself that this might not be the one either. "What do you think of Evelyn? It means 'desired and wished for'."

"Evelyn." Eddie studies her tiny face before a grin, warm and full of adoration, takes shape. “Evelyn Celia Buckley-Diaz. I love it, mi amor.”

“Celia?”

“It just sort of came out. I thought it sounded nice, but if you don’t like it-”

“Eds, it’s perfect.”

“Just like her.”

“Yeah,” Buck agrees. “Just like her.”

#hippo writes #you will never catch me writing kid fics #but my husband asked and i couldn’t refuse #girl dad!buddie #buddie ficlet #james tag 💍#bet that didn’t go where you thought it would

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natlacentral · 1 month

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Netflix’s The Avatar: The Last Airbender Cast on What They Want to See in Season 2

Avatar fans have plenty to be excited about. During CinemaCon last week, it was announced that Dave Bautista and Eric Nam would lend their voices for the upcoming animated film. As for the live-action series, it became a hit on Netflix, prompting the streaming service to renew the series for a second and third season. Last night, attendees got the chance to see their favorite cast members on the PaleyFest LA stage in Hollywood.

April 14th marked the third day of The Paley Center for Media’s TV festival, PaleyFest LA, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The Avatar event started with the first season finale of the show, and once it was over, the cast and crew came to the stage.

Attending the panel for Avatar: The Airbender were Gordon Cormier (Aang), Kiawentiio (Katara), Ian Ousley (Sokka), Dallas Liu (Zuko), Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Iroh), Arden Cho (June), Elizabeth Yu (Azula), Albert Kim (showrunner, executive producer, and writer), and Jabbar Raisani (executive producer and director). The panel was moderated by Perri Nemiroff (senior producer at Collider).

Katara is a waterbender who helps Aang on his journey to becoming the Avatar, a powerful being who can help save the world. She has grown a lot from someone who was struggling with her powers as a waterbender into someone who can take on Zuko and the leader of the Northern Water Tribe.

“I think the new confidence that Katara has now going into second season and third is super exciting,” Kiawentiio said during the PaleyFest panel. “I mean, I’m hoping that we get to see more of that and just see more of us together in general.”

Zuko has a close relationship with Uncle Iroh, and they are on a journey together to look for the Avatar, aka Aang.

“I think in our show you really see how close Uncle Iroh and Zuko really are compared to the animated series,” Liu said. “And so I think carrying that over into future scenes of our show… if you watch the original, you know how big some of those moments are at the ending [of season 2] and the beginning of season three. So I’m really stoked for Uncle Iroh and Zuko’s moments in those seasons because I think it’ll hit that much harder because of what we built up in season one.”

In the show, we see Azula having ambitions, and the actor wants to see how that will carry out in the next season.

“My answer would probably be towards the end of season one, I think Azula gains her freedom from the Fire Nations,” Yu said. “She is able to finally reign terror over the rest of the world. I’m excited to finally be able to interact with anyone.”

At the end of the first season, Sokka and Princess Yue had a romantic relationship, but it was cut short when she sacrificed herself to save the world. As a result, this devastated the young Water Tribe member.

“I think for Sokka, he’s just gone through his first catastrophic emotional situation with a love interest, I guess, and he’s had that obviously with family,” Ousley said. “But I think that there’s a lot that he’s going to have to work through that got brought to the surface emotionally.”

Appa is a fan-favorite flying creature, and Cormier wants to see more of their special bond in future seasons.

“In episode one, we see Aang’s relationship with Appa for a little bit,” Cormier said. “And I feel like we’ll get to dive into that more in season two and three. That would be just so amazing.”

#natla #atla #netflix avatar #avatar the last airbender #netflix atla #avatar netflix #atla netflix #nerdreactor #article #albert kim #jabbar raisani #gordon cormier #kiawentiio #ian ousley #dallas liu #paul sun hyung lee #elizabeth yu #arden cho #paleyfest

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d3sire-97 · 2 months

Text

Rating Every Danganronpa Trial (That I've Played.)

Please keep in mind I've only played THH and SDR2 and I am kind of biased lol. Also, this is a long rant so buckle your seatbelts... or something.

Last Place:

"CELESTIA LUDENBURG GODDAMIT!"

THH Trial 3: I hated this chapter. The search was too long, Robo-Justice plot was annoying af, I hate that Hifumi believed Celeste about Ishimaru, Kiyondo was a useless plotline (I still love his character tho) and Kiyotaka could've had kick-ass character development like Fuyuhiko got in SDR2. Instead he just... died. I hated that Celeste lost her cool, the trial was annoying, and I hated it. 1/10.

"Kyoko's a ghost!!!"

THH Trial 5: I hated this dumb plot. Shortest trial in all of Danganronpa, and yet it felt like it went the longest. Don't care about the victim, debated whether Kyoko was a ghost for... a good 15 minutes? People are dumb, the investigation kind of annoys me. The only good thing was Owada's "Crazy Diamond" pick-axe in the shed. I wouldn't re-play it at all. Boring. 2/10.

"None of us know what happened to the world, but maybe she knows..."

SDR2 Trial 6: This trial was decent, but probably not as re-playable as it could be. I liked Hajime in this trial, but I feel like we needed a bit more to go off of, playing it I didn't understand that everybody was alive. Junko fanservice was bad. Felt really dragged on, but important points were not included enough (E.G: Kamakura) I don't get Junkos' motive this time but the remnant thing was pretty cool. I would replay it, definitely not my favourite. 5/10.

"We're all remnants..."

THH Trial 6: This was also an alright trial. A bit too much Junko fanservice but I liked Genocider Syo in this trial, she was funny. I liked Junko's plan but she was quite a bland mastermind. I would've rathered Togami or Kyoko but that wouldn't make sense for the plot. Hiro did nothing in the trial again... I kind of enjoyed this one, but last trials are known to be bad so this could've been a bit higher if Enoshima could've had a better motive than "Despair, despair, I'm bored, kill my sister." Re-playable by a slim amount. 5.3/10

"I did it all... for my beloved!"

SDR2 Trial 3: Chapter three trials are known to be worse than Chp.6 because the culprit doesn't need to kill two people, but they do, they get caught, and they spam F in the chat and scream about "stupid, not fair, because, apologise" etc. I find this trial isn't as bad as everybody says, the search was confusing, Hiyoko dying was funny, and I laughed. Mikan couldn't possibly set up her locked-room murder in time and then meet Hajime in the Music Venue car park. This chapter had so many loopholes (E.G: How did Hiyoko even die?) but I liked it more than the other ones. Weak execution, but great Despair Disease motive. Might reluctantly re-play for nostalgia. 5.5/10.

"You.... all killed her! You pushed Sakura into a corner! She died because of you!"

THH Trial 4: I'm going to get hate for this one... but... I'm not a big fan of this trial. I am biased, yes, but everybody is, and this is my respectable opinion. The investigation was decent, and so was the discovery. I find that Aoi trying to kill everybody was smart but dumb at the same time, if that makes sense. I kind of got bored after THH after a certain trial (no spoilers for the rest of this list) I loved the Alter-Ego twist, and Sakura's note was great. Junko messing with the suicide note was not cool though. I would replay it but it still isn't my favourite. 6.3/10

"Hey! You can't say that without any evidence! This is bullshit! You're stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"Heh, I guess I just have pretty good intuition!"

THH Trial 1: Okay, I LOVE THIS TRIAL- I really love this trial. When somebody says "Danganronpa" THIS is the trial I think of. It isn't the best, and it's a very short chapter compared to SDR2 Chapter 5, but oh my gosh. I love it. I liked Sayaka a lot, and I also loved "Fake Junko" before I knew she was Mukuro. I thought that Leon was really cool too. I liked the introductory trials a lot, and this one is amazing! The series starts with a bang, and you realise "Oh shit this isn't as colourful and fun as I thought." The only reason this trial isn't higher is because it was obvious and easy. When I first played THH, I admit I didn't even notice 11037 on the wall and was stuck on the investigation for like... an hour... *disappointed sigh from me* but upon re-play it's easier than I remember. I know it's for Japanese speaking users who wouldn't know Leon/11037 in English. Highly re-playable, good twists, good introductory trial. 7/10

"Good bye my four dark devas of destruction..."

SDR2 Trial 4: I'm also probably going to get backlash for this opinion, but I still LOVE this chapter. I love the island, I love the motive, I love the strawberry and grape houses, and the elevator. I love the Hajime octagon meme! But, the trial was just DIFFICULT. I actually had a laptop infront of me the whole time with the answers up- I loved Mechamaru and the Sakura statue. I love Gundham and his hampsters. A great execution, a great trial room. Silly Fuyuhiko was the only reason Gundham got caught. I like that we got to switch between Nagito and Hajime's POVs and the Russian-Roulette scene. My only issue is that I'm dumb. That's it. 8/10, very re-playable.

"P-please Peko! Don't go! I NEED YOU! Don't leave me!"

SDR2 Trial 2: Okay, we are up to the final 4 in trials, and this one takes 4th place! I love it so much! I have ALMOST nothing bad to say about this trial at all! The relationship between Fuyuhiko and Peko was shown to beautifully during this trial. The execution was amazing, the music was absolutely a banger (as always) and oh my gosh. This trial made me so sad and emotional. Very smartly set out murder plan. Enough on the trial until a little bit later, my thoughts on the island are great. It's probably my favourite island in the game. The only thing bringing this chapter down a rank is the fanservice... THE DINER SCENE. If you've played you know what I mean... anyway, the only other thing bringing this chapter down is the motive. Twilight Murder Syndrome was a game I didn't care about. I didn't care about Sato or Natsumi. I didn't care about Girls A through E or Guy F. It got too confusing and annoying and I had to write down who each character was because they kept reffering to Mikan as Girl A. It got annoying, but I enjoyed this chapter and would replay it more than once. 8.5/10

In third place we have...

"AVRIL LAVIIIIINNNNGGGGGEEEE"

SDR2 Trial 1: Uh... even I'm surprised that a guy calling us "Avril Lavinge" got third place, but here we are. I don't care much for Teruteru or Imposter/Fake Byakuya, and the execution was a little bit silly. I loved this chapter, we got introduced to the characters and their aspects much better than in THH in the man hall, it helped us explore the island and learn the new locations/controls as well as hitting us with nostalgia. I have nothing bad to say about this chapter at all. I liked that Byakuya strangely tried to take charge (which was unlike what he did in THH) and I think that his dying resulted in Hajime realising he had to get his shit together and step up. Loved the references to the first game. Great humane motive, great chapter, great fun, not too hard not too easy. I loved this trial and chapter alot. 9/10.

In second place we have...

"Yep! You got it right!. I'm just going to confess, I'm the traitor."

SDR2 Trial 5: Yeah uh... I'M SO BIASED THAT THIS ISN'T FIRST, BECAUSE THIS IS TRULY THE BEST TRIAL OUT OF THE FIRST GAMES BUT WHATEVER THIS IS MY OPINION AND MY POLL HERE WE GO!

I loved this trial. Nothing bad to say. The chapter was amazing, the new island was great, the bomb thing. Awesome! The traitor being revealed? Awesome! I cried! NAGITO DYING SO BRUTALLY? AWESOME!!! I have nothing bad to say, and I loved this trial SO SO SO much! Hajime and the others in denial about Chiaki being the traitor was such a strong plot. I wish that the last trial of SDR2 was as good as this one, but it isn't :(. Let's start with Nagito COOKING. He absolutely ate, fire, luck, the whole plan was amazing! I don't know how he or the DR2 team came up with that, but whoever did NEEDS a raise bro! I think about this trial so much, I'm so dam passionate about it. The most brutal body discovery? Check! The saddest execution? Check! The best execution music? Check! The craziest body search and evidence search? CHECK! I loved this trial so so so so so so so much, and it deserves to be number one. Fully replayable, amazing, elite! I have no issues with it. 9.5/10

And... first place... omfg-

I love this trial so much. I can't even describe. When somebody says Danganronpa, THIS is the line I think of.

"JUST SHUT UP YOU SON OF A BITCH! SAY THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. From one man to another..."

Peak Danganronpa (In my opinion). I agree, THH is the weakest of all the Danganronpa games in characters and visually. But if every trial cooked like this one, goddamit I WISH-

THH Trial 2.

I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!

