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sorchathered · 3 months

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Sacred New Beginnings- Chapter 7

A/N- we have a new header photo! Since the story has progressed into mainly Jake and Stormy’s relationship it seemed like it was time. This one is a little short and super angsty, don’t kill me!

Y’all send me some feedback after this chapter. I want to know what you’d like to see happen next!

Pairing- Jake Seresin x reader (OC Stormy)

Song inspo- “never let me go”- Florence and the Machine, “ if you need to, keep time on me”- Fleet Foxes

Summary-Stormy is on her first deployment with her new squad, missing their 6 month anniversary and gearing up for a hell of a mission.

Warnings- language, violence, injuries (it’s an angsty one guys)

The lumpy twin bed on the aircraft carrier didn’t do much in the way of comfort, but damnit you’d been having the best dream. You and Jake at some seaside restaurant, slow dancing and toasting to your anniversary. It had felt so real, when you’d startled awake by your alarm you could almost feel his warm embrace, tears welling up in your eyes as you came back to reality. You were in the middle of the Atlantic, nowhere near San Diego, and today you and Jake had been together 6 months.

You’d gotten your deployment papers and shipped out almost a month ago, infrequent emails and the occasional phone call all you had to hold on to, along with a handful of letters and photos Jake had printed for you to decorate your bunk to spruce up the empty space you’d call home for the next 2 months. Long distance had been hard, but being deployed without him was a whole other level of pain. For years you’d worked together as pilot and WSO, enduring the shitty conditions and battling the homesickness as a team, doing this alone with a brand new team was a choice you’d make all over again but the loneliness stung no matter how you sliced it. Startled by a sharp knock to the cabin door you threw the covers back and called out for them to wait. It was Viper, your front seater who had become a damn good friend the past few months of integrating with your new team. He and his husband had welcomed you with open arms, game nights at their home and family dinners on Sundays were infamous in your squad, you truly did love this group of misfits despite missing the Daggers something fierce.

Flinging the door open to his smiling face you felt a little lighter, “Come on kid, let’s get some breakfast in you, we’ve got a hell of a day ahead of us! You can dream about your golden boy later!” He let out a cackle as your cheeks tinged in embarrassment and patted you on the head, ushering you both towards the mess hall in preparation for another long and tedious day of maneuvers.

—————————————————————-

On the opposite coast Jake is feeling much of the same, he had complete faith the two of you could weather any storm but the longing he felt without you took his breath away sometimes. He’d never loved anyone like this before, and he’d certainly never been the one waiting for his loved one to come back from deployment. How did spouses do this every day? Just sending the ones they love off to far away places for months at a time and praying to whatever deity existed that they’d come home safely, it was a selfless burden he’d never take for granted again. He checked his email as he inhaled his breakfast, seeing an email and photo attachment from you and he nearly tripped over himself to open the message. There you were, half unzipped flight suit with your cleavage on display, blowing a kiss into the camera just for him. But it was the message itself that sent him over the edge, you explaining in graphic detail all the ways you wanted him to take you apart when you were re-united, how much you loved him and couldn’t wait to be back in his arms. He was the luckiest bastard on earth, shaking his head with a soft chuckle. He held his phone up, took a selfie of his shirtless form and messy bed head, sending you kisses from across the world and typing out a quick reply. “Just a little longer Stormy, it’s you and me baby we can do anything, you’re my moon and stars baby girl I love you. Kick ass today, and thank you for the best 6 months of my life. Love, Jake.”

——————————————————————

The day which started relatively normal, went to shit almost instantly. The mission had to be moved up, enemies were in the area; pirates hired by a foreign nation to carry out a terrorist attack against the very vessel you were sailing on. Your COC wanted a team in the air within the hour to take them down and it left everyone scrambling to throw together a plan and get to their aircrafts. You’d had a bad feeling gnawing at you from the moment they described the plan of attack; two much could go wrong and there wasn’t enough information about the kind of weaponry the enemy had trained on them. Viper gave you a pointed look to keep it to yourself, he didn’t feel good about it either but time wasn’t on anyone’s side today, better to keep your head down and do whatever was needed to survive.

It was a shitstorm, between the enemy aircraft on everyone’s backs their warship seemed to have a never ending supply of missiles, raining down explosives from every direction. It was a dogfight no one had expected and with what was truly a miracle you all made it out alive, barreling across the sky back to the carrier. As you all made your descent warning lights began to appear on your radar, something was coming in hot and it was headed for the ship. You were calling out coordinates while everyone rallied into a formation to see if they could take it out, but it was too late; it had been a diversion. Heat seeking missles were drawing in from another round of jets, and it was either take out the jets or risk everyone on the carrier. Just as Viper began to howl in victory over his first air to air kill, an explosion landed on your left side, taking out the wing and sending you both plummeting. You could barely hear yourself screaming to eject, heartbeat roaring in your ears, your last thought before being flung from your fa/18 was of Jake.

—————————————————————-

It had been a boring day filled with lectures and Jake couldn’t be more happy to get the hell out of the school house, a beer and sports highlights were calling his name. He’d made it halfway through the lot before he heard someone calling his name, more like screaming it as they hurdled towards him through the parking lot. It was Cyclone’s assistant, gasping for air as she told him he was needed immediately in the admiral’s office, it was an emergency. He felt his heart sink, the only reason your godfather would need him for an emergency was you, and he took off towards the building as fast as his body would carry him. Flinging the office door open was unprofessional but he couldn’t be bothered to give a shit, he knew something was wrong and when he crossed the threshold Beau Simpson’s normally callous demeanor was gone, tears in his eyes as he looked up at Jake.

“What?!” He gasped, “Don’t sugar coat it Sir, just tell me, where is she?” Jake was shaking uncontrollably now, if you were gone it would be the end of him.

“She’s alive, but her injuries are severe. She’s being transported to Walter Reed as we speak, and you and I are heading there as soon as possible. She’s been placed in a medically induced coma.”

Jake’s knees hit the floor, and the tears began.

Jake Seresin Masterlist

Tagging- @attapullman @mamamaystbr @mamachasesmayhem @bobgasm @pinkdaisies9285 @djs8891 @jessicab1991 @the-aspiring-fanfic-writer @nouis-bum @roosterforme @jostan456 @kmc1989 @dempy @its-the-pilot @86laura11 @mrsevans90 @shanimallina87 @floydsglasses @mygyn @dizzybee03

#top gun maverick #jake seresin #jake hangman fic #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman x you #jake hangman smut #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin smut #jake hangman imagine #jake hangman seresin #top gun maverick fanfiction #sacred new beginnings #snb #Jake and Stormy

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lowkeyrobin · 2 months

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Hiiiiii just wanted to put in a request of Trevor Spangler x reader angst where reader is trapped with a hostile ghost, just in the mood for some angst 🤭

ooooo okay okay I see the vision ; thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoy! I need gbfe to release on digital bc I'm in desperate need to get new banners/headers. sigh ; post writing robin here, I missed the whole angst bit somehow bc idek how to write good angst so I apologize

TREVOR SPENGLER ; hostile ghost exposure therapy

summary ; youre a scientist in the making working with the ghostbusters squad and expose hostile ghosts and ghouls to human kind. sometimes it can be rough, though

warnings ; language, choking, weird ghost shit

disclaimers ; ik ghostbusters usually focuses on the ghouley types of ghosts but standard ghosts were the idea for this lol. I've been watching The Boys explore haunted places all day so what can I say

word count ; 783

masterlist

Proton barriers this, ghost containment that. Whatever Lars was speaking about didn't matter to you at this moment. What did matter was trying to help this new, very hostile, ghost adjust to being in the presence of a human.

The barrier quickly slips down, then right back up once you step inside the room. Glass surrounds the exterior, then Lars steps away, leaving you to do your thing. Lucky waves a few feet away, wishing you a silent good luck before getting back to work.

Trevor and Phoebe talk about with Lucky, Lars, and Podcast, testing out one of the newer machines in the lab. You face the approximate direction of the ghost, not exactly able to see it without its permission.

You carefully sit down in a chair across from the one left empty from it, bathing in the silence before speaking.

"My name's Y/n, what's yours?" You ask, not really expecting an answer. Thank God this was a standard ghost and not a ghoul. You didn't think you had the patience for that today. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me. I just want to know why you're so hostile to make you that way. I'm not here to judge, I have good intentions. I promise you that"

Step one, build trust and rapport.

Silence.

You internally nod, moving your legs in a criss-cross manner to get a little more comfortable. Apparently, the ghost didn't like this silence and chucked a ceramic vase, which sat on the coffee table between the chairs, towards you. It just barely misses you and breaks on impact with the wall behind you, causing you to flinch a bit. The dusty, broken ceramic clatters onto the floor, creating a million pieces out of the used-to-be one-piece vase.

You keep your composure, not giving the undead the attention that she wanted. You sit in silence, a clear look of 'not taking shit' on your face.

"Stupid bitch" It whispers into your ear, catching you off gaurd. You feel a shiver run down your spine as a wave of coolness washes over you.

