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whack-ed · 4 years ago

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“Just Friends” (Fred Weasley x Reader)

Synopsis: A halloween party was what it took for you to finally do what you wanted to do with Fred.

Warnings: make out; underage drinking and extremely flirtation.

Reader: Female

World Count: 2.5k

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay, I had some personal problems to solve, but here I am! this is a oneshot for the special A very Harry Potter Halloween by @masterofthedarkness and @eleven-times-lively. This one is for the 30th with the prompt Halloween Party! Hope you like it :)

tag list: @nebulablakemurphy @jamilelucato @inglourious-imagines @acciotwinz @clarissaxpearce

if you want to be tagged, send me a ask!

Finally October, the favorite time of year for Y/n. For various reasons, fantasies, sweets, the weather, absolutely everything Y/n loved most was present in October. But probably the thing the girl liked the better was the Weasley twins' Halloween party. And this year promised, it was the twins' last year at school and they promised the best Halloween party this school has ever seen.

Usually Y/n knew everything the twins were preparing, since they were a quartet. The twins, Y/n and Lee. These four names together gave chills to any teacher. But not this time. This year it was just Fred and George who were looking for trouble. The twins didn't let Y/n and Lee participate at all, the surprise was for everyone. And of course, Y/n's anxiety didn't leave the twins alone for a minute.

"Please Fred, tell me at least the color of the glasses!" Y/n insisted on Fred saying at least a little detail about the party. The secret was complete.

"I already said that I don't speak a word to you, Y/n" The redhead replied laughing.

They were in a history of magic class, automatically nobody was paying attention. The twins sat in the last row, Y/n and Lee just ahead.

"What are the drinks going to be, that's no big deal!" Lee asked as curious as Y/n.

"Not a word, Lee," George replied with a sly smile on his face, the same as the one on his brother's face.

"I hate you both" Y/n said irritably and turned forward.

Fred who was behind Y/n leaned forward and rested his head on the girl's shoulder, whispering her ear. Fred's proximity to Y/n's ear made the girl get goosebumps and close her eyes while the redhead spoke. "You don't miss out on waiting, baby"

George and Lee exchanged a look that they knew well what it meant. Y/n and Fred have always had this relationship ... doubtful. Nothing but indirect flirtations happened between the two, there was never anything else. George and Lee always questioned the two of them if something happened in the backstage that they didn't see, and of course, the answer was always the same "We are just friends". Only friends my ass, George thought. The boy knew his brother well to know when he was lying.

Fred then returned to his seat and Y/n kept her eyes closed digesting the sensation she had just had, wishing it had lasted a little longer. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked several times, returning to reality.

"My God, the sexual tension between you two can be cut with a knife," Lee said making the three friends laugh.

"We are just friends, you know that" Y/n replied and noticed that this time Fred's laugh was not genuine. Apparently George noticed it too. But of course it could only be Y/n's head.

The class passed slowly as usual, but amid laughter, scolding from the teacher and notes on the parchment, time finally passed. It was already lunchtime and Y/n couldn't be more thankful for that. Her thoughts could go from Fred to the mountain of mashed potatoes that awaited her.

Weeks passed and the twins had not yet given any information about the party. It wasn't just Lee and Y/n who were looking forward now, all seventh graders as well. The fact that Umbridge was taking care of the school, making so many rules, only made things more exciting. The twins couldn't be loud ... At least not in theory.

Now everyone was in the common room, some doing their homework and others just hanging out. Everything was calm until the most beloved twins in the world came in doing what they do best, drawing attention.

“My dear student friends" George was saying.

"Me and my dear brother, we finally have the invitations ready!" Fred completed.

"And what does that mean, bro?" George asked doing a theatrical pose.

"That not even the pink toad was able to stop the Weasley Twins!" Fred completed again by opening his arms also in a theatrical way.

“But it’s worth remembering that the party is only for people from the fifth year upwards” Some sad moans were heard from some students from the fourth year downwards “So my little grasshoppers, you who didn’t taste one of our Halloween parties, will have to look for that taste in our store! ” George announced and the sad moans automatically turned into happy faces.

“That's right! We believe that very soon, our store will have a physical point and will be 100% prepared to serve all of you little pests! ” Fred said laughing and started handing out the invitations.

The invitations were not common, as nothing the twins did was common, no one was surprised, just curious. They were orange sweets in the shape of mini pumpkins.

“But is this sweet? How should we know where and when to go with a sweet? ” Ron asked as soon as George handed him one of the pumpkins.

"I suggest taking a bite, little brother," Fred said mockingly, handing one to Y/n. "I made this one especially for you" And winked at the girl. Hers was Y/F/C , your favorite color. As soon as the girl saw the candy she smiled at Fred and got a little flushed.

As soon as Ron took a bite of the fearful candy, sparkles that resembled fireworks with a date, time and place emerged from the pumpkin.

"We just suggest that you don't eat it whole, eating the other piece makes you invisible for 15 minutes, so you can go to the party without drawing unnecessary attention" Fred said with a smile on his face, proud of what he had done.

It was amazing how these boys were the life of the party wherever they went. Y/n smile so proudly for the boys. After the euphoria of delivery of the pumpkins, the boys sat on the sofa with only a few students in the room, most of had already gone to sleep. Y/n was in an armchair by the fireplace, reading a book. Fred settled on the floor in front of the girl and rested his head on her knees. George sat next to Lee on the couch.

"Okay, now that we have everything set up, what will your fantasy be?" George asked to his friends.

"I was thinking of going as a werewolf" Lee replied playing with the hem of his shirt.

"What a cliché, Lee" Hermione who was finishing up her homework said from across the room. She, Harry and Ron were actually finishing up their homework. But everyone knew that the boys were just waiting for Hermione to finish copying hers.

"You're right, he should go as you Hermione, who knows, maybe someone will put limits on this party?" Ron replied laughing, immediately regretting because of Hermione's furious reaction.

"And what are you going to be dressed up for?" Y/n asked lowering the book, she had stopped paying attention long ago.

"Us? Secret too" Fred replied to the girl.

"You guys are getting unbearable with this, you know?" Y/n said looking at the twins.

"Just noticed now?" Lee said sarcastically.

Y/n snorted angrily and pulled her legs up so that Fred could no longer lean on them, causing the boy to turn his head to her laughing.

"You look so beautiful when you're mad" He said and stood up and give her a kiss on the cheek. "I think it's past time for us to go to sleep, we need energy to organize what comes tomorrow, Georgie"

George got up too and agreed with his brother, so the two went up to the dorm wishing everybody a good night.

"I'll see if I can get anything out of them before bed, good night, Y/n" Lee said and went after the twins.

Harry was already drooling at the table, Ron was almost, only Hermione was still focused. Y/n got up and headed for the girls' dorm.

"Good night, Mione" Y/n said.

"When are you two going to assume you have more than a friendship, Y/n?" Hermione asked before she went up. The girl laughed and shook her head.

"We are just friends"

The following days passed with Y/n listening to discussions to see what would be the fantasy of her friends. Lee really was a werewolf, Hermione was from an important witch that nobody really understood who was just that had something to do with defending giants, Ron was going as a auror, Harry as a quidditch player, and of course the fantasy of Fred and George it was still a secret.

At breakfast on the day of the party, everyone was euphoric. The whispers came not only from the Gryffindor table, but from all of them, even some Slytherins were excited.

And because she kept her head elsewhere, Y/n ended up forgetting to think about her fantasy. Then, taking advantage of having a visit to Hogsmade that day, she asked Hermione for help in choosing a costume. The girls went to each clothing store until they found the perfect costume. That was it, they thought. It perfectly matched Y/n's personality.

The hours passed and now it was only an hour before the twins' Halloween party. The girls in Y/n's room were euphoric. They had pirates, healers, vampires, it looked like a children's book in one room. Y/n was finishing her makeup and would already be ready to leave. The outfit she had chosen was nothing less than court jester. Not a dull court jester, according to Hermione, and here I quote her words, she was a “sexually desirable jester”. A colorful short dress, socks to the thighs one of each color, hair tied with colored ribbons and a cute clown makeup. It was perfect.

"You look perfect, Y/n!" Angelina said to the girl with colored ribbons in her hair.

"You too, Angie, wonderful by the way!" Y/n said to her friend that was dressed as a fairy.

The two then descended together, meeting several people in costume in the main hall. And in the sea of mummies and mermaids, Y/n spotted the werewolf she was looking for.

“Lee! Lee! ” The girl called and Lee turned to see her.

"Y/n ... Bloody hell woman, now I understand what Fred talks about so much" Lee replied looking Y/n up and down.

"What does Fred say?" Y/n asked frankly eyebrows.

"He keeps saying you have phenomenal thighs," Lee replied, staring at her legs.

“Hey! Lee! Eyes up here! ” Y/n responded making the boy automatically look embarrassed, but then laughing.

"Let's go then?" Lee asked Y/n and she nodded.

The two then ate all the pumpkin and automatically the picture of the fat woman opening, looked like a passage of ghosts, no one was seen, all you could hear were footsteps and some muffled laughter through the corridors.

Finally, after walking a lot trying to make a minimum of noise, they reached the precise room. The door opened and the legion of students entered the place. When Fred and George said it was going to be the best Halloween party this school has ever seen, they weren't kidding.

There were already some students in the room, but the decor was clear. They had colorful and noiseless fireworks shining on the ceiling tirelessly, they seemed bewitched to last all night. The smoke on the ground made it look like a swamp, you could barely see people's feet. The tables set with various sweets with different shapes and a large bowl with punch, certainly alcoholic. The walls decorated with purple and orange ribbons all over the place. Of course, cobwebs, skeletons and pumpkins were placed in every corner. The music was loud, but it was not heard outside, they had also bewitched it. The only strange thing was that Fred and George were not yet in place.

More and more people were arriving and none of the twins. Y/n was having fun with Lee and other friends, but missed the redheaded duo. While some students were kissing in a corner and others were stuffing themselves with food, Y/n was dancing with a glass in her hand, like there's no tomorrow. She moved her hips from side to side without caring if she was drawing too much attention. Tonight was really for that.

The only part of the place that no one had understood was the stairway in the corner of the room that led to a balcony and a small door that nobody could open. After a while, Y/n ignored the stairs, and suddenly after the girl's third glass, the door made sense. It had opened up and the music had turned down the volume. There they were, Fred and George came out of the door in the costume of Kings. Y/n laughed with them and stopped dancing, looking at the boys.

"Feel free, my subjects, the party is yours today!" Fred said raising his hands.

"And remember, if you are not going to party like us, you can leave" George added.

"And let the party really start!" Fred shouted and everyone shouted in agreement.

The twins then descended the stairs, as if they were true kings. Strangely, their fantasy matched the boys perfectly. Y/n after seeing that the boys were already enjoying the party normally, she took another sip of her drink and started dancing again.

The music playing was sensual, and it is clear that the girl, with the courage that the drink gave her, took advantage of the moment. She had wanted to do this for years, and the opportunity never came, but now? Last year, she was going to do what she wanted without fear.

Y/n started to dance to the music, as sensual as the beat of each note. She knew they had several pairs of eyes on her, but only one interested her. Then the girl turned to where Fred was and she couldn't be more pleased to see that he was looking at her like a dog is looking at a piece of meat, with pure desire. She then danced looking directly at him.

Fred couldn't hold on any longer, he dodged the crowd and came very close to Y/n, grabbed her waist tightly and without thinking, he kissed the girl. It was as if everyone in the room had disappeared. They were just there, Y/n and Fred. The girl returned the kiss at the same time her lips met, placing her hands on the boy's neck.

The two separated only because they were forced to breathe. Keeping foreheads glued together. Smiling broadly. And you can hear George and Lee in the background shouting "Finally!" "Just friends, my ass!" And things like that. But Fred and Y/n couldn't care less.

"So.. hm, I think we're not just friends after all, huh?" Fred says laughing still being very close to you.

"I don't think we ever were just friends"

#fred weasley #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley smut #fred weasley x reader #imagine #harry potter imagine #weasley twins #fanfiction #Gryffindor #slytherin #x reader #george weasley #george weasley imagine #harry potter fanfiction #halloween #harry potter #a very harry potter halloween

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fishylife · 3 years ago

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Street Dance of China Season 4, Episode 5

- I love practice montages! I was surprised that we got to see the process of each of the captains (of the competing teams) choosing dancers to their teams. Ibuki and Ma Xiaolong were speaking English to each other, and I don’t doubt that English was probably the main mode of communication across borders for these dancers.

- Okay Ibuki leading Huang Xiao by hand and then Huang Xiao cackling in glee and hugging Ma Xiaolong....very cute.

- So...is Huang Xiao baby?

- Huehuehue love Poppin’C’s laugh

- Ibuki said that Ma Xiaolong helped her a lot with recruitment. I think that’s for two reasons. One is that Ma Xiaolong (and Huang Xiao) are choreographers, so they have a better idea of what styles look together. The other is that Ma Xiaolong knows the Chinese dancers better than she would.

- Moony was saying how Ibuki is the captain but she is the youngest, and is definitely very cute haha.

- Yang Kai was very worried about dancing to a rap song so he recruited as many choreographers as he could. But the issue was that they all had different approaches to choreographing so they spent a lot of time discussing before choreographing and rehearsing.

- Yang Kai deadass brought his laptop to the hotpot restaurant because he was going to turn dinner into a lesson on Three Kingdoms for Boris and Kenken lol. The name of their song was Chitu, which is the horse of Lv Bu. Basically Chitu was just a great super capable horse and that’s why it was so famous lol. Yang Kai was trying to compare their battle to the Three Kingdoms lmao. Kenken was Zhuge Liang, Ibuki was Cao Cao (LMAO), and Chitu Ma was a Ferrari lol. Not gonna lie though, the stories in Three Kingdoms are pretty iconic lol.

- In terms of the performances, I liked them both! I think that Team Ibuki’s performance was very fun in the sense that it was like a story. I don’t think songs like that are popular dance songs, so I really liked seeing how they choreographed the dance and I felt that it was done in a very creative and fun way. I think where it may have fallen short was the cohesion. I like Poppin’C, but I wonder if it was difficult to fit him in because his skill set was so specific. As well, because all of the dancers were wearing different clothes, it was a bit difficult to see their synchronization during the group dance parts. For Team Yang Kai’s performance, it definitely was extremely hype. Whereas Team Ibuki wore different clothes, Team Yang Kai had a dress code so the cohesion was easy to see. But I feel like Team Yang Kai’s performance was being propped up by the fact that it had a very hype song, one that easy to dance to.

- Rochka continues to be the biggest fanboy of every single person on this show. I love him!!!

- Y’all have no idea how much I love hearing Boris speak Chinese. Yes, he has an accent, but he is also very easy to understand. You have no idea how difficult it is to find non-ethnic Chinese people who speak Chinese this fluently. Iunno, he just makes Mandarin seem so much more approachable. Boris said that he’d been in China for 7 years so it makes sense that he feels so confident speaking. A lot of people who are learning languages have to get over that hump where they stop feeling embarrassed about their accent because they have to go out and live their life and buy groceries and go to the doctor and stuff and it’s really interesting to hear Boris expressing himself.

- Henry feeling so pressured when he had to choose which team to pick lmao.

- Yixing went “We’re looking at you because you’re cute!” So bold, Yixing XD

- And Henry went “I feel pressured because you guys are handsome.” XD Two can play at that.

- Then Han Geng went “Henry’s Chinese is so good now!” XD My mom says that to me when I make a good joke in Chinese.

- Yixing has to talk behind his clipboard because he’s so nervous lmfao.

- So the rule is that one judge gets two votes for each matchup. In addition to that, that judge has to cut three members, two to enter a battle and one to be eliminated immediately, not including the captain.

- Ibuki was so upset when she returned to her seat :(

- Ye Yin had his team draw out their feelings as they listened to their assigned song. I thought it was a bit gimmicky, but this visual is cute.

- I thought Team Ye Yin’s performance was cool considering this was a song that would be difficult to choreograph for. I was surprised with how the incorporated breaking and locking elements, as there are breaking and locking experts on their team. But overall I thought the choreography was so nice. It told a story, and it suited the vibe of the song. Props to Bunta for the awesome choreography.

- Han Geng said that their performance reminded him of his youth, and then Henry said that he felt the same, that the performance reminded him of Geng-ge. He was like “ge, do you remember?“ and Geng-ge was like of course! Han Geng said he remembered their romantic days X’D So unnecessary. At one point the director was like did Han Geng and Henry used to have their arms around each other’s shoulders? And both of them were like uhh yeah all the time dude.

- George was asked about his rivalry with C-Lil because they keep getting stuck together lol. Apparently C-Lil became a tea enthusiast which was cute.

- Yuwan clapping his hands while his arms around C-Lil :3

- Team Liangliang’s performance was cut because apparently it was not very good, and the editors cut it out to prevent them from getting haters. I think Liangliang’s Sun Wukong headgear had obstructed his vision, and Yixing said that the performance wasn’t very in sync. A pity :(

- Gogo Brothers’ team is stack af.

- Gogo Brothers + Hilty & Bosch hotel room conference lol.

- AC went for a waacking + krump combo which is cool! Their performance was extremely aesthetically pleasing. Even though the fire power is perhaps less explosive, they worked together as a team very well. I definitely thought the waacking and the krump complemented each other very well.

- AC bought snail noodles for his team members, and apparently it’s one of those very polarizing foods, but Chika really liked it haha.

- Ohh, you know this is gonna be good.

- Team Gogo Brothers’ performance was good, but at the same time...there wasn’t anything new about it? Since there were five lockers on the, most of the performance was going to be high quality locking, but at the same time, the locking kind of overshadowed any attempt to try anything new. It was still good though, I just felt that it had limitations compared to AC’s performance that did something new with combining styles, both in terms of dance and aesthetics (costumes).

- Love to see the baby smile v.v

- Lmao Xiao Jie said that Xiaohai was the good luck charm of their team XD His good luck charm name is Jr. Baby, aka Haibaobao lol

- Yibo and Yixing voted for Gogo Brothers, and Han Geng voted for AC, so Henry, who had two votes, had the final say in who would win this battle. Then we got the theatrics where Han Geng, Yibo, and Yixing went into the audience because their job was done lol.

- Then Henry was like “ge~~~~ didn’t you say you would take care of me?” And Han Geng’s like, I’m letting you have the SDOC experience bro.

- Even though we all know it’s a joke, Han Geng is still so caring and affectionate lol.

