#but here they actually respect women and it SHOWS and i'm so excited

[rhythmmortis]

NEW DEMO AND TRAILER THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL

ALSO HELLO CODA AND REAPER AND FREDDIE AND REDESIGNED NOCTURNA!! FUCKING AAAAAAA

EEYYRGTGY4267728ITYGUHDSHJDJDFFD!!!!!!!!!!! GENUINELY I DO NOT HAVE COMPREHENSIVE OR COHERENT WORDS LIKE. I NEED THIS GAME SO BADLY. THIS TRAILER IS KEEPING ME FED FOR MONTHS.

redesigned nocturna genuinely almost made me cry like. to see that they actually listened to feedback and then took steps to rectify their mistake is so refreshing to see, as a person of colour myself it makes me so happy. ALSO SHE IS GORGEOUS STUNNING AMAZING SHOWSTOPPING I LOVE HER

REAPER??????? MY BELOVED??????? i'm so excited to see reaper in here and i'm really curious to see what her role will be, especially considering they're going for realism in some aspects, but her design goes so hard....

CODA. OH MY GOD. SHE LOOKS SO COOL. considering the difficulty already in the demo i'm VERY EXCITED to see the absolute hell she will bring! i do find it kinda interesting that they mentioned on their twitter that they weren't gonna add bolt and they posted some beta designs for them, but they DID add in coda. does feel like they could've still added bolt in but we'll see what the full game is like

FREDDIE!!! MY GUY FREDDIE MERCHANTRY!!! SO JOYFUL!! SO JOVIAL!!! MY MANS IS GONNA BE FUCKING IT UP ON THESE TRACKS, GET IT FREDDIE

merlin still cute as always seriously her design might be one of my favourites, and i love suzu crouching in the corner, GOD THEY ACTUALLY HAVE PERSONALITIES THIS IS SO COOL

and as always i appreciate you updating me thank you :) this was one of the first things i saw waking up and i'm glad it was because this had made my entire week, perhaps month

[the-90s-music-colosseum]

Quarterfinals, Match 2

expand to see all propaganda received! (wall of text warning oh my god this is a severe cautionary message)

Lauryn Hill:

"she paved the way and was hot as fuck the whole time"

"Girl c'mon. Look at her. You're gonna try and tell me that isn't the most beautiful and attractive person alive? Okay. You're lying but okay."

"if u freaks don't give ms. lauryn hill the respect she deserves..."

"actually one of the prettiest women ever I'm such a lesbian for her. like irl I'm already a lesbian but she is helping"

Damon Albarn:

"Don’t think Damon should be here? Why don’t you get your head checked by a jumbo jet? Maybe you’ll feel heavy metal and calm down."

"If Damon is in the “some guy” category, he’s the heavenly and heartbreaking version. Damon is the sort of significant stranger I’d see on the train out of Colchester but could never speak to, just a face seen in passing yet too radiant to be real. I’d fall in love for an hour and carry the ache for a month."

"Damon sets the standard for me. I think he’s the most fascinating man alive. What I find attractive in Damon is not just his gorgeous bone structure and boyish charm, but how wholly he’s committed himself to music. Damon is an artist who walked the walk: in one of his roughest years with some of his rawest songwriting, he said he was no longer excited by anything except the creative process. He was disillusioned with the celebrity of it all, with his relationships suffering for it, and only wanted to make art: nothing more, nothing less. He would go on to compose film scores, write operas and stage musicals, produce other artists’ records, form collectives to fulfill his passion for world music, and create some of the most globally successful music of his career in a completely innovative format that placed him as the phantom behind the characters. Whenever one band takes a break, he makes a solo record or puts together a supergroup to stay busy. He’s uniquely collaborative and still writes personal letters inviting artists to record with him, and yet can function as a one-man show, acting as a multi-instrumentalist, a singer-songwriter and a producer. He’s been a constant voice of bringing British music to the world *and* bringing world music into Britain. Sure, he’s won Brit Awards and a Grammy among others, but he also has a Guinness World Record and was named an Officer of the British Empire for his services to music; his long work with Africa Express earned him respect even from peers who’d previously dismissed him, and his commitment to support his Malian collaborators in the face of violence earned him the title of Local King in Mali. There is so much talent in the world, but there is truly no one else with a career that looks like Damon Albarn’s. Damon is far more than just a prettyboy to look nice on a magazine cover, but looks are the ultimate point of this tournament, so make no mistake: he was terribly, terribly pretty. You watch him performing in the 90s, you sift through photoshoots and interviews and documentaries, and it feels *cruel* how beautiful he was. If his talent was god-given, so was his face. To put a bow on this thesis: I don’t know if Gorillaz and Damon’s musical universe would be the experimental, globe-trotting, boundary-pushing community affair it is if Blur hadn’t become such a central figure in Britpop and if Damon had not been made such a media spectacle, and I don’t know if Damon would have been that spectacle if he wasn’t so ungodly pretty. The domino effect is that Damon’s cherubic face launched a thousand multimedia art school projects for decades to come."

"I wish I was basically any bloke in the 90s so I could tongue Damon Albarn down. Damon will see a man and ask “is anyone gonna kiss that?” and not wait for a response."

"I have a pillow with his face on it. I sleep with it every night 😊"

"“I’m more homosexual than Brett Anderson, always have been. As far as bisexuality goes, I’ve had a taste of that particular fruit, or have been tasted you might say…” is just the rawest most Shakespearean statement ever"

"he is the ultimate Pretty Boy ™. his glorious golden locks, his electric blue eyes. he is if Princess Diana was a Britpop Dude. he is the Regina George of Britpop. he is if Aphrodite took male form. Zeus would come down to earth to fuck him if he knew. he is a caffeinated orange cat let loose. he is deranged. he is unhinged. you never know what will come out of his mouth. he had sexual tension with every single man who knew him. he pulled justine fucking frischmann. his aura knows no bounds. he is a siren. he is a weird guy. but being so gorgeous stunning ethereal didn't stop him from also being one of the most prolific songwriters of his generation"

"THE MAIN BLUR"

"literally where do i even begin. i could write entire essays on this man. a good place to start would be the beetlebum music video, i suppose. i'll never forget the first time i watched that music video. something in me changed, my brain chemistry was altered, my life was never the same, i view the world a lot differently now. and a lot of the viewing i'm doing is of pictures of damon albarn's face because of boy do i have a lot of those saved. every time i try to look for a photo of something on my phone i can't find it because there's so much damon. okay that's maybe an exaggeration but this man has the most unfathomable beauty ever. his eyes? HIS EYES. god dammit i love his eyes i want to stare at them until the end of time like nothing else exists. i'm so normal about this man (lying) and while i'm usually very shameless about my interests i'm actually incredibly glad this propaganda is anonymous because otherwise. yeah. but the world deserves to see damon albarn's beauty and also hear his fantastic voice because what the fuck. his voice is literally the most gorgeous sound ever produced like bro sounds like that and expects me not to fall in love? i want this man to sing his silly songs and talk absolute nonsense to me until the sun eventually blows out and the world ends. cmon damon girlies let's demolish this tournament i know there are a lot of you."

"He’s beautiful. He’s a little rat. He’s a sweetheart. He’s a dickhead. He’s a musical genius. He’s a dumb bitch. He’s a jock. He’s a weirdo. He’s real. He’s an illusion. He’s everything. He’s just Damon."

"DAMON DAMON DAMON where do I begin oh jeez I've hyperfixated on this man for a solid 4 years and still going strong. Damon makes me wish that British people are real. That says A LOT. This man created a whole ass ANIMATED BAND WITH A SHIT TON OF LORE as a SIDE HUSTLE??? Not to mention, what other man has collaborated with Stevie Nicks, MF DOOM, Del the Funky Homosapien, Snoop Dogg, AND Beck?! People, we're literally in the presence of a god. And he's STILL GOING. Anyways, TL;DR, damon is so so so neat and cool and he should definitely win this competition. Thank you."

"Okay 90s Damon is The Perfect Boy yes yes, but the people who parrot the Daily Mail and say "he's ugly now" will never understand. I would still suck every drop from him on his deathbed."

"Vote for whoever you want to. But Damon is so pretty."

"i did not spend hours admiring this beautiful man's face on pinterest just to see him lose."

"Damon Albarn just brings me joy. When I'm watching him perform, following along as the camera lingers on and adores his pretty face, I get butterflies like I'm 15 again. It's nice to still feel that totally unguarded giddiness sometimes."

"God let the intrusive thoughts win making Damon. What if he's a beautiful blond twink with eyes like saucers and dick to his knees, he reads Herman Hesse and plays footie and is insufferable about both, he'll be the most prolific musician of his generation and write operas and seminal albums in 5 different genres and also he's gonna be the dumbest bitch alive? He'll also be kinda bi, but only kinda. And send."

"when i found out about his existence, my life was changed forever. i wish i could use him like the hannah montana boot milk pillow and chuck him at the wall so he makes a loud thud"

"Think of the drama and anon fights it'll cause if Damon wins it all! And think of how quiet it'll get after Damon's out. You'll miss him when he's gone, like memories of a noisy house years after it's grown silent. Choose Damon, and keep the messy train chugging."

"Even the Gallagher brothers have the hots for him."

"Kiss kiss I love him also you can't vote for any of the Seattle men they're literally copy and paste it's not fair. We need Brit representation"

"I want to take care of him, I want to provide for him. I need to gauge his baby blue puppy dog orbs out to I can clean them with wood varnish, paint shades of Pantone 320 C in his eyes, spray eau de parfume by dior in them and sew it back into his eyes like that scene in Toy Story 2."

"Seeing as simply filling the page with ‘Damon’ written 10000000 times isn’t going to cut it 😅 may I admit/submit: I DO have him tattooed on my being (no descriptive, is this anon?); he’s inspired somewhat unhinged late night/early morning fandom conversations in which I’ve served as ‘parish’ priest hearing confessions from all manner of folk about what they’d like to do to him/receive from him; sadly I lost an essay where I detailed why the letters that make up his name suit him so well, and described him as the hot caramel sauce to Graham’s cool vanilla ice cream. He’s a faerie princess with a nose that makes people weep and a voice that feels like the warmest home and he gives amazing hugs. He loves trains and chickens and his tuxedo cat. He’s annoying and sweet and somewhat unhinged and his music saves people and all this is on top of that fantastic dick. He’s a dream yet very real and we’re fucking blessed to be on earth at the same time as him, amen"

"Damon Albarn was a beautiful, beautiful boy. The world saw that, regardless of if every individual reading this has the same taste in men; it felt like a truth of the universe at the time. They don't make celebrities that angelic in face and erratic in personality anymore."

"I need to touch his eyebrows, nose and prostate just one time JUST ONE TIME COME ON"

[neonovember]

OH MY GOD CARMYS GF (READER) GETTING HER FIRST TATTOO AND HIM COMFORTING HER AND HELPING HER TAKE CARE OF IT DURING THE HEALING PROCESS OR WHATEVA‼️💳💥💳💥 IDK I WAS JUST SITTING HERE AND THOUGHT OF IT IF YOU DOJT WANNA WRITE IT THATS OKAY

could even make the tattoo be his name or his initial or somethin 🤯🤯🤭😏

love you and your writing 😚

thanks for keeping us fed 😌

carmen berzatto x reader

okay so yes, maybe hozier has jolted me out of my writers block. i'm just a women after all.

Inked Devotion

this request was fun! i really didn't know what to make the tattoo so i left it a blank slate for whatever you wanna imagine, hope that's okay!

word count: 1.7k

things; tattoos, mentions of braces, carmen's unyielding devotion to you

Your eyes dart across the tall walls lined with inked models and men in dark beards nervously. You can't shake the tension that seems to imprint itself under your skin, your knees jittering with a rapid tap against the linoleum floors. 

When you had brought up wanting to get a tattoo, a half joking mutter under your breath as you traced the many littered on Carmen’s body you hadn’t anticipated to actually go through with it. 

And yet here you were, shaking like a leaf despite the diffuser jutting out whisper of eucalyptus that was meant to be calming. Whilst Monica, a woman you'd meant a handful of times ran through the list of after care necessities you should be listening to.

You can’t though, you don’t hear a thing as you stare unseeingly through the dark auburn tresses of her short hair, wrapped up in the thoughts that have begun to eat away at the already dwindling confidence you had when you first walked in. 

“Hey, you still with me darlin’' Monica's Brooklyn drawl draws you back to her, and you duck your head sheepishly as you nod furiously. Like a goddamn high schooler getting caught looking out the window instead of listening to Hemingway.

Monica smiles toward you, humouring warmth filling her pale skin that, surprising to you, were incredibly stark of tattoos. In fact, if it weren’t for the posters taped to the walls, the black and white tiled floor, and the ominous tattoo bench in the corner you would have thought you walked it not the wrong place. It was stereotypical of you, and you had been a loud advocate for not judging a book by its cover, but goddamn, what tattoo parlour had potted plants and candles that smell like cinnamon?

“Sorry, uh, what did you say?” 

“It’ll be alright, the pain really does depend on each person but Larry here will catch you if you faint on my tattoo bed” Monica winks with a smile, and you shift your gaze to the man stationed unmoving near some marked drawers, the mass of muscle hidden beneath dark jeans and a shirt bursting out of him.

It wasn’t the pain you were worried about, you had period cramps that sounded worse than that, it was more so the prospect of having your virgin skin imprinted with something forever. You had never done something like this, teenage recklessness had passed you by without a blink, and you had little to show for it but carved words on your old dresser from a knife and a dark eyeshadow phase that lasted less than a month. 

It was a little pathetic, getting your first tattoo eons after any respectable age, and your trepidation seems blatantly clear as Monica shakes her head with a smile.

“Many people get their firsts well into adulthood, did I tell you about my last appointment? A 52 year old woman wanting a goddamn tramp stamp.”

You can't help but let a giggle out, the unsureness leaving you at Monica’s words

“You still want this right?’ Monica replies, and you shift your gaze to Carmen, who was already watching you fondly, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he pushes his golden strands back and gives you a nod

“It’s all up yo you gorgeous, if your having second thoughts there is a really good Thai place i wanted to che-” 

“No, no I want this”  You cut him off, and he chuckles softly, “Besides we already designed the stencil and everything” Carmen nods at that, placing his large palm onto your own, squeezing it with reassurance.

“Damn right we did, thinkin it's my best work yet” Monica chirps from the other side of the bed between you.

“Alright, just sit on that bed down there, get settles while I grab some things” 

You nod, walking stiffly towards the leather bed, tissue paper crinkly under your weight as you shift into a comfortable position. Your eyes follow Monica like a laser, watching as she santises her hands and slides on powdered sterile gloves. 

It reminds you of days spent in Dentists chairs, visions of rubbery fingers tightening wires into your teeth flashes behind the darkness of your lids. Funny, you had worried about your lack of experimental youth, and yet here you are now feeling like a kid again.

The thought makes you smile, and you open your eyes to feel the heated gaze of Carmen looming over you. Face distorting in horror when Monica’s tool makes a clatter, eyes widening comically in that way that always makes you laugh.

“Alright Doll, I’m just gonna need you to sit up for me whilst I get the skin prepped. Alcohols gonna feel a little cold to the touch, kay?” Monica says.

All you can do is nod as she rips open the matte packet, pressing it into your open skin shaved clean per her request a few prior. Who knew how much prep a tattoo would need, you were sure it was on par with even one of Carm’s dishes.

Unfortunately for you the only numbing cream useful for tattoos had something that would have made you break out in hives, so it was cold turkey for you. Monica had transformed the design into a stencil, and as she was transferring it into your skin it seemed to come to life all at once. 

You had spent hours going over designs, and whilst you were extremely happy with what you both came up with, it was like when the lines and shapes had traced your skin, you finally saw it. And the moment you did you couldn't stop the wave of emotion that rushed through you, filling your eyes.

“Hey, baby, hey what is it” Carmen rushed urgently, crouching down when he noticed the way you sniffled.

“Awe doll, you don’t like the design? I’ll change it in a flash, this is just the stencil it aint permanent at all” Monica quickly stopped, looking up at you with concern

“No no, I’m fine” You squeezed Carmen “It’s so, it's beautiful Monica” You rushed out, trying to ease the lines of concern that appeared on her face. Monica bloomed at your reply, fondness heating her cheeks as she traced your skin comfortingly.

“Thank you” You whispered to her as she shushed you.

“At least we got the crying bit over and done with, it might hurt less now” She winked, before reaching for her tattoo gun.

“Ah shit” You grunted, shooting daggers Carmen's way when he snorted out loud.

Returning to your skin, Monica pressed the pointed tip of the gun to your skin, the first sink of ink burrowed into your skin causing you to clench your jaw. 

Monica looked up to watch your expression with a smile,

“See, ain't too bad” Carmen replied before you gripped him white knuckled, making him wince regrettably.

It took some time, you won’t lie to yourself that is fucking hurt. But soon enough the sharp stab had resided to a dull ache, and you instead had become all too focused on the movement of Monica's hand swaying through the strokes of the design. 

