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ticiie · 2 years ago

Text

week 30: betting on the new season

prompt from the off-season winter sport challenge

characters: Gino Caviezel, Marc Berthod, Lukas Studer, Marco Odermatt, Justin Murisier (mentioned)

length: 1182 words

author's note: wow, i actually can't believe this is the last week already??? it feels like the last season has ended a minute ago and now season22/23 is only a few days away. i went down the memory lane (aka @niemernuet 's and my chat history) and i figured warming up an old idea for the last OSWS-entry would be something nice (i hope it also turned out nice). rewatch the actual footage of gino winning the game here and check out the cheese suit here.

also, it has to be said: THANK YOU SO MUCH @wunderlichkind for not just coming up with this challenge but also for your contributions, they are all amazing, i love them all, thank you for everything!!! Biggest and most gigantic shoutouts to @wunderlichkind and @niemernuet, you guys are both incredibly talented, i love you guys, you're the very bestest!!! ❤️❤️❤️

alright, that's all, please enjoy my last entry of this year's OSWS challenge!

Reconnecting...reconnecting....reconnecting...

Gino groaned in frustration. The screen of his tablet still only showed the loading-symbol while his WiFi lost the connection for the third time in a row again. Meanwhile, his phone was running wild with new messages from both Marc and Lukas. Of course, only one of them really tried to help Gino. Marc would get his ass kicked in tonight’s game for calling Gino an old sap. Right before he could throw the device against the nearest wall like his nerves wanted him to, the picture changed and both commentators appeared on it.

“Hallelujah, miracles do happen!”, Lukas praised and the others laughed. The live stream was already running so Gino quickly adjusted the angle of the camera so the viewers wouldn’t get to see too much of his (admittedly) messy kitchen.

“With a tiny delay, we welcome Gino Caviezel on this year’s first edition of our popular silent-painter-competition! Gino, you’re here for the second time, last year you won the desired point for Marc’s team-”

“Thanks again, bro”, Marc interrupted Lukas’ summary. Gino winked at him through the camera.

“This year, we decided to spice things up a little. If you don’t succeed and none of the viewers can guess what you were attempting to draw, you’ll have to complete a dare chosen by the opponent team. Alright?”

“So that means if I fuck up, Marc gets the chance to send me into embarrassment?”

“Well, that's up to you and your drawing skills. And who knows, maybe he prepared a dare that’s not going to humiliate you”, Lukas said. One look at Marc's smug grin was enough to let Gino know for certain that wouldn’t be the case.

“But before we get started, let’s talk about what’s coming next in your life Gino; The season is about to start, how is your training going? Did you get to use the summer break the way you wanted to?”

“Absolutely. Conditions in both Zermatt and Chile were amazing, we were all very lucky and glad to get to spend that many days on the snow. It’s just a pity that we’re one man down on the team.”

“Oh yeah, I heard”, Marc chimed in. “How’s Justin keeping up? I bet he’s annoyed about missing the season opening party?”

“He’s fine, as long as he doesn’t miss the season end as well. No, really, we talked to him a couple of days ago and according to him, therapy is going the right direction and he’s confident he’ll be back on track with us by the time the Italian week starts.”

Lukas nodded. He knew about Justin’s high ambitions and his thrive was very impressive, considering how many injuries he had already fought his way back from. The viewers seemed to share all their thoughts, a float of get-well wishes rushed through the stream and Gino took a second to read some of them. To witness so much support and love for his team mate made Gino feel even better than he already was.

“Alright guys, I suggest we get started or we’ll still be sitting here by this time tomorrow. Gino, are you ready?”

“Born ready, Lukas.” He got up from the table and walked over to the whiteboard that was fixed to the kitchen cabinet. Only now Gino remembered what had been written on it when he had last looked at it in the afternoon and he was more than glad about finding it completely spotless and to be able to switch the camera away from his face. Marc would’ve not missed him blushing and he was someone to take the right assumptions most of the time.

Marc continued: “45 seconds for you to draw and for the viewers to guess what it is. Three, two, one, go!”

It wasn’t that easy to both draw and hold the camera at the same time but Gino figured asking for help now would be too obvious. He also had never been that much of a visual or let alone creative person which made those 45 seconds pass even quicker and while Marc was calling out the wrong guesses of the viewers, Gino felt his nerves starting to flutter the more time passed by. He really didn’t want to give Marc a chance to humiliate him on the public eye. Turns out his former art teacher in school had every reason to call Gino out on his lack of visual talent. Time ran out and none of the people watching came up with the correct answer. Lukas sighed overly disappointed.

“Sorry man, tried my best.” Gino turned the camera back so that his face was visible again. Meanwhile, Marc was obviously enjoying not just the fact that Lukas would not take the lead in their competition, but also getting to have Gino to fulfil a dare of his choice. He cleared his throat. Gino hated to admit that he was pretty tense in expectation. And fear. “I think you remember this one”, Marc said and grabbed something that was placed outside of the cameras angle. Gino immediately knew what it was, the ugly yellow colour gave it away even in the dim light of Marc’s office where he was sitting.

“Please don’t.”

Gino covered his face with both hands while Marc unfolded the fabric, the smug grin still glued to his face. “I know your ambitions to this year’s season premier are high, Gino, and we all know what you are capable of on this slope, so if you finish your race on the podium, I dare you to wear this beauty to the official winner’s ceremony in Sölden.”

Now even Lukas was unable to contain his laughter. “Oh, please do finish on the podium, Gino, I need to see you in the cheese-suit!”

“Alright guys, if you excuse me, I’m going to throw myself off the balcony now.”, Gino said and pretended to stand up from the table. Messages of both empathy and glee reached through the live stream, with most of them agreeing with Lukas’ words, stating how much they wanted to see the more than legendary racing suit reactivated again. Marc and Lukas then wished Gino and his team mates all the best for the upcoming races before disconnecting the broadcast. Gino sat there with his head still rested in his palms. He stared into space, reconsidering his life decisions and how to get the best revenge on Marc. Not even when two strong arms hugged him from behind and Gino was surrounded by the comforting smell of pine and laundry detergent did he move from his stupor.

“I bet you helped him, didn’t you?”, Gino asked. Marco just giggled and placed a tender kiss on his cheek.

“I might have told him your size. You’ll look amazing. You’ll go down in history, claiming your first win while wearing that ugly thing is going to make you immortal.”

Gino didn’t add anything to that. The fact that Marco had enough faith in him to assume he was actually going to win this year made the whole situation a little more bearable.