Let's start: The motive, amazing. I loved it. Imagine your most embarrassing secret. "Nobody would kill over that" you'd be surprised. I loved the bromance between Ishimaru and Owada, and the sauna scene was just hilarious. The chapter body discovery was amazing, Byakuya framing Toko for no reason JUST to get her secret out was amazing (asshole move, but amazing) Celeste not mentioning the track-jacket colour... the emotion in their voices. The body search was fun! The new floor was fun! The free time events I chose were fun! I love Mondo, I love Kiyotaka, I love Chihiro. Another humane motive. I got chills hearing Kiyotaka's voice acting. CHILLS. Even though the execution story is terrible, and a bit goofy, just imagine being liquified... your body turns to mush, your internal organs fail you... your body eats itself and crushes itself, bones and all. GODDAMIT IT'S AMAZING. I also loved Syo in this trial. Who gave Byakuya the right to be such an ass though? I love it so much, I have nothing bad to say about it. I will replay it OVER AND OVER AND OVER I LOVE IT SO MUCH! 10/10

Anyway, sorry for this long-ass shit-post. Hope you enjoyed reading my opinions. I'm bored so I'm going to rank executions next, with shorter paragraphs. This includes the executions in V3, for those of you who love Strand of Agony and Der Flohwalzer!

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heelwriting · 6 months

Text

Hit the field

Day/Prompt: Day 1 - "I know it's winter, but you don't have to act so cold!"

Fandom/Character(s): AEW All Elite Wrestling / Bryan Danielson x F!Reader

Warnings: language

Wordcount: 831

Summary: Reader gets a last minute invite to a M&G/Basketball game, Bryan make her play and she is mad at him, all fluff and banter.

@debbiechanclub @12daysofchristmas sorry for the late hours its still 11pm where i live lol

Masterlist A/N: there's not much Bryan to read so i wanted to write about him, although this is short and sweet i hope you like it ❤ Happy reading!!

She was under the impression that AEW went on vacation the days around Christmas but to her surprise she received an email with an invitation to do a Meet and Greet/Basketball game, she only signed up on the M&G, she felt obligated to since she was a lower card talent compared to the other people who were attached to the email and as much as she hated working on holidays she saw it as an opportunity to connect with fans but also leave a good impression on the higher ups.

The day finally arrived, she had to take a flight from Vancouver to Chicago for the Meet & Greet, when she finally walked in that high school gym she greeted her coworkers and sat beside Hikaru and Kris since they were her closest friends, she had a lot of fun with them.

But then the second part of the event took place, two teams of 5, Bryan and Ricky were team captains, they were selecting their teams but she wasn’t on the court since she didn’t plan on playing, Ricky had asked her before but since she said no he let her be, but then since Bryan’s team needed another player he started calling her name, her mouth a gape she couldn’t believe he was calling her to play after she specifically said she didn’t want to play.

“You’re in my team, come on”

Bryan said while she furiously walked towards him.

“You can’t be serious, I didn’t sign up for this”

She complained to him.

“I don’t like playing basketball”

“I don’t do either but today is part of the job”

He said back, his hands on his waist like the annoyed father he is for the AEW roster.

She didn’t look at him like a father figure but that’s not the point.

“I didn’t bring running shoes"

She tried to come up with an excuse.

“They got shoes over there”

He signaled a table behind them, she didn’t except them to be prepared with backups, she cursed under her breath.

“But…”

“Go put on your shoes”

Bryan said with a smile but she wasn’t smiling, clearly he was enjoying making someone more miserable than he was over this dumb game and of course Bryan is known to push people’s buttons until they snap for better or for worse it was the day she would snap.

She came back with shoes a bit too big for her, the game began and she was mopping around while the rest of the people were running and taking the ball.

Rickys team had Big Bill maybe that’s why they were kicking ass so much, they were up for 20 points and no matter how much Bryan was cheering everyone up it didn’t matter, she was just running around not even trying to get the ball, after all she didn’t ask to be involved, the rest of the team didn’t seem to be in a good mood either but they still tried to keep up with the other team.

There was a 15 minute break between the second and third quarters.

Bryan took them to the locker-room, he was trying to bring the team together, but she was just by herself in the corner being disinterested in all and when Bryan tried to get her attention she interrupted him.

“We will lose anyways”

“Thanks for cheering up the team! Everyone hit the field”

It’s not a field”

Yuta protested.

“Whatever, just go”

Everyone else exits the room but then he puts his arm out so she doesn’t scape, she looked at him as if Bryan was crazy, he might be higher on the hierarchy but he was getting on her nerves.

“Fuck off, Bryan”

He let out a hiss and then preceded to say.

“Hey, I know it's winter, but you don't have to act so cold!”

He knew she was about to snap at him so he just improvised in the heat of the moment.

She had her eyebrows frowned, mouth open about to talk but Bryan was faster, putting a hand over her cheek he closed the distance giving her a peck on the lips, when he pulled apart even he was surprised at what he had done.

“What?”

She asked while her brain short circuited.

“Element of surprise, now that you’re flustered you won’t be an asshole to everyone”

The ice had melted.

While the rest of the game played out she was replaying the kiss in her head, it didn’t matter if they lost 50 to 22 all she thought about was the way his lips felt on hers.

Bryan wasn’t even mad that they lost, when he passed near her after the event she felt uneasy, her palms getting sweaty her stomach doing flips, that was definitely not normal. He had half a smile, he definitely knew what he was doing, he had tamed the lion and now he was ready to secure his victory.

“See you on Wednesday”

#bryan danielson #12daysofchristmas #12 days of christmas #bryan danielson x reader #bryan danielson fanfiction #bryan danielson imagine #aew #aew one shot #aew fanfiction

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the-fiction-witch · 10 months

Text

Our Nest

Media Phantom Halo / My Left Hand Man

Character Samuel Emmerson

Couple Samuel X Reader

Rating Cute Af

Concept Cuddles in the Cold

I fixed my hair in my reflection giving the bangs an adjustment, I grabbed my tall purple bottle from the vanity and generously spritzed my neck and body before returning it to its place. I picked up my handbag and headed out of my room grabbing my keys as I went. I saw my mother sprawled across the white and blue floral sofa and quite frankly didn't want to give her the time of day, but as I got to the porch I found my guilt overwhelming and I turned around to go to the sofa I checked her pulse and she was still alive even if it was crazy as usual, I made her a glass of water sitting it on the table put her stuff back in her box making sure to lock it up tight, throwing away the needle and putting a blanket over her. I headed out locking the door behind me scampering down the steps and into the night. I headed down a few blocks to the small convenience store grabbing some chips, some candy, and just general snacks. Once I paid and left I headed to my true destination I headed down the street soon enough arriving at the half-broken little house with the light on within and a single light off on the outside. I saw a sweet sight Samuel sat on the porch steps in his cheap knock-off high tops from the local market, a pair of light wash blue jeans two sizes too big for him with the knees almost worn out and a few holes in need of repair as they began to get scraggly, his plain white t-shirt with them an unbuttoned short sleeve yellow shirt with some kind of pattern in not sure what. He was fluffy as usual smiling widely as the comic book in his hand, his arms pale and slightly shivering where he'd clearly been outside a good while, I went over and sat down on the stone beside him tussling his fluffy hair which made him jump but blush

"Oh uhh hi y/n"

"Hi Sammy, what's happening here then?" I asked looking over to see the comic he happily moved it closer letting me see his face lighting up excitedly

"Ah this is the new issue, the phantom halo is locked in this death struggle trying to save the" he explained but cut himself off "Sorry, it's stupid,"

"When did I say it was stupid?"

"You didn't but, you don't wanna hear about my comics," he says packing it away with a few others beside him, I smiled and gently rested my hand on his wrist making him freeze up

"You have a nasty habit of jumping to conclusions Sammy. If you wanna talk about it I wanna hear about it" I smiled giving his cheek a kiss which turned his whole face crimson

"You sure your okay listening to me ramble about comics?"

"If it makes you happy I'm very excited to learn more" I smiled leaning on his shoulder he excitedly got his comics and began explaining in very intense detail everything in the issue even going on tangents about characters and motivations, lore and info. I had to admit I wasn't a big comic fan especially compared to Samuel I didn't know half of what he was talking about but I was just happy listening to him be so excited and energetic and I did my best to ask questions and clarify things with the little info I did know to let him explained and go on even more tangents till At Last he finished up and gave my head a little kiss

"You don't have to listen to me if you don't want to"

"I like listening to you" I smiled before I heard a loud bang and shouting from within the house "What was that?" I asked sitting up

"That's my dad." He says nervously "he's drunk"

"What's he angry about today?"

"Becket. As per usual."

"When did he get back?"

"A few hours ago" he shrugs

"That, How long have you been out here?" I asked carefully stroking up his ice-cold arm

He nods "I was working on the car, he locked the doors"

"Come here" I cooed opening my arms he smiled and happily cuddled up to me I wasn't that warm but I was more than happy to share my warmth with him "You wanna go sit in the car? It'll keep us warmer?"

"Yeah let's go"

We got up and took our stuff around the side of the house and into the back garden where his dad's old car sat, he'd been fixing it up as long as I could remember but it did serve us well as we often slept in it on the nights we get locked out. We both climbed into the back into the nest we had built in the backseats with the well-repaired seats, cheap thrift store cushions, and multiple various blankets we had picked up mostly from discount racks around town making sure to shut the car up tight. I got out my snacks which we happily shared as we got wrapped up both cuddled together and with our many blankets and cushions having folded down the front seats as much as we could. I made sure we both wrapped up tight with a blanket around our shoulders two over our legs and cushions sat between our bodies and the doors building our nest for the night as usual as we both knew how cold it can get these nights.

"I take it things aren't great with your mum?"

"Could be better. Could be worse." I answered, "She's using again."

"I'm sorry y/n"

"It's fine. Nothing we can do about it."

"You wanna stay here tonight?"

"If I can?"

"You're always welcome you know that,"

"Yeah, don't really wanna go home," I said cuddling closer to him

"Okay, we'll keep each other safe, cosy, and warm" he smiled

"Thank you, Sammy"

"You're welcome, thank you too y/n for everything"

"You’re always welcome Sammy" I smile giving his lips a soft kiss.

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caluski · 2 months

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happy 1 year anniversary to one of the best summer albums out there that ive ever known. thank you temples for creating exotico

to properly celebrate such a joyful occasion, i have decided to rank songs of the album from my least to most favorite with a tiny bit of absolutely useless commentary. lets get to it

16. Meet Your Maker.

i dont get this song. sorry!!! no fucking idea where they were going with the instrumental... its super strange. the ONLY skip on the album for me.

15. Giallo

it's okay honestly. well its fine, but nothing more than that for me. I dont exactly dislike it, chorus is just kind of strange. but in general it's not bad! just not something i feel anything in particular for.

14. Time is a Light

they tried something else with this one, but i am not sure w h a t were they going for exactly. chorus feels like an echo of gamma rays, but the rest is... well. but i do really like gamma rays so its not that bad. feels a little too long tho. what's up with the last minute feeling so... um, can this be over already?

13. Oval Stones

we're getting to the good ones!!!!! oval stones is really pleasant. i like how chill it is compared to most of the album.

12. Slow Days

again the chill one. actually i find it weird that its not the closer of the album. it would be a perfect closer! listening to it really slows you down (not in a bad way) so its strange to have oval stones + slow days followed by crystal hall. im not crazy about albums doing that, kind of throwing you off the rhythm... my perfect album order would be sorted in the way that wakes you up, and then calms you down by the end.

11. Head in the Clouds

okay, i do understand why it's after crystal hall - obvious interpolation going on there, down to the very same lyrics ("can you feel it coming down?") and i do LOVE preludes, interludes, whatever, transition tracks in albums, that is GREAT. but my issue is once again with the slow, slow, fast, slow pace again. if not slow days, i think that would also be the perfect closer.

10. Inner Space

i don't really have anything to say about this one. its good! i like it a lot! but for some reason, despite being like, in a bit of a calmer tempo, it makes me a little bit anxious. not in a bad way exactly, its just a good song for when im troubled about something.

9. Movements of Time

THIS SHOULDVE BEEN THE OPENING TRACK!!!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!!!!!!!! WHAT!!!!!! its literally the PERFECT opening track for this album. its SETS UP the mood. HOW IS IT A CLOSER???? and i love the ... organ sound that they have going on in this one?? its really cool.

8. Crystal Hall

oh ohhhhh this is where it starts getting really hard to rank them.... Crystal hall is really good but also really short!!! why is it so short? under 3 minutes???

7. Gamma Rays

yeah i understand why this is the most popular. i mean i dont think its the best, but yeahhhhh.... its so good. literally perfect for "soaking up the rays"!!!!

6. Cicada

a big fan of so much reverb in this one. it especially makes the album so... summer specific, reverb is so summery! maybe because of how it makes everything sound like a song played on an open air music festival.

