#but after the good zoom feat he was like

[halaboyz]

to yours, jongho

ateez busker! jongho x gn! reader fluff, angst wc: 1.8k warnings: injured reader (wheelchair-user and is said, described a few times) a/n: another inspired by one episode in the kdrama called 'tomorrow'; song has no connection to the storyline! only this song was used for the plot in the kdrama itself, and it's good! + lyrics used in the fic are from random songs, i will input it after the fic. thank you!

"How was everyone's day today? It's almost time to finally rest our eyes and end the day. There is a saying by Talmud, that rather regretting things that happened, regret the things that have yet to happen and haven't done yet. The last song for today is..."

The lady behind the radio solemnly introduces the song but it quickly fades as the bus zooms away, leaving you alone under the heavy drops of the pouring rain.

Just there. Sitting on the your wheelchair beside the bus stop, letting yourself get rained on, hopeless, tears mixing with the drops of rain in your cheeks. It was almost midnight and not even going home was on your mind, nor finding a shelter to be under in.

It felt like it was you against the world. The only thing that made you happy, dancing, was now impossible and out of reach just because of a single injury.

You glance at your casted foot and braced knee, prompting more tears to flow out of your eyes. You thought you've ran out of tears when you got your injury, your eyes seemed to always prove you wrong.

Your thoughts come to a stop when someone reaches out an umbrella over you, letting the rain fall on his back. You reluctantly and emotionlessly face the person, quietly asking him what he needed.

Surely, he's not a thief- if he wasn't dumb enough to see you still on your hospital dress.

"I'm busking near Han River tomorrow night, same time. Do you want to come?" He tries to be cheerful as he offered, his voice soft.

"Sorry. I don't have time for that." You turn, ignoring his presence again and facing in front.

"You have a whole day to decide, you shouldn't give me an answer now. It feels like you're not interested and it hurts. Do I look like I'm not a good singer?" He jokes around, but your face doesn't even budge for a small smile. He awkwardly coughs, regaining his composure. "Come on, I'll give you a VIP spot, just for you!"

"I told you I don't have tim-,"

"If you go around the corner of the convenience store there, you'll find me. Not if it's raining this hard, though! I'll have to cancel and move it to the next night. I'm a pretty famous busker there, so make sure you go early! I'm expecting you!" He blabbers, almost not making you understand.

He quickly hands you his umbrella and runs through the rain, crossing the road safely as your eyes only follow him.

When he's out of sight, your eyes trail to his umbrella, yellow brightly lighting under the lamp post.

Tomorrow's another day. Written on one side of the umbrella, with a drawing of a sun plastered beside the words, you sigh.

"Right. Another day."

It felt like it was just a blink. Did you even sleep? You rise on your hospital bed, finally zoning back in reality.

"Good you're awake. I just finished your discharge papers. Secretary Jeong will be outside after you've changed. I need to go to my office for more paperworks. Make sure you're not a pain in the ass like last night." Your mom only carelessly caresses your hair before leaving, leaving you on your bed.

Your eyes trail outside the window, sun brightly beaming its last hour.

You sigh, calling a nurse to help you around to change your clothes instead. When you were done, you were assisted out of the ward in a wheelchair, getting passed onto your family's secretary.

By the time you got home, there was nothing to do but to stare outside the window. Doors locked, eyes were on you 24/7. The sun sets in front of your eyes and it makes you dread the incoming day once again, the moon isn't even up yet.

You hear a knock outside your door, but you didn't bother even answering, knowing all too well that it didn't matter if you did. They'll force their way in, anyway.

"It's Secretary Jeong, y/n, it's late and you haven't taken any meals for today." The second you glance at the clock, it was already eight in the evening. Your eyes go back to the window, and the moon was already up. Although you swore you just saw the sun setting a minute ago. "Do you want anything?"

The secretary doesn't even expect any answer from you, but stays behind you anyway.

"Fresh air. Outside." You simply say, not even glancing at the secretary.

"You know I can't do that."

"Then try not asking next time." The oh-so-sweet attitude of yours was now long gone. As you glared at the window after being ticked-off, Secretary Jeong sighs.

"Fine. As long as this doesn't reach your mom, okay? And please, no wheeling away."

You and Jeong, as you like to call him, drive to the nearest park in your house, which is coincidentally the Han river park.

He takes you around to get the fresh air you've been wanting, holding your wheelchair tightly at all times. You do nothing and plan nothing but to admire the night view, trying to cheer yourself up.

"..Mic check, mic check..." A loud and clear voice followed by numerous cheers perk your interest in one corner of the park, and you let out a small chuckle. Jeong double checks if he hears right, furrowing his brows.

Your eyes wander around and you see the convenience store in another corner, and a forming crowd in another side.

"Right. Can I watch?" You go back to having a poker face, glancing at him. He reluctantly nods and pushes your wheelchair on a side where the crowd can't trample on you, but the singer is visible anyway.

"Then, I'll start now. Please look and listen to us prettily," He smiles and points at the people behind him having cajon and a piano on the side. He looks around first with the goal of finding someone before sighing and prepping.

A rose blossoming among the concrete Please be alive Thrive and grow, don’t snap A blanket of thorns How tough it must’ve been Thank you for standing strong

He starts off solemn, cheery. He gains a few more people to listen and interestingly look at him, singing along and waving along. The lyrics hit you like a brick, making you sigh. You enjoy the way the words flow out of his lips melodically, like it was so easy to do in real life.

“I didn’t want any of this” I can say I can hate but nothing will change Looking back now I see the me with eyes forward Standing strong getting’ by moment to moment Didn’t think much just believed in me ... I’m a rose among the concrete Until this bleak city becomes filled with color I’ll keep my head up, stand my ground until the very end Until they get drunk off of my scent and smile

When he finished the song, he gained a loud cheer and applause, making him shyly succumb behind the thin mic stand while muttering continuous thank you's.

"Okay. That was our first song," He smiles, eyes still looking around. When he finally sees someone sat on a wheelchair just behind the crowd, he finally heaves a sigh of relief and smiles at you. "It's not the end of the world. You can bloom even in the smallest things, unexpected places. You can cry, you can take a break. As long as you don't give up, the world will be a better place."

He doesn't break eye contact as he says everything, smiling at you and then back to the crowd as if he didn't do anything such as change your life by helping you.

"Okay, next song!"

Jeong takes a good look at you, because finally, after weeks, there was a smile on your face and as much as his phone was getting bombarded by your mother's calls, he couldn't care a second.

"Let me finish another song and then we'll wrap up for today. Again, tonight too, it has been Choi Jongho, everybody. Thank you!" All that mattered was his name. He still introduced the ones that came with him, though. You just didn't care.

Though a permanent scar May be the price of holding you I'll give my all to you, to you ... So you won't get any scars, I'll hold you Even when I'm hurt, I'll guard you No need to worry, I'm here for you Look at my smile, it's my all for you When all lights fade When I sink to the ground When I drown in despair I'll still hold you close

"Did you enjoy? I thought you didn't have time?" Jongho, after fixing his things and bidding goodbye to his group, has come and smile brightly at you. "I told you I had a place for you. If you came a it earlier and where I can see you, I would've placed you there beside us."

Jeong only walks a few steps away in confusion for your privacy, still keeping his eyes on you.

"Who did you come with? Who's he?" Jongho curiously looks at the man, and Jeong only looks back. When he gets no answer, he takes his eyes back on you. "Are you that starstruck?"

"Thank you." You smile, "I actually didn't remember until awhile ago, when I was already here and you were already starting. I'm glad I wanted fresh air. I'm glad I was taken here. I'm glad to hear you sing. But most importantly, I'm glad that you had the most melodic voice I ever heard." You joke around, chuckling. He also laughs wholeheartedly, smiling at you.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it too, then."

"Those songs too... Thank you. I'm not saying you sang it for me, but it definitely did its part for me. So thank you, Mister Choi Jongho." He gives you a small smile and extends his hand for you to shake.

"I believe I deserve an incentive." He sharply inhales and glares jokingly at you.

"Oh. Right. I don't have anything on me, but Jeong will." You were about to signal for Jeong when he takes your hand, shaking it.

"I was joking. Your name will do. So let's start again. Hi, I'm Choi Jongho and you're...?" Jongho smiles expectantly, waiting for you.

As your name slips out of your lips, he shakes your hand mumbles a nice to meet you.

"Don't you think you owe me another one for my umbrella?" He shakes his head, looking down on his feet. You chuckle, asking him what he wanted.

"Is it finally money because I can call Jeong,"

"Your number and maybe a few dates?" He mumbles, looking wherever except your eyes.

It takes you a few seconds before you break into a genuine smile, reaching for his phone in his hand.

"There." You give it back to him and he squeals internally, giddily on his toes and checking his phone.

"Okay, maybe that umbrella- I just found it on the lost and found area. But it served great purpose!" You gasp at the confession, finally laughing at your heart's content.

Because finally, even when you thought your world has just been broken down to pieces, an angel has come and saved you.

h1key - rose blossom young k - guard you

*i got all english lyrics from genius!

[mayiwritesomething]

Love is An Unfamiliar Name (Pt. 1)

You’re a sucessful and methodic award winner music composer and producer, that after working on a few movies got invited to coordinate the sound department on a TV series, by your busy and controlled schedule, it will be just another project on your portifolio… but life sometimes has a funny way to surprise you.

Wordcount: 1,6k

A/N: guys just be nice to me since this is my first fic haha, that i decided to write just for fun. I apologize if there is any mistakes since english is not my first language. In this first chapter i tried to give a little bit of our main caracter background (she may seem a little stupid at first, but she’s got a big heart and is just scared of showing too much affection). And since this is a real person celebrity fic i tried just to write a fun story. Hope you like it :)

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Dinner

"Goodbye, boss! Could you please brief me on how the meeting will unfold?" Jennifer says with a smile.

"Stop calling me that! Jesus!" you respond with a less than welcoming expression, that might scare those unaware of your kind nature.

Jennifer continues to laugh, saying, "Oh, come on! I'm just getting into the spirit. I've already gathered the entire team for the project and sent you the email with the details. I heard this guy Craig is as methodical as you."

She takes another sip of a drink, the contents of which are unclear due to the image quality, but you assume it's some kind of energy-boosting juice. "I also discovered he's a fan of your work, so you're all set! The brainstorming session you organized for the plot is fantastic", she adds, concluding with a laugh, "Bye, good luck, bossy!"

“Bye Jenny!”

Jennifer, has been your assistant of nearly a decade and a friend for much longer, understood your aversion to titles. Despite this, for the next ten months at least, you were going to assume the role of a boss. Coordinating an entire sound team was no easy feat; having experience on both sides, you were well aware of the challenges ahead. However, in this case, you were not just a regular composer working on a typical project. You were a fan adapting one of your favorite games for the big screen, something that filled you with anxiety.

As Jenny had predicted, the meeting was a success. Time seemed to fly by as you delved into your passion for music and its transformative impact on a serie. This phase of your career gave you the freedom to choose your collaborators, and Craig was someone you wanted work with for some time. Over the course of a three-hour Zoom call, you found that you connected well, not only with Craig but also with the rest of the team. Together, you had a productive briefing, establishing the desired atmosphere that would align with both the essence of the game and the script you held in your hands.

As life began to regain its rhythm post-lockdown, you still felt a hint of anxiety about going out and mingling with more than four people. However, this evening called for celebration with your friends, primarily because Jenny wouldn't let you be, insisting that you only pretended to enjoy being by yourself. She believed you needed "some drinks, good food, laughter, tears, and maybe getting laid."

Following your last breakup, you had made a promise to yourself to not date anyone for a year, a vow you upheld not just for one year but for the following one as well. Suddenly, all the men and women you encountered seemed uninteresting, but you still had some fun in one night standings, which by the way made some of the people you met quite angry, as you would just leave without saying anything.

As soon as you arrived at the bistro booked by Jenny for you and the girls, Maria said out loud, “Here comes THE GOAT!!”

'”Shhhhh, Maria! This is a private place,' you whispered, glancing over your shoulder, although people were emerged in their own worlds and conversations, allowing you and your friends to enjoy a pleasant girl night.

“Come on, girl, you're the award winner here, not to mention THE SOUND COORDINATOR! Aren't you thrilled?” Jenny attempted to lighten the mood.

