#hire me clash team /JOKE

[strawglicks]

welcome to the Coal & Ice District!

[chrisevansjellybeans]

Ransom x fem!Reader

Warnings: none (yet) some swearing

Part One

You’ve never wanted to punch somebody in the face so bad until you met Ransom Drysdale. The smug, arrogant, jerk-face had been a thorn in your side since grade school. You both grew up in the Boston area, your parents sending you to the same private schools all the way through high school. You had run in similar crowds but no matter how much your mutual friends tried to get the two of you to get along you never could. For good reason though.

Your family owned and operated Cloak and Dagger Publishing, the direct rival of Ransom’s family’s publishing house, Blood Like Wine. Unlike you and Ransom, your families liked to keep the rivalry in business and not in life. Your father, Jackson Y/L/N and Harlan Thrombey were actually great friends who just liked to rib each other when it came to business, but were proud of the other’s success regardless.

But for some reason you and Ransom could never get to that level of friendship. And you weren’t in any rush to fix that.

Especially when he was pulling shit like this.

You groaned as you opened the door to your office only to see the smirking son of a bitch sitting in your chair, feet propped up on the desk and your favorite fountain pen twirling between his fingers.

“Maria, you’re fired.” You joked to your assistant who nervously looked at you from her desk right outside your door.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N! He just-”

“It’s fine. I know.” You sighed before walking fully into your office, letting the door close behind you.

“Good morning, honey.” Ransom’s voice was sickly sweet.

“Is it?” You snapped. You walked around your desk and pushed his feet off. “Get up.”

“You’re not being very kind to your guest, Y/N. What would dear daddy say about your terrible manners?” Ransom teased but stood up nonetheless. You glared up at him as he stood to his full height.

“Guests are usually wanted and invited, Ransom. Neither of which you are.”

“Honey, you hurt me.” Ransom feigned pain as he gripped his chest. You wanted to stomp your expensive Manolo Blahniks on his toes every time he called you that. It started your junior year of high school and maybe if it was anyone else you would have thought it was a term of endearment but he said it in such a condescending tone you knew it was anything but.

“What do you want, Drysdale?” You let out an exasperated breath.

“Is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to visit an old friend?”

“Ransom, please. Unlike some people I actually have work to do.” You moved around him and sat down, pulling out your laptop. You looked up at him as he watched you with intense blue eyes that made your stomach flutter, annoyingly so.

“I’m actually here for business and not pleasure, honey.” He smirked as he sat down at the chair across from you. “I’m here to formally and personally invite you to Bleeding Hearts.”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. Bleeding Hearts was the Thrombey annual charity gala that they hosted at Harlan’s expansive, hidden mansion. Your parents had been going every year since Harlan first hosted it and you had started going about five years ago. You would never tell Ransom, but you loved Bleeding Hearts. It gave you an excuse to wear a beautiful ball gown-albeit rented-and to feel like a beautiful princess like the ones you had read about growing up. Harlan always hired a full orchestra to play the most beautiful classical pieces throughout the night and it was like stepping into a time machine. You didn’t understand why Ransom had to come all the way down to your office just to invite you to something that you were already going to.

“I’ve already had Maria send in my RSVP and donation, Ransom. So thank you for the courtesy, but it really wasn’t needed.” You rubbed at your temples, a tension headache now forming from all this ‘excitement’ so early in the morning. And before you’ve even had a sip of your coffee.

“I know. And you gave a nice amount this year. Did daddy finally up your monthly allowance?” He smirked.

Just one punch. Just one and then I’ll be satisfied. Technically he’s trespassing, it could be called self defense.

“Goodbye, Ransom.” You blocked him out as you opened your email and began typing away. You got about two sentences out before you felt your laptop being shut against your hands.

“I wasn’t done.” Ransom whispered, you didn’t realize how close he was until you looked up. He was now leaning over your desk, one hand on your laptop and one hand on the edge of the desk closest to you.

“Shame.”

“I’m here to ask if you wanted to come...as my date.” You snorted out a laugh and laughed even harder as a look of annoyance crossed over his face. He stood up and straightened out his shirt almost nervously.

“God, you’re funny. Now please leave. You’ve already wasted so much of my time with this little joke.” You rolled your eyes as you opened your laptop again.

“I wasn’t kidding, Y/N.” His words were sharp and his eyes blazing.

“Neither was I. Get out of my office, Ransom. Or I will call security.” You glared right back at him.

Ransom looked like he was about to say something but decided against it. He tapped his fingers against your desk and gave you a mock salute.

“See ya around, honey.”

“Close the door on your way out.” You muttered.

You clenched your fists as he left your office, leaving your door wide open. You could hear him laughing his ass all the way down the hall.

Damn you, Ransom Drysdale.

“Y/N, I am so sorry. He just kind of walked in.” Maria rushed into your office, almost tripping over her far too high heels.

“Ria, it’s fine. I know how he is.” You waved her off, giving her a sympathetic smile. “Please, don’t worry about it.”

“Okay…” she said nervously. When you gave her another reassuring smile she relaxed her shoulders. “I have to say though, he is really sexy.”

“Maria.” You sighed. “Get out.”

“Sorry.” She squeaked before exiting your office, closing the door fully.

You leaned back in your chair and let out a long breath. How had today already been the longest day and it wasn’t even nine?

“Good afternoon, sweetheart.”

“Good afternoon, dad.” You smiled as your father snuck his way into your office.

You and your dad had always been close. When you were younger he called you his “little shadow” because you loved to follow him around throughout his day. You would sit in on meetings and you loved when he would let you pretend to lead the team briefings in the morning. It was only natural that you would follow in his footsteps and work for Cloak and Dagger.

Your father always pushed you to be your best. He didn’t let you take shortcuts to get where you were today in the company. You worked your way up and proved your worth and made your father proud.

“What’s this I hear of Ransom Drysdale stopping in this morning?” He sat down across from you.

You rolled your eyes. “Because he doesn’t have anything better to do than irritate me.”

Your father laughed as he slid in his glasses up to the top of his head and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “You two have been fighting like cats and dogs since you were kids. Will this feud between the two of you ever end? And can it be soon? I made a bet with Harlan that you two would finally stop by the time you were twenty-five.”

“Glad to see that my torture has been amusement for you and your little buddy.”

“Just teasing, sugar plum.”

“Please, let’s talk about anything else besides Ransom Drysdale. I’m begging you.” You gave him a warning look over the top of your computer.

“Fine by me.” He clapped his hands together and leaned forward. “How’s it going with Brooke Archer? Has she committed to C&D yet?”

Brooke Archer was an upcoming mystery novelist. Critics called her “the Agatha Cristie of our time” and rightfully so. You had read her first two novels and finished them within a day, completely entranced by her style of writing that had you guessing till the end. She was notoriously self-publishing but now that her books were blowing up she had finally made the decision to sign with a major publishing house. And your father had tasked you with landing her.

“I have a lunch meeting with her tomorrow. I think this could be the closing meeting.” You said confidently.

“Good. I’m proud of you, sugar plum.” He tapped his fingers on your desk. “And please text your mother back. She’s freaking out over what to make for dinner tonight.”

Confused, you pulled your phone out of your bag. You sighed when you saw that you had thirteen missed texts from your lovable but definitely eccentric mother.

“You’d think she’d know what I like by now.” You joked.

“What can I say, she’s a perfectionist.” You dad laughed before saying goodbye and exiting your office.

As you were typing out a response your phone dinged with a new message.

I hope you’re thinking about my proposal from earlier. Wasn’t kidding around this time honey.

Your thumbs hovered over the screen. How the hell had Ransom even gotten your number?

And like I said earlier, neither was I. The answer is no.

He responded only seconds later:

No ugly colors, don’t want to clash with my suit.

You had to give it to him, the man had tenacity.

You’re annoying.

Ransom only responded with a winky face. You shook your head as you exited his chat and went back to responding to your mother, barely noticing the smile that was covering your face thinking of that annoyingly handsome pain in your ass.

[agentnico]

Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) Review

It all started with Sonic’s teeth. Ever since fans successfully bullied a studio into reanimating their titular hedgehog character after the abomination shown in the first trailer, fans realised that rallying together (on Twitter) can make a difference. So you’d think it would mean we could all come together to restore world peace and get rid of racism, injustice, poverty, war and negativity of all kind? Nope, nope it does not. But at least we get a better version of a bad DC movie that came out in 2017. I mean, baby steps I guess.

Plot: Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists newfound ally Diana Prince to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes -- Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash -- it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

I recall my younger simpler self in 2017 at the early age of 20 soon to be 21, sitting down and watching the new Justice League film with zero to no expectations, as by that point the DC Extended Universe was a trainwreck and was a franchise that was literally falling apart before out unblinking red hay fever filled eyes. However, after watching Justice League I was baffled at the fact that I still managed to be disappointed after having zero expectations! With zero expectations this film took me into the minuses, and we all know I’m not great at mathematics so boy are we in the danger zone when we hit the minuses! Looking back at my review of the film back then, I used extreme yet fitting comments like “generic”, “predictable” “messy” and plain “dogsh*t”. Which is what it was. 2017′s Justice League is exactly how I’d imagine a dog’s poop would look if it was turned into an abstract film! It was truly abysmal. After that I thought I’d never have to talk about this film again. How wrong I was. But, in a rare turn of tables, I am glad that I was wrong...

A little history lesson first. Alright, settle down kids, settle down.... Rob, put the paper plane down, do not throw it, I said DON’T THROW IT! NO! Stop! Stupid child!! Headteacher’s office right now! Also, say hi to your mother for me, okay? I’m having brunch with her on Saturday and you better not be there as you should be doing your homework watching the 4 hour cut of Justice League and questioning your life choices!! Anyway, now let’s have ourselves a history lesson. The topic is - What In The Flying Fudge Happened Behind-The-Scenes Of Justice League For DUMMIES: Condensed Edition. A really condensed version as honestly none of us have the attention span to read loads and I’m probably losing the vast majority of you due to this overlong rambling session. So anyway, to the last couple of readers left, here we go! Following the success of Man of Steel, Warner Bros. gave Zack Snyder the reigns to oversee and create a DC cinematic universe to rival the success of Marvel. And so came Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which turned out to be a bit of a hodgepodge, receiving mixed to negative reviews and though was a box office success, earned diminishing results to what Warner Bros. originally anticipated. However, by the time Batman V Superman released, Zack Snyder was already hard at work on the big superhero team up film Justice League (which was meant to set up many characters and future films for the DCEU) with a lot of filming already underway, so Warner Bros. couldn’t particularly pump the breaks on it by that point, even though they evidently lost trust in the Snyder formula. To be honest, at that point I too lost trust in Snyder’s vision and the DCEU as a whole, but my opinion doesn’t class for a single dime, whilst the opinions of Warner Bros. executives make millions, so there aren’t any hard feelings on my behalf for them not enquiring on my thoughts. Anyway, midway through production Zack Snyder was hit with a family tragedy with his daughter committing suicide, so Snyder naturally had to depart the project to be with his family during this grieving time. Warner Bros. had the option to pause production and await for Snyder’s return, or progress at their own accord. Naturally they decided to do their own thing cause they are a business and want that dollar dollar bill baby!! So they hired Joss Whedon who was riding fresh off the success of two Avengers movies and obviously had experience in cinematic universes and such, to rework the Justice League movie by condensing it into a 2 hour film (from the over 4 hour material that Snyder shot) and reshoot scenes to fit the smaller runtime. So you cannot particularly blame Whedon for taking out so many great scenes as he had a contract to fulfil with Warner Bros, but then you look at the many forced jokes and unnecessary reshot scenes and you realise how self-indulgent Joss Whedon was during filming, as he basically was spitting on everything Snyder did and was trying to do his own thing. Low and behold, the mess that is the 2017 movie is created, where its the visions and creative minds of two director with evidently different styles clashing and not really mixing well at all, and as such we have a messy movie that doesn’t really make sense and is a bit of a middle finger to DC fans and honestly everyone and all. Also, there was that little aspect of Henry Cavill’s deformed upper lip due to the fact that during reshoots he had a moustache that he’d grown and was contractually obligated to have for his Mission Impossible role, so the visual effects team had to digitally remove it in post production and the result is, well, see for yourself...

Yes, they made the dashing handsome my-sexuality-questioning Henry Cavill look stupid, and that is UNFORGIVABLE. Funny, yes, very funny but unforgivable!! So for this and many other reasons the 2017 film turned out horribly. Then after that many months later, Zack Snyder and cast and crew members began teasing of this mythical version of the movie that was befit of Snyder’s original vision. You see, apparently before he left the project, Snyder actually filmed everything he wanted and it was only awaiting to be reworked with visual effects and edited properly, but then Whedon came in with his scissors and cut everything mercilessly with a cheeky grin and his ginger beard. Speaking of his ginger beard, is Joss Whedon Irish? Or has Irish roots? Honestly, I would Google it, but wait, I don’t think I really care. So anyway, Snyder still had all of his filmed scenes saved on his ridiculously oversized hard drive just waiting to be looked at again. This is where the fandom did its magic by creating a Twitter hashtag #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and began spam posting for Warner Bros. to let Zack Snyder release what he originally intended to. Honestly, who would have thunk it, but this actually worked!! Warner Bros. allowed this, and not only that, but gave Snyder an additional $70 million to finish up the visual effects as well as to film a couple of additional sequences and gave it the prestigious honour to debut it on HBO Max, so as to boost the subscriber rating on Warner Bros. new streaming service. And here we are.

Honestly, I thought seeing this Director’s Cut of sorts wouldn’t bring much to the table as I didn’t believe that a film that was so broken had originally been in any way good. After finishing this 4 hour Snyder vision I must admit though that I was pleasantly surprised. Completely baffled by the studio and Joss Whedon, but really happy for Zack Snyder. The guy was fighting for it and finally was able to accomplish and bring out his true original vision, and though Zack Snyder’s Justice League has its flaws, its so much better than what we got in 2017, and in fact is a soaring science fiction sci-fi epic that literally feels epic!! It takes time establishing the characters and every single plot point as well as building out this rich mythology of this world of the DC Extended Universe, and so as you move into the second half of the film, there’s a feeling of pay off. You actually care about the characters and understand the plot points and it doesn’t feel rushed. Its truly astounding that there are producers out there who thought it was a good idea to get rid of all of that and instead bring out whatever the heck Joss Whedon did with the 2017 version. Look, I quite enjoy Joss Whedon’s work, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to Cabin in the Woods and his work on Marvel, the guy obviously has a talent, but also he obviously does not belong to the dark and brooding style of DC. Zack Snyder on the other hand, though makes his mistakes, truly embraces the epic feel of the DC material. And it seems once you give Snyder enough time and space, he can actually bring out something like this:

The main characters are all given so much more to do, or at least those that got side-lined in the 2017 version are given more to do here. One of my complaints with the original was how pointless the League turns out to be. Basically in the theatrical version the main team all end up being useless and only once Superman shows up he saves everyone’s asses and literally does EVERYTHING. Might as well have called the film Man of Steel 2 (feat. Justice League). However in this new version, every main character serves a purpose. Well most of them do at least. Cyborg and Flash are much more compelling characters with more layers and backstory, and in fact are a prime reason to defeating the great evil in the end. You now understand why Cyborg actor Ray Fisher was pissed at Joss Whedon, as the guy literally got rid of his best stuff. Superman strikes a cool black suit and is still powerful, however as the finale shows, he isn’t all-powerful and does need the help of the rest of the team. Wonder Woman gets a lot more to do in this theatrical cut, and in fact this is probably Gal Gadot’s best performance as Wonder Woman and she really shows herself as a powerful female superhero! Aquaman’s role stays largely unchanged, however to be honest Jason Momoa’s character was one of the only ones who didn’t suffer in the theatrical cut. That’s unsurprising seeing as Jason Momoa is such a naturally cool dude! A big panda that is friendly in real life, but when necessary can turn into a roaring bear. To be honest, the only League member that ends up a bit pointless is actually Batman. He still serves a purpose in the film in that he’s the one who assembles the team, but otherwise the rest of the group is so overpowered compared to him that in the end you do kind of think that he doesn’t really belong there. Still, Ben Affleck is great in the role and it’s a shame we won’t see much of him past Flashpoint film that will be released in the next few years.

There are a lot of characters in this film and one can still say the movie is overstuffed, but also seeing as the movie was originally intended to spring board the DCEU properly, all these teases are actually welcome. There are an abundance of cameos, and to be honest so many characters are so well cast that you do end up wishing that Snyder was given the opportunity to make his entire Justice League planned trilogy, but nevertheless at least we have this. There are truly an abundance of cool appearances here, from the menacing villain Darkseid (played by Ray Porter) to Willem Dafoe doing what Dafoe does best, only in this case underwater and I’m certain that’s gonna span many comparison memes with The Lighthouse. Joe Morton as Cyborg’s dad is given a lot more to do here and in fact is pivotal towards building up Cyborg into the important character that he is. There’s also a cameo from Jared Leto’s Joker, who in some ways redeems himself after his appearance in Suicide Squad. Also, we need to talk about Steppenwolf, who’s the main baddie in this film. In the theatrical cut the guy was the most generic one-note villain who also looked like a PS2 character. It was honestly embarrassing the way he was animated. Luckily in this version he’s been put through enough Skyrim mods to looks much more intimidating and is also given a better motivation. As we find out, the reason he does what he does is because he wants to go home. He’s been banished and he simply wants to earn his place back home, so it’s actually kind of sweet. Steppenwolf is a sweetie. I mean, yeah, he wants to destroy half of the world to fulfil his dream, but hey, haven’t we all taken something extreme measures to get what we want?

The film is far from perfect though. At the end of the day, the movie is just about a guy hunting down a bunch of magical boxes. That was the premise of the theatrical cut and its the same here too. Yes, there is more substance and gravitas to the proceedings, but at the end of the day the story doesn’t really surprise much. And with the entire thing running at 4 hours, it is definitely too long and there is the element where there is simply too much in this thing. Also visually, though the movie has plenty of gorgeous shots and Zack Snyder’s signature slow motion sequences are on full display here, there are still many sequences where the CGI and green screen are super obvious and look really fake. That being said there’s still so much visual goodness in this, and also I have to mention Junkie XL’s new music score that does reiterate the epic feel of this movie, in comparison to Danny Elfman’s weak uninspiring notes in the theatrical cut.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a massive surprise and completely changes the perception of what we saw in the original 2017 theatrical cut. It’s a sprawling massive adventure that’s a dream come true for any comic book fan. It shows how vital film editing is, and how important it is to have a cohesive plan when making a movie. Gone too are the silly forced jokes, and though there is still some humour here, it feels more grounded and fit of the setting and scenario. This is Snyder’s vision through and through, and though at times it is clunky, it overall is incredible to behold, as it’s this one guy’s mind and his love for the DC lore. It’s a credible achievement, and I’m actually sentimentally happy for Snyder that he finally managed to complete this. He even during the credits dedicates this to his daughter Autumn that passed away, and I found that to be truly bittersweet. Justice has indeed been served.

