#tower of champion’s road

[veryhungrykaterpillar]

?

[precioushybrid]

"she looks like she'd be with v.tocr bro" @tavikinthereal said

AND THEN I ACTUALLY MAKE HER BE WITH V.TOCR LMAO

Anyways ToCA 😁

[bloodlineee1]

"you gonna let me fuck you with this championship on baby?"

Pairing: Jey Uso x Reader.

Warnings: smut Minors DNI 18+

"Baby, where you at?" Y/n boyfriend Joshua yelled downstairs.

He just landed home from California, and he just won his first singles title y/n was very proud and tonight she's gonna show him just how proud of him she was.

"I'm up here baby," she yelled back to him checking her boobs in the mirror and applying more lipgloss.

she decorated their bedroom with black and gold balloons to match his title and a gold sign that said "congratulations" hanging above their bed that had gifts and flower petals spread across it.

he walks into the room with a smile evident wearing his airport outfit and a sweatsuit, his suitcase in one hand and his championship in the other.

"Hey, Mr. Intercontinental Champion." she smiles walking up to him and kissing him.

"wassup baby, all this for me?" he put his arm around her waist resting his hand on her butt and looking into her eyes.

"mhmm I picked you up a few things you deserve it baby" She kisses him once more.

"thank you I appreciate you and I can't wait to see what you got me love, but I ain't talking about my gifts I'm talking about this outfit you wearing." he kisses y/n and smacks her ass.

y/n decided to finally bring out the black lingerie that Jey bought her pairing it with gold Cartier jewelry he gifted for her birthday jey always loves to spoil her and most likely bought her something while on the road even though he just won a championship.

"You welcome baby, you know I had to give you a show after you gave a show last night, Do you like it?" she drags her hand up his growing print staring into his eyes.

"mhmm, you gonna let me take it off you? he bites his lips staring into her soul.

"After a bath and dinner your bath is ready and I'm gonna get started on dinner now" She kissed him y/n was obsessed with his lips she'd never get tired of his kisses.

"you cooking?" he makes a confused face because y/n can't cook for shit.

"Don't worry about just take these clothes off and relax"

"Are you sure cause you know I'm fine with a little waffle house"

"take these clothes off and relax Joshua"

"alright, alright"

y/n set the table up while Jey was in the bath she ordered his favorite meal from their local steak house and a bottle of champagne to celebrate his recent success.

30 minutes later

"dinner was nice huh?" y/n massages his shoulders.

"mhm delicious baby" he leans his head back to get a kiss.

"I'm glad you liked it" she kisses him.

"thank you for making me feel special." he closes his eyes, enjoying his massage.

"of course baby, I'm so proud of you, the championship looks sexy on you" y/n drags her hand down his chest to his waist to touch his championship and back up to his shoulders.

"Since I look so good you gonna let me fuck you with this championship on baby?" he looks up biting his lip and staring at her.

"Can we do that?" they laugh.

"They won't know" he smiles.

"Okay come on" she giggles and runs up the stairs.

Jey runs behind her after grabbing his title and taking a gulp of his champagne.

Upstairs

“Mhmm kiss it baby” Jey says towering over with his title around his hips and his dick holding it up.

She kisses his pre-cum cover tip before kissing his title leaving a lip gloss stain.

“Good girl” he grabs her by the neck and leans down to kiss her.

“you've been a good girl all night let Me reward you baby get on the bed."

"Tonight was supposed to be about you, what do you want?"

"I want to make you feel good that's what I want" He starts to kiss down her face, trailing his kisses to her neck slipping his hand into her shorts, and she gasps, feeling him rub against her clit.

"I missed you, you miss me?." He kisses her shoulder, pushing two of his fingers inside of her.

"Oh fuck, so much.." She moaned, throwing her head back.

"This pussy missed me. You hear it?" He grunted, moving his fingers in her quicker.

The sounds of his finger moving her juices around could be heard along with y/n sweet moans.

"Fuck, don't do that." He groaned as she clenched around his fingers.

"Mm, baby fuck." She moaned, rolling her hips on his fingers, and he smirked.

He curved his fingers, reaching her spot and her eyes rolled back.

"Keep your eyes on me." He gripped her neck, forcing her to look at him.

"You so pretty." He bites his lips.

"Don't stop please, oh my godddddd." She cried out, and he drove his fingers into her harder, making her legs shake.

"Look at me," He told her, holding her face.

"Baby I'm cumming." She whimpered.

"No. No, don't cum. Look at me don't make me tell you again." Jey grabbed her neck.

y/n gasped, squirting before she could stop herself.

"Oh my god I'm sorry," She softly cried.

"it's okay baby you deserve it." he kisses y/n forehead.

"thank you Daddy" She puckers her lips for a kiss.

"mhmm get in position mama" he kisses her and smacks her ass.

She lay on her back in a missionary position.

He leaned down and kissed her with more urgency.

The kiss was sloppy as per usual.

Filled with hunger and desire.

He needed to fuck her, as she needed him to fuck her.

He spread my legs before dipping his large cock inside me. My nails dug into his shoulders as he began to stretch my walls.

"damn baby them sharp ass nails." He chuckled, as did she.

When he was fully inside, he held onto her thigh, which was pressed against his side. His other hand gathered y/n wrists and pinned them above her head.

He proceeded to slam into y/n ruthlessly.

A line of noises escaped her lips as he stretched y/n out.

her breathing began to grow heavy and inconsistent.

I grew extremely wet, he could hear how wet y/n was with each thrust.

He dipped his head in the crook of y/n neck, sucking and nibbling on the soft skin.

"You feel so fucking good, mama" He groaned against her skin as his hips moved at a rhythmic pace.

"So fucking tight and wet for me." He mumbled, moving from her neck to kiss her lips, biting and sucking on y/n bottom lip in the process.

I couldn't control the aggressive moans that fell from my tongue.

y/n eyes rolled back when he released her wrists and moved his hand to grip her throat, applying the right amount of pressure to have her walls crumbling.

y/n ears grew hot, and her face was flushed as she neared her orgasm.

"I'm going to cum." y/n cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Let it go, mama, let it go," he said, slowing down his strokes letting y/n ride out her high and riding his out too releasing inside y/n and falling on top of her.

they both breathe heavily staring into each other's eyes with him still inside of her.

"I'm so proud of you baby you deserve it all" Y/n kissed his shoulder.

"thank you, mama, go pee I'm gonna make our bath." he picks her up places her on the toilet, and gives her a kiss.

[themissingnumbers]

[ @pkmn-monochrome - interaction thing i can't send as an ask bc long and images]

The dark of the Pokemon tower is never something that has bothered Red. Never something that would, certainly not after seeing much worse and being much older.

At this point, really, it's a kind of eeriness he'd come to miss. It reminds him of simpler times- days when a young boy only had to fear things like ghost stories, and shadows that lurked in the dark.

He knows very well that this place is not the Pokemon Tower he knew, of course. He's not stupid. This place was only built in its image, the miserable ending of a game dyed in grey and built out of spite.

He runs a hand along the wall of the staircase he descends, feeling the cold stone, yet also the intangible data, dull static and code under the fingertips. Watches in quiet fascination as the textures distort and corrupt under deliberate contact, the broken foundations of Generation 1 reacting to him, (same as always,) but a touch more stable from the fusion of the bastard remakes keeping it grounded.

Any damage caused is meaningless, the existence of it debatable as a whole, as he passes through a loading zone. Half of him watches everything fade to black, the other half just continues down the steps that are as tangible as anything else here is to someone within the game. Everything is right- just as it should be.

Either way, it's not like it's his game to break. That would be plain rude, especially with the risk of killing someone!

Intrigue in this world, curious as it may be, isn't why he's here.

Nah. He's more interested in something else.

Or, someone, to be more precise.

Having finally found who he'd looking for, Red steps off the stairs and into another layer of this endless graveyard, whistling as he finally lays eyes on a certain monochromatic individual.

"Y'know..." he chides from across the room, "A graveyard's a pretty cliche place to spend eternity, don't you think?"

He snorts at his own remark. "Course, I guess it's not like you had a choice. The sadsack that made this game could've picked something a little more outside the box, is all I'm saying. Do you think they'd bury bodies in the Viridian Forest, maybe? Or swimming offa Route 20, try a little watery grave... Oh, Champion's Road could be pretty morbid!"

He sighs and folds his arms, shaking his head at himself.

"... Nah, I'm joking. I can see the vision. I could give less of a shit about this place, anyways..."

His eyes gleam, and a menacing smile spreads across his face.

"I'm more interested in you. A glorified reskin of Pokemon Tower ain't shit compared to you. A little bug told me about some sentient Red-Leaf kinda amalgamation with the memories of a real person, and I just had to look into it and come to see for myself. Lo and behold..."

He spreads his arms out in some kind of almost-mocking grand gesture.

"Here you are! Cody, right? In the flesh, or... I suppose your problem is the lack thereof, heh."

He begins to approach, moving slowly and never once looking away. He stalks forward, every step careful and deliberate, teeth bared in a grin that holds no happiness but oozes with amusement.

"I've got so many questions, I don't even know where to begin. You're really something special... One of a kind, fully aware of everything. Knowing what life both here, and out there, is really like. I've seen players that would kill to even get a chance to stand where we do, but... You want out more than anything."

Scratching his chin, the man walks around them at a slight distance. Red gets the thought that Cody wouldn't want something like him anywhere near them. At least he can respect that.

"Suppose the courteous thing would be to ask a question- that's the tradition around these parts, right? Constantly interrogating you so you don't have to sit here, alone with your..."

His eyes flicker to the two GHOSTs at Cody's side.

"... Thoughts. And the like."

He hops onto a grave nearby, sitting with his ankles crossed. Respect towards the dead be damned, every tomb in places like this were about as sacred as Halloween decorations.

"Here's what I'd like to know, Cody."

His smile widens further- for a brief moment, the glitches on his body seem to spread to the air around him, cutting through the gray with burning streaks of red, white, and yellow.

"You have your hacker's memories. Some of them. ANY of them. It's enough. You'd know what it was like to be them. You know what it was like to be human. You know both worlds."

"What is it like? To be real? To be something more than code. How different is it from this?"

"What was it like to be HUMAN?"

He jabs a finger forward, pointing at them as the static that flared up around him quickly subsides, clearing the air back into the typical oppressive atmosphere of the endless graveyard.

