#[[this tag could be used on... everything he does??]]

[gallaghersgal]

SUMMER SNOW j. hughes x pop star!reader

TAGS & WARNINGS → my first smau?? crazy!! fc is sabrina for most pics, reader's stage name is summer :))

SUMMARY → in the midst of your national tour, a romance brews between you and a certain devils player. shown through insta posts!

A/N → hiiii guys the hockey brainrot is so bad. quinn fic when?

liked by yourbestie, njdevils, jackhughes, 17.5m others

summermusic same arena, same weekend, same shade of red. jersey you were so sweet!

104.2k comments

yourbestie thanks for the front row seats @njdevils

njdevils any time!

user01 summer looks sooo good in red

njdevils jersey magic 😉

user02 i love summer and i love the devs this is amazing

user03 oh she’s a hughes fan okay

user04 ugh imagine they dated

user05 that’s so far from reality dude 💀

user06 imagine!!!

liked by summersmusic, teamsummer, jackhughes, 550.7k others

njdevils two icons in red 🏒💋

15.8k comments

summersmusic 💋⛸️ (❤️ by creator)

user01 didn’t know admin was a summer fan!

user02 wait… there have been rumors about summer and a hockey player…

user03 bro don’t push it

user02 i’m just saying. does admin know something we don’t?

user04 MY FAVS

liked by vogue, yourbestie, jackhughes, 10.3m others

summersmusic put a lot of love into this one. “loyal” is yours at midnight 💋

77.7k comments

yourbestie photo creds where (❤️ by creator)

summersmusic sorry queen!

taylorswift love this one! (❤️ by creator)

user01 my jack x summer brain is going crazy over these lyrics

user02 NO FR

user03 “think i finally found a man that’s loyal” ugh i need what they have

user04 they aren’t together?

user03 they are in my head

user05 he liked it too!

story by summersmusic

liked by lhughes_06, _quinnhughes, yourbestie, 101.6k more

jackhughes time off on the slopes

8.2k comments

lhughes_06 where's the video of you busting your ass? (❤️ by creator)

jackhughes pipe down

user01 jack and summer soft launches on the same day?? what timeline are we in cause i love it

user02 I HAVE NO ONE TO TALK TO ABOUT THIS!!

user06 AND HE USED ONE OF SUMMERS SONGS

njdevils always good on ice 🏂 (❤️ by creator)

yourbestie ❄️🧚‍♀️

user03 HELLO?

user04 ariana what are u DOING HERE

user05 she's a big devs fan! thats why she went with summer to the game

liked by jackhughes, yourbestie, vogue, 15.5m others

summersmusic ice princess ⛸️

108.3k comments

yourbestie and why wasn't i invited? (❤️ by creator)

user01 PLS THIS IS CLEARLY A DATE

user02 their friendship is everything to me

jackhughes i could show you a thing or two on the ice (❤️ by creator)

user06 i can’t tell if he’s shooting his shot or implying they’re together 💔

user07 choosing to believe they’re dating

user03 straight to the jacksummer evidence file (❤️ by creator)

user04 NOT A DRILL SHE LIKED THIS ONE TOO

vogue maybe winter is your season

user05 and with loyal as the song. people died!!

liked by summersmusic, yourbestie, lhughes_06, _quinnhughes 126.3k others

jackhughes i’ve got summer on a snowy day ❤️

101.7k comments

summersmusic ur gf kinda cute (❤️ by creator)

summersmusic dedicating my next album to u (❤️ by creator)

jackhughes i can't wait

yourbestie this secret was SO hard to keep

_quinnhughes lovebirds 🙄 (❤️ by creator)

njdevils match made in new jersey ⛸️❤️

user05 ew 😭

user01 AWW WITH THE HEART 🥹

lhughes_06 so do we get free concert tickets now or…

teamsummer stop by any time!

user03 i’m not breathing until summer releases her hard launch too

summersmusic PLEASE BREATHE I’LL POST RN

user03 HAHA SUMMER ILY!!!

user04 ugh she rlly is the people’s pop princess i love her sm

user02 oh i KNOW summer wrote the caption

liked by vogue, jackhughes, yourbestie, 32.6m others

summersmusic u guys were right, loyal is about him

10.8. comments

jackhughes my girl (❤️ by creator)

summersmusic mmhm baby

yourbestie cant believe my wife is wifed up (❤️ by creator)

trevorzegras oh jack pulled.

summersmusic 🤭

lhughes_06 can you write a song about me (❤️ by creator)

user01 YESSS

user02 THIS is my roman empire

user03 they’re literally so fucking cute

© gallaghersgal, 2025. images from pinterest. div. cred (x)

THX 4 READING → loosely beta'd by @notsonian my love <33

[sgiandubh]

Delulu vs. trululu

As expected, promo for the overall stodgy TCND just started in NYC, including with this released and then quickly deleted Instagram pic, shared by the Sassenach Spirits' account:

Not the cleverest marketing & sales move, if you ask me. Knowing this fandom's usual bigot and/or scoffing triggers (which I tend to think S & team do, and rather very well), why even entertain lurid speculation and, by the same token, an unnecessarily juvenile image of The Co-founder? Oh, how I wish they'd step up their game a bit and perhaps be more coherent with that fresh, witty sales approach that first caught my eye!

Why. A rhetorical question that never grows old, as far as SC are concerned. Take for example the latest interview released yesterday by the Fangirlish.com website, which is barely a blurb in the great Instagram tapestry. 6k followers do not a great media outlet make, I believe and they've been around since 2011 (!).