Overall score: 7/10

[sokayisaidiot]

Okay, since I’m from Germany and came into the English mcyt community a lil while ago, I can’t stop thinking

About what? Well my dear friend, in YouTube Germany, we had this amazingly animated series called tube clash, which has ten episodes each three seasons and is from the animator darkviktory and his crew. It’s about:

ten youtubers on a island, split into two teams so it’s 5 vs 5. There are MANY cameo experiences and so many inside jokes. The goal? Those ten in each team have to first fight against the other team and then against each other, in the end, there is one winner who gets a special price. And the coolest thing is, we as the community always had a right to say who won and what happened

And now imagine that would happen in the English YouTube community. Like ten youtubers (and a bit twitch now too) fight against each other and then cameo appearances, with the community saying what happens

Like, you can hire me if that would happen again, 100 %

But with all that said, the old team of tubeclas had done amazing work and I seriously can’t say enough how much I loved this, also I still love the music

[mysterious-prophetess]

Review: Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarves

It’s finally out in my region so I was finally able to get my hands on it to watch without risking my computer.

Not that I would resort to such....less-than-legal means... <.<

Anyway, I’m glad I did buy it officially. It was every bit as cute as I thought it would be after I saw the new round of trailers and comments by others on tumblr. 

I’ll give my spoiler free thoughts now and go into more details under a read more.

So first, I have to compliment the animation. It is so beautiful. The characters all looked great and none of them looked uncanny at all. My favorite character design of the humans was Snow sans shoes, but Merlin in his normal form is a close second. It’s their eyes. 

My favorite non-human character design was the magic mirror. 

The magic effects were also nicely done.

The plot’s pacing was decent. There were times where it almost felt like they had built in commercial breaks for an eventual network airing from how some parts would cut to black and start a new scene. It wasn’t often and it didn’t really detract from the film. 

The characters were all consistent and Snow White/Red Shoes was down right relatable for me. Merlin and the other six Princes were fun and played off one another, though the trio of Pino Noki Kio almost felt like they didn’t need to be three characters since they never acted independent of one another. Whereas Jack, Hans, Arthur, and Merlin all had their own distinct personalities.

Even the Evil Queen had some good moments. 

Prince Average felt like an after thought.

The moral of the story, while done before and nearly to death, was given a fresh spin in this film. 

Over all this film is charming and the marketing team that screwed them over with the fat-shaming like ad campaign should never be hired by these guys ever again. There is no fat shaming in this film directed at Snow White/Red Shoes. 

The lesson is instead a good one. 

I heartily recommend people watch this movie. There are some semi-Shrek like elements on occasion (like out of place pop culture references) but overall the film has its own identity. 

Another nitpick aside from the weird commercial breaks that kept seeming to happen and that’s the over use of the movie’s main pop song. I liked it the first time but after a few other reuses it started to get a little stale. 

Otherwise I loved the music of the film. 

Snow White’s journey was one that I loved. She had one mission and one mission only: find her father. In fact her desire to be herself contradicted the shoes magic. She was perfectly happy as her normal self and not the magic enhanced version the shoes transformed her into. That’s a powerful message to send to girls who aren’t skinny or traditionally pretty. Though, Snow White is down right adorable as her true self.

I also liked that the perfectly pretty form wasn’t something Snow White necessarily liked but was willing to use to her advantage to help find her father. I also liked that it had drawbacks as Snow White in her normal state was actually a physically strong woman but as a dainty pretty girl all that strength she had and liked having was gone. Furthermore, the movie showed that Snow White was decently athletic as her real self, which was a refreshing take for a heavier character. Large doesn’t equal flabby, weak, or out-of-shape. 

Snow White’s struggles with taking off the magical shoes were reflective of the times where she got insecure about herself. Despite loving who she was, she did sometimes accept the pretty dainty form because of how much nicer people were. 

The Magic Mirror was surprised she could even take them off because it meant there was something she wanted more than being pretty. The first time, at Risky Rock in the Fearsome Seven’s house, it was her desire to be herself. In the alleyway, it was a desire to escape the goons. In the river it was her desire to save Merlin. Yet, whenever she wanted to take them off other times, things had happened to make her hesitate on giving up the conventionally pretty form that had made it so others would help her.

As someone who is not conventionally pretty and definitely not skinny, I really empathized with Snow White about this. 

On no occasion was Snow’s true self ever treated like a joke. There was the scene after she’d taken the shoes off where guards were harassing her where it almost looked like Merlin and Arthur would ignore her peril because she wasn’t her Red Shoes form, but Merlin came back and helped her.  He was even kind of nice to her. 

Never even when Merlin finds out about the shoes versus her real form does he call her ugly or make comments about her weight despite being still kind of fighting his own ego while learning the lesson at this point. 

Speaking of Merlin (and the others of the F7). 

Merlin being the main male protagonist does get the most screen time. Arthur get the second most. Then Hans and Jack, and then the Pinocchio Trio. 

At first their dynamics were all clashing and Arthur seemed like a bully and Merlin seemed like a very shallow impulsive jerk. Let’s be clear, all the guys are shallow. Even the trio who are more obsessed with their inventions half the movie. It’s what got them cursed by the fairy princess in the first place. Considering it was a fairy they pissed off, being turned into green dwarves when anyone (who isn’t a magical creature) looks at them was actually getting off mild. 

I was surprised that each Prince actually has to break their curses one at-a-time. It’s not a “break the curse for one and you save all” which was a new take on a collectively applied curse. Which was why they were every-dwarf-for-them-selves when it came to trying to woo “Red Shoes” and get a kiss from her. 

Merlin’s character journey was one that is usually reserved for the curse breaker in fairy tale movies where a curse indeed is in play. In that he was the one who had to learn to look past appearances. I love that Snow White calls him out on that at one point in the movie too. 

Merlin learning to let go of his obsession with looks (his own included) was what allowed him to see Snow White as the most beautiful woman in the world (in his eyes) which was what let her second kiss at the end break his curse. Because he saw her inner beauty which mattered more than any physical appearance she had.

The characters grew and them ending up together at the end felt natural and not forced because the time they spent together always felt like they had chemistry which is hard to pull off.

Moving on to other things: Regina, Magic Mirror, and Average. 

Honestly? Average felt like a real waste of time. It was through his lines we got the most Shrek-like throw-away references, it was he who had the least impact on the plot, and he who could have been written out of the flick almost all together. Yeah, Merlin recognizing his tree-i-fied form did hint at what Regina had done to others (and it was after he and his two not-the-Stabbington-brothers-goons became evil ents that I figured out King White was that wood bunny because it was large and cute and that was the White Family’s designs overall). 

Average was a throw away character. In many ways he wasn’t even mediocre let alone average. 

The worst thing about him is he can be easily written out of the movie. 

As the stepmother of Snow White, Regina is queen of the kingdom and all the scenes where soldiers go after Snow White and the F7 could have been her sending people to do her dirty work to spare her magic usage. 

Average’s two goombas? Hired thugs who’d never seen Snow White before. Take him out, shuffle a few things around, make a captain character be his replacement in the attack on Risky Rock scene, and nothing of value would be lost in his removal. Average is the film’s only major mistake. He was a dead end that could have been easily written around and the screen time would have been better spent on Snow White and the F7 or maybe fleshing out Regina a little more.

Magic Mirror and Regina both played well off one another. Patrick Warburton as any character will always be an excellent casting choice. 

Regina’s schemes made sense from a shallow perspective. 

I saw someone compare her to Mother Goethel from Tangeled  in a youtube comment on one of the trailers and kinda? 

They had the same sort of vanity-wanting to keep their youth and maintain their beauty-and their penchant for cloaks was the same but, Regina to me....was more like Mother Goethel and Triss Marigold from Witcher 3′s fusion. Her younger form reminded me WAY more of Triss than Goethel as did her gown. Plus, it’s canonic in the Witcher-verse that sorceresses use magic to keep young. Also, she’s not the first evil queen of a Snow White retelling to even be obsessed with youth to the point she goes to extreme lengths to maintain it. See Snow White and the Huntsman’s queen. 

Regina stands out as her own character despite sharing a name and role with Regina of Once Upon a Time. She’s ruthless, and able to manipulate others with either her words or illusionary magic (though it costs her like the witches from Stardust). She’s also absolutely cold. She just kind of falls flat compared to the Magic Mirror.

No offense to the voice actress or the writers, but up against Patrick Warburton’s Magic Mirror/tree character, Regina is a little less memorable to me. He has more sass and more pure threat to him than Regina does. Sure, she has magic that can turn people into strange tree monsters, but it’s the mirror that gives the F7 the most trouble throughout the movie, and they fought off something that looked to be a whole platoon of guards/soldiers armed with heavy artillery (canons). Granted, it was a close call that relied on their wits and other skills, but they still had less trouble with that fight than they did against Magic Mirror. 

Some More Things:

The humor was nearly overplayed but they managed to tow the line between going too far and just right.  Mostly this was seen with the F7 and their attempts to get Snow White to kiss them and break their spells, especially Arthur. 

They did give him more of a character beyond loud bully, which was that he had a sensitive side and a lot of pride (which was easily bruised). In fact, only he and Merlin felt like they had characterizations compared to the other five. Hans was obsessed with cooking and Jack with jewels and the trio with tech but that’s all they got beyond having their friends’ backs whenever it really mattered and being awesome badasses. Since these other five were mostly side characters, this is more of a nitpick than an actual problem since the film was setting up Arthur vs Merlin for Snow White’s affections. 

The fact that Snow White brushes all the attempts of flirting off so easily was very amusing to me and a nice way of showing how she was focused on finding her missing father throughout the whole film (despite the fact that she had already found him). Hilariously, in hindsight, she really had seen him in the woods. If she’d been herself, who knows if he’d have even attacked her.

Finally, I’ll end on what had seemed like an inconsistency but now I realize is a loophole because the fae have those in everything. The guys have to be alone or have the person they’re with close their eyes to be their true selves, except Merlin is still his true form even though he’s not alone with the Magic Mirror or the wood rabbit/King, or the three wood bears/children. 

Turns out, once I thought about it, the fairy’s curse was if “people looked at them” which meant, the ones doing the looking had to be people and the wood creatures-despite formerly being people-were considered to be people no longer. The Mirror was probably never a person, which mean he’d never counted as a part of “people��� so he could look all he wanted (which was his thing as a mirror). It’s an interesting loophole. 

Long story short, I really enjoyed this film. It was very cute and it was done so dirty by its marketing three years ago. 

Good film. Good messages. Go watch it! It’s not like we’ve anything ELSE to do at the moment (and it’s not like there are any other worthwhile films coming out right now). Support this film, and this studio.

[cyb-by-lang]

@cadriona Oh my god this au would be fking amazing like can you just imagine the background, the culture, the interactions and culture clash and adjeksn!!! also, would Isobu exist in any form? Such as a less malicious version of xuanwu? Especially since creatures such as twin tailed cats and nine tailed foxes also are there in xianxia, along with an assortment of other creatures

Sorry I'm screaming a bit just started watch the untamed after reading the novel and the things that could happen are !!!! Also, which culture clan do u think Kei would fit best in if her parents aren't rogue cultivators? Amazing drawing and love the design!

in reference to this post

Here, take a pile of notes.

I’m basically thinking that, much like how The Untamed and its source material are split between two different time periods, there’d be two sets of protags-from-my-end involved: Kei, and the generation before hers.

This is only for Kei’s parents’ generation:

THE CREW: 

Gekkō Wataru left the Gekkō family as a kid, establishing himself as an independent merchant over the course of his teens and early twenties. 

Wataru learns the basics of making paper talismans from an associate he meets while building credit in Nagasaki. He mostly finds them useful for practicing his calligraphy, until his first attempt goes off like a firecracker. Then there’s no going back.

He picks up conversational Cantonese and Mandarin from traders and merchants—enough to confuse the hell out of himself and functionally communicate during business deals. He does not have time to pursue academic Mandarin or the more obscure hanzi characters (aside from the ones that made it to kanji) until his twenties, when he is rich enough to hire tutors.

Wataru uses Kansai’s regional accent, which both of his companions lack.

By the standards of onmyōji and Chinese cultivators, Wataru is a barely-functional latecomer to the use of qi. He makes up for it with mundane business sense, a joking personality, and a keen ear for rumors.

Uesugi Tomoe still leaves her nephew and once-almost-husband with her sister’s family while she goes to sort out the rival clan problem on her own. 

The campaign of terror once again lasts six months in Japan, because she is nothing if not terribly efficient. With a handful of targets left who flee to China, she returns to her sister’s family for a last visit before she flees the country. She ends up taking Shinta with her, and the pair travel across the countryside to Nagasaki.

Miyako is all jagged edges. She has the time to sand some of them down before meeting Wataru, but is still definitely the most violent of this trio even after tempering. As a result of her education, she knows the most kanji and history, but her lack of sociability means she learns the Chinese dialects her boys do much more slowly.

Miyako has a Tohoku accent, which her companions lack.

A world-class warrior in single and one-versus-many combat, but has very little aptitude or knowledge of fighting supernatural opponents. Her sword is probably cursed. Her sword, Yukishiro, serves as the foundation of her name change to Yukishiro Miyako, and acquires sixty-seven additional kills. For the sake of not being arrested, she’s rarely seen carrying it in public. 

Uzumaki Shinta survives the night the Uesugi clan holdings burn, because of some lucky missed shots. 

While left behind with Yūki, he was unable to settle into any role in the Kato household. He gets along fine, but cannot escape the fact that his (adopted) family killed the bulk of the Uesugi branch he actually met. When Miyako arrives to say goodbye to her remaining family before she leaves for China, he leaves with her.

Shinta develops control over his qi/ki over time, as he comes into his own. Turns out that being more social than Miyako also means he picks up languages faster, Chinese included, and builds confidence.

He’s the only one who speaks Edo-accented Japanese without having to think it over, and can generally mimic the accents of the other two people in his inner circle.

On the whole, Shinta is the one most likely to get the group involved in side-quests out of the goodness of his heart. He is, after all, the one who went against the will of his family for the sake of what was right, even when the choice he made nearly killed him on the spot.

I still haven’t come up with like, culturally-relevant courtesy names for any of them, because you know theirs are tongue-twisters for locals. I still need to do a lot of research in order to figure any of that out, and more thinking/watching to come up with how they’d be involved in the cultivation world’s rat’s nest of politics. As foreigners (from Dongying/Nippon of all places), they’re more likely to be swept along by the tide than directly involved, but...

Well, shit happens.

I also have a few thoughts on what techniques would be available to these three, and what they wouldn’t be able to do by xianxia novel standards. Like fly on swords. Like, that’s just something that doesn’t seem to happen outside of that genre.

It strikes me just now that these three have a dynamic like Team Eight, but with the personalities shuffled around.

For Kei’s particular setup, well, even drawing her in hanfu was a whim, but I’m willing to listen to others’ thoughts on it. I had vague thoughts about a sect like the Jiang actually making the flight technique available for gen 2 adventures, but noble cultivator sects tend to be extremely selective about disciples and I’d have to read up more about their recruiting standards. They’re basically Chinese noble families with sword wizard powers.

The Jins don’t have standards, they have money.

[dukeofonions]

How do you feel about the upload schedule for sanders sides? It’s been 10 months since the last proper episode. Also, I read a post on another blog about how they feel him hiring his friends leads to a slower production process due to messing around. Thoughts on that? Also also, do you think that since YT is his job, he should upload more? these are things I am thinking of tonight.

Not to worry anon, these are things I think about a lot because I have nothing better to do with my life. 

Seeing as I joined the fandom shortly after Can Lying Be Good? came out, the longest my first wait for a new episode wasn’t that long actually. The video came out in February but I didn’t see it until early March. The next episode Logic vs Passion, came out in April. So it didn’t bother me much. And right after that we got Crofters: The Musical so I was on the hype train and fully invested. 

Then we didn’t get another episode until October which left me a bit antsy, but I was still excited anyway and didn’t mind the wait. Embarrassing Phases then came out that December. So we got two videos within a fairly short time span. 

SVS Part 1 came out that next year in March, again, bit of a wait, but it’s becoming standard now that we get a couple of new episodes every few months. No biggie. We get Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts in June, Asides in November... This newest one just came out now in May... 

Yeah, if we hadn’t been given that Asides, we would have had almost a year-long wait for this next episode. And we did have a year-long wait for the follow up to a video that honestly, kinda made me think “Why do we still care about this? I’m not really invested in the “Wedding or callback” dilemma anymore” which, when you’re trying to tell a story using this medium, the last thing you want is your audience to lose interest in something that’s meant to be this big of an event within the series. 

And what do all these videos have in common? Each one uses some kind of gimmick. CLBG and SVS had them filming in different locations, Logic vs Passion, LNTAO, and POF involved them using different mediums to tell the story (animations and puppets) Crofters and DWIT both had music in them, and Embarrassing Phases had the costumes. 

Before that, the videos were all fairly simple. Maybe a few gimmicks here and there, but none of them went to the same level as these other ones. 

Basically, what’s happening here is that with each new episode, the team is trying to bring something new to the table each time, and their solution is to use a different gimmick. Which, in theory, is fine. But I honestly believe these are doing more harm than good. For one thing, not everyone is a fan of these gimmicks and while sometimes they can be used to benefit the story, other times they just take over and the writing suffers for it. 

The main reason (as far as we know) that this newest episode in particular took so long was because of the video game animations they wanted to use, but after watching the video besides a few instances, they really weren’t necessary to have. 

And I plan to make a whole other post on this topic so I’ll leave it there for now. In regards to Thomas hiring more of his friends to work on episodes? Again, it’s good in theory, but I for one have noticed a certain change in the episodes since they brought on more writers, which officially started with Embarrassing Phases where Thomas said in the live stream following it that it was the first episode he really didn’t work on and it shows (but more on that in another post) I do think the other writers are talented people, but maybe all of them shouldn’t be working on Sanders Sides. 

Each one is gonna have their own preferences for each character and ideas that may clash, and if these were simply coworkers, it wouldn’t be as much of a problem shutting down ideas that go too far. But when they’re literally all your friends, you have that connection to them and you don’t want them hurt, which can make saying “No” to certain things much harder. I’m not sure exactly how the writing team gets along so I can only speculate based on what I’ve learned from live streams. 