"I want to hear it from you," he finishes cooly, "someone who has been on both sides of the screen. You could tell me better than anyone."

[rwrbficrecs]

The last of our monthly recs for 2023 ❤️ Every Day’s a Holiday (When I’m Near to You) by bleedingballroomfloor (book-verse)

@dot524: I loved every bit of this road trip fic. Henry has a crush on Alex and impulsively decides to join him on a road trip to Texas, which turns out to be longer than expected. The delicious yearning, only-one-bed situations, and funny road-trip pit stops made this a great story. I didn’t want to stop reading.

@heybuddy-drabbles: this ticked all my boxes honestly. The pinning, the yearning. The friendship they build while falling in love. And then the love, wild and unstoppable and so free. It was just perfect.

I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard? by dollarstoreannabethchase (book-verse)

@dot524: A deliciously angsty Henry POV of key events in the book - lake house & storming of Kensington Palace. Broke my heart and put it back together again. The description of his depression and pain made me want to give Henry a hug.

Last Christmas by @celaestis1 (book-verse)

@suseagull04: Enemies to lovers meets Christmas feels and found family. The establishment of every relationship, both romantic and platonic, in this fic is fantastic too!

Never Did Run Smooth by @clottedcreamfudge (book-verse)

@dot524: What a delightful ride! I loved the unique reality-show setup and the roommates/best friends to lovers pining from Henry’s POV. It had a few fun plot turns that kept me guessing and many scenes that made me grin like an idiot (e.g. a cake-baking contest and partner yoga with someone else). This isn’t exactly an undiscovered gem based on the number of comments and kudos — but I hadn’t read it, so I wanted to spread the word for those new to the fandom!

No Consequences by @anchoredarchangel (book-verse)

@thesleepyskipper: In this AU where Henry is still the Prince but Alex is a civil rights lawyer who works with Pez, the author has given us an incredible meet cute!! Alex pulls an Alex and shoots his shot for a selfie that turns out pretty well for him in the end. 😏 The author’s writing of Alex here is absolutely spot on AND hilarious. I still can’t believe this is their first published fic!!!

@zwiazdziarka: this fic has everything one could ask for: it's funny, it's cute, it's awkward, it's hot and addictive. I can't stop thinking about this version of Alex and Henry and their characterisation is absolutely perfect!

Made For Love by @candyspandemonium (book-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: AU where Henry and June are ice dancing champions and Alex has a lot of feelings about some guy stealing his sister. There are just so many good things in this fic - emotions, Alex being totally unhinged and not realising what it means, Henry as perfect fantasy, dealing with media and public opinion - and all that in nice scenery of ice rinks. Can't recommend it enough!

(Secret) Santa Baby by @indomitable-love (book-verse)

@dot524: Such a sweet AU about office romance between Alex and Henry and how a Secret Santa gift & being paired together on a project leads to something more. Heartwarming and made me smile… this writer’s characterization of Alex & Henry is always spot-on for me, no matter the universe.

The Royal Magician and the Ravens of the Tower of London by @bluflamingo (book-verse)

@suseagull04: The world-building in this fic is phenomenal! It's the perfect blend of magical realms and the real world, mystery and magic AU, and I love it!

could it be mad love? by @duchessdepolignaca03 (book/movie-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: actors AU, but also Henry is Alex's biggest fan and his awkward celebrity crush adds all new flavour to their relationship once they meet. The range of emotions fit in this story is truely amazing. There's so much tension and every moment feels like the one where it all can turn into a dissaster or something absolutely wonderful.

where every wish comes true by @hypnostheory (book-verse)

@heybuddy-drabbles: Neighbors!au + fuck buddies. Alex locks himself out of his apartment in a filthy costume and his neighbor and fuck buddie Henry takes him in. It's very funny and sexy!!

[st0rmyskies]

I spent the day sweating my ass off at a smaller hometown theme park, so here's a list of how the boys enjoy their day trip to a fun park.

Twilight - He’ll go on any ride with anyone no matter how fast or scary, nor how slow or mundane. Although the teacups and other rides that spin you a lot tend to make him dizzy, and he's not a big fan of the haunted house. But our big soft-hearted country boy is partial to the antique carousel and needs to go on it just once. Come on, guys, anybody…? (Spoiler: They all go on it with him.)

Wild - It’s a wonder he’s going to survive any of the rides because this boy is all about the food. Funnel cake? Candy floss?? Potato pancakes??? Fudge????? Dippin’ Dots!!????!?!? He has his hands full of treats while they’re waiting in every line, and on any ride he can sneak them on to successfully, too. His favorite ride is the music-coaster-thing, and he’ll sing along at the top of his voice to every damn song.

Champion - Not too thrilled by rides, but he will go on them to be a sport. Except those rides with a sheer drop, tower-of-terror style. NO fucking thanks. Where he really slays, though, are the shooting games, with special bonus points if one of the other boys challenges him to a round. You bet your ass Champion is casually lugging around a stuffed Wolfie half the size of his body for most of the day.

Legend - He’ll get on some of the coasters and the crazier rides, but not all of them. He’s not a big fan of screaming his head off all day long, gives him a headache. He gets uppity with the fortune telling machine giving him the same negative reading over and over again no matter how many quarters he jams in the damn thing. And his fortune ends up coming true, too: he gets banned from the bumper cars after a vulgar road-rage incident.

Hyrule - Goes on one, maybe two coasters, and promptly pukes. He’s then the designated Bag Handler for the rest of the day. Which actually works out well, all up until the mid-afternoon when he wanders off to find himself some coffee and promptly gets lost, necessitating a rather embarrassing announcement over the PA system.

Warriors - He stressed out about his outfit for two weeks beforehand and STILL managed to choose the wrong thing to wear. Yes, those linen pants with the front crease are supposed to be breezy, Wars, but they’re meant for something like a wedding, not a fucking amusement park. He gets cranky when he’s too fucking hot and his hair is damp against the back of his neck. Eventually, one of the other boys — probably Legend or Sky — has to shoo him away from the group for a bit. When they turn up 20 minutes later Wars has an icy drink, a pair of novelty swim trunks from the souvenir shop, a headband for his hair, and a brand new “fuck it, we ball” attitude.

Sky - Loves all the roller coasters, LOVES THEM, and gets sad if he doesn’t get to sit in the front seat on every single one. He wants to go on the biggest, tallest, fastest, most OSHA-violating coaster no less than three times, and he’ll hop off of it just to turn around and get right back in line. Least likely to remember to hydrate and reapply sunscreen. You know he’s passed the fuck out that entire drive home. 

Four - He quite enjoys observing the inner workings of the mechanics that go along with the rides, then makes ominous comments about the engineering to his seat-mate as they’re being hauled up the incline for that first drop of a coaster. He also spends an inordinate amount of time in the air conditioned arcade winning as many tickets as he can to obtain some silly prize like an obscure toy from the 80’s or something similar. May not be tall enough to ride every ride.

Wind - Water rides are his JAM. His hair and clothes and shoes are soaked through well before halfway through their day, and he gets the cutest waves in his hair because of it. Although he also smells like chlorine all day, then. Also has way too much ice cream and cold treats during the day, so he’s nursing a hell of a stomach ache on the drive home.

Time - Bet you thought he wouldn’t be in attendance or would wait in the car or some shit, didn’t you? Time allows the boys to cajole him onto every coaster, every water ride, the carousel, into the haunted house, you name it. He’ll sit in the first row of the rides that take your photo, too, and he just. Deadpans it. Zero facial reaction, no screaming on coasters, ALL day. Flawless commitment to the bit. He does secretly enjoy all of this; Time didn’t get to do this sort of stuff when he was their age, so better late than never.

[biblomaniac]

Part two of the fic ‘My Lovers’s Got Humor’

Kara flies into the Tower through the balcony entrance after helping at the scene of a massive pileup. A box truck overturned in the middle a two-way road leading into National City. It was just after five o’clock in the evening, meaning many cars were headed to the outskirts of the city to return to suburban homes.

Due to the position of the truck, vehicles traveling on both sides of the road were unable to brake safely, meaning they impacted the truck and the vehicle in front of them one after another. By the time Kara made it to the scene, five cars entering the city and 9 leaving the city had been involved in the accident. The wreckage was a disaster, people hurt in nearly every vehicle, with the most mangled cars being the ones in direct contact with the truck.

It took several hours to safely extract each person, turn off engines and checking fuel lines on each vehicle, lest a fire break out. Luckily, everyone involved made it to the hospital safely. Supergirl stayed after to help clear debris off the road so that backed up traffic could continue on about their evening.

By the time she was done, soot and ash covered almost the entirety of her suit while streaks of black marred the tanned skin of her face. Kara intended to go straight to the showers of the Tower before heading home. That is, until she heard the melodic beat of Lenas heart. Kara follows the sound to the lab where the scientist was tinkering with a proton gun she had confiscated from a rogue alien last week.

“Hey, Lena,” she greets, stepping into the room.

Lena looks up, she’s brightening at the sight of her best friend. She lays her tools down, removing the safety goggles on her face before crossing the floor to meet the blonde.

“Hi, darling. My, my, my, busy day I see.”

“Hey, I just got done with the accident on I-12. What have you been doing?”

“Trying to reverse the polarization on this gun. I want to see how effective its blast radius is.”

Kara loves to hear Lena talk about science. Though she played dumb for much of her time on this planet, Kara was actually very knowledgeable on Earths STEM fields. The information was primative in comparison to Krypton.

“I love hearing you talk about science.”

“Oh, really? I wouldn’t want to bore you.”

“You could never. I find intelligence an attractive quality in a woman.”

A dark brow raises, “Interesting. What else do you find…attractive, in a woman.”

Kara chuckles awkwardly and begins to list qualities she finds attractive in Lena, specifically. “Uh. Beauty, humility, a sense of humor, kindness. Y’know, the usual.”

“I see. You know what I find attractive?” Lena asks conspiratorially.

Kara ears perk. She’ll take just about any crumbs Lena will drop.

“Someone who’s smart, strong, brave, loyal, sweet…”

Okay. Okay. I can fit those, right? I’m super strong, I fight crime for a living, I’m vastly more intelligent than I seem, and I’ve been compared to a golden retriever on more than one occasion. Maybe I do stand a chance!

“And has lots and lots…of muscles.” Lena finishes, hand trailing along the dirty sleeve of Kara’s suit and squeezing. Her voice is a low whisper that caresses Kara’s ears.

Golly.