5. Liquid Air

if it couldn't be movements of time, i understand why liquid air made it as the opener. theres the anxious vibe going on again - which i do really like, in general im enjoying the theme of this album although im not really the lyrics kind of guy. and this one, its strange because its almost 6 minutes long, but it doesnt feel too long. or repetitive.

4. Fading Actor

ouuughhhhh this one is one of my absolute faves. it actually grew on me SO much, because at first i didnt pay any attention to it. but once i got it, it hit me sooooo hard, it remained on repeat for like MONTHS after summer ended.

3/2. Exotico + Sultry Air

i cannot i CANNOT judge them separately. in my heart they come together as one. and yet, they are two different tracks, which makes me love them even more. im really obsessed with the way it is composed, just absolutely amazing. the BRIDGE is especially the reason why i adore it so much. its SO good. and then theres sultry air!!!!! its the PERFECT postlude, like literally i think my favorite postlude in any album ever. like end credits to a movie. no notes!!!!!!

1. Afterlife

yeahhhhhhhhhh the only reason i even gave the album i listen in the first place. love at first sight!!!!!!!!! absolutely stunning. love the tension building up followed by the amazing bass... and okay i do have issues with the order of this album, but i do get why they put it by the end - its a truly perfect payoff even for the weaker parts of the album. best listened to on full volume... once had the joy of listening to it on a real good quality professional speaker set and my god. its like its MEANT to be blasted from the roof of a building. god i hate the fact that its produced by sean ono lennon. it had no right to be this fucking good.

#pogaduchy #scheduled #Spotify

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tutuandscoot · 2 years

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CD: Argentine Tango- World’s 2008, Göteborg Sweden

So what I personally love in a good tango is a quality I would describe as the man wanting to eat the woman alive and her looking as though she’s really into it. Like just this look of utter desire and the man being in complete control and the woman not fighting against that. It’s a very careful balance because the man can’t look angry or mean or volatile, and the woman has to balance not fighting against that will for the man to control her- she has to be on board with it but also can’t appear weak or too easy to take advantage of. This is not the ideal quality for every tango but I find it very appropriate for this Argentine style which is known for being an extremely passionate tango. If this all sounds bizarre and messed up I get you and if you’re finding that quality hard to picture then please look no further than VM’s Argentine Tango CD because this is exactly how I would describe their quality in this dance as is why I love it so much.

Below I’m going to break down all my favourite choreographic moments and highlight where I find this quality and how they use it to add incredible passion and intimacy to a dance there are 20 some odd couples performing on this same day and manage to appear as far more mature then their tender ages of just 18 and 20.

Firstly, just a comment on costumes. Unsurprisingly, I love them (there are in fact costumes of theirs that I don’t like which I’ll get to eventually). T’s dress is stunning. This certainly adds to the maturity of their dancing. It’s so very appropriate. It’s not sleezy, it doesn’t distract or get in the way of the choreography, it excentuates body lines. Some argue Scott was often underdressed, but I would and have argued in the past it is on purpose the way he dresses so as not to distract from the choreography, not distract from Tessa, feel comfortable and have an ease of movement. Almost all the time his simple costumes were so well fitted and showed off his exquisite movement. What I also like about their take on costumes is I don’t think of them as wearing costumes, like the costumes aren’t this whole other thing, it feels more natural, it grounds them which I think with skaters and the environment in which they perform- there aren’t stage lights, backdrop, sets. They are just in an arena with people and branding on all sides, so it doesn’t look like they’ve been pulled off some extravagant stage set and plonked on an ice rink- it feels appropriate for the setting they are in. I don’t think I explained that very well but the point of it all is i’m a big fan of the simplicity. It’s more like they came out of a movie where two characters have just happened to be dancing a tango as part of the story. This of course varies and some programs do require more ‘costumy’ costumes.

Ok. Let’s get into it.

1. The opening

It’s another common thread of their’s to not have overly excessive openings and closings to their CD’s. This part isn’t being judged, there’s no bonus points for lifts or spins, it’s to set the tone and make it a full finished product. Immediately even before the music starts you get that passion and desire, that closeness straight away then that push and pull with T holding her own but she’s also really into him pulling her back to him. That downward gaze they both but especially he has. Also just in this intro their beautiful upper body form: such beautiful posture where there is no tension, shoulders are relaxed but there is strength in the way he holds her and such lightness from her- pressing into his hand while lightly resting her other on his shoulder. Such a hard thing to perfect and while many teams do it ‘well’ VM do it brilliantly.

2. Their beautiful, powerful gliding skating

As always, I don’t know enough to make an educated analysis of their skating. They were obviously very strong, gaining speed quickly (as in development compared to last season- getting stronger and faster in a short amount of time). I just assume their technique is great and this is what good skating should look like considering the amount of other knowledgeable people who have said so and their top world class rankings being just their second year in senior. Having said all that, obviously there was something not quite right about it considering this was the initial issue with Tessa’s legs- the pain started with this compulsory dance where she says there was intense pain and cramping and through training around this time it was specifically on compulsory dances that the pain occurred. I’m in no place to diagnose but having had similar injuries myself i’d say it was on some level the Russian style skating technique along with her body mechanics- just the way her muscles defaulted to working in that style. (I do not personally know the specific differences between Russian and British style skating, I just mean it as the style they were being taught having Russian coaches there must’ve just been something about that technique that bothered her legs through heavy duty- repetitive training like that for compulsory dances). Regardless of that, the way they move together, even doing the most simple of movements is just magical. For all the times I firmly refer to them as dancers, their skating and the quality with which they skate is just not something you would get with them dancing on the floor. Even with the simplest of steps, the rise and fall of their knees together, the sustains and the pauses, it seems so organic and just natural that their bodies know how to move in time with each other’s. Yes it took years and endless practice to get there but other teams work hard yet the seamlessness of TS you just don’t see in anyone else.

3. The start of the set pattern.

I’ve watched all of this CD competition from World’s 08 and I don’t believe any other team (at least any team of note) took that beautiful long, sustained pause that TS do. I’m talking about the ‘kiss moment’ - most other teams did a sharp look towards each other and kinda stood up straighter, more of a ‘stomp’ step with their free foot and just looked towards each other quite statically. It was very staccato and on the beat, where as TS in this moment and others times throughout, flirt with the timing to stretch out and indulge in certain moments, while still staying on the music and fulfilling the strict musical requirements. This is one of the prime examples of the initial quality I mentioned at the top of this. It’s one of the early examples of that thing they would do so often in many programs to come (and manage to accurately suit it to the tone of the program) of that down ward, sometimes closed eye gaze and the dropped jaw to open their mouth’s that just immediately gives this ultimate desire and passion. It wasn’t a constant thing like you see know with these lyrical, hyper emotional skating programs where they just look dismayed the whole time and mouths open like they are catching flies- TS use it as emphasis and like an acting tool to moderate their emotions throughout and because they both do it it feels more natural- their equal ability to emote. In this specific moment I will confidently say they don’t quite kiss, but they have never been afraid of the intention of that and being able to portray it one step away from literally, actually going through with it. They way this moment plays with the music- it can’t be given it’s justice in gif form so please go watch it, but that sustained rise then fall of the knee on the proceeding steps is beautiful. You feel that their cores are so connected and they are so focused. They attack the movement with so much energy, but it’s controlled and rather then channeled unevenly, they channel it into each other. It’s really so ironic that they only started ‘The Hug’ a couple of years after this because I feel like the purpose of that and what it did- ensure them that they were connected and in time with each other- they were rising and falling to the same rhythm they set themselves. It was a quality already displayed in so much of their skating, whether that was just their talent and training and supreme musicality maybe, but knowing there was a time before and a time after The Hug, I still see some of what that did for them in earlier performances. Maybe it was always there and The Hug became a matter of fact for them that they knew it was there.

4. EDGES

I’m really not gonna say much here because I think their edges speak for themselves and there is already plenty of commentary from those who know far more then me, but isn’t it just so satisfying to watch!? Not that I watch that much ice dancing from recently but there’s really no need to even film slow-mo and close ups of edges because they just don’t exist anymore - there being no compulsories or attention to detail in other program formats, at least none like this. As much as I love VM’s dance quality this is just as satisfying to watch. They are so far over on their edges and the clean slicing of the ice. They manage to appear both so grounded and weightless at the same time. No unnecessary tension in their upper bodies while doing all that impeccable skating- just as much as the style requires of them. That change from inside to outside with their right as the free leg as well as that port de bra.. ugh it’s just beautiful- and again so much better with the music so go watch it when you’re done here please 🙏🙏

5. Tango highlights

Obviously this is a tango, based on music and costume, but little accented moments like this where they are facing towards each other and Scott picks up T’s foot with his. Lifting so high while remaining so close and just the most exquisite hold of position with their arms as they lean into that edge starting the circle. It’s here and then throughout the rest of the pattern where you really get that incredibly close tango hold where he is really coming over the top of her to lead the dance. He takes her with him into all these turns staying close while their feet stay so neat and on such beautiful edges.

6. Deep circle and edge appreciation

That’s all.

7. LINES

There is no debate on this. They have the most beautiful lines in ice dance. There are several reasonings for this: 1. It is just some truly messed up fate shit that they have matching bodies. You see it when they were wee little kiddos first paired up- they are perfect for each other.. then there were some sketchy times in the middle through puberty where there was a worry T would grow too tall, but by this point here they were matching perfectly. When they skate their height difference works so in their favour in that T looks shorter than him when she needs to or it’s necessary for partnering, then other times appears as his physical equal and this gives the illusion they skate as one (as well as their connection). This physical match is part of what makes their lines so good, as well as athletic ability, aesthetic understanding (straight and pulled up knees, fully pointed toes, matching heights). Also here you will notice their gorgeous epaulement, or in layman’s terms, shoulder and head positions. The way they twist their upper bodies while remaining square in the hips, as well as turning their heads at the right angle to portray the tango style. The moment after the twizzle with T’s stunning arabesque and Scott’s matching devant position is another one of those drawn out moments like the ‘kiss’ at the start. As far as the skating steps go they remain perfectly on the music but through they upper bodies and further extension of their free legs they stretch it out to create light and shade in an otherwise strict set pattern. The arch in her back which concaves into his body position leaning into her [this kinda shape: ((. The first bracket being S the second T] the slow caress of his face while she looks slightly up at him while he gazes down at her.

8. Expression and quality:

There’s really 4 moments that I point to as obvious examples of the quality I love in a tango that I mentioned at the start; the ‘kiss’ at the beginning, the foot pick up, this elongated arabesque moment above, and this moment below. That lift of the arms where they sustain that glide leaning to the back of the rink with their fingers separating and palms pressing together as they lower. Then the crossovers onto outside edges where in he steps so far over her you almost can’t see her from this angle. The commentary in these CD from back in the day always talked about how close the skaters should be - that there should be minimal distance between the hips- especially when side by side (in Killian hold, to and extent tango hold but it’s a bit harder). Here with the nature of the step it’s not so much their hips together but more so their upper bodies are so incredibly close. The way she looks at him as he’s forcing back but he just glances downwards and past her- yet that mental connection is still so there.. Complete control over her but with this quality that she’s really into it. It’s passion. That’s really what it is, but they have that in everything they do so it’s how they control that and work it together to portray this dance so honesty with so much maturity. It has to come through in their expression, upper body/ artistry and in their skating technique.. it’s just insane to think they were this good so young.

9. The ending

Ok, I lied, 5 moments. But given this isn’t part of the the set chore it’s up to them to finish it and how they want that quality to follow through from the beginning to the end, and this really is just the icing on the cake. Also just such a sweet and wholesome parallel to the eventual MR ending- both being tangos in similar-looking costumes but totally different emotion in the ending. If you were struggling to get my jist with the whole ‘eaten alive’ quality I like I hope this ending is what seals it. (I don’t want my craving for that quality to sound demented or anything- it’s not like in a hanibal Lecter way) - it’s passion and drama and sensual desire.. the tango is a dance of love and passion so you don’t want one person to be really into it and the other disinterested.. but at the same time I also find it sexier this way, the way VM do it as opposed to the female being over the top and appearing to initiate it. I love this ending, T’s big fan kick, Scott’s wide yet stable stance, T’s face as she goes back- actually both their faces.. and it’s like they go into slow mo mode again. His hand on the back of her neck as always supporting her. That tension in his hand on her back so as he doesn’t have full contact with her.. yet that secure, cuddly contact getting her up and on balance again (a constant through every ending pose like this) even the way they stay there for a moment, him breathing into her neck and her gazing down at him as though she’s waiting for him to finish but doesn’t at all want him to rush… (sorry the gif cuts it off a bit here)

It’s extraordinary the detail and emotion that went into just this CD, with two full and very different (OD + FD) programs still to come. This is high up on my list of fave skates of there’s, really the paso from the following year and TR all are coz it’s like satisfaction porn… for people who like perfect (or as perfect as possible) things to just drool over. The skating is mind boggling, the musicality is perfect, the expression of all of these CD’s is exquisite. All of them being male dominate styles I think worked so well for them coz Tessa had this beautiful way of letting him lead her and not having to over do her expression from an outward perspective, instead she found that by playing off him (I don’t know it that was their process but that’s how I make sense of it) coz so often with almost every other team you would get either weakness in expression from both skaters- either a lack of performance skills or just coming off dis honestly (which is really just a form of lack of performance skills) or (this more often from the older/top teams) over the top expression especially from the female and more this sense of both skaters performing outwards rather then in relation to each other- which is so important (at least to me) in a dance that is just the man and the woman- there has to be that connection and communication there.