You were in awe, she breathed her being into it, and as the design took inches and inches of your skin you understood why she was booked out for months. With one last intricate curl, and a wipe of cleansing soap across the inked skin it was finished. Revealed to both you and Carmen's eyes in all its glory, and you both just stared.

“God, now I wish my first was as good as that instead of wonky stick and poke” Carmen said after a pregnant silence had passed.

“It..wow, yeah. Yep, I want to be buried with this” You said softly, giddiness erupting in your body as you shook your hand grasped in Carmens.

“I’m glad doll, I mean this is meant to be professional but goddamn does your skin just take it. Fuckin’ gorgeous” Monica replied, leaning back as she places the gun on the table near.

“Hey, I'll report you to HR” Carmen bitterly replies, moving you closer to his side as you laugh.

“It’s my business, I am HR” Muttering under her breath as she rolls her eyes. Wrapping your skin in adhesive sheets, Monica repeats the after care instructions, thankfully and this time you listen.

Carmen had already grabbed your things, motioning for you to start heading out after you both furiously thanked Monica for everything. You crinkled with joy as she hugged you, breathing in the smell of old spice and medical grade rubbing alcohol that followed her. 

Her studded rings glistened in the afternoon sun as she waved you both goodbye, as you couldn't help but skip in your stride across the sidewalk. Finger tracing the raised blotted skin, whilst your other hand hung onto Carmen as he twirled you around.

“My gorgeous ink stained sweetheart” Carmen called to you, and you were brought back to his chest gently like a tide again.

“Thank you too, you know” You said into Carmen's cotton shirt. It was the one you got him after your first date, it had been a deep cobalt then. You regretted it just as you gave it to him, fearing you were being too forward. And then he wore it until it faded into a light blue.

“Wouldn't even have this forever on me if you hadn't been the one to bring it up again” You replied softly, fingers tracing his jaw.

“Would have spent a year learning how to tattoo myself if you wanted me too. Monica just seemed quicker” Carmen mumbled before you softly hit his chest with a smile.

“Hey, it’s true. Your skin deserves to be remembered, I could trace it till my fingers atrophied and I’d still have the memory of you under my skin memorised” Carmen divulged, eyelids drooping as he leaned down into your embrace. 

You shake your head, heart panging so deeply it hurt till you pressed your lips to his. Tasting the outpour of Carmen that he let loose into you everyday.

And Carmen had stayed true to his words weeks later when it had healed, tracing it till his fingers weren't enough. Till he had to wrap his mouth around it and taste it with his tongue.

He swears even your inked skin tasted sweet.

tags <3 @parmforcarm @hansfics @kpopgirlbtssvt @nolita-fairytale

[olderthannetfic]

Quote from a post: "the things created within fandom aren’t real - an individual fic can’t cause actual, material harm to a reader, even if it contains tropes that would be harmful or distressing if they happened in that reader’s real life; an author’s use of certain tropes or interest in certain characters is not indicative of their actual morals and values in real life; thought crimes are not real crimes - but fanfiction is produced by human beings who are themselves products of the societies and communities in which we all live, and these societies and communities all have flaws and failings.

which is to say, those of us who prefer to read male friendships as romantic do need to be aware that, no matter how enlightened on gender and its foibles we think ourselves to be, we are nonetheless influenced as modern humans by a modern tendency to discourage platonic physical and emotional closeness between men - especially straight men - on the grounds that two men having this sort of relationship is inherently queer and, in being queer, implicitly sexual [an understanding of queerness which is another powerful societal influence on our thought, even if we know we don’t agree with it.]"

Okay this is from a big post from a big fandom account here please don't speculate who it is this is not about them specifically and has nothing to do with them i genuinely respect this poster and they are nothing but a supportive space and don't have any anti-nonsense. But I wanna talk about this point that they are making "the society is queering straight friendships" which is something also the anti-fujoshi crowd is saying and honestly I can't agree with that point.

I don't think its us the people who make fandom are queering the relationships between two straight men but the patriarchal system we live under and straight men themselves are doing it to themselves. They can't show love and affection to each other lest other dudes will call them gay not because there are secret fujoshis around that sexualize them. They can be vulnerable period lest everyone calls them whiney like women. I feel like (and most of the things I say here are vibes, not facts) men having close friendships with other men are green flags, and most women are excited to see men who have exact the strong relationship that are portrayed in media.

I'm confused by this talking point to be honest. I also understand that by saying everything I said above I sort of said the same thing as the original poster. In a sense that society is the problem here and we live in a society as we know, but... idk I feel like what they say is "we live in a society where everyone by default is sexualizing male friendships" which sounds like the standard anti-fujoshi talking point to me.

And regarding the point of romantic relationships being prioritized over platonic— I feel like is a complete bullshit to be honest.

Romantic relationships are prioritized over platonic ones across the board. Straight couples leave their straight friends behind when they get further into relationship too! I don't understand this impulse to constantly talk about romantic vs platonic thing when its about queer ships, and maybe there is somewhere straight ship discourse about romantic vs plantonic but its not as big as with mlm or wlw ships.

And honestly even with this take I feel like romantic relationships are also not prioritized but rather are more encouraged. And there is difference between encouraging and actually prioritizing I think.

(I want to add here that I'm not aroace so maybe its a blindspot and from that identitys point of view the dynamics might be different)

In reality I think both are equally hard to obtain and maintain. I always felt like the fandom being so shipping focused was not about people being hellbent on romance but just the fact that good love stories are few and far between both in fiction and IRL and we can't help but try to make something at least remotely good, or interesting or satisfying.

Again, my main problems is: 1) I don't agree that romantic relationships are prioritized to that high degree over the friendships like everyone claims. 2) I don't think that every single person is actually a secret fujoshi waiting to make any straight male friendship gay. 3) Fandoms are romantic ship centric because people just want more narratively satisfying romantic stories that are underrepresented in media (or they don't get to experience it IRL) rather than they are vehemently against platonic ships.

I don't know this hopefully came out coherent.

--

The person who wrote that sounds like a pretentious twatwaffle, and I am so sick of seeing otherwise reasonable people spout that crap. That's been true since the 90s and probably before.

The reality is that Western culture enshrines male friendship as the highest form of affection possible. This goes back to the Classical world. And, yes, they were probably fucking too back then, but the thing that all of the media is about is friendship.

The entire backbone of Western culture is built on the idea that men are spiritually, biologically, inherently more capable than women of this highest form of relationship. Romance is the big thing for women because we're not eligible for The Pure And Holy Friendship Between Two Men.

The epidemic of male loneliness is real, but we haven't gotten any less "Bros before hos". Fandom and m/m shipping behavior are irrelevant to this.

--

Furthermore, fandom has plenty of people who don't focus on shipping.

AO3 was built by slashers, so ship type is a top-level category, and the site obviously signals that it's about shipping and particularly non heterosexual shipping since you can filter out het.

Past sites often had more metadata that wasn't around ships (e.g. FFN's genres that work like bookstore genres) and almost never let you get rid of het. You might have been able to filter in The Gay, but straight stuff was literally unmarked.

~We do need to be aware of~

Bite me.

This naggy phrase is everywhere, and nothing good comes of it.

The only thing we need to be aware of is that Blorbo is great and s/he should be mashed together with Other Blorbo. If that's in gen adventures, you do you.

[ssivinee]

✧Magic Spell✧

BEBE! Bada Lee x Jam Republic! F Reader: Jam Republic was probably the most anticipated group of this season of street woman fighters. With the season going international, you find yourself being a part of the talented group. While battling, you catch someone else's attention, the famous Bada Lee.

Word Count: 2.9k

Warning: The events aren't accurate to the actual show and were tweaked to fit the storyline.

Note: The reader is Korean, Tongan (Tonga), and Cuban. It's a little fast-paced.

Character Vision Board

All the groups were seated in their respective recording areas, and in front of them was a TV, where all the crews were about to be introduced.

When every crew watched, everyone felt the exciting atmosphere really come to life. The vibes heightened once more as Jam Republic was introduced.

Jam Republic decided to send a team that would represent other women worldwide. Choosing the members Kristen Dodgen, Ling Zhang, Latrice Kabamba, Y/n Ramos, Emma Huch, and Audrey Lane.

Everyone checked out the information of each member, but everyone couldn't help but stare at Y/n's long list of achievements. You began as an underground dancer and competed in several competitions, winning about 95% of them, before entering the world of choreography.

Through several YouTube videos, you became well-known for your b-girling, house dance, and bone-breaking specialty. When continuing down the list, it showed the several artists you've worked with. Big names like Usher, Beyonce, Normani, Bruno Mars, and Ne-yo were just a few of those names.

You were the third youngest on the team, yet your triumphs showed your thorough background in the dance scene. At 23, you were known worldwide for your work and skills, even being popular amongst the general public.

They began to show some of your videos, and some dancers couldn't help but be in awe of you.

So when the day finally came, and everyone had to film together, the crews went in anticipating the impressive performances they'd get to see.

You and the girls entered the building with a bright energy and all smiles. "This is so exciting," Audrey squeals, and you pinch her cheek due to her adorableness. You made your way up the stairs. Linked arms with the youngest, with a similar vibe in your outfit choices.

The group makes their way to the hot pink room and waits for their call. As you wait, you check your outfit, rotating your body often and posing.

"You look amazing. Stop worrying so much," Latrice says as she pats your hip. "Dude, I'm just so pumped right now," You tell them with much adrenaline pumping through your veins as you jump every so often.

"Is anyone excited to meet a dancer?" Emma asks, chilling comfortably on the couch. Audrey says, "Definitely wanna see Tsubakill."

"Bebe is fire, though," Kristen tells the girls, and you nod.

"They have a youthful energy you wanna bounce to," you state, fond of the team full of younger dancers. When you sat with the rest of your girls, watching through every team's choreography, Bebe was the one that caught your attention. The filming of their crew preview video, the outfits, and the high teen energy sparked something in you. They looked like they enjoyed the dance and had terrific chemistry, which made you happy. You almost couldn't stop grinning as you watched them.

Before you can even continue the conversation, all of you get startled by the loud bass of the TV, signaling them to enter the fight zone. They began to walk out, and as Kristen led them through the corridor, they stopped at the entrance and looked amazed at the setup.

Making it down the stairs, everyone's eyes were on Jam Republic, and you couldn't help but roam your eyes around. You didn't make it that far because you couldn't look away as soon as you locked eyes with Bada Lee.

You give her a kind grin, and she gladly returns one.

Walking past some of the crews, you heard many whispers.

"Wha~ Kristen is really here."

"Their vibes are totally unmatched."

"Jam being here is actually crazy."

Everyone's eyes then linger on you and Audrey. Your pretty faces shocked many of them. Bada can only look at the two in astonishment, "Audrey and Y/n are so pretty."

Other comments like you two looking like princesses or angels could be heard through each crew's murmurs. Yet none of the Jam Republic girls were fazed.

You then watched the video that provided unwanted comments as you stood at the center. Most of the words targeted Kristen, but they sure left you and Audrey with a bitter taste in your mouths.

"Audrey is a baby. She can just sit there, look pretty, and do nothing."

"Many people praise Y/n's skills, but I believe most people watch her just to see her pretty face."

"I wanna say I'm proud that Y/n is famous as she's half Korean, but I feel we've been let down by her. She's lost her touch after a while."

Your eyebrows raise at the comment, and you can't help but sneer.

"Lost your touch?" Ling questions as the same confusion lingers in the mind of your entire crew. You chuckle a bit as you begin to see the no-respect stickers.

Kristen had two, while you and Audrey were evenly split with five. Audrey, who stood beside you, raised her two thumbs in happiness, and you gave her a high five. You understood what she was feeling right now. You two had mandatory battles to show your abilities.

"I don't really get it. You're one of the greatest battlers out there, and they decide to comment those things?" Emma whispers to you, but you smile, "I guess I'm just gonna have to prove them otherwise."

As you stay seated, paying attention to the announced judges and host, Audrey nudges you slightly, 'We're gonna kill it out there."

"You're damn right we are."

As you listened, your eyes traveled to your left, and you saw Bada, who was paying close attention. The younger girls on her team seemingly notice and whisper to her, causing Bada to look back at you with seduction.

You weren't one to back down either, so you focused on her, inviting the flirtatious look as you unconsciously bit your lower lip, unaware of how sensual it looks on Bada's end. Bada looks at you up and down, pleased by your reaction with a sly grin on her face, and returns to paying attention to Kang Daniel as he speaks.

"And now, what the hell was that?" Emma asks you playfully, and the girls can't help but turn their attention to you. "What? She's hot," you shrug, and they can't help but just laugh at you.

"Wait, who?" Kirsten asks, a little confused, and Emma just says, "Bada."

"I can't blame you, though," Emma comments, and you giggle, knowing how much of an effect Bada seemingly has on many of the women in the studio.

"Well, if you are done silently flirting, please pay attention," Latrice gives you a joking glare as you give her a mini salute.

Before battles commenced, everyone was told to get changed and be ready in 10 minutes.

You tell the girls to head out because you need to reply to someone's message, but suddenly, you hear a knock on your door.

"Come in," You say and see Bada's face peaking through the door. She smiles at you, "Am I interrupting you?"

"Oh, of course not. Please, come in and sit." You pat the seat right next to you, slightly adjusting your hat as you do so. You two sit down, and Bada introduces herself properly, "I'm Bada Lee of Bebe. I'm actually a fan of yours."

"That's so sweet. Well, Miss Bada, I'm Y/n Ramos," You shook each other's hands, "So, biggest and trendiest choreographer right now, huh?"

"I can say the same thing about you."

"I'm not too sure about that. Everyone on my TikTok was dancing to Rover, while I haven't seen many do my dances," you joke.

"It's because your choreos are advanced. I work in a world where the dance has to be a trend, so it appeals to the Kpop audience."

"I've noticed that in Kpop too. It's admirable, you know? Being able to have so many fans dance something you made."

You two loved the conversation's comfort, even teasing each other about wearing hats, but the moment was cut short as the staff began calling everyone back onto the set.

"Let's continue later?" Bada asks, and you nod as you approach the fight zone together. Both of your respective groups were teasing you two as soon as you took a seat.

As they began rolling the cameras, we headed straight into battles.

Redy of 1Million was called up first, and as she picks, she walks around, teasing to pick someone from Deep N Dap, but makes a fast 180 turn and chooses Bada instead.

"Redy, do you have anything to say to Bada?"

"I just don't respect you," She tells the taller girl right to the point.

"Not Redy, Soobin-ah, you're still an 8th grader to me," you gasp at the roast, and a light chuckle comes out. Ling looks at you confused and asks what happened and when you tell her the exact translation she audibly gasps, "That's gotta burn man."

"After hearing that back story, I'd be pissed at Bada too," you say, making her laugh. Redy began first, and while you watched, you felt it was a bit messy and failed to captivate you.

When it was Bada's turn, you watched her intensely. She grooved and taunted the younger girl, making her dance entertaining. You found yourself making a face of surprise, not expecting Bada to be so confident in battle as she was known to be an avid choreographer.

Nearing the end, you two make quick eye contact, and with a smirk, Bada takes a paper in her mouth and blows it in Redy's face. "That made her ten times hotter," you groaned, amazed, and Emma chuckles after hearing your statement, smacking your leg due to you being silly again.

You sat there, watching some of your teammates go up several times before you, making you itch to dance.

Audrey was the first in your crew to be called, even being chosen by two dancers immediately. You were never worried about your youngest, though. She had one of the most unique styles of dance in your eyes. Every move she made, you cheered or had faces of disgust, enjoying every move of Audrey's freestyle.

Then, you were on an emotional roller coaster on Kirsten's several turns. During these moments, you came to see who, from each crew, would be a formidable opponent to your team.

Emma then went on stage, and it was the loudest you cheered. Due to the similar specialties you and Emma had, you unconsciously hype her dance up with the same amount of energy. Bada watches you, adoring the faces you make each time your team is up.

She noticed everything about you: the side tilts your head did when Monika showed two team cards instead of one, the little tap your feet made when you got nervous about the winner of specific battles, your large jumps when you got hyped over a move. She was expecting you to be one of the calmer ones on your team, but after some thinking, it was probably because you were on the younger side of your team.

Bada knew well that when younger dancers worked in a team with older ones, their inner child came out much more often. You clearly had close relations with each of your members, appreciating everything about them, even when they lost.

Soon, it was the turn of Deep N Dap's Minny Park to choose her no-respect dancer.

"I choose Jam Republic's Y/n," You jumped off your seat, feeling more energized than ever. "Minny-nim, why did you pick Y/n as a no-respect dancer?"

"She's rusty, and I'm gonna prove that."

Many people enjoyed the laugh, and you responded, "Don't worry, I oiled up for the show." People go crazy at your clapback, and as you give Kristen your mic, the music begins for Minny.

"Let's go Minny!"

"Show her how it's done!"

The encouragement of her team gave Minny an impressive start. She starts by posing to the song's beats and looks at you with eyes of determination.

You watched very closely, staying calm and composed. That was the version of you that Bada expected. Seeing your new sides made her want to know you even more.

Minny was good, you'll give her that. She had a sassiness to her that carried the energy of her moves. She even added provoking dance moves which had you nodding your head occasionally. However, no matter how much credit you give her, you would provide her with a fight, and it would be a beat down.