You lightly sigh, "We can sit here and insult each other all you want. I'm just here to help" You speak, leaning back in your chair.

Over the course of the next ten or so minutes, you hear petty insult after insult, like this ghost was trying to dig into your skin and was just miserably failing. You'd gotten used to this long ago. When would they ever learn?

Suddenly, you feel a tight sensation around your throat, which you nearly panic at feeling, considering you can feel the air suddenly leaving you. You grab at your throat, choking and gasping for air, trying to get whatever hands were on you off out of pure human instinct.

This has happened a few times, where the ghosts will put hands on you. It's never escalated to immediate choking, though, which was why it worried you so much. This was a very hostile ghost. It wasn't just going to stop. It wanted to hurt.

"Get off of me!" You joke, instinctively kicking out towards the ghost, who's obviously unable to feel it. "I want to help you!"

You feel your face grow cold, and your eyes become heavy. The transparent figure now becomes slightly visible, still very much opaque as it stands in front of you, arms stretched out to squeeze down on your throat.

You hear some muffled shouting outside, then a lot of mechanical wirring and beeping. Lars and Trevor came to your rescue, the older man cautiously pulling down the proton fields while the teenage boy ran in to help you.

You don't know exactly what happened within the next few seconds, but the forceful grip on your throat was pushed away, and you were quickly ushered past the proton barrier again.

Trevor holds you up as you choke and gasp for air, already feeling your throat begin to bruise.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" He quickly asks, sitting you down on the floor.

You nod and cough some more, trying to regulate the amount of air swarming to your lungs. You pound on your chest like you were choking on an actual something, wanting the painful choking to stop.

Once it does end, Trev quickly wraps you in a hug, trying to make sure you were okay.

"I'm okay, I'm fine. Just fucking hurt" You nod

"Are you sure? Phoebe, go get them some water." He quickly speaks, turning back to Phoebe, Podcast, and Lucky, who were concerningly watching from afar. Phoebe nods and quickly jogs out to the kitchen/lunchroom area.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm okay. Thank you"

#lowkeyrobin #ghostbusters frozen empire #ghostbusters afterlife #ghostbusters x reader #trevor spengler x reader #trevor spengler #finn wolfhard x reader #finn wolfhard #gender neutral reader #gn reader #they/them reader

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airbendertendou · 7 months

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LOVE YOU, HATE FOOLISH! ♡

synopsis : you work at one of bonten's clubs, but recently, have been acting suspicious. a member is sent to watch you and is met with something completely different.

cw : bonten boys being sneaky , brief violence , mentions of guns , an abundance of pet-names

song inspo ; love foolish by twice

if you have a blank blog [no bio, no user, no header or profile pic, nothing reblogged, etc] do not interact with my content. you will be blocked.

someone is following you. the club isn't far from your home — far from your boys. footsteps fall behind yours quietly and you gulp. shaky hands drag your phone from your pocket, pressing on the one until he answers.

"on your way home?" he doesn't say hello. he knows your routine — knows it's time for you to be near him. "[name]?"

"hey! yeah, a pepperoni is fine," you pause before letting out a breathy laugh. "you know how i feel about my pizza."

"someone following you?" his voice turns stern and serious. you let out a quiet mhm as you attempt to locate your stalker from the corner of your eye. it's what you'd rehearsed ; your panic words incase you were in trouble. "how close are you? i'll meet you halfway."

you turn your head with a nonchalant hum before rattling off the street-name you're near. a flash of a tattoo catches your eye before it's out of view — it makes you even more nervous.

you let out another staged giggle, "yeah, just don't watch another episode without me. promise?"

"already on my way, sweetheart."

— SANNOH HOODLUM SQUAD! ♡ ft. ran haitani

the sound of a motorcycle disturbs the quiet neighborhood around you. a breath is let out of your lungs at the sight of headlights coming towards you. echoed footsteps have long since fallen quiet, but that only heightened your fears.

cobra steps off of his bike, face stern and serious as he makes his way towards you. noboru sends a grin your way, yamato towering behind him as they scope out the area around you. cobra frowns at you, "you okay?"

"physically." crunching of glass hits your ears and you spin around. streetlights hit purple hair and you stiffen once more. "ran?"

he looks you up and down, his tongue in his cheek before he grins. "heya, doll."

your chest is pressed to a back before you realize it. cobra is looming in front of you, shoulders and chest widened threateningly. noboru is to your left ; yamato on your right, matching scowls on their faces.

the blond's voice is a growl as he speaks, "and who are you?"

"just the boss," ran raises his hands in surrender. he's too casual ; too relaxed to be outnumbered. sleepy eyes meet yours. "of sorts."

your breath catches in your throat. "he sent you... after me?" ran hums, tilting his head tauntingly. your eyebrows furrow, "why?"

"thinks you're up to somethin'." ran shrugs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. a flash of silver catches your eyes — he's carrying his gun, of course. "in enemy territory. telling secrets."

the words oddly make you relax a little. a misunderstanding, that's all it is. but, before you can speak, cobra does. "just who is your boss?"

ran grins, "you don't want to know."

"i live in... opposing territory," you speak up. brushing past cobra — you smile over your shoulder reassuringly at him — you stand between the men. "that's all. i travel back and forth between other claimed areas."

humming once more, ran thinks over what you said. he eyes the three men with you — sees how guarded you are. his eyes scrape over your figure once more before he nods. "okay. i'll believe you."

turning without another word, ran leaves you standing there. he looks over his shoulder at you, eyes gleaming dangerously. "get home safely, doll."

waiting until ran is long out of sight, cobra wanders up to you, placing his hands on your shoulders. you turn, letting out a breath of relief and grin. cobra frowns further, "don't get in front of me like that again, okay?"

your smiles fades at his words. cobra sighs, hands dropping to your hips as he squeezes. "he had a gun, angel. would much rather i got shot than you."

"whatever you say, mister sannoh, sir." you kiss his cheek delicately before walking to his best friends. "and thank you both for coming with him. i appreciate it."

"whatever you say," noboru grins down at you, "mx sannoh."

— WHITE RASCALS! ♡ ft. kakucho

a white bike pulls up in front of you as rocky steps off. he's got a lollipop in his mouth — blueberry, from the scent — and a nonchalant demeanor as he stands in front of you.

"you're here," you breath. you relax, your forehead resting on his shoulder as you control your breathing. "you got here really fast."

a clink! hits your ears as the lollipop is taken from his mouth. "you were in trouble."

sunglasses sit on the edge of his nose as he scours your surroundings. one hand holds the back of your head, hugging you close to his body. you savor his warmth and the comfort he brings ; the safety he makes you feel. rocky stiffens, his mouth near your ear as he speaks, "found 'em."

"[name]." rocky pulls you closer as your name is called. you turn your face, still hiding in your boyfriend's chest. you see a familiar suit, eyes crawling up until you see an even more familiar man. "may we talk?"

your eyes widen, "mister kakucho! ...were you following me?"

"my apologies," the man sends a half bow your way, "i didn't mean to frighten you."

rocky's chest vibrates with a hum. both of his arms are around your waist, a little more relaxed. still poised to attack if he needed to, though. "so, why are you following my flower?"

kakucho eyes the way you're standing — practically melted into rocky's chest. a small, distant smile curls on his lips before it falls away, back to his neutral expression. "the boss asked me to... check on you."

you face him fully now, your back to rocky's chest. "me? why?"

with a shrug, kakucho looks away nonchalantly. "just as a precaution." he meets rocky's eyes over you, seeing the silent threat in his eyes. he nods rocky's way, "we can talk more at work. get home safe, you two."

it stays silent as kakucho leaves your sight. rocky squeezes your hips, placing a kiss on your temple before backing off. "don't like that boss of yours. seems like a prick."

you snort, "you have no idea."

— OYA KOU! ♡ ft haruchiyo sanzu

it isn't long until murayama is stomping his way towards you. seki and furuya have to almost run to keep up with his hasty pace, failing to keep their serious faces on. you're bombarded with questions almost immediately.

"who is it? where are they? are you being threatened? did they touch you? if so much as a fingernail is broken, i am going to—"

both of your hands clutch onto one of his. a simple, pretty smile is on your face as you look at him. "hi, yoshiki."

"hey, sweet baby," he melts. the duo behind him share a glance as murayama shakes his head, getting focused once more. "i'm being serious. you've never panic-worded before."

pink hair pops up before you know it, a fist swinging murayama's way. in the time that it takes for you to widen your eyes, two bodies are on the ground. seki and furuya stand with you, blocking your body with theirs.

heaving breaths are all you hear until almost identical manic laughs spill from their lips. as the new figure sits up, you blanch. what could you have done for the guard dog himself to be after you? sanzu grins, "you're pretty good."

murayama lets out his own breathy laugh, "haven't had a fight like that in too long."

