#his name is Nils and I love him | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

capquinn · 8 months ago

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「 ✦ CAPQUINN'S MASTERLIST ✦ 」

ᯓ★ aimes | 20s | she/her | victim of canucks hockey | quinny daydreamer

⟢ the dad!quinn masterlist

this blog contains 18+ content that is strictly intended for adults only — MDNI

Note: First and foremost, I’m a Quinny girl but sometimes I write about Nico. Pieces are listed from most recent to oldest!

⋆₊⊹ Fics and Oneshots ⊹₊ ⋆

✧ Sünneli | N. Hischier 1.3k / dad!nico When Nico holds his baby girl for the first time, it feels like the world has rearranged itself around her. She was born with the sun, slipping into the world as it woke, and before he even realises it, he's giving her a name that feels like it was always meant to be hers... ✧ Do It For Me¹⁸⁺ | N. Hischier 2.3k / smut / dom!nico x sub!reader Nico takes what he wants — needs — and you let him, soft and pliant beneath him, made to be used, made to be his. ✧ Perfekt¹⁸⁺ | N. Hischier 2.3k / smut When Nico’s composure slips in the heat of the moment, his soft English praises give way to raw, unfiltered Swiss German ✧ Sixty-Four¹⁸⁺ | Q. Hughes, N. Höglander 1.5k / smut / huggy x hoggy x reader threesome Quinn and Nils with all their focus on you... ✧ Attagirl¹⁸⁺ | Q. Hughes 2k / smut Filthy, desperate table sex... ✧ Disarm | Q. Hughes 1.1k / fluff / grumpy + sunshine (sort of) Quinn is lost in a mood he can’t quite shake, but you’re determined to bring back his smile — one kiss at a time. ✧ Twenty-five | Q. Hughes 1.4k / fluff Celebrating the birthday boy... ✧ Two Hearts | Q. Hughes 8.3k / angst / lovers to exes You and Quinn drift apart, only to be drawn back together, held by a quiet, unspoken pull that lingers even after the breakup. It’s a constant ebb and flow, where the pain of separation and the comfort of reunion blur together, making it hard to truly let go. ✧ In Between | Q. Hughes 4.9k / best friends to lovers Your friendship with Quinn is slowly transforming. There is an unspoken tension and feelings that simmer beneath the surface, keeping you on the edge of friendship and something more. The in-between is where you both linger, uncertain yet drawn to each other. ✧ Sunday | Q. Hughes 1k / fluffA lazy Sunday morning... ✧ Couldn't Tell | Q. Hughes 1.6k / friends to lovers / angsty-ish The relationship between you and Quinn is difficult to define. Friends and something more but you can’t be sure. Sidestepping the issue only prolongs the loop where the potential for something real stays just out of reach until one of you addresses it head on. ✧ Homeward | Q. Hughes 3.5k / 3 times + 1 / fluff/ dad!quinn Quinn has always been a family guy so it hadn’t been a total surprise when he first mentioned his desire for one of his own one day. ✧ A Closeness ¹⁸⁺ | Q. Hughes 3k / smut / fluff The post-season has arrived and so has summer, and the lake house has never felt smaller. Private moments become something of the past. But after longing touches here and gentle caresses there, Quinn seizes an opportunity. ✧ Still The Same | Q. Hughes 1k / fluff It’s the day after the Canucks Stanley Cup elimination and Quinn doesn’t want to think about it at all. ✧ Under Red Skies | Q. Hughes 1k / angst / best friends to lovers After a fight with your ex-boyfriend, you find yourself in the arms of the one person you know will always have you.

⋆₊⊹ Requests, Drabbles and Blurbs ⊹₊ ⋆

✧ your daydream requests (the collection) ✧ dad!quinn thoughts ✧ bf!quinn thoughts ✧ quinnmas ✧ Country Club Girlfriend Flirting and teasing with Quinn on the golf course. ✧ Bath Soaking in the tub with Quinn after a long, tiring day... ✧ Caught Up Quinn getting swept up in the moment and proposing on a whim. ✧ Tik-Tok Trend: Kisses Pranking Quinn by wiping off his kisses. ✧ "It tickles." Quinn is a hairy guy and he loves to kiss your face... ✧ Mistletoe Decorating the apartment for Christmas but Quinn has a trick up his sleeve... ✧ Ouch Quinn is in a mood; his lip is split and his stitches are tugging every time he even thinks about moving his mouth. ✧ No Kissing¹⁸⁺ Quinn's lip injury — split, stitched and swollen — has taken away one of your favourite things about being with him. ✧ Five More Minutes Quinn isn't quite ready for you to leave the bed. ✧ So High School... bf!quinn at The Eras Tour ✧ Hands To Myself Sunbathing on the beach with Quinn... ✧ Plus One Quinn is the perfect wedding date. ✧ Competitive Decorating gingerbread houses with Quinn. ✧ Just Dance Quinn lets loose at his wedding reception. ✧ In Love Just tipsy, sweet Quinn... ✧ Distractions¹⁸⁺ Quinn knows what he's doing... ✧ Dancing In The Refrigerator Light Impromptu kitchen dance parties... ✧ Bad Driver Quinn has never messed up behind the wheel with you as a passenger before. Until now... ✧ Lake House Summers Summers at the lake house with Quinn feel like time is standing still. ✧ Reverse Sure, Quinn is a bad driver and he hits people with his car but it's hot when he reverses.

⋆₊⊹ Other ⊹₊ ⋆

✧ hockey fic recs ✧ my posts ✧ canucks lb ✧ #just wanna kiss his pretty little face!!!!! aka my fave quinny pics ✧ #quinny aka posts that remind me of him

#capquinn’s masterlist

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erosiism · 10 months ago

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A CASE OF REGRETS | YANDERE DUKE X M!READER.

prompt: you die during a rebellion, and he turns back time for you in desperation | reader is childhood friends with claude (OC), both are planning a rebellion to usurp the throne.

character(s): duke, you

warnings(s): nil

note(s): male reader, second person, past tense, not beta read, excerpt from my fic on wattpad, to make amends

FIND MORE MOMENTS OF CLAUDE AND THE READER HERE.

"Y/n!"

Blood spurted out.

"Y/n!"

Your vision blurred.

"Oh gods, are you okay? Are you—"

Your ribs hurt: were they broken? Bloodied? You could certainly taste the horrible taste of iron present in your tongue. It was clear to you that somehow you were dying. That something had turned against you. That you were...

"Please, please, please—"

Through your muddled vision you could make out a figure. A familiar silhouette running towards you, legs stumbling in desperation, breaths ragged.

It was nice to know that when you died, someone would grieve for you. That someone would cry for you.

There was only one person in the world who cared so much for you.

"Claude," you murmured. There was a smile on your face. "There's no need to cry..."

"Y/n, please—no—"

"Save it." You sighed, "there's no way I'm going to be surviving this."

It was true. Blood jetted out of your wound in spurts, staining your tailored uniform with a bright, crimson hue. You had loved that color mainly because Claude had ruby eyes, but now it just seemed gruesome, horrid. Pain had simmered down into a steady brew, and you wondered if your pain tolerance had simply grown stronger, or it was a telling sign of your fading consciousness.

"You were such a brat last time." You murmured. "You used to throw tantrums and everything...for a while, I thought you despised me. Even when we became adults, you were still heartless, cold...so why do you weep for me? Why do you grieve my death?"

I was a fool last time, Claude thought silently. I was a fool. I was a fool not to have shown my affections last time.

Because the truth was plain and simple, written in ink, written in the stars: Claude adored you. Was it not you who had held his hand in the gardens for strolls? Was it not you who accompanied him throughout, was it not you who could make him crack a smile, make him laugh? It had been all you. Every single joyous moment he had was caused by you. When he had finally received the title of the Duke. When he had finally defeated his family and his foes.

But Claude had been so wrapped up in his own troubles he had failed to notice your problems. Your dastardly family. Your...

He had neglected your wellbeing—he hadn't seen your deteriorating state, your weakening smile—he hadn't see any of that. He had been self obsessed, too engrossed in his own matters that he hadn't even—

Claude had taken too long to warm up to you. He could have been sweeter earlier. Made your life easier, no matter what it was. Claude had taken a while to truly open his heart to you: he had been rude, ungracious, curt. And you had been patient. Endlessly patient with him.

"We can save you," Claude said desperately, "we can."

You laughed. A tinkling, magical sound—but at that moment, it was so damned. So fucking painful to hear the cracks inside, the strain hiding inside the tone.

He knew it would be the last time he would ever heard it.

"You are the Emperor. You finally reclaimed your right to the throne. You finally..."

"Y/n," he whispered.

You shook your head.

"You achieved everything you sought for."

Perhaps he did. But the thing he truly wanted had been in front of him this whole time and he had been blind. Utterly blind.

And he would never forgive himself for that.

The tears slipped. His voice felt suffocated; choking.

"Don't cry," you touched his cheek gently and that pulled Claude temporarily out of his panic—"don't cry, alright? It was inevitable, Your Grace. Don't cry. The future Emperor doesn't cry."

Your Grace. Even then, you hadn't referred to him by his name. If he had another chance—just one singular chance—

He would allow you to call him by his name.

You were his everything.

You're my heart, Y/n.

If you die, then that would make me heartless.

There was so much blood, Claude realized. Coating his palms, running down your back. So much of its thick texture, its color, all drenched. Every single bit drenched—

Why was there so much blood? It wasn't his. He wasn't unhurt, really. He wasn't that well off, but not to your extent. You sounded so tired when you spoke, so faint. So weak. You could have disappeared any second. Claude held you in your arms softly, gently—you could disappear any moment, your breaths wavering and quivering.

No, no, no.

I love you, Claude thought deliriously. I love you. I love you. I love you so much—

The voice grew and became stronger; louder even as you grew cold. Claude rocked you even when your hands fell, holding one to his own cheek. Your hands still had the faintest bit of warmth. He clung onto it desperately; motionless with the tears dried up with his throat feeling like sandpaper.