"3! 2! 1! Switch!"

The music began to change, and you heard "Beggin'" by Madcon, which excited you. You said, "Perfect," telling yourself that you'd win with this song, no problem.

"Oh, she's gonna eat this song up," Latrice tells the crew, having pure faith in her best friend.

"Come on, Y/n!"

"Show them how battling is done, girl."

You start with grooving in the beginning, and as soon as you hear the first, 'I'm beggin' ~,' you give a pout as you kneel with praying arms to Minny. As the beat builds up, you smirk and hit a one-armed handstand freeze, then remove your arm quickly to do a small headspin.

You tutted, with some bone-breaking, and led into getting more in Minny's personal space. You see Bada's from your peripheral, whose jaw literally means dropped. You smirk and decide to give her more of a show.

Your hips rotated, and you swayed your ass to show more variety. As you drop to the floor dramatically on your knees, you grind your hips forward before going into a 1990 to Windmill. As the music subdues, you just end with a slight spin.

Everyone was already wild as it was, but they all gave you a standing ovation. Your face goes into a pout as it warms your heart.

"Judges, please reveal your votes," Kang Daniel signals, and you sigh in relief to see the 3 pink cards. Your team jumps and cheers excitedly for you as you bow at the 3 judges.

All the judges still stare at you in shock, and only Monika finds the words.

"I'm here to be as truthful as possible, and I can proudly say with my chest that battle was the most entertaining thing I've seen in a while. Minny, you are terrific, and if you picked anyone else in this room, you had a higher chance of winning. But Y/n is just on another planet."

Monika gets a bit passionate and decides to stand up, "As professional dancers, we know how difficult freestyling is. It's a completely different mind game than choreographing. Y/n tutted, b-boyed, did bone-breaking AND theatrics? If I could give you an award right now, I would." You bowed with your hand over your heart at the high praise and returned to your team.

Before returning, your eyes meet Bada's, whose face is still the same. You find it amusing, letting out a laugh with a wink, causing Bada to get all flustered.

After a few more battles, you were all given a 30-minute break, so after a bathroom break, you took advantage of the time and went to the lobby of the building, taking in the silence as you rested on the blue velvet chair.

You sip on your ice-cold water and observe your surroundings until you see the tall woman coming down the stairs, giving her a small wave.

"What're you doing down here?" She questions, taking a seat in the velvet chair right beside you. "I needed to get away from the noisiness. Besides, it's nice and cold down here."

"I can agree with that."

"I honestly need to know how you move like that when you dance."

You giggle at the older's comment, "A lot of training and stamina. I wasn't even that flexible back in the day. I stretched daily to get my body to where it's at now."

She only nods, appreciating the fact you shared your efforts with her to become a better dancer.

You two let the silence engulf you until Bada decides to get daring. "You were so hot out there."

Your eyebrow raises, and you smirk. "I'm hot? I could say the same about you, Miss Bada. Whenever I make eye contact with you, I can never look away until you do. It's like you've cast a spell on me," You lean closer to Bada.

She does the same, her eyes traveling to your lips and eyes, "Me? Spell? Maybe you did that to me?" Bada leans in closer, the tension between the two of you rising quickly, and now the two of you feel your breaths hitting your lips. "I don't think you understand what you do to me. You have my hands clammy, face heated, heart racing? I wanna know how you're doing this to me."

Staring at each other, you had an idea and gave Bada a little peck before running away into one of the empty rooms, giggling as you heard Bada gasp and chase after you.

As you got into the room, you tried to shut the door, but Bada beat you to it and was able to stick her foot in, causing the door to open. She comes in and closes the door softly behind her, and smirks, walking over to you.

"You're actually gonna be the death of me," Bada tells you, hooking her fingers around the waistband of your pants and pulling you into her. Leaning down, she pulls you into another much longer and loving kiss. Pulling away, her forehead still stays connected to yours.

"How about I take you out later tonight, Miss Ramos?"

You kiss her on the cheek with a cute smile, "I'd love that, Miss Lee."

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

Something There (Chapter 1)

Ahh I'm excited to start this story! I hope you enjoy!

8.0k words Roy Kent x Reader Warnings: Language, brief references to breasts, enemies-to-lovers totally not taken right out of Pride and Prejudice, mentions of alcohol, me not knowing a thing about the Women's Super League and not letting it ruin my fun, Roy not being super excited about women's sports (but it's only because he's grumpy), Reader has a nickname

Series Masterlist

“What the fuck is a whippet?”

Rebecca stared at Roy as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s a dog very similar to a greyhound, but smaller,” she explained simply. “And it’s the official mascot of W.F.C. Richmond.”

Roy, Beard, and Nate sat across from Rebecca, who was flanked by a very excited Keeley. Nate’s expression was wide-eyed and intrigued, while Beard looked pleased and almost proud as he listened to Rebecca’s news. Roy, on the other hand, sat there with his brow furrowed and arms crossed.

Not that the manager’s body and facial language deterred Rebecca; on the contrary, she was far too used to his sulky disposition. However, considering this was a project near and dear to both her and Keeley’s hearts, she had very little patience for his lack of enthusiasm today.

“Where’ll they be playing then?” Roy asked, doing his best to show the support that he knew Rebecca was craving from him. He respected her far too much- both as a boss and a, dare he say, friend- to let her think he didn’t care, not after she and Keeley had done a whole song and dance to present the news to the gaffers: a women’s team. A women’s team for Richmond.

Keeley and Rebecca exchanged looks. Keeley’s expression was one that involved raised eyebrows, as if to say You tell him. Rebecca’s, with her mouth in a straight line, communicated something more along the lines of Shit, do I really have to tell him?

With a deep breath, Rebecca turned back to Roy. “Here, of course,” she answered, her voice steady and nonchalant, seeming to presume her response was obvious to everyone in the room.

Roy furrowed his brow, the corners of his mouth dipping downwards. “But we play here,” he said dumbly. His mind raced. Holy shit, is Rebecca selling us? Is it because we didn’t come in fucking first last year? It was my first fucking season managing, no one could have expected-

“We’ll be sharing the facilities,” Rebecca answered, interrupting the thoughts racing through Roy’s head faster than he used to run on the pitch. Her voice reminded Roy of the voices of Phoebe’s teachers: patient, calm, explanatory. It made Roy feel small.

Coach Beard leaned forward. “I can help Higgins set up a schedule of who gets to use things at certain times, so we don’t have to worry about being on top of each other,” he offered helpfully. Roy knew his assistant coach was trying to distract Rebecca from Roy’s less-than-excited response to this news.

Nate quickly got on board. “Have you hired a manager then?” he asked with a smile.

Rebecca’s shoulders relaxed. At least two of the Richmond coaches were reacting the way she’d hoped. “I have. Another American, actually,” she chuckled, winking at Beard. “Feels like we need at least two of you running around Nelson Road.”

Roy decided to do his best to follow the other men’s examples. “What’s his name? Maybe Beard knows him,” he joked.

“You can read all about her here,” Keeley quipped, handing Roy a folder branded with that familiar red and blue rearranged around an outline of what Roy initially thought was a greyhound. Internally, he quickly corrected himself; it was a whippet. “This is a little report on W.F.C. Richmond just to give you boys some more info,” Keeley continued, passing identical folders to Nate and Beard. “A bit about the manager, her assistant coach, some of the players, things like that. Just so you all don’t look like proper fools in front of her when she pops in tomorrow. Reading it would be a grand idea.” Keeley gave Roy a scolding glare; they both knew that Roy was not one to read reports, even as manager, a fact that drove everyone insane.

With a huff, Roy nodded. “I’ll read it, I’ll read it.”

Everyone knew that was a fucking lie.

~

I looked around my new apartment- flat, Keeley Jones kept calling it in that accent I had to stop myself from grinning at- and smiled. It was definitely bigger than my old place, and I wouldn’t have to share it with any roommates. Sure, it was in a whole new country where I didn’t know anyone, but that was fine. This was fine.

Alright, so I’d sort of miss being on the same continent as my friends and family. But this was such an incredible opportunity that I simply couldn’t pass up. Rebecca Welton was wealthy, and the salary she’d offered me was more akin to what the coaches of men’s teams made back in the U.S., not what we made in the women’s league. The chance to build a program from the ground up was a thrilling challenge I was dying to sink my teeth into. England’s passionate soccer culture- football, I reminded myself- was something I’d found lacking back home, even amongst my own family and friends. And, more than anything else, I jumped at the opportunity to leave and not look back. I was ready for something new, and different, and far away from the places I’d called home for the past few years.

The vibration from my phone tore my attention away from the redecorating I’d spent the afternoon doing, enjoying my last day of normalcy. I grinned when I saw the name on my phone.

“Coach Lucas,” I greeted. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” the familiar voice on the other end answered. “You settled in alright?”

Lucas Austen was the one piece of home I’d brought with me. We’d been pals since my days playing college soccer, when he was our brilliant assistant coach. While he was the first to admit he wasn’t much of an athlete, the man was a great coach, who’d found himself promoted to head coach of our college team a few years ago and even had the men begging him to switch to their side but declined in favor of leading my alma mater to multiple national titles. When Rebecca Welton had asked me about potential coaching staff during one of our million Zoom sessions, Lucas was the first name out of my mouth. She didn’t hesitate to sign him after hearing my gushing reference. And, incredible friend that he was, he didn’t hesitate to say yes.

I could picture his smiling face as I plopped onto the couch. “All good. Yourself?”

“Peachy keen,” he assured me. “Want to do something tonight? Not too tired to go out?”

“Let’s see.” I leaned back and hugged the fluffy pillow I was positive Keeley Jones had selected herself. “Sit inside all night and fret over starting a new job in a new country or go out and actually enjoy that new country? Tough choice.”

His laugh eased some of the anxiety in my chest. “Pick you up at six.” He paused. “Six London time,” he added jokingly.

We hung up, and I gave a little stretch, thinking about how insane we were for doing this- something we’d heard a lot in the last few weeks. If nothing else, Lucas and I were going to have a grand old adventure.

~

Roy sighed and gripped his beer tighter. He’d really let Jamie talk him into going out with him. Even worse, he’d let Jamie talk him into going to a club. Roy hated clubs; but to be fair, Roy hated most things, including Jamie. But the young player had promised his coach they’d have a good time and, more importantly, that there would be alcohol, all paid for by Jamie.

And sometimes, free alcohol was all Roy needed to hear.

So, there he was, leaning against the bar, pretending it was because he looked cool and intimidating and not because his fucking knee was bothering him. Again. He wondered how much longer he’d have to stand here before he could leave without Jamie turning into a whining twat.

“Excuse me.” A woman squeezed by Roy and gave a little wave to get the bartender’s attention. She let out a frustrated little huff when she was ignored. “Dammit.”

Annoyed at how close she was to him, Roy cocked his head. “Oi!” The bartender quickly turned in their direction. “She’d like some fucking service!”

In a flash, the bartender was getting the woman’s order and set to work making it. While she waited, she glanced up at Roy.

“Thanks for that,” she called over the music. “I’ll have to learn how to use my voice like that. Might come in handy at work.” There was a joking lilt to her voice.

If Roy had been paying attention, he would have been caught off guard by her distinct way of speaking, and if he’d been in a good mood he’d have even asked where she was from. Instead, he gave a little grunt and a nod, turning his gaze back to the dance floor, where Jamie had disappeared with some gorgeous girl.

Drink now in hand, the woman nodded to Roy. “Thanks again.”

Roy ignored her as she walked away. He glanced at his watch. 9:30. About his bedtime, and Jamie’s too if the prick knew what was good for him. He was in training, after all.

As if he knew his coach was looking for him, Jamie appeared, adjusting the stupid pink headband he’d worn because it matched his fucking shoelaces.

“Oi, don’t you think the bar can hold itself up, Coach?” Jamie asked good-naturedly, nudging Roy. Roy only grunted in response, so Jamie continued. “Get yourself out there. Dance. Live a little.”

Stuffing his free hand into his pocket, Roy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, me, dancing. Sounds fucking right,” he huffed. “Just let me sit here and drink my beer, yeah?” He spotted Jamie’s dance partner, who was clearly waiting for the young footballer to return to her. “Go on, poor girl’s waiting.”

A smile crossed Jamie’s face. “Cute, eh?” He nudged Roy again. “Go on, let’s find you someone. What about that girl I saw you talking to right now? She was fit. Ask her to dance.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “No fucking thank you. I don’t need some young thing in a tight outfit trying to grind on me just so she can go tell her friends that she danced with Roy fucking-”

“Who said I wanted to dance with you?”

Unnoticed by Roy, the woman had returned to the bar, her face and voice both sour now.

Jamie put on his best smile, clearly trying to diffuse the thick awkwardness that even he could feel. “Hi there!”

The woman paused, quirking an eyebrow at Jamie. “Hey yourself.” Her eyes flickered to Roy for a moment before returning to Jamie. “Your buddy always this friendly?”

Jamie nodded towards Roy. “He’s just awkward around pretty women,” he tried. “He really does want to dance with you.”

“No, I fucking don’t,” Roy blurted out before thinking, thankful, for once, for the stupidly dark lighting in this club for hiding his slight blush.

The woman’s eyes lingered on Roy’s face for a moment, something turning behind her eyes, before wheeling back to Jamie. “As charming as your friend is, I’ve got someone waiting for me. Maybe teach him some manners, hmm?”

In the back of his head, Roy noted that she was pretty. Really fucking pretty. Her eyes sparkled with a teasing gleam, even with her annoyed tone, and her red lips formed a perfect smirk that a younger Roy would have tried to kiss after buying her a drink.

 But he was too embarrassed and annoyed to think about that right now.

Roy sighed, damning himself for how fucking rude he could be sometimes. “Listen, I just don’t want to fucking dance-”

She shook her head and waved him off. “Hey, it’s not like I was dying to dance with someone trying to dress like Johnny Cash,” she quipped, gesturing towards Roy’s totally black ensemble. “I was just grabbing some water. Not every girl walking around a club is dying for some guy to hit on her.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Even if he’s-” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “Never mind.” She nodded to Jamie. “Have a good night.” She glanced back at Roy. With a small hum of amusement, she grabbed a water bottle off the bar and was off.

Roy watched as she approached a guy, probably about his own age, and whispered something in his ear as she handed him the water bottle. The guy, his eyes widening for the briefest moment, looked over at Roy and Jamie, then back to the woman. They both broke into fits of laughter as they went off, probably to find somewhere far away from Roy and Jamie. Mostly Roy.

Jamie clapped his hand on Roy’s shoulder. “Looks like she’s got a fella. Tough break, Coach,” he said with a sympathetic click of his tongue.

Roy glared at Jamie. “Fucking asshole,” he mumbled, taking a swig of his beer.

~

“Alright, here we go, it’s just the most important day of your life so far,” I murmured to myself as I stared at my reflection.

Lucas and I were due at Nelson Road, our new home, within the hour. We’d finally meet Rebecca Welton face-to-face after hours of Zoom meetings, get a tour of the ‘Dog Track’, see our new offices that we’d be sharing with the men’s side, and get to meet the men’s team, the Greyhounds.

Considering that this was the first impression I’d make on everyone, I opted to dress up a bit. Some nice black slacks, a dark blouse my mom had bought for me as her own misguided way to wish me luck before playoffs one year, and a pair of heels. As I put on some bright red lipstick and pondered whether I looked badass or clownish, I heard a knock at my door.

Lucas raised an eyebrow at me as soon as I opened the door. “Shit. I should’ve known you’d be dressing up.” He wore a pair of Dickies and a button-down shirt; not sloppy, but definitely a step down from my style choice.

“You’re fine,” I assured him with a huff. “I’m probably overdressed if we’re being honest.” I took off the blazer I’d been debating all morning. “There, a little more casual?”

He shrugged, an amused grin on his face. “I mean, you look great. You’re the head coach, not me, you should look professional on our first day. They’ll all see you in sweatshirts and shorts soon enough.” He gave a small nod. “Nice color by the way.”

My hand flew to my mouth. “It’s not too much?”

“Nah, it’s just enough.” He gave a little nod towards the door. “Shall we?”

Not wanting to deal with walking directions on our first day, we opted to take a car to Nelson Road. The ride was much quicker than I expected, and I felt my stomach knot up as I grabbed my messenger bag while Lucas paid the driver.

I’d seen photos of the stadium, having made countless Google searches as the big move got closer. But now, being there in person, everything suddenly felt so real. This was it; my new home, where I’d get to help make history- hopefully a history we’d all be proud of.

A man in glasses waved to us from the entrance as soon as our car took off. “Good morning!” he called excitedly.

The moment I realized who it was, I couldn’t help but smile. “Leslie Higgins,” I laughed. As we approached, I resisted the urge to hug him. We’d seen Higgins in almost as many meetings as Rebecca Welton, and I loved him. He was kind, silly, and went above and beyond to make sure Lucas and I would be comfortable during the transition we were about to face. I knew already that he’d provide a father’s touch as we settled in.

Lucas high-fived Higgins as we approached. “Leslie, what’s shaking?”