“Of all the episodes, by the way” Amy chimed in.

“Yes, girls, of course, I'm happy”, you replied with a smile. “I am a bit nervous and overwhelmed. It's going to be a year-long project, surrounded by a considerable number of people, that might include some famous individuals whose crazy egos I definitely don't enjoy working with.'

“But hey, you’re not a jane doe honey” Jenny added.

You went on to explain the challenges of dealing with ego driven actors. 'I don't even know what the Game of Thrones guy is like in real life, we only spoke via Zoom. He's an actor; he could portray niceness on screen and be difficult in real life. We all know that's a possibility.'

Jenny and Maria appeared surprised or apprehensive you couldn’t understand the reason, so you kept going, 'He's an actor; he can pretend to be nice and be a dick off-screen; we all know this can happen.'

“Girl… just…” Amy interjected, her expression showing concern.

“What?!” You interrupted her “ Amy, I'm not lying... I'll have to talk to him a lot,' you retorted, visibly frustrated by the thought.

"Stop!”, she continued.

“Why?” Judging by the expression on the girls' faces, you knew you had messed something up. Were the HBO executives present? Where anyone that shouldn’t be there listening to you? Damn it.

Resignation.

This time, Jenny spoke in a hushed tone, “By the 'Game of Thrones' guy, you mean the one sitting right behind you?” She attempted to maintain calm so you would’t crack. She said something else, but you were so flustered that you couldn't make out her words or anyone else's. Should you turn around to face the person behind you? Should you chuckle and say you were joking? Should you just...

“Well, I assure you I'm not a dick, even if someone who doesn't know me may think so,” a male voice behind you interjected. Damn the Game of Thrones guy.

You turned to face him, and he continued, “Hi, pleased to meet you in person, award winner sound coordinator. Well… I'm the Game of Thrones guy, or Pedro, whichever you prefer.” His words made you reflect on how snob you must have sounded. He had heard everything. You felt awful.

“Oh, well, pleased to meet you in person too, Pedro! I didn’t…” You struggled to form a coherent sentence in your head. Damn, he smelled good. “My name is... um… I am…” Nothing seemed to make sense in your mind anymore. Why say your name when you had spoken to him before?

“Never mind,” he said, smiling. “I know your name and who you are. We met before. By the way, I'm a huge fan of your work.” He knew how to be cirurgical yet polite, which made you chuckle, even though you just wanted to vanish.

Pedro was undeniably good-looking, not exactly your cup of tea, but you couldn't deny his charm. The way he responded to your stupid remarks made him seem more intriguing. You felt a bit woozy. What had you gotten yourself into?

“Pedro, I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m sorry,” you apologized, attempting to clarify. “I'm terrible with names.” You were being honest. Now he appeared more serious, and your voice began to tremble. “I mean... I'm only making things worse, aren't I?”

“A little bit,” he chuckled softly, sounding genuine. Glancing over his shoulder, you noticed a beautiful brunette lady at the other end of the table. You waved, receiving a forced smile in return. Back to Pedro. Stop behaving like a teenager. Pull yourself together. Jenny said something, but you didn't catch it. Keep. It. Together.

"I guess I'm the one who came off as a jerk... I know I sounded pretentious, and I apologize," you began, finding your voice. "I've had some really bad experiences with certain actors and their egos, so I was worried you might be like them… so i…" All those therapy sessions seemed to be paying off; he was listening to you, paying attention not only to your words but also to your uncomfortable gestures. You pushed past the discomfort and continued, "I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Your voice dropped to almost a whisper in the last sentence.

"So you might want to think twice before mentioning someone’s name in a private restaurant in Los Angeles, don't you think?" He spoke with a hint of irony, almost provocatively. You took the bait.

"Not tha-" You were about to respond when Jenny interjected, "Hey! I believe Pedro here has a date to attend to, right buddy?" He nodded smiling, and Maria chimed in, "And you, girl, promised us a night out and turned it into a work-related gathering." Those girls were true diplomats.

"I don’t want to take up any more of your time, Pedro," you said, maintaining a serious expression as you locked eyes with his dark gaze, your usual impenetrable poker face firmly in place.

"Never mind," he replied. "By the way-"

"Hey babe, do you want to call your friends to join us?" the attractive lady accompanying him interjected, her tone dripping with irony.

"It won't be necessary," Maria retorted, clearly annoyed. She was hungry, and anyone who knew her understood how irritable she could get when hunger struck. You KNEW she was on the verge of losing her cool.

"I'm sorry for this disruption; we didn't mean to interrupt your date, guys."

"Sorry... you do seem to like that word, don't you?" The pretty brunette girl knew how to be ironical.

"Yeah, thanks for the heads up," you responded, laughing almost manically and subtly holding Maria back, knowing she was on the brink of saying something that could have gotten all four of you kicked out of the restaurant. Jenny steered you to another table far away from them, while Amy engaged the waiter in conversation. Your hands felt as cold as ice.

"See you soon, sound coordinator... oops, AWARD-winning sound coordinator," he said with a chuckle as he returned to his table. "Hopefully, we can prove to each other that we're nice people."

"I'm looking forward to it... Game of Thrones guy." You waved and smiled more than necessary as you both returned to your respective dinner conversations.

You replayed this encounter in your mind all the way home. How could he not be angry with you? There were still a few months until filming begins, and yet you felt an unfamiliar sense of anxiety creeping in. Opening your door, you continued to mull over his ironic parting words: "Hopefully, we can prove to each other that we're nice people," you repeated with a grin.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to wait and see.” You said.

Wait. And. See.

[randomwriteronline]

@lee-the-yeen hello. for your big brain. i offer you. A gifte :)

(this is part of the Kingdom AU, idk if u know it, but in short a bunch of stuff happens and so theyre eels who live in a fountain named after them in this one. matoran of iron go feed them sometimes. dw it will make sense eventually, possibly. also im including some hcs from ur post bc theyre baller)

"There's a nook at the other end of the fountain, you know," Kotu mentioned nonchalantly as she haphazardly launched jerky strips all over the water.

Vezok didn't make much out of it, as he was busy zooming back and forth with his mouth open trying to get as much food in it as possible, because he had been tricked into being left hungry and angry enough times for him to be very much done with it; Hakann and Thok, instead, quirked their brows at that with cautious, gluttonous interest.

"Is that so?" the Ice Skakdi mused.

"Not that you should go there," the Ga-Matoran continued.

"And why not?"

"Well, I bet there's nothing for you."

"Bah!" Hakann cried out with a snap of his jaws: "And I bet you've got something hidden in that cranny!"

Kotu snickered at him: "How'd you suppose I'd do that?" she asked in an almost mocking tone, "It's not like you wouldn't have know if I'd ever set foot in these Piraka-infested waters before."

"But you could've when it was being built!"

"Why haven't you jumped in yet, by the by?" Thok added, mellifluous voice oozing out of his smirk; he began swimming back and forth just under where she sat with fluid motions, doing a real bad job at looking menacing. "Aren't we friends? Come on, get in for a swim with your old pals, little Matoran, and we can help you get back what you've stashed away in that nook, what do you say?"

She smiled with mischievous intent and a high pitched hum: "Oh, I've got to wait a moment or so first."

"Scared of a little water?"

"No, just wanna check how quick the poison works."

Vezok swallowed his enormous mouthful of jerky as loudly and grottesquely as possible before spitting a spray of water at her: "That's Kane-Ra waste," he decreted, "That slobber tasted great!"

"Aw, thank you! I put a lot of effort on masking the toxin's flavor!"

"Good thing you ate all of it, Vezok," Hakann played along with her: "It was getting a bit crammed in here."

His former backstabbing associate whipped around to bite his chin right off, and in a moment they were both speeding after one another across the fountain as thought it had turned into a pinball machine and they were trying for a new high score, with fitting background music so kindly provided by Thok's deafening laugh and Kotu's snorting giggles.

"Aren't they cute?" she cackled to the silent ex-Piraka beneath her.

Zaktan remained very serious as he slowly turned a side-eyed glare onto her Rau: "You're setting us up."

The Matoran widened her eyes and gasped dramatically with her hands flying on her heartlight: "Me?" she exclaimed, as false as a Vortixx's praise. "Set you up to some prank for my own amusement? Whatever are you saying! I would never do such a thing!"

His jaws lunged lazily out the water to bite at her, missing entirely; Kotu skipped away with a little yelp, not scared in the slightest, and left the Skakdi to their inevitable in-fighting.

In the meantime, Vezok had managed to bite down on one of Hakann's spikes and was being violently yanked around by the red armored Piraka while he screamed his entire head off - which considering they were little more than heads by now meant he was attempting the rather incredible feat of beheading himself without having a body - and Thok convulsed his spine into knots coughing laughs through his clogged gills.

This sort of happenstance really did make him miss the pleasant days of trying to kill each other at every opportunity.

"Quiet!" Zaktan barked at last before their idiocy could kill him with a fulminous aneurysm. The other three Skakdi stumbled, rolled, and hushed at last. "That infernal little thing wants to trick us! She's got something in store for us, something I don't like. I'll bet that nook doesn't even exist."

Hakann scoffed: "Of course I don't trust her! What sort of idiot to you take me for?"

"I've known you too long for my answer to be courteous."

"But she could've told a half truth," Vezok butted in. "And I've seen that cranny she mentioned."

"Did you see it, or only think you saw it?" Thok questioned wisely.

"I said I saw it!" his companion snapped: "It's half covered in rocks and it's barely anything interesting!"

"That sounds like it could be any scrape on the side of the fountain!"

"It's no scrape, it's an opening! It's the one she meant!"

"Let's see this, then," Zaktan conceded, "Just to check if the little Water maiden's words had some inkling of truth to them."

So, still trading doubtful looks, the four toothy beings swam quickly, following their blue armored associate's lead.

The Piraka fountain (so graciously named after them after they'd been confined in it, as they couldn't very well be left to prowl the shores and have free reign on the toes of anybody that dared dip their feet in the water) wasn't as small as it looked like: those Onu-Matoran architects were quite skilled at building things that were much bigger than they appeared - likely on account of their experience living underground in tunnels that would have otherwise been downright suffocating.

It took as such quite a while for the mutated Skakdi to find the specific spot Vezok had mentioned. They were rather pleased to find that their search hand't been in vain: lo and behold, in a corner of the structure there opened some kind of hole half buried behind a hastily put together barricare of small rocks, looking not shallow at all.

The Water Skakdi grinned victoriously: "See! Beings of little faith!"

"Incredible," Thok noted - unsure whether to attribute the word to the fact that Kotu hadn't lied, or that Vezok had indeed connected the dots correctly for once.

Zaktan slithered closer to the opening.

"So?" Hakann egged him on. "Get in! See what's in there!"

The glare the green armored being shot him was accompanied by the Ice Skakdi's complaint: "And why don't you go in, huh? Scared to get your tail chomped?"

"What about you, then!" the other immediately bit back: "If you're so brave, go ahead!"

"Of course I won't, I'm not built for recognition! We should send in Reidak for this - nothing can kill that brute, anyways."

"And where is he?" Vezok asked.

"What sort of question is that!"

Then Thok hushed.

"I have no idea." he admitted finally.

Hakann howled a guffaw: "Great job on the detective skills! You wouldn't notice a Manas crab if it was charging at you!"

"Oh, shut your trap! Where's Avak, then, huh? Do you know that?"

"Of course I do!" and after a quick turning of his head left and right, the red Skakdi tried to save his hide by declaring, with the arrogance of someone trying to cover a mistake: "Not here, clearly!"

"Ah, well, aren't you observant!"

"Get off my back, he's a different deal! We could lose him in a shallow pool with how tiny he is!"

"Quit your yapping," Zaktan hissed suddenly. "I hear something."

The other three swarmed him immediately.

There was indeed a sound coming from within the nook. It was cavernous, and intermittent, with a rumbling cadence typical of something very large and (for now) relaxed. Perhaps it had heard their bickering and was warning them? No, that seemed unlikely; but at the same time, they couldn't quite rule out that possibility.

This sounded like something to be handled by someone near indestructible... Or with the right cage always at the ready.

Where were those two idiots when you needed them?

Vezok, with his animalistic strength and dim wits, was the best next thing, the other three reasoned. But before they could order him around he had already shoved them further into the nook, blocking off the exit with his big dumb head.