Perhaps on design or perhaps because both of them DGAF anymore, we were treated to these parallel public statements on a rarely brought about and carefully censored calibrated topic: personal lives.

[Source: https://fangirlish.com/2025/01/12/interview-sam-heughan-and-caitriona-balfe-on-jamie-claires-growth-in-outlander/]

While C ambiguously mentions what Claire's character brought to who she is now, she is probably throwing to the scrapheap that constipated but convenient braggadocio that she was 'totally able to separate between Claire and herself'. Something we kept on reading ad nauseam from EFH to the Remarkable Week-end and beyond. She now readily acknowledges she has led 'this project alongside S', all the while - which is even more telling - 'assuming everything that implies'. For some reason, I doubt she simply meant the rather decorous EP functions, but also the entire emotional burden of it all, to which this damned fandom is not exactly a stranger. As we have long surmised, they are in this thing together and they did it together (been together, loved together, lived together, lied together...) all along this tortuous path. Cue in the usual venom that they can't stand each other anymore, I don't really care, at this point in time.

S dutifully obliges as C's sounding board and takes it the needed (but completely unnecessary, Narrative-wise) extra mile: JAMMF has given him 'an incredible relationship, one I never thought I’d have'.

Surely he does not mean Flukenzie Floozy or the entire Fitness Harem panoply, Ha-wa-wee 🐰and Dubai Burlesque included. And she could have rectified on the spot or poked fun at him or anything in between. Yet, she did not: surely Tracula is again the 'very understanding' character of that plot!

Why even bring it up all of this now? Why even mention personal stuff both of them have a rather appalling PR management of, from unnecessary exposure to gaslighting an entire fandom and probably also the kitchen sink?

For the sake of an ending series?

Oh, come on - give me a break, here. We are neither delulu, nor stupid.

PS: Thank you for the pic. You know who you are ;)

Later edit: I am told with good reason that is was not Sassenach Spirits which posted that pic, but the Instagram user @stevieme88 - a bartender at that last SS event in the US. He then proceeded to go private again, but the pic was downloaded and shared by that very well informed vigilante account, which then chose to tag Sassenach Spirits (why?).

Gracias a ti, siempre.

[bunsiesblog]

My Promise to You

s!1 Viktor x Showgirl!reader

A letter Viktor writes to his childhood friend and first love. A reminder that he has not forgotten his promise to save you. It sits unopened in your Madame’s safe, along with the other dozens of letters he sent to you these past seven years.

tags: childhood friends to lovers, love letter, minimal use of Y/N, affectionate czech name, ‘letters? what letters?’ trope, inspired by the Notebook, yearning, Viktor is actually king of yearning,

468 words

A/N: I am currently drafting up a fanfic that is written as letters between you and Viktor. The premise is that he moved to Piltover and you stayed in Zaun as a showgirl at a less than reputable establishment. He promised to take you away and everything he has done has been to come through on that promise. The gag is that the Madame of your club has been withholding the letters you guys write to each other.

I’m just such a big fan of a man who does literally the most for his girl, except you aren’t really his girl you’re his best friend which makes it all 10x more romantic to me. Anyways, here is one of the letters below that I just wanted to share with you all

➽───────────────❥

My dearest Y/N,

It feels strange to write to you again, knowing I might not receive a reply. And yet, I can’t stop myself. Writing to you feels like the only way to keep you close, even when the distance between us seems unbearable. I don’t know if these letters are reaching you, or if you’re reading them, but I hope, somehow, that you can feel the words I send.

It’s been years since I left Zaun, and I can’t help but wonder how much you’ve changed. I imagine you’re as radiant as ever, your spirit as unyielding as the city that raised us. Do you still find the hidden corners of the world to call your own? Do you still climb rooftops to breathe above the chaos below? I often find myself thinking of those times—how simple it all felt, even though it was anything but.

I want you to know that I’ve never stopped working to keep my promise to you. Everything I’ve done, everything I’ve built here in Piltover, has been with that promise in mind. I graduated, Lásko. Top of my class. I’ve even taken a position at the Academy, assisting the Dean. And now… now there’s something new.

It’s called Hextech. A project I’ve been working on with my colleague, Jayce. We’ve discovered a way to harness the arcane and shape it into something tangible—something that can help people. I believe this could be my breakthrough. Our breakthrough. With Hextech, I’ll finally have the means to do what I’ve always wanted: to build a life, a future, where you don’t have to endure the chains that bind you.

I know it’s taken too long. I know I’ve failed you in so many ways. But I need you to know that I haven’t forgotten. I think about you every day, wonder if you’re okay, if you’re happy—or at least as happy as one can be in a place like Kitty’s. I still remember the look in your eyes the last time I saw you, the way you told me not to worry about you.

But I can’t help it, Lásko. I can’t stop worrying.

I hope you’re safe. I hope you’re surrounded by people who remind you of your worth, who see you for who you are—brilliant, kind, and stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. But if you’re not, then please, just hold on a little longer. I’m getting closer. I can feel it.

When the time comes, when I have everything I need, I’ll come back for you. I don’t care how long it takes or what I have to do. You once told me that I was meant for something greater, but you’ve always been my reason for striving.

You once saved me. Now it’s my turn.

