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variousqueerthings · 1 year

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Episodes in which Hawkeye sleeps/tries to sleep (not counting times where being tired is just talked about, or anytime I’ve forgotten)

From this list (which may have gaps, I speedran through every episode, I could’ve missed things) it seems as if season 1 has the most episodes in which sleep is either had, attempted/disturbed, or otherwise awoken from, with nine episodes, followed by season 7, with eight (at a mild stretch, as you’ll see)

Seasons 8 and 11 feature the least episodes, with four each (although of course s11 has less episodes overall)

The average of episodes appears to be six, with seasons 2, 3, 5, and 10 all having six episodes

Episodes which feature the most moments of some kind of sleep are: Hawk’s Nightmare (the obvious winner), followed by Sticky Wicket, Promotion Commotion, The Joker is Wild

Season 1.

To Market To Market: Hawkeye and Trapper are awoken by Radar to enact the oak desk heist

Cowboy: Hawkeye is awoken by Radar for surgery on cowboy after having just fallen asleep

Henry Please Come Home: Hawkeye, Trapper, and Oliver are awoken early in the morning for calisthenics

Germ Warfare: Hawkeye is half-asleep on a chair, when Trapper awakens him so they can draw Frank’s blood

Dear Dad: Hawkeye and Trapper say goodnight after a successful prank against Margaret and Frank + Hawkeye exhaustedly finishes a letter to his dad and appears to drift asleep while in a Santa outfit

Dear Dad Again: Frank keeps Hawkeye and Trapper awake by getting drunk

The Long-John Flap: Hawkeye tries to sleep in his warm long-johns, but is compelled to give them. Later on he refuses to fall for Trapper’s pathetic coughing a second time

Sticky Wicket: Hawkeye is awoken because his patient is worsening + later on tries to sleep in a supply tent but is disturbed + awakens in realisation of how to help his patient

Showtime: Hawkeye falls asleep during a USO performance

Season 2.

Divided We Stand: Hawkeye and Trapper are awoken for a secret meeting with Henry + everyone is awoken much too early in the morning

Dr Pierce and Mr Hyde: after spending the episode unable to sleep for several days, Hawkeye is drugged so that he can get some rest

Carry On Hawkeye: Margaret enters the tent and finds Hawkeye in bed, possibly having been about to sleep

The Incubator: Hawkeye and Trapper wake up severely hungover after a party

Officers Only: Hawkeye is awoken by Radar to attend to a patient after having only just fallen asleep

Crisis: Everyone is trying to get to sleep in groups within one tent (gender divided), due to a lack of supplies and severe cold

Season 3.

Rainbow Bridge: Hawkeye and Trapper fall asleep despite being on-leave, due to exhaustion

Officer of the Day: Hawkeye attempts to sleep several times, but isn’t allowed to, as he has been declared “officer of the day”

Iron Guts Kelly: Hawkeye and Trapper are awoken by Margaret, to help remove the body of the general in her tent

Springtime: Hawkeye expresses an intent to sleep and is later depicted having been clearly woken up by Mulcahy and leaving the Swamp

Adam’s Ribs: Hawkeye is awoken by Radar because his ribs have arrived in Korea

Aid Station: Hawkeye and Margaret seek comfort while at an aid station and fall asleep together

Season 4.

It Happened One Night: Hawkeye is awoken by Radar for a shift

The Late Captain Pierce: Hawkeye is awoken to take a call from his dad that he just misses + Hawkeye wakes up after his fake-wake

The Bus: Potter, BJ, and Hawkeye are sleeping in the bus, while Frank “keeps watch”

Of Moose and Men: Hawkeye sleeps in post-op after a difficult case + Hawkeye is resting outside when Frank disturbs him with a metal-detector

Der Tag: Hawkeye and BJ get drunk with Frank and tie a toetag to him, before falling asleep + later they stumble into bed after surgery

Season 5.

Bug Out: Hawkeye naps briefly against a wall

Out of Sight Out of Mind: Hawkeye is asleep when some nurses wake him up to help with a boiler

Hawkeye Get Your Gun: Hawkeye slumps in exhaustion after accidentally “hypnotising” himself to sleep

The Colonel’s Horse: Hawkeye and BJ are awoken by Margaret to take out her appendix

Hawk’s Nightmare: Hawkeye sleepwalks and has intense nightmares throughout

Hepatitis: Hawkeye is trying to sleep while BJ works out

Season 6.

Fade Out Fade In: Hawkeye is about to try to sleep, but is spooked by a fake snake that Charles put in his bed

Fallen Idol: Hawkeye gets very drunk after Radar gets hurt and is awoken while still hungover

The Winchester Tapes: Hawkeye falls asleep after long hours in O.R. and he is too tired to go on-leave

Comrades In Arms Part 2: Hawkeye and Margaret wake up after a night together

Tea and Empathy: Klinger wakes up Hawkeye so he can check on British patients in post-op

Your Hit Parade: Hawkeye and BJ camp out in Potter’s tent, due to a mass of patients

Dr Winchester and Mr Hyde: Hawkeye and BJ try to sleep, but Charles is high and loud

Season 7.

Commander Pierce: Hawkeye and BJ try to sleep but Charles is sick and loud + Hawkeye tries to sleep at Potter’s desk

Peace On Us: Hawkeye naps in a wheelchair

An Eye For A Tooth: stretching, but Hawkeye is practically falling asleep at the mess table, until Margaret fills too much sugar in his coffee

The Young and The Restless: Hawkeye falls asleep at the mess table + Hawkeye wakes up at 6am to find BJ reading

Hot Lips Is Back In Time: Hawkeye falls asleep at the officer’s club bar

CAVE: Hawkeye and Margaret have fallen asleep on gurneys after operating on a patient while being bombed. They wake up when the camp returns and then promptly go back to sleep

Ain’t Love Grand: Hawkeye is awoken in the middle of the night by a phonecall declaring that BJ’s patient is out of danger

The Party: Hawkeye’s slowly preparing for sleep, when they have to bug out

Season 8.

Mr and Mrs Who: Hawkeye is sleeping in post-op while waiting for a patient to get better

Yessir That’s Our Baby: The Swamprats are awoken by the cries of a baby

Heal Thyself: Hawkeye is trying to sleep, when he notices the interim doctor pacing outside

Dreams: Everyone in camp sleeps, and they have haunting and/or prophetic nightmares

Season 9.

The Best Of Enemies: Hawkeye sleeps after going through a traumatic experience

Father’s Day: The swamprats are awoken because their stolen beef is at risk of being discovered

Tell It To the Marines: Hawkeye is asleep in the OR after surgery

No Sweat: Hawkeye is woken up by BJ obsessively rereading a letter from Peggy

Bless You Hawkeye: Hawkeye is keeping everyone, including himself, awake with excessive sneezing

Season 10.

That’s Show Biz: Hawkeye and BJ are trying to sleep, but Charles and Klinger are mesmerised by a comedian

Twas the Night Before Christmas: The swamprats are all awoken by Potter + Hawkeye sleeps pressed against BJ’s back in Potter’s office

The Tooth Shall Set You Free: Hawkeye tries not to fall asleep at the mess-tent, after which he manages to get back to the Swamp and eventually get to bed

Pressure Points: Hawkeye awakens to a disgusting Swamp, because Charles has stopped cleaning

Where There’s A Will There’s A War: Hawkeye appears to be considering sleeping, but is disturbed by bombs

Promotion Commotion: Hawkeye and BJ are trying to sleep when Charles interrupts + Hawkeye is falling asleep at his a makeshift judges’ table + Hawkeye and BJ are awakened by Klinger telling them he’s been promoted

Season 11.

Trick or Treatment: a stretch, but Hawkeye and BJ are pretending to sleep, while giggling about pranking Charles

The Joker is Wild: Hawkeye is startled out of sleep by Charles finding a fake snake in his bed + Hawkeye tries to sleep within a barbed wire mini-compound he’s made to protect himself from BJ + Hawkeye and BJ wake up in the morning

Strange Bedfellows: Hawkeye and BJ (and everyone else) try to sleep, but Charles is snoring + Hawkeye and Charles because BJ talks in his sleep

As Time Goes By: The whole camp is awoken by wounded patients incoming

#mash #sleepy hawkeye #hawkeye pierce #love a list #me: i have no spoons #me: im gonna skim through every episode of mash

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plentyoffandoms · 2 years

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Main Masterlist ♡ Top Gun Maverick Masterlist ♡ Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw Masterlist ♡ For You Masterlist

Just like all my other stories, this has not been proofread, but please enjoy.

Warnings: Some swearing. Hope you all like it. Also please don't come at me for not knowing Naval terms or their training. This is just fiction.

Gifs & photos do not belong to me.

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell's POV

I stepped into the room, ready to tell everyone what this mission is about. I didn't want too, but it was my job.

I saw YN and Rooster together talking, with Hangman standing not that far off.

"Everyone have a seat." I called out as I stood in the front of them all. I looked at everyone who was there.

There was my usual people, Rooster, Hangman, Payback, Bob, etc.

Then there was some people that were brought in. Angel, Phantom and YN, our Air Traffic Controllers.

I crossed my arms across my chest and took a deep breath.

"I know you all just got back not long ago from a successful mission but we need you once again."

I know my people were confused. They got told they would have a bit of a reprieve before the next mission and it has only been three days.

"Almost two months ago, four members of the Strike Fighter Squadron were in Egypt helping to train their men in counterterrorism and to do some training exercises."

My eyes roamed over the face of each person that was staring at me, but once they landed on the two people in the back, I could feel myself getting sick at what I have to say now.

"During one of these exercises, they were shot down by the Daesh-Sinai, who are the most active terrorist group in Egypt. In the past they would only target the Government, security forces and Coptic Christians, but foreigners have also been targeted."

I moved to the side and showed everyone some of the members of Daesh-Sinai that we have.

"Now, these are the names of the four men that are missing." The first picture was shown.

"Kyle 'Showtime' McIntosh."

"Jamal 'Mastermind' Johnson."

"Matteo 'Comet' Marchetti."

Rooster's POV:

As Maverick was listing the names of the men that are missing, I felt a hand on my knee.

