#coach tour operator
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
wellourgerdes · 3 days ago
Text
Coach Day Trips to Seaside – Luxury & Affordable Beach Getaways
Luxury Coach Hire with Driver Coach Day Trips to the Seaside – Luxury & Affordable Beach Getaways 🚍🏞️✨ Relax & Enjoy a Hassle-Free Day by the Coast! Looking for a stress-free seaside escape? Our coach day trips to the UK’s best beach destinations provide a comfortable, fun, and affordable way to enjoy a relaxing day by the coast. Whether you’re travelling with family, friends, or a group, our…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes
buglercoaches · 10 months ago
Text
Exploring Bristol's Best: A Guide to Coach Tour Operators
Tumblr media
Bristol A city with a rich history, a vibrant culture and a vibrant energy is a magnet for travelers from all over of the world. From the iconic suspension bridge to its bustling harbor there's no shortage of attractions to take in. What better way to discover Bristol's essence Bristol than with a carefully planned coach tour? This guide will go into the world of Coach Tour Operators in Bristol with a focus on Bugler Coaches, the gateway to unforgettable travel.
Uncovering the city of Bristol's Gems with Coach Tours
Explore Bristol on foot is definitely beautiful However, if you want a full and enjoyable tour, an experienced coach trip is the best option. No matter if you're a single traveler or a couple, as well as an entire group of friends and family members, coach tours provide comfort, convenience, and expert advice.
The Role of Coach Tour Operators
Tour operators for coaches are the creators to Your Bristol adventure. They carefully create routes, identify places to visit, and provide the smooth running of your trip, allowing passengers to unwind and relax while immersing your self in Bristol's incredible sights.
Why Choose Coach Tours?
Efficiency When you take the help of a coach you will travel further in less time. You can say goodbye to the hassle of navigating difficult streets and worrying about parking. Just take the coach on and let the professionals handle the rest.
Insider Info Local guides will bring Bristol's rich history and culture to life, filling you with intriguing stories and other lesser-known details about Bristol's famous most famous landmarks.
Comfort Modern coaches come with comfortable seating, air conditioning and onboard facilities that ensure an enjoyable journey for passengers of all different ages.
Safety Coach tours comply with strict safety standards that provide you with peace of mind while you navigate Bristol's busy streets and beautiful routes.
Bugler Coaches: Your Premier Choice
In the plethora of tour guides that operate in Bristol, Bugler Coaches stands out because of its commitment to quality, reliability and customer satisfaction. With a track record that spans 30 years Bugler Coaches has earned an enviable reputation as the premier Bristol-based guide tour operator.
What Sets Bugler Coaches Apart?
Local expertise: Bugler Coaches boasts a group of experienced guides, each of whom has an intimate understanding of Bristol's famous landmarks as well as hidden gems and lively neighborhoods.
Customized Experiences: If you're looking for historic landmarks, delicious meals or picturesque countryside views, Bugler Coaches offers a variety of tour options to meet your needs.
Personalized Service: Beginning the moment you reserve your trip to the last drop-off point, Bugler Coaches prioritizes customer satisfaction and provides a smooth and unforgettable journey for all passengers.
Commitment to sustainability: Bugler Coaches is committed to reducing its impact on the environment, through initiatives like eco-friendly vehicles along with carbon offset program.
Explore Bristol's highlights with Bugler Coaches
What should you anticipate from the Bugler coach tour? Let's look at the most well-known tours:
The City Highlights Tour Start your tour through Bristol's rich past and exciting present stopping at landmarks like the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Cathedral and the bustling waterfront.
Countryside excursions Get away from the bustle and hustle of the city by taking an idyllic countryside tour which is where rolling hills, quaint villages, and breathtaking views await you.
Culinary Adventures Enjoy your palate with culinary tours of Bristol's most popular culinary spots, from traditional pubs that serve hearty food to trendy eateries that serve new dishes.
themed tours Explore the rich history of Bristol through themed tours that focus on themes like the history of maritime, street art and literary myths.
Book Your Bristol Adventure Today!
No matter if you're a newbie or an experienced traveler, Bristol is never able to resist capturing your attention by its enchanting charm and allure. With Bugler coach services as your guides you'll be sure to have a memorable trip filled with adventure as well as adventure and lasting memories. Why wait? Take advantage of today your Bristol bus tour through Bugler Coaches now and set off on an adventure that will last the life time!
If you know more about Day trips by coach from Bath so please visit here: https://www.buglercoaches.co.uk/day-trips-by-coach
1 note · View note
Text
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Tumblr media
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
www.maharashtratouroperator.online
www.maharashtratouroperator.in
www.maharashtratours.info
Tumblr media
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
www.maharashtratouroperator.online
www.maharashtratouroperator.in
www.maharashtratours.info
Tumblr media
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
www.maharashtratouroperator.online
www.maharashtratouroperator.in
www.maharashtratours.info
Tumblr media
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
www.maharashtratouroperator.online
www.maharashtratouroperator.in
www.maharashtratours.info
Tumblr media
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
www.maharashtratouroperator.online
www.maharashtratouroperator.in
www.maharashtratours.info
Tumblr media
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mumbai Tours And Travels
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
+919370314751
+919370314752
+917720079131
+917720079132
+917720079133
Tumblr media
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mumbai Tours And Travels
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
+919370314751
+919370314752
+917720079131
+917720079132
+917720079133
Tumblr media
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mumbai Tours And Travels
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
+919370314751
+919370314752
+917720079131
+917720079132
+917720079133
Tumblr media
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mumbai Tours And Travels
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
+919370314751
+919370314752
+917720079131
+917720079132
+917720079133
Tumblr media
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Mumbai Tours And Travels
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
+919370314751
+919370314752
+917720079131
+917720079132
+917720079133
Tumblr media
1 note · View note
mumbaitouroperator · 2 years ago
Text
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], +919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], +919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], +919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
0 notes
ghumindiaghum · 2 years ago
Link
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
We are one of the best car & coach rentals service provider in New Delhi. Our staff are well dressed with well managed chauffeur. We are providing car/bus rental services and taxi service in New delhi and outstation. Ghumindiaghum is trusted and top Car Rental service providers in Delhi NCR see more at: https://bit.ly/2WZn6bT
0 notes
p0orbaby · 2 months ago
Text
Dancing in the Dark
summary: a tactics coach and a vice captain walk into a bar… have a not so secret relationship
warnings: mentions of sex but nothing graphic
a/n: i asked for requests and someone sent me this gem
word count: 3.1k
-
Leah texts you at exactly 12:02 a.m., a time she insists is “late enough to avoid suspicion but early enough that we’re not knackered in the morning.” The precision of it is very Leah—practical, calculated, with just the faintest whisper of rebellion. It’s always the same text—Room 308—as if she’s writing it for a stranger who might need the address for their sat nav. She never adds punctuation. You think that’s intentional, a way of keeping it casual, devoid of any intimacy that could be misconstrued.
You’ve stopped bothering to reply. It’s not that you don’t want to see her—want isn’t the word for what you feel when you see her name flash on your screen, but it’s close enough. It’s that typing on my way feels excessive when the answer’s already obvious. She knows you’ll come. You know she knows. And there’s something about that silent agreement that feels like the only part of this whole arrangement that makes sense.
The desk lamp casts a faint yellow glow across the room as you pack up. Your laptop goes into the bag first, followed by the notepad you’ve been using to scribble ideas for tomorrow’s strategy meeting. You pause to carefully align its corner with the edge of the desk—a habit you’ve had since you were a child, though you’re not sure if it’s a quirk of personality or a learned behaviour from years of Catholic school and its draconian rules about neatness.
Your hoodie is next, slung over the back of the chair like it’s been waiting for this exact moment. It’s an old one from university, the logo cracked and peeling, the sleeves stretched from too many washes. It smells faintly of your laundry detergent—a scent marketed as “ocean breeze,” though you’ve always thought it smells more like cheap fabric softener and an overactive imagination. Nothing about it suggests the ocean, or even a breeze. It’s more akin to the air freshener in a Southend-on-Sea rental cottage, the kind with faded floral curtains and a broken kettle. You wonder, briefly, if Leah would find this thought amusing. Probably. She has a way of laughing at things that don’t seem funny until she does.
The hotel corridor is silent, save for the distant hum of a vending machine and the occasional creak of overused floorboards. You walk quickly, your trainers barely making a sound on the patterned carpet—a gaudy, swirling design in shades of burgundy and gold that seems to scream corporate retreat. You keep your eyes trained forward, as if avoiding eye contact with the carpet will somehow render you invisible to anyone who might happen to step out of their room.
You’ve mapped out every staff member’s room, memorised the most efficient route, and calculated the probability of running into someone based on their known habits. Karen from PR always goes to bed early, probably still jet-lagged from the US tour. The physio, Jamie, is a night owl, but he’s more likely to be glued to Netflix than wandering the halls. Leah finds this level of detail ridiculous.
“You’re acting like MI5 is going to raid the place,” she’d said once, sprawled on her bed in a tangle of limbs and laughter. Her hair was still damp from the shower, a faint halo of gold catching the light as she turned her head to look at you. “You’re allowed to have fun, you know”
She’d been peeling off your shirt as she said it, her fingers tracing lazy circles on your shoulder, her eyes glittering with amusement. You wanted to argue, to tell her that fun is precisely what you’re having, in the only way you know how to have it: meticulously planned, risk-assessed, and executed with the precision of a military operation. But then her hands had moved lower, and the argument had dissolved into something else entirely. Something much harder to put into words.
-
Room 308. You knock twice—firm, precise knocks that betray none of the absurd nervousness bubbling under the surface. The kind that makes your palms clammy and your chest feel like it’s trying to audition for a drum solo. The knocks are part of a ritual now, as familiar as tying your boots before a match or double-checking the pitch markings. Three sharp raps, never four, because three would seem impatient, and two would feel too casual, as though you’re dropping by to borrow sugar or ask for her Netflix password.
The door opens almost instantly, as if she’s been standing on the other side, waiting for you. Leah’s dressed in one of those oversized T-shirts she always wears off the pitch, the kind that blur the line between effortless and lazy. This one is black, or it might have been once, but it’s faded now, the fabric soft and worn thin at the seams. The logo across the chest is barely legible—AC__ME—as though it’s been through the wash one too many times. You can’t tell if it’s a nod to Arsenal, a subtle homage to Wile E. Coyote’s endless misfortunes, or one of those niche designer brands that only appear on people with a six-figure salary and a curated Instagram aesthetic. It’s probably the latter. Leah strikes you as the kind of person who’d know what Vetements is and pretend she doesn’t care about it while secretly owning three pieces.
“Hey,” she says, stepping aside to let you in. Her voice has this easy warmth to it, like she’s just woken up from the kind of nap that makes you forget what year it is. There’s a hint of amusement in her tone, the faint lilt of someone who’s just thought of something funny but isn’t planning to share it with the group. You’ve always liked that about her—how she can hold a joke in her mouth like a secret, like it’s something she doesn’t owe to anyone else.
