#october matchup

[freshthoughts2020]

[satoaiandsonaze]

I listen to Fight for Love by Blue October on my Satoai Playlist on a daily basis, and every time I do, I always see that song as the perfect finale song for an Ultimate Ash vs Iris clash in the Masters 8! So, I will give you a personal view of how I would see a full 6v6 match between our two sillies!

First match: Gengar vs Hydreigon. In this beginning clash of the battle, Gengar starts off with the advantage by landing a massively super effective Dazzling Gleam on Hydreigon! But eventually, Iris reveals a flinching Battle tactic she came up with Hydreigon, starting with using Dark Pulse, then using Dragon Rush! Eventually, she manages to knock out Gengar! Then, she returns Hydreigon, as it already took enough damage from the one Dazzling Gleam.

Second match: Pikachu vs Emolga. Asht hen brings out Pikachu and Iris throws Emolga out onto the field! Exchanging blow for blow, it will soon lead up to Emolga using Attract to waver Pikachu, and then when Emolga thinks she has the advantage, Pikachu snaps out of it and then brings a huge hit to Emolga. Emolga then uses Volt Switch, causing Emolga to leave the field and switch with her next Pokémon for the next match

Third match: Pikachu vs Excadrill. Excadrill has the advantage over Pikachu for this match, being a Ground type. She even uses an underground Drill Run tactic that she learned from Clay! A tactic like that forces Ash to return Pikachu.

Fourth match: Excadrill vs Sirfetch'd. This is a fun matchup, as these two go head-to-head. At the end, they go for broke, as Sirfetch'd uses Meteor Assult, and Excadrill uses Horn Drill. After a dramatic move-clash, Excadrill wins, knocking out Sirfetch'd, but taking a lot of damage from a super-powerful-and-super-effective Meteor Assault. However, Sirfetch'd refuses to fall; it's knocked out, but it's still standing, like a true knight. Seeing the damage he's sustained, Iris returns Excadrill.

Fifth match: Dragonite (Ash) vs Dragonite (Iris). Both Ash and Iris bring out their Dragonites for this next clash. As a little revenge grudge match from their first battle in Journeys. After trading blow for blow, this epic clash ends with Ash's Dragonite using her Dragonite Meteor tactic, and clashing with Iris's Dragonite using Dragon Rush. This dramatic clash ends with Ash's Dragonite getting knocked out.

Sixth match: Dracovish vs Dragonite (Iris). Another revenge grudge match from their first battle. The bit where Dragonite gets caught inside Dracovish's mouth happens again, but Iris uses her Dragon powers to connect with Dragonite, and she orders him to use Thunder Punch, and he obliges, punching the sides of Dracovish's mouth with Thunder Punch and breaking free. Here we get another dramatic scene, this time with both Pokémon charging at each other with Dragon Rush. The result was Iris's Dragonite getting knocked out by Dracovish a second time. Iris then realizes she needs to keep some distance between her Pokémon and Ash's Dracovish, so...

Seventh match: Dracovish vs Goodra. She brings out her very own Goodra. Iris has the advantage in this match-up, using Rain Dance to start, and using beneficial rain moves like Thunder and Muddy Water on Dracovish, but eventually, Dracovish manages to ride a Muddy Water move, and slam on Goodra hard, knocking it out.

Eighth match: Dracovish vs Hydreigon. Iris brings out Hydreigon for a second time, while it's still raining. Even with rain boosting Dracovish's water powers, a Flamethrower from Hydreigon overpowers Dracovish's Water Gun, causing this Fossil Pokémon to receive a deadly burn. Iris then uses her flinching combo again, but before she can knock him out, Dracovish makes to overcome the flinching effect and land a heavy Fishious Rend on Hydreigon. This clash ends with both sides using Dragon Rush, creating a tie and ending the Rain Dance effect.

Ninth match: Pikachu vs Emolga Rematch. Both Ash and Iris's Electric Shoulder-mons return to the field. The same stuff as their first match up happens, but before Emolga uses Volt Switch again, Pikachu stops her with a Quick Attack, and then an Iron Tail, knocking Emolga out.

Tenth match: Pikachu vs Excadrill Rematch. Excadrill returns for a Rematch against Pikachu. Same stuff as their last match up, this time Pikachu gets knocked out. Before Ash can walk onto the field to grab Pikachu, Excadrill picks up an unconscious Pikachu and hands it to Ash. Setting Pikachu down on the ground, Ash sends out his final Pokémon...

Eleventh match: Lucario vs Excadrill. Lucario takes the field as Ash's last Pokémon against Iris's Excadrill. A Steel clash is always fun to see. Excadrill tries to fool Lucario after an Aura Sphere and Focus Blast clash creating smoke, but Lucario doesn't fall for it, dodges a behind-the-back Drill Run, and nails Excadrill with a super effective Aura Sphere, knockingnout the Drill King.

Twelfth and final match: Lucario vs Haxorus. Iris brings out Haxorus onto the field as her final Pokémon. Sensing the amount of power Iris has, Ash and Lucario have a small spiritual conversation with Greninja before deciding to Mega Evolve Lucario. And thus, the final clash begins. During the battle, Ash and Iris throw some comments to each other after special move clashes. After quite a few of them, Ash gives one final, heartfelt monologue to Iris before turning his cap, and launching his final attack! Lucario takes all the Aura it can muster, and makes a Giant Aura Sphere just like the ones at Kalos and during Ash's battle with Raihan. Lucario launches it, and Haxorus counters it with Dragon Pulse. And the attack to decide it all begins with Lucario and Haxorus jumping into the powerful ball of Aura and Dragon and launching a final Reversal (Lucario) and Psycho Cut (Haxorus). While they're still inside, the ball explodes and covers the field with smoke. Once the smoke settles, you see both Pokémon seriously hurt. Then, they both fall. After some time, Lucario gets up, declaring Ash to be the winner of the match, moving on to the Finals. So much cheering occurs, and Ash and Iris shake hands and thank each other for a great battle, with Iris even hugging Ash, crying tears of joy for the greatest battle she had ever had with Ash.

