#tog event

[deiaiko]

#23.2 Teases

Dan sighed wistfully. He couldn't help but feel jealous as he witnessed the couple kissing.

It must be great to be Grace. He was attractive, rich, powerful, talented, and respected. He had everything every person in the tower could ever wish to have. So it should come as no surprise that even Princess Endorsi would want him.

But despite all that, Dan didn’t want to be in Grace's shoes. Power and fame came with a price, and he knew how hard Grace had to work for it.

Maybe he wasn't actually jealous of Grace's charm. He was just not willing to let his goddess, Princess Endorsi, pick anyone else as her partner.

Dan let the realization sink in, sulking while chewing on another spoonful of meat curry. Gyetang must've felt even sadder than him, considering that his reason to join their team was to meet Princess Endorsi.

"What happened?" the guy in a tracksuit –Sibisu, if he remembered correctly– asked, as he and the others took a seat.

"Princess…" Hatz trailed off. "She used her tag to 'talk' with Grace. And when they returned, Grace had a kiss mark on his cheek."

That was a surprisingly objective summary.

"You know, I realized something after kissing him." Boss commented. He was looking at Princess Endorsi mirthfully. "The kiss mark on his cheek earlier was tilted in an odd way."

Princess Endorsi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Boss waited a few beats. Then he shrugged. "Never mind. I was simply sharing my thoughts."

Princess Endorsi gave him a long stare, before her eyes lit up in realization. She chuckled, "How observant."

Dan could only sit there. At least he wasn't the only one that was confused. After all, he didn't really pay attention to the mark position before Grace wiped it out, so he didn't know what kind of odd that Boss meant.

"Woah! Bam–"

The Khun guy whisper-shouted, loud enough to pull Dan out of his thoughts.

"–You learned how to use chopsticks?" 

Khun looked pleasantly surprised, and it kind of baffled Dan. He didn't think anyone, especially from the Khun family, could be impressed by such a mere act.

Viole grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. I've wanted to learn it ever since you showed me how."

The smile that crept up on Khun's lips was genuine and fond. It was a familiar expression, one that Dan often saw Boss wearing when he looked at Grace.

He noticed that everyone was also looking at Khun and Viole, as the conversation around died down. Hatsu coughed, and Princess Endorsi rolled her eyes.

Khun, noticing this, glared at everyone. "What?"

Sibisu waved his hand dismissively, grinning. The others avoided eye contact.

Grace smiled as he glanced at Boss…expectantly? Teasingly? Dan couldn't tell.

Boss glanced back at Grace, smirking.

Grace chuckled, as if they were gossiping telepathically.

They did that enough times that Dan had gotten used to it. Exchanging looks without words as if they could read each other's minds. And honestly, Dan wouldn't even be surprised if they revealed that they actually had a telepathic ability.

Khun was now frowning. Dan could imagine two cat ears on his head pointing backwards. "Are you making fun of me?"

Grace quickly waved his hands in front of him. "What? No! I would never."

Boss laughed at Khun, as if daring him. "You are so obvious, it's embarrassing."

Novick coughed, trying to hide his laugh. "It somehow reminded me of that one time Grace tried to make a perfect apple pie, and we ended up having a week’s worth of pies. All because he wanted to impress Boss."

"The pie was delicious. I was impressed." Boss nodded approvingly.

Grace closed his eyes, smiling proudly. "Worth it."

Oh, the lovebirds, Dan thought to himself. Khun must've reminded Boss of himself, which was probably what he and Grace were making fun of earlier.

Princess Anaak raised her hand, palm facing Boss and Grace. "Please don't kiss again. I'm trying to eat."

Dan heard Viole whisper to Khun. "So that's what a kiss is…?" Which was just another whiplash to him.

The more he learned about Viole, the less he fit a slayer candidate's fearsome and mysterious persona. FUG's god, as they called him. He was still a kid at heart, clueless and learning.

"What's up, Blue Turtle? Did you finally find your banana?"

Khun whipped his head, and Dan noticed a light blush on his cheeks. "What does that even mean?! Stupid crocodile."

"I wonder who's actually the stupid one," Hatz shrugged.

Khun growled, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Let's just ignore them, Bam."

It seemed like Khun was used to being antagonized by his own team. But Dan thought that he might understand why.

The strong temptation to tease and nudge the lovebirds, especially when they were so obvious yet clueless. Case in point: Grace and Agni, when Dan was new to their team. He couldn't keep himself from smiling at the memory.

He enjoyed Grace's old team’s company so far. He used every opportunity to join the conversation, especially when everyone started bickering and exchanging stories. The cafeteria had never been so lively before with only the five of them.

The chaotic energy that Grace's old team brought was like adding new flavors into the mix. Only time could tell whether it was a good combination or not, but he hoped that they'd get along. Especially because it would be a lifelong regret if he were to lose the chance to have Princess Endorsi around.