Higgins chuckled as he shook my hand. “We are so excited that you’re here,” he gushed. “Honestly, we’ve been twittering like little birdies all morning. Tweet, tweet!” He nodded towards the entrance. “Let’s head on up to Rebecca’s office first, hmm? She’s so thrilled to finally meet you.”

We made our way inside, with Higgins cheerfully asking us about our flight, our new living arrangements, how we were adjusting to the time change so far. It felt like chatting with an old friend, and I was so engaged that I barely even noticed we’d arrived at Rebecca’s office. The door was wide open, so Higgins gestured for us to go on in.

Dear Lord, she’s freaking tall,I thought to myself as I finally stood in Rebecca Welton’s presence. She was exactly who I’d met on all those Zoom calls: gorgeous, poised, dignified, confident, and, more than anything, warm. Before I could extend my hand to her, she’d already wrapped me in a hug.

“Welcome to Richmond!” she gushed before letting go. She cleared her throat and straightened her skirt, furrowing her brow. “That wasn’t weird, was it?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Just a smidge. But it already feels like we’ve known each other forever, so it’s fine.”

It was true. We’d spent so many hours talking on video calls, and on the phone, and even more emailing and eventually texting back and forth, plus I’d done some light online stalking, so that Rebecca felt like a dear friend at this point. Each time we spoke, I felt more and more excited to come to work for her and help her build something special.

“My turn!”

I was smothered by a blonde vision in pink and squeezed like a teddy bear. “Hi, Keeley,” I sputtered out, returning her embrace.

Keeley Jones had been the first person I’d spoken to about any of this. She’d called me, seemingly out of the blue, and gotten straight to the chase, telling me all about how impressed Richmond was with my career as both player and coach and oh would I be interested in leaving the United States, moving to England, and helping build their brand-new women’s team? Her bubbly charisma and enthusiasm had stopped me from laughing into the phone and hanging up, chalking it up to some joke. Instead, I let her reel me in until I was walking into work and handing in my resignation, saying tearful farewells to the incredible athletes I had come to love like sisters, those goodbyes even harder than the ones I said to my family and friends. But the tiny blonde with the fast way of talking had charmed and emboldened me to do this terrifying, thrilling thing.

Lucas quickly shook hands with the two women, escaping the displays of affection that they’d shown me. I glanced at the chairs behind the women, assuming we’d sit and chat for a bit before anything else.

But Rebecca had other ideas.

“Does anyone need a water before heading downstairs?” she offered, gesturing towards her fully stocked bar. “Or tea? I know it’s not your country’s favorite, but…” She trailed off, waiting for an answer.

“I’ll take water,” Lucas said, filling the silence.

“Uh, I’m good,” I murmured, shaking my head. The only thing I could focus on was getting started.

Rebecca quickly handed Lucas a bottle of water and gestured to the door. “This way.”

She led us out of her office and downstairs, excitedly chattering about the men’s team, about the amazing coach who helped build the club into what it had become (a fellow American, she was excited to tell us), how much she adored the current coaching staff, and how she knew they’d be very helpful to Lucas and myself.

“Now, I know it’ll be a bit of a squeeze, having two clubs in the same facilities,” she went on as our little group continued its stroll. “But I know we’ll all just do our best, hmm?”

Lucas spoke up, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Oh yeah. If it’s anything us Americans are known for, it’s sharing and selflessness.”

Everyone gave a light chuckle as we entered the locker room.

Two men stood in the middle of the room, decked out in A.F.C. Richmond gear. Rebecca quickly introduced Lucas and I to them.

“And this is Coach Beard,” she said, pointing to the one wearing a baseball cap. “And Coach Nate Shelley,” she continued, gesturing to the other man. “Coach Beard is from America as well,” she added with a tiny smile.

It took a moment for everyone to shake hands and offer awkward hellos and nice to meet yous.

Rebecca looked around, frowning. “Where’s-”

“Fuck, fuck, sorry, I was-”

A bearded man in dark clothing jogged in, looking absolutely ragged. His gaze darted around the room at everyone as we all stared back. When his eyes landed on me, they widened.

“Oh fuck.”

~

It was her. It was fucking her.

Roy felt like crawling into a hole and dying. He felt like turning around and running out of the room and not stopping until he reached Scotland, or he collapsed, whichever happened first. He felt like his knees were about to give out, and not because he’d just sprinted through the building, which he knew was a stupid idea. More than anything, he felt like a fucking idiot.

Standing in front of him with one eyebrow arched in amusement was the girl he’d talked to at the club. The one he’d been admittedly rude to. She looked so put together in her outfit and heels and red lipstick, while Roy was in his Richmond shirt and slightly sweating from dashing in from the pitch after he’d finally seen Keeley’s text to come to the changing room. He felt like an even bigger arse than he did the night before.

Rebecca cleared her throat, cool look on her face. “And this is our manager for the men’s side, Roy Kent.” She gestured to the woman and man- who Roy now recognized as the one she’d been giggling with at the club- and told Roy their names.

The woman stepped forward with a small smirk on her lips. “Roy Kent. Nice to officially meet you.” She extended her hand towards him.

Furrowing his brow, Roy reached out and shook her hand. “Right. So, you’re the-”

“First-ever manager of W.F.C. Richmond, yes,” she finished for him. She gave his hand a small squeeze before letting go. “I’m glad to report that I survived the pain of being rejected,” she half-whispered.

Rebecca’s eyes darted between the two as the man- Lucas, apparently- held back laughter. “I’m sorry, have you two already met?” Confusion filled Rebecca’s question.

“Hmm?” The new coach turned to Rebecca. “Kind of. We bumped into each other last night while out on the town. I received a very warm welcome.” She raised a mocking eyebrow at Roy before looking back at Rebecca, all friendly smiles. “Should we continue?”

The group- Rebecca, Higgins, Keeley, and the Americans- exited the changing rooms through the offices, with Rebecca explaining how they’d be sharing: the Greyhounds in the larger office, the Whippets in the smaller one, since there were only the two of them. As their voices faded and left the offices, Beard gazed at Roy’s pale face carefully.

“Alright there, Coach?”

Roy grunted. “Was a bit of an ass when we bumped into each other at a club last night,” he admitted. “Didn’t fucking know it was her.”

Beard’s brows furrowed. “So, you didn’t read Keeley’s report.” Not a question; a statement. He gestured for Roy to follow him into their office, now holding three desks, and handed him the W.F.C. Richmond folder Keeley had given them, Nate trailing in after them.

Roy flipped through a couple of pages before finding the manager profile Keeley had probably worked hard on writing. Sure enough, there she was: the woman from the club smiling up at him, her name in big letters at the top of the page. The profile contained information on her college career, her time as a professional player, her success as a manager in the American women’s league, even her Olympic and World Cup appearances. Definitely not just some “young thing” trying to get five minutes of fame by flirting with him. Roy felt like a right prick skimming her remarkable career.

“She’s really impressive,” Nate chirped, as if it needed to be said. “We could probably learn a lot from her, hmm?”

Tossing the folder back on Beard’s desk, Roy gave another grunt, refusing to admit his embarrassment. “We’re fine,” he responded in a short tone. “Let’s get back out there, alright? I left Isaac and Jamie in charge, so they’re probably having a fucking break-dancing contest at this point.”

~

Lucas and I sat at my dining room table eating the dinner he’d brought over. It had been a busy day; touring Nelson Road, meeting the staff, making sure contracts were signed and players were ready to start training at the end of the week. The next day, we’d be going in for a press conference to introduce ourselves to the public. To prepare, I was drinking the largest glass of wine I could pour.

“Are we gonna talk about it?” Lucas raised his eyebrows at me.

I put down my glass. “Talk about what?”

Lucas rested his face on his hands, gazing at me like a gossiping teenager. “Roy Kent.”

“What about Roy Kent?” I took another gulp of wine. “It’s not like we’re going to be coaching together. Does it really matter if I like him?”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” Lucas hummed, earning a glare from me. “Hey, I’d be pissed too if he was rude to me.” He took a bite. “Can’t believe he didn’t know who you were.”

I shrugged and went back to my food. “Clearly the man didn’t read his report. I mean, he had to get one about us, right? We got one about them.”

I’d spent about half my flight to England reading and rereading the packet Keeley had sent us about A.F.C. Richmond. It was great: a short history of the team, a bit about each member of the coaching staff, brief player profiles. A perfect way to get to know our new neighbors before moving into Nelson Road. Not that I hadn’t done a little research on my own as soon as Rebecca sent me an official offer to lead the Whippets; indeed, I’d done a particularly deep dive into Roy Kent’s Wikipedia page and watched more than a few clips of him on YouTube, fascinated by his career and transition into coaching. Heck, I’d even pondered if maybe we could become friends eventually.

But he’d put a nail in that coffin at the club.

Whatever. Like it even mattered, I told myself. All I had to do was exist in the same space as the man, no more, no less. And I could handle that.

Right?

I’d get to find out the next morning. Again dressed professionally and deciding to continue rocking that red lipstick, I carried a small box of things into Nelson Road. Since the press conference wasn’t until late in the morning, I had decided that I could take advantage of what would probably be my last bit of free time to set up some things in my office, while my assistant coach opted to relax and take his time getting ready.

As I entered the locker room, several players were already in there, in various states of undress. All of them nodded or waved in friendly greetings, having been introduced to Lucas and me yesterday. They had been extraordinarily enthusiastic, especially considering they now had to share their stadium. I waved back, noting the big smile on one Jamie Tartt’s face- the one who’d been with Roy Kent at the club, the dreamy star player I’d read all about. I grinned at the men, relieved that at least they were friendly.

On the other hand, when I entered the coaches’ office, all talking ceased immediately.

From his seat, with his feet atop his desk, Roy Kent glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his mouth in a perfectly straight line beneath his beard. He’d been saying something to the other two but had halted as soon as I entered. I raised my eyebrow at him in response, feeling like those muscles in my face would be getting a good workout in the coming weeks.

“Morning,” I hummed, mostly to Beard and Nate. Nate waved cheerfully while Beard gave a friendly salute. Only Roy continued to ignore me.

Before I could step through into my new office, Nate’s voice called out, “Got your press conference today, right?”

I turned over my shoulder and looked at him, a little surprised by his friendly tone and the genuine interest on his face. “Yeah, not til later this morning though. Figured I’d set up some things in the office, make myself at home.”

Beard leaned back in his seat. “If you need help with anything, just ask. We’ll be in the weight room this morning.”

“Thanks,” I said with a nod. Okay, so not all the Greyhound coaches sucked. That was good to know.

I strolled into my new office, wrinkling my nose when I realized my desk had a direct view of Roy Kent’s desk, where he continued to avoid looking at me. Ignoring my observation, I set down my box and started pulling things out, arranging them the way I’d had them in my old office: soccer ball-shaped pencil holder a friend had bought me back in high school, framed photo of my family, my first ever AYSO trophy.

My heart skipped a beat when I pulled out a frame. It held my prized possession: the Sports Illustrated cover featuring Brandi Chastain, on her knees, black sports bra exposed, celebrating her penalty kick that won the 1999 World Cup, signed by the woman herself. It had hung in my bedroom, my college dorm, and eventually my office. It had served for many years as motivation, as something I aspired to. Now, it was my daily reminder of why I loved coaching- to help others achieve their big dreams.

I looked back in the box. Crap. I’d tossed in a couple nails but had forgotten to grab a hammer.

“Hey, Coach Beard?” Clutching the framed magazine, I poked my head into the Greyhounds’ office. The only one in there was Roy, who was thumbing through a notebook and mumbling to himself.

His eyes flickered up at me. He gave a small grunt of acknowledgement and went back to his notebook.

I sighed, not surprised by his lackluster greeting. “Do you guys have a hammer? I’m trying to put something up.”

Still not even glancing at me, Roy walked around to one of the other desks, yanking open a drawer, and pulling out a hammer, slamming it on top of the desk. “There,” he muttered.

“Thanks.” I stepped over and grabbed the hammer. Deciding to play his game of not looking at each other, I let my eyes flitter over to the wall behind his desk. I choked a little trying to hide my laughter. “What the fuck is that?”

Roy’s eyes followed mine to the… anatomical drawing behind his desk, a black strip of tape over it. “My niece drew it,” he answered matter-of-factly. “She’s eight.”

My eyebrows flew up. “Your eight-year-old niece drew the best tits I’ve ever seen in my life?”

A snort flew out of Roy’s nose, the friendliest noise I’d heard from him. “And just how many tits have you seen?”

Unable to help myself, I smirked. “I was a professional soccer player,” I reminded him. “I’ve been in plenty of locker rooms with other women.”

“Is that why you’re hanging that thing in your office?” He gestured to the magazine in my hands.

I raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed. “That’s Brandi Chastain,” I answered plainly. “She’s an Olympic gold medalist.”

“Right.” His steely gaze finally met mine, sending a jolt to my system that I did my best to ignore. “American, I assume?”

“Obviously,” I answered, feeling that defensiveness I had as a kid, arguing against the boys on the playground about whether I could play sports with them at recess. “Only the best women’s soccer team in the world.”

He snorted again. “Can’t be that great if you can’t call it the right fucking name.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, unsure if my tone was friendly or defensive. “Oh, I’m sorry, where’s your Olympic gold medal? Because mine’s in my living room, but I could bring it in if you’d ever like to see one in person.”

Something in his face changed, effectively ending the almost-nice interaction we were having. “Leave the hammer when you’re done,” he mumbled, turning and trudging out of the room, not looking me in the eye.

“Alrighty then,” I mumbled to myself, twirling the hammer in my hand. With a shrug, I turned back to my office, wondering if Roy Kent was capable of having a civil conversation.

~

Roy lumbered into the weight room, where Beard and Nate were supervising various workouts. His body felt heavy, and his chest felt tight. The Dog Track suddenly felt too crowded, too filled with her and her ego. That was it: her cockiness. Roy found it off-putting. That’s what had him feeling so twisted. The feeling in his stomach had absolutely nothing to do with that red lipstick she wore or the fact that she smelled far better than any other coach he’d ever met. Like fucking vanilla.

Both coaches nodded to Roy as he approached.

He grunted in place of a greeting. “Sorry, someone needed a fucking hammer. And then couldn’t shut up about her fucking Olympic gold medal.” Roy ignored the fact that, if he had one, he’d never stop talking about it. Hell, he still managed to bring up his time playing for England in casual conversation whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Beard continued to observe the workouts, only half interested in Roy’s complaining. “What’d she need a hammer for?”

“To put up some poster or some shit.” He folded his arms, scowling. “Didn’t know we were allowed to nail things into the fucking walls. Thought we were supposed to use that putty shit. Not leave holes in the walls.”

Now he had Beard’s attention. “Roy, you’ve punched holes into the walls.” To punctuate his point, Beard nodded towards the patch of recently fixed wall that still needed to be painted over.

Trying to keep things light, Nate piped up. “What was the poster?”

Fucking really? “Dunno,” Roy grumbled. “Some lady footballer.”

Beard raised an eyebrow. “Mia Hamm? Megan Rapinoe?”

“Fuck if I know,” Roy muttered, secretly racking his brain for the name she’d mentioned. “Didn’t really care enough to fucking listen.”

Pulling his cap over his eyes, despite being inside, Beard let out a little hum. “I’m sure you didn’t.”

“Oi! Turn up the volume, bruv!” Isaac called from his treadmill. “Wanna hear this.”

The guys paused their workouts to turn their gazes to the television, where the W.F.C. Richmond press conference played on the screen.

Roy narrowed his eyes as he observed the way she was dressed, in her blazer and red lipstick. She looked professional. More professional than he ever looked at press conferences. He found himself wondering if that’s how she dressed for matches, and whether that meant he should dress better on the pitch too. And fuck, she looked confident in front of all those cameras. He had yet to figure out how to look that comfortable.

A reporter’s voice filled the room. “You just made a big move, leaving the NWSL to come start a brand-new team. Why’d you do it?”

She looked thoughtful. Almost pretty with the way her eyes lit up before she spoke. “Well, let’s be really honest. The United States has the greatest women’s soccer team in the world-” The reporters hollered playfully at her. “Hey, sorry, it’s true!” She chuckled. “So, we’ve got the best team in the world, World Cup and Olympic champions how many times over, incredible athletes. But no one cares. Over here, though, soccer is a freaking religion. It’s everything. I’m excited to be in a place where people love the sport as much as the players on the field do. Who love it as much as I do.”

There was a murmuring of approval among the guys in the weight room.

Except for one person. Roy scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Fucking soccer,” he muttered. “It’s football, fucking Yank.” He glanced at Beard, who shot him pointed look, reminding Roy of his own nationality. “Sorry,” he mumbled, properly shamed.

“What do you think you’ll bring to the new club? Why are you worth importing from the States?”

Roy snorted. Great, an opportunity for her to brag about herself.