Well, what do you think? You like? If you do, or if you have any other ideas, let me know in the comments below!

[juuuulez]

currently working on kinktober + promptober blurbs to post next month, so there hasn’t been much writing lately on my page! for a bit of fun, i wanna do some matchups for everyone in the meantime.

💌 -> matchup req info:

fandoms available: shameless, the bear, stranger things, the walking dead, the last of us (game and show).

please send (anon or non-anon),

- your pronouns/gender.

- gender preference.

- age preference/range.

- romantic or platonic (or both).

- general personality.

- what your ideal first date is!

please no physical descriptors! just don’t wanna make these based off appearances, it’s more fun this way! feel free to ask for different fandoms (e.g, platonic stranger things, and a romantic bear), annndd i will get to these in my spare time!!

[kentopedia]

i hit 1000 followers yesterday & i’m halfway to 1100 now, so this is a little late but thank you so much omg i love every single once of you i’m going to cry

[inkykeiji]

waaah happy first day of october everyone!!! 👻

[ao3topshipsbracket]

Welcome to the finals of the Unofficial Top AO3 Relationships Bracket!

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

If the above happens to apply to you, you might be eligible to vote in this bracket! We have pitted the most popular pairings on archiveofourown.org against each other to see who will emerge victorious. Final polls drop on Thursday October 12th at 3PM CST, and will run for a full week.

Check current vote counts here!

Further information is below the cut!

How was the bracket made?

This bracket was made based off centreoftheselights's data on the most-written pairings of all time, and edited to fit into a workable bracket. Matchups were seeded according to number of works.

This is a platonic/familial relationship, not a ship! Why is it on a ship bracket?

The top relationships on AO3 include both platonic and romantic/sexual relationships; so does this bracket. If the relationship is formatted as "[Character X] & [Character Y]" it is not a romantic pairing. If it is formatted as "[Character X]/[Character Y]" it is. (For efficiency, when a pairing showed up as both & and / in the data, only the higher-ranked version was chosen.)

What are your stances on voter fraud, etc.?

Fight for your blorbos however your honor dictates (though we ask that you don't DDOS Tumblr, and preferably do not commit any murders which can be traced back to us).

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

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

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

Bracket Schedule!

[historical-fashion-polls]

the normal pinned post for the blog can be found here

hello my spooky lovelies! 👻🦇🎃🌙🩸💀🕷

in celebration of the spookiest month of the year, I have allowed some mischievous spirits onto the blog to pause our normal queue and instead host (ghost host, if you will) a month-long halloween-themed bracket tournament of some outfits that have been featured on the blog since its inception 🎃🦇

here is how this will work:

there will be seven different brackets, each based around a halloween-y color combo (listed below with links to the masterpost for each bracket)

each poll will last ONE DAY rather than the usual week, after which a winner will be decided to go on to the next round

due to the number of outfits in each bracket, five brackets will start at the same time (sept. 28), and two will begin partway through october

the brackets will not compete with each other, so there will be seven winners at the end

the round one matchups have been chosen roughly based on date (so, it might be an outfit from 1837 versus one from 1843), but the mischievous spirits have little regard for orderliness, and have shuffled the various matchups so that in the second round, a 1950s outfit might be competing with one from the 1880s

as a result of this, various matchups may not be very comparable (especially as the tournament progresses), so use whatever criteria you see fit to pick which outfit you'd rather wear 🎃🖤

with all those logistics aside, I encourage you to peruse the brackets, choose your favored champions, and even fill out a bracket if the... spirits... move you!

THE BRACKETS (updated daily(ish))

SPIDER (green and black)

VAMPIRE (red and black)

SKELETON (black and white)

BAT (all black)

GHOST (all white)

PUMPKIN (orange and black)

WITCH (purple and black)

(as always, if you have questions, please feel free to reach out! 🎃)

[intheupside]

The Penguins will open their seven-game pre-season schedule at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, September 21, at 7:00 PM at KeyBank Center. Pittsburgh's pre-season schedule features seven games—three at PPG Paints Arena and four on the road.

Three days after the opening game, the Penguins will take on Buffalo again at home on Tuesday, September 24, at PPG Paints Arena.

Following that, Pittsburgh will play on Saturday, September 28, against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. 

The Penguins will travel north of the border to play the Ottawa Senators in the 2024 Kraft Hockeyville pre-season game on Sunday, September 29. Game location and time will be announced at a later date. 

Detroit will then come to PPG Paints Arena for a home matchup with Pittsburgh on Tuesday, October 1. 

The Penguins will conclude their pre-season slate with two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The first game will be on Thursday, October 3, at Nationwide Arena, and the second on Friday, October 4, at PPG Paints Arena. 

[onlydylanobrien]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MH: What’s your favorite thing to make?

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

MH: Do you have a mental health routine?

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

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

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

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

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

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

MH: What’s your favorite?

DOB: Of all time?

MH: Yeah.

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

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

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

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

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

MH: Absolutely.

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

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

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

MH: Why did you think that?

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

MH: Have you met Dan?

