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beauregard-s · 4 years

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Verdigris | Bill Denbrough

Pairing: Bill Denbrough x Reader (18 yo in this one)

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: language, mild hate-to-love trope and mentions of cheating and toxic relationship

A/n: ‘The one with Baseball Player!Bill and the song Verdigris by Gus Dapperton’

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He can’t stop watching you.

At the bowling alley on a Friday night. Your arms crossed, a hidden smile on as one of your friends rolls the ball and misses the pins miserably. You probably had a night off, or else you’d be at the arcade trying to tame the thirteen-year-olds that keep fighting over the Pac-Man machine.

Bill can’t stop staring and it’s annoying beyond belief.

“For fuck’s sake, Bill! Are you playing or not?”

He’s forced to drag his attention away from you under Richie’s hiss only to perceive how everybody is staring at him - except for Ben checking on his shoelaces after tripping on them at least twice already. The looks range from Richie’s pissed one, to Mike, Beverly, and Eddie’s confusion, and laying on Stan’s impassivity.

“I just puh-played two rounds ago, Richie, stop m-mah-messing the order,” he complains, yes, but stepping up and grabbing himself a ball is the same as calling his own bullshit.

His move is absent anyway, only hits three pins because he backs off as soon as the ball leaves his fingers, making room for Ben to go next. Standing more in the back so he can turn his head in your lane’s direction again, all the way across the alley.

Only in time to watch you striking for the second time that night.

Only in time to catch how your eyes automatically fly in his direction right after that.

It’s quick, just a few seconds before you turn away again like at school two - or three? - weeks before, when you shouted out loud in a hallway about how you were cheated on, a thing many girls would hide, never talk about and pray for it to never come up. But you didn’t. When Henry Bowers leaned by your locker and probably tried to slide in some smug explanation, you shut the metal door so loud people around turned their heads and others who didn’t hear it from the first time caught on what was happening as soon as you told him to go ‘get his dick wet with Anna Thompson from now on’.

That being said you stormed out, and your eyes met his because he was frozen in a trance not perceiving at first he was blocking your way.

He couldn’t call you a bully, but nor could he call you an angel. You were Bowers’ girlfriend for quite a while, never messed with him but was never smooth either. You always stood neutral about Bowers tormenting him, almost bored, he noticed. Maybe uncomfortable with the situation if he overthought on that?

Never mattered. Bill recognizes he doesn’t know much about you, never got interested in doing so. Never needed to. You are just y/n, Henry Bowers’ blessed girl - because, thinking about it, yes, someone must be somehow holy to endure that one. Y/n, who he thought that barely minded him but still locked eyes and seemed to flash him a very inconspicuous smile that brought him back to Earth and made him move aside to let you walk into your 6th period class.

Y/n that since then started to hover above him like a little bird of prey, keeping those secretly mischievous eyes on him whenever they shared the room. Driving him insanely curious to find out what all of this is about.

“I swear to God, Big Bill!” Richie cries out in frustration, clapping his hands together in a desperate try to get his attention, “it’s your turn again!”

***

“Homealone again?” Stan asks while buckling up on the driver's seat after leaving the alley almost forcefully when the place closed, Mike’s horn breaking the late-night silence as he leaves to take Ben and Bev home.

“Yeah, for the weekend.” Bill sighs, sinking into the seat and smirking. “Why? Wanna throw a p-party?”

Stan snorts in the dark, turning the keys for the headlights to break through the darkness ahead. “Not after the last one,” he starts the car and leaves while Bill recalls the last party they went to. The party where around 1 am everybody started gossiping about how someone entered a room without knocking and...

“Y/n l/n, then?”

Bill moves uncomfortably. Of course, the party where everybody found out you were cheated on before you could do it yourself. Stan Uris really sees everything, knows everything, and perceives everything. And also have the gift of smoothly leading people into the point he wants to get to.

“I don’t think so,” Bill says.

Stan swirls the steering wheel to the left into a quiet street, suffocating another laugh. “So you’re telling me you were not perving on her the whole night.”

“I wasn’t p-puh-p-perving!”

“No!” Stan’s laugh finally comes filled up with irony. “At the bowling alley, at school, whenever she shows up during practices and her great presence disturbs you to the point you miss the pitches… Since she broke up with Bowers, whenever she’s around your mind goes wasted”. Bill grimaces and he goes on. “And judging by tonight, she seems to be at the same place as you are.”

“She’s not at the same p-place as I am because I’m not at any p-place, Stan.” Bill sticks his arm out of the window into the cold breeze, feeling something boiling inside him. That annoyance again. “She’s been teasing me since she broke up with her dear b-boyfriend, it’s all.”

Stan slows down at a crossing, making a snap noise with his tongue. “How convenient, no?” Bill scowls, eyes off the road to look up at his slightly raised brows, and he goes on, “Bowers’ girl gets cheated on and then starts flirting with you, Bill Denbrough. The guy who had his lip split open by those fists more times than we could actually remember.”

“Tell me about it…” Bill’s voice barely comes out as he watches the stores slowly turning into houses with dark windows and faded front porches, trying to smother that burning feeling inside.

“And you’re playing her game,” Stan adds calmly.

Bill snaps his neck towards the driver's seat again but Stan only shows that same impassivity from earlier, eyes solely on the road. “Don’t tell me you’re not, because you are. I saw it tonight. Besides it, we all know you’re that sucker for unbecoming stuff.”

Bill shakes his head, gnawing on his cheek in bitterness as the car stops in front of a two-floor house and Stan turns the keys, sending them into silence and darkness again, turning on his seat to face a skeptical Bill unclasping his seatbelt harshly.

“I am not. I wanna f-find out what game is she p-playing b-but I’m not playing it myself.”

“Okay,” Stan taps onto the wheel, grinning in his disbelief because he knows Bill well enough to know he may sound like he has his foot down when he’s in fact as unsteady as sand. “But she could put you in big shit trouble, you know?”

Bill gets out of the car, leaning into the window as soon as he closes the door, drawing a cockish grin. “Yeah b-but, again, I’m not playing her game, Stan.”

He assured himself that, even though his mind wanders towards you until he goes to sleep and even though you remain there when he wakes up Saturday morning.

He’s not playing your game.

But you’ve been testing his limits, slowly getting under his skin somehow with so little effort. Catching his attention when he doesn’t want to give it to you. You’re guaranteed trouble and he hates how you leave him restless whenever you are out of his sight and trouble his mind whenever you are both sharing space.

But he’s not playing your game.

Yet he still finds himself waiting outside the arcade later at night, at a discreet distance with his hands tucked in his jacket’s pockets to keep them from freezing under the fall weather. Bill watches you leading the last kids outta the place, promising an upset little guy they’ll be open early the next day too and turning the sign hanging on the glass door as soon as they leave to warn everyone the place is finally closed. The sweet way you talked to the kid doesn’t match the troublemaker image he painted of you in his mind throughout the day.

He’s not playing the game, but he’s ending it before he goes insane. Being a chess piece is not on his plans. He doesn’t know where you’re going with all of that so he walks into the store, immediately catching your attention.

You’re checking and closing the cashier when the noise makes you look up from behind the counter only to find the surprisingly-not-so-popular pitcher of the Derry High School’s baseball team standing there in between the flashing machines.

“Hey there, Denbrough,” you say softly, bringing your attention back to the dollar bills. “We’re closed.”

He taps his foot, trying to find the words to say what he wants to say because even though he planned talking to you the whole day, suddenly he feels lost and vulnerable under that nonchalant way of yours.

“I know, I didn’t come to play.” Bill feels proud of how steady he sounds although he’s clenching his hidden fists. He has the slight impression you are not as confused as you seem when you eye him again. This time deeper.

“How can I help you then?”

He thought he had a solid plan, but he doesn’t at all. All he can think of is how did Bowers get you? A straight A’s girl with such sweet talk, pretty face, and bold demeanors.

“You can help me by stopping m-messing around.” There goes his steadiness through the window, every single drop of it when your lips give him a lopsided smile, closing the cashier and pulling a bunch of keys out of a drawer.

“And what do you mean by messing around?” you walk around the counter and passing by him because even though Bill Denbrough is standing in front of you straight out of a dream in his stupid letterman jacket, a robbery wouldn’t be welcome and you gotta lock the doors and close the curtains. That blocks all the light from the outside, sending both of you into a gloom only lightened by the neon lights around.

“I mean all the flirting you’re doing.” His voice deepens a tone. “ I want you to stop it.”

He looks adorably anxious, of course. All fidgety when he’s trying to confront you that way but flinching when you turn on your heels to face him, his hands still in his pockets for what? Hide his nervous manners?

Not that you’re that secure yourself with your sped up heart. You wish you had pockets too so you could hide how you poke a cuticle on your thumb.

“I’m not flirting with you,” you say simply. “I know you’d like that, but-“

“You wish, l/n” he hisses and you know you’ve hit a weak spot. Also not that you didn’t know said weak spot exists.

“I know what you’re doing, and I’m not getting in trouble for it.” Bill steps closer, letting his sweaty hands finally fall to his sides.

“Again, I’m not the one messing around” You see his jaw clench, and go on leaning back against the Donkey Kong machine. “You are.”

Bill snorts and the way he runs his fingers through his auburn hair messing it in frustration makes things to you. Yes, Bill Denbrough in his lettermen jacket is stupid… stupidly hot, even if you hate admitting that.

“I’m n-not-“

“Are you sure?” You defy him, resting your hands on the machine and accidentally hitting the joystick. “So you’re telling me you’ve not been leering me around, casually hanging out with your friends by my locker or… Following my ex-boyfriend around to make sure he’s not coming close to me, Bill?”

Touché.

You never called him ‘Bill’ before, but thought it would match the soft-turn your voice takes and the little ‘got you’ move you just made. Bill thinks it raises a level. He said he didn’t come to play, but it feels like he did and now he’s losing because you know something you shouldn’t.

You know last Tuesday he followed Patrick Hockstetter’s car because he saw them harassing you when you were walking home after school. He watched when they pulled over by the sidewalk, Bowers leaning out through the window and saying something that made you argue with him for a while before you kept walking and they drove out. Bill should’ve turned right and drive home, but he turned left and followed them instead, made sure they went home and not after you.

“I was just trying to m-muh-make sure you were safe,” he reasons but inside he’s recognizing his failure.

Maybe you’ll call him a creeper for that? No, you just bat your eyelashes.

“You really have an unforgiving hero complex.”

“I don’t have a hero complex.”

He does. And maybe an unforgiving crush too because he realizes you’re not the one hovering here. He is. He always thought he never paid attention to you but he did all the time in the deep of his head, dreary by the fact that you ended up with someone like that disgusting jerk.

“A hero complex and a huge neglect towards yourself, apparently” you bicker, the changes in his mind showing briefly in his expression.

“Okay, I m-may be the one m-messing around but you don’t seem like you’re trying to run from it.”

The others have already warned Bill about that, his lack of fear and his broken anti dumbness filter, mainly Beverly, but there he is again. Making dangerous, uncalculated moves, totally improvising his next step to avoid a checkmate from you.

He’s kinda angry, maybe embarrassed, eyes locked on your as he comes closer. You don’t answer because he got a point. From the moment you noticed Bill paying more attention to you after you were publicly free from Henry, you never intended on cutting him off. You fed the fire and now, with his eyes so deep in yours and the smell of his cologne all around you, you let him taste a bit of power to decrease that embarrassment of his.

“Are you trying to imply that I want you too?” You whisper, no need to talk louder with his chest an inch from yours like that.

He likes how beautiful you look like that, face shining in verdigris tones flashing from the next machine, the way it turns you into neon pink and back to the blueish-green. He likes how daring you look even if he’s towering over you, inches taller, little knowing how you’re putting on a fight to keep yourself solid and your thoughts in place. Without much success when he leans in and brushes his chapped lips along your soft ones.

“Again, you wish, l/n.”