Kara tenses, unintentionally flexing the muscles of her bicep. “Uhhhh. Um. Yeah. Cool cool. Well, I should shower! I’d hate to get you dirty, I mean— nevermind, see you!”

As she speeds toward the bathrooms, she hears Lena chuckling at her departure.

**********************

“No no no no n—dammit, Kara!” Alex exclaims.

Kara has just won their final round of Jenga, making her the champion of this game night.

“Suck it, Alex!”

“Language!” Kelly interjects.

“Sorry,” they both mutter sheepishly.

Esme isn’t usually present for game night, but her sitter cancelled and the group decided to pull out some of the more kid-friendly games to play with the young alien.

“How about we watch a movie? Since it seems you two can’t play nice,” Lena suggests from the kitchen.

“Good idea. Esme! Why don’t you pick a movie for us to watch?” Kara offers.

“Okay!” Esme skips to the console, opening it up to reveal the plethora of movies Kara has collected. There are a number of plays, musicals and other mediums available, but Esme only has eyes for the children’s films.

“Can we watch The Princess and the Frog?” Esme asks, pulling out the box to show the title.

“That’s one of my favorites! Have you seen it before?” Nia asks, grabbing the box to load the DVD into the player.

The little girl shakes her head, “No, but we read the book for story-time this week in school. I liked it.”

“You’ll love the movie, then. Kara made me watch it when we became friends and I loved it,” Lena says, walking back to the living room. She surveys the room with a sharp eye, determining where she will sit.

Evidently, Kara looks like the comfiest option. The brunette walks over, placing her drink on the end table before sitting sideways in Kara’s lap, her back to the arm rest.

Dear Rao, what do I do? Should I hold her? Maybe, she’s in my lap. Where do I put my hands? Her lap? Maybe not, what if—

“Aunt Kara, why is your heart beating so fast?”

Kara immediately flushes, rushing to quiet Esme before she embarrasses her any further. She would not say this is her proudest moment, but a six year old calling her out on her feelings was not in the agenda for today.

“Esme! What did we say about using other peoples powers without permission?”

The littlest brunette ducks her head at the admonishment, “Sorry.”

“Come here, love,” Lena beckons, spreading her arms to invite Esme for a hug.

She walks over head bowed low before burrowing unruly curls into Lena’s chest.

Kara feels bad immediately. “Oh, little one. I’m sorry.”

She places a hand on Esme’s back, running it up and down in a soothing motion.

“It’s okay,” comes the muffled reply.

“It’s not, I’m sorry. Come, give Aunt Kara a hug.”

Esme plants one knee into the couch, climbing on with Lena’s help to rest in her lap, head on Kara’s shoulder.

Kara kisses the girls forehead, squeezing her just tight enough for her little Dryllian body.

“You okay, love?” Lena asks her.

“Yeah, all better.” She presses a kiss to Kara’s cheek, then Lena’s, before speeding back to her parents to watch the opening scene of the movie.

In the time it takes for the movie to truly begin, someone has turned down the lights. The open curtains wash the room in soft moonlight. Snacks are shared, blankets passed out, and phones off for the optimal home theatre experience.

Yet, Kara still feels bad. It’s not Esme’s fault she gets nervous around Lena now. Sensing her distress, Lena turns to rest more fully against Kara. She lays her head in Kara’s strong neck.

“Don’t feel bad, darling. It was an accident, and you did the right thing apologizing.”

Lena’s warm breath on her skin makes Kara shiver. She doesn’t respond verbally, only squeezing Lena once in acknowledgment.

By the time Tiana is preparing beignet’s, Lena has burrowed herself under a blanket, arms tucked up against Kara’s chest. Her warm breath hits Kara’s neck at every exhale.

Kara still hasn’t figured out what to do with her hands. One is tucked into the couch cushions and the other hangs over the arm rest. The position has to look awkward to everyone glancing at them.

The editor feels a warm hand touch her cheek to angle her face down. Lena looks into her eyes before moving up slightly to whisper into her ear.

“Relax, darling. You can hold me.” The lilting whisper is meant to soothe, instead it winds Kara up even more.

Tentatively, Kara moves one hand just above Lena’s knee while the other wraps around her back, cradling her close. The soft clothes the scientist is wearing are actually Kara’s, but boy do they look and feel infinitely better on Lena.

“Good?”

“Good. You can touch Kara, I won’t bite. Unless you ask, of course.” Lena nips at Kara neck playfully.

Rao, give me strength.

**********

Tonight is themed night at Al’s. This month, the theme is country. Kara sports a white tee tucked into beat dark blue jeans, brown cowboy boots, and a black cowboy hat.

Kara is at the bar waiting on the next round of orders when she feels Lena standing at her right, back to the bar and gazing out onto the dance floor. She looks out the corner of her eye, trailing her eyes up and down her friends figure.

The pants Lena is wearing are sinfully tight and flaring at the legs, hugging her curves perfectly. Her borrowed plaid shirt from Kara is tied in the front just below her sternum to hug her chest and show her belly. Her hair flows loosely, curling in its natural ringlets. The black one inch boots are comfortable, much more modest than her typical footwear.

Unfortunately for her, Lena notices.

“My eyes are up here.”

Cobalt eyes shoot to kryptonite green. A sheepish smile adorns her face.

“See anything you like in particular?” Lena asks cheekily, leaning back further on her elbows. This position happens to present her chest better than the first. It takes all of her Kryptonian strength to keep her eyes on Lena’s.

“Just admiring the view,” she smirks, tipping her hat down.

A boisterous laugh escapes Lena’s parted lips.

“I could say the same, darling.”

The ladies are interrupted by the arrival of their drinks, “Order for Kara?”

“Here! Thanks.” Kara grabs the tray and returns to the table. Lena follows behind, commenting on people’s outfits as they pass by.

Kara places the tray on the table, handing out drinks and food before returning to her previous seat in the booth. Lena remains standing, occupying the space behind Kara as she sips her drink, talking to Brainy about one project or another.

Nia perks up at the song change.

“Ohhh, I love this song! Lena, come dance with me!” She exclaims, pulling Lena to the dance floor by her hands.

Kara watches them go with a small smile. For so long, Lena had refused to believe that their friends were truly hers outside of a relationship with Kara. Seeing Lena dance with Nia, happy and carefree, warms her heart.

“Kara, go dance with her.”

“Huh?” Kara turns to the voice, eyes traveling to connect with Kelly’s across the table.

“Ask her to dance! Remember what we talked about? This is a chance for you to make your move.” Kelly reiterates.

“How should I ask her?”

“With your words, Kara. She’s not a stranger; go up to her and ask to dance. It’s that simple.”

Kara bites her lip, glancing back to the floor to see her friends dancing together.

“I can do this, right?”

“You can! Go go,” Kelly shoos.

“I got this. I got this.” Kara tells herself, weaving through the crowd to reach her friends.

Reaching them, she makes eye contact with Nia before looking to Lena, “Can I cut in?”

“Of course, darling. You don’t mind, do you, Nia?”

“Oh no, you go right ahead.” Nia smirks conspiritually. She gives Kara two thumbs up behind Lena’s back before disappearing to the table.

“So, uh. Would you do me the pleasure of sharing a dance?”

“How formal. Should I curtsey to accept your invitation?” She jokes.

Kara shrugs playfully. “A ‘yes’ will suffice.”

“Then yes, I would love to dance with you.”

Lena starts to sway, but Kara stands mostly still. Her “dancing” is often more of an awkward flail, and this certainly isn’t the time for that.

“I thought you wanted to dance; why are you so far away?”

“You want me closer?”

“Yes, Kara. Here; put your hands on my hips,” Lena grabs Kara’s hands, placing them low on her hips then wrapping her arms around Kara’s shoulders.

“See? Now move, you look like a deer in headlights.”

Kara’s wants to say: I feel like I’m staring into the sun.

What she really says is: “Okay.”

Kara follows Lena’s movement, going side to side, back and forth, moving to the rhythm of the beat. The lights flashing onto the brunettes skin make her look ethereal; like a being from out of this world (which really, Kara should be used to by now, seeing as she herself is a literal alien).

At the next song, the brunette turns in the taller woman’s arms, left hand dropping to hold Kara’s against her hip. She pressed her backside into Kara’s pelvis, hips never ceasing their movement even when the cadence of the beat changes abruptly. The music itself isn’t the quick beat of a line dance or the slow melody of a love ballad. Instead, it has a deep thrumming bass that Kara feels vibrating in her chest.

Pale skin feels incredibly hot beneath her clothes. Kara spreads her hands to palm at Lena’s hips and waist, but not trailing any farther above or below.

I may be using some…morally gray tactics, but I’m still a gentlewoman.

The hand grasping Kara’s neck pulls, tugging the blond to lean down to rest her lips near a pierced ear.

“Are you enjoying the dance?” Kara asks, testing the waters by pressing a quick kiss to the shell of her ear.

She feels a minute shiver emanate from her partner. “Very much so.”

Lena plays in loose hair at her nape, keeping her close and pliable. Kara is more than happy to wrap her body around Lena’s, molded to her back, hands roaming. When a pale hand reaches down to shift her open palm, Kara thought she’d gone too far somehow. That is, until Lena drags her hand up her side and across to rest on the naked skin of her stomach.

“You have to keep moving, Kara.”

“Sorry, you’re just so pretty. It distracts me,” Kara admits truthfully.

The brunette inhales sharply, movements pausing for a split second. Her heart thuds a little offbeat.

“Yeah?” She says questioningly, as if she doesn’t know she’s drop dead gorgeous.

“Absolutely,” states Kara. The tan hand on her stomach presses lightly, as if being closer is even possible. Lena doesn’t say anything, but Kara hopes she’s just as flustered as she was.

They move in silence for a while after that, relishing the closeness they’ve acquired.

Kara vaguely hears the DJ speaking into a mic, prompting people to take to the dance floor. “Okay, everybody! This hoedown is sure to get out your seats!”

An upbeat tempo comes on, making their current position a bit out of place. Kara watches people flood to the floor, forming lines and preparing to dance.

“Well that’s my cue, thanks for the dance, darling!” Lena turns in her arms, pressing a kiss to the corner of pink lips before walking past Kara.

On her way by, Lena grabs the hat on Karas head, placing it on her own as she retreats from the floor.

Kara stands there, fingers pressed to her face, watching tempting hips sway all the way back to the table.

[cerastes]

As someone who hasn't touched it yet- how does IS4 stack up? How's first impressions been?