"boss?" the friendly, sparkling atmosphere is broken by your meek voice. your legs are trembling together, eyes wide and teary. why was bonten after you? "is... is there a problem?"

when sanzu's icy eyes slide to yours, you can't help but wish you never spoke at all. he huffs as he stands, wiping blood from his crooked nose. sanzu clicks his tongue in disappoinment as he stands before you. he says your name three times, "just what have you gotten yourself into?"

"you work for this guy?" murayama is beside you within the next second. his knuckles are worn and bleeding as he clutches your hand in his. "small world."

"boss said to keep an eye on you," sanzu sweeps his striped suit. a diamond encrusted grin is thrown your way — it makes chills run up your spine. "i'll be watching you, [full name]."

sanzu leaves, but your chest still feels crowded, like you can't breathe. you stare with a dead gaze at where he once stood. an arm is slung around your shoulders, heavy breathing echoing into your ear. "that sounded like a threat."

your eyes meet murayama's, "it was."

— RUDE BOYS! ♡ ft. rindou haitani

you're already talking to someone by the time he arrives. sneakily, smoky watches from the rooftop he's perched on as you exchange conversation with the man across from you. lilac hair wasn't something he was used to seeing — the color stood out in nameless.

"yeah," you shrug your work bag further up your shoulder. "that's it, i think."

rindou nods, looking to the ground as he kicks a rock. he goes to speak again but stops at the new figured that has joined you. looming behind you is a man with shaggy hair and a dead look to his eyes.

you tilt your head at rin's silence. you see a flash of green in the corner of your eye. jumping, you step away from the shadowed figure before sighing. "smoky. hi. what did i say about the sneaking thing?"

"sorry," a small flash of a smile greets you. he slides closer, his left pinkie linking into your own. smoky stares at rindou, "who's this?"

"friend from work," you answer before rindou can. a minute shake of your head distracts the purple-haired man. he smirks lightly — you were worried about him beating this frail guy up, right? you eye smoky, "is it jus' you or...?"

he smiles again, "only me. for now."

rindou sighs, scratching the back of his head. he looks at smoky once more before meeting your gaze. "and with that, i'll be off. thanks for the chat, [name]."

as rindou walks off, you lace your fingers through smoky's, leaning onto his shoulder. you let out a yawn, "ready to head home?"

he nods, leading you away. looking back, smoky watches the shadowed figures that follow an unsuspecting rindou. he gives a small nod — they follow their leader's command.

— DARUMA IKKA! ♡ ft. hajime kokonoi

a vibrant, purple car pulls in front of you, music booming from the speakers. hyuga slides off of the hood, standing in front of you meanacingly. he scowls, "problem here, [name]?"

you grin, "no, not now that you're here."

silence and then a snort. hyuga reaches out to pinch the top of your arm before he pulls you close. smoke travels from the pipe he uses, enveloping you in the smell and fog. you narrow your eyes, "that's so unnecessary, norihisa."

his arm wraps around the back of your neck, bringing you close. his mouth brushes against your ear, "whatever you say, baby."

a newer, white car pulls in to your right. the conversation and music pauses, eyes on the figure leaving the vehicle. you straighten up with a widened mouth. "kokonoi? um, is there something you need, sir?"

kokonoi smooths his suit out and tucks his hair back into the low bun it sits in. he greets you with a smile before his eyes fall on hyuga. "i didn't know you knew a hyuga, [name]."

"and how do you know my hyuga?" koko looks at you before tilting his head and smiling tantalizingly. you purse your lips, "right. your gambling problem."

"careful, [name]," kokonoi sticks his tongue out, "i'm still your boss."

you wrap your arms around hyuga's waist, bringing yourself closer to him. half of your face is hidden in his red jacket, barely visible pout on your lips. "we're not in work now, though..."

hyuga kisses the top of your head. "need somethin' from us?"

"just had a little question." koko looks at where you're attaching yourself to hyuga before nodding to himself. "things are starting to make sense now, though."

humming, you frown at your boss-of-sorts. "you're acting shady."

koko grins, closing his eyes with a small laugh. "aren't i always? see you tomorrow, [name]."

hyuga pats your bottom in a pattern as you both watch the white-haired man leave. he honks, flashing his headlights before he leaves. hyuga sucks in air through his teeth, "what a weird guy."

"are you allowed to say that?" a pinch to your butt causes you to squeak. "okay, alright! i take it back."

——♡—— ive decided i love pairing them together <3 but that was a lil obvious beforehand do we like the pairings though?? could’ve changed them but….. if youd like to b tagged / untagged in any tokyorev OR hnl content, let me know! ♡

🍓FOREVER TAGS : @star2fishmeg ♥︎

🍓 H&L TAGLIST : @rouzuchan @yuken-gf @strxwberrychocolate @simpforchuchu @thatpoindexterpixy @cheshirecatuniverse

🍓 TOKYOREV TAGLIST : @night-shadowblood-writes2 @muichirouswifeandhusband

airbendertendou © do not copy, plagiarize, repost, or translate my content on any platform. if you see my content under any other name than my own, let me know. i only have this tumblr and an ao3 account under the same name.

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unitedbydevils · 3 months

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Match Review: Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United

A first league win away for Erik Ten Hag against a top half side. An awful stat, and a grotty game, but a huge win for United.

Considering United's away form under Erik Ten Hag has been naff if we're being kind, the game started brightly for the visitors and on another day perhaps could have been a more comprehensive win.

Wonder boy Rasmus Højlund gave United a deserved early lead in the 17th minute as a deft Maguire header looped over the Villa back line to allow a simple finish.

The goal means 5 in 5 in the league for Højlund, making him the youngest United player to achieve the feat and the second youngest in Premier League history behind 19 year old Nicolas Anelka.

Villa stayed in contention for the rest of the first half and looked solid, particularly with Ramsey and Luiz, but weren't able to find a breakthrough before half time and so the hosts went in behind.

United's fortunes turned around with the substitution of Luke Shaw at half time. Martinez's absence was obvious, and Shaw's doubled down on the issues with progression. Lindelof on as an inverted full back was a stop-gap choice but very poor, and raises questions about Sofian Amrabat given his solid backup cover at LB when he first joined United on loan. Odd.

Good performances from Dalot, Maguire and Onana (Varane was alright too tbf) kept United in the game but eventually Villa exploited the crack in the armour at both LB and DM, with Casemiro's stamina flagging, and Douglas Luiz banged in an equaliser before celebrating like he's Shakira??? Weird man.

Who do you call when you're struggling for possession and need a goal? Scotty Too Hotty. McSauce, McTeminator, Steve Clarke's favourite, he's a pain in the arse to watch given his allergy to possession and standing in the right position, but he knows when to make an attacking run and scored a perfect header off a peach of a Dalot cross to secure the win.

Special mention to Mainoo and his tricky footwork to buy time for Dalot to catch up and make said cross. Top composure and tekkers from Kobbie.

For added spice, Villa got uppity at Rasmus telling the fans to quieten down after the goal. Lads, your guy celebrated with a Samba dance; in Birmingham; in the winter; for scoring an equaliser; against a team lower in the league; who hadn't beaten a top half team away under their manager. Perspective yeah?

This was a huge win for United and especially Erik Ten Hag. The gap between United and Villa is now only 5 points, with 14 games to go. 6 points to Spurs too. 4 wins on the bounce, confidence growing, fitness returning... United still need Malacia back to help Shaw workload, and Mount back because Mainoo can't be the 8 on his own at 18, but there's a lot to be optimistic about now.

That said, the gaps in the squad are obvious. LB is a risk with Shaw and Malacia. No ball-playing CB is killing our transitional speed, which is ETH's whole ethos. Casemiro is showing his age at DM. Hojlund can't be our only striker... this summer's priorities have to be young prospects so we can actually fill the positions we need and within budget. But, that's a conversation for another day. For now we enjoy the win over the Villans and focus on our next game against Luton; away at the shed they call Kenilworth Road.

#manchester united #man u #man united #man utd #manchester reds #erik ten hag #casemiro #kobbie mainoo #diogo dalot #andre onana #harry maguire #victor lindelof #rasmus højlund #scott mctominay #douglas luiz

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justforbooks · 1 year

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Pelé, who has died aged 82 after suffering from cancer, is widely regarded as the greatest footballer the game has ever seen. He was the only player to have won the World Cup three times, and perhaps the most remarkable aspect of his long career was that he reached his apotheosis so early, and on the world’s biggest stage. He was 17 when he played for Brazil in the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden, scoring six goals in their last three games – the winner in the quarter-final, a hat-trick in the semi-final and two in the final – his confidence and stature growing palpably with every game.

Almost two decades later he came out of retirement and made the almost unthinkable decision of signing for New York Cosmos. For all its wealth, the US was then a pauper of the football world, and it was Pelé who helped introduce Americans to “soccer”. His first game was televised in 22 countries, and the pitch, more dirt than grass, had to be spray-painted green for the watching world.