"Safety in numbers," he growled; caught between two beasts as they were, his associates decided it would be wiser not to argue.

It wasn't a long trip, but it certainly felt like it.

The little entrance opened into a short tunnel heading for another somewhat wider opening; now added to the grumbling groans growing louder with every inch they swam forward was another sound, a little softer but equally as insistent, warped by the water as well, probably belonging to a second unseen creature.

This kind of news tends not to be very warmly welcomed when one is scouting uncharted caverns. And yet, though they were certainly not happy to hear it, they couldn't shake off a strange feeling of familiarity about it.

There was just something about it - and the rumbling too, it reminded them of something, but where could they have heard anything like that? It seemed so natural, like, like...

They made themselves as flat as they could against the ground and walls, and peeked through the opening at last.

The scene was... Well.

To anybody else, it would have been rather puzzling.

Reidak was growling up a storm, lips pulled around his impressive chompers in a large square frame, otherwise almost immoble aside from a few quick jolts every now and them; swimming around him in short bursts, Avak busied himself biting everywhere across his spine, gnawing at his angular spikes and chin like a properly furious eel desperate to tear the skin off its prey.

Any other being would have rightfully assumed they were having some kind of silent argument, or maybe some specific fighting ritual not particularly well known outside of Zakaz, and concluded that losing a limb to part them was not worth the risk; being the former Piraka properly brought up Skakdi, however, they were intimately aware of what was indeed going on, and to say they were embarrassed beyond bewilderment would have been an understatement. To put things into perspective, they would have gladly gone back into the Shadowed One's employ if that could have somehow immediately teleported them away from the scene they were bearing witness to.

It distinctly didn't help that right as they thought that Reidak reared his big ugly head to lazily chomp on Avak's cheek, eliciting a similarly loud and fond growl from the smaller being.

Between their difference in height and the Stone Skakdi's vague thagomizer, they looked like some weird parody of a typical pair coming from some upside down version of Zakaz where the females were tinier and males much larger.

They were necking.

And Great Spirit knew how little their associates wanted to see that.

The four unfortunate Skakdi tried to slink away, to leave that little disgusting lovenest and forget all about this experience; alas they all had the same idea at the same time, which resulted in them smacking their tough skulls right against one another, producing a terrifying rockus akin to a dozen pots and pans carelessly being launched onto a tinfoil roof.

Certainly, in another situation, this woul have led to some kind of infinite argument with plenty of physical retaliation.

In this situation, however, they instead became very aware of the fact that the two gross sweethearts had immediately hushed and were peering directly into their souls with the sort of gazes that would make a Takea shark feel deeply unsafe.

Hakann suddenly felt a great void around himself.

He glanced at his sides: the other three Piraka had mysteriously vanished while he'd been petrified.

Sons of a--

Next thing he knew he had been chased out of the nook with Avak clamped around his head in an attempt to crush his skull between his teeth while prattling in a shrill muffled voice (mouth still full of Fire Skakdi) something about not having a moment of privacy in this blasted fountain.

He would have certainly ended up exploding like a watermelon between a pair of muscular enough thighs if Reidak hadn't swam up to his beartrap-mouthed partner and knocked Hakann out of his invincible bite. Granted, the impact had enough force to smack him right into the fountain floor where he formed a small crater, but he'd take a mild concussion over being turned into the two halves of a delicious freshly split open coconut.

His vision swam for a few moments as he tried to get his bearings again. By the time sight came back to him, two pairs of glowering eyes were squashing him against the ground.

"Liked what you saw?" Reidak growled - no longer in the amorous tone he'd reserved for the Stone Skakdi's affection.

"No," Hakann peeped: "Not at all."

"Then you'll keep your ugly mug out of our business, now?" Avak hissed, so cose he could almost still feel his teeth clenched around his temples.

The red armored being nodded hastily.

"All four of you?"

He nodded even harder.

A second later he was flung away, almost directly out of the water, and the other two Skakdi watched him hurry as far away from their nook as his fishy body would allow him to swim.

The Earth Skakdi huffed, piqued: "The nerve of some beings..."

"I bet it was Kotu," the other snarled as he paced back and forth. "That nosy little thing - I saw her, you know! I bet she told them there was some treasure or other... Ah, next time I catch her--!"

"You should put her in an airtight ball," his partner suggested: "So we can knock her in the fountain and toss her between ourselves."

The thought tore a hysterical cackle out of Avak as he contorted in time with his own guffaws, spirits definitely lifted: "Ha! Ha, now that's an idea! Wouldn't that be a sight! That little prankster wailing and crying, smacking her mask all over the prison while we throw her about... Oh, that'd be payback, alright!"

Reidak chuckled hard while curling around him; the smaller being's thin spine fit perfectly within black spikes shaped like square brackets, letting the two snuggle like a pair of vicious water snakes locked in a fight to the death.

A quick chomp around his third eye-like lump on his forehead brought the larger of the two back from his nuzzling haze.

His grin turned sharp, his eyes squinting at Avak in an awfully dangerous manner: "Ah?" he only drawled, letting his cavernous voice ripple through the water.

The Stone Skakdi bristled - exactly like he used to bristle back before their mutation whenever Reidak would come just a little too close to him, shaking his spine hard and subtly swinging his thagomizer to convince the other he was a enough of a threat to be left well alone, or else; but this felt a little more performative, like some kind of invitation instead of a 'keep out' sign, especially with that nervous smirk accompanying the motion, and his tardiness in trying to escape, only making a move when his tail was already mellowly held between his Earth companion's big jaws.

"You think you're smart, uh?" Reidak chuckled.

"Smarter than your ugly mug, for certain!" Avak bit back, and gnawed at his forehead again.

He laughed as his tail was yanked with a muffled: "Why, I oughta--!"

"You oughta what? Teach me a lesson?"

"Are you mocking me, you Fikou?"

"So what if I was?"

"Oh, that's it then," and as they wrestled playfully, biting each other silly between gross ugly chuckles, they began yanking one another back into their not too secret little nook. "Let's settle this like proper Skakdi, eh?..."

[theradicalkanji]

I want to ramble a out crazy DND stuff again. For the last few weeks our team has been on a mission to rescue hostages from the evil army. The evil army has been using hostages on their ships to prevent The Good Guys ™️ from just blowing the ships up.

We had a couple of pretty intense battles on the main ships in the armada (the flagship and the battleship.) But after that the rest of the ships were all smaller skirmishers or supply ships.

My DM lets me get away with a lot of nonsense with Detect Thoughts, and I fully admit this.

My character is a storm fairy with the telepathic feat. He's small. He can fly. He can cast detect thoughts. And he can send telepathic messages back to the crew. This made him perfect for scouting runs. I had him do laps around the enemy ships while using Detect Thoughts and ping as many minds as possible. Once someone has been detected with detect thoughts, the surface level thoughts can also be heard. So tried to pick out the surface level thoughts of all the people on the ship and sort through who was a soldier and who was a hostage. Doing this, he was able to map the location of all the people on the ship and relay this back to the main party so they could sneak up on the ship. Silently take down the guards on the perimeter, rescue the hostages, and get out without being seen. Doing this tactic we were able to clear out two ships without taking any damage.

One of the ships, however, had another storm fairy on it. One of Lumen's friends was captive, and the fairy was hooked up to a device which drained it's power and powered a device which controlled the weather in the area. Lumen managed to sneak in, get to the device, and (having escaped a similar device himself) as able to disarm it and get the fairy to safety without the crew noticing. After that, Lumen began to do the thing where he maps the ship with detect thoughts, however, this time he failed the stealth check. (he's small but he glows in the dark and is super noisy. The dude has no dex mod. )

The guards spot him and raise the alarm, but to his (and my) surprise. The guards were like. "The fairy escaped! Get him back into the lantern!" And so Lumen is like. Wait. They think I'm Zip. This is perfect!

Lumen relays as much of the hostages locations that he can and starts zooming around the deck of the ship just being a total nuisance and being and obnoxiously hard to catch as possible. (And thanks to taking the dodge action every turn and having 24 AC with shield, the guards straight up couldn't hit him.) While the guards are busy with him, the rest of the party managed to slip in and rescue the hostages without taking a single point of damage.

[sparatus]

BATHHOUSE BULLSHIT

wip game

TEEHEE so bathhouse bullshit is an exchange fill, not secret because we crave validation, but it's desabrudas early years back when they still only sometimes got along

basic premise is the shitbird squad (des, valis, heavy, mal, and lup) are on gothis, already a garbage miserable planet, and the weather has been god fucking awful, nonstop rain for like a month, it's terrible, nobody's in a good mood and even best friends are at each other's throats, so the brass springs for a morale booster day including some time at a local spa. both des and val are looking for time away from other people, but end up in the same private room, and are both too proud and stubborn to just bow out and find a different one. arguing and one-upmanship and "i hate that you're attractive, fuck you" ogling ensues.

and here, a snip feat. baby saren, for comedy reasons:

--

Saren looked up reviews online for him. Didn't even say a word, just pulled it up on the cheap little terminal he used for school, slid it down the coffee table to Des, and went back to the historically-accurate Thiayan sentry tower he was building in CuBuild. It wasn't even a shitty spa like he’d been expecting, and that might have pissed him off even more if the mere concept of an actual soak in a hot tub instead of a shitty, low-pressure shower wasn't getting him vibrating out of his plates already. Friendly staff, massages, glowing reviews, plate care... private rooms. A private soak sounded good.

“You should go," Saren told him, pulling his terminal back over so he could consult his references again. “You've been in a bad mood, it would help you."

Desolas twitched. "I have not been in a bad mood,” he grumbled, more automatic than real.

"You were taunting Valis the other day. You only taunt her when you want her to beat you up, and you only want her to beat you up when you're in a sucky mood, ’cause it gives you an excuse to get in a fight.” Saren's eyes hadn't left the vidscreen, now zooming out to check his work. "And you calm down when she throttles you, for some reason. You know therapy’s free, right? We're communists.”

Desolas froze, his neck slowly warming. Oh, he was not having that conversation. Saren was old enough to know about sex, he was eleven, imperial public education covered sex ed starting at nine, but there was no age old enough to know why his big brother got woozy and in a better mood after a giant Edessi held him down and crushed him against the earth. And what business did he have calling him out like that, anyway? Fucking kid.

He watched the screen for a minute, then leaned over. “You forgot the quad."

Saren's mandibles fluttered. “The quad?"

“Yeah, the quad. Y'know. To complete the big, throbbing krogan dick you're building.”

Now it was Saren's turn to freeze, staring at the screen like a baby varren had just gotten its head lopped off in front of him. Desolas raised his hand to point. "See, there's the head, and that's the ridging, and–”

He was interrupted by a strangled shriek and a puny preteen scrabbling at his arm and cowl, and then wrestling his brother on the floor restored his mood enough to text Malcolus to put his name on the list for him. After he’d let Saren win and assured him his tower looked great and definitely not like a krogan penis, of course.

[lifeofkaze]

A Search for Balance

CHAPTER 39: ONE LAST SHOT

Find the masterlist with all chapters of this story here, the previous chapter here, and the next one here.

After Lizzie’s speech, it was with renewed fire that the Wigtown Wanderers rose into the air. 

With Skye being taken out of the game, the Montrose Magpies’ dominance became almost crushing. They had the advantage in numbers, and with a manoeuvre as spectacular as the Quaffle Cutback used against them, the team from Montrose was even more intent on proving they were the reigning champions for a reason.

At least for now, where Lizzie and her team were concerned, who fought against the Magpies’ onslaught tooth and nail. Time was playing into their hands; they were a few hours into the match, and the sun that had stood high in the sky in the beginning was slowly edging its way toward the horizon. It shone directly into the face of Montrose’s Keeper, forcing Anthony O’Leary to shield his eyes from its light with one hand at all times.

Lizzie and Orion quickly figured out how to use the changed conditions to their advantage. They advanced on the squinting O’Leary simultaneously, swooping in on him with the sun directly in their backs and passing the Quaffle to the other at the very last moment. O’Leary stood no chance against them that way, having to watch helplessly as the Quaffle soared past him and through the goalposts time and time again.