As for their inclusion making the production for videos longer, I can also understand that seeing as you’re more inclined to goof off with people you’re close and comfortable with, especially when you’re not in a professional setting. Which, in Thomas’ case, he’s usually at home with his friends around. This automatically makes things more casual and one would feel more relaxed and not worry too much about being serious. Which, when you’re trying to get things done, can be a problem.

I’m gonna briefly use my own workplace as an example: I work in fast food, and all of my coworkers get along really well. We like to joke around and have fun, especially when we’re slow. But as soon as things start picking up it’s like a switch is flipped and we go from “Fun mode” to “work mode” just like that. Sure, we might continue to quip and joke with each other. But we never let it take precedence over the work that needs to be done. Some of our coworkers, don’t understand this. And when the rest of us are trying to work, they’re still goofing off. And in fast food, if just one person isn’t doing their job, it can bring everything crashing down. We have customers waiting in line for almost ten minutes, they get angry, they get mad at us, even if it’s just because of one person not doing their job. But we don’t have time to argue. We accept their complaints and do our best to fix the issue and get things moving again. 

Obviously, what Thomas does is very different from working in fast food, but Youtube is still his job. Logan puts it best in LNTAO, “Thomas made a commitment to regularly sharing content. He must be held accountable.” 

Now in fast food, we are most definitely held accountable by the customers if their food isn’t delivered in a timely manner or isn’t made to their liking, and we as the providers of said product, have to heed their words and make the product to their liking in order to ensure their satisfied. If they’re not satisfied, they won’t want to pay. Simple as that. 

Thomas, on the other hand, is never held accountable by his fanbase. Now I’m not saying it’s a bad thing for him to have such a supportive fandom, heck I wish the customers I had to deal with on a regular basis were as understanding. But honestly, the way the majority of this fandom blindly follows Thomas and holds him on this golden pedestal is... 

Kinda creepy... 

He is surrounded by constant praise, hardly any criticism, and I believe that’s why we hardly get content from him. 

Quick note, I understand that part of why this video in particular was delayed due to the pandemic and I respect their decision to not put themselves or anyone else at unnecessary risk for the sake of a Youtube video.  However, plenty of Youtubers are still making and posting regular content on their channels despite this. To me, the main issue with Thomas’ content as of late is that he tries to put too much into what should be simple things. I understand wanting to give your audience the very best, but honestly, in my opinion, his newer content isn’t as good as the older stuff. It all had just such a simple, wholesome charm to it, that’s now been replaced with a fancier production and flashy editing. Not only that, they tend to start way too many projects at once, which result in never getting done.

You guys remember when they said they’d be bringing back Story Time Madlibs? That was last year, and the most recent thing we’ve heard about it is that they want to add more to it by including animations made by different people! Which will only increase the amount of time it will take to make what should have been a simple video that shouldn’t have taken more than a couple of weeks to film, edit, then post. 

I’m not saying they shouldn’t try new things, but they’ve been trying to do so much that we end up getting nothing, and the fandom just seems okay with this. 

At the end of the day though, this is just one opinion from a random faceless, nameless person sitting behind a computer screen. I doubt anyone on Thomas’ team will see it. I doubt a majority of the fandom would agree with any of it. But with more people starting to voice their opinions, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes too much of a thing to ignore. And if it becomes apparent that there’s a group in the fandom that is being ignored, that’s definitely going to cause problems.

Because in short if someone is out there, producing content for people, and they have complaints about it, then if those complaints are legitimate and can be fixed, then I believe it is the responsibility of that person to consider what they are saying and do their best to heed their words. If no one is ever criticized, then how will they ever improve? Criticism is not a bad thing. And once people get that out of their heads I think things will go much smoother for this fandom. But honestly, that’s just wishful thinking at this point. Sorry this answer got so long, I really should have just made a whole other post about this. XD

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 4, Section 2

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

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———————————

I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

———————————

Chapter 4: The Pursued Cleric (con’t)

Serafew was a bustling town on the border between Renais and Grado.

The two nations had been allies since long ago, and Serafew had always been a symbol of that friendship. The citizens of both countries lived there with no division between them, and they were able to enjoy many benefits with each other, like trading goods freely.

Yet now, those stories were all in the past. Serafew was now under the Grado Army's control.

Eirika and the others followed a road that was just outside of town, and planned their next strategy.

When they received the report from their reconnaissance team, Seth explained to Eirika, "If we're lucky, their guard will not be very tight. A Grado general stopped here all by themself, but has already left and started moving towards a fort to the northwest."

"A general…?"

Eirika remembered her meeting with Selena in the small mountain village, and it raised her hopes. If Selena was close by, then she wanted to try meeting her again.

"Yes, a man named Glen. He rides a dragon, and rumor has it that he is very strong."

"Glen… Really? He's here?"

Eirika remembered that name. It was only once, but they had met before.

When the continent was still at peace, she'd visited the capital city of Grado together with Ephraim. General Glen was a soldier that Prince Leon trusted very much. He was still young, yet already very dignified, and Eirika was impressed but not surprised that he'd become a general of the empire's large army at such a young age.

"General Glen has already left, and the security within the town is light. When the royal palace of Renais fell, they likely considered guarding this area to be of low importance. We'll be able to put up a good fight at our current strength."

Eirika looked again at the wall around Serafew in front of them.

"It looks like it would be unlikely for us to be spotted from the west gate. Let's enter from there."

They followed Seth's plan and went around to the west side.

As they'd predicted, the security there was indeed light. They hid their weapons and dressed as merchants. Just by doing that alone, the guards said "You may pass," and waved them through as if it was an inconvenience to do so.

"That was so easy that I'm disappointed!" Franz whispered.

At that same time, a man who'd appeared from around a corner approached them.

Eirika and the others were nervous, but the man said in a weary tone, "Excuse me, there's something I'd like to ask you."

He had the face of an intellectual, and was very tall. 

"What is it?" Eirika responded.

"I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a young girl with indigo blue hair?"

"Unfortunately, no…"

The man looked discouraged. He bowed his head to say "Sorry for bothering you," then left.

'The little girl must have gotten lost. Was he her father? Ever since public order started to worsen here, missing children have probably been a concern.' He must have been worried sick. Eirika felt pity for him.

'Should I break some of the soldiers off from the group to help him look for her?' She began to consider, but suddenly, she heard a loud noise come from in front of them.

"After her! Don't let her get away!" Yelled a gruff voice that came along with footsteps that were getting louder and louder.

‘What was that?’ Eirika wondered, frozen in place, when she heard someone make a threat.

"Turn yourself in, traitor!"

Then, she heard a higher-pitched, feminine-sounding voice. She couldn't make out exactly what the woman said, but  understood that she was begging desperately for something. 

A rough man's voice echoed through the air again, cutting the woman off.

"Silence! If you are going to beg for forgiveness, then do it before His Majesty! I was told that if you resist, then I may execute you on the spot!"

It looked like a fight was about to break out. Even without Eirika's orders, everyone immediately unsheathed their hidden weapons.

Eirika rushed ahead with the front line. The place where all the noise was coming from was a plaza atop a staircase.

A woman with a hood covering her hair had fallen over. Judging by her clothing, she was likely a cleric serving the gods. Surrounding her were Grado soldiers.

Though she didn't know any details about what was happening, she could never allow a large group of men to surround a lone woman and try to hurt her. She probably hadn't intended to cause a commotion, but in a circumstance like this one, there was no avoiding it.

When Eirika tried to rush over to her, the cleric stood up in one quick movement.

She took advantage of the men having let their guards down, and ran over to Eirika's army.

 "Are you alright?" Eirika shielded the cleric and asked.

Her feet gave out in front of Eirika, and she collapsed. "Wh… Who are you…?"

"I am a citizen of Renais. What's going on? Why are you being chased by the Grado Army?"

"You're from Renais…? Ah…!" The girl quickly put her hands together in front of her chest, showing her thankfulness to the gods. "There's something I want to tell you! Grado is…!"

However, they couldn't listen to the details at the moment. The Grado Army was coming. Eirika's army all readied themselves for battle.

The cleric quickly whispered to Eirika, "My name is Natasha. I cannot fight, but I am knowledgeable in healing magic."

"Then will you please take care of the wounded from the rear line?"

"Yes. But, before that… I want to try talking to the Grado soldiers."

"Huh…?" Eirika whirled around in surprise. 

Natasha looked serious, and was watching the soldiers closing in on them.

"But they're…"

"Trying to capture me. I know. However, there is something I must tell them no matter what. If things continue on as they are now, then something terrible will happen…"

Each and every word she spoke was uttered with strong determination.

Whatever she wanted to say, it sounded serious. All Eirika’s army could do was protect her as she searched for someone who looked like they would listen to her.

It was an extremely difficult task, but Eirika had made up her mind to see it through. “Then we will be your guard. Please do not leave our sides.”

“Thank you!!”

The battle began. The Grado soldiers immediately started calling out for help, and soldiers rushed in from all four directions to provide backup.

This battle set within narrow city streets was completely different from any they’d fought before. Not only was it very difficult to use long weapons, but the horses’ and pegasi's movements were also limited.

And to make matters worse, although the area was in ruins, it was still where many local citizens made their living. They wanted to keep the damage done to the buildings at a minimum, and had to be careful at all times not to get the common people who had yet to run away involved.

While fighting this grueling battle in conditions that they were not used to, Eirika’s army slew the enemies coming at them.

Both sides fought with the intent to kill each other. It seemed nearly impossible that Natasha would find anyone that she could talk to.

Among the enemy army was one especially strong man. And not only was he strong, but he also had long, fiery red hair, and wore stylish clothing that looked nothing like what the other soldiers had on, making him stand out all the more. This made it clear that he was not a formal soldier, but a mercenary working for money.

His swordplay was, for lack of a better word, whimsical. But though he would crack an occasional joke and move as if he was playing, he always hit his target. His ability to perfectly hit his target's weak points was unparalleled. The other Grado soldiers weren’t very tough, but that one mercenary toyed with Eirika's army and made the battle difficult for them.

The mercenary lightly dodged the opponent attacking him, then landed in front of Eirika as if he was floating. 

Eirika tightened her grip around her sword and shielded Natasha standing behind her.

“Do my eyes deceive me? What a beautiful swordfighter I see over there!” The mercenary said teasingly, then turned towards Eirika and swung his sword playfully.

“I’m so jealous. The Grado Army is full of filthy men. There’s not a person with taste to be found... Whoops!” He repealed Eirika’s sword with a laugh, as if he was playing a game. “You’re pretty good, aren’t you! But you still have a long way to go. Your left side is wide open.”

After they clashed swords a few more times, Eirika realized the difference in their power.

‘He’s too strong. I’m no match for him. I can’t win. He will kill me.’ She shrank back in fear.

Natasha jumped out from behind Eirika in desperation.

“Natasha…!” Eirika shrieked. 

There was no way she planned to talk to this mercenary, was there? It was no use. Eirika couldn’t imagine there was a way such a person, who treated everything as if it were a game, would lend an ear to the cleric’s serious story.

The mercenary also appeared to be completely dumbfounded. He drew his sword back and muttered “Whoa, that's dangerous!”

“Do you remember me? We crossed paths while I was running earlier…”

He looked at Natasha and furrowed his brow, then nodded. “Yeah, you’re that cleric! Wait, are you the traitor!?”

“Were you hired to keep me quiet?"

"I mean… I was told that if I got rid of you, I'd receive a huge reward. That's just how the mercenary trade works, so no hard feelings."

"I do not care about what happens to me. But I want to tell you this. The current situation within the Grado Empire is not normal. If the other countries are not warned about this danger, then all light across the continent will vanish."

He looked down at Natasha apathetically. He seemed to have lost all killing intent, as his word was now drooping at his side.

However, that did not calm Eirika.

This opponent was a mercenary, meaning he was a member of a parasitic group in society who would take on any job for money, no matter how much it dirtied their hands. It was too optimistic to commit to persuading him.

"...You know, I don't care at all about Grado or the continent. No matter what you have to say, it's all the same to me."

Natasha's expression changed to one of complete determination. 

The man smirked, then continued speaking. "Although I'd hate to see a beauty like you be done in by these Grado barbarians. Say, do you like to gamble?"

"Huh?" Natasha stared at him in confusion.

The man reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small object.

"There's nothing I love more in life. ...Though I haven't a shred of luck. I always lose." The man flicked the object he'd taken out into the air with a clink.

It flipped over and over as it flew in the air, then landed back in his hand, revealing that it was a gold coin. "Let's bet on it! If you win, I will believe you."

"What…? You want me to gamble…?"

"All you need to do is choose heads or tails. So, which one am I holding?"

"...Heads… No, tails…" Natasha said weakly. 

The mercenary's eyes lit up. 

"Alright then, if it's tails, you win. If it's heads, then I win. The anticipation in this moment is incredible, and I can't stop chasing it. Know what I mean?"

Neither Natasha nor Eirika felt any anticipation whatsoever, rather, they felt as if their hearts would jump out of their chests. 

Natasha put her hands together and whispered, "Please, gods, please…"

The mercenary slowly opened up his hand. Natasha swallowed and asked, "Which is it?" 

The mercenary sounded full of himself as he answered, "The result is… tails. Like I said, I'm not lucky at all! Or wait, maybe I am? I do get to become allies with a beautiful woman like you."

"Really? You'll really join us!?"

"Yeah. If you go against a loss, then you'll upset lady luck, and you'll never win again."

Eirika couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Did a person who would leave something so important to a coin flip really exist? It was taboo for a mercenary to betray their contract. If he was captured by Grado, then he may even be executed.

But the man was entirely serious.

"The name's Joshua. Nice to meet ya. Shall we start by cleaning up around here?"

He once again took a fighting stance, returned to his usual whimsical self, then threw himself right into the thick of the battlefield. The only difference was that this time, his opponent was the Grado Army.

"Damn you, mercenary! Are you betraying us!?" Those on Grado's side noticed tha Joshua was coming towards them, and started shaking.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He said with a laugh before unleashing an attack that was frightening in both accuracy and speed.

The tide of battle reversed completely. Eirika's struggling army took back their momentum. The Grado Army, enraged that they were losing, stampeded towards Eirika's army as if they wished to bring about their own ends.

After the battle among the city streets was over, Eirika and Seth moved over towards the rear support group to check up on Natasha, as once she'd finished talking to Joshua, she'd retreated to the rear line to heal the injured.

Moulder stood up from among the wounded and approached Eirika.

When Eirika called out to him and said, "Thank you for your hard work," he laughed.

"This battle was a really tough one. Our army has a lot of injured as well."

"Oh, really…?

"But please feel at ease. They are healing very well. I might not be able to handle this much work all by myself, but the beautiful cleric is working with me."

When Eirika followed Moulder's line of sight, it led her to Natasha, waving her staff as she talked to the injured. They looked not in pain, but happy as they circled around her.

"As you can see, she's very popular. Some of the injured even ran away when I tried to heal them. They said they didn't want me, and asked her to examine them. I couldn't agree to such selfish requests, and when I forcefully healed them, they complained that they missed their chance. My my, how deplorable…"

Eirika couldn't help but laugh at Moulder's disappointment. She was worried that the rough soldiers might scare Natasha, but if that was what was actually happening, then she would be okay.

Natasha finally saw Eirika and the others and walked up to them. The worried expression she'd had on her face during battle was gone, and she was now smiling calmly. "Thank you. How can I ever express my thanks to you?"

"Are you from the Grado Empire?" Seth asked.

Natasha nodded. "I was a helper at a church within the empire."

"Then why are you being chased by Grado soldiers? Can you tell us what's going on?"

Natasha's smile vanished. It seemed that she was holding in something very serious.

She looked away from them and began to speak. "...It happened a few days ago. The bishop who served as my teacher was suddenly captured and executed. He was accused of the crime of treason… but he was framed. The emperor killed him. To silence him."

The harsh words that Natasha had managed to say shocked Eirika. 

Seth also looked surprised, and responded, "To silence him?"

"Yes. Right before he died, he said this to me: 'The emperor is trying to destroy the Sacred Stones.'"

Eirika couldn't believe her ears.

Until she'd heard this, she'd thought that perhaps Natasha had happened to learn something by chance, and that's why she was being pursued. But this secret she'd told them was no such simple matter.

The Sacred Stones were known to all as the stones in which the Demon King was sealed, saving the world from his reign of terror long ago.

There were five in total, and to this very day, one was located in each of the five major nations of the continent, and were considered the most valuable treasures in all the land.

Renais of course was among the nations that housed one of the Sacred Stones. The shrine in which it was placed was guarded as the central location of their religion. The four remaining stones should each be in Grado, Frelia, Jehanna, and Rausten.

Word had it that the Grado Empire was already trying to completely destroy their stone, so the chance that they'd already destroyed it was high. And during the invasion of Renais they had likely destroyed Renais' stone as well...

"Why would the emperor do such a thing?"

Natasha shook her head sadly at Seth's question.

"I do not know. His Majesty has always been.  known for his warmth and wisdom. He is loved by both those who serve him and the people. However, ever since that day, he's been so cold that it's like he's another person… and then he devised a terrifying plan to destroy the Sacred Stones. That is what the bishop told me. He also told me that we must tell the other nations that house the Sacred Stones, for if we do not put all our strength into protecting the stones, then something terrible will happen… I tried to flee the country secretly, but the soldiers found me and started chasing me."

"So that's what's been happening…" Eirika looked at Seth.

He was staring down at Natasha, as if he was trying to see through her, with a stern look on his face. 

"What do you think, Seth?"

"We cannot accept the word of someone from Grado without question. However, if what she says is true, then we cannot ignore it."

"Yes… it is a very serious matter. We must do whatever we can to stop it…" Eirika remembered her bad feeling.

The enemies waiting for them upon their path were not just Grado soldiers. The terrifying shadow of something much bigger was looming over them. Though they did not currently know what it was, right now, all they could do was continue forward.

[writings-in-ebony]

Extended Vacation

Summary: Steve decides to go on a cross-country trip to visit various VA hospitals. But his plans get altered when Tony decides he needs a personal assistant to help him on his journey: you. Steve reluctantly agrees and you both embark on your journey. But as you both travel, you decide to show Steve the beauties of the modern world and teach him that it is okay to let loose sometimes. However, what will happen when you guide Steve into more intimate territory and the lines of professionalism start to blur?

Author’s note: Hello everyone! A prompt was created by @sugarthicc​ and she gave me permission to write this. I hope it reads well! Thanks again!

Prompt: Have reader have a personality like Meg the Stallion. 

