#and a freaking fantastic dancer

[bonefall]

Do you have anything concrete for Jayclaw in BB? Curious about him since we never really learn how he dies. We don't really know much about him, besides the fact he's reasonable, fast and had a physical fight with his brother over a small mess.

Funny enough I have had a crystal clear image in my head of who Jayclaw is for years, and have not had to change it at all. He's a total background character but for some reason I just know what this dude's about.

Jayclaw was a dancer, a FANTASTIC one. He played Jingleshells, which are a full-body instrument made of netting and percussive beads. His performances were playful and dramatic, and he reveled in pulling off impressive movements while still keeping rythmn with his chimes.

His friend group was essentially a little band. His brother Owlnose played drums, his friend Podlight sang, and that connection was how he was introduced to Curlfeather. It was impossible to resist his charms once he started courting her-- he was fun-loving, romantic, and absolutely captivating.

Curlfeather loved him so much that sometimes it was hard to look at him. "I can't be seeing you right now, you're going to make me grin like a fool."

"Like it would be so terrible for you to brighten my day, gorgeous?"

Losing him was sudden, unexpected, and heartbreaking. I don't know what it was specifically, but I do know it was a freak accident and quite violent. He left camp one day in the prime of his life, and came back dead.

I don't think his passing planted any seeds in Curl's mind that weren't already there, but the combined stress of grief and the loss of her emotional "rock" was the catalyst.

In fact, at first, believing Frostpaw's bad dream had been a vision was probably something Curlfeather actually believed, or otherwise was something she came up with for non-nefarious reasons. Like maybe Frostpaw believing her vision "killed her mi," and Curlfeather meant to soothe her by explaining that visions simply predict the future and that his death wasn't something she caused.

In any case, after his death, Curlfeather was driven towards acting on her ambition. That's Jayclaw! Trophy husband who died ❤️

[askew-d]

YIZHAN FIC REC LIST

— if you just got into the fandom, you might know switched, yizhan or yizhan through the years, so let’s go through other stuff! we’re gonna take another ride. also, if you care about this, green will be for bjyx dynamic, red will be for zsww and blue will be for lsfy. from my point of view, ofc. orange will be for the not specified, couldn’t grasp. let’s go.

• where else but home, by purplemoster — fluff story where wang yibo accidentally returns home to xiao zhan every time. super sweet read!

• ⭐️ cool boy gets a life, by saezutte — xiao zhan’s a writer and his character, cool buy wang yibo, gains life. it’s wonderful, i want a cool boy for myself. who wrote this did an awesome job.

• ⭐️ i’m not as good as you think (or as bad as they say), by ilyria — aaahh, what a gorgeous story! basically, xiao zhan becomes yibo manager and the idol, well, falls in love. there’s a sequel!

• follow shot, by cataclysms — cameraman wang yibo freaks out about idol xiao zhan. because, come on, it’s xiao zhan! we get you, boy. beautiful.

• xiao zhan’s graphic design playbook, by augmenti — this one’s absolutely gold! fantastic. xiao zhan as graphic designer and yibo as someone who thinks his prices are too small. sexual tension ensues.

• caffeine addictions and brain malfunctions, by little_passions — if you want a coffeeshop yizhan au, here’s your to-go! cute!

• query: cardiac, by iluvnaruto1412 — our radiographer technician wang yibo discovers that doctor xiao’s a hottie. there’s a whole series that’s outstanding, don’t mind the mcd in the last part, you’ll understand as you read.

• an ode to love, by spoonful_of_sugar — sappy reminiscent of their story. truly so fluffy i had toothaches the entire read.

• ⭐️ one feline war for love, by ilyria —a fierce cat becomes a human after xiao zhan saves him, and this human wants xiao zhan all for himself. so very good, i died and resuscitated. worth it.

• chef’s kiss, by jalpari — chef xiao zhan in day day for an episode and becomes enemies with wang yibo. but for a short time. love this development for them!! so well done.

• ⭐️ this is what they say, by xiaoyibao (a_storm_of_frustrations) — yibo thinks xiao zhan’s breaking up when the man’s actually trying to get married to him. comic, lovely, poetic!

• set me into motion, by deinde — backup dancers wang yibo and xiao zhan being whipped towards one another. an angel wrote this.

• ⭐️ finding yibo, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — kidfic where yibo transforms into a young version of himself and xiao zhan takes care of him. i’m losing my head. it’s great!

• ⭐️🎖️never close our eyes, series by thirtysixsavefiles — catboy wang yibo and kinda batman xiao zhan. perfect through every part. i’m flabbergasted.

• 119 my cat is struck, by serendiiii — fireman yibo, cat owner xiao zhan, you can have my heart! adorable!

• a spot of light, by akatsukishin — this is for everyone who loves a drama! delivery boy xiao zhan and successful ceo wang yibo.

• a story of others to tell, by deinde — this author has some seriously good plots. in this one, yibo pines enough to end up in cql world. extra nice!

• cut to the feeling, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — drama pa and the huge star xiao zhan. is there anything better?

• love thy neighbour, by jalpari — single dad xiao zhan and neighbour who becomes babysitter wang yibo. marvellous!

• ‘cos you make me feel electric, by chajatta — fansite xiao zhan loves his inspiration, wang-laoshi from uniq. i love this for them, genuinely.

• ⭐️🎖️ world of cultivation, by eggo — yibo and xiao zhan meet each other through a game; well, not only. hilarious! chaotic! romantic! perfect!

• gravitating towards you, by bittersweetirony — high school au with student council president xiao zhan and sports freak wang yibo, we all know we needed it.

• 181.3 cm high, by eleven14 — wang yibo wakes up high in anaesthesia. you might imagine what comes after. excellent!

• ⭐️ we are made to love, by jalpari — xiao zhan writes columns receives one letter questioning on love. aah, so poetic! definitely worth every second.

• no path better than our own, by athousandfaces — harry potter au! we’re lucky to have this gorgeous story. i had a lot of fun reading it.

• my future in your laugh, by timelykey — doctor xiao zhan falling in love with overworked wang yibo. wow, what a journey, you’re losing it if you haven’t read it yet.

• love in the time of coding, by thevoiryflute — a hacker au for yibo fits him so much, i don’t know why. just know that this perfectly-written story caused butterflies in my stomach.

• summer surf shop, by anonymous — yibo goes to a variety show and gets much more than he imagined. absolutely gold.

• pick me, pick me up, by domeneec — wrong number au for yizhan, we need it. and it’s so well-written too.

• escape velocity, redefined, by thirtysixsavefiles — i have to admit that this au of pirating away together with royalty made me suspicious at first. but after i read it, it’s so goddamn brilliant.

• 缘分 | (yuánfèn), by fyredancer — royalty au, give me more yizhan royalty. good writing, good development, good plot, had a good time reading it.

• signal fire, series by fireflavoredwhiskey — spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! if he knew about that, he’d be happy to know that in an universe he gets to be his favorite superhero.

• ⭐️ the magic position, by sophiahelix — just a sweet, short story with yizhan being cute together and it melts my heart away every time.

• ⭐️🎖️ with joy and purpose, by feenwitch — android wang yibo living alone in a planet until xiao zhan crashes his plane there. it’s just perfect. and the writing’s wonderful.

• perfect match, by sandorara — personal ai for xiao zhan turns out to be more than he expected. gorgeous wang yibo affecting xiao-laoshi and changing his course of life. incredible!

• 🎖️ their kindred encounters, by fireflavoredwhiskey — can i have this printed, please? actually, i think there might have. it’s a the age of adeline au, xiao zhan doesn’t get old. melancholic in the ideal dosage. angst. comfort. everything.

• the ruby ox and the golden boy, series by aces_low — a mafia au that attracted me. i’m usually not into these kind of aus but aah this one… it’s unique.

• ⭐️ half is loss, half is gain, by yin_chi — celebrity xiao zhan needs a bodyguard and guess who it is? well, yeah, this story’s a blessing upon us here. i couldn’t stop reading once i began, just warning y’all. addictive, i want more.

• ⭐️🎖️ between holocenes, by fireflavoredwhiskey — this author broke the heart of so many people by just vanishing from the fandom, but ah how greatly they write and how extraordinary their works are. this is a the time traveler’s wife au and it rocks.

• fixtures and fittings, by ella_minnow — interior designer xiao zhan and motorcyclist wang yibo! believe me when i said i screamed during the development of their relationship.

• ⭐️ 为战而爱, series by anonymous — bits of sdc moments with established relationship yizhan, the works are seriously stunning.

• what i could do (if i didn’t love you), by trestle — one-night stand au with architect xiao zhan. seriously really good through and through.

• ⭐️ hand in glove, by pessoa — brat yibo; you have my heart. the development in this work’s crazy, it’s a whole rollercoaster of feelings. neighbours au!

• say you love me (again and again), by lanwuxiann — sweet story of yizhan growing up together and loving each other through every step of the way. hella soft!

• ⭐️ four of hearts (l-o-v-e me zhan-ge), by eleven14 — yibo being silly to win over xiao zhan’s heart, and of course, it works. short, but very funny and lovely.

• a head’s up, by madfilaments — xiao zhan arrives at sdc without giving a head’s up and yibo’s frustrated. a pretty satisfying thing to read. awesome.!

• 7 reasons to support your local cat café, by buttstrife — host wang yibo, cat café owner xiao zhan, a romance for the history books. they’re so very lovable.

• ⭐️ the bravest man i ever knew, by biscuitpoo — another hogwarts au! this time, xiao zhan’s a bit more slytherin-like, and it’s a whole show.

• ⭐️🎖️ so happy you could come; so happy to be here, by alex_mtg — a masterpiece! betrothed yizhan with royalty and the uniq boys and this sweet development of their relationship. just amazing! :)

• ⭐️ threads, by planet_b612 — a sherlock and watson au! it’s phenomenal! in fact, this author has only good works, so it’s definitely worthy to check out.

since i’m doing this already, might as well recommend some of my own stories, so i’ll be adding the ones i favour (sssh):

• half a bottle is enough — yizhan fight and xiao zhan gets home carrying a cardboard wang yibo. just some silly boyfriendos!

• falling; never broken — yibo has bulimia (please, be aware of the trigger warnings) and xiao zhan’s a doctor who helps him.

• a best friend and a lover — xiao zhan goes on different dates with different versions of wang yibo to look for a ‘type’. they’re both stupidly in love, your honour.

• darling you, play it cool — yizhan bodyswap au where only wang yibo’s famous though. i wrote this in 2023 and i’m the most proud of it.

• sleep tight until the moonlight — yizhan enemies to lovers where both of them spend their time being radio hosts in university :)

• whispering through dusty aisles — my au where xiao zhan’s a literary deity and yibo’s still famous, they meet occasionally and sparks fly. it’s my most poetic creation.

everyone, please remember this is my opinion! of course, there a lot of other works — famous or not — who aren’t in here. if you want to check out more recs of mine, see my bookmarks! thank you :)

[raschuuuu]

Summary: Y/N is a famous YouTube vlogger and Ruben Dias a famous professional football player. They've been friends for a few months but never met. Now it's finally time for them to meet but what happens when one of them falls in love?

PART 3

Raiting/genre: fluff, friends to lovers

Pairings: Ruben Dias x female reader

Word count: 1229 words

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

It was 12:23 p.m. when Ruben and I finished our phone call. He told me he's arriving in London tomorrow night and he'd like to have dinner with me, Brett and Arabella. I didn't know what to do, so I was forced to call Brett and tell him the truth. I called him FaceTime and after ringing three times he answered. "Hey, why don't you go to sleep?", he said. "Brett, listen, I have a huge problem," I said desperately. "Hey, what's going on, tell me,"

 "Do you remember when I went to Manchester a few weeks ago?", - "Yes...", I took a deep breath.

 "You have a boyfriend?" he screamed and he had a big smile on his face. "No, Brett. Now listen to me. A few months ago, Ruben Dias slipped into my DM's, he's a football player in Manchester City. I know you don't know football much as a dancer, but he's pretty famous, and his team has won almost every trophy you can win this year and Brett he is so fucking hot. And when I was in Manchester, I visited him. We're just friends!!!"

Brett listened attentively to me and I saw that he was trying to suppress his laughter the whole time.

"Looks like he's got a new girl and they've been watching my vlog with you. They think you and I are a couple. Now the girl has come up with the glorious idea of going on a double date. They don't know you're gay, I didn't want to tell him. I can understand if you don’t-„

„Girl, are you crazy? Of course I pretend to be your boyfriend. I can look pretty straight and pretend to be straight. Let's go on this double date and make Raven jealous. - "Ruben," - "Huh?", - "His name is Ruben. And why should we make him jealous, I don't find him-„

 "Y/N shut up. I know you're into him because otherwise you'd have said I was gay and look at you shaking, so you can't fool me."

The next morning, Ruben wrote me a message that he and Arabella were on their way to London. He sent me an address from a restaurant. He's booked four seats for 7:00 pm. Brett and I met early in the morning, went shopping together, had breakfast together, and got ready for the dinner. We've made a plan that makes us look the best as a couple. His idea was to hold my hand all night or put his arm around me and then he's gonna give me some kisses. I didn't have a problem with him kissing me, I mean, it's not like he's into women again after a few kisses. We called a cab that took us to a noble neighborhood here in London. The restaurant looked so fancy from the outside, and in front oft hat restaurant were so many expensive cars. I've been to this neighborhood a lot, but I've never been to a restaurant or a bar because it's too expensive here. A waiter greeted us at the entrance. I told him Ruben's last name, and he said he's already there with his girlfriend. Brett and I smiled at each other. SHOWTIME. He took my hand when the waiter brought us to the table I saw Ruben and his girlfriend there... Wow, she was really pretty. They got up when they saw us. She was a tall woman with medium-length blond hair, blue eyes, beautiful thick lips, and a fantastic body. I was the exact opposite of her. I was a little shorter, brown hair, dark eyes, and my body was normal. She had a nice tight dress that emphasized her figure. Her butt was very nice, you can tell she goes to the gym a lot. I started to feel insecure and uncomfortable.

