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shades-of-stony · 3 years ago

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ABO Stony AUs! (Part 2)

As promised, here is part 2! [link to Part 1] I’m not sure if I’m gonna make part 3 but there are still a bit ABO fics left.

A King For Christmas by iam93percentstardust

Summary: In 1867, Tony Stark flees New York after refusing to marry the alpha his parents chose for him. His money runs out in the small kingdom of Dacia, ruled over by King Steven of the Rogers line. Somehow, and he’s not entirely sure how, he ends up accepting the position of nanny to the king’s four children: Harley, Peter, Sarah, and Morgan.

Tony bonds with the children easily but their father is harder to get to know. Steve is still grieving his wife’s death four years earlier. His continued mourning has turned the once bright halls into dark and somber shadows of their former glory. Tony isn’t entirely certain what he can do but he knows that he has to do something or else the whole country, so attuned to their leader, will sink into despair. He begins by reconciling the king with his young children.

Meanwhile, the children have decided that it’s high time their father fall in love again—and Tony is the obvious choice. They concoct elaborate plans to force the two together, hardly realizing that Steve and Tony are falling in love, not through their shenanigans but through the quiet moments they share bonding over the love they have for the children.

What, Like It’s Hard? by JehBeeEh

Summary: Omega Tony Stark has it all, until his alpha boyfriend breaks his heart. In an effort to win him back, he follows the alpha of his dreams to Harvard Law School, where he discovers there might be more to being the first omega at the prestigious school. He also meets another alpha that might just make him forget the one he drove across the country for.

Two-Point Perspective by FestiveFerret for sabrecmc

Dear omega,

Congratulations! You've been selected. Alpha #95847872 has been assigned as your pre-bondee. A group bonding ceremony will take place on the 14th, unless other arrangements have been made by your alpha or their family. A valid bonding license must be submitted to Omega Services within 45 days of this letter or all services will be cancelled and any transferable benefits will not be applied to your alpha's package.

If there is some reason why you cannot be bonded on this date, please apply for an extension by calling 1-800-555-6827 within 7 days of receiving this letter.

Sincerely, National Omega Services

I Love You (From the Bottom to the Top) by RomancebyFaye for Reioka

Summary: Steve and Tony have a great relationship. They may have only been dating for a few months, but the truth is, they had been in love for years before that. Their relationship is only getting better from adding this new intimacy and Steve is very satisfied with how open Tony is in the bedroom. He’s giving and generous, sometimes to a fault, just as he is with everything.

And then Steve comes home early and catches sight of something he wasn’t meant to see. The shock he gets from the sight of watching his alpha ride a toy might not have been meant for him, but it doesn't stop him from wanting.

Now, if he can just figure out how to tell Tony how much he wants what he witnessed without putting his foot in his mouth…

Or Tony offers Steve something in the bedroom and Steve misunderstands the offer.

Until he doesn’t.

A Prime, Divided by avengersasssemble

Summary: Facing his and his infant son's possible death sentence, young prince Tony runs away to the only place where his father would dare not follow: the Northern Territories, known to house the most savage and brutal Alphas--including their bloodthirsty leader, the Prime Alpha. Forced to navigate fatherhood and diplomacy while being unable to speak the Northern language, Tony has to make decisions to save his son, even at his own expense.

Oversight by ShyOwl

Summary: It really wasn’t Steve’s fault that no one knew he was an omega.

I Love You 3000 by NazakiSama166

Summary: After the death of his husband, the only thing Steven Rogers could think of was going on and dying in one of his missions, and Steven was happy to get his wish.... that was until he woke up in a strange universe when people can shift into wolves and men can get pregnant... Oh, and did he mention that Tony was there too and was in love with his younger jackass self? And let's not forget about Peggy...

Life just loves to mess with him...

Dear Enemy by AvengersNewB

Summary: Alpha Steve and omega Tony are SHIELD agents who don't always see eye to eye, but some benefits on the side help them work things out in the most non-traditional way. Steve's jealousy after an unfortunate encounter with Ty Stone, however, makes things complicated.

Love Match by FestiveFerret

Summary: Tony had but one goal for the season: secure a marriage proposal from an alpha with the position and means enough to remove him from his father's house. Love was wholly irrelevant to the matter.

Stuck in a... by Annie D (scaramouche)

Summary: Steve gets into a serum-enhanced rut. Tony figures that there’d be a long list of people who’d volunteer to help Steve out, but there’s only one person Steve wants.

A Late-Night Snacks, and Other Good Ideas by Annie D (scaramouche)

Summary: Steve's heightened senses means that he always knows when Tony's in heat. One night, he finally does something about it.

citrus and lavender by JehBeeEh

Summary: Steve laid Tony on his bed as delicately as he could manage. Which was ridiculous because he knew, logically, that Tony was absolutely fine. JARVIS himself had told him. And that’s 100% why he had fought Natasha so hard on Tony not needing to go to medical when they came back, even though he probably could use the check up. Yup. That was definitely the only reason he had insisted on bringing Tony back to the penthouse. No other reason at all. If you keep this up, you just might start believing it, he thought to himself ruefully. Tony wasn’t his. He had made it very clear that he didn’t need some alpha in his life to mess with everything he’d worked so hard to accomplish. Especially not Steve Rogers.

Found Love in a Hopeless Place by crispybacon

Summary: Steve really, really did not want to tag along with his brother to the bar, no matter how many times the jerk nagged him that he needed to get laid. Just because Bucky’s known his Omega since kindergarten, and the pair have loud obnoxious sex in their shared small two bedroom apartment, didn’t mean Steve needed to stick his knot in any Omega that looks his way.

That’s not the kind of Alpha Steve was.

Or, Steve goes to a bar and meets an Omega with a complicated past that changes his life forever.

This is Not a Drill by sabrecmc

Summary: “Can I—can I see him? I mean meet him. Uh…welcome him to the team?” Tony clarified, probably not very well, he knew.

“Well…there’s a bit of an issue with that,” Fury said, and Tony figured this was where Fury got to whatever it was that had really forced his hand and made him call Tony in, knowing how much the man detested having to do so. “You see, well. He was suspended in the ice for nearly seventy years,” Fury began. Tony nodded along, because he could do math.

“I’m sure he has a lot of adjusting to do—“ Tony started.

“Seventy years,” Fury repeated, cutting Tony off and leaning back in his chair and making it rock slightly. “Of no suppressants.”

“Oh,” Tony managed to choke out past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. “Oh.”

Everybody's got a hungry heart. by Perlmutt for ShadowsintheClouds

Summary: Tony Stark has never experienced a true heat due to the suppressants he's taking on a daily basis. Society accepts him as a beta, together with his friends and teammates and the alpha he's secretly in love with. But some things are just too big to be kept hidden forever. An unfortunate turn of events forces Tony to reveal his biggest secret to the world...

Baby, Just Say Yes by betheflame for starksnack

Summary: In a world where Tony's life looks a lot like Taylor Swift's, Steve realizes there always more to omegas than meets the eye.

Apple Pie and Sunshine by betheflame, starksnack

Summary: Even though they've loved each other for years, Steve and Tony have each convinced themselves that their one-night-stand was a fluke. Thing is, it also resulted in Tony getting pregnant and as the birth approaches, perhaps it's time to use their words.

blue since the day we parted by funkyspacegirlfriend

Summary: When he's twenty, the man Tony thinks will be his alpha and mate walks away, leaving Tony with a gift he'll never regret.

The same alpha reappears fifteen years later in the form of SI's new military liaison.

In my Favorite Dreams (I feel your heat) by Corsets_and_Cardigans for wingheads

Summary: Steve is on his morning run in DC when a ghost from his past comes back into his life. And he's not alone. *** “Steve?” Sam’s voice cut through the veil of the past, the crushing weight of memory that stole his breath. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

His staring must have finally alerted another parent, a woman eyeing him warily while tugging on Tony’s sleeve until he turned around. His eyes were just as expressive and wide as they were ten years ago, piercing the cold morning air straight to Steve’s own.

“Tony.”

“Wait. Tony Tony? The Tony? The Tony that Bucky busts your chops over Tony?”

His voice cracked, wrent into pieces at seeing his omega who wasn’t his anymore, body flaring in pain. Years worth of aching denial like a hot fireplace poker to his soul. “Yeah.”

“Okay then, who’s the kid?”

The Couch by Perlmutt

Summary: Steve overstepped a mark, when he accidentally called Tony, his mate, tiny. Because his omega was very self-conscious when it came to his height. So he needed to show him that he thought Tony's perfect just the way he was, if he didn't want to sleep on the couch for the next week. Luckily Steve was the man with a plan...

be the summer in my heart by billyscissors

Summary: After Obadiah betrays the Southern Isles, he offers Omega Prince Anthony Stark as tribute to appease the Warlord of the North

#stony #stony fics #stony fanfic #steve and tony #stevetony #stevetony fanfic #stevetony fic rec #stevetony fic #stony fic #SUPERHUSBANDS #fic rec

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evakuality · 3 years ago

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Mia, episode five

1. One thing Druck is super good at is these aesthetic shots. This whole opening bit reminds me of the scene with Amira when she’s praying in her room. Lots of beautiful shots of the room, curtains and stuff, which are just super pretty with a few hints of colour. I dunno, this is just an aesthetic I like and I appreciate that Druck caters to me. Mia is so cute, too! Like both the way she looks and also how kind she is. She still doesn’t really like Alex a lot (though you could see in that montage from the previous night that she’s warming up to him) but she still feels like she should leave things looking nice. These little post-it notes are sort of cute too, and you can see that she thinks they’re sweet. I don’t like this Bjorn though.

2. Interesting that we get a clip specifically one week later. I have no idea how that must have felt while this was live, and I’m really glad that I didn’t have to live through these long gaps in any of the things I did watch in real time. This one was reasonably low key though, so maybe the wait wasn’t as agonising. If you didn’t know who Bjorn is (I’m assuming the Niko character) then nothing in the last couple of clips would have felt all that alarming. But Mia’s so flirty here - that one conversation at his house must have really charmed her. Pity we didn’t really get to hear a lot of it because he still hasn’t charmed me!! And actually that ‘show a montage of how things are going while a song and/or other conversation plays overtop’ is a huge thing Druck does, I think. I feel like in some cases (Matteo and David after their first pool kiss moment, for example, or Hanna and Jonas breaking up) work quite well. But here, I think we needed to hear more of Alex to actually believe that Mia would be this flirty with him. For me, this is too big a turnaround from her very cold manner with him at the piano and an actual proper look at that conversation might have helped. But also, I am super biased because William and so maybe a more reasonable person might like it okay. This bit with Linn is weird. Genuinely creepy, and I’m not sure why they’re setting her up to feel like this. Maybe some sort of hint of the creepiness to come with Bjorn (I’m assuming it’s coming, anyway).

3. I don’t get this bit with all the pictures at the school. I assume it will become obvious later but I’m not sure what exactly they were trying to do with this. You’d think they run the risk of having the whole Abi chaker clan thing shut down - if this happened in my school there’d be so much trouble. A groups of kids once put post-its all over one teacher’s room and they got in SO much trouble for it, and that wasn’t obscene like this is. This thing here seems so targeted at the Abi thing, using their plan specifically, that it feels like someone outside the group wants them not to be allowed to run their theme. Or someone in the group who wants a different motto maybe. I don’t know, but it feels very mean and very specifically directed at this group of people.

4. Hmmm, I’m with Leonie on this one. I’d be giving Carlos the super evil stare too. It may be ‘funny’ to some of these people, but given that there are younger kids at this school (I assume, right? They still have classes running for the smaller ones at the end of Matteo’s season, allowing their prank to go ahead) this is sure to go down really badly with the school itself. I’m rolling my eyes at the ones who are outraged that the school is considering reporting it - what did they expect? Also, surely they can figure out who was doing it - people were literally throwing handfuls of the pictures over the stairs. Surely they could work out who it is. It’s pretty clear that Alex still thinks this is funny and I’m losing patience with him. Every time it seems like maybe he’s getting less gross he goes and acts like this again. Bleh. I’m not often rooting for Leonie and feeling for her, but wow today I really am. This is shitty and she has a right to be angry.

5. Ew, Alex, why are you stalking Mia again? She’s made it pretty clear she’s not happy with you. Turning up out of the blue like a creep isn’t a good way to go about winning her over again. His ‘we were drunk, what can you do?’ is so... stupid??? They’ve lost money from this, the school is really angry, they could easily have some pretty bad consequences and he’s all ‘meh, it was a drunken prank’? I know money isn’t an issue for him, but there are issues here beyond the money. I’m also kind of annoyed that everyone keeps suggesting she’s upset because she’s jealous. I’ll be really annoyed if the show carries on this way - this isn’t just a silly little prank, and people have every right to be angry and annoyed. Diminishing it to jealousy isn’t cool. Is Leonie also jealous? The people who are angry and upset they’re being blamed and their money has been taken?

6. I do love scenes where the whole girl squad is together. They make me happy and I miss seeing them together so much. But OMG, Alex is blackmailing Mia again???? I mean I guess it worked the first time so why wouldn’t he? But this is seriously shitty behaviour. Honestly, in clip one I was mildly starting to warm to him with the post-its and all, but he’s managed to speed run right back into ‘asshole’ category. This was the problem in the og as well - William was such an asshole, that in order to make him likeable, we had to see a much more genuinely villainous character. Alex is still super dislikeable and so we need someone ‘worse’ to make him look palatable, which I assume is coming. We’re halfway through - we should like him by now. I dunno. Maybe some people do? But he still has done nothing to make me think he’s nice or someone who Mia might be attracted to.

7. Oh a long Friday clip? Almost half the episode? I guess it’s going to be a rough one for Mia then. More reflections again - her whole face in the mirror now, but it’s surrounded by graffiti. I’m always fascinated by the way mirrors and reflections work, and it’s fun to see Mia slightly obscured in her mirrors even now. It’s not as disjointed as it was at the start but it’s not a fully clear reflection either. I may not like the way Noora/Mia’s story goes but I do like some of these things which show the progress.

8. I feel kind of sorry for Jonas, because that break up wasn’t his choice. But seriously, he seems to be blaming this on Hanna a bit and like ????? He chose to make her feel small and unworthy through her whole season. She’s allowed to try to figure herself out outside of him and his wants and needs. Eh, I know he’s hurting and all, but that’s actually his issue and he shouldn’t be pushing it on her.

