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zanazirafanfic · 2 months ago

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💞 post-nightmare cuddles with charthur pls -- dealer's choice on who has the nightmare

I loved writing this prompt, you wonderful, beautiful anon, you! I chose Charles as my "lucky" recipient this time, since one of my upcoming Whumpcember fics is a Charthur fic revolving around Arthur's nightmares.

CW: temporary major character death, semi-graphic description of a corpse (both in the context of a dream)

Whoever you are, I hope you enjoy it! (And keep those requests coming! I'm down to just 1 in my inbox right now!)

~RDR~

When Charles stirred awake in the middle of the night, it was with an immediate sense that something was horribly wrong. For a few seconds he just lay there, blinking groggily while his eyes adjusted to the dark and trying to figure out what the hell could possibly be amiss. Had he had a nightmare, maybe? One he'd already forgotten? There was no noise from outside, no indication that a coyote might have gotten into the horses' corral or a fox was in the hen house. It was just him and Arthur, lying asleep together in the quiet of their -

Wait. The quiet.

Arthur was never this quiet. Even at rest, there was a rough, wheezing rasp to his breath that had never quite left, despite it having been years since he recovered from the TB. It was a permanent fixture in their lives now, a constant, familiar kind of background noise neither of them really noticed anymore.

And he couldn't hear it.

Charles bolted upright, as wide awake now as if he'd been dunked in an ice bath, and turned over to get a better look at his husband.

"Arthur," he said softly. The man didn't so much as twitch, and Charles's heart began to race. "Arthur, wake up," he said, louder, giving his shoulder a gentle shake. "Arthur."

Arthur didn't answer, didn't move. Even through the fabric of his woolen union suit, the arm beneath Charles's palm was unnaturally cold.

"No... no, no, no -" he whispered as dark, oily tendrils of dread began clawing their way up the inside of his chest. "Arthur, no..."

It couldn't be. Arthur was doing so well, it had been two whole years since his last bad flare-up. They had dinner plans with the Marstons tomorrow, they were going on a hunting trip with Hamish in the Grizzlies next week, for God's sake! He was better, he was fine! It couldn't - He couldn't -

Charles reached over to turn on the lamp beside the bed, if only to confirm what he already knew. Even then, he still wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted him.

Arthur's skin was ashen, lifeless, and gray. His face was frozen in what almost looked like a scream, mouth gaping, features tense. Blood trickled out of his nostrils and the corners of his mouth, thick globs of it crusted and congealing in his beard. His eyes, which had already begun to go cloudy, were wide and scared, fixed straight ahead on something only he could see now. His right hand was extended, lying in the center of the bed like he'd been trying to reach for something.

When he realized what that "something" was, Charles had to fight back the urge to vomit. While he'd been sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware, Arthur had been using his last breaths to try to reach for him, to tell him he needed him. His husband had been dying right beside him, gasping for air and choking on his own blood, and Charles hadn't even heard him. He wasn't there for Arthur, the single most important time he should have been.

Arthur Morgan was dead. He'd died alone, afraid, and it was all Charles's fault.

A raw, keening wail escaped his throat as he gathered Arthur's limp body in his arms, cradling him to his chest and rocking them back and forth. "Oh, Arthur..." he sobbed, clutching him impossibly tighter, as if he could force some of his own warmth and life back into the other man by doing so. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry..."

He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to those cold, blue lips -

- and then suddenly found himself holding onto nothing, as Arthur dissolved into a cloud of smoke and vanished before his eyes.

Charles woke with a start to find himself soaked in a cold sweat, his chest heaving with panicked gasps and his heart thundering in his ears. His face was cold, damp with the tracks of still-drying tears, and he had to blink to clear more of them from his vision before he could make out more than black, shadowy blurs all around him. He was in their bedroom, lying in bed beside Arthur, just like always. The man in question was stretched out beside him, nestled underneath about three-quarters of their shared quilt and snoring softly.

A dream. It was just a dream.

Knowing that did little to chase the chill from his blood, though. It had all felt too real, too final. He'd had some variation of this old nightmare many times over the past few years, but it never got any less terrifying no matter how many times he saw it. If anything, it only ever seemed to get more vivid. A quiet sob escaped the confines of his chest before he could stifle it, and he clamped a hand over his mouth, hoping it hadn't been loud enough to wake Arthur up.

No such luck. Arthur was an incredibly heavy sleeper - twenty years spent napping out in the open with a couple dozen other people would do that to a man. But even the slightest noise that was out of the ordinary and he'd be wide awake in an instant, alert and ready for danger. Unfortunately for Charles, "crying husband" definitely fell into that category. As soon as the sound left his lips, Arthur's snores abruptly stopped, and Charles tensed from head to toe.

God damn it.

"Mmh...? Charlie? Y'okay?" he murmured, turning halfway around to look at him. Charles must have looked a sight, because he couldn't even try to answer before Arthur rolled the rest of the way over, blinking the fog of sleep from his eyes and laying his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, 's goin' on? What's wrong?"

"I-I... I was... You -" he stammered, before blowing a harsh, frustrated huff of air through his nose and shaking his head. I can't. That was another awful thing about these dreams; they always seemed to steal his ability to speak properly for a while after. It was humiliating, and made him feel like a child, but whenever this happened he just couldn't make the words come no matter how hard he tried.

"It's okay, you're alright," Arthur murmured, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight against his chest. "Ain't in no hurry here. Just give yourself a second."

One of his hands gently cupped the back of Charles's head and guided it onto his chest, right above his heart. While he fought to pull himself back together, reassured by the sound of that strong, steady drumbeat beneath his ear, Arthur's fingers worked their way lazily through his hair, scratching his scalp and carefully untangling any knots that had formed while he slept.

Every few seconds, the older man would draw in a deliberately slow breath - slightly wheezy, as it always would be, but still deep, unwavering, alive - and then let it out, before starting the pattern all over again. He didn't speak, just continued that rhythmic, even breathing, silently encouraging Charles to follow along with him. They lay that way for a long time, curled up in each other's arms while they just breathed. Arthur never rushed him, or tried to ask him questions; they'd been through this enough times over the years to know it would only make things worse.

After what felt like hours, but was probably fifteen minutes at most, Charles finally let out an exhausted sigh and slumped against Arthur's chest, feeling as weak and boneless as a jellyfish. "Sorry, Arthur. Didn't mean to wake you," he mumbled guiltily.

"Charles," Arthur sighed. "You never gotta apologize, you know that. Just... are you okay? "

"Yeah," Charles sniffed, wiping his eyes. His entire face felt swollen and puffy, and it was hard to breathe through his nose. Fantastic. "Just a nightmare. Same one it usually is."

Arthur nodded and hummed, a low rumble that vibrated through his chest beneath Charles's ear. "I figured as much." Arthur's lungs weren't the only things left scarred by his long illness, and they both knew it. "But you gotta know I'd never do that to you, darlin'. After everything we've been through, all the things you put yourself through for me, you think I could ever just up 'n leave without even tellin' you goodbye?"

Charles chuckled, a watery, fragile thing. "You'd better not, you bastard. Or I swear I'll find a way to bring you back just so I can kill you again."

"And it would be well deserved," Arthur said with a smile. He wrapped his arms tighter around Charles's back, shifting both of their weight until the younger man was lying fully on top of him like a very warm, very heavy blanket. "But it ain't gonna happen, I promise you."

"I know," Charles whispered, turning to press his lips against Arthur's - no longer cold, like they had been in the dream, but warm and soft and perfect. "I love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart." He pulled the quilt over them both, smirking when he realized Charles had once again let him steal the vast majority of it while they slept, and brought his hand back up so he could comb his fingers through the long, silky waves of raven hair. "Go back to sleep. Still a few hours 'til morning, yet."

"You still gonna be here when I wake up?" Charles teased, knowing full well that Arthur was now completely pinned until he decided to move off.

Arthur smiled, pressing a kiss to Charles's temple, and then whispered into his ear, "Always."

#zanazirawrites #asks #prompt fic #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead fanfiction #arthur morgan #charles smith #charthur #rdr2 fanfic #nightmares #men crying #charles smith needs a hug #and he very much gets one

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kirbybecomesastarwarrior · 2 months ago

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Morgan Le Fay Conductor of Chaos

If anyone's wondering how she got the crystal shard (here is the background), to make a long story short:

KBASW follows the bad ending of Kirby and the Crystal Shard: Kirby and the gang just miss one shard. And guess who finds it, Morgan, and uses it to capture Dark Matter, using him as a living sponge to gather up Dark Matter energy to power up the Jamaba.

Which she hucked over to Hyness' yard a while ago~

This is the continuation of that, while she was able to dominate & essentially become more dark matter. She didn't know if it was the magic or something else. It was more than that, for it was almost a freedom for her... allowing herself to be selfish. She was liberated, and she was not going to dedicate her life to someone or any other person... ever again!

And that's how Dame Morgan became Morgan Le Fay. It's a very triumphant moment of self-discovery for her and a big "Holy cats, we've messed up big time!" on Kirby and the friend.

Keep reading for more info on her design~

Morgan very much follows the lore of the mischievous kitsunes, where they like to trick humans. Similar to the lore of the kitsune, Morgan often targets selfish, greedy, and arrogant people.

