#royal guard! billy

[autistic-shaiapouf]

do you think meruem's royal guards have like, a single brain cell of which they pass around each other like a hot potato?

This is the EXACT thought I've had about them for a very long time 😭 pitou is the only one that unlocked the full potential of the brain cell, youpi got pretty close as well, Pouf mishandled the brain cell every time he got it 😔 only one of them is allowed a coherent thought at a time and it is absolutely beautiful

[insanityclause]

“Pressure,” Tom Hiddleston says, “is a privilege.” He apologises for appropriating the title of Billie-Jean King’s memoir, but it’s a sentiment that feels pertinent to him and his co-star Hayley Atwell. They have known each other for 20 years, have both starred in the Marvel universe (Hiddleston as the charmingly villainous Loki; Atwell as the wartime spy Peggy Carter), but this is the first time they have worked together — if you don’t count their group audition to get into drama school.

In a baggy sweatshirt (Atwell) and natty pale-blue jacket with clasps (Hiddleston), they are in a south London studio to rehearse Shakespeare’s bantering would-be lovers Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. It will be only the second Shakespeare play performed at the 2,000-seat Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London since 1957. And the pressure Hiddleston refers to comes from the fact that the previous one — The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver, also directed by Jamie Lloyd — failed to go down a storm.

Atwell and Hiddleston in rehearsal for Much Ado About Nothing

MARC BRENNER

Withering reviews such as The Times’s (“Sigourney Weaver’s blank Prospero makes zero impression”) poured cold water on a desert island story that had been relocated by the director Jamie Lloyd to a charcoal-black netherworld. Prices were cut, and an onstage protest by Just Stop Oil looked like light relief.

“We can exclusively reveal that [Much Ado] is not set in a charcoal netherworld,” Hiddleston deadpans. The pair start each day of rehearsals with an hour of dancing. How much dancing will make it into the show? The pair, who are friendly but guarded, can’t or won’t reveal.

What they will say is that you don’t do a show like this by halves. It turns out that Shakespeare is more like a Marvel film than you’d think. “You’ve got to commit with heart and soul and body, like you do for action sequences,” Hiddleston explains. “All acting can be boiled down to how much you commit.”

“I like pressure,” Atwell says. “There is a part of it that is very healthy and useful. But any sort of pressure attached to an idea of my name as a brand or a public persona is so arbitrary and abstract. I turn off the noise that is inconsequential. I find the bit of it I can use.”

Tom Hiddleston as Loki, a mischievous Marvel villain

ALAMY

In 2022 Atwell had to do this while filming Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One amid bogus reports of a relationship with the film’s star Tom Cruise; the pair are teaming up again for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, released this summer.

Hiddleston tells a story about his first big London Shakespeare opening, in 2007. He was playing Cassio in Othello, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello and Ewan McGregor as Iago. At five o’clock the three popped out to a Covent Garden Pret a Manger to get a pre-show sandwich. (It is hard, the Much Ado two agree, knowing exactly when to eat before a show.) There was a first-night tension you could cut with a knife. Or there was until Ejiofor just said bluntly: “‘Well, this is a big night. No question.’ And it made us all laugh. Cos, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal — but what can you say?”

“’This is not your average Thursday,’” Atwell says.

“It’s not!” Hiddleston agrees.

Now 44, he already had an agent when he auditioned at Rada, having got one while studying Classics at Cambridge. Atwell, now 42, who grew up with her mother in west London, had delayed higher education to travel around with her American father and work for a casting director. When they met, in the final stage of auditions, it was on a day of working in a group.

Atwell and Hiddleston at the premiere of Jamie Lloyd’s The Tempest last year

ALAN CHAPMAN/DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES

Atwell feels she handled the pressure less well than Hiddleston. “The woman from Rada said to us, ‘We are now looking for the next generation of actors who will be making a profound contribution to the arts.’ And I was, like, ‘I don’t know about that, mate, I’m just trying to get out of being in a housing association — if I can make a living I will be very happy.’ I was very intimidated.”

“It was very intense,” Hiddleston says.

“I was too shy,” Atwell says. “I didn’t commit.”

“I thought you committed,” Hiddleston says. “I thought you committed hard.”

He got in, she didn’t, and went to Guildhall School of Drama instead. But after leaving in 2005 she got a big role in the TV adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst’s novel The Line of Beauty almost immediately. A few posh roles followed, including in the film Brideshead Revisited.

“There was probably a bit more classism around then, and I suppose my own prejudice about ‘I’ve got to sound a certain way to even be considered for the kind of parts that might lead eventually to a film career’. So I thought if I could go down a period drama route, as opposed to the soap route or more working-class plays, I might give myself more of a chance. I had no back-up plan. I didn’t have any kind of privilege, didn’t come from money.”

The Eton-educated Hiddleston may come from a more prosperous upbringing but insists that, as an actor, “you never feel you are on solid ground. I have had to remind myself to smell the roses, because they don’t bloom all that often.”

His next theatre role was Lloyd’s revival of Pinter’s Betrayal in London and New York in 2019, which is how he met his fiancée, Zawe Ashton, who was a castmate. Atwell, meanwhile, last appeared in the West End in Ibsen’s Rosmerholm in 2019. Before that her work included another Donmar Shakespeare (Measure for Measure) and an Olivier-nominated performance in Lloyd’s production of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride. She didn’t know it at the time, but theMission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie saw her in it — something that led, seven years later, to him casting her as the con artist turned secret agent Grace.

He had a moment like that in 2013 — when the second Thor film came out at the same time as he was earning rave reviews for Coriolanus at the Donmar theatre in London. Hiddleston was the man of the hour. “And then you’ve got to do another 75 nights on stage, and make sure you are careful in the fight scene not to slip on the blood. The work anchors you.”

“You can’t predict,” she says. “There’s so much luck involved. I’ve worked for a number of years … and failure is allowed. I didn’t used to find it easy to fail and get a second chance. Particularly as a woman there was this sense of ‘you have to be perfect’. But while you want to deliver, after a while it’s not yours any more. It’s for the audience, and if they don’t like it, or if it doesn’t work, they’re allowed, that’s allowed.”

Atwell as the wartime spy Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger

JAY MAIDMENT/MARVEL STUDIOS/THA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Hiddleston, meanwhile, who has been filming the second series of John le Carré’s The Night Manager after a nine-year gap since the first, is still Loki to much of the world. The pair have never been in a Marvel scene together, though they did appear at the same event: Comic Con in San Diego in 2013, to which Hiddleston turned up in costume. “Nobody knew it was happening , it was insane and foolish and really fun.”

“I was backstage,” Atwell says cheerfully. “I will never forget the vision of Loki brushing his teeth in full costume.”

She says she is glad she was 15 years into her career before her five-year tour of duty on Mission began with filming in 2020. “I’m so grateful for that, because the level of global exposure on it, purely from being alongside Tom Cruise, can uproot and upend your life. But actually I’m too old to go, ‘What’s next?’ A real sense of security only comes from the commitment to work for work’s sake.” Offstage, both are engaged to their partners: Hiddleston to Ashton (the couple have a two-year-old), Atwell to the music producer Ned Wolfgang Kelly.

What led to today’s professional pairing? Hiddleston and Lloyd wanted to do another play together after Betrayal, and the actor suggested Much Ado. “It seems so light and warm,” he explains, a nice contrast to the heartbreaks of Betrayal. When Lloyd suggested Atwell, Hiddleston said yes immediately. “We’ve known each other for so long, and Beatrice and Benedick have known each other for so long.”

“I had only one question,” Atwell says, “which was, ‘Jamie, how ‘hey-nonny-nonny’ is it going to be?’” Lloyd assured her the hey-nonny-nonny levels would be minimal. “So I thought, this sounds really exciting.”

And if this pulls in a crowd more inclined to Marvel than Much Ado, well, marvellous. Hiddleston, who likes to spin a yarn, gives an impassioned speech about the magic of storytelling in all its forms, about “something being transmitted, from the stage or from the screen, that leaves you feeling more connected, more human, more alive, less alone in the world”.

