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dirtyvulture · 8 months

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I Will Never Have You

??? x Beefy!Fem!Reader

“I Will Always Love You” - Alternate Ending

18+ only, read at your own risk

Summary: After the traumatic events of IWALY, you find solace with someone else.

Word count: 4386

AN: I wrote this ages ago, but didn’t have the courage to post it until now. Enjoy? 😬

“So, I heard Kate has a girlfriend now,” Natasha says, coming up behind Yelena who beats furiously at a punching bag.

“Oh, yeah, she does. I didn’t know you wanted any updates about her,” Yelena responds.

“Is it you?”

Yelena stops mid-punch, causing the bag to swing back and crash into her body. She’s nearly knocked off her feet but grabs onto it to steady herself. “What?” She looks at her sister almost offensively. “No.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t be upset if you were,” Natasha deflects.

“It’s not me, Nat.” Yelena slams her fist into the punching bag with so much force Natasha swears she hears her knuckles crack.

“Okay, okay,” Natasha backs off.

“You’ll see for yourself,” Yelena says. “Kate is bringing her to Stark’s party next week.”

“That’s where I first heard about her,” Natasha replies. “Is it true she’s from California?”

“Something like that.” Yelena doesn’t seem entirely comfortable admitting to more details, meaning that she knows more than she’s letting on.

“Well, good for Kate.” Natasha is genuinely happy to hear that Kate has finally found someone for herself. Natasha knew Clint’s protegee had always been intensely interested in you when she was with you, but hopefully now that you two were broken and you had moved away, Kate’s been able to stop pining, just as Natasha’s had to do.

After the poorest choice of judgment she’s ever experienced in her life, which resulted in Natasha assaulting you and damaging your relationship beyond repair, she has never been the same. She knows she doesn’t deserve better and her actions still haunt her despite the dozens of therapy sessions she’s been to. Fury had you reassigned to a different division at SHIELD and after you moved away, you never made contact with her again. Natasha knew it was best for the two of you to keep your space, but part of her wishes she could see you again, talk to you again, even though she knows she would never be able to have you in the way she had before.

“Well, I guess it’ll be nice to meet her then,” Natasha says.

“Yes, for you and me both,” Yelena agrees.

***********************************************************************

After a long week, Natasha reunites with Yelena to attend Stark’s party. She had been surprised her invite hadn’t been canceled, especially since she hadn’t seen any of her co-workers in almost six months since Fury removed her from the team. While she had long since adjusted to her new position, nothing could compare to the chemistry and energy of her old team. Sometimes she misses it so much she considers asking him to move her back, but she knows she wouldn’t be accepted back.

They don’t want to work with a rapist.

Although she hadn’t been convicted for her crime and it was never publicly announced what she did, it seemed that everyone knew that was the reason you and her broke up. She would still stumble across cruel notes slipped into her locker, some threatening to out her and some threatening violent physical harm and occasionally death. There was no point in reporting any of them, since they all spoke the truth. So instead, she kept them all.

The thrumming environment makes her just as uncomfortable as the familiar faces do. No one dares to talk to Natasha longer than a mandatory “long time, no see,” most of them turning instantly to her sister and engaging in conversation with her instead. Natasha feels the loneliness in her chest deepen. It could not be more apparent that no one wants her here, but as much as she wants to leave, being here is punishment enough for her.

Natasha follows Yelena around like a shadow, literally lurking behind her where she thinks no one will notice. They’re picking at a plate of crab rangoons when suddenly Yelena jabs her elbow into Natasha’s side. Natasha almost chokes on her food when Yelena says, “Kate’s here.”

“Where?”

Yelena points to the bar. Kate is standing there in a flowy purple dress that reminds Natasha of what teenagers wore to prom. Towering next to her is a familiar broad-shouldered figure, wearing a polo shirt in the same shade of purple. When both of them turn towards her and Yelena, Natasha almost faints.

It’s you.

How did you become Kate’s new girlfriend? Why did you say yes to her? A million thoughts swirl in Natasha’s head. You had told her a hundred times that you had no interest in Kate and even viewed her as a younger sister. Then how could this have happened? Did Kate slip something into your drink or hit you on the head? Maybe the trauma Natasha had caused you inadvertently gave you memory loss, and now you couldn’t remember that you didn’t even like–

“Sestra, are you okay?” Yelena interrupts as Natasha turns on her angrily.

“You knew,” she snaps. “You knew Kate was dating Y/N.”

“I was the first person she told,” Yelena admits. “And you know how Kate always felt about Y/N…”

“But it wasn’t returned!” Natasha hisses, although you standing next to Kate with your arm around her waist says otherwise. “How could you let this happen?”

“Let this happen?” Yelena’s eyes blaze with fury. “You’re the one who fucked up the relationship! Not me, not anyone else. And you know Kate would never hurt Y/N the way you did.”

Natasha swallows her anger because she knows Yelena is right. Because despite her faults, Kate would never do what she did to you.

Kate leans against you, her hand squeezing your bicep so hard Natasha is sure her nail marks are going to be imprinted into your skin all night. Marking her territory, Natasha scoffs, although how many times did she do the same to you before? She treated you like a piece of meat, like a possession she had ownership of, never like the human being you actually were.

But Kate has never looked happier as she pulls you around in tow, although you look just as uninterested in being here as Natasha feels. However, when you make eye contact with Natasha, you freeze and Kate jerks back because she isn’t strong enough to move you on her own.

Kate looks around frantically until she notices that you’re staring at Natasha, then she tugs you down to her level so she can whisper something in your ear. You shake your head, then nod and Kate kisses your cheek. Natasha wants to dissolve on the spot. Kate readjusts her grip on your arm and leads you over to Natasha and Yelena.