9. This scene with Mia and Alex bothers me. He still seems to have no idea why she might find his actions (selfish and self-serving and filled with blackmail) offputting. ‘I fixed it, so we should totally be together now’ is such an immature and childish take on this. These types of guys need to grow up and learn that they can’t just buy and/or coerce their way into whatever they want. I like the way they decide to have Kiki walk past just as Mia has to choose whether to say she doesn’t want Alex or not. It adds a poignancy to it and Mia obviously chooses to stick by her friends. I do wish it felt more conflicting, like if Alex genuinely had changed or had shown he has depth or something it would be a bigger ‘wow she’s rejecting him for her friend’ but instead he’s still such an unpleasant character that I don’t care.

10. I’m not sure why Mia does the brushing off of the makeup - I feel like it made more sense when Noora did it (I mean I watched it once a very long time ago so who knows, but my memory is that it was her way of trying to reject being ‘pretty’ and having guys liking her because it was messing her up). With Mia, I don’t understand. Someone help me out?

11. I still don’t get what Mia sees in Alex. Again, I know I have a really big bias against him because of William and I know it was always going to be tough for him to be someone I care about. But even so, this feels like a huge whiplash when she says of course she likes him. I’d get it if we’d seen any of his development, but every time he took a mini step forward he shoved himself right back into dislikeable territory. Once again, I mourn the actual conversation between Mia and Alex. This all feels far too fast, and the fact that this is suggesting his blackmail is all good is very worrying. All the post-it notes in the world can’t make me think he’s nice enough to want to kiss.

Overall, I didn’t really like this one. I feel like the pacing is still off; I don’t believe the speed at which Mia has fallen for him and honestly it hasn’t been very long since Kiki was with Alex and had her heart broken. The fact that Mia even saw her and told him she doesn’t like him only to turn around immediately and change her mind is strange to me. Mia has always come across as a caring person who tries to do the right thing and help out her friends. That she has apparently no qualms at this point is difficult for me. They’re acting the hell out of this, but I can’t buy it. Unfortunately. Sadly, because this is based on a very flawed original, I don’t think it’s going to make me enjoy these two. There are things that I’m interested in seeing as we go forward but most of those have zero to do with Alex.

#druck #mia - episode 5 #didn't like this one #update on feelings about Alex - still don't like him #honestly I don't see why Mia goes after him #none of this makes sense to me

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kicksaddictny · 3 years ago

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Kicksaddict Sneakerhead PROFILES Interview Series: @CakedaGawd

After a long Hiatus, we’ve returned! Our popular Profile series has been requested almost on a daily basis (Thanks for the tweets, dms and emails). We were even threatened! (Thanks by the way).

Cake The Gawd! This one was so much fun. Tap in.

Where are you from? Brooklyn, NY born in Crown Heights raised in East Flatbush.

How long have you been collecting sneakers? I was introduced to sneakers in 1991 but I started collecting for myself in 98.

What’s your favorite sneaker and why? Air Jordan 6 Infrared. It's the shoe Michael was wearing when he won his first championship, and to me just it’s just the most beautiful Jordan shoe to date! The silhouette is unmatched, it is timeless, and no matter how many times it is retroed I will buy it!

Besides your hometown, what is the best city for sneakerheads that you know of? Why? I would say LA 100% !! It is a vibe out there. I am part of a sneaker group and 75% of the people in there are from LA. They really about the culture they know their shit and they are fresh as fuck too.

Do you collect just for collecting or do you collect and rock? I collect and rock. That is why I double up on certain shoes.. Some kicks you gotta have for store and show but some you just have to rock them!

What sneaker got you into the sneaker game? I cannot pinpoint one thing, it is so many things. It was Music, my parents introducing me to Nike, my older cousin, basketball, the dope boys around the way, and my 3rd grade crush and her cousin who both had Aqua 8's. (LOL) I cannot just say 1 thing because they all had a significant part in it.

What are your thoughts on these fake celebrity sneakerheads? I hate them all! All of these dudes just get perks, some of them do not even know the shoes. That shit really gets under my skin. Showing off shoes that they get and not even knowing the name or numbers of the shoes, creating their own names. Shit is sickening. S/O to the Sneaker Gawd Wale !

How do you feel about the Off white collabs? I liked the first round of the collabs. With the Presto's, Air maxes, Blazers, and Jordan 1's. I think after that it should've been left alone. But I can respect what they are doing over there. I just won my first pair of Off-White's with the Lot 50 joint.

If you could wear only one sneaker for the rest of your life, what would it be? Air Jordan 3 Black Cement. Yes 6's are my favorite of all time but the Black Cement 3's just go with EVERYTHING!

What advice would you give as far as storing and preservation of your sneakers? Wear your kicks man. I store and rock! I get it, wanting to save shoes but putting them away and never rocking them, when you finally do ya it’s separating and crumbling. In order for your kicks to last they gotta be worn anyway. Unless you're truly just on some collecting only for show vibes.

What is the most you’ve ever spent on a pair of sneakers? $900... I was able to land Black and Red and Royal 1's from 2001 together. A friend of mine had them and said he couldn't think of anyone else. I had literally just started my new job. A chunk of my first check went to that pick up.

Have you ever waited in line for a pair of kicks? I waited in line once in my life for shoes and swore I would never do it again. It was for the 2001 True Blue 3's. I waited online at like 7 in the morning at Kings Plaza. LMAO I said this will never happen again. I didn't have the patience for it. I do not know how ppl used to do that shit or camp for kicks. I was there for 1 hour and I was like this is ridiculous.

You're also a photographer, how long have you been taking photos? I have been taking photos since 2011 but officially became a photographer in 2013.

How do sneakers play a role in your photography? That is a great question because I didn't want the 2 to mix at all. Because I'm a scenery and landscape photographer. But I got into photography because of sneakers. No offense to anyone but a bunch of these "influencers" get on IG with their DSLR cameras, take some on foot shots and call themselves "Photographers". 90% of them do not even understand lighting. I didn't wanna be one of those guys because I actually live this and study it. But recently I just started letting it be that and owning it. I am nice with this photography shit when it comes to sneakers. I have a deep connection with shoes and I love incorporating that into my art. I thank my wife for that. I told her I don't wanna be just another sneaker photographer and she said to me who said you have to be ?! I took that and ran with it. Off-White just recently featured some of my pictures on their Instagram.

I remember you saying you're a sneaker enthusiast, what is the difference between that and a sneakerhead? An enthusiast really studies sneakers. Sneakerheads just love sneakers like it ain't really about the history and all that for them. They just love shoes because it is cool and makes them feel good. Us Enthusiasts are invested. Things matter like knowing years of a shoe. For example, an enthusiast would look at a pair of Jordan's like Taxi 12's, We know Michael wore those in the 1996 - 97 season, but we also know that Martin gave away a pair on his show for the Christmas episode to the kid who had holes in shoes. They are tied to iconic moments. A sneakerhead may love Bordeaux 7's because they are dope looking shoes. Where for me it's that Michael Jordan wore those in a video with Michael Jackson and Kris Kross in the 92 Jam video. MJ and MJ in a video with Kris Kross, do you know what that did to my childhood?! Give you one more example that is not even Michael Jordan related. Piggy backing off of Kris Kross,The Patrick Ewing’s were one of my favorite kicks growing up besides seeing Pat play in them one of my favorite Hip Hop covers of all time is "Totally Krossed Out" and Kris Kross is wearing both colorways. So you see what I mean there is so much tied to it with being an enthusiast. This is just my opinion though some may not agree so don't shoot me! (Ha)

From the time you started collecting up until now, would you say that the sneaker game changed for the best or the worst? I have been collecting for 20 plus years now. I have seen the game at it's best, I have seen it die, I have seen it revive, and now I am witnessing the death of it again. The sneaker game is disgusting right now, and I honestly do not think it will ever recover. It really saddens me. It is a popularity and money contest right now.

Does pricing affect your collection? Hell No! And I hate that some people are trying to make this the norm. IDGAF if you paid $500 - $2000 for a pair, It doesn't mean shit. The narrative is getting outta hand.

What does the word “Hypebeast” mean to you? Hypebeast is a person that only buys shit for status and popularity. They cannot form their own opinion about shit. They have to wear and cop items based on what every celeb is wearing or whatever these Social Media "Influencers" are saying is hot! It is not only sneaker related either. N*ggaz were hypebeasting for PS5 last year..

What are your thoughts on the females in the sneaker game? They are the best! I wish we had a Sneaker union and it was only run by females! The men in this game are annoying and so over the top. It is so bad that they feel the need to compete with women. The men get shoes just to show off to one another. Like what type of shit is that? The females are cool. I had a dude on twitter tell me women don't know the value of a shoe let alone about the shoe. The men feel like they always gotta try to shit on the women. The women are just trying to be part of the culture and enjoy it. And they shouldn't have to try to be part of something that is open to anyone who is willing to be invested and understand the culture.

Any advice for a young kid coming up in the sneaker game? Wear what you like! Respect the game and the people who have been doing it before you. Because this new generation of sneakerheads are little entitled dicks. No respect whatsoever!! I don't care about Travis Scott shoes. Without Jordan being who he is Travis wouldn't have a Jordan silhouette to collaborate with! Same with Off-White. These silhouettes were here before these guys. Say know your history and pay homage!! BUT STAY humble.

See I follow you and I'm loving the way you include your daughter in your work, what does that mean to you? Man, it is beautiful!!!! Without even trying she is invested in the culture. Both photography and shoes. Myself and my wife are both heavy into photography, art, music, sneakers, and clothes. My daughter is into all the same things but we are letting it be her own experience. We are not forcing anything on her. We want her to enjoy being a child and whatever things she picks up from us along the way is just a bonus. But I love shooting her, and I love when she asks myself and her mother "do we like her fit". It is truly a blessing man!

All photos by CAKEDAGAWD

Follow : https://twitter.com/CakedaGawd

https://www.instagram.com/whatsinthesyrup/

#Kicksaddict #cake #photographer #cakedagawd #airjordan #airjordan1 #airjordan6 #clothing #baby #infrared #airjordan4

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afandomroom · 4 years ago

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Character File: Sage Brooks

Note- This is the updated version of Sage’s initial “Fact File”

Warning- Brief mentions of parent death, death, abandonment, and bullying. Nothing descriptive or angsty, this isn’t a story just a fact file, but I’m adding warnings anyway. Also uh…I know parts of her story might not be...totally believable or even sorta stretched? But trust me when I say this is much better than her original story.

Also also, it's very very long. So..be prepared. Wish there was a way to sum this all up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Full Name- Sage Celia Brooks Birthday- August 15th, 2002/1999 Age: Canon: 18 - 21 Future: 26 - 29 Hometown- Eyton, Northern Ninjago

(Blood) Family- Aster Brooks (father; deceased), Lily Brooks (mother; deceased)

(Found) Family- Asher Woodman (older brother figure), Marion Nettle (younger brother figure)

(Future) Family- Willow Woodman (Niece), Cedar Woodman (Niece), Katlyn Woodman (Sister in law)

Hair- Black, falls to the center of her back, usually pulled into a braid of some form. Eyes- Silver Height- 5”3’ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sage grew up in a small Northern village by the name of Eyton, a traditional, old fashioned place, where the main income was fish and river crustaceans/mussels.

Sage’s parents moved to Eyton a year before Sage was born, taking an old, partially abandoned house as their own and fixing it to their liking. Aster took a job on the fishing boats, and hunted in the nearby forests both to bring meat home and bring in extra cash. Lily opened a baking business, and sold flowers during festivals.

While there wasn’t any proof of the matter, people of Eyton whispered about how Aster looked suspiciously similar to a man who’d accompanied a gang that’d caused some trouble a few years prior, until a warrior had chased them off.

Again, without proof they couldn’t hold a trial or even attempt to kick him and his slowly growing family out, but that didn’t stop the villagers from turning up their noses and even encouraging their kids to stay away from Sage and her parents.

Despite her social isolation, Sage was a very sweet child, who always tried to be nice to her classmates despite feeling that they hated her. She wasn’t blind to the way adults acted whenever she walked through town with her father.

When she was seven years old, one of the town’s fishermen was found dead on shore, an arrow sticking out from his skull. Aster was the only notable archer in town, and it was noted that he’d had an argument with the man a few nights prior. Given his possible prior gang affiliations, he was placed under house arrest until a proper trial could be put together.

The trial would be put off when an illness, deadly to adults (when left untreated) but nonlethal for children under seventeen, swept through the village. Lily caught said illness, and despite Aster’s attempts to take care of her, refusal from the village to treat her and inevitably Aster himself led to both of their deaths.

After burying both her parents within the same week, Sage was kicked from the village after a mostly unanimous decision.

For two years Sage wandered about alone, until she came to a village with a stone wolf statue in the center.

On her third day there, she was cornered by a group of town kids, who taunted her and pushed her around until another street kid, a boy with white hair and blue eyes, stepped in and fought of the bullies.

He only spent a few seconds checking to make sure Sage was ok, before turning to walk off by himself, determined to remain alone.

Within that same week, a skeleton horde attacked the village. Sage was quick to find an elevated porch to hide under, hoping she could wait out the raid.

This was when she spotted the white haired boy running, assumedly from the skeletons. Thinking quickly, she grabbed him and dragged him under the porch before he could be spotted.

After what felt like hours of awkward silence between them, the boy introduced himself as Asher and the two ended up spending the night under the porch. They decided to stick together afterwards, Asher stating that they’d be partners, looking out for each other to survive.

Sage would grow to care very much for Asher (platonically and soon in a familial way), and while Asher felt the same, he struggled to come to terms with caring for someone other than himself for a long time.

When Sage was eleven, Asher managed to…find a job. A thief named Ronin offered to hire them for help on a job. Despite Sage feeling the job betrayed her morals, she didn’t was Asher to do the job alone, and so, she agreed to join.

And this was the beginning of Sage’s long life of crime. As they got older, their names were spread around more and more, and soon a steady enough flow of money began to come in.

As time went on, certain events started to change Sage’s overall demeanor and personality. At the beginning of her teenage years, anxiety and general depression ran rampant. By sixteen, an apathy started to overtake her. She started losing touch with the caring, over all happy girl she’d once been.

During the SOG takeover, Sage became a target for UV’s wanted list after shooting some of the gang members. (Reason has yet to be determined). She caught the attention of Mr.E while running over the rooftops, and miraculously escaped with few injuries.

Sometime, early on in the takeover itself, Sage was traveling across the rooftops when she found a boy cornered by SOG members. She didn’t hesitate to shoot the gang members in the head with her bow, only realizing later that there may have been a more merciful way to deal with them.

After learning that the boy didn’t have a place to go, she brought him with her to the apartment she shared with Asher at the time. He would introduce himself as Marion.