Additions include Steve is a hero and Reader is a personal assistant. And eventually Steve must get pegged (with help from @plussizeappreciationfics​ and @ctrlszn​) LOL

Word Count: 2442

Warnings: Bad language 

Chapter 1

Ever since the new Avengers training facility was announced, new and potential heroes have flocked to train and hone their skills and abilities. However, as the facility was filled with heroes, there was also a call for more staff and administration positions. To accommodate the need of positions, Tony ended up hiring a hundred more non-powered individuals to handle the backbone of the company.  So, it didn’t come to a shock when Steve was walking to the mess hall and came in contact with a large group of about twenty individuals who were being given a tour of the facility.

Pepper, who was giving the tour, spotted Steve and gave him a professional smile which he quickly returned. But even though he wanted to ease around the group and not disturb their tour, he was halted as one of the students caught sight of him and gasped, “Captain! It’s Captain America!” The rest of the students turned and cried out in varying degrees of excitement. Some even whipped out their phones and aimed it at him, already taking pictures before the man could sneak in a word. Pepper tried to calm them down, but he knew it was pointless. Most of them have seen their hero and it would take only Steve giving them what they want, for them to back down.

“Hello everyone,” he began, waving awkwardly. “I know this is a surprise, but I just want to congratulate you all on getting this position.” Their smiles brightened as if a compliment from Captain America was worth its weight in gold.

“However, I just want you to know that this position comes with a large amount of privacy and class. Most of the heroes here are not used to the limelight yet and will not appreciate being treated like an exhibit. So please, ask before you go taking photos of everyone otherwise, you’ll be receiving a not too nice call from our vast legal team.”

Steve hated to be such a “dad”, as Clint and Tony loved to call him, but he honestly was trying to protect the mental health of Bucky and Wanda, who were so sensitive about being in the public eye. Both were made out to be willing killers and were unfairly castrated by the press and the public. They did not need some new employees all in their business, following them like they were on a reality show.

Even though some of the new people nodded and agreed by putting up their phones, a scoff was heard towards the back of the group. Everyone’s eyes turned towards the source and they saw it was a dark-haired man donning a white shirt and a crooked black tie. He was rolling his green eyes and crossed his lean arms over his chest. “Didn’t expect to get a lecture when I got here,” he scoffed. Captain felt his stare harden and he was about to set the boy straight, but he was interrupted by another person in the back.

“You know, Donny, for a man who can’t even fix his tie, you have a lot of nerve talking to someone as badass as Steve Rogers that way.” Heads turned again and revealed a woman who Steve would describe as beautiful in every sense of the word. She wore a form-fitting royal blue dress, its collar sloping down to reveal her ample cleavage. Her height was amplified by golden heels and Steve didn’t want to admit that his eyes were drawn over every curve she possessed. He didn’t know why he was transfixed. Maybe it was her rich chocolate skin or the sensual but neutral application of her makeup. He didn’t know, but his staring almost prevented him from listening to the exchange continue.

“You’re telling me, you want to listen to this fossil scold us for taking a few pictures? I mean, they are heroes. They should be used to the spotlight and they signed up for this life,” Donny growled back.

“Firstly, that fossil can simultaneously kick your ass and steal your girl faster than you can blink, so I would stop insulting him if I were you. And secondly, these people might be heroes, but they go through so much traumatic shit that will literally make someone as weak-minded as you are, discharge because your mental state will be shot. So, you take that and add the constant opinions from judgmental assholes like you. It’ll drive anyone up the wall. This is their safe place, man. They come here to be around people like them. Not satisfy your need to take a picture of them taking a shit.” She spoke with such confidence, her voice calm, yet cool. Obviously, she and Donny have clashed before and Steve wondered what their history was.

Some people nodded and agreed, causing Donny to huff and admit his defeat for the time being. Pepper, who was watching the exchange with a sly expression of amusement, clapped her hands twice and told the group it was time to continue their tour. The group turned from Steve and proceeded to walk down the hallway. When Steve caught sight of the woman who had basically defended him, she had turned and aimed a wink in his direction.

 ~~

 Later that day, Steve was in his office. He honestly didn’t know why he had the thing since he was never in there. It was too big, with its eleven-foot-tall ceilings and wall of windows which overlooked the lake. At first, the office was designed to Tony’s taste. Equipped with white seating, a glass and iron desk, and random pieces of art dotting the walls. But after much complaining, he exchanged the white seating with deep brown leather sofas. They were very comfortable, and he decided to put them beside the large bookcase he had found. The bookcase wasn’t actually filled with random books either. He had read almost all of them and was continuing to build his collection.  On the floor between the couches, he had placed a nice, thick tan rug there. Just to make the space even more homely. Tony had mentioned an electric fireplace, but he was still looking into that. His desk was replaced with a large, wooden one. It was grand with its beautiful carved out edges and dark mahogany coloring. On the side where he sat, there were six drawers and two secret compartments. He has yet to use the secret compartments for anything, but Tony joked that he could store his old Playboy magazines in there. That earned a dry laugh since Steve didn’t own such magazines. And if he did, he wouldn’t store it in his desk. He’d store them in the safe in his room’s closet.

And lastly, he had kindly asked Pepper to take away some of the artwork that was in the room. It was too modern, full of useless colorings and dots. Every time he glanced at one, it made him realize he wasn’t from this time. So, he replaced them with his own drawings and pictures of his family and friends. Yes, he had pictures of the Avengers up there, but he also had drawings of his old Brooklyn home and the Howling Commandos. It made him sad, yes, but he enjoyed looking at what he had versus where he was now.

After redecorating his entire office, Steve still didn’t spend a lot of time here. Mostly he came for the quiet, reading time or to fill out the large stack of paperwork that seemed to crop up after every mission. The latter being why he was in here now. He signed yet another incident account, this time from Sam’s perspective, and laid it over in his completion pile. He was moving onto Tony’s when he got a knock at his door.

“Come in!” he called, not looking up as he continued reading.

“Hey Steve!” It was Tony.

“You came at the right time. You know in your incident report, you didn’t have to write, ‘Ivan Vanko, aka Whiplash, should worry more about fixing his teeth and getting laid, than trying to get back at me for something that happened fifty years ago.’ Really?” Steve finally looked up, aiming a look of disbelief at Tony. What he didn’t expect to see was the girl from before, standing there trying to hide her giggle by biting her lips.

Tony let out a chuckle and shrugged. “What? Am I wrong?”

“I have to sign off on these and send them to Fury,” Steve glared.

“I mean, he’ll know who wrote it anyway. It’ll be fine!” Tony tried to reassure him, but Steve let out an exasperated sigh anyway. “But let’s get away from that and get onto the surprise I have for you!”

“Surprise?” He looked between Tony and the woman.

“Yes! I decided to hire you a personal assistant!” He aimed his hands at the woman, and she gave a small welcoming smile to Steve. Steve’s mouth opened slightly, taken aback by the declaration. What did he need a personal assistant for?

“Before you say anything, I know you’re wondering why you need a personal assistant? Well, Fury told me that you’re going to be taking some time to go around the country and do a few public relations things and I was like, by himself? Well, it’s hard to do a cross country tour and then think about hotels, restaurants, and if you have time to take a break to pee. So, having a personal assistant will alleviate that stress!” Steve could feel his frustration rising. For one thing, he told Fury to keep his leaving to himself as he wanted to drop the news to the team on his own. And secondly, he was only going to go to a few VA hospitals and then dedicate his time to seeing the sights. Which he couldn’t do if he had another person trailing behind him like a baby duck.

“While I appreciate the offer, Tony. I have to refuse.” Tony’s happy expression deflated, and Steve hated that he had to shut his friend down like that.

“But Steve! You just can’t hop on a bike and go around willy nilly! What if something happens to you? Not everyone in the country looks up to the mighty Captain America,” Tony argued.

“You don’t think I know that? That’s why I’ve been growing out my beard and limiting my public appearances. I want to go into this with a clean slate. And I have done research, thank you!” Before Tony could shoot back, the young woman raised her hand.

“May I say something?” Both men aimed looks at her. “Mr. Rogers, I know you are used to handling your way around things with a big stick and instincts, which is not bad in most cases, but you are a national icon going around the country without any knowledge of what to expect. Now, I know you might think Tony is pushing me onto you, which you might see me as a hinderance to your freedom and time off, but I’m not here for that. I’m here to make sure you are not caught in any dire situations and that you are prepared for anything that might spring up.” Steve was about to argue, but she raised a hand to shut him up. “And I know you don’t want to have me following you around and asking constant questions, which is why, if you will approve, I won’t be traveling alongside you. Instead, I’ll make sure to loosely follow you and only accompany you during your VA visits.” Steve’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean,” Tony asked, crossing his arms.

“I will follow Mr. Rogers a few miles back as we travel to our destinations. As for room accommodations, I’ll make sure to book the hotel rooms the day before we are set to arrive and send the new address to Mr. Rogers as soon as he wakes up so that when he is ready to leave, he can immediately go to the new location. On days where we are visiting the VA, I’ll ensure he gets up in a timely manner, eats, and we arrive there on time.” She was very thorough, Steve had to admit. And he grew a little irritated by the smug look she aimed at him. Yeah, she had won this time.

“Fine,” he spat, slapping his pen down. He looked down at the stack of papers to keep from looking at the looks the woman and Tony were probably exchanging. “I’ll do it, but if you overcrowd me, you’ll be sent back here faster than you can say ‘Golly’.”

“Who says golly?” she shot back. Tony let out a hearty laugh.

“I love this woman. This is going to be too good. Well, I gotta leave and prepare your desk and computer,” Tony told the woman as he scurried off towards who knows where.

This left Steve and his newfound personal assistant alone and he would be lying if he said the atmosphere wasn’t awkward. But as the woman took her chance to look around the room, Steve decided to continue looking over the reports. She made her way over to his bookshelf and took in the titles, letting out small sounds of both curiosity and satisfaction. What did she think of his collection? Probably that he was an old-fashioned grump. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he was reminded of the exchange earlier. So, he stopped writing and cleared his throat.

“I just wanted to uh, let you know I appreciate what you said earlier. You are understanding of how we don’t like to be seen as…as…” he couldn’t finish the sentence. He tried to finish, but he couldn’t.

“I understand,” came her voice. She was smiling at him, knowing what he was trying to say, and he was thankful again for it.

“I also didn’t catch your name,” he added. She gave it to him, and he knew he’d never forget it. “Thank you. And you can call me Steve. If you’re going to be around me for this next month and a half, you don’t have to call me Mr. Rogers.”

“Alright, Steve,” she purred and turned back towards the bookshelf. Steve tried to go back to finishing his reports, but it was fruitless. He couldn’t get over the way her lips curved and purred out his name, and he was fearful of it. This woman, who he barely knew, was doing something to him and he had to deal with it, alone, as they crossed the country. He felt like he was royally fucked.

[radioromantic-moved]

a study in semantics

(hey, does this look familiar? it should! because i fucked up and it got deleted for a little while. things are okay now)

i came up with the headcanon that frank calls me a ray of sunshine initially sarcastically before it evolves into an actual affectionate nickname. and yeah, that’s what this is.

word count: 1650

They say in the business world that first impressions are everything.

Nyx probably didn’t get the memo. Actually, they probably got the memo and promptly chose to purposefully ignore it. 

They show up to interview for a position at Toy Zone wearing all black, with a close-cropped mess of blond hair as the main splash of color in a wardrobe that would probably camouflage them in a dark room. The way they cross their arms over their chest and stare across the desk they’re sitting in front of, Frаnk feels vaguely like he’s the one being interviewed.

“Aren’t you a little ray of sunshine,” he mutters to himself.

They level a bright green stare at him. “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, I’m guessing ‘cheerful’ isn’t one of the reasons you’re going to list as to why I should hire you.”

“I’ll have you know, my close friends find me delightful.”

He can’t tell if they’re joking. They deliver everything in the same sort of dry, vaguely amused sounding tone, as if they’re watching a somewhat-interesting movie. 

“We have a uniform here, you know,” he says. “It might clash with your aesthetic a little.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that from what you’ve got going on.”

They gesture at his bright red polo, name tag dangling conspicuously from it. “I can handle the shirt,” they shrug, “as long as I can still wear this coat. I feel like I’d have a case to sue if you guys didn’t let me wear this coat.”

It is a cool coat.

“There isn’t anything in our rulebook about letting you wear a coat over the shirt. Just don’t let it cover your nametag. But back on track, we still have to figure out if we’re hiring you at all. Do you work well in a team?”

                                                      ---

 It’s been a few weeks. 

And yes, he hired them.

People aren’t exactly clamoring to work at Hatchetfield’s one toy store smack in the middle of a shopping mall, but he wasn’t going to tell them that. 

Supply and demand notwithstanding, Nyx is on the team now. They get along surprisingly well with Leх (actually, not that surprising. They seem to be someone who never grew out of their edgy teen phase anyway), and whenever they’re on break the two of them engage in spirited discussions about--

“No, I’m serious. You’ve got the vibe.”

“Dude, I’m a high school dropout. Aren’t they all, like, cheerleaders or prom queens or something?”

“What? No! Don’t you know your lore? In the real kitschy ones, cheerleaders and prom queens die first.”

Frаnk stops dead in his tracks. “What in the world are you two talking about?”

“Leх would be the final girl in a horror movie,” says Nyx. “She doesn’t believe me.”

“Have you met me?” protests the younger of the two cashiers. “I’d probably run right into the middle of some shitstorm of a situation and get myself decapitated or something because it was a panic response.”

Frank shrugs. “I’m with her on that one.”

Nyx scoffs. “You’re just petty because you’d be the first one to die, Frаnk. Actually, scratch that--” they stare at him for a few seconds with that weirdly intense gaze of theirs-- “second. Final response. You’d die second in a horror movie.”

“Man,” he says, shaking his head, “you really are a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?”

Leх pats Nyx on the back. “Damn straight.”

                                                       ---

bossdude: Can I ask you for a favor?

me: okay shoot

bossdude: Something came up. I’m not gonna be able to open on Sunday. You’re the oldest staff member I have, so consider yourself officially temporarily promoted.

me: whoa whoa whoa

dude 

you want ME to open

on SUNDAY

bossdude: It’s one day. You can handle it.

me: alright but don’t blame me if people are dissatisfied with my subpar customer service and lackluster welcoming skills

so dissatisfied that it translates into anger

and eventually a boycott

and eventually you won’t need to find sunday replacements

because our store will be only a fading memory  in the greater hatchetfield consciousness

why did you let me open on sunday?!? why?!?

bossdude: For the love of--

Always a ray of sunshine, aren’t you.

I’ll see if Leх or Alice can help out.

You type fast.

me: awwww, thanks

                                                      ---

Nyx groans, resting their head on the counter. “I did not get enough sleep last night. I’m dead tired.”

“Well, you better snap out of it,” he says. “We’re already down one pair of hands today because you insisted you’d work overtime if Leх took the day off to watch her sister.”

Nyx lifts their head. “Of course I did. Her sister’s got a fever. I may be weird and creepy and kind of mean sometimes, but I’m not a monster. Workers have to assist one another when the corporate millstone attempts to grind away our humanity.”

“Still a ray of sunshine, I see.” He sets down two coffee cups next to them on the counter. “Maybe this’ll help wake you up. I went across the street before you came in and picked them up. The one on the left’s yours.”

 They take a tentative sip. “Hey, a white chocolate mocha. How’d you know?”

“You were talking about getting one after work last week. I remember it since it seemed like a weird order for you--you know, with your everything.”

Nyx grins. It’s a small one, but somehow, it seems to light up the whole store. “What? I think it’s a perfectly reasonable drink for a ray of sunshine such as myself.”

With that smile, he thinks, they could almost live up to that nickname for real. 

He doesn’t say that out loud.

“Oh, and, um, thanks. For the drink, I mean. It was surprisingly generous of you.”

“No problem.”

                                                      ---

“Now that was what I call a successful day.” Frаnk places a hand over his heart in faux-affection. “I love rich kids’ birthdays.”

Nyx looks up from rearranging the cash register. “Little Jonathan is sure gonna be occupied for...uh, maybe two days, before he gets bored and starts asking for more stuff.”

“Nice to see you’re as much of a ray of sunshine as ever,” he says, and there’s something suspiciously like fondness tinging his voice.

“Well, it’s not that I’m not grateful for the bonus.” They slide the cash register shut. “I can finally treat myself to a ticket to that alien invasion movie I’ve been wanting to see.”

“Aliens. Why am I not surprised?”

“Oh, and I’m sure your taste in movies is so highbrow.”

“I never said that. I like alien movies. You know, I was also planning to go see that at some point. And, you know, I guess today is as good a day as any.”

He didn’t think that. He has no idea why he said that.

They raise their eyebrows. “Are you asking me on a date?”

WHAT.

“What?! No, I was just, you know, bringing up the fact that I like alien movies and I might see that one on my own time. Maybe today, maybe some other day--still vague. Still working out the details. You know how it is.”

“Ah. Now everything is much clearer,” deadpans Nyx.

“But you know, and I’m speaking from a business perspective here--seeing as we both want to see the same movie, and we both have free time and the means to see it today, it would be convenient for both of us if we...in a strictly platonic sense, here--if we saw it...together? Assuming we’d be paying for our own refreshments.”

“Well, how can I say no to such a captivating offer?” says Nyx with a shrug. “You’re paying for your own ticket, too, though.”

“Aww. Can I suggest--?”

“You cannot.”

                                                      ---

Frаnk enters the supply closet and confirms a long standing hypothesis of his. 

“If it weren’t for the hair, I wouldn’t have known you were in here.”

“The dark is my natural habitat. One day I will return there for good,” says Nyx without turning around.

“Sometimes I think you’re just screwing with me.”

“Yeah, that one was a joke,” they admit. They swivel around to face him. They’re sitting on a box. 

“Any particular reason why you’re in here and not, you know, doing your job?”

“Mrs. Monroe’s in again--she wanted me to check the back for one of those dinosaur puzzles. The longer I’m in here, the more time she thinks I’m dedicating to her request. And I just needed to take a breather.”

“I could issue a write up for that, you know.”

“Well, I could be looking for a puzzle and be taking a breather at the same time.”

“We don’t have any of those puzzles.”

They place a hand on their cheek in mock-surprise. “Oh, really? I wonder what I was taking so long for! I was sure a sold-out item would magically appear in the back once she asked about it!”

“I see you’re a ray of sunshine as usual today.”

They scoff. “Oh, you could have used that earlier. A single sarcastic comment is a waste of ‘ray of sunshine’ compared to the ‘I will return to the dark’ thing.”

“Didn’t you say that was a joke?”

“Well, yeah, but a purposeful one. I gave you the setup and everything. C’mon.”