People who are most definitely going to say yes to her deal (taking their negative emotions to power up the Jamba Heart.) But she also does this to the innocent/ people who don't deserve to be tricked... people who are at

She can never truly hide this form, so when she uses powers in general... purple fox ghost tails (the ones you normally see on her) appear... When she takes on her demonic forms, her tails actually become solidified/real. Oh, and of course, she got fluffy ears and a tail. (About the lore of Kitsune having their tails be the only thing they can hide when shapeshifting) Speaking of shapeshifting, she can, but only with the people she's made a deal with... (this will come into play later!)

What brought about this was when I did Arthur's Dragon form, I knew I just had to continue! But I kept having trouble with her design, and then I remembered we had "Animal Kirby." (Thank you, I remembered) There were a lot of revisions and changes to her design, but I'm so pleased with the final design.

SO GLAD SHE'S FINALLY DONE!

And let me know if you want this to be a thing... Apart from me really wants to do a Sir Nonsurat. Though I don't know what mythological creature I should mix him up with a Leviathan or maybe a

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it, and have a great day!

#kirby #kbasw #kirby anime #kirby oc #dame morgan #morgan le fay #kirby right back at ya #hoshi no kaabii #krbay #kirby gsa

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codename-adler · 9 months ago

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AftG AUs I NEED : An Open Invitation to All Writers

sharing ideas i’ve toyed with for so long but i’m beginning to accept i prolly won’t ever write, thus i’m taking a chance some of these will bewitch someone out there body and soul, and i’ll be able to scratch the itch a little… the more the merrier after all !

The Last of Us : either a romantic version of Joel & Ellie’s dynamic (obv. with the ages adjusted) /OR/ episode 3 AU 🥲 [any ship] {EDIT: i KNOW it’s been done already once, twice, but i *need* more! not just with Andreil! let’s be explorers of possibilities, cmon!!}

Detroit: Become Human : this one i’m really only thinking of Andreil, with either as android and the other as human… i don’t necessarily see them conforming to a specific plot line from the game, i think the android/human dynamic is interesting enough and fits them perfectly, but go off i guess !

Brokeback Mountain : i don’t really need to explain this one do i? happy ending vs. canon character death, that is the true question… [any ship]

Titanic : it’s got so many options and tropes, it’s like a buffet for fic writers ! could be used as setting only, or follow Jack & Rose’s tragic (or not!) love story. [any ship]

The Haunting of Bly Manor : Jamie & Dani haunt me still. great opportunity for Renison, Lailalvarez or Kathea, or perhaps a gender swap on mlm ship? or not, leave them boys as is. haunt me, it’s all i ask. [any ship]

BBC Johnlock : don’t shoot the messenger alright? sorry for the ptsd flashbacks btw. i just think their dynamic and crime/detective AU are great opportunities. i’m personally partial to Jeanaaron for this one, as they were my og idea bc the similarities are??? amazing??? Sherlock!Jean & Watson!Aaron, and the Reichenbach Fall??? so neat. but really, [any ship]

The Maze Runner : Thominewt // Kandreil !?!?!? it’s right there! [any ship] tho.

SKAM : ofc Robbe & Sander from WtFock are physically the perfect Andreil which leads to a great adaptation opportunity here, but Élu from SkamFr are also a great blueprint for a Kevaaron story. honestly any S3 Skam + [any ship]

Dune : listen, i don’t have all the answers. idk how that would even work. but surely you can figure smth out ! [any ship]

Inception : i love the movie. i love hans zimmer. i love Arthur x Eames. NORA SAKAVIC LOVES ARTHUR x EAMES. they’ve got such Andreil vibes, but so do Jerejean, even Renison. and the Foxes as dream crew??? so perf it’s insane. give me and Miss Sakavic what we really want. [any ship]

The Fault in Our Stars : 🥲 [any ship]

CA: The Winter Soldier / Civil War : so it’s kind of like an amnesia AU, but more angsty bc Stucky dynamic. Andreil’s the perfect fit, but who knows who else… [any ship]

Jujutsu Kaisen : 🥲🥲 [any ship.s]

Attack on Titan : 🥲🥲🥲 endless, endless paths… to pain ! [any ship.s]

How I Live Now : is that too niche? or too boring? 🤷‍♀️ (also let’s leave out the cousin thingy…) [any ship]

Red, White & Royal Blue : duh. (but not so duh, apparently, since i’ve yet to read it !!!) [any ship]

The Old Guard : oh the possibilities… Yusuf & Niccolo my loves… nobody be doing it like them, nobody. absolutely one of the most movie ever… top 10 of mine for sure. ugh, gosh ! foxes as Immortals?? the action, the mystery, the soulmates?? please i’m begging. [any ship]

that's what i'm letting go of for now... if anything inspires you, please tag me in your works so i can indulge in and appreciate what you've come up with!!

Love, Adler xx

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fancyfade · 10 days ago

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Story ideas below:

Laura Fell: Darla Aquista has a crush on Tim Drake in Robin 1993 before she is shot and killed then brought back to life by some dude named Warlock (after her dad pays him) and he makes her do crime for him .At some point she trains with enchantress after spending 1 year in magical jail. I don't have any story ideas for her but I think she should get to beat up Tim with her magic powers as a treat. Or a fight then team up. DC seems to like putting Tim and Bernard in anthology comics sometimes and she's friends with both of them so.

Lionmane: Lionmane is a hawkman and batwing villain (and possibly others) who looks like a lion sort of. his is technically cheating b/c he appeared in Luke Fox's Batwing comic, which is less than 20 years ago. But his motive in Hawkman seemed partially to be wanting to have money to hire women to hang out with him, I think his valentine day special would be about finding furries exist.

Eric Forrester: He gets into a relationship with Raven because he wants to have sex with her and steal his soul to prevent his body from becoming... IDK a robot? Can't remember. No story ideas for him.

Paul: a dude who has a crush on raven at college and stans azarath. he brought back brother blood who had a crush on raven and wanted to make her marry him 20 years ago we should bring back the original raven hanger on except. he was a civilian and not a supervillain so he just punched a guy who made her made in college and then she was like "Do u understand what pacifist means bitch?" He'd be like trying to contact her on superhero social media IDK. Maybe he and Eric can be in a Raven's regrettable exes/near misses flashback

Linda Page: she's a socialite turned nurse who wants t od osomething with her life and who dated bruce in teh 1940s. I think we should see flashback panels of her shaming him when they are dating and now that bruce is more actively involved in philanthropy in his public ID present day her can be like "My shaming worked <3"

Koryak and Kako: Kako is an Inupiaq woman who arthur has a one night stand with when they are both teenagers and he's living in her house. She eventually gives birth to Koryak, Arthur's biological son, and then dies and becomes a fire elemental and Koryak inherits some water powers despite aquaman not having water powers. Anyway I think Aquaman should hang out with his ex and his son and we should remember that Koryak and his mom exist. They can be fighting magical crime or whatever.

Lori Lemaris: I don't know much about her besides her being Superman's mermaid college sweetheart, but oh well it's a valentine's day issue.

Letifos: a shark mermaid (automatically makes her badass and hot) who never wears a shirt and is fed up with Garth but also concerned about him, and he mistakes her for being Tula, his dead ex GF. I think Letifos and Garth should get together. As a treat <3

Degaton and Mechanique: I only read the Young All Stars plot Mechanique showed up in once so the details are hazy. she might have been acting like she was in a relationship with Degaton? Anyway, Degaton is here because he's amusingly pathetic. Like in a JSA issue he was talking about how he got a victory over the JSA because he was using his time traveling powers to watch stargirl cry after being dumped by her boyfriend. I think he'd posting on incel boards about how women only want to use you for... whatever mechanique was getting out of the relationship I strongly feel she betrayed him but I can't remember the details well.

Trevor Barnes: He's Wonder Woman's boyfriend from Phil Jimenez's run I think people should remember he exists. He works for the U.N, and is insanely busy like she is. IIRC he had a younger brother who wanted to be wonder boy but this can be another comic i only read once and misremembered details of.

#dc comics #dc polls #tumblr polls #trevor barnes #degaton #mechanique #letifos #lori lemaris #koryak #kako #linda page #paul #eric forrester #lionmane #laura fell #darla aquista

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aloysiavirgata · 1 year ago

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Title: Fern Hill

Rating: NC-17

Timeline: pre-series

Category: XF/The Fall crossover

Summary: For everyone who asked for a Stella/Mulder prequel from my little prompt ficlet

Author’s Note:

Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,

Time held me green and dying

Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

The blonde two stools down is eyeing him unashamedly. She’s got on tight jeans and a white cable knit sweater, summer-wheat hair straight out of a Ralph Lauren ad. Eyes like Lake Tashmoo before a storm.

“You’re Phoebe Green’s American,” she observes. It isn’t a question. Her voice is buttery, a burnt-velvet purr that makes the back of his neck tingle. She sips at a rock glass full of something tawny in the subfusc gloom of the pub.

Mulder, intrigued, moves next to her. “What the fuck?”

She blinks, the barest hint of a smirk tightening her lips. “I’m not wrong.”

“I’m not Phoebe’s anything,” he replies. “She stole my Pink Floyd sweatshirt and burned my Knicks hat. She fucked a vegetarian trumpet player.”

The blonde smiles fully now. “You’re marked forever, I’m afraid. You’ve some kind of animal name, haven’t you? Bear, was it?”

He knows she knows his name, this unsettling girl. Somehow, he knows she does. “Bear,” he agrees.

“Stella,” she says, holding out a slim, white hand. “You’re Fox.”

It’s a warm plum in her mouth. Delicious, desirable, something to be proud of. Belongs in the Ralph Lauren ad with her pre-Raphaelite face and flag of golden hair.