Something about the rescue inspired her, and from there she would do her best to save other targets of the SOG for the remainder of the takeover.

This was the start of a change in Sage, one that would reconnect her with herself. She started caring more, smiling again, thinking of different ways out of situations than just...shooting first. She felt severe guilt, but she also felt a form of freedom. She realigned her morals.

Sage would do her best in the years that followed to provide Marion with a better life than her own, and would become a main supporter in his journey to master his element and become one of Ninjago’s protectors.

Three years later, Sage ended hiding a young man with a green streak of hair from a team of muggers. Deciding to take a risk, she invited the strange man to their home. She wouldn’t let him know that she recognized him as the Morro until a week or so later.

While Morro never joined in the thieving business, he did freelance with lifting and loading jobs to pull his weight. He’d also become Marion’s mentor later on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the future- Eventually, Sage would leave the crime life. The guilt of her actions and belief that her parents would be sorely disappointed in the way she’d led her life drove her to quit.

She would never turn herself in, instead running a branch tea shop with a close friend, volunteering and donating when and where she can as an attempt to give back.

She’d continue to be a supportive and loving figure in her brothers’ lives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Season by Season:

- Season 1- Sage meets Asher Sage and Asher were in a village that was attacked by the Skeleton Horde She was in Jamanakai with Asher when Lloyd first attempted to raid the place for candy. She was going to offer to help him snag some candy, but got scared off when the ninja arrived.

- Season 2- Sage and Asher continue their partnership, their loyalty and trust has grown quite a bit.

- Season 3- Sage and Asher begin their lives in crime.

One of the jobs Ronin hired them for was keeping an eye out while he grabbed Zane.

- Season 4- They were in one of the villages attacked by Chen’s cultists.

- Season 5- Asher and Sage officially refer to each other as siblings.

They were in Styx when the ninja attempted to steal from Ronin. Sage saw them leaping across the roofs.

- Season 6- With the ninja’s rise in fame, stealing becomes both harder and easier. On one hand, they’re too busy to come after them. On the other, cops were alerting the Ninja to every crime. Sage and Asher end up laying low.

- Season 7- When Borg disappears, Sage and Asher are given the job of stealing his tech.

- Season 8- Sage and Asher are offered a job by Harumi, but they ultimately turn it down.

- Season 9 – Sage is wanted by the SOG, saves Marion, and begins fighting against the SOG.

- Season 10- Sage, Asher, and Marion hide in an underground bunker during the oni attack. This is when they meet Jerome Rune and Calvin Rune.

Season 11- Sage, Asher, and Marion were not in the city during Aspheera’s attack. Rather, they were trying to remove Marion’s vengestone cuffs. They spent the rest of the season try to help Marion with his abilities.

- Season 12- The minute Sage hears about the video game linked disappearances, she drags the boys away from the city and to a rural village. Girl isn’t taking any chances.

Later that year, Sage meets Morro

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Facts: - Her father taught her the archery basics; she chose to learn how to shoot and uses a bow as her primary weapon because of her father’s prowess with the weapon. - She taught Marion and Asher’s daughters how to use a bow. - Has callused fingers from archery. - Can throw knives like a boss. - She does know a few things about fighting, but it’s not her strong suit and she prefers long range and dodging to melee and hand to hand combat. - Her favorite tea is Passion flower, and her favorite food is puffy pot stickers(or just pot stickers in general) - She has a kill count of 27, and is very closed off when asked about it. - She can pick locks relatively well, including handcuff locks and jail cell locks. - Like Asher, she is notorious for breaking out of holding cells and police custody. - Every year since she was 14, she visits Eyton to update her parents on her life and apologize for the life she is living. - Learned to drive a car and ride a motorcycle at 15. A fellow thief for hire taught Asher and Sage. - Built/repurposed her motorcycle, Asher’s motorcycle, and their pickup by herself. - Her motorcycle is her baby and if you break it she will break you. - Impulse drives her motorcycle when incredibly stressed. - Taught herself mechanics and medical stuff - Got all of her education from libraries, everything she knows about math, history, etc. is self taught - She was 17 when she got her first tattoos. - In total she has four tattoos. A raven carrying a hyacinth on her back, vines around her right arm, an ace flag yin yang on her left, and Edelweiss around a knife in a currently undetermined location. - Each tattoo has some varying form of significance. - She picked up roof running to help with jobs, it became a hobby later on - Tried to teach herself guitar, but they moved around too much for her to focus on it. - Family is everything to her. - A sign that you have her full trust you is that she becomes willing to be more...physical around you. Nudging your arm, playful punches and shoves, hugs, hair ruffling. She also won’t freeze or tense up if you grab her suddenly. -Basically she becomes notably less awkward and anxious, and wary around you. - She is fiercely loyal, and will stay by your side even if it means she might die. - Very tired and frequently has nightmares. Anxiety and guilt also prevents sleep. - Has to have a knife on her person at all times in order to feel safe; even in her own home and while she sleeps. - Crystal necklace is from a friend, a reminder that she isn’t alone and that she has people there for her. - Various scars, each with their own story. - Most people don’t assume Sage is a criminal when they first meet her.

#Oc//Sage #Ninjago #Ninjago oc #Oc Files #Aries posts #Ninjago Sage

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misssophiachase · 5 years ago

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Hi All, thank you for all the love you gave this drabble during AU Week. It has inspired me to write another chapter. You can find Chapter one here on AO3 and FF

Synopsis: From opposing packs, Klaus and Caroline had a connection from an early age. However, their parents forced them apart five years earlier through lies and deceit, and now they're coming face-to-face after all these years.

Free Fall - Chapter 2: Homecoming

Fox and Hound Bar, Memphis, TN

"Holy..." Lucien murmured, his eyes doubling in size while looking past Klaus toward the door.

Klaus immediately turned and realized his instincts were still impeccable. Although, on closer reflection, Klaus knew that with her they were always on point. To say she looked stunning was an understatement, well minus the offensive, Rolling Stones t-shirt but he knew she'd worn it on purpose.

Her blonde waves were longer than he remembered, fanned out over her shoulders, her eyes were bluer than ever. It was, however, her skin a tantalizing shade of creamy ivory, that brought back the most memories. Klaus could recall familiarizing himself with every bare inch. In fact, he could probably still recount every freckle and its location on her body.

The one thing Klaus couldn't deny was her effect on him and it was still completely overwhelming to this day. But there was something else he'd missed.

She made him feel completely breathless.

Every time.

But that was before.

Before she left.

7 years earlier…Quarry Tavern, Barre VT

Klaus prided himself on many things. His leadership skills, his unwavering loyalty to those who earned it and his steadfast ability to make decisions based on fact and without any pesky, emotional considerations.

He'd realized early on that emotion was weakness, something that Mikael had beaten into him on multiple occasions. So, he'd traveled through life having fun but never letting himself get entangled into anything more than a one-night-stand. It was working extremely well for him up until that night in late July.

With the full moon behind him for the month, Klaus was back on stage with his band. Music was the one thing that had the ability to drown out all of the bad things in his life and truly allow him to relax.

Klaus had picked up a guitar age nine and over the course of a year had taught himself how to play. It was unheard of for someone his age but it seemed so natural. Lucien used to joke about who he inherited that particular skill from because his parents had no musical talents whatsoever. He'd wondered himself briefly before forging ahead with it and forming his first band, age thirteen.

Since then he'd had three different bands. Frustrated with the first two, he'd forced both Lucien and Kol to learn an instrument. They'd been reluctant and, in Kol's case, whined a lot but after telling them it was a great way to pick-up it sealed the deal.

Even though they bickered, Klaus had to admit the chemistry between them was what had been missing. The few, same people that turned out every night became groups and those groups became large crowds. Even though their repertoire was largely covers at this stage, Klaus figured they needed to start somewhere.

They'd been playing the Quarry in Vermont for the past week. The crowds were heaving; Summer was their busiest season.

They were due to play their first set of the night in fifteen minutes. Klaus liked to sit by himself before they took the stage. He told his bandmates it was because Kol's complaining and Lucien's warm-up, vocal exercises were distracting.

While they were incredibly distracting, in truth he liked to sit outside by himself. The moon's energy was something that had enticed him since he was a pup, not surprisingly, although not because it angered him but because it gave him the ability to relax and collect his thoughts.

Tonight, he was part-way through his ritual when he heard a noise coming from the back fence. He opened one eye and then the other, frustrated by the intrusion but also curious who was disturbing his reverie.

When it didn't seem to be stopping, he stalked quietly towards the sound, wolf-like even in human form. She was clearly attempting to climb the fence, but what he wasn't expecting was to see a toned pair of creamy legs barely covered by a black, mini-skirt. In fact, the brief skirt was hitched that high, her taut backside was in danger of completely revealing itself as well as the remainder of her black, lace panties.

Klaus licked his lips, briefly considering watching the show unfold but deciding he needed to contain his growing arousal and not encourage it given he was due to perform in less than five minutes.

"Alright, love?" Her head whipped around, those loose, golden waves following. Her blue eyes were questioning, her creamy skin tinged pink, no doubt from the exercise. On first sight, Klaus couldn't help but think she looked vaguely familiar.

"I'm fine," she muttered, her gaze unwavering. "In fact, I'd be even finer if you'd leave and pretend you never saw me."

"Well, given the view, I think it's going to be difficult to pretend." She looked at her legs, desperately trying to pull the stretchy fabric down further but failing miserably. In the end, she obviously realized it was a lost cause and scaled the remainder of the fence, then jumped down within inches of him.

"Do you always ogle females?" His keen, wolf sense of smell meant he'd detected her scent from afar but up this close, it was messing with him. A mixture of vanilla, cinnamon, and strawberries that had the ability to render him momentarily useless. He shook his head attempting to clear the fog and concentrate.

"I never ogle because that would mean we were living in another century," he joked. "The only reason I was perusing your assets was that they were difficult to ignore, what with that barely-there skirt bunched up so high," he murmured, eyeing it teasingly. She eventually pulled it down and Klaus had to admit he was disappointed to see such perfection disappear.

"Happy now?"

"I wouldn't say that," he smiled knowingly. "But I am curious as to why you decided to wear a short skirt if you were going to be scaling high fences? I would have thought jeans would have been a much more practical choice, but that's just me."

"Obviously, you can sing but aren't very bright," she muttered. "It's a shame really."

"As far as back-handed compliments go, I think that's probably the best one I've ever received," he chuckled.

"I wasn't expecting to scale a fence obviously," she shot back, rolling her eyes. "But when my fake ID option fell through, this seemed like a good alternative. Well, you know, at the time."

"Now who's the bright one?"

"Is there any chance we can quit the small talk and you can let me inside?" She pleaded, her lower lip sticking out further no doubt as an extra maneuver to convince him. "I mean I did come specially to see your band."

"I'm not sure I'm quite ready to commit a felony just because you supposedly like my band," he replied. "How old are you?"

"Will that get me inside?" He gave her a look which plainly said it wouldn't. "I'm seventeen, next month," she said the last two words quieter than the first two.

Being barely nineteen, Klaus didn't think it was too much of an ask. He'd been at pubs since then, perhaps earlier, but ID had never been an issue in their world. Klaus knew that the pack wars had heated up recently and elders had insisted upon strict curfews for those under 18, the elderly and the vulnerable.

Alaric Saltzman owned the Quarry and was usually pretty relaxed with the rules given the bar was out of the way of prying eyes (exactly why Klaus liked it) but the orders had come from the very top this time and weren't to be ignored. Even though he knew exactly who the orders came from, Klaus had never really liked rules and there was also something about her he couldn't reconcile.

"I've been trying to work out for the past five minutes why you look so familiar," he stated, hoping for some kind of crumbs. She merely shrugged her shoulders by way of response. "And why I'm stupidly going to do this.."

"Oh look, I think those brain cells are regenerating," she teased, attempting to walk past him. He couldn't miss the rush of exhilaration he felt as she grazed his shoulder. Who was this girl and what was she doing to him?"

"Hold on," he insisted, making her stop. "If I let you go in there, what are you going to do for me?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, love," he replied. "I'm going to need some sort of payment and in lieu of that, a favor."

"What kind of favor?" She asked, hands-on-hips and squinting her blue eyes narrowly in his direction. Given her adversarial stance, it was clear she had misconstrued what he'd asked.

"Not in that way," he quickly replied. "Can you sing?"

"Now that I wasn't expecting," she murmured, obviously considering his question. "Of course, I can sing. In fact, I could probably give you a run for your money."

"That's a pretty big call to make," he whistled, catching a hint of her perfume in the breeze and willing himself to concentrate yet again. "My backing singer flaked at the last minute and she was supposed to sing a couple of songs."

"I've seen her before on YouTube, you can do better," she explained. "And when I say better, I mean me."

"I can't just take your word for it.." before he could continue she started to sing.

"And I wonder if I ever crossed your mind. For me, it happens all the time. It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now." He knew the song and didn't think he'd ever heard it sung so beautifully.

"Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now. And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now." Klaus didn't even realize he finished the last couple of lines with her.

It was only part of a song but Klaus wasn't quite sure what to say. Words couldn't explain just how good she was and even more so with him.

"So, we found a replacement for April then?" Kol interrupted, coming through the back door and happening upon their impromptu duet. Klaus was still in shock, his brain not moving fast enough to reply.

"You did," she said, sending his brother her best smile. "I'm Caroline." Klaus liked the way it sounded rolling off her tongue, in fact, it was something he could get used to over and over again. She was something he could get used to. Caroline walked inside leaving them alone for a minute.

"Father is going to kill us," he mumbled.

"Again? Why this time exactly?"

"I didn't recognize her at first but when she said her name was Caroline..."

"Caroline Forbes," Klaus finished, his heart sinking.

Why did his father and the rivalry have to ruin every facet of his life? Now he'd inadvertently not only let the only daughter of Bill Forbes into the bar breaking all of the curfew rules but now she was going to sing in his band for a rather sizeable crowd.

Everything in him was screaming "abort" but for some reason, Klaus wanted to take the chance and screw the consequences. Something happened between them and Klaus was desperate to find out exactly what that was and how he felt.

Klaus slowly broke free from his memory realizing exactly how she made him feel then. Although looking at her today, he realized there were still elements of that breathlessness but they were now intermingled with an underlying, sharp pain in his chest.

Hurt.

The number of emotions he was currently experiencing was threatening to spill over and Klaus knew he couldn't show that weakness, especially to her of all people. She didn't deserve it.

