#Nuri Heck

[wildercrow]

IT IS COMPLETE!!!!! At long last!!!

---

Fandom: Dragon Age Rating: Explicit Characters: Isabela, Fenris, Zevran, Anders, Justice Main Relationships: Zevran/Isabela/Fenris/Anders/Justice (and various subdivisions thereof) Genre: Fluff & Light Angst Word Count: 7653 Content Warnings: Semi-explicit sex in ch. 2 Summary: So many polyamory negotiations surrounding Zevran’s big career change! AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43707280

[genesis-of-the-between]

MORE OF THESE GUYS LESGO

I’ve figured out the earth and wind elements so here they are!

The wind element is Zephyra “Zeph” Jouvan. She’s a trans girl, and vaguely intimidating, but she’s pretty nice. Very tall. Tall as heck. She grew up in a pretty bad environment, and was raised by a gang, but she turned out fine. She knows how destructive that lifestyle is, and doesn’t intend to stick around once she gets old enough to leave. The gang knows, understands, and encourages this. She wants to study law when she gets older and is saving money to do so. She really hopes the whole “saving the world” thing won’t get in the way of her future. Lien tells her it won’t but she’s not so sure.

Ajax Dasos, on the other hand, is her exact opposite. He’s a gay bastard with a lot of money. Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss, am I right? He did actually know about his powers beforehand, but his parents were scared that he would be outcasted for it, so it’s a secret. He didn’t know why he had them, though. When he found out, he got his parents to let him use the basement of the mansion as their base of operations. He’s the rich benefactor but one of the heroes at the same time.

I don’t think I mentioned this, but all the elements have little sigils on their wrists that glow when they use their powers. They all just look like really simplified symbols made of lines. While Lien doesn’t bother to hide hers, Ajax is almost always wearing long sleeves, Zeph gets into a lot of fights so her hands are almost always bandaged, and Nuri’s burn scars from the house fire cover his. These sigils mark them as the elements and whoever bears them are destined to protect the world. Five thousand years ago, those who bore such sigils were made royalty by the people. They are passed down through blood, and in times of need they appear on the skin of those who are deemed worthy by the universe. For 5000 years, no threat has been big enough to warrant divine action, and although no one truly knows what they’re fighting, it must be something terrifying.

also they all have fancy weapons and magical girl transformations. Lien has a scythe, Nuri has a lance, Zeph has a hammer and Ajax has an axe. it’s fun.

[tilbageidanmark]

🍿 The 954 Movies I saw in 2022 🍿

This is the second year since I started writing short reviews of the many films that I watch every day. A year ago I summarized my experience of seeing 885 movies in 2021. And here's the encore for 2022. (All links at the bottom of this post).

Watching nearly 3 movies a day for 2 years is not exactly 'normal', and neither am I. However, I'm a life-long cinephile who finally have the chance to do whatever the heck I want, and that's what I decided to do. I love discovering new works of art, as well as re-living forgotten memories of the past. It also got me back into the habit of writing every day, even if it's only short observations that go into my proverbial drawer.

Most important is the joy that the process gives me, so unless my circumstances change, I plan on continuing with this “Project” for the foreseeable third year.

Below are some statistics and a few of my best finds of 2022:

Of the 954 films that I saw, 121 (12%) were films I had seen before (often repeatably), and 833 were 'New to me.' 74 of them (8%) were documentaries, 74 were short films, 7 were stand-ups and 9 were 'so bad that I couldn't finish them'.

This year I wanted to explore even more of “World” Cinema, so I saw a total of 460 “Foreign” films. They were broken into: French (76), British (71), Japanese (47), Korean (23), Swedish (22), Danish and Italian (21 each), Canadian (15), German (13), from Hong Kong (11), Russian (10), from Finland and Argentina (9 each), Iranian (8), Turkish and Czechoslovakian (7 each), Australian, Indian, Irish and Norwegian (6 each), from Iceland, Israel, Mexico (5 each), Austrian, Belgian, Spanish and Kiwi (4 each). Also multiple films from Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Indonesia, Lebanon, Macedonia, Nigeria, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine and Wales. Many of the movies I enjoyed the most came from these countries.

As far as their age, there were only 32 silent films (before 1930), Only 77 'talkies' from 1930-1960, and 572 newer ones, from 2000 to today.

Of the individual directors, here are the ones I saw the most films of:

Hitchcock (12), Sang-soo Hong (8), Mike Leigh and Truffaut (7 each), Jodorowsky (6), 5 each from Antonioni, Steven Soderbergh, Wong Kar-wai, Rohmer, Aki Kaurismäki, Godard, Roy Andersson, Milos Forman and Bruce Beresford. And 4 each from Nuri Bilge Ceylan (!), Orson Welles, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Abbas Kiarostami, Billy Wilder, Bong Joon-ho, Michael Haneke, J C Chandor (!), Michel Gondry, Denis Villeneuve, Werner Herzog and Spielberg. (There are just too many good directors, and even more so 'bad ones'.)

In principle, I prefer films with strong emotional resonance, quiet films about real people in real “life situations”. I have no problem with 'slow cinema'. I also adore films that are very cinematic and well made, that are unique and original. I feed on art and culture, but not necessarily on 'artsy' films. On the other hand, there are many types of films that I usually avoid; horror, superheroes, blockbusters, supernatural, sci-fi, franchise, fantasy, most 'action', only some 'genre'. So my list is bent with that in mind.

Without further ado, here are a few of the new-to-me, less-obvious gems that I discovered this year. Known “classics” from the usual “Best Of Lists” are not included. This personal collection is picked at random, as there were around 60 films this year that I rated 10/10.

🍿

Guys and Dolls (1955), the surprising musical by A Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the stories by Damon Runyon, reminded me of a pastel-colored Jacques Demy bonbon.

From its opening titles, to the sexy Miss Adelaide And Her Alley Kittens number, and to Brando himself singing and dancing, it kept me enchanted for 2.5 hours straight. Brando establishes many of Vito Corleone’s mannerisms in super-cool gambler Sky Masterson personality.

🍿

2 women, waiting for the bus, recognize each other. One of them apologizes to the other for something she did years ago, when they were in school. The other one says that she forgives her, and then leaves on foot.  

This is one of 56 short, unrelated vignettes, all told quietly as a series of static shots, in Icelandic Rúnar Rúnarsson‘s meditative Echo (2019). Snippets of stories, with no thematic connections between them, except that they all happen in Iceland during Christmas. Clearly influenced by Roy Andersson, (especially his ‘Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence‘) and just as moving.

🍿

Iceland has only 370,000 people, and they make about 10 films per year. But their cinema is terrific, including films by Baltasar Kormáku. His Virgin Mountain (2015) is a delicate and realistic story about Fúsi, a middle-age man, fat, bald, shy and lonely who’s still a virgin living with his mom. When he receives a birthday gift of line-dancing lessons he meets another lonely soul, a blond who suffers from depression and they starts a fraught relationship. Kormáku's series ‘Trapped’ is also recommended.