- Anyway, after all that shenaniganery, what Henry said was right. It feels so tough eliminating any single member of the team, because it was all of them who helped deliver such a beautiful performance. I know AC had a tough time going up against Gogo brothers but dammit I actually super loved their performance. So cruel!!!!!

- Han Geng felt bad because Auju had said he wanted to be in a solo battle in the 3 vs 3 challenge, but he was put in the 5 vs. 5 battle and then this group performance, so Han Geng wanted to let him have the stage to perform his best. I thought it was a nice gesture, to let him have the stage to show off in the way he was most confident with, to let himself show himself at his best.

- Then Henry was like “what if we had Auju AND Yixing????”

- And then Boi Marble joined!!! Krumptastic

- Yixing said that even though krumpers look really fierce, that aside from the krump, all of them are lil cuties uwu.

- Team Nelson having fun with Hanfu was so cute! :D Sometimes with the non-Chinese contestants, I worry that they find the Chinese culture stuff tedious, because SDOC does try to fit as much culture in. So I’m glad to see that they’re at least finding a way to have fun. I wish I had such pretty hanfu to dress up in v.v

- I’ll be honest though, I don’t think Nelson’s team was very synchronized. He had a lot of very good individual dancers (Bouboo, Zyko, Lil Kev, that firepower is undeniable), but there were parts when I felt like all of the dancers were doing their own thing. Maybe the choreography was too subtle, or maybe the dancers themselves had slightly different rhythms.

- Acky-san giving red pockets to his team, but instead of money, he wrote them letters in different languages T_T

- A full popping team is risky move, but it paid off. Everybody was popping so everybody was dancing to their strength. Compare that to some of the other teams, where there were some dancers who clearly were lagging because they were dancing to a style they were very comfortable with. In addition, the visual style of the performance was fresh and fun. Their costumes were very wacky and fun to look at, and their performance exuded the kind of fun vibes where you felt like you wanted to join them.

- Out of the captains who’d lost their challenges, they would have to battle each other in a round robin style tournament. First place would get to keep two of their "pending” members, and second place would get to keep one.

- Yixing got up SO FAST when Tell Me started playing. I didn’t know this song before so I looked it up and it is a bop haha.

- Yixing dancing along uwu I don’t know the name of this song but it was the second song in the Ibuki vs. Liangliang battle.

- AC vs. Ibuki dancing to It’s Raining Men was A LOT of fun, particularly because everybody including the spectators knew the song haha.

- The first place winner was Nelson who was able to save Tengzai and Lil Kev and the second place winner was AC who could only choose one person to save, and AC chose Fanfan.

- Ma Xiaolong and Huang Xiao comforting Ibuki because she couldn’t save her team members :(

- Ahh I’m going to miss Yuri because she was so cute and fun. AC apologized for not being able to save her :( Gonna miss u bb ;(

- I liked Latrice too T_T Hated to see her go :(

- Brats playing with the microphones. They basically disassembled their standing microphones and waved the part around even after Han Geng already told Yibo not to lmao.

- So this section was supposed to be the captains’ opportunity to tell the dancers what kind of team they were looking to put together. Yixing was so surprised because Han Geng and Yibo had very simple and short statements (though it took a while for Han Geng to get to his point), because the boy deadass prepared a speech. Of course he did.

- Yang Kai said that his speech sounded like a motivational speech from a boss at work. That’s exactly what it is.

- Apparently Henry also prepared a speech XD

- So from what I understand, the captains will recruit a team that they think represents their style. Afterwards, the dancers who have not been chosen will get to choose their team based on which captain’s style they like. I think that’s how it works, we’ll see if I’m right lol.

- Henry trying to gleam information X3 Yibo just deals with the pressure by smiling and shaking his head. Dare I say this is the first time I’ve seen Yibo look shy??????? It’s cuuuute.

- Since the cubicles don’t have ceilings, Henry was like someone could be watching me!

- Nosy housecat in training

- Yibo and Henry and Han Geng were playing mind games being like “oh, you picked Poppin’C? And Yixing fell for the trick ^^;; Luckily he was not allowed to change his answer so at least he’s not going to make a change he regrets lol.

- All of the dancers Yixing picked were not picked by anyone else so he was quite lucky.

- Han Geng had three of his choices matching with Henry or Yibo.

- Henry has no idea how to recruit dancers so he just ends up singing love songs. Of course.

- Zyko’s loyal dude XD I can see why Han Geng is a safe choice though. Han Geng is low on the theatrics, so if I was a low key guy like Zyko, I’d probably feel less pressure being on his team. I could just focus on dance and not on entertaining the cameras.

- I can see why Nelson would go with Yibo. Yibo is quiet but he’s serious and focused and more importantly they both confirmed that they are competitors.

- Henry and Han Geng both chose Ibuki. Here Han Geng is patiently waiting/spying while Ibuki and Henry have their interview.

- Then he was offered a ladder and Geng-ge became the biggest gremlin lmao.

- Yixing the good little helper.

- C U T I E

- When Han Geng was having his interview with Ibuki, he locked the ladder in his own room and kept the key. Then he stole the keys from all the other rooms and gave them to Henry XD Actual troll-ge.

- Ibuki chose Han Geng in the end.

- So all of the people Henry chose picked other captains. This frame lmfao.

- I think last season Yixing had tons of trouble recruiting dancers to his team. In the hotpot preview he said he was super lax about this year and it worked in his favour.

#thinking out loud #cvariety #street dance of china #screencaps

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crrpsebride · 4 years ago

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the garde and the honoraries at hoGGY HOGGY HOGWARTS

nine and five as slytherin

slytherin house values ambition, leadership, self-preservation, cunning and resourcefulness. slytherins always find ways to employ their skills to their advantage, and can make the best of any situation. slytherins strive to be the best, and because of their ambition, they usually are. slytherin represents the element of water, and its house emblem is the snake.

notable characters: merlin, the malfoys, bellatrix lestrange, tom riddle

adam, ella and marina as ravenclaw

ravenclaw house values intelligence, knowledge, curiosity, creativity and wit. all ravenclaws possess a strong thirst for knowledge and a desire to explore and inquire. ravenclaws are highly individualistic and don’t succumb to peer pressure or do what the majority decides to unless they believe in it. ravenclaw represents the element of air, and its house emblem is the eagle.

notable characters: luna lovegood, cho chang, filius flitwick, rowena ravenclaw

sarah, sam and eight as hufflepuff

hufflepuff house values hard work, dedication, loyalty and fair play. hufflepuffs make some of the most loyal friends, and won’t back down from your side. they are also some of the most hardworking people - though they may not possess ravenclaws’ passion for learning, or slytherins’ ambition - but it always pays off. hufflepuffs are honest, and always feel a desire to tell the truth and behave as such. hufflepuff represents the element of earth, and its house emblem is the badger.

notable characters: cedric diggory, pomona sprout, newt scamander, nymphadora tonks

john and six as gryffindor

gryffindor house values bravery, daring, nerve and chivalry. gryffindors stand strong in the face of adversity, and show courage in everything they do. they tend to see the world split as good and bad, white and black, and do everything they can to protect the good and innocent. gryffindors aren’t afraid to put themselves in physical danger, and will do so to defend others. gryffindor represents the element of fire, and its house emblem is the lion.

notable characters: the golden trio (harry potter, hermione granger, ron weasley), the weasley family, the marauders (james potter, sirius black, remus lupin, peter pettigrew), minerva mcgonagall

other opinions

adam is a slytherclaw. full stop. he just gives off the sophisticated, intelligent energy that all of them possess

both nine and five’s second house is gryffindor, and six’s is slytherin

john is half-half gryffindor and hufflepuff (he has both qualities it just depends when they shine through) but i did put him in gryffindor because he’s got the main character disease

john would be a keeper for the gryffindor team, and six a chaser, and nine and five would be a beater for slytherin because they need their dose of beating the shit out of something (they’d hate each other but make a good team yk). eight would be a keeper too for hufflepuff and ella is DEFINITELY a seeker or a beater no in between

nine gives me INCREDIBLE sirius black vibes. like young sirius black they are the same‼ no i will not be taking constructive criticism on this!!

- and to tie into that, JOHN IS YOUNG REMUS LUPIN!! ALSO NOT TAKING CRITICISM!! the way he’s good when he wants to be and is overall the mother, but is batshit crazy when he’s with his friends

my friend (@picnicgrannyforpresident ) said six gives off BOOK ginny energy and i agree

also i think nine would have the same backstory as sirius, like his family tradition is being sorted into gryffindor (or ravenclaw maybe) but he got put in slytherin and they were sorta like “oh…” and he was like “no.” and hated slytherin and everyone in it at first </3 (also could be adam but... i wanted to save him from trauma on top of trauma on top of trauma)

sam gives me ron weasley vibes cause ignored best friend™ despite how loyal he is (DESPITE WHAT PEOPLE WITH COMMON SENSE HAVE TO SAY)

on that note that does not mean i ship ginny weasley and her brother PLEASE 🤮🤮🤮 that’s so nasty i’m just saying that sam and six have the same energy and kind of character base as them both

adam would choose post-mortem studies as an elective in his third year (the study of ghosts) because… you know the irony. he would be the top of his class at everything except divination - he’d have the same problem as hermione and think it was bullshit and just quit the subject entirely

ella’s top classes would be astronomy and flying, and quidditch would be her secret passion and she’d refuse to try out until the captain saw her training with eight, nine, john, six and five and went “oh shit she’s good” (her mum was a well-known quidditch player in hogwarts for ravenclaw too). she’d try her best to hang out with all the older kids (let’s pretend adam is the same age as everyone else 😳 ) but ultimately she’d have to make friends in her year who would end up with her like this 🤞

nine’s top classes would be potions and dada (defense against the dark arts). at first he’d try and mess up his potions to piss off snape, but then he realised that he was actually pretty good at it, so he stopped and tried to do it properly. he was never top of the class, and not the teacher’s favourite but he did well and he was proud of it. his favourite dada teacher probs would have been lupin (who could blame him) and he thought he was pretty cool

sam would love history of magic classes in my opinion. like they’d be his favourite part of the week because he was a history buff and loved learning about what brought around everything in his time yk? he’d also be really good at dada and lupin would love him because he always tries his best no matter if he succeeds or not

MARINA my goddess her top subjects would be herbology and magic in art because she’s the artsy hipster 🙄 duh this is ms sea queen we’re talking about. she’d have a natural knack for plants and it would be one of her favourite things to do, just go and help out neville with his plants THEY’D BE BESTIES FOR SURE and ella would just sit in the corner munching on a treacle tart and be like “you guys are NERDS”

five’s top subject would be potions too for sure and him and nine would have like this unspoken rivalry and would constantly try and one-up each other. he’d also suck up to snape and become his favourite and rub it in nine’s face

john’s favourite subjects would be charms and transfiguration. i feel like he’d have a problem where he’d be shit at memorising spells but he’s got talent so his friends would help him memorise the words with flashcards and stuff so he’d be prepared and not fail every single one of his tests

SIX the baddie she is as soon as she got on a broom she was like “YEAH THIS IS MY JAM!! TURN IT UP!!” and she would practice every summer because she had very high standards for herself until she finally felt she was good enough. she’d try out and get in immediately and soon become captain (sike you thought i’d make john captain Y’ALL THOUGHT WRONG). she’d be one of the best chasers gryffindor had seen and she’d be one of mcgonagall’s favourites (close to harry potter on that pedestal he has set up)

sarah would love cooking with magic (yes that’s a subject) because we all know she’s practically strawberry shortcake. she’d excel at it and she’d also probably excel at charms too because we all know she’s got that talent

EIGHT MY MAN would be the best in the year at transfiguration. like no, his parents were NOT good at it, no one in his family was, but here we are with him getting the top mark time and time agAIN! yes this ties into his shapeshifting legacy but still he’d be so good at it i just know as well as POTIONS. this man would love cooking up evil shit in a basement for hours on end and i know he wouldn’t be super at it but he’d try

nine would also be friends with the weasley twins and plan so much shit and take the fall with them. if he didn’t show up to quidditch practice, everyone would sigh and go “who wants to make a bet how long it takes him to break out of detention”

john and sarah would be prefects and so would sam <3 (ily sam)

marina would run for prefect and insist on adam running too but he’d be like “nah man no one knows me” and she would secretly hand out fliers and shit and be like “vote adamus for prefect! he’s smart and courageous and i know he’d die for his house” and at the assembly or wherever it’s announced he’d win the title and he’d be like 😳 and constantly try and make it up to marina because she knew he wanted to be one

john, sam, and six would be in the year between the golden trio and nine, marina, five, eight, sarah and adam would be in the same year as fred and george. ella would be in the same year as ginny too and you bet your ass they’d be the best of friends

okay that’s all i have so far but please reblog and tell me your opinions cause i’m DYING to hear them LMAIEJRHSFe

#harry potter #hp #the weasleys #Lorien Legacies #lorien legacies reborn #The Legacies Live #i am number four #number nine #number eight #marina #number six #sam goode #adam sutekh #john smith #sarah hart #number five #number ten

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bush-viper-cutie · 4 years ago

Text

“Lupin, Black, Snape” || YEAR 3 – Ch.15 (HP au)

Chapter List

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Day posted: 8/28/2020

Word count: 3, 251

Relationship: EVENTUAL severus X oc (slow burn)

Rating: E for everyone

Warnings: none

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A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.

This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D

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Heather made her way down to the great hall with everyone else from her common room. She turned a corner and spotted Ron and Hermione next to Harry, just up ahead. She ran over and joined them, searching their hands for any treats like they had promised.

“Oh, sorry! We left them in our common room. We’ll give you some later.”

All she could do was nod at Hermione and not let the disappointment get her down. “It’s ok. What are you guys talking about?”

Ron shook his head. “About how mad Lupin is. Harry told us he drank the potion.”

Heather glared at Harry. “It wasn’t poisoned!”

“Of course not.” Hermione lowered her voice. “He wouldn’t have done it in front of you two…”

Heather groaned.

They crossed the entrance hall and entered the great hall, admiring the decorations like every year. There were giant glittering pumpkins floating over their heads with candles lighting them from the inside. Bats swooped and fluttered above their heads, dodging the orange streamers hung all around.

Heather was too upset to sit next to Draco and Pansy, choosing instead to sit next to some fourth years down the middle of the table. She kept glancing at Harry who kept looking up at Professor Lupin throughout the meal, who was perfectly fine and happily enjoying the feast and talking to Professor Flitwick.

She wanted to ignore Harry and his rude assumptions, but when she caught sight of Professor Snape she saw him glancing over at Professor Lupin over and over again as he ate. Was he waiting for something? Checking on him? Professor Lupin had mentioned the potion was to help him feel better, but Professor Snape wasn’t the type to worry about someone’s health like that…

The feast ended with a performance of how the Bloody Baron and other ghosts died, finishing off with disappearing through tables and walls. Nearly headless Nick came back to hear the applause and Professor Dumbledore excused them to head back to their houses.

She caught up to Harry and rolled her eyes at the looks he was giving her.

“Explain why he kept looking over. Think he was that worried about Professor Lupin’s cold?” Harry crossed his arms as they left the entrance hall.

Heather sighed. “Maybe he actually DOES know him. Maybe they’re friends and he really is concerned for his friend’s wellbeing.”

Ron gave a breathy laugh. “Oh sure, as Snape’s known to do.”

Draco pushed through them and turned around as he walked across the corridor. “The dementors wanted me to tell you they send their love, Potter! They’re asking when you’ll visit!”

Several students around them laughed and Draco held his head up higher as he walked away with Crabbe and Goyle snickering behind him. Heather said goodnight to Ron, Harry, and Hermione and made her way across the castle and down the dungeon stairs and into her common room.

Her excuse for him was weak. She paced the back of the common room, trying to think of an explanation. Sure, he seemed scary and rude and hated most people at the school… But he was a professor… He wouldn’t risk going to Azkaban just for a position he wanted… Besides, wouldn’t he want to poison him after the year had ended, or at the very least first term? He’d still be in charge of teaching potions until Professor Dumbledore had the time to put out ads for potions professors…

She pulled out a random book from the giant towering book case in the back and looked up as the doors opened passed hours. It was none other than Professor Snape himself, looking very preoccupied with his thoughts. His eyes were distant and searching the floor as people gathered around him. His finger was curled and pressed to his lips as people waited for him to say something.

He finally looked up. “Everyone is to follow me to the great hall immediately. You have five minutes to change into your night clothes. Anyone left inside will serve six hours of detention in the potions classrooms with me, scrubbing the bottom of the seventh year cauldrons until they shine.”

He looked at everyone and a shiver ran through the crowd. Everyone left to change without another word. There was hushed whispered in every dorm and throughout the bathrooms about why they had to go to the great hall in their pajamas.

There was a lot of talk about trolls in the dungeons again, dementors checking their dorms, and of Sirius Black. Heather got dressed and went to get her potions guide and wand, tucking them away in her robe pockets. She didn’t really feel like walking around in JUST her pajamas and figured she’d use the robes as, well, robes.

She walked out into the common room and saw Professor Snape still standing where he had been, arms held behind his back as he stared down at the floor in thought. She looked at the line of ready Slytherins forming, all still whispering about what was happening.

She let her curiosity get the better of her and approached Professor Snape, being used to him constantly yelling at her and Harry already made asking him questions less daunting.

“Sir?”

His eyes flickered towards her but he said nothing.

She figured that meant he was listening and went on with the question. “Why are we heading to the great hall? Are we coming back after?”

He stood up straighter and scanned the large group of whispering students. He addressed them all. “The castle is to be searched – and all houses will be sleeping in the great hall tonight. That is all.”

He stared Heather down until she back up into the line. He turned and lead them out and up the main stairs that would spit them out next to the great hall. All the other houses were making their way inside, as confused as everyone else.

She wasn’t sure what she’d heard to make her remember, but a sudden pang of anxiety hit her like a monstrous wave. Was the castle being searched for the missing books? She had started reading the potions one early in the mornings and immediately realized why the Ministry had banned those books. They were very dangerous, especially in the hands of someone like Draco, who loved to talk about poisoning and hexing others who annoyed him… like muggle borns, muggles, and loud first years.

She stood with her house as Professor Dumbledore walked in, talking with several other teachers and sending them on their way with tasks.