#cd:argentine tango

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ihatealexturner · 2 years

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can you give your thoughts on the album? I haven't listened so far bc I'm busy with work but I'll take my time listen to it tomorrow! I'm very excited about that hehe

Hey, yeah sure.

Well so far im really into it. You know how it is with every monkeys album, you have to listen to it at least a dozen times to only start getting an idea about what it is about.

As you can probably imagine its hard for me not to be biased about it, being such a fan of Alex work for decades, but i truly can say that i am enjoying this one. Its true that there's going to be loads of people that aren't going enjoy this album because it didnt gave to the temptation of make a fast pace and easy listening album like the first 5 albums (especially the first two and AM).

But being honest, i wouldn't be that interested in a album like that at this point, all the bands from ealy 00´ that i used to dig (say franz ferdinand, kaiser chiefs, the kooks, the libertines, kasabian, etc) they mostly stay with the same sound for years and years and really i dont care about their last albums and mostly stop listen to them, simply because if you dont try to be ambitious and progress in music terms you go stale. The monkeys once more are showing strong signs of maturity and evolution with their work, and that's a feature common to all the greatest bands (being beatles, led zep, bowie, etc).

About the album itself, i just wish it would have been a bit longer, it just feel to short for me, but i guess quality comes before quantity. So im ok bit it. And also, being a huge fan of Alex's Submarine and the Puppets proyect, im really liking this "new" sound. Actually, in the past i wouldn't imagine the monkeys making it work with strings around them, but once again i suppose i understimate alex brain.

Im really loving the three singles so far, probably right now i feel "mirroball" is the strongest one of those but "body paint" feels really fresh for the monkeys sounds, and "I aint quiet" is really good with those bowie/stevie wonder sounds.

"Scultures" gives me some Humbug vibes for sure, although i read that the guys said it has AM vibes. Really like that Jamie has an impact in this one and its a good sign for the future of that band that the rest of the guys are giving their share with the songs. "jet skis", "Hello You" and "Big ideas" really make Al voice shine as fuck. Give me a slowish song with Al vocals being the star and im completely sold. Of those i guess Jet skis stands a bit more for me, although i think the other two are reciving more love for the fanbase. By the way "Hello You" sounds like it could have been in the puppets second record FOR SURE. "Mr Schwartz" i guess it sounds more like it could have fit in a Alex Solo album, and it was one of my favorites when i heard the album the first times, well in fact it still is!

I guess the only song im still trying to process is "The Car", i mean is not a band song or anything, but im still trying to get that feeling, you know. I got to say it gives me Enio Morricone "The good, the bad and the ugy" vibes, which is really cool.

And finally, "Perfect Sense", that for me along with the opener song are the two best songs of the whole album. Its simple gorgeous. The last minute of the song its just, absolutly insane. Actually really hard to not get emotional with the music and the lyrics. Kinda song that makes you reflect about your life and shit, which is basically my favorite type of songs.

So yeah, its hard to rank this album, but i think it probably feels a bit better than TBHC, but yeah its hard to say. After all this album is so different from the rest so how can you compare them, really?. Any way, another great piece of work for the guys. 7 in a row. How many bands can say that. 5/5

#the car

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yeonchi · 1 year

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Doctor Who 10 for 10 Part 2/10: Series 2

The 2005 revival of Doctor Who was a hit around the world, countering past criticisms and mockery of the series in the past that seemingly impeded the prospect of its return. However, with the departure of Christopher Eccleston announced just under two weeks into the premiere of the series, the production crew had to cast a new actor for the Doctor that would hopefully live up to the standard that Eccleston had achieved. Fortunately, though, they did manage to find one in David Tennant, a life-long fan of the series who had played characters in Big Finish audios and had a cameo role in the 40th Anniversary webcast Scream of the Shalka, which was originally intended to be the official continuation of the series until the RTD revival was announced.

The news of Tennant’s casting was announced on 15 April 2005, following the announcement of Eccleston’s departure two weeks before. This made a significant impact on production as RTD wanted to keep the regeneration secret until transmission and it also affected negotiations with Tennant and his agent. Luckily, negotiations went through smoothly and Tennant’s half of the regeneration scene in the finale was filmed soon after.

The rest is history. Let’s begin the retrospective for Series 2.

1. A new Christmas tradition

Even before Series 1 premiered in March 2005, the BBC had so much confidence in the success of Doctor Who that Jane Tranter, the drama controller at the BBC, commissioned not only a new series for 2006, but an hour-long Christmas Special for December 2005. The yearly Christmas Special (New Year’s/Festive Special during the Chibnall era) would go on to become a tradition for Doctor Who, just as Christmas specials in general became traditions in UK television.

With David Tennant debuting as the Tenth Doctor at the end of The Parting of the Ways, the then-upcoming Christmas Special, titled The Christmas Invasion, would provide an ample opportunity to introduce the new Doctor before he and Rose continued their adventures from the first episode of Series 2 nearly four months later.

For most of the episode, the Doctor is out of action while recovering from his regeneration, which allows an opportunity to explore post-regeneration domestics with Rose, Mickey and Jackie. In the end, the Doctor comes in to save the day (as always) and the ensuing scenes establish his character as someone who will let an enemy go after they cross him, but then give no second chances if they attack him after that. Arguably, this trait is something that would be common to all Doctors, even the Thirteenth Doctor, though if you compare the end of this Christmas Special and some episodes of the Jodie Whittaker era (particularly Arachnids in the UK and War of the Sontarans), you can see how Chris Chibnall completely missed the point of the character trait he clearly ripped off from the Tenth Doctor.

The special also featured an original song, Song for Ten, performed by Tim Phillips. Although an extended version was released, it was rearranged and rerecorded by Neil Hannon, however Tim Phillips did perform it for the Doctor Who Proms concert in 2008, even if it sounded like he was drunk while doing so.

In addition to the Christmas Special, Doctor Who decided to contribute something to the BBC’s Children In Need telethon every year starting from 2005. The contribution mostly included a preview of that year’s Christmas Special or an original short bridging the events between it and the last episode. From 2019-2021, there was no original contribution from Doctor Who for Children in Need (although their segments were featured), but in 2022, the contribution was the reveal of Series 14 companion Ruby Sunday, played by Millie Gibson.

Because The Christmas Invasion was filmed alongside Series 2, subsequent Christmas Specials would be counted among the next series’ episodes in home media releases, barring the specials that featured the regeneration of the Doctor. While I was okay with this episode arrangement during the RTD era, in the Moffat era I thought that the specials should be counted amongst those for the previous series. This would become the case for the New Year’s Specials in the Chibnall era.

Also, fun fact - Christopher Eccleston was credited as “Doctor Who” during Series 1, but David Tennant requested that he be credited as “the Doctor”, and thus all future Doctors from then on were credited as such, just as Peter Davison was back in the classic series.

2. Return of an old companion

Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen, was a companion of the Third and Fourth Doctors from 1973 to 1976, later reprising her role in 1981 for the K9 and Company pilot, A Girl’s Best Friend, 1983 for the 20th Anniversary Special, The Five Doctors, and 1993 for the 30th anniversary Children in Need special, Dimensions in Time.

Sarah Jane was such an iconic companion that RTD wanted to spotlight her in the hope of shedding a light on what happens (and what happened) to those who travel with the Doctor. The production approached Sladen in early 2005 and she accepted the offer to return after fears that she was only being invited back for a throwaway cameo. Sarah Jane made her return in Series 2’s third episode, School Reunion. Although initially not planned on returning, K9 was added to the story (along with Mickey Smith) on the request of the production team; K9 was destroyed at the end of the episode, but the Doctor rebuilt him and left him with Sarah Jane.

During the episode, we got to see the dynamic between Rose and Sarah Jane as there is a scene where they discuss their time as companions of the Doctor. The effects of the Doctor leaving Sarah Jane are also explored, providing some foreshadowing for Rose’s situation in the series finale. Of course, this wouldn’t be Sarah Jane’s only involvement in the Doctor Who revival.

3. Genesis of the spinoffs

Doctor Who was starting to peak in popularity at the start of Series 2 thanks to what had come before. In 2005 and 2006, the BBC asked RTD to develop two spin-offs of Doctor Who; a mature series directed to an adult audience, which would be known as Torchwood; and a children’s drama, which would be known as The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The title Torchwood, an anagram of “Doctor Who”, was used as a codename during production of Series 1 to disguise footage from the series prior to broadcast. RTD even sprinkled mentions of it in Series 1 and 2 in the hopes that he could use it should a spinoff be commissioned. Luckily, it was and the finale of Series 2 would feature the Torchwood Institute in earnest in preparation for the spinoff.

The main character of Torchwood was Captain Jack Harkness, who had been left behind on Satellite Five following his death and resurrection in The Parting of the Ways. He would attempt to make his way from 200,100 to the 21st century using his vortex manipulator, but he missed and ended up in 1869 where his vortex manipulator burned out. Eventually in 1899, he would be found by Torchwood agents and brought to their branch in Cardiff, where he began working for them until he could find the Doctor again. Following the events of the Series 2 finale, the Cardiff branch, also known as Torchwood Three became the only surviving branch of the Torchwood Institute.

The first series of Torchwood premiered on 22 October 2006, with a second series following a year after the finale on 16 April 2008. A third series, featuring a single five-part story, was broadcast from 6 to 10 July 2009. The fourth series, Miracle Day, premiered in July 2011. In 2015, Big Finish would begin featuring Torchwood in a new monthly series of audio dramas while also releasing new audio dramas continuing the story after Miracle Day.

The Sarah Jane Adventures featured, obviously, Sarah Jane Smith, continuing her story following her appearance in School Reunion. It took place concurrently with the main Doctor Who series, which allowed for Sarah Jane, her son Luke Smith, and K9 to appear in the Series 4 finale of Doctor Who, which took place between the first and second series of SJA. The Tenth and Eleventh Doctors also appeared in two stories while the Brigadier and Jo Grant (now Jo Jones) made guest appearances as well.

The pilot episode of SJA, Invasion of the Bane, was broadcast on 1 January 2007 (alongside the finale of Torchwood Series 1). The series began in earnest later that year on 24 September and new series would be produced every year until Elisabeth Sladen’s death on 19 April 2011, forcing production on the fifth series to be abandoned as the series itself was cancelled.

Before SJA though, there was also Totally Doctor Who, a magazine-style show similar to Blue Peter that was more like a junior version of Doctor Who Confidential. Episodes premiered on the Thursday or Friday prior to a new episode, reviewing the previous episode while previewing the upcoming episode as well. The second series also debuted an animated serial, The Infinite Quest. As a result, there was no episode covering the final episode of each series. Only two series of Totally Doctor Who were produced as CBBC wanted to focus their funding on The Sarah Jane Adventures from 2008 onwards.

The BBC also took advantage of interactive and online mediums to release content. Relevant to Series 2, short minute-long preludes known as Tardisodes were released for phones through the internet, meaning that they could also be watched on computers. The Tardisodes were never released on home media so there are no standard-quality versions of them anywhere and future prequel shorts would be released online while also being made available on home media.

Attack of the Graske, an interactive movie game, premiered on BBC Red Button and was also made available on the Series 2 DVD and online as a Flash game.

Unfortunately, spinoffs, prequels and behind-the-scenes content began waning during the Moffat era. Aside from the ending of Torchwood and SJA, Doctor Who Confidential was cancelled at the end of Series 6 and behind-the-scenes content became shorter and scarcer even with series like Doctor Who Extra, Inside Look, Closer Look, The Fan Show and Access All Areas. A spinoff Class premiered in 2016, but it never got past one series. Luckily, with the RTD2 era and the worldwide move to Disney+, Doctor Who Confidential is rumoured to return as Doctor Who Unleashed and spinoff series involving Cybermen, Daleks, Sontarans, Weeping Angels and Sea Devils are reportedly in the works, but time will only tell.