“Hi,” you reply, because what else is there to say? Hello feels too formal, like you’ve shown up for a job interview, and anything else—anything softer, more intimate—feels dangerous. Like stepping too close to the edge of a cliff just to see how far you can lean before gravity kicks in.
Her room is a mirror image of yours, down to the garish burgundy carpet and beige curtains that don’t quite close properly. It’s a symphony of stereotypical hotel design, where the furniture all looks like it’s been bolted down as a precaution against theft. But there’s something different about hers, something distinctly Leah. It smells faintly of her perfume, a citrusy Chanel scent you’d once looked for in John Lewis out of curiosity. You’d sprayed it onto one of those paper tester strips, only to feel your lungs contract at the price tag. It smells like sunshine and sharp edges, and now it’s permanently tangled up in your memory of her.
The bed is unmade, the covers thrown haphazardly across the mattress like they’ve been caught mid-escape. One pillow teeters on the edge, a casualty of her apparent inability to sleep neatly. There’s a half-empty bottle of water on the nightstand, its label peeling from condensation. A pair of socks—crew-length, white with a small Nike tick—lie abandoned on the floor near the foot of the bed, one inside out. The room is messy in a way that surprises you. Leah, who is precise and meticulous on the pitch, leaves her personal space in a state of mild chaos. And for some reason, it makes you smile. It’s humanising, like finding out that superheroes still get toothpaste on their shirts.
You step inside, careful not to trip over her trainers—Adidas Sambas in a muted beige tone, scuffed at the edges but somehow still immaculate in their coolness. The door clicks shut behind you, the sound punctuating the silence like a full stop. You turn to face her, and she’s leaning against the dresser now, her hands resting in the pockets of her shorts. She’s watching you, her eyes half-lidded and impossibly blue, the kind of blue that makes you think of open skies and lost afternoons.
“What?” you ask, because the weight of her gaze always makes you self-conscious, like you’ve walked into a room wearing mismatched socks.
“Nothing,” she says, her mouth curving into a smirk. “You just look…” She pauses, letting the sentence hang in the air like an unfinished melody.
“What?” you repeat, a little sharper this time, though you’re smiling too.
“Like you’re trying not to smile,” she finishes, pushing off the dresser and moving closer.
And maybe you are. Maybe you’re trying not to give away how much you like this—the quiet intimacy of it, the way she looks at you like you’re the only person in the world who knows what this feels like. Maybe you’re trying not to admit how much you want to reach out and touch her, to close the space between you with a single step. But you don’t. Not yet.
-
The sex is unhurried, languid. Leah moves with the same precision she does on the pitch, her hands mapping the curve of your waist, the line of your jaw, like she’s planning her next move three steps in advance. It’s the same deliberation you’ve seen in her during matches—the way she reads the game like it’s written in a language only she understands. But this isn’t a match. There are no spectators, no whistles, no rules, just her and you and the slow, deliberate way she’s undoing you, piece by piece.
Her kisses are deep, focused. They land with intent, the kind that makes you forget your own name, let alone the fragile, tenuous boundaries of this arrangement. Her mouth lingers on yours, then moves to your neck, her lips brushing just beneath your ear. She doesn’t bite, not yet, but you can feel her teeth graze your skin, an unspoken promise that leaves you gasping, your fingers curling into the rough fabric of the hotel sheets.
Her fingertips press into your skin—not hard enough to hurt but just firm enough to leave the ghost of her touch behind, as though she’s marking her territory. They trace the length of your back, down your spine, to your hips. Her thumbs skim over the waistband of your joggers before she tugs them down with a kind of casual confidence that feels maddeningly unfair. She knows exactly what she’s doing. She always does.
“You’re so quiet,” she murmurs, her voice low, teasing. She presses a kiss to your collarbone, her hands slipping beneath your shirt to push it up, her palms warm against your ribs. “That’s not like you”
“I’m—” You try to respond, but her mouth finds a particularly sensitive spot on your neck, and the words catch in your throat.
“Exactly,” she says, her voice smug as she moves lower, her lips trailing down your chest, your stomach, her pace agonisingly slow. She hooks her fingers under the waistband of your underwear, and you lift your hips instinctively, barely registering the soft laugh she lets out, the sound dark and smooth like melted chocolate.
There’s no rush. Leah’s always like this—methodical, unhurried. She knows how to take her time, how to keep you teetering on the edge until your body feels like it’s no longer your own. She kisses her way back up, pausing to nip at your jaw, your shoulder, the place where your pulse beats just beneath your skin. Her hand slips between your thighs, her touch deliberate, controlled. And you’re gone.
It’s like a tidal wave, slow to build but devastating when it crashes over you. You’re not sure when you start begging—if it even counts as begging, the broken sounds spilling from your lips without your consent—but Leah doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, she seems pleased, her smirk pressing against the hollow of your throat as she mutters something you’re too far gone to catch.
At some point, she presses her forehead to yours, her breath coming in short, uneven bursts. She murmurs something—low, unintelligible, a slurred mix of swear words and your name. Or maybe it’s not your name. Maybe it’s a prayer. Maybe it’s both. You don’t ask her to repeat it. You’re too busy trying to remember how to breathe, your hands clutching at her back, pulling her closer like you can merge into her, like you can stop time if you just hold on tightly enough.
By the time you collapse onto the mattress, tangled in the hotel’s suspiciously rough sheets, you’re vaguely aware of how loud you’ve been. The walls are thin. The kind of thing where you can hear your neighbour’s TV murmuring away or the occasional flush of a toilet. It’s almost comedic, really, the way you’d tried so hard to avoid being seen earlier, only to make it painfully obvious now. You half expect a knock on the door, some irate teammate demanding silence.
Leah doesn’t seem to care. Of course she doesn’t. She lies beside you, her face flushed, her hair falling loose from the ponytail she’d barely tried to secure. She’s smirking, the way she always does after these nights, like she’s just scored the winning goal and nobody else on the team noticed. Her arm brushes against yours as she stretches out, her skin warm and damp, her breathing slow and even.
-
The next morning, you arrive at breakfast twenty minutes late, a record even for you. You’ve spent the better part of that time in front of the mirror, tilting your head at impossible angles to assess the carnage Leah left on your neck. Hickeys, in various stages of bruise-like blossoming, dot your skin like a battlefield casualty report. You try concealer—two layers, then three—but it only makes you look like you’ve dipped your neck in cake batter. After an extensive wardrobe evaluation, you settle on a jumper with a collar just high enough to obscure the worst of it, but not so high that it screams I’ve made several poor life choices and am now concealing the evidence.
You enter the dining area cautiously, your eyes scanning for witnesses like you’re in the opening sequence of Casino Royale. The room is loud with the sound of clinking cutlery, chairs scraping against linoleum, and conversations overlapping in a way that is both chaotic and oddly comforting. You spot Katie McCabe first, standing by the buffet with a bowl of cereal that is more milk than anything resembling a solid. Her spoon hovers mid-air as she glances at you, then swivels her head in Leah’s direction, who is seated at a corner table, scrolling through her phone like she has never made a suspicious noise in her life.
Katie’s eyes narrow, and her mouth stretches into a grin so wicked it should be trademarked. She sets her cereal down and makes a beeline for you, walking with the kind of determination that belongs exclusively to people with too much time on their hands and absolutely no regard for personal boundaries.
“Well, well,” she says, stepping closer. Her eyes dart to your neck, then back up to your face. “Someone had a busy night.”
You freeze. Instinctively, your hand twitches toward the collar of your jumper, but you stop yourself. Guilty behaviour. Act normal. Be cool. You shrug in what you hope is a convincing display of nonchalance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Katie tilts her head, her grin widening. “Oh, don’t play dumb,” she says, gesturing vaguely toward your neck. “What’s that, then? Tactical bruising? Working on a new game plan?”
“I slipped in the shower,” you deadpan. It’s a lie so bad it physically hurts to say, but the alternative is giving Katie McCabe ammunition, and you’d rather die than give her the satisfaction.
She snorts. “Jesus, you’ve got to at least try with these excuses”
You glare at her, but it’s useless. Katie is like a shark in open water—she can smell blood, and she’s circling. She follows you to the table, sliding into the chair next to yours without so much as an invitation. Her cereal sloshes precariously in her bowl, milk dripping onto the edge of the table. She doesn’t notice. Or doesn’t care.
Leah, of course, is completely unbothered. She’s leaned back in her chair, scrolling through her phone like she’s reading the football section of The Guardian and not actively trying to avoid eye contact with you. Her hair is still slightly damp from her morning shower, and she’s wearing a hoodie that looks suspiciously like yours. Katie clocks the hoodie immediately and raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. Not yet.
“Just to clarify,” Katie says, her voice loud enough to carry to the next table, “are we calling this a team-building exercise or…?”
Leah doesn’t even flinch. Without looking up from her phone, she says, “Mind your business, McCabe”
Katie lets out a delighted laugh, stealing a slice of toast from your plate like she’s earned it. “Oh, it is my business,” she says, buttering the toast with an enthusiasm that borders on offensive. “You lot kept me up all night. Thought someone was being murdered in the next room. Turns out it was just—”
“Katie,” you interrupt, your voice sharp enough to cut through her sentence. Your face is burning, your ears hot enough to fry an egg on.
Katie leans back in her chair, utterly unrepentant. “Relax,” she says, taking a bite of the toast she stole. “Your secret’s safe with me. For now”
She winks at you, a gesture so insufferable you consider lobbing a teaspoon at her head. Instead, you glance at Leah, whose lips are twitching at the edges, betraying the smirk she’s desperately trying to suppress.
You shoot her a glare that you hope translates to I will kill you later, but she only raises an eyebrow, as if to say go ahead, make my day.
Katie’s still watching you, her grin as infuriating as ever. “You’re lucky it was me who heard you,” she says, her tone dripping with mock sincerity. “Imagine if it had been Beth. She’d have the whole squad doing impressions by now”
Leah finally looks up from her phone, her expression cool, but there’s a dangerous glint in her eye. “You done?”
Katie holds up her hands in mock surrender, her grin never faltering. “I’m just saying. Maybe next time, try keeping it down. Or don’t. Makes for great entertainment”
You slump in your chair, burying your face in your hands. You can feel Leah’s gaze on you, and when you finally peek through your fingers, she’s smiling. Not smirking, not teasing, but actually smiling, like this is the most fun she’s had in weeks.
You make a mental note to kill her later. Or maybe kiss her. You haven’t decided yet.
419 notes · View notes
mostlysignssomeportents · 10 months ago
Text
“Humans in the loop” must detect the hardest-to-spot errors, at superhuman speed
Tumblr media
I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me SATURDAY (Apr 27) in MARIN COUNTY, then Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!