The previous moves were yours but in a turn, you’re the one getting the final checkmate when you give in and pull him into a kiss. A greedy and heated kiss that showed how you’ve been craving each other. Bill presses against you as he’s trying to challenge the laws of physics, his tongue licking into your mouth as your hands clutch on his thick jacket, feeling his broad shoulders underneath. His hands cup your face, his thumbs gently tracing up your cheekbones in contrast to how roughly his lips take yours, only for a moment before his arms embrace your waist and he smugly slides a large hand into your jeans’ pockets.

He swore himself he wouldn’t play your game, but he feels like he did and just lost it when he leaves your lips and trails the tip of his nose down your neck, feeling how you softly quiver in his arms, breathing in your perfume. Pulling away before everything goes to waste.

“As I said, totally n-not running away from me,” he mutters, leaving you.

You shake your head slowly, a mazy little smile glued on your lips. “Screw you, Denbrough…” But the words drip out like honey to him as he walks backwards towards the door.

Bill turns the keys still in the lock behind his back, flashing a cocky grin at you as he pushes the door open. He feels defeated, you do too but somehow none of you regret what just happened in the empty arcade. He can see you don't by the way you look at him as he leaves. It’s not just one of those glances anymore.

He feels defeated, but maybe it will be worth it.

“S-see you later, y/n.”

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fandomsalive · 4 years

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Divine Decadence

Divine Decadence | Reddie | Explicit | 5,520 words

Summary: What Eddie is not expecting to see is a photo of Richie standing in full cabaret garb, complete with thigh-high stockings and garters connecting to knee-high boots.

what do you guys think of my new outfit? :P the caption reads.

Richie’s wearing a deep blue corset, with a black, sparkly coat that falls down behind his knees, and a cute little hat that doesn’t quite fit his head. His shorts are also black, and they’re tight enough that they’re pressed right up against Richie’s crotch, the buttons framing the obvious bulge presented there. Eddie can’t drag his eyes away long enough to blink before the snap ends, and then he’s left staring at nothing while he tries to get his brain to restart.

To be honest I wrote this for me. I was in desperate need for a snapchat sexting fic.

Thanks as always to my best friend and beta @imnotinclinedtomaturity.

Ao3 Link

Eddie’s in the middle of an essay due in his lit class tomorrow when his phone chimes with a new snapchat notification. Even before he opens it, he knows it’s going to be Richie, who spends 90% of his time in the theater taking ridiculous pictures with his castmates and fucking around backstage.

What Eddie is not expecting to see is a photo of Richie standing in full cabaret garb, complete with thigh-high stockings and garters connecting to knee-high boots.

what do you guys think of my new outfit? :P the caption reads.

Richie’s wearing a deep blue corset with a black, sparkly coat that falls down behind his knees, and a cute little hat that doesn’t quite fit his head. His shorts are also black, and they’re tight enough that they’re pressed right up against Richie’s crotch, the buttons framing the obvious bulge presented there. Eddie can’t drag his eyes away long enough to blink before the snap ends, and then he’s left staring at nothing while he tries to get his brain to restart.

What the fuck. What the actual fuck. Richie’s not even doing cabaret this semester. They’re in the middle of a production of It’s a Wonderful Life, and last Eddie checked, there wasn’t any cabaret in that play. So where the fuck did Richie find an outfit like that?

Before Eddie can really think it through, he’s typing a response.

Where the hell did you find that?

Richie doesn’t respond right away, obviously. He’s probably hamming it up for his friends backstage, too busy to check his phone, but all Eddie can think about is the way Richie’s legs looked in those stockings, and how those shorts really really left nothing to the imagination.

It isn’t the first time Eddie has looked at Richie this way, but —finals are in two weeks and Eddie’s course load has been insane, which hasn’t left much time for sleeping, so seeing Richie in fucking cabaret is exactly enough of a shock to break his goddamn brain.

Eddie taps at his screen, meaning to do what, he’s not sure, but he ends up back on the snapchat homepage and hesitates there, staring at Richie’s name at the top where his brand new story sits, tempting Eddie desperately.

Ten seconds was really not enough time to soak in the image of Richie dressed like that.

Eddie clicks on his story.

The image of Richie in cabaret comes back up. Eddie’s eyes linger on the fishnet stockings rather than Richie’s bulge this time, and the way they frame diamonds against Richie’s pale skin. The boots he’s wearing make his long legs look even longer, which Eddie hadn’t thought was possible until now, and the corset.

Fuck.

The snap ends again, and this time Eddie doesn’t think twice before replaying it again.

The hand Richie is using to hold his phone up against the mirror blocks most of his face, and half of his chest, but Eddie can see one dusky nipple peeking out above the blue corset. It’s tight against his body, throwing his chest into sharp relief, and making his skin stand out even more there than it does on his thighs. The black jacket draped around his arms is the only thing Eddie doesn’t much care for, and all he can really think about is stripping it off.

His phone chimes, drawing Eddie out of his thoughts and reminding him that he’d been trying to ask Richie a question.

Richie: wouldn’t you like to know ;)

And then again, almost immediately.

Richie: they left me in charge of putting away costumes again tonight and i might have been digging around in the back of one of the wardrobes and… ta da!

Eddie sighs, and closes his eyes. Leave it to Richie to make putting away costumes into an adventure. Part of him wishes Richie had fallen into the wardrobe and never come out if it meant saving Eddie having to see him all dressed up like that, and the other part couldn’t be more grateful that Richie went digging.

He kind of hates himself a little.

Richie messages him again.

Richie: you never said if you liked it :(

And then: come on eds

Immediately after: dont i look sexy? ;))

The problem is, the answer is yes, but in Eddie’s opinion, the answer would always be yes, so it’s not really a fair question. He doesn’t really know how to answer, either, so he doesn’t.

He and Richie have been dancing around each other for years. It’s not that Eddie is unaware of the fact that Richie finds him attractive, nor is he blind to the way Richie has been flirting with him since they were in high school. In fact, Eddie would say it’s more than a little obvious they’re in love with each other.

They just haven’t done anything about it yet.

Eddie sighs and drags a tired hand down his face. When he pulls it away, he does his best to turn his attention back onto his essay.

But he can’t.

He just keeps thinking about all that chest Richie had been showing off, a part of Richie’s body that Eddie so rarely sees. Richie isn’t really the type to run around shirtless, much to Eddie’s dismay, but that corset… Eddie’s brain is just tired enough that Eddie allows himself to imagine licking the space between Richie’s pecs, skimming right over the black lace lining the top of the corset.

He groans, and slams his face into his hands. He can feel himself growing a little interested, a general stirring in his stomach, a twitch of his dick, and does his best to stifle it.

His phone chimes again, and Eddie groans even louder before picking it up.

Richie: way to make a girl feel loved eds :(

Rolling his eyes, Eddie finally types back a response.

Youre not a girl

This time, Richie’s response is almost immediate.

Richie: so if i was a girl would you tell me im sexy? :D

Eddie doesn’t even have to think about it — bickering with Richie is second nature.

No.

Richie: :(

Eddie expects that to be the end of it, and puts his phone down in another attempt to get back to work on his essay, but it’s only a few moments of staring at his screen before his phone goes off again. Eddie doesn’t even pretend not to be interested, and picks up his phone immediately.

It’s a real snap this time, and Richie’s still in that goddamn outfit.

This time it’s a selfie, and he’s pouting at the camera. The angle is just steep enough that Eddie can see all of Richie’s exposed naked chest, and the top edge of the corset where it flares out a little bit. It’s more than a little obvious that Richie is trying to look sexy, and the most annoying part about it is that it’s working.

Eddie groans, and feels himself actually start to firm up in his pants now. He has to shift his legs a little to get more comfortable in his chair, and tries not to think about the fact that he’s just spread his legs. The soft fabric of his sweatpants is a tease against his dick.

The snap ends. Eddie doesn’t think. He holds down on the message, and the snap replays again.

Immediately it occurs to Eddie that Richie can see that he replayed it, and he feels his cheeks heat up. Shit, fuck, he didn’t mean to do that.

Well, he did, but… not where Richie could see.

Richie: eds!

The snap ends before Eddie can really enjoy the image, and then he’s back to staring at their chat.

Richie: did you just replay my snap?

Richie: you do think im sexy!! :D

Richie: admit it eds

Richie: i look sexy in my cabaret get up ;))

Eddie groans and wants to bury his face in his hands, but it’s difficult to feel too mortified when Richie seems receptive to Eddie’s interest. They flirt sometimes, but not usually so overtly — like replaying sexy snaps of each other — and Eddie’s usually the one to roll his eyes and ignore Richie when he gets too blatant.

It’s moments like these, though, where Eddie does flirt back, that make Eddie feel hot all over with the possibility of finally doing something about their mutual attraction.

Eddie bites his lip, considering.

Maybe for once, Eddie can be the brave one and put himself out there a little more shamelessly. After all, Richie started this whole mess.

I dont know, I think youd look better without the jacket, Eddie finally types back.

Eddie can see Richie’s bitmoji peeking at him. It pops up, like Richie is typing, and then goes back to peeking at him, meaning Richie stopped without saying anything. Eddie can feel his heart beating a little faster than normal as he watches this happen again and again, before it stops entirely. Richie’s bitmoji disappears.

Eddie blinks. And stares. And worries, just a little bit.

And then another snap comes in, and Eddie about breaks his finger in his haste to play it.

Richie’s facing the mirror again, his phone covering his face to take the picture. He’s leaning on the counter with both elbows this time, the fingers of one hand brushing along the line of his collarbone. The way he’s stretching his neck causes the bone to stick out sharply, and Eddie feels his mouth water at the sight.

Richie has good collarbones, and all Eddie wants to do is bite them.

The broad line of his shoulders is revealed now too. Richie has taken Eddie’s advice and ditched the jacket. It makes the deep blue of his corset more prominent, and it highlights Richie’s skin, drawing attention to the pale expanse of Richie’s chest and shoulders.

The caption reads how about now?

Eddie licks his lips as the timer runs out and the snap ends.

He starts typing.

Try again. I didnt get a good enough look

Richie’s bitmoji pops up. Slips back down. Pops up again.

Richie: again?

Eddie can just about picture Richie’s face, perhaps scrunched up in confusion, or his eyebrows arched in surprise. Eddie doesn’t know exactly how Richie must be feeling, but Eddie knows how he’s feeling, and thats pretty fucking shocked at his own boldness.

Eddie swallows nervously, but ultimately barrels forward. In for a penny...

Again. But dont cover yourself up this time, Eddie demands, unsure where this is coming from, but leaning into it anyway.

They’ve never flirted like this. They’ve never gotten this far. And Eddie doesn’t know what that means for them, but he’s excited to find out.

Richie doesn’t respond right away. Eddie sees his bitmoji peek at him, indicating that he’s read the message, and then it disappears. Eddie hopes that means another picture is coming, and not that Richie has run away screaming.

Their chat lights up again a few moments later, and Eddie opens Richie’s snap eagerly.

This time, Richie has stepped back away from the mirror, and he’s holding the phone down low and to the right of him, so that his whole body is in frame, including his face. It’s objectively not the best photo, but it’s what’s in it that counts.

The first thing that Eddie notices is that Richie is biting his bottom lip. His lashes are lowered, and his cheeks are pink, and Eddie can just make out the blue of his eyes staring up at the camera. He looks nervous, almost shy, and it’s the hottest expression Eddie has ever seen.

The second thing Eddie notices are Richie’s fucking thighs. Richie is leaning against the wall next to the mirror, left arm bent so that his elbow is propping him up against the wall, and his fingers are carding through his hair. He’s tilted his hips just so, legs spread apart, with one in front of the other, baring Richie’s inner thigh to the camera.

His thigh isn’t bare, but it feels incredibly intimate regardless. It’s sexy is what it is, so much so that Eddie feels his dick really stiffen up in his pants.

The thick strap of Richie’s garter is distracting enough that Eddie doesn’t even make it half way down Richie’s thigh before the snap ends.

