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neil-jortson · 5 years ago

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Soulmate au where you can see the number of miles your partner is from you (Kevin x Neil)

When Kevin used to travel with his mom the numbers on his wrist would change constantly and drastically. Some days it would be as little as 200, other days it was thousands of miles.

Once his moms died it stayed close to 370 miles. It would fluctuate at random points of his 16 hour day but he found the change comforting. At least his soulmate got to leave.

One day Kevin’s excitement grew as the number on his wrist was less and less. Maybe his soulmate has come to save him like in the stories.

His soulmate has not come to save him, in fact his soulmate brought with him the most disturbing day of Kevin’s life.

To top it all off, when riko and Nathaniel were off playing games nathaniels mother pulled him off to the side to warn him: “never say the number out loud on your wrist Kevin, if you do it’ll disappear and you’ll never know how close your soulmate is ever again.”

Kevin has never heard of such a thing but an adult had told it to him and he’s better safe than sorry so he kept his mouth shut

He never talked about his soulmate, especially after Nathaniel had “been killed”

Kevin knew he wasn’t dead because his numbers kept changing although this time it wasn’t Kevin putting the large numbers between them

Riko would use his number, or lack thereof, as a manipulation tactic because “how are you supposed to be the best if your soulmate doesn’t even care enough about you to come and find you?”

It wasn’t until his time with the foxes that Kevin learned what Mary has told him was well and truly false. It actually took Nicky saying his number out loud “four thousand six hundred and forty six miles” and watching for any disturbance of his wrist for Kevin to believe them

Kevin was really happy when his number was under three thousand. Nathaniel was back in the states. Kevin kept an eye on the news about Nathan, not like he believed he could do anything but just to ease his mind

The foxes would pester Kevin with questions about his soulmate (probably trying to settle bets he’d wager) but he never told them about Nathaniel. He doesn’t really know why he doesn’t talk about him. Kevin just feels that the memory of him is private and he shouldn’t have to share details with the foxes.

He talks to Wymack about it though and Abby. It’s only briefly and when he’s drunk. He tells wymack late one night on his couch that he’s already met his soulmate. He’s this little firecracker of a boy and that he sometimes wishes he’d never left the trail even if it meant being stuck in the nest with Kevin. Wymack tries to ask about the “trial” and who his soulmate was but Kevin passed out on the couch without another word

Kevin was surprised to find that as his numbers were falling, Nathan wesniski had been imprisioned for tax fraud

One of the most long standing numbers Kevin has had was just over 2000 miles. He would look at it on occasion. During class or changing out before practice and think to himself “one day.” One day he would see Nathaniel again.

While looking through the stacks of recruits he stumbled upon a boy who played like he had everything to lose. He barely glanced at the photo at the top of the folder and instead watched the way he ran and gave everything to the game. He knew he had to have him on the team.

When they got on the plane to go recruit Josten, Kevin was filled with anxious energy. He was not only worried about recruiting Josten but he wondered what would happen with his numbers while they were on their way to Arizona.

Kevin found that the best distraction for it all was to open an exy magazine and not read the pages but instead watch as the number on his wrist dwindled down the closer they got to their destination.

Kevin was excited at the prospect of seeing Nathaniel again but Nathaniel? Nathaniel was terrified.

Nathaniel has grown up with stories of soulmates and was excited to meet his

While they were on the trip to play exy in the biggest stadium he had ever seen, Nathaniel tugged on his mother’s sleeve and whispered in her ear: “look mommy my number is dropping”

Mary knew what she needed to do. If the moriyamas ever found out that they had a child with a built in GPS to find her son, they would surely be dead. All she had to do was find out who in the building was her sons soulmate and force them to never speak about it ever again.

Although she was successful, it was always a major concern while they were on the run. At any point in time Kevin could slip up and kill them both.

She knew she couldn’t be tracked because her soulmate had died in a car accident when she was 13. Nathan didn’t have a soulmate. He didn’t have numbers at all.

She refused to allow Nathaniel, Abram, Stefan, and all the other iterations of him to engage with exy in any form. The more you can forget about your soulmate the safer we will be. She added this to her list of rules “never let your number get to zero. If your number gets to zero, you’re dead”

After the final game of Neil’s exy career (one rule already broken) Neil glanced at his wrist 1 it read

His breathing picked up

He started to panic. It was disrupted by his coach telling him “there’s someone here to see you”

Neil ran

He ran until he was stopped by an exy racket slamming directly into his stomach.

He laid there waiting for his inevitable demise when he heard a voice say “god damn it minyard this is why we can’t have nice things”

Neil tried to keep up with the conversation but he finally tuned back in to hear Wymack say “I didn’t fly three people out here for you to say no”

All Neil could do was breathe out the name “Kevin” before he emerged from the shadows

Kevin looked down at him and it clicked “Nathaniel” he said breathlessly

“Don’t call me that”

“Why”

“That’s not my name”

“Okay, well, Neil please join us”

“You know I can’t”

“I know”

“Then you see why this can’t happen”

Kevin nods his head

“Did you tell them?”

Kevin shakes his head vigorously

“Give me the paperwork” Neil chokes out

#ceo of tiktok aus #the only other time it would play a huge role is when neil goes missing #kevin would just watch the number go higher and higher and think to himself that it was all his fault #he found neil #he did this to him #aftg fic #aftg #aftg headcanon #kevin day #neil josten #david wymack #kevinxneil #my fic #soulmate au #angst with a happy ending

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paradoxolotl · 3 years ago

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I have nothing to offer except half delirious AUs thought up in the middle of the night

I’ve never seen him so angry. I’m almost impressed

Andrew stared down at the message, the unknown number at the top. He made a lot of people angry, but a few possibilities stuck out in his mind. Sticking his cigarette back into his mouth, he took a shallow drag as he tapped two fingers on the sides of his phone, debating the merits of just ignoring the message. It would be the smart thing to do, but Andrew’s blood still buzzed with nicotine and annoyance, and he needed something to distract himself with.

be more specific

He had finished his cigarette and had moved onto another by the time the next message came.

That much of an asshole, huh? Kevin. He’s been moping for days over you

Andrew blew a plume of smoke into the cold evening air. He would need to go back in soon. he needs to be told no more often then

This time, the response was almost immediate. He’s never had someone turn him down before. Not by someone who matters, anyway

Despite himself, Andrew felt his brow quirk up.

you dont matter or you dont tell him no

Both. The message read. There’s no point in me saying no to him

Andrew’s mouth tasted like ash and rot, and he took a harsh drag to try and remove it. Keeping his eyes firmly on the scraggly bush at the back of the yard, he forced his breathing to stay even and deep. Whoever this was on the other end of the messages wasn’t his problem. Chances were they were just another bird sucked into the void of Exy and delusion. Andrew had no energy to give them, not even to tell them to fuck off. His silence should do the trick anyhow.

His phone buzzed with another message. Andrew stared at the device long enough for his smoke to burn down and singe his fingers. Flicking it carelessly into the yard, he watched it bounce twice, glowing orange blossoming before dying out. He should ignore it. Somewhere in the house, he heard a door slam.

His joints were stiff as he rose from his seated position, his spine popping when he stretched. The cheap linoleum of the kitchen floor stuck to his shoes, the thick smell of stale smoke and cheap perfume almost enough to choke on. Making his way through the house, he stopped at the end of the hall, watching Tilda freeze with her hand halfway to the handle of his and Aaron’s room. Her lip curled into something ugly, her fingers twitching before she let her hand fall to her side. Andrew wanted to break it for her fear. He wanted Aaron to break it for her cowardice.

She stomped down the hall, glaring at him all the while. He stared back impassively, knowing she never went after someone who would hit back. “Feed yourselves tonight,” she said as she passed him, the too sweet smell of her shampoo invading Andrew’s nose as she swept it up into a bun.

He didn’t bother pointing out there was no food in the kitchen, instead watching her silently as she grabbed her purse and shoved her feet into a pair of ridiculous shoes. She said nothing else as she left, not even bothering to look back. Andrew waited until the sound of the engine faded in the distance before making his way to the bedroom.

Aaron glanced up at his arrival, shoulders loosening when he saw Andrew in the doorway. “She gone?”

He didn’t bother to answer, both of them knowing he wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t. Andrew shoved a few of the textbooks Aaron had stacked on his bed to the floor, each one falling with a heavy thump. Aaron only watched quietly, having never been using them in the first place. Another lie folded neatly on top of himself. Taking the now free space, Andrew kicked off his shoes, eyeing the book still in Aaron’s lap.

“Think you can get higher than rock bottom?” It was mocking, because Andrew still felt too sharp and angry to soften it to anything less.

Aaron scowled at him, but his shoulders didn’t hunch like they used to. He tossed the university guidebook to the floor. “No.”

“You think I should have signed with them.”

Sighing, Aaron fell back against the headboard, the bed creaking with the shifting weight. “I think you would have hated playing for them. Did you see how Riko was looking at you and Kevin?” Aaron’s face darkened, his jaw setting. “I think you’re good enough to sign with someone, but no, I don’t want you to go with them.”

“I’m not leaving,” he said.

“I know.” Aaron looked tired, his hands rubbing his leg absently.

Batting his hands away, Andrew pulled Aaron’s foot into his lap, firmly running his fingers along his ankle. Watching Aaron’s face carefully, Andrew catalogued every wince and grimace. “You’re not going your exercises,” he said, pressing more firmly into Aaron’s leg.

“I am,” Aaron grumbled. He hissed when Andrew pushed his thumb into a particularly sore spot. “I am,” he insisted. “I’ve just been busy this week.”

“Liar,” Andrew said. He knew Aaron’s slacking was more so a rejection of acknowledging the injury rather than an actual forgetfulness.

Aaron didn’t argue, but he crossed his arms in a silent protest. Andrew kept working until the muscles under his fingers loosened and Aaron’s face was no longer twisted in discomfort. When he was finished, he shoved Aaron’s foot off his lap unceremoniously. “I took twenty bucks from Tilda’s wallet,” he said. “What do you want for dinner?”

Aaron sighed, rotating his foot in slow circles. “Don’s and the park?”

Andrew nodded and shoved his feet back into his shoes, uncaring of the books still scattered over the floor.

Later, in the dark of the night and Aaron fast asleep across the room, Andrew fished out his phone from under his pillow. The small screen’s light was just enough to make him squint. Clicking through to his messages, he found a few unread ones waiting for him, all from the same unknown number.

Why did you say no? You’re more than good enough to play on their court. Or even pro, if you wanted

I saw your file. What, is red too much colour for you?

Riko thinks he could convince you

And finally, timestamped a little more than twenty minutes ago: If I convinced him to go back, could you do it again?

Rubbing a thumb under his eye, Andrew stared at the messages. Part of him wanted them to just stop, but another part was curious on what kind of Raven wanted their perfect duo to go back to their nest disappointed once again.

Against his better judgment, his curiosity won out. depends on who is asking

He didn’t get an answer before sleep took him.

In the dead of night, the soft rumble of his phone on his chest jerked him awake. Taking a moment to orient himself, Andrew rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Do you care?

With his face half buried in his pillow, Andrew glared at his phone. do u not sleep

Sometimes. The message read.

Then, immediately after: Do you?

sometimes Andrew sent back.

Aaron shifted in his sleep, the rustling of his blankets loud in the night. Andrew turned his phone to fully silent.

His screen lit up with another message. You didn’t answer my question. Any of them

ask better questions then

This time, Andrew stayed awake until they answered, watching the street lamp just outside his window.

What do you want more than anything?

Boring and predictable, but an easy enough answer. i want nothing

Good. Then you can’t be bought

A prickling sense of unease travelled down his spine. Before he could think too much on it, another message appeared. What are you afraid of?

is this plan b? it wont make me sign

Plan C. And that’s not what I asked, but good to know

Andrew sighed. u first

I asked first But instead of silence like Andrew expected, another message appeared. I don’t like knives

Rubbing his thumb over the words, Andrew let his mind run over scars and late nights and the memory of choking on his own fear. It felt more honest than he was expecting, and it left him feeling surprised and unbalanced. Watching Aaron’s sleeping form, Andrew sorted through the gnarled thing in his chest, picking out what was useful and shoving everything else down deep where it would hopefully rot away to nothing.

The message stared back at him, undemanding and expectant all at once. He told himself again to ignore whoever this was. Carefully, letter by letter, Andrew sent his answer.

heights. thats 2. u owe me an answer now

Do I?

fair is fair. After a moments debate, he added give me ur name

While he waited, Andrew listened as the rumble of an engine sounded down the street, growing louder. The car stopped outside the house, the brakes protesting slightly. Andrew tracked the quiet noises until the front door slammed open, and Tilda’s drunken stumbling echoing through the house. Across from him, Aaron stiffened, his eyes snapping open and landing on Andrew. He held his brothers gaze as they listened to Tilda curse and fumble, her heavy footsteps uneven as she came down the hall. She didn’t pause, and a moment later they heard the door to her bedroom slam shut. Aaron was still holding himself tight and still, his hand fisted in his sheets. Andrew watched, the world quiet again, until Aaron slowly relaxed, his eyes still on Andrew as they drifted shut.

He waited a little while longer, until he was sure his brother was asleep, before pulling out his phone again. Once again, he found a message waiting for him.

Nathaniel. But I hate that name

Running through the Raven’s lineup, Andrew came up blank. i dont know a nathaniel

No, you wouldn’t. Not yet

Andrew felt a glimmer of interest or maybe irritation spark in his chest before fading out just as quickly. how boring

I’m not here to entertain you

Amusement, maybe. But that still didn’t feel right for whatever he felt. why r you here

Why is your spelling so inconsistent? ‘Nathaniel’ asked.

is that ur question? itll cost you

So does everything. Is the answer worth it?

Andrew settled further against the wall, tucking his arm under his pillow. It was odd, this one. Just as deflective as he was forward. He wasn’t sure if he believed a word Nathaniel said, but something about them rang as truth.

is it ever?

It almost felt too honest, but Andrew couldn’t find it in himself to care either way. If he had seen Andrew’s file, it wouldn’t take much to put two and two together. An easy sunshine filled life was not in the words describing his past.

Yes. Nathaniel said. Or at least I hope so

an optimist? such a novelty

If you think that you don’t know me

i said that already nathaniel keep up

And I told you I hate that name

Unfortunately, Andrew knew all about that feeling. The oil dripping over his skin at the sound, his skin trying to tear itself open in protest. But Andrew had never been a kind or very sympathetic person. why

Is that your question? It’ll cost you

Oh, Andrew wanted to break him. To tug his lose threads until he unravelled and was nothing more than a mess at his feet. Then Andrew would move on to the next thing, a plague of his own. yes

This time, Nathaniel took long enough to answer that Andrew’s eyes had grown heavy and his thoughts slow. The steady flash of a notification pulled him from the edge of sleep, only to find yet another puzzle waiting for him.

It’s just another reminder where I came from

Yet another piece of unexpected honesty, leaving Andrew owing. i said no because i have no desire to be placed under someone. Each punch of his thumb was vicious in its finality.

The Again? Nathaniel sent back was almost enough for his temper to break. Andrew turned off his phone, but he didn’t sleep again.

#aftg #all for the game #the foxhole court #the raven king #the kings men #andrew minyard #neil josten #aaron minyard #the twinyards #para's fics #aftg fic wip

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sgtjbbhasmyheart · 4 years ago

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Drunk Texting Is(n’t) Bad for Your Health- Chapter One

Series Summary: Talk about your unconventional meet-cute! Bucky receives a text by mistake requesting he prove he's not Reader's sister. The easy dialogue between Reader and Bucky sparks a natural friendship, but could it lead to more? Bucky still deems himself unworthy of any form of affection or love. Reader is hellbent to prove him wrong. With the help of some (meddling) friends along the way, Bucky may get his happily-ever-after after all.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 2101

Chapter Warning: Bad Language Words, tiny bit of angst

A/N: I started this on AO3 awhile ago. Now that I have a blog dedicated primarily to just Marvel/Bucky, I thought I’d add it here, too. Enjoy!

DO NOT copy or replicate without my permission.

Bucky heard his phone buzz as he was tugging a butter-soft tee over his head. He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand next to his bed as he worked his arms into their respective holes.

9:36

Steve was long in bed already, so the text most likely wasn’t from him. Sam was on a me me kick-- No, what did he call them? Memes!-- of a disgruntled cat which he swore reminded him of the super soldier. He wouldn’t be surprised if it were him. Or possibly Nat. She picked up the new issue of Guns & Ammo the other day and was sending him pictures of a Mossberg MC1sc 9mm she was drooling over.

Smoothing the body of the shirt over his torso, Bucky ambled over to his bed. He snatched up the phone from the navy blue comforter and flipped it over. To his amazement, the text wasn’t from Sam or Nat. Or even Steve.

(917) 460-5480 work thing boring af. kinda tied one on. might be late meeting you tomorrow

He blinked several times at the message, uncertain how to respond. It was a wrong number, right? Bucky hadn’t made plans with anyone for tomorrow that he could remember. Plus, everyone he knew had the same work thing. And it was rarely boring.

Definitely a wrong number.

He set the phone down near the clock, choosing to ignore the text. Hopefully, whoever this person was, figured out quickly they were texting the wrong number and moved on.

Bucky pulled back the covers before climbing into bed. His body melted into the mattress, muscles relaxing for the first time since breakfast. Training had been non-stop all day today. It felt good to just be, for once.

He grabbed the book he was reading off the nightstand and opened it to the spot he left off. He cleared his mind, as best he could, and concentrated on the words on the page.

A few pages in, his phone vibrated alive again. Another text message.

(917) 460-5480 sis dont be mad youd be drinking too if you had to sit thru one of these business dinners

Bucky sighed. He had hoped his radio silence would have clued this person into their mistake. Wishful thinking. Before he could punch out a reply, another text came through.

(917) 460-5480 timmons is droning on about this new client. kill me now

He quickly typed out a reply:

(917) 308-3117 I think you sent this to me by mistake.

Bucky watched the text indicator pulse as this unknown person worked out their response.

(917) 460-5480 haha very funny sis

Bucky huffed at this person’s disbelief, thumbs working on typing out his next message.

(917) 308-3117 I’m not trying to be funny. I can’t be someone’s sister when I’m a man.

He set the phone down on the nightstand again, hoping this person finally took a hint. He opened his book back up to the current page, taking a deep breath.

The room’s silence was broken again by the loud thrumming of his phone skittering across the surface of the black wood veneer.

(917) 460-5480 how does kevin feel about this so close to the wedding???