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

MH: That will be great.

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

MH: What’s your favorite movie of his?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DOB: No, never.

MH: Nothing?

DOB: No, none of it. Yeah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

This interview has been edited for content and clarity.

Source: menshealth.com

[tiktaalic]

WEB WEAVE:

Post simulator made after the ofmd/black sails poll, March 2023 // notes on the ao3topships stucky/ofmd matchup, October 2023

[bonecaffeine]

TOUCHSTARVED MATCHUPS are closed!!

Edit: While I am so so happy with the amount of attention this post got and the number of requests I received, I have to close these matchups for now. I hope to finish them all in october! Once I am done I might re-open them so stay tuned!

I've recently played the demo and I've been in love ever since! To show off my admiration for Touchstarved and its characters I decided to open up matchup requests, in which you'll be matched with one of the main characters!

To get a match up all you'll need is to send me a description of yourself in my inbox. Please fill out your description based on these points:

Your pronouns;

Your name, nickname (though it's optional!);

Do you want a romantic or a platonic matchup (no nsfw this time, sorry.)?

A brief overview of your looks and physical features;

Your personality: likes, dislikes, hobbies, fun facts, etc;

If you really don't want to be matched with a certain character, let me know.

Feel free to be as open and honest as you like with any of these points! What matters the most is your personality, so you don't have to talk much about your appearance in case that's what you're uncomfortable with. Also, if you have any triggers, mention those! I'd hate to upset anyone with their matchup. If you're worried that your description is too long or too short, it's okay. You can ramble as much or as little as you want. Aaand my final point - once I finish your matchup I'd love to hear your thoughts on how accurately I wrote about you or if I paired you with a favorite character:-) anyways, can't wait for all of your requests~~

[catsoupki]

別戒，毒友 / come out and haunt me (aki hayakawa x reader)

Summary: everyone has their vices to forget a world of devil and man, but remember, when you quit, you quit forever.

Warnings: canon-typical violence (mentioned), smoking cuz duh it’s aki, angst !! they’re hinted to have somewhat of a relationship that never really flourished, so i guess treat them as fwb that could’ve been but never was :) have this while i fail my math midterms <3

wc: 820

It takes him a little over five seconds before he actually moves. Sitting up, stretching out his legs, heaving a breath. With the cigarette box still in hand, he leaves the balcony with what he’s got left in him and goes to greet whoever is ringing the doorbell.

“Heyo,” is what greets him when he opens the gate, laden— “missed me?” You invite yourself into his home, loafers toed off at the Genkan.

“Got any cigarettes?” He says while he turns around, dipping down to rummage through the drawers, and then the kotatsu, hoping he’d come across some more saviours.

“Say yes first.” Movement ceases, you’ve done it, you’re made it awkward. Look down, sigh, look back up, Aki is meeting you in the eye.

“Yes.”

One second passes and you reach into your pocket to snake a new packet into his hand— the flavour he likes, bought from the kombini he frequents— unfamiliarly and with a certain hesitance that makes you slow down before placing it on his open palm, slithering back onto the balcony.

An October night, the wind is crackling outside, his cigarette wavering in the chill, “Hayakawa-sensei, aren’t you cold?”

“No,” his pyjamas riffle violently where he stands next to the opened sliding glass door, “you’re not gonna come out?”

“I’m not so fond of the cold, sir,” Stepping across the boundary, your hair whips in your face anyway, squinting– “give me one too.”

“Since when did you start seriously smoking?” He asks, with hair in his eyes, he looks at you expectantly. You close your eyes.

“Since last time,” you smile at him, in the direction where you think he’s at, you don’t know that his eyes are flitting across your lips, your hair, he looks at you again. You.

“You should quit.” You open your eyes again.

“Mm.”

You were introduced to Aki two months ago, as was your habit of smoking. Makima had found you lying behind some alleyway bar, maimed. When Aki arrived at the scene, he could not differentiate between the way your blood spilled and the cracks of concrete beneath your corpse.

The culprit was killed by Denji afterwards, and you were hauled to the hospital soon. The day that you wake up, Makima greeted you, a simple “Hi”, before she asked the million-dollar question: are you willing to join my squad?

You wanted to say no, and perhaps she knew that, but you had no family left, not even the Shiba. Eyes glossy, hazy, maybe, you didn’t answer her. When she came back a day later with flowers in her hold, you said yes while looking at the floor.

You believe that you have little say in what truly happens around you, and the things that happen to you. Despite Makima always asking for your opinions on matters that concern you, you think that just like how you had said yes to her initial request by looking at the floor, the requests that leave Makima’s lips are laced with aphrodisiac, or perhaps it’s poison, you never find yourself saying no.

“Would you accompany Aki on this mission? I believe it’ll be a good learning opportunity for you.” Yes, because yes.

“Will you consider making a contract with this devil? It’ll be a good matchup when you go on missions with Denji and Aki.” Sure, why not.

It was August when your lips were first tainted by something. It was supposed to be smouldering these days, but that time, you find yourself travelling to Hokkaido with Aki.

He was familiar with the place, you could tell. Unlike the other times, he didn’t waste time fiddling with paper maps or asking the locals. With snow crunching under his footfalls, he walked knowing where his shoes would land next; forward.

The air had been extra cold when Aki gave you your first cigarette. Musk fills your lungs before you heave and cough all that you inhaled. Aki laughs at you.

You should quit. Yes— quit smoking, quit saying yes, quit abusing devils, quit looking at the ground when Makima talks to you. You should quit before you die.

“I’ll quit when you do.” Stubbornness is all that you know, Aki knows. He sighs instead.