Eddie doesn’t hesitate. He plays it again, and screenshots the image for good measure.

It’s a daring move, one that Eddie wouldn’t usually give in to, but he can’t help it. They’ve already gone way past the boundaries of their usual relationship, what with Eddie demanding that Richie take another sexy photo for him. What’s one more nail in the coffin?

You look good he types the moment the snap ends for a second time. He licks his lips, staring eagerly at their open chat. He can see Richie’s bitmoji. It sits still this time, like he’s staring at their chat but doesn’t know what to say. A flicker of nervousness tickles at Eddie’s insides, but despite his usual anxiety, he convinces himself to wait, to calm down, to let Richie speak for himself instead of jumping to conclusions.

Finally, Richie types a response.

Richie: yeah?

The lack of emojis, the lack of teasing and flirting, is telling. Richie is so rarely vulnerable with Eddie, but Eddie knows how to recognize it when he is. It makes Eddie burn, to be trusted with this side of Richie, whose always hiding behind crude jokes and self-deprecating humor. Confidence flares up in Eddie — this is something Richie is into.

Yeah Eddie replies, and stops for a moment.

Richie’s bitmoji stares at him.

Eddie adds, But I want to see more.

He can feel his heart thrumming hard in his chest, can feel something tightening inside of him with want and desire. His dick throbs in his pants, thick with anticipation. He’s almost fully hard now, and he reaches down to rub the heel of his palm against the head of his dick.

He lets out a soft sigh at the feeling while he waits for Richie’s reply.

Richie’s bitmoji stares at him, and then pops up, and then stares at him again. Eddie blinks. Richie’s bitmoji pops up again, like he’s typing but can’t settle on what to say, and then stares at him again. Eddie doesn’t know what to think of Richie’s hesitation — whether it means that Eddie’s crossed a line, or if Richie just wasn’t expecting the forwardness — but finally Richie says: then tell me what you want

Eddie’s heart skips a beat, knowing that Richie is fully on board now, and he presses down harder on his dick, squirming at the sensation it sends through him. He exhales a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and thinks.

What does he want? He knows that he wants to see more, knows that he wants to get off to Richie posing for him in his cabaret outfit. He knows that he wants Richie to get off with him, that he’s desperate to make Richie as hard as he is right now.

So he types: I want you to touch yourself through your shorts

Continues: and let me see you do it.

Richie’s bitmoji only stares at him for a moment this time, and then it’s gone.

Heat flares through Eddie’s body as he waits, squirming in his chair. His essay lies forgotten, cursor blinking on his laptop, and he considers, briefly, moving to his bed, but ultimately decides against it. Here, he can spread his legs wide and lean back against his chair without having to sacrifice the ease of texting Richie.

Eddie aches to push his sweatpants down, but he waits.

His phone lights up, the snapchat noise pinging his phone, and yet another picture message waits for him. Licking his lips, Eddie does not hesitate to open it.

Richie’s done exactly what he said. It’s another mirror selfie, with his phone aimed low and zoomed in, crotch framed in the middle of the camera. He’s got one big palm cupping his dick through his shorts, and Eddie can just about see the way Richie has thrust his hips forward into the touch. He can’t see Richie’s face, but he can almost imagine that Richie is flushed red in the face.

He wonders if the flush goes all the way down, if Richie’s chest gets hot and red like the rest of him. Eddie lets out a soft sound of desire, and fumbles with his phone. Before the message can disappear, he clicks on the camera icon and takes a quick, perfunctory photo of his own dick, hard in his sweatpants. He cups under the head, and sends the snap before he can think better of it.

His ears turn red.

Fuck, they’re having phone sex. Like actual, proper phone sex. This is definitely not the first thing Eddie had been imagining they’d do when they finally got their shit together, but he can’t say he’s complaining.

Richie is doing exactly what Eddie is saying without question, as well. Eddie’s never seen Richie so compliant, and it only serves to make him harder. He rubs his thumb around the head of his cock, and feels himself start to grow wet.

Eddie’s got their messages open again when Richie responds.

Richie: fuck eds

Richie: your gonna kill me

Feeling bold, Eddie types back: I want you

His heart lodges in his throat. Richie begins to type, and there’s no hesitation this time.

Richie: fuck

Richie: m e too

Richie: god i want you so much eds

Richie: please

Richie: tell me what to do

The desperation is clear, and it makes Eddie gasp, makes his dick twitch in his pants enough that he finally scrambles at the waistband, shoving them down to mid-thigh. He leaves his boxers where they are, and rubs the head of his dick through the thin fabric, teasing at himself more fully now. He can feel all the blood rushing through his body to his dick, can feel the need pumping through him until all he can think about is Richie Richie Richie.

Why did they wait so long to do this?

Richie isn’t even here and Eddie already feels like he’s on fire. How much better would it be to have Richie on top of him?

I want to see you Eddie types thoughtlessly, wishing more than anything that Richie were here right now.

Richie responds: i can do that

Richie’s bitmoji disappears. He’s taking a photo, Eddie’s pretty sure, even though that isn’t really what he meant, but he’s not going to complain.

The theater is on the other side of the campus from the dorms, a good twenty minute walk on a good day, and it’s not as if Richie could just walk across campus in fucking cabaret. But Eddie isn’t ready for Richie to change out of that outfit yet, and he’s considering asking Richie to bring it home, if only so he can feel the way Richie’s thighs feel in those stockings.

His phone pings.

He opens the message.

There’s a chair in front of the makeup counter now, and Richie’s propped up in it sideways, the seat far enough away from the counter that Eddie can see Richie’s entire body in the chair. Richie’s got one arm raised to take the photo, and the other wrapped around the back of the chair, holding him securely in place.

One stocking-clad leg hangs low like normal, but the other — the other is raised high, Richie’s heel resting on the seat next to his other thigh. The pose thrusts Richie’s corsetted chest outward, and once again draws Eddie’s gaze to his inner thigh. The thick line of his garter is hidden this time, but the top edge of the stocking is not, and Eddie can just imagine himself pulling them down Richie’s legs with his teeth.

He groans at the thought, and finds himself squeezing around the base of his cock, stroking himself once, firmly, over his boxers, and biting down hard on his bottom lip. He squeezes his eyes shut for just a moment, and then snaps them back open again.

Before the image can disappear, Eddie screenshots it desperately. The image is burned into the back of his mind, but he never wants to forget it.

Richie’s flush really does go all the way down.

It’s only after the screenshot is saved that Eddie realizes Richie didn’t put a timer on this one, and his eyes blow wide at the thought. It's involuntary when his hips kick up against his palm, and he muffles a moan behind his teeth, gazing hungrily at the photo in front of him.

He wants Richie. He wants him so fucking bad.

Eddie types: get up on the makeup counter and spread your legs for me

Richie’s response is immediate: yeah ok

Eddie fumbles to yank his boxers down to mid-thigh as well, releasing his cock. The sensation is a relief, even more so when he finally wraps his fingers around it properly, dragging up against it once before squeezing the head and letting go. His fingers fly back to his phone.

show me, he demands.

Richie does. The image comes through quickly, like Richie had complied the second Eddie had asked him to. There’s no timer, and Eddie has a clear view of Richie’s body all the way down his chest. His legs are spread wide like Eddie had asked, and the bulge that had already been obvious earlier only seems to have grown. Richie is definitely hard now, probably aching in those tight shorts, but he hasn’t gotten undressed.

Eddie hasn’t told him to.

Holy shit, he thinks, and shivers.

Touch your thighs he says, and then I want to see.

It takes longer for Richie to comply this time, but it becomes obvious why the moment Eddie sees the purple tap to view icon. He exhales loudly before playing the video.

Richie seems to be resting his weight against the mirror behind him, because the way he’s positioned his camera, Eddie can see all the way down his chest again. He can see his stomach heaving under his corset, can hear his heavy breathing. Eddie watches as Richie strokes the fingers of one hand down one inner thigh, and then back up. He teases pale fingers at the top edge of his stockings, and then trails them further up, up, up, to the thick strap of the garter. Eddie watches as he grips tight to it, and pulls it upward. It snaps back against his skin with a satisfying smack.

Richie lets out a soft sigh, and the video ends.

The sound goes straight to Eddie’s dick, and he drags the heel of his palm down the shaft of it, pressing down hard on the head. His teeth are digging into his bottom lip, preventing any sound from escaping him, and he releases it only on another long exhale. He can’t help the way he winds his fingers around himself, beginning to really pull himself off, screwing his eyes up tight with desire. He snaps them back open after a second, and aims his camera down at his dick, holding down the record button.

All Eddie can think about doing is encouraging Richie to keep going. He fists his hand over himself once, twice, three times, and then tightens his fist over the head with a soft groan.

“So good for me, Richie,” he whispers hotly, and then stops recording and hits send. He doesn’t have to wait long for Richie’s reply, which feels almost instantaneous, like he watched Eddie’s video and then immediately began filming his own.

Richie lets out a low whimper the moment the video starts, and digs his fingers hard into his thigh. He isn’t showing his face, though Eddie suddenly wishes that he were, but he does drag his nails up his thigh, leaving scorching red marks on the bare skin, until he reaches the bottom edge of his shorts. Then he wiggles his fingers underneath the hem, and pulls up teasingly, exposing more and more of that wonderful pale skin that Eddie wants to sink his teeth into.

He doesn’t touch his dick the way that Eddie is touching his own. It’s as if Richie is showing off for him, ignoring his own pleasure for Eddie’s. Eddie’s eyes flutter shut at the thought, and he decides he’s done playing.

He doesn’t have the patience for this when he’s already so worked up. He can feel his dick throbbing desperately in his hand, and he wants nothing more than to come.

Just before the video ends, Richie’s ragged voice whines, “Eds.”

Eddie lets out a loud groan, and says fuck it.

Rather than sending another video, he types out a quick message one handed, unwilling to let go of his dick.

get off the counter and fuck up against it instead. i wanna see you gasping for it

Eddie doesn’t bother teasing himself anymore, his fist tight around his dick as he jerks off. He’s getting close, and he wants to come watching Richie rubbing himself all over the makeup counter, but he can’t hold off for very much longer.

It feels like it takes forever for Richie to do what he asked, though, because by the time the video comes in, Eddie is already shaking, hips pumping hard into his fist.

He clicks on Richie’s message desperately, and lets out a low moan immediately at the scene presented to him. Richie has done exactly what he asked, his hips grinding hard into the edge of the makeup counter, but it’s so much more than that. He’s gasping wildly with the movement, and he’s got one leg practically on top of the counter, grinding his hips mindlessly into it. The hand not holding the phone is threaded through his hair, and Richie is yanking his own head back as far as it will go. His neck is a long line of pale, unblemished skin, his adam’s apple bobbing desperately as he works himself over.

He looks desperate for it, eyes closed and brow bunched up with pleasure. His mouth is hanging open around the sounds he’s making, and his chest is that same bright red as earlier, maybe redder.

The video is twice as long as all the rest, as Richie works his hips up against the counter. Eddie’s hand moves faster and faster over himself, and he digs his teeth into his bottom lip, biting back the loud groans begging to come out of his throat. His hips pump up harder, and harder, and harder, and then suddenly, as Richie’s moans hit a fever pitch and the video cuts out, Eddie comes hard, come spurting up his chest and soaking into the soft cotton of his sleep shirt.

He gasps with it, jerking into his hand as he works himself through it. Pleasure zings all the way up his spine, causing him to arch into it, and by the time he slumps back against his chair, he feels weak and jelly limbed all over. The movements of his hand come to a slow stop long before Eddie has the presence of mind to do so himself.

Dizzy with it, Eddie taps on his phone to send a response, and snaps a picture of his dick, soaked in his own come and still hard.

He doesn’t have it in him to type a message, just sends the photo and closes his eyes to wait, his chest still heaving.

It doesn’t take long at all for Richie to reply. Eddie’s phone chirps, and then chirps again, and then twice more, before Eddie can work up the energy to look at it.

