#Ioane's boots

[justcallmefox89]

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter Twenty

An AU of The Royal Romance with a male MC and a bisexual prince.

Masterlist

Drake and Liam learn more about Callum's past.

“What’s going on, Pops?” Callum asks again.

“You’re back earlier than I expected,” Niall answers, shooting a dirty look at Donny.

The blonde man shrugs nonchalantly, taking a pack of cigarettes from his jack pocket and tapping it against the palm of his hand.

“Yeah… turns out there wasn’t a problem at the club after all.”  Callum narrows his eyes at his father.

Niall innocently widens his eyes.  “I must have misunderstood.”

“Then you just mistakenly let yourself into my apartment while I was out?”

“I do own the building, Callum,” Niall sniffs.  “Technically I can go into any apartment I want to, with or without your permission.”

Donny lets out a slightly breathy and panicked, “Oh shit.”

Drake’s eyes bounce back and forth between the men like ping-pong balls and Liam sits rigidly next to him, tension evident in every line of his body.

“That’s how we’re going to do this?  Seriously, Pops?  You didn’t try that line on me when I was sixteen but you’re doing it now?”

“You had better sense at sixteen,” Niall snaps.  “Back then you weren’t jumping at the chance to ruin your life every time a hot piece of ass smiled at you.”

“I need a smoke,” Donny suddenly announces loudly.  He points at Liam and Drake.  “You two.  Come with me.”

Confused, Liam blurts out, “We don’t smoke.”

“You can hold my lighter,” Donny replies, tugging the pair to their feet.

Ioan rises from his chair.  “I think I’ll join you -”

“You better keep your ass in that chair, old man,” Callum grinds out between clenched teeth.

Stunned at his grandson’s tone, Ioan plops back into his seat, and Donny seizes the opportunity to hustle Drake and Liam out onto the balcony.  He manages to slam the sliding glass door closed just as the shouting starts.

“What the actual FUCK were you two thinking?” Callum yells.

Donny lights a cigarette and inhales deeply, letting the pale grey smoke slowly curl out of his nostrils.  “I hope the two of you are pleased with yourselves.”

“Us?”  Liam gapes, pointing between himself and Drake.  “You think this is our fault?”

“Isn’t it?”  He takes another drag.  “Callum was fine, happy again.  You two are back in his life less than three days and him and his father are at each other’s throats with Ioan snapping at their heels.”

Liam’s cheeks flush and he scowls.  “The MacKenzie family’s dysfunction has nothing to do with us.”

“It has everything to do with you, cupcake.”

Drake braces his forearms on the railing that runs around the perimeter of the balcony.  “I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen.  I never wanted to cause Callum any problems.”

He sounds so miserable that Donny takes pity on him.  “I know you didn’t mean to, kid.  But goddamn… why couldn’t you just stay away?”

The voices from the living room get louder and the three men wince in unison.

“He’s going back with you,” Donny says, flicking his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushing it with the toe of his boot.

Liam sighs.  “He hasn’t made a decision one way or the other yet.”

“I know my son.  He’ll go.”

Drake and Liam exchange startled looks.

Donny chuckles at their shocked expressions.  “I’ve been raising that boy for nearly thirty years, and I’ve been with Niall for almost as long.  Callum’s my son.”

“We didn’t realize…” Drake trails off, embarrassed.

“Did Callum ever tell you about his mother?”

“From the way he phrased it I assumed she died when he was very young,” Liam says slowly.

Donny barks out a harsh laugh.  “Fuck.  That woman will still be alive when there’s only cockroaches roaming the earth.”

Drake’s mouth drops open and Liam frowns uncomfortably.

Taking in their shocked expressions Donny sighs and lights another cigarette.  “That was probably unfair to Cassie.  We’ve always had a… complicated relationship.”

“So his mom is alive?” Drake asks.

Donny shrugs.  “He’s never met her.  She showed up once when he graduated high school.  Niall almost had an aneurysm.  She futzed around a bit, said she wanted to finally meet her son.  But in the end she did what she always does and disappeared before anything could happen.  Thank god we didn’t tell the kid anything and get his hopes up.”

“How did… How long… um…” Liam flounders, unable to articulate the potentially offensive question.

“You wanna know how I fit in to all this?”  Donny grins around the cigarette in his mouth.

Drake and Liam nod in unison.

“I met Niall when I started working for Ioan, back when the old man was still running everything.  I was young, stupid, pissed at the world.  Dishonorably discharged from the military.  At the beginning I was just supposed to be muscle at a few of the different strip joints, but for whatever reason Ioan took me under his wing.  Brought me into his home, started teaching me about the business.”

“Is that when you started dating?” Liam asks.

Donny laughs and rolls his eyes.  “Fuck no.  Back then there was no telling me I was anything but straight.  But we got to be friends and if I had the occasional thought about how good his ass looked then I would just ignore it.  I knew Niall batted for both teams and it never bothered me… but back then I just wasn’t ready to accept certain things about myself, you know?”

“Oh, I know.”  Drake gives Liam a slightly dirty look from the corner of his eye and the king’s cheek flush a soft pink.

“Anyway, one night we’re out with some of our other friends doing a bar crawl and we wind up at this dive that has live music.”  Donny stubs out his cigarette on the balcony railing.  “Cassie’s band was playing that night.  I hate to say anything nice about the woman but she’s a fuckin’ stunner and goddamn talented to boot.  Long story short Niall starts chattin’ her up after her band has finished for the night and they start seein’ each other.  This goes one for a few months, and Niall and I started drifting apart a little.  I didn’t really understand it then, but looking back I was jealous of Cassie and seeing them together… hurt.”

“I get that,” Drake murmurs softly, looking down at his feet.  With a sad smile, Liam silently reaches out and takes his hand.

“So after they’ve been together a few months Niall gets picked up on some charges related to uh… a few substances that were being sold out of a few of the clubs.  Gets sentenced to five to ten.  Cassie disappears.”  Donny rolls his eyes. “Me and Ioan weren’t all that surprised, she was never all that serious about Niall and it’s hard enough being in a relationship with somebody on the inside when you’re committed.�� We moved on thinkin’ she was gone for good.  Niall being locked up was hell on the old man, and I wasn’t taking it much better, but we were doing the best we could.  Then about eight months into Niall’s sentence, I get a phone call from Cassie.”

Drake and Liam lean forward, drawn in by the older man’s story.

“So it’s two in the morning, and I’ve got this chick I can’t stand calling me at the club I was working at that night.  I was ready to tell her to piss off, but she starts crying, telling me she’s at the hospital and I’m the only one she can call for help.  And me being a total fucking sucker I went to the hospital because I knew that’s what Niall would’ve wanted.  I show up and she’s in a hospital room, lying in bed, holding a fucking baby of all things.”

“Callum,” Liam says quietly.

“Bingo.”  Donny shoots a pair of finger guns towards him.  “At first I didn’t know what the hell to think.  Honestly I just wanted to leave her there and pretend I never saw a thing.  She breaks down crying again, saying she doesn’t know what to do, didn’t know who to call since Niall’s in prison, she’s scared of Ioan, she needs help, and on and on.”

“Wait, why was she scared of Ioan?” Drake asks.

“You’ve met the old man, yeah?  Are you scared of him now?”

Without hesitation Drake and Liam both nod.

“Now imagine him thirty years ago and pretend you’ve been hiding the fact that you were pregnant with his only son’s child.”

The pair shudder.    

Donny nods.  “Exactly.  I didn’t know what the fuck to do anymore than she did, and I told her so.  She begged me to stay with her just a little while, asks me to hold the kid so she could take a shower and get some things situated with the hospital.  I didn’t have the heart to say no.  I mean, the poor girl had been alone in the hospital with a brand new baby for three days at that point, I figured that was the least I could do for her.  So she gives me the kid, just this squishy little thing, and I settle down with him while she goes to clean up.  He was the cutest fucking thing, all fuckin’ chubby baby rolls and this thick, curly black hair.  I didn’t mean to but as some point I fell asleep holding him.  Next thing I know, Callum is screaming his lungs out and I got a pissed off nurse shaking me awake asking me where Cassie was.”

“And where was Cassie?” Liam asked.

“Fuck if I know.  As soon as I fell asleep she grabbed her shit and got the hell out of dodge.”

“She just left her baby with you?  Without telling you where she was going?  She didn’t even really know you!” Drake exclaims.

“I feel like we’ve already established she’s not a good mom, kid.”  Donny gives him an exasperated look.  “So I’ve got Callum, fresh out of the oven, Niall’s locked up, and I don’t have the first fucking clue how to find Cassie.  I’m only 28, living in a shitty apartment, spending nearly all my free time drunk, high, or both.”

Drake starts to speak, hesitates, then powers on.  “Why didn’t you just call Ioan and let him take care of it?”

“Siobhan, Callum’s grandma, was fighting a losing battle with breast cancer.  Ioan wasn’t handling it well… didn’t seem fair to add something else to the bullshit he was dealing with.  He wasn’t in the best headspace then anyway.  Siobhan was the only thing he cared about, only thing he could focus on.  Even if I wanted to let him have Callum I don’t think he would’ve been able to take care of him.  So I told the hospital I was Callum’s father, signed the birth certificate and everything.  Cassie hadn’t even named the kid yet, so I had to do that too.”

“You named Callum?”  Liam arches an eyebrow in question.

Donny’s cheeks turn pink and he squirms in place, an oddly endearing gesture for a man in his fifties.  “I knew Niall would want to honor his dad in some way, so the middle name was easy.  Then I just thought about what name I’d want to use if Niall and I would ever… you know,” he mumbles.

Liam and Drake share a conspiratorial smirk.  “That’s adorable,” Liam says.

Donny coughs, looking slightly uncomfortable.  “Anyways.  The nurses gave me a crash course in fatherhood then shoved me out the door.  I waited a few days before I told Ioan and Siobhan… I wanted some time to think on what I was going to do.  I brought Callum to their house, told them everything that happened, and said I wanted to take care of Callum until Niall got out.  Siobhan wasn’t on board at first, and I don’t blame her.  I was young and stupid, never taken care of a baby before, didn’t know a damn thing about kids.  But for whatever reason, I knew I was meant to protect that baby.  Ioan was relieved, in a way, I think.  God only knows why but he trusted me with his grandson, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay him for that.”

“What did Niall have to say about everything when he found out?” Drake asks.

“Oh he was pissed,” Donny laughs.  “He would’ve taken care of Cassie if she’d told him she was pregnant, made sure she had everything she needed.  But the fact that she just abandoned Callum without a word was the thing that really rustled his jimmies.  He would’ve forgiven anything else but that I think.”

“How did that work though?” Liam asks delicately.  “With Niall being… indisposed?”

“You can say he was in prison, Your Majesty.”  Donny smirks.  “Niall didn’t want Callum to see him in that place, so they didn’t actually properly meet until Callum was six.  Niall wrote letters every week, and I read them to him.  Things got a little more complicated when Callum started to talk and then he had a whole lot of questions.  I always made sure he knew that Niall was his dad, but I never let him forget just how much I loved him too.  The adjustment period after Niall got out was rough on all of us.  Callum didn’t want to leave me, and Niall didn’t want to be away from his son.  Understandably.  So Niall got a bigger apartment and Callum and I moved in with him.”

“So is that when you and Niall got together?”

Donny grins at Drake question.  “Not quite.  By that time I had pulled my head out of my ass enough to realize that I wasn’t quite as straight as I wanted to believe.  It was a couple more years before Niall and I got into a proper relationship.  But that is a story for another time.”

Donny sighs and runs his hands through his hair.  “Look, at the end of the day Callum is going to do whatever he wants to do… no matter what me, Niall, or Ioan have to say about it.  Just… just take care of my boy, ok?  Try not to hurt him any more than you absolutely have to.”

“I don’t… I never want to hurt Callum,” Liam protests.