🍿

One of the most unusual films I’ve never heard of, Lost in London, an audacious directorial debut. A Woody Harrelson production, written by him, directed by him, headlined by him and recreating “the worst night of his life from 2002”. Also, it was shot in a single take with one camera, and was live-broadcasted to over 550 theaters at the same time as it was shot, on January 19, 2017. On top of all that, it was an heartfelt roller-coaster with a great confessional story, and was so funny that at 2AM my 92-year old mom woke up next door and burst into my bedroom, when - forgetting where I am - I loudly screamed (at the shocking vomit scene at the club toilet...). A technical marvel! (Also, I didn’t know that he was a serious Chess player).

🍿

I was delighted to discover a few excellent Lebanese films. Director Ziad Doueiri's West Beirut was his extremely well-made 1998 debut film. It starts on April 13, 1975 when a busload of 31 Muslims were massacred by masked terrorists, right in front of the protagonist’s school. This real event sparked the civil war that divided Beirut into Christian East Beirut and Muslim West Beirut. Surprisingly warm and authentic story about two high-school friends who wake up one day to find themselves in a war zone.

Shout-out also to his later film 'The Insult', George Peter Barbari's brilliant debut 'Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living', and 'Heaven without people' by Lucien Bourjeily.

🍿

How is it possible that you could recognize a piece by Ennio Morricone by hearing the first note, asks Hans Zimmer in Ennio: The Maestro from Giuseppe Tornatore. Morricone, the most popular and prolific film composer of the 20th century, was so much more than a film composer. This documentary makes a strong assertion that he was actually one of the greatest film-makers that ever lived.

🍿

One of the many films with a score by Morricone that I saw for the first time was Gillo Pontecorvo's 1966 The battle for Algiers. Classic anti-colonialist, a powerful neorealist piece about the Algerian revolution and the guerrilla war for independence from the cruel occupying French regime.

🍿

“Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man”…

I finally got to watch all 9 films of the riveting British The Up series, “one of the most important documentaries ever” This once-every-seven-years project, which followed the lives of a random group, 10 boys and 4 girls, from 7 to 63, was captivating from the very beginning, and I binged it in 2-3 days. What started as a one-off sociological study of the British class system, turned into a philosophical process of observing change in real time. It got me to think: If somebody summarized my life in a similar fashion, I would appear to distant viewers as a complete and unpredictable freak.

🍿

Yasujirō Ozu's Equinox Flower and Floating weeds. Roger Ebert wrote about Floating weeds: “Sooner or later, everyone who loves movies comes to Ozu. He is the quietest and gentlest of directors, the most humanistic, the most serene.” My promise to myself for 2023: Go over his entire canon.

🍿

A new discovery for me was the works of “Kogonada”, who was inspired to chose his pseudonym from a screenwriter who frequently had worked with Ozu. His dreamy debut feature, Columbus (2017) was an intimate, modern Ozu-adjacent tale about spaces, deep and quiet and emotionally fraught. Strangely, I looked for it on movie-lists for architecture nerds, and didn’t find it on any. Pure & unforgettable. He wrote it and edited it himself, beautifully.

🍿

When I studied film at the University of Copenhagen in the late 70′s, I picked Michael Cacoyannis’ classic masterpiece Iphigenia (1977) as the topic of my final paper. Iphigenia is one of the original Greek tragedies by Euripides, and the film is still as magnificent as it was 45 years ago. With unforgettable score by Mikis Theodorakis. 10/10.

🍿

François Truffaut magical L'Argent de poche (Small Change) has not only always been my all-time favorite movie about children, and my favorite Truffaut movie (Even more than his ‘400 blows’ and ‘The last Metro’) - it’s probably one of my top 50 films of all time. With another 2-second Truffaut cameo at the beginning. “Grégory il a fait boum!”…

🍿

Because I don’t watch nearly any SciFi movies, I can’t tell how innovative the 2018 Swedish Aniara high-concept adaptation is, but for me it was amazing: Philosophical, poetic and unusual, it reminded me of Ingmar Bergman existentialist dramas - in space. A luxurious spaceship carrying settlers to Mars is knocked off course, and is destined to fly indefinitely toward interstellar space. Based on a 1956 book-length epic science fiction poem written by Swedish Nobel laureate Harry Martinson.

🍿

But my favorite science fiction film of all times is World of tomorrow, Don Hertzfeldt’s Oscar nominated mind-bending, surreal masterpiece.

American Icon and genius animator Don Hertzfeldt had uploaded to YouTube this “One of the greatest short films in the history of movies”.  It is about an innocent 4 year old girl who meets an absurd grown-up third-generation clone of herself contacting her from 227 years in the future. A lighthearted philosophical joke with deep, melancholic emotions.

🍿

Everybody builds their own hierarchy of favorites. YMMV.

🍿

My 2021 summery with 885 movies - Here.

A simple Google spreadsheet with the raw data for both years.

(A copy of the same post to r/movies...)

All the reviews HERE.

Mercy Bow Koo.

[skullinacowboyhat]

(ง'̀-'́)ง

click for better quality

[tired-artist-aqua]

*Nuri finds a long, open box. Upon further inspection the box seems have held a baseball bat. Said bat, however, is NOT in the box.*

Nuri goes over to said box and looks inside. He looks rather confused.

[tugoax]

and after 9000 years, the drawing is finally done

[keepingupwithfundies]

Do you think Nathan knows his mother in law is a psycho lmao

Lol. I think he probably knows that she's just a little... different... from his mother. But honestly, I'm sure he's met plenty of people like Jill before. I think there are a lot of fundie women like her. Most of them just aren't such prolific social media posters.

The thing about Jill that is most off, to me, is her focus on everything being about *her*, up to and including her sister becoming quadriplegic. I think that's something you notice more and more over time, than immediately.

I suspect even if Nathan noticed, he wouldn't say much about it. Jill may not be as meek as the average fundie woman aspires to be, but she says and does all the right things from a fundie perspective, so what can Nathan really say? It's his wife's mom and his elder.

I'd love to see Nathan and Nurie get the heck away from all of this and move closer to his escaped siblings lol.

Mary

[manuelmueller]

Hömmels 10 bliss bitte!

BLISS 10: “I like that you make me laugh so much that my cheeks hurt.” 

–––––

It’s almost midnight, and Mats is drunk. Above him, the stars are sparkling, and as he kicks a pebble ahead of his feet, for just one second, he wonders what the heck he’s doing. He’s twenty years old, and every logic in the world tells him that he shouldn’t feel like this – not so soon, not when he’s still this young, when he hasn’t even had those feelings for long.

But he can’t help it.

See, Mats Hummels is fully, irrevocably, truly, madly, deeply in love.

That in itself is nothing new, of course. Already a month back, he fell so quickly for his fellow U-23 centreback – Benedikt Höwedes. Benni is older than him by a good ten months, a Schalke player with galaxies all over his cheeks and sunshine in his eyes. And Mats is lucky – Benni feels the same for him too. They’d confessed, they’d kissed, they went their separate ways for a few weeks of holidays and then they’d reunited. Everything since then has been pretty much out of a dream, but still, there’s something Mats hasn’t done yet. Something very important.