He stood behind his podium and waited for everyone to quiet down as Mr. Filch shushed them all next to him. “I will be conducting a search of the castle along with your heads of houses and several other professors.” The large great hall doors closed and everyone jumped but Professor Dumbledore kept going. “For everyone’s safety, you will all be sleeping here, where we can watch over you for the night. There will be teachers on both sides of the doors keeping guard, and any prefects and Head boys and girls who wish to stay up and look after their houses will receive house points. Any… disturbances should be reported immediately to your house ghosts, who will report back to us.”

The ghosts all looked very proud to be of use and looked down at them all with serious faces. Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and all the tables flew to the sides, stacking high, along with all the benches. In their place hundreds of puffy purple sleeping bags appeared on the floor.

Pansy gasped, “We’ll be sleeping on the floor in THOSE?”

Draco kicked one of them and shook his head, looking very disgusted.

“Sleep and have delightful dreams,” Professor Dumbledore said as he closed the doors behind him, leaving the great hall with Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.

The second the doors closed everyone gathered around the Gryffindors as they excitedly told everyone what had happened. Heather, Ron, Harry, and Hermione had all picked sleeping bags in the back near Neville, Seamus, Dean, Fred, George, Lee, and Ginny.

Ron filled Heather in on what had happened. Sirius Black was in the castle and had destroyed the fat lady’s portrait in his attempt to break into the Gryffindor common room to kill Harry.

Heather gasped and looked at Harry. “No! But-but… How did he get passed the dementors? How could he have gotten in the castle? I can’t believe he really tried get in there and kill you!”

Harry looked as shaken up about it as her. “He must really be mad at me for defeating Voldemort…”

Ron jumped at the mention. “Obviously he’s figured out how to get passed the dementors… Are we really supposed to believe professors like Trelawney’ll keep us safe?”

Hermione shoved Ron’s shoulder. “Stop scaring them! Of course we’re safe here. Professor Dumbledore’s looking out for us. And the dementors aren’t very smart. They’re like angry dogs, really. The professor’s are much harder to get passed.”

Heather nodded and reached out for Harry’s hand. He squeezed back and kicked their sleeping bags closer to the high table where several teachers were pacing around. Everyone was being told to go to sleep so they got in their sleeping bags.

Hermione turned to them. “He’s not still in the castle, do you think?”

Ron made a motion under his sleeping bag. “If Dumbledore didn’t think so we’d be in our beds.”

Hermione shook her head. “No matter… It’ll all get sorted soon.”

Heather appreciated Hermione staying strong for them. It made her feel better, though she wasn’t sure it was enough to let her sleep peacefully. She turned around and listened to others whispering their ideas about how he had gotten in.

“He apparated in, how else?”

“But no one can apparate in… He came in disguised!”

“He didn’t just walk in – He flew!”

Heather felt someone shake her shoulder and turned to face Hermione.

“In ‘Hogwarts: a History’ it is stated very clearly that no one can just apparate in. And there are walls of spells that prevent anyone from entering by stealth. Not to mention that there are dementors EVERYWHERE who see through any disguise and even invisibility cloaks.” Hermione reassured her. “And Filch knows all the secret passages which are also probably sealed anyways.”

The lights went out and everything was dark, except for the twinkling sky above them and the slivery glow of the ghosts gliding above their heads, watching over them. Heather let out a sigh and moved closer to Hermione, feeling better after what she had said.

She could hear Percy shouting from across the great hall, shushing everyone. There was still a low whisper throughout the hall and Heather could only sleep for an hour or two at a time. Waking up every time the great hall doors opened and Percy ran up to the teachers, asking for updates.

Halfway through the night Professor Dumbledore walked back in, making his way to the high table. Percy ran over and asked if Sirius Black had been found.

“I believe he has left the castle. I’ve put up a replacement portrait and tomorrow morning everyone will have access to the tower again. I’ll have Mr. Filch restore the fat lady and she’ll be back in no time.”

“That’s marvelous, Sir.”

The door creaked open again and more footsteps drew near.

“Headmaster.” It was the deep voice of Professor Snape. “All the main floors are searched, with no sign of Black. Filch has rechecked the greenhouses and the dungeons.”

“And all the towers?”

“All rechecked. Still no signs.”

“Very good, Severus. It wouldn’t be like Sirius Black to linger.”

There was a pause.

“Have you any… theory… as to how he got in, Professor?” It seemed like Professor Snape was hinting at something.

“Many,” Professor Dumbledore dismissed his question. “All as unlikely as the last.”

She heard Harry’s sleeping bag jostle.

“And do you remember our conversation, Headmaster? Just before – ah – the beginning of term…” Professor Snape sounded more irritated now.

“I do. Severus.”

“It would appear to be… almost impossible… that anyone – let alone Black – could enter the castle without inside help.” He was almost angry now. “I believe I expressed my concerns when you appointed – ”

“There is not a single person in this castle that would aid Black in entering it.” His tone was deathly serious and ended with a clear indication their conversation was over. “I need to have a talk with the dementors. They wanted to know when the search is complete.”

Percy had still been there during their conversation and finally spoke up again. “Why didn’t the dementors help in the search?”

“So long as I remain Headmaster, no dementors will be crossing the threshold of this castle.”

Several footsteps retreated and the great hall doors creaked open and closed. Heather opened her eyes and turned to see Harry staring in their direction. She moved around and looked up at the high table Professor Snape took his seat lazily with crossed arms and furrowed brows.

The next several days the only thing anyone talked about was Sirius Black. Everyone was brainstorming how he managed to enter, coming up with wildly lunatic ideas, all involving him turning into some sort of plant, stone, or broom that had been brought in.

The only positive thing that had happened after Halloween was that they were now being guarded by most every teacher – and Percy – though Harry more than her. Everywhere they went they always found a teacher lurking not far behind, and Percy didn’t even try to hide it. He stood behind them proudly, with his chest held out for intimidation.

Heather felt much better walking around school, unlike Harry who seemed more and more annoyed as the days went on. As scared as he had been that night, the annoyance of always being watched was getting to him.

They were on their way to lunch one day when Professor McGonagall had called him into her office. They waited outside for him and within minutes he came out fuming and annoyed.

“I almost got banned from Quidditch practice!”

Ron gasped, “No! Why?”

“Because it’s out in the field at night. Now Madam Hooch’ll be looking over the practices.” Harry kicked at a bench angrily. “Have they all forgotten I’ve faced Voldemort three times?”

“Two times, Harry.” Heather rolled her eyes. “And so what? You’re safer now, and that’s all that matters. Not Quidditch.”

They made it into the great hall and Heather went to sit down next to Draco. She had taken a few bites of her food when Professor Snape made his way down to her on his way out.

He stopped just behind her and spoke. “My office after lunch is over.”

She swallowed her bite and watched him exit, robes billowing behind him like waves of solid black.

“What’ve you done now, Potter?” Draco laughed.

“Nothing…” She frowned and wondered what he wanted.

After lunch she made her way down to the dungeons and knocked on his office door. They opened and she pushed them, poking her head in and seeing someone else was there too, sitting across from Professor Snape.

She stepped in and sat down on the other chair and turned to see who else was there. It was Cassius, smirking with his legs crossed. He glanced at her and back at Professor Snape.

“Some teachers fear it may be too dangerous to be letting you practice out in the dark with only your team members,” Professor Snape grinned and looked at Cassius.

Heather moved to the edge of the chair. “So you’ll ask Madam Hooch to oversee practices? Like Professor McGonagall is doing for Harry?”

“Typical, Potter, expecting others to change their schedules around just to suit your needs?” He motioned to Cassius. “Warrington will be taking your place this year.”

“No!” Heather turned to look at Cassius who had on a smug face.

“I will gladly take over, Professor. That is,” he turned to Heather, “Until Black is caught of course. I wouldn’t want to remove you of your fairly earned spot on the team.”

“It’s not my fault Professor Lupin wanted to talk to you!” Heather gripped the arms of her chair, trying to hold back her anger. “I DID earn my spot!”

“Calm your tantrum!” Professor Snape growled. “And I don’t believe ever mentioning it was Lupin who needed to have a word with him that day.”

Heather gulped and Cassius chuckled under his breath.

“Warrington. You may go. I have another matter to discuss with Potter.”

Cassius stood and looked down at her triumphantly before leaving Professor Snape’s office.

She crossed her arms and refused to look at him, leaning back in her seat. She stared at the edge of the desk as if she could make it combust instantly.

“Professor McGonagall thinks it wise to inform you about Sirius Black.” Professor Snape interlaced his fingers and placed them on the desk. “He – ”

She didn’t want to hear anymore. “Yes. I know. He’s after us – or Harry – because he defeated Voldemort.”

He leaned back, shocked, at the mention of Voldemort’s name. “I see… And are you aware of why he is regarded as incredibly dangerous?”

Heather nodded. “He killed lots of muggles and a wizard on the day of his capture. We heard everything about him already from Mr. Weasley.”

Professor Snape frowned. “Snooping, no doubt.”

Her face went red and she looked away again.

“Very well. Then that is all. Should I – or Warrington – see you on that field, you will serve detention for the rest of the year in the potions classrooms, cleaning the floors and cauldrons during every break. Do I make myself clear?”

She nodded. “May I leave now – Sir?”

Professor Snape nodded and she stood. Making her way out and trying very hard not to slam the door behind her. She stormed into her common room and found Draco writing an essay before his next class in one of the back desks.

She walked up to him, arms still crossed. “Professor Snape took me off the team. Warrington’s taken my place.”

Draco leaned back. “But Flint – ”

“It doesn’t matter. He says it’s for my ‘safety’ but Harry gets Madam Hooch to oversee practice. He’s just getting back at me because he thinks I had something to do with Professor Lupin talking to Warrington!”

Draco thought a moment. “So get that fool to tell Professor Snape that. We’ve been practicing our old and new plays with you; if Warrington’s put in then he’d have to catch up which would slow us all down.”

Heather scoffed, “Is that all you care about? Getting slowed down?”

Draco thought some more and nodded, “Yeah. Either way we’re winning the Quidditch cup again.”

She twisted her mouth and rolled her eyes at him, taking a seat on a cushion by the bright green fire. Surprisingly he had a good idea. Surely Professor Lupin would help her by explaining to Professor Snape that she had nothing to do with that. If he could help her, then she’d make him her favorite teacher again. She smiled and picked up her bag, thinking about when the best time to talk to Professor Lupin was. She’d talk to him in his office and he’d be as glad to help her as he had been last time.

She smiled and left her common room.

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#harry potter #heather potter #pro snape #severus snape x oc #severus x oc #snape x oc #severus snape x reader #severus x reader #snape x reader #snape fanfic #snape fanfiction #snape fan fiction #fanfic #fanfiction #fan fiction

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longforyesterday · 5 years ago

Photo

Ok. Here we are. Long post(/rant) ahead in response to the photo above. Sorry for my English, but I had to get these things off my chest. Thanks to everyone who will take the time to read this post, and tell me what you think!

1. They had all agreed to shut up about the “divorce” and he announced it to promote his album.

First of all, it was Allen Klein (one of the main villain in this wretched story) that had convinced John - who was very enamoured with him, his persona and his promises - not to tell anyone about it. In late December 1969 John, however, told journalist Ray Connolly, who didn’t say a word. Klein wanted to make as much money as he possibly could from the band, and announcing the break-up would have certainly damaged that prospect. Paul did it in April 1970. That’s four months of limbo, of nothing. He was in the midlle of an uncertain situation, with a manager who profited off them and their work and that he didn’t want, his bandmates and closest friends against him. Paul loved the Beatles and being a Beatle, he never wanted them to break up but the time had come. George had wanted out for years but never left for good. We all know John had lost interest in the band and had already started working with Yoko. I feel like Ringo didn’t want the band to break-up, but just went along with the other two, hoping that Paul would eventually agree with them. Releasing a solo album (that he put together without any help from the other three) while staying in the Beatles under Klein, with no hope of a follow-up to Abbey Road, in a tense situation, after John’s “divorce” private announcement, alone against the other three would have meant - for Paul - that everything he made from it would have gone to Klein for the most part. Of course he didn’t want that. Let’s not act like this didn’t affect Paul at all. It must also be mentioned that, while he was working on his solo album, Allen Klein and John had contacted Phil Spector to work on Get Back/Let It Be, which had been shelved.

Back in Beatles headspace, Paul sat in a room at Cavendish Avenue and, with fresh ears, reviewed the results of the second version of the Get Back LP. To his mind, the music was stark, unadorned, frighteningly bare, but ultimately thrilling. Klein, meanwhile, bluntly deemed it ‘a crock of shit’ and conspired with Lennon to bring in Phil Spector, who had just overseen the rousing production of ‘Instant Karma!’, to rework the tapes. Unknown to McCartney, Spector booked studio time in March and began slathering strings and brass, fairytale harp and aaahing choir onto ‘The Long And Winding Road’, making it sound hopelessly corny, like a BBC orchestra backing Engelbert Humperdinck. At this stage, however, Paul remained unaware of this development, his thoughts somewhere else entirely. Secluded in his music room at Cavendish Avenue, McCartney began recording his first solo album.

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

Then came a letter (maybe it’s just me, but I find it a little passive-aggressive) from the rest of the Beatles.

Ringo Starr stood on the doorstep of McCartney’s house at Cavendish Avenue, unaware that he was about to precipitate the end of The Beatles. His tricky diplomatic mission, which he had chosen to accept in his role as the chirpy drummer, was to convince his increasingly estranged bandmate that there was an unacceptable clash of release dates between the long-delayed Get Back – now renamed Let It Be – and Paul’s freshly minted eponymous solo album, which was due to be issued only a week before. With him, he had a letter, dated 31 March 1970, handwritten by John Lennon and co-signed by George Harrison. It read: ‘Dear Paul, We thought a lot about The Beatles and yours [sic] LPs – and decided it’s stupid for Apple to put out two big albums within 7 days of each other. So we sent a letter to EMI telling them to hold your release date ’til June 4th (there’s a big Apple-Capitol convention in Hawaii then). We thought you’d come round when you realised that The Beatles album was coming out on April 24th. We’re sorry it turned out like this – it’s nothing personal. Love, John and George.’ Paul – his patience already strained, his temper on a hair-trigger – invited his friend inside and very quickly absorbed this information. Then he erupted. ‘I told him to eff off,’ Paul says. ‘Everyone, to my mind, was completely treating me like dirt. It was kind of like, “We’re the big guys, we’re the grownups.” And I said, “No way, man. Get out.”’ Ringo swiftly departed with the sound of Paul’s fury ringing in his ears. McCartney refused to budge and his solo album was released on 17 April 1970, forcing Let It Be back another two weeks to 8 May. It was the moment when Paul McCartney finally gave up on The Beatles, the point where he mentally quit the group.

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

Of course the news provoked public outrage, and Paul - trying to set the record straight - later said

‘It was all a misunderstanding,’ he protested. ‘I never intended the statement to mean “Paul McCartney quits Beatles”. I didn’t leave The Beatles. The Beatles have left The Beatles, but no one wants to be the one to say the party’s over’

Tom Doyle, Man On The Run

but John was furious because he had wanted to announce it to the world and Paul had beaten him to it. He didn’t announce it to promote his own solo efforts, he wasn’t the type of person to do such a thing: Paul left that limbo he didn’t want to stay in and did what had to be done, even though it was painful. His first solo album resented from the announcement, and McCartney was destroyed by critics for ages because of it, not because of the songs, and by John, George and Ringo too.

2. “He sued the Beatles”

Yes, he sued them, that’s a fact. He sued them in December 1970, at the end of an year during which he had received worldwide hate and criticism for his actions and for his album. He could have sued the other three immediately after the release of McCartney or Let It Be (and he was booed during screenings of the movie), but procrastinated and thought a lot about it. He also had a nervous breakdown because he felt worthless and useless and because of that difficult situation within the group (which at that point didn’t exist anymore) and with Klein. We could have lost him if it hadn’t been for Linda. There was no other escape from that situation. He brought his former bandmates to court with a heavy heart. He “killed” the Beatles, but he also saved them from their manager. In the end they all recognised Paul was right about Klein, and he did them a favour by freeing them from that shark and from Apple.

3. “It’s a drag”

Imagine having just learned of your close friend’s sudden, terrible death at the hands of psycopath. Imagine burying yourself in your work, in the studio to deal with your grief, and crying your eyes out all the while (George Martin was there with him, and I trust George Martin). Then you come out of the studio and a journalist shoves a microphone in your face, prying, asking you for a reaction to the sad news you’ve been trying to deal with for hours. He probably was still in denial. Everyone has a different reaction to death and grief.

4. “He lost their songs to his little Jackson mate”

Paul and Michael had worked together on two singles, and MJ had hung out with the McCartneys in their Scottish estate. He had also asked Paul for financial advice, and he suggested investing in song-publishing. The Beatles catalogue was up for sale and Jackson seized the opportunity. Of course Paul didn’t think MJ would go after their songs and was upset about it (eight years of his and his former bandmates’ hard work in another man’s hands? I would be furious) and he and Yoko weren’t able to outbid Michael and to get the songs back, which only happened ten years ago.

5. The credits for ‘Yesterday’

Every song in the Beatles catalogue that wasn’t a cover, written jointly with Ringo or written by George was credited to Lennon-McCartney, even when they wrote and composed separately (especially after 1967). Paul and John also agreed that the credits could be reversed, if either of them wanted to, on any future releases. When I first got into the Beatles, I thought that that was a good arrangement, but in my book the name of the main composer should go first. For example,in my opinion, A Day In The Life is correctly credited to Lennon-McCartney, but Eleanor Rigby, which was Paul’s creation with some input by John, should be McCartney-Lennon. But this is just my opinion. Now, Yesterday. We all know Yesterday was and is Paul’s baby. John repeatedly said he had nothing to do with it. In Wings Over America (1976), Paul reversed the credits for five Beatles songs, and John didn’t say a word about it. In 1996, before the release of Anthology 2, Paul asked Yoko to reverse them only for Yesterday, and she disagreed. He didn’t ask her to remove John’s name. After Yoko’s refusal, (probably unbeknownst to Paul) Linda, who was at the height of her chemo treatment, phoned her to ask the same thing, only to be answered “That’s never going to happen”. She could have been more empathetic and polite. Maybe she refused beause Yesterday is the most covered song of all time and still makes a lot of money?

