#dermott as himself

[veryknies]

trying to work up the courage to make a sign for canucks pride night

[kevinsdsy]

THE TROJANS SOCIAL MEDIA AU HEADCANONS pt. 1

laila dermott

laila dermott is muslim!! i've had this headcanon since i read the king's men for the first time in 2019 hehe and now is my time to push it.

nabil & laila are besties. they're both muslim and both in same-sex relationships which leads to them having an understanding of each other like no one else on the team could have with them.

ntm laila fr was his standing pillar when he was figuring out his sexuality

nabil mahmoud

nabil is gay!! which is something he really had to deal with and accept due to him being muslim too (bc what am i without the religious trauma due to sexuality lore)

nabil and tony are dating each other in the socmed au!! even without the au i would like to believe and headcanon there's something happening there :))

i've written a bit more about them in another headcanon post tho.

antonio "tony" jones

tony is what like a year or two older than the rest? he's an assistant and i'm not sure how old they're supposed to be in the book tbh so i would like to think it's possible or he's an intern (i love him being an intern either way tho so i'm very much leaning into that one)

jeremy knox

JEREMY KNOX USED TO PLAY FOOTBALL (soccer), but due to him playing so aggressively and due to him always being guilty of too many fouls he switched to exy :))

cody winter

cody doesn't know what sleep is and they don't care to find out. they're living on like 2 to 4 hours a sleep a night and surprisingly enough it works for them too.

cody is also SUPER competitive which is why they have managed to be part of the captain gc. their competiteviness has led to them pushing the backliners as much as cody can and the backliners actually listen to them too.

shawn anderson

oh shawn. shawn shawn shawn.

you were supposed to be no one. a random guy on the team.

you exist to me now. i feel like i could make a whole post about just him atp.

shawn was supposed to be comedic relief for the posts i felt were too out of character for the rest of the team LMAOO, but now he actually has a personality (to me)

shawn works a part time shop at a café. even though he's surrounded by coffee at all times and drinks so much of it he's the sleepiest guy to ever exist.

like that man gets about 8 hours a sleep every day and still takes nap, but still ends up with bags under his eyes.

he's always tired for some reason and everyone is so used to it atp. like he will ALWAYS sleep on the bus/airplane, no matter how long the drive/flight is.

but when he's finally awake he's so hyper. he says the silliest things. repeats the same phrases over and over again and has about zero filter.

most of the time the zero filter has to do with the fact he speaks before he thinks. it even catches himself off guard sometimes.

i feel like this is too long and we haven't even gotten into jean and shawn dynamic so i'm just gonna cut it off here and they’ll get another part i think

derrick allen

bro we don't even know who derrick is, but apparently he's someone to me now too.

this man has crazy attachment issues, but is also the biggest simp for shawn too.

he likes going around kissing shawn and making out with shawn, but whenever shawn mentions something serious derrick acts like it's just a joke. which i guess is easy to do, because shawn is always treating everything as a joke anyways. except he's really not trying to when it comes to derrick.

jean falls victim to shawn ranting and crying about derrick. so jean respectfully ignores derrick til he gets his shit together.

and i just realised i have SO MUCH to say about derrick and shawn too so let me cut myself off.

derek thompson

same as shawn and derrick. derek is supposed to be a no one, but here i am and suddenly derek is being perceived by me too

SOOO derek was supposed to be like the third party with derrick and shawn. it was supposed to be the three of them flirting and making out and being little shits but then y'all were asking about derrick & shawn and i decided yk what let's do it. then later the short oneshot was written by oomf and derek got mentioned as the one shawn is in love with and i was like oh... i fucked up the dynamic. but in another universe it would've been the three of them ig

ANYWAYYSS derek takes medication. i haven't really decided on what kind of medications, but while thinking about him i always imagined either depression or adhd or both idk

and i have so many more headcanons for the au, but this is too long so i´ll post part 2 another time :))

[swifty-fox]

HI so for the mota hockey au:

any out of pocket viral moments of the boys? magazine photoshoots press tours etc what are they like? are clegan out and proud or are they more like go on keep guessing?

Bucky has a LOT of notable moments. He's just a teenage girl and puberty is so hard it makes him so hormonal.

He gets sent to the penalty box for BLATANT hooking one time which is a pretty iconic out of pocket moment you dont really get tendys serving penalties. usually another play subs in for their penalty but refs are prob like Fuck you Bucky you're such a menace you pay the price.

He drops the gloves with a rival teams goon that absolutely boards the fuck out of Gale a la Scheifele/Evans hit. Normally we love a good Goaltender fight but this hit was too scary. people still take notice bc they're like look at Bucky defending his BOY

John is a very Seguin type character. As I mentioned he has a similarly nude sports illustrated photoshoot. But also very messy party phase with Curt much like Segs and Marchy

theyre messy bitches who know how to have fun okay.

He's got a LOT of really famous soundbites, just the most out of pocket shit professional yapper w the cameras fr. it's mostly him hitting on Curt and Gale. There's a mic'd up clip of him singing "Baddie Friend" by kevo jefe perfectly word for word.

Gale's really bad with the cameras he clams up a ton and just kinda defaults to hockey mumbo-jumbo. he does get one Hockey social media clip where he gets to talk about space and that gets him a little excited. The clip of his one skate goal does some pretty big numbers just because Holy Fuck Dude.

he gets gif'd a lot for chewing on his mouthguard like Tkachuk. nasty boy. the fangirls go a little feral over those ones.

In terms of their relationships there is some plot stuff I'm cooking but John doesn't really care for the most part. he isn't ashamed but hes also like well im here to play hockey and im single nobody needs to be privy to my sexuality so he's kinda just closeted bc hes too lazy to do otherwise. you bet ur ass he wears pride tape every game and practice after Gary fucking shittman tried to institute the ban

(Shoutout to Travis "It had to be done" Dermott who called garys bluff like a PRO you my number 1 bbygirl i have a puck signed by him)

Gale is definitly closeted and it's a plot point in the au his journey with it. hes not closeted to himself but there are factors making him NOT want to be open with things.

I do think once theyre established in their team, they both have the C and a couple cups under their belt; when gale is ready - yeah they sit down with management and draw up a coming out plan. The team is so supportive of them they love their Bucks squared.

It's internet breaking

Please bear in mind hockey is REALLY homoerotic like these straight men kiss and hug and call eachother handsome and pet names constantly so theres a LOT that Clegan can actually just get away with and have plausible deniability

( a few seasons ago Marchand started licking other players and the NHL had to release a statement like 'its not against the rules but wtf bro stop')

[annieqattheperipheral]

Go give him a follow!!

Full article behind $wall:

When Travis Dermott takes the ice in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, he plans to do so without the strip of Pride tape that thrust the Arizona Coyotes defenseman into the middle of one of the NHL’s most controversial topics over the weekend.

“I think the one game probably ruffled enough feathers and got enough attention,” Dermott told The Athletic on Monday night.

This is not a case of the 26-year-old being silenced or deterred, though.

Not exactly.

Some 48 hours after he skated in defiance of a new NHL rule that prohibits players from displaying “cause messaging” on their equipment by wrapping Pride tape around the shaft of his Warrior stick on Saturday afternoon, Dermott had yet to even be contacted directly by any league officials.

However, given the chance to gauge the immense amount of coverage and attention his act of LGBTQ+ allyship received and with some time to reflect on how it may have put members of the Coyotes organization in an awkward position, he figures his point had effectively been made.

And that there still exist other avenues for him to continue to make it.

“The war’s not over. Definitely not, by any means,” Dermott said. “You don’t want to fully back off and zip your mouth up when something like this happens, but you’ve got to find the right game plan to attack it with.

“Where you’re supporting your organization and not making them look bad, and you don’t want to step on the league’s toes and really start a fight with them, but still tell them that I think this stuff’s important.”

Dermott didn’t consult with management, the coaching staff or any of his peers before wrapping the rainbow-colored tape around the shaft of his stick shortly before a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Mullett Arena.

It’s a practice he’s regularly followed dating to his days in the AHL, and the only reason it took until the fifth game of Arizona’s season for him to use the tape again was that he was awaiting a new shipment after misplacing his previous batch during an offseason move from Vancouver.