Richie: holy shit u came

Richie: eds

Richie: fuck plz

Richie: tell me what to do

Oh fuck, oh fuck, Eddie thinks to himself. Richie didn’t come. God, that shouldn’t be such a surprise, considering Richie hasn’t done anything without Eddie’s permission first all night, but it still is. He’d sounded so far gone in that video, like the moment it ended he would have kept going, uncontrollable, until he came.

The fact that he didn’t — holy shit it makes Eddie desperate with it.

Scrambling to wipe his hand off on his already ruined t-shirt, Eddie grips his phone with both hands and starts typing.

You listen to me so well

His phone already feels tacky with the remains of his come, but Eddie’s so focused on getting Richie off that he dismisses the thought. He can wipe his phone down later.

Do you want to come Richie? he asks, already knowing the answer.

yes Richie responds, just one word.

Eddie wants to see his face so fucking bad right now.

I wanna see it, he demands, typing furiously. I wanna watch your face as you come undone

Richie: anything plz eddie plz

Eddie groans, wishing for just a moment that he’d held off longer. Some horrible part of him wants to make Richie wait until he gets home so that Eddie can get off with him all over again, this time in person, but Richie’s been so good for him. He deserves to come too.

Fuck baby, Eddie types, trembling. Get yourself off for me.

He hesitates for a second, and then, but I want you to come in your shorts. Youre not allowed to pull your dick out

Eddie bites his lip, and pushes one last time.

thats my job, he says.

Richie’s bitmoji immediately disappears from the chat, and Eddie knows without a doubt that he’s getting himself off right now. He’s antsy as he waits, and it’s only because it takes so long that he manages to grab a wet wipe from his desk drawer to wipe down his phone, and then his dick.

It’s as he tucking himself back into his sweatpants and pulling off his ruined shirt that his phone goes off again.

He scrambles to play the video.

Richie’s back in the chair, legs spread wide and the heel of his hand digging hard against his dick. He's groaning as his hips kick into his palm, and his eyes keep fluttering shut, but he’s staring straight into the mirror, straight into the camera, straight into Eddie’s eyes.

The video gives Eddie a perfect view of Richie’s outfit again, and the way the fishnets dig into his skin. Eddie’s eyes drag down from the blue corset, tracing the lines of lace down his body to the waist-high shorts, the buttons hidden by Richie’s palm and the way he grinds into himself. He takes in the garters, no longer connected to the fishnets, like Richie had tugged on them until they’d pulled free. The fishnet stockings are shoved down his thighs as well, and the boots. Fuck, Eddie hadn’t known Richie could look so good in heels.

The video is shaky, and Eddie watches Richie work himself over. His hips thrust helplessly against the heel of his palm, and his cheat heaves with exertion. He’s not bothering to quiet himself, instead panting around soft grunts and moans that grow louder and louder with each passing second. Eddie watches as Richie’s eyes start to roll back, as they close, as his head tilts back and his mouth drops open with pleasure. His hips start to work harder, more desperate, lacking any coordination or rhythm.

His throat bobs, and Eddie soaks in the way Richie’s moans turn high-pitched and breathy, and then Richie is coming, his hips jerking erratically into the heel of Richie’s palm, before finally slowing to a stop. Richie slumps into himself, and his arm drops just as the video ends.

Fuck, fuck. Eddie doesn’t think he’s ever seen something so fucking hot. He can feel his dick stirring with interest again as he stares at their chat, his own demanding words staring back at him. He knows the whole conversation will be gone the moment Eddie leaves the screen, but he doesn’t want it to be gone just yet. He has two screenshots saved to his phone to remind him of how hot Richie looks in this cabaret outfit, but he doesn’t dare screenshot the words they’d said to each other. Instead, he scrolls slowly over their conversation and aches to do it again.

The cat’s out of the bag now. Eddie doesn’t want to forget this ever happened, and he’s pretty certain Richie doesn’t want to forget either.

He scrolls to the bottom of their chat and says you okay over there?

Richie: yueah just came mty brains out

Eddie laughs, feeling warm because he did that. He made Riche come.

Biting his bottom lip, Eddie tries, wanna come over and do it again?

Richie’s response is immediate.

Richie: fufck yeah

Eddie grins. Bring the shorts, he suggests, and then, for good measure, the garters too.

Richie: duck that, im bringinging the whole fuckiing outfit

Eddie throws his head back and laughs, clutching his phone tight to his chest, and thinking yeah, we’re finally doing this. It’s about damn time.

#Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak #reddie #reddie fanfic #it fanfiction

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diazevans · 5 years

Text

he is your world (you just don't know it)

It’s not that she wants Eddie to hurt, not at all. Shannon loves him, respects him, and if it were in her hands, she would give him absolutely everything in the world that could make him happy.

Shannon Diaz gets to live and it changes everything.

It’s not that she wants Eddie to hurt, not at all. Shannon loves him, respects him, and if it were in her hands, she would give him absolutely everything in the world that could make him happy.

That doesn’t mean, however, that she doesn’t feel slightly disappointed that the reason Eddie is so upset, so angry, is not their ongoing divorce but the fact that, apparently, Buck has decided to sue everyone on sight to get his job back. Again, neither situation is good, but she still figured that their divorce would be a little higher on the list of crappy things that had happened to Eddie lately.

They had been watching Christopher play in front of the tv before she went home for the night, almost in comfortable silence, when her kid had turned and asked when Buck was coming over to play with him. It took everything in Shannon to not flinch and keep her eyes on the kid’s show in front of her, knowing very well that the question was in no way directed at her. There was a second of complete silence, before Eddie’s voice filled the room.

‘He is very busy right now, buddy.’ Normally, he always took the time to explain everything to Christopher in deep detail, but the answer was short and collected and it was impossible for her not to turn to look at him. His whole body was tense and his smile didn’t reach his eyes; his hands were closed in fists. Shannon could feel his barely concealed anger coming from him in waves and she felt a little angry too, not for the lawsuit, but for the big elephant in the room.

Her son had nightmares about the tsunami, and more times than not, he woke up screaming for Buck.

They both had realized it too late, when Buck had already put a wall between him and the world and while Shannon thought that it would do some good for their son to talk with the other man, to make sure that he was okay, Eddie had quickly shut down all her suggestions and, thanks to the thin ice that they were already on, she decided to not push it too much. They were better now, more used to each other and Christopher’s nightmares hadn’t disappeared so Shannon was ready to give it another shot.

She decides to talk to Eddie about it, calmly and with objective arguments now that they had put the little one to bed, but when she comes back to his living room, Eddie sits with a beer in his hand and his eyes are completely unfocused. After the first thought is gone, the jealous one of him being completely devastated for this and not their divorce, Shannon’s heart clenches uncomfortably inside her chest. She could go home, make like this is not her business or even approach the talk about Christopher’s nightmares, but she still loves Eddie. There is no turning a blind eye when the people she loves are hurting, not anymore.

She is taken back to a talk she had with Abuela, just after they got married. They were having lunch, just the two of them, when the older woman had taken her hand softly to get her attention to a more serious manner.

‘The Diaz men are too silent, too closed off.’ Her words were kind and Shannon smiled back because, how couldn’t she? ‘They don’t know about feelings. It’s our job to help them with all of that.’ The wives’ job, she meant. Shannon had taken that advice at heart, so much that it almost broke her, but now that she’s back to being herself, she could allow herself to be Eddie’s wife for a little bit. Just a moment.

There was a time when they were in love, together in every sense of the world, and that sort of thing leaves behind a series of rituals. That’s why it’s so incredibly easy to leave her bag and drop to her knees in front of him, in the space between his legs. Her hands reach for his legs, caressing them lightly and his eyes finally focus on her with recognition.

They had been in this position before, millions of times, sometimes innocent, some not so much.

‘You are brooding.’ Her voice is light, setting the tone of this and making him give her the tiniest of smiles. It’s still something, so she knows they are off to a good start. Shannon used to do this, to sit in front of him, to catch his demons and his worries one at a time with smiles and quick jokes. ‘Wanna talk?’

For a moment, she thinks he is going to say no, but his face constricts before his head falls forward, hiding his face from her. He looks up again, but brushes his hand angrily above his face. ‘I’m so fucking angry.’ It’s serious, considering Eddie is cursing. ‘I still can’t believe that he did this’. The fire lighting his eyes, in his usual calm expression, is unsettling and the only thing she can do is press her fingers against his thighs a little harder, grounding him.

‘People do insane things when they think they are losing themselves.’ This time, she speaks quietly, feeling her heart break at the admission, but it’s a familiar pain. There is not a day she regrets leaving them in the way she did, but now she is sure it was for the best. For all three of them. And she knows Buck has the same fear she had back them, to feel like you don’t have a place in this world. It’s consuming, leaving no room for anything else but groundbreaking confusion. Eddie must know what she is thinking because his eyes soften just a bit. ‘Even hurt the people they love.’

It’s just a coincidence that in her case and Buck’s, Eddie and Chris are right in the middle of the chaos.

‘Shannon, that’s not…’

She shakes her head before he even tries to finish that sentence. ‘Buck is scared. I’ve met him a handful of times, and even I know he wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose.’ Shannon likes Buck, mostly because it’s impossible not to and because she knows how much he loves her son. Sometimes jealousy appears when she sees how much of a unit the three of them are without her, but she knows how to handle that by now. She wouldn’t have a minute of peace if she got upset by every person that’s been there for her boys when she hasn’t.

‘And Chris is scared too.’ She knows it’s a low blow, that maybe she should have eased into the subject with him, but if she can’t shake Eddie’s anger then she’s at least going to give him some perspective. ‘He wakes up calling for Buck. We can’t keep going like this and the therapist said-’

‘I won’t call him. I can’t talk to him.’ If she were a stranger, she would have missed the slight tone of desperation in his tone and the fact that he didn’t mention the lawsuit at all.

‘I’ll call him.’ Before she can realize it, she’s using her mom tone, the one she used when she was trying to help Christopher with something particularly difficult. ‘I’ll call him and tell him. I won’t mention you.’ Her promise at the end is almost solemn, but the corner of her mouth lifts just a bit. ‘I can also leave the light on when I tuck you into bed.’

Eddie has the decency to roll her eyes but then, a laugh comes out of his lips and she’s unable to hold back a grin. Some of the tension leaves his shoulders and for a quick second, just a fleeting moment, Shannon can’t help but think how beautiful Eddie Diaz is when he’s not completely lost in himself.

Her eyes drop to his lips, because it seems natural to do it, and she can feel him following the gesture with his eyes. The air changes around them and she knows it would be easy to just lean closer, to fall into his arms, but it’s impossible to forget that this is not about her. This is about the lawsuit and the betrayal and, above all, about Buck.

Without another word, she stands and takes the bag from the floor, grateful that Eddie doesn’t try to stop her. Mostly because she doesn’t think it’s a good moment to explain to him that the reason he is so upset is because maybe, just maybe, her best friend’s betrayal is too similar to her own.

She’s almost at the door when she turns, knowing there is something else she has to say. For Eddie’s sake.

‘You have forgiven me for worse, Eddie.’

Shannon doesn’t stay to see the look of confusion in his face.

The next day, Christopher is at her house and when the nightmares come, she doesn’t think twice before calling Buck. He’s asleep and surprised to hear from her, but after a quick explanation, there is an urge in his voice when he asks her to put Christopher on the phone. The man brings her son back quickly and they stay on the phone until her son’s light snores fill the room.

‘Shannon?’ Buck’s whispers, like he expects there is no answer coming.

‘Yes, Buck?’

‘I…’ There is some hesitation and a bit of silence, until he speaks again. ‘I didn’t know about this. I…’

‘I know, Buck.’ She is tired too but she is so thankful for Buck in that moment. ‘He really misses you.’

‘I miss him too. So much.’

It’s a surprise for everyone but her when, a week later, Buck drops the lawsuit.