The Wanderers quickly racked up points that way, their Beaters working overtime to make sure the Quaffle stayed in Wigtown’s possession. When Lizzie and Orion advanced on the goalposts yet again, the Beaters from Montrose had enough; they made short work of a Bludger flying past them, simultaneously hitting it with both their bats and hurtling it toward Orion. Lizzie saw the spinning iron sphere in time and called out, giving Orion just enough time to fly a swerve and let the Bludger shoot past him.

Having missed its intended mark, the Bludger spun onwards. It passed into the Magpies’ scoring zone, coming at Anthony O’Leary straight in line with the sun. A collective gasp went through the stands as it collided with his helmet, knocking both the Keeper and his broom against the goalposts. O’Leary crumpled on his broomstick and, all tension having left his body, spiralled slowly towards the ground. 

Like the Wanderers had before, the Magpies gathered around their injured Keeper, and after a quick conversation between their captain and the umpire, the match resumed with evened out numbers. 

Lizzie had observed the situation with a mixture of worry and hope. Her mind was racing; she felt bad for even thinking it, but O’Leary’s knock-out was more than fortunate for them. She caught Orion’s eye, who nodded at her briefly; he seemed to be thinking the same. Feeling a little less guilty, Lizzie steered her broomstick back to the centre circle, where the Quaffle would be released again. It was time to turn the tide for good. 

With O’Leary gone, the Montrose Beaters now focused most of their attention on Lizzie and Orion to keep them from scoring. Bethany Tweed and Dougal Docherty did their best to keep their remaining two Chasers out of harm’s way, but even so outflying the Bludgers sent after them was no easy feat.

All the while, the Seekers were fighting their own battle. Being left without support from their respective Beaters, they zoomed across the Quidditch pitch both horizontally, vertically, and in wild spirals, trying to outsmart each other with  flying manoeuvres that became both more desperate and reckless by the second. 

Lizzie paid their antics little mind. Her mind was focused on scoring, and with Montrose’s goalposts abandoned, she and Orion managed to do so more than once. She was just flying by the hollering stands in celebration when two broomsticks shot past her so quickly that her ponytail was whipped into her face. 

Scout Sheridan lay flat on her broom, her hand outstretched and only inches away from the blurred fleck of gold racing to evade her grasp. Hawk Huntington, the Magpies’ Seeker, was close on her broomstick bristles, his black-and-white robes billowing behind him as he tried gaining ground. He was fuelled by sheer desperation. If the Wanderers caught the Snitch now, the match would be over and they would win. If the Magpies caught it, however, there was still a chance for them. The Wanderers were leading with 150 points. If Montrose caught the Snitch, there would be a shoot-out. 

The hunt for the Quaffle forgotten, Lizzie, the stands, and the rest of the assembled players watched as Scout and Huntington raced for the championship. Huntington urged his broomstick on, ever so slowly inching closer. Lizzie held her breath. Scout was still ahead, and so close to catching the Snitch, but Huntington was taller, and with a better reach. Scout’s fingers were just moments away from triumph, her fingertips almost grazing the rapidly beating wings of the Snitch, when Huntington lurched forward, pushed her arm aside, and closed his fist around the fluttering golden ball. 

Singled-out cheers came from the Montrose fans as apprehensive silence settled over the stadium. The announcer cleared his throat. 

“Huntington catches the Golden Snitch in a spectacular head-to-head race with Sheridan and secures 150 points for the Montrose Magpies.” His voice quivered with excitement. “That makes the score even, ladies and gentlemen. The unthinkable has happened - the match is not finished. The new champion of the British and Irish Quidditch League will be determined in a shoot-out!”

Lizzie tried in vain to push away the anxiety building in her stomach as the announcer went on to explain the rules. Substitutions for injured players still weren’t allowed, but different to the regular playtime, every player on the pitch could try and score. Gathering her team around her, she let her eyes wander over their tired but determined faces. Her gaze lingered on Warren Porter, their Keeper, in particular. The bulk of the pressure was resting on his broad shoulders now. 

From out of nowhere, the last time she had won a trophy popped up in Lizzie’s mind. Hufflepuff had played Gryffindor for the House Cup, and their Keeper had been knocked unconscious pretty early in the game. Everything had looked like they were headed into a shoot-out as well, and it had only been thanks to a veritable last-second goal from Skye that they had been able to secure the deciding points before the match had ended.

Back then, Lizzie had been relieved that they had avoided having to go into a shoot-out. This time, everything was different. This time, they still had a Keeper. 

“Everything’s settled, then,” she smiled at her team encouragingly after all technicalities had been sorted. All, but one. “Who wants to go last?” 

Her question was met with awkward silence. Lizzie had expected no different. The rules had both teams taking turns, and Montrose would be going first. Being the follow-up added an additional layer of pressure; the first team set the bar, the second could do nothing but react. The last player to score mostly had it worst. Usually, one team or another would have failed at least one shot at this point, so the responsibility of either getting their team into a second round or securing the win rested solely on their shoulders. 

Lizzie waited for anyone to speak up, but unsurprisingly, no one did. Presently, Orion took heart. 

“The last of us will need shoulders strong enough to carry the result of everyone preceding him. It is no easy task. It should be someone used to handling the Quaffle and the pressure. You led us well to this point, Captain. It’d be an honour to relieve you of the responsibility, if you want me to.”

Lizzie gave him a grateful look, but she could tell that Orion wasn’t actually keen on the job. He had a point, though. She had led their team through the better part of this match. She had done what was expected of her, but her task wasn’t over yet. She swallowed heavily.

“We need to start off on the right foot, so I want you to go first.” Gripping the handle of her broomstick tighter, she did her best to quell the dropping feeling in her stomach. “The last shot’s gonna be mine.”

They all nodded at each other once, then joined the Magpies and the referee at the centre circle. The shoot-out began. The first player to go was one of the Magpies’ Beaters, a stocky, dark-skinned wizard who came at Warren hovering before the goalposts with force. He made his shot with strength but little precision, but still it went past Warren’s outstretched hands. Lizzie held her breath as the Quaffle bounced off the metal of the leftmost hoop and fell through it on the other side a moment later. Trying to mask her disappointment, she scoffed.

“A weak shot if I’ve ever seen one. Hitting the rings is such a rookie mistake.”

“For you maybe,” Bethany Tweed replied. She was hovering next in line to Lizzie, her face having taken on a greyish tint. “I’ll be happy to score, no matter how.” 

Lizzie made a non-committal noise, her mind already elsewhere. It was Orion’s turn now. He took position a short distance from the scoring zone, looking neither left nor right as he focused on the goalposts gleaming and the Magpies’ Seeker - who filled in for their missing Keeper - in front of him. 

When the umpire blew his whistle, Orion leaned forward and accelerated. As soon as he was within shooting range he leaned to the right, and as Huntington dived in the same direction, Orion whipped his Nimbus around, took aim, and threw the Quaffle through the now unguarded left ring. Lizzie and the other Wanderers cheered and clapped for him together with the rest of the stadium as Orion returned to where they were hovering with their arms around each other's shoulders. Giving her a taut smile, he took his place next to her. 

The shoot-out carried on in much the same fashion. The Chasers from Montrose did their job well, as did Warren and Huntington. Defending a penalty shot was difficult, however, and despite Warren’s skill and Huntington’s luck, both of them managed to only save a single shot each. 

When it was Warren’s turn to score, his frustration was almost palpable. With the encouraging words of his teammates in his back, he positively ripped the Quaffle from the referee’s hands. He shot towards the goalposts fast as a Bludger, throwing the Quaffle with so much force that it almost flew right over the top of the hoops. Lizzie’s heart gave a squeeze when it grazed the inner circle of the middle ring, but then it dropped through and fell to the other side regardless.

With every player taking their turn while she was forced to wait, the knot in Lizzie’s stomach tightened. By the time the Magpies’ captain drew up to make her goal, her breathing had become shallow, her skin feeling like ants were crawling beneath the surface. When Montrose had made their final goal, Lizzie took hold of the handle of her Silverswift. She held onto it with a lot more force than necessary, and found that beneath her Quidditch gloves, her palms were sweaty. 

“Fly with calm and confidence, shoot with courage and fire,” Orion told her so quietly that only she could hear him. 

Lizzie nodded at him briefly, and after giving her shoulder an encouraging squeeze, he let her go. She flew to where the referee was waiting for her, hoping he wouldn’t see how badly her hands were shaking. She hovered there, between the centre circle and the scoring zone, her heart pounding in her ears. 

A hush had fallen over the stadium. Lizzie was the last player to fly, and Montrose in the lead with one goal. If she failed her shot, the shoot-out would be over. If she scored, they would go into a second round. This was it, the defining moment of the match, of the last three years of her life. The moment she’d been waiting for. The moment people would remember.

She had one shot, and she intended on using it well. 

Drawing a shaky breath, Lizzie glanced over her shoulder to where her team was hovering. Her eyes found Orion, who gave her a small nod, and as Lizzie turned from him, finally, she felt calm descend on her. It would be Orion’s turn next, and his first goal had been unsaveable. There was no way the Montrose Beater would score a second time. Orion would win the championship for them, Lizzie was sure of it. She could feel it. All she needed to do was make sure he got the chance to.

The thought carried her as the whistle blew and she sped up, racing her Silverswift towards the scoring zone. The noise in her mind faded, as did the stands that were reduced to a colourful blur at the edge of her vision. There was nothing left but the beating of her heart and the sound of wind rushing past her. 

Her eyes fixed on Huntington, hovering in front of the goalposts and waiting for her to give him a clue about what she  was going to do. Lizzie didn’t give him one. She waited for the last possible moment, until Huntington had no choice but to take a guess. Putting all on one card, he leaned toward the right goalpost, just like Lizzie had expected. She shifted her weight, swerved, and threw the Quaffle at the middle ring. Her lips curved into a relieved smile as her opponent reached for the ball and failed. It went right past him, dropped just the way Lizzie had calculated it would, and…

The dull, metallic ring as the Quaffle bounced against the base of the hoop and dropped down in front of it echoed through the stadium. Lizzie’s smile froze. She stared at the goalposts, not quite able to comprehend what had just happened. 

For an awfully long moment, everything was silent. 

Then, every witch and wizard in back-and-white erupted into screams. The stands were heaving, the commentator announcing the final score with a broken voice. The Montrose Magpies flew past Lizzie in a blur, hugging both their Seeker and each other, screaming, shouting, singing, none of them minding Lizzie, who stood still in the air next to them, frozen, shocked, and utterly empty inside. 

[tutuandscoot]

Day 9: Nationals Moment

There have been so many wonderful moments from their nationals, to the unbridled joy of their junior title- embracing in that hug at the end like the happiest little kiddos in the world, to the sheer disappointment of missing Olympic qualification in 2006- devastating at the time but it became a defining moment in their careers, setting them on a course to become the multiple time over champions that they would. Their first senior win, returning after surgery (Scott saying ‘I’m so proud of you’ on repeat), the child-like excitement in 2017- their comeback year and being so genuinely ecstatic about regaining their title.

But for this post I’m going to talk about their last nationals, specifically the very end moments of their final free dance.

This moment has been gifed several times over and I’m sure many of us have cried several times over it. Firstly, the way he embraces her as he gets her out of their end pose. Literally cradling her like a baby, resting her on his shoulder and holding her so so close, cradling her head, seemingly crying into her shoulder for a brief moment- desperate to regain air in his lungs which for some reason he finds most abundant in the crook of her neck. Just this overwhelming sense of love and protection but then of course bc they’re adults this feeling that they just want their bodies to be one, this needing to love each other with every fibre of their beings in that moment of their lives that they’ll never forget- they could tell in the moment; they weren’t naive to the magnitude of it, they wanted to feel every emotion radiating out of themselves and share that together. I also just have to say what a good fucking job to both the camera operator and the editor (person calling the angles live) because while I hate they cut away afterwards to the audience so we missed the fact that he was actually patting her back while in this embrace (🥺😫) prior to that the way it zooms out to reveal the expanse of the elated crowd standing as if they’ve been shot with a bolt of lightning, flowers and gifts diving onto the ice, retrievers already out there for the expected tsunami of gifts to pick up, it’s a great shot that captures a great moment.