“Are you still going to marry that girl you’re engaged to?”

Liam stay silent, anxiously gnawing on his lower lip.

“Then he’s going to be hurt,” Donny replies with a sad smile.  He looks through the sliding glass door into the living room, frowning.  “Shit.”

Drake and Liam whip around just in time to see Niall glare up at his son one last time before stalking out the front door, Ioan following closely behind him.  Callum tips his head back and his shoulders slump, but he quickly collects himself and moves into the kitchen.

“That went about as well as I thought it would,” Donny sighs.  “Give me a few minutes.”

Drake and Liam wait out on the balcony while Donny says goodbye to Callum.

“We’re being selfish,” Drake says eventually.

Liam glances over at him.  “Excuse me?”

“We have royally fucked up Callum’s life.”

“I see what you did there.”  The Cordonia king smirks over at his friend.

Drake shoves him away half-heartedly.  “Stop.  I’m being serious.  I wasn’t thinking about Callum when I dragged him back into this.  Not the way I should have.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When we got to New York all I was focused on was finding Callum again because I missed him.  Because I wanted to remind you that you could actually be with someone you loved instead of Madeline.  I didn’t think about what would happen to his life, how all of us being back together would affect him.”

“Considering how close the two of you have gotten I wouldn’t say our returning presence has been all bad.”

Drake blushes furiously.  “I...  That’s not…  Liam!”

“Just saying.”  Liam shrugs innocently. 

“What I meant was that I only considered how having Callum back would make our lives better, make us happier.  I didn’t even stop to think about what that would mean for his life here… with his family, and his job, and his other friends.  How can we ask him to leave all that for us again?  Especially when you’re still going through with the wedding to Madeline.”

Liam groans.  “Why do we keep having to go over this?  I have a duty, an obligation to Cordonia.  That doesn’t mean we can’t be together.  All three of us.”

“This!”  Drake smacks Liam’s chest.  “This right here is the problem!  Callum won’t be happy just being your affair on the side.”

“And you will be?” Liam challenges.

“Of course I won’t!  But if that’s the price I have to pay to be with you again I will.  Callum can’t do that though.”

Liam scowls.  “Can’t or won’t?”

“That’s not fair,” Drake sighs.

“What Callum’s asking isn’t fair either.”

“Callum actually isn’t asking you to do anything,” Drake points out.  “He only told you what he was willing and not willing to do given the circumstances.”

Liam falls silent, unable to come up with a reasonable counter argument.  The pair stare out at the bustling city streets for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

Drake is the first one to break the silence.  “Liam, what are we going to do?”

@superharriet

@angelasscribbles

@kingliam2019

[thal-ent]

TW : Violence, character death, blood, objectification and unwanted sexualisation (nothing happens dw), dysphoria, body mutilation, (self) amputation

"Stay focused."

They still treat him like he's a child. Not that he really blame them, they've been doing that for most of their lives, next to them he's just a rookie. Still, he knows his strengths, knows his weaknesses. He knows what to look for before they attack, when the woods are silent and the air full of static.

His eyes look on the left, the right. He's with two older hunters, Ioan and Bogdan. They've been hunters longer than he's been alive, he knows he can rely on their experience and knowledge. Yet, something doesn't feel right tonight. Even for a hunt, everything is too calm, too silent. Vampires naturally make the living creatures around them run away, the stentch of death noticable to most animals.

The smell is stronger that night.

Left, right, still nothing. Had one of the other groups found a nest, they would've, should've informed the rest of them by now. Feral vampires stay close, hunt as a group and fight for the food later.

A sound, barely noticable hasn't it been for the silence that's envelopping them. Virgil raises his sword in the direction of the sound, eyes locked to the shadows. Ioan looks in the other way, makes sure it's not trying to trap them and strike from the back. Bogdan is silent but his grip is firm, his scared jaw tense. Wait for it to strike first, let them think you're the hunted.

Then show your own fangs.

Barely a sound is heard when it strikes, claws first, towards Ioan. Barely human anymore, probably didn't have a good feast in weeks. Yet it stands, not a sound from its mouth as its left hand is severed, limp on the ground.

It doesn't even bleed anymore.

One strike is all it takes for Bogdan to end its fate. One swift mouvement through the heart of the creature, black ooze covering the blade rather than the crimson blood of a living thing. It doesn't slowly disintegrate into ashes or fade away with grace. No, it just ceases to be, what was its knees touching the ground first. It'll go up in flames once the sun touches its corpse, in just a few dozen of minutes.

Ioan mumbles something, Virgil guesses it's a prayer. For the lost soul maybe, maybe for Bogdan who's using a part of his vest to clean his blade. But the three men all feel something wrong.

"The smell is still here."

He barely speak, barely whispers, but it's enough for the older men to agree in silence. Something not right, something's missing, something's-

There's blood on the grass before Virgil hears anything.

There's blood on his boots. On his coat. On his face.

Warm, crimson blood.

And standing over Ioan's body, a vampire. Tall, silent. Perfectly healthy, short haired and smiling with blood on its gloves.

How did they miss it. How could it hide from them.

Bogdan reacts first, sword flying in the creature's direction. Kill first, before it kills you. You'll grieve once safe.

More blood stains the grass as Bogdan's arms fall on the ground, the sword still gripped tightly in his hands. The man doesn't have any time to scream in pain when the vampire's hand crushes his throat, his cries reduced to a pathetic noise. Yet Virgil sees what he wants to yell in his eyes.

"Run."

But something tells him it's exactly what the vampire wants. For him to run, to be scared. For him to become the pray he pretends to be.

So he stands. Sword in hand, heart beating so loud he almost doesn't hear it speak in a soft spoken voice, too sweet and delicate for its nature and the blood on its hands.

"You're not running sweetheart ?" He wants to vomit, but he stands. Stares at it until it laughs. "Well, that's unusual."

It goes toward him, letting Bogdan's barely conscious form fall to the ground, letting it whine as he's loosing too much blood. He'll die soon.

He'll die too, Virgil realises. That vampire is well fed, its cheeks almost pink with warmth, his form too human. Its well fed, not looking for a meal. Its looking for amusement.

A bloody hand sets itself on Virgil's right cheek, slowly caressing the three scars that sit here. Just a bit closer and Virgil could strike its heart, kill it and avenge his compagnons but-

"One move and I'll rip your jaw apart." Virgil knows it means it. The red eyes in front of him cruel and curious. "You're very pretty... How old are you darling ?" He stays silent, but the feeling of claws in his jaw makes him awnser.

"Twenty."

"My, my, so young and yet so hurt already..." It smiles, a fake cry, an apology that doesn't try to be convincing. "Tell me, what did you think you'd do here ?" It takes the cross that sits around Virgil's neck in its hand, staining it with blood as well. "Hurt some ghouls ? Clean the mess ? Really, a shame."

"We're hunting."

"You're saying this like I'm not hunting too. What, it true ! I hunt for fun. Just like any human could."

It drags its hand lower, its fingers meeting leather strong enough to stop any teeth from piercing it, no matter how sharp, around the boy's neck.

Just a few minutes. The dawn is near. He thinks, at least. It should be.

"You hunters and your idiotic "bite-proof" outfits..." It rolls its eyes and smiles, its fangs shining in the darkness. "Should I tell you where it is not ? I feel quite hungry looking at you."

A shudder pass through Virgil's body, his nausea coming back stronger than before. He knows what it means, sees how it's looking at his chest, his legs, his arms, his hips. Feels the familiar way his body yells to rip everything out, or to rip what's looking at him.

But for now he can only wait to strike.

Maybe the vampire thinks it has already won and that's why it lets Virgil keep his sword, steady in his left hand.

He feels a fangs caress his right hand before he moves, more like a reflex than real though.

Maybe he thinks about something.

A tired smile. Eyes that are just as tired behind glasses.

I can't die yet.

The pain in his hand is burning as black ooze falls on his blade and blood runs from his palm.

It bit his hand.

He pierced its heart.

It laughs, eyes wide, unbelieving. The wound does not close, the silver of the blade burning the creature as if it was the sun.

Virgil rips his shirt and quickly creates a tourniquet above his wrist. His veins turn to ooze under it, the venom stopped where the blood stops flowing.

Barely a second pass.

The vampire launches towards him.

He's covered in black liquid as the vampire's head roll on the ground.

But he cannot rest yet.

He rips another part of his shirt, the leather underneath his only shield as the sun slowly rises. His blade is clean, sharp as always.

Another part of his shirt is ripped, a clean one, and he stuffs it in his mouth. He plants his blade to the ground, and put his arm under where it should cut.

He doesn't have time.

He barely scream behind the gag.

Blood and onze come out of the severed limb.

He has no time.

He gets his sword back. Get the gag out.

The sun is out.

The vampires burn quickly. His limp arm does slowly.

He needs to go home.

He feels the blood on him.

He needs to go home.

He's barely conscious when the day patrol finds him stumbling in the forest.

I need to go home.

He's brought to his father's house. He hears whispers, cries, panic.

I'll be home, Bastien.

It's his only though, as the dark claims him.

He swears, to whoever will hear him.

He'll go back to him.

[rugbylovers]

Sir Clive Woodward delivers brutal 'four word' verdict on England's Six Nations opener Sir Clive Woodward has been revie... #funny #memes #sports #live #tweets #win #twitter #tweet #bet #manchester #rugbymen #rugby union #irish rugby #super rugby

[campmurderparty]

glenn & mars.

“I don’t know, man, but you can now consider me a fan of the new founding fathers.” For a moment there, glenn just laughed. Much like before, he had been bordering on nervous giggling that quickly gave way to hysterical guffawing. Twenty-four whole hours of chaos? Glenn had a hard time believing his eyes. The world erupted in broad daylight and finally it all matched what he felt in his head at all times. He hated having to be a somewhat law abiding citizen, at least in public, because he wanted to hit someone over the head or rob them at random intervals all day. His entire life, he was told that he had problems with impulse control and medication was recommended, but ioan treharne rejected the whole idea of glenn having something wrong with him. Instead, his father spent glenn’s whole life trying to rein him in. that was why ioan even approved of his friendship with mars; he had hoped that they’d act as his impulse control. That was the reason why glenn, for just a fraction of a second, hesitated when the man grabbed at their bag. Only for a second, though! As soon as she planted the knife in the man’s shoulder, glenn sprung into action, grabbing for the purse strap with one hand and kicking the thief hard in the stomach concurrently. The thief fell to the ground. Glenn took his free hand and pulled the knife out of his shoulder roughly, blood spraying out over his combat boots. “Here,” he handed her knife back, stumbling a bit. “Jesus fuck. Maybe we should get out of here? Just for now.” glenn had no plans on letting twenty-four hours of the purge pass him by.

[dailyrugbytoday]

ENG 25-25 NZ Rugby: New Zealand's fast start, England's fast finish

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/eng-25-25-nz-rugby-new-zealands-fast-start-englands-fast-finish/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/eng-25-25-nz-rugby-new-zealands-fast-start-englands-fast-finish/

ENG 25-25 NZ Rugby: New Zealand's fast start, England's fast finish

Owen Farrell’s 100th England appearance looked set to fall flat, before England surged back in the final 10 minutes.

England scored three tries in a stunning final eight minutes to salvage an extraordinary draw after being outplayed by New Zealand for much of their Autumn Nations Series match at Twickenham.

The All Blacks scored two tries in the opening nine minutes, with Codie Taylor driving over at the back of a maul after Dalton Papali’i’s early intercept score.

Any hope England had of replicating their rapid start in Yokohama evaporated inside the first eight minutes.

First, Papali’i raced in under the posts after flying out of the line at the back of a line-out to snaffle Jack van Poortvliet’s ponderous attempt to feed Farrell.

The 21-year-old England scrumhalf, making only his third Test start, caught a glimpse of himself on the big screen as the camera cut to him under the posts. It was a moment to test the mettle of the most seasoned veteran, never mind a novice.

