earl--sirius

[ovaryacted]

SECONDHAND SMOKE

─ Logan Howlett/Wolverine x mutant f! reader || WC: 2.2k

SYNOPSIS: Waiting for Logan back at the X-Mansion, he welcomes you into his arms and enjoys his cigar with you on his lap.

CONTENT/WARNINGS: MDNI/18+. NSFW. SMUTTY. Thigh Riding. Dirty Talk. Kissing. Scent Kink. Light Oral (f receiving). Established Relationship. Older! X-Men Logan implied. Age Gap Implied [Logan looks to be in his 40s, Reader is in their 20s]. Reader is a telepath & telekinetic mutant with a human appearance. Telepathic communication. Logan is a tease and a lover boy, he uses multiple terms of endearment. They match each other's freak.

A/N: I've been meaning to upload another Logan fic especially since watching the D&W movie on Friday, and I wanted to share this with y'all. This story is also technically part of a larger idea, but that will be talked about later. I have other things planned for Logan as well for X-Men Logan, old man Logan, and variant Logan. That man is not going to be safe on my watch. Thank you to @ozarkthedog for the proofread and the motivation to keep writing for this man, and shout out to @zloshy for taking part in the aesthetics and the encouragement with the yap sessions. I adore you both. Anywho, likes, comments, and reblogs are greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy! <3

NAVIGATION | MASTERLIST | AO3

You’ve been waiting for him all day while he was out with the rest of the leading group of X-Men, something regarding a history lesson that needed to be handled. You stayed at the mansion on Xavier’s orders, tending to the younger class of gifted mutants until the veterans arrived by nightfall. To keep yourself occupied, you perused the many books Logan kept on his shelf towards the far end of his bedroom, picking up a well-loved novel from Hemingway to delve into. 

Carefully turning the pages, the wording and storytelling entranced you, each paragraph manifesting into visions that played in your head like a live-action film. Half of your senses remained in the book while the other listened for the familiar creaks of heavy footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hallway.

You sensed him before you saw him. Halfway into the book, you lift your head at the sound of the door opening, spotting Logan standing by the threshold of the room’s entryway. Closing the door behind him, he steps towards where you sat on his bed, holding your chin upwards to face him. Bending forward, he placed a soft kiss on your lips, followed by a content sigh that made a smile creep up on your face.

“Hey,” you said, meeting Logan’s softened gaze as he moved away from you to the other side of the room, plopping down on the leather armchair in a heap. He exhaled heavily through his nose, throwing his head back along the edge of the chair. “Long day?”

“The fucking longest,” Logan grumbled, his brow bone creasing before he relaxed.

“I thought you liked hanging out with Scott?” you questioned, the end of your voice trailing off into a playful tease as you sat up on the mattress.

“Sweetheart, that man has a pretentious stick up his ass. You couldn’t pay me to spend time with him.” You laughed at his mild irritation, knowing Logan’s faux vexation towards his friend was a facade to cover his true feelings of fondness.

Reaching for a box of cigars to his right, Logan clipped the cap off a fresh one and popped it between his lips, holding it by his teeth. He glanced at you, the corner of his lips curling up in a mischievous grin.

“Come here, you gotta light this for me.”

With a smile, you obliged, quickly rising on your feet and striding to where he sat in the chair, swinging your legs around to situate yourself over his denim-clad lap. Straightening your back, your eyes briefly flashed black as you materialized the metal lighter from its place on the bookshelf before Logan, flicking the spark wheel until the red flame brightened his chin. The foot end of the cigar sizzled as it burnt to ash, the familiar scent of finely aged tobacco filled your nose as he drew in his first breath.

“Sneaky.” He mumbled around the cigar, taking a harsh pull of air before curling his fingers to hold it, huffing the smoke out on the next exhale.

“I call it being efficient.” You grinned to yourself, accepting the reciprocated hum rumbling through Logan’s broad chest. Your fingers skimmed his collarbones that peeked through the white tank under his flannel, admiring the bob of his throat and the steady rise of his body whenever he breathed.

“What were you up to in here? Snooping through my shit?” His sight darted to the burgundy button-down you wore, ending right at the top of your bare thighs. He brought his free hand to caress your leg, running circles over your skin and feeling you shiver slightly under him. “I was looking for this shirt last week, you know?”

“First off, this was gifted to me,” you stated with a roll of your eyes, smacking Logan across the chest and forcing a dry chuckle out of him. “And secondly, I was waiting for you to come back.”

“Hmm, so you’re saying you missed me?”

“Surprisingly, I did.” You sneaked your other hand towards Logan’s neck, curling your fingers around the thick hair at his nape. He almost purred at the touch, smoking his cigar and looking at you from the corner of his eye.

“Besides, it’s nice and quiet here. You also gave me permission to be here for your information.” 

Since dating Logan, it has been a slow start to accomplishing milestones for either of you, taking things one step at a time to avoid scaring the other off. Now that things have been good between you, he gave you free reign to be in his bedroom at the mansion, usually spending the day here for some solace or sleeping in his bed instead of yours on the other side of the estate. On a mental note, he intended to make your presence in his life more permanent.

“Damn, I forgot I gave you permission to take my stuff,” Logan quipped, somehow becoming more cocky than he usually was. You loved him for it either way.

Asshole. Although you didn’t verbally say the word, he heard your voice in his mind, taking the telepathic route. His smirk widened as he took another drag of his cigar, the smoke heavy in the air as it circled the two of you.

“All yours, darlin’.” He offered you a wink, squeezing your thigh with his other hand to keep you in place, seated on his thick thighs.

You spent a few minutes talking to him, giving him a rundown of your relatively calm day and mentioning the book you read earlier. It was oddly domestic, something that most mutants would not be able to partake in, and Logan silently thanked whoever granted him the opportunity to experience it.

A comfortable silence occupied the room once Logan was halfway down his cigar. Enjoying his company, you nuzzled into his neck, taking in his natural scent. A mix of pinewood and leather filled your senses, musky and so clearly him, your belly twitched at the warmth of his body against yours. Absentmindedly, you began to litter kisses over his skin, placing a few more along the base of his throat and moving upwards to the corner of his jaw. He could smell the shift in your behavior; arousal mixing in with the lingering haze heightened his senses, and his attention was directed back to you.

“Need something?” His voice dropped an octave as he asked you, running lines up and down your leg, the sensation making you squirm.

“Need you, smartass.” Holding his face, you kissed him on the cheek and once more on the tip of his nose, reaching his lips along the way. His eyes closed at the touch, wanting nothing more than to feel the caress of your tongue and sink his teeth into your bottom lip. 

“I want you too, but I’m on my smoke break.” You were ready to pout at him before Logan adjusted your positioning, shifting you more off to the side so your pelvis sat on one of his thighs. The thickness of the denim covering the hard muscle of his leg rubbed against your underwear, a moan settling in the back of your throat at the contact.

“Get yourself off while I finish this. Promise, it’ll be worth it, hun.”

You looked at him with wide eyes, knowing what he was asking for, yet your cheeks warmed under his stare. He merely shrugged, raising an eyebrow and patiently waiting for your next move.

Doubtfully, you pivoted your hips forward, dragging yourself across the vast expanse of his thigh before drawing backward. The first few passes felt strange, but you quickly found your rhythm, rocking your hips in even thrusts. The material of his jeans rubbed just right against your panties; the thin fabric that separated your body from his added more friction to your sensitive clit. Your lower spine grew warm with Logan’s free hand idly holding your waist, calmly guiding your movements over him until he was confident you got it handled.

Logan leans back into the chair and plants his feet on the floor, giving you more leverage to work with. His keen eyes take in the way you flutter yours shut, eyebrows furrowing in concentration at getting the perfect angle and drive. He can hear your heart beating in your ribcage and can feel the pumping of your blood flowing through your veins to rush between your legs.

Muffled moans pour out of you, gripping the fabric of Logan’s shirt and tilting forward a bit more, digging your face into the crook of his neck and shoulder. The secondhand smoke from his cigar amplified the incessant throbbing down South, a second pulse that pounded through your body with a need clawing at your gut. The motion of your hips grew more persistent as your slick seeped into your panties, known to Logan when his nostrils flared to catch your scent in the air.

“Feeling good, princess?” You heard his voice filtering through the light mess of your thoughts, focusing on making yourself feel good under his orders. You hummed against his neck, nodding and keeping your even pacing as you leaned into his muscular body.

“Yeah, I know it’s good. Bet your pussy is just crying for me now, probably tastes just as sweet too.” Logan’s vulgar mouth only motivated you to grind your hips harder against his leg, reminiscent of a bitch in heat the more you moved over him.

There was something erotic about getting yourself off while Logan observed and enjoyed his smoke. To him, you were quality entertainment, a sight for sore eyes after a hectic day full of learning things he was trying to retain. Your mind grew clouded, full of the many ways Logan handled you, things like this that kept you on your toes the way he knew how. Flashbacks of this morning flickered before your eyes, reminiscing the feel of his tongue slipping inside you and his bicep tucked under your neck as he fucked you from behind.

Logan could picture it too, traces of your daydreams passing by in his head, instances where he made you feel so good you had nothing left to give. He wonders how wet you are, could taste your cunt on the back of his tongue, missing it since he left you with a weary grin on your face as you slept in his bed. He hopes you stained the worn denim that separated the two of you and prays that you leave your mark on him, no matter how temporary.

“Getting close?” he asked. He didn’t hear you respond, but your voice remained floating in the confines of his skull.

Yes. Fuck yes. So close. Fuck me. Fuck me. Please.

“I will sugar, promise I will.” His hand ran up the curve of your spine and gently curled around your neck, pulling you backward to hold his gaze. Your glossed-over pupils dilated at the sight of him, irises darkening and filling with ink. The embodiment of your powers made him curious at first, with blackened eyes at the indication of specific actions, but he quickly got used to seeing the signs every time he made you fall over the edge.

“C’mon, sweet girl. Make a mess on my jeans, and I swear I’ll treat your pussy the way she deserves, the way she needs. Let me feel it.”

Logan. Logan. Logan.

“Fuuuck…” You whined under your breath, doing three more harsh passes over his thigh before your body abruptly tensed, legs shaking and pressing into his hard body as the wave slammed over you. Mind clear and body lax, you hummed against Logan’s throat, pulse thumping against your lips as you placed a light kiss.

He took one last pull of his cigar before smudging it into the ashtray on the end table to his left, ideally saving whatever was left of it for after he fucks you. Wrapping his thick arms around you, he brings you closer to him, pulling your hips over his to hover over the growing bulge in his jeans.

“Need something?” you taunted, parroting his earlier words with equal tone and sarcasm.

“Yeah. Need to clean up the mess you made.”

Crashing into your lips, he kissed you deeply for the first time that night, curling his tongue around yours in affectionate swirls and releasing an audible groan. Holding you close, he stood up on his feet and picked you up with ease, strolling towards the bed in three strides. Lighthearted giggles tumbled out of you, making Logan’s heart beat in tandem with yours. The sides of his face creased as he mimicked your smile, tugging hastily at your sodden underwear and tossing them to the side. Rough fingers curled around the soft flesh of your thigh, parting your legs to admire his handiwork as he heard your voice in his head again.

Greedy.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” As if to prove your point, he licked a broad stripe up the length of your cunt, your wetness coating his tongue as he placed a complimentary kiss on your sensitive bundle of nerves, re-igniting the fire he started.

 “Now be good and let your old man have a taste.”

©️ ovaryacted 2024. Please don’t repost, copy, translate, or feed into any AI. Support your fellow creators by reblogging, commenting, and liking!

[dustedmagazine]

Los Campesinos! — All Hell (Heart Swells)

In a way, 2013’s NO BLUES was the end of a particular version of Los Campesinos! and for reasons that had little to do with their personnel changes over the years since 2006. The septet is far from the first (or last) band to experience the music industry leaving them for dead in a ditch for a lack of profit, and sadly also not the only ones to get one of their best albums caught up in that moment. So, everyone returned to (or got) day jobs and although they never exactly split up, it took some time to determine that, yes, Los Campesinos! was still really going to keep going. But if 2017’s excellent Sick Scenes was proof of concept of Los Campesinos!’s vitality and potential, the new, even more self-motivated ethos has led to both the longest break between albums yet and (recency bias be damned) their strongest LP.

Readers of Dusted don’t need to be reminded that financial success does not necessarily correlate with any particular merit, but that the entirely in house All Hell (self-financed, self-produced, on their own label) wound up as their first UK top 40 record (14 with a bullet!) is at the very least a testament to how many people were waiting for this record and how satisfying they found it. In Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s classic music-as-magic comic book Phonogram, one of the main characters describes Los Campesinos! (before they’d even put out a record) to another as “They’re never going to be big big. But they’re going to be big to some people.” Increasingly, it seems that those people have found them. If you go to an LC! show in 2024 fully half or more of the crowd are kids who were not listening to records when Hold on Now, Youngster… came out in 2008, a delightful product of the band just resolutely doing what they do for close to 20 years now.

All Hell is a stirring reminder of what that is, exactly. Their Bandcamp page still describes them as “The UK’s first and only emo band,” and that fine blend of sarcasm, sincerity, standoffishness, insight, and a certain love of starting an argument still sums up some of frontman Gareth David’s authorial voice (although it doesn’t include his incredibly vivid and compelling way with both political and romantic heartache and longing). Guitarist and (here) producer Tom Bromley continues to write incredible songs for David to drop punchlines and emotional haymakers over, and has also burnished this into easily the best sounding Los Campesinos record to date. At this point these seven members have been playing together since 2014 and can turn on a dime and nail pretty much any melodic/emotional register they need to, harsh or comforting, anthemic or plangent.

Fans are likely to draw comparisons to 2010’s Romance Is Boring, often considered a high-water mark. The last three records followed the same straightforward format: 10-11 songs, 40-42 minutes. Romance Is Boring was their most complex, lengthy, and interconnected record, and there’s an ambition here that makes them feel like siblings (possibly partly the result of having more time to build up material). The 15 songs here in just under 50 minutes, with three numbered tracks splitting the record into rough sections, feels sprawling and expansive after the tighter organization of the last few.

You can really feel that extra decade-plus in the structures, songwriting, and sonics of All Hell, but the polish and compositional sophistication here don’t belie a lack of fire. “The Coin-Op Guillotine” is easily the gentlest opener they’ve ever done; there’s bleakness there (“I think I’m right, I don’t think it matters”) but the refrain still centers on the kind of community and solidarity that they’ve been trying to practice from business/concert practices on down: “if you’ve got a cross to bear/call my name, I’ll see you there.” And even there it’s still about our current dystopia, and the title clearly refers to more than just the arcade game.

And sure enough, the following “Holy Smoke (2005)” immediately snarks that “nowadays it’s Live Laugh Love and Listen to Death From Above” over a headlong sprint (one of many places here where drummer Jason Adelinia is a crucial force). Even the magnificent “Feast of Tongues” (which arguably boasts a couple of the band’s best choruses to date), which swells from pensive backing “ooh”s and strings to one of the biggest, hardest hitting climaxes here, specifies that the title refers to when “we will feast on the tongues of the last bootlickers.”