I didn't even have to look to see who it was. I just grabbed YN's hand in mine, hoping and praying to whoever is out there that the last one isn't my son.

I heard YN gasp before my mind could even react to what I was seeing. Maverick looked at YN and I.

I felt like I couldn't breath when he finally said.

"Nick 'Sparrow' Bradshaw." I heard Hangman mutter, "holy shit." As it finally clued in to who the last man was.

"Why has this taken so long?" I asked.

"What was that Rooster?" I stood up, letting go of YN's hand as I did.

"Why have we waited this long to go and get them?" I was trying to not lose my cool. I know this isn't his fault.

"Our two governments were working on getting them back and there was a deal in place, but the Daesh-Sinai did not like the terms."

"What do you mean not like the terms?" I asked. My anger was growing.

"They sent a video of them torturing one of the men. At the end, they pretty much said no deal. That was six days ago."

"Are they alive?" YN didn't bother to stand. The sound of her voice was breaking my heart.

"As far as we know YN, yes. But we have to act fast. We will be flying out to Jordan at 0500. Dismissed."

I sat back down, not fully believing what the hell I was just told.

"YN." I went to reach for her hand once more, but YN pulled her hand away from mine.

"Please don't Bradley." YN stood up and ran out of the room. I was right behind her.

I didn't see the looks of our peers as the two of us left, but I know they must be looking at us with pity or some other facial expression I do not wish to see.

"Wait up YN." I called out. I forget how fast she can move when she is like this, but she stopped.

Once I got to her, I saw that her shoulders were shaking and her head was in her hands. I stood in front of her and wrapped my arms around her and pulled her against my chest.

"Shh, it is okay YN. Our boy is strong. He is a fighter." That just seemed to make her cry harder.

I started to hum the song that I used to sing to her when she was pregnant with Nick. That seemed to calm her down enough that the tears stopped falling.

YN pulled back and gave me a watery smile. "There is my pretty baby mama." The sadness in her eyes was breaking my heart.

"I can't believe you still remembered that song."

"Almost Paradise?" She nodded her head yes.

"How could I forget. It was the only song that got him and you to calm down once he started to kick."

She was going to say something, when she got called away. I watched her walk towards the man who I have never seen before and I could feel myself get jealous at how close the two of them were.

"How are you doing Bradley?" I almost jumped out of my skin at Pete speaking behind me.

"What you see is all just a front. I am holding it together for YN."

"Yes, I saw her leave the room. I just want to say this Bradley, the condition you will see Nick in isn't going to be a good one."

"He was the one in the video wasn't he?"

"Yes."

I looked back at YN and I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to tell her. She doesn't need to know that.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"No. She will make herself sick. I may tell her after but for right now, it wouldn't be good for her to know."

"This almost brought her Dad out of retirement from what I heard. I wouldn't be shocked if he doesn't show up here or be here for when we bring our men home."

"I wouldn't be surprised. I am actually waiting for her brother to show up." A smirk came across his face when I said that.

"No, please say he isn't coming."

"Vice Admiral LN said that he can not leave right now, but did say that if this takes too long, he will be joining us in Jordan."

I internally groaned at that. Her brother and I used to get along until we broke up. He thought I wasn't good enough for her and in the end he was right.

From what Nick told me, his Uncle has tried to set YN up with someone as he didn't want to see her alone, but she never did.

"Why not?" I asked my son when he told me about her turning down the date.

He just smiled and told me that she still loved me. I would just mess up his hair and tell him to stop lying.

Just the image of his smiling face brought tears to my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away.

"From what I have heard about Nick is that he is just like every other Bradshaw men to come before him." Pete said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah. I get that from people who knew my Dad and who know me."

"He even looks like your Dad." I just gave him a small smile at that. Even though I still had some issues with the man, he is trying to be kind.

YN's POV:

For the rest of the evening I got to know the men and women that Bradley works with. Who he trains with. Who he risks his life with. He trusts them, so therefore I trust them.

"So YN, what is your call sign?" Fan asked me.

"Shit, I haven't used it years."

"But Angel and Phantom still use theirs." Fritz said to me.

"Yeah, but I tried to put that behind me."

"It's because she hated her call sign." Bradley said he sat down across from me.

"So what is it?" Phoenix asked, with one eyebrow raised.

"Hummingbird." I said.

"Is everyone who is associated with your family have Bird names?" Hangman questioned Bradley. To answer his question, Bradley gave him the middle finger.

"And I didn't hate it. Just felt it was too long is all." I told Bradley. He just winked at me.

It was finally time for us to go to bed. Pete gave us a bed time as he wanted us up and ready to go in the morning.

I was bunking with Phoenix, which was fine with me.

"You know YN, Rooster has told me all about you." She said to me as I was getting ready for bed.

"Well, not really a suprise. He has never been one to shy away from telling people about his personal life." I said to her, wondering what she is getting at.

"That is true but one night when he was drunk he told myself and Bob, as we were the only two there with him, about how much he fucked up and that he still loved YN LN."

I looked at her to see if she was lying. Her face remained neutral. Her eyes never left mine.

"We broke up like seventeen years ago. He has moved on."

"Maybe ask him yourself. Maybe ask to look at his wallet. Still has a photo of you in there."

I didn't know that. But then again, I have never had a reason to look in it.

"Do you still love him?"

"He is the father of my child."

"That isn't what I asked YN."

"Natasha, my main focus right now is bringing home those men, one of them being my son. Now if you will excuse me, I need to sleep. We have a very, very long day tomorrow."

"Good night YN."

"Good night Phoenix." She turned out the light.

It has been about ten minutes since we both said goodnight to one another.

"Natasha?" I knew she was awake. I could tell by her breathing.

"Hmm?"

"Yes." Was all I said.

"I know." She said back to me softly.

Part 1 ◇ Part 3

Tag List: please let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list. @cashwheelersgirl89 @mavericksicybabe @blindedbyyourgrace17 @luckyladycreator2 @txtxdxxr @bespinnn @n3ssm0nique

#top gun maverick #top gun maverick x reader #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick fic #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw imagine #rooster top gun #rooster x reader #rooster x female reader #rooster x y/n

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lordeemailarchive · 1 year

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PART TWO: A little spiel and a REINTRODUCTION!!!!

(09/11/2022) (Solar Institute Bulletin No. 20) (From Rio de Janeiro)

In São Paulo, running towards 26. Photos by Lauren Tepfer

Good morning cuties… or should I say Oi!!!! I landed in Brasil a few hours ago. The pop star river runs — stumble half asleep into a waiting car, get to a lovely hotel room, eat some papaya off a gorgeous fruit plate, shower, crash out. I sit typing this at a wooden table near a window, looking out over Sao Paulo. A security guard waits in the hall outside my room. In total there are five men being paid to protect my body this week. I love coming to Brasil, and South America in general, and look forward to it for years. I can never believe the way the Brasilian kids took to my music, this kid from so far away somehow making sense to them, and the shows are totally electric and emotional and play on a loop in my brain for years. I love the food and the architecture and the trees. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a completely surreal feeling getting on a plane in one country with relative physical anonymity, and getting off in another to literal flash-using paparazzi and gorgeous crying kids. It happens for all of 10 days of a year, so I still think it’s sort of bizarre and eerie and a little bit fabulous, someone else’s life. I’m struck by how truly odd the notion of having a security guard is, still like something out of a movie to me, and how inextricably linked it is with coming to America. My first security guard met me at LAX and guided me through a scrum of autograph hunters with a gun tucked into his belt. Proper Dorothy not in Kansas any more moment. Today I feel like an exotic tropical fish, big slow blinks and gorgeous fins, and I’ll swim around and around in my little bowl until showtime.

My pretty fishbowl

When you read this, by the way, I’ll be twenty fucking six. TWENTY SIX! Kinda can’t believe that, but on the other hand, absolutely can. It’s been a lifetime already, you know? Besides, the lines are only fine, my body’s fitter and stronger than ever and the spiral winds around in ways I’m finding more and more rewarding. Happy to be in this beautiful country on the day the portal opens.

Taken at sunset on birthday eve

So. Tour update incoming. But first, a spiel! I don’t know how much you’ve been following the live music industry conversation, but lemme hit you with a five minute explainer, cause I think it’s interesting, and good to know about if you’re going to concerts at the moment. Basically, for artists, promoters and crews, things are at an almost unprecedented level of difficulty. It’s a storm of factors. Let’s start with three years’ worth of shows happening in one. Add global economic downturn, and then add the totally understandable wariness for concertgoers around health risks. On the logistical side there’s things like immense crew shortages (here’s an article from last week about this in New Zealand), extremely overbooked trucks and tour buses and venues, inflated flight and accommodation costs, ongoing general COVID costs, and truly. mindboggling. freight costs. To freight a stage set across the world can cost up to three times the pre-pandemic price right now. I don’t know shit about money, but I know enough to understand that no industry has a profit margin that high. Ticket prices would have to increase to start accommodating even a little of this, but absolutely no one wants to charge their harried and extremely-compassionate-and-flexible audience any more fucking money. Nearly every tour has been besieged with cancellations and postponements and promises and letdowns, and audiences have shown such understanding and such faith, that between that and the post-COVID wariness about getting out there at all, scaring people away by charging the true cost ain’t an option. All we want to do is play for you. Profits being down across the board is fine for an artist like me. I’m lucky. But for pretty much every artist selling less tickets than I am, touring has become a demented struggle to break even or face debt. For some, touring is completely out of the question, even if they were to sell the whole thing out! The math doesn’t make sense. Understandably, all of this takes a toll — on crews, on promoters, and on artists. You’ll notice a ton of artists cancelling shows citing mental health concerns in the past year, and I really think the stress of this stuff is a factor — we’re a collection of the world’s most sensitive flowers who also spent the last two years inside, and maybe the task of creating a space where people’s pain and grief and jubilation can be held night after night with a razor thin profit margin and dozens of people to pay is feeling like a teeny bit much. Me personally? I’m doing pretty good. You guys have come to the shows in such mammoth numbers (we sold almost 20,000 tickets in London, like what the hell) and not having crippling stage fright hanging over me for the first time is such a fucking blessing that you could tell me I had to cycle from city to city and I’d still be loving it. But I’m not immune to the stress — just a month ago I was looking at a show that was pretty undersold and panicking, only for it to sell the remaining 2000 tickets in ten days. Wild stuff. I wanted to put all of this in your minds to illustrate that nothing’s simple when it comes to touring at the moment, and if your faves are confusing you with their erratic moves, some of this could be playing a part. So, without further ado, some updates:

I know it seemed extremely sus that the Down Under edition of The Solar Power Tour would ever happen. But it's almost that time! I'm honestly really glad it worked out this way, we're playing so well, and I have so much to bring to these shows now I know it inside out. So consider this a REINTRODUCTION to the tour. We're coming. It's happening. Lesgo.