And that applies to Marvel — famous dislikers of the franchise such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola notwithstanding — too?

“One hundred per cent,” they say in unison.

Atwell sees superhero stories as modern-day mythology. “I don’t believe in highbrow or lowbrow — I think it’s just art and film and theatre. You wouldn’t necessarily connect Marvel with Shakespeare. But both can be for everyone.”

Hiddleston remembers going to a screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York of the first Avengers film. A group of first responders who had been at 9/11 a decade earlier were there too. “They were all wearing their uniform in the cinema. And the film is about how the Avengers have basically saved New York from Loki. And when Loki gets smashed by the Hulk like a fish at the end, they literally threw their hats in the air and cheered. That was so moving.”

Much Ado About Nothing is at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, Feb 10-Apr 5, thejamielloydcompany.com

[brittle-doughie]

Nightmare: Full Possession…

(Looks like Shadow Milk got what he wanted…And, it also seems that the Ancient Heroes have failed in their attempts to keep Y/N Cookie safe…)

Another busy day of keeping the Cookies in your kingdom happy, another peaceful night of sleep. As you returned to your Grand Chambers, and changed into your pajamas, you decided to wash your face before you went to bed.

However, as soon as you looked in the mirror, you could feel your own dough turning a bit stale by the sight in front of you.

Both of your eyes…were a familiar blue. And, as for your dough? It was of the same color. His color…

“No! No! No! No! No! This isn’t…! How can-?!”

“…Hehehehe~! I tried telling ya, silly billy! I’m a part of you now! And, in case you’re wondering…that silly incense won’t help ya this time! All it did was keep me, and my friends, out of your head! But, now? You’re finally mine…”

“No! Get out of my head! I don’t want you to hurt my Cookies!”

“Hurt them! Hehehe…HAHAHAHA! Don’t worry about them! I’ll make sure to take good care of them while you’re taking a much needed break! Time to let me in, ya cutie pie~”

“NO! NO! AAAAAAAAHHH-!!!!”

Your screams of pain echoed throughout your Chambers. And, they just so happened to catch the ears of Salsa Cookie and a couple Royal Guards, who were currently patrolling the corridors of your Castle.

“Was that…Their Highness?!”

“Are they in trouble?!”

“There’s no time! We need to check up on them! NOW!”

Kicking open the doors to your Chambers, Salsa Cookie and the Guards rushed over to the bathroom. But, as soon as they opened the door to check on you, they were a bit…shocked by what they were seeing.

You were just…standing there. Still, like a statue.

“Your…Majesty? Is…everything…”

One of them suddenly froze as soon as they saw the color of your dough. It wasn’t its usual color. It was…Blue. Blue…like a very familiar Beast Cookie…

“…Okay…?”

“Hehehehe…”

You chuckled ominously, slowly turning around to look at Salsa Cookie and the Guards.

“Oh…I’m feeling just fine, you five…juuust peachy…Hehehe…”

“In fact…I’m so glad that you chose to check up on little ‘ole me…Because, I’ve been wanting to ask you all a teensy, weensy wittle question…”

Your eyes were of two different colors. Your left eye was cerulean with a white slit pupil, while your right was cyan-colored with a black slit pupil. And, your smile…bore an eerie resemblance to the Beast Cookie of Deceit’s…

“…Do you want to see a magic trick…?”

“No!” /ref

But Y/N Cookie would wake up full on tweaking until Salsa comes busting in through the door.

[suzukiblu]

Ko-fi thank-you sentences for Octopus behind the cut; Billy adopts Conner and it actually goes pretty good! (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“I mean, unless you’d rather have gotten a tutor or something, I guess, probably Batman could’ve helped me find you a tutor,” Billy says, shrugging a little awkwardly. He used to help other foster kids with their homework a lot, though, and he taught a couple street kids he knew some bits and pieces of stuff, at least. And also–“Wisdom of Solomon, you know? It’s, um, kinda a thing. Anyway, I’m gonna help you with your powers, so it’s the same kind of thing, right? And it’s normal to read to your kids, too.” 

“I don’t need to read to be a weapon,” Lynn mutters, still looking down at Tawky. “Not if I’m being deployed with a team, anyway.” 

. . . Billy thinks maybe he could just go ahead and burn down whatever’s left of Cadmus. Like. Morally, and all. Ethically. Whichever. 

“I’m not helping you with your powers so you can be a weapon,” he says firmly, making himself keep his voice even so Lynn won’t think he’s mad at him. Or, uh–royally fucking pissed at him, more accurately. That’s Cadmus. Like, definitely it’s Cadmus that he’s royally fucking pissed at. “I’m helping you with your powers so you don’t get hurt or accidentally hurt anybody else. Like–so you can use them however you want.” 

“I’m the thing that gets used,” Lynn says as he folds one of Tawky’s ears back and forth, voice and expression both just distant enough to make Billy hate literally everything that’s made Lynn feel like that. 

He is definitely gonna put in a request with the League to let him burn down whatever’s left of Cadmus. Either that, or there’s gonna be a real convenient thunderstorm concentrated right on top of it, and a whole lot of equally convenient and equally concentrated lightning strikes. 

And if that fails, then there’s gonna be a twelve year-old “civilian” sneaking in with some matches and lighter fluid, and he’s just gonna commit arson the old-fashioned way. 

“If anyone ever says that to you again, I’m gonna make them sorry for even thinking it,” he says as evenly as he can. Lynn’s mouth tightens. He keeps his head down. 

“. . . why would you have read to me?” he asks, the question a little guarded. “That wouldn’t have taught me anything.” 

“It would’ve taught you that I’d read to you,” Billy says. Lynn–frowns, like maybe he doesn’t understand what he means. Billy’s not sure he understands what he means, just . . . 

His dad read to him. And his mom too. 

And Uncle Eben definitely did not. 

And Cadmus didn’t read to Lynn either, he’s betting. As far as he can tell, all Cadmus ever did was jam a really biased education into his head and lie to and mind-control him, in fact. 

Cadmus was just really awful to Lynn in general, as far as Billy can tell. 

Lynn thought they’d have kryptonite here, so . . . yeah. Cadmus was definitely awful to him.

Billy really, really wants to make sure that Lynn’s first thought is never something like that again. Or at least, that his first thought is never something like that when it’s about him. 

About the person who’s taking care of him, he means. Lynn should–he shouldn’t–

Billy always felt safe with his dad. With both of his parents. He wants Lynn to feel that way too, because Lynn deserves to feel that way too. Like no matter what tries to hurt him, it’s gonna have to go through somebody else first, and somebody who’d never just stand by and let it get to him. 

Billy doesn’t know if Lynn’s ever felt safe in his life, all things considered. He grew up in a pod being lied to and woke up to mind control and more lies and got attacked by, like, a giant mutated jerk of a doctor who’d been controlling and hurting him all his life already, and then he left the only place he’d ever known just because he thought it was the right thing to do, and . . . 

Yeah. Billy can’t imagine “safe” is a feeling Lynn’s all that familiar with yet. 

Can’t imagine he’s ever really felt it at all, at this point. 

He–swallows, a little, and then makes himself smile at him again. Lynn’s still not looking at him, but Billy figures he’ll hear it in his voice, if nothing else. 

“I’ll read to you anyway, if you want,” he offers as he links his hands together behind his back, his voice coming out a little awkward; a little quiet. He doesn’t mean for it to, but . . . “Even if you can do it yourself.” 

Lynn doesn’t say anything. He rubs the pad of his thumb across one of Tawky’s paw pads and then squeezes it, just a little. Billy doesn’t blame him for wanting to hold somebody’s hand right now. It’s–a lot, probably. All this is probably a lot. 

All this is definitely a lot, and Billy doesn’t blame Lynn for anything he’s feeling about any of it at all. When everything changes all at once like–when somebody’s whole life changes and they lose everything and everyone they had before, and . . . and . . . 