Ok, let me give my thoughts on IS4, now that it's been a week!

TL;DR -> This Rocks, I love it.

IS4 is far, far more polished than IS3. I feel a bit bad blasting and slamming IS3 so much, but the bottom line with it is that it's just very very flawed in ways that really make it hard to revisit it in the same way IS2 is always a fun romp.

If I had to point out flaws with IS4, it'd be that, on a personal level, I wish it had a few more Normal Arknights Maps. The vast majority of maps in IS4 are pranks and checks of some sort. This isn't necessarily a negative, but I do like playing some Tower Defense more frequently than what IS4 allows, since it's always got me worried about "oh god my team lacks X, Floor Y's Map Z checks X, if I get it, I'll D I E " so I try to go for my super tried and true team instead of daring to experiment all that much. This will eventually pass, but it's been a Thing for me.

Besides that, though? I just have a lot of good things to say about it. The systems feel like they were thought out this time: The Fordartals (sp?) system allows for a lot of player expression, agency, and just in general fun in a way the Light system of IS3 can simply never hope to compare to. About the only thing the Light system did right was the way it worked thematically: If you wish to confront The Corrupting Heart, you really, really gotta go in the dark, and for the best possible chance against, Izumik, Mizuki must find the Light again and be filled with hope. Yeah ok sure, thematically, these work, but the gameplay component sucks ass, because Light exists almost exclusively as a form of punishment and in basically no way as something you can use. It opens some roads, sure, but that Rogue Trader and Wish Fulfilled node are not worth having 9 out of you 11 Operators with Metastatic. Speaking of Metastatic, the single worst thing Arknights has done, even if you are maxed out on Collapse in IS4 and are packing four fully upgraded maluses, THAT STILL DOESN'T COMPARE to how bad Metastatic was. Let that sink in.

The endings are no longer RNG! Absolutely wonderful!

Eik is the first IS 2nd Boss I can say I think is good! Frozen Monstrosity was just annoying, Big Sad Lock is incredibly static, and The Last Knight, in my opinion, is the single worst and most boring boss in the entire game, not even just the game mode. Eik is like if The Last Knight didn't suck: Same principle, but done in a way that is actually not snooze-inducing. Mind you, the principle of the fight is still not something I enjoy, but unlike The Last Knight, that's wholly a me thing, as opposed to being an objectively awful and boring fight (like The Last Knight, the worst and most boring boss in Arknights).

Even though I said I'd like some more normal maps, the maps are good, to be honest! I can't think of any Fire and Water Unions or Out of Controls.

IS4 is the Smash of Arknights: (Almost) Everyone Is Here! Brush up on your gimmicks from various events, because they WILL appear.

The Midboss philosophy in IS4 is lovely, in my opinion: It's low HP bosses who can quickly fuck you up in their own way, be it stun, immense conditional damage, or simply supporting their team so well that you get overwhelmed. The Variant stages for the bosses are entire new maps, so that's also cool.

Collapsal enemies are congruent with the map design: Collapsals can be very quick, with a caveat: Normal Collapsal mobs speed up after they get hit, Casters speed up after not attacking for a bit, Aerials are fast but always have many loops and never directly go to the point until after a while. Shattered Champions are the exception, and they can either loop a while or just go straight for the jugular, making them apt Elite units for the faction.

There's much more I could say more concisely, but really, just try the game mode, get your ass kicked a bit, learn it, and then you'll see how coherent the design of IS4 is in terms of systems, maps, enemies, and features. Sorry, IS3, but you got your ass absolutely kicked like I did on my Waves 15 runs when you'd give my 2 main DPS units Metastatic on Floor 5.

[macsmoods]

Hey love, can I request a hobie brown x fem! mma fighter reader who’s also a spider person or symbiotic (meaning they have a venom or something like him). Maybe Miguel sent hobie to go retrieve a new recruit and he finds her at a fighting expo absolutely kicking to crap out of her opponent.

feel free to ignore tho

THE PUNISHER

Hobie Brown

Summary: Miguel is tired of Hobie complaining about have no competition at HQ, so he sends him to find the new recruit. Miguel knows you’ll be his match. You are low on cash even though your the spider women of Earth-233. You decide to take it up in the ring to make some extra money.

warning⚠️ swearing, hitting

not edited ———————————————————————

Hobie entered Miguel’s office ready to get yelled at again. It was the third time this week he’d been called in for his “bad” behavior as Miguel put it.

“You know if you want to talk to me this bad all the time might as well just ask for my number.” Hobie yelled up to Miguel. Miguel scoffed as he lowered his desk. He turned already glaring at Hobie.

“Ah yes i just love the bullshit that comes out of your mouth so much that i have to hear it every hour.” miguel retorted as he walked towards Hobie.

Hobie rolled his eyes before beginning again. “What did u do this time, boss.” Miguel turned towards his desk going to sit again. He motioned for Hobie to join him.

Reluctantly Hobie stepped forward looking at the screen. “That’s your next mission. She’s our new recruit. Y/n. The spider women of Earth-233.”

“Isn’t that your job?” Hobie asked.

“Usually but you’ve been asking for some competition. She’s it.” Hobie scoffed walking off the platform.

“Yeah will see.” Hobie said disappearing through the door.

Back on Earth-233…

You grunted throwing another punch at your opponent hitting him square in the jaw. Quickly you threw another earning yourself the victory as he fell to the floor.

You smiled as the announcer pulled your arm into the air. You smiled into the crowd wiping the blood from your lips.

Walking out of the ring you went back into the locker room. Grabbing your belongings you checked the time to see it was two in the morning. You would be able to get at least 6 hours of sleep.

Instead of walking you decided to swing yourself to you apartment using the back roads. Making it there you quickly put on pajamas and fell asleep.

Waking up you did the normal spider women things such as stopping someone from robbing a store and so on. It was finally time for another fight. You had been preparing for this for months. You were going against the reigning champion and odds were definitely against you.

Meanwhile Hobie has just arrived at the ring ready to enjoy a fight.

“Today we have a good match up folks. The reigning champion, the crusher! His opponent today is the undefeated castigadora!” he yelled. “Please shake hands and wait for the fight to begin.

Hobie watched as y/n and the so called crusher shook hands and got into position. He watched as the 6ft giant towered over your 5’5 body.

“DING!” The fight was on.

Crusher threw a punch but it was to slow. You swiftly moved out of the way punching him twice in the abdomen.

He didn’t fault quickly countering with a punch to your jaw. Now you were mad.

“you fucking bitch.” you scoffed under your breath. Before he could even react you took two swift punches to his jaw and one to his stomach making him double over.

You kept punching until the finally bell rang. Steadying yourself you felt your hand pushed into the air.

“The castigadora stays undefeated!” the announcer shouted. You smiled looking through crowd before your eyes laid on him.

Making your way out of the ring you headed to the locker room.

“Did miguel send you?” you questioned as he entered the room. You struggled trying to clean up your lip.

Hobie walked over grabbing the cloth from your hand dampening it before dabbing your lips. “Your quite a fighter darling. I expected you to get the shit beat out of you.”

You scoffed at that. “I’m more skilled then i seem. Who even are you?” You questioned.

“Hobie Brown. Miguel sent me to recruit you which i’m guessing you know about already.” You simply nodded.

“I think that’s it.” Hobie stated dabbing the last bit of blood.

“Thank you.” you said with a small blush.

“Ok now let’s begin are journey to HQ.” he said.

“I’m sorry but there must be a misunderstanding. I’m not going to HQ with you.” you answered.

“Why’s that darling?” Hobie said tilting his head. You blushed as you made eye contact. He was undeniably handsome.

“I want Miguel to take me. Just to make sure that this safe.” you said.

“Oh so you don’t trust me?” he questioned with a slight chuckle. Every step he took towards you to you took one back. Soon enough your back hit the sink.

He leaned close to your ear before beginning again, “Please love, come with me.” He wrapped his arm around your waist.

You protested as he flipped open his watch. You tried to break from his grip but it was relentless. You watched as he smiled at you before stepping into the portal. ———————————————————————translations castigadora-punisher ——————————————————————— Authors note

This is so trashy😭 I’m sorry this was my first request attempt so hopefully it gets better in the future. Woke up this morning and my one shots had blown up. Im so surprised cause i thought the writing was so crapppy. Anyways tysm for the love. Enjoy this Hobie fic. I think i’m gonna try an obx one shot next…

REQUESTS: OPEN

Sincerely,

macsmoods🌊🫧

[nuri148]

Distances in AoT

Or: Yams has no idea of geography and the relationship between distance and travel times in AOT makes no sense.

PART TWO: GEOMETRY AND PONIES

In the first part, we’ve seen how freaking huge the distances between the main districts of the Walls are. Here is a summary:

Center-Sina: 250 km

Sina-Rose: 130 km (Center-Rose: 380 km)

Rose-Maria: 100 km (Sina-Maria: 230 km; Center-Maria: 480 km)

To go from a District to the next on the same wall:

Along wall Sina: 393 km (352 if cutting in a straight line between the two)

Along wall Rose: 597 km (537 in a straight line)

Along wall Maria: 754 km (~720 in a light curve, as straight line not possible)

Here’s a summary of the shortest distances (combining radius and chords) between districts:

(I’ve only put the most frequently mentioned in canon)

Throughout canon, we see the characters moving between a handful of Districts. To the iniciated it may look like said travels are a tad too fast considering the means of transport that they use. It’s okay. The insta-travel effect has been seen in every other epic fictional world, be it the Middle Earth, Westeros or Narnia. And we’re willing to suspend our disbelief. But AoT has a crucial difference in that sense.

We’ve been told the exact distance between the walls. In kilometres, not some fictional or obscure, ancient measure unit. Suspending disbelief does not come easy when the numbers are exact.

It’s like when you’re watching a movie, and the hero has only 10 minutes to get to the bomb before it detonates, so he races through the streets of, say, Paris, and they go from the Louvre, to the Arc de Triomph, wreck havoc on a market along the Seine, rush through Montmartre, around the Eiffel Tower and skid to a halt when the car crashes in front of the Opera. And most people will be ok with that, but the few millions who live in or know Paris are like... Nope. That’s not possible. Not even with 007’s Aston Martin or the Batmobile. That makes absolutely no sense. It’s ten times worse if the hero is running.

Well, guess what, the Survey Corps do not travel in the Batmobile.