As always, one of the challenges of writing about Los Campesinos! (as well as one of the joys of listening to them) is there are simply too many quotable lines, especially if you’re interested in the ways they refer back to their own history (dropping the “please” from the Romance Is Boring-era “can we all please just calm the fuck down?” as a teeth-gritted acknowledgment of how much less reasonable those they’re addressing have gotten since then) or just a good joke (if, say, “do you still have that one tattoo?/that’s how they work, of course you do” doesn’t work for you, another one will be along soon). And as much as All Hell is rich in the band’s traditional strengths, there are still moments of expansion. The crunching switchbacks of “Clown Blood/Orpheus’ Bobbing Head” are maybe the most aggro they’ve ever been, and the sweetly gloomy “kms” features Kim Paisey taking lead vocals for the first time.

Given the way the last two records have ended with some of their heaviest, weightiest songs, as they kick into the room-levelling angst of ���0898 HEARTACHE” it feels like just that sort of crescendo. Instead, All Hell actually ends with the humbler melancholy of “Adult Acne Stigmata.” It’s the closest Los Campesinos! have come to an acoustic ballad, with multi-tracked Gareths sighing “it’s all hell, we know too well/it’s all hell” in the background. From another band, it might risk pathos or bathos; from Los Campesinos, it’s practically comforting. In the midst of inferno, we can all sing, and thrash, along.

Ian Mathers

[ivant1ll]

sleepover headcanons for all the divisions ,, a/n : it's been.. a while!!! im sorry for taking such constant long breaks finding motivation to write has been getting quite hard as of recently. i tend to write more for fun than anything but i don't wanna be leaving my page dormant. here's the sillies as compensation for my absence ! word count : 1,437

01. BUSTER BROS

The brothers probably have a couple nights like this on weekends where they don't got much to do. Someone (that someone either being Ichiro or Jiro) would suggest they have a little sleepover where they whip out some sleeping bags and all chill out in the living room.

They'd pull out a couple of video games, Jiro and Saburo would begin arguing in the game, Ichiro ends up winning. They play a game on a console, Jiro and Saburo would begin arguing, Ichiro ends up winning. But when the pillow fight of the century happens, all hell breaks loose. Suddenly the living room is a war zone and the siblings are all out for blood

In the attempt at seeming as cool as can be for Ichiro, Jiro and Saburo probs don't realize that their older brother is landing all the big hits on them until they finally realize and team up on him. Ichiro is quite proud that they could work together even for such a thing like that

Winner of whatever board game they play chooses what they all order to eat

Ichiro can't help but excitedly show the others some cool clips from some new anime he's watched or a Miku mv (autistic ichiro cause i said so), at some point they'd all get together and probably laugh at shitty low quality shows

Jiro SWEARS that he will stay up the longest just to fall asleep the fastest, much to Ichiro and Saburo's humor

02. MAD TRIGGER CREW

One night the guys must have been out late and realized it would be most convenient to crash at whoever's place was closest, that being Jyuto's

Matching pajamas. Don't know who got them (maybe Rio tbh that would be adorable), don't know why. But matching pjs for everyone, Samatoki pretends to hate them but he can't help but like how soft and comfortable they are.

They'd end up chilling on some balcony in Jyuto's place as they have a smoke and just talk about whatever comes to mind.

They made sure that before getting there Samatoki suggested they ordered food so that they could hopefully avoid the inevitable cooking situation with Rio there seeing as he wouldn't wanna waste money on food. Thankfully Jyuto's fridge was just filled with cheese, so ordering food it is.

"How the fuck do you even make yourself meals???" Samatoki would ask with the most confused look ever.

"I tend to find some way to make it happen." Jyuto's response did nothing more than make things more confusing.

Best of all, they play Splatoon on Jyuto's Splatoon themed switch (i will not be convinced otherwise that at the MINIMUM 40% of the hypmic cast plays Splatoon

Honestly just a chill night overall, great bonding time for everyone other than the screaming in Splatoon

03. FLING POSSE

Literally like every little girls dream sleepover

Ramuda gets bored one day and gets the others to spend the night, to no protest of course cause how fun would an idea like that be

Ramuda whips out PILES of candy and snacks for everyone to dig in on throughout the night, more snacks than actual food is all I can imagine they'd eat

EVERYONE is given makeovers by Ramuda, it's almost like a whole fashion show, whether it's hairstyling, outfits, any of that. Ramuda is on it!!

Gentaro ends up telling scary stories at 1:30 in the morning which sends Ramuda and Dice into a frenzy and they almost ran outside in the cold and in their pajamas

Speaking of pajamas, Ramuda made custom made sanrio ones for everyone in preparation for an event like this, they're beyond fluffy and in tons of pretty colors just to the other members likings

Ramuda get's the most basic white girl idea and has Gentaro and Dice film tiktoks with him doing the most generic dances ever, cringe from the view of normal eyes, but funny as hell when seeing them film it

In response to the ghost stories Dice is first to fall asleep, he ended up hoping if he fell asleep the ghost wouldn't be able to get him since "If I can't see them, then they can't see me either!"

Ramuda and Gentaro made an art piece on the poor gamblers face

04. MATENROU

Doppo is quick to remind Hifumi to stash away all of their loose bottles of alcohol before Jakurai comes over to spend the night, both wouldn't want a near death experience during a harmless sleepover

Once Jakurai arrives, Hifumi is ecstatic to get to test out making some new meal plans for everyone to eat. It's almost like his ultimate test as the trained malewife he is, and he loves the chance to make a nice meal for everyone

It's normally quite hard to find a weekend where everyone isn't working to make plans like this, even during the week. So, during these kinds of nights the trio gets to take this time to just catch up with each other and talk about things

As quite the ongoing trend here, every division has one person that is the equivalent of that one mom at the mothers slumber party that happens once every century, Hifumi got them all matching pajamas

Jakurai always can find himself interested in the playful banter amongst Hifumi and Doppo, so there never really tends to be that dull of a moment amongst them all even if they're just talking

Hifumi ends up taking LOTS of selfies of everyone

Much to the others shock, Jakurai is actually quite the night owl and he is able to stay up impressively late with the others

Matenrou seems like that group of adults at parties that could be up until 4 in the morning just laughing obnoxiously loud at each others jokes until they suddenly realize time is a thing and they all finally decide to knock out for the night

05. DOTSUITARE HOMPO

Now, there is little variation of context as to how dh would get together for a sleepover. It's either they had spent the night at the bar and in Rosho's drunken state Sasara and Rei carry him back home and just decide to crash at his place, in that case not much happens for the night other than the vandalism of Rosho in his drunken sleep state. OR, on the other hand they all decide to just hang out at Rosho's place and stay the night which THEN leads to a night of drunken fun and banter.

The amount of teasing that would happen throughout the night, the perfect chill, laid back chaotic fun

Sometimes Sasara is able to convince Rosho to have little sketches with him in the house and put on little shows for Rei, it's quite interesting but it's hard to get Rosho to agree. Rei seems to really like them though

Don't know why, but it seems like they'd do funny dubbing over random low budget movies they can find

06. BADASS TEMPLE

Kuko and Jyushi already have their fair share of sleepovers in their own time, but at times if Hitoya isn't busy and he's forced coerced into coming, things tend to take quite the drastic turn

Jyushi has the matching onesies ready on deck for when any of his teammates tend to sleepover seeing as they always agree it'll happen at his house, Kuko likes them, Hitoya finds it quite hard to admit how much he likes them aswell

Jyushi's bed is COVERED in plushies

They'd jam out to Jyushi's cds and have screaming karaoke nights, once Hitoya joins in it's OVER. They all end up going off eventually having the most sore throats afterwards but damn is it fun as hell

It's all fun and games until Kuko and Jyushi suddenly turn to Hitoya revealing part of their motive for inviting him....

Hitoya orders them food

They all end up playing a bunch of switch games, some of which being.. Splatoon, the bane of everyones existence and cause for a new found rage in a casual round of rainmaker. Mario Party, a physical fight almost started. Mario Kart, Jyushi mains Lime Green Inkling girl, Kuko mains King Boo, and Hitoya mains Wario.

They all watch My Little Pony and enjoy it, don't ask me why I don't make the rules

Jyushi tries to convince Hitoya joining in as he whips out the nail polish and goes ham, usually Hitoya refuses but VERY rarely he'll agree and just take it off later

Jyushi makes little doodles of everyone in their onesies, Kuko joins in and draws all of them in their onesies on a monster truck. The truck is in a strange amount of detail

Very hectic but honestly fun night, I'd kill someone to have a sleepover with them

@ru1-png : please do not repost or claim my accounts as your own

[itskateak]

Mint Ice Cream & Bubblegum Kisses - Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Summary: The winter season was usually slow and boring, but that has certainly changed now that they lived in the compound.

Word Count: 10.5K (Officially the LONGEST chapter)

Warnings: Fluff, Minor Angst, Major Pining, Alcohol Consumption, Winter Bashing

A/N: Heyyyyy sooo....it's been a while. November 2021, yeah? School took over and I lost motivation to write. So here we are after I've graduated and moved back home. Thank you for being so patient with me :)

This chapter was solely supposed to be just ice skating, but because of how long it has taken me, I've added some more things and it will be a long chapter.

Want to listen to Bucky's playlist? Find it here on Spotify:

(There will be a list of all the songs below so you can create your own playlist on your preferred platform and add anything you like. Some of the musical selections are brought to you by my Grandmother, who was born in the 40s.)

Finally, come find me on Twitter! @Writing_Raven_ 

You can harass me about my writing and receive updates here. 

When I said I was coming back, I meant I'm feeding y'all what I wanted to feed y'all this whole time. 

COME AND GET Y'ALL'S JUICE

Taglist is open! PM me, send an ask, or @ me on a chapter to let me know you’d like to be tagged! Strikethrough means I couldn’t tag you, but I will send you a message with a link to the new chapter when I update. :)

Masterlist

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿

"I have absolutely no balance and I  will  fall on my ass," Y/N grumbled, tightening the laces on his ice skates. It was a sunny day and the temperature wasn't too cold. After days of begging and waiting, Angelica had finally gotten her wish to go ice skating on the lake. And here was her father, muttering curses under his breath about how bruised he was going to be by the end of the day. 

"It'll be  fine , man. Just takes some getting used to." Sam called from the edge of the ice, hands on his waist. He was smiling, cheeks and nose just barely red from the cold. "Angelica, you ready?"

Angelica nodded and carefully picked her way down to the ice. She took Sam's hand and stepped out, wavering immediately. She squealed and grabbed onto his arms to keep from falling. "Sam!"

"I've got you, kiddo. Get your feet under you. There you go." Sam chuckled, leading her further onto the ice while skating backward. He started to instruct her, keeping a hand on her to make sure she wouldn't fall.

"He's got nephews," Natasha bumped Y/N's shoulder as she finished tying her skates. He wasn't worried about Sam with his daughter, but he was glad that he made sure her skates were tight. "Don't know where he learned to skate, though."

"Sam was a hockey player in high school. Pretty good, too, if his sister is to be believed." Bucky held a hand out to Nat and pulled her to her feet. She smiled and muttered a quick  thanks  before moving to the ice. He extended the same hand to Y/N when he straightened up.

"Thanks. I haven't been skating in years so I'll probably end up on my ass more than I'll be on my feet." Y/N tentatively stepped onto the ice, hands shooting out immediately to gain his balance. "Yeah. This is not gonna go well for me."

Bucky snorted and followed him. He took a couple of strides out before turning around, stopping gracefully in place. "I believe in you. And if you fall, I'll laugh before helping you up."

"Oh, so kind. What a gentleman of your time." Y/N rolled his eyes but couldn't fight a smile.

"I'd do the same thing to anyone else. Maybe a little quicker if I was sweet on them." Bucky winked, digging his toe pick into the ice and pushing backward. "You need a hand getting used to skating?"

"Maybe? I'll manage, though. If I fall, I fall, y'know?" Y/N shrugged, taking his first step forward. It had been a  long  time since he'd last skated and in some ways, it was like riding a bike. He'd remember in time, but for now, he was just prepared to fall until he got the hang of it again. 

"Then I'm gonna do a lap to loosen up a bit. Don't hurt yourself too badly while I'm gone." Bucky picked up speed backward before turning perfectly on his heel. 

Y/N shook his head with a smile and slowly tried to find a rhythm. His legs already burned with the effort. He wasn't made to do this kind of exercise anymore. He'd say he was getting too old, but he really wasn't. He just wasn't the fittest or most active person in the world and he  definitely  didn't use his muscles this specific way often enough that he wasn't  not  going to be sore either tonight or tomorrow. It was a good thing they were still on break so he could spend the day under a heated blanket for his poor, aching muscles and joints.

Angelica was laughing with Sam and Nat as she was skating. She was all bundled up in her jacket and scarf, face half buried in the fabric. Her radiant smile could be seen all the same as it lit up her eyes and face. The scene looked like something out of a Hallmark movie with the sunlight on the ice and the frost on the trees. Warmth spread through his chest as he stood there watching, hands sunk into his jacket pockets. 

They didn't have much family in the area that he was close enough to that they'd spend holidays together. Sure, they'd see each other for dinners on occasion but not regularly. Maybe a wedding or graduation on an odd year. And with his job in the past, they hadn't been able to travel to see the family he was close with since Angelica was very young. That's mainly why he relied so heavily on his daughter's friends and their neighbors. He wanted her to have a semblance of family around her. People who loved her and would be there for her achievements.

It was good for Angelica to have a more solid family. Each person around her had different experiences and lessons to give her. Different views would give her a balanced and unique environment. And if he were honest, Y/N was glad to have found a place among that family, too. Sure, they weren't blood, but not all family was blood.

And not all blood deserved to be family. 

He sighed. Every so often, her mother would try to make contact. But the note she left when she'd walked out on them made it very clear she wanted  nothing  to do with their daughter. Usually, he quoted her own words from the letter (which was in a special documents folder along with Angelica's social security card and birth certificate) and that was enough to discourage her. But recently she was being more stubborn about it.

Persistent messages and phone calls. Emails. Hell, he even got a physical  letter  delivered to him the other day. She  still  told the same bullshit story that he knew all too well and by now, he just ignored it. But it didn't mean he wasn't drained from the constant reminder of one of the worst days of his life. He jammed the toe pick into the ice idly, lost in thought.

"Papa!" Angelica's voice cut through and he looked up. She was skating toward him, albeit a little unsteadily, with a bright smile on her face. She stumbled, holding her hands out in case she fell, but recovered quickly. "You gonna come out more?"

"What, you want me to say I'm gay?" Y/N joked, pushing off to meet her halfway. "Surprise."

"Not much of a surprise." Natasha circled behind Y/N, casually crossing one foot over the other to turn toward the group again once she slowed. Her hands were in her jacket pockets, completely confident in her abilities. Damn her for being so effortless with nearly everything she did. "It's a little obvious."

"She's right, you know," Sam said, making a full stop behind Angelica. It sprayed up some ice, making the young girl squeal at the cold. "But maybe I can tell just because  I'm  bi."

"No, no. It's just obvious." Natasha used her toe pick to push herself back slightly, then pull herself forward again. She had that smirk on her face that meant she was never going to fully admit what she was talking about, only using it as fuel to tease someone. He'd learned to read that smirk well and hated when it was turned on him rather than watching her continuously tease and harass Clint or Steve.

"I feel like I've missed something." Angelica narrowed her eyes, looking between the adults with the same adorable scrutiny she gave a particularly difficult math problem. Sam and Nat laughed.