Dermott was aware of the new NHL regulations, but he felt it was important to continue showing support for a cause and a community that are near and dear to his heart.

“None of the players really saw me put it on my stick,” Dermott said. “It was kind of just an: ‘All right, I’m doing this, and we’re going to deal with the consequences and move forward, and hopefully I’ll have a positive impact on some people that needed that positive impact.’”

While it’s not surprising that Dermott would put himself out there in the name of supporting the LGBTQ+ community given his long history of doing so — “I had someone close to me who is in that community and wasn’t completely comfortable coming out, and still hasn’t, actually,” he said — it makes it all the more notable that he did so at a time when he’s fighting to re-establish himself in the league.

Dermott was limited to just 11 games with the Canucks last season because of lingering concussion issues and is playing on a two-way contract now that would see him paid at a reduced rate if the Coyotes elect to send him to AHL Tucson.

In his skates, it would have been far easier to do nothing given the current climate at the NHL’s head office.

So why did he instead become the first player to defy a rule that’s generated considerable consternation in dressing rooms across the continent?

“It’s easy to forget that it’s a battle if it’s not in front of you,” Dermott said. “If you don’t see it every day, if it’s swept under the rug, if it’s just hidden from the naked eye, it’s easy to forget that there’s a group of people that don’t feel like they belong because the majority of people do feel like they belong.

“Once we stop thinking about that, I think that’s when it gets dangerous.”

Dermott openly acknowledges that he experienced some anxiety in the wake of Saturday’s game. He never imagined the reaction would be as significant and widespread as it was. That started to dissipate when it became clear the Coyotes were willing to stand alongside him.

“The reaction that I’ve gotten is complete support from my team,” Dermott said.

He did note that he apologized to the equipment staff for using the Pride tape without telling them.

“They’re the ones that are supposed to make sure that all of our gear is up to spec and legal and all that stuff,” he said. “I did feel a little bit like I betrayed those guys. … But I think at the same time they’re so good at understanding and they know that I wasn’t being malicious toward them.”

The challenge now is finding ways to keep supporting Pride initiatives against the backdrop of the new NHL rules.

The Coyotes are scheduled to host their Pride night on Friday — the first team to do so since the league clarified its regulations in an Oct. 9 memo distributed to teams — and Dermott is still working through his own plans to mark that occasion.

“My Instagram will probably be more active from here on out,” he said. “I’m going to be actively finding ways now that I don’t completely shut up and … don’t piss off the league and (comply) with their rules.

“But, yeah, I’m still here. The fight’s not over. We’re going to continue to talk about this. And if the league doesn’t want it to be on league time then we’ll find other ways.”

Like many of his peers, Dermott was emotional when he found out the NHL was prohibiting cause messaging this season. That decision came out of June’s board of governors meeting after a handful of players created headlines last season by refusing to join their teammates and wear Pride sweaters during warmups.

“You can see it as the league’s taking away our voice,” said Dermott. “We can’t speak. We don’t have any of this expression anymore. I feel like that’s a valid way to think, and it’s easy to kind of see it that way. A lot of people do, and I’m sure will continue to.

“It’s such a fine line where the league wants to look good and the league wants to support all of these things, but you also don’t want all of the negativity that can come from someone not supporting it and you don’t want to force people who don’t support something to support something, and I completely understand that point of view.

“I can take a step back and see that, hands down, no problem. But at the same time, you’d love for players to still be able to express themselves if they would like. You’d love to still have that.”

Dermott speaks passionately about the people he’s met in the LGBTQ+ community since first publicly supporting the cause. Through heart-to-heart conversations, he’s learned that it’s sometimes the most outgoing personalities in a room who privately benefit from seeing an NHL player “with a strip of tape on their stick.”

“I don’t hear of many people really spending time with the LGBTQ community and feeling pushed away from them,” said Dermott. “You only get more comfortable with stuff like that and you learn that they’re people, too — completely normal people that have the majority of the exact same life as you, so why would we treat them differently just because of who they’re interested in or not interested in?

“It just seems insane to me.”

And to many others, it seems. Dermott was overwhelmed with the outpouring of support that followed his decision Saturday. He estimates that the tone of those messages was “99.99 percent positive.”

“As athletes, we have such a great platform to spread love, and I think if we’re not spreading that love then what the hell are we doing?”

[theygotlost]

come play venture bros postcanon tuoys with me? :)

hank isnt interested in higher education or a full time career and he literally wrote down his dream job as "drifter". I see him taking up a lot of odd jobs and sporadic minimum wage stuff but really i believe he was meant for the stage. shallow gravy never makes it big time but they get like the weirdest most random gigs ever and eventually they release a full album and everyone fucking hates it and hank gets called a nepo baby. which is true. but going beyond the music hank is always dressing up and playing characters and ofc there was the time he called himself destiny and refused to take off the strength suit you see where im going with this YEP Destiny is his drag name. and im imagining destiny playing shallow gravy gigs so she'd have a kinda gothy alternative amy lee aesthetic going on and she would slay.

in case you havent noticed I hateee that dermott joined OSI it just feels forced and his buzzcut is ugly. dont worry though I can fix this. the thing about dermott is that he talks a big game but in reality is a pathetic loser. it's like that episode of malcolm in the middle where reese joins the army but crumbles as soon as he's faced with combat training. dermott either drops out or gets kicked out for doing something stupid but either way they probably have to wipe his memory and its like it never happened. outside of shallow gravy i see him doing random blue collar stuff and like... riding dirtbikes and shit. also he was probably lying about having a pilots license but idk maybe he does have one. i think he should have one

dean says he doesnt know what he wants to do with his future so his major at stuyvesant is probably still undeclared rn... but remember that for a while his dream job was "boy reporter" and he even printed that adorable little home newspaper so that points to a career in journalism. in the second half of the show dean's vibe is "im probably transgender but there are supervillains trying to kill me so i don't have time to worry about that right now" and being able to have a (relatively) normal college experience away from home around people her own age would be the final push she needs to start transitioning. also i have this vivid image in my mind of dawn becoming a photographer and i have no idea where it came from but that would fit well with the reporter stuff and she could be a photojournalist! but I also see her being interested in fashion photography and doing all of destiny's glamour shots and stuff so that's her hobby that does outside of work .and she NEEEDS to be an obnoxious twee amateur photographer living in NYC she deserves it she's earned it !!!!!

triana's probably an accomplished sorceress by now!! goddd i miss triana i just want her back. idk if she would move to new york permanently but she would come visit her dad and get to hang out with dawn again. and she's realized shes a lebian and they get back together PLEASEE? :3 im not really sure what she would do with her sorcery powers but I guess she could be a low level superhero? she wouldn't be interested in anything crazy like saving the world but she would have fun busting up low level bank robbers and classic stuff like that and she and jared could hang out. or perhaps she's available for hire and will do magic stuff for whoever

[creativepawsworld]

The Christmas Bauble

Pairing = Cillian Murphy x Reader

Summary = Y/N has been dating Cillian for a year and is celebrating Christmas for the first time with him and his sons.

Warnings = Extreme fluff

Word Count = 1645

Cillian had arrived home yesterday evening after a long 6-month period of filming season 4 of the Peaky Blinders. To say he was exhausted both mentally and physically would be an understatement.

Playing the role of Thomas Shelby took its toll on Cillian so he needed a few days, sometimes a week or two to completely distance himself from the cold, egotistical narcissist that is the main character of the hit show Peaky Blinders.

Today however was December 13th, the twelfth day before Christmas and the time of year Cillian always put up his Christmas tree. His two sons from his previous marriage grew up with the tradition and had arrived this morning to see it through.

“Do you think dad will be back to help with the tree?” His youngest son Cian had asked. Smiling softly at him, you brushed his brown hair, unsure of the answer but not wanting to break the young boys heart you opted for a cheery answer.

“Of course, he will, it’s his favourite time of year” You tell him placing an arm around his shoulders. “He would never miss this time with you”

You had been dating Cillian almost 12 months now having met at a New Year's Eve party last year thrown by his best friend Dermott. When first introduce to his sons, they didn’t like you. They wanted their mum and dad together. It was a reaction you expected being a child of divorce yourself.