Yours always,

Viktor

[gristlegrinder]

tag screenshot 1: #see also: i could write you a whole essay on the plush elder dragon trinkets #<- prev I would be thrilled to read that #I didn’t even realise there could be meaning behind those stats and will now look at the wiki page for every plush dragon #guild wars 2

tag screenshot 2: #yes yes yes and also UR TAG ABOUT THE STUFFIES #yes please write it cus i feel the same #i wish so badly theyd turn them into homestead decos #or something bc their icons are so cute and i love the flavor text

YES OKAY this took me a bit to get back to but!! elder dragon infodumping!!!! as fair warning, i am not an expert on buildcraft, but i’m trying my best.

anyways, i think all of the dragon plushies are actually really interesting viewed as deliberate character choices for each of them, both in terms of general vibes and how those stat combinations work. here are all of my thoughts, in story order:

zhaitan has grieving (power, condition damage, precision, ferocity) stats. first off, in the game, grieving stats are deeply intertwined with relics of the dead, beyond just the melancholic name. most of the gear that comes preloaded with grieving stats is in some way associated with death and burial— funerary armor and weapons and trinkets from the tomb of the primeval kings, the elegy armor set from season 4, and halloween weapons like the carapace of chaos. intact elegy mosaics are literally tiles that were originally laid inside of the tombs of monarchs, displaying representations of their triumphs in battle (which is why you receive them from bounties and metas). there’s a very specific vibe that grieving gear comes packaged with, and while it’s not necessarily orrian, it is very much in theme with zhaitan’s interests and domain. and, more than anything, zhaitan has everything to mourn. “like all ruins, they become what they are, not what they held” is a reflection on orr, but it’s an insight that also suggests a family dynamic that has been left to degrade. zhaitan’s death was always going to be the beginning of the end, and it’s implied that he had always accepted that.

as a stat combination, grieving is a hybrid power/condi set where your conditions don’t last very long, but you can maximize bursts of damage output by focusing on crits. necromancers have always been the favored profession for grieving builds— scourge (at least historically) does really well with it in world vs world, and grieving gear is still used on condition reaper builds, where most of its condi damage comes from maximizing bleeds on a grandmaster trait and it otherwise prioritizes power damage. giving it to the undead freak seems like the obvious choice. but also, the stats and the playstyle feels appropriate for zhaitan in other ways. he lacks the defensive toughness/vitality attributes of his family, and is in some ways the weakest dragon; caught off-guard by the pact assault and blinded and starved. like, he can cause massive destruction through direct assault (see: claw island), but it’s easy to take him down once you know where his weaknesses are (and any survivability associated with grieving builds is less about the stats and more just that you’re probably playing necro).

also, it feels fitting that zhaitan is the halloween dragon. i don’t really have much to say about that other than the obvious— during halloween, the barrier between tyria and the mists weakens, and the underworld is within reach through the mad king’s realm. so it’s death, death, death.

mordremoth uses trailblazer’s (toughness, condition damage, vitality, expertise) gear. this is one of the heart of thorns’ prefixes, although nothing really comes in trailblazers stats besides the gear you get from its crafting recipes. it’s kind of an interesting one, in that i have no idea who the trailblazer archetype is supposed to be. commander’s gear is the commander (duh), vigilant armor is associated with the vigil and laranthir, viper’s is for the forgotten, wanderer’s is for the exalted, and minstrel’s gear is largely associated with the virtues of the bardic profession. i would almost venture to guess that trailblazer’s is a prefix that is meant to represent the hylek, or even the jungle itself— first obtainable in tangled depths as you venture deeper into mordremoth’s nest. either way, the jungle provides.

(also, fun fact, trailblazer’s gear is crafted with maguuma lilies, and one of the only other uses for them is in crafting an orb of natural essence when reforging caladbolg. haha.)

trailblazer’s gear is surprisingly solid all-purpose condi gear for open world and wvw, having a lot of personal durability without sacrificing too much condition damage. mordremoth is a tanky guy who bites hard— he and zhaitan are similar beasts in fights like harvest temple, loving poison AOEs and fears (so many poison AOEs), but mordremoth throws his own weight around more, with headbutts and crowd control skills. mordremoth is the most hardened of the six of them with that toughness, as well. he’s a character that sees the world in terms of domination and submission, but also as an existence that requires the constant challenge of survival. anything in the jungle can eat you if you can’t defend yourself.

i think it’s interesting that you get plush mordy during lunar new year, and plush ess during SAB. for the longest time, i could not figure out the reasoning for that, especially since soo-won is tied so closely to cantha— and then it hit me. the heart of thorns campaign lasted from 30 zephyr to 74 zephyr, meaning the initial assault and mordremoth’s call would have been around the equivalent of january 30th, right around when the new year starts. his plush is commemorating that. discovering this while writing all of this did make me shout and i am now sharing it with you.

kralkatorrik uses diviner’s (power, concentration, precision, ferocity). this is one of two stat combinations introduced during season 4, alongside plaguedoctor’s gear for the joko half of the season, and it has a lot of personal connections to kralky: frodak steelstar (the ascended namesake) assisted glint in crafting the original dragonsblood spear, diviner’s gear is crafted with branded masses, and dragonsblood weapons in-game are diviner’s pieces. there’s also perhaps the obvious connection between “divination” and the prophetic sight that kralkatorrik, glint, and aurene all possess. it’s kind of kralkatorrik, it’s kind of glint, and it’s all family trauma all the way down.

not a lot of meta power boon support builds actually use diviner’s gear, though, because a lot of them reach concentration cap without it. whatever. it’s more interesting that kralkatorrik is a boon support build. concentration as a defining attribute gives him an almost mystic vibe, in line with both the visions he’s had in the past and the connection to the mists he gains from consuming part of balthazar. he’s wise beyond his years, but also hurting tremendously under the burden of all of the magics inside of him. he’s still primarily a dps build, because destroying everything will cease the torment inside of his head, but he has further insight into the weight of the cycle, and he does find ways to support the commander and aurene in moments of clarity.