She looked at him, her gaze unwavering almost like she was saying…

"Well?" It was eerie how he could tell exactly what she was going to say, even after all this time.

"Hello to you too, love" he smirked, unable to stop the endearment from slipping out, although Klaus knew this time it wasn't done in love, it was all part of his plan to entice her and then use her to gain the upper hand. She faltered briefly and Klaus knew he still had it. "What can we help you with?"

"I assume you know why I'm here," she shot back, raising her eyebrows. "Lucien," she greeted, whilst simultaneously gesturing for him to pick up his jaw from the floor. Klaus wished his best friend could have been a touch more calm and collected but he couldn't have everything. "Is that the stray beginnings of a beard I see? I'm not sure it's really you, to be honest."

Klaus had to resist the urge not to laugh given his sister had said that only ten minutes earlier. Speaking of the blonde devil, Klaus knew she was no doubt in the ladies' room sharpening her claws. Klaus had decided to tell her that Caroline might audition so she didn't cause a scene. But where his sister was concerned there most definitely was going to be a scene. Rebekah really should have been an actress, not a band manager.

"You know I'm the best singer in these parts, I don't know why you didn't just call me up because it would have saved you time."

"I suppose I'd needed to know where you were in order to do that," he shot back, his terse tone not lost on her. Klaus knew this was going to be difficult but nothing had prepared him for Caroline Forbes coming back into his life. "Enough with the pleasantries, are you ready to audition?" He asked, noticing for the first time a brunette male in the background. "Are you lost?"

"I'm.."

"The audition call was for a female backing singer," he growled, thinking he was too old for this.

"He's not auditioning, he's with me," Caroline murmured, her blue eyes unflinching. Klaus felt like someone had punched him in the stomach and realized at that point maybe his claws needed sharpening too. "Are we ready to start?" Klaus nodded, clearing his throat and willing himself to calm down, he could see out of the corner of his eye Lucien was sending him the same message.

"What will you be singing?"

"Need You Now," she replied nonchalantly. "I figured it's an oldie but a goodie."

Given she was the one to leave him all those years ago, Klaus figured it was incredibly nasty to twist the knife like that. It was their song after all. Well, it was once.

Not only did she look good enough to eat, but she had also brought some boyfriend along and on top of that was singing their song. Klaus knew he was 0 from 1 and needed to turn that around in order to execute his plan.

#homecoming #freefall #misssophiachase #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline #my writing

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prompts-andshit · 6 years ago

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Voltron + Klance HCs

Keith accidentally said y’all once, now everyone says it

- Pidge said y’all’d’ve in a sentence and Lance wheezed so hard he had to be sent to a pod

Lance and Keith practice using their swords in brawls

- The first time Lance won, Keith was in shock and didn’t recover for a day

Annual sleepovers. Couches are filled with blankets and pillows and everyone is screaming

- Pidge falls asleep on Hunk’s shoulder and they all die because it’s adorable

- Lance finally convinces Keith to join. Only Hunk agrees to wear a face mask.

When Keith growls in frustration, Hunk, Lance and Pidge all sing in unison: “THIS HIT THAT ICE COLD MICHELLE PFEIFFER THAT WHITE GOLD”

Lance was sitting down, cleaning his sword when Keith just. Sat behind him and rested his head on his shoulder.

-Shiro saw them in the distance and smiled fondly while Pidge yelled with a Scottish accent: “DISGUSTANG!”

When they finish a mission Pidge just whispers: “can I get huhyuh”

- Lance, speeding past in his lion: “HUUUUUUUUUHYEEEEEUUUHHH”

Lance and Hunk make milkshakes for everyone after a hard battle, Allura is a happy princess

Allura brings the fucking heat in arm wrestling matches (I wrote this pre-s8, valid)

- Shiro shivers in fear. His metal arm hasn’t recovered from its loss.

Keith discovered that Lance does push ups and sit ups shirtless and just bangs his head against the wall everytime he thinks about it.

- Pidge and Shiro are the only ones who know and once pissed themselves laughing when Keith got up from the dinner table and almost gave himself a concussion

Hunk started tickling Keith and made him laugh harder then any of them have ever seen. Lance actually started crying and no one has been the same since

Keith’s room is freezing at times. He opens the door one night to see Lance’s jacket on the floor.

- He accidentally wore it to breakfast, and Allura just smacked her hand over Coran’s mouth when he was about to point it out

Hunk kicks ass in battle and everyone just cheers him on so hard

- Pidge is sitting on Keith’s shoulders, Lance and Shiro hold up Hunk as they all scream: “FEAR THE YELLOW PALADIN”

- My beautiful boy starts blushing and feels so content

It becomes routine for Lance to train when he’s upset because he doesn’t want to complain to anyone

- Hunk, Pidge, Allura, Shiro and Coran all take notice and try to cheer them up in their own ways

- Keith is just so damn clueless, he walked in on Lance frustratingly trying to shoot in a simulation. So he just trains with him. Giving him advice and joking around made Lance feel so much better

While helping out a planet in need, everyone watches as Allura talks to town folk when they hear some alien make a gross comment about her. Shiro holds back Lance, who’s sword was at the ready

- Lance backs off, but Shiro just fires up his arm and goes IN

- Allura stepped in before getting the last punch. She didn’t even know what was going on she just wanted to join in

(note: I wrote this before season 7 so this valid now) Lance starts a game of Pictionary. Bad mistake.

- Lance, after losing: “what band was that???”

Keith: “BRING ME THE MOTHERFUCKING HORIZON, LANCE.”

Everyone is in on the “casually calling Lotor a ridiculous version of his name” joke

- Shiro: “Someone call Prince Lottie.”

Pidge: “Where’s Lothot?”

Lance: “Allura and Prince Lotion are

on a mission.”

Hunk: “Loturd still has Shiro’s bayard.”

Keith: “Fuck off Lotwhore.”

Lance, feeding food goo to the mice while simultaneously sending memes to pidge on his phone: “I don’t know Hunk. Maybe my relationship with my father is holding me back from falling in love-“

Pidge mentioned hide and seek once and Coran convinces everyone to play a round.

- Keith and Pidge run into each other in the vents. Both give a discreet nod and shuffle past each other.

- Allura found everyone, holding Shiro above her head after she pulled him out the black lion cockpit

- Lance was the last one left. Having tons of younger siblings came in handy as he wasn’t found for the next two hours

- He was hiding in blue’s mouth

You bet your fucking ass they recreate vines and memes

-Lance, one arm around Keith: COUNTRY BOY, I LOOOVE YOUUUU

-Lance and Pidge collecting coins in the fountain at the space mall: I don’t have enough money for chicken nuggets

-Pidge when Hunk is single modulating: that is not correct. because according to the encyclopedia of-

-Keith, Pidge, Hunk and Lance to Shiro: you are my daaad (you’re my dad!)

-Lance and Keith are straight up making out, Shiro: What’s better than this? Guys being dudes.

-Pidge and Hunk looking at the security cameras and seeing Keith and Lance at the pool: TWO BROS, CHILLING IN THE HOT TUB, 0 FEET APART ‘CAUSE THEY ARE GAY

-Keith while voltron is going back to the castle: GIVE ME MY HELMET BACK PIDGE WE ARE GOING TO SEE UNCLE CORAN

-Lance to Lotor after finding out he’s a traitor: Don’t make me say it. I don’t care that you broke your shoulder.

-Pidge after the group leaves Lotor for dead: Lance this is so sad play Despacito

Lance, a bilingual and guitar player: *pulls guitar out of nowhere*

- Keith: Who ate my leftovers?

Hunk: *mouth full of food* Who ate my best friend’s ass?

#klance #heith #voltron #voltron legendary defender #klance headcanons #klance hcs #voltron hc #voltron headcanons

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steve0discusses · 6 years ago

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Yugioh S2 Ep 26-27: Marik Also Tries Mind-Crushing, Except Literal and With A Very Large Storage Unit

Ah, Yugioh, where two children are possessed by ghosts and two other children are possessed by just some guy named Marik.

He’s still pretty sure he has a plan. To be honest, at this point it just seems like he’s desperate, but I have to hand it to Marik, that he’s doing more than just relying on a spooky golden maraca thing he keeps in the side pocket of his cargo pants. Something that a lot of shows do really wrong with villains (pointing fingers directly at My Hero Academia while I’m typing this) is that they rely too much on their fancy looking superpowers to show they’re a bad guy. It’s fine to have super powers but you gotta back it up with making sure you’re throwing your heroes into a psychological nightmare--at least once.

At least once, MHA, it is Season 3. Please. You have such a huge budget and the best animators in the world. Please. I beg of you.

Yugioh, on the other hand is like...when WON’T we be in a psychological nightmare?

And so Marik has decided, after the bandsaw murder clown incident, the blown up skyscraper 100 story fall to your death incident, and the spooky mime incident, that he was ready to just really go to town on effed up villain stuff today. It’s time to pull all the stops. He’s got Yugi’s BFF’s all ready to turn on Yugi, he’s got an abandoned shipyard...for some reason...

All in all, as much as I rat on Marik, I very much appreciate that he didn’t monologue in some Mahjong bar for twelve episodes about all the reasons he wants to do evil stuff, he just goes out and does it. Let me rephrase, he just goes out and makes other people do it, but at least someone is doing something in every episode. Can’t say that about all the TV I watch.

You do have to hand it to him he never does the same plan twice.

(read more after the cut)

So, spotting Joey from afar, Kaiba lands his helicopter dangerously close to him, and just walks out unarmed, his smallest brother standing next to him. Mokuba is still taking everything in from last episode apparently and he’s just really confused most of the time as Joey starts going off about himself in the third person to Yugi.

And Seto decides to just watch? He doesn’t call for help, he doesn’t use his crazy amount of leverage, and he doesn’t do the smart thing which would be to run the hell away, he just kinda soaks this all in and has decided that he lives here now.

So, Marik, who can do a lot of the dark magic stuff Pegasus and Bakura have showed us, decides to instead go old school and forgo magic for most of this fight (other than some possession of course.)

Like I said before, if you’re gonna write a villain, they gotta get in your hero’s head a bit. It’s villain 101. Should it ever go as far as a Yugioh villain on kid’s TV? I mean proooobably not necessary? But something this episode does is show that a villain does not need superpowers. All they need, is to test your hero’s greatest insecurities to the breaking point, which is something Marik does really well, and surprisingly a lot of shows I don’t need to mention, because I already have, don’t do. They kinda rely on “well he’s got evil powers, so he’s evil and they punch a lot” while not understanding that it was never the powers that gives a show that tension that villains bring.

Like, Yugioh does a lot of things wrong, but surprisingly, they know how to write a clearly evil villain who’s just overheard that Yugi’s big thing is this bond of friendship--which is really childish--but he goes with it anyway. So he makes this bizarre Joker-like card game scenario that is based on breaking those friendship connections. But leave it to Yugioh to have something really pure in theory but in practice turn into this screwball nightmare. Yugioh is kind of like a really simple chocolate cake but there’s a tire on it and it’s on fire.

I will say, it is odd that Seto got dragged here into the friendship battle, as he is the worst friend. So now he also gets to go through friend torture with some school mates he occasionally has class with. TBH, I don’t think Seto has even realized yet that he has also been 100% abducted since the moment he walked off that helicopter. Seto lives in a nice denial place.

So lets go over Marik’s Big Plan #7.

First, off you gotta put on these shackles, seen here:

I feel like Shackles are this seasons Maze Labyrinth. I mean I guess Yugi’s shackled to his destiny? Or at least the destiny of the ghost he’s attached to? Anyway, so many shackles this season.

And then these shackles and chains are connected to Joey as well as this anchor we see here:

What nice symbolism to illustrate that Yugi’s friendship will drag everyone he knows along with him--as it has for the past 2 seasons. Not really a big spoiler for everyone involved in this battle.

And then this was a thing Marik added just for kicks, which can be symbolic, too, but I don’t feel like diving into it:

I actually never thought these two would actually cancel a game. Mokuba decided against blowing his whistle at it though, he decided it was probably too late for that. Aaaaaand it was:

Yo, how do you sneak up on people with a 70 ft crane?

Honestly I was surprised that Seto cared enough about Tea to not move, but I guess he couldn’t kill Tea in front of Mokuba. And I dunno, Seto and Tea never really talk to eachother, so I guess I’ve never noticed that he thinks she’s decent enough to continue existing. He might like her better than anyone else on this show other than Mokuba. And I’m not saying that to ship them, although I’m sure it’s a fine ship sailing around out there, I’m just saying that it is notable when Kaiba accepts that someone else besides a Kaiba deserves to live.

And then one last touch:

I guess no one told Marik that Tea and Yugi aren’t actually dating? I mean how much would it suck to go on one date with a guy and then all of a sudden you’re dealing with all of his villains?

Accurate, actually, that is exactly how dating works. You go one date and then you casually run into him in an elevator and then all of a sudden he’s like “So my ex fiance took me to court over the engagement ring and it’s so unfair that I can’t get that money back when she’s gonna marry this other guy she’s only known for a month anyway.” and it’s like “You were engaged?”

But, for his credit, 2 weeks later I needed a date, called him up, and he was like “Sorry, I’m in the hospital because I got an ulcer removed because apparently there’s too much stress in my life pulling these allnighters for my classes, and my car died and it’s gonna cost 2k to fix it, and then my ex fiance visited me in the hospital which was hella weird because my Dad is here. Anyway I got a tube down my pee hole and it was the worst pain I’ve felt in my life including the ulcer they removed from my gut. But I dunno. When’s the date?” and I just assumed he was pranking me but turns out, the next day, my teacher confirmed the kid was in the hospital and as high as balls.

Anyway, Pharaoh isn’t the worst person in the world to date, I guess.

It’s nice that Yugi was able to find all of his accessories in blue leather and silver rivets.

The duel begins, everyone cries, except for Tea who’s just screaming from the sidelines that Joey needs to remember how much he loves Yugi. She reminds him to think of the experiences they’ve shared and it was like oh boy maybe skip the part where you bullied Yugi to to hell and then he got cursed with a ghost that lives in his body.

TBH, I feel like it would be bad to introduce Serenity to the fray? Like if I were Marik I’d be like “woah get Joey’s sister out of here, that’s gonna snap him out of it.” but it’s not like Marik gets the whole family love thing anyway, living with Ishizu.

In case you were wondering, yes Mokuba actually tried to explain to Tea what was going on, so the show went over what the hell was going on I want to say like 3 times. Which is something you kinda have to do when you’ve turned your card game into Mousetrap.

And so this is where the episode ended, and I was capping along and felt like this could be a two parter post for this weekend, so why not? Lets continue.