Ruben had a big smile on his face and hugged me. "It's so good to see you again, I missed you." He whispered in my ear. I noticed the butterflies in my stomach were just freaking out. When he let me go, his girlfriend came up to me. "Hi, I'm Arabella, I'm a big fan! I love your videos," she said, hugging me. I was really hoping she might be a mean or arrogant girl, but she's a fan of mine, and with my fans, I'm getting weak. I can't be mean to my fans. You still have to stay grounded, and it doesn't make me a better person when I treat you mean. "You're so pretty!", she said. I hugged her back and thanked her. I gave her a compliment back, of course. Ruben and Brett also greeted each other with a handshake, and now we were all sitting at the table. The first 10 seconds were an embarrassing silence, but then Brett eased the situation. That's why I love him so much. "So Ruben hello, it's very nice to meet you and thank you for inviting us. I'm a huge Manchester City fan. Congratulations on the treble this year, you really earned it," Brett said, and I had to smile. Brett did his homework this morning and a lot of research on Ruben and his team. Brett really doesn't know anything about football. He told me he only knows Ronaldo and Messi. Typical. "Thank you, Brett, it's nice to meet you, too," Ruben said.

"You never told me you had a boyfriend Y/N!" Ruben looked me in the eyes. "We met a few weeks ago and you didn’t mention a boyfriend. I was so surprised when I saw the video" –

"I can say the same thing back to you. I guess I just wasn't sure if Brett and I really belong together, but now I know I love him and I want to be with him. I'm sorry I didn't tell you last time Ruben," I said, and when I said that, Brett took my hand in his and kissed me on the cheek.

I saw that Ruben looked away when he kissed me. "They're so beautiful together, aren't they, Ruben?" said Arabella.

I have to be honest, Arabella talked most of the time. Ruben ate his food and barely said anything, but what I noticed was his eyes on me all the time. Arabella said she met Ruben on Instagram. Of course, he slided into her DM's. She showed me her Instagram account in which she had 1 million followers. She also told me that she joined a Love Island season and that's why she has so many followers. She's a typical bikini Instagram model. And she's six years older than Ruben. I was two years younger than him.

Brett and I sat close all night, and we had to suppress our laughter all the time. Because we sat so close to each other, he whispered things in my ear like hot Ruben is and that they really thought he was straight. He kissed me once in a while on my cheek. Ruben didn't say anything the whole time. Arabella's phone rang and she apologized for a moment, saying it was an urgent call. Brett winked at me and said he was going to smoke a cigarette. Now Ruben and I were alone at the table. I smiled at him, but he didn't smile back. "Are you all right?", I asked him. "No. I don't want you to be with him."

[eclipsewxtch]

what other skills do the main 6 of kotn have? other then fighting ofc, u mentioned finney was a dancer but what else

finney is a dancer (love him so bad) he knows most if not every dance style—it was mostly to help w his uncoordinated awkwardness when he was younger and now he has amazing balance + freakishly flexible. good at forgery too.

griffin is very skilled at swimming + can hold his breath for up to six minutes and uses this to freak ppl out whenever possible. also? great at anything related to water. excellent at being invisible when he wants to be.

bruce is great at card games, specifically poker he just always wins?? sure he’s great at baseball but his true talent is being able to read cards and games. for every game he’s every lost, he’s won four times that. he can gather attention with less than a snap of his fingers.

billy is great w animals they just love him??? true disney princess fr—but aside from that he has really in-depth medical knowledge specific to animals AND humans, n for someone so scared of blood he is super great at detecting where all veins are in a body. also? fantastic w disguises, no one can ever see him coming.

vance has great directional senses and he’s great at cartography and navigation via stars and it makes finney sick with jealousy. so sick. also? rlly good at jump rope—better at jumping down from heights and taking his victims by surprise.

and robin has a lot of odd tricks but his best is how he can mimic voices. he doesn’t use it often (why would he?) but when he does it throws ppl off. like completely. it’s another reason most ppl don’t put 2 + 2 together for benny and robin bc ‘benny’ usually masks his voice😭 he just didn’t w finney cause he didn’t want to. is great at making and diffusing bombs.

[babyhatesreality]

The Sinner and the Saint Ch 3

Pairing: (eventual) Mob!Boss Bucky x f!reader

Warnings: NSFW, f!reader, language, fake names (for now), Truth or Dare, LOTS of innuendos and dirty thoughts, everybody has secrets, reader says unkind things about herself, reader is an exotic dancer, reader is extremely flexible dancer :D, reader uses several dance styles, Bucky (aka Nick) is a little shit, touch of angst, touch of fluff, slow burn relationship. There will be many, many more warnings for future chapters including mafia and all the stuff that comes with that, kinks, and smut. 

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. MINORS DNI. THIS IS AN 18+ STORY ONLY AND IS NSFW. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR ANY OF MY WORKS TO BE COPIED, REPRINTED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY PLATFORM EXCEPT MY OWN.

Previous- Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“Who goes first?” you asked boldly, smiling at him.

“Well,” Nick said, running his gloved finger along his chin as he thought. “I SHOULD say ladies first. It’s be the proper thing to do. Gentlemanly and all that.” He tossed the rest of the bourbon into his mouth, then set the glass down definitively. There was a dangerous sparkle in his eye. “Well, I’m always a gentleman, but I’m definitely not proper,” he said with an evil grin. “So. Truth or dare?”

Your own lips twisting as you tried not to show how much that glint in his eye was turning you on, you merely tilted your head like you were thinking. “Um...truth,” you said, pretending like it had been a thoughtful decision. 

“Do you like working here?”

“Honestly, I love it. Most of the girls are fantastic, and Ms. Romanoff’s one of the best bosses I’ve ever had.” You paused to take another sip of champagne. “Then of course, I get to meet charming men like yourself as well,” you said overtly flirtatiously, in an attempt to...well, you weren’t sure. This guy paid for your company in the freaking VIP Champagne Room, which WAS NOT cheap- shouldn’t you be giving him compliments and making him feel like an alpha male or something like that? Your inexperience was making you both mad and terrified. 

Nick gave a carefully constructed and corporate smile at your words. One that was acknowledging your flattery but also said he didn’t truly accept it. Your guts twisted again. That made you panicked and disappointed that you had failed. Not just at your job, but...him. You’d failed him. And that really bothered you.  Disappointing him was...not an option.

 Before you could put your filter in place, the words came tumbling out again. “Sorry if that was inappropriate,” you said, your face turning Hooker Lipstick red. “I...I mean, you’re really nice and I just...I don’t think you’re getting your money’s worth with me just running my mouth and being so dumb and I don’t want you to waste your time-”

You snapped your mouth shut- FINALLY- as Nick’s jaw dropped, his shocked blue eyes piercing you down to your soul. Finally, he collected himself. “No, I...no that’s not what I was thinking at all,” he stammered. “You thought that...” he choked to a halt, looking flabbergasted. A teeny tiny part of you rejoiced that you weren’t the only one on the back foot now, but THAT made you feel more guilty. Shit, if you could afford a Therapist they’d have a field day with this emotional rollercoaster you were on. “I...I don’t want you to think that you’re not worth the money. But...not in a cheap way, like not that you’re cheap, but not like...oh fuck not like I’m buying you or....I mean...shit. Goddammit,” he finally grumbled, standing up and storming over to the bar and pouring himself another bourbon quickly. He took a huge slug of it before pausing, taking a deep breath, and turning back to you. 

“Sorry. I’m not used to having to explain myself,” he said gruffly, but seemingly more in control now. He exhaled and relaxed a bit, then smiled. “What I meant to say is that I am enjoying my time with you. I’m especially enjoying your forthright honesty. Not many people give me that. You don’t have to worry about me not having a great time. This is one of the best conversations I’ve had in a very, very long time, and I want it to continue.”

It was your turn to exhale, your eyes wide as they could go. How the FUCK were you supposed to respond to such a masterful answer? All you could think to blurt out was, “Can I have a bourbon too? Or whatever it is that just made you so eloquent while you were freaking out? Cause I clearly fucking need it.”

Nick suddenly tilted his head back, laughing loudly at that, which made you laugh too. After you both wiped your eyes and settled down a bit, he pointed to the glass in your hand. “You stick with champagne, missy, you’re still working.”

You sighed playfully. “Yes, sir,” you responded deliberately. He froze again for a heartbeat before making his way back to the couch. 

Damn, that was still very interesting.

After he sat down, he turned you to again. “And don’t call yourself dumb again. I don’t like it. Got it?” he said, with that air of authority mixed with...something... you couldn’t name it. 

Shocked that he cared about that, you took a beat before responding. “Okay,” you said, feeling your entire body soften for a moment, before tensing right back up again. 

His secretive smile returned. “Your turn,” he said in his arrogant tone.

“Truth or Dare?” you asked after trying to clear your throat delicately.

“Truth.”

Wanna fu- “What do you do for a living?”

Nick tilted his head, staring right into your eyes, for three solid seconds. Just as you were about to get nervous that you’d once again put your foot in your mouth, he smiled- softly. It was a good look on him. 

“I’m the CEO of a business that handles a lot of high-end imports and exports,” he said, the words falling so seamlessly off his tongue that you knew he’d said them a million times before. “We dabble in all sorts of fields,” he continued in the same breath, his eyes never leaving yours. 

“Wow,” you said breathlessly, realizing that money clearly was not an issue for this man, but having enough tact and filter thank god to not bring it up. “That sounds really cool. So you manage how and where product comes from, pricing, all that kind of stuff?”

Nick smiled mysteriously again. “Tsk, tsk,” he said, before pointing a finger at you. “That’s a second question.” You blushed again, making his grin widen. “Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“How long have you lived in New York City?”

“Nearly three months. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“So you manage how and where product comes from, pricing, all that kind of stuff?” you asked sweetly. That caused Nick to snort a laugh into his drink. 

“Yes, that’s the basics of how it all works,” he said, chuckling. Your gaze fell on his leather gloves as he brushed away the moisture in his eyes, and you instantly knew your next question. But it was his turn. “Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Depends on the day and how I’m feeling.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“But it’s the truth.”

“Clever girl.”

“Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“Why are you wearing gloves?”

“Poor circulation. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

"Why did you move to New York?”

“You already asked me that.”

“But you didn’t answer. You freaked out thinking you sounded like a hillbilly, remember?”

Turning red again, you tossed your hair back in an effort to recapture your strong persona out of your embarrassment. “I came here to be a professional dancer.��

Nick nodded in understanding. It wasn’t the first time he’d met a wanna-be performer. New York City was full of them. “So what form of dance is your speciality?” he asked, curious. 

You internally steeled yourself, and put on your own seductive grin. “That’s a second question, sir,” you said, pursing your lips in mock disapproval. Nick tried to hide his smile by pushing his tongue against the inside of his bottom lip, but it didn’t work. He shook his head, grinning. 

“Mea Culpa,” he said pompously, before fixing his deep blue eyes on you again and gesturing for you to continue. Thrilled that you had won that tiny little battle and filled with an inappropriate amount of ego over it, you perked up a bit and asked. 

“Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“What’s YOUR favorite color?”

“Black. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“What form of dance is your speciality?” he asked, cocking his eyebrows at turning the tables back on you. You giggled- you had a feeling it was coming. Brushing a stray strand of hair out of your eyes, you tilted your head as you thought about it. 

“I don’t really have a speciality. I studied as many styles as I could. Basically any time a new class was offered even remotely near me, I took it. Or studied it online. And I couldn’t get enough, you know?” you said, your eyes beginning to gleam. “Like every new class I took just added gas to the tank, and I needed to know more. There’s always going to be a new style to learn, a new technique to try. And I want...I NEED to know it. I...I just want to dance,” you said quietly, your mind flicking through every recital, every show, every class where you’d felt that secret, magical spark, that insatiable drive. “There’s a lot that’s inside me,” you mused, as if you’d forgotten Nick was even there, so lost in your worship of the art form. “And the only way I know how...well, the best way I know how to get it out...is to dance and let it flow through my body...I have to get it out, otherwise, the terrible beauty of the world inside me would crush me.”

The precious confession hung in the still air and you were loathe to shatter the poignant silence. You felt like you should have felt shame for sharing so much, but you just...didn’t. You wondered why. Nick gently reached over and laid his gloved hand on top of yours. 

“Thank you,” he said so softly you almost missed it. “I...thank you.” He managed to look both stunned and in awe, all at the same time. 

As if the oxygen entered the room again, you inhaled deeply and turned to him. You wanted to apologize for oversharing, but the look in his eyes made you realize that he didn’t want an apology- he honestly treasured your deep response. Swallowing hard, you took a sip of champagne, nearly finishing your second glass. “So...truth?” you asked, recovering your sweet smile. 

His smile widened, and he nodded. “Truth,” he acknowledged, toying with his glass.

“What’s your real name?”

His eyes slid to yours. You could see a million calculations going through his mind, and you saw the moment he decided. “Dare,” he said instead, cocking his eyebrow at you in that damn challenging way again. 

Your mouth opening in a delighted surprise, you scrambled to think of something ‘cool’ to dare him with. Your eyes landed on the mini bar in the room. “I dare you to take a shot of tequila...” you began. His smirk and eye roll before you even finished your sentence peaked your competitiveness. “...without the salt and the lime.” His eyes suddenly stretched wide, surprised, before narrowing playfully at you. 