6. “Salieri and Mozart”

Some people may argue that I’m bringing Yoko into this for no reason whatsoever, but - actually - there is a reason. The comparison with Salieri and Mozart was made by Yoko herself in a BBC interview in December 1997, when Linda was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Put yourself in Paul’s shoes. Your wife is dying and your best friend’s widow rubs salt into the wound and describes you as the Salieri to her late husband’s Mozart. Common knowledge has it that the two composers were enemies, and that Salieri even poisoned Mozart, but in reality the Italian musician was Wolfgang’s mentor and tutor, and we probably wouldn’t have had Mozart without Salieri. If you choose to make that comparison just as Yoko made it, you should keep in mind the historical truth, and that Salieri was essential. The person who made the comment said that Paul is the modern equivalent of Mozart, and for a reason. Mozart had been a musical prodigy since his childhood, and Paul was and is still considered by many an all-round musician and multi-instrumentalist. People who worked with the Beatles like George Martin and Geoff Emerick, their sound engineer, even said that he was the most musically talented of the four. He also composed Yesterday in his sleep, for heaven’s sake! You can have your favourite among the four Beatles, but you can’t deny his talent. (The commentator isn’t doing that, but a lot of people did it in the past and still do to this day.)

7. *I’m not going to repeat those last words*

Read up on his life and work, dear commentator, and then tell me if you still think that. And his solo work shouldn’t be dismissed like that. Maybe I’m Amazed? Another Day? Band on the Run? Live and Let Die? Here Today? I could go on. (The other former Beatles wrote some clunkers too, let’s not forget that). I think that many of the nasty, horrible comments about Paul come from what John said about him immediately after the break-up. John regretted them later, walked back on them, apologised and made peace with Paul (who never badmouthed him in the press), but the media ignored that and continued spreading lies. Paul wasn’t and isn’t perfect, neither of them was. A lot of people (mainly boomers) just like to act like John was Saint John of Peace from Liverpool and never did anything wrong, while the other three were inferior to him and evil people, especially Paul. Nowadays (thankfully) people tend to be objective and to not believe the old whitewashing propaganda that has been perpetuated by the Lennon Estate. But this post is not the place for that.

#i've written a testament #but it was worth it #i'm going to tag john too because i mentioned him a lot #paul mccartney #john lennon #the beatles #rant

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the-observant-frisbeetarian · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 9

The Tiger and the Dragon by George deValier

Chapter saved by fluffchemy ♥

Yao arrived home late in the afternoon, already in possession of a replacement phone for the one he had dropped over the edge of the hot-air balloon. Brand new, complete with the same phone number and contacts information, Eduard had it waiting for him when the balloon finally set down a few hours after take off. Yao had no idea how Eduard had managed it, but he knew better than to ask. These things always seemed to work out all right around Ivan.

Yao bounced into his apartment, feeling like his feet hadn't quite hit the ground yet. The afternoon had made up his mind. He was letting all his concerns go. You can't choose who you fall in love with, he'd decided. He certainly didn't choose Ivan... but he was helpless to stop it. When they were together, Yao felt like he'd known Ivan forever, like he wanted to be with him forever. No matter what anyone else said or how they acted, one thing Yao knew… when he was with Ivan, everything was all right. It was perfect.

Yao threw his jacket and keys onto the kitchen table and headed to his bedroom to change, humming tunelessly as he went. His new phone rang in his pocket and he didn't bother to check the caller before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, yeah, I'd like an order of beef and black bean, a couple of spring rolls, and the cream of sum yung gi…"

Yao paused in his stride and clenched his hand around the phone. Gilbert. His face burned as he yelled, "That was NOT funny the first time and it CERTAINLY ISN'T FUCKING FUNNY NOW ARU!"

"Oh, man, Yao! I'm so sorry! Your number is on my phone as 'Chinese guy' right next to 'Chinese restaurant'…"

Yao hung up. The phone rung again. He ignored it. It rung again.

"WHAT?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, don't hang up."

"Why not?"

"What the hell did you do to Feliciano?"

Yao furrowed his brows in confusion. "What? Nothing!"

"Well he's over here freaking out and all we can get out of him is your name and something about some dude called Braginski."

Yao nearly dropped the phone. "What? Huh?"

"Look, we think we may have this figured out. As one who has connections to the dark underworld of organized crime myself…"

"Organi… What on earth are you on about?"

"Look, my brother's dating a Mafioso, as is my best friend."

Yao thought for a minute. "Feliciano and Lovino are not 'Mafioso's'."

"Alright maybe not. However, their grandfather definitely is."

"And just what has this got to do with…"

Gilbert sighed and his voice changed. "Look, I think maybe you should come over, Yao."

The phone went dead in his ear and Yao looked down at it, part angry, part upset, part completely and utterly confused. He resisted the urge to throw the phone at the wall and settled for yelling at it loudly. "SHIT DAMN SCREW IT ALL WHY DOES THIS KEEP…" He was interrupted as it rang again. This time it was Kiku. Yao didn't speak as he held the phone to his ear.

"Brother," began Kiku. "Not only do you decide not to inform me that you have a boyfriend, but you also keep quiet the fact that said boyfriend is in fact one of the most dangerous men in this city."

"I…" Now this was too much. "WHAT?

"I am currently trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to help calm down Feliciano as he is apparently terrified that you have been drawn into the criminal underground. And he keeps saying something about someone's spleen." Yao heard a high pitched shriek of "Braginski!" in the background.

"Look, I think Feliciano must be a little confused," said Yao desperately.

"Do you realize how hard it is to deal with him when he is like this? Get over here and sort it out." The phone went dead.

Yao immediately turned back around, picked up his jacket and keys, and raced out the door.

The walk to Ludwig's place normally took ten minutes. Yao got there in five. Ludwig answered the front door and immediately blocked it, staring down at Yao with his hands on his hips. "What the hell did you do to Feliciano?"

"Will everyone please stop asking me that?" asked Yao, trying to catch his breath. "I didn't do anything. Now either let me in or tell everyone to stop calling me and I'll go home."

Ludwig stepped aside. "You'd better come in then."

Yao walked into the living room to find Gilbert, Feliciano, Kiku, Antonio, and Feliciano's brother Lovino spread across the couches and the floor. "What is this, an intervention?"

Gilbert waved at him and grinned widely. "Hey Chinese kid!"

Yao didn't even have time to feel annoyed before Feliciano stood and threw himself at Yao, throwing his arms around him and sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh Yao, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you're seeing… that… that you're seeing Ivan Braginski!"

"I didn't think it mattered that much." Yao patted Feliciano awkwardly on the back and looked around for help. Gilbert seemed to find it amusing, Kiku was absorbed in a Nintendo DS, and Ludwig and Lovino just looked like they were used to it. Only Antonio looked slightly sympathetic.

"Hey, Yao, do you want a drink or something…" Antonio was interrupted as Feliciano shrieked again.

"Braginski, Yao… Braginski!"

"I can get you a coke or a…" Antonio continued.

"I, um, I…" Yao felt his head swimming.

"BRAGINSKI?"

Yao winced. "Okay, you need to stop screaming that."

"… beer or something…"

"Get him a tequila, he's gonna need it," said Gilbert cheerfully.

Feliciano leaned forward and hissed in Yao's ear. "Grandpa Rome says he once saw Ivan Braginski pull out someone's spleen." He pulled back and just looked at Yao. Yao stared back, unsure whether to be amused or terrified.

"Someone's…"

"Spleen!" cried Feliciano. "I don't even know what that is but it doesn't sound like something you should be able to just pull out!"

"Um…" Terrified seemed to be the winning emotion. "Must be a different Ivan Braginski I think."

"Big Russian guy? Scarf? Smiles a lot?" said Lovino, speaking for the first time. He spoke in a monotone.

Yao felt his stomach sink. "Yeah."

"If I were you I'd be changing my number, address, name, the lot. Won't help though. You're screwed."

"How do you pull out someone's spleen?" asked Ludwig.

"Well," said Kiku, not looking up from his DS, "You have to start with a really strong blow, and it helps if your nails are slightly sharp…"

"STOP, ARU!" cried Yao. A long silence followed.

Ludwig leaned over and poked Kiku on the shoulder. "You really need to stop watching those gore movies," he whispered.

Yao barely noticed Antonio press a glass into his hand. He tried to keep his thoughts in order but they were flying all over the place.

"Grandpa Rome says there's only one person scarier than Ivan Braginski," continued Feliciano.

"I… I think I might have met him," said Yao, his mind in a whirl of confusion.

"You've met General Winter?" asked Lovino, leaning forward in his chair.

"Yeah," said Yao in a small voice.

"Wow. You really are involved, aren't you."

"Involved? Involved with what? I don't… I don't have any idea what you're all on about!"

The room fell silent again. Feliciano shook his head, wide eyed, staring at Yao. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Oh Yao, you are not that stupid," said Kiku, still not looking up from his DS.

Yao didn't know how to respond. He didn't even know what he was thinking.

"For God's sake, Yao," said Gilbert loudly. "It's the Russian mafia, isn't it?"

Somehow it was not as big a shock as it should have been. But Yao still stood stock still, his eyes fixed on the back wall, feeling like he couldn't move. After what felt an hour, a hand touched his and pushed the glass he had forgotten about insistently to his lips. Antonio's voice spoke beside him.

"Maybe you should drink that." Yao did so, took a deep breath, and came to a decision. "Can someone give me a lift?"

Yao wasn't sure they were going the right way. He'd only been to Ivan's once, and that was being driven in a limousine with darkened windows. He was sure it would take all night to find the place but he didn't care. Yao was going to Ivan's, and he was sorting this out.

"Yao. Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Kiku as he drove at what Yao felt was a far too slow speed.

"Yes. Keep driving."

"You're positive."

"Yes."

"Yao. He's part of the Russian…"

"We don't know that yet," interrupted Yao before he could get any further. "This is all hearsay. I am going to ask him myself."

"Yao."

"What?"

"Do you realize you are still wearing your dirty work clothes? You have sauce all down your shirt."

Damn it all he was right. Yao had been so caught up in everything he hadn't even noticed. He spent the rest of the drive trying unsuccessfully to wipe the stain from his shirt and hoping Ivan hadn't noticed it that afternoon.

After many wrong turns and much bickering, they finally made it to the elaborate front gate that Yao remembered. Kiku rolled down his window and the intercom crackled as they stopped beside it. "Yes?"

Yao leaned over Kiku. "Hi. Um. It's Yao."

There was a pause. "Did Ivan send for you?" Yao recognized the voice as Toris'.

"Send for me? No. I came myself."

Another pause. "Ivan is very busy right now."

"I'll wait."

"You'll be waiting a while."

"Well then I'll wait a while."

Another pause in which Yao could hear voices talking softly but urgently over the line. Finally Toris spoke again. "Very well. Come through. Just you though… your car stays at the gate." A small door sized gate beside the main gates swung open. Yao turned and looked at Kiku.

"I'll be fine."

Kiku nodded. "All right. Call me if you need to."

Yao nodded back, stepped out of the car, and began the long walk up the driveway. He wondered what he was doing. As he passed the long flower beds full of sunflowers he thought how ridiculous the whole thing was. Organized crime? Mafia? Ivan? It couldn't be true. And yet at the same time it made perfect sense. Yet Yao was still here, still approaching Ivan's front door. Nervous, a little scared, but determined to find out the truth. He walked past two shiny black cars with drivers waiting inside and walked straight up to the door.

The door was unlocked and Yao had only taken a few steps into the entrance before a tall, terrifying presence loomed into the room. Yao froze and tried to back up but found he couldn't move. General Winter stared down at him with those cold, empty eyes. Yao shivered.

"Are you lost?" His voice was like ice.

"Uh… no… I was coming to see Ivan."

"Oh yes, the boy from the other night." Winter smiled but it just made him appear more terrifying. "Tell me. Just what business do you have with Ivan?"

"Um… no business… I just…" Yao had no idea what to say. "I'm a… friend."

"A friend?" That cold voice, those dead eyes. Yao's spine ran cold.

"Yes." Yao's voice came out as a whisper.

"What is your name?"

Yao tried to swallow. "Yao."

Winter just raised an eyebrow.

"Yao Wang." Yao could have kicked himself. Why am I answering him?

"Any friend of Ivan's…" Winter held out a hand and Yao paused before taking it reluctantly. It was freezing cold. Thankfully Winter only pressed it briefly and let go. "I am afraid I must be leaving. I am sure we will speak again."

Winter didn't wait for a response before breezing past Yao and out the front door. Yao breathed a sigh of relief, pulled himself together, and continued through the entrance into the enormous living room. Toris looked up from behind the bar that ran the length of the back wall and nodded at him. Yao began to greet him but was interrupted by an enormous crash from the next room followed by what sounded like Ivan and a woman yelling loudly. Yao's eyes widened and he immediately regretted his decision to come here.

"I'll… just come back, shall I?"

"No, no. Sit. Here." Toris reached behind the bar and pulled out a bottle of wine, pouring the yellow liquid into a glass. "The Russian wine you like so much." Toris pushed the glass over the counter to Yao and gave him a small smile. "Drink it slowly."

"Good idea," said Yao, taking a seat on a stool at the bar, which was cluttered with empty glasses and bottles.

"I apologize for the mess," said Toris, clearing the bar. "Ivan just had a quick meeting… he has nearly finished, however."

Yao started to respond but was interrupted by another large bang from next door. He froze, nerves attacking his stomach. Every word he had heard that afternoon was repeating itself in his brain. "Is everything all right?"

Toris nodded as he tidied up behind the bar. "Oh, yes. Ivan always gets upset when speaking business with his sister."

"Oh… the one who stabbed him?"

"The very one."

"A little… violent, is she?

"She once broke four of my fingers."

"Oh." Yao did not quite know what to say. He just looked around the room politely as Toris continued cleaning behind the bar. Yao found himself confused around Toris. He had no idea what the man thought of him, and it was rather unsettling. He wished it was Raivis here instead. After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Yao finally asked, "Does Ivan know that I'm here?"

"I informed him that you would be arriving shortly."

"Oh good, good." Yao kept looking around the stunning room. He had not really had time to take it all in the last time he was here. The room reeked of understated wealth. Now that he was here, it was becoming far easier to believe what he had been told of Ivan. Feeling uncomfortable, Yao took a long sip of the wine. Waiting like this was doing nothing for his nerves. Toris smirked at him.

"Careful there… you don't want to pass out again."

Yao hastily put down the glass and decided to see what he could find out from Toris. "You said Ivan was speaking business with his sister… what is this business that Ivan is involved with?"

The smile fell from Toris' face. "It is a good idea to never ask this question."

"Oh." Yao took a deep breath. "It's just that I've spoken with people who seem… familiar... with Ivan, and they mentioned the word maf…"

"This is nonsense," Toris interrupted quickly. He turned away to put away a glass. "I advise you to stop watching so many movies, Mr Wang."

Yao was not sure whether to feel relieved. "Oh."

"And I will offer you some more advice." Toris turned back, leaned on the bar, and fixed Yao with a piercing gaze. Yao unconsciously leaned back. "Leave. Get out now while you still can."

Yao's nerve riddled stomach turned cold. "What? But…" Yao waited, but Toris didn't elaborate further. "I don't understand."

"And it would be best for all concerned if you never do."

Yao sat silent, stunned, as the argument from next door filtered into the room. Toris continued to stare at him but he didn't seem angry, or cruel. Just sad… and even slightly concerned. "I… I like Ivan," said Yao finally. "Very much."

"You don't know Ivan."

"I'd like to," he said softly.

"No," said Toris, shaking his head. "I really don't think that you would, Mr Wang."

Yao didn't know how to respond. The tension in the room suddenly broke as the side door came flying open and a beautiful woman stormed out into the room. She was followed by Ivan, who sent Yao's pulse racing as usual. The woman shouted in Russian, which gradually turned into English. "… through talking about this brother, do you hear me, I am THROUGH! You never listen, do you, even after everything! If you don't consider joining us soon I'll…" she trailed into silence when she spotted Yao at the bar. Her look of fury twisted into a bitter smile. "Oh, Vanya. He is a pretty little thing, isn't he."

Yao narrowed his eyes. Ivan's sister was stunningly attractive, with long straight platinum hair and piercing blue eyes that reminded Yao of Ivan's. Her voice was only slightly accented and she seemed of an equally indeterminate age as her brother.

"Yao," said Ivan, smiling as always even though he looked slightly uneasy, "this is my sister, Natalia."

"Yao, is it?" asked Natalia, walking slowly over to Yao and offering her hand. It was surprisingly cold and gripped Yao's painfully. "How charming to meet you."

"Um, hello," said Yao, trying not to wince as she maintained the iron hold on his hand.

Natalia looked at Toris and asked something unintelligible in Russian. Toris shook his head and replied, "Nyet." Natalia smiled at Yao and released the handshake. Yao tried not to sigh in relief. "What is it you do, Yao?"

"I'm a chef," said Yao.

"A chef." Natalia's ruby red lips twisted into a smirk. She looked sideways at Ivan and raised one perfect eyebrow. "A chef?"

"I thought you were leaving," said Ivan. Yao hadn't noticed him walking up beside him.

"I am. We will speak again soon, brother." Natalia smiled again at Yao. With her teeth bared she reminded him of a leopard. "I expect I shall speak with you too, Yao." She turned to walk out, waving lightly at Toris, whose eyes followed her all the way to the door. She paused and turned back around to face Ivan. "Oh, and Ivan… Yekaterina sends her love." Natalia smiled cruelly, waved again and walked out.

Ivan's face contorted in a painful expression which he quickly blinked away. He looked down at Yao and was smiling once again. "What unexpected pleasure, Yao. What reason brings you to my house tonight?"

"I just, uh…" Oh god he shouldn't be here, why was he here, what the hell was he doing turning up uninvited. "I just had a few questions."

"Very good. Perhaps you can ask them in my parlour room? This way." Ivan gestured and Yao stood to follow him.

"Yao." Yao turned back to Toris. His eyes were wide and he shook his head. "Don't."

"Something is wrong, Toris?" asked Ivan pleasantly. Toris just shook his head and looked at the floor.

"No sir, nothing."

"Oh good. Are you coming, Yao?"

Yao looked from Toris to Ivan, his heart starting to beat faster. What if everything they said was true. He knew Ivan was dangerous, he'd known it all along. He'd been worried, known he had to get out, but it was too late for that now. So Ivan was dangerous. But he was also sweet and fun and hot and Yao just wanted to be around him and with him… was it wrong to just try and forget all the bad things? Surely it couldn't be that bad. And in the end, who cares anyway… Yao allowed himself to be convinced and nodded up at Ivan. "Yeah, I'm coming." It seemed everyone warned him against Ivan... but Yao wasn't going to listen to any of them. He was going to listen to his heart... and it was screaming at him that he was desperately in love with Ivan.