"Okay, so you asked me if I was going to come out more. Coming out is a term used when someone discloses their gender or sexuality other than straight or what they were assigned at birth." Y/N explained. "So I asked if you wanted me to say I was gay because that would be me technically coming out  more  than I already was, even if it's not entirely correct."

"Oooh." Angelica nodded for a few seconds. "I still don't get it."

Sam nearly fell on his ass with laughter, flailing to keep his balance. Nat reached out to steady him, making sure he didn't actually fall while she giggled. 

"You know what?" Y/N sighed in defeat, placing his hands on his hips in the typical Dad Pose. "Sometimes I think you're just bullshitting me."

"Papa!" Angelica gasped in fake offense, even going so far as to put her hand against her chest like a woman from one of those historical novels that fainted at even the slightest inconvenience. She'd recently taken on some characteristics from Elizabeth Swann after watching the films, which lined up well with her theatrics.

"You've got a mouth on you today, huh?" Nat teased. He  did  try to keep his swearing to a minimum around his kid, but she understood what words were okay for her to use and not to use. And given certain circumstances (and proper usage), he'd be lenient if she swore.

"Wait, what did you mean by  it's just obvious ? Usually, people are shocked when I tell them I'm into guys, too." Y/N turned to Natasha, curious about what she'd say. She was highly trained, which went unsaid even among the team, and things she noticed were never quite obvious to others. But then again, sometimes it was the simple things that gave people away. 

"Oh. Yeah, it's obvious by the way you stare at him." She raised a brow with that damn smirk, waiting for her words to fully sink in. The unspoken name hung heavy in the air, the implication even louder in the momentary silence. 

"Who's staring at who?" Bucky's voice made Y/N jump and lose balance. Strong hands grabbed his waist as he fell backward, bumping into an equally as strong chest. Bucky chuckled, the sound rumbling against his back. "Sorry, darlin'. Didn't mean to scare you."

Y/N straightened up, face burning. Once he was steady on his feet and not at risk of falling on his face or his ass, Bucky let go and slid to stand by his side. This was  not  a conversation he wanted Bucky to overhear and it certainly wasn't one he wanted to have  with  Bucky. Hell, he didn't even want to have it with Sam and Natasha, especially in front of his kid. She could keep a secret, but only if it was good for leverage or blackmail. 

Angelica had a great start at espionage and he wasn't prepared for the nuisance and problem this could become in her middle school and high school years. 

"Y'okay, Y/N?" Sam asked, eyes flickering between Y/N and Bucky with a mischievous smile. He looked like he wanted to continue poking fun at him for his reaction or say something that would entirely give away what they were actually talking about. It seemed like Bucky had skated up just in time to only hear the last three words of Natasha's sentence, which was a miracle of the divine kind.

"Yeah, yeah. Just lost my balance and nearly had a heart attack, but I'm good." He gave Sam a pointed look as if he were saying  shut the fuck up   or I'll kill you . It must've translated because Sam held his hands up in surrender and kept his mouth shut.

"Papa, you never answered my question." Angelica pouted, drawing attention back to her. 

"What was it?"

"Are you coming out more or are you gonna be a coward?" She challenged with her trademark  shit-eating  grin. 

"Oh, you better run, you little gremlin," Y/N growled, starting to chase after his daughter. She squealed with laughter, barely staying in front of him as they raced across the ice. 

Bucky, Sam, and Natasha watched them, all with bright grins on their faces.

"So, how long do you think it'll be until one of them eats shit?" Sam asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I give it about thirty seconds," Bucky replied.

And thirty seconds later, a distant  ah, shit  could be heard as Y/N L/N tripped up on his toe pick and very gracefully hit the ice.

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Y/N straightened his jacket one last time. Tonight, he was taking his daughter to see the Nutcracker that was playing in a local college's theater, like it did every year. It was always put on by the same dance studio, in part with a few of the smaller ones. And every single year, it was wonderful. 

"Bucky will be right down. He lost his right shoe and needed a second to find it." Steve shook his head, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned in the doorway. "Thank you, Y/N, for doing this. He probably won't say it, but it means a lot to him."

"Of course," Y/N replied. "Didn't want him to miss out and certainly didn't want to make him go alone."

"I appreciate it because as much as I love him, I can't sit through the Nutcracker anymore," Steve said with a grimace. "And as I said before, the holiday season is harder for him. This will be good for him. Every other time he's tried to see the show, something came up."

"Maybe it was fate." Y/N joked with a smile.

"Maybe it was. Have fun, you guys. I'm being dragged into a second viewing of the live-action Grinch with Sam, Clint, Wanda, and Nat. Did you know that they can pretty much quote that movie word for word?" 

"Don't act like you can't, either." Bucky appeared behind Steve, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "Sorry for taking so long. Couldn't find my damn shoe and I believe it was Sam's fault, but I'm not certain."

"It's all good. Steve was just explaining that you've tried to see the show before but the universe stopped it from happening." Y/N subtly glanced him over. He looked...good in his formal wear. Unfairly good. If he were an artist, he would never be able to stop drawing the way Bucky looked right now as he stood with his hands in his pockets, his weight dropped onto one leg. 

"Yeah, it's never worked out. But I'm happy it has so far. Knock on wood." He rapped his knuckles on the door frame with a crooked smile. "Where's the kiddo?"

"Getting her hair finished by the girls. She'll be here in just a second." Y/N glanced down the hallway to see if he could catch a glimpse of his daughter to estimate exactly how long it would take. He was hoping it wasn't much longer because they needed to leave soon.

"Have fun, guys." Steve pat Bucky's shoulder before leaving the doorframe back the way he came.

"Y/N, thank you for this. Genuinely. How much do I owe you for the ticket?" Bucky slid his wallet from his pocket, opening it and thumbing through some cash.

"No, don't worry about it. Consider it a gift from us to you." Y/N held his hand up, shaking his head slightly. "Seriously. And don't argue with me on this one. Just accept it as a gift."

Bucky stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed. He opened his mouth to say something - presumably argue some more because that was Bucky, Y'N had learned, but they were both interrupted by a young voice.

"Papa, how do I look?" Angelica swayed from side to side, the sparkles on her blue dress catching in the light. Her hair was intricately put up with some jeweled spiral clips. She even had a little bit of makeup on, which was completely age-appropriate. 

"Stunning, like a little snowflake." He replied, smiling just as broadly as she was. She giggled and bounced on the balls of her feet, the slight heel of her shoes clicking on the ground. He held his hand out to her and twirled her under his arm. "You ready?"

"Mhmm!" 

Y/N turned to Bucky, happy to see he'd put his wallet away, and, perhaps begrudgingly, accepted that this was a gift and not necessary to be repaid. He was smiling at Angelica, watching her as she twirled again to look at her gown in the light. There was a sad nostalgia lingering behind it all and for a moment, he wanted to say that Bucky didn't have to go with them if he didn't feel up to it.

But then Angelica went up to him, took his hands, and tried to dance with him. The melancholic look in his eyes faded as he led her into a simple waltz, humming a basic tune. Instead, the corners of his eyes crinkled up with a smile as she giggled, spinning under his arm. He pulled her hands together and gently dipped her, his smile somehow getting bigger as she squealed and clung to him.

"I won't drop you, sweetheart. Promise." He said before pulling her upright. 

Y/N's heart skipped a beat as he watched, smiling just as wide as Bucky and Angelica. He wished he could show every single person who still viewed him as a threat or villain this exact moment between his daughter and Bucky. There wasn't even a  singular  thought of concern that Bucky could hurt her on purpose and he desperately hoped people would begin to realize that. He wasn't "evil" or a villain. He was a victim that was still healing and learning how to be himself again.

He slipped his phone from his pocket and took a few photos, making sure to keep the live option on. His favorite was a perfectly timed moment as she was spinning under his left arm, looking back at him with that impossibly wide grin, and her dress flared out. He was smiling, too, and it was obvious in the still image that he was laughing. It was a delightful picture that would certainly become his lock screen for a while.

"Alright, you two. Let's get going so we don't risk missing any of the show." Y/N hated to interrupt, but there was always time for them to dance another day. They had a show to get to and he'd rather be damned than be the reason Bucky missed on another opportunity to see The Nutcracker.

They split apart and Bucky bowed to Angelica, who giggled and curtsied in response. She turned and bounced toward the door, a little ball of sunshine to warm the snowy evening.

"Send those photos to me, please?" Bucky muttered, walking side by side with Y/N.

"Already sent 'em."

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The wind blew a chill straight up Y/N's spine, creeping under the layers of his jacket and shirt. The bell above the door chimed as he opened it, ushering his child into the shop before another gust could pick up. He shut the door behind him, shivering and stomping the snow off his shoes. Winter was a bullshit season because of the cold and wind. Once his feet and legs were cold, it was all over. He'd take forever to get warm again.

"Well, if it's not my two favorite customers in the whole wide world!" Pop waved as he noticed them, chuckling as Angelica waved enthusiastically back. She bounced over to the display case, looking at the new flavors and their descriptions. That was one of the best things about Pop's Shoppe and their homemade ice cream - they rotated new flavors depending on the season and everyone had their favorite that they looked forward to every year.

"Is that Angelica and Y/N?" A woman's voice came from the back room before she poked her head out to see. "Yes, it is! How have you two been, my lovely honeybees?"

"Leana!" Angelica ran up to Leana and hugged her when she came around the counter. "You're back!"

"Sure am, honeybee." Leana had a deep set of crow's feet at the corner of her eyes from a life of laughter and joys that revealed themselves in full when she smiled. She looked well, which was a good sign given how sick she'd been. She'd been out since the beginning of fall and although they didn't have any doubts she'd recover, they'd been concerned. "You been good for your father, I trust?"

"Mhmm!"

"She's lying. She's been nothing but trouble, causing mischief and being a nuisance." Y/N hugged Leana, chuckling when she squeezed him. "Though she  is  just an accomplice most of the time."

"Oh, is she now?" Pop leaned against the counter, looking at the girl in question. She gave him her mischievous grin, shrugging like she was innocent in the matter. "So, what can I get you on this cold day?"

"Whatever she wants. It's too cold to eat ice cream for me." Y/N placed his hand on the top of his daughter's head for a moment before shoving his hands into his pockets. "And I know we promised to bring Bucky along today but they had a mission come up last night and had to leave. Next time."

"Ahh, no hard feelings. He's welcome here whenever he's able to fit us in his world-saving schedule." Pop moved to get Angelica's usual order, slipping his gloves on and snagging the cup on the way to get the scoop.

"Bucky, huh? Who's Bucky?" Leana asked, leaning against the counter. She brushed a couple of stray braids over her shoulder. Her braids matched the color of her holiday apron, red braided into the grey of her natural hair. Angelica's favorite was the sunset yellow she liked to wear in the summer, sometimes with little bee and flower clips. 

"James Buchanan Barnes. A coworker and friend. He's -"

"The Winter Soldier, yes, I know the name. I've been around for a while, honeybee." Leana interrupted, suddenly looking her age for a moment. "Never sat right with me how he got his citizenship back."

"What?" Y/N was hesitant to continue the conversation, now, with Angelica in earshot. Though, it seemed Pop was keeping her occupied well enough that she wasn't paying attention.

"Oh, that came out wrong. I meant the whole trial he had to go through to prove he was a prisoner of war and under duress. Ridiculous, really." She continued, shaking her head. It wasn't talked about often within the team or the compound, but the amnesty trial had been a big deal. A year later, Bucky seemed to have moved past it with some work but some people still hung onto it. 

"Yeah, I...didn't really pay attention to it. Only when it landed on my desk when his lawyer needed information and it was my turn to dig." Y/N said. He hadn't worked on it often, maybe once or twice under Miss Lancaster's legal team. Not often enough to know more than the general public and not enough to draw his attention away. Even his coworkers kept it out of the office talk just because it was a touchy subject.

And totally not because everyone was scared of him. 

"How's he doing, now, though?" 

"Recovering, but doing well. Has some off days, but everyone does. We took him to see the Nutcracker last week and while there was some sadness, he had a good time." Y/N pulled his wallet out to pay for Angelica's ice cream now that she was seated happily with a snickerdoodle-flavored scoop. 

"Tell me, what d'you think Bucky would like from the case? I'll get you a to-go container for when he's back. Consider it a present from us to him." Pop smiled, his nose and cheeks rosier with the added chill of the winter weather. He had a Santa hat on, really playing up on his resemblance. 

"Oh, uh...that's a good question. I think the vanilla with caramel and cone pieces would be a safe option. I know he likes caramel." Y/N said, handing over his card to Leana to pay for the ice cream. She only charged him for Angelica's, fixing him with a stern look to deter any kind of arguing. This was why he always came back to them, even though it was further than other shops. They treated everyone like family and did favors for their loyal customers. And they were local, so it was a perfect relationship. 

"Angelica, you almost finished? We need to get back soon. I've got to check in with Steve and Bucky to see if they need anything and you have homework." The adults laughed as she groaned, throwing away her empty container and spoon. "Thanks, you two. Take care. We'll see you next week."

"Bye, Pop! Bye, Leana!" Angelica waved from the door, bundling herself up again in preparation to brave the outside.

"See ya, honeybee. And hopefully, we see Bucky with you, soon. Drive safe and stay warm." Leana said with a sweet smile.

Pop handed Y/N the container, a note written on the top with his and Leana's signatures.

To Bucky,

Happy Holidays from Us at Pop's Shoppe. Hope to see you stop by soon!

Pop & Leana   ♡  

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"I love my kid, but it's too cold for this," Y/N grumbled, blowing warm air into his cupped, gloved hands. 

"You'd be warmer if you moved around more." Natasha elbowed him, smiling as she watched the chaos unfold in front of them. 

Tony and Peter were constructing a snow fort in preparation for all-out snowball warfare. Scott, Angelica, and Cassie were also constructing a fort across from the Team IronSpider base. It wasn't as pretty or optimized as theirs, but it was going to be functional for the insanity that was going to unleash when they were ready.

"Yeah, but that would also mean getting involved in  that ." Y/N hitched his chin toward Team SuperWeird, comprised of Bucky, Steve, and Wanda. Unfair in his eyes, but that's just how the cards were dealt. "There's a reason I'm playing as an impartial judge with Bruce."

"Fair enough. Well, I better help those two. They need all the help they can get." She joined Clint and Sam at their base. 

The sun was warm but didn't do much to combat the overall chill of the day. But it was perfect for a snowball fight, including the sticky snow that would make the ideal snowball. Bruce also had his hands buried in his pockets, his face tucked into his scarf to try and keep warm. It was a universal day off for everyone in the compound, which meant he wasn't allowed to be tucked away in his lab.

Thor and Loki had come to visit with Valkyrie, enjoying some downtime with the team for a couple of days. Thor and Valkyrie were happily constructing their own fort and stockpiling snowball ammunition for the fight. Loki was standing beside Y/N and Bruce with his arms folded, shaking his head in mild amusement. 

"I don't believe I'll ever quite understand Midgaurdians." He said after a moment of thought. "But they  are  entertaining."

"We certainly are, huh?" Y/N smiled as his daughter squealed after Peter had snuck over and shoved snow on her neck. "You don't want to join?"