4. Double-banking

Over the years, it has become clear that filming 13 episodes and a Christmas Special over nine months would be a daunting task, hence why episode numbers were gradually cut over the years during the Moffat and Chibnall eras. As stated in the previous instalment, Series 1’s filming, especially the first block, was a nightmare because the crew were inexperienced and as such, production went over schedule.

Although there was no double-banking planned, The Long Game was forced to enter production during the filming of The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances (or maybe it was the other way around considering the order of the blocks). Filming for The Long Game was entirely done in studio and “third leads” in the form of Adam Mitchell and Jack Harkness were introduced, which narrowly allowed all three episodes to be completed in time.

During Series 2, RTD devised the concept of a Doctor-lite episode, that is an episode without the Doctor or his companion, at least for most of the episode (Father’s Day in Series 1 could be considered one as well). This was a necessity when the Christmas Specials were commissioned, meaning that double-banking was the only practical way to film 14 episodes in 9 months considering what it takes to film an episode of Doctor Who.

Love & Monsters is the episode that resulted from this concept in Series 2. It was originally planned to be filmed alongside Fear Her, but delays in The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit meant that it would be filmed alongside those episodes instead. This episode is apparently notorious among fans for being bad, at least towards the end.

The monster in this episode, the Abzorbaloff (played by Peter Kay), was created by then-nine-year-old William Grantham as part of a Blue Peter “design-a-monster competition”. Grantham would go on to start the Channel Pup YouTube channel and also aside from insulting Bowlestrek and NoelZone (at one point), would go on to talk about this experience and judge another design competition for a monster to be featured in a Doctor Who: Lockdown! minisode released in 2021 to tie in with the tweetalong for Love & Monsters.

5. The New Earth saga

I didn’t talk about Cassandra and the Face of Boe aside from an honourable mention in the last instalment, so I’ll talk about them here now.

The first three series had an episode near the start that covered the New Earth saga; Series 1 had The End of the World, Series 2 had the aptly named New Earth and Series 3 had Gridlock.

In the year 5,000,000,000, Cassandra sabotaged Platform One so that it would be destroyed along with the Earth when the sun expanded, but the Ninth Doctor thwarted her plans and when Cassandra tried to escape, he teleported her back to Platform One and let her skin dry out without her surgeons to moisturise her.

Her brain survived, however, and 23 years later, she was hiding in the basement of a hospital on New Earth with her force-cloned assistant, Chip. She used a psychograft to transfer her consciousness into Rose’s body in an attempt to discover the secret of the Sisters of Plenitude and blackmail them. When that failed, she released all the patients the Sisters were experimenting on and attempted to cause a pandemic, however through Cassandra switching bodies multiple times and showing remorse for the patients’ suffering, the Doctor managed to cure the patients, helping create a new subspecies of humans to populate New Earth. Following this, Cassandra possessed Chip to return Rose to the Doctor and decided that it was time to let herself die with Chip, but not before the Doctor took Cassandra to her past and allowed her to tell her past self that she was beautiful.

Although they merely passed each other on Platform One, the Doctor met the Face of Boe again in the hospital, where he was dying of old age. When the crisis in the hospital was over, the Doctor saw the Face of Boe, who told him that they would meet again and that he would tell him his last words then before teleporting away. I’ll leave the rest for the Series 3 retrospective in the next instalment.

A factoid regarding Cassandra - RTD told Doctor Who Magazine that if her actor, Zoë Wanamaker, had not been available for New Earth, then the villain would have been Cassandra’s sister, Roseanne.

6. Mickey, the tin dog

Series 2 saw some more character development for Mickey, particularly in regards to his relationship with Rose. In Series 1, Mickey was a bit of a coward and the Doctor didn’t respect him, even going so far as to call him “Ricky”. However, during the encounter with the Slitheen, Mickey showed the Doctor that he wasn’t entirely the coward he thought he was and they began to have a mutual respect for each other.

Following his regeneration, the Doctor was on more friendlier terms with Mickey. After meeting Sarah Jane and K9, Mickey realised that being the “technical support” for the Doctor and Rose, he was essentially the K9 of their relationship - the “tin dog”. This would lead him to join the Doctor and Rose, deciding that he didn’t want to be the “tin dog” anymore.

After falling into a parallel universe (that would later be known as Pete’s World), Mickey met his parallel counterpart, Ricky, who was braver than he was when he first met the Doctor. He also met his blind grandmother, Rita-Anne, who died in his home universe when she tripped over a tear in her stair carpet that Mickey had been meaning to get fixed. During an encounter with the Cybus Cybermen in which Ricky was killed, he gained the courage to stand up and defeat the Cybermen in his place. These factors were what led Ricky to remain in the parallel universe, along with him realising that Rose preferred being with the Doctor more than him.

Continuing into future series territory, Mickey came back to the Doctor’s universe twice, once while following the Cybermen and once during the War in the Medusa Cascade. Following the latter, Mickey took the opportunity to move back to his home universe, seeing as Rita-Anne passed away after spending her last years living in a mansion, presumably Pete and Jackie Tyler’s mansion, and Rose had another version of the Doctor, meaning that there wasn’t anything left for him on that world. From this we can see how Mickey has grown through hardship to become who he was in the end.

Noel Clarke has acknowledged that he made Mickey slapstick because he assumed that Doctor Who had a younger audience. This was apparently criticised by fans and Clarke decided to tone the comedic elements down for Series 2. In an interview with Tony Hadoke for his Big Finish podcast in 2014, Russell T Davies said that Clarke overthought this and that he was doing exactly what was written in the scripts.

7. A classic villain redesign

Speaking of Cybermen (from the previous topic), Series 2 saw the return of the iconic metal men in a new design that would be iconic to the revived series until Series 7 Part 2 in 2013. Although the head of a Cyberman was shown in Henry van Statten’s underground museum in Dalek, it wouldn’t be until Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel that the Cybermen were fully reintroduced. Since the history of the Cybermen was complicated due to various origins and backstories (which would later be explained by parallel evolution in Series 10), RTD decided to use a parallel universe as their origin.

The Cybusmen, as they would come to be known, are bulkier and more monotone because they were made to be more robotic compared to the classic series. They also used technical terms and the catchphrase “Delete” which had not been used previously in the classic series.

Since the design of the Cybusmen was also used in Series 5 and 6, Neil Gaiman theorised that they “cross-pollinated” with the Mondasian/Telosian Cybermen, eventually resulting in the new unified design that made its debut in Nightmare in Silver.

8. The parallel universe factor

The aforementioned Cybermen two-parter wasn’t the first story to feature parallel universes as the Third Doctor serial Inferno did so back in 1970. The Tenth Doctor claimed that travelling between parallel universes was possible thanks to the Time Lords, I have to press X to doubt seeing as we had very few parallel universe stories in the past. The revived series is the first time where a parallel universe plays a big part in the ongoing series’ story arc.

In Pete’s World (where Rose’s father, Pete Tyler, hadn’t been killed when she was a baby), John Lumic had the Cybermen developed through Cybus Industries as a means of making humanity immortal while he was suffering from a terminal illness himself. The entire project contravened the Genevan Bio-Convention so the experiments had to be carried out in secret with people whose disappearances wouldn’t be noticed. That world was mostly controlled by Cybus Industries, with the company owning many other companies (including Pete Tyler’s health drink company, Vitex) and controlling the media.

The majority of people wore EarPods made by Cybus, allowing Lumic to control people and retrieve information from their brains while also allowing people to communicate and enjoy media, similar to what smartphones are used for nowadays (back in 2006, mobile phones, game consoles and music players were separate things). The EarPods also played a part in “the ultimate upgrade”, commanding people all over London to head to the Cyber-factory in Battersea for cyber-conversion. Yeah, I suppose that’s a way to prevent freedom protests, by directly controlling people’s minds.

Given the events of the last few years, I feel like Pete’s World satirically foreshadows the “New World Order” thing that some people have been talking about, only it’s not “you will own nothing and be happy”, it’s more “you will feel nothing and be identical”. On top of Cybus Industries and EarPods, there are also army blockades and nightly curfews for the lower-class, rich people using zeppelins in the 21st century, Great Britain is a “People’s Republic”, the countries of South America are combined into a state and there’s a “United States of Mexico”. How very World Economic Forum of you. Anyway, if you want to hear the opposite of this you’ll have to wait for the next instalment.

Anyway, a little factoid regarding Pete - apparently, Simon Pegg was cast to play him, but since he was unavailable when Father’s Day was going to be filmed, the role went to Shaun Dingwall. Pegg would go on to play the Editor in The Long Game.

9. The Cult of Skaro

Each series finale in the RTD era has featured a villain who escaped from the Time War. Series 1 had the Dalek Emperor and with Series 2 comes the Cult of Skaro.

The Cult of Skaro was an elite group of four Daleks who were above and beyond the Emperor himself and designed to think as the enemy thinks and imagine new ways of survival. They were even given names, which was unique for Daleks. The Cult of Skaro formed another mini-arc that would culminate in the Series 4 finale.

During the Time War, the Cult of Skaro escaped into the Void in a Void Ship with the Genesis Ark, which contained millions of Daleks captured by the Time Lords. The Void Ship caused cracks in the universe (opened even further by Torchwood’s meddling), which caused the TARDIS to end up in Pete’s World and later, allowed the Cybermen from that world to imprint themselves into the Doctor’s universe (as ghosts) before invading it in earnest. This would also allow people to jump between universes, but at the cost of ripping holes in the universe.

In Army of Ghosts and Doomsday, the Cult of Skaro revealed themselves and also discovered the existence of the Cybermen, which led to a war between them in an act of pest control. During the conflict, the Genesis Ark was opened and the millions of Daleks captured began swarming out, exterminating Cybermen, humans and the like. The Cult of Skaro managed to escape with an Emergency Temporal Shift when the Doctor sent the Cybermen and Daleks into the Void.

This story marked the first time the Daleks and Cybermen were shown together on-screen, in conflict no less. Although the Daleks and Cybermen would be shown together under lesser capacities in a few later episodes, the next episode where they would be seen together with roles of significance would be The Power of the Doctor. Apparently this idea was floated about in December 1967 when the BBC approached Terry Nation about it, but Nation vetoed the idea.

10. The Rose left on the beach

Too soon, I know. It’s never too soon when it comes to Doctor Who, apparently.

Although it was reported in March 2006 that David Tennant and Billie Piper had signed on for Series 3, it would later be reported that Piper would be leaving the series, at first midway through Series 2, then later at the end. This was a decision that Piper had made a year prior, but remained secret until it was reported. In 2021, Piper would later explain that the fame of playing Rose made her “really uncomfortable”, plus she wanted to do different things and didn’t like the responsibility of being a role model (which is more than can be said for some Kamen Rider actors).

In-series, the departure of Rose was because travelling through the Void caused her to be covered in background radiation, or “Void stuff”. The Doctor’s plan was to open the Void using Torchwood’s equipment and suck the “Void stuff” back in, the Cybermen and Daleks along with it. However, since anyone covered in the “Void stuff” would be sucked in as well, the only option was for Rose to go to Pete’s World with Jackie, Mickey and Pete while the Doctor used the magnaclamps to hold on.

Rose was sent to Pete’s World, but she immediately went back, not willing to leave the Doctor. She helped the Doctor execute his plan, but when they opened the Void, Rose couldn’t hold on (when the lever on her side was about to fail) and was about to be sucked in as well until Pete saved her, after initially refusing to do so out of concern that more damage would be done to his universe. For this scene, there was some debate over who would rescue Rose; RTD and Julie Gardner wanted Pete, while Noel Clarke and Phil Collinson wanted Mickey. Ultimately, the former was chosen to show that he had accepted Rose as a surrogate daughter.

Following these events, the Doctor managed to find a remnant breach and caused a supernova (according to his words) to contact Rose. Rose found the Doctor projecting himself at a place that translated to Bad Wolf Bay and they said goodbye, though the Doctor was never able to say his last words to her before the breach fully closed.

Rose was officially declared dead as a result of the conflict at Canary Wharf. Jack Harkness would learn of this and bring it up to the Doctor when they next met, only for the Doctor to correct him.