“Hi, Yelena! Hi, Nat,” Kate says first, waving to both of them in turn. “It’s good to see you both again, especially you, Nat. I know it’s been…a while.”

“Yes, hello, Kate.” Natasha notices Yelena move closer to her side, as if her sister is afraid she’ll try strangling Kate.

“And you both already know Y/N, I think…”

You grin as though it pains you, your teeth clenched as though you’re purposely preventing yourself from saying something.

“Anyway, we’ll be around if you want to catch up!” Kate says, and Natasha doesn’t miss the way she implies that if she wants to talk to you, she’ll have to talk to Kate too. Kate steers you off in another direction before Natasha can get a chance to say good-bye. Seeing Kate with you now makes Natasha wonder if this is how she felt every time she saw you with Natasha attached to your arm. It’s a sucky feeling.

Thinking about Kate being with you drives Natasha crazy. Maybe it’s that Kate gets to spend every moment with you. Maybe it’s that Kate gets to call you hers now. Maybe it’s that Kate gets to take you to bed. Natasha remembers when that had been her; she had never been happier in her life. No wonder Kate looked so happy with you. There was just something about you that brightened something in everyone.

And maybe Kate hadn’t had to do anything for you to turn to her. Maybe her carefree, simple nature was what you needed in your life after such a traumatic event. Natasha feels ashamed for thinking that Kate had to pull mind tricks to get you to fall for her. You deserved happiness, and if you found that with Kate, Natasha wouldn’t judge you or her for that.

Because one thing was clear now: there was no chance in the world Natasha was ever going to have you back.

***********************************************************************

“You okay, babe?” Kate says, resting her head on your shoulder. “We can get you a stronger drink if you–” She stops herself, her cheeks reddening as you stare down at the non-alcoholic margarita in your hands. You had given up alcohol since the assault and were surprised that Kate still didn’t remember this, especially after being with you for almost two months now.

“Uh, I’m sorry,” Kate rushes to apologize. “I’ll just get us some water.” Her hand brushes your arm as she turns away, waving down a waiter and turning back to push an icy glass of water in front of you.

“Thanks.” You take a sip, your hand shaking as you bring the glass to your mouth.

“Maybe we should go back to our room upstairs,” Kate suggests.

“I’m fine,” you insist. Kate keeps rubbing your forearm, which you assume is supposed to be a comforting gesture, but she’s holding on too hard, almost like she’s afraid that if she lets go of you you’ll walk right back into Natasha’s arms. But that’s an unlikely possibility, even more unlikely than you getting with Kate in the first place.

You’re still not totally sure how it happened, but within the first few months of you being stationed out in California, Kate had texted you. It had started out completely innocent, with her simply checking in to see how you were adjusting, and you were grateful to have someone to talk to. It escalated one week when you admitted to having a really hard time with life and without being prompted, Kate flew over from New York to be with you. She stayed with you longer than she should have, but when she finally went back, you felt you couldn’t be without her. So, you soon moved back to New York and the rest was history.

But it wasn’t perfect, as no relationship is, and sometimes you’re unsure if you made the right decision to come back to New York exclusively to be with Kate. She was a very nice girl, and since it was no secret how smitten she had been with you the entire time you were Natasha, you’re not surprised at how fast she warmed up to you. You, on the other hand, were facing some very complicated emotions and trauma, and it was difficult to tell if you had genuine feelings for Kate or were just using her as a crutch.

“Did seeing Nat upset you?” Kate asks, taking you out of your thoughts.

“What?” You hadn’t even said a single word to Natasha. Yelena had warned you both that she would be in attendance tonight, so you had prepared an entire speech of how to confront her, but when you finally saw her again, you choked up.

“It’s okay if it did,” Kate says, putting her arm around your shoulder now and pressing herself closer to you. “She really should be in jail for what she did to you–”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you snap, feeling immediately guilty when you see Kate’s hurt expression. “I…just…maybe later,” you add lamely.

Your therapist told you that opening up to a new relationship after what happened with Natasha would be difficult. Luckily, Kate had the advantage of knowing you before the assault, and what happened, so you didn’t have to fully relive the trauma and explain to her why you had trust issues or why you were now so guarded in bed.

You hadn’t expected to do it so soon, and while Kate would’ve eaten you alive the first chance she got, to her credit, she waited until you were ready. The first time you two had sex, you were certain that Kate was going to pass out when she saw you lying shirtless on her bed, and then she asked you to take her in every position you could ever think of until neither of you could move the next day. But as much passion as there was, the whispered “I love yous” and kisses and cuddles felt meaningless and empty. You didn’t know what it would take to get to that level of emotion, and you wonder at all if you’ll find it with Kate.

“Do you want to go back upstairs?” Kate asks again. “Maybe we can do something to clear your mind a little…”

While Kate’s appetite was worse than a burgeoning teenager, she respected your boundaries and never pushed you into doing something you didn’t want to. You found that your libido was significantly lower than it had been before the assault, but once in a while it spiked, which Kate couldn’t be happier for.

And tonight was one of those moments. Seeing Natasha again was not only traumatic but frustrating, and you needed something to get your mind off her.

You grab Kate’s hand suddenly. “Let’s go,” you say, pulling her out of her seat and scooping her up in your strong arms. She squeaks as her feet leave the floor, wrapping her arms around your neck to steady herself. You ignore the burning eyes on your back as you walk out carrying Kate.

***********************************************************************

You’re utterly impatient waiting for the elevator to take the two of you up to the suites. Every second that passes and you don’t have Kate underneath you makes your skin hot with need. By the time you finally make it to Kate’s room, you throw her onto the bed and take off your shirt and pants. Kate watches you in awe for a moment, like she’s still in disbelief that she gets to have you like this, before struggling with the zipper of her dress behind her neck.