"No, no. I'm quite alright just watching for now." Loki wasn't exactly what he'd expected based on stories. He seemed to have mellowed out a bit and had some time to reflect on past mistakes. Or perhaps the events of Ragnarok had a strong effect on him. Whatever the case was, he was rather pleasant to be around, now. "It's not quite fair for me to join in, considering I'm immune to the cold."

"Ah. Yeah, that is an unfair advantage." Y/N shuffled his feet a bit, hoping to keep his toes from freezing by standing in the same place for too long. Although he was wearing multiple layers, the cold still crept in where it could. "You think they'd notice if I slipped away to get a warm drink?"

"Yes. They would. You wouldn't get three feet until Tony called you out." Bruce said.

"Well, it's a good thing I've come to deliver some warm cider." Pepper appeared beside them with a tray of thermoses. "Here you go."

"You're a lifesaver, Pepper." Y/N gratefully accepted one, the warmth spreading through his fingers and down his arms immediately. He took a tentative sip, considering it was still very hot, and hummed happily as the heat trickled through his chest.

"And one for you, Bruce." She passed another one to Bruce, earning the same praises. "Would you like one, Loki?"

"No, thank you, Miss Potts." Loki smiled, looking rather fond for a brief moment.

"It's actually Stark, now." She corrected, returning the smile.

"Oh, my apologies, Missus Stark. Congratulations." He inclined his head cordially.

"Thank you. But really, just call me Pepper. There's no need to be so formal." She touched his arm gently like she did often with everyone, a friendly and comforting gesture she was known for. "If you three need anything, just text me, alright?" 

"Of course, Pepper. Thanks again. I'll take videos of Tony getting his ass handed to him by Steve later." Bruce said from behind the rim of his thermos. And with that, she was making her way back inside, away from the snow and cold. 

Y/N was jealous, but now he had a warm drink so he was at least placated for the moment. He checked the time on his phone. There were thirty seconds left on his timer for their allotted fortress building time. After that, they'd have two minutes to prepare their ammunition before the first round of battle would begin. The timer chimed loudly and everyone immediately stopped piling snow and started creating snowballs of varying sizes and shapes.

"Of the current competitors, who do you believe will be the best?" Loki asked, crossing his arms. 

"Bucky's been trained as a sniper, but Clint has insane accuracy. Wanda has her abilities and Steve has enough spite to be good at just about anything." Bruce tilted his head in thought, watching everyone frantically stockpile ammo. "Sam and Scott are at a disadvantage, but will probably be good in their team. Tony and Peter work together a little  too  well, not to mention Peter's enhanced senses."

"So, what you're saying is that my kid and Cassie are going to get absolutely demolished by the superheroes around them." Y/N laughed, knowing all too well how this was going to go. It's mainly why he was staying on the sidelines and avoiding the conflict. 

"Oh, totally. That's exactly what's going to happen and it's going to be glorious." Bruce grinned before burrowing back into his scarf. The second timer went off and everyone came to a halt. "Alright, everyone. The round begins in three...two...one...go!"

Snow flew immediately, headed in every which direction. Laughter rang into the air, along with some cussing when people were hit. They were good about not getting close to the bystanders, some landing just at their feet but never hitting them. It was entertaining to watch the different strategies each team had, though most of it seemed to just be sheer chaos. Firing wherever in hopes it hit someone.

"You're going down, Romanoff!" Wanda shouted just before a snowball went flying at Natasha, propelled by her powers.

"In your dreams, Maximoff!" Natasha yelled back after barely dodging the projectile before throwing her own. It nailed Wanda straight in the chest faster than she could blink.

A stray snowball came flying by, hitting Loki square in the stomach. He doubled over slightly, the wind knocked out of him for a moment. Murderous intent took over his eyes as he scanned the field, trying to decide who had thrown it. Valkyrie was snickering behind her hand and noticed she'd drawn his attention. With a determined roll of his shoulders, Loki joined Tony and Peter, set on revenge.

Y/N glanced at his daughter, who was grinning to herself deviously. She'd done that on purpose and somehow flew under the radar to avoid all suspicion. That little devil was too smart for her own good and he had no idea how he was going to stay ahead of her as she got older. 

For now, he just shook his head and sipped his warm cider as everyone continued to pelt each other with snowballs.

✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿ ... ✿°•∘ɷ∘•°✿

"I am  not  letting you have alcohol. Are you out of your mind?" Y/N stared at Angelica in bewilderment, holding his glass of champagne out of her reach. "You have some audacity, little miss."

"Aw, come on! Just a little sip?" She tried to give him her puppy dog eyes, but he wasn't budging. "Just a teeny, tiny, itty bitty sip?"

"You're lucky I'm letting you stay up, Angelica. I can still send you to bed. Don't test me." He replied, using the opportunity to also take a slow sip of his champagne. She pouted, glaring at him disappointedly. 

Tony had forgone the large New Year's party that he usually hosted, choosing instead to keep it rather small with the team and their families. That didn't mean he didn't keep the extravagance down, considering this was the most expensive champagne Y/N had ever tasted. The decorations were certainly flashy, golds and silvers reflecting every light in the common room. The countdown was on the TV, muted so their own music could play.

"Maybe, if you're good, I'll let you have a sip next year," He said, eyeing her suspiciously when she got a little  too  excited about that. "No promises."

Angelica continued to grin far too wide for his liking before bouncing off into the crowd to find Peter and May. He shook his head, watching her as she disappeared into the kitchen. She was always a handful, but sometimes she seemed especially difficult to deal with. He loved her dearly, though, and it made moments like this more endearing than annoying.

"She reminds me of myself when I was young." Wanda came up beside Y/N. She was wearing a nice black gown, rather simple in terms of attire Tony required, but it suited her well. Especially with the fabric fading into a bright red near her knees and the beading around the waist. "Too smart for her own good and always looking for trouble."

"I can hardly believe you were looking for trouble," Y/N said in a warm tone. He  could  believe it, but he was teasing her. 

"Well,  I  wasn't usually the one looking for it. My brother, Pietro, was usually always finding himself in trouble. I was always getting him  out  of it." She laughed softly, eyes crinkled and light with fond memories. She missed him, he knew. His memory lived on through her, though, and all she did with the Avengers. With Tony's recovery foundation, he started an outreach program specifically for those affected by what happened in Sokovia and named it after Pietro. "Vis likes her a lot."

"Seems to be a common feeling with everyone," Y/N replied, giving her a brief side-hug. Her nose crinkled up happily, squeezing him back with her free arm. "How's your training going?"

"Oh, it's...going. Tiring, but Stephen is pleased with my progress. There's so much I didn't know I could do that he's taught me to control." Wanda, as if to show how much she'd learned, raised her hand and swirled some of the red mist around her fingers. It morphed into a little kitten that bounded across her knuckles, swatting at an equally tiny butterfly. It jumped to catch it, succeeding, and they both disappeared in a flourish.

"That was delightful." Y/N applauded her, laughing as she curtsied. "It's always nice to catch up with you."

"And you, too. Let's talk more often. Well, seems the countdown is going to begin shortly. I need to find Vis." She untangled herself from Y/N, but not before kissing him on the cheek. 

Tony called everyone to gather around the TV with their glasses of champagne and their partners. The couples stood together and those who were single ended up grouping near the opposite side. Peter had Angelica in his arms, a glass of sparkling cider held carefully in one of his hands.

Sam, Bucky, YN, and May stood together. Clint was currently MIA due to a sudden mission, which he'd been completely fine with. This wasn't his favorite holiday in the world and he preferred to be making money somewhere else. The countdown began on the TV, the sound returning at the perfect moment thanks to FRIDAY. Everyone waited, counting with it as the new year finally turned over.

The room filled with cheers and the couples shared a customary kiss. May hugged Y/N immediately before moving to Bucky and Sam. 

"Happy New Year," Sam hugged Y/N tightly, leaving a kiss on his cheek before he pulled away. He turned to Bucky.

"Don't kiss me or I'll kick your ass." Bucky threatened, accepting Sam's hug. Sam was grinning and tried to kiss Bucky's cheek, only to be met with the palm of his metal hand turning him away. 

Y/N laughed, careful not to spill any of his drink as he embraced Bucky. It was immediately a comfort, enveloping him entirely in his arms. His cologne was soft and musky but by no means overpowering or too strong. Bucky swayed them slightly before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Happy New Year, darlin'." He muttered as he pulled away. His smile was dazzling and if not for Angelica suddenly hugging his leg, Y/N probably would've kept staring for much longer. 

"Papa!" Angelica looked up at him and there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Can I have a sip?"

Y/N was about to berate her for asking again when he paused and realized what was going on. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The others were laughing brightly and he shook his head.

"You little shit." 

Angelica looked triumphant as she took her sip of champagne.

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Bucky squinted at the back of the beer bottle, reading the ingredients. It honestly wasn't the best he'd ever had, but there was just a flavor he couldn't quite place. He shrugged and took another swig, not bothering to spend much longer thinking about it.

Sam groaned as he sat down on the couch, his own bottle in his hand. He sighed deeply, slouching down to get comfortable. He'd taken to hanging out with Bucky more now that Steve and Natasha were dating. It was nothing against either of them, considering they still had their Guys' Nights often. Usually, in their free time, the couple was together. Which left Sam and Bucky most evenings.

"I'm tired." Sam sighed, head falling back against the couch. "You feel me?"

"I feel you," Bucky replied. "I've been tired since 1927."

"That's oddly specific. What happened in '27?" Sam took a quick drink, having learned the Bucky's off-the-cuff comments sometimes took him by surprise. He had shot beer out his nose a couple of times because of that.

"Met Steve that year. Been running behind him, keeping him out of trouble since then." He stared into the distance, slowly bringing his bottle up.

"It's a full-time job, huh?" Sam raised his bottle again too.

"Amen to that." They cheered to each other from a distance before downing the rest of their beer. Bucky turned the bottle again to look at the label. "The hell is in this?"

"It's really bad, is what it is. Steve's no longer allowed to shop for booze." Sam leaned forward and set the glass bottle down on the coffee table. He settled back into the couch. "Alright, we gotta talk."

"About?" Bucky rested his head on the back of the couch, letting it fall to the side to look at Sam. He had a feeling what this was going to lead to, but he didn't have the energy to shut it down. He actually  wanted  to talk about it, if he were honest.

"Y/N. You. The kiss." Sam paused between each subject, letting them hang in the air and sink in. "You  kissed  him in front of everyone. So, what's the deal, now? You two on the down low?"

"No, not...no. We didn't talk about it. It was just a kiss and didn't mean anything." As much as he hated to say it, that's exactly what the situation was. He hadn't brought it up to Y/N and they'd not discussed it at all. And he hadn't acted any different afterward so he had no reason to believe that it affected their friendship any further than a moment to look back at and laugh about.

"How the hell did you ever make it as a spy when you're such a  bad  liar?" Sam stared at him incredulously.

"I wasn't allowed to talk," Bucky muttered, which gained a short bark of laughter. He smiled briefly. 

"I'm gonna say this so no one else has to," Sam sat up, looking Bucky straight on. It sent a shock of nerves down his spine with how serious he suddenly was. "And I'm saying this because you're my brother, man. You need to talk to him. Give him a chance to say yes or no. Say you're interested."

"I don't wanna make it awkward. He's on the team and it's not exactly like we can just...distance from each other. His daughter is kinda my mini shadow half the time." Bucky turned away with a sigh, staring at the wall. He wanted to say something  so  bad, but the thought of causing tension in their close-knit team was enough to deter him. That kiss under the mistletoe at the party only deepened his feelings and settled them strongly in his heart. It was hard not to give in when away from the prying eyes of the rest of the world. "I don't even know if he feels the same way."

"James, listen to me. You will never know if you don't try. He and Kiera Roberts were rumored to be a thing and he cleared it up with her. She watched after Angelica when you were out of commission after that mission in Rome." Sam had that tone in his voice that he used when counseling veterans. The same one he used when helping any of the team through a panic attack or episode of some sort. "Give it a chance. Do something that it's just the two of you and see if he responds in a way that says he'd be interested. Then ask him to dinner."

"Nope. No way in hell."

"I'm only going to keep bringing it up until you do. Every day, every moment possible." Sam threatened.

"God, you're annoying." Bucky rubbed his hand over his face with a sigh. He was blushing just thinking about it.

"It's why you love me." 

"Okay, okay. Fine. After the security meeting and we're back here...I'll do it." Bucky glared at Sam, finding he was smiling smugly. He looked like he was going to say something inappropriate or suggestive at any moment now that the serious conversation was over. "Not a word, Wilson. I'll still kick you off a damn helicarrier."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You were thinking it and that's bad enough!"

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"Okay, so remind me what this is about again?" Wanda turned in her seat to look at the other occupants of the box, flipping through the program she was holding. 

"Orpheus and Eurydice except it's set in a Great Depression-like era and the music has a strong basis in New Orleans style jazz," Y/N said, glancing over the cast list as he turned the page in his own program. "The band is usually onstage the whole time and highlighted a couple of times."

"Not to be rude to you guys." Sam interrupted, motioning to Steve, Bucky, Natasha, and their other light-skinned teammates in attendance. "But  why  is Hermes being played by a  white  guy?"

"I thought the same thing!" Clint threw his hands up in exasperation. 

"Alright, you two. Chill out. He's got a mile-long portfolio in his bio. Give him a chance." Y/N shook his head in amusement. He'd heard this Hermes perform in videos and while he wasn't Andre De Shields, he did a damn good job. "He's also  from  New Orleans, Wilson."

"All I'm sayin' is I've never heard of him," Sam grumbled a little more about the casting of the tour but settled down again after a minute. 

Some of the team had time after a security conference in D.C. to see Hadestown and do other touristy things. Sam, Clint, and Y/N had convinced the rest of their small group to join them at the show, saying that they would enjoy it. With nothing else to do and no reason to argue, Steve, Natasha, Wanda, and Bucky joined them to see the touring company.

Angelica had not been happy when she'd heard they were seeing the show without her. In fact, promising to take her to see it on Broadway was the only way to get her to speak to anyone other than Peter for  four  days. She was a stubborn child who knew how to use that to her advantage when she  really  wanted it. He didn't feel bad about giving in because he'd wanted to see the show with her in the first place, but the opportunity to see it on tour happened before they got the chance.

The lights started to dim as the cast and orchestra walked out. Everyone checked to be sure their phones were off. The cast settled in their places and Hermes clicked his heels at the edge of the stage, gazing out over the crowd. He took a deep breath, clasping his hands together with a smile.

"Aight."

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Sam turned around at intermission with an embarrassed smile. 

"Is there something you would like to say, Samuel?" Y/N tilted his head innocently as the house filled with chatter, the lights still slowly coming up.

"I would like to recant my statement about this particular white man playing Hermes," Sam announced to the group. It sparked some laughter and he waited for another moment to continue. "He opened his mouth and I realized my mistake. I apologize. I was wrong."

"Yeah, he's good." Clint sighed, a bit begrudgingly. "But that Persephone-"

"I  know !" Sam and Clint quickly fell into a discussion over the actress playing Persephone, singing nothing but praises for her and admiring the dynamic between her and Hades. Natasha chimed in when she found it necessary, mentioning something about the Fates.

Steve and Wanda were looking at the stage, talking about the lighting and how it had affected the scenes. Set design came up shortly after, and they delved into the moving parts and pieces of the two-story structure and rotating stage.

