#matchup monday

[shirefantasies]

“Hi first I love your stories and match ups, may I ask for a match up in the Hobbit. I'm a 4'11, puerto rican girl, introverted workaholic bookworm on the autistic spectrum. I have long curly dark brown hair with a undercut. I'm also an Aquarius. I suffer from both anxiety and ocd. I tend to hold in anger cause I'm afraid that it will hurt people and I like having my space. I hope this doesn't bother you.” -@cutebean-123

It sure doesn't because you get to be the first person I match with...

Thorin Oakenshield Himself 😌

It really matters not, but one of the first things that strikes the king-to-be is the fact that despite you being a daughter of men you share in his stature. He is not used to looking men of any kind in the eye, rather being looked down on, and this is part of his distrust beyond his own people: the sheer air of condescension that arises. With you, though, you fit in, or blend in at least. He is unsure if Gandalf's recommendation carries weight solely by how shy and unsure you seem upon first meeting him. Struggling at first to actually look him in the eye, largely because you could barely pull your nose from your books! The wizard is insistent your knowledge is great and valuable, and you certainly show more promise than the burglar. The others take to you fairly quickly, especially the brothers Ri. The company’s youngest loves your books, too, it seems.

It stirs something in Thorin how protective the others are of you, the way you’re defended from every match of playful insults and pulled out of danger again and again. He wants to be annoyed, frustrated at the addition of two inexperienced adventurers, but when you share your enthusiasm to see his beautiful kingdom, all the legends you have heard, it simply fizzles out. Soon, the only annoyance he finds himself feeling is at the sight of the others’ hands about your waist even if they are saving you.

He notices the way you don’t tend to express things outwardly and frankly he understands. It only further fuels the shock crossing his face and mind when you snap one day, releasing anger he hadn’t even realized you held beneath your calm exterior. The others had been teasing you too hard and had even taken something of yours, and Thorin instantly barks at them to stop and give it back when he sees. You apologize for causing so much trouble and Thorin just gives a deep chuckle, shaking his head. “How is that your fault? They thought antagonizing someone they found soft was funny? It is no joke at all. That lot could learn a thing or two about order- something I think you and I understand well.” Sentimental or not, even if the object is simply a beloved fidget, the king surprises you with his understanding. Reaching into the large folds of his coat, Thorin pulls out a key. You have seen this key once before back in Bilbo’s home, but now he lets you see it up close. “I find myself toying with this in idleness. The feel of it beneath my fingers… something of it is reassuring. I understand you.” Something about those words break down your smile, bringing you to wrap your arms around the king, who breaks into an uncharacteristically shy smile. “Understanding is not something we often come by, is it? And yet here I think our hearts can rest.” He feels your nod of agreement once your head rests upon his shoulder.

Taglist: @lokilover476 @fuckyoumakeart @mossthebogwitch @ibabblealot @kilibaggins @joonies-word @stormchaser819 @pirate-lord-of-narnia @datglutengoblin @letmelickyoureyeballs @mossyskinn | Reply/Ask/Message to join 🥰

***MATCHUPS ARE CLOSED***

[twinkinspector]

this is what i look like doing these matchups right now btw

[elena-of-avalor-polls]

The list of matchups for the upcoming Round 3!

Matchup 1 - Our Chance VS Unspoken

Matchup 2 - Sister Time VS Ready to Rule

Matchup 3 - In the Spirit of Love VS The One and Only

Matchup 4 - Let Love Light The Way VS Guiding Light

Matchup 5 - Steppin’ Up VS The Way We Do Navidad

Matchup 6 - The Gift of Night VS Something Special

Matchup 7 - Make Them Proud VS The Bright Light of the Ball

Matchup 8 - Got It Down VS Theme Song

Matchup 9 - This New Day VS My Time

Matchup 10 - The Right Thing To Do VS Avaloran Lullaby

Matchup 11 - Home for Navidad VS The Magic Within You

Matchup 12 - Home For Good VS The Festival of Love

Matchup 13 - Everything’s Fine VS Hearts Full of Cheer

The song without a pair is Love Always. It’s going to compete against one of the winners of the third round.

The third round starts on February 26, and there will be two matchups posted every day.

[imaginedreamwrite]

For Monster Monday; reader works as a sort of doctor/nurse in a rehabilitation center for mermaids. Her newest patient is a grumpy and scarred merman, Curtis, covered in fresh injuries from protecting his pod (kind of like pack but for merpeople) from mer-hunters.

He's quiet, and he likes his nurse, using his tail to splash doctors who get too close to her.

Curtis Everett — age 32 — tail lacerations/burn to the left pectoral and shoulder

“You’re rather grumpy, aren’t you?” Water splashes on the concrete, the man-made pond in the enclosed room is neither still nor lacking lice.

Though you can’t see him outright, you know he’s there lurking beneath the water. You know that he’s watching you from behind clear glass, hidden in the depths of the pond, just as you know he can hear you.

“You don’t like other nurses, you don’t like doctors, you don’t like other creatures…” You approached the makeshift rock steps and come to the edge of the pond, slowly sitting down near the surface of the water.

“You can’t go home until you’re healed.” You mirth and reach out to touch the water, becoming startled when his hand shoots out to grasp your wrist and blue eyes penetrate your own.

“They touched you.” His voice was gravelly, his eyes strikingly bold with underlying aggression. “They can’t touch you.”

“Why? Why don’t you tell me why they can’t touch me?” You we’re the only one he allowed to help fix him, the only one he had ever allowed to come this close.

“You have a beautiful tail, Curtis. It matches your eyes.”

“You’re mine.” He flicks his tail, the ends smacking against the water and a riptide courses along the surface. “You’re mine and they touched you-“

“I’m not yours, I’ve never been yours.” You try to remain calm, you try to keep a level head as he encroaches and lifts himself out of the water to sit by you.

His wounds are healed, he’s going to be let go tomorrow.

“You are mine,” he rests your hand on his tail, the iridescent scales feeling hard yet smooth beneath your palm, “we’re leaving now.”

“You’re laving tomorrow-“

“No,” he cupped your cheeks and made you stare deep into his eyes, “we’re leaving now.”

You whipped your head around when you’d heard an explosion and you’d been given no time to react, not when Curtis had pulled both of you into the water.

[onlydylanobrien]

Live from New York, It’s Dylan O’Brien!

The 33-year-old plays Dan Aykroyd in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, and he’s not sure he hit it out of the park. But he’s okay with that.

DYLAN O’BRIEN HAS led movies that grossed hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. He’s shared the screen in a thriller with Michael Keaton (2017’s American Assassin), exchanged jokes with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson (in 2013’s The Internship), been a long-running MTV teen heartthrob (in 92 episodes of Teen Wolf), voiced a Transformer (in 2018’s Bumblebee), and, hell, went toe to toe with Larry David while playing himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm. At 33, he’s accomplished a hell of a lot.

By the time we meet at Men’s Health’s New York City offices to chat on an early September Friday, I’ve already seen a lot of his work. I’ve always liked the way his relaxed demeanor on-screen fits with an undeniable movie-star look—and that holds true in his latest project, Saturday Night (in select theaters now and out nationwide on October 11), in which he stars as comedy legend and original Saturday Night Live cast member Dan Aykroyd; the movie is a depiction of the chaotic 90 minutes before the very first episode of SNL. But I wasn’t sold on his sheer determination—the pure conviction in his character—until I learned that, like myself, he’s a long-suffering fan of the New York Jets.