Tumblr media
If AI has a future (a big if), it will have to be economically viable. An industry can't spend 1,700% more on Nvidia chips than it earns indefinitely – not even with Nvidia being a principle investor in its largest customers:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39883571
A company that pays 0.36-1 cents/query for electricity and (scarce, fresh) water can't indefinitely give those queries away by the millions to people who are expected to revise those queries dozens of times before eliciting the perfect botshit rendition of "instructions for removing a grilled cheese sandwich from a VCR in the style of the King James Bible":
https://www.semianalysis.com/p/the-inference-cost-of-search-disruption
Eventually, the industry will have to uncover some mix of applications that will cover its operating costs, if only to keep the lights on in the face of investor disillusionment (this isn't optional – investor disillusionment is an inevitable part of every bubble).
Now, there are lots of low-stakes applications for AI that can run just fine on the current AI technology, despite its many – and seemingly inescapable - errors ("hallucinations"). People who use AI to generate illustrations of their D&D characters engaged in epic adventures from their previous gaming session don't care about the odd extra finger. If the chatbot powering a tourist's automatic text-to-translation-to-speech phone tool gets a few words wrong, it's still much better than the alternative of speaking slowly and loudly in your own language while making emphatic hand-gestures.
There are lots of these applications, and many of the people who benefit from them would doubtless pay something for them. The problem – from an AI company's perspective – is that these aren't just low-stakes, they're also low-value. Their users would pay something for them, but not very much.
For AI to keep its servers on through the coming trough of disillusionment, it will have to locate high-value applications, too. Economically speaking, the function of low-value applications is to soak up excess capacity and produce value at the margins after the high-value applications pay the bills. Low-value applications are a side-dish, like the coach seats on an airplane whose total operating expenses are paid by the business class passengers up front. Without the principle income from high-value applications, the servers shut down, and the low-value applications disappear:
https://locusmag.com/2023/12/commentary-cory-doctorow-what-kind-of-bubble-is-ai/
Now, there are lots of high-value applications the AI industry has identified for its products. Broadly speaking, these high-value applications share the same problem: they are all high-stakes, which means they are very sensitive to errors. Mistakes made by apps that produce code, drive cars, or identify cancerous masses on chest X-rays are extremely consequential.
Some businesses may be insensitive to those consequences. Air Canada replaced its human customer service staff with chatbots that just lied to passengers, stealing hundreds of dollars from them in the process. But the process for getting your money back after you are defrauded by Air Canada's chatbot is so onerous that only one passenger has bothered to go through it, spending ten weeks exhausting all of Air Canada's internal review mechanisms before fighting his case for weeks more at the regulator:
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/air-canada-s-chatbot-gave-a-b-c-man-the-wrong-information-now-the-airline-has-to-pay-for-the-mistake-1.6769454
There's never just one ant. If this guy was defrauded by an AC chatbot, so were hundreds or thousands of other fliers. Air Canada doesn't have to pay them back. Air Canada is tacitly asserting that, as the country's flagship carrier and near-monopolist, it is too big to fail and too big to jail, which means it's too big to care.
Air Canada shows that for some business customers, AI doesn't need to be able to do a worker's job in order to be a smart purchase: a chatbot can replace a worker, fail to their worker's job, and still save the company money on balance.
I can't predict whether the world's sociopathic monopolists are numerous and powerful enough to keep the lights on for AI companies through leases for automation systems that let them commit consequence-free free fraud by replacing workers with chatbots that serve as moral crumple-zones for furious customers:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563219304029
But even stipulating that this is sufficient, it's intrinsically unstable. Anything that can't go on forever eventually stops, and the mass replacement of humans with high-speed fraud software seems likely to stoke the already blazing furnace of modern antitrust:
https://www.eff.org/de/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby
Of course, the AI companies have their own answer to this conundrum. A high-stakes/high-value customer can still fire workers and replace them with AI – they just need to hire fewer, cheaper workers to supervise the AI and monitor it for "hallucinations." This is called the "human in the loop" solution.
The human in the loop story has some glaring holes. From a worker's perspective, serving as the human in the loop in a scheme that cuts wage bills through AI is a nightmare – the worst possible kind of automation.
Let's pause for a little detour through automation theory here. Automation can augment a worker. We can call this a "centaur" – the worker offloads a repetitive task, or one that requires a high degree of vigilance, or (worst of all) both. They're a human head on a robot body (hence "centaur"). Think of the sensor/vision system in your car that beeps if you activate your turn-signal while a car is in your blind spot. You're in charge, but you're getting a second opinion from the robot.
Likewise, consider an AI tool that double-checks a radiologist's diagnosis of your chest X-ray and suggests a second look when its assessment doesn't match the radiologist's. Again, the human is in charge, but the robot is serving as a backstop and helpmeet, using its inexhaustible robotic vigilance to augment human skill.
That's centaurs. They're the good automation. Then there's the bad automation: the reverse-centaur, when the human is used to augment the robot.
Amazon warehouse pickers stand in one place while robotic shelving units trundle up to them at speed; then, the haptic bracelets shackled around their wrists buzz at them, directing them pick up specific items and move them to a basket, while a third automation system penalizes them for taking toilet breaks or even just walking around and shaking out their limbs to avoid a repetitive strain injury. This is a robotic head using a human body – and destroying it in the process.
An AI-assisted radiologist processes fewer chest X-rays every day, costing their employer more, on top of the cost of the AI. That's not what AI companies are selling. They're offering hospitals the power to create reverse centaurs: radiologist-assisted AIs. That's what "human in the loop" means.
This is a problem for workers, but it's also a problem for their bosses (assuming those bosses actually care about correcting AI hallucinations, rather than providing a figleaf that lets them commit fraud or kill people and shift the blame to an unpunishable AI).
Humans are good at a lot of things, but they're not good at eternal, perfect vigilance. Writing code is hard, but performing code-review (where you check someone else's code for errors) is much harder – and it gets even harder if the code you're reviewing is usually fine, because this requires that you maintain your vigilance for something that only occurs at rare and unpredictable intervals:
https://twitter.com/qntm/status/1773779967521780169
But for a coding shop to make the cost of an AI pencil out, the human in the loop needs to be able to process a lot of AI-generated code. Replacing a human with an AI doesn't produce any savings if you need to hire two more humans to take turns doing close reads of the AI's code.
This is the fatal flaw in robo-taxi schemes. The "human in the loop" who is supposed to keep the murderbot from smashing into other cars, steering into oncoming traffic, or running down pedestrians isn't a driver, they're a driving instructor. This is a much harder job than being a driver, even when the student driver you're monitoring is a human, making human mistakes at human speed. It's even harder when the student driver is a robot, making errors at computer speed:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/01/human-in-the-loop/#monkey-in-the-middle
This is why the doomed robo-taxi company Cruise had to deploy 1.5 skilled, high-paid human monitors to oversee each of its murderbots, while traditional taxis operate at a fraction of the cost with a single, precaratized, low-paid human driver:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/11/robots-stole-my-jerb/#computer-says-no
The vigilance problem is pretty fatal for the human-in-the-loop gambit, but there's another problem that is, if anything, even more fatal: the kinds of errors that AIs make.
Foundationally, AI is applied statistics. An AI company trains its AI by feeding it a lot of data about the real world. The program processes this data, looking for statistical correlations in that data, and makes a model of the world based on those correlations. A chatbot is a next-word-guessing program, and an AI "art" generator is a next-pixel-guessing program. They're drawing on billions of documents to find the most statistically likely way of finishing a sentence or a line of pixels in a bitmap:
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3442188.3445922
This means that AI doesn't just make errors – it makes subtle errors, the kinds of errors that are the hardest for a human in the loop to spot, because they are the most statistically probable ways of being wrong. Sure, we notice the gross errors in AI output, like confidently claiming that a living human is dead:
https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/according-to-chatgpt-im-dead
But the most common errors that AIs make are the ones we don't notice, because they're perfectly camouflaged as the truth. Think of the recurring AI programming error that inserts a call to a nonexistent library called "huggingface-cli," which is what the library would be called if developers reliably followed naming conventions. But due to a human inconsistency, the real library has a slightly different name. The fact that AIs repeatedly inserted references to the nonexistent library opened up a vulnerability – a security researcher created a (inert) malicious library with that name and tricked numerous companies into compiling it into their code because their human reviewers missed the chatbot's (statistically indistinguishable from the the truth) lie:
https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/28/ai_bots_hallucinate_software_packages/
For a driving instructor or a code reviewer overseeing a human subject, the majority of errors are comparatively easy to spot, because they're the kinds of errors that lead to inconsistent library naming – places where a human behaved erratically or irregularly. But when reality is irregular or erratic, the AI will make errors by presuming that things are statistically normal.
These are the hardest kinds of errors to spot. They couldn't be harder for a human to detect if they were specifically designed to go undetected. The human in the loop isn't just being asked to spot mistakes – they're being actively deceived. The AI isn't merely wrong, it's constructing a subtle "what's wrong with this picture"-style puzzle. Not just one such puzzle, either: millions of them, at speed, which must be solved by the human in the loop, who must remain perfectly vigilant for things that are, by definition, almost totally unnoticeable.
This is a special new torment for reverse centaurs – and a significant problem for AI companies hoping to accumulate and keep enough high-value, high-stakes customers on their books to weather the coming trough of disillusionment.
This is pretty grim, but it gets grimmer. AI companies have argued that they have a third line of business, a way to make money for their customers beyond automation's gifts to their payrolls: they claim that they can perform difficult scientific tasks at superhuman speed, producing billion-dollar insights (new materials, new drugs, new proteins) at unimaginable speed.
However, these claims – credulously amplified by the non-technical press – keep on shattering when they are tested by experts who understand the esoteric domains in which AI is said to have an unbeatable advantage. For example, Google claimed that its Deepmind AI had discovered "millions of new materials," "equivalent to nearly 800 years’ worth of knowledge," constituting "an order-of-magnitude expansion in stable materials known to humanity":
https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/millions-of-new-materials-discovered-with-deep-learning/
It was a hoax. When independent material scientists reviewed representative samples of these "new materials," they concluded that "no new materials have been discovered" and that not one of these materials was "credible, useful and novel":
https://www.404media.co/google-says-it-discovered-millions-of-new-materials-with-ai-human-researchers/
As Brian Merchant writes, AI claims are eerily similar to "smoke and mirrors" – the dazzling reality-distortion field thrown up by 17th century magic lantern technology, which millions of people ascribed wild capabilities to, thanks to the outlandish claims of the technology's promoters:
https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/ai-really-is-smoke-and-mirrors
The fact that we have a four-hundred-year-old name for this phenomenon, and yet we're still falling prey to it is frankly a little depressing. And, unlucky for us, it turns out that AI therapybots can't help us with this – rather, they're apt to literally convince us to kill ourselves:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkadgm/man-dies-by-suicide-after-talking-with-ai-chatbot-widow-says
Tumblr media
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/23/maximal-plausibility/#reverse-centaurs
Tumblr media
Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg
CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
855 notes · View notes
kidlit-queen-competition · 2 years ago
Text
Train fact: NAMED TRAINS!