Once you’re undressed, you climb onto the bed with her and flip her over by her hips, ripping the zipper down so roughly you’re sure you’ve ruined the fabric, but neither of you seem to care. Kate quickly sheds the gown and pushes it off onto the floor, turning back over and looping her arms around your neck to pull you down into a heated kiss.

When your teeth knock together, you wonder if you’re being too rough with Kate, but she doesn’t let you pull away. Instead, she wraps her legs around your waist, her ankles locking over your lower back. One of your hands finds her breasts in an effort to steady yourself over her, and she moans when your hand closes around the swell of her flesh.

“Is this okay?” you finally break away from her lips to ask.

“Yes, yes,” Kate gasps. Her hands trace over your back muscles, before finally digging into your shoulder blades to encourage you to arch into her. She tucks her head against your chest and you feel her lips scraping against your collarbone, bruising your skin and marking her claim on you.

“Oh God, Kate,” you say, your center pulsing with need. You feel her hands come around your sides, brushing across your tensed abs.

“I want to ride you,” Kate demands, but quickly changes her tone of voice when she sees you glaring down at her. “I mean, can I…Can I ride you, baby?”

It’s not a power play thing, you just don’t like Kate being forceful with her requests because it makes you feel like you don’t have a choice. Although you could say “no” at any point and Kate would stop, part of you is still subconsciously fearful that if you do, Kate won’t respect you and take advantage of you like Natasha did. You stopped drinking alcohol to make sure you were always in control of all your faculties, and your time with Kate so far had proved that she was a mindful and respectful partner, but the fear was still there. You wondered if it would ever truly go away or if you would be stuck battling it every single time you were in bed with someone.

“Hop on, baby,” you tell Kate, switching positions with her and relaxing with your back flat on the bed. Kate throws one leg over your waist, placing her hands on your chest and slowly lowering herself onto your chiseled stomach. Her core is hot and wet and it excites you to see how desperate she is for you.

“You feel so good,” Kate pants, slowly rocking back and forth. You take hold of her hips to guide her, flexing your abs until you feel like you can’t even take a breath. Kate moans as she bumps across the defined muscles of your stomach.

“Look at me, Kate,” you grunt as her nails curve into the skin of your chest. You want to see the light in her eyes when she comes undone, hear the moans she releases because she’s used your perfect body to get off.

Kate loses some of her rhythm as she forces herself to lift her head. Her blue eyes, swirling with lust and desire, lock onto yours, and you buck your hips suddenly, trying to angle your body to stimulate her into an orgasm. Kate grinds down on you, like she’s trying to stay seated on a bucking bull, but the movement is too much for her and she gushes across your stomach. You keep your firm grip on her waist so she doesn’t fall off, lowering your hips back onto the bed as she falls on top of you, panting hard.

You stroke the back of her head until she calms down, and then Kate sits up with a mischievous look in her eye.

“Can I clean you up?” she asks.

You smirk at her. “Sure, baby. Make sure you get every drop.”

Almost as if your words alone were enough to reinvigorate her, Kate crawls down your body and you spread your legs apart to let her lie between them. She puts a hand on each of your muscular thighs to balance herself and lower her head to lap at the stickiness coating your abs. You moan as her tongue slides across your muscles, collecting up every bit of the mess she made. Your skin shines not with her cum anymore but her saliva and the heat in your stomach rages hotter as you watch her, her head dipping lower and lower until suddenly her mouth finds the heat between your legs and your back arches with a moan.

“Fuck, Kate,” you gasp, moving your hands to the blankets instead so you don’t accidentally pull her hair out. Her tongue pushes into you with some hesitance at first, but as soon as she tastes you, she dives in deeper for more. Her head bobs up and down as she sets a pace that’s a little too quick for your liking and you try to roll your hips to indicate a better rhythm, but Kate is too drunk on your taste, too excited to be in this position, to pay you much attention. And as hot as her mouth is, as flexible as her tongue is, it’s not enough to get you off.

Kate may not be as experienced as your past partners, but sometimes you feel like she doesn’t even want or care to know what you actually like and what you don’t. While she’s never done anything to make you feel outright uncomfortable, you aren’t always satisfied with her efforts either–although she does try her best, that much is certain.

Your excitement begins to dwindle as the minutes tick by and you’re no closer to orgasm than when Kate was still on top of you. You’re surprised she hasn’t gotten a jaw cramp yet, and you don’t want her to, so you move your hand onto her head and push her back.

“Okay, okay, that��s enough,” you say, pretending to pant like you’re coming down from an amazing high. Kate sits back on her heels, wiping her lips with a grin. You know you’re just as guilty for not being honest with her, but for some reason, you just don’t have it in you to tell her the truth. This poor girl had waited years to be with you and probably thought she never had a chance in the world. You could give her this moment. There might not be more of them, anyway.

Kate crawls up to you to kiss you sloppily and you shy away, reaching over to the nightstand and twisting your elbow awkwardly to open the top drawer. Your fingers close around the rubber toy you’re looking for and you pull it out with a flourish, watching the way Kate’s eyes darken when she sees what you’re holding.

“Think you can handle one more?” you ask.

“Anything for you, baby.” She kisses you again and gets off of you so you can sit up and pull the straps over your legs, positioning the toy between them.

“Lie down,” you tell Kate, maneuvering yourself on top of her again. You can see the glistening wetness of her center and you know you won’t need any more lube, despite how large the toy is. Even in the beginning, you insisted on using a smaller size but Kate didn’t want that, saying that you looked the best with a big one between your legs. You didn’t argue with her on that and fucked her into the mattress until you were so exhausted you fell asleep with the strap still in her.