“I get psyched for the Jets,” he tells me, rocking a full beard, a T-shirt, and a pair of comfortable lacrosse shorts. As he finishes his thought, his eyes light up, but they maintain the slightest sense of eternal frustration behind them. “Even though it’s always like, Jesus Christ.”

Misfortunes of past football seasons aside, O’Brien is as hyped as he’s ever been for the season to come—he’s already done all of his fantasy drafts, though he feels better about some than others—but right now he has one potential problem: He’s going to be in Toronto, for the Toronto International Film Festival, on the night of the Jets season opener. But don’t worry, he’s got it figured out. Saturday Night’s premiere is on Tuesday, and his press schedule on Monday (when the Jets are set to play the San Francisco 49ers) concludes at 5:30 p.m.

“I’m like, I’m going to a pub. I’m getting out of the area, and I’m just going to sit and have some beer and watch the Jets on Monday night all by myself,” he says with a huge smile on his face. “It’s going to be awesome.”

It’s a relatable feeling—for most Jets fans, there’s no happier time than before the season starts, before the annual feelings of dread and doom start to set in. (The Jets would wind up losing to the 49ers, 32-19, in their Week 1 MNF matchup.) But, as Jets fans have learned so well to do over the years, we move on.

O’Brien has a long career behind him, but a long career ahead of him, too. In addition to his upcoming role in Saturday Night (which has earned strong reviews in the early goings), he’s also got the M. Night Shyamalan-produced Caddo Lake premiering on Max this month, and Anniversary, in which he stars alongside Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler, coming at some point in the near future. (It doesn’t currently have a release date.) O’Brien is the kind of actor who elevates the project he’s in, even when the project is already really, really good—but if there’s anything being a Jets fan says about someone, it’s that they know how to adjust, adapt, and bounce back. And in an industry as fickle as show business—which is put on full display in Saturday Night—that’s about as important a quality as any to have in your back pocket.

Ahead of the release of several of the biggest and most exciting projects of his career, O’Brien sat down with Men’s Health to discuss how he keeps himself sane and centered, prepping to play a comedy icon, and some of those casting rumors about him out there on the Internet.

MEN’S HEALTH: What kind of routines do you maintain for your mental and physical health?

DYLAN O’BRIEN: I don’t go to the gym. I’m not a gym guy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t exercise or train or anything. I would say I go in and out of that. I’m usually the type who’s either on a pretty consistent routine and trying to hit it hard and take care of myself for a period of time, and then I’ll let it go for a little bit. Some of that’s influenced by my schedule, too. When you go to work, it’s hard to keep up some kind of regimen. But when I’m home and I’m in between jobs, I’ve become a very domesticated individual. I love grocery shopping and cooking my own meals.

MH: What’s your favorite thing to make?

DOB: If I had to pick one thing, I love, to the soul, making a soup. It’s literally the first thing I’ll do when I go anywhere to settle in. Just a homemade chicken soup, with a chicken carcass, and get creative with the veggies.

MH: Do you have a mental health routine?

DOB: That’s typically what drives the eating and the exercising. I always feel best when I’m in a nice routine and taking care of myself. As I’ve gotten into my 30s, sleep is so important, and periods of laying off alcohol are so important. Just treating your body right and getting rest. I like to do a cold plunge session, and that’s very meditative for me. I’ll follow the simple program of “exhaust the body, relax the mind” when I’m going right.

“I was self-conscious that I DIDN’T LOOK LIKE HIM, that I DIDN’T SOUND LIKE HIM, that I thought people wouldn’t think me—Dan Aykroyd.”

MH: I totally understand the concept of using whatever levels us as therapy. Sometimes after work I just need to put the Yankees on and do absolutely nothing in order to fully detox and feel right.

DOB: That’s my soul. The Mets… obviously, baseball is a nearly every day thing. And even when the Mets are not going well, what’s soothed me since I was closely following them when I was a kid is [broadcasters Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling]. Literally, even just throwing the game on in the background while I’m getting dinner ready and just listening to those guys talk baseball—that settles me to my core. I’m totally with you on that.

MH: Is watching sports your main way of decompressing at the end of a long day?

DOB: If it’s baseball season, yeah, nightly Mets is nice. If I’m working, I’ve been known to be on jobs and randomly be bingeing some reality show while I’m on it. It’s such a decompressor at the end of the day. I love reality TV.

MH: What’s your favorite?

DOB: Of all time?

MH: Yeah.

DOB: Well, it’s between Jersey Shore and Vanderpump Rules as far as the all-timers. I’ve been a longtime OG Vanderpump fan, pre-Scandoval, and I just think that show’s a masterpiece. And Jersey Shore is a masterpiece, too. I did a film, Ponyboi, that’s very Jersey-centric, and so I drilled all of the first four seasons of Jersey Shore. My whole routine for that movie, when I needed to decompress, was just working out and watching reality TV. I lost a lot of weight, too, for that movie, and I was just trying to make my little chicken breast, and eat my salad, and work out, and watch Jersey Shore.

MH: Let’s talk about Saturday Night. How would you describe your version of Dan Aykroyd?

DOB: It might be the thing most open to interpretation I’ve ever done. By that, I mean it really was just leaping out of the nest. I’m playing this real person, but [director Jason Reitman] had no intention of just copying the person coming in. He really wanted everyone to have their own spin on the person, which, if you’re overthinking it, can be tough to do because it can be very easy to do. If you’re like, I’m just going to watch my guy’s interviews and sketches, then you can kind of fall into imitation. As far as I know, I was just doing what I thought he was like. But I don’t fucking know. That instinct was that Jason was always telling me what to run with. He was big on not overpreparing, not overwatching things, and not impersonating. I’m curious to hear people’s take, because I don’t really know. I just went with my gut.

MH: Was there one signature quality of Dan you wanted to capture?

DOB: A very earnest intelligence—he’s so quick, it was exhausting. I would always say how exhausted I was, because I’m playing someone who’s way quicker than I am, and so I’m constantly operating at a speed I can’t operate at, because he’s so sharp and fast and he never fumbles and he never curses. He never bides time. You know what I mean?

MH: Absolutely.

DOB: He’s so precise with his improvisation and his comedic skills. I came away with such a larger appreciation than I even had for his genius. And he was so young—he was a kid. He was 23 on that first season of SNL. I never processed him as being too worried about too much, which was a funny contrasting energy to the very tense atmosphere of the film in the hour and a half before showtime. He’s so loose.

MH: It’s interesting you say that, because it’s something I totally clocked, too—Dan is kind of the calm part of a storm that includes people like Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) and John Belushi (Matt Wood). How did you maintain that presence as the movie’s level head?

DOB: My way of achieving that, with permission from Jason, was to embrace this quality in myself that I didn’t originally associate to Dan—that I only then did after Jason pointed it out to me—which was to have an aloofness on set. I feel very relaxed in that space. In a way, I wasn’t too worried. But that comes with the caveat that I entered this process thinking I was so wrong for the part.

MH: Why did you think that?