So you've probably heard of the Flying Scotsman. Big green thing, turned 100 this year, probably the most famous locomotive in the UK, if not the world. Adapted into Thomas the Tank Engine with a whole lot of charisma and eyebrows. But did you know that name wasn't hers originally?
'The Flying Scotsman' is actually the name (formerly a nickname) of the train. The locomotive is Flying Scotsman's monster named for it. She was given the name in 1924, to help promote said service at the British Empire exhibition. Any engine, with any rack of coaches, or any train set, can be the Flying Scotsman.
Right now, it's run by LNER's new Azumas, which get a special little outfit about it:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Most of the named trains in the UK were phased out with steam (although you can still catch the Sheffield continental from Sheffield to St. Pancras, or the Northern Lights from King's Cross to Aberdeen, among a handfull of others) but they live on elsewhere.
Some are luxury touring trains, like Japan's Seven Stars in Kyushu (left) or South Africa's Blue Train (right).
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Transport isn't really the goal here. They sell out months in advance and cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the class of ticket you get. They're an Experience, and a very cushy experience at that. Just look at their interiors!
Tumblr media Tumblr media
(yes, that's a piano)
But the vast majority of named trains in operation (as far as I can tell) are regularly-running exepress services across Asia.
Japan names their Shinkanens, India, Pakistan, Bengladesh & Sri Lanka often name their intercity expresses. These are practical, long-distance services, often named for monuments, like India's Ajanta Express, named for the Ajanta caves:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Or their operating regions, like Sri Lanka's උත්තර දේවී | Princess/Queen of the North:
Tumblr media
Some North American countries also kept historic named routes, like Amtrak's Sunset Limited, or Canada's Ocean, which has operated continuously since 1904:
Tumblr media
but my personal favorite named services are Australia's historically-nicknamed "The Fish", named after one of its drivers:
Tumblr media
and the numerous trains that have been companion-nicknamed "The Chips" to match.
169 notes · View notes
dynamic-power · 1 year ago
Text
Coach H
Rating: T
No warnngs
Words: 1.6k
A look at a possible future for Steve Harrington.
Taylor has known Coach H for almost 4 years, and still can't quite figure him out. They have the opportunity to investigate his office a little, and they learn more than they thought they would.
This is totally Steve-centric. All others, though I love them all dearly, are only briefly mentioned.
-------------------------------
Coach Harrington's office is one of four tucked behind the gym, between the girls' and boys' locker rooms. Taylor has never been in here before. Students rarely have a reason to come to the coaches' offices; they can all usually be found in the gym, even when class isn't in session.
Taylor has known Coach H for four years; their freshman year had been Coach's first year at Lincoln High. They know him just well enough to not feel guilty about wanting to snoop around a little while they are waiting. Maybe they can learn something.
Coach H is a bit of a point of confusion, even for many of the students who know him. He looks normal enough; Taylor guesses he's in his fifties, with thick brown hair that has started to go gray at his temples, kind eyes, and a boyish smile that is contagious. It's when he starts to talk about himself that the oddities begin to show.
He has tattoos, the most notable of which is an electric guitar that takes up most of his right inner forearm. It's upside down, with the bottom of the body tucked into the crease of his elbow and the neck stretching down to his wrist. When asked, he always admits that he doesn't play guitar; in fact, he knows very little about music at all. He says he got it because someone saved his life with that very guitar, but Taylor suspects he'd just thought it looked cool when he was young.
He also, allegedly, knows an unusual number of people with significance to the LGBTQ+ community. Taylor has heard him mention having lunch with Michael Wheeler, an author who gained popularity in the early 2000s for his fantasy novels that often feature queer characters. Kelly swears that she heard him mention the Byler siblings once. The three artists, each known for having their own distinct mediums of photography, paint, and sculpture, had risen to fame in the nineties for the mix of praise and criticism they'd received for their first joint exhibit. It had been an exploration of the realities of being gay at the time, and the artwork is still discussed and admired today.
There's also a rumor that he knows a member or two of Corroded Coffin, a metal band who toured for thirty years and was fronted by an openly gay man, though Taylor is unfamiliar with them and finds this a bit less impressive than the other possible connections.
They don't know how many of these rumors, if any, are true, but it's interesting nonetheless. It makes him a sort of unspoken, safe space for the queer students.
He has a strange scar across his throat, and if asked about it, his responses are varying levels of insane, ranging from very improbable to outright impossible. He'd been mistaken for a patient in need of a thyroid operation when he'd gone in for a knee surgery. A sentient vine got wrapped around his neck while he was being attacked by giant bats. A serial killer known simply as The Strangler had tried to make him a victim when he'd gone back to his hometown for a high school reunion. He'd been hanged for being a pirate in a past life and bore a scar as a reminder to always abide by the law.
He claims to have a brother just a few years younger than himself, but he also tells stories about being an only child. He says his reason for choosing to be a high school teacher is that he raised six teens himself, but it's common knowledge that he's never had kids. He's a nerd, which had caught Taylor by surprise the first time they'd realized it. He'd mumbled something about Coach Roberts sounding like a demogorgon when he passed by Taylor during class one day. He'd said it like he knew exactly what that fictitious beast sounded like. As though it was a sound that existed.
Then, of course, there is his friendship with Ms. Buckley, who had arrived at Lincoln the same year as Coach. There's speculation that they are actually married to each other - their wedding rings, though different, are equally strange - but Taylor has never gotten that vibe from them. They do interact with the familiarity of people who have known each other a long time, though.
Peering around the room, Taylor takes stock of what they can immediately see. A shelf is lined with trophies that the school has won in Coach H's brief tenure. At the end of the shelf, proudly displayed besides the shiny plastic, is a crudely made clay trophy that reads "#1 DINGUS" at the bottom. There is also a tall bookshelf. It's almost entirely full and has a variety of genres and authors. Taylor notices a selection of Michael Wheeler on one of the middle shelves at perfect eye level. His desk is cluttered with papers, though it looks like it is an organized sort of chaos. He has a couch that sits opposite the desk. It has a soft-looking blanket folded across the back and an assortment of pillows and plushes taking up much of the sitting space.
What catches Taylor's eye is the pin board hanging just beside the door. It is just as covered as the surface of the desk. There are a couple of fading children's drawings, a birthday card with the beginnings of a bad joke on the front, and a bunch of photos of people Taylor doesn't recognize. In the middle of the cluttered board are three photos pinned in a neat, tidy column. The top and bottom are of six people, taken probably 10 or 15 years apart. In the top one, the younger version of the group is standing in a row, arms around each other, grinning at the camera. Taylor recognizes the two in the very center; a young Ms. Buckley and Coach H are leaning into each other, pulling their friends in closer on either side. In the one on the bottom, they are all older but, in a way, the same. They've paired off, each couple kissing dramatically for the camera. On the right, Coach Harrington is being dipped back by a man with long curls pulled back into a messy bun. In the center, Ms. Buckley and a woman with a short bobbed cut each have both hands holding their partner's face. The two men on the left, one with short brown hair and the other with a mane that reaches halfway down his back, are flipping off the camera, hands held out low enough that their audience can still see them kissing.
It's the photo between these two, though, that really draws Taylor's attention. It's clearly a professional picture - six gold rings in a circle, displayed on a gnarled stump with bits of greenery in the background. The rings are three distinct pairs, each set across from each other in the circle. The first pair, the thinnest, set at the top and bottom, have been fashioned to look like vines with impossibly intricate leaves and flowers. Taylor knows Ms. Buckley wears one of these. The next clockwise are of a more medium width and have a spiral seam and tiny frays to make them look like rope. The final pair is the most familiar to Taylor; thick, golden chain links. One of those is Coach Harrington's.
"That one's been nicknamed 'the rings of power'," Coach H says, materializing beside her to examine the photos, too.
"Who took it?"
"Jonathan Byers," Coach H says easily.
Taylor's eyes nearly bug out of their head. "Like, the famous photographer?" Taylor, an amateur photographer themself, discovered Jonathan Byers and his work a few years ago and had loved it all. "You actually know him? For real?"
"I actually know him for real. He's in these other two photos."
Taylor stares at the top photo for a moment before the realization of what that fact could mean hits them. "Are you married to Jonathan Byers?! Is that him?" Taylor takes a closer look at the curly-haired man, trying to remember if they've ever seen a picture of Jonathan Byers.
Coach chuckles and shakes his head. "No," he says with a grin, "but he'd be amused to know you think so. That's Jon." He points to the man on the far right side of the first photo. He's the one with the short haircut. "This is my husband." Coach points instead to the man with the wild curls. "Eddie Munson. He's the front man of Corroded Coffin." He begins to point out the other three. "That's Jon's husband, Argyle. He owns a food truck. You might have seen it downtown. You already know Robin. That's her wife, Nancy Wheeler. Nance is a freelance journalist."
"Wheeler?" That can't be a coincidence. "Holy shit," Taylor says, unable to hold back a disbelieving laugh. "The rumors are true."
"Which ones?" Coach asks with an amused, knowing smile.
"The ones about you knowing a bunch of famous gays!"
Coach laughs at that. "I guess? I knew them before the fame. We sorta grew up together. We all ended up being in the public eye pretty abruptly in the mid-eighties. Lots of interviews and publicity. It all kinda spiraled, and now, some of us are - well." He shrugs. "You can Google it."
"Wait," Taylor says, shrugging their backpack off their shoulder and pulling their notebook out. This is the reason Taylor is here in the first place; interviews with a few of the favorite teachers for the school newspaper. But this is starting to sound like so much more than a simple "fun facts" kind of interview. "Can I just ask you? This stuff is best straight from the source."
"Sure."
"This is so cool. So, what's the real story behind the guitar?"
124 notes · View notes
jobyoda-philippines · 19 days ago
Text
Exploring Career and Job Opportunities in Davao City Philippines
Davao City, recognized as one of the Philippines' most progressive cities, continues to experience remarkable economic growth, creating a vibrant job market that attracts professionals from across the country. The city's diverse economy offers numerous employment opportunities, from entry-level positions to executive roles, making it an attractive destination for job seekers at all career stages.
The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector stands as one of the largest employers in Davao City, providing thousands of jobs across various specializations. Companies in this sector actively recruit customer service representatives, technical support specialists, and quality assurance analysts, offering competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages. The industry's continued expansion has created numerous opportunities for career advancement, with many organizations promoting from within and providing extensive training programs.
Part-time employment opportunities have also flourished in Davao City, catering to students, professionals seeking additional income, and individuals preferring flexible work arrangements. The retail sector, food service industry, and education field offer numerous part-time positions with varying schedules and responsibilities. These roles often provide valuable work experience and can serve as stepping stones to full-time careers.
The Information Technology sector in Davao has seen significant growth, with many companies seeking software developers, web designers, and IT support specialists. This growth has been fueled by the city's improving technological infrastructure and the increasing number of tech-focused businesses establishing operations in the region. Tech professionals can find opportunities in both established companies and startups, with many positions offering competitive compensation and the possibility of remote work arrangements.