Next the angle from the back of her still being cradled in that hug. Her beautiful, sparkling eyes listening to those special words he whispers just for her- there’s no chance anyone but her will ever know what he said (frankly it was dumb of them to try and ask) but whatever it was it made her eyes light up like this. The way she clings on so delicately- she does not like to be seen as delicate but in this it’s the sense that she is in the safest, happiest place she could possible be and doesn’t have to worry about being strong or brave bc he is holding her up so her she can just take a moment to be small and held and seconds later can bow to the crowd chanting her name for the athletic feat they just accomplished. You can also see so briefly that I think she gives a slight nod, indicating he must have told her something warranting/initiating an affirmative response from her. It’s slight and it could also be him patting her back at that moment causing her to shake slightly, but either way she is hearing and accepting every syllable of those words and putting it safe in her heart.

As they take all their bows, as we’ve already established it is he that determines how they go about this, he ‘instructs’ her to circle round and thank all of the crowd once more. This has such a ‘finality’ to it. The last time they competed for their country in their country. They are so incredibly patriotic; they love their country, it’s people, it’s values, this final nationals would’ve been such a rollercoaster of emotions for them-in a sense saying goodbye to their country as (some of) it’s most adored representatives. Canada’s sweethearts stepping off home competitive ice for the final time.

Then as part of this, beautiful T, waving with one hand, the other on her heart, saying thank you.. again they are the most humble, gracious, incredible people, saying thank you to a nation for the last 20 years of their lives, some not knowing who they were for all of those, but TS feeling that their whole country truly was with them- they don’t lie when they say how proud they are to be Canadian and the enormous amount of gratitude that they have for everyone who supported them- that so honestly highlighted in a moment like this: the genuine, heartfelt gratitude.

The moment I’d like to give the most spotlight to in this post though is this one here:

After they have turned to the back to bow, turning looking at each other, almost a sense of immediate realisation, then T going to him, almost falling into him and he immediately holding her, almost rocking her on his shoulder as he whispers to her again.

As I do sometimes, I totally understand what is actually going on in these moments, but I like to interpret them a bit differently just because.. idk I like to experience the wide range of emotions they would be feeling and bc they have this incredibly unique and beautiful relationship it’s fun to continue to interpret their interactions as artists even after they have stopped dancing, so maybe not describing exactly what they are actually feeling, but may be feeling.

The way he embraces her.. the look his eyes as he does so, it’s like in that moment the realisation hits- this is the last time (at home). In his eyes there is fear, sadness, a moment to feel the gravity of the moment and that all this is coming to an end, an almost ‘life flashing before his eyes�� moment- holding her there, her heart pressed against his as it had been hundreds of thousands of times before, this lifetime spent together and feeling more this moment will be one of many, but as they are at the pinnacle of both their craft and their understanding of their partnership, perhaps it’s an even more pivotal one then many that had come before. And as it seems it is she that goes to him, he embraces her in a way I interpret as even though he is feeling all these things, the tiniest sense of fear in his eyes, he holds her to him as if saying ‘I know you’re scared, but I promise everything will be ok and I’ll protect you’.. being brave for her, shielding her from any harm. By T’s expression from the other side of this it was not fear she was feeling- she is smiling and overwhelmed with emotions just like him- and this is not to say Scott is feeling fear or sadness in this moment either, it’s just the brief look in his eyes as he goes to hold her- as is the sense most of the time when she is in his arms is this utmost protection of her, even if he is feeling scared or sad and needs her more than anything for himself to feel safe, the visual in this moment of tiny little T feeling so safe to go to him in a moment of overwhelming emotion and him no matter what he’s feeling to hold her like he’ll never let anything harm her.. together alone on this big sheet of ice- feeling the support of the nation showering praise and adulation onto their champions- the only thing TS have to cling onto physically in that moment to understand and feel present in that moment is each other- so that’s what they do.. ahh 🥺🥹

[darkkitty1208]

Have you noticed Stephen's beard is crooked in infinity war? The part below the lips. I can't unsee it. And since then I've been wondering if it was on purpose to show us Stephen's handicapped or if they simply botched it.

Christ, anon. No, I didn't notice that, and I dunno if I should be terrified or impressed by your attention to detail. O.o

So I looked it up because I was curious--

--and apparently you were right! It's not exactly very clear but if you see closely -- I had to zoom in several times because I'm practically blind -- there's an uneven patch on the underside of his chin (centre to left) and a bit of (very, very slight) crookedness to the part under his bottom lip. If the picture above isn't clear try this:

Probably not a better picture but. It's visible enough, yeah? I couldn't find any other suitable ones lmao.

Which reminds me, we were given this wonderful shirtless scene in DS 2016 where Stephen is shaving his goatee:

(Damn. I feel happy he even gave an affirmative nod at himself after that shave. Insecure Stephen is my jam but seeing him glowing and happy with his body/priding in himself at how far he's changed from the dishevelled homeless man he was like this is... something else.)

...and I have to say, even if we were only given a side-view, it looked pretty good. And then we were given the scene where he showed up walking through the Kamar Taj courtyard as a new man (I couldn't find it???) and went to the library saying this iconic line:

Yeah, there's the other side of his shaved goatee. (Thank god for GIF makers bcs the original lighting in that scene was horrible.) And it looks pretty even and neat on both sides, I think? Which concludes that he can, in fact, still shave his beard properly with his hands. Also this was much, much earlier on than IW so he was possibly still slowly adapting to his hands' condition and being able to do this must've been a feat compared to when he had already adjusted himself to the pain in his hands much later. (I'm not actually disabled so I dunno if anyone could ever be 'adjusted' to a disability... But this is Doctor Stephen "Pain's an Old Friend" Strange we're talking about. Nevertheless, I could definitely be wrong and I really don't mean to offend anybody.)

So I'm just gonna make a guess that the slight unevenness of his beard in IW is either caused by him having a Bad Hand Day or simply because he couldn't see the underside of his face clearly while shaving because bathroom lighting can suck sometimes. XD But it's very slight anon, Jesus Christ.

But seriously. Maybe we just need to give this man a damn break because he is trying his best, nonny. Leave the poor guy alone 😭

(Also me: *continues to scrutinise his goatee for the next half hour*)

BUT ALSO it grew scruffier in MoM so he probably grew it out for a while.

I have to be honest here. I don't like how his beard looks in MoM it looks like it was painted on him. ;-;

It could be that it grew thicker bcs:

He was too busy dealing with sorcerer stuff to be focusing on his goatee

He would only shave when his hands are more cooperative bcs he refuses to ask for help

Or he used this shit:

I feel bad for finding that last one funny.

[heckyeahponyscans]

Thoughts and Spoilers for MYM #8

Episode summary:  Oh no, Sparky has gone missing!! 

Hitch is frantic and the ponies are searching everywhere . . . but unbeknownst to them Misty is hiding Sparky right under their noses, in a supply closet in the Crystal Brighthouse.  Opaline has promised her a cutie mark if she brings Sparky to the dark castle, but wrangling the baby dragon is harder than it seems!  In the end Misty doesn’t succeed in bringing Sparky to the castle, but she does capture some of his dragonfire in a jar for Opaline.

General Thoughts:  Hitch’s connection with Sparky and his worries about whether he’s being a good “dragon dad” were very heartfelt.  I like that we see a male character in a nurturing, child-care role, which is still pretty uncommon. The B-plot with his friends getting in each other’s way was a little too simple for me (it seems like they should be past that) but it didn’t take up too much time so it’s fine.

Misty was the standout of this episode.  You can really see how being raised by Opaline has influenced her.  She will do ANYTHING to get her cutie mark, but she’s also naive and blind Opaline’s true nature . . . Misty promises Sparky that she will return him to Maretime Bay later, as though Opaline would ever let him out of her sight again.

Her return to Opaline, empty-handed (except some dragonfire caught in a jar) is heartrending as she crawls across the floor, practically hyperventilating.  The dragonfire super-charges Opaline’s magic, but not to the extent she wants, and she unleashes on Misty like we’ve never seen before, screaming at her and calling her useless.  This feels like a pivotal moment, where the scales start to fall from Misty’s eyes.  Up to this point she has always been solidly in Opaline’s corner--believing that she is the rightful ruler of Equestria, trying to bond with her, trying to make her proud.  But here she ends up crying in her room.  “For somepony made of fire, I’ve never met a heart so cold.”

Other random thoughts:

- I liked Hitch’s Batman impression.  And he even got Zoom and Thunder in on it!

- Misty managing an incredible acrobatic feat (dodging Sparky’s Home Alone traps), only to berate herself for her one mistake (tripping afterwards) was apropos

- awwww!

- I do feel Sparky is cuter in 2D (like the Tell Your Tale shorts) and 3D.  Like, I don’t find him repellent or anything, but I dunno, his face could be better.  I like his horns a lot, though.

- I really like how strong light shines through the ponies’ ears, just like an actual animal with a thin ear

- Zipp’s stressing me out by leaving the nail polish hanging over the edge like that

- Pipp: “Ooo, that is a good point”

Zipp, instantly: “Is it though?”

- Pearl, the dog!  I assume she’ll be a pet in a future playset

- Hitch tells the seagulls to search “the old defense factory”, which implies that CanterLogic did shut down.  I hope we get an update on what Phyllis is doing at some point.

- the dramatic lighting in Hitch’s Batman scenes are *chef’s kiss*

- Her body language . . . Awww Misty :(

- Opaline says it’s been “hundreds of moons” since she last saw dragonfire; I’m going to assume a moon equals a year because it would be odd for someone to say they saw something “hundreds of months ago”

- The texturing on this tar is just really nice.  Like it has that oil-slick patterning on the top and everything.  Also, both tar and feathers are being stored in the basement.  Oh animators, you so sly!

- Not only does Opaline’s horn and wings fare up, but parts of her body become opalescent 

- Opaline’s speech is incredible.  “Alicorns ruling like they were meant to.”  “No more of this equality stuff.”  “The citizens of Equestria should fear and love their immortal rulers!”  

- This is basically a deconstruction of G4, where that was the role of alicorns.  I remember there was a lot of fan speculation about Sunny becoming the new ruler of Equestria after the G5 movie came out, before there was other media.

- Poor Misty, Opaline was terrifying when she lashed out.  What a great villain though!

- I liked Opaline’s simple, impatient toss of her head to activate her magic scrying pool

- Oh noooo, is that a childhood drawing of Opaline?  Oh nooooo.

[xiv-wolfram]

Old Flames

A Realm Reborn - Level 20

Wolfram joins the Immortal Flames.

Catch up on my WoL Comics (Chronological)

This is the script for a future comic. Posting for those who don’t want to wait to get the story. Numbers indicate frame number. A or B followed by ) is for a split frame.

Zoomed out shot of Immortal Flames headquarters. Raubahn is walking Wolf around talking about the Grand Company. Narrator - "Wolfram and Raubahn broke up thirteen years ago when Wolf revealed his dark past and Rau dumped him after a two year relationship. Now fate has given them a chance to make amends as Wolfram became a Scion and Raubahn is one of the leaders of Ul'dah as well as General of the Immortal Flames. He extended Wolf an invite to join the Flames which Wolf enthusiastically accepted, each hoping for a chance to turn an old flame into a new friend."

Rau smiles, looking at Wolf as he talks to the attendant, and thinks - 'It's so strange to have him here… wonderfully strange. I thought I'd never see him again.' People whispering off to the side - "A tour from the General himself!? Who is this new recruit?"

Walking towards the barracks. Camera to their backs. Rau - "Through here is the barracks. As a member you're welcome to stay here while you're not out adventuring." Wolf beams - "Thank you! I know our arrangement is a bit different than the other Flames since I'm aiding the Scions as well. The hospitality is appreciated."

Rau smiles, hand on the barracks door - "Of course. We have many members stationed in the field but they always have a place to return to. I even sleep here sometimes myself if I'm working late." 

Wolf and Rau walking into the barracks. Wolf grins - "Aye, but I bet you have some large mansion you call home now. After all those winnings." 

They're standing facing each other. Rau looks uncomfortable - "Eh, actually I don't need that much room. I still have the old apartment." Wolf shocked, thinks - 'Wow, I'd have gotten rid of it to spare myself the memories… I suppose he didn't think of things with such sentimentality though.'

Rau still looking uncomfortable, thinks - 'I couldn't leave all those memories…'. Says - "Well, I did purchase the apartment next to it for my son. It was a bit small for the both of us and he was responsible enough at a young age to take care of his own quarters."