“Well, let it be known that you fight dirty,” he grumbled with a grin, before heading over to the bar, looking at the contents carefully, plucking out a bottle from behind the counter, pouring himself a shot and downing it in one. You saw the faintest hint of a grimace cross his face before he shut it down with him impassive look, that turned arrogantly smug as he looked at your shocked expression. Tequila was NASTY- how the hell had he done that?!

“So. Truth?” he asked, completely smoothly. All you could do was blink at him. He sauntered back over to you, that power just dripping off him so viscerally that you could feel it in your bones. “What’s YOUR real name?”

And suddenly you knew. This was his game, and had been his game all along. He had trapped you into taking a Dare, knowing there was no way you were going to reveal your name unless he revealed his. Taking your last sip of bravery juice, you stood right up, willing your limbs to stop trembling in your nervousness. 

“Dare,” you said simply, forcing your eyes to meet his and not waver. He jutted his chin forward in his moment of triumph. 

“Dance for me,” he said simply. 

Something inside of you cracked at those words. You had spilled inner secrets and thoughts to this stranger, things you had never vocalized before, and in return, all he wanted was for you to take your clothes off for him. The sting of disappointment and...almost...betrayal? hit your heart. But that was ridiculous. He had never asked you to share- you had done it of your own free will. This was all your own fault. You’d forgotten your place. You were just another stripper in a big city to him. That fucking hurt. And it must have showed on your face. 

Nick held up his hand. “Stop thinking whatever it is you’re thinking,” he commanded after he watched the emotion flicker over your face. “Not like that. Dance for me how YOU want to. Your way,” he said softly. “I want to see that world that you’re so passionate about.” 

You absolutely froze, completely obliterated by the about-face that was happening in your brain. He WANTED, actually WANTED to see you dance your way? “Are you sure?” you asked breathlessly. “You don’t want me to...?” You couldn’t finish, hating yourself the moment the words crossed your lips. He had given you a golden opportunity and you were still so unsure of yourself, still so damn insecure, that you were offering to take your clothes off. 

He shook his head, once. “No. I want you to dance your way. Pick whatever music moves you, and just...dance. I want to see.” He swallowed hard. “Please.” He gently forced the word out, as if he was unused to saying it like this.

“Okay,” you whispered back. A look of relief flickered through his eyes before he swallowed hard and sat back down on the couch. 

“Take your time,” he said smoothly. “Whenever you’re ready.” Was that a touch of...nervousness you heard in his voice? He gestured to the wall behind the bar. You turned to look, and found a very expensive looking sound system installed in the wall. Taking a deep breath yourself, you walked over to it with a confidence you didn’t feel. Your mind raced- what song? And more to the point- what was really going on here?

Was he just being nice? Was he really expecting you to strip despite what he said? For fucks’ sake you were working in a strip club that he apparently came to all the time. He really didn’t mean what he said. Or...was it possible? Was he serious? 

Then it hit you. You might not get this chance ever again. 

Carpe Diem.

You quickly turned the system on, and found it surprisingly user friendly. You typed in one of the songs from one of your favorite musicals- a musical that made you go nearly feral from the dancing the first time you saw it. You unbuckled the straps of the Fuck Me heels, then playfully tossed them out onto the floor. You watched Nick carefully when you did that. His eyes never left you. He didn’t care about the clothes you were discarding, even if they were only shoes. He was watching you. Now or never. Truth AND Dare.

You hit play and stepped to the center of the room.

*Nature Boy from Moulin Rouge the Musical*

The evocative notes from the lone guitar filled the room. You closed your eyes and surrendered to the music, letting the notes and the feeling flow through you, gently stepping back and forth and side to side as the mental image of the guitarist’s strong hands gently plucking the strings called to you. 

There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy, 

they say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea

You gave the tiniest plié before going up onto demi-relevé as the hypnotic words came. You’d start with the most classical dance- ballet. You moved as if you were mystical, imagining that you had been visited by the enchanted boy and had been touched by his spirit and adventures. You let your arms flirt with the magic in the air as your legs moved you across the room.

A little shy, and sad of eye, but very wise was he

You used moves similar to a Japanese Nihon Buyo style that you’d observed on the word ‘shy’, ‘sad’, and ‘wise’. The rich Japanese culture of dance had a way with expressing strong emotions that was incomparable to anyone else. 

And then one day, one magic day he passed my way

As you continued to move lithely, caught in the emotions of the ethereal melody, you let your eyes drift to Nick on the words ‘he passed my way’. He was watching you with wide eyes, like a child seeing Wonderland for the first time.

And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings, 

this he said to me

You changed it up, going into a more modern Twyla Tharp style, subtly indicating that upon meeting him, everything else changed too. You moved as the music told you to, rejoicing in the talking, the fools, the kings, and every other word sung. 

The greatest thing you’ll ever learn 

You used wide sweeping movements on these words, trying to give gravity to the deep profound thing you were about to learn. 

Is just to love, and be loved in return.

You stopped moving after the words ‘just to love’, simply looking to the heavens in expectation, letting the next words speak for themselves. They were more powerful than any move you could have made just then. On the last moment of the word ‘return’, you looked down and ever-so-slowly brought you right leg up in passé, your arms in fifth ballet position. Except you didn’t stop- you slowly extended your leg up, until your right foot was pointed at the ceiling, and you casually turned your face to the light to look at it. And then you didn’t move; you held perfectly still. It was the move that was making you famous at the club; it was singularly yours. It had taken you years to perfect it. 

Finally getting to use it YOUR way brought tears to your eyes. 

The greatest thing (the greatest thing) you’ll ever learn (you’ll ever learn)

Is just to love and be loved in return

You held your position until ‘thing’, then let the energy flow through your body once again. Holding a position like that for that long took immense and precise concentration, so you let your muscles loose and let them take you where the music whispered to go as a thank you. On the last word you gracefully stopped, picked up your heels, and gently slung them over your shoulder, turning and slowly walking away as the violin cried out its lonely descant. On the last guitar arpeggio, you stopped and turned your head, locking eyes with your audience of one. The music ended, and you quietly turned back around, anxious and exhilarated. You both stared at each other as if you found the secrets of the stars in the other’s eyes. 

Golden silence. 

Suddenly Nick stood and walked straight over to you. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly pulled the glove off his right hand. His eyes bored into you almost in desperation. When you didn’t break eye contact at all, he gasped quietly, then reached towards your face. 

“Please,” was all he said. You nodded, unable to break the stare. He reverently drew one finger along your cheek, along your jaw until his fingers hovered right over your lips. You had never wanted to be kissed so badly in your life. You silently begged him with every fiber of your being. And he leaned in for a fraction of a second. 

Suddenly, he stepped back and let his hand drop to yours. He picked it up and pressed the back of your fingers to his lips, holding it there a long time as he squeezed his eyes shut. Finally, he stood back up, looking you right in the eyes. “Thank you, Miss Angel,” he said, almost in a worshipful tone. Then without another word, he turned and walked out of the room. 

*************************************************************************

He was breathing hard as he shut the door behind him. He looked to his right and nodded at Fury, who gave him a respectful single nod back. He looked to his left and met the blue eyes of the muscular, well dressed blonde man guarding the other side of the door. He turned to his right with purpose and began moving at his typical fast pace. He heard Steve’s footsteps follow him, like always.

Knowing his way around the club all too well, he walked straight into Natasha’s office. As he barged through the door, Natasha looked up, startled, her hand flying under her desk. He knew she was gripping her concealed gun in her shock, but she relaxed the moment she realized it was him. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about startling her- he wanted something and wanted it now.

“Book her with me for the week,” he said firmly, cutting right to the chase. “Every night. And I want the exact schedule of when she dances for that whole time, too.”

Natasha’s jaw hit the top of her desk. “What? Are you serious?” she asked bluntly. His eyes suddenly blazed metal-melting blue in their fury at the idea of having to wait even longer for what he wanted.

“Did I stutter?” he snarled at her. “Do it. Now. You have two minutes.” Eyes stretched open in shock, Natasha ripped her gaze from his to her computer and began typing as fast as her fingers could fly. 

He turned and looked at Steve, who was wearing his typical stoic look. “She has no idea,” he breathed out, still half caught in his moment of wonder. “She doesn’t know who I am. She doesn’t have a clue.”

Steve’s usually impassive face betrayed a rare moment of incredulity. “You’re kidding,” the muscular man in the impeccable black suit said, looking back at his boss- and best friend- in shock, unable to comprehend the idea. His boss shook his head, that daring grin spreading across his face again. He was about to expound on the thought, but Natasha walked up to him, thrusting a piece of paper into his ungloved hand. 

“Here you go, Mr. Barnes,” she said with corporate formality. “She’s all yours.”

Chapter 4

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

if you don’t mind sharing how was your class at the royal opera house? that seems like such an amazing experience! 🩰💕

IT WAS SO COOL!!!!! We got to go in through the stage door and walk around the opera house itself in the hallways that our favorite dancers go. I was in absolute awe the entire freaking time. The studio we were in was so beautiful with the skylight, the floor was kind of sticky but I would imagine it would be great for pointework. The teacher was fantastic and I got a compliment and corrections from her, so that always feels good. It was definitely too short, a good ballet class needs to be at least an hour and a half, and I didn't want to leave lol.

It was also amazing to finally meet an online friend who knows ballet so we could talk to each other about it without having to explain everything lol.

Basically it was a really fantastic time and I didn't want to end.

[smurf-ffxiv]

( i already answered all of that on twitter, so i'm posting it here for archival )

1. "What's their name ?"

Smurf is what the other kids called him and he stuck with it. Kett is the name of the orphanage he grew up in.

His government name is Lkhagvajargal Khatayin, but he has never used it once in his life.

2. "Race and Main Class/job"

He's a Xaela Au Ra, maining Dancer. He used to be a pugilist, but switched after traumatic events in his life.

He practices Free-Form Kriegstanz, which works the same as the regular one, but is danced however the user chooses.

3. "A striking feature ?"

He's pretty banged up, covered in scars, has a boxer's nose and is missing half a horn. I'm guessing when you meet him for the first time, you go "jesus, has this guy been hit by several cars ?"

4. "Their age ?"

As of Dawntrail, he's 29.

5. "Their personality ?"

Smurf is pretty easy-going and airheaded on a day-to-day basis. He's extroverted, laughs too loud and grips things too hard. The only times where he shuts up is when he's tired (toddler energy), or he's sad.

6. "Their clothing ?"

Smurf is a DIY master and will reuse literally anything he can find. He makes his own shirts or vests out of old stuff, thrifts, or trades stuff. I often joke that his shirts are too tight cause he can't find his size often.

7. "How was their childhood ?"

Pretty happy, all things considering. Money was almost non-existent, but he had his brother, sister and other orphanage kids to bond and spend time with.

He got into a lot of trouble often bcause he stole anything that wasn't bolted to the floor.

8. "Their goals ?"

As of current events in his life, there's a few :

close The New Pit

get better

find out where he's from biologically

kiss boyfriend (repeatable quest)

9. "How do they make a living ?"

Smurf is a mercenary ; he smacks stuff for money. If the offers are leager, he also does construction, heavy lifting, and general tasks.

He makes good money from it and lives within his means, but gives a lot of his earnings to the orphanage.

10. "Their favorite food ?"

He's a big fan of a certain shop Battered Fish in Limsa, but prefers Aergswys' Eel Pie for the nostalgic effect.

If he's training / in aether deficit and he needs a top-up fast, he will often consume a concerning amount of eggs.

1. "Their worst fear ?"

Killing everyone he loves with his own hands.

Alternatively, going back into The Pit.

12. "They have hobbies ?"

Apart from the obvious dancing and eating, he likes to people-watch, listen to loud music in basements huddled with other sweaty people, and swimming.

13. "Which is their favored party role ?"

DPS, obviously, but he's so large that he can tank stuff if needed. As a dancer, yes.

14. "Their talents ?"

Smurf is an excellent melee fighter. He analyses fight patterns very quickly, can dodge at a fantastic speed, and does not hesitate to fight dirty (pocket sand type of stuff).

Sadly, he doesn't go too much into it, because he's afraid of himself.

15. "Is it a native of Eorzea ? What is their hometown ?"

WELL

Limsa is his hometown because he's lived in it since he was a baby, but he was born somewhere else.

I can't really say where right now, because it's something i'll eventually touch on in lore comics later.

16. "Their parents ?"

His adoptive mother is Aergswys, the carer for the orphanage. They have an excellent relationship and he goes often for food, helping with the kids, and get nagged ("your flat is a pigsty, why do i never meet your boyfriend, dress better you oaf")

17. "Their siblings ?"

MMA Superhero and Weird Unsettling Freak /s

Leto and Toon, the twins, were raised in the same orphanage and arrived at roughly the same time. They consider each other like true family and love each other unconditionally.

18. "Other family ?"

Rude fruity father /s

I'll touch up more on Charle in another question but Smurf and him have developed a strong father-son type relationship, call each other often, and discuss about life issues.

19. "What do they think of love ?"

That he's not deserving of it, but that he wants it very hard nonetheless. Smurf is a very emotional person (albeit repressed), and just discovered what it means to experience the kindness of other people. He's afraid to get used to it.

20. "And sex ?"

He liked to have sex before The Pit, he got completely isolated from it in The Pit, and got out with all of his delayed libido he didn't knew what to do with. Smurf loves to have sex, especially if it's someone he loves. He also almost never tires.

21. "Thoughts about gil ?"

He wants as little of it as possible, bar from living costs.

Gil is associated with The Pit, and very bad memories. It's tainted forever for him. He will never save or hoard any money as long as he's alive, and never ever chase it.