Although RTD told the press that Rose was gone for good, he apparently told Piper, “See you in two years.” Piper would later reprise her role in Series 4 before returning again in 2013 for The Day of the Doctor. A spinoff for Rose titled Rose Tyler: Earth Defence was commissioned by the BBC, but RTD cancelled it because he thought it would have lessened the impact of Doomsday. However, Piper would be featured in the Big Finish audio series The Dimension Cannon, which details Rose’s adventures in other universes before meeting the Doctor again in Series 4. Producer David Richardson told RTD that he wanted to bring the cancelled spinoff to life through audio, but during the development stage, RTD suggested the current idea instead and they went with that.

Series 2 saw Doctor Who being elevated to the level of an idol drama as audiences were treated to the developing relationship between the Doctor and Rose before circumstances tore them apart. Despite this, the series still maintained its science-fiction roots while calling back to the classic series and continuing to innovate itself for the modern era. With the previous series sticking to settings based on Earth or just near it, this series began exploring planets outside of Earth, showing just how the series had evolved since its revival.

At the same time, Series 2 also provided the starting foundation for the two spinoffs complementing Doctor Who and elevated David Tennant’s popularity to the point that he is basically the revived series equivalent of Tom Baker. After the difficulties that plagued Series 1, Series 2 showed that the series had found its footing and could continue evolving by leaps and bounds.

Stay tuned for Part 3 where I give my 10 takes on Series 3.

#doctor who #doctor who 10 for 10 #doctor who series 2 #tenth doctor #david tennant

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bigenemybouquet · 2 years

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Does Your choisir pompe à chaleur Pass The Test? 7 Things You Can Improve On Today

youtube

Air-Source Warm Pumps

An air-source heatpump can give effective home heating as well as cooling for your house. When effectively installed, an air-source heatpump can deliver up to 3 times extra heat to a residence than the electric energy it eats. This is possible because a heat pump transfers heat instead of converting it from a fuel like burning heating systems. Air-source heatpump have been utilized for many years in nearly all parts of the USA, other than in locations that experienced extended periods of subfreezing temperatures. However, in the last few years, air-source heatpump technology has advanced to ensure that it currently offers a genuine area home heating alternative in colder regions.

Kinds Of Air-Source Heat Pumps

The various types of air resource heatpump are described below.

Ductless vs. Ducted vs. Short-Run Ducted

Ductless applications need minimal building as only a three-inch opening with the wall surface is required to attach the outside condenser and also the interior heads. Ductless systems are usually installed in additions. Ducted systems simply use ductwork. If your residence pompe à chaleur already has a ventilation system or the residence will be a new construction, you might consider this system. Short-run ducted is standard big ductwork that just runs through a tiny area of your house. Short-run ducted is usually complemented by other ductless devices for the rest of the house.

Split vs. Packaged

The majority of heat pumps are split-systems-- that is, they have one coil inside and one outside. Supply and also return ducts link to the indoor central fan. Packaged systems usually have both coils as well as the fan outdoors. Warmed or cooled air is supplied to the inside from ductwork that goes through a wall surface or roofing system.

Multi-Zone vs. Single-Zone

Single-zone systems are designed for a solitary room with one outdoor condenser matched to one interior head. Multi-zone installments can have two or even more interior coils attached to one outdoor condenser. Multi-zone indoor coils vary by dimension and also style and each produces its own "zone" of convenience, enabling you to heat or amazing private areas, corridors, as well as open spaces. This difference may likewise be described as "multi-head vs. single-head" and "multi-port vs. single-port."

How They Work

A heatpump's refrigeration system consists of a compressor and also 2 copper or light weight aluminum coils (one indoors and also one exterior), which have light weight aluminum fins to aid warmth transfer. In heating mode, liquid cooling agent in the outside coil removes warmth from the air and also evaporates into a gas. The interior coil launches warm from the refrigerant as it condenses back into a liquid. A reversing shutoff, near the compressor, can alter the direction of the refrigerant flow for cooling down mode as well as for defrosting the exterior coil in winter.The effectiveness and also performance of today's air-source heatpump is a result of technological developments such as the following: Thermostatic development shutoffs for even more specific control of the refrigerant circulation to the indoor coil. Variable rate blowers, which are a lot more efficient as well as can compensate for a few of the negative results of limited ducts, dirty filters, and also filthy coils. Boosted coil design. Boosted electrical motor and two-speed compressor designs. Copper tubing, grooved inside to increase area.

Choosing a Heatpump

Every domestic heatpump sold in this country has an EnergyGuide tag, which displays the heatpump's heating and cooling efficiency performance score, comparing it to various other readily available makes as well as versions. Heating effectiveness for air-source electric heatpump is suggested by the heating period efficiency aspect (HSPF), which is an action over a typical heating period of the total warm provided to the conditioned space, expressed in Btu, split by the total electrical power consumed by the heat pump system, shared in watt-hours. Cooling down effectiveness is shown by the seasonal power performance ratio (SEER), which is a measure over a typical cooling period of the complete heat eliminated from the conditioned room, revealed in Btu, split by the overall electrical energy consumed by the heatpump, shared in watt-hours. In general, the greater the HSPF and SEER, the greater the expense of the system. However, the power savings can return the higher first financial investment numerous times throughout the heat pump's life. A brand-new main heatpump replacing a classic unit will utilize a lot less power, substantially lowering air-conditioning as well as home heating expenses.

#Youtube

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blackwidow-bby · 3 years

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Positions - Marvel Ladies x Fem!Sub!Reader

Summary: You're a sex worker and you've been hired by a new client for a "group activity".

genre: smut(18+)

pairings: Maria Hill x fem!reader, Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader, Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader, Carol Danvers x fem!reader, Yelena Belova x fem!reader

warnings: D/S dynamics, face slapping, spanking, strap on use, degradation, orgy, big ole lesbian train, oral, throat f*cking, name calling, degradation, thigh riding, fingering

AN: I am...well not a pro at writing dirty things especially not with multiple people but I hope you all enjoy regardless!

I don't own any marvel characters!!

Your assistant had just called you into her room. Your week had been slow but fruitful. Normally, it would be a regular client for the month, nothing to sweat over. Your thoughts started to run over who it could be. Maybe Mr. Dean, he usually calls on a Friday but you could've sworn you saw him two weeks ago. That didn't leave a lot of your regulars left to be requesting you as you knew their schedules like the back of your hand.

As if she could read your mind upon entering her space, she spoke, "Y/N, you have a call for a new client. Something about a friend requesting your services? The only thing is..." She hesitated almost thinking if she should tell you the rest of the details before she proceeded. "Well, it's for a group. You don't have to take up the offer if you're uncomfortable with that. I can call her back and let her know you declined."

To tell the truth, the thought of it being a group of strangers did make you uncomfortable, but your assistant wouldn't put you into a situation without going through the proper protocols first. She knew a head count of how many, roughly where they all worked, and several phone numbers. It always helped to be extra safe in these situations where you could be overpowered.

"Who inquired?" you asked interestedly. "She goes by N.R., gave me a headcount of all of her friends that would be attending. There's not going to be any men there, but I guess 'more power in numbers' is still 'more power in numbers'." In all honesty, women gave you way less shit about certain things than men did. Hopefully they'd be way more understanding if you didn't want to do specific activities.

"Call her back and tell her I'll take the offer. Do you know how much she's paying?" Your assistant slid a little sticky note over to you as she dialed the number of one 'N.R.'. You swear you almost choked when you saw how much she offered for you. That was a lot of zeros compared to usual. You walked away to get a water from the mini-fridge while you vaguely listened in to your assistant's phone conversation.

Good.

Perfect.

Okay, I'll tell her to meet you there at 6:30.

Extra clothes, yes ma'am. Have a nice day.

"Hey Y/N, I've written down the address, floor, and room number. It's uh...a really high end hotel in New York City. She also said to bring an extra change of--" you interrupted her, "Extra clothes? I overheard." you started wondering what for? Dinner? Go out? "Uhm, yes, she said extra comfy clothes." Comfy? Was she expecting you to spend the night? You looked down at your watch to see how much time you had to get ready. 2 hours. It wasn't enough but you could make it work. "Alright then, I should go freshen up."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour and a half later had found you briskly walking toward the extremely tall and very expensive looking hotel in the Upper East Side. You lived in Queens and while the distance wasn't very far, paired with the traffic, the feeling of unsettlement about being late to such a client was enough to make you almost hurl.

You made your way inside the lobby, barely looking at your surroundings. You wanted to get up to the room as quickly as possible without being noticed. "Excuse me," Could you ever be so lucky? "Are you here for Ms. Romanoff?" Who? That must be your clients last name. "She said she was expecting a guest soon." The lady was being extra kind to you, she had an inviting smile. You almost wanted to never lie to her. "Yes, I'm here to see Ms. Romanoff." you replied quietly. It felt like your voice would echo too hard around the warmly lit lobby. You thought it would break you to hear your own voice shrill around such a pristine room.

"Very well, I'll show you to her room." Your nerves began to spike more the higher up you went. It was as if every floor number on the elevator was the level of anxiety you started to feel. Your palms were sweating and you could've sworn your back was too. The lady just kept her eyes forward with a meek little smile. It took every fiber of your body to not explode your feelings all over that elevator.

Ding

The elevator stopped, of course she was in a penthouse suite. You rolled your eyes as how predictable this situation was playing out. The kind lady, who's name you definitely forgot to get, remained in the elevator as you walked out. "There's a number for room service if you ladies need anything." She sung out. "Thank you."

The walk to her door seemed to never end. Your feet were dragging like gravity was doing everything in its power to keep them on the ground. The air was getting hotter as time slowed in the short distance it took to reach her door. You rang the little buzzer and a melodic voice called beyond the frame.

"Coming!"

You could hear the light patter of a single set of feet. The knob then turned and revealed a stunning short redhead with bright eyes. You were certainly gawking at the sight of her but there was nothing you could do to pull your own attention away. She had a smirk on her face when she saw you staring but not saying anything. "You must be Y/N, it's very nice to meet you. Come in and lets get you introduced to everyone."

She reached out her hand to you and you took it gently. her palms were much colder than yours and her fingers were long and slender. her hair was shoulder length and fire-y. The room was massive, and clean. She had all of the blinds closed to keep any natural light and eyes from entering the den. Scanning the room some more you noticed a couple items around the room. Non-traditional furniture. It was going to be one of those events. There were also four other heads aside from the host's. She turned around once reaching the main room and faced you. "My name is Natasha, over there is Wanda," another read-head standing behind everyone else with a glass of wine in her hands, she lightly nodded, "...that is Carol in the middle," a blonde woman with a bright and bubbly smile. She seemed taller than the rest but she was also sitting down on a piece of equipment that will no doubt be used in a different way by you. Natasha gestured to a brunette, "...this is Maria," another tall and slender woman, didn't offer a smile but a simple wave to your direction. You were scared of her the most. "...and this is Yelena." A second blonde who's face was much more stoic than Maria's. You take it back, she scared you the most.

Natasha's hand unhooked from yours and made its way up your back to settle on the back of your neck. The pads of her fingers added slight pressure to the muscles there as if she could feel all of your tension in waves. You felt her lean in closer, her hot breath fanning your ear. "There's a bathroom in the hall to the right. I got a cute little outfit waiting for you." You could feel her soft lips smiling against the curve of your ear. the feeling made you shiver. You managed to follow her eyes and swiftly walk to the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

You looked around and found the outfit in question. It was sleek all black leather body suit with a halter neck. You lifted it up in your hands and rubbed the material under your fingers. Next to it sat a bottle of lubricant no doubt to get the body suit on. You got to work shedding the current clothes you had on and began to slide on the little leather number. It wasn't too tight but certainly snug against your frame. The only thing out of the ordinary besides the material was, you noticed, a tiny little zipper in between your legs. If unzipped would reveal your very private essence. The thought made you blush a little to yourself. After cleaning up, you made your way back to the room where the women had sat prior.

Since you calmed down a little, you took the opportunity to fully take in your surroundings. The hall was adorned in art more than likely as expensive as this room. Everything seemed darker than when you arrived. To your surprise when you entered the living room area, the room lighting was red as opposed to the normal LED lighting.

Natasha held her hand out to you again for you to take. You obliged her and she pulled you close into her side. Natasha's deft fingers traveled up and down your ribs before finding purchase on your backside. "You look like the most delicious treat. None of us can wait to eat you. Would you like a drink before we start?"

The other women started moving closer almost circling you like sharks. "Yes please." Natasha poured you a glass as she went on, "We should go over some rules before we start. If at any point you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or hurt, the safe word is 'Heart'. We all stop what we're doing and will help you. If at any point you are gagged, two taps to the closest person will get all of us to cease as well. Because of those rules you will not be bound and gagged simultaneously...at least not this session." She ends her rules with a wink toward you. All of these women truly were stunning and it piqued your interest to know what they could possibly be capable of.