The Survey Corps travel by horse. On longer expeditions, they also have horse-drawn carts.

Now, if you fill up the tank of your BMW and pad your butt, you can drive the 480 km (road distance) from Berlin to Ansbach in about 4:40 hours without traffic. That’s not stopping for anything other than traffic lights, and using some of the best highways in the world. That’s an average of 102 km/h. With normal traffic, you could do that in 5:30 hours, averaging 87 km/h. That’s how long a badass modern car would take to go from Mitras to Shiganshina.

But, and this may come as a shock, a horse is not a car.

First and foremost, a horse cannot ride as fast as a car. As per the Publicly Available Information from canon, “The stable horses used by the Survey Corps are selectively bred (...) and travel for many hours without complaining. (...) Their top speed is between 75–80 km/h, and they can maintain a swift 35 km/h gallop. The horses are tenacious, able to maintain a fine speed of 20 km/h even when pulling a carriage.”

For one good thing in all this mess, numbers are in accordance with real horses. And I have no problem accepting that the SC horses are the cream of the crop when it comes to speed and resistance, like our fastest horses and most resistant horses combined. But horses, I repeat, are not cars.

Cars are machines. Horses are living, sentient beings. They cannot fill their stomach like a car a gas tank and run at top speed until it empties, rinse and repeat. They need food and water. They need shoes. They need bathroom stops (they can shit while walking, but they need to stop for pee). But mostly, they need rest. Horses can and do die of exhaustion. (And given that SC horses are super expensive, you don’t want to work them to death.)

A horse can maintain its maximum speed for only 3 km—4 for a race champion. That’s the maximum length of horse track races, actually. After such a sprint, they need to rest for a while. So even when dodging titans, you won’t do so at top speed – you just need to be faster than the enemy. Obviously, the slower the gallop, the longer the time it can be maintained, so sprinting at less-than-top-speed will allow to dodge more titans.

When you’re just travelling from point A to point B, then, you won’t waste the precious energy of the horse in a sprint. Those journeys would be made at a lower speed, for the faster you make the horse go, the more, longer stops it will need to rest, catch its breath, eat and drink. Likewise, if the horse is carrying weight, it will go slower and need more rest. Long distance horses can only cover 50–60 km per day—And before someone says endurance competition horses can run over 100–160 km in a day... that is not the same as 100 km per day, in the same way marathon runners don’t do 42 km per day; they do them in a day. The day of the race. After training specifically for that race. Then they rest for a few days. Horses are the same. Moreover, long distance endurance races have mandatory vet checks along the way to see that the horse is able to keep going. And if you have an expensive horse and no vet every 20 km to check it, you will take care not to push it, lest it collapses midway and the titans eat you.

So, considering SC horses are specially bred for endurance, we can safely equate them to long-distance working horses of our world; I’ll assume they’re the GOAT and can cover 60 km per day.

But wait! I hear some of you say. If they can go at 35 km/h, they can cover much more than 60 km a day! Er... no. Because they need to rest. They cannot trot at 35 km/h for 8 hours straight. They can’t even walk for that long without stopping to rest. Same as like Marathon runners never reach the same speeds as sprinters and middle-distance runners. 

Please note that this numbers refer to a single horse. You can cover longer distances, or cover a given distance faster, if you change your horse for a freshly rested one at given points. This is not an instant process: the new horse will have to be tacked and you’ll have to transfer the cargo, if any, from horse A to horse B (in AoT world, they cannot text the next station to have the horse tacked when they arrive). A convoy of several horses will be slightly slower and, I repeat, if there are carts, the whole convoy will be conditioned to the slowest cart (the horse/s will be slowed by the cart in the same way a car is slowed if you attach a trailer to it). In every rest station, the horse needs to be untacked and then re-tacked before continuing, same as hikers will put down their backpacks when taking a break.

For reference, The Pony Express, the fastest horse dispatch system ever, could cover 300 km per 24-hour day (they rode day and night). They managed to cover that much that by having a huge infrastracture that allowed the rider to change horses every 16-24 km, and pass the dispatch to another rider every 75 km or so. That’s 4-7 horses every 100 km.

So either AoT horses are more magical than My Little Pony ones or Yams cannot distinguish between a horse and a Ferrari.

Guess which one I’m betting on.

Side Comment: The Ferry

Talking about this with one of my fandom friends, she mentioned her bafflement that they didn’t use the ferries that we see in the first chapters evacuating people from Shiganshina to transport  themselves quickly from place to place. I thought she had a good point, so I looked into it. Thankfully for Yams though, I looked into this and it’s not really an option.

The steam engine is unknown in Paradis, so the ferries would have to be operated manually. (The publicly available info panel on the subject comes from the Lost girls OVA, so its canonicity is questionable, and it has contradictory info saying they are moved via wires along the river (as manual ferries do) but also that they are powered by the same gas as the VMG – which make little sense bc then you don’t need the wire and why not have a railway as well?). And the maximum speed a manually hauled barge can attain is not better than that of a horse. For a RL example, the fastest that horse-drawn barges travelling the Canal du Midi in the 19th century could reach was 32 hours for the 240 km ride... changing horses every 10km. Before that, it took four days. That’s 13 hours for 100 km – basically the same time it took the SC to go from Trost to Wall Maria in RtS, but without the possibility to change course if the road’s blocked or to dodge titans if they attack (and provided they had the fresh horses every 10 km, which they wouldn’t in RtS).

That said, I do think Yams totally forgot about the ferries.

Part 3

[the-mic-drop]

Zelink gets Isekaied into BG3 Pt5: Let's Split Up, Gang!

Zelda- High Elf Draconic Lineage Sorcerer

Link- Half Wood Elf Champion Fighter

So far: Karlach has joined the party, Zelda has begun her infernal machinery research, and Karlach asks Link about his relationship with Zelda

When Zelda finally says goodbye to Dammon, she finds Link looking uncomfortable with Karlach and Astarion on either side of him. She asks what's wrong and Link takes the opportunity to escape and ask where they're going next.

Zelda is split between continuing to explore across the bridge and looking into Moonhaven more. Lae'zel suggests they split into two teams of four to explore both. Zelink is shaken by the suggestion, but can't deny the idea.

Team Link (Link, Wyll, Shadowheart, and Gale) will investigate Moonhaven.

Team Zelda (Zelda, Karlach, Lae'zel, and Astarion) will explore The Risen Road.

The teams will meet back up at camp (probably outside The Grove) at [time is a nebulous concept.]

As the group finishes distributing resources, Zelda hugs Link. She gives him a meaningful kiss goodbye before Team Zelda warps to their destination, leaving him stunned.

Link is mercifully left with the group least likely to hound him for information, but is still asked a few questions that he responds to with characteristic brevity before Team Link warps back to Moonhaven.

Karlach and Astarion ask Zelda about her and Link in their own ways as they walk and Zelda is much more open to answering than her boyfriend.

She tells them they've been living together since the end of the Calamity and started dating a year or so after that. Astarion asks about marriage and she gets bashful, saying they're waiting for the kingdom to get back on its feet. Lae'zel is watching the environment to try and distract herself from this inane dribble.

Lae'zel notices some movement up the road from where they dealt with the Gnolls. Evidently, there were even more Gnolls. Lae'zel advises Zelda to have herself and Karlach head straight in and let her and Astarion sneak up the small hill and give them support from the high ground. Zelda gives the thumbs up and Team Zelda makes short work of the Gnolls, though the moment is sullied when they find a pair of corpses in the cave. That Iron Flask they find is spooky.

Team Zelda continues and finds Waukeen's Rest on fire. Zelda immediately orders the party to search & rescue or join these nice knightly-looking people to put out the fires. She asks Karlach just how fireproof she is. Karlach enthusiastically says she can take a quick pop into an inferno if need be.

Astarion takes a bucket and heads into the less-enflamed buildings and does some light looting veiled as looking for survivors.

Lae'zel kicks down the front door and lets Karlach take the lead into the building. Zelda follows, hitting every blaze with Ray of Frost as she goes.

They get Florrick out, but Zelda hears someone yelling for help from a closed room. She recognizes that the room will ignite further if they open the door and she has Karlach bust in, find the guy, and get out before she blasts the room with a real big Ray of Frost (Ice Storm)

While Zelda goes around magically putting out fires, the rest of the team talks to Florrick and the Flaming Fist, getting the plot info (Astarion takes the lead.) Duke Ravengard, Moonrise Towers, etc.

During a short rest, the team fills Zelda in on what they've learned.

After their rest, they continue down the road and see the red dragon flying overhead. Lae'zel jogs ahead of the party to meet her fellow Gith.

The encounter begins as normal with Lae'zel taking the lead, but eventually, Voss' dragon takes an interest in Zelda. Zelda can feel that the dragon means her no harm and gently communes with it. This impresses Voss enough to believe Lae'zel's deception (or gives Lae'zel the confidence to convincingly lie) and the encounter ends without conflict.

With the knowledge that the Gith are searching for Shadowheart's artefact, Team Zelda decides to head back to camp for the time being.

[princemick]

MICKLORE for dummies

here;s part 1 with his racing history

because over roc weekend people seemed to have gotten to know him a lot better so here's a bunch more of mick info that I deem as essential

so under the tab I will add a bunch of stuff that kinda break trough that introverted pr trained wall he has.

this will be broken into facts, quotes, moments and videos.

--enjoy--

Mickfacts:

he speaks, english, german, french and italian but beraly speaks italian and french because he doesnt feel comfortable enough with them

the f-2002 is his favorite of his dads cars

during a lot of 2022's off season he has been dirt racing in the states where he bascially races for as long as the car runs together with gina's bf (x) (x)

apperantly recognizes the italian anthem before the german

can't choose himself for a dream team so his dream team is michael and seb

couldnt choose between lewis and max in 2021 "because theyre both nice to me"

he used to play drums as a kid

his middle name is 'junior'

he is named after Mick Doohan (5x mtotogp champ) who used to live close to Michael who were really good friends and so him and Jack Doohan (f2 driver) have always been and are still close friends.

apperantly introduced himself to kevin when he got back to haas with 'suck my balls'

modified said off road buddy that he does mud racing with so it goes quicker then intended

he seems to have extra clothes with him at all times bc he borrowed an extra pair of pants and shirt to callum for their f2 podium celebration

his dad wanted him to study engineering (also interesting piece of related information: he said he would have become a biologist if not an f1 driver in this video)

he refers to his dog angie as his best friend

in F3 he won 5 races in a row. race 22 til 26 of the 2018 season.

he started doing champions for charity where he organizes a football match every year with a bunch of german sports players

mick denies it but this man has bleached his hair

Mickquotes:

"a bomb, a knife, a serial killer. I mean that comes all together so.."