22. "Their faith ?"

He did hold some beliefs for Llymlaen by cultural habit, but never was a fervent practicioner.

He still keeps some traditions out of superstition, especially when he travels by boat.

23. "They have enemies ?"

Keen Lotus, the New Pit owner and widow of the former owner, has made it her life's mission to find Smurf back and to make him pay for what he has done to her husband.

24. "Their role models ?"

When Smurf was at a low point in his life, after getting out of the Pit, Charlemeaux found him and taught him the Kriegstanz as a form of therapy. Since then, Smurf holds him in the highest regard and tries to be a man he can be proud of.

25. "Their fondest memory ?"

The day he finally mastered the Kriegstanz and realized he could do things he never thought he'd achieve was a pretty high point in his life.

He also smiles often thinking on moments with his family, or his first kiss with Morrog.

26. "Their biggest flaw ?"

His guilt.

He is so traumatized by what happened that he imagines his trauma and guilt as a complete different person, who whispers shame and self-loathing in his brain when he feels down.

The Little Voice takes over when he is overwhelmed, aswell.

27. "Their beliefs ?"

Family, above all. He will fight tooth and nail to keep the ones he loves safe, especially from himself.

He also believes capitalism is poisoned and anyone obsessed by greed is someone that needs to be avoided at all costs.

28. "Thought on allied societies ?"

He helped with just a few during MSQ (Leto did most of them), but he liked to be allowed to be a part of societies he didn't know much of, help them in their endeavors, and discover things he never knew about.

29. "Their greatest regret ?"

Accepting the offer a man made him out of greed, and having to kill a thousand people because of it. If he could, he would go back in time, refuse, and live a normal life.

The Little Voice implies that he would do it all again.

30. "Any secrets ?"

Every kid in the Kett Orphanage has a bracelet that they dye when they like someone.

Smurf dyed his after his first meeting with Morrog and never told him a word of it (Black for his hair, Blue for his eyes).

Thank you for reading all that if you're still here, have a Dawntrail Cake :

[variousqueerthings]

the "cabaret" currently on in london shouldn't be as expensive as it is, it's about a cabaret (amongst other things), that thing where a bunch of queers and freaks hang out and do performance and avant garde weird shit and lament the rise of fascism and sure there are hustlers and rich punters, but it's not an exclusive club, me and my friends do that shit for each other to raise money for top surgeries, that's how you should put on a modern day "cabaret" performance, or make it a small local fucked up little venue that's a bit drafty and nobody's a great singer or dancer, but everyone's a fantastic actor. get the feeling this version is probably an Extravaganza and that's just... incorrect

[trans-axolotl]

tiny joys from this week:

roommate brought an axolotl stuffed animal to the ER cause she knew i was freaking out

two of the new dancers i'm mentoring did a really fantastic job at rehearsal on sunday and learned all the choreography really quick!!

started working on a cross stitch project again (it's my over the garden wall one i've posted photos of before. this will be the year i finish it)

spent yesterday evening laughing with my roommates and hanging out on the stairs. i had fainted and couldn't get up so they brought me pillows and decided we were going to have a stair party

learned one of my best friends is getting discharged from residential treatment tomorrow!!!!!!

trained a bunch of people on how to use Narcan this weekend and helped them order free Narcan

as always if u want to add on anything that brought you joy this week go for it

[quill-pen]

A Christmas Confession pt. 2 (Married!ScroogeXReader)

Yeah, y'all are gonna have to let me know how you feel about the song in this one. I've debated on whether to stick some musical numbers in the fic to kind of keep up the atmosphere from the movie that this is a world where people will just randomly break out in song and it's just a normal Tuesday, but I don't know. Musical numbers are really not meant to be in writing like that. Songs, sure--Tolkien comes to mind--but not musical numbers. It's just so hard to make them flow well. Ugh. I don't know. Let me know what you think.

Pairing: Ebenezer Scrooge x F!Reader

Warnings: ANGST--oh, we got ANGST--the ANGSTIEST of ANGST. AND pining--more pining. AND SO. MUCH. CRYING. Seriously, this bitch is dehydrated after this. What else we got? Love confessions, forceful kisses, kisseskisseskisses (seriously, how are these people breathing?) some innuendo, face-smushing and nuzzling, some self-deprecation, Ebenezer being an absolute sweetheart of a husband, RO-FREAKING-MANCE, Prudence being called a "dumb mutt" (it's said lovingly, and with context, it's valid), AAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDD... a song and dance number (seriously, this one is a warning--I am not a dancer nor am I convinced song and dance numbers should be in writing like this)

Summary: With children put away, the adults will play! Or at least some adults will. Other adults--mainly Ebenezer and you--still discover just how much you mean to each other.

A/N: As promised--PRUDENCE!!!

Part 1

When you and Ebenezer had finally made sure all the children were tucked snug in bed and had come back to the sitting room, the Cratchits and Huffmans were in the middle of a rousing game of Snap! and hardly seemed to notice your return.  Even old Prudence was trying to get in on the game, squeezing in between Harry and Hela as she watched on, panting heavily and wagging her tail with her tongue lolling in a giant Mastiff grin.  

“I thought we’d just put the children to bed,” you remarked to Ebenezer with a wry smirk.  Really, the adults were being almost as loud and rowdy with the game as the children had been throughout the night!  Everyone was certainly in excitable spirits this evening! 

The man chuckled and shrugged.  “I suppose when the cat’s away,” he said, arms crossed over his chest as he reclined against the wall.  His slate-blue eyes focused on the game, and he seemed to be enjoying it quietly from afar just as much as he would have if he actually participated in it.  He did so seem to enjoy just taking in things at this time of the year, just reveling in the sights and sounds and sensations of it all, as if he were experiencing them all for only the first time.  You supposed, in a way, he was, considering everything he’d told you about his past up until the last couple of years.  How he’d changed from a miserable, cantankerous, stingy, covetous old miser into the cheerful, charming, kind, generous, all-around lovely, and wonderful man you knew now, you still didn’t understand.  When you’d pressed him for details on it, he’d simply told you it was all too fantastical to believe--that he still didn’t believe it himself sometimes.  Oh, well, it didn’t really matter the reason (although you did have a burning curiosity as to why he credited your late father for being the catalyst of it all).  Whatever it was you were just happy it had happened because you quite liked this Ebenezer.  Your Ebenezer.

My Ebenezer… the thought lingered in your mind in a heady way.  He wasn’t yours--not truly.  If he was really yours you would be sleeping in the same bed instead of separate rooms; sharing kisses and secret whispers and other things that married couples shared.  If he was really yours there would have been something more than a signed sheet of paper and a ring that bound the two of you together, something primal and absolute in nature--God-given.  But there wasn’t, as much as you craved for there to be.  Even so, you couldn’t help but think of him as yours anyway, because it hurt too much to live in the reality of your situation all the time; the fantasy of thinking him yours helped keep the edge off.

Speaking of fantasies, you were half in the middle of one now, staring at him.  It was the first chance you’d had all evening to truly get a good look at the man what with all the running about after children and making your Christmas hostess debut.  Salt-and-pepper hair brushed, slicked, and sculpted back, Ebenezer was dressed in his finest attire: a matching deep blue tailcoat and cravat over a brilliant green, swirling jacquard waistcoat, and pristine white starch-collared shirt; crisply ironed dark green trousers; and black shoes polished to an absolute sheen.  All of it tailored to him perfectly (Particularly the trousers, you thought).  He looked sharp and clean and festive and--as far as you were concerned--like the most handsome man in all of England: a Yuletide Adonis.  But as fine as he looked in all his holiday attire, you found your mind wandering.  And wondering.  Wondering… just what Ebenezer might look like… without that coat… that waistcoat… that cravat… that shirt… and those trousers.  With his perfect coiffure, all teased up and flyaway.  On second thought, maybe it would be nice to leave the cravat--might make for good leverage.  You could have chastised yourself: Such sinful, unladylike places for a woman’s mind to go!  Oh, you were starting to feel warm….

“I win!”

You snapped out of your desirous thoughts with a start, gaze flying away from Ebenezer (who seemed to have not caught you staring, thank Heaven) to your guests.  Harry was currently bouncing up and down, laughing and swinging his arms in the air in triumph.  As if she had been teamed with him, Prudence was jumping around with him, her deep bark resounding enthusiastically around the room.  

Laughing heartily, Ebenezer finally made his way into the room and over to his nephew.  “I say, good show, everyone!” he exclaimed, clapping the younger man on the back.  “What shall we play next?  The night is very young!”

“Oh, might we play blind man’s bluff?” Hela piped up excitedly.  “It’s my favorite!”

“All right, why not?” Ebenezer said.  “But I feel I must warn you, I am very good at Blind Man’s Bluff.”

“And I call that a bluff,” Ethel snickered good-naturedly.

Ebenezer gave her a comically pained expression, clutching dramatically at his chest.  “Woman, you wound me!”  That started the whole group to guffaw.  

“All right,” you called out.  “Blind man’s bluff it is.  But we need to make a bit more room in here; I don’t want to be calling the ambulance on Christmas Eve because somebody split their head open tripping over a footstool.”  With hands on your hips, you pointed a look at beloved but altogether clumsy Harry.

“What?” Harry asked innocently.

“Right then,” Ethel said.  “We’ll let the gentlemen move the furniture.  Ladies, why don’t we help ourselves to some refreshments while we’ve the time?  I don’t know about you young maids, but I’m goin’ to need a little somethin’ to boost my energy afore we go scamperin’ about.”

“I am rather peckish,” Hela agreed.

You, Ethel, and Hela all made your way out of the sitting room to be out of the men’s way as they worked and went into the dining room where the snack foods and drink still graced the table, and would grace it for the rest of the night.  A little Christmas Eve buffet.  You remember how the cook had looked at you when you’d told her that’s what you wanted like you were insane.  (“It’s just not how things are done in England, Ma’am.”)  But in the end, it looked like it was working out.  Certainly, nobody seemed to be complaining.

You were just serving yourself up some wassail when Ethel sidled up to you.  “And just where has your mind been tonight, bud?” she asked, her tone teasing.  

You looked at her in genuine confusion.  “I’m sorry?”

The older woman smirked knowingly, an eyebrow raised.  “I saw you,” she said pointedly.  “Standin’ there, gawkin’ and gappin’ like a lovestruck schoolgirl at Ebenezer all decked out in his togs tonight.”  A sinful glimmer sparked in her blue eyes and her smile turned wicked.  “But I’m willin’ to bet it wasn’t him in his togs you was daydreamin’ about was it?”

Your face immediately flushed a bright, crimson red, only made redder by the fact that Hela giggled.  Oh, you were feeling hot again, but this time not in a good way.  “You both saw me?” you squeaked out, positively mortified.

“Of course, we saw!” Hela laughed with a beaming grin.

“We women who’s been in love before always notice when another woman’s in love.”

“In love,” you repeated with a dry chuckle.  “Is that was this is?  Yes, of course, it is, when all I can think about, all I can see, all I can hear, smell, taste, breathe, feel and hope to want and have is that devilishly wonderful man.”  You instinctively twisted your wedding ring and looked down at it.  The golden band housed both yours and Ebenezer’s birthstones as well as the stone of the month you married; hidden inside the circle, nestled against your skin would be the beautifully scripted words ‘Come what may’--a reminder that, whatever happened in this marriage of convenience with regards to your future where your uncle and inheritance were concerned, you and Ebenezer would both be in it.  Together.  A friend supporting a friend.

The delicate little ring sat so perfectly on your ring finger, so simple yet so fine and elegant and beautiful in its simplicity--just like you liked it.  Just like Ebenezer knew you liked it.  You still couldn’t believe the man had gotten it so perfectly right without even consulting you.  Yes, you’d been friends for a while by that point, and he’d known you quite well; but designing a wedding ring without the input of the woman it was intended for was always a gamble, even one so low maintenance as you.  But somehow Ebenezer had just known.  He always seemed to just know with you.  About everything.  Unfortunately, that only made your unreciprocated feelings for him all the deeper and more painful.

You felt tears prick at your eyes and you tried to blink them back.  “I thought love was supposed to be wonderful,” you trembled, looking at both women in desperation.  “So why am I hurting so much?”

You must have sounded even more pathetic than you thought, because the next thing you knew, Hela was sweeping you up into a big, tight hug and murmuring comforting things into your ear.  You just clutched at her, looking for any sort of contact to empty the heartache into.

“I feel crazy,” you admitted after Hela let you go.  “I mean it--I feel like an absolute mad woman.  I’m married to the man, he’s a long way off from dead, I know there's no other woman, we are best of friends, he cares a great deal for me and takes care of me--even spoils me--adores my siblings like his own, we aren’t fighting--in fact, we’re quite happy in our lives together--and, in the end, our marriage will lead to my gaining my inheritance and finally being out from under my uncle’s thumb.  But even with all that, I feel utterly miserable.”

“And why do you think that is?” Ethel prodded gently, a motherly hand on yours.  

You shook your head, tears still stinging your eyes.  “Because… I love him,” you answered softly.  “I love him more than life itself.  But he… he doesn’t feel the same way about me.”

Much to your shock, horror, and chagrin, the two women burst into uproarious laughter.  

“Oh, my poor, poor child!” Ethel gasped, wiping her eyes.  “I didn’t know you were blind!”

“What?” you asked incredulously.  You didn’t much relish the concept of being laughed at.

“Can you really not see it, Y/N?” Hela asked.  “Truly?”

“See what, pray?”

“Ebenezer!” Ethel cut back in, giving you that sly smile again.  "He's positively besotted with you, lovey!"