-- We are thrilled to be adding a show at the Adelaide Festival on March 16th. I’m psyched about this, haven’t played in Adelaide since 2014! -- We have to cancel New Plymouth. I would love to wrap it in something to save face but honestly, it’s a pandemic and we haven’t sold enough tickets! I’m bummed, I love that venue, and I hope to play it some day in the future :—) -- Conversely, we are adding a second show at Black Barn. Yes, I know this sounds insane but the powers that be are telling me that’s what we should do. Can’t wait to find out if this was a smart move in real time alongside you, lol! This show will take place on March 2nd, and if you come, I promise you something special and completely one-off, how’s that? ticket info here. pre-sale code: strangeairlines -- I’m EXXXXTREMELY thrilled to announce the support acts for these shows - Fazerdaze and RIIKI REID in Aotearoa, and the absolute huns MUNA in Australia!!! The sublime Laura Jean will join us for Perth — you know how I feel about Touchstone and now I raise you Girls On The TV. You’re welcome. I’m really excited to play in this part of the world — it’s always a super special time for me coming home. Makes it more real. I hope I’ll see you there. We’re gonna do a little flash sale on tour merch — fab quality, fab designs, would cop if I were you. To finish, some recent Mexico pictures I loved, from Lauren’s clever lens.

Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love (twenty six times!), L x x x x x x x PS:

(source: received this email)

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avengingannie · 9 months

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Gotta say this as an "elder" (mid-30s) queer: Heartstopper feels like a little miracle.

I was a teenager in the early 2000s living in a small conservative town, and I can remember being so excited when, in 2003, our cable company was finally going to carry Bravo, because Bravo had the OG Queer Eye, and that meant that I could actually *see gay people on television* on a regular basis. We didn't have Showtime or HBO at my house, so it would be a long time before I could finally watch shows like Queer as Folk or Six Feet Under, shows with fully realized gay characters who weren't just one-offs or supporting roles. Watching 5 guys do makeovers on straight men was the best I could get.

Now there is an easily accessible, age appropriate show for teenagers with multiple queer and trans characters whose identities are explored and celebrated in beautiful ways. I'll say it again, it feels like a miracle.

Sometimes I feel like the world hasn't changed all that much in 20 years, but this is such a real reminder of the important ways it has.

#heartstopper

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justcallmefox89 · 2 years

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Love Island: Ex in the Villa - Chapter One

It’s the first day in the Villa for introvert Eòin, who’s been single since a bad breakup a few years ago. There’s more to this shy single than meets the eye, and he’s got a few secrets. But secrets don’t stay secret for long in the Villa

Features a mostly bisexual cast and a male MC.

“You look like hell.”

I shrug at the producer. “I can always leave.”

Ethan grins at me. “Just so you know that threat will only work so many times before I quit believing you. Besides, I never said you looked bad.”

I roll my eyes and fight back a grin. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Made you smile though.”

Considering Ethan looks like sex walking packed into six feet of muscled perfection, I bet anyone with a pulse who’s even remotely attracted to men would smile around him. I choose to keep that thought to myself.

“I still don’t understand why I’m going in with the girls. Shouldn’t I be waiting with the rest of the guys?” I ask, nervously tying up, then letting down my long, black hair.

“Things are a little different this season since we’re starting over with a brand new production team,” Ethan answers, the warmth suddenly leeching out of his brown eyes. “Any nearly every cast member is bi, so we thought it would be a fun idea to have a mixed group doing the choosing this time.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I know you have some concerns about doing the show, but I promise I really am on your side, Eòin.”

I gnaw on my cuticle and stare at him skeptically.

“Hey, hey.” He steps towards me and places his hands on my shoulders. “I know you’re worried, but everything is going to be fine. And you’ll have me in your corner every step of the way.”

Warm hands. Big, warm hands. He’s so pretty. Abort, abort, abort!

I step away from him and quickly push the inappropriate thought out of my head. Catching feelings for anyone on this show would be stupid, but falling for a producer would be next level idiocy, even for me.

“Alright, it’s showtime. You ready to go?”

I hastily run my hands through my hair and try to smooth some of the wrinkles from my shirt. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Ethan guides me to the end of the drive, positioning me until he’s happy with the lighting and camera angles. “OK, you’ll walk up to the Villa and the girls are going to come out to meet you. There will be a few minutes for introductions and then we’ll call you out to meet the others and have you make first your coupling picks.”

“Got it.” I take a few deep breaths and bounce up and down on my toes, trying to psyche myself up. “K. I’m ready.”

Ethan nods and signals for the cameraman to begin filming. I make it three steps down the drive before he’s shouting.

“Come on, Eòin! You need to look like you’re happy to be here! You’re excited, this is your summer to find love… I need the viewers to believe it. That’s the saddest walk I’ve ever seen.”

I will not strangle this man in front of all these witnesses, I will not strangle this man in front of all these witnesses…..

“That’s how I walk, Ethan. It’s how I’ve been doing it for over twenty-six years now, and I’ve always been very successful.”

He hustles to my side. “We’re trying to sell a fantasy. You need to either make people want you or want to be you. We need you to give us some energy, some sex appeal.”

“I have neither of those things,” I say, blinking up at him from my diminutive height of five feet four inches.

“Liar.” Ethan’s full lips curve into a playful smirk. “I’ve seen you on stage. You’ve got sexiness in spades; you just need to let everyone see it.”

He thinks I’m sexy?

My heart does a traitorous little pitter-pat in my chest.

“We’re going to start rolling again. You can do this.” He pats my shoulder and once again takes his place next to the cameras.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, mentally preparing myself. I start to go through my pre-show checklist. Shoulders back, spine straight, arms loose, sway my hips, barest hint of a smile on my lips. And walk.

“Perfect!” Ethan gives me a thumbs up.

The soles of my sneakers scuff along the cobblestone of the drive and I focus on that sound as the Villa’s iconic entrance comes into sight. The door flies open, and a cute, bouncy blonde girl bounds outside to greet me.

“There you are! We were wondering when the last one of us would get here! I’m Dana, and you’re a total spice bomb!” She flashes me an adorable smile. “So pumped you’re going to be in the Villa with us! But here I am rambling on, and I haven’t even asked your name.”

I return her smile with a shy one of my own, praying that I haven’t started to blush. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the receiving end of so much attention from such an attractive person. “Hey. I’m Eòin.”

“So great to meet ya, Eòin! Can’t believe we’re all here. I was a bag of nerves walking in. How are you feeling about being in the Villa, Eòin?”

“Um, I wasn’t even goi-” I stop talking when I notice Ethan waving his arms and making aggressive slashing motions over his throat. “Insanely nervous, to be honest. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Then we’re not alone! And you’re totally going to boss this. I can already tell,” Dana reassures me. “In fact, we’ll boss it together. I’ve got you, Eòin. Who knows what will happen.. or exactly what your summer on Love Island will be? Come on, let’s get inside. I can’t wait for you to meet Kat… and she’s got a surprise for you, too!”

I follow Dana to the garden, glancing quickly at Ethan, who narrows his eyes at me in warning. The sudden pop! of a champagne cork makes me jump, and pulls my attention away from the producer.

“Cork popped just as you walked in. That’s gotta be a sign,” says the sultry brunette holding a foaming champagne bottle.

“Eòin, this is Kat! I made her wait until you showed up to pop the fizz,” Dana quickly introduces us.

“And I ain’t a patient girl. Still, Dana bet you’d be a proper ten. And she was bang on.” Kat trails her eyes appraisingly over my body. “Now I guess we’ll see how well you take a compliment…”

“Thanks, darlin’. You’re both absolute worldies.”

Kat wrinkles her nose at my accent. “Where you from, love?”

“Kat!” Dana scolds her.

I huff out a soft laugh. “Scottish mum, but my dad’s Louisiana Cajun.”

“American?” Both girls eyes widen in interest.

“Yeah.”

“Well I appreciate the compliment. Glad to hear you’ve got good taste, babe. Even if you’re just stating the obvious.” Kat gives me an arrogant smirk.

Okaaaay.

“Alright, enough chat. The champers is popped, and no way can we let good bubbles go to wastes,” Kat declares.

“Same!” Dana grabs a glass and holds it aloft. “Let’s get this party started! Should we make a toast?”

“Ohh… I’ll start, you finish it, Eòin . Here’s to a summer of…” Kat trails off, looking at me expectantly.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Ethan spreading his arms wide and waving them around.

Jesus Christ.

Internally rolling my eyes, I paste on a smile, raise my champagne glass, and lie like a rug. “Here’s to a summer of love! I’m all about the heart, ladies.”

“He’s after true love! Goals – but maybe not mine.” Dana bumps her shoulder into mine playfully. “Hoping the Villa changes that though.”

Kat snickers. “Open to love for sure, but lust is a must for me.”

We all clink our glasses together and take our first sips.

“So what are your types on paper then?” I ask hesitantly. I can already feel the stirring of attraction towards Dana, and I’d rather find out now if I’m not her type.

Dana finishes off her champagne. “Love anyone who can make me laugh until I cry. If you’ve got the bants, you’re getting in my pants.”

“Oh my god!” I wheeze, laughing and trying to drink at the same time.

Kat shrugs. “I don’t really have a type. As long as they’re a 6-foot, confident bad boy, with muscles and tats. I get bored fast, and I need a boy who can keep me on my toes. Or I’ll run riot.”