It had taken you years to get over the idea that your parents would never be together again, and you fear the same for his sons.  But they were much more mature, after a sit down with both their parents they welcomed me with opened arms into their family.

“He is different when he comes back from Manchester, grumpier” Connor the eldest huffed, arms folded across his chest. He was becoming more and more like his father every day. “He was supposed to be back days ago to destress and be ready for today.”

“Your dad is ready for today, he is just taking a few more hours to be really ready. I promise he will be here with the tree.” You assure both boys with a hearty smile while walking over to one of the boxes you had taken from the attic and pulling out a large Santa decoration.

“Come on, we can decorate the room and then we will get your dad for the tree what do you think?” You ask holding out the large Santa towards Connor who pursed his lips together to hide a smile.

Nodding, he stood to his feet taking the Santa from your hands and placing it next to the fireplace. Cian running forward to empty the rest of the box out onto the floor. The two boys happily placing the decorations where they belonged, correcting you when you had placed one wrong.

“All finished can we call dad now. Tell him to come home?” Cian asked raising his eyebrows, trying his best to give me the biggest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen.

“No need, dad’s right here” Cillian’s voice sounded from behind us. He was just in time. “And he’s got the tree” He chuckled pulling a fresh green pine tree in from the hall and into the living room. He really was a doting dad when it came to his boys. Watching him interact with them had me falling deeper and deeper in love with him every day.

“YESS” The boys cheered running over to help their father, fine pine needles falling all over the floor as the three boys dragged the tree to the corner.

“Alright, alright stand back” Cillian laughed taking a blade from his back jean pocket and cutting the red rope holding the tree together. Once each line was cut the tree fell out, taking up the entire space, Cillian barely managing to get out of its way when it popped out.

“Oh Cillian, it’s perfect” you grinned rushing towards him, resting your hands on his upper arm as you both admire the tree for all its beauty. Feeling his eyes on you, you turn with a smile his beautiful blue eyes looking down into yours.

This was your first official Christmas together.

“Dad, come on the lights” Cian whined pulling on his father’s hand breaking his eye contact with you. Laughing you tell the boys you were going to make some hot chocolate while they fought with the small fairy lights on the tree. 

Walking into the kitchen you noticed the family dog, Scout sleeping in her basket. “Avoiding the chaos in the living room?" You asked the black dog, bending down to pat her head and scratch behind her ear.

Choosing to ignore the banging noises coming from the living room. Everything seemed to be in hand considering the boys were laughing and cheering at something that had been said.

“Y/N can you come here a minute” You heard Cillian shout, you didn’t even have time to boil the kettle for the hot chocolates before being needed. Shaking your head with a laugh, you patted the dog one last time, standing to you feet and walking into the living room.

“What’s going on?” You ask looking between all three boys, each one looking less suspicious and more nervous as your eyes landed on Cillian. You couldn’t help but think that they had broken something and didn’t want you to find out so you decided to play along. They would come clean eventually.

“Nothing we just wanted you to help us decorate the tree” Connor grinned widely pointing of at the large box of red and gold baubles they had put next to the tree. “The hot chocolate can wait. We don’t need it yet.”

“Are you sure? Your dad tells me you love drinking it while you decorate the tree?” I asked a grin growing on my face when Cian handed me a red bauble.

“Yeah, I’m sure, come on” Connor nodded taking a gold bauble for himself. Looking back at Cillian who simply shrugged at his sons' words, chuckling as he took a bauble for himself, placing it near the top of the tree where it was more difficult for us to reach.

With the four of you working together we managed to get every bauble, every candy cane and nutcracker onto the tree in record time. The Christmas music played softly in the background as we danced around one another, placing each ornament on an awaiting branch.

The boy stood back first admiring their work, fixing one last branch you walked to stand next to them. Connor had placed his arm as best he could around your waist while Cian came and hugged at your legs. They were definitely acting weird you thought but didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“You forgot one Y/N” Connor grinned walking away from you, grabbing a brown paper bag and holding up a bauble you hadn’t seen before. He was holding it up by its white satin loop, perfect for hanging on the tree. The bauble itself was clear with a white feather resting on the bottom. Hanging from the top inside were two little wooden hearts, engraved with writing.

Cian moved to stand next to his brother, a wide smile on his face. He stood hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on his heels, Connor looked between the bauble and you before occasionally glancing behind you to his father.

Slowly taking the new ornament from Connor’s hand, a weird feeling taking over you as you took the glass, clearly handmade bauble into your hand. Bringing it closer to you face your jaw dropped, tears forming in your hands as you read the words delicately painted on the front.

‘You will always have a piece of my heart Y/N’ One heart read already making you emotional.

‘Will you do me the honour of becoming Mrs Murphy?’ The second heart read.

Turning around to face Cillian, he was now down on one knee a nervous but bright smile on his face as he held out a navy-blue box with white padding. Inside, just catching the light was the most beautiful ring you had ever seen. On the cushion sat a white gold ring with a diamond rose solitaire in the middle and smaller diamonds woven into a Celtic art design either side working its way down the ring.

The tears began to fall from your eyes, your hand came up to cover your shocked mouth. Aware that all three were waiting on your answer, you started nodding your head afraid your voice wouldn’t work.

“Yeah?” Cillian asked nervously, an unsure look on his face as he started getting up. “I know it’s only been a year, but it’s been an amazing year. I love you so much, you are so good with the boys I couldn’t wait any longer”

“Yes Cillian, of course I will marry you.” You answered almost dropping the glass ornament to wrap your arms around his neck once he stopped talking.

“So, does that mean we have a new mum now? Do we call you mum?” Cian asked a confused expression on his face.

“Oh honey, you don’t have to no.” You smile down at him still unable to detangle yourself from Cillian. “Nothing is going to change; except I will have a different name. I’m can still be Y/N to you”

“Come on Cian, let’s let Scout out to pee” Connor nodded to his younger brother. Once the two boys left the room, Cillian leans forward capturing you lips in his for a short, sweet but passionate kiss.

“I love you Cill” You grin against his lips, the overwhelming feeling of giddiness running through your veins as you stare into one another’s eyes.

“I love you Mrs Murphy"

[mitski-slope]

Scruffing you

I will indoctrinate you into hockey as well I swear to FUCKING GOD

LOOK UP BRAD MARCHAND PLEASE I BEG OF YOU!!! LOOK UP BRAD MARCHAND LICKING AND KISSING COMPILATION!! OBAMA CALLED HIM A LITTLE BALL OF HATE!! HE INHERITED THE NICKNAME ��THE RAT”!!!! HE KISSED HIS OLD TEAMMATE WHO HE HAD MATCHING NUMBERS WITH (He’s 63 and Bergeron is 37 WHICH ADD UP TO FUCKING 100!!!!) ON THE FUCKING MOUTH DURING ANOTHER TEAMMATES WEDDING!! AND BEFORE THAT THEY DID A WHOLE ASS CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE!!! PLEASE I PLEAD OF YOU!!! HE STOLE A WHOLE PLAYER!! HE FUMKIN SCRUFFED HIMB!!! POOR BABY BEDSY GOT SCRUFFED BY THE RAT!!! ALSO LOOK UP CONNOR BEDARD PLEASE!! BROSKI KEEPS GETTING MANHANDLED AND LAUNCHED AND TOSSED AND THROWN AROUND!!! HE WAS THE NUMBER ONE DRAFT PICK THIS SEASON!!!! HE HAS THE WEIGHT OF TAKING A MEDIOCRE TEAM ALL THE WAY TO THE STANLEY CUP ON HIS SHOULDERS!! HES JUST A LITTLE GUY AND THEY EXPECT HIM TO FUCKING OUT SCORE WAYNE GRETZKY!!!! LOOK UP BEST ALLY TRAVIS DERMOTT PLEASE!!! I WAS HIS AND THE YOTES FAN BEFORE AND EVEN MORESO NOW!! HE GOT THE PRIDE TAPE BAN RESERVED!! HES JUST A NORMAL DUDE!!! HES NOT A SUPERSTAR!!!! HES JUST A BROSKI!!! BUT HE DID IT BY HIMSELF!!!!! PLEASE POOKIE COOKIE SNOOKUM KITTEN WHISKERS SWEETIE PIE SUGARPLUM HONEY BUTTERCUP BEAR!!! GET INVESTED IN A TEAM!!! JUST NOT THE MAPLE LEAFS!!!!!! PLEASE PHROG I BEG!!! I BEGGETH ON MY KNEES!!! I AM GIVING PUPPY EYES AND HEAD TILT!!! SPARKLY WET SOPPING EYES!!!!!!

hi marcy

[baby-jackass]

I found freedom, losing all hope was freedom - Narrator.

