#legend icon king one of a kind

[henrike-does-art-sometimes]

DAMIEN DAMIEN DAMIEN-

[hockeyshmockey]

Charles Leclerc SMAU

summary: in which charles and lewis' best friend are anything but discreet. charles leclerc x yn

warnings: none!!

liked by lewishamilton, susiewolff and 52,293 others

Yourusername my king roscoe Nicholas Stewart Hamilton 🥹

view 2,830 comments

Lewishamilton stop giving him middle names??

carmenmundt you. in the paddock. with roscoe. when?

yourusername after summer break I promise!

user oh to be yn

georgerussel you don’t need to come to the paddock really

Yourusername awwww scared I’ll steal your girl?

carmenmundt there’s no competition, she wins babe, sorry

liked by charlesleclerc

liked by mickschumacher, f1gridgossip and 58,293 others

yourusername it’s hard work being an icon and a legend

view 23,283 comments

landonorris so true, just ask roscoe!

yourusername ok fair

charlesleclerc true

user nah what is Charles doing here, this one isn’t friends with his ex

lewishamilton please come back to the garage, you took my dog?

yourusername I think you’re the only one who hasn’t realized we co parent at this point

twitter

forzaferrari

No bc why is Charles hanging w Lewis and roscoe recently?

|

leclercStan

I’m calling it now he’s with yn

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lh44

That’s a reach my guy

|

Forzaferrari

no wait bc why does that kind of add up????

liked by roscoelovescoco, landonorris and 59,202 others

location Monaco

yourusername smize!

view 12,393 comments

Carla.brocker so stunning!

user hmmmmmm

arthurleclerc you may be my new favorite partner in crime

charlesleclerc nice photo!

user lmao Charles you can be a little more dry

liked by lh44, f1gridgossip and 1,490,283 others

charlesleclerc a good time had by all but now it’s back to racing

view 502,820 comments

yourusername life alert

yourusername I’ve fallen and I can’t get up

user nah bc yn is so real for that

arthurleclerc put on some clothes

liked by 9,203 users

F1gridgossip sent in! A fan spotted Mr Charles leclerc in Monaco today walking with his arm around a mystery blonde. This follows reports that a blonde also spent the day on his yacht with his family over the break. Could he be off the market once more?

view 672 comments

user tell me that’s not yn

user gotta be her!!!

user I swear I saw her walking roscoe and meeting up with a familiar looking brunette

liked by lewishamilton, carlossainz and 68,829 others

yourusername like will smith said: keep my wife’s name out your mouth!

view 22,383 comments

Lewishamilton I really don’t know what you were trying to do here

user gurrlllll

charlesleclerc bebe🫶🏻

Yourusername I was going for mysterious but okay then

[vintagetvstars]

Diana Rigg Vs. Nichelle Nichols

Propaganda

Diana Rigg - (The Avengers, Diana) - Honestly? Just check her out as Emma Peel in any episode of The Avengers. The character herself was a legend - an exceptional spy, wonderful fighter, certified genius, a true feminist role model - not to mention a renowned sex symbol (that leather catsuit... heavens help me...) and fashion icon. As for Diana personally, she was once described by Michael Parkinson as "the most desirable woman he ever met, who radiated a lustrous beauty". She could pivot from funny quips and endearing jokes to stone-cold badassery like it was nothing, and she looked stunning either way. Whenever I look at a pic of her, I have this feeling she's planning some fun mischief and I get the strongest urge to ask her to take me along. Need anything more? Here, have some pics: (pics below the cut)

Nichelle Nichols - (Star Trek) - She speaks for herself. Legendary, iconic, at the forefront of feminism and civil rights in the 60s, she is a triple threat who did so much more. She volunteered from 1977 to promote recruitment diversity within NASA, including some of the first female and ethnic minority astronauts. Martin Luther King Jr. compared her work on Star Trek as a 'vital role model' to the civil rights marches. She refused to be dismissed, fought for visibility and shone whilst doing so. As a woman in stem, and simply a woman she means the world and stars above to me.

Master Poll List of the Hot Vintage TV Ladies Bracket

Additional propaganda below the cut

Diana Rigg:

When people think of The Avengers, they think Steed and Peel (or they think the marvel property but that’s neither here nor there). I know people who thought Mrs. Peel was the ONLY woman Steed worked with, Diana Rigg was Just That Good (she was only on two seasons!). She was one of those actors that could so perfectly play comedy in any form, her dry, sardonic wit was marvelous, but so was her physical and slapstick comedy, and she could do drama too! If you’ve seen her in interviews you’d also know how fabulously humble and kind she was. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more attracted to a TV woman than I’ve been to Diana Rigg. Some photos of her:

the SMILE!!!!

I like a woman that could kill me in one shot

tell me she's not endearing I DARE you

Gorgeous, sexy, competent, superior, so much leather. Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the Avengers was foundational to my sexuality and personality. She's classy, she's cute, she's cocky, in one episode she whips a bunch of guys while wearing a corset and a spiked collar...

excuse me I'm overcome with sinful thoughts

 hello 911 I think I'm having a heart attack

Here's an interview I fell for her in:

Diana Rigg | Interview | The Avengers | Good Afternoon | 1974 | Part one

Her first appearance in The Avengers (In series 4, if you can believe it):

The Avengers: Emma Peel First Appearance HD

Nichelle Nichols:

She is the original badass babe. She was a black woman in a leading role on TV in the 60s, a trailblazer for black actresses for years to come. She is so beautiful and so awesome.

she's fantastic. have you seen her? paved the way for black actresses on TV even while her lines and scenes were being cut and improvised the most iconic uhura line in the series. (sulu: "I'll save you, fair maiden!" uhura, pushing him away: "sorry, neither!") she's incredibly talented and it's a crime the show didn't give her more screen time (or make her sing more often because she also has a beautiful voice!)

“Sorry, neither” in response to “fair maiden” was ad libbed by her. There’s a lot more I could say but what else do you need??

A sci-fi icon!

She was such a trailblazer, and Uhura was such an important character for so many people to be able to see on TV. Apparently Mae Jemison (the first African American woman to go into space) cited her as a reason she wanted to become an astronaut. She was just an absolute legend!

The story of Martin Luther King telling her not to quit Star Trek gives me chills. Representation matters. “Thank you so much, Dr. King. I’m really going to miss my co-stars.” Dr. King's smile, Nichols recalled, vanished from his face. "He said, 'What are you talking about?'" the actress explained. "I told him. He said, 'You cannot,' and so help me, this man practically repeated verbatim what Gene said. He said, 'Don’t you see what this man is doing, who has written this? This is the future. He has established us as we should be seen. 300 years from now, we are here. We are marching. And this is the first step. When we see you, we see ourselves, and we see ourselves as intelligent and beautiful and proud.' He goes on and I’m looking at him and my knees are buckling. I said, 'I…, I…' And he said, 'You turn on your television and the news comes on and you see us marching and peaceful, you see the peaceful civil disobedience, and you see the dogs and see the fire hoses, and we all know they cannot destroy us because we are there in the 23rd Century.'"

She shared the first interracial kiss on Star Trek, helped propel real life African American women into space-related careers, and looks divine in a mini skirt.

HOW DID UHURA WALK BACKWARDS SO FAR??? WOW!

[mhsdatgo]

Since GOT they’ve been using rape and abuse to humble or break a woman/Girl because they aren’t the “right” kind of woman. They don’t ride a dragon or yield a sword. They don’t fight against their period typical role in life that they were born and raised in. They’re not “A guys girl” or the “I don’t have any girl friends, they’re too much drama” types who prefer the company of men to women, who would rather train with a sword and not learn embroidery. They don’t have dialogue that vaguely sounds more 21st century than Middle Ages.

These women are seen as of less value than our little dragon riding, sword and fist fighting tomboys. So they need to be taught that if you had just been more like this or more like that you wouldn’t have been brutalized and abused. The things that were done to you by other people is all your fault and you deserved it.

This show/franchise is not even in the same room as feminism.

👏👏👏 Nothing more to add anon. No lie was told.

The sad thing is, this is not what I got from the books of asoiaf at all. Women's experience was never told in juxtaposition to others. There is no humbling or brutalizing other women as a "punishment" for not being better, more rebellious, or bolder than others. The books tell stories of suffering and that's it. The way shows and fandoms decide to try and force other characters into another one's story for the sole purpose of comparing them so they prove that stanning one means having a moral high ground over another character's stans is the most idiotic thing to ever have happened among fandoms, to say the least. Especially when the two characters in question don't even know each other.

Just look at the way Sansa and Dany are treated in the fandom. Have a shot for every time Sansa in King's Landing is called a tradwife as if this wasn't a girl in middle school trying to survive they're talking about, or for every time she's called jealous of Dany. Imagine if a stranger girl with three dragons cames knocking on your door demanding that you and all of your people and their mama bend the knee to her and you are the jealous one and the villain because you just... Don't? Also, you deserve to be threatened with death when you pose a reasonable question, and you need to take it and be better and shut up. Then you're a "girls' girl" deserving of respect, etc.

We want strong female characters to think for themselves, except when that "thinking for oneself" isn't the same thing as kissing the ground the fan favourite girl walks on.

If only fandoms paid more mind to what makes a character likeable or unlikeable in their eyes BASED ON THE CHARACTER ITSELF, and not on their perspective on their faves, interacting with them would be way more fun. Books/shows like asoiaf/GOT or F&B/HotD aren't places where you just choose a character you like and that's it, she's an icon she's a legend and she is the moment. If it was, it would either be a story for kids or a hell for Mare Sues' fans. As long as you treat asoiaf characters like deities that can do no wrong and everyone else as villains in need of redemption, you should step back and read something else.

This is something that needs to be accepted even between writers and directors, btw. Just look at what F&B was turned into. Girlboss vs Girlfail. Blacks got the Girlboss, the virtuous rightful heir, good mother fine ruler, Greens' got the Girlfail, the rape enabler, the boy mom, the tradwife, you name it.

No, it doesn't matter that the latter is doing everything she can possibly do. She was a piece of shit the moment she stopped toiling behind the former because everyone is meant to be like or kneel before girlboss with dragon. Only then are your ambitions respectable. If not, fuck you, you're nothing. Everything that happens to you is your fault. I'll be in the front seats cheering for when everything you love is ripped brutally from you.

Even when your grown-up son rapes a maid. Even when girlboss with dragon threatens to put your people to the torch because you won't bend the knee.

TL;DR: There's no need to compare/stone certain female characters for being what they are instead of a completely different type. If all of them were tomboyish with swords or feminine with embroidery, it would be boring. You aren't better than anyone for having preferences. Also, learn how to blame men when they fuck up. It's great for the bowel.

[strafethesesinners]

Which of the 16 Main Archetypes is your OC?

Browsing uquiz and decided to take this quiz for my boys and start a tag chain!

The Outlaw

You're fiercely independent with a sense of self that keeps you from bending to societal constraints. Okay, so you don't make a lot of friends, but the ones you do have are loyal and have similar values. Other characters do resent you, but they have a secret jealously of your freedom and absolute disregard for their hierarchies. For example, the Sheriff of Nottingham (from Robin Hood) expresses his hidden envy of a life that he could never have. Other outlaws in literature are Roux from Chocolat by Joanne Harris, and Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin.

The Damsel

You don't necessarily have to be female to get this result. You are one of the rarer types on this website, representing innocence, naivety, inexperience, and trust. You know there's bad in the world. but you've never given up on the good and cling to this even when bad things around you threaten to rip it away. Your positivity is unstoppable and you know there is always hope and wonder to be found in the world. You are in the company of Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Tiny Tim from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

The Trickster

No legends will be written about you, but you deserve a place in them anyway. Although most think of the hero, villain, or mentor archetypes, you may be even more iconic or liked. Before storytellers were repeating tales of Beowulf and King Arthur, they were gathering around the fire listening to stories about Coyote, Raven, and the spider god Anansi. You don't classify as necessarily good nor evil, you follow your own agenda and do whatever you need to accomplish that free of black/white morals. You probably stan antiheroes and antivillains. You are in the company of Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Loki from Norse mythology.