Sure enough, a cocky expression crossed her face. “Is it cheeky or just plain arrogant if I say my gold medal and World Cup title?” There was good-natured tittering both from the journalists on television and among the Richmond players in the weight room. “No, actually I think in this case my coaching record really speaks for itself more than my time playing. I’ve been fortunate to lead my team back home to some great successes, and I’m looking forward to doing the same with Richmond.” She looked reflective for a moment. “And I’m young. I started as one of the youngest coaches in the U.S., in both men and women’s soccer. So, I can only keep growing as a coach. I’m only going to get better, get smarter. And this guy here?” She gestured to Lucas, who sat beside her, pride shining in his eyes as he watched her. “Incredible coach. Coach Lucas Austen has been the best kept secret in college soccer for years. I’ve played for this man myself, so I speak from experience when I say he’ll bring out the best in each and every player, as well as everyone lucky enough to watch his magic, most especially myself.”

Nate gave out a low whistle. “She’s fabulous to listen to. So at ease.”

Not willing to acknowledge Nate’s praise, Roy turned to Beard. “Are she and he… are they…?” He nodded towards the television, where the two Americans exchanged smiles as Lucas now sang the young manager’s praises, telling some charming story from his time coaching her.

Beard scoffed. “I doubt it, she’s not exactly his type.”

It took Roy a moment. “Oh. And is he… her type?” Roy couldn’t figure out why he was asking. He didn’t really care. Right?

“She’s dated men, if that’s what you’re asking,” Beard said, looking at Roy with skepticism. “There are straight and bisexual women in sports, you know.”

“I know.” Roy hated the way Beard was looking at him.

But apparently, Beard wasn’t done educating Roy. “And men and women can be just friends. Look at Ted and Rebecca. You and Keeley. Leo and Kate.”

“Leonardo DiCaprio is absolutely in love with Kate Winslet,” Colin shouted across the room, where he was leaning against a wall with Sam, eyes still glued to the television.

Roy scowled. “Back to your fucking workouts before I have Will shove all your boots up your arses!”

Poor Will, who happened to be strolling by the open door on his way to the boot room, picked up his pace, unsure if he preferred doing as Roy demanded or telling the manager “No”. Both sounded horrifying.

With the workouts resumed, Roy turned back to the screen, scowl deepening when his eyes lingered a moment too long on her smiling red lips.

“Are you bringing that nickname of yours over to this side of the pond?”

Her smile widened. “Only to make your jobs easier. ‘Coach Bucky gets lucky’ is a great headline.” She winked, a sight that caused Roy’s breath to stop for a moment. “Although I’d hate to think what else you all could find to rhyme with Buck.”

“What kind of fucking nickname is that?” Roy mumbled to himself, eyebrows furrowed.

As if reading Roy Kent’s mind, a reporter called out, “Where’d the name come from anyway?”

Wistfulness crossed her face as she paused for a moment. “My grandfather,” she answered quietly. She spoke slowly, hesitating for the first time. “When I started playing, he kept calling me ‘Plucky Bucky’, because of my positive attitude. Said he liked the way I never gave up when things got hard.” She let out a soft breath. “Silly. But my teammates and coaches picked up on it so….” She shrugged. “Coach Buck remains. It’s a nice reminder of the man who made me fall in love with the sport.”

Something tugged in Roy’s stomach at the word “grandfather”. Maybe it wasn’t such a stupid nickname after all.

“I think we’ve got time for one more question.” Keeley’s bright voice brought Roy’s attention back to the television.

A reporter piped up. “What’s your goal this year? Brand new team, are you just looking to get comfortable, get your bearings?”

The manager grinned, that cocky look in her eye again. “We’re not here for comfortable. We’re here for greatness.” She cleared her throat, smirking at Lucas before facing the cameras again. “We’re looking to be the first Richmond team to win the whole damn thing.”

~

Keeley, Lucas, and I exchanged high-fives as we walked out of the press room. Doing press conferences wasn’t unusual to me at all, but doing one in a new country was a bit overwhelming. But Keeley had prepared me well, and the journalists weren’t as intimidating as I’d expected. Of course, we’d see how they were once the season was underway and the Whippets were actually playing.

“You were great, babes!” Keeley assured me as we made our way to the coaching offices. “Seriously, if you do that in every press conference, you’ll make my job so easy.” She attempted an American accent as she continued, “We’re not here for comfortable, we’re here for greatness.” She shook her head. “Perfect soundbite!”

Lucas nodded. “Especially that part about being the first Richmond team to win the whole thing? Excellent. Not sure if the guys’ll like it, but I loved it.”

I cleared my throat as we passed the weight room. “We’ll see,” was all I could manage. I hadn’t thought of whether those words would offend the men’s side.

“Oi! Coach!” Jamie Tartt poked his head out of the weight room. “Great job in your press conference!”

“Thanks,” I replied, unable to stop myself from returning his bright smile, which assured me that I’d at least avoided insulting him. “Glad you guys caught some of it.”

Another man joined him, his hair tied in a bun at the base of his neck. Dani, if I remembered correctly. “May we call you Coach Buck too?” His eyes shone with excitement.

His boyish earnestness made me laugh. “Um, yeah, if you guys want to.”

“Sick!” Jamie interjected, sticking his tongue out. “Roy never lets us give him nicknames. Although I like to call him-”

“Oi!” I ignored the way Roy Kent’s gruff voice made my heart skip a beat. “What the fuck are you two doing?” He marched over, his scowl only growing when he saw me. He turned to his players. “Is our fucking training interrupting you two ogling over the shiny new toy?”

My own brow furrowed as I stepped closer to him, our quickly reddening faces inches away from each other. “Shiny new toy?” I sputtered, feeling his breath against my face and not caring that he could feel mine or if he could hear my heart slamming against my chest. “Wait a fucking-”

“Stop distracting my players,” he continued, his eyes dark. At this proximity, I could see the laugh lines on his face, evidence that he actually knew how to smile. “Worry about your own fucking team.”

Before I could say another word, Keeley hooked her arm through mine and gave a tug. “Alright, coaches, lovely chat but we should get going,” she hummed, clearly trying to diffuse whatever the fuck was happening between me and Roy Kent. “Greyhounds, we will see you later, yeah?”

With a deep grunt, Roy turned back to the weight room. “Whistle!” he bellowed. “Everyone on the pitch! Jamie’s leading you in fucking burpees!”

The sound of groaning filled the halls as Keeley yanked me away, Lucas on my heels looking amused. Keeley didn’t stop pulling until we were back in my office; the walk had done nothing to calm me down as Keeley leaned against my desk. Lucas sat in his chair, watching me with raised eyebrows. My pounding heart felt as if I’d just sprinted from one goal to another.

“Well, that was fun,” Lucas finally said in a light tone after watching me pace silently back and forth for a minute.

“Yeah, what was that?” Keeley squeaked. “I know Roy can be a bit rough. But that was…. interesting.”

Lucas smirked now. “I think someone’s still mad Roy Kent didn’t recognize her at the club. And didn’t want to dance with her.”

That broke my silence. “As if,” I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest indignantly. “I wouldn’t dance with Roy Kent if he was the last man on earth, with his fucking black clothes and fucking growling and-”

“Wait, wait, what’s this about a club?” Curiosity covered Keeley’s face.

Before I could answer, Lucas spoke up. “Alright, so we went out the night before we started here, just to relax a bit. And this one went to grab a drink and ran into none other than Roy Kent himself.” He chuckled. “And Kent had no idea who she was, he thought she was just some girl who wanted to dance.”

I cleared my throat. “To be fair, it took me a moment to realize who he was too. Stupid dark lighting and all.”

Lucas continued. “Then she overheard him tell Jamie Tartt, that, oh what was it?” He looked at me expectantly.

He’d finally gotten me to crack a smile. “I don’t need some young thing in a tight outfit trying to grind on me just so she can go tell her friends,” I growled, doing my best impression of the man I now officially couldn’t stand.

Even Keeley snickered. “Shit, that’s pretty good!”

“And he just kept digging himself into this hole,” Lucas went on. “Until finally, she compares him to Johnny Cash, says she’s not interested, almost tells him she knows who he is but decides not to give him the satisfaction, and struts off.” He wrapped an arm around me. “Then of course she surprises the hell out of him the next morning. Leaves him with his jaw on the floor while she’s cool and collected. It was stunning, truly.” He gave me a squeeze. “Plucky Bucky indeed.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, fun story, but no, I’m not bitter about not being recognized. I didn’t even get recognized back home when I was on a World Cup winning team, it’s hard to expect people here to give a shit who I am.”

“They will,” Keeley piped up. “You start winning, they’ll care. You’re gorgeous and charming and a world champion. And an American to boot, that’s always amusing. All you need now is a winning record on this side of the pond. Rebecca and I think you’re going to put W.F.C. Richmond on the map, and hopefully raise interest in women’s soccer in general while you’re at it.”

“No pressure,” Lucas added with a chuckle.

I sighed. This move was hard enough; leaving behind my home, my country, my family, my team. Leaving behind things I’d spent years building. And now, I was in a brand-new country, building something from scratch with wonderful strangers and the one person who knew me better than anyone else. Add to all of it the burden of being a woman in sports and the desire to have people take it seriously, and I was already feeling the pressure.

And Roy fucking Kent wasn’t helping with any of it.

[kerubimcrepin]

Wakfu Manga - Tome 2, Part 1

Even the manga calls them friends!! He is impressed by their bravery and exploits, and it IS natural that he should join forces with them, at least to understand Jiva's strange behaviour.

Personally, I just think he wanted to go on an adventure with Yugo, Amalia, and Eva, but needs to justify it to himself in some more professional and cold way.

Standing there so cutely...

[casually sits on a rock in a cool pose and doesn't talk to anyone or socialize, just staring awkwardly, like a true warrior with 0 social anxiety issues.]

He's so funny, I can't do this anymore.

Show-off.

Casts a sidelong Judgemental Gaze about their landing.

Lands perfectly, just like a cat. Catboy.

Sorry to keep screenshotting panels where he says Nothing, but the longer he does that, the more awkward it gets. Truly, he is a king of socialization.

Of course Joris would be interested in steam engines... It's cute to see him be excited.

Joris puts his hands in his pockets. We now know that his pants actually have pockets + that Joris puts his hands in those to strike a casual — yet still cool looking — pose. You're welcome.

Very Kerubim-core pose of him to do.

Firstly, this is a very good drawing. Secondly, Joris is very serious about travel preparations. Thirdly, he and Eva once again show themselves to be the two sane people of their respective groups.

Besides that, he addresses the multiple elephants in the room: it's bad that a person who is already close to a god even more power, and she might not keep her promise, and even if they use the dofuses against her, they are still probably toast.

Basically, Joris's outlook is one of very realistic pessimism.

Amalia asks him before anyone else. She really looks up to him :)

I'm sorry for being unable to stop screenshotting him. The art of this manga is wonderful. I also love the very cautious way he approaches this interaction. fsjfgsdfa.

Of course he wants to take care of the equipment.

[casually leaves with the group while not looking at anyone and trying to walk as far away from others as he can]

I;'m insane.,

An interesting note: Joris did not walk together with Ruel, Yugo, Adamai, and Pinpin to try his hand at taming the shushu — but he is also not present anywhere near Amalia or Eva. Now me pointing out that he was walking a bit away from everyone seems a bit more poignant.

This guy left them all to quietly go cook some food.

VERY big page for Joris fans. He seems to have been making well-done dragoturkey and soup. While wearing a cute apron. (I really don't think he expected anyone to walk in on him... jgkdsfg. Judging by the size, it's something he brought with him from home.)

This confirms that: Joris likes meat well-done, Joris wears aprons, Joris likes cute aprons, and Joris is used to spats with shushus that control environments and furniture and attempted to use that skill here.

VERY big for me, as a fan of the friendship between Joris and Amalia&Eva. The way they giggle at his misfortune, and the way he doesn't take it to heart... sfgjsdf

This is why I really like the manga, as a fan of Joris. There's a very friendly and domestic side to him shown here.

The way he just Copes and sets the burnt dragoturkey on the table anyway is so funny... He's very nervous about time, and planning, and he is willing to eat something very bad for that reason.

Also! He is helping the girls with their task, instead of trying his hands at taming the shushu — and he was doing this without telling anybody. I'm assuming it's a mixture of him being a friend to Eva and Amalia, of being used to cook for his family (he and Keke both do, but I think Joris does it more often), and just plain not wanting two people to do the job that would be more efficient with three.

Besides that, I just think it doesn't sit right with Joris, for two women (one of whom is pregnant) to do all the cooking.

He is so, so responsible. Also, "a little worried" and "we need to plan for Every Contingency" is a funny combo of words.

Once again, readers, he is "a little worried."

Also, hngnhn. He cares about Yugo's feelings a lot — and he trusts Eva and Amalia enough to say this to them.

Aww, Adamai's "hungryyyy..." is so cute. I'm assuming Joris fretting with the stove is probably him trying to clean it a little after it burned the food.

Joris once again being responsible and asking questions about things immediately.

Joris is the only one not eating or drinking, and while it is relaistic to think he might have eaten before anyone came, I think it's more in character to think that his reasoning is "DO NOT EAT. WE CAN'T LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU HAVE HUMAN NEEDS AND WEAKNESSES."

I'm trying so hard to come up with commentary to justify including so many images of him, but I am sad to say, the way he's drawn in this artstyle is far too cute. Just far too cute...

Notably, Joris is the only one who wasn't under the impression that Eva would be staying behind! (BASED, BASED, BASED BASED, B—-)

[agatharkn3ss]

I'll see you at the end.

I can't believe we are here already. I'm excited and sad in equal measure.

This show has been such a delightful surprise. I went into it without expecting anything in particular - I loved Wandavision and I loved Kathryn Hahn and that was that. I didn't expect to be literally bewitched by the magic I saw on the screen.

Put simply, the power of AAA is that it is clearly a product of love - from Jac Schaeffer, the actors, the writers, the directors, the set and costume designers, the composers (and THE GODDAMN LOPEZES!), the producers... I could go on.

That level of dedication shines despite (or maybe BECAUSE) the low budget, and it has two massive effects: 1) it creates a truly compelling and stunning story; 2) it sends a very loud, clear message that representation not only matters, but is NEEDED.

Of course it's not the first show that does this, but I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to me to watch something in mainstream media that is centred around sapphic women where their sexuality is NOT the plot of a show. It is not something anyone ever needs to ask about or question. They don't pretend to be younger characters either, they are all 38+ and proud of it, as they should. Instead they focus on what actually matters - their rich, complex stories.

But the diversity is also within the creators - of the producers, half of them were women, headed by superb Mary Livanos (a queer woman herself), costume designer Daniel Selon (also queer), all of the directors were women and there is also of course a diversity of ethnicities. I am a big believer of the power of diversity as it allows you to go places you wouldn't normally consider, and really round the story. And I love this quote from Jac Schaeffer who states "My prerequisites for writers who work with me are first, they have to be kind, respectful humans."

And what stories the writers tell! In the limited time they had, they managed to create these seven multidimensional characters that were all different, yet similar in a lot of ways. My only criticism would be that we really could do with longer episodes to actually allow some more meaningful conversations and connections. All beautifully complemented by the visuals - the practical sets as well as the costumes. I love how the costume designer took his time to consult with the actors for their interpretations, before even starting to create every single design.

And on top of the great character stories and visual , we then have an engaging plot with mysteries to solve on the way. I cannot emphasise enough how fantastic it felt to follow the breadcrumbs. To spot all those little details that would foreshadow what's to come. The different ways they appeared - through dialogue, visual clues, music themes, lore symbolism and so so many art and literature references. The knowledge and confidence that they were left there on purpose too, because the creators took the show seriously - it literally felt like finding little personal messages!

This is why I've decided I need to pick them up and then try to piece them all together - just to see if I could make my sense of it, since the creators clearly put so much love and effort. No other show has ever made me do it to this extent. And it's been so much fun! I loved I wasn't alone with this and that I could discuss and read others' theories too. It's like we've formed this awesome coven.

So in my post-AAA blues, I don't think I will have it in me to just take my "murder board" down. I feel there is still so much to explore so I will probably keep looking for any more cool details to cheer me up.

I've not been actually particularly precious about whether or not my theories could be right or wrong. If some of them are - great, bonus! If not, also great, I am looking forward to being surprised!

Although we haven't seen the ending yet, I have ultimate trust in Jac. After all, she once said:

"I believe so strongly in sticking the landing and it's always up to the audience whether or not you truly stick the landing. But I believe that you have to put all your energy toward that. It's your job to try the best you absolutely can to stick the landing. You have to plot your mysteries, figure out what they are. It’s like a good murder mystery. The feeling that you want at the end of a murder mystery is you want to be surprised, but not. It still needs to feel within the realm of possibility, right? It needs to make sense and still surprise you." 

So I trust we will have a solid ending, wherever it lands. And afterwards - I will always remember the time when a show has made me feel this way. Thank you!

[piqtescue]

If your watching "Under The Bridge" or planning to, here's a PSA from someone born & raised in that city. Oh, and Kelly's personal info and location bc she deserves absolutely no peace✨😊

((if you dont know this series, or who im talking about, I swear to god I do not do reveal personal information lightly and take revealing someone else's very seriously- but Kelly is a cold blooded psychopath and I urge you to google what she did))

I couldn't believe it when I heard the worst crime that has ever happened in my city was going to be made into a fucking hulu drama... I used to be so intrigued by true crime renditions, but this has made me rethink it all. The murder of Reena is something that makes us as locals sick to our stomachs, is still a very open wound to our city and her family and every day so many of us are forced to drive over the Craigflower Bridge, the place where she was brutally murdered. She was 14.