“Mulder,” he says, shaking the proffered hand.

“Mulder.” She squeezes his fingers, then withdraws.

Mulder sips his gin and tonic, pondering. “So you know Phoebe socially,” he says. “That must be a hell of a thing. As a woman.”

Stella considers him down the length of her nose. She has the androgynous beauty of a Greek youth. A Roman statue of Minerva.

“Where do you think she got the idea for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s grave,” Stella asks.

He almost chokes on an ice cube.

“If you’re coughing you’re breathing,” she observes, dispassionate, as he nearly hacks up a lung.

Mulder’s heart rate settles back to normal after a moment. He looks at Stella, the hard lines of her cheekbones, her incongruously cute freckles.

He thinks of Stella and Phoebe together. Wonders if he could make that happen, their peony mouths and fine-boned faces. He would be willing to temporarily make up with Phoebe for it. Phoebe would love the theater of a dramatic apology and a threesome.

“Was the grave a hot tip or a shared experience?”

Stella only smiles, sphinx-link. Taps her glass in the bartender’s direction.

“Does it matter,” she asks, watching as her drink is refilled.

Tremendously.

“No. Do people do a lot of Brando impressions?” He clutches his t-shirt with an anguished expression.

She chuckles a bit at that and Mulder feels like the cleverest man in England. In the Northern Hemisphere.

“Plenty,” she says. “Which I like, because it creates a self-selecting population of people to avoid.”

People, he notes. Not men. He thinks of Phoebe again, her dark hair against Stella’s blonde, imagines ringing her up and what he’d say and-

Stella’s hand on his thigh. “Where do you live?” she asks. Her voice is obscene, her high breasts soft against the sweater, slender neck and perfume rich with amber and honey and musk.

He gulps at his drink. “Uni flat. You?”

“Summertown,” she murmurs. “It’ll be nicer than your place.”

Mulder blinks, impressed. His parents give him money but not Summertown money.

“Are you inviting me home with you, Stella?” he asks, low.

She considers him, swirling her glass. “I’m inviting you to my bed. I don’t need you lingering in my home.”

He laughs aloud while wondering if he is capable of falling for a woman who doesn’t have substantial emotional damage. “So you don’t want me to show up with two dozen roses and a box from Charbonnet et Walker?”

Stella sniffs disdainfully. “I’m not interested in the girlfriend role as a concept. I plan to finish school and be a detective.”

He perks up. “I’m planning on the FBI when I wrap up the DPhil. Don’t know that I’m interested in the girlfriend thing as a concept either at his point,” he says, knowing it savors strongly of bitterness.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Stella says. “I think you’d make someone a very nice girlfriend.”

Storm-goddess eyes wicked over her glass.

He pays both tabs and watches her finish the Scotch.

***

Her flat is full of solid wood furniture and good upholstery. Some of the framed artwork appears original, and there’s a Cross Townsend pen on her walnut secretary. A stack of leather notebooks that look like Smythsons or Conway Stewarts.

He wishes he could stop this, the eternal analysis.

Her bedroom smells of lemon wood polish and clean cotton and expensive unguents. The queen bed is made, an ivory silk robe draped at the foot of it. There’s no girlish clutter on her shelves, no stuffed bear on the pillow.

There’s a copy of Where the Wild Things Are on the mantel. “Seems a little below your reading level,” Mulder observes.

“It was my favorite book when I was little.” She touches the cover. “Well, one of my favorites at least. I rather wanted to be King of All Wild Things.”

He grins at her. “You wouldn’t have even needed the wolf suit I bet. You’re a bit scary, Stella.”

She snaps her teeth.

Mulder sees the two of them in her gilt-framed mirror, Stella fierce and delicate as a faerie out of Perrault. Her pale throat, her bright eyes. In the moment he wants a cantrip that will bind her.

Her face is serious again. She unbuttons his shirt with focused dexterity, her brows furrowed, her lips pursed. Dior Poison, he sees on the vanity, and gives a name to her scent.

Stella planes her hands over his chest. “Very nice,” she says, peering up through dusky lashes. She pulls her sweater over her head, drops it to the floor. Wriggles out of her jeans and kicks them aside.

He is hard as a fifteen year old.

“I try.” He hasn’t kissed her yet, even though her mouth reminds him of a little Parisian pastry and he wants to nibble at it. Apropos of which, Mulder had expected plain cotton lingerie but it’s all frou-frou lace confectionery trimmed with rosettes and ribbons. Feminine. Delightful. Flawless.

“God, you’re so-“

“Shhh,” she says, pushing him down onto her bed with a single, imperious finger. “I know all that.”

Stella straddles his lap and he’s somehow surprised that such a large presence should weigh almost nothing.

She leans into his grasping fingers, rolls against his tensed thighs. Sighs when he thumbs the front of her panties.

“Stella….”

She leans forward to kiss him, her hard belly against his own. Her clever hands at his fly.

“Let’s see how badly Phoebe fucked up, hmmm?”

***

They had wine from a Thermos and went to bed. She’s lithe and breathless in his arms, spine like worry beads against his palms.

He’d spoken to his father who helpfully reminded him that Samantha had gone missing around this time and shouldn’t he come home to see his mother?

Stella’s fully nude, hair a long braid over her shoulder, and he tugs it experimentally.

Stella makes a liquid noise in her throat, tightens around him.

He unwinds the elastic band and works the plait loose with his fingers. Spools her hair around his hand and pulls down hard until their lips are brushing.

“Fuck,” she hisses into his mouth, and it’s what he needs somehow, the grinding pain of her little teeth and he comes and comes and comes.

***

He’s headed home in six weeks with a DPhil and an acceptance to the FBI Academy and vague praise from his parents.

“Fox,” she groans against his temple. “Fucking hell.”

Mulder nips at her throat, her hair spread behind her like the tail of a comet. “Why did you call me Fox?”

“Why did your mother call you Fox?” she asks.

“She is a very sick woman,” he says into Stella’s patrician ear.

She laughs and bites his lower lip. “Me too,” she mumbles, and her heels dig into his kidneys.

***

They never said goodbye, not really, and he meant to let her go like the tide.

His flight home is in thirty six hours.

“I thought I was ready but I- a pregnant woman,” she says flatly into the phone. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

He lets her use him, her lean swimmer’s legs against his own and her skirt rucked up at her waist and her tailored Met jacket and blouse fallen open along her breasts, lacy cobweb of a bra fighting for its life.

He gazes up at her, pink and silken as rose petals.

White and distant as the moon.

“Hurt me,” she gasps. “Mulder, please, I want-”

He hurts them both.

***

He leads her into the hotel room shower, washes her princess hair while she stands still, staring at nothing.

***

He left bruises along the softest parts of her. The hidden parts, where she asked. The palimpsest of her skin will be flawless again in a few days, and he tries not to think about how else the dark things in her might like to play. He absorbed her pain like charcoal absorbs poison.

“I truly don’t know if I can do this,” she remarks to the ceiling, palms against her eyes.

He tastes her on his lips, oysters and Sauternes. He wants to nudge his face back between her thighs in the way we are called by water. She is primordial and essential and delicate and terrifying. He has an Ivy League degree in psychology, even if it’s only from Pennsylvania, and he still can’t figure her out.

“You can,” he promises, like a faithful acolyte.

“And what does it mean if I can,” she asks and he wonders the same thing about himself.

***

He fucks her against an alley wall, thick with refuse and ennui. She’s gorgeous the way that supernovas and jaguars are gorgeous.

“Stella,” he groans. “Jesus.”

“You’ll miss your flight,” she mumbles, then laughs at the idea that they care.

“You going to see me off?” he pants into her neck. “Kiss me goodbye at the gate?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I told you I have a meeting in 45 minutes.” She hitches a knee up higher. “Oh, god, like that.”

Mulder grinds into her until she cries out, nipping at his chin, his earlobes.

He follows her into the starburst haze of an orgasm, his back shuddering, and Stella hot and twitchy against his chest.

They breathe together for a moment, riding out the wave.

“We both have to go,” Stella reminds him. “A parting of the ways this time, I think.”

Mulder lowers her to the ground. He ties off the condom and shoves it into a garbage can.

He zips his jeans up, watches Stella smooth her uniform, her hair.

“Here’s lookin’ at you kid,” he says, rather lamely.

But Stella smiles one of her rare, full smiles. “One day when you’re a world famous profiler and I’m Commissioner we’ll team up,” she says.

He brushes brick dust from her shoulder. “Why are you running the Met and I’m a lowly Special Agent still?”

She looks confused. “Because I like to be in charge and you don’t. You didn’t want to be King of All Wild Things.”

He palms her jaw, thumbs her cheekbone. He smiles fondly down at her.

“Don’t,” Stella warns.

Mulder shakes his head. “No. Go, run the Met and remember the little people when you ascend the throne.”

She covers his hand with hers for a moment. “Phoebe fucked up badly,” she says. “Now go back to the colonies and teach them how to make a proper cup of tea.”

“We just throw it in the Harbor.”

Stella squeezes his hand before taking it from her face. She walks briskly out of the alley without ever looking back.

***

He makes the plane, though barely. He falls asleep over Dublin. He dreams of sailboats and lonely islands and even in dreaming he knows Stella is right. He wants to be where someone loves him best of all.