Wanda came closest to you first, she pulled the wine glass away from your lips and replaced it with her own lips. Holding your hand with the glass close to her chest and cupping your cheek with the other. Her lips were sinfully soft as was her kiss. She felt delicate and gentle against you, she almost seemed to not match any of this situation. Natasha took your wine glass away while you continued to make out with Wanda, who let her hands roam lower down your body. Your own hands moved behind her neck. Another set of arms wrapped around you from behind. "You're such a pretty kitten." They nibbled on your ear making you separate from Wanda to see who it was. Carol smiled down at you and found the very lips that left Wanda. You moaned into her mouth at feeling how she controlled and dominated the kiss, very different from Wanda's passion. Wanda moved down to kissing your neck and shoulder.

You could hear other giggles in the back. Natasha kept her eyes trained on you as Yelena and Maria began to touch each other in the mean time waiting for you. After a few minutes of watching her friends have all of the fun, Natasha made her way over to you, Carol, and Wanda. She pulled the other red-head back by her locks and pressed her lips to hers in a searing kiss. You heard Wanda moan out into the other woman's mouth next to you causing you to release your own into Carol. This made the blonde swiftly lift you up and wrap your legs around her waist. She brought you over to a nearby bench and kissed you harder. All of the sounds you were making began to rile her up.

"I'm not sure which one of us is more excited to have you here, pretty girl. All I know is I can't wait to ruin that pretty pussy of yours." You moaned at her words and yanked her back down into another kiss. Her words went straight to your core igniting a fire that had been waiting to burn. You made a mental note to find whoever recommended you to these ladies and thank them heavenly. Carol sunk her hips between your legs and began grinding against you seeking the friction she wanted so badly.

Even though the leather was a new material to you, you could still feel the faux member that rested in her pants; Carol was packing. This caused you to move your hands down to her pants to tear the buttons away. The tall blonde grabbed your hands and smirked, "Allow me." She stood to her full height and slowly removed the black jeans she was wearing and revealed her long, girthy strap she had been hiding. Your eyes widened which made Carol giggle. She sunk to her knees where she seductively pulled the zipper on your suit down. She held your eye contact until you saw them shift to behind you. Natasha and Wanda had pulled away long enough to see what Carol was doing and decided to join again. The two red-heads began to undress themselves where Natasha also sported a rather large strap but not Wanda.

In your distraction upon noticing the other women join in, Carol took to opportunity to shove he face into your pussy. You moaned out loud at the contact. Her tongue quickly lapping at your clit and sinking lower to curl inside you. Her ministrations were making you squirm on the bench. She reached up to hold your hips down. "Stay still kitten. Gotta get you ready for our cocks." Eating you out was an art to her. Every move she made, made you more and more wet. Natasha slid her fingers into your open mouth. You sucked on them harshly slipping your own tongue in-between her fingers and coating them in your saliva. Nat removed her fingers and started to rub them between Wanda's folds.

"Eat her out for me, malysh." Natasha requested. You looked up at Wanda as she slowly lowered herself over your wanting mouth. Your head went fuzzy upon seeing all of the quiet red-head's intimacy. Your tongue immediately poked out to welcome her to you. She let out a soft moan and slowly began to grind herself against your mouth. Carol was growing impatient watching you eat out the other woman and feeling you grow more aroused in her mouth. The blonde stood to position the tip at your entrance rubbing the head up and down your slit before she slammed her length in all at once. You yelped against Wanda's soaked cunt sending vibrations straight to her clit.

The whole scene was turning Natasha on more and more so she began stroking her own member, hoping to find some friction. The other two women walked over to join the rest of the group partially feeling left out. Carol continued to slam into you at a rather fast and rough pace. The tip of her strap hitting that blissful spot inside of you with every thrust. All of your moans and whines brought Wanda closer to her orgasm. She came hard in your mouth before she got up and was replaced by Natasha's own cock.

"Suck kotenok. Mommy's getting restless." Carol did not stop chasing not only her own high but yours. You could hear her grunting from below you. All of this attention was turning you on more than you think you've ever been in your life. Even though one hand wrapped around Natasha's strap and the other gripped Carol's wrist on your hips, you were finding it hard to keep blowing Nat. Carol moved her other hand down to your clit. "You better cum for me you little slut."

And you did; hard.

Carol continued her pace and upon watching you come undone, did so herself. Three quick thrusts and she was spent. She released the most guttural moan before her body was replaced by another blonde. Yelena had this look in her eyes like she wanted to make you pay for every wrong you never committed. She removed her clothing and sat right on your bent leg. At this point Natasha was fucking your mouth deeper and deeper. Needing to ground yourself you wrapped your hands around her thighs. Yelena began to rub herself against your thigh. You could feel how wet and warm she was, her hand sliding up and down your slit collecting your cum to rub your clit in tight circles. Your whines didn't stop especially when you were already beginning to feel another orgasm approaching. Yelena slipped her fingers inside you, finding your g-spot with accuracy. With every thrust of her fingers she hit that same spot over and over. tears started to run down your face with the feeling of Natasha in your mouth and Yelena in your core. Natasha gave one last thrust before she pulled out.

Maria shoved three of her fingers to the back of your throat. She giggled when you gagged around them. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head at being finger fucked by the two women. "You're not allowed to cum before I do, else Natty here give you a nice punishment while I ride your face." Yelena only made the threat to turn you on more, but part of you was hoping it was true. It was hard, Yelena knew exactly what she was doing with her fingers but you could feel her slick slide down the sides of your thigh. God you hope she was close because you certainly were. Maria replaced her fingers with her lips and she kissed you hard sliding her tongue along yours. The brunette smiled against your lips when she felt your whimpers in her mouth. Yelena just kept slamming her fingers harder inside of you and rubbing herself quicker. Her breaths got faster and more shallow and as she came, a couple seconds later so did you. Your body shook with the most intense tremors, but Yelena couldn't fault you. She did cum before you, and something about it being in close tandem with hers turned her on a lot more than she would admit. You let out a soft whine when the coolness of the air hit your soaked thigh.

Maria left your mouth and moved between your legs. She put one leg over your left and the other under your right and brought your centers together. "You're a pretty little slut. I want to ruin you so bad." Maria started out ruthless. Her grinding was fast and hard as if she had been waiting to cum for weeks. You felt her in her entirety sliding against your own. The feeling started to overwhelm you. Carol took your face in her hand and rubbed her thumb along your bottom lip. "Open up you little slut."

You obeyed her and opened your mouth sticking your tongue out. At this point you were a blubbering mess and all the ladies were loving it. Carol spit into your mouth before shoving her cock in. "I saw you taking Nat like a pro, so I know you can take me." At least her pace wasn't rough but it certainly was quick. Your gags around Carol was making Maria closer to her release. She leaned forward to angle herself differently against you and put her hand around her throat. She could practically feel Carol's cock fucking your face. Sweat was running down your forehead and your hair clung to every part of your body it could touch. You were close to being spent and you never looked more beautiful this way. Maria's hand tightened, her grunts were heavy. "Such a good little fuck toy. I'm so close baby." You didn't think it was possible for Maria to go any harder but she did. She came with a loud cry and slowed her hips down to ride out her orgasm. You felt her wetness mix with yours. Maria's hand stayed for a couple more minutes, entranced by feeling Carol deep in your throat. The tall blonde slapped your face a couple times before she pulled out. You were too busy catching your breath, you didn't see Natasha move by your feet. She lifted you up and turned you over on your stomach with your legs and arms hanging off the bench. Just when you were hoping it was over, you forgot that Natasha never officially had her turn with you. She rested her strap on your lower back as she ran her cool hands in an attempt to soothe your burning skin. Almost mocking you for being the one to give you the final blow. Wanda walked up to you again. She ran her soft fingers in your hair and moved the stuck strands out of your face. Your breathing was heavy and your body was trembling. Wanda's fingers moved down to cup your jaw and she lifted your head. Tapping the side with her pointer finger, you got the silent request to open your mouth for her. In unison, as Wanda brought her cunt to your mouth, Natasha slid her strap inside you completely bottoming out. Nothing but incoherent noises left your mouth at being filled so sinfully. Wanda gripped your jaw harder as she rubbed her intimacy against your mouth for a second time. You lazily kept your tongue out to try your best to accommodate Wanda's wanting. Natasha on the other hand, had been waiting very patiently for her time and now that she got it she was going to make the best of it. She grabbed your hands in her own and pulled them behind your back to make it easier for her to pound deep into your cunt. When you felt her hit somehow deeper your eyes rolled back. Wanda picked up her pace just as Natasha did, both red-heads moving in perfect synch at opposite ends of your being. A jolt of paint hit your right asscheek igniting a new spark and effectively waking you up even if only for a minute. With every thrust administered, Natasha rained a hand alternating each side of your ass. All of this was sending more and more feelings to your core. You will not be lasting long if these two kept going the way they were. You could feel Wanda fumbling, she was about to come for the second time tonight. Natasha continued to get more rough inside of you until you felt the knot inside of you burst. You came hard around Natasha groaning against Wanda's own cunt. The sight caused Wanda herself to not be able to keep her composure and she came with a scream against your tongue. You felt her pussy pulsing with her orgasm on your mouth. As soon as Wanda backed away from your face, Nat yanked your arms back harder to push herself deeper than you thought was possible. You were screaming, a sweaty broken mess, absolutely spent in this five star hotel. Every thrust pushed harder against that spongey spot inside you. You could feel another earth shattering orgasm approach hoping it would be the last. Natasha's thrusting didn't let up, she was desperate to cum. She was moaning over you with every hit. You yelled her name as you came harder than you had before that whole session. Watching you absolutely spent around her

member, Natasha came just as hard with her final thrust. She stayed inside you to ride out the rest of her high before she carefully pulled out. Looking down she could see wetness all over the bench and her legs. Nat smiled to herself at being the one to make you squirt everywhere like a silent victory. Allowing you to lay and collect your bearings, the red-head began to clean up the room.

There wasn't much you could make out in your state, but you could partially hear Natasha thanking all of the women for coming over before hearing the door open and close through the ringing in your ears. Your were shaking, your whole body felt blissfully weak. The red-head padded over softly to your spent and soaked body and picked you up carefully to place you in her arms bridal style. Your mind was in a war with yourself between wanting just a little bit more or to just go to sleep. You couldn't even open your eyes at this point.

Natasha had brought you to the bathroom to help you clean up and as she moved about, she kept you in her arms. She made sure to hold you as she turned on the faucet and sit on the edge of the tub. As the water filled the tub, Nat moved between rubbing your back and gently caressing your cheek. Once the tub was filled up enough for the both of you, she picked you up again and cautiously lowered the both of you into the hot relaxing water. You couldn't do anything but mumble and cursed yourself for the state you were in even though it wasn't your fault. You desperately wanted to think your gracious host for a life changing night but nothing could come out. Natasha shushed you sweetly. Her time wasn't done until you were well taken care of in her company.

You don't know how long you were in the bathroom, hell you don't even know when you fell asleep as Natasha washed the night away from both of your bodies. Clearly still in no position to be able to make it back to your home, the red-head dried both of you off and brought you to the large bedroom. You had come back into partial consciousness long enough to feel the soft sheets and the plush comforter of this heavenly bed you were being gifted to rest on.

Natasha lowered you down and climbed on the other side before pulling you into her. She lifted your head to lay on her chest so she could easily hold you and play with your hair. She stayed awake until she heard your breathing even out again, signaling that you had fallen asleep again since the bath. She placed a soft kiss to your hairline before succumbing to sleep herself with a blissed smile on her face.

She'd definitely be requesting you again.

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AN: Not sure how I feel about this but yeah this is my wack attempt at something extra dirty.

#natasha romanoff x reader #maria hill x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #Carol danvers x reader #yelena belova x reader #reader insert #my fic #multi character x reader #fem!reader insert

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redrobin-detective · 3 years

Text

*crawls through you bedroom window* actually sorry I’m not done talking about the tragic, complicated clusterfuck which is Ben and Rook’s friendship/partnership. Because of how it was set up and their own personalities at the time, it was doomed to fail. I mentioned previously how neither got to know/understand the other and I retract that because it’s not entirely true. They did get to bond in a way that you almost have to when you’re in life or death situations together but they never talked about it and so each went on thinking they weren’t important to the other.