I never plan to watch "Under The Bridge" on Hulu as I really don't need it replayed back to me in a miniseries, but just need to give some PSA's here + gonna give you some recent photos of Kelly/Kerry and her location because she doesn't deserve the luxury of people forgetting what she fucking did:

To start, I'm not throwing shade to anyone watching the show- I know this doesn't affect everyone the same. Just want to make sure this bitch's face & the real story is plastered in your mind so you can publicly shame her if you wish, and realize this isn't just a miniseries- this actually happened.

Though the author who wrote the book this was based on was in search for their "humanity"- there is zilch in that sector for Kelly Ellard. None. See, Kelly was a teen when she lead the brutal murder of Reena and you might be pointing "upbringing and trauma/mental health" to blame- but don't even go there for a second. Warren is 100% holding the same sin for what they did but displayed actual guilt and talked to her parents. He knows what he did wrong and will live for it the rest of his life.

Kelly, a privileged psychopath from birth, is a disgusting, soulless slime who deserves nothing but to suffer for the rest of her days. Go read up on her parole hearings and realize in no way is she remorseful and in no way does she deserve to walk free or be a mother. She doesn't deserve to fucking breathe. Though if you read her most recent parole hearing, you will hear her speak of this series being "disrespectful to Reena's family": I want you to know she has finally learned to say what they want her to say after all these years; she doesn't give any fucks about Reena's family, all she cares about is leaving the past behind her but jokes on her- she will never get that luxury because we as residents won't let her.

✨Here's her new name/photos/insta account/location, ect✨

-She goes by Kerry Marie Sim now

✨Photos of what she looks like presently: here, and here and here.

✨Instagram: kehrisima007

Fun fact! In the second link I provided, she uses the hashtag "legally kidnapping our children" in relation to the Ministry of Child and Family Development's (canadian version of DCFS) involvement in her life. That was posted in 2021. Her day parole was then continued in 2022 & 2024, and it's unknown if she still lives with her children, but lets hope to god not.

✨Location:

Going by this article, she might be serving her sentence in the Fraser Valley Institution for Women, or might just have had her parole hearings there. But apart from the prison she's in, she is most definitely doing her day parole in the lower mainland of BC, from the looks of her instagram she hangs around Surrey and Langley.

----------

To end this PSA, if you ever do visit our city and are intrigued by this case as a true crime story enthusiast, I urge you to not come to the Gorge where Reena lost her life at in interest/excitement, but come with the intention of paying your respects and give a thought on just how far teen bullying can go, and how you yourself can advocate for it not to get to that point. Whether it be awareness, talking to your kids about speaking up or advocating for public discussion.

And if Kerry ever sees this: we will never let you have peace. You get no peace for your acts, and we will never. fucking. forget.

[urfavnegronerd]

a little rant while im on break at my job

okay i know we're supposed to like ghostflower ships but i... i have some thoughts.

i see the love and lust between those two in into the spiderverse, miles is so giggly around gwen and gwen is slightly less unhinged (you ALL know what im getting at, love her but our good sis gwen is.... *hand motion*) etc. allat good stuff.

but i can't see that happening especially w the events of atsv, like there's definitely room for patching up the relationship but anything romantic between the two would feel forced as fuck i feel like. and maybe that's just me being an intensely passionate empath who likes to act like a nonchalant lil asshole, but still. i LOVE gwen, sony set her up beautifully for an amazing character arc that i'm so excited to see in the next one. HOWEVER, also this could just be me being an annoying little afro latina shit, she's not coming back from opening the collectible, going through miles' sketchbook w/o permission, and the shoes on the bed. that doesn't mean i HATE her i just can't look at her the same.

now a bitch is biased because black love is forever 🔛🔝, but also in the comics and video game miles has a black love interest. there was definitely also THE connection w/ miles and margo (however i'm also kinda in favor of prowlerbyte anyway--), and lil old me in the theatre was loosing it. i think that staying true to the aspect of black love interests is also going to be so important for the community, both comic/video game fans and black fans alike, mainly because of how black men interact with black women. speaking from experience i can't even count how many times i wanted to be the short lil white girl with blue eyes and blonde hair instead of the tall and awkward black girl with the wide nose and corkscrew curls. now here's where i think my personal bias kind of skews my opinion on this, but this franchise has been so important to SO many people. again speaking from experience, when i saw miles in atsv with the EXACT same hair texture as me i almost cried because no one in the history of ever has animated my kind of hair right and miles' hair was right. on top of this i saw so many little black boys practically tripping and falling in anticipation to see this movie in theatres. so i think i favor miles having a relationship with a black girl because this will reach such a new audience and possibly open doors for black men and boys to start treating black somebody and girls with respect. because if these little boys in the theatre see their like, idol for lack of a better word, treating black women and girls with respect i think then there's gonna be an aspect of healing within that.

i'm not really sure how well i'm communicating this, but i don't really think i can fully get behind the ghostflower ship. to me it feels really fucking forced in a way that kinda icks me out, however this is not to say i won't absolutely love the shit out of these two if it happens. in a way, this franchise feels like something the black community needs in several ways. like yeah this shit is pro black but FULLY pro black, not pro-black but anti gay, trans, or whatever the fuck. it shows blackness in a new way, artsy and nerdy but also really fucking cool at the same time and i never fucking got that as a little kid. like i kid you not the other black kids in school would call me a wanna be white girl. and to see someone with similar interests as me just sort of opens the world up??? like i visited my older sister at school in the dmv while wearing a spiderverse hoodie, and people actually wanted to talk to me about it!!! like not ina "oh i like ur sweatshirt ma" type thing like a "omg you like this movie too??" type thing and i just--

yeah i def strayed from the topic, but i hope our baby does get his lil black girl (or his lil gwen, from a big sisters perspective i don't hate her as a prospective partner i just think that there would need to be a clear breakdown in the difference of cultures. for example i was taught that anytime you meet anyone formally (like a parent or something) you shake their hand and or go in for a hug and kiss BOTH cheeks and talk about their home their clothes or whatever) but for like the sake of authenticity (sorry to be that asshole but come ON) but like.... flowerbyte 🥰🥰

did this make sense i feel like i word vomited like a bitch, idk maybe i'm projecting my personal shit into a franchise i really like

[lovemyromance]

Sometimes I genuinely question the sanity of this fandom. Like I think some people have gone so extreme in one direction ... they've landed right in the same spot again, if that makes sense.

I'm sure regardless of who your favorite character is - we all read these same books so we all love a strong, powerful FMC. We love the chosen one long lost princess who kicks ass, has a bit of a mouth on her, and goes toe to toe with some "my job is sword" Ken.

We love it. Eat that shit up.

But I think the frequency - and bear with me bc imma make this word up - and tropefication of this romantasy genre has really made people lose their grounding, forget our roots and common sense, so to speak.

For example, let's take the enemies to lovers trope. Of course there's something so hot and exciting about two enemies who hate each other but fall in love. I love it. That's arguably my favorite.

But I think people are forgetting that despite the over saturation of this trope in the current market - It doesn't make any "non" enemies to lovers books any less romantic, any less exciting. Love is expressed and can be written in many different ways. Love can and will be written in the way that is most honest to people, and that extends to even fictional characters.

People are just so caught up in what has become the new norm that they are forgetting everything about real life, real people. They've adapted a "if it's not like this - I don't want it" attitude that might be doing more harm than good.

And I say that because I just witnessed all the drama that was Elain week when people were defending fictional abusers with their entire lives instead of just respecting a boundary set by a real person to respect others.

And I say that because I still see the stupid "pliable bones arguement"

And I say that because I mentioned once that I'd rather wait for Gwyn to show interest in someone romantically before claiming all these theories about her since she has very recent SA trauma - and then instead of people saying that makes sense, I had all these people saying I was anti-feminist and disrespectful to SA victims.

In what world is giving someone the time and space they need to recover from SA suddenly a bad thing? It doesn't even have to do with ships - it has to do with a character clearly being not ready to go out into the real world at the end of the book and deciding that maybe she needs more time to heal. Nobody's out here saying SA victims in general can never be in romantic relationships - all I've said is that specific character does not seem ready. When she shows interest in someone, I will take it as she is ready. I personally do not feel comfortable shipping someone with such recent trauma with someone-especially someone who is supposed to be her trainer and someone safe - unless they show me something that signifies actual interest.

And I understand the whole "empowering women" argument. But I want to ask - is that what we're doing?

Are you really empowering women? Or are you being disrespectful and a faux-activist under the guise of "women's empowerment?"

I don't care that these are fictional characters. The minute people start disrespecting real people over these fictional characters means that these characters mean more to those folks than actual people. And therein lies the problem.

These are real people that are getting called such ugly, rude names. And for what? To defend someone's "rights" to draw pictures of abusers? To defend someone's womanhood by disregarding her SA trauma?

It's tasteless. It's not just "fandom behavior". Fandom is not some lawless land where you can be a heinous human being and interact with real people disrespectfully. I've never seen it this bad and I'm genuinely shocked at what it's become.

[emin-folly]

Ok, can I ask for:

7. Auction

10. Bargin

11. Bard

14. Barry horse

18. Barry Jesse

24. Barry Superman 2

29. Battle of the fashion tastes

36. Cats

37. Cheetah

39. Clark reading Cinderella

40. Compromise

42. Cover flash

45. Crackship doodles

53. DC Barry and Kitty

55. DC Barry's obsession

56. DC Barry's weird fears

58. DC dad brawls

59. DC aeo styles

66. DC hole in the ground

73. DC nobody wants to save thawne

76. DC Slade's new pet

79. DC Speedsters and abugs

82. DC ableached

83. DC Furries

85. DC OC

90. Deer style

91. Flash AU doodles

97. Drunk Barry

100. Eohal

101. Eo medieval

108. Eo wants commitment

111. Eobard ivy doodles

115. Eobeth

116. Eo Carol

137. Gertrude

138. GL headaches

139. GL Human Infestation

144. Hamlet

150. Horse

155. Iris gets powers

160. Linda and Barry

161. Manga So

167. Mom j'onn

168. Monophobia

174. Ot3

182. Plaything

197. Ship comic

199. Sin

202. Speed dancing

204. Starflash

205. Swan thawne

206. Symbolism

210. Touchy feely

214. What eo eats

216. Women

219. xxx

& anything else you're excited to share ☺️

Yeah I really should've seen this coming LOL

O o f

Hoooooo kay, strap in babes, it's gonna be a JOURNEY

Also FYI, I won't be showing sketches for every single one of these, either because I didn't draw much for them or the sketch is just too ugly to be shown publicly lol Without further ado, let's get into it!

7. Auction

Okay, so this is one part of a SUPER self indulgent concept of mine, one I'm honestly kinda shy just talking about it but the idea is, in the DC universe, I think we can all agree there's slave markets out there. And I feel like speedsters would be considered very valuable, on account they're some of the few beings who are attached to this ancient and powerful force, Barry and Eobard being especially prized due to the fact of Barry being the generator of the Speed Force and Eobard being the only known host of the Negative Speed Force in the entire universe.

So the plot is basically Barry and Eobard get captured somehow (insert convoluted explanation here) and is delivered to a slave market to be sold and become someone's trophy pets/slaves. This picture is the part in the story where Barry and Eobard get put on display for prospective buyers~

10. Bargain

This is a weird one but kinda like in the same vein of the last one, if there's a market for speedster slaves/pets, there's also a open market for any illegal, special "delicacy" meat. I think there would definitely be a belief among some races that by eating the flesh of a speedster, it would allow you to harness the Speed Force along with a host of other benefits.

11. Bard

Nothing to much to say on this one, this is really just a sketchdump I use for miscellaneous Eo practice drawings lol

This is one I particularly like~

14. Barry horse

I could've named this better but this is supposed to be Centaur Barry, because I love Barry and I love centaurs so naturally I had to make an AU for it. There's a whole series of pictures I would very much love to get to someday featuring Barry and the other Flashfam members as centaurs but I gotta learn how to draw horses first OTL

18. Barry Jesse

This is part of my unofficial Barry series where I draw him with a character I wish he had more screen time with, this time it's with one of his own family members, Jesse Quick! Barry and her never really had a relationship in the comics, the most we got to go off of was Jesse having a lot of respect for Barry but that's about it. In my AU, I thought it would be really fun if Barry and Jesse actually had a sort of brother-sister dynamic~

Barry is an only child and so I think it would be neat to see him have a sibling kind of dynamic with other peers of the Flashfam. Jesse would be older in my AU, more closer to how old she was in the Pre New 52 age because if she's too young, Barry would most likely just adopt her as another of his Flashlings lmao

24. Barry Superman 2

Once again with the lazy titles. I tend to reuse my old canvases so that kinda explains why I just add a number to them lol Anyway, this one is actually based on a Tumblr post I stumbled across ages ago about Clark and Barry losing their powers so they team up to investigate a case and stop bad guys using their respective skills as a forensic scientist and a investigative reporter (if y'all know who posted that, pls lemme know!!) And anyway, this was very much up my alley hah There's a handful of doodles I wanna do for this (because I can't ever just be satisfied with one drawing) where Barry and Clark navigate the hurdles of Being Human, being shot at by criminals, accidentally jumping out the window or smashing their face into doors because they keep forgetting they're depowered. It's a lot of fun to think about~

29. Battle of the fashion tastes

Silver Age Barry and Eobard duke it out, claiming they have the better fashion taste. Thad and Bart aren't impressed lol There's also a doodle about Barry showing up to Ralph's wedding in less than conventional wear. Ralph is speechless, to say the least xD

36. Cats

This is a crack doodle I did randomly one day. I'm honestly surprised DC hasn't made this joke yet cause it's really hilarious in hindsight

Poor Cheetah is so weirded out rn

37. Cheetah Yeeeaahhh, this is just Barry and Eo as cheetah furries. I like furries, sue me lol

39. Clark reading Cinderella

This is a silly little comic that's actually based on a cute and charming Golden Age/Silver Age Superman comic where Lois leaves her super bratty niece with Clark and he tries reading her the story of Cinderella only for him to immediately fall asleep and dream of becoming Cinderella's Fairy Godfather and throwing hands with her evil stepmother. It's great, I really recommend it (sadly I don't know the exact issue number, if anyone does, please drop me a line!)

40. Compromise

Eo tries to compromise with Barry: if he leaves Barry's family alone, Barry will let Eo do whatever he wants to him. Barry agrees. The ending is...unexpected aha. Here's a sneak peek of Eo's smug rat face tho~

42. Cover Flash

This is a redraw of that one really gay Flash cover because it haunts me in the corners of my mind What was the artist's mindset drawing it? Did Joshua Williamson come up with the idea? I feel like he had to. It's just so hilarious and gay, I can't- Anyway here's Barry's looking very disturbed about having his privacy invaded

45. Crackship doodles

This is one the sketchdumps for one of my absolute favorite DC ships of all time: EoIvy. It started out as a "haha that's a cute ship" to "they are infesting my brain, the roots are so deep right now and there's no hope for a cure" askdhsgkdb I have like, a million doodles ideas for them, I just need to organize myself, and also find an Ivy design I wanna use (no hate to the Injustice design, it's... alright. Tho I prefer her having green skin over human tones)

These are about Ivy showing Eo off like the bottom bitch he is to other people, mostly Gotham Rogues, to which no one approves of lol

They're not any where close to being done but have a mini Eo I drew in the corner~

53. DC Barry and Itty

This is a little comic I started from before I read a lot of comics. I heard that Hal had a partner/pet Itty and at the time I didn't know how Barry really acted or if he knew about Itty, so I had him being very unnerved by him. Itty is just happy to have another buddy xD

55. DC Barry's Obsession

Oh this is a cute one. Okay so, I don't know if you played or watched the game Lego Batman: Beyond Gotham (which by all rights should've been a Green Lantern game but that's another topic for another day) Anyway, long story short, the Justice League gets hit by all the different Lantern emotions, Barry in particular being hit by the Orange Lantern Greed beam. So now you have a speedster that's taking anything that isn't nailed down, from batarangs to buildings, much at the dismay of the other heroes. Thankfully, he's still pretty reasonable even in this greedy phase, just telling him "No" is enough to make him put the stuff back.

I wanted to play with this concept cause I thought it was funny and cute to see Barry in this different kind of light. I haven't come up with something solid yet but I want to get to it sometime~

56. DC Barry's Weird Fears

Okay so, this one is a crack/silly idea I wanted to do where Barry gets affected by Scarecrow's fear toxin or maybe the Yellow Lantern fear or whatever but anyway, Barry is forced to face one of his nightmares...which, as it turns out to Eobard's surprise, isn't about his family or loved ones, but something else entirely--food. Yeah xD

I won't tell you the punchline cause I still wanna draw it someday so I'll just leave you with what's probably the best Eo drawing I ever did lol

58. DC Dad Brawls

Idk if you're familiar with the Green Lantern CGI animated series but this pic is supposed to be Hal and Sinestro fighting over who has the best daughter (in the show Hal more or less adopted Aya lol)

59. DC Eo Styles

Actually what it says on the tin, for once ahah. This is me practicing drawing Eo in the DCAU style and also experimenting with a cartoony style of my own.