You can't leave me, he'd thought deliriously, hugging you close and rocking you again and again and again, you can't leave me.

Y/n L/n, I love you too much to let you go.

Claude had failed to save you. In front of him, your beauty was still visible in his eyes; your (h/c) hair, your (e/c) eyes—because of his arrogance, his incompetence, you had unfairly died. He had not noticed the blooming feelings in his stomach until you had been cold in his arms, and his tears had splattered on your cheek.

The universe has been cruel to you.

He had stood by your side and had watched you suffer and suffer and suffer; and for what? Only for the gods to turn their back on you? What was the point, really? Claude had been with you this whole time. Had seen the sacrifices you poured in, had seen—

He should have been the one that died, Claude despaired. Not you. Never you.

That night he couldn't sleep. The place was too empty without you. He had been crowned Emperor. But there was no you to accompany him by his side.

There was...absolutely no point.

Why was he even alive at this rate? Claude wondered. Everything would go back to life before you. Tedious. Long. Meaningless.

"Your Majesty, the Empire—"

"—do whatever you want." Claude rasped out. "Just...just..."

Please. If the Gods are listening. Please, please—

Turn back time. For me, for Y/n.

For...

[ The Gods have heard your prayers ]

Turning back time was unheard of. Something in the legends. Something Claude didn't believe in. Yet when he woke up—there had been disappointment in him, he had assumed that this was heaven yet you were nowhere in sight—there was the familiar surroundings of a room.

Not the Emperor's bedroom.

The bedroom from the manor he once lived when he was the illegitimate son of the Duke.

I must be dreaming, Claude thought. There was a flicker of hope he didn't dare to believe in. I must be dreaming of the happier times and the million what ifs.

Pain was tugging at his heart. It was painful. Everything was painful...

"—don't bother him. He just recovered from a sickness."

What?

Delusional. Hallucinating. Delirious. To hear your sweet, sweet voice in such a dream—perhaps this was heaven after all. Claude didn't ever want to wake up. He didn't.

Because you were there. In front of him.

He sucked in a breath.

As sweet, as polite as he remembered. Every inch of his face had been committed to his memory. Every contour, every line. He had mapped you out in his head and had aligned you with the thousands of dazzling stars in the universe because you were the reason he bothered to continue living. Because you had become his reason for living.

You stood, in regal attire, with your posture as graceful as he had remembered. The sunlight streamed in through the paneled windows, caressing your features and alighting upon your lashes. He swallowed, trying to remember how to breathe.

"Ah, you are awake, Your Grace." You smiled at him.

"Y/n L/n," he said finally. "Y/n L/n." It's been so long since he could say this name to someone who would hear and respond to it. So many times he called your name out of your desperation in vain: hoping for some sort of hallucination to pop up, for some sort of inkling that your voice would carry over to his ears.

And you smiled.

Smiled.

Smiled—

Claude reached out to you and buried his face into your clothes.

You gave a startled smile.

The Duke had done a 180 complete turn.

"Y/n," he spoke with uncharacteristic fondness that you just didn't understand, "you are..."

Tears. There were tears on his cheek. Had you done anything to offend him? You thought not.

"Your Grace..." you reached out to brush his forehead with your fingers, "are you alright? You don't seem to have a fever."

Claude stared at you with wide eyes.

"Oh," You heard him say, and then, "you are as beautiful as I remembered."

What?

"Your Grace, are you really sure you are fine—"

Claude dashed forward, not even registering your words. He crushed you in his arms, a hand in your hair, head buried in his neck. He missed this. This warmth and this scent. Home, home. It's the smell of home. It's the smell of you. It's you. It's you. It's you.

It worked, he thought. It worked. It fucking worked. I traveled back in time.

"... Well then," you gave a small chuckle, confused upon what was happening, "it's a relief to see you have awoken—why are you crying?"

"You're here," Claude breathed, his first tangible words since his return. "You're here."

"Of course I'm here, Your Grace." You looked at him with confusion etched all over your features, frowning. "What's wrong? You..."

The Duke was looking at you like you were the only one that mattered in the world. And that—

Wow. What kind of coma did he have, to be behaving so peculiarly?

You wiped his tears, sighing and fussing.

"You know what—never mind. Tell me later—why are you still crying, Your Grace?"

Claude held onto you tighter.

Maybe he had bad dreams in his coma, you thought. He was holding on to you like you were a lifeline. Like you would disappear any second, any minute.

As though he would never let go of you again.

You patted the Duke's head gently, slowly, fingers running through his hair. "Don't cry. The future Emperor doesn't cry."

Those words. It was so hauntingly painful to him.

Claude didn't want to remember anymore. He didn't need to remember. He had succeeded. The Gods had listened to him. You were alive and breathing, in front of him. You were—

Alive.

reblog/like the post! comments are appreciated even if you read this before :)

#male reader #male #yanderemale #angst #hurt/comfort kind of #Time travel #yandere x darling #yandere x male darling #yandere x male reader #soft yandere #yandere male #yandere x you #yandere x reader #eroswrites

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chukys-mouthguard · 2 months ago

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eternal sunshine

-> sequel to ‘dumb & poetic’

we both know i couldn’t change you

1k words

genre -> angst/fluff

featuring -> quinn hughes x female reader; mention of nils hoglander

note -> not exactly proofread but needed to get something posted for you lovelies cause it’s been a minute 🤍

The image of Quinn walking out was one you’d never expect to erase from your memory. How easy it was for him to walk away from you, how little fight he’d put up to salvage things.

And despite what everyone said or thought, there was no changing him. His true colors had been shown and there was no going back. Though you had tried.

Despite the way he’d walked out and given up on you, something in you still felt like it was your fault. Like it was something you needed to apologize for or try hard to fix though you knew what the end result would be.

Text messages had gone unanswered but read, countless apologies falling on deaf ears as Quinn became cold. Eventually telling you to stop apologizing and being sorry for him no longer loving you. The words cutting like a knife, the idea of things being so easy to forget or toss aside something you couldn’t understand.

Once upon a time you saw yourself being with Quinn forever. The home you two shared maybe being filled with a family of your own one day. The future seemed so bright and exciting, then so quickly fell apart around you.

Moving out while he was gone on a road trip to make things easier on you, taking the steps to remove all the photos of you two from their frames since Quinn would probably never notice them and do it himself. Leaving your WAGS gear behind for Quinn to either toss out himself, or give to the next girl that would apparently soon take your place.

He never struck you as the type to move on quickly, which is why it made it so much more painful.

Photos of them plastered all over her social media, seeing her wearing his name and number; it broke your heart. While you’d grown close with so many of the wives and girlfriends, going to Canucks games weren’t the same. You’d go to show your support of Quinn’s teammates whom you’d grown close with, only to be reminded of how much you loved going and supporting Quinn. Despite the amount of Hughes jerseys that would fill the stands, and people chanting his name, you were always the loudest. You were always his number one fan, and now you simply blended in with those who’d cheer when he scored or made a great play. Having to put emotions aside and treat him like any other player.

But as time went on, it got easier. Your heart ached less and less when you saw him, the fear that would wash over you when Quinn got hurt began to subside, and you found a reason to start to be happy again.

As you waited with J.T Miller’s wife Natalie in the family area after another home game, you couldn’t help but notice Quinn’s new girlfriend. Her hand painted denim jacket adorned with Canucks colors, logos, and Quinn’s number making it painfully obvious who she was. You were sure she was a nice girl, but that didn’t change the fact that it still hurt how quickly she’d seemed to have replaced you.

And as Quinn soon appeared from behind the locker room doors, you watched as her face lit up. The same way yours used to when you’d see him, no matter the outcome of the game. You too were always so excited to see him.

A soft smile came across his lips as he noticed her, slowly walking over to wrap her in a hug. His eyes shifted their gaze from the floor immediately to you. But rather feeling your heart skip a beat, or your emotions start to overwhelm you, you simply offered him a smile before turning your attention back to the locker room doors as they opened once again.

And as he walked out to greet you, it was as if you’d forgotten Quinn existed. The interaction was washed from your mind as Nils grinned from ear to ear, wrapping you in a hug as you congratulated him on a great game. His arm remained wrapped around your waist as he kept you by his side while he talked to you and Natalie.

The entire situation not one you’d ever seen yourself being in, not the type to ever move on from Quinn with a teammate of his. But while you weren’t looking for anything like this to happen, with Nils it had somewhat fallen into place unexpectedly.

The two of you had always been friendly, as like many of Quinn’s teammates you had come to know each other well. Of course you never necessarily thought about or looked at Nils as anything more than a friend. But when things began to take a turn with Quinn, he was someone you confided in. Especially when Nils had been one to notice the changes in the two of you himself.

He’d helped you get things settled into your new place, never trying to make a move or shoot his shot with you. Just simply being there. Whether that was to surprise you with flowers and takeout on a rough day, sitting with you while you cried on your couch, or finally being able to bring some happiness back into your life.

Nils had done all of that and more.

The look on Quinn’s face as he’d seen you on Nils arm wasn’t one you expected. Despite how cold he’d grown towards you and moving on himself, he looked heartbroken. Sure, you could’ve moved on with anyone but of course it being his teammate would sting significantly more. And maybe now he’d started to feel the pain you felt the day he’d walked out on you.

He watched as the two of you headed off towards the parking garage, his girlfriend snapping him from his thoughts as she’d noticed him paying her little attention.

“Quinn, hello? You okay?”

Her smile was a bit uneasy, as she wasn’t sure what had Quinn looking so down. But he softly chuckled as he shook his head, placing a kiss on her head before leading her towards the garage.

“No, but, I will be.”