Pelé’s fame began to grow almost from the moment he made his dramatic entrance in the World Cup as the youngest footballer to play in the tournament (and still the youngest to have scored a hat-trick, or to have appeared and scored in a final). Although he missed the first two games of the 1958 tournament through injury, senior members of the Brazil squad urged the manager to play both Pelé and the right-winger Garrincha in the final group match against the Soviet Union. Unleashing these two players against the Soviets kickstarted the Brazilian campaign. Both hit the post in the first intoxicating three minutes of the match and Brazil played with a virtuosity that heralded their arrival as the dominant, irresistible force in world football.

When Brazil reached the final and beat Sweden, the hosts, 5-2, Pelé stole the show, his two goals an illustration of the ability that set him apart from all other footballers. The first was a breathtaking piece of skill; he controlled the ball on his chest, chipped it back over his head and then ran around the flummoxed defender and volleyed it into the net. For the second, he soared above his marker before making a perfectly placed header.

Pelé was blessed with a blend of supreme athleticism, skill and tactical vision. He could run 100m in 11 seconds, shoot with either foot and outjump the tallest defenders. His sheer physicality and turn of speed were electrifying as he homed in on goal, outsprinting or simply charging through defences while managing to keep the ball under close control. But, unusually for such a prolific goalscorer, he could also be a team player. While he was still a teenager, wealthy Italian clubs attempted to lure him away from Brazil, offering a then unheard-of $1m to his club, Santos FC, for his signature. But in 1961, the Brazilian president Jânio Quadros declared Pelé a “non-exportable national treasure”, ensuring that he remained at the club for almost two decades.

He was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in the village of Três Corações in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, the son of Celeste and João Ramos. The boy was named after the inventor Thomas Edison, though his parents misspelt the name. The origin of Pelé, the nickname he picked up as a young boy, is something of a mystery, but its novelty and simplicity – easy to pronounce in any language (he complained it sounded like babytalk in Portuguese) – would add to his aura as his career advanced.

His father, known as Dondinho, was a gifted footballer and in the hope of a final shot at glory took the family to Bauru, a railway town in São Paulo state. A knee injury put an end to his sports career and the family slipped into poverty. From the age of seven, Pelé worked part-time as a shoeshine boy. Celeste was adamant her son would not follow in João’s footsteps, but by the time he was a teenager, scouts from the big clubs in Rio and São Paulo were knocking at the door.

Waldemar de Brito, a scout and former footballer who appeared in the 1934 World Cup, finally persuaded his mother to let him have a trial for Santos. De Brito took Pelé under his wing, and when they arrived in Santos, the port city for the booming industrial and coffee-producing state of São Paulo, he declared the 15-year-old was going to be “the greatest football player in the world”.

Santos was a small but ambitious provincial club when Pelé made his debut in 1956, and he was instrumental in transforming it into a national and then international force. In 1957, his first full season as a professional, in which he also won his first international cap, he was the top scorer in the São Paulo state championship. The following year the team scored 143 goals in 38 games to win the title, Pelé scoring 58 times – a record that still stands – and a remarkable 75 goals in all competitions in the calendar year, a world record that stood until 1972. By the 1960s the team was one of the most successful in the world, earning the nickname the Santásticos as they won eight more state championships, six Brazilian championships, two Copas Libertadores (South American championships) and two Intercontinental Cups.

Keen to cash in on Pelé’s box office appeal – and pay his astronomical salary – Santos embarked on a relentless schedule of exhibition matches in dozens of countries across four continents. Their star attraction was contractually obliged to play everywhere they went, so by the time Pelé appeared in his second World Cup, in Chile in 1962, he had played an exhausting 426 games and scored 488 goals in matches for club and country. He arrived with a groin injury, which flared up in Brazil’s second game and ruled him out of the rest of the tournament, though Brazil, led by an inspirational Garrincha, went on to win their second successive World Cup.

Worse followed four years later at the 1966 World Cup in England, when Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders repeatedly hacked Pelé down at the knees. He limped out of the tournament and, angered at the lack of protection from referees, vowed that he had played his last World Cup. Four years later, acutely aware of his place in history and with a point to prove, he had changed his mind. Chastened, the Brazil squad trained for the tournament for three months to deal with an increasingly physical European game and the altitude and intense heat of Mexico. Pelé was the only survivor of the victorious 1958 squad but he was joined by a new generation of gifted players, including Tostão, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Gerson and his Santos teammate Carlos Alberto.

The 1970 World Cup was the first to be watched live by a global television audience. It was also the first to be broadcast in colour, and in the brilliant Mexican sunshine the gold shirts and cobalt blue shorts of Brazil dazzled the watching world. They won the tournament for the third time – beating Italy 4-1 in the final – by playing football of such imagination and thrilling execution that it is regarded as one of the high-water marks in the history of sport. Their swaggering, distinctly Brazilian futebol arte proved that it was possible to win by playing with joyful exuberance, and Pelé was the most potent symbol of this sporting celebration. After 1970 he was probably the most famous man in world sport, with only Muhammad Ali as instantly recognisable and universally idolised.

He played five more games for Brazil and continued with Santos for another four years, but declined to come out of international retirement for the 1974 World Cup. Brazil’s manager, Mario Zagallo, had lost the nucleus of his glorious 1970 team and implored Pelé to change his mind, but the player realised that, as well as being past his peak, he was a far more lucrative asset off the field.

At this point in his life, money had become more pressing than football. As the result of bad judgment and dubious advice, he twice lost his fortune and was almost made bankrupt. One reason Santos were able to keep him for so long was their willingness to bail him out, on very favourable terms, after his business collapsed.

He played his last game for the club in October 1974 but, with financial clouds still hanging over him, he came out of retirement a few months later after receiving an offer he simply could not refuse. To the astonishment of football fans, particularly in Brazil, he went to play for New York Cosmos in the fledgling North American Soccer League (NASL). They would pay him $7m for three years as a player, plus another three as a “goodwill ambassador”.

As well as a salary that would make him the highest-paid sportsman in the world, he was also tempted by the offer of a new challenge laid down by the Cosmos manager, Clive Toye, perhaps one that suited a footballer past his peak: “I told him don’t go to Italy, don’t go to Spain, all you can do is win a championship. Come to the US and you can win a country.”

And so it proved: Pelé and the Cosmos were a perfect fit. The astonishing skill that had beguiled football fans in almost every country in the world was a revelation to a new American audience, and he loved the razzmatazz of the NASL – his easy charm was a gift to sports marketing men who were selling, in effect, a brand new product.

Over three seasons he scored 65 goals in 111 games for the Cosmos, and led them to the 1977 American championship. The team became a huge commercial presence and regularly sold out their 60,000-seater stadium – unthinkable before his arrival. His last game came in October 1977, an exhibition match in New York between his two clubs, Santos and Cosmos, broadcast to dozens of countries, in which he played one half for each side, and scored his last goal, his 1,283rd in 1,367 games. Those figures are remarkable in themselves, but the fact that more than 500 of those games were friendlies played all over the world is testament to his popularity and box office appeal.

When he retired for a second time, the winning smile and goodwill that had won over American sports fans became his stock in trade, and he went on to act as a highly paid roving ambassador for a number of organisations, from Fifa and the United Nations to Mastercard and Pepsi. He even headed a health campaign for erectile dysfunction awareness. Wherever he went, he was received like royalty.

Though never a member of a political party, he was appointed Brazil’s minister of sport in 1995, serving until 1998, the year the lei Pelé (Pele’s law) was passed by congress. Its noble aim was to clean up the country’s notoriously chaotic and corrupt football bodies and give greater freedom of movement to players, though the bill was watered down before and after its promulgation.

In 1999 he was named athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee (even though he had never appeared at an Olympic Games) and a year later (jointly with Diego Maradona) Fifa player of the century. He was vice-president of Santos and made honorary president of the revamped New York Cosmos in 2010. His honorary titles in many different countries included an honorary knighthood in the UK (1997).

Pelé’s first two marriages ended in divorce. In 2016 he married his third wife, Marcia Cibele Aoki. She survives him, along with two daughters, Kelly Cristina and Jennifer, and a son, Édson, from his first marriage, to Rosemeri Cholbi; twins, Joshua and Celeste, from his second marriage, to Assíria Lemos; and a daughter, Flávia Kurtz, from an earlier relationship. He did not acknowledge his daughter Sandra, from a relationship with Anizia Machado, even after she won a paternity case. They never met and she died in 2006.

🔔 Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), footballer, born 23 October 1940; died 29 December 2022

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

#JUST FOR BOOKS #Pelé #Edson Arantes do Nascimento #in memoriam

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slightlytoastedbagel · 10 months

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top 5 commissioned project sekai songs?

*rubs hands together* oooh boy. no one is going to agree with this list.

(Also I'm doing top 10 because I talked about my favourite songs in the notes of a post a while back but some stuff has changed. Also I just have a lot of thoughts.)

10. Samsa

They made us wait over 2 years for a Kanade comm to get a 3DMV and it did not disappoint. KAITO's "Zuki" and each of Nightcord's solo line at the end with Kanade reaching out to Mafuyu stick out in particular for me. Samsa is just a really good song. Also the metamorphosis reference is genius, especially since Mafuyu's third comm is 'Bug'.