I like this result a lot but I feel like it's not as stylized as I was going for. Plus it also feels a little too close to other people's existing cartoony art styles. Tho I do love how Eo looks like some rich bad guy from a cartoon who eats shit at the end of the movie lmao

66. DC Hole In The Ground

Oh boy, this is a throwback LOL I drew this back when I was a baby Flash fan and I didn't know the characters very well at all, I didn't even really like Eobard at this point

Some context: this tales place in an AU where, idk maybe Barry somehow took all his rage, hate and pain away, but Eobard is now a mentally adjusted, normal man. The Flashfam tho, hasn't taken too well to him regardless. This is a short crack comic where the kids, Wallace, Wally/Bart and Avery?? Jesse?? Take Eo to a six feet deep hole in the ground cause they needed his help. Course it's all a ruse so when Eo gets close to the hole, they push him in and try to bury him.

Don't worry, Barry got Eo out, tho not without a disapproving expression as he asks the kids if they're proud of themselves. They are xD

73. DC Nobody Wants to Save Thawne

This is also part of the "Thawne is Redeemed" AU funnily enough. The concept is a twist on the classic "villain takes someone hostage" scenario where some bad guy speedster takes Thawne as a hostage, threatening to kill him, to which everyone cheers. Bewildered, the villain then goes "OR...I'll let him go, to which everyone screams "NO"

Yeah, even good Eo still isn't liked by anyone xD

76. DC Slade's New Pet

This is also based on comic canon. In the Flash New 52 comics, Evil Future Barry makes a throwaway remark that he was trained by Batman, Slade and Lady Shiva and I have since then been utterly captivated by this idea, and I waNNA FISTFIGHT DC, LIKE HOW ARE YOU GONNA MENTION HE WAS TRAINED BY THE WORLD'S BEST FIGHTERS AND THEN NOT EVEN SHOW A FLASHBACK DO YOU HATE ME DC??! AUGH

ANyway, my pic takes place during Barry's training with Slade and what that might look like, complete with a speedster whistle. Barry's pretty much Slade's pet speedster and he's not amused about it 😂

79. DC Speedsters and Bugs

A funny little comic where Wally tries to smack flies in the JL watchtower. It...does not end well lol

Rip, Batman

EDIT: Whoops! I just realized I called this Wally when Bruce says "Barry" here, MY BAD

I originally meant this to be Barry but then it was pointed out to me that it would be more in character for Wally to swat the bugs so I changed it aha

82. DC Bleached

This is just me crossing DC with my favorite anime/manga Bleach, specifically reimagining what my favorite character, Kenpachi, would be in the DC universe. I think he would definitely be in the Yellow Lantern Corps and picks fights with Sinestro and pretty much everyone around him and getting lost. It's basically just this:

83. DC Furries

More DC furries but also with Clark this time. I tried making him into a lion cause I feel like that fits him the most (that or a bear) It...didn't come out good lol

85. DC OC

Ayyy I get to infodump about my girl, WHOO

OK so, something to know about me is that I don't really tend to do the whole OC thing. Not that I don't love it cause I do! I love the idea of making up characters for media I'm in and seeing other people's fan characters is so fun and inspiring. The problem is, I'm just really bad at creating characters OTL

But for DC, my need for a alien speedster finally won out and I decided to just make them myself. She's still very much in the early brainstorming stages, sadly I also don't really have any art of her so far but I do have some ideas for her:

• I haven't figured out the details about her species but she's basically based on an octopus, tho I would like to take some more liberties with it. She definitely has tentacles because I especially wanted her to have those and bc she's octopi based, she also has a beak for snatching and eating prey. As for her gender, I imagine it's different for her species compared to ours, but in human terms the closest thing to what she is would be a woman. As for age, she'd be the equivalent of 40-50 years old.

• Her story so far is she has lived a relatively happy and peaceful life, successfully raising her young with her mate for many years. Eventually though, her offspring has grown up and left, her mate has either died or is off world somewhere (still workshopping this) For most of the time, she ends up alone. She struggles with Empty Nest Syndrome and tries to fill her lonely days the best she can. Until suddenly, one day, she's struck by a lightning bolt that comes down out of the sky. I think you can guess what happens next lol

• She gets superspeed and is rightfully terrified and disoriented as all hell. She has no idea what's happening and probably thinks she's either dying or cursed. It takes a long time for their Green Lantern to help her but eventually they do. Word gets back to Hal who knows just the guy to call. Cue Barry Allen.

• He meets up with and finally gives her some peace of mind and helps her accept her newfound powers. She's still very unsure but she takes to Barry a lot and forms a great relationship with him.

• Anyway, from here on it would be her going on to find her purpose in her new family of small bipedal aliens, aka the Flashfam and finally feel whole again.

• Maybe I'll have her teach other aliens about the Speed Force or smth idk, I'm still figuring things out • As for her powers, I really kinda wanted her to utilize the Speed Force differently than the other Flashes. I'm not sure what it would be but I'm sure I can come up with something

Keep in mind, some things may change but yeah, I like her a lot and I hope I can show her to you guys properly someday~

90. Deer Style

This is also based on the Silver Age, more specifically a panel of Barry carrying Eobard in a very odd way. It kinda looked like he was carrying him deer style so I'm using that as my excuse heheh

Honestly, I'm very tempted to draw a compilation of all the bizarre and often unsafe ways speedsters carry people in the old comics cause writers really got kinda wild LOL

91. Flash AU doodles

Okay so this is based on @longitudinalwaveme's AU of an someone else's AU where Kryptonians has invaded Earth and enslaved humanity, but instead of it being centered around Gotham, it's about everyone in Central/Keystone City. This one: https://longitudinalwaveme.tumblr.com/post/655662017135427584/another-weird-flashrogues-au

AUs like this really make the wheels in my head turn and I also just love a good ol' enslaving AU lmao Anyway, this was actually fanart for it, these being some What If doodles of Barry and Henry where Barry discovers he has powers as well as Eobard cause it made me really curious where he would fit in this AU, like what if he ran back in time to save Barry/stop the Kryptonians. Maybe the 25th century is still Kryptonian dominated but they have long since become more benevolent and restored a lot of humans' rights to live freely again. Maybe Kryptonian and humans live among each other. Idk, it's so intriguing to think about~

But yeah, go check the OP's blog and the original post cause it's super interesting and show them some love in general <3

97. Drunk Barry

This is an idea I had for Pre-powers Barry getting bomb ass drunk at like, a party or something. My personal headcanon is that he would definitely be a cross between the super sappy drunk and the weird drunk who info dumps about disturbing true facts lol

This is a another comic I def wanna get to eventually, it's very fluffy and tooth achingly sweet so I'm excited haha

100. EoHal

I'm gonna skip this one because I'm answering it in another ask~

101. Eo Medieval

This is one idea I had for how Eo could possibly be reinvented for Dark Knight Of Steel, that fantasy/Medieval Elseworld comic DC has going around.

While I'm very grateful the comic at least briefly mentions them and DOESN'T kill them off horribly (the standard for us Flash fans are so low OTL) I was very disappointed in how little we get of speedsters in this universe. Like, you could do SO MUCH with them, their lore allows a lot of room for some fun and cool reinterpretation but alas, I guess I'll have to do it myself

For this one, I wanted to play off the concept of Eobard being a teacher. I thought maybe he could be a Professor who's shrouded in mystery, a cryptic who holds the knowledge of future events that will unfold. He is almost always seen with his students, a group of misfit children he may or may not have saved from less desirable situations. His goals are unknown but he seems to delight in turning kingdoms against each other.

That's pretty much all I have for him. I also don't really know how Barry fits in this AU but I guess we'll see~

108. Eo Wants Commitment

A What If concept where Eo and Barry were partners before everything went south. Eo's proposing that since they worked together for awhile now, he and Barry should finally "tie the knot", ie becoming exclusive superhero partners to each other. Like a marriage but totally platonic, lol

111. Eobard Ivy doodles

More of my rare pair cause I'm very unwell about them At All Times. This time it features Eo's sexy tramp stamp on his ass, courtesy of Ivy, she gotta mark her property, after all~

115. EoBeth

OK so I'm pretty sure I'm one of like, two people on this whole site that cares about Beth Arden and wanna see her make a comeback in Flash lore.

Some context: Beth Arden is a one off character from Flash: United They Fall. She's a lieutenant of the Speed Force Resistance who wears the Shift armor, a specially designed suit to allow humans to be able to go up against a speedster (though she is still very much outclassed by Barry). She was a brief antagonist before turning around and helping Barry.

Her story goes that she was a pupil of Eobard's and loved him a lot (whether it's romantic or not is not clear but it seems to be the former) She helped him design the machine that would give Eobard his powers. Unfortunately when he used it on himself, he touched the Speed Force and was this driven insane and shortly afterwards he killed millions people instantaneously. He then became a tyrant who rules Central City through fear and drugging his citizens by making them crave Speed Force fixes, so they'll worship him.

Beth naturally decides the best way to deal with this is to travel back in time and kill Eo's idol, Flash (which...one, I love how home girl just immediately decided to kill her crush's hero, that's wild. Two, it's a little confusing why she chose to go back to 21st century and kill Barry instead of like.... preventing the creation of the machine that made Eobard go insane but, well maybe she figured that he would've found a way regardless idk) That doesn't work so she teams up him to take down Eobard. The whole comic is kinda an AU already honestly.

Anyways, I really liked Beth a lot and I think she has a lot of potential to be really interesting and compelling addition to the Flash mythos. She doesn't have to be Eo's love interest or anything, honestly I would love to see her maybe as a rival? Or still a pupil of his?? Idk, there's a lot of great ways to reincorporate her (tho I don't really trust modern writers to do her justice unfortunately)

116. Eo Carol

This is a pic inspired from a supervillain team up in the old comics where Eo interacted with Star Sapphire. Now, sadly the Star Sapphire in the story isn't Carol Ferris but instead a French woman who temporarily took up her mantle. Despite this, I became super fixated on the idea of Eo and Carol being partners cause like, it's just too perfect

Barry and Hal are a great friends, so why not also have some of their baddies also be buddy with each other? Make it come full circle aha

137. Gertrude

Okay, this is a random doodle of a really obscure character from Alan Scott's 1940 run. In it, Alan's friend Doiby had a sentient taxi car named Gertrude...Yeah. This isn't explained nor does Alan or Doiby act like this is bizarre or unusual in any way. I personally would enjoy seeing her make a comeback, but that's just me xD

138. GL Headaches

A compilation of sketches, one is based on that famous panel of Hal struggling to think and the other one is a random Green Lantern seeing Clark's spaceship speeding by and asking if they're supposed to do anything about that xD

139. GL Human Infestation

This is a comic I did where a young GL recruit asks Kilowog to ragale him about the time in GL history when the GL humans first came along.

This comic is supposed to take a funny jab at how freaking many human lanterns there are, ESPECIALLY for the one sector/planet. I mean, I definitely get it, Green Lanterns are popular and people want to see all the cool variations of human GLs but man, at this rate they're gonna need to make a sub Lantern group called the Human Green Lantern Corps fr lol

144. Hamlet

That one Silver Age comic where Barry does the entire Shakespeare play by himself, playing the roles of both the men and women rotates in my mind 24/7. Crossdresser Barry is real and canon, DC can't take it back <3

I definitely have a handful of doodles I wanna do with this, Barry in a dress is too good a concept to just narrow it down to one drawing. Iris is definitely gonna be involved 😏

150. Horse

This is part of the Centaur AU, this time it's Eo. I can't decide if I want him to be a centaur or a human in this AU cause I really love both ways, guess I'll just do both askdgskj

155. Iris Gets Powers

Okay, so this is an idea I had that's inspired from the Flash New 52 comic where Iris temporarily became a speedster. Basically, it's that but "What if Iris got powers but when she's already married to Barry and they have the whole Flashfam?" I thought that'd be SO interesting to see and I really wanna explore that

It'd be about her finally getting to see the world from Barry's and the others' perspective. To finally get to feel the humming buzz as the Speed Force courses through her veins and reach out and blur and blend into everyone else, to feel as one with the other speedsters, to finally be able to run with her family awahhh

Fair warning though, it does have a kinda bittersweet ending so be prepared~

160. Linda and Barry

I really wanted to draw these two together cause honestly, it is SO mind boggling that these two haven't???? Had a heart-to-heart conversation yet??? ESPECIALLY after Flashpoint. I personally felt robbed and so I've taken it upon myself to give them their moment in the spotlight they deserve. Barry is full of regrets and Linda, after some time to soul search and to think it through, forgives Barry and they hug <3

161. Manga Eo

Ok so, fun fact, did y'all know there's an official DC manga?? And that Eobard actually appears in it (not Barry for some strange reason) and fights Hal? Yeah, that's a thing that exists

I really liked his look here, even if it is very subtle, like the thick black outlines around his mask and so I wanted to try drawing him myself~

167. Mom J'onn

Remember that Batman Lego game I mentioned earlier? Yeah, this is based on that too lol

So in the game, everyone splits up to go to the Lantern planets bases, J'onn, Cyborg and Barry visiting the planet of Nok where the Indigo Lanterns are.

Barry is still in his super greedy phase and Cyborg has unfortunately been zapped by the yellow Lantern energy so now he's absolutely terrified of every little thing. J'onn was one of the few who wasn't hit by the Lantern beams so he's pretty much the only sane and capable one here. Mom J'onn refers to him basically having to keep Cyborg from freaking out and Barry from stealing everything under the sun while also simultaneously fight off the mind controlled Indigo Lanterns and restore their power battery. Send some prayers for J'onn cause he is Stressed lmao

168. Monophobia

Ahh yeah, ok this is based on Post New 52 Flash Rebirth where Barry definitely experiences this, especially the part at his birthday party where he is consumed with the fear of Eobard killing everyone he loves. This comic is Eobard exploiting that, isolating Barry and giving him a taste of his pain. It's basically Barry whump which I love and will definitely deliver more on in the future <3

174. OT3

Oops, I think I listed the wrong file. OT3 is one I'm already done with, I think I meant to write OT3 1. My bad! Anyway, OT3 1 is some more EoHarlIvy because a handful of people seemed to really enjoyed my art of them 😊 In this pic, Harley's dive-bombing Eo and Ivy, because she naturally can't let them have their moment alone together lol

182. Plaything

This was actually inspired by @ftl-faster-than-lifewonderful's fabulous art of putting Eo in a collar and that sparked the idea of like, Barry and Iris finally deciding they had Enough and just slapped a collar on this idiot in the hopes he'll finally calm down. It kinda ends up backfiring on them tho cause now he's absolutely insufferable about being their plaything lmao

197. Ship comic

This was part of an art trade thing also for @ftl-faster-than-life where they requested I draw Eobard x Amanda Waller (yes, *that* Amanda Waller) In a rare twist of events, she's the one who has his ass tied up and is definitely planning on doing some nefarious things to him hehe

There's actually a two page comic to go with this but I think I'll make that it's own post

199. Sin

I'm afraid I don't have much to say on this one but these are more drawings of Barry and Eobard during their time in the slaver's market~

202. Speed Dancing

Okay yeah, this one doesn't really have a reason behind it except I just wanted to draw Barry and Eobard in fancy suits and dancing with each other lol

204. Starflash

Remember that one old comic I mentioned earlier with Eobard and Star Sapphire? This was supposed to be a kind of panel redraw of their first interaction, where Eobard lays on the charm extra thick and bows to kiss her hand and introduces himself as Professor Zoom and stuff. IDK why, I just thought it'd be fun aha

Old art is old

205. Swan Thawne

I got this random idea from being on Chinese fanart sites and seeing Eobard's last name often being mistranslated as 'Swann'. Swans in real life are pretty, graceful and can be absolutely vicious, just like Eo so why not draw him as one? lol

206. Symbolism

This was a piece that was supposed to represent Barry and Eo's relationship. I don't fully know what the context would be but it'd something like if Barry or Eo went into the other's mind. Chains are involved 👌

210. Touchy Feely

This is just Eo being touched starved as hell aha For as strong and anti people Eobard is, I feel like if someone caressed him lovingly, he'd immediately shatter. It's a great concept I like playing with~

214. What Eo eats

A lil comic thing about what Eobard runs on since he never seems to eat

It's spite lmao

216. Women

Once again creatively titled. This one is yet another genderbend pic of mine that takes some inspiration from the old comics where Eo flirts with a apprehensive Dinah, much to Ollie's shock and disgust lol

219. xxx

Yet another pic for my self indulgent slavery AU, this time it's Barry and Eobard dressed up in cute skimpy slave outfits and collars <3

AND THAT'S THE LAST ONE /ded

MAMMA MIA ,what a undertaking that was akshdjakj

Thank you EXTREMELY much for your interest~!! <33 This was a beast and a half to tackle but I absolutely loved talking about my WIPs and I sincerely hope you enjoyed hearing them as well!! :)

As for ones I'm excited to talk about, there are definitely some I can think of but this post is already way, WAY too insanely long so I'mma cut it here~

[limeade-l3sbian]

That anon you got about straight women liking m/m content while ignoring m/f or f/f pairings... Where to even start...