“Why’re you here?”

Aki is polite. He has a habit of looking at people with proper etiquette in conversation, something that you lack. The dimming skyline, nebulous clouds. “I’m leaving tomorrow! I finally got my solo mission after two months, Nara. I’m eating so much food there.”

Maybe it’s the wind, or maybe it’s you, perhaps it’s him, but you don’t say much. He doesn’t say much either. It’s the wind whipping your hair— yeah.

He glances at you, with smoke filling his lungs, drowning in you, he says, “Be careful.”

You leave soon after, forgetting that you had a reunion with a few friends. You leave behind the cigarettes.

You quit. Aki never got to return them.

tag list: @hatsukeii @staraxiaa hahahah a two ppl tag list is comical

[sonic-oc-showdown]

SONIC OC SHOWDOWN 2!

Here's the bracket for the showdown! Definitely open it in a new tab to be able to read all the names OR you can look below to see all of the matchups and their creators!

ROUND ONE WILL START FRIDAY OCTOBER 20TH AT 12PM EST

I have to separate the two sides between a post for this round cause tumblr does NOT like all the @ mentions, so look for the RIGHT SIDE BRACKET in the reblogs!!

LEFT SIDE BRACKET

Roller the Ferret (@technoria) vs Dusty the Rabbit (@starlitskvader) [link to poll]

Elysium the Shadow Android (@wereh0gz) vs Lime the Shadow Android (@sonicrules) [link to poll]

Aries the Wolf (@l-sincline) vs Tabi (@nintendoni-art) [link to poll]

Cessare (@pactwraith) vs Rocket the Shadow Android (@bees-are-my-thing-bro) [link to poll]

Rime the Cat (@yellowvixen) vs Frost the Fox (@crossovermadness06) [link to poll]

Chroma the Hedgehog (@chao-stadium) vs Ziro the Maned Wolf (@shadow-t-hedgehog) [link to poll]

Fibula the Hedgehog (@son1c) vs Foxglove the Porcupine (@sonboygemerl) [link to poll]

Faye Moreau (@addysfandomdump) vs Curie the Radiant (@riftclaw) [link to poll]

Slime (@empty-ted) vs Chimera Baby "Mira" (@fleetways) [link to poll]

Thistle the Tenrec (@bunnymajo) vs Specter the Porcupine (@halloween-cats) [link to poll]

Dog the Capybara (@couch-house) vs Delina the Cat (@terrorteeth) [link to poll]

Crux the Hawk (@snowpearart) vs Wingnut (@gourde) [link to poll]

Blossom the Bunny (@scorpiolight-madd) vs Zest the Rat (@dreaminginmysoup) [link to poll]

Splash the Water Cat (@angelicdevil) vs Clutch the Pangolin (@tearcynical) [link to poll]

Trace the Tasmanian Devil (@sapphanimates) vs Sapphire Aurora (@spiritgenie) [link to poll]

Bitx Byte (@infinitetrainss) vs Sting the Scorpion (@whimsical-sonic) [link to poll]

[writing-blog-iguess]

Online Matchup 7

Summery: It’s Jason’s first gala since he came back to Gotham. As expected, he’s n a little nervous. But don’t worry, you’re there to help him get through it.

Warning: fluff, swearing

Words: 4.2 k

A/N: So, here's the long awaited gala scene. Feedback is always welcome and Enjoy!

Taglist: @xoxoyourdoll @teapartydreams

ao3

Series master list

————

October 29

Jason (10:30 am) *sent a picture of the two of you cuddling on your couch*

Y/N When the fuck did you take that?

Jason Such language And so early in the day

Y/N First of all, you swear just as much as I do so shut And second of all, answer the question Jason

Jason But you know the answer We fell asleep on the couch last week

Y/N But we didn’t cuddle We were on the opposite sides of the couch!

Jason You’re right But somewhere in the night That happened

Y/N I do not remember that

Jason Because I got off the couch before you woke up Didn’t want you to be embarrassed

Y/N Sir, I call bullshit You love making me flustered

Jason That maybe so, but I needed the bathroom I tried to wake you up But man, you sleep like the dead

Y/N I’m very proud

Jason No kidding So, what are you up to today?

Y/N Homework, probably Clean the apartment Been slacking with that lately And with the party that’s happening on Tuesday, I need to make sure things are put away before they can break

Jason You don’t strike me as a party person

Y/N I am not My friend loves to throw Halloween parties And it’s usually at my place

Jason And you're okay with it?

Y/N We have a deal I let her throw it at my place She has to clean it up the day after

Jason But Halloween is on a Tuesday Don’t you guys have classes the next day?

Y/N Yup and she knows that I take great pleasure in seeing her clean while hungover She’s going to do a shit job cause she’ll be rushing But she wanted it on Halloween

Jason You’re a bit of a sadist aren’t you?

Y/N Only with my friends and they do that themselves I wanted to hold it yesterday But noooooo, it has to be on Halloween

Jason Your friends sound lovely

Y/N Don’t get me wrong They are but sometimes it feels like I have all the brain cells

Jason That’s hard to believe Sometimes I think you don’t have any

Y/N Wow WOW Guess you’re not invited to the party anymore

Jason That’s okay I probably couldn’t make it

Y/N Helping your brothers again?

Jason I plead the fifth

Y/N You ain’t slick I see you

Jason (3:40 am) Finished everything you wanted to get done today?

Y/N Cleaning, yes Homework, no

Jason How come you're always doing homework?

