#one day i'll get winner in his own series

[pharawee]

Winner Tanatat Kunaneksin in MY STAND-IN · Episode 1

[moonchild1]

 kim taehyung fic rec list (Ⅴ)

hello everyone i know it's been a while since i posted, work has been hectic, but i got some time and managed to finish a list so please enjoy i have a few lists ready to post so i'll que them up... here's my all time favourite taehyung fics, please show lots of love and support to these wonderful authors and their blogs, leave a heart, reblog or even leave a message or feedback under their posts i know they would appreciate hearing from you, some of these fics contain smut so no minors allowed you will be blocked ♡ feel free to recommend me some fics or just share what your reading right now i'd love hearing from you 🖤✨

a- angst s- smut f- fluff

series

only here to sin by @gimmethatagustd s a ft. namjoon

When your genius of a boyfriend returns to Harvard for his sophomore year of college, you never would have expected to have his worst enemy keeping you entertained in his absence.

our gray winter by @vyduan s a ft. jjk

“Were you looking for this?” Taehyung asked as he handed you the box of tampons you always bought. He remembered. You wanted to sink into the floor and die. Instead, you recalled your manners and said, “Thanks.” You put the box in your basket. “I can’t believe you remembered.” He beamed at you. It was patently unfair how he could look all glowy and soft while you looked… not like that. “Of course, Y/N.” If possible, Taehyung’s voice dropped even lower. “I remember everything about you.”

schemes and tricks to win her heart by @crystaljins ft. ksj

Rich company heir Kim Seokjin has a plan to win the heart of the girl of his dreams, and you, his little brother’s best friend, are dragged along for the ride. His younger brother objects, of course.

camboy!tae by @hisunshiine f s a

Give me all of your love, gimme something to dream about. KTH is your favorite camboy, and as a loyal subscriber, you are chosen to test out some new features on the platform he uses to go live. He’s really good at selling his viewers a dream, and as a thanks to a new milemark he’s hit on the platform, he’s choosing one winner to get their fantasy scene. 

tolerate it by @archivedkookie s a

Taehyung is your husband, and you love him. If only he loved you back; if only he cherished your love and not tolerated it.

what was hidden by @daechwitatamic s a ft. myg

This is how it all starts: Taehyung is flunking Western Lit. You're assigned to tutor him. His paper on Strindberg's The Ghost Sonata could pass or fail him for the semester. As you and Taehyung slowly become friends, then more, you learn that there's a lot more to him than you originally assumed. Together, you navigate your own experiences with the play’s themes: one's "true self" versus one's "shown self", darkness behind the facade, and how people can be quite literally haunted - and it has nothing to do with ghosts.

complete faith by @daechwitatamic

It’s Taehyung himself who admits that it’s usually around the one-month mark that he starts to lose interest in his relationships. So even though you’re so drawn to him you can barely stand it, even though he’s attentive and funny, even though you’re helplessly crazy about him… when you start dating, you feel like you’ve got an expiration date from day one. But will it be Taehyung’s issues that get in the way, or your own?

and they were roommates by @hoseok666 f s a ft. jjk

it all started with a rejection from your longtime crush, jeon jungkook. you decided to confess to him on your last day of high school. after a harsh rejection and a rough summer dealing with the heartbreak, you were starting anew once your freshman year of college came. you were going to be sharing an apartment with two other roommates that you don’t even know. what a surprise you’re going to be in for once you find out it’s the one and only: jeon jungkook and kim taehyung. 

with a brush of fate by @yoongiofmine f s a

Your roommate was sure she found you the perfect man. Her boyfriend believed he found Taehyung’s soulmate. The only problem was that you never wanted to date an idol and he never wanted to drag you into this life. Taehyung didn’t even know what he wanted anymore and was tired of being criticized for simply growing up. You just wanted to finish university and do something for yourself. What started out with the meddling of your friends became something neither of you expected. Could the two of you be what the other is missing? Or would things just fall apart?

groovy by @kinktae f s a

Even in the 70s, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t have feelings for your best friend’s little sister. 

tempting by @/kinktae s a

Y/N is an angel. She steers clear of the seven deadly sins, especially lust. She runs into a demon but, luckily for her, that demon doesn’t seem to buy into that whole “Angels and Demons are sworn enemies” idea. But unluckily for her, he just so happens to be the very embodiment of sin. Especially lust.

talk by @gukslut f s a

Finals week is kicking your ass, thank goodness you have a friend to help you relieve some stress. It’s a great arrangement, as long as no one finds out... as long as you don’t catch feelings. What could go wrong?

somebody to love by @cutechim

kim taehyung wins the heart of everyone he meets, and you—his self-proclaimed work “nemesis”—are not an exception.

tear you apart by @bratkook s

I want to hold you close, soft breasts, beating heart, as I whisper in your ear, ‘I wanna fucking tear you apart.’ demon au

clairevont by @/bratkook f s a ft. jjk

The second year of college starts off with a bang until you find yourself tangled in between your fuck buddy Kim Taehyung and his innocent room mate Jeon Jungkook.

free use by @littlemisskookie f s a

You tell your crush you want him to have full control of you in every way always. He obliges.

lost myth of truelove by @sugalaritae f s a

for six months you wait for him, a weekend spent together, finally able to reach the man your soul is tethered to.

because of you, blue by @ugh-yoongi f s a

nearly a year out from your breakup with taehyung, jin begs you for help saving his failing restaurant. the two of you aren’t exactly friends, but you feel some stupid sense of obligation and, really, what’s the worst that could happen?

true love by @jjkeverlast f s a

in which you're face to face with your ex again after 5 years, because both of your friends start dating each other.

obsidian by @kpopfanfictrash s a

The world of magic is divided into dark and light, witches and warlocks, choice and fate. You’re a prodigy of light, a witch who works within the police force. You’ve heard of Taehyung in passing, spoken in whispers as the warlock of dark who has the world holding it’s breath.  All this changes on the night you’re assigned as security for a mysterious singer named V and you come face to face with Taehyung himself. What happens after that might be fate.

baby, baby by @hobiwonder ft. pjm f s a

When you’ve run out of savings to continue on to the last semester of your Bachelors - you take an unorthodox route. Helping a desperate couple have a child and getting paid for it? Heck yeah. But what do you know - it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

entangled by @caelesjjk ft. jjk s a

He saved your life twice. But he’s also been your sweet lab partner in college for the past two years and now someone who is more than just a friend. You care about him…maybe even love him. But something tells you that you aren’t quite sure what love even is. How could you when you have feelings for someone else as well. Kim Taehyung is the handsome stranger you’ve seen around campus and somehow ended up dancing with at Club Onyx. You were upset that Jungkook had stood you up once again and Taehyung made you feel like you were on top of the world. What you didn’t know that night, is the dark secret Taehyung is trying desperately to hide, but the closer the two of you get the more difficult that becomes.

buzzed by @junqkook f s a

maybe ordering a vibrator and letting your best friend open your mail wasn’t such a great idea.

queen cobra by @fantasybangtan f s a

when your boss offers the chance to take down the nation’s most lucrative gang from the inside out, you know you’ll do it no matter what the cost… even if that means entering an arranged marriage with the kingpin himself.

pulse by @rohobi f s a

You fell in love with Kim Taehyung during Medical School. Now living totally different lives in completely different hospitals, you're pulled together again as if by fate during a code black when someone plants a bomb in your hospital. 

things we don't say by @wintaerbaer f s a

Three years after graduating college, everything seems to be falling into place for you: stable job, cozy apartment, and a long-term boyfriend with a ring box hidden in his desk drawer. But when a mutual friend makes a remark that your best friend of nearly two decades is clearly in love with you, you realize that life may not be as simple as it seems.

mars by @to-star-lake s a

ahistorical au, military au, yandere!taehyung

satisy by @suga-kookiemonster f s a

 “listen,” taehyung says, eyes wide and eager as he smiles at you. “i figure we can just help each other out. i scratch your back, you scratch mine.” but when you find yourself suddenly in need of a massive favor, exactly how much scratching are you willing to do?

no kisses by @icedmatchatae f s a

It's championship week! The most anticipated week of the school year; however, leading up to the events, you and your council must collaborate with the football team to promote school spirit and pride. Unfortunately, you're forced to work with your number one enemy, Football team captain and fuck boy, Kim Taehyung, known for having a mysterious "no kisses" rule.

beyond desire by @strwberrytae s a

it’s never easy falling for your best friend when you have so much history. it’s especially difficult when you both share the same sexual desires and lifestyle. taehyung is a dominant CEO of a well known company in Seoul and you are an up and coming editor. while both of you come from a troubled and dark past, you lean on each other for support and comfort. what happens as your feelings blossom and grow over the years? what happens when you fear taehyung may be falling in love with someone else? will you confess your feelings or remain in the shadows?

one-shot

crazy for you by @oddinary4bts f s a

 you’ve known Kim Taehyung your whole life. When you meet again at a party hosted by your best friend, alcohol looses your lips and you spill your secrets to your childhood crush. Will Taehyung give in to your desire, or will you be struck by remorse?

seventeen times 17 by @cutaepatootie f s a

You loved him Seventeen Times 17.

ten out of ten by @shadowkoo f s a

For the past three years, Kim Taehyung has made it his mission to annoy you relentlessly on campus, finding every possible way to drive you up the wall during your shared classes. However, as you both enter your senior year, something strange happens. Taehyung begins to sense a shift in his energy, realizing he might just have some secret feelings for you. What unfolds when you make this earth-shattering discovery too?

under wraps by @jungkxook f s

there’s nothing you and taehyung seem to hate more than each other - except for christmas. having recently been dumped by your (now ex) boyfriend only seems to make this holiday even worse. but when taehyung suggests that you should pretend to be dating each other to save you both the embarrassment, pity, and bothersome questions from family and friends alike for a fun carefree month of celebrations, you can’t possibly say no.

always the bridesmaid by @kookingtae f s a

When you first meet Kim Taehyung, you’re determined to find every reason you can to hate him—or maybe he’s just looking for ways to get on your last nerve. But when a turn of events has the two of you working the wedding of the man you’re hopelessly in love with, you’re too late to realize the real reason to hate Kim Taehyung is because of the latest column he’s secretly writing: “Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride”, and it’s all about you.

any way you want it by @noteguk s

in which your best friend, Taehyung, finds out about your unsatisfying sexual experiences and decides to put an end to that track record himself. 

sharing is caring by @jjkpls f s ft. pjm

Taehyung is taken aback when his soulmate, Jimin, introduces his new girlfriend to him. Jimin tries to help them break the ice.

the end of all things (and the beginning of us) by @/kidguk f s a

the end of the world has come and passed, but there is still much to live for. there’s hope, there’s tomorrow, and there’s that guy you met while scavenging for supplies in an abandoned cinema. turns out he hates being alone, and the feeling is mutual.

aberrant by @kth1 f s

Meeting a handsome and rare fox hybrid was the last thing you had expected in a world of coexisting hybrids. What you also hadn’t expected was how this fox found a liking to you, showed up randomly at places where you were and next thing you knew - you were falling, hard, for the man.

lost in you by @/jjkeverlast f s a

the infamous kim taehyung, campus fuckboy and heartthrob is much more than you thought after an unexpected night.

the dinner date by @diortae f (ao3)

pretending to be on a date with your best friend to get a free meal at the fancy restaurant jeongguk works weekends at doesn’t sound so terrible, all things considered. there’s just one small problem: you’re pretty sure you’re in love with the aforementioned best friend.

until yesterday by @jimlingss f s a

You and Taehyung are hopeless as you are hopeless romantics. But five months after tying the knot and saying "I do", you're hospitalized after a car accident with him. But upon waking up, the doctors tell you that you don't have a husband.

the forsaken by @yoonia s a ft. knj

In order to save your people from the danger of drought and hunger, your father had sent you out on a mission across the ocean to find the heart of nature that could bring back the prosperity which your land had long lost. As the Chief’s daughter, you took the mission as your responsibility, even if you had to let the man that vexes you the most join you in your journey, even if you had to ignore the Elders’ warnings about the dangers and all the vicious monsters lying in wait.

blacklist by @httpjeon f s a ft. jjk

after departing from your dom, you’re assigned to two incredibly powerful men.