You blinked at the Cratchit woman, trying to see if she was having you on. "Ha-ha–no. I think not."

"You think not?" Ethel said. "Why?"  It was a challenge.

"Why do you think he is?" you challenged back.

"I have functioning senses, pet."

"Pardon me?"

“We've all seen the way he looks at you, Y/N,” Hela offered, wrapping a sisterly arm around your shoulders. "As if you're the only woman in existence."

“And the way he smiles at you or whenever your name comes up," Ethel continued, “like your the source of all joy itself!”

Hela went on: “No one could miss how he speaks to you.”

“In all the time since he changed, I’ve never heard him call anyone ‘Sweetness’ except for you,” Ethel declared.  "Not even your Millie!"

“That’s simply because of our friendship,” you insisted. 

“Is it?” Ethel pressed, ever bullheaded.  “Only because of your friendship?”

You scowled a bit at the woman.  “I don’t think I need to remind you that Ebenezer’s and my friendship runs a bit more deeply than most,” you firmly stated, “as well as a bit… unconventionally.”

“You don’t say!” Ethel gasped sarcastically.

“But it does not mean that we are in love with each other,” you continued on, scowl deepening.  “Yes, while I’ve come to love Ebenezer because of it, it seems quite clear to me that he continues to see me as nothing more than a friend.”

“Oh, it seems quite clear to her,” Ethel pointed out, giving Hela a pointed look while jutting a thumb at you.  The Indian woman tittered.

You rolled your eyes in complete exasperation.  “That’s it,” you deadpanned, throwing back the last bit of your punch and walking away.  “I’ve had enough of being laughed at for one evening.”

“Can’t help you much, if you wish to think yourself unloved, sweet,” Ethel called after you.  “Just keep in mind what we said!”

You stormed out of the dining room and through the hall back towards the sitting room, slowing down when you heard the jolly singing of Christmas carols accompanied by Prudence’s howling.  Creeping to the door of the sitting room, you quietly and carefully peeked inside.  The men had moved the more trip-hazardous pieces of furniture while leaving the bigger pieces in place to serve as barriers for the game.  Now, they were simply having a jolly old time singing, Harry dancing around with Prudence by the front paws.  All their voices were raised high in song, but Ebenezer’s rose above them all, rich and full and beautiful and full of emotion as always.  Again your heart contracted in love pains for the man who was your husband, yet not your husband.  Why?  Why did he have to be just so. Damn.  Perfect?!  Any sort of flaw would have helped to dull the hurt, but here he was, apparently completely without faults!  Oh, why did this have to happen to you?!

Pulling back behind the door, you sidled away until you could press your back up against the wall.  And there you stayed, listening to your husband-in-name-only and friends singing, your aching heart thudding in your chest to the point you felt your entire being vibrating from it.  Again you began to twist the ring on your finger.  Again you looked at it, this time pulling it off your finger to gaze closely at the script inside.  Could ‘Come what may’, possibly mean something more than your and Ebenezer’s friendship?  Could Ethel and Hela be right?   Could Ebenezer be hiding feelings of love from you, just as you were hiding yours from him?

You wondered….

No.  Ebenezer didn’t hide things from you.  He was above that.  And he had to know you felt something for him because, again, with you, he always knew.  So if he felt something for you in turn, why would he not come out and say it instead of hiding it? What would be the point if he knew you felt the same?  That could only mean he was trying to spare you from being hurt, by pretending as though he realized nothing about your feelings.  By acting like a close friend would normally act.  He was trying to make it easier for you–the rejection.  In reality, he was just making it that much harder.  

With a heavy sigh, you slipped your ring back on.  The little weight it provided was both sad and comforting at the same time.  You pushed off the wall and moved towards the windows, using them as a mirror as you checked yourself over.  You tidied your hair, straightened your dress, and took deep, long breaths to try and calm yourself.  It was Christmas Eve and tomorrow was Christmas.  You had company--most of which were children–and tomorrow you would have more.  You weren’t going to turn into a blubbering mess over things that couldn’t be helped--that wouldn’t be a good hostess.

“Ah-ha, Y/N!”

You turned from the window and smiled at Bob and Harry.  “Ready?” you asked them.

“Yes!”  Harry exclaimed.  “All ready for the game!”

“I’ll go let Hela and Ethel know,” you said.

“No, we’ll go,” Bob said.  “We want to get something to eat and drink before we start anyway.  You go help Ebenezer with the blindfold--he’s to be the first blind man.”  With that, the two of the hurried off down the hall.

Your stomach dropped out.  You and Ebenezer alone?  You helping him tie a blindfold on?  Presumably, having to be fairly close to him in order to do so--particularly his face?!  Oh, this was not a good situation for you right now--not good at all!

All at once, the cause of your dilemma came walking out of the sitting room, Prudence clicking loyally along at his heels.  Ebenezer was scowling now, fiddling with this cravat, trying to work it loose.  “Damn… bloody… tie,” he muttered.

You couldn’t help the smile that curled your lips or the little giggle that escaped you.  The sight tickled you so; watching him do battle with his own necktie.  And his expressive eyes and brows were almost comically grouchy.

Ebenezer then directed his scowl at you, but there was a definite playful twinkle in his eye.  “And just what might you find so funny?” he demanded.

You smirked at him.  “You,” you admitted.  “You’ll strangle yourself if you’re not careful.”

“And you find that funny, do you?”

“No.  But the way you’re wrestling that tie as if it owes you money, I do.”

“Well, perhaps instead of laughing at my predicament, you would be so kind as to find it within yourself to help me.”  The man was smirking himself now.

You stopped laughing at that.  Immediately you were right back to where you had been, realizing you were going to be close to Ebenezer--very close--and panicking over it.  “Uh-Y-yes,” you stammered, swallowing hard.  Your mouth felt so dry.  “O-Of course.”  Slowly you approached him, feeling as if you were in a daze.  Did he notice?  Oh, please God, don’t let him notice!  Please don’t let him realize the state I’m in!

Ebenezer, now smiling pleasantly as ever, loomed before you. Like a tree. A great, attractive, charming spruce tree of a man.  You came to a stop directly in front of him. He towered over you, the top of your head just reaching his chin. That beautiful, strong, sculpted chin….

Suddenly that chin was coming closer as he bowed down a bit for you to reach his cravat.  "Is that better?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you," you murmured tonelessly.  You reached up and took hold of the cravat and began working your fingers through the knot.  You tried to focus solely on that. Not the fact that you were so close to Ebenezer you could feel his body heat. So close you swore you could hear his heartbeat.  You tried to forget the fact of how close his face was to yours–just a bit above and angled towards you–his warm breath caressing your skin. You tried to ignore that you could feel his eyes on you, tried to ignore that you could smell a mixture of his cologne and his natural scent.  Mother of God, what a heavenly smell!  A man's smell!  Ebenezer's smell.   You fought against the urge to go weak in the knees. Good God, why am I so feeble?

"You look absolutely lovely."

You froze, his silky cravat nearly untied and threaded between your fingers.  Eyes wide, you snapped your face up to his, heart leaping into your throat.  E/c stared into slate blue.

Ebenezer looked just as surprised as you as if he hadn't intended to say that.  But he had, and there was no backing out now.  "I-I don't believe I told you that this evening," he went on, trying to explain the sudden statement.  "And… well… y-you look lovely, Y/N. Very lovely indeed." He cleared his throat and tore his gaze from yours, lips pulling together in a thin line.  His cheeks and ears were tinged the slightest shade of pink. 

"Oh," you said, a bit dazedly. Your eyes fell back to the cravat. "Thank you."  You finished your work and smoothly slipped the tie from his neck, the smooth, body-warmed material seeming to slither into your hand.  You know, technically, you're undressing him, the concept slipped out of the dark, wicked crevice of your mind before you could stop it.  You felt yourself flush all over from both horrified embarrassment and–God help you–flaming desire.  Without a doubt you were your own worst enemy in this!

"Not that you don't normally look lovely," Ebenezer suddenly continued on from his previous statements. His voice was rushed, his tone jittery.  His eyes darted to look everywhere but at you.  "You always look lovely–there is no question of that! It is just that you look particularly lovely this evening. And… well…" he cleared his throat again and forced himself to look at you, "... you look lovely."

A corner of your mouth twitched into a slight smile, Ebenezer's sweet, nervous charm working its way through the veil of panic.  The man could be positively adorable sometimes. "Thank you, Ebenezer," you repeated, your voice sounding more like you this time.

Evidently, your smile and tone were noticeable, because Ebenezer's own lips quirked into a soft smile as well, the nervousness fading from his eyes.  He remained blushing though; that only made him more endearing in your view.

There came an annoyed huff from somewhere around both your legs.  And then-

“Whoa-oof!”

You froze, eyes wide in alarm at the predicament you suddenly found yourself in:  Ebenezer had just quite literally toppled into you!  Your hands were pressed flat to his chest as they’d shot up and out to try and stop his fall, and his hands had come to find purchase on your low waist as he’d instinctively reached out to find something to grab onto a save him from falling on his face.  Speaking of face, his face was against yours, his angular nose slipped right in aside yours, pressing into your cheek.  Your lips just barely ghosted against each other, startled pants of breath mixing together and warming your faces (though that definitely wasn’t the only reason your face was so hot).  You stared pop-eyed directly into each other's eyes.  To top it all off, you were just ever so slightly bent over backward with Ebenezer bowed over you as if the man were taking you into a dip.  And you stayed like that.  For how long, you didn’t know, but you both just stayed, unsure of what to do, or how to react.

A little whine caused you both to look away from each other (though only your eyes moved) and down to see Prudence sitting there between you.  Her loveable brown eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked between you and Ebenezer, her lolling Mastiff grin as wide as ever.  Ridiculous to think it as it was considering she was a dog, you knew immediately that Prudence had done this on purpose.  After all, you’d come to the conclusion a while ago that the dog wasn’t exactly an ordinary dog.  And due to all of that, you had even less of an idea of how to react to this.

“Prudence…” Ebenezer growled warningly, his brow furrowing against yours.

His lips brushed a bit more firmly against yours as he spoke, his growl vibrating his firm chest beneath your palms.  The reaction in you to these sensations was immediate and startling: your breath hitching into a small gasp; a warm mist floating into your mind that blocked out every other thing except the man before you; a great heat flushed throughout your body, warming you to the very center of your being, leaving you feeling lightheaded; your already hammering heart sped up to a flutter; your stomach lurched and twisted and twined in sickeningly beautiful ways; your eyes fluttered to half-mast.  You felt like you could die, cry, and fly all at once, and Ebenezer hadn’t even kissed you yet.  Without thinking, you curled your splayed fingers into the lapels of his coat and gently tugged at him.

The man’s eyes came back to yours and immediately melted into softness upon finding your half-lidded gaze.  Whether he realized what he was doing or not, his grip on your waist tightened ever so slightly.  That caused you to quietly whimper, which in turn caused him to pull you closer.  His hair coif draped down and tickled the side of your face.  His heart--his wonderfully good heart--beat out a strong, steady rhythm against your palm.

Your eyes slipped closed in reverie at the deepening touch.  “Ebenezer…” the whisper of his name escaped your lips before you realized it.

“Y/N,” he returned, voice husky and rumbling even as it was quiet in tone.  He gently pulled you even closer, angling his face so that his lips pressed and slid against your mouth and cheek--not in a kiss just yet, but a sort of nuzzle, flat and flush and warm.  And it felt completely divine: soft and smooth as velvet against your sensitive skin.  Except for his muttonchops, which left a delightfully ticklish twinge behind as the hair brushed against you.  Lightning sparked along your nerves.

You opened your eyes just a bit to look up beneath your lashes to see that his eyes were now closed, looking to be in as much of a trance as you.  God above, he looked heavenly; felt heavenly too.  You felt the slightest hint of pursed, pillowy lips on your cheek, again not kissing yet, just caressing your flesh.  The man was working his way up to it and, by God, you were going to let him!  His process was going too well to interrupt him now--magic was happening!

Slowly Ebenezer pull you into him and straightened the two of you up, his face still pressed to yours, lips against your cheek, your temple, your brow.  He slid them languidly down the bridge of your nose before lifting them off your skin.  The tip of his nose still nudging yours, he opened his eyes and met gaze again.  You’d never seen those slate-blue beauties so liquidy before, the black centers expanded and endless.  The tall man said nothing, but merely let his gaze drift from your eyes down to your mouth and back again, silently asking permission.

God, you wanted to give it!  You wanted nothing more than for him to sweep you into his strong, warm arms and claim your lips and mouth for his own.  You longed to feel him, taste him--longed for it more than you longed for breath.  (If he could have been your breath, that would have been a godsend.)  But… you didn’t give permission.  You couldn’t bring yourself to.  Because you didn’t know for sure what all of this was, what it meant, what it could possibly mean and lead to.  What you did know was if you did give permission, if you let him kiss you, you would be committing an irrevocable act by giving your heart wholly to this man.  He practically had it already, and that was painful enough; but if he took the whole thing and it came to pass that this… display was nothing more than an excess of Christmas cheer mixed with good food and drink you would be shattered beyond repair.  And it would have been better to die than be a walking husk.

Your heart throbbing with love and want and hurt, you forced yourself to turn your face from his.  “Don’t.”

“Y/N?”

Good God, the softness in his voice, his obvious confusion as to why you were pulling away when you so clearly wanted it--it stabbed you right in the gut.  But you had to turn him away.  You had to stop this--to try and protect yourself at least a little bit.  You let him go, pushing away from him.  “Please, don’t.”

He gently reached for you, looking hurt.  “Y/N, please.”