(917)460-5480 will you still need a wedding dress or will you just get a tux???

(917) 460-5480 am i still your maid of honor???

Bucky chuckled at this girl (no, young woman) asking the essential questions.

(917) 308-3117 Your sister did not get a sex change. Yes, she will still need a wedding dress. Yes, you are still her maid of honor. Like I said before, wrong number.

An almost immediate reply came through.

(917) 460-5480 prove it

Bucky grew slightly irritated at the insinuation. Why couldn’t she take his word for it? He exhaled loudly through his nose.

(917) 308-3117 How?

A few moments passed before the device juddered in the palm of his large hand.

(917) 460-5480 selfie

Bucky blanched at the request. He could feel the color drain from his face, only to immediately heat with a blush. A selfie? That is the last thing he wanted to do.

Although he’d been exonerated for his crimes as The Winter Soldier, he still knew about the dislike people felt about him as a person, in general. They couldn’t get past the brainwashing or other persona. God knows he still struggled with it.

He couldn’t go broadcasting his face through texts to a stranger. What if she was one of those who didn’t understand he had no say in what he did or what happened to him under Hydra’s control?

What if he ignored the solicitation? He could do that. Maybe even turn off his phone.

She did seem the type to be very persistent until she got what she wanted.

True to form, another text rang through.

(917) 460-5480 i will keep texting until i see your manly face

One corner of his lips quirked higher. Yup, persistent.

He navigated to the camera app on his phone and switched it to selfie mode. He stared at the damp locks falling to his shoulders. His beard would require a trim soon, but it wasn’t scraggly. Luckily, he’d had the hindsight to shave his neckbeard in the shower earlier.

Was he considering this? Some girl says jump, and he asks how high?

He combed metal fingers through his hair, blowing out a breath.

(917) 460-5480 im waiting

Bucky growled at the text, running a hand over his face. “Okay, okay. Give me a second,” he said to his phone. He held it up to head height, half an arm’s length away.

Click!

He previewed the picture, assuring himself it didn’t reveal too much. It was, somehow, off-center, containing a bearded chin and half a smirked mouth, one nostril, and a half-lidded eye.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Bucky pulled the messaging app back up and then sent off the picture. He tossed the phone aside, not wanting to watch the taunting blinking dots as he waited for a reply.

The picture was barely recognizable, but someone like Steve or Nat could tell it was him. It would be okay. No one would know.

His phone vibrated violently near him on the bed. Bucky cautiously plucked the device up, debating whether he wanted to read her reply. What if it said, “Holy shit! You’re The Winter Soldier!”? The hope of this woman thinking he was just some regular guy knotted up his stomach. He didn’t know why he cared so much about whether this stranger thought he was The Soldier or not. He had no control over who believed the lies perpetrated as truth through the media. He could only wish for the best.

He blew out the breath he was holding in and eyed the phone’s screen.

(917) 460-5480 is it fair to say men shouldnt be allowed to have long eyelashes??

Bucky laughed and immediately thought of poor Steve.

(917) 308-3117 You should see my buddy’s. The girls swoon and complain at the same time.

He quickly added to the message thread:

(917) 308-3117 Am I correct to assume you believe I’m a man and not your sister?

The response was swift.

(917) 460-5480 oh shit ur not my sister

(917) 460-5480 this isnt 9173083447?

Bucky laughed again, the tension in his chest slowly unfurling.

(917) 308-3117 Unfortunately for you-- no.

(917) 460-5480 ugh im such an idiot sorry for the shit i said

(917) 308-3117 Don’t worry about it. I had a good laugh at your expense.

(917) 460-5480 oh god now i feel like a bigger ass

Bucky suddenly felt like backpedaling. He hadn’t meant for her to feel bad about her mistake. It was cute in a roundabout way.

(917) 308-3117 Please don’t be embarrassed. It was the highlight of my night.

(917) 460-5480 me forcing u to prove ur a man was the best part of ur night??

Bucky thought for a moment. Was it the best part? The training sessions had become monotonous lately, even with the new agents. The team hadn’t been on any missions in a few weeks, so it was pretty accurate to say he was bored around the compound.

(917) 308-3117 I suppose it was. Work’s been a little slow, and there’s only so much training you can do before it becomes tedious.

(917) 460-5480 training? r u in the military? ooh, r u an athlete??

A laugh bubbled up from his chest. It was comical to see her try to guess his profession. His selfie hadn’t announced who he was to her after all.

(917) 308-3117 Something like that.

(917) 460-5480 so mysterious! r u some assassin who needs to keep his identity secret? is that y ur selfie only showed a quarter of ur face??

He paled at the implication. Maybe she did know and was yanking his chain. How did he block numbers again?

Another text came through from the mystery woman:

(917) 460-5480 not that i mind u have a luscious mouth

Bucky guffawed at the comment as flames rose beneath the skin of his cheeks. He hadn’t remembered blushing this much in such a short amount of time in decades.

(917) 308-3117 How much have you had to drink tonight, doll?

(917) 460-5480 doll?? what r u my grandpa??

He chuckled again. God, he was old enough and then some.

(917) 460-5480 enough to not want to shoot my brains out but not enough to know this dinner isnt a party

(917) 308-3117 Maybe you should get back to your dinner? I don’t want to get you into trouble.

He regretted the text the second he pressed send. Was he trying to get rid of her? No. Or was he looking out for her? This person he knew nothing about. She was more entertaining than the recurring nightmare he’d been having for the last week, that's for sure. He'd cling to this unknown to avoid slipping into that black abyss.

(917) 460-5480 aww does the military-trained assassin athlete mchottie not want to talk with me anymore?? 🙁

(917) 308-3117 No!! I’m honestly concerned you’ll be reprimanded if you pay more attention to your phone than Timmons.

The last thing Bucky needed was to feel more guilt, especially if it was at the expense of someone’s livelihood. His shoulders were already heavy enough.

(917) 460-5480 thats sweet but dont worry ur pretty little head over me timmons wouldnt last a day w/o me

(917) 460-5480 timmons may be the boss but i run that office

He simpered at her swagger. He could only imagine what kind of office she worked in because, again, a total stranger. Did he want to get to know her more, or was this a one and done thing? Would she wake up tomorrow and want to continue the conversation or blow him off for the drunken mistake her first text had been?

Bucky stared at his phone for several more minutes, pondering precisely what he was doing and what his expectations of the night were. It’s not like he was going to meet her in person, right? Was he that delusional? He was an Avenger now. He didn’t get a social life. Not that he had one before but still.

He was startled from his reverie as the phone shook in his hand.

(917) 460-5480 did i scare you away??

(917) 308-3117 No. Just thinking about tomorrow.

(917) 460-5480 shit a military-trained assassin athlete mchottie must have a lot to prepare for mentally ill let u get ur rest

He smiled at the gesture. If only she knew.

(917) 308-3117 Send me a text when you get home. I want to make sure you arrived okay.

(917) 460-5480 such a gentleman! i don’t want to wake u if ur asleep tho

(917) 308-3117 I doubt I’ll be sleeping, but it’ll help ease my mind.

(917) 460-5480 alright ill shoot a text ttfn

(917) 308-3117 ttfn?

(917) 460-5480 ta ta for now god u r a grandpa

(917) 308-3117 Yeah, yeah

Bucky’s mouth split into yet, another grin as he set his phone down once again on the nightstand. He picked up his discarded book and found his place on the page. After a few minutes of re-reading the same paragraph over and over, he slipped the bookmark into the gutter of the book. His mind was too preoccupied with the thought of some random girl in the city at a boring work dinner. He realized he hadn’t stopped smiling since they temporarily said goodbye.

Maybe there was a good chance this conversation would carry into tomorrow.

CHAPTER TWO

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky fanfiction #bucky fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic

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i-did · 4 years ago

Note

Do you have any thoughts on the way “fuck you Nora” impacts things like ships, in particular the recent sentiment that andreil is toxic and other fanon ships are objectively better and healthier that’s in pockets of the fandom. Like I’ve definitely seen it in the Kevin-centric niche the most but even outside of that there’s this belief that things like jerejean and renison would be very soft and healthy when there’s no proof of that. It’s almost like plausible deniability because (1/2)

andreil has canon strengths and flaws that are irrefutable, so when they ship things like Jerejean kevjean that don’t interact they feel a license to make it “better” because they know better than Nora if that makes sense. And Kandrew and kevineil are pitched as being healthier than andreil, among fans who say they wish the kandreil draft was canon where Nora has said multiple times, even when she talks about how fun they were to write that k/a were “obsessive” (2/2)

Yeah I definitely think “fuck you Nora” can play into it, sort of like how for a while most marriage or “I love you” HC posts started or ended with “fuck you Nora”.

I think andreil are such a unique relationship dynamic of two very “difficult and violent” people ending up together, so I understand why they also get called toxic and flawed a lot. Tbh I can’t really see Andrew or Neil with anyone else, I think they fit together well and what works and is healthy for them just won't work or be healthy for everyone else.

I also agree in the plausible deniability aspect, sometimes I think these fans take these characters and names and general situations, and make them into OC’s and/or props to fulfill troupes. The nature of fan creation is to play around with canon.

I personally don’t think the average college boy would be emotionally prepared or equipped enough to be a healthy pairing for a recently escaped lifelong human trafficking and cult survivor who just narrowly survived. And I don’t think Kevin who held power over Jean in the nest at number 2 instead of 3 as well as Riko’s partner, would be healthy either. Kevin himself talks about how it was different for him than for Jean, it was worse for Jean since he was a “lower rank.” I think the idea Kevjean is better than Kevin and Thea comes partially from the belief that gay=better in fandom, and the ‘pair the spare’ mentality.

I also personally think that both Kandrew and Daysten/Kevineil are not good fits either. I’ve talked about it before and explained why I think Kandrew is unhealthy and am not really interested in exploring it, but for Kevineil I personally think they… fight too much I guess. You get in arguments with your friends as well as partners, but the way they affect you and power works can be very different, and the type of arguments are also typically different. I think they're fine as friends, but I think they would need a lot more outside of canon growth and development to be a fit romantically. I don’t care what others want to ship or explore, I just personally don’t see much appeal with either dynamic.

I think people who say “this would be healthier” are usually imagining their ideas and HC’s and version of the character rather than the canon one, as well as just… their personal idea of what is “healthier” and what a good relationship “looks like”.

Also you briefly mention Renesion as being depicted/perceived as “softer and healthier” too. From what I see of Renesion its very… just kinda there. Usually there isn't a lot of development or they're just sort of in the background of another fic. The Renee and Allison in canon would not pair well together imo either, I also mention this somewhere in an earlier ask as well. I'm all for wlw pairs and ships, and I've read like a decently long Renesion fic my friend @wishbonetea wrote called “The Gracekeepers” where they do actually have chemistry, but are growing differently than they do in canon. In canon Renee is a “bad person trying very hard to be a good person.” she’s anti-negative talk and avoids speaking ill of others or expressing negative or harsh opinions. Allison has recently escaped a stuffy rich people environment where all their words are cloaked and all compliments are backhanded and no one really says what they’re thinking, Allison’s personal growth from this is to let it out and say what she really thinks, who give a fuck if they think she's rude or unladylike, it's her feelings. Also Renee’s past is often just depicted as this cool thing rather than something very truamatizing that she struggles with, makes it hard for her to genuinely connect with others and be her ‘real self’, and Allison's on-again off-again boyfriend just died, and she was there the night it happened. I haven't seen any fics actually explore these topics, just kinda ship them since “pair the spare.” (if any of you know any fics that address this or focus on it lmk)

I'm not going to hold their chemistry to a higher standard than mlm ships tho, I've seen people ship almost all the male characters together in the tags but obviously don’t do as much content for the women, which is a shame because some of the fox ladies have interesting potential chemistry. Dan and Renee have a very interesting dynamic in the EC and Nora herself said if she were to ship the fox ladies it would be Dan with Renee. I personally have high standards for ‘shipping’ I guess, sometimes I vaguely think “oh this could be interesting” but rarely do I actively explore it. I'm a pretty canon focused consumer, I never watched supernatural thinking ‘dustiel’ or even picked up on the queer-baiting until much later. I don't care about shipping the way most fans seem to. I like to imagine Andrew and Neil meeting in their late 60’s or so, or even not meeting the other and being single and having fulfilling lives that way too, which is not a common way to ‘show affection’ to characters.

I agree with you and think it comes down to plausible deniability and this urge to ‘defy Nora’–be all edgy to an author who stopped listening–as well as pair the spare and fandom culture of shipping at its core. Shipping is seen as a good/better treatment of the characters and “what they deserve” a lot.

#ask #fandom culture #mailob #damn its 4 am why did i answer this now #i have work tomorrow lmfao #i hope u see this anon

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myveryownfanfiction · 5 years ago

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Chapter 2

When I walked into the office the next morning, I looked in Andy’s office to see Jim, Pam, Kevin and Andy having some discussion. I decided to ignore it unless they called me in on it. I got to work right away, only being distracted when Robert walked in.

“Good morning Robert.” I smiled at him as he passed my desk. He returned my smile and squeezed my shoulder as he passed.

“Good morning (Y/N).” Robert turned back to me before going into the conference room. “You free after Dwight’s Sabre meeting?” I nodded. “Good. I’m going to meet with Andy and you right after.”

“Sounds good.” I nodded again as I made a note of it. Robert smiled at me again before heading into the conference room. A few minutes later, the meeting in Andy’s office ended and everyone filtered out. It was a surprisingly quiet morning. Before we knew it, Dwight was calling us into the conference room for his meeting. I rolled my eyes at Dwight as he filtered us in and immediately moved to the back to sit next to Robert. “If I fall asleep, don’t bother waking me until it’s over.” I joked as I sat down. Robert chuckled.

“Are Dwight’s meetings that bad?” Robert asked as he put his arm around the back of my chair. Seeing Dwight was about to start his meeting, I nodded.

“You’re about to see.” I whispered.

“This week we are rolling out the brand new Sabre tablet...the Pyramid.” Dwight held up a triangle shaped tablet. I sent Robert a confused look.

“Not my idea.” he leaned closer so I could hear him. I giggled as I nodded my understanding. We looked back at Dwight to see him shaking his head.

“Oh no no no. Without the battery pack and optional memory booster, it’s barely three pounds.” Dwight’s arms were clearly shaking as he held the tablet.

“How much memory does it have without the booster?” Ryan spoke up. I leaned closer to Robert.

“What is this? I know it isn’t your idea but did you really approve this idea?” I turned my head to see Robert’s reaction. He was watching Dwight with confusion clear on his face.

“I don’t…” Robert turned towards me and gave me a shy smile. “I may have been drunk.” I quickly covered my mouth to hide my laugh. We sat listening to the end of Dwight’s meeting, sharing glances and trying to hide our laughter. Once it was finished, we waited for Andy outside his office and tried to get our laughter under control. The door opened as soon as we finished laughing.

“Hi dad!” Andy said. I have him a confused look. In any other situation, I would be on the floor laughing but the look on Robert’s face kept sober. “Ah. Oh boy.” Robert brushed over the mistake and walked into the office.

“Hello Andy.” He looked at Andy’s tie. “Excellent tie.” Erin peaked her head in.

“Would you be requiring a cold beverage while you’re here?” She asked. Robert looked at Andy while he answered.

“I’d love some coffee.” Erin nodded as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Robert looked over at me as we sat down in front of Andy’s desk. “I was looking over your projections and I think we can do better.” I bit my lip as I watched Andy crumble.

“Are you factoring in the...whole national...economy...declining and all that?” Andy was clearly grasping at nothing. Robert gave him a strange look.

“Are these projections for Andy personally or everyone?” I jumped in. Robert looked at me.

“The entire office.” He turned his attention back to Andy. “Andy, do you know why I chose you?”

“I think I can sum it up with what I think is your favorite ice cream flavor.” Andy paused while Robert looked at him. “Vanilla?” Robert chuckled.

“Vanilla? No no no no. You’ll never guess in a million billion years.” He shook his head. I made a mental note to ask him what it was later.

“You were saying you chose me.” Andy deflated. “There was a reason?”

“Andy, can you inspire? Do you have that skill set?” Robert looked at Andy expectantly. Andy was saved by Erin walking back into the office. “Oh! Thank you. Uhm…” The cup Erin was holding was filled to the brim.

“Oh, sorry.” Erin said as she looked around.

“Put it on the desk Erin.” I whispered. She nodded as she set it down. Robert leaned down and sipped it. He drew back in shock.

“That’s very cold.” I looked between Robert and Erin. At least that explained why she hadn’t brunt her hands.

“Yeah. It’s old.” Erin smiled. I looked at her confused. I opened my mouth to say something but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Why would I…?” Robert looked at me and then at Erin, confusion clear on his face.

“I asked if you wanted a cold beverage and you said coffee.” Erin said, confusion clear in her voice.

“Why don’t we get Robert a nice hot fresh cup and I’ll have this.” Andy cut in. Robert looked at Andy before sharing a look with me. We watched their exchange. When Erin left the office again, Robert turned back to Andy with a smirk.

“You like her.” He stated. Andy looked at me and back to Robert. Clearly Andy was thinking the same thing as me. If it was that clear Andy liked Erin, how clear was it that I liked Robert?

“You know, we’ve both been into each other at different times and just never really synced up. Now we’re in this weird dance…” Andy attempted to explain himself.

“I’m afraid you’ve lost my interest.” Robert cut him off, sending a look my way. He walked out of the office and I quickly followed. Andy came out behind me. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards Robert, Andy and I. “If the office superstore was supposed to put us little suppliers out of business, why are we still here?” I watched Robert, trying to figure out what he was doing. Kevin raised his hand.

“This is where we go.” He said. I nodded and smiled at him. At least he had the guts to actually answer Robert.

“Oh, you’d go someplace else.” Robert chuckled and looked around the room. “That’s not it. That’s not the answer.” It dawned on me what Robert was trying to do.

“It’s an answer.” Kevin pushed. Robert looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He was clearly not used to being challenged.

“It’s a wrong answer.” He stated. I bit my lip, knowing full well Kevin was going to keep going until Robert cut him off.

“There are no wrong answers.” Kevin shot back. I flashed him a smile again and Kevin nodded in triumph. It was short lived though.

“Take a look at where you are, where you once worked in a dying industry, you now work at its birth.” Robert said. He turned away from Kevin and I made a note to bring him something for his efforts the next day. “Those superstores are terrified of us. Anybody know why?” I held up my hand to Kevin and shook my head. He had done his best for the day. He didn’t need Robert going after him.