His head is swimming, and this time he’s sure that it’s not only the alcohol that is making it spin. Because Mats Hummels, drunk and clumsy as he may be, is on a mission.

Of course, all his friends slash teammates have told him it is a terrible idea. They’re probably right, too, but at this point, Mats couldn’t give more of a fuck.

He can’t believe he hasn’t told Benni yet.

It hit him out of nowhere, really, when he’d been nursing his fourth beer, talking to Neven, Schmelle and Nuri. He almost dropped his glass when he thought of it, gaping at the red brick wall in front of him. Schmelle had waved his hand in front of Mats’ eyes, but not even that helped. No, instead, Mats scrambled up from his chair, throwing some excuses over his shoulder as he searched for his jacket among all the others, leaving the small dive bar with nothing more than a few hasty goodbyes.

They were in a bar in Essen, so really, it wasn’t all that far to Benni’s place in Gelsenkirchen. Surprisingly, Mats remembered which bus to take even in his inebriated state, missing the right stop though, so now, he had to walk back all the way to his boyfriend’s apartment.

It’s a warm night, and he feels slightly too hot in his burgundy dress shirt and denim jacket, but he figures he might lose it if he took it off – he learned a few years ago that his drunk self isn’t to be trusted.

Of course, that begs the question why he still thought it a good idea to come to a halt below Benni’s bedroom window, of course, tilting his head to look up at it until his neck starts to hurt. But also, Mats is too far gone to really care all that much.

“Hey, Benni!”

He knows Benni won’t hear him, of course, he’s not that stupid – but he also knows that Benni always keeps his window open on summer nights, something they’ve actually argued over before, back in Sweden, so it was at least worth a try.

Nothing happens.

Mats sighs. With a huff, he fishes his phone out of his pocket. It’s difficult to text with his slow fingers, hitting the wrong buttons all the time, and eventually, he gives up. That of course leaves only one method, if he doesn’t want to get in trouble with Benni’s landlord, that is.

Now, the thing is, Mats can’t sing. Of course, he does have the vocal cords to perform an act of singing, but what leaves his mouth is less an actual, proper rendition of the only song he can remember right now – which is, quite unfortunately, Jingle Bells – and more of an old door’s quiet shriek.

Honestly, it probably doesn’t help that he’s drunk of his ass (though this is a sobering experience in itself) and his voice is hoarse from playing table top football with the others only an hour earlier.

It takes two stanzas and around one minute for Benni to poke his head out of his window.

“Have you gone insane?!” he hisses, before running a hand over his face, groaning. “Mats, it’s half past twelve. Do you want me to get kicked out?”

Mats winces, but then puts on his most charming smile.

“I admit, my methods may be questionable, but, my lord, would you let me into your castle still?”

Benni rolls his eyes so hard that Mats is sure it must hurt. He closes the window, and only about thirty second later, the door buzzes and Mats is let in.

He takes two steps at a time until he reaches the second floor, where Benni’s small two-bedroom apartment is located.

His boyfriend is leaning in the doorframe in only a too-big t-shirt that upon second glance might be Mats’ and striped boxers. His hair is a mess, but he’s smiling, and Mats’ stomach feels so warm, happiness pooling there and overflowing until it reaches every part of his body, seeps out of his fingers that seek Benni out, pulling him close, pulling him in.

“What the heck are you doing here,” Benni murmurs into Mats’ neck as Mats breathes in his scent, a combination of grapefruit shower gel, freshly washed sheets and simply Benni.

Mats kisses his hair as he pulls away gently, wincing when he realizes he must smell of alcohol and the cigarettes some idiots from another party smuggled into the bar.

“I just …”

It doesn’t happen often, that Mats is at a loss for words. But somehow, looking at Benni now, so heart-stoppingly beautiful, his Benni, they evade him, hiding in the dark corners of the hallway, away from his sight.

So instead, he takes Benni’s hand, pulling him towards the living room, stumbling over his own feet but managing to catch himself just in time. He guides them towards the couch, sitting down and pulling on Benni’s hand until his boyfriend sits down in front of him.

“I need to tell you something.”

He takes a deep breath.

“I like you.” Okay, that was stupid, let’s start over. “I like you a lot. I like your smile, your eyes. Your freckles, I absolutely adore those, your dry sense of humor. I like that you make me laugh so much that my cheeks hurt, that you laugh at my dumb jokes when everyone else would rather I just shut up. I like your compassion, and your ambition, and the fact that you adore your stupid blue club more than any player except maybe Neuer.

“I,” he looks Benni straight in the eyes, locking their fingers together, “I think I’m in love with you.”

There.

There it is.

At first, Benni doesn’t say anything, and for a second, Mats is genuinely worried. Then, a chuckle escapes Benni’s lips, growing into a giggle, then into warm, rumbling laughter.

Yeah, Mats is confused too.

He startles a little when there’s suddenly a hand on his cheek, thumbing over his stubble, his jaw, his cheekbones.

Benni’s eyes are earnest, sincere, and he leans in to kiss Mats on the lips despite the foul smell. They’re fond when Benni pulls away, caressing Mats’ neck.

“Oh, Mats … honey, I know. I’ve known since Sweden.”

Mats is sure he must have looked quite perplexed at that moment.

Benni chuckles again.

“I see the way you look at me. I see your fondness, I see your appreciation. I have eyes, Mats, and I can tell you look at me exactly the way I look at you.”

Oh.

Mats bites his bottom lip. Then, he a grin tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Does that mean …?”

Benni rolls his eyes. “Yes, you idiot. I love you too. Now kiss me again.”

And yeah, since he’s already here, Mats assumes they might as well make the best of this night.

emotional prompts – closed!

[secondgenerationnerd]

Snowy Days

This is the request I promised earlier! a little bit of plot to move things along, but for the most part, it’s just some cuteness.

----

Milagro Reyes-Wilkes knows better than to think she can sleep in on vacation. 

“Mom! Dad! It snowed!” 

“Mami...” Milagro jerks awake as her sons burst into the room. Ten-year-old Ben dances around the bed while four-year-old Max climbs up the sheets. She shakes her head, smiling softly at her pouting baby, nudging her husband with her foot.

“Babe, the boys are up.”

Colin groans, pulling his pillow over their head, grumbling, “We agreed: before eight a.m. they’re your boys.”

Milagro rolls her eyes as Max climbs into her arms. “What’s wrong, mijo?”

“Esta muy frio, Mami,” Max shivers, clinging to his stuffed monkey. Milagro kisses his dark hair, cuddling him. “No le gusta.”

“Si, Mami lo se. But it’s going to look so pretty soon.” Milagro lets him cuddle into his arms, loving her cuddly, pouty boy.

“Dad!” Ben jumps onto Colin’s back. That wakes him up. Colin rolls onto his back, clearly groggy as hell. “You gotta get up! It snowed!”

“‘For sale: one jumpy kid, will take the best offer.” Milagro kicks him under the sheets. “What?”