DOB: I don’t know. I was self-conscious that I didn’t look like him, that I didn’t sound like him, that I thought people wouldn’t think me—Dan Aykroyd. And I guess it was an insecurity that I would be skewered for being miscast or something. But even with that insecurity, again, I’m still so happy to be there and, like, whatever, fuck it. I don’t care if that’s the response. I’m boned, but whatever. It’s great to be here and get to do this, and what a blast of a thing to get to be a part of. So, weirdly enough, that type of aloofness amidst other people having to handle some really tense stuff was what Jason was telling me to embrace.

MH: Have you met Dan?

DOB: No. Not yet. I’m supposed to meet him at TIFF. And apparently that will be both of our first times seeing the movie.

MH: That will be great.

DOB: There was a moment early on, when you go into something like this, you’re playing someone, you imagine that they might want to speak to you. They might be hell-bent on speaking to you, they might be crazy about getting their hands in it, or they might be totally hands off. And to hear that he was so not worried about it, if anything, was the first moment I was like, Oh, maybe we’re right. Because I would’ve met with him, too, but I also didn’t need it. I would have if he insisted. I’d be like, Of course—I’ve got to do that. But I vibe with the fact that he was like, no, let the kid go do it. That’s how I feel like I would react.

MH: What’s your favorite movie of his?

DOB: I was a big Blues Brothers kid. I did the Blues Brothers for my talent show in third grade. I was also a big Tommy Boy kid.

MH: I’ve loved a lot of the comedic stuff that you’ve gotten to do, including your Curb Your Enthusiasm guest appearance. What was working with Larry like?

DOB: Oh, it’s just a blast. He’s a Jets fan, too—I remember that was our first conversation we had. It was like I was just talking to a buddy, at [the popular TriBeCa bar] Walker’s, or something about the Jets. I’ve worked with a lot of comedians, and that space can be weird. The energy can be very overstimulating, and those personalities can tend to be really loud and competing. It can be a very odd atmosphere sometimes. Going to work with a guy like that… I was like, Who knows, he could be a fucking total narcissist tycoon, and he wasn’t. He couldn’t have been more generous, couldn’t have been quicker to laugh at someone else and let someone else have the spotlight. I couldn’t think more of the guy. He’s amazing.

MH: It’s been almost a decade since your accident on the Maze Runner set. When you look back at your recovery, how has that experience most impacted your life?

DOB: It was a life-changing incident. I’ve approached everything differently, you could say, particularly with regards to standing my ground on set. It’s very commonplace in the culture for young actors to be controlled, and the way they strive to do that is by always being like, Oh, don’t become difficult. Don’t be a pain in the ass. Or Are you complaining, are you being difficult? Things like that. I learned after the accident to not conflate taking care of yourself and looking after yourself. Don’t let them manipulate you into thinking that is being difficult, because I can look at that day and know I was a 24-year-old kid who was raising concerns about how we were approaching things, and they were not listened to, they were not respected. And then what happened happened. And by all accounts, it was all pretty gotten away with, I would say, as well. It’s taught me that, at the end of the day, in these spaces, you have your own back, and that’s the most you can rely on. I just turned 33. I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I know the person I am, and the character I bring to set, and the way I treat people and the way that I treat a workspace, and I know I’m not difficult. I know I’m not an asshole. I know I was trying to protect myself that day, and so I’ve just never forgotten that. That’s always rung true as being the thing to hold with me.

“It’s taught me that, at the end of the day, in these spaces, you HAVE YOUR OWN BACK, and that’s the MOST YOU CAN RELY ON.”

MH: And this is something that’s always in the back of your mind, just knowing that you’ve had this experience and it’s shaped where you are now.

DOB: It helps me. It’s a shame. It’s a shame that it had to be that for me. To build this armor for myself of just being like, No, man, I’m going to look after myself, I’m going to take care of myself, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with asking questions. There’s nothing wrong with bringing ideas, even if we’re talking creatively. It’s our job to bring ideas. There’s nothing wrong with raising concerns. There’s nothing wrong with being like, “I think we could do this better, I think we could do this differently.” You know what I mean? That’s the process. It’s a collaborative process. It’s a creative process, but also you’re dealing with big dangerous shit sometimes, too.

MH: Throughout the years, you’ve been rumored to become the Flash and Spider-Man. Is there any truth to the rumors?

DOB: No, never.

MH: Nothing?

DOB: No, none of it. Yeah.

MH: Is that of interest if an opportunity ever came up? Are you a comic book person?

DOB: I never have been. But I wouldn’t rule out anything. Certainly, it’s not of interest to me as of now. Maybe when I was 20 and they were rebooting Spider-Man—I was excited about that. But I didn’t even get past the casting pre-call or anything. No, none of those rumors have ever been true. I didn’t even know there were rumors. I just thought they were people just putting it out there.

MH: People put a bunch of stuff out there and then places pick it up and then stuff snowballs.

DOB: None of anything I’ve ever read about myself is true. So, if you want to use that template, that’s my experience.

MH: So what is of interest to you? What’s your dream?

DOB: There are obviously filmmakers I’ve loved since I was a kid who I would love to work with. I always want to challenge myself, and I always want to go with my gut and trust when I respond to something, I’m responding to it for a reason. Trust that when I’m scared of something, maybe that’s a good thing I should lean into. Try to find the new filmmakers, and try to champion them, and be a part of the early parts of the careers of our new wave of filmmakers. Try to champion original things as much as I can, too. I feel like that’s obviously trending so much further and further away, and towards extinction, that I just feel like it’s important to lend yourself to those things when you can, as much as you can.

This interview has been edited for content and clarity.

Source: menshealth.com

[ao3topshipsbracket]

Welcome to the Unofficial Top Tumblr Relationships Bracket!

Many people on Tumblr might have engaged in the practice of "shipping" in relation to "media". Some, according to legend, even have opinions on these matters.

If the above happens to apply to you, you might be eligible to vote in this bracket! We have pitted the most popular pairings of the 2023 Tumblr Year in Review against each other to see who will emerge victorious. Round 2 polls drop on Monday, April 29th at 1PM PDT, and will run for a full week.

Check current vote counts here!

FAQ:

How was the bracket made and seeded?

This bracket was made based off Tumblr's 2023 year in review ship list, and edited to fit into a workable bracket. Matchups were seeded according to ranking on the list.

What are your stances on voter fraud, campaigning, bribing people with drabbles and/or art, etc?

Enthusiastically in favor! We do, however, ask that you don't DDOS Tumblr, and ideally don't commit any murders that can be traced back to us.

Why aren't there platonic relationships in this bracket? There were in the AO3 one.

The AO3 data we were working with included all kinds of relationship tags, including platonic ones. The Tumblr year in review top ship list does not.

I have an issue with [x] being included in this poll.

This poll is a celebration of fandom and fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with some of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement of anything included in the bracket, and refrain from harassment.

In general, please remember that this is intended to be a fun time for the wide community which is fandom culture, and treat each other with respect!

Bracket Schedule!

[gunnerfc]

De-stress | Sophia Smith x Reader (18+) [Monday]

Summary: After a tough and physical game, your girlfriend needs your help to unwind (Portland Thorns reader)

Warnings: oral (sophia receiving), r calling sophia ‘princess’ ‘good girl’ praise kink

WC: 2k

Night After Night masterlist

You groaned as you dropped to the sub bench, breathing heavily from the running. Despite your exhaustion and labored breathing, you stayed focused on your team, watching as they won the ball back. 