#quinn hughes x female reader #quinn hughes angst #quinn hughes fic #quinn hughes blurb #quinn hughes imagine #nils hoglander fluff #nhl imagine #nhl fics #hockey imagine #hockey fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl blurb

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atwhughesversion · 2 months ago

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canucks whimsy does exist!!

i have seen the unfortunate and understandable narrative that the canucks have no whimsy this season and like…i get it. we did just go through a civil war that was all anybody would talk about in the hockey world for weeks, and the team is kind of unfortunate™️ this season in general. but our whimsy isn’t all gone! it’s not lost! here are a few things that i thought of from this year:

we are a math equation — 2 filips (both from czechia), 2 nils (both from sweden), 3 petterssons (all from sweden), 2 eliases (both from sweden and both of whom are also petterssons. also one of whom’s 2nd name is also nils)

i actually need a separate bullet point for the fact that we have 3 peteys, two of whom are named elias

the canucks defence coach (who the players call footie) is trying to nickname the 2nd elias pettersson (the youngest, but largest, of the petterssons) “junior.” it’s possible this may follow him for his entire career long after the other peteys are retired.

not only is our haunted captain nicknamed huggy, the others also love to hug. example: brock and demmer cuddling during practice the other day.

petey has a petey patch on his luggage 😭

we call them orcas!! they’re a pod!

rick tocchet wore the coziest fleece in the world to practice this season (we are trying to convince him to wear it again) (or i am at least)

we have an adorable team dog named eddie who everybody loves so much 🥲💞 [eddie meeting the team (and trying to eat petey’s hoodie), tocchet with eddie, new players meeting eddie after being traded for, petey proving eddie knows a trick — “oh he does! we got that on video!”]

bonus eddie fact: he and quinn have never been seen in a room together at the same time 🤨

quinn and lankinen both like reading and lanks was really excited when he signed w the team and found out he has a literate teammate 💓

petey’s alleged christmas gift for brock was a build-a-bear that had recordings of his teammates voices 🥲

garland named his son quintin, not after quinn hughes but after the jaws character [“Yeah, all the guys are giving him a hard time,” Quinn said after the Canucks practised for Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators. “But he named him after the movie, not me.”]. however, he did make quinn his son’s godfather.

#look maybe we haven’t achieved the same level as the sharks #but our core is trauma bonded due to the fact that they’ve been canucks their whole careers #at the end of the day they understand the power of friendship 🙏#canucks #hockey #vancouver canucks

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tc9972 · 2 months ago

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Nils Höglander random textpost

1, A happy place for avid hunter Nils Höglander is quietly stalking a moose in the northern wildness of Sweden.

2, This ten-minute long video is mostly delightful. Höglander is pretty quiet and reserved with the media, largely because he’s dealing with not only a new team, but a new country and a language with which he’s still not fully comfortable. The video gives some insight into his personality and how his teammates view him.

But then, about two minutes into the video, there’s a moment that defies comprehension.

Höglander takes a water bottle and sprays both his socks and the inside of his skate before putting it on.

3, “I guess I have to say hockey is the hardest,” said Hoglander. “But if you’ve never been out in the forest or anything, it’s kind of hard to know what to do. If you bring Petey (Elias Pettersson) he would have no idea what to do, he’s a city boy.”

4, Q. Do you have a hidden talent? Music or cooking?

A. I’m not into music at all in doing it by myself (instrument). I would always say something outdoors. I’m a big unicycle guy. I have one. That’s my hidden talent.

5, Nils Höglander pulled in a decent crop of votes for the team’s biggest Swiftie, as he was nominated by Erik Brännström, Aatu Räty, and Elias Pettersson. He later claimed that “Love Story” was his favourite song by her. Höglander’s history with being a fan of Swift dates back to a TikTok posted last year, in which he said he’d rather meet her than her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

6, Nils Höglander Spotify Wrapped- “Viva La Vida” by Soppgirobygget

I don’t know what I expected but it certainly wasn’t this.

I guess I expected this to be a cover of “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. Instead, it’s a dance track that interpolates “Misirlou” by Dick Dale, then throws in a bridge that’s basically just the chorus of “Whoomp! (There It Is)” by Tag Team.

This is a straight-up party song and it’s a lot of fun, even if the lyrics are hilariously crass. While mostly in Norwegian, there are a few English phrases thrown in, like “Bitch, make it clap.”

Here are a couple choice phrases from the song translated into English via Google Translate: “Big babes, big drinks, big asses make me happy,” “Shake the bum and I��ll post it on Snap,” and “I have a skull fracture and proven gonorrhea.”

7, Then there are the unicycles. Höglander has a knack for juggling while unicycling, as well as stickhandling while on a unicycle. It’s a talent shared by Pettersson, whose dad could ride a unicycle, so he taught himself to do it as well.

“The unicycle thing is just for fun,” said Höglander. “I haven’t seen Petey yet, but I will have a match with him.”

“We haven’t had a battle yet,” said Pettersson, “or done it face-to-face but from the videos I’ve seen, he’s better. Sucks to say, but...”

8, There is no doubt about who is responsible for the cooking at the Pettersson/Höglander home.

– I take on the cooking, otherwise it won't be as good on the table, says Pettersson.

– He is careful about that so he has to be responsible for it, says Höglander.

What do you stand for then? – Put away the dishes. Luckily we have a dishwasher so it's easy, says Höglander. (Elias has also said that Hoggy used to cook rice like pasta, not measuring water or anything, b4 he stepped in to teach him better but I can't find the video)

9, "My friend found Höglander on Tinder... guess this means he’s in Vancouver already?"

10, It’s Hoagie, not Hoggy

Note the umlaut. It means the first syllable of the rookie’s name rhymes with brogue or doge, not log or dog.

11, And finally, here’s a fact that is bound to make many of you feel very old: Höglander’s birthday is December 20, 2000, making him the first Vancouver Canuck born after the millennium. Remember the Titans came out before he did; Gladiator and Almost Famous, too.

12, n the northern wilderness of his tiny village of Brocktrask, Sweden — population 20 hearty outdoor enthusiasts — you first have to stalk the very large and imposing moose. And that could take a lot of time.

13, The name “Nyssa” has many meaning, including “goal” (Greek) or “friendly elf” (Scandinavian). It is also Nils’ nickname with his SHL teammates. While Hoglander’s size may make him elf-like, he’s more feisty than friendly, taking a five-game suspension earlier this season for throwing a reverse elbow. Since the suspension ,he has been very productive as a 19 year old in the SHL, scoring four goals and three assists in 12 games.

14, So I was just texting with Nils Höglander and he has agreed to not score any goals against Canada at the World Juniors if we can find him some good fishing spots around Vancouver. — Chris Faber

15,

Achievements

Two-time SHL Goal of the Year (2019, 2020)

Won a bronze medal with Team Sweden at the 2020 World Junior Championship

16, Funny story. A couple of my friends who are into fishing decided to randomly invite Hoglander out fishing on the Vedder river during his rookie year through a DM on instagram. He ended up replying and saying he’d love to go. They ended up meeting up and spending a day out on the water and had a successful trip. They go out fishing still to this day"

17, "It all started back in Skellefteå, in northern Sweden, where he moved at age 11. The forward from Burträsk, who turns 18 on Thursday, spent much of his spare time with wheels under his feet.

”We spent almost every night during the summer playing street hockey. We played at the rink when the ice was melted for the summer, and placed hockey nets on the concrete. We had goalies and arranged tournaments. Sometimes we stayed until way past midnight”, Nils Höglander recalls.

The janitor of the small arena often didn’t know that Nils and his friends were there, they weren’t really allowed to hang out in the building as late as they did. When they couldn’t play at the rink they used a tennis court instead.

“It really was the highlight of the summer.”

18, Pettersson's gaming hobby didn't keep him from having a career year and he's certainly not the only Canuck to spend time playing Call of Duty. His fellow Swede, Nils Höglander, evidently also spends a fair amount of time playing Call of Duty. He proved as much in a collaboration with the Seattle Surge, a professional Call of Duty League (CDL) team that is co-owned by Canucks Sports and Entertainment.

Höglander faced off against Amer “Pred” Zulbeari, who is one of the best Call of Duty players in the world. When the Surge won the CDL 2022 Major III Grand Final, Pred was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, then was named Rookie of the Year for the 2022 CDL season.

With that in mind, it’s at least a little bit surprising that Höglander — decidedly not a professional e-gamer — managed to hold his own in a 1v1 match against Pred.

Höglander, playing under the handle “HitTheDeke,” seemed to legitimately catch Pred off-guard with how well he played, as the power forward matched him kill for kill at first. At the 2:40 mark, Pred looks legitimately taken aback, looking towards the camera crew as if making sure he’s not being pranked by being secretly matched up against another pro.

19,

VANCOUVER – Not only has he a dream job, Nils Hoglander has a dream commute to go with it.

Each morning the Vancouver Canucks are home, the Swedish rookie leaves his 22nd-floor apartment that overlooks the city, gets in an elevator and rides down to the bottom of the Rogers Arena. That’s his commute. No car, no transit, no rain.

This is rink-rat heaven.

“Taking an elevator to get to the rink would be like a dream for Nils,” Chris Abbott, the Canadian general manager of Hoglander’s former team, Rogle BK, told Sportsnet. “You’ll have to turn the lights out to get him to leave. You’ll never find a guy who wants to be on the ice more. I’d be out for a run and I’d see him skating on rollerblades with a bunch of kids in the middle of nowhere. He loves being around the rink and loves his teammates, and I think that goes a long way for him to focus on what he needs to do to stay in the NHL.”

20, Hoglander said he is accustomed to living on his own. He misses the camaraderie of teammates away from the rink, but spends his afternoons FaceTiming his family and friends in Sweden. His mom, Maria, is a teacher and his dad, Anders, a professional test driver for auto-makers.

“Cool job,” Hoglander said.

He also spends a lot of time with friends and teammates playing video games online. Call of Duty is his favourite, and Pettersson and Canuck Adam Gaudette are regular gamers, he said.