“No selling my boys.” Ben crawls over to his mother, mismatched eyes shining at her. She can already tell what he’s going to ask, in the way only a mom can, “Breakfast first and then we can go out in the snow, ok?”

“Ok, Mom!” Ben bounds out of the room. 

“I’m telling you, Mil, that kid is part speedster.” Colin rubs his eyes. Milagro gets out of bed, passing him their younger son. He carries Max to the already bustling kitchen. 

“Hi, Auntie Milly!” Two little girls race past them to the kitchen table. 

“Baby Dolls!” Jai comes running down the hall, chasing a dark-haired little boy in monster jammies, “No powers inside!”

“Good morning,” Damian yawns, scratching his head, “I see your children woke you up as well.”

“Your kid is 13.” Milagro points out.

“She was complaining about her cousins.” 

“Definitely your kid.” Colin yawns. The Wayne Winter lodge is large enough that the adults get their own rooms, with a few rooms to split their kids into. Ben’s already at the breakfast bar, happily chowing down on a bowl of grits Jon made, chattering away at quiet Peter Kent. Damian’s daughter, Asha, sits with Charlie Kent, discussing the logistics of the superhero movie they’d watched the night before. Lily and Milly Harper-West giggle with M&M Kent. Their little brother, Luke, tugs on Lian’s sleep pants. Lian scoops him into her arms, kissing his little cheek.

“Welcome to the chaos.” Irey laughs into her coffee mug. “I think we all told the kids the same thing.”

“Breakfast before fun?” Milagro gratefully takes another cup of coffee from her friend. 

“Still not fair, Mama.” Asha pouts. Irey kisses the top of her daughter’s head.

“It’s my job to ruin your life, kiddo.” Irey teases. “Also, that movie didn’t take into account the fact most heroes don’t run in a straight line when something’s falling.”

“Three steps to the left and you live.” Lian laughs. 

“Asha, did you see the video with the baby elephant--”

“With its teddy bear?!” Asha squeals with Charlie about the cute animals. Damian yawns as he takes a cup of tea from Irey. Asha makes a face as her parents kiss good morning. “Mama! Baba! That’s gross!”

The adults can’t help but laugh. Mar’i makes her way into the kitchen, carrying her youngest daughter. Laney sneezes, whimpering in mar’i’s arms.

“Is Loo Loo ok, Momma?” Charlie’s dark brown eyes flash with concern for her baby sister.

“She’s ok, starling.” Mar’i runs a hand through her oldest daughter’s blonde pixie cut. “She doesn’t like the cold, remember?”

“Me too...” Max pouts at Colin, who had set him at the breakfast table. Colin chuckles at his pouting son. 

“I know, bud. Dad’s completely unfair.” He sets a bowl of grits in front of the toddler, “Eat something and then you can have all the cuddles you want.”

“Remember the last time we were here?” Lian asks her friends. “Don’t think we were up this early?”

“After the space juice the night before?” Irey laughs. “Heck no.”

“Mommy?” Lily tilts her head.

“Yeah, baby doll?”

“What’s space juice?” 

“Something that you aren’t allowed to drink until you’re thirty.” Jai tells his daughter. 

“I think it’s a grown-up thing,” Milly whispers to her twin. 

“Like when Momma and Daddy wrestle in their room?” M&M asks. Jon turns dark red while his friends and wife laugh. 

“I thought you said that’s how Lukey got in your belly, Mommy?” Milly asks her mother. “You let Daddy--”

“Who’s ready to go outside?” Lian asks. The distraction works, sending their kids flying to their rooms to change. “Jai, remind me to never let you near me again.”

The next forty minutes or so are filled with kids changing into snow clothes and searching for missing clothes.

“Mom!” Ben shouts from the front room, “ Donde estan mis botas y mi abrigo?”

“Boots are in the garage and coat’s hanging up in the front closest, mijo,” Milagro smiles down at Max, pulling on her sweater. “Don’t you want to play with your cousins, Maxie?”

“Later...It’s too cold...” Max might share more of her features but the look he gives her is pure Colin. Of course, she has to pick her sweet boy up and carry him out to the porch. She joins Lian and Irey on the porch swing, watching their husbands play around in the snow with their kids. Mar’i brings Laney out, the little girl wrapped in an extra blanket. 

“Come on, Pete!” Ben shouts to his cousin. Peter laughs and helps Ben throw snowballs at the girls. Asha and Charlie take cover, retaliating in turn. “Give up! You girls don’t stand a chance!”

“Never!” Asha shouts back, pelting him with a snowball. While the older four battle it out, the middle four are hard at work making snow babies. 

“Look, Daddy,” Luke points to the little pile of snow with two stones on it, “Look what I made.”

Jai kneels down, smiling warmly at his son, “Looks great, Little Man.”

“Daddy! Daddy! Come see our stuff,” Jai’s pulled to the side by his daughters, laughing as he goes. Jon helps M&M finish her snow baby, giving her a high five. Damian and Colin have joined opposing sides to the snowball fight.

“Some things don’t change,” Milagro notes. Laney starts coughing in her mother’s arms. 

“Loo Loo?” Max looks over at his cousin. He crawls across his auntie’s laps, patting her back. “It ok. You be ok soon.”

“Tanks, Maxie.” Laney snuggles closer to Mar’i.

“Poor thing. Is she ok?” Lian asks.

“Yeah. I mean, she was a preemie so her immune system isn’t great.” Mar’i kisses Laney’s ginger curls. “My sweet starling.”

“Uh-oh.” Milagro gestures to Colin, Damian, and Jai huddled together while Jon helps the all the kids build a giant snowman. “They’re plotting.”

“Ok, guys, let’s see who can find the best arms for the snowman,” Jon tells the gaggle of children.

“I  can!” 

“No, Milly, I can!”

“I’ll beat all of you!” Asha shouts, running ahead. Jon watches the kids head to the edge of the woods, still within sight. He doesn’t see Colin, Jai, and Damian sneak up behind him. They tackle him, which is no easy feat when dealing with a half- Kryptonian. 

“COLD!” Jon yells as his friends shove snow down his pants. Once he regains his footing and pushes them off, Damian, Jai and Colin fall to the side, laughing. Jon glares at them, “V-Very fu-funny.”

“Hey!” M&M shouts, runnning towards them, “You can’t do that to Daddy!”

“I-It’s ok, honey.” Jon heads towards the house. “I’m going to change my pants.”

The mothers notice their older children huddle together, conspiring, as their husbands stand up, still laughing.

“Daddy!” Luke starts towards Jai, before tripping. Jai’s posture immediately changes when the little boy starts crying. Ben and Asha start wrestling, too violent to be for fun.

“Hey! Ben!”

“Asha Nuri!”

The men run over to the kids, Jai stopping to pick Luke up as Colin and Damian pull their children apart. That’s when Asha shouts, “Attack!”

“AAAAGH!” The seasoned heroes are genuinely caught off guard as the eight children wrestle them to the ground, shoving snow down their fathers’ pants. Once the kids get a fair amount down, they race towards the porch. Their laughing mothers will protect them. Laney and Max giggle hysterically in Mar’i’s arms.