England sunk deeper into a hole when Taylor squirmed over at the back of a rolling maul shortly after.

Fourteen points adrift after 10 minutes, Twickenham was deflated. Their team could have been defeated inside 20.

Van Poortvliet was again exposed as Ardie Savea collared him at the back of an understaffed ruck, forcing a turnover and, after a string of phases, Rieko Ioane dived over.

But as New Zealand lined up a simple conversion for a 21-0 lead, referee Mathieu Raynal spotted a neck-roll clearout by Ioane.

England were reprieved and headed to the break a fortunate 17-3 down after Farrell and Jordie Barrett traded kicks.

Luke Cowan-Dickie earned a penalty from the kick-off for the second half to allow Smith to cut the gap to 17-6, before the England fly-half put Tuilagi through a hole with a deftly delayed pass.

Tuilagi was stopped just short though, and four minutes later the All Blacks seemed to have quashed the comeback flat.

Off turnover ball, Mo’unga picked out Clarke with a precise punt. The wing cut inside, halting England’s defence and switched with Ioane to open up a clear canter to the corner for the centre.

But England, out-fought and out-thought for the majority of the game and 25-6 down on 70 minutes, came on strong as they emptied the bench and New Zealand ran out of gas.

England clung on to the break, and Manu Tuilagi was stopped just short with his side 17-6 down early in the second half.

When Rieko Ioane sprinted clear after a cunning cross kick from Richie Mo’unga to score a third try, it seemed the tourists were out of sight.

But England – inaccurate and undisciplined to that point – roared back into life in the final 10 minutes as replacement Will Stuart scrambled over, Freddie Steward scorched in out wide, and Stuart burrowed over again in the final minute.

Such was the belief that flowed through Twickenham as England rampaged forward against the fading All Blacks, Marcus Smith’s decision to boot the ball dead on the final play – rather than chase a victory that had seemed inconceivable just a quarter of an hour earlier – was greeted with some boos.

It was a surreal end to a strange match that marked both England captain Owen Farrell’s 100th appearance and the first meeting of the sides since the hosts’ superb semi-final victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

And it is unlikely to dispel the questions surrounding either side after patchy seasons, a year out from France 2023.

Source by: England 25-25 New Zealand: Hosts fight back to draw with All Blacks

[someotherdog]

“i don’t know, man, but you can now consider me a fan of the new founding fathers.” for a moment there, glenn just laughed. much like before, he had been bordering on nervous giggling that quickly gave way to hysterical guffawing. twenty-four whole hours of chaos? glenn had a hard time believing his eyes. the world turned to shit in broad daylight and finally it all matched what he felt in his head at all times. he hated having to be a somewhat law abiding citizen, at least in public, because he wanted to hit someone over the head or rob them at random intervals all day. his entire life, he was told that he had problems with impulse control and medication was recommended, but ioan treharne rejected the whole idea of glenn having something wrong with him. instead, his father spent glenn’s whole life trying to rein him in. that was why ioan even approved of his friendship with mars; he had hoped that they’d act as his impulse control. that was the reason why glenn, for just a fraction of a second, hesitated when the man grabbed at their bag. only for a second, though! as soon as she planted the knife in the man’s shoulder, glenn sprung into action, grabbing for the purse strap with one hand and kicking the thief hard in the stomach concurrently. the thief fell to the ground. glenn took his free hand and pulled the knife out of his shoulder roughly, blood spraying out over his combat boots. “here,” he handed her knife back, stumbling a bit. “jesus fuck. maybe we should get out of here? just for now.” glenn had no plans on letting twenty-four hours of the purge pass him by, but not until they had a better handling on the situation.

NEITHER OF THEM HAD TO REALLY pretend around the other. even if they weren't always on the same page. mars wasn't a typically violent person by nature, but purge night had always been a fixture in her life. a captivating event that showed her that people could appear harmless one moment, and the next.. your waiter's biting some poor chump's ear off on the floor. life within the inner circle of the treharne mafia prepared her for times like these. mars takes the steak knife from her place setting at the table before gathering her bag. better to be safe than sorry, she figures. " twenty-four hours? " mars scoffs at the answer, slinging her purse onto her shoulder. " are we both deaf now, sport? how didn't we hear the siren? " rather politely amidst the chaos of it all, mars pushes her chair in before going around the table to stand towards the patio steps. " kinda fucked of the big boys to do this unannounced. it's almost funny— " she's cut off by someone running into her, aggressive hands moving to rip her purse away from her. " hey! what— get off! " her freehand holding the knife jams into the man's shoulder with little hesitation. correction: mars is a violent person when provoked. " glenn! " her wrist twists the knife, shocked to see that the stranger won't let go, " fucking help! "

[muimuchi]

The Shinnaga Family (Angie x Korekiyo Family):

Designed an Older Korekiyo and Angie outfit for when they get older. Bare with my extremely young-looking parent designs and poor grammar ;). I also added Koa and Ioane, their sons. It is a whole family design after all. There is some information about them there but I have some headcanons about the family under the cut! Enjoy!

-Angie and Korekiyo’s relationship grew in their middle years of high school, but it skyrocketed as they were adults. Korekiyo had gone to college and studied, while Angie move back to her island to pursue her art career. I would like to imagine, Korekiyo eventually going to visit the island and running into Angie there after loosing contact with her.

-Angie being extremely happy to see him, drags him all around her island, not letting him rest at a hotel until he has met everyone, gone to every luau, and observed every bit of nature. She also adores to show him her art as well as the art of her island.

-Ngl she would take him to several volcanoes and make him climb trees with her to pick fruit.

-Korekiyo took an interest in Angie’s culture and found it unique, it was different then his own and he couldn’t pull himself away. Also the idea of blood sacrifices roped him in 👀.

-They probably at one point had too much fun at a luau and ended up passing out together, waking up next to each other- To which Korekiyo stumbles out mortified at what could have happened.

-Korekiyo and Angie probably paint together also. He sticks to sumi ink, drawing those old Japanese black paintings on bamboo paper, whilst Angie is more colorful.

-They would totally get married in one of those traditional Hawaiian marriages. Once they are told to kiss, Angie LEAPS into his arms. I s2g Korekiyo needs help after that. But he loves her regardless.

-They probably move in together and live on the island.

-Soon after their marriage, Angie gets pregnant (I would imagine it’s unplanned but Angie would call it a “blessing from Atua”).

-Initially, Korekiyo wanted a girl to name after his sister. He and Angie made an agreement that when they have a child together, she gets to name the boy, whilst Korekiyo names the girl. Turns out luck wasn’t on his side, he ended up having two boys.

-Ofc Koa is born and they need to dedicate more time to him then themselves. Korekiyo was pretty happy to have a human for himself (and Angie), he wanted to show him the whole world, all of its beauties, perhaps tell him about his “Nee-San”.

-Two years after Koa is born, Ioane is born also, another blessing-. Korekiyo at this point knows it’s time to stop, Yet he’s still very attentive to his family and would do anything for them.

-When caring for their children, Angie is more of the carefree parent, probably tosses her kid high up in the air, and leaves one of them at the beach, causing Korekiyo to worry around her. Korekiyo on the other hand, has no intent of harming or seeing one of his children harmed, so he’s the more protective parent of the two.

-Korekiyo drinks Sake more often, it helps- especially with Angie around.

-As the two children get older, Koa gets into dealing with spirits, Which Korekiyo is slightly shaken up about it. Koa would subtly bring up the fact that he wished to talk to the dead, but Korekiyo would brush it off not knowing he was actually doing so. Angie finds it questionable, but if it makes her child happy, she’s willing to comply and support Koa’s spiritual practices.

-I think when Koa is around 5-7, the family moves to Japan and keeps Angie’s island as a summer home/vacation spot. Because of them moving while Koa and Ioane are young, Koa had developed the same accent that Angie has, whilst Ioane was able to grow out of his soon after they moved. Koa still has his accent, not because it hasn’t naturally watered down, but because he chose to keep it that way.

-I bet in Hawaii they probably had a pet chicken (yes that’s a Moana reference). Well Angie did, Korekiyo would probably hate it because all it would do was peck at him- Did I mention Angie loves really colorful birds? Ngl she most likely had some hiding around.

-Speaking of animals, Ioane would totally dump snakes into his parents/brothers bed. Koa would freak out finding these critters in his bed, while Korekiyo and Angie would be more loose about it. They weren’t poisonous, why worry so much? Well, ok, Korekiyo wasn’t too keen on those snakes either. At least not in his bed.

-Ioane also tries to get away with his acts of mischief, But Korekiyo is always sure to catch him. Catch him, but not always punish him. Ioane has a way with words, similar to his father, so he can get out of trouble. Also, even though she doesn’t take favorites, Angie and Ioane are more clingy to each other, meaning she would defend him if Korekiyo scolded him for something small.

-DOESN’T MEAN KOA WONT DISCIPLINE HIS ASS. Koa tells Ioane stories about evil spirits who will come after him if he isn’t careful. Ioane of course brushes it off as a myth, BUT HE KNOWS, ONCE THAT MOON RISE AND HE HEARS KOA WHISTLING(whistling attracts bad spirits) HE IS SCARED SHITLESS. Koa then would throw some shit at his door, leading him to burst out and run into Angie and Korekiyo’s room.

-Ioane finds it mortifying, Koa finds it pleasing. If spiritual stories don’t work, Pulling Ioane’s ear, slapping him lightly on the back of the head, and even kneeing the back of Ioane’s knee, seems to fit for Koa.

-Koa isn’t an asshole brother, he is actually very supportive and maternal to Ioane. He could call him his second mom if he wanted. Ioane being a Hojojutsu master (thanks to his fathers interest in red rope), uses Koa to practice tying knots, to which Koa hesitantly complies. I bet if Korekiyo walked in on them, he would separate them for a week. No communication, nothing, he doesn’t want what happened to him and his “Nee-San” to happen here.

-Korekiyo’s hair grew out longer so his family enjoys playing with it and braiding it.

-THEY ALWAYS GO TO THE BEACH TOGETHER.

-Speaking of “Nee-san” Koa looks a lot like her, he’s mean to have her hair part, eyes, face shape, and mouth. Korekiyo is slightly pained by this, but it’s a guilty pleasure to stare. No they don’t have an incest-y relationship, but their bond is rather close. Koa sticks to Korekiyo more, whilst Ioane is closer with Angie.

-All in all, they are a happy family! Angie keeps things lively, Koa worries too much, Ioane… can be problematic, and Korekiyo deals with it all. As much as they can be hectic, they wouldn’t have it any other way, and adore every single bit about each other

[clove-pinks]

I just finished Hornblower disc four, and I know there has been some interest in me liveblogging my reactions. I'm worried my takes won't be well-received, even though I'm really enjoying the Hornblower TV series so far, because of my severe Captain Marryat/Frank Mildmay brain worms, and also my hatred of the fan favourite (?) Archie Kennedy.

I thought fans were upset that he gets killed off? I personally can't stand him and he can't get killed off soon enough for me. I'm wondering how much more of this character I have to endure (although it makes me more interested in the books, since at least I know they're Archie-free).

Ioan Gruffudd as Hornblower continues to literally glow with his radiant beauty in almost every scene. It reminds me of those memes about the anime main character, who is the only detailed, vibrant and unique character in a crowd of dull, ordinary people: except it's the most beautiful man on God's green earth, in a crowd of hideous filthy character actors. Like they really stacked this production with the ugliest men they could find, as if young Ioan didn't look pretty enough.

I'm sorry about the swooning, this is definitely not typical for me is all I can say. The fact that Hornblower is a swashbuckling age of sail hero means he almost inevitably has some Frank Mildmay-like moments, besides his curly dark hair and other attributes. Come to think of it, Frank's pretty cold-hearted—maybe this is why I hate lovable sidekicks idk.