"Remind me again what the myth is?" Bucky leaned over to ask Y/N since the rest of their companions were occupied. "The details escape me."

"We're halfway through so it'll get to the main part of the myth in the next act," He replied, checking his phone for notifications. His daughter had sent a goodnight text, which he responded to with a picture of Wanda and Steve geeking out over the stage design. "But the basics are: Orpheus lost Eurydice and ventured into the Underworld to bring her back. He has to convince Hades and Persephone to let her go. Upon an agreement, they leave together but Orpheus cannot look behind him or she'll be dragged back to the Underworld for the rest of eternity."

"And he looks behind him. I remember now. I'm interested to see how they play this out. By the way, the music is  so  damn good." Bucky said, which made Y/N laugh. "Seriously, it's a great show so far."

Y/N turned to him and it was like time stopped for that moment. Bucky had that crooked smile that made his heart flutter, his eyes soft and crinkled up at the corners. He glanced between the rest of the group and the intel specialist, amused by the enthusiasm and different topics everyone focused on. But when he finally turned his gaze entirely on Y/N, it felt like the entire world had disappeared.

As a group, they had decided to dress up a little. Nothing too fancy, but on the edge of more than casual. And he looked  good  in his dark long-sleeved shirt and blazer. The jacket had been a gift from Sharon Carter as a way to welcome him back into the good graces of the CIA. It fit him very well, showing off his wide shoulders and broad chest. Those dark jeans, too, had to be illegal somewhere because of how tightly they hugged his strong thighs. 

"Y/N? Didja hear me?" Bucky was talking and that snapped him out of his trance. 

"Sorry, sorry. I'm a little tired. Got lost in thought for a second." Y/N covered, sheepishly ducking his head to hide any blush that could possibly be seen. His face was certainly warm. "What'd you say?"

"I asked if you had a favorite song." Bucky didn't make him feel any more embarrassed, luckily, sliding past it like it was nothing. The question made him pause for a second, head tilted in thought.

"I prefer the live album's version of it, but Epic III will always be in my top three. How Long and His Kiss, the Riot are up there as well. Our Lady of the Underground is number two, though." Y/N rambled, tucking his phone away. He liked a lot of the music in the second act, but the whole show was incredible. It was impossible not to nod his head or tap his foot when any of the songs came on when he was working. "But I have a question for you, now."

"What's up?" 

"How hard is it to make you cry?" 

"Uh, pretty difficult. But what will get me, without fail, is a repeated motif that is either now sad when it was happy before or a call and response that is now just a call  or  response." Bucky responded.

"Oh, hon. You might want to have some of Wanda's tissues." Y/N grinned both in sympathy and anticipation. A perfect victim for this show, it seemed, as that was the driving stake through the heart about the ending.

"Steve is gonna need them  way  more than I will," Bucky said as the orchestra returned to the stage.

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"It's you - it's me. What the  fuck , Y/N?" Steve turned around after the final bows, tears streaming down his face. His language shocked everyone for a moment. While he wasn't the cleanest normally, he usually didn't drop a casual  fuck. "You didn't say it would be this sad!"

"It's Orpheus and Eurydice! What did you expect?" Y/N retorted, raising his hands in defense. "We tried to warn you!"

Wanda and Natasha were dabbing at their eyes carefully to not smear their makeup any worse than it already was, checking each other and fixing the damage. They were laughing through their tears at Steve's reaction and Wanda offered him a tissue. He took it with more force than necessary, a bit of sass slipping into the movement.

"He's got you there, Stevie." Bucky sniffed, drying his face with his sleeve. He gratefully accepted a tissue from Wanda. "But,  man , did they have to do both the repeated It's you, it's me  and  the opening song?"

"Aw, that's part of the fun, though! Showing it's a loop!" Sam laughed, wiping the final tears from his eyes. "So, on that note of the depressing and soul-crushing ending...anyone want to grab dinner?"

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Y/N watched the fireplace flicker, the warmth of the room comfortable. He curled up under the blanket, finding his place again in his book. There hadn't been a lot of time for him to read during this holiday season, so this quiet evening was the perfect time for a book. He had decided to reread The Princess Bride after their movie night. By now, because of work and life, he was only halfway through.

But really, as much as he wanted to read, he couldn't focus. He wasn't alone in the room and that's what was becoming the distraction. Bucky was also curled up under a blanket further down the couch, scrolling on his phone. The light from the fire illuminated his profile and cast warmth over his face. It had to be a crime of some sort for him to be that attractive when doing nothing. And it wasn't like he was  trying , either, which was unfair all on its own.

"Oh, hey. Do you mind if I put on some music? The quiet is just...a little too quiet." Bucky said, breaking the comfortable silence of the room. Everyone else had gone to bed already, some having to get up for a mission quite early, so it was just the two of them. His voice was soft like his intention wasn't to startle him.

"Yeah, go ahead." Y/N nodded, turning back to his book in hopes he hadn't been caught staring for those few seconds. It had almost been perfectly timed that Bucky had looked up just as he'd been staring longer than necessary. He found himself doing that more and more recently. After the Mistletoe Kiss at the party, it was harder to shove away those feelings and keep them under lock and key. 

The TV powered on silently, connecting to Bucky's phone and soft music started. The playlist was a collection of some of his favorite 40s music and other songs that either had a similar sound or vibe. It was all fairly mellow and perfect for the atmosphere they had created. Relaxing, warm, and comfortable. A little space out of time that had no expectations or requirements. 

Dream a Little Dream of Me  queued up next on screen and Bucky stood, holding his hand out to Y/N. It took a moment for him to notice, given he'd actually gotten back into his book for a couple of paragraphs. A soft  hey  caught his attention and he looked up.

"What?" He narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion, but couldn't keep his lips from starting to turn upward.

"Come dance with me." He offered with that lopsided smile that made his heart skip a beat. His eyes were glittering with a childlike and mischievous light. "C'mon."

Y/N couldn't find it in himself to say no, especially when he was looking at him with such affection. It took him off guard, truly, but in the best way. He marked his page and set his book aside before taking Bucky's hand. He moved the blanket onto the couch beside him as he stood, careful not to let it get twisted around his foot at first. There was a perfectly sized space in front of the hearth for them to stand with enough room to move without banging their toes on furniture.

Bucky pulled him in, his metal hand settling perfectly on Y/N's waist like it had when they were cooking together. Like it was the most natural thing in the world and that's exactly where his hand was crafted to be laid. His other hand was a gentle guide, pulling him into position. It was larger than his own, nearly engulfing it in its warmth.

"I don't...know what to do, to be honest," Y/N admitted, unsure of pretty much everything. The last time he'd danced with anyone had to have been prom his senior year of high school. Even then, it wasn't any good. Just the awkward sway dancing that teenagers did with their hands around the necks of their partners and hands on their waists at nearly arm's length. But Bucky had danced often in the past and was still a good dancer from what he's seen. He didn't want to disappoint or screw anything up.

"Well, you can put your hand on my shoulder or my upper arm. Don't have to do much with your feet. These slower songs you can just sway and do small steps to turn. I can lead, so just don't worry too much about that. If you want to get closer..." Bucky trailed off, brows raised slightly to fill in the silence and finish the offer.

"Maybe if I can be trusted not to step on your toes," Y/N said, resting his hand on his bicep, finding it somehow fits perfectly. Just like Bucky's hand on his waist. "We'll see. You might just throw me away when you see how bad of a dancer I am."

"This isn't gonna be difficult, I promise. If Steve can do it without stepping on someone, I'm sure you'll be fine." Bucky chuckled, beginning to sway with the beat. Once he had found the tempo, he quietly gave instructions on which foot to step with and counted until they both fell into synch. It was slow and casual and nowhere near perfect regarding technique, but it was perfect for them. There wasn't anyone to impress or perform for. It was just them, the fire, and the music.

This was nice. Pleasant. Y/N had never done anything like this with anyone. He'd never had the opportunity, nor the right partner. No one had ever just asked him to dance in the kitchen or living room to whatever song came on. It was rather intimate, in a way, and sweet with how Bucky held him close, guiding his steps and leading him with silent confidence that was comforting. His thumb was tapping lightly on Y/N's hip to the tempo of each new song so they could seamlessly transition without being off-beat with each other.

"So...getting closer...how would one do that?" Y/N quietly asked after a few songs had gone by and they'd fallen into a natural rhythm. If he was offering to get closer, he'd take the opportunity as it was and hope that it wasn't awkward. He was afraid that they would try and it would make things weird and then it all would be over. He'd rather keep his distance and not take a risk if it meant staying exactly like this.

"Either my shoulder or somewhere between my shoulder blades." Bucky guided Y/N's right hand around his side, gently pulling him closer. He used his foot to nudge his a little to be alternating. It reduced the possibility of stepping on each other. "Whichever you prefer."

Y/N settled his hand on his upper back, right between his shoulder blades, finding that this brought them far closer together than he had expected. But it didn't feel awkward or forced. It was all very natural, which eased any anxiety that he'd had. Under his fingers, Bucky's heart was beating steadily and it was reassuring that they were both comfortable.

Bucky's hand returned to his hip, sliding to the small of his back. He continued to lightly tap his finger to the beat, keeping them on tempo as they adapted to this new position. He brought their clasped hands up and pressed a delicate kiss to the back of Y/N's hand, lingered for a moment as they locked eyes. They glowed with a warmth that rivaled the fireplace, all edges of his face now soft in the flickering light. 

Unable to keep eye contact without getting flustered, Y/N turned his head and found it was very easy to rest his cheek against Bucky's chest. He could hear and feel Bucky's voice as he resumed humming along to  The Last Time I Saw Paris . It had been a long time since he'd felt this content. Working two jobs initially and raising a kid had been difficult. Then his high-security job at the compound made some more time for his daughter, but the workload was also hard to balance with his personal life. There had always been an underlying feeling of stress in every moment of his downtime, but that was very obviously missing.

The nice thing about Bucky's playlist was that it had music that he'd never heard before. There were the classics and well-known songs included, but there were some he'd never would've found if not for someone who either was really into music from that era or someone who was around when it was popular. A perfect blend of slower songs that were easy to sway to and some upbeat to keep some variety.

"I'm gonna spin you, darlin'. Take a step back for a second." Bucky muttered, shifting his hold on Y/N's hand. 

Y/N did, spinning under his arm slowly. A soft smile was resting on Bucky's lips, just as soft as the look in his eyes. Warm adoration. It made his heart skip a beat as he stepped back into place, fitting right in Bucky's arms like a puzzle piece.

"Felt like you were a little jealous of your kiddo when I was dancing with her. Had to treat you just the same." He glanced down to their feet before pausing their steps. "Which means..."

Y/N squeaked in surprise as he was swept sideways, hand shooting up to grip Bucky's shoulder from behind. He was being supported around his waist as he leaned back further. "Bucky! A little more warning would've been nice!"

"I won't drop you, sweetheart." He murmured with a crooked smile and kept him in that pose for a few moments. True to his word, his hold never faltered and never made him think that he'd fall. He leaned in closer. Y/N's breath caught in his throat as Bucky pressed a soft kiss to his temple, lingering for another second as he spoke. "I promise."

Time didn't exist as they stood there like that, the song fading to a close and crossing to the next. They both broke into soft laughter, smiles matching as Bucky pulled Y/N upright. It was all so sweet and perfect, a little world away from the rest of everything.

Bucky kept their entwined hands close to his chest with a contented sigh. He held him nearer, resting his chin on the top of Y/N's head once they'd settled back into their positions. "Y/N?"

"Hm?"

"Would you let me take you out?" He asked, voice soft and timid. His heart was racing beneath his hand and in his ear. "Dinner somewhere or a walk in a park. Nothin' too fancy."

"I...would need to think about it," Y/N admitted, despite the fluttering in his stomach and the way his heart hammered against his chest. He  did  need to think about it considering the dynamics of the team and how closely they worked. But he wanted to say yes. 

"Okay." Bucky breathed a soft sigh of what seemed to be relief. "Take however long you need. I'm not goin' anywhere."

And that is where they left that, choosing to continue dancing in the light of the fireplace. The conversation could be resumed another day when he was ready to provide an answer, but they were both content to hold each other close into the late hours until the playlist started again. For now, they swayed to the sweet voice of Ilene Woods.

So this is love. Mmhm. So this is love.

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"They're Playin Our Song"

Dream a Little Dream of Me (Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong)

So This is Love (Ilene Woods, Mike Douglas)

It's Been A Long Long Time (Harry James)

We'll Meet Again (Vera Lynn, Sailors, Soldiers & Airmen)

I Hear a Symphony (Cody Fry)

I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire (The Ink Spots)

L-O-V-E (Nat King Cole)

At Last (Etta James)

La Vie En Rose (Louis Armstrong)

On the Sunny Side of the Street (Frank Sinatra)

Everybody Loves Somebody (Dean Martin)

Down By The Old Mill Stream (New Orleans Footwarmers) - Grandma Recommends (GM)

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (Andrews Sisters) - GM

When the Lights Go On Again (Vera Lynn) - GM

Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree (Glenn Miller) - GM

I'll Be Seeing You (Billie Holiday) - GM

As Time Goes By (Billie Holiday) - GM

I'll Never Smile Again (The Ink Spots) - GM

Fly Me To The Moon (Frank Sinatra, Count Basie) - GM

The Last Time I Saw Paris (Johnny Hodges) - GM

Singin' In The Rain (Gene Kelly) - GM

Sunflower (Frank Sinatra)

Asking Around for You (Joe Bonamassa - Nowhere in Particular)

Ma Belle Evangeline (Princess and the Frog)

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Taglist-

@supernaturalwintersoldier @shadowolf993 @booty-ass-hoe @fightmemacbeth @myybebe @pastel-boy-sungjae @unsure-username @raspberryyuuki @urs216 @misfortunatem00n @moonbintang @skylions-den @blurredx18​ @elliot-damon-2006 

[myososheep]

I AM HERE

1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 13, 16, 17, 27, 33, 40 + A, B and F

for any OCs~

HELLO :DD that's a lot of questions, let's get started! (i'm going with my main group of OCs, if you wanna know about any others ask away)

1) What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

i order it would be : Vrisk, Othia, Alim, Rhea, Yoan, Hibi, Suzka. Vrisk is the one who could stay the longest, until they have to eat basically. Suzka would be the most restless

3) How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

Rhea and Othia often read before going to bed

Suzka is a fast sleeper, let her get comfy and she's out!

Vrisk meditates, Alim too when tiring himself out exercising isn't working

Hibi uses him light magic to put himself to sleep

Yoan needs something to cuddle, a plush, a pillow or a friend ^^

5)How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Alim is the most distrustful, close by is Othia

6) Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

Hibi, Yoan, and Othia would consider it immovable and follow it most (= "they're here for a good reason")

Rhea and Alim see most of them as immovable, and are neutral about it (= "they're here and we can't do much about them")

Vrisk and Suzka are the ones who would find loopholes or straight up break the law if it's in their interest

8) What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?

Hibi was often pressured by peers (children and adults alike) to talk, thinking of his muteness as a tantrum or a choice

Yoan was most told to pay attention and stop forgetting important things

Rhea was told to stop reading so much by herself (which she never understood how that was a bad thing)

13) What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

Vrisk mostly wear deep reds and purples, Yoan greens. i would say it suit them? idk i'm no stylist XD

16) What makes their stomach turn?

hmm i have trouble understanding this question sorry ^^'

17) Are they easily embarrassed?