#xf fanfic #xfiles fanfic #my fic #prompt #stella gibson #fox mulder #bbc the fall

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cecilyv · 3 months ago

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20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @screamlet

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 14 (and, full disclosure, all but some of the tumblr fics are with @liminalmemories21)

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 151,628

3. What fandoms do you write for? 9-1-1

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? In order: Awful quiet here since love fell asleep (9-1-1, the break up, make up fic), Atlas (bound) (9-1-1, the Buckley parents are trash fic), Baggage that goes with mine (9-1-1, Tommy begins), (I'm in love) but I do not speak the language (9-1-1, the relationship discovery one), and I'll cover you (9-1-1, part II after Baggage, when Buck and Tommy get a dog).

5. Do you respond to comments? I really try. @liminalmemories21 is much better at it than I am, but I do always intend to because each comment is my best beloved.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Erm, we don't really write angsty things? Awful quiet, Atlas and Inside, You've Got Heaven and Earth all start angsty, but don't end there?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Oh, god, uh, probably What's with today, today? Mostly just because making them all librarians on Stuffie Day itself was an indulgent turducken of a dessert.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not so far, thankfully

9. Do you write smut? a hundred percent more than I ever imagined

10. Do you write crossovers? I drop them in Lim's chat all the time but one has never stuck. Like, the one from this week was Wolfram and Heart is based in LA and reopens and... I don't know, Lindsey sticks around with his evil hand? THNK OF BUCK AND FREAKING OUT WITH THE CURSES AND THE RESEARCH SPIRALS AND...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Err, all of the recent ones because I am nothing (fandom-wise) without Lim

14. What's your all time favorite ship? I have no answer for this. I read like, a decade's worth of Stiles/Derek and literally never watched an episode of the show, but I watched SO MUCH Stargate because John/Rodney, my beloveds. I am still a sucker for a good Arthur/Eames. I would bow down if people brought back silver foxes Fraser/RayK. It's hard to have favorites after over 30 years in fandom.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Lim and I poke things to death, and definitely don't post a lot of them because we can't imagine things not being done before we put them out in the world -- see the Merlin fic of epicness that we started way over a decade ago and still sits in our google docs.

16. What are your writing strengths? I also think this is a thing best answered by others, like hi, Lim, how do I help? I honestly think I'm a better editor than writer? I'm not good about setting scenes, but I'm pretty good about taking drafts and massaging them?

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I always want things to feel more lived in than I feel I can accomplish on my own.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I speak english and bad english, so I am terrible about this, but I totally understand that sometimes its warranted.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Popslash and Smallville, and hi, yes, I disappeared for two decades.

20. Favorite fics you've written?

Awful quiet did exactly what I wanted that fic to when we set out to write it, and while maybe I wish some of the OCs were handled better/differently, I'm still happy with how we got from the beginning to end.

The What Binds series definitely put Tommy in a place and time, and there's a reason there's four stories worth of it (hi, I'm super proud of the detail about Tommy losing his virginity to Dave Matthew Band because, come on, people).

I know that Inside, You've Got Heaven and Earth didn't really hit with people, but it addressed something I wanted to fiddle with for Buck and Tommy, and Lim was a trooper for going there with me.

#meta #bucktommy #911

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oneknightstand-if · 1 year ago

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Considering that there's a wizard in your IF who's capable of turning people into ducks this question for once has actual relevance so, how would the ROs react to MC asking them this: "would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Merlin: Oh, is that your fetish? I can see why, many types of worms are hermaphroditic you know. Well, I can certainly accommodate that! Now just be a dear and close your eyes-- *suddenly gets dropkicked out of no where*

Adrian: *dropkicks Merlin* Please don't turn into a worm. I mean I'd still love you... platonically speaking... but don't turn into a worm.

Arthur: *seems to be speaking from experience* As far as these things go, I do believe that being an ant might be better.

Percy: *already has a worm farm built for you*

4̶0̴4̶ ̶E̶r̵r̷o̸r̶ ̸N̵o̸t̸ ̵F̴o̸u̶n̸d̷:̷ What do you think you à̷̢͚͓̮͊ͅr̴̜̍͑̔̈̕ë̴̢͙̪͕́̒͘ right now?

Cassandra: It's fine, I'll... find a way... to turn you back.

Gwen: Of course, I'd love you still. Whatever you may become, wherever you may be, whenever it might be... Here or there. Anywhere. Everywhere. In a house as a mouse... In a box as a fox... In a-- *Percy comes bursting through the wall Kool-Aid Man style with his worm farm at this point*

Vivian: There are many kinds of worms that can live under water. This suggestion certainly has possibilities. *Perhaps it's best you not suggest this to her*

Lorelei: *is already on the quest to turn you back*

Broderick: This is a theoretical question, right? RIGHT?!

#MERRY CHRISTMAS!#No normal posts allowed today #oks-asks #oks-ROs #oneknightstand #One Knight Stand #interactive fiction

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cricketnationrise · 10 months ago

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Hiiii! for the ficlet fest c: 5:21am. Kensington Palace. Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor. Song Lyric: "Even though this white wall is unchanging. The morning sun shines on it, and the clock moves forward. I keep moving further away. From the seasons we spent together"

OH HELLO FRIEND. sorry in advance, this one is a bunch of arthur feels. you have been warned.

read the rest of the ficlets here

❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

5:21am, kensington

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

In the hours of false dawn, the only sound in Henry’s room is the ticking of the ornate, heirloom, and completely gaudy grandfather clock. Every swing of the pendulum marks another moment that Henry should still be asleep—another moment closer to his next event.

Another moment that his dad has been gone.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Henry’s insomnia didn’t appear until after the cancer had ravaged his father’s body, had hollowed out his mother, had transformed Philip into someone he didn’t recognize, and had sent Bea careening down a path Henry could not follow. Even now, months after he and Bea clawed their way back to each other and settled as much as possible into the new normal, it seems the broken sleep is here to stay.

He’s doing better, on the whole. Regular therapy appointments—despite the Queen’s disdain for the whole endeavor—and medication have gotten Henry to the point where he can get through most days. He can put on a media face (bland, inoffensive, stoic, proper) and get through whatever nonsense The Crown has sent him to attend without visibly crumbling to pieces. It’s at night, with no distractions or witnesses, that Henry can let the mask fade away—can feel.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

It's still strange to think that his dad is gone. Every day is another one that Arthur won’t be there for. He won’t get to do another puzzle with Bea. He won’t see Henry graduate from uni. He won’t be there to see the next season at the Globe. He won’t be there when the Queen starts insisting Henry join the military. He just won’t be there, his absence a dark cloud over every triumph and fall, every mundane moment and milestone from here on out.

But Henry will be here, stuck in this gilded cage of tradition and expectations—staring at the white walls of his bedroom, unable to fall asleep.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The sun is actually coming up now—a wearily familiar sight. As much as Henry wishes he could sleep like he used to, the golden glow on his bedroom walls is beautiful. The sunlight is dappled today, peeking through the leaves of the tall trees on the grounds of Kensington, creating an intricate, ever-shifting pattern of shadows as the sun rises.

Henry thinks could write an entire anthology of poems about sunrises, actually. There’s something poignant about the juxtaposition of a new day while he’s still looking out of the chasm his dad’s death left inside him. He can see clear sky at the rim, but the light feels so far away.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

He knows Dad wouldn’t have wanted Henry to be so despondent, would have wanted Henry to be living his life as much as possible. Would have wanted Henry to find a way to move forward into his future. He knows that Arthur would have been the most excited to meet Henry’s therapy dog later today.

The idea was brought up by his therapist a month ago, and today it is finally happening. Henry was going to meet the dog that had been picked out for him. Hopefully he and the dog will be a good match or the whole process will start all over again. Henry would be stressing about it, but—

With bright sunlight climbing up the walls, the gentle ticking of the clock, and the memory of his father’s smile at the forefront of his mind, Henry has a good feeling about the day ahead.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

#cricket writes #read-and-write-#ficlet fest 500 #rwrb #pov henry #arthur feels abounding

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firstprince-ao3feed · 4 months ago

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feeling your heart beating wondering what you're dreaming

by firenati0n But Friday nights are just for them. People no longer make fun of Henry’s accent the way they used to in elementary school—they look at him now. It’s weird, and it makes something in Alex’s jaw hurt. “Oh shit, it’s late and I know we have Bea’s piano recital in the morning. Should probably go to bed, yeah?” Alex pulls his shirt off and slides under the covers before yanking it down on Henry’s side for him, an invitation. Henry doesn’t move, though—instead, he’s chewing his bottom lip and staring at the floor, pointedly not looking at Alex. Or, five times childhood best friends Alex and Henry share a bed platonically, and the one time (of many) they do as something more. Words: 5692, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Arthur Fox, Catherine Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont, Oscar Diaz (Red White & Royal Blue) Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, POV Alex Claremont-Diaz, POV Ellen Claremont, Sleeping Together, LITERALLY, then it's SLEEPING together, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drunken Confessions, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Childhood Friends, Arthur Fox Lives, Good Parent Arthur Fox, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, 5+1 Things, Oblivious Alex Claremont-Diaz, he's also a wee bit jealous but doesn't really know why, because ofc he is, Flufftober, Flufftober 2024, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Elementary School, also arthur is an ex-soap opera star in this and i have a whole backstory about his tv character, and arthur/catherine are alive and happy in this but oscar/ellen do divorce, There Was Only One Bed, Sharing a Bed, Sexual Tension, Yearning, POV Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Pining, Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, drunken is intense tbh it's more just tipsy or buzzed, everyone is sound of mind and v coherent via https://ift.tt/oqbduzk

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #red white and royal blue #rwrb #firstprince #firenati0n

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aentrilon · 1 year ago

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I won't let anyone lay their finger on my beloved one.