There were still twenty minutes left in the game against Seattle and it was going to take a lot of work to come out on top. The rivalry between the two teams has existed for a long time and each matchup is more physically demanding than the last. You grimace when you watch Sophia go down, your girlfriend having spent more time on the ground than on her feet during the game. 

The minutes ticked by and with each touch Portland had on the ball, Seattle was quick to intervene. In the eighty-eighth minute, you held your breath when Christine passed the ball to Sophia who was quick to get a shot off. You jumped from your spot on the bench when the ball hit the back of the net, bringing Portland level with Seatlle at 1-1. 

You watched with a proud smile on your face as your girlfriend celebrated her equalizing goal with your teammates. With the game being as physical and aggressive as it was, you were happy to share points with Seattle. You took your seat once more as the game restarted for the last few minutes of extra time, your eyes locked on Sophia the entire time. 

You shared a few cheers with your teammates on the bench when the final whistle was blown, everyone was grateful for the game to be over and done with. You shook hands with the Seattle players as you passed them on your way to your girlfriend, you were more focused on congratulating and praising her. 

The forward squealed lightly when you hugged her from behind and placed a light kiss on her cheek. “I’m so proud of you, baby,” you beamed as she turned in your arms, wrapping her arms around your shoulders once she was facing you. Hearing you praise her always filled her with a warm feeling, she loved hearing you compliment her. 

Sophia leaned in for a quick kiss, mumbling a small ‘thank you’ against your lips when she pulled away. You tightened your arms around her waist earning a small groan from the forward who was slightly sore from all the rough tackles she received. The small noise that fell from her lips had your head spinning as you thought about the other times you’ve made her sound like that. 

Sophia’s breathing was labored as she thought about similar memories, the exhaustion she previously felt turning into neediness as you pulled her closer to you. “Hey lovebirds, get a room,” Jessie teased as she walked past the two of you.

You chuckled at the Canadian’s words and let go of Sophia’s waist and took a step back. The forward whined slightly at the loss of your touch, reaching out to try to pull you back to her. “You’re too far away,” she pouted, earning a giggle from you at her words.

“We gotta go do media, baby,” you sighed as you took her hand, pulling her toward the team for a quick post game talk. “But I need you,” she whined quietly when your hand intertwined with hers. You felt your skin heat up at her words, more memories flooding your thoughts as you squeezed her hand.

“Later, I promise,” you muttered with a small smile as you kissed her cheek before joining your teammates. Sophia didn’t pay attention to a single thing that was said during the team talk, her mind was more focused on your thumb which was rubbing back and forth on the back of her hand. 

Media and talking to the fans went on for longer than you planned though you loved to thank the fans who came out to support you. Though, for Sophia, it seemed to last a lifetime before you finally joined her in the locker room. You sighed when you sat on the chair next to her and were quick to take your cleats off. 

Sophia tried her hardest to not seem as needy as she was but each time you groaned at the soreness you felt, she could feel herself growing wetter. “Are you planning on showering here, y/n/n,” she whispered, hoping you would say no and the two of you could leave sooner. 

You turned to look at her, your eyes falling to how she had her legs crossed as her chest heaved slightly. You smirked to yourself at the sight of her and debated if you should draw things out. You quickly abandoned that idea when you watched her thighs flex, trying to offer herself some sort of relief. “Was planning on taking one at home, baby,” you smiled, which morphed into a smirk once more when you could see the change in her expression.

Sophia nodded at your words and stood on wobbly legs to go change into something more comfortable. You were quick to do the same, ready to be in the privacy of your own home so you could pleasure your girlfriend after a tough game. You were down before she was and waited as patiently as you good for her to rejoin you. 

You smiled softly when she came back into the main locker room and changed into clothes you knew wouldn’t last long once you made it home. You stood from your seat and offered her a hand before you both quickly said goodbye to your teammates who were still there. The walk to your car was silent, both of you in a different world as you pictured the events to come.

You quickly opened the car door for her, giving her a quick kiss on her cheek before she got into the car. You made your way to the driver’s seat and turned the car on the second you were in the seat. You turned, placing a hand on the side of Sophia’s seat to look behind you as you backed up. You missed Sophia’s eyes trailing along your arm, her thighs once again squeezing together.

Once you were out of the parking space and headed for the exit, you moved your hand to rest on the forward’s thigh, giving her a light squeeze. Sophia’s breathing sped up some as your hand rested on her skin, a warm feeling filling her body. Neither of you spoke during the car ride, a comfortable silence filled the vehicle as the city passed outside. 

Sophia was grateful that the two of you lived close to Providence Park as you returned home quickly. Once you parked the car, you were out the door and to the other side at record speed, opening the door for your girlfriend and offering her a hand. You two didn’t waste any time, quickly unlocking the front door and throwing your kit bags to the side to be dealt with in the morning. 

Just as you both removed your shoes, your lips were on Sophia’s and her back was flush with the wall. You battled for dominance and quickly won when she moaned at the feeling of your hands groping her body. Your tongue explored her mouth as your hands pulled at her shirt, the piece of clothing getting on your nerves already. You pulled back for a brief moment to pull her shirt off her body, dropping it to the floor aimlessly. 

Your lips moved to her neck, leaving deep kisses and bites on her skin as she tilted her head back against the wall. Sophia’s arms moved to wrap around your neck, her hands tangling in your hair as you moved yours to the back of her thighs. “Jump, princess,” you mumbled against her skin.

Sophia quickly followed your orders, her legs now wrapped around your waist as you held her closely against you. You moved your lips back to hers as you moved throughout your home, making your way toward the bedroom. Sophia moaned softly into the kiss when her back met the soft mattress, your body pressing down on hers as you made out. 

While making out, you moved a hand to the waistband of her sweatpants, one of your fingers tracing the hem that rested against her soft skin. You pulled at the drawstring, untying the loop to loosen the waistband. You moved your lips down her neck to her collarbones, leaving light nips as your hand pushed her pants and underwear down her legs.

Sophia kicked both pieces of clothing to the floor as you quickly removed the sports bra she was wearing, tossing it to the side. You pushed up off the mattress slightly, your eyes scanning your girlfriend’s bare body. You locked eyes with her before giving her a quick kiss, “I love you,” you mumbled before kissing down her body.

Sophia moaned as you placed kisses on her torso, her chest heaving as her hands held the cover tightly. You left light kisses along her hips and lower stomach as you moved your body down until you were face-to-face with her soaked cunt. “You’re so wet, baby and I’ve barely done anything,” you teased as you planted soft kisses on the inside of her thighs. 

“Please, baby,” she begged from above you, her head thrown back against the pillows. You smirked softly before placing a small kiss on her sensitive clit. Sophia gasped then moaned loudly at the action, her hips bucking up slightly, begging for more.

You kissed her clit a few more times before licking slowly up her wet folds. Sophia whined loudly, her eyes closing in pleasure as her back arched off the bed. “You played so well tonight, princess. I’m so proud of you,” you mumbled against her, blowing softly before kissing her clit again.