I continue to enjoy fictional Pellew and even think he's handsome, but no one is half as gorgeous as Hornblower. He's like Frank Mildmay-tier beauty, except he has that stupid queue and breeches because it's (ugh) the 1790s. [eta: to clarify, I mostly dislike the long hair, and prefer 1810s hats too, breeches are okay if they are with hessian boots or gaiters, don't kill me breeches fandom.] I thrill whenever Hornblower shows some steel and takes command—ohhh Frank Mildmay dreamy sigh—although I always wish this was set in the 1810s. Or at least like, 1806-1814. What good is a new lieutenant if he doesn't have a shiny epaulette to admire in a mirror!

I still enjoy a lot of the costuming, and this is the part of the 18th century that I find most tolerable (the very end of it lol). I remind myself that Newton Forster takes place partly in this time. The production values feel overall better as the series goes on, and I really loved all the Napoleonic combat scenes and the redcoats. I appreciate that the douchy Earl of Edrington is a balanced character who is actually a competent soldier and leader. (Too bad his nice wavy hair couldn't be in a short early 19th century style, sigh.)

Captain Marryat, Navy guy that he was, took every opportunity to dunk on soldiers and said things like they never read books, and hate long sea voyages because of it. I feel like Marryat might actually have less evil French and Spanish characters? Not sure, and I'll evaluate Forester separately from the TV adaptation.

[ageofxail]

Under the Read More are details of my characters & their pets for a commission. VERY LONG POST! Click at your own risk.

Noel Thames Mercer. (FC: Ioan Gruffudd, as seen in Horatio Hornblower, Forever, Amazing Grace, Harrow) Representative of England. A somber, quiet fellow rarely seen to smile and never without a book in hand. Wears his hair like the first photo, dresses akin to the final larger photo. He does have long hair, which is worn in a low ponytail, often pulled over his shoulder.

He does use an arm cane, like this one pictured below. It should be featured in both his promo and pixel art photos! 

Playlist for this character:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFWnGVhNaCQitOZrkwk51-F-chnwPdrjX

Daniel Aleksander King. (FC: Aidan Turner, as seen in Poldark (2015), And Then There Were None, Resonance, Being Human). Representative of (Corporate) America. Extremely bougie man, spends money primarily to show off his wealth. Curly hair, wears a black yarmulke for formal occasions. I'd like him to be wearing a suit and bowtie for the promo pic, and a peacoat/jumper for the pixel piece. The scar seen in the first small picture is present in modern day!

Here’s a playlist of songs that meet his “air” :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFWnGVhNaCQhI0Ystha_z3ynftmAX2mhl

Jonas Emmanuel Federer (FC: Mark Seibert, as seen in Elisabeth: Das Musical, Mozart!, and Schikanaeder;; These are difficult to find many references for, as he is primarily a theatre actor with very few on screen appearances. Let me know if you need help finding reference photos for him!) Representative of Switzerland. Hairstyle is very consistent throughout each appearance. Usually dresses in semi-casual; collared shirts and nice jeans, hiking shoes on the regular. He is a percussionist, and a member of Topsekret Drum Corps (Link to a TSDC performance! They’re REALLY good!). He’s very serious and usually the first to lodge a noise complaint. One thing that does make him melt is really good music-- much to his annoyance.

Song that best encapsulates Jonas:

(In English) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtfMWOy3780 // (In german, from the Musical Mozart!, with subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWQz24Omoig

Sir Nicholas William of the House of Grey, (FC: Ben Whishaw, as seen in The Hollow Crown: Richard II, and Bright Star) Representative of Medieval England. Extremely playful and loyal to the crown, very little in the world means more to him than devotion to his job and playing pranks. In modern day, he is no longer attuned to the passage of time and hides himself away in the Tower of London with his raven, where he pretends as if it is still the 15th century. His clothing would consist of robes and simple, hand-made things. The beard should appear in his promo photo, but be reduced to stubble in the pixel art.

Playlist for Nicholas:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK_2xRaQF2rWo6eic8cMSD_MPB7MihRER

Bradley Marion Walker-Rhodes (FC: Ansel Elgort as seen in The Fault in our Stars, Baby Driver, West Side Story) Representative of Tennessee. Carefree as hell! Zero worries in the world! He is all about fixing up old cars (He’ll have an oil stain on any and every shirt he owns from checking engine oil levels!), playing music, and having a good time. World’s worst “secret” agent because, despite working for the CIA, he is completely honest and incapable of telling a lie. Lives Hannah Montana-style double life as “The Phantom of the Grand Ol’ Opry.” He’ll wear a flannel shirt, jeans, and a cheap pair of sneakers.

PLaylist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK_2xRaQF2rV09Sk158Vx_Uqbo-pRvuWd

Gabriel Epharim Hill (FC: Christian Bale as seen in Newsies, 3:10 to Yuma, and Psycho) Very friendly, loves horses and neat rocks. He’s never without a good pair of hiking boots, a nice camera, and a backpack to take home neat things he finds along exploring his state’s National Parks. He will absolutey wear a t-shirt that says SL, UT on it and have some kind of image of the Delicate Arch on his person, usually via a metal pin. He keeps himself clean shaven, but doesn’t put a TON of effort into styling his hair unless he’s doing something formal -- such as posing for a nice portrait. He is Daniel’s son!

Unfortunately, I don’t have a playlist for Gabriel lined up just yet, but the band F.U.N. is pretty good at capturing his air.

Now onto the animals!The first three dogs belong to Noel

Brighton Bay Bard is a wheaten Norwegian Buhund with a faded black mask. He’s only 6 months old! His favourite toy is a blue silicon anchor with a tug rope attached. I’d like to have him play bowing and holding said anchor toy!

Eyepatch is an elderly Dalmatian with solid black ears, heavy spotting, and a dark patch around her left eye -- hence the name. She is extremely serious and alert. A position similar to the first photo would be ideal!

Faerie is a white factored sable Rough Collie with her markings on her backin roughly the shape of a fairy’s wings. She is extremely curious and friendly! A raised tail and head tilted to the side should be seen, otherwise very relaxed body stance.

Eleanore is a mostly solid black Raven, with a white marking on her chest in roughly the shape of a crown. I’d like her to be holding a strawberry! This is Nicholas’ favorite raven.

Zeiger is a very atheltic White Swiss Shepherd (should be slightly bulkier than a typical German Shepherd, with a less pronounce curve to his forehead, and shorter, rounder ears). I’d like him to be trotting, ideally in a “Flying Trot” (The point of a  shepherd’s gait where all four feet are off the ground) -Jonas’ dog.

Kitty the English Foxhound is just as playful and un-serious as Bradley. Her tail is always a blur she’s so delighted to see a new person or catch a whiff of something to eat!

Skywalker is Daniel’s extremely shy bat-eared shelter cat, most likely an Oriental Shorthair mix. Her fur is thin and her whiskers are surprisingly long and her purr is loud enough to shake furniture. 

[ladytp]

My comfort movies

I was tagged by the long-waited but now returned wonderful @supernovadragoncat ​ to list my seven comfort movies – as comfort is the WORD these days…I interpret this to mean movies that if I saw them appearing in TV, I would be happy to watch them again and again, despite having seen them many times already.  I tag @bluecichlid​, @thefeatherofhope​ @awhigsfan, @contemplatingoutlander​ and anyone who wants to do this!

Shrek

This is such a brilliant movie; the storyline, the characters, the music, the whole notion of a fairy-tale turned on its head – how could I not find this comforting?

Love Actually

I have read some critical commentary of this movie and truly scratched my head – this is so delightful, funny and heart-warming that at least I find this comforting as an old, comfy slipper.

Crocodile Dundee

This one I saw first before I had even seriously considered moving to Australia, and this was such a revelation; funny, exotic, solid story-line, great comedic scenes – I could watch this over and over again!

King Arthur

Being a sucker for historical movies and Arthurian legends, I loved this movie when I first saw it, and love it still. I mean, Mads Mikkelsen, Ioan Gruffudd, Ray Stevenson, Keira Knightley and even good ol’ Stannis a.k.a Stephen Dillane making an entry – *purring*

The Castle

Australian humour at its peak – another heart-warming warm comedy that comforts like toasted vegemite sandwich on a cold day…

Strictly Ballroom

Another Australian classic – story about triumph through adversity and a love story to the boot – love, love, love!

Billy Elliot

Such an unusual and wonderful concept, and what a discovery was Jamie Bell for this role!?! I have loved him and followed his career ever since and have not been disappointed…

[softgrungeprophet]

saw a post about people’s bad fancasts for mr fantastic and now i’m just thinking about my own fancasts

ioan gruffud is primo reed, i would honestly bring him back if i were casting for my own ff movie...

avan jogia as johnny storm. i think he has a similar face, and he’s pretty and has pierced ears too boot.

someone... sharp for sue... agam darshi maybe... she has the right vibes, to me. or possibly aishwarya rai--smart, beautiful, striking... or maybe karen david... idk choices are hard and i haven’t thought that deeply about fancasting for anyone else XD

lik,e, ben, idk???? but i do love how in fant4stic reed towered over everyone and i would like that energy. short ben grimm please and thank you.

more thoughtful casting for victor would be nice too... the OG one from the 2000s had the right face but he sounded like a late night talk show host which was weird, for me

moving away from the f4

peter parker--honestly andrew garfield was the ideal BUT two actors i would love to see take on an older (aka older than 25), more serious peter are jake gyllenhaal or adrien brody... i think either one could be a very interesting choice and JG really fits, in my head, the 1970s kind of brooding ross andru peter with the blue eyes and the pompadour...

i’ve also seen pics of oliver jackson-cohen and charlie rowe floating around as fancasts for peter and while i don’t know anything about them, they do have the right look...

also if i were to cast a movie based on the what if story where flash is spider-man i’d just recast chris zylka and rewrite it to be set later... he’s a very good flash... tasm had great casting all around...

[queen-scribbles]

Blowing Smoke

for @pillarspromptsweekly fill 106: Awakened Anonymous

---

Of all her duties as Lady of Caed Nua, Tavi’s least favorite, by far, was the petitioners. She liked helping people, sure, but listening to a multitude of them drone on about shit their own mayors should be handling was not helping. It was sitting in an uncomfortable chair for hours on end and trying not to let her mind wander. At least the flow was occasionally broken by someone coming with thanks--or a genuine problem that required her attention. And she had Aloth to elbow her when she failed at not letting her mind wander.

Today though.... today had been an unbroken line of petty grievances and finger-pointing. Tavi was on the verge of tearing her hair out, flinging some choice expletives at the postenagos, and walking out when it finally, finally ended.

“I have never been so glad to see a kith’s fuckin’ back in my life,” she muttered to Aloth as the last one moseyed out of the great hall. She slouched on the throne and ran both hands through her hair, letting out a groan of relief that it was done..

“Today did seem a much greater test of your patience than most,” he chuckled sympathetically, offering her his hand. ”I’m proud of you for not punching anyone, much as I’m sure you wanted to.”

“Thanks, city slicker.” She took his hand and used it to lever herself out of the throne. Her knees were stiff from sitting so long, as was her back. She stretched like a cat, rolling her shoulders to try and loosen the tight muscles. “Berath’s ass, I need to go do somethin’ fun.”

“By which you mean beat the stuffing out of some poor training dummy?” He didn’t let go of her hand as they started down the dais steps.

Tavi shrugged. “’Less Keya or somebody’s willin’ to go a few rounds with me, probably. Is Ioan here? He’s always good for a fight....”

Aloth shook his head. “You sent him to Whitewreath, remember? He hasn’t made it back yet.”

“Oh, right. Fine.” She pinched he bridge of her nose as they stepped through the doors out onto the grounds. “I need my armor. And sabres. And then I need to beat the shit outta somethin’, be it willin’ hireling or sacrificial dummy.”