(Bug is not on this list but it is easily top 20)

9. Stage of Sekai

This was my favourite Leo/Need comm, but we'll get to that later. Honami songs are just really good and I really like Len here as well. Also this song is really fitting for them I think. I especially love that one instrumental bit near the end.

8. Machi

Vivid Old Tale my beloved. An my beloved. This song is just really nice to listen to. It feels nostalgic. (Also now that Light Up The Fire has happened this entire event is painful in the good way). An's alt for this song is also one of the best in game.

7. Momoiro Key

I popped off when a Iyowa comm was announced, and it did not disappoint! The song itself is really good, but the MV is also just beautiful. I tend to just listen to this song on repeat for the MV. Especially that bit in the last chorus when Airi is seen by herself with the morse code background.

6. Niccori^^ Survey Team Theme

It's catchy. Like really catchy. I could give more reasons but also I don't think I need to. I will anyway though. This song just really fits Wonderlands x Showtime I think, especially Emu and her dream to make people smile. Sometimes I get "nikkorikorikorikori koriandaa" stuck in my head. It got stuck while I was writing this actually. Also fun MV.

5. Hitsuji Ga Ippiki

This was Beat Eater a while ago, then I kept listening to this song almost daily. Kick It Up A Notch is an event I am really looking forward to (if that wasn't obvious from the amount of times I Kohane post) and this song is also just incredible. Especially Kohane's rolled r at the end. I really want Kohane and MEIKO alts at some point (because I also really like MEIKO's tuning here.)

4. If

Oh hey look it's the song in my blog header. Who would have thought. I can't really explain why I love this song so much. Haruka's voice is pretty, the backing is really nice, I LOVE the chorus. Also the original version of this song is beautiful as well so listen to that (on Yurrycanon's channel).

3. Kanadetomasusora

Kanade gets two songs on this top 10 just because. This song almost made me cry the first time I fully listened to it. There have only been two other times I've felt that way, with Minori's latest comm (Teammate) and the number 2 spot. It also has this music box feel which really fits considering the event it was made for.

2. Made To Order

The full version came out a month or so ago and it changed me. It's just so beautiful... Ichika's voice is stunning here and Luka fits really well. Not to bring up the MVs again but the sun slowly rising at the end is stunning. I could go on but yeah. I love this song.

1. Kashika

Akito Shinonome. That is all.

But in all serious, December last year is probably when I went from 'I just enjoy this game alot :)' to 'full blown Vivid Bad Squad fan' and this song is partly to blame. It just left me speechless and Find A Way Out is another event I am really looking forward to. I was also just really happy to see MEIKO singing with them more. Also just to shoutout the VAs, Imai Fumiya's high notes are just stunning. Can't wait for the full version soon. Also the MV again. Amazing.

#project sekai #bagel answers #i once spent half a day ranking every comm back when Mr Showtime had just came out #i should probably update that list #sorry i brought MVs up so much i will do it again #honorable mentions i suppose (aka 11-15)#Be The MUSIC! Bug TeraTera Beat Eater and Dream Place

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kimageddon · 2 years

Text

A Prince of Dathomir - Chapter 89

Chapter Summary: Zaiya meets some new friends, and catches up with an older one.

Notes at the end of the chapter!

Consequences - Part 1

Zaiya was entirely oblivious to Crosshair’s true thoughts. While she had felt some conflict in him, it was muddied and she wasn’t about to pry into his mind to find out. She’d heard the confirmation from Ninety Nine, and could not help some excitement at seeing them heading back to their barracks. She hoped they enjoyed their little gifts, and she was a little sad that she couldn’t see their faces, but it was not the point.

Ninety Nine met up with her nearer to the standard training halls, his grin not one he was able to hide.

“Another excellently executed mission, Ninety Nine,” Zaiya grinned and petted his shoulder.

“All thanks to you,” the clone beamed.

“Nonsense, it was your idea,” Zaiya rebuffed, and quickly changed the subject. “You said you wanted me to meet someone…?” she asked. Ninety Nine nodded enthusiastically.

“There was! A couple of my brothers have been having a hard time with the cadet training. I know they can do it… but maybe you can help them see it too? What with you being Lieutenant-General and all.” He hobbled ahead rather quickly and Zaiya almost had to jog to keep up.

He escorted her into the training room a little down the corridor, and led her up to the observation platform. From there she witnessed a group of cadets running trials and… not well. They were squabbling mid-fight and not paying attention to directions, they’d only traversed half the course before being knocked down by the mild stun rounds.

“I see what you mean,” Zaiya replied with a small smirk. “Are they newly put together or of the same batch?”

“Two of them are batchers but the other three were from different batches,” he explained. Zaiya looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

“That’s unusual, isn’t it?” she asked, didn’t most clones train with their batchmates from a young age?

“It is, but sometimes… not all clones make it this far,” his voice became bitter and she instinctively laid a hand on his shoulder. His own hand dwarfed hers as he rested it on hers in appreciation.

“Shall we say hello?” she asked with a small smile. Ninety Nine’s expression brightened and he nodded. The two headed back down and watched the five clones trudge past them, though Ninety Nine stepped out, they hadn’t noticed her yet.

“Don’t be discouraged boys,” he encouraged, and she smiled. He was ever-faithful to his brothers… However, one of them was not so kind.

“Yeah? What would you know, Ninety Nine? You’re just a maintenance clone…”

…you're just a corcitura…

Something sparked in her and in a flash she was behind them.

“Trooper,” she snarled. The men jolted at the unfamiliar voice and upon turning the colour drained from their faces. They were quick to salute and stand at attention. Though Zaiya even at her full height was not quite to their level, she still cut an imposing figure when she wished, one the clones had learned to be wary of.

“What are your names?” she asked tersely.

“We don’t all have names, Lieutenant-General,” the leader of the group spoke up. She just raised her brow at him.

“I am CT-782, of Domino Squad,” the leader proclaimed. He had been the one to speak poorly to Ninety Nine.

“Hevy,” Ninety Nine whispered beside her, and she flicked a glance at him before returning her gaze to the cadet. Yes, it did seem to suit him.

“CT-00-2010, they call me Droidbait, ma’am.” Zaiya wanted to frown at him but kept her expression neutral, merely nodding in response.

“I’m CT-5555, you can call me Fives." He gave a brief smile and she wondered if he was as mischievous as the glint in his eye suggested.

“CT-1409, Lieutenant-General,” the next said with another salute. Fives gestured with his thumb to his brother.

“We call him Echo," he almost grinned but managed to refrain. She allowed his interruption for now,

“CT-4040,” the last said, “I haven’t picked my name yet,”

“I see,” she mused and looked across their faces, each of them felt so different, there was something about the middle two that seemed… long. Like there was some path ahead that she could not yet see the end of. For now however she would address the most prominent issue. “Do you find there to be something unseemly in maintenance work?”

“Uh, ma’am…?” the one Ninety Nine dubbed Hevy responded.

Her brow twitched.

“Ninety Nine here, he comes to me, he tells me of the faith and trust he has in you and your squad. He tells me that despite your setbacks, you are fine soldiers. He offers you encouragement and you almost spit in the face of your own brother in response?” she asked, her nexus eye blazing, the little wisps of green mist trailing up from it.

“Wh- we just--” he began but she held up a hand.

“If one of you fails, you all fail. You are a group, you are brothers, and Ninety Nine is one of them. He has a greater spirit and faith in his brothers than any clone I have encountered. Perhaps if there were more of you like him, the Grand Army of the Republic might be unstoppable…!” As true as it might have been, she regretted those words as soon as they left her mouth. Hevy caught it and glared at her.

“You think the rest of my brothers just don’t believe enough? That it’s their own fault that they are dying?” he snarled, leaning in closer to her.

“No,” she replied quickly but calmed herself. “No, I think reasons far beyond you are at fault for the death of your brothers.” She took a slow breath and kept Hevy’s heated gaze. “I simply mean that the five of you will need trust in each other and need to work together to succeed. If trust on one's brethren could win wars, Ninety Nine certainly could. He bears the same heart as you, do not discount him, soldier, you are still brothers.”

“You say that like you know what it means.” Hevy’s eyes narrowed though it was more observational than accusatory.

“I know what it is to stand where he does,” she replied solemnly. Hevy’s eyes widened slightly in confusion. There was a long pause as she looked him over.

“I hear Domino Squad has more trouble than many of the other squads,” she stepped back to give him more space. “Come with me.”

Zaiya guided the squad back to her office again, Ninety Nine had to depart but she promised to look after them in his stead.

As they walked, she tapped through her comm and brought up information about the squad, their failed tests and the numerous issues sent to her in the past by Master Chief Bric. Of course they were failing if they had him as their trainer. He was notorious for pushing his cadets to an almost obscene level. Her lip curled. She longed for the opportunity to knock him down a few pegs. Or off Kamino entirely.