Hearing you praise her was driving her crazy and she needed more from you, she was so close to the edge already. Her hips rolled once more looking for your mouth which earned a teasing laugh from you at her eagerness. You gave up on teasing her, wanting to give her one of the best orgasms of her life instead. 

Your mouth was back on her wet cunt once more as you ate her out, moaning into her as you tasted her. The sensation of your moans vibrating against her caused a loud, drawn-out moan to fall from her lips. You hooked your hands around her thighs as you sped up your movements, your nose bumping her clit each time you moved your head up. 

Sophia’s moans turned into broken chants of “please” and your name as you brought her closer to the edge. You could feel the mess she was making on the lower half of your face as you pleasured her which had your head spinning. Sophia locked her legs around your shoulders, effectively keeping you pressed against her. 

Her back arched higher off the bed as her hips moved in time of your tongue, the sounds of you fucking her with your mouth filled the room. Silent moans escaped her open mouth as she saw stars behind her closed eyes. “You’re such a good girl,” you mumbled when you pulled away for a quick breather. “Cum for me, princess,” you husked before your mouth was back on her.

With a few more harsh sucks and thursts of your tongue, Sophia fell apart with a loud moan. You kept your mouth moving against her as she made a mess on your face, fucking her through her high. Her legs unlocked from behind your head and fell to the mattress, a small whine coming from her lips when it became too much for her.

You pulled away from her, giving her clit one last kiss before you moved back up her body. Your lips met hers in a slow kiss, both of you moaning into it at the taste of her. You pulled back when you both needed air, a small smile on your face at the sight of her exhausted expression.

“I love you,” she mumbled when she caught her breath, her chest still heaving slightly.

You gave her one more quick kiss before whispering you loved her too. “I’m gonna go run us a bath,” you cooed as you moved off the bed before heading into the bathroom.

You spent the rest of the evening relaxing from the challenging game before catching up on some much needed sleep, grateful you had tomorrow to yourselves. 

[mariacallous]

On Oct. 29, 1920, the temperature in Detroit reached a high of 60 degrees, and the Detroit Free Press reported that “Northwestern High’s football eleven” was preparing to face Eastern High School the next day for a much anticipated Saturday matchup at the Joyce athletic field. 

Julia Esaw had not yet arrived in Detroit to enjoy the game and the pleasant weather, but the longtime member of People’s Community Church was born on that day — more than 100 years ago.

And this past Tuesday, on Oct. 29, the same Julia Esaw celebrated her 104th birthday in Detroit.

“If you could see my face now, you would see a great big smile,” Esaw announced by phone at 3:27 p.m. on her birthday, a day that was fittingly even warmer in Detroit than the day she was born.

Asking the exuberant centenarian to take a second call by FaceTime so that her beautiful smile could be seen was not an option. That’s because Esaw was in a rush to quickly take in the sun and 76-degree warmth that radiated at that moment near her Detroit home, not far from her beloved People’s Community Church — 8601 Woodward Ave. — before she was to be whisked away to a secret location for a family birthday celebration.

A 104th birthday is a rare occurrence. But Esaw says that from a very early time in her life she came to expect good experiences in Detroit.

“Detroit has had a lot to offer and I have no complaints,” said the 1939 Cass Tech graduate, who came to Detroit with her family when she was 2 years old from Columbia, Mississippi.

During the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 28, with vivid recollection, Esaw reeled off some of the early Detroit streets she lived on, including High Street, Division, Brewster, Hedge, Trowbridge and Taylor. However, it was a discussion about a destination that Esaw visited recently that brought out an excited tone a little more than eight hours before her birthday. That destination is 2978 West Grand Blvd., home to the Detroit Department of Elections, where Esaw dropped off her absentee ballot with a vote cast in the 2024 presidential election for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. And Esaw left no doubt that even with all of the history she has seen during her long lifetime, the opportunity to cast her vote for Harris — the first Black woman to head a major party’s presidential ticket — holds a special place in her heart. 

“I’m happy and it makes me feel great!” declared Esaw, who was born just 72 days after the ratification of the 19th Amendment which legally guaranteed women the right to vote.

Then Esaw went on to explain that her happiness this election season is tied to progress she has witnessed during her lifetime.  

“After high school, I wanted to study to be a dietitian. But as a young Black woman, there was no place here that I could go to get the training and my mother didn’t want me to go away,” lamented Esaw, who says she still owes a huge debt of gratitude to two “tough” teachers in Cass Tech’s home economics curriculum that prepared her well for life. “Blacks didn’t have the same kind of power we have today. But if we all get together now, we can put her (Harris) on the top seat.”

Although Esaw was unable to pursue a career in health care, her journey as a beautician actually began in close physical proximity to a prominent Detroit health institution. 

“I started as a beautician at the Streamline Beauty Shop on Forest and it was right across from Women’s Hospital (now Hutzel Women’s Hospital),” said Esaw, who was married to the late Tuskegee Airman Burkes Esaw Sr. “Because we were so close to the hospital, I had more white trade (clientele) than Black. It was the same thing for many years when I was running my own shop.” 

In the roles Esaw carried out as a beautician, block club president, wife and mother of four children who were taught at home to value education and healthy eating, she says race was not a barrier to success. But Esaw’s recollection of a revered Detroit landmark — the old downtown J. L. Hudson Department Store — may be a bit different from what is recorded in many history books. Esaw explained that there was a time when the shopping experience for Black customers at J.L. Hudson, which grew to be the tallest department store in the world during its heyday, was mostly relegated to the basement level due to a Northern version of Jim Crow.

Esaw’s earliest memories of Hudson’s were shared without a hint of bitterness in her voice and with a tiny chuckle thrown in because, as Esaw went on to explain, she has never accepted a “basement” view of life due to her faith. And because of her faith, Esaw says the fact that a Black woman (Harris also is of Southeast Asian descent on her mother's side) has a very legitimate chance to become the nation’s first woman president is not really a big surprise to her. 

“I was always taught that we (Black people) were God’s children too,” said Esaw, who noted that she starts each morning with a bowl of assorted raw fruit that she prepares for herself. “God made us and we’re somebody, too. And we can do anything that anyone else can, including being president.” 

And in an equally succinct manner, Esaw laid out what she would expect from Harris as president. 

“I want to see her reach out and touch everybody, because we’re all God’s children,” Esaw stated. “And then I would like to see us all work together as a team.” 

Next to Esaw as she spoke from home on consecutive afternoons beginning Oct. 28 was her only daughter and constant companion, 72-year-old Berneta Esaw, a retired Detroit Public Schools math teacher. Berneta Esaw was with her mother when she dropped off her election ballot, and she also was by her mom’s side on Oct. 12 at the Detroit Golf Club when Berneta Esaw’s 1969 Cass Tech graduating class held its 55th reunion, which Julia Esaw used as an opportunity to celebrate the 85th anniversary of her own graduation from Cass.

Berneta Esaw says she is holding out hope that there are other living people that will come forward who graduated from Cass Tech in or around 1939 to allow her mother to enjoy a reunion experience to the fullest. But in the meantime, Berneta Esaw is more than happy to share lessons for living a long, fulfilling life — which she has received with love directly from her mother. 