You grab onto each of Kate’s ankles and hoist her legs up, holding them in a wide V and tilting her butt up just a few inches off the bed. Scooting forward until the tip of your cock presses against her entrance, you look down at her and ask if she’s ready.

“Fuck me until I can’t walk,” Kate says, and she knows you’ll keep your side of the deal.

You thrust your hips forward, gliding into her almost entirely in one smooth motion, and Kate throws her head back and moans shamelessly. You use your grip on her ankles to pull her forward as your hips move, increasing the power of your thrusts and the entire bed shakes with your strength. Kate bounces along the mattress, trying to reach for you, desperate for something solid to hold onto while you fuck her brains out.

***********************************************************************

“I think I saw them head out earlier,” Natasha says, trying to act like she hadn’t had her eyes on you the whole time.

“So soon?” Yelena says. “Well, I think the only reason they showed up was to see you anyway–”

“I barely spoke to either of them.”

Yelena shrugs. “Did you expect them to hang around? After what you did?”

Sometimes, Natasha wonders whose side her sister is on. Then she remembers how Yelena had been ready to (justifiably) beat her to a pulp after she found out what Natasha had done.

“Do you want to go now?” Yelena asks, although she senses that Natasha wanted to leave hours ago.

“Yeah, I think I’m done here.”

“Okay.”

Natasha plans on spending the night in her sister’s room, since it’s too far of a drive back to her place in Rochester. She goes up the elevator with Yelena, feeling a wave of sadness fill her as she remembered the thousands of times she had gone up to the suites with you, with her teammates. Those days were long gone.

“Do you remember where my room is?” Yelena asks. “I have to grab something from the kitchen, so you can meet me there.”

“Sure.” But Natasha does not have the faintest memory of where Yelena’s suite is. She only remembers where yours and hers was. She wonders who’s moved in now and if they know the history of that room. It would probably be better if they didn’t.

She wanders down the dark hallway, nervous to realize that all the doors look the same. In a moment of panicked judgment, she reaches for a random door handle and pushes it open.

Just her luck, Natasha doesn’t stumble into Yelena’s empty room. It’s Kate’s.

Kate is lying naked on her bed with you equally naked and between her legs, holding them open at such a wide angle that even Natasha is impressed by her flexibility. Your abs flex as you jog your hips forward, slapping your thighs against Kate’s loudly. Natasha has a fleeting thought of being in Kate’s position before, but it is quickly replaced by shame and embarrassment.

“Uh, shit…” Natasha says, blush creeping up to the tips of her ears. She doesn’t know if either of you even notice her and quickly backs out, her heart pounding. She would never have you like that again, and it hurts her like a knife in her chest to know that she lost you to Kate.

Kate had seen Natasha peek into her room and never thought she would be so happy to be caught in a position like this. When Natasha leaves, Kate begs you to pound into her harder and faster, until you fear you’ll actually rip her in half. You don’t, but you do break the bedframe when it slams into the wall one too many times. Tony will not be happy to hear he has to order another bed for Kate.

Kate practically screams when she comes undone, tearing at the sheets and pillows with clawed hands. You finally drop her legs, pulling your cock out and falling on top of her, your body slick with sweat as you lay flat against her. Kate rolls you to the side as you wrap your arms around her and she tangles her legs with yours, resting her head on your chest and telling you to hold her tighter.

No other words are said, but the silence seems to communicate that both of you know this is a dream reaching its end.

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AN: Oh how the tables have turned...

This was a very different fic for me. I’d love to hear what you think! Especially from those who were anti-Nat endgame with the original. 👀

Please like, reblog, and comment! Follow for more content. 🥰

#natasha romanoff #black widow #natasha romanoff smut #Kate Bishop #kate bishop smut #natasha romanoff x reader #kate bishop x reader

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obe-yawn · 19 days

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Tune!!

#Spotify

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squidproquoclarice · 2 years

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Yeehawgust Day 29: Jolene

He’d known the new volunteer, Mary-Beth Gaskill, was a Dolly Parton fan. She made no secret of it, and if anyone dared to say even one thing against Saint Dolly or her music, the dreamy demeanor disappeared and showed that this kitten did indeed have some claws.

Not that Arthur disliked some Dolly himself. Good music, great philanthropy to boot. But looking at the tags on the kennels as he did the initial morning walk, all the shelters in the county probably hurrying to take on some of the dogs from the recent puppy mill bust, no matter how full they already were, he saw that the six they’d gotten had come in under Mary-Beth’s watch. He and Sadie had been off for the weekend camping, so this now was the first he’d seen of the new arrivals. Consequently, the Ambarino Animal Shelter now offered for adoption a rather interesting musical assortment alongside the eight they’d already had. All of them mixes of goldenlabradoodleschnorgihund or whatever the hell it was, and in his mind the crime of trying to charge a thousand bucks for a fancy name for what amounted to a mutt–and nothing wrong with mutts at all, best dogs he’d ever had–paled alongside all the crimes that came from running a puppy mill. An ethical misdemeanor, as it were. But he hated it nonetheless. Because honestly, that sort of thing was how puppy mills thrived, seeing they could charge hefty prices for a mix if they just slapped some cutesy portmanteau on as a supposed breed. People would pay for it, so the mills would just keep on churning.