Ah, and it starts out with Marik on a boat.

That boat gets mysteriously bigger and bigger every time it shows up. How many Rare Hunters are there? Like 10? And do they have to rent an apartment on this boat, like how does this all work? And if they do rent an apartment on the boat, who’s cooking? Like Marik, obviously is not a cook since he’s a living disaster, but I want to know more about boat life. Did Bandit Keith ever make them a crunchwrap supreme? Is one of the Rare Hunters always playing Wonderwall? Do they tan on the bow? Why would this boat ever need to be this big?

And I know this isn’t any of the Yugioh spinoff shows, but if I were to write one it would absolutely be Marik’s Boat Life. That would be the name.

Anyway, Yugi decides to fly over Pharaoh’s shoulder like a little angel. It’s been kind of a while.

So like it’s foreshadowed pretty strongly that Yugi’s decided “why even bother, Pharaoh, we don’t need your card talent today. At least my life will end as I lived, short and very awkward”

On the other side of town, Tristan has to go up a group of these Rare Hunters, and from everything we know about Tristan, this shouldn’t be so difficult? Like he punched out Bakura and threw Double Spike Mullet over his shoulder at one point, but unfortunately, punches don’t seem to work. But do you know what does?

I completely forgot Duke Devlin was a character in this show. Surprised he’s not in this competition, but apparently his game he’s making alongside Pegasus is really panning out--which is kind of effed up because Pegasus is a murderer. But youknow...I guess that everyone in the show decided to overlook that?

Whatever, I spent an entire episode trying to understand that, lets get back to the friendship plot line. Yugi decided to play a card that lets Joey take a card from Yugi’s hand, which gives him an opportunity to show Joey’s dragon. But will Joey overcome Marik and take this very good card to use on Yugi? (bro just corrected me and told me this card is actually not good but wtv)

He takes a different card. Friendship triumphs over...this card that I should know more about but I don’t watch the card games so I’m just gonna wing it here.

And then Yugi plays it anyway, and the music swells and it’s meaningful again.

Because the Red Eyes is connected with his heart now. Not sure when that happened exactly but it apparently happened at some point.

Seriously, when did this happen? I ask a lot of questions rhetorically but feel free to answer that one. Did I miss something? S1 this card was just kinda there.

Pharaoh, sensing that Yugi has very well lost his mind and will be absolutely hit by a fireball, decides to take over. Remember that the last time Yugi got hit with a fireball, he passed out pretty much before it hit him. And then he died. Yugi died last time a fireball hit him (I’m pretty sure that was a fireball in the Pegasus fight? It feels like years ago). Mind, that was a shadow duel, but apparently that doesn't matter this season because all the cards are real and no one cares that this is a very big problem.

Pharaohs legs are either three times the size of his torso OR they’re wearing extremely high waisted pants. Both scenarios are good.

And he gets hit in the face with a fireball.

And doesn’t pass out. Good for him. He is about 15% alive though, Yugi is basically going to die if he gets hit with another fireball. Like his lifepoints still say 1000 but it takes him like ten minutes to walk all the way around this pier and give Joey this:

Luckily, Marik as Joey plays cards so slowly, that the ten minute walk was still shorter than a single turn in Yugioh.

Also this is a thing? Just anyone can put that on?

so this whole time anyone could have been wearing the ring to Mordor? Just anyone? OK then.

Anyway, next week, on Yugioh:

Does Marik have any lag on that superpower of his, because I feel like it would make this show make some more sense on his part? Did the mime just walk home? If they all did die this way--not saying the will or won’t because they’ve died so many times now, but if they DID--weirdest way to die, amiright?

And if you’ve stumbled onto this blog which is halfway through S2, let me direct you to this handy link, which gives you all the recaps in chronological order from S1

#Yugioh #yugioh recap #photo recap #ep 26 #ep27 #Yugi Muto #Joey Wheeler #Marik Ishtar #Tea Gardner #Seto Kaiba #Kaiba #Mokuba #Duke Devlin #Tristan Taylor #Serenity Wheeler #Boy there's a lot of characters in this show now and so many are like...possessed

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boogiewrites · 7 years ago

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Choking On Sapphire Pt. 6

Title & Song: Stop The World

Characters: Alfie Solomons x OFC

Word Count: 4300+

Summary: Genevieve Durand is a force to be reckoned with. An intelligent, independent and brutal businesswoman. When she moves to London for a new chapter in her life, she finds herself very interested in the friends the father of her godson has found himself in business with. But where does the line go between personal and professional?

A/N: Every chapter of this story will have a song to work as the title and as a soundtrack. Chapter 5 song is Stop The World Because I Want To Get Off With You by Arctic Monkeys. All text in italics is spoken in French.

Part 1: Thieves & Kings.- Pt. 2 Conquest - Pt. 3 Nail In My Coffin - Pt. 4 - 60 Feet Tall Pt. 5 I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor Pt. 7 Making A Fool Of You

My Masterlist.

Warnings: Language. Threats of Violence.

Tags! Let me know if you’d like to be added or dropped! Thanks!

@fangirlfreakingout @jaegeeeeer @cosettewinchester @lookuptheskyisfalling-blog @brianaisasongbird

You're perched on a stair at the bottom of the red carpeted staircase, leaning on the huge marble columns with matching decorative banisters. The stairs lead up to a grand bar, spanning the width of the staircase, impressively carved from stone. You were correct in your assumption the place would have the smell of money in the air tonight.

The inside of the grand London hotel, surrounded by the lit monstrous exterior, was warm with the heat of the bodies within it. The heat from the day still lingering in the air within the stone walls. Everything was covered in filigree, velvet, and elaborate embroidery. You looked around, seeing the grand paintings moved out onto massive easels and podiums, littered across the grand rooms each with its own clusters of people dressed in some of their best. You floated with the tide of moving bodies around the paintings, speaking to the students and artists of the pieces, they were much more interesting than most of the dinosaurs in the room. They were here to show off their money and pretend to be deep intellectuals. You hear their musing through their cloud of intoxication with their elementary understanding of color theory. You'd bought a lovely painting of cherry blossoms from a sweet girl that had made you ache for Paris this time of year.

You’ve finished a general sweep of the place, having gotten there a bit early purposely to do such a thing. You'd not been in this building before and you liked to know your entry and exit options if you were to be confined for the evening. You'd been approached by older gentlemen, as you almost always were at these sorts of events. A woman alone at such things was a beacon, telling them you were single or a whore and it didn't matter which. You'd politely ducked away and hidden to avoid their advances before returning to a high spot to watch for the arrival of Mr. Solomons. Your arms are crossed under your chest, hip jutted out on the stairs, your eyes continuously scanning the large room.

He sees you before you see him, as you'd had to make a circle around the staircase to avoid another man. You've perched again on the bottom of the stairs, peering far out to see him coming in, you weren't looking among the faces already in the crowd and noticing your attention was elsewhere, he gets to take a long look at you uninterrupted.

You didn't compare to anyone else in the entire room. Your dark blue floor-length gown shimmered in the light. He thought the sequins made the curves of your body reflect like the moon off the sea at night. The low V neckline mirrored in cut by the back, showed your chest shamelesly, your pale skin glowing from the oils you use, your arms exposed. The night chill hits your bare skin and you shiver, pulling tighter against you the long black fur you're wearing draped down your back and across your forearms. The sun falling and the rise of the night makes the dimmed light of the room reflective off your large sapphire and diamond necklace. Your teardrop shaped diamond earrings, to match the shape of the stones on your necklace, are nestled into your dark curled hair, falling down the center of your back and framing your face. You're the only woman in the room in your age group without the short haircut that was popular among your peers. You'd always found great pride and pleasure in your femininity and chose not to change what you already liked about yourself and your style as the trends changed, merely adopting the bits you liked as you knew they'd be out by next season anyway. Your eyes lined with makeup, big and dark connect with his as he gets closer. Your red lips smile in acknowledgment as you slink down the few stairs the floor to greet him.

His hat immediately created an intimidating silhouette as his large shoulders made people part to let him through. His cane was just as elevated as his choice in jewelry. His rings, bracelets, necklaces, and cuff links all attracted your eyes like a magpie. You see the ring you gave him, the solid square shape of it easily recognizable to you. You choose not to mention it, but it does look as attractive on him as you thought it would. His top button on his shirt, undone in what you felt was a rebellious gesture to the black tie code of dress. His layers of necklaces settled in his chest hair just visible at the base of the hollow of his throat. Without his usual large coat you'd seen him in, covering his form, you got the see the breadth of him, impressive as he gets close enough for the deep hue of your dress to darken his blue eyes.

"Mr. Solomons." you say with a playful, welcoming tone, holding out your hand.

"Miss Durand." he says with the same underplayed excitement in his voice, his noticeably just groomed beard presses with his lips against your hand. "I don't think you're supposed to try 'n upstage the art, Genevieve but here you are." he grins and you roll your eyes but a laugh bubbles out of you from between smiling lips. You move in closer to him to speak more privately.

"You and your canny words, Alfie." you taunt with a warm soft tone, resting your fingers on the smooth fabric of his suit jacket for a fleeting moment. "I have to say that you look both powerful and expensive tonight," you say with a raised eyebrow, shrugging your shoulders to fluff up the fur around your shoulders in a playful gesture, swatting the end of the fur at his jacket. A reserved, closed mouth smile with big bright eyes and raised brows greet you as you pester him. "If there are two aesthetics I enjoy more I'm afraid I have not learned of them yet." you grin, your nose scrunching up with it to show your sincerity but also put him at ease with your typical level of affection. He tips his hat at you in acknowledgment. He looks around the room behind you as his tongue rolls across his teeth, as he lets out a low rolling laugh. His eyes return to you, the corners crinkled in a genuine smile down at you.

"I would say the very same of you tonight." he leans in slightly, his eyes away from yours.

"You like it, Alfie? I got it from Paris." you say, opening the length of fur in your arms to show him the full front of the gown. You give a slight back and forth with your shoulders as you watch him suppress that masculine, predatory look that sat behind his eyes.

"The blue. It suits you, dunnit?" his lower lip partially reveals his bottom row of teeth as he drags out his last words as if he were still considering his opinion. His expression shifts into a much lighter message, he moves his hands with is words. "You look like a million pounds, ya do." his fingers run over his trimmed beard as he nods, enjoying the invitation to look at you although he's quick to not overstay his welcome as he changes the subject. "I hope you've not been waiting too long for me to arrive." he says, leaning away, his eyes still on the necklace before he breaks the connection to gaze over the crowd as he stands back up straight. His face falls into that raised brow visual stalking expression when he was surveying a space.

"I haven't." you shake your head, "I've bought one painting and three gentlemen have approached me since I've been here so I suppose I've not been here that long." you say with a low chuckle.

"Only three? With you looking like that I'm surprised to see you not turning down proposals at this point in the evening." his straightens his posture, his voice a bit gruffer and teasing, inflecting in a sarcastic way as his ringed fingers hold the lapel of his coat.

"The night is still very young though, isn't it?" you kid, your chin moving as you speak.

"It is young, Genevieve, but let's not keep ya out too late now. Shall we try to enjoy ourselves before we shake these drunken, pompous wigs for their secrets?" he holds his arm out to you and you happily accept it, locking your eyes with his as you hide the girlish, dimpled smirk that threatened to stay on your face. You were entirely too excited to be out tonight back into the plush, lavish lifestyle people who attended these things lived. You had this entertaining gentleman on your arm for the night, talking of art and your fondness of it. You shared laughs that traveled all the way up to your eyes, even if you didn't look into each others during these moments because you were trying to repress your laughter and not build and continue it. Which only made you both want to not only laugh more but louder against the expected politeness from you at these sorts of events.

He picked a more secluded spot to sit together towards the back of the crowd for a presentation from one of the schools the funds benefited. Your legs are crossed towards him at the knee, your elbow on the arm of your red velvet and gold chair, your arms touching from his placement on his chair arm, next to yours, not feeling awkward now due to being on it on all night up to this point in the evening.

You sit together, close but not too close. You speak in a soft voice, talking about how you couldn't believe how one of the young artists had used a technique you'd never heard of to compose his landscapes, but you see that he's fallen still, his head cheated forward but his attention not in that same direction. Upon closer inspection you see him chewing his cheek, his eyes in full focus on the sapphires around your neck.

"Here," you mumble, moving your arms up to unclasp the heavy necklace."Would you like to see it?" you mock rhetorically, presenting it to him in your hands.

"Yes, please." his words polite but his voice dark, taking it delicately into one hand, pulling a loupe out from his coat and you want to laugh at the fact that he just happened to have the magnifying eyepiece in his pocket if you hadn't found it so endearing in it's own obsessive way.

"You've been eyeballing it all evening, just don't drool on it, please." you instruct, rubbing the place where the stones sat on your skin.

"She's beautiful," he says quietly but enthusiastically. "I didn't think it could look more so, anywhere but around your neck but I find myself disagreeing upon this closer inspection." he says, almost mumbling to himself. If you weren't leaning so close you might've missed a few words. He was clearly having a moment with this piece and you didn't blame him in the least. It was one of your favorites.

"Very complimentary of you," you say with sarcasm. "I spent a long time looking for such clarity in gems in such a grand necklace." you express fondly, seeing the teardrop-shaped gems slip over his fingers like stone tears as he fusses with it.

"Time well spent." he says in a groan of jealousy, placing the eyepiece back into his pocket and so effortlessly moving, placing the piece back around your neck and clasping it for you. In the moments his fingers manipulated the clasp, his arms steady on your shoulders, you can't help but notice how he doesn't smell of rum tonight but of something masculine.

"Wonderful taste in jewels tonight, Genevieve." he says in a polite toned, gruff voice. He's quiet for a moment, his hand hovers over yours, he taps your finger that wears the simple but sizable sapphire ring. "This one here would assure a body sank right to the bottom of the canal, yeah?" You let out a low huff of a laugh.

"Yes and she's a personal favorite of mine so don't suggest she'd be on any sort of hand that would let itself end up in the bottom of the canal." you hold it out, your arm outstretched, shifting your hand to see the facets shine, admiring the ring.

"I'd never suggest such a thing about her. Merely an observation." he grins and sits back in his chair. "Now, I'll let ya when someone of interest comes in, yeah?" he says softly, his head tilting towards yours for the duration of his words. He looks around the room, his brow furrowed. You nod in response, glancing over at him in acknowledgment.

"I've only recognized one person here tonight." you whisper.

"You rubbin' with some big shoulders if you're friendly with these types."