Hibi and Alim would be the most easy to embarrass, Hibi because of his shyness and Alim because of his need to be taken seriously

 27) What causes them to feel dread? 

Alim dread being vulnerable, especially in front of others

for Vrisk it's forgetting, she has lived a long life but there's always that fear whenever she forget something

even though she doesn't show it, Suzka is afraid of losing the people close to her

33) Could they be considered lazy? 

during their journey, Othia would be the one considered the most 'lazy', as she is used to the royal life.

40) How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

Yoan, Hibi and Rhea are the most sensitive to them. for Rhea it makes her doubt her place within the group as the journey goes on, Hibi hides his weakness behind Yoan, and Yoan focuses on his strength through toxic positivity in order to not let his negativity take over.

A) Why are you excited about this character?

oh man i'm excited about all of them! it's a story that i've been working on for like 5 years, Hibi and Yoan being the firsts created (explains why i love them so much). i keep reworking them, the plot and the world around them so the story unfolds nicely

B) What inspired you to create them?

i can't quite remember, after i created Hibi and Yoan i just kept finding new people and ideas. though as i fleshed them out some of their traits turned out to be mine as well (or amplified)

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

i'm always proud of how far they've all come, but i do feel a bit frustrated working on Rhea and Othia for their characters and motivations, as they're the ones who i relate the least.

[icyday]

Fic question thing

7

26

40

<3 <3 <3

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

If I had to sum the decision making process up, it's that I try to find the character who has the most 'investment' in what I'm trying to write.

It's why Raye is the primary PoV character in Butterfly Jar despite being literally incapable any other action besides talking and listening for 98% of the story. To Mariah, most of the story is just her everyday life, but to Raye this is a mission. Almost all of the alternate PoV chapters are times where events important enough to be on screen are taking place where Raye has zero capability to witness them first-hand. I think the chapter I'm getting ready to post is the only exception to that rule for reasons I hope are obvious. I think it's also why switching the PoV for an upcoming chapter worked so well. Djinn can only get so invested in a catastrophe unless given sufficient motivation.

A quirk that I've noticed outside of Butterfly Jar is that I tend to write het romance/smut from the male PoV. I find it easier/more enjoyable to write about a guy loving/lusting/obsessing after a girl than the reverse. Doing it the other way around is a useful exercise, but it's definitely more work.

And more generally, my default PoV preferences for writing are either first person or third person limited and I don't really go outside those unless there's a structural reason to.

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Butterfly Jar probably counts due to being my longest ride, but I don't know if it qualifies as wild.

Wildest? There's always this Final Fantasy crack-fic I wrote years ago. (The E-rating is there for a reason)

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

For Butterfly Jar, the specific scene I'd most want to see illustrated actually hasn't been posted yet. So generally speaking, I'd especially love to see someone try to draw up a schematic for some of the devices/modifications Mariah's made. Or Spearendipity!

Outside of that...I'd love to see pretty much anything! I particularly think this Aki/Nao fic would make good fan art fodder. Or this Rikku/Paine story.

[emma-d-klutz]

I posted 10,808 times in 2022

That's 5,931 more posts than 2021!

752 posts created (7%)

10,056 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@a-smart-dumbass

@sapphire-wine

@rose---child

@laughter-is-universal

@galahadwilder

I tagged 2,037 of my posts in 2022

#batman - 56 posts

#bruce wayne - 40 posts

#battinson - 32 posts

#the batman 2022 - 23 posts

#harry osborn - 20 posts

#the batman - 18 posts

#dick grayson - 18 posts

#duke thomas - 17 posts

#peter parker - 16 posts

#scarecrow - 15 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#me: -sees a set-up happen repeatedly in a genre- me: ah i see this must be this commentary on how the genre views identity and sense of self

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Someone: And then the punchline is a cute little mouse pun!

Absolutely deranged terf about to elevate this post to meme status at light speed: OH so you wanna FUCK THE MOUSE GIRL, you pervert?! This could have been cute if it weren’t so blatantly horny!! Obviously if the first thing I pictured was a hentai boobblob, that was rotten OP’s intent and has nothing to do with me. 

Like I can’t believe this is a subgenre of post now. For how long will it go on?

2,278 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

#4

the batman fandom is actually like 16 different fandoms for the same guy. some of these states actively hate each other. most of them are unaware of the existence of others. you probably know, at most, 5 of these independent states. realistically you’ll know 1-3. I’m right.

2,679 notes - Posted February 2, 2022

#3

I think there should be a funny Wayne dinner table story about the time Tim broke Jason out of jail, got home, and heard from Dick how sad he was he had to put Jason in jail. 

3,693 notes - Posted September 1, 2022

#2

Post-movie, some of the Riddler’s followers decide they gotta tie up his one loose thread and take out Bruce Wayne live on stream. They are thwarted because:

Bruce Wayne never leaves his house

The Wayne residence is no longer accepting physical mail

One time they caught him, and a swarm of bats and smoke obscured the camera, and then he was gone, presumably rescued by the Batman live on camera. 

Similarly, one time they were staking out Wayne Tower to watch for when he leaves again, and they made direct eye contact with Batman. Who then smacked them around, tied them up, and left. The police show up in half an hour.

One of them climbed in through the window and was promptly shot by the butler. In the background, you hear him and Bruce Wayne arguing about it and the butler assuring him he only used rubber bullets and Wayne will never find all of his guns. 

They successfully kidnap him. He looks sad and bored the whole time. They try to torment him for the viewing audience, but he just mumbles, “You guys are so embarrassing,” and slips out of his bindings as if they were loose all along.

They are so embarrassing. 

The next time, Bruce Wayne tells them to just go home. Their numbers are dwindling. Bruce is wearing a ratty tee-shirt and boxer shorts and is entirely unarmed. They go home. 

8,461 notes - Posted April 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I’ve seen at least three Stacy’s Mom parodies about Stacy’s Dad. I have seen one about her brother. This poor girl. I am going to write a parody from the point of view of her one aroace friend who is trying her best to reassure a wary and distrustful Stacy that she’s really just here to hang with Stacy and just her and has no ulterior motives. 

17,102 notes - Posted July 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[improper-integral]

I posted 8,194 times in 2022

That's 2,259 more posts than 2021!

60 posts created (1%)

8,134 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@stupid-lemon-eater

@thebadwulff

@annundriel

@snake-and-mouse

@upsidedowngoblin

I tagged 7,118 of my posts in 2022

Only 13% of my posts had no tags

#honestly me - 634 posts

#lmao - 476 posts

#supernatural - 288 posts

#our flag means death - 255 posts

#tumblr - 211 posts

#the devil judge - 195 posts

#cats - 187 posts

#destiel - 185 posts

#tgcf - 182 posts

#fanfic - 145 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i don't care about mcr but this post distresses me cause i'm apparently like the same age as batman in the new movie which is uncomfortable

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Today I turn 34!

My 30s really have been better than my 20s, so far. Hopefully that trend continues for the upcoming year!

I took today off so I could have a 3 day weekend, and I'm going on a quick solo road trip to Big Bear (mountain area of SoCal) to celebrate 😊 Even though it might be rainy tomorrow, hopefully I can come back with photos to share!

8 notes - Posted August 12, 2022

#4

My blaze post finished last night and I got the "Blaze Report" after I went to bed.

Here are the stats: Impressions: 9223 Likes: 271 Reblogs: 114 Replies: 32 Follows: 2 Shares: 9

Yes, while some people assumed I paid for the $10 version, I actually paid for the $25 version, which estimates 7k impressions, so I'm surprised I got over 9k [insert meme here].

These stats don't line up with the notes on the actual post, which is curious. It has 40 comments (including 3 of my own), 184 reblogs and 356 likes. I'm guessing the difference comes from users who saw the reblogs and not the original sponsored post? Getting only 580 notes with 9k impressions is a little disappointing but that's tumblr for you

Anyway, that was super fun! I think I might try again sometime, but maybe with something less likely to have people curse at me lmao

9 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

#3

alivorte ➡ brillemos

I posted about this earlier today (thanks @tenacioustam and @lib for responding and helping me pick!) but I finally changed my url!

In case you missed it, brillemos means "let's shine" in Spanish! And is also a pun on my name, Bri, because I'm a cringe dork and proud of it 😎

I saved alivorte as a side blog and wrote a little JavaScript that will auto-redirect to my new url, even if you're just looking at a singular post, it will redirect to that post. BUT, it only works on desktop. I don't know how to make it work on mobile and I'm not particularly motivated to try. Sorry mobile-using followers 😅

9 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

#2

I'm registered for the Lesbians Who Tech Pride Summit this year and I recall that you went to the same event before (or something that sounded very, very similar to it). Do you have any tips to get the most out of it? I am still very much a tech newbie who wants to break into tech and the agenda looks a bit overwhelming. Thanks in advance if you have time to answer this ask! If not, it's okay...you sharing your career journey on tumblr has been inspiring, to say the least!

Aww thanks! I did go to Lesbians Who Tech back in 2018 when I was still in grad school. I think I also signed up for the virtual pride summit this year as well, though I probably won't be able to attend (work kinda gets in the way lol).

The biggest regret I have about when I attended in 2018 was being too shy to try to connect with other people there. I think that's probably the biggest benefit to attending events like this in the first place - networking. Which I've never been particularly good at, lol. So if possible, I'd recommend targeting sessions about networking or allow you to network.

Otherwise, as a tech newbie, you likely won't get much benefit from the more technical sessions, unless you already have some prior exposure to the topic or it's marketed as a beginner friendly session (like I found one called Intro to Native Mobile Development on Tuesday, if that suits your fancy). So I'd have some fun with it, look for ones that sound interesting to you! Or check out sessions in a variety of different areas of tech (coding, analytics, product mangement, etc) so you get a wider exposure to the tech world. I feel a little overwhelmed myself looking at how many sessions there are lol so I don't think I can give more specific advice than this, unfortunately.

I hope you have fun attending the summit, and if you ever have any more questions, feel free to reach out at any time!

13 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

585 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[the-timelord-a-tardis-stole]

I posted 2,971 times in 2022

14 posts created (0%)

2,957 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@knifepatron

@elven-child

@partywithponies

@evilphrog

@lokis-tardis-companion19

I tagged 1,020 of my posts in 2022

#lotr - 172 posts

#lotr newsletter - 128 posts

#dracula daily - 115 posts

#the magnus archives - 99 posts

#bbc ghosts - 86 posts

#rtgame - 76 posts

#the late late toy show - 52 posts

#gaeilge - 44 posts

#goncharov - 27 posts

#ofmd - 24 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i generally go with the idea that jonah was sick of hiring stuffy academic men as archivists so he chose the angriest young woman available

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I love the fact Sam agrees to leave the Shire like "oh yeah, I'll go with Frodo. And I'd love to see some elves". Then it's literally day 3 of travelling still in the Shire when he gets to meet them. Because it means from here on out, Sam's motivation is 100% love and loyalty

37 notes - Posted September 25, 2022

#4

I had 2 thoughts about Tom Bombadil when we were reading about him:

One of the possible in-universe explanations for Tom Bombadil is that he is God. While this is good idea with all Tom Bombadil's singing and Illuvatar's connection with music, it is way funnier is Tom Bombadil is a different being. Like imagine creating an empty world out of The Void, and you look in and theres just Some Guy Vibing

All his nonsense singing reminds me a bit of that episode of Stellar Firma where Trexel is making up riddles but they end up steadily turing into funny little nonsense rhymes.

40 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#3

There's a couple of moments that we've read so far that will form interesting parallels later on (spoilers for the first time readers):

The hobbits feeling awkward carrying swords for the first time vs. when they return to Bree and Barliman is like "yeah, of course no one hassled you on the way here, you're all fully decked out in armour with swords" to which the hobbits are like "oh wow we forgot that was actually weird"

Strider and Merry meeting for the first time after Merry encountered a Black Rider vs. when Merry is one of the people Aragorn has to heal with his Kingly Healing Hands(TM)

Sam standing up to Strider when he first meets him vs. Sam's similar but even more defensive behaviour when they first speak to Faramir. I really love this one bc Sam is absolutely willing to challenge some Man who is almost twice his height and is skilled with a sword.

Also, this is less of a parallel and more of a common thread throughout the story but I love the frequency with which the hobbits have been meeting unexpected friends after leaving Bag End. There's a quote from Elrond when the fellowship is being formed about meeting "friends unlooked for" or something (I don't remember the exact phrase) and I love that this theme was set down immediately after the hobbits left

42 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#2

I find it very interesting that when the hobbits were like "tell us one of the Old Tales" and Aragorn chooses a comforting one in the form of the Tale of Beren and Luthien. In isolation, it's a good choice. There's hope amid hardship and people achieving impossible tasks with the power of love. It's very comforting if you're about to be attacked by evil creatures.

However, with the context of Aragorn and Arwen, you have to ask how many times has that been Aragorn's comfort to himself? How many cold nights in the wilderness has Aragorn spent imagining Beren doing the same thing? Does the successful taking of a Silmaril turn Aragorn's task of becoming King of Gondor and Arnor from "Impossible" to only "Very Difficult"? Or does it turn it into a sort of destiny that can and will be fulfilled? That he won't be stuck roaming the world alone for all his long life?

76 notes - Posted October 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

That kid really committed to the munchikin bit

96 notes - Posted November 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[sportsexch]

Khawaja is highly motivated to play a big game against England

 

Usman Khawaja is in a good mood at the moment. From his rise as a star in his early times to being on and off the team, and now being one of the mainstays of Australia in the longest format Khawaja has experienced everything. From January to 2022, not a single Test player has run more than the graceful left-handed player (1608) and, among the top ten runners in this time, Khawaja’s standard (69.90) ranks as the top among the bunch.

The two biggest tournaments, the World Test Championship finals, and the Ashes series will be held back-to-back in June 2023. And Usman Khawaja is all set to implement his skills in the above-mentioned games.

In the lead-up to the pre-tour training session held in Brisbane, Khawaja spoke at long length about his development as a batter and the inevitable issues that will arise facing him in England.

I think I have a lot of knowledge to play a valuable game that can be helpful for my side to dominate the match, says Usman. But it is unbelievable to predict the opponent’s bowlers, as they create the toughest situation for us only in the beginning. So, we just need to continue our game for a long time.

The game situation that I like is to have similar competitors that are hungry to win the game by giving a tough fight till the last over of the tournament. And I am glad that I experienced this in the Ashes series that was held against the England team. And hitting such big shots on the departure of those two England players like Broad and Anderson was one of the biggest tasks for us. But we create a good way to dominate the game against them.

It is an important thing for a cricketer who played his first test match in 2011, and it’s quite exceptional for Khawaja, who played around 60 test games in his entire cricket career.

As a matter of fact, Australia has featured in the past 124 matches from the time of his first appearance in the year 2011. The 36-year-old was of the opinion that selection committees in Australia were not always consistent when it came to their plans.

“Over the past 10 years, I believe they’ve been very reactive and the media is also very reactive. For a cricketer you’re bound to fail at least one, two, or three times, it’s typical, then you make runs, and after that, you’ll fail and you’ll score more runs. It’s a normal cycle of cricket.