However, antsy as she was to hit something, enjoy her freedom on a rather beautiful evening, the man loitering near the fountain stood out too much to be ignored. His height and build suggested he was folk, the cut of his burgundy shirt and rich brown jerkin suggested Vailian origin, but none of that seemed terribly relevant considering his corkscrewing ash-grey horns and the flickering flames that swirled around his head.

He grinned when he caught her staring, looked her over right back. “Watcher?”

Tavi crossed her arms and arched a brow. “What’s it to ya?”

He made a deep, theatrical bow that trailed embers and smoke, spark-bright eyes dancing as he met her gaze. “Elias Colgrin at your service, ac? I realize your time is precious and you are likely sick to death of kith asking for your help-”

“But you’re planning to do so, regardless?” Aloth interjected dryly. He looked distinctly unimpressed by the man’s showmanship.

“With no obligation to do more than talk, I assure you, aimico,” Elias winked. “I believe we share a past... mutual acquaintance, and merely wished a conversation.”

Tavi’s brow arched even higher. “I don’t have a lot of acquaintances,” she commented, wondering how long Elias had carried the customary mes Réi  before he shed it in favor of his own name, clever as it was. “Who do you imagine we know in common?”

There were only two options, far as she was concerned. He knew someone from Silversteel, or had had a run-in of his own with the copperfuckers who kept trying to kill her.

“Ah, Watcher, you misunderstand.” He shook his head and leveled a significant look at her. “A past mutual acquaintance.”

The pieces clicked as she stared right back.  There was a feeling, a sense, to fellow Awakened souls; maybe only something she noticed due to being a Watcher, but whatever it was hung around Elias like a newly purchased cloak. Now that was interesting... She grabbed his elbow and dragged him toward Brighthollow, Aloth scrambling to catch up with her abrupt start.

“Tavi,” he hissed, “what’re you doing?!”

Elias chuckled before she could reply. “...You know, dear Watcher, it is usually customary to ask when you wish someone’s company.”

“You fuckin’ wish,” she retorted, then turned to Aloth. “Just trust me.”

He nodded and quickened his pace to open the door for her. Tavi released Elias’ arm once they were inside and led the way up to one of the now-empty rooms her companions had used. She opted to lean against the wall rather than sit on one of the chairs left behind.

“So.” She inclined her chin toward Elias as he dropped into one chair so his chest pressed against the back. “Exactly what ‘past acquaintance’ d’you think we share?”

“Oh...” He let the word trail off coyly. “A certain enigmatic Engwithan. Tall, imposing, impressive beard.” The bright spark of one eye briefly winked closed as he grinned. “Feel free to stop me when you guess it.”

"I think I got it,” Tavi deadpanned. “For someone who acknowledges how precious my time is, Elias, you sure seem intent on fuckin’ wastin’ it with fancy talk and guessing games. If you have somethin’ to say and aren’t just blowin’ smoke, cut the bullshit and say it.”

Elias rested his chin on the back of the chair. “Fair enough. The fancy talk and bullshit is my bread and butter; it’s hard to let it go, ac?” He cocked his head as he looked at her, the flames dimming slightly. “Thaos. I knew him. As did you.”

“What makes you think I did?” she asked, eyes narrowed. She knew some details of her pursuit had become common knowledge, but others had not. MAde her wonder where he’d gotten that idea.

He smiled thinly and shook his head. “Now who’s wasting your time? I do not come to accuse or recruit or whatever you think I’m up to. But I do know that you knew him. Previously.”

“How?” Aloth frowned as he settled in the other chair.

“Kith talk,” Elias shrugged. “You hear things, ac? Especially when in a tavern at the same time as another storyteller.”

She took his meaning; there’d been a good two decades where tavern chatter was her primary method of acquiring information. Kith did talk, especially when they were drunk, excited, or both. “Alright, then, how did you know him?”

He smirked and the flames flickered. “As a shepherd knows a wolf, honey-tongued and wily, come to steal his flock. As one who heard treacherous Iovara and her dutiful sister held up to contrast the waiting fates by those who saw their story unfold. I knew him as a smugly grinning judge who won my people to his faith in a trickle turned torrent, then accused me of heresy for not bending the knee to his wishes.” His Vailian lilt, which had vanished as he shared his past life’s experience, returned, and he smirked. “Heresy that could be forgiven through conversion and repentance, of course. Submission. Otherwise, the cleansing grip of Berath awaited, and hopefully my next life would be more receptive.” Elias gave a dark chuckle. “Given the memories do not extend much further, I think he--I--chose an honest death over a lived lie.”

“Good choice,” Tavi muttered, pushing away memories of pious hymns and muddy boots and the smiling face of a sister not yet betrayed. “And an interestin’ tale, I’ll give ya that.” She shoved off the wall and gave him a measuring look.  “How long have you--”

“Been Awakened?” He shrugged gamely. “Only a few months, aimica.”

She raised a brow. “You’re handlin’ it a lot fuckin’ better than I did that early in.”

“Well, I can’t speak to your experiences, but bearing Magran’s favor has necessitated learning to roll with the punches.” His eyes sparked brighter as he grinned. “Or, at least, look like you’re rolling with the punches.”

“Oh, trust me, I’ve dealt with some fuckin’ stiff punches,” Tavi snarked. “Dealin’ with an Awakened soul is still a pretty big change. ‘Specially when they’re real different from you.”

Aloth coughed into the back of his hand and Tavi winked at him.

“All that aside, though,” she said to Elias, “what made you come to me? Thaos is dead an’ fuckin’ gone, so you’re a couple months late for revenge.”

“What good would that have done me, anyway?” Elias scoffed. “He did not seem the type to ever question if he was wrong. Besides, the past is the past.”

“Well, then,” she cracked her knuckles, “why are you here?”

“As I said, kith talk. You hear things, ac?” He spread his hands. “From the tales I hear, Thaos has been manipulating the course of history and faith itself for centuries... millennia. I thought, .between the two of us, if we compared experiences--memories--we could perhaps find some wrongs he caused, or at least set in motion, that could be made right.”

Tavi’s thoughts drifted to the speech Thaos had made, the boasting of plagues allowed, beneficent leaders replaced with tyrants. He didn’t seem to leave survivors in his wake, aside from his own followers. And sometimes they weren’t even so lucky. Sacrifices for the greater good. Finding  some of the means he’d decided were justified by ends and setting things right was an enticing thought.

“It’s.... not a bad plan,” Aloth muttered, the grudging words yanking her from her reverie.

“Wait, you agree with him?” she blurted. She’d figured it would take at least a couple rounds of persuading.

“Not entirely,” he clarified, twisting one of his rings. “I’m not sure, at this point, how much good you can actually accomplish; in most cases it’s far too late for recompense. But if the two of you compare notes, as it were, you may be able to establish an idea of his patterns and methods, making it easier to trace events he may have influenced.”

“Ac, another good point,” Elias gestured broadly and grinned at Aloth. “I had not considered that; you may also find that useful.”

“And what’re you gettin’ outta this?” Tavi probed. “Most kith I’ve met aren’t this helpful outta the goodness of their hearts, why’re you so fuckin’ eager to help?”

“Who would not wish a chance to solve mysteries or right wrong hundreds of years in the making?” His grin widened and he leaned into the chair back, making it rock on two feet. “The tales alone would be worth my weight in gold, aimica. And to have the honor and privilege of working with the legendary Watcher Tavi Illani, Roadwarden of Caed Nua, well,” the chair thunked emphatically down on all four legs once more. “That will make me highly desirable to the curious. Knowing heroes always pays well for storytellers.”

Tavi stared at him as she weighed out his free acknowledgement of using her for the name recognition to line his pockets against the potential benefits of his proposal. He held her gaze steadily, the flames flickering and twisting around his horns as he waited. It sounded interesting, more fun than most parts of being the Lady of the castle, anyway,and if there was risk to it, well, that had never scared her before. “Eh, we can give it a fuckin’ try,” she finally shrugged.

“Belfetto!” Elias chuckled. “Agracima, Watcher.”

“Just call me Tavi.” She pointed a cautionary finger at him. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said as he pushed to his feet. “Hardly seems wise to cross one with your reputation, eh?”

“Smart man,” she smirked. “There are plenty of rooms free, since most of my friends have gone their separate ways, so you can have your pick of those. We can work things out tomorrow; gives you time to settle in and I” --she headed for the door, snagging Aloth’s hand to tug him to his feet as she passed--”have a previous engagement.”

“Agreeable terms,” Elias nodded, flames dancing brightly. “I shall see you tomorrow, then.”

“Both of us,” Aloth chimed in. However agreeable he was to Elias’ proposal, he clearly remained skeptical of the man himself. Probably a good thing one of them wasn’t swept up in the lure of  righting wrongs and fucking up Thaos’ schemes.

“Ac, of course,” Elias agreed easily.

“Well, this should be interestin’,” Tavi said, linking her fingers between Aloth’s as they headed for her room so she could get her armor and sabres.

“That is one word for it,” he replied dryly.

“Oh, c’mon, city slicker.” She squeezed his hand. “Even if he is just blowin’ smoke”--he rolled his eyes and she grinned at the pun--”having another Awakened perspective on Thaos will be interestin’. It’s a damn good word and you know it.”

“I will concede the point,” Aloth said. He released her hand as they stepped into her room.

“Thought you might,” she gloated as she gathered up the lighter chain shirt she used for sparring and grabbed her sabres. He rolled his eyes again. But Tavi caught his fond smile as they headed out of Brighthollow. He knew, sketchy as it might be, she would enjoy this pursuit much more than she would warming a throne for hours on end and listening to people complain.The possibilities of it were already getting her excited, she had to admit.

Whatever came of it, this would prove very interesting, indeed.

-----------

So, yeah, new OC. :D He’s somewhere between Tekéhu and Scanlan personality-wise, and while I love him, you can imagine how well Aloth will get along with him. :P

[thornyrose463]

I’m Dating A Superhero (The Internship and Fantastic Four crossover one-shot)

This is an Internship (2013 movie) and Fantastic Four (2005 - 2007 movie series) crossover one-shot. I like genderswaps sometimes, so I changed Johnny’s gender. The gifs are not mine. I found them here on tumblr. All credit goes to the rightful owners.

Summary: Stuart Twombly is a student at Stanford University and has an internship with Google. He is dating Johanna Storm, a member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four.

Rating: T

Warning: Swearing and violence

Cast

Dylan O'Brien as Stuart Twombly

AnnaSophia Robb as Johanna Storm/the Human Torch

Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic

Jessica Alba as Susan "Sue" Storm/the Invisible Woman

Michael Chiklis as Benjamin "Ben" Grimm/the Thing

Julian McMahon as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom

Kerry Washington as Alicia Masters

Danielle Fishel as Sarah Cooper

John Krasinski as James Cooper

Jennifer Morrison as Lauren Montgomery

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Patrick Montgomery

Bianca Lawson as Vanessa Lewis

Matthew Davis as Kevin Lewis

Author's note

I felt the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four movies were better than the 2015 Fantastic Four movie. Therefore, I have decided to work with the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four movies and not the 2015 Fantastic Four movie.

The Internship was made in 2013. Fantastic Four was made in 2005. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was made in 2007. In order to have the characters from the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four movies exist in the same world as the characters from The Internship, I'm going to need to make some changes and have Fantastic Four be set in 2013 rather than in 2005, have Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer be set in 2015 rather than in 2007, and have the Baxter Building be located in San Francisco, California rather than in Manhattan, New York.

Latveria is a fictional nation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted as an isolated European country ruled by Doctor Doom. It is located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains and borders Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.

Johnny is a playboy. She is not like him. Johnny is an ex-astronaut who, according to Ben Grimm, washed out of NASA for sneaking two Victoria's Secret wannabes into a flight simulator. Johanna never snuck two Victoria's Secret wannabes into a flight simulator. She is a genius and graduated high school at the age of 15 and became an astronaut at the age of 18. Johanna and Stuart are 21 years old in Fantastic Four and 23 years old in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Reed and Sue never broke up. Sue never dated Victor.