You jerked back from his touch.  “Don’t!”  The tears back in your eyes and spilling down your cheeks this time, you rushed across the hall to the front doors.  I’m dying!  You were sure you were dying--your chest felt like it was going to cave in and you couldn’t breathe because of it.  You felt so incredibly hot like you were being roasted alive.  Air--I need air!   

Throwing open the door, you burst out into the frigid London night and practically stumbled down the stairs.  When you reached the cobblestones your legs gave out from under you and you collapsed into a snowdrift with a muted fwoomp!, the fluffy snow fwooshing up around your skirts to create your own, personal flurry.  You gasped.  Then you retched and coughed, your stomach heaving violently.  Nothing came up, but you retched again and continued to dry heave and gasp for air.  God in Heaven, you felt like hell!  But you could feel the crisp, coldness of the air and snow around you now, and that loosened the tightness in your chest so you could breathe again.  When you weren’t trying to gag up your innards, that is.

“Y/N!” Ebenezer’s horrified voice reached your ears.  Both it and Prudence’s bark sounded muffled through the ringing din in your head, but you heard them all the same, and you felt Ebenezer’s presence come to kneel beside you in the snow.  A warm cloak was draped over your shuddering shoulders.  “Love, are you all right?!”  A hand pressed to your forehead; a wet, black nose sniffed you over in investigation.  “Mother of God, you’re burning up!  We need to get you to the hospital!”   He made to stand, but you grabbed his hand, keeping him with you. 

“I’m all right,” you croaked, eyes on the ground as you still tried to wrestle your breath back.  

He wrenched out of your grip and brought both his hands to hold your shoulders.  “You are clearly not all right!” he insisted, giving you a little shake for emphasis.  “You’re ill, my dear--violently ill!  You could be suffering from cholera--or maybe scarlet fever with as red as you are--or something worse!”

Your head was starting to clear out, the ringing fading away.  You managed to look up at the panicking man and give him a feeble glare.  “Ebenezer, I’m fine,” you said as insistently as you could.  “I’m not ill.”  A whining Prudence pressed her cold nose against your cheek, her gentle eyes worried.  You turned to her, wrapping your arms around her neck and burying your face in her warm ruff.  “You dumb mutt,” you muttered meekly.  “You put me in this position.”

“Well, there must be something wrong,” Ebenezer continued, standing upright in indignance, “because I don’t believe you would be having this violent a reaction to simply not wanting to kiss me.” 

You pulled your face from the Mastiff’s fur and looked up at the man to see his face flushed.  Whether it was from his panic over you,  his anger at your denial of medical aid, or the fact that he had just admitted he’d meant to kiss you, you didn’t know.  Your eyes slipped from his to Prudence again, focusing on her soft, golden-brown fur as you stroked it.  “No,” you agreed softly.  “This didn’t happen because I don’t want to kiss you.”  You stopped petting Prudence and grasped at the cloak, pulling it closer and tighter.  Biting your lip, you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to hold back the absolute storm of tears that you knew was coming.  It had all been building for so long; now everything was about to break loose and turn what should have been the happiest and most beautiful night of the year into an utter disaster.  And all because you just couldn’t keep your emotions in check.  Damn it all, you were so pathetic! 

A choked sob escaped you and you buried your face in the velvetiness of the cloak. 

Once again, Ebenezer was kneeling back at your side, his arms coming around you and pulling you to his chest.  He gently tried to hush you.  “Shhh,” he whispered against your ear.  “Hush now, Darling--I have you.  It’s all right.”

“It’s not all right!” you spat bitterly, face still hidden in the cloak.

“Then tell me, Y/N--tell me so that I might make it right.”  His long, large fingers combed over your hair as he pressed a tender kiss to your hairline.  “Please, tell me, Sweetness.”  He dared to slip a finger beneath your chin and lift your head just enough so he could meet your eyes, which he did so beseechingly.  “Please.”

You stared at him through silent tears for a moment, so many things swirling around inside you that you didn’t know where to start on what to say.  How could you possibly tell him when there was so much?  “How do you not know?” the question finally squeaked out of your throat.  Your vision swam as tears welled up in your eyes, ready to overflow in a torrent.  “When you always seem to just know when it comes to me… how could you not know, Ebenezer?  You knew with my ring; you knew with my wedding dress; you’ve known with every single thing you’ve ever gotten me or done for me or said to me.  H-How can you possibly not know… about this?  How can you not see what you’re doing to me?”

Ebenezer looked both baffled and fearful.  “How can I not know what, Y/N?” he asked urgently.  “What am I doing to you?”

You closed your eyes tight and swallowed hard, tears burning down your cheeks.  God, help me.  “It’s not that I didn’t want to kiss you, Ebenezer,” you started slowly, your voice raspy.  You dared to open your eyes and look at him again.  “I did want to.  I do want to.  God above, ever since you proposed I’ve wanted nothing but to kiss you every day so damn badly it hurts!  Kiss you and…” you felt your cheeks burn in a way that had nothing to do with your tears, “... and more.”  

Ebenezer remained silent, all his attention on you as if he were hanging on to every word falling from your lips.  Well, I least he was going to let you get it out, and not cut you off in the middle with his rejection.  There would be some catharsis in that at least.  

“I-I know it’s… unladylike to say such things.  But I’m not a Lady. … So I suppose the only reason I haven’t said or done anything before now is entirely due to cowardice.”  You took a deep breath and pulled your gaze from the man’s and looked down at your hands as they fiddled with a loose thread at the hem of the cloak.  You knew you wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye when you finally confessed your secret.  You wouldn’t be able to handle the sight of rejection before the word of it came.  “The truth is… I love you, Ebenezer Scrooge.  I love you and I’ve been in love with you for a long while--though I can’t rightly say when it happened; I know it was before we married. … I think even before you proposed.”  You just dared flicker your gaze up to see the man still knelt there, his expression completely stunned.

“The point is, I love you,” you rushed on, looking down again.  “I love you and I don’t want an annulment after I’ve gained my inheritance.  In fact, I don’t ever want to leave or be without you, Ebenezer.  You make my world better just by being a part of it.  Being around you makes me indescribably happy.  Hearing your voice, seeing your smile, listening to your laugh, touching your hand, feeling your arm around me, having you look at me--you are all I could have ever asked for or wanted in life!  Ebenezer, I love you and I want you--all of you, now and forever--as my friend, as my lover, as my husband, fully and truly in every possible sense of the word.  There could never be another for me.  And I know I can hardly hope to dream that you would feel the same way for me and that we could have something more than what we do, and I know that I will probably ruin what we do have by saying these things now--but it simply hurts too much to keep silent any longer!  So if I’ve ruined our friendship now, I’m sorry but-” 

You were suddenly wrenched up off the cobbles and cut off by a pair of lips smashing into yours.  Ebenezer clutched you flush to him, his arm around your waist, holding you with a grip so tight it was like he was afraid you might try to run or fly away from him.  He had one hand tangled into your hair at the back of your head, holding you in place as he angled his face to kiss you as deeply as he could, his nose digging into your cheek.  The kiss was full of tears--both his and yours--searing, and desperate, his hold crushing and painful; and it all felt completely amazing!  It was all you could do to hold onto the man to stay upright and not melt away into a puddle of ecstatic mush.  In that moment you became completely his; his name branded on you very soul.

When he finally broke the kiss, your nose hurt from being smushed into his cheek, your ribs hurt from being crushed to his chest, and you were sure your lips were going to be swollen from the force he’d used, but you didn’t care.  All you cared about was what you had just felt in that kiss, and what you had felt was everything you’d just emptied out of the very depths of your soul being reciprocated back to you.  “Ebenezer…” you breathed against his lips.

“I love you,” the man whispered back, voice cracking with emotion.  Tears trickled from eyes full of sheer passion, devotion, and joy as he gazed almost worshipfully at you from beneath incredibly long, dark lashes.  “God be praised--I love you, Y/N.  More than any words could ever describe.”

“I love-”  You were cut off again by another passionate kiss and you just as eagerly gave into it as the first time, wrapping your arms around Ebenezer’s neck to pull him down closer.  This kiss didn’t hurt quite as much, but it burned just as hotly.  Lights were dancing behind your eyes  as your heart raced, you stomach filled to the brim with thousand of butterflies  His lips felt so perfect, so soft and smooth, burning and soothing at the same time as they caressed yours.  Every once in a while his teeth would nip at your lips, or his tongue would graze ever so slightly against you until at last you pulled him in deeper, opening your mouth for him to explore.  You explored his in turn, groaning at the taste of him as he did with you.   You’d been kissed before, but you’d never experienced anything like this.  It was like Ebenezer’s kisses were made only for you--like his lips and mouth and tongue were made only for you--like he was made only for you.

Several long, blissful seconds ticked by as the two of you stood in each other’s embrace, lips and tongues tangled together, dancing, caressing, molding your mouths into a most perfect union accompanied by a chorus of quiet gasps, moans, and growls.  Had anyone walked by, they would have thought the two of you positively indecent, but neither you nor Ebenezer would have cared.  You wouldn’t have even noticed anybody else.  As far as the two of you were concerned, there weren’t any other people in the entire world; even sweet old Prudence was left quite forgotten bounding and bouncing for joy around you.  There were just the two of you, your love, and the snow falling gently around you.  It was absolutely magical!

When the two of you finally parted again, you were both left panting and flushed.  Slipping your arms down from his neck and around his back, you nuzzled into the steel-haired man’s chest, the softest and happiest of smiles pulling up your swollen lips.  You sighed dreamily: “Oh, Ebenezer….”   His scent filled your nostrils, making your head swim even more than it already was.  You were weightless, floating--absolutely floating.  And you never wanted to stop.

“Y/N,” Ebenezer murmured.  He pressed gentle kisses to your head, his arms wrapped securely around you with hands gently caressing your back, shoulders, and arms.  Adoration for you and only you seeped out of every pore in the man’s body, making you feel as warm and toasty as though were you snuggled up under a thick blanket before the hearth rather than out in the middle of a snowy winter night.  “I never thought I would be able to feel this way about anyone ever again,” he whispered almost to himself.  He closed his eyes and nuzzled into your hair with a gentle smile, inhaling deep and long as though he wished to fill his lungs with your scent just as yours were filled with his.  He chuckled softly, chest rumbling beneath your head.  “Yet here I am, so utterly, impossibly, hopelessly in love with you, I fear I may either die on the spot or soar up and through the heavens forever after hearing that you feel the same way.”

With a giggle, you lifted your face to his again.  “Well, please don’t die,” you gently teased, lifting a hand up to brush a stray hair from his face.  “But you can only go soaring so long as you take me with you.”  You trailed delicate fingers around his left ear, down his cheek, and over his lips

The man leaned into your touch, kissing your fingertips.  “You’ll have to steady me,” he told you.  “I’m afraid I’m not much good at soaring.”  He said it like he actually knew that to be a fact.

“Of course, I’ll steady you,” you assured him, reaching your other hand up now as well to hold his face between them.  You gave him a smile filled with all the love and devotion you had for him.  “I will always steady you, Ebenezer--so long as you guide me.”

“Of course, I’ll guide you,” Ebenezer declared.  He reached up to stroke a callused thumb along your right cheekbone, wiping away what remained of your tears.  “Wherever I go, I will be sure that you are there by my side, step for step--my life partner, my steadying hand…” if it were possible, the look in the man’s slate-blue eyes became softer, “... my wife.”

Your stomach did somersaults; your heart swelled to the point you felt it would burst from your chest and rise into the night sky like a hot air balloon.  ‘Wife’: Ebenezer had called you his wife!  The word brought a fresh wave of tears to your eyes and a lump formed in your throat.  “Truly?” you whispered, almost afraid this was all too good to be true.

As if sensing your fear, Ebenezer cupped your cheek in his large palm and bowed his face to yours, his nose touching yours as he gazed into your eyes with sincerity.  “Truly,” he answered.  “I promise you--with all my heart and soul, Mrs. Scrooge.”

‘Mrs. Scrooge’....  A squeaky cry, escaped you as the tears began to fall again.  You pressed a trembling hand over your quivering lips.

Looking concerned, Ebenezer hugged you closer to him.  “Darling?”

You shook your head, dismissing his worry.  “I’m fine,” you stated, voice muffled in your palm.  “I’m fine, Ebenezer, truly, it’s just… that’s the first time I’ve been called ‘Mrs. Scrooge’ since we married and… and to hear it coming from you is… I…” you dropped off into a fit of unintelligible sobs, unable to find the right words or the ability to say them even if you had.  This….  This was everything you could have ever hoped for and never thought you would have!

With a warm, rumbling chuckle, Ebenezer cradled the back of your head in his palm and kissed your furrowed brow.  “I know, Sweetness,” he soothed.  “I know.  Believe me--it feels the same to say it.”  Smiling, he bowed his head until his lips were right by your ear and whispered rather huskily and with emphasis, “Mrs. Scrooge.”

Whatever last hold you had on yourself, with that it dissipated.  Completely overcome with emotion, you threw your arms around your husband’s neck, tangled your hands in his hair, and all but yanked him down to your lips for another kiss, a wet and sobbing mess as you were.  He didn’t seem to mind the mess you were and kissed you very eagerly back, hands groping at your shoulders and the small of your back

When you parted, you pressed your face into the crook of your husband’s neck, sobbing away the last of your happy tears in privacy.  You were so happy--so terribly, terribly overjoyed!  You hadn’t known happiness such as this existed.  Surely this is what it must have felt like to enter into Heaven. Maybe you were in Heaven.  Maybe both you and Ebenezer had perished from the cold and were now in Heaven together.  For all eternity.  You swore you could hear a heavenly orchestra playing right now, hauntingly beautiful, tender music ringing through the Christmas Eve night, riding on the gentle breeze with the snowflakes.  You were so overcome with joy, you swore you could sing to it, mad as it sounded.