The Hero

You think you're strong. Well, you have to be strong. You're some flavor of goodness, you're a defender and an avenger and an attacker all at once. The world isn't a kind place and some part of you cries at that. The others don't. You're tested, every day, every week, and you keep picking the morally right choices, yet it feels like you never get rewarded for that. People think you're flawless, but you don't think you are. You have too many regrets, and you always think you could've done more. You are in the company of Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, and many more heroes.

Tagging: @deputyash @stannussy @unleashed111 @unholymilf @adelaidedrubman @socially-awkward-skeleton @direwombat @henbased @josephslittledeputy @lulu2992 @raresvtm @orionlancasterr @amistrio @chyrstis @isobel-thorm @teamhawkeye @cassietrn @blissfulalchemist @florbelles @belorage @purplehairsecretlair @g0dspeeed @voidbuggg @katsigian @rindemption @inafieldofdaisies @nonfunctioning-queer @titiagls @derelictheretic @aceghosts @simplegenius042 @strangefable

[thekingofthenameless]

I HAVE 1,000 FOLLOWERS!!! Thank you guys so much 🥺

First banner is made by @honeyxmonkey :D

Second one is made by ✨yours truly✨

To celebrate, I’m going to do a Q&A about TKN! (TKN is an abbreviation for my original work, The King of the Nameless.) It isn’t fanfiction, lol. Please don’t call it a fic.

I’ve been writing for four years, give or take? Before TKN, I was writing a fanfiction based on Tales of Arcadia, and it kept straying further away from canon, especially in regards to Merlin and Charlie. I had trouble actually completing a chapter, making drafts again and again until I took an unintentional hiatus after getting a ton of burnout.

I finally came back in January of this year, and while I’d actually had the idea of making the formerly titled Emerald Embers an original story for a while, this time it wouldn’t let go. It took about three days before I said “screw it” and started revamping everything.

And then I had trouble completing anything for this too 😭. I finally just decided to do some of this year’s writing events and not worry about continuity for now: Flufftober and Angstober! I also have a draft for Whumptober eventually lol.

My Ao3!

Sorry if this seems like meaningless blather to some of y’all, but I’m sick of somehow still being known for ToA, and by extent, Emerald Embers. ToA, I don’t mind as much, because I do still like the series and reblog content occasionally. But with Emerald Embers, I do. I was fifteen years old when I started that, and it’s been discontinued for about nine months. I had two ToA related likes yesterday, and one of them was for Emerald Embers, and I don’t know how y’all keep finding it but I do not want to be known for that. I meant to keep it up as an archive, but I’m getting annoyed with the people who somehow find EE content, and then only like that and nothing else… at least most people know TKN isn’t a ToA fanfiction now?

Anyways, the two main characters:

Merlin Caledonensis Ambrosius. Black trans aroace icon. Would probably look good in anything and has endless drip in his regular outfit. A highly empathetic, dignified, mellow, and smart person who struggles with schizophrenia, psychosis (as a result of his schizophrenia), anxiety, C-PTSD, and misophonia, but is still kind because he doesn’t want others to suffer what he’s been through. Secretly the God of Magic walking among mortals. Raised a literal dragon.

Charlemagne William Ambrosius. Giant dragon. Serious, brave, protective (of Merlin), compassionate (towards Merlin), as well as fierce but loving and loyal, who sometimes takes a little bit longer to care about people due to personality differences. Will readily state his opinions and start arguments without caring. Has no qualms about staring people down while gauging their personality and threat level. Was at first completely normal but is now Fucked Up too.

And here’s the (current) blurb describing TKN! Idk if it’ll fit eventually lol

The King of the Nameless is an adaptation of Arthurian Legend, except… it takes place in an entirely fantasy world. Wizards, demons, dragons, mermaids, and spirits are just five of the magical creatures that inhabit Galdorcræft. Alongside magic being everywhere, corruption runs just as deep in the country of Avalon. Seaside towns that imported benign items like silk are now infamous for attracting contract killers and magic hunters. The idea of murdering magical creatures for their body parts, as well being a falsely presumed threat to humanity, is slowly becoming more widespread through rumors of what their magic can do to heal and harm, no matter how much Merlin Ambrosius tries to stop it. He’s a wizard himself, of course. Everybody knows that. What they don’t know is that he’s hiding a lot of secrets: being the God of Magic and Justice, being born a girl, and trying to cope with madness that makes it difficult to tell falsehoods from reality, for one thing. However, he has his dragon familiar and found family, Charlemagne Ambrosius, to keep him grounded and understand him when no one else will. Unbeknownst to them, the very heart of corruption is in Camelot itself. Uther Pendragon has just become king after his father’s death, and he’s been waiting for this. Maybe now that he’s ruling, he can finally kill Merlin and rid himself of the rebellious, soft, mad advisor. With the most powerful wizard in the land dead, then no one will be able to stop him from killing the monsters that plague it.

Art dump of Merlin and Charlie! You can see how much they’ve both changed from their original designs (first images for both) lol.

Rules for the Q&A:

In order to participate, you don’t have to be following me! Just send an ask about TKN with whatever question you have! Anon is turned on :) If y’all want to ask about how their designs changed so much and stuff… 👀

I might do this for.. a month? Idk it depends on how long people have questions lol, but again, I still feel like a lot of people still know me for ToA 😭

Artist credits: Soberana Art (on Artstation), @cat-gh0ul, NaldThal (on Ko-Fi), @heropaws, @gaylightisminetocommand, @biposi, @honeyxmonkey, @azurewildflight, @theeio

Links to their individual posts, if applicable: Current Merlin, Original Charlie, Birthday gift, Forest, Cuddles, Sploot, Meadow, Embrace

Taglist: @gaylightisminetocommand, @the-arson-author-gamer, @honeyxmonkey, @danhengsbestie

Also before I answer any other questions I’ll answer @thecomfywriter’s first, since she sent me a dm asking about TKN ages ago and then I forgot to complete a post 😭 It's still sitting around somewhere and I'm so sorry

If you'd like to be on the TKN taglist, just let me know! You can dm me, reply to this, or shoot me an ask. I'm also on Discord as the same username if you want to chat about TKN, get my rambling before you see me make a post, brainstorm with me, etc :)

And I have a TKN server, actually! I should really just. Revamp it idk I have forgotten to keep it updated with my Tumblr and Ao3 content

[steviestits]

Steviestits's Masterpost

General Info

Name: Alex Age: 36 Pronouns: They/Them Prompt Guidelines: Accepted Subjects Ao3 Account: LouderSwine Icon & Banner Credit: BoneBoyBird

(Complete Tag and Masterlist under cut)

General Tag List

Answered Asks

Text Posts

WIP Wednesday

My Fics

My Bad MS Paint Art

WIP Wednesday Tag List

WIP Snippets

Fantasy Prompts

Fic Naming

MerMay Prompts

Steddie Fics Masterlist

By The Pricking of My Thumb

After Jonathan bashed Steve's head into the pavement, Steve remembered he had powers, setting off a chain reaction from Nancy breaking up with him early to certain enemies showing up sooner than expected.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #sevensteveau Rating: Teen Trigger Warnings: Canon Typical Violence

The Heart Of Loch Nora

Kas aka Eddie takes over Prince Steve's kingdom and keeps Steve captive before brainwashing him into being his mate.

Status: Completed Ao3 Link: Click here Tumblr Tag: #heart of loch nora (includes art for fic) Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Extremely Dubious Consent, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Brainwashing, Gaslighting, Stockholm Syndrome, Mind Manipulation, Mind Control, Forced Feminization, Body Modification, Blood Drinking, Mild Gore, Additional Warnings In Author's Note

I Move the Stars For No One

Labyrinth inspired, but they share zero plot points. Steve becomes King Edward's possession after stumbling onto a fairy circle.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: (Coming after completion of first chapter) Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #starsfornoone Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, Feminization, Mating Rituals, Heats/Ruts but not the Omegaverse kind

In The Family Way

Addams Family Values au set in the Omegaverse after the events of the movie with Steve as Debbie and Eddie as Fester.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #inthefamilyway Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Attempted Murder as a love language

I’ve Seen My Future, And You’re It

Before Stevie met Mr. Henderson, a science teacher at her school, her life was simple. She was a teenage boy living in the year 2024 and didn’t care about all this science crap, but not only has she turned into a girl, she’s traveled back in time to the year 1986 and is now stuck there!

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: (Coming after completion of first chapter) Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #futureyoureit Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Genderbend, Brainwashing, Electric Stimulation, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Gaslighting, Feminization

My God Longs For Me

Horror story where Steve was abducted by a cult and meets his future husband, Eddie, only for them to be separated when the police break-up the cult. Years later on a camping trip, Steve's friends begin to be murdered, which somehow has to do with the cult from his past.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: (Coming after completion of first chapter) Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #mygodlongsforme Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Feminization, Brainwashing, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Ritual Sacrifices, Gore, Mpreg, Body Horror, Monster Fucking

Siren's Call, Sailor's Fall

Lost Boys Au but with mermaids instead of vampires, and the mermaids win.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #lostmerau Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Hypnosis, Extremely Dubious Consent, Feminization in the Clownfish type of way, Mermaid Transformation, Bad Guys Win

System Hacked

Eddie hacks into Steve's terminal and alters Steve's body and mind to his liking.

Status: Completed Ao3 Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #system hacked Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Mind Manipulation, Brainwashing, Stalking, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Extremely Dubious Consent, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Forced Feminization

Urban Legend

Legend has it that there's a monster that stalks the campus of Hawkins University, who devours those careless enough to wander into its grasp. Not mentioned, however, is that monster is looking for a mate and has set its sights on Steve.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #urbanlegend Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Mind Manipulation, Brainwashing, Stalking, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Extremely Dubious Consent, Body Modification, Forced Feminization, Additional Warnings In Author's Note

Divider borders by Saradika

[flooofity]

hello overwatch community id like to share someone i wrote instead of working on my english essay🫶

————

this is a kraandop fanfic……. (if you don’t know who that is he is a streamer!)

use of y/n (cringe warning ik‼️⚠️)

word count: 6317 words

————

The Overwatch menu music hummed in the background as you adjusted your camera and double-checked your stream setup. You had just gone live. Your chat buzzed with anticipation, the messages flying faster than you could read.

[User123]: You gonna confess today, Y/N? 👀

[BigFan44]: Bet $5 Kraan knows already.

[PocketMain69]: DUO WHEN??

You rolled your eyes, cheeks already warming.

"Guys, relax," you said, voice a mix of exasperation and amusement. "It’s not like Kraan even knows who I am."

It wasn’t entirely true. You were a streamer too, and while you weren’t pulling Kraandop level numbers, you’d crossed paths before. A few friendly interactions in each other’s chats, a couple of Overwatch Twitter memes liked back and forth—it wasn’t much, but it was enough to fuel your harmless (and totally not obvious) crush on the Overwatch tank main.

The guy was a legend. Whether it was diving as Winston or holding the line as Reinhardt, Kraandop had a knack for commanding the battlefield with a mix of raw skill and infectious energy. Not to mention, he was ridiculously charming, and his deep laugh had a way of making your heart race.

You were about to queue up for your own game when a notification popped up.

Kraandop has gone live.

Your chat erupted.

[TankLover]: KRAAN’S SPINNING THE WHEEL!!

[DuoDreamer]: IT’S GONNA LAND ON YOU, I SWEAR.

Curiosity got the better of you, and you clicked over to his stream. Kraandop’s face filled the screen, his mischievous grin lighting up the chat. “Alright, chat,” he announced, rubbing his hands together dramatically. “Time to spin the challenge wheel. What’s it gonna be today?”

The colorful wheel on his screen spun, the options blurring together. Your heart thumped as it began to slow.

DUO WITH Y/N.

The chat erupted into chaos.

[KraanFanboy]: IT FINALLY HAPPENED.

[PocketGang]: BEST DAY EVER.

[Y/NIsInShambles]: SHE’S SCREAMING RN, I KNOW IT.