Johnny's full name is Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm. Johanna's full name is Johanna Louise Shannon Storm.

In American comic books published by Marvel Comics, Reed and Sue have two children, Franklin and Valeria. I have never read any of the comic books published by Marvel Comics, so Franklin and Valeria will not appear in this one-shot. Reed and Sue have a son named Bradley Richards.

In American comic books published by Marvel Comics, Ben and Alicia adopted two children, Jo-Venn and N'Kalla. In this one-shot, they only adopt one child. They name him after Daniel Grimm, Ben's deceased father from the comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Bradley does not have powers. Neither does Daniel.

Stuart Twombly had just finished grocery shopping and was walking to his car.

"Oh, fuck," Stuart muttered when he saw a flying piece of concrete heading right for him.

Stuart was nearly crushed by the concrete. A fireball split it in half before it could hit him, saving his life.

By Stuart's side was a tall and slender girl with fair skin, long straight blonde hair that was parted in the middle, and blue eyes. She was wearing a long-sleeved blue and black jumpsuit with the number 4 emblazoned on the chest, black elbow-length leather gloves, and black knee-length leather boots. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss.

The girl's name was Johanna Storm. She was a member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four.

The other members of the Fantastic Four were Johanna's older sister, Susan "Sue" Storm, Sue's boyfriend, Reed Richards, and Reed's best friend, Benjamin "Ben" Grimm.

Reed, Sue, Johanna, and Ben had been chosen by NASA to go up into space with the brilliant and wealthy inventor Victor Von Doom. There was an accident while they were in space, and cosmic rays gave them superhuman abilities. Reed, Sue, Johanna, and Ben became superheroes, and Victor became the supervillain known as Doctor Doom.

Reed was known as Mister Fantastic and could stretch his body to great lengths. He was the leader of the Fantastic Four.

Sue was known as the Invisible Woman and could turn invisible and create forcefields.

Johanna was known as the Human Torch and could control fire.

Ben was known as the Thing and had superhuman strength. He was bald, and his body was made of an orange, muscular rock-like hide.

Stuart had known Reed, Sue, Johanna, and Ben for a long time. He and Johanna had been dating since they were 14 and in their freshman year of high school. He graduated high school when he was 18. She was a genius and skipped sophomore year and junior year when she was 15, instead becoming a senior and graduating. She became an astronaut at the age of 18.

Stuart let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Holy shit. That was close."

"Are you okay?" Johanna asked.

"Yeah." Stuart said.

"Good." Johanna said.

"Flame on!" Johanna yelled. Her body became engulfed in flames. She flew toward the rest of the Fantastic Four.

Stuart got in his car and drove home.

Doctor Doom ripped a cable off a power line and snapped it into two snaking, lashing strips. He held the cable tightly, absorbing the power. Electricity started to course through his body. Lights flickered and dimmed in buildings around him. Windows shattered.

Doom glowed, amped up. He let go of the cables. The two deadly wires snaked out of control. Pedestrians panicked and scattered.

Reed saw the wires slashing through the air. He stretched his arms, reaching for the deadly cables.

Doom fired energy bolts. The electric charges surged through the air toward the Fantastic Four.

Sue tossed forcefields, exploding Doom's blasts. She kept her hands up, blocking blows.

One of Doom's bolts bounced off one of Sue's forcefields and smashed into a concrete stanchion of a building. The pillar started to crumble. The people huddled under the overhang were about to be crushed by the falling concrete. Suddenly, the concrete roof was steady. Ben was standing beside the stanchion and holding the roof up. The people ran out.

Reed grabbed both ends of the wire.

"Johanna, spot-weld!" Reed yelled.

"Flame on!" Johanna yelled. Her body became engulfed in flames. She flew toward Reed and put the wires back together.

Doom kept firing energy bolts. Sue struggled with her forcefields. The impact was too much. Her nose started to bleed.

"Can't hold on," Sue muttered.

Doom smiled evilly.

Reed saw Sue looking vulnerable, about to drop her hands. He stretched his body, expanding himself across the street and grabbing a tree so that he formed a barrier between Sue and Doom.

Doom kept firing energy bolts. They slammed into Reed's body, stretching his skin and distending his back. Reed strained, agonizing.

"Johanna, supernova!" Reed yelled.

Johanna charged toward Doom, the flames on her body building to a blinding white intensity and engulfing everything. She grabbed Doom and exploded in a pulse of bright white light, which started to heat up everything surrounding it.

Sue saw Johanna holding onto Doom as the heat and light grew. She shut her eyes, concentrating. A massive forcefield exploded from her body. It swooped past a car, which warped and melted. Half of the car was not inside the forcefield.

Ben turned to the crowd and extended his arm, blocking them.

Sue's forcefield enveloped Johanna's supernova, containing it in a bright sphere of energy. The light increased to the point that it was blinding. The crowd looked away.

Johanna's supernova faded. She collapsed to the ground, exhausted, smoking.

Sue opened her eyes and fell to her knees, exhaling. Her forcefield faded. The light flickered out. As everyone's eyes adjusted, Doom stepped through the smoke, unharmed. His metallic body glowed white, trailing molten metal.

Ben kicked off the top of a nearby fire hydrant. The water shot up, forming a geyser. With his right foot, he deflected the water so that it sprayed toward Reed.

Reed twisted his torso, and the water curled around his chest, racing down his arms and shooting off his wrists toward Doom.

Doom rushed toward Reed, but the water flew out and doused him. Massive clouds of steam filled the air from the cooling metal. He screamed.

Doom's screams faded to silence, and the water stopped. Thick steam clouds rolled, completely obscuring him from view.

The steam cleared to reveal a hard, cold solid piece of metal. Doom was a statue now, frozen forever.

Reed, Sue, Johanna, and Ben exhaled and stood as one in roiling smoke.

"Nice work, everyone." Reed said.

Friday

5:00 p.m.

Stuart walked out of the Google complex after finishing another day of the summer internship program. He spotted a crowd of people gathered around a red 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe with a license plate reading TORCH'D.

Johanna got out of the car and walked toward Stuart. "Hey."

Johanna was wearing an unbuttoned dark blue denim jacket, a white t-shirt, dark blue denim jeans, and brown ankle-length leather boots. Her long blonde hair was straight and parted in the middle. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss.

"Hey. What brings you here?" Stuart asked.

"I came to invite you to movie night at the Baxter Building." Johanna said.

Every Friday night, Reed, Sue, Johanna, and Ben gathered in the living room of the Baxter Building and watched a movie.

Johanna knew Reed, Sue, and Ben wouldn't mind if she invited Stuart to movie night. Reed, Sue, and Ben liked Stuart, and he liked them.

Stuart and the other interns worked Monday to Friday. They didn't have to work on Saturdays and Sundays.

A crowd of people were gathered around Stuart and Johanna.

The crowd looked in between Stuart and Johanna, trying to figure out how they knew each other and why she was inviting him to movie night.

Stuart looked at the crowd. "I don't mean to brag, but I'm dating a superhero."

Stuart wrapped his right arm around Johanna's waist, and they walked to her car. He let go of her. He got in the passenger's seat, and she got in the driver's seat. She started the engine, drove out of the parking lot, and headed to the Baxter Building.

The Baxter Building was built as an art-deco apartment block. Reed had rented the top floor of the building and turned it into a laboratory/home for the Fantastic Four.

Johanna and Stuart walked into the living room and spotted takeout containers from La Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant located in the Mission District.

Reed and Sue were sitting on a couch. Ben was sitting in a chair.

Sue saw Stuart and smiled. "Hi, Stuart."

Stuart smiled. "Hi, Sue."

Stuart took a seat a couch and grabbed a takeout container.

Ben looked at Johanna. "It's your turn to pick the movie."

Johanna sat next to Stuart. She grabbed the TV remote and began channel surfing. She found the 2010 movie Date Night and pressed play. She grabbed a takeout container.

One week later

Reed and Sue had gotten engaged. Johanna decided to rent a yacht and throw them an engagement party.

It was a beautiful night. There were stars in the sky, the full moon was shining brightly, and there wasn't a cloud in sight.

"Congratulations, Reed." Ben said.

Ben was wearing black dress shoes with black laces, an unbuttoned black blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into black dress pants. A black leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

Reed was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned beige blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into beige dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist.

"Congratulations, Susie." Ben said.

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Sue was wearing white sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a sleeveless white dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress reached her knees. It showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her long blonde hair was straight and parted in the middle. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss.

Ben's girlfriend, Alicia Masters, pulled Reed and Sue into a hug. "Congratulations."

Alicia was a tall and slender African-American woman. She had brown eyes. Her long black hair was straight and parted in the middle. She was wearing black sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a sleeveless black dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress reached her knees. It showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss.

Alicia was blind.

Alicia became friends with Reed, Sue, and Johanna shortly after she started dating Ben.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Sarah Cooper, one of Reed and Sue's friends, pulled them into a hug. "Congratulations."

Sarah was tall and slender with tan skin and green eyes. Her long brown hair with blonde highlights was straight and parted in the middle. She was wearing royal blue sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a sleeveless royal blue dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress reached her knees. It showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. Her wedding ring was on her left hand. It was a beautiful ring — a simple silver band with a diamond in the middle.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Sarah's husband, James Cooper, gave Reed a pat on the back. "Congratulations, Reed."

James was tall with fair skin, hazel eyes, and short, straight brown hair. He was clean-shaven. His body was slender but muscular. He was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned royal blue blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into royal blue dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist. A silver wedding ring was on his left hand.

James was friends with Reed and Sue. He met Reed, Sue, and Sarah when they were in their freshman year of high school.

James and Sarah had a 6 year old son named William. He was currently with Sarah's parents.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

James pulled Sue into a hug. "Congratulations, Sue."

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Lauren Montgomery, one of Reed and Sue's friends, pulled them into a hug. "Congratulations."

Lauren was tall and slender with fair skin and green eyes. Her long blonde hair was straight and parted in the middle. She was wearing black sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a sleeveless black dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress reached her knees. It showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. Her wedding ring was on her left hand. It was a beautiful ring — a simple silver band with a diamond in the middle.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Lauren's husband, Patrick Montgomery, gave Reed a pat on the back. "Congratulations, Reed."

Patrick was tall with fair skin, brown eyes, and short, straight brown hair. He was clean-shaven. His body was slender but muscular. He was wearing black dress shoes with black laces, an unbuttoned black blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into black dress pants. A black leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist. A silver wedding ring was on his left hand.

Patrick was friends with Reed and Sue. He met Reed, Sue, and Lauren when they were in their sophomore year of high school.

Patrick and Lauren had a 5 year old daughter named Alexandra. She was currently with Patrick's parents.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

Patrick pulled Sue into a hug. "Congratulations, Sue."

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Vanessa Lewis, one of Reed and Sue's friends, pulled them into a hug. "Congratulations."

Vanessa was a tall and slender African-American woman. She had brown eyes. Her long black hair was straight and parted in the middle. She was wearing teal sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a sleeveless teal dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress reached her knees. It showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. Her wedding ring was on her left hand. It was a beautiful ring — a simple silver band with a diamond in the middle.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Vanessa's husband, Kevin Lewis, gave Reed a pat on the back. "Congratulations, Reed."

Kevin was tall with fair skin, brown eyes, and short, straight brown hair. He was clean-shaven. His body was slender but muscular. He was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned dark grey blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into dark grey dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist. A silver wedding ring was on his left hand.

Kevin was friends with Reed and Sue. He met Reed, Sue, and Vanessa when they were in their junior year of high school.

Kevin and Vanessa had a 4 year old son named David. He was currently with Vanessa's parents.

Reed smiled. "Thank you."

Kevin pulled Sue into a hug. "Congratulations, Sue."