21,

When did Nils' interest in hockey arise? (asking Nils' parents) – He was probably no more than two and a half years old when he started skating. He could skate straight away, which is almost crazy. So did Tilda. – Before that, both of them had skied quite a bit, both downhill and cross-country. Both of them competed a lot on skis and we often had to throw them in the car straight from the podium to go to a hockey match.

22,

Nils Höglander seems to be a very strong person and his parents believe that this may be due to the tough times he experienced growing up. – Yes, but if we look back at how he was during his youth, he was, as we say, a “squirt”. He was everywhere and nowhere. Much like he sometimes is on the hockey field, laughs Höglander’s parents and continues: – I think everything he has been through, both with Tilda and the Skellefteå time, has been built on this Norrland-like stability. None of us parents can otherwise put our finger on why he has become so strong within himself, because we also feel that he is.

23,

And always with a smile on his face… – It takes a lot for him not to smile. When he smiles, he has fun. You have to be humble about life and the world. All people are different, but you should try to treat everyone well and not get carried away too much.

24,

When Brännström came to the Canucks, one of the faces he recognized was Nils Höglander.

The two Swedes have known each other for over 10 years and their first memory goes back to a hockey camp in Sweden where Brännström’s dad was the coach.

At that camp, Höglander was playing forward but the surprise came when Brännström told us that he was a goaltender at the time. Brännström said he was either 11 or 12 at the time and he was playing goaltender when he was playing up an age group.

25, Who's more likely to be a cool parent? Elias Pettersson: "I like to think I would be a cool parent, but I'll say Nils Hoglander. He's from up north in Sweden. He's just a very funny guy."

26, Who's more likely to be a cool parent? Elias Pettersson: "I like to think I would be a cool parent, but I'll say Nils Hoglander. He's from up north in Sweden. He's just a very funny guy"

Who's more likely to get lost in a road city? Quinn Hughes:"Probably Hoglander"

27, Who on your team is most likely to get lost on the road? (asking Quinn Hughes) Quinn: "I feel like Hog-man. (You're such a good person!) No, I'm gonna explain myself. He is literally from a town in Sweden with like 15 people. Like, grocery story 2 hours away"

28, Höglander was voted the worst golfer last year…

#nils hoglander #nh21 #nhl hockey #nhl textposts #nhl players #elias pettersson #quinn hughes #sweden #vancouver canucks #canucks textposts #i made this instead of working #nils höglander

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richarlotte · 6 months ago

Note

New in the life?

One of my older friends is currently in some sort of flirtation with a major player, and I’ve been living for the gossip. None of it is particularly groundbreaking, but it is interesting, and I do think it’s worth reading.

1. No OnlyFans, no Fansly, no FanFix, and no private Snapchat. The better the player, the more scrutiny is on the girlfriend, especially if he’s a good player at a good school. It’s the same with (most popular) players to an extent as well; your social media needs to be clean with nothing more than modeling photos, nothing that could be considered more than soft (bikini pics are okay, full lingerie shoots are not), and no other links. If you’re with someone who’s pulling in NIL, has sponsorships, or is going to go into the league, you can’t be a liability, and if you are, the team will shut it down immediately and make sure you get dumped.

2. These guys aren’t necessarily looking to get married, but they’re also more religious and a lot more controlling than you’d think. We have a friend who went from playing college basketball at a state school to the NBA; he makes just under $10 million (before taxes) every year, and we’ve always known him to be religious. It should be obvious by now what I’m going to say, but I’ll say it anyway: he and most of his younger teammates are players on the road, but they want to control the image of the girls they’re with publicly and use God and their potential to do that.

3. The bigger and better the team, the more they have to lose. These are players with millions of dollars attached to their names; these are men who sell merch and have fan groups, and there are people who have quite a bit of money tied up in the future of these men. The second you become a real issue, you’re going to be on your way out. You don’t mess with the money; you never mess with the money, and the only people who don’t understand that are people who know what it’s like to have money. You don’t mess with the contract, you don’t mess with the outcomes of games, and you do your best to fly under the radar of watchful eyes.

4. There are 100% handlers. Whenever she goes out on dates with him, they have to go to specific places, they have to be seen at certain events together, and they can’t do a lot of the activities you’d think they’d be able to do. He also has private accounts, he’s not allowed to post normally on his public social media, he’s not allowed to post with her, and he has to be careful about seeming devoted to the game. He’s under the impression (and probably has been told) that the big leagues will only want him if he’s unattached and completely devoted, so the man he makes himself out to be on social media and in interviews is very different than the man we’ve all met. He’s being told what to do by his coaches, their assistants, and by NCAA lawyers.

Again, nothing groundbreaking, but it’s interesting. I love seeing what goes on behind the scenes, and I think it’s fascinating to see the rules that the girls who are with the more popular players abide by in order to have a chance at any sort of situationship/relationship.

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mediocrecowboyhat · 13 days ago

Text

Set in sand - Epilogue 2

We mark the year 1934 and a peculiar journal falls into your hands. It's telling the tale of an outlaw and the downfall of a gang. Some pages are torn and others are downright unreadable, but nevertheless, you are still able to make out some parts of the tragic story.

With the help of a certain time traveler friend of yours, will you be able to save the author of the journal or will you be the cause for his demise?

Previous chapter

Word count: 4.5k

TW: sexual themes, violence, gore, death, misogynistic themes (anything that happens in the game as well), she/her pronouns

Note: This is the end and I'm in tears :'D

The Thoroughbred flaps his ears, as he happily munches on the oatcake you're holding out to him. He has been with you since he was a foal, born and raised in your stable. No one could ever replace Penthesilea of course, but you love the stallion just as much as you had loved your precious girl.

"What's his name?", you hear someone ask behind you and you turn around on your heels with a startled gasp.

"John! Don't fucking sneak up on me like that!", you scold him, your lips tightly pressed together into a grim line.

"Sorry. Thought I made enough noise when I came in.", he says, his hands raised high in surrender.

A sigh leaves your lips and you give your stallion a soft pat on the neck. "This is Montgomery. I raised him myself."

The man hums in understanding and studies the horse a bit closer. It's evident on his face, that there is something he wants to talk about, but you don't push it. Instead you continue spoiling Montgomery in content silence.

"This might sound crazy, but...", he then finally starts and scratches his cheek awkwardly. "I bought one of 'em pre-cut houses."

"You went to Mr. Cakes?", you ask with a raised eyebrow.

"You know that guy?"

"I sure do."

Everyone in Blackwater and around the outskirts knows at least of Albert Cakes. The building material he sells are of fine quality, but he's quite the personality to put it mildly. He's nice, incredibly helpful even, but also extremely all over the place. You can't even begin to count the amount of times he has mixed you up with someone entirely else.

But perhaps he just has a large amount of customers. It's difficult to keep track of all of them, you suppose. The ones you and Arthur deal with are mostly regulars, folk who come to rent your wagons and Shires every now and then.

Without another word, you signal for John to follow you to the back and hold out the reigns of a horse to him.

"Two wagons is all we will need.", you say and the two of you make your way outside. He throws you a puzzled look over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"The material.", you answer in a matter of fact way. "How else are you going to bring it to your ranch? You wanna carry all that by yourself?"

Then he stops dead in his tracks and turns his entire body to you. "How much would it cost? Renting out your stuff, I mean."

"Don't be ridiculous, John."

He follows you, as you get the horses ready, his expression a worried mask. "You're not lettin' me borrow this for free, are you?"

"Of course!", you exclaim and throw your arms up. "The road from Blackwater to Beacher's Hope isn't too far, but we'd need to make a stop up in the woods first."

"For what?"

"You don't plan on building your house with thoughts and prayers, do you?" You cross your arms and lean against a wheel. "There's this Norwegian feller, Nils. He makes very good tools and he knows us."

"I-" John's voice falters and he runs a hand over his mouth. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You can thank me by using exclusively our services, once you get that ranch of yours going."

An amused huff escapes him. "Oh, now I see how it is."

As you walk back into the stable, you grab a Carbine Repeater you keep hidden under your desk next to the entrance and walk back out again. John scrutinizes you with a confused expression while you check the ammunition.

"Go grab Charles. Arthur and I will meet you in Blackwater and then we can load the material.", you tell him and he motions with his chin towards the weapon.

"What's that for?"

"There's a pretty mean gang around these parts at the moment. The Skinners. Have you heard of them?" He shakes his head as a 'no' and you continue your explanation. "They're real nasty, so take some strong guns with you."

A thoughtful noise leaves his throat, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead he mounts his horse and rides off.

---

Arthur and you park the two wagons on the side of the road and he rushes over to help you off the driver's seat. A deep, worried crease has taken form between his eyebrows and he looks anything but happy.

"You should let us get the tools and stay back.", he grumbles and you immediately shake your head.

"Absolutely not.", you respond in a tone that won't tolerate any protest. "You guys will need all the guns you need."

"The three of us will be enough.", he argues, but you wave it off.

"But four is better and I can work a gun just fine. You know, that I won't let you put yourself in danger by yourself."

"And we all know how well that went last time, don't we?" His words are harsher than he has expected himself, judging by the way his eyes go wide in slight shock. Immediately, his rough features soften and he takes both your hands in his. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay."

"No. It ain't." Arthur plants a soft kiss on your forehead. "I don't want anythin' to happen to you."

"Nothing will happen. We will have Charles and John with us."

As if on cue, the two men appear on horseback and hitch their rides close to you. Right after their arrival, the four of you get to work and load the wagons with planks and other material. Arthur and Charles are driving ahead with the first one leading the way to Nils. John and you are following behind.

"Have you heard anything from Abigail and Jack yet?", you ask and watch him from the side. Upon hearing the names, his face slightly drops.

"No, but I'll write them." There's a pause. "I just wanna get things goin' first. Have somethin' to show, you know?"

"I think that's a great idea, John."