“Oh my god,” Lian snorts. Jai, Colin, and Damian make their way to the porch. “I’ve never been prouder as a parent!”

“Aren’t you going to punish them?” Jai grunts.

“No!” Irey laughs, “You all totally deserved that!”

Jon comes out with new dry pants as the other guys go inside. He raises an eyebrow at the women on the swing, “Do I want to ask?”

“The kids just got revenge for you.” Milagro kisses Ben’s head. “And our husbands are pouty because they deserved it.”

———

“Asha, come snuggle us!” Milly moves her stuffed puppy to the side. Sitting crossed legged between Milly and M&M, Asha smiles up at Irey, who hands her a cup of cocoa.

“Thank you, Mama,” Asha sips the cocoa, getting whipped cream on her nose.

“I supa man!” Max jumps off the armchair and onto the pile of pillows. Colin’s never looked more offended in his life. Laney jumps after Max, squealing as she lands.

“Cha-Cha,” Laney toddles to Charlie, pulling her sister’s hand, “Wights? Wights?”

Charlie looks over at her parents, a silent request for persmission. Jon chuckles, “Go ahead, cowgirl. I’ll get the lights.”

The kids squeal when he turns the overhead light off. Charlie’s dark brown eyes start to glow, changing color as she opens her hands. Sparks from the fireplace turn to flittering fairies flying across the living room. Luke giggles as a little fairy pulls on his sleep shirt. Laney and Max toddle after a pair of fairies, Charlie keeping the illusion just out of reach. 

“Ok,” Colin nods, “I’ll admit, your kid’s powers are pretty dope.”

“This is nothing.” Mar’i watches her daughter with a loving smile. “Starling, do you want to tell a story?”

“Can I, Momma?” 

“Of course.” Jon and Mar’i take pride in the way their daughter stands in front of the fire. Charlie’s gained so much confidence since they adopted her seven years ago. The living room fades away, leaving them all in the middle of a forest, trees higher than any they’ve ever seen before.

“Once upon a time, in a far off land overrun by bandits and outlaws, there were eight misfits.” Charlie retells one of her parents' old missions in the fairytale setting. Her powers allow them to see exactly what she describes. Her cousins and siblings watch in wonder. Even the adults get lost in the story.

“Alright,” Milagro notices Max yawning and rubbing his eyes. “I think it’s bedtime.”

There’s gentle whining from the kids, but for the most part, they go without too much of a fight. Milagro tucks Max into the bed he’s sharing with Luke. Lian kisses Luke’s head, chuckling. “I see Max sleeps just like Luke.”

“Butt in the air?” Milagro laughs softly as they tiptoe out, “He’s just like his father.”

“Same.” They meet their friends in the kitchen to have a small nightcap. Mar’i hands them each a glass of whiskey. “I forgot you have a thing for hard drinks, Princess.”

“Blame my parents.” Mar’i shrugs. 

The conversation isn’t like the ones they used to have. When their lives were a balance of civilian vs. hero, all that mattered was school work, bets, missions, training, and whatever weird turn their conversation took. Now, they talk about work lives, new recipes, suggestions of new places to visit, and their families. But it’s so much easier now for them to appreciate everything they’ve gone through. 

Days like today remind them why, nearly 20 years ago, they formed their ragtag team to save the world. So they could one day have them

[wildercrow]

Heyyy! For the song ask meme, how about some Isabela/Zevran??? :3

HECK YES HECK YES we have!!! So many good songs for these two!!! Thank you for humoring us~

Isabela/Zevran

Boaty's pick: Royals (cover) by Walk Off The Earth

Wolf's pick: Far From Perfect (Ghost Note Symphonies Version) by Rise Against

Nuri's pick: Off In The Deep by Doomtree

Deyan's pick: Woodwork by Sleeping At Last

Bonus Isabela/Zevran/Fenris song: Boots Worn Through by Shayfer James

[kittyshundredocs]

OC Birthdays for the Month of September

September 2nd: Tub Butter

September 3rd: Lapis Lazuli

September 6th: Elliez Loedel

September 7th: Mason Stellermann

September 7th: Zelig Westergard

September 8th: Destin Alonzo

September 10th: Niles Grayson

September 13th: Ignacia Firestone

September 15th: Desdemona Irvine

September 16th: Jaegar Westergard

September 19th: Rezon Kirchner

September 19th: Rune Hyrule

September 20th: Emera Kuntari

September 21st: Nuri Heck

September 26th: Omie Page

September 29th: Vertfay Bier

[apostleled]

😳 what was your muse’s worst romantic relationship?

With only a handful of relationships in general, Nuri hasn’t really had a terrible one. He’s had let downs of people who he wanted to get close to during his time before coming to Hope County. People who he thought he could see the potential for more in that didn’t want more or were (unfortunately like himself) too focused on school careers and whatnot to truly get involved with anyone. But it’s only a couple. He took most of those let downs in stride as he had other plans in mind upon graduation, anyway. He knew he wouldn’t be in Georgia for long. Something more would have been nice, but it would have ended anyway. His main focus was finding Paul.

TWD Nuri is a little all over the place and I’m trying to figure out where the heck that’s gonna land. I’ve yet to land my ‘canon’ plotline there and pen it in ink yet. Still penciling my way through it so it is ever changing in my mind. As of now? I stick more to his canon personality of a few light relationships (fwb) and maybe one serious one before everything got crazy.

I’m currently looking / plotting some exes plots for his NYC timeline. So..yes. This might change very soon. He’s still relatively new to me when it comes to the romantic side of him. A lot of room for growth and development.  So..err..stay tuned??

@thehangedhero​ ;  sex and relationships meme.

[antrea]

NURI FRICKEN HECK

[ishiplove]

Me waking up in the morning and reading the latest gossip in Malaysian twitter.

If you wanna know what it is. It's about the drama circulating Ustaz Ebit Liew and Nadhir Al Nuri.

Can't believe the way UEL's team treated Nadhir like that. Even I felt sad reading Nadhir's statements and Nadhir does made valid points.

I don't know much about NGO things and from what I read so far, UEL can't just willy nilly do the things he usually does especially when you're in another country with their own protocols.

I know he wanted to help but can't he at least asks for Nadhir's advice on how to help people in Palestine? Cause Nadhir had been helping people in Gaza for years and naturally he knows there are paperworks involved and what the process should do. This is huge. People there are at WAR.

Heck, UEL even does the same thing in Sabah in February. He didn't asked the authorities there how to do things. Sabah is just one of the states in Malaysia and he had already gave negative impacts to other NGO's there.

Points:

There will be a possibility NGOs had to pay higher fee in the future just to get into Gaza cause of UEL's actions alone. Instead of waiting to get the permission to enter, he paid lots of money to someone to let them in.(The locals can't even move around freely smh)

All the money that should go for food, medicine etc are wasted just for safety and transportation alone. (all those donated money arghhhhhh）

The supplies he bought can't even brought in from Egypt. Just wasted there at the checkpoint. Membazir 😭

Nadhir said lots of NGOs tried unsuccessfully to bring the supplies in. Which is why it's better to buy the supplies from the locals and distributed it.