Kraandop leaned back, laughing. “No way. Y/N, are you watching? Guess we’re finally gonna duo. Someone ping her.”

Your own chat wasted no time.

[FantaHanzo]: KRAAN WANTS YOU IN VC RIGHT NOW.

[User876]: Y/NNNN KRAAN WANTS TO DUO WITH YOUUUU

You froze, heat rushing to your cheeks. Then, as calmly as you could manage, you pulled up Discord. A message from him sat at the top of your inbox.

Kraan: Yo, you down to duo? I spun a wheel and it landed on duoing with you. Chat’s already losing their minds.

Swallowing your nerves, you nonchalantly replied:

Y/N: Let’s do it.

The queue popped, and you selected Mercy. Kraan locked in Reinhardt,

“Alright, Y/N,” he said, his voice playful over comms. “You pocketing me while I charge straight into the enemy team, or are you gonna yell at me to peel for you?”

“Obviously the first one,” you shot back. “What kind of Mercy main doesn’t die for their tank?”

“Oh, I like this energy already.”

The synergy was instant. Kraan led the charge into battle with his iconic mix of aggression and calculated risk-taking, his shield raised as you hovered behind him, staff in hand.

“Damage boost me, Y/N!” he shouted, diving into a brawl on King’s Row.

“Already on it!” you replied, watching as his hammer swung through the enemy backline. A well-timed shatter wiped three opponents, and the kill feed lit up with his name.

“Let’s go!” he roared.

Behind him, you darted around, dodging enemy fire while keeping him alive. “Don’t get cocky,” you teased. “You’d be nothing without me.”

“Oh, 100%,” he said, laughing. “Chat, can we get some hearts for the best Mercy pocket in the game?”

The win streak was unreal. Match after match, you and Kraan dominated. Whether he was diving in as Winston, pinning squishies as Reinhardt, or even pulling off a sneaky play as Sigma, you were always right there, keeping him alive with clutch rezes and well timed damage boosts.

“Another dub,” Kraan said, leaning back in his chair as the victory screen flashed for the fifth time in a row. “Y/N, you’re cracked. Have you been hiding this from me?”

“I think you’re just realizing I’m the best support in the game,” you replied smugly.

“Oh, no doubt. Chat, this is the duo we didn’t know we needed.”

Between matches, the banter only grew.

“So, Y/N,” Kraan said during a downtime. “Chat’s been spamming something interesting.”

Your heart sank. “Oh no. What now?”

“They’re saying you’ve got a little crush on me,” he said, his tone light but teasing.

You nearly spit your water.

“WHAT?!”

“Don’t play coy. Your chat’s been saying the same thing.” His laugh filled your headphones. “So, what’s the truth, Y/N? Are you my biggest fan or what?”

Your silence spoke volumes, and his laugh softened into something gentler.

“For what it’s worth,” he said after a moment, “I think you’re pretty cool too.”

You blinked, heat rushing to your cheeks as both your chats exploded.

[KraanSimp]: DID HE JUST CONFESS TOO?!

[PocketFan69]: NEW SHIP JUST DROPPED.

Before you could respond, the next game loaded, and Kraan’s voice came through again. “C’mon, pocket. We’ve got a streak to keep.”

Smiling, you picked Mercy again. “Just don’t let me down, big guy.”

By the end of the stream, #KraanYN was trending on Twitter. Fans clipped every win, every flirty exchange, and the moment you both “accidentally” confirmed everyone’s suspicions.

As you ended your stream, a message popped up.

Kraan: GGs today. Let’s duo again soon?

You grinned, typing back quickly.

Y/N: Anytime. Just say the word, and I’ll be there.

Kraan: Careful, I might get used to having you by my side.

You bit your lip, your heart racing.

Y/N: Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

The morning after the infamous Kraan-Y/N duo stream, you woke up to utter chaos.

Your phone buzzed relentlessly with notifications: Twitter mentions, Discord DMs, and even a few emails. You groggily scrolled through the flood of messages, catching snippets like “Legendary duo stream,” “Y/N is the best Mercy I’ve ever seen,” and “When’s the next pocket session?”

Your heart fluttered as you saw a familiar name pop up in your Twitter DMs.

Kraan: Yo, we running it back today? Chat won’t shut up about it.

You grinned.

Y/N: Only if you promise not to feed this time.

Kraan: I don’t feed. I create space.

By the time you went live, your chat was already hyped.

[PocketMain]: LET’S SEE THOSE RES CLUTCHES, Y/N!

[BigFan44]: CAN WE GET ANOTHER WIN STREAK?

[KraanFanboy]: IS HE IN VC YET?!

The answer came moments later as Kraandop’s voice filled your headphones.

“You ready to carry me again?” he teased.

“I’m always ready,” you shot back. “The real question is, are you ready to be carried?”

“Oh, it’s like that, huh?” he laughed. “Alright, chat, you heard her. Let’s see if Y/N can back up that big talk.”

The first game of the day was on Blizzard World, and Kraan locked in Reinhardt. You hovered over Mercy, your hand resting confidently on your mouse.

As the game started, Kraan wasted no time charging straight into the fray.

“Damage boost, Y/N! Let’s go!” he called out, his hammer already swinging.

You boosted him, watching as he shattered the enemy tank with a perfectly timed charge. But just as you started to push forward, the enemy Widowmaker sniped him from across the map.

“Uh, pocket?” he said sheepishly.

“On it,” you replied, your pulse quickening.

The enemy team swarmed the payload, but you darted through the chaos, zipping between your teammates with Guardian Angel. Your chat went wild as you managed to sneak behind cover, avoiding enemy fire.

Then, with a flick of your mouse, you soared toward Kraan’s body and pulled off a clutch resurrection just as the enemy Pharah launched her ult.

“Heroes never die,” your voice rang out, perfectly timed with the game’s iconic line.

Kraan was back on his feet, his shield raised just in time to block the barrage. “Let’s go!” he shouted. “Y/N, you’re insane!”

The next few matches were filled with moments that had both of your chats screaming.

On Eichenwalde, you pulled off a resurrection mid air by launching yourself off a ledge and using Guardian Angel to catapult back to safety.

“Did you just res while flying?” Kraan asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

“Yeah, what about it?” you replied nonchalantly, though your heart was pounding.

“Chat, someone clip that,” Kraan said, laughing. “Y/N’s officially showing off.”

On King’s Row, you brought him back twice in a single fight, each time dodging fire by ducking behind walls and timing your cooldowns perfectly.

“You’ve got some kind of Mercy sixth sense,” Kraan said as the victory screen flashed. “It’s like you know when I’m about to do something dumb.”

“Please, you do dumb things every fight,” you teased.

The highlight of the stream came during a nail biter on Dorado. Kraan was down, your team was scattered, and the game was inches away from overtime.

“Y/N, don’t even think about it,” Kraan said as he watched you dive into enemy territory.

But you were already moving, weaving through the enemy team with precision. A perfectly timed Valkyrie sent you soaring into the air, and you dropped down just in time to resurrect Kraan.

“Wake up Kraannn, you have some killing to do!” You say as you finish rezing and guardian angel back to another teammate

Kraan immediately charged into the enemy Reinhardt, pinning him into a wall as your team rallied behind you. The fight turned in your favor, and the payload rolled to victory.

“Y/N!” Kraan’s laugh echoed in your headphones. “That was insane! What are you, a Mercy god?”

Your chat exploded.

[ClutchQueen]: BEST. RES. EVER.

[TankFan69]: KRAAN AND Y/N CARRYING MY RANKED DREAMS.

[Y/NsBiggestFan]: NEW OTP UNLOCKED AGAIN.

As the stream wound down, Kraan leaned back in his chair, his voice warm and teasing.

“Y/N, I’m starting to think I can’t play without you,” he said.

“Is that your way of asking me to pocket you forever?” you replied, unable to keep the grin out of your voice.

“Maybe it is,” he said, his tone softer now. “You up for it?”

Your chat flooded with messages.

[PocketMain]: SAY YES OMG.

[BigFan44]: CONFESS ALREADY!!

You hesitated for only a second before answering.

“Only if you promise not to charge into 1v5 fights without me,” you said, your voice light but carrying an undercurrent of sincerity.

“Deal,” Kraan said, laughing. “But only if you keep pulling off those fancy res tricks.”

Your chat exploded, but all you could focus on was the smile in Kraan’s voice and the growing warmth in your chest.

This might just be the start of something even better than a win streak.

The next day, you found yourself pacing your room as your chat counted down the minutes to your stream. Word had spread about the insane plays you and Kraan pulled off, and everyone was buzzing with excitement.

You booted up Overwatch and clicked the “Go Live” button, immediately greeted by your ever enthusiastic chat.

[BigFan44]: WE’RE BACK, BABY!

[PocketGang]: DUO TIME AGAIN??

[GenjiSimp]: DID HE DM YOU TODAY? 👀

Before you could answer, a Discord notification popped up on stream, one from none other than Kraandop himself.

Kraan: Ready for round 3? Let’s show ‘em how it’s done.

Your chat erupted.

[User123]: LET’S GOOOO!

[FanWithPopcorn]: YOU’RE BLUSHING, Y/N. WE SEE IT.

Trying to play it cool, you clicked into the VC. “Hey, ready to run it back again?”

Kraan laughed, his deep voice sending a familiar warmth through your chest. “Ready to carry? Chat says you’re the real MVP here.”

This time, the stakes were even higher. Kraan announced he’d hit Masters with one more win, and the pressure was on.

The map? Hollywood. Kraan locked in Winston, and you, of course, went with Mercy.

“We need this dub, Y/N,” Kraan said, his voice playful but focused. “No pressure, though.”

“Oh, none at all,” you deadpanned. “Just your rank on the line.”

The game started, and Kraan dove straight into the enemy backline. You soared after him, damage boosting as he picked off the enemy Ana with ease.

But then, disaster struck. The enemy Cassidy landed a perfect Deadeye, taking out your DPS and leaving Kraan surrounded.

“Y/N, I’m dead. Bail out!” he shouted.

But you had other plans.

Activating Valkyrie, you swooped in with pinpoint precision, dodging the Cassidy’s shots as you weaved through the air. Your chat went wild as you maneuvered through the enemy trying to shoot you down and then immediately pulled off a resurrection on Kraan.

“Heroes never die!” You exclaim with laughter as you get pulled by your Lifeweaver back into safety and charge back into the fight, now with your whole team alive again.

Kraan roared with laughter as he jumped back into the fight, clearing the point with his Tesla Cannon. “Y/N, you’re actually cracked! What even was that res?”

“Just keeping you alive so you can do your job,” you teased, your voice steady despite your racing heart.

The next match was even more intense. On Junkertown, Kraan swapped to Reinhardt, and the enemy team was relentless. You found yourself pulling off increasingly risky plays like flying through enemy fire to res your DPS, darting in and out of cover to keep Kraan alive, and even baiting out the enemy Pharah’s ult by hovering just out of her reach.

“Y/N, you’re insane,” Kraan said as you pulled off yet another clutch res mid-air. “Chat, can we get some love for the greatest Mercy of all time?”

Your chat obliged.

[ClutchQueen]: SHE’S LITERALLY CARRYING.

[PocketGang]: #MERCYGOAT

[FanWithPopcorn]: RES KINGDOM STAND UP.

The highlight of the stream came on Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Kraan’s Winston dives were more aggressive than ever, and you found yourself pulling off the riskiest plays of your Mercy career just to keep him alive.

At one point, the enemy Zenyatta landed a perfectly timed Transcendence just as Kraan dropped a Primal Rage.

“Y/N, I need heals!” Kraan shouted, his voice laced with urgency.

“On it!” you replied, zipping across the map to meet him.

Your chat held its collective breath as you narrowly avoided an enemy Widowmaker shot, darting behind a payload to keep Kraan alive. Then, just as the fight seemed lost, you activated Valkyrie and dove in to resurrect your Ana

“Come on! We can do this!!”

With the Anan revived, she nanos Kraan and he lands a massive Primal Rage play, knocking three enemies off the map and securing the win.