Sue smiled. "Thank you."

Stuart and Johanna were standing in a corner and drinking champagne.

"I'm really happy for Sue and Reed." Stuart said.

Stuart was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned tan blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into tan dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist.

"Me too." Johanna said.

Johanna was wearing sky blue sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a sleeveless sky blue dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress reached her knees. It showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her long blonde hair was straight and parted in the middle. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss.

The party came to an end, and everyone walked off the yacht.

Latveria

Two days later

Victor was placed in a wooden crate. His assistant, Leonard Kirk, oversaw the operation.

The crate was on the deck of a freighter ship. As two workers moved the door, electricity coursed through Victor's body.

Leonard's cell phone went staticky. His eyes narrowed. Could it be...?

The door slammed shut.

The ship pulled away.

April 2015

A silver object entered Earth's atmosphere, radiating cosmic energy that created massive molecular fluctuations and deep craters all over the world. The media was more interested in Reed and Sue's upcoming wedding than the craters. The United States Armed Forces, led by General Hager, asked Reed to help them track the being's movements. Reed initially refused, because he wanted to focus on the wedding, but eventually, he gave in. He created some monitors and began tracking the being's movements.

Saturday

1:30 p.m.

It was Reed and Sue's wedding day.

Patrick and Kevin were Reed's groomsmen. James was Reed's best man. Lauren and Vanessa were Sue's bridesmaids. Sarah was Sue's matron of honour. Ben would be walking Sue down the aisle.

Patrick, Kevin, and James had asked their parents to look after William, Alexandra, and David.

The ceremony was being held on Baker Beach.

At the end of the sandy aisle was a square wooden arch that was draped with white chiffon. A garland consisting of eucalyptus leaves and white roses rested on top of the arch. The pastor Reed and Sue had hired was standing in front of the arch. Rows of wooden chairs with white cushions were on both sides of the aisle. A bundle of white roses had been tied to the right side of each chair with a white ribbon.

Reed's friends from college were sitting on the right side of the aisle.

Johanna, Stuart, and Alicia were sitting in the first row on the left side of the aisle. Sue's friends from college were sitting behind them.

Johanna was wearing green sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a green jumpsuit with a v-neck, two spaghetti straps criss-crossing over the open back, and slim, straight legs. The jumpsuit showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her long blonde hair was parted in the middle and styled in barrel curls. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. A small silver chain with a tiny diamond hung low on her chest. A corsage consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, a white ribbon, and a diamond bracelet was on her left wrist.

Stuart was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned brown blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into brown dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist.

Alicia was wearing lilac sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a floor-length sleeveless lilac dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her long black hair was parted in the middle and styled in barrel curls. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. A small silver chain with a tiny diamond hung low on her chest.

Reed and Sue had hired a DJ. He was standing behind a turntable. The turntable was a few inches away from Johanna, Stuart, and Alicia.

The DJ spun a disc, and It's You by Michelle Branch started playing. Reed and Sue liked that song and wanted it to play during the processional.

If tomorrow never comes

I would want just one thing

I would tell it to the stars and the sun

I would write it for the world to see.

The photographer Reed and Sue had hired took a picture of Reed as he began to walk down the aisle. When he reached the end of the aisle, he stood in front of the pastor.

Reed was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned light grey blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into light grey dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist. A boutonnière consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, and a white ribbon was pinned to the left lapel of his blazer.

And it's you

The light changes when you're in the room

Oh, it's you

Oh, it's you.

The photographer took a picture of James as he began to walk down the aisle. When he reached the end of the aisle, he stood to the right of the arch.

James was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned light grey blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into light grey dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist. A boutonnière consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, and a white ribbon was pinned to the left lapel of his blazer. His wedding ring was on his left hand.

The photographer took a picture of Patrick as he began to walk down the aisle. When he reached the end of the aisle, he stood next to James.

Patrick was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned light grey blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into light grey dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist. A boutonnière consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, and a white ribbon was pinned to the left lapel of his blazer. His wedding ring was on his left hand.

The photographer took a picture of Kevin as he began to walk down the aisle. When he reached the end of the aisle, he stood next to Patrick.

Kevin was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned light grey blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into light grey dress pants. A boutonnière consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, and a white ribbon was pinned to the left lapel of his blazer. His wedding ring was on his left hand.

If tomorrow never comes

I would want just one wish

To kiss your quiet mouth

And trace the steps with my fingertips

And it's you.

The photographer took a picture of Lauren as she began to walk down the aisle. When she reached the end of the aisle, she stood to the left of the arch.

Lauren was wearing pale pink sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a floor-length sleeveless pale pink dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her long blonde hair was parted in the middle and styled in barrel curls. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. A small silver chain with a tiny diamond hung low on her chest. A corsage consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, a white ribbon, and a diamond bracelet was on her left wrist. Her wedding ring was on her left hand.

The photographer took a picture of Vanessa as she began to walk down the aisle. When she reached the end of the aisle, she stood next to Lauren.

Vanessa was wearing pale pink sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a floor-length sleeveless pale pink dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her long black hair was parted in the middle and styled in barrel curls. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. A small silver chain with a tiny diamond hung low on her chest. A corsage consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, a white ribbon, and a diamond bracelet was on her left wrist. Her wedding ring was on her left hand.

The photographer took a picture of Sarah as she began to walk down the aisle. When she reached the end of the aisle, she stood next to Vanessa.

Sarah was wearing pale pink sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a floor-length sleeveless pale pink dress with a v-neck and an a-line skirt. The dress showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her long brown hair with blonde highlights was parted in the middle and styled in barrel curls. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. A small silver chain with a tiny diamond hung low on her chest. A corsage consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, a white ribbon, and a diamond bracelet was on her left wrist. Her wedding ring was on her left hand.

The photographer took a picture of Sue and Ben as they began to walk down the aisle. Her left arm was linked with his right arm. When they reached the end of the aisle, he released her arm and stood next to James, Patrick, and Kevin.

Sue was wearing white sandals with straps on the ankles and a 2-inch block heel and a floor-length white dress with an a-line skirt and a sweetheart neckline that turned into off-the-shoulder sleeves. The dress showed a hint of cleavage. The straps on her sandals were fastened with silver buckles. Her straight blonde hair was tied back in a braided bun, save for the two wisps of hair that framed her face. Sprigs of baby's breath were scattered throughout the bun. Bobby pins held the sprigs of baby's breath in place. She had on a light amount of black eyeliner, a light amount of black mascara, soft brown eyeshadow, and nude lip gloss. A small silver chain with a tiny diamond hung low on her chest. Her bouquet consisted of white roses, eucalyptus leaves, and baby's breath. She held the bouquet in her right hand, making sure that her elbow was slightly bent and her hand was slightly below her navel.

Ben was wearing brown dress shoes with brown laces, an unbuttoned navy blue blazer, a white cotton pocket square, and a white dress shirt tucked into navy blue dress pants. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was around his waist. A boutonnière consisting of a white rose, eucalyptus leaves, sprigs of baby's breath, and a white ribbon was pinned to the left lapel of his blazer.

The light changes when you're in the room

Oh, it's you

Oh, it's you

Oh, it's you.

Oh, it's you

Oh, it's you

Oh, it's you

Oh, it's you.

Sue handed the bouquet to Sarah.

Sarah held the bouquet in front of her, making sure that her elbows were slightly bent and her hands were slightly below her navel.

The photographer took a picture of the pastor, Reed, Sue, James, Patrick, Kevin, Ben, Lauren, Vanessa, and Sarah.

The DJ stopped spinning the disc.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" The pastor was interrupted by a gust of wind and the sound of helicopter rotors.

"Reed and Sue, congratulations on the wedding!" The pilot of the helicopter yelled.

Reed and Sue exchanged an uncomfortable look but laughed the situation off.

"Where was I?" The pastor asked. "Oh, yes. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy..."

Reed's cell phone beeped. Sue looked at him in shock.

"Matrimony." The pastor looked at Reed in bewilderment.

"I can't believe you brought that thing to our wedding!" Sue exclaimed.

"I know, but there's a good reason. We have to get through this quickly." Reed said.

Sue huffed, clearly irritated.

"Oh, that's romantic," Sue said sarcastically.

"Should I continue?" The pastor asked.

"Yes, please." Reed said.

"There are many kinds of love…" The pastor trailed off.

"Can you skip to the end, please?" Reed asked.

"Reed!" Sue hissed.

The pastor looked at Reed in confusion. "Excuse me?"

Reed's cell phone beeped again, and he pulled it out. The screen flickered and shut off. Wind blew. Reed and Sue's friends from college mumbled to each other. Reed, Sue, Johanna, Ben, and Stuart looked at the sky.

"It's too late." Reed said.

The helicopter began to fall. Reed and Sue's friends from college screamed and ran away as it slammed into the roof. The blades hit the chairs, making them fly. Two of Sue's friends from college fell. Reed stretched his arm and pulled them out of the way. Sue put her hands up and created a forcefield, preventing the helicopter from getting any closer. The rear end of the helicopter spun and was about to hit Johanna, Stuart, and Alicia.

"Ben!" Alicia yelled.

Ben ran toward Stuart and Alicia, grabbing the tail end of the helicopter and breaking it. He dropped it on the ground.

Everyone heard humming and looked at the sky. Something zoomed past the beach. It looked like a man, but covered in silver, and it was riding what appeared to be a surfboard.

Reed turned to the youngest Storm sibling. "Johanna."

Johanna took her necklace and corsage off and handed them to Stuart.

Johanna got out of her seat and ran away from the aisle.

"Flame on!" Johanna yelled. Her body became engulfed in flames. She flew after the silver man.

Sue started crying.

Alicia wrapped her right arm around Sue's right shoulder.

The silver man zoomed past Johanna and headed toward a skyscraper. She stopped on the other side of the skyscraper and watched as he phased through it. He zoomed past her, and she quickly got out of the way. She flew after him. They went down a skyscraper, past parked cars, and through a tunnel. She sped up. He turned around, and she couldn't stop her momentum. She grunted as he grabbed her throat.

"Can we talk?" She asked, trying to break free.

He dragged her into the upper atmosphere. The flames died down. There was no oxygen left to fuel the fire. She lost consciousness, and he dropped her. When she regained consciousness, she looked around and panicked.

"Flame on! Come on! Flame on!" She yelled.

Her body became engulfed in flames, but they quickly died down, and she continued to fall. She landed on sand, rolling onto her right side. In front of her were two teenaged girls holding surfboards.

"Where am I?" She asked, standing up and wiping sand off her jumpsuit.

"Paradise Cove Beach." One of the girls said.

Paradise Cove Beach was located in Malibu.

Johanna went back to the Baxter Building. Sue touched Johanna's right wrist, checking for injuries. Johanna turned invisible, and Sue's body became engulfed in flames. When Johanna grabbed Sue's right hand, their powers reverted. Reed's examination of Johanna revealed that exposure to the silver man had set her molecular structure in flux, allowing her to switch powers with her teammates through physical contact.

A few days later, Reed bought a custom-built, open-topped car capable of flying at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour. It was a Dodge car and was powered by a Chrysler Hemi engine. It had four seats. It could split into three sections. He called it the Fantasticar.

Tracing the cosmic energy of the being Johanna had dubbed the "Silver Surfer", Reed discovered that everywhere he went, a planet died 8 days later, and that he had been creating deep artificial craters around the globe for an unknown purpose. Reed determined that the next crater would appear in London, England. The Fantastic Four travelled to London in the Fantasticar. They couldn't stop the crater, because they had arrived too late, and the River Thames drained into it.

Doom traced the Silver Surfer to the Russell Glacier and proposed that they join forces. The Silver Surfer rebuffed him. He attacked the Silver Surfer. The Silver Surfer blasted him through the ice. The cosmic energy healed him.