Davao's hospitality and tourism industry continues to expand, creating jobs in hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and tour operations. The sector offers positions ranging from entry-level service roles to management positions, with many employers providing training and development opportunities. The industry's growth has also sparked demand for professionals in events management and tourism marketing.
The education sector presents numerous opportunities for both full-time and part-time employment. Educational institutions regularly seek teachers, tutors, and administrative staff. The rise of online learning has created additional opportunities for English language teachers and academic consultants who can work flexible hours from home or teaching centers.
Job hiring  in Davao, the digital economy has opened new avenues for employment. E-commerce specialists, digital content creators, and social media managers are in high demand as businesses increasingly establish their online presence. These positions often offer the flexibility of remote work while providing competitive compensation packages.
Professional development resources are readily available in Davao City, with numerous institutions offering skills training programs and industry certifications. Job seekers can access career counseling services, resume writing assistance, and interview coaching through various employment support organizations. These resources prove invaluable in helping candidates prepare for and secure desired positions.
The financial services sector in Davao has also experienced substantial growth, creating opportunities for banking professionals, insurance specialists, and investment consultants. These positions typically offer attractive compensation packages, including performance bonuses and health benefits, making them highly sought after by experienced professionals.
Davao's agricultural sector continues to evolve, combining traditional farming with modern agribusiness practices. This has created opportunities for agricultural technologists, food processing specialists, and supply chain professionals. The sector offers both technical and management positions, with many companies providing specialized training and development programs.
For those entering Davao's job market, proper preparation is essential. Successful job seekers typically maintain updated resumes, prepare comprehensive portfolios, and stay informed about industry developments. Professional networking, both online and offline, plays a crucial role in discovering opportunities and advancing careers in the city.
The future of Davao's job market looks promising, with emerging industries creating new employment opportunities. The city's commitment to economic development, coupled with its strategic location and robust infrastructure, continues to attract businesses and investors, ensuring a steady stream of job opportunities for qualified candidates.
Whether seeking full-time employment or part-time job in Davao City offers a diverse range of opportunities across multiple industries. Success in this dynamic job market often comes to those who combine proper preparation with continuous skill development and effective networking. As the city continues to grow and evolve, its job market remains a beacon of opportunity for professionals seeking to build meaningful careers in Mindanao's premier business hub.
#Davao City#recognized as one of the Philippines' most progressive cities#continues to experience remarkable economic growth#creating a vibrant job market that attracts professionals from across the country. The city's diverse economy offers numerous employment op#from entry-level positions to executive roles#making it an attractive destination for job seekers at all career stages.#The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector stands as one of the largest employers in Davao City#providing thousands of jobs across various specializations. Companies in this sector actively recruit customer service representatives#technical support specialists#and quality assurance analysts#offering competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages. The industry's continued expansion has created numerous opportunities fo#with many organizations promoting from within and providing extensive training programs.#Part-time employment opportunities have also flourished in Davao City#catering to students#professionals seeking additional income#and individuals preferring flexible work arrangements. The retail sector#food service industry#and education field offer numerous part-time positions with varying schedules and responsibilities. These roles often provide valuable work#The Information Technology sector in Davao has seen significant growth#with many companies seeking software developers#web designers#and IT support specialists. This growth has been fueled by the city's improving technological infrastructure and the increasing number of t#with many positions offering competitive compensation and the possibility of remote work arrangements.#Davao's hospitality and tourism industry continues to expand#creating jobs in hotels#restaurants#travel agencies#and tour operations. The sector offers positions ranging from entry-level service roles to management positions#with many employers providing training and development opportunities. The industry's growth has also sparked demand for professionals in ev#The education sector presents numerous opportunities for both full-time and part-time employment. Educational institutions regularly seek t
4 notes · View notes
wellourgerdes · 3 days ago
Text
Luxury Coach Tours to Lake District – Travel in Comfort & Style
Luxury Coach Hire with Driver Luxury Coach Tours to the Lake District – Explore England’s Breathtaking Countryside 🚍🏞️✨ Scenic, Relaxing & Hassle-Free Group Travel from London & Across the UK Escape to one of the UK’s most stunning natural landscapes with our luxury coach tours to the Lake District. Whether you’re a nature lover, photographer, hiker, or simply seeking a relaxing getaway, our…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes
buglercoaches · 4 months ago
Text
Best Coach Tour Operators in Bristol: Discover the Top Experience with Bugler Coaches
Tumblr media
There are few things more convenient or enjoyable about exploring the city and beautiful surroundings of Bristol than a well-designed coach tour. Whatever the size of your group, whether you're organizing a school trip or a corporate event, the right operator will find that your comfort is ensured as is your safety and those unforgettable memories you will take back home.
For the best coach tour operators in Bristol , consider Bugler Coaches. In this article, we will consider what differentiates Bugler Coaches from the rest of their competitors to stand at the top for all travel needs.
Who are Bugler Coaches?
Being a family-owned company, Bugler Coaches quickly set up a reputation for sound coach services across the Southwest. Conscious professionalism and customer satisfaction kept the loyalty client base in and around Bristol. Its fleet of modern coaches delivers services to clients within schools, private groups, corporate teams, and sports clubs.
With years of experience behind them, Bugler Coaches understand what is required to ensure a successful tour, be it for one day to an attraction close by or across the UK for several days.
Why Bugler Coaches for Bristol Tours?
Select the best tour operator-whether you want to avoid experiencing a stressful journey or have the desired smooth experience. Here are some reasons why Bugler Coaches is on the list of the best coach tour operators in Bristol:
Comfortable Modern Fleet: Their coaches have air-conditioning, reclining seats, and generous legroom so that passengers do not feel uncomfortable for long periods.
Safety First: Bugler Coaches is passionate about safety through the competence of its drivers, well-maintained vehicles, and compliance to tight measures of safety control.
Personalized Itineraries: Do you want a scenic tour of Bristol's best attractions or any other part of the UK? With Bugler Coaches, you can simply choose your preferred time and interests, or we'll create one for you.
Experience and knowledge of the city of Bristol and its surroundings
Having spent years operating in the South West, the knowledge that their drivers and staff possess can guide you on the places to stop, scenic routes and hidden gems.
Affordable and competitive pricing: Bugler Coaches have competitive prices, so you are guaranteed value without sacrificing quality. They are also very frank about costs, and you'd be amazed to find that there are no hidden charges.
Booking a coach tour with Bugler Coaches opens up several of the best sites to explore around and in Bristol. Among these are such attractions as:
City Tour of Bristol: See the best that Bristol has seen, from the Clifton Suspension Bridge to the SS Great Britain, set against the lively harborside.
Bath and Stonehenge: Stop and see the lovely city of Bath, renowned for its Roman Baths and Georgian architecture. Take some time close by to see the famous landmark, Stonehenge.
Cheddar Gorge and Wookey Hole: Visit the stunning Cheddar Gorge famous for its caves and cheese, or visit the attractions of Wookey Hole - a great destination for families and thrill-seekers alike.
The Cotswolds: Village tours of the beautiful Cotswolds allow for scenery, curio shops, and a glimpse into traditional English life in the countryside.
Bugler Coaches also offers school, college, and youth groups tours. They cover everything in guided tours-from historical sites to educational trips to museums-making the journey fun and educational for young travelers.
Corporate and Group Travel Services
Bugler Coaches also specializes in designing corporate and group outings - team-building days, conferences, incentive trips, and many more.
Their large, fully equipped coaches carry groups of all sizes-whether employees or clients-in comfort and fresh and ready for meetings.
Reliability gives professional comfort, so businesses come to Bugler Coaches first.
Apart from corporate events, they also offer transportation services for weddings, sports teams, and even big group functions. Whatever event will be held, Bugler Coaches ensures that your journey is seamless and stress-free.
Easy Booking and Reliable Service
An easy and hassle-free reservation process seems to be another characteristic that distinguishes Bugler Coaches from its competitors. You can get quotes and make bookings right over their website or by dialling their friendly customer care team.
Their focus on communication is rivaled only by their focus on keeping customers first, so you are kept updated at every stage of the booking process, right up until your arrival at your destination.
Bugler Coaches offers customized packages based on the size of the group and budget. Therefore, they are versatile means of travel for all the kinds of travelers around. They ensure you have a quality experience with punctual service and polite drivers.
Conclusion
When it comes to identifying the best coach tour operators in Bristol, Bugler Coaches truly ticks all the right boxes-from a modern fleet to a commitment to safety, customer service and value-for groups, schools, businesses, and families, offering an experience unparalleled for those traveling locally by day or longer journeys.
If you know more about Affordable coach trip gift vouchers in Bristol so you can contact here.
0 notes
stateofsport211 · 9 months ago
Text
The Challengers Are Real: An Introductory Post to the ATP Challenger Tour
A more compact version in the form of a Twitter thread can be found here.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Mike Faist (left) and Josh O'Connor (right) play Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig in Challengers, portraying New Rochelle Challenger 2019 (📸 Challengers official trailer on YouTube)
If anyone comes here from the Challengers movie starting Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, which plot centered on a former Grand Slam tennis champion who registers to compete in a Challenger-level tournament and is somewhat drawn against the former lover of his wife (and coach) after a losing streak, even minus the romance part (which might or might not be true off-court), the plot is reminiscent to the real-life occurrence as a player’s career might have winded down due to a lot of factors (that could even go hand-in-hand), most notably injury and loss of form.
The ATP Challenger Tour was established in 1978 with 18 tournaments (in more limited locations than today) to serve as a feeder system for the ATP Tour, where it often operates 24/7 with more than 180 events in 40 countries nowadays, with the potential to increase this year. Being likened to the Minor Leagues in baseball, with players playing better than the club players (including us), it is characterized as the place where people try to transition from juniors/college to the professional Tour, hanging on due to enormous factors that do not allow them to break through (just yet), and regaining the form they once had (especially for former top players), which are the reasons the Challenger Tour is often dubbed as “the real deal” instead of the main Tour itself.
Beware of the length. This is a possible long read as this fan article aims to introduce non-tennis die-hard/hipster fans or even casual/non-tennis fans to the real-life ATP Challenger Tour. It might be essay-ish, but it can be useful!
How Are the Events Organized?
Tumblr media
The tennis tournament hierarchy (📸 self-illustrated)
As an intermediary between the players who are starting, hanging on, and approaching retirement, the ATP Challenger Tour is in the middle of the professional tennis tournament hierarchy. It is the second-tier tour to the ATP Tour tournament structure, hereby referred to as the main Tour, and the ITF World Tour Tennis (formerly Futures). In this regard, the Grand Slams, whose scale is higher than the main Tour tournaments, are overseen by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the aforementioned ITF World Tour Tennis and the tennis field in the Olympics organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Challenger Tour itself comprised as many as 196 tournaments in 2023 held in 46 countries in comparison to the main Tour's 64 tournaments in 29 countries, while the ITF World Tour Tennis tournaments had a whopping 571 tournaments in 73 countries as of 2023, strengthening its position as the fundamental pillar of the professional tennis for the development of the future tennis stars with the Challenger Tour as its in-between.