The saddest thing is the way Nadhir been sideline into the corner which makes people upset. UEL didn't greet him when they come. His bodyguard told Nadhir harshly to delete the pictures and videos they had taken.

Note: NGO is nonprofit organization. Membazir means wasteful in Malay

[apricotstone47]

Den 11. April 2017 wird er niemals vergessen: Auf dem Weg vom Mannschaftshotel zum Signal Iduna Park vor dem Champions-League-Viertelfinale gegen Monaco explodierten in einer Hecke neben dem Dortmunder Team-Bus drei Sprengsätze mit Splitterbomben. Dabei wurde Marc Bartra schwer am Arm verletzt. Der Spanier zog sich Fremdkörper-Einsprengungen und einen Bruch der Speiche am rechten Handgelenk zu. Genau 50 Tage nach dem Anschlag spricht er jetzt emotional über die Minuten im Bus – und die Folgen für sein Leben. Zum Termin mit SPORT BILD brachte Bartra den DFB-Pokal mit, kam ohne seine Arm-Manschette, die er bei den Spielen zum Schutz tragen muss. So war seine Narbe, die mit fünf Stichen genäht wurde, deutlich zu sehen. SPORT BILD: Herr Bartra, wie haben Sie Ihren ersten Titel in Deutschland erlebt? Marc Bartra (26): Es war einfach unbeschreiblich. Ich habe in Dortmund schon viel Unterstützung durch die Fans erlebt, aber was am Sonntag am Borsigplatz und in den Straßen los war, toppte alles. Ich konnte es förmlich in den Gesichtern all der Kinder, Frauen und Männer sehen, wie glücklich sie sind. Das hat mich sehr an Barcelona erinnert, da war der Siegerkorso auch ganz speziell. Aber in Dortmund habe ich noch einen Tick extremer gefühlt, wie viel den Menschen hier der Fußball und der BVB bedeuten. SB:Nach dem Finalsieg gegen Frankfurt haben Sie sich in Berlin ein Stück vom Tornetz herausgeschnitten. Warum? MB:Als ich mit Barcelona das Finale der Champions League 2015 in Berlin gewonnen habe, hat Piqué das Tornetz rausgeschnitten. Ich wollte damals ein Stück abhaben, aber wir haben das bei den Feierlichkeiten dann irgendwie vergessen. Dieses Mal habe ich mir schon im Vorfeld gesagt, dass ich es auf keinen Fall vergessen darf. SB:Was passiert damit jetzt? MB:Das ist eine schöne Erinnerung und kommt in meine Sammlung mit den vielen Trikots und Medaillen, die ich schon zu Hause habe. SB:Ist durch den Titelgewinn auch der schreckliche Anschlag vom 11. April vergessen? MB:Nein, das werde ich niemals vergessen können. Aber ich kann es sehr gut verdrängen. Das schaffe ich vor allem durch die riesige Unterstützung von meiner Familie, Freunden, der Mannschaft, dem Verein und den Fans. Am Anfang war es aber extrem schwierig. SB:Wie oft haben Sie seitdem an die Ereignisse im Bus gedacht? MB:Das passiert immer wieder. Zum Beispiel, wenn es irgendwo einen Knall gibt. Oder wenn ich in den Mannschaftsbus steige. Die ersten Wochen war ich sehr nervös, aber jetzt macht mich das noch stärker, weil ich weiß, dass ich diese Hürde überwunden habe. SB:Hatten Sie auch Albträume? MB:Nur ein einziges Mal, obwohl da schon fast vier Wochen seit dem Attentat vergangen waren. Ich bin mitten in der Nacht schweißgebadet aufgewacht. Der ganze Moment lief noch einmal wie ein Film ab. Das war sehr real. Erst als ich gemerkt habe, dass ich in meinem Zimmer liege, war ich total erleichtert, fast schon glücklich. SB:Können Sie darüber sprechen, was im Bus genau passiert ist? MB:Ja, mittlerweile ja. In den ersten Tagen fing ich dabei immer zu zittern an. Auf dem Weg vom Hotel in den Bus haben wir noch Autogramme geschrieben und Fotos mit den Fans gemacht. Im Bus war eine superfriedliche Stimmung, so ruhig war es, glaube ich, noch nie. Wir waren an diesem Tag alle total fokussiert und hatten das Spiel gegen Monaco im Kopf. SB:Und dann? MB:Es gab auf einmal einen lauten Knall. Von der Seite spürte ich eine warme Druckwelle, dann große Schmerzen am Arm. In meinen Ohren piepte es. Ich hörte eigentlich nur noch das Piepen und das dumpfe Geschrei von Roman, Nuri und Schmelle (Bürki, Sahin und Schmelzer; d. Red.). Sie riefen: „Marc, auf den Boden, leg dich hin.“ Ich war erst mal wie paralysiert. Von meinem Arm tropfte Blut. SB:Wie ging es weiter? MB:Ich schaffte es, mich auf den Boden zu legen. Eine unglaubliche Hitze breitete sich in meinem Körper aus. Ich musste heulen und war kurz davor, das Bewusstsein zu verlieren. Dann war auch schon unsere Physiotherapeutin Swantje da. Sie gab mir immer wieder Ohrfeigen und schrie dauernd, dass ich nicht einschlafen solle. Dazu spritzte sie mir Wasser ins Gesicht. Das lief alles in zehn Minuten ab, aber mir kam es wie Stunden vor. Die große Angst war, dass wir nicht wussten, ob wir sicher sind oder es weitere Angriffe geben würde. Diese Ungewissheit war fast das Schlimmste daran. SB:Wen haben Sie danach als Erstes angerufen? MB:Ich konnte niemanden anrufen. Bei der Explosion hatte ich mein Handy in der Hand. Das ist durch den Bus geflogen, und es wurde mir erst später wiedergebracht. Wahrscheinlich hätte ich es in dem Moment eh nicht benutzen können. Nachdem ich versorgt wurde, habe ich dann meine Freundin Melissa angerufen. Das war sehr emotional. SB:Wie viele Briefe oder SMS haben Sie in den Tagen danach bekommen? MB:Ich habe sie nicht mehr gezählt. Von so vielen Leuten, die ich vorher gar nicht kannte. Von Fußballern, von Trainern, Sportdirektoren. Das hat mir sehr viel Kraft gegeben. Besonders schön war, dass meine Mitspieler am nächsten Tag gegen Monaco T-Shirts trugen, auf denen sie mir Mut machten. SB:Auf den T-Shirts stand „mucha fuerza“, was auf Deutsch „viel Kraft“ bedeutet. Was hat Sie darüber hinaus noch berührt? MB:Überragend war der Besuch von Nuri, Schmelle und Gonzalo (Castro; d. Red.) nach meiner Arm-OP. Die drei sind direkt nach dem Spiel gegen Monaco ins Krankenhaus gekommen. Das war kurz nach Mitternacht, und ich war gerade erst aus der Narkose aufgewacht. Das hat mir extrem viel bedeutet. SB:Was hat sich seitdem in Ihrem Leben, Ihrem Alltag verändert? MB:Ich habe ein anderes Verständnis für Zeit bekommen. Was in zwei, drei Tagen ist, ist unglaublich weit weg. Ich habe am eigenen Körper erfahren müssen, wie schnell sich das Leben verändern, gar vorbei sein kann. Deshalb genieße ich meine Zeit viel intensiver. SB:Sitzen Sie noch immer auf dem gleichen Fensterplatz im Bus? MB:Ich kann mich noch gut daran erinnern, als ich das erste Mal wieder eingestiegen bin. Das war in Monaco beim Rückspiel. Ich stand vorne im Gang und konnte nicht weiter. Ich habe mich tief in den erstbesten freien Sitzplatz fallen lassen. Aber als ich wieder regelmäßig mit dem Team unterwegs war, konnte ich damit umgehen. Ich wollte wieder mein gewohntes Leben leben. Und deshalb sitze ich wieder genau da, wo ich immer saß. Hinten in der Ecke. SB:BVB-Boss Hans-Joachim Watzke sagte, er könne sich vorstellen, den mutmaßlichen Attentäter zu treffen, um die Motive besser verstehen zu können. Sie auch? MB:Nein, auf keinen Fall. Der Attentäter verdient es nicht, dass ich auch nur eine Sekunde an ihn verschwende. SB:Spürten Sie erstmals im Leben so etwas wie Hass auf einen Menschen? MB:In den ersten Tagen ging es vielleicht in diese Richtung. Aber ihn zu hassen wäre schon zu viel Aufmerksamkeit, und deshalb tue ich es auch nicht. Ihm war völlig egal, wie vielen Leuten er Leid zugefügt hat. SB:Nach dem Spiel gegen Hoffenheim haben Sie geweint, nach dem Pokalsieg auch. Vergießen Sie sonst oft Tränen? MB:Nein, ich bin eigentlich nicht so nah am Wasser gebaut. Aber die Partie gegen Hoffenheim hat das Fass zum Überlaufen gebracht. Ich habe bis dahin so viel erlebt. Ich dachte ja, dass ich vielleicht nie wieder Fußball spielen kann. Und dann war das Spiel auch noch so spannend mit dem entscheidenden Elfmeter. Mit dem Abpfiff hat sich bei mir dann alles entladen. Ich war wieder da, ich stand wieder auf dem Platz. Einfach ein unbeschreibliches Gefühl.