Yao followed Ivan through a long hallway into a large beautiful parlour room. This room also had a bar that ran along the back wall, plus leather couches that sat upon plush scarlet rugs, and a large pool table that took up the center of the room. The walls were decorated with stunning artworks and orchestral music swelled into the room from invisible speakers. Ivan turned and smiled down at Yao, who was already forgetting the reason he was there in the first place. He tried to focus.

"There is… I mean, there are a few things I want to ask you about…"

"Da?"

Yao leaned against the pool table and watched Ivan walk behind the bar. He realized Ivan was dressed in a perfect suit, immaculate, while Yao was dressed in the same dirty work clothes he'd worn all day, his hair still messy and slightly tangled from the balloon. He looked down at himself, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I'm a mess."

"No." Ivan smiled over at him as he poured two glasses of vodka. "You look lovely."

"My shirt is stained."

"Take it off then."

Focus! Yao took a deep breath and walked over to the bar. "How do you know… Feliciano's grandfather?" asked Yao, getting straight to the point, trying not to be thrown off the subject.

Ivan pressed a glass of vodka into Yao's hand. "Forget this. It is nothing."

Yao looked at the glass. Everyone seemed to want to give him alcohol today. "I mean, I was just wondering... you say you are business acquaintances, and I know that his business is…"

"Do you play snooker?" Ivan drained his glass of vodka.

So Ivan was not going to make it easy. "No. I play pool… well, only at pubs sometimes. I don't go often." Arthur was always trying to drag Yao to the local pub to play pool or darts or something.

"Hmm. This is a snooker table…" Ivan took two pool cues from behind the bar and handed one to Yao. "But we could play pool on this also."

"I haven't played for a while," said Yao, taking the cue hesitantly.

"Once you play pool, you never forget how. Is like the bicycle, yes?"

Yao laughed and tried to take a sip of the vodka as Ivan set the pool balls up on the table. When he finished he looked up at Yao and smiled. "You wish to break?"

Yao shook his head. "You break." Ivan leaned over the table, took a shot, and sunk three balls off the break. Yao raised his eyebrows. "Impressive."

Ivan laughed, took another shot, then gestured to Yao. "Your turn."

Yao nodded, tried to remember what he could of playing pool in smoky pubs, and took aim. He was rather surprised when he sunk one off his first shot, but he just grinned at Ivan as he brushed past him to get into position for his next shot. "You're right, it really does come back to you." Ivan smirked.

Yao leaned over the table, aimed, and sunk the next ball easily. Ivan whistled. Yao suddenly realized he was bent over the table only inches from Ivan and wondered whether it was the shot Ivan was whistling at. Yao immediately shot upright and spun around. Ivan raised his eyes to meet Yao's.

Ivan raised his glass. "I like playing this game with you, Yao."

Yao narrowed his eyes. Just what game was that? "I know what Feliciano's grandfather does. I know what he is." Yao paused, surprised he had come out with that so suddenly. He took a very deep breath. "Are you… is that…. is that your business, Ivan? Is that what you do? And don't you think you should tell me if it is?"

Ivan paused, sighed and took a step towards Yao. "And if it is? Would you run away, Yao?"

Yao stood fast and stared straight into Ivan's piercing violet eyes. "No. No I wouldn't." And Yao realized he was telling the truth.

Ivan closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them they seemed brighter. "I think we should make this game more interesting. A little wager. You win… and I tell you everything you wish to know."

"And…" Yao swallowed, his heart in his throat. "And if you win?"

Ivan took another step closer. He was now as close to Yao as possible without touching him. "This I offer, it is very high price. So I must demand high price also. I win, Yao…. and tonight I make love to you." Ivan stared intently down into Yao's eyes. He was not smiling.

Yao's heart stopped, then started hammering. He felt his palm sweaty around the pool cue as he gripped it tighter. He breathed out shakily and managed, eventually, to whisper a response. "… okay."

It started out well enough. Yao sank two in a row, and was just starting to think that Arthur's drunken pub tuition had paid off.

"You are good at this, Yao!" Ivan raised an eyebrow at Yao admiringly.

Yao walked back to the bar and picked up his drink. He smiled slyly as Ivan surveyed the table. "You sound surprised."

"Not at all!" Ivan lined up the shot, focused on the ball, and hit it. It missed the pocket by inches and Yao grinned, starting to feel slightly relieved. He shook his head.

"You'll have to do better than that, Ivan."

Ivan just straightened up and leaned on his cue, smiling serenely across the table at Yao. Yao bit his lip, looked back at the table, and watched as the ball ricocheted off the side of the table and slammed into the opposite pocket. His eyebrows shot up and his stomach twisted nervously. He quickly looked away and took a burning sip of vodka as Ivan laughed softly. Yao slammed down the glass and narrowed his eyes. "All right, it's on now."

Yao managed to gain a slight lead and was slowly growing confident that he might be able to pull off a victory. Ivan seemed more intent on watching Yao than the table, and Yao found that he didn't mind at all. He was just starting to enjoy himself, brushing past Ivan as he edged around the table, trading small touches and tiny smiles, gentle sneaked caresses that were gone almost before Yao noticed. His spine tingled and he had never felt more conspicuous in his life. But damn, the way Ivan was looking at him, Yao was almost at the point of wanting to lose. Yao missed a ball and went to lean back against the bar, taking another sip of vodka. He was surprised at how the taste was growing on him.

"Watching you drink vodka… this is the sexiest thing I have ever seen." Ivan actually winked at him and Yao nearly dropped the glass. He managed to steady it at the last second but not before he spilled quite a bit of the vodka over his hands. Yao closed his eyes briefly. He had been doing so well up until then. But it never took much for him to lose his composure, and this was fast becoming too much. Yao had quickly forgotten the very reason he was there in the first place, entirely caught up in this game he was playing with Ivan, whatever it had turned into.

Thankfully Ivan missed his next shot. He joined Yao at the bar and, before Yao could move to take his shot, Ivan grasped him by the wrist. A hot flush ran through him and his breath caught. Ivan smiled at him and shook his head.

"Ah Yao, you always manage to spill my drinks, don't you?"

Yao opened his mouth to answer but couldn't quite think of what to say. And then he couldn't think of anything when Ivan lifted his hand to his lips and gently sucked his index finger into his mouth, lathering the tip with his tongue. Yao heart suddenly beat so fast he felt he would pass out and he was hit by a strong memory of the first night he had met Ivan. Yao took a deep breath, determined to stay conscious this time. Ivan gave Yao's finger a playful bite, smirked at him, and quickly drew back. "Your turn, Yao."

Yao nodded, dazed, and tried to focus on his next shot. It was hopeless. He barely managed to hit the ball. Yao dived for his glass again, concentrated on his breathing and was just trying to determine where he let it all go wrong when Ivan sunk four in a row, slam dunked the black, and immediately turned on Yao. Yao's eyes went wide and he gripped tightly onto the glass. He couldn't breathe.

Ivan gave a little shrug. "I win."

Yao swallowed past the burning sensation in his throat. He suddenly realized that there had been no chance he was going to win that game. "Um. Yes. I suppose you do."

Ivan rested the cue against the table and approached Yao slowly. "I assume you are intend to honor our deal, yes?"

"I… aru…" Yao's stomach turned itself into nervous knots as he looked up into Ivan's smiling face. He barely noticed he was pressing himself back into the snooker table. "Well, I…" Ivan finally reached him and took the pool cue from his hand, dropping it to the floor. He then took the glass of vodka from Yao's hand, drank the lot, then grasped Yao's waist and pulled him into a fierce kiss. Yao closed his eyes, gave up, and melted into it. He allowed Ivan to lift him onto the pool table and he grasped onto Ivan's shoulders as he kissed him deeply.

The kiss tasted of fire and vodka. Their tongues sparred desperately and every touch sent fiery shocks through Yao's spine and radiating through his skin. Ivan pressed down onto Yao, their hips melding perfectly together. Yao gripped onto Ivan with shaking hands and gasped as he realized he was thrusting against him, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He was lost in the feeling of Ivan, that strong, overwhelming, intoxicating sensation that he always invoked. Ivan ran his hands down Yao's sides and Yao shuddered at the feeling, Ivan's hands pressing so tightly into his skin, their clothed bodies grinding desperately into each other, grasping and pulling to be as close as possible.

Yao broke the kiss and threw back his head, gasping loudly, as Ivan thrust his hands under Yao's shirt and pulled it off. Ivan immediately grasped his neck and pulled him back into the kiss, and Yao could feel his hair falling sweaty and wild around him, but he couldn't care less. All he cared about was feeling this, feeling more of this, feeling everything that he possibly could from Ivan. Yao's breath came erratically as he felt Ivan's warm lips leave his and trail firmly down his jaw and suck on his throat, Ivan's strong hands grasping his neck and his hip, Ivan's large body still pressing him down into the table with that irresistible force.

Yao was already so hard it was painful. Unable to stop himself, he thrust his hips strongly up into Ivan's and Ivan responded by standing and fiercely pulling Yao with him. Yao barely managed to wrap his legs around Ivan's waist before he was lifted from the table, carried to the nearby leather couch, and laid down as Ivan lay down above him. This is really happening… Ivan leaned down and kissed Yao softly before whispering, "This is all right, yes?" Oh yes, this is all right…

"Yes, yes," said Yao, only able to respond in a whisper. "Please don't stop." Ivan ran his hand over Yao's thigh, squeezing almost roughly, as Yao pulled off Ivan's scarf. Yao tugged insistently on Ivan's shirt and tried to unbutton it with shaking hands. Ivan reached up and impatiently ripped it off. Yao froze, his breath caught in his throat. Oh God, now that was an incredible chest. Yao hesitantly reached up and ran his hand through Ivan's chest and over his perfect muscles. Again he thrust his hips and Ivan slipped his arm around Yao's back and pulled him up off the couch until their chests were touching, skin against skin. Yao's brain was only just catching up that this was really happening, this was real right now. Ivan turned them on their side and, feeling Ivan's arm still around his back, Yao felt Ivan's other hand pressing against the front of his jeans and he gasped at the sudden almost overwhelming wave of pleasure.

"May I?" asked Ivan, his eyes twinkling. Yao just nodded breathlessly and Ivan's fingers skillfully unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans in one swift movement. Yao quickly slipped his hand inside the pocket and squeezed his Buddha statue one last time for luck before he lifted his hips and Ivan pulled the jeans swiftly down, along with his underwear. Yao's eyes widened and he gasped, surprised, and buried his head in Ivan's chest. He closed his eyes tightly and clutched onto Ivan's arm, feeling it flex as Ivan reached between his legs, took his cock, and started to stroke it slowly. Yao's hammering heart seemed to double in speed and he felt dizzy. Oh god Ivan was touching him… kissing him… how did it feel so good… how could anything feel this good. Yao was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that this was the first time someone else had touched him there… and then it was too much. Yao gently, reluctantly, pushed Ivan's hand away. Ivan immediately pulled back.

"I am sorry, I did not…"

"No, no!" Yao reached up, grasped Ivan's neck and desperately pulled him back down. "No, I just…," he panted, "I'm too close…" Ivan captured Yao's lips again, thrusting forcefully with his tongue. Yao wanted to get closer. Barely thinking, he reached between them and fumbled with the zip of Ivan's pants. Ivan lifted his hips and helped Yao push them down. Yao parted his legs to let Ivan lie between them and shuddered, almost stunned, as their bare hips suddenly melded together. Then he looked down and froze. Everything stopped as his mind went blank. Oh. Holy. Shit. Well what do you know. Francis was right. Yao just stared and didn't know what to say."You… my… you're gonna fu… I mean… " you're gonna put that thing in me? Before he could stop himself he blurted out, "It's not gonna fit!" and immediately burned red. "I mean… aru… oh god…" Yao covered his face with his hands. Damn it. He knew it wouldn't be long before he ruined everything. "Oh my God I'm… I'm sorry, I…"

Ivan chuckled lowly. "Ssh. Why not we just do… this…" Ivan took Yao's shaking hand from his face, kissed it, then brought it down and placed it on his cock. Ivan moaned softly against Yao's ear, sending tight hot shocks through his spine. Yao's breath came erratic against Ivan's chest as Ivan slowly moved his hand up and down, then let go and grasped Yao's cock, stroking them both together in an infuriatingly slow and irregular rhythm. Yao's stomach tightened and he felt his mind would explode.

"I… okay… I…" Yao gasped, almost unable to feel embarrassed through the waves of pleasure. He certainly couldn't finish the sentence.

"Ssh…" Ivan kissed Yao strongly, rubbing his back with his free hand. "We don't do anything you don't want to. Trust me?" Ivan whispered against Yao's lips.

Yao looked up into Ivan's smiling violet eyes. He wondered how he had ever thought of them as cold. "I trust you," he whispered. Yao once again thought he would come at once, but Ivan's uneven stroking kept him just hovering before the brink.

Ivan smiled as Yao arched into his touch. Just to lie there in Ivan's arms, that body against his, touching each other so intimately like this, all sweat and gasping breath and this wonderful feeling of being beyond control. It was not enough. It was too much. It was everything. "Is this all right?" asked Ivan softly.

Yao fought to answer. "…yes…"

"And this?" Ivan stroked faster.

Yao could only whisper a response. The smell of Ivan's sweat was intoxicating. "Yes… yes…"

"And…." Ivan stroked faster, evenly, clutching Yao so tight against him it was almost painful. "This…"

"Y… ye… ahhh…" Yao rocked his hips helplessly against Ivan, trying to keep up with his strokes. Yao was vaguely aware he was panting but was unable to stop it. He was too far gone now. The incredible pleasure between his legs was mounting to a level he couldn't take. "Oh God…. I can't…"

"Let me see you come, Yao," said Ivan, his voice rough and low

And that was it. Everything narrowed to a point and Yao gasped, his breath and sweat mingling with Ivan's. "Ivan… I… I…" I love you. Yao came harder than he ever had in his life, clutching onto Ivan's shoulders, his head pressed against Ivan's neck. Ivan whispered unintelligible words into Yao's ear and only seconds later he gasped, clutched Yao's hair and Yao felt his hot release run across his thighs.

Yao tried to bring his breathing and his heartbeat under control, and tried to grasp what had just happened. After weeks of dreaming about it, it suddenly seemed so surreal. He was overcome by a wave of tiredness and he lay his head against Ivan's chest, feeling Ivan's arm still holding Yao tight against him.

"You are all right, Yao?" asked Ivan, his voice low and breathless and his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Oh yes. I'm all right." Yao had never felt so comfortable, so safe, so happy. So content. He yawned loudly, unable to stop it, and heard Ivan laughing softly. He felt Ivan kiss the top of his head and he smiled. He could feel the beginnings of sleep pulling him under. "Ivan," he said sleepily, his eyes heavy as he rested his head against Ivan's chest and breathed his scent, "What did you say before?"

"I asked if you were all right," said Ivan slowly.

"No, before that, I didn't understand… it was in Russian, I think?"

"Ah," breathed Ivan, kissing Yao again and holding him tighter. "It means, My Soul."

"My Soul," sighed Yao. "That's pretty."

"Yes. Very pretty," said Ivan, slowly stroking Yao's back.

My Soul. Yao thought he had heard that somewhere before. But he could no longer keep his eyes open. He fell asleep, the sound of Ivan's heart beating steadily against his ear, and with the vaguest feeling that he had forgotten to ask something very important.

Next Chapter

Disclaimer: This story belongs to George deValier. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. I own nothing.

THANK YOU FLUFFCHEMY FOR SAVING THIS CHAPTER!

#the tiger and the dragon chapter 9

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on-the-shelves · 5 years ago

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Lollapalooza Berlin 2019

I’ve finally gone to my first ever festival! Okay, I’m not totally sure it counts, since I only went for one day and didn’t camp, but I’m going to count it. I went to the Saturday to see twenty one pilots. A couple of years ago I promised myself that I would definitely go see them if they ever played a festival in Germany and the day finally arrived. Of course I was also keen on seeing other acts and the festival in general, but they were my main reason for going.

Here’s a little rundown of all the acts I saw.

We (my friend and I) saw Sigrid after walking around and having lunch, and she was absolutely incredible. She’s just so effortlessly cool, has an amazing voice (I liked hearing her voice live more than how it sounds on her recorded songs), fun songs, and great stage presence. Even though we were standing relatively far back, everyone around us was having a lot of fun. I definitely would consider seeing her live again.

Next we wanted to see Billie Eilish but first we sat through a German rapper’s set which was... interesting. He had a thing for random dolphin sounds. Not my taste, but to each their own.

The crowd for Billie Eilish was something else. I don’t think I’ve ever stood that close to other people before. I’m so glad it was relatively cold. People kept pushing and everyone was just so squashed for an hour. At one point Billie said she could see how squashed we were but we should try and go low to jump back up and everyone around me just kind of groaned because that was physically impossible. Twenty one pilots usually do that in their set too, but they left it out this time and I was thankful for it (although we had more space for their set). Billie’s sound engineer needs a talking to: Her bass sound was horrendous. It was way too loud - the guy in front of me’s jacket was rippling! Of course it’s fine if you want people to feel the bass, but you can achieve that at a lower volume too. You couldn’t even hear Billie’s voice whenever the bass was there. When she was audible she sounded great and her stage presence was awesome, despite two broken feet/sprained ankles. I probably would have enjoyed her set much more if I was standing further back... Either way, I’m still not quite sure what I think of her and her music, I’m still on the fence, even more so after my live experience.

Then, finally, the main act was imminent. The atmosphere of the crowd was completely different once the area began filling up with the clique. Everyone seemed nicer and gave each other more space. For the first time ever I stood on Josh’s side of the stage and it felt more relaxed than Tyler’s side usually does. Next time I go to a proper show, I’ll go to his side again to see if it’s always that way...

I think this was my favourite twenty one pilots show I’ve ever experienced and I have a few reasons why I think that might be: Since I knew it was being livestreamed, I didn’t feel pressured to film as much as possible or to remember as much as possible, so I felt more relaxed and in the moment, going through the motions (and boy were there (e)motions! JENNA IS PREGNANT). We were outside and there was a nice breeze every now and then, plus it rained a little and that just made all of the songs feel more real and part of the world. I don’t know, sometimes hearing the songs live in an indoor venue makes them feel like they’re isolated and will disappear once I leave that indoor area, but hearing them outdoors felt like they were permanent. Everyone around me constantly held up the |-/ finger sign and sang along loudly and wasn’t filming that much and it felt like we were all in the moment together. Especially when Jenna came on stage and Tyler announced that they’re having a baby, everyone was shocked and happy and yelling and overwhelmed together. It was so hard to start singing along to Ride right after because that’s news you don’t just hear and move on from! You have to process it, especially when you know how much Tyler has wanted this for a while. Anyway, every so often I would turn to my friend and just go “JENNA IS PREGNANT” because it hit me again. I’m so happy for them. I just hope Jenna gets to choose the child’s name.....