On another note, the rankings system in tennis is updated almost weekly (except for the 2-week-long tournaments both in Tour-level and Grand Slams) compared to golf, for example.
Tumblr media
The ATP Challenger Tour logo banner that was placed in the net during the Lille Challenger earlier this year (📸 Lille Challenger official website)
Back to how the Challenger Tour works, even though it is frequently averaged between 1-5 tournaments per week, with the least being in the week of the Roland Garros/French Open qualification rounds (1 in 2023, which was the Skopje Challenger), they are currently divided through 5 tiers depending on the points won by the eventual champions according to the most recent reform starting in 2023, which are:
Challenger 50 is the lowest tier;
Challenger 75;
Challenger 100;
Challenger 125;
Challenger 175, usually held on the second week of the 2-week Masters 1000s (the highest Tour-level event after the ITF-sanctioned Grand Slams) and often likened to a 250 (the lowest Tour-level tournament in scale) for their heavy draws.
Compared to the Tour level, the Challenger-level calendar is revealed periodically (usually every 3 months) and is accessible through the ATP’s website. To add, a Challenger season lasts slightly longer than the Tour-level calendar, for example in 2023–which main Tour season concluded with the Nitto ATP Tour Finals on November 20 and the Davis Cup Finals Knockout Stages on November 27–where there are 4 Challenger tournaments in the week of November 27-December 3, which are located in:
Yokkaichi, Japan (outdoor hard)
Maspalomas, Spain (outdoor clay)
Maia, Portugal (indoor clay)
Temuco, Chile (outdoor hard)
Tumblr media
Clement Tabur (left) and Marco Trungelliti (right) as the runner-up and champion of the Kigali 2 Challenger, respectively, which took place in the Rwandan capital in the beginning of February 2024 (📸 Imvaho Nshya)
The tournaments themselves take place in a variety of locations, which will be dubbed as "their own swings" by taking into account its frequent differences between the main Tour events, either by location or by surface. For example, looking at the past few years:
2024's Indian swing (a string of Indian Challenger events, in this context) started weeks after the Australian Open with the Chennai Challenger, followed by Pune, Bengaluru, and New Delhi;
Challenger's own indoor (hard/clay) season is separated into two, which are the beginning of the season on par with the Tour's pre-Middle East swing European indoor season (e.g. for 2024, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Quimper, Koblenz, Nottingham 1, Cherbourg, Glasgow, Pau, Lille, and Lugano), with an addition of indoor clay Challengers like in Szekesfehervar (usually in March) and Maia (usually year-end), and toward the end of the season on par with the year-end European indoor season (as of 2023, e.g. Orleans, Bratislava 2, Hamburg, Ortisei, Bergamo, Helsinki, and Danderyd).
In addition, the North American circuit is notably divided into indoors at the beginning of the year (e.g. for 2024. Cleveland; and add Rome, GA Challenger in 2023) and after the US Open (most notably Charlottesville, Knoxville, and Champaign Challengers), and outdoors season with the concluded Indian Wells Challenger between the end of January and the beginning of February 2024, and while the Tour-level grass season came into a close, the outdoor hard-court in Palmas del Mar kick-started the summer hard-court season in 2023, but the Phoenix Challenger stood in between the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000s held in the former's second week;
Challenger Tour's own clay season, both European and Latin American, which will be explained in a separate section considering its prevalence and impact to the current tennis landscape;
Other than Tunis, another notable tournament held in Africa was the Kigali Challenger in Rwanda from earlier this year, which became the seventh African country to organize a Challenger-level event;
Challengers' Mexican swing, which differed from the 2 tournament stops on the main Tour as this featured several clay-court and hard-court tournaments;
The Challengers used to have some carpet tournaments based in Eckental and Ismaning, the former which was folded in 2022 due to budget and support constraints, with the latter being the sole carpet tournament of the Challenger Tour since then despite carpet tournaments still being played in the ITF (former Futures) level;
The Challengers' own Asian Swing, which spanned between the South Korean swing spread before the French Open (around April), with parts of the Chinese swing being added to the timeline in 2024 before its second chapter in between/after the US Open (September-November) in line with the main Tour's Asian Swing, added by the Japanese swing to close the year (per the 2023 calendar).
Speaking of the Tour being 24/7, there will be several weeks where tennis visibly never stops. For example, in the second week of April 2024 (Apr 8-14), there are tournaments in:
Busan, South Korea (outdoor hard, which commenced the first half of the Asian Challenger swing);
Split, Croatia (outdoor clay);
Madrid, Spain (outdoor clay);
Sarasota, Florida, United States of America (outdoor green/HarTru clay, which kicked off one-third of the US green clay court circuit pre-French Open);
Morelos, Mexico (outdoor altitude hard, which continued this half of the Mexican Challenger swing, which succeeded the clay-court tournaments of that swing).
Furthermore, there is also a possibility that the 4-5 tournaments held that week will be played on 3 different surfaces, mainly clay, hard, and grass, with the grass-court tournaments being a preparation for the Wimbledon Championships; however, all of the grass-court Challengers solely take place in the United Kingdom. For this year, an example of those weeks is the week of June 3 (the 23rd week of the year), where there are 5 tournaments played on 3 different surfaces, which are located in:
Surbiton, United Kingdom (outdoor grass);
Heilbronn, Germany (outdoor clay);
Prostejov, Czech Republic (outdoor clay);
Zagreb, Croatia (outdoor clay);
Tyler, Texas, United States of America (outdoor hard).
Challenger Tour's Own Clay Season
Tumblr media
One of the most prominent Challenger-level clay tournaments in Buenos Aires, with a packed home crowd (📸 ATP official website)
Even though the main Tour events have their own clay swing during the Golden Swing (the South American clay-court events usually held in February before the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000s, the latter that is famously called the "Sunshine Double") right after the two said hard-court Masters 1000 tournaments (starting from the end of March until the beginning of June), as well as a mini-clay season after the Wimbledon Championships before the North American summer hard-court swing (between July-August), the clay-court season never stops in the Challenger Tour, especially South America.
Parts of the Challenger Tour in South America were initiated by former World No. 31 Horacio de la Peña called the Legion Sudamericana in 2021 as he pointed out the lack of opportunities for Latin American players to develop their game on their home soil. From there, he brought the South American tennis federations together (such as but not limited to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay) that not only comprised the clay-court Challengers as they mostly grew up on clay but also featured the hard-court Challengers, such as the Brasilia and Temuco Challengers by the end of the last season (2023), leading up to the Australian summer hard-court season to start the following year. This generated a huge impact on the growth of Latin American tennis as this was supported by the immense passion of the local fans as proven by their well-attended events. For instance, in 2022 alone (a year after this initiation), Argentinean players won 23 Challenger titles and 14 South American players partook in the Australian Open qualification rounds, which increased three-fold compared to their 2021 Australian Open qualifications participation rate as there were 20 players from the region in 2023 compared to only 7 in 2021. The number also grew into 10 South American players inside the Top 100 as of April 29, 2024, in a group of 35 Latin American players inside the Top 300 by that time, and could possibly be higher as the year progressed.
On the other hand, the clay season in the other parts of the world (mainly Europe) spanned from before the French Open until almost the end of the year. For example, most of the 24 Challenger-level tournaments held in Italy were clay-court tournaments, which explained the steady rise of Italian tennis as they invested a lot in their players' development from the availability of the lower-level tournaments until the coaching department to add to their passion of sports in general. Some others took place in different parts of Europe, including another possible tennis powerhouse in the Czech Republic, where Challenger tournaments held there are mostly clay-court ones, thanks to their grassroots development as well that cultivates the passion for the game in them (including having tennis courts almost everywhere), hence there are (young) talents from almost everywhere in the country.
Detailed writing about the South American Challenger's clay-court circuit as part of the entire pre-Roland Garros/French Open qualification build-up article, dated from the beginning of the 2023 clay season, can be found here.
Broadcast
Tumblr media
The Challenger TV advertisement on the ATP official website (📸 ATP official website)
The ATP Challenger Tour is broadcasted in a dedicated part of the ATP official website, free of charge and repeatable as long as there are no technical problems on their website. People could rewind and document their moments, from the most hilarious ones to the hottest tennis shots and points the players constructed. Starting at the beginning of this year, compared to what is commonly said as the “dodgy CCTV camera” stream that was used back in the day, the current streams have HD cameras, making the moments even more visible.
Interestingly, these past few years, several Challenger tournaments have also been broadcasted on the local televisions of the country (or a specific place) where the competition takes place despite only the main courts or the later rounds. For instance, the tournaments in Latin America are often broadcasted by ESPN (Star+), DirecTV, or TyC Sports (in Argentina), ORR in Austria, L’Equipe TV/BeIN Sports for some French tournaments, and recently, Tennis Channel 2 broadcasts the Phoenix Challenger as part of their attempt to broadcast more US-based Challenger tournaments.
Some upcoming sections might have contained the outline of select players' journey to the author's best knowledge and how the Challenger Tour and the recent enhancements from the ATP play a part in their careers. Out of plethora of tennis players, they are just (tangible) examples of the influence of this circuit before or during breaking through/coming back to the ranks.
Top Players and Emerging Talents
According to the ATP Rulebook, it is stated that within the top players, the Top 10 players 21 days before the first Monday of the ATP Challenger Tour tournament are prohibited from entering by all means possible, be it through direct entry, wild card, or Special Exempts, especially in the 75-175 categories. For those ranked 11-50 by then, they could enter the 175 category per their ranks 3 weeks before the said tournament, and the ATP also has to approve their wild cards should there be a proposal, receiving a limited amount of wild cards depending on the Challenger Tour and the Tour-level schedule for that week. However, those players ranked 1-150 by then are not allowed to enter the 50 category, with the players ranked between 51-150 can receive a wild card upon approval (especially 50-100, where they must have the same nationality as the tournament).