At least these six would be cared for now. All of them some kind of hound and retriever mix, if he had to guess, with maybe some terrier from the beard on one

So with treats and kind words, he said hello to Hard Candy Christmas, Nine to Five, Coat of Many Colors, Islands In The Stream, I Will Always Love You…

Well, at least she hadn’t gone for Why’d You Come In Here Looking Like That. That would just be a little too close to home for the poor newly rescued dogs with their sad eyes, ragged coats, and too-thin flanks.

The last one, in the kennel at the end, offered him her plush bunny toy and wagged her tail furiously. “Hey there, Jolene.” Of course there had to be a Jolene. Of course. Though given her fur was reddish, he supposed it fit.

Candy, Niner, Coaty, Island, Jolene, and Iwaly–they’d had a hell of a time coming up with a good call name for that poor boy–settled in more and more as the days went on. They were so hungry for love, in that way that had once broken his heart, but he’d seen it so much now that it no longer shattered him, but only made him ache for them, and love them all the harder for it. Telling them that they were safe now, that they’d have people that would treat them right. That they’d gotten out of hell and it would only improve.

The capacity of an animal to still find a way to so earnestly trust and love after so much of a shitty life never failed to amaze him, and make him think there had to be something good in the world.

Jolene especially seemed to attach to him. Sometimes as firm as velcro, at that, but she was such a sweet soul he could hardly deny her. Even when her frisking around him sometimes, delighted at walks and the fresh air and the outdoors, threatened to hogtie him at the ankles with the leash. How could he deny her?

Sadie, heading into the shelter, saw the two of them out for another walk and just laughed. “How’s the girlfriend, Arthur?”

Jolene headed over to Sadie, tail waving about as fast as an airplane propeller. Arthur might be her favorite human, but Sadie was a close second. “Good, good.”

“Now, I’d worry that Jolene might have come in and taken my man, true to form,” Sadie teased, reaching down to tousle Jolene’s floppy ears, “but hell, I can’t even be mad at her.”

“She does make it impossible to be pissed off at her.”

“Unlike your human girlfriend.”

“You do make it possible to be pissed off at you. Possible, and fun.”

She grinned and winked at him. “Likewise, Mr. Morgan.” She gave Jolene another scratch. “Tell your boyfriend that he needs to hurry up and adopt you. All three of us know you aren’t going home with anyone else.”

He’d been thinking of it, given how attached she was, and how much he’d come to adore her. And he’d been without a dog for over a year now, since he’d lost Copper. But hearing Sadie say it that casually told him she was on board too. “Well, then. Welcome to the family, Jolene.”

#yeehawgust #yeehawgust 2022 #rdr2 #arthur morgan #sadie adler #that animal shelter au

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hotgirlstiles · 2 months

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im sorry i just have to say this but dollys version of iwaly isnt a cover its the original she wrote the song TT i point this out partially bc i feel like stiles would also be annoying ab this fact <3

OMG THIS IS CRAZY I ACTUALLY DIDNT KNOW…… thank u for telling me baby!! AND U KNOW WHAT. YES HE WOULD BE. lydia offhandedly mentions it and scott is INSTANTLY shaking his head teying to shut her up OMFGGGG THIS IS SOMCUTEEE THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME BABY

#answered #now i know… omfg.#ok actually this makes my delusions abt cowboy derek crazier

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danhobden · 5 months

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The 10 Greatest Moments in Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"

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The new Sofia Coppola film PRISCILLA is out this month (great film btw) and playing over its final scene and closing credits is Dolly Parton's original version of "I Will Always Love You" (IWALY from here on out). I've never really paid much attention to Dolly's version before; it's a softly sung, sometimes spoken, heartbroken country ballad, a million miles away from the Whitney Houston juggernaut cover that followed. The Whitney version is unquestionably more popular and more ingrained in the public consciousness than the original at this point and also, to my ears at least, a flat-out better song.

I've been listening to Whitney's IWALY a lot this past month since I learned of the PRISCILLA nod to the original (Spotify has now wrapped so it won't be showing up on any end-of-year list), and it's interesting hearing a song that has been so ubiquitous throughout the majority of my lifetime with fresh ears, discovering subtleties I hadn't previously. And whilst it's still very easy to get caught up in the drama of it all as a whole - Whitney's voice does most of the leg work on that front - I've come to find IWALY to be a song made up of beautiful individual moments, both big and small. My 10 favourites are listed below.

Vocals (0:00) Smart choice to open for the first 40 seconds or so with no instrumentation, just Whitney's voice, one of the greatest of modern popular music.

The real kicker here, the thing that stops you dead in your tracks, is how calm and controlled she sounds; it's unrecognisable compared to the power of her voice on display in later parts of the song or throughout most of her career, feeling like an intake of breath before the real drama begins.

I, Not Always (0:45 and every other chorus) One of the most notable differences between Whitney's IWALY and Dolly's original is the choice made in the chorus: Whitney elongates the "I" in the "I will always love you" whereas Dolly puts more emphasis on the "always".

For Whitney, the "always" almost feels like an afterthought. She loves this person but will it last forever? Probably not. For the most part Dolly's lyrics suggest a higher road taken, but there are hints of acrimony running alongside this. What's important, Whitney seems to be saying, is whatever else happens from this moment is on her terms.

My Darling You (1:12) A lovely ad-lib at the end of the seemingly complete first chorus. Overcome with emotion the words carry on tumbling out.

Strings (1:14) A short but beautiful swell of strings that sweeps us into the second verse. It feels like a cap on the relative calm that has come before - things start to ramp up from here.

~Please~ Don't Cry (1:36) The way she delivers the "please" in the "...goodbye, please don't cry" lyric with such care and kindness, and the way it serves as a correction to the tossed-off, almost callous nature of the "goodbye" preceding it.