finally, plush kralk is available during the festival of the four winds, which is both a summery festival and one largely centered around the zephyrites— so again, it all circles back around to glint.

jormag’s plushie uses bringer’s (expertise, precision, vitality) stats. it’s one of the two prefixes associated with wintersday, being crafted with snowflakes and found exclusively on wintersday rewards outside of crafting. hooray hooray. admittedly there isn’t much going on with bringer’s gear outside of tixx and wintersday. like, okay, jormag is associated with snow, and icebrood corruption is often framed as a gift bestowed upon the lucky. what else is there to say? but i do think you could also draw parallels between jormag’s vision of the world encased in endless winter and the original spirit of wintersday, grenth and dwayna (child and mother, even!) fighting over the changing of the seasons and their cycles.

bringer’s gear is uh… nobody really uses it because it’s not good. it has no damage or any real synergy between its stats. from what i understand, bringer’s gear is (in theory) largely best at focusing on non-damaging conditions— meaning you mostly use it as a supplement mixed with more damage-heavy pieces. i think the lack of damage on their stats is really interesting, both in contrast to primordus (and everybody else, really) and in that it highlights how jormag doesn’t like getting their own claws dirty in a fight if they don’t have to. they’re largely enabling somebody else’s ability to do damage on their behalf, like with ryland. the conditions that benefit the most from bringers are also generally non-damaging, movement-based conditions— such as, most fittingly for jormag, chill. it’s very much jormag’s style, and claw of jormag is always a never ending cycle of being chilled over and over again get me out get me out get me out—

as discussed, plush jorms is the wintersday collectible and there’s not much more to say about it. obvious pick. i think jormag can cloak the world in eternal winter if they want. my one additional comment is like, hey, side note, do you guys ever start thinking about how jormag’s blood canonically tastes like peppermint?

primordus, meanwhile, uses marauder’s (power, precision, vitality, ferocity) gear. of all of the prefixes, marauder has the least to do with primordus thematically out of all of the stat combinations— it’s associated with pirates and mariners, originally having a connection to grymm svaard from the sea of sorrows novel and in more recent times being retroactively associated with the aetherblades. the crafting materials don’t really resonate with primordus, nor do the characters associated with any related gear. this one, i think, is meant to be all about the actual use case for marauder’s gear, more than anything else. unless you could, like, maybe make some argument about naval marauding + barbed thorns (primarily dropping from mushrooms, mordrem, and treants/druids) suggest an association with draconis mons and the ring of fire, but that feels like a stretch to me.

so, marauder’s gear is about raw power damage, but it’s more protective than berserkers— its what you take if you just want to hit things until they’re dead, but you also don’t want to die immediately. he’s not tough, though; it’s a vitality build. he’s not mordremoth, who has armored himself against the world. primordus is soft under the surface, warm lava under volcanic rock— he can protect himself, but he doesn’t want to throw himself into fights until it hurts too much to do anything else. he’s a character that hides underground in the depths of tyria, and any destruction in his wake erupts recklessly when he’s provoked. now, that destruction comes in instantaneous, hard-hitting bursts, meteor strikes and wildfire blazes, but at least they’re over quick.

you can get him during dragon bash, which in its modern iteration is largely associated with the dragonstorm. and braham’s there in hoelbrak! braham’s his best friend! also, dragon bash and wintersday are on direct opposite ends of the year (june/july and december/january). that’s real balance, baby. although, i do tend to forget that dragon bash is considered a summer festival when its events are placed in the shiverpeaks.

lastly, soo-won uses ritualist’s (vitality, condition damage, concentration, expertise) gear. it’s one of the two prefixes added in end of dragons, and soo-won is deeply tied to cantha— it’s where the world, her world, started; and it’s where her world ended. you tie ritualist’s gear to spirit-workers who were pulling magic from the void of the mists long before the six arrived in tyria, when all we had were the dragons. additionally, the luxon weapons are ritualist’s gear, tying her to their traditionally-seafaring culture. i also think it’s fun to associate her with togo’s ascended gear, when togo is called the defender of cantha, something soo-won and kuunavang have similarly stepped up as in the wake of the tsunami following the rising of orr.

it’s our other boon support build, although it just feels different than kralkatorrik’s diviner’s set. i think that’s because ritualist’s isn’t really the direct condition-based equivalent of diviner’s gear, as it sacrifices power for additional vitality. it feels like we ultimately met a soo-won that has been divided into two, between the maternal character that she is— soft, protective, resigned to her mistakes— and the corrupting void that she has always carried inside of her. soo-won is, by all accounts, not a particularly violent dragon, not until the dragonvoid finally wraps its tendrils around her. (unless they’re planning some fun lore drops whenever we get the deep sea horror expansion). so, while kralkatorrik is primarily a dps character who happens to have boons, soo-won feels like a character who was originally more support-oriented, but now has more of a bite, one that’s been festering and threatening to spread.

plush ess is available during super adventure festival. we’ve already discussed why mordremoth is associated with lunar new year instead of soo-won, but i think it’s also fun to associate soo-won with SAB when she’s the most technologically-forward of the dragons, shedding her excess magic into the energized jade that powers cantha. i think soo-won could have been a gamer if joon gave her the opportunity.

dragons! rawr!