#buddie #buddie 911 #911 fox #evan buckley #eddie diaz #mywritting*

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violent-optimism · 5 years

Text

Ranking the Uncharted Villains

Hey Everyone!

I know this post is kind of out of the blue. The truth is I’ve been working on it for about a month or two. It’s taken me a long time to make but it’s finally done and I am ready to share it with you all!

Please enjoy this ranking of all the villains in the Uncharted game series. The order of characters is from worst to best. These are just my personal opinions, and I don’t mean to change anyone’s minds!

Also, please excuse the poor quality of some of these images, I struggled to find high quality ones!

(Note: I will not be including minor/side villains like Ramses, Orca, etc.)

Gabriel Roman – Simon Templeman

So let’s start off with, in my opinion, the worst of the bunch, and not in a good way. Roman is not a horribly written villain at all, but compared to some of the other Uncharted baddies, he’s pretty boring. There’s not much about him that is interesting or unique. He’s just an old British guy hell-bent on finding the treasure before our heroes do. Never seen that before! Although I will give him props for being the only Uncharted villain to actually “kill” one of the heroes…for a limited time that is.

Atoq Navarro – Robin Atkin Downes

Much like his boss, Navarro ain’t that special either. He doesn’t even have that many lines or screen time until the later chapters of the game. One could easily forget about his existence, especially during the more intense areas of the campaign. However, Navarro is slightly better than Roman in one specific way, in that he is revealed to have been pulling the strings all along; and is in fact the main baddie whom you fight in the final showdown. He appears to be far more intelligent than originally shown, which makes for an interesting twist when he betrays Roman and ultimately kills him.

Asav – Usman Ally

For those of you who have had the pleasure to experience the amazing game that is Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, you are probably very familiar with this villain. To put it plainly, Asav is a delusional yet intelligent psychopath who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. While seemingly very intimidating at first, Asav’s plan starts to fall apart towards the end of the game thanks to the insane stubbornness of Chloe and Nadine. In truth, Asav is actually nothing more than a madman who struggles to see beyond his own vision. He is definitely well written (and acted) but he fails to hold up against some of the franchise’s more iconic villains.

Eddy Raja – James Sie

Speaking of iconic villains, it doesn’t get any more iconic than this hilarious baddie from the original game. While he doesn’t have a terrible amount of screen time, Eddy completely steals the show whenever he’s around thanks to the brilliant comedic timing of James Sie. Eddy is an interesting character as he somehow manages to be intimidating and pathetic at the same time. Hot-headed and completely full of himself, the Indonesian crime lord is a classic villain with only one true motivation: treasure (lots of it!). I do acknowledge that Nate and Eddy teamed up before his rather gruesome death, but let’s be honest…he’s definitely a bad guy, no question about it.

Katherine Marlowe – Rosalind Ayres

Looks can be deceiving, and while Marlowe might look like a sweet old lady, she is anything but. Cold, manipulative and incredibly smart; Marlowe is the only Uncharted villain to have literally been at odds with Nate for most of his treasure hunting life. Granted, she needs help from her loyal bodyguards in order to fully enact her wicked deeds, but Marlowe is a very imposing woman nonetheless. Preferring psychological warfare and controlling her enemies through fear, Marlowe is one of Nathan Drake’s greatest adversaries, and rightfully so!

Talbot - Robin Atkin Downes

Probably the most terrifying thing about this Uncharted baddie is just how little we actually know about him. Wherever Marlowe goes, Talbot is never far behind. Throughout his appearances in Uncharted 3, the secondary villain appears to do things that should be impossible. He’s like a magician, a secret service agent and a sadist rolled into one terrifying man. While seeming prim and proper on the outside, Talbot houses an evil streak and shares his superior’s goal of dominating opponents through fear and pain. Oh, and definitely don’t accept any drugs he offers…

Rafe Adler – Warren Kole

Rafe has got to be the worst example of what happens when you spoil your kids. What do all men with money want? More money. With big dreams of finding Henry Avery’s treasure and the bank account to pull it off, Rafe will stop at nothing to prove he is more than just another rich white guy (which he totally is). However, money isn’t the only thing that Rafe has going for him. He does an exceptional job at pretending to act like a sane individual. In truth, he’s a psychotic monster with a temper that’s always bubbling just below the surface. Rafe doesn’t care about being nice and never will, he just wants one thing and I’m pretty sure you know what that is (psst…treasure).

Nadine Ross - Laura Bailey

To be honest, I sort of struggled on whether or not to actually include Nadine on this list. Yes, she is one of the main villains in Uncharted 4, but as we know from The Lost Legacy, she isn’t all bad, and isn’t nearly as loathsome as some of the other characters on this list.

That being said, Nadine is not to be messed with. She literally packs a punch! Capable of fighting two grown men at once, the leader of Shoreline will make you think twice about the phrase: “hits like a girl”. Straightforward, blunt and not one to mince words, Nadine is as strategic as she is lethal. She also has the unique experience of being the only Uncharted villain to avoid death. In the end, she’s all the better for it.

Harry Flynn – Steve Valentine

It’s impossible to overstate just how entertaining this character is. Flynn is a villain that you love to hate. While not quite as witty as Drake, Flynn does possess a wicked sense of humor; ultimately dishing out some of the most hilarious dialogue in the entire Uncharted series. What is interesting about Flynn is that he honestly just seems like an ordinary guy who made some very wrong choices. His lack of intelligence and pathetic tendencies don’t make him very threatening; especially in comparison to his villain counterpart.

On the other hand, Flynn does seem to get a kick out of fooling Drake and even lands a rather devastating gunshot wound on our hero. Although he tries his best to impress Lazarevic, his efforts aren’t up to snuff, and the villain dies in what is probably one of the most tragic and unexpected deaths of the series.

Zoran Lazarevic – Graham McTavish

Come on, who else could earn the number one spot on this list? In my opinion, Lazarevic is by far the scariest and most dangerous villain in Uncharted. Described as a “psychopathic war criminal” by Elena, the main baddie from Uncharted 2 has no issue with killing his own men if he believes it will help him reach his goal. There is a certain philosophy to him, as he is inspired by the “great men” of history (i.e. Hitler) and wishes to go down in history as a similar figure. He’s a complete sadist and enjoys taunting people with games that put lives at risk. Lazarevic (allegedly) becomes invincible, so much so that even Nathan Drake can’t defeat him. He is utterly insane and if given the opportunity, will snap a few necks and take great pleasure in doing so. Lazarevic is the best Uncharted villain, hands down.

I hope you guys enjoyed my list! Let me know what you think!

#Uncharted #Uncharted Villains #my ranking

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eddiekasp · 7 years

Note

what about reddie's first fight? 👀

Sure thing!!! Again, thank you so much the the lovely amazing @beepsrichie who helped with some of these HCs! Get ready for angst:

- Richie and Eddie bicker all the time about tiny things. Which movie to watch, who won in their game of cards, things like that. These go away after minutes though, and are totally out of affection. Because of these tiny tiffs, most of their anger dissipates during them.

- They’re also very honest with each other (sometimes brutally honest) so real fights between them are very, very rare.

- Their first fight, however, was a couple weeks after they started dating during their Sophomore year of High School.

- By this time, Richie’s home life was really bad. His mom was drinking severely, often barely able to function and left under the care of her only son, and Richie’s father was home but nearly out of the picture. They were pretty much complete strangers to each other.

- Richie was so embarrassed of them and of the fact that he didn’t know how to deal with the situation that he didn’t tell anyone about it for a long time. Bev and Eddie got hints, but no details. None of the Losers were allowed over at his house.

- After Richie and Eddie start dating, Eddie encourages Richie to open up more and talk about things that are bothering him. He always puts this facade of humor over his problems, and it was difficult for him to crack his shell and start to be honest with his feelings to other people.

- After Eddie finds one of Richie’s notebooks that had jokes, drawings, writings, etc. in it, Richie let Eddie take it home since there was a lot about him in there (see my fic for more about this!!). However, in there were some pretty concerning things that Richie wrote about his home life.

- Eddie tries to ask Richie about it one night when he can tell Richie is feeling really fucked up about it, but Richie only drops hints at what’s really going on. He refuses to go into detail and fully open up. Eddie knows it’s not because Richie doesn’t trust him, but rather because this is the hardest thing he’s had to deal with in his life, maybe even more so than It when they were in Middle School.

- Eddie is the person that Richie is the most comfortable with, and will even go through with Eddie coming over to his house as long as they have a place to hang out alone. His parents don’t care and never check up on them even if Eddie sleeps over or they’re being loud or anything. His parents totally cannot care less, which is nice when they just want a private place to hang out together, but of course in general doesn’t have the best implications.

- Eddie can come over under the condition that they sprint straight up the stairs and into Richie’s room, locking the door behind him. Eddie isn’t allowed to go around Richie’s house unless Richie’s there, and he DEFINITELY cannot talk to Richie’s parents under any circumstances. By having these informal boundaries set, Richie hopes he can avoid this embarrassment.

- However, a couple weeks after Eddie first started pressing the issue of Richie’s family, he’s over at Richie’s house one night when his mother has an episode.

- She barged into the room completely drunk and making loud comments, telling Richie to go clean up after her mess downstairs. She had left empty cups and glasses all over the counters, and the smell of vomit recently washed down the sink was permeating through the house.

- Richie thought he’d rather drop dead right then and there than have to give Eddie any sort of explanation or see his face after he witnessed this. Richie’s mom yelled at him to go and clean, and Richie was so infuriated he nearly shoved Eddie out the front door and locked it after him.

- Richie cried the whole night, not knowing how to explain or face Eddie after the one thing he had been trying his hardest to avoid in his life. Eddie couldn’t sleep because he was so worried about Richie. He wanted to call him but didn’t think it was a good idea at 3 in the morning.

- The next day, Eddie goes to Richie’s house and persuades him to go for a drive with him. At first it’s completely normal; they talk and laugh as though nothing at all had happened the night before.

- The two finally pull over into the parking lot of the park and Eddie brings up the topic he had been thinking about all day. He asks Richie about the night before and instantly sees his face get dark. Typical for him, Richie attempts to divert the awkwardness by cracking a joke, and Eddie tells him that this is serious and that he was so worried he couldn’t fucking sleep the night before.

- He tells Eddie he doesn’t want to talk about it and that they better drop it or he would leave. He is not budging, completely reluctant to tell Eddie the details of the hell he’s been living in the last couple of years.

- Finally, after 30 minutes of attempted persuasion, Richie can’t hold the hot tears in his eyes anymore and lets them spill, telling Eddie everything he can think of while Eddie holds his hand from the driver’s seat.

- Eddie’s trying to stay calm and just listen to Richie because he knows that’s what he needs right now, but nothing in the world infuriates him more than learning about how his parents had been treating and neglecting him.

- After Richie finishes, Eddie can’t hold in his anger anymore. He starts yelling, not at Richie but about the situation in general. He tells Richie he has to get the fuck out of there, try to prevent his mom from drinking, do things to get his dad to pay attention, talk to them, anything. He needs to see Richie do something to make it better or he feels like he’ll explode, since he knows he himself can’t do anything to ameliorate the situation.

- Richie gets really defensive. He knows he himself can’t do much, either. He tells Eddie that he doesn’t get to tell him what to do since he has no clue what it’s like to be in his situation.

- Eddie just wants to help but is totally terrified and overwhelmed by it all. The idea of someone hurting Richie and Richie feeling like he has no one to talk to makes Eddie tear up, but he knows he’s not helping by reacting the way he was. He didn’t want to offend Richie and knows how personal this is for him, but he’s so angry he can’t help the angry words that spill out. He tells Richie to fucking do something about it.

- They fight back and forth and Richie exclaims how he’s kinda stuck in the situation with not much he can change. Richie always puts up the front of humor because being vulnerable in front of someone is unthinkable to him. He feels like the one time he decides to let his guard down, Eddie reacts horrible. He’s so angry and upset.