“Keeping it nice and shallow, I see,” I murmur to Dana under my breath. She snickers quietly and pours us both another drink.

“I might mix it up a bit in here,” Kat continues. “My nan wants me to find a nice boy. I must have dated every player in Basildon.”

“I might’ve dated one or two of those in Manchester,” Dana chimes in. “What about you, Eòin?”

I shrug, suddenly intensely interested in bubbles swirling around in my glass. “I haven’t really dated much. My only serious relationship ended about two years ago… and my work makes it hard to get to know someone. So uh, yeah.”

Dana gives my hand a comforting squeeze. “Then hopefully this summer you get a chance to meet someone special.”

“Yeah, I hope so,” I whisper, smiling softly as I look into her piercing blue eyes.

Kat’s phone pings. “I got a text! Ok it says… Get ready to meet the other Islanders! But there might be an unexpected surprise for one of you! #HereComeTheBoys #FirstCoupling.”

“Just boys?” Dana’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

Kat throws an arms around her shoulders. “If we’re going to be the only girls we should take advantage of it. Let’s go get ready!”

The pair dash of into the Villa while I slowly walk behind them, my stomach churning with anxiety. I try to motion Ethan over to me, but he avoids my eyes and draws another producer into conversation. Occasionally the two glance over at me, and Ethan scowls as the second producer shakes her head.

Oh, that’s not suspicious at all.

Kat and Dana buzz around the dressing room while I pick through my clothes in the bedroom.

“What do you think the unexpected surprise is?” I call to them.

“I reckon there’s gonna be a proper plot twist lined up for us this season.” Kat appears in the door way, bronzer in hand. “Which means we need to be ready for anything!” She raises a fluffy makeup brush in the air to emphasis her point.

“So looking best is a must-must-must.” Dana has a bikini in each hand.

“I can’t stop worrying about this surprise.” I fall back onto a bed and pull a pillow over my face.

“You know it’s gonna be big!” Kat shouts over the sounds of her hair dryer.

Dana snatches my pillow away. “Don’t stress. Dress!”

“Hey!” I make a grab for it but she’s quicker. She smacks the pillow against my chest, then skips away, giggling.

“The text said it’s about one of us. And even if it’s not about me, I always want to stand out.” Kat strides to the closet, critically examining its contents.

Dana nods. “Agree. First impressions are massive in the Villa.”

“I’ve got a cheeky feeling this surprise is about Eòin.” Kat cuts her eyes to me.

I frown, nibbling on my lower lip. “Really?”

She shrugs. “Just a hunch. So this is the time to go big with your look.”

“Yeah, you’re a hottie! The hair, the eyes, your skin. But you’d look even hotter in those tropical boardshorts. Why don’t you try them on?” Dana urges me.

“I know you’re my competition, but you’d defo be the best dressed for the first recoupling,” Kat chimes in.

Dana lowers her eyes, then coyly looks up at me beneath her lashes. “Even I want to choose you in that look! You’ll be turning all the heads. So are you going to wear that and stand out for the first coupling?”

Dana’s adorable, but Jesus and all his saints couldn’t get me to wear that hot pink and turquoise monstrosity on international television.

“Um… I’m going to check what else I brought,” I say quickly, ducking back into the safety of the bedroom and rummaging through my suitcase. I settle on an outfit and go into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me.

“You shy babes?” Kat calls through the door with a laugh.

I pull on my clothes in a rush, nodding with approval at my reflection when I’m done. The long sleeve Def Leppard concert t-shirt is so old and worn, it’s threadbare and see-through in some places, but it’s light and soft, the clothing equivalent of a warm hug. Plain, knee-length black boardshorts, and black thongs complete the look.

It might be a bit plain, but it’s me.

My phone chimes, the noise loud in the empty bathroom. I run back into the dressing room and share the text with the girls. “Eòin, the boys are waiting by the pool for the first coupling. You get the first pick of the boys. #TakeYourPick #FirstChoice.”

Oh god…

Kat scowls. “As if you get first choice!”

“Go get ‘em!” Dana gives me a gentle push out the door.

I step out into the garden and find two boys waiting for me by the pool. Kat and Dana follow me at a distance, peeking out of the Villa to watch the proceedings. Both boys cheer when the see me, calming some of my nerves.

“Here we go!” The blonde sends me a smoldering smile.

“Now we’re talking,” the other one adds with a cheesy grin.

The blonde runs a hand through his hair, showing off a sculpted chest and abs I have a sudden urge to lick. “Love the outfit babes. All the flames.”

“You look blinding, darlin’. Hot first impression!” The second boy seems like a sweetheart, he gives off a genuine vibe that I instantly find myself drawn too.

“You’re on, Eòin! How do you want to play this?” Dana stage whispers from the doorway.

I anxiously tug on the cuff of my shirt and offer the boys a tiny wave. “Um, hi. I’m Eòin.”

“No need to be nervous, darlin’,” the brunette says soothingly. “I’m Alfie. You seem like a total vibe, and I reckon we’re gonna have a laugh.”

I manage a small smile. Alfie seems pretty loud and boisterous, which is the antithesis of what I’m normally into. But he seems nice.

And nice can be good.

The other boy steps into my line of sight. “Hey, Eòin. My name’s Eddie. And you are absolutely my type on paper.”

I bite my lower lip. “That so?”

“I saw some factor 50 by the daybeds if ya wanna law it on a little thicker,” Alfie jokingly interrupts.

“Just being real bro,” Eddie smoothly responds.

“Just winding you up a little bit Eddie-mate.”

Maybe Alfie’s not going to be a good fit after all.

I tilt my head to the side, a little confused. “Is it just you two then?”

Ethan signals to someone and another boy comes around the corner, swaggering towards us.

“Oh no.” My voice is a barely there whisper and I press a hand to my stomach in an effort to stop the sudden urge to vomit. My hands start shaking and a cold chill sweeps over my body.

“Hey gorgeous.” Suresh winks at me. “I always knew we’d see each other again.”

I curl in on myself, keeping my gaze locked onto my feet. I blink rapidly, fighting the sting of oncoming tears.

“Do I still make you speechless after all this time?” Suresh teases.

I clench my jaw tightly and try to control my breathing. The world becomes fuzzy at the edges, and everyone sounds as if they’re speaking underwater.

“Something’s wrong, we need to stop,” Ethan says. “Cut. Cut the cameras.”

“No, this is perfect,” the other producer, Vanessa, overrules him. “This is exactly the kind of emotional response people want to see.”

He glares at her helplessly. “Fine,” he grits out.

“You’re really not going to say anything after all this time?” Suresh demands, annoyed.

I shrug, still looking at the ground.

“For fuck’s sake, Eòin…” he growls.

“Dude, back off,” Alfie interjects, stepping between us. “He’s obviously uncomfortable right now.”

“Anyone care to explain what exactly is going on?” Eddie asks.

“We used to be together,” I manage to say quietly.

“For nearly two years.” Suresh flashes the boys a cocky smirk. “I could say a lot more. But I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Something tells me you’re leaving out a big part of the story,” Alfie says. “And that’s probably why Eòin isn’t exactly happy to see you.”

“Getting the same feeling. What went down?” Eddie casts me a worried look.

Suresh shrugs. “That’s personal between me and Eòin. All I’m saying is mistakes were made and we broke up. Well, he broke up with me.”

My head snaps up. “Mistakes? That’s what you’re calling it? Why don’t you tell everyone what those mistakes were, Suresh?” I’m unable to hide the hurt that creeps into my voice.

“Wow, we’re going there straight off? There’s a lot more to it than this. Defo two sides to the story.”

I hunch my shoulders and lower my head, trying to escape his scowl.

Two sides my pasty white ass.

“Spill, geezer.” Alfie gives him a hard look.

“I slipped up one night,” Suresh mumbles, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

“Not cool,” Eddie snaps.

“It was a one time thing,” Suresh tries to defend himself.

“Nah, geez, it’s never just one time.” Alfie looks disgusted.

Suresh shrugs, cocky grin firmly back in place. “Well, there’s a lot you don’t know. But me being here changes the game, boys.”

“Or me and Alfie just became better options!”

“Good point, mate.” Alfie nudges Eddie and smiles. “What do you think, Eòin? Do me and Eddie stand a better chance of coupling up with you now that your ex is in the Villa?”

“Um… yeah, probably,” I answer him shyly.

“Why eat stale bread when you’ve got two freshly baked loaves to bite into right here?”

Eddie nods. “I’m with Alfie. I might be ready to step forward right now. Anyway, I’ve been pumped to get to know you since you first walked out!”

Alfie giggles. “Cheers, Eddie, love you too mate!” He pauses. “Oh wait, you meant Eòin? That makes more sense.”

Way too full on, my guy.

I smile wanly. “Have you always been a joker, Alfie?”

“Yep. I get it from my old man. He’s always cracking me up at work. We’ve got a family building firm.”

“What do you build?”

“For starters I could build a wall between you and Suresh if you want?”

Alfie’s unexpected offer draws a startled laugh out of me.

“Hilarious,” Suresh snarls, while Eddie chuckles appreciatively.

Alfie studies me intently. “What do you say, Eòin? Am I ticking a few boxes?”

I nod timidly, afraid to do much more under Suresh’s intense scrutiny. “So what about you, Eddie? What do you do?”

“I’m a country boy originally. But often in London chilling with mates or doing modelling work. My mum always said I have a face any girl would love,” he says cheekily. “Little did she know the boys would love it too. And luckily my agent agrees.”

Suresh scoffs. “Mate… are you serious?”

“Nah, just bantering.” Eddie shrugs. “Truth is I’ve been single a while and I’m definitely read for something serious… with the right person. What do you say, Eòin? Could I be a bit of you?”

“You think I might be a bit of you?” I tuck my hair behind my ears and straighten up, trying to seem a bit more confident.

“I like what I’m seeing so far.”

“Me too.” We share a small, private smile.

Suresh shakes his head and lets out a low huff.

“Glad you’re on board. You’re stunning Eòin, and seem like you’d be a vibe.” Eddie subtly flexes, showing off his impressive biceps, and I bring a hand to my mouth to check for drool.