Paul whimpers, curled at the bottom of the stairs, holding his stomach in pain, Dermotts boot slamming into the vulnerable area. Forcing a pained yell from Paul's mouth, quickly silenced by a hand slapping over his mouth.

"I told you to stay quiet! Useless! Do you want the police round again? Aye? Do ya!" Dermott hisses, smirking when the boy shook his head violently. Dermott pulls his hand away, tanking Paul up by his hair before pushing him at the stairs, "get lost now, I don't want to see you again today"

"y-yeah sorry" Paul responds, his voice hardly a whisper as he pulls himself up to his feet, biting his tongue harshly to avoid showing his pain. Moving towards up the stairs as quick as his body would allow him, getting to his room and shutting the door moving as slow as he could to ensure it wouldn't slam. Before falling against the door with a broken sob, hiding his face into his hands.

For years now, it was the same thing practically daily. It wasn't that Paul tried to be a bad kid, he just never seemed to be up to his uncles standard. When his mum died it was okay at the start, for the first year of living with his uncle there was patience. Until it stopped. But it's not like anyone noticed, so to Paul it was all the same.

So as Paul slowly drags himself up from the floor, moving himself Infront of his mirror, another whimper escapes from his lips as past and forming bruises are stretched out. But this time felt different. As he lifted up his shirt, to check out the new set of injuries, his face fell. The colour cinking away from his cheeks, eyes raking the massive red swelling that covered purple clouds of bruising. Not only did his skin feel on fire, but the shape of his ribs cage fell into a abnormal position after each breath, his right side slumping slightly. While not exactly an expert, Paul's be pretty used to getting beat to a pulp, and even he could tell you that this wasn't a good sign, mixed with what feels like ten pounds of pressure clamping down on his chest, there wasn't much other option to try and sleep it off.

Climbing into bed, agonising pain flushing through his side, Paul pulls the covers over his head. Pushing himself up against the wall, trying to stay as hidden as he could for the inevitable punching match he'd have to wake up. Seeking as much comfort as he could drag from the football patterned duvet. Before falling asleep, tears escaping and dampening the pillow below him.

Barely 12 hours later, and Paul's staggering into school, just in time for the first period after missing form. Every step, sending flashes of splitting pain along the upside of his body, blood pooling in his mouth as he hit his lip in a weak attempt to cover his sounds of agony. The students lurking in the corridors laugh and move out of his way, in an attempt to avoid him "what a weirdo, he looks like a zombie", "loser, Ew! Get away". Paul was beyond the point of caring, he just knew he needed to get through the day. Stumbling into the main corridor, his wobbly walking caused him to bounce on and off the wall as he moved further along. Keeping his arms wrapped tightly around his ribs, trying to protect himself from the crowd of fellow students.

Paul nearly fainted at the speed of his best friend running in his direction. CK, making a beeline for her mate.

"Paul, you look like death, go home dude", she says, Paul's short breath and grey coloured lip, looking for from normal

"I'm fine, go away yeah?", the teen mumbles, his words short and snappy. He just needs it to end, the conversation over. To skip through the day and get home.

"Paul... You look awful man, do you need the hospital?" CK asks, concerns filling her voice. Before frowning as Paul shakes his head and walks around a corner, straight into Rachel Mason.

"Paul, would you please be more car-", Rachel starts before seeing the teen fall to the floor with an anguished cry, curling by her feet. Finally cracked and unable to take the pain

"M-make it stop. I can't fix it, just want it to stop", Paul cries, his voice following a trembling line of broken sobs. His shirt had slid up during the fall and was exposing his mid section, a back littered with swollen dark belt line, scars dotted around in the shape of a buckle. His ribs were covered black bruising, the shape that his ribs fell making it well clear something was not right.

"Call an ambulance! Someone call a damn ambulance now!", Rachel yells, going down to her knees to comfort the boy. "Students, lessons now! Give us some space", she calls out loudly, doing her best to keep Paul's injuries hidden from sight, removing her blazer and laying it over him. Her stomach drops as she catches sight of the worst of his injuries, it was clear this hadn't been a one time event, if she had to guess, this was the result of years upon years of abuse.

"Oh Paul, it's alright. It's alright, we're gunna get you fixed and out there. I promise Paul", she says.

The next 24 hours became an emotional rollercoaster for Rachel. Using her headteacher status to make sure she never left Paul's side unless he was in surgery, a heart breaking diagnosis of a collapsed lung, broken ribs and fractured bones that never healed dotted around his body. Up to five years of horrific abuse which was never once flagged up, was revealed within two hours of being hospitalised. What felt like hundreds of calls between Police officers, social workers and the LEA, and there still wasn't a set answer on what was going to happen to the poor boy that lay on the hospital bed In front of her.

"Well, Paul. There isn't a placement yet, but we can assume you'll be placed in a group home, okay? I know it's a lot to process, you've been through a lot so you can just think for now", Rachel says softly, a calm tone to her voice, attempting to keep her emotions out of it and just assure the teen that he would be safe.

"You mean, I don't have to go back? Am I safe?", Paul questions, tears coming fresh to his eyes, rechecking the hotel room. His uncle wasn't there, was he actually free from this hell?

"Paul, I promise you, on everything I hold close to me. You will never be hurt like that again. Someone should have saved you years before, but I can promise you now you never need to be scared of your Uncle Dermott ever again" Rachel's promises, the maternal urges taking over and gently wiping his tears with a tissue.

There were a few awkward hours following that conversation. Discussions of the legal process, a lot of tears, a lot of relief and pain being spread around before there is a final visitor of the day. A middle aged man walking into the room, he was tall yet had a gentle appearance to him.

"Hi Paul, my name's Eddie, Eddie Lawson. I'm going to be your foster."

[adultswim2021]

The Venture Bros. #48: "The Better Man" | December 7, 2009 - 12:00AM | S04E07

I think I figured out a big reason why I love The Venture Bros, but unfortunately I can’t spend too much time expounding on this in a non-shallow way: it reminds me of Ducktales. Because sometimes they go on a big adventure to an exotic locale, and sometimes they have to spend an afternoon killing money-eating bugs in Uncle Scrooge’s money vault. 

In this one, Orpheus and the triad are shown up by the Outrider, the man who “stole” Orpheus’s wife. But he ends up in hot water and requires Orpheus’s help after being trapped in hell. Billy Quizboy does illegal surgery again! And: also: we get the return or H. Jon Benjamin as the master, who reveals himself to Triana and scares her away from Dean and encourages her to go live with her mom and become a dang Harry Potter. 

This one’s sorta important in that it helps drive home the fact that Triana and Dean do not belong together, and it writes her mostly out of the show. At least it writes her out of the compound (she comes back at least one other time I can think of). But mostly it’s just about the characters hanging out and stuff. Yeah, there’s a big scary monster from hell, but a lotta of the episode is just about Hank and Dean going to the mall and sexually harassing women. Dermott is there, too! He’s one of the rudest guys on the show, so cherish him. 

I am struggling to come up with compelling highlights to illustrate the fact that I enjoyed this episode, which I actually did a great deal. I think I’m just happy that it doesn't’ have a plot I feel compelled to write-up extensively. So I’ll just list gags now I liked: 

The Matthew Lesko reference. It is fucked up that that dude has a suit with question marks and not dollar signs. Could it be the Mandingo effect? Oh, in my reality we call it the Mandingo effect because–

A fairly neutral “transgender” joke! In 2009! They didn’t even gratuitously use the slur! Wait, I like a lack of slurs?? SINCE WHEN??? 