#osws fandom challenge #osws #gino caviezel #marco odermatt #lukas studer #marc berthod #ski alpin #fanfic #rpf #shoutout to wunderlichkind

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narratorstragedy · 3 years ago

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lotr and rebelde for the fandom asks

wren i love you sm.

lord of the rings

blorbo (fave character/character i think abt the most): it's aragorn. it's gotta be aragorn. he's a lesbian he's so lonely he's everything he's fated to be king everyone loves him he's trans he's the best guy ever. the only character. honorable mentions to faramir and éowyn... Yes i love Men so much could you tell?

scrunkly (my “baby” etc): frodo <3 gives him a hug and pushes him into a therapist's office. also sam. i love them both.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated fave): honestly lotr is so popular that i would not consider anyone truly underrated. however i guess i'll say either elrond or arwen. I Think About Them. oh! or éomer who, now that i think about it, is actually underrated. he's so funny and genuinely good i love him

glup shitto (obscure fave): ok well this isn't lotr exactly but can i say celebrimbor. not obscure as in no one talks about him but obscure as in he is mentioned like 15 times in all of tolkien's work and yet i once wrote 2 fics about him in the span of 2 days. i am normal!!!!! i also like ioreth :)

poor little meow meow (problematic/controversial/pathetic fave): this is hard bc i don't know if i would categorize any of my favorite characters as poor little meow meows. will you all kill me if i say denethor... i have so much sympathy for this fucked up old man who Used to be noble and good and wise but pushed too hard and it left him angry and bitter and empty........ h. alternatively aragorn and faramir can be meow meows too i guess

horse plinko (would torment for fun): saruman... get plinko'd lol [throws him off the top of orthanc]

eeby deeby (would send to super hell): tom bombadil bc i bet he'd enjoy it. it'd be like enrichment in his enclosure. beyond that, grima wormtongue. literally die die die

also shoutout to lúthien who i couldn't figure out where to categorize but was the first character i was truly properly obsessed with maybe ever. i love her so much. i used to want to be her

rebelde

blorbo (fave character/character i think abt the most): honestly idk... i don't really think about any of these characters that much HJDSHJSDJHK but maybe luka? i think they did a really good job with making him somewhat of an "antagonist" who does actually have a reason to be so bitter and gets somewhat-but-not-totally redeemed at the end. and i think there's potential for his arc to continue being interesting in the future

scrunkly (my “baby” etc): mj. holds her in my arms she is literally me (girl from socal who is overenthusiastic and speaks spanish but like not super well)

scrimblo bimblo (underrated fave): idk anything about the fandom/reaction to this show so i have no idea who's underrated. i dunno. gonna use this to shout out andrea and emilia instead i LOVE gay people

glup shitto (obscure fave): i don't remember any of the side characters. sorry

poor little meow meow (problematic/controversial/pathetic fave): MMFMSFNDFKDSJ. SEBAS. sebas. okay look i know he's like evil and morally bad or whatever but consider 1. he has mommy issues 2. he's hot. 3. i have listened to his duet with mj (lo siento) like 100 times.

horse plinko (would torment for fun): jana annoys me for absolutely no reason sorry girl ur getting plinkoed

eeby deeby (would send to super hell): sebas probably deserves it tbh. kisses him tenderly on the mouth have fun in hell <3 <3

#THANK YOU WREN. HUGGING YOU.#thanks for asking!#tolkien #lotr

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hitomania · 3 years ago

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tell me about vocaloid. which one is your favorite. infodump about whatever is going on in kilmaa. I am telepathically sending you pictures of Miku

HIHIHIHIHIHIHIIII ok ok so i went over more like lesser known favourites in the last ask but for like big main ones. rin and luka are amazing i really love their voices and designs and everything. but my NUMBER ONE is definitely gumi shes so fucking funny and has probably the best voicebank i think shes the only vocaloid who i really like LIKE a lot as a character everyone else im kinda like ^_^ yaaay youre cool but im mostly there for the music u know...but gumi is my girl love her. also shoutout to flower shes also neat and i see so many people shit on her voicebank but i think it works i like her

THANK U FOR THE PSYCHIC IMAGES OF MIKU ALSO I WISH I UNDERSTOOD KILMAA ENOUGH TO INFODUMP ABOUT IT if you want me to talk about ironina though oh boy (rubs hands together

#THANK U FOR THE ASK BUNNY #i know i kinda make it sound like i dont care abt the characters but I PROMMY I DO #love those guys appreciate them tons never opposed to seeing them #im just a BIIIT more music-centric. it is my fatal flaw #thomes.txt

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dusuessekartoffel · 5 years ago

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Iconic moments from Druck season 3

The very first clip dropping at 00:00 on Saturday.

Matteo being done with heterosexuality in the first clip already.

“Kiki ist doch keine Hypothenuse!”

"Sorry, I was in the bathtub with the guys."

Linn “I want to make pancakes but there are no pans and I also don’t know how to make pancakes” Shira.

Matteo’s wallet being thrown against his head. (Shoutout to Mile and her love of this gif, which is iconic in itself.)

That first stare between Matteo and David.

Matteo offering Amira a blowjob in return for the weed.

"Willst du ... mit mir ... einen Film schauen?"

“Du hattest da einfach nur eine Wimper.”

"No, I think that's someone else." (Yes, sure, Matteo.)

Hans kissing Matteo on the cheek and calling him his butterfly.

“Na, alles klar?”

David leaving immediately whenever a girl shows up.

Leonie and Matteo having the same taste in guys. (Same, though.)

“Ich hab Rouladen gemacht!” “Linn hat Rouladen gemacht! Sollen wir sie essen?”

Kiki being done with Sara.

The twirl.

"Und in dem anderen Bus ist dann auch der gleiche Monat?" (I think this is the exact moment where I sold my soul to David Schreibner. Oh no, wait, that was when he showed up in the last episode of season 2.)

Matteo genuinely smiling for the first time around David.

“Das nennt man Collage.”

Sandwiches with whipped cream.

Matteo's shrugs when Sara does anything.

Matteo wearing David’s beanie around the flat.

Hans’ Wurst.

All the headcanons about Jonas introducing David to Matteo only for Jonas to not remember who David is.

Sara shoving Matteo against the lockers. (This might have been her most glorious moment.)

David reaching into his locker for nothing because talking to Matteo makes him flustered.

Matteo rolling his eyes at least once per episode.

Matteo being jealous whenever he sees David with a girl when he is the one with a girlfriend.

Matteo almost crying when he finds out that Laura is David’s sister when he is the one with a girlfriend.

“Du siehst gut aus heute.”

The almost kiss. (It still gives me chills every time I watch it.)

Matteo throwing Hans a pair of shoes when he asks for help with cleaning.

Matteo smiling and cleaning because of a two-word text from David.

Matteo thinking about what to text David for over a minute before sending him a stupid meme.

“You’re half Italian.” “I’m writing Spanish.”

Matteo cheating on his Abi and actually getting away with it.

Amira’s snaps whenever Matteo zooms out.

“Hast du Bock abzuhauen?” “Okay.”

Underwater kiss with no water.

The fact that their first kiss happened in broad daylight and when they were both 100% sober.

“Gewonnen.”

Matteo and David holding hands three weeks after making fun of hand-holding.

“Don’t know where you start and where I begin.” (Probably the most iconic Druck lyric.)