“What about me, babe? Don’t I get a chance to have a proper chat?” Suresh arches one dark eyebrow at me.

“I-I-I…” I inhale, trying to get my stutter under control. “I don’t think I want to talk to you right now.”

Suresh looks away, his jaw tightening just a little.

“All right then. Time to chose who to couple up with!” Alfie claps his hands.

“OK… um step forward if you’re into me. Please.” I wring my hands together, hoping Suresh doesn’t.

Alfie steps forwards first, shrugging his shoulders with disarming confidence. “I was always stepping forward for ya, darlin’.”

Eddie steps forward next, rubbing the back of his neck with a boyish charm. “For what it’s worth I think there’s real chemistry here, Eòin.”

Nice.

A frisson of excitement runs through me at Eddie’s words. And then Suresh steps forward.

“I know there’s chemistry here, so no sense hanging back.” He smirks, his dark eyes sweeping over me. I squirm and try to fight the blush that I know must be creeping up my cheeks.

Alfie raises his eyebrows in disbelief. “You really think he’s going to pick you with that attitude?”

“This boy’s full of surprises. Our future’s a bit of a mystery. Like our past.”

“Whatever, bro.” Eddie rolls his eyes. “So who are you going to couple up with, Eòin?”

I anxiously chew on my thumbnail and dart my eyes to Ethan, hoping he’ll give me some instruction on what to do.

Alfie seems nice, but way too much for me, I think. I can’t deal with Suresh right now. Eddie’s the most my type… but I don’t know. There’s something about him that I can’t quite put my finger on.

Ethan quickly puts me out of my misery. “Alfie,” he mouths.

“I’d like to couple up with Alfie,” I announce.

Suresh sends me a dirty look while Eddie just looks disappointed.

Alfie gives me a tender hug when I go to stand next to him. “So happy you picked me, darlin’.”

“Sorry to break this up… but not really!” Kat barges into the garden. “Girl’s gotta get her time. Hey boys, I’m Kat!”

“Hey lovely,” Eddie purrs.

“Alright, Kat?”

I do a double take at the big, stupid grin on Alfie’s face.

Fucking really?

She preens under their attention. “From the looks on your faces, I can tell I’m not disappointing you. P.S. I never do.” She looks over the boys, her eyes lingering over Suresh the longest. “Especially this one. Couldn’t help but hear the surprise. We’ve got an ex in the Villa…. Feels a little weird that I’m not the one bringing the drama for once. But it’s early days. Feeling curious about you, Suresh. I’ve always loved a bad boy. But even nice boys go bad around me. You’ve been warned.”

“Coming on strong, Kat, that’s for sure.” Alfie’s doing a really poor job of hiding his interest.

“I don’t know any other way, so if you like what you see, you know what to do.” She winks at him.

Suresh looks at Kat teasingly, then he and Eddie both step forward. “You’ve defo caught my eye.”

A sharp pain strikes me somewhere in the vicinity of my heart, but I resolutely ignore it.

Eddie grins at her. “I had to step forward. You’re a ten babe.”

“Thanks, boys. You’re both absolute fire too. I could see me having fun with either of you.” She glances at Alfie suggestively. “But there’s something about your cheeky grin and that bod, Alfie. So sorry, Eòin. I’ve gotta go with my gut and couple up with… Alfie.”

“Are you fucking serious?” I hiss at her.

She smiles at me innocently and takes her place at Alfie’s side.

The text alert sounds on my phone. “Eòin, as Kat has coupled with your partner, you are now single. Please make your way to the subs bench.”

“Sorry, babes. I didn’t come to the Villa to not get what I want,” Kat says triumphantly. She pulls Alfie close and runs her hands all over his body with a sexy purr.

I show her both my middle fingers and give her a dirty look before stalking away and taking a seat on the bench.

“Really, Eòin?” Ethan scolds me from the sidelines.

For good measure I flip him off too, then cross my arms over my chest with a huff.

“Real mature,” he mutters.

I open my mouth to respond but Dana interrupts, approaching the boys with a warm, sassy smile and boat loads of confidence, until she stumbles in her heels.

“Whoa, all good there?” Alfie asks in concern.

“All good,” she laughs. “I’m not used to heels. Thought I’d make an effort, it being the first day and all. You’re welcome.”

Everyone but me laughs, Dana’s infectious charm intriguing them. Eddie and Suresh stand alone, Alfie has his arm wrapped around Kat’s waist.

Wow.

Eddie steps forward immediately. “Well, you’re looking great, Dana. So I’m going to step straight forward for you.”

Suresh looks at me but stays still, saying nothing.

“I had a nightmare last night that no one stepped forward. So, I’m glad I’m living a sweet dream right now. Cheers, Eddie. I heard your chat and I’d love to couple up with you.” The two hug.

Suresh smirks at me… we’re now coupled by default. “When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

I must have been a murderer in a past life.

I stay sitting on the bench, shell-shocked.

“Eòin! Go stand by Suresh!” Vanessa screams at me after a few moments.

I obey, dragging my feet. I stop about seven feet away from him, refusing to get any closer.

Eddie chuckles awkwardly. “Well that was eventful.”

“First coupling done and dusted. What’s next?” Alfie cuddles a little closer to Kat.

Gag me.

Dana’s phone goes off. “The first coupling isn’t Finn-ished yet. #Bombshell coming,” she reads out. “Love it!”

“Oh my days!” Kat exclaims. Her jaw hits the floor as a redheaded hunky mountain man with tats and muscles swaggers across the garden.

“Hello, beautiful people!” he calls with a charming smile.

Alfie’s eyes go wide. “Aw mate. Look at this sexy pirate guy!”

“Type. On. Paper,” Kat murmurs.

This bitch.

“Wow. You haven’t been with Alfie, who you stole from me, for more than ten minutes and now you’re chasing after a new guy. Real classy,” I sneer.

She shoots me a nasty look but otherwise ignores me, choosing instead to focus on the new boy.

“What’s the craic, people? I’m Finn.”

“Finn! You sound Irish! I love your accent!” Dana skips over to him, seemingly forgetting all about Eddie.

“Very kind. Yeah, I’m from Dublin. You’re all looking unbelievable,” he says, gazing at all of us in turn. “How lucky are we?”

Alfie and Eddie exchange a worried look, Suresh doesn’t seem bothered at all.

“I got a text!” Finn pulls out his phone. “Finn, in twenty four hours you’ll get to couple up with a person of your choice. The person no longer in a couple will be left single and at risk. #StealingHearts #TakeYourPick Wow, sorry all.”

Awkward silence hangs in the air as everyone takes in the news. I pick at my cuticles, already trying to plan the quickest way to escape the Villa.

“Loving your tats, babe.” Kat struts up to Finn and runs her hands over his chest. He grins at her.

“So who do you like the look of then, Finn?” Eddie asks.

“In other words, who needs to be worried?” Alfie adds.

“Boys, boys, boys. You’ll find out soon enough.”

“Wow, you’re almost as bold as me, Finn,” Suresh comments.

“I’ve barely got started, fella. But on first impressions these three are ticking all the boxes.” Finn points towards Dana, Kat, and me. He shoots me a sexy look. “Eòin, Suresh is your ex? Let’s just say he’s got great taste. You’re a real beour.”

I momentarily abandon my plan to escape. “What’s a beour?”

“It means beauty where I’m from.”

The giggle pops out before I can stop it. I bring my hands up to cover my burning cheeks and smile at Finn shyly. Suresh suddenly looks a bit less comfortable.

“I thought Eddie’s abs were impressive. But Finn, you’re something else,” Kat interrupts us.

“I like to stay in shape for sure. You look like a gym girl yourself.” He ogles her curvaceous figure.

“Nah, I do all my exercise on the dance floor… Or in the bedroom.”

“Jesus, Kat. You’re about as subtle as a brick through a window,” I snark. Dana and Eddie try to smother their laughter and Suresh looks at me appraisingly.

“Nice to know you’re as acerbic as ever,” he says. I stick my tongue out at him.

“Wow, Kat. That’s got my heart pumping fast.” Finn fans himself with one hand. “You all don’t hold back… one’s got bants for days, you’re turning it on… the Villa’s going to be fun for sure.”

“So what do you, Finn?” I inquire.

“I make people happy for a living. I run a craft brewery with some pals.”

Dana raises her phone. “I got another text, guys. Islanders, get ready to take part in a couples quiz hosted by Finn. #WhosVibing #MetYourMatch.”

“Sounds like we’re about to get personal.” Finn gleefully rubs his hands together.

Dana walks past me and whispers, “I’ll find you in a few minutes.” Before I can say anything she approaches Suresh and leads him to the firepit.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

I wander into the kitchen, keeping one eye on Dana and Suresh. She abruptly jumps up and runs towards me.

“Hey!”

I lean against the counter. “So what did you and Suresh talk about?”

“I’ll fill you in. In private.”

I look over at Suresh still sitting alone by the firepit. “Um…”

“Your head must be a mess. But trust me, you need to hear what I’ve got to say. Let’s head for a chat?”

“Um… I should probably go talk to Suresh. Get it over with, you know?”

“I really think you should hear what he told me first,” Dana insists. “It might change up how you play things in the Villa. Quick chat upstairs?”

I cave. “Alright. Let’s talk in the bedroom.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

I trail behind Dana as she races upstairs and into the bedroom, feeling slightly overwhelmed by all of her energy.

“Ah! This is so exciting!” She points at our beds, our names above them. “There’s our beds.”

I smile at her enthusiasm. “For sure. It’s pretty cool.”

“Ok, we don’t have much time though so let me dish on Suresh.” She plops down on her bed and motions for me to sit next to her. She looks around, making sure no one is close by. “So I might have dug him out a bit. Told him he shouldn’t be so cocky in his position!”

“No way!” I flop down on my stomach next to her. “How did he react?”

“He agreed with me that he was an idiot for cheating on you!”

I could’ve told him that.

“He told me you got serious super quick. And that wasn’t like him. He said the intense connection you had made him want to commit to you. But then he said something about a bust up and getting spooked and acting out.”

I feel my eyebrows draw together in confusion. “A fight? Right before he cheated?”

“That’s what he said.” She shrugs.