It’s just a lot, he knows. 

Like–yeah. 

Of course it is. 

“. . . sure,” Lynn says, and glances up–not at Billy, exactly, but in his direction. He’s looking at his shoulder more than anything else, Billy’s pretty sure, but that’s fine by him. He brightens instinctively, resisting the urge to float up a little in excitement. 

“Cool!” he says. “Um–okay, yeah. Cool.” 

Lynn ducks his head again, looking more towards the wall now. He’s still holding Tawky’s paw, though, and he didn’t, like, go run off and hide in his room or get mad or anything, so Billy thinks things are going okay, really. Even if–even if some of this is a little harder to talk too much about, maybe. 

He really does want Lynn to feel safe with him, though, so he’s gonna have to be able to talk to him about the harder stuff too. 

He can do that, he promises himself. Or–he’s gonna do that, anyway. He’ll figure it out, one way or the other. 

Lynn deserves a dad who can do that, and Billy’s already decided he’s gonna be the kind of dad Lynn deserves, so–yeah. 

He can do it. 

He wonders if his parents ever felt like this with him. Felt like–like it was hard and scary and weird, but like they still needed and wanted to figure it out and do it right, whatever it took. Like it was more important to do it right than . . . than anything else. 

He doesn’t know, obviously. And he’s never gonna get to ask. But . . . but he hopes he’s at least doing this right enough that they would’ve been happy about it. Been–proud of him, for taking after them. Being like them, even just a little bit. 

They were both really good parents, and he just . . . they’re gone, and he’ll never see them again, and no one really remembers them the same way he does. No one loves them the same way he does. Not anymore. 

So–so if he can be a good dad to Lynn like they were good parents to him, then maybe at least there’ll be a little bit more of them left in the world. A little bit more that they got to do; got to make happen. Make matter. 

And maybe . . . maybe that means Lynn will love some part of them too, technically, if Lynn ever loves him. 

If Billy does this right, anyway. 

“Do you wanna walk to the library too?” he suggests. “It might be a little farther away than the diner, I think, but not too bad. And, um, we’ve got super-stamina and all, so yeah.” 

“. . . I’ve never walked that far before,” Lynn says. Billy blinks, wondering how Lynn knows that. He didn’t say how far it was for sure, just–

Oh. 

“You’d never walked as far as the diner before?” he realizes. Lynn nods stiffly. Billy’s chest sort of–hurts a little, maybe. “Did you like it, or was it too much? I know it’s kind of exposed and there’s a lot more people than you’re probably used to and all, so it’s okay if–” 

“It was fine,” Lynn cuts in, and then hunches his shoulders a little. “Uh. I mean–it was fine.” 

Billy’s own shoulders slump a bit in relief, and he smiles wider at him. Okay. That’s–okay, yeah. 

He really likes Lynn. Like–Lynn’s really easy to like, he means. He’s glad about that. Not that he was gonna take anything back or send Lynn back if he was hard to get along with or anything, obviously, but . . . he’s still glad, yeah. 

Really glad.

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Here’s Why Everyone Is Talking About A Pirate Drama That Ended In 2017

Black Sails has been described as Game of Thrones with pirates

If Black Sails kicked off in 2020 instead of 2014, it certainly would have thrown fuel on the raging fire that was TikTok’s sea shanty obsession. The reality is that this TV series aired on Starz from 2014 for four seasons, coming to a close in 2017. So why is everyone talking about it now, a decade after it began?

Black Sails is coming to Netflix very soon, triggering its fans to emerge from the woodwork and promote the show online. ‘I am SO excited for people who’ll be watching this show for the first time,’ one user wrote, with many others recommending the series to fans of Game of Thrones. With House of the Dragon still a few months away, here’s why you should tune into Black Sails this month.

New To Netflix: Black Sails

What Is Black Sails About?

Black Sails transports us back to 1715 – aka the Golden Age of Piracy. Set in New Providence, an island in the Bahamas, we meet the feared Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) who brings a new younger crew member into the fold (‘Long’ John Silver, played by Luke Arnold) as his crew continues to fight for survival and negotiate their space on the island.

Is Black Sails Based On A Book?

Black Sails was written as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island (1883).

Is It Based On A True Story?

While Black Sails isn’t based on a true story, it does trace real events. The first season focuses on the hunt for the Spanish treasure galleon Urca de Lima, a real ship that sank in 1715 near Fort Pierce in Florida (where it still lies). Season two traces the fallout of Urca de Lima’s treasure being stranded in Florida, strictly guarded by Spanish soldiers while pirates prowl the shores. The subsequent third and fourth seasons then look at the war for the control of New Providence between the pirates and the British Empire – a la Pirates of the Caribbean.

Likewise, some of the characters are based on real people. Real pirates fictionalised in the show include:

Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson)

Anne Bonny (Clara Paget)

Benjamin Hornigold (Hakeem Kae-Kazim)

Jack Rackham (Toby Schmitz)

Charles Vane (Zach McGowan)

Ned Low (Tadhg Murphy)

Israel Hands (David Wilmot)

Meanwhile, Captain Woodes Rogers (Luke Roberts) – who represents the British Empire in seasons three and four – is based on a real English sea captain and slave trader, and subsequently the first Royal Governor of the Bahamas.

Was Captain Flint A Real Pirate?

Captain Flint is a fictional character who was first created by Robert Louis Stevenson in Treasure Island. He has since appeared in multiple works of fiction, including A. D. Howden Smith’s Porto Bello Gold (1924), John Drake’s Flint and Silver (2008), Pieces of Eight (2009) and Skull and Bones (2010), and J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy (1904).

Where Was Black Sails Filmed?

Black Sails was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, mainly inside at Cape Town Film Studio. Because the real city is so different today than it was in the 1700s, Nassau – the capital of the Bahamas, located on New Providence island – was built from scratch in a studio over a period of four months, as were two large water tanks to house the series’ two ships. Some scenes were filmed outside in and around Cape Town when new terrain was required, but most of the series was filmed on set.

The Cast

The cast of Black Sails is incredibly large, but key characters to know include:

Toby Stephens as James McGraw/Captain Flint

Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie

Luke Arnold as ‘Long’ John Silver

Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max

Tom Hopper as William ‘Billy Bones’ Manderly

Zach McGowan as Charles Vane

Toby Schmitz as Jack Rackham

Clara Paget as Anne Bonny

Mark Ryan as Hal Gates

Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott

Sean Cameron Michael as Richard Guthrie

Louise Barnes as Miranda Hamilton/Barlow

Rupert Penry-Jones as Thomas Hamilton

Luke Roberts as Woodes Rogers

Ray Stevenson as Edward Teach

David Wilmot as Israel Hands

Harriet Walter as Marion Guthrie

The Trailer

Interested? Here’s the trailer for a taste of the action.

WATCH

All episodes of Black Sails are streaming on Netflix from 17 April 2024.

Source: Country & Town House

[williamlandon]

VERY LATE IK BUT HERES MY SECURITY BREACH MERMAY PROJECT :D

——————————————————————————————————

( I’ll make a Roxanne and Freddy drop eventually bc I am very proud of this AU and their designs so dw. )

:——————————————————————————————————————————————————: Lore:

-Monty is the appointed royal guard for Chica, who is a princess over a sector of the Atlantic Ocean. -Chica loves going out on adventures and just being free, which also results in her neglecting her royal duties.

-Monty takes his job very seriously, for he has been training to become a royal knight since he was little. So he ends up taking the bullet when it comes to Chica’s shenanigans, thus the amount of scars and bruises on his fins. -Despite the constant chaos between the two, they are best friends. Chica enjoys his company while Monty is thankful she gave him this position he worked so hard for (merfolk saw him as a little too dangerous to be within castle walls due to his rare breed, but when Chica was little she saw him as a friend and was able to convince her parents to give him a chance, therefore making him feel incredibly in-debt to her despite her telling him constantly to not worry about it).