“I look like Rufio!” 

The whole scene where the Master pretends to be future Dean is bleak as fuck. Hilariously Jackson and Doc said they based his look on Bernard Goetz. I mean, look at this and tell me he doesn’t belong in the Ventureverse:

A thing I didn't LIKE, per-se, but bears mentioning: maybe one of the worst production errors of the show has Dean wearing a suit to impress Triana, then suddenly not, then it's back again. I originally thought it was due to them shuffling the scenes in the edit but Jackson took responsibility and said he approved of the storyboards of a suitless Dean without thinking. God DAMN him!

EPHEMERA CORNER

Christmas in December Specials (December 13, 2009)

Even MORE Christmas in December to Tell in the Dark. This night featured a few other Christmas episodes but not that many more. I'd rather not post the schedule because of SPOILERS!!! Also, I thought maybe they did something else that was special, but if I am to read Swimpedia correctly the previous Sunday's "Christmas in December" was the one that featured the shop-at-home segments and not this one. I refuse to delete this paragraph. Sorry.

MAIL BAG

I just heard the good news: Adult Swim 2021 is coming to FunnyOrDie to cover Tim and Eric projects as bonus emphemera content. W00T!

The cat is "right out" of the bag: I will be doing this in some form. In fact, I sorta regret not attempting to include more non-Adult Swim Tim & Eric stuff in the ephemera section (like the Shrek 3 promos, for instance), but that's okay. But I do sorta think those are significant in that they are an important stepping stone towards Bedtime Stories. But I'm not gonna cover Eric's music videos or his future court case (speculation)

[mrseeker]

looking for rp.

why hello!

as you may have figured by the title, I'm searching for RP partners now for a different kind of roleplay

– I am a Male; and I play as males 89% of the time only play females when I really want to.

– my age: 17

– looking for: short-term + long-term partner(s) age 16+ or any; Don't mind how much you write just don't write one thing every single time.

–frequency: I'm a Highschool student with an existing sleep schedule, so my response times may vary depending on my schedule or if I'm busy, but I'm usually more active in the nighttime.

– medium: Discord preferably, but Reddit DMs work, too.

– timezone: Pst

I've been roleplaying on all sorts of platforms for a very long time even lost count and consider myself to be a multi kinda writer. I love all types of roleplays and can't wait to rp with all of you reading this.

– please know! For Avatar I'm looking for someone to play a female na'vi, I will play my oc George flint he is a professor who is stuck inside a sleepwalkers body and was taken in a cell type of vehicle he thinks what humanity is doing is wrong, and wants to help the planet so you the female Na'vi I'll let you come up with your characters name comes to save him and takes him to the village treating his wounds asking him many questions. We can play multiple chars if you'd like^^.

The second is venture bros.

Looking for someone to play the Monarch or Dr venture I have an oc who is the brother of Dean and Hank venture, He seems to be less involved but now he's brought into the action. Now I have one thing for Dr venture and the Monarch Let's start with Dr. V. so if his two sons don't wanna follow in his footsteps to be a great scientist (Dermott is out of the question btw). So he checks up on his son Charlie Alan Venture his middle name was from Alan Turing the man who had cracked enigma himself, to see if he can teach him his ways and a few tricks to keep him from playing his video games all day.

The monarch Captures Charlie and they manage to bond playing games together causing mischievous trouble pranking people becoming great friends and charlie sees the monarch as a better father than his own biological father.

third is overwatch

looking for someone to play Tracer, Sombra, Mercy, Winston, widowmaker, Mei-ling will say the plot in dm. and many many more

[lyndiscealin]

I posted 393 times in 2022

32 posts created (8%)

361 posts reblogged (92%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@paradoxolotl

@anfae

@imperfectcourt

@24-0z

@blogaboutyafavbirdboys

I tagged 66 of my posts in 2022

#aftg - 19 posts

#neil josten - 12 posts

#andreil - 11 posts

#andrew minyard - 10 posts

#all for the game - 6 posts

#writing - 5 posts

#vampire andrew - 3 posts

#fanfic writers - 3 posts

#writerscommunity - 3 posts

#writerscorner - 3 posts

Longest Tag: 100 characters

#andrew: tunnels neil. they will dig tunnels under important buildings. there won't be light. keep up

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Andrew Minyard, Jeremy Knox, Laila Dermott, Alvarez (All For The Game) Additional Tags: Trojans - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, AFTG Winter Exchange 2021, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Alternate Universe Summary:

Andrew never left California and ended up with the Trojans instead of the Foxes. This is just a peak at his life with them.

--

My @aftgexchange gift for the Winter Exchange 2021 for @ebbatriestowrite

I hope you like it

16 notes - Posted January 1, 2022

#4

Belletristica

Hi!

Today I want to introduce you to my most treasured writing plattform! It just got it's proper integration for the english community (it's originally an Austrian plattform), so I am finally able to promote it!

Belletristica is different from anything you know so far. It's especially neither Wattpad nor AO3, it's something completely on it's own.

While a writing plattform, Belletristica is also a fictional world. You don't need to engage with the lore of that world, but I would lie if I'd say it isn't engaging and fascinating.

In this world you can collect Fairy Dust through posting stories, commenting them and engaging with the community in multiple chats and groups.

You can find treasures and crafting materials and after a long day of exploring you can sit down in the local Tavern to meet old and new friends.

One of the most precious things for me is the moderation of the site. Lead by the fearless Fairy Khaeli, the Order of Knights watches over the Kingdom to ban trolls and spamers and to help the good Belletristicans resolve their infighting. They are strict but fair. Every case is looked at individually and they are not afraid to ban someone, if they won't stop wreaking havoc in the community.

You are safe here.

See the full post

18 notes - Posted September 1, 2022

#3

The most important plothole in AFTG:

Riko + Kevin are the perfect strikers

Neil + Jean were supposed to be the perfect backliners

Andrew would have been #5 as the perfect goalie.

Who was supposed to be the perfect Dealer??? And would there have been 2 of them? One Offensive and one Defensive dealer?

We will never know and it makes me very sad

56 notes - Posted July 22, 2022

#2

Hey fandom Tumblr! We need your help over at twitter or by direct message over their site.

This is about The Storygraph. We got them to listen to us, but I think we need more voices here.

This is the tweet: https://twitter.com/thestorygraph/status/1518302585219956738?s=20&t=KFf3u_aA1-yAfp-sn3XPYg

Help us tell them that it is not okay to ignore the wishes of the author. Honestly it's also a very shitty thing to ignore published authors. Not taking Fanfiction down, though, is actively harming the fandom.

If you don't have a twitter account, you can also write them directly over their website https://app.thestorygraph.com/terms-of-service The 'Contact Us' Widget is in the bottom right corner.

Please reblog this so it can get some traction!

(resolved for now, thank you!)

61 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

One of the things I like about AFTG is that Neil is not portrayed as this super talented player who safes the day. He right out sucks at the beginning. Instead it is shown that he is working himself into the ground to get better. He lives and breathes Exy for the first half year in the books. He is the main character but he is not the best player on the team.

Instead he is the one who just brings the team to work together.

In the end he is not a bad Player anymore and I am not sure if his learning curve is realistic, I never played a sport even halfway professionally.

And though he isn't a bad player, he is still not the best on the field. Andrew is better than him, Kevin is better and Seth probably would have been better as well. Pretty sure Matt also has better stats than Neil has.

AND Kevin is the one who scores the winning goal against the Ravens. (and probably most of the other goals in that game).

I love this. Neil is the one who made this win possible, Neil is the one who learned the most inside of the year, but he isn't the best player on the field in the end. He might be in the future, he probably will (or at least he will be second to Kevin).

And Neil getting better is not some magical thing that just happens. It probably looks like 'he has so much talend' to the outside world, where in reality he is just overly dedicated and his life told him how to be perceptive as hell.

I just.. like that :D And wanted to share this with you. I like that at the end Kevin beats Riko and Neil beats him as well, just as a backliner. It's a very cool (and super dramatic and tbf a bit unrealistic) resolution of all the conflicts in the book.