“Oh.” I wrack my brain, trying to remember what he’s talking about. But try as I might I can’t remember a fight, not even a slight tiff, in the weeks before he cheated. “Did he say anything else?”

“He said something about needing to figure out where your head’s at.”

“Anything about where his head’s at?”

Dana rolls her eyes. “That’s when he got all vague and mysterious. Said he needs to speak with you about that.”

I sigh heavily and cover my face with my hands. “This is a lot.”

“I know! Are you still attracted to him?”

“I mean, he’s still gorgeous. But how am I supposed to ever trust him again after everything he put me through? My head’s all over the place.”

“I’d be the exact same.” Dana pats my hand. “You’re gonna work it out though. You handled the whole situation like a boss from what I heard. Did you really just move out while he was at work without telling him?”

“I found out he cheated in the morning before he went to the office. Right after he left, a few of my friends came over and helped me pack up my stuff. I was on a plane to Louisiana before he even knew what was going on.” I smile slyly. “And I took the cat.”

She whoops and high-fives me. “That’s badass. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their boyfriend. Trust me, I’ve got a good eye.” She gives me a flirty smile and looks as if she wants to say something, but quickly moves on. “How are you gonna play it with Suresh then?”

I turn my head to look at her. “How would you play it?”

“I’d cut loose and put him in his place,” she says firmly. “What are you thinking?”

“For now I think we should just try to make sure we can stay civil. I don’t want to ruin anybody else’s time in the Villa just because Suresh and I are fighting.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Thanks for checking in on me, Dana. This was really sweet of you.”

“I’m here for you. And you’re way more ready to deal with Suresh now. It feels good to have a friend in the Villa.”

“For sure. I’m going to go talk to Suresh now. I’ll tell you everything he says after.”

The minute we wander back into the garden Kat comes rushing up to both of us. “Oh my days, I need in on the goss now!” She notices Suresh starts approaching us. “He’s coming over! Where’s your head at with him?”

I stare at her blankly. “Don’t you need to be humping Finn’s leg or something?”

Suresh touches my arm before she has a chance to snap back. “Babe, we’re about to get thrown into the fire, but first I need to talk…”

“You already had your chance. We need our time right now, Suresh,” Kat breaks in.

“Get that, Kat. But this is between me and my ex.”

Dana tugs on Kat’s arm. “Let’s give them a minute.”

“But I don’t want to -” Kat yelps as Dana drags her away.

I follow Suresh as he leads me over to the daybeds and takes a seat. I remain standing. “What did you want to talk about?” I mumble, picking at my cuticles for the third time this morning. One starts to bleed a bit.

Suresh reaches out and tenderly clasps my hands in his much larger ones. “You’re going to hurt yourself,” he says softly.

“Doesn’t matter.” I shrug. “Not like it can hurt worse than what you did to me.”

He releases my hands and sighs, leaning back on the daybed. “Seeing you again like this has my head spinning all over the place.”

“I was surprised to see you.”

He chuckles. “I bet. I didn’t know what to say when you looked over at me. Except that you look unreal in that outfit.”

I shake my head in disbelief.

“I mean it,” he insists. “But aren’t you hot in those long sleeves?” He reaches out to touch the hem of my shirt.

“Don’t touch me!” I exclaim, and rapidly back away from him, distressed.

His eyes widen and he placatingly holds up his hands. “Ok. I won’t, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you even here, Suresh?” I go to pull my hair back, only to frown when I realize I don’t have a hair tie.

“Here.” Suresh pulls a scrunchie out of his swim trunks and hands it to me.

“You remembered,” I murmur, turning it over in my hands.

“How could I forget?” He smiles sadly. “How many times did I have to help you untangle the regular elastics from your hair? And you always forgot to bring one with you, so I got into the practice of carrying one with me all the time. Habit stuck.”

A flood of emotion threatens to choke me, and I pull my hair back in silence.

“Truthfully, I’m here because the producers scouted me. Beautiful island, swanky villa, hot people… I thought it’d be a chance to have some fun. But when they told me you were going to be here too, it felt like fate, you know? A second chance to put things right one way or the other.” Suresh gazes at me intensely. “Look, I know I was mainly to blame for how things went wrong between us.”

“Mainly?” Equal parts hurt and anger creep into my voice.

“I messed up. Badly,” he admits. “But there are two sides to every story.”

I stare at him, gobsmacked. Tears begin to track down my cheeks and I wipe them away with the sleeve of my shirt, mortified that I’ve let him see me cry. “I didn’t cheat,” I whisper. “You did. I don’t see how there are two sides to that.”

“No... baby… don’t cry.” Suresh stands and moves to take me in his arms. I shake my head wildly and back away from him.

“Everybody to the pool!” Vanessa shouts.

Thankful for the distraction I hurry to join the others, hoping they won’t notice my red eyes. I hang to the back of the group, trying to make myself as small as possible so I don’t get too close to Suresh.

Vanessa stands in front of us, a slightly evil grin on her face. Ethan is next to her, looking miserable. “We’ve scheduled our couples quiz for later this afternoon, but to give you a fighting chance we’re going to let you all watch each other’s initial interview tapes. You all got a chance to look at each other’s headshots, so we’ll get to hear about your first impressions of each other, along with some personal details. Let’s inside and get started!”

All the other Islanders follow after her like ducklings trailing their mother, buzzing with nerves and excitement. I grab the sleeve of Ethan’s jacket as he walks by and pull him close.

“What is she talking about? I didn’t get to see any of the others’ pictures when I did my opening interview.”

“I know.” Ethan sighs and scuffs his shoe against the grass. “Vanessa left you out on purpose.”

#suresh #love island the game #suresh love island #love island the game season 5 #alfie love island #Eddie love island #finn love island #love island fanfic #love island the game fanfic #dana love island #kat love island #love island mc #love island the game mc #ex in the villa #love island ex in the villa #love island the game 2

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thevultur · 2 years

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men who play god will die like one / self para

( a myth barely remembered, and their names but a whisper. )

This story has always been about a black hole, pay attention.

potasium nitrate

Launch day is his going to church, solemn and ritualistic and hype-provoking. He lives lives lives for this, despite the underwhelmed look through his half-closed eyelids, despite the smallest of smiles. His wake-up before sunrise. His heart quietly accelerating. His skipped breakfast because there are always hundreds of things that could go wrong, despite his best efforts, his most careful eyes, his need to check that everything is in place, and working, and better than ever in the history of the Games.

The pit in his stomach, a black hole with no end. There is no point in taming it, no point to food. No matter what, it’d always be this pit, for this day, even now that it is routine to count down from thirty every six months. He knows all of the numbers by heart, and he still fears his tongue trips somewhere between fifteen and fourteen. He’s afraid he’ll do the silences wrong.

Lysander Vultur has it written down in every calendar that this is a big day. He wakes up before the alarm. He brushes his teeth with anxious vigor, he takes a shower, sometimes two; the air is unbreathable. Today is a day to hate walls, to choke on pressure, to glare at cameras. He changes three shirts until making up his mind. It is decided: today he welcomes death in black.

The prelude to the Games is a countdown of its own. 7:00 am (five hours), and he is in the Tower, looking over others’ shoulders, insisting that they run another simulation before showtime. They do. Clockwork. Still anxiety, anxiety, anxiety. Lysander rubs his sweating palms against his pants before leaning over a keyboard and making a couple of last minute retouches. There is no fighting perfectionism. Perfectionism always wins.

The Gamemaker team is mostly here for the buzzing that comes before the launch. Everybody has heart palpitations one way or another. Lysander activates his headpiece for communication with all. There is somewhere else he needs to be soon. He isn’t one to shout speeches, to motivate from voice pomposity and stamina. And there he is, in the open space of the quarters, muttering facts with hidden enthusiasm and a lowered, gentle tone. “We’re good. It’s going to hold.” He nods his head like a murmur. It was going to hold all along, but the noise in his heart is stiller now that they tried once again.

“I’ll count live from the press conference. We want to give it a normalized perspective on the Games. I’ll be here, though, after 2:00 pm. Just hold gravity levels steady, and be ready for Gamemaker event one to drop early if they kill too many in the bloodbath. Yes? I will be in touch with you right after I finish there.”

There it is, the smallest of smiles. It means the world and no one knows it. “Chin up, we’re writing history today.” The flag he’s holding up is victorious. This is big.

sulfur

All day is marked by anxiety. 10:00 am (two hours) and in the car, he dials for Clover, and for the kids. It’s always during launch day, as if to confess his sins. As if needing to justify himself in front of the three people that have always mattered. These days it’s lighter. Clover usually picks up after three rings, she laughs, she comments on his last television appearance by picking on his tie. She could have picked his every tie, every day (but he doesn’t say that, ever). They still don’t discuss the Games. It’s what he keeps picking everyday.

Gwendolyn sort of talks. Lysander mostly listens and corrects pronunciation. It’s common knowledge he’s obnoxious. Haydn asks too many questions. Lysander’s answers are always patient. It’s a waltz of lukewarm.

They’re good, the three of them, back in District Three. They’re good, the four of them, mostly holding out their hearts in their palms from a vertiginous distance. Lysander feels like a ghost lingering in the middle of their happiness. He can’t help it: as soon as he gets a moment, he rings. And he’s too clever to be intrusive, or long, or careless, but it still feels like some sort of haunting.

Today they don’t pick up. The beep that invites Lysander to speak reeks of rejection. He ignores the pit in his stomach getting wider and wider. The black hole again sucks the air. It’s not there if he doesn’t say anything about it. He feels like a ghost, cast away by good luck charms and sunlight. He doesn’t object.

“Hey, girls... Haydn. It sounds like you guys are busy today. Have the best day, for me. And maybe call me once you have a moment.”

He doesn’t say ‘I love you’. So often he feels ‘I love you’ that it goes without saying forever. He doesn’t say anything about the sinking feeling, nothing about the heavy chest. More so, he doesn’t even think about missing them, about how fucked everything turned out and how his life is now an empty, unsupervised arena, silences endless and solitude for punishment. Fitting. He couldn’t have come up with a colder hell.