“Y/N,” he said as the victory screen flashed. “You’re actually carrying me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to play without you anymore.”

“Don’t worry,” you teased, “I’m not going anywhere.”

After the stream, Kraan stayed on VC as you both wrapped up.

“You know,” he said casually, “chat’s been saying something interesting.”

“Let me guess,” you said, already anticipating the teasing. “They’re shipping us again?”

“Not just that,” Kraan said, his voice softening. “They’re saying we might actually be a good match.”

Your heart skipped a beat. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said, his tone light but genuine. “And… I think they might be onto something.”

Silence filled the VC, but it wasn’t awkward. It was charged, like the calm before a storm.

“Well,” you said finally, your voice barely above a whisper, “if you keep feeding, I guess I’ll have to keep pocketing you.”

Kraan laughed, his voice warm and full of something you couldn’t quite place. “Deal. But only if you promise to keep showing off those fancy res tricks.”

“Done,” you said, smiling.

As you ended the call, your chat exploded once more, but for once, you didn’t care. All you could think about was Kraan’s laugh, his voice, and the promise of more games and maybe something more in the future.

After your now-iconic streams with Kraan, your duo was the talk of the Overwatch community. Twitter was abuzz with clips of your insane resurrections and Kraan’s tank dominance. Fans dubbed your duo "PocketKing and MercyQueen," and the ship name "Kra-YN" trended for hours after your last stream.

You were a little nervous to go live again, but as soon as your stream started, your chat exploded.

[BigFan44]: KRAYN FOREVER.

[PocketGang]: THE BEST DUO IS BACK??

[KraanLover69]: SO WHEN’S THE WEDDING??

But just as you were about to greet your chat, another Discord ping popped up on stream.

Kraan: I hope your res skills are warmed up because I’m feeling very, very reckless today.

You rolled your eyes and clicked into VC.

“Reckless? Oh great,” you said, feigning exasperation. “Let me guess, you’re locking Winston and diving into four enemies?”

“five, actually,” Kraan replied, his laugh already making your chest tighten. “You ready to save me?”

“You better hope I am,” you teased.

The first match of the day was on Rialto, and Kraan locked in Reinhardt, as expected.

As the game loaded, Kraan’s voice cut through the prematch chatter. “Alright, chat, here’s the plan. I’m gonna charge straight into the enemy spawn, and Y/N is going to res me when it inevitably goes wrong.”

“Don’t test me,” you shot back, grinning.

“Oh, I would never,” Kraan said, his voice dripping with fake innocence. “But seriously, Y/N, don’t let me die.”

The game started, and as promised, Kraan wasted no time charging the enemy Orisa. You could barely keep up, spamming healing as he swung his hammer.

The fight turned chaotic, with enemies collapsing onto the point and your team barely holding their ground. Just as Kraan went down to a Bastion ult, your heart leapt into action.

“On my way!” you called, soaring over rooftops to dodge fire.

With a flick of your mouse, you dodged an enemy Junkrat trap and slid behind cover to pull off the res.

“Heroes never die!” You scream as you activate your ult to secure the fight.

Kraan was back on his feet, immediately shattering three enemies with his Earthshatter.

“Y/N, you’re actually a miracle worker,” he said, laughing.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” you quipped.

The highlight of the stream came during a nailbiter on Route 66. Kraan decided to go full chaos mode, locking in Wrecking Ball.

“Alright, Y/N,” he said, spinning around the payload at lightning speed. “Try keeping up with this.”

Your chat was already losing it.

[SpinningFan]: BALL KRAAN IS CHAOS INCARNATE.

[MercySaver]: Y/N ABOUT TO LOSE THEIR MIND.

[KraanMain]: THE DREAM DUO DOES IT AGAIN!

But you were determined not to let Kraan outpace you. With quick reactions and well timed Guardian Angel boosts, you managed to stay right behind him as he wreaked havoc on the enemy team.

Midway through the match, Kraan overextended (as usual) and ended up downed near the enemy spawn.

“Y/N, don’t even think about it,” he warned.

“Oh, I’m thinking about it,” you replied, already plotting your route.

Activating Valkyrie, you flew high into the air, weaving between Widowmaker shots and Junkrat spam. Your chat went wild as you dipped under a bridge and zipped back up to Kraan’s body for a clutch res.

“You are still in the game! Now get back in there!”

“Y/N!” Kraan yelled, laughing so hard he could barely speak. “You’re insane! I think I’m in love with you or something.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but you covered it up with a playful jab. “Yeah, yeah. Save the sweet talk for after we win.”

The stream ended with a victory streak that had both your chats buzzing. As Kraan said his goodbyes, his tone turned softer.

“Hey, Y/N?” he said.

“Yeah?” you replied, suddenly aware of how quiet it was.

“Thanks for today. And, uh, for carrying me. Again.”

You laughed, trying to keep it light. “No problem. Someone’s gotta keep you alive.”

There was a pause, just long enough to make you wonder if you’d said something wrong.

“Let’s do this again soon,” Kraan said finally, his voice warm.

“Anytime,” you replied.

After you ended the stream, you noticed a flood of Twitter notifications. Someone had clipped Kraan’s “I think I’m in love with you” comment, and the caption read:

“Kraan CONFESSES to Y/N on stream?!? #KraYNCanon”

Your face burned as you scrolled through the comments, most of them filled with memes and speculation.

Just as you were about to close Twitter, another DM from Kraan popped up.

Kraan: Hey, ignore the chaos, but… I meant what I said. You’re pretty amazing, Y/N.

Your hands hovered over the keyboard, your heart pounding. Finally, you typed out a reply.

Y/N: You’re not so bad yourself. Maybe we should… talk about this sometime?

The response came almost immediately.

Kraan: How about over another win streak tomorrow?

Smiling, you typed back one word.

Y/N: Deal.

Your chat wasn’t ready for what was coming next.

The next stream felt different. It wasn’t just the excitement of playing with Kraan again, your dynamic had shifted completely after his comment during the last match. The “I think I’m in love with you” moment had gone viral, and everyone wanted to know what would happen next.

Your chat was already spamming the moment you hit “Go Live.”

[PocketGang]: HERE WE GO AGAIN, BEST DUO IN OW2!

[KraynConfirmed]: WILL HE SAY IT AGAIN?? 👀

[BigFan44]: DON’T CHOKE THIS, Y/N.

You barely had time to greet them before Kraan joined the VC.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said, his tone casual but with a warmth that made your stomach flip.

“Hey, big guy. Ready for another hard carry?” you teased, trying to sound normal.

“I don’t know, chat’s saying you’re the one who’s gonna choke today,” Kraan fired back with a laugh.

“Keep talking and I’ll let you die,” you shot back, though your smile betrayed you.

The first game of the day was on New Queen Street, and Kraan locked in his tank pick, Reinhardt.

“This is gonna be a good one,” he said confidently. “I can feel it.”

You hovered over Mercy and locked her in, as always.

“Alright, chat,” you said, glancing at your second monitor. “Let’s see how long it takes for Kraan to do something reckless. I’m thinking… less than 5 seconds.”

The game started, and Kraan immediately charged into the enemy Sojourn.

“There it is,” you muttered, already pre-damage boosting him.

“Reckless? That was calculated thank you very much,” he replied, landing a perfect Fire Strike on the Sojourn and taking her out.

But as the teamfight dragged on, the enemy Orisa began to push Kraan back. You darted around him, trying to keep him alive while avoiding the enemy Ana’s Sleep Dart.

“Y/N, I’m low!” Kraan called out.

“Hold still!” you shouted, diving behind his shield to heal him.

But just as you stabilized him, the enemy Junker Queen threw a Jagged Blade, pulling you out of position.

“Y/N, no!” Kraan yelled as you fell, taken out by the Queen’s shotgun.

“Guess you’ll have to survive without me,” you teased, watching the chaos unfold.

Kraan roared with laughter. “Impossible. You’re my lifeline!”

The turning point came in the second match, set on Shambali Monastery. The enemy team was playing hyper aggressively, and it felt like you were barely keeping your team afloat.

Halfway through the match, Kraan pushed into a tight corner with his shield raised.

“Y/N, stick with me!” he said, but his tone had a hint of urgency.

You darted after him, weaving between enemy fire as you kept him healed. Just as he swung his hammer to finish off the enemy Kiriko, a D.Va Bomb landed right behind you both.

“Oh no, oh no!” you gasped, frantically trying to find cover.

But before you could escape, Kraan turned, body-blocking the explosion with his shield.

The kill feed confirmed it: Kraandop eliminated himself to save Y/N.

Your chat exploded.

[HeroKraan]: HE SACRIFICED HIMSELF FOR YOU.

[PocketMain]: TRUE LOVE RIGHT THERE.

[BigFan44]: CHIVALRY IS ALIVE!!

“Kraan, what the heck?!” you exclaimed, laughing in disbelief.

“You’re the carry! I can’t let you die!” he shot back, his voice filled with humor.

“You’re such a dork,” you said, your voice softer now.

“And you love it,” Kraan replied, the teasing in his tone making you smile and your heart race.

The most clutch moment of the night came during a final push on Circuit Royal. Kraan had switched to Winston for the high ground control, and you were struggling to keep up with his chaotic dives.

“Y/N, I need heals!” Kraan called, leaping into the middle of the enemy team to contest the payload.

You soared after him, narrowly avoiding a Widowmaker headshot. But just as you started healing him, the enemy Sojourn popped Overclock, taking out your DPS and leaving you and Kraan alone.

“Stay with me, Y/N!” Kraan said, his voice urgent.

You activated Valkyrie, your movements faster and more fluid as you zipped between Kraan and your remaining teammates. But with Sojourn charging another railgun shot, you knew you had to make a choice.

Kraan was low, dangerously close to death, but your team’s Ana had just gone down nearby.

“Y/N, don’t!” Kraan shouted, realizing what you were about to do.

Ignoring him, you darted out of safety and pulled off a risky resurrection on Ana, dodging Sojourn’s shot by ducking behind Kraan’s shield just in time.

“We are still in this! Let’s go!”

With Ana back in the fight, Kraan went wild, diving onto the enemy backline and taking out Sojourn and Widowmaker in quick succession.

The payload inched forward, and with one final Primal Rage, Kraan cleared the remaining enemies off the point.

“Victory!”

Your chat erupted.

[ClutchQueen]: THAT WAS THE MOST INSANE VALK EVER.

[PocketGang]: Y/N IS A GODDESS.

[KraanFanboy]: BEST DUO IN OW CONFIRMED.

Kraan let out a triumphant laugh. “Y/N, I don’t even know what to say. You’re incredible.”

“Just doing my job,” you replied, though your voice was a little shaky from adrenaline.

“Yeah, well, you’re making me look bad,” he teased.

As the stream ended, Kraan’s voice softened.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said, hesitating slightly.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for today. And, uh… thanks for always having my back. Not just in game, but, y’know… in general.”

You felt your face heat up. “Of course. That's what duos are for!”

He laughed, but there was something tender in it. “Right. Duos. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” you said, your heart full as you ended the stream.

As you shut down your PC, you couldn’t help but wonder: Was this just a game duo, or was something more starting to take shape? Either way, you couldn’t wait to find out.

A few months has passed after the initial interaction with you and Kraan closer than ever. The idea came to you after one of Kraan’s fans posted a clip of his reaction to your resurrection clutch from the last stream.

Kraan on stream: "I swear, Y/N’s the best Mercy I’ve ever played with. If they ever showed up IRL, I’d probably lose it."

It wasn’t a confession, but it was close enough. You couldn’t stop thinking about it. What if you actually surprised him?

You both had mentioned living in the same region on stream before, and after a little digging through your old DMs, you realized you still had his P.O. box address from when you’d sent him a birthday gift months ago. With a bit of Google Maps magic, you figured out that Kraan wasn’t as far away as you’d initially thought.

Now, here you were, standing outside his house with a box of his favorite snacks, a Mercy Funko Pop, and your nerves buzzing like a Symmetra turret.

You could hear his voice before you even knocked.