i’m always delighted when i realize the gw2 devs have done something playful with the stat combos on gear. right now i’m looking at the sinful weapons from SOTO for reasons, and you should’ve seen the big goofy grin on my face when i realized they gave the greed weapon (avarice’s command) celestial stats… because it wants a little bit of everything

also envy’s bite having vipers stats, despair’s lament and regret’s memory both having grieving, rage’s fist having berserkers…….. very cute 10/10

[the-kr8tor]

hihi katy! ₍˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶₎ saw your post and honestly, you're not the only one obsessing over our boy savior, especially after that tragic ending for him in S2. (ꎿຶ꒫ꎿຶ) i'd like to make a request for him cus he really deserves to be happy and taken care of (৹˃ᗝ˂৹),,, could you write a lil summat about treating his wounds or maybe helping him change, helping him fall asleep, babying him, etc. pretty please? ʚ♡ɞ only if you want to! i hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!! ♡

- 🐋.

Hello!!! Thank you for the lovely request! I had too much fun with it lol

Pairing: Ekko x fem! Reader

Word count: 1.3k

Tags: no use of Y/N, no specific physical description of the reader, CW injuries, CW blood, lovestruck! Ekko, CW needles, CW suggestive, no spoilers for s2, a bit of hurt/comfort, fluff!

Navigation

Ekko retells the whole ordeal that just transpired a few minutes ago, which was exactly thirty three minutes ago. You counted the time with bated breath, and you've been keeping time since he skidded off his hoverboard and straight into a wall after Smeech shot his board midair. Your eyes keep darting off to the dried blood on his temple, iron and crimson marring his handsome face. And worrying you with every second that ticks by. Even though he got out of it in one piece, your heart still aches at the sight of the various gashes and bruises dotted along his skin.

A hundred scenes flit over your mind, things that you could've done to prevent his fall. You would have jumped off and caught him before he hit the hard wall, or the end of your gun would have met Smeech’s head before he even shot his own. Your breathing quickens, and the harsh bulbs of the hideout's meeting room doesn't help the headache blooming in your skull.

He notices your heavy gaze, brown eyes glancing at you whilst he continues to debrief his fellow firelights. He's still the pinnacle of a leader despite his injuries. Your eyes are starting to get glossy, brows furrowed in thinking. So as he finishes off the meeting in record time and sends off the others to do a sweep around the area yo make sure no one followed the group, he's on you immediately the second the door closes.

“Hey.” Ekko's voice is soft, gloved hand grazing your chin as he moves your head gently to face him. “Look at me, breathe.”

Your eyes meet his own, hands flying to grasp at his wrists to anchor yourself to him. “Are you okay?” You finally feel your lungs relaxing as he holds you.

He smiles, cracking the dried crimson on his cheek. “I'm good, still breathing.” Grabing the back of your chair, he scoots you over to his seat, effectively placing you in between his legs, knees knocking against your own in greeting.

Shaking your head, your hand hovers above his wound. “Does it hurt? You hit the ground— I heard it then when I went to look and I—”

Ekko leans against your hand to ease you. “It doesn't hurt much anymore, see? I won't be able to do this if it still hurts.”

Sniffing, your shoulders slump as you place your head atop his chest, careful of his hidden injuries. “Let me take care of you, please.” Your voice is muffled by his bandana, feeling his hand trace the line on your spine to soothe you more. “I should be the one taking care of you.”

“Who said?” He jokes, lips pecking the crown of your head.

You lean away, staring at him through your lashes as you frown. “I did.”

Chuckling, he cups your face, squeezing you once until you're smiling softly at him. “Okay, just go easy on me, firefly.”

—

You made a list for yourself to follow. After drawing him a bath, which he rarely takes because of his busy schedule, he cleans off the day's activities whilst you ready everything you need to tend to his wounds.

“You're not joining in?” Ekko asks in the tub, face scrunched against the wooden surface as steam rises up from the water. His hair is loose, twists falling over his playful eyes. “Water's warm.”

“Not this time, Ekko.” You say as you thread a needle. “I need to bandage your wound, and you know that the second I'm in there with you we won't get anything done.”

He scrunches his face, blowing raspberries in the air. “Foiled again. You're no fun.” The water overflows as he submerges himself down in the tub.

“Having an open head wound is no fun, Ekko.” Walking closer to the tub, he sees you above the water, eyebrow raised and voice garbled. “Didn't I tell you not to wet your head? I'm sure I double checked that you don't have a concussion.”

He blows air bubbles at you, hands reaching up so you can pull him out. Rising above, he wipes the water off his face. “Joining in won't hurt.”

You kneel down to level with him, arms placed on the edge of the tub and face resting atop it as you flutter your lashes at him. “If you let me take care of you for once then I'll jump in.”

His hands subtly snake over to your elbows, and you quickly know what he's up to. “Why not now—”

“Not now, tomorrow. I promise.” You kiss his wet lips chastely before standing up and giving him a hand. “Come on, bossman, don't be incorrigible.”

Sighing, Ekko surrenders to you. “Big word.” He says as he heaves himself up off the tub. Water dripping down his sculpted torso.

With a roll of your eyes, you take your hand away and toss him a towel. “Hide your bits, Ekko.” Laughing, the towel hits him right on his face.

“You like these bits though.” After he tucks the towel against his waist, he immediately grabs you by your waist, rubbing his wet face and hair against your own. He's happy to be back in your arms when he was this close to not going home.

“Ekko!” Your giggles bounce off the bathroom, and his guffaw is muffled by the side of your neck.