- Eddie tells him that he’s just worried and wants to make sure Richie can be happy and okay. Richie tells him that he never asked him to be worried. He says that he thought they would just be hanging out normally, and didn’t sign up for this intervention bullshit. He tries to get out of the car, and Eddie grabs his wrist to pull him back down.

- Eddie can’t understand why Richie won’t let Eddie help him. Eddie says that it’s insane to him that Richie isn’t seeing that he just wants what’s best for him and to help.

- Richie tells him to stop butting into his personal life, and that he doesn’t want his help.

- Eddie nearly shouts, “Richie I just want to fucking be here for you. You don’t always have to put a wall up. I know this is really hard for you, so let me help you deal with it!”

- Richie replies, “Fuck off, you don’t know anything about this. You don’t know about anything I’m going through or how I’m actually feeling, ever.” This is a huge slap to the face for Eddie, who thought they were each other’s closest people.

- Eddie gets super hurt and says that he doesn’t know what Richie means. He says that Richie is like, the most important person in his life. He looks like he’s on the verge of angry, sad tears.

- Richie starts to feel bad for cutting Eddie so deep, and tells him that he feels the same about him. But Eddie’s done by that point, and tells Richie that if he doesn’t want his help or his shoulder to lean on, why was he still here anyways? Why were they even together if Richie couldn’t trust him or allow him to help?

- Richie says he’s not sure himself. He decides to leave and walk home since he wasn’t all that far.

- Richie lingers a bit and keeps looking over his shoulder to see if Eddie was going after him. Eddie keeps checking the mirrors in his car for the same thing. Neither of them go.

- A couple days pass of them not speaking to each other, but Eddie is so filled with guilt and worry that he finds he can barely even eat or focus on school at all. He feels like the most horrible person alive, making Richie feel guilty even though he was the victim. He just wanted to support him and he fucked everything up. He worried that Richie could never confide in him– or anyone– after getting a reaction like that.

- He wouldn’t be able to completely distance himself from Richie though, so he calls Bev every day if not twice a day to ask if Richie’s doing okay.

- Neither Richie nor Eddie told the other Losers what had happened between them, but it didn’t take much to gather that something really bad had happened between them and it was their job to fix it and get them back together.

- The group ends up attempting to trick them to come to the Barrens at the same time. Before then, anytime either of them would go down there they would ask Bill if the other was coming (part of them hoping they wouldn’t so they wouldn’t have to face them, but the other part desperately needing to see them even if they didn’t speak).

- On the day they finally get the two to meet up again, the group has a whole speech prepared about how the two love each other so much and shouldn’t fight. However, the speech goes unused because the second the two see each other, they’re nearly cry and hugging each other for like 15 minutes. Mike laughs and says its like a romance movie come to life.

- The rest of the group lets them be alone, and the two profusely appologize for everything. Richie lets his guard down and is totally honest with Eddie, and Eddie just tries to listen and be there. He tells Richie that he’d do anything to make sure he was happy and that he loves him more than anyone in the world, and just hearing those words (and knowing they’re true) after thinking he was so unworthy of being loved or even entertaining the possibility of someone loving him makes him feel like they’ll be fine.

- They’re totally inseparable again after that, even closer than they were before if that was possible for them.

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crowdvscritic · 4 years

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round up // JUNE 20

The quarantine continues, and so does my insane level of film consumption. As you’ve probably discovered in your many a Zoom call, if you ask, “What’s new?” you usually get a, “Nothing much since we last talked.” Of course, these days no news means good news, so I’ll happily confirm the same is true here at Crowd vs. Critic. In this time of no movie theatres and few new releases, I’m catching up on a lot of classics and squeezing in a yoga sesh and reading in between. Perhaps these pop culture pieces that brought me joy in June will bring you some in July!

June Crowd-Pleasers

Yoga with Adriene

Adriene is all about finding what feels good, and her yoga videos have been helping me feel good during quarantine. I’m a big fan of browsing her YouTube playlist of 20-30 minute practices and picking whatever focus sounds like it would, well, feel good on my lunch break or when I wrap up my work day. If you’re looking for a way to stay active, destressed, or stretched out, Adriene’s (and her dog Benji’s) friendly videos have become my go-to.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum (2019- )

You know those people who can make anything interesting? Jeff Goldblum is the quintessence of that kind of person. Every episode of this Disney+ docuseries covers a broad topic that happens to intrigue him, including ice cream, tattoos, denim, RVs, and jewelry. While I don’t have many questions about ice cream, per se, I’m happy to just ride along on his trips all over the US to learn more about it. He finds niche communities, game changers, and new technology I suspect most won’t be familiar with, and he finds ways to get involved, a lá giving someone a Jurassic Park tattoo or getting custom grills made for his teeth. Truthfully, I don’t care much about what Goldblum chooses to explore as long as he’s stammering and sing-song-ing his way through as only he can.

Double Feature – Historical Action Flicks: The Quick and the Dead (1995) + Troy (2004)

I told you last month I’m working on the Western genre, and The Quick and the Dead (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10) is a ‘90s entry from Sam Raimi featuring a rare female lead (Sharon Stone), the babiest of Leo DiCaprios, an evil Gene Hackman, and an epic tournament of duels. If you’d prefer your adventure several thousand years back, Troy (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10) is a star-studded interpretation of The Iliad featuring a plethora of togas, romance, and epic battle scenes.

Double Feature – Corporate Espionage Thrillers: The Firm (1993) + Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Two unassuming guys start jobs bright-eyed and leave jaded, one a fresh-out-of-law-school attorney and the other a quit-school-to-save-the-world CIA analyst. The Firm (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10) is the critical winner of the pair, but Jack Ryan (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10) is a more satisfying action movie than its Rotten Tomatoes score would suggest. (Another example of why we should take those numbers with a grain of salt.) Bonus: Another evil Gene Hackman in The Firm!

Double Feature – New Crime Comedies: The Lovebirds + My Spy (2020)

For a family movie night in, I recommend My Spy on Amazon Prime (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10), which holds the honor of the last movie I watched in theatres before everything shut down. For date night in, I recommend The Lovebirds (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10), which made me ready for Kumail Nanjiani to become a superstar. You can read my full thoughts on this fun pair of laughs on ZekeFilm:

The Lovebirds

My Spy

Double Feature – Heist Thrillers: Now You See Me (2013) + Finding Steve McQueen (2019)

Close up magic hasn’t been as cool as Now You See Me(Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10) since Houdini was escaping handcuffs. This, of course, has less to do with the magic shows and more to do with the Ocean’s Eleven/The Sting-style plot. I love a movie that pulls the wool over my eyes—Hollywood, this is your call to trick me more often! And who says “cool” like Steve McQueen? While I wouldn’t have minded another pass at the dialogue in Finding Steve McQueen (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), this based-on-a-true-story heist targeting President Nixon looks as cool as it is funny.

Double Feature – ‘80s Comedies: ¡Three Amigos! (1986) + Coming to America (1988)

The stars of early SNL & Friends make movies! Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase bring an alternative version of The Magnificent Seven with more jokes and fewer successful heroics, and I’m surprised at how most of it (save a few moments) has aged well. (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10) And who knows when we’ll get the sequel Coming 2 America that Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall were going to star in this year, but the original sweet and silly romantic comedy about a Prince looking for love is worth revisiting so we’re ready whenever it drops. (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10)

Cinematic Cities: New York by Christian Blauvelt (2019)

I started this Turner Classic Movies book to prep for my first visit to New York City in March...well, we all know what happened there. Kudos to this writer and the book designers who helped me wrap my head around how the neighborhoods are connected in this city and where to find famous movie locales, plus a few off the beaten path. Now I have more places I want to see and taste and experience when I finally go, but until then, I’ve got a list of movies to watch so my vacation doesn’t feel so far away.

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Summer Stock (1950)

The plot is hackneyed and the songs are hokey, but, gee, if I didn't spend the whole time wishing we had more movie stars like these clowns, Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. Twice I tried to wipe the smile off my face as Gene danced, and I just couldn't do it. The corners of my mouth twitched back up because a newspaper and squeaky floor were competing with Judy for his best dance partner! 70 years later this movie still won't let someone wipe a stupid grin off her face—three cheers for camera-magnetic movie stars! Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6/10

Air Force One (1997)

Sure, it’s Die Hard on a plane, but when you nail the formula this well, I think you get more than a pass. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

June Critic Picks

The Sting (1973)

I jumped out of chronological order in my Best Picture watch because I liked Butch and Sundance so much. It’s an unusual winner, but it holds up well. Scroll down a bit for two reviews, or catch ‘em here:

Crowd

Critic

Double Feature - World War II Action Dramas: Saving Private Ryan (1998) + Enemy at the Gates (2001)

Watching this pair back-to-back makes for a poignant compare and contrast of how the United States and Russia managed their campaigns during World War II (at least as they’re depicted here). In Saving Private Ryan (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10), Tom Hanks and Co. are trying to save one soldier just after D-Day; in Enemy at the Gates (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Jude Law is a legendary sniper trying to give hope to his comrades. Compare how both armies fight against all odds, and contrast how one life matters to each country.

Anna Karenina (2012)

Joe Wright reunites with much of his Pride and Prejudice cast, and it’s as magical and beautiful as you’d hope. Keira Knightley stars as the tragic heroine alongside a stacked cast including Domnhall Gleeson, Jude Law, Matthew Macfayden, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Alicia Vikander. Fun fact: I just learned my grandfather calls Knightley “his girlfriend” because he thinks she’s so cute in Pride and Prejudice—no word yet on what he thought of the gorgeous gowns she wore in this movie, but my podcast co-host Kyla and I loved them in our most recent episode. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

Double Feature – Humphrey Bogart: The Maltese Falcon (1941) + Key Largo (1948)

Plenty has been written about how The Maltese Falcon (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10) is the epitome of Film Noir. Now that I’ve met Sam Spade and his femme fatale (Mary Astor) and watched their hunt for a McGuffin, I’ll just join in the chorus. And now that I’ve watched all of Bogie and Bacall’s features, I’m picking Dark Passage as my favorite and Key Largo (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) my second. In their last film together, she’s a war widow and he was a soldier who knew her husband. When he comes to visit her at her hotel in Key Largo, they end up stuck inside during a hurricane with gangsters—tension ensues.

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

While Spike Lee’s latest was a little long, it’s hard to know what to cut when its updated take on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is so engrossing. Between the performances, the action, and the treasure hunt plot, it’s the rare Netflix original in which you won’t be tempted to look at your phone. I’m hoping Delroy Lindo is in the Oscars conversation come next April. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

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Long Gone Summer (2020)

The summer of ’98 was big for me: My sister was born, my family moved to a new house, and I turned six with a Mulan-themed party. (Yes, I was the height of cool.) It was also the summer Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa faced off in a home run battle to beat Roger Maris’s regular season record, which even then I knew was a big deal. This ESPN 30 for 30 episode interviews McGwire, Sosa, and everybody in their orbit, but the real heart is the tribute it pays to St. Louis, Chicago, and baseball as a whole. I knew baseball films make me cry, and it turns out good baseball documentaries do, too.

Women In Music Pt. III by HAIM (2020)

The sisters are back with an album made for late-night driving with the windows down, and “I Know Alone” feels like a COVID anthem.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

If you loved La La Land like I did and haven’t seen this musical, just get around to watching it already! From the colorful aesthetic to the melancholy plot structure, you can literally see Damien Chazelle’s inspiration for his modern musical. And if you can find an answer as to why the Academy found this film worthy of consideration at not one but two Oscars ceremonies, let me know—I’ve yet to solve that mystery. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 9/10

Double Feature – Gregory La Cava Class Comedies: My Man Godfrey (1936) + 5th Avenue Girl (1939)

I don’t think I’ve watched a film from the 1930s that isn’t about money on some level, and these two from director Gregory La Cava are no exception. In Godfrey (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Carole Lombard is a socialite who brings a homeless man in as their family’s new butler (William Powell), but there’s more to him than they know. in 5th Avenue (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10), Ginger Rogers befriends a lonely businessman (Walter Connolly), and though their relationship is platonic, that doesn’t mean he won’t hire her to make his philandering wife jealous. The moral of both films? Rich people be crazy, which is a great set up for comedy.