“Wait,” Phyllis looked at Stanley. “They’re terrified?” Robert chuckled.

“Let me tell you how I buy something these days. I know what I want, I go to the internet, I get the best price. Or I don’t know what I want and I go to a small store that can help me. The era of personal service is back. You are back. You’ll find that customers will pay our higher prices and then they will thank us, and we will say to them ‘you are welcome.’” Robert nodded at the office as they applauded him. He turned towards Andy and me. “Adnrew, I chose you for a reason. Lead these people. Show me the best numbers this place has ever seen. Last quarter we saw 4% growth. Double it.” My eyes widened. That was a lot to ask of the office.

“You got it.” Andy said. I stepped in.

“Robert, I’m not sure…” Robert cut me off.

“Double it.” He started to walk out of the office. I tailed him.

“Done.” Andy called after him.

“Robert.” I stopped him just outside the office.

“I’m not kidding (Y/N). I want it doubled.” He said as he leaned against the wall. I nodded.

“I get that and trust me it’d be great if it happened. But it's going to take some time.” I shook my head. “I don’t know if we can double it this quarter. Eventually sure but not this quarter.” Robert drew closer to me.

“Double.” He said as he put his hands on my shoulders. “I know the office can do it. Andy can inspire them to do it. If he fails, so be it. It’s on him. But they will at least look to him for incentive.” I closed my eyes and sighed.

“Fine.” I shook my head. “What role do I play in this?” I opened my eyes and gazed at Robert. It was hard to keep my blush down when he was standing so close to me.

“You don’t have one.” Robert said with a smile. “All you have to do is keep me informed. It’s the easiest job out of anyone in the office.” I nodded.

“I’ll keep you posted on what Andy does.” I sighed. Robert nodded.

“I’ll be back later in the day.” He smiled. “I’ll see you then.” Robert leaned in and kissed my cheek before starting off towards the elevator. “Oh. By the way, would you like to get dinner tonight?” he leaned around the corner, a nervous smile on his face. I looked at him wide eyed.

“That...that sounds lovely.” I gasped. Robert chuckled and nodded.

“Great! I’ll text you the details later.” He sent another smile my way. “It is a little obvious (Y/N). I know you were wondering earlier.” He called back as he turned back towards the elevators and got in. I stood in place, shock filling my body. As I finally snapped out of it and started walking back into the office, a blush covered my cheeks. I walked in to see Andy sitting on Jim’s desk and everyone looking at him.

“I was thinking about Robert. Man. What a boss.” Andy saw me walk to my desk in a daze. “Just throws down goals, you know? Anyway, how’s the sales doubling project going?” Jim sent me a look as well but I made a motion that meant I would tell him later.

“Yeah, how are we supposed to do that.” Phyllis said, sending a look at me. “We can’t just press a magic button.” Andy nodded.

“Of course not. There’s no magic button. You have to summon that.” He chuckled.

“If we could just double our sales, we already would have. You’re not making any sense.” Stanley shot back. I snapped out of my daze and gazed around the room. Everyone was throwing looks at me.

“He brings up two good points. Do you have any new leads? Any new territories you want us to look into?” Jim looked over at me. “Maybe have an in with a big client that we can get our foot in the door?” I pointed at Jim and started digging through Michael’s old accounts. If there was anything there we could get a start at an attempt to win back some old clients.

“Dwight, anything?” Andy asked, watching me fly through the papers.

“We could talk about how fast children grow up, and before you know it they’re out of the house.” Dwight said, clearly taking a shot at Jim.

“You know what? We need to get our heads out of the box. If we did have something what would it look like? What would it be?” Andy said. I gave up on the pile of old clients and shook my head at Jim. He raised his hand again. “Tuna.”

“New leads, a new territory to look into, maybe an in with a big company that we could get our foot in the door…” Jim trailed off. Everyone was looking at me again.

“Good sesh.” Andy said as he stood up. He tripped and I had to fight back a laugh. “That leg is asleep.” He started to limp towards his office. “Oh (Y/N). Meeting in five in my office.” I nodded as I went through the list of clients that Jim had pulled up on his computer.

“Ok now tell us.” Dwight leaned over to join the little group that had gathered around my desk. I turned read as I looked at the group. Jim and Pam were looking at me like they knew what had gotten me so red. Dwight was looking at me like I would tell him I lost the assistant manager position and he had gotten it back. Angela was looking at me like I had grown another head, which wasn’t all that different from how she normally looked at me. Erin looked like it was story time which was kind of cute if I had to admit it. I looked at the camera and sighed.

“Robert is testing Andy.” I said. “He wants the numbers for this quarter doubled. He seriously does. And this is his way of making Andy prove that he was right to make him manager.”

“There should be a different way aside from making everyone else do the hard work.” Jim said. “Is there nothing you can do about it (Y/N)?” I shook my head.

“Believe me. I tried. It was just short of following him out of the building and arguing with him.” I sighed, fighting the grin that was threatening to take over my face. “There is absolutely nothing that can be done about this. We just have to figure out some way that we can double our sales.” Everyone nodded before heading back to their desks. I bit my lip as I noticed Jim, Pam, and Dwight were still looking at me expectantly. “What?” I asked, looking at each of them in turn.

“Don’t what us.” Pam said. “We saw the way that you came back in here. Robert said something to you.” I blushed and ducked my head.

“What did he say?” Dwight asked. He leaned on his desk, clearly expecting something that involved the office.

“Swear you won’t tell anyone.” I looked at the three of them. I knew there was a habit of the whole office finding out everyone’s secrets. I wasn’t taking any chances. Not this time. “Swear it.”

“We swear.” The three chorused.

“Now what did he tell you?” Pam leaned closer to me and stared with rapt attention. I smiled at her enthusiasm and knew that she would be asking me a million questions for the rest of the week.

“Robert asked me to dinner.” I whispered. Pam’s jaw dropped and Jim ran a hand down his face. Dwight looked at me and shook his head before getting back to work.

“What did you say?” Pam said quietly. I blushed.

“I said yes.” I smiled as Pam’s smile grew. Jim shook his head.

“Why would you do it?” Jim asked. Pam sent him a look.

“Jim. Don’t say that.” Pam scolded him.

“I did it because I like him.” I shot back. “And while many of you see him as a creep or odd or maybe even think he’s borderline crazy, I think that’s what makes him a good CEO and a good person. So say what you want Jim. I’m going to do what I think is right.” Jim sighed before shaking his head.

“Fine. But don’t forget he is the CEO.” Jim said. “And that he is a fairly creepy guy. Even if he is a genius.” Pam squeezed my hand and smiled at me.

“It’s going to go great. I just know it.” She said. “Tell me everything tomorrow.” I nodded and struggled a little to get back to work. Before long, Andy was calling everyone into the conference room.

“Thanks for coming in guys.” Andy said as we all filled in. I took a spot next to Jim and Pam since Robert wasn’t there to amuse me.

“You don’t have to thank us for coming in.” Phyllis said as she took a seat. “It’s our job.”

“Well I never got thanks for coming into a meeting and I always wanted to be so I’m gonna thank people.” Andy sassed her. I sighed and rubbed my forehead at his actions. This was not going to end well.

“What’s with the blanket?” I finally asked as everyone settled into their seats. Andy removed it with a flourish.

“This is what’s under the blanket.” Andy said. I closed my eyes and sighed. I doubted that this is what Robert had in mind when he told Andy to inspire the office.

“We don’t get it.” Oscar said.

“These are incentives. It’s how we’re gonna double growth. Now, you’re probably all asking yourselves: ‘Well, how does this work?’” Andy was putting on a show and I did not want to see where it went.

“Seems like a basic reward system where you give us points, and then we redeem those points for prizes.” Pam jumped in.

“You’re exactly right and you get a point.” Andy smiled at her. I rolled my eyes and stood up.

“And I’m out.” I said, moving towards the door.

“How does one get a point?” I heard Meredith ask as I made my way to my desk. Shaking my head, I pulled out my phone. I sat down and looked at the contact I pulled up. Biting my lip, I pressed the dial button.

“Hello?” The voice on the other end answered.

“Hi Michael.” I breathed out. I heard the smile on the other end of the line even though I could not see it.

“(Y/N)!” Michael exclaimed. “What’s shaking?” I laughed and walked into the annex.

“Can’t I just call my favorite manager?” I joked. Michael laughed.

“You can but that’s not what you do.” He said. I sighed. “What’s happening at the office?” I spent the next ten minutes filling him in. “Is that all?” Michael sighed.

“Michael, I don’t know what to do.” I ran a hand down my face. “I’m being asked by the CEO to effectively spy on the rest of the office. On top of that, I’m going to go out with him.” I stood up and started pacing. “What do I do? How do I handle this?”

“(Y/N), you need to breathe.” Michael said calmly. “You do what has been asked of you. But you do it on your terms. Give him what you think he should know. If you think all he should know is the basics, then tell him the basics. If you think he should know everything, then tell him everything.” I nodded even though he couldn’t see me.

“And what about….” I sighed. “The other part?” Michael laughed.

“(Y/N), you really expect me to give you advice on that?” He teased. “I married the woman everyone told me not to go after. Do you honestly think I am going to be the one to tell you not to go out with him?” I laughed.

“I suppose you are right Michael.” I admitted. “Speaking of, how is Holly?” Michael sighed.

“Her parents aren’t doing that great but she’s doing fairly well otherwise.” He said.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” I said quietly. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m good. A little bored spending all day at home with the kids.” Michael waited for the ball to drop.

“Kids?” I exclaimed. “Michael, you’re a dad?”

“Yeah. Best thing that ever happened to me.” He said.

“That’s what she said.” I giggled. Michael’s laugh came over the line and I felt myself finally relax for the first time that day. “In all seriousness Michael, congrats.”

“Thanks (Y/N).” He said happily.

“Well, I guess I’ll let you get back to the kids then. Thanks for all of your help Michael. It means an awful lot to me that you actually answered.” I said.

“I’ll always pick up the phone for you (Y/N). You know that.” He said. “I’m always there for any of you. And I always will be.”

“I know Michael.” I confirmed.

“Tell you what, one day you bring that CEO of yours around and introduce me to him. We’ll see if he’s good enough for you.” Michael teased.

“I’ll do that Michael. I’ll talk to you later.” I said, tears threatening to spill over. Michael said his goodbyes and hung up. I wiped away the tears and pulled up Robert’s contact. Michael was still looking out for me, even though he wasn’t in Scranton anymore. I went back into the main office and looked at everyone bustling around.

“What’s going on?” I asked Pam. She was smiling and working on some drawings.

“Andy said if we get five thousand points, he’ll get a tattoo on his ass.” She said before showing me a couple of drawings. My mouth fell open as I looked at the drawings.

“How many points do you have now?” I asked. Pam looked at Jim.

“Halfway there.” He said. Looking around the office, I nodded as I started to walk out of the office. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. Finding the one I was looking for, I pressed call and waited for Robert to answer his phone.

“Robert California.” I smiled at the way he answered his phone.

“Hi Robert. It’s (Y/N).” I said.

“(Y/N)! I was actually just going to call you. How are things at the office?” He asked. I bit my lip and made a split second decision about what to tell him.

“Andy found an incentive.” I said. “He had the office halfway to the amount that they need to get him to get a tattoo on his butt.” Robert chuckled.

“That’s how he’s doing it?” He asked. The absurdity of the act finally caught up to me.

“Yeah. That’s what he’s doing.” I said. “It’s ridiculous but it’s working.”

“That’s good.” Robert said. I heard cheering coming from the office. “What’s that noise?”

“Hold on let me check.” I walked back into the office and nearly dropped my phone when I saw the points total. “Holy shit they did it. In one day. They’ve doubled sales and gotten enough points for Andy to have to get a tattoo.” Robert gasped on the other end of the line.

“They seriously did it?” He asked, astonished.

“They did it Robert.” I breathed. I looked around the office as everyone filed into the conference room. “They really did it.”

“Were you going to go with them when Andy….” Robert trails off, leaving the question unasked.

“I didn’t plan on it.” I said. “That wasn’t something I particularly wanted to see. Why do you ask?” I heard Robert chuckle on the other end.

“Did you want to move our date up?” He asked. I rubbed my bottom lip.

“Am I going to get out of work for the rest of the day? Or do I have to wait to finish my work some other time?” I asked. Robert chuckled and I had to turn towards my desk to hide the blush that was coloring my face. I started to gather my belongings and head out the door.

“You are out of work for the rest of the day. But I will have to dock the pay.” Robert teased. I laughed and left a note for Pam on her desk.

“That’s okay sir. I’ll just stay late tomorrow to make it back.” I teased him back. “Where are we going? This way I know where to meet you.” I had entered the elevator and was headed out to the parking lot.

“About that…” Robert trailed off.

“What do you…” I laughed as I walked outside and saw Robert leaning against his car with his phone pressed to his ear. Robert hung up and came over to me. “You do like the element of surprise.” I stood in front of him and shook my head.

“Is that really so bad?” He asked, gently taking my belongings from me. I shook my head.

“No. It’s not.” I made my way over to his car and opened the trunk. Robert smiled as he put my stuff in there and closed it.

“I have to do an interview and then we can leave.” He said and I nodded before getting in the car. He walked off to join the camera crew and they started filming. I listened in while checking my messages from Pam. Apparently they changed the design last minute and gave Andy a dog that was dressed like him. “Why did I choose Andy to run the office? Because he’s all surface, uncomplicated. What you see is what you get. Could be a recipe for mediocrity, yes, but then again, it might just be why people fight for him.” I smiled at Robert’s comments about Andy. “There’s something about an underdog that really inspires,” he paused and I looked over at him. “The unexceptional.” The crew nodded to show that he was done and he walked back over to the car. Getting in, Robert looked at me. “What?” I smiled and shook my head.

“Nothing.” I said. Robert gave me a look. “Ok just that was actually pretty good. I didn’t realize you chose him because the office would do anything for him just as much as he would do anything for them.” Robert smiled and started the car before pulling out of the parking lot.

“Sometimes people surprise you.” He said. Looking over at me, Robert paused. “And sometimes people make you think twice about what you are doing.” I played with the hem of my shirt.

“I make you think twice?” I asked. Robert nodded and cocked his head.

“In a good way.” He assured me. “You had me second guessing the whole double the figures speech I gave Andy the second I stepped into the elevator. And since that first day I’ve been thinking about how you should have become manager and not Andy. But the little stunt he pulled today, I’m not quite sure you would have been able to do that.” I laughed and shook my head.

“No way would I let them design a tattoo and put it on my ass!” Robert laughed and I rolled up my sleeve. “I let my friends talk me into getting a group one when we graduated. It ended up terribly because we let the least artistic person in the group design it.” I showed Robert the tattoo on the inside of my arm by the elbow.

“What is it supposed to be?” He asked as we pulled up to a stop light and he looked at my arm.

“The eye of Horus.” I laughed. “Surrounded by a crown. Even though you wouldn’t tell at first glance.” Robert looked closer and nodded.

“I can see it once you point it out.” He chuckled before taking off down the street again.

“Which is exactly why I wouldn’t let anyone design a tattoo for me ever again.” I rolled down my sleeve and smiled at him. “Even Pam and she’s a great artist.”

“Understandable.” Robert said as he pulled into the parking lot of an apartment building. “Is this ok?” I looked at him confused. “It’s my apartment. I thought we could maybe cook something up and have dinner in.” My gaze softened as I nodded.

“That actually sounds like fun.” I said. Robert smiled as he got out and came around the car to open my door. I got out and followed him up to his apartment. “It’s nice.” I said when Robert led me through the tour.

“It’s really not.” He said with a laugh. “But I’m glad you like it.” He finished the tour in the kitchen where we got to work right away. We kept each other entertained while cooking and at one point, Robert wrapped his arms around my waist as I stood at the stove. I turned my head to look at him and saw that he had the biggest smile on his face.

“Hi.” I said as I returned his smile. “Can I help you?” Robert laughed and shook his head.

“Nope.” He said, pulling me closer to him. I giggled as I quickly put down the spoon that I was using to stir the pot of sauce. “Just enjoying myself and the company.”

“That’s good to hear.” I teased as I put my hands on top of his. “But can I go back to making sure the sauce doesn’t burn?” Robert loosened his hold on me and I moved closer to the stove again. I gently tugged him with me and settled back into him as we waited for the food to finish cooking. Not long after, we made our plates and went to sit at the table. Sitting down, we started to eat. Throughout the dinner we asked each other questions about our lives and things we didn’t already know.

“I want to warn you, I’m in the middle of a divorce right now.” Robert said hesitantly. “She’s got the house right now and I would have taken you there if it wasn’t for her.” I nodded.

“That’s fine.” I said, waving a hand at the comment about the house. “As long as I’m not breaking up something. I don’t mind.” Robert seemed to sag in relief before raising an eyebrow.

“What about you?” He asked.

“In the middle of a divorce?” I laughed and shook my head. “Nope. Never even been married and definitely no significant other.” Robert cocked his head at me.

“Well, I would have expected that someone like you would have…” Robert broke off and waved his hand.

“Nah.” I shook my head again. “Tried that in college and it didn’t work out all that well. They were an ass. Decided it would happen when it happened after that.” Robert nodded and the dinner quieted down after that. Once we had cleared the table and cleaned up, we settled down to watch a little television. Robert put his arm over the back of the couch and I rested my head on his shoulder. It was late when Robert drove me back to the office to get my car. He helped me transfer my stuff from his trunk to mine before opening my door for me.

“I had fun tonight (Y/N).” He said, stalling for time. I nodded and smiled at him.

“I did too.” I said. “Best date I’ve ever had.” Robert smiled before reaching for my hand. I put my hand in his. Robert lifted it and kissed my knuckles.

“So does that mean I get a second date?” He asked, lips still poised over my knuckles.

#James Spader #james spader imagine #james spader fanfic #james spader fanfiction #james spader x reader #robert california #robert california x reader #robert california fanfic #robert california fanfiction #robert california imagine #the office #the office imagine #the office fanfic #the office fanfiction #the office x reader

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ofstarsandfireflies · 4 years ago

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Ahh the 90’s

God, I feel old.

Here’s a little enemies to friends to lovers movie!

They were both adults, even if they didn’t act like it most of the time.

They were both friends, even though they’d never met each other face to face.

They were both in failing relationships, and could find solace in talking to one another about them.

That’s how it started to mean more to them, like they were cheating on their partners without anything scandalous being read or sent.

Each was a secret who knew everything about them, more than anyone else would care to know.