133 notes - Posted July 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[noirshadow]

International Relations - Ch 9

AO3 - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

The tournament continues and some new developments arise...

——

The next week and a half blazed by. There was a lot on Neil’s mind but with the influx of games and trainings, there was hardly time to think about anything else. When he wasn’t playing Exy, he and Kevin were monitoring Andrew. Since that revelation that his hand was, in fact, not fine, they had to really pay close attention so that Andrew didn’t try to do something noble. 

And Neil hated to admit it, but they were a bit worse off without him. Yes, Dermott was an incredible keeper but with their rivals, something about Andrew Minyard’s name brought a different level of fear. He was not only great at Exy, but he had the bad boy reputation that had other strikers running away. Still, they managed an excellent game against Malaysia, completely smashing them, while then narrowly squeaking by Ghana. Through it all, Andrew had dutifully stayed on the sidelines, remaining quiet as he soaked his hand in ice.  

The Ghana game had invigorated Kevin, to put it politely but really, it had made him even more crazy. The confidence Kevin had gained after seeing their team play well in the first couple games had quickly evaporated. It wasn’t now that there wasn’t team cohesion, it was now the scary reality that they could possibly not be good enough. His monitoring of Andrew’s recovery had become near obsession, reading into any opportunities or possibilities to speed up the healing. With everyone else, he was just plain annoying. Because of that, Neil was stuck doing cone weaves at 11pm at night in the empty court. 

“You’re still touching that third cone and your time is getting slower and slower,” Kevin barked, checking the running timer on his watch. 

“Because I’m fucking exhausted! Honestly, I’m not seeing how this is going to help us win more games?” Neil was exhausted but he couldn’t help clapping back at drill sergeant Day. 

Andrew smirked as he lazed, half asleep, on the bleacher overlooking the two of them. He ran his hand through his hair to wake himself up. It was his injured hand but over the weeks of rest, it had improved, the color back to normal and now just a simple thin white wrap over it, more for precaution sake than anything else. He had started slowly easing back into practice and Wymack had said that he could be cleared to play very soon. Maybe even a bit during the next game.  

“I’m doing one more and that’s it, Kevin.” Neil announced firmly before going back to the starting position. His breathing had barely evened and his body was screaming at him to stop by way of the piercing stitch in his side.  

Kevin shook his head in surrender and bounded off the start, weaving seamlessly through the cones to make the shot into the net, all in under a minute. Kevin slowed to a stop and threw him a smug look. Like come and get me. Neil growled, chasing after him. Despite the exhaustion, his competitive streak wouldn’t let him rest and he managed a near perfect sprint, the ball whizzing with a soft but satisfying thump into the back of the net. He turned to Kevin with a triumphant smile before heading over to Andrew, and more importantly, where his water was. 

He slumped down onto the bench, leaning heavily onto Andrew as Neil gulped his water and mopped his forehead with his shirt sleeve. 

“Having fun?” Andrew teased. 

“Shut up, your friend is psychotic.” 

“Oh, now it’s my friend??” Andrew mocked. “Grab your shit, let’s go. I’m ready for bed.” 

——

The next day was mercifully a break before their game the following day and Neil woke with his arms and legs still pulsing from the brutal workout. Luckily, he had planned to laze around and he and the others were meeting the visiting Foxes for brunch. 

Neil spread his hand out to reach for Andrew and was surprised to encounter only the smoothness of the sheets. Before he could look around, the bathroom door opened and Andrew came out, drying his hair with a small towel, while another was twisted around his waist. 

“Oh, you’re up already?” Neil muttered, sleep still ringing his words. Andrew was not one for waking up early. 

Andrew threw out the hand towel to snap toward Neil’s butt, a raised mountain on the otherwise smooth plane of the bed. “I was about to wake you. You were so exhausted after yesterday so I let you sleep. But we are meeting the upperclassmen in 20 min.” 

Half an hour later, along with Kevin, they met Nicky and the others at this buzzy brunch place that Jorgensson of the Swedish team had told them about. 

“Where’s Thea?” Dan inquired as they approached the table, standing up to greet each of them.

Kevin shrugged, “She’s doing something with Felicia today.” 

They ordered quickly, with Neil’s stomach gnawing at him after the punishing energy consumption from last night. The plates on display on the other tables were a torture in itself let alone the waiters rushing by with laden trays leaving wafts of tantalizing aromas in their wake. Neil couldn’t speak much, his mouth dry and crumbly as he waited, letting Kevin field the questions from the others. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the food arrived. 

Neil ordered the largest looking plate they had. Nutty brown bread, two eggs with gravlax with a side of overnight muesli, fruit and a cinnamon bun. It took several bites before he started to finally feel a bit more normal. He mentally rejoined the conversation to hear Kevin recounting their dealings with Shoto since they last saw the others. 

“Shit. How do you always attract danger, Neil? Andrew, how is your hand?” Matt asked tentatively, unsure how the brooding Minyard would reply.

Andrew, who was sipping his coffee with two hands, lifted his left, flipping it back and forth to show Matt both sides. He shrugged apathetically before digging into his benedict. 

Matt’s mouth became a worried line as he frowned. “Hmm.” Still, he left it. He knew better than to push Andrew when he wasn’t speaking. He turned to Neil now, eyes questioning, probing for more explanation where he knew he could get it.

Neil shrugged. “You know I like a quiet life. Nothing to do now. We just have to beat Shoto, which we were planning to do anyway. They have their own games so I wouldn’t expect any more funny business from them now. It’s been all quiet. Ichirou’s pretty much gone and promised that.” 

“I’m not entirely convinced,” Dan piped up, her brow furrowed. “We’ll still keep an eye out as we go to the games but you should keep your guard up anyway.” 

“You’ve met Andrew, right? When is he not vigilant?” Neil retorted snarkily hoping to allay their fears. He had seen the worried looks on the Foxes’ faces and he didn’t need to worry about anyone else. This was their fight, anyway. No need to involve the upperclassmen. It was already enough that Neil shared with them. He could manage the rest.  

Nicky seemed to take his cue with a shared glance and he quickly started telling Kevin about the teams they’d seen. Renee chimed in and soon the group had turned their attention elsewhere. 

Neil relaxed slightly but just barely. He could feel the raw energy emanating from his right that kept him on edge. Other than that silent acknowledgement to Matt, Andrew had stayed quiet the entire time. With every event Kevin recalled to the others, Neil could feel Andrew get angrier and angrier. Part of him felt a bit guilty for getting them into this mess but Neil knew it was the only way. And with this current deal, he felt more comfortable. Ichirou was cool and calculated. There was none of the unpredictable havoc that came with Riko. Ichirou was running an empire and had bigger fish to fry. He wouldn’t risk that for a tiny, insignificant game with a bunch of college kids. 

With trepidation, Neil slid a hand over to behind Andrew’s chair. He let his hand rest gently on his back and let out a breath of relief when Andrew didn’t pull away. So he was stewing, but it was fine cause it wasn’t completely directed at Neil. He turned back to the group and let himself get swept up in the trivial conversation. 

——

“Get your ass back up the court!” Andrew screamed at Neil as he tracked back to support the backliners. “Not your fucking job!” 

Neil’s lungs ripped open as he pumped his legs forward, racing back to try to meet Andrew’s long volley from goal. He knew it was a mistake for a striker to go that deep but the German team were pissing him off. Their star striker, Shröder, taunted him with an obvious ever present smirk as he ran the whole team ragged. And now as he forced himself forward, to recover his position, he was livid at his own mistake. And along with it, he had Andrew berating him too in his first few minutes back on the court. 

“Phweet!” The whistle blew for halftime. The bedraggled USA team trudged into the dressing room. They all collapsed into their chairs, grabbing water bottles and pieces of energy gels. They were down 5-2 and Neil was fuming, which was the only thing keeping him vertical right now. 

He wasn’t ready for the Madden lecture that was coming but Coach stood in the middle, propping her foot up on the edge of a cooler, a subdued stance,  and faced the group. “What is happening out there? That is not the Team USA I know. The Germans are running circles around us. We look like amateurs…and I know we aren’t. So take a second to clear your minds and get your shit together. We have a game to win. Coach?” 