1-800-music-street by @/httpjeon f s

↬you’re enchanted by a street performer and then he saves you, resulting in multiple meetings one can only describe as fate.

farner boy i love you by @strawberrynamjoon f s a

↬Needing change in your life you decided it would be a brilliant idea to move to your uncle’s small farm, helping him and your cousin Jimin with the daily work. What you didn’t plan was to fall in love with your beautiful yet very annoying neighbour Taehyung, who seemed to make it his personal mission to tease you every chance he got. And what you expected even less was that he seemed to like you too.

waterloo by @/kinktae f s a

↬Taehyung is a famous but pessimistic art prodigy who doesn't believe in love. You are an art student studying in Paris, who sees the world through rose-colored lens and is a certified cheesy romance film enthusiast. And this is your love story. Or, “Well, it is the city of love. Maybe you just need to fall in love."

get you the moon by @bymoonchild f s a

↬Life has its ways of fucking with you, but you know you’ve hit 50 feet below rock bottom after being tasked to do a profile feature on Kim Taehyung, the varsity football captain, for your school newspaper. Pure torment awaits you, but this is alongside glassy eyes, pink cheeks and conflicted feelings that you’ve never dared to imagine with the likes of the devil incarnate.

fate of the fast & furious by @prolixitae f s

↬you’re a first-generation college student and taehyung is the hot guy with a love for motorbikes who lands the job babysitting for your family while you’re away.

fast & fearless: what comes first by @/prolixitae

↬taehyung is used to earning his keep through illegal street races, and he’s got every reason to win that upcoming promise of prize money for an old friend. but when the odds don’t fall in his favor, he turns to babysitting. enter, you: a first-generation college student with too much to lose to be spending all your time with a troublemaking biker. who also happens to babysit for your kid brother.

cobalt blue by @hobivore s ft. jjk

↬you ask Jungkook to draw you like one of his French girls. 

let it snow by @/suga-kookiemonster f s

↬it all started by accident, but it continues by choice—even before you began sleeping together, things with your friend taehyung have always been comfortable and easy. simple, and this new arrangement between you is certainly no exception to that rule. well...that's definitely what you thought before a major snowstorm traps the two of you in his apartment over the holidays. now? now, it is quickly becoming apparent that things are a bit more complicated than you realized.

muse by @/suga-kookiemonster f s

↬this could finally be tae’s big break, but he’s nervous and struggling to find inspiration. luckily, you’re willing to support him in all ways necessary.

falling, falling gone by @johobi f

↬Taehyung. Captain of the soccer team. Master of your heart. You'll never tell him for fear of rejection. So why the fuck are you about to do it in front of dozens of his peers?

new tricks by @geniuslab f s

↬When your newly adopted puppy turns out to be a lot more work than you expected, a cute dog trainer comes to the rescue. You soon become friends, but you begin to realize friendship might not be all you want.

guns & roses by @chateautae f s

↬he was cold-blooded, stone-faced and ruthless; a formidable force anyone in the criminal underworld sought to destroy. and he didn’t care, so long as it was never you.. anything but you.

saudade by @chateautae f s a

↬a demanding idol lifestyle was something taehyung and yourself were all too familiar with. it wasn’t so hard when considering your unconditional love for one another, but lately, taehyung wasn’t the same anymore; and you decide it's time to find out why.

strands by @xjoonchildx s a

↬taehyung can't figure out how he got separated from his men, or how he ended up stranded in these woods -- hurt. the only thing he knows is that he has no choice but to rely on the beautiful, secretive stranger who's found him.

cheap skate by @/gukslut f s

↬Who doesn’t know Taehyung and his lady? Cutest couple in town, I’d say, and have been since they started dating in their college days. Oh, that was a while ago, though. And still, they’re happy as can be in that place they have together. Almost hate seeing one without the other, y’know, it’s like seeing just one testi- oh, right, I’m not supposed to talk like that. Anyhoo, I only say that because I saw Taehyung at a jewelry store the other day while I was buying my sweet Jiminie his presents. Maybe that boy’s finally gonna pop the question, but I do hope he’s got a good plan for it. Something sweet and romantic. Maybe I’ll find out after Jiminie gets back from that cabin he’s visiting. 

definition of love by @taegularities f s a

↬When the gorgeous student from your literature class starts showing interest in you, you discover that there's much more to him than his know-it-all facade. But is this realization enough to get through your insecurities and secrets?

↬looking for other kth fics or the other members check out my library for more

[drvscarlett]

Let him cook pt 2

Charles Leclerc x Masterchef!reader

Series Part: 1

taglist: @bookstore-of-dreams @barcelonaloverf1life

CharlesLeclercUpdates posted a photo.

CharlesLeclercUpdates Charles Leclerc appeared in MasterChef Australia episode "Cooking to Survive"

User1 Ariana what are you doing hereeeee??

User2 I thought only f2 drivers were allowed for that, why was Charles wandering around

User7 In his defense, Ollie was with him. Maybe Ollie got invited and Charles tagged along.

User3 Okay but did anyone notice how his eyes lit up when Y/N talked to him. The boy was whipped!

User8 Charles can't get Y/N, he can't even cook User9 Agree User8! Besides Y/N has a long-time boyfriend, they are super cute. Do you all not watch the different challenges she dedicated to him?

Y/NCooks posted a photo.

Liked by Charles_Leclerc, friend1, and 255,000 others.

YNCooks what a stunning day! We won today as the captain of the red team and coincidentally there was a red team 1-2 as well??? #AlwaysBetOnRed

User1 Mother you slayed!!! I was so surprised to see you at the GP!

YNCooks me too!! This is one of the best team challenges ever.

User2 Charles is on the likes. Charles is on the likes.

Charles_Leclerc Congrats on your win!!!

Y/NCooks Thank you! You too, you did great!!!

User3 The collab of this masterchef and f1 community is not on my bingo list.

User4 Y/N's boyfriend how are you feeling that Charles is stealing your girl away??

"Are you seeing this right now? They thought that I am stealing you away" Charles grumbles over the phone. You can't see him right now but you can actually visualize the frown lines forming and the soft scowl that he has on his face "Why would I steal my own girlfriend?"

"Oh mon ami"

"And did they even watch the episodes? Like couldn't they piece it together that I'm the one that you are referring to I mean the cake and then the adopted italian narrative" Charles continued to rant on

It was adorable to hear Charles like this. How you wish that you weren't just conversing over the phone, how you wish that you could be there for him right now.

"Y/N you still there?" Charles' voice brought you out of your musings.

"Yep, I'm still here. Just a little bit tired" you explained

"You had a really long day mon amour."He says "I'm really so proud of you. You are slowly achieving your dreams"

"As I am very proud of you Charles. You always shine the brightest when you are up on that podium. I wish I could be there on the front lines cheering for you"

"One day you will be"

There is a peaceful silence shared between the two of you. The thing about you and Charles was that you both understand that this is a better situation than being under scrutiny by everyone. Charles had his fair share of public relationship and he learned a lot from it. He just wanted to keep this as his for a little while longer.

"I love you, I'll see you soon" "Love you more honey"

Risotto challenge

You were not always having a good day in the kitchen and this is one of those episodes that you did not do well hence the elimination challenge. The judges commented that there was no problem with the dish that you made but it was simply not as risky as what the others did. So you are really driven to show them creativeness.

Charles was watching the episode with so much dread as he hears that the elimination dish is a reinvention of a risotto. He watched enough MasterChef season with you to know that this dish is the death dish aka the dish that usually sends people home.

He understands the dilemma that you are facing right now, play it safe and stick to the classic which means it won't stand out or play it risky and be booted for elimination.

"I'm making Quinoa risotto" that was your bold decision and Charles couldn't believe his ears.

"Mon amour, risotto is rice. Quinoa is not rice" Charles mumbled to himself

"I know its a big risk but I have to show them that I am a risk taker and that I am a MasterChef winner material"you confidently state in the interview.

It was a stressful few minutes to Charles as he watched how the judges has already decided that the idea of a quinoa risotto would be an utter disaster. Nevertheless, he saw the determination in your eyes and how you defended why you opted to go for a risotto.

"Do you often cook quinoa at home?" Matt asked as he and Jean Pierre White scrutinize your table.

"I don't really" you replied with a shy smile "Well truthfully I don't even know what quinoa is before my boyfriend introduced me to it. It was a part of his diet so I went ahead and learn how to cook quinoa so he could eat"

This was new information for Charles and he felt warm with this new fact. He remembers how every time he visits you, there will be a variation of his diet meals that will ensure that he won't get bored of food and still be on track with his diet. He takes note that he will be grateful for that when she comes back.

"We're looking forward to taste that risotto" Matt says

Time went by and Charles let out a small sigh of relief after knowing that you completed your dish. Charles have full confidence with the dish that you made and he hopes that the judges will take a new perspective with this quinoa risotto.

"Quinoa is not a risotto" Marco Pierre White stated. It was all so menacing how he said it with flat emotions and a monotone voice. Charles could feel himself sweating as they tasted the dish.

"But this is another take that I will welcome" Another sigh of relief for Charles. He knows that you got this in the bag.

Cooking for a special someone

"We're now down to a challenge for the top two spots in the MasterChef kitchen, are you excited?"

Everything was so surreal. Starting from 20 and now they are down to the last 4 contestant. You were so grateful that you are another step closer to your dream of being a MasterChef winner.

"For this week, we will be bringing in some important guests who you will need to impress in order to secure a spot as a MasterChef finalist."

The contestants were asked to step one by one. You started to notice that they brought in their loved ones and you were fidgeting a bit because you don't know who they will bring out.

"Last but definitely not the least, Y/N step forward" Gary says "Are we gonna meet the boyfriend?"

"Oooh the boyfriend. We have been hearing about him for ages now" Matt teased

"The boyfriend is very busy" you replied as you remembered that he is probably in America right now.

"Oh cmon, cant he miss out a day or two"

"Its a job hazard to miss out a few days" you answered. It's all about the points so you really can't fault Charles not wanting to miss a single day at work.

"Okay in that case, our mystery guest for Y/N is............."

The MasterChef door opens and you were surprised to see not one but two Leclercs.

"What are you doing here down under?" you asked as you gave them a hug

"We're going to support you obviously!" Arthur grinned

It was weird because this was the first time that you will be with Arthur and Lorenzo with cameras rolling. You were nearly in tears when you hugged the two of them. Without even asking, you knew right away that Charles sent them since he will be busy with the races.

"And who are they to your life Y/N?" the judges asked

"This is Arthur and Lorenzo, they are very close friends. They treat me as if I'm one of their own" you smiled.

"I'm sure you are going to be inspired to cook now that you have them around"

The pressure was definitely on especially when you were told that there is a need to present 2 dishes, one sweet and another savory in 75 minutes. However, you were pumped to hear the cheers coming from the balcony as Arthur enthusiastically showers you with compliment while Lorenzo takes photos.

Charles, on the other hand, has been constantly checking his phone, now that he is done with free practice. He felt quite jealous that his brothers were able to see you and support you in person. Although, he was quite happy that they are having the time of life supporting you.

Lorenzo texted him about 30 minutes ago that they will be judging and eating the food that the contestants made. He was slowly getting impatient of the results, he wanted to know what's going on.

1 new text message.

Lorenzo: She got in! She's a finalist!!!

[yuri-is-online]

The TWST cast from the original Fyuuture Kid timeline is so Cleopatra by Lumineers coded. They just get their (pregnant) joyfriend ripped away from them, cursed, and then sent back to earth, where they can't follow all in one day. That's gotta be a fucking nightmare. They just lose everything at the same time. Bro. Imagine Jamil or Azul, they had to fight for everything and just when they finally, FINALLY, think they have something that will never leave, it's taken away. Imagine malleus or cater or silver; they've already lost so much, silver just lost his dad and now, when he's going to make his own family, they're taken from him too.