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray (left) with his Surbiton Challenger title (📸 LTA) and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori (right) with his Palmas del Mar Challenger Title (📸 The Japan Times), all won last year
Usually, former top players partake in the Challenger Tour for numerous reasons, mainly returning from injury (or suspension, if any) and grinding to regain their form back, which often takes forever–or, in some other instances, it's the nearest tournament to say farewell (as a professional player) to the sport that raised them. One of the most prominent examples from the first category was from former World No. 1 Andy Murray, who made his return to tennis with a metal hip in the summer of 2019, where he also rebuilt through the Challenger Tour until he became a permanent fixture again several years later, including his participation in the grass-court Challengers to prepare for the bigger-scale tournaments, as he won the Surbiton-Nottingham Challenger double in 2023–and somehow found himself winning the Aix-en-Provence Challenger on clay months prior, and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, who returned from his injuries in Palmas del Mar Challenger 2023 as an unranked player receiving a wild card to partake, winning the whole tournament afterward to mark his comeback to the sport despite his inability to catch a break in between once again. Former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini, who was sidelined for more than a year due to various injuries, came back to become the runner-up in the Phoenix Challenger weeks before winning his first ATP-level title in two years in Marrakech (250). Recently, Frances Tiafoe hit a rough patch since the end of last year, which extended to this year's clay season, where he takes a wild card to rebuild in the Cagliari Challenger (which is a 175) for the week in hopes of rebuilding the confidence missing from his game, starting his campaign in the next few days as he received a first-round bye.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ugo Humbert (left) with his Metz (250) 2023 title (📸 Tenis Magazyn) and Jan-Lennard Struff (right) with his Madrid Masters 1000 2023 runner-up trophy (📸 Sport 1 Germany)
There were several other notable stories where they reached new heights after being unable to catch a break regardless of age (for the older players, they are often called "late bloomers"). Ugo Humbert, who repeatedly ended up injured within the past years, marked the beginning of his resurgence with the Rennes Challenger 2022 title, followed by surviving an almost 4-hour match to win the Pau Challenger 2023, as well as the Cagliari Challenger at the same year before making stronger runs in both summer grass and hard-court seasons, ultimately winning the Metz (250) title on his home soil to out-perform his previous career-high ranking of 25 attained back in 2021, now having the best ranking of 13 from April 15, 2024. While it might have been the end of the road for Jan-Lennard Struff, he picked up where he left off last year by reaching 3 Challenger-level semifinals before re-entering the Top 100 thanks to his Monte Carlo Masters 1000 semifinal appearance as a qualifier, followed by becoming the runner-up of Madrid Masters 1000 as a lucky loser. Proving the doubters wrong once again, he finally won his maiden ATP-level title in Munich (250), where he became the third-oldest first-time champion since the ATP Tour was established in 1990.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pierre Hugues-Herbert (top) won the Quimper Challenger 2024 (📸 Ouest France) and Benoit Paire (bottom) won the Puerto Vallarta Challenger 2023 (📸 Noticias AL Mexico)
However, not everyone had a successful comeback story. While former singles World No. 36 and doubles World No. 2 Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who also completed his career Grand Slam in doubles with Nicolas Mahut rebuilds as this was written, his comeback was plagued by some setbacks and injuries until the middle of 2023, as well as some other issues in between. Right as he started to get the knack again after winning the Quimper Challenger 2024 and becoming the runner-up of the Naples Challenger, another setback occurred in taking care of his youngest son who had just undergone surgery. The struggle can also be felt for former singles World No. 16 Benoit Paire, who fell as low as being ranked 217 on February 2, 2023, due to several losing streaks. Even though he found some knack after winning the Puerto Vallarta Challenger 2023, followed by the San Benedetto del Tronto Challenger months later before closing his season by being the Maia Challenger runner-up, his rollercoaster results comprised the rest of his season, including another string of early exits to start 2024 that prompted speculations of his retirement after the Rome Masters 1000 and the French Open/Roland Garros based on his latest updates.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Patrick Kypson with his Cleveland Challenger 2024 title (left) and Steve Johnson with his Bloomfield Hills Challenger 2023 title (right) (📸 ATP Challenger Tour's official Twitter–1, 2)
Often, which is also applicable to emerging talents, these Challengers are also part of the reciprocal Wild Card Challenge for the countries holding a Grand Slam, for example how the green clay trio of Sarasota-Tallahassee-Savannah Challenger in the United States became an addition to the other red-clay events spread in the different parts of the world for the players from the United States to compete to earn Roland Garros/French Open wild cards as a reward of their performance (as well as for their French counterparts within their system made by their federation) or an equivalent challenge for their summer hard-court season to form the US Open Wild Card Challenge in addition to counting their performances in equivalent surfaces corresponding to the Grand Slams. For instance, this paved the way for Patrick Kypson, who earned both the French Open 2023 and the Australian Open 2024 wild cards thanks to his exceptional performance in the mentioned series of tournaments, backing the latter up with a title in Cleveland Challenger, as well as solid runs in Delray Beach (250) the week after to finally enter the Top 150 for the first time. In contrast, after winning 2 Challenger titles in Bloomfield Hills and Lexington, former World No. 26 Steve Johnson won the US Open Wild Card Challenge last year and received a wild-card to the US Open last year, which turned out to be his last appearance in his home Slam (since he is from the United States), as he decided to hang his racquet during the Indian Wells Masters 1000 earlier this year.
Today, young talents also benefit from the College/Junior/NextGen Accelerator Programs that speed up their rise, which will be explained right in the next section.
The College/Junior/NextGen Accelerator Programs
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The Junior/College Accelerator Program diagrams (📸 ATP official website)
For some people who had outstanding junior careers or even collegiate careers (for the latter, it is now for those who attended the US universities, notably playing in the NCAA), they are rewarded with the College/Junior Accelerator Program to try their hands against the best of the game as early as they transition from junior/college to the professional Tour. This partly answered the previous concerns about players having difficulties transitioning between the junior and professional circuit while recognizing their immense potential at times, thus the necessity to promote the rise of young talents to build through these accelerated opportunities.
In this case, the stand-outs from juniors (mostly between 1-30 in the ITF junior rankings, as well as the junior Grand Slam champions and finalists), college (ranks 1-20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association/ITA rankings), and NextGen (for players aged 20 and under inside the Top 350 ranking range) by the end of each season will be allotted certain occasions (and select tournament levels) to play in the main draw of both the Challenger Tour (in this case, it is for junior and college) and the main Tour-level (which applies to the NextGen players), as well as the ITF World Tour Tennis-level (for the up-and-coming juniors in a certain ranking range as illustrated). This hopes to nurture their talent and improve their pathway to develop their game, thus elevating their progress through the higher ranks of the game.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez (top left, 📸 International Tennis Federation), Joao Fonseca (top right, 📸 ATP official website), Martin Landaluce (bottom left, 📸 Tennisnet.com), and Ben Shelton (bottom right 📸 On Running Switzerland) as one of the examples of rapid rises through or influencing the Accelerator Programs
Outside of these, making it more tangible, some people in this category notably received wild cards in their local tournaments that could also help their development as they only allotted limited occasions to use their junior rankings. This might be the case for former junior World No. 1 Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez, who received numerous wild cards in Mexican Challenger and Tour-level events within the past 2 years before finally making his Challenger-level quarterfinal debut this year in Acapulco, or another former junior World No. 1 Joao Fonseca, who also benefited through a combination of his junior rankings/wild-cards/direct entries between 2022 and 2023, paving him the way to become the Asuncion Challenger runner-up and in the main Tour, the Rio de Janeiro (an ATP 500-level tournament) quarterfinals on his home ground before forging his college eligibility (right before starting his academic year) to turn professional. In addition, another former junior World No. 1 in 2023, Martin Landaluce, who notably trained in Rafael Nadal Academy, also has his Challenger and main Tour-level participation a combination between most of the wild cards and direct entry apart from the direct entry when his ranking is sufficient, which started to pay off when he reached his maiden Challenger-level quarterfinals in Alicante last year before reaching his first Challenger-level semifinal in Tenerife 2 just several months ago.
For college, this might not be possible without Ben Shelton's rapid rise, who became a runner-up in 2 Challenger-level tournaments and won 3 back-to-back tournaments (Charlottesville-Knoxville-Champaign) in 2022, some of them through wild cards thanks to his potential being spotted after being crowned the champion of the 2021/22 NCAA Singles Championship when attending the University of Florida, solidifying his rise through his fourth-round appearances in the Australian and US Open before winning his first Tour-level title in Tokyo (500).
Behind the Scenes of the Real-Life Challengers
Tumblr media
Billy Harris in front of his van, the vehicle he used to travel between tournaments for three and a half years (📸 The Times)
As of 2017, there are more than 14,000 tennis players (male or female) who tried to make ends meet. However, only a handful of them could make the cut in the world's best, undergoing an arduous journey to the top, and most were unable to continue due to travel and financial difficulties. The latter is crucial not only for them to participate in a tournament (and its related logistics) but also for them to be able to practice (with a coach or more), to recover (e.g. through physiotherapy), as well as numerous other necessities while on Tour. Often, some could not afford traveling coaches for this reason, and finding sponsors could also be a struggle for them to keep moving forward. These are some reasons tennis players are often regarded as independent contractors.
Generally observing, there are various examples from players to manage them, but not everyone can live the life depicted in the movie. Some might have ended up playing select tournaments a year, sleeping in a van for the nearest tournaments compared to any other accommodation options, or regrettably, resorting to match-fixing (which also became an extensive issue for tennis in general) due to the little points and prize money they receive in the lower-level tournaments before the ATP institutes the prize-money-related reforms as part of the Challenger restructuring in 2023, as well as the Baseline initiative (with the financial stability for the Top 150 being the goal) later that year.
Some who could not catch a break, for instance, suffering from continuous injuries, took ages to (re)build from where they left off, and those who could not take it any longer gave up playing the sport due to the "demands" needed to reach the top. In the latter's case, some turned out to be a coach (like Zendaya's character, Tashi Duncan), a real-life case for the example of Gianluigi Quinzi.
These days, thanks to platforms like YouTube (and other social media platforms), some players document their experiences through their vlogs (video blogs) starting from how to win their first ATP point, how to travel in between tournaments, as well as preparing for the said competitions, until analyzing their own matches. Some prominent examples came from such as but not limited to:
Simon Freund
Federico Coria (look up: Fede Coria)
Juan Pablo Paz
Fabien Salle
Felix Mischker (look up: Tennis Brothers)
Karue Sell (look up: My Tennis HQ)
Challenger Doubles
Tumblr media
Marcus Willis/Christian Harrison, the winner of this year's Savannah Challenger (📸 WSAV-TV)
In addition to the singles sector, the Challenger Tour typically has a doubles sector. Interestingly, this is another cross-line between up-and-coming doubles specialists, who are the players who only play doubles for several reasons (which also includes doubling the joy, doubling the fun, and doubling the chaos altogether), and those who frequently play singles but frequently/occasionally play doubles as well. While sometimes the consideration comes from the extra prize money they could earn from the latter kind of players, some turned out to have equal potential in doubles just like in singles or vice versa (having their potential also spotted in the doubles scene before singles), often having higher doubles ranking than singles despite playing both (which could be the case for those like Orlando Luz and Daniel Cukierman). Speaking of doubling the fun and mess, the Challenger-level doubles matches can be as hilarious as exhibition matches, which was exemplified by the Little Rock Challenger 2023 semifinals between Alexis Galarneau/Nicolas Moreno de Alboran and Callum Puttergill/Kelsey Stevenson.