“I’ll--I’ll do better next time?”

“Oh, how the tables have turned,” Nyx remarks.

                                                      ---

He calls Leх a ray of sunshine once and never again. 

It feels wrong coming out and only more wrong when Leх looks at him sideways. “Don’t call me that. It feels creepy.”

“Yeah, I’m...not doing that again.”

“You’re lucky Nyx wasn’t here to hear that,” says Leх as she organizes stuffed animals. “Might have made the whole thing lose its meaning.”

“What--there’s no meaning to it, and it’s not a whole thing.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” says Leх with a rare smile.

It’s more of a smirk, really. 

[xfanfics]

Destiel Fic Rec List Part 1

Last Updated in October 2014. Posted in May 2020 for posterity. Listed in no particular order - the total rec list will have ~250 fics. Header graphic used with permission.

This part of the list contains: 48 fics.

Other Destiel Rec Lists: [1]. [2]. [3]. [4]. [5]. [6]. [7].

For Science! by pm_lo E | 21k | ABO, Omega!cas, Alpha!Dean,

Selected transcripts and supporting materials from Dr. Castiel Williams and Dean Winchester’s seminal study on physiological and psychological sexual response by gender designation.

Even though this is a dialogue/email text only story, I still very much enjoyed it and found it ridiculously hot. Maybe I'm just easy. (No I'm not. This fic is good, read it.)

Forget-Me-Not Blues by noangelsinthegarrison E | 68k | Firefighter!Dean, Professor!Cas, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining

Sam and Jess are getting married and Dean couldn’t be any happier for them. Honestly, they’re kind of disgustingly perfect for each other and Dean’s pretty damn excited about staying with them the week before the wedding. He’s Sam’s best man, of course, and he doesn’t even mind that Jess has her own best man to share in all the organizational duties. The more the merrier, right? Except Dean must have done something to epically piss off the universe because Jess’s best man just happens to be Castiel friggin’ Novak. He’s got even hotter since High School, but apparently no friendlier and if Cas wants to spend the week pretending like they’ve never met before? Fine. Two can play at that game.

THIS WAS SO GOOD I'M TEARING UP. tropes abound and I love it!

Cops and Robbers by kinkstiel E | 53k [WIP] | Detective!Dean, Criminal!Cas, Top!Cas, Bottom!dean

They locked eyes for a minute and then Cas leaned back as far as the cuffs would let him go, spreading his legs obscenely wide. “I want you to suck my cock, Dean.” Dean balked, mouth going dry in a second, eyes slipping to the now visible bulge in Castiel’s suit pants. “Um,” he said stupidly, face flushing red, eyes unable to pull away. Cas hummed. “Depending on how well you suck me, I might just tell you everything you want to know.” He licked his lips, smirking slightly when he caught Dean’s gaze. “And with sinful little lips like yours,” he made a low whistling sound, “I don’t doubt you’ll get every last name out of me.

So very good. Love the dark and dirtiness of it. It does get lighter and sappier towards the end tho.

Cursed or Not ❤ by Ltleflrt E | 115k | witch!Cas, shapeshifter!Dean, switching

While experimenting with magic when he was a kid, Sam accidentally cursed Dean. Now, Dean is forced to wear a spelled amulet constantly, or he'll turn into a random animal. For a little over a decade, he's learned to live with the curse, and has even found it useful in some cases, but he sure would be happier without it. When he meets a witch named Castiel, he's offered a deal. Instead of assuming all witches are bad, Dean can spend a season getting to know him. If at the end of the season, Dean still thinks he's evil Castiel will send him away with his memory wiped of the whole experience. But if he learns that Castiel is not the monster Dean assumes he is, he'll lift Dean's curse. It's an offer Dean can't bring himself to pass up.

Literally perfect. Enthralling world, magical relationship.    

Surprise Package by wannaliveindeansdimples E | 3k | Hot, , Dom Cas, Sub Dean, Light BDSM

When Cas' roommate Meg has to go out of town suddenly, she leaves him an unexpected gift.

So so hot. Non extreme Dom!cas and sub!dean.    

Never Have I ever by sweetdean M | 78k | Fluff,  High School AU, top!cas, bottom!dean

When Jo drags Dean along to a game of "never have I ever" with her friends, he finds himself getting caught up in a lot more than just a game. “Never have I ever hung out with such an asshole,” Dean countered, positively shocked at his own sass. Cas smirked again. “Oh, are we hanging out now?fricken adorable  

Road Signs by gemmiel E | 9k| Canon!verse, true form

Dean is curious about how angels have sex. Castiel shows him.

Damn. True form, soul sex, and regular sex. Yes please.    

It's Brilliant, Really by snarkymonkey E | 15k | Fluff,  AU, Professor!cas, Stuntman!dean

Castiel Novak is a History adjunct at Stanford University. He's also the most patient younger brother. When his older brother, Gabriel, decides to start *wooing* one of his younger waiters, Castiel reluctantly agrees to double-date with the intended paramour's older brother. What he didn't expect, however, was how much his own life would flip over such a careless decision.

Adorable. Hot, and adorable.  

Gabriel's Unfortunate Mistake by JackHawksmoor E | 8k | Hot,  AU

an answer to a prompt: Gabriel decides to hire a prostitute for his virgin brother Castiel as a joke, but instead accidentally hires Dean, a professional Dom. The moment Dean first lays a hand on him, Castiel knows he is lost. Dean/Castiel AU.

Um mm.... Damn. That was hot. Newbie sub!cas and pro dom!dean    

Well-Beloved Unto Me by  Moorishflower E | 3k | Alt!Canon, tentacles

The Winchesters don't get rewarded for all the shit they go through, so Dean is understandably wary when a few recharged and promoted angels offer him and Sam the vacation of a lifetime. Title comes from the Song of Solomon.

True form. And sex. MY FAVE.  

How to Date an Angel in 12 Easy Steps by Fourthduckling E | 23k | Fluff,  Alt!canon

It's not that hard to date an angel. All Dean has to do is fight off hordes of vampires, research gay porn, get sucked into a crappy Narnia, endure Sam's comments, creep out on Dr. Sexy, get harassed -- oh, and that's right-- figure out he's into Cas. Easy, right?

SQUUEEEE. Perfect and cute and cuddly.  

Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right But Three Rights Make A Left by the0voice0from0above E | 45k | High School AU, Dancer!Cas, Welder!Dean,

The beautiful Garrison Ballet School becomes home to a reckless bunch of misfits after the Colt Welding Academy is severely damaged in a fire and has to close for repairs. Needless to say, Castiel and his friends clash with their unwanted guests but there's one boy in particular who infuriates him.

Dancer!au. Love it love it love it!    

Rest My Angel by cobalt_wings E | 86k | Fluff,  Season 9 AU

Angels are falling from the sky, and Dean is losing it. Sam is dying in his arms, and one of those burning, twisting figures blazing through the night air might be his very own angel, Castiel. What can he do to help those he loves?

Sex and domestic and lots of fucking. My fave.    

One Species Too Many by wallmakerrelict E | 21k | Fluff,  Alt!canon

While Dean is laid up for a month after breaking his leg on a hunt, Cas decides that it's a perfect time to adopt a litter of kittens. But even though he's gotten better since Purgatory, Cas still isn't quite the same as he was before fixing Sam's head, and being trapped in a cabin with him for weeks on end is making that all the more obvious to Dean. When Sam takes off on a hunt, Dean has to figure out on his own how to navigate his new relationship with Cas while also helping to raise a bunch of fuzzballs that aren't even cute. Not even a little bit. (Well, maybe a little bit.)

Team free will with kittens!! So fluffy and domestic but also a touch of angst.    

It's A Bet by vitamindesi E | 34k | College AU, top!cas, bottom!dean

Destiel College!AU in which freshman Dean is dared by his best friends to hit on senior Castiel at a party. He wants to say no but then someone starts a bet and Benny bets a sum that is ridiculously high for a student and Dean can’t disappoint Benny, right? I deviated only, but hopefully it suffices.

So fabulous and smutty I want to cry. Literally perfection.

Your Call Cannot Be Completed As Dialed by eBob, K_K_TiBal T | 66k [WIP] | Fluff,  College AU

AU in which Castiel accidentally sends a text message to the wrong number and befriends the person at the other end of the line. However, accidents don’t just happen accidentally, and sometimes two completely different people are exactly what the other needs.

LITERALLY THE BEST. So many feelings. I WANT IT TO BE COMPLETE SO MUCH. Abandoned WIP.    

Equinox by luchia E  | 12k | Alt!canon, time travel

In which Castiel is the weird time-traveling freak who just might be the love of Dean Winchester's life.

Confusing but perfect time travel fic.   

If I run by betty days E | 4k | Hot,  AU, sexting, long distance relationship

"Dean Winchester is a red-blooded American male. He lifts all the things. He aims for functional strength. He counts his macros and makes fun of curlbros. He is not a member of the Tarahumara tribe and he will not read Born to Run, no matter how many times Sam tells him to, because Starting Strength is the only book Dean will ever fucking need." Wherein a friendly competition with the mysterious ThursdaysAngel turns into a sexy selfie-trading spree that motivates Dean Winchester to train for his first marathon.

Soo. Hot. Makes me want to actually exercise?    

The Little Things by Alreadypainfullygone T | 2k | Angst,  Cancer, Major Character Death

Au based on 'the big C' in which Dean gets very sick, and deals with it the denial way. Meeting a homeless man on the way. Dean/Castiel Angst. Warning for trigger - Cancer. sorry if you think I dealt with it badly.

This is only 2.8k words, and yet it managed to make me cry.    

Do What Feels Good by  Catchclaw, cymbalism E | 12k | Hot,  Alt!canon, PWP

Castiel learns to love alone time in the shower. And then he learns to share.

Fuuuuuck that was hot. Castubation and shower sex is just so hnnnggg.    

All That Is And Used To Be by MisaChan E | 26k | Alt!Canon, wing!Kink

Dean never even knew anyone was living in the old estate outside of town until its mysterious occupant contracts his shop for a very specific job: a custom piano bench with grooves cut into the back. He finds Castiel and his terms to be eccentric with a capital E but the money is too good to turn down and anyway, Dean can't help indulging his curiosity about the guy and his secretive, isolated life. There are secrets that will not stay hidden and stories that refuse to be forgotten. Especially when they happen to involve Dean Winchester and the angel Castiel.

Ugh, I love this story. Concept, execution, and characterization are all perfect.    

Do I Have Something Like That? by MysticMoonhigh E | 2k | Hot,  horn!kink, wing!kink

based on the tumblr post I made: Does anybody know any demon!Dean fics where Cas makes Dean climax by basically giving his demon horns a hand job because I want this so badly out of lifE | I'm. I've read this about three times and I think I'm finally coming to terms with my alien biology kink. Hot. Wink!kink and horn!kink. Yes.    

The Doctor Will See You Now by  PetrichorPerfume E | 7k| Hot,  PWP sub!dean, gentle dom!cas, wing!kink

Dean has a medical kink. Castiel is more than happy to oblige. Starring Castiel as the slightly unorthodox Dr. Novak who enjoys prescribing enforced chastity and daily tease and denial sessions, and Dean as his needy, submissive patient who will do anything for a chance to come.

Wowowwowowow. Um. This was super hot. Nnnghhhh.    

Into Your Hideaway by thepinupchemist E  | 176k |Angst,  a/b/o, omega!dean, alpha!cas, mpreg

Driving down a deserted road in the Rocky Mountains, Castiel finds something unexpected: An omega. Not only an omega, but a naked, injured, pregnant omega. Dean doesn't talk much at first, but that doesn't change the brightness of his soul. It also doesn't stop Castiel from falling in love with him.

I just... Wow. This was an amazing story. Beware that it is possibly very triggering, because of rape, assault, violence, and general bigotry. But perhaps because of all of that, you get a story that is almost painful in its reality, and it is all the more loveable for that.    

The World Crashing All Around by thepinupchemist E | 36k| Alt!canon, best friends wing!Kink, kid!fic

During a storm in September of 1987, Dean and Sam hear something hit their roof. When they brave the backyard to investigate, they find a fledgling angel. A story about best friendship, spoiled plans, and love, in four parts.

OH MY GOD. This was perfect all the way through. From soul bonds, to slow burn, to growing up together as best friends, it's all my favorite. And it even has wing kink, which is literally the best.    

Share Your Burden by aTimeOfMagic E | 3k Hot,  PWP, Sub!dean, dom!cas

Set at the end of 'Are You There God? It's Me Dean Winchester.' 4.02. Castiel shows Dean that he deserves respect, and Dean comes to see that Cas is not, in fact, just a 'hammer'. He also learns that his 'people skills' are definitely not entirely 'rusty'.

Damn. Um, really hot. Also, unexpectedly sweet.    

Flawless by Vaerin E | 69k | a/b/o, accidental bonding, sub!dean, dom!cas

A contract is out on the Winchesters, a large sum of money the reward for throwing them off their game. A witch in the town they happen to be passing through decides to collect. She sets her sights on Dean, trying to seduce him into leaving his job to stay with her. When she can't even convince him to warm her bed, she decides to turn her job into his punishment. Knowing he fears commitment and can't stand the thought of being with a man, she works a spell between him and Castiel... the one friend he can call a safe haven. When they end up mated the next morning, not only does the Winchester family business suffer... but so does Dean's friendship with Castiel.

Cute long soul bond fic. Contains sabriel.    

Chasing Normal by Donovanspen M | 16k | Fluff,  First time, Cuddling & Snuggling

Dean reevaluates his definition of an 'apple pie life' and what that means for him, personally.

This is the definition of domestic fluff and smut. There's a wee bit of angst because hey, it's set in the canon verse. But so worth it.    

Hold On by somuchforbaggles E | 92k | Fluff,  Angst,   mental illness

Castiel is sure that nothing in his life will ever change. Everything that happens to him is predictable, from the stability of his job to the unrelenting sporadic anxiety attacks, he can rely on his life to stay the same forever - until he saves Dean Winchester from the path of an oncoming train. From then on, everything changes for both of them, and the only way they can deal with it is together.

Woww. This was an amazing ride. Angsty and fluffy, then angsty again, then back to fluffy. So good.    

I said to myself again by avyssoseleison E | 2k | Fluff,  Praise!kink, Self-esteem issues

Dean finally lets himself be appreciated and cared for by his angel.

Praise kink is my ultimate weakness    

The One Thing You Can't Lose by MajorEnglishEsquire T | 4k | Fluff,  Cuddling & Snuggling

You know what I like a lot? The thought that Dean can just tug Cas anywhere at any time and Cas, who can lift tons without effort, who can demolish things with the light of his grace, who has battled and gone to war, has defended and broken, will just let Dean do it.

fluffy love    

Spit Slick by VeraBAdler M | 1k | Fluff, , First Time

[no description]

A super cute fluffy little oneshot :3 (tags say 'happy sex' and 'sexy cuddling' if you need more to go on)  

Late Bloomer by somuchforbaggles T | 7k | Alt!Canon, Wing!kink, Wingfic, Soulmates

On every child’s seventh birthday, a celebration is held to mark the beginning of their journey as a fledgling - a sprouting ceremony. It doesn’t matter if the child hasn't shown the symptoms of emerging wings yet, for it is scientific fact that every child grows wings in their seventh year, sometimes even earlier. Castiel is not every child.

A coming of age wing fic. With mates. Basically, I'm in love.    

Sleight of Hand by aileenrose M | 64k | Angst,  Human AU, psychic cas, journalist dean

Dean Winchester has interviewed them all--mob bosses, serial killers, crooked politicians. Next he plans to unveil the con-man who markets himself as Castiel, a reclusive and secretive "healer" who claims to heal the sick in return for thousands of dollars. Dean's expecting a challenge, but he never expected Castiel to be so clueless or sweet...or that he might be telling the truth.

I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS AU. The one where Dean is a skeptical journalist/professional idiot and Cas is a socially inept healer and mind reader. There's lots of angst, but the payoff is so worth it.    

Leaning In by Anonymous T | 15k | Hospital AU

Castiel never changed out his scrubs, Dean had a way of getting himself injured and Sam seemed to think it was a good pairing

Even though I have no idea who actually wrote this story, it's worth a read. I'm always up for a good medical AU.    

Someone I Forgot to Be by  MatildaMavis E | 36k Fluff,  Angst,  Human AU

Castiel is content - sort of - with his quiet life in Boston...at least, until his new neighbor moves in. It's Dean Winchester, the cliched long lost love of his life. Can these two idiots find their way back to each other after eight years, after fame and loss and heartbreak? After Dean has found love again with Cas' neighbor, Lisa? Fate can be a sadistic bitch, they've both learned that, but maybe they've matured enough to be able to handle it this time. The sparks, the attraction, the tension...or maybe not.

I thought this would be extremely painful, and it sort of was. But it was so worth it.    

Didn't Get That Particular Memo by Snarkymonkey E | 5k

Dean has worked with his best friend for years and maybe it's a bit more than that for him but not for Castiel, right? Right. And really, he'd feel so much better if Castiel would just get a companion already. Because it's not like Castiel actually wants him, right? Right.

Damn, that was fucking hot.  

Cas, You Had A Baby? by allthebeautifulthings9828 M | 132k | Fluff,  Alt!Canon, Kid Fic, Slow Build

At some point in every angel's life, raising a fledgling is required. Castiel's turn comes rather unexpectedly when his superiors hand off a newly created infant angel to him and leave him to raise it with all of Heaven's principles of blind obedience. He's not sure what to do, so he tucks the fledgling in his coat and goes straight to Dean and Sam Winchester. Together, Dean and Castiel hatch a plan to raise the fledgling away from Heaven's control. And soon, the angel Hael arrives with news that, after Castiel disappeared, she and four other angels ran from Heaven's oppression with their fledglings. Castiel finds himself the unwitting ringleader of angels choosing to raise their fledglings with the principles of free will. Is angelic parenthood too much for his deepening relationship with Dean? Who can they really trust? (Disclaimer: This story depicts fledglings consuming honey for the nourishment of their undeveloped graces. Human babies cannot consume honey, so please do not feed it to your infants. This is fiction.)

Oh. My. God. I admit that I was skeptical at the beginning about this story, but let me tell you, it sucked me in. Sometimes, you run across a story that has wonderful OCs that you get attached to. This is one of those. And of course, the baby is adorable.    

Healing by Jacqueline Albright-Beckett M | 2k | Fluff,  Canon!verse, PWP

Castiel can heal more than just physical wounds.

Sensual and romantic.    