Madden turned to Wymack who was leaning against the doorframe. He swept a hand through his hair and Neil could see the dark rings around his eyes. Besides worrying about the Foxes, it seemed like the pressure of international coaching was catching up to him. Neil swore a few grays had spouted on either side of his hairline since the tournament started. 

He sighed, stepping into the room and spoke, more subdued than normal. “Look, I know you’re all tired. God knows I am too. But this is just the start. It’s only going to get worse. The uphill is just starting. We have a fantastic team and I’m so proud of you guys — even if we go home tomorrow. And I don’t know about you but I am not ready to go home yet. They may be bigger and faster than us but we want it more. We worked way too hard and went through too much shit to go out now. Right? Let’s do this. One game at a time. You with me?”

Neil looked around at his tired teammates. His eyes rested onto Andrew’s and then Kevin’s. He gritted his teeth determinedly. Coach was right. He wasn’t ready to leave. And they had a deal to fulfill. Thea jumped up then and started clapping and whooping in agreement from Wymack’s rousing speech. “Come on, team! You heard him! Now USA on three…”

With renewed energy, USA came sprinting out of the gates after the half. Kevin and Neil played like their lives were on the line and with some amazing starts coming from their dealers, by the end of the third quarter, they had gotten close with the score at 5-4. They were just one behind. And incredibly, Andrew had not let in a single goal and not for a lack of trying. Shröder had already broken his stick in frustration at the quick break for the final quarter. 

For the fourth, Jeremy tapped in for Felicia and was unstoppable on assists. He fielded two goals through to the front line. One ball, Neil grabbed and whizzed past the ear of a stunned German player as Kevin scooped it up and whipped it into the net before the German defense could even turn their heads. The other was a low ball that Neil dropped into the bottom left where the German keeper collapsed trying to reach it. When the whistle blew, Team USA dogpiled in the middle of the court. Final score was 5-6. They had done it. 

It was only Round of 16, one game, but it felt like they had won the whole thing. For Neil, coming from behind and having that cold desperation to win was even better than a complete trampling. The feeling when there was nothing left except for that all consuming need to win — Neil lived for that. He sucked in air as he lay on the ground, breathing deeply and feeling so very alive. All the repressed feelings and thoughts he had set aside came roaring back in sensory overload and Neil let it wash over him. Kevin came over and collapsed next to him, giving his arm a hearty shake in recognition. 

Andrew waltzed over, hardly out of breath, with their water bottles. He sat down next to Neil who jumped on him immediately. Neil’s emotion was impossible to stop. He squeezed Andrew tightly and breathed him in. Sweat and all. It didn’t matter but they had done it. It was the three of them who had led the comeback. For him and Kevin, it was standard to put Exy above all else. They lived and breathed Exy. But Andrew, protecting the goal with his life in that last quarter from the barrage of attempts and issuing commands to the backline,  Neil was rendered speechless. He kissed the base of Andrew’s neck, right where it met his collarbone and released him, grinning. 

“We fucking did it.” 

The team went straight to the bar. There wouldn’t have been objections but Felicia and Thea frog-marched them like they were leading their prisoners to their death. But instead of that, it was to a night of celebrating. For that evening, there was nothing else but them. Team USA celebrating their victory that they had all dug deep for. For all the deals that Neil had to make, this feeling —to be able to play Exy and to win like this— it made everything worth it. 

The celebrations lasted until 1AM when Coach Madden finally came to pull the plug. She paid the tab and had to drag them out of the bar. No one protested that much, knowing they would have practice the next morning, but still, it was sad for such a fun evening to come to an end. Kevin walked in the middle with his arms wrapped around Andrew and Neil. Andrew surprisingly hadn’t shrugged it off but allowed Kevin to touch him. 

Back at the dorm, the team slowly disbanded, saying their good nights as they headed off upstairs or into the living room for a midnight snack. The three of them trudged up to their rooms at the top. Blurry-eyed, Neil noticed a dark mass coming from their room, barely discernible in the moonlit hallway. He frowned, perplexed, and nudged Andrew who eyed it too before feeling for the lightswitch on the landing. Neil stopped in his tracks and Kevin, who had been coming upstairs behind them, ran straight into Neil and almost rolled back down. 

“What is it?” He said, annoyed and yawning. 

A dark reddish mass extended out from under their bedroom door like slime or a radioactive spill. Tentatively, Neil approached their door and pushed it open. It felt like something was in the way. Being careful to not touch the liquid, it took all his effort to force it open with the unidentified mess squishing as it gave way. Their room was a complete wreck. The mattress was flipped and all their clothes and belongings were pulled out of the cabinets. Above the bed, in that same reddish mess was a message. Barely legible it was scrawled across the wall so thickly that it left ugly drip marks as if it was crying. 

WATCH YOUR BACK. 

There was no signature but the sender was apparently. Neil met Andrew’s squinting gaze and gleaned from it what didn’t need to be said.  Clearly, Shoto hadn’t backed off and clearly Neil had presumed wrongly. 

Kevin drew a sharp breath and Neil’s eyes flicked off the wall and over to the corner where he stood. Their racquets had been snapped in half and their USA jerseys torn to shreds. This wasn’t the first time this had happened to Neil and the eerie familiarity brought back a flood of emotions that had since been dormant. The temporary feeling of respite after Riko washed away as quickly as it had come like a tide onto a shore. 

“Fuck. They got your racquet.” Kevin held it up to demonstrate the severity of its damage. 

Wymack knocked and entered behind them. “Shit. What happened here? Are you ok, boys? Ryan saw the damage and came and got me. What the fuck is happening now?”

There was a quick shared glance before Neil quickly outlined the events from the past couple weeks. 

“I’ll talk to Sam and see where we can quickly rustle up some more gear. In the meantime, I should talk to the tournament officials. This is nuts. Completely unacceptable.” 

“No, don’t,” Neil interjected, quickly. “There is no actual proof against Shoto and that will just let them know that we were rattled. I’m going to call Ichirou.” At that point, Andrew growled low in his throat.

Throwing up his hands, Wymack sighed. “OK, I give up. Neil, I always trust you but you come to me if you need to.” More gently, he added, “You know you don’t have to do this alone anymore. You have us.” Coach gestured around to Kevin who nodded furiously, his face still white as a sheet. 

Neil acknowledged his words with a glance. He didn't quite know how to explain to Wymack that he knew that. It was still new to him but already, this was him trusting and confiding in others. It wasn’t perfect, but he was getting there.

“Alright, I’ll go. Meet me in the morning so we can try to figure out the racquets. I think there is an Exy store not far from here. For now, go ahead and take the spare room on the girls’ floor. There should already be sheets and stuff in there.” 

Kevin hastily followed Wymack out as well, mumbling an excuse to catch Thea up. Neil and Andrew were left in the violently red room alone. 

“Well? Just say it.” 

Andrew shrugged. “Nothing to say.” 

Neil’s eyes raked over his face and didn’t see any smug look. He knew this was on himself for thinking that Shoto would cool off during the tournament. He had to talk to Ichirou. Neil found some untouched sweats for him and Andrew in one of the lower drawers and they took their salvaged things to the empty room one floor down. It was too late to clean anything now. The new room was very small and instead of two twin beds, it had a wall with bunk beds. After getting cleaned up, Neil sat down on the lower bunk. Andrew stood next to the bed, smoking out of the window. 

“Ok, I’m going to do it now.” With a shaking hand, Neil scrolled down to the text that Ichirou had sent him after their last call confirming his number.

We need to talk. 

WIthin seconds, the unknown number rang on his phone. Neil answered, putting it on speaker for Andrew to hear. 

“Neil Josten. I was wondering when I’d hear from you.”

“Why? Because you know that Shoto fucked with us?” Neil couldn’t help bring out a scathing tone despite knowing he was talking to a powerful crime boss.

“Well, Neil. Here is your first adult lesson. Nothing is binding unless stipulated.” Ichirou let out a little laugh. 

“We had a deal.” 

“A deal is just a promise until something more suitable comes along.” 