Marc Bartra Interview Sportbild.de 04.06.17

[only-football-blog1]

Tabufreies Thema: Thomas Tuchel

“Die Bundesliga-Saison ist vorbei, die heiße Transferphase hat noch nicht begonnen - was liegt also näher, als das kurzzeitige Sommerloch zu stopfen, indem man die Trennung Borussia Dortmunds von Cheftrainer Thomas Tuchel noch weiter ausschlachtet, bevor das Thema komplett abgekühlt ist?” Dies scheint die ungefähre Denkweise vieler Medienschaffender in den letzten Tagen zu sein. Offensichtlich hat man sich dazu entschlossen, Tuchel und dem BVB alles vorwerfen und anhängen zu dürfen, was einem gerade in den Sinn kommt. Da wäre zum Beispiel der nachweislich erfundene Streit mit Chefscout Sven Mislintat und die Behauptung, Tuchel habe ihm dauerhaft den Zutritt zum Trainingsgelände verboten. Es reicht, sich das eine oder andere Video von Trainingseinheiten des BVB im Jahr 2017 anzusehen, um Mislintat immer mal wieder im Hintergrund und wohlgemerkt auf jenem Gelände zu entdecken. Schaut man sich Zusammenfassungen einiger Partien mit Dortmunder Beteiligung an, so wird dem geneigten Beobachter sogar auffallen, dass der Chefscout mit auf der Trainerbank sitzt und Tuchel ihn wie auch die Mitarbeiter seines Trainerstabs nach Toren und Siegen umarmt. In einem Zwiegespräch mit einem der Journalisten, die über die angebliche Meinungsverschiedenheit der beiden Fußball-Lehrer berichteten, käme nun wahrscheinlich das Argument, dass derlei Bilder “ausschließlich für die Öffentlichkeit inszeniert” seien. Sicher, bei welchem Menschen wäre seine Außendarstellung nicht das Erste, woran er nach einem Erfolgserlebnis denkt? Übrigens sollte Mislintat laut Medienberichten, die bis in den Oktober 2016 zurückreichen, zum “Direktor Profifußball” beim BVB befördert werden. Eine interessante Randnotiz, dass dies bis heute noch nicht geschehen ist. Zwar ist nicht auszuschließen, dass der bisherige Chefscout seinen neuen Job zur nächsten Saison antreten wird, dennoch erscheint dieser Vorstoß der Medien recht verfrüht, insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund, dass angeblich auch andere Clubs Mislintat für eine höhere Position auf dem Zettel hatten. Als Thomas Tuchel nach zwei unnötigerweise verlorenen Partien jeweils sachlich und nüchtern die Leistung seiner gesamten Mannschaft kritisierte, im selben Atemzug aber auch seine eigene  Arbeit als Trainer hinterfragte, warfen Medien ihm vor, seine Spieler damit persönlich beleidigt zu haben - anders als etwa im Fall von Dieter Hecking, der (noch als Coach des VfL Wolfsburg) des Öfteren öffentlich einzelne Akteure aburteilte. Wer nicht sowieso schon als “polarisierend” dargestellt wird, darf offensichtlich tun, was bei anderen Personen als “Skandal” tituliert wird. Aus Tuchels Aussage, er sei erst nach der Vorarbeit der Dortmunder Scouts in den Transfer von Alexander Isak involviert gewesen - ein völlig normaler Vorgang nicht nur bei der Verpflichtung von Perspektivspielern, der in dieser Form längst nicht nur in der Bundesliga regelmäßig geschehen dürfte - wollten die Berichterstatter herauslesen können, der BVB-Coach hätte kein Mitspracherecht bei Spielerverpflichtungen gehabt. Nach dem Anschlag auf das Team Borussia Dortmunds im Mannschaftsbus gingen einige Medien gar so weit, Thomas Tuchel als “Profiteur” dieser Situation zu bezeichnen und wollten ihm gar die Planung und Durchführung des Attentats zuschreiben, obwohl er selbst mit im Bus saß. Anschließend wurden Aussagen “anonymer Spieler der Borussia” erwiesenermaßen frei erfunden, um den Trainer, der durch seinen Umgang mit dem Bombenangriff viele Sympathien gewonnen hatte, wieder und weiterhin in ein schlechtes Licht zu rücken. In der Folge machte vor allem der Begriff “Dissens” die Runde. Obwohl es dabei nachweislich einzig und allein um die (Art und Weise der) Neuansetzung des Spiels gegen die AS Monaco ging, wurden oben genannte erdachte Geschichten neu aufgewärmt, um die Behauptung stützen zu können, Tuchel habe ein “gestörtes Verhältnis” sowohl zur BVB-Chefetage als auch zu den Spielern. Zu diesem Zweck wurde auch mehrfach über ein YouTube-Video berichtet, das zeigen soll, wie der mittlerweile ebenfalls nicht mehr in Diensten von Borussia Dortmund stehende Athletiktrainer Rainer Schrey im Auftrag Tuchels den Spieler Emre Mor genötigt haben soll, auf allen vieren rund um den Trainingsplatz zu kriechen. Doch auch nach intensivster Recherche ist nicht einmal ein Link zu dem angeblichen Mitschnitt zu finden, da es den Vorfall offensichtlich nie gegeben hat. So richtig hitzig wurde es dann natürlich noch einmal in den Tagen vor und eben auch nach der Trennung von Thomas Tuchel. Man hatte Lucien Favre, der Dortmund schon während Tuchels Amtszeit angeblich zweimal abgesagt haben soll, als Nachfolgefavoriten positioniert, so dass man nur noch dafür sorgen musste, dass der Noch-Trainer “endlich” seinen Posten räumt. Dies geschah, indem man BVB-Spieler - nun auch namentlich - ohne deren Wissen mit ins