"I mean if poeple ask me if I'm mick I usualy just say no. I learned that from my dad."

"can I eat this?" procedes to eat it

"you guys are gonna do pushuupss"

"can I go and pet it?? play fetch??"

"those cars are so shit"

"deutsche, german..WHA??"

"you sure??"

"my dad, my dad, my dad, my dad"

"I just wanna get to my dad"

"beep beep beep"

"I won f2 and f3 for a reason"

"you guys are fucking brilliant, FUCKING BRILLIANT! fucking hell- sorry for all the swearing guys"

"I have a problem with italian bread tbh"

"PTW man, PTW" (pwt means prove them wrong)

"so you have to be smooth, realise that its an old lady and treat it that way, take it easy and enjoy the ride"

"hmm, have you ever driven on the road blindfolded?"

"ah, I was fine" after crashing

"I'm glad it was you I was fighting against"

Mickvideos:

prema stranger things - where he bascially just shouts his ideas and is loudly jock and himbo coded

The 5 Second Challenge - him having to really quickly talk and think shows how he thinks really well aka himbo

The Taboo Challenge - where he has to explain something without using specific words

Seb And Mick Take On The Formula 1 Tower Challenge! - where Seb and Mick ask eachother questions as they play mega jenga

Mick and Dan at the 2021 russian gp presser - just wholesome

Mick and Sean cook pizza together - him being wholesome and happy and speaking italian

Prema Trivia Challenge - giving ultimate himbo rights

him hugging every haas mechanic after his last race w them

mick post Q2 in Canada

the groundhog video

Some minutes with Cyrus Watches: Mick Schumacher

The Texas Red Hot Sauce Challenge - shows his relationship with gary (his old race engineer) really well

Guess the Flavour: Japanese KitKat Taste Test - shows how weird mick is sometimes

Map The Track - himbo.

Mick celebrates with the team after first F1 points - hes so beloved

Gina and Crorinna's congrats after his first points

okay there's much much more, if you wanna get more into it I reccomend watching more of his prema and haas videos and just keep updated with him over his time at mercedes

dont be afraid to send me asks with questions or anyting!

and special thank you to 2/3 of the pillars of mickblr @acrosstobear and @schumaclerc for helping me out w some micklore and @stoffelvandoornegf for this post

[thewardenisonthecase]

Stars

Alistair x F!Cousland Warden

Read on AO3

Summary: On their path to Denerim, Anneliese Cousland and Alistair watch the stars, as they reflect on their journey.

A/N: This is very short but its something that had been on my mind for awhile. Everytime I go back and replay the battle of ostagar i get this terrible sad feeling because of how things went down. I didn't have much to go with this but yeah.

word count: 873

It was one more night until they reached Denerim, after once again protecting Redcliff and gaining the titles of Champions. 

One more night until she would be faced with the enemy. 

One more night until they hopefully ended this Blight for good. 

Anneliese Cousland had found a nice spot, a little further away from camp, to sit and look at the stars. 

‘Even when everything changes, at least the stars will always stay the same.’ she would tell herself. 

Anneliese should be asleep, but there were too many feelings inside of her to allow for a good night of rest. 

It was not doubt - she had faith that they would be victorious. The dwarves, elves, mages and knights were ready. After all the work she had done to help those people, they were finally returning the favour. After all she had lost…she had come too far to lose at the end. 

It wasn’t anxiety either. Anneliese always knew it would all come to this, ever since she awoke in Flemeth’s hut, even if at times the path ahead was obscure. For a moment, her determination had wavered. They were not getting anywhere near an end and it only seemed like they kept finding problems.

Fittingly, it was in the Deep Roads that she had found the strength she needed. Seeing the Archdemon flying overhead had reminded her of her duty. She would see this battle through, no matter the cost. 

What she felt that night was not anxiety, nor doubt. No, it was the old beast that gnawed at her heart ever so often. The old beast called grief. 

After the attack on Castle Cousland, she thought all she could feel was grief. For her parents, for her brother’s family, for Iona. But she had spent too long mourning them. She lost her home but there was still a Ferelden to save. 

No, her grief tonight was for-

“There you are.” She heard Alistair’s voice as he walked towards her and sat down. “I thought I was gonna have to sleep all alone tonight.” 

When she didn’t reply, he frowned. “What’s on your mind?” 

“Ostagar.” Anneliese hugged her knees, as she continued to look at the stars. “Do you realize it’s been a year since…well, this all began?” 

“I think Wynne mentioned it once or twice. Why?” 

She sighed. “I don’t know, I just feel…we were all different people then.” She looked at him. “Does that make sense to you?” 

“I think it does. I mean, I was just a bastard being raised to be a templar and now…now I’m going to be king of Ferelden.” He let out a heavy sigh. “At least I’ll have you with me.”

Anneliese gave him a small smile and placed her head on his shoulder.

“I keep thinking about that night, before the battle. All those men talking about how it would go. I remember Duncan saying there would be an Archdemon and Cailan doubting if this was even a real blight.” 

“How wrong they all were.” Alistair said, solemnly. 

Even after so long, Duncan’s loss still hurt him - much like her family’s still haunted her. At least, they had recovered his shield, something to remember him by. 

Anneliese closed her eyes. She couldn’t stop thinking about that night. The two of them had complained when they were sent to light the signal. They were young and stupid and they wanted to join in the real fight, not knowing what would happen. Duncan had said he wanted no heroics from them. 

Look at them now. Wherever his soul went, if Duncan was watching, would he be proud of what they achieved? Did he think they died in the Tower? 

“I think we were all a bit foolish back then. No one could imagine what would happen.” She whispered. “Ostagar feels like a lifetime ago.”

“That’s what Loghain said.” 

“I hate to agree but in that regard, he was right.”

After a moment, Alistair said “I think he was, too.” 

Silence befell them again. Even if Morrigan’s ritual worked, there were still a number of different ways that they could be slain in battle. They could be betrayed again, the darkspawn could overwhelm them. Maker, even the Archdemon could prove to be too strong. 

If they survived, they would never be the same. They would be heroes. They would be Queen and King, husband and wife. They would go down in history, whether they wanted to or not. Anneliese could not make sense if this was what the Maker had intended for them all along. 

Once, she felt she was still a girl, wearing a soldier’s facade. Now, she would go to the battlefield as a woman. She wondered if Alistair felt the same, and part of her believed it so. He was still just one year older than her. 

She sighed heavily, leaning more into Alistair’s shoulder. He covered the hands on her knees with his, as he gently placed his head on top of hers. She turned her gaze to the sky once again, feeling the gentle breeze of the air on her face. 

There were many doubts about what tomorrow would bring but for nothing, they would sit in silence and watch the stars. 

.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this fic, please consider reblogging it and leaving a comment, they're extremely appreciated!

[tactician]

leaving alola behind him, reides the kingdra headed for generation 8 of the pokemon games in his quest for more ribbons! gen8 of these games feature the galar region (via pokemon sword and shield) as well as the sinnoh region (via pokemon brilliant diamond and shining pearl)! this leap to gen8 was super alarming, as my beloved kingdra moved from the 3ds to the current nintendo console - namely, the nintendo switch! it's crazy to think about how this whole journey began on my copy of emerald version, slotted into my pleasantly clunky brick of a grey ds.

reides' journey through the generations has been filled with its highs and its lows, but once he arrived safely in pokemon home, it meant that i could be a bit flexible with my approach to the ribbons available in swsh and bdsp! (it also meant bidding farewell to my shoddy photos of my (3)ds screen for these posts... they will be missed...)

anyway, before i get into the story of reides' gen8 journey, i gotta do my customary shoutout to all the other parts of his ribbon master quest. it's really easy this time around, as i finally put together an index for these posts on my personal site! you can find it here! that page also has a lot of information about the challenge itself, along with some helpful resources if you'd like to take it on. as always, you can also peek in my ribbon master tag on this blog, too.

if you're all caught up with the story so far, it's time to get started on a brand new chapter.

transferring reides into my copy of pokemon shield was a really emotional experience. kingdra looks absolutely gorgeous on the switch, and i was blown away by how awesome the shiny form looks, too. this moment on the beach at sunset - with a galarian slowpoke and a kingler lurking close by - felt pretty cinematic. it was also really nice to see my trainer character again! i absolutely love all of the different fashion items available in swsh. immediately, i knew that i had to make my ribbon mastery team a big ol' pot of curry for all of their hard work thus far.

we also played together while we camped out. i was really glad that i was already in shield's post-game, as it saved a whole lot of time on this ribbon master journey AND meant that i'd have tons of toys for my pokemon at my disposal.

after goofing around for hours, i finally decided to take on the first ribbon available in galar. this ribbon was the galar champion ribbon, which your pokemon receive upon entering the galarian hall of fame. i ended up needing to play through the galarian star tournament first, though, as i had procrastinated on doing that for the longest time... so reides ended up taking part in a few more battles than one would think!

it was absolutely awesome to see dynamax in action with reides! it made me wish that kingdra got a gigantamax form, but i guess that would be a bit too amazing for anyone to handle, huh? while taking on this ribbon, i also realized just how much i missed the vibes of the gym challenge in the galar region. the wide stadiums, the cheering crowds, the MUSIC... all of it is so incredibly top-tier and it really got me pumped up! not to mention seeing the absolutely INCREDIBLE cast in action. shoutout to everyone but especially piers. all hail the reigning king of the pokemon punks.

anyway, reides was eventually able to sweep his way to victory in both the galarian star tournament as well as the league battles. he joined the hall of fame and got the galar champion ribbon!

with that handled, it was time to take on galar's battle tower. according to most, this battle tower is an absolute cake-walk, as you can dynamax while most of your opponents (barring leon) can't. it was just a matter of buckling down and spending the time required to amass your wins. as a result, i ended up abandoning the tried and true durant strat and instead took the og trio of albatross, origin and reides, himself, along for the ride.

hilariously enough, i ran into ONE road-block in this tower in the form of a shedinja which i could literally not attack. i had NO moves that could get past its guard... sobs. but another nice thing about the galarian battle tower is that it isn't streak-dependent, instead swapping over to a system relying on ranking up or ranking down. so i brushed off this shedinja encounter without letting it get to me all that much, haha! i also taught albatross shadow ball... just in case.