Y/N I don’t know if you’ve noticed But I’m in school And in order to pass and get my degree I need to hand in my assignments

Jason Lame

Y/N That’s just rude Why do you wanna know? Planning to have a sleepover again

Jason No Just curious

Y/N That’s a little sus babe

Jason I didn’t know we were up to pet names now

Y/N I retract the pet name If we started using pet names, I wouldn’t start with bade

Jason Looking forward to hearing what you’ll use

Y/N Mm, we’ll see

A series of knocking woke you up from your accidental nap. Blinking wearily, you tried to figure out what had woken you up.  The knocking started again, and you let your head lull in that direction. “Okay, okay. I’m coming, I’m coming,” you grumbled, as you slowly got off the couch. 

You pulled the blanket from the couch and wrapped it around your shoulders as you made your way to the door. Unlocking it, you pulled the door open and blinked at a very well-dressed Jason. 

“Was there a date we agreed to that I somehow forgot about?” you asked and moved out of the way when Jason let himself in. 

“What? No, why would you say that?” he asked, pacing around the living room. You closed the door and turned around, meekly gesturing to his outfit.  

“You’re in a tux.” 

“Huh?” he said and looked down. “Oh. Yeah no, this is for something else.” “Okay…? Can I help you with something then?” 

“So, there’s this gala tonight,” Jason said, going back to pacing, “and it’s the first one I’m attending. And Bruce has the idea of making a statement that I wasn’t actually dead.” 

“So, it’s the dead coming back to life thing,” you mused, “does Bruce have a story?” 

“Yup. He has everything planned but I-” 

“You’re not ready to be integrated back into society,” you finished and he merely nodded. “What me to come with? Act as your buffer?” That had stopped Jason’s pacing and he turned towards you in surprise. 

 “You’d do that?” he asked, shrugging. “You’ll be in front of cameras. You’ll meet my family for the first time.” 

“I know,” you said, hiding how nervous you were at the thought of meeting them for the time. “But you need help, and maybe someone in your corner.” 

“But you don’t know the full story.” 

“I don’t need it to help you.” 

“I could kiss you.” 

“I’ll count this as date two,” you said, smiling when he snorted. “What time do you need to be there?” 

Jason looked at his watch before answering. “Twenty minutes.”

“Give me ten.”

“There’s no way you’ll be ready in time,” Jason said, and you ignored him in favour of going to the bathroom. 

“We’ll see about that,” you muttered as you started the shower. 

Shower done, and hair dried, you wrapped a towel around you and quickly made your way to the bedroom. Jason had the decency of looking away when he saw you coming out of the bathroom.

If there was one thing about Jason, he was a gentleman and it was something you liked about him.

You closed the door behind you, and went through your closet until you found the dressing bag. Taking it out, you unzipped it, wanting to know if there was anything it needed before putting it on. To your relief, there wasn't.

Putting it on, you did one final check to make sure everything was good before going to the living room.

“Well, I stand corrected,” Jason said when he heard the bedroom door open. “That was less than-wow,” he breathed out when he looked up to see you standing there. “You look fantastic.”

Putting your hands behind your back, you swayed a little, looking a little shy. “You think so?”

“I know so,” he answered, giving you a smile. “Are you sure you want to do this? We can stay here and have a movie marathon. We don't have to.”

“Yeah, but you’ll be delaying the inevitable,” you said, making your way to him. Standing in front of him, you took his hands and squeezed. “I know you're not ready for it, and you probably never will. But I’ll be there with you the entire night. You just need to trust me that I will.”

Jason’s eyes softened and he cupped your face, thumb gently stroking your cheeks. “I do,” he whispered. You smiled and turned your head slightly and kissed his palm.

“Then let’s go make the best out of a shitty situation.”

The ride to the venue was a lot shorter than you had anticipated. But the drive was spent in silence as the both of you mentally prepared yourselves for the night.

You weren’t entirely sure what you were getting yourself into, but you planned to see this through.

Jason slowly made his way through the line and pulled the car in park when it was your turn to get out. Before you could reach for the handle, Jason’s hand tightened around yours, stopping you from moving.

Sitting back, you turned to Jason. “Everything okay?”

“Are you sure about this?” Jason asked, and your eyes softened. “I mean it, we can turn around and do something else.”

“I’m sure,” you said, leaning over slightly. “But if you're not ready, I’m sure Bruce would understand the situation.”

“It's not what I’m worried about,” he said, “the life of a Wayne can be pretty hectic. With being in the public, everyone’s eyes are on you. I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable when the media tries to find who you are. I…I don’t want you to leave because of them.”

“We’ll, it’s a good thing I don't care what people think,” you said, squeezing his hand. “I doubt they’ll follow you around. The tabloids are more interested in Bruce Wayne than they are of his kids. And when it’s focused on them, it’s usually at events like these or if they did something newsworthy.” You paused, biting your lip when you realized you might have gone too far. “Um, no offense.”

Jason laughed, shaking his head. “None taken. Ready?”

“Ready when you are,” you answered, squeezing his hand one more time. He gave it a kiss and told you to stay in the car for a moment. You watched as he left, and walked around the car only to open your door.

“My lady,” he teased, holding out his hand to you. You took it with a smile, and stepped out of the car, ignoring the shouts and the camera flashes.

“My good sir,” you teased back, linking your arm through his. Leaning over slightly to whisper in Jason’s ear, “do we need to stay for pictures?”

“No, we can just go in,” Jason answered and led the way. You tightened your grip on his arm as you followed and swallowed down your nerves. “Ready?”

“Never going to stop asking that tonight?” you asked, shooting him a teasing smile.