"Okay, chat, I’m locking in Reinhardt. Y/N’s not here to pocket me today, but I think I can manage. Maybe…. hopefully."

Your lips quirked into a grin as you set the snacks down, adjusting your grip on the Mercy Funko.

The door wasn’t locked.

Kraan was mid game, his focus entirely on the screen as his team pushed the payload.

“Alright, Ana, keep me up, wait, why are you Nanoing the Bastion?” he groaned, running straight into the enemy Orisa as his chat spammed chaos.

You tiptoed into his streaming room, clutching the Mercy Funko behind your back. The sight was almost surreal; Kraan, sitting in his gaming chair, headphones slightly askew as he furiously mashed his keyboard.

Chat had noticed you first.

[BigFan44]: UHHH IS THAT Y/N BEHIND HIM?!

[PocketGang]: TURN AROUND, KRAAN.

[KraanLover69]: KRAYN IS HAPPENING LIVE????

You suppressed a laugh as you reached his chair, leaning over his shoulder to whisper, “Need a pocket?”

Kraan froze. His Reinhardt stood idle on-screen as he yanked his headphones off and whipped around, his eyes going wide.

“Y/N?!” he practically shouted.

You grinned, holding up the Mercy Funko like it was some sort of peace offering. “Surprise?”

For a moment, he just stared, his brain visibly short circuiting. His chat exploded in all caps.

[OMGOMGOMG]: THEY’RE IN THE SAME ROOM. WE WON.

[PocketQueen]: HE’S BLUSHING LMAOOOOO.

[BigFan44]: I’M SCREAMINGGGGGGGG.

Finally, Kraan burst out laughing, running a hand through his hair. “What are you doing here? How did you—why—”

“I figured it was time I pocketed you in real life,” you said, setting the Funko on his desk next to his keyboard.

He blinked at you, then at the Mercy figurine, then back at you. “You’re insane. Do you know that?”

“Yeah, but you love it,” you teased, echoing his line from the last stream.

“Oh my God,” he groaned, leaning back in his chair, but his wide smile betrayed him.

“Are you just gonna sit there, or are you gonna let me queue with you?” you added, pointing at his setup.

Kraan shook his head, still grinning. “Chat, this is actually happening. Y/N is in my house, uninvited might I add, and now they’re demanding to play on my stream.”

“Uninvited?” you gasped, mock offended as you clutched your hand over your heart . “I brought snacks though!!!”

“Alright, alright,” he said, standing up and gesturing to his second gaming chair. “You want in? Let’s do this.”

The stream only got more chaotic from there. You shared one microphone, leaning close to call plays and laughing every time Kraan tried to explain what was happening to his increasingly hysterical chat.

[BigFan44]: THE TENSION IS KILLING ME.

[PocketMain]: Y/N JUST SIT ON HIS LAP AT THIS POINT.

[KraanShipper]: CONFESS ALREADY, KRAAN.

During one particularly intense match, you ended up leaning against him as you both frantically called out strategies.

“Y/N, res me, res me!” Kraan shouted, his Reinhardt downed mid charge.

“I can’t, you’re surrounded by turrets!” you shot back, trying to find an opening.

“You always find a way!” he said, his voice laced with laughter.

With a deep breath, you dove into the fight, dodging lasers and pulling off the res just before the enemy Bastion’s turret mode shredded you into oblivion.

“Holy shit, I did it!”

Kraan came back swinging, shattering three enemies and securing the point.

“Y/N, I knew you could do it! You’re the best,” he said, his voice sincere despite the chaos that happened moments before.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” you teased, but your heart wasn’t as steady as your voice.

As the stream wound down, Kraan turned to you, his grin softer now.

“Thanks for showing up today,” he said, his tone quieter than before.

“Of course,” you replied, your voice matching his. “It’s not every day I get to pocket my favorite streamer in person.”

For a moment, the noise of chat and the game faded, leaving just the two of you.

“Guess I owe you one now, huh?” Kraan said, his smile turning a little shy.

“Yeah, you do,” you said, your heart pounding. “But, uh… maybe we can figure that out later. Over dinner or something?”

Kraan blinked, caught off guard for the second time that day. Then his smile widened, and he nodded.

“Deal.”

You ended the stream with a victory streak, a trending hashtag, and a dinner date in the works. Chat couldn’t stop shipping you two, and for once, you didn’t mind.

The morning after the stream was surreal. Both your notifications and Kraan’s were blowing up on social media. Clips of you busting into his room and the clutch resurrections had gone viral, and the hashtag #PocketedIRL was trending on Twitter.

@OverwatcherLover87: “When will I find someone who pockets me the way Y/N pockets Kraan? 😭 #PocketedIRL”

@Flooofity: “Y/N leaning on Kraan during stream and then asking him out? ICONIC. We’re witnessing history guys.”

You tried to ignore your phone as you sat in Kraan’s kitchen, sipping coffee from one of his mugs. The smell of something burning caught your attention, and you turned to see him standing at the stove, looking sheepish.

“Uh… I was trying to make pancakes,” he admitted, holding up a slightly charred creation.

“Is this supposed to be an apology for all those times you charged in without my permission?” you teased, leaning against the counter.

Kraan chuckled, flipping the sad pancake onto a plate. “No, but now that you mention it, consider this my way of saying thanks for saving me all the time.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “I guess I’ll accept it.”

The next stream started a little later that day, but the anticipation was clear as day. Your own chat was filled with questions about the morning.

[PocketMain]: DID YOU GUYS HAVE BREAKFAST TOGETHER??

[BigFan44]: IS KRAAN ACTUALLY A GOOD COOK??

[OMGOMGOMG]: TELL US ABOUT THE DATE!!

You tried to stay focused on the game, but Kraan didn’t make it easy.

“Alright, Y/N,” he said as you loaded into your first match. “You ready to carry me again?”

“Only if you don’t charge into five people alone,” you fired back.

“Pfft, no promises,” he replied, laughing.

The banter came easily, and your synergy in game felt even better than usual. Kraan’s Reinhardt plays were aggressive but calculated, and you found yourself pulling off riskier moves to keep him alive; flying across enemy lines to heal him, damage boosting him mid-Shatter, and even sneaking in a clutch res behind enemy Orisa’s shield.

“Y/N, how do you even manage to do that every time!?” Kraan asked after one particularly impressive res, his voice filled with awe.

“Magic,” you replied smoothly, earning a chuckle from him and a wave of spammed hearts from chat.

[KraanFan69]: MARRIAGE SPEEDRUN WHEN???

[PocketGang]: THE CHEMISTRY IS UNREAL.

[BigFan44]: Y/N IS THE MVP. KRAAN IS JUST ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

Things took a surprising turn during your third match, set on King’s Row. Midway through the game, Kraan’s microphone cut out.

“Uh, chat, one sec,” he said, his voice suddenly faint as he reached for something offscreen. You glanced at your second monitor to see chat freaking out.

[OMGOMGOMG]: DID HE JUST SAY HE LIKES Y/N??

[FrogFriendzz]: PLAY IT BACK. PLAY IT BACK!!

“Kraan? Everything okay?” you asked, genuinely confused.

His mic clicked back on, and his laugh was a little too nervous. “Yeah, yeah, just… dropped my water bottle. We’re good.”

You squinted at the camera. “You sure you’re not hiding something?”

“Absolutely not,” he replied quickly.

You weren’t convinced, but you let it slide, though chat however clearly wasn’t letting it go.

[LovelyUnicorns32]: HE SAID IT. I SWEAR HE SAID IT.

[BigFan44]: KRAAN IS WHIPPED AND WE LOVE TO SEE IT.

After the stream ended, you leaned back in your chair, watching as Kraan’s camera stayed live for a moment longer.

“That was fun,” you said, still riding the high of another win streak.

“Yeah,” he replied, his smile genuine. “Thanks for putting up with me.”

“Always,” you replied softly.

For a moment, the silence between you was comfortable, your respective chats dying down as viewers slowly trickled out. Then Kraan cleared his throat, looking like he was debating something.

“So… about what chat was saying earlier…” he began.

You raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

He scratched the back of his neck, clearly nervous. “Did you… hear anything weird? Like, when my mic cut out?”

You leaned forward, smirking. “Should I have?”

Kraan groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Oh my God. Forget I said anything.”

“No way,” you said, grinning now. “You can’t just leave me hanging like that!”

He peeked at you through his fingers, his face flushed. “Fine. Maybe I said something like… I don’t know… ‘I like Y/N’ or something dumb like that.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but you played it cool. “You like me, huh?”

Kraan groaned again, his embarrassment obvious. “This is why I shouldn’t talk when I think my mic is off.”

You couldn’t help laughing, though your voice softened as you said, “Well, for the record… I like you too.”

Kraan blinked, his face a mix of surprise and relief. “Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously,” you replied, smiling.

His grin returned, and he leaned closer to his camera. “Guess chat was right for once.”

“They usually are,” you teased, your heart racing as his laughter filled your headphones.

The clip of Kraan’s accidental confession and your subsequent response went viral almost immediately. Chat coined the term #PocketedForLife, and the internet couldn’t get enough of your story.

————

the end… kinda rushed the ending but i didn’t know how to close it🙂‍↕️

[andromeddog]

helllooooooooo love!! this is your secret santa, whispering on the wind to you... 🌬❄️

i am incredibly honored to be making something for you for this event - your art is absolutely breathtaking! you are such an icon in this fandom!! thank you for sharing you beautiful work with us, and hopefully this will be something to show in return how much you are loved and admired!!

a few questions to help me as i start thinking about what to make:

carwood lipton!! the man himself!! is there a scene or two of his that are your favorite, or you feel really encapsulates him? is there a look of his that's your favorite (in the ardennes, church scene, sweater at the movie, lieutenant dress outfit, arms out, etc)? are there any songs/lyrics that really speak to you for him OR for speirton??

i cannot wait to get started!!! and again, thank YOU for being such a beautiful part of this fandom!!

-😘🌬❄️

OUWAH AH AHHH AH 😭 hi anon!!!!! god thank u for the kind words… it is quite literally my pleasure to be making work in this fandom, there is def something to be said about fans of series that are 20+ years old hahah (they’re the best and i love them) everyone is so sweet and so lovely in the tags…

let’s get to the man the myth the legend carwood lipton. to prevent blasting everyone’s dash i’ve put my answers under a cut! but u should check out the visuals lol

okay let’s see hmmm i want to say the entirety of episode 7 lol. BUT i feel like lips best scenes aka the scenes that feel like they are when he is The Most Lipton… like i mean it’s gotta be the bombardment scenes for me… you get such a good range of who he is there! he’s first running through the forest while everything is exploding (both to find somewhere to hide but also yelling at the boys to find cover, to get to safety - bc he is a good leader and cares about them) then he’s in this half dug foxhole laughing his ass off with death staring him in the face (his monologue in this bit is so good, HES INSANE THERE IS SOMETHING DEEPLY WRONG WITH HIM <3) and as soon as that’s over he’s the first to get up and check on everyone, while telling the boys to stay put and stay safe (selfless team mom, again being the leader easy needs when dike isn’t)

really any of his scenes in the forest… i know that’s a lot but he’s just the best guy. like hes obviously suffering but he’s pulling through, he’s helping everyone dig holes and fortify cover and keeping their spirits up, he’s cracking jokes and letting them make fun of his nuts (lol) bc he knows it lightens the mood… and then the way he swipes luz’s cigarette after that dud almost

kills him is just… too good he’s like fuck this forest fuck this war and fuck me too give me that damn thing neow.

id be remiss not to mention The Church Scene also. humble king just went through every layer of hell and dragged easy company out with him and is still like ???? leader? who, me???? no sir couldn’t be. lipton i want to bite you. also also being like idgaf about any war crimes this weirdo may or may not have committed as long as you look after my boys you are good in my book. one of the only guys who is normal around speirs (tho again there is something deeply wrong w lipton so maybe that has something to do w it lol)

for lip songs…

bridge over troubled water by simon and garfunkel

learning to fly by pink floyd

for speirton……….. (oof i have A Few but here is a selection)

orange colored sky by nat king cole

too sweet by hozier

put your head on my shoulder by paul anka

bury a friend by billie eilish (LOLLL)

i wish i had something more articulate shit to say on lip and/or speirton but i am unfortunately kind of dumb and bad with character analysis 😭 ive tried my hand at writing fic for them but to mixed success lol… like i draw pictures and even that i struggle with HAHA basically lip is babygirl my special little guy. if ur wondering why i haven’t drawn him more it’s bc donnie wahlberg’s face tortures me. if ur wondering why i haven’t drawn much speirton it’s bc if i think about them too hard i start having heart palpitations. oh my god. i’ve scoured every fic (and i mean every fic. multiple times) and their tags for every scrap of content for them bc OUGH!

also see my comprehensive lip look book:

[kidlit-queen-competition]

Round 2 poll 1: Anne Shirley vs Lucy Pevensie

Entrant propaganda:

Anne Shirley:

The poster child for female-presenting ADHD before the diagnosis even existed for stereotypical hyperactive boys, she's a mess who always seems to stumble into trouble and generally seems like just too MUCH for more than one character, yet her general enthusiasm, creativity, and determination just compells people to love her sometimes against their will. And if you tell her she's in this competition, she will NOT STOP until she comes out on top.

because she's the most delightful little girl in the world & anne of green gables has held on as a classic for over a century

wild and wacky Troublesome girl representation!! also her deep love for diana!