And each liked that they kept their identities secret from the other.

Only, that wasn’t really the case.

Through their messenger, they could talk with the other about anything.

Outside of that though, it felt like Tony and Stephen were at war with one another.

They were both in the hero business and Tony’s name was synonymous with the Avengers brand, which came with a flurry of fans and reporters wherever they went.

And where they were usually found was wherever Stephen was, storming in to take over when he had things completely under control and just making the mess worse.

And the fans would get in on the rivalry too, fighting amongst themselves about who was better suited to protect this world if it came down to Iron Man or the Sorcerer Supreme, or who would win in a fight between them.

Stephen didn’t care for anyone’s opinion, and neither did Stark when he was cornered and asked the exact questions his fans wanted answered, Stephen just glaring at television screen, unable to get away from him out of work now days too.

No, instead he’d open up the messenger he had on his laptop at 7pm on the dot and would talk to his friend about his ‘worker friend’ making life difficult for him until ten.

His friend had problems of his own, being a boss of a company and having some uptight subordinate trying to make him look bad.

They had a lot in common, including relationship problems.

They didn’t like who they were with their partners, or how they had to act with them, and neither felt respected in the relationship.

Stephen’s friend said he was was dating a worker who was just doing so for his money, but was still sticking with it because that was the only reason anyone would date him.

Tony’s friend was in a relationship with a high school sweetheart, which had soured over the years because his partner wanted to ‘expand their horizons’

It was nice having someone to talk to.

Someone who understood them and liked talking with them without the knowledge of who they really were and what they really did for a living.

And while they had agreed to never give specifics about themselves or to ever meet in person, that was exactly what they were planning after Stephen and Tony’s latest argument had resulted in casualties and an extremely bad break up straight after.

They were excited to see one another, to talk and try to help out with each other’s problems.

But when Tony rocked up to the cafe they’d agreed upon to meet at and was so nervous to go inside he annoyed Rhodey to go check for him to make sure the friend he would most likely ask to marry him straight away was there, Rhodey told him Stephen Strange was reading the exact book Tony’s friend had told him would give him away.

Rhodey had to be joking.

So Tony went to check for himself.

And sure enough, Stephen Strange sat at the numbered table where his fiend had told him he would sit, reading the book he told him to look out for.

All this time he’d been talking with Stephen and hadn’t even realised it.

So, saying goodnight to Rhodey, Tony decided to leave him there.

Stephen sat and waited, checking his watch every now and then and wondering what could be keeping his friend.

Ten minutes past their agreed time, someone asked if they could borrow the seat opposite him and he stopped them from taking it.

Twenty minutes passed and his second refill had been drained.

Then, at half an hour past, Tony Stark walked through the door and stood in line for a coffee.

Having nowhere else to go and no way to hide himself, Stephen held the book up a little higher to his face in hopes Tony hadn’t seen him.

But, of course, he had.

And he came over to the table Stephen was sitting at and plonked down in the seat opposite him.

Stephen could not believe the nerve of this guy, especially after the long day he had had.

Tony didn’t really care what Stephen thought of him.

They had their differences here but online they were still friends.

It was when he tried to explain their situation and Stephen snapped at him that he truly saw how he viewed him.

So, Tony stood up from his seat and left, leaving Stephen to wait for the man who would never show.

And the next day, there was a message from his friend.

From Stephen.

Asking him why he never showed, telling him how long he has waited, and even bringing up the ‘ worker friend’ who came to the cafe, who Tony now knew to be himself.

Strangely, the way Stephen worded how guilty he felt after snapping at him, sounded like an apology.

One Tony accepted.

So, he continued their online friendship while also trying to be friends with Stephen outside of it.

It wasn’t easy, but he eventually wore him down to be on at least speaking terms with him when he found out the good doctor was sick with a cold and needed some cheering up.

Stephen told him about the online relationship he had with a stranger somewhere in New York City and how he’d fallen for them.

Tony tried telling him this guy could be anyone, literally anyone.

They could be fat.

Stephen doesn’t care about that.

They could be an Avengers fanboy.

Stephen doesn’t care about that either.

They could be Rogers.

Stephen cracks a smile and says that would be a deal breaker, anyone would be better than Rogers.

Tony innocently asks him if it would be a deal breaker if it were him.

Stephen just laughs and tells him to stop messing around.

Every day they meet up to talk about Stephen’s online friend, and every day Stephen feels more and more confused.

He’s been crushing on this online persona for months now, he still wants to meet him even after he stood him up, but whenever he thinks about him, it’s Tony’s face he sees.

He can’t help it.

Tony is funny and witty and doesn’t try to be anyone else around him but himself.

It took a lot of digging through that massive ego to bring him out, but Stephen’s glad to have met him and to call him his friend.

A friend he’d want to be more with if he hadn’t already met someone.

And the day his friend finally agrees to meet up with him, is the day Tony tries to ask him if they’d been friends earlier, would he have gone out on a date with him instead of this online guy.

Because if Stephen had’ve said yes, Tony would have been the luckiest guy in the world.

Stephen doesn’t answer.

He can’t answer.

He needs to go and meet his friend.

And Tony just nods.

And smiles.

And walks away.

It’s a bright summer afternoon and Stephen is waiting in the park, five minutes early before the time they had agreed upon in case he had been keeping him waiting.

And all Stephen can think about is the last thing Tony said to him.

He shouldn’t be thinking about Stark.

He should be thinking about...

About...

Tony.

Tony was here, right on time.

And it all finally clicked into place.

It was him.

It had been him all along and Stephen was just so happy and frustrated and relieved all at the same time he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Because, even after everything, he’d wanted it to be Tony.

Quotes -

I had a gut feeling you would be online now. “Hi.” I can give you advice. I’m great at advice.

If only you could help.

Is it about love? “Please say no.”

“No, how cute is that?”

Tony and Stephen talking online.

“She’s not as nice as she seems on television.”

“You met her?”

“Yeah, boy, she’s a pill!”

“Probably aint as fine as she looks on TV either.”

“Oh no, no, she’s beautiful. But. She’s a pill.”

Stephen talking to Wong about Tony

“Can you see her? Can you see her?!”

“Yeah…”

“And?”

“She’s very pretty.”

“She is! I knew she would be! She had to be! She had to be!”

“You know what? She look…I mean, she almost has the same colouring as…that Kathleen Kelly person.”

“Kathleen Kelly of the little bookstore?”

“Why not? You said you thought she was attractive.”

“Absolutely, yes, why not? Who cares about Kathleen Kelly?”

“Well, if you don’t like Kathleen Kelly…I can tell you right now…you ain’t gonna like this girl.”

“Why not?”

“Because it IS Kathleen Kelly. So what are you going to do?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re gonna let her wait there all night?”

“Yes, yes I am. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Goodnight, Kevin. I’ll see you in the morning.”

When Tony realises who hos friend has been this entire time.

“You are nothing but a suit.”

“…That’s my cue…Goodnight.”

Stephen snapping at Tony

“Why did you stop by again? I forget.”

“I wanted to be your friend.”

“Oh.”

“I knew it wasn’t possible. What can I say, sometimes a guy just wants the impossible…can I ask you a question?”

“What?”

“What happened with the guy at the cafe.”

“Nothing.”

“But you’re crazy about him?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Why don’t you run off with him? What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t actually know him.”

Enemies becoming friends.

“You know, sometimes I wonder.”

“What?”

“Well, if I hadn’t been Fox Books and you hadn’t been The Shop around the Corner, and you and I had just…met….”

“I know.”

“Yeah. I would have asked for your number. And I wouldn’t have been able to wait 24 hours before calling you up and saying: “Hey, how about some coffee…or drinks or dinner…or a movie…for as long as we both shall live?”

“Joe…”

“And you and I would never have been at war. And the only thing we’d fight about would be which video to rent on a Saturday night.”

“Well, who fights about that?”

“Well, some people. Not us.”

“We would never.”

“If only.”

Friends becoming lovers.

Talk to Me

Tony and Stephen are having issues in their relationships and talking to each other, and falling in love with one another, anonymously via an instant messenger

January, February

I’m having difficulty with adding the links for the previous nights for some reason, no matter what I do tumblr thinks the links are broken. Hopefully I get it sorted out by tomorrow 😊

#ironstrange #strangeiron #osaf’s movie night

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why-this-kolaveri-machi · 4 years ago

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spn’s mindscapes, ranked

9. toni and sam in 12.02. this is ranked DEAD LAST for what i hope are very obvious reasons

8. EMPTY FUCKING SPACE because that is how much i hate 12.02

7. dean and pamela running a bar while hunting on the side in 14.10. look, pamela is of course awesome and there’s something to be said for dean’s happy place being this bar, continuing to hunt with sam and castiel, and defending it from stuffy corporate-types with absolutely no mention of the bunker, but aesthetics-wise it’s pretty boring.

we get it YOU LIKE BEER AND GUNS and also your brother and an angel and a ridiculous car and a weird fantasy about being the little guy that others are trying to run over except you live in an underground mansion and are the legacy of an exclusive, nepotistic and deeply elitist institution

6. gadreel sticking sam in an elaborate fantasy about being on a hunt with dean that involves... cheerleaders? while using his body to kill kevin and reconnect with his ex in 9.10. this only ranks higher than the last example because it tickles me to think of gadreel carefully calibrating a mindscape with enough Winchester Cliches that sam is convinced but not suspicious but also horrifies me because fuck, non-con possession, kevin dies, and sam will undergo further mutilation both inside and out before gadreel leaves him.

what’s spn unless you’re feeling horribly conflicted due to some Very Unfortunate Implications arising from a non-cursory reading of what’s going on, eh? a far funnier show, i would imagine.

5. dean smith and sam wesson in 4.17. now. zachariah claimed that he wiped samndean’s memories and planted them at sandover to help dean realise the futility of fighting his destiny, but why expend all that energy (and on sam, no less, the man that the angels at this point think is some kind of abomination) when he can just... create this suggestion in dean’s head and let dean’s memories, judgments and presuppositions do the rest of the work?

dean’s sick of sam acting like he’s superior to him so in this mindscape he’s not only better educated, with bobby and ellen as his parents, but he’s also sam’s boss. it’s sam that’s morbid and can’t let go of the supernatural. there’s an explicit and cruel reference to the fact that one of sam’s ex-girlfriends was a werewolf (”i tried madison’s number and it connected to a veterinary hospital”) when just a few episodes ago dean had basically called sam a monsterfucker. in the end, for the moral of the story bit, sam is conspicuously absent.

ssssh it makes sense LET ME HAVE THIS

4. sam wandering ever closer to his death in 9.01. man, i love the way sam’s mind works. he sets up a bobby construct and a dean construct to explain to him what’s going on, and give him both absolution and resistance respectively. (it’s so painful that dean-in-sam’s-mind would make his point by punching the shit out of sam, but that’s very in-character for dean).

sam crafting his own path towards acceptance of his death, acknowledging that he did good and important things when he was alive, and looking forward to the peace ahead... just beautiful. i’m not going to get into the debate over dean essentially tricking sam into being possessed by an angel to save his life (and continuing to gaslight and lie to him, well beyond the point where sam is not physically dependent on that angel anymore) except to comment that sam’s palpable heartbreak and indecision at there ain’t no me if there ain’t no you will haunt me forever more

3. the little djinn-made fantasy lands in both 2.20 and 8.20. i just love djinn-verse’s sam having no real emotional connection to dean yet still choosing to stick with him to help him out of what looks like trouble. and dean’s happy lawn-mowing! i want more stories from this verse.

2. the endverse from 5.04, for similar reasons to 4.17. i think zachariah did have a lot more influence on how this mindscape played out, but there are so many details informed by 2009!dean’s thoughts, beliefs and perception of his cultural landscape: including having sarah palin as president (an idea far more culturally relevant in 2009 than 2014), a fallen castiel’s humanness meaning he is sexually promiscuous/adventurous (dean had taken castiel to a brothel just the previous episode to give him a taste of humanity) and the alienness of lucifer in his crisp white suit, something we see lucifer never appear in again until in another one of dean’s visions in s15. lucifer’s monologue might be zachariah’s doing but his appearance as this malevolent, tightly wound creature wearing an expensive suit and holding a rose even while surrounded by literal and human wreckage arises from a knot in dean’s mind that has all of dean’s fears for and resentment of his brother.

besides, the end’verse is just cool.

1. sam’s split mindscape in 6.22. there’s so much internal logic to how sam organises his psyche, a neatness to the constructs that his subconscious sets up to explain things to his conscious mind. soulless sam reveals a relentless and pragmatic side to him, but could he have successfully assimilated hell!sam without soulless!sam’s survival instinct? his internal architecture has been ripped apart, hastily repaired, then crumbled all over again; watching sam meticulously put himself together just in time to go and try save his brother is fascinating.

sam’s mindscapes tend to be far less rich in detail than dean’s, but they are ones he puts together to make sense of his fractured self while dean’s unravel at the suggestion and influence of outside entities.

#do let me know if i've missed any!#supernatural #meta #samndean #adventures in sam's head

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fromtheringapron · 4 years ago

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WWE WrestleMania XXVI

Date: March 28, 2010.

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Attendance: 72,219.

Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Matt Striker.

Results:

1. WWE Unified Tag Team Championship Match: ShoMiz (The Miz and Big Show) (champions) defeated R-Truth and John Morrison

2. Triple Threat Match: Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr.

3. Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Jack Swagger defeated Christian, Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, Kane, Montel Vontavious Porter, Matt Hardy, and Shelton Benjamin.

4. Triple H defeated Sheamus.

5. Rey Mysterio defeated CM Punk (with Serena and Luke Gallows).

6. No Holds Barred Lumberjack Match: Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon. Bruce Hart was the special guest referee.

7. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Chris Jericho (champion) defeated Edge.

8. Layla, Alicia Fox, Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Vickie Guerrero defeated Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres.

9. WWE Championship Match: John Cena defeated Batista (champion) to win the title.

10. No Disqualification Career vs. Streak Match: The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels. Per stipulation, Michaels retired.

My Review

WreslteMania XXVI is a difficult show to sum up. It’s a pretty good WrestleMania, but also one that happens to be all over the place in tone and focus. Perhaps its reflective of how indeterminate the future of the WWE felt at the start of the 2010s. The roster was such a mishmash of eras that you’d be forgiven of not having a clue where the hell the company was going. John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton were at the top of the card after their rise to superstardom in the 2000s, but the spotlight was still shared guys who rose to stardom in the ‘90s like Triple H and The Undertaker. Then there was a new generation of talent—The Miz, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, etc. — bubbling in the undercard who seemed poised to rocket into the top at any moment. But wait! Time was also given to . . . the 13-year-old feud between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon?!? Suffice to say, with the show splintering off in so many different directions, it’s not surprising it has some misfires.

Let’s start with the good stuff, though. The main event between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels is fantastic and I’m gonna throw it out there that I like it more than their match from the previous year. The stakes feel higher, the suspense level feels higher, and there’s more of a story here than just Shawn needing to beat Taker. He puts his entire career is on the line here, for heaven’s sake! And speaking of his career, like many at the time, I didn’t have a clue this would be Shawn’s last match. Most on-screen wrestling retirements are never legit, so there was plenty of basis to believe this one would be no different. But alas, this one was different, and we get about as good a sendoff as we could’ve gotten for someone who’s been dubbed Mr. WrestleMania.

On another show, the WWE title match between John Cena and Batista would’ve been the main event. Their match here is great fun. It’s actually an end of an era for the two men who were crowned as the leaders of the next generation at WrestleMania five years earlier. Batista would move on to Hollywood shortly after this and, while certainly not his last WWE run, it would mark the end of his career as a full-timer. Interestingly enough, Batista was really coming into his own as a heel at the time of his departure, even winning over fans who previously couldn’t stand him. He would resurrect his heel run in 2014 and 2019, again only for a short spell. A shame we haven’t been able to spend much time with arrogant heel ‘Tista and his impeccable designer fashion, but then I guess that’s what makes it so special.

As for what doesn’t work, I probably don’t need to go into much detail about the Bret/McMahon clash. The basics of the story are solid — Bret gets his long-awaited revenge on McMahon, with his family right by his side. It’s just not super fun to watch in execution, however well-meaning it may be. They match is dragged out much longer than it should and it takes the crowd completely out of it. Another misfire is the Money in the Bank match. This would be the final iteration of the match at WrestleMania before it becomes its own pay-per-view. It’s clear the concept needs some rejuvenation by this point as it’s now a lazy, bloated affair where everyone gets in their allotted number of spots and there are way too many participants. To cap it all off, the ill-advised decision is made to push Jack Swagger into the main event scene, an idea which would run out of gas in a matter of months.

The show seems to have some weird pacing issues as well. In the era of the Network, I’ve grown so accustom to Manias being stretched to the point of exhaustion, so it’s always little odd to go back and watch one that feels like it doesn’t have enough time. It’s almost like it’s struggling to figure out how spread out time across a card so stacked. The tag opener and Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk feel like abridged versions of the matches we would’ve otherwise gotten, while Bret vs. McMahon gets more time than either combined. Even Money in the Bank feels somewhat rushed. I’m definitely not a huge fan of WrestleMania becoming a seven-hour event, and WWE has proven they struggle with time management on longer Manias, but this is one show where it seems an extra hour absolutely would’ve been to its benefit.

At its best, WrestleMania XXVI is a nice sampler plate of eras, even if struggles to give you equal portions for all of them. The multi-generational makeup of the card ensures there’s a little something for everyone and even closes the books on a couple of legendary careers. You’re bound to dislike some it but for better or worse, and this is a cheeseball thing to say, it definitely puts the “showcase” in the Showcase of the Immortals.

My Random Notes

No joke, I really did not think this would be it for HBK and even seriously thought Taker’s streak was in jeopardy. Am I a fool for thinking that? Maybe, but I like that wrestling conned into believing it in a way it hardly ever does anymore.

I feel like the temple entrance set is something that should’ve been more impressive than it is in actuality. They just stacked LED screens on top of each other and just rolled with it. It looks like something from Minecraft.

Ah, this show reinvigorates my fond feelings for Matt Striker. Such a handsome chap! Not surprising at all he would appear on a Bachelor ripoff a whole decade later.

I chuckled at Bruce Hart being the special guest referee for Bret vs. McMahon. You just know he huffed and puffed his way into that one, much to Bret’s annoyance.

I also chuckled at Diana Hart-Smith walking down to the ring with her best “evil, vindictive femme fatale on the cover of a pulp novel” look. God bless her. She needs to write another book.