“When it comes to your well-being? Never.”

“My knight in shining armor.”

“I thought that would be Red Hood,” he questioned as the two of you walked through the doors. He laughed when you hit his chest, grumbling that you should have never told him about your little crush on the hero.

“Shut up,” you whined, though happy to see him in better spirits. “So, are there any rules I need to follow before I make a fool out of myself?”

“I don’t think you could ever make a fool out of yourself,” Jason said, looking around. As if he was looking for someone to avoid or to say hello to.

“Well, clearly you don’t know me very well,” you said, guiding him to the bar you spotted when walking in. “At some point or another, I can and will embarrass myself. If given the change.”

“Then I’ll make sure you don’t have a chance. What are you doing?” he asked when he noticed where he was. 

“Getting a drink,” you answered like it was obvious. You turned to the bartender about to order.

“Aren’t you a little young to be drinking?” Jason asked before you could. You sent him a pointed look, with a shake of your head.

“I’m like, a few months younger than you. What do you think? I’ll have water please,” you said to the bartender, shooting her a smile. She returned it and went to get your drink. “Make those two please?”

“Not a problem.”

“You’re so weird,” he stated, watching as you retrieved the glasses when they were set in front of you. He took the glass you were offering, and held it.

“Yet here we are,” you said, taking a sip. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Before you could reply to Jason, a voice called from behind you. The both of you turned and you hid your laugh behind your hand at the look Jason made.

“Well, that didn’t take long for them to find me,” he muttered, turning away as his brothers, well at least that’s who you think they were, walked towards you.

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” you reminded him, holding his hand that wasn’t holding the cup. 

“Was hoping to spend a little more time with you before my idiot brothers found us,” Jason muttered into his cup. 

“Yeah, but you get to take me home when it’s all over and done with,” you reminded and took great pleasure in watching him get flustered. Clearing his throat, he took a sip from his cup before shooting you a dark look.

“Careful Little Bird, or you’re going to give a gentleman the wrong meaning,” he whispered. A shiver ran down your spine at the meaning and you quickly averted your gaze.

“Hey, Jason! So glad you made it,” one of his brothers said as they reached you. He patted Jason’s shoulder and he shrugged it off, frowning.

“It's not like Bruce gave me much of a choice,” he answered, “where is he anyways?”

“Taking care of last-minute details at work,” he answered, causing Jason to roll his eyes. You get the feeling they’re talking about something else. 

Minding your business, you take another sip, letting your gaze roam around the room. It only turned back when a hand was thrust in front of you.

You gazed at the hand and followed its path until you were met with the smiling brother. “Hello,” you greeted, hesitantly shaking the offered hand.

“Hi, who’s this Jay?” The brother asked. You squinted at him, recalling if you’ve ever met him before. You haven’t, but something about him seems familiar.

“My date,” he answered curtly. Letting go of your hand, you mourned the loss of contact until he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. “Y/N, this is Dick.”

“Dick Grayson at your service,” he greeted, smiling widely at you.

“Hi,” you repeated, squinting at him slightly. “You're the cop brother out in Bludhaven.”

Dick eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Yeah, that’s me. I didn’t know Jason talks about me.”

“Not just you,” you corrected, “he talks about all of his siblings.” And made a noise when you felt Jason pinch your side.

“All good things I hope,” a different brother said, popping his head out from behind Dick. “Tim Drake.”

“No, he usually complains about the shit you’ve guys pulled,” you said, making them laugh. “You’re the asshole who gave Conner my number.”

“That would be me,” he said proudly, grinning. “How’d you find out?”

“My sister’s dating Conner and she got it out of him,” you explained, “I hope you know I’m getting my revenge.”

Tim narrowed his eyes at you, as if he was sizing you up. You only raised an eyebrow and met his stare. “I doubt it,” he finally said with a snort.

“I don’t think you know who you’re messing with,” Jason said, “don’t underestimate them.”

“Why? Because they’re dating you?”

“Sir, I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me,” you interrupted, “I’m the oldest of four, majoring in engineering. But you already know that since you’ve been snooping in my life.”

“Not much of a life though, is it?” 

“Maybe, and that’s okay,” you said with a shrug. “Though before you write me off, ask Conner what happened during spirit week his freshman year.”

That made him nervous, like he knew what you meant. Smiling sweetly, you reached out and patted his head. “You don’t want to make an enemy out of me,” you said and turned to the shorter of the group.

“Demon spawn?” you questioned without thinking. There was a brief moment of silence before everyone but you and the youngest started laughing. He scowled and you downed your drink wishing that it was something stronger. You set it down and hide your face in your hands, groaning. “Oh no, please don’t tell me I actually said that.”

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Jason apologized, but he didn’t sound apologetic at all. 

“You aren’t that far off though,” Tim piped up. 

“I am so so sorry,” you said, voice sounding a bit muffled, “I didn’t mean to say that, I don’t know why that came out.”

“I have no doubt that Todd had any help with that,” he said, clearing his throat he crossed his arms and introduced himself. “It's Damian Wayne, the only son of Bruce Wayne.”

“Y/N,” you muttered out, finally dropping your hands from your face. “And probably. Every time Jason talks about you, he doesn't say your name.”

“Okay, don’t tell them all my secrets now,” Jason teased, squeezing you into his sides. 

“The night’s still young,” Dick said with a smile, “who knows what secrets they might spill.”

You turned to Jason, and poked his cheek until he turned to look at you. “Shoot me, if I say anything embarrassing about myself or you tonight, just shoot me. I’m okay with that,” you said with a serious face. 