“Mother doesn’t look anywhere close to 90 — most people start at 70 when she asks them how old they think she is. But she has worked hard to look like that,” said Berneta Esaw, who has grown accustomed and accepting to people that want to hug and touch her mom when they become aware of Julia Esaw’s age. “Living with mother, you knew you were going to get your fruit in the morning, and salad with lunch and dinner, because mother knows that when you eat fresh, raw fruits and vegetables the body works better. 

“Mother is a blessing, and I feel blessed that I was born to two parents who were extremely knowledgeable and intelligent, and they gladly passed down their knowledge to my siblings and me, and others in our community.”  

[quakerjoe]

Jon Stewart is back.

That's right! The legendary former host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" will return as host starting February 12, Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios announced Wednesday.

Stewart will host the show on Mondays and will be an executive producer, overseeing other comedians behind the desk Tuesday through Thursday.

Jon Stewart departed "The Daily Show" following a 16-year run in 2015, handing over the reins to Trevor Noah. Noah bid farewell to the show in late 2022, and the show has alternated between various guest hosts ever since, struggling to find a permanent fixture to lead the series. Stewart's return marks the first time he will be back in the chair to take on Donald Trump during a general election matchup – something that was sorely missed in 2016 and 2020.

Since leaving "The Daily Show," Stewart hosted a show on Apple TV+ called "The Problem," which ended late last year over creative differences between Stewart and Apple executives.

Regarding the news of Stewart's return, Chris McCarthy, chief executive of Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios, said in a statement, "Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are honored to have him return to Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ to help us all make sense of the insanity and division roiling the country as we enter the election season."

https://www.meidastouch.com/news/jon-stewart-to-return-as-host-of-the-daily-show

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

It’s a “coup!” declared hysterical Republicans.  Were they talking about Donald Trump’s efforts after the 2020 election to overturn the election for which he’s currently facing criminal charges in both federal court and Fulton County, Ga?! Nope! What Republicans from JD Vance down were calling a “coup” was President Biden dropping out of the 2024 race. (I’m serious!)  Arkansas US Senator Tom Cotton wrote on X shortly after the news broke, “Joe Biden succumbed to a coup by Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and Hollywood donors, ignoring millions of Democratic primary votes.”  “The coup is complete,” wrote Trump loving Representative Paul Gosar from Arizona. That was followed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene who also echoed the claim we witnessed a “coup” with Biden dropping out.

Talk of a coup even made it all the way to the top of the 2024 GOP presidential ticket when—in an interview that aired Monday--Fox News host Jesse Watters asked Trump and his running mate JD Vance, “Is it a coup against Joe Biden?” Vance responded point blank, “Yeah, I think it is.” Trump though—perhaps reflecting on what he did after the 2020 election—was uncharacteristically sheepish, offering Watters only this two word answer: “Sort of.”

Back on planet earth, we know that Biden made the decision to drop out for the same reason politicians have chosen to end their campaigns since time immemorial. As NBC News reported, in reaching his decision, Biden reviewed along with his family and top aides extensive polling data, including how Vice President Kamala Harris would fare in a potential matchup against Trump. It’s true Biden was not happy with the growing calls to drop out after his deeply troubling debate performance three weeks before. However, as NBC News noted At the end of it all, “Biden came grudgingly to accept that he could not sustain his campaign with poll numbers slipping, donors fleeing and party luminaries pushing him to exit.”

That led us to Sunday afternoon when Biden released a letter that informed the nation, “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” (President Biden is addressing the nation on Wednesday night where we will find out even more of the details.) That’s not a coup. That is what American politics and democracy have long looked like. True, given it was a president dropping out only a little more than a hundred days from the election, it was both jarring and history making. But at the end, Biden made what he believed was the best choice for himself, his family, his party and his country.

[...] Trump attempted a coup in every sense of the word. Despite losing the 2020 election, he attempted to overturn the results to remain in power. That is why the federal indictment against Trump charging him with four felonies states, “Despite having lost, the Defendant [Trump] was determined to remain in power.”   To that end as the indictment continues, Trump “pursued unlawful means of discounting legitimate votes and subverting the election results.” Trump’s “criminal scheme”--as the indictment describes--included replacing legally elected electors to the Electoral college with fake ones chosen by his campaign to deliver Trump the victory he didn’t actually win. Trump’s illegal plan also included preventing Congress on Jan 6 from certifying the legitimate votes cast for Joe Biden--despite Trump losing every court battle to invalidate these very votes. Then there was the brutal Jan 6 attack on our Capitol, which FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before Congress was an act of “domestic terrorism.” As the Jan 6 House committee’s final report put it: “The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, whom many others followed,” adding, “None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.”

Dean Obeidallah debunks the right-wing bad faith “coup” attacks against Joe Biden, and rightly points out that replacing Biden with Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee (before the nomination was formalized) is NOT a coup, but the Capitol Insurrection on January 6th, 2021 and Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results were most definitely one.

See Also:

The UnPopulist: Republicans' Bogus Claims that Democrats Acted Illicitly in Replacing Biden

[shirefantasies]

hiiii, just wanted to say i adore your blog, and i hope you're having a wonderful day! i don’t know if im late to requesting a matchup, but if you’re still doing them, im 5’9”, bi, ace and female. I’ve played the viola for almost a decade now, even though i hate performing due to stage fright, i LOVE to read, mostly fantasy and mystery, and am a massive art history and architecture nerd. i collect house plants and knit and crochet for fun. i’m pretty shy but once i get out of my shell i am extremely sarcastic yet cuddly lol.

-🪴

Nope, they’ve been opened up! Hope you like The Hobbit because I match you with…

Bofur!

Performing your viola in a tavern, you can’t help noticing the eyes of one particular patron stuck to you like glue. Puffing on his pipe thoughtfully, he maintains an intense, beckoning gaze your entire performance. When the keep tells you you’ve a drink from a guest, there’s not a single doubt in your mind it’s from the bloke in the hat. A spike of nerves runs through you- that had been one of your first performances with an audience, and having any sort of reception only heightens the self-awareness you're trying to avoid.

Accepting your drink, you nod a thanks at the hatted patron, who naturally heads your way. "Never seen you here before," he remarks. "And you may not much still," you shoot back, "I needed a spare bit of coin, but I did not visit this town to perform." "What did you visit it for?" "To study some of the neighboring towns and help repair them. What I have always really wanted to be is an architect." Whistling, the dwarf gives a big smile, one that tells you exactly how blown away he is. "By my beard, I didn't know I was in the presence of a genius. Well, here's hoping I'll see your designs one day!" "Oh, I have some with me, did you want to-" "Bust 'em out, lassie!"

Bofur, as it turns out his name is, ended up being quite the fun company. Perhaps, you consider, you will return to that tavern after all. As it is, your work carries you deeper into town, or rather you should say its ruins. Burnt as the buildings are, though, your scans and sketches give you a good sense for the overall style and structure of the place once called Dale. A team of dwarves awaits your sketches of one of the larger complexes, accepts them, and you move on. One structure stands out to you immediately, the cutest, coziest little place tucked away at the side of a dilapidated marketplace. "Whose is this?" You ask the dwarf builders. One sets aside one final stone on the cart he is loading to reply, "That would be one of ours, actually, lass. Three fellas from the Lonely Mountain bought that one. Plan on putting in a toy shop, they said." Your heart is beyond moved. "I want to design it." "What?" "I want to design it. Can I speak to them?" Nodding, the dwarf shrugs. "Why not? Not sure what they have in mind. I'll send for them."