I know Rey singing Happy Birthday to his daughter is meant to be a heart-warming thing but if I were a kid in the same situation, I would be traumatized. Just think of how uncomfortable it is when a room full of people is signing at you and then think of enduring that in an arena filled with thousands of people. CM Punk did her a huge favor by crashing the moment, as far as I’m concerned.

Not saying anything new here, but the whole Spear thing with Edge is cringe as hell and it’s for the best that it’s been forgotten in the annals of his career.

I know some people like to mock Vickie Guerrero doing Eddie’s frog splash, but I personally thought it was a sweet moment while staying true to comedically heel Vickie.

The official theme song to this Mania is “I Made It” by Kevin Rudolf. A time-period appropriate choice, I must say. I feel like the dawn of the 2010s is the only time a Kevin Rudolf could be a success.

I identify myself as someone who will always be more embarrassed by John Cena haters than Cena himself and I gotta say him posing next to the guys in the front row hating his guts is fucking hilarious. Cena is funny sometimes when he just straight-up trolls.

On the Legacy fallout: The storytelling for this was weird as hell. Am I the only who remembers that one time on Raw where they teased Ted turning face and the crowd was actually kinda into it? Then they completely abandoned it for whatever reason and just had Randy be the breakout face (as if he needed it) and dunk on both Cody and Ted at WrestleMania. I feel like Cody’s AEW origin story more or less began here.

Awwwwe, this show has little baby Drew McIntyre. It’s so interesting watching this with the benefit of hindsight. I remember a lot of people Not Feeling It when he was anointed as the Chose One, and truthfully I wasn’t feeling it at the time either, but watching it back really makes you appreciate how much hard work he put in to get to where he’d be a decade later. A lot of folks were dreading the inevitable Drew world title run in 2010. The title run did happen, but it was much later and much more welcome than anyone back than anyone could’ve imagined.

#wrestlemania #wwe network #the undertaker #john cena

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givemefic · 4 years ago

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Chapter One: Sold

Title: Accepting Fate, Denying Destiny

Author: GiveMeFic

Fandoms: All for the Game/Harry Potter

Characters: All for the Game Crew, Harry Potter

Relationships: Canon AftG, Harry Potter/???

Rating: Explict, MA

Warnings: Explicit Language, Violence, Torture, Sexual Themes/Acts, Abuse of all kinds so be mindful (More to come I’m sure.)

Summary: Sold off at the tender age of five by his abusive uncle, and then again at ten, Harry Potter learned that life would always find a way to fuck you over.

“Because,” Kevin swallowed hard, “he starts this year.”

“Who?” Matt slung his arm over Dan’s shoulders. “Stop being so cryptic.”

He tapped his cheek, the number two stark against his skin. “Why do you think Jean is number four?”

Dan and Wymack both straightened. “Wait, so the third in your little cult court is going to play this year?”

“How can you be so sure?” Wymack asked.

“He’s the right age. And I heard that he came back to the Nest last year after I—“ He choked on his words. “After I left.”

CHAPTER ONE: SOLD

The boy shivered in the car, the warmth from the drive with his Uncle Vernon this morning had long since been replaced by the cold from the snow and freezing rain. He looked at the building his uncle had gone into. He hadn’t come back, and the boy winced when he felt like he was going to shake out of his skin.

“Don’t you dare get out or be seen, boy!” He’d almost recoiled from the hand that reached back, but he knew that the second hit was always harder if he did. Cheek blooming red and tender, the boy nodded and had been there, curled up in the floorboard ever since.

Only now he couldn’t stand it anymore. So he popped up, saw the lot empty of people, and he snatched his cousin’s spare coat from the back of the car. Dudley was three times his size, so the puffy coat was like a blanket. He stayed curled up and with practiced ease, the boy ignored his cramped stomach and fell into a light sleep.

He didn’t know how much time passed, but he came awake, trying to hold still. The door opened and the boy cringed under the coat.

“What the—“ The coat was ripped away. He looked passed his uncle and the sky had darkened and the snow wasn’t falling anymore. “Get out here, boy!” A meaty hand took him by the arm and the boy found himself falling out of the car and onto the now dirty snow covered ground. “Well, here he is.”

Lifted and barely able to stand on his own feet, the boy held back a cry as his shoulder was wrenched higher. One of his too big shoes fell off.

“He doesn’t look like much, tiny thing.”

He opened his eyes and saw a few people standing before his Uncle Vernon. Two men were outside a very nice looking town car. It was left running and the back door was open.

“Don’t let his size fool you, he works hard and listens well enough. Don’t you?” He shook the boy again and he couldn’t stop a whimper at the pain, nor his now bare foot was slipping in the snow. “You said,” Vernon cleared his throat and continued on in the same kind of polite voice he’d heard his uncle use when talking to his boss on the phone at home. “You said this would be enough to clear my debts.”

“Yes,” drawled the man in a heavy wool peacoat. “That’s if we find him suitable. Let him go.”

He fell to his feet and couldn’t stop himself from sliding to his knees. The overly large shorts, almost long enough to be pants on the boy, soaked through. He looked up at the strangers.

“Those eyes,” the other murmured. He took a cigarette out and lit it. “How old are you?”

He looked to Vernon and trembled.

His uncle answered, “He’s five.”

“Where did you find him? You claimed his parents are dead?”

“Yes,” Vernon spat. “My worthless sister-in-law and her husband got themselves killed when he was one. He was dropped on us and we’ve put up with him since.”

The man in the coat squatted down and leaned in to look closely at his face. “Any records?”

“None.”

“Medical?”

Vernon scoffed. “I wouldn’t waste money on him at a doctor.”

The coat man’s mouth thinned and the boy tensed, waiting for a rage filled hit or shove. Only he stood up and with practiced ease, lifted the boy from the ground and settled him on his hip. “Want to see, sister?”

From the open car door, a woman’s hand waved them over. It was dark in the car and the boy couldn’t see anything beyond the lit end of a cigarette. “He’s small, but seems willing to listen. Don’t you, young man?”

At first the boy didn’t know what to say, but the man holding him gave him a little bounce and raised an eyebrow. So he nodded and said, “Yes, Ma’am. My ears work good. Even though Uncle says they don’t.”

The other man burst into chuckles and the one holding him smiled. “Bit of an attitude too.”

Vernon was sputtering and took a step toward them with a shaking finger and a red face. “Listen to me to you loathsome brat—“

“That’s enough.” They cut Vernon off and stepped between him and the boy. “What’s his name?”

The boy frowned and said, “Freaks don’t get names.”

It was silent for a moment, then the woman spoke from the darkness. “Don’t they?”

“No, Ma’am.” He shook his head.

Vernon cleared his throat and with a croak he said, “It’s Harry. Harry Potter.”

The man holding him slid into the car while the other finished talking to Vernon and the b— Harry’s eyes widened when he saw the man backhand his uncle. He cringed into the lap of the woman he’d been passed to. He didn’t want to see what Vernon was going to do to the stranger. Only a moment later the door shut and when he peaked out, Harry saw both men sitting across from him and the smoking lady.

“Well, Harry,” she said, “welcome to the family.” He could now see in the dim lights of the street as they pulled away, that she was a very pretty lady. Her blonde hair was he same shade as Aunt Petunia’s, but longer and wavy. “I’m Mary Hatford. What do you think about coming to live with me now?”

“Mary?” The smoking man leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”

Her hand came up and Harry squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the hit. Only her fingers crept into his hair and gently detangled the mess. “I’m taking him with me back to Boston, Stuart.”

“What for?” Stuart tossed the butt of his now finished cigarette out the cracked window. “He’s small, we could use him as a runner. I bet you’re petty quick, eh, Harry?”

Harry nodded, dislodging Mary’s hand. “I run a lot faster than Dudley and his friends. And! I fit under the rose bushes! I don’t care about getting scratched, but Dudley always cries if the thorns bite him.” He reached down and rubbed at his bare foot. It had begun to tingle from the heat of the car.

Mary leaned forward and saw what he was doing. She pulled a coat from behind her and draped it over him, tucking his legs and feet into the warmth. “He’s coming with me. Abram could use a playmate.”

Harry frowned. “Who’s that?”

“My son,” Mary said. “He’s all alone in our big house.”

“He doesn’t have no friends too?”

“Doesn’t have any friends,” Stuart corrected. “And Mary, I don’t…” He lit another cigarette and sighed out a plum of smoke. Harry wiped at his eyes when they stung as the smoke filled the car. “Aren’t you worried about—“

“It’ll be fine,” Mary insisted. “Don’t you want to come live in a big house, Harry? My son is your age too.”

Harry blinked and asked, “Is your cupboard big enough for me?”

“Cupboard?”

He nodded. “For me to sleep. I’m not scare of spiders.”

Mary closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked down at him and said, “I think we can do better than a cupboard. How about your own room?”

“Mary,” the other man finally spoke up, “what will your dear husband say about this? He barely tolerates his own son.” He waved at Harry. “What do you expect will happen with him?”

Mary bit her lip and Harry pulled her coat up higher to his shoulders. “I’m doing what I can to protect him, William.” She stroked Harry’s hair again. “If that means sacrifices, then so be it.”

“Um,” Harry huddled down and asked, “where do you live? Is it far, far from Uncle Vernon?”

“So very far away,” Mary promised. “I’m leaving tonight to head back. I need to make sure Abram is alright.”

“Still can’t believe that arsehole made you leave him behind,” Stuart grumbled.

“Collateral.”

Mary glared at William for his comment. “I needed to come back, to get away and help settle things here with father… I’ve got some people watching him for me. It’s only been three days.”

“A lot can happen in three days.” William sighed. “But, maybe your new whipping boy will help ease your heart.”

“I will protect Abram above anything else,” Mary said, and Harry trembled at the anger in her voice. “And Harry here, he’s going to help me. Right, lovely?”

He hesitated, but said, “I’m too small to help pro-prot...”

Mary leaned over and tapped his nose. “You’re just the right size. But you’ll have to do some things that might be scary. Or even hurt. I promise to make sure you have lots of things to eat, and a soft place to sleep at night. But you have to make sure Abram is safe. Can you do that? It’s a big job.”

Harry looked at Stuart and William, but both of them were looking out the windows. So he nodded. He’d been hurt a lot before, but at least this time there would be a reason. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would never say why they hurt him, they just screamed and threw things, or beat him.

He could make sure Abram was ok. Mary seemed nice, and he wanted to go far away from his family. “Yes, Ma’am.”

She smiled, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“You’re going to be perfect, Harry. They’ll love you.”

#harry potter #all for the game #crossover #fanfiction #Harry Potter fanfiction #accepting fate denying destiny

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itsstickball · 5 years ago

Note

I saw your prompt post so can u pls give us the father son Wymack and Andrew dynamic we deserve thank you hallelujah

Okay so I know you probably were expecting sth at a younger stage of life (and tbh, I might still write that, bc it’s good shit), but we’re four weeks into 20quarantine and I miss hockey. And you know what they do in hockey? Dad’s Trips.

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

Andrew’s watching some Netflix series about the drama between a bunch of exotic animal owners, alone in the dark of his apartment with an entire tub of ice cream resting on the pillow in his lap when the call comes through. He’s more invested in the ice cream than the drama, which came out the year prior. In fact, he’d avoided the show until now on the principle of annoying his family and was only watchin it now because he was tired of having to decode the references Neil made any time he posted a picture of Sir.

He doesn’t bother to pause it or move to another room when he hits the “answer” icon on his phone.

“It’s a little late to be getting the mail, isn’t it?” He asked in lieu of a greeting. There was really only one reason for Wymack to be calling him.

“If anything, it’s early. This is yesterday’s mail.” Wymack grunted. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

Andrew looked at the clock, and realized that yeah...that tracked. The red numbers blinked back 3:39am at him and he remembered Neil mentioning that the Foxes had a road game this week. Once he did the math, it was actually a little surprising Wymack hadn’t called an hour earlier.

“You called me.” He reminded the coach rather than comment on the rest of it.

There was a sigh from the other end of the line. “I had a hunch.” Wymack retorted. It was more like he had five years to put up with Andrew’s bullshit and Andrew four years of putting up with Neil and Kevin’s. Night practices made more than one lasting impact, it seemed.

“So you got it.” Andrew prompted, not asked.

Wymack sighed again and there was the faint sound of shuffling papers.

“Yeah. I don’t have a fucking clue why, though.”

“It’s pretty self explanatory.” Andrew retorted. “Assuming you can still read.”

“Reading is the only thing I need the glasses for, thank you very fucking much.”

Andrew would be lying if he said the corner of his mouth didn’t twitch up at Wymack’s easy irritability. But this was his apartment and there was no one there to misunderstand it anyway.

“So what’s the problem?” He asked, taking a bite of ice cream while waiting for Wymack to fill the silence with his trepidations.

“Are you sure you want -”

“I gave them the address.” Andrew cut him off, letting Wymack fill in the space between his words. They both knew that he didn’t do or mean things halfway. Without an address, there wouldn’t have been an invitation at all - just like there hadn’t been the previous two years.

More silence, this time less interesting now that Andrew knew what useless emotions were hiding on the other side.

“Do you have any other plans?” He didn’t. Andrew had checked. Wymack’s grunt confirmed what he already knew. “Then let Wilds take over yelling at the delinquents for a weekend.”

“Okay, but Andrew -.”

“The dinner on friday is black tie. Try not to embarrass yourself.” He reminded his former coach and then promptly hung up before Wymack could so much as shout in indignation.

Onscreen, a man with a truly horrendous mullet cussed out one of his rival gamekeepers.

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

Once a year, like many professional Exy Teams, the Spokane Sundogs hosted a special weekend trip for their players and their families - or, more specifically, their fathers. Andrew had scorned the idea of it when brought up by his last two teams - and not just because he had no biological guardian to invite.

This year, however, as the team gathered outside the arena, nearly ready to depart, he stood with mild anticipation.

They were only waiting for one more addition before they boarded, with most of the players and their dad’s already conversing or posing for the team’s PR photographer. Andrew was standing slightly apart from the group, a quirk which thankfully they’d all come to accept about him. This time though, it was with more intention than just preserving his personal space.

“Ah!, finally.” The team’s defensive coach, Elliot Martin said, stepping over to show Andrew the text reading out that their last guest had arrived.

“Took him long enough.” Andrew grunted in reply, thankful that the coach didn’t press or make more noise about the issue. Martin was one of the few people intuitive enough to recognize the difference between Andrew’s silences and attention span. He also didn’t crowd any closer now that their exchange was over.

Just a few minutes later, Wymack’s form strode through the exterior door.

In truth, it was just a chance that his travel plans put him as the last arrival. Andrew felt no ill will or disgruntlement towards the coach for it, but he was undecided on how he felt about the matter as a whole. On the one hand, all of his teammates were currently distracted interacting with each other, but their attention would all be called together now that everyone was here. He doubted any of them expected to see someone standing next to him, and wasn’t looking forward to their speculation.

“Wymack.” He greeted, his voice characteristically monotone.

“Minyard.” The coach nodded and returned it in kind - although Andrew noted he sounded rather tired. That didn’t bode particularly well for someone he was going to have to travel with, but at least they wouldn’t be flying. Wymack didn’t try to step closer than necessary or make any physical greetings with him, which he was grateful for.

Then, however, it was time to go and his position among the coaching staff - complete with his guest was made obvious. A round of quick murmurs went up from the small crowd, which Andrew ignored in favor of staring at their head coach as he gave their schedule. An assistant handed out paper forms of the itinerary and then they were being ushered onto the bus.

“Your teammates seem nice.” Wymack said, apropos of literally nothing, after they’d handed their luggage off to the equipment team.

Andrew grunted.

“Regret inviting me already?” Wymack tried again, this time with a bit of dry humor in his voice.

Andrew turned to look at him, a tiny spark in his eye. “Not at all.” Wymack’s eyebrows furrowed, so he elaborated. “This way, they can pester you with their questions instead of me.”

He pat Wymack once on the shoulder before disappearing into the bus. When he’d found his seat at the very back and chanced a glance out the window, he found Wymack swamped by other players and their dads just a few feet from the steps. He seemed to be handling the attention alright, but Andrew recognized the slight tension in his movements. It was as close to a deer in headlights as Wymack got.

“I hate you.” He said a few minutes later when the coaches got serious about everyone boarding the bus.

Andrew glanced over at where the older man was slumped into the seat next to him. His grin was feral and sharp. “See, you fit right into the family. You’ve already learned our main vocabulary.”

Wymack scowled at him, but there was no real heat to it. And if Andrew’s smile softened and quirked higher on one side, even as he pressed his lips together and turned to look outside - well, there was only one person alive who would call him on it and he was hundreds of miles away.

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Forty hours later and they’re in the hotel room, getting ready for the fancy team dinner. Andrew was long resigned to having to share rooms with potentially obnoxious teammates for away games, so the change of pace that comes from sharing with Wymack is welcome. Living with him - even for just a few days, even in a cramped room - is familiar. Andrew spent too many nights quarantined with the man in college for it not to be.

There was no threat to anyone’s safety or sanity - aside from the fallout typically associated with overly friendly teammates, but they knew each other’s quirks. Andrew didn’t comment when Wymack woke up at 5:30 to brew an entire carafe of coffee - despite not having any engagements until 9:00. And Wymack didn’t question why he spent nearly the entirety of their afternoon free/rest time sitting on the desk by the window with a pint of ice cream just staring out at the cityscape below.

Andrew didn’t have to hedge or explain why he needed to shower first when it came time to get ready for the dinner. In fact, they skipped the discussion altogether. Both men simply glanced at the clock after the shitty made-for TV movie they’d been watching rolled to credits and Wymack said. “Let me know when you’re done.”

It was that simple.

Being away from the Foxes, from his family for so long, Andrew actually sat there stunned for a moment before Wymack turned back to look at him, prompting a grunt in reply. Seemingly satisfied, his former coach turned back to whatever he was doing with the charcoal suit he’d hung up in their shared closet space. Andrew allowed himself one more second of stillness before getting up and angrily grabbing his own pants and undershirt and locking himself in the bathroom

Behind him, he heard Wymack let out an amused huff, but no comment.

By the time he finished and they swapped rooms, the frustration of his startling realization had left Andrew. He still waited for Wymack to click the bathroom lock in place behind him before he moved to finish dressing and comb his hair into something acceptable. But then he had nearly half an hour to sit on the bed and think before his teammates and their fathers would fill up the fuzzy parts of his brain.