TW FOR SUICIDE.

You wrote one time that of Yuu ever died, Floyd would be quick to follow, so. Did Jade and Azul have to put him on suicide watch? My mind is reeling there were NO WINNERS in this timeline Goddamn.

Sorry for the angst dude I just think about this AU a lot

i am so sorry for making you all live with this many thoughts and just waltzing on off to do fuck all

So there weren't any winners in the original timeline no, but the way things went down sort of prevented the type of outcome you are describing with Floyd due to the potential for hope, that most dangerous of falsehoods. In a way that sort of makes it worse though... so lets talk about what went down shall we?

(I'm going to keep this post to more general information, but I did write some specific ship thoughts I'll probably use for another post later on, I just need to think on some of them more...)

notes: they/them used for Yuu, this is part of my fyuuture kid au which can be found under the series section of my masterlist. This post will not contain discussions of suicidal ideation, but will contain major character death and descriptions of violence. If you are curious about what happened to Yuu and Fyuuture kid, look at this post here.

General Original Timeline Facts

To give a brief re-cap of what happens to Yuu, they were arrested by the Magical Marshall's office and sent back to their world, while pregnant, and cursed to forget everything that had happened to them in Twisted Wonderland. Something I didn't mention in that first post, mostly because I intended to imply it in the answer about Riddle's relationship with Yutu but ended up cutting, is that none of the characters actually know that this is what happened at first. They know that Yuu disappeared, but they don't know that the Marshalls were involved or that Yuu went back to their world, which causes a real sense of panic in all of them because holy shit their spouse and unborn child just went missing and they can't seem to get anyone to take this seriously. How the Marshalls went about hiding this information, and what the general public believed happened to Yuu depends on who their husband was, as did the fallout of their disappearance.

For anyone who might be a bit confused, the Magical Marshall's Office is an elite squad of police officers who investigate magical crime, and occasionally deal with overblots. They are the organization that Deuce wants to join one day, which does mean that the people who made the decision to see Yuu as a threat to public safety and send Yuu home were Deuce's own co-workers and friends.

Deuce is the first to suspect that the Marshall's might have had something to do with Yuu's disappearance, but he isn't able to really do much with that. He tries, but he is stonewalled and eventually fired- though by the time that happened monster attacks started getting really bad in the Queendom and Deuce had a whole other set of questions.

Speaking of those monster attacks, the instant Yuu is removed from Twisted Wonderland Grim overblots I have an idea as to why, but it isn't super set in stone. This "Chimera" begins hunting and stirring up monsters, inciting them to attack civilization while it focuses on trying to "wake up" the Phantoms of the Great 7. These phantoms want to re-join with their respective overblot boy, which is an easier task for some of them than others.

The first phantom to re-appear was the Thorn Fairy's. Malleus chose to seal himself and his phantom in an eternal sleep inside the Briar Valley capital after ordering Sebek and Silver to evacuate everyone who lived there, leaving his people truly leaderless and in shambles. He technically also ordered Lilia to go with them, but he refused. He wasn't able to abandon another Draconia to die alone. A lot of nocturnal fae died to the Phantom before Malleus's sacrifice, but because the problem was more or less contained to Briar Valley not all of the other nations saw the monster problem as a threat. They should have.

The second phantom to re-appear was The Queen of Hearts'. Riddle, having been approached by Deuce with his suspicions regarding Yuu's disappearance and outraged by what he saw as a clear violation of the law (if nothing else) was easy prey and re-assimilated into the monster. The phantom then began hunting down each of Riddle's previous dorm mates to corrupt them into card soldiers for its army, eventually fashioning four lieutenants that were a touch more sentient that the others out of Trey, Cater, Deuce, and Ace.

Certain members of the Al-Asim family saw that happen and quietly, without Kalim's knowledge, arrange to have Jamil killed. This doesn't prevent the Sorcerer of the Sands' phantom from reuniting with him, it just means the monster is puppeteering a corpse. And dragging around a second once it gets its hands on Kalim...

Obviously at this point something of a pattern has been established, meaning S.T.Y.X. is expected to do something. Idia does not actually overblot for a second time thank you very much, Phantom Ortho has a mind of his own and he promised to stay in the Underworld until it was Idy's time. His first order of business is to check in on Vil, Azul, and Leona to make sure they're ok. He manages to make contact with Vil, but the Coral Sea proves impossible to get a message through to and Leona is M.I.A. Literally, he and Ruggie have both disappeared while investigating monster attacks around the slums. Idia has a decision to make, and it's not one he really likes, but S.T.Y.X. has a better relationship with the Sunset Savannah than it does the Coral Sea, so it's off to the Elephant Graveyard while Vil agrees to stay behind on the Isle of Woe under observation for his own safety.

It's a decision Idia regrets later. He gets to Leona in time to help him fight and kill the King of Beasts's phantom, but it costs Leona and Ruggie their lives, and while he's there, the Sea Witch's phantom finds Azul and begins using his magic to drain the merfolk dry. Floyd manages to use his unique magic to distract Azul long enough to allow Jade to escape, who only flees because he thought his brother was behind him the whole time. The oceans become polluted with blot, forcing the surviving merfolk to the surface. Many go to NRC and take refuge in the Octavinelle dorm pocket dimension, resulting in the Mostro Lounge being closed to make more room. Somehow that feels more like a killing blow to Azul for Jade than what the phantom did.

Schools like NRC, RSA, and Nobel Bell become sort of centers for survivors due to the large amounts of mages, magical wards, and artifacts that such schools typically have made them safer than most towns. NRC specifically has seen a large influx of magicless people who run a lot of the things the ghosts used to and runs a lot of normal school classes in additional to the magic program, which shifts over time to be more focused on fighting due to the increased monster attacks.

Also Crewel is now Headmage. It would have been Trein but I don't think he needs the stress. I haven't decided if he is still alive or not, but Vargas and Sam are still kicking.

So to give a run down of where everyone stands in the original timeline in order: Malleus and his phantom are trapped in an eternal sleep, Lilia is dead, Silver and Sebek are alive (at least at first) and trying to help the fae refuges displaced by the Thorn Fairy's Phantom. All of Heartslabyul are overblot phantoms, and actively making the Queendom of Roses unlivable. Jamil was assassinated and the Sorcerer of the Sands's phantom went on to kill Kalim and most of his family. To be clear that wasn't because of Jamil's lingering emotions, but good luck explaining that to most people. Vil and Idia are overblot free, Vil because he is being detained on the Isle of Woe and Idia because of his promise with Phantom Ortho. Leona and Ruggie died fighting the King of Beast's phantom. Azul and Floyd are blot phantoms, while Jade is alive and tending bar at what remains of the lounge at NRC.

Now Epel, Rook, and Jack aren't named in that list. No one really knows what happened to them, but they are assumed dead (or at least Jack and Epel are.) Since this is my AU and I get to give out the information, I'll let you know that Rook is a phantom under control of the Fairest Queen's phantom, Jack is dead, and Epel is alive, but cut off from the rest of Twisted Wonderland by the monsters under the Fairest Queen's control. He's right teed off about that, hey Yutu go get him that ladder he's gonna give Rook a piece of his mind-

I do have some ship specific thoughts but I want to cook with them a bit more... but to maaaybe tease some of them?

Yutu and his friends had to fight the Heartslabyul boys multiple times. Yes this hurt their Yutus a lot, and is one of the main reasons Riddle! Yutu hates his dad so much.

Vil can hear the Fairest Queen talking to him and it's not great for his mental stability. Neither is being cooped up in the Isle of Woe, his Yutu did meet him and remembers it being a terrifying experience.

Jade has a good relationship with Floyd! Yutu, Jade and Floyd are their own people but losing Floyd killed a part of him that was slightly healed by getting his nephew back. He likes to tease Azul! Yutu and told him a great deal about his dad. As for his own Yutu... their relationship is a tad strained by how protective Jade is over his son. He is terrified of losing him and what is left of his pearl...

Not all Yutus are in the same dorm as their father. I haven't decided on where all of them are yet, but I did mention once in my replies that Azul! Yutu is in Savanaclaw. I did not mention that he did intend to transfer but couldn't when he accidentally became the Dorm Leader because he got tired of being mouthed off to and knocked someone out. I have an ask about Cater! Yutu I'm working on but I'll add him here as having been put into Octavinelle, and I think I want to put Kalim! Yutu into Pomefiore but I need to cook more...

[runnning-outof-time]

Birmingham | Tommy Shelby x Reader (Part 20)

Previous Part

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: Plans of taking over the tracks get thwarted quickly for the Shelbys as trouble makes its way into Birmingham. Tommy tells (Y/N) to stay away, but of course she can't for too long. Everything gets laid out on the table after a scary experience shakes the both of them.

Warnings: drinking, series typical violence, canon death, injury, blood

Word Count: 4426

A/N: here it is everyone…the final chapter of Birmimgham! Thank you so much to those of you who have stuck with this story…through the break and the drawn out postings. I finished it for you. I’d love to know what you think of how it ended (since I went with the winner of the poll; which was giving a ending that felt finished). Enjoy! :)

A/N 2: the italicized dialogue is taken from the show. I’d also like to give a special thanks to @alicent-targaryen for making the amazing gifsets that helped me write this chapter so quickly — they gave me so much inspiration! :) also if you’d ever like to know what the original ending for this was…feel free to reach out to me…if I get enough interest, I may just write it as a short.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

The story is finished! — I hope you enjoyed!

"Is Tommy here, or has he left already?" (Y/N) asked Polly after she entered the Watery Lane home. She found the older woman working on cleaning the mantle in the living room, and she couldn't stop herself from blurting the question out.

"He should still be upstairs," Polly answered, not even bothering to turn and properly greet (Y/N). It seemed as though she was deep into working on something.

"Can I go up?" (Y/N) asked hesitantly, not wanting to cross any lines.

Her question made Polly turn and look at her. The older woman quirked an eyebrow, probably wondering why the question was even being asked. "If you wish to. His door is at the end of the hall," she answered (Y/N)'s question. (Y/N) nodded, saying a quick thank you before she made her way to the stairs of the home.

She walked down the hall, stopping at the last door and taking a pause before she knocked on it. "Come," his voice came from inside the room, making her twist the knob and open the door. She saw him standing at the dresser, finishing up shaving.

"Hi, Tommy," she said softly, making him stop what he was doing and turn to face her.

"It's early, (Y/N)," he commented, surprised by her presence.

"I know, but I was unable to stay away...ever since you told me today would be the day; my mind won't stop," she explained her reason for being there. She'd been worried about everything that would happen today and couldn't stop herself from going to see Tommy before he left for the races.

Tommy finished up what he was doing, grabbing a rag so that he could wipe his face off before he then gave his attention to (Y/N). He could see the slight bit of worry behind her eyes, and he hated that it was there. For a moment he felt bad that he'd been the one to create it, but worry or not, he knew that she understood what had to be done.

"When will you go?" she asked him, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room.

"In a few hours," he gave a vague estimation, "I need to touch base with my brothers. There'll be a family meeting at half ten; there we'll discuss what will be done. I'd say that we'll be leaving shortly after that," he explained what had been on his list to accomplish. "You can come to the meeting, if you'd like," he then extended an invitation.

"I'll come," (Y/N) nodded, making her decision rather quickly. She figured that hearing his plan in full might serve to give her some solace.

"Good," Tommy nodded, a ghost of a smile teetering on his lips, "we'll be set after this, (Y/N)," he said to her then, his words riddled with confidence. (Y/N) smiled upon hearing it. She loved how self-assured he was; it was almost contagious.

"I'm worried," she said then, retreating back to her own way of thinking. She was itching to reach out and take hold of him from the second she'd walked in, but she didn't know if that would be received well or not. The last thing she wanted was him upset with her as he embarked on this big scheme.