She had not realised these clones were Domino Squad until Hevy had outrightly said so.

Upon entering, the maintenance drone she had been assigned brought over a tray it had prepared, she’d sent the instructions as they’d departed the training rooms. The tray was set with a collection of cups and a large teapot. It was practically ancient in a world of droids and space craft, but it was one of the few things she often enjoyed from home. Annoyingly Shaak Ti, she had discovered was similar in that regard but she oft tried not to think about it.

“So, I have read reports, but sadly we have not had the chance to speak,” she began, as she took a seat on one of the couches, her legs crossed at the ankle and tucked to one side, knees together. With a graceful hand she set to pour the cups, gauging how sweet each of them would like it by her own observations. “I believe I can remedy that now.” She gestured to the cups, “I can’t guarantee it will be to your palate but the sweetness level should be adequate.” The droid hovered over and handed her the datapad from her desk. She took a sip of the tea and watched as the others did as well. They didn’t flinch too much at least.

“So… what do you want from us…?” Fives asked after an awkward silence.

“I want to hear your stories. Other squads do not face your same challenges, I would like to determine why.”

“Most squads are a whole batch, aren’t they?” CT-4040 said with a humourless chuckle.

“Then tell me about that.” The five of them looked around awkwardly.

“W-well Echo and I are from the same batch,” Fives began. Zaiya just nodded, encouraging him to continue. “The uh… the rest of our batch didn’t make it through the incubation stage.” He looked down, “only us.”

“I was the last of my batch from a training accident…” Droidbait murmured.

“There was an issue with the development… two died in vitro, another developed illnesses… and the last was sent… to maintenance,” CT-4040 interjected, his eyes drifted towards the floor. Hevy looked a little stricken and he too looked down.

“I… I led my batch to a place I thought would be fun to see Tipoca City from outside… There… the storm was… I couldn’t save them. It was my fault…” He looked stricken. So much damage to clones that had not even seen battle. Her hearts ached and she took a breath.

“I cannot know your pain in this way, and I shall not pretend to, I feel that would be worse.” She shook her head and laid down her cup and ran a hand over her braid. “You wish to be ARC troopers, is that right?”

“Yes, Lieutenant-General,” Hevy replied, sucking in a breath. She nodded.

“To begin, we need to have you thinking like ARC Troopers. It is not easy, I push them hard… and the ARC’s have a bond to each other, strong as any batch-bond, do you understand?” They nodded hesitantly. “It means that even if they are not all of the same batch, the ARC’s are brothers first, willing to stand and die for the man next to him. My job is to arm them with the skills so they don't have to perish.” They listened and seemed to contemplate her words.

“To think like an ARC Trooper, we need to bond together…” Fives began, bringing a hand to his chin, she turned slowly, the wheels almost visibly turning in his head. “So you mean to say, we’re different from the other clones… the Master Chief called us a bad batch… but we have suffered loss unlike many of the other cadets.” His brothers looked at him and Zaiya’s eyes widened slightly. Her ARC’s had trouble understanding her lessons. She’d not wanted to hand the answers to them, but even they’d needed prodding. Not Fives. He had a bright spark in him, something she hadn’t seen in a while and a smile spread across her face.

“You’re right,” Droidbait added, “but what good is it if we can’t work together…?”

“Perhaps then we need to discover your flaws, as a team and work on them together,” Zaiya suggested.

“What, by sitting here and talking about our feelings…?” CT-4040 asked with a bit of a sneer. Zaiya chuckled in response, it was not an unwarranted response.

“No, we don't have the time for that. I have a better plan. I will oversee you in a specialised training, not quite at ARC level, but something to test your weak points and have you work on them as a group. If one of your brothers had an injury you would flank to that side to protect it, would you not?” she offered.

“So this is the same as that, but the wound is in our heads…? Like protecting a mental weakness instead of an injury,” Fives asked and she let out a little dreamy sigh as she rested her chin on her hand to look at him.

“Look at you flexing that big big brain of yours,” she grinned. Oh, she liked this one. She liked him a lot. Though the Nightsister wondered if his ever curious mind might one day get him into trouble. She wondered if she would still be here when they were promoted to ARCs. From what she had seen, just by sitting here with them, they certainly had the potential.

“So, it would be a short stint of training, granted such a turnaround would not be possible overnight, I think a crash course could be beneficial, what do you say?” Zaiya asked, her hands clasped in her lap as she looked between them.

“I’m in!” Fives spoke up first, jumping to his feet excitedly, “I wanna be an ARC trooper!”

“So do I!” Hevy agreed. Sure enough, one by one they agreed and she held up the datapad to confirm it in her schedule.

“Then it is done,” she smiled.

“So easily?” Hevy asked, “don’t you need approval?”

“I just got it.” She gestured to all of them. “Now, you’d best be ready, I’m not a Lieutenant-General because of my gentle tactics.” She stood and shook each of their hands. These boys had no idea what they had signed up for.

----

Zaiya sat back at her desk, she was waiting for the holocall to connect, the little trilling while awaiting the pick up lulled her while she waited. Her eyes slowly closed as the sound continued. It was a while later before it stopped and there was silence.

[Ver’alor?] asked a stern voice and her lips curled upward.

“Commander,” she replied affectionately.

[Am I interrupting your nap?] he asked and her eyes opened slowly. Across her desk as though he were sitting on the other side, was Coruscant Guard Commander Fox. She gave him a warm look.

“Not at all, Commander, but you look like you could use one, did you wish to get some rest? I can stay on the line to pretend you’re in a meeting?” she suggested, raising her brows.

[No, thank you, Ver’alor,] Fox replied, but the corners of his mouth rose.

“So, tell me how it’s been going.” She gestured with a flourish as she often did in her Nightsister greeting, then leaned forward, her elbows on her desk. She looked forward to these chats. Fox was strictly speaking not meant to have these calls. He especially was not meant to gossip and vent about the ridiculous senators… He was also not meant to tell her about the goings on of the Chancellor.

Though he had previously admitted her reactions made him laugh and he always felt better after they spoke. Zaiya was not going to complain about the information she received, and for the most part, she was not wholly interested in the comings and goings and affairs of the senators on Coruscant. She just enjoyed speaking to him, not all of the Commanders or ARC’s could check in with her and she might be pathetically sentimental, but she liked speaking to them, even though it was not a trainer/student relationship, more like friends. It made her days on Kamino less… empty.

Fox spoke about some event that had happened, needing extra security from his men and his disdain for the frivolous waste of time that it was. He took a sip from a caf mug that was a distinctly non-standard issue and she smiled a little wider.

“I see you got it then,” she nodded to the cup. It had arrived with a few other gifts as well.

[This was from you?] he asked, and she shrugged.

“Perhaps… Doesn't the hard-working Guard Commander deserve a decent cup of caf in a big fancy cup?” she held out her hands as if presenting her argument before her.

[It’s given me a will to kriffing live,] he admitted. [I dunno where you found those pods, but they’re like liquid sex.] He shook his head then suddenly looked aghast as he realised what he’d said. Zaiya just laughed.

“I’ll take your word for that,” she grinned and shook her own head. Evidently that was how he spoke to his brothers.

[Sorry, Ver’alor… I didn’t mean--]

“I understand Commander,” she chuckled, and waved off his apology. “Did that bitch come back to bother you? The mirialan one?” She changed the subject, reminding him of a story he told her last time. Apparently she had in fact been back and Fox went on a ranting tirade, and very impolitely told Zaiya what he thought of the woman in question. The more emotive he got the more she laughed and encouraged him. She knew it would help him feel better and it was entertaining to hear.

After he had calmed down he asked about her own exploits and she detailed her taking on the Domino Squad, their test coming up in the next few weeks. She was certain they would graduate as they had indeed improved. She also mentioned her looking for an opportunity to take Bric down a peg… or twelve. Fox seemed to agree on that point, and lamented he couldn’t see it.

[How’re your wounds?] he asked quietly during a lull in conversation.

“Wounds?”

[You were stabbed, remember?]

“Oh…” he referred to her previous capture. “Fox, that was months ago!”

[And the last time I spoke to you was just after you’d gotten back… you looked awful,] he replied sternly.

“Ugh… you sound like Alpha. I am perfectly fine, Fox, you don’t need to worry,” she shook her head.

[You don’t exactly make it easy,] he retorted, folding his arms. [You do a lot of good for us clones,]

“Not hardly… I just do what I can to keep you alive longer, but I still send you all off to be slaughtered in the machine of war,” she flopped back into her chair with a sound of disgust in the back of her throat.

[You care a helluva lot more than most, don’t discount that, Siren.] She paused at that. This wasn’t a Commander talking to a Lieutenant-General. This was Fox talking to Siren. She reached up, her memory strand significantly fuller, and she touched on the dark red bead Fox had chosen. His mouth lifted slightly at the gesture. Fox had such love for his brothers. She was in awe of him sometimes.

“Well, don’t have too much faith in me, Fox,” she replied, letting her hand drop. “I could disappoint you.”