-Chica’s parents were hunted by pirates and were killed in an attack on the kingdom, so Monty feels even more pressure to keep her safe at all costs.

-Listen to the new Billie Eilish album that shit goes hard it so pretty oops off track uh

-Some people think they are a secret couple and they hate it, but that doesn’t stop them from being the bestest of friends.

-Chica’s dream is to explore the Surface, or as the merfolk call it the Land Within the Sky, but Monty forbids her to even get close due to the attack 14 years ago. She finds this as his incredibly annoying trait but he genuinely fears for her life. -In an attempt to somewhat calm her desires relating to the Land Within the Sky, Monty decides to look for some kind of treasure or trinket from the Surface to give to her, not realizing he will find a more conniving evil…

:——————————————————————————————————————————————————: These two are the sweetest bunch and I’m in love with this AU. Just wait till the others join oh hoho :——————————————————————————————————————————————————:

( I completely forgot but I’ll get into the jewel lore later I’m too tired rn and I’ve got a gay furry couple week to complete. )

[rocksibblingsau]

If the branches (Canon, Rock, Classical, Funk, Country, Techno) invite they're friends to play in they're SMP

In a scale of died first to defeated the enderdragon without any preparation. How would you rank them?

Here's how the Branches do:

Canon: absolute completionist and totally prepared for anything. Mastered redstone and has a secret bunker with hidden rooms.

Rock: the fighter, has all the cool armor. fought the warden and won. Also does a lot of mining.

Classical: he's building a very fancy house. has stores of every decorative block in the game.

Funk: potionmaker, redstone master, speedrunner. knows every trick and exploit of the game.

Country: homesteader. He's making farms and breeding animals. doesn't know what the nether is

Techno: tnt trapping people and running around having a great time. Starts his own nation and pays Rock Branch to be his military.

His friends:

Poppy: getting an army of wolves and picking flowers

Val: joins Rock!Branch in his fights

Petra: miner

Demo: does a bit of everything but his main task is running tools and food to the miners and blocks and ores to the builders

Barb: spends her days killing Billy

Billy: spends his days being hunted by Barb. his house is a dirt hut with a creeper hole right next to it

Dante: other than building a music block contraption no one really understands what he does

Lownote Jones: logs on once in a blue moon and everyone is really excited to see him. he doesn't have a house and he has wooden tools.

Holly: adds a cooking mod just so she can cook lots of recipes

Gust: tries enforcing rules to cut down on PVP

Synth: is the reason they had to turn keep inventory on. he gets lost almost immediately. Rock!Branch tries to guard him but somehow every mob sets their sights on poor Synth

Trollex: trying to steal Techno Branch's prized axolotl to crown him the royal pet of his own kingdom

[kitkat13001]

જ⁀➴ 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚎

⊹₊  𝟷 ⟡ 𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚜 ᥫ᭡

⤷ bandit!ochako uraraka x f!knight!reader

⤷ prev ⟡ m. list ⟡ next ㅤ ♡ 1.2k words

⟡ what starts as a normal day in the palace ends with you learning of a vigilante group of bandits roaming the countryside and fellow knights defecting left and right. where exactly does that leave you — the todoroki prince crownguard? ♬.ᐟ tracklist : dirty paws - of monsters and men, the chain - fleetwood mac, eyes without a face - billy idol, snap out of it - arctic monkeys

there’s been a tense, unsettling energy about the palace all morning. 

your footsteps echo in the empty hallway as you walk. it’s odd that there’s no one around. usually the palace is bustling with activity—couriers and nobles and foreign ambassadors all parading the halls in loud, colorful crowds. but today, nothing. the eerie silence sets your hair on end as you walk.

keigo had sent for you this morning, at the order of the king. it must be important if his tone was any indication. 

“he looks royally pissed,” he’d told you this morning in a sing-song voice, stretching his teeth into a ‘yikes’ face. despite being the king’s official crownguard, this level of flippancy isn’t unusual for keigo. still, it’s hard for you to miss the tension in his shoulders, the uneasy look in his sharp eyes. 

great. king enji was hard to face at the best of times—so serious, always with this burning intensity that made it hard for you to look him straight in the eye. and when he’s angry? well…you’d rather not think about that until you have to. 

“i love my job, i love my job, i love my job,” you whisper like a mantra, fists and teeth clenched as you march dutifully towards the throne room. 

the more accurate truth is probably that your job is a privilege, not so much that you like it. there are people starving in and outside the kingdom—struggling to put food on the table for their families, put out of work, resorting to desperate measures to stay afloat. you’ve heard rumors around the palace, of gangs and bandits supposedly terrorizing villages in the countryside. 

you’re fortunate, though. you were born and raised in this castle, inducted into the knights at a young age. you showed incredible promise, even as a child, and your parents were trusted advisors to the king. this status, paired with your keen abilities, earned you the position of crownguard-in-training—tasked with looking after the king’s youngest son, shoto. it’s a pretty sweet gig, if you do say so yourself (and you do). 

you take a deep breath before pushing the great wooden doors of the throne room open, willing your racing heart to calm. 

you know it’s bad when you see the entire order of palace knights inside. it’s a dwindling number, too, you think as you scan the crowd of familiar faces and notice quite a few people missing. keigo is up there, in his usual spot by king todoroki’s side. princess fuyumi—the king’s secondborn and most trusted advisor—is there too. you recognize several others of the crown guard, as well as a few lower-ranking palace knights. there’s some new faces too, and everyone looks equally nervous. for good reason, apparently —keigo was right, the king looks royally pissed off. behind him, each pinned to the wall with a dagger, are seven wanted posters. you squint, but you can’t quite make out any words or faces from your spot at the back of the room. 

“i suppose the word ‘loyalty’ carries no weight anymore.”

the king’s voice echoes through the silent chamber, hanging heavy and grave in the air. you want to shiver, but you fear moving even a muscle would gain you unwanted attention. you didn’t even do anything and you feel guilt pooling in your stomach. 

“it’s almost like the oath you swore when i personally appointed you all meant nothing,” he continues, deadly serious. his turquoise eyes are alight with silent fury. “imagine, for a moment, what neighboring kingdoms are thinking hearing that my knights are defecting in droves? what our enemies could be plotting, hearing that our defenses are weak?”

he must be talking about the revolts…

the kingdom was in a golden age up until a few years ago, but it’s been on a rapid decline since. there was a war, just before your time, waged between your kingdom and an enemy one to the south. the innermost kingdom was relatively unharmed, but the outskirts were demolished in the fighting. you don’t know any of the finer details, given that you grew up in the palace, but you know that it’s had unpleasant lasting effects at present. from what you’ve heard, the unequal distribution of wealth has people taking to the streets and rioting, demanding that the king fix the damage and help his people.

“how am i supposed to salvage this land when my own soldiers are running out on me? and worse yet, when they allow vigilantes to roam my kingdom trying to fix this mess themselves?!”

he points angrily at the wanted posters displayed behind him. there’s seven of them, quite the odd bunch now that you’re looking. 

the king’s booming voice fades as you examine the faces of these “vigilantes.” they’re young, that’s for sure. probably around yours and shoto’s age. definitely a ragtag crew, leaving you to wonder what exactly makes them such a threat to the kingdom? it must be something, some kind of uncanny talent, if the king is cursing their name before you. 

there’s one up there, a girl with round, pink cheeks and short brown hair. from afar she looks harmless, but there’s something in her eyes that makes you hesitant to look away. 

you catch snippets of king enji’s speech, bits about thieving and magic and new castle security precautions. you’re only half-listening, intent on brown eyes staring out at you from the paper. 

the rest of the meeting passes in a daze, nothing new said (to you, at least. castle security is your second nature). as soon as you’re dismissed you make your way back upstairs to your post in the prince’s chambers. 

“what a guilt-trip,” you huff, falling back against the door as you close it. 

shoto looks up, giving a dry laugh. “not sure what you were expecting from his highness the great king. what’s the verdict then?”

you shrug, discarding your heavier, formal armor and coming to sit on the settee. “same old, same old.”