Wolf grins. Thought - 'Why is he acting so awkward? Need to get him to loosen up.' Says - "Outgrew? Isn't he a lalafell?"

Rau chuckles - "Just because the boy would fit in a dresser drawer doesn't mean I'd make him sleep in one." 

Wolf shrugs comedically. 

Rau smiles - "So you know all about me, but I went years knowing nothing of your fate. Tell me, what has your life been like?"

Wolf smiles sadly - "Well…a lot of self reflection. Especially those first few years. I had joined the conjurer's guild hoping to put my family's affinity for magic to good use. It was a struggle at first but hours sitting in the forest gave me a sense of peace and I got through that block. Turns out I made a pretty effective healer."

Raubahn surprised - "You? A healer?! I must admit I'm impressed. That is no easy feat."

Wolf beams - "Thank you! Once I had completed training I joined the Adventurer's guild and went around helping whoever needed it." Dark Thought - 'Developed quite the taste for booze, not that you'd be honest with him about that. Helps you ignore me doesn't it? In fact…why have you slowed down on the drinking lately? Miss me?' 

Rau confused - "So how is it you returned to the blade? Is it true you use the rapier *and* magic? I recall tales of such mages in Gyr Abania."

A) Wolf looks very embarrassed - "Um… In a way I have you to thank for that." B) Rau surprised - "Me?! I didn't even know if you were alive."

Wolf puts a hand to his head looking bashful - "When news reached me that you had achieved your goal of joining the Syndicate and owning the Coliseum I was so happy. I'll admit I wanted to risk you turning me into the Blades just to come congratulate you."

Rau shocked - "Oh gods! No Wolf I wouldn't have! I only said that out of anger."

Wolf smiles sadly - "I hoped that was the case. At the time I wasn't sure. What did convince me to return was when you reinstated the Flames. I thought if you still felt angry towards me perhaps offering myself in service to the Company may buy me a bit of leniency."

Rau smiles sadly - "That would have been a welcomed offer. You needn't have feared me though I understand why you did. So what happened? Why didn't you make it to Ul'dah?"

Wolf smiles - "Well, I was actually on the road headed here when I had a chance encounter with a Red Mage. His name is X'Rhun. I saw him fight and was really amazed with the technique. The blending of magic with swordplay… it just felt right for me. So I listened to my gut and asked him to train me. He needed a bit of convincing but you know how stubborn I can be when I decide on something."

Tumblr mandated break. 😑

Rau laughs - "Aye, that I do." Thinks - "Thrice damn this X'hrun and his bad timing."

Wolf continues - "So I spent the next couple years mastering the art. I did have a bit of a head start with the rapier and light magic so I was a quick study."

Rau concerned - "I heard tell they also use dark magic. How did you fare with that?"

Wolf blushes with embarrassment - "Very poorly. I had quite a few of my episodes at the start there. The nightmares were worse as well. Bless that Miqo for putting up with me. I can admit to you that part of the draw was wielding small amounts of dark magic. I thought it would be like… drinking small amounts of poison each day until the body is immune."

Rau looks worried - "That's quite a lot to put yourself though…how fared your theory?"

Wolf beams - "It payed off! Took several months but eventually I could wield dark almost as well as light with no problem. Surely the success in part is due to drawing solely from my own aether so it feels very different than…"

Wolf looks down, embarrassed. - "Well, different from what I did before. I found alcohol helps tremendously as well. Especially with the dreams. So I'm often in my cups, but worry not - it will not affect my duties here." Dark Thought - 'Why are you being so honest with him?! You haven't spoken to this man in thirteen years?! Probably a pathetic attempt to convince him you've changed. Fool.'

A) Rau beams - "Wolf that's amazing!" B) Wolf looks back at Rau, surprised - "It is?" Wolf Dark Thought - 'He's just being polite. You aren't anything special.'

Rau puts a hand on Wolf's shoulder, beaming - "Of course! Not only did you decide to help others, but you found a way to help yourself. I'm so happy for you that your burden is lessened." 

Wolf blushes and smiles awkwardly - "Well, it's not that big a deal. I still can't be around actual voidsent whilst remaining calm. I can defeat them but will fall apart after…and of course extreme stress is still an issue."

Rau smiles comfortingly - "You have accomplished much. That you have a ways to go does not diminish how far you've come." Rau thought - 'I'm so proud of him…'

A) Wolf smiles at Rau with a tear in his eye. B) Quickly wipes it away.

Rau looks away, pretending not to notice. Says - "So how did you get involved with the Scions? That's recent, correct?" 

Wolf wipes his eye and smiles - "Aye, I was doing some work for the guild in Limsa Lominsa. Happened upon Y'Shtola and the rest is history. They explained I have this Echo thing."

Rau turns back towards Wolf, smiling - "Aye, the Warriors of Light that I fought with at Carteneu had the gift as well. Tis quite the blessing."

Wolf laughs - "Curse more like. Poor Minfilia has seen things I'd rather she not."

A) Rau concerned - "She has seen your past?" B) Wolf covers mouth still chuckling - "Aye, and I expect a bit of ours as well."

Rau turns red and covers face with hand. Thought - "Oh Seven Hells I still have to work with the woman. There are a number of stupid things I did back then folks would have trouble taking me seriously if they knew…still amazed we got away with half of it." Says - "I trust we can count on her discretion?"

Wolf thinking - "Aye, she was puzzlingly unconcerned with my condition. I trust her fully with the other thing as well." Thought - ‘He seems worried about anyone knowing we were together…”

Rau confused - "She was unconcerned?…But aye, her discretion is appreciated." Thought - "Well now I feel even worse about how I reacted when he told me all those years ago…"

Wolf smiles a bit sadly - “If anyone asks how we know each other, I understand if you want to say we were acquaintances.”

Rau surprised - “Oh… yes I can do that.” Thought - ‘He wants that to be a secret? I just wanted discretion on specifics, but aye he’s right. Twould appear unprofessional to be his commander given our history. Bad enough that Pipin is so high ranking.’

Wolf smiles - “So, is there any more to this tour? Is your son here?” Thought - ‘Alright then, we’ll keep things professional.’

Rau moving to leave - “Alas, he’s on the Ala Mhigan front right now, but I'm sure he'll be pleased to meet the adventurer that slayed a primal! For now I’d like you to meet Roaille, my second in command. She’s been a great help. I think you'll get along.”

Catch up on my WoL Comics (Chronological)

[kursed-curtain]

Sealing the Deal

A @threeadventurers AU Fic

(Sea Adventurers, feat. Sea Monster!Guybrush, Zora!Link, and Selkie!Graham)

Chapter 1

Next

~=~

The refreshing sea breeze along the coastal marketplace brought the nautical trio some well-needed comfort. Guybrush lingered behind to smell the salty air, while Link and Graham walked with a skip in their step.

"What's the rush?" Guybrush gabbed. "We're not late for anything."

Graham walked backwards, flapping his hands while he talked. "I know, but there's so many stalls and fun smells! Like… ooh!" Graham zoomed over to a stall selling painted seashell art.

Link gestured in Graham's direction. "And that's why we have to keep up," Link huffed, though lighthearted and used to this by now.

After buying a few colorful shells with fun-feeling textures, Graham waved thanks to the seller. He backed up, bumping into what felt like a wall. Graham met eyes, not with bricks, but with a burly, brick-like woman.

"Oh, sorry I didn't notice you there!" Graham chimed. The woman's expression stayed cold and unreadable, simply scanning him without a word. Graham flipped up his pelt's hood and simply maneuvered around her. He rejoined Link and Guybrush. Graham shivered, "Humans are weird, huh?"

"Tell me about it. I've been getting eyed since we got here," Link crossed his arms and squinted at a shopkeeper. "Is it really that rare to see a zora around these parts?"

Guybrush and Graham glanced at each other, then shrugged.

The smell of baked goods caught the trio's attention. Graham clapped his hands, then rushed into the portside cafe.

The three of them exited with their desired treats. Guy plopped down at a cafe table, then slipped off his coat to let the cool winds sink in. Graham giggled at the way Guy had propped himself up – where little blue patches of octopus skin peeked out from Guy's rolled-up sleeves. Link and Graham sat themselves beside Guybrush, with Graham setting down his cloak as well.

"Port cities aren't that bad," Guybrush continued from their last conversation, "I've been to a few and only about two thirds of them wanted to arrest me. One third… or less than one third, is still a pretty good amount, right?"

Link leaned on his hand. "I think being on the wanted list in the first place is a bad sign. Though, I understand what it's like."

Graham looked up from his food, his mouth still full. "I'm concerned for both of you."

"Eh, comes with being a Mighty Pirate™." Guy shrugged, smirking.

The three of them broke into laughter, then continued eating their food.

"I'm not as concerned about this being a port city as I am about this being a fishing hub," Link lowered his voice. "You know, since we have a sea monster, a seal, and a zora in one place? Should we even be staying here for the night?"

"It's not like we don't draw attention in other cities too," Graham chimed in, "On the positive side, Guy and I can pass as human, and I don't think people would openly attack a zora. They haven't so far!"

Link nodded, though still wary. Guybrush slipped out of his chair to go throw their trash.

Link gestured for Graham to follow. "It'll get dark soon. We should find someplace to room together before then."

Graham hopped out of his seat, still hyped about the journey ahead of them, and what was to come. Guybrush joined back in, joking about the pains he went through for a trash can. Graham impulsively let out an excited bark, getting a chuckle out of Link.

The sun started to set, and the cold air was less refreshing and more chilling. Graham went to pull up the edges of his cloak when…

…Where was his pelt?

Graham turned back without question, tuning out the questions from his friends.

When he reached their spot at the cafe, his heart sank.

His pelt was gone.

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

Merle Seton reclined on the worn-out couch, his gaze fixed on the flickering TV screen. The familiar theme music of "America's Got Talent" filled the living room, its notes mingling with the hum of the air conditioner. Beside him, his wife Imogene sat with a bowl of popcorn, her eyes reflecting the colorful lights of the show.

As the judges introduced the next act, Merle adjusted his glasses and leaned forward. The screen showed a husband and wife duo, their lean, athletic bodies poised in anticipation. The camera zoomed in on their determined faces, then panned out to reveal a series of precariously balanced props—chairs, ropes, and a single, slender pole.

Imogene crunched a kernel between her teeth, eyes glued to the screen. Merle turned to her, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"How do these things start?" he asked, his voice breaking the comfortable silence.

Imogene shifted her gaze from the screen to her husband, a small smile playing on her lips. "You mean the acts?"

"Yeah," Merle replied, gesturing towards the couple now beginning their routine. "How does a husband and wife decide to risk life and limb balancing on poles and ropes?"

Imogene shrugged, a chuckle escaping her. "Maybe they were looking for a way to spice things up. You know, keep the marriage interesting."

Merle snorted. "I suppose 'dinner and a movie' just didn't cut it anymore."

They watched as the couple performed daring feats of balance and strength. The husband started by lifting his wife onto his shoulders, her arms outstretched like wings. He then climbed onto a narrow chair balanced on one leg, his body taut with concentration. The wife, still perched on his shoulders, leaned back, her hands reaching for the sky.

With a careful shift of weight, the husband began to balance on a single pole, his muscles straining under the effort. The wife gracefully transitioned from his shoulders to stand on his outstretched hands, her body perfectly still. The audience's gasps and applause echoed through the TV, a testament to the couple's skill and precision. Then she began to juggle three swords

"Must take a lot of trust," Merle mused aloud. "One wrong move and..."

Imogene nodded, her expression thoughtful. "I guess that's what makes it special. It’s not just about the act itself, but what it represents. The trust, the communication, the dedication."

Merle smiled, reaching for Imogene's hand. "Sounds a lot like marriage."

She squeezed his hand gently, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Yeah, it does. Minus the acrobatics, of course."

They watched as the couple performed their final feat—a daring leap from the pole to a suspended rope, swinging gracefully before landing back on the stage. The husband caught his wife in a final embrace, their faces beaming with triumph. The crowd rose to their feet in a standing ovation.

Merle glanced at Imogene, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Maybe we should try something like that. Start our own act."

Imogene rolled her eyes, laughing. "You can barely balance the checkbook, let alone yourself. But I know you're very good at one thing...foot massage."