Sax Solo (2:08) You don't really hear many saxophone solos in music these days which is a great shame because this one absolutely rips. It allows Whitney and us as the audience to bask in its luxury for a while and take a much-needed beat before the big, final act.

Kirk Whalum is the musician behind it, a man with a fascinating and varied career who, according to Wikipedia, converted to Catholicism in 2022 and now works as a volunteer barber at a Catholic Worker house in Memphis, so that's nice.

JOY! (2:52) Whoever it is on the other side of this breakup Whitney is very keen for them to know that she has no hard feelings - and this moment in the song underlines the point more than any other. She very graciously wishes them joy and happiness, but the "joy" is delivered with such force, almost spat out, that I think she might be protesting a little too much. Either way, it gives me a thrill every time I hear it.

But Above All This (2:58) Not a life-changer by any means but I really love it when a singer squeezes as many syllables into a line as they can without missing a beat as happens here. There are also dozens of great examples of this in R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" but, ahem, the less said about R. Kelly these days the better. It's out there if you want a listen!

Drum - Key Change - Vocal Run - Another Key Change (3:10) The big one. The most famous, recognisable moment in IWALY and arguably 20th century pop music. A real moment in the video, too: camera zooms in on Whitney's closed eyes, dramatic drumbeat, eyes open wide, camera zooms out. Simple but very effective.

The vocal range here is pretty insane. I'm assuming she breathes at some point but I'm not entirely sure when. Her ability to hit the gigantic "YOU" at the end of the run at an even higher note than before feels like it shouldn't be possible, but there it is, sustained and pitch-perfect. A real show-stopper.

The End Is Not The End (4:05) But it doesn't quite end there. Another reminder in case the listener had forgotten: "I will always love you." That final "you" hangs around for an eternity until Whitney finally has nothing else left to say and it fades out to silence.

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indiaincredibletours · 7 months

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the city comes alive with beautiful and elaborate decorations, including stunning lights and rangoli designs during diwali. iwali, in particular, witnesses the entire city bathed in a resplendent display of lights, candles, and colorful rangoli designs. the streets and markets are illuminated with intricate patterns and lanterns, creating a mesmerizing ambiance. you can experience this via delhi darshan by bus.

#delhi darshan by bus

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anasfalhs1 · 8 months

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3 years ago i said yes to a wonderful experience i had. still wanna turn back the clock to relive those moments again. (even prevent some mistakes.) for you, this one. cheers and iwaly.

youtube

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s-e-m-p-i-t-e-r-n-oo · 1 year

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i’m writing this cuz i want you to know why it happened the way it happened.

i know that stop talking to you without giving any explanation was wrong, but i couldn’t, i just can’t think about a way to say goodbye to you, cause you’ve been a part of my life, a really important one. it’s been 4 years since we know each other, and if you ask me if i would go back and meet you again, i’d do it without any doubt, but i would change many things that i did wrong, i hurt you so much, and that wasn’t right at all.

i can’t take back what i did, neither change what it’s done. after some months i came to the conclusion, a really hard one, that even though we love each other endlessly, it is not going to work… i hurt you, so much, and i’m not good for you, i’m not worth of your love, cuz you deserve someone better, that will never hurt you the way i did, and will never do anything bad to you or towards you. i’m sorry that i lied about stuff that i knew were wrong, you didn’t deserve that.

that’s why i did it, cuz i’m not good for you, and i really wanted everything with you i really do, but what we had turned into something toxic, we spent fighting, mostly because of me…

i think about you everyday, every damn day, i dream about you, and its hard not to try to know about u, i miss you like you don’t even know how much and i will always do.

but i saw that you were doin good, you were going out with your friends, doing great at work and at school, even goin to the gym, like wow, and im really glad that everything is going good in your life, that’s all i really wanted for you

i didn’t want to ruin that for you by texting you again or reappearing back in your life, and going all over again in the same thing, making you feel sad and bad about yourself, that was the worst part, i made you feel worthless and not good enough, i HATE myself for being so stupid and such an idiot with you.

you are WORTH IT, GOOD ENOUGH, you deserve love and so much more.

i’m not mad at you, i would never and there’s no reason to, what i am is grateful that you came into my life.

i hope you are doin better, remember, u deserve the best cause you already are the best.

thank you for everything, and i wish you the happiness that u deserve, take care and i hope you remember me in a good way, cuz that’s what i’m going to do, iwaly.

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myflowergift9 · 2 years

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iwali Choco Hamper to make the occasion Complete. with 16 pcs Ferrero Rocher Chocoaltes , 6 traditional dias , 10 Dairymilk or Five star Chocolates.

#sendonlinediwaligifts #buyonlinediwaligifts

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dirtyvulture · 1 year

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#natasha romanoff #black widow #natasha romanoff smut #natasha romanoff imagine #i will always love you

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nightcoremoon · 2 years

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whitney houston is an incredible vocalist. dolly parton is an incredible songwriter. I would never dream of disparaging either of these legends.

I will always love you is a massively overrated song that has lost all meaning by dilution and being overplayed.

not a bad song by any stretch of the imagination.

but overrated as fuck.

AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEIIIII-

like ok damn we get it your lungs are strong and you can hold a sustained note, gg on a tech demo for your voice.

and before anyone loses their shit and freaks out and goes REEEEE in my inbox… both of my parents are metalheads. I was raised from birth to consider metal my favorite genre. my fave metal band of all time is probably metallica and I think their first album kill em all is also massively overrated. my second fave metal band of all time is probably system of a down and I think their first self titled album is overrated. and I think that SLAYER is overrated. my opinion on IWALY is irrespective of not liking the genre itself. I love aretha franklin. I love janet jackson. I love diana ross. I love tina turner. I love celine dion (related: my heart will go on is way more overrated than IWALY). I love beyonce (related: single ladies is probably the most overrated song in the entire genre). I LOVE rihanna. r&b is a good genre that I really like a lot. and I even love a lot of Whitney Houston’s other material.

but ppl need to stop pretending IWALY is the greatest song ever. it’s not even the greatest song by whitney houston or dolly parton.