ribbons also got a bit of an upgrade in the switch games of pokemon. no longer limited to just being pretty graphics on the ribbon screen, you can now equip one ribbon on your pokemon and give it a little title every time you send it out in battle. i equipped the ribbon that reides got for mastering all of the contests in omega ruby, which granted him the title of 'shining star'!

it was so nice to see it every time i sent him out, but i can definitely see myself swapping between all the various titles at reides' disposal!

my climb to the master ball rank was fairy uneventful, though i really understood this child's plight. it's how i felt many times while in various battle towers during this ribbon master journey.

eventually, i made it through the rank itself and got to the final battle against leon. though i had faced him at the end of each rank prior to this moment, it still felt very intense to encounter him knowing that this was my very last battle tower match for the forseeable future. also, his battle tower outfit is SO DRIPPY. love him so much.

not gonna lie, it was pretty funny seeing him say something so inspiring while looking so sad (and the snowscape from one of dynamax-form reides' attacks really added to it). leon is an absolutely amazing character and one of my fav champions ever, though, so i was thrilled that he got to be the final match in my battle tower saga!

even though the swsh battle tower was WAY easier than the others that i faced, i was still so happy to be done with it. my goodness. i really went from ignoring the battle towers in the series to gaining streaks of ~50 in each and every one... it's kind of unreal. reides truly earned the title of 'tower master'!

upon getting the tower master ribbon, we were done with galar. i was sure to make my pokemon team some more curry before they set off for sinnoh! but i honestly wasn't too torn up about leaving galar, as pokemon home lets us shift pokemon between the switch games however we'd like. after so many one-way transfers out of prior generations, it felt kind of surreal - and was also a huge relief.

this cute curry wasn't the only treat that got eaten, either! i made some pokemon cookies in Real Life to celebrate, as well. i used cookie cutters from the official pokemon store to make these pikachu and munchlax cookies!

i then set my sights on the remake of diamond version... pokemon: brilliant diamond!

the last time reides visited sinnoh, he did so via my childhood copy of diamond version. as i wrote in my post about the gen4 part of reides' journey, this copy of the game was already in the post-game, so i didn't have to play through any of diamond's plot whatsoever when he arrived. however... for this sinnoh visit, i actually didn't have a post-game available! despite owning brilliant diamond since the day it released, i had barely played it. (fun fact: in my first run of the game, i ran into a shiny bidoof on my very first night playing it. i ended up transferring all of the pokemon in it - bidoof included - to pokemon home and restarting it, though, as i was toying with the idea of doing a shiny starter hunt... and then i simply never touched it. so i guess restarting it was actually a waste of time. weeps.) i knew that i'd need to play through its plot to get the ribbon that reides needed, so... you know what that meant.

it was time for a whole other adventure to begin.

i decided to keep reides in the pc for the storyline part of this playthrough. i wanted to raise a team of pokemon from the sinnoh region, and i knew that reides' status as a fully ev and iv trained pokemon at level 100 meant that he would absolutely STEAMROLL the plot. we still went on walks together very often though, and he had his pal hammer the garchomp in the pc for company! (i usually raise a garchomp for my sinnoh teams, as it's one of my fav pokemon in the sinnoh region, but i decided to try to resist this time around and limit myself to pokemon that i had never raised before!)

i absolutely loved my brilliant diamond playthrough. the art direction is a point of contention in the pokemon fandom, but i'm a big fan of it! it seems like people either love it or hate it, and, thankfully, i'm definitely in the 'love' camp! the chibi style is endlessly charming, and the environments were just gorgeous. something about the lighting in brilliant diamond is just SUPER pleasing to me, and re-visiting sinnoh like this allowed me to really appreciate it. since my diamond file was in the post-game, i guess needing to play through this one in its entirety actually kinda worked out in my favour, huh?

i was super delighted to see that the ribbons screen is absolutely gorgeous in this game, too! i really like the status screen featured in bdsp. it's so nice and colourful.

this simple little screenshot is also really important to me. you see, when i was a kid, i got diamond version as a gift from a family friend. he'd gone abroad and generously brought back it back as a present for me. back then, the country that i live in didn't get pokemon games in a timely manner at all (we'd get them in video game stores months after they released in the u.s.), and i actually had no idea that diamond version even existed. (not knowing that a new pkmn generation dropped was a recurring experience in my childhood, LOL.) so playing this game for the first time made for a really magical experience. i have a very, very clear memory of playing it for hours and hours on the night that i started it up... until i could barely keep my eyes open. i trained my team a whole lot and was exploring this route right outside of jubilife, and i thought that the small island on the water was very pretty. i saved there for the night, imagining my trainer setting up a little camp for herself and her pokemon... and now, every time i'm on that route, i can't help but smile at the memory. so you can imagine just how happy i was to take a photo with reides there, with the updated graphics and everything!

furthermore, on the course of my sinnoh journey, i ran into lots of old friends... including none other than riley!

thanks to the way he helped me out in the gen4 battle tower, riley is a really special character to me now. so i was really happy to see him and play through iron island with him! after thwarting team galactic, he surprised me with a little gift.

i actually wasn't planning on raising a riolu - much less a lucario - on my main team AT ALL... but, upon receiving this egg from riley, i knew i had to. as silly as it may sound, i thought it would be a great nod to our time in the battle tower all those generations ago! and so, on that note, here is the storyline team that i journeyed through sinnoh with, and who helped reides get to where he needed to be:

as you can see, there's a bit of a theme going on with their nicknames! i decided to name each member of my brilliant diamond team after in-universe berries. i thought it'd be cute!

anyway, the berry bunch and i had a fantastic time exploring sinnoh. days passed, and, eventually, we faced what i believe to be the most difficult league in any of the pokemon games... including the most daunting champion battle ever.

cynthia lived up to her status as the most skilled champion in the pkmn franchise thus far. we had a battle for the ages, knocking 5 of each other's pokemon out. i actually almost lost to her - she had me completely backed into a corner. but my team pulled through, as kelpsy the glaceon MIRACULOUSLY toughed out an attack that should have knocked him out (via the affection system - namely, if your pokemon really loves you, they can occasionally 'survive' attacks that'd knock them out with 1hp instead) and managed to land a single ice beam on her garchomp. this clutched out the win, and my team was added to the sinnoh hall of fame.

now that i had access to the post-game, i could focus on reides once more. to get his ribbon in brilliant diamond, we'd have to foray into the brilliant contest scene.

brilliant contests are a calibre above the typical condition contests and are linked to all of your contest stats rather than just one. you actually don't gain access to this category unless you've achieved a master rank win in all of the solo-stat categories. luckily, ribbons from oras are recognized in bdsp, so reides didn't have to prove his worth to the judges and could instead get right to competing in the brilliant contests.

in addition to this category, bdsp also introduced some new contest mechanics, too. your final contest score can be split into three parts: 'visual', 'dance', and 'move'. these all seem pretty self-explanatory; the visual part is linked to your pokemon's contest condition/sheen, the dance part is linked to how well you perform in the rhythm game, and the move is linked to your timing in executing the one contest move that you're allowed to take in with you during the contests. but the visual part actually has an element of added complexity in bdsp, as it also involves a new mechanic of placing stickers on your pokemon's pokeball so that cool effects play when you send them out. (this feature was also in the gen4 sinnoh games, albeit not incorporated into those games' contests.)

the effects which these stickers play have a direct impact on your pokemon's visual score. however, for brilliant contests, normal stickers don't really cut it. instead, people recommend grinding out champion stickers (from taking on cynthia's rematch team post-heatran plotline) and showstopper stickers (from beating the other master rank contests) in order to get a decent appeal score. since reides didn't need to take on the master rank contests, i didn't have any of those - and i wasn't all too interested in grinding for more. i figured that grinding out champion stickers would work out better, since they give more points in the visual portion of the contest, anyway.

before starting that grind, i decided to give the brilliant master contest a try with nothing but the base-game stickers. given reides' perfect contest stats from omega ruby, i wondered if his contest skills would be enough to scrape through and secure a win.

as it turned out...

...they were not. people are NOT exaggerating when they talk about the difficulty of the brilliant master rank contest!! i was pretty shocked that my lovely kingdra was getting absolutely terrible visual ratings. (LIKE, LOOK AT HIM!! LOOK AT HIM!!!!!!! HE'S SO CUTE!!!!!!! AND PERFECT!!! AND SWEET, TOO!!!!!!!!) anyway, my outrage aside, it turns out that using those two types of stickers to boost your pokemon's visual rating is pretty much a necessity. the rhythm game portion of it is also not to be underestimated and typically requires a bit of practice. luckily, i'm fairly decent at rhythm games, but i knew that i would have to get those stickers from cynthia after all. i played through the pre-requisite bit of the post-game - catching heatran in a premier ball! - and made my way back to the league. with my storyline team vibing in the pc and my ribbon mastery team ready to FIGHT, i got settled and began grinding out the battles.

initially, i intended to get 20 champion stickers on the ball so as to fill it up entirely with them. after getting 8 stickers in one night, though, i was kind of worn down and decided to give the contest another try. i also taught giga impact to reides, as it's SUPER good in the bdsp contests (your pokemon gains a big boost to its score when you use it while you have a positive 'jam' score in the dance game) and can be easily bought in the veilstone department store. i was delighted to see that my protag's mother - johanna - was there for this contest, as well as gym leader fantina. both johanna and fantina are great at contests in-universe, so i was excited at the prospect of at least succeeding on this contest round, even if reides didn't manage to clutch out the win.

...however, by some miracle, reides managed to do just that!! not only did i finally manage to succeed in the brilliant master rank contest, but reides also secured the win. at this point, it was, like, 4 in the morning for me. i was absolutely astounded; i actually wondered if i was somehow hallucinating. the twinkling star ribbon was the one and only ribbon that i needed in brilliant diamond, and after so much work to get to this point...