[It would have to be something significant for that to happen.] He sounded so confident. Her chest ached, knowing her time on Kamino was coming to a close soon… Would they see it as a betrayal? That would be the worst thing for her to be seen as by the clones.

A traitor. The word burned at the back of her neck. It was the one thing she didn’t want. A sound came through on the holo and Fox sighed.

[Duty calls,] he groaned.

“Evidently,” she chuckled and prepared to sign off. “Enjoy your… liquid sex,” she said in a deadpan tone and was gifted the sight of Commander Fox choking on his caf before the holocall dropped.

Now alone, her smile faded. That bad feeling on the back of her neck was back.

Notes:

Hello Lovelies! I did it, I finally moved house. So stressful. I did the same thing around this time last year but time flies. Now, I haven't written much in advance so I gotta get on that. Stress and potential panic attacks aside, I like the new place a lot. I hope it will be conductive for me.

I hope you all liked the new chapter and mentions of Domino Squad! Also Fooooox! I love Fox, he is delightful! As always please please please feel free to comment, I love them so much! It really keeps me going. Next week, Zaiya must in fact deal with consequences of her action. Or in this case, inaction. I shall see you then!

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The List of Tags: (If your name is crossed out then check your settings! Tumblr is not letting me tag you!) @two-black-leviathans @fallenrepublick @eyecandyeoz @ashotofspotchka @sitherin-mxschief @littlepossss @octupus-on-the-moon @justalittletomato @nxctuaryninetythree @mach-opress @mustluvecho @nahoney22 @leotatombs @eloquentmoon @the-chains-are-the-easy-part @maulslittlemeowmeow @misogirl828 @alwayssnivellus @stardustbee @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @bacarasbabe @morganlefaye13

#a prince of dathomir #darth maul #star wars #maul x oc #maul #nightsister oc #darth maul fic #maul fic #darth maul x oc #lord maul #domino squad #clone trooper fives #clone trooper hevy #clone trooper echo #domino twins #clone trooper droidbait #clone trooper cutup #zaiya valessa #nightsister

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gvilla1-blog · 1 year

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MUN 2-2 LEE: A Vertical Slice of Life Under ten Hag

…Low to De Gea's near post and it flies straight through his hands and intothe bottom corner. 1-0 Brentford.

A pout, an exasperated crossing of the arms. A wincing usually characteristic of a poor, beaten canine who beared witness to a raised fist.

It was at this point, a mere 100 or so minutes into the 2022-23 Premier League Season, that I was ready for the towel to be thrown. I‘d take my ball and go home, numb after the frustrations a ten year epoch of darkness following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson had brought on. I had heard this bothersome tune before under Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho, and finally Ole. As sterile City and Lilliputian Liverpool claimed trophies like Larry King claimed spouses, we languished in mediocrity. Last season felt like the the last bout of a once-mighty fighter‘s career; the fight that’d driven them to flee the arena they once dominated out of sheer embarrassment, not to mention a touch of brain damage.

What followed felt like football’s answer to the Shinkansen: in what felt like moments, the scenery changed at blinding pace. In the blink of an eye, we were so far from where we had boarded. And the bullet train conductor was none other than the Vibing Dutchman, Erik ten Hag.

MUN 2-1 LIV. Casemiro. MNU 3-1 ARS. Casemiro. MUN 2-0 TOT. Casemiro’s header to equalize at Stamford Bridge. Garnacho accelerating past Fulham’s defense to deliver the killing blow at Craven Cottage. Rashford unlocking the Ultra Instinct. Casemiro. Ripping out the mean blue hearts of our noisy neighbors, 2-1. Casemiro. Old Trafford a fortress once more. Casemiro. CASEMIRO. CASEMIRO!

The highs remind us of what the sun felt like on our pale, downtrodden faces. They reminded us that football is about passion, bringing out the best in oneself, and most essentially: it’s fun.

But could it be possible that, instead of watching this hero‘s journey through until its natural end, when the ring is thrown into the fires of Mount Doom, when the young Jedi resists the dark side and defeats the evil emperor, we might have wanted the protagonist to become the Legend before it was earned? Was winning the league ever really supposed to happen this year?

Ten Hag has done so much in so little time because he’s instilled a very tangible sense of standards among this squad. They press cohesively, like a white blood cell surrounding and obliterating a harmful foreign substance. The center-halves, Licha and Varane, have the same rabid intensity and methodical coolness (respectively) that we saw during the halcyon days of Vidic and Ferdinand and sadly took for granted. The midfield takes bold steps toward the penalty box and creates chances instead of a constant rotation of metronomic sideways passes. And our attackers finish those chances! Imagine that.

But Wednesday night versus Leeds showed us that there is much left in the hourglass of our hero’s journey. We lack quality and depth in midfield, our attackers aside from Rashford are inconsistent, and our goalkeeper, once the lone bright spot of a floundering club, has reached obsolescence in the modern game.

The shortcomings ring a louder bell, but there are positives to be found. Our spirit was bruised and battered at 2-0, but we showed grit and determination as we scored two in quick succession to equal their total. And that second goal, the one that sent the Stretford End into an animalistic fury, was from our star boy, Jadon Sancho, returning from a long hiatus masterminded by ten Hag. Of the many pieces of evidence to be used in the Court of Man Management, such as the handling of the Ronaldo Debacle, Garnacho’s habitual tardiness, and Luke Shaw’s wavering motivation on the pitch and in the kitchen, there is perhaps no greater show of ten Hag’s skill in dealing with these volatile personalities than his rehabilitation of Sancho. He seems a man made new, with a confidence that can highlight the natural flair and calm lethality in his game that we hope can continue for many years.

Wednesday night was a microcosm of the season so far. Many shortcomings that hopefully only take a summer to resolve. But many positives that ought to have Reds from all four corners of the world delighted for the daylight shining through the thick canopy of Liverpool and City success.

We are impressive. Most impressive. But we are not Jedi yet.

#manchesterunited #erik ten hag #man united

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your-mail · 2 years

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Scotland v Ukraine: Hampden braced for poignant and powerful occasion

Hampden, in its different guises, has seen so many storied occasions, from the largest crowds in the world in the 1930s to the greatest game in the world at the start of the 1960s, when Di Stefano, Puskas and their fellow Real Madrid marauders turned the grey old place technicolour with their genius.

Kenny Dalglish nutmegging Ray Clemence. Zinedine Zidane's volley against Leverkusen. Leigh Griffiths' free-kicks against England. David Gray's header that brought an end to Hibs' 114-year wait to win the Scottish Cup. Every drama under the sun. Every emotion imaginable, or so we thought.

On Wednesday, Scotland host Ukraine in a World Cup play-off semi-final that some thought we would never see. There'll be 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 and variations on the theme, but other numbers will elevate this contest to the most profound level possible - more than 4,000 Ukrainian civilians, at least, killed as well as thousands more fatalities among the army.

There are 3.6m Ukrainians exiled in Poland, close to a million in Romania, 700,000 in Germany, 600,000 in Hungary, half a million in Moldova and Slovakia. Almost seven million have been forced from their own land - significantly more than the entire population of Scotland.

What can Scotland expect from Ukraine?

Scotland not 'one-tournament wonders' - Clarke

'Everyone will be willing Scots to lose'

The eyes of the football world will be on Hampden and for this night of nights they will be with Ukraine, willing them on at every turn.

It's a game loaded with political significance, a chance for their footballers to play their own small part in reinforcing the message that Vladimir Putin might tear down Ukraine's buildings, destroy its cities, and kill its people but he'll never take their spirit.

Putin might not care, but that's not the point. This Ukrainian team will be desperate to put a smile on the face of their people, if only for a little while.

Emotion will swirl around Hampden like the wind on a winter's evening. Elite sportspeople say that you have to be careful with emotion, that it can be used powerfully in your favour but that too much of it can sap you of energy.

How will these Ukraine boys cope? Hampden will welcome them with a loving embrace. That warmth could inspire or it could overwhelm. The pressure they're putting on themselves to give their homeland a lift is enormous. The heart goes out to them.

'This will feel like a world event'

There are 10 overseas-based players in Oleksandr Petrakov's extended squad - Manchester City's Oleksandr Zinchenko, Everton's Vitalii Mykolenko, West Ham's Andriy Yarmolenko and Benfica's Roman Yaremchuk chief among them.

The rest have been in Slovenia this past while. They've played friendly matches in Germany, Italy and Croatia, they've bonded in a training camp, undercooked through the lack of properly competitive games since the outbreak of war, but no doubt driven beyond our imagination by what they are seeing and hearing from home.

It's a game that makes you check your vernacular. It's not a battle or a fight, but it does matter. This will feel truly significant, a world event. For one evening, Hampden will be at the very centre of global sport and high up the list of global news.

Ukraine have only ever made it to one World Cup, 16 years ago in Germany. They were beaten in play-offs for the tournaments in 1998, 2002, 2009 and 2013, the last two by a single goal. For the 2014 World Cup, they were 2-0 ahead after the first leg against France, then lost the second leg 3-0 after having a man sent off in the 47th minute.