“more knights defecting?”

you whistle lowly. “left and right. and get this—a bunch of kids are apparently going around wreaking havoc like vigilantes.”

shoto snorts at that. “vigilantes? right under the king’s nose?”

“guess so…” you trail off before asking something that’s been tugging uneasily at your mind. “do you…do you really think it’s as bad as he says? out there in the kingdom and the outskirts?”

shoto thinks on it for a minute before replying. “i don’t know. we don’t get out much,” he adds sarcastically. 

you laugh. “yeah, well. for this many people to be leaving…”

you drift off, lost in thought for a moment. you shake your head after a second, willing yourself to stop thinking so hard. 

you clap a hand against your thigh with a sense of finality. “well! i don’t get paid for thinking, you know. and besides,” you say, voice taking on a mocking baby-talk as you pinch at shoto’s cheeks. “you don’t have to worry about me leaving, little princeling~”

he swats your hand away with a scoff. “i’ll have you imprisoned for that,” he threatens, but it can’t mask the little smile he’s trying to hide. 

“yeah, yeah. good luck with finding someone else to put up with you ‘long as i do, huh? such a charming personality—and you’re a shit conversationalist.”

“you’re the only one i talk to, so that couldn’t be my fault,” shoto proclaims with faux haughtiness. 

you scoff, waving him off. “whatever, you royal pain. go study your books or something.”

dividers by @/anitalenia and @/saradika-graphics — ochako doesn’t technically come out in this one, apologies 🙂‍↕️ but the next chapter she will def make an appearance! first chapters are hard, this is mostly set up. hoping this finds the ochako girlies, enjoy! 🩷 - kitty !

[steddiebbang]

Royal Pain  |  E |  50k

Author: @penny00dreadful

Artist: @arelliann

Beta Reader: @hbyrde36

[A03/Tumblr]  |  [Link to art]

Pairings: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham

Tags: Alternate Universe – Royalty, Alternate Universe – Medieval, Enemies to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Queer Eddie Munson, Royal Steve Harrington, Advisor Eddie Munson, Advisor Robin Buckley, Billy Hargrove is His Own Warning, Arranged Marriage, Royal Chrissy Cunningham, Steve Harrington Takes Care of Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, No Homophobia Universe, Protective Steve Harrington, POV Steve Harrington, Attempted Sexual Coercion, Near Death Experiences, Near Drowning, Sword Sparring, Hehehe, Minor Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham, Anal Sex, Jousting, Fanart, Podfic Welcome

Trigger Warnings: N/A

↳ Keep reading below for a summary!

Summary

Steve had always known it was a possibility... Marrying as a business transaction, rather than for love. It was part and parcel of being born a royal.

A simple fact of life.

But meeting Chrissy helped to ease his worries of what his life was soon to become. She was sweet. She was kind. Even if they never grew into romantic love, he knew they would be very good friends as soon as he could whisk her away from her cold and harsh kingdom.

Now if only he could convince her Royal Advisor and resident guard dog, Eddie Munson of that.

[baambastic]

Woo Be Upon Ye:

Medieval fantasy TimKon AU where Kon is a half-dragon prince of the realm who elevates commoner Tim to the Royal Guard on a whim. Also has Bart as an apprentice mage, Donna and Cassie as Themiscyran ambassadors, many of Tim’s school friends as Royal Guards, Wildcat as a mentor, the Daily Planet staff as the royal council, and more! Planned as part one of a four-part series.

Bernard Dowd vs. The World:

After hearing Tim’s many, many, many stories about his friends, Bernard realizes that almost all of Tim’s guy friends were hitting on Tim at multiple points. Failing to convince Tim of this, however, Bernard makes it his mission to obtain written testimonies from as many of said friends as he can to support his case. Such friends include Superboy, Danny Temple, Sebastian Ives, Lonnie Machin, and more.

Two for the Price of Them:

In this AU, Tim’s 100th cloning attempt is a success, and so clones of both Kon and Bart are created. Partway through the artificial aging process, however, an agent of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. (overhauled from the same metahuman-abduction organization from the New52) attacks. Tim is forced to go on the run and off the grid with the two clone babies.

The World Didn’t Stand Still:

When Kathy Branden plugs a Phantom Zone Crystal into her teleportal and visits the Phantom Zone, she comes back with a young Krytonian boy, Chris Kent, who claims to be the foster son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Effectively taking pre-boot Chris from after his debut story and transporting him into post-Rebirth continuity. Part of a planned trilogy of fics centered on Chris. Guaranteed that they will not end with Chris getting punted into the Phantom Zone for an unknown length of time.

The Dichotomy of Lor-Zod and Chris Kent:

In post-Infinite Frontiers continuity, Lor-Zod begins getting flashes of a life before his own, of a life where he was family to the loathsome Kal-El of the House of El. Lor’s father, Dru-Zod, convince Lor that his affliction must be the machinations of the Justice League’s Martian Manhunter, a psychic attack meant to weaken New Kandor for invasion. Along with Non as a chaperone, Lor-Zod goes on a quest to hunt the Martian Manhunter, though he’s really on the path to restoring his pre-boot history and identity, and all the internal conflict that comes from the contradictions between his two selves. Effectively how I would approach reconciling the current iteration of Lor-Zod with Chris Kent. Guest-starring Martian Manhunter and M’gann M’orzz.

The Cola Caper:

Upon hearing the devastating news that an embargo on the island nation of Santa Prisca will halt the distribution of Zesti Cola in the United States, Dick and Tim go on a mission to infiltrate Santa Prisca and abscond with as much Zesti as they can, and maybe even the secret recipe if they’re lucky.

Stray Little Tiger:

A Billy Batson-centric fic placed in a Stray!Tim Drake AU. Selina Kyle, on her way home from a caper, comes across a lightning-struck boy in an alley. Clearly homeless and in need of help, she decides to take the boy in until he’s healed, though the lightning seems to have severely damaged his vocal cords. She doesn’t know that this boy is Billy Batson, that he’s Captain Marvel, or that there’s something deeply wrong with the Rock of Eternity. This story is told mainly from Selina’s POV, with occasional sidetracks to Tim’s POV, but never Billy’s POV. Identity shenanigans, found family, magic problems, and more.

A Single Word Spoken:

A girl in the shape of a weapon is brought to Fawcett City, where she fulfills her purpose for the first and last time.

The girl who can no longer be a weapon hides from her wielder in an old subway and finds herself transported to a place of great magic.

There, the girl who wishes to be more than she was made to be finds a Wizard, who sees the girl for her heart and not for the blood staining her skin.

The Wizard teaches the girl a name.

Cassandra speaks her first word.

And in so doing, she speaks power.

Also featuring Cass navigating the anachronistic Fawcett City, befriending Billy Batson, codependency issues, an old man who’s also a Bengal tiger, ancient grudges, a different old man who’s barely qualified to give Cass life advice, and more.

Fake it For the Win:

While on a cruise, Tim and Kon decide to fake being married in order to compete on an onboard game show for married couples. When they actually win, though, they have no choice but to keep up the act for the rest of their trip. Fake dating to real dating, with a focus on comedy.

Crossroads of Fate and Eternity:

JLI-era fic with a couple of canon-divergent indulgences. Kent Nelson, helped by Khalid Nassour, decides to take Billy Batson under his wing as a student of the mystic arts. Magic lessons, Tower of Fate and Rock of Eternity shenanigans, Bromfield family stuff, an ancient entity and an ancient demon, philosophy, and other such tidbits.

A Little Ways Along the Family Tree:

When a villain travels through time to the future and accidentally takes Robin with him, Damian Wayne must team up with Mar’i and Jake Grayson to defeat the villain and return Damian to his proper time.

A High-Speed Romantic Tryst on an Open-Water Murder Shack:

When a couple of thugs steal a houseboat belonging to one of Tim’s marina neighbors while he and Bernard are hanging out, the two of them give chase in Tim’s own houseboat. Comedy, crack treated seriously.