What are the odds that they bring forth Bofur? Grinning and still in that hat, the dwarf introduces you to his cousin Bifur and his brother Bombur. No strong family resemblance, but the three of them are clearly thick as thieves. Bofur himself begins talking up your skills immediately, calling you a master architect and a viola virtuoso to boot and making you giggle. He shows you some of their little pull-alongs and wind-ups, bringing further smiles to your face and compliments to your lips. “See?” He says to the others, shooting you a wink. “She’s even got good taste.”

They all unanimously love your vision for the shop and even help out with rebuilding, so you get quite close to the entire plucky little trio. You almost refuse all the payment they offer, giving you money for your design efforts as well as a cut from the crocheted dolls you’d let them sell. Your shelves were getting full from your hobby, after all. Each dwarf gets a handmade gift as well: thick, warm gloves for Bombur’s mining trips, a bag for Bifur to carry his supplies in, and a new scarf for Bofur, who throws his arms around you and swears he’ll never take it off. You take it as a joke, but he always seems to have it slung around his neck from then on…

They often let you work quietly, take your time to recharge and just pull you into the occasional question or joke. Thus, you’re certainly not expecting Bofur to sit at your side one day while you work, hemming and hawing and wringing his gloved hands before he finally asks if you’ve ever put much thought into settling down. “Not that a toy shop is all that much excitement, but-” Grinning, you cut him off. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Taglist: @lokilover476 @fuckyoumakeart @mossthebogwitch @ibabblealot @kilibaggins @joonies-word @stormchaser819 @pirate-lord-of-narnia @datglutengoblin @letmelickyoureyeballs @mossyskinn | Reply/Ask/Message to join 🥰

***MATCHUPS ARE CLOSED***

[hotvintagepoll]

Welcome to the HOT AND VINTAGE MOVIE STARS tournament! We are now finished with the Hot & Vintage Men Tournament; The Hot & Vintage Movie Women Tournament is ongoing. Submissions for hot vintage women are now closed, but we are accepting propaganda for those already in the bracket.

Round 2 of the Hot & Vintage Women Tournament will be posted Monday, March 25th. All polls—including ongoing polls, previous rounds, old tournaments, the various shadow brackets, and fun mini polls—can be found in the #hotvintagepoll tag. Every poll in the Hot & Vintage Women Tournament will be tagged with the hot woman in it if you need to search for a hot woman in particular.

FAQs:

“Where is [my favorite hot woman]?” It depends. Have you checked all the polls in the tag? Have you done a tag search for her? If you still haven’t found her, either nobody submitted her or she did not fit the criteria of being a movie woman from 1910-1970.

“Can I still submit hot women?” No, the submission window has closed. Please do not send in women you wish had made it into the bracket. I can’t do anything with those asks and they just make me sad.

“I have additional propaganda for the hot women!” Great! Send me an ask or reblog the poll and add your propaganda to it. You can also tag me in posts if you see a gifset or fancam that feels like good propaganda. I don’t boost all the propaganda I see or receive, but I try to boost the best of the best.

If you’re submitting propaganda for your hot woman, I don’t accept propaganda that’s from beyond the end of this tournament’s era (ie don’t send me pics of them from before 1910 or after 1970). I also don’t accept propaganda of TV appearances unless it’s clearly a cameo where they’re playing themselves. Please break long asks full of photo propaganda up into a few short ones. I watch every video I receive so I can add trigger warnings, so please don't send long video essays—I don't have time to watch them.

I don’t post or boost negative propaganda about any hot woman. If you really hate that a certain hot woman is winning, send me positive propaganda for their hot opponent. If you think a hot woman shouldn’t even be included in the tournaments because of scummy things she did in her lifetime, please read my take on it here.

If I see repetitive, trolling, and/or bigoted remarks in the comments, I may block you from this bracket. If you want to point out a hot woman’s flaws or misdemeanors, that’s fine, but if I see consistent bad-faith trolling, you will be blocked.

The views expressed in the propaganda are not my own. I don’t submit my own propaganda, and I don’t change what’s submitted beyond fixing obvious spelling mistakes. If you hate a poll bio or a pic, let me know and send me something I can use instead. Thoughtless bitching without constructive help gets blocked.

"Where are the hot men?" Most of them are in the shadow realm! Toshiro Mifune was crowned the winner of the Hot & Vintage Men Tournament, and the rest were banished below the earth, where shadows creep and the hours grow long. You can find all the round 1 matchups here (thank you @markwatnae!), or you can do a tag search to find out what happened to a specific hot man.

“My FAQ isn’t on here :(” send me an ask! I love hearing from you guys—just please check these basics first.

Thank you for being here! Enjoy the tournament.

If you want to search through the different rounds of the tournaments, I'm including links under the cut.

First round of the hot men—#round 1 archive, #round 1 blog

Second round of the hot men—#round 2 archive, #round 2 blog

Third round of the hot men—#round 3 archive, #round 3 blog

Fourth round of the hot men—#round 4 archive, #round 4 blog

Quarterfinals of the hot men—#round 5 archive, #round 5 blog

Semifinals—#TWO KINGS archive, #TWO KINGS blog

Finals—#hot men finals

First round of the hot women—#ladies 1 archive, ladies 1 blog

Second round of the hot women—#ladies 2

Other featured tags: #housekeeping (things that are good to know), #family lore (anecdotes relating to people sharing this with their families), #hollywood creatures (pets named after old movie stars), and #silly times (the weird polls or goofing off).

[murder-ballad-ballot]

2nd annual murder ballad ballot poll tournament

welcome to the 2nd annual murder ballad ballot poll tournament!

a spotify playlist compiling all the songs in the tournament can be found at this link, and a youtube version can be found here

the semi will begin on monday, august 12th

1 poll will be posted per day for four days, and each poll will run for a week

results from past rounds and upcoming matchups are listed below the cut

upcoming matchups

matty groves vs the lily of the west

results

round 1

delia vs the cruel brother

weila weila vs jellon graeme

sabinchen war ein frauenzimmer vs es waren zwei königskinder

the hare's lament vs fehér lázló

down in the willow garden vs matty groves

little sadie vs the maid on the little san croix

poor ellen smith vs false sir john

poor murdered woman vs banks of the ohio

mckaffery vs the standing stones

l'écolier assassin vs tom dooley

polly vaughn vs willie's fatal visit

the lily of the west vs lord darly

lady isabel and the elf knight vs die aeltern also sohnesmörder

hiram hubbard vs the murder ballad

mary hamilton vs the cruel mother

knoxville girl vs clerk saunders

round 2

delia vs jellon graeme

es waren zwei königskinder vs the hare's lament

matty groves vs little sadie

poor ellen smith vs banks of the ohio - tie

the standing stones vs tom dooley

polly vaughn vs the lily of the west

lady isabel and the elf knight vs the murder ballad

mary hamilton vs knoxville girl

quarterfinals

jellon graeme vs the hare's lament

matty groves vs poor ellen smith vs banks of the ohio

tom dooley vs the lily of the west

lady isabel and the elf knight vs mary hamilton

semifinals

the lily of the west vs lady isabel and the elf knight

jellon graeme vs matty groves

[imaginedreamwrite]

Monster match up Monday!

wear panther Andy goes on a second date with his reader and decides to take her to a fair. The only stuffed animal she wants him to win is a rainbow panther one, saying it will make her think of him. There will definitely be a kiss

It was a nice change seeing Andy out of the suit and tie, and although you’d only seen him once before in his business attire, there was no denying that Andy Barber wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a plain,’ordinary dark shirt. It was nothing spectacular in the slightest yet hadn’t even remotely deterred from the sheer size of this were-beast, nor the strength woven in every single atom of his being.