—

He acts tough in front of you as he sits in between your legs backwards. The way that he grips at your thighs says otherwise as the needle pierces his skin. Hissing, his fingers dig into your pants, eyes closed as he stiffens from the suture.

“Almost done, I promise.” Snipping off the thread, you clean the wound with an antiseptic and then closing it with gauze and medical tape. The firelights don't joke around with medical supplies.

You still remember the time he first tended to your wounds. And how much of a baby you were with the needle.

“Barely noticeable, I think I did okay.” You hold up a mirror for him, but he ignores it as he twists around, chest in full display as cups your cheeks. “I'd take a simple thank you, but a kiss is so much better.”

Ekko smiles gently, eyes crinkling at the corners before sighing deeply. “I'm alright, firefly.”

You look at him with all the love in the world. “I know, Ekko.” Wiping a stray water droplet away from his clavicle, you sniff and the scent of your soap that he used wafts over your nose, making you smile. “You're here, and I'm here. We're okay.” Nodding, you reassure him.

His thumb brushes along under your eye before leaning in to kiss you like it's the first time. Eyes closed, a single tear escapes from him as you cradle him in your arms, hands holding him in place and anchoring him to you.

Reluctantly pulling away, he pauses for a second before pecking each of your cheeks, then your forehead and whole face until you're giggling in his arms and with himself chuckling with every kiss.

Your hands run along his arms, feeling the muscles stretch underneath and the goosebumps that are left in your wake. “Aren't you cold?” You say in between his kisses.

Ekko pauses from attacking your face, and smiles fondly at you. He shakes his head, nose scrunched up. “No.”

“You sure?” You poke his chest, feeling how cool his skin has become since getting out of the bath. He shivers against your cold finger. You raise a teasing eyebrow at him as he sighs.

“...fine.”

“Arms raised up, bossman.” Patting his bicep, you grab a clean shirt you've prepared for him right next to you on the bed. When you turn back towards him, surprisingly, he has his arms raised up and waiting.

You unabashedly roam your eyes over the muscles of his chest. Effectively ogling him as he smirks at you.

“Shirt off then?” Ekko drops his hands down to his lap, head tilting as your eyes meet with his own. Finding that they have the same glint in them like your own.

“No shirt.” You say, tossing the shirt away before finding yourself pushed down on the soft mattress.

Support banner by @/cafekitsune

[losech]

could you do a hunting gear haul of all the stuff you use for the dogs, like the reflective vests that you use and collars and such. I don't know what reflective vest I should buy for my dog and am wondering what a hunter uses.

The vests are old Ruffwear Track Jackets, they are not made anymore but you can still find them in ruffwear resale groups on facebook and sites like ebay. The newer version Ruffwear has is more bulky. A lot of hunters use vests made by a guy called Larry Riel, he does stuff the old fashioned way, you gotta call him and send a check.

The collars I have are 1.5" reflective biothane with name plates riveted on. I do not use dangly tags when hunting, they just get ripped off. I buy most of my hunting dog collars from Outdoor Dog Supply and Double U Supply.

You can use whatever leash, always have one with you.

My dogs also wear Garmin Alpha GPS collars. I have the Alpha 100 and TT15Mini collars. I like being able to use the tone when my dogs are out of sight or hearing for recall. If you want a Garmin GPS but don't want ecollar functions (which are customizable) you could get an Astro instead. I have birdseye, property types, terrain, trails, and road maps installed on my handheld. Be very careful buying these used, don't get them from some random guy on facebook as most of the time that is a scam. Buy from a Garmin authorized reseller for used and refurbished units. Most of them run black friday deals on Alpha and Astro units and collars.

GPS is not necessary to hunt with, I just strongly prefer to have it because I hunt on small tracts of land and like to know exactly where my dogs are.

You can use a cheap blaze orange shirt, hoodie, hat, or vest from walmart and as long as you've got the minimum required amount of blaze for your state you'll be good. You can carry squirrels in any kind of bag or pack, you do not need specialized equipment for that but it does make it easier.

The first vest I used was a Browning Upland vest I got for cheap on sale somewhere online. It's got pockets for carrying shells and game, but did not have a waist belt, was kinda bulky, and got warm quickly. This is a very common style of vest and you can find them for much cheaper than this one is new.

The vest I use currently is an older Orvis Pro Upland vest. I got this on sale too, I almost never pay full price for hunting stuff. They have a couple other models, and lots of other companies make these too. The problem I have with mine (and a few others I've tried) is they are too big even in the small size, and getting a vest that actually fits me from a company that makes products for smaller people and women is ridiculously expensive, so I just deal with it.

Most of my smaller hunting gear fits in this vest. Binoculars, leash, spare battery for the GPS, a headlamp, water bottle, multi-tool, snacks, and ammunition.

Boots, boots are very important. Wear something comfortable that is built for the terrain you'll be hunting in. During the earlier season or if it's not too cold and there's not a lot of water or snow, I wear my Merrell Moab hiking boots. I occasionally wear a pair of gaiters if I'm hunting a really brushy area, but only with the hiking boots. Once it's cold, snowy, or really wet, I wear muck boots, usually my Arctic Pros.

My favorite brand of socks are Darn Tough, I wear those for everything. They are worth what you pay for them and have a lifetime guarantee.

If you have to wear gloves, be sure you get something with good grip. A warm pair of gloves is useless if you can't hold anything. Since my shotgun is a pump I really need good grippy gloves to cycle a new round. I often just wear my mountain biking gloves from HandUp.