“Du hast gewonnen. Wir bleiben hier.”

Pasta à la Luigi.

Matteo taking David's hand and making him facepalm himself.

“I don’t know if you know this” *plays Hozier*

The opening shot of episode 6.

Carlos “the vibes weren’t right” Schmidt.

Sara’s petty Instagram post.

The school nurse talk happening with Matteo’s drug dealer.

Matteo’s drug dealer looking like an older version of himself.

Ibiza.

Rentier in general.

Kiki trying to teach Carlos ballet.

It’s not you, it’s me.

“Gesichts-Gulasch”

"schön”

Easter Sunday baking with Matteo and Hans.

Hans and Matteo having a talk about being gay and coming out and wanking in a church on Easter Sunday.

Amira having a very, very hard time apologising (but doing it anyways because she cares about Matteo).

“Hauptsache ist doch, dass wir irgendwen lieben.”

That shot with rainbow light over Matteo’s face.

Matteo joking about being gay three days after having come out to his friends.

Pizza with sauce Hollandaise.

The boy squad and Mia and Hanna hiding on the stairs after Matteo threw them out.

That hug.

Druck making David canonically trans and having him come out to Matteo on his own terms. The most iconic thing Druck ever did.

"Ich bin ein Junge. Ich muss mich nur mehr dafür anstrengen."

Druck overtaking Avengers Endgame and trending at #1 after this.

Linn searching for a hobby in Hans' instagram stories.

Linn hugging random objects around the flat to overcome her fear of people.

Matteo making fun of Abdi for being all smiley after Sam talked to him as though he doesn’t turn into the biggest mess around David.

"Gleitgel ist der Schlüssel zum Glück.”

That adorable video they took on the day they first kissed.

“Liebe Mama, ich hab mich verliebt. Er heißt David.”

Everyone sneaking into the flat while Matteo is listening to Take Me to Church.

Take Me to Church being used a total of 4 times during the season. (They really said “let’s give this back to the gays.”)

Everyone passing around the pasta as if it’s their one braincell.

Those voice messages between Matteo and David.

Amira’s motivational speech.

21:21 happening when everyone least expected it and being about the boy squad, because Matteo’s season is about him building bridges to everyone around him.

That shot of Matteo walking up the stairs to the church.

“Willst du mich verarschen?”

David screaming out everything he’s feeling and Matteo listening and acknowledging that while also telling David that he’s here for him and that things will be different now.

“weil ich dich liebe”

“I won’t say it again” *immediately says it again*

Episode 9 beginning with the acoustic version of Take Me to Church and ending with the studio version in all its glory.

Samstag 20:55.

Every. Second. Of. It.

Honorable mentions: “PsShT yOuR sIsTeR”; “Ich bin aufgeregt” “Ich auch”; Matteo kissing David’s stomach, then his binder and then his mouth; that kiss at the end; For The Last Time playing.

The kissing noises.

David talking about his experiences.

“Du bist gut so wie du bist.”

Laura dancing and singing along to Je Ne Regrette Rien, making the entire fandom fall in love with her.

“Also ich würd mit dir schlafen.” “Wirklich?” “Ne, aber ich dachte, dann fühlst du dich vielleicht besser.”

“Wenn Abdi und ich die letzten Menschen auf dieser Welt wären, wen würdest du wählen von uns, so zum ficken?” “Jonas.”

“Ich hab Abdi verstanden.”

“Ich mach meinen Penis nicht in die Pfanne.”

Matteo and David being that couple after only a few days.

“All I ever wanted was to find you.”

Those looks between Alex and Carlos.

Sam having smoked all of Abdi's weed.

“Das Leben ist doch jetzt. Mit euch.”

The dancing during the credits of the last episode. (It’s always iconic, but this time it included Lukas Alexander, so it’s extra iconic.)

#so this is way longer than it was supposed to be #i'm also aware that this is basically the entire season #it was a very iconic season okay?#anyway i don't know exactly what this is but i'm trying to process the end of the season and this is how #i'm also sorry about the mix between english and german quotes but some lines were just too iconic to translate #druck

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grasslandgirl · 4 years ago

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For the ask game F G H R T please!

tysm anna 🥺🥺💖💖

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

ahhhhhh this is SO hard, you’re getting top three sorry not sorry

in no particular order:

1) from I’ve waited and watered my heart ‘til it grew (the magnus archives, jon and martin):

“Georgie told me once- before the Unknowing, before… before we really understood the gravity of everything- that I needed people around me, to anchor me, as it were. To talk to- to all of you, but I think she also meant you, Martin, specifically. You were always there to anchor me, to listen to me, even when you were neck-deep in Lukas’s business. Even- even when I didn’t think I deserved it.”

Martin looked down at Jon, met his inscrutable and unwavering gaze. “You always deserved it, Jon,” he said, with all the conviction he had.

[i just ahhhh i think i really nailed jon’s voice through all of this fic but martin’s line here specifically. that’s it. that’s the crux of all of it i think.]

2) from my unfinished juno steel amnesia fic (the penumbra podcast, juno and rita):

“Amnesia?” Juno mumbled, looking at Rita for confirmation. “I lost… two years?”

“I mean, yeah, Mister Steel, if the last thing you remember was the Robertson case that was two years ago. And that means you don’t remember anything about Mister Ex-Mayor Takano-Flaherty or the THEIA’s or Mister Ransom or- OH!! This reminds me of that one stream we watched, Boss, with the guy who had his brain sucked out by aliens only they weren’t aliens they were actually a super secret government agency taking away people’s memories; but oh, no, I guess you can’t remember that either, because we watched that one after the case where that lady’s cat exploded after you lost your eye and you were still all sad about Mister Glass again- we should watch that stream, Boss! Especially now that you don’t remember anything either, even though-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up, Rita,” Juno said, waving his hand vaguely, “what was- any of that, if I’m being honest. Ransom and the mayor? We blew up somebody’s cat?”

“I mean technically, the cat blew itself up, Boss.”

[did i mention that i LOVE rita penumbrapodcast? cause i LOVE her and i love to write her she’s so fun and her dynamic with juno is So fun to write, she just talks and i get to run away on my keyboard and let her say whatever her salmon-crunchie flavored heart desires <3]

3) from my bad kids fantasy au unposted wip (dimension twenty, fabian and adaine and gorgug):

Fabian frowned at Gorgug, considering. “Gorgug, we need to duel more often. If I’m going to be Captain, I need to know all my competition- even if they’re my best friend.”

“Aww,” Gorgug smiled down at Fabian, “I’m your best friend?”

“What?” Fabian blinked in confusion, before noticing Gorgug’s widening smile. “You dick-” he punched Gorgug in the shoulder- “you nearly got me! Of course we’re best friends, Thistlespring-”

“What about me?” Adaine asked, watching her boys’ friendly scuffle.

“You’re my best friend, too,” Gorgug said eagerly, “I can have more than one best friend.”