He used to relish in his space, in his solitude. Life alone, today, resembles incarceration. He feigns having a marvelous time ignoring every drop of feeling. Sometimes it all goes according to the plan. Sometimes is not today.

Cut. Something sneaks up on him. Something breaks. Something moves within him, with a chalk taste. Nothing makes sense -- not the two inches Gwendolyn grew since last spring, not waking up without Clover, not whole months blurring together. He digs his fingers into the leather of the backseat, where he’s sat alone. Alone, he tries to make no moves. The ghost of emotion is sniffing him, so maybe if he holds his breath--.

Feelings, evil, usually overlook him. He keeps his quiet, waits for their retreat. Usually, the wait cures it all. Today his foot slips. Today, the sorrow he doesn’t allow out thickens into heavy breathing. It blends with anxiety, with the black hole. It sucks him into a vortex his mind doesn’t have control of. Lysander covers his face in his palms. A deep breath later, he counts down from thirty in his head. There is much to do today and nothing he can do about this. This doesn’t exist today. When he lifts up his eyes from the comfort of his own skin, the reds around his eyes imitate exhaustion, if anything. He takes a tissue out of his backpack, placed next to him.

Before he can tell, his fingers draft up a message to Surya, a necessary explanation before the launch, without it being a warning, a giveaway. He doesn’t mean it particularly, but he knows it’ll erase the chance of any sort of drama, not that Surya is dramatic. She’s perfectly reasonable -- it’s what he likes best about her these days. It’s a little bold, but reads as a joke, a little tongue-in-cheek. It doesn’t fucking matter. And they are at that level.

Lysander: Take it as a love declaration if you want.

Sent, 11:13 am (less than an hour). He turns off his phone for the press conference.

charcoal

The air never quite cleared in the 111th Hunger Games arena. The false version of District Thirteen arises, still open to tourists, still very much loved, courtesy of Jeanine Twill. Lysander always looks out of place, but here he’s an alien. The flashes capture his hesitant image, the press chases after him and his small team of Gamemakers and advisors.

A Hunger Games historian begins. Lysander watches without active interest. This is made to befriend District Thirteen and the Hunger Games. This is a valuable demonstration of the Games’ culture. When invited on the podium, Lysander speaks about the building of it, about all the research that was put into the place they are looking at right now. He clears his throat often, but his words flow naturally. He speaks the Games with lukewarm pragmatism and clever but sincere phrasings.

"It is no secret that Panem is held together by an unrelenting system. I am not put here to discuss politics, but--,” he made a practical pause to bring attention to his argument. “As we welcome you into Panem, it is expected that you contribute what instates order, to what, in a controlled setting, harshly reminds us of uncontrolled rebellious bloodshed. So that it does not repeat, so that we do not all collectively lose much, much more. The tribute to pay -- to lose -- is significant and painful, precisely because the price for systemic peace is inestimably valuable.”

It’s rehearsed, but it’s belief. Lysander has always had patient ways of explaining how it worked from where he was standing. “As stated before, this is a one hundred and twenty-two year old societal mechanism, and a difficult concept to swallow nonetheless, when loss and violence are additional factors. It took us over a century to make peace with it, to find balance in it, and, as you become citizens of Panem, you will understand the stakes of this great sacrifice to security and harmony.”

“We have a vast team of interdistrict Gamemakers, working on the biannual arenas, extensive spaces functioning on hyperrealistic virtuality and the highest Capitol technologies. That being said, this month, we celebrate a most grateful year of collaboration with Gamemaker Pluto Dosimetre, resident of District Thirteen. Your contribution to the system is already valuable, as you can see, and as you will further on learn from your fellow citizen.”

“For the time being, as Head Gamemaker of the Hunger Games, I thank you for cooperation, loyalty and openness. It’s not simple, nor easy, but it is a necessity.” He doesn’t say that otherwise they would be eating each other alive. Without this mathematical hunger, without the ghostly pressure of sacrificing generation after generation of youths, at this point they would all turn into savages, never too stuffed with revenge.

He subtly checks his watch for 11:49am (eleven minutes).

This is what we are listening to now. Silence sinks in for a moment before something else happens. Something else blasts. 'Boom’, comes the thundering shout. Lysander Vultur knows exactly how a bomb sounds like.

A loud noise, followed by a chorus of moans, none of which his. And oh, the smell, stinging, making all living nostrils bleed. There is smoke covering the exposed flesh. Something clicks. Something parts. Something drops into the black hole. There is black air everywhere, almong the shattered cameras. A piece of solid marble butterflies a woman’s torso in half, just a few feet from Lysander. Her eyes are immortalized wide open, and vividly empty. It comes from the one-person podium he had just spoken from. He doesn’t know the skin on his face is melting. He cannot feel his hands. He doesn’t linger on sight, on touch, on movement, on noise. The eyes cannot stay open. He goes into his brain, this small panic room that’s an expert on disaster.

The mind knows it’s dead first. Of fucking course, it’s trained to smell it. Lysander breathes into the gunpowder like fresh air. There is something about death that rhymes with coming home. It’s been coming all along. And he? He has been waiting for it in mild silences, and with just that one inadmissible dash of hope -- that discussing it with nonchalance kept death away. His flesh peels away from his bones here and there, his spine stay put, the metal taste floods his mouth. Everything hurts, but everything hurts all of the time. It’s not new, it’s not special, it’s not a surprise. He takes pain like he takes guilt, and he imagines worse has happened to many before him. He takes pain like justice. He doesn’t cry, his lips don’t and can’t move. The pit in his chest is all filled with heavy death, finally.

He had watched so many children close their eyes and boom away and now it’s him, finally. If the cameras are still working, fitting. He doesn’t think of the outside. He doesn’t think about politics, about his mother’s devastated pout. The pain strangles him now, and he does think about Clover. Oh, Clover, not now. It cannot be now. He hasn’t finished with all his apologies yet. Clover rattles the black hole, the morbid, numb peace he is falling into. He doesn’t want to think of her with this dying mind.

In these flashed seconds, the last of his existence, he makes up a cannon. If his lips moved, he would whisper it himself -- ‘boom’. He needs to count for something big. He imagines there is a cannon. There has to be a cannon over all these moaning people, creeping from under the black smoke. In his mind, he counts (only this time from one). He needs to count for something big. It’s his oxygen mask. He closes his eyes through the pain. There has to be a quiet way of waiting for death. There has to be a word for his breed of dignity. But he needs to count for something big.

He’s old friends with death, no need for pleasantries like panic, like regret. Out of all people, he doesn’t get a pure, frightened soul on the way out. It’s welcome home, it’s I’ve heard so much about you. It’s his grandfather and his echoing voice, it’s still a business meeting on top of everything. He counts to lose consciousness, and he knows it. It’s a free dive.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fi-f-fif-fuck...

No, the other way around. The count bleeds out of him, the numbers don’t add up right. He’s counted it so many times before; now it’s slipping. Not now. There’s one last effort to sit up, to press the big button for the Games. No muscle dares to move. The g/Game’s already over, him trapped inside. It’s fitting -- he’s like better than at home.

Lysander’s mind becomes unclear, but it still knows it’s part of the process. The brightside to knowing death by heart: it makes pain rational, and the unknown familiar. It’s easy, easier than everything else he’s done for death to this point. He’s thankful for brain activity during death. It’s almost nice to fall into it, even though at this point, he stops understanding anything but the sharp ache everywhere at once. There’s no tragedy behind this. This and worse happened many times before at the click of his button. Death has a way around poetic justice that Lysander doesn’t mind.

He is now a small boy, hide-and-seek counts away from death, legs from the knee down dangling as he sits on a lovely bench at the train station. There is no one else in this train station. He is wearing a carefully buttoned cardigan and shorts. His cheeks are blue with wonder. His face isn’t yet clouded by all that tired guilt. He is a small boy, and the train is suddenly here. ‘Boom’, something at the back of his mind whispers. No, not before the countdown!!! It steals him without notice, if not for his beeping smart watch. This is the only possible end to the story. Lysander Vultur has never had an argument against death.

Somewhere else entirely, it’s countdown time. Someone else’s seconds to seize. It’s 12:00 pm (and now it begins).

#men who play god will die like one #self para #130 #bits #death tw #bomb tw #;black hole #gore tw #skip to last

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ncisladaily · 2 months

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The Abandons, Kurt Sutter’s Western action drama for Netflix, has added six as series regulars: Lucas Till (MacGyver), Nick Robinson (Maid), Diana Silvers (Booksmart), Lamar Johnson (The Last of Us), Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale), and Natalia del Riego (Hail Mary).

Till plays Garret Van Ness, with Robinson as Elias Teller, Silvers as Dahlia Teller, Johnson as Albert Mason, Franciosi as Trisha Van Ness, and Del Riego as Lilla Belle. As previously announced, Lena Heady and Gillian Anderson lead the cast, as Fiona Nolan and Constance Van Ness, respectively.

Created and exec produced by Sutter (Sons of Anarchy, Mayans M.C.), who also serves as showrunner, The Abandons follows a group of diverse, outlier families pursuing their Manifest Destiny in 1850s Oregon, as a corrupt force of wealth and power, coveting their land, tries to force them out. These abandoned souls, the kind of lost souls living on the fringe of society, unite their tribes to form a family and fight back. In this bloody process, “justice” is stretched beyond the boundaries of the law. The Abandons will explore that fine line between survival and law, the consequences of violence, and the corrosive power of secrets, as this family fights to keep their land.

Sutter EPs for SutterInk. Additional executive producers include Stephen Surjik, Otto Bathurst, Emmy Grinwis, and Jon Paré.

Best known for producing and starring in CBS’s MacGyver, Till has also been seen in multiple X-Men films, Park Chan-wook’s thriller Stoker, and Jackie Chan action comedy The Spy Next Door, among other projects.

Robinson’s credits in TV include Maid, Love, Victor — which he also executive produced — and A Teacher. On the film side, he’s been seen in Native Son, Love, Simon, Jurassic World, The Kings of Summer and other titles.

In addition to Netflix’s Space Force, Silvers has been seen in films like Birds of Paradise, Ava, Ma, Booksmart, and Glass.