Apparently, you weren't the only one:

“Never knew I could feel like this…” Ebenezer’s voice lifted in song softly beside your ear, “... like I’ve never seen the sky before.”  He pulled out of your embrace and took a step back, eyes cast heavenward and reaching a hand up as though to touch the velvet blackness above. After a second he looked back at you with an adoring smile and reached out to stroke and hold your left cheek.  You nuzzled into his palm, bringing a hand up to hold his hand closer.  The man crooned on: “Want to vanish inside your kiss.  Every day I love you more and more.”  Slipping your hand into his hand, he pulled you into him again and pressed your palm to his chest.  “Listen to my heart--can you hear it sing?  Telling me to give you-” he spun away from you, eyes wide and shining, arms stretched out as he turned in a circle encompassing your surroundings,”-everything!  Seasons may change--winter to spring.”  His arms slowly fell and he turned back to you, stepping up to bring you close in his arms again, gaze gentle once more.  “But I love you…” he gazed deeply into your eyes, “... until the end of time.” 

There seemed to be a swell in the music on the air, and Ebenezer moved with it, sweeping you up into a graceful, sweeping waltz around the yard and into the street, singing on: “Come what may….  Come what may….  I will love you… until my dying day.”  The music in the air seemed to quieten and Ebenezer paused in the waltz, simply relishing in the experience of holding you--his wife, the woman he loved--close.  He pressed his forehead to yours and you both closed your eyes, enjoying each other’s presence.

That stirring deep inside your soul had grown stronger and more noticeable with each passing moment.  Now it had finally gained enough power to break free, rising up out of your throat in melody: “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place.”  You shifted closer to your husband, and stretched a leg out behind you and around in a circle, daintily skimming the toe of your shoe over the surface of the snow.  “Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace.”  You reached up and cradled Ebenezer’s sculpted jaw in your hands and gazed lovingly at him.  “Suddenly my life doesn’t seem such a waste--it all revolves around you….”

Smiling, Ebenezer swept you up into dance again, and you both continued on, harmonizing with each other: “And there’s no mountain too high-” your husband hoisted you up with one arm onto his hip as you braced one hand on his shoulder and your knees on his thigh, second hand raised skyward, “-no river too wide!”  You dropped down and spun out from Ebenezer until your arms were stretched to the max and you were held together just by the tips of your fingers.  Then you stepped closer together and looped your arms together as you faced one way and he the other, ever gazing into one another’s eyes, carouseling around.  “Sing out this song and I’ll be there by your side!”  Ebenezer grabbed your hand and you twirled around him in a large arc, he acting as the anchor.  “Storm clouds may gather--stars may collide…” you spun back into him and he caught you in both arms, dipping you low before bringing you back up to hold again and sing, “... but I love you-” 

You lovingly traced your thumb across Ebenezer’s lips, “-I love you…”

“-until the end-” “... until the end of-” “-of time.”

Your husband carried you off into the sweeping waltz again as the music in your souls swelled anew.  “Come what may….  Come what may….  I will love you… until my dying day!”  Ebenezer hoisted you up with one arm again, both of you facing opposite directions again as he spun you, one of your arms braced across his shoulders for support the other trailing through the air, making snowflakes swirl.  “Come what may….  Come what may….  I will love you…” 

You slowly slipped back down into the circle of your man’s arms, wrapping your arms around his neck and nuzzling your nose against his, basking in the lovelight of his gaze.  “Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place….” 

The music swelled to a crescendo and Ebenezer scooped you up into the air one final time.  His arms wrapped around your thighs as he spun and gazed up into your face, your hands braced on his broad shoulders yet again.  “Come what may…!  Oh, come what may…!  Oh!  I will love you… until my dying… day!”

You collapsed into Ebenezer with another kiss, your arms tight around his neck, his tight around your waist and back as he held you up.  

The sound of applause startled you apart: You looked over your husband’s head as he shifted around to look.  A scorching hot blush burned your face red.  You had an audience: the Cratchits, the Huffmans, and all of the staff that hadn’t taken the night off you offered were standing there at the top step of the entrance.  And they were cheering!  Some of the more tenderhearted of the bunch were even dabbing at their eyes with hankies.  (Harry, however, was in an all-out bawl, hunched over Hela’s shoulder as she patted his back while he wept tears of joy.)  Previously forgotten Prudence was bounding around you and Ebenezer, barking and grinning away, her tail fanning the air such as it never had before

“Oh, bloody hell….” Ebenezer muttered his face as crimson as yours (which really was a rather lovely shade on him, honestly).  He squeezed you closer as you hid your face in his neck and scowled at the others for their intrusion.   

The others really didn’t seem to care.  It was impossible to be scared of the old Scrooge Scowl when the man was red as a cooked lobster and had just been caught singing and dancing a love song with his young wife in the snow.

“Well, it’s about bloomin’ time!” Ethel exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in an emphatic manner.  “What did I tell ya?  “Only because of our friendship” my arse.  Now come back inside, you waltzin’ lovebirds, afore you catch your deaths of cold!”

With that, your audience all began to retreat back inside, leaving the two of you to pull yourselves together.

Ebenezer slowly set you back on your own feet, but his arms remained around you, a warm hand rubbing comforting circles between your shoulder blades.  “Are you all right, my love?”

Your face still hidden in his chest, you began to shake with laughter.  “I’m more than all right,” you answered, pulling your face from its hiding place to meet your husband’s attentive gaze.  “Much, much more than all right.”

The man’s eyes sparkled with happiness at that declaration, his mouth pulling into a beaming smile.  “I take it you’re happy then?”

You nodded.  “So terribly happy, I could burst.”

“Excellent.  I intend on trying my level best to keep you that way.”

If it had been at all possible for your already overflowing heart to swell more, it would have.  A gentle prick stung the corner of your eyes, but your tear ducts had just about cried themselves out for the night.  Reaching up, you ran your hands through Ebenezer’s soft hair before twining your fingers into the thick, silver locks at the back of his head.  You noted the way he quietly moaned (in fact almost purred) in contentment as you did this.  That would be a handy detail about your husband to keep in mind--very handy indeed….  “I love you, Ebenezer Scrooge.”

His arms tightened around you.  “And I love you, Y/N Scrooge.  Until the end of time.”  Unexpectedly he swooped you up into his arms bridal style, making you squeal before pressing his lips to your smiling mouth once more, growling into your mouth as you gave an experimental tug on his hair.  Then he carried you across the cobblestones, up the steps, and through the doors of the house--your house, together.  A true and very much in love married couple at last.  It was going to be the greatest and happiest of all Christmases.

[prince-of-red-lions]

GUYS OMG I JUST SAW MY FIRST MUSICAL. my Highschool did a Percy Jackson musical and OH MY GOSH I was BLOWN away. now you get to hear about it (please keep in mind I have only read the first book, which is what the musical was anyways but it was YEARS ago and I don’t think I even completely finished it SOOO. also spoilers ig?)

Percy did so well and his solos and singing was so beautiful and he really portrayed his emotions so clearly and he was SO FUNNY FKTJRKWNDNFNNE LIKE OMG IF IT WASNT A THEATRE ID BE ROLLING

Grover did a fabulous job as well! He was also incredibly funny and I just love the little sidekick bestie vibes he’s got he’s so silly :)

ANNABETH omg. she did so well! she really got her emotions out there and her need to impress her mom and WOW THE FIGHT SCENE AT MEDUSA’S HOUSE WITH PERCY OR WHATEVER it was so intense! she slayed SO HARD and she was also a FANTASTIC DANCER YEA GIRLBOSSSS

luke! omg luke! HE DID AMAZINGGG I LOVED HIM HE ROCKED THAT ROLE SO WELL. I forgot he was the lightning thief so the betrayal scene was SHOCKING (HAHAHA IM SO FUNNY)!!! I really loved how he did him he completely fooled me with the friendly camp counselor or whatever he was I forgot JDJJSJRFKSJ BUT HE BLEW ME AWAY I LOVED THE FIGHT SCENE WITH HIM AND PERCY

so they had a scene and whatever with the farrier in the underworld AAAAHAHA THE FARRIER WAS SO AWESOME. SHE SLAYED THAT SO DANG HARD AND HER MUSICAL NUMBER WAS MY FAVORITE. THE REST OF THE ENSEMBLE SLAYED THE CHOREOGRAPHY IN THAT SCENE AND I WAS JAMMING ALONGGGG‼️‼️ it was such a funny scene and I hold it dear!!

HADES ISTG HADES. he had SUCH A DRAMATIC SCENE AND I CHEERED SO LOUD (dw everyone else did too) and he ROCKED IT SO WELL he perfected that snarky antagonist that doesn’t really care but still has motive and bonus of being a pain in the butt! and he drawled SO WELL I KID YOU NOT HE HAD ME CAPTIVATED. I LOVED his part!!!

dude… Poseidon… LMFAOOO IM DEADD. they had him portrayed as some dude in a Hawaiian shirt THE ACTOR DUDE I WAS ROLLING HE WAS SO FREAKING HILARIOUS. he kinda had that low chill surfer dude voice and he had THE FUNNIEST BITS especially at the end when he reunited with Percy and his mom. I love that take on his character. I’m PRETTY sure he’s not like that in the book 😂😂

And Percy’s mom was awesome too! her singing was GORGEOUS and I loved her moments with Percy :) not much to say other than SHE DID AMAZING‼️

BRO I CANT GET OVER THE TRIO THO. their bits were HILARIOUS and they definitely held those “stupid besties that r probably doomed but we’re rocking this anyway” vibe that ANY good book/movie main group holds AHDHEJRIE THEY WERE HILARIOUS. Dude Percy and annabeth did amazing together and Grover was so SPUNKY YES and the ENSEMBLE THEMSELVES AAAAAA I CANTTTTT ESPECIALLY IN THE UNDERWORLD SCENE THEY ALL HAD SPUNKY OUTFITS AND THE DANCING WAS AWESOME!!!! THE CAMP HALF BLOOD SCENES WERE ALSO SO COOL AND IM RUNNING OUT OF COMPLIMENTS BUT LMFAO THEY HAD A BIT WHERE THEY SANG ABOUT THEIR GOD PARENT AND ALL OF THEM JUST SLIGHTLY INSULTING THEM TO FULL ON INSULTS WAS BEAUTIFUL.

overall, this was a great experience for me! I could really tell all the love and passion the students/actors had for this and I appreciate that they wanted to share with me and the audience members! It was a magical thing and I wish them all a FABULOUS JOB because they DESERVE IT‼️‼️‼️💖💖💖💖💖 they really made my whole week and I might even consider joining theatre too :D

I’m sorry this was such a huge rant but I HAD to let it out! if you got this far, thank you for listening :) I’m truly insane 😂 I wish you all a lovely day/night!! 💖💖

[127-spring]

since we're at most only two weeks away from having the official line-up for nct's japan unit, i figured i'd share my thoughts on the potential members now before the final lastart episodes air.

sion - he's already confirmed for debut which i'm happy about because he strikes me as very talented, and his (on camera) personality is charming. he's also very much bringing team leader vibes, which would be great except idk how to feel about the japan unit having a korean leader.

yushi - also confirmed for debut, which i'm happy about too! he's a fantastic dancer, and his voice strikes me as different in a pleasing way, but i also agree with some of the critiques he's received about how to improve his vocals. also, i love that he was so happy to meet xiumin that he cried.

jungmin - my favourite of the trainees, he's got wonderful vocals, kills the high notes every time, and i feel like he has really good stage presence. i'm confident he'll make the final line-up.

riku - he really does feel quite blatantly earmarked by sm as the unit's main rapper, but he has the skills to back it up and he always grabs my attention when he performs. i think he's a good fit for nct's general style.

minjae - i really do feel like they're too harsh on him for his dancing when overall he does a good job, and especially considering his vocal skills are so strong. unfortunately i don't think he'll make the line-up, but i am rooting for him.

ryu - i know he'd only been a trainee for two weeks when the show started filming so logically he could probably benefit from more time... but he's also very talented already and has so much potential for further growth. i don't think he has good chances of making it into the group, but i'd like it if he did.

anderson - he's a nice kid (so far as we see on camera, at least) and he's got great enthusiasm for performing. but something about him just doesn't really strike me as ready for debut? i can't explain it. regardless of my opinions, i do think he has good odds of debuting anyway. (and admittedly yeah, it would be pretty fun if the nct canada line doubled.)

kassho - i agree with one of the comments made in his last mission evaluation, he works hard at his role but he doesn't stand out much... tbh i don't tend to remember him, and i feel like he'd benefit from more training.

haruta - like kassho, he doesn't stand out a whole lot, but i do think he's stronger, performance-wise, and he can be striking sometimes. there's still room for a lot of growth in terms of developing an individual performance style, and grabbing more attention during his parts, but he has good potential.

daeyoung - he's definitely got strong vocal skills, and i'm impressed by his ability to keep up with the others given his short training period and having been dropped into the show halfway through. i do suspect sm wanted him to debut from the beginning, hence the big attention on him as soon as he arrived, and he'll probably make the line-up.

heitetsu - look, i agree with a lot of the critiques he's getting, but at this point it's ridiculous, the way he ranks at the bottom every single mission. he's not that bad.

sakuya & ryo - they're both very talented and their 'chewing gum' performance was freaking adorable, but neither of these kiddos should even be thinking about debuting yet. let them live!! unfortunately, sakuya in particular seems likely to make the final line-up...