...it was finally granted to reides!!!

upon recieving this ribbon, reides acquired all of the ribbons that he needs in order to be a ribbon master... save for ONE. one (1) single ribbon stands in his way... and that ribbon is the one that's granted to a pokemon for emerging victorious in a master ball ranked online battle. now, i can technically get this ribbon by putting reides back in pokemon shield and trying to climb the ladder in gen8... but, as you likely know, the current gen (as of me writing this post) is gen9. that means that the gen8 battle servers are... well...

empty.

okay, no. they're not entirely empty. but people have stories of waiting for hours to get into one single match, and i'm not sure if i want to put myself through that unless i absolutely must. and i might just have to, as kingdra hasn't been officially announced as part of the generation 9 pokedex... however, with indigo disk on the horizon (3 more days!!!), i figured i'd wait to see if kingdra would be included in its national dex before subjecting myself to gen8's very delayed match-making times. if it isn't, i'll just devote another post to my competitive climb in lieu of a gen9 one. (tbh, i'm considering making a totally seperate blog post for my very first foray in the vgc realm regardless - but we'll see how it goes!)

either way, i really, really enjoyed my time with reides in gen8. it has been so awesome to see him in games that i can play with the most up-to-date nintendo console, and kingdra's models across the switch games have just been so incredibly snazzy. i said this at the start of the post, but it truly is crazy to see just how far my little shiny horsea from emerald version has journeyed. i love reides so very much and i couldn't possibly be more proud of him!!!

so let's keep our fingers crossed that reides will be allowed into gen9 so that he can explore the paldea, kitakami, and unova regions! thanks again for cheering him on, and i'm looking forward to writing another update soon!!! that update may very well include reides finally achieving full ribbon master status at long last, so i'm already excited for it! :D

[milk-crater]

Lets see, how about something for Kyle o'reilly + the tower (oh no D: )

Kyle fell easily. It was part of why he was glad Adam was still on the shelf, as shitty as the thought made him feel. If Cole were at AEW tapings, Kyle knew for all his talk of “doing it on his own,” he’d fall sway under Cole’s blue eyes as soon as he smiled at him.

So what did he do instead? Fall sway under another Adam. Edge—it was hard to think of your childhood hero by a civi name like ‘Adam Copleland’—always looked askew at Kyle every time Kyle ran to the older man’s rescue. He accepted the help, but cautiously, weary of Kyle’s wide-eyed devotion, as if expecting for Kyle to drop a bomb like that he was Copeland’s long-long son and start demanding child support back payments. He didn’t get that Kyle’s admiration was genuine. Here was a guy who’d been told he couldn’t wrestler because of a neck issue, but was raising hell at 50! It made Kyle think that maybe he still had plenty road to run too, that he too could someday be a crazy old man.

And then Copeland fell. Fell from the top of a steel cage and onto his tibia.

Kyle was adrift again. Orange Cassidy was a cool guy, but too aloof for Kyle to get truly close too.

MarK Briscoe was the opposite of aloof. He was outgoing and magnetic, and Kyle felt tugged along in his wake, smiling for the first time since he returned to the ring.

But within that joy was a kernel of fear. What if he lost this new lodestar as easily as he’d lost all the others?

“Hey, Mark.” Kyle was on the phone with him just before Forbidden Door. Mark was the type who preferred actual phone calls to text. “Good luck in the ladder match tonight. You’ll make a great TNT champion. Just...be careful, okay, man?”

“Whhhaaaa? Be careful? In a ladder match?! That’s like trying to ask a towel to stay damp during a house fire! You don’t win a ladder match by being careful, baby! You know what the word of the day is? There ain’t no word of the day today, because the word of the day is ‘regrets’, and we ain’t going to have those, you hear me?”

Briscoe’s boisterous words rattled out of the phone speaker. Kyle chuckled even as his heart clenched. “I hear you. It’s just…I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Mark was unusually quiet on the line.

“Hey, you know what you and me have in common, Kyle?” Mark asked. “The worst thing that will ever happen to us has already happened to us. So don’t we got to be afraid of it anymore.”

Kyle remembered meeting Jay Briscoe back in ROH, back before Kyle’s injury, back before Jay’s car crash.

I hope you’re right, Mark, Kyle thought, but didn’t say. It felt like too much of a wah-wah, Charlie Brown downer of a reply. So instead he forced a smile and tried to match Mark’s optimism.

“Right. No more fear, no more regrets.”

[dearamleo]

New Chapter! The Foreverlost (A Wolfstar BotW AU)

Chapter 3: Locked Momentos

“Ron, you’re doing it wrong .”

“Alright, let’s see you try it then if you’re so good at everything .”

Remus closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus on tightening the saddle and situating his bags. Hope, his newly gifted horse, turned her head around to nudge at his side and he ran a hand along her mane trying to drown out their talking. He sighed deeply and returned to fussing with the packs.

“ Potter , stop touching me.”

“I’m not touching you.”

“Yes you are!”

“No, I’m no-”

His knuckles were turning white where he was gripping another strap. He tried counting his breaths, but the bickering behind him only grew louder. “You’re the hero of time,” he mumbled to himself. “You can’t kill the younglings. You can’t kill the younglings. Heroes don’t kill younglings. It’s not a very heroic thing to do.”

“You know we can hear you, right,” Draco’s snotty voice drawled out.

Remus paused what he was doing and turned around on his heels, widening his eyes as big as he could. He let out a loud, exaggerated gasp as if it was the most shocking thing he had ever heard. “ What ?!”

“You’re such a dick,” Ron said, rolling his eyes. “I don’t understand why he has to ride with us anyways.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Weasel?”

“You literally have wings! You don’t need a horse!”

“Just because you have no useful abilities-”

Before another round of childish arguing could ensue, Remus flung himself up into Hope’s saddle and maneuvered her around so she stood in the middle of them all.

“Get on your fucking horses and shut your mouths for five blessed minutes, I am begging of you !”

The four of them all looked at him with owlish eyes, obviously surprised by his outburst. Harry was the one brave enough to follow after him with a quietly mumbled ‘ Yes sir .’ 

Not bothering to look back to ensure they were following, Remus nudged Hope forward towards the other end of the Hogsmeade Pass. He didn’t have to worry about it anyways because not even five minutes later he could hear the foursome already biggering amongst themselves once more as they trailed him. But at least now they were doing so in whispers.

Remus looked up at the sky, an eyebrow raised as if to show the goddesses just how unfunny he found this whole thing. As they finally emerged from the narrow confines of the Hogsmeade Pass, the land of Hogwarts unfurled around them in all its breathtaking glory. Verdant meadows carpeted the rolling hills, dotted with wildflowers that swayed gently in the breeze. Towering trees stood tall, their lush canopies casting dappled shadows upon the earth below.

Remus couldn't help but feel a pang of astonishment at the sight before him. It was as if he were seeing Hogwarts for the first time once again, his memories of the land he had once known so well now rendered as mere shadows in comparison to the vibrant reality spread out before him.

The brilliance of the landscape, illuminated by the golden rays of the sun, was almost startling, just as it had been when he had exited the cave. The contrast between the darkness of his memories and the radiant beauty of the present struck him deeply, stirring a deep longing within his soul.

Lost in his thoughts, Remus gazed out over the land, his eyes tracing the contours of the familiar yet changed landscape. Ignoring the distant bickering of the four champions behind him, his mind became shrouded in a grief that seemed to blanket him like a heavy fog. 

Diagon, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts . The very names whispered through his memories, conjuring images of days gone by, of journeys taken along roads he knew as intimately as the lines on his own palm. But now, as he stood upon this once-familiar terrain, he realized just how vastly different everything appeared.

A century. Honestly, it was a mere blink of an eye in the grand tapestry of time- especially when one is apparently connected to destiny . Yet it was that same blink of time that had wrought an immense impact upon the kingdom. Nature had reclaimed much of what had once been tamed and cultivated, weaving its wild tendrils through the remnants of civilization.

Where once there were bustling villages and cultivated fields dotted everywhere across the land, now there lay untamed wilderness, reclaiming its rightful place in the cycle of life. Trees stood tall and proud, their branches reaching towards the heavens, while foliage carpeted the earth, reclaiming the wilderness that had once been driven out.

Remus felt a pang of sadness wash over him as he beheld the changes wrought by the passage of time. The land he had known so well had become a stranger to him, its familiar landmarks obscured by the march of nature's relentless advance. He’d thought he would find comfort, despite his gaping memories, in at least the familiarity of this land, but even that had been lost to him.

“Do you need guidance,” a soft voice spoke to him.

Remus startled, his head snapping around to find Hermione watching him thoughtfully. Her dark eyes were scrutinizing, but soft. Like she could read his thoughts as easily as a book and she understood.

“Oh,” he said, clearing his throat. “I suppose I didn’t consider how different everything was going to look. I never really needed to think about where I was going before.”

“ The map , Moony.”

Eyes flickering up, Remus could have sworn he heard Prince Sirius’s voice again. Barely a murmur, like it had been carried on the breeze, but still full of the same exasperation. He looked around at the other champions, but Hermione was still only looking at him while Ron and Harry were messing around with their weapons. None of them seemed to have heard the Prince’s voice.

“Perhaps Draco could fly ahead for us and guide the way?”

“Absolutely not,” Malfoy snapped. “I’m not a pet to be ordered about.”

“Enough,” Remus groaned, already seeing the way Ron was opening his mouth again to quip back. “No need to get worked up, Malfoy. I’ve got a map.”

Pulling the map from his bag, Remus held it out and watched as the ink began to bloom just as it had before across the parchment. Opening up the first few folds, he marveled as the same wild landscape of Hogwarts began to bleed across the page out in black and grey. At least on paper, much of the land actually seemed to be the same. There weren’t as many markings for stables, villages or shops, but the true core of Hogwarts was similar enough to what Remus remembered. As the last of the Gringotts Mountains were drawn into existence, a red line was trickling its way back down the map and stopping just shy of Hogsmeade.

“Well, that’s convenient, eh,” Ron said, whistling through his teeth as he peered over Remus’s shoulder. “Where’d you get something like that?”

“Uh, I’m not sure…” Remus mumbled, watching as a tiny crescent moon was blotted right over top of where they stood. “I think… I think the prince left it for me…”

His voice trailed off as he tilted the map one way and another, unfolding further parts of the pages and watching the ways that it grew and expanded. It brought him a startling amount of comfort for just a map. But watching the familiar rivers and mountains, the unchanged valleys and few recognizable town names all be laid out before him brought a sigh of relief- despite all that had changed and all that he was still missing, he had the map and the map would lead him true.

Looking towards the north a bit, he wondered if the prince knew just how much he needed this. The castle wasn’t visible from here and he hadn’t seen that little spark of light amongst the malice since he’d left the Plateau but he hoped the prince could feel his gratefulness, or that he somehow could see.

Read from the beginning here