"The woman in the mauve dress, red hair." you point with your foot, hidden from view from everyone but him. "I met her groundskeeper at a farmers market and ended up helping her produce business with some of my bees." you explain.

"It's funny how those bees have been takin' you all sorts of places, innit? Those bees become more and more interesting everytime you talk about 'em" he looks over the couple you're referring to.

"That's because they are interesting, Alfie." you say obviously. The corner of his mouth hidden from you pulls back at your no-nonsense tone with him. He continues looking around the room, his hand rubbing his beard, he was in thought. He's pulled out of it as he feels the soft skin your hand against his cheek as you whisper into his ear. "Do you know the man with the lavender tie? With the salt and pepper hair?" you try to say as quietly as you can while still being heard. He swallows and clears his throat, shifting in his seat and subtlely motioning in the direction of the man. You see you'd made him react from your touch. Although it had been subconscious at the time, you now feel the tiny thrill of the acknowledgment from him, although unintentionally so, that your touch could affect him. The troublemaker inside you delights. You hurried to shut her up.

"I've done business with him before, yeah." his voice gravely, his mouth frowning slightly.

"That did not end well, I will assume." you say smugly. Alfie side eyes you, his lips pursed. "Although I couldn't tell which of you tried to turn on the other because I can see he has some dark tendencies."

"You can see darkness in people, can ya?" he says quietly, his voice with less teasing than you'd expect to come from him.

"When someone wears it so proudly, yes." you could've gone over how you could tell he was a powerful man who did bad things by his body language and those around him. Although there was something about his hooded almost white blue eyes that had made your insides twitch with a warning when they'd glanced over yours. Perhaps it was the way his eyes fucked every woman he looked at, with no light behind his eyes on the subject.

"And what about the drunken Lord near the front in the blue and gold?"

"I would suggest he learn how to hide how he's fucking his wife's..." you tilt your head and narrow your eyes. "Cousin? Sister? Hmm." you hum to yourself in thought. He chuckles and pats your arm, telling you without words that you were correct.

"Some of these poor women," you sigh, shaking your head. "I wonder how many know they're husbands prefer their nights within the secrecy of horse stalls with stable boys to their own feather beds with their affection starved wives." you pout your lips as you shrug your shoulders. The genuine enough hurt in your voice strikes him as you hadn't been one to show much sympathy to these other people so far tonight.

"You are impressive, Genevieve, ya know that?" Alfie lets out a small amused sound, he knocks your arm with his elbow. You look at him with wide-eyed innocence and a soft face, one it might bother him to scold publicly. He looks down at you in a mischievous way. "Now there's no way you can know those sorts of things now, can ya?" he says with a touch of grit and taunt. "Even if your tales are very entertaining, yeah? Ya somehow manage to be poignant yet humourous." his words complimenting you but sounding scolding.

"I’ve seen some wild things in my life, Mr. Solomons. Believe me when I soberly muse on these sorts of subjects." you deepen your voice, your eyes still matched with his. "You'd be smart to place a little more faith in my words." you retort, your inflection up at the end, a playful warning.

"Well I did invite you here tonight to do exactly that now, didn't I?" he says, thinking he's made your criticism look incorrect.

"Yes and I wasn't implying you weren't smart." you say, another casual and obvious statement from you as your lips warp into a quirky smile, showing your hand and letting him know you did not misspeak. The speaker rises to the podium and begins. As names are called, he whispers in your ear bits of information about them and what he'd like to know about them.

You switched into work mode, your face back to a stoic neutral pose as you walk on his arm across a ballroom after the presentation. You mostly smiled politely and nodded, as the majority of questions were addressed to Alfie, but you watched and listened, people showing you their true intentions. You were given the distinct advantage of being the only sober two in all the conversations you had. You've been giving Alfie his money's worth work wise as this continued for what felt like hours. Having to giggle and touch your chest in flattery every time a wife interrogated you after being shooed away to let the boys talk, suggesting how you and Alfie looked so complimentary to each other. You hadn't appreciated the beauty and the beast comparison one gentleman made but you weren't really in the position to retort.

"Not that I'm not enjoying your company, Mr. Solomons. But I'm finding myself tired at this point in the night already due to the combination of sobriety and these people's painful personalities." you rub two fingers on one of your temples, and he pats your forearm. "After tonight I am reminded why I left Paris and the people in it behind." you roll your eyes before you wiggle and stretch your face to invigorate yourself.

"If I could find the man I wanted you to meet, as he's alluded us since the presentation, we could end this night before we both go cross-eyed from having to interact with these bloated fucks, yeah?" he motions with his hand, not lowering his voice and you lower your head to hide your face against his jacket arm, not touching it but grazing it as you hid a laugh at his words. He sees your shoulders shake and he pretends he doesn't know that the memory how your upper lip raises to show your front two teeth when he makes you unexpectedly laugh with his crass words would be making its way into his thoughts at a later date.

"I find relief in knowing you are as miserable as I am." you whisper in a reassuring tone. "Who are we looking for? If I know what I'm looking for I can find him." you suggest politely.

"'Ol lavender tie." he says low, voice groaning a bit as his neck stretched to look past the room you were in and into another. Your nose scrunches at the news.

"The one I didn't like. Wonderful." you say sarcastically.

"Well it's never all fun and games, is it?" he says obviously. You purse your lips together and scan the room as he plants you both by the bar. Eventually, the man comes to you.

The closer he gets the more uneasy you get. You try to charge yourself up to protect yourself against how this guy tried to throw his bad energy around. You could tell immediately these two men were only being civilized because they were in public.

The man manages to disrespect you with a look without even opening his mouth. You know Alfie feels your body stiffen against him in your attempt to ground yourself and work through this without emotion.

You're telling the man partial and incorrect information of your farm at his adamant request.

"And you feel safe out there? Little sweet thing like you all alone out there in the wilderness?" he lights a cigarette as he speaks.

"I've been given no reason to feel unsafe so far. I do take precautions, of course, living with the woods creatures so closely with civilization, I must." you state, your face purely informative in expression.

"Oh, there are animals in the city that you have to protect yourself against too, darling." he exhales smoke towards you, glancing between the two of you before settling back on you.

"Yeah, I seem to have introduced her to one." Alfie snarks, his back straight, shoulder and feet planted wide, chin up in defiance. You quickly interject.

"Men mustn't lower themselves to act like unevolved beasts, mustn't they?" you state with more insistence, looking to Alfie out of the corner of your eye before returning them to the other man, who was returning Alfie's glare, while his fingers fuss over the box of matches in his hand.

"That's where you're wrong, honey, some men MUST." he says, looking you over predatorily before snarling his lips while he brought the cigarette up to them while doing everything but snorting and stomping his feet to try and assert his rather pitiful need to show dominance with fire in his eyes.

You're waiting for your car, you pull your fur piece over your shoulders as the wet night air hits your bare skin. It wasn't just the dropping temperature that was making you feel chilled and unusually jittery. Alfie is looking at his pocket watch, he mumbles something about it being late, you only half listen as you're distracted by the man with the eerie eyes.

"Alfie..." you say softly as your car pulls up and he moves you towards it with his arm hovering over your back. He opens your door for you and you turn to him. The surprise in his face isn't hidden, even on the dimly lit sidewalk as you take one of his hands into yours. "This will sound very cheeky of me and it isn't meant to be," you say with your eyebrows raised. "But if you find yourself in need of a place that no one would look for you, I offer you space at my home to ride out the storm I feel coming for you." you insist, even using a weaker tone to see if you could appeal to his masculine energy.

"Genevieve." he says with a sigh, his head lowering, his eyes disappearing under the shadow of his hat brim.

"I know you think my concern to be based in exaggeration but I do feel like that man intends to do you grievous harm." you say, leaning in, looking up at him, he raises his other hand to cover yours, now rested against his chest.

"It's part of the job, you know this, yeah?" he tries to comfort you with a dismissal. "Your kind but displaced worry is appreciated but not necessary." he says with a slightly scolding tone. He uses your grip on his hand to turn you to the car, you hesitantly get in with a heavy sigh you know he hears.

"I told you to put faith in my words, Alfie." you say, your eyes wide, your face serious. The moon hits your eyes, there was no doubt to the truth of your words to be seen. He wishes he didn't find your insistent nature on your correctness to be such an endearing trait at this moment. You, armed with nothing but a gut feeling, telling him he was wrong so certainly.

"And I do, Genevieve, I do, yeah?" he says in a hushed voice. "But I can take care of myself and your work is over here. Go home, forget about me as you should until you find a purpose for me again." he gives you a charming smile, under normal circumstances, it would ease your nerves as was the intention of the gesture. "Goodnight, Miss Durand." he says definitively, letting you know the conversation was over.

Your face frowns and you look at him seriously. "Let Claire know which flowers I should send to your funeral, Mr. Solomons." you say, feeling the lack of a personable nature in the use of your last names from him. You shut the door and turn your face to the front windshield, not looking back to him before your driver pulls away. He stands there, his head shuddering back and forth his eyes blinking quickly at your words. As usual, he finds himself affected by your parting words.

Alfie groans and lets his body sink into the large back seat of his car. His sciatica thankful for the end of the night, but not so much the rest of him. He's looking out the window, the way the streetlights reflect through the glass remind him of how your gemstones would catch the light whenever he'd look away from you, always shining in his peripheral vision. His mind was turning your words over and over in his head, his hand gripped the handle of his cane and he sighs loudly.

"Ishmael? Take me to the warehouse instead of the house for the night, yeah?"

"Of course." he responds with a subtle shrug.

He resituates himself in the seat, brow drawn down tightly, lips pushed in together tightly. He found himself wishing your words hadn't been proven true and trustworthy up to this juncture. He found himself hoping you were wrong, but his own intuition was telling him you weren't.

Pt. 7 Making A Fool Of You

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your-dietician · 3 years ago

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2021 MLB Mock Draft: High school shortstops, Vanderbilt arms among the top prospects

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2021 MLB Mock Draft: High school shortstops, Vanderbilt arms among the top prospects

The MLB Draft is just over a week away, and unlike in past years, there is no slam dunk pick for No. 1.

In past years, it was just a question of how fast the Orioles could announce the pick of Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman (2019) or whether the Tigers would start playing Arizona State hitter Spencer Torkelson at first base or third base (2020).

This year, there is a strong group of high school shortstops, a pair of exciting Vanderbilt pitchers and a few college bats that could generate some buzz anywhere in the top 10.

We’re taking our best shot at what the draft will look like when the commissioner reads the first-round picks on July 11.

MORE: Who is confirmed to swing in the Home Run Derby?

Here’s our latest projections for a 2021 MLB Draft first round.

1. Pirates — Marcelo Mayer, SS, Eastlake High (Chula Vista, Calif.)

The discussion around this draft has been that there is no consensus No. 1 pick as there has been in previous years, but the Pirates have been linked to Mayer for a long time. The high school shortstop has one of the best hit tools and some raw power that excites many scouts, especially when combined with his above-average defense at shortstop.

2. Rangers — Jordan Lawlar, SS, Jesuit Prep (Dallas)

The Rangers are going with the local product second overall here. Lawlar is perhaps a more dynamic talent than Mayer with his speed and power combination, but his hit tool and defense are behind the California product. A shortstop with tons of upside and a home just a few miles from Globe Life Park? It feels like a perfect fit for the rebuilding Rangers.

3. Tigers — Brady House, SS, Winder-Barrow (Ga.) High

Prep shortstops now round out the top three as the Tigers opt to go for the upside in House’s bat over the dynamic arms of Jack Leiter and Jackson Jobe. House might have to move off shortstop eventually to play third base as he is not the most agile, but his bat will play anywhere on the diamond. House and Spencer Torkelson could make for an enviable middle-of-the-order combination down the road.

4. Red Sox — Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt

The run on high school shortstops finally comes to an end at No. 4 with the Red Sox landing the son of former big leaguer Al Leiter. Vanderbilt’s ace has reportedly wanted to land in Boston and he’ll have the leverage himself down to the Red Sox as the top college arm. He’s so refined on the mound that he might not take long in the minors and could help the resurgent Red Sox earlier than many other prospects in this year’s draft.

5. Orioles — Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College

The Orioles might be tempted to take the best talent off the board left in catcher Henry Davis of Louisville, even with top catching prospect Adley Rutschman in their system, but Baltimore is saving money and taking the Boston College outfielder early. Baltimore made a similar move last year in reaching to take Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad second overall, but this time instead of power upside, the Orioles go for Frelick and his hit/speed combination.

6. Diamondbacks — Henry Davis, C, Louisville

Arizona has been linked to other names like Kahlil Watson and Jackson Jobe, but if Davis is available here, the Diamondbacks would probably jump at the chance to take him. He’s a college catcher with a refined hit tool and plus power who should be able to stay at the position as he’s continued to improve behind the plate. Even if he can’t hold up there defensively, Davis offers plenty in the bat to make him worthy of a high pick.

7. Royals — Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt

With recent high-round picks of Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar and Asa Lacy, the Royals have established they’re big on SEC pitching. It just so happens that a dynamic SEC hurler is available for them to take at this spot. Rocker was already coveted out of high school, and he’s gotten even better with improved command and refined secondary offerings. He might have the most upside of any of the college arms taken by Kansas City in recent years.

8. Rockies — Kahlil Watson, SS, Wake Forest (N.C.) High

Watson has generated a lot of buzz to go higher than No. 8 and could be a potential pick to go as high as No. 2 to the Rangers, but here, he’s falling to the Rockies. He has flown up prospect rankings of late due to his complete game, with the ability to hit for average and power, his speed and his slick defense at shortstop. The Rockies reportedly want a hitter, and they’d be more than happy with landing Watson.

9. Angels — Jackson Jobe, RHP, Heritage Hall High (Oklahoma City)

Another team very happy to land a high upside prep player, the Angels watch as Jobe falls to them at No. 9. Evaluators have said Jobe might have the most upside of any pitcher in this class — yes, even higher than the Vandy arms — with premium velocity and the best slider in the draft. Jobe has ace potential and the Angels would welcome the chance to work on developing him into that arm.

10. Mets — Matt McLain, SS, UCLA

The Mets have been linked to several college bats, as well as prep third baseman Colson Montgomery as a bonus-saving pick, but here they’ll take the top college infielder in this year’s class. McLain came into the 2021 year ranked much higher by evaluators, but got off to a slow start. He put it together near the end of the season and his plus hit tool, speed and the potential to add power could make him an enticing prospect.