Better Late Than Never by whelvenwings G | 23k | Fluff,  Alt!canon, friends to lovers,

When Dean first sees Castiel, he's clinging on for dear life - and things never really get any easier. In fact, they get a lot harder; Dean's worst enemy isn't always the monkey bars. Bound together year on year by the ritual pact of being a Guardian Angel, Dean and Cas grow close, showing loyalty and bravery in the face of danger. But will they ever find the courage to admit their true feelings for each other - and will it be too late by the time they do?

i LOVE best friends to lovers fics! and this delivers on that perfectly.    

Like A Candle In The Window On A Cold Dark Winter's Night by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel T | 6k | Fluff,  Canon!verse, asexual Cas

In which Castiel saves Dean, Dean saves Castiel, there is beer and TV watching, and if it weren't for the monsters and assassination attempts, life would be almost perfect.

A cute little fic I've read multiple times :)    

How many slams in an old screen door? by dandelioness T | 15k | Fluff,  Theatre AU, Asexual Cas

In which Castiel is a theatre major terrible at first impressions; Dean is a set designer who likes Cas anyway; and the most chaotic production of Les Miserables in history somehow manages to go off without a hitch. Or, just as you should never give a moose a muffin (because he'll want some jam to go with it), you should never give a blank check to a university theatre department.

This is perfect. I can't speak for the accuracy of the information and feelings given about asexuals/asexuality, but I enjoyed this fic nonetheless.    

Breath of Heaven by solacesnake18 E | 9k

When Dean is wounded and dying in Purgatory, Castiel returns from his self-imposed exile to help him.

Wow. True!form cas and metaphysical sex that somehow manages to be poetic, emotional, and erotic all at once. I approve.    

The Mirror by CloudyJenn M | 24k | Canon!Verse,

When Dean touches a strange mirror, he's whisked away to one alternate reality after another and it doesn't take him long to realize the universe is trying to tell him something.

One of my favorite fics, and a fandom classic. So beautiful. It's a trip, but you'll love it. The ending makes me really emotional.    

Rock 'n' Roll Queer Bar by chasingrabbits E | 121k | Fluff,  Human AU

Ellen and Jo Harvelle run Harvelle's Roadhouse, a bar that unintentionally becomes a beacon for wayward queer souls. Her employees: Dean, the smartass runaway with a big heart and bigger mouth; Castiel, the college drop-out turned hippie; his (surprisingly heterosexual) trouble-making brother Gabriel; and Charlie, who has been told several times that the back room is not to be used for after-hours Dungeons & Dragons games. But there's a lot of love in this place, and a new family for anyone who may otherwise be without.

Sweet little (well, not so little really) universe. Link is to the series.    

A Million Ways to Go by chasingrabbits E | 91k | High School AU,

Castiel Novak is a preacher's son living in a world of black and white. Pragmatic and dutiful, he doesn't understand why anybody would want to make waves. Then the Winchesters move in down the street. Soon many of the skeletons in the Novak family's closet are exposed, and as the family faces them, Castiel begins to understand that there are many ways to see the world and so many more ways to live than what he's been told.

Wow, this was a ride. Set in an alternate!canon where Cas is a repressed preacher's kid and dean still grows up a hunter. Also, lots of Sam and Gabriel brother!feels. Not sabriel.

Like That Foreigner Song... by DevilMadeMeDoIt E | 5k | Hot,  Alt!Canon, Deancest, Time trave

Dean and Cas have been together for a while now, but Dean always regrets that he has been with so many people in the past. He wishes he could go back in time and tell his 15 year old self that there is someone worth waiting for. Cas gives him the chance and the outcome is one that neither of them expected.

Oh god, this was a perfect little story. So much love.    

TutorMate by faeryn M | 21k | College AU

Sam leaves Dean's laptop logged in to some app called "TutorMate" and Dean meets his brother's tutor. Cas helps him with his own work and they strike up a friendship. Before long Dean finds himself growing attached to the cute, clever Cas and flirtatiously suggests they go on a date if he applies himself to his college work. Cas agrees, but Dean discovers his online friend is not quite what he expected. (Or, in which Dean thinks he's met a cute girl and finds out he's actually met a cute boy.)

Wowowwowowow adorable. Perfect little college AU.    

More recs coming soon.

[official-alan-dabiri]

So how about that CCL?

For those of you unaware, the CCL is a semi-pro league for Heroes of the Storm being run by Heroes Hearth. A lot of old familiar faces came back for this, either to play, or to operate the organizations (henceforth: orgs) in charge of the teams. They had their draft just this past weekend, and for those of you who care to follow the pro side of this game, I want to talk about those drafts, and hopefully shine a light on what to expect when the season gets underway.

For those of you here for memes and memes alone, I have considerately put the rest of this behind a read more for you to scroll on past. Thank you for your patience.

Names at the top are the team names (the orgs), names in blue cells are tank players, green are supports, red are dps, and orange are offlaners. Though there are some discrepancies - many players have wide hero pools and can fill multiple roles. As you can see, every team has a pretty solid mix of former pros, top-shelf streamers, Storm League GM regulars, and more than a few unknown names. There was one irregularity during the draft: 30k traded their 10th pick spot to Chilly Mountain to get the 16 and 17 double pick in the 2nd/3rd round. No other trades were made.

Largely, if you know these players, you can see that every team except Oxygen very highly prioritized shotcallers, which did lead to a bit of a tank choke early in the draft. Turk - the leader for Crowd Control - confirmed that he picked up Nightvision - a tank player who also plays supports - to intentionally force a tank choke down the line. Supports didn’t get choked, but many teams picked up a second support player, especially in the 6th pick sub position, owing to the power of double support strategies. The high priority on shotcallers, though, led to an unseen problem: many teams have two - or even more - strong leadership personalities on their team, which could lead to some butting heads and clashing strategies.

That said, let me talk about the teams.

Chilly Mountain

As mentioned, CM had a good position to start strong with the draft. They had the first pick, and then they had second pick in the second round. True to that expectation, the first half of their draft is extremely strong. Fury is considered one of the best tanks in the region, and one of the most flexible shotcallers in the whole talent pool. Similarly, Makke is a strong leadership figure and a good DPS. Darkmok is another very strong player in the offlane role, and while DarkChimera isn’t the best support - or even the best support available at that point in the draft - he has great personal synergy with Fury. The back half of the draft, though, is a bit of a joke. CPogX (more commonly known as CPX) is a talented player mechanically, but has a terrible attitude. He’s also known in the community as a transphobe and misogynist. If the CCL has any respectability, he’s going to need to be kept on a tight leash, or else he’s going to get the boot really quick. And then their last pick was Mysticleez, another offlane player, who is going to struggle to step into CPX’s role if he runs his mouth on social media and gets punted.

Side Step Kings

This team - selected by veteran player Fan - has the most potential. Fan was the only one brave enough to pick Korean players, highly prioritizing KyoCha, and then picking up Hide at the end of the draft. He also went for a few of his old friends, starting the draft with Cattle, and later picking up Jun, his former teammates from Tempo Storm. Jun has the added bonus of being bilingual in English and Korean, allowing him to bridge the gap between the Korean players and the English-speaking players. Also, he’s Fan’s roommate, but that’s beside the point. Three teams on this draft banked on ping not being a big issue, and SSK banked on it the hardest. If ping actually doesn’t matter, this team is easily at the top. The only remaining struggle is the language barrier. I’m hoping that Fan brings that big streamer money into it to hire a real translator. Jun is fluent enough in both languages to serve for right now, but he’s one of the best healers in NA. He shouldn’t be on the roster just to fill an admin role. I have high hopes for this team, but there’s a lot of room for mismanagement.

WildHeart

Now this is my pick for the dark horse underdog I want to see run away with the league. Justing (piTkiD) and Buds are old friends from Oct/R20/TT, my favorite NA team from the old HGC. Justing was NA’s mad scientist, pioneering weird compositions and developing his own unusual meta that demands respect, and Buds works extremely well with him. The rest of the team is very well-positioned to accommodate him. Unaverted is a strong DPS pick, with Zergling and Funz having very diverse hero pools to work around Justing’s unique brand of bullshit, and Wearyday to sub in when double support is the call. This is also the only team with 6 NA players. If ping does matter, WildHeart is poised to take over the whole tournament, and even if it doesn’t, Justing has been given the tools he needs to redefine the meta for the whole league. Win or lose, these will be games worth watching.

Crowd Control

On the other end of the spectrum, the next two teams banked on ping not mattering; Turk - the leader for CC - picked up five EU players, asserting confidently “EU are just better than we are” when announcing his first pick of Lauber. From there, Turk was one of the players leaning hard on his first pick’s advice, following up with more strong EU players. Reportedly, Lauber got to build his own personal dream team, especially with Dynouh and Kwazaa. Turk confirmed that the Nightvision pick was for his offrole as a support (It’s been said that he’s ten times better in his offrole than his main role) while at the same time draining the Tank pool since GG, SIM, and OXG hadn’t picked up their own tanks yet. Their sixth pick, Hebi, is the only NA player on the roster, and an obvious pickup in anticipation of a double support meta. If ping doesn’t matter - and if SSK are slowed down by language barriers - CC is lined up and ready to flatten everyone.

Granit Gaming

GG had a similar strategy to CC. They have five EU players, with a single NA on the team in Nintorii. The difference is that they’re more likely to field their NA player. Svampgroot can fill in the offlane, but he is much more likely to play his signature heroes in the 4-man than his goofball offlane picks. As with CC, GG picked a dream team of EU players, headed up by Nic, and followed by Burger and Henning, a serious powerhouse for teamfight, with Nintorii as the macro god who ran with Scythe Esports through the open division and into HGC just before its untimely demise in 2018. All things considered, I think CC has the stronger players individually, but GG can make up the difference on raw synergy. Between the two, there are ten of the best players EU has to offer, even if the games are going to be played on NA servers.

Simplicity

Back to a strong NA roster, SIM followed GG and CCs lead, but with an NA player. Kure got to build his own dream team with his old Team Freedom teammates in Killuzion and Lutano. Wit is the odd man out on this roster, as an EU player in the tank role, but at that point in the draft, all the best NA tanks had already been picked out of the pool. They also picked up the man, the myth, the legend, this Hosty guy I’ve heard so much about. There might be some smaller interpersonal struggles - three of these people are all from the same HGC team, leaving the rest of the team as odd men out, if conversations get too clique-y. But if everyone meshes together, this team is the quintessential standard NA roster. They aren’t going to break the meta, but they’re going to play standard, and play it as well as any NA team could. If ping matters - and if Justing’s weird homebrew meta doesn’t take off - SIM is going to dominate.

30k

The man who stole the draft: Michael Udall. Trading his 10th pick away for the double pick between rounds 2 and 3, he got literally the exact team he wanted, man for man. HasuObs was his first pick for a leader to build his team around, and then BBJ and Liam are bar none the best players in their respective roles, picked up while everyone else was still squabbling over shotcallers. Udall later admitted that he wanted to first pick Mascarade - his fourth pick - if it looked like the tank pool was getting pinched too hard. His last two picks were reportedly under a time crunch - Sammy is an EU player who was a rush pick to fill the DPS role alongside Hasu, and then Udall overrode everyone else to pick up Breakwood as a player he wanted to mentor into a force to be reckoned with in the next season. 30K has one of the strongest mixed-region rosters in the league right now, but that may be to their detriment. Big names come with big egos, and if the team hits adversity, there’s a chance that communication starts to break down as people butt heads. We’ll see if Udall - the biggest ego of them all - can keep everyone in line. It would also be a serious crime if Breakwood got picked up to warm the bench all season.

Oxygen

The last team has a dramatically different draft strategy compared to the others. Every other team picked up strong leadership and worked with them to build a cohesive strategy, or had a strategy already that they drafted for. Meanwhile, Oxygen hit the draft as if they had a list of players sorted by skill level and they just picked whoever was still up from the top down. Despite this unusual strategy, they have a scary-looking roster. Prismaticism and Nazmas are two very strong players to start with, even if neither is a real leader. Their subsequent picks are similarly very strong players. Reportedly, they wanted Ultralisk as their 4th pick, not Madara, but were mistakenly told that he wasn’t available, because he was listed in the pool under his current battletag “GuessWhoIAm” which is honestly peak comedy. Just the same, their pick of Madara echoed through the rest of the draft; everyone else claimed that they had their eye on him for the later stages to fill. Their sixth pick of Cascon put the truth to all the memes about him being unskippable, too. But the problem remains: someone needs to step up to lead this team. If nobody does, they’re just going to be a SL fiesta and get rolled over by more organized competitors.

Every team obviously has their faults and flaws. Many of them come down to how big a problem ping is. Considering that the EU and even KR players performed admirably in the inhouse games and the exhibition matches, it may be that it’s less of a factor than traditionally thought. However, there were indeed some strategies built around punishing their slower connections. It was said that Cassia’s Valkyrie was the key anti-EU heroic: their ping made it impossible to dodge. We’ll have to see where it lands when the games really start. Some of the teams have bigger concerns that will take longer to figure out. There is no clear winners and losers here.

Except Chilly Mountain. How do you throw away a perfectly good draft for CPX, the XQC of HotS?

[lillianrudy-blog]

Autumn is most definitely here

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[jamielea81]

A Walk in the Park

Chapter 9

Description: When your husband dies in an accident, you try to move on with your life. When the memories of your shared home become too much even after two years, you make a drastic change and move to California. A new career, a new way of life, and an attractive new friend help you move on to find the happiness you need. *This will be a slow burn*

Pairings: Chris Evans x Reader Tim OFC x Reader (Tom Welling face claim)

Warnings for this chapter:  Fluff, curse words, and Angst! I’m sorry.

Unbeta’d, so all mistakes are my own. This is purely for fun. Comments and reblogs give me life. Tags are open. Please send me an ask if you would like to be tagged.

Read Chapter 8 here

Saturday ended up being a 16-hour day. The wedding went off almost without a hitch. Just a few drunk groomsmen and an upset mother of the groom due to the drunk groomsmen. It wasn’t an uncommon thing. You always were sure to have a pot of coffee brewing, a few packets of calming tea, and mints on hand for moments like these. Luckily for your team, the bride never caught wind of the drama on the other side of the church.

In between the wedding and reception, Victoria learned all about the drama with Chris that had occurred the last couple of weeks, including your emotional blow up last night. Victoria is a wonderful listener, but not one to offer much advice. She simply told you to let him go. “You have a great new thing with Tim. You should really see where that’s going and fuck Chris.” You raised your brows at her and she promptly slapped your shoulder. “You know I don’t mean like that! But…maybe with Tim?” You then promptly slapped her.

The long day allowed you time to bond with Juliet. You had worked with her a few times, but never more than an hour or two. She spent a lot of the day trying to convince you Colleen wasn’t that bad. But for every positive point she made about Colleen, she also would add in a negative one that left you both in hysterics.

Sunday you slept in. You had tentative plans with Tim, but you were exhausted and your feet hurt. It was heels for most of the day and you were kicking yourself for not switching to flats during the reception like Victoria had. After an early morning potty break where you practically crawled to the bathroom, you sent Tim a text asking if you could meet later because you really needed sleep. He was understanding and asked you to text him when you were more awake.

Tim: Sleep well babe.

Y/N:

Thanks for understanding <3

It was after two in the afternoon by the time you were showered and dressed. You were also starving. You scarfed down a full can of Pringles in less than 10 minutes. You weren’t proud, but you were satisfied.

Tim had suggested a trip to the Santa Monica Pier and you happily agreed. It’s a place you had heard about but never visited before. You suggested meeting him there since it would be out of the way for him to pick you up. Tim had asked that you meet him at a building called the Hippodrome. It was easy to spot because it was rather tall with large arched windows and a dome of some sort on top. When you arrived Tim was already there, leaning against the building like a Greek God if you were being honest. He had on navy shorts, white V neck t-shirt, and sneakers.

“Hey beautiful,” he said while walking up to you pulling you into a big bear hug. “Are you feeling better?”

“Hey yourself.” Kissing his cheek softly before pulling away.  “Yeah, I was just out of it from yesterday. It was a really long day and I just needed to recover.” He intertwined your hand with his left. “So, what first?”

“Well, in this building, is a carousel that’s over 100 years old. I thought we should go for a spin,” he says, eyes and smile both bright. “Technically it’s a merry-go-round since there are other animals besides horses that you can ride.”

“Look at you with the knowledge!” You squeeze his hand and walk to the entrance.

Tim paid for the tickets and you both entered the line to wait for your turn. After a short wait you both picked your horses and had a pretend race. Even though your horses were side by side, yours was slightly more forward, but Tim joked the whole time that he was gaining on you.

After your very tiring race, you both decided you needed food. Tim grabbed a couple of hot dogs and a large portion of fries while you picked up a funnel cake with strawberries and extra whipped cream. You both met up at a picnic table for your mini feast.

“I think your eyes are bigger than your stomach. There’s no way you’re eating this,” he gestures to your hot dog and a pile of fries, “plus some of that,” pointing to the very large funnel cake.

“I think there’s a lot about me you have yet to find out.” You said while grabbing a fry and stuffing it in your mouth.

“Oh, I bet.” Tim said grabbing a handful of fries and shoving them in his mouth.

Since the sun was still warm in the sky, you both walked down to the beach, removed your shoes and walked along the shore. The water was still freezing but the late afternoon sun helped. You picked a few shells off the beach and after gently cleaning them off in the ocean water, Tim stored them in his pockets.

“I’m glad today worked out. I feel bad that I’m only really free on Sundays.” He said.

“It’s alright. We’re still just getting to know each other. I’m sure you could squeeze me in more if we continue to, I don’t know, get to know each other.” You said with a laugh. Why am I so awkward?

Tim stopped walking suddenly, almost making you trip on your own feet. He turned to you, taking both of your hands in his and stood there with intense eyes. Looking like a prince from some sort of fairytale. You on the other hand stood there, mouth agape, with your hair in your face. If he weren’t holding both of your hands you would be taming your mane. “I want to continue to get to know you Y/N. From what I know so far, I really like.”

He started to lean down to kiss you, but the he noticed your mess of hair. He released your hands and gently tucked your hair behind your ears and kissed you. Man is he smooth.

The kiss started slow and tender, but once you slipped your arms around his waist, you both let go. You parted your lips inviting him in and he eagerly accepted. Tongues clashing for dominance. Hands pulling each other as close as possible. Tim slid his hand down to your ass and squeezed. You heard a couple of cat calls and whistles causing your both to break apart laughing. Your cheeks were warm with embarrassment, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of Tim. Smiling at each other like a couple of teenagers.

After a little shopping on the pier, picking up a few candles and bath bombs, Tim walked you to your car. You stood against the driver’s side door with Tim leaning against you, both of his hands gripping your arms. He licks his lips and smiles. “Any way I can convince you to come back to my place tonight?” He asks.