Also in June…

In addition to Anna Karenina, Kyla and teased our self-made millionaire hair and introduced our butler Max to discuss the ‘80s rom-com procedural Hart to Hart. If you enjoy detective shows, it’s a fun spin on the genre you may enjoy.

I watched and reviewed Best Picture winners The Sting (above) and the worst one I’ve watched yet, 1933’s Cavalcade. Read the Crowd and Critic reviews to know why it’s not worth your time.

I updated my Letterboxd with a list of all the movies in Cinematic Cities: New York, and my quarantine watch list is almost to 250.

Photo credits: Yoga With Adriene, HAIM. Cinematic Cities my own. All others IMDb.com.

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getseriouser · 5 years

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20 THOUGHTS: Giants Pickett-apart

DID it easy.

A Qualifying Final against the softest draw recipient in memory, into a Preliminary Final with a completely false minor premier, finishing with a Grand Final facing, well, you saw how competitive Saturday was.

All without Alex Rance, like it didn’t matter in the end.

Great side though, clearly the best team in this three-year period and two flags’ reward is nothing short of what they deserve.

So season 2019 done and dusted, Grand Final in the books, and now we trade.

1. Firstly, some self-appeasement. Before you promote others you must be able to promote yourself. It was the night of August 13th, and we quote “Nat Fyfe, if you can get anything over $3 for the Brownlow, just remortgage the house, don’t be subtle”. Not only have we seen many readers cash in, but all the home loan re-financing in doing so has re-stimulated the economy. Brilliant.

2. 174 votes from 173 games now, that’s just insane. Two medals, and then the one he lost to Matt Priddis by a vote even though he lost a week through suspension. In a market that asks “does he win another Brownlow?” I’d happily flutter on ‘Yes’.

3. Anyway, back to the gratuitous love bites in the mirror section of the column, many said the Giants might make this close, some even picked them. Utter trash. Last week we led with the Tigers by 5 goals plus, and the only reason we didn’t go higher was just to be nice. So for anyone who turned Fyfe winnings into Tigers 39+, well done; this isn’t just a shit hot read each week but looks after your hip pocket as well.

4. And lastly in this real look at me section of the column, Marlion Pickett. We declared right back the mid-season draft he was a gun, a steal of a selection and would be in the Tigers’ best 22 by year’s end. Nailed that call right out of the screws, that’s four all day, out through extra cover, don’t bother running.

5. And what a game he played whilst we’re on him, looked assured, looked like he deserved to be out there on such a stage, in such a team. In fact I know the backstory might over-elevate how one could have seen his game, but in that second term I thought he was influential as any, especially getting the ball inside 50 (led all Richmond players on the day pretty sure). I know Martin has a sexy stat line, but for making a real difference, it was Pickett who could have snared the Norm Smith easily for mine.

6. I get the Martin BOG pick, and what a resume that is now, but the influence Pickett had in getting the ball inside 50, plus Riewoldt who hit the scoreboard just as much as Dusty, I don’t think it was as clear cut. Houli too has now had two great Grand Finals and been pipped for the Norm twice. Shouldn’t go unheralded that.

7. Mind you, what if Jason Castagna kicks straight, is it his Norm? Seriously influential in the second, very, very noticeable indeed.

8. Tigers were 9th at the end of Round 14. Without Rance a show of coming back. That’s just a super effort.

9. And then the Giants, are they the second best team of the year? Probably not. West Coast? Ended up fifth and barely made it out of the second week? Collingwood? On paper, probably, but you don’t feel great about it. Sure, might have been the best opposition for Richmond on the day but it was always going to be a Tigers flag this year post bye, no-one else was going to defeat them Saturday more to the point

10. And also on GWS, even with all those really poo years when they came into the comp fronting up with teams fresh out of the creche, that was the Giant’s lowest ever score. Incredible.

11. Justin Longmuir gets the Freo job, yeah mad. I got nothing on that. Scotty Burns looks favourite for the Crows too. Excellent. Top notch. I too have nothing on that.

12. Bold 2020 prediction, one that doesn’t involve the Tigers coz that’s just too easy? Carlton Collingwood Grand Final. We’re seeing a pattern of teams launching from the bottom six of the table, Richmond, Collingwood, then Brisbane this year – a very talented Carlton with a good trade period could be that next iteration. And we also tend to see a revengeful prelim final loser make amends the year after, could that be the Pies next year, to then set up an almighty Grand Final for the ages? Get around it.

13. Trades. Now stay woke. We now have beyond saturated press on this stuff now, and most of it will be as relevant as the nutritional information on a maccas cheeseburger.

Firstly. Herald Sun reported “Essendon says Joe Daniher will be a Bomber next year”. The only quote they used from Essendon was “the facts are he’s contracted for next year”. That headline and that quote are by no means joined at the hip. Not even close. And secondly, today, "The Swan to set to push Reid out of Pies", when Ben Reid has actually re-signed for 2020, and the ‘Swan’ in question is the untried Darcy Cameron, never played a game, not the reincarnation of Barry Round. So please, don’t say you haven’t been warned.

14. That all said, lets see. Seems like Carlton ends up with Jack Martin, Eddie Betts, then one of Dan Butler or Tom Papley. I know it might not seem like much, but with a fit Sam Docherty returning, geez, bet against Carlton making the eight next year at your peril. I know, its Carlton, but you can’t say they’re not due.

15. Tim Kelly, wants to go to West Coast, can they make it happen, probably not? Freo definitely can, so with the Cat this year actually out of contract, he might be destined for the draft if he doesn’t go Dockers. Could end up in purple after all.

16. Sam Powell-Pepper and Orazio Fantasia, that ends up being some sort of swap deal for sure.

17. After all that jazz, I reckon Joe Daniher stays. Story got ahead of everyone I reckon.

18. Gold Coast, geez, how about that for a rescue package. And it is just that, a rescue. Top of the draft priority pick this year, middle first next year, end of first the year after. Plus they get Darwin as their zone and, when it comes to academy players, they can get them without clubs making bids for them. Massive package. Ludicrous. Here’s why, bear with, I’ll keep this as short as possible:

Last year, lost Tom Lynch, but got pick 3 for it in compo, got Izak Rankine, who I think is the most talented kid of last year’s lot. They also lost Steven May to Melbourne but got pack pick 6, Ben King. So yes, seeing their ex-skipper win a flag 12 months on stings but they’re not the first to see that happen, and they’ve already been really well compensated. We move on.

2017, lost Adam Saad for a second rounder, yeah sure, too lost Ablett back to Geelong after getting him for nothing in the first place, he did give that club a Brownlow. They also had pick 2 that year but spent it on getting Lachie Weller from Freo. Exactly! Their first pick was pick 19, Will Powell, yet Tim Kelly went five picks later.

Lastly, 2016, lost Dion Prestia but got pick 7 back, lost Jaeger O’Meara but got back 10. Went to the draft with 4, 7, 9 and 10, drafted Ainsworth, Scrimshaw (left last year for Hawthorn for squat all), Brodie and Bowes. Potatoes the lot of them. Meanwhile, Richmond got Shai Bolton at 29 and Jack Graham at 53.

Futhermore, in those same three trade periods, the Giants lost Jack Steele, Cam McCarthy, Paul Ahern, Will Hoskin-Elliott, Caleb Marchbank, Jarrod Pickett, Devon Smith, Nathan Wilson, Matthew Kennedy, Will Setterfield, Tom Scully, Dylon Shiel and Rory Lobb. The only player of note they’ve gotten back for losing so many has been Tim Taranto.

And just made a Grand Final.

So there’s three things here, one, its not a Suns issue, the Giants have lost heaps too and been just fine, sure, no-one of Tom Lynch’s quality, but it stacks up. Two, they don’t need more picks or access to picks, look at their track record, it hasn’t mattered any which way. And three, yes losing Lynch stings, but they’ve already been well compensated for that, its not as if they’re not getting back to the pointy end of the draft to restock.

Summing up, the Suns just need to stop making mistakes, or move. Whether they get picks, or go for Shaun Burgoyne, whether they get pick 1 or pick 50, whatever actions they take and decisions they make, they need to be good ones. Remember when retention wasn’t a Gold Coast issue but a Queensland footy issue, funny how that disappeared so quick it kinda makes you question how real a problem it was for Brisbane in the first place? Either Chris Fagan and Luke Hodge are in essence God and Jesus respectively, or it’s a non-issue. And then the Suns package today becomes a joke.

Either the Suns get out of this mess organically and its been a waste of time and way too much hot air, or guess what, they’re still desperately shit in three years post-package and Tassie is knocking on Gil’s door asking how much more than can do.

Anyway, where were we…

19. Footy Show Grand Final on Wednesday rated as well in Melbourne as the Front Bar did the following night. Interesting. Watch Nine commit to something for next year, not sure what, maybe it’s the Sunday Footy Show boys or something else, but a prime time offering from Nine next year got rubber stamped essentially off those numbers. Will it work? Let’s wait and see.

20. And for anyone who thinks rules have ruined AFL, that score review or any adjustments to the laws have made it too hard to stick with after all these years – you’ve got nothing on the Rugby World Cup. The great game of Rugby, that’s always being very hard to referee anyway with all the tackles and rucks, has become impossible and any true-blue Aussie watching the Wales game Sunday, would make any nay-sayer AFL sceptic send Steve Hocking a Christmas Card. There’s always someone worse off, I assure you.

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thesportssoundoff · 7 years

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Dallas gets a PPV and it’s a great one: UFC 211 Preview

Joey

May 8th, 2017

The first half of 2017 has been all about ups and downs for the UFC. The free TV events have been for the most part acceptable even though they've lacked the sizzle to their events (as evidenced by not bad but not good ratings for most of their FS1 events and a few clunkers on FOX). On PPV, the story has been a lot tougher as bad cards lived up to bad billing, even if on paper I thought 208 had some fun aspects to it, and good cards either suffered injuries or were hampered by things out of the company's control. 209 was a great card that ended with an all time bad main event plus the loss of its co-main event while 210 had weird as hell fights, a perplexing main event, crazy judging and some even crazier refereeing. It's been a mess and as such, UFC 211 is being welcomed with open yet skeptical arms. This card actually reminds me a lot in some ways of UFC 146 from way back in the day. That year business was slow for the company and so they turned to an all heavyweight main card to inject some life into the UFC. It was a really great show and for a while, we could all forget about how utterly bumpy the road was and amuse ourselves in the rise of a new heavyweight phenom in Junior Dos Santos. Ironically enough, JDS rides into town during another bumpy as hell year to challenge for the title opposite Stipe Miocic. The main card for UFC 211 is arguably perfection from a matchmaking standpoing as all five fights are well matched fights pitting strength vs strength. All five fights could headline their own UFC event which is the sign of a great main card. Prelims are more than adquate as well and in some cases VERY very good, namely in the prelim headliner.