He could use the time to analyse how he got to that point - how Wymack had gotten to that point. Andrew enjoyed living on his own, but it clearly wasn’t just Neil's company at PSU that had left a lasting mark on him. Thirty minutes was plenty of time to catalogue each of the things he’d gotten used to in college that he’d lost again as he moved from team to team each year in the pros…

He flipped on the TV instead.

Wymack opened the door fifteen minutes later to Andrew staring blankly at an infomercial.

“I didn’t take Neil as the type to wear pearls.” He poked, looking bemused from Andrew to the man and woman on stage who were trying to make outdated jewelry seem like the newest fad.

Andrew slid his gaze sideways, eyes focusing in on the older man. Unlike Andrew, he’d exited the bathroom in only his boxers - which, Andrew was secretly bemused to find, were covered in tiny orange fox paws. He didn’t stay that way for long, of course, turning to retrieve his actual clothes from the closet.

“He likes to feel classy.” He shot back, deadpan and several seconds too late to be anything more than a deflection.

Wymack snorted, and for a moment, Andrew thought he’d let it drop. To Andrew’s downfall, unfortunately, he had the capacity to both dress himself and prod at the blonde’s psyche at the same time.

Andrew would have to ask Bee to stop spending so much time with him and Abby. It was ruining his “above my paygrade” modus operandi.

“You know I’m shit at this kind of stuff.” He started and Andrew resigned himself to the fact that they were, evidently, going above the paygrade. “But you’re allowed to enjoy nice things.”

Andrew held back his urge to scoff. “Nice things” had never factored into his life unless he was being accused of breaking them. It would be easy to deliberately misconstrue Wymack’s gruff sincerity, to make this about the pearls, pretty but ultimately meaningless objects. He knew, however, that this wasn’t the type of “nice” the older man was talking about.

How many times had he told Neil that Foxes didn’t get to have nice things? That they came from nothing and so would always have nothing? It turned out, though, that there were a lot of nice things that also came from nothing. Renee’s smiles and unwavering - even if often annoying - encouragement. Kevin’s refusal to let him give up on life, even in the face of his own fear. Neil’s never-ending respect for his boundaries.

Half an hour of sick sobriety in exchange for a few stopped goals. A bottle of Jack in exchange for a whole game.

Wymack’s second, third, fourth chances.

He met Wymack’s gaze. “I know.”

Because as intolerably cheesy as Coach’s whole “as many chances as it takes” philosophy sounded, Andrew would either be dead or rotting in a jail cell without it. He would have thrown himself to the wolves in order to keep his family safe, and it would have destroyed him. But Coach gave him the back-up he’d gone his entire childhood without. He only took what Andrew was willing to give, held him accountable, and called him on his bullshit, but never tried to fix him.

In a world of people preoccupied with making everyone around them perfect, Wymack said “what you are is good enough.”

Andrew didn’t know if he’d ever be able to bring himself to say thank you, but he could show it. He’d thought it funny to spring Wymack on his teammates and vice-versa, sure. But he’d invited him because he fit the bill.

Andrew might not ever say it, but maybe he could show his gratitude, one hectic weekend at a time.

Wymack seemed to understand.

“Alright.” He said, nodding once, then twice more firmly. “Now how many times can I expect Richard Decker to ask me about fishing?”

Andrew snorted. “Based on his son? It will be the only thing he talks about all dinner.”

Wymack shook his head and gave a little laugh before pocketing his wallet and keycard and gesturing toward the door.

“Well, let’s not keep the man’s sturgeon dreams waiting, then.” He said, earning a dubious expression from the blonde.

He didn’t deign to honor the joking comment with a response, but as they headed towards the elevator, Andrew thought he might have one more nice thing to add to the list.

#aftg #andrew minyard #david wymack #also known as dadmack #dad's trip #ask answered #this is unedited - bc why edit when you could post immediately and then regret your grammatical choices later?#pro exy #professional exy! andrew

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hellyeahheroes · 7 years ago

Video

youtube

Jeremy Whitey was kind enough to grant me a review copy of Rainbow Brite #1 and I have to admit, it is a very good start.

I know some people wished for a way to also read my reviews, so I will try an experiment and put the text of the review under the cut. Please tell me if you enjoy this format

- Admin

I was about to forego individual reviews completely and seeing how Jeremy Whitley has a number of books comics out this month it feels like I should just review them all together. However, something magical happened. I came back home after a really horrible, no good, very bad day at work, I needed to clear my mind out of all the bad stuff or I was gonna start screaming and swearing. I started reading Rainbow Brite number one and, to my shock, I actually felt much better. That anger and sadness just washed away, you know?

You know when a kids book is good? When it makes a guy in his late twenties who is foul mounted as they go and even prides himself on his insults go “I cannot swear in this review”. Like, I drop some nasty words every five minutes but I’ve just read Rainbow Brite and it is a story so innocent that I’m now watching myself to not slip any of my usual language into this video. It would just not feel right. Rainbow Brite is a sweet book, that tells a simple story. We have two girls, Whisp and Willow, who every day meet to play in their made up adventures, where they are warriors in a fantasy land, fighting Orcs, Cyclops and so on. Interestingly, while other comics would show us that fantastic vision of their imagination, this book choses to instead just show us two little girls playing around the house and being happy. I will admit that through the entire ordeal I had a building up fear that at any moment a bully will show up to ruin the girls fun and I was happy to see that didn’t happen. It made me kinda think of why I had this feeling and why I disliked it so much. On the one hand, I just dislike that cliche ad I’m happy to see it doesn’t apply here, while also become invested in Wisp and Willow simply having nice time, but on the other, I have recalled how rarely I could go out and play as a kid without fear other kids will bully me and I’m disturbed by the fact that I came to associate kids having fun with it being ruined by bullies so much I now both come to expect it to happen in stories and find myself relieved when it doesn’t. The characters are allowed to have their innocent fun and Jeremy Whitley, artist Brittney WIlliams, colorist Valentina Pinto, letteler Taylor Esposito and editor Kevin Ketner all work very hard to make them be as sympathetic and appealing as possible, by the time the actual plot kicks in we care for these characters. And the plot kicks when Whisp sees at night bunch of living shadows trying to eat the blue color and she discovers she can fight them but is overwhelmed by their numbers and the fact that she is a kid and these are living shadows that eat color, you know? Not exactly an even fight. I will not spoil what happens next, I want you guys to read this after all. But even as the action kicks in and tension rolls higher, the story keeps a lighthearted and innocent nature, in no small part thanks to an appearance of sprite named Twinkle, who will politely remind you to introduce yourself even as you’re being chased by monsters. The final page offers an extra hook to get people more invested and I, quite frankly, do find myself interested in seeing where the story will now go.

I am always focusing more on writing than the art but one needs to stop and praise the work of Brittney Williams and colors by Valentina Pinto, without whom the charm of this book would not be half as effective. It perfectly captures the aesthetics that we see current generation of kids drawn to, modernizing the classic look of the original show and turning it into something new, but without ever crossing into a level where it could be seen as imitation of currently popular kids books or shows. New Rainbow Brite has her own looks and her own style. I must also praise the design of main character as an adorable and energetic little tomboy, I think many real girls will find it easy to relate to her.

I think that if there is one word to describe this book, one word to convey the feeling it has it is one I have already used - innocent. This book outright radiates childlike innocence, the excitement of little made up adventures and joy of boundless imagination and discovering new things. In other works of Jeremy Whitley I have read there is something that does give main characters reasons to angst and they choose not to and instead be positive and proactive, this is seen in both Raven the Pirate Princess and Unstoppable Wasp. Here neither Whisp or Willow are that, they’re simply little girls who don’t yet know harsher side of real world and just want to have fun and fight Orcs and Cyclops. It is refreshing to see a book that challenges the sensibilities of modern, cynical audiences and decides to not dwell in any angst from the get go. I think that these days too many of us have in themselves that pessimism, that assumption, belief or even factual knowledge that things will get worse and that people whose friendship and respect we hoped to earn will always see us as nothing but failures and that every day will just be gray and more gray with no hope for improvement or happiness. I think we need stories like this book, full of optimism and hope, reminding us there is a whole colorful world of wonders we might forget as we go with our daily lives. We need this happiness and childlike joy and if we cannot find it in ourselves anymore, books like Rainbow Brite might reignite that spark once again.

#Rainbow Brite #Dynamite Comics #Wednesday Spoilers

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sunnyupsidedown · 6 years ago

Text

barely breathing 3 / 4

[part1] [part2] [AO3]

A/N: Goodbye open ending, hello happy ending. Well, not yet.

Renee was humming softly under her breath as she hung up the last of her clothes when a knock came at their dorm door.

“I’ll get it,” Dan said from the living room. The old, beat up recliner creaked as Dan stood, her footsteps soft on the carpet.

“What are you doing here Andrew.”

Renee paused at Dan’s tone.

“Renee.” Andrew’s voice drifted into her room.

At the obvious summoning, Renee set her last shirt on the bed to put up later. Out by the door, Dan held the door open but blocked Andrew’s path in. Renee examined Andrew closer. She saw him at the court earlier but now was a little different. His expression was neutral, like the times before he stepped onto court for a game when he was off his medicine. But it was worse now. So much worse. Before, mania creeped into the edges of his expression, a ghostly imprint of the drugs still in his system. Now, it was like a blank slate, a face slack in sleep or in death but with the eyes still open to the world.

Their eyes met and it was like looking into a void. Andrew gave the barest of nods before leaving. Renee understood and went to change into some looser clothes.

They met up at the usual place in the Fox Tower’s basement. The air chilly compared to the higher floors. Andrew slid into a starting stance the moment Renee walked in and she followed suit.

They stared each other down, slowly circling around the room. Andrew moved first, a little unusual in their spars. Renee reacted quickly and Andrew was on the ground from an easily dodged maneuver.

“You’re distracted,” Renee said to Andrew’s supine form.

Andrew didn’t say anything and got up to start again. It was a repeat of the first time; Andrew was back on the ground.

Renee had enough. Andrew got into a starting position but Renee sat down cross legged and stared up at Andrew pressuring him to do the same. He submitted and sat.

“What’s wrong?”

Andrew was silent for a long time before he spoke. “I seem to have some gaps in my memory. Is he one of mine or one of yours?”

Renee’s eyes drew to his neck, to the bandages peeking out from the edges of his collar and suddenly she knew what had happened while Andrew was at Easthaven. And she knew who Andrew was referring to as well. Her own faded scars ached for a short second. It was harder to breath like her throat was clogged despite the emptiness she knew was there.

“What do you want to know?”

“Neil Josten.”

Kevin grabbed two shots from Neil’s tray and downed them in quick succession. His eyes were already glazed from the first round of drinks and the packet of dust he inhaled earlier, but Neil still played it safe and spoke German anyway. “Why does Roland think you’re tying me down?”

There it was again in Andrew’s eyes, a deep emptiness like part of his soul was missing. “He probably thinks you’re as bad at following directions as he is.” Neil frowned. That wasn’t quite what he was looking for. He tried again. “What’s outside of coach’s pay grade?”

“It’s irrelevant since I don’t exactly know who you are.” Andrew closed his mouth and Neil knew he would get no more answers out of him for the night.

Neil frowned while he turned Andrew’s words around in his mind. He was careful. Andrew couldn’t know everything about him except the things he’s told him and Kevin wouldn’t say anything.

And then it hit him and his stomach clenched like his drink was spiked again.

Neil was smart. He wouldn’t have survived as long as he did if he didn’t have some deductive reasoning skills. He ran through every interaction he’s had with Andrew since he came back from Easthaven. The clues were everywhere: the way he ignored Neil at first, the coldness that everyone said was normal when Neil knew Andrew was far from heartless, the bandages that were around his neck and the scars that lie under them. He didn’t know how he could be so blind especially since he suffered from the same disease. Neil was going to puke but this time not from the flowers.

And that’s when the second realization came.

Andrew was in love with him.

But not anymore.

The world tilted on its axis, nausea sat rooted in the pit of his stomach, and pain blossomed in his chest. He never expected anything to happen between him and Andrew, but the cold truth still stung. Neil planned on running at the end of the season, but there was no use to it now. If his father doesn’t get to him first, the flowers will take care of him. Either way, he was doomed to an early death.

The days passed slowly and Neil found himself seeking Andrew out. It would never be anything. Every moment spent with him, another spike of pain lodged itself in his chest, but being with Andrew, was like being on an exy court. With every meaningless conversation they had up on the rooftop and the secrets exchanged in their game of truths, Neil felt like himself. Not Chris or Alex or any of the personas he’s created while on the run. He felt alive. When he was gone and he was just a footnote in the Foxes’ yearbook, he knew that there at least one person who cared about him, that he left some type of mark on the world, that someone would remember the insignificant man named Neil Josten.

His birthday came and blood dripped from his locker, a number counted down on his cell phone. The game was a blur. He vaguely knew they won but it was like watching everything through binoculars from the top of the Fox Tower.

Everything snapped into focus the next day when Andrew gripped the sides of Neil’s face and leaned in. Their lips crashed together and Neil’s heart stuttered to a stop. It was brief, lasting seconds before Andrew backed away with a storm in his eyes.

“Andrew--” Neil began, desperately trying to catch up in their conversation. “No,” Andrew frowned. His eyebrows creased together. “This is nothing.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted nothing?”

Andrew’s gait faltered briefly before he kept walking.

Something warm stirred in Neil’s chest. Andrew was not someone who would do something he didn’t mean. Neil didn’t want to say it was hope, but even he was foolish sometimes. The warmth grew until it burned through Neil’s veins. He could feel it coming and whatever hope bloomed in his chest was choked by the poisonous vines growing, thriving, constricting his lungs. He leaned over the side of the roof. Wind pushed his hair out of his face. It was a long way down.

He puked.

He wiped his mouth, his throat raw, his hand stained red like the blood that poured from his locker.

It was nothing, like Andrew said.

He was fine.

“How are you today Andrew?” Betsy asked. Andrew’s face remained mostly blank, but his eyebrows scrunched together. A frown, Betsy has learned. The mug in front of him has long cooled off.

“It hurts Bee.”

“What does Andrew?” Betsy asked, straightening in her chair.

“It hurts Bee but there is no longer anything there.” Whether he knew it or not, Andrew’s hand moved to grip his shirt over his chest.

“Ah. I was afraid that was the case.” She tried to keep her voice neutral with the sudden anger rushing through her veins. Easthaven has some explaining to do and if it didn’t end in a malpractice lawsuit she would damn well make sure the doctors responsible were punished. “Since you came back, I noticed the injuries around your neck. I had a guess but I hoped it wasn’t true. I did some research anyway. Would you like to hear what I found?”

Andrew didn’t say anything. Betsy continued.

“Hanahaki disease is unique in how it’s a virus that attacks the emotions, specifically feelings of love. Left unchecked it will kill you. Most cases end that way, but since the discovery of the removal procedure, the fatality rate has dropped significantly.”

Betsy paused to checked Andrew’s reaction. He was still slumped on the couch but his eyes were alert with interest.

“When it’s removed, you have to remove all of it and what it feeds on. Any shred left will leave room for relapse. The surgery is sometimes lifesaving but it’s also a double edged sword due to the memory loss.

“Andrew. You’re a smart man. Just because the flowers are gone, it doesn’t mean you lose the ability to feel. There’s nothing holding you back from what you want. I want you to think about that for our next session.”

Neil Josten. Neil Abram Josten. The name tasted like dust on Andrew’s lips. The aching hole in his chest consumed him whole.

“Andrew.” Neil’s voice was soft. Andrew looked up at Neil leaning over his bus seat and he continued, “Let me ask you this. Do you believe in fate?”

The question sounded familiar and Andrew didn’t have to think about his answer. “If fate were tangible, I would destroy it.”

Neil smiled like he knew something Andrew didn’t. The sun streamed through the window, making Neil’s hair glow like fire and his eyes burn like dry ice. “Then, Andrew, you have to let me go.”

Andrew swallowed. He felt like he was backed into a corner with no way to escape except through the path Neil provided. He didn’t like it. It was unsettling how much he trusted Neil, how he was going to break his promise because it was Neil who asked. It left a sour taste in his mouth, but Andrew never really knew what sweet was supposed to taste like.

The little black ‘4’ was a blemish on Neil’s face. Death, in so many languages. Bad luck. His heart hammered in his chest.

“Okay.” Two sides of Andrew’s mind were at war and a bomb just went off. It was a punch to the gut that felt worse than waking up in Easthaven with a spotty recollection of the fall semester. In the settling dust, only one thing remained. “Okay,” he said again because he was getting into the habit of saying useless things.

“Thank you.” Neil smiled wider and the look burned itself into Andrew’s memory. A weight should have been lifted from a promise he no longer need to keep but it was like gravity tripled since the word ‘okay’ left his mouth.

Neil trailed behind and when Andrew stopped to look at him the words slipped from his throat. “Thank you.” For the keys, the promises, the flowers both gone and sprouting within his chest. For letting him go. In his life he never knew he would have the chance to feel like he does towards Andrew. He never knew someone would feel that way towards him. If their timelines lined up a little different, if Neil fell a little faster, if Andrew refused to go to Easthaven, Neil wondered what could have been. Could they have avoided the tragedy of missed opportunities? Could they have shared more than that one short kiss? The sobering zero and Romero and Jackson reminded him that whatever way it went it would end with him in a body bag so maybe it was best if the thing between them remained in the starting gates. Neil was a dead man walking and Andrew didn’t deserve a love built on a ticking time bomb. He deserved to have some sort of happiness in his life and he knew that he only brought misfortune. “You were amazing.”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed in thought. He opened his mouth to say something but they were pulled outside and the final act of the tragedy of Nathaniel Abram Wesninski began.

[this is where part 4 goes when it’s done] [AO3]

#andreil #aftg fanfic #aftc #tfc #andrew minyard #neil josten #andreil flower project #hanahaki #write junk #well time for bed #why do i do this to myself

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safty · 7 years ago

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To the Rescue (Part II) Chapter 28: A Higher Calling

(Originally posted to Ao3 7.9.18)

Seth leans into Roman and Dean and gets an offer he can't refuse. Bonus: Polaroid pictures from their houseboat vacation!

It was a little disturbing how easily Seth was able to slip into his routine at first, even as his mother was sending him several different forms from the estate lawyer. Work was a means to move around and ignore his reality, and the moment he had left Iowa, the cloud of worry and indecision lifted somewhat. He wasn't sure why he'd imagined Dean and Roman accosting him about the truth of his situation, or even an explanation about how his time away had been. But as Seth settled into his first full day of being back in Florida, he began to feel slightly hurt that his boyfriends didn't seem to be noticing anything at all.