"You shouldn't be," he assured her, "we've got the Lees on our side thanks to John and Esme, and Kimber will think that we're going to fight that family instead of taking to the pitches. He won't expect what'll actually happen," he gave her the rundown of his plan, still holding a great deal of confidence in it. Things were going to go his way today; he could already feel it.

"Ok," (Y/N) nodded along, trying to switch her thinking for his, "and I'll stay here...with Pol to make sure everything runs well on this end," she addressed her part in the plan.

"Good," Tommy nodded. He paused then, pulling his timepiece out so that he could check it. "Love, I should go now," he said as he slipped the watch back into its pocket.

"Ok," she repeated what she'd just said, "I just wanted to see you before you left."

"Come to the meeting," he said to her, a slight smile on his face.

"I will," she assured him, smiling also as she nodded her head.

"Come on," he said then, moving forward and placing his hand to the small of her back as he led her out of the bedroom and over to the stairs. She descended them first with him following behind. "I'll see you at half ten," he told her, walking to the door as she decided she'd stay back and see if Polly needed any help before then. It wouldn't be long until the time for the meeting came anyway; she might as well stick around.

Polly did in fact need help with minor things, and the women quickly got busy with them, passing the time between the meeting like (Y/N) hoped they would. It wasn't long until everyone was gathered in the empty betting shop; all eyes focused on Tommy as he explained the plan (Y/N) had got a preview of in full detail.

"Any other questions?" Tommy asked once he was finished explaining the plans. He looked around the room, waiting for anyone to speak up.

"Yes," it was Polly who answered as she made her way to the door that separated the betting floor from the home, "does anyone object if I bring a newcomer to the meeting?" she asked, looking around the room. Silence came in response, making her move over to the door so that she could open it slightly and whisper "come on," to whoever it was on the other side. She then opened the door wider to show Ada, who had Karl in her arms. "I'd like to introduce the newest member of the Shelby clan," she announced, a smile on her face.

(Y/N)'s cheeks were hurting from the wideness of her smile as her friend took a step further into the room. It was so good to see her back with her family again. Arthur was the one to start the clapping, and soon the room was filled with applause as Ada walked into the room. She stopped where (Y/N) was standing and gave her a smile, to which (Y/N) sent one of her own back.

"Welcome home, Ada," Tommy said to his sister, a smile forming on his lips. It warmed (Y/N)'s heart to see the progress being made.

She then explained the baby's name, earning some laughs from the group that was gathered around her. Arthur then went over to see the baby, taking him from Ada's arms and placing his peaked cap on top of his head. (Y/N) laughed along with the rest of the group as John poked fun at his older brother. Ada sent (Y/N) a smile before Tommy addressed her, asking if he was forgiven. (Y/N) stayed behind and watched Ada move over to him, telling him he was. She felt her heart swell as they shared a hug.

"It's so good to see you back with your family," (Y/N) said to Ada once she'd come back to her side. Tommy and the other men had gotten together to talk finer details of what would be going down. (Y/N) decided to stay with the women instead of learning more of the plan, feeling more comfortable watching Esme make exaggerated faces at the baby than hearing about how they were going to take over the races.

—

After things were finished at the shop, Tommy and the men decided to go to the Garrison to have a drink before they hit the road for the races. (Y/N) offered to join and help out, knowing that things would go smoother if there was another set of hands - hands that knew what they were doing - behind the bar pouring drinks.

Things were going well. (Y/N) was pouring with Tommy and the two had slipped into a comfortable routine. She wasn't going to lie, she quite enjoyed working in these close quarters with him. All was well...until it wasn't.

Arthur entered the Garrison with Jeremiah trailing close behind him. Both men were walking like they were on a mission. "Tommy," Arthur called for his brother, his gruff voice making just about all of the celebrations stop. "I need to talk to you," he said, his seriousness holding as he nodded his head to the stockroom that was behind the bar. Tommy glanced at (Y/N), who was becoming more confused by the second, before he followed his brother and friend into the room.

They were only gone for a matter of seconds before coming back out. "(Y/N)..." he started, coming right over to her, a sense of urgency in his movements and vocal tone. "(Y/N), I need you to leave now, ok?" he said to her, his eyes wide as he spoke; a tell-tale sign that he was now under pressure and needed things to be done timely and in a certain way.

"Wha...why?" she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Billy Kimber and his men are coming this way," he told her, "I need you to stay clear of here, you understand me?" he searched her eyes then, his hands blindly searching for hers. It didn't take much to find them, and when he did, he squeezed them for added effect, "stay away from here," he told her again.

"Ok. Ok, I will," she nodded her head, sensing his urgency and falling in line with it, "I'll go and be with Pol and Ada, and I'll wait there for you," she then told him where he could find her.

"Good," Tommy nodded lightly, feeling relieved that she wasn't going to be mixed up in the middle of this developing plan. He was going to need to fight Kimber on his own turf now. It was something he could do, but he wanted to make sure that the people he cared for the most were out of harm's way. "Go on," he said then, dropping her hands so that he could let her leave.

(Y/N)'s heart dropped slightly at the abrupt loss of warmth his hands were giving her, but she didn't have much time to dwell on it as she was following his orders, exiting the Garrison at a hasty speed so that she could get to Watery Lane before all hell broke loose.

Tommy watched her as she went, keeping his eyes on her until she was out of his sight before he focused on the men that had gathered in front of him, waiting for their leader to give them direction.

—

(Y/N) was out of breath when she finally got to Watery Lane. She entered the house promptly, hoping that either one, or both, of the women that she was looking for would be present. To her relief, they both were sitting in the living room.

"Where have you run from?" Polly questioned her, a look of confusion forming on her face.

"I...I just came...Tommy told me to..." she stammered out, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, hoping that doing so would allow her to get out a complete sentence.

"Come, sit down, love," Polly coaxed her over to the open chair and (Y/N) listened, moving over to sit and take a few more calming breaths. "Tell us when you're ready," she said to the younger woman, both her and Ada waiting intently for the news it seemed she had.

"I ran from the Garrison. The plans have changed...Billy Kimber's on his way here to make a stand. Tommy told me to stay away from the tavern. He thinks that it's going to happen there," (Y/N) explained once her breathing was normal again.

"Bloody hell," Polly hissed, exhaling a sigh as she heard the news, "they're going to get themselves killed."

"I don't know any of the finer details...I just know that they're going to fight them here now," (Y/N) stated, trying to push down the worry that was bubbling up inside of her.

"I've got to go," Ada finally spoke in the midst of her rushing to stand from the couch.

(Y/N)'s brows furrowed as she watched her friend move around the room, grabbing the carriage she'd brought with her so that she could transfer a sleeping Karl into it. "Ada, wait...what are you doing?" she asked, confusion present in her tone.

"I'm going to go make these bloody men see sense," Ada spoke through gritted teeth, making it apparent that anger and frustration were coursing through her. She moved over to the archway that led to the door before stopping and looking at the women, "because I know the finer details of the day, and I refuse to stand by and let this happen," she didn't wait for a response to her pointed statement after uttering it, instead turning and walking through the archway and out the door.

"What does she mean?" (Y/N) asked Polly as soon as the door shut. She was so confused right now. Polly just looked defeated.

"Freddie was to be broken out of his transport earlier today...he was going to come home and help with the effort at the races, and this was all to be done in accordance to Tommy's plan," Polly filled (Y/N) in on what Ada was getting at.

(Y/N) sighed as she heard what the older woman had to say. "She's going to go and confront them, isn't she?" she asked in a blank tone.

"She very well may," Polly didn't give a straightforward answer. Ada was a Shelby after all...Shelbys did what they wanted and rarely cared about the dangers that stood in their way.

(Y/N) knew this all too well. Ada was going to go and confront these two gangs of men. She stood from the chair with an exasperated sigh. Tommy's voice echoed in her mind as she stood; warning her not to go anywhere near the Garrison. She pushed it back, knowing that that was exactly where her friend was going. "I'm going to go and try to stop her, Pol," she informed the other woman as she walked towards the archway.

"Be careful, (Y/N)," Polly offered some words of advice, making (Y/N) nod before she walked through the archway and out of the Watery Lane home.

—

"I want you all to look at me!" (Y/N) heard Ada's voice echo through the empty streets as she ran as fast as she could to the Garrison. Upon turning the corner, she saw two lines of men, the groups facing each other. Ada was smack-dab in the middle, addressing both lines as they had their guns pointed at each other. She's going to get herself killed! (Y/N) thought to herself as she picked up her pace. "Who will be wearing black for you? Think about them. Think about them right now...and fight if you want to, but that baby ain't moving anywhere, and neither am I," she continued, her voice raw and full of emotion.

"Ada!" (Y/N) called to her friend as she made her way through the line of men whom she recognized to be the Peaky Blinders. "Ada, you can't be doing this!" she exclaimed, her eyes frantic as she rushed out into the middle of the standoff in hopes to get her friend to see some sense. "This isn't your war to get into the middle of. This isn't the place for you, or for your baby," she insisted, her eyes locked onto the other woman's as she tried to get her out of the middle of it all.

"I won't move, (Y/N)," Ada stayed persistent.

"If not for your own safety, do it for Karl," (Y/N) didn't back down, "this isn't your war to try to stop," she repeated her previous statement, trying to keep her voice steady as adrenaline started to fill her. She tried so hard not to think of what was standing on either side of her at the moment, putting her sole focus on her friend. "Come on...move for Karl," she said again, her voice softer now as she nodded to the carriage that was off to the side. They held each other's gaze before Ada just barely nodded her head. (Y/N) saw it though, and she moved Ada off to the side, hyper-aware of all of the eyes following her.

"She's right you know..." Billy Kimber was the first to speak up once the women were off to the side, "why should all you men die?" he asked the men surrounding him before looking forward, "it should just be them who've caused it," he accentuated his statement by brandishing his weapon and firing it twice.

(Y/N) squeezed her eyes shut and spun to shield both Ada and the carriage as best she could as pandemonium broke out in the street. Several men were screaming and Karl's cries had intensified before there was one more gunshot.

Tommy was the next person to speak. "Enough!" he yelled, causing everything to halt at once. (Y/N), even though her eyes were still closed, felt relieved that he was still speaking, because that meant he was still alive. "Kimber and me fought this battle one on one. It's over. Go home to your families!" he addressed the men standing across from him.

Nothing else was said as the sound of footsteps rang out, signaling to (Y/N) that people were walking away. She heard Tommy mumble something to someone, and more footsteps were heard then. She stayed by Ada and Karl, unable to really move as she took some steadying breaths.

"Ada..." a man's voice came from the women's left.

"Freddie," Ada breathed, moving from the carriage to go to the man who had approached them.

"Don't scare us like that," he said to her, allowing her to fall into his arms and cling to him. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of her head as he held her tight against him.

(Y/N) smiled softly as she watched them reunite, feeling the emotion radiating off of them. She finally looked back at the street then, seeing that everyone else had cleared off of it. Worried about the rest of the men - especially one in particular - she left the couple's side and hurried to the doors of the Garrison.

She was met with agonizing screams as she opened the doors, and immediately realized that they were coming from Tommy. Hearing them made her heart drop to her stomach. Had he been shot? she wondered, worry immediately filling her body.

Arthur was the one to notice her presence amidst trying to help get the bullet out of his brother's shoulder, "go and wait in the stockroom, love, you don't want to be seein' this," he told her and she nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat and not asking any questions before she made a b-line to the stockroom behind the bar.

She waited there as time passed painstakingly slowly. Hearing Tommy scream out in pain was breaking her heart. She wished there was something, anything, she could do to help.

Then everything became quiet again. She heard some talking, but it was muffled by the door that she'd closed. She decided to stay in the room even though it seemed that the worst of it was over. A few more minutes passed before the door opened to reveal Tommy.