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rjhpandapaws · 2 years

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I Will Always Love You

Ch 4: New Beginnings Tw: mentioned child death, referenced alcohol abuse

Living and working on a farm meant that Hank didn’t need to venture into town often. He had most of what he needed on hand, and learned enough about repair work that he could do most of the needed maintenance work on his own. So going into town had become reserved for emergencies, special occasions, and when his loneliness started getting to him. He was known as something of a recluse, but that didn’t bother him. Fallon was a small town, not much changed between his visits. Until it did. He was making one last run into town before winter really settled in. He wanted to make sure he had everything he would need. He made a point to avoid driving in the snow these days, he had too many bad memories. So the sooner he got his list taken care of the better. His last stop was the hardware store because it would take the longest. It always did. When he stepped inside out of the cold he didn’t expect to see someone new behind the counter. Then again, maybe new wasn’t the right word. While this man certainly wasn’t a long time resident of this town, Hank couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d met him somewhere else before. It was a foolish notion of course, he’d been born and raised in Fallon and never really travelled. This man was a stranger in every sense of the word. Except call him that didn’t feel quite right either.

“Welcome.” The new clerk greeted and Hank was snapped back to himself, “Is there anything I can help you find?” He shook his head, “No. I have a list.” The clerk, Connor, according to his nametag, smiled, “Alright, I’ll be here if you need anything.” He nodded and set about looking for the things he needed to get. The entire time he was nagged by the feeling that he knew Connor from somewhere. He couldn’t place when or where, but the feeling refused to let him go. Maybe he had been one of Ezra’s friends. Then again, Hank probably would have remembered him if that was the case. Hank was certain he’d never seen this man before now, but a small part of him seemed to be convinced otherwise. The store had recently been rearranged so it took him longer than he would have liked to find everything. He could have asked Connor for help, but he didn’t want to be put on the spot if Connor expected to be remembered. Eventually he made his way up to the counter to check out. Connor made the usual pleasant small talk and Hank didn’t mind. It didn’t seem like he expected to be remembered which was nice, but it made Hank feel relief and guilt in kind. There had to be something he was missing.

It ate at him on his drive back. Connor was a stranger, if he wasn’t Hank would have seen him around town before. He didn’t come into the city limits often, but Fallon was just that small. It didn’t make sense. Unless he was misremembering something. Maybe Connor was someone he met when he was drinking away his guilt over Cole and whatever he was missing was just lost to the drunken haze that took up most of his time back then. That didn’t feel right either though if he was honest. He managed to put in on the back burner while he put away the things he had brought in from town. Although it didn’t go quietly. When he got to the first of the bags from the hardware store he was reminded of that gentle familiar smile. It came with something else this time. He was reluctant to call it a memory. It was more like an echo of a feeling. Several really, adrenaline, euphoria, and something that felt a bit like love. This only confused him more because he was still relatively certain that he hadn’t met Connor before today. There was no reason for him to be feeling like this. He didn’t love Connor, because he didn’t know him. He was sure he would have remembered something like that.

That night he slept restlessly, as he always tended to, but instead of dreams of an accident that he had no way of stopping, it was flashes of familiar brown eyes in different places in time. When he woke up he didn’t remember much of his dream, just the sensation of profound loss and the feeling that he was missing a particularly important piece of information. He was certain of one thing, Connor hadn’t always been called that. Hank wasn’t sure how he knew that or why. For that matter he didn’t know what Connor’s old name had been. It was none of his business of course. People changed their names for any number of reasons and asking an explanation of a stranger was impolite as it was. He breathed out a sigh of frustration and set about his day. There was a lot to do to make sure he was ready for when winter finally hit. It wasn’t as much difficult as it was tedious, more so now that he had to do all of it himself. Ezra had been by no means suited to farm life, which was probably part of the reason she eventually left, but an extra set of hands had been helpful at the very least. Almost as though summoned by the thought he heard the crunch of the gravel in his driveway as a car pulled in. Someone had decided to pay him a visit.

He made his way to the front of the house to greet his surprise guest. He wasn’t too shocked to see one of the trucks from the hardware store. He’d ordered a specialty part a while back and they had to have it shipped to the store. It shouldn’t been as much of a surprise as it was to see Connor get out of the truck. He was a new hire and they were obviously putting him through the paces. “Good morning Hank.” He greeted pleasantly despite the hour, “Jeff says he’s sorry this came in so late, but there was a bit of a shipping hang up in Michigan.” He shrugged, “It’s no big deal. The combine just needs to be in working order come spring.” Connor nodded as he made his way to the bed of the truck, “Are you going to call out a mechanic later to install it?” Hank shook his head, “Nah. I can just about do engine repair in my sleep. Taking the whole thing apart is going to be the worst of it. It’s a hassle for one person to do.” “I could help.” He offered without hesitating, “Off the clock. I used to work on cars when I lived in Detroit. A tractor can’t be too different. Right?” “I suppose not.” He replied as Connor climbed into the bed of the truck to help grab the large part, “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He replied before they shifted their focus to getting the oddly sized tractor piece out of the truck. Hank was privately glad Connor was kind enough to help him rather than sit in the truck, because this piece would have been awkward to try and move on his own. It was still a trial to get it to the shop, but it would have been worse if he was alone. When everything was situated Connor handed him a folded slip of paper before he got back in the truck. “Call me if you need anything Hank.” He offered, “I don’t mind making the drive out here.” Hank smiled, “Thanks. Drive safe.” “That’s the plan.” He replied as he started up the old truck. Hank watched him drive away with uncertainty curling in his chest. All the other times he let Connor go he never came back. He froze at the thought. All the other times? He’d only ever met Connor once before this. Moreover why had the thought caused him so much pain? Connor was a stranger. He shouldn’t be feeling this much grief over a stranger pulling out of his driveway. All of this was much too confusing for his liking.