“Well I have dozens of best friends,” Fabian said, never one to be out done. “But, uh, I suppose you two are the- the top of the list. Of my many friends.”

[i simply think.... they!! their dynamic is SO choice if i do say so myself, i just think that old childhood best friends is one of the Best dynamics out there and is sorely underutilized and i am taking it upon myself to solve that problem. you’re welcome, world]

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

i HAVE to write my fics in chronological order, from start to finish bc there are always scenes that i really Want to write and if i write those first then i have No drive or focus to write the Rest of the fic or the context that goes with it, so i make myself write chronologically and use the scenes that im really excited to write as a goal and a driving force to get myself through the other, equally important scenes, that i’m less excited about, otherwise the fic sits half-finished and abandoned in my wip folder, never to see the light of day......

H: How would you describe your style?

truly i Could Not Tell You. ive been told i write how i talk which. yeah. but idk how true that is for my fic/fiction writing? i truly don’t know tell me about my writing style im begging you i don’t know what my style is i just write its just there

R: Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

there aren’t any specific writers that i draw regular, constant inspo from, really? i’m lucky to know and be friends with multiple incredibly talented authors (you, anna grace, chief among them of course) and sometimes when i read a really good fic or story ill get inspired by the author’s style or tone and work off of that; but those beats of inspiration aren’t super common and tend to just lead to short little spurts of writing, most of my longer ideas and wips are products of plot and character inspiration, drawing from my life or the original media itself and less from fic or other writing (shoutout to @nojoyinmudville and @cauldronoflove both for writing SO good that it made me write fanfiction for THEIR fanfiction sfjvnksjfbd)

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

uhhhhhh not off the top of my head? im a sucker for coffeeshop and bakery aus but they always sort of infuriate me bc you can always tell when theyre written by people who have Never Worked In Food Service nor have they KNOWN anyone who’s worked in food service bc they’re always “im the owner of a very popular, well-trafficked bakery and i’m the owner and also the ONLY EMPLOYEE. I BAKE ALL THE BREAD AND PASTRY MYSELF. AND I RUN THE REGISTER AND THE COUNTER. AND I CLEAN THE WHOLE KITCHEN. AND I DO ALL THE FINANCES AND ORDER FORMS AND LEGAL TAPE. I ALSO HAVE TIME FOR A FUFILLING SOCIAL AND ROMANTIC LIFE. SOMEHOW, I SLEEP SOMETIMES.” plese. im begging u people. use your critical thinking skills. or, if all else fails. GOOGLE HOW WORKING IN A COFFEESHOP WORKS. YOU DON’T WORK 6AM- 8PM SHIFTS SIX DAYS A WEEK WITH ONE COWORKER. YOU HAVE SHIFTS. MORE PEOPLE IN THE RUSH HOURS. YOU HAVE DAYS OFF. ahem. anyway. yeah.

this got. so long sorryyyyyy ksjbskjf but thank you a million anna grace ilyyy 💖💖🤧🤧

send me a fanfic ask!! (my ao3 acc is @/grasslandgirl and is linked in my bio!)

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ikemen-lover159 · 5 years ago

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Nightmare for two

Suitor: Edgar X Reader

Genre: angst (I’m not sure what you would call this to be honest)

Warnings: Sugestive themes, slight spoilers for Edgar’s route

I would like to shoutout @shionsetsuna for helping me with this idea and for the support she had been giving me behind the scenes.

It had been 30 days since you left Cradle for The Land of Reason and tonight you were going back when the full moon rises at it’s peak.

You came back to the Land of Reason for one purpose and that was to clear up with everyone saying you where moving to a different country for a job opportunity. That meant you could say your goodbyes to everyone and it would also explain the lack of communication.

Walking back from the confectionary store you worked at you make close eye with the moon. Every few seconds you would look up into the glimmering rays of moonlight shining down on you. At that moment all you could think about was your boyfriend Edgar standing on the other side. Moonlight hitting his features at the right angle making him even more beautiful not that he wasn’t already of course.

While not looking where you were going for a spit seconds you ran head first into someone.

Before you could fall head over heals, two firm hands grabbed you by the waist and hauled you back up. Looking up to see who caught you, you find a young man around is early to mid 20’s with mousse blonde hair.

His eyes where a shade of chocolate brown that you had never seen before. They looked so cold as if they could see through you.

“Are you alright miss?” The young man spoke with caution considering that he was holding you against his chest but there was no sense of sympathy or worry like he really didn’t care if I was or not.

“Um... I’m alright” But to be really honest when you fell you think you might have sprained your ankle or worse.

Trying to pull away the man tighten his grip on you.

Yelping out in pain the man slowly loosened his grip again. Though is was still forceful enough to keep you in place. As the seconds when by you became more and more concerned about many things. Especially the part about getting to the hole in time. Looking back up at the sky you could see the moon was nearly at its peak so you decide to speak up.

“Um sir I don’t know if you know but I have places to be and very soon in fact. So um could you please let go of me?” Tilting his head down look you in the eye you could see the reflection of the glowing moon hovering at full peak. “Now why would I let you go darling? This is where you belong isn’t it? Because I believe a young lady like you should have no business with the foul blood stained Jack of Hearts.”

Your heart sunk as the words suddenly absorbed into your mind. His knew where you were going. He knew Cradle. He knew Edgar and most importantly he knew who you were and a even more chilling thought would be the fact he would have been following you for sometime now. What was he going to do? A cold sweat broke out on your face and your heart started to beat rapidly as the situation started to sink in. He was not going to let you go. He was going to kidnap you and Edgar wouldn’t know what happened to you.

Thinking about what you could do your survival instincts kicked in. You bit down on his hand which leaves you a few seconds to get out of his hold. As you start to run for the portal a stabbing pain shoots up your leg. Looking down, blood can be seen running down your leg. Deciding to ignore it and the pain that came with it you kept on going. From behind you could hear him running after you shouting things like ‘you can’t run’ and ‘your dead when I catch you’ but before you could hear the next thing he said, the ground below you gave and you started falling. Falling back to Cradle.

Cradle

Pacing around the gardens on top of the civic centre was a very nervous Edgar. It was the first time anyone from either side of the Army’s had seen him this nervous and yet delicate nearly fragile. If anyone said anything about you he would get very agitated. The way he looked at things was if you were hurt or something happened to you because he wasn’t there he would never let it go. It would haunt him for the rest of his life just like the many souls of the people he killed for his uncle. He would probably try to find the culprit and then kill them but of course none of his friends or you would let him.

“Stop pacing around your going to make me puke everywhere!” From the table sat a very proud Queen of Hearts. He was obviously the one to start complaining first.

“Jonah learn some respect” Lancelot understood why he was pacing around so he decided to call Jonah out as he probably wouldn’t listen to someone else. Well unless it was Luka of course.

“Oh! Yes my King! How rude of me” though he did stop complaining Edgar could tell he still wanted to complain about lots of things.