Hey, hey, how many transformation patterns do you have, Lancelot? Hmmm… out of them, there are 5-6 favorite ones of mine. Pugoh

Percival Sword (sword consisting of the fragment of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness) Material: Steel Weight: 3.2kg Maker: Howzer Magic enchantment: none A sword whose blade is attached to the fragment of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness that sealed the Demons in the past. The handle being heavy, a thick blade had to be attached to it to restore balance. No sort of magic was enchanted onto it, but its robustness is guaranteed. The name Percival Sword is not very popular.

Divine Sword Rhitta Material: Unknown metal Weight: 38kg Maker: Unknown Magic enchantment: Unknown The weapon was made of the fragment of the Divine Axe Rhitta owned by the Lion's Sin of Pride Escanor of the Seven Deadly Sins, it is too large and heavy to be a one-handed short sword. It is enchanted with the magic that makes it to answer its wielder's call and fly to them even from a distant location. It also has a special characteristic to store the power of the Sun.

Estarossa (front) and Mael (behind) Material: Steel Weight: Estarossa - 2.1kg; Mael - 0.6kg Maker: Rizer Magic enchantment: Thitis Two swords that bear the names of Estarossa of the Ten Commandments and Mael of the Four Archangels. Estarossa has the power to break the target's magic defenses but Mael is enchanted with magic so that he the enemy's mental attacks can't reach him so easily. Tristan being ambidextrous, these weapons are made for him.

Spirit bow Material: Ebony Weight: 0.1kg Maker: Lancelot Magic enchantment: Harlequin Lancelot made his own short bow by scraping ebony wood. His uncle Harlequin the Fairy king blessed it so it is as light as a feather but when held by anyone but Lancelot, it returns to its former weight. The arrows are imbued with magic so that once taken out of the wristholder, they revert to their original length.

Sleipnir Cernunnos Arakdo Cynopronpi King of Purgatory

The Purgatory is a different dimension not belonging to this world, the Celestial realm, the Demon realm or the Fairy realm. It is a world of toxic atmosphere where the burning heat and the freezing cold mix, and the creatures that inhabit it have all a very tough life force. It is said that a king called the Mother of Chaos lives there. It seems like the king Arthur entrusted his retainers and Holy Knights Turret and Rothes to capture the Purgatory creatures.

Heh, did you think I can only transform into the fox!? Pugoh.

Ooooh!! You myst be fatty and yummy… no, you are a cute little pig!!

Look what else I can do!

Hoh hoh.

Heheh.

I can even turn into a mini-sized Giant. Whoaaaah!

Oooh.♪ You are quite talented as a performer! You've got quite a wide range of transformations. If I had to say something, it feels like they all have a scary look in their eyes…

Does the Fairy blood runs in Lancelot's veins? In fact, not all Fairies can transform. The ones who can don't geneerally possess that many patterns.

It is camouflage arts for them. It'd be nice if they could transform into one shape other than that of a Fairy. But Lancelot tends to be a perfectionist about it, I heard he had a strenuous training to transform into different patterns.

It may have been his half-Human blood running his body that does it to him… Don't you go explain things on your own! I didn't want him to hear everything!!! Heh…

THE END

Algimesol Delkiorasso Melpa Derpas Liogiratte Pudding Du Pon

Huuu.

Pudding to pop? Don't peek wihtout permission!!!

You seemed to have fun by yourself so I got curious. This isn't a game, got it? This is high-level magic. I seal the freshly made pudding in the incantation orb so I can eat it anytime I want.

Interesting!! I think Anne will enjoy it too!! However there's one problem…

Oh.

Everything until the sealing in the incantation orb works out but as soon as I break the orb, the pudding loses its shape!!! Outside: Raaaaah! And hardening it would spoil its taste… Can I tell you something?

How about you put pudding in a container and seal it in the orb?

A-a-a… are you a genius!? Arrow: Was listening Are they okay…?

THE END

#4kota #nanatsu no taizai #nnt #seven deadly sins #mokushiroku no yon kishi #the four knights of the apocalypse

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iheartgod175 · 1 year ago

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Some MORE Thoughts…

—I’ve actually had the hankering to do some art again after like a month, haha ^^ Taking a month hiatus from creating to refill my creative well has done me some wonders, because now I feel a lot more inspired and ready to write and draw!

—An idea that I’ve had for the last couple of days was including Dragon Tales into SRBA. My childhood lives! I love how at this point, the remastered SRBA is kinda becoming the MCU, lol—after all, I kinda have it set that the Super Readers would meet WordGirl and the characters from Santiago of the Seas, so why the heck not XD That means I’m gonna have to go back and fix the timeline again to include this.

—And in case anybody was wondering what other shows would be featured in this AU, it’s currently Santiago of the Seas, WordGirl, Dragon Tales and (possibly) Arthur. The later I put in brackets because I’m not sure how it’d work yet ^^;

—I am still working on that KonoSuba/Star Fox story, but most of it is just brainstorming fifty million ideas. I do have some cool ideas for a potential sequel starring either Slippy or Beltino. Why? Well, I wanted to challenge myself writing a character that I eventually grew to appreciate—as I wrote in the original post, Fox and Falco would fit in with KonoSuba perfectly, but it’s too obvious a choice. Putting in a happy-go-lucky mechanic with no sense of flying in a world like KonoSuba’s would be hilarious—or a mild-mannered scientist like Beltino. All I know is that either one of them would end up in Kazuma’s party, and Slippy and Aqua would butt heads because of her hatred for toads, LOL.

—2024 is not being kind to Love Livers thus far. I still think the whole “Love Live disappears but Revue Starlight is eternal” meme compilation is hilarious, though. Power creep and insane rates will not stop this game, I swear. Oh, and speaking of Revue Starlight, it’s been loving me again?? I’ve had better luck getting the 5-stars recently than I have had getting the birthday cards the last few years?! Which is good news for me, because my Wind, Moon and Space teams SUCK and I needed some better cards in order to prep for both Star Arena matches and future Trophy Roads.

—Kinda hopped back onto my Multo/Zeeter mood again, so I’ve been working on Love Language in between working on that StarFox/KonoSuba idea. I’m trying out a new writing routine, and hopefully, I can finish the first chapter sometime this year!

—Speaking of them, I was rereading my notes for that Revue Starlight inspired AU and I need to write out a post yelling about that. I literally have like six to seven pages of notes!

—Started Atelier Resleriana and it’s kinda cute! I’ve heard of the Atelier series, but never got a chance to play any of the games. But I’m liking it so far.

—Racing to get to the next few chapters of HI3rd. I’m kinda stoked for Part 2!

—And since I also got hit with the mood for it a few days ago, I’m going to be doing some in-depth notes about the Cerulean Avenger story, namely regarding the characters and what all to expect. The reason for that? It relates to the art I’m going to drop after making this post! 😁

#hanna-barbera #super why #the zula patrol #dragon tales #atelier resleriana #sif2 #konosuba #star fox #shojo kageki revue starlight #honkaimpact3rd #ramblings

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blogger360ncislarules · 5 months ago

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Rising at 5 am may sound early to a lot of us but it’s a typical start to the day for Justin Hartley. But, come on, would you expect anything less from the guy who is both starring in and executive producing Tracker, last season’s biggest broadcast series? “You wake up in the dark and then you work all day and kind of open your eyes and all of a sudden it’s dark again,” Hartley laughs from Vancouver, Canada, where he’s on day three of an eight-day shoot for the second season’s fourth episode. He adds with sincerity, “It’s a lovely life.”

Today is what the Illinois native calls a “light day,” which seems like anything but considering it’s filled with meetings, reading Tracker scripts (and others he may want to develop), working out, grabbing a bite to eat, checking in with his 20-year-old daughter Isabella as well as spending time with wife Sofia Pernas. Also, pressing pause on all that to talk with this reporter about Tracker’s second season, which begins October 13 on CBS.

It’s no surprise that hard work is in the 47-year-old actor’s Midwest blood. “My parents are really hard workers and they’re from the Midwest as well, so there’s definitely something to that,” he said prior to Tracker’s post-Super Bowl premiere in February “It is funny, isn’t it, when you meet someone from the Midwest, you automatically are like, ‘oh, brother, or sister.’ It’s an interesting thing, right?”

The path from Illinois to our TVs started in 2002 when he played often-shirtless Fox Crane for four years on NBC’s daytime soap Passions before leaping to prime time for heroic roles like Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) on the CW’s Smallville (as well as Arthur C. Curry, aka Aquaman, in an unsold TV pilot). More guest roles came along on dramas like Revenge and Mistresses as well as a daytime return from 2014-16 as Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless. But his career catapulted in 2016 when he began playing troubled actor Kevin Pearson, one of the Big 3 siblings alongside Randall (Sterling K. Brown) and Kate (Chrissy Metz) on NBC’s heartfelt hit This Is Us.

It was actually before This Is Us ended after six seasons in 2022 that the show’s executive producer and director Ken Olin handed Hartley a copy of Jeffery Deaver’s novel The Never Game and the two sold Tracker to CBS. (Elwood Reid was then brought on as showrunner and executive producer.) Scheduling its debut after Super Bowl LVIII gave the show its best possible shot at success, though Hartley learned long ago that sure bets don’t exist in TV. “You don’t ever suppose or suspect that it’s going to turn into what it turned into. I knew Tracker was really good but, like I said with This Is Us, you just never know if you’re going to find the audience. There’s no way to tell.”