Since I hunt brushy and thorny areas, I wear brush pants. I have a fancy-ass pair from First Lite that are *extremely* comfortable, but they do not go over my mucks and are not good for very cold temperatures without a base layer or two. They are great for warm season hunting though. I recently got a pair of Duluth briar pants and they are my new favorite, but I cant find them on the website at the moment.

Brush pants are another very common item that you can get cheaply from other makers and are frequently on sale. You can also just use a thick pair of work pants, I hunted in double front carhartts for a couple years. Chaps are another option.

I use a Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 gauge fixed modified pump action shotgun and steel #6 small game shot. (A lot of words, I know.) You can use many different firearms, and some states allow you to use air rifles too. A friend I hunt with is a big fan of his Benjamin Marauder. I've seen people use slingshots, archery, and even hawks. Check your regulations to see what is legal and pick something you are comfortable with.

I accumulated my gear over time and either inherited it, bought used, or on sale. I've been hunting for 10 years now, when I first started all I had was my hiking stuff, shotgun, and a blaze hat. Hunting is only complicated and expensive if you make it.

[haveihitanerve]

#sorry for the tag loll but figured u deserve the credit#tom’s wedding ring thing op mentioned is also a crazy trust thing#like i’m old enough to have friends who have gotten married#and they have all said that their wedding band is like the single most valuable possession they have on them#bc it’s so easy to lose and holds priceless emotional sentiment#like tom could very easily just mime proposing with a ring. like they mime everything else#but it’s like. significantly funnier to use your actual wedding band. but it also requires so so much trust in your scene partner#and the guys always reciprocate that trust back. like when aj handed tom’s wedding band to pip in the audience#when he went offstage in caesar and juliet so they could keep it safe#also i’ve noticed the very few times tom’s wedding band has been used it’s always been on the wrong hand/finger#which idk if that’s intentional but it’s a nice little nod of respect

YE-ESSS!!! Its so important to me- I'm not personally married, but i can imagine it well enough- also my parents don't take their wedding rings off for shit- maybe once in a blue moon- and like...

it means so much, obvi its just a physical thing that in no way can replicate the actual emotional attachment, but its a symbol and its deeply treasured and giving that up to someone??? requires sooo much trust.

Like I know when Tom hands it over, he always says "do not drop this." but its always meant half jokingly because if he didnt want to give it up, he'd just mime it like you said, but he actually does pull it off and hand it over, and yeah the guys are always so respectful with it- AJ in particular, glancing over at Pip in fear, literally miming sweat and everything(because hes "being proposed to" but also because he's being handed Toms ring[like dudes hand literally shakes when Tom slips it on]) and all of it is just eeeeeeee so cute!!!

I know I’ve said this before but it deserves to be repeated- the amount of trust SFTH have in each other is surreal and absolutely so cute

Luke- casually lets AJ dip him without hesitation and lets his legs go limp and totally unsupported because he trusts AJ will hold him. Or falls backwards without a single moments hesitation into Sam because he knows he’ll be caught. Lets Tom tip back his chair to the point where his feet don’t touch the ground and is completely at ease. 

AJ- topples sideways and everyone immediately lunges to catch him

Sam- constantly leans against Tom/AJ/luke when he’s laughing too hard and they always let him, hold him upright

Tom-... honestly i cant think of any moment when Tom did anything(fainted, fell, tripped etc) when the others caught him but he does give them his wedding ring so… y'know

[eveningrainstorm]

take responsibility.

[backpackingspace]

Do we think odysseus's thoughts are almost stuck in quick thought from how often Athena popped up into his head? Because I absolutely do

[lululeighsworld]

Lorah: Lilac Knight's Love

Artist: @littledashdraws

Wanted to share this commission by Dash, who so lovingly illustrated my vision for Gunter's first wife!! Although Lorah's lived in my head since 2017, this is the first time I've had her drawn. Because I'm so thrilled over this art, I put together a little introduction for her!! you can read more about her below~

Residence: Duet Mountains Occupation: Farmer •❀• Bedside Nurse •❀• Homemaker Birthday: July 11 Gender: Female Relatives: Gunter (Husband) Katerina (Daughter)* Personality: Shy •❀• Bubbly •❀• Optimistic Hobbies: Crafting •❀• Gardening •❀• Baking Age: 21 (when she first meets Gunter) •❀• 36 (at death)

A Nohrian commoner whose known the kingdom's southern mountain range and neighbouring valleys her entire life, Lorah was a recognizable resident of her town even though she kept to herself. Learning the basics of herbal remedies from a young age, she would split her time between tending to the fields and easing the woes of the sick. In adulthood, she would chance upon meeting a Nohrian Great Knight during her town's annual spring festival. The couple's engagement, after seven years of courting, had become one of the most highly anticipated moments amongst the townsfolk.

*NOT the Nohrian Queen. I named their kid before I realized what Xander's mom's name was and by that point I was already ATTACHED (tell me Caterpillar is not the cutest nickname). So now the reason they share a name is lore relevant (which is a part of this fic!).

divider by saradika

[inpeace-vigilance]

Okay so apparently my thoughts don't fit into the tags, so pardon me for adding so much to your post, i have a lot of thoughts -.-

Let me preface this with yes, this game could have had a lot of improvements, we all know this, but at the end of the day i do love this game.