Ichirou’s explanation came out menacing with a touch of a smirk that even Neil could hear precisely through the phone. “So really, I should be thanking you. After we last spoke, I actually had a call from the young Ishikawa. Our agreement prompted him into action. Turns out he hates his family.” 

Moriyama went on to explain that Shoto had cut a deal —an even more valuable one to him— than the one he had made with Neil. Shoto was going to hand over his family empire to the Moriyamas in exchange for keeping the JEA in his pocket and letting him play Exy as he saw fit. Apparently, that included fucking with team USA. 

Andrew threw his cigarette butt in the empty can he used and came to sit back down next to Neil. He braced the back of Neil’s neck, perhaps knowing that Neil was about to jump down the end of the phone and strangle Ichirou himself. 

“So that’s it then? The deal is over?”

“I’m sorry, Neil Josten. Business is business. You must understand that this is so much easier for me. I get the Ishikawa business on a silver platter and I don’t even have to get my hands dirty. The deal with you didn’t have any strict binding so here we are.” 

Neil was halfway between overwhelming nausea and the urge to throttle someone. He tried to speak but the words caught in his throat and a garbled noise was the only thing that came out. 

“It’s not personal. As I said, it’s just business. Well, if there is nothing else?” 

Neil clicked the phone without another word and hurled it to the floor. In the small space, it crashed quickly into the wall, miraculously unbroken. “FUCK!” He screamed out loud. 

“This is what we get for getting into bed with a fucking criminal,” Neil’s chest heaved as he continued to fume. He stood up, trying to pace in the tiny room. 

“Look, Neil. I didn’t agree with you to begin with but it’s better this way. We now know where we stand. You were a fool to trust him.” 

“I don’t need you lording that over me right now. I know,” Neil spat. 

Andrew stood up and braced Neil with his hands on his shoulders. ‘Look at me. It’s not the best situation but it’s where we are at. Get your head on straight. First, we have the next game to win. Then, we can focus on our plan.”

With a raised eyebrow from Neil, Andrew continued. “Yes, a plan. Those bastards won’t get away with it. And right now, I am so fucking tired of the Moriyamas. We can’t rest otherwise.”

Neil’s raised brow turned into a perplexed expression as he waited for Andrew to clarify. 

“I’m saying, let’s take down the whole damn thing.” 

[asonr]

Favorite venture bro character and why

I am SO excited somebody sent this. Okay. I have a couple.

Right now? Hank venture. Really stupid but also such a nice dude and I love his arc. I haven’t seen the movie but I CANNOT wait to see what happens there. Spoilers below from practically everything I say.

Deserved better! The show did him well I just can’t take it when the last episode is my favorite character getting a concussion, getting cheated on, and going into a coma. I love his development from episode one as being pretty oblivious (insert “aren’t you ashamed of your ignorance?” “Yeah, constantly!” Clip here) to.. still being the same guy, but with his own aspirations and the way he still is figuring himself out while still being Hank. I’m also really happy to see how he interacts with Brock throughout the series especially when his dad is pretty absent.

By extension I also love Dermott. Obviously a jerk since he came into the picture, and you hate him a lot from the start, but for me it turned into a love hate. I really enjoy how he’s written and how he doesn’t change much but becomes more likable as you learn more about him and see him and I REALLY hope the movie puts him out there because his screen time is about 30 minutes.

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The Venture Bros.” s4e17 (2011)

From the Ladle to the Grave: The Shallow Gravy Story

A special episode, done to look like a "Behind the Music" documentary about Hank and Dermott's band. It recounts various key events from the series from this perspective.

The best thing about it is counting all the references to who Dermott's father is. Then, at the very end, we get to see the penny drop with Dr. Venture himself. Hilarious.

The song is good, too.

8/10

[1001framesofmind]

A Venus in Marble

Nicole Bonnet, the daughter of a wealthy art forger, and Simon Dermott, who has introduced himself as a professional burglar, are going to steal a valuable statue from a museum in Paris… Nicole's father has been creating counterfeit paintings and sculptures that have been sold to museums around the world. But this time he fears that his forgery will be exposed because the statue is due to be examined by insurance experts.

🎞film: How to Steal a Million (1966) 🎬director: William Wyler 🟣🟣⚪️⚪️⚪️

[agmains]

Dorinish island clew bay ireland

Dorinish island clew bay ireland free#

Dorinish island clew bay ireland free#

On the menu is a zingy Chorizo with Aran Islands Feta and rocket, local Andarl Farm free range pork and fresh and smoked Atlantic haddock. This is a perfect place to enjoy local food cooked to perfection by Dermott, with Janice overseeing the warm front of house service. THE PANTRY AND CORKSCREW ¬ is quirky little restaurant with walls packed with old pictures and artefacts is run by husband and wife team Dermott Flynn and Janice O’Rourke. Lovely atmosphere, great little nooks and crannies and warm and friendly service. Try the whole langoustines with garlic or pan roasted hake. With head chef Anthony Printer in the kitchen and the freshest of seafood on the plate, you can’t go wrong. This gorgeous old seafood restaurant and bar commands a wonderful view of the sea. Visit .ĬRONIN’S SHEEBEEN Lunch at Cronin’s Sheebeen is a must. Even if Westport wasn’t as beautiful as it is, I would head there just to have a perfect evening at An Port Mór – yes, it is that good. We feasted on delicate black sole, turbot on the bone with lobster sauce and seasonal stuffed courgette flowers.Īnother classic staple are delicate scallops with beurre noisette with black pudding from Kelly’s butchers, Dublin bay prawns and fresh crab. Frankie keeps the menu interesting at his Michelin Plate restaurant but expect the freshest of seafood. It was our first stop and we were there to celebrate my mum, Mags Casey’s 91st birthday. Visit .ĪN PORT MÓR This is one of my favourite restaurants with the great talents of Frankie Mallon in the kitchen. The rooms are spacious, the food is great and the warmth of the service is exceptional. The Clew Bay is one of those family owned quintessentially Irish hotels where nothing is too much. And that is the real secret to a hotel’s success, and it is rarely to do with bricks and mortar regardless of how lovely the décor is. It’s a testament to these two great ambassadors for Westport and they have created a hotel that welcomes guests like long lost friends, while also minding their staff. That’s some achievement for a family run hotel in a town of just over 5,000 people. They had also refurbished the hotel and won a prestigious national award a few years ago from the Irish Hotels Federation, placing them alongside the likes of The Merrion and the Intercontinental as great employers. THE CLEW BAY HOTEL I was back for, by now, my annual return visit to The Clew Bay Hotel to catch up with owners Maria Ruddy and Darren Madden who were brave enough to stand aside for two weeks to let me takeover with the staff for that RTÉ show all those years ago. If a town had a heart it would be manifest in the passion and love so evident in the mouth-watering apple tarts atĬhristy’s Harvest where hours could slip by while chatting to complete strangers and listening to the good humoured banter from the man himself. Along with the beauty of the town there is a noticeable warmth about Westport people - always happy to chat in the lovely quaint Irish-owned shops. If you could capture that and mirror it in other small towns we might re-energise rural communities and give our young people a reason to stay. I filmed an episode of RTÉ’s The Takeover in Westport and fell into a deeper infatuation with the people, the history and the magic ingredients that makes it one of the most visited spots in Ireland. So many famous and infamous people have fallen for Westport’s charms but acclaimed 19th-century author William Thackeray’s love affair with Westport and Clew Bay is renowned “…the bay and the Reek, which sweeps down to the sea, and the hundred isles in it, were dressed up in gold and purple and crimson, with the whole cloudy west in a flame. If the pleasing prettiness of Westport isn’t enough to lure you, then the dramatic backdrop courtesy of mother nature makes this the best weekend retreat in Ireland (in my opinion!) The flowers by the way are specifically chosen to attract butterflies and bees. The pristine streets (it has won the Tidy Towns competition oodles of times), beautiful flowers, lovely old Georgian buildings flanking the Carrowbeg river and picturesque stone bridges greet you on arrival. It is unusual in that it is a planned town, and there aren’t many of them in Ireland, and it has heritage status. Well before I fell in love with far flung exotic destinations, I found myself heading to this picture perfect gem time and again.