An impressive 18.4 million people stuck around after the Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22 to watch Tracker’s premiere live, and that number climbed to 30 million once various platforms and delayed viewing were figured in. When the drama settled into its regular Sunday night slot, viewership rose week-to-week, prompting a second season renewal by CBS after only four episodes had aired. Tracker would go on to become the number one regular series for the 2023-24 season and, according to CBS, the first time a first-year series had ranked as number one since Survivor’s debut in 2000.

As the 20-episode second season sets to launch on October 13, Hartley explains what he learned from Season 1 that helped shape Season 2 and talks about Jensen Ackles’ return as Colter’s brother, Russell, in the new season’s second episode.

After Season 1 of any show, you look at what worked and what didn’t. How much did that impact how you all shaped Season 2?

Justin Hartley: That’s a great question. We don’t take this lightly, what happened with the show. Now that we’ve had all the success, you look at what really worked and what we want to do more of that we think the audience would want. You put those things over in one box and you hopefully try to refine the project and the show and make it more streamlined. But you learn as you go and I’m sure we’ll have the same thing after season two where we’ll do that.

The family mystery was a big thread through the first season. Do we get into it again right off the bat in season two? What else is on Colter’s plate?

In the first two episodes, we absolutely do. Also, right off the bat what happens is we’re introduced to a job that Colter got a decade ago. There are two sisters and one of them goes missing. Colter is hired but he’s never been able to crack it and it haunts him. For the first time, we see this guy who is such a hero and always does the right thing but he wasn’t able to find the girl and bring her back. It says a lot about him as a person that he carries it with him but he does not let things go.

Jensen Ackles is back in Episode 2 as Colter’s brother Russell. Safe to say the show digs into the family mystery more?

It has more to do with the family thing. We left off first season with Colter having a lot of questions. He doesn’t even know who he can trust anymore. At the very beginning of last season, he thought his brother was involved in his father’s death, and then come to find out, wait a minute, he might not have had anything to do with it. Also, why is Dory (Colter’s sister, played by Melissa Roxburgh) hiding all this stuff?

So, Russell comes back and Colter’s got a couple of questions for him about this Dory situation and the box that she has and does Russell know where it is? Russell’s also pretty heroic in Episode 2 and they get involved in this really black ops, kind of strange thing. And these government officials start asking about our dad out of the blue, and you’re like, “Whoa, what’s this all about?” So, in every episode, Dad is becoming a little more vindicated maybe, or just maybe completely nuts. We don’t know. We dive a little bit deeper into that.

What’s Colter’s team up to? We know Robin Weigert is not back as Teddi but where does that leave her partner, Velma (Abby McEnany)?

At the end of last season, Reenie (Fiona Rene) decides that she’s leaving her firm and going to go it on her own. She’s got that big life change and, in a way, she teams up with Velma and you’ll see a lot of the two of them working together, which is a really interesting dynamic. They both have common goals with just some completely different ways of going about their business. Bobby (Eric Graise) our computer whiz, is hacking away. Then we have a couple of really cool surprises coming for Reenie.

Sergei Bachlakov / CBS

Let’s talk about guest stars in the new season. Will Melissa Roxburgh return as Colter’s sister, Dory? I know she’s busy with her new series (NBC’s The Hunting Party).

Her show ends [production] way before we end so we can bring her back in the latter episodes of our show. And then Jennifer Morrison‘s coming back to direct Episode 6. I’m sure her character will be back.

Sofia is back in the third episode as fellow tracker Billie Matalon. That must’ve been a fun week having her back.

Oh, she’s the best and such a talent. She comes in and she just delivers and brings so much more to it than is on the pages. It’s just been a blessing having her and then also I get to spend time with her! It’s my favorite days in the world when I get to work with her.

What happens in the episode?

She calls on Colter because she needs his help for something. And of course, he’s like, “You need my help, huh?” It’s that kind of thing, like, “Well, okay, then ask for it. I’ll help you. You got to ask me,” that kind of thing.

How are you being challenged in Season 2 either as an actor or with the physical stuff?

Well, the episode order is a lot bigger so that’ll be a challenge. We’re only on Episode 4, so I feel great, Jim, to be honest with you. But it’s classic me. In three months, we’ll see how I feel. But there’s more physicality in certain episodes. The fights certainly are more physical but I don’t mind a bruise here so I just trying to keep my body healthy.

Going back to Jensen. You guys obviously have a lot of fun working together but when did you two first meet?

Well, we were both on the CW. He was on Supernatural and I had joined Smallville. I got to know him and Jared and all those guys over there at Supernatural. We’re all actors displaced here in Vancouver and we have a lot in common. He’s a family man and he’s got kids and loves his work and loves his family and loves his fans. We’re the same age and we just developed a friendship. I’d never had a chance to work with him until Tracker. He’s a very busy man, but I love working with him. It’s a treat.

Michael Courtney/CBS

Where do you see the show going, say, five years down the line. Do you have a vision that far ahead or are you just focusing on what’s in front of you?

That’s a good question. We’ve thought about it. Well, first of all, I would just say that, from your mouth to God’s ear, if we’re lucky enough to do a third season, a fourth season, a fifth season, a sixth season, that would be wonderful. I think the show works in the long run in that we have adopted this idea that although we are a Rockford Files [type show], we do develop the character going forward.

What I really loved about This Is Us…look, I hate to keep talking about it, but I just adore that show and being a part of it. I just love that when you watch a show like that and you tune into Season 1 and then you tune into the last season, you see the development of the character and you go, “Wait a minute, are they playing different roles?” But then if you watch it throughout the years, you go, “Oh my gosh,” and you experience those things with the characters. As competent and confident as Colter is, I don’t at all think for a second that he doesn’t have a ton to learn, especially about himself and his family and all that. Going forward, I think that will be how the show lives on a long runway, is that we keep developing this character and he becomes better at what he’s doing. He’s a restless man, and for an audience member, at least shows that I love to watch, you love to see that growth of a character and we have that.

#tracker cbs #tracker

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thewisesaltine · 2 months ago

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The Cranium Dog Celebrates Multiculturalism

A few years ago, @the-plot-blog-thing and I watched the eternally beloved piece of cinema Teacher's Pet (2004) for a movie review marathon (an archive of which you can find on his blog). Needless to say, we were both immediately captivated by the sheer brilliance of that film, and vowed to one day watch the TV show on which it was based.

We never did.

But that's not gonna stop me from watching a Holiday-themed episode of that show for my long running tradition of ranting about Christmas specials on the internet for my own amusement!

TEACHER'S PET: SEASON 1 EPISODE 11: A DOG FOR ALL SEASONS

Having only seen the movie I'm not too familiar with how the standard episode of the show works, but this strikes me as nothing too out of the ordinary. Especially for season one.

While planning the school's holiday pageant, Mary realizes that their usual play (A Christmasy Christmas in Christmas Town) could potentially be seen as ignorant of other non-Christian winter holidays. Not wanting anyone to feel left out, she decides to write a new play that celebrates all the holidays of the late December/early January time frame.

Unfortunately, the Wallace Shawn principal shows up and acts as our Fox News stand in for the episode. He hates the idea of changing anything that was previously catered to his demographic, and threatens to fire Mary if her new multicultural play doesn't live up to his "standards". Giving us the most on the nose line of the whole episode.

So, while Mary is given all of one evening to write an entire play that her entire career rests on, Scott remembers he's supposed to be the main character and has an existential crisis that there are no holiday traditions for dogs. He decides to go soul searching and comes to the conclusion that...honestly I don't really know they just kinda hand wave it away.

It wasn't uncommon for shows around this time to take a more "tribute to all holidays but mostly Christmas approach". Arthur's Perfect Christmas certainly comes to mind. However, I don't remember many having the guts to say "oh, by the way, some people get really mad when you say Happy Holidays." Principal Strickler isn't a one to one representation of annoying conservatives you see around this time, but it's a show about a talking dog with species dysphoria.

Still, it's a very decent episode of television. You wouldn't expect a show with a premise like this to actually be funny, but there were some solid jokes here. It has a Simpsons-esque style of humor where the characters find strangely elegant ways to be monumentally stupid.

Also helped by the fact that the animation is top notch. Especially for TV show quality. Characters are never not moving, and the expressiveness of all the voice actors helps a lot too

My only real complaint is that while I respect the concept of what they were doing, in execution it does just feel like a Christmas-themed episode that pays some lip service to other holidays. Which, isn't the worst thing a special can do, but given the fact that the whole episode is about finding unity between cultures it does kinda feel strange to rely so heavily on Christmas aesthetics. They have the musical number at the end (which Nathan Lane doesn't really sing in which is odd. Contracts must be weird or something), but the song basically boils down to "Every holiday is really just about love at the end of the day."

The song itself isn't the best either. I prefer MST3k's approach to the same idea.

youtube

There's not really much else to add. It's a decent, well-meaning, if outdated Christmas special about how everyone deserves a chance to celebrate their culture. Sure, I could try to dive into the psyche of Scott. Try to make some grand statement and imply that Teacher's Pet: Season 1 Episode 11 speaks volumes about how isolating the holidays are for people without a cultural identity. And how Scott's search for belonging only REALLY plays into the idea of assimilation, and that his true identity is being erased by staying with the Helperman's. But that would be boring. And I don't like being bored.

It's a fun Christmas special. Maybe I should finally watch that show.