HOWEVER storywise there are some things I would change/may change in my own personal fanfiction

spoilers ahead

1. Cyrian shouldn't have died. Stop causing needless grief to these characters because you can't think of anything more interesting to write. (Also looking at Taash's quest with killing Shathaan.) Either make the choice be between stopping Anaris and saving Cyrian, or let Cyrian be part of the decision to free or keep the archive (especially considering he was literally manipulated by its creator)

2. if you save Minrathous over Treviso and Jacobus turns into a darkspawn at the end that makes a single final effort to reap some justice for all that he's lost and all that's been done to him and his family and his city, and everyone else (or at least Teia) is a LITTLE concerned that he doesn't seem well before that final mission with the governor, but afterwards NO ONE EVEN MENTIONS THIS CHILD DIED ???? not a single thing about this boy who can't be older than 15 (AT MOST) and no one mentions a single thing about him dying and taking down the governor with him???? it makes me so mad and is a large part of why outside of my shadow dragon rook I can't bring myself to save Minrathous. he's a kid and he's part of the crows so his life already sucks and not a single mention of him after he dies.

3. i think i would have switched the battles with Ivenci and the Butcher timeline wise. The Butcher is such a fascinating and intimidating antagonist, we should have gotten more of him. so you meet the Butcher and he rats out Ivenci. Ivenci freaks out and does their whole qamek plot as a last desperate act. And THEN you come back to face the Butcher again, who then succumbs to the gods' power and gives you the location (which would also make more sense as the actual final quest before the end act begins, instead of having one last side quest to do after you've seemingly wrapped everything else up and have the gods' location?) Personally, I feel like Ivenci was the annoying secondary villain to the Treviso missions, but they put them as the final big bad instead of the Butcher?? So I would switch that around.

Overall, I didn't care much for some of the forced binary choices. Davrin having to choose between sending the griffons to Arlathan or the Wardens, when there are plenty of griffons to share between them. Send six to Arlathan and six to the Wardens. Both have fair points on why they're needed at each place, but maybe don't put all your eggs in one basket, that's kind of what led to this whole problem in the first place when they decided to blight ALL their existing griffons??? And the whole thing of Taash realizing they can step outside the binary in regards to their gender, but when it comes to their culture, no. you have to pick. One (1). ??? Even AFTER Rook has a whole conversation with them about the strengths of having a multi-cultural background??

And of course, stuff plenty of other people have already talked about (could have had more with Lucanis, actually show the whole thing with Illario and Zara; let Rook actually talk with the companions at the lighthouse instead of just eavesdropping on their conversations; etc.)

But that's what fanfiction is for, right? Thank you for the base you've provided us, Bioware, but we'll take it from here.

what kind of changes would yall have made to veilguard? big or small, realistic to implement or otherwise?

[raifuujin]

It's been more than 20 years and for some reason I feel that Gosho hasn't given Kaiao any development, how can more than 20 years pass and Aoko dynamics, relationship and feelings remain the same? At this point I feel like Gosho is just going to make them date because "they already liked each other" they remain in the same status quo

Hey, if we go by DC romance progress, they've been going too fast. We've already had suspicion of identity chapters, and that didn't happen until more than 400 chapters in DC. /j

Since heists have taken over any character development recently, I don't even know if Kaito and Aoko will even get any romantic progress. Maybe the actual identity confrontation will happen down the line, since that's thief drama, but atm, it really wouldn't surprise me if they only ask each other on a real date at the very end of the manga.

Like. I'm sure Gosho would love to make MK a love drama as well, but he writes MK so rarely, and usually as hype for something Kid related in other media. So the MK stories tend to be heavy on drama that can only take place at Kid heists. (To the point that the new chapters just. Use Kid as the plot device to show off a new character. Even Hakuba's never gotten so much 'look at this character being a detective' treatment in MK.)

-sighs- I just feel bad for MK as a series at this point. I like the characters, I like the general story idea, but. It's been going down a very steep hill with Gosho wanting things exciting, but not wanting any real progress in. Anything. But unlike old MK, the new stories aren't even nice standalone setpieces of story, they're... mundane. They could be high stakes, if you purely look at the scenarios on paper, but. We all know nothing's gonna happen to Kid. Nothing even happens to him when the actual bad guys show up, much less one-time antagonists.

We need actual character focus and development, not heist drama. Badly. Not even romance, though that'd be a nice change. Just any character expansion of our limited cast of characters. Gosho wants big, all the time, meaningless big stuff, when small would be so nice.

[carefulfears]

amazing that mulder came back to life not through god or science or the paranormal, not through any of the universal systems of control that he spends his life pondering, but through how fiercely the people in his life loved him. loved him beyond seeming insane or questioning the limits of the world, the way that he loves everything. skinner pulled him out of the ground because he just "couldn't live with the doubt." scully shoved her way past anyone to grab onto him, to sit and hold his hand in a hospital room for days when she knows he can't feel it, to stand in a surgical bay at 8 months pregnant and try anything (the realm of "extreme possibility" is much greater now). doggett runs through a parking garage, takes the hit.

krycek says, "we all have a life in our hands. i have yours, you have mulder's, scully has her unborn child. it's who's willing to sacrifice," and offers a choice, but ultimately they all make it out alive.

ultimately, of the dozens of people that were abducted and came back, of those that died and lived again, one remained human and flesh and blood.

[mishy-mashy]

Kudo makes funny facial expressions

[sidesteppostinghours]

pulps law is that whenever i get insane enough about something, i will inevitably attempt to make a persona 5 au, regardless of whether or not i am successful at it.

[nolongrrhuman]

Arcane act 3 destroyed me but in like the best way so I WILL be needing about a year to get over it