Doom returned to San Francisco and made a deal with the United States Armed Forces. The Fantastic Four reluctantly worked with Doom. Deducing that the Silver Surfer's board was the source of his power, Reed developed a pulse generator that would separate him from it, while Doom worked on a remote-like device. Sue encountered the Silver Surfer in the Black Forest, and he revealed that he was merely a servant to the destroyer of worlds and regretted the destruction he caused. The United States Armed Forces opened fire on the Silver Surfer, which distracted him and allowed the Fantastic Four to fire the pulse, separating him from his board.

The United States Armed Forces imprisoned the Silver Surfer in Siberia and tortured him for information. Sue used her powers to sneak into his cell. She learned his master was known on his home planet as Galactus, a massive cloud-like cosmic entity that fed on life-bearing planets to survive, and that his board was a homing beacon leading Galactus to Earth. Doom stole the board. He used the remote-like device he had created to gain control of the board and its powers. He subdued several soldiers, killed General Hager, and fled to Shanghai, China.

The Fantastic Four rescued the Silver Surfer and travelled to Shanghai in the Fantasticar. Sue was mortally wounded when Doom shot a silver stake that penetrated her shield. Johanna absorbed the combined powers of the entire team and battled Doom. She succeeded in breaking Doom's control over the Silver Surfer's board. Ben used a nearby crane to knock Doom into the harbour. Galactus arrived, and Sue died in Reed's arms. The Silver Surfer regained control of his board, and his power was restored. He revived Sue before taking to the sky.

"Flame on!" Johanna yelled. Her body became engulfed in flames. She flew after the Silver Surfer, grabbing his board.

"I thought you could use a hand," Johanna said as the Silver Surfer looked back.

The Silver Surfer smiled and flew forward.

Johanna let go of the board and flew toward the ground. Cosmic energy engulfed Galactus, destroying him, and seemingly the Silver Surfer as well.

Johanna landed next to Ben.

Ben put his hand on Johanna's shoulder. "Great job, Johanna."

Johanna noticed that she hadn't absorbed Ben's powers. "Well, would you look at that," she said. "I'm back to normal."

The Fantastic Four travelled to San Francisco in the Fantasticar. Reed and Sue got married a few days later. The ceremony was held on Baker Beach. A pastor officiated the ceremony. The reception was held in one of the ballrooms at the Golden Gate Club. Patrick and Kevin were Reed's groomsmen. James was Reed's best man. Lauren and Vanessa were Sue's bridesmaids. Sarah was Sue's matron of honour. Ben walked Sue down the aisle. Johanna sat next to Stuart and Alicia during the ceremony and the reception.

The next day, Reed, Sue, Johanna, and Ben were in the Baxter Building. Reed's cell phone beeped, and they learned that Venice was sinking into the Adriatic Sea. They travelled to Venice in the Fantasticar.

The Silver Surfer's seemingly lifeless body floated through space. His eyes opened, and his board raced back toward him.

In June of 2016, Sue gave birth to a baby boy. He had fair skin, blue eyes, and short, straight blond hair. She and Reed named him Bradley.

In September of 2017, Ben and Alicia got married and adopted a baby boy. He had fair skin, green eyes, and short, straight brown hair. Ben and Alicia named him Daniel Grimm. He was named after Ben's deceased father.

THE END

[yessadirichards]

Rugby Union

South Africa edge New Zealand in Rugby Championship thriller

GOLD COAST, Australia

Elton Jantjies nailed a penalty after the final hooter as world champions South Africa snapped a three-game losing streak to edge New Zealand 31-29 on Saturday in a Rugby Championship thriller.

Damian de Allende and Makazole Mapimpi scored tries in the battling win as they bounced back from 20-14 behind at half-time, with the lead changing hands four times in the final five minutes.

It was sweet revenge for the Springboks after a late 19-17 defeat to their arch enemies a week ago, which came on the back of two successive losses to Australia.

After trailing at the break, the Springboks were revitalised when coach Jacques Nienaber changed the entire front row.

Mapimpi's try early in the second stanza boosted their confidence and they piled intense pressure on New Zealand, forcing errors from a team that had won their previous 10 games.

Ultimately, it came down to the final few minutes, and Jantjies was the hero, converting a simple penalty in front of the posts after an offside decision.

"It's been a tough couple of weeks, thank you so much to South African fans for sticking with us," said Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi, who took a nasty head knock. "We're going to celebrate tonight."

Despite losing, the All Blacks had already sealed the southern hemisphere title, standing them in good stead heading to the United States, then a European tour later this month.

"Congratulations South Africa, they were awesome," said skipper Ardie Savea. "We fought till the end but unfortunately we didn't come out on top, but that's OK.

"I think it's special and unique times for this group," he added. "We are disappointed tonight but there's a lot to learn and a lot of room to grow."

South Africa have been accused of having a one-dimensional game with their high-ball tactics, which has proved highly effective at times. But after three losses in a row, they changed tack, cutting down on the box kicks and swinging the ball wide.

Before a big crowd at CBus Super Stadium on Australia's Gold Coast, they didn't take long to make their mark, with de Allende gifted a try after the All Blacks' Codie Taylor spilled a pass inside his own 22.

Jordie Barrett made no mistake from the tee minutes later for New Zealand's first points before Handre Pollard hit back to put the Springboks 8-3 ahead.

Stung by giving away a try, New Zealand knuckled down and their pressure paid off when Beauden Barrett lobbed a perfectly weighted cross-field kick for Sevu Reece to claim and finish in the corner.

Barrett began pulling the levers and was heavily involved again in their second try, spotting a gap before offloading to Rieko Ioane, who found a charging Savea to swallow dive over the line.

It was vintage New Zealand and scrum-half Brad Weber darted through for another try minutes later from a lineout to put them 20-11 ahead.

In a sign of Nienaber's displeasure, he changed the front row just before half-time and Pollard nailed a penalty after the hooter to keep them in touch.

Pollard's boot was on-song again after the restart and South Africa snatched the lead 10 minutes in with a well-executed try from Mapimpi in the corner.

Elton Jantjies and Jordie Barrett traded penalties to leave South Africa 25-23 in front heading into the final 15 minutes.

Barrett looked to have won it for New Zealand with a penalty five minutes from time, only for Jantjies to convert a drop-kick.

But there was still more drama, with New Zealand earning another penalty that Barrett nailed -- before Jantjies' last-gasp winner.

[dailyrugbytoday]

Ireland beat New Zealand in Wellington to complete historic series victory over the All Blacks

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/ireland-beat-new-zealand-in-wellington-to-complete-historic-series-victory-over-the-all-blacks/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/ireland-beat-new-zealand-in-wellington-to-complete-historic-series-victory-over-the-all-blacks/

Ireland beat New Zealand in Wellington to complete historic series victory over the All Blacks

It’s steady. Ireland have won a series in New Zealand!  

Ireland will win the series!

New Zealand tapped quickly, as they had to, inside their own 22, but the bodies are weary, the minds fatigued. Ioane is a half-beat to slow to rumble on to a floated pass and the ball tumbles forward from his left paw. Ireland scrum with less than a minute to play.

Ireland wrote a new chapter in their rugby history thanks to 32-22 victory against New Zealand in Wellington that sealed their first ever series win over the All Blacks. Andy Farrell’s side beat their hosts for the first time in New Zealand last weekend and they followed that up with a powerful display at Sky Stadium.

After recording their first Test win against the All Blacks on New Zealand soil in Dunedin last weekend, Ireland made it consecutive triumphs, scoring four tries to three to seal a 2-1 series result.

The boot of Johnny Sexton proved crucial, with the Irish captain kicking three conversions and two penalty goals.Sexton was supreme as the Irish shot out to a 22-3 lead by half-time, stunning the hosts with a string of tries through Josh van der Flier, Hugo Keenan and Robbie Henshaw, in addition to some bone-jarring tackles.

The All Blacks clawed their way back to within three points at the hour-mark to set up a tense finish, with tries to Ardie Savea, Akira Ioane and Will Jordan helping to cut back Ireland’s advantage to 25-22.

But replacement prop Rob Herring grabbed a late try from a lineout drive to steady the Irish, and their stonewall defence held off waves of All Blacks attackers to ensure a famous win.

𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃!!! ☘️#TeamOfUs | #NZvIRE pic.twitter.com/VCSOjAnne5

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) July 16, 2022

New Zealand vs. Ireland final score

1H 2H Final New Zealand 3 22 22 Ireland 22 32 32

Scorers – New Zealand

Tries: Savea, Ioane, Jordan

Conversions: Jordie Barrett (2)

Penalties: Jordie Barrett

Scorers – Ireland

Tries: van der Flier, Keenan, Henshaw, Herring

Conversions: Sexton (3)

Penalties: Sexton (2)

New Zealand vs. Ireland as-it-happened

FULL TIME: New Zealand 22 Ireland 32 – IT’S ALL OVER: IRELAND WIN A SERIES AGAINST NEW ZEALAND FOR THE FIRST TIME

An emotional end for Ireland as Andy Farrell’s side secure their place in Irish rugby history in Wellington with a first series win over the All Blacks.

[tkmedia]

85th-minute drop-goal from 19-year-old Benetton sub sinks Edinburgh

11:06am, 02 October 2021 Substitute Leonardo Marin stunned Edinburgh with an 85th-minute drop-goal as Benetton won a United Rugby Championship thriller 28-27 in Treviso. Edinburgh looked to have done enough after Ben Vellacott scored two tries that saw the visitors lead until 19-year-old Marin struck with the game’s final kick at Stadio di Monigo.ADVERTISEMENTMike Blair’s men collected two points from the contest, but the Scottish coach will be frustrated that Edinburgh could not close things out following Jaco van der Walt’s 75th-minute penalty. Prop WP Nel and hooker Stuart McInally also touched down for Edinburgh, with van der Walt kicking two conversions.Beaten just once in their last seven games before this Edinburgh visit to northern Italy, Benetton crossed for two tries by hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi and one from wing Monty Ioane, while Tomas Albornoz booted a penalty and conversion, and Marin added a penalty, conversion and his clinching drop-goal.

Michael Yormark on how the URC will change rugby

Michael Yormark on how the URC will change rugbyBenetton blasted out of the blocks, taking a fourth-minute lead when smart approach play saw Lucchesi burst through a huge gap and touch down unopposed. It was an immediate setback for Edinburgh, but they regrouped impressively as their forwards laid siege to Benetton’s line and Nel crashed over for an equalising touchdown that van der Walt converted.Edinburgh built on Nel’s score after Albornoz kicked a penalty when Vellacott showcased his pace and elusiveness by darting over for a smart score. Van der Walt added the conversion, then Vellacott unlocked Benetton’s defence again just four minutes later, claiming a quickfire second touchdown as Edinburgh opened up an eleven-point lead.Leonardo Marin's match-winning drop goal for @BenettonRugby ?#URC | #BENSHA pic.twitter.com/mTRbCGM6T1— United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 2, 2021Benetton, though, refused to go quietly and they cut the deficit through a clever score six minutes before half-time. Albornoz was the architect, electing to kick rather than pass inside Edinburgh’s 22, and his pinpoint accuracy meant Ioane caught the ball without breaking stride as he crossed out wide. Albornoz converted, making it 19-15 at the break as the quality of rugby matched glorious conditions. Edinburgh soon breached Benetton’s defence for a fourth occasion after a relentless driving maul ended with McInally touching down early in the second period.ADVERTISEMENTBenetton’s substitute hooker Gianmarco Nicotera was sin-binned for obstruction on Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham early in the final quarter, yet the one-man disadvantage made little difference as Lucchesi collected his second try after a Marin penalty, with the teenager converting and then delivering his dramatic drop-goal.Ex-Harlequins boss Gustard has finally spoken about his January parting of the ways from the London club that went on to enjoy Premiership title glory in Junehttps://t.co/PHf9TF5Umk— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 25, 2021

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