Meh probably not

7/10

#christmas #christmas specials #Disney Teachers pet #Disney Channel #Cracker Factory Family Christmas 2024 #Review No.1 #Youtube

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elstreem · 1 year ago

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Sparkling Spray

A short story I wrote back during the Grail Live! event, of what it was like to attend a show of the Knights of the Round Table, on ice - for a Master that was dating Bedivere. Something cute and light to accompany this illustration I made here. Length: 3331 words, I am...unable to write anything shorter, even for fluff :')

Written with Bedivere and Fujimaru already a couple in mind when the event occurred. Gdocs version here.

Sparkling Spray

Fujimaru Ritsuka thought he had done just about everything as a Master of Chaldea - had once saved a realm for magical girls, sorted out a Halloween festival including too many buildings stacked together, been a camper in a summer crowded by horrors straight out of the movie screen…to name a few, and that was not even including vanquishing Humanity's enemies, the Beasts.

But apparently there were still new experiences to be had, and now here he was, producer of Chaldea Productions…the manager of an idol group. An idol group that happened to consist of a sweets-loving, guitar-strumming blonde who is King Arthur (from space!!!), a rose-haired queen with honeyed words and a love for domination, and a cat.

The cat who was actually a fox and and -

Yeah, there was no point thinking too hard about it, so Fujimaru simply rolled along with it, arranging rehearsals, performances and marketing. Sure. Why not?

So today, as the Master/Producer, nicknamed as MasP, he was checking out the concerts going on in the area and finding out if there was one where they could battle for further promotion of AxXxS. He sorted through the endless amounts of flyers featuring both Servants at Chaldea and stray monsters and spirits that were now putting on shows, singing, performing, dancing -

"B-bwaahh!?"

Mash came over in concern, hearing Fujimaru's exclamation of surprise.

"Senpai? Something the matter?" Mash asked.

"Uh -" Fujimaru looked up at Mash, tried to speak, couldn't, and simply held out the flyer that caused him to splutter. A flyer which was graced by the all too familiar image of a certain group of knights -

"The Round Table on Ice…?" Mash read.

"Oh, yes, I think I heard about that…they perform dance routines while skating," Mash went on, nodding.

Fujimaru took a deep breath, having calmed down a little. It was true, this wasn't the most shocking thing in an already improbable Singularity running on idol culture.

"Huh, so they also have a group here? How sneaky, I don't think Bedi told me they were doing this…" Fujimaru said.

"Would you like to see them, Senpai?" Mash asked, seeing the way Fujimaru was wistfully looking over a silver-haired knight's picture on the flyer.

"Oh, uh - some time, I guess. We still have things to do, after all," Fujimaru said with a sheepish look, knowing he'd been caught.

Mash stifled a giggle, and Fujimaru blushed.

"We could always come by and have a concert battle with them to raise AxXxS's Idol⭐Glo. And I'm sure Sir Bedivere would love to see you - we can cheer him on, Senpai!" Mash said enthusiastically.

"Sheesh, Mash, you're excited for this…" Fujimaru mumbled, still flushing.

Mash gave a short laugh on seeing the expression on Fujimaru's face.

"Oh, is something the matter?" Medb came striding over, already smirking as she saw Fujimaru's flustered state and Mash's clear amusement.

"N-Nothing's the matter -" Fujimaru said, but it was useless as Medb's sharp eyes saw the flyer on the table.

"A-ha, is our very own MasP checking out groups other than the one he's managing? How greedy," Medb said, picking up the flyer.

"Ooooor…is he checking out one star in particular?" Medb said, waving the flyer.

"Gah…" Fujimaru groaned, putting his head in his hands as Ex and Tamamo Cat peered at the flyer.

"The Round Table on Ice…sounds like a terrible dinner experience if you ask me, woof!" Tamamo Cat said.

"I don't think it's an actual table, Cat. But…Round Table, huh," Ex frowned in thought.

"Oh ah, are you…familiar with them, Ex?" Fujimaru asked, raising his head again.

Ex glanced to the side, thinking it over. "…maybe. Um. No, I think these ones are also Chaldean Servants…" she said.

"Yep, they're the same case as us. But I guess they're not all that big as an idol group, since they never got an invitation to the Grail Concert," Medb said.

Fujimaru looked at the flyer - true, this group wasn't included among the contenders for the Grail Concert.

"That's too bad. I would have liked to see them…but uh, here, let me see what other concert battles we can go to -" Fujimaru went back to the pile, pushing the matter out of his mind.

Medb and Mash shared a knowing look, and Mash gave a tiny nod.

"Oh, MasP~" Medb said with a honey-sweet smile.

The Celtic queen put her hands on Fujimaru's shoulders, and he squeaked in surprise.

"We're all in this to fight for something we truly, truly want, don't we? That goes for you, too~" Medb said.

"The Grail takes priority -" Fujimaru tried to argue, but he didn't sound all that decisive.

"Hmm. Even if they're not as big as an idol group, knights are still knights…a concert battle with them should be a worthwhile experience!" Ex declared.

"See? Even Ex agrees. Come on, Senpai," Mash said. Tamamao Cat pulled at Fujimaru's hands, cheerfully ignoring all of his protests.

"It's decided then! Time to crush some braves," Medb laughed.

"Oh? Are we going out?" Miss Crane emerged from the next room.

"We're going for a concert battle," Fujimaru said in a defeated tone.

"Ooh, which one?" Miss Crane asked.

"The…the Round Table on Ice…" Fujimaru muttered.

"Omiigooosh! Yes, certainly, let's go!" Miss Crane said.