“So I’ve always been keen in picking the best players and retaining them because they’ll give you the most runs regularly and, I believe that in the past, when it comes to selecting players of Australian cricket, we’ve lost our way a slightly, trying to select players that are “in the form”. However, form is only non-permanent, but class isn’t.

The new joiners that selectors have made — George Bailey, Tony Dodemaide, and Andrew McDonald — are all experienced cricketers. They know the strategy, when to play a big knock, and many more. That’s the reason why our selectors take on new players for the team. However, I am on for everything. I love each way of playing cricket, as added by Khawaja.

England was an ache in the flesh for Australian batters in the past 10 years. Other than Steve Smith (65.08), Chris Rogers (49.82), and Marnus Labuschagne (50.42) The majority of Australian batters have an average of 40 or more when they visited. Khawaja’s statistics are quite disappointing since the only way he can get a score of 19.66 in 12 innings in England and that’s something he’ll need to correct. Particularly in the light of his successes abroad in recent times.

England is the only place that creates the most difficulties for the top three batters worldwide.

It’s hard to work with, but you’ll encounter some conditions and there’s some luck as well. Sometimes, you’ll see the other team out, and then clouds appear and you’re in the field and it’s sunny and pleasant.

“If you’ve learned something from my experience, it’s to work hard, work hard and, should you decide to travel to England take a step back and set minimal expectations. Then focus on each game one at a since you’re bound to be an ineffective batsman. When you do score, attempt to earn the maximum amount you can. “

For More Cricket News, IPL News Update Visit Our website : https://sportsexch.news/

[passingdaysthings]

03.28.2023 - Just updating

Today is Tuesday. 

I am currently preparing to begin my 3rd quarter of grad school, and I am 40% done with my degree. We’re almost at the half way mark! Yay! This coming quarter is going to be a hard one because I am taking Prob and Stats for Data Science and Python Software Dev which are two pretty difficult subjects, but I guess that is an understatement since my entire degree is difficult. I feel more motivated this quarter though, and I really wanna do well. I think my realistic goal is to finish both classes with a solid B (85%+) or if possible, I would like to just ace both of my classes. I have to be realistic though because I don’t want to set myself up for failure. I finished my last quarter with an 88%, and I actually feel pretty content with that because I felt like I tried. Of course, the discrete math half was really bad for me since I got a 75% on my mid-term, but I’ve never done discrete math and many have told me it’s actually a difficult subject. This is also me taking steps to not be so harsh on myself because that is what contributes to my poor mental health and learning abilities. My classes are already hard for me so I don’t want to discourage myself anymore. 

As for my situation with Taylor, I feel like we have gone back to being normal friends, and it has been chill. There are days we talk more than others, and we play games and watch dramas when I am free, so it’s been good. There are times where I think about how we were before and miss it, but I know that it wasn’t a healthy relationship. I also find myself less bothered on days when he doesn’t wanna talk which is good because I use to think about it all the time. I would think that I upset him or something along those lines, but I have just stopped thinking about those things. I usually just forget that he isn’t talking to me or I just know he is busy/sleeping. Taylor has always been a fickle person also, and I think I have just finally accepted that fact. He also said that he wouldn’t being going to SF anymore, but who knows. I understand him on this though because he has anxiety, and it must be scary to me two people you’ve never met before along with some of their other friends. He would literally be spending time with people he has never met before. I am pretty sure it’s already a lot of meet me and Victoria both in-person at the same time because I know we are too much for him while we are gaming from time to time. It is also very dependent on his mood and day. He may be feeling alright to meet us one day, but all that could change the next. I think it’s also best that me and Taylor just don’t meet in-person for the longest period possible. It’s not that I don’t want to meet him or anything, but I would prefer for there to be as much as time as possible between us ending our other friendship and pursing this more normal one. Like.. I still think about sleeping with him from time to time, and I don’t want to have those thoughts while meeting because it is in the past for us. 

That is all I really have to say. I wasn’t planning on writing, but I am procrastinating on my work LOL. 

[phantomchick]

I posted 4,354 times in 2022

58 posts created (1%)

4,296 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@thefeistydragon

@rayshippouuchiha

@phantomchick

@derinthescarletpescatarian

@mikkeneko

I tagged 558 of my posts in 2022

#batman 2022 - 40 posts

#batman movie - 36 posts

#jason todd - 28 posts

#naruto - 26 posts

#batman - 13 posts

#my fics - 11 posts

#this - 10 posts

#fic recs - 10 posts

#khr - 10 posts

#yes - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#jin at that point had probably already lost people to neighbours but that doesn't make seeing the mass slaughter & civilian abduction easier

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Superman and the power of kindness because you can

22 notes - Posted July 10, 2022

#4

I stan NaruHina hard even to this day (though I delete all the burrito content from my brain) and I always will.

You know that stuff like Sakura in Naruto: The Last saying she was too good for him must've happened all the time with their friends and Hinata’s family and that's not even touching the whole 'hyuga heiress vs urchin street rat demon boy' thing they had going for most of their childhoods. 

But she didn't give a single god damn, she was the only one in that village who appreciated Naruto without having to be prompted by him gutsy-ninjaing his way into her good graces via hard work and prolonged exposure. She thought the world of him from the get go, she thought he was great and she was so lucky.

 And I think, I am so tearfully glad that Naruto got that in a partner at the end, that he got someone who would make him feel loved and who would never hesitate to state their admiration for him. Someone who he got that kind of positivity about himself from.

I just, he's got such a thick skin but he spends the whole series being insulted by allies and enemies alike (with plenty of praise in between let’s be real he was mc for a reason) and then there's Hinata and she's just like seeing him as a person and wanting to do her best because he motivates her and shit. 

WILL I EVER BE OVER THE DYNAMIC? NAY

Remember in the chuunin exams when NOBODY but NOBODY thought he had a chance against Neji? Not even Naruto really? Like he’s walking to the stadium and you can see his nerves on his face. And then he runs into her, because despite being injured she’s shown up early to wish him luck and give him ointment to use on any bruises he has. 

She's the only one in the entire village to wish him luck and tell him he can do it and he's just, never had that kind of unconditional kindness before? Like bonds have always been something Naruto's had to earn, work for, but she's just there. And she gave him courage when no one else was bothered to. 

 And then she does it again!  In the middle of the fourth war when everything's on his shoulders and everyone's depending on Naruto and you can see a trace of unease on his face and then Hinata grabs his hand, and gives him courage. Unasked for, unconditional support. For an orphan who grew up unloved with none of that. FUCK.

I'm still pissed she had little to no development in shippuden and I largely blame it on the fact that Kishimoto was undecided on the final pairings because NaruSaku was popular, like that scene when Naruto tells edo tensei Minato that Sakura's his girlfriend and Minato tells her to please go easy on his son? Pandering or weighing his options I don't know but regardless the final ships suffered big time for the indecision. 

And Hinata's characterisation additionally suffered for her being so limited in screentime which made the relationship feel less equal. But these are quibbles, the ship is solid to me. 

I mean don't get me started on the whole Pein fight.

Like yes it would be cool if we got to see more of her personality in canon and more of what was going on with her and Neji after Sasuke left and the hyuga clan and everything, yes I crave that and wish we'd gotten bamf Hinata moments. 

But like the core of her character for me is unimpeachable because she's somewhere Naruto can rest also the parallels between the affection she offers and the affection Naruto’s blood family offers during the seal release scene with the chakra imprints finally talking to him and telling him they loved him are very real and I have feelings about all of it. 

Anyway no shade to people who hate the ship for whatever reason, but in this one specific case, the canon pairing is OTP for me.

Hinata’s love for Naruto and the idea of Naruto getting to carefully let himself be surrounded by feelings we all know he considers precious? Amazing.

23 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

#3

Sometimes i think about how every jedi choice that was supposed to be a Choice wasn't offered to Anakin, like when to get knighted/face his knight trials, the council decided to promote him early when he was still mid padawan age, who to choose as his padawan, I love ahsoka but she was assigned to anakin mid mission while again he was still traditional padawan aged, what kind of jedi he wanted to be? Assigned war general.

Like obviously Anakin came into the jedi order with a heavy dose of culture shock from the restrictive lifestyle that was so different even from his experience of slavery.

And by that I mean; suddenly it wasn't "do this do that or I'll blow you and your mother up" with no care for his thoughts about it either way, suddenly it was you're full of fear which means you're dark which means you're close to the path of evil, suddenly it was a character flaw to feel angry at all regardless of how he expressed it. (Unless he expressed it to a receptive and encouraging Palpatine of course but that's another issue) But I feel like all that sudden sense of restriction, that culture shock that never quite left him was definitely compounded, by the lack of personal choices that coloured his life with the order.

Even things that would've been choices for other Jedi were decided for him by the council, in one way it makes sense as he was the chosen one who's path they were heavily involved with and who they wanted to anchor in the light, but in another broader way it's clear it makes everything worse.

73 notes - Posted February 9, 2022

#2

You ever think about how shisui probably started doing shunshin all the time because the 4th hokage was the coolest person ever when he and Itachi where growing up? And 'playing ninja' back then probably meant someone got to be the yellow flash. I just think it's super cute that Shisui may have been a yellow flash fanboy and based his fighting style on him a little bit.

101 notes - Posted May 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fic Rec List

[this could’ve been] a villain’s origin story by petroltogo

* The fic that singlehandedly reeled me back into this fandom and launched my deep dive Summary: Superhero/Supervillain AU: All Sawada Tsunayoshi wants to do is help people. Considering his occupation as a Vongola Inc. superhero, you'd think that wouldn't be much of a problem. You'd be wrong. [Then again, 'people' isn't supposed to include wanted supervillains.]

-

For the Love of the Game by metisket

Summary: In which Yamamoto wanders through life smiling, joking, and terrifying bystanders. It strikes him as weird that he’s had to struggle not to kill people, that it’s been such a challenge. He’s pretty sure that for most people, not being a murderer is way easier than being one.

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That Sawada Group by HeavenlyDusk

Summary: For those who went to middle school with Sawada Tsunayoshi, him and his friends are still a little bit terrifying. For those who didn't go to middle school with Sawada Tsunayoshi, him and his friends are incredibly confusing. For the Tenth Generation of Vongola, they just want to get through high school.

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Countdown by metisket

Summary: A series of vignettes about Tsuna, his guardians, and the people closest to him—snapshots of the impact they all have on each other (and that life has on them) over ten years. He never wanted to stand out, not in either direction. Is that really too much to ask? He’s not asking for great! He’s asking for normal, normal. Apparently it is too much to ask. Apparently it’s always going to be all or nothing with him.

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Tsunahiki by metisket

Summary: Tsuna's ongoing, sort of unwilling attempts to be everything to everyone.

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If You Can't Beat 'Em by metisket

Summary: Hana finds that it’s difficult to take care of your best friend when your best friend has all the self-preservation instincts of a lemming. Hana doesn’t know how this happened. No, wait, she does know how it happened. Kyoko made that pleading face, and Hana is weak to the pleading face. She knew Kyoko made poor life choices, but she didn’t realize they were contagious.

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On the Outside by metisket

Summary: Iemitsu’s disturbing youth and misadventures in parenting. “You have a kid?” Lal Mirch looks betrayed by the world. “You? A kid? Aren’t there laws against people like you breeding?” Cw: For domestic abuse at start of fic

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The Dead and the Forsworn by metisket

Summary: Hibari is starting to doubt that his carefully ordered world will ever recover from Sawada Tsunayoshi.

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What We Fought For by metisket

Summary: The KHR mafia and the real world mafia collide. It’s like a celebrity deathmatch. Tsuna loved Naples from the start. Reborn had trained him to love things that might kill him at any moment, after all.

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Target Practice by elanor_pam

Summary: Gokudera did not expect the Tenth to wait for the Archery Club's activities to finish. Tsuna did not expect to become the Archery Club's center of attention. The Archery Club did not expect Tsuna to look so good when concentrating.

See the full post

102 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[afterthe4th]

Journal Entry 90

Date: July 3rd, 2044

Time: 7:41 am

Today will be my last day living in this cabin. I must have rationed the food and water I found incorrectly. I was supposed to be able to last at least a month without needing to search for new shelter again. But, I'm still grateful for the 3 weeks it housed me. It was the longest I've stayed in one place since 'the 4th' now that I think about it. The second longest was at the abandoned church I think? Wait no, it was at that Pearl something something resort hotel. If those stupid humans didn't throw that flare into the hotel lobby, the Gasers won't have been forced to travel up onto my floor. I would still be happily living there alone with Cat.

Just thinking about Cat makes me happy. I taught him how to play dead last night and it was absolutely adorable! As cliche as it is, it really does feel like it's just me and Cat against the world sometimes. Especially while we were in the cabin. I haven't seen a Gaser or human for 3 weeks. It has literally been just Cat and I.

But back to the hotel situation, of course, Gasers had to come and interrupt our little bunker. Peace nowadays is always too good to be true. I just wish I had more time to pack everything. They nearly got me too. Whatever, the past is the past. I should focus on finding a new place to stay. I thought I would be in Greenland by now, but obviously, that is not the case. I'm getting there though. Especially with the Nuuk transit map I found last night. I might be able to find a way to sneak on a bus. Of course, that's only if I actually get into Greenland. But, positive thinking. I've made more progress these couple of weeks than in the last few months. Things are turning around. I feel it. Just one step at a time. My next step? Finding a new place to stay at.

Looking through my notes again, I don't even know why I still have the flight routes in Greenland. It's not like I'm going to catch a plane ride anytime soon. Whatever, I'll keep it just in case. I think I'm going to transfer all my notes onto this notebook. It's so annoying having to switch tabs in order to look through them.

My next mission is to find the second half of this recording. It's important. I've managed to decipher the bits on the recording, but they don't leave any clear instructions. I need the rest of this recording.

Trip to Greenland progress:

The recording found on an old phone in a room in the fancy hotel. Unfortunately, it gets cut off.

Transcription:

This is 2 triple ‘f’ zero zero arriving at you with some news. Please welcome our hosts today Nora Ellis and Clover Quaranta. Before we being with our main discussion tonight, we would like to address all our fans from around the world how much your support means to us. We understand at difficult times like this it can be hard to find motivation and meaning in life. But we are here to support you as well. We have a website that provides a safe space to air out any struggles or thoughts. Of course, entry is free as always. We wel-

my notes:

"This is 2 triple ‘f’ zero zero arriving at you with some news."

2fff00 in the hex colour system is green

arriving is a synonym to landing

translation: Greenland

"Please welcome our hosts today Nora Ellis and Clover Quaranta."

Nora Ellis, the first letters are NE = North East

Clover = 4

Quaranta = 40

translation: North East 440 (coordinates?? meters?? feet??)

"We would like to address all our fans from around the world...we are here to support you as well"

translation: they will take in and save people no matter where they are from

"We have a website that provides a safe space to air out any struggles or thoughts"

translation: they are safe from any gasing

2. Maps of Greenland that may be important

Greenland Flight Lines

Nuuk, Greenland Bus Lines

CREDITS:

[bionite-fairy]

I’m a day late, but Happy Birthday to the best girl of best girls!