The rest of the drive continues on in comfortable silence. That and your gaze scanning your surroundings and listening to every single sound. It's not that you're overly nervous about an ambush. Every sane outlaw would be thinking twice about robbing you and those three mean looking men you're with.

Once you arrive at the cabin, you tell Arthur and Charles to wait while John and you make your way into the garden. Nils is working in the back and you shoot him a bright smile when you get closer.

"Hey, Nils!", you greet him, but he keeps his gaze on his work. "We were wondering if you have some tools for us to buy?"

"Okay.", the Norwegian answers not much to your surprise. He has always been a man of very few words.

"My friend John here bought that place at Beacher's Hope."

"Okay."

"We can also pay you upfront."

The pair of you follow the man, as he picks up a tool box and walks to your wagon. "Okay."

Without saying anything else, he loads the box onto the back and disappears in his garden. John gives you a strange look, but you wave it off and jog after the Norwegian to give him the cash. Once everything is settled, you find yourself on the way again.

"That was...somethin'.", John comments while steering the horses and you hum in agreement.

"He is a bit odd, I agree. But his work is fantastic. You will see once you start building your stuff."

As you get closer to the edge of the forest, you begin to relax in the seat. So far you haven't been ambushed and you doubt the Skinners will do so when you're out in the open again. Just as you lean back and let out a sigh, something flies right past your nose and into a tree trunk.

Your eyes widen when you recognize that it's an arrow and you quickly push John off. The two of you crouch behind the wagon and you swing the Carbine Repeater off your shoulder. A fast look to the side tells you that Arthur and Charles have taken cover as well and relief washes over you.

Some of them shoot with bows and arrows, but others use guns as well. It's difficult to find an opening for you to shoot, having to be careful about not being impaled. In the corner of your eyes you spot something stir and you breath gets caught in your throat.

One of the men is charging at John, his machete raised high and you aim. The man goes down, producing a few gurgling noises before going completely limb. Your friend mumbles a breathless 'thanks' before focusing on the fight again.

"Those bastards stole the tools!", Arthur shouts and you hiss a curse.

Once all the Skinners are down and you get to catch your breath again, Arthur and John are already sprinting for the trees. Charles and you stay behind and on high alert in case more of them try to steal the rest of your cargo.

Waiting for the two men to return takes an agonizingly long time and you grow anxious. Your gaze is fixed on the tree line and you pace back and forth like a tiger in a cage. Charles eventually puts his big hand on your shoulder and you stop in your tracks.

"They'll be fine."

"They jumped us out of nowhere.", you murmur with a shake of your head and run a hand over your face.

"I know." He turns his head towards the direction Arthur and John had run off to. "But try not to worry too much."

A deep sigh escapes your lips and you let out a dry chuckle. "It was very peaceful before you, John and Uncle showed up, you know?"

Your words were meant as a joke, nothing too harsh. Charles laughs at that and nods along.

"That I can imagine."

A great weight is being lifted off your shoulders when the bushes begin to rustle and the two men step into sight. They both look exhausted, but all in all still in one piece. With a relieved gasp, you lean back against one of the wheels and you quickly resume your drive.

At Beacher's Hope, Uncle is sitting under a tree with his hat deep in his face. The volume of his snoring had probably alarmed every animal in the area and John looks like he's about to explode. With his features contorted into an angry mask, he stomps over to the old man and gives him a good, strong kick.

"Weren't you supposed to stand guard?", he shouts while the three of you load off the wagons.

"You took so long!", the older man defends himself and John waves it off before joining you again.

"You're useless!"

It takes almost the entire rest of the day to set everything up to get started and John is bend over the table, inspecting the instructions. His gaze is a mix of thoughtfulness and slight doubt. It seems like he still doesn't quite trust those pre-cut houses.

"We should get these wagons back.", Arthur starts, walking up to the first one. "I'll come back tomorrow mornin' again."

You shoot your husband a warm smile upon hearing that. The fact that he's going to come back to help build the house makes you incredibly happy and proud. He tries his utmost best to not make a big deal out of it, but you can tell that he's glad to have his family back.

Quickly you jump onto the second wagon and you both drive them back to your stable. After parking and getting the horses ready for the night, you retreat into your own home. It's a small and humble, yet cozy cabin. The cooking, eating and sitting area is all connected with a hearth in the middle to keep your warm.

On the side are two doors to separate the bedroom and washing room. Even though back then, your budget didn't quite allow it, Arthur had still insisted on buying a large tub. As you get on making dinner, he lights a fire in the hearth. Once you're done with your evening routine, you find yourself cuddled up to his side in the bed you two share.

"I'm glad they're here.", you whisper into the darkness, as your hand rubs his broad chest.

The moon shines a faint light through the window to the side, but the curtains block out most of it.

"I thought you was mad.", he counters with that raspy chuckle of his. "Seemed like it everytime we all got together."

"That's because everytime we got together, someone shot at us.", you immediately argue and feel his arms wrap around your hips.

In one swift motion he pulls you ontop of him and even in the dim light, you can see the lazy smile and gleam in his eyes. The way his hands roam your sides sends a warm feeling from your chest down to your stomach.

"We'll be alright. All this will be alright.", he murmurs against your lips, before pressing his own on them.

The kiss is gentle and slow, as if he's trying to savor you and your taste and you melt into his touch. Even after all these years together, he still manages to turn you into a puddle of molten wax in his arms.

---

The next few days, Arthur is a lot more absent. Half of his week he works at the stables, but the half he spends helping the others on the house. You ride over with Montgomery to pay them a visit every few days or so and the progress leaves you impressed everytime.

"My my, gentlemen.", you call out, as you dismount your stallion and walk over to the half-build structure. "Can't believe that this is still standing."

"You have no idea, my dear.", Uncle chimes in from the side and shakes his head, as if he's disappointed about something. "It's like these morons have never build anything in their entire life."

His words get a small chuckle out of you, but John raises his hammer in the old man's direction. The motion is menacing and you don't doubt for a second, that he's serious.

"If I hear one more goddamn word from that big mouth of yours..." He doesn't finish his threat, but he doesn't have to to get the wanted effect.

Uncle throws up his hands in surrender and backs off with a nervous laugh. While the three men get back to work, you try to help here and there as well. Though you can't linger for too long with your own business needing attention.

Once you lead Montgomery back into his spot and brush the dust off his coat, the familiar squeaking of the front door cuts through the air. A customer.

"I'll be with you in a second!", you shout over to them, not looking up from what you're doing.

"Don't let me wait too long.", the person answers and you nearly jump out of your riding boots.

As you take a peak from around your horse, you spot Sadie standing at the entrance with a bright grin on her face. Immediately, you run up to her and fall into her arms.

"You idiot! Why didn't you write me that you were coming?", you scold her half-heartedly.

"And ruin the surprise?", she asks with a raised eyebrow.

You usher her outside and towards your homestead closeby. There you leave her on one of the chairs on your porch and disappear inside, only to come back out with two glasses and a bottle of whisky. It's a special brand, one that Mary Linton had sent you as a wedding gift.

The whisky had been aged in sherry casks, giving it a sweet undertaste and you usually keep it stored for special occasions. Such as when your best friend spontaneously drops by. The first time you had opened one of the bottles was when Arthur and you bought the stables and the house. The second time was when you became business partners with James, an opportunity that had you pay off your bank loan in just a few months.

"What brings you here? Another bounty?", you ask while pouring in the liquor.

"Yes. It's kind of a nasty one. Ramone Cortez, if that tells ya anythin'." That name does ring a bell in your head and you nod. "I was thinkin' about askin' for Marston's help."

"John? You two have been working together?"

"Yes, when the reward is good enough to share."

"I see." You pause for a moment. "They're building a house right now. You could stay the night here, with us and then ride out with him tomorrow."

She seems to contemplate your offer for a while, swirling the alcohol around in her glass. "Sure. If you have room. I don't mean to intrude."

"You're not intruding at all.", you immediately exclaim, shaking your head profusely. "You could never."

"Oh, I don't know." A sly smirk begins to spread over her face and she throws you a meaningful look from the side. "Don't wanna interrupt whatever you and your husband dearest do in your free time."

A shy chuckle escapes you and you playfully slap her shoulder. "Shut up."

After a while of chatting and more drinks, the sun starts to set, painting the sky and prairie in a deep red. The sound of hooves can be heard approaching in the distance and you watch Arthur ride onto your property. An amused scoff leaves his throat when his eyes land on you and Sadie.

"I see how it is.", he grumbles, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "While I work my ass off, buildin' Marston's dream house, you two are sittin' here all comfortable and drinkin' the day away."

His teasing makes the two of you cackle louder than it should have. Arthur might be right. The whisky might have gone to your head a little and you press a hand against your cheek, noting how hot your skin feels.

"We was discussin' uh...business.", Sadie drawls, dragging the words out in a slurring way.

"What she said.", you hastily chime in and your husband waves it off while leading his horse away.

With wobbly knees, you push yourself off the chair and Sadie follows your actions. She helps you gather the glasses and the almost empty bottle and the two of you stumble your way into the house.

---

Several weeks pass after that until John has his house up. You wake up in the morning to an empty bed and pinch the bridge of your nose with a chuckle. It only makes sense that Arthur had stayed over there to celebrate their success. With a grunt, you kick back the blanket and get yourself ready for the day.

You do your morning chores as quickly as possible and prepare Montgomery to ride out. It won't cause any harm to drop by and see how the men are doing. Just making sure, that they didn't wreck the newly build house during their celebration.

The homestead is standing high in the distance, filling your chest with joy and pride. Those feelings are quickly snuffed out when you notice the many specks of blood on the ground. Quickly, you dismount and barge through the front door. Frantically, your eyes jump from one place to another.

There's Arthur and here's John. Charles is just over there in the back, so that only leaves...

"Where's Uncle?", you bark and they all groan in unison. They're all looking around, grunting and disoriented. Charles is the first one to be up and about, meeting your gaze with a clear expression.