Smart, imaginative, loyal orphan from a classic book series

The original kid lit Queen!

Anne has a big imagination and a big heart! She is full of passion and always tries to do best by the people she loves. She turns Green Gables upside down when she arrives and opens up everyone's heart right up. This competition wouldn't be complete without her!!!

A classic weird girl icon. I love her so much.

As someone who was always taught to be the 'good little girl' - Anne whacking Gilbert on the head for pulling on her hair made her an absolute legend in my mind. She loves nature, has a temper, and finally gets to enjoy the simple joys of childhood with her new family the Cuthberts.

she is so dear to my heart. she never stops talking and is always finding beauty in the world around her. she grows up through the series and reading it at different ages through the years meant I sort of got to grow up with her, which was really special to me. she has this wonderful story about finding family where she doesn't expect it and winning people over through being herself and being kind to them. also, canadian content <3

Lucy Pevensie

Discoverer of the Wardrobe, Queen of Narnia, The Just, beloved friend of all creatures from fauns, dwarves, mice, and kings to holy mutiversal lions

[hopefulwhisperswombat]

Ok so...over the past months I have seen a BUNCH of rewrites of Disney wish and almost ALL of them was of Queen amaya (She is an icon by the way💅) being evil like husband and people saying "oH sHe wOuLd HaVe bEtTer of oF bEiNg tHe ViLlaIn" or" sHe wOuLd hAvE bEen IcOnIc"...the girl...i mean QUEEN 👑 is already ✨ICONIC✨ enough,she doesn't have to be a Villain to be ✨ICONIC ✨. I also heard 👂that people were saying "oH wHy dId QueEn aMaYa nOt dO AnYtHing tO HeLp hEr hUsBaNd fIgHt FORbIdDeN mAgIc "...she literally told her husband...DADD-i mean *ahem* king magnifico to not use the book for good of the kingdom and himself...

(Spoiler alert: btw he used the book even though she warned him not to do it he did anyways...)

After realizing what her husband has done she decided to join asha and the teens to bring the(HOT!!👅)man she once loved back her...she(along with daliah) go to read the book to find a way to bring her husband back to normal sadly they realized that there was no way to bring him back because you have to use forbidden magic JUST once otherwise you may commit to it...forever...later she then called out her husband for being a betrayer to the people...( YASS QUEEN 👑) which angers magnifico to the point...ATTACKING HIS WIFE?...(this man went too far😭) I honestly feel sorry for Queen amaya imagine the one you dearly love with all your heart goes against everything you said and abuses you and hurts you afterwards...

Ok so...

A few moments later the QUEEN finds her husband in the staff...

She than puts him in the dungeon as punishment for what he has done to the kingdom and her...(I mean I can't blame her though...🤷)

She and asha now help the people of rosas pursue their long awaited dreams...I find amaya to be an underrated character in the wish fandom(except for evil QUEEN amaya) she in reality is beautiful,benevolent and kind ruler she did not want her (HUNK!!) Husband to fail,she really cares for him but after he used forbidden magic she knew that the man she once knew will never come back...

Also did I mention the QUEEN can SING!! 😭..."she's an icon💅 she's a ✨legend✨ and she is the moment...NoW CoMe oN nOw👏"

(Words can't describe how ICONIC the QUEEN is 😩✋)

[99pluto]

Seventeen as F1 drivers

So, my bestie and I are both into F1 and we’re carats, and this started as a joke, but I took it seriously. Tbh i don't even know how to use this website, anyway, i had fun with these. Don't take it upfront, it's silly and meant to be funny, not offensive.

Seventeen members as F1 drivers would be:

S.Coups: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari era). Huge crack that makes history ? Well kind of, just like Michael he’d get out of his car to go and beat the shit out of that one mf that crashed into him. No Javi would be in the team anymore, too scared for their life. Kimi Raikkonen type of radios (anger issues). Ultra competitive and would swear as much as Tsunoda.

Jeonghan: Christian Horner. Yes. He is a good tactician deal with it, kinda evil like Horner sometimes, but he’s got as much love to provide to his kids just like Christian with Max. He would start racing but find out he’s even better at managing a team.

Joshua: Sebastian Vettel (not Redbull era). Not Redbull era bc he was (unfairly) disliked (just like Max) at that time, and EVERYONE loves Seb. That’s it, it’s the rule, you like F1 ? You like Seb. You don’t like F1 ? You still like Seb. Unproblematic and engaged king. Also a fucking legend.

Jun: Valteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo era). Unbothered moisturized king that slays. He’s doing his things, he doesn’t care because he knows his worth, you saw him naked and didn’t expect that. Everyone praises him on how he owns his style and he fucking does. Is hilarious when you don’t expect him to be.

Hoshi: George Russell. Iconic, hilarious, massive talent, carried Williams, CARRIED WILLIAMS, nothing to prove cuz he’s one of the best altho the Mercedes is hard to drive, doesn’t complain cuz he’s EXCELLENT and races with an 8th world champion without looking ridiculous next to him.

Wonwoo: Zhou Guanyu. He’s calm and collected, doesn’t make much waves, he’s doing his things and looks good doing them. Good pics, insta feed slays. 

Woozi: Fernando Alonso. Dude will hit retirement age and still be talented, pisses me off. Rarely speaks but spicy and precise comments. Will sometimes mess with your mind, he is clever and knows how to handle himself.

DK: Alex Albon (Williams era). He’s EXCELLENT, is happy with what he has, he got treated badly when he was younger but now he knows his worth. Hard work, a sunshine, hella funny.

Mingyu: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari depressed edition). Huge ass talent (as in Max Verstappen talent, without the father trauma) but does silly mistakes, is also silly. Gets bullied by his own team, basically. Might look cute and all but can get pretty serious, like, fr, he’s talented and SMART.

Minghao: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes era). Fashion icon, all about healthy soul in a healthy body, ICONIC. He’s just got the Lewis vibe idk like they would be friends i wouldn’t even be surprised.

Seungkwan: Daniel Ricciardo. The official sunshine of F1, the marketing face, everyone wants to meet him because he is so funny, iconic, adorable and he is talented. He carries F1’s image, he is still a sensitive person and can get hurt, so don’t, he has SO much to give and gives with pleasure, don’t hurt him (Br*wn if catch u). No one is more Dani coded than Seungkwan (kinda Seokmin too but had to choose).

Vernon: Carlos Sainz Jr. Mf isn’t part of this world, he’s seing things we don’t, chaotic in a calm way. Looks always hot in an unfair way (i might be biased). Aware of how people perceive him as weird, thinks it’s funny or doesn’t care. Unique laugh, why do they transform into seals when they’re laughing their ass out ???

Dino: Mick Schumacher (post H**s shithole era) or Oscar Piastri. He’s is the future of F1, the boy proved himself, teams literally fought over him. Give him a mediocre car he will still pull some good result although he’s a rookie, update the car and he’s a threat to experienced drivers that have been racing for years. Also Mick personality vibe, fr there’s something. Also very sweet then BOOM, he’s fucking hot.

[therandomtapes]

Last week, in the middle of a pretty trash week in general we learned that Sakurai Atsushi, lead singer of legendary Japanese rock band Buck-Tick passed away on Saturday October 16th.

I'm not sure how much I've spoken about them on here.

I found them in late 1998. When I got that X/1999 fansub in Brooklyn where I first heard X-Japan, it sent me down a rabbit hole. I would find out the fandom and the country were reeling from the passing of X's guitarist hide earlier that year, in Spring, and I would find a stream of a tribute album. Hide tribute spirits.

This is where I first heard Buck-Tick. Their cover of "doubt" left me wanting more.

I would then learn that they had been around since 1983 (i was 3).

(this is from 87)

They evolved through many eras, from new wave to goth (?) to cyberpunk to rock'n'roll to a combination of all eras. Their influence can be felt even in modern visual kei. They are probably the band that made everyone in that scene wanna have at least one jazzy swing type song on their albums. Hell, Acchan's the reason Kyo is Kyo. Sakurai's look inspired many anime character designs (and I'm pretty sure Benimaru Nikaido from King of Fighters is based on 80s Buck-Tick....yes...they ALL had that hair).

In fact, a lot of their music was in anime (especially if said anime was about vampires. It always amused me that during the era where Acchan looked like a vampire, B-T were the band you called if you needed a theme song for your vampire anime.) Nightwalker, XXXHolic, Trinity Blood, and the very best one, the one that is actually scary, SHIKI!!

If you're not up on vis kei, you probably still have heard of him since he and Imai were in SCHWEIN with Raymond Watts from Pig and Sacha Konietzko from KMFDM.

He also had a band called The Mortal which did a pretty amazing Siouxsie cover.

I recommend Buck-Tick and the Mortal's entire catalog, most of which is on streaming now. I should make a bloody playlist.

I will add the playlist to this post later.

R.I.P. Sakurai Atsushi

one of the greatest vocalists ever, and condolences to the band.

I cannot stress enough how awful I feel for those guys.

This band was together for THREE FUCKING DECADES. No lineup changes.

Atsushi and Imai had the kind of vocal interplay you only get if you're basically best friends.

It's a terrible loss.

. . . and, . . . . no.

I can't end the post like this.

It's too sad.

This band brought too much joy to end the post like this.

I am leaving you with the saga of the paper mache head people.

in the 80s, for the album Seventh Heaven (an album I might actually like better than Sexual XXXX, I can't decide), B-T did videos for quite a few songs (they did PVs for pretty much every song on Sexual XXXX), and 3 of them feature Atsushi having nightmares about/seeing people with large fake paper mache heads. Then in the video for In Heaven they are playing a show for them.

They had something I think is crucial to every band now and forever: WEIRD ASS MUSIC VIDEOS.

You think it was jus the 80s?

no no no

check out UTA

Just your average performance video? No. They dressed up like rock icons, with ridiculous wigs.

This is what I'm talking about. Joy, kids.

Atsushi and Buck-Tick brought JOY, dammit.

enjoy.

I'll post a playlist later, I guess.

Atsushi Sakurai, rest in power you legend!

[pinkertinn]

Ode to Short Kings of Fiction + A List of My Favorites

I'm not going to lie… I'm a real sucker for a perfectly proportioned short man. In real life, I’ve never dated a guy taller than 5’9"—and at 5’2", that’s still plenty tall for me! They’re always tall to me, honestly. But when it comes to fictional characters, I constantly see them getting sized up or bumped to ridiculous heights like 6’2” or more. And you know what? Let these short kings live! Let them love! Let them stand proud in all their 5'7" (or less) glory.

They're confident, they're charming, and they’re fine as hell just the way they are. So here's an ode to the short kings of fiction: the ones who stand tall in spirit, no matter what their height says.