Boot holte, die sich gegen den Chefcoach stellen sollten. Hierbei tat sich vor allem die Funke-Mediengruppe (insbesondere auf ihren Portalen waz.de und derwesten.de) nicht nur durch schlechtes Deutsch, wie die Beispielsätze “Der BVB muss zum Erzrivalen zu blicken [sic]” und “Tuchels Aus beim BVB soll auch mit seinem Verhältnis zur Mannschaft zutun [sic] gehabt haben” zeigen, sondern auch mit Artikeln im Stile von Verschwörungstheorien hervor. So schrieb etwa Pit Gottschalk, der sich schon vor Jahren durch die äußerst Dortmund-feindliche Berichterstattung der “Sport Bild” einen Namen gemacht hat, dem Sänger Marius Müller-Westernhagen eine Rolle bei der Trennung von Thomas Tuchel zu, ohne näher darauf einzugehen. Das Geheimnis dahinter “lüftete” am nächsten Tag Gottschalks Kollege Daniel Berg, der jedoch behauptete, der Musiker hätte Tuchel im Auftrag des Anwalts Olaf Meinking - der übrigens auch diverse andere Prominente rechtlich vertritt - unterstützen sollen. Das ergibt zwar keinen Sinn, verkauft sich wohl aber ganz gut. Ebenso berichtete Gottschalk ohne weitere Erläuterungen von einem “Stimmungswechsel” bei Matthias Ginter. Auch hier sorgte Daniel Berg für “Aufklärung”: Der Nationalspieler soll ein “energischer Kritiker des Trainers intern [sic]” gewesen und daher kaum zum Einsatz gekommen sein, da Tuchel die Mannschaft “bewusst in Gut und Böse eingeteilt haben” soll. 29 von maximal 34 Bundesliga-Einsätzen sprechen jedoch eine andere Sprache. Laut Berg habe Ginter nach der Verletzung von Julian Weigl die Chance ergriffen, bei einem Interview mit der “Sport Bild” positiv über den Trainer zu sprechen, damit er im Pokalfinale auf Weigls Position zum Einsatz käme, was dann auch geklappt hätte. Flugs wurde sich noch ein anschließender mannschaftsinterner Streit aufgrund der Aussagen Ginters ausgedacht, weil das ganze Team sich zuvor gegen den Coach gestellt habe. Dies zumindest sah die Deutsche Presse-Agentur in ihrem Artikel vom Tag vor der Trennung von Tuchel etwas anders und stellte nur den angeblich “Tuchel-kritischen und vom Trainerteam ausgebooteten und damit endgültig und komplett aus dem Kader verbannten” Nuri Şahin sowie Kapitän Marcel Schmelzer und Marco Reus als Tuchel-Gegner dar. Weiterhin heißt es dort jedoch, die Meinungen der Spieler Roman Bürki, Matthias Ginter, Marc Bartra, Ousmane Dembélé und Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seien “ganz allgemein unwichtig und uninteressant”. Doch noch einmal zurück zu Ginter: Dieser hat die falschen Behauptungen richtiggestellt. Die WAZ-Redaktion jedoch bleibt bei ihrer Darstellung und wirft dem Spieler vor, seine Rolle beim BVB und seine Meinung über Tuchel hätten sich “nach dem Interview [sic] geändert”. Dies wurde entgegen jeder journalistischen Etikette ohne Nennung eines Autors veröffentlicht. Warum sich nun allerdings Spieler, die ihr angebliches Ziel, nämlich die Trennung vom Trainer, erreicht haben, auch danach noch mehrfach lobend über ihn äußern sollten, wird sich einem logisch denkenden Menschen kaum erschließen - zumal man dies in Fällen, wo es zwischen Übungsleiter und Mannschaft tatsächlich nicht stimmte, schon ganz anders erlebt hat. Klar ist nur, dass Borussia Dortmund spätestens seit der (mittlerweile öffentlich gewordenen) Androhung diverser Pressevertreter, mit weiterer negativer Berichterstattung die Abgänge mehrerer BVB-Leistungsträger zu forcieren, kaum eine andere Wahl hatte, als dem Wunsch der Journalisten nachzukommen und sich von Thomas Tuchel zu trennen. Der Nachrichtensender n-tv drehte dieses mediale Ultimatum geschickt herum und berichtete, Spieler hätten von sich aus damit gedroht, den Verein zu verlassen, sollte der Trainer im Amt bleiben. Über die Hintergründe für diesen “gelungenen Coup” kann man nur spekulieren. Aluhutträger in den Führungspositionen bestimmter Redaktionen und persönliche Abneigungen einiger Medienschaffender gegenüber der Borussia und/oder Thomas Tuchel sind dabei ebenso denkbar wie Probleme in den privaten Umfeldern der Autoren, die diese auf diesem unschönen Wege kompensieren wollten. Leidtragende des Ganzen sind in jedem Fall Borussia Dortmund und Thomas Tuchel. Für die BVB-Fans bleibt zu hoffen, dass nun nach und nach Ruhe um die Geschichte einkehrt und weitere negative Konsequenzen für den Verein durch der Fantasie entsprungene Vorkommnisse und Äußerungen ausbleiben. Dennoch ist es natürlich gut möglich, dass dazu in den nächsten Tagen noch weitere Artikel veröffentlicht werden, hinter denen ebenso wenig Recherche steckt wie hinter den bisherigen, um das Thema bis zum Schluss “auszukosten”. Eine weitere Option wäre natürlich die Übertragung des Ganzen auf einen anderen Club, etwa den FC Bayern München. Ansätze dazu gab es ja bereits. So existieren Berichte, nach denen sich z. B. Jérôme Boateng, Joshua Kimmich und Kingsley Coman öffentlich negativ über Trainer Carlo Ancelotti geäußert hätten und den Verein verlassen wollten...ein Schelm, wer Böses dabei denkt?