"Uncle! Where is he?", you repeat and motion for him to follow you outside.

A concerned noise leaves his throat when you point at the blood and he searches the area for more clues. After a few minutes, Arthur and John come stumbling out and squint their eyes at the bright sunlight.

"Relax.", your husband says with a wave off his hand. "That old bastard is probably sleepin' by a tree or somethin'."

"No.", Charles argues, his shoulders all tensed up. "He's been taken."

"Taken? By who?", John asks and you feel a pit form in your stomach, already knowing the answer.

"The Skinner Brothers."

That sobers the other two men up right away and they grab their guns before rushing over to their horses. Before you can mount Montgomery, Arthur extends an arm out infront of you and you give him a puzzled look.

"You ain't comin'.", he says, his tone firm. "I want you to ride back home."

"Excuse me?" Your voice comes out harsher than intended.

"You saw them when we got those tools." He stares at you, his eyes cold and demanding, but there is something else behind them. A plea. "This is too dangerous."

"You should know by now, that I'd rather get killed than let you go off by yourself."

Pain flickers behind that stern mask of his and he let's out a defeated sigh. "You'll just follow us."

"Exactly."

With that you hoist yourself onto horseback and follow Charles to the forest. Before entering it, you all continue the way on foot under the cover of shrubs. A patrol passes you, which you successfully evade and then follow a wagon that is dragging a man behind it. His agonizing sounds send a shiver down your spine.

The driver stops momentarily and gets off the wagon to pick up the poor soul, who is now laying lifeless in the undergrowth. Charles shoots an arrow right through his skull, killing the gang member silently. After that is done, you find an elevated spot to oversee the camp. Much to your surprise, it's completely empty.

The hair on the back of your neck is standing up, as you take the chance to approach Uncle. They have tied him up over the campfire and your stomach turns upside down at the sight of his burned back. You and Charles quickly go to untie him and support him on either side.

"I don't like this.", Arthur grumbles and you hum in agreement.

It does seem suspicious that no one was guarding the camp or Uncle. Though before you can even voice your concerns, an arrow whizzes past your face and you almost drop the older man. He screams in pain at your sudden movement and you mumble a quick apology, unsure if he even hears it.

Armed men come charging you from all sides and you force your legs to carry the older man towards your horses that are waiting just up ahead. Arthur and John are firing shots left and right and you can't do anything but trust that they will keep you safe and untouched.

A hysterical shout can be heard and you lift your gaze to watch one of the Skinner Brothers sprint right at you.

What is it with them and their damned machetes?

Almost immediately he comes crashing to the ground, a gaping hole right between his eyes. You give Arthur a thankful smile, but he only ushers you forward. Even on horseback they chase your through the woods. Having the fastest horse out of all of the men, you're riding up ahead with Uncle sitting right behind you. Every now and then you feel his grip on you falter and you have to reach back to keep him steady and conscious.

Back at the ranch, you lay him down on the stomach and tend to his wounds as best as you can. Arthur rides into Blackwater right after to get the town's doctor. Uncle's pained screams and groans fill the room and you do your hardest to stay composed.

"You'll get through this, old man.", John says, directed at him.

---

A couple more months pass. Uncle's back is fully healed now and John has his ranch up and running. You and him are standing infront of his house and going over a contract when you hear the familiar rattling of wagon wheels. His expression changes from focused to utter shock when his eyes land on the two people driving in.

It's Abigail and Jack and you can't fight the grin that spreads from cheek to cheek when you watch him run up to them. You avert your gaze, giving their reunion some privacy. A couple moments later, a shadow is being cast over you and you look up to meet Abigail, who pulls you into a hug.

"How'd you like the place?", you ask, watching her as she takes everything in.

She looks like someone has handed her all the riches in the world on a silver platter. That is probably exactly what she's experiencing right now.

"It's amazing. I-" She turns to you. "John wrote in his letter that you and Arthur have been a great help."

"Of course."

Everything after that goes by slow, but in a peaceful and comfortable way. You manage to organize a partnership between John and Agnes' father, the shopkeeper in Blackwater. The ranch is booming with business and so are your stables.

Abigail's and John's wedding are a perfect way to finish it all off, only that you're forced to part ways with your friends again. Shortly after all that, Charles leaves for Canada. That already has your eyes well up, but Sadie's departure has both tears and snot practically shooting out of you.

"Oh can't you stay?", you ask through sobs and you watch her get emotional as well.

"There's nothin' left here for me."

You understand. Of course you do. Although she has become somewhat of a sister to you, you know that she has never been truly happy after losing Jake.

Arthur holds you close that night, not letting go for a single moment. His rough thumbs brush the tears away and he kisses you until your lips are red and swollen. Parting ways with her hurt, but you manage. Many years pass and you continue living a comfortable live with Arthur right by your side.

---

1934

It's a beautiful day out. The bowl hat on your head shields your eyes from the sun, but you still have to squint to see better. It's odd being back at where you started in that now old body of yours. Memories of a time long ago flood your mind, as you pass the streets of your old neighborhood.

Before taking the journey upon yourself, you were worried that you might not know the way anymore. How foolish. Of course you know the way. You have walked it in your mind and dreams many times. After turning a few corners and crossing the street a couple times, you stop at a door.

Doubts cross your mind, but you know it's important that you do this. Will he be furious? Surely. Will he yell at you? Definitely. But do you have to sit through it to stop him from bringing you back? Absolutely.

You would have almost forgotten about it, if you hadn't looked at the newspaper Arthur reads every morning. The date and year have hit you like a freight train and you had rushed out of the house, leaving your husband confused and worried. Though he trusts you and knows better than to question your odd behavior, knowing you have been this way since you first met.

Taking a deep breath, you ring the doorbell and wait. It only takes a few seconds, but to you it feels like years are passing until you're being greeted with a face you haven't seen in ages. The smile on your lips is awkward and unsure, as you stand before him, a graying and scarred woman.

"Hello, Francis."

Taglist: @shackspossum @abducted-cowz @heloixe @onyxlune

#rdr2 #rdr2 fanfic #arthur morgan #rdr2 x reader #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 arthur #rdr2 arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #rdr2 arthur morgan x reader #set in sand

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tweeterwilbury · 2 months ago

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Okay some of my favourite csny facts/anecdotes just for compiling them:

-roger mcguinn saying that stephen was Romancing Crosby Away from the byrds before crosby was fired

- when they were in the 1974 tour one time bob dylan joined them and stephen kinda didnt allow anyone else to be in the same room as him when bob played some new songs (= basically the entirerity of blood on the tracks) and meanwhile nash was outside the room hearing the whole thing ans dying with it and when bob goes out stephen says Bob is no musician.

- that one time stephen destroyed a tape of wind on the water bc graham didnt want to sing on one of his songs or whatever and graham had to call his manager (who was his neighbor i think?) to physically get stephen out of his house. And then immediately after that his girlfriend put a song to play to calm graham down and it's idiot wind by bob dylan. Which goes well with the last anecdote

- the Eat A Peach incident but specifically that one interview with stephen like 2 weeks later where hes like It's over for me. My life is over.

- thrasher by neil young

- this one is more neil solo thsn csny but the live in berlin concert when nils lofgren is doing some crazy moves like everyone should watch thst

- when csn first came to exist they used to play their songs and sing to many friends and like appearently two of these friends were art garfunkel and paul simon and they didnt think it was all that good or something which is just really funny to me

- still talking about when csn started, they had an audition to apple (the beatles company not steve jobs) and it was a live audition with george harrison judging if they were going to get a contract or not. And he said No <3

- Ok next two will be more csny-adjacent but still talking about george harrison the first cover of a george song appearently was the hollies' if i needed someone but he didnt like it and talked about not liking it when someone in the press asked him and graham got angry with it and replied saying some shit like People take the beatles word like gospel but we all started in the same place. Also appearently george's comment may have affected the hollies' sells bc the cover was a single <3

- still talking about george harrison and specifically if i needed someone appearently he sent a tape of it to roger mcguinn before the song was released bc it took some inspiration from the byrds (i think it was specifically from their version of the bells of rhymney)

- The Old Uniform incident

- Nash being so fucked up in the 1974 tour that he sounds Too Loud in basically every song ever. One time i heard a our house with aggressive lalalalalala and it was the funniest thing ever

- when neil was 'feeling alone' during the deja vu sessions so for some reason he adopted two bush babies (which he named speedy and harriet) and nash absolutely hated those animals

- when the idea of neil joining csn first appeared nash didnt know him yet so they had a date just for nash to like. Know him and approve him in the band. And appearently graham was fine with it bc neil was funny

- joni mitchell told elliot roberts to meet neil because he was funny. Lets all pour out one for the funny lovely guy that is neil young

- when elliot roberts managed the buffalo springfield for a short time he let neil alone for like half an hour or something to play golf when they were touring and neil wasnt feeling well so after that he fired elliot and elliot tried to go back to the band after they went back to la and neil got furious with him and like at some point elliot starts crying and neils like Okay either i stay or he stays and everyone prefer neil to stay. And then elliot goes home and some days later neil appears at his house and hes like Okay i fired you from buffalo springfield bc i want you to manage me as a solo artist. And elliot is like Oooohhhh this guy is smart making this whole plan. But like years later neil was like Well i didnt really plan to fire him and then get out of the band. So basically he just made elliot cry in front of wveryone and they put on a big scene for no specific reason he was just feeling evil i guess

- that one anecdote about stephen making a X in a photo of csny in 1969 (i think?) after making a comment about how neil looked like he was about to say "look im here but im not really in this band and im gonna break your heart again stephen" but like stephen is so angry about it that when he makes the x in the photo the pen goes through the paper

- That one interview when stephen said that on the way home is about him which neil never confirmed neither denied but it surely makes every live performance of on the way home much better when you notice how stephen is doing the I love you I do background part all the time. alone. Not even doing it with crosby and nash most of the times like what even is the point of that

- when stephen covered the loner for illegal stills and then on the stills-young tour he and neil played the song with alternate versions and sometimes neil would be like "We will do a song i wrote but in Stephens way because i like how stephen does it!" Before they started singing and when they started it stephen would totally skip the first verse and sing only half of the second verse in a totally drunken stage

- when nash said in wild tales that one time during the boat trip with crosby there was a storm and crosby picked up a 140 pounds anchor to throw in the sea to save them which is just an insane anecdote. Okay

- when nash said he thinks stephen is clinicslly insane and that he doesnt think stephen was happy and that if he hadnt been stephen stills he would have been put away long ago. And then in the same page neil is like I really like stephen as a person..........