(Y/N) didn't wait for another second. She was walking over to him the second she saw him, her hands raising so that she could take his cheeks into them and bring his lips to hers. She kissed him passionately and with everything she had in her. Tommy's hands found the sides of her waist so that he could hold her against him, prolonging the kiss...as if she was going to pull away anyway.

"What was that for?" he breathed out once they'd pulled away.

"For scaring me," she answered him, an involuntary shudder coursing through her as she let her eyes drop to the bloody shirt that he was wearing. He's ok...he's standing in front of you, she told herself, her eyes finding his again.

Tommy chuckled at her statement, squeezing her waist slightly before he leaned in and kissed her again. (Y/N) happily accepted it, slipping her hands from his cheeks to the back of his neck as she reveled in the feeling of their lips moving together seamlessly. Nothing ever felt this good.

"And that was for?" she asked once she pulled away, breathless this time. She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face as she looked at him again.

"An apology for scaring you," he told her, his words making her tip her head back slightly as she let out a laugh.

His eyes were still on her when she looked at him again. His gaze made butterflies dance around in her stomach, and she couldn't help but encircle her arms around his neck so that she could hug him; her head resting against the uninjured side of his chest as she did so. She brought one of her hands down from the back of his neck to gently lift his jacket where the blood was present on his shirt. She couldn't see much, but she still had to ask: "you're ok, are you?" Her voice was much softer now, worry creeping back after the excitement of the kisses faded.

"I'm fine, love," he answered her, his voice coming out in a similar tone. "Come on...have a drink with me," he said then, loosening his hold on her waist. She got the message, dropping her hands from his neck so that he could step away and lead her out of the stockroom and back into the bar area. "Under the bar should be a bottle of champagne..." he started off as he walked around to the opposite side of the bar so that he could stand across from her.

"Going for fancy today, are we?" (Y/N) couldn't help but grin as she grabbed the unopened bottle from one of the lower shelves.

"Figured we should...since we're celebrating," Tommy grinned right back at her, watching as she set the bottle on the bartop before going to grab two glasses. As she did that, he turned and rested his back against the bar, taking some of the weight off of his feet. He let out a sigh as he tipped his head back, reveling in a moment of peace after so much chaos.

"Is everything ok?" (Y/N) asked after she turned around and found him.

"Yeah," he breathed, pushing himself off of the bar and turning around to stand straight and face her again, nodding his head then for extra effect. (Y/N) nodded back at him before she uncorked the bottle and worked on pouring it into both of the cups. She tried her best not to mess up under his gaze. She smiled at him once she was finished, handing him a glass before she picked her own up and took a sip from it. "How is it?" he asked, his eyes not leaving hers.

"It's good," (Y/N) answered with a nod and a soft smile.

"You know..." he began then, pausing a moment before continuing, "someone I trust once told me, and I believe they told me here; in this very spot...that people fall for people that they know; people that they've been around and feel comfortable with..." he trailed off, and (Y/N) felt her throat go dry. Those words sounded all too familiar...like the words that she'd told him when he was grappling with Ada being with Freddie. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I want you to help me, (Y/N). With the business, the family, with the whole fucking thing. I want you, no, I need you in my life."

"Tommy this is, wow..." she couldn't finish her sentence, taken back by what he'd just proclaimed. All of the dancing around her feelings for him had led to this...the moment she'd been secretly hoping for for so long. But now that it was here, she was fumbling. "I'm not sure of what to say..." she blubbered out, her nervousness shining clear in her words. She'd never wanted something more in her life...why had she chosen this moment to be awkward?!

"Yes would be a good thing to say," he said, cracking a grin as he noticed her trying to fight back her nervousness, "it'd be a great thing to say, actually."

"Then yes," she breathed, a smile breaking onto her face.

"Then yes," he repeated what she'd said, smiling also as he leaned across the bar to kiss her. She caught his chin, holding him there and making the kiss longer than he intended...not that he was complaining.

"I think we'd ought to leave," (Y/N) said after they'd pulled away from each other, "we've had enough excitement for one day...you should get home," she suggested.

"And what will you do?" he asked her, wondering if they'd now be parting ways after all that just happened. He really didn't want that to be the case.

"I thought that maybe I'd come with you...someone's got to make sure that you keep clean bandages on your shoulder," she answered him, unable to stop the smile from creeping onto her lips.

Tommy caught that, knowing what else she could be thinking that would make such a smile form on her face. "I like the sound of that," he said to her, also grinning before she walked around the bar to come to his side.

The day had truly been won. Not only had Tommy defeated Billy Kimber, but he'd finally let (Y/N) know how he felt about her...and to his relief, she'd felt the same about him.

And for (Y/N)...she had a feeling that she wasn't leaving Birmingham any time soon. That was something she was perfectly ok with.

Tagged: @mgcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21 @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @l1-l4 @chlorrox @lostgirl219 @woofgocows @bdudette @mrkdvidal1989 @stephhevring @fictional-hooman @httyd-marauders @nataliewalker93 @rangerelik @thecraziestcrayon @cilliansangel @shaddixlife @tracysnook

SERIES MASTERLIST

[tigerlyla-of-metinna]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Hi Val!

Thanks for sending this to my inbox. Sorry for the late reply. Been busy these past weeks.

Anyways I dont have that many fics on A03. Two at present and ficlets on tumblr. So if anyone is interested, these are it!

My main fic (Emhyr x Sarah) (A Painting of You) This is the moodboard and fic link. It's a vanilla pairing and wholesome, with hardly any smut (Im not that good at creating tasteful smut yet but I'm working on it)

2. The sequel to A Painting of You: The Roles We Play. It is still ongoing. I do recommend reading the first fic because it will mention a lot of the previous events.

3. The ficlet posted in episode format. It's Empress Ciri and Emperor consort Morvran and its a hilarious series of unfortunate events. Lots of naked guest appearances parading around, thanks to a stipulation of the constant GWENT winner. Guess who these guys lost their clothes to:

The other two I'll probably reblog on Sunday. So if you've not seen these, please check them out. have a chuckle on the short story :)))

[these-emo-thoughts]

Pit Babe Anniversary Rewatch! Episode 2!

Getting into the end of Week 1 of the Pit Babe 1st anniversary rewatch just in time by finishing off my day with Episode 2! Looking very forward to this one fajsdfahkhs thoughts as I watch will be down below!

Okay yes I'll be changing my phone ring tone to Speed of Love, I'm too far own this rabbit hole lol

Oh we start off with Tony and his interview lsjdfalsfsa

Tony has perfected the "smile that doesn't reach your eyes" trope, he looks like he just wants to murder that reporter asking him all these questions

That direct look into the camera when talking about "old racer" Babe 👀

Uncle Alan always so caring, worrying about Babe being okay instead of the race betting 🥹

First "Daddy" of the series

Nefarious plot and flashback, ugh yes, sign me the tf up (again)

I mean look, Kenta managing to hold back Alpha Babe is pretty solid of him LOL

I love Babe's confidence, like even though he's got those bad memories he's not afraid to face up against his adoptive father

THE SHOULDER TOUCH, WAY 😭😭 BABE LOOKS LIKE HE'S UNDER A SPELL HERE, GOD, THE SIGNS FROM THE BEGINNING ARE SO BRILLIANT

Far out I'm not going to shut up about this am I??

Again tho, it has to be said - Alan in a singlet top 😔👌

And now Babe and Charlie in a singlet tops 😔👌

Of course Babe can't resist such a sunshine smile, man is already so smitten even while brooding and I totally get it haha

JEFF!! AHH! THERE'S OUR BABY BOY DRINKING HIS PINK MILKSHAKE!! 😭

Lol I can't, every time I see 'UAC' I think of University Admissions Centre 🤣

Damn Kenta is doing the work - and he looks so happy too he probably thinks this is gonna make Tony love him

This obsession with cars of any kind amuses me but like, I also wanna build a track and play too 🥲

BRUH the omegaverse, I know I watched this entire thing but I still get so 😮 when I see it manifest on my screen, what a time to be alive

Puppy Charlie 🐶 these two are so cat and dog coded

There he is, there's baby boy Jeff coming to save the day 🥹

Show 'em Jeff, show 'em how good you are and get that job!!! Haha I'm writing him so much more insecure in my current fic but I love seeing him so confident in himself here ahaha

The duck under Alan's arm kills me

LMAO Dean, North, Sonic please, laughing like that at poor Alan who can't even get a handshake 😭

LMAO I forgot Babe calls Jeff cute here, and Way too like almost winks at him, bb boy is just too adorable 😭

I'm like honed into whatever North and Sonic are doing in the background at any given moment, js

Look at North, such a gossip lol

But also the instigator, damn, Babe is not playing

He also says he's not jealous that Charlie is talking to Jeff but we all know that's a lie lol

He also says he's not angry but welp, LOL

Again with Babe's jealousy, look how happy Charlie looks about it AHAHA

I actually do like that Babe is teaching Charlie in between all the 'concetration' he does

KIMMMMMM WHAT'S UP BOY!! WELCOME

Winner, I can't believe by this point you've been on my screen longer than bb Jeff AHAHAH

Winner: *Trash talks Babe into fighting with him* Also Winner: *Sics Kim on Charlie*

The attraction that Babe has for Charlie in this moment is peak *chef's kiss*

This is a great fight scene actually goddamn

AYEE go go Charlie

Winner once again losing at life (I'm going to keep a tally, this is loss number 3 for him so far in the series since he copped it twice already in the first episode AHAHA)

Bad idea to be smacking Kim against the wall, Winner 👀

Told you, there goes your fkn wrist babes do I could this as a loss for the tally AHAHA

AYEEE CHARLIE IS GETTING HIS CAR! 🙌 and what a choice he makes, the car that made Babe King of the Hallows

Way is quaking

There's gotta be a work for the kink Charlie has for Babe's coaching because he's really enjoying himself but I'd be crying 🤣😭

Dean is so chill, but look at how his words are cutting Way deeply haha

UGH MY HEART HURTS AT THIS BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN WAY AND BABE AHHHHH WHY 😭😭

PLEASE that kiss Babe planted on Way's cheek healed my soul 😭

"Alai-wa"

"You're my best friend but complain like my boyfriend" lmao Way WISHES 😭

Here are the terrible two ready to cause trouble! Now being asked to keep an eye on Charlie.

Charlie has been called a puppy 3 times this episode ahaha

North is drunk but can see clearly that Way loves Babe

NORTH SAYING IF HE AND SONIC WERE EVER CLOSER THEY'D BE LOVERS 👀👀👀

Poor Alan lmao everyone always laughing at him

Way switches from supportive friend to bitch real quick and I'm here for it - but goddamn, he's harsh to Charlie

WAY HATES CHARLIE SO MUCH HE LITERALLY TELEPORTED TO INTIMIDATE HIM 🤣

I swear to god I was not planning on thirsting over Alan while rewatching this but lo and behold here I am. Thirsting.

Kenta, baby, sorry but Alan is not going to give you his son Pit Babe, no matter how much you offer - though that is a great way to end the episode ahh 👀

PETE IN THE PREVIEW YESSSS the family's all here!!

ALAN GIVING JEFF A KISS ON THE HEAD JKSFHSKJADHFJSKA

The no-kissing rule gets broken next ep, YESHH

And my favourites, the behind the scenes 🥹

Ep 2 is done!! Right in time for Week 2 of the anniversary event, yay!

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Oh, the horrors of falling in love -Danny Words: 2,534 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Little Lion Man' -by Mumford & Sons

XXVI: Ah Shit, Here We Go Again

"We were..." I look at the boys towering over me, "training."

"Training?" Mike asks indignantly. "For what? Dying?"

"It's a long story," Nico rolls his eyes. "Harmless match, that's all."

"Harmless," Percy repeats, scowling. "Nico, you have a black eye. Ara's lip is busted and her leg is bleeding. What the Tartarus were you doing?"

Nico and I look at each other with the same surprised expression. I touch my lip and feel the blood, as well as the pain. Nico touches his eye and frowns. "Ouch," he mumbles.

"They wanted to know which was the strongest since they both believe they are the top gladiator of the twenty-first century," Connor explains.