The whole nature of their partnership reeks of impermanence. Max obviously knew ahead of time that Gwen and Kevin were leaving for college and had time to prepare. Ben being on his own, reckless and stupid, was not an option. I wonder how many candidates they went through before they got to Rook. They chose someone who excelled at Plumber training, who knew the rules Ben never bothered to learn backwards and forwards. Someone who would balance out Ben and keep him reigned in. Someone who was obviously destined for higher management so why not give him the best field training possible? Rook, if not Ben, was certainly aware that it was a temporary thing. Ben was 16 going on 17, soon he wouldn’t need a partner anymore; this was the last attempt at training wheels. I imagine the partnership dissolved not long after Omniverse ends, when Rook becomes Magister and probably has new training and responsibilities. Ben, almost an adult by human standards and hopefully positively molded by Rook’s influence, is deemed ready to be on his own.

So imagine you’re Rook, you’re a newly graduated Plumber who was ready to take on the universe. You’re informed you’re heading to Earth and you will be working one on one with your idol, the Ben 10, the one who inspired you to leave your traditional, isolated homeworld. You meet your hero and while he’s got the watch and the quips, he’s also a child in a culture you don’t understand. You’re disappointed that your hero isn’t as perfect as rumor and propaganda told you. You’re angry and frustrated and you don’t bother to hide it, Ben almost seems to retaliate by being more obnoxious. The more time you spend with Ben, you realize there’s a method to his madness. He wins more battles than he loses, what Rook at first took to be Ben’s flaws turn out to also be his strengths. Seeing Ben in action snarling and laughing in the face of certain destruction, he realizes that Ben is, at the same time, a stupid, idiot kid who barely has an idea of what he’s doing but also twice the hero Rook thought he was. Suddenly Ben 10 isn’t just a poster in his room or a radio show to listen to in the dark, he is a real person and that makes him even more worthy of admiration.

And Rook does admire him, quietly. Ben keeps up his walls and Rook lets him because who is he to try and really befriend Ben 10? Rook is just one of billions of Plumbers in the universe, Ben is the universe’s savior. I bet before Rook ever stepped foot on Earth it was drilled into him that Ben Tennyson was to be protected at all costs, that Rook’s life was nothing compared to Ben’s. Rook already comes from a very restrained and private culture, he won’t initiate anything beyond what is needed for to the mission and to save his partner. It is enough for him to be able to work alongside his hero (even if said hero is thoughtless and ridiculous and has no sense of self preservation and he drives Rook insane but by gum does he respect the hell out of Ben when he isn’t contemplating murdering him). When the time ultimately comes for Rook to depart, he will be sad but not mention it. Because he imagines he is only a blip on Ben’s radar, a temporary partner before Ben goes onto bigger and better things. He never tells Ben that his loyalty wasn’t to the Plumbers, to Ben 10 but to the scrawny, sleep deprived kid who always remembered Rook’s favorite smoothie flavor.

Now imagine you’re Ben. You’ve saved the universe at the cost of your privacy, chance for a normal life, general sense of safety and sanity. You’re quickly losing track of what part is you and what part is the myth about you. Two of your three major support systems abandon you without notice. Over the years of AF/UAF, Gwen and Kevin saw all your brokenness, fears, vulnerabilities, watched you go from dumb kid to hero. You didn’t have to tell them these things, they saw them happen and just knew. And now they’re gone and you only have your grandpa who you love but is also sorta of your boss now. He tells you you’re being assigned a new partner, someone chosen without your consent, someone you’re expected to trust your life and secrets with. Fine, this Rook fellow will do. He can watch your back but he’s not having any pieces of your broken heart.

You fight, both bad guys and each other. The two of you have such opposite styles that you clash. He may have training and discipline but you have experience and incredible power. You fumble and bicker and somewhere through it all find an understanding. Suddenly the rumble of his voice is familiar as Kevin’s once was, his logical approaches and teasing barbs slot in where Gwen’s used to be. It’s not bad, you tell yourself. You know this isn’t forever, that it’s not real, but it’s not bad. Because you know first and foremost that Rook is a Plumber and you are not. You also know he is a fan and you are acutely aware how short you fall from the perfect hero ideal. Ben laughs, clinging harder to the arrogant hero façade and pretends Rook’s disappointment doesn’t crush him. If someone who’s forced to work with him doesn’t like Ben, then how can he be the beloved savior everyone tells him he is even though he doesn’t quite know how he got there? He’s just a kid doing his best and soon buries himself in his perceived role.

Time passes, Ben and Rook have been through so much. Against your will, he’s seen some of your broken parts. He sees past your cracks, sees your guilt and grief and bone deep fear. But he doesn’t seem upset, even more disappointed by the failure hero. He is kind, friendly, understanding. Not enough that Ben feels comfortable to open up but he relaxes, just a bit. Rook isn’t just a forced upon partner, he’s now a friend. But he knows Rook is only here because he was ordered, he feels Rook’s annoyance with him and believes his kindness is only out of duty. It’s fine, he’s used to everyone around him bleeding him dry of everything he has and then some. Just another part of being a hero. He’s not Kevin or Gwen but he is Rook and he is grown on you because Ben is always an open soul, one who wants to receive some love he gives so freely. You finally feel steady, like you can stop pretending so much and try and find some peace and happiness in your dangerous, chaotic life.

Suddenly so fast, you’ve saved the universe once more and Rook is moving on. It’s like Gwen and Kevin leaving all over again. Rook himself seems excited to move up the ranks, to get more tassles on his uniform. He is a soldier at heart, you are not even if you play the part of one. You are a child only you’re not anymore, while you were busy saving everyone again and again your childhood was stolen from you. Now on the edge of adulthood, you’re told it’s time to take responsibility. You want to scream you’ve been doing that since you were 10 years old, that someone else can do it for a change. You want to beg Rook to stay, to drag Gwen and Kevin home, to hide your loved ones away with you and not have to confront the big, bad universe alone. Instead, you do what you always do. You swallow all your fears, your wishes and hopes and shake his hand goodbye and wish him well. You don’t tell him you’ll miss him, neither does he.

Rook and Ben part as the strangers they never stopped being even if both of them aches at the loss of the close proximity, of the friendship. Both are very much aware that the relationship was weak, transient, that it might have been something more if they gave it more attention. However, too many things were between them and both of them genuinely believed the other didn’t care as much. The rest of their lives they remain friendly, distant but polite. It’s not much different from when they fought side by side even if they wish it different.

#ben 10 #rook blonko #ben tennyson #this got long #also very emotional #I feel exhausted writing this #digging through those emotions #wow I want to cry for both of them but especially Ben #holy shit this kid really doesnt have anyone he can really rely on #someone who won't leave him or doesn't constantly demand things from him #the basis of all his relationship is doling bits of himself away #until its just him and the many masks he keeps up to convince everyone that its okay #when hes just screaming on the inside #god I bet when Rook leaves he just has a long overdue mental breakdown #you can't live with that level fo stress and pressure without snapping #losing rook who was barely a friend bc Ben refused to let himself get attached only he did and it hurts #but not as much as believing that rook saw him as another assignment a stepping stone to higher ranks #a hero he once idolized and reluctantly learned to put up with #bc Rook himself is too private and awkward to admit that he admired ben more after working him than he ever did as a kid #that seeing someone so small and so mortal doing what he does is just incredible #god the miscommunication physically hurts me #Im already lying down but like... I need to lie down

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amesstm · 3 years

Text

short s/o

Characters: Ushijima, Sakusa, Tsukki, Atsumu, Osamu, Kuroo, Bokuto

HQ masterlist

a/n: dedicated to all the shorties out there lol. Might make a tall s/o head cannon but I’m only above my national average by like two inches so I’m not exactly sure about that type of experience

✨Ushijima✨ doesn’t openly say it, but he adores how small you are compared to him. He secretly keeps putting things on the top shelf because he wants you to ask him for help. “Ushi, do you mind getting the cookies for me? They’re really tall,” you pout as you point above you. It’s surprising that you haven’t caught onto his inconveniencing of you yet. Or maybe you think that he puts it up there without a single thought because he’s used to it. He wordlessly provides you with the cookies but he’s really screaming on the inside. “Thank you, love!” You grin, once again making him lose his breath. “Do you want me to get anything else for you?” “Oh, it’s fine! I can reach the milk in the fridge haha,” you say, just a moment before Ushijima suddenly moves the milk on TOP of the shelf. You two simply stare at each other, with him waiting for you to ask for his help and you waiting for him to use a braincell. “Never mind, I can live without it.” Ushijima quickly pours you a glass before you leave the kitchen.

✨Sakusa✨ does the opposite of Ushijima, by putting things lower than they should be so he can ask you for help. While he may be prideful in other aspects of his life, he has no shame asking you to get the cleaning supplies - that he mostly uses - from the bottom shelf closest to the floor. For one thing, it’s an easy conversation starter if you happen to be upset with him. The other is that he also enjoys seeing you lean over like that. Is he ashamed? Nope. “Germ, do you mind getting the Mr. Clean sponges for me?” He asks as he pops his head into the living room. Even though you sigh, you still get up to go into the bathroom, “Why do you even put them down here?” “Because it’s the most convenient,” he reasons with literally no reason. Unlike with Ushijima, you totally understand what he’s getting at. Did you entertain him just a bit before leaving? Unashamedly.

✨Tsukki✨ is a mean tease every time you complain about being too short to get some things. “Ugh,” you pout, “Kei, can you get this shirt for me? It’s too tall.” After a good minute of embarrassing yourself in the store, -because gosh darn it the shirts were placed too high for you to reach- Kei only smirks at you. His shoulders shake a bit because he wants to control his laughter. “If only you were tall enough to get it,” he says before walking away. You grip onto his wrist with a terrifyingly sweet smile, “My temper is as short as I am right now, so you better get it for me you freaking tree.” When did his sweet little girlfriend become so scary? For the rest of the day doing errands, he’s an obedient and quiet Tsukki. If only Yamaguchi were here to witness this historic moment.

✨Atsumu✨ admires how long his jersey is on you as you give him a twirl before the big game. “Ya look absolutely adorable,” he grinned with pride. Did you steal a spare jersey of his just to show your support? You considered it borrowing, but Atsumu thought that you ought to keep it if he never needed it again. Although it looked like a normal jersey on him, it was the equivalent of a dress on you as it reached your mid thigh. “Oh shush, it’s just because it looks big on me,” you scold but blush nonetheless. He laughed like a five-year-old, “Exactly!” You resisted the urge to roll your eyes, deciding that he needed this to calm his nerves before his starting serve. “Just make sure I’m not wearing your jersey for no reason,” you start. Then you remembered something, “Don’t kill any fans if they talk during your serve!” He smirked as he looked behind you one last time, “No promises on that one, sweetheart.”

✨Osamu✨ loves when you hug him from behind in the morning as he cooks breakfast. His heart flutters and he feels all warm inside when you rub your cheeks against his back. “Good mornin’, doll,” he softly says with his low morning low. He could feel you smile as you said, “I wondered why I woke up alone in bed, but this is a pleasant surprise.” “What else would I be doing besides be with you or cook?” Your shrug was the only response as you rested on his body before moving to sit on the counter. “The usual?” He asked as he broke an egg in one hand. It was true love that he knew how he liked your eggs in the morning. You grinned, “Of course, love.” You two kissed, with you finally not having to tilt your head upwards to meet his face.

✨Kuroo✨ is a nice tease. He watches you struggle to reach for the top shelf in the grocery store because your favorite candy was up there. “Having trouble, kitten?” He asks with a sly grin on his face. Stubborn as always to prove that you didn’t need your tall boyfriend to get something, you put on a slightly pained smile, “Everything is perfectly fine!” He decides that he’ll wait another minute because that’s when you examine how to climb up the shelf. Using a shopping cart to add a few more centimeters, you finally retrieved your candy. With a loud laugh, Kuroo cheers for you, “Good job! This time it only took two minutes!” It may be cruel to watch you struggle, but you were happy that he didn’t think you were incapable just because you were shorter than he was.

✨Bokuto✨ notices how you frowned because you were unable to see the festival display from the large crowd around it. So, he decides to place you onto his shoulders. Now, you understood why he endearingly called you ‘little owl’ because from his perspective you definitely were. Finally, you were able to see the display and it was amazing. Later, you were still thinking about that moment, “Do you think that I can be on your shoulders more often?” “Huh? Why?” He asks, tilting his head as he looked down on you. “I like being tall,” you declared and gave him your arms to show that you wanted to be lifted once more. You two were absolutely made for each other, because you were able to stay that way for the rest of the night with the same wild energy you both had when you arrived.

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