- when crosby and nash were interviewed and the interviewer asked them if they were a couple as a joke and graham freaked out and the interviewer eas like Okay but what keeps you two together if not the queerbaiting. And im paraphrasing it here but the interviewer literally used the word queerbaiting in it

- that one time stephen said that people thought that he and jimi hendrix were fags or that stephen was a male groupie but it Wasnt Like That

- bruce palmer saying that neil sang like a faggot

- more neil solo than csny but that one story of rick danko making him release tonight's the night

- that one time stephen showed up at nash's house with a full meal for some reason and then left without saying anything

Theres definitely a lot more these are just some of the top of my head

#csny #probably will need a part 2

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fallenjello · 4 months ago

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Yall

This cant be a coincidence

This CANT be a coincidence @zeddyzi yay your favorite!!! homestuck!!!! Also theres literally no karkat sprites i could find where hes smiling so this is the best i can do Yapping under the cut cause i dont wanna force yall to read all that🙂‍↔️

There isnt like a single difference between karkat and nil BUT while dave and dimitri are similar in the bigger more obvious ways (like their names both starting with d which i just realized, the red eyes, similar hair colors [although yeah dimitri dyes his], both wearing red, dimitri's black eyeshadow/daves black sunglasses, and the "cool/chill guy" act) except, dimitri is ACTUALLY cool and its not an act for him (or if it is, hes actually doing a good job) and people actually like him. nobody fucking likes dave LMAO (in the actual story i mean, i think the only person who likes that guy is june,, karkat doesnt even like him and davekat is my favorite ship*... also wtf is with all these parentheses what am i doing guys) *I dont ship nil x dimitri though they are the best friends ever🥹🥹 i love them

#meow #shitpost #nil #nil pine point #dimitri #dimitri pine point #karkat #karkat vantas #dave #dave strider #nil is karkat #dimitri is dave #nil & dimitri davekat confirmed?#yapping #yap yap yap #coincidence..?#nuh uh

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ayaitch · 7 months ago

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One of the things in the Horizon games that is a little tiresome to me is about all these Carja "good ones". Every time we meet a Carja (except for Nil, who is a whole other topic...), the narrative goes to lengths to assure us, the audience, that we should care about this Carja because they were "one of the good ones" during the Red Raids. This Carja wanted to stop things. This Carja opposed the Red Raids and senseless slaughter. This Carja always questioned things and strove to stop it all.

So that's great and all, and I appreciate having "good ones" right off the bat during awful, horrible times in a culture's history, but it's not very challenging. Show me why I should care about one of the "bad ones". Or someone who thought they were doing well by their culture, people, family, only to finally glimpse the big picture and realize how wrong they were and then try to change. Someone who snaps out of it, elbow-deep in blood (metaphrically?), and realizes something is off, thinks, 'Wtf am I doing, this isn't helping anyone.'

Even Avad, who usurped his bloodthirsty, tyrant father (and killed him, I don't want that to be taken away from Avad!) should have, at least up until a certain point, believed what his father was doing was right. It's how he was raised. It was the only lens by which he saw the world, especially considering the literal pillar upon which the Carja royal family resided. He had to be drinking from the same cup as his father (again, metaphorically) and so why wouldn't he believe up to a time, that they were doing what was right by their religion/culture. At some point, he had a Come-to-the-Sun moment (so to speak) and realized his father was a terrible, murdering person and worked against that, but what was that moment? He was already plotting against his father by the time he meets Ursa and helps her escape (if I recall correctly...).

Talanah's father and brother, prestigious and noble members of the Hunter's Lodge in Meridian, should have, at least at the beginning, been totally behind their Sun-King, who made it a point to justify more and more terrible things by claiming it for the best, that their people needed protection from this machine threat and degrading biosphere. I like the way the narrative handled them, but we were still presented with the idea that they were "good from the start."

Fashav too. "One of the good ones", who marched with the Red Raiders hoping to "mitigate" their atrocities. Which he failed at so why is he still considered a good one? Because intentions? There's a reason the adage is "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." (Don't get me wrong, I love Fashav, and wanted him to retire in comfort and accomplished lasting peace with laurels on his arms. He's such a compelling character as far as I'm concerned.)

Every Carja we meet that the narrative wants us to care about had figured out that the Mad Sun-King was awful and terrible before their hands got truly dirty, and were just trying to do their best from the inside to make change without creating waves and getting themselves executed (except Talanah's family, good on them).

So. I guess what I'm looking for in Horizon is an actual bad guy of the Carja who comes around before the end of the Red Raids. Someone too deep to see that they were wrong at first, but as soon as they did, made the needed change, and then did their very best to actively sabotage and undermine authority in every possible way. It's not that I don't like the Carja we meet in the game, it's just boring that they're always "one of the good ones" so we should care about what happens to them, instead of just having Aloy murder them on sight. Someone who did some things in the name of an unworthy institution and is now trying to come back from it and do the right thing.

Thinking about all this makes me wish we could have taken down those Shadow Carja in the Daunt at the beginning of HFW, because they're still nasty and awful (but still somehow good and peaceful types?????), but Aloy and Petra are all, 'aw, poor refugees...'. Like.... Pardon me? Weren't they were 100% supportive of the murdering, crazy Sun-King who tore apart both of their tribes and are anti-Avad who wants peace with everyone. What the hell is with that?

#just thinking out loud #not trying to start a fight #maybe i'm being too simplistic #or media illiterate?#or asking too much of just a video game franchise #horizon spoilers #maybe spoilers?#horizon forbidden west #horizon zero dawn #i like redeemable bad guys

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mariemariemaria · 7 months ago

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Bhreathnaigh mé ar 'Kneecap'. Bhain mé a lán sult as an scannán — sé go mhaith!!! Agus go diabhalta greannmhar.

Spoilers below 👇 (as Béarla lol)

the opening was sooo good not the Brits thinking a christening at a Mass rock was an IRA gathering. Doesn't that say a lot?

Cowboys are cunts

The cinnamontography 👌👌👌

Lmao when the cop calls him a fenian and he's like that's a fair question rudely asked

Bobby Sandals

Michael Fassbander is like is anybody gonna play a too handsome west Belfast Irish republican with empathy and nuance and won't even wait for an answer

I found the sex scenes kinda cringey tbh. But I guess they got across what they were supposed to

Never thought I'd see the telegraph building in a film but here we are lol

'We're the Radical Republicans Against Drugs. We're radical Republicans before we're against drugs. It's in the name' lmao a lot of people do act like that once they find out they can get in on the drug money too

I liked the class element. With JJ and his partner being more middle class (if teachers can be called middle class these days) and having a secure job, meaning he could quit easily but also had to hide his identity. Interesting

The two telephone boxes really moved me

Never underestimate the power of Belfast mothers too true

I've seen the quote 'gach focal a labhraítear i nGaeilge, is é piléar scaoilte ar son saoirse na hÉireann' repeated a lot which I understand because its catchy and its said a few times during the film, but I quite like the end where they add that maybe we shouldn't talk about things in terms of bullets anymore, even as a metaphor, and the Protestant girlfriend going to an Irish language class.

An indigenous language dies every 40 days??? What the fuck

Overall really enjoyed it and cant wait to watch it again. Love hearing Irish spoken in the north so this type of film and band are just iontach! ❤️🅾️ the DUP really created a horrible atmosphere with their attitude towards an Irish language act and their crocodile comments. Like just because people were asking for the same thing Scotland and Wales had 🙄 It really wasn't nice to be viewed like that. But now there's an ILA, and multiple Irish language films are doing well internationally, so I'd say that's Fenian cunts 1 - DUP nil

#gaeilge #please correct me if ive written anything wrong 😭 teanglann.ie was used a LOT #and im v tired rn #anyway here's a post that literally nobody asked for. overall would recommend #kneecap #ireland

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practicedvmm13fullofpotatoes · 7 months ago

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Things in The Neighbor's Under the Bed that drive me insane

(WARNING: IT'S A REALLY LONG POST FOR SOME REASON. CONTINUE IF YOU DARE)

Mark said "They beat us 7-nil", implying that Abigail was also a Raccoon. So. Both of them are retired Raccoon City players but Mark cares about football and getting back at Johnny and Janae's father. Abigail loves the guy enough to let him do his plans, occasionally helping him (like with the tunnel thing) but she doesn't obsess over football like he does

"A nipple a day keeps the Rangers at bay!" "That's what we've got on our house crest" I know all of these things are supposed to be for comedic purposes but that implies that Abigail's been doing the nipple thing since the Raccoons lost to the Rangers (hell, she could have also been doing it before they lost to the Rangers but I don't think she'd have the need to do that unless conspiring with Mark to get back at the Rangers)

THE ADDAMS JUST HAVE A BLUEPRINT OF THE EVANS' HOUSE. WHAT??

"We love you too, Dad!" Janae, that is your mother--

"Don't hit your brother anymore, that's not very nice okay?" "I try to but the night terrors" This is Janae responding. I can't tell if this is because Janae has nightmares and is hitting Johnny in their sleep or if Janae hits Johnny to wake him up from a really nasty future dream

Johnny coming out of nowhere while Martha was already telling the boys goodnight and her not knowing that he wasn't in the room shows how neglectful of a mother she is. Sure, she comforts him but also tells him to "shut up" and to "stop being weird".