Their flow was slightly changed now by the fact that Roman's summer semester hadn't started yet, and when Seth went to find Dean outside during their usual lunch break, he couldn't find him. Instead, his boyfriend had taken some time to sit in the hot tub after his lessons and Seth didn't find him until his water safety class had wrapped. It obviously wasn't cause for a bad day, but after packing swag bags for the fundraiser all morning with headbands and keychains, Seth was feeling a little bored and listless.

The real annoyance came when Roman took an extra half hour to pick them up at the end of his shift, as he'd taken the Jeep Cherokee home after his morning Water X class. After five minutes of waiting outside and then feeling like he was going to sweat to death, Seth dialed his number and hovered by the check-in desk awkwardly.

"He just texted me he's leavin'," Dean said, coming around the corner with his work bag and drumming his hands on the counter. "Fell asleep I think,"

"Must be nice," Seth snorted, shifting his weight from foot to foot and yawning. AJ was behind the front desk, trying to make a phone call on the main line while Sami folded towels. Rather than trying to string a conversation together, Seth went to sit on the bench by the double doors, licking his lips anxiously. Could he really take the time to pour over some legal documents that night? Roman and Dean would probably want to know what he was doing if it took too long. Glancing up at his boyfriend, Seth watched as Dean leaned on the lobby counter and fidgeted with his phone. Why did Roman only text him ?

When the Jeep Cherokee pulled up and both men piled inside, Seth frowned slightly as he watched Roman turn in his seat and adjust the settings on the radio. Behind his sunglasses he looked rosy and sort of dull from his nap.

"Jus' don't know what to do with myself with all this time," Roman shrugged, "Have a few beers, take a few naps."

"All out of our boat tequila, what else you gonna do," Dean mumbled, relaxing in the back seat. Anxiety piling in his chest, Seth didn't say anything. He didn't want to overreact, but he thought it was rather strange how Roman been day-drinking by himself and then neglected to pick them up. Looking to his boyfriend again for some sort of reassurance, he found Dean was simply staring out the window, distant from the situation.

"How'd it go?" Roman tried, turning to Seth for a moment and trying to assess his mood as they continued down the road. "Knee still feelin' okay?"

"Fine," Seth sighed, more quiet than usual. "Should call the PT office… check in about an appointment."

It was a quiet drive, but Seth couldn't muster up the energy to strike up his usual balance of snarky and flirty. Not every car ride had to be a bastion of enthusiasm, but as they got off the highway, Seth began to close off again, feeling guilty and weird.

He wanted a hand or a hug or something. It all felt so hollow and strange, sitting in the car, being back in the mix of things and actively trying to forget what was actually going on. Now, without distractions, it was all weighing on his mind again. His grandpa was gone and he was left to pick up the pieces.

"You need a little snack?" Roman asked as they came into the Oakridge neighborhood.

"Huh?" Seth blinked, looking up. He'd heard the words, but they hadn't really registered in his brain.

"Frosty's?" Roman offered, giving his knee a little pat. "I got dinner stuff ready, don' mean we can't do dessert first."

"N-no," Seth shook his head. "I don't need it."

It was all that was said until they got out. Dean grabbed Seth's bag for him and there was an awkward moment where Dean refused to let Seth bring it in by himself. Heart pounding with nervous energy, Seth quickly went to busy himself with getting his dog outside and ignoring his boyfriend's pinched lips.

Kevin quickly ran to his preferred spot in the backyard to pee, the corner fence where a tall weed was growing. As he trundled along with his collar jingling, Crispy clucked and came out of the shade of the overgrown rose bush. Seth watched the chickens become alerted, then mellow, realizing it was just the small dog in the backyard.

He sat at the back table, sighing hard and actively trying to calm himself down. What he wanted most was to do muscle-ups or wall balls or some impossibly difficult CrossFit EMOM that had him clutching his chest for air. His body and his head hadn't felt right since he'd been injured and he shuddered to think how poorly his cardio had likely become now. Pulling out his phone and resting into the deck chair, he aimlessly opened the document his mother had sent him. Sure he had no answers to any question it might pose.

Seth didn't know what probate was, and every time he saw his full name printed across the document heading, he sighed again, at a loss. If his mother was the executor of the will, should he get his own lawyer just to make sense of all this?

Crispy clucked at his feet and Seth set his phone down, sinking his face to rest into his elbow. Could this wait? It had to. There was no way his brain could function, right then and there.

The door slid open, but Seth didn't sit up. Rather, he quickly flipped his phone upside down in the event it hadn't locked yet. His arms were sweaty and it was undeniably hot in the backyard, but Seth was of the mindset that he wouldn't really become comfortable anywhere.

"You hungry babe?" Roman asked, putting a hand in his hair and lightly massaging his scalp. Seth let out a humming noise, but gave no other answer. He simply sat, letting Roman pet his head until his boyfriend stopped and withdrew his hand. At the loss of touch, Seth sat up and realized the chickens had all come over to spectate, clucking suspiciously and looking substantially larger than the last time Seth had seen them all nearly two weeks ago. Lars, Seth's black hen was filling out her feathers well and looked a lot less awkward. Her feet appeared more proportionate after weeks of looking gangly.

"I could make you something lighter too," Roman suggested, putting his hand on Seth's back and tilting him against his hip. Dean idled out and stood by the doorframe, looking twitchy. It was all sort of overwhelming and Seth didn't want to cry for what felt like the hundredth time that week, but it was stinging at the edge of his eyes.

"I'm hungry, but…" he breathed, looking down at Kevin who immediately came to his aid, licking his hand. "I dunno… I don't really want…" his voice broke, betraying whatever semblance of togetherness he had. Roman's hand rubbed harder and Seth put a hand to his face, breathing deep.

"You don't have to be any way," Roman assured him in his low, sure tone. "Do you want to talk? Inside?"

"Air conditioning always makes me feel better," Dean offered, making Roman chuckle. It was a little unbearable outside and Seth nodded quickly, standing up and letting Roman guide him inside.

Even as he felt like he was breaking down, Seth knew he still didn't want to talk about any of the money issues he was facing. He slumped into the living room couch and Dean and Roman both sat right next to him, sighing slightly as Seth hastened to dab at his face and beard with a tissue. An unfiltered conversation was just going to bring up a lot of questions he didn't have the answers to and Seth really didn't want to make it obvious that he wasn't in control of the situation. Roman tipped him against his chest and Seth took a deep breath, smelling the faint scent of beer and body wash. Dean touched his leg awkwardly, like he was making the best of not having Seth's hair to play with.

"I… don't know what to say…" Seth said quietly, rubbing his eye and looking at the light moisture of tears on his hand. "I just… it's weird that he's gone and now I'm back here…" he swallowed hard. "I want to be here, I w-wanna to be with you guys and all… but my family…"

Roman nodded and rubbed his head. Seth just heaved a breath and stared out across the house where the chickens were gathering by the sliding glass door to observe. Surely he didn't have to go on at length about his grandfather, it was just grief, pure and simple.

"Do you… feel like you left too soon?" Roman tried, rubbing his shoulder and encouraging his conversation. "How did your family take it?"

"I needed to come back," Seth shrugged, sniffing hard. "Work… and shit… My family… I dunno. It's just… weird not having grandparents anymore I guess."

"They're still there," Roman offered, giving him a little squeeze. Seth had to stop himself from rolling his eyes a little, but he knew that his boyfriend was just trying to help. "Even when you think you can't talk to them… I dunno. This'll sound cheesy but sometimes it makes you feel better if you just talk to them out loud. Say the things you want to say to them."

"What happened to your grandma?" Dean asked, probably sensing Seth's indifference to anything that was even remotely unscientific.

"She died a few years ago. Cancer," Seth explained, swallowing hard. "So… my grandpa was all I had."

The thought of his biological father sat for a moment at the forefront of his mind, but Seth didn't dwell on it. The picture that he had found in his grandfather's possession was still sitting at the bottom of his suitcase with all of the rest of his laundry he still needed to put away. It was perhaps true that he did have some kind of grandparents out there somewhere that maybe even knew he existed, but they weren't family in Seth's mind, and he wasn't burning with any ambition to find them.

"Is there anything we can do?" Roman asked, running his forefinger warmly behind Seth's ear even as he shook his head. "I'm serious though, obviously this is just gunna suck for a little bit, but if you want us to help you… I dunno. We can do the laundry for a week or so." Roman looked at Dean for ideas. "We could find something fun to do, if you just want a lil' distracting or something."

"We could go workout tomorrow," Dean offered, shrugging. "Go to the lil' hole in the wall gym. Or Uce's place."

"I want that," Seth said automatically, Roman and Dean snickered and Seth managed a little smile, pushing a length of hair behind his ear. "I need to text Cesaro too… he probably thinks I fell of the face of the earth. Maybe if he's feeling okay-"

"Nope, just us," Dean interrupted, giving Seth's thigh a light spank. "Can't cheat on us with your exercise wife."

"Well," Roman cut in quickly. Seth honestly didn't care about the cheating rib, he was too busy blowing his nose into a tissue. "Just… reach out to us if you need it babe. Not like I got anything going on till late May anyway. Then I'll be real busy again."

"How was Easter though?" Seth asked, rolling around a little in Roman's embrace so he was more comfortable. He didn't want to talk about his grandfather anymore. On his back, with his head in Roman's lap and his leg's across Dean's, it was easier to hold a conversation. "Was it… hard with everything going on and all the driving and stuff?"

"Not that bad," Roman shrugged, looking to Dean. "We tried to get out of Orlando as soon as we could manage and gunned it all the way up to Tallahassee before we got food again. Jimmy and Jey's place is a little on the like, west side of Pen."

"They were so ready to go when we got in," Dean laughed, leaning back into the sofa and mimicking the cadence of Roman's excited cousin. "BIG UCE GUNNA GET SILLY HUH?"

"Yeah," Roman blushed, "Except I'm an old ass man now. Had to explain to them about how I was there to sleep, not drink."

"Did everything go okay with that though? Didn't one of them have some legal issue or something?" Seth asked, watching Roman's cheek twitch.

"...Yeah… I think he has some court date thing next month," he mumbled, pausing the fidgeting of his fingers in Seth's hair. "Did I tell you about that? It really wasn't a big deal, it's just if he gets another one they're going to give him whiskey plates I think."

Seth's whole body went numb as he realized Roman hadn't told him about his cousin's DUI. He'd only known because Seth had gone through his phone and read the conversations between Roman and his sister. Apparently, this didn't occur to Roman as a possibility and Dean looked unfazed, smoothing the hair on Seth's leg's flat.

"Y-yeah, you said something about it," Seth lied quickly. "On the houseboat I thought."

"Well, it wasn't a big deal. I think Dad said something to Jey about it, but he's used to it." Roman scratched his nose and Seth bit his lip, praying Roman didn't sense anything strange about what he'd let slip. "Well… anyways we went to church the next day and then did Easter stuff with my brother and sister's kids."

"I got a photo," Dean snorted, scrolling through his phone before handing the device to Seth, who held it over his face. It was a picture of Roman, lightly dozing on a deck chair with a heap of plastic eggs stacked on his lap. One of the younger kids, Milo or Tamar was sitting on the patio with plastic rabbit ears on and a basket in his own lap, grinning.

"Nice," Seth said, handing the phone back quickly and relaxing as Roman touched the back of his neck, making his spine tingle.

"It was a good trip though," Roman said softly, "Much less drama than last time."

"For us," Dean amended. "Your brother got it."

"Barely," Roman snorted. Seth blinked, confused and Roman snickered, drawing in a breath enthusiastically to explain the story. "And they ALMOST tried to get on my case but Summer reminded them that you were gone and that it would be unfair."

"Me?" Seth said, confused.

"Yeah, like-" Roman laughed, "Here's how it works. If my mom or dad is pissed, they have to throw it at one of us, and obviously since my boyfriend's grandparent passes away, I got a get out of jail free card."

"...huh…" Seth mumbled, slightly disgusted.

"Well it was somethin' about how…. Your sister's family planned a party without them? Or something?" Dean said, scrunching up his face in an effort to remember.

"Mandy planned her baby shower to be while my parents were on vacation and so there was some dispute about…" Roman sighed "....the logistics of two baby showers. Basically my mom was treating Rosey like he wasn't there the whole time, which is the most she'd ever do to get on his case. Dad said something to him at dinner about how the second party would be better at their place because they have a bigger grill…"

"Your brother is such a motherfucker," Dean laughed, clearly remembering something that Seth hadn't been witness to.

"I want to try that sometime, just blow them off like that." Roman laughed, quickly explaining for Seth's benefit. "My dad would tell him something and he'd just agree like 'oh yeah, probably,' and then just keep eating. So funny."

"Why don't you?" Seth asked, watching Roman's smirk go from a smile to an anxiously clenched jaw.

"I think the last time I tried to sass my dad he grabbed me by the ear and rammed me up against a wall," Roman said shrugging fast. "Even at my biggest, I was never as big as Rosey."

"You don't think you could beat your dad?" Dean asked. Seth let out a choked noise, disturbed.

"Only at football," Roman said, patting Seth's head with a sort of finality. "Anyways, you missed some great food, but we brought home your easter basket. Or at least, the stuff in it."

"My easter basket?" Seth blinked. He hadn't received an Easter basket since he was eighteen or so and living with his mom. Sure, he bought jelly beans most years and just ate them leisurely, but the pageantry of the holiday was for children.

"Wine and cheese," Dean said, pointing over to the kitchen. "That's what was in mine anyway. And chocolate."

Seth rolled off the couch in a sort of sloppy fashion, curious to see what he'd been gifted. Roman and Dean followed after him and Kevin eagerly scooted into the room, under the assumption that he might be fed.

"I just put it in the fridge, I never know which wines are supposed to be chilled and whatever." Roman said, pulling out a plastic bag and handing it to Seth. "I drank all mine the night of."

"It was a lil' bottle though," Dean said, taking the opportunity to grab an ice cream sandwich from the freezer. "That shit was really good, I barely felt it the next day."

"Oh wow," Seth said, dumping the contents of the bag onto the counter top and investigating what had likely been assembled under the assumption Seth was coming to Pensacola. Little scraps of golden plastic easter grass were clinging to the slightly moist wrappers of rich, dark chocolate bars, Lindt truffles and plastic wrapped cheese nibbles. A Starbucks gift card and a bottle of some dark and fancy looking wine were also included, along with a sweet envelope, that had been addressed with SETH in a black, archival pen.

"That's very nice of your family," Seth said, opening the envelope and finding a hallmark card with cartoony rabbits. Roman nodded and cracked open another beer, leaning on the counter next to Dean.

"Yeah, they mentioned something about us coming up for my birthday too, but I said we already had some plans. We might need to run up there for Mandy's shower…" he sighed hard, "We'll just see. I ain' going to two parties, so I'll let them figure out where I'm most needed."

"We got our photos back too," Dean said, watching Seth put the gifts back into the plastic bag and falter at a secondary envelope full of polaroids that had been sitting on the counter top already. "From the boat."

"Oh cool!" Seth said, abandoning a Lindt truffle momentarily to pull out the stack of developed photos. He'd hardly even looked at any of the snapshots he'd taken on his phone from the vacation, too consumed with his grandfather to make any sense of his time in the Keys. It had been years since he'd taken pictures with a disposable camera and he was eager to see what they'd captured.

"Most of them… didn't turn out." Dean said, laughing at Seth's confused face as he shuffled through the first few photos that appeared to be dark shadows. With the advent of modern technology, it surely hadn't occurred to most of them that traditional photography required specific lighting. Familiar static outlines of the three of them were posed with the fuzzy backdrop of their luxurious watercraft. After five bad takes, Seth grinned at some outdoor shots from their first day boating.

"Those were really nice." Roman nodded, looking over Seth's shoulder. Seth nodded, remembering how much fun they'd had. His spine tingled, recalling how warm and bright everything had been. It was strange to see pictures of himself from just a short time ago, unaware of the fact that his life would be changed so dramatically in just a few short days.

"The one with the manatee didn't come out that good," Dean said, watching Seth frown at what appeared to be a lumpy rock in the water. "If I had the money, I'd probably get like a nice camera or something."

"You'd have to learn how to use it," Seth chuckled, holding up another poorly lit photo that Dean had taken of Roman in the water, late in the evening and shadowy. "The chickens would be very well documented, I'm sure."

Luckily perhaps, the photo of the three of them at the southernmost point marker in Key West hadn't come out at all, barely visible in the dying light of the day. Seth hardly remembered his sloppy display of affection for Roman after they'd meandered around the streets in the picturesque little town. It had been such a strange night, and at the end of the trip, both he and Dean were so sun kissed, they looked pink in most of their pictures.

"We'll have to do that again some time," Roman said as Seth finished looking at the stack and gazed sweetly to both of his boyfriends. "Had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, definitely," Seth said, embracing them both individually. "It was."

That night, Seth slept better than he had in a week, helped along by some passionate lovemaking from Roman and Dean, each occupying his ass for the amount of time his knee allowed him to be rambunctious and mouthy, putting everything else out of his mind. Laying in the sheets, feeling blank and calm, he resolved to call his mother before the fundraiser and hash out whatever was necessary. Roman and Dean didn't seem to suspect anything was wrong, past the obvious lonesomeness of losing a family member, and Seth felt better about his situation as he watched his boyfriend's get ready for bed around him. Dean took a quick rinse in the shower and Roman disposed of a beer can by the bed, shamelessly striding around without any clothes, looking thick and sweaty from their activities.

As Seth laid in bed and followed them carefully with his eyes, he was positive of the fact that he couldn't leave them, not without a fight. Seth wanted to close his grandfather's estate and move back to Iowa, but not without these two men that meant so much to him. As impossible as their weird relationship was, there wasn't anything that said three men couldn't take over the property. Perhaps they'd raise some eyebrows, and surely they could hit some snag with all the legal jargon that went into home ownership and estate management. Seth had only lived with these men for about two months and things would be vastly different in another state, but still, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

"Gunna be hot tomorrow," Roman mumbled, wrinkling his nose at the weather broadcast on his phone as he plugged the device in and settled on his side of the bed. Seth scooted closer, wordlessly, his mind crammed so far inward he'd hardly heard. Roman would probably love to commit to a space as large as the farm, somewhere he could spread out and have a little bit of nature on all sides.

"Did the dog go out?" Dean called from across the house, from the kitchen where he was getting water. Seth nodded in Roman's arms and Roman tilted his head away from Seth's ear so he wouldn't deafen him.