[spooky1980]

From the Sunday Times.

“Pressure,” Tom Hiddleston says, “is a privilege.” He apologises for appropriating the title of Billie-Jean King’s memoir, but it’s a sentiment that feels pertinent to him and his co-star Hayley Atwell. They have known each other for 20 years, have both starred in the Marvel universe (Hiddleston as the charmingly villainous Loki; Atwell as the wartime spy Peggy Carter), but this is the first time they have worked together — if you don’t count their group audition to get into drama school. In a baggy sweatshirt (Atwell) and natty pale-blue jacket with clasps (Hiddleston), they are in a south London studio to rehearse Shakespeare’s bantering would-be lovers Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. It will be only the second Shakespeare play performed at the 2,000-seat Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London since 1957. And the pressure Hiddleston refers to comes from the fact that the previous one — The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver, also directed by Jamie Lloyd — failed to go down a storm.

Withering reviews such as The Times’s (“Sigourney Weaver’s blank Prospero makes zero impression”) poured cold water on a desert island story that had been relocated by the director Jamie Lloyd to a charcoal-black netherworld. Prices were cut, and an onstage protest by Just Stop Oil looked like light relief. “We can exclusively reveal that [Much Ado] is not set in a charcoal netherworld,” Hiddleston deadpans. The pair start each day of rehearsals with an hour of dancing. How much dancing will make it into the show? The pair, who are friendly but guarded, can’t or won’t reveal. What they will say is that you don’t do a show like this by halves. It turns out that Shakespeare is more like a Marvel film than you’d think. “You’ve got to commit with heart and soul and body, like you do for action sequences,” Hiddleston explains. “All acting can be boiled down to how much you commit.” “I like pressure,” Atwell says. “There is a part of it that is very healthy and useful. But any sort of pressure attached to an idea of my name as a brand or a public persona is so arbitrary and abstract. I turn off the noise that is inconsequential. I find the bit of it I can use.”

In 2022 Atwell had to do this while filming Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One amid bogus reports of a relationship with the film’s star Tom Cruise; the pair are teaming up again for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, released this summer. Hiddleston tells a story about his first big London Shakespeare opening, in 2007. He was playing Cassio in Othello, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello and Ewan McGregor as Iago. At five o’clock the three popped out to a Covent Garden Pret a Manger to get a pre-show sandwich. (It is hard, the Much Ado two agree, knowing exactly when to eat before a show.) There was a first-night tension you could cut with a knife. Or there was until Ejiofor just said bluntly: “‘Well, this is a big night. No question.’ And it made us all laugh. Cos, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal — but what can you say?” “’This is not your average Thursday,’” Atwell says. “It’s not!” Hiddleston agrees. Now 44, he already had an agent when he auditioned at Rada, having got one while studying Classics at Cambridge. Atwell, now 42, who grew up with her mother in west London, had delayed higher education to travel around with her American father and work for a casting director. When they met, in the final stage of auditions, it was on a day of working in a group.

Atwell feels she handled the pressure less well than Hiddleston. “The woman from Rada said to us, ‘We are now looking for the next generation of actors who will be making a profound contribution to the arts.’ And I was, like, ‘I don’t know about that, mate, I’m just trying to get out of being in a housing association — if I can make a living I will be very happy.’ I was very intimidated.” “It was very intense,” Hiddleston says. “I was too shy,” Atwell says. “I didn’t commit.” “I thought you committed,” Hiddleston says. “I thought you committed hard.” He got in, she didn’t, and went to Guildhall School of Drama instead. But after leaving in 2005 she got a big role in the TV adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst’s novel The Line of Beauty almost immediately. A few posh roles followed, including in the film Brideshead Revisited. “There was probably a bit more classism around then, and I suppose my own prejudice about ‘I’ve got to sound a certain way to even be considered for the kind of parts that might lead eventually to a film career’. So I thought if I could go down a period drama route, as opposed to the soap route or more working-class plays, I might give myself more of a chance. I had no back-up plan. I didn’t have any kind of privilege, didn’t come from money.” The Eton-educated Hiddleston may come from a more prosperous upbringing but insists that, as an actor, “you never feel you are on solid ground. I have had to remind myself to smell the roses, because they don’t bloom all that often.” His next theatre role was Lloyd’s revival of Pinter’s Betrayal in London and New York in 2019, which is how he met his fiancée, Zawe Ashton, who was a castmate. Atwell, meanwhile, last appeared in the West End in Ibsen’s Rosmerholm in 2019. Before that her work included another Donmar Shakespeare (Measure for Measure) and an Olivier-nominated performance in Lloyd’s production of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride. She didn’t know it at the time, but theMission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie saw her in it — something that led, seven years later, to him casting her as the con artist turned secret agent Grace. He had a moment like that in 2013 — when the second Thor film came out at the same time as he was earning rave reviews for Coriolanus at the Donmar theatre in London. Hiddleston was the man of the hour. “And then you’ve got to do another 75 nights on stage, and make sure you are careful in the fight scene not to slip on the blood. The work anchors you.” “You can’t predict,” she says. “There’s so much luck involved. I’ve worked for a number of years … and failure is allowed. I didn’t used to find it easy to fail and get a second chance. Particularly as a woman there was this sense of ‘you have to be perfect’. But while you want to deliver, after a while it’s not yours any more. It’s for the audience, and if they don’t like it, or if it doesn’t work, they’re allowed, that’s allowed.”

Hiddleston, meanwhile, who has been filming the second series of John le Carré’s The Night Manager after a nine-year gap since the first, is still Loki to much of the world. The pair have never been in a Marvel scene together, though they did appear at the same event: Comic Con in San Diego in 2013, to which Hiddleston turned up in costume. “Nobody knew it was happening , it was insane and foolish and really fun.” “I was backstage,” Atwell says cheerfully. “I will never forget the vision of Loki brushing his teeth in full costume.” She says she is glad she was 15 years into her career before her five-year tour of duty on Mission began with filming in 2020. “I’m so grateful for that, because the level of global exposure on it, purely from being alongside Tom Cruise, can uproot and upend your life. But actually I’m too old to go, ‘What’s next?’ A real sense of security only comes from the commitment to work for work’s sake.” Offstage, both are engaged to their partners: Hiddleston to Ashton (the couple have a two-year-old), Atwell to the music producer Ned Wolfgang Kelly. What led to today’s professional pairing? Hiddleston and Lloyd wanted to do another play together after Betrayal, and the actor suggested Much Ado. “It seems so light and warm,” he explains, a nice contrast to the heartbreaks of Betrayal. When Lloyd suggested Atwell, Hiddleston said yes immediately. “We’ve known each other for so long, and Beatrice and Benedick have known each other for so long.” “I had only one question,” Atwell says, “which was, ‘Jamie, how ‘hey-nonny-nonny’ is it going to be?’” Lloyd assured her the hey-nonny-nonny levels would be minimal. “So I thought, this sounds really exciting.” And if this pulls in a crowd more inclined to Marvel than Much Ado, well, marvellous. Hiddleston, who likes to spin a yarn, gives an impassioned speech about the magic of storytelling in all its forms, about “something being transmitted, from the stage or from the screen, that leaves you feeling more connected, more human, more alive, less alone in the world”. And that applies to Marvel — famous dislikers of the franchise such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola notwithstanding — too? “One hundred per cent,” they say in unison. Atwell sees superhero stories as modern-day mythology. “I don’t believe in highbrow or lowbrow — I think it’s just art and film and theatre. You wouldn’t necessarily connect Marvel with Shakespeare. But both can be for everyone.” Hiddleston remembers going to a screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York of the first Avengers film. A group of first responders who had been at 9/11 a decade earlier were there too. “They were all wearing their uniform in the cinema. And the film is about how the Avengers have basically saved New York from Loki. And when Loki gets smashed by the Hulk like a fish at the end, they literally threw their hats in the air and cheered. That was so moving.” Much Ado About Nothing is at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, Feb 10-Apr 5, thejamielloydcompany.com

[steddieunderdogfics]

For Challege Monday, fics featuring Chrissy!