His sleep became more restless because the dreams became more vivid as winter set in. Nightmares about Cole mixed in with the strange memory-like dreams involving slightly different versions of Connor. The kindness was always present, as was his abundant curiosity. On the nights he dreamt of Connor it always took him a long while to discern what was real and what had been a dream. He put Connor’s number in his phone but he didn’t work up the courage to message him until after Christmas had passed. He hadn’t exactly been drunk at the time, but he definitely hadn’t been sober either. The long and short of it was that Connor was going to come over on New Years Eve to celebrate with him. When he realized what he’d done he panicked, but didn’t cancel despite wanting to. He understood on some level that he wouldn’t be getting answers of any kind if he kept avoiding Connor. Whatever was going on in his head, seeing Connor in the hardware store had been what triggered it. Hank wasn’t blaming him. This felt like something inevitable, but knowing that it make it feel any less like he was losing his mind. Combined with his grief over Cole something would have to give eventually or he would actually lose it.

He wasn’t ready when New Years Eve finally rolled around despite knowing it was on the horizon. In any other circumstance he would have blamed it on living alone and not otherwise needing to have an account for the time. He knew better though, he lost track of the days because he was caught up in his head. He was trying to figure out a way to explain this to Connor without sounding crazy. Just like before, Connor seemed to be summoned by Hank’s mere thought of him. Hank made his way to the door as he heard the gravel crunch in his driveway. He did his best to brace himself for seeing Connor in the time it took him to get from his car to the door. It didn’t matter in the end of course; when he opened the door an overwhelming sense of relief that he shouldn’t have felt washed over him at the sight of Connor. He looked good, well he always looked good, but the last two times Hank had seen him he’d been in his work clothes. Today he was in a light blue knit sweater and comfortable looking jeans. It made him look small, which was impressive considering he was only a few inches shorter than Hank. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and finally moved out of the way so Connor could come inside.

“Happy New Year.” He said pleasantly as he stepped inside. “Happy New Year.” He echoed absently. He guided Connor to the kitchen since he had the foresight to bring food. Hank was glad he thought to clean the house since it was a bit of a trek to get to the kitchen. Connor was carful not to rearrange things too much when he put the food away. “So you manage this place by yourself?” He asked once they were situated. “For the past few years, yeah.” He replied, “My ex wife decided that living in a small town wasn’t her cup of tea.” “Oh.” Connor said after a moment, “I’m sorry.” “It’s not as bad as it sounds.” He dismissed, “It’s easier like this.” “Um, I only work at the hardware store part time if you find yourself getting too busy.” He offered. Hank almost declined. He could handle this on his own, but that feeling crashed over him again. That if he let Connor leave he might never see him again. He didn’t understand why he was so attached to a near stranger, but it seemed to be out of his control. “Thanks.” He said instead, “It means a lot.” “Of course.” Connor smiled, “I’m glad to help.”

“What brought you to Fallon?” Hank asked eventually, “Most people don’t leave cities like Detroit without some kind of reason.” He realized what he said and how it sounded, “Not to pry of course.” “Don’t worry.” Connor said with a laugh, “I just got tired of the big city. Fallon is a unique place and I thought it would be nice to move to. What about you?” “I was born and raised here.” He said. They passed the day with a little more small talk. From time to time he would notice Connor was looking at the pictures of Cole. He never asked much to Hank’s relief. It took time for Hank to work up the courage to try and bring it up. It was early enough in the day that if Connor decided he was a lunatic he could still make it back to town in relative daylight. “I know I’ve already asked you more than my fair share of questions today.” He prefaced, “But do you ever feel like we’ve done something like this before? Like i know we haven’t met before, but it’s like an overbearing sense of familiarity.” Connor laughed and what struck Hank about it was that he sounded relieved, “God, I thought I was the only one.”

Hank could have cried, in fact he probably was, “I was afraid you were going to think I was crazy.” “Of course not.” He replied as he wiped his eyes, “But that was the same reason I didn’t bring it up. I moved out here with no connections and there was enough talk about me as it is. I didn’t need you think I was crazy on top of all of it.” “That’s the down side to small towns.” Hank remarked, “People don’t much like strangers.” “You used to have a dog.” He said abruptly, “The last time you had a farm you despised me and you had a dog.” Hank would have found that had to believe if hadn’t had the dream - well memory - himself, “I know there’s nothing I can do about it now, but I’m sorry.” Connor smiled softly, “Thank you. I’m not upset, it was another life. Maybe we can do better this time.” “Definitely.” Hank agreed, and for the first time in years he felt genuinely relaxed rather than just exhausted. Somewhere in the reliving of memories midnight passed them by. When they finally got to sleep, it was the first night of peaceful sleep Hank could remember getting since Cole died. Come morning he had the feeling this was finally going to be his year. A new beginning of sorts.

#In All Your Forms AU #IAYF #I Will Always Love You #IWALY #Hankcon #Hannor #Dbh Hankcon #Dbh Hannor #Hank/Connor #dbh Hank #dbh Connor #dbh fic #dbh #gods and reincarnation #mentioned child death tw #referenced alcohol abuse tw

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