"Why didn't you try to stop them?" Michael scolds him.

"Di Angelo cracked the ground beneath her feet and she threw a water bottle at his face and kicked him in the crotch!" Travis complains. "They move too fast."

"You two come with me." 

Mike guides us out of the arena with Lily quietly following close.

"Where are you taking us?"

"The infirmary is for campers who hurt themselves training properly, not for uncontrolled beasts who have fun breaking arms. I'm going to cure you two with other remedies, the ones that stink of compost."

"No one broke anything," Nico sulks.

I nod thoughtfully. "Can't be hard, though..."

"No more fights!" Lily and Mike shout in unison.

"Who won, then?" Connor asks Lily, quickly catching up to us.

We look at her, she looks back like she can't believe we're asking. "Nobody! None of them asked for a truce, Percy and Mike had to break the fight."

"One of us should've been better anyway."

"You're both equally stupid," she scolds us. "There was no winner. Period."

We get to the edge of the forest, Mike sits with us and smears our faces with a strange moss that stinks of stagnant water. 

Let me say, that stuff tastes as bad as it looks, so I refuse to put that in my mouth, I don't care if that means I'll end up having a scar.

Percy takes a look at us once we go back and asks in a frustrated tone: "You'll continue fighting until there's a winner, won't you?"

Nico and I look at each other with the same dark grin.

"Forget Kronos, they're going to die before they turn fourteen," Lily groans.

"I hope they gain some sense before that happens," Mike fixes my bandages with concern.

I don't care about the bruises and the scarring, they show I'm not afraid to throw a punch. Besides, if getting into fights means I'll have Mike's attention on me, I think I can live with it.

Ara gets yanked backward before a boulder hits her. 

"Get us out of here!" Nico yells at Leo, then he leans down. "That'd be the third time, by the way."

Ara pushes him aside. "I've saved your life more times than you can catch up to."

"Judging by how sloppy you are, I doubt it," he replies.

They've been trying to pass through this patch of sea for the last two days and each attempt ends with them having to retreat. Ara hasn't been this angry since the second time Percy went missing.

The girl curses in ancient Greek and tosses remains of rock off the deck, they land in the water with a pathetic splash. She walks up to the others, scowling and muttering swear words under her breath.

"Well, that was sucktastic," Leo groans, matching her mood. "Should I wake the others?"

"They need rest," Hazel says, though she looks tired too. "We'll have to figure out another way on our own."

"Huh... another way—do you see one?" Leo scowls at his monitor.

Ara's eyes stay on him as he speaks. She doesn't know if he's angry or guilty about the fortune cookie, could be both, but the boy's made a clear effort to keep her away so she can't use her empath touch on him, which is torture. 

Today he's wearing a stained work shirt and singed jeans, and his hair is covered in sweat and dirt yet Ara has the urge to reach up and kiss his stupid frown away. The longer he stays away, the more she wants to yell at him, hating that she can't focus on saving her friends because she's too busy yearning for a kiss.

"It's our fault," Hazel says at last. "Nico's and mine. The numina can sense us." 

"Yeah, I agree," Ara sulks. "It's Nico's fault."

The boy glares at her as he picks out splinters off his jacket. Ara suspects he knows she's just pushing his buttons because she has no other outlet.

"Earth spirits don't like children of the Underworld. That's true," he says ignoring her. "We get under their skin—literally. But I think the numina could sense this ship anyway. We're carrying the Athena Parthenos. That thing is like a magical beacon."

"So crossing the mountains is out," Leo sighs, examining the monitor again. "Thing is, they go a long way in either direction."

"We could go by sea," Hazel offers. "Sail around the southern tip of Italy."

"That's a long way. Plus, we don't have..." Nico glances at Ara pointedly. "Our sea expert, Percy."

The girl tightens her grasp on Almighty's grip. "Well, we obviously can't go this way any more than we can shadow travel the whole ship, so there's gotta be a way around it."

"What about continuing north?" Hazel continues. "There has to be a break in the mountains, or something."

Leo tinkers with the Archimedes sphere newly installed on the ship. Ara's fingers have been itching to touch it, but she doesn't know how it works, and since Leo is spending the least amount of time with her, asking her boyfriend for lessons is out of the question.

A hologram comes out when Leo presses a few buttons and proceeds to examine the map carefully. "I dunno. I don't see any good passes to the north. But I like that idea better than backtracking south. I'm done with Rome."

"Whatever we do," Nico continues, "we have to hurry. Every day that Annabeth and Percy are in Tartarus..."

"They'll be fine for the next three days," Ara states confidently.

"Because you say so?" Nico scoffs. "The universe doesn't bow to you, regardless of what you think."

Ara's blood boils instantly. "Do you know what my job was on the quests I went to?"

"Was it Lady-in-distress?" Nico taunts her. "Or bait? You liked to squirm a lot."

Ara steps closer. Hazel and Leo prepare to break a possible fight, this has happened way too many times in the two days Nico's been on the ship. "I was in charge of supplies. I know how much food Annabeth and Percy consume, the amount of nectar and ambrosia they need, and they know I'm good at my job. I would never let them starve during the first two days of a journey."

"The supplies you had in your stupid dino were for you, not them," Nico argues.

"They were better survivors than I ever was, dumbass, do you think I didn't take that into consideration?" She scowls. "They have enough for a whole week, perhaps more if they eat less than they should."

Hazel hurries to speak. "He's just worried, Ara. Please."

The girl sounds so stressed that Ara snaps out of her anger. She looks back at Hazel's imploring eyes and steps back, arms crossing over her chest as she avoids looking at Nico.

"Anyway," she continues in a gentler voice. "If we're going to change trajectory, we should bring the others. Jason can fly and check for us, Piper's dagger can help too, maybe."

"No," Hazel replies stubbornly. "We can figure this out. We just need some creative thinking. Another way to cross those mountains, or a way to hide ourselves from the numina."

"The only way to hide would be using the mist," Ara raises a brow. "But I've never been able to trick monsters with that."

"And like Ara said, if I was alone, I could shadow-travel. But that won't work for an entire ship. And honestly, I'm not sure I have the strength to even transport myself anymore," Nico says with frustration.

"I could maybe rig some kind of camouflage," Leo suggests, "like a smoke screen to hide us in the clouds."

"Arion," Hazel says suddenly.

"What?" Nico frowns.

Leo lets out a joyful exclamation as he points forward.  "It's her horse, man! You missed that whole part. We haven't seen him since Kansas!"

"He's back?" Ara squints, spotting the animal rushing towards them.

Hazel smiles. "We have to meet him—He's here to help."

"Yeah, okay." Leo tilts his head. "But, uh, we talked about not landing the ship on the ground anymore, remember? You know, with Gaea wanting to destroy us and all."

"Just get me close, and I'll use the rope ladder. I think Arion wants to tell me something." 

"Just don't go too far away," Ara pauses. "Though since it's Arion, I almost feel stupid asking that."

"Almost?" Nico responds sarcastically.

"Enough," Hazel scowls at them. "Leo, don't let them fight while I'm gone."

"What?" Leo waves his hands in front of him rejecting the idea. "No, no, no! These two drive me nuts! Not even Coach Hedge can stand their arguments, and he loves it when people fight!"

Ara frowns. "I'll go below decks, if that makes you feel less anxious, Hazel—you," she points at Nico. "Wait for your sister."

"Like you have to tell me," he mutters.

"And you..." Ara looks at Leo. He briefly looks into her eyes before turning to the control board. "Keep looking for alternative routes."

"On it, General," he mumbles, eyes fixed on the sphere's projection.

Lily stares at the Aphrodite figurine in her hand. I'd left it in my room, but I guess she found it when she went looking for her dagger. She's on border patrol, it seems, next to Thalia's tree. Connor Stoll is with her. 

"Hey," he nudges her arm. "Don't you need like a whole deck of cards to play with that?"

Lily puts the item in her pocket. "I'm not playing."

"What's on your mind?" Connor asks, then looks away wincing. "Never mind."

The girl stares ahead. "Do you think she's okay?"

"The last thing we heard was that she was slaying sea monsters," he grins. "I think she's having a ball."

Lily pulls out her dagger and plays with it. "But the Roman tropes are coming—and she's not here to send them away."

"Quests are more important, Lily," he tries to reason. "And it's her brother we're talking about. I mean, you have to remember he and Annabeth are her oldest friendships in camp—"

"I'm not talking about stupid friendships," she snaps. "She made an oath. That's what this is about."

Connor frowns. "To you?"

She stabs the ground and glares at it. "Didn't even try to take me along..."

"Because there was no way that'd—"

"I know!" Lily stands up. "It's not about that either!" The girl huffs before continuing. She seizes the Aphrodite figurine again. "Do you remember... people used to like her from the get-go? She could make a crowd welcome her in with open arms. I know she has charmspeak, but there used to be something else—she made me believe there was hope out there for us. Now she..."

Lily hands Connor the figurine and sits down, gazing wistfully at the small statue.

"She was pure sunshine. You know what I mean."

Connor seems uncomfortable, he puts the figure in his pocket and gets up, then offers his hand to Lily. "C'mon, you have to join Grover and Rachel for the meeting with the Roman kids."

Lily groans, but she takes his hand anyway. I get to see their matching soul lights immediately after. "Do I have to?"

"We respond to you while Ara is gone," he smiles. "And we all know you've always been in charge of the diplomacy, anyway."

Ara opens her eyes at once, almost falling off her chair. She'd fallen asleep on the worktable while trying—and failing—to read.

"Hey, man, why are you hugging Nike?"

She turns and spots Jason and Leo, her boyfriend has been napping in one corner of the engine room hugging the statue in Athena's hand. Ara straightens her posture and rubs her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Leo pushes a tangled blanket off his lap. "We were just cuddling. Um, what's going on?"

"We made it through the mountains," Jason announces. "We're almost to Bologna. You should join us in the mess hall. Nico has new information."

"Oh, goody," Ara mutters, pushing the hair out of her face and closing her book. "Nico wants to talk..."

Jason frowns. "Can we get through a meeting without you two fighting?"

Ara thinks of what she saw in her dream, and her annoyance shifts into shame. "Fine, I'll sit away from him."

Once they're left alone, Leo and Ara speak simultaneously. "I had a bad dream."

Ara raises a brow. "That's why you were cuddling Nike?"

"Don't worry, she was a one-night thing," Leo approaches her worktable. "But please, tell me yours didn't have Janus again? That would make mine worse."

"What? No, it was a different type of dream," she replies, eyeing him intently. "What was yours?"

"It was a lady and she was like, offering me two different types of death," he shrugs, trying to remember. "Said something about a maze..."

Ara's stomach twists in dread. "No, that was not related to my dream, but it sounds bad. You don't want to find yourself in a maze ever, Leo. They suck."

"Geez, sunshine, stop trying to cheer me up," he sulks.

"Sorry," she tries again, Lily's words tormenting her. "Perhaps Nico has something useful for a change. And uh... is Hazel..?"

"She came back. I came here to let you know but it felt wrong to wake you, so I took a nap instead."

Despite everything, Ara smiles. "You took a nap where your girlfriend was... just at the opposite corner of the room?"

"Your bench isn't large enough for the two of us."

"Nothing to do with avoiding all physical contact with me, right?"

Leo's nose starts to steam. "Whaat? Baby, you know I can't live without you!" Ara crosses her arms and stares at him, so he caves. "Listen, can't blame a guy for feeling awkward, okay?"

"About what?"

"Your brother and oldest friend falling straight to hell because of what I did."

"It sounds terrible that way," she frowns. 

"When you bravely tried to lighten our burden by closing the Doors of Death alone but ended up getting your friends in trouble," he raises a brow, being heavily sarcastic. "Better?"

The girl sighs. "If it means anything... I would've been really sorry about not giving you a goodbye kiss."

Leo's voice contains a bit of amusement. "That's as close as you can get to an apology?"