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Bonus explanation under the cut:

[ylge]

It's his first public event

[linaxart]

to safety

for @theartguard's prompt lottery event!

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

Me going into New World’s first anniversary event: Oh, it’s gonna be a fun beach event with the girls in swimsuits for the weirdos out there

Actual event: DARK FUTURE WHERE BAM FUCKING DIED

[high-voltage-rat]

playing the new dragonfable war while the children I'm supervising dance to "who let the dogs out" at 10:30pm really is a surreal vibe.

[hanukkahbingo]

Panfandom Hanukkah Bingo

WHAT: A fanworks bingo celebrating Jewish (and Jew-ish) characters across any and all fandoms. Write fanfiction and/or create graphics (moodboards, edits, vids, whatever you like) to fill prompts on this overall bingo card. During the 8 nights of Hanukkah, submit your fills to the AO3 collection and/or post them on Tumblr to be reblogged and added to the Bingo Masterpost.

WHY: Jewish characters and Jewish fans are often overlooked or erased during the Winter Holiday Season in favor of “Secret Santa” exchanges, Christmas-themed fics, and the idea that ~Hanukkah is Jewish Christmas~ (which spoiler for all fics in this bingo: it’s not). This panfandom Bingo challenge is to celebrate Hanukkah on its own terms and give Jewish characters and fans a place to breathe. :)

MORE INFO!

[theartguard]

The Art Guard server's DTIYS Challenge is now LIVE!

Based on this initial prompt by @linaxart server members will be redrawing it in their own amazing styles up until July 31st. Stay tuned to see how those look here!

[laurasinele]

Fictober24

Prompt 2: "It's been a long time"

Fandom: The Old Guard (2020 movie)

Relationships: Immortal Husbands | Joe x Nicky

Rating: Mature, non explicit, implied sex.

Special warnings: AU in which the traitor is Nicky; as this happens after the 100 years of banishment, Andy has died and her grave is mentioned; Nicky goes through a crisis of faith and comes out not believing in God.

Summary:

Nicky thought working with Merrick was the right thing to do and the others would soon come around. Things didn't go as expected. One hundred years later he can come back to his found family and hope that Joe has forgiven one thousand years of giving in, then backing up and drowning in Catholic guilt.

Excerpt:

During the first few years of exile, he still believed his decision was right but unfortunately things went wrong. Their immortality, the dreams that connected them, and their war oriented abilities never seemed to him like God’s deed, although he spent centuries trying to see God’s hand in their every move. Side by side to those portents or maledictions, there was the passion and devotion Joe ignited in him ever since the days when to Nicky he was pejoratively “the Moor” and they didn’t know each other’s tongues. It was a new and unknown feeling to Nicolò, who was always repulsed by other people’s nudity and ashamed of his own arousal: he craved Yusuf’s sight, and soon his touch as well. He missed terribly the sound of his voice and his breathing when they parted. He dreamt of his body and woke up shaking, erect and unashamed until he got his release. In a millennium he failed to repress his lecherous need of Yusuf only a few times, and partook with him in countless calm conversations, heated arguments and desperate pleas over his commitment to the Lord. It all only served to reassure him their meeting and their gifts were the Devil’s work. And if time and shared hardship shaped that unnatural passion into love and benevolence, to Nicky it was just proof that God was giving him some respite and showing him the way: the Devil might have turned the hate of the enemy into lust for a man’s flesh, and Nicolò might have given in on occasion, but the pure love of the shepherd for his flock was the only true answer, he believed. His given flock just happened to be a band of elite immortal soldiers with little regard for Nicolò’s spiritual aspirations for them. Nicky’s attachment to his dogma and rites was met with a variety of disheartening attitudes that Nicky strived to see as God testing his faith: Joe resented his coldness, his struggles with chastity and his constant guilt, and called him a coward and “the only true sheep” every time Nicky almost gave into him but stepped back; Andy took him aside every now and then to remind him that she didn't mind if he followed God’s rule —“your god”— as long as he followed hers on the field; Booker constantly challenged Nicky’s faith with his own crisis, sometimes even on purpose; and Nile, as a Christian and only recently immortal, assumed Nicky’s longevity had given him answers he most definitely didn’t have. Through it all, Nicky held onto his calling. His unearthly life wouldn’t make sense if he let go.

[togtakeover]

1ST - 10TH JULY The Old Guard Twitter Takeover Bingo begins tomorrow! In celebration of the 3rd anniversary of The Old Guard, you will have ten days to complete this bingo card of prompts and post them to Twitter.

You can make art/fic/gifs or just share your thoughts. Post everything to Twitter with the hashtags #TOGtakeover and #TheOldGuard so I can find them!

From top to bottom, left to right, the bingo prompts are as follows: fave charcter, fave scene, sequel hype, why netflix sucks, free space, fave comics moment, fave cast member, fave thing about the fandom, and celebrate Gina and Vic.