Royal Pain by Penny00Dreadful on ao3

It's phenomenal and I think about it regularly lol. Platonic Hellcheer and Steve/Chrissy, with romantic Robin/Chrissy (I don't know the other ship names offhand) and they're all done so well.

An arranged marriage, (mild) enemies to lovers, Stobin being blatantly Platonic Soulmates, Steve being protective of basically everyone and anyone who isn't an asshole, UGH it's so good.

Royal Pain by Penny00Dreadful

@penny00dreadful

Rating: Explicit

59,908 words, 11/11 chapters

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Enemies to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Queer Eddie Munson, Royal Steve Harrington, Advisor Eddie Munson, Advisor Robin Buckley, Billy Hargrove is His Own Warning, Arranged Marriage, Royal Chrissy Cunningham, Steve Harrington Takes Care of Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, No Homophobia Universe, Protective Steve Harrington, POV Steve Harrington, Attempted Sexual Coercion, Near Death Experiences, Near Drowning, Sword Sparring, Hehehe, Minor Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham, Anal Sex, Jousting, Fanart, Podfic Welcome

Summary:

Steve had always known it was a possibility... Marrying as a business transaction, rather than for love. It was part and parcel of being born a royal. A simple fact of life. But meeting Chrissy helped to ease his worries of what his life was soon to become. She was sweet. She was kind. Even if they never grew into romantic love, he knew they would be very good friends as soon as he could whisk her away from her cold and harsh kingdom. Now if only he could convince her Royal Advisor and resident guard dog, Eddie Munson of that.

This rec is a part of Challenge Monday. The challenge this week was Fics with Chrissy Cunningham..

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[thesparkwhowalks]

Sonik

Real Name: William Parker

All Appearances: World's Finest #310, #318

Will Parker is a local boy made good, having grown up in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood and made it into college on his smarts. He's returned to his old neighborhood to make a difference, opening up a Boy's Club to offer local kids a safe place to hang out when they're not in school.

Unfortunately, the kids aren't interested. See, it looks to them like college just lands you a crappy apartment in the 'hood and an underfunded boy's club to manage. Local hoodlum Billy Ray, with his nice car and flashy clothes, looks like the guy to emulate. Inspired by the World's Finest (and a vague idea that kids think sound is cool, for some reason) uses stereo equipment to create a small arsenal of sonic gadgets. Dubbing himself Sonik, he sets out to bust Billy.

It turns out that Billy's acting as the middle man for gun runners Batman's tracking, and they both arrive at their hideout at the same time. Sonik's attempt to take them by surprise does wallop the guards but sets off the dogs (they're sensitive to sound, y'know) which gets him and Batman captured. They're left in a death trap but it's Batman, so....

Back in the bad part of town, the neighborhood kids witness Billy Ray getting the crap kicked out of him for leading Batman & Sonik to the hideout - what good's a middle man if he leads crimefighters right to you? He's saved when Batman, Sonik, and Superman turn up to bring down the gang. Sonik reveals his secret identity to the kids, Bruce Wayne buys the Boy's Club through the Wayne Foundation Charities, and everybody's happy. Sonik returned for a second adventure where Superman roped him in to acting as bodyguard for a not-Michael Jackson character named Marlon Monroe. I mention it only in the name of thoroughness and how much the idea of Prince using robot rockets to wipe out his competition tickled me.

His Royal Badness didn't need supervillain tricks, just his own brilliance and an unhealthy relationship to working on his music.

Anyhow, Sonik is...certainly a character published by DC Comics. I see why he never caught on, as he's basically a mashup of The Guardian (local boy made good mentoring a gaggle of at-risk boys) and Black Lightning (African American hero of a poor neighborhood). Only he's far less compelling than either character. Still, he's a fun bit of Pre-Crisis fluff.

[creepswrites]

Hi, sorry for disturbing.

I read some of your FICS here on Tumblr and i just adore your style!!

Can i request something?

A billy loomis x reader (angst )

Thank you

you guys really like my billy and stu huh? hope you enjoy this!!

Billy Loomis w/ a GN! Reader

WARNING: angst (duh), mentions of violence/stalking, Stu/Billy undertones, cheating

You and Billy had been dating for awhile now and you were happy

He was an attentive boyfriend but he'd been quiet ever since the horrible murders that happened at Stu's house

Everyone had died and he and the other boy had been left for dead and your heart couldn't help but ache for him

He never told you what had really happened that night, after all

So the trauma bond those two had was to be expected, according to what Billy said his therapist had told him

When he wasn't with you, he was with Stu

Then he started canceling plans, citing he was busy

Then he started not answering your calls

Your friends warned you Billy Loomis had struggled in his relationship with Sydney because she "wasn't putting out" so you assumed that was wrong

You decided to dress up cute and go to his house, despite him canceling plans with you

As you were walking to Billy's house, you froze when you saw Stu Macher had already beaten you there. You ducked behind a tree as Billy stood in the doorway, looking absolutely irresistible in his thin white shirt and plaid lounge pants. "You sure took your sweet ass time." Billy shot at Stu with a smile.

It wasn't like the smiles he gave you. Practiced and perfected. It struck you deep in your stomach that Billy looked at peace. Like Stu was the one he felt the most comfortable around. And that made you feel dizzy with jealousy.

"Sorry, sorry, had to stop and get his royal highness the snacks he wanted." Stu laughed, thrusting a plastic bag into the other boys' hands.

Billy surveyed the contents before his smile grew. "Forgiven. Your offer is accepted, you may enter." He said with a dramatic flair. Stu just laughed as he entered the house, shutting the door behind him.

You were left outside, pressed against the tree as you felt hot tears fall. Was Billy having Stu over every time he skipped plans with you?

You had to know.

So you would sneak over to watch his house whenever he rejected plans with you. And, sure enough, Stu came over every single time. Sometimes they'd go out somewhere, Billy's legs propped against the dashboard as he let Stu drive, or they'd stay in - probably watching horror movies. Despite everything they'd been through, the two still loved those horrible movies.

You never really liked scary movies.

Everything came to a head one afternoon. You were out with your friends at a mall just window shopping for the most part. As tempting as blowing your whole paycheck was, you wanted to pay for your gas this month. Your little group had settled into the food court and you were left to guard the table.

Your eyes caught two hooded figures sitting together at a table a ways away. Tucked into a corner, whispering to each other and brushing their fingers together. It was a little bit cute, you thought with a wistful look. If only your boyfriend would do that with you instead of ditching you for his friend.

Once food was brought to your table though, you promptly forgot about the two and focused on eating. After all, they weren't anyone to you. It's not like many of Woodsboro would travel this far for this particular mall.

Until the taller one leaned over and kissed the shorter one. You let yourself smile a little. But, before you could look away, you watched the hood slip off the shorter person's head.

You felt like all the blood left your face and your body ran hot and cold all at once. Squeezing your eyes shut, you turned your back on the couple - no doubt they were a couple left in your head.

Because Billy - your boyfriend - was making out with his friend only a dozen or so feet away from you. And they had no idea you knew.

You stopped calling Billy, stopped trying to spend time with him. As far as you were concerned, you were over. But he didn't know you knew. So he persisted. Which led to him going to your house to confront you. Which led to an argument, because it wouldn't be Billy without him trying to manipulate you.

"I saw you." You finally confessed, shaking as you sat on your bed. "At the mall." You clarified when you saw his confusion.

Slow realization dawned on him and you saw fear and anger war in his eyes. Anger because you'd caught him in his lies, caught him in his months of ignoring you and making you second place to his best friend. And fear because you'd caught him. You'd caught him with a boy.

And when Billy was afraid, he got angry.

"You think I care about you? At all? You're nobody!" He spat. "You're not even real to me. A toy to play with, at best." His voice was like venom - venom that acted quick and stung in your veins.