Here’s to you, love, to the boys who stand just close enough that when we kiss, our eyes lock like summer sunsets, lazy and burning all at once.

No need to tiptoe or lean down— we fit, just like this, perfectly aligned in a tangle of breath and skin, as if the world was made for us to collide. Your hands, wrapped around my waist, pull me in, and it's like the heat of July, slow and sticky, the kind of warmth that never lets go.

Your lips meet mine, no chase, just a seamless touch, like we've been doing this for a lifetime, like the air was always this sweet, ripe as stolen fruit.

And when we lie together, bodies pressed close, I swear we create a rhythm all our own, synchronized and soft, like the hum of crickets on a summer night.

They say there’s something in the way you hold me, how we fold into each other without effort, no stretch, no space left untouched. We’re the same height when we fall into bed, and when the morning light spills across our faces, I see it again, that fire in your gaze, level and burning, like we’re still chasing the sun.

Here’s to you, love, my short king— perfectly matched, perfectly mine, in this endless season of youth and heat.

My Favorite Fictional Short Kings:

Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) – 5'7": A brooding short king, Cloud Strife wields his iconic Buster Sword with strength and grace, while grappling with his identity and emotional scars beneath his spiky blond hair.

Peter Parker (Spider-Man) – 5’7”-5’8”: A nerdy and lovable short king, Peter Parker embodies brains, humor, and a heroic heart, effortlessly transitioning between the awkward challenges of adolescence and the confident feats of Spider-Man.

Link (The Legend of Zelda) – 5’6”-5’7”: A quiet yet brave hero, Link’s piercing blue eyes and unwavering courage make him the ultimate mysterious heartthrob, symbolizing hope in every quest he undertakes.

Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) – 5'6": Endearingly clueless yet determined, Scott Pilgrim is the lovable underdog who fights for love, blending genuine heart with an irresistible mix of awkwardness and sincerity.

Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride) – 5'7": At 5'7", the charismatic Inigo Montoya wields his sword and thirst for revenge with flair, famously declaring, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

Logan (Wolverine) – 5'3" (often portrayed as 5'6"-5'8"): A rugged and fierce short king, Wolverine’s fierce loyalty and intense personality make him an unforgettable character, regardless of his height.

Leon Kennedy – 5'9" (Original Height): Controversial, I know. But, in my heart, Leon’s a short king at 5'9", radiating charm and awkward sweetness as he balances heroics with vulnerability, proving that it’s not about height but heart.

[animemocha]

Anime's Greatest Chad: The Epic of Gilgamesh (Fate)

Gilgamesh is known as mankind's first hero.

But his story isn’t limited to just the Fate series. In fact, it’s shaped our modern lives more than you could ever imagine. 

If you’re here for a historically accurate depiction of the man who tried to conquer death, don’t leave. I’ve worked really hard to make this as accurate as possible.

And if you’re here for the story of the real anime Gigachad, and how he goes from an arrogant dictator to a benevolent king.

Then grab a drink and some snacks, because this, is the tale of the Hero of Heroes.

Roots of the King

Before we jump into the Epic of Gilgamesh, it’s worth taking a second to understand the roots of this iconic character and his influence on human culture and literature.

Mesopotamia was a region in 3100 BC, now covered by Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. It had its fair share of events, from the reigns of Sumerians and Akkadians to being eventually conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

But nestled within this timeline is a certain story that’s so profound, so raw, it's been echoing for millennia.

Now I know what you’re thinking.

"I'm here for anime, not a history lesson."

But the thing is, all evidence points to Gilgamesh actually existing 5000 years ago. And his legend is recorded in mankind’s oldest poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The epic is thought to have been orally transmitted for generations before it was finally written down on clay tablets in the cuneiform script, which was one of the earliest systems of writing.

To put into context how old that is, it makes him almost 3000 years older than Jesus. 

But I wouldn’t take EVERYTHING that follows as being literal. Just know that some of the stuff is actually reported to have happened.

The Hero of Heroes

Gilgamesh is known as the King of all Heroes because every single myth that followed, every story, every legend from every culture and every religion in every country, it all borrows inspiration from mankind’s first hero.

The strongest examples of this are in the Biblical tale of Noah and the Greek myth of Hercules. And his story greatly influences modern literature too, like The Lord of the Rings and A Game of Thrones.

The story of the Epic of Gilgamesh was discovered on 12 clay tablets found among the ruins of the ancient library of Ashurbanipal, the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

These tablets, inscribed with cuneiform script, are dated to around the 7th century BC but are believed to preserve much older stories that were likely first told orally and later written down.

These ancient tablets provide the most comprehensive version of the epic, but parts of the tale also appear on other scattered fragments found at different ancient sites across the Middle East.

There are actually two versions of Gilgamesh in the Fate series and they’re technically different people.

Well, they’re not, but they kind of are. 

Archer Gilgamesh

We’re in the year 2800 B.C., the Age of the Gods, where divine beings and humans walked the Earth together.

Some Gods were just, while others treated their subjects as slaves.

One day, a greater god called Sefar invaded the Earth, killing many of the Gods.

She was eventually defeated, but the damage was already done, and the rule the gods had over the humans had severely weakened.

In order to preserve their rule, the gods needed a keystone, a Wedge of Heaven that connected the rising humans to the fading gods.

That keystone was Gilgamesh.

Born from the Goddess Ninsun and the Human King Lugalbanda, Gilgamesh was two-thirds God, and one-third human, and ruled over humanity with the mission to observe and adjudicate.

The Fortress City

The city Gilgamesh ruled over was called Uruk, situated in present-day Iraq.

Yet, Uruk was far from ordinary.

It stood as a testament to human achievement, its towering walls not just architectural marvels but also echoes of the ambitions of its people.

Conceived under the watchful eye of Gilgamesh, these walls became more than mere defensive structures; they symbolised humanity's victory over nature. This audacious statement reflected Gilgamesh's own beliefs: that he stood above nature itself.

As evidence of its profound legacy, archaeologists pinpoint Uruk as one of humanity's earliest urban epicentres, with roots as deep as 4000 BCE. Its intricate temples, ziggurats, and canal systems all serve as relics of its storied past.

The Tyrannical King

This transcendence over nature, and the very walls that proclaimed it, became the lens through which Gilgamesh viewed himself.

To him, the limitations of divinity and humanity were but mere lines in the sand.

He believed that while no human could rival the gods, the gods themselves could never experience the complexities of human existence.

And since Gilgamesh was both human and God, he perceived himself not just above his subjects, but even the deities that breathed life into him.

His self-awareness was, in many ways, his crowning achievement.

Gilgamesh grew to become a cruel, arrogant, and oppressive tyrant who subjugated his people to forced labour and sexual abuse.

And just to be clear, I’m downplaying that a lot because even I don’t want to talk about some of the disgusting things he is historically reported to have done.

And it makes me wonder how he ever became a Heroic Spirit in the first place.

The Man Made of Clay

Naturally, the gods didn’t want this, but they couldn’t exactly do anything about it because, well, Gilgamesh just wouldn’t submit to them.

So instead, the King of God’s Anu, and the Goddess of Creation Aruru, created a monster out of clay called Enkidu, to punish the arrogant king.

But there was a problem.

You see, Enkidu didn’t have a soul, and so couldn’t make rational decisions.

So the gods sent a divine harlot to sleep with him. (And I’m not even joking.) 

After this, Enkidu takes human form, and his final appearance is very similar to the girl he slept with. And that’s why he has such a feminine form.

(It’s definitely not because having more hot girls leads to more sales)

Noble Phantasm's

Before we dive into what happened between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, let’s talk about Gilgamesh’s powers, or more specifically, Archer Gilgamesh’s powers.

In Fate, heroic spirits have Noble Phantasms, which are special weapons or abilities that embody the legend of that hero. For example, King Arthur’s Noble Phantasm, or rather, Artoria’s Noble Phantasm (Again, because more hot girls = more sales), is Excalibur, the sword of promised victory.

Gilgamesh has a lot of Noble Phantasms, and I mean, A LOT. It would take me a decade to cover them all, but I’ll talk about a few.

Sha Naqba Imuru:

The first is his ability Sha Naqba Imuru, or Clairvoyance, which lets him see into the future and see the truth of anything he looks at.

So in a fight, he knows exactly who his opponent is, what their abilities are, and how best to defeat them. Or if he’s playing chess, then he knows the correct move every time.

This ability is pretty OP but the thing is, Gilgamesh barely uses it.

Why?

Because he’s an arrogant prick.

He believes himself to be so powerful, that he doesn’t even need it most of the time.

And uhm… he’s kinda right...

Especially when you learn about his next Noble Phantasm.

The Gate of Babylon:

During his time as ruler of Uruk, Gilgamesh amassed every single weapon on Earth and stored them all in his treasury.

And I genuinely mean, every single weapon.

And the Gate of Babylon allows him to choose whichever weapon he wants, whenever he wants, wherever he wants. 

But that’s not how Gilgamesh uses it...

Every single weapon is fired out at a speed of Mach 10, and he has so many, that he could go his entire life firing them away without having to use a single one twice.

What makes this ability even more OP, is that these weapons aren’t just ordinary weapons. Every single one of them is a Noble Phantasm in itself. Artoria’s Excalibur, Lancer’s Gae Bolg, Hercules’ Nine Lives, Gilgamesh has all of these weapons in his treasury.

But how is that possible if these heroes came AFTER Gilgamesh?

Well. That’s because they’re prototypes. 

I mentioned earlier that almost every legend told today is in some way inspired by the Epic of Gilgamesh. And in the same way, every weapon used today has a design that is somehow based on those in his treasury.

He owns every weapon that existed and owns every weapon that is yet to exist.

And don’t get me wrong.

While they’re technically prototypes, it is said that if you compare the original weapon to Gilgamesh’s prototype, the original will look like a fake, that’s how well-made the prototype is.

Not only that, but in a fight, the prototype will beat the original every time.

Now that doesn’t mean that if Gilgamesh were to use Excalibur and fight Artoria in a 1 on 1 swordfight that he would win.

He’d probably lose.

And that’s because he’s a jack of all trades but master of none.

Gilgamesh is a brilliant swordsman. But these other heroic spirits have spent their entire lives mastering a single weapon, and thus can use them to their full potential, which Gilgamesh cannot.

That being said. Gilgamesh DOES have one weapon that only he can use, one so powerful that it defies reality itself. Buuuuut I’ll talk about that later.

The Great Battle

Enkidu eventually confronts Gilgamesh outside of the Temple of Uruk, stating that he needed to be punished for disobeying the gods.

But Gilgamesh isn’t one to let anyone talk down on him.

So he engages Enkidu in a battle that lasts days on end.

And this was pretty new to Gil. It was the first time he ever came across someone equal in strength to him, which forced him to use his Gate of Babylon.

Gilgamesh was furious that someone had caused him to waste his weapons, he was humiliated.

But eventually, he stopped caring, and he even started to enjoy himself after finally finding someone worthy to be in his presence.

This battle lasted so long and was so fearsome that Gil exhausted every single weapon in his treasury, but by this point, Enkidu was severely weakened and Gilgamesh had won.

But instead of finishing him off, Gilgamesh extended a hand to him.

He saw Enkidu as an equal, and Enkidu ended up becoming Gil’s first friend, his only friend.

Friendship

One day, Gilgamesh set his sights upon defeating the Beast of the God’s, Humbaba.

But the thing is, the God’s hadn’t told him to do this, and he wasn’t doing it for the sake of his people either, because, well… he didn’t care about them.

Gilgamesh simply saw Humbaba as something that needed to be removed from the Earth in order to see out his mission.

Gilgamesh had always disobeyed the God’s so that he could be far removed from them, and he wanted his people to hate him so that he could be far removed from them, because that was the only way he could be truly neutral, because that was the mission for which he was born.

In this sense, you could argue that the reason that Gilgamesh was such an abhorrent dictator, was because he didn’t want to get close to his subjects, so that he could remain impartial.