"I won't say I'm glad it was my brother and Annabeth instead," she complains.

"That's not what I want to hear either."

"What do you want?" Ara leans closer, almost begging.

The boy holds her by the shoulders, playfully shaking her. "I don't want anything, Arae! Stop trying to fix it!"

"That's rich coming from you!" She huffs, pushing his hands away.

Leo smirks, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. "It is, isn't it? Come on, we shouldn't keep Nico waiting. That'll only give him more reasons to talk shit about you."

"He'll do it anyway," Ara mumbles, letting him guide her out of the engine room.

"I know, honey, I know," he replies in a mushy voice. "You are so strong for putting up with that."

"Shut up."

"My brave little angel..."

"I mean it!"

"The gods's strongest warrior—"

Ara tries to elbow him but Leo dodges her, escaping with a devilish laugh.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

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[thetriphibianmonster]

Godzilla Film Watch: Week 1

For Godzilla's 70th anniversary I decided to finally hunker down and watch every theatrically released Godzilla film, one film per day. I'm not sure if I'm going to restrict this purely to the Japanese entries or include the American films as well, but I'll cross that river when I get to it. Credit to Wikizilla for the Poster Images.

Day 1: Godzilla (1954) There isn't much I can say about this that hasn't been said already. One thing that did strike me coming back to it was how briskly paced it is compared to some of the later films, as well as contemporary US monster movies: there isn't any waffling over whether there is a monster or not, we head swiftly from the initial boat attacks to Odo Island, and after the hurricane Godzilla is promptly established as the primary obstacle. The human element is also well developed, although it's hard for any film in the series to beat Minus One on that front.

Day 2: Godzilla Raids Again (1955) Despite establishing the central character for the rest of the Showa era alongside the concept of kaiju battles, this sophomore entry can't escape the feeling of a hasty followup. It certainly holds up better in the original Japanese than in Gigantis' Narratovision, but it could definitely benefit from a more solid story structure. The Osaka rampage is kicked off by a random jailbreak interlude, Anguirus is defeated long before the climax, and the final battle is paused so the planes can reload their missiles. This looser structure, slighter character development, and absence of Akira Ifukube makes the movie feel weirdly closer in tone to American monster movies of the era, lacking both the pathos of the prior entry and the absurdist creativity of the later Showa entries.

Day 3: Simp Ape vs Godzilla (1962) It's funny to come back to Ground Zero of Vs Debates to find the exact same arguments getting brought up by characters within the narrative, complete with the same blindspots to asymmetric strengths and weaknesses ("Godzilla got repelled by the electric lines, surely the weaker Kong will perish" *Kong proceeds to absorb the electricity). One character says "this isn't a Wrestling Match" but ultimately all kaiju fights follow the same rules as pro wrestling: the booking is what decides the winner, and the difference in power is never going to be so vast that a kaiju can't get in some decent hits. And the final fight here is in the running for the best of the early Showa films: great momentum, tons of iconic moments, and a climactic finish that leaves room for ambiguity (though they'd end up reusing it quite a few times). I think Kong's humanoid proportions may have helped a lot with choreographing more kinetic fisticuffs. The human side is a bit of a mixed bag, though I found it more engaging than the cast of Raids Again. The goofy pharmaceutical executive and his bombastic showmanship is a lot of fun, but the portrayal of the Faro Islanders and our protagonists' exploitative treatment of them has aged like milk. Kong's brief kidnapping of the female lead feels very perfunctory: the movie isn't structured around his usual narrative (though it is funny to see Kong holding the ludicrously out of scale doll).

Day 4: Mothra vs Godzilla (1964) This is the thematically strongest entry since the first film. The recognition of nuclear testing's impact on Pacific Islanders such as the Marshallese people is an empathetic evolution of the first film's focus on Japan's own victimization, and it blends organically with the films other themes of capitalist exploitation and the Press's relationship with politics and public opinion. The humanistic portrayal of the Infant Islanders is striking, particularly considering the treatment of the Faro Islanders last film (although the continued use of brown face is unfortunate)- I haven't seen the original Mothra yet, but here they strike me as people whose original compassion had been tempered by great suffering and persecution. On the kaiju side things are solid but don't quite reach the highs of the prior film. I appreciate that even the adult Mothra lost more to her own aging body than she did to Godzilla (both stages had the King of the Monsters on the ropes), and I enjoyed the culmination of the "throw more voltage at Godzilla" arc.

Day 5: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) The culmination of the early Showa films and the start of Godzilla's face turn, this one is a lot of fun but feels disjointed at times. The assassination subplot never really coalesces with the larger story or themes, and the Shobijin Variety Hour was a bit excessive just to reestablish the Infant Island regulars (plus there's the dour implication of Pacific Islanders having to sell their cultural heritage to the capricious metropole to make ends meet). I like the idea of the monsters in conflict banding together to fight a greater foe, but Godzilla's clash with Rodan often feels inconsequential and rarely impactful (though Rodan dropping Godzilla crotch first onto the transmission tower was a highlight). Still, Ghidorah is a wonderfully creative villain, and I really like how what finally pushes Godzilla to join the battle and begin his character development was to protect the Mothra larva from Ghidorah's torment.

Day 6: Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965) This one holds up quite a bit better despite decreased monster action. The space age elements were a lot of fun, I got a kick out of P-1 and the camouflaged civilization of Planet X. The Xiliens and their culture were nicely realized and explored in depth, particularly compared to later Seijin that served a more functional role as antagonists. Their reliance on computers reminded me of the modern day tendency to obfuscate decisions behind supposedly "objective" algorithms that end up just perpetuating prior biases.

Day 7: Earlobe, Fell in the Deep (1966) Jun Fukuda's first entry in the series is a breath of fresh air: I love how the focus is tightened up from broad scale disaster films to an Adventure in the South Seas. This was likely a holdover from the original star kaiju, and while Godzilla fits mostly organically into his new role his interaction with Day is mostly puzzling. I guess one way of interpreting the scene is as a continuation of his character development: Godzilla hasn't really observed humans outside of their vehicles and buildings before, and recognition of an individual human as a living being could be a major step towards a greater level of empathy. I appreciate the continued sympathetic portrayal of the Infant Islanders, although it could be argued they lack agency in their own liberation plot, and the prior damage to their home is largely brushed under the rug. Mothra's sleepiness also felt like a missed opportunity: she swoops in at the end to rescue the heroes, but getting her involved in the action sooner could have made her appearance more substantive. Ebirah is a fun antagonist though, even if he is just a big lobster. His volleyball match with Godzilla feels like such a culmination of Eiji Tsuburaya's boulder fixation that I was surprised to find out his title of effects director was ceremonial here.

[panelshowsource]

this is such a great episode!

for anyone who hasn't listened yet — it deals with some heavy things including food addiction and eating disorders, death, and more, so anyone who wants to check it out should be aware it's about richard's own history and his self-identified "failures", and it's not particularly light-hearted or funny even though it's endearing and inspiring in many ways

i really appreciate his honesty and how carefully he speaks. he has every right to be angry — with his father leaving, with his relationship to food and shame, with the ever-present confines of modern masculinity making life so lonely for men — but he never seems to be. he just cares about being the best, healthiest version of himself. and i appreciate that he doesn't talk at people, preach, act like he knows more or best; he just knows what he knows all while seeking to always be learning more. i really appreciate him!

i've never heard of a podcast by tailors, how interesting! i listened to the episode with alex and it was really sweet! i'll post this in case anyone else wants to check it out :)

(of course 💜)

same, i'd only really heard of it because i got a bunch of messages about it! (i was a little unplugged from scripted tv when the first series came out 😅)

TOTALLY AGREE about jon pointing! his comedic timing, his facial expressions, he is just too hilarious — even though...can i just say...why was that old ass man playing a uni student X_X

anyways — i knew him from plebs!! that's quite a famous itv2 series, so you should check it out and see if you like it! i love tom basden ugh and if you check my non-panel shows masterpost i have live at the moth club and he does standup in ep1!

i am somewhat familiar with it as someone who likes to watch some of the nextup specials (alistair barrie was one i enjoyed recently!) and tries to keep abreast of the festival nominees & winners, but i don't have as much time as i'd like to really weed out my favourites only because there isn't enough time in the day and i'm already trying to watch 100 things a day 🥲

one thing i find funny is how i pay more attention to who would do well on tv opposed to who is just GOOD. like, i didn't get john kearns until stopped thinking about him in the context of dictionary corner and started acknowledging his written set as a very, very specific piece of work that really shouldn't be disassembled and consumed in morsels. but i do see my interest in — and potentially my preference for — panel shows reflected in some of the circuit guys i like, such as alasdair beckett-king, huge davies, larry david. i just know they would kill panel show world if they were pushed properly :')

i find that i like standup a lot more live than i do on screen — which i think a lot of comedians would understand!

as well, i find the discourse about how difficult it is to get started/off the ground now that edinburgh fringe is becoming less and less accessible extremely fascinating and try to listen to all of the podcasts/convos about that that i can. it's costing comedians upwards of 5k just to debut a modest set at edinburgh — which is madness. here is tom mayhew talking to bbc news about this just a couple of weeks ago...

anyways, is there someone you wanted to recommend? i would love to check out anything 😚

—

daniel sloss standup — added a couple of those to drive! god i looooooved him when i was in high school and still do! highly recommend him on roast battle uk if you need extra sloss content. i'll work on the others over the next couple of weeks

alma's not normal — added to drive!

here we go — i know exactly where this is so i can hook you up but imma need you to dm/ask me off anon for the deets!

hold the front page + the unofficial science of home alone — sorry anons i don't have these on me but they're very easy requests someone can hook you up with on r/tv_bunny, so post them there!

—

PANEL SHOW WATCH LINKS / NON-PANEL SHOW WATCH LINKS FAQ / TAGS / ASK

[demons-mind]

So the long needed ship post for Abel is finally here. Abel x Emily!!!

So low-key Abel does not really like anyone in heaven. He thinks all the angels and seraphims are hypocrites, and it annoys him to death. However, one day, when Sonia was planning her date with Vaggie, she decided to set up a blind date for Abel. (Because the fact that Exorcist are Heavenborn in my AU, they are not allowed inside Heaven's Gates unless they're escorted by a Winner, so Sonia and/or Vaggie would ask Abel to take them to town, because they don't trust Adam to not say or do anything to them.) Abel, who was originally hating this plan, decided too go along with his insane friends' plan, mainly because he didn't want to be his friends third wheel anymore. When he finally met Emily he kind of was more dismissive and acting like a dick to her the entire time, until eventually he saw how genuinely upset she was (now to be far to Abel, he really didn't want to go on a date and be lectured every 5 minutes), and tone it down a little bit. Eventually, Abel saw that Emily was genuine in her actions when she said the things that the dumb Seraphims said. Like she holds Heaven's values close to her heart. After realizing that, he asked if he could start over with her and have a second date. Emily, being the sweetheart she is said yes, thinking he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning and was cranky because of that, and decided to give Abel a second chance. Well, that interaction happened 7 years ago, and their relationship is still going well. Well enough that Abel even proposed to Emily, and they're currently engaged right now. However, they won't be getting married anytime soon due to the fact that the other seraphims are very strict with whom they let their own kind will have a relationship with (So their relationship was a huge secret for a long time, even from Sera). Plus, Abel didn't want to have the extermination in the back of his mind when he's at the altar with Emily. So once he tackles those obstacles out of the way, then he and Emily can finally start planning their wedding day.

-------------------------------------------------------

Alright, that is it for Abel x Emily. Normally, I just write how they got together and if they stay together. However, I have to mention that I changed Abel and Cain's appearance a tiny bit. When I first made the boys, I made them look more like Adam because I figured we were going to see Eve in the series, so I made them not really having a second parent in mind for them. Then, when I decided to make my version of Eve, I decided to change how Cain and Abel looked a tiny bit to fit both their parents. Therefore, I changed Abel's skin. (I also changed his eyes two also be a mix of Adam and Eve, but I'll show that later)

Still hope you all like it!!!💚💚💚

[shychangling]

One day I will get my thoughts out on Megatron and his reinvention in later series.