Merle joined her laughter, the sound filling the room with warmth. "Fair point. I guess we'll stick to watching."

"And you can start massaging."

As the show moved on to the next act, Merle and Imogene settled back into their comfortable silence, her scrumptious feet in his lap. The thrill of the performance lingered, a reminder of the trust and balance in their own lives, even without the acrobatics.

After a few moments, Imogene broke the silence again. "How did you get started smoking those Black and Mild cigars?"

Merle chuckled, his eyes lighting up with the memory. "It was the first time I ever watched 'The Magnificent Seven.' I was just a kid, and the opening scene had Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen in a stagecoach that gets ambushed. During the ambush, Brynner's character was smoking something. It wasn't a cigar, but it wasn't a cigarette either. It just looked cool."

Imogene raised an eyebrow. "And that's all it took?"

Merle nodded, grinning. "Pretty much. I saved up some pocket money and bought my first Black and Mild. I thought it made me look like Yul Brynner, even though I was just a scrawny kid from the suburbs."

Imogene laughed, shaking her head. "You and your movies. Well, at least it's a more interesting story than the balancing act."

Merle smirked. "True. But I’ll stick to the cigars and foot massages, thank you very much."

They both laughed, the sound blending with the TV’s background noise. As the evening wore on, Merle and Imogene continued to share stories, their bond as strong and balanced as the performers they admired on screen.

[fohatic]

don't mind if i do.....

there are still beautiful things by @meidui

The day Tony takes Steve home from the New York Army National Guard is the best day of his life.

the hope that kills you (series) by @meidui

Steve used to go on so much about freedom and choice. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. Some of the freedom he loved was big, big enough for him to lay his life down for over and over, and some of the freedom he loved was small, like the wind in his hair when he took his motorcycle out, but now he has to sob and take it when Tony sucks a deep flowering bruise where his prison uniform couldn’t possibly cover and whispers in his ear, “Who’s gonna help you now? Where are you gonna run?”

The Prize by @sabrecmc (HOWWWW IS THIS NOT ON ANY OF THESE LISTS YET)

Steve ends up as a concubine in the royal harem.

Deep End by @festiveferret

SHIELD has found a way to make Project Rebirth work - something Tony's father was never able to accomplish. An unexpected side effect has Fury begging Tony for some rather unusual help: the painful procedure has put their volunteer, a sub called Steve Rogers, so deep into subspace he can't come up on his own.

Tits Aren't Just For Ladies by Dr_Amuly ( @everybodyilovedies)

Tony fucks Steve's tits (man-tits, no genderswap or implants or anything).

(Not for) Public Consumption by Poose

“Can’t you like, I don’t know, do a little pirouette for me, sweetheart?” He shuffles backwards cautiously, glancing over his shoulder to avoid hitting the wall. There’s a chair back there, he should sit in it before his legs give out. Steve cocks his head, hand on his hip. He puts his front foot at angle to the one in back and executes a tired swing around. You’d think he’d like the attention a bit more. Tony may have to goad it out of him. “Steve, seriously, you’re like a bored stripper.” And then, suitably affronted, Steve takes another turn, more slowly, so that Tony can pan down and zoom in on his ass from a slightly lower angle.   *** Or, Steve and Tony make a sex tape. Exactly as sophisticated as it sounds. A non-powered AU of another AU that I haven't written yet. Contains zero plot.

Surrender Yourself by xWinterDreamsx

Tony has Steve tied up in ropes for some kinky fun.

Some Great Reward by @kiyaar

After the events of Captain America: Civil War, Tony and Steve come to an agreement. It doesn't involve affection.

Come on Closer by @epiphanyx7

[[... porn.]] Or, the one where Steve wants to talk to Tony about something important.

Leave Your Marks Written Upon My Skin by blue_jack ( @some-blue-jack)

“I want you to keep your hands right here, alright?”

Keep Us Warm, Tonight by @copper-mouth

Steve and Tony often keep late hours together when sleep won't come to either of them. Tonight is shaping up to go a little differently, however.

Working Late by @tinystark616

Some nights, Tony stays up late, building and rebuilding and upgrading his suits, until Steve walks into the workshop, usually already in his pajamas, and wraps his arms around Tony, kissing him until he forgets what he was doing and then dragging him to bed. A fill for the prompt "Steve sits in Tony's lap and rides him" from last year's Community Gifts prompt list. Because there's really not enough bottom!Steve in the world.

Ship to Shore by @mserm

The Avengers beat Thanos. Everyone is safe. (If you don’t count those five days they thought Natasha was dead.) All that’s left is to return the stones, a feat that Tony is sure will end his new friends-with-benefits relationship with Steve.

Consecration of the Virgin by @dracusfyre (sequel to The Penitent Man)

Steve gives his body into Tony's keeping. For the good of his soul, of course.

In The Springtime of His Voodoo by shaenie

“I’m removing Captain Rogers from this base, but not from active duty. I want him as SHIELD’s liaison to Stark Industries first and foremost. He’ll report directly to me,” Fury says. “As it is, your identity as Captain America is not public knowledge and it will remain that way until I say otherwise. That said, if you think you can get Tony Stark to work with you if you disclose that information, you have permission to do so.”

heyyy！i just saw u reblog an ask and it just happened to be the exact same thing I wanted to ask👉👈 do u have and recommend stony fics that are top Tony/bottom Steve 🥺

you know i do!! see also k's rec list and bulky's rec list, i tried not to rec any that were already on their lists <3

Jackpot by @elcorhamletlive

It’s not always like this.

Tony leans back on the bed, assessing his view. Near the door, balanced on his knees, Steve stares at him with half-lidded eyes, blue eyes darkened under those beautiful eyelashes. His blonde bangs stick a little to his forehead, where a glimmer of sweat is evidence of how long he’s been in that position: knees firmly planted on the rug of Tony’s bedroom, naked aside from a pair of cotton black briefs, hands tied up behind his back, exactly as Tony left him this morning. He breathes heavily, his muscular chest going up and down as he watches and waits.

Doubling Up (Steve) by @elcorhamletlive

“Well,” Tony drawls, his gaze going from the bed to where Steve, and, uh, Tony are standing, next to the small pile where Steve’s shirt lies along with his trousers. “This is awkward.”

Chamber of Reflection by @thahiree

A few years after retiring, Steve and Tony get a surprise visit from another Steve. Steve Rogers from Earth 1610 is lost, grappling with the new century he’s been unceremoniously dropped in, with confusing feelings for his new teammate, with himself.

Steve and Tony decide to get involved.

A Proportional Response by @mserm

Steve doesn't have a reason for cock-blocking Tony.

No reason, whatsoever.

It's Hard To Look Right At You, Baby by Albuss

“Woah,” Tony says, “slow down. Take it easy. Hold your horses.” He can be forgiven for saying the same thing four times because he is already completely, utterly wrecked.

“Fuck me,” Steve whispers. “Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me.”

Five Times Steve Woke Up Early (And One Time He Didn’t) by @airlocksandaviaries

Steve's not actually a morning person, despite his body's insistence. It's quite possibly the one thing about the serum he's not immensely grateful for. Forcing himself up and on a run to burn through the overwhelming, restless energy that builds bright and early would be much more tolerable if it were a few hours later. Tony decides to do something about this.

Underneath it All by @hollyandvice

Steve's finally ready to indulge Tony's fantasy of seeing him in a thong. He just has terrible timing when it comes to implementing sexy times. But that's alright, Tony's a master of making the best of a (not actually) bad situation.

the year you were mine by @areiton

The night that changes his life forever, Steve is on a date with another man.

Or: Steve is a pricy escort and Tony buys him for a year. Neither of them are doing this for love.

a thousand things you call me by @areiton

He calls you a thousand things, and you love them all, count them all and guard them close, because with each he calls you mine.

Your Reputation Precedes You by @vanilla-shoes

Tony agrees to watch the desk for the salon next door to his garage as a favor -- but when he meets the salon owner's fiery best friend Steve, maybe the favor is for Tony after all...

Brooklyn After Dark by darefanny

”I could do that”, Steve had said before his brain could catch up to his big, stupid mouth. He had leaned over Tony’s shoulder to look closer at a photo of a man in lingerie on his tablet.

Slow Burn Fireworks by felisnocturna

Tony fucks him incredibly slowly this time.

praise you like I should by @firebrands

steve gets de-serumed for a hot second, but tony's pretty quick to reassure him of all his lovely traits. (made even better by having to sleep in a shitty motel with a mirror on the bed.)

Suds 'n Studs by @fohatic

Tony didn't mean to hire some super hot, young guy to take his clothes off for money -- honestly! He just wanted somebody to wash his cars! But accidents happen when you let your AI do the hiring for you, apparently. Now the recent divorcee has an awkward apology to make. He also has as an invitation to subscribe to Steve's OnlyFans. What he doesn't have is any clue what he should do in this situation.

In Too Deep by @fohatic

Steve knew that he was asking for trouble when he agreed to let the gallery auction off a date with him for charity, but he needed to get in the director's good books if he wanted to make it as an artist in this cutthroat town. He never imagined that his participation would ignite an outrageous bidding war, or that the infamous, billionaire ex that he hadn't seen since their sudden breakup two years prior would show up and stake his claim.

the thorn in his side by @fohatic

It had been there from the beginning. There was no end to it, that mutual wanting between them—forever unresolved—that had grown so terribly soft and unbearably romantic with age...

But there was an unspoken rule between them, as well: an understanding that they could never act on it.

That is, until an alien parasite's brood nest gets violently dislodged from its Chitauri Leviathan host during the Battle of New York, dispersing its contents directly over two time-jumping tourists who are very much in the wrong place and the wrong timeline.

pull me down by breakeven

He doesn’t mean to pull, is just brushing through the locks there as a means of comfort, to show Steve that he’s still there and present with him, that Tony is just as affected by the wet grasp of Steve’s hole as Steve is by the insistent pressure against his prostate

wind me up by breakeven

Steve hadn’t known it, but apparently Tony could tell after the first time they ever fucked. He could see in Steve the need to please, the need to be of some sort of service, and had known that it would translate perfectly in sexual desires, even when Steve hadn’t had a clue himself.

honey from your hive by meidui

"Steve, stop that," Tony says, sounding strangled as his grip tightens and Steve stops, letting Tony grab his face and tilt him up. "You're kind of scaring the crap out of me. What is it? What's going on with you?"

"We blew up the lab," Steve manages, and something dawns on Tony's face. "Everyone had a reaction 'cept me. Think 'm having it now."

Blushes Per Hour by @blossomsinthemist

Steve chewed on his bottom lip. “Well, no,” he said. “Um, but.” He was breathing heavily now, through his nose. “Rachel liked it when I did it, because she has, uh, she has sensitive breasts, and I, um, err. Sometimes I’d pull on my own nipples during, or, or after, on my own, and. And I’d imagine—wonder, really, if I was. If I had enough, or—”

“Are you saying you’ve fantasized about this?” Tony said, and he couldn’t help the pure delight that came through in his tone, because had he actually stumbled onto one of Steve’s kinks, here? He’d never let on at all before, not at all.

Please Please Me by @blossomsinthemist

Steve looked so beautiful flushed and wanting, on his knees, begging.

Failing To Not Fall by @nvrthlessthsun

Steve was failing to not fall in love with Tony Stark.

AKA the one where Steve thinks he's Friends-With-Benefits with Tony, and Tony thinks he's dating Steve.

Paint Job by @valdomarx

“You want me to what?” Steve looked incredulous. “I want you to detail my car,” Tony said with a smirk.

Relax, Darling by @valdomarx

Steve is stressed and tense after a hard mission.

Luckily for him, Tony and his tongue are available to relax him in a variety of delightful ways.

Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd, Four’s a Party by @valdomarx

How to satisfy the secret desires of a horny supersolider:

Ults Steve gets gangbaged by Tony from four different universes (Ults, MCU, AA and 616).

Mark Sixty-Nine by @everybodyilovedies

Tony is irritated that Steve's first hug-and-fly wasn't with him. As the source of many of Steve's other "firsts", Tony has a brilliant idea of how he could take one more. Specifically, Steve's first time being fucked by a machine.