They've hit the qualification crossbar on so many occasions that even in peaceful times, motivation would be sky high. In war-time, we're into a different stratosphere.

Ukraine were unbeaten in eight games in qualification, drawing six - including both matches against a full-strength France. Nobody should be surprised if Wednesday goes the distance. Every sane voice knows that the Scots have a job to do and no sane voice will be hard on them if they do it and move on to Wales in Cardiff at the weekend.

It wouldn't make them bad people if they beat Ukraine, it would just confirm that they're good footballers led by a terrific captain in Andy Robertson. Two wins this week, and he can spend his summer downing as many beers on as many open top buses as he likes.

A Scotland fan displays a banner in support of Ukraine amid Russia's Invasion

Clarke's side are unbeaten in eight. They've lost only one of their past 16 World Cup qualifiers. They're a side on the up.

On the face of it, the manager might have cause for concern about the lack of goalscoring form from his attacking players - Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes haven't scored in 13, John McGinn has found the net just once in 26 games - but this is a side that has seen defenders score in the past four internationals and in five of the unbeaten run of eight. Under Clarke, they tend to find a way.

They're resilient and they'll need to be. Kieran Tierney is out, a mainstay missing. Tierney is two and three players in one, a dependable centre-half, an attacking wing-back, a menacing left winger. His relentless movement and reassuring presence has been a key part of Scotland's upturn, but Clarke has at least known for a while that he'd be without the Arsenal man.

Presumably he'll bring in Scott McKenna as his replacement. Just promoted to the Premier League with Nottingham Forest, McKenna will have floated into camp this week.

In the sentimental abyss that is the bookmaking world, 24 firms out of 24 make Scotland favourites. Home advantage, a deep squad, confidence. None of them are buying into the fairytale of an away victory. The odds layers don't see it as a logical conclusion. But sometimes logic has got nothing to do with it.

'Scotland must keep focus against Ukrainian heroes'

There's a story that's told in Ukraine and beyond about the spring of 1942 and the release of soldiers from a Nazi prisoner of war camp, among them a group of talented footballers who'd been captured when the Gestapo rolled into town. It talks to an indomitable will of the Ukrainian people. The passage of time clearly hasn't changed that.

Mykola Trusevych was one of those footballers, a goalkeeper in his early 30s for Dynamo Kiev and a runner-up as Ukrainian player of the year in the season before war broke out. When Trusevych was freed, he set about looking for some of his old team-mates. He found eight of them, added some more from Lokomotiv Kiev and formed a team called FC Start.

Start were good. They played in a local league and beat all-comers. They spread joy and hope wherever they played, a joy and hope that the occupying Germans were keen to snuff out. A game was arranged between Start and Flakelf, the team of the Luftwaffe sent out to show up the Ukrainians. Start won 5-1.

Incensed, the Germans demanded a rematch three days later. They put an SS officer in as referee and ordered the Start boys to do the Nazi salute before kick-off. They refused. Despite being told that they should seriously consider the consequences of winning, they beat Flakelf 5-3. The movie Escape To Victory was loosely based on this real-life story.

Within a few weeks, some of the Start players were rounded up, tortured and put in labour camps. Six months later, a number of them were executed, Trusevych included. The Soviet poet, Stepan Oliynyk, wrote of them: "For our beautiful presence, they fell in a fight… For ages your glory won't fade, the fearless hero-athletes."

There are fearless heroes all over Ukraine's story these past months and all of Hampden will acclaim them. It'll be moving, we know that. It'll be unforgettable, we know that, too.

Jet-powered by passion and playing for a cause way beyond mere World Cup qualification, you have to assume that Ukraine will be formidable, lack of meaningful game-time or not.

Scotland will have to keep their focus. They have a game to win, but it won't be like any game any of them have ever played before. There's been football on this site for well over a century, but something new will unfold on Wednesday.

Of all the uncertainties about outcome, one thing is guaranteed - this will be a powerful and poignant night in Glasgow.

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pzrplesuns · 4 years

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#summer of 84 #so84 boys #squad #my edit #headers #david armstrong #davey #curtis farraday #farraday #dale woodworth #woody #tommy eaton #eats

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mannentilminkardemomme · 7 years

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HALLA HOMIES 🌟

I hope you’re all still recovering from last night. Thank the world that Eurovision is on tonight to take my mind off all the drraaaaammaaa (quote P-Chris).

I know that 200 followers isn’t THAT many compared to some of the other main blogs, but I’m still a smol bean, and I’m proud of my 200 since I’ve only had this blog for exactly 5 weeks. If you're sat/stood/dancing around thinking ‘Hvem er hun?’ or ‘Hæ, who dis blog?’ then I dunno, good question: T’was I that made this gif and posted this video last night :o)

Now onto the good stuff:

🌟@du-er-ikkealene You, my good friend Elise, are just !!! I love fangirling with you about SKAM and Tokio Hotel and Kensington! I also love making gifs for you, even though they’re still crap :P Best thing about you: Always knowing there’s a lovely comment from you waiting in my inbox <33

🌟@sweetevak Emotional Overload is my second favourite OTP (after Evak ofc) That conversation we had yesterday was just LIT and thank you for helping me ‘push my way through the pain’ 😂😂 Say hi to Peggy aswell. Best thing about you: The fact that we’re able to communicate our pain to each other through the constant use of caps-lock 😂

🌟@beanievaltersen I’mma write this in Danish, because I feel that it’s important to be able to communicate in our personal/own/native languages on the internet: Håber at du har haft/har en sygt fedt tur i London!! :D Kan stadig ikke komme over hvor tætte vi er lige nu. Jeg er så glad for du kom med din “Heeeeej!👋🏼 *dis me trying to become pals and talk skam theories*“ Og vores theorier er bare de bedste, no ifs no buts no coconuts 😂 Det bedste ved dig: At du skriver på Svensk! Nogen gang krøller det min hjerne! Men det er også rigtig dejligt for mig at lærer rigtig meget om Sverige og forskellen på vores kulturer. (Og så er du også en rigtig rar person at snakke med!)

🌟@br1skeby Jeg er glad for vi kom sammen fordi af en dum anon. SERIØST mange takker for i går aftes!! Det var sinssyg pænt af dig at sende de snaps <33 Og jeg kommer aldrig over din kommentar om sidste Fredags klip😂😂😂 Det bedste ved dig: LEVI!!! 😍😍😍 Og din makeup😍😍😍 Og dine kommentar nogengang altså😂😂

Infinitely big shoutout to @siwrenate @emmanette @ineverthoughtiwouldneedasideblog You guys are friggin awesome 🌟

The Bolds are those I LITERALLY couldn’t live without.

@agrahamofhappiness @artsyeven @alter-even @bakkoush-naesheim @betchnaesheim (Awesome German Speaker btw) @bakksana @cardamom-minutes @c-ardamom @cuddlyevak @chillerhjemmeisak @dailyhenrikholm @evenbechdaily @eivseank @evenbechnet @eksild @evakvaltersen @evakktrash @evenbec @elli-skam (If I could double bold this blog, then I would for eternity!!) @evenbechvaltersen @evenerikkealene @folerdetdufoler @fallingevaks

@hemrikholm @hufflpuffs @incorectskamquotes @isaks-even @isakvalty @isisisak @isaksredscarf @isaksbestpillow @isaksaltereven @isofficiallyruined @isakisalittlepuppy @isakschili @isakcutie @isaknaesheiim @iloveeven @isakoeven @isakssaetre @josteninski @julieandem @kardamomme @kroppendintrengerpotet @kardemomme-kisses @kosegruppaa @koninginnen

@leoniejulie (AMAZING ARTWORK) @littlespooneven @linneaxskam @levok @loooreleii (AMAZING ARTWORK ASWELL) @minuttet @mikaelboukhalls @minutefuerminute @nalle @norwegianfandomtrash @nanaminhae @noorasevas @psychickittenfox @pansexualmahdidisi

@skamgif @skamedits @stayinherewithyou @skamenglish @skamdaily @skamforfaen @skamfairy @skamisako @slut4sana @skamp3translated @skamzy @skamz @skam-addiction @sanathequeen @sanas4main @sanaandthesun @sanadefensesquad @sweetsana @skamwhoops @tarjeisandvik @tarjeiandhenrik @tinyisak @tarjei-sandvik-moe @tarjeitrash @theskamgirlsdeservebetter @tarjeiholms @v-ltersen @valttersen @vildemohns @westiris @whenitisreal @xkurtcoblaine

So many more bolds than expected. Let’s root for Eurovision and World Happiness. (I’m still not buying the “This season is the last season” thing, I just can’t let it go). GOODNIGHT and SLEEP TIGHT // SOV GODT

#hope you enjoyed #and that you don't get blinded by the bolds #if that's possible?????#hay ho #follow forever #mannentilminkardemomme #my post #boy squad header #boy squad #gif set #skam blogs #skam #skamily

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