You heart flutters and your pulse quickens. You really want to, boy do you want to, but you aren’t there yet. You know going back to his place means more than just watching a movie or a glass a wine. Going back to his place is that next step. A more intimate step. One that you weren’t quite ready to make. You quickly tried to come up with an excuse but in the end decided the truth was the best option.

“I really, really want to.” Biting your lip, you continued. “I’m just not ready yet. Please don’t take this as a cop out, but I haven’t been in a relationship for a while, so I’m just not there.”

“Oh. No, I totally get that. Yeah. That’s, that’s fine.”

Well, now you felt like shit.

“I just really want to spend more time with you before we get that point.”

He nodded his head and leaned down to kiss you. It was soft and warm, not rushed like earlier. He pulled away and kissed your forehead, holding the kiss there for a while. “Then, well wait.” He smiled and you pulled him back down for another kiss before saying goodnight and driving home.

Monday morning brought good news. Colleen had called both Juliet and yourself into her office. She was very impressed with how you both handled the wedding on Saturday and with how well you both had worked together. As a reward, her word, not yours, you and Juliet would be solely in charge of a dinner party being held on Friday. A good portion of the business your company worked on were dinner parties or parties in general. Usually they were wealthy clients who didn’t want to work with a catering company directly, so instead hired an event coordinator to manage that for them. Everything was already planned and, in the works, you and Juliet would just be there to make sure everything went smoothly and to supervise any staff working the party.

As soon as you were dismissed, you rushed back to your desk and fired off a text to Victoria about your exciting news. Of course, she already knew and sent affirmations about what a good employee you are and how this is well deserved. There was one other person you really wanted to text, but you weren’t sure if you should. Yes, you and Chris spoke at his party, but it still felt unresolved. Why not, I’m just going to do it!

Y/N: I get to co-manage an event this week!

No immediate response was received, so you threw your phone in your handbag and carried on with your day. Not until some time later did you question why you hadn’t thought of telling Tim instead of Chris. You’d have to think on that one later.

The week carried on with a couple of late-night planning sessions with Juliet, usually at a wine bar, but it was work none the less. You never did hear back from Chris. Your optimistic side said he was busy. You’d settle for that for now.

Tim met you for coffee on Thursday. He picked the coffee house that you had your first date in. It was nice and you enjoyed seeing him sooner in the week than your usual Sunday. He would be coming by for dinner at your place on Sunday. You decided to keep it easy with pizza and beer. Tim was a wonderful cook, so you’d leave the cooking to him.

All day Friday you were on cloud nine. Juliet seemed to be in the same mood and you both floated about the office. You even went as far as grabbing lunch for everyone, even the interns. Nothing could spoil your mood.

At 4 pm, Juliet and yourself arrived at the client, Sarah Johnson’s home. Sarah was hosting a dinner for 10 friends, 12 counting herself and her husband Zack. Knowing that people often brought an extra plus one of two, you made sure the catering team with prepared for 15.

While Sarah’s home was luxurious on the inside with a rather large dinning room, the outside was even grander. Her patio was as large as most people’s living rooms. The outside had two separate seating areas with couches and chairs. The seating area to the right had a gas fire pit that was to be turned on right before guests arrived. Even though it wasn’t requested, you brought graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate bars, and skewers for s’mores. This was definitely a Hollywood dinner party, but who doesn’t enjoy s’mores as a great after-dinner treat?

The seating area to the left was pushed further down the patio to make room for a large table. The rental company was there and ready to set up when you both arrived. Juliet was stationed in the house waiting for the catering team while you stayed outside directing where the table and chairs would be placed. 

Once everything was moved into position you started to set and decorate the table. Several bunches of flowers were already waiting in water buckets to be placed in the small square vases you brought. Dried branches and clear glass beads were sprinkled on the pale pink table cloth. You set the table for 12, keeping a few extra place settings in the kitchen just in case. The flowers and fragrance-free candles were placed last. The Johnson’s large swimming pool had several water and lighting features, so you played with them until you found a setting that fit the mood. 

You checked in the with Juliet who was being kept busy with both Sarah and the caterer. Guests would be arriving any minute now so you ran to the bathroom off the kitchen to freshen up. Hearing new voices, you quickly exited the bathroom and excused yourself back outside. A few guests made their way outside with Sarah and Zack in tow. Minutes later drinks were brought outside by one of the servers and Juliet. Seeing that both Sarah and Zack were outside entertaining about half the guests, you decided to go back inside to greet the guests as they arrived and usher them outside. 

The party was on the younger side. Sarah and Zack were about your age, in their mid 30s, but the majority of their friends were in their early to mid 20s. You had counted eight guests so far including Zack and Sarah. You shot Juliet a text that two more guests had just pulled up. A young woman in her early 20s, wearing a short tight black dress started her way up the walk. You opened the door with a smile plastered on your face. “Welcome,” you greeted. 

“Thank you so much. I’m just waiting for my date, he had run back to the car.” You nodded your head and held the door. She was blonde with large sparkling blue eyes and a perfect smile. “This is a beautiful home, I just love it here.” And she’s even really friendly.

“It is a gorgeous home.” You said with a smile.

“I’m Hannah by the way.” She stuck her hand out and you gave her yours telling her your name as well. You heard some shuffling at the door and looked up to see Chris walking in. He looked at you but didn’t say anything. You didn’t say anything either, but that’s only because you were you were so surprised to see him. “There you are. I was getting worried.” She giggled. 

“Sorry about that.” He grabbed her hand and started to walk into the house further.

“H-hi Chris.” He turned his headed and nodded to you. The asshole just nodded. I am sure Hannah just thought you were a fan, you were mortified.

“Is everyone outside Y/N?” Hannah asked.

Taking a quick breath and composing yourself, you nodded and gestured with your hand. “Yes, right this way. Is there anything you would like to drink?”

“Vodka tonic for me and a beer, right honey?” She said.

“Yes, please.” He replied, looking everywhere but at you.

“Of course, I’ll have it brought out to you. Enjoy the party.”

You quickly told the bartender their order and pointed out who the drinks would be going to and excused yourself to the bathroom. You just needed a minute. Him being here was unexpected but this was your and Juliet’s chance to make an impression. Surely if tonight went well, you would be given the chance to take the lead in the future. If he wanted to play it off as if he didn’t know you, so be it.

After touching up your hair and a few calming breaths, you left the bathroom with a smile plastered on your face.

The rest of the evening went smoothly. You treated Chris as you would any guest and the evening was a success. High praise was given for the s’mores, especially after many alcoholic beverages were consumed. You and a couple of the servers did have to assist with the marshmallows after a few fell into the fire and on the ground.

Everything was cleaned up and put back in place around midnight and you were thankful. It took a lot of effort to ignore Chris ignoring you. Smiling throughout the night wasn’t all that easy, but Juliet hadn’t noticed, so you called it a success.

On your drive home you decided you were done with Chris Evans. So much for the “we’re fine, we’re friends” comment he said last weekend.

After getting home, you jumped in your shower, and then changed into a large t-shirt for bed. Grabbing your phone to plug it in, you had one missed called and three text messages. All from Chris. Clicking open the text thread you found yourself getting angry.

Chris: Could you call me when you get this?

Chris: I just want to talk to you.

Chris: Let me explain.

Turning off your phone, you placed it back on the night stand and tried to fall asleep. You had to stop in the office for a couple of hours so you wanted to be rested. Except you couldn’t. You kept thinking about Chris. His behavior the last few weeks and the person you knew him to be shortly after you had met, they weren’t the same person. Even though he acted like you were a stranger tonight, you were more upset with him at the party last weekend. While he said you were still friends, he never apologized when he knew you were hurt. And now he wants to talk? What’s that all about. Would it be mature if I texted back Fuck you? This was something you would have to think on. As it stood now, you didn’t plan on calling or texting him back.

@crimeshowtrash @cocomel0613 @flamencodiva @the—blackdahlia @thefandomzoneisdangerous @maddie-laufeyson @shameless-pope @tessvillegas @pivans @angelus320 @symonlyjen5 @inlovewith3 @humandasaster @sleepylunarwolf @ fanfiiiiiiics

[dirigibleplumbing]

capimrecweek - fluffy Thursday

Enjoy some fluff for @cap-ironman rec week! 

Never Be Alone by thepartyresponsible (MCU) Summary: Steve comes jogging up the path in a pair of offensively small bright blue jogging shorts. He’s shirtless and windswept and glistening – actually glistening – in the warm sunset glow. “Sweet abs of liberty,” Tony says, hooking his sunglasses down his nose to get a better look. “Of thee I sing,” Clint intones, reverently. Comments: Join the team in Tony’s beautiful oceanside safehouse for flirting, drinking, objectifying Steve, bantering, bickering, and, of course, a happy ending. 

hypothetically... by Mizzy (616) Summary: Steve accidentally finds out that Tony Stark is Iron Man. He methodically and hypothetically works through what to do about it. Comments: This is funny and sweet and left me with a big grin on my face. 

Rule Change by FestiveFerret (MCU) Summary: So many things are different for Steve in the future. Some are worse, some are better. Tony wants to help him figure it out. Comments: Look, this fic made me care about baseball. I can’t tell you how little I usually care about baseball. That’s how good this story is. 

I'm Not Really a Waitress (The Swan out of Duckling Remix) by Sineala (Ultimates) Summary: Steve asks Tony to paint his nails for him. Comments: Guh. Tony takes such good care of Steve and I love it. 

With My Own Two Hands by Sineala (616) Summary: When Steve and Tony's safeword jokes turn serious and the two of them embark on a D/s relationship, Steve discovers just how much he enjoys taking care of Tony. Comments: I adore this. If you like service top Steve, you will too. 

We’ve Got a Mystery to Solve, So Be Ready For Your Act by Meatball42 (MCU AU) Summary: Clint, Natasha, Steve, Thor, and Bruce of Mystery Inc. get their biggest client yet when they are hired by Stark Industries. Will the team manage to solve the mystery, make a match or two, and secure a tax-qualified, defined-contribution pension account? Or will the various chemicals they've imbibed produce only chaos? Comments: A hilarious Scooby Doo AU. I barely know anything about Scooby Doo, but I knew plenty for this story, which is delightful and funny and good. 

You fit me better (than my terrible clothes) by nanasekei (616) Summary: The t-shirt was the most hideous shade of green, which, combined with the plaid pattern, created something downright atrocious. And those shoes – they dissented from the entire outfit, somehow too formal and also ready to fall apart at the same time. The jacket was okay, but it clashed terribly with the shirt, its brown leather matching the shoes way more than advisable.All in all, the khakis were the most acceptable part of the whole look – a sentence Tony had never thought would cross his mind. -Or: Tony didn’t set out to become obsessed with Steve’s terrible fashion sense. Really. It just… happened. Comments: A character study through clothes and feelings and fluff. 

Tony Stark, Instagramming Menace by Sadisticsparkle (sadisticsparkle) (Marvel Adventures: Avengers) Summary: After Karl the Ex-Con Intern gets into a Twitter war with other scientists with a half-baked conspiracy theory about pigeons, vampires, vampire-pigeons, aliens and the Golden Gate Bridge, Tony Stark has to take matters into his own hands. It's grueling work but at least he has the help of Steve's Twitter Intern! Because surely Captain America doesn't have the time to handle his own social media, right? (Spoilers: he does.) Comments: What could be cuter than MA:A social media flirting and misunderstandings?! 

Admiring the Scenery by Annie D (scaramouche) (MCU) Summary: Steve’s used to people checking him out, but when Tony does it, it feels… different. Comments: Great dialogue, Steve POV, and objectifying Steve. 

In Sunshine or in Shadow by Wordsplat (1872) Summary: Steve never actually thought his wildest dream would come true. Apparently, neither did Tony. Comments: This is the fluff that 1872 needs. Let the cowboy cuties be happy! 

More rec lists on my rec lists tag.

[savingpartoftheworld]

Saving Part of the World - Part Two - Chapter Sixteen

Summary: Set after G-Rev, the World Championships have come to Belfast, Northern Ireland in the hopes of spreading the interest and drawing in tourists. In between all the teen angst and the team drama, something powerful and hungry lurks on the horizon and with the help of the beybladers, it may just destroy part of the world.

Rated: T for cursing and mild violence

Ships: Hints of Mariah/Rei, Hilary/Tyson, Enrique/Julia

Previous Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven EightNineTenEleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen

The conference room of the Odyssey was in chaos. Lights burned onto the canvas of the top wall, making shadows flee to the back. A machine gusted a strong breeze that did little to alleviate the rising temperature. Assistants scrambled, tilting reflective screens while a photographer ducked and dodged in front of the posing couple, calling out orders and coaxing smouldering looks. 

Ming-Ming paused to survey the scene. No amateur affair, she mused, but hardly something to rival the magazine photo shoots she frequented to promote her albums. Not to mention the lack of enthusiasm exhibited by the models gathered within the room. She eyed the cluster of bladers huddling together at the back of the room while she made a few more notes on her tablet. 

The photographer crouched down, camera up, and tried to cajole Julia — who'd been quite enjoying the camera's attention — closer to an equally unimpressed Enrique. Ming-Ming stifled a sigh. So that was her team Europe and where was Eoin? Nowhere to be seen, again. This was becoming a joke, a farce. She was half tempted to go to Dickinson and demand his expulsion from the team. The guy had less team spirit than Kai Hiwatari and Bryan Kuznetsov combined. 

At least Bryan had made an appearance and standing in the corner with his other two cronies. She couldn't wait to get Tala in front of the camera. With his cheekbones and jawline and that vivid colouring, oh he’d be popular with nonblading fans. The boy was billboard material and add in his disdainful attitude, he’d make the WBBA a lot of money. Which was fantastic, except for the team posters, the Blitzboys were lacking a certain important teammate. She scowled and made another note on her tablet. Hiwatari had promised to show and she believed that promise. He marched to his own beat, yes, but he wasn't a flake when it came to the sport, he just had no punctuality; Eoin, on the other hand, was a, what was the cute Irish term she’d heard, oh yes, a piss-taker.

"Ming-Ming?"

"Hikaru can you please phone back this company" — she handed Hikaru the letter — "and tell them if they want to sponsor the tournament, they'll need to get their placard and posters into me before close of business tomorrow, otherwise they'll miss out. I can't wait all day for them, my media team is almost ready to go." 

She shoved up the frames of her nonprescription glasses — a trick she’d picked up from a famous actress who explained the genius of props in changing people’s perceptions — and frowned at the email on her screen. "Why am I being billed for a bench in the changing rooms?"

"The maintenance team say someone scratched it but I checked it and here are the photos.” 

Ming-Ming peered at the screen. “It looks like someone welded it together. Badly. There’s no finesse. They’re saying we did this?” 

She opened her mouth to put forth a denial, then slumped. There was nothing to suggest one of the bladers hadn’t contributed to this. For Venus's sake. "Right, no more blading in the changing rooms. Honestly, who does that? Get signs up for those idiots and..." 

Across the room, Julia muttered a loud curse and smacked Enrique’s hand. Ming-Ming figured he deserved it but she’d deal with that in a second. If Julia stormed off stage, well she’d worry about that then. “When would someone find the time to weld a bench together? I can believe they scratched it but welding? Puh-lease. Get someone down there to make sure it didn't happen before we took over that section. Maybe they’re trying to con money from us and we can’t afford to just pay — Where did the Blitzkreig Boys get alcohol from?!” she demanded, mouth dropping as the trio knocked back a shot from a hip flask. "Are you kidding me? Go take that off them, I'm not having a photo shoot with drunk Russians." 

And if Tala looked bleary-eyed in those photos, she'd lose money! Unless it made him look sleepy-eyed and sexy... No, definitely not. "What are you waiting for Hikaru?"

Hikaru wrung her hands but eventually spread them helplessly. ”You don't pay me enough to take a drink from the Blitzkrieg boys, I'm sorry Ming-Ming. I'll go do those other duties."

That was fair, Ming-Ming wasn’t sure that she, herself, was paid enough to take alcohol from the Blitzkrieg Boys, but it had to be done. Tapping on her screen, she glanced up when the photographer ordered Enrique and Julia closer only for Julia to snarl something in Spanish. Surprisingly Enrique seemed to understand enough to rattle something back at her until they were both nose to nose, simmering with fury. 

The photographer — Leon? It was probably Leon — sent Ming-Ming a questioning look. She flashed a thumbs up; of course, she wanted photos of them bickering, the more sexual tension she could create for them, the better her chances of selling merchandise. People loved a romance, even if it was fabricated. 

Realising they were now becoming the centre of attention for the wrong reasons, Enrique and Julia started to pose like consummate professionals. At least they liked the camera, which was more than she could hope for from the other teams. 

Was that another shot?!

Right, that was it, she had to do something about the Blitzkrieg Boys and their obvious alcoholic issues. 

Just as she mustered the courage to march over there — repeating over and over just what she would say to them — the door opened and the Russian midget barrelled into the room bringing a blessedly cool draft, followed by Hilary Tachibana and Kai Hiwatari. Thank god. 

“What is this? Who is that?” 

Ming-Ming veered off course, and caught Ian by the arm, cutting off his barrage of questions, as she began to lead him back to the door. 

“Kai, go next door and get ready. I want to get your team through this before they're too drunk.”

“What is this?” Kai repeated Ian's question, digging his hands deeper into his pockets as if he could burrow away. 

“Questions later, you need to — what did you do to your face?” she demanded, not even bothering with tact because who had time for that nonsense when Hilary was trying out for the role of Rudolph in a pantomime no one wanted to see!

“It’s not that bad,” Hilary muttered, hand rising to cover the neon flesh.

Bad was an understatement. “Go next door to the makeup guys and get ready.”

"Wait, am I being photographed?" 

"Yes, everyone's being photographed." Ming-Ming shoved them out of the door with a scowl. 

Ian planted his feet, his expression solidifying into mutinous. “Why?” 

“Because I want photos,” she explained, motioning to the setup. “They’re for posters and promotional material; for going on the website and other things.” Really, this is why Dickinson hired her. Bladers never thought of anything but the game. 

“Why do I have to go?”

“You’re a member of the Blitzkrieg Boys aren’t you?”

Hilary stroked her nose. “Is Kenny going to be in the Bladebreakers one?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Now hurry up. I’ve got a schedule to keep.” God, you’d think they didn’t understand how teams worked. Just because they might not have been in the arena didn’t mean they weren’t part of the team, didn’t mean the fans didn’t know who they were. 