Fights: 14

Debuts: 4 (Rashad Coulter, Jared Gordon, Michel Quinones and David Branch)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 1 (Jarjhis Danho/Dimitro Poberezhets turned into Dimitri Pobereezhets/Chase Sherman turns into Chase Sherman/Rashad Coulter)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 10 (Joanna Champion, Stipe Miocic, Junior Dos Santos, Jorge Masvidal, Demian Maia, Frankie Edgar, Yair Rodriguez, Henry Cejudo, Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (Chase Sherman, Henry Cejudo)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 11 (Stipe Miocic, Joanna Champion, Jessica Andrade, Demian Maia, Jorge Masvidal, Yair Rodriguez, Segio Pettis, Chas Skelly, Jason Knight, Kryzstof Jotko, Marco Polo Reyes)

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 11-10)- Rashad Coulter, David Branch

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 6-10)- Rashad Coulter

Second Fight (Current number: 11-14)- Gadzhimurad Antigulov, JessicaAguilar

Twelve Precarious Ponderings:

1- The first fight for JDS and Stipe Miocic is well and truly a classic worth going out of your way to see. The first four rounds were really great shit and the last round is sort of disappointing but both guys were absolutely gassed out so forgive them. Miocic's boxing was worlds better than JDS for the first two (and IMO three) rounds but then Miocic just absolutely gassed out and JDS was able to pour the pressure on and rely on his superior conditioning, heart and fight IQ to wear out Miocic. In rewatching the second fight though, I noticed a few things that paint perhaps a more compelling picture in the rematch. For starters, there's a sequence in the second round where JDS is able to find a combination which gets the respect of Miocic. From then on, JDS is able to pop the same combination over and over and Miocic starts trying to wrestle him. The more you wrestle JDS, the more tired you get unless you're Cain (and even Cain Velasquez was exhausted at the end of their third fight in the troilgy). JDS has insane balance for a big man and Miocic is sneaky deceptive----but it is worth pointing out that Moicic has not had a fight leave the first round since the Dos Santos fight. JDS went five rounds last April even if it was kind of sort of a sparring exhibition.

2- IF you're picking JDS in this fight, you're gambling on two things. 1) The fact that Miocic hasn't had five tough rounds and has shown vulnerability against big punchers who combo well and 2) the HOPE that Dos Santos vs Rothwell was not one of those "the candle burns brightest before it goes out" moments where a fading fighter finds himself for one last big hurrah before the cliff hits. Otherwise there's no reason why the less shop worn, more athletic, more versatile fighter (Miocic's wrestling still exists even if he doesn't use it for a single god damn thing) who hits just as hard and KO'd the dude who KO'd THIS dude should be the loser. The problem is that vs Rothwell, JDS was everything you'd wish for him to be and then some. He looked quick on his feet, versatile with his strikes, powerful with his jab and most of all he seemed to be pulling the trigger again.

3- Who is the #1 contender AFTER this? There's Overeem/Werdum and I'm not sure I'd go that route. After a series of fresh HW title fights (Werdum/Cain, Werdum/Miocic and Miocic/Overeem), going winner vs winner here inevitably sets up a rematch of some kind. Francis Ngannou is sitting out there amassing wins and looking awesome but any of those four guys represents a massive step up and the only one I'd comfortably say Ngannou would beat is Overeem due to the whole Overeem so-so chin and Ngannou being quite possibly the hardest hitting HW since Shane Carwin. Derrick Lewis would be fun as shit if he beat Mark Hunt but man, I do NOT want to see Lewis/Werdum or Lewis/Miocic where Derrick has to shuck off 40 takedowns. In a perfect world, Cormier vs JDS would be a lot of fun but I think Cormier would retire before he'd move back up to HW.

4- The co-main event feels like a fight where there's a realistic chance for an upset even if nobody wants to discuss it. On paper this is a stylistic dream fight, two really tough really powerful women with differing styles (Joanna more of a symphony of violence, Jessica Andrade more like thrash metal) where if anyone is going to get to Joanna, it's the fighter who can pressure forward and put all kinds of smoke and team on her shots. I don't know if Jessica has one punch finishing power but I would argue she hits harder at 135 lbs and possesses the better submission game. The one thing I keep coming back to is Joanna's style and how over her last 3-4 fights, there's been some cracks showing. Against Valerie Letourneau, the few moments Val had came when she would pressure and blitz Joanna. She didn't win the fight but she had a few moments where you coulf see something could be done there. Vs Claudia Gadelha, Joanna had a REALLY tough time early dealing with the pressure AND power of Claudia. Gadelha put her down at one point (twice even if I remember correctly) and who knows where the fight goes if Claudia doesn't gas out going for takedowns. Against Karolina K, Joanna didn't seem as aggressive, didn't seem to press the issue with power shots as often and even was hurt REALLY badly by someone I would not consider to be a powerful striker. There's something going on here and Joanna's comments about maybe retiring and her long term health plus the scares she'd had in her past two fights paint a picture of something bigger. The rumors of her going to ATT and not being particularly well recieved raise a few concerns as well, I guess. I dunno there just seems to be a lot happening with Joanna that leaves room for doubt.

NOW is Jessica Andrade the fighter to beat her? I mean....it's hard to imagine someone who twice went life and death with Rocky Pennington winning the title from the most dominant female champion going currently. It's also hard to imagine this fight heading into the 4th or 5th rounds with Andrade not having a serious cardio disadvantage working against her. Also Joanna's kicks are the best Jessica has seen pretty much ever and so while I don't always go Joe Rogan on leg kicks, they're bound to have an advantage. I just think if anybody is going to beat Joanna Champion, this is the gal and this is the time for it. There's some smoke here.

5- If Yair Rodriguez KOs Frankie Edgar (or just beats him decisively), would that justifiably make Yair the #1 contender for the winner of Holloway-Aldo? Even over Cub Swanson who has two wins in high profile fights and is on paper as popular as he's ever been?

6- Man imagine a Mexico even with Yair fighting for the FW title and Brandon Moreno challenging for the flyweight title. That'd be fuckin' cool.

7- I went back and briefly looked at Demian Maia's shortcomings/weaker performances at welterweight. The two consistent refrains is that Maia can be stalled out on the ground (or perhaps he stalls you out from attempting any offense and can just stay on top) and his cardio in some of those fights, specifically ones where early on he has to really fight for takedowns, can lead to openings. Matt Brown DID have Maia bothered in the second half of their fight before Maia just snatched his neck and put him to bed---but Maia did take some shots in the process. Masvidal is REALLY hard to take down and even tougher to keep down. On the other hand, Masvidal is not a guy well known for turning up the heat late. I know pace and tempo are like boilerplate MMA terms but Masvidal IS the perfect example of a guy who controls pacing, tempo and has superb timing. The third round if it gets that far is going to be very interesting.

8- Sergio Pettis beats Henry Cejudo (by whatever way you so desire), does Pettis get the "record" shot vs Mighty Mouse or is that still Ray Borg's gig?

9- On paper I'd argue that Cejudo/Pettis and Alvarez/Poirier should be switched but Eddie has been SO quiet since the McGregor thrashing that I wonder if there's maybe some concern about his focus. The prelim headliner is still a BIG spot but it's obviously a lot more low profile than PPV main card. Whatever the case may be, I bet that fight is going to be badass while it lasts. Also shout out to Dustin Poirier for fighting like three months ago on one leg then turning around and taking a MASSIVE step up.

10- The Fight Pass fight of all fights pits SportsSoundoff hero Gabriel "Moggly" Benitez vs TheAntiCool's BFF Enrique Barzola. Mexico vs Peru! Moggly Benitez was once thought of to be one of the better fighters off of TUF Latin America Season One and while he is still 2-1 despite running into the leg of Andre Fili (no shame in that), he's probably been a step behind the likes of Marlon "Chito" Vera, Yair Rodriguez and Teco Quinones. He's a good fighter who probably has some untapped potential the more he trains with the likes of AKA. On the other hand, Enrique Barzola is a REALLY good, really raw young fighter with unlimited athletic potential and a developing fight game. He should be undefeated in the UFC but que sera sera and all that good stuff. Barzola's wrestling is surprisingly good for a fighter discovered off of TUF LAM and his striking is unorthodox, really funky and seems to be improving each time out. Enrique Barzola should be the favorite but I refuse to believe that Moggly won't have a shot.

11- We all like to bitch and banter about the UFC's LHW division but this is yet another show in a string of them where they're trying to churn the bottom of the roster. Similarly the same could be said with a HW as well with a new HW in the mix. Injury replacement and all but still!

12- Gotta admit I totally forgot about Jessica Aguilar and how good she is.

Must Wins:

Junior Dos Santos

Of the two big names in the main event, I feel like JDS has the most to lose here with a loss. Let's not entirely mince some words here; this is almost a gift title shot. He's getting the shot because someone has to fight Miocic and Cain/Werdum are both in the UFC bad books for two vastly different reasons. Rothwell was a damn good win given the streak he was on and so it's not like JDS didn't earn some semblance of a title shot. Even that being the case, Dos Santos' last seven fights consist of wins over Frank Mir, Cain twice, Mark Hunt, Overeem, Miocic and Rothwell. He's 4-3 and he wasn't entirely competitive in those losses. That being said, he's got a chance here. Miocic is hittable, his moments of greatness oftentimes coming out of brief glimpses of frailty. In glimpses JDS has the ability to remind you of why once upon a time he was the no doubt about it best HW in the world. If he loses to Miocic, you'd essentially have to acknowledge that if he's a top 5 HW, 3 of his contemporaries in that mix have beaten him.

Frankie Edgar

At just 24 years old, the 145er and 155ers of the UFC will be dealing with Yair Rodriguez for a long time. He's going to challenge for plenty of belts and as his physical maturation combines with Greg Jackson in his ear, Yair Rodriguez will almost certainly be a face for the UFC. There's no pressure on Yair here. Frankie Edgar is one of those fighters stuck in no man's land. The scene at 155 lbs has grown to the point where Edgar's herky jerky quirky stylings and in and out movement can't carry him the way it used to. At the same time, he's had two swing and a misses at Jose Aldo and the last one wasn't quite as competitive as we all hoped it'd be. He's 35 years old, on the last fight of his deal and he's the kind of guy the UFC has been losing/letting go recently. The sort of guy who is a TV draw but not a PPV draw who has essentially maxed out his value. Edgar vs Yair is the battle of good young fighter who might be great against the great old fighter who might be slowly dropping towards good. Edgar is far and away the greatest wrestler Yair has ever faced and conversely, Yair Rodriguez is really the most dynamic athletic that Edgar has faced. No, I don't think he's as good as Aldo but Yair does so many other weird, wacky and wild things that he essentially combines the "I don't give a fuck" of Cub Swanson with the versatility of Aldo. Edgar wins this fight and he's got two wins in a row likely looking at a bigger payday and he PROBABLY sneaks his way back into talks as a name for 145 lbs again or even 135 lbs if he finally commits to that drop in weight. A loss and maybe the UFC views a 35 year old Frankie Edgar as a guy on the downslide who can no longer beat the elites, isn't going to fight for the title and may not be worth six figures for them anymore.

Demian Maia

There's a section of UFC fans who think Demian Maia is a draw and he's really not. His TV numbers aren't great, I don't think Maia is a guy who draws people to the venue and he exits to be what I believe most insiders would refer to as card dressing. Having said that, the 170 lb landscape is KIND OF in the midst of some upheaval and so if Maia's ever going to get that title shot, the opportunity has to be now. He's won what feels like 10 fights in a row and his wins are over the likes of Carlos Condit, Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson and Ryan LaFlare. He gets a surprisingly difficult puzzle to figure out; a low output striker who rarely misses his shots, rarely gets taken down, might be impossible to submit and has found some power since he moved up to 170 lbs. It's a fight Maia should win that presents some stylistic challenges for an aging BJJ maestro with so so cardio but arguably the stickiest grappling in MMA. We recently saw a similar minded aging BJJ maestro struggle vs a a guy who presented stylistic challenges who rarely gets taken down and has found his power after moving up in weight. I don't know if the ending will be the same but there's no question that there are some similarities in these two movie scripts.

Five Underlying Themes

1- Will there be more consistency in the three person commentary booth or are we doomed to more at times awkward at times stilted bro convos between Rogan and DC?

2- This is the best card of the year but I'd almost argue UFC 208 had more buzz to it. Will this card pick up as we get closer and realize this fight is FINALLY happening?

3- Texas has a well earned rep for shitty judging, even worse reffing and just general commission wackiness. Are we in line for another night of madness?

4- How will the crowd respond to Yair Rodriguez, a budding star to be, in his biggest fight ever?

5- Will we get any UFC 213 or UFC 214 announcements?

#MMA #UFC #UFC 211 #Junior Dos Santos #Stipe Miocic #Joanna Champion #Frankie Edgar #David Branch

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