(I don’t know how much truth there is to that and it could simply be a result of the story being altered as it was passed from generation to generation.)

Either way, seeing Gilgamesh’s resolve, Enkidu pledges his loyalty to him, and the two go on numerous adventures together, which ends with Gilgamesh becoming the wealthiest and most powerful king on Earth.

He amassed so much power that even the gods had no choice but to acknowledge it. One Goddess in particular, Ishtar, the Goddess of Fertility, asked Gilgamesh to marry her.

The King's Loss

Marrying a Goddess was actually one of Gilgamesh’s duties as it would see the continued reign of the gods over the humans, but Gilgamesh said no.

Enraged, Ishtar went to her father Anu, and asked him to unleash the Divine Beast Gugalanna on Uruk.

This divine beast devastated the lands for 7 years before Gilgamesh and Enkidu were finally able to defeat it. But this came at a price.

Ishtar asked the gods to sentence Gilgamesh and Enkidu to their deaths. While the Gods agreed, they couldn’t do anything to Gil, but they could to Enkidu, because he was their direct creation. 

Enkidu’s clay body weakened and weakened until it would eventually return to the very Earth from which it had come.

Gilgamesh stayed by his friend's side until the very end.

While this event is not shown directly shown in the anime, it is mentioned in the original Sumerian poem from three thousand years ago, translated as follows:

“It saddens me. It saddens me, Gil. Who would understand you after I die? Who else would march by your side? My friend… when I think you will live on all alone henceforth, I can’t help but shed tears. But don’t be saddened. For I am but another of your treasures.” - Enkidu

It’s honestly a rather heartbreaking end to their friendship.

One would have thought that the arrogant and prideful King of Heroes would have had a rather stoic response. But history says otherwise:

"You do have worth. You alone have this worth. I hereby declare: In all this world, only one shall be my friend. Thus---not for all eternity shall his worth ever change." - Gilgamesh

And with this, Enkidu returned to the Earth, leaving nothing behind but Gilgamesh's thunderous cry.

And for those of you who have watched Fate Zero, you’ll know that Gilgamesh kept this promise, even thousands and thousands of years later.

The Herb

After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh realised something.

As he was one-third human, he too would one day die.

If this were to happen, he would not be able to fulfil his dream of watching over humanity until the end of time, and it also meant he would not be able to carry out his purpose as the Wedge of Heaven.

And thus, for the first time in his existence, the king of heroes felt fear.

And this brings us to the core of the ancient Sumerian poem.

Gilgamesh, wanting to beat death, set out on a journey to find the only treasure that he didn’t have in his vault—the Herb of Immortality.

What does this herb do?

Well, it’s in the name so figure it out for yourselves.

Gilgamesh wandered the Earth for several decades in search of this herb, and eventually, stumbles upon a wise sage in the underworld that guides him in the right direction.

Sure enough, Gil finds the herb and is absolutely euphoric, because he has just beaten death, and all that’s left for him to do, is return to Uruk, and see over his people until the end of time.

Before beginning his journey back home, Gil decides to wash off in a nearby spring, where he first places the herb on the ground. However, as fate would have it, a serpent stumbles upon the bathing Gilgamesh, and after seeing the herb, it eats it.

And a little fun fact. It’s thought that the Sumerians and many of the cultures that followed, believed that snakes have the ability to shed their skin because this serpent ate the herb of immortality, giving snakes the ability to be reborn.

Much like the biblical tale of Adam, Eve, and the serpent, this story serves as a stark reminder of life's impermanence and the inevitable reality of death.

By losing the herb, Gilgamesh confronts the bitter truth: immortality remains beyond human grasp.

After realising what happened, you’d think Gilgamesh would be upset, or that he would be outraged, but, he wasn’t.

He realised that death was unavoidable and that by dying, he wasn’t abandoning his duty, he was completing it, because it was the most human thing he could do.

He realised that you didn’t die because you were human, but you were human because you died. 

And with his Sha Naqba Imuru, Gilgamesh was able to see into the future, and what he saw was exactly what he loved about the humans in the first place.

He saw the continued growth of the human race, the way their knowledge developed, and the way they used their resources to reach for the stars and beyond.

With this new outlook, Gilgamesh returned to Uruk as a changed man.

Caster Gilgamesh

While Archer Gilgamesh was an arrogant tyrant that did disgusting things, Caster Gilgamesh was kind, generous, and benevolent.

He loved his people so much that he actually gave away all the swords in his treasury. 

You see, these two versions of Gilgamesh are still the same person. It’s just that Archer Gilgamesh is the version of Gilgamesh we see before Enkidu’s death, and Caster Gilgamesh is the one we see after the death of his friend.

And yes, technically, Caster Gilgamesh is weaker than Archer Gilgamesh, and the biggest reason for that is the fact that he gave away so many of his weapons, weakening his Gate of Babylon.

But Caster Gilgamesh also had a noble phantasm that Archer Gilgamesh didn’t, Melammu Dingir, or King’s Signal Cannon. 

If you’ve ever seen the movie Three Hundred, it’s a lot like that. But except for arrows, he’s firing every weapon he has at his disposal.

As I mentioned, Caster Gilgamesh was much more generous than Archer Gilgamesh, and he gave away his treasures for them to be used in cannons, should the city of Uruk need protection.

As such, this Noble Phantasm is classed as an Anti-Army ability, firing every weapon mankind had in one go.

But if you think that’s powerful, there’s one more noble phantasm I haven’t yet mentioned. But this one didn’t belong to Caster Gilgamesh, it belonged to Archer Gilgamesh. 

The Sword of Rupture

Imagine a weapon so mighty that it not only holds power beyond comprehension but also taps into the very essence of our universe's creation. 

Enter Ea, the sword of rupture.

But is it even correct to call it a sword?

Ea is the pinnacle of Noble Phantasms and is the strongest weapon in Gilgamesh’s treasury and it is unique to only him.

You might think it kind of looks like a sword, but it actually isn’t. It was designed before the concept of a “sword” even existed and so, it’s in its own class.

To even summon Ea, Gilgamesh first has to unlock the depths of his treasury with a key that only he possesses, and after that, we see the mere act of obtaining Ea disrupts reality itself.

Designed intricately, each section of Ea represents the Heaven’s, the Earth, and the Underworld, with the sections rotating in opposite directions, echoing the universe’s vast expanse.

Gilgamesh claims that the sword "knows the truth" of the world where it once existed, and by using its power, it is able to bestow its knowledge upon others.

The weapon holds memories of a time even before the planet existed, a time when life, as we understand it, couldn't have survived. The memory of our universe's raw, primordial form, a chaotic blend of scorching heat and biting cold, of molten lava and dense gas, long before life as we know it began.

This primordial memory is embedded deep within our very DNA, a distant echo from eons past, now faded from our tales and consciousness.

Yet, to those who gaze upon the sword, this deep-seated, almost forgotten knowledge comes rushing back.

To Gilgamesh, Ea is more than just a weapon.

It’s an entity.

He treats it like a person. He talks to it, respects it, and unleashes its might only against those he deems truly worthy.

This isn't just any weapon; it's a creation from even before our planet's dawn, crafted by an unknown God and was once used to split the Heavens and Earth.

It is classed as an anti-universe noble phantasm with power unlike any other and its ability is called “Enuma Elish”, and to use the ability, Gilgamesh first recites an incantation, which is as follows:

“I will tell you of the beginning. Heaven and Earth split, nothingness congratulated creation, my Sword of Rupture cleaved the world!"

"Mortar of the stars, heaven's hell is the eve of creation's celebration. Now you shall die and be silent..."

This is actually another Babylonian tale from thousands of years ago titled “The Story of Creation”, buuuuuuuut I'll cover that another time.

I know that I’ve been describing Ea as a “weapon”, but it isn’t that at all. In fact, that barely scratches the surface of its true nature.

It's not an exaggeration when I say that Enuma Elish has the power to tear the universe apart. Yet, even such an unparalleled force had its moment of surprise.

(There is one recorded instance of it being stopped, something which shocked even Gilgamesh, but that’s a story for another time...) 

Gilgamesh is only seen using this ability on two occasions, once against Rider and another against Tiamat, a primordial deity that almost destroyed the world and was so powerful, that even Gilgamesh couldn’t defeat her. Or rather, Caster Gilgamesh couldn’t. Because like I said before, Archer Gilgamesh is on an entirely different level.

Reunion

We see Gilgamesh use Ea’s full strength against Enkidu, not in their first battle, but rather, when they met again thousands of years later in Fate Strange/Fake.

Here, the world itself is sucked into the void created by the sword, and it begins tearing apart. But Enkidu has his own version of Enuma Elish and thus was able to hold the World together.

The battle is described as follows by those that observed it:

"I felt as if the World was born seven times, and destroyed seven times." - The Sacred Prostitute.

This meeting here is honestly, beautiful. And I know that’s a weird way to describe what is essentially a war to the death between mages, but that’s all I can say about it.

We know how much Gilgamesh values Ea. He is disgusted by the thought of someone unworthy even laying their eyes on it. And it’s so rare that we ever see him even using it.

But when he realises that his opponent is his first and only friend, he pulls out Ea with zero hesitation. [Say it with slight laughter]

In fact, this is the happiest we ever see Gilgamesh. He spends the entire battle laughing his heart out, and we see Enkidu, with a hand to his ears, admiring the sound of his friend's laughter as if it were a song. 

It’s a tragedy that Gilgamesh will never be able to see Enkidu again. But that’s life. As sad as it is to admit, we all have people we care about that will be gone from our lives forever.

It’s no wonder that Gilgamesh’s greatest treasure wasn’t any of his riches, any of his weapons, the holy grail, or even Ea.

It was his friendship with Enkidu.

And with that, I’ve covered a fraction of The Epic of Gilgamesh. It took a lot of work and there’s a lot I couldn’t talk cover. I’ll probably make another post dedicated to Ea and another on Enkidu, but I’ll warn you, be prepared to cry.

psst... if you liked this essay, check out the full video essay on my youtube channel!

And I don't normally add this, but if I can be a teenie bit selfish on this one occasion:

Please check out the video (if you'd so graciously lend me a few minutes of your time) because it's by far the hardest I've ever worked on a video and I wholly believe the end result is really good. You can always leave a dislike and tell me how to improve if you don't like it lol

- love ya

[krispyweiss]

Tina Turner Dies at 83

- “She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous,” Mick Jagger says

Tina Turner, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Ike & Tina Turner and as a solo artist, has died at 83.

No cause or date of death was given in the statement posted May 24 on Turner’s Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” it read. “With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow.”

Turner had “been ill, but I never thought this day would come,” Darlene Love said on Facebook.

“There will never be a performer like Tina Turner again,” Love wrote. “She was one of a kind. Icon, legend, warm-hearted, hard-working, legs for days, hitmaker, pioneer, hardest-working artist, survivor. She was simply the best.”

Former Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler recalled seeing the Turners open for the Rolling Stones in 1966 and becoming “an instant fan.”

“I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner,” Mick Jagger said of his Live Aid duet partner.

“She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”

Turner broke away from her abusive marriage and musical partnership with Ike and launched a hugely successful solo career in the 1980s with hits like “Better be Good to Me,” “Private Dancer” and many others.

“Thank you for being the inspiration to millions of people around the world for speaking your truth and giving us the gift of your voice,” Bryan Adams said in eulogizing his one-time touring partner.

In 1990, Turner launched a sold-out tour of Europe with the Neville Brothers, leaving Arron Neville to mourn her loss.

“She showed us much love and respect,” he wrote on social media.

Jazz guitarist Al Di Meola called Turner “the epitome of class.” Former NBA star “Magic” Johnson said “she gave one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.” And John Fogerty “loved her version of (Creedence Clearwater Revival’s) ‘Proud Mary.’”

“(Turner) taught women that they could be strong, sexy, fearless and their own person,” Carole King said. “May she rest in peace and power.”

Turner retired from music in 2009. But her influence was secure.

“There was nothing her deep, robust voice couldn’t do,” the Rock Hall said in its online eulogy.

5/24/23