She huffed out a breath, then scowled when she realised Ian hadn’t moved but was warily watching her. “What?! Why aren’t you in makeup? Do you know how long it’ll take them to transform you into a human?” She so did not have time for this. 

“But I’m not the team. I’m just computer guy.”

“You are part of the team so stop fighting with me,” she ordered and swiped at the screen of her tablet to jot down a reminder to get the Blitzkrieg Boys matching jackets. Team USA and the Bladebreakers had them, as did the new continental teams, but she couldn’t ever remember the Blitzkrieg Boys sporting a team jacket or even team colours. Tala for god knows what reason insisted on wearing orange jackets that clashed with his hair while the other two looked like lumberjacks about to venture into the great unknown. That would have to end. Uniformity was key and also great for merchandising. Team Europe would need ones too, blue with yellow perhaps? Something to get Hikaru working on. 

She stomped back into the room, bypassed the Australian Team who, with the help of Team Africa, were mocking the heat of the room and how certain teams couldn’t handle it, probably in reference to Michael who was fanning himself with a paper plate. 

Ming-Ming came to a halt in front of the Russians and nipped the flask from their grasp. 

“No,” she told them. “You’ll get this back at the end of the shoot. For the meantime, there is coffee over there and water. Sober up!”

Turning on her heel, she stalked back out of the room and headed for her office before the headache throbbing at her temples escalated to a full-on pound. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for this much stress. She was a performer which meant people told her where to stand, how to act, what to do. Now, here she was taking charge, conducting a global event on her own and she was terrified of messing it up. 

Her heels clicked over the tiles and then thudded when she reached the carpeted floor of her office. Tossing her stuff onto the leather couch, she crossed to the desk and shrugged off her jacket, rolling her shoulders and kicking off her heels. 

Better, so much better, she mused as she tiptoed over to the window and studied the city rising over the river, orange lights creating shadows in the fading blue sky. 

“So this is where you retreat to?”

Ming-Ming stiffened but plastered on a polite smile as she turned to greet her guest. “Miguel.” 

She moved to her desk and took her seat; petty but, as a performer, she was all about the illusions. 

“Ming-Ming,” he greeted. “Got some time to talk?”

“I spoke enough at the conference last night, as any other reporter knows. So why are you here and how did you get past security? You’re not a blader anymore.”

He flashed a reckless grin and she scowled. Miguel was a pain in her backside. The worst kind of journalist when it came to the BBA because he knew exactly what went on behind the scenes and had so many sources and contacts that it was almost impossible to stop him from getting the latest scoops. Ming-Ming liked controlling her leaks but Miguel tended to preempt her time and time again. Such as an exclusive with Mr Dickinson which had appeared in the morning paper. 

“Just curious about how this is going down? Thought I’d check in with the European team. Seems they’re having a bit of trouble, you know anything about this?”

“Such as?”

“They’ve only got three players and the Irish guy isn’t showing up to practice.”

“Not my problem Miguel, in fact, you’re partially to blame for that. Mathilda was supposed to join but, what was your response, oh yes, you don’t want Enrique near her.” She sent him a blade sharp smile. “I’m simply in charge of setting up the tournament and making sure it goes smoothly for the public. The teams are their own people and I cannot interfere with them. Four members were sent tickets for the tournament, I can’t be blamed if one of them wasn’t allowed to get on the plane.”

“Heard people were expecting me,” he said, seating himself down opposite her. He wore stonewashed jeans, faded and comfortable with a pale blue shirt rolled up at the sleeves. His blonde hair was a mess of tufts and his blue eyes were scrutinising the desk in a way that made her want to stand before him and spread her arms, protecting everything from his all-seeing gaze. 

She wished she still wore her jacket, at least that could have acted like a tiny bit of armour. Instead, she folded her arms and leaned back in her seat. It took all of her skill as a diplomat to deal with Miguel since he’d become a freelance reporter on all things Beyblade. “I gave no one the impression that you would be taking a place on the European team. As you have so often told me, you are an unbiased reporter of the truth in Beyblade.” Her tone was scoffing as her temper began to rise. 

“I’m an honest man, Ming-Ming.”

“Yes,” she placated, with a tight smile. Her fingers itched to grab for her tablet once more but she couldn’t while the snoopy journalist was around. He stuck his nose into everything. Ideally, he shouldn’t have been handsome, nor should he have looked like he belonged outdoors. That wasn’t how a journalist was supposed to look. But because he did, he charmed people into telling him their innermost secrets and spoiled all her surprises. How the hell had he gotten past security anyway? She was going to get Hikaru to write a strongly worded email — if she didn’t rip the staff a new one herself. 

“You’re pouting Ming-Ming. Do you not like it when I question you?”

She released a deep breath, deciding that she really should be magnanimous for the sake of the tournament. “Miguel, I don’t know what you’re insinuating or what you really believe, but I desperately want this tournament to be the best tournament ever. I have no intention of letting it become a hell on earth spectacle. I want people to watch this and become enthusiastic about the sport. This will be amazing and there are no secrets for you to unearth.”

“Then why have you banned all major news networks from filming and insisting that the only commentators be Brad Best and AJ Topper?”

“Because those contracts may bring money in, in the short run, but they cost us loyalty. I want fans to be able to see the sport anywhere without restrictions. Those cable networks demand payment to see the sport but it can be easily watched on our site for free or on any of the screens around the arena; people can even come down and fill the empty seats. I want this arena to be packed with people. Besides, who better than Brad and AJ to understand the nuances of the sport? And they’re subtitled for foreign channels. I’m trying to keep it real, not to make it bigger than it needs to be. We’re still building the WBBA up.”

There that sounded satisfactorily clear. He couldn’t possibly pick on… She watched as he wrote something in his notebook, waving it slightly. She knew that mannerism; that was his ‘I-have-something-to-say-but-I’m-unsure-how-to-broach-it’ move. 

“What about the sightings of Brooklyn and Mystel in the city?”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

Brooklyn and Mystel were in here, in the city? Why hadn’t they told her? Neither of them had replied to her last email but she just thought they were incommunicado, out in some mountainous area so remote that it still used pigeon express (she’d been tempted to get a pigeon but Garland talked her out of that). If they were coming to the tournament, they would have told her. 

She strained to keep her expression politely interested as Miguel watched her quietly. 

“I imagine that this was a publicity stunt or someone simply imagined it. If not, then they are merely visiting the city and there is no reason why they cannot come to the tournament as fans of the sport themselves. If you’re asking me if they’re registered to participate in the tournament, I can tell you now that they are not. Miguel, you are simply trying to find something wrong, and everything here is good. I made sure of it. I will not allow anything or anyone to jeopardise this tournament. It will be amazing.”

“And Boris?”

“Boris?” she queried, then her expression crumpled and she dropped her forehead to her open palm. “Boris isn’t here, Miguel,” she groaned, lifting her gaze to beseech his. “Boris has nothing to do with WBBA. He’s in prison.”

“He’s missing.”

“Are you certain?” Stupid question. Of course, he was; he wouldn’t say it unless he knew for sure. 

“According to my sources, he was being transferred between two facilities when there was an accident and he went missing. Am I to believe that is merely a coincidence? Boris goes missing, and Brooklyn and Mystel show up here to a tournament you’re running. Sounds like a nice BEGA reunion.”

She blew out a breath and clenched her fists, barely maintaining control. “Well, here’s an idea Miguel. You go to the airport and you stake it out and if you see him, you report him immediately to the police and get him rearrested as a fugitive because I’m telling you now, Boris has nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, to do with this tournament.” She rose to her feet. “Now, if you’re finished interviewing me, I have somewhere to be and things to be doing. Good evening, Miguel.” 

She shot to her feet and grabbing her jacket and tablet from the couch, she stalked out of her office and headed in the direction of the conference room. 

-

“Did you see how pissed off Ming-Ming was when she came back? I thought she was going to bite Enrique,” Michael said with a smirk aimed at the blonde Italian. 

“He would have enjoyed it,” Julia muttered, muffling a yawn. The evening had dragged on and on as the photographer circulated through the teams, taking individual shots, group shots, rival shots, and so many shots of Tyson and Kai that he must have filled up rolls of film on those two alone. Now Julia was exhausted and all she wanted was her bed, but the idea of getting up and dragging herself to her room seemed like an untenable task. 

She groaned as Enrique’s shoulder jolted under her cheek but she was too tired to even move, never mind scald him with a look. It was his own fault anyway. She’d called dibs on the couch and he’d thrown himself on to it, sending her a shit-eating grin, so she sat on him. Eventually, after many elbows to the stomach, they’d arranged themselves in a more comfortable, almost companionable, seated tangle on the couch. 

“Not everyone is into your brand of kink, Julia. Though if you wanted me to play—”

She made a halfhearted attempt to punch him but the angle was wrong and her arms felt like lead. All the hours she spent launching blades and posing had turned her muscles to jelly. She was so pathetic, though she took comfort in knowing the rest of her competitors were feeling the same. In the corner of the lounge, Ian slouched in an armchair, watching the DVD player propped on his knees. Hilary had retreated to bed with Emily quickly following, claiming she had some aloe vera gel. Rei and Mariah were out on a date, taking advantage of another night of delays in the tournament while Tyson and Max were huddled around Kenny looking at blade porn. Daichi occupied the other couch snoring loudly much to the amusement of Team Australia, though the fact that one of them was fiddling with a black marker concerned her a little. If they moved an inch towards Daichi, she’d say something. Daichi may have been a loud mouth chaotic whirlwind, but she kind of enjoyed his presence. 

Michael shifted in his seat and finally stopped staring down her top long enough to make eye contact. “So where’s your brother, Ralph? I thought he’d be here to battle.”

“Raul. He got a job offer before the tournament was announced, so he’s following his dream and performing magic shows for children on a cruise boat.” That still stung. It was weird being at a tournament without her brother, but he wanted to pursue a dream that didn’t involve blading competitively. She couldn’t even imagine a life that didn’t involve her blade. Oh she knew he used it in his tricks and that working with children satisfied him on a level she couldn’t understand, but still, she felt lonely without him. Especially when she was stuck on a team with a no-show and Enrique of the roaming hands. When she was more energetic and when the tournament was over, she’d consider breaking his thumb. 

"Ian, go to bed."

Julia startled at the sudden appearance of Spencer. For such a large man, he was surprisingly silent. He leaned down and shook Ian's shoulder, catching the boy's hands when the midget came up swinging. Amused, Julia glanced at Enrique with a grin but it died when she saw the sober expression he wore as he watched. Right, the Blitzkrieg Boys had one of those child horror backstories.

"What the hell Spencer?"

"You were falling asleep. It's probably time for you to go up to your room."

Ian's expression turned petulant when he looked to the bar and saw Bryan and Tala still standing beside it. "Are you going to bed?"

"Yes, Ian, very soon. Bryan wants to finish his drink."

Ian nodded, then covered his mouth as he yawned widely. Over his head, Spencer and Tala exchanged a look that lured the lanky redhead from the bar. Julia admired his approach and smiled faintly as he and Spencer exchanged another silent conversation. Maybe they had terrible childhoods and torments no one could truly understand, but from that they'd formed bonds, become brothers. It didn't make their experiences okay by any means, but it was always uplifting to see something good and true come from the wrecks of despair. 

Tala bent over and Julia tilted her head, jerking when Enrique elbowed her and sent her a smug look. She rolled her eyes. So what?! Tala had a nice backside. Most Beybladers did and she wasn't going to not look, especially when he bent over in front of her wearing really tight trousers. 

Scooping up the tablet, Tala frowned at the screen. "Hey, what's this? Are you spying on your girlfriend?" 

As he angled it so Spencer could look, pushing Ian back onto the chair when he lunged for the tablet, Julia caught sight of a video playing of a girl curled up on a couch sipping from a mug. So Ian was some kind of voyeur? 

"She was supposed to gloat. She's not gloating," Ian muttered, snatching the tablet back and allowing Spencer to escort him to the stairs, clearly ignoring the lecture about stalking he was receiving from his older brother. 

“Oi, Granger, where’s Hiwatari?” 

Tyson glanced up from Kenny’s laptop and jerked a shoulder, as he straightened with a stretch. “No clue. Probably practicing somewhere.”

“Typical, he’ll not practice with us but instead he’ll go out at night to practice. Bryan! Come on. I need sleep.”

“You need Kuznetsov to hold your hand?” Michael baited. 

“No,” Tala replied, eyes cool. “Making sure Bryan goes to bed means you don’t end up dead or at least in hospital.”

Michael sent him a dark look, but when Tala’s blood red brow rose in challenge, Michael glanced at the bar and paled. Julia followed to see Bryan’s wicked sharp grin fade into a malicious smirk before he set the glass down and headed to the elevator. Tala bowed low and mocking, then followed. 

Michael shot to his feet and stalked to the bar, as others drifted upstairs, leaving only the vaguest smattering of bladers and a group of visitors who occupied the tall table near the fire exit. A while later, Enrique finally untangled himself to go to the bathroom, leaving Julia sprawled out on the couch. She snuggled down into the cushioned surface and breathed in the sweet chemical scented fragrance - obviously some kind of fabric freshener - and closed her eyes.

She probably would have dropped off, if not for the squeak of springs and the something that nudged her foot. She pried open an eye and blearily frowned at Michael, sprawled in the chair across from her again, nursing a coke - possibly with an addition. 

“Yes.”

“So what’s the deal with you and Enrique then?”

Her and Enrique? Ha, bar Ming-Ming’s audacious and frankly obvious plan to make them her Romeo and Juliet playthings? 

“Yeah, I’ve seen the articles speculating about you two.” He leaned forward, eager for news. 

Flinging a hand over her eyes to shield them from the harsh glare as she flopped onto her back, she groaned. “Don’t be such an American Stereotype Michael, falling in with your peers, gasping for gossip and believing the hype the media sells you.” 

“You sure looked cosy on that couch together.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Because I was too tired to move, and now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to my room to sleep.”

Not giving Michael time to respond, she grabbed her jacket and headed for the stairs, fiddling in her pocket for her key card and giving her phone another glance. 

“Raul not responding to your texts?”

She glanced up as Enrique fell into step with her, eyes heavy, blond curls flattened, with a bottle of water in one hand and the other stuck in the pocket of his jacket. He should have looked tired and worn, but instead, he just looked rumpled and handsome. It was a curse of his genes, she decided. “Hmm?”

He motioned with the bottle to her phone. “You keep checking it.”

“Oh, no, it’s not Raul.” She jerked a shoulder. “I sent a message to Eoin, I figured he could at least show his face for the photos but no response.”

Enrique heaved a sigh, expression bitterly resigned. “Of course he didn’t.”

“Yeah,” she muttered, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. “So I was thinking—” she ducked under his arm as he held the door open for her and they began to ascend the stairs “— maybe we should pay him a visit, let him know we’re not taking this attitude from him anymore. He’s part of this team, he needs to commit. We’re not going to carry him anymore, so we track him down and drag him to practice or we kick him off the team.”

Enrique curved his hand around the newel post and raked his free hand through his hair and making a small moue when he found it to not be perfectly tousled. “You’re right. I initially considered talking to Dickinson, but going to him about it feels a lot like telling tales.”

“Exactly.” She pressed her hands against the cool wall, leaning back against them as she studied the ceiling, a simple distraction from looking at the boy beside her. Not that she could hide from his cologne, warm, spicy with just a hint of heat. Expensive. Enrique smelled expensive. Another tick in the con column. “Raul suggested the same thing but if the media hears about it, it’ll be twisted, like we’re the divas who don’t want to play with the amateur, and it’s not that, we were all amateurs once.”

Enrique snorted and quirked a brow. “I was never an amateur.”

She refused to be charmed by his cockiness. “No, you came out of the womb using your umbilical cord to launch your blade. But not all of us are as special as you. We give Eoin his chance, if he squanders it…” Well, she didn’t know what they could do. While a two-man team was perfectly fine during the previous tournament where most teams relied on two players for the match, a two-man team in a tournament where three players were the very least a team could comfortably compete with would just be exhausting. Even if they managed to take down one team, they would be too wrecked to even consider another full-on match. No, whatever they did, they could not kick Eoin off the team.  

“We’ll sort that out if that happens. Worst case scenario, I force Miguel to play. He owes us,” Enrique added darkly. 

Right, the cheating incident that caused both Robert and Johnny to rage quit Beyblade. She couldn’t imagine that happening. There was a bad history there. “No, let’s find a way to make him work for us.” She tapped her fingers against the wall. “The media pays him a lot of attention. What if his diva attitude got released to the papers? That might teach him a lesson. After all, he’s an amateur, he’s not going to be used to dealing with the media the way we are.”

Enrique flashed a grin, blue eyes bright. “You’re quite devious, Julia. I like that.”

She met his grin with a subtle curve of her lips, reluctantly amused by his pleasure in her vindictiveness. Still, she pushed away from the wall and made her way up the stairs, pausing when she reached the landing to look down at him. He propped himself against bannister, expression mockingly subservient. 

“I’m going to bed. Make sure you’re up early tomorrow so we can go issue our ultimatum to our wayward teammate.”

“But of course, captain.”

She flicked him a dark look over her shoulder as she flipped her hair and stepped into the hushed silence of the corridor. 

-

Kai woke suddenly, mind alert, eyes opened and his heart beating so fast it would have escaped but for his ribs keeping it hostage. For a moment he lay in the dark, struggling to figure out where he was. Not at home in the quiet, hollow mansion with only servants and a butler for company, and there was no breathing or long sawing snores from the corner of the room, so he wasn’t at school. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, frowning at the faint glow of light from… the bathroom. He was in the hotel. Of course. The tournament, and Rei had moved into a room with Mariah, leaving him with a room to himself. 

He stretched his arm over to the bedside table and grabbed his phone. As it lit up, he squinted and read the time. 03:46. 

Better than most nights, he mused, lying back and drawing the covers up over his shoulders, protecting the bared skin from the cold. 

 A door slammed somewhere down the corridor and he jolted, then rolled his eyes as he heard Hilary’s frantic whispers and Tyson’s barely muted scolding. Then Daichi said something, the words blocked by the walls and the door slammed once again. With a shake of his head, Kai sat up and reached for Dranzer, nestled safely under his pillow and he ran a hand over his face, hoping to chase away the exhaustion threatening to crush him but he was awake and he wouldn’t sleep now. 

Rolling his neck to ease the crick, he kicked off his covers and searched the floor for a pair of socks. Tugging them on, he grabbed a vest and his bomber jacket, and shrugging them on, he headed for the door. A few seconds later, shoes on and key card in hand, with Dranzer tucked into the inside pocket of his jacket, he left his room to go get some practice and didn’t notice the strange shade of moonlight seeping through the blinds casting green lines onto the white duvet.