Edgar looked back up to the sky and could see the full moon at its peak. Where was she? Maybe she’s running late? From the distance Zero walked over. “You know I bet she’s only running late. That’s all.” Zero tried his best to comfort his mentor. Though the two had a different kind of friendship they did care about each other and this was one of those moments where anyone could tell.

Then out of nowhere there was a scream. Looking up to the sky Edgar could see you falling fast toward the ground.

Running over to catch you. He had sweat dripping off his face. He was so worried about you and he couldn’t wait to talk to you.

Finally you fell into his arms sending you both to the ground with a thud. But something was off you continued to cry as if you where in pain. Eyes sparkled with concern. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?!”

By this stage the rest of the Red Army leaders understood the situation and came running over.

“Edgar!” Through sobs you threw you r arms around your beloved. “There was a man... and” but before you could finished Edgar cut in with a serious tone. “What man? Did he hurt you?”

Nodding all the the men around you look up in concern and worry as they don’t know what to expect. “Ahhh my ankle hurts so bad.” Coming back to your senses you realised how painful your ankle and thigh was.

As if was a calling Kyle got up and rushed to his medical bag and came back. Only then everyone could see the blood on her, the skirt and now the ground.

“What happened to you?” Face now serious Edgar holds his love tighter to show that he has you and no one will hurt you as you are in his arms.

“A man young man from the Land of Reason did this. H-he tried to kidnap me.” You cried as you launched your face into his comforting chest. You could hear his heart start racing. Though you couldn’t tell what from exactly. So you decide to continue with the story. “He grabbed me and in the shock I must have not realised that he attacked me”

Everyone stood there shocked by what they were hearing. They couldn’t believe she was nearly kidnapped.

“A-and he knew where I was going and y-you!!” Now gasping for breath you cried harder than ever. Not even your family back in the Land of Reason had ever seen you cry this much.

“It’s ok Sweetheart I have you now and no one is ever going to hurt you again.”

He held you the whole time while Kyle fixed your wound up so you could travel back to the Red Army Headquarters.

If you guys would like a alternative ending please let me know!!

#ikemen revolution #ikerev #Edgar Bright #Red Army #Ha... finally my second fic 🤣

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fehelp · 6 years ago

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Oboro

Overview

First of all: I’ve had a friend on heroes for the longest time with the most amazing +10 Oboro so Lekkusu, if you’re out there, I love you and I’m dedicating this to you.

Ok now that that’s out of the way, Oboro time. She’s an infantry lance unit with decent atk at 32 and good def at 35. Her spd is low at 26 and her res is subpar at 24. She also has a really bad base kit because she’s been here since launch and before we had skill inheritance so expect to spend a lot on her.

Pros/Cons

+ Great def

+ Res isn’t actually so bad that it cannot be salvaged

- Bad spd

- Outclassed by other, more optimized lance units

Similar Units

Lukas has 35 atk and 38 def so if you want a strictly physical tank, Lukas will be the better option. However, he doesn’t run a mixed bulk set as well as Oboro with his measly 17 res. If you want to do a Berkut’s Lance kind of set, Oboro will be better off with the higher res.

Shiro has 35 atk and 35 def and only two points lower res at 22. The higher atk is a great selling point for Shiro, but he’s also locked behind a 5* wall and can be a lot harder to +10 unless you’re really lucky or a whale. So Oboro is a cheaper option than Shiro.

Team Options

Definitely without the mixed bulk build, she will need to be protected from mages. Someone like Summer Leo (♥) will be able to do that for her, or like Katarina or even Lilina.

She’ll be able to protect squishier units really well, so hide your healers and Lewyns behind Oboro. She’ll struggle against dragons too, as they’ll target her res, so having someone with anti-dragon effectiveness will be a good choice.

IVS

+Atk is a good choice to get her to 35 which will just help her do more damage. +Def is a secondary choice to get her to 38 which means not many people will be hurting her. IF you want to have a mixed bulk Oboro, +res is a good choice if you can’t get Berkut’s Lance.

HP should be kept neutral for her bulk.

Spd is a good drop unless you’re looking to boost the HECK out of her spd but normally you won’t want to do that so drop it.

Builds

she’d win project runway

Weapon: Slaying Lance+ (Def ref)

Assist: Swap or Reposition

Special: Ignis

A: Steady Breath, Fury 3

B: Quick Riposte 3

C: Up to you! She’ll like Odd Def/Atk Wave probably

Seal: Close Def works well here

A relatively easy to make set that focuses more on her def than her ability to tank both physical and magical threats. Slaying Lance+ is a generally good option for slower, more defensive units. With it, Ignis will have a 3 turn cooldown rather than 4, and that will be dropped even lower with Steady Breath’s effect. If you don’t have a Brave Ike to sacrifice, you can use Fury for just the buff but no cooldown charge. Quick Riposte allows her to double if attacked.

Oboro’s Lance now

Weapon: Berkut’s Lance (Res ref)

Assist: Swap or Reposition still works

Special: Ignis, Aether

A: Distant Counter

B: Quick Riposte 3, Chill Def 3

C: Same as above but also, Odd/Even Res Wave

Seal: You can put QR3 here or Distant Def

This is her mixed bulk set. Until we have a Barrier Lance kind of weapon, Berkut’s Lance is her best res boosting option. It’ll give her +7 res if attacked and that works well with Distant Counter to help her destroy mages. She’ll have 35 def/res during enemy phase which is amazing without merges. If you aren’t willing to sacrifice a Berkut, you can just give her Slaying Lance with the res refine for a similar but not as good effect. If you can’t give her Chill Def, you can just give her QR3 and then put Distant Def in her seal slot for the added bulk.

Ignis is better for damage, but Aether scores better in arena and helps with her survivability.

If you haven’t, check out Lekkusu’s name in the description for another build option! And @ Lekkusu, if you see this and are not cool with the shoutout or you want to be credited somewhere, just send me a message and I’ll fix it!

Get skills from...

Slaying Lance+: 5* Nephenee, Catria, Gwendolyn, Lukas, Peri, Shanna

Berkut’s Lance+: 5* Berkut

Swap: 3* Stahl, Subaki, Arthur

Reposition: 3* Selena, Barst

Ignis: 4* Henry, Leon, Boey

Aether: 5* Lucina, Brave Lucina, Chrom, Exalt Chrom, Ike, Brave Ike

Steady Breath: 5* Brave Ike

Fury 3: 4* Hinata

Quick Riposte 3: 5* Leo, Klein, Deirdre, Dorcas, Subaki

Chill Def 3: 5* Exalt Chrom

Odd Atk Wave 3: 5* Ishtar, Lewyn

Odd Def Wave 3: 5* Hoshidan Summer Xander

Odd Res Wave 3: 5* Summer Takumi

Even Res Wave 3: 5* Brave Hector

#feh #fe #fire emblem #fire emblem heroes #oboro

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hellooliviarose · 5 years ago

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Week 11

Wishing everyone good health and better weather. Luckily enough for my I am an online student outside of NYC so my schoolwork has not been affected, sending hope to those stuck in the city. And to those, like me, who work in the food industry--I am a private chef and have no clue when/if I’ll be going to work. Big shoutout to my mom who is an oncology nurse at an overpopulated hospital battling dozens of new cases every day. Stay well friends and laugh often.