Maybe I'll do it here and now.

I don't mind it but I also don't really care for it all too much. I don't really care about him "having been right".

Cause I guess maybe I enjoy the earlier installations inventing him originally as a Supremacist and even a slave owner and I felt that the rounding out around his humanization towards that and still making him a compelling villain intrigues me more then.

"He had a point."

There's something about him being a sore winner, chasing the Autobots off Cybertron in G1 cartoon and then chasing them down to wipe them out... interests me far more.

Something about their conquests and genocide towards the Autobots and the Autobots being originally more like Refugees in war than a proper military.

Or like in my fave canon Armada flawed liberators who have to learn their coddling and condescension is its own flavour of oppression towards the Minicons even though the Decepticons slavery and torture is far worse.

That Armada and the UT have Megatron as someone trying to establish himself on a throne because it was promised to him.

or that G1 had an interesting thing in its cartoon of as my non tf fan friend said and stuck with me. "The Military trying to erase civilians and the civilians turning into a militia only to be chased off-world."

[thewritingofspencerrose]

To Be Loved | Freefall: A Series

Charles Leclerc x Lynnleigh Earnhardt

*This does not fall into the Freefall timeline*

"Charles, I'm not sure this is a good idea..." I mumble, glancing over the building he has just pulled up outside of.

"It'll be fine," Is his assurance, putting the car in park and glancing over the console. "The team suggested this as a Valentine's day plan because it'll look best for both of us. NASCAR princess and F1 driver hit the go-kart track for Valentines? You have to admit it was brilliant."

"Yeah, yeah, it's a great place to be, I just feel bad I'm taking up your day," I can't help but mumble, glancing up from my hands to find his eyes hidden by his sunglasses.

"Mon cher," He says at the same quiet volume. "You're not taking up my day. We're going to have a great time racing where I'll beat you, and then we will grab dinner and be all set," Is the assurance I receive, him smiling slightly. "I got you something."

Now that makes my brows furrow. "What? I thought we agreed no gifts Charlie, we're not even really dating."

"Chut maintenant (hush now)," He tsks, leaning into the back and pulling out a bouquet of flowers, all a shade of red.

"Oh Charles," I can't help but hum in appreciation. "Thank you, these are gorgeous," I thank, leaning over to kiss his cheek. His cheeks tinge pink, smile never leaving as he just nods.

"You can leave them in here, they should be alright," and I trust him on this. We're just outside of Monaco, this is his home, not my own, so I tuck the flowers by my feet, suddenly feeling a lot better about spending the global day of love with my for-show boyfriend. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, I think you're right, this will be fun," I relent, hand on the door.

"Do not think about it, I will be getting your door," Ever the gentleman scolds, flying out of the car and around to my door, pulling it open. "Mon cher."

"Why thank you," I can't help but laugh, taking his outstretched hand into my own. Yet he doesn't let go once I'm safely out of the car, door closed. He keeps my hand in his own, cool metal of his rings against my fingers as we enter the track.

___________________________________________

"You told me you have never been karting before, menteur (you liar)!" Charles yells, throwing off his helmet and not even bothering to fix where his hair is sticking in a million directions.

"I never said that! Not once!" I can't help but laugh in return setting my helmet on top of my kart and reaching up to run my hands through his hair. "You look like you just ran through a wind tunnel Char," I continue laughing, his next thought cutting off in his throat.

He's just staring at me, hair slightly better but still not his usual stylish version of messy. I begin to move my hands back to my own sides, but managing to even move them away from his shoulders proves impossible when his hands shoot up to stop mine.

"Charlie?"

"I- that felt really nice," Is his mumbled response, a dopey smile on his lips, bringing one to my own.

"I'm glad," Is my grinned response, his arms hands patting mine to stay where my they have moved on his neck, his hands sliding down to my waist, pulling me into his body.

His lips meet my head, the most appropriate gesture he could have done given the families filing in to begin their own sessions.

Pulling back only slightly, just enough for his eyes to meet my own. "Ready for dinner?"

"Definitely," I can't help but giggle. "I worked up an appetite kicking your ass. Definitely deserve the dinner of a winner."

I don't think I've witnessed his agile body move any fast than in this moment, pulling back from me looking as though I've slapped him across the face.

"Je suis déjà le gagnant, mon cher (I am already the winner, mon cher)."

I don't think we're acting anymore.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Bob Dylan - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan, February 10, 1997

Like many of you, I've been digging into the latest Bootleg Series over the past few weeks — and no surprise, I've been really enjoying it. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's a golden age for Dylan fans. Just imagine 10 years ago if you told anyone how many archival treasures (many of which were unheard even by the most die-hard bootleg sicko) would see official release by now ... they'd almost certainly say: "I don't belieeeeeeve you. You're a LIAR." Believe it: we'll be sorting through the Bootleg Series' riches for decades to come.

Fragments is another winner. Do we need that Time Out of Mind remix? Well, maybe. I like it, anyway — though the 1990s Dylan album that most needs a remix is Under the Red Sky, if you ask me. In a weird way, the de-Lanois-ed mix of TOOM gives me a deeper appreciation of the sonic environment that Dan created for the album; all those instruments and players and overtones blending together, not always totally harmoniously but always totally interesting. However he ended up mixing the finished product, that environment coaxed some astounding performances from Dylan; one of the biggest pleasures of Fragments is just luxuriating in the awe-inspiring crag and grit of Bob's vocals, getting to hear his various approaches to songs, like an actor trying out different accents, different rhythms, different vibes. In a weird way, it makes me think of the Basement Tapes, when Dylan would disappear into his own voice, time slipping way way way out of mind.

Anyway! Soon after the TOOM recording sessions in early 1997, Bob was back on the road again, heading for another joint — in this case, the Tokyo International Forum. This recording of the second show on the tour is a good place to check out where Dylan was at during this point in the Neverending Tour; he had a new drummer, David Kemper, who would be with him through the Love and Theft days. Guitarist John Jackson was coming to the end of his Dylan stint. Bucky Baxter and Tony Garnier, well, they sound comfortable and groovy. It's not a completely remarkable show, but that's not a diss — Bob is very into it vocally and the setlist is nothing to complain about. That "Shelter From The Storm" re-arrangement is a jaunty pleasure and "Love Minus Zero" builds majestically. The crowd participation on the "Highway 61" rave-up is wild. And the "Girl From The North Country" in the encore takes us someplace very wonderful — Dylan's guitar solos manage to be both heartwrenching and hilarious. As the snowflakes storm here in Colorado, it's warming me up.

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

A Day In Kalos

Last Saturday, I attended a meet-up in Pokémon Y Version. (I also used Pokémon Omega Ruby. Even though I wasn't allowed to.)

While the event wouldn't start until noon, I spent the whole morning doing other things. One of which was earning new ribbons for Delphox.

I entered her into a Beauty contest in Pokémon Omega Ruby and was forced to go against Lisia and Wallace. Through a strategy that used Overheat, I was able to beat all the other contestants and win.

I thought I could return her to Kalos for the meet-up. But I was forced to go through a cutscene with Lisia and Wallace.

They're so tacky...

After that, I traveled to the Battle Resort to give Delphox some much-needed maintenance in terms of her moves before trading her back to Pokémon Y. Once I did, the meet-up was already underway.

I spent the first few hours doing wonder trades. I wasn't expecting much. But I was able to get some real winners. Combined with some of the other Pokémon I had in this game, along with Omega Ruby, I won every battle I entered. It was the best I've ever been in battles in the XY series.

Since I was doing so well with battles, I decided to take my skills to the next level by fighting in the Battle Maison. I chose Multi Battles since I could breeze through each match using two systems. Unfortunately, Pokémon Y and Pokémon Omega Ruby can't interact for Multi Battles in a place like the Battle Maison. Luckily, I can compete with one of the rivals or specific people on my Friend's List. After scanning different names, I found someone with Pokémon that could complement the ones I used.

This person doesn't play Pokémon. So when I chose them to be their partner, THIS is who I ended up with.

By the way he talks, I'd assume he's a robot. But his appearance makes me believe he's secretly a Ditto with its own team. (But that last theory sounds even more crazier than the former.)

Normally, I would fight in a place like this until after every 7th match. But I felt so confident in my partner and our abilities that we fought 20 battles in a row in under 2 hours. For our skills, we had the chance to battle Evelyn and Dana.

It was a tough match. But me and Nando managed to pull one last victory together!

These two are going to eat their words someday...

But then again, I don't know if they're worth the effort since they all share the same ribbons.

And with that, my Battle Maison challenge was over. Before I could leave, my partner had some choice words for me.

I'd be insulted by that statement if Nando actually played Pokémon...

This meet-up wasn't as grand as I imagined it. But the things I went through last Saturday made it even better!

Before I stopped playing, I finished the Trainer PR Video I was working on earlier that morning. It's probably the best one I'll ever make.

I still don't understand why this is even in the game. But I can see the appeal of it.

[burningdarkfire]

books i read in dec 2023

[these are all short + casual reviews - feel free to ask about individual ones if u want my full thoughts or ask for my goodreads!!] 

fighting for my life this december but you know what? i ended with a great and relaxing holiday season 🎄 hope everyone also got some good reading done to close out the year!

captive prince (reread) + pet - c.s. pacat ★★★★☆ (romantasy)

i first read this series 6 years ago and can i just say that i definitely get it now. way more than i did 6 years ago. it's a fucking masterclass in the erotic. a good, slow burn romance where the tension is off the charts and the whole situation is a delicious amount of fucked up

the beak of the finch - jonathan weiner ★★★★☆ (science nonfiction)

there were some obvious gaps, and it drags in the middle chapters, but it's also beautifully written with some lovely turns of phrase

[reread] a dangerous path - erin hunter ★★★★☆ (animal fantasy)

can't believe it's 2023 and i'm still having profound feelings about fireheart and bluestar. one of my faves from the original series

overcoming unwanted intrusive thoughts - sally m. winston ★★★★☆ (psychology nonfiction)

i don't think i actually get intrusive thoughts but this was a useful read to better understand what some people close to me might have going on in their heads <3

the mystery guest - nita prose ★★★★☆ (mystery)

surprisingly really enjoyed this, the main character actually reads like a protagonist instead of a forced gimmick. the mystery itself was pretty subpar but i found the dual timeline pretty compelling

recitatif - toni morrison ★★★★☆ (historical short story)

it's more famously an exercise than it is an actual story, but the story itself is at least functionally interesting

the lottery & other stories - shirley jackson ★★★★☆ (horror short story collection)

impressively thematically coherent for a short story collection, though i think shirley jackson is one of those authors where she and i are simply concerned about different things in life

legendborn - tracy deonn ★★★☆☆ (YA contemporary fantasy)

diverse protag gives a genuinely interesting spin to an otherwise pretty standard YA that's mostly played straight

natural beauty - ling ling huang ★★★☆☆ (horror)

great concept but just didn't quite get there. definitely an interesting debut and i'll be looking for more books from this author

[reread] honeybee - trista mateer ★★★☆☆ (poetry)

reread this to see if i wanted to give it as an xmas gift (the answer was no) it is exactly the kind of middling breakup poetry i was remembering but also more gay

hallowe'en party - agatha christie ★★★☆☆ (mystery)

the actual mystery was quite good but unfortunately agatha christie obviously had uhhh some things on her mind when she wrote this one and it kept getting interrupted by what felt like essentially an unrelated political tirade

the winners - fredrik backman ★★☆☆☆ (contemporary)

the idea behind this was pretty good but unfortunately i am not convinced it needed to exist and especially not for almost 700 pages. the first book is great on its own!

our numbered days - neil hilborn ★★☆☆☆ (poetry)

some spoken word poetry simply is not meant for the page. look this guy up on youtube if you want to see his artistry. but also i think the way he wrote about his exes kind of gave me the ick