“Sorry sweetie, no can do,” he said with a smile. “I like you too much to do that.” Hanging your head in defeat, you sighed.

“Damn,” you sighed, “guess I’ll suffer then.”

“That’s okay, I’ll suffer with you,” Jason said, leaning over and hiding his face in his hair. You could feel the smile that he was trying to hide. 

“At least that’s a plus,” you couldn’t help saying. That caused another round of laughter. You smiled; happy it was going better than what you expected. “I thought you had another brother, and like two sisters?”

“We do, they just couldn’t make it today,” Dick was quick to say. You raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. 

“I thought it was a mandatory thing for your family. Having to come to these fancy parties.”

“Sometimes, but when Bruce gives some of us a free pass when the need arises,” Jason explained. “But I’m sure if they knew you’d be here, they’d be here too,” Jason quickly added when you frowned.

“Man, I was really hoping to actually meet Stephanie,” you said, and shrugged. “Maybe next time.”

“There you all are,” a voice called from behind. You all turned to see Bruce standing behind Dick, smiling. “Ah, you must be Y/N I’ve heard so much about.” You doubted that for a minute, knowing Jason isn’t one to share things with his family. Then you looked at Tim and things started to make sense. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

You shook his head when he offered, and smiled at it. “Nice to meet you too Mr. Wayne.”

“I’d love to stay and chat, but I need Jason for a moment,” he said, turning to Jason, “are you ready?”

“Do we really need to do this?” he asked, and made a face when Bruce nodded. “Alright. Are you going to be okay for a while?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” you reassured with a smile. “I’ll find you later.”

You were wrong, so very wrong. The minute Bruce and Jason left your hearing range, his brothers turned on you like vultures circling their next meal. You weren’t sure how long you stood there answering questions you didn’t know how to answer.

When you finally managed to escape, you took a breath and began your search for Jason. You found him talking with Bruce and a reporter. 

Quietly standing beside him, you grabbed his hand and ignored the conversation they were having. Jason squeaked your hand in acknowledgement, and you smiled, leaning your head on his arm.

After a moment, the reporter and Bruce excused themselves and Jason turned to you. “You doing okay?”

Taking back your hand, you moved it to cupped his cheeks and squished his cheeks together. Jason tried to smile, but it looked a little lopsided squished between your hands. “Never leave me alone with your brothers again.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” he muttered out with a laugh.

“They grilled me like I was a bad guy,” you said, “and I felt like it too. Jason, I am not the bad guy. I felt like one of those creeps that the heroes fight and needed information on something I couldn’t give them. I don’t want to feel like that again, had me questioning if I was right for you or not.”

“Not being overly dramatic?” Jason asked, and you squished his face more in retaliation. “Okay. I get it,” he said, grabbing your hands and moving them off his face. “That was wrong of them for making you feel like that. No one should go through what you just did.”

“Like I get, they’re your family and they want what’s best for you, you know? Like they care about you, and I get that Dick is looking out for you. But Tim? The dude told me I could do so much better than you and Damian? I’m pretty sure he said that you could do better than me? I don’t know, I stopped listening to them at a certain point.”

“Well, they shouldn’t have said that to begin with at all. And I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Jason said, you waved away his worry.

“No, no, you probably could. But that’s not the point, the point is they could be very good cops if they wanted to,” you said, “it felt like an interrogation. And I hope that I never have to do that again when I meet your sisters.”

“At this rate, I don’t think you will,” he said and you looked up at him in confusion. “Don’t worry about it. Come on, let's dance.”

“But I don’t know how to,” you said as Jason started pulling you to the dance floor.

“Don’t worry about it. All you have to do is follow my lead,” he said, twirling you around until you stood in front of him. You looked up, squinting at him. He laughed, guiding your hands to his shoulders before putting his hands on your waist. “Don’t look at me like that, I know how to dance.”

“Oh, I got that. I’m just surprised,” you said, doing as he said and following him as he started dancing.

“I’m full of surprises, Birdie.”

“So, how long do we have to stay here?” you asked after dancing in silence. Jason raised his eyebrows at you.

“You want to leave already? Feels like we just got here,” he countered. Shaking your head, you looked around before meeting his eyes.

“Don’t lie. I’m not sure how long we’ve been here but it has got to be an hour maybe,” you guessed, “and not yet. But I’m getting hungry and I haven’t found any food around. I thought they had food at these events.”

“They usually do,” he said, looking around to see if he could find any. “But it looks like they are either going to the kitchens to get some more, or there is none.”

“Man, that’s a shame. I’m starving.”

“I thought you ate earlier?”

“Nope. When you came over, I was taking a nap. I haven’t eaten since lunch, and even then, it was just a bag of chips,” you said. Jason sent you a disapproving look making you smile sheepishly. 

“You need to take better care of yourself. But we can leave whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll leave when you’re ready too,” you said through a yawn. “Who knows? Maybe you have to do more interviews or speak to the crowd or something.”

“Nope, I’m done talking to people,” he explained, “all I have to do is stand beside Bruce when he’s giving the speech to everyone. After that we can leave.”

The two of you danced two move dances, before someone announced that Bruce had an announcement to make. You came to a stop, and you watched as Jason sighed. “Well, that’s my cue.”

“I’ll be standing front row where you could see me,” you reminded him, “I won’t be far.”

“You, Birdie are a godsend,” he said, leaning down to kiss the top of your head. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Careful there, Jason. Treat someone like that, they’re gonna think they’re really special to you,” you retorted, reaching up to pat his cheek gently.