“Turn off the news & build a garden!” - Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real

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allegiancewillcarryus · 7 years ago

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YOI Appreciation Week

This will probably be a very long list as I have so much to say about so many of you; Yuri on Ice has changed my life and brought me to meet so many talented and wonderful people that it would probably be impossible for me to list out every positive thing about everyone, but I’m going to do my best

@matsu-hana - the one who pushed me to watch YOI in the first place, I wouldn’t be here in the fandom without them and probably wouldn’t have written half the fics I have without their encouragement and feedback. P much my go-to for screaming about hcs, rping weird ships and scenarios and just generally putting up with my Shit(tm). Also an amazingly talented and inspiring artist

@chaifootsteps - One of the best authors ever and my first ever mutual on this hellsite. They are just #goals all around. Kudos to them for also dealing with my Shit(tm) and being a wise and helpful role model. Also for reacting pretty well when I force my terrible art and ideas upon them, all things considered. A good soul 10/10

@spoonsyyo - A GOOD FREN AND TOLERATES MY SCREAMING AS WELL AS MY ABSENCES. One of the Best artists and an instigator for many of my shitty schemes involving everything from AUs nobody asked for to crappy art to writing ideas

@inpeacemayyouleavetheshore - Probably the person I’ve known the longest here. Best friend. A talented painter and the nicest person to ever exist. Didn’t leave me when I dragged her down into the pits of anime hell with me and probably should have

@violetflowersandflames - a constant positive presence on my dash in all kinds of different fandoms. A gifted writer. Tons of potential. Doesn’t mind when I scream about bnha and then switch to yoi out of the blue. 12/5 stars a great person

@bathands - Holy fucc. Wtf. Where do I even start. OLD. FURRY. LIVES TOO FAR AWAY. All kidding aside Lukas is such a talented writer and has such a kind heart. Lets me indulge in my gross half-closeted furry shenanigans. Lukas pls never change

@meimagino - Arm goals. Hair goals. People goals. Likes to sin. Not-so-closeted furry. Could easily talk to all day if not for the fact I am still intimidated and trying to impress

@blameotayuri - the best mom to ever mom. Strong as hell. Writes some of the best headcanons in the history of forever. I would die for her. Truly deserves the world

@trans-boy-yuri - THE BEST EDITS seriously how does one get so talented did you sell your soul asking for a friend,,, Also the F I C S send help. Entertains my ridiculous thoughts. Could talk to forever

@onotherflights - ANOTHER AMAZING AUTHOR dealt with my hideous fanboying without blocking me which is probably what I would’ve done. Very talented and kind 5 hearts 5 stars 10/10 all around

@otasucc - the gorgeous and intimidating but oddly nice mutual and another person who’s tolerant of my Bullshit. I would fight the entire world for Lia if she asked me to. Literally made a gross squawking sound when she followed back. 20/10

More people I would die for but whom I am still intimidated by:

@tootsonnewts @novocaine-sea @rosesnfeathers @transguyyuri @puppybek @pendragonstar @yuuri--on--ice @crescendotayuri @icetiiger @otabaeee @tenaciouscorpse @yoi-shenanigans @1pen1knife

Also a big shoutout to every rp and VA blog who will never see this because I’m too shy to tag you here I love you all <3 keep creating and bringing smiles to faces and thank you for dealing with all that is Me and I’m sorry this took so damn long

#yoi appreciation day #mutuals #tags #lots of tags #he speaks #long post

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3one3 · 7 years ago

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The Sequel - 902

The Numbers

André Schürrle, Juan Mata, other Chelsea/BVB players, and random awesome OC’s (okay they’re less random now but they’re still pretty awesome)

original epic tale

all chapters of The Sequel

“How was training? I saw pictures of you smiling.”

“We had a little fun.”

“You don’t sound like you’ve had any fun today.”

“I’m tired and- To be honest, I’m thinking too much about numbers.”

“Which numbers?”

“Goals, assists, minutes played.”

“Oh. Don’t do that.”

“I miss you.”

“I love you.”

“I wish you were coming early. Sunday, or Monday.”

“Schü got tickets for The Nutcracker at the ballet in Berlin on Sunday night.”

“You told me.”

And I really wanna go. It looks dark and magical, and it was so cute of him to bring me cookies. They even match my holiday decor. He’s running a points surplus right now, Christina thought about one football player while on the phone with another. She was on the couch in the master bedroom, waiting for the first one to finish his video games, and very ready to go to sleep. But the second one needed her.

“I have to ride both days anyway,” she told him, referring to the two days before her flight to London for Olympia. “You said I should get back to work, and I have, and I feel good about it. I wanted to tell you a bunch of times today when I got like...a tiny shot of adrenalin or happiness or something looking at my training plan for the week, or when Tom just seemed...I don’t- I know this sounds ridiculous,” she smiled. “But I feel like he kept looking at me differently today, like he knows I’m back to doing things the old way and he’s happy about it and respects me more or something.”

“That’s good cariña. I’m very happy for you,” he yawned. The rider snorted and laughed.

“Yeah, you sound it.”

“I am! I’m sleepy. I was watching shows,” Juan needlessly explained. He sent her the equivalent of a “please call me and tuck me in” message around dinnertime in London, at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel, and his girlfriend was more than happy to accommodate the request. It didn’t matter that André hadn’t instigated any fights in over a week, or that he asked her to the ballet and brought assorted Christmas cookies from the bakery he visited to try to replace the lemon bar they had to abandon at the bookstore on Sunday when Lukas’ stuffed pony went missing and the world was about to end. She still missed being able to hug and kiss the Spaniard just the same, and wanted to hear his voice every day in her ears and not just in her head when she read his texts. It was her pleasure to get cozy in new winter home decor and lend him those ears so that he could vent his building frustration with his own performances on the pitch, as it were. She didn’t know what the problem was but she knew from the message that there must be something, or that he was going to be passive aggressively upset that his calls the prior night went unanswered because she was out with André and then watched a movie with him and without her phone.

“I was so sleepy at dinner that I dipped my pita bread in my Coke instead of tzatziki.” And now I’m extra sleepy because this corner of the couch is now like the inside of a mountain cabin. I have fur, the rider narrated happily while rubbing her face on her new pillow. I have cashmere, she added, moving her legs together to feel the new plaid, fringed, scarf-like blanket. There were fat rib-knit throw pillows too. I have a proper winter nest. I have a yuge credit card bill, the happy girl finished. Zoe invited her out for a mom date during the week with the kids- lunch and shopping- and took her to a home furnishings place with beautiful stuff. Christina wanted all the textiles, and the bonus rewards from American Express.