Emmy nominated this year for a guest part on The Last of Us, Johnson’s previously been seen on Showtime’s Your Honor, as well as in films like All the Bright Places, Dark Phoenix, Native Son, and The Hate U Give.

TV credits for Franciosi include Black Narcissus, I Know This Much Is True, Genius, and Game of Thrones. Notable film credits include The Last Voyage of the Demeter, God’s Creatures, The Unforgivable, and The Nightingale.

Del Riego is best known for her work on shows like NCIS: Los Angeles, Promised Land, The Rookie, How to Get Away with Murder, and American Crime, to name a few.

Till is repped by Independent Artist Group and WCM; Robinson by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Silvers and Johnson by WME, Entertainment 360, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Franciosi by United Agents, WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; and Del Riego by Greene Talent, Link Entertainment, and attorney Marios Rush.

#the abandons #ncis la

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naturecoaster · 3 months

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Live Oak Theatre is granted rights for an additional matinee for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Due to the response to our opening weekend performances and the demand for seating, Live Oak Theatre has added an additional matinee performance of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Live Oak Theatre is granted rights for an additional matinee for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, in collaboration with the Luke 1248 Foundation, opens on March 8th for 11 performances over three weekends. There will be an additional matinee on March 9. All performances are at the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for the Arts, 21030 Cortez Boulevard, Brooksville, Florida 34601. The Friday and Saturday evening shows are at 7:30 PM; Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 PM. Doors open approximately 30 minutes before showtime. Advanced adult seats are $25; children 13 and under are $10 (with the purchase of an adult reservation.) Advanced prices are available up to approximately 24 hours before each performance. 24 hours prior to showtime ticket prices increase by $5 for adults and children. To reserve seating, go to https://liveoaktheatre.square.site/, or email [email protected] or call 352-593-0027. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LiveOakTheatre. About Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Based on the classic film, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is an authentic piece of Americana, a time-tested romantic comedy with a special, contemporary relevance. Bringing the raucous Oregon frontier from the screen to the stage, it is a crowd-pleasing hit that has audiences cheering from the opening scene to the curtain call. Saddle up for a joyride in this tale of stubborn men and cunning women. The men in question are Adam and his six unruly brothers, who think they know what a woman's place is and how to keep her there. It takes Milly, Adam's spirited new wife, and six other savvy women to show them who's the boss. As a film, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers delighted audiences with its whirlwind romances, memorable songs, and iconic choreography, and this energetic and adventurous staged version does the same. The critics' consensus states: "Buoyed by crowd-pleasing tunes and charming performances, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers makes a successful transition from Broadway to screen that's sure to please the whole family", despite the fact that the movie was originally produced for film and debuted on Broadway over two decades later. About Live Oak Theatre Company (LOT), Live Oak Theatre Company (LOT) is a not-for-profit 501 (C) (3) repertory company of local artists, located at the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for the Arts, 21030 Cortez Boulevard, Brooksville, FL 34601. The Live Oak Theatre Company exists to enrich families, individuals and the community as a whole by providing positive artistic experiences in the Performing Arts - including excellent, affordable, and edifying family friendly entertainment, performance, and educational opportunities for Theatre patrons and participants of all ages. Read the full article

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frontproofmedia · 5 months

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What's next for David Benavidez?

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By Sina Latif

Follow @Frontproofmedia!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id))(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

Published: December 06, 2023

What's next for David Benavidez?

On the night when Showtime’s pay-per-view output bowed out of the sport, a real star of boxing was born inside Mandalay Bay last week.

It has been a gradual process for David Benavidez. Still, his impressive win against Caleb Plant in March, his first real top-tier opponent, evidenced his potential at the elite level. Then, his statement-making six-round beatdown of former two-weight division champion Demetrius Andrade last week hammered home that point. Now, all of the boxing fraternity has been clamoring for Benavidez to face one opponent and one opponent only.

We know this is who Benavidez wants, too. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will most likely next be seen in May 2024 for Cinco De Mayo, and everybody will be calling for a Canelo vs Benavidez showdown.

With back-to-back wins against Plant and Andrade, Benavidez is doing something similar to Tim Tszyu at 154 lbs, who is chasing the super welterweight king in Jermell Charlo. If you cannot secure that fight against the top guy, then stay active while beating all of the top contenders and force the champion’s hand, creating a demand for a fight to crown the genuine No.1.

Even with everything he’s achieved, Canelo’s legacy also needs that fight now. An unwillingness to face Benavidez, widely viewed as the biggest threat to Canelo south of 175 lbs, would be a stain on Canelo’s legacy. It has now got to the stage, with yet another statement made by Benavidez, that the world is demanding an all-Mexican showdown.

Benavidez’s breakdown of Andrade eliminated any remaining doubts that Benavidez was the biggest threat to Canelo’s throne at 168 lbs. Benavidez wants the fight, and the fans want the fight. There is nowhere else for Canelo to turn. Canelo has never been one to turn down a challenge and now is the time for a huge legacy definer for both men.

Against Jermell Charlo, Canelo showed that he is not done yet. He has plenty left in the tank. He responded to those questioning whether he might be in decline with a dominant performance.

“Nobody can beat this Canelo,” Álvarez said afterward in the in-ring interview following the Charlo win. Now, many hold the belief that Benavidez can beat this version of Canelo, and Canelo needs to defend his throne.

It is the timing that makes this fight so fascinating. We have seen Canelo peak and reach the top of the mountain, and he is now arguably slipping ever so slightly but still very good on his night. We have not seen Benavidez reach the peak of the mountain yet, but he is marching up there. For Canelo to defeat Benavidez, it would take one of his absolute greatest performances in his Hall-of-Fame career, if not the greatest, to pull it off.

David Benavidez has options outside of Canelo Alvarez.

Benavidez is the man to show us if Canelo still has the fire and desire like old, and Canelo is the man to show us whether Benavidez has the makings to be the greatest fighter of his generation like he states he wants to be known as.

If Canelo vs Benavidez does not happen, there are other options for one of the most exciting fighters in the world.

David Morrell Jr does not have a significant following yet, but Benavidez vs Morrell would undoubtedly be a fascinating match-up.

In terms of the eye test, Morrell checks all the boxes. He has the poise, skill set, ring generalship, and power. The rangy Cuban southpaw has shown to be the complete package, capable of giving Benavidez problems. However, the 9-0 Morrell has yet to display his skill set against solid opponents.

Morrell has been calling Benavidez out for a while and holds the subsidiary version of the WBA super middleweight belt. You never know; Benavidez is a Morrell win away from basically cleaning out everyone but the top guy at super middleweight.

Jose Benavidez Sr, David’s father, stated prior to the Andrade fight that if the Canelo fight cannot be secured next, Benavidez will target light-heavyweight titleholders Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev.

Both are captivating, albeit dangerous, options. Last year, Canelo learned the hard way about Bivol’s ability, losing a unanimous decision. Moving up in weight to face a boxer as skillful, disciplined, and smart as Bivol can prove to be a real step back in someone’s career and a confidence dampener. Of course, we are talking about Benavidez here, not Canelo, and as the age-old saying in boxing goes, the very accurate saying, ‘styles make fights.’ Benavidez is taller and naturally bigger than Canelo.

These attributes can only be helpful for Benavidez against Bivol, and he may have a style more naturally suited to combat the Russian. Silky, slick boxers can often come undone against pressure fighters who allow no real space and time for them to find their rhythm, which Benavidez has done consistently throughout his career. Nevertheless, Bivol’s ring generalship and footwork would provide a significant challenge for Benavidez to overcome. Bivol’s work with that lead hand is exceptional, and he has brilliant control of distance. It would be a very difficult challenge for Benavidez, but Benavidez has always spoken about this fight with confidence, and he genuinely believes he is destined to be remembered as a great fighter and great fighters take great risks.

Regarding Beterbiev, that would have the makings of an absolute barnburner of a classic between two of the sport’s unstoppable forces. Beterbiev, the unified 175 lbs champion with a 100% KO ratio, is a fully-fledged light-heavyweight monster and would be able to match Benavidez’s physicality. Beterbiev obviously carries power, but his boxing ability is underrated, with great counter-punching ability, brilliant angles, a great judge of distance, with very good footwork and timing. Would Benavidez be able to handle blows from such heavy hands, the likes of which he will have never faced? Benavidez throws combinations that are hard to read, with speed and power and is relentless. Whether Beterbiev, at 38, would be able to keep up with Benavidez’s pace is interesting.

Jermall Charlo returned on the Benavidez - Andrade undercard with an easy unanimous decision win against Jose Benavidez Jr, looking impressive for a man out of the ring for two and a half years, but there was obvious ring rust, and Charlo may not be so eager to jump in with David off the back of that devastating performance against Andrade. If Charlo is keen, he is a very well-accomplished two-division champion and, on his night, one of the best in the business. Charlo has one of the best jabs in boxing, with experience and athleticism, and knows how to sell a fight. The fans would undoubtedly love this fight. Benavidez has expressed interest in making this fight if he cannot get Canelo. For now, momentum and timing favor Benavidez, and we shall see whether Charlo shares Benavidez’s desire to make this fight happen.

In the past, Canelo has brushed aside the possibility of facing Benavidez, but he can’t brush it aside anymore. “Who has he beat?” is not an argument that can hold up any longer. Canelo has always fought the best. We can’t question his mentality. Benavidez is undoubtedly a huge challenge, and there is no reason to think Canelo’s philosophy has changed.

Benavidez’s life will change with a Canelo fight. A fight for the undisputed super middleweight showdown is not only a legacy-definer for Benavidez, but it’s the one that pays like no other, too. It’s not just about the belts for Benavidez. It is facing Canelo for the belts that matter.

As fans, not only stylistically but with the timing of the fight, it would be an absolute pleasure to witness.

If Canelo does not fight Benavidez next, he is not being the great champion he should be.

“I’m definitely entering my prime. The passion I have for the sport,” Benavidez said as his voice broke and tears filled his eyes. “I just want to make my dad and my mother proud of me.”

(Featured Photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime)

#SL #David Benavidez #Canelo Alvarez #Demetrius Andrade #David Morrell #Dmitry Bivol

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