He had startled you with just how large and foreboding he could appear dressed down, how much power he contained in his stride and mannerisms. He was a beast, a creature with capabilities to kill.

Andy he greeted you with a kiss on the cheek and a side hug, a gentle squeeze of your waist before he handed you a bracelet for the fair that would grant you onto any ride you wanted.

“You look beautiful,” his seductive husk was unravelling you, every beat of his verbal praise was making you feel weak.

“So do you,” it was amazement that fell from your lips and the boisterous laugh, the light in his eyes that had you unable to breathe, “you’re so…big.”

“You’re so cute.” The back and forth praise had continued until Andy gently led you to the side to let someone else pass. “Games or rides first?”

“I’m surprised you got a day off.” You quipped, noting the conversational piece from last date when he told you his schedule could be crazy.

“I lied a little,” Andy began walking with you, the two of you living at your own pace as you entered the fairgrounds, “we get special pto’s if we’re spending time with a mate we haven’t seen in a while.”

The tale of his white lie hit you head on with desire, and you instinctively reached for him, clamping onto his hands for balance as your legs felt weak. He was steadying you against his strong profile, able to keep you up without a moment of hesitation.

“Sorry, kitten.” Andy’s voice was like honey to your ears. “Your body’s reacting to mine, we’re perfect for each other and sometimes it takes a toll.”

“Andy,” you found your strength and slowly waved him off, “its fine. Its…fine.”

“Games? Food? Are you hungry? Do you need something to eat?” He cupped your cheek and made you look at him, his gaze holding yours. “I can hear your stomach grumbling.”

“The rainbow panther from the bottle game,” you spoke and it seemed random to you, but Andy grinned, “that’s what I want.”

“I’ll get it for you.” Before he could turn away, you were led by instincts and grabbed onto him, yanking him down in order to crash your lips into his.

You kissed momentarily and then pulled away, mildly horrified.

“Like I said,” he grinned and winked, “your body is reacting to mine. A perfect match.”

[magic-the-girlbossing]

THE MULTIVERSAL GIRLBOSS COMPETITION RETURNS

Over a year ago we all gathered to pit the girlbosses of the Magic: the Gathering multiverse against each other. But since that time, the girlboss landscape has rapidly changed. New candidates have arisen from nothing, and old candidates have reappeared and seemingly deepened their girlbossitude.

Today marks the beginning of a NEW girlboss bracket, to pit the girlbosses of today against those of yesteryear. This will be a poll bracket, organized mostly like last year. The first few rounds' matchups will be posted hourly eight times a day, and the winner of the popular vote will continue on to the next round.

There are some differences from last year though! First and perhaps more obvious is that this year we only have 64 entrants. Last year we held a bracket of 128, but I found that (with a few exceptions) most of the characters who were eliminated in round 1 last year were not strong candidates and that a smaller bracket would be more interesting. Additionally, all of the top 8 candidates from last year, (Vraska, Alesha, Liliana, Teysa, Nahiri, Emrakul, Ashnod, and Marchesa) are ineligible from competition! At the end of this bracket, our new top 8 will face off against our current top 8 to see who really has what it takes.

Anyway, here is the bracket:

Seeding for this bracket is largely based on how many people submitted them in this year's preliminary submissions. For instance, Seven people submitted Rowan Kenrith, so she receives first seeding. Most of these characters only receieved one submission though, so the rest are largely random, though there were a few manual changes made to make the bracket more interesting.

Round one will begin on Monday, July 29th at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. I hope to see you all at the polls.

[reggies-eyeliner]

THE CLASSIC MATCHUP - @littlelilbun

THE "HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH WITH YOU" COUPLE

#now playing ... video games by lana del rey!

miguel o'hara had never been big on physical touch. or talking. or purposefully making funny jokes. he actually wasn't a big fan on a lot of things. the only person he really regularly talked to was lyla, but that was only because he had to in order to get things going in the spider society-- but someone he could never find himself pushing away from was you. at first, being completely honest, he'd been so busy with monitoring the whole spider society that he'd neglected to realize that you and lyla were attached at the hip. both of you got along great, both having similar wardrobes and the occasional matching sunglasses. what began with conversations with solely lyla, even after work hours, ended with miguel joining in with the occasional wry joke every now and then. that slowly began to grow more into full fleged conversations with the three of you, and you and miguel had created a bond that seemed to be just about unbreakable.

he isn't big on romance, he likes to think, because he doesn't have the time for it. sometimes miguel says the words "the fate of the multiverse" and you and peter b. look at each other and snort a little, but sometimes you see the the corner of his lips twitch.

the first time miguel o'hara does anything remotely romantic is in battle, when some random universe's doc ock decides that you'd be the perfect victim. you weren't awake for most of it, but lyla tells you that miguel had practically dropped everything to save you, refusing to acknowledge the possibility that you wouldn't make it. he had stayed at the hospital every night to look after you, and every day grew into a week into two weeks before you were discharged, and during that time, both of you talked like there was no tomorrow.

when miguel actually realizes that he's in love and he's not having some sort of allergic reaction, he kind of sneaks in a small, quick question, even leaning against the wall to sound extra casual to lyla, "hey uh what's that new album taylor swift released" and lyla drops everything because . why is this man even asking this question . but it doesn't take long for her to connect the dots, and realizes that he wants to know more about your interests and what you like. lyla tells you, obviously, and fortunately, things progress from there.

once you two are actually together, miguel treasures lazy saturday mornings and cozy friday evenings. he even loves the "i'm so exhausted i might die" monday mornings on his way to the spider society, because he's with you. if you struggle with anxiety, while he might not know the best thing to do at first, he'll talk you through it every step of the way. but he won't ever pity you or see you as something broken, he sees you as someone who's deserving of respect, and most importantly, love.

oh man this guy starts keeping an extra hair tie on his wrist for you, or he literally keeps make up wipes in his storage cabinet (he asked peter b advice on what he keeps on hand for his wife 😭<33), and he definitely thinks it's awesome that you're studying six languages, and he'll also definitely ask you about it !! also he loves holding you while sleeping beacuse if a man is touch starved it's him

RANDOMIZED TROPE:

" SHARING A BED "

-> within two weeks of dating, miguel o'hara has realized a lot of things, mainly being that you thrive on physical touch-- something he's tried his best to shake himself away from. but as he watches you, arms opened wide for an embrace laying on a hospital bed after a particulary taxing day fighting doc ock, his heart stutters. slowly, hesitantly, he takes your hand, lying down beside you. he immediately warms up to your embrace, letting your head fall to his chest. lyla takes photos<33

a/n: thank you so so much for the request!! i am so so sorry that this took so long!!! if i missed anything please let me know >:D!<3 i hope you're doing alright + things are going okay for you!! remember to hydrate and eat well, take care!!!