I finally saw The Hype live! When Trench was released last year it was immediately my favourite on the album. And although it isn’t anymore, it still holds a special place in my heart. Hearing everyone sing “No, I don’t know which way I’m going / but I can hear my way around” felt so good. In general the lyrics hit differently at this show, I felt more emotionally open to listening to them for the first time. I properly enjoyed myself at a twenty one pilots show for the first time. In the Trees speech, Tyler said that live music is for celebrating and enjoying the music and I finally had that experience with his music at this show.

It was great seeing my friend react to all the special tricks and stunts they always pull, because she didn’t know about them, so she was genuinely surprised by the platforms on the crowd and Tyler climbing the tower for Car Radio. She said she finally understood why I and so many people like them so much because the different styles were interesting and the lyrics “cut deep”. By George, I think she’s got it.

So that’s a rough overview of my Saturday at Lollapalooza Berlin. There were a lot of Instagram girls, but also a lot of clique (and a bunch of other types of people too) and it was interesting to see how everyone interacted. Also, I love twenty one pilots, have I mentioned that before?

#twenty one pilots #lollapalooza berlin #billie eilish #sigrid #live music #festival #review

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douxreviews · 6 years ago

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Gotham - ‘Ruin’ Review

Zsasz: "I did not make that building go boom Jim!"

After two sufficient episodes, and one jerry-built episode, 'Ruin' delivers easily the best chapter so far of Season 5's no man's land arc, jam-packing all of Gotham's best qualities on the front lines.

Last week, an unknown assailant bombed Haven, the refuge taken over by the GCPD to protect the civilians still trapped within the city. Gordon has no suspect at the moment, but an act as broad as this means it could really be anybody. And very understandably, Gordon's redundant speeches are not enough this time to quell the survivors' fear and rage. But at long last, Season 5 continues to give me glimpses of a more valiant and sympathetic side to Gordon as he struggles to keep the morale of his fellow officers intact, and works urgently to protect as many individuals as he can in the immediate wake of Haven's bombing.

Though 'Ruin' is still split into two separate subplots like previous episodes, the narrative of 'Ruin' has a more orderly flow to it, simply because Gotham is taking advantage of one of its most prominent gifts - its cast. Rather than having each character more allocated to their individual stories (or even worse a crime, just not having them show up at all), they are all in some way or another either involved in the search for the Haven bomber, or they're involved in the continuing pursuit of Jeremiah Valeska. Characters that have felt neglected lately, such as Nygma, Lucius, Alfred and Jeremiah, now all get at least one opportunity to be dubbed 'scene-stealer' in 'Ruin'.

Because he lost men in the bombing too, Oswald proposes a truce with Gordon so that they may combine resources and bring the bomber to justice. Since the premiere of Season 5, I've felt that Oswald should have started off this year from the get-go working alongside the GCPD. And the reason for that is because Season 4 made it a point to establish that Oswald, by comparison to other rouges, possesses a more sane and logical approach to his criminal activity. Oswald simply needs order and structure to run a prosperous criminal empire. The chaotic antics orchestrated by the Valeska brothers in Season 4 that upset the established order of Gotham's municipal formation goes very much against Oswald's rule of thumb, which was why he was so quick to turn on Jerome too. But since this alliance was likely an inevitably anyway, it's a mere nitpick for me. (That being said, it was a really dumb move for Oswald to give away his and the GCPD's position through a bullhorn when they were pursuing their suspect. Even Tony Stark, the guy who gave his home address out in a video threat to a terrorist, would see that and shake his head in stupefaction.)

Oswald and the GCPD follow up on a tip given by Barbara which leads them to none other than Victor Zsasz. Of all the characters that could flourish in no man's land, I've been especially curious this season to see the shenanigans of the gunslinger Zsasz. Anthony Carrigan's comedic take on Zsasz, reinterpreting the character more as a fusion between Deadpool and the Man with No Name, has made him one of the series' best guest-appearance characters. That being said, after Season 3 and his consistent failures to assassinate Gordon per Carmine Falcone's decree despite talking up a storm about how no one ever sees him coming, I can't say I buy Zsasz's gloating in the precinct when he assures Gordon and Bullock he didn't bomb Haven; Zsasz's reasoning is that if it was him, there'd be no survivors. I'm sure a shopping cart with one bad wheel is more fruitful than Zsasz with a firearm.

Oswald remains vengeful towards Zsasz for selling him out to Sofia Falcone last year and believes that Zsasz's denial means nothing, and that the blatherskite should be executed, a decision that is met with unanimous approval from Haven's survivors in the style of a kangaroo court (one reminiscent of Scarecrow's own hearings from The Dark Knight Rises). I always appreciate these tiny callbacks like Oswald still bitter towards Zsasz, or a desecrated 'Make Gotham Safe Again' campaign poster from Season 3 appearing in the streets, because it keeps each season from feeling disjointed from the others, and given how many writers Gotham has had staffed over the years, that feature comes up time and again. But because one does not simply kill Victor Zsasz, Gordon decides the 'innocent until proven guilty' doctrine still needs to be upheld, and frees Zsasz. Whether it's to repay the favor, or maybe because he realizes Gordon is essential to Gotham's rebuilding, Zsasz chooses afterwards to not kill off Gordon either. Because Zsasz routinely comes and goes throughout the series, this may be the very last we see of him, and so I felt it was a nice way for him and Gordon to part there - both have come quite a ways since the days of Season 1 where Zsasz was always aiming something lethal at Gordon's head.

Meanwhile, Ed Nygma continues meager efforts to understand the nature of his blackouts. For weeks, I had given up wondering if Gotham was going to give us any hints at all about Nygma's arc this season, and instead decided that maybe his story was appropriately meant to be a riddle itself. We finally get some answers to Nygma in 'Ruin' that completely revolutionize the way we'll look at all of Season 5. In his quest to follow up on a clue he had left himself, Nygma is bargained with by Lucius Fox to help him and the GCPD understand the nature of Haven's bombing. Nygma agrees, and before long, the two concur that the assailant used a rocket launcher from the outside to ignite the initial explosion within Haven. We haven't seen Fox and Nygma interact with each other since Season 3's 'How The Riddler Got His Name', and I very much enjoy their energy and possibly even dormant affinity for each other. I suspect that in another timeline where Nygma never went down a path of crime and corruption, he and Fox would have probably worked well alongside each other within the GCPD.

Also contrary to what I thought might have been Nygma's shtick this season, he actually doesn't play up the 'I've-lost-my-marbles' mindset at all this episode, instead returning to the traits of egoism and lacing riddles throughout his speech, a pleasant blend almost between the old Ed and Riddler. Following his and Fox's teamup, Nygma examines the rooftop Haven's bomber must have fired from, and notices an old lady watching him from her apartment across the street. From her, Nygma is horrified to learn that he himself is Haven's bomber (and most likely the one who also fired upon the Wayne Enterprises chopper back in the season premiere). Why Nygma is routinely shifting between alternate consciousnesses we don't know yet, but I would definitely chalk this twist up to one of Gotham's best. If not for Season 5 preparing to introduce Bane, as well as keeping Jeremiah Valeska in the spotlight, I would raise my hopes much higher for the possibility that Riddler in fact is Season 5's main antagonist. It would keep in line with the showrunners' claim that the 'Zero Year' comic inspires much of Season 5, and I personally feel we haven't really seen Riddler yet as a force to be reckoned with, at least not since the end of Season 3.

The other subplot of 'Ruin' is Bruce and Alfred pursuing Selina, simply because Bruce believes if she kills Jeremiah, it may change her for the worse. It's another amusing detail for me that this is where Bruce draws the line in regards to Selina's internal metamorphoses, yet had no problem giving her a plant with atrocious side effects Ivy advertised quite clearly. Though Bruce and Alfred both get past goons working for Jeremiah, in a manner much like how Batman will ambush his foes in the future, they are too late to stop Selina from fatally stabbing Jeremiah. Or so it would seem.

This was the most irking feature of 'Ruin' for me, and it's not even a fault of the episode - it's a fault of the marketing. Early trailers and promos for Season 5 have clearly shown additional footage of Jeremiah that we haven't gotten to yet in this season, so I don't know why Gotham suddenly thinks they can pull the wool over our eyes, and try to convince us Jeremiah is as deceased as a girlfriend of Spider-Man's who took too hard a fall off the George Washington Bridge. Personally, my money is on Clayface actually being the one Selina made quick work of. He's been absent from the series since Season 3 as well, and would also be a welcome character to see return to the final season.

Right now, I'm still skeptical if the series can follow-up with an episode that lives up to the momentum that was 'Ruin', but I don't say that as if it's a difficult thing for Gotham to accomplish. You have an incredibly talented cast and array of characters that you understand in and out Gotham - savor that while you still can, because it's a fortunate feature for any show to have.

Other Thoughts:

• Gordon tackling Zsasz head-on is a pretty amusing visual, but also another quick and snappy showcase of his increasingly appealing valor.

• Will we ever get to hear Jeremiah laugh? We all know Cameron Monaghan is very capable of the deed, it's a talent that needs to be made the most out of. It'd be like a movie casting James Spader for a role that doesn't require him to talk - indefensible!

• 'Ruin' ends with a sudden cliffhanger showing renewed romantic interest between Gordon and Barbara. Not sure why these two suddenly have the hots for each other again, but with the revelation that Barbara will have some major news for Gordon in one of the oncoming episodes, I guess it's fair that the show needed to pave the road to Barbara Gordon/Batgirl somehow. I don't quite think showing a stork deliver her to Gordon's doorstep in a basket is going to cut it for viewers.

Aaron Studer loves spending his time reading, writing and defending the existence of cryptids because they can’t do it themselves.

#Gotham #Bruce Wayne #James Gordon #Oswald Cobblepot #Selina Kyle #Harvey Bullock #Edward Nygma #DC Comics #Batman #Gotham Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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claudiabdrew · 3 years ago

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01:40 09 Feb 21

True Local electricians were professional, on time and very friendly for a reasonable price. They were able to do all work required at short notice. I would highly recommend the boys for any electrical work.

Dan T.

06:26 04 Feb 21

The True Local Electricians team showed up with a face mask and provided a timely electrical work estimate. 5 power outlets in my house near the Sutherland Shire library short circuited and I had no idea how to fix it. I've never called an electrician before so I hopped on Google to look for a local electrician Sutherland Shire.

They also arrived on time for the electrical project and finished within the estimated time.True Local Electricians was one of the top companies in the search and I decided to give them call them because of all their great reviews.I gave them a call and they responded within 15 minutes which I appreciated. Really easy to work and communicate with. They were also willing to work with my budget and explained things clearly to me.I explained to them what was going on in house with the electricity. They were very honest about what the issue might be and wanted me to test out a few things before the team came out to do the job.They also checked all the rest of the circuit breakers on the main panel to make sure they are all connected tightly. A+ services.

SHIRE D.

00:02 21 Jan 21

Couldn't be anymore happy with these guys honestly.We woke up on Saturday morning and noticed we had no power to half the house. Noticing the Porcelain fuse had melted in the switch board i was not confident in going near it at all !!As there name states being local to me in Cronulla was a bonus. They took my call straight away noticed my level of urgency was at my front door with in the hour. Anthony and Alex turned up gave me a up front quote had all the parts did the job then and there. And before lunch i was back to normal with a brand new switch board i can feel safe now knowing my board has safety switches.Good to know there are honest hard working local blokes in my area thanks guys i will be passing on your cards to my friends and family.

Michael T.

04:49 11 Jan 21

Great fast, knowledgeable service would not hesitate to use again!

Anthony B.

21:23 10 Dec 20

I have never been compelled to write a review 0nly because I have only uncounted substandard service from many companies that I have dealt with through my years.So when I came across this Electrical Company I WAS ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTEDFrom the first call to organize someone to come out to the job being proficiently completed on time with no hidden cost.It is so impressive to see a young company who genuinely care about their work and clients.I absolutely recommend this company to anyone who values high quality service which in my opinion is lacking with many older companies.I ONLY WISH YOU COULD EXTEND YOUR SERVICES TO OTHER FIELDS BECAUSE YOU COME AT THE HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION FROM ME.

Trevor S.

01:29 31 Oct 20

Excellent service, reasonably priced, punctual

Stephen S.

23:11 30 Oct 20

Got the job done quickly, on time and reliable!

Alyce O.

11:09 30 Oct 20

Punctual, quality of work excellent, great work ethic. Would definitely recommend them

Karen M.

05:10 30 Oct 20

Very friendly guys and quality of work was excellent. Would definitely recommend to everyone.

Ryan M.

11:07 29 Oct 20

Trustworthy and quality service.

Clair O.

09:48 29 Oct 20

Amazing service ! Helped with everything I needed and were so prompt ! Thanks guys ! Highly recommend

Dilara P.

08:25 29 Oct 20

Called to fix power outage. Very professional and quick. Restored power and fixed issue. 100% will use again for any issues.

Gary B.

21:31 27 Oct 20

The team are professional and detail oriented. I would highly recommend them.

Matthew W.

00:57 25 Oct 20

I used these guys for moving a couple of power points and changing a dimmer switch. Quality work was decent however very expensive. I was charged $1360 for two guys for 2 1/2 hours of work.

Sammy K.

23:22 21 Sep 20

Reliable, on-time, friendly, and obviously knew what they were doing. We'd happily use them again and recommend their services to others.

Debbie S.

07:59 13 Sep 20

Provided good quality job. Gave us all the information to make the right decision. No hidden costs which was refreshing. Thank you.

Anne A.

02:22 08 Sep 20

Thank you for your service & professional job have highly recommended you to all my friends.

Karen C.

21:33 18 Aug 20

Michael attended promptly to quote on my job. He was able to return later that day and completed the job for me. Michael explained the job and further answered other questions for me. He is a lovely young fellow - I will definitely use True Local Electricians again and recommend them to others.

Jayne W.

07:16 01 Aug 20

By far the best electrician I have dealt with. Anthony is very knowledgeable with the product and service he provides. His work is good value with quality included. I have had 3 jobs done by them already and wonât hesitate to use them again. They are super fast and clean up after they finish. Thanks guys love your work.

H T

21:01 09 May 20

Michael is a top bloke - He came out promptly, he was friendly and his service was second to none at a great price. Would highly recommend him for any of your electrical needs!

Shannen R

03:10 25 Apr 20

Alex visited my skin clinic to install a 32amp power point for a new laser machine I had purchased. He was on time, friendly, and explained what the job entailed before he got started.Definitely recommend. Five stars from me!

Ashlee M.

01:15 10 Apr 20

Great reliable service. They came on time and same day. Highly recommend!

Trevor W.

07:14 21 Feb 20

Mike responded to my emergency call from the storms we just had to fix our outage. They were extremely professional, they came on time, they diagnosed the problem straight away all while communicating the issues with me. No hidden prices which was a huge positive for me. Very happy with this company. Highly recommend for a local electrician.

alenaxo

05:55 21 Feb 20

â¹

âº

Special Offer

Click to Book Online!

Accredited & Certified Electrician

Affordable Master Electrician in The Sutherland Shire

If you need a qualified and experienced Local Aussie Electrician who provides great service and value for money, then trust the experienced family owned master Electricians at True Local Electricians for any domestic and commercial electrical services. At True Local Electricians we only employ fully trained master electricians which means that you get quality, long lasting work carried out by licensed professionals.

All Jobs Big & Small!

Whether you are renovating and need your home re-wired, looking for options to upgrade all your lighting to low power LED options, or simply need assistance in changing a light globe, we are here to help while guaranteeing friendly and timely service.

LED Lighting â Downlights, Battens, Pendants, Oyster Lights

Flood/Spot lighting

Sensor Security Lighting

Garden lights

IXL Bathroom Lights

Exhaust Fans

Smoke detectors/alarms

Ceiling Fans

Power Points

Ovens and Cooktop Installation

Level 2 Connect & Disconnect, private poles and points of attachment

House Wiring & Rewires

Meterbox relocations

Switchboard Upgrades â RCD Safety Switches & Circuit Breakers

Surge protectors

Hot water thermostats & elements

Fault finding detection

Electric Car Chargers (EV Chargers) â Tesla, Nissan, Hyundai

24hr Emergency Service to The Sutherland Shire

Emergency Power Restoration

Honest Aussie Locals You Can Trust

Trust the honest and reliable Local Aussie Electricians from True Local Electricians. We are an Aussie owned family business supporting other Local families from the Sutherland Shire.

Serving the Sutherland Shire for over 15 Years!

Being local electricians near you, we offer FREE Quotes & No hidden Call Out Feeâsâ¦. Ever. From our family to yours we are happy to attend your property and provide a FREE in-home quote to give you our expert advice on your electrical jobs. We offer fixed prices which are fairly priced before we begin work, so there is no nasty surprises! We always look after our Local Seniors â if you have a valid pension card we will apply a Seniors discount to your service making it even cheaper!

Emergency Electrician

Do you have No Power? Tripping Switches? Blown Fuse? Lights not working? Burning Smell? a Loud Bang? We are Electricians near you and on call 24/7 to help rapidly with your Electrical Emergency. Your Emergency is our priority!

Specialists in LED Lighting & Switchboard Upgrades

We specialise in LED Lighting, switchboard repairs, and re-wires for your Sutherland Shire home renovations. Whether you are renovating a commercial shop or your home bathroom, kitchen or living room, we can provide new circuit wiring, switches, powerpoints & fans to modernise the space and bring up to the latest safety standard.

Special Offer

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below & we will get back to you within 30mins or less!

[contact-form-7]

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below and we will get back to you within 30 minutes or less!

[contact-form-7]

Our Latest Blogs

How to Reduce Electricity Costs in The Sutherland Shire

If you live in the Sutherland Shire, you may be spending a significant amount of money on electricity rates.

Electrical Fault Repairs, Who Can Do What?

Sutherland Shire residents often consider do-it-yourself home improvement as the best way to do things.