“Maybe they already are,” he said and left, leaving you flustered. You covered your face with your hands and silently screamed. There was something about Jason that made you feel cared for, and you weren’t quite sure how to deal with.

Pushing away those feelings for now, you collected yourself and turned to make your way towards the growing crowd.

After a minute of politely pushing your way through the crowd, you found yourself standing beside Jason's brothers. Not one to be rude, you smiled hello to them and turned to the front where Jason was standing a little bit behind Bruce. You gave Jason a small wave, which he returned before Bruce started talking.

You tried to listen as Bruce told the story he had come up with, but your mind kept wandering to your relationship with Jason, and where it might lead to. The thought of the future was scary, but you couldn’t see a future without him. Maybe the two of you were going a little fast, but you found that you didn’t care as much as you should.

If he’s the one, why overthink it?

Soon enough, clapping brought you out of your thoughts. Shaking your head, you joined in the clapping and slipped away from his brothers before they decided to go for a round two.

“Wasn’t so bad, right?” you asked once you reached him. He shrugged and grabbed your hand before pulling you towards an exit.

“Would have been a lot better if you were standing with me,” he answered, “but yeah. It was okay. Now, ready for some burgers?”

“More than ready.” 

[kirbyoctournament]

Hello again folks! it’s that time again, and new match ups are here!

The Second Chance Semi-Finals Are Here!!

Matchups for the Second Chance Semi-Finals are located in the same google sheets document as our competitors list was previously. you can navigate to them by clicking the "SECOND CHANCE" tab in the bottom left of the screen! Previous rounds can be found in the “PREVIOUS ROUNDS” tab.

Posting of polls for the Second Chance Brackets will begin posting on October 7th.

The Second Chance Semi-Final polls will be posted individually over two days. Polls will be posted to the tournament blog in the randomized order they were generated, as shown in the document! Each poll will last one week, and polling will take place using our new more secure method off-tumblr.

ADDITIONALLY due to the final rounds being imminent and no new match-ups being required for the grand final, the break between polls will be shorter.

GRAND FINAL POLLS WILL BEGIN on the 21st of October.

If you want to remove your character from polling, please reach out to us non-anonymously!! you can ping the cohosts role in the discord server and/or send an ask to the tourney blog (which we will reply to privately!)

please note that all match ups are final! We are no longer accepting any new ocs, nor will we be moving ocs around, for any reason!

[f1shipbracket]

Welcome to The Ship Bracket

After going through all the responses to the form (thank you to everyone who participated) and fighting against Excel, Word, and several Bracket-Making websites, I am proud to present the Very Unofficial Formula 1 Ship Bracket:

The ships were ranked making an average of the number of entries and the number of fics on ao3, with the top 32 ships making it into the bracket. I'm sorry if your favourite ship didn't make it in, but even some of my favourites didn't make the cut 😢😢.

The bracket is seeded, meaning that (based on the ranking explained above) the highest contender is going against the lowest contender, the second highest against the second lowest, and so on.

Here is a list of the matchups:

Group A (left):

Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen vs. Charles Leclerc/Lewis Hamilton (finished)

Max Verstappen/Sergio Pérez vs. Pierre Gasly/Yuki Tsunoda (finished)

Carlos Sainz/Charles Leclerc vs. Esteban Ocon/Pierre Gasly (finished)

James Hunt/Niki Lauda vs. Lewis Hamilton/Sebastian Vettel (finished)

Kimi Räikkönen/Sebastian Vettel vs. Lewis Hamilton/Valtteri Bottas (finished)

Kevin Magnussen/Nico Hülkenberg vs. Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri (finished)

Lewis Hamilton/Max Verstappen vs. Lando Norris/Max Fewtrell (finished)

Charles Leclerc/Daniel Ricciardo vs. Carlos Sainz/Lando Norris (finished)

Group B (right):

Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen vs. Fernando Alonso/Jenson Button (finished)

Jenson Button/Sebastian Vettel vs. Fernando Alonso/Mark Webber (finished)

Alex Albon/George Russell vs. Logan Sargeant/Oscar Piastri (finished)

Charles Leclerc/Lando Norris vs. Charles Leclerc/Sebastian Vettel (finished)

Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg vs. Fernando Alonso/Lance Stroll (finished)

Jenson Button/Nico Rosberg vs. Mark Webber/Sebastian Vettel (finished)

Daniel Ricciardo/Lando Norris vs. Esteban Ocon/Lance Stroll (finished)

Michael Schumacher/Mika Häkkinen vs. Charles Leclerc/Pierre Gasly (finished)

Schedule:

I will post one poll per week, starting with the first matchup of Group A on the 4/3/2024 (4th of March) and each poll will be open for one week. According to my calculations, this will be over by October.

Rules:

I have experienced how fandom brackets like this one can cause chaos and drama, so I just want to make some things clear from the get-go:

Feel free (and very encouraged!!) to make propaganda for the ship you want to support and reblog the poll with said propaganda.

Vote following whatever criteria you want. If you want to vote because you like the ship, go for it. If you want to vote because you think the ship has more historical significance, go for it. If you want to vote because you like/don't like a driver or a team, one again, go for it.

Please don't bot the polls. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I can do anything if it happens, but we would all like this to be a fair fight.

DO NOT harass other people or the mod. This is an fandom poll on the internet about shipping, don't let it bleed into real life consequences. I know where the block button is and I will not hesitate to use it, I recommend everyone else adheres to the same principle should someone make you feel uncomfortable.

Have a fun time!! I decided to make this to see how it develops, and I hope everyone else can enjoy the experience too.

Feel free to ask any questions.