Afternoon Delight by @greyduckgreygoose

Tony watched with narrowed eyes as Rogers nodded politely to Natasha. They exchanged quick, familiar smiles, which suggested that they knew each other better than the acquaintances they seemed to want Tony to think they were. Up close, Rogers was even more attractive than he had appeared on camera, a touch of blonde stubble along his jaw, large square hands.

He also had a nice ass, not that Tony was particularly staring.

“Mr. Stark,” Natasha said, as they both stood before Tony’s desk. “May I introduce Steve Rogers? Or, if you prefer, Captain America.”

The Sixth Time is the Charm by @onemuseleft

The fifth time Steve tried to get Tony to fuck him (and failed) is when he started taking it personally.

Your Kind of Love by blue_jack

The first time they have sex, Tony isn’t really hoping for much.

[fruitless-vain]

Sham after zooming around a football field for 10 minutes - heeling might be fun actually let’s do that

[garoujo]

HOW THEY REACT WHEN YOU SEND THEM A NUDE — JUJUTSU KAISEN

feat : gojo satoru, geto suguru, itadori yuuji, fushiguro megumi + nanami kento

ღ warnings — f! reader, teasing, sending nudes, all characters are aged!up, sending them nudes when they’re in public.

ღ note — u guys don’t understand the hold satoru has on me i am so dizzy @_@ also i’ve been liking the three separate paragraphs for nsfw posts but i’ll still be keeping the sfw posts to one me thinks. reposting cos tumblr hates me ;-;

・✶ ｡ﾟGOJO SATORU

it’s almost guaranteed that as soon as satoru recieved that nude, he knows he’s going to fuck you. he has the power to warp home in an instant but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to have his fun with you, making sure to tease you through text as much as he until you’re crying for him and who is he to deny when you’re begging so nicely after seeing his pretty cock.

“oh yeah, sweet girl?” satoru hums to himself as he lets his eyes scan over your figure in the pretty selfie you’ve just sent him — thighs spread to give him a good look at his pussy as you spread your glistening folds for him, he can basically see the way they’ll be greedily spread around his cock when he’s home, but you’re gazing wide-eyed at the camera as if you’re oh so innocent, but he knows you better. you know he’s at work and you know the effect you have on him, the needy twitch of his cock in his uniform making him swallow a groan that’s threatening to kick at his chest.

satoru <3 : aren’t you adorable, princess.

he replies quickly, almost as quickly as he unbuttons the high collar of his jacket and his slacks before fishing out his cock, squeezing at the base and giving himself a few languid pumps when he notices you typing almost immediately. a few seconds and his phone pings with another notification, another pretty photo of you and satoru’s grunting, long and shameless — zooming into trace his eyes along the way your cute little pussy is drooling, teasing him with its sweet taste and making him twitch against his palm before he’s giving his cock another few long, rough strokes.

i miss you satoru is typed below it and he can almost hear your frustrated whines already, the way you’d rub your sensitive, puffy clit in sticky circles — trying to imitate his movements but you both know nobody ever could. satoru wants to wait a few seconds longer, tease you a little more, but when he pumps his cock harder, rolling his thumb across the sensitive tip with a low growl — he’s already unravelling, typing out a reply before he can even think..

satoru <3 : i don’t remember saying you could start without me, sweet girl.

・✶ ｡ﾟGETO SUGURU

you liked teasing suguru whenever you got the chance, knowing that he’s probably smiling to himself as he holds back a groan — thankful that he always opted for baggier pants so that the obvious bulge he’s carrying around is a little less noticeable, quickly typing out a reply about how much he needs you before he’s hurrying home to actually have you.

suguru takes a long breath in when he unlocks his phone to see your message, you were so brave to send him something so shameless when he was in the line at the supermarket too — feeling the way his cock throbs immediately behind his baggy pants as he tries to relax, to fight the grin that’s threatening to curl the sides of his lips everytime he looks at you as he quickly turns down the brightness on his phone to type out a reply.

suguru <3 : look at you, my pretty girl.

he feels warm underneath his shirt, stealing glances at the pretty picture of you on your hands and knees in the bedroom mirror for him — your teasing him, begging him to stuff you full and he almost chokes on a groan at the thought, but the longer he stares at you the harder suguru feels his cock throb.

suguru <3 : you don’t know what you do to me, princess.

it’s probably obvious in his demeanour now, the way his broad chest is expanding with every deep exhale he takes — the flush that’s high on his cheeks and the hand that’s stuffed in the pocket of his pants, desperately trying to cover up how fucking much he needs you right now. suguru doesn’t think he’s ever moved faster, sparing one last glance towards your pretty push before he leaves the supermarket and makes his way home, more than eager to see just how pretty you look when you’re babbling on his cock.

・✶ ｡ﾟITADORI YUUJI

unfortunately yuuji was just as discreet as you would expect, not even trying to deny the way his cock is straining against his pants because you look so pretty on his screen that he’s basically drooling as he types out a reply — misspelling words as he trips his way to the bathroom, babbling out an excuse like he’s not about to pull his cock out to his pretty gf.

there’s no other way this could’ve went, yuuji was terrible at masking his need for you at the best of times — but when his phone is lighting up while he’s in the gym and the first thing he sees is your pretty, drooling pussy on his screen — he doesn’t think he’s ever ran faster. coming up with some lame, unbelievable excuse to megumi about how he needs to go to the bathroom for something.. earning an exasperated, but still confused look from the dark haired sorcerer.

yuuji <3 : fuck, baby. send another, look so good <3

but yuuji was never one to hold back, only igniting the building surge of heat in your core when his message is accompanied with an attachment — a photo of your blushy haired boyfriend where he stands shamelessly infront of the changing room mirror, fingers wrapped around the base of his thick cock. you can already hear his needy groans, how quickly he was to pull out his cock for you in public making you suck your bottom lip between your teeth before your phone vibrates again.

yuuji <3 : attachment: 1 movie.

“come on, baby. f-fuck—miss you, send me more.” rings through your speakers as you watch your boyfriends shaky hold on the camera steady, pointing it towards where he’s sloppily pumping his thick cock, panting like he wasn’t just in the middle of a workout. but maybe it’s the image of his head falling back with a languid, moan of your name when his fingers graze over the sensitive tip, that has you spreading your thighs to send him your own back.

・✶ ｡ﾟFUSHIGURO MEGUMI

megumi was so easy to fluster, you can imagine the blush that would rest high on his cheeks as he almost chokes on air — his hands quickly turning his brightness down while he looks over his shoulder, checking if anyone is around before he’s frantically typing out an angry text back, but there’s no weight to his anger of “quit sending me nudes.” when he’s saving them to his camera roll anyway.

megumi <3 : are you kidding me?

it’s embarrassing how easily megumi finds heat surging in his core when he opens the notification from you, pouty lips and your tits sitting so pretty. it’s irritating the way his heart rate begins to raise — to kick against his ribs while his cock twitches to life in his pants and fuck, you couldn’t wait until he got home?

“you okay, fushiguro?” yuuji grunts, tilting his head at the sudden expression on his friends face as he sits across from him, not that he can hear him — he’s too focused, hypnotised by the swell of your breasts and the wide-eyed expression on your face. megumi’s irritation only rises when you try to play it off, sending a cute little i just miss you ‘gumi after — like you’ve not got him flustered in public, a blush high on his cheeks, biting back a whimper when you send him another that’s positioned a little lower.

megumi <3 : quit teasing me, i’m on my way home.

megumi’s reply is rushed, a pout on his lips as he mumbles out some excuse to yuuji about why he needs to leave — while he’s also trying to pull down the hem of his shirt to desperately cover the bulge in his pants. he’ll try to play off that he’s as annoyed as he is needy, but when he gets a peek at your perfect pussy in the next photo you’re about to send him, you know all his irritation will melt away when he’s helplessly pressing the heel of his palm against his bulge, just to relieve some of the ache until he gets home.

・✶ ｡ﾟNANAMI KENTO

there was a rush that came with teasing nanami, knowing that his jaw would be clenched when he’s opening your text message and trying not to show any signs of arousal on his face, but you both know his cock will be twitching behind his slacks before he’s pinching between his brows with a sigh, but he can’t help himself from taking a second look.

kento <3 : behave, sweetheart

it’s straight forward and blunt his reply, but it’s because nanami feels dizzy at the sight of your spread pussy so suddenly. your slick is glistening where the light leaks into the dimly lit bedroom and he feels his jaw clench when checks over his shoulder, making sure a certain white haired sorcerer isn’t around before he allows himself a few extra moments to really admire you.

you drove him crazy, even just the sight of your pretty body had him desperately trying to remain sane — to ignore the animalistic urge that twisted in his stomach that told him to just leave, to go home and fuck you like you want, like you deserve. a pretty little thing like you, spread out in his bed, most likely playing with your perfect little pussy until your wrist is sore and you’re breathing out his name in short pants.

come home <3 your reply is sweet, almost as sweet as nanami knows your pussy feels when he first sinks into it and the thought has him feeling dizzy, running an exasperated hand through his blonde hair before he’s resting his elbows on the desk — trying so hard to focus on anything else that’ll stop his cock thickening in his slacks. but when the next notification includes two of your fingers sinking into your plush cunt, he’s suddenly deciding that maybe too many nights of overtime has earned him an early finish today.

kento <3 : you better be ready when i get home, sweetheart.

© 2022 garoujo. please do not copy any of my layouts or writing and translate or repost onto any other sites.

[chirpsythismorning]

Haven't seen anyone talk about this, but it's very likely we'll be getting a flashback montage from Mike's perspective in Vol. 2, similar to Max's in Vol. 1.

In season 1-2, Mike was arguably the main character of the show. He was at the center of most scenes, which allowed the audience to get a lot of insight into what he was thinking/feeling during that time. Whereas lately, but especially in season 4, we are almost entirely in the dark.

We've been forced to read the subtext, because the text itself is refusing to give anything away.

I think it's funny when people say Byler fans read too much into things, when it's very likely they are the only ones ready for what's to come precisely because of their knack for reading too much into things.

For example, the three notable hints in 4x01 alone, out of only a handful of scenes we got from Mike that episode: (1) the one way sign pointing into Mike's closet, (2) his dreamy eyes at Eddie w Fever in the background, and (3) the wrestling room w Mike's POV zooming out of two boys doing... idk what they're doing feat. some bowl-cuts.

Even though it's subtle, it's intentional when considering the fact that we got so little else from him in Vol. 1. And I think the appeal of leaving us in the dark in Vol. 1 is to inevitably bring us into the light in Vol. 2.

And Mike getting Vecna'd is the most logical way to do that.

There's a bunch of things I can imagine going down in terms of what he hallucinates and stuff as a result of his shame/fears, which is why I don't want to go down that rabbit hole, since the possibilities are sort of endless.

I'm not sure how it would go down exactly, but I think it's safe to assume that if Mike makes it, we would see something along the lines of what Max saw, which was memories of all the people she cared about most, but with Lucas at the center of it.

It's not a stretch to assume Mike's montage would be Will centric, especially when we're talking season 1-2.

Byler Flashback Montage: Wish-List - "You said he was alive!" - "Crazy Together" - "Maybe all of this is happening for a reason..." - Mike's arm around Will's shoulder (2) - Mike on Will's bedside (2) - "We won't let him" feat. handhold - "It was the best thing I've ever done." - The Snowball... - Every single "You okay?" + season 3-4 moments. You get the gist!

And I just think it will be interesting for casual viewers to get this refresher of not only how it all began, but also how for Mike, Will has always been one of, if not the most important person in his life.

A lot of scenes between them are just going to feel different than they did the first time for most casual viewers. Especially now after having Will's feelings for Mike out in the open, and most likely after seeing Mike maybe looking at Will differently. Those flashbacks are going to make a lot of people wake up.

What I'm most excited for is that ST was arguably at its peak during those Mike/Will moments, and I think a lot of fans forgot that. We're also likely going to see pieces of Mike we haven't seen in a while, the sides of him we only really see when he's in a good place with Will, which is going to have a lot of people going, " now, wait a damn minute... I love this Mike?? I missed him??".

While there are a lot of people that won't be too happy about Mike reciprocating Will's feelings, I know there are just as many, if not more that don't really care about ships. Most people watching shows will go with whatever pairing is presented to them, especially if it feels right and true to the story. And Byler is as true to ST as it gets.

So heres to all of us out there who read too much into things. I look forward to educating the masses with you on and after July 1st!