[meeedeee]

The First Post To The First Slash /Shipping Mailing List

The Date: October 19, 1992 ("it was almost 29 years ago") The Poster: sherrold* 

Context: the first pan fandom slash (shipping) mailing list, Virgule-L, was in its infancy. Safe spaces for women to talk about slash online were rare. And most fan fiction was distributed in print fanzines (which is why fanzine reviews like the one Sandy wrote were so important as a single fanzine cost $15-20 or around $30-40 in today's dollars.) Fan run conventions were the only way to meet other groups of fans and mailed letters and phone calls were the tenuous tethers that strung these fan groups together. The mailing list - and the Internet - was about to change...everything. ****************

Well, welcome to my adventure in mailing! I hope to have this set up soon as a 'real' mailing list, with it's own address. Until then, I only know one way for one of you to write to everyone at once. Just reply to a letter from the list, and answer yes, when it asks, 'reply to all'. So far there are 7 of us. I'll let everyone introduce themselves. I am Sandy Hereld,* I write as Alyx (often with a friend who used Alys) the pen name is *not* a secret. I started in "/" fandom in trek, moved to Pros, and now am very crazed about B7. I still love Pros, and like a lot of different fandoms, including Wiseguy, Starsky and Hutch, and Muncle. I helped run a slash con here in town last week, Virgule, and hope to make Escapade** this year (in February, in Santa Barbara--one of the list subscribers co- runs it--memberships still available), but not Revelcon.*** Maybe, if I get a new job, Media West. I've never been there, and I've always wanted to go. I just finished a great Multi-mediazine called Homosapiens Too. It has an interesting variety of fandoms and crossovers; even more important, there wasn't a single story that stunk (though I liked some better than others, of course.) Page count is Pros/Booker 18 pgs (Bodie/Booker) Eroica/Muncle 5 pgs (Eroica/Illya) Batman 4 (Batman/street punk) Nightflyers 6+ (cartoon, from the movie) TNG 5pgs (Beverly/symbiote) B7/TOS trek 5 pgs (Blake/Spock) Dangerous Liaisons 7 pgs (Valmont/Danceny) Damiano 2 pgs (from the R.A. McAvoy books) MUNCLE 2 pgs the usual Star Wars 4 (cartoon, original characters) Pros 4 pgs the usual B7 50 pgs (Blake/Avon) Perhaps I should mention at the there was a contest for most outrageous crossover pairing. My favorites were: The Right Place To Be (Bodie/Booker) by Arcane Annie & Stew--Bodie quits in a huff after an Operation Suzie, and is too embarrassed to go back; Booker has quit somewhat similarly. Seeing how stupid the other's foolish pride looks, they both learn things about playing roles and 'what really matters.' They also have pretty good sex. Do Blond's Really Have More Fun? (Eroica/Illya) by Barbara T. This definitely is set at a time when Solo and Kurykin are having some problems. The crossover is a fascinating one, and it works. (Anyone needing Erioca explained, just e-mail me. It is a pretty new/small fandom, but growing fast.) Brand New Day (Spock/Blake) by Jane Carnell follows immediately after Blake's pod makes planetfall after Star One. A great Blake, and if not a totally convincing Spock, it's close. Worth it for this scene alone. --Blake "What do you like?" "Anal penetration," "Which way round?" Blake inquired. "I am a telepath. It hardly matters. Whichever way pleases you." Valmont (Valmont/Danceny) by Stew -is a romantic, but very plausible retelling of the movie Dangerous Liaisons, all from Danceny's POV. For any that have read the book, you know it is told solely in letters and diary entries, so this collection of Danceny's diaries is very faithful to the original feel. It is also an amazingly concise retelling, squeezing 2 hours into 6 1/2 pgs. Submissive It Ain't (Pros) is basically just a sex story, but one firmly based in the very different personalities of Bodie and Doyle. Nice idea, beautiful sex, slightly weak ending. Puppeteer (Blake/Avon) by Bryn Lantry is a convoluted but beautiful story where: the action is in the emotions, everyone has multiple motives, and no one truly knows their own minds, much less understands their crewmates. A bit alternate, set sometime in the months before Star One but after Blake has already got the idea in mind, this is a wonderful character study of Blake and Avon, with Vila and Cally in strong supporting roles. Not my favorite type of story -- I think I prefer something a bit more straightforward, but undeniably compelling and well written. The other stories weren't dogs either... The Muncle story, Hanging In Time, by Y.J. is a very disturbing portrayal of the hurt-comfort syndrome in Illya, The Batman story will appeal to anyone who liked "The Dark Knight Returns" With All My Symbiotes -Susan Douglas- has some nice female slash. Why Couldn't It Be Me has gotten a certain amount of press as "Biblical slash." It does have two biblical characters in it, but it is just a vigniette, and has no overt slash content. A few caveats: I disliked the art in the first story, and was indifferent to the rest. I had a hard time reading the 2 cartoon sections; I thought the penning needed to be clearer, and the xerox needed to be darker for those sections. With those few quibbles in mind, I recommend the zine highly. It has an interesting collection of stories set in an amazing variety of universes. The editor is joining a growing number of publishers and putting the word count down -- 80,700, with 40,700 of it in Bryn's B7 story. It is available from Manacles Press here in the U.S. at  [address removed]. There is no U.S. price on the zine; it says to SASE Manacles Press, and I can't remember whether I paid $15 or $18 at the con. From Australia, it is available from the publisher...[address removed] $12 within Aust, $20 posted overseas airmail. (I assume that's $Aus)”

*Sandy passed away in July 2011 of cancer. One of our final joint projects was going  through our emails dating back 20+ years to find fandom history we could share

**Escapade is the longest running slash convention and is still held in Southern California (as of 2021)

*Revelcon is a slash friendly multi-fandom convention held in Texas. As of 2021 it is still running

[thecreaturecodex]

Dragon, Yellow

“Citrine Dragon” © Robert Burke Games, by Kerem Beyit. Accessed at his deviantArt gallery here

[Commissioned by @mr-w-rambles​. Folks, this is the longest single creature entry I’ve ever written. See ya, hordlings! It’s also my first true dragon. Which, taking the Pathfinder Bestiary format, means a table and three whole stat blocks. Tumblr handles tables poorly, so I’ve put those below the cut as image files--they’re a bit jarringly large, but they’re still legible.

There have been two different versions of the yellow dragon, one from the 1990 Draconomicon, which lives in deserts, and this one, from Dragon Magazine, which is semi-aquatic. The article it comes from uses color theory to predict the breath weapons of the “missing dragons”, so it gets a bit weird. The yellow dragon itself evolved through its three iterations. The 1e version is a pretty standard dragon, the 2e version is wingless and flies magically, and the 3e version (from Dragon Compendium Vol. 1) is incredibly dexterous for a dragon. I went with the 3e concept, but toned it down (as all dragons have been toned down in the shift from 3.x to Pathfinder). This is also a dragon that might play a little weirdly. Its AC is even better than the inflated AC for dragons, but its damage dealing capabilities are pretty pathetic. It also inflicts more status conditions than usual for a dragon. The CR on this is somewhat of a stab in the dark, comparing it to core Pathfinder dragons. Let me know if you think it needs further adjustment.]

Dragon, Yellow This dragon’s long, serpentine body is covered in yellow scales, flecked with green and white. It has no wings, but moves through the air with surprising grace. Its eyes are sea green and somewhat beady, and multiple ridges run along its skull and body, giving it a streamlined appearance.

Yellow dragons live at the convergence of air, earth and water. They are found on sandy beaches, coral reefs, salt marshes and mangrove forests. The scales of a yellow dragon remain small throughout the creature’s entire life, giving them a supple skin and a glittering appearance. They can breathe a cone of pressurized brine, which deals as much damage above as below water. They are carnivores, with a taste for desiccated and heavily salted meat. They are physically weak by the standards of dragons, but are remarkably nimble, and can maneuver in three dimensions in multiple kinds of terrain. Yellow dragons prefer to make hit and run attacks, stopping to make full attacks only when opponents are blinded and agonized by salt crystals.

Yellow dragons are cruel and temperamental creatures.  They often make raids inland to attack settlements of intelligent creatures, and savor the meat of humanoids for special occasions. They may ally with sahaugin or other evil aquatic creatures, but yellow dragons feel clearly that they are the dominant party in the relationship. Yellow dragons fear bronze dragons above all others, as the bronze dragons are larger and better spellcasters besides. Almost all yellow dragons take spells that protect them from electricity once they are capable enough spellcasters. Yellow and black dragons sometimes have overlapping territories, but the two species keep a wary distance from each other.

Yellow Dragon LE dragon (air, water) Base Statistics CR 3; Size Tiny; Hit Dice 3d12 Speed 60 ft., burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft. Natural Armor +3; Breath Weapon cone of salt, 2d4 bludgeoning and acid Str 7, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 11, Cha 8 Ecology Environment warm and temperate coastal and aquatic Organization solitary Treasure triple standard Special Abilities Agonizing Breath (Su) A creature that takes damage from an adult or older yellow dragon’s breath weapon must succeed a Fortitude save (same DC as the breath weapon) or be sickened for a number of rounds equal to the dragon’s age category. This is a pain effect. Blinding Breath (Su) A creature that takes damage from a young or older yellow dragon’s breath weapon must succeed a Fortitude save (same DC as the breath weapon) or be blinded for a number of rounds equal to ½ the dragon’s age category. Brine Storm (Su) An ancient or older yellow dragon can use its breath weapon to create a cloud of acid as a standard action that deals damage to any creature inside it. The cloud moves with the dragon and has a radius of 20 feet. When it's created, anyone inside this area takes an amount of acid damage equal to half the dragon's breath weapon, with a Reflex save for half damage. The number of damage dice rolled is halved each round until the result would be less than 1d4. Any creature that starts its turn inside the cloud takes damage, but can make a Reflex save for half. A strong wind, such as that created by a gust of wind, disperses the cloud in 1 round. Flight (Su) A yellow dragon’s flight is a supernatural ability. It always has good maneuverability with its flight speed, no matter its size. Graceful Attacks (Ex) An old or older yellow dragon may add its Dexterity modifier to its damage with natural weapons instead of its Strength modifier. It does not add 1.5 times its Dexterity modifier to damage bonuses to its bite or tail slap attacks. Nimble (Ex) A yellow dragon uses the following table for its Strength, Dexterity and natural armor bonuses. All of its other ability scores and qualities use the normal dragon table. In addition, it uses its Dexterity modifier to modify Swim checks.

Spell-like Abilities A yellow dragon gains the following spell-like abilities, usable at will upon reaching the listed age category. Very young—obscuring mist; Young adult—control water; Mature adult—control winds; Very old—control weather; Great wyrm—horrid wilting. Terrible Claws (Ex) A yellow dragon of young or older age does not have wing slap attacks, but its claws deal damage as if it were one size larger. Water Breathing (Ex) A yellow dragon can breathe underwater indefinitely and can freely use its breath weapon, spells and other abilities while submerged.

Young Yellow Dragon        CR 7 XP 3,200 LE Medium dragon (air, water) Init +5; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., dragon senses, Perception +10 Defense AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 16 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural) hp 66 (7d12+21) Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +6 Immune acid, paralysis, sleep Offense Speed 60 feet, burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 150 ft. (good) Melee bite +12 (1d8), 2 claws +12 (1d8) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite) Special Attacks blinding breath (Fort DC 16, 1 round), breath weapon (60 ft. cone, 1d4 rounds, Ref DC 16, 6d4 acid and bludgeoning) Spell-like Abilities CL 7th, concentration +7 At will—obscuring mist Statistics Str 11, Dex 20, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 10 Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 23 (27 vs. trip) Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Finesse Skills Appraise +9, Bluff +9, Fly +18, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +14, Survival +10, Swim +13; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to Swim Languages Draconic SQ flight. nimble, terrible claws, water breathing

Adult Yellow Dragon          CR 11 XP 12,800 LE Large dragon (air, water) Init +8; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., dragon senses, Perception +14 Aura frightful presence (180 ft., Will DC 18) Defense AC 30, touch 18, flat-footed 21 (-1 size, +8 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural) hp 138 (12d10+60) Fort +13, Ref +16, Will +11 DR 5/magic; Immune acid, paralysis, sleep; SR 21 Offense Speed 60 feet, burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 200 ft. (good) Melee bite +19 (2d6+1), 2 claws +19 (2d6+1), tail slap +14 (1d8+1) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with bite) Special Attacks agonizing breath (Fort DC 21, 6 rounds), blinding breath (Fort DC 21, 3 rounds), breath weapon (80 ft. cone, 1d4 rounds, Ref DC 21, 12d4 acid and bludgeoning) Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +14 At will—control water, obscuring mist Spells CL 3rd, concentration +5 1st (6/day)—alarm, protection from good (DC 13), ray of enfeeblement (DC 13) 0th—arcane mark, detect magic, detect poison, mage hand, message Statistics Str 13, Dex 26, Con 21, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 14 Base Atk +12; CMB +14; CMD 33 (37 vs. trip) Feats Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Mobility, Weapon Finesse Skills Appraise +13, Bluff +13, Fly +21, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana, nature) +13, Perception +14, Sense Motive +14, Spellcraft +13, Stealth +17, Survival +14, Swim +21; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to Swim Languages Aquan, Common, Draconic SQ flight. nimble, terrible claws, water breathing

Ancient Yellow Dragon     CR 16 XP 76,800 LE Huge dragon (air, water) Init +11; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., dragon senses, Perception +25 Aura frightful presence (300 ft., Will DC 24) Defense AC 40, touch 20, flat-footed 28 (-2 size, +11 Dex, +1 dodge, +20 natural) hp 283 (21d12+147) Fort +17, Ref +23, Will +17 DR 15/magic; Immune acid, paralysis, sleep; SR 26 Offense Speed 60 feet, burrow 30 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 250 ft. (good) Melee bite +30 (2d8+11), 2 claws +30 (2d8+11/19-20), tail slap +25 (2d6+11) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. (20 ft. with bite) Special Abilities agonizing breath (Fort DC 27, 10 rounds), blinding breath (Fort DC 27, 5 rounds), breath weapon (100 ft. cone, 1d4 rounds, 20d4 acid and bludgeoning, Ref DC 27), brine storm (10d4 acid, Ref DC 27), crush (2d8+6, Ref DC 27), graceful attacks Spell-like Abilities CL 21st, concentration +25 (+29 casting defensively) At will—control water, control weather, control winds, obscuring mist Spells CL 11th, concentration +15 (+19 casting defensively) 5th (5/day)—cone of cold (DC 19), polymorph 4th (7/day)—dimensional anchor, enervation, fire shield, resilient sphere (DC 18) 3rd (7/day)—dispel magic, haste, heroism, protection from energy 2nd (7/day)—bear’s endurance, invisibility, mirror image, scorching ray, see invisibility 1st (7/day)—alarm, comprehend languages, mage armor, protection from good (DC 15), ray of enfeeblement (DC 15) 0th—arcane mark, detect magic, detect poison, light, mage hand, message, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic Statistics Str 19, Dex 32, Con 25, Int 18, Wis 21, Cha 18 Base Atk +21; CMB +33; CMD 48 (52 vs. trip) Feats Agile Manuevers, Blind-fight, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (claw), Iron Will, Mobility, Stand Still, Weapon Finesse Skills Appraise +25, Bluff +25, Fly +31, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana, nature) +25, Perception +25, Sense Motive +25, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +23, Survival +26, Swim +31; Racial Modifiers uses Dex to Swim Languages Aquan, Auran, Common, Draconic, Giant SQ flight. nimble, terrible claws, water breathing