11. Nationals — Ty Madden, RHP, Texas

The Nationals would love it for Jobe to fall to them, but it’s not happening in this mock. Instead, they’re going to draft the top college arm left in Texas’ Ty Madden. The right-hander has mid-90s velocity, a sharp slider and above-average control that makes him a refined pitching prospect and a pitcher many see as being a potential front-of-the-rotation starter.

12. Mariners — Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston

An outfield of Jarred Kelenic, Kyle Lewis and Taylor Trammell already sounds pretty good. Do the Mariners need more? Well, it’s always best to take the most talented player left and that’s the case with Cowser still on the board. Seattle wants a bat to draft, and Cowser offers one of the best college hit/speed combinations in this year’s class.

13. Phillies — Benny Montgomery, OF, Red Land High (Lewisberry, Pa.)

The Phillies have been consistently linked to the central Pennsylvania product, who might have the most upside of any player in the draft. The hit tool has drawn questions from scouts, but he’s one of the fastest players in the draft, offers tons of raw power and can play above-average defense in center field.

14. Giants — Jordan Wicks, LHP, Kansas State

After Cowser and Frelick are off the board, San Francisco will probably be looking at Wicks as their pick. Far and away the best left-handed college pitcher in the draft, Wicks has perhaps the class’ best changeup and above-average command. He could be a quick riser in the minors given his advanced feel for pitching and well-rounded repertoire.

15. Brewers — Harry Ford, C, North Cobb High (Kennesaw, Ga.)

Ford is one of the most interesting players in the draft as a catcher with an above-average run tool and the ability to play any position on the field, including center field. The Brewers have been linked to Ford and would love to add the athletic backstop with the lightning fast bat to their farm system should he fall to them at No. 15.

16. Marlins — Will Taylor, OF, Dutch Fork High (Irmo, S.C.)

Reports have indicated it will take a lot to pry Taylor from a dual commitment to play football and baseball at Clemson in the 2021-22 school year, but here, Miami is going to count on being able to sign him away from the Tigers. He’s one of the most athletic players in this year’s draft with one of the best run tools and the ability to develop some more power with more development.

17. Reds — Bubba Chandler, RHP/SS, North Oconee High (Bogart, Ga.)

The Reds have loved picking dual-threat talents in previous years, with Michael Lorenzen showing off his prowess with the bat as a bonus to his pitching skills and Hunter Greene getting the chance to bat before focusing full-time on pitching. Cincinnati will try the experiment out again with Chandler here, looking to see if the tooled-out shortstop makes more of a statement with the bat or if his lights-out fastball/curveball combo forces the team to look more at his arm.

18. Cardinals — Will Bednar, RHP, Mississippi State

After a dazzling outing in the final game of the College World Series to help deliver his team the win, Bednar is certainly going to be continuing his rise up prospect rankings. The Cardinals have been linked to several college arms and Bednar with his plus command and standout array of pitches would fit the team’s desire in this draft nicely.

19. Blue Jays — Sam Bachman, RHP, Miami (Ohio)

Bachman’s slide down the board stops here. The Blue Jays have found success with hard-throwing college arms in the past like Nate Pearson and Alec Manoah, and they’ll jump on Bachman if he’s available in this spot. The Miami (Ohio) product already hits triple-digits and has one of the hardest fastballs in the draft. On top of that, he offers a wipeout slider and above-average changeup to give him a well-rounded repertoire.

20. Yankees — Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Mississippi

Before he went down with Tommy John surgery, Hoglund was viewed as a possible front half of the first round talent. If the Yankees are willing to wait on him to come back from surgery, as they did with South Carolina hurler Clarke Schmidt back in 2017, who also underwent surgery before the draft, they could be getting a steal. His control is among the best in the draft and his repertoire is deep with a plus fastball and slider.

21. Cubs — Michael McGreevy, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Chicago has also been linked with Florida outfielder Jud Fabian, a risky gamble on a player with upside, but here the Cubs are going the safe route with a pitcher that has drawn comps to fellow Gaucho Shane Bieber. McGreevy draws positive marks for his well above-average control and his fastball/slider combination that could see an increase in velocity with some more development in his 6-foot-4 frame.

22. White Sox — Colson Montgomery, 3B, Southridge High (Huntingburg, Ind.)

Some rumors have had Montgomery going higher in the draft as a chance for a team to cut a deal and save money for later, but he’s falling down to No. 22 here to the White Sox. Chicago has been linked to the 19-year-old slugging third baseman, who would give the farm system a big upside play as a potential middle-of-the-order bat.

23. Indians — Jud Fabian, OF, Florida

The Indians have shown a willingness in previous drafts to gamble on upside early over the higher floor players, and that’s what Fabian offers them. A tough 2021 dropped Fabian in rankings from potentially being the first college bat taken to possibly even a second-rounder, but he has tons of raw power and offers the speed needed to play all three outfield positions. If Cleveland can get him to click, it could be getting a steal late in the first.

24. Braves — Ky Bush, LHP, Saint Mary’s

Atlanta is seemingly linked to arms every year in the draft and have done well with several recent high picks like Mike Soroka and Max Fried having positive impacts on the team. Here, they’re taking the hard-throwing lefty from Saint Mary’s, Ky Bush. If the Braves want to speed him to the big leagues, he could be a weapon out of the bullpen quickly with his fastball/slider combination, or they could work him as a starter over time.

25. Athletics — Alex Mooney, SS, St. Mary’s Prep (Orchard Lake Village, Mich.)

Mooney has made quite a rise up prospect rankings with his quick swing and a well-rounded game at shortstop. Oakland has been linked to a number of different bats and Mooney could fit what the A’s are looking for as a player that offers some upside at an up-the-middle position while also providing a high enough floor as a player already displaying impressive tools.

26. Minnesota Twins — Adrian Del Castillo, C, Miami

Del Castillo was an early favorite among evaluators as a catcher with an exciting hit tool and some pop with the potential to stay behind the plate. Struggles in the 2021 campaign have taken him out of the conversation as the first catcher taken, but the Twins have been linked to him with the belief they could still tap into that potential and have a bat-first backstop.

27. San Diego Padres — Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

The Padres have not shied away from taking tooled-out players early in the draft in the past, and they’ll nab one of the highest-upside pitchers in the class with Andrew Painter falling to them at No. 27. Painter has an explosive arm with three plus pitches and above-average control, and at 6-foot-7, there could be room for adding more velo. He could go much earlier than this spot when draft day comes.

28. Tampa Bay Rays — Trey Sweeney, SS, Eastern Illinois

In a short amount of time, Sweeney has improved his draft stock by showing off one of the best hit tools in college and some pop that could grow to be an average or better tool for him. The Rays have shown in the past they can do a lot with high floor batters and Sweeney fits that mold well. His defense at short isn’t great, but the bat would play in the outfield or at third base if needed.

29. Dodgers — Chase Petty, RHP, Mainland (Linwood, N.J.)

Few teams have the track record of successfully developing high upside prospects like the Dodgers, and they’re banking on getting the most out of Petty in this year’s class. Perhaps the owner of the best raw stuff of any high school pitcher, Petty throws in the upper-90s with a fastball in the triple-digits and can spin a plus slider and average to above-average changeup. Some teams have concerns over reliever risk, but here, Los Angeles sees front-of-the-rotation potential.

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imjustthemechanic · 7 years ago

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The French Mistake

Part 1/? - A Visitor Part 2/? - The Kulturhistorisk Museum Heist Part 3/? - Cutscene Part 4/? - The Marvel Cinematic Universe Part 5/? - Breathless Part 6/? - Escape at Last Part 7/? - Fox in Socks Part 8/? - Things Go Wrong Part 9/? - Downey and Out Part 10/? - Road Trip Part 11/? - Temptation Part 12/? - An Awful Reunion

Loki finally appears. He seems to be having more fun than the rest of them.

Steve froze. Oh shit.

There was no getting out of it now, though. The girl with the microphone was already on her way, and people in the audience were whispering to each other and turning to stare, checking if that were really Chris Evans in the back row. Then the microphone was in his face, and everybody was waiting for him.

Steve cleared his throat and very carefully arranged the words in his head, not wanting to make a fool of himself. “If Steve came back,” he said. “If they found him alive and woke him up while Peggy was still… in the forties. What would she say to him?”

Peggy… no, that wasn’t Peggy. The name in the brochure, and the name the girl with the inappropriate question had used, was Hayley. Hayley thought about it for a moment. “Do you want the funny answer, or the heartfelt answer, or what?” she asked.

Steve wanted Peggy’s answer. Could Hayley Atwell give him that? “Whatever… I mean, whatever you think is most in-character.”

She nodded and cleared her through. “Well, it would probably be something like…” and suddenly her voice changed, dropping half a note and adopting Peggy’s more precise accent, in a way that made Steve feel as if all his insides had vanished and left him a hollow shell. “You self-sacrificing bloody wanker! Do you have any idea how you frightened us all?”

The audience laughed again. Steve wanted to put his face in his hands and weep.

“All you had to do was give us your position, and we could have been there within hours!” Hayley went on in Peggy’s voice. “You missed our dance, Steve! You promised!” She paused, and smiled. “And then I’m sure she’d kiss him, because she loves him no matter what a plonker he’s been.”

There was applause. Steve shut his eyes… yes, he had missed their dance. He’d wanted to die as a punishment for letting Bucky fall, so he’d said nothing and crashed somewhere in the arctic – SHIELD had never told him exactly where. Now here he was, in the wrong universe chasing a fugitive god and listening to what Peggy would have said. He could have had that. He could have been found and gone home with Peggy and Howard and now he might be living happily ever after instead of… instead of whatever the hell his life had become. Maybe he would even be able to save Bucky in that reality. Maybe they would have heard about the Winter Soldier program and been able to do something about it.

“Does that answer your question, Chris?” asked Hayley.

Steve wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “Yeah,” he said into the microphone. “That’s perfect.”

He sat down again. Dodger, sensing he was upset, put his head on Steve’s knee, and Steve reached to pet the dog’s neck.

There were more questions. People wanted to know about the possibility of Netflix picking up season three. Whether Howard and Dottie would ever meet again. Whether Maria Collins Carbonell would ever have been part of the show. Whether the characters would have investigated Roswell. Steve barely listened, but he did notice that most of it was about things that might have been. He really needed to get up and go – the others were probably wondering where he’d vanished to. If he left now, though, everybody would wonder why.

There was a woman sitting a few seats up the last row. She moved closer and tapped Steve on the shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Uh.” Steve looked at her and swallowed. “Allergies,” he said.

The woman pulled a packet of Kleenex out of her purse. “Here,” she offered.

“Thanks.” Steve took one and blew his nose.

The Q&A session ended at ten to noon, in order to leave time for everybody to get to their next round of events. Steve got up, intending to vanish into the crowd and go straight to Palomino Room D, but with so many people exiting the room at once there wasn’t space to move quickly. Before he reached the door, Hayley had come up and grabbed his arm.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” she said, and pulled him in for a hug.

Steve almost froze stiff. It took everything in him to make himself hug her back. Natasha had suggested he might meet Bucky here, but standing here hugging this woman who looked like Peggy might actually be worse.

“It’s been ages, Chris – it’s good to see you,” Hayley said. “What are you doing here? Didn’t I hear you got arrested the other day?”

“That was�� that was a misunderstanding.” Steve sniffled.

Hayley stepped back to look at him from arm’s length, a worried frown on her face. “Are you all right?” she asked.

He held up the Kleenex. “Allergies.”

She nodded and squatted down to pet Dodger. “Well, now that you’re here, you have to do a Dubsmash with me,” she declared. “Those are the rules! In fact…” she straightened up and pulled her phone out of her purse. “I’ve got the perfect song. ��Let’s find it…”

Steve blew his nose again. People around them were watching with no sign of shame, and pulling out phones and cameras to take pictures. That was no good – the police in California were going to find out that he and Natasha were violating the terms of their bail and that would cost Downey money…

“Here we are!” Peggy held up her phone and played a short music clip.

Oh, don’t do you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me, I said ‘you’re holding back’, she said ‘shut up and dance with me!’

“We just need to find a place to film it. Maybe they’ll let us use the photo op stage before Tom gets started. Jim!” she called.

The tall man, the one Steve couldn’t think of a name for, sauntered up smiling. Whoever he was in Steve’s home universe, apparently in this one he was Jim. “Need me to stand there looking sad while he snogs you senseless again?” he asked.

“Oh, no, I…” Steve began – he couldn’t possibly kiss this woman while she thought he was somebody else. That wouldn’t be right, but a voice inside him told him he was already in too deep to go back, and might as well come as close to kissing Peggy as he ever would again…

“I knew it!” said Natasha’s voice. “He’s in here!”

Most of the crowd was out of the room by now, and Natasha had come marching in. For a moment there was murder in her eyes, but then she saw who Steve was talking to, and her face relaxed into a smile.

“Oh, Scarlett!” said Hayley. “Do I have something of yours?”

Nat took Steve’s arm. “Yes, you do,” she said, “and I’m afraid I need him back.”

“Very well, but I’ll want to borrow him again later,” Hayley told her. “He owes me a Dubsmash!”

“I won’t let him miss it,” Nat promised. “Later, Hayley!” With a grip like a vise, she led Steve out into the hall again. Thor was waiting outside, but Nat marched Steve right past him and into a corner where they could partially hide behind a fake potted tree. There, she fixed him with her most penetrating glare.

“Really?” she asked.

“I wasn’t going to talk to her. She talked to me,” said Steve. It was sort of true – he’d been on the verge of putting his hand down again when Hayley had called on him. He wondered… had Natasha been lying when she said Rosie was already awake? It was possible, but if so, Steve was no longer angry with her. The need to know had just been so powerful.

“You’re lying,” said Nat.

“No, I’m not!” Steve lied.

“Yes, you are!” she insisted. “After you sat there lecturing me…”

“I know!” Steve said. “I know, but I had to see her, okay?”

“You told me that wasn’t an excuse,” Nat pointed out.

“It’s still not,” Steve admitted. “I’m sorry, okay? Believe me, I’m sorry.” There were very few things he’d ever been sorrier about.

Thor interrupted. “We must discuss this later,” he said. “Right now, we have lost Downey.”

“What?” Steve and Natasha both looked up. The hallway was crowded – people were going this way and that to their panels, their activities, and their screenings, and a long lineup had formed outside Palomino Room D for photos with Tom Hiddleston. Downey was nowhere to be seen, but he was fairly short. Maybe he was just hiding in the crowd. Then again, Thor was tall enough to see over almost all of the heads. If Downey were there, surely he would have spotted him.