The post Home New appeared first on True Local Electricians.

from https://www.truelocalelectricians.com.au/home-test-2/

from Commercial Hospitality Furniture - Blog http://nextrendau.weebly.com/blog/home-new

0 notes

houseplandrafting · 3 years ago

Text

Home New

Sutherland Shire Electricians

$0 CALL OUT FEE

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below & we will get back to you within 30mins or less!

[contact-form-7]

Electrician Sutherland Shire

FREE QUOTES & $0 CALL OUT FEE

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below and we will get back to you within 30 minutes or less!

[contact-form-7]

Why Choose True Local Electricians?

We are an Aussie family owned business supporting Sutherland Shire Locals for over 15 years and would love to use our expertise to help you with your electrical needs!

FREE Quotes & $0 Call Out

No Gimmicks – FREE in-home quote & NO Call Out Fee to the Sutherland Shire. We offer Fixed Price services before we begin work, so there’s no surprises

24hr & Same Day Rapid Response

Our Electricians near you are On Call 24 Hours & will attend to your electrical emergency no matter what time of day or night

Qualified, Licensed & Insured

Our professional Sutherland Shire Electricians are fully Qualified, Licensed & Insured to work on both Residential & Commercial properties

Honest Aussie Family Business from The Shire

Aussie Owned & Operated by Aussie Sutherland Shire Locals – Based in Cronulla, NSW.

Affordable Fixed Prices & Seniors Discount

We offer Affordable, Fixed Price services before we begin work so there’s no surprises. Even cheaper with our Seniors Discount

Lifetime Warranty

We Provide a Lifetime Workmanship Warranty for piece of mind. We Guarantee our work & will fix any workmanship faults for FREE!

What Can We Help You With?

Whether you need a Light Bulb replaced or have an Electrical Emergency, we are here to help with Affordable, Expert & Rapid Service to The Sutherland Shire

Home Renovations

LED Lighting Installation & Upgrades

Power Points & Switch Installation

Switchboard Repairs & Upgrades

24hr Emergency Electrician Sutherland Shire

Ceiling Fan Installation

Exhaust Fan & IXL Heat Lamp Installation

See All Electrical Services

Lifetime Warranty on Workmanship

What Our Clients Say

Check out some of our recent Google reviews from both Residential and Commercial Electrical Services.

Anthony did a great job at our house. We appreciated his reliability and him coming on time.

Shelly

05:04 07 Apr 21

David Robson Builders S.

07:40 02 Mar 21

Inspirit P.

03:39 02 Mar 21

Ariston V.

06:29 18 Feb 21

Great professional team highly recommend, and I will use them again.

jose F.

17:03 10 Feb 21

The boys from True Local provided exceptional service. They were efficient, reliable and great value for money when compared to other local providers. I would highly recommend using this company.

Cherie B.

03:34 10 Feb 21

We had a short and lost the use of the lights in the kitchen, laundry and one bedroom. I rang a number of electricians listed in the St. George Leader with various results, one charging $187 just to provide a quote!True Local responded immediately and promised to come at a certain time, then rang 15 minutes prior to that time to advise they were on their way. Anthony spent an hour investigating the problem and then provided a written quote at no charge. The quote was reasonable and covered new fittings, lights and fans.Our house is federation double brick and tile with an old extension under a tin roof. The work was difficult and took 11 hours, quite a bit in the ceiling and on the roof on a hot day. They were pleasant, diligent, careful, professional and meticulous in their manner and their work. They’d did not leave until the job was completed to both our satisfactions and charged the quoted fee!We are very happy with the result and have already recommended them to our neighbours.

Christine D.

01:40 09 Feb 21

Dan T.

06:26 04 Feb 21

SHIRE D.

00:02 21 Jan 21

Michael T.

04:49 11 Jan 21

Great fast, knowledgeable service would not hesitate to use again!

Anthony B.

21:23 10 Dec 20

Trevor S.

01:29 31 Oct 20

Excellent service, reasonably priced, punctual

Stephen S.

23:11 30 Oct 20

Got the job done quickly, on time and reliable!

Alyce O.

11:09 30 Oct 20

Punctual, quality of work excellent, great work ethic. Would definitely recommend them

Karen M.

05:10 30 Oct 20

Very friendly guys and quality of work was excellent. Would definitely recommend to everyone.

Ryan M.

11:07 29 Oct 20

Trustworthy and quality service.

Clair O.

09:48 29 Oct 20

Amazing service ! Helped with everything I needed and were so prompt ! Thanks guys ! Highly recommend

Dilara P.

08:25 29 Oct 20

Called to fix power outage. Very professional and quick. Restored power and fixed issue. 100% will use again for any issues.

Gary B.

21:31 27 Oct 20

The team are professional and detail oriented. I would highly recommend them.

Matthew W.

00:57 25 Oct 20

I used these guys for moving a couple of power points and changing a dimmer switch. Quality work was decent however very expensive. I was charged $1360 for two guys for 2 1/2 hours of work.

Sammy K.

23:22 21 Sep 20

Reliable, on-time, friendly, and obviously knew what they were doing. We'd happily use them again and recommend their services to others.

Debbie S.

07:59 13 Sep 20

Provided good quality job. Gave us all the information to make the right decision. No hidden costs which was refreshing. Thank you.

Anne A.

02:22 08 Sep 20

Thank you for your service & professional job have highly recommended you to all my friends.

Karen C.

21:33 18 Aug 20

Jayne W.

07:16 01 Aug 20

By far the best electrician I have dealt with. Anthony is very knowledgeable with the product and service he provides. His work is good value with quality included. I have had 3 jobs done by them already and won’t hesitate to use them again. They are super fast and clean up after they finish. Thanks guys love your work.

H T

21:01 09 May 20

Michael is a top bloke - He came out promptly, he was friendly and his service was second to none at a great price. Would highly recommend him for any of your electrical needs!

Shannen R

03:10 25 Apr 20

Ashlee M.

01:15 10 Apr 20

Great reliable service. They came on time and same day. Highly recommend!

Trevor W.

07:14 21 Feb 20

alenaxo

05:55 21 Feb 20

‹

›

Special Offer

Click to Book Online!

Accredited & Certified Electrician

Affordable Master Electrician in The Sutherland Shire

All Jobs Big & Small!

LED Lighting – Downlights, Battens, Pendants, Oyster Lights

Flood/Spot lighting

Sensor Security Lighting

Garden lights

IXL Bathroom Lights

Exhaust Fans

Smoke detectors/alarms

Ceiling Fans

Power Points

Ovens and Cooktop Installation

Level 2 Connect & Disconnect, private poles and points of attachment

House Wiring & Rewires

Meterbox relocations

Switchboard Upgrades – RCD Safety Switches & Circuit Breakers

Surge protectors

Hot water thermostats & elements

Fault finding detection

Electric Car Chargers (EV Chargers) – Tesla, Nissan, Hyundai

24hr Emergency Service to The Sutherland Shire

Emergency Power Restoration

Honest Aussie Locals You Can Trust

Trust the honest and reliable Local Aussie Electricians from True Local Electricians. We are an Aussie owned family business supporting other Local families from the Sutherland Shire.

Serving the Sutherland Shire for over 15 Years!

Being local electricians near you, we offer FREE Quotes & No hidden Call Out Fee’s…. Ever. From our family to yours we are happy to attend your property and provide a FREE in-home quote to give you our expert advice on your electrical jobs. We offer fixed prices which are fairly priced before we begin work, so there is no nasty surprises! We always look after our Local Seniors – if you have a valid pension card we will apply a Seniors discount to your service making it even cheaper!

Emergency Electrician

Specialists in LED Lighting & Switchboard Upgrades

Special Offer

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below & we will get back to you within 30mins or less!

[contact-form-7]

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below and we will get back to you within 30 minutes or less!

[contact-form-7]

Our Latest Blogs

.vc_custom_1419240595465{background-color: #f9f9f9 !important;}.vc_custom_1419240793832{background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important;*background-color: rgb(0,0,0) !important;}

How to Reduce Electricity Costs in The Sutherland Shire

If you live in the Sutherland Shire, you may be spending a significant amount of money on electricity rates.

Electrical Fault Repairs, Who Can Do What?

Sutherland Shire residents often consider do-it-yourself home improvement as the best way to do things.

The post Home New appeared first on True Local Electricians.

source https://www.truelocalelectricians.com.au/home-test-2/

0 notes

nextrend · 3 years ago

Text

Home New

Sutherland Shire Electricians

$0 CALL OUT FEE

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below & we will get back to you within 30mins or less!

[contact-form-7]

Electrician Sutherland Shire

FREE QUOTES & $0 CALL OUT FEE

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below and we will get back to you within 30 minutes or less!

[contact-form-7]

Why Choose True Local Electricians?

We are an Aussie family owned business supporting Sutherland Shire Locals for over 15 years and would love to use our expertise to help you with your electrical needs!

FREE Quotes & $0 Call Out

No Gimmicks – FREE in-home quote & NO Call Out Fee to the Sutherland Shire. We offer Fixed Price services before we begin work, so there’s no surprises

24hr & Same Day Rapid Response

Our Electricians near you are On Call 24 Hours & will attend to your electrical emergency no matter what time of day or night

Qualified, Licensed & Insured

Our professional Sutherland Shire Electricians are fully Qualified, Licensed & Insured to work on both Residential & Commercial properties

Honest Aussie Family Business from The Shire

Aussie Owned & Operated by Aussie Sutherland Shire Locals – Based in Cronulla, NSW.

Affordable Fixed Prices & Seniors Discount

We offer Affordable, Fixed Price services before we begin work so there’s no surprises. Even cheaper with our Seniors Discount

Lifetime Warranty

We Provide a Lifetime Workmanship Warranty for piece of mind. We Guarantee our work & will fix any workmanship faults for FREE!

What Can We Help You With?

Whether you need a Light Bulb replaced or have an Electrical Emergency, we are here to help with Affordable, Expert & Rapid Service to The Sutherland Shire

Home Renovations

LED Lighting Installation & Upgrades

Power Points & Switch Installation

Switchboard Repairs & Upgrades

24hr Emergency Electrician Sutherland Shire

Ceiling Fan Installation

Exhaust Fan & IXL Heat Lamp Installation

See All Electrical Services

Lifetime Warranty on Workmanship

What Our Clients Say

Check out some of our recent Google reviews from both Residential and Commercial Electrical Services.

Anthony did a great job at our house. We appreciated his reliability and him coming on time.

Shelly

05:04 07 Apr 21

David Robson Builders S.

07:40 02 Mar 21

Inspirit P.

03:39 02 Mar 21

Ariston V.

06:29 18 Feb 21

Great professional team highly recommend, and I will use them again.

jose F.

17:03 10 Feb 21

The boys from True Local provided exceptional service. They were efficient, reliable and great value for money when compared to other local providers. I would highly recommend using this company.

Cherie B.

03:34 10 Feb 21

We had a short and lost the use of the lights in the kitchen, laundry and one bedroom. I rang a number of electricians listed in the St. George Leader with various results, one charging $187 just to provide a quote!True Local responded immediately and promised to come at a certain time, then rang 15 minutes prior to that time to advise they were on their way. Anthony spent an hour investigating the problem and then provided a written quote at no charge. The quote was reasonable and covered new fittings, lights and fans.Our house is federation double brick and tile with an old extension under a tin roof. The work was difficult and took 11 hours, quite a bit in the ceiling and on the roof on a hot day. They were pleasant, diligent, careful, professional and meticulous in their manner and their work. They’d did not leave until the job was completed to both our satisfactions and charged the quoted fee!We are very happy with the result and have already recommended them to our neighbours.

Christine D.

01:40 09 Feb 21

Dan T.

06:26 04 Feb 21

SHIRE D.

00:02 21 Jan 21

Michael T.

04:49 11 Jan 21

Great fast, knowledgeable service would not hesitate to use again!

Anthony B.

21:23 10 Dec 20

Trevor S.

01:29 31 Oct 20

Excellent service, reasonably priced, punctual

Stephen S.

23:11 30 Oct 20

Got the job done quickly, on time and reliable!

Alyce O.

11:09 30 Oct 20

Punctual, quality of work excellent, great work ethic. Would definitely recommend them

Karen M.

05:10 30 Oct 20

Very friendly guys and quality of work was excellent. Would definitely recommend to everyone.

Ryan M.

11:07 29 Oct 20

Trustworthy and quality service.

Clair O.

09:48 29 Oct 20

Amazing service ! Helped with everything I needed and were so prompt ! Thanks guys ! Highly recommend

Dilara P.

08:25 29 Oct 20

Called to fix power outage. Very professional and quick. Restored power and fixed issue. 100% will use again for any issues.

Gary B.

21:31 27 Oct 20

The team are professional and detail oriented. I would highly recommend them.

Matthew W.

00:57 25 Oct 20

I used these guys for moving a couple of power points and changing a dimmer switch. Quality work was decent however very expensive. I was charged $1360 for two guys for 2 1/2 hours of work.

Sammy K.

23:22 21 Sep 20

Reliable, on-time, friendly, and obviously knew what they were doing. We'd happily use them again and recommend their services to others.

Debbie S.

07:59 13 Sep 20

Provided good quality job. Gave us all the information to make the right decision. No hidden costs which was refreshing. Thank you.

Anne A.

02:22 08 Sep 20

Thank you for your service & professional job have highly recommended you to all my friends.

Karen C.

21:33 18 Aug 20

Jayne W.

07:16 01 Aug 20

By far the best electrician I have dealt with. Anthony is very knowledgeable with the product and service he provides. His work is good value with quality included. I have had 3 jobs done by them already and won’t hesitate to use them again. They are super fast and clean up after they finish. Thanks guys love your work.

H T

21:01 09 May 20

Michael is a top bloke - He came out promptly, he was friendly and his service was second to none at a great price. Would highly recommend him for any of your electrical needs!

Shannen R

03:10 25 Apr 20

Ashlee M.

01:15 10 Apr 20

Great reliable service. They came on time and same day. Highly recommend!

Trevor W.

07:14 21 Feb 20

alenaxo

05:55 21 Feb 20

‹

›

Special Offer

Click to Book Online!

Accredited & Certified Electrician

Affordable Master Electrician in The Sutherland Shire

All Jobs Big & Small!

LED Lighting – Downlights, Battens, Pendants, Oyster Lights

Flood/Spot lighting

Sensor Security Lighting

Garden lights

IXL Bathroom Lights

Exhaust Fans

Smoke detectors/alarms

Ceiling Fans

Power Points

Ovens and Cooktop Installation

Level 2 Connect & Disconnect, private poles and points of attachment

House Wiring & Rewires

Meterbox relocations

Switchboard Upgrades – RCD Safety Switches & Circuit Breakers

Surge protectors

Hot water thermostats & elements

Fault finding detection

Electric Car Chargers (EV Chargers) – Tesla, Nissan, Hyundai

24hr Emergency Service to The Sutherland Shire

Emergency Power Restoration

Honest Aussie Locals You Can Trust

Trust the honest and reliable Local Aussie Electricians from True Local Electricians. We are an Aussie owned family business supporting other Local families from the Sutherland Shire.

Serving the Sutherland Shire for over 15 Years!

Emergency Electrician

Specialists in LED Lighting & Switchboard Upgrades

Special Offer

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below & we will get back to you within 30mins or less!

[contact-form-7]

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below and we will get back to you within 30 minutes or less!

[contact-form-7]

Our Latest Blogs

.vc_custom_1419240595465{background-color: #f9f9f9 !important;}.vc_custom_1419240793832{background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.3) !important;*background-color: rgb(0,0,0) !important;}

How to Reduce Electricity Costs in The Sutherland Shire

If you live in the Sutherland Shire, you may be spending a significant amount of money on electricity rates.

Electrical Fault Repairs, Who Can Do What?

Sutherland Shire residents often consider do-it-yourself home improvement as the best way to do things.

The post Home New appeared first on True Local Electricians.

from True Local Electricians https://www.truelocalelectricians.com.au/home-test-2/

0 notes

poppen · 3 years ago

Text

Home New

Sutherland Shire Electricians

$0 CALL OUT FEE

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below & we will get back to you within 30mins or less!

[contact-form-7]

Electrician Sutherland Shire

FREE QUOTES & $0 CALL OUT FEE

Book Online Today!

Fill-in your details below and we will get back to you within 30 minutes or less!

[contact-form-7]

Why Choose True Local Electricians?

We are an Aussie family owned business supporting Sutherland Shire Locals for over 15 years and would love to use our expertise to help you with your electrical needs!

FREE Quotes & $0 Call Out

No Gimmicks – FREE in-home quote & NO Call Out Fee to the Sutherland Shire. We offer Fixed Price services before we begin work, so there’s no surprises

24hr & Same Day Rapid Response

Our Electricians near you are On Call 24 Hours & will attend to your electrical emergency no matter what time of day or night

Qualified, Licensed & Insured

Our professional Sutherland Shire Electricians are fully Qualified, Licensed & Insured to work on both Residential & Commercial properties

Honest Aussie Family Business from The Shire

Aussie Owned & Operated by Aussie Sutherland Shire Locals – Based in Cronulla, NSW.

Affordable Fixed Prices & Seniors Discount

We offer Affordable, Fixed Price services before we begin work so there’s no surprises. Even cheaper with our Seniors Discount

Lifetime Warranty

We Provide a Lifetime Workmanship Warranty for piece of mind. We Guarantee our work & will fix any workmanship faults for FREE!

What Can We Help You With?

Whether you need a Light Bulb replaced or have an Electrical Emergency, we are here to help with Affordable, Expert & Rapid Service to The Sutherland Shire

Home Renovations

LED Lighting Installation & Upgrades

Power Points & Switch Installation

Switchboard Repairs & Upgrades

24hr Emergency Electrician Sutherland Shire

Ceiling Fan Installation

Exhaust Fan & IXL Heat Lamp Installation

See All Electrical Services

Lifetime Warranty on Workmanship

What Our Clients Say

Check out some of our recent Google reviews from both Residential and Commercial Electrical Services.

Anthony did a great job at our house. We appreciated his reliability and him coming on time.

Shelly

05:04 07 Apr 21

David Robson Builders S.

07:40 02 Mar 21

Inspirit P.

03:39 02 Mar 21

Ariston V.

06:29 18 Feb 21

Great professional team highly recommend, and I will use them again.

jose F.

17:03 10 Feb 21

The boys from True Local provided exceptional service. They were efficient, reliable and great value for money when compared to other local providers. I would highly recommend using this company.

Cherie B.