[thesporkidentity]

final act, let's go! again, if you want to watch it the video is on the choreographer's vimeo channel. and i would also recommend reading the summary in their program here, because act 3 gets real confusing real fast at the end if you're expecting it to follow the novel.

mina my beloved! i'm so glad they included her work with all the journals

i cannot get a good screenshot but there's a repeated bit of van helsing just putting his hand on quincey's gun like son please stop waving that thing around my good brave boy and it is a rare moment when i laughed in this show

the mina+van helsing interactions are so sweet 🥺

mina+RENFIELD NUMBER? that one i did not call. he does all of the lifts while in a straightjacket, phenomenal.

i can cry and scream about the bloofer lady while also laughing that lucy is the same size as this literal child, i contain multitudes

i live for the fact that literally every time either jonathan or mina comes back on stage to join the other, they run to each other and do a dramatic lift and spin, yes, they SHOULD get to hug more!

no no no i know what's coming now and i know it's going to be beautifully choreographed and performed and i'm going to hate what happens. i am likely to yell at dracula so much as this scene progresses, so let me also give my compliments now that the dancer is AMAZING and perfect in every aspect of his performance so far my god the man can dance. also who said he could have such a fantastic nose that shouldn't be allowed

btw, everyone else walks normally in this show (or like, as normally as you can in ballet shoes), but he stalks. he always has an incredibly deliberate pace with the graceful dancing stalking steps and it really sets off something in my hindbrain, i'll leave what that something is up to interpretation because the answer to any guess will be "yes"

oh heck there's no slow almost teasing horrible seduction at all in this one, it is all out and violent from the get-go

sitting here chanting no! no! no! no! as she keeps running back to jonathan but he can't! wake! up!

do love how both she and jonathan have an extended lift in their drac pas de deux with their arms outstretched like on the crucifix (multiple in mina's case, they kept moving so i couldn't get a good screenshot but there's a second one where she's hanging on him back to back with her arms hooked over his like christ)

okay this is just a gorgeous pose, they're doing such a good job and the way his face keeps cycling between ravening rage (sorry for the alliteration lol) and yearning is A+

aaaaaand now i'm back to just shouting NO at the screen

they really committed to being both horny and horrifying at the same time and not allowing you to separate those emotions, and i salute them for it

only photo i could get on jonathan's killing rage because he is booking it after that, he will not be contained

ah yes, we were overdue a number with the corps in this act, but all these writhing limbs are freaking me the hell out it's like the orgy from cats but with more corpses...

that coooooooat! and now mina's doing the ethereal trance en pointe tiny steps

also this act has gone totally off the rails and i'm so glad i read the program before i saw it xD

that lighting design though!!!

quincey D: also he is just crazy strong, damn. like i KNOW ballet dancers have to be so so strong and quincey is helping, but also that's a whole-ass man and they're both only using one arm

oh that's just a cool shot, that's some caravaggio bullshit right there

wait no THAT'S some caravaggio bullshit, i am distracting myself from quincey with the lighting design because it went off in this act especially

and that's a wrap. i'm not sure with the musical cue whether they were trying to imply the vampirism would live on in mina like the 1968 tv play or just that she would have to cope with the trauma of that night, but either way what a haunting shot to end it with

anyway, if you watched and enjoyed this ballet, if you can please donate to the ballet to support their continued work, or you can buy tickets to see it live again this year in milwaukee october 26-29, 2023

watching the 2018 milwaukee ballet production of dracula and y'all the dracula/jonathan pas de deux is amazing

[trspencermd]

Happy Friday All! It's almost that time to bring in a NEW YEAR! I can’t believe that we have made it through an entire year of living and the New Year is approaching! This past year has been an interesting year and it has truly been a pleasure and privilege to be the back and foreground for so many amazing and fun-filled events. Today’s Friday Fidelity Mix is a set that I performed for Dupont Underground ~ Disco Night! I appreciate all of the support and encouragement you have provided and I close this year out with this mix! Please EnJOY! DJ Suspence

Here is a Link to the Disco: https://www.mixcloud.com/tyronespencer96/house-of-disco/

Here is the TrackList:

1. Life Is A Dancefloor (Club Mix) ~~~ The Shapeshifters, Kimberly Davis

2. The Greatest Dancer ~~~ Sister Sledge

3. Dancin' ~~~ Peter Brown

4. Dance Dance (Nudisco Clubmix) ~~~ Block & Crown, Culum Frea

5. Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) ~~~ Chic

6. Boogie Wonderland (Dj ''S'' Rework) ~~~ Earth Wind & Fire With The Emotions

7. Boogie Oogie Oogie (Extended Rework House Edit) ~~~ A Taste of Honey

8. Boogie Oogie Oogie (Digital Visions Re-Edit) ~~~ Taste of Honey

9. Fly Robin Fly (Maxi Extended Rework Lost Temple Dub Edit) ~~~ Silver Convention

10. Funkytown (Original Boosted Extended Mix) ~~~ Lipps Inc.

11. Heart Of Glass (Oliver & Thee Mike B Remix) ~~~ Blondie

12. I Want Your Love (DJOK Extended Mastercut Remix) ~~~ Chic

13. Take Your Time (Do It Right) (Solidisco Remix) ~~~ S.O.S Band

14. I Love Music (Joey Negro Sweet Music Mix) ~~~ The OJays

15. Take Your Time (Do It Right) [Professor LaCroix Re-Edit] ~~~ SOS Band

16. Love Train (Dacyr VDJ Remix) ~~~ The OJays

17. Love Hangover - Almighty Mix ~~~ Diana Ross

18. I Need Somebody Tonight (Joey Negro Zone Mix) [feat. Thelma Houston] ~~~ Sessomatto & Thelma Houston

19. Bad Girls - Sonic Boolteg Remix ~~~ Donna Summer

20. Bad Girls - BSB Remix ~~~ Donna Summer

21. Do Ya Think I'm Sexy (Extended Rework A Djok! Special 12 Inch Club Remix) ~~~ Rod Stewart

22. Stayin Alive (Albina Mango Club Remix) ~~~ Bee Gees

23. Love Hangover (Micky More & Andy Tee Classic Disco Blend) ~~~ Joey Negro, Micky More, Andy Tee

24. About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Extended Remix) ~~~ Lizzo

25. Stomp (DJ S Bootleg Extended Dance Re-Mix) ~~~ Brothers Johnson

26. Good Times (2K21 by Marco Fratty & Marco Flash Remix) ~~~ Sister Sledge

27. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (Kenny Summit, Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper's Unreleased Anthem) ~~~ Lou Rawls

28. Dancing Queen (Love To Infinity Radio Mix) ~~~ Abba

29. YMCA (MacDoctor MV Remix) ~~~ Village People

30. Car Wash (Digital Visions Re-Edit) ~~~ Rose Royce

31. Best Of My Love ~~~ The Emotions

32. Disco Inferno (Dj S Bootleg Remix) ~~~ Trammps, L. Green, R. Kersey

33. Fantastic Voyage (Original 12 Disco Mix) ~~~ Lakeside

34. I Feel Love (Masters At Work 86th St Mix) ~~~ Donna Summer

35. Hot Stuff [Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper As Directors Cut Signature Mix] ~~~ Donna Summer

36. The Hustle (Maxi Extended Rework House Edit) ~~~ Van McCoy

37. Le Freak (DFP Remix - BPs Mixable Cut) ~~~ Chic

38. Love To Love You, Baby (Wen!nings Dance Mix) ~~~ Donna Summer

39. You Should Be Dancing (Extended Rework House Remix) ~~~ Bee Gees

40. Stayin' Alive ~~~ Bee Gees

41. Cuff It (Rightside Mark Di Meo Remix) ~~~ Beyoncé

42. Mary J. Blige Vs Doctor Love (Original Mix) ~~~ Mary J Blidge

43. The Boss Feat. Azumi Takahashi (Michele Chiavarini Remix) ~~~ Namy

44. Its Raining Men ~~~ The Weather Girls

45. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (Michael Gray Remix) ~~~ Sylvester, Michael Gray

46. Copacabana (Maxi Extended Rework A Pied Piper Disco Mix Edit) ~~~ Barry Manilow

47. I Will Survive ~~~ Gloria Gaynor, Freddie Perren, Dino Fekaris

48. Im Every Woman (Disco Purrfection Version) ~~~ Chaka Khan

49. Ain't No Stopping Us Now ~~~ Samir Maslo

50. Love To Love You, Baby (Wen!nings Dance Mix) ~~~ Donna Summer

51. Get Off (Digital Visions Re-Edit) ~~~ Foxy

52. Upside Down (Almighty Anthem Mix) ~~~ Diana Ross

53. We Are Family ~~~ Sister Sledge

54. DNA - Karizma Dub ~~~ Kendrick Lamar

Looking Forward to seeing YOU in 2024!

[chickrawker]

Nile Rogers at WFC Philly 9/7/23

I had peeped this set list before the show and all I could say was wow. I love that Duran Duran had the legendary Nile Rogers as their opener. He wrote so many hits and that's what he played for us!

Nile Rogers

Wells Fargo Center

Philadelphia PA

9/7/23

Le Freak

Everybody Dance

Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)

I Want Your Love

I'm Coming Out / Upside Down

He's the Greatest Dancer / We Are Family

Like a Virgin / Material Girl

Modern Love

Get Lucky

Let's Dance

Good Times / Rapper's Delight

There wasn't much for an introduction, they (meaning NR and his "Chic Family") launched right into their set. After I Want Your Love, he took a pause to explain (for the uninitiated I suppose) that he wrote so many hit songs and then proceeded to play them. I loved his intro of the Madonna songs. She told him LAV was going to be the first single and the name of the album and that was that. He laughed that she was right (he wanted Material Girl). I also really enjoyed Get Lucky. I know that song was everywhere all the time when it came out but it's like the perfect song to represent that moment in time. And actually timeless is a good way to describe their show. Just a really fantastic set for the ages.

Vid on insta!

[sapphic-scylla]

I’m sure people are tired of these, but I can’t just not do this for my favorite game in the series.

Dark Souls 3 Boss List (Best to Worst)

Sister Friede and Father Ariandel: The true test of endurance. 3 full phases, all of them require you to deplete a full health bar to progress, and Blackflame Friede after two other phases? It’s a brutal ask, but I’ve never enjoyed any fight more. Plus the music is FIRE.

Dancer of the Boreal Valley: Music mentions will appear a lot in this list. Dancer takes the win for best base game boss because of the music, the ominous vibe, and how difficult she can be. It’s always a coin toss how long it takes me to clear her and yet I love it. Her weapon drop is also pretty fire despite how much everyone else tends to hate them.

Darkeater Midir: WE STAN A GOOD DRAGON FIGHT! I maintain the opinion that this is the only well designed dragon fight in Dark Souls. Elden Ring tried, and I respect it, but Midir just really is everything to me even though he kicks my ass a lot.

Slave Knight Gael: This imposing figure gives me chills and makes me feel all kinds of accomplished after I beat him.

Abyss Watchers: They remind me a lot of Lady Maria and honestly that’s enough to put them up here. Never hard per se, but it’s definitely a badass fight and the music is really freaking good here.

Demon In Pain/Demon Below: Not a lot of people talk about this one, but they should. I really like the design here. The music is a banger, but this, in my opinion, was the closest they came to Ornstein and Smough in being an amazing gank fight.

Twin Princes: I got hard stuck on these guys in my first playthrough. They have a lot of nasty attacks, but there is a rhythm you can get into if you follow their attack speed. Also, music again.

Nameless King: Before DLC, this guy was THE FIGHT. This guy was the controller destroyer. He still kind of is. Dude can bring the hammer down on people who aren’t focused. His health bar is nothing to scoff at either.

Champion Gundyr: A solid, fair fight. This fight gives me chills because the only person I can blame if I die to this man is myself. Difficulty is mid, but I really enjoy this fight every time I do it.

Aldrich, Devourer of Gods: I get scared in this room. I shouldn’t, but he moves weird and he swarm attacks you like a menace. The music is also dope because it’s an ominous take on DS1 music and I love it.

Dragonslayer Armour: The one guy in this game that surprises me every time with how much damage he does. It’s like a jump scare really. I do like him a lot, but it’s always wild to get hit for so much damage and panic heal right afterwards.

Soul of Cinder: A great end to the series and a fantastic homage to the years I spent playing this game. He also attacks like Gwyn which is really nostalgic.

Yhorm the Giant: More about the cinematics than anything. Imposing guy and you take him down with a wind sword. Great power fantasy fight.

Pontiff Sulyvahn: The only fight in this list that actively makes me nervous. This dude has a lot of health no matter how leveled I think I am and he has a way of hitting me no matter how I try to avoid him.

Iudex Gundyr: Best first boss in the Souls franchise. Not hard by any means, but definitely a wake up call.

Oceiros, the Consumed King: I’ve never understood how I can beat this dude so easy. Logically, he should be destroying me, but I regularly come out of there with a win in 1-2 tries. Weird guy.

High Lord Wolnir: The solid middle of this list. Easy as hell, but he just looks so cool.

Vordt of the Boreal Valley: Solid easy game clap. Nothing too special about this guy.

Curse-Rotted Greatwood: Tree balls. That’s all I’ve got.

Crystal Sage: Forever my benchmark for kill or be killed bosses. By no means hard, but he will hose you the fuck down with magic sometimes without warning.

Old Demon King: My kryptonite in this game. He kills me for really stupid reasons. He’s like Magma Wyrms in Elden Ring. I should not struggle with this boss and yet…

Deacons of the Deep: Good place to vent out my frustration about organized religion.

Champion and Gravetender: The dog makes this fight a hassle.

Halflight, Spear of the Church: I hate PvP. Fuck this guy.

Ancient Wyvern: Why is this here? Does this count? I really don’t think so.