"Yeah!" he hollered back, patting Seth's back and setting his phone down. Dean would love the farm too, probably the most excited about riding around on four wheelers and snowmobiles and doing the sorts of activities that were difficult in a city.

"You good?" Roman asked. Seth opened his eyes again, near sleep. "Did you need a Xanax or anything?"

"I'm good, thanks," Seth mumbled through his nose, glancing up at his boyfriend sweetly. "I love you. A lot. I wanna be with you for a long time."

"I wanna be with you too," Roman said happily, maybe a little startled by Seth's admission of tacking on something that sounded more serious than usual. "Wanna be there for you. All the time."

Seth hummed. He fell asleep shortly after Dean came to bed, relaxed, even if he was a little over warm. Kevin hopped up to join them, and the house hummed with central airflow.

"Did it all go okay?" Sasha asked, clearly split between her desire to talk to Seth and the fact that a large group of boys were tossing each other around in the shallows of the pool. He watched as Alexa pulled a face and Sasha nodded across the pool to her. She blew her whistle harshly, making Seth's hairs stand on end.

"This is your warning, okay?" She said, pointing specifically to the tallest boy who'd just tossed his friend. "No horseplay."

"We did it last time! Nobody cared then!" The boy said, pre-pubescent voice crackling sharply. Sasha sighed hard, ready to explain the rules, but Seth cut in, annoyed for her.

"We'll pull your membership information and call your parents if you can't behave." Seth said sharply, watching the boys frown angrily. "Find something to do that's safe."

"I can handle this myself," Sasha mumbled, rolling her eyes but clearly glad the boys calmed down. "Anyways-"

"It was all okay, as good as it could be I guess." Seth said, watching the boys gather noodles to make a raft. Alexa sat in the opposite lifeguard chair, looking bored. The boys were the only ones in P-pool. "The service was fine and my mom seemed to handle it all okay."

"That's good, that's really rough to come off a vacation and just have all that happen to you." Sasha agreed, "After the fundraiser we should go out or something."

"Yeah," Seth nodded, not really thinking of anything specific. He was supposed to be power scrubbing the adaptive pool tile, but AJ and Miz were both upstairs and Kevin had said something about changing the wheels on the scrubber anyway. "The house sitting go okay?"

"Yeah, it was awesome." Sasha said, plopping down in her own lifeguard chair and flicking her violet hair behind her ear. "I never thought I'd dream of home ownership, but that place was pretty sick! Me and Bay made homemade ice cream the first night and and ate our way through it for a few days. Kevin is such a sweet pup too! We'd totally do that again for you guys if you want."

"Well, we appreciate it for sure." Seth said, stiffening up as he saw Hunter and Stephanie come through the doors and survey the pool for a moment, clip boards in hand. Seth knew he could afford to stop and chat with Sasha if he wanted, but he was aware that he probably should get back to work. With the park open now, the staff were stretched a little more thin and just as he was about to tell Sasha he was going to keep moving, Hunter motioned for him to come over.

"Oh, uh," Seth mumbled, trying to look cool and unaffected.

"Can you bring us more towels later?" Sasha said, sensing that he was leaving. "We'll probably run out soon."

"Y-yeah," Seth said, striding across the tile to see what his boss wanted and giving her a short wave. Stephanie grinned her usual intimidating smile and Hunter looked mildly grouchy as always.

"Did you have a sec? We wanted to discuss something with you," Hunter asked, looking to Seth seriously. Seth didn't hesitate but rather nodded dumbly, following after his bosses while the boys in the shallow end began a splash war. Ducking into the pool office and feeling the cool rush of the colder air, Seth sat on one of the rubbermaid bins containing the CPR dummies, watching his two bosses set their things down and turn to Seth in their chairs with the utmost attention. After the embarrassment of AJ tattling on him, Seth was always a little on edge around his superiors, sure that he was in trouble.

"So, we have a few more little things to tackle before the fundraiser," Stephanie said, leaning in and looking at her clipboard carefully. "We have some signage that was actually printed at a company just down the road and we were wondering if you could go and pick that up for us around 1 today."

"Oh, sure," Seth said, feeling a little relieved and accepting the key to the company Cadillac that Hunter was extending to him. Seth waited for additional information, sure that there was something else that they wanted. Hunter sat back in his chair, looking from his wife to Seth carefully and Stephanie adjusted her dangling earring from being caught in her hair.

"You've done a good job handling a lot of our little errands lately and this is probably the easiest we've been able to finish all these tasks in several years," she said, staring at Seth hard and smiling in a sort of motherly way. "I don't want to say it was a good thing that we've had you away from the lifeguard stand, but it's become a lot easier to handle these larger events and some day to day operations with your help, Seth."

"Oh, well, thanks," Seth said, grinning. "I'm just sorry I had all that last minute family emergency stuff happening. I didn't want to stick you guys with that so last minute."

"Well, you couldn't help that," Hunter snorted, shrugging. "These things happen. You weren't planning on taking any other big trips or anything though were you? I'm sure the Keys were amazing."

"Nah, not right now," Seth said, wondering why exactly both of his bosses seemed to want to know what his calendar was. Thinking back, he had filled out his availability on time and hadn't asked for any additional time off.

"Well," Stephanie said, holding her intense gaze. "Hunter and I have been thinking for some time now about the possibility of creating a new position at White Water that covers some of the events planning and functions that we've previously handled, in addition to some tasks that tend to fall through the cracks between the different departments…"

Seth's heart leapt with both confusion and excitement. Was he being promoted?

"It's a salaried position, and there would still be an hours requirement for teaching and guarding." Hunter began, tapping his foot and swiveling a little in his seat. "You still haven't gotten your WSI yet and we'd want to talk about when you could get back on the deck to guard, but for the most part, we'd build a schedule around some administrative responsibilities and hands on time in the pool."

"That's awesome!" Seth said, feeling tingly and light. "I'm absolutely game, 100%."

"Excellent," Hunter said. Stephanie clicked her pen and wrote something down on her clipboard. "We still need to figure out all the specifics of that. We're thinking it's best to wait until the fundraiser is all wrapped up, so it may take a little bit of time-"

"That's fine," Seth said quickly, sitting up straighter on his improvised seat. "Do you think I'll have my own office?"

"We'll… see…" Hunter said, looking disinclined to agree to anything too quickly. "We want to get an exact idea of all of your responsibilities outlined first and see… if it would come to that."

"Absolutely," Seth said, biting back his tongue as he hastened to inquire about additional compensation. "Well, I'm just flattered you wanted to ask me about it!"

"You're a great worker Seth," Stephanie beamed, setting down her clipboard and nodding fast. "We both see a lot of potential with you. Should we go ahead and get this figured out then?"

"Y-yes, for sure," Seth said. "I'd love to do this."

He left the office with a spring in his step, excited to tell Sasha and his boyfriends about what Hunter and Stephanie had offered him. It gave him a boost of confidence, especially after he was jilted from the weirdness of the guy named Joe that had made him look stupid in front of his boss. If Seth could make a little more money and feel more secure at work, it was all the better. Right?

#ttr #fic #to the rescue

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your-dietician · 4 years ago

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2021 NHL Draft Profile: Scott Morrow

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nhl/2021-nhl-draft-profile-scott-morrow/

2021 NHL Draft Profile: Scott Morrow

One thing I like looking into is a prospect who puts up ridiculous numbers in unconventional leagues for the top draft prospects. Last year, I looked at Veeti Miettinen — who chose to stay in Finland’s junior level last year to maintain his NCAA eligibility. He was clearly too good for the level, and set records for goals in the league.

In this year’s draft, Scott Morrow may be the next example of a highly talented prospect whose draft stock is hurt by his choice to play in a lesser league. Even if that choice was for logical (if unconventional) reasoning, the lack of certainty to know just how good he is against tougher competition can create some doubt about just how good he really is.

That’s led to the opinions on Morrow in the scouting community being pretty divided. Some scouting people say he could wind up being one of the highest ceiling defensemen in this draft, others see too many flaws that were already evident against high schoolers let alone more difficult competition. So is he a highly underrated defender who would be a first round lock if he played in the USHL all year, or is his stock actually inflated by playing against easier competition?

Personally, I was not able to watch any of his high school games, but I was able to see two of his playoff games in the USHL during the finals against the powerhouse Chicago Steel. That doesn’t give me great context to see the differences between how he looked between two different leagues and levels of competition, but I at least know how he looked in the highest level he played.

THE BASICS: STATS AND CONTEXT

Unlike Miettinen, Morrow is not small: he’s 6’2” and 192 lbs, and as a right shot defenseman. He also had some silly numbers as a defenseman: 48 points in 30 games. That’s not just the best for a defenseman, that’s the second most points in the entire Minnesota high school league among any player — forward or defenseman. And the guy who finished ahead of Morrow played in 19 more games. Morrow’s 1.6 points per game pace was first in the league for players who played in at least 15 games… by a lot. The closest player to him had 1.31 points per game.

The big caveat is that it’s all against high school competition, which will inevitably make you question how good he might be but high schools in some states are not the worst league or level that players are drafted from. Some examples of current NHL players who spent half or more of their draft year in US high school include Casey Mittelstadt, Ryan Donato, Nick Bjugstad, Kevin Hayes, Brock Nelson, and Jake Gardiner.

Morrow did get into six USHL games during Fargo’s playoff run, where he had no points but by all accounts did look good. But this was a year where the pandemic made it harder to see players in person and on video (in the case of someone playing in, say, high school rinks). All draft eligible players this played fewer games than a normal year, some didn’t play at all. As a result, there is more uncertainty around most prospects this draft than usual. More than ever, this year’s rankings seem to favour players who actually played in more games and in more high profile leagues. If Morrow played half or more of his season in the USHL, he’d probably be ranked higher even if he didn’t have as many points.

But the thing is, Morrow reportedly chose to stay in high school in large part to stay closer to home for family reasons and because of the pandemic — the two are related but not necessarily the same. It wasn’t because he just wanted to avoid harder competition.

Here are his draft rankings, as of writing this:

Bob McKenzie: 36th (mid-season rankings)

Will Scouch: 23rd

Scott Wheeler: 33rd

Elite Prospects: 52nd

Dobber Prospects: 22nd

Smaht Scouting: 23rd

THE GOOD: THE OFFENSE (ALL OF IT)

Simply put, Scott Morrow has a lot of exciting offensive skill for a defenseman. If you can think of a way that you want a defenseman to be good offensively, Morrow is probably good at it.

Skating? He has a great top speed, he has quick acceleration, he can maneuver suddenly and in tight spaces, he has very sound skating mechanics, and he uses crossovers to gain speed in all situations. The latter also helps his evasiveness, where defenders can’t square up to him to shut him down because he’s constantly changing his skating angles.

Here’s what Josh Tessler from Smaht Scouting says about his skating:

Morrow’s skating is quite strong. His foot extension is long, which allows him to take fewer strides when in transition. The recovery is not too wide, which is critical for strong mobility. His edges and crossovers are the main drivers for his acceleration and come in handy when navigating/stick-handling in the offensive zone.

Here are some good clips to showcase his skating in the USHL finals:

Here’s some clips of Scott Morrow @FargoForce (#24) from last night’s game

Looking like his usual self displaying high-level offensive skill, he actually played forward for a few shifts (clip 3)

He needs to clean up his defensive game, but he has top-4 potential#2021NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/HuEPGHPRk0

— Dylan Krill (@dylan_krill) May 23, 2021

Puck handling? He is very clever with how he handles the puck. He uses a lot of fakes, dekes, shoulder dips, and other forms of deception to freeze defenders and make it harder for them to check him or the puck. It also helps him back them deeper into the offensive zone so he can get closer for a more dangerous chance, or to bait them into attacking so he can skate around them.

Passing? I’m just going to quote Will Scouch (written article at McKeen’s Hockey here that’s paywalled):

The real magic is his skill to open new passing lanes, and his ability to drive offense through playmaking and stepping into dangerous areas himself. People can question his choice of playing location, but this is a tall defender that dances around on the ice in ways I don’t see many defenders trying anywhere and having strong technique when getting creative. His projectability would only concern me if he was driving up the ice with little in the way of skill, speed, deception and mobility, which some prep players can get away with, but Morrow consistently displayed talents that stood head and shoulders above his competition when it came to evading pressure and moving pucks.

Even when dialing his motor back a bit, Morrow fundamentally has great pass vision and can spot options quickly, sending hard, crisp passes to recipients all over the ice, even if not in the offensive zone. Morrow can lead defenses into thinking he’s a shooting threat, only to quickly send a pass to an open linemate across the offensive zone and play like that indicates that Morrow is not only a good prep player, but rather a smart and crafty hockey player with projectable skills and processing ability.

You can also watch Will’s full video on Scott Morrow here:

youtube

You can see this in any clips of his from high school, where he just looks like a cat playing with its food.

Working on a Scott Morrow piece for @EPRinkside (coming soon). Check out this sequence on the blueline.

-Baits, plans, and walks the first defender -Moves into the dotted lines -Inside deke to open space in the hashmarks -Loses control but slot drive creates a HDC pic.twitter.com/jeB3U7W0tX

— Daniel Gee (@DanielGScouting) February 20, 2021

Offensive transitions? His combination of skating, puck handling and passing helps him excel here as well. He uses the same tricks and deception, plus skating and mobility, to evade pressure and get the puck up the ice and into the offensive zone with control. You can see some examples of that in the clips above.

Here’s what Daniel Gee from EP Rinkside (paywalled) says about his transition offense:

Morrow is a precise passer who can process breakouts and transport the puck with ease. This ability makes him adaptable in scenarios that require snap decision-making, using both the forehand and backhand to facilitate urgent north-to-south transitions. He incorporates the boards, can saucer the puck at any distance, incorporate one-touch breaks, and is supremely calm as forecheckers converge. With this ability, Morrow is somewhat of a dual-threat when it comes to transporting the puck up the ice. While he will have to adjust at higher levels to find a better balance between simple and dynamic, he should be a successful transition player in the NCAA and beyond

The one thing he doesn’t really have is a slap shot from the point. He’s not going to be a guy who rips a hard one timer or snipes a goal from the point. He does have a good wrist shot, and he uses it more when he can get it off in close than from the point. That may be an issue for him at higher levels if his shot does not improve enough to be a credible threat, and better competition can just protect against his passing while ignoring his shot — this is what’s known in hockey circles as the Mitch Marner Dilemma(TM).

I can attest to most of the above points and quotes from what I saw in his USHL playoff games. He was one of, if not the best skater on the ice. I don’t think I ever saw him skate in a straight line when it wasn’t a race for a loose puck. With the puck he was a lot of fun to watch. He did help a lot with Fargo’s transition and did create some good scoring chances, even if he didn’t get any points.

Virtually every scout will admit that Scott Morrow is a good offensive defensemen. There may be some debate over how good, because of the level of competition he faced most of the year creates some doubt when projecting him to the NHL in the future. But everyone will acknowledge that he has a lot of upside from his offense alone.

THE FLAWS: INCONSISTENT DEFENSE

Now comes the contentious part of Scott Morrow. Even people who really like Scott Morrow will point to his defense as his biggest area of weakness. The debate that comes up is about the how’s and how much of his defensive flaws.

For example, in a few scouting profiles I’ve read about Morrow, they remark that he’s very aggressive defensively — both against transitions through the neutral zones, and in his own zone. But others, like Will Scouch in the same report I linked above, remark that statistically and visually he appears very passive on how he involves himself defensively.

What I can infer from that, combined with what I saw in his USHL games, is that he is very raw in his defensive ability and inconsistent in his effort. The games I watched, he did make some nice defensive plays in the neutral zone and defensive zone. But he did also seem indecisive and passive at other times. I chalked that up to him still adjusting to a much more difficult league, against the best team in the league in a playoff finals no less. But to read from Will Scouch — who is a big fan of Morrow’s and ranks him among the highest of any scouting people — that he was also noticeably passive even in high school is more worrisome.

Here is a good quote from Daniel Gee at EP Rinkside that I think also explains a bit of the differences of opinions on his defense:

What’s interesting is when Morrow faces transitional attacks and is unable to halt their momentum in the neutral zone. He’ll show passively, using his backwards crossovers carefully to move laterally in position. He actively keeps his feet more stable once the attacker is in range, using his stick to direct his opponents.

Morrow could do a much better job of driving his opponents to the sideboards. When he actively reaches and tries to poke the puck away, he limits his overall mobility and adaptability, allowing better puck handlers to beat him wide. He tends to move laterally but actually needs to collapse more and occupy his opponent’s attack-lanes better. Morrow also needs to be cognizant of his body positioning — facing away from the play is a recipe for disaster.

My takeaway from is that his defending is kind of all over the place. He has good technique and the tools to be a good defenseman, but his ability to take all of that and use it can be inconsistent and not always the most effective. On the one hand, that is a bit worrisome, but on the other hand it is also something that he could learn with good coaching and development.

It could be bad habits he learned from just being so much better than everyone else in high school that can be ironed out and improved over time. But many top prospects will never improve their defense enough to be average or above average defenders in the NHL once they’re facing the best of the best, even if their offense is good enough for them to excel at the highest level. This is the big worry with Morrow, and how high or low a scout ranks him overall is probably a good indication of how worried they are about that.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

There are two prospects who Bob McKenzie has ranked in the second round that I am really excited about and hope either fall to the Leafs (unlikely), or Dubas acquires a higher pick somehow to take them. Scott Morrow is one, and Logan Stankoven is the other. I am all aboard the Morrow hype train.

In the second round, where Morrow seems likely to be taken, you’re likely looking at a guy who has upside… but also has noticeable flaws. The flaw could be that their skating, size, skill, defense, health, or something else significant just doesn’t seem good enough. Alex DeBrincat fell to the second because people were worried about his size and offense translating to a bigger, faster, and stronger league. Scott Morrow has some big question marks about his defense, which is why he may fall to the second round. He may also has some greater general doubt because he was not playing in a high profile league this year and because of general uncertainty caused by the pandemic.

But for me, I always swing on upside in the second round. Morrow has the offensive profile that could carry him to the NHL even if his defense always remains below average. As Leafs fans, we’re very familiar with the likes of Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly. But if he has that upside and enough tools to potentially develop into a better all-round defenseman? That’s exciting to me.

Next year he is committed to playing in the NCAA at UMass, which has a good program for developing defensemen: Zac Jones, Mario Ferraro, and maybe you’ve heard of this guy named Cale Makar? It’s a good school to take someone with his tools, help him refine his overall game, and turn him into an impact NHL defenseman after a couple of years.

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