“How did it taste? They’re both lemony.”

“Not so good. But not so bad that I didn’t eat it anyway.”

“Am I going to score a goal tomorrow night?”

“No, but you’re going to run the game. Grab it by the neck. Run the show. You’ll set someone else up to score. It’s a perfect matchup for you. While everyone else on the pitch is focused on the physical fight and keeping it tight, you can use your brain and create space.”

“Were you in the briefing today?”

“No, but it doesn’t take a UEFA Coach of the Year nomination to anticipate how it might go between a resurgent Atletico fighting for their European lives and a prone-to-only-giving-as-much-as-absolutely-needed Chelsea in self-preservation cruise mode.” Christina was very certain in her matchday forecast. And she was calm about it, not letting her desire for her prediction to come true make her sound like a salesman. It was what Juan called her for. “Be the one who starts in a top gear while the others ease into the game. Then you can dictate a role for yourself instead of waiting for them to give you a chance to have an impact.

“Smart advice.” He was smiling on the receiving end of the little pep talk.

“I’m gonna yell at the TV all night if you don’t take it.”

“Consider it taken, cariña.”

“If you do score, your celebration should include a secret shoutout just for me.”

“Like what?”

“Liiiike...walk up to Eden and pinch his butt.”

“No.”

“Take a bite out of it.”

“No.”

“Pretend to ride a dragon.”

“No.”

“Do the Matarena.”

“No.”

“Do nothing because you’re lame and no fun.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Bah ram you.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“I feel in danger of becoming Mata, the guy who does the charity thing, instead of Mata, the good football player,” Juan confessed, out of nowhere. “I’m going to be on the cover of FourFourTwo this week with other winners of their annual awards, and people who see it are going to go, “Mata? What? Why!” I don’t fit on a cover with Guardiola, Kane, Buffon, Modric, and Neymar. The award is for the Common Goal project. The other guys get awards for how they play, or coach.”

“Yeah but what your award is for actually matters more than what they do,” Christina shot back, anxious to reassure him and convince him that his magazine cover, which she already knew about, was something to be proud of, not fear.

“What I’m doing with Common Goal could help a lot of people, yes, but think of what football’s stars mean to hundreds of millions of people. You know,” the uncertain Chelsea man insisted. “You know what football means to you. Millions watch every weekend and the score might influence their mood for the whole week, and their interactions with friends and people at work. You’re proud for a week if your team wins big at the weekend, or you’re the wrong side of the jokes if they lose. You get such a good feeling when you see a ridiculous skill, or a beautiful goal. So those guys are doing a lot for people too. It’s not just that they score and change games. I still want to play. I want to be known as a good person and a regular guy- that’s important- but I want to be known as a top player too. I want to have big performances.”

“You don’t want to be Neven Subotic,” his understanding girlfriend said in summary for him. She felt around inside her blanket too for the two furry friends in residence. Spencer and Lucky had been comatose in there since 30 seconds after she tapped Juan’s name on her Favorites. They were “working” the same long hours at the barn as she did. “Everyone knows he’s a great guy, and he spends all his free time getting water for kids in Africa or something, and Dortmund wheels him out as their good-guy player for interviews and events and stuff, and then once in a while he actually gets to play.”

“I don’t think it’s quite on that level yet,” he chuckled. “Thankfully.”

“You’re a long way from that. You’re a great player, Juanin. I dunno about other people but I still get excited watching you do stuff with the ball. I still go “oh my god how did he know” when you pass to set someone up and you didn’t even take a single second to plan it out- you knew before you got the ball. I can see your brain working in the game and it’s always so much better than everyone else’s. I see you between passages of play telling guys to calm down, or urging them to move up. You read the pulse of things. Yeah, you’re having a bit of a quiet period now and the manager is trying different systems with different personnel and he needs to get guys from the bench into the game earlier to keep them happy, but I don’t think you should be having...feels about what your legacy is going to be. You’ve won almost every major trophy in world football. You have way more to give football yet than just 1% of your salary and your face on the recruitment packet.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so. I’m not even just trying to make you feel better. You are objectively brilliant, Juanin. Don’t get anxious because of a little unsatisfying spell.”

“I know the difference between when you talk to pick someone up and when you say the more realistic truth,” the Spaniard smiled. The fondness in the answer gave away the grin, small as it probably was. He wasn’t usually the one who needed boosting, but Christina had provided the service for him before, and she’d administered it for others in front of him too. Unbeknownst to her, most people in her life knew the difference between her lip service and her genuine testimony. And she wholeheartedly believed, without hyperbole, every word she said to her friend about the current state of his play. “I have always appreciated that you wear your heart on your sleeve with people you’re close to.”

“I don’t even have to open my mouth for you to know what’s in my heart most of the time so it doesn’t matter what’s on my sleeve.”

“I know how I’ll celebrate if I score a goal tomorrow night. Let’s see if you notice your shoutout.”

“It’s gonna be pretty obvious if it involves your sleeve, Juanin.”

“I think I can be more creative than that, cariña.”

“You know what might help you be fabulous in the match?”

“What?”

“Shaving your face.”

“Send nudes.”

“Haven’t got any.”

“Take some.”

“I’m wearing clothes. Hey, you should get naked on a magazine cover.”

“Yeah, everyone wants to see that.”

“Naked but with your reading glasses. That would be so hot.”

“Send me videos while you’re riding tomorrow. I’m going to be bored most of the day.”

“That I can do. Any horse requests?”

“Cartagena.”

“I can’t remember if I’m doing him tomorrow.”

“Do me tomorrow.”

“I wish.”

“I miss you. I miiiiiiiiiss youuuuuu,” Juan whined, mostly playful. Christina laughed at him and whined back that she missed him too, and suggested that boredom was the primary reason he missed her so much. She suggested he just needed someone to make background noise and be annoying and generally keep him company, and the player largely agreed. He also said though that he felt left out from her recommitment to her reliable training methods and psychology- that he wished he were “there” to see her work, and see the effect it had on. The Olympic star realized that he used to be able to drop in on her at the barn whenever, or grab a meal, or go for a drive with her and see the immediate aftereffects of however her riding made her feel on any given day. That was something he told her he appreciated very much.

He loved to watch and listen to her rattle on and on about some battle of wills with one of her horses while playing DJ in his car and stopping to comment on things she hated about other cars that pulled into their spot at the Observatory, for example, and her companionship when she was just in a bubbly mood because Dirk did something amazing that afternoon. Christina knew the lack of companionship thing had been a struggle for a long time, but she never realized that extended to the lack of access to her professional life too. She didn’t know or anticipate that his distance from her stuff- the activities that were really just hers, and meaningful on their face only to her- would have such a significance. Missing the things she did with him made perfect sense. It was sort of flattering to learn that he felt like she shared the other things with him without even realizing it, and that it mattered to him.