First of all, I'm a straight woman who doesn't like yaoi/slash/bl/whatever it's called now and never have so I see where you're going. But I understand why so many women prefer m/m overall.

Many women say they enjoy m/m content because it's devoid of gender roles and misogyny. I understand this. I've consumed straight romance (sometimes against my will) and there's so much bullshit in it like I'm sorry. My sister asked me to watch this period drama with her and literally pretty much every pairing starts with the man being sexist or rude in some way to the woman. And they literally bicker most of the time but it's supposed to be "sexual tension" or whatever until at some point they kiss and I guess everything is forgiven. Yay? I don't know what's exciting or good about any of this. This drama somehow managed to make 1800s europe devoid of racism but not sexism, so pretty much every male love interest is sexist in some way. I don't get why women don't write more romance where the males are actually respectful of their gender as a whole. Or perhaps I do and here's comes my other point: many women cannot conceptualize a world where men are actually women-loving.

Seriously, have you ever seen the weird trend of refering to fictional male characters that are actually loving and respectful towards their gfs as male lesbians, or their het relationship "lesbian-coded"? When I was younger, it used to piss me off when women would say they didnt write or draw m/f pairings because they didnt want to deal with sexism and gender roles, I was like "then write a world where men and women are seen as equals!!" But then I started writing myself and it's incredible how fake it will appear to write a male character respectful and loving of his gf AND her gender as a whole. Now I write and draw for myself so I do whatever I want no matter how silly or fake it is, but I would never publish any of that because I don't wanna deal with people telling me "men really don't act this way, you dont know how to write male characters :/" or "Oh I love the male love interest, he's such a malewife!!".

And yes, many gay male romance has them dealing with homophobia, but that's basically them against society/the world. You can tell they are still in it together, and they will choose each other any time even if that means getting ostracized by everyone. With het pairing and sexism is more like man against woman. She has to deal and fight for this man to see her (and perhaps her gender) as capable and worthy of respect so they can have a better relationship. It doesn't seem like they're in it together and the woman has to put all the effort so her man can see the error of his ways.

Why do you think there are many people who joke about how a male character seems to have more chemistry and rapport with another male character (usually a friend or mentor) than his supposed female love interest? Because they're written as equals with interesting traits and a relationship that surpasses many trials, while the female love interest is written as "the woman" - writers will avoid giving female characters interesting traits because they dont think they look good on female characters or believe women dont or shoudnt act a certain way. And believe me, i'm saying this as a woman that's very attracted to female characters - the majority of shows and movies I consume have (a) female main protagonist(s) and I prefer shows that have a bigger female cast. I also get attached to female characters even if they're "badly written" or whatever the fandom says idgf. Ive even watched a lot of those animes and manga that only have female characters, because I have a preference for women in fiction (and real life I guess)

The f/f stuff is another whole issue that it's not very related to this. Most women producing m/m content are straight so they will want to see at least one male in their pairing. F/f can't provide that for obvious reasons. This is like asking straight guys why they don't consume gay male porn if they like lesbian porn so much. It literally makes no sense. These men give the answer of why they like lesbian porn usually as "one woman is hot, two women is DOUBLE the hotness". Think about it like that with women; now they have two men to ogle at.

I had much more to write, specifically about the sexual part (since fanfiction is usually very romance/sex centered) and m/m vs m/f and f/f, but this got too long. Perhaps i'll write a second part.

.

[honeybewrites]

WIP Excerpt Tag

Thank you @kaylinalexanderbooks for the tag!!!!

Rules: Post some writing!

Since I haven't really posted anything about Legend of the Ancients, I thought it would be fun to change it up!

Her door opened and Emaeh glanced up from her book. The party was in fully swing by now so no one should really be anywhere near the dorms, let alone her room. Maybe Faralt, but even they had seemed excited about the celebrations. She was even more surprised when Vern stepped in, closing the door behind him. He looked good. Really good. A traditional Tanimoriem suit, complete with pack specific jewelry and paint. The suit itself was a deep velvety, midnight purple with silver accents to give it a pop. His wings were adorned with jewels and chains, folded neatly behind him like a cape. The same jewels and chains decorated his horns and flowed beautifully into the paint on his face and arms. He looked like a god of beauty, divine and elegant, effortlessly ethereal. Emaeh had to fight to keep her face neutral. "What are you doing here?" She closed the book, eyeing him. "Looking for you." His eyes trailed around the room, not that there was much to look at. Ancients, even his voice sounded like the honey of gods. How could one being be so beautiful? "Why aren't you at the celebration?" "I hurt my leg." It was a lame excuse and they both knew it. Emaeh wasn't one to let an injury stop her from something, especially something like this. It was rare to have other beings here, and everyone knew Emaeh never missed a chance to learn more about the Tanimoriem culture. With this many Tan gather in one place? She could learn a lot more than her books could teach her. She could actually ask questions. "Right, and what's the real excuse?" Emaeh rolled her eyes. Even though she knew it would start an argument, she couldn't lie to him. She had too much respect for him to do that. "I can't have anyone finding out I'm Tanimoriem." Vern's oozing annoyance filled the room like a suffocating gas. "And how is anyone going to figure out you're Tan from a party?" Emaeh got up from the bed, pulling her dress out of its box in her dresser. She held it up to show him. It was the same dress she'd worn at Ryuk's gratitude feast in Rorrut. "It's backless and strapless. It'll show off too many of my scars. You've seen the ones on my back. Those scars are pretty self explanatory. They even look like the base of wings. I've worn this dress before I got those scars and you know Ryuk and Faralt aren't going to miss those giant things. It'll raise questions. I can't." Vern sighed lightly as she put the dress away. His annoyance, surprisingly, started to disperse. "What are you going to do in here all night then?" He once again looked around the room as if expecting some kind of feat to appear. "You don't really have anything in here to do."

Emaeh sat back on her bed, picking up the book and going back to her reading. "I'm going to read." The bed dipped as Vern plopped down on the edge. "Well are you at least going to read out loud for me? Or should I just ramble to myself?" She looked over the edge of the book at him. There was a teasing smirk on his lips now, the light scent of his amusement filling the air. "No, you're going back to the party." She turned back to her words. "But you're not going." It almost sounded pouty, whiny. "And I have my reason. Go be social. I'm sure you can find some pretty woman to your liking. Have some drinks, dance, have sex. Maybe then you'll make some friends Angel." Some emotion she couldn't place tinted the air. "Is that what you would do if you were going?" Emaeh snorted. "Do I look like someone who can dance?" "I meant hookup." Her face scrunched up. "No. Everyone down there is at least twice my age or half stupid. Even the women down there aren't the brightest, in my opinion. I'm sure they're quite beautiful though. Carlun has a good eye for that kind of thing. No, I need a little more of a connection to have sex with someone. Not really a one night stand kind of person." "Who's to say I am?" he asked defensively. Emaeh set her book to the side once again. "Angel, relax. It was just a suggestion. You don't have to get your wings in a knot, okay? You don't need to pull some "you're judging me" bull, because you can tell there is no judgement in my voice or body. Relax. I don't care either way. It's not like I'm going to stop talking to you if you hookup." She nodded to the book. "Now, this is an old play from during the Dragon War. Do you want me to read it or would you rather pick something else?" The tension in his body eased up and his pleasant, puppy dog self lit up once again. "Oh I'm fine with that, please continue." He laid on his side, watching her expectantly with a bright smile. Emaeh fought a smile of her own as she picked the book back up and began to read aloud this time.

Tagging @ink-enchanted @fractured-shield @minamaybe @halfbakedspuds @diabolical-blue @illarian-rambling and anyone else who wants to hop on!!

[woomycritiques543]

https://twitter.com/NazFX_Studios/status/1199643032292749312?t=1zGGNfvZkOKvFd0ItADX7Q&s=19

Vivziepop recently made a Collab with NazFX on Twitter who's releasing a Loona remake tomorrow. It appears she has collabed with this person twice? In the link I'm sending is a video of a white Alastor plush. My favorite character in the Hazbin Hotel series is whitewashed to oblivion again! Like WTF, Look at him? Why is he so white 😭? WHY IS HE STILL BEING PORTRAYED AS A NON BLACK CHARACTER? First it was Sallie May that was overly sexualized for being a trans woman which insulted the community and got a lot of backlash, then making another transmasc character Cis which got more backlash and now we're pushing for anti black, white Alastor! I encourage others not to buy from Viv or get the Loona plush to pocket her pockets because she's anti black and is absolutely terrible at portraying black characters, characters with different ethnic backgrounds in general or just LGBT characters. Vivziepop is not a spectacular person with great ideas. She can't represent characters period!

This is "OOAK." Not a collab. It's fanmade.

I get your concern, but please provide clear evidence before making accusations like this. Though yes... Vivziepop does whitewash him still, in fact, she made him lighter after the backlash about the Vodou representation, something fans and non-fans alike were disgusted by her doing this kind of anti-black behavior, and kept the symobols in the episode- just more hidden now.

Look at Vortex, look at how this character is drawn, look at how the muscles are emphasized while the white muscular characters are drawn otherwise normally or with Ozzie, have skinny arms.

Look at how they drew the white muscular characters and their anatomy compared to Vortex and try to tell me that there was "no anti-blackness" involved here. The white men have even anatomy, while for Vortex, it's emphasized to hell and back, and he's given almost no sympathy for being a slave, while Loona is multiple times just because she's white coded despite being Hell's equivalent to how black people were/are treated. Yet for Vortex, he's not sympathized with, even in his debut, and is only animated to "look intimidating" and to be violent while also having not a single black person influencing his writing. He's just meant to be the "token strong black man" while Coco and the rest of the background characters are put their for brownie points while we get no respect from these writers underneath this narrative. It's hypocritical, selfish, and downright racially insensitive. These stereotypes are far from "harmless", especially today with the newest Helluva Boss episode and how it relates to the harmful stigma against drag queens.

The fetishization of trans, drag, and black lives hurts us.

These stereotypes are not "comedy", they're reputational harm.

-while the other black characters are whitewashed and given names like "Coco" based on their skin. You can actually tell that the direction of this show had not a single black say on these shows, at all.

HB also made over half of their main poc characters succubi as an excuse to fetishize us. It's just hentai for minority fetishists, that's it, the show is just what Americans think hentai is, but worse, since it includes all misrepresentation of women from hentai along with ableism, racism, homophobia, and blatant transphobia from the writers being put into the tones and dialouge of the scenes.

The double standards need to stop. There is no such thing as a "good" dergogatory stereotype. Black stereotyping and fetishization is equally as harmful as blackface. This goes for Brandon Rodgers as well. Both him and Vivziepop have gotten away with racial stereotypes and sexism for far too long. There needs to be at least one black say behind this writing. This needs to stop.

Also look at the anniversary posts on Twitter:

Not a single black person in sight. I want to be excited by this show so badly due to the nice animation, cool world ideas (Hell with different demon species- how cool is that?!) and the cool looking bg characters but the creators keep ruining it with active bigotry.

So you're right about that one... 💀

Vivienne is speedrunning her own cancellation now...

-and it's just sad to watch. All she had to do was apologize for how she misrepresented multiple minority groups and let her stans attack us, none of this discourse needed to happen smh.

If racism and all around bigotry is "not ok" with Oye Primos. It's "not ok" with how Helluva Boss treats minorities as well. People need to stop having double standards just because one creator benefits their fan content more than the other. To the HB tag, if you like any of Vivziepop's shows, cool, but dont pretend to support us while denying how much bigotry the creators have just because you want more of Vivziepop's cartoon softcore porn.

Racism and queerphobia should not be normalized with any writer.

Stop the hypocrisy!

[verecunda]

Some assorted thoughts/speculations/general yellings after watching the s2 trailer and behind the scenes video after about a dozen times each. (Spoilers galore!)

SAURON. :DDD

2. Isildur lives!! I mean, obviously, I knew he would, but it's nice to get a glimpse of what he's up to. Looks like he's in some sort of creepy cave - maybe he's going to discover Shelob's lair?? I can just see our disaster baby taking shelter in what he thinks is a nice safe cave, only to find it's the home of an ancient menace. That would be so on-brand for him. :P (Maybe that's also part of the reason that he founds Minas Ithil later, if he knows there's something horrible up there up the Spider Stairs that needs guarding against?) Also very excited that he and Arondir seem to be teaming up at some point!

Speaking of which...

3. Rather worried that there's no sign of Bronwyn or Nazanin in either vid, but there is a shot of Theo looking very upset. Don't like that at all. D: Also the thing Ismael says about Arondir having a great blow to his spirit. Not liking where this is all pointing to... 😬 Like, in general, I was hoping we would get to see Arondir and Bronwyn, now that they've actually got together, having to reckon with the full Athrabeth-style implications of their relationship. A quick glance at Nazanin's social media suggests she's actually left acting in order to focus on her activist work, especially in the wake of the women's rights protests in Iran. I can only respect her for that, but I will be sad to see her go. I got very attached to her and Arondir. In the meantime, until the show inevitably dashes my hopes, can I just pretend that Bronwyn is FINE, SHE'S FINE ACTUALLY, she's happily setting up her new herb garden in Pelargir and refusing to have anything to do with this ring nonsense?

4. SAURON. :DDD Honestly, I'm just watching all this like

:')

5. Okay, I love all the jokes about how Annatar is just Sauron in a wig (*gasp* "King Philip II of Spain!!"), but I don't think what we're seeing in the trailer is Annatar. All the shots of him look like they're happening during the fall of Ost-in-Edhil, by which point his cover's blown and he has no more reason to mask himself. (In fact, he might be quite happy to reveal himself in all his glory?) I think that's just Sauron. Which isn't to say that Annatar, or something like him, won't feature, I just think it won't be Charlie Vickers playing him. He's Sauron in his "true" form, if you like.

6. Oh, Celebrimbor. ;___; I was hoping we'd get to hang onto him for a few series, but I don't think that's going to happen. Eregion definitely looks like it's had it this series, in which case he won't be far behind. Unless maybe this series will just end with his capture, as a sort of cliffhanger, and his actual death won't happen till series 3. That would be cruel. That's probably what I would do if I was writing it tbh. I hope they at least give us a few good scenes of him and Narvi before shit goes down.

7. No sign of Ciarán Hinds yet, though I was keeping an eye out. Do we have any idea yet who he's playing?

8. I've seen other people on here suggesting that Durin's line about an ancient evil returning might be about the Balrog, rather than Sauron, and I can see that. Canonically, Khazad-dûm isn't destroyed until the Third Age and the reign of Durin VI, but maybe they're planning to shift that back, as they have with the arrival of the Istari. Or maybe the Dwarves will just manage to beat it back into dormancy for another age? There's a shot of Durin III with what looks like a Ring of Power, and I've seen someone else suggesting that maybe the Dwarves will use it in their fight against the Balrog? (Might I hope that we're going to get the version where it's Celebrimbor who gives Durin that ring...? Please I just love Celebrimbor and the Dwarves so much. ;____;)

9. General joy at seeing more of Durin and Disa!!! If Disa wants to be a heroine, I support her. Likewise, If she still wants to go all Lady Macbeth and get her husband to murder his father for the crown, I still support her. ❤️

10. SAURON. :DDD I know you Haladriel shippers are all enjoying that first shot of him looking all rough and teary-eyed, but I'm hoping we're maybe going to get some flashback scenes of his backstory? Maybe that's him just post-War of Wrath and going "oh shit I need to dig myself out of this fucking hole fast". I would love some flashbacks showing us his dynamic with Morgoth or Aulë. (A scene with Eönwë is, alas, probably a forlon hope.) Or what about that time he was bullied by Lúthien? :D

11. I fear Nori and Gandalf (we're okay to call him Gandalf, right?) are not going to have a wonderful time in Rhûn. 😬 So far it looks pretty bare and desert-y, so I guess a trip to the vineyards of Dorwinion is not on the itinerary? :( No sign of the other Harfoots, so maybe they just plan to focus on Nori's journey until she inevitably returns. Which makes sense, but if that's the case, I'll miss my girl Poppy. :'(

12. Combat Galadriel is still going strong, I see. Mixed feelings on that one. On the one hand, I love Combat Gal and I love her more every time some internet neckbeard posts his cold take on Reddit. On the other hand, since she gave up both her sword and Finrod's dagger by the end of s1, I was hoping we'd start to lean more into her sorceress side. Still plenty of time for that, I suppose, and it's not like the two are mutually exclusive.

13. General joy at seeing all the various blorbos again. :D Hi, Elrond! Hi, Elendil! Hi, Míriel! Hi, Eärien! Hi, Gil-galad! Can't wait to see what you're all up to now. <3

14. I do NOT trust Pharazôn with pointy objects around that eagle. D: Don't hurt that eagle, Pharazôn, if you hurt the eagle you'll make Manwë cry. ;____;

And, last but not least:

15. SAURON. :DDD

Sorry, friends, I am a Sauron fan first and a person second. X'D