Somehow, some rising pairs also started their way here and made their waves, often by winning multiple titles. For instance, before their doubles break-up at the end of the US Open 2023, Julian Cash/Henry Patten notably won 11 Challenger titles, 10 of which were won in 2022 (including the year-end Maia Challenger), the last one being in the Sarasota Challenger 2023. There are also some notable up-and-coming pairs, with some also having their collegiate roots, such as Ryan Seggerman/Patrik Trhac, who won 7 ITF titles before winning 3 Challenger titles since they paired up last year, or Sadio Doumbia/Fabien Reboul, who became more prominent as they partner more often these past few years as proven by their 15 Challenger-level titles since 2019 and 3 ATP Tour-level titles since winning their first title in Chengdu (250) 2023. There is also a “rebirth” lore in former singles World No. 322 Marcus Willis, who announced his retirement in 2021 and decided to give the professional Tour one more go a year later as a doubles specialist, winning 3 Challenger titles by the time this was written with 2 different partners to kick off this season.
Tumblr media
Harri Heliovaara/Lloyd Glasspool, one of the most notable Challenger doubles breakout (📸 LTA)
One of the other remarkable doubles breakouts from the Challenger Tour came from Harri Heliovaara/Lloyd Glasspool, who won 4 Challenger titles in 2021 and became a runner-up in 2 other tournaments before breaking out as an alternate in Rome Masters 1000 by reaching the third round before reaching the quarterfinals in the French Open, partnering for at least one more year before splitting after the Shanghai Masters 1000. Currently, Heliovaara plays with another rising doubles player in Henry Patten (who came to the scene with Julian Cash before their split), as Lloyd Glasspool plays with veteran Jean-Julien Rojer. Since watching Challengers is free, it is time to watch more (Challenger) doubles, just like Tennis Tribe campaigns for the main Tour as well.
The Challenger Fandom and How They Stan Players #OnTheRise
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The full-house stands during the ATP Challenger Tour tournaments in Shenzhen (top) and Buenos Aires (bottom) (📸 ATP Challenger Tour, the latter via Buenos Aires Challenger)
The tennis fandom extends from the main Tour-level fans, which most people usually are, and the "die-hard" fans, some of whom are dubbed as tennis hipsters, which is a group of passionate fans who adore the players' grind in the lower-level tournaments (Challengers and ITFs), often preferring to watch or follow matches in that level, some of which being unstreamed, than the main professional Tour-level matches. They even have their own definitions of talents (= potential players) and goats (= greatest of all time), where the potential of these players is revealed as the year progresses and as the circuit runs regardless of age.
However, parts of the fandom are still being shadowed by people who occasionally/frequently bet on the outcomes of a game/set/match, some of which influenced match-fixing practices as mentioned in the previous sections. While betting seems tempting, as many warnings on responsible betting as there are, it is not encouraged (especially at the places where it is illegal) not only for financial reasons but also affects self-esteem, relationships, physical and mental health, work performance, and social life, which can harm family, friends, workplace, and communities, as evident in the broader tennis issue.
Interestingly, some tournaments are well-attended, with even the Challenger-level players and tournaments gathering more fans to appreciate the game and the grind. Some such examples are the Latin American events (e.g. in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil, among others), the French tournaments (where a famous chant “papapapapapapapapapa ole” is chanted, it must be either in French tournaments or involving French players), the competitions held in Italy and the United Kingdom as there are a handful of fans also watching the Challenger tournaments all the way in Japan and South Korea, as well as the recently-concluded (by the time of this draft) Kigali Challenger in Rwanda. Some tournaments have “free entry” in most parts of the day, while some tournaments have (at their local rates) more affordable tickets to attend the later days of the tournament. Some become passionate fans of a particular player/some players they followed or regularly attend the nearest Challenger tournament near them, and some can also be inspired to pick up the racquet and play several years after their attendance.
From this, the lower-level tennis fandom might not be as prevalent as the main Tour, but even without the gambling element, some become legitimate avid fans for their love of the game. They chase talents, find joy in their respective journeys, and are pleased should they break through or break even after hanging on for several years. This is in line with the ATP Challenger Tour’s #OnTheRise campaign, where they championed what is seen as a repetitive process of grinding, which represented hard work, perseverance, and discipline, paving the way to greatness. This is sometimes overlooked due to the (statistical) comparative nature between one player and another since there is also a perception that life is not a race, and everyone has their own path to the top, which tennis opens the gate to. Ultimately, for some “die-hards,” following the players from the start, all the effort, until they rise or become one of the legends is a pleasure. Sometimes, these fans also made sure “they are there for/until their last dance” when the player’s last-ever professional tournament played to honor their incredible careers, which marked their retirement from playing tennis professionally, took place in their nearby Challenger tournament, or those that made a significance in their careers. All those reasons are believed to be also behind the #WatchChallengersFolks campaign, which has been widespread on Twitter these past few years.
Important Links
ATP Challenger TV (free broadcast of the Challenger Tour matches)
ATP Challenger Tour annual calendar, updated periodically
Entry Lists (for Challenger-level and above to check on the participants of each event)
Live Rankings (real-time ranking estimates before the official rankings come out) (1, 2)
12 notes · View notes
mumbaitouroperator · 2 years ago
Text
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels, Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Travel Agent, Tour Operator In Mumbai, Mumbai Tours And Travels,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
Mumbai Taxi Car Cab Bus Coach Hire Rental Services
Mumbai Travel Agent, Mumbai Travel Agency, Mumbai Tour Operator, Mumbai Hotel Booking, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tour Operator, Maharashtra Travel Agency, Maharashtra Travel Services, Maharashtra Tours And Travels, Maharashtra Travel Agent, Maharashtra Online Tour Operator, Maharashtra Cruise Tour Operator, Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Maharashtra Tours And Travel Services, Maharashtra Jyotirlinga Temple Tour And Maharashtra Ashtavinayak Ganesh Temple Tour, Maharashtra Temple Tours,
+919370314751 / 52 / +917720079131 / 32
Tumblr media
1 note · View note
toomuchracket · 2 years ago
Note
d word matty and long distance relationship with you? like him being on tour, while you are still in london working for dh?
combining with thinking about d word matty on tour and reader has to stay back/can’t be with them for some of the tour… smutty phone calls
i think it's never as bad with the two of you and touring as it would be if you had any other job - as jamie's assistant/second-in-command, you're always with the boys for at least part of the tour, if not the full thing (like you might do the entirety of the shorter legs). and i won't go too much into the ins and outs of you being on tour with matty, because i feel like that's a separate blurb in itself lol. but it's good, and you both definitely miss each other when you're apart. it's a lot of voice note monologuing in lieu of extensive phone calls in wildly different time zones (i feel like you're very much both on the vibe of "babe you have work tomorrow you need to sleep" lol), although you do have at least one little phone call a day; a lot of you sending matty pics and vids of you and the dogs and the flowers he gets delivered to you and cool things you see throughout the day, and him sending selfies and pics of places he visits with captions like "you'd love this. i'll bring you here for a weekend when i'm off"; a lot of "work is good, but i miss you. i love you. i'll see you in two weeks". if timezones allow, you try to do a facetime food date once or twice a week - matty calls you with his dinner while you're having your morning coffee, or vice versa, just to keep a sense of "togetherness" while you're apart and operating on different timescales. it's hard, but it works, and the reunions are always extra sweet.
in addition to the facetime food dates... phone sex moments when you're both in bed, even if one is morning and the other is night. never too long, and never as good as when you're together, but it does the job; you know each other's bodies so well that dirty talk hits, and you can talk each other into rapid orgasms, which is kinda amazing. while i don't think there's a lot of sending nudes - there's some, but i fully think you'd have a polaroid nude photoshoot before matty leaves and he takes the resulting pics with him (he leaves you some of him though), so he tends to opt for them for like ease/safety reasons - the phone sex is still dirty; the d word is sometimes used, and matty's definitely bought you toys specifically to use while he's away and he coaches you using them over the phone (but his favourite phrase is "i know you wish it was me. nothing and nobody can make you feel as good as i do, right, princess? wish i was fucking you and not my hand, god, i can't wait to come home and make you feel good myself"). yeah... the phone sex is good <3
37 notes · View notes
jeeyuns · 1 year ago
Text
writing poll game
tagged by @disasterbuckdiaz @housewifebuck @devirnis 🌙
rules: make a 24 hour poll with the names of your wips and then for whichever wins, write one sentence for every vote it gets
been trying to focus on slouching towards bethlehem, but i do have other wips floating around with sad word docs created i'd love to work on as the mood strikes or when i get sick of focusing on one thing. what are you guys interested in seeing more of during writing games?
story summaries below the cut (click read more below the poll)
operation celestial blue: date evan buckley
romcom where everyone thinks ana flores and eddie are dating but she's actually the long-suffering teacher turned friend turned life coach for one eddie diaz who is rolling her eyes and pushing and shoving him at buck. like DATE HIM ALREADY DO I HAVE TO PICK OUT YOUR OUTFITS AND HELP YOU ASK HIM for the love of godddddd
laundry and taxes with you
everything everywhere all at once inspired, buck rips apart every parallel universe he can to find one where his parents love him unconditionally the way he always wanted. he encounters different iterations of eddie along the way
break in case of emergency
buck is really trying to make it work with natalia. everything sounds so good on paper. but being a good boyfriend involves making his girlfriend a priority. which means his relationship with eddie and chris suffers a little bit. but that's normal, and eddie's got marisol, right? things come to a head when he gets a call from the hospital, because, of course, he's still eddie's primary emergency contact. makes sense with the will and all. and speaking of, he somehow needs to explain the will to natalia
hold your tonic like a crux
eddie joins station 6 instead of the 118. he keeps running into buck, who he had an ill-advised, ill-timed, and short-lived couple of hook-ups with during his LA fire academy days. he keeps running into the 118 on calls. if that wasn't awkward enough, Chris keeps talking about the really awesome volunteer aquarium tour guide he keeps wanting to see again
loose lips sink (friend)ships
chim drags buck out to the liquor festival for prospective wedding couples, since maddie can't make it that day. buck gets so drunk that he entreats poor chimney to his edmundo diaz soliloquy, or 10 reasons why he's secretly in love with eddie and can't tell him. buck doesn't remember the next day, and chim just wants to get through wedding planning in one piece. and now he has to keep his mouth shut about this disastrous big secret too. couldn't buck have told hen instead?
a home you carry with you
xmen-type alternate universe where it's not rare that some people have mutations. buck's is super strength with enhanced tracking and self-healing. he believes he can only access it through deliberately causing himself pain each time he wants to help people on a call. as a firefighter, this happens often. eddie notices immediately, and attempts different ways of preventing it. he wants to get to the bottom of buck's understanding of himself and his powers to change it
if you want, or because i'd like to know your opinion: @shitouttabuck @alyxmastershipper @diazblunt @forthewolves @giddyupbuck @transboybuckley @wildlife4life @911onabc @pirrusstuff @lesliesknopes @ice-sculptures @daffi-990 @consumedbyfeels @fcntasmas 💞
25 notes · View notes