[pergaminaa]

she continues to suffer

[deiaiko]

#22.2 Tags

Endorsi tapped her shoe impatiently. "And the prize is?"

"You can exchange it for some points, or use these tags to get private time with a person of your choice." Mask winked at no one in particular. "I know some of you are friends with Bam and Grace. And given that you haven't seen them for years, perhaps you might have something that needs to be said privately. There will be a buffet held after the game, and everyone can talk and socialize freely then. But let me tell you this; the chance of you having a private face to face conversation with them after today will be very low. So be sure to use this opportunity well."

Endorsi suddenly remembered the date that Bam owed her. Maybe this could be her chance? Having Bam for herself sounded fair enough to be considered a date. She wondered how much Bam had changed, and she was curious if she still held the same feelings towards him. Guess she would find out soon.

"Note that they're only valid until today. The white tags are worth three minutes each, while the black ones are worth ten minutes."

Endorsi wanted to throw hands. "The heck?! That's too short!" She quickly decided that the private date time wasn't worth it.

"Not interested." Anaak stated plainly, having the same thought. 

"Oh, that's not all." Mask called out his nearby lighthouse and the screen lit up. "I did say that these tags could also be exchanged for some points."

The amounts displayed on Mask's lighthouse made Endorsi's eyes bulge. Sure, it was still comparable to her monthly earnings, but one day of photoshoots wasn't even worth that much. This guy must be filthy rich in order to be able to give out much. "However, there will only be four black stickers in total."

She hadn't even started to do the math when Shibisu raised his hand. "Why four? There are six people on your team."

"Good question." Mask motioned to himself and the other three guys that she didn't bother to remember the names of. "Only us four will participate in the tag game. Grace and Bam don't have tickets because they have a different role."

Endorsi raised an eyebrow, not that she actually cared.

"Remember that those that don't have the tag during the game will be unable to move? Grace and Bam are in charge of it. They will also make sure that this game will not cause any major casualties to the players."

Endorsi suddenly remembered that Bam could use reverse flow control. Grace however…she didn't know much about him. She realized that Grace was surprisingly tight-lipped about his past, for someone who was bad at lying. Thinking back about it, he was absent during the crown game, and he hadn't shown anything noteworthy during the hide and seek game. Bam often bragged about how Grace helped him in class, though, so maybe he was that capable? It wasn't so hard to believe; Grace always looked so self-assured and dependable.

However, there was something different about how he treated her compared to the others, like how he quickly looked away when she caught his gaze, or how he was slightly nervous when talking to her. But she always reasoned that it was only natural that men would fall for her beauty and status, since she was a Jahad princess and all. When she took into account that Grace was already taken, it made even more sense on why he was so awkward and conflicted when interacting with her. She had to admit it was really fun to tease him back then, though she never called him out on it.

"Are there any other questions?" Mask asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Khun and Isu asked for some clarifications on the rules, but Endorsi tuned them out, too busy indulging in the thought of the prize points. One black and one white tag should be enough to buy the designer dress she saw the other day. And since Laure most likely wasn’t interested in anything other than sleep, could she ask him to give her his tag so she could use it with Grace? It would be really fun to take Grace away from Mask and make him jealous. Speaking of Mask…

"Five minutes–" Endorsi caught his words– "to discuss amongst yourselves before I start the game."

One of the floating blue lighthouses started a five-minute countdown, and Khun called everyone to gather. However, Endorsi decided to spare a glance to where Mask went.

She saw Mask greeted his team who had started doing warm up moves, while some were not so subtly glancing in her direction. Mask then started typing on his lighthouse, and she saw the training room slowly turned into a fighting stage with just a few commands of his hands. The barrier that covered the room pulsed as if being strengthened, moving platforms and obstacles were created out of thin air–

Khun cleared his throat, and Endorsi noticed she wasn't the only one that was watching the room transformation unfold. "Okay. Listen up everyone."

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[mcrcki]

"so, is this the part where i accept whatever punishment you see fit after i apologize, or perhaps we can bypass all that considering the yielding?" sorrel smiled as she approached manon, hoping that they didn't have to explain more, that they could just be happy that manon was safe, that even just a few of the thirteen were here and safe.

@tragcdysewn for manon blackbeak

[linaxart]

@theartguard april theme is memes and I just couldn't miss it

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

Arkraptor once again being the best father

[roughentumble]

i feel like everything happens so much

[wipbigbang]

WIP BIG BANG SIGN-UPS ARE LIVE!

The 2024 round of WIP Big Bang is now open for sign-ups! Any fandom is welcome, as long as the fic is 500 completed so far and will be at least 7,500 words upon its finishing. Signing up is easy: just fill out the form linked below after you read the FAQ and take a look at the schedule.