"You don't mean that." Your voice wobbled, desperate for him to be lying again. He'd gotten so comfortable doing it, surely he was doing it again-?

"People aren't fucking real. You're fake." Billy hissed, backing up to your window.

"And Stu is real?" You shot back, bitterness evident in your face. "Realer than me?"

Billy laughed. "Obviously. After everything he and I have been through, he's the only fuckin' real person besides me."

You felt the welling up tears fall in hot streaks down your cheeks. "Then why did you date me? Why me and not just- just go straight after him? Why would you string me along like this Billy?"

He looked at you as he went for your window. He paused for just a moment before he smiled. "It was fun." You let out a sob and he only smiled wider. "And if you tell anyone what you saw, I will make you very sorry."

Then he left. Left you alone to cry and nurse your broken heart in your room. And you couldn't believe you'd lost to Stu Macher of all people.

His last words sat with you as a horrible thought crossed your mind: had Billy orchestrated the events at Stu's house?

No, surely not. It was just the traumas he'd gone through, you reassured yourself. He'd be back. He'd apologize. He'd reassure you whatever he was doing with Stu was nothing compared to what he had with you. Surely.

But he wouldn't.

[anawrites3]

Hello, I woke today wondering whether Slade and Dick sleep together in royal au and when they started sleeping in one bed at all 👀 Did it surprise Dick etc

Have a good day 💕

Hi, love!! Thank you for asking -3-

At this point of the story (the one on tumblr of course) they haven't shared a bed yet! As big of an asshole Slade is, he is anything but well prepared and so he knows Gotham customs pretty well - he just chooses to ignore them most of the time. He knows that Dick could actually start to hate him if he forced him to sleep in his bed before they got married and as tempting as it is, he gives Dick his own rooms.

Dick was meant to move into Slade's chamber after the wedding, where they'd consummate the marriage and then Dick would just stay there permanently. Buuut as you know, in the last part Dick got stabbed so he wasn't really in a shape to do anything of the sorts. After Villian allows Dick leave the hospital wing, Dick returns to his old rooms. They should be sharing bed at this point, yes, but Slade wants to make sure that Dick's wound is healed properly. Instead, Slade visits Dick in his room pretty much everyday :3

So, the short answer is: they haven't slept together yet and they start sleeping in one bed after Dick is completely healed 💕

A short scene because this just got into my head:

------

Dick walked further into the garden, wrapping his cloak more tightly around himself. The snow was reaching his ankles even in the boots with thicker soles and he cursed Defiance's weather under his breath before quickening his step.

He wanted to talk with Slade and he had to do it now, before he lost his confidence.

Just as the guards told him, Slade was sitting by the now frozen fountain in the middle of the royal gardens, like he often did since their marriage celebration. No one really knew the reason for those outings but Dick suspected it had to do with him and the fact that they still didn't know who sent the man responsible for the stab wound in Dick's chest. The cold, biting air was a great way to clear one's head and help you think.

That is, as long as it wasn't turning you into an icicle, like it was happening to Dick right now.

Only, when Dick got closer to where his husband was, he noticed that Slade wasn't actually alone. Sir Wintergreen was sitting at the bench a few steps away from Slade, talking to him with a smile on his lips that was almost completely covered by his mustache.

Dick was about to turn away and go back inside the castle - he didn't want to interrupt them and it's not like his case couldn't wait - when Slade looked up. Their gazes met and Dick's breath left his lungs in a white puff.

"Richard?" Slade asked, visibly surprised to see him there.

Dick sharply inclined his head, "Your Majesty."

Wintergreen glanced at Dick with a knowing look in his eyes. He got up from the bench with a little groan of effort and patted his king on the shoulder with a smile.

"I'll leave you two to it then." He said.

"Oh no, sir Wintergreen, I didn't want to interrupt you." Dick said hurriedly. "Please, continue. I can come later-"

"Nonsense, Your Majesty." Billy waved his hand dismissively. "I was about to head back anyway."

"I'll see you later, Billy." Slade nodded at him and before Dick could try to protest again, Wintergreen disappeared behind the hedge.

"I apologize, Your Majesty." Dick said quietly, watching Slade stand up as well. "I wasn't aware you had company."

"Don't worry about it." Slade stopped before him to take his cheek in hand, stroke his thumb along the skin. Despite sitting outside in the snow for at least an hour now, his skin was still warmer than Dick's. "Did something happen? You don't usually seek me out like this."

"No, I just-" Dick started then stopped quickly and pressed his lips together. He searched for the right words in his mind because everything he wanted to say earlier suddenly disappeared from his head.

He could back out from this. Say something completely else and Slade would have no idea about what was going through his head in the first place. But Dick knew that he would never gather enough courage again if he didn't say it now.

Beside, Slade had an annoying habit of always knowing when Dick lied.

"You shouldn't stay out in the cold for so long." Slade scolded him, not unkindly, after another moment of silence. He adjusted Dick's cloak. "You're shaking, little bird."

"I'll be alright." Dick smiled. "I should be getting used to this kind of weather anyway."

Slade's lips twisted in a frown as he shook his head. "It's not good for your health. And specially now, when you're still healing. Let's go back inside."

"A-actually..." Dick stopped Slade when he tried to guide him back towards the castle. He took a deep breath and felt the cold air dance in his lungs. It was now or never. "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm completely healed now. Villain said so himself. So now I'm... I'm finally good to move into your rooms, Your Majesty. The way it should be after the celebration."

For a moment Slade just looked at him. If he was surprised by Dick's words, he didn't show it in any way. He just looked at Dick without saying a word and if it weren't for the cold wind already biting at Dick's cheek, the young consort would surely blush.

"Your Majesty?" Dick breathed out.

In asnwer Slade took his own cloak off his shoulders and carefully wrapped it around Dick. He leaned down to press his lips to Dick's cheek. "Walk with me."

"B-but you... aren't you cold?"

Slade smiled. He reached for Dick's hand and intertwined their fingers together. "I'll be alright." He echoed Dick's words. "Walk with me. We'll worry about moving your things later."

And so, Dick allowed him to guide them through the garden.

[misslavenderlady]

My prediction for the Dead Meat Kill Count of The Lost Boys!

(inspired by a post from @canadianhottmess)

- The set James has will include the Chinese food box/chopsticks, a milk carton, a comic book (might specifically be Destroy All Vampires), bulbs of garlic, a stake and a boom box

- James will either be

A. Dressed as Michael because he's the easiest to dress as

B. Wearing a lost boys T-shirt and then when he does the numbers segment, he'll lose the shirt and do the oiled up sax guy joke (I'm guessing this because there's a teaser image of it)

- He'll make a reference to the Horror Royal Rumble he did and how David won when he brings up the hairstyle he has (and how kiefer said he looked like a bad wrestler)

- Absolutely will mention Jason's father and his role in The Exorcist

- Obviously will mention 24 for Kiefer and how he has a connection with Corey Feldman after working with him in Stand By Me

- For Billy he might mention Bodysnatchers and his episode on Charmed

- For Alex he'll definitely mention Bill and Ted, but I think he'll focus more on the special effects makeup he did in Freaked and Destroy all Neighbors

- I can only see him maybe mentioning Thrashin for Brooke. He may bring up the bond he hand with Corey Feldman but who knows

- Will talk about the Coreys having their first duo movie in this

- Will absolutely GUSH about Ve Neil and her vampire makeup

- I really really hope he mentions the crew having to lift up the dog and fuckin THROW him at Brooke.

- just....sooooo much info about the special effects and behind the scenes stuff. Will definitely include how Kiefer's tear was on accident from the contact lenses and that Alex almost lost his vision when the kids accidently kicked dirt in his eyes during the stake scene

- the numbers will only have one female kill (that being Shelly, the girlfriend of the Surf Nazi).

- Golden Chainsaw for coolest kill: The Surf Nazis because it's super brutal and gory and it's the first time we see their vampire faces

- Dull Machete for lameness will go to the security guard for him not knowing how to open a damn door

Feel free to add on!