They rounded out their chat with a discussion about how she would actually use excitement about the big Champions League features to fuel her throughout her training on Tuesday, and then Christina said she needed to get to bed. That was true, but she needed to go collect her husband first. Someone would have to get a jumpstart on warming the bed for her. It was much too cold to just slide in there. André could preheat it while she brushed her teeth, set alarms, took off jewelry, etc. She went downstairs to tell him it was bedtime, and discovered that the only advance he was interested in was sleep. He was snoring, kind of tipped over to one side, with his game controller in his hand. There was a prompt on the big screen asking if he wanted to restart. His girl bent down with her hands on the couch cushion to smooch his cheek.

“Time for bed, handsome,” she said near his ear. I think I said the same thing to Luke a couple of hours ago. Is that weird? They’re both so cute when they sleep. “Baaabe?”

“Did I die?” the sleepy blonde inquired without opening his eyes. He did yawn, and reach to cover his mouth. It didn’t require sitting up.

“It seems so, yes.”

“Is this heaven? Or did I go the other direction?”

“Jury’s still out,” Christina told him, deadpan. It prompted him to open one squinty eye and kind of glare at her, skeptical. His girl laughed. “Come to bed.”

“This is the part where you usually ask me to carry you, when I’m standing there and you’re here.”

“I would totally carry you to bed if I were physically capable. I would carry you everywhere.”

“C’mere.” André held both arms out like he wanted a hug, and his wife shook her head to refuse. She made him get up to hug her, because otherwise he’d pull her down and over with him and they’d both be lying on the sofa instead of getting into bed. It was a good hug though- all consuming, and warm, and full of sweet whispers. It was capped by a loud “mwah” on the rider’s neck. The two tired athletes gave their pets some goodnight treats, unplugged the Christmas tree in the foyer, and ascended the two staircases on either side of it separately, because André was going straight to their room and Christina was stopping at the other end of the upstairs hall to check on Lukas. The littlest member of the family was sound asleep with his thumb in his mouth and his pony under his arm in his safari-themed room with slow rotating constellations projected on his ceiling. Sometimes when she checked on him, his mom was tempted to squeeze into his little bed with him and have a sleepover. His room was enviable. Even the gurgle of the filtration system in the fishbowl was nice.

“Snuggles,” Christina requested flatly, in her little kid voice, when she was finally able to get under her satin covers with her bed heater, who rolled over to hug her with both his arms and his legs.

“Your eyes are all red. Did Juan upset you or are you very tired? Tired, eh?” He asked and answered his question with his hands on her butt, inside her candy cane striped panties.

“So tired. I’m going to bed early tomorrow since you won’t be here.”

“No you won’t. The matches won’t even be over until almost 11.”

“That’s early.”

“Early is when you used to come to the living room at 9 o’clock to kiss my cheek and warn me that if I woke you up coming to bed later you’d murder me.”

“That was before Lulu Schü.”

“I was looking forward to being in London with you without him for a couple of nights...” André commented, rueful. His wife made the executive decision that her extra days in London post-horse show could be best maximized if he came alone and Lukas remained at home with his nanny and grandparents. Half of her wanted to take him to Winter Wonderland, and to see the decorations around the stores in Knightsbridge and Chelsea, and maybe even go ice-skating. The other half of her dwelled on how difficult it would be to navigate Christmas Retail City with a stroller, with a little boy who needed the bathroom every 10 minutes whenever they left the house, with someone who was too old to just ride quietly through hours and hours of shopping anymore, and how they’d have to go to kid-friendly restaurants, and couldn’t go out at night to enjoy the seasonal festivities in adult capacities. Christina wanted two romantic dinners and unencumbered, special-operations-like shopping to complete the Christmas list she hadn’t even begun to work on yet. She also wanted a little slice of pre-Lukas life.

Unfortunately, neither she nor André realized when they made that plan to spend Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at The Savoy that Borussia Dortmund would end up in a DFL Cup third-round tie in Munich on that Wednesday night. The player was furious after the draw. He didn’t know all the games were to be played that week. He thought he’d be free for mid-winter break after the weekend fixture. The worst part of it for him was that about 5 minutes after his wife got done lamenting the change of plans and offering to call to cancel the hotel reservation and change her return flight and cancel his roundtrip ticket, she proposed staying with Juan two extra nights, and moving her flight to Wednesday afternoon, so that she could “still get the shopping done”. Instead of being there to see her ride in the Olympia Grand Prix on Monday night and having that time alone with her, and the romantic dinners, he’d be home and then on a trip to Bayern with his teammates, and she’d be having the romantic meals and doing the shopping with Juan.

Then he felt a perverse pleasure at seeing his wife’s second plan detonated when she found out Chelsea would play on Wednesday too, so Juan couldn’t take her out on Tuesday night either. It was Christina who really paid the price. She was the one who really wanted a couple of free days in London, and it didn’t even matter to her much who she shared them with. She wasn’t getting them. She’d be staying an extra night at the Spaniard’s- Monday, after the evening feature at the horse show- and then flying home Tuesday night. All she was getting was a couple of hours to have breakfast with him and then an afternoon of shopping by herself, or with Natasha if her friend could get away.

“Me too.” She turned her lip over in an exaggerated pout. André gave her butt a double squeeze and kissed her forehead.

“We’ll have a nice time in Berlin before you go,” he reminded her. “I’ve never been there at Christmas but I’m sure it’s just as pretty and...festive.” The appeal of London at Christmastime wasn’t quite a mystery to him, but he didn’t fully understand its draw on his girl. He just knew it existed. He knew how much that time of the year and the buzz of the city meant to her. He liked the holidays. He liked the decorations, and the special air. They just didn’t matter that much. It wouldn’t have bothered him one bit to spend the whole of the holiday season somewhere tropical, maybe in some ironic snowman print swim trunks. His ex-New Yorker wife liked the cold. She enjoyed layering up between stores. The burning in her cheeks as she thawed inside was terrible and wonderful in equal measure. Full-body shivers were treasured. Having to wait forever for the car to be returned to the valet stand while holding 7 shopping bags was like a weird rite of holiday passage. Christina even enjoyed the smell of car exhaust and street-cart roasted nuts mixed with damp December air. She once told him the only thing London Christmas shopping really missed was the scent of boiled kosher hotdogs and the faint whiff of Chanel No.5. That would make it just like Manhattan, and thus, perfect. That year- their first together in Germany- more than any other, André wanted to help his favorite girl have a perfect Christmas. In a time when there was very little he could do to make most of the other things in his life perfect, showing her a good time and making her happy seemed like the best chance of feeling the satisfaction of delivering, of a job well done, of doing something right. The Staatsballett production of Der Nussknacker was a play in the game that he hoped would make up for the London loss. Tchaikovsky, and sugar plum fairies, and athletic guys in tights, were her favorite.

“I’m excited for fine dining and my poofy red dress,” Christina yawned. “Squeeze my butt more. It feels nice. Butt massage,” she mumbled as she shut her eyes and tried to nuzzle her face into his sternum.

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