Mash giggled as Fujimaru threw up his hands in surrender, and with much teasing and laughter, the happy members of Chaldea Productions swept Fujimaru away to an impromptu date - er, concert battle.

~~~~

The venue for the show was cold, what with the ice rink and even artificial snow raining from the ceiling, big sparkling snowflakes catching the light in hypnotic colours. But shivers were running through Fujimaru's body for another reason. Speechless in anticipation, clutching the flyer in one hand, he stepped forward to see the stage as the announcement boomed, "And now, give a round of applause for our stars…The Knights of the Round Table, On Ice!"

Bright lights struck the rink, casting pools of colour that reflected on the face of the cheering audience -

Fujimaru gasped, fingers flying to his mouth, as four figures skated in, sending up a sparkling spray of frost -

In the lead was the towering knight Gawain, at home on the ice just as he was in the sun, and despite his hulking figure he moved gracefully, swinging in front of the audience with a smile for the crowd, sending ladies and lads alike swooning.

Behind him was Lancelot, gleaming brightly as Arondight infused with the power of the lake, and speaking of, his skating was just as marvellous a sight as his swordplay…

…though for a few moments there was a momentary stumble as Lancelot met Mash's eyes. He recovered quickly enough, following Gawain, though he still had a slightly sheepish expression on his face.

Not that Fujimaru cared to notice at that point, gasping again as the light turned silver, and with it was a sight that swept away all the chill in his bones, replacing it with a glorious warmth and radiance instead -

His beloved knight of the silver hand, Bedivere…

He was attired in his usual colours, white and green, but this time he was wearing an elaborately decorated suit, the sleeves bearing ruffles. A white lily was even pinned to his chest and framed with feathers, though parts of the outfit - the dark-coloured ribbon, the tails - were reminiscent of his armour.

Fujimaru felt his heart thud against his ribs as Bedivere swept in front of him -

For a few light-filled moments, their eyes met, and at once smiles bloomed on their faces. And then Bedivere turned away, with Fujimaru grinning widely as he looked after him.

"Bedi!" Fujimaru cheered, raising a hand and madly waving after him. Bedivere turned around to see him and waved a hand in turn, causing the crowd to roar, but Fujimaru knew that gesture, that smile, was meant for him.

All his attention and focus was on Bedivere, so Fujimaru barely noticed Tristan's entrance as he skated in. Mash, however, could have sworn she heard a soft snore as Tristan passed by. Was he…sleeping?

The four Knights of the Round Table lined up and struck a pose, arms raised, dazzling smiles aimed at the crowd, and completely forgetting being a producer, Fujimaru cheered and clapped as hard as the rest of the audience.

Mash smiled, glad to see Fujimaru enjoying himself, and she noticed Bedivere was certainly more perked up as well. Deciding to take over for the moment, the Demi-Servant quietly made her way back to where AxXxS was waiting.

She found Ex coolly standing by, Cat fluffing her tail, and Medb with a hand to her chin, a devious light in her eyes as she watched the performance. Miss Crane was, as usual, gushing and blubbering over the idol performance and drooling over the special outfits.

"Oh, Mash, there you are. Where is MasP?" Ex asked, holding her guitar close.

"Um, occupied. And I see Miss Crane is also…" Mash said, glancing over at the Heroic Spirit…

…just as the Knights executed a daring manoeuvre, and poor Miss Crane fell over, nearly bubbling at the mouth.

"My, my. Well, I guess you're taking over, hm, Mash?" Medb said with a knowing smile.

"I suppose I have to. Sorry about Senpai, I did anticipate this would happen," Mash said with a laugh.

"Ah?" Ex's hair stood a little straighter as she tilted her head to one side in a question.

"Oh, Ex, didn't you notice with all our teasing?" Medb said, surprised. Then she laughed, "Our dear MasP is quite head over heels for the silver-haired brave, over there."

"Like a cat for catnip, meow!" Tamamo Cat added, shaking her tail.

"Indeed…mm, well, he is a good-looking one, that brave, but not wild enough for my liking. And it infuriates me that he's got no appreciation for my beauty at all!" Medb sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Normally I would like to take a brave like that for a ride in my chariot and show him what a lovely time this queen can give him…hm, but Master is like that, too, so I suppose they're perfect for each other, all things considered," Medb said with a shrug.

"Yep, yep, Master and the silver guy are already devoted to each other, meow! Like two rats with their tails in a bunch…hmm, no, that's not so cute. They go together like…butter and toast, more like? Or like…sardines and peppers?" Tamamo Cat said.

Mash giggled, "Something like that."

"Ah, I see," Ex smiled. Then she frowned in thought.

"Wait, is it okay for our producer to be dating an idol?" Ex mused.

"Ah, well…maybe not, but this is just a Singularity, so…" Mash put a hand to the side of her head in thought.

"Eh, it'll be fine, it's not as if either of them are underaged," Medb said with a shrug. As they were talking, Miss Crane got up from the floor and stood by their side, wobbling a little, her hat askew from her fall.

"Er…pardon me, my dears. Did I miss anything?" Miss Crane asked.

"Oh, we were just discussing if it's alright if Senpai is going out with Sir Bedivere, with this idol setting and all," Mash explained.

"Oh! Hmm…wait, they're going out!?" Miss Crane clutched her staff close, eyes wide.

"Oh, right, you haven't been to Chaldea…I mean, our organisation, Chaldea, not Chaldea Productions. But um, yes, Miss Crane, Senpai and Sir Bedivere are a couple," Mash explained.

"Guuhhhh! Oooh, ooh…calm yourself, Crane…ahhh! They ARE SO CUTE! They sure look good together!! Oh my gosh, so that's why MasP is looking so lovingly at the Knight of the Silver Hand!!! So…CUTE!!!" Miss Crane squealed.

"Oooh, what if I make him a nice matching suit…oooh, hehehe…that would be a nice change of pace…" Miss Crane continued in a rather delirious sounding tone of voice.

"Ha, I suppose this means you don't disapprove?" Medb said with a shake of her head.

"Not at all!!! Mm, yes, I don't think it's a bad thing at all, even with the idol culture we're living in at the moment," Miss Crane said.

"They sure look fond of each other, mm?" she continued - just as Bedivere performed in front of Fujimaru, extending a hand. Fujimaru raised his hand, briefly touching fingertips with Bedivere, and the gesture bowled over Miss Crane once more.

Ignoring the dazed Heroic Spirit twitching on the floor, the Chaldea Productions group continued talking.

"True, true. Mutual respect and affection is an amazing foundation for a relationship! Not that I can pursue one, meow, this cat's idol career can't have a relationship while we're aiming for the Grail," Tamamo Cat said, nodding.

"Speaking of which, are you all set for a concert battle?" Mash asked.

"Yep, we're ready," Ex said.

"Alright, let's go ahead then! Mm, that silver-haired one is off-limits, but those other braves…oooh, I'd love to break them under my heel!" Medb declared

"Knights, huh…I won't go easy on them, for sure!" Ex said, suddenly looking serious.

"Woof, woof! Make way!" Tamamo Cat skated ahead, causing the crowd to part -

As AxXxS made their way towards the stage, the Knights continued to dance. Being tall, however, Gawain immediately noted the change in the crowd and paused, just as Medb strutted up to the stage, hips swaying.

"Oho?" Gawain signalled to the other Knights, and Lancelot stood next to him.

"Mm, I do love seeing some braves show off…none of you are as cute as my Cu, but show this queen a good time, won't you?" Medb said, flashing a smile at the Knights.

"Is this a challenge, then?" Gawain asked, though Mash could tell his defence was ever so slightly lowered by Medb's charm.

"If so, we won't hold back," Lancelot said, giving an appreciative look at Medb…and immediately feeling a cold shiver as Mash glared at him.

"Indeed…fight as hard as you can, Knights of the Round Table. But know that you stand against our might," Ex said.

"Ah?" Bedivere, who had been standing in front of Fujimaru glanced over, recognizing Ex as yet another version of King Arthur.

Bedivere glanced back at Fujimaru with a raised eyebrow, and Fujimaru mouthed back, "It's a long story."

Bedivere nodded back in understanding - he had once tried to ask both Fujimaru and Mash about Mysterious Heroine X…but there really was no explanation for it other than that. Bedivere could tell this Ex was the same case.

Fujimaru made some gestures to Bedivere, pointing to himself and then at AxXxS with an apologetic look on his face, and Bedivere nodded, getting a rough idea of what was going on.

Fujimaru gave a small wave in farewell before rejoining his own group, just as Tamamo Cat sprang forward, holding up an empty platter.

"Time to serve up another victory for AxXxS! Let me hear you, woof!" Tamamo Cat rallied the crowd, and those who were fans began to cheer for them.

"Senpai! Are you ready?" Mash asked, as Fujimaru reached her side.

"Yep! Let's do this concert battle," Fujimaru said, raising his hand.

"Mm, try not to be distracted, MasP! Here we go!" Medb said, as she, Ex and Tamamo Cat went up on the stage.

"Here we go!" Gawain, Lancelot and Bedivere also went into formation…Tristan lagged behind, and Fujimaru finally noticed something.

"Wait, is Tristan asleep?" Fujimaru said in disbelief. Ex was already performing, voice raised, guitar playing, the crowd was yelling itself hoarse, and the Knights' own music was still playing. But Tristan was blissfully asleep even as he skated on the offensive.

"Seems so, Senpai! But let's not lower our guard!" Mash said.

"…right!" Fujimaru put the matter out of mind, it wasn't the first time Tristan had fallen asleep while doing something.

~~~~

"AxXxS! AxXxS! AxXxS!!!" the crowd cheered, deciding the winner of the concert battle.

"A well-fought duel, o King who sings! Your passion speaks for itself," Gawain said in admiration.

"Indeed…though we expected nothing less," Lancelot said, wiping his forehead with the back of one hand.

"A round of applause for the victors, Chaldea Productions and AxXxS!" Bedivere bid the crowd with a raised hand, and he was answered with cheers.

"Mmm, not half-bad either, braves. Show me your… swordplay, another time," Medb said with a smirk, crossing her arms.

"He he…" Gawain and Lancelot coughed. Bedivere fought the urge to kick their ankles, instead turning to Mash and Fujimaru.

"Though we face the loss in this concert battle, it doesn't feel like so, having faced such wonderful opponents. As a sign of gratitude for attending our show and raising this crowd…perhaps, we may share one more dance?" Bedivere asked, extending a hand towards Fujimaru.

"Ah -!" Fujimaru blushed, only to feel a push on his back.

"Yes, what a wonderful idea, Sir Bedivere! If you would so kindly let our amazing MasP join you too!" Mash said loudly.

"Ha ha, a good idea, Sir Bedivere! And yes, join us, MasP," Gawain said with a chuckle.

"Please?" Bedivere asked, looking oh so gentle and soft.

Miss Crane screamed and fell in a heap of furs, feathers and witch hat on the floor. Honestly, Fujimaru felt like doing the same, his stomach had definitely dropped into another dimension, but though his heart pounded almost painfully in his chest, even as his fingers trembled…

…he reached for Bedivere's hand.

The ice on the rink dissipated, as well as the blades on the shoes of the Knights, and Fujimaru stepped up onto the stage, feeling very warm though the air remained chill.

Fujimaru had a vague idea that the other Knights and AxXxS were also dancing - Lancelot taking steps with Ex, Gawain twirling Medb, Tamamo Cat nearly bowling Tristan over -

- but all that faded away as Bedivere took his hand, placing another hand on his back, and Fujimaru placed a hand on his shoulder, and they swayed together, existing in a place only for them, all sounds muted and distant, though music played, though the crowd cheered and clapped, it was all faraway, like the murmur of the sea.

"Bedivere -" Fujimaru said, looking up at his knight's face, but he was unable to speak further, dazzled by the smile on Bedivere's lips. It was such a soft, sweet expression, that Fujimaru couldn't speak.

"Thank you for coming, Ritsuka," Bedivere said softly.

"No, no…I…this was actually Mash and Medb's idea…" Fujimaru murmured, blushing.

"Is that so? I shall have to thank them, then," Bedivere said. Quickly, gently, he ducked forward to kiss Fujimaru's cheek.

"I so wanted to see you, and here you are," Bedivere said, so happy that Fujimaru couldn't help but grin.

"I - I wanted to see you, too. You were amazing!" Fujimaru laughed.

"Truly?" Bedivere asked, and Fujimaru nodded.

He paused to throw his arms around Bedivere's neck and reached up to bump his nose to Bedivere's.

"Best show of my life. Thank you for dancing…for me," Fujimaru said.

Bedivere hugged him back, the two of them smiling brightly, not at all caring of where they were, in plain view of an audience and fellow bandmates.

Speaking of which, Miss Crane was squeeing into her hands, Mash was grinning, and Medb snickered. Gawain, Lancelot and even Ex gave quiet chuckles at seeing Bedivere, their most reserved and formal knight, being so openly affectionate to one he truly loved. But none of it was in mockery, they all felt happy to see the two lovers enjoying themselves.

(Tristan however, was skating frantically to avoid Tamamo Cat as she chased after him, cheerfully thinking a cat like her couldn't pass up the chance to catch such a fine bird.)

—-----

And so, in the unreal city of hopes and aspirations, was one such shining moment. Of dancing and dreaming, hearts beating, as Master and Servant, lovers together, Sir Bedivere and Fujimaru Ritsuka shared a kiss. Later on, there would be much blushing, a little embarrassment, some teasing from friends that were there…but there would be no regrets.

#bediguda #fgo fanfic

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