03:34 10 Feb 21

We had a short and lost the use of the lights in the kitchen, laundry and one bedroom. I rang a number of electricians listed in the St. George Leader with various results, one charging $187 just to provide a quote!True Local responded immediately and promised to come at a certain time, then rang 15 minutes prior to that time to advise they were on their way. Anthony spent an hour investigating the problem and then provided a written quote at no charge. The quote was reasonable and covered new fittings, lights and fans.Our house is federation double brick and tile with an old extension under a tin roof. The work was difficult and took 11 hours, quite a bit in the ceiling and on the roof on a hot day. They were pleasant, diligent, careful, professional and meticulous in their manner and their work. They’d did not leave until the job was completed to both our satisfactions and charged the quoted fee!We are very happy with the result and have already recommended them to our neighbours.

Christine D.

01:40 09 Feb 21

Dan T.

06:26 04 Feb 21

SHIRE D.

00:02 21 Jan 21

Michael T.

04:49 11 Jan 21

Great fast, knowledgeable service would not hesitate to use again!

Anthony B.

21:23 10 Dec 20

Trevor S.

01:29 31 Oct 20

Excellent service, reasonably priced, punctual

Stephen S.

23:11 30 Oct 20

Got the job done quickly, on time and reliable!

Alyce O.

11:09 30 Oct 20

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theperksofbeingatotalnerd · 7 years ago

Text

Halloween Party

So, I had this idea in my head for a while now, and decided to write it! Hope you enjoy it!

You can read it in AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12555772

Harry yawned. It had been a rough day. Nothing made him happier than his job as an Auror, but things usually got a bit hectic. Now, he was sitting at his favourite Indian place, waiting for his two friends to arrive. Soon enough, he heard his friends walking through the door.

- “Hey Harry!”

- “Hey guys!”

Hermione and Ron sat down and started going through the menu, even though they both knew they’d end up ordering what they always did.

- “How was work?” Hermione asked.

- “Mental, actually. Had to deal with some pretty nasty business involving two Dark Wizards.”

- “You do look tired.” Ron stated.

- “I’ll definitely head out to bed early, I’m wrecked. How was your day?”

- “A bit full. George just developed a new love potion and the shop was crowded with people wanting to buy it.”

- “I had a pretty busy day at the Ministry too. Loads of paperwork.”

They continued the light chatter, as they ordered their food. Some time during the meal, Hermione suddenly exclaimed:

- “Oh! I almost forgot! You guys know Halloween is next week, right?”

- “I honestly didn’t even remember it.” Harry said.

- “I do. We already have loads of new items in stock for the occasion.” Ron said.

- “Right. Well, some of our former peers at Hogwarts are organising a party, and they want us all to go! Everyone we know has been invited. And apparently, the main idea is for all of us to choose a magical costume.”

- “A magical costume? Of what sort?” Harry asked.

- “It’s meant to be a costume that won’t reveal your identity. It’s rather brilliant, actually. I had already read about it, but now we get to use it! What do you think?”

- “Sure, why not?” Ron said.

- “Seems like fun.” Harry said.

They continued to discuss the details for the party as they finished their plates.

The day had finally arrived. Harry was rather proud of his costume. He had struggled to get it right at first, but he managed, mainly due to Hermione’s impeccable spellwork. He was a werewolf in its human form. It was very subtle, but his hair was slightly longer, he had grown a beard, his eyes were a completely different shade of green, artificial almost, he was bulkier (he had already put on some muscle due to his intense work, but this made it much more prominent) and he had a scar that crossed his whole face. He couldn’t help but reminisce to his years at Hogwarts, as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. It pained him to think about his third year, in which he had met two of the most important people in his life. Werewolves had always intrigued him, and after meeting Remus, he felt like it was an appropriate costume. Emotions were starting to get the best of him when he heard a soft knock on the bathroom door.

- “Are you ready, mate?”

- “Yeah, I’ll be right out!”

He fixed himself up and joined his friends in the living room. Their costume was astonishing. They were going as Nicolas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle. Everything had been put brilliantly together, to the smallest detail.

- “Shall we go?” Hermione asked.

“Sure.”

The three of them apparated to the entrance of the house the party was being held in.

“Let’s do this.”

They all walked into the house. They were immediately greeted by a merman.

- “Hiya, guys!”

- “Hi, Seamus!” Hermione greeted him.

- “Seamus?” Harry asked, rather incredulously.

- “Yup, that’s me! Isn’t this great?” Seamus was grinning widely. They just nodded. Apparently, Seamus had been one of the people that had organized the party, and he had told Hermione what he was going as.

- “How are things with Dean?” Harry asked.

- “Never been better. We actually just moved in together!”

It had been no surprise to see that Seamus had ended up dating his Hogwarts best friend, Dean Thomas. They had always been close, and everyone could tell there was a lot more than just friendship between the two of them.

Seamus kept talking about his life for quite a while, until they all decided to part ways. Both Ron and Hermione went straight to the dance floor, while Harry decided to head out to the bar. After a tiring week, he could really use a drink. He took one of the seats that were available, and asked for a glass of Firewhiskey.

- “Make that two.” said the man beside him. Harry couldn’t believe his eyes. The man was just about the most gorgeous thing Harry had ever laid his eyes on. He was meant to be a vampire. He had platinum blonde hair, that was perfectly slicked back, icy blue eyes, an incredibly defined jawline, and a pair of prominent fangs. The corners of his lips were covered in blood, that was dangerously dripping all the way down to his chin. He was wearing a black suit, with a white shirt. He smiled at him.

Draco was completely stunned. The man that had just asked for a glass of Firewhiskey was breath-taking. A werewolf in its human form. Bright green eyes, that somehow reminded him of something, but he had no idea what it was, and quite frankly, at that moment he didn’t care, soft black hair, a stupidly sexy beard and possibly the most defined biceps he’d seen. Gathering some courage, he smiled at him, and said:

- “Quite the party, huh?”

- “Indeed.”

- “May I ask, how old are you?” Draco was curious.

- “21, you?”

- “Also 21! What are the odds? Did you go to Hogwarts?”

- “I did! Did you?” Harry couldn’t believe this could be someone he had gone to school with.

- “I did too. That means we have crossed paths before.” Draco was intrigued, yet terrified. This could be anyone.

- “Who are you?” Harry asked.

- “Why spoil all the fun? Let’s keep it this way.” Draco had decided that he didn’t care about the man’s identity. He could be Neville bloody Longbottom for all he cared. He was attracted to him, and that was all.

- “Sure.” Harry realised he truly didn’t care about who he was talking to. He just wanted to have some fun.

They stood by the bar, drinking Firewhiskey and talking about everything that crossed their minds, for over an hour. Then, Draco grabbed Harry by the hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

- “I’m not a very good dancer!” Harry shouted, over the loud music.

- “Me neither, who cares?” Draco yelled.

They both started swaying their bodies to the beat of the song that was playing. It felt exhilarating. Harry could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through him. He was currently dancing with the most stunning man he’d ever seen, and he was genuinely enjoying himself.

Maybe it was the light that was softly glowing over the other man’s complexion, maybe it was the rush of adrenaline that he was feeling, maybe it was the Firewhiskey, or maybe it was the combination of the three, but Harry decided he didn’t really care and just leaned into the man before him and put his lips on his. Their tongues met immediately, dancing around each other, wanting to savour everything the other had to offer. Harry had never kissed anyone like him. He could feel the fire burning through him. He wanted more. Just as if the other man had read his mind, he pulled Harry close by wrapping his arms around his waist, deepening the kiss. It became unbearable. Harry stopped the kiss and pulled the other man’s hand, heading towards one of the corners of the room in order to find some quiet place where they could be alone. He soon found an unoccupied bathroom. In just 3 seconds, Harry was locking the door and pushing the other man against the sink, making him sit there while wrapping his legs around Harry’s waist. They both continued the kiss. Soon, he felt the other man’s hands on his hair, gently tugging, as if asking him to move closer, even if they were already completely pressed against one another. The other man then started kissing Harry’s jaw, gently making his way down to his neck, where he started sucking and biting, making Harry moan. Harry went back to kissing him, putting his hands under the other man’s shirt, rubbing circles on his hips. Harry didn’t want it to stop. He wanted to be there with this stranger forever.

After some more kissing, they parted. Harry was ready to take this somewhere else when he heard a gasp. The other man was looking at him in complete shock. Harry barely had time to register what was happening, before the other man ran to the door, quickly unlocking it and stepping out. He then looked at the mirror, and realised he wasn’t the unknown werewolf anymore. He was himself again. The spell had worn off, like he knew it would, even though he had completely forgot about it. He ran out the door, trying to find the other man, without succeeding. He wasn’t inside the house. Harry then tried to go outside, to see if he could see the other man. Then he saw him. Draco Malfoy, sitting on a bench, with his hands in his head, covering his face. And then he realised it. The man he had been with had been Malfoy. He knew the platinum blonde hair was familiar, but he hadn’t given it much thought.

- “Malfoy…”

- “Go away, Potter!”

- “No, I won’t. I want to talk.”

- “Fine, if you won’t leave then I will!” Draco started to get up to leave but Harry held his arm.

- “Please hear me out! What happened in there was…”

- “Insane!” Draco yelled.

- “It was amazing! Malfoy, I had never felt anything like that in my whole life. And don’t tell me you didn’t feel it too, I could tell by the way you were kissing me!”

- “Fine, Potter, I felt it too, what do you want me to say? We can’t do this!”

- “Why the hell not? We parted ways on good terms at the end of our last year at Hogwarts. I know you and I weren’t exactly friends throughout our school years, but I understand what you went through and why you did what you did. I don’t resent you, and I know you don’t resent me either. Why can’t we do this?”

“I… Potter, you do realise this sounds completely insane, don’t you?”

- “I do, but so what? Isn’t that what our lives have been for the past years? What’s a bit more insanity to it, after everything we’ve been through? The conversation we had back there at the bar, I had never felt so comfortable with someone, ever! And that kiss… I might be completely irrational about this right now, but I don’t really care. What do you say?”

- “I… We…”

Harry stepped forward, looking into the familiar grey eyes. He gently rubbed his thumb over Draco’s bottom lip. Draco couldn’t resist and lightly sucked it. That made Harry smile.

- “Malfoy, I…” He didn’t have time to finish the sentence because Draco’s lips were on his. It was gentler this time, each taking their time to feel the other. Harry put his arms around Draco’s neck, as Draco’s hands reached for Harry’s waist.

Soon, all that could be heard was a loud pop. Harry had apparated them to his house. It was going to be a long night.

#Harry and Draco #drarry #harry x draco #draco X harry #drarry fic #drarry writing #drarry oneshot #oneshot #Halloween #Harry Potter #Draco and Harry #halloween party

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years ago

Photo

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/f1-drivers-explain-different-stances-on-taking-a-knee-at-austrian-gp/

F1 drivers explain different stances on taking a knee at Austrian GP

0:40

Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen says the drivers are against racism but are entitled to make their own choice about taking a knee before the race

Formula 1’s drivers have explained their differing stances on taking a knee ahead of last Sunday’s Austrian GP after 14 of the 20 on the grid made the gesture.

In a public show against racism and discrimination ahead of the season-opening race coordinated by F1 and the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, all 20 drivers wore T-shirts featuring the message ‘End Racism’ as they gathered at the front of the grid. Lewis Hamilton’s T-shirt also included ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the front.

The GPDA said in a statement that drivers would be free to show their support in their own way.

Fourteen drivers also took a knee, six did not, meaning there was no collective gesture as seen in other sports such as the Premier League and by the England and West Indies cricket teams before the first Test on Wednesday.

Hamilton said the pre-race events in Austria represented a “step in the right direction” but believes F1 can do more collectively.

“I’ve never said whether or not I was disappointed at the other guys, but we do need to look at these other sports who ultimately have done a better job in showing their unanimous united front,” said Hamilton to Sky Sports F1.

“I’m so impressed with what football’s done, I’m really impressed with how NASCAR, for example, was one of the first sports to come out to immediately react and hold themselves accountable. We’ve got to do more, being that we’re such a global sport. It is a step in the right direction but there’s no reason why we should be different to a sport like football, which is the biggest sport in the world.”

1:24

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton believes other sports have been more united than Formula 1 on the issue of racial injustice.

F1’s drivers on taking a knee

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen said on social media ahead of the race why they would not be doing so, while other drivers have explained their own personal stances as F1 returned to the Red Bull Ring on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Styrian GP.

“Formula 1 left us the choice to express ourselves in the way we wanted,” Leclerc told Sky Sports. “We all went [to the front of the grid] and it was clearly written on our shirt to end racism, which is the main message we want to pass through.

“Anybody is free to express it the way we want and that’s what I did, I wanted to stand. I bowed my head to respect this, and yes I’m completely against racism.

“I’ve seen a few things on social media, honestly, that disgust me, to judge someone racist just because he didn’t take the knee for me is not right and it’s definitely not me. But I wanted to do it that way.”

2:05

More F1 drivers explain their decision to take, or not take, a knee at the Austrian GP

Russian driver Daniil Kvyat was another of the drivers who did not take the knee and he explained: “I am really against racism and we as a group of drivers decided that a very strong message would be wearing the T-shirts stating ‘End Racism’. I think that kind of message was very strong and it got delivered to everyone.

“Unfortunately, the gesture of going on the knee is against my mentality of my country where you only go on the knees in front of God, your flag and that’s about it.”

Kimi Raikkonen also didn’t perform the gesture and said everyone has the right to make a personal choice.

“I think generally everyone has the right to do what they feel like,” said Raikkonen.

“All the drivers are definitely against racism and we all had the shirts. I’m more than happy to help on these things but in the end every individual has a right to do how they feel most comfortable.

“F1 and all the teams are doing the best that they can so I think it’s a bit crazy to question things but that’s how the world is unfortunately.”

1:22

F1 drivers show anti-racism support as Lewis Hamilton’s reads ‘Black Lives Matter’ with the rest of the field sporting ‘End Racism’ slogans

GPDA happy with drivers’ support

Sebastian Vettel, who took the knee next Hamilton at the front of the grid, said he wanted to support his fellow multi world champion while also sending a powerful message.

“It was to be with him making the gesture but also sending the message, the message is what really matters most,” said the Ferrari driver, who is a director of the GPDA. “The motivation is quite straight-forward. One is the message that we all try to transmit as drivers wearing the same shirts.

“There was never a second of doubt in my head [about kneeling], first and foremost out of respect for Lewis, and to support him, and the message. That’s why I was happy to kneel.”

Romain Grosjean, who is also a director of the GPDA, added: “There were a lot of discussions and we wanted, and we had, 100 per cent of the drivers united with the message ‘End Racism’, which was something very important for all of us.

“After, everyone has got a different way of showing his support to the movement and I believe that taking the knee was the right message as a sportsman to emphasise the ‘End Racism’ T-shirt that we had.

“But some had a different view and we can all have a different gesture for something that you mean. The GPDA we were very happy that 100 per cent of the drivers were in line with what we wanted and showed the support to Formula 1, We Race As One and End Racism.”

2:05

More F1 drivers explain their decision to take, or not take, a knee at the Austrian GP

Other drivers on taking a knee

Formula 1 drivers were asked about why they did or didn’t take the knee by Sky F1 ahead of the Styrian GP – and here’s how they responded:

Lando Norris, McLaren: “Because I believe in this current period of time for the whole world, we as drivers should try and have the biggest impact we can.

“I’ve been brought up in a very privileged way and I can say I’m very thankful for that, but also I try and help out in whatever way I can for people who aren’t as fortunate.

“I’ve done what I can in showing the most support as possible and that’s what I believe I did on Sunday.”

16:19

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have spoken ahead of this weekend’s second Formula One race in Austria.

Daniel Ricciardo, Renault: “I certainly wanted to [take the knee], after seeing what had been going on. It definitely opened my eyes the last month but obviously it’s been going on for years. Kind of educating myself on the matter more I certainly wanted to. Speaking to other drivers and then understanding that quite a few of wanted to then I was certainly for it.

“We’ve got a platform and a real chance to educate some of the world at least so that was really the reason. I’m certainly in support of the movement and if we get another opportunity to then I will again. But I’m not sure how it’s going to go moving forward. I absolutely stand by that and hopefully people like me can be educated through what’s been going on.

“It’s been cool to learn, devastating at times, and to understand more about it.

Kevin Magnussen, Haas: “We talked about it as drivers what we could do to show our solidarity and support for this movement going on in the world right now.

“Obviously some drivers didn’t decide to take the knee, some did. I decided to take the knee. I thought about it whether I should do it or not.

“At the end of the day, I didn’t want it to be associated with the particular movement, Black Lives Matter. That organisation, I cannot agree with all they stand for, but I can agree to end racism and to be in support of ending discrimination against black people. That’s why I took the knee.

“I thought from my side that was the correct thing to do. I have no issues with the drivers who didn’t choose to take the knee. We are all united in the fact that we are against racism, we are trying to put an end to this and I think every driver and every person is free to show their thought and how to get that across in their own way.”

9:55

Williams drivers George Russell and Nicholas Latifi have spoken ahead of this weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix.

Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri: “I think it was important for us as the Formula 1 community all together as the drivers to send a strong message to support this cause, because it’s something that is important for all of us, all 20 drivers are united in supporting this cause and trying to bring something positive for the people and a strong message with these values.

“So I think for all of us it was important to share this message, even though we didn’t show it all the same way. I think this is really personal to all individuals but the message is supported by all 20 drivers and that’s the most important thing.”

Sergio Perez, Racing Point: “I did it to support anti-racism globally. I don’t think it’s any specific way, I just want to support it all in global terms. I don’t think there is any plan for this weekend but we will discuss with the drivers.”

Esteban Ocon, Renault: “I felt it was important to show my support for the cause, I wore the t-shirt as well. I think what’s happening in the world is difficult, so of course I do what I want and I wanted to express that and show support for the cause.”

Lance Stroll, Racing Point: “I chose to take the knee because I support ending all racism.”

George Russell, Williams: “I thought from my side that was the correct thing to do. I have no issue with the drivers who didn’t choose to take the knee, we all stood united on the fact we are against racism. We are all trying to put an end to this and every person and every driver is free to show their thoughts and how to get that across in their own way.”

Nicholas Latifi, Williams: “For me, I decided to kneel because I obviously support the initiative, and all for ending racism, promoting equality and diversity. Specifically on the grid the message was end racism. Kneeling has been a universal gesture or action used to promote this.”

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#Sports

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