“Why did you guys leave him alone?” Steve asked, relieved that he wasn’t the only one who’d done something stupid in the past twenty minutes.

“He said he’d hold our place in line,” said Thor.

“He was surrounded by fans, we figured he’d stay there talking to them,” Nat agreed. “He seems to enjoy the attention almost as much as Stark does.” She glared at Steve again. “If we hadn’t had to wander off and find you…”

“Hey, you can’t blame me for him running off!” Steve protested.

“Excuse me!” said a new voice.

For the second time, everybody turned their heads to look. A group of fans had gathered around. One was in a very crude Iron Man suit made out of cardboard boxes. The others were mostly in normal clothing, but with Avengers motifs: one was dressed in red and black with a red hourglass necklace, another in a blue polo shirt with Steve’s shield on it, and so forth.

“Can we help you?” Thor asked them.

“Can we get some pictures of you guys pretending to fight the Chi’Tauri over there?” the girl in the boxes asked eagerly.

The four people they’d noticed being photographed earlier were awkwardly standing around on the other side of the hall, while more pictures were taken. They had clearly put great effort into their costumes, but it seemed to have made them so popular they were probably having trouble enjoying the convention.

Steve heard a faint growl, and looked down to see Dodger baring his teeth at the quartet. “Dodger, no,” he said quietly.

“We can do that,” Nat said, “but can you do us a favour in return? We seem to have lost Bob. Did any of you see where he went?”

“Bob?” asked the boy in the shield shirt.

“Robert Downey Junior,” Thor clarified.

“Oh!” said a girl in a short yellow dress and a motorcycle jacket. “I got a selfie with him, but then he spotted Jennifer Connelly and they went to go have coffee or something. He said he’d be back.” She held up her camera hopefully.

Steve looked up again at the four people in the Chi’Tauri armor. One of them appeared to notice him, and gathered his or her friends close to talk to them.

Then the waiting lineup suddenly burst into applause. This announced the arrival of a very tall man with curly blond hair, wearing a black suit and tie with a green and gold scarf draped around his shoulders. He smiled and waved to the fans as three security men around him kept anyone from getting too close.

“Pictures are gonna have to wait,” Natasha told the kids.

A number of people in the lineup had sat down to wait – now they stood up again, and everyone arranged themselves into a more formal sort of order. Many of the waiting fans were dressed as Loki, both men and women, some of the latter in rather revealing interpretations of the costume. They were all excited, some of them bouncing up and down. A voice screamed out, “I love you, Tom!”

Loki grinned. “Ah, it seems I have an army!” he called out. People squealed and cheered, and then he was gone as the guards escorted him into the room. He never seemed to have noticed Steve, Natasha, and Thor.

“Popular, isn’t he?” asked Steve.

Nat shook her head. “I guess since certain people wouldn’t let us catch him on the way in, we’ll have to do it on the way out,” she said. That would mean waiting around in the hallway for an hour.

“Does that mean pictures after all?” asked the girl in the cardboard Iron Man costume.

#fanfic #steve rogers #natasha romanov

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bomberlandia · 4 years ago

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Roundtable: Rutten, Best Mid-Combo and Nik Cox Can Run

Last week I teamed up with author Dan Eddy, journalist Rick Edwards and postcast host Chris Niall to talk about all things pre-season at Windy Hill. All of them live and breathe Essendon. Here’s what went down.

__________________________

1.Thoughts on Bombers pre-season so far?

DE: After a disappointing 2020 season, then the messy way a number of players (and the coach) departed the club, the vibes emanating from The Hanger improved tremendously. The club as a whole - supporters included - were able to reset and start to focus on the future more positively. By all reports the players have hit pre-season with the right attitude, which is all you can ask for at this time of year.

RE: I have liked the intent. Right from the first video Paul Brasher did on Sept.24, we have been hearing the right messages. He talked about the club wanting players who were desperate to win and having a team that wins finals. About players playing for the jumper and each other. For the first time in a long time it seems we have a laser-like focus on winning footy games. I have also liked that the club hasn’t had to waste any more time and money on rehabbing Joe Daniher.

CN: Early days and hard to gauge. I have liked any positive snips that involve the year one to four players. I have been impressed with Hooksey who has dropped kegs and looks fit.

JR: I’ve liked the roll-up-the-sleeves attitude. There’s less noise coming from the Bombers camp this year. No Joe Daniher updates. No negative distractions. Just head down. Dyson Heppell’s injury concerns me. I just don’t know if his body will be able to stand up to the rigours of AFL. Hope I’m wrong. His ball use is exceptional and he makes good decisions. The Bombers need that.

2.What was your initial reaction to hearing Jye Caldwell and Peter Wright were joining the Bombers?

DE: I knew little about Caldwell so I'm looking forward to seeing him in action. With Wright I was rapt to get him down from QLD. I feel he can provide some real flexibility for us - both up forward and in the ruck. If nothing else he can provide some physical support for some of the other forwards, as he's sure to attract a decent defender whenever stationed down there.

RE: Caldwell is a great addition. Only 20 and the kind of competitive beast who will fit in well in our midfield. Wright is a good pick-up. In 2016 he averaged 1.7 contested marks including six games where he had either three or four contested marks. He’s not Tony Lockett (or Joe Daniher) but when he’s on he can mark and at 203cm he’s hard to spoil. And who better to improve Wright’s contested marking than one of the best full backs of this generation in Rutten?

CN: Caldwell: Very happy. Whilst "small" he is a hard nut and hunts the footy (think: Selwood). Two-metre Peter: I’m neutral. We need a leading-marking tall forward. He’s not the worst option.

JR: I’m with Dan on Caldwell. I wasn’t sure who he really was. But there’s talk he’s a contested brute. If that’s the case it’s just what the Bombers need. As for Wright, his size and ability intrigue me. Can he deliver a consistent game each week? That’s my concern. He should impact the contest. Considering our key forward dilemma with Joe and how little he had played in the last three years, I’d be happy with a durable forward that will compete and play each week.

3. Ben Rutten.

DE: I admit I was concerned with Ben throughout 2020 as I felt he wasn't connecting with us supporters at all. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see him be more front and centre at season's end. Looking forward to learning more about what he has in plan for 2021 and moving forward.

RE: I thought Rutten was a bit nervous and uninspiring when in front of the camera this preseason but he’s got better and I am buying what he is selling. He wants us to be a blue-collar team and play accountable football. That sounds good to me. Much better than the smashings we have had lately from the likes of the Cats, Dogs and Power. How can anyone possibly be critical of him when he hasn’t yet coached a game?

CN: Still early days. In reality who really knows? The club’s recent history of appointments haven’t been great, including the exit of Dan Richardson. He’ll be better than Woohsa.

JR: He could be everything the Bombers have been looking for since James Hird left. If bluecollar is his mantra I think the timing is right for the Bombers to become a hardened football club in the post-supplements saga era. Rutten is saying all the right things. He’s making the right - and tough - calls. Just have to wait and see how that translates under in-season pressure. The one thing all eyes will be on is how he addresses the game plan.

4.Is it time to buy stock in guys like Langford and Parish?

DE: Important season for both guys, isn't it? I felt Langford made some good steps forward last year and Parish also influenced some games. I'm of the view both will be key contributors this year. Probably more so Langford, given he has more strings to his bow than Parish.

RE: Yes. Langford is about to reach his peak. He’s 24 and I imagine he would have got a lot of confidence from 2020. He’s finally also got support from the selection panel, which he hasn’t always had. Parish could go up another gear but just like Langford he needs time in the midfield. We didn’t recruit Parish to play half forward flank.

CN: Are their stocks on the rise? Yes. Parish must be played on ball which happened more in 2020. Langford has found his spot: running through wing-mid with a chop out in the forward line.

JR: I’ve always seen Langford as a Watson replacement in the way his body is built, how he’s good at the contest and the speed he operates at. I think he takes another big step this year and adds goal-kicking to his resume. Parish continues to show improvement and has real flare and fit with the in-and-under game. I hope he gets more midfield opportunities this year so he can flourish.

5.What does the Saad, Daniher and Fantasia losses actually mean for the Bombers?

DE: I was glad to see them all go. Yes, you don't want to lose good quality players, but Joe and Orazio were liabilities last year and both clearly didn't want to be at the Bombers. Like a girl who wants nothing to do with you, it's pointless continuing to show them love when it isn't reciprocated (and, sadly, there are many examples of that in my life!). By the end of last year I was eager to see the back of those two blokes. Saad was disappointing. He was really dynamic off the back line. But again, the guy didn't want to be at the Bombers, so goodbye and good riddance.

RE: Sure, it means we lose a lot of goals without Joe and Orazio. But they were constantly injured. You could actually name the rehab oval Tullamarine the ‘JoeFant Oval’. I believe we can cover them, if not this year then in a year or two when the likes of Eyre and Perkins find their feet. Saad is a massive loss. He was as safe as a bank.

CN: Saad is a loss based on previous game style but was he one dimensional? Disney's body just continued to fail. No loss. As much as I loved Joey, his body is the risk. Yes a loss but not massive. Still, he might have a rippa season in Qld in 2021 or ‘22.

JR: The Bombers lose pace from Fantasia and Saad. In a way, It’s hard to quantify Joe’s loss. It all depends on how Rutten wants the Bombers to play. Ask me this question at the end of this year and it will be clear on whether or not the Bombers couldn’t fill those three players. It’ll all depend on the revised game plan and how we play this year.

6. Who has the better year: P. Wright or J. Daniher?

DE: Let's hope it's Wright!! Let's be honest though, if Joe can get his body right again he's a huge weapon for Brisbane. But if Wright can get to enough contests, kick us a few goals and spend some time in the ruck, I'll be happy with that.

RE: Daniher will get more opportunities with Brisbane being a dominant team this year, so I expect he will have the better year.

CN: Unfortunately Joey.

JR: The obvious answer is Joe Daniher. But I think Wright will be better than most people think. Consider this: If Wright kicks 20 goals this year, which is doable if he plays every game, that’ll be more than what Joe has kicked (18) in the past threes combined.

7.Zach Merrett.

DE: Enough about him being in the leadership group. Zach's leadership is conducted through his consistency week after week, and the less he is burdened by other duties, the better for his game I feel. The key to getting the best out of Zach is for some of those midfield guys to go to another level. Give the opposition other players to focus on and that's when Zach can be really dominant for us.

RE: Zach is the ultimate professional and I’m sure he’s taken the criticisms of 2020 well and will have a good year. To be a top four side we need Zach to be an All-Australian and a game-breaking mid, which he is capable of.

CN: Lots of expectation. He gets tagged and needs help from others (Shiel, Heppell etc).

JR: Pay the man. Give him a big contract. Make sure he signs on. He’s earned it.

8.Biggest worry about the Bombers going into 2021?

DE: The bodies of Hurley, Stringer, Heppell and Hooker. If these guys stay on the field for most of the year we'll be in plenty of games. But if they break down too often our depth becomes a serious concern. That said, there's some real excitement in seeing what Draper, Langford, Caldwell, Ridley and a handful of others might do so it's not as gloomy as it could be. The more games they all play together the better it is for our future.

RE: It’s at both ends of the ground. Our defence looks fragile. Saad was our safety switch for a few years. He stopped the scoreboard blowing up completely. We need some of our veteran backs to have good years and it can’t all be left to Ridley. Our forwards are a worry. While Wright will be serviceable, he was playing seconds footy last year. A lot of the goal-kicking responsibility will fall to Walla and Stringer. I’ve heard mixed reports about Stringer’s fitness this preseason.

CN: Forward structure. Ball use going forward. And goal scoring power.

JR: Here’s an understatement: There was a bit going on last year. My greatest concern is the game plan and how the Bombers play, defend, kick goals. The last few years the players have looked confused on the field. If the Bombers finish 2021 playing a solid brand of football, a style that we can see in plain daylight, then I’d consider that a successful year.

9.Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley.

DE: I hope they get a decent run at it because they've been warriors for us for a long time. They deserve to end their careers in a positive way.

RE: Hooker has had an outstanding preseason. I’ve seen him training with a personal trainer and he’s lost a few kilos. Both Hooker and Hurley need to stay fit and have an impact. They are both All-Australian backmen and that’s where they should play with occasional cameos forward.

CN: Hooker forward. Hurley back.

JR: I’m a bit nervous about the bodies of Hurley and Hooker. Can they withstand a full AFL season? As the 2020 season wore on they got out muscled and looked slow. Their presence gives the backline depth. It allows Ridley to do Ridley things. It gives Francis and BZT another growth year. Bombers need both warriors fit and delivering.

10.How many games will the Bombers win?

DE: Tough to say. There's about 10 to 12 teams good enough to squeeze into the top eight, so it's going to be a battle to win enough games to play finals this year. But, like with 1993, you never know where youth can take you. I hope we can win half our games, at least, to give ourselves a chance. The key is finding ways to win the close games and the games you are expected to win. Good sides do both.

RE: We will win about eight games. They have a soft draw but still we are a team that will be exposed by the top and mid-tier teams.

CN: Eight.

JR: Setting expectations low with eight. It’s too hard to think any more optimistic than that with so much shifting late in 2020. The Bombers are not winning the Premiership next year so It becomes another year focused on improvement. Wins are great. But I want to see the game plan improved.

11. What does the Bombers best midfield look like?

DE: Draper (changing with Wright late in a quarter), Merrett and Shiel, with Stringer, Smith and Walla in short bursts. Also throw Parish in, Heppell and Clarke - there's a few we can run through there. Does it compare with Richmond or Brisbane? That's the key question.

RE: Starting four would be: Draper, Merrett, Shiel and McGrath.

CN: Draper, Shiel, Parish, Merrett, McGrath, Langford.

JR: Most of the good teams have midfielders who kick goals either through resting or through a natural run forward. I think players like Merrett, Shiel, Parish, Draper and Langford could be those midfield goal kickers. It’s an area the Bombers need to work on.

12. Nik Cox won the 2km time trial.

DE: Good effort by the kid. But beware the pre-season heroes. Even I looked good over the summer at Stony Creek FC. Come round one each year, not so much.

RE: I’ve watched him at training and I get the feeling they won’t throw him into a key post. I expect him to play wing or as a leading half-forward. His kicking off both feet is really solid and let’s face it, we don’t have a plethora of guys who kick well off both feet!

CN: Impressive stuff. As has been all the news from 2020 draftees and the same for Harry Jones and Nick Bryan.

JR: I always see these pre-season things and my expectations go through the roof. The good news from this is that here’s an 18-year old athletic kid who is 200-cm tall that can really, really run. Good luck trying to defend him on a wing.

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