"Yes, Johnny, that's the one" WHY DID JANAE HAVE TO CONFIRM THAT THEIR MOTHER WAS RIGHT WITH WHAT THEIR OLDER BROTHER'S NAME IS??

"I did say that he was my older brother. But he's emotionally less mature" This is definitely to clarify to the audience but I'm taking this as Janae knowing that their mother can't differentiate them sometimes.

"What do you mean you had another one of your future dreams?" SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. AND THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE, MIND YOU. SHE DOESN'T LISTEN TO HIM WHEN HE'S TALKING ABOUT HIS FUTURE DREAMS!! HE LITERALLY HAD TO EXPLAIN WHAT HIS FUTURE DREAMS WERE

"I'll try but I do have to finish the Oxford curriculum" Implies they're in school and then Tom throws the next line "Because, you know I'm lecturing in the morning" which throws my previous idea out the window. JANAE LECTURES AT OXFORD?? JANAE FUCKING GRADUATED AND TEACHES AT OXFORD??

"I dreamed a man came out from under my bed :(" I mean, sure, it's technically correct but not exactly correct?? Which implies that Johnny either has 80% accurate future dreams or his dreams come from another perspective sometimes??

"But sometimes they come true, mommy!" SOMETIMES?? SO THEY DON'T ALWAYS COME TRUE?? I MEAN. OKAY

"It's okay, I'm familiar with the carnal act" what has this eight-year-old seen....

"My seis-- my seismogram" Tom was blanking on what it was called but yes, a seismogram exists (I saw it on my exam. But now I'm starting to think that an 8 year old just recently invented it)

"It's not true" IMMEDIATELY TOLD HER CHILD THAT IT ISN'T REAL. DOES SHE CARE ABOUT HER CHILDREN? PROBABLY NOT

"If it was true, it would be called a seismoGRAPH" BOTH OF THEM SHUT JANAE DOWN. WHAT?? GUYS. HEAR 'EM OUT. COME ON

"I said I made it myself, it's something new, father!" NEITHER OF JANAE'S PARENTS WOULD LISTEN TO THEM. ALSO, THE EMPHASIS ON "FATHER" IMPLIES JANAE DOESN'T LIKE THEIR FATHER MUCH

"I know where he gets his power. I have to sleep with his wife" THIS IS LIKE THE MEME. ["I'VE CONNECTED THE TWO DOTS" "YOU DIDN'T CONNECT SHIT" "I'VE CONNECTED THEM"] NO BUT WHERE THE FUCK DID HE GET THIS IDEA I'M SOBBING SO HARD

"ENGORGE HIM AND HAVE HIM ENTE-- no wait-- ENGORGE HER AND HAVE YOURSELF ENTER HER" TOM WAS READY TO MAKE THIS GAY. I LOVE THAT

"It'll just be me and the boys--" "No, me and the boys" THEIR FATHER IS TOO FIXATED WITH FOOTBALL THAT HE DOESN'T EVEN CONSIDER HIS CHILDREN

"Tasting menu" "Expensive.." THIS ISN'T REALLY RELATED TO THE LORE I'M TRYING TO MAKE FOR NEIGHBOUR'S BUT THIS IS HILARIOUS

The nod to Luke before patting the chair. Again, not related to lore but I love this moment

AJ going to drink in the background until Luke spoke. Took a moment to pause because that was definitely not what Johnny sounded like previously (not related. again)

"We had a different daddy. Our daddy was not our daddy it was the neighbaah :(" Okay so going back to Johnny's future dreams, they aren't 100% accurate to what actually happens but rather a caricature of it?? Dreams don't always make sense in real life, so Johnny's future dreams being a bit exaggerated makes sense kind of??

"WHY ARE THEY DOING IT IN THE RECORDING STUDIO WITH ALL THE MICS ON?!" THEY HAVE A WHAT IN THEIR HOUSE? THEY HAVE A RECORDING STUDIO???

"I was going to suggest a fire but okay!" JANAE IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT THAT A FIRE WAS THE BEST WAY TO SOLVE THIS. THEY MAY BE BOOK SMART BUT THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT FUCKED UP IN THE HEAD. JOHNNY, THE ONE WHO GOES MORE ON EMOTION RATHER THAN GENUINELY THINKING, WAS THE ONE WHO HAD A RATIONAL IDEA. CALLING THEIR DAD WAS DEFINITELY THE BETTER IDEA. AND THEN HE JUST AGREES WHEN JANAE SUGGESTED A FIRE. YEAH, NO, NEVERMIND THEY'RE BOTH A BIT FUCKED UP (then again, younger children have wild imaginations. Janae might be intelligent but that doesn't mean they're not a kid. Hell, their boosted iq may or may not have aided with the fucked up ideas they might have)

Janae just being a news anchor/football announcer in a normal speed while Jack and Mark are in slow mo. Why is that? To make it a bit more dramatic? Because it's a slow mo playback? Huh??

"I'll be seeking forced adoption for myself and my older brother" GOOD BECAUSE BOTH OF THEIR PARENTS ARE NEGLECTFUL. THEY DESERVE TO LIVE IN A BETTER HOME, GODDAMN IT

Tl;dr: This play is insane and these two kids need a family that actually care about their interests and don't shut them down/force them to play football

#THIS IS A SURPRISINGLY LONG POST WHAT #shoot from the hip #sfth #shootimpro #the neighbour's under the bed #the neighbor's under the bed #potato fics #<- by technicality?

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samsalami66 · 2 years ago

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Here we go again with a fun little drabble, this time for a spontaneous Knight!Hob and Prince!Dream au (which will probably get a few more additions lmao). It all started with my lovely @im-not-corrupted handing me the prompt "you know, it's ok if you're not ok" from this wonderful prompt list.

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Dream ran down a corridor, his coat billowing behind him like an angry cloud of black smoke, set to destroy everything that would dare to stand between him and this God-forsaken door deep within the bowels of the castle.

Dream ran, and it was the first time Dream remembered running since his childhood years, when he had been a naught but a babe, excited to explore every nook and corner of the massive palace that he called his home. Of course the first time he was forced to engage in such physical activity in as many years, it would be Hob Gadling's fault. Because it was always Hob Gadling's fault, from the moment he stepped foot into the throne room and announced he would become Dream's personal guardian, a Knight in his name alone, loyal to none other than the Prince of the Dreaming.

What is he at fault for? a curious reader might ask, and Dream would whirl around on his heel and give a whole list of things Sir Robert Gadling could be blamed for, if only indirectly.

For the blush he forced onto Dream's pale cheeks anytime their gazes met over a particularly boring dinner with his family. Perhaps also for the way Dream's heart skipped a beat whenever Hob spoke up to the King and Queen on his behalf, a feat so terrible even the most noble of men had failed before him. Good thing Hob was no nobleman, no son of high houses nor of new money.

He was an idiot, first and foremost. A talented, quick witted and patient idiot, but an idiot nonetheless. After all, who just waltzes into a room with the King and Queen in it and promises undying loyalty to their adolescent son who no one particularly likes and expects it to simply work? And who decides to simply enter a jousting match without any former training or experience for fun?

Hob Gadling, of course, which was just one more example of things he could be blamed for.

Nil consideration for his own physical well-being.

Idiot.

Dream was about to say as much as he threw open the door to Hob's chambers, but every ill thought spent towards his Knight's stupidity was immediately dropped as Dream found him hunched over the back of his armchair, one hand clutching at his bare chest as it rose and fell in quick succession.

God's wounds, Dream had seen how Hob got shoved out of his saddle, how the lance had connected with his armor plate and sent him flying from his horse in one spectacular arch. But he never could have guessed just how bad it must have hurt, even through the steel and cloth. The bruise on Hob's chest was an angry black, his sides spotted with a deep red where his ribs were most definitely fractured.

"Hob," the name left Dream's lips like a plea, like God's name would fall from a sinner's lips who prayed for salvation. And he did pray for salvation, in a way. Not his own, but salvation from endless pain nonetheless.

The man in question looked up between sweaty brows, a pained grimace painting his usual smile an ugly gray. Dream found himself by his side faster than lightning, hands coming up to hover helplessly over Hob's chest.

Hob sighed at the concern clearly plastered into every corner of Dream's face, the way his lips tugged downwards in an obvious display of his dislike for the position he found Hob in.

"Don't you worry for me, my Lord. I'm… fine. I'm fine, I promise."

Tragically, the trustworthiness of this statement was negated by a heavy cough wrecking Hob's body, which left him groaning in pain over his injuries.

"You are not fine, Robert Gadling," Dream hissed in response, hands finally coming to a rest on Hob's back. "Which is. Alright. It is alright if you are not alright. Just, please, lay down, my friend. You must rest."

Thankfully, Hob did not fight Dream as he was pushed towards his bedroom, and neither did he when Dream gently pressed him down into the mattress with a careful hand to his shoulder. His breath was still heavy and his eyes half-lidded as he looked up at Dream, something vulnerable hidden behind the dark brown of his eyes that Dream could not quite decipher in the near darkness of the bedroom.

"Will you stay? My Lord?" Hob whispered, apparently balancing carefully between the realm of sleep and the world of the waking.

"No duty could possibly force me from your side, my half-witted Knight." Dream responded quietly, his heart warming considerably at the soft smile that crept into his friend's eyes at the endearment, before they eventually fell close and Hob got pulled into deep and restful slumber.

Dream placed a single feather-light kiss to the dark spot on Hob's chest before settling into the other side of the bed, his eyes fixed on the slowing rise and fall of Hob's breast.

Hob Gadling really was an idiot.

Dream's idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

#dreamling #the sandman #hob gadling #hob is an idiot #dream is worried TM #knight!